A/N: Obviously, I made up Gaiaforsaken so it's actually a mismatched ode to several MMOs. That said, there's some real terms and mechanics used even though I tried to simplify things. If any of it is confusing, let me know and I'll try to clear it up!


It had been two months and the article was long turned in, but Genesis had surprised himself by continuing to play Gaiaforsaken. He hadn't intended to get caught up in the game, but between the lore, the graphics and the mechanics, he was hooked.

He'd also made some friends on the Shinra server, and frankly getting to see them at the end of the day was easily one of the highlights of his evening. The ping and alert whenever Wolfe came on made him grin; the knight had proven himself always up for a good time with little to no notice, and regularly managed to pull groups together for raids. They were actually in the process of discussing what they might hit up through Whisper when Genesis was distracted by another familiar face - the polite but rather hapless knight he'd met his first day.

He'd climbed a whopping eight levels.

In two months.

Genesis watched what was quite possibly the most awkward fight he'd witnessed in real time before stepping in, sending a fireball roaring across the plain and taking out the considerably lower leveled mob. As it keeled over, the knight turned to face him.

[Whisper] Valerian: Thank you.

[Whisper] Firagan: Np. Listen, do you need some help getting exp?

[Whisper] Valerian: I think you'd get bored fighting on my level.

[Whisper] Firagan: I have a friend who wants to redo some of the raids close to your level for achievements, it's no problem.

There was a pause, and Genesis wondered if it was an ego thing. There was a type for each class, in general, and most of the ones he'd known to play tank were definitely the sort who didn't take well to having it implied they needed help - never mind how very, very clear it was that he did. And he was sure Wolfe would be happy to have one more along, especially since they were both so much more experienced that they would be able to pull his weight and then some on the raids he'd had in mind.

[Whisper] Valerian: Are you sure?

[Whisper] Firagan: Absolutely. Wolfe never says no to a raid, and he needs to beat the Mire Serpent a few more times for something. Really.

[Whisper] Valerian: Alright, I'd really appreciate it! I'm not very practiced, as you can tell.

[Whisper] Firagan: Experience only comes from experiences. Give me a minute.

He had no doubt that Wolfe would be completely on board, he'd been talking about taking down the Mire Serpent not ten minutes ago for at least two achievements. But he did still need to find out if he was available right then.

[Whisper] Firagan: If you still want to do the Mire Serpent, I've got a lvl 18 knight who could really use some exp.

[Whisper] Wolfe: You bet! I was just talking to Infodump. He's got the achievements because of course he does. But we could totally do it!

[Whisper] Firagan: Great. We'll meet you outside the zone.

[Whisper] Wolfe: Awesome, hey group us up!

It didn't take more than a moment to do so, entering the two knights' names and watching their icons pop up on the side of his screen.

[Group] Wolfe: WHOO! Hey guys!

[Group] Valerian: Hi! Thanks for the help.

[Group] Wolfe: Np man, I really wanted to take this guy on again anyway - need a few more kills for my 'Snake in the Grass' achievement! Meet you and Firagan in the zone in a minute, just selling some loot.

[Group] Firagan: We're not far from it, I'll get us there.

It was really less than a minute to take their toons across the plain towards the swampy area the Mire Snake instance was in, though when you were used to travel by mount it felt so much slower. It did mean there wasn't much waiting for Wolfe to arrive, however, charging in on his Stormbird, dark plumage contrasting sharply with his armor.

It was due to be a fairly quick battle, with both Wolfe and Genesis ten to twenty levels over the boss, but it still took time to take out the Mirelings as they spawned. Perhaps it was because it was so relaxed at the moment that Genesis could focus on the playing style of the two tanks he was grouped with. Wolfe was a menace, even against a lower level opponent there was no let up on the ferocity he brought to everything he did. He was in constant motion to nimbly avoid any traps with the grace of experience, well timed taunts keeping the enemies off of them, and not a moment's hesitation between his abilities.

Valerian on the other hand… well, he was trying. It was obvious he was trying. But it was just as clear that he didn't know what he was doing. He'd nearly killed himself twice standing in the danger zones even once they'd flared up red patterns on the ground, and didn't seem to really know where he fit in beyond 'try and do damage' - which wasn't wrong, exactly, but he suspected if Wolfe hadn't been established as the greatest threat by doing exponentially more damage, he'd have pulled some of the mobs off him. The fact that Valerian made it out alive had nothing to do with his own ability and was almost painful to watch.

He was still trying to think of how, exactly, to address that when Wolfe beat him to it.

[Group] Wolfe: Look, I don't mean this bad but you really kinda suck.

It wasn't that Wolfe was wrong, but Genesis felt almost obligated to knock some manners into him - only then he continued, with his typical quick response time beating even him out.

[Group] Wolfe: Why don't we stay grouped and I can teach you some stuff?

There was a long pause, and Genesis erased his retort, waiting to see what Valerian would say. It was a great offer, learning from one of the best tanks on the server, and he really could use the help.

[Group] Valerian: If you're sure you've got the time for it, I'd really love the help. I've never played a game like this before and I think the tutorial was made for people with a little more experience than me.

[Group] Firagan: Strategy is something that isn't really explained in-game. You get the bare bones.

[Group] Wolfe: Yeah seriously it's probably easier not to know what you're doing than to know it.

[Group] Wolfe: Me, I migrated over from playing Calamity Strikes and it has a pretty similar combat system so I had a definite advantage.

[Group] Valerian: I will take all the help you're willing to give me. It's a nice game, but I'd enjoy it more if it wasn't such a struggle.

[Group] Wolfe: You got it, Val! So, first things first, I was watching you some and you pulled what looked like Righteous Strike - that's a Paladin-only move. So, if you're actually a Paladin then you are geared totally wrong.

[Group] Valerian: Yes, I am a Paladin. What's wrong with my gear?

[Group] Wolfe: Paladins are definitely good tanks, sometimes even more than knights, but you need to make sure your gear is heavier on STAM than STR.

[Group] Valerian: I think maybe you need to just assume I know absolutely nothing.

[Group] Wolfe: Okay. STAM = Stamina = how many hits you can take. STR = Strength = how much damage you're dishing out when you hit. Come on, 'port back to town with me and we'll give you a quick rundown at a vendor. I'll buy.

[Group] Valerian: I can't ask you to buy me new gear.

[Group] Wolfe: You're not asking. I'm making you regear, so it makes sense that I'd be the one to pay. Look, I'm loaded, it's fine. C'mon, both of you. You need anything Fira?

[Group] Firagan: Not until I hit next level, but thanks.

They teleported back to Kalm Town, and Genesis watched Wolfe completely refit Valerian with gear that fit his level and class, patiently explaining the statistics and why everything was important. It reminded him of back when he'd played his first MMO years ago, introducing his brothers to it and walking them through the process of learning how to play. Funny how even after going so long without playing and picking up a new game, most of it was coming back for him. But not having any background at all, it was no wonder Valerian was struggling. He'd gotten very lucky indeed to get such a patient and skilled teacher as Wolfe.

[Group] Wolfe: Okay so, now you're geared and you know what to look for when you buy your upgrades, right?

[Group] Valerian: I took notes, so I should be fine.

[Group] Wolfe: Oh, well if you're gonna do that it might be faster to hit your PrtScr and just take screenshots. You should be able to find them under Documents/Gaiaforsaken/Screenshots unless you changed the default.

[Group] Valerian: I'm seeing the folder, yeah. Okay cool, thanks. Now what?

[Group] Wolfe: Now we're going to do some actual fighting and teach you about this tanking business. But first, let's find ourselves a healer. I've got just the guy.

[Group] Wolfe: Fira, add Seraph to the group, pls.

Genesis arched a brow, a little surprised. Seraph was, as far as he could tell, the best healer they had on the server. There had even been comments during several raids he'd been in whenever the guy showed up that it was considered half the battle over. He never had much to say, so it was hard to say anything about him as a person, but he'd maxed out his levels as a white mage and was apparently at least friendly with Wolfe. Assuming he'd been talked to, he sent the invite, and Seraph's icon joined the other two.

[Group] Wolfe: AWESOME! Thanks, Seraph. We're in Kalm Town and going to head back down to the Mire Snake instance.

[Group] Seraph: Are you still chasing those achievements?

[Group] Wolfe: You know it! But we've got a new tank that needs some help. See you down there?

[Group] Seraph: Sure.

At the teleport-point, there was the glimmer of someone arriving, and Seraph's nameplate blinked into existence a moment before his character materialized from wherever he had been. Dressed in the traditional white and gold robes of a white mage, the most eye catching thing about Seraph's toon was the six large wings sprouting from his back, a rare sight given they'd only been released as an incentive for preorders. Fortunately, the animation did have them fold in when he walked, taking up less space as he came over to join them.

[Group] Seraph: I'm ready.

[Group] Wolfe: WOOT! Alright, everybody mount up.

[Group] Wolfe: Hey, wait do you have one Val? We can get you one here.

[Group] Valerian: No, I haven't gotten myself a mount yet.

[Group] Wolfe: Man gotta fix that. Okay let me go back by the stables, I'll just get you a horse. BRB!

There was a long silence as he summoned his own mount and trotted off to go talk to the mount vendor.

[Whisper] Valerian: Your friend is really generous! I didn't expect all this.

[Whisper] Firagan: Yes he is. What he wants more than anything is everyone to have a good time.

[Whisper] Valerian: He's showing me all the mounts and asking which one I want. I didn't realize there were that many options.

[Whisper] Firagan: The customization on the game is really good. You can get even more skins for them if you're willing to pay.

[Whisper] Valerian: I had no idea.

Genesis had to chuckle a little, thinking that there was clearly a lot of surprises due for Valerian today.

[Group] Wolfe: OK! I've got Val a mount. Let me trade you real quick. Just hit accept, I don't need any gold for it. Seriously.

[Group] Valerian: Thank you so much!

There was the traditional 'poof' animation, and suddenly Valerian was sitting atop what looked a lot like a massive white Clydesdale, one of the more popular mounts for early Paladins. There was definitely a type there.

[Group] Wolfe: Now you're stylin! Okay, down to the Mire Snake! Last one there buys drinks at the Inn!

[Group] Seraph: I think I'm insulted that you think you'll need them.

[Group] Wolfe: Psh. I just like the buff. You know you're my favorite heals.

[Group] Seraph: Hn. Lead on.