OFFLINE:\Philippines\Makati City\Tejeros BLISS Garden>
Manang Abe wore a smile as she approached the kids at the table. “I wish there are more youngsters like you guys.”
The kids' howled and patted each others' shoulders, as their ears clapped through her praise. The stubby granny cleared her throat, “Let's be honest, I'm sure all of you wanted to earn extra allowance but...”
The kids' eyes locked onto Manang Abe's wrinkled face, “The bakery won't be able to pay all of you every single day.”
Ren gazed at the bakery's wooden ceiling. This is always open from 5AM to 7PM, Monday to Sunday. They're not even supposed to work to begin with! Manang Abe looked at Ren, “Huy! What are you thinking, Rene-boy?”
Her voice nearly made Ren fall off from his seat. Ren squealed, “Our possible schedules, ma'm?”
She scratched her head, “Rene-boy, don't mind about it. I'll be the one to do it”
IN-GAME:\NOAH Online\Freedom's Cradle Star System\Briarwelt Moon\Walled Metropolis 01 -Kanpeki Sekai->
The petite hammer-wielding girl, Masshu, spawned beside the hulking mushroom-shaped tree. She noticed many avatars flocked around the park. Life in NOAH's isn't all about getting the most powerful loot, or a race to a certain planet. They also hang out in groups, make a machinima drama, or sell their prized loots at their market stalls.
She browsed through the players' stalls. Metallic and energy-based elemental weapons. Power armors with low-tier bonuses. Snazzy clothing with high stat bonuses sold at higher price.
“Hey Masshu!” Castor Aarth, the brown-skinned magician, waved at her. “Want a new hoodie?”
Her eyes glowed in curiosity. She wore a wide grin, as she approached the human magician in green short robes. He showed her a pink sporty «Cut-off Hoodie Shirt». She magically wore the hoodie shirt at a touch of a button on her inventory interface.
Her new clothes gave her a hooded cheerleader look, and two skills took effect: «Fortune Cat's Eye» and «Fortune Cat's Left Hand».
Castor Aarth whistled as he looked at her body. “Wow, you look good on that outfit!” He peeked at her midriff with a grin.
She thanked him for the clothes, and paid him worth 5,000 in-game credits. “Say, would you like to raid with me?”
“Sure!” Castor Aarth muttered, as he packed his goods back to his inventory. “Where would it be?”
“Miyamoto Rainforest: Crikhei Hatchery.” Masshu brought her prized legendary-grade, fang-like pick hammer, «Kongbomba's Mashing Fang».
IN-GAME:\NOAH Online\Freedom's Cradle Star System\Briarwelt Moon\Miyamoto Rainforest>
Glowing mushrooms once again dotted the tall and dark spruce trees with a twist: Yellowish things clung on the tree trunks that beat like a human heart, yet glowed like a lamp post.
As they trekked across the dark rainforest, Masshu looked at Castor Aarth's eyes. He stared at her smooth and beautiful back. She said in an angry voice, “You've been staring at my butt, don't you?”
Castor Aarth made an “X”-motion with his hands, as he stepped back from her. “It's not what you think!”
Darn it, boy! He stepped on a glowing alien egg. Alas, a little bastard child of a crocodile and a wolf, called as «Newborn Crikhei» in-game, bit his left thigh.
He pulled the little creature off from his thigh, and threw on the nearby spruce tree.
However, it bled his left thigh and he lost a lot of hit points. She stood in front of her wounded party member, with her pick hammer in hand. Her eyes locked onto the weakened creature.
A sudden surge of green hexagonal grids wrapped the little crocodile-wolf monster's limbs. It grew quickly into a «Crikhei» by itself. The creature let out a choppy wailing howl, and pouncedat Masshu & Castor Aarth.
Her pick hammer gave off white light as she swung her weapon upward. WHACK! She knocked the crocodile-wolf away from them.
Castor Aarth stood firm and aimed his simple, tube-like «Practice Staff» for an «Electric Bolt» attack. He shot a small lightning bolt at the downed monster.
Masshu tightly held the pick hammer, as she dashed at the creature. She performed a «Leaping Smash» and damaged it's skull. The «Crikhei» died without a thrilling resistance.
“That used to be a boss, what happened?” Castor Aarth approached the dead monster's dissolving body.
“I dunno, but I think Eden went bonkers or something.” Masshu checked the monster's body for loot.
KACHING! Her shirt's Fortune Cat abilities took effect. Besides the usual «Crikhei Fang», «Crikhei's Furry Leather», or «Crikhei Eye», she found a black, edgy, legendary-grade «Ararat Core» armor for robotic vehicles and mechanical races.
In the end, she foundan epic-grade «Cleavinpyre» —a wide rectangular two-handed sword with impossibly flowing magma as its blades. Don't ask how to recreate that magma-bladed great sword in real life though, it's gonna be messy!
She popped out her character skills interface. I can use Cleavinpyre, but I may not deal higher damage for my «Great Sword Mastery» is at zero. I'm a hammer freak, y'know? She sighed in dismay, in spite of the weapon's intimidating appearance.
