[SP-F1] Inner needs <RGQ-easy>

[Itzal 0]

Itzal sat on the top of the central tower in the Italian city.  It was the tallest tower and thus most players didn't come all the way up here besides the view.  Itzal?  He climbed the side of the building all the way to the peak, and sat on the edge as if it were nothing.  He was never worried about heights as he could grab the rope tied firmly to the side of the building to break his fall.  He was wearing Niger Natio as he always did when in this city.  The last time he was here he had helped out a certain npc whose business was running into the ground thanks to a black market.  They had hired mercenaries to damage property at first, but then were planning to plant false evidence to remove the company once and for all.  The npc promised to send a message to Itzal if he needed any more help.  Yesterday a quest appeared on his menu from that same npc.  Turns out they made a different move.  The black market had stolen important documents that had a list of the staff, purchases and sales, and many more information they could use.  Itzal's job was to get it back.  The details said that the original place was no longer being used and that he would need to investigate to find out it's hiding place before stealing it back.  He sighed and stood up straight.  Time to get to work.

[Itzal 0]

Itzal leaped off of the peak of the tower and grabbed the rope.  On his way down he let the adrenaline pick up before gripping tightly on the rope to slow his fall.  As he did he reached his legs out and made contact with the wall once he was at a slow enough pace.  By the time he stopped completely, he was near the ground.  The nearby npcs gasped at his sudden appearance and once they figured out what he did started scolding him.

"Quit acting like a child!"  "Why would someone do that?!"  "Is he insane?!"  Itzal ignored them and made his way through the crowd.  By this time the guards were suspicious of him and if he made too much of a disturbance they would approach him, possibly attack him.  It was like those stealth games where you have a meter that tells you how well hidden you are.  Itzal liked to imagine that in his mind when he went on missions like these.  While he was up there he spotted someone suspicious who seemed to be waiting for someone.  As he made his way through the crowd he kept his eyes peeled for this person.  What he ended up finding instead was a large leather piece that seemed to have ripped from a vest.  He smiled as he knew it belonged to that man.

ID#  66165

LD:  16

+1 MAT

Edited August 18, 2016 by Itzal

[Itzal 0]

OOC- From the next post on when I'm on stealth will be active.  13 on the streets due to skill and crowd, 14 in buildings due to skill, objects and shadows.  LD rolls for materials can only be done after a successful hide post

Itzal walked around, his hood hiding his scanning eyes as he searched for the man he needed to find.  The longer he searched the more he realized that he was in the wrong sector.  He closed his eyes and imagined the city from the height he was at previously and made two spots in his mental map:  Where he was and his destination.  He opened his eyes and quickly climbed up the side of a building, drawing attention from guards.  Instead of climbing to the top of the roofs he ran across the beams that stuck out of the walls and made it clear that he was simply using faster means of travel to avoid the crowd.  Seeing as he wasn't a threat the guards continued their march.  As he made his way around he scanned the vicinity for any suitable materials he could gather.  When he found none he paused and switched his armor to Twilight cloak, which helped sharpen his view.

ID#  66169

LD:  9

Edited August 18, 2016 by Itzal

[Itzal 0]

With his cloak on he continued on his way.  As he approached the destination area he leaped into an open area with the crowd, startling people for a moment but he quickly blended in.  As he made his way slowly over to his destination he noticed that the man was talking with another now.  He made his way over to a bench and listened intently to the conversation.

"So where is it being held?" said his target.

"I'm told that all the information will be given at the rendezvous.  He'll meet you at the Cathedral gardens.  Nobody goes there anymore and there's nothing to hide behind so you'll see any intruders."  The target nodded.

"Sounds good.  Wait, you're not coming with me?"  The man shook his head.

"Hmm.  No.  You're ready Naziil, don't worry.  It's simple.  Meet him there, listen to him for a bit, take the letter and deliver it."  The target hesitated but nodded.

