[PP-F3] I Do Not Need This <<Worn out Welcome>> (Xion)

[Grave 0]

I whistled a little tune as the fumes of cooking billowed from a pan in my hands and into the chimney above. Hikari did her own work off to the side; what her own work was was beyond me. It was yet another of my lazy cooking days, attempting to deal with the immensely decreased amount of orders I had. "Only... twenty five orders left, Hikari." I sighed in relief; that was quite amazing, compared to the forty or so I started with before running my cooking sprees. Pushing my stuff to the side, I turned around and leaned against the counter; I still remember when I first crafted an item, and in that first week I had so little in the glass case. Now, though, I had filled it with all sorts of dishes, some prepared as orders, others ready for the taking. Some of them I opted to eat myself... those mitigation items came in handy against that bloody armadillo. My eyes raised to the door of my diner as a small, tinny bell rang out. "Who have we here?" I asked the figure cloaked in sunlight, nothing more than a silhouette in my vision.

Edited March 29, 2016 by Grave

[Xion 0]

"Can't recognise your old friend?" Xion asked with a chuckle as he entered the diner, it was the first time that he had walked into the building and he was impressed, Grave had a nice place. "How's it going Grave?" He asked, clapping his friend gently on the shoulder as he did. 

 

The tank smiled before noticing the small furry creature that was Hikari. "It's been a while since I've seen you Hikari" he said, stroking the animal, although in hindsight he should have unequipped his greaves. "Anyway old friend, I do believe there are some quests that we need to do if we wish to reah the front lines"

[Ratatosk 0]

Ratatosk opened the door several times just to annoy Xion see how the bell sounded like. "Is this an artisan shop? Huh, looks like it isn't, oops." He closed the door and went back outside, looking for an artisan shop. After a while he gave up searching because there were no other artisans out there besides Hydra. "Guess I need to wait, damnit. Probably should do a quest while I'm waiting, extra experience always helps." The blonde entered Grave's store again and looked at a paper on the left wall of his shop. "Looks like someone taped it here, is this a quest?"

[Grave 0]

I chuckled at Xion's retort to my inability to make him out in front of the sun. "Excuse me, but the sun seems to hate me and placed itself behind you. Excuse my lack of sun-vision, old friend." I responded with a like tongue, chuckling as he carefully clapped me on the shoulder; it was something we seemed to do upon every meeting... however I had to be careful when doing so, otherwise I may accidentally knock him into the ground like a hammer to an iron spike. It brought a smile to my face when Xion petted Hikari; it was him who I adventured with to find the small orange creature. Hikari squeaked in joy and I turned to Xion. "She is pleased to see you as well, my friend." I added with a chuckle. At the mention of quests from Xion, a rapid ringing sounded from the front of the Diner. Another strange figure, shorter this time, was opening and closing the door repeatedly, ringing the bell annoyingly. "Um... excuse me... could you please-" I began to ask the player, before he rushed out. "Right... strange kid... about that quest, there is a notice for a low level one over-" I started to explain, before the player, revealed to be a small blond boy as he entered the Diner finally, returned and peered at the notice on a board at the side of the cylindrical room. "Over there..." I sighed, turning at the counter to look at the boy. "Hey, you, if you want, we can take that quest with you. Even though it is made for low levels... neither of us ever bothered to take it. Are you in or out?"

[Xion 0]

Xion laughed at the pugilist's little quip."Havent you heard about sun vision you scrub" he said jokingly as he stood near a table, happy to be able to talk to his friend. "You know" the tank said with a pause "I remember when you got her, man those were the days" he said with a smile, the pugilist had been Hikari's owner for a long time and Xion had been there when she had been caught. 

But his reminiscing was abruptly interrupted by a ringing sound...which repeated itself...over and over again. When he looked it was the doing of a blonde low levelled player. Initially Xion just sighed, trying to shrug it off but the boy was so bloody annoying. Eventually, after him opening and closing the door an ungodly amount of times the blonde tank couldn't take it. He said nothing but a low growl could be heard coming from his throat and his hand was clenched into a fist. 

