[PP-NK-F4] <<Feeding the enemy>> The Wolf of Mibu

[Baldur 0]

Once Baldur and Cygnus had had a chance to level up, and restock their supplies after their adventure near the settlement of Rig fighting a flying snake monster, Baldur decided to head to a more pleasant floor... the Fourth one. As he was waiting around, he saw the old Gypsy who gave out the quest that allowed you to acquire a familiar. Baldur had been putting it off because he didn't like the idea of a familiar following him around, but their advantage to a Frontliner was one that he couldn't ignore. Walking over to the old woman, he accepted her quest, and bought some common food from her. He wanted to just supplement the food he had already from his own shop.

Turning around, he kept an eye out on the teleport portal for @Cygnus while he ate his <<Lamb Haunch>> so that he could increase his chances of finding that familiar.

Edited July 29, 2016 by Baldur

[Cygnus 0]

Cygnus was rushing to where Baldur was. He didn't expect resupplying to take so long. He turned a corner and approached the teleport plaza. Hoping he wasn't too late, he said the keywords and was instantly teleported to the fourth floor. Once there, the brunette scanned the area with his emerald green eyes, eventually finding his friend amongst the people. He waved, approaching the man. "Hey Baldur. Sorry that took so long." Cygnus stood next to him. "Resupplying and leveling up took longer than I thought. I reached rank 4 on my weapon skill, by the way. Almost grandmastered it." He grinned and shifted his weight on the balls of his feet to rock back and forth. "You haven't been waiting too long, right?"

[Baldur 0]

Baldur's face smiled broadly when Cygnus mentioned the success of his hard work.

"Congrats my friend."

Resting his hand on the katana at his hip, Baldur gestured out to the snow covered floor. The sun was setting on the flying castle, and so the city around them was just beginning to come alight, and the orange light seemed to make the snow glow.

"This is my favorite floor, and if I remember correctly, there are some good wolves here. I want to try and tame one as my companion. I've avoided it thus far cause I don't like the idea of having a pet follow me around, but since I'm on the frontline, I can't stand to let the stat bonus pass me by any longer."

Turning to walk through the gates and leave the safezone, Baldur smiled but this time he spoke to his friend from over his shoulder.

"I appreciate you coming along, this type of quest can be long and a bit boring on one's own."

 

[Cygnus 0]

Cygnus listened to Baldur. The man was looking for a familiar; a wolf. He thought of getting a familiar of his own, if anything for the companionship and the stat bonuses. Cygnus tried to fill the loneliness in his life with friends, but his friends couldn't be around all day every day, so he figured a familiar might help with that. "Yes, i've seen a few wolves the few times i've been on this floor." Cygnus said, looking around to see if he could spot any. It was then that Baldur looked over his shoulder and thanked the warrior for coming along. "Don't mention it. You've helped me out plenty. Plus, I like to hang around you. I consider us friends." Cygnus went ahead and put a hand on the grip of his sword. "I'm thinking of taking this quest soon. If i'm over going to get to the frontlines, i'm going to need that stat bonus." He looked around again for a good wolf for Baldur to attempt to befriend. Another productive day was ahead, that much was for certain.

[Rain 0]

Hands, flew in the air as the wanderer rushed to get his gear ready. He had received a pm yesterday from Baldur, asking for help with the «Feeding the Enemy» quest,  one which the wanderer intends to do some time soon. After a few minutes of panicking, scouring, and eventually, equipping his gear, the wanderer pushes through the door of his shop and out on the streets of the 4th floor. After a few minutes of running around, and wandering the Snowfrost, he eventually finds Baldur, waiting along with another player, one who seems somewhat familiar. "Yo. Sorry I'm late,  I almost forgot about your pm. Anyways, floor is pretty much my home, what creature are you looking for? I can probably track it down - although, I don't have the tracking mod yet, but yeah." The wanderer raised his right hand and began scratching the back of head. His face, still looked that of an emotionless kuudere, but his piercing red eye glanced at both of the player. The two hasn't seen the wanderer since after his little accident, but ever since a couple of days ago, the wanderer got into a little accident in his shop which seemed to have permanently turn his left eye into a crimson red and his right into a light-ish brown. ever since then, he tends to cover his right eye with his hair as he doesn't like haven't 2 different eye colors.