"Ok.  I'll see you tonight then?"  The man chuckled.

"If your desperate for company then yes.  We can share a glass of wine if you wish.  Now go, he's not one to wait long!"  The target nodded and began making his way through the crowd.  Itzal shadowed him.  The npc made his way through the crowd nervously at first but he watched as the man took a deep breath and buffed up his chest trying to look important.  With this the crowd avoided him slightly whereas there was nothing special about Itzal and he had to gently shove people away from him. 

ID#  66170

LD:  11

Undetected

Edited August 18, 2016 by Itzal

[Itzal 0]

Itzal stalked the man through the city and although he tried to look important and proud, he occasionally looked over his shoulder or to the sides with a nervous look.  Itzal had no doubt in his mind that he was wishing he had bodyguards right about now.  When in truth he had nothing to worry about.  Nobody wanted him dead.  Itzal was blending in with the crowd.  Multiple royals would pass by every now and then and when they did Itzal stepped in stride beside them.  Purple was a color only used by royalty and while Itzal was young, he was freshly shaven and when he walked beside the nobles he copied their every action.  Thus they automatically assumed he was a young noble.  Therefore when Itzal began to talk with them they spoke back.  He kept the conversations in a place where he could drop it at a moment's notice to keep with his target but it was enough for his eyes to pass over Itzal without a second of thought.  In truth Itzal enjoyed talking with these nobles.  Sure some of them turned out to be snobs but several of them were nice and agreed with him in certain areas.  He'd have to get to know the good ones better at a later date.

ID#  66187

LD:  5

Hidden

Edited August 19, 2016 by Itzal

[Itzal 0]

"Are you busy right now?" he asked.  The man was surprised but shook his head.

"Honestly I was having a pleasant walk.  I rather enjoy spending time with you though."  Itzal smiled.  He definitely needed to learn more about this man.  He handed the quest sheet to the man and as he read it explained.

"I'm helping someone out but the person I'm following went into the gardens and I'll seem suspicious alone.  I promise that I really want to get to know you but for now could I have your help?  I'll pay you back later I promise."  The man hesitated but smiled as he read the quest.

"You like helping people?"  Itzal nodded.

"I'm training to be a scout."  The nobleman nodded and handed the paper back and began walking into the gardens.

"I rather love this place you know.  So quiet and peaceful.  I could talk on and on for hours softly and all I would like is someone to listen."  Itzal smiled and walked beside him.

"Thank you sir."

"Angelo my dear boy.  My name is Angelo Russo."  Itzal smiled.

"Thank you Angelo.  This means a lot to me."  The man winked at him as they entered the gardens.

ID#  66189

LD:  16

Edited August 19, 2016 by Itzal

[Itzal 0]

As they walked together they took a random route around the garden.  It led into a path that twisted and circled so it could go on endlessly.  This way when the target left they could walk into an area and cut him off.  At that point Angelo would depart and Itzal would finish shadowing him.  As they talked Angelo mentioned getting together at a nice restaurant near the center of the city so they could 'catch up' with each other.  Itzal understood and smiled, nodding in response.  In fact he was doing a lot of nodding.  This was to show that he was listening to the man and nothing else.  It was also something he used to hide his watching eyes.  He saw the man waiting and spotted a second figure, his target, walk up to him.  The two began to walk and speak for a little bit, and as they did the man handed the target a piece of paper.  Itzal couldn't tell what was on it at this distance but was guessing that it was directions.  He talked softly to Angelo and they agreed.  When they cut him off Angelo would force the target to run into him.  While he yelled at the target Itzal would [censored] the fallen paper and vanish into the crowd.  As the man walked off they made their way to the side exit.

