Them

She cocked an eye when Nari declined the offer but shrugged it off. The higher-level player indeed had the means to find materials by the dozens, so she didn't feel too bad about keeping the spoils all for herself. "You're too kind. You know that?" Gathering the chest's contents, it disappeared with a flash. "Deal. I need to learn what a unique enhancement is first, and then I'm coming to bug you about it if I find one." She smiled, making both a statement and a playful warning, and then turned her attention to the open desert around them. "Maybe we should just crystal back to the settlem

"Yeah? Suit yourself." Cleo observed the dinky chest in the sand. "Let's hope the Cardinal isn't leaving us with one last surprise." Though unlikely, the possibility couldn't be entirely out-ruled. Still, if it were going to attack them, she reasoned that it would have done so already down in the caves. The blistering sun reflected from the polished metal reinforcements on the chest, which Cleo blocked with her hand as she dropped to her knees in front of it. With a click, the chest's lid flung open, revealing a few simple treasures inside—materials, some unidentified equipment, a measly

"Hm. Thanks." She smiled, giddy about the feedback. 'So that's what a compliment feels like?' The suggestion sounded like music to her ears. There was only so much a person could take of being underground, away from the sunlight and any traces of modern civilization, and although present company had made the endeavor far more palatable, Cleo had about reached her limit. Following up the ladder behind Nari, a shimmer nearby grabbed her attention. Wordlessly dismounting, she followed the shimmer to a corner of the cave, which, getting closer, housed a lockbox-sized chest. Cleo carried

And then, almost as soon as the fight had begun, it drew to a finish. With the players emerging victorious, the last remaining Scorpion dispersed into a cloud of shards and drifted up into the sky, and, high above, the slab of rock that had sealed the exit to the room shifted again, allowing a few handfuls of sand to topple into the collapsed ruins. Cleo, sighing in relief, allowed her head to fall back onto the rocky floor. Having expected a pile of sand to cushion the fall, she recoiled forward on impact with a whine and then, trying again, laid her head to rest softly instead. She half

The end of the battle drew near as both enemies clung to their last inches of health. With the <<Fire-Kissed Scorpion>> weakened from Nari's blow, Cleo took point behind both enemies to try and take them out simultaneously. Preparing another Area of Effect art, her weapon glowed a mesmerizing blue as she started to run and turned into a spin, aiming for the closest set of legs of each mob. Missing the first Scorpion, she felt resistance from the second as the dagger tore across its body and, before the metal blade had left its flesh, the beast disintegrated in a thousand fine shard

Flashing back to their scuffle with the skeletons, Cleo recalled every missed attack, and every bit of criticism tossed her way afterward. She realized this was her chance to prove her worth both to Nari and to herself, to show off at least some of the skills she'd gained. The blue-haired Player knew that she could do better and knew that she could be a boon rather than a burden despite her level. "I won't let you down." This time, she meant it. Seizing the opportunity with both Scorpions stuck in place, she ran ahead of Nari, her dagger aimed high. The blade gleamed purple with energy as

Asked what she thought of the white cloak, Cleo leaned in to admire the piece, her eyes traveling across the fabric. She nodded subtly. "Nice job. Simple, yet effective. Who knew we were naturals?" She made a giddy smile and turned away to focus on her little blue beanie once more, shaving off some excess wool from the pom-pom on top to fix it up a little. With Textillion's blessing, Cleo waited in anticipation for the quest rewards screen, and, momentarily after, it appeared. "Yes!" She turned, lifting a hand toward Krysta for a high-five. "So, that's it? Guess we're tailors now." Her co

Stopped in her tracks by a hand on her shoulder, Cleo's eyes locked with Nari's, and she looked to the other Player as if guilty of a petty crime. A panic-stricken face lasted milliseconds as the shieldbearer's laughter echoed throughout the hallway, and she gasped in relief, finding it in herself to smile and even laugh a little as well, if only nervoulsly. Comforting words from Nari made it quickly evident that Cleo hadn't as much of a need to worry as she originally thought, causing the blue-haired woman to perk up and her shoulders to loosen. "Okay. Alright, yeah. Let's get our asses out o