[Baldur 0]

Baldur smiled when he saw his white haired friend catch up with them.

"Rain! Thanks for coming! I was beginning to think you were going to make it."

Gesturing at Cygnus, and then to Rain, Baldur began to introduce them.

"Rain, this is my friend Cygnus. Cygnus, this is Rain, my friend and Alchemist."

He nodded this thanks at Rain when he offered to help them find whatever they were looking for.

"As fate would have it, I actually spend quite a bit of time on this floor as well and I have a pretty good idea of where we're going. I'm trying to catch a very specific wolf for my familiar. Though I'm not sure if I'm hoping for an accuracy bonus, or a damage bonus companion."

Baldur made a welcoming gesture to Rain and began to journey forth through the snow covered floor, their bodies carving furrows in the snow as they processed. Last time he had been out there, there had been a rare event boss named <<Fenrir - Herald of the End>> who had way out-classed him, but Baldur had spent years out on this floor and had only seen the event once. Regardless, his friends were all well equipped now, Cygnus even going so far as to be wearing Baldur's old armor. It felt a bit weird, seeing his armor on someone else, and actually being able to see it from behind as well.

"What kind of familiars are you two on the hunt for?"

[Rain 0]

As Baldur began talking about how he knew exactly what he's looking for and where it can be found, the wanderer began thinking of what he wanted. He knew exactly what he wanted. An Accuracy buffing companion, that way he can sacrifice some accuracy for other things like more armor. As Baldur kept going on about how he's spends a lot of time here, he drops a specific question to the group. "What kind of familiar are you two on the hunt for?" He says...

"I..." The wanderer gave it some thought before continuing to talk. His creature is kind of hard to find, but if he can find it, he'll probably be first of it's trainers. "I'm looking for a frostfire nine-tailed fox. It lives on this floor somewhere. my guess, it's probably up in the high mountains on the northern side of the map. I've only been to that side a couple of times, but the terrain is really.." He paused for a second before continuing. He wanted to make sure, they know how hard it was. "Difficult. Steep cliffs, heavy snow. There's a mountain pass you have to go through and there's chances of rock slides. But I've heard rumors that if make it to the end of the mountain pass, there lies a quiet little tree growing in the middle of nowhere, where the fox frequents to. Perhaps you can join me after this quest of yours?"

 

[Cygnus 0]

Cygnus smiled and waved to Rain as he approached. When Baldur introduced htem, he nodded and bowed respectfully to Rain, then turned to Baldur. "Oh, we've been on a quest or two together. I was also there for the potion giveaway." He turned his head back to Rain. "It's good to see you again though." As they began speaking of familiars, Cygnus relayed what he knew about the familiar he wanted to get. "I heard that somewhere on the third floor, there is this golden miniature dragon that frequents this glade. Supposedly, he gives sagely advice to other players. I'm going to see if he will become my familiar, because he seems to be a creature I would surely like to have." He listened to Rain explain what familiar he was going after. "Oh, that sounds like a capital idea. You can count me in if I have the time and if there's room." He toyed with the pommel of his sword absent mindedly. 

[Baldur 0]

Baldur nodded and smiled to his friends. "A nine tailed frostfire fox and a mini golden dragon. They sound like fantastic pets."

He was glad to see that Cygnus and Rain were bonding well. The two of them were perhaps the best among the up-and-coming players he had found yet, though perhaps he could no longer refer to Rain as 'up-and-coming' since the man had essentially caught up to Baldur. While their levels may be nearing the same, Baldur still felt a separation even from players of a similar level. He had been out making the rounds among the Frontline a long time ago, back when the frontline was still single digits. However, his... self-exile had put him far behind his allies of old. It made him feel senior to players in a way that perhaps was more of an artifact of ego, than of reality. He did have an advantage over many other players in his level range, and that was the long-term bond he held with those who were now the most powerful on the frontline. All players whom Baldur had once been senior to as well.

He promised himself he would not ride that way, he would not be power-leveled by his friends. With his own two hands he would climb his way back to the top and he would bring as many new people with him as he could. They needed help after all of the recent deaths.

"So tell me Rain. Will you be joining us for the 18th Floor boss fight, or will you take the more prudent path and get more HP first."

