Ronin 0 Posted March 31, 2016 #1 Share Posted March 31, 2016 (edited) Ronin cracked his neck and his eyelids fluttered. He stretched his arms high over head and looked around his little [censored] hole of a shop. He sighed, picking up the pouch of Col his latest customer had left on the counter top and deposited it into his inventory. "Man, what have I gotten' myself into?" he asked himself, though he gave no answer. He knew damn well what he had gotten into, and that was the profession of blacksmithing. He had already had a couple of customers and had only just taken on the job a few days prior. Business so far, was pretty damn good. Edited March 31, 2016 by Ronin Link to post Share on other sites
Ronin 0 Posted March 31, 2016 Author #2 Share Posted March 31, 2016 (edited) Deciding he'd take a break from his craft, but vowing to return later and try to fulfill some of these orders, Ronin left the little shanty of a shop and stepped into the outside world. In all honesty, his shop had some holes in the roof and walls, so it was kinda' like he was standing outside even while working on crafting. He shook his head, thinking one day he might very well need to upgrade to somewhere a little... nicer. For now, he was just fine with his little dive and he looked 'round as he ventured outside, wondering what the day might bring. Hopefully something good... Edited March 31, 2016 by Ronin Link to post Share on other sites
Ronin 0 Posted March 31, 2016 Author #3 Share Posted March 31, 2016 (edited) He had only ever ventured off of Floor One once so far, and that had been to check out a blacksmith's shop up on the fourth floor. The blacksmith there had been a massive mountain of a man named Mack. Ronin pursed his lips as he thought about all the Ms. Shrugging it off, he began making his way toward the teleport platform in town, deciding he might go for a little exploration today. He wanted to see what some of the other floors had to offer, but he knew he needed to be careful, otherwise he might run into some tougher enemies and get into trouble. Edited March 31, 2016 by Ronin Link to post Share on other sites
Ronin 0 Posted March 31, 2016 Author #4 Share Posted March 31, 2016 As he made his way toward the platform, he scoured the area around him, spotting a couple of other players every once in a while. Or were they simply NPCs? He couldn't tell anymore. He shrugged deciding it didn't matter. He had only met a couple of other players thus far, and most of them had been customers of some shape or form. Aside from the blacksmith on the fourth floor and his friend Caspar, there wasn't many others that Ronin had come to know, personally. Well, there had been that one gal... with the crimson hued hair... what was her name? He couldn't remember. Link to post Share on other sites
Ronin 0 Posted March 31, 2016 Author #5 Share Posted March 31, 2016 Fishing out a smoke from his dwindling pack of cigs, Ronin sparked that bad boy up and finally arrived at the teleport platform. He wasn't exactly sure how to do this, seeing as how he had only ventured off the first floor the one time so far. He stood there for a moment, smoking at his cigarette and rubbing the side of his head, trying to remember. "Hmm... let's see here... Uhh... Teleport... Fifth Floor," he grumbled, not truly expecting any results. To his surprise, his voice command and the system's intelligence were enough to make it happen and he was wisked away to a world he had not yet seen. Link to post Share on other sites
Ronin 0 Posted March 31, 2016 Author #6 Share Posted March 31, 2016 Teleporting in, Ronin didn't miss a beat and he exhaled his latest breath of poisonous smoke into the outside world. It was just virtual smoke after all, so he wasn't actually certain it was dangerous at all. He knew back in the real world, smoking these things like he did, would kill yer ass pretty darn quick. Here though, he seemed to be getting his nicotine fix, but his health bar didn't ever show any worse for the wear. Perhaps it was simply the best of both worlds, rolled into one, smooth little cylinder, tasty and ready to smoke! Link to post Share on other sites
Ronin 0 Posted March 31, 2016 Author #7 Share Posted March 31, 2016 "So, this is the fifth floor aye?" he wondered aloud, looking around. He wasn't entirely sure what he was looking at, since it just looked a lot like the first floor's platform area, and the fourth floor's as well for that matter. He sniffed at the air, catching the faint yet distinctive scent, of sand. "Hmm... a desert nearby perhaps?" he wondered. Or maybe it was just a really big sand box that the kiddies liked to play in. Whatever the case, he decided he would never find out just standing around here looking like some kinda n00b. He began heading, well, straight ahead, open to the adventure. Link to post Share on other sites