It wouldn't take too long for Cleo to happen upon a group of mobs, two <<Man-Eating Plants>> blocking the path leading out and away from the settlement. A common enemy on the sixth-floor in her experience, she drew out her dagger and began to devise a strategy to tackle both targets. Cleo knew her luck to be terrible when attacking multiple targets, but she felt a tad cocky and assessed that it was worth the risk. Rushing ahead, she targeted the pair with an arched slash and went for the stems, though a mistimed swing meant she missed both in tragic fashion. Now, open to a ret

Making sure to get every last drop out of the mocktail-containing coconut, the beverage finally vanished when the durability ran dry. The sight forced displeased sigh out of Cleo and, as the thought of getting another ran through her head, she stood up, staring longingly to the interior of the bar. She knew that it would have been easy to waste the rest of her Col there, basking in the sun, pretending the jungle was a luxury resort in the southern Americas, and ultimately reasoned against staying there any longer. Instead, feeling renewed by the juice, Cleo took off into the streets and back t

Two quests had now pit her against faceless strangers who, whilst eerily similar to one another, were quite obviously separate entities. The first was Cleo's Fourth Inner Demon in <<Calming the Soul>>, an enigma who—she presumed—represented the qualities of self that she'd come to question in recent years. Words would always struggle to define those qualities, yet she rather liked one specific way of vocalising it; If the world is a jigsaw puzzle and people are the pieces, my piece isn't fitting properly. Is the problem the shape or the size of my piece, or am I trying to fit

When the door opened up after Nari had pulled the lever, Cleo shrank, realizing she'd been a touch too hasty running for the hills at the first sign of 'danger.' Hoping to save face, she eased up a little but remained cautious as the two approached the newly opened hallway. "Sure. And, Nari?" Her eyes shifted to the purple-haired woman's back as they walked. "My bad for being so on-edge and for roping you into this." Then, remembering something Nari told her when they first met, Cleo went wide-eyed, guilt wringing her stomach like a damp cloth. "Shit, you said you were meeting your friend in t

Cleo nodded resolutely. "Of course, let's go. It seems we're not wanted here anyway." Staring at the man behind the anvil as she spoke, the man appeared to ignore her, to which she sighed, annoyed. Sometime later, they exited the city of Tolbana through the main gates. Though Cleo was more familiar with the Town of Beginnings, she'd frequented the first-floor's 2nd largest settlement a lot in recent times to become more comfortable wandering the wilderness alone, as well as to feed her growing hunger for adventure. Ironically, she'd killed a few boarlets on her way to meeting Rebekah and

Once Rebekah had pointed out the new piece of armor, Cleo took a step back to admire it. Thinking the detailing to be immaculate, she took a closer look, turning wide-eyed after spotting the signature white fox logo. "I love it! It suits you. Plus, I'd recognize that insignia on your armor anywhere—Nari's work is top-notch, as ever." Stepping toward the door, she continued. "As for me, I've been focused on leveling, trying to figure my 'build' out. Besides that, I became a tailor! I'm horrible at it, though, so I'm also working on it whenever I can. Keeping myself busy, you know me." Making a

Unsurprisingly, in the midst of all the chaos, the familiar had not yet graced the duo. After being brought to her knees in frustration, Cleo's head sunk into her chest as the other Player fell into a fit of laughter. "Funnily enough, no. It did not go as planned." To Cleo, it felt like they'd been beneath the ruins—trapped—for an age, but what was most likely less than ten minutes had already started to unravel her. Only upon seeing Nari get back into the action by flipping on a switch did the blue-haired woman stand once again. Brushing the rubble from her knees, she looked at the switc

"Got it." Heeding Nari's suggestion, Cleo nodded, her eyes lingering on the purple-haired woman for a moment. Only, Nari's gaze didn't seem to avert—in fact, it only grew more intense—striking Cleo with imminent panic. "What? Oh. Oh." She didn't even want to wait for something to show up. Seeming to float across the floor, she took point behind the shieldbearer with a hand gliding down to her belt, fingers curled around her dagger, awaiting their next move. Watching on in uncertainty, Nari pulled down on the same switch she pulled herself not seconds ago. Preparing for the worst, she pull