Baldur smiled at his jest. The boy was ready, gear wise, but Baldur had found that even in the 100 HP range, the frontline was still a terribly dangerous place - but as an Alchemist, he was more prepared than most in a similar position.

[Rain 0]

As everyone pretty much gave each other their goals for familiars, the wanderer began to think harder on his familiar goal. He would be the first to have a nine tailed fox as a familiar, even more so of frostfire. But what strength can he gain the from the creature. He had heard that upon taming a familiar, you can choose what strength it can give you, but the wanderer had no ideas on what to really give it. More strength maybe? or perhaps protection from the elements and the like? As he thought deeply, Baldur drops a question that was far from the wanderer's current mind.

"Join the frontlines?" He played with the words in his head. He hadn't given the idea some thought in a long time, not since he began to rapidly grow in power. He had every intention to one day join the frontlines, but was now the perfect time to do so? After some thought, he calmly gave Baldur his answer. "I want to gain more levels before going there. I want to finish this death game as soon as possible, but I'd rather be prepared as much as possible before even attempting at fighting the floor bosses. One day for sure, but not the 18th."

[Baldur 0]

Baldur watched as Rain considered his question about joining the frontline. It was good that he actually thought about the question - too many would just answer quickly, as Baldur would have done himself. Rain was further along than Baldur was when he had rejoined the Frontlines and fought Rohk. It had been a traumatic experience in which one of the men he most respected had died. It would be better to wait until he was ready, confident, and in a high enough HP bracket.

"That's a good call. I've found a few times that while I'm adequately geared, if not adequately skilled yet, that my hit point total was a bit low, even with a T2 overhealth potion. Safeguard potions are lifesavers though. With a full complement of consumables, the only real difference between me and the other, more established players in the energy pool. By the time we get to this net boss fight, I'll finally be able to use <<San Ge>> enough times to not have to worry about slowing people down due to drying up on my energy pool."

Turning his head, Baldur smiled at @Cygnus "What about you, my friend? I know we have to work a while to get you caught up to Tier 2 first, but do you plan to join the frontline some day once you're ready as well? I'll admit, having another heavy armored two-hand straight sword knight on our side will be a big help." He clasped his friend on the familiar shoulder pad of the armor he was wearing. Baldur was very happy with this crew he had gathered together.

[Cygnus 0]

Cygnus watched the two experienced players talk about the frontlines and plan for the future. That was right. Cygnus almost forgot that as powerful as those two were, there were still new levels of power for them to reach. There were more levels of power for him to discover too.  He looked over at Baldur as the elder player addressed him directly. "Oh, yes. I plan to go eventually. Once i'm ready, of course. I want to actually be able to contribute something. I can't wait for that day, though. It's going to be glorious indeed. I can't wait until I am actually able to assist those fighting the good fight." The warrior crossed his arms and nodded to himself. He was overjoyed to discover that his style was one that would be needed. All Cygnus wanted was to be useful in this fight, to cut down bosses and be just as effective as his peers. Now, it seemed he was finally on the path to making that dream a reality and it felt good. 

[Baldur 0]

Baldur listened as Cygnus told him of his equally prudent plan. Was Baldur really the only one who was so foolhardy? He supposed that was a good thing. They had approached the frontline with full knowledge of all the deaths and how dangerous it really was, while Baldur had been in the midst of it, and too arrogant or stubborn to leave. He calculated his risk and gambled with his life. He was currently riding the cusp of being too risky, but as long as he was surfing the crest of that probability, he didn't back down.

As they neared the valley he was leading them to, Baldur called a halt to the group.

"Rain, why don't you wait here. Cygnus and I will go and try to flush them out this way. If you can, just delay them long enough for us to catch up. If you don't see anything coming down the hill a few minutes, slowly move down the valley." Rain should be equipped enough to handle anything on this floor without risk, even should a whole pack of the wolves come down the mountains and engage him.

"Cyngus, keep your eye out. If you see a lone wolf, be wary. If he engage him and don't stun him before he howls, he might summon the rest of the pack."

Gesturing for his friend to follow, and giving Rain a nod of thanks to play sentry, the two proceeded up the mountain. 