Ronin 0 Posted March 31, 2016 Author #8 Share Posted March 31, 2016 He followed his nose, sniffing his way toward the desert sands that were undoubtedly itching their way along the outskirts of the safe zone here on the fifth floor. He continued to march along, keeping his eyes peeled for anything of interest and wondering what wonders this new floor might hold. Suddenly, spotted someone approaching him from up ahead. His first instinct was to move aside, but as he stepped to his right, he found them to be adjusting their course to intercept him. Pausing, he decided he was safe here in town and simply waited for them to approach. "Eh?" Link to post Share on other sites
Ronin 0 Posted March 31, 2016 Author #9 Share Posted March 31, 2016 Another player perhaps? An NPC? A quest giver? Ronin couldn't be sure, but as the figure approached, coming closer, he noted the stranger's attire. They were dressed in a large cloak, covering most of their form, and what he could see sticking out from underneath, appeared to be wrapped tightly and hidden from view beneath this material. He pursed his lips in thought, patting at his attire to try and locate his pack of smokes. "Whassup?" he wondered, looking into the eyes of the stranger as she stopped in front of him. "Please... I need your help..." she began. Link to post Share on other sites
Ronin 0 Posted March 31, 2016 Author #10 Share Posted March 31, 2016 "I'm, sorry to bother you, but I've got a very important favor to ask of you. I've got some very precious cargo, it's been left out in the desert, hidden beneath the sand. I need you to go out there and retrieve it for me, please. I'm too sick, too tired to continue searching for it now, I need to rest immediately. Please, won't you help me?" The woman's voice came true through her wrapped face and Ronin arched an eyebrow in thought. He wondered what this desert was truly like. From the looks of it, it had taken quite a toll on her. Link to post Share on other sites
Ronin 0 Posted March 31, 2016 Author #11 Share Posted March 31, 2016 A quest menu popped up in front of Ronin and he studied the details for a moment, before finally nodding his head and deciding to accept. His finger touched the appropriate button and the menu disappeared before his eyes. He turned his attention back to the woman and she smiled beneath her facial wraps. "Oh thank you!" she said, though she was clearly feeling the effects of her fatigue. "Now I must go and rest, please be careful out there, that desert is a very treacherous place!" Ronin nodded before watching her begin to depart. "Come and find me when you've got the cargo, I'll meet you back here," she said. Link to post Share on other sites
Ronin 0 Posted March 31, 2016 Author #12 Share Posted March 31, 2016 Spending a good while making sure he was prepared for this little trip out into the desert, Ronin nodded to himself once he felt ready. Stepping out into the sands, he ventured for several long hours, wondering where to even begin. She hadn't given him too much to go on, especially concerning any details that might narrow down his area of search. It seemed it was strictly up to him to find this precious cargo of hers and so he decided he had better start looking soon. Pausing occasionally to take a swig of water from the bottles in his starter pack, Ronin knew this was going to take a while. Link to post Share on other sites
Ronin 0 Posted March 31, 2016 Author #13 Share Posted March 31, 2016 Sometime later, Ronin stopped, his weathered boots kicking up some sand. He turned, looking all around himself and seeing nothing but sand and desert, stretching on for as far as his eyes could see. He knew this was dangerous, being out here on the hot sands like this, exposed and by himself, but he had to take his chances with this quest. Besides, he was pretty sure that a player couldn't be killed by any sort of other player killers when involved in a quest? Though, he wasn't entirely positive about this. He was still new to this game and still figuring it all out. Hopefully he wouldn't have to learn it all, the hard way... Link to post Share on other sites
Ronin 0 Posted March 31, 2016 Author #14 Share Posted March 31, 2016 (edited) "Man, where the hell am I?" he wondered, looking up toward the sky. The sun was scorching and he wiped a gloved backhand across his sweaty brow. Thankfully he wasn't wearing all his heavy gear and was able to easily equip and unequip items and gear as he needed. Deciding it might be a good time to remove some more of his layers, he unequipped his shirt, pants and gloves, leaving nothing but his boots and underwear remaining. He kept his hand ready to access his inventory, in the event he might need to throw his armor on. For now though, it seemed the only threat out here, was environmental. "Well, let's take a look..." ID# 54529 results: Craft: 4 Loot: 2 Edited March 31, 2016 by Ronin Link to post Share on other sites