Cleo found her way back to the sixth-floor settlement, managing to recount her steps after being led afar by the cloaked figure. The encounter stuck on her mind the whole way back due to just how bizarre it was and the difference in tone it'd had from other quests. It was over in a flash, but was that what the Cardinal had intended? Was it truly over, just like that? Casting a glance over each shoulder before she stepped into the safe zone once more, she cast aside the idea that there could be a part two. In hopes of getting her mind off of everything, she visited a juice bar in the heart

Asleep in a room in her favorite inn, The Aquatic Moon, Cleo stirred awake at the sound of an incoming message. Scratching some sleep out of her eyes, she went to who it was from and made a look of mild surprise upon seeing the sender. "Oh?" Rebekah, whom she'd met a couple of weeks prior after an embarrassing introduction, had inquired as to whether she was free that morning. Resisting the urge to reply 'Literally always,' she pieced together a response and sent a message back immediately, not caring for grammar in her still-half-asleep state. Cleo went through her usual morning routin

Cleo stood at the base of the steps, dagger put to rest on her belt, and watched as Nari flipped the first switch. A blue flame ignited atop the pillar to which her eyes opened wide but then turned to pure bewilderment. "Way too simple. We're missing something..." She twisted to see a pylon behind - identical to the one from the first room - and placed a steady hand on top of it. As before, a message flashed into existence and floated above the object, reading yet another cryptic message: Four flames, unite. Trickery. Another blue flame followed suit after the first sparked, igniting

Cleo lobbed another rock at the mass of green crystals, breaking one and chunking the other for half its durability. She turned as Nari spoke, shrugging in response to the woman's confusion of the task's simplicity. Of course, she agreed. It felt out of character for the game to bless them with such a simple task. "Maybe this is supposed to be for a low-level quest?" It was the only reason she could immediately think of, and it explained why the game went through the trouble of setting up a trap for them in the first place, but not why the player who'd told her about it on the first floor fail

Shop Post: Transaction Date: n/a Cost of Transaction: n/a Crafter's Profession: Tailor Crafter's Rank: 1 Item Name: Light Blue Beanie Item Tier: 1 Item Type: Cloth Armor Item Rarity: Uncommon Item Enhancements: Evasion 1 Craft ID & Roll: 205666, CD: 10 Item Description: A light blue woolen beanie with a fluffy pom-pom sewn on top.

The journey back would take a few minutes. With Krysta finding the last material necessary to advance the quest and with no need to hang around the city's gates, they moved onward to the famed NPC tailor's shop, where Richard Textillion stood behind the counter, tending to a magnificent green dress befit for a royal. Holding the shop door open for Krysta, Cleo entered first and, with a courteous wave and a smile, stole the craftsman's attention away from the gown. "Hi! We each have our materials, as requested." After sparing a glance at each player, Richard seemed satisfied. "Hm. Well, we

Hefting herself over to Nari's side, she stared blankly at the pop-up window above the stone pylon, repeating the message to herself quietly. Though dazed, she surmised it must have something to do with the crystals, but what they'd need to do to them eluded her entirely. Listening to Nari's vocalized thoughts, Cleo turned, nodding in agreement to most of them. She laughed after looking at the pile of rubble on the floor and shook her head. "Excuse me? We're digging it out, comrade." When she tried to smile, the thumping in her head forced another wince, and she massaged her temples to soothe

"One more left, then? It could be worse." Assuming Cleo's maths didn't betray her, she figured that their search was on the cusp of its resolution. "I swear, if that Richard Textillion makes us run out to gather more materials, I will attempt safe zone murder." Though kidding, she couldn't rule out the possibility entirely. As it turns out, materials are a pain to find, all they needed being a single flower, flax plant, rare snail shell; anything would do. The issue was in finding it. She reasoned they could find one on their way back to town. "Shall we start heading back? It'll be safer that

"Œuhhhhghh!" Feeling as if a blade was jammed into her sides, Cleo awoke with a gasp. Immediately, she fell into a coughing fit as a cloud of dust expelled from her lungs. Moving to quell the pain in her side, she realized the jab came from the pinched fingers of a Player who loomed over her, a look of concern stricken across their face. "Who? Wha?" A pain throbbed in Cleo's head, and she winced, reaching up to soothe her aching temples. She groaned, voice hoarse, and slowly laid back, trying to piece together what'd led to their situation. Memories slowly returned like stills in an album