"You're on the right path. I'd say you've gone for one of the most useful builds. It'll make a nice complement with Rain and I at least. We may not be able to tank a floor boss, but the three of us should be able to take on just about anything once we get you up to tier 2 gear." Baldur hoped he wasn't trodding over any boundaries, but he had plans for the three of them at least. 

"Once you get comfortable with your mitigation, you could probably sink a few points into the charge skill. It's surprising how much it can boost your damage."

Spoiler

@Cygnus

 

Edited August 24, 2016 by Baldur

[Cygnus 0]

Cygnus waved to Rain as he and Baldur walked off. "Good luck!" Some time after they left, Baldur warned Cygnus to be on the lookout for any lone wolves and should they engage in battle and should the wolf let off a howl, have the rest of the pack contend with as well. Cygnus nodded, thanking his lucky stars that he had a few stunning Sword Arts in his arsenal. This shouldn't be too difficult, but the warrior refused to let his guard down.  Cygnus grinned when Baldur mentioned that the path he was on would compliment him and Rain well. He felt part of the group and that was what he was looking for for awhile. "Yes! Once I can get to the more durable stuff, I think i'll be pretty sturdy. But... um... i've never really seen a floor boss before. I imagine they're like other bosses, just a lot meaner." Cygnus shrugged. "The thought of fighting one though... its really got my blood pumping. I like a good challenge." The brunette chuckled, deciding to draw Gavel from its sheath. They would likely be in combat soon and Cygnus didn't like being caught "with his pants down" as it were.

[Baldur 0]

Baldur nodded at Cygnus' words as they climbed up higher into the middle range of the mountains and proceeded down the valley. Cygnus had a good head on his shoulders, and the blood of a warrior running through his veins. Baldur was glad to know that he had chosen his friends well. As the reached a section of the mountain that jutted out in a good viewpoint, Baldur swiped his head opening up the menu and equipping his search and detect gear. He had bought all this gear, and the food, simply for this quest. With his S&D skill now boosted by a huge amount, he looked out over the valley until he found what he was looking for.

Several wolves showed up now that he could see even through the atmospheric snow that tried to block their vision. It was almost as if he had a heads up display of a mini-map, the mobs clearly revealed to him in a supernatural way.

"Found one."

Baldur focused his vision, the sensation a player made in order to get the system to lock onto a target, on the <<White Wolf>>. Gesturing for Cygnus to follow as well, he led them straight to the wolf. It was slightly smaller than a large dog, and appeared very aggressive at first, but Baldur pulled out a <<Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Frosting>> that a good friend of his had made a long time ago. It was precious to Baldur, but it was worth it to gain such a perfect pet. Once he offered it to the beast, the quest took over and the wolf approached him and began to eat the cake straight out of his hand.

"Excellent!" Baldur almost cheered, but tried to keep from startling the wolf. He had heard this quest be a nightmare for others, having to test tons of animals before they could finally find one that would accept them. When the quest complete window popped up, Baldur smiled to see the name <<White Wolf>> show up under the health bars of Rain and Cygnus.

A window shortly followed up thereafter asking Baldur what he wanted to name his newfound companion, and another popped up saying that he had now unlocked the title <<Wolf Tamer>>.

"You know, with all the thought I put into this, I don't think I thought to name him."

Baldur ran a hand through the fur of the white wolf as he gave it a moment's though. "Perhaps Hugin, seems appropriate. Or Gungnir... or Gram... What do you think, @Cygnus?"

 

---

[ID#66349 LD: 15 + 3 (S&D Skill) + 2 (Lamb Haunch) + 2 (Searchers Eye) + 1 (Emerald Teardrop) = 23 (success!)]

Edited August 24, 2016 by Baldur

[Cygnus 0]

Cygnus tried to look and see where the wolves were when Baldur mentioned he found one, but the brunette could not see anything. He really had to invest in some Search and Detect stuff before he tried to find his own familiar. Cygnus didn't have to worry, however, as Baldur motioned for the warrior to follow and once they got close enough, he spotted the wolf. It truly was a beautiful creature, its white fur matching the color of the freshly fallen snow. "Wow, he's beautiful." Cygnus mumbled as he observed the creature. Soon, Baldur took out some cake and the wolf walked over, eating it right out of the player's hand. Cygnus gave a quiet "Yes!" as he pumped his fist in the air. Once it was clear that this wolf was bonded to him, Baldur began thinking of names. Cygnus put his index finger to his chin as he though. "Hmm... Hugin does sound good. I'm partial to Gram as well. All in all, my vote would go for Gram. It's up to you though, my friend. He's yours now." The brunette grinned widely.

