Maiha skewers another flying snake. Holding the arrow destined to fire at the approaching goliath she swiftly dispatches the tricky critter with a stab. While aligning her bow blades for two more.
They impale themselves right on time for her to fire the arrow into another weak point. Hell yeah!
1, 2, 3, 4. 1, 2, 3, 4! Hack, slash, shoot, reload. "Whoa, yeah! Now we're getting into the rhythm!" With an excited cheer she shreds the monsters in their predetermined sequence. Target indicators flash with the satisfying ping of success. Flashy effects play out as gore transforms into a colourful confetti of 'perfect's and 'combo's. Maiha has entered the zone.
"Last lap chat!" She cries as she pulls out multiple arrows from the quiver with a quick gesture. Using the built up special gauge she fires. The bar shrinks down in a flash.
A twisting braid of special effects fires off as the arrows seek their targets. The many eyes of the goliath tracking the projectiles go wide just before the shots land. A musical cry leaves the beast as it crashes down in an epic but melodramatic manner. The music dies down as the scene reaches it's conclusion. Maiha is left in the bliss of post level completion.
"Heck yeah!" Maiha pants, sweat dripping from her brow and onto the headset. "That was a fantastic choice chat!" Twisting her hand the chat window pops up.
RubyRhymer: Hell yeah! Great finish!
xXxMemerDreamerxXx: Again! Oncorwe!
RyDivaLover: Yeah! Show us that booty Diva!
Ugh, please, no more creeps. "Hey, you'll be timed out if you continue that behaviour." She chides the over enthusiastic chatter. One of the cons of doing full body rhythm games. But I love it too much to be discouraged with online creeps.
"So! Any thoughts chat? What song should I play next?" Maiha asks while groping around for her towel. Her avatar arms swipe around in virtual space with limp wrists as she attempts to find a real world object.
TimidTim: What's that new anime called. Had a great OST.
RubyRhymer: Oh was it Kill x Lover. That's a great choice!
xXxMemerDreamerxXx: Doi t! KXL!
...
And now chat's all in agreement. Well shucks, I need to find the file now. "OK, OK. Anyone got a link to the file? I don't have that one."
Peeling the headset off her head the real world reveals itself. Bit of a shame really. It was always a disappointing to be dropped back into the real world when you'd just gotten immersed into such a fantastic fictional world. Can someone not whisk me away to a fantasy world yet? Or at least some full dive tech at least? Too much to ask?
Making sure not to tangle herself in the wires she hangs her headset on the hook she'd placed in the ceiling. Bungee cord slackens as her rig settles in its home. The avatar on the screen goes wacky as the tracking goes awry. A pretty red headed avatar sits in the lobby of a fantasy-esk VR game. It was custom skin modded in and her signature for the channel. Anyone who watched regularly would recognise it as RhythmDiva, her screen name.
OK, chat window's up, and... Already a couple of links were showing up. Several different versions were vying for her attention. This one pops up the most so...
She goes to click the link but the mouse doesn't move. Giving it a shake only budges it a fraction. "Sorry chat, somethings up with the mouse."
Turning it over and looking into the sensor showed no debris that could be blocking it. Following the lead to the computer and re-plugging it had no effect. Oh, darn it! I knew it had been playing up recently. "OK, this isn't good. Chat, seems mouse-kun's gone bye bye."
A string of 'Nooooo's played out in chat. She laughs as the dramatic outcry scrolls the chat window up and up. "I'm sorry chat, but we've had a good run. I think we should leave it here for now. Thanks for coming everyone!"
Putting the headset back on so that she could wave at the virtual camera she gives her usual ending spiel. "This is RhythmDiva, signing out! Sorry it was a tad shorter everyone! See you next time!"
With a few clicks of the controller the VR rig was switched off. Now how can I end the stream. She could tab into the window and along the menu's but that was a pain to do. I'll just do a hard off. Sorry computer, but there's nothing important up so...
Holding the off button for four seconds the screen went black and the tower's fans slowly spun down. OK, now where to get a new mouse.
For a brief moment she considered borrowing one from someone in the house share but nobody would be in at this time. Oh wait, Mel may be around. Maiha listened carefully in the now silent room, but couldn't hear any activity upstairs. Mel lived in room above. She could sometimes hear him move about. She often felt a bit sorry for causing all the noise with her gaming. He never complained though. Said it was comforting even, to hear other people in the house.
Sigh, Mel hasn't seemed quite right lately. She'd thought his lowest moment was when the accident occurred around about a year ago. But his latest down turn seems to be on the back of that same grief. I hope he's doing OK. He's been so quiet lately.
Gathering a couple of items to go out she grimaces as she feels the cooling sweat chill her skin. Gah, another shower? Or straight out? Not one to care too much about the impressions of others she was tempted to just stick some deodorant on and pop out. But then I'd have wet hair when I go out... Ugh, a guy would absolutely get away with that.
Ah, stuff it, I had a shower before stream. I'll just jog there and back and get another when I return. A spritz of deodorant went on. After sticking a light top on she made to go out. Where should I go? Denis's hardware store? While pondering this the front door slams. Wait did someone else just leave?
Must have been Mel? She puts her headphones on and starts a good playlist. Grabbing her keys and twirling them on the key chain from finger to finger she leaves her room and locks up.
As she leaves the flat the brisk cold night air bites at her cooling skin. Oof, that's cold. Jogging on the spot to stave off the cold she begins to make her way towards the hardware store.
A few minutes pass before a familiar silhouette shows up in front of her. Wait is that Mel? Was it a work day today? Gah, this is awkward, I don't really want to walk together at the moment. Conscious that her streaming activity may make her less desirable as company she holds back. It did mean slowing down however. Conflict grows in her head as the awkward distance made her feel like she was stalking him.
To Maiha's eyes his form looked so sad. Hunched shoulders with a long stare. As if not looking at anything in this world. She hated the idea of growing apart from her good friend. It was rare to find people you just click with. And the little group they'd formed at uni were unlike any of the friends she'd made up to this point. Geeky, nerdy and unashamed. Free to explore subjects that would bore most of the prissy girls she'd known at high school. And a level of empathy missing from those sorts of insular groups.
Now I'm going to get cold. She thought as her jog turned into a saunter. Should I just... wait. The figure of Mel ahead of her turns off unexpectedly. Where is he going? What even is that way?
Something about his forlorn figure rings alarm bells in her mind. He wouldn't would he? It hasn't become that bad has it? She found herself turning at the same spot. I'm not stalking... I'm not... I'm just checking on a friend.
Keeping distance she tries to figure out where this street takes them. But no answers is forthcoming. She'd hardly ever come this way.
It's a few minutes later that the sign for that business comes into view. Oh, Joe's depot. She had been here before. She'd helped Mel move boxes. No wonder he's like that. Some of the worry abated until one possibility came to mind. The depot wasn't exactly bustling and busy.
Mel in front let himself in the front gate. This was as far as Maiha could go. Ehm, what do I do! I don't think he would. But I couldn't live with myself afterwards if I learned he had, and I did nothing.
"I know..." She pulls out her phone and types out a quick message.
[Hi Mel, you wouldn't happen to have a spare mouse around would you? Mine broke. Tee hee pero ;P]
A few agonising seconds passed. She knew she was over reacting but she couldn't rid herself of that little niggle of doubt.
[Hmm, not one I can easily access. How urgent?]
She sighs.
[Nah, never mind. I'm gonna head over to Denis's and get a new one. Are you up for a game tonight? I had to end stream early and I need a gaming fix. Pretty please? With a cherry on top!]
[Ha ha, OK. Had to pop out for a little shopping so I'll be a little late but I'll be there.]
You liar, you. But she felt a little happier. With this she felt confident that nothing bad was about to happen. She sighs. Now, I wonder what we should play... Turning up the volume on her tunes she heads back the way she came to visit a certain little hardware shop.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
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It's been a few days since I experimented at the storage depot. I ended up agreeing to be part of the lawsuit. Alistair had been very welcoming when I'd shown interest in joining the suit. If I were a cynic I'd have said he was interested in the extra fees he could earn from my joining the class action but... I just can't see him as that type of guy. He seemed too genuine, then again that's could just mean he's good at his job... I thought wryly at the time.
But apart from the bitter slice of reality pie my thoughts have been firmly entrenched in the results of my magic experimentation. I'd tried everything... and I mean everything.
I watched in small bursts with the spy circle. Not too long as I was conscious of using too many points covering the same stuff while I stewed in frustration. I looked at various circles and at various states of completion.
I learned several interesting facts. First the streaks were everywhere. I couldn't find mention of them in the literature in the library, so they really stump me. Every time I started the spy circle again they would have shifted. They must move over time.
Secondly the mana in the circles seems to grow and wane over time. Circles on earth don't look like they'll stay consistent. That will be a problem to solve later.
I tried removing circles from the room. Well, I destroyed most of my work from the first day. I didn't want to leave a potential ticking time bomb sitting around. They were active after all.
So of course I watched as I destroyed them. First I set fire to the circle. Just to watch how long that stagnant mana stayed around after the circle itself was destroyed. And oh boy was that strange to watch.
The circles did do something. They prolonged the fire. It looked as if the fire was moving in slow motion. In fact comparing it to when I set a normal page of paper on fire it almost seemed fire retardant.
So even if nothing is displayed the circles are most certainly working, just not in a way that's too useful to me at the moment. I was extra careful at handling them after I figured that out. I really don't want to figure out what 'stagnation' does to a human hand over a long period of time. I was tempted to leave an apple on a circle for a week and see whether it decayed.
I also began cutting pieces out of the paper. It was like playing a pretend game of bomb defusal. Which line do I cut to disarm the bomb... I mean circle. I didn't learn anything too use full for this experiment. But I did learn that placing the paper back in place doesn't work very well, if at all. Seems magic likes a contiguous flat surface the best. It was like not drawing a full circle with the compass. The circle just doesn't consider it fully complete. Perhaps the thickness of the line contributes? Lots to consider here. I could attempt a bunch more experiments down that path, but it just isn't worth it at this point.
The next day when I returned I spoofed a spy circle at every step. Stagnation did eventually occur in almost every case. So it wasn't a case of a contagion spreading from circle to circle. There were a couple of cases where the circle seemed to start filling with another mana type but was eventually usurped by stagnation. It didn't happen immediately though. I would have to figure out the timing for that. I also tried the risky move of drawing the circles in a different order. I just got the stagnation earlier...
But I now had a small clue. Perhaps there were partial states I could use. But it would need an extensive amount of experimentation and observation. I studied several circles but decided to save the major leg work for later. I could just be wasting time if something I learned at the Academy covered the same ground. Hence the extensive reading I was doing at the library.
I tried keeping one circle in a metal box over night. But as far as I can see, once a circle becomes stagnant it remains stagnant. However I can't rule out the possibility that it converted to another type before reverting back to the stagnant mana it started out as. I would need to keep the circle under constant observation if I wanted to find that out. And no one has that amount of points.
This does bring up the question of how I'm going to be able to verify any results over an extended period of time on earth. I can't even fully prove a single circle stays consistent. I feel like I'm in a chicken and egg situation. I need magic in order to study magic but I can only take quick glimpses using the spy circle.
Which reminds me of my greatest shame. Ugh, why oh why did I forget!! It started when I got sick of holding the phone and spy circle at the same time. I decided to tape the phone to a cap and wear it. With a bit of fiddling I managed to get a serviceable shot. Only I forgot to take it off when I headed out to get a sandwich at the local shop. Ugh the look people were giving me! I was totally exhausted and didn't notice!
Remember to take cap off before going out to buy sandwiches... remember to take cap off... Became a mantra after that day. Lets lock that memory in my vault of shameful memories. One day that thing will burst open...
I did buy an extra large memory card for my phone after I got sick of it running out. Thanks to Denis he kindly gave me a rather large discount. But I've yet to really look at any of the recordings. Gonna go over them later after I'm past this initial testing phase. I've been tempted to look at them when ever I have a spare minute, but there has always been people around. Didn't seem smart to look at those videos in public. Even if I could play it off as experiments in CG.
One of the last experiments I did was an abomination of a rig. I connected the spy circle to a starter circle via a strip of paper. That allowed me to spoof both circles at once. Then all I needed to do was rip the starter circle free once it had done it's job.
I got to watch a proper activation. I was a bit skittish about doing that experiment but I was treated to an interesting sight. The puff of Academy mana blasts back the stagnant mana, encasing the result in a bubble of stagnation. But for the brief time the it's active the circle settles on a mana type before activating in sequence around the structure of the circle. The phenomena happens when a particular portion activates. Then at the end the stagnation would eat into the effect as the Academy mana ran out of steam.
I did this a couple of times. Each time bracing for the worst but just getting a rather mundane block of gunky ice and a gust of putrid wind. Not bad results if I do say so myself.
I have made progress on learning Earth magic. It's just it doesn't feel like it's enough. I can't reliably create any other effects other than stagnation, with out the help of an Academy starter circle. Even then the effect is random no matter which circle I pick. Ugh, is that another set of experiments to do? Check which sets of effects occur from which circles? Nah, sounds too dangerous anyway. I've been so distracted lately I've even walked into people as I think about the experiments on my way to Joe's storage Depot.
There must be some major block I have to overcome. No, must overcome. It can't end with this. There must be some trick to it. I haven't had my other two classes yet at the Academy. There aren't enough students yet. But that will change soon. I've been reading ahead but it's slow progress with material I don't quite understand.
But the experiments have been expensive for so little progress. Over the few days I've been experimenting I've gone down about 4 points. Which is insanely fast. Which is making me leery of doing more. There are small notches between the 3 and 4 mark on the currency side of the medallion. So between experiments I've been watching the hand go down with trepidation. I should count up the recording times and estimate how long a mark really is at some point.
As for the Academy side of things, well, lets just say they've found a rhythm? An equilibrium? Quill hasn't tried anything overt against me. Just glowering at me when she gets the chance. She won't help me either, choosing to tutor anyone but me. Thankfully all the practice on earth has really helped in classes. She seems to hate the fact I'm picking up the skill. Hehehe~, it gives me a petty sense of satisfaction to see her grimace when I do a circle right. How do beaks grimace you may ask. Don't ask me, that's just how the Academy translation makes it look to me.
The twins have been doing just as well as me though. They're not as careful as they draw the circle out. But apparently intent can be a good glue when drawing circles in the Academy. Quill makes a point to practice at home as well as the Academy because the bridge crossing the gap between skill and intent isn't omnipresent. Something linked to Rune theory? Symbolism and collective knowledge? Apparently a class she teaches for more advanced students. Can I get away with skipping that one?
Alchemy has been quite fun but a little frustrating. With Earths magic being so fickle the knowledge I'm gaining seems so impotent. A strange floating crystal wont be possible on Earth no matter how much I try at the moment. And Rise is also struggling to find the resources she needs to construct alchemy equipment on her home world. So we both show a similar expression during class. A mix of excitement but dampened by frustration.
We seem to have staked out our table, always returning to it when I enter class. Rise seems to be thankful for my company, especially when we're measuring out ingredients. But she won't mention it, she seems a little tsun to me... The only complaint I have is that our neighbours are a little creepy. I feel like I'm being watched when I'm not looking in their direction. I can hear your tail wagging you big furry doofus!
Other than that I've been reading in the library as I said earlier. Rise has gotten a lot better at reading. She doesn't need to cover the page any more. Choosing to squint and read it at nose length instead. Ah, stop being so adorable! Sorry just had to let that out.
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So after feeling like I need a change of pace I find myself heading in a certain direction. I'm sick of reading. I can't even take notes for goodness sake. Plus I'm feeling the limits of note less studying. I'm just not connecting with the information. Plus I think I'm beginning to forget things from the first day. So I decided to visit the Academy store, to see what it will take to get a note book. SO there are limits to this miraculous memory.
It's as I walk down the halls that another thought occurs to me. I pass students on either side, completely at home in this strange space. I get no funny looks or hardly any notice really. I'm just another student. It almost makes me feel disappointed.
At first I felt like I should be called out at any point as an impostor. But they all just treat me like any other student. And now...
I've become accustom to it all. Not only the weird and wacky Academy and its non-euclidian halls. But this body has become somewhat my own. At least until I think about it. I couldn't not identify with the body I've been using for what feels like several hours a day. It's my body. Is what it feels like when I move it unconsciously to perform tasks.
But on the flip side I've noticed the differences. I nod to a fellow student as he politely holds a door open for me. Things like that feel like they're treating me like a lady. The way certain guys treat me with a nervous energy. Or the way certain students act gentlemanly around me. Even the way some guys are rather dismissive and terse. It all feels like a barrier has been erected between me and the male gender.
Yet the girls are the opposite. I'm mostly ignored. Not in a bad way, just they won't raise that subtle guard they show around guys. I've even had one girl shoot me piercing looks as I tried to retrieve a book when her guy was at the same shelf. Wow OK, no need to get so defensive! Not interested!
Together, this familiarity with my body and the change in relationship with others, has put me in a strange mental space. I feel different as a result. The diminishing guilt, which I can't seem to maintain, was one of the only elements of conflict I had to this body. Now that it's waning things just seem that little more right. No, no, no... don't go there.
The only discomfort with this body I have noticed is this restrictive feeling. I keep wanting to stretch or... I don't know, something. Reaching for a book just out of reach doesn't cause frustration, it causes discomfort. Like a certainty that I should be able to reach. Why only this aspect? Why is this the only part of my new body that chafes with me?
That feeling seemed to grow after I started the doing experiments on Earth. Weirdly enough. I'm not sure how to feel about this. I feel like there should be more conflict. But I've just adapted, and that was it. Shouldn't a CIS guy be at war with their body by this point? Yet when I pass a mirror and see the cute girl it displays I get a little thrill. She's cute, oh she's me! Arg! Why?
"OK, enough with this topic." I sigh. I've ended up almost back at the reception. Following the signs which lead to the my destination and the advice of Glade. The sign for the Academy Shop is displayed above a kiosk in the wall. And behind the desk sits Scribe. Eh!?
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Points Remaining: 36.01