Ronin 0 Posted March 31, 2016 Author #15 Share Posted March 31, 2016 (edited) "Damn, nothing" he sighed, lifting himself away from the ground and returning to a stand. This quest was hopeless. This desert was so huge and the sand so thick and heavy. How was anyone supposed to find anything out here? Especially with no real land marks or location to go by? This was insane, but so was he he guessed, and so he continued onward. Pushing along, he enjoyed the feeling of the sun on his skin, though he knew he couldn't remain unclothed forever. Before too long he might get burned and then he'd have to go and find some sort of aloe vera potion to heal his skin. "Where is this damn cargo?" ID# 54531 results: Craft: 6 Loot: 8 Edited March 31, 2016 by Ronin Link to post Share on other sites
Ronin 0 Posted March 31, 2016 Author #16 Share Posted March 31, 2016 (edited) Kicking at the sand, Ronin was still coming up empty handed thus far. He sighed and took another break, pulling out his bottle of water and lifting it to take a drink. To his surprise, the sun was already beginning to descend from the sky and soon, it would be sunset and then nightfall. He wondered how cold it might get out here at night, and imagined he'd soon find out. Surely this NPC hadn't meant him to be wandering out here so aimlessly, but the quest hadn't offered any real help in finding her cargo. He sighed again and pulled another bottle of water into view, unscrewing the cap and taking a long, satisfying drink. "If I were some precious cargo... where would I be?" ID# 54532 results: Craft: 6 Loot: 20 = Cargo Found! Edited March 31, 2016 by Ronin Link to post Share on other sites
Ronin 0 Posted March 31, 2016 Author #17 Share Posted March 31, 2016 Just then, Ronin took a step and his boot knocked against something... hard, beneath the sand. "huh?" he wondered, pausing and listening closely. He moved his foot again, knocking it against the hard object a few more times. Finally, he looked down and smirked slightly as he knew this had to be it. Dropping to his knees in the sand, he began digging and brushing the sand away, working hard and fast to expose the wooden crate that was hidden beneath the surface. His eyes widened as he uncovered the box at last and a pop up window appeared before his eyes. Found: Precious Cargo! "Hell, yes," he sighed, more than relieved. Now all he had to do was get this back to the NPC in town and he'd get his rewards! Link to post Share on other sites
Ronin 0 Posted March 31, 2016 Author #18 Share Posted March 31, 2016 Stashing the precious cargo away in his inventory, Ronin decided he ought to turn right around and head back the way he had come. Perhaps if he hurried, he'd be able to follow in his own footsteps and use them as a sort of guide map to find his way back to town. As he looked ahead, he could see that the wind was blowing a bit and the sand was being piled up in certain spots. Surely some of his footprints would be covered up already, but as long as there were a few still visible, it could certainly help. "If only I had a damn teleport crystal to get me back to town..." he sighed. Link to post Share on other sites
Ronin 0 Posted March 31, 2016 Author #19 Share Posted March 31, 2016 As the sun set and the sky grew dark, Ronin found himself still trudging along through the sand. The temperature had dropped, substantially and he shook his head, wondering how in the world he had ended up out here in the first place. Sure he was completing a quest, or rather trying to, but still... this was madness. He had wanted to explore the other floors however and get some adventuring in though, so this was doing quite well to satisfy that itch. He continued onward, drinking his water and doing his best to stay focused. Soon, it grew much colder and he was forced to equip his clothing once again. "Shouldn't be much longer now..." he breathed. Link to post Share on other sites
Ronin 0 Posted March 31, 2016 Author #20 Share Posted March 31, 2016 Pressing on all through the night, Ronin finally spotted the town up ahead. It was still a long way off, but he could see the faint twinkling lights of the buildings and knew he was getting close. He smirked and felt a sense of rejuvenation fill him up. All he had to do now was make it to town and then find the spot where he had met the NPC earlier, wherever that was. He was still having a hard enough time learning where everything was on the first floor, let alone this new unexplored fifth floor. This was one hell of a journey through the unknown, but so far, he was passing with flying colors. Link to post Share on other sites
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