ID#  66192

LD:  11

Hidden

Edited August 19, 2016 by Itzal

[Itzal 0]

Itzal stayed against the back of the stone wall with Angelo.  When his new npc friend nodded Itzal watched him walk forward just in time to get knocked into by the target.  After the collision Angelo pretended to fall to the ground and proceeded to get up and act rude like most nobles, screaming at him and telling him to watch where he was going.  The second before he shouted though, Itzal swooped in behind the startled man and swiped the paper from his back pocked and entered the crowd, turning around acting as surprised as everyone else.  As Angelo shouted the target looked horrified at who he had bumped into and apologized about a million times before Angelo dismissed him with a wave of his hand and stomped off.  After he did Itzal walked in the opposite direction from his target while pulling out the paper.  It said that the meeting was to take place in.  The attic in the Cathedral?  Curious, he folded the paper and walked into an ally before climbing the building to get a better view.  Why the Cathedral?

ID#  66192

LD:  11 + 4

+1 MAT

Edited August 20, 2016 by Itzal

[Itzal 0]

When he reached the top he scanned the area and spotted the Cathedral towers in the distance.  He looked and noticed that npc guards stood on the roofs between here and there.  He glanced at the streets and saw that they were way to crowded.  He'd never make it in time to get in position for that meeting unless he traveled by roof.  He looked for anything he could use in between and smiled as he spotted a path.  Between the buildings that stood close to each other were sturdy beams he could run across, and far off he saw shorter buildings with no guards.  Now that he had a path he began to leap from one beam to the next, avoiding the crowd below and staying close to the walls to keep from gathering attention from the guards.  As he made his way to the Cathedral he analyzed the area ahead and created his path as he went.  The closer and closer he came to the Cathedral the more he wondered what was really going on.

ID#  66217

LD:  13

Edited August 20, 2016 by Itzal

[Itzal 0]

When he finally reached the Cathedral he looked up to where the attic would be.  Then he wondered to himself.  Did Cathedrals actually have attics?  He wondered about it for a while then decided that there was a possibility that some Cathedrals had attics and that he just never noticed.  He was great at history as he would need to be if he wanted to make fantasy games, but architecture wasn't his strong suit.  He made his way over to the back of the Cathedral and waited for the guards to turn around.  When they did he began climbing.  He kept his eyes on the guards and whenever they turned to the Cathedral again he froze in a darkened area, hidden by the shade of the walls.  He would stay absolutely still until they turned again to proceed climbing.  Soon he made it to the top and slid inside, noting that yes the Cathedral did have an attic and was seemingly well kept.  He stood softly as nobody was there and scanned the room, looking to see if the paper was here.

ID#  66221

LD:  5  + 4

Edited August 20, 2016 by Itzal

[Itzal 0]

Itzal walked around the attic scanning the area.  Although it wasn't dusted and there were one or two webs here and there, there was a table and chairs in the center that was.  As he walked around he passed what looked like abandoned dressers, chests, drawers and many other wooden house pieces.  As he walked he checked every possible hiding spot for the paper but found nothing.  That meant that either it wasn't hidden here or someone had it.  Nonetheless he continued to search.  As he did he scanned the area for a good place to hide and saw huge thick wooden beams keeping the ceiling together.  Nobody ever looked up and with Niger Natio against the darkness he would be invisible.  Just as he switched to Niger Natio he heard footsteps coming from the door at the other side.  He quickly climbed to the beams and made his way silently over until he was directly above the table and froze.  The moment he did so the door opened and his eyes followed the four figures that entered the attic.

ID#  66222

LD:  4 + 4

Edited August 20, 2016 by Itzal

[Itzal 0]

One of the men of course, was his target.  The other three were different.  They wore white robes lined with gold, and each had an amulet around their necks.  He couldn't tell what the symbol was but he intended to find out later.  As the three sat down two others entered the room.  Both of them were cloaked head to toe and hooded so that none of their features were visible.  All but their physical shape that is.  One of them appeared to be a huge bulky man, probably heavyset but due to his appearance it was most likely armor.  He looked like he might be 6'3" in height.  That plus his bulk told Itzal that he was incredibly strong and dangerous.  The other one seemed to be around maybe 5'6" in height and since the cloak flowed straight down instead of curved like the other man, Itzal analyzed that the figure was somewhat slim.  As the two figures sat down on a bench by the door the man Itzal had stolen from looked at them nervously.