OFFLINE:\Philippines\Parañaque City\Hatsumi's Residence>
Hatsumi stretched her hands to the roof after an effortless battle against the down-played monster in the game. She said to herself, “What a bummer! That used to be scary, like how Hatsya died on that thing.”
She yawned like a boat foghorn, took off her headset, and peeked through the window. Children played at the streets. Outgoing teenagers jogged under the warm Filipino sunrise.
Her attention snapped back to the game as her screen turned reddish. She heard the monsters' choppy wailing cries as they feasted on her avatar. Oh geez! My character's gonna die! Shesat back at her computer in a blitz. She bit her lips as she moved Masshu away from the monsters. Given the size of her avatar's weapon, she won't be able to roll away, unless she'll feed herself to the monsters as a tank.
Masshu tumbled away from the crocodile-wolves by 4 meters, and lost some HP due to «Bleeding» inflicted by them.
“Aarth! Drive them away, gonna heal!” she quickly pressed a number key for her «Hemostat».
C'mon! I better get healed! Her character's HP bar stopped flashing, and the «Bleeding» icon faded out.
She moved her avatar further from the hungry mob and struck another number key for a «Healing Vial Lv3». Masshu's HP filled up to 80% portion of her HP bar. Game on, suckers!
“Aarth! Can you AoE?” Hatsumi yelled through her headphones.
“Sorry, I don't have any AoE skills right now!” Castor Aarth's player stuttered.
She heard his painful scream, then paid attention at his stats on-screen. The mage boy's HP: 35/110. His Ether Points (EP): 33/60. “Run, perverted mage-boy!” she yelled at Castor Aarth.
Her forehead dripped beads of sweat. I can't die here! I must get a worthy loot!
She moved Masshu toward the group of Crikhei and performed a «Hammer Sweep» attack. Her avatar swung her pick hammer in full circle and knocked some of the crocodile-wolves away from her.
Hatsumi wore a wide grin, “Now give me your precious loot!”
She struck the last number key for the «Fortune Cat's Eye» skill. One of the monsters within her range gained a holographic four-leaf clover above their heads. The chat box at the lower left of her screen displayed a message:
[Crikhei (12m) Legendary: «Signet of the Jade Crocodile», Uncommon: Intrepida's «Soldier's Short Wetsuit», and Legendary: «Crikhei Fearmonger's Fang» ]
Wow! Thanks for the Fortune Cat bonus! Hatsumi moved Masshu to the monster targeted by the «Fortune Cat's Eye» ability. She rapidly clicked her mouse, and watched her avatar whack the sorry creature. “That's it! That's it!”
She struck another number key for her «Gaian Rising Blow» area-of-effect attack. Masshu's weapon expelled fiery sand-colored flames and slammed the ground with her pick hammer. She damaged every creature around her target, and killed a few upon impact.
She quickly searched the fallen monsters for loot, then snagged the three items found by the «Fortune Cat's Eye» ability. Unfortunately, five surviving Crikheis galloped towards her avatar, unguarded.
Worse, she heard her mother's voice, “Hatsumi, who are you talkin' to? I'm sure you're playing games early in the morning again!”
IN-GAME:\NOAH Online\Freedom's Cradle Star System\Briarwelt Moon\Miyamoto Rainforest>
“I got your back!” Castor Aarth launched rapid lightning bolts on the surviving monsters. Out of the blue, a middle-aged girl in black armor, flung her «Ebony Flutter-Edge» on the group of mobs. The black bladed boomerang cut through the monsters' thick hide, and returned to her hand.
Fallen creatures around them turned into green dusts for a respawn. The armored girl stowed her bladed boomerang back to her inventory.
Masshu and Castor Aarth eyed the new girl. Her name's Pollux. She brushed her jet-black fringe leftward as she stared at the two. The girly-looking Castor Aarth peeked at her shining, form-fitting, piano black power suit.
Pollux walked up to him and slapped his buttocks. “Want one?” She smiled at him.
“Na-ah! I'm fine with this!” Castor Aarth shrugged his shoulders.
“You'll look manly more if you have this kind of clothing.” Pollux patted his head.
Masshu interrupted their banter, “Thanks, I nearly died at that time Pollux!” she scratched her head as she grinned wide at Pollux.
“Nah, don't mention it Masshu.” Pollux shrugged her shoulders, with her palms out. “Anyways, I'm one of your avid viewers on your DailyTube channel.”
They set up a camp in the middle of the rainforest, exchanged jokes and stories, then refilled their HP and EP.
After resting in the camp, Masshu and Pollux noticed more players ventured through the rainforest. Pollux spotted two of her friends headed to their camp. One's Hyung-Soo, the rifleman who donned a leopard-themed trenchcoat, with a bulky light machine gun strapped at his back. RieHoshikawa, the girl in red one-piece school uniform, accompanied Hyung-Soo to their campsite.