[Ratatosk 0]

Ratatosk achieved his goal, cause a ruckus and piss some people off. "Hey guys, I'm not that low leveled, I'm around your strength... Level nine." He prepared for the quest as he did want to do it, he gave Grave confirmation by nodding his head and equipped his Imprisoned Darkness and Devil's Eye. "I don't have a good weapon though, but we can probably finish off the monster pretty quickly. I know you two are high leveled, but I can't say the same for our damage..." The blonde was unsure how long it would take, but that wasn't of importance.

[Grave 0]

"Have you not heard of someone called a 'recluse'?" I asked with a laugh, not that I was one, but my time spent in the dim light of my Diner certainly gave off that impression. "Yes, that was back when you were the big old second in command." I sighed, reminiscing over the old days of the Crimson Blades... we had increased our numbers and changed our members since then, after joining up with KoB. When Xion proceeded to prepare a <<Howl>> for the small player, I placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him. "Hey, Xion, take it-" Then the player proceeded to belittle us by saying that level nine was around our level. My own wolf like growl emanated from my throat, before I barked at the blond. "Hey, watch that tongue!" I growled, my eyes dulled with murderous intent. "Can we break his neck now?" I asked the tank, that one comment more than enough to piss me off; as if I was not confident enough in my abilities already. He then changed subject to the lack of a good weapon, and I smiled; he was not as good as he thought he was... at least until he noted the 'difference' between our damage. I had it with him. I vaulted over the counter and tromped up to the boy, stopping in front of him and smashing my fist into the Diner wall; even after the insane explosion of purple and the 'immortal object' tab popping up, a crack had set itself within; the power and fury with which I had slammed the wall bypassed the system. "Say that again, I [censored]ing dare you." I growled.

[Xion 0]

Xion's growl slowly died down as Grave placed a hand on his shoulder, the pugilist was one of the only people that could calm the tank down with a simple action, spare Mack. But it would seem that the man's efforts were in vain as the lower levelled player mentioned something about him being better than them when it was obvious that he was but a runt in this world. Xion punched the table that he was next to before walking aggressively towards Ratatosk, Grave instead using his agility to vault over the counter (but not before asking Xion if they could break his neck, to which the tank nodded), badly damaging one of his walls as he punched it in anger, saying to the kid "Say that again, I [censored]ing dare you."   

Xion pushed past Grave, but he had equipped his shield, staring Ratatosk down, there was fire in his eyes as he looked at the arrogant player. "If...you're so bloody sure..." he sait, seething. "Then once we're out of a safezone, strike me, strike either of us I dare you. I can guarantee that neither choice will end well for you" he said, before grabbing Ratatosk's collar. "Have I made myself clear?" he asked. 

[Ratatosk 0]

Ratatosk rolled his eyes as he looked at the wall, there was no actual damage since it was impossible to break walls. "You know what, in about a month, let's duel. If I manage to take down your health to half, then I get all your items. I guess I can't really rely on arrogant mid level players after all, time to go." The blonde waved and exited the shop, "C'ya."

-Ratatosk leaves the thread

[Grave 0]

As comforting as it was to have the hulking Maelstrom beside me, anger and hate literally seeped from every muscle of my being. Surely the tank grabbing the boy's collar must have frightened him right? No, apparently the kid was so damn cocky he was able walk away, unfazed, and challenge us to a duel. I made no reply, but the look in mine and Xion's eyes quite obviously told him we accepted. "Xion... we are getting to level twenty five, hoarding Tier Two items and beating the [censored]ing [censored] out of him." I growled, grasping the notice on the board and storming towards the door of the Diner, Hikari quickly following and crawling up my back. "Come, Xion... I need this quest done before I murder someone."

[Xion 0]

Xion scowled as the player left. "Arrogant little piece of [censored] prick I swear if I ever get the chance I'm going to beat him within an inch of his life mark my bloody words" the tank growled as Grave went on his own tirade,the maelstrom nodding to his recommendation. "Yes, he'll wish that he had never said those things I swear..." he said before storming out of the diner, his armour clanking loudly as he punched the outside of the shop. 

[Grave 0]

I swiped a crimson wrapped hand through my silver hair with a wolfish growl, staring down at the sheet of paper. Conveniently for my current irritation level, the quest started on Floor Three, the floor of my diner. Holding the page partially highlighted a path to the quest giver, and I briskly followed the blinking stream, until the two of us entered a quite modest, simple blacksmith home, with the house and forgery combined into one. My attention was quickly grasped by a heavy masculine voice nearby. "Another aspiring adventurer, I see!" He called, and I whipped my head around to look at the muscly blacksmith; his quest was obviously meant for low level players, as depicted by his dialogue. "Yes, I am here to undertake a quest I hear you give." I responded, and the NPC grinned back. "Ahh, you seek a powerful set of armour to get you on the track to fame, do you?" He asked, and I planted my face in my palm, thankful NPCs did not react to such actions. "Yes... I do..." I grumbled, and the blacksmith retreated into the house portion of the structure. "Maybe if we had taken this earlier it would not be so embarrassing..." I grumbled as I turned to face Xion, a disappointed expression on my face.

[Xion 0]

"It's XP...I don't care..." Xion said as Grave looked at him with embarrassment, the tank was still fuming and couldn't care less about embarrassment.He just wanted to get the quest done and claim the rewards. "As long as there is some reward we're doing this, this will be an easy quest for the two of us, we may even have to look for trouble to entertain ourselves..." the tank growled. 

[Grave 0]

"Yeah, this will be over and done with in no time..." I huffed, before a voice rang out behind me, drawing attention back to the man. "Here you are!" He rumbled loudly, and I approached him, a large piece of paper in his muscular hand, grimy from hours of working with metal. "Here, in the Forest of Wavering Mist, a Dark Elf resides with a bag full of materials you can use for armour. What he has, I do not know, but no matter what you bring back we can work it into special armour." He explained, pointing to the edge of a large patch of white on the map he held. "I can smith you heavy armour, while my wife, Hanna, can tailor you some light armour." He told me, and a bumbling, cheerful woman waved from the background. "Alright, sounds good to me." I agreed, grasping the map and looking at it. "We will not be long." I told him with a salute and strode out the door, motioning for Xion to follow.

[Xion 0]

Xion nodded before following grave, glad to be away from the NPCs which the maelstrom was close to punching because of their insipid drivel. "Let's just get to fighting..." he said with a passive aggressive sigh, staring at the sky as he walked. "If that kid ever becomes powerful then Aincrad is doomed, having people like that on the front lines would be a poison for morale, although with...certain members of the lead group that's already in effect but I think that kid would just tip the scales...I would not want to be a tank for someone like that.."

[Grave 0]

After peering at and analysing the map in my crimson wrapped digits, I stuffed it into my pocket and sighed, running both hands through my hair. "This game can be a real hellhole sometimes..." I growled, before catching Xion's words behind me. I turned my head over my shoulder and listened to him ramble on about that blond kid. "Yeah, I wish we could take him out... sadly the KoB will deny us that privilege. I hope a PKer gets him, that would be funny to hear." I snickered, imagining myself and Xion rubbing muck all over the boy's crossed out name...

I gulped in fear at the sickening thought I just had. A crossed out name... it did not symbolise just the death of an in-game avatar; it was the death of a real human being with real thoughts and emotions. "On second thought... maybe I would rather he just be beaten within an inch of his life..." I muttered, hoping Xion would catch the stung tone in my voice.

[Xion 0]

"It would have been fun...seeing his HP bar drain..." Xion said, seemingly forgetting about his whole code of honour, he was too pissed off to care. "And if it dropped to zero, that kid would probably be one of the people in this world that I wouldn't miss...in fact, I would probably smile..." He said with a vaguely evil grin on his face, before he heard the stung tone of grave's words, who too had become lost in his own sadistic fantasy. 

 

"Ah...you're right...it wouldn't be right..." He admitted. 

[Grave 0]

I fell completely silent as I threw my crimson fists in my coat pockets, leaving nothing but my own sense of direction to guide us to the forest where we would slay the Dark Elf. Why... why had I thought of killing a player just because he annoyed me? It was wrong, it was horrible. I would be a murderer, both in-game and by real world laws; a young boy with a family that likely loved him very much would have lost his life to my hands. "Let us never think about such things again." I muttered, before shutting up again. The creepy, white-strewn forest quickly loomed into view, facing us like a gateway to hell; a hell that we would walk through with a grin, and pick up some cash on the way. "Well, old Darky has got to be in here somewhere." I concluded, before stepping into the blinding mist.