"Are they suppose to be here?" he asked and one of the robed figures nodded.

"They're important assets to our goals, and are the best at what they do."  Itzal narrowed his eyes and confirmed that these two were npcs, not players as there was no cursor over their heads.  "Now then, shall we begin?"

ID#  66227

LD:  8

Edited August 20, 2016 by Itzal

[Itzal 0]

"Well initiate," said another robed figure.  "You have done well.  Now that you have passed the test, you can be welcome into our organization."  The man seemed relieved.

"So are you going to give me my first assignment?" he asked eagerly, and the three men shook their heads.

"You've been accepted but you lack the proper training.  We are here to discuss your new schedule."  The man looked a bit disappointed but understood the reasoning perfectly.  "Starting tomorrow you shall report to Marco in the market square, where he will begin your training.  Since you obviously lack in combat you can be our front man, speaking to the public and persuading them to our cause.  Marco has the most devious tongue anyone has ever had, and he can teach you how to speak his way as well."

"Now that that's been settled," continued the first, "Let's talk about rewards shall we?"  Itzal listened to them continue on and on and realized he was going to get no more information out of this conversation.  What caught Itzal's attention was the paper they placed on the table.  It was obviously the item he was needing but he couldn't grab it until the conversation was over.

ID#  66228

LD:  10

Edited August 20, 2016 by Itzal

[Itzal 0]

Itzal sat there listening to the conversation and overheard among the boring details that the information was, all in all, useless to them and was only being used as a test for the man.  This test did hinder the company from making fast progressions but they knew it would do nothing for them in the long run.  Still this quest had landed him in something bigger than he could have imagined and could be a serious problem if they were as bad a group as he suspected.  He watched them finish the discussion and begin to walk out of the room followed by the man.  The man?  What about the other figure?  He scanned the room quickly but saw no trace of the figure.  He realized that the figure must be a master of stealth and could probably see him.  Realizing his danger he began to move his way across the beams to the shadowed area when he heard the slightest movement behind him.  He rolled to his right instinctively, dodging the dagger by a centimeter.  He landed on the ground on his feet but hard.  When he looked up he couldn't see the figure, switched his gear to Niger Natio, and rushed to the window, snatching the paper on the way out.

ID#  66230

LD:  2

Key item obtained.

2/3 MAT's gathered.

Edited August 24, 2016 by Itzal

[Itzal 0]

Itzal chased the figure out the window and watched as they parkoured across the city's rooftops.  Itzal followed suit, matching the figure's skill completely.  As he did the figure noticed him and tried to throw him off.  However when the figure tried to trick Itzal it failed completely and only shortened the distance between them.  Itzal knew that trick.  He used it all the time when he was chased by bullies.  Realizing that they couldn't get away from him the figure drew a dagger but didn't stop.  As Itzal slowly closed the space between them he drew Retributor.  Pretty soon they were side by side and the duel began.  Itzal didn't strike with slashes but a series of thrusts and pierces.  His opponent was agile and evaded each, while charging to Itzal with a series of lighting fast slashes, which Itzal had equally evaded.  The two finally stopped running and focused on the fight.  To other's eyes it was a deadly fight between what seemed like assassins.  To them however it was a well known dance, each testing the other's skills in blade and evasion.  They both were impressed.

Edited August 24, 2016 by Itzal

[Itzal 0]

Pretty soon the fight ended.  Both parties were exhausted and had finally entered a weapon lock, their cloaked faces inches from each other.

"Heh heh.  You're pretty good player," the robed figure muttered.  Itzal's eyes widened as he recalled the voice. 

"You!  You're that woman aren't you?"  The female chuckled and broke the lock. 

"Why yes darling.  And I must say I'm impressed.  You may not be good at sneak but you certainly can hold your own in a fight.  That's required to survive SAO is it not?"  Itzal was about to ask how she knew this information when he heard noise behind him and turned in surprise.  He saw the large man had climbed the stairs while they had fought.  Both figures were still cloaked.  He turned to the woman.

"I'm still not going to get any answers am I?"  The woman giggled, then her giggling turned to laughter. 

"Hahahaha!  Oh of course not my sweet!  You can't possibly think we plan on making this easy for you.  However we're actually quite busy."

"Working for those npcs?"  Itzal questioned.  The woman shook her head.

"Mhm.  No.  We used them so we could check you out before moving on.  But if you're interested we could leave you something to help you train.  You'll have a bit of a struggle of course but you're a strong boy.  You'll manage.  You'll see it the next time you come here alright?  Ta ta now!"  Itzal was about to yell at her when both npcs vanished before his eyes.  He sighed with frustration before switching to his Twilight cloak, deciding to forget about the matter and find his employer.

Edited August 24, 2016 by Itzal

[Itzal 0]

Frustrated he made his way down the stairs.  His mind was filled with multiple thoughts and questions.  How could an npc know what the world it was in truly was?  How did it know it was an npc?  How did it know so much about Itzal?  Not only that but what did she want with him?  What kind of surprise was she talking about?  And who was her friend?  Was she a dps and he a tank?  How did they find him so easily?  And what about this new organization in the town?  He needed to investigate both areas.  Too many questions with no answers at all.  Itzal was a naturally curious person, but this was ridiculous.  Too many questions for him to handle.  He felt a wave of relief as Ulises cut the questions in half, taking on half of them so they could share the load.  Thankful he was able to direct his focus to the more immediate issues.  He needed to find the fishing company who had originally hired him.  He would deliver the page, tell him that he wasn't truly in danger, and then go home.  He needed rest after this.  It was only after he readjusted his focus when he noticed something in his pocket.  When he pulled it out he noticed a silver and emerald ring.  What the hell?  Where did this come from?

3/3 MAT collected

Key Item obtained

ID#  66285

LD:  12 + 4

+1 MAT

Edited August 24, 2016 by Itzal

[Itzal 0]

As he made his way through the city he noticed the familiar roof of the company building by the water.  He gently shoved his way through the crowd, clearing a way for him to get there.  When people noticed this they stepped out of his way.  Soon it became rather easy to walk on the streets.  The guards were still suspicious of him of course, but they couldn't blame him for shoving them lightly out of the way.  They themselves needed to do that occasionally in order to get to places.  It wasn't uncommon.  As Itzal drew closer to the building he noticed that there were more guards than the last time he came here.  Good.  The last quest he had discovered that they intended to plant false evidence using mercenaries in order to shut the company down.  They would then add it to their market.  Which he found out also possessed several 'black' markets.  As he drew closer to the doorway he switched to Niger Natio, which they would recognize.  As he approached, several guards drew their weapons.

"If your smart you'll leave immediately!" one of them said.  Itzal shook his head. 

"I accepted your master's quest....  Again.  Where are the original guards here?  They'll recognize me."  The guard's hesitated, then one of them called someone.  A large guard walked over.

"What's going-.  Oh!  It's you.  He's been waiting.  Come on I'll take you to him." Itzal nodded and followed the man into the building.

[Itzal 0]

Itzal scanned the facility and noticed that there were many more workers than before.  He also noticed that they repairs had been made in the small areas that had been damaged from a nightly assault before Itzal's intervention.  The workers weren't exactly happy but they weren't upset either.  Focused would be the word as they moved quickly as they built boats, nets and rods for fishing.  He noted that many also had bows and arrows with them as well.

"You guys have certainly upped your workers since I was here last."

"Yes we have.  Now that we have guards keeping watch people are more willing to work for us."

"Uh huh.  And, the bows?"  The guard frowned.

"We've been attