Oh, already?!?

After a long and troubled time, I was finally able to log on Asura server and Hyu hung the phone to do something. Within logging, I found myself in some kind of dirty road, surrounded by nature, a lake or river of some sort and wood buildings. Everything looked amazing, though I knew it could look better if I had a better graphic card like Hyu did. But I didn't care, I was online, it was running on 800x600, so I was cool with it.

Hyugaut >> I'll be right there to show you stuff. Walk around and talk to some NPCs to get the feeling of the game.

As the message I just received was written in Portuguese, I knew it was really from Hyu, though he was using that odd nickname. So I started typing random stuff to see if I could answer him.

Jessbond: oishijsdioaj.

Pretty. I doubted he had received that, as there was no sign of a recipient to what I just had written. So I just kept trying to find how to walk. I tried the mouse, but no luck. All the mouse did was switch the camera point of view and make me dizzy by spinning the camera around me. Then I started smashing my keyboard until I finally got the keys that I could use for walking. After I talked to some NPCs, I saw a guy with a huge neck coming in my direction. His name tag said Hyugaut.

Hyugaut >> I'm here! Now follow me. I'll buy you some weapon for us to fight something outside the town.
Jessbond: .... I just know how to talk like this. How can I send you private messages?
Hyugaut >> you type / t Hyugaut msg
>> Hyugaut: yay!
>> Hyugaut: Do I have to write that all the time?
Hyugaut >> No, you can use ctrl + r to answer to the last person that sent you a tell.
>> Hyugaut: Sweet... by the way, what the hell is that nickname?
Hyugaut >> <Huh!?> mine?
>> Hyugaut: Yeah.... Hyugaut! Why the ut at the end? It sounds... gay...
Hyugaut >> It is French!
>>Hyugaut: same stuff! >:)
Hyugaut>> Well, I was randomizing the names when I created my char and a lot of elvaan names appeared with ut at the end. So I decided to put ut on mine too, as Hyuga was already taken.
>>Hyugaut: suuuuuure...
Hyugaut>> lol. I actually made some friends cause they thought I was french because of my nickname.
>>Hyugaut: well, anyway...let's go wherever you were taking me.
Hyugaut >> ok!

So Hyu took off to somewhere and I started to follow him. Well, at least I was trying to, but I couldn't see much from the angle the camera was. Obviously I was running in the opposite direction. When I finally got the camera in position, Hyu was nowhere to be seen.

>>Hyugaut: Help me! I'm lost!
Hyugaut >> Already? lol

Then I was finally able to follow him to a place with some windows that Hyu introduced to me like the AH. Later he explained that AH stood for Auction House and that it was a place where you could buy and sell stuff. All I could see was some menus with lots of categories and items listed. Well, I had no money and no items, so no use to learn how it worked already.

Hyugaut wishes to trade with you.
Hyugaut >> Accept trade
>>Hyugaut: How?
Hyugaut >> lol. Click on yourself, enter and select trade.

I did that and a little menu popped up. He gave me a sword and a shield and told me to equip it in the ctrl + e menu. I did so and my char went poof for some secs , just to show up with her new sword and shield.

>>Hyugaut: Cool! Let's kill something!
Hyugaut>> Sure! Follow me!

We went back to where I first started and then over some bridges to a big gate that looked like the city entrance.

Hyugaut points at Puroiko-Maiko, W.W..
Hyugaut>> Talk to that guy and get Signet from him.
>>Hyugaut: Ok, but... what is that?
Hyugaut>> It makes mobs drop crystals and gets conquest points whenever you kill a monster.
>>Hyugaut: Conquest points.... right..... @.@ so much info... hehe

Then we went through the gate and got to some plains called West Sarutabaruta. There were some little rabbits and bees around and a few players with the ? besides their names.

>>Hyugaut: Yay! I am not the only lost person around!
Hyugaut>> <Huh!?>
>>Hyugaut: Those two guys also have the ? besides their names...
Hyugaut>> lol... yeah that says they are new players.
>>Hyugaut: I noticed... This ? has the power to summarize all I am feeling.
Hyugaut>> LMAO!
>>Hyugaut: By the way, what is that symbol besides your name?
Hyugaut>> Oh, this is my Linkshell pearl. It is like a guild here in Final Fantasy.
>>Hyugaut: Ahhh... I want one!
Hyugaut>> uhhh... first you need to get less noob! Come on, go kill that rarab!

So I targeted the Savanna Rarab and chose the Attack option. It was a fierce battle, the little rabbit was so mean with his evil lookin eyes that it scared the hell out of me. But I was going to prove him I was worthy. I swung my sword at him and I could see we both were losing HP, but he was losing it faster. After a few more swings, it was down.

Hyugaut starts casting Cure on Jessbond.
Jessbond recovers 20 HP.
>>Hyugaut: Did you saw that?!? Yay! I am good! Die, evil rabbit, dieeeee!!!
Hyugaut>> uh... that is the weakest monster in game. You know that, don't you? >.>
>>Hyugaut: Shush! It was evil!!! I wish I had a Holy Grenade to throw at it!
Hyugaut>> lmao... ok, let's keep going!

I got back to killing monsters. It was a slaughter! Tiny Mandragoras, Bumblebees and Savanna Rarabs were going down as fast as a GilSeller using Flee-tool. I was in ecstasy at how easy It was. The monsters were barely touching me. It may have something to do with the fact that Hyu was healing me whenever I got hit, but I was not really caring.

Jessbond attains level 2.
Hyugaut>> <Congratulations!>
>>Hyugaut: Thanks! I am awesome! :D
Hyugaut>> Suuuure you are...
>> Hyugaut: lol

I kept going and going and the levels were coming together. I was soon level 7 and Hyu took me back to buy some new gear, weapon and spells. At that time, with Hyu power-leveling me, I wasn't much in touch with my mage side. I was just bashing one enemy after another while Hyu cured me. Sometimes I used dia just for the sake of it, because I really didn't like spells and getting mp. But I was bound to learn a lesson soon.

Hyugaut>> I have to go to an Linkshell event. I'll be back later to PL you some more!
>>Hyugaut: NOOOOOOOOOOOO! Don't leave me, pleeeeeease!!!
Hyugaut>> ^^;;;; Sorry, Jess.... but I really have to go!
>>Hyugaut: T.T all right... all right... leave poor Jessie alone... you meanie!
Hyugaut>> ^^;;;;;;;;;; see ya later
>>Hyugaut: T.T bye bye

So there I was all by myself in that strange world for the first time. I confess I was kinda scared, but I gathered all my new stuff and headed out to West Sarutabaruta Outpost, where I was camping earlier. I looked around and found my next victim: an Yagudo Scribe. It was quietly minding his own business when I charged at him with full speed. Though I was missing too much, things were smoothly and his hp was dropping in a steady pace. When it was around 50% HP I noticed something I had never seem before: my own HP was red!

Yagudo Scribe starts casting Aero.

Damn it! I had totally forgot that Hyu was not there to cure me, so I frantically searched for Cure on my spell list and started casting.

Jessbond starts casting Cure.

Whew.... I was saved! I was almost a goner!

Jessbond's casting is interrupted.
The Yagudo Scribe casts Aero.
Jessbond takes 23 points of damage.
Jessbond was defeated by the Yagudo Scribe.
Jessbond falls to level 6.

What the hell had just happened?!? I couldn't get it. I was casting! Why didn't I get cured?!? And why I was lying there naked???

>>Hyugaut: I think I died... :/
Hyugaut>> LOL! Already?!?
>>Hyugaut: Well... it was kind in the first monster I tried to kill. -_-;
Hyugaut>> lmao! What happened?
>>Hyugaut: I forgot that you were not curing me... and now I am kinda lying naked over here.
Hyugaut>> O.o you lost you level?
>>Hyugaut: It seems so... the log said "Jessbond falls to level 6". I think it means something...
Hyugaut>> LOL! Good start ^^
>>Hyugaut: Thank you >.<

I stayed there looking at the damn Yagudo that had just killed me, too shocked to do anything. It's hard when you find out that you are not invincible.

And that was how the first death of our heroine went. Will she be able to recover from the shock? Will she get revenge on that evil Yagudo? Will she die again? For those answers and much more, stay tuned for the next chapter (or not!)!

Logging on

I got home after Hyu's barbecue, happily holding that shiny box. First thing I did was turn on the PC and go pee while it loaded (yeah... that is the protocol!). Then I sat on my chair, logged on gmail and msn and messaged Hyu, while inserting the first CD on the drive.

Jessie: Got it?

30 secs later, no answer. So I started installing the game. 6Gb were needed to install it and I started wondering how big the game was because I barely installed games that required more than 1Gb of free hard disk.

Jessie: ???
Jessie: Are you there?!?

As you might have noticed, I lack patience.
Well, let me rephrase that: I lack patience when I am extremely curious about something.
What happens all the time...
Just try the good old "Hey, I need to talk to you! Hmmm, never mind.". That will do the trick. You just got yourself a damn curious Jessie! <Congratulations!>

Jessie: Talk to me! -_-

Hyu: I was at the living room talking to my mom. Can you calm down? ^^;;

Jessie: Nooooooooo! I wanna play!

Hyu: You are in such a hurry for someone that was always saying for me to stop playing, aren't ya?

Jessie: Shut up! Where are my CD-Keys?

Hyu: He is not on yet...

Jessie: o.o But haven't you said he is always on?

Hyu: Yeah... I'm even starting to worry about him already! hehe

Jessie: T_T oh, well... I'm gonna finish installing here then. I hope he logs soon.

So, CD after CD, a whole new world was being installed in my computer while I bited my nails in excitement.

Well, this must be a good time to say that I had already some knowledge about MMORPGs. I had played Ragnarok Online free trial and then spent lots of time jumping from one private server to another, hoping to find one that wouldn't make full wipes every week. I also played in the beta tester of ROSE Online, which looked all pretty and cool in 3D, but really sucked. So I knew where I was stepping. Or did I?

Jessie: Is he online yet?

Hyu: Yeah... yeah! I'm talking to him right now.

Jessie: omg!!! Is he cool with it? Will he sell his FF to me?!?

Hyu: I think so. He said he doesn't intend to play FF anymore. ^^;;

Jessie: Great.. great! Get those CD-keys for me! Go go!

I was absolutely ecstatic. I would be soon playing a new game. A damn good one by the looks of it. So, while Hyu was getting my CD-keys, I started going through the Play-Online account creation.

Jessie: Ok, I need the CD-keys now... :/

Hyu: ^^ Got it! Here you are:

Playonline Registration Code- XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX

Tetra Master Registration Code- XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX

Final Fantasy Registration Code- XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX

Final Fantasy: Rise of Zilart Registration Code- XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX

Playonline ID- XXXXXXXX

Playonline Password - XXXXXXXXXXXX

Jessie: omg! So many codes... Why they need so many?

Hyu: hehehehe... create your account already!

Jessie: What do you think I am doing? :) But, hey... how am I paying that friend of yours?

Hyu: hmmm... I'll take care of that!

With that, I started filling in all those CD-keys and was amazed that they worked. I didn't know that friend of Hyu, hence the fact that I really didn't trust him. So the second I logged, I started frantically changing all passwords and info I could to make it really my own account, but I faced a problem.

Jessie: Damn... this game doesn't know Brazil exists. It won't let me change the address to one in Brazil.

Hyu: Well, leave his address there. It's not really a problem.

Jessie: Ok......

My account got as close to being mine as it could get. Square-Enix thinks my name is Anthony Day and that I live in US but who cares? I was finally starting playing the game!

I got to the true game screen and choose the create character button. Now it was that cruel moment. The moment I had to make a choice and pick one race and look that would represent me in this fantasy world for a long time. So I had to choose it very carefully...

Ok, ok. I confess. All that I just said is just an excuse for my huge indecision. I took more than half hour watching all races movies, even the male ones, and pondering which one looked cuter. Finally I got down to two races. I would either be a Mithra or a Tarutaru. While I was in middle of this big issue, my phone, my phone rang.

Hyu > What is taking you so long?

Jessie > I am trying to pick a char...

Hyu > Still?

Jessie > Yeah... I don't know if I pick Mithra or Tarutaru.

Hyu > Hmmm... what job do you plan leveling?

Jessie > Not sure...

Hyu > Melee or mage?

Jessie > .... I don't wanna level mage. You have to rely on mana and all that... It's a pain!

Hyu > So you're going for melee?

Jessie > erm... but melee you just press a button and swings some weapon at an enemy. It's boring... Is there any hunter alike job?

Hyu > Yeah, ranger. But you don't wanna level that...

Jessie > uhh... ok... what jobs can I level?

Hyu > At first, black mage, white mage, red mage, warrior, thief and monk.

Jessie > hmmm... red mage... any good?

Hyu > Well... you can both cast magic and melee with it.

Jessie > I guess red mage it is then!

Hyu > Great! Well, Tarutaru is a good mage race, Mithras are better as melees, thief for instance.

Jessie > As I dunno exactly what I am, that's no help at all!

Hyu > Well... your pick!

Jessie > Meh... I guess I won't really level mages, so I'll go with Mithra.

So I went for the Mithra that looked less hairy and with less marks on her face (yeah, at that moment, they were annoying to me). And of course, the brunet one. I never liked blondies very much.

Jessie > Now I'll pick a name and I'm in!

Hyu > Yay! Go go!

Well, finally something that would be easy. I had no problems with nicknames, I have been using mine for quite a long time. So I went on and typed "Jessie" on the box and clicked ok. Just to receive a "Name already taken." message. I tried "Jess" and nothing. Then "Jessica", and no good either. Then I gave up for short nicks, I'd have to use my surname! But "Jessiebond" would be too long, so I went for "Jessbond".

Jessie > Done! I am Bond, Jessbond!

Hyu > haha.. nice!

Jessie > Oh, what is this? It's asking for me to pick a city.

Hyu > Ah, that will be the city you start in and do missions related to that. I'm from San D'oria. Pick one!

Jessie > Ok.

I read the text they give about each city and choose Windurst. It was Mithra town after all. Well, Tarutaru town to be truthfull but who cares? Mithras live there, so I'll start over there.

Jessie > Ok, I'm logging now! Picked Windurst.

Hyu > Finally!

Then I went through the start cutscene where a Tarutaru named Ajido-Marujido said bad things about Mithras and got scolded by his sister.

Jessie > What the hell? I didn't even started playing and they are already making fun of me!

Hyu > Hahahaha...

Jessie > Ok, I'm in! "Welcome to Quetzalcoatl" or however you pronounce that...

Hyu > huh? ... oh yeah, damn! You are not in my server! You gotta come to Asura.

Jessie > Damn! And how do I do that?!?

Hyu > Log off, delete your char and log in again until you get on Asura.

Jessie > Hmmm. Is this random?

Hyu > I think they give preference to the servers that are less crowded.

Jessie > And how is Asura?

Hyu > Pretty much crowded, I think.

Jessie > ... are you kidding me?

Hyu > No... now try!

Well, I logged off after Hyu kindly told me where the log off button was, deleted my char and created a new one. This time was fast, because I already knew what race, face and name I wanted. After watching the custscene again...

Jessie > "Welcome to Phoenix"

Hyu > Well, try again.

So, there I went again... and watched the cutscene once more.

Jessie > "Welcome to Valefor"

Hyu > I got hang now. Keep trying and I'll phone you back soon.

Jessie > heh... ok

I kept on trying, being assigned to many servers with funny names, but no Asura.

"Welcome to Alexander"

"Welcome to Caitisith"

"Welcome to Leviathan"

"Welcome to Alexander"

It was even repeating servers! And it didn't seem to let me log on Asura anytime soon. I was already tired of thar cutscene making fun of me, but I wouldn't give up! I wanted to play with Hyu very much, so I kept going. After 40 minutes or so, the phone rang away.

Jessie > What?

Hyu > Are you in Asura?

Jessie > ...... no!!! I have visited 9 different servers many times already, but nothing about Asura!

Hyu > Damn! Do you think they are not accepting more people in my server?

Jessie > But I wanna play with you! I won't give up until I get on Asura!

Hyu > Hmmmm.... I just remembered of something. I think there is an item you can use to get a friend to the same server as you.

Jessie > And you say that now................

Hyu > I didn't think it would be so hard for you to get on the same server as I am!

Jessie > Go get it!

Hyu > Ok, I'll phone back to you in a sec.

I kept deleting and creating new chars, trying to get on Asura while Hyu went to get me that item. Hey, I had nothing better to do, so don't judge me! And I started to wonder if Hyu was just that stupid or if he made me redo my account and watch that cutscene so many times just to make fun of me. Anyway, I really didn't care. I would be soon playing Final Fantasy XI! YAY!

After 15 minutes, my phone rang again.

Hyu > Got it! After you create you char, choose "Use Gold Pass" option and write this code: XXXXXXX.

Jessie > Ok, doing it. Hmmmm... Cutscene... damn, I hate that Ajido-Marujido! Ok... finishing.... YAY! "Welcome to Asura!"

Hyu > Hurray! Congratulations!

Jessie > Thanks! Uuh... what now?

Now that our heroine is finally in Vana' diel, what kind of crazy stuff will she do? Will she pwn some monster? Will she be the new Vana'diel empress? Will she be a lost noob? Stay tuned for more of the Jessie's adventures series!

How it all started

It was another Sunday morning. And as all Sunday mornings, there I was, all bored is my pajamas, staring at my computer screen. It was not like I had nothing to do, as my bed was messy, my house was dirty and lots of dishes needed cleaning, but I needed something fun to do. I tried playing Smash Bros Melee, but it was not really fun to play alone... so there I stayed, looking for something to do and really doing nothing at all. After lunch, Hyu popped online and I asked what he was doing:

Hyu: Playing Final Fantasy.
Jessie: Oh, my God... not again! Aren't you tired of playing that all the time?
Hyu: Not really.

And that's when the curiosity seed found its fertile soil. I missed doing fun stuff with Hyu, because most of what we did together was school work.

Jessie: Hmmm... I wanna see that game.
Hyu: Next time you come to my place, I'll show you...
Jessie: Ok

After that, I forgot about it a bit, as school made me busy. But the curiosity came back with all its strenght on the barbecue that Hyu threw to celebrate the end of the semester. After a long day of eating meat, cake and ice cream and playing some soccer and volley, we were sitting at Hyu's room when he decides to show us Final Fantasy XI.
I watched as he logged on, fast clicking on some buttons. And there it was his char: a tall guy with that long neck and white hair. He logged on him and suddenly there he was in some odd street.

Jessie: Wow... Nice graphics!
Hyu: Yeah. Now look at this...

And with that he started typing "/wave motion" and his char waved at us. Then he typed "/bow motion" and his char bowed at us. Then he went crazy and started going "/cheer motion", "/joy motion" and so on. I was amazed looking at his char doing all those cute motions. So at that moment I found that I needed it. I had to start playing Final Fantasy XI.

Jessie: Uh... how do I start playing that?
Hyu: Well, it is a paid game so you have to make an account and it is U$12 per month.
Jessie: Oh... hmm... and how do you pay for it?
Hyu: Credit card.
Jessie: Damn! Can I borrow your credit card? I pay you back monthly!
Hyu: Are you sure?
Jessie: Yeah!
Hyu: Ok. Well, then I think you also need the game. I don't know if you can create a new account with the same CD-Key I did.
Jessie: Hmmm. Let's try!

So we installed his Final Fantasy CDs on his brother computer and tried making an account for me. At some point, it asked for the CD-Keys.

Jessie: Uh oh...
Hyu: Damn. Try putting my CD-Key.

I typed his CD-Key and it showed a screen saying that the CD-Key I entered was already in use. I sighed, feeling all the excitement in starting a new game go away.

Jessie: ... not good...
Hyu: Yeah. So you really need to buy the games.
Jessie: ............ and where can I buy it?
Hyu: No idea. I brought mine from Canada.

A quick search on the Internet showed me that it was impossible to get one copy of Final Fantasy in Brazil. The only two I found in Mercado Livre (our eBay site) were pre-owned and for PlayStation 2. I started getting sad. The perspective of me playing were at least a month away, being optimistic with the time for importing, specially the mail speed. All my excitement had gone poof. I would die from curiosity before I was able to play it.

Jessie: ... I so wanted to play it right now...
Hyu: Yeah, it would be nice.
Jessie: ........
Hyu: Hey... I remember now! There is a friend of mine that stopped playing it. Maybe he could sell his game to you?

And there I was all excited again.

Jessie: You think he would sell it? Talk to him!
Hyu: Well, he is not online at the moment. But he must log on soon. He is always online. If he agree to it, you just have to install my CDs and he gives you his CD-keys and you are all good to go!
Jessie: Great! I hope he logs soon. But I better get going... Gimme the CDs!

So, then I went home with all CDs, hoping that by the time I got home, Hyu's friend would have already logged and I would be able to play Final Fantasy...



Will our heroine be able to play Final Fantasy any soon? Will she defeat the boredom monster? The answer for that and much more you can find in this story sequel! Soon in a bookstore near you!