[Rain 0]

The wanderer stood there, lost in thought when he realized that his party had gone ahead to look for the wolf Baldur was after. He wasn't entirely sure how far they had gone or how long the wanderer himself had been standing there lost in thought. As he ran forward after his group, the wanderer gave it some thought again on what could have kept him so occupied, but his memory couldn't serve him. It's like he was an entire different person with a whole different personality and everything.

As he pushed through the thick brush, he eventually finds the two. Baldur was just about to tame his familiar right when the wanderer arrived. Once he did, they began contemplating on it's name. "Gram.. sounds like an awesome name." He thought to himself... or so he thought as he slowly walked out from the brush, and casually said those words. Eventually, he realized that he spoke those words out, so he tried playing it cool. "Yo." He says as he gave the group a slight wave. "I don't know what happened there... Just... zoned out I guess." he says as he crouches down to try to pet the majestic wolf. "So this was what you were after... So.. fluff." He says as he reaches his hands out to try to pet it.

[Baldur 0]

Baldur grinned widely when Rain showed up at just the right time, and chimed in with his answer as well. Baldur was so happy to have these two particular friends here with him along for this journey. They both seemed to like Gram. It hadn't been his first thought, but it was a good choice and kept with Baldur's theme of apparently combining Norse mythology with Japanese style? Whatever the reason, the two seemed to blend in well with each other given the Japanese's love of Norse mythology. Both culture's warriors believed a death in battle to be the ultimate way to go.

As Baldur called up the keyboard to chance his wolf's name to Gram, he watched as Rain went to pet the fluffy creature and the wolf licked his face in what surely must have been the most slobbery way possible.

With a flourish, he hit the accept button for the name, and the health bar in their party window changed to reflect the wolf's new designation: Gram. In the old norse tongue it meant wrath, which was appropriate for a familiar that gave him bonus damage. But it was also known by another name, Balmung, which had special meaning to Baldur. He had briefly considered naming the wolf Balmung, but it was too close to his own name, and Gram was much better known.

"There we are. Gram, let me introduce to you Rain, and Cygnus. My friends, meet my new familiar Gram, the White Wolf."

Wolf gave a little huff, and then did it's own version of a bow, bending one of its forelegs and lowering it's head. Baldur went wide eyed, and then laughed.

"Wow.. I guess it really was meant to be my wolf."

Edited August 29, 2016 by Baldur

[Cygnus 0]

Cygnus gave a repectful bow to Gram as Baldur formally introduced them. "A pleasure, Gram." The warrior laughed when Gram gave them a bow of his own. Cygnus straightened his posture after that and looked over at Baldur when he said that Gram really was meant to be his wolf. "Yes, it certainly seems that way. I've known this little guy for all of ten seconds and he already reminds me of you." Cygnus knelt down and pet Gram on the head. "He's rather majestic, don't you agree?" The brunette asked his friends. It made him excited to get his own familiar. That golden dragon had been on his mind a lot lately and he wanted to try to go after it soon. Cygnus stood up straight and flashed a smile at Baldur. "Congratulations and good work, my friend. May he serve you well." He gave his comrade a thumbs up, his smile remaining.

[Rain 0]

After a slobber of wolf saliva, the wanderer stepped back as the Baldur introduce his new familiar. Within moments, he quickly realized just how similar Baldur was to his familiar. They both had a somewhat noble aura about them. As the wolf made it's own attempt to bow, the wanderer followed suit, almost like a second reaction.

After the greetings, the wanderer turned around to face the group. "Right, so how's up next for a familiar? There's some mountain in the northern part of this floor with a certain fox I want to tame if you guys are up to joining me. Then perhaps we could join Cygnus afterwards in his search for that familiar he was talking about earlier." - which the wanderer can't remember right now cause he completely zoned out of the conversation, but he does vaguely remember Cygnus talking about some dragon familiar in some distant floor.

Edited August 30, 2016 by Rain