(c) 2007 - 2008 by LFox
A World Apart
Chapter 08: Connection Established

As the gang walks into the lobby of the Eden center Elisha suddenly strikes up a conversation.  “So what did you do yesterday?”

“I went to Eden” says Nathan.

Jessica looks at him surprised.  “You went without us?”

“Well you guys were busy.  Besides all I did was spend some time with Elwyn”

Elisha smirks.  “So you went on a date with her huh?”

Nathan shakes his head.  “It wasn’t a date.  We just spent some time together alone”

Jessica glares at Elisha accusingly.  “And you think that qualifies as a date how?”

Elisha’s smirk broadens.  “It does.  I’m sure he’s leaving out the more important details of the evening”

Jessica’s expression darkens as she starts to look very annoyed.

Nathan sighs.  “No I didn’t”

“Well what did you two do?” asks Elisha.

“We just sat around and talked then we went swimming a while” says Nathan.

Elisha grins.  “All alone?  Sounds like a date to me”

Jessica glares at her fiercely and finally snaps at her.  “It wasn’t a date alright?  Besides he’d be an idiot to date an NPC she’s not real”

Nathan looks at Jessica seeming rather shocked and hurt.  “Hey, hey, that’s pretty cold”

Jessica quickly cools down and cowers slightly as she realizes what she just said.  “Sorry, it’s just…well…you know what I mean, right?”

Nathan nods.  “Yeah, yeah I do”

Later on the afternoon inside Eden on the outskirts of the town of Ralion the gang suddenly appears as they teleport in at a small grassy area shaded by several trees.

Jessica stretches her arms in the air.  “Mmm that was a hell of a trip”

Elisha smiles.  “Definitely one of our more profitable ones that’s for sure”

Elwyn looks at them seeming a little depressed.  “I guess you guys will be heading home now huh?”

“Soon, but first…” says Nathan.  He puts his hands together almost as if he’s praying.  “I summon a world keeper for reasons of communication between the real world and this one”

Elwyn looks at him confused.  “What are you talking about?”

Elisha looks at him and raises an eyebrow.  “So we’re actually gonna try are we?”

Nathan smiles.  “I figure it can’t hurt to at least try.  Besides if it works we can talk to Elwyn when we can’t come here”

Elwyn looks at them surprised and confused.  “You, you can?”

Suddenly a female elf appears before them, she has long blond hair down to her backside and a set of crystal blue eyes.  Her clothes are a magnificent set of white and gold clothes made up of a set of gloves, a pair of 4 inch high heel boots with white stockings going up to her thighs, a short skirt and a small top with a short sleeved jacket over it.  On her ears she has a set of gold earrings with diamonds, around her neck she has a brilliant gold chain with a large diamond in the shape of a diamond on the center and on her fingers she has several gold rings with jewels.  Finally in her hand she has a massive 5 foot white staff with an oval head that contains a massive red ruby, and the entire thing glows brightly with white energy.

She looks over the group a moment and when she notices Elwyn she looks somewhat surprised.  “I’m the world keeper Arcueid.  I understand you have some question in regards to communication between here and the real world am I correct?”

Nathan nods.  “That’s right”

“I’m afraid communication between Eden and the real world is strictly prohibited for all non personnel”

Jessica looks at her pleadingly.  “Would you please just hear us out?”

Arcueid lets out a small sigh.  “Alright”

“We’ve been playing with Elwyn for a while now and found out she’s an NPC.  All we’re really after is to be able to talk to her while in the real world” explains Elisha.

Arcueid looks at them seeming surprised then goes in thought.  “Hmmm, I’ve never heard of someone requesting communication between Eden and the real world to talk to an NPC before”

“Please, can you make an exception just this once?  If you think we misuse it in any way you can stop it right away” says Nathan.

Arcueid cups her chin with a hand and thinks long and hard.  “Mmmm, I think I better consult some of the others for an opinion on the matter”

Arcueid holds out her hand and a transparent aqua colored flat console panel appears in the air in front of her.  She presses on the panel with several of her fingers then it quickly phases out as it disappears.  A moment later three women teleport in nearby, a succubus, a dark elf and a dwarf.

The dark elf is the world keeper named Payne she has very short spiky white hair with sharp yellow eyes.  On the left side of her face she has a black tattoo of a glyph.  Her black and gold clothes leave little to the imagine with how revealing they are.  On her waist she has a skimpy pair of leather panties with a long thread of material like a cloak hanging down over her backside.

Her feet are encased in spiky high heeled boots with 4 inch heels that go all the way up to her thighs.  Her top is series of leather straps that partially cover her breasts with a small collar around the back of her neck.  On her shoulders she has heavy shoulder pads that go down to her elbows shortly after where a set of spiked gloves cover her hands.  On her ears she has a pair of spaghetti like silver earrings, around her neck she has a jagged silver chain with a pentagram and on her fingers she has several expensive looking silver rings with jewels.

On her belt she has a twin set of daggers with V shaped blades that have thousands of tiny little grooves like a saw on them.  The daggers themselves are literally oozing black smoke and every so often a small drop of green liquid drips off the tips of them.  As the liquid hits the grass it literally turns brown and dies.

The succubus is the world keeper named Azmaria, she has a set of dark red eyes with long black hair down to her waist.  Her clothes are a set of red and black saserion plate armor.  On her feet she has a set of boots that go up to her knees and are completely covered in razor 1 inch long spikes.  Around her waist she has a heavy skirt made of plate armor.

Her top hangs tightly around her breasts leaving her naval visible.  On her shoulders she has a set of heavy shoulder pads and on her hands she has a set of heavy gauntlets that are covered in long 1 inch spikes on the backside.  Around her neck she has a black chain with a red pointed crystal and on her hands she has several gold rings with jewels.  Finally on her back her massive wings are encased in heavy plates of saserion armor and her tail is encased in the same armor built to have four jagged edges with a dangerous spear like tip.

The dwarf is the world keeper named Excel, she has a set of green eyes with short blond hair combed nicely back that ends at neck level.  Her clothes are a set of white black and gold plate armor.  On her feet she has a set of boots that go up to her knees.  Around her waist she has a pair of shorts, her top stops under her breasts hugging her chest tightly with massive shoulder pads protecting her down to her elbows.

On her hands she has a set of heavy gauntlets and finally on her back she has a brilliant cape that reaches the ground.  On her back hidden behind her cloak she has a large black glyph tattoo.  On her neck she has a beautiful gold pendant with an aqua colored stone.  On her ears she has small gold and diamond studded earrings and on her fingers she has several gold rings with jewels.  On her sides she has a set of brilliant white swords that almost hit the ground while they glow brilliantly with blue energy.

Azmaria yawns sleepily and puts a hand over her mouth.  “What’s so important?”

Arcueid’s expression darkens in annoyance.  “Don’t tell me you were sleeping again?”

Azmaria waves a hand.  “Of course not, just restin my eyes”.  She puts a hand to her mouth as she yawns again.

“So what are we doing here?” asks Excel.

“These players are asking for a communication connection between the real world and an NPC in Eden” says Arcueid.

Excel puts her hands back behind her head.  “Hmmm, an NPC huh?  That’s interesting”

“I was hoping to get your opinions on the matter”

Azmaria yawns sleepily again and waves a hand.  “Yeah yeah let em talk it’s no big deal”

Payne cups her chin and goes in thought.  “It could pose a security risk if misused”

“Yeah but in that case we just ban them permanently anyway so it’s a little redundant.  I say it’s okay” says Excel.

Arcueid looks at Payne.  “Payne?”

“I’m still not sure it’s a good idea however I’ll go along with it if you think its fine” says Payne.

Excel puts a finger to her chin and her eyes gaze upward at the sky as she thinks.  “Mmm by the way…are we even allowed to do this?”

Arcueid smiles.  “I’ll talk to my father about it but it’ll be fine”

“Well since we’re going to do it.  I suggest we script a scry crystal that only functions for them.  It should also be scripted to connect to only a certain cell phone number in the real world.  In the real world that cell phone will be given a number we generate to contact the NPC and we’ll set it up to require voice verification to prevent misuse.  We can also set up all calls to Eden to be automatically recorded that can be reviewed if needed.  Furthermore if any of the players misuse the connection it will be destroyed and they’ll be permanently banned”

Azmaria stands there with her arms folded and nods twice quickly.  “Mm, mm”

Excel turns a little pale.  “Uhh yeah, that sounds like it’ll work”

Arcueid smiles.  “Then it’s agreed.  I’ll create the scry crystal Payne can you setup the phone connection in the real world?”

“Sure, I was planning on logging out shortly anyway” says Payne.

Azmaria yawns.  “Good I can go back to sleep then”

Arcueid glares at her angrily.  “I thought you claimed you weren’t sleeping?”

Azmaria turns a little pale.  “Uh, gotta go”.  With that she quickly disappears in a rush of particles as she teleports out.

“Well I gotta get going too.  I gotta fix that gravity tear someone caused in the Tempest Ash Lands.  I’ll see you guys later” says Excel.

“Bye and thanks” says Arcueid.

With that Excel disappears in a rush of particles as she teleports out.  Arcueid and Payne turn to look at the gang who’s been standing around silently waiting while they discuss the issue.

“So who’s cell phone is gonna carry the connection?” asks Payne.

Nathan raises his hand slightly.  “Uh, mine I, I guess”

“Give me a moment and I’ll create the scry crystal” says Arcueid.

Arcueid holds out her hand and a console appears once more in front of her.  She rests her hands on her staff and her eyes frantically scan the screen as code spills out on the display.  After about a minute of coding the text pauses and Arcueid turns to them.

“May I have your cell phone number please” says Arcueid.  Nathan says his phone number out loud and it quickly appears in the lines of code.  “Thank you”.  Arcueid’s eyes look over the group briefly before settling on Elwyn.  “Elwyn I’ll need you to say your full name and connect to earth”

Elwyn looks at her a little surprised.  “How did you know my name?”

“We world keepers have various little vision modifiers we can turn off and on.  So we can view character names, entry numbers, scripts and so on”

“Oh, Elwyn Assari connect to Earth”

Arcueid glances at the prompt and several lines of code quickly appear.  “Thank you.  Now I need each of you to say your full name then connect to Eden.  I’d like you to also say your full name and connect to Earth that way should the need arise you can connect the scry crystal to the real world yourselves”

They each say their name in turn.  When their done several lines of code appear on the console and Arcueid presses a button.  The console glows white and starts changing shape.  Arcueid holds a hand out below it and after a moment it morphs into a small white crystal cluster which lands in her hand.  Arcueid turns and holds out the crystal to Elwyn who silently takes it.

“The crystal will only function for you.  If it’s destroyed or lost contact one of us world keepers.  To do that just say I summon a world keeper then state the reason for doing so”

Elwyn nods silently.

“I’ll go setup the connection in the real world” says Payne.  She walks over to Nathan and looks down at him intently.  “Log out and I’ll meet you in the lobby”

Payne and Nathan quickly log out.  After several minutes a soft music starts playing.  Arcueid holds out a hand and a console appears in front of her showing a woman in her late 20s with long black hair down to her shoulders.

“I’m out, what’s the connection number for the scry crystal?” asks Payne.

“It’s 7694 2167 3482 1168”

Payne looks down busily as she keys in the number.  “Alright all set”

Jessica leans toward Elisha and whispers.  “If communication is prohibited why can they use it?”

Elisha whispers back.  “World keepers are allowed to use outside communication to help with their job”

The console closes and after a moment the scry crystal resonates.  Elwyn looks up at Arcueid not really sure to do.

Arcueid smiles.  “Just say scry on”

“Uh, scry on” says Elwyn.

The scry crystal glows for a moment then a mist like cloud image appears above showing Nathan in the real world.

“Hey looks like it works” says Nathan.

Elwyn stares at the image of Nathan in surprise.  “You’re…you’re Nathan?”

Nathan rubs the back of his head.  “Yeah, we, we look different in the real world”

Payne’s voice can be heard out of view.  “Terminate the connection and we’ll try it from the other end”

Nathan turns to look at her.  “Yeah okay”.  The image disappears and the scry crystal goes dormant.

“Just say your full name and connect to Earth” says Arcueid.

Elwyn takes a deep breath.  “Elwyn Assari connect to Earth”

The scry crystal quickly reactivates displaying Nathan again.  Nathan looks to his side.  “I guess this means the connections working properly right?”

Payne’s voice can be heard out of view.  “Yes, if you have trouble connecting on either side please contact one of us.  Also remember if you misuse the connection you’ll be permanently banned”

Arcueid smiles.  “Well now that that’s sorted out I’ll be going”

“Thank you very much” says Nathan.

Jessica smiles.  “Thanks”

“Thank you” says Elisha.

Elwyn bows.  “Thank you”

Arcueid smiles.  “My please, see you later”.  With that she quickly disappears in a rush of particles as she teleports out.

“Now we can talk to each other” says Jessica excitedly.

“Do all of you look different in the real world?” asks Elwyn.

Nathan rubs the back of his head.  “Y-eah, we create bodies we want to use.  We can be any race and we can even be a different gender if we want”

Elwyn’s eyes go wide.  “REALLY?”.  She turns and looks at the girls.

Jessica flushes red.  “DON’T GIVE ME THAT LOOK I’M 100% WOMAN”

Elwyn turns a little pale and cowers slightly.  “S-sorry”

Elisha sighs.  “Yeah me too”.  She puts a finger to her chin.  “Although I was thinking of making a male character”

Jessica looks at her with an odd expression.  “Huh?  You were?”

“You haven’t thought of it?”.  Elisha grins.  “To see what it’s like to be a guy?”

Jessica blushes red and looks away.  “No, never”

Elisha’s grin widens and she pokes Jessica with a finger.  “Never, ever?  Come on it must have crossed your mind at least once”

Jessica blushes harder.  “M-maybe j-just once”

Nathan sighs.  “Are they fighting again?”

Elwyn looks at the girls for a moment then glances back at the crystal.  “Uh, somewhat”

Nathan puts on a stern expression.  “Hold up the crystal please”.  Elwyn holds up the crystal toward them.  “KNOCK IT OFF”.  Both of the girls freeze in place and look back at Nathan.  “Honestly I can’t leave you two alone for a second”

“I was just…” starts Elisha.

Nathan glares at her.  “Just what?”

Elisha turns pale and waves her hands back and forth.  “Nothing, nothing”

Nathan sighs.  “Well I gotta get going.  I’ll call you tomorrow okay?”

Elwyn smiles.  “Okay”.  The image of Nathan disappears and the crystal goes dormant.  Elwyn turns to the girls with a smile.  “Well I guess I’ll see you two tomorrow”

“Bye bye” says Jessica.

Elisha smiles and waves.

Later that night Nathan is lying back on his bed thinking.  He glances to the side at his dresser and grabs his mobile off it.  He flips it open and stares at it for a moment before pressing a button.

“Nathan Wells connect to Eden” says Nathan.  After a few moments Elwyn appears on the screen.  “Uh, I didn’t wake you did I?”

Elwyn shakes her head.  “No”.  Her face grows red as she blushes.  “Actually I was just about to call you”.  Nathan smiles back at her.  Elwyn’s expression darkens as she looks sad.  “You know, I’m I’m really lonely without you guys around”.  Elwyn suddenly straightens up and puts a hand behind her head.  “Oh I guess that sounds kind of weird since you were here only a few hours ago”

Nathan smiles.  “No, no it doesn’t.  Don’t worry we’ll be there to see you again tomorrow”

Elwyn smiles.  “I’m looking forward to it”

“Me too”

“You know I don’t know much about you guys”

Nathan smiles.  “Well, we’re sixteen years old.  We’re students at a local school called…”

To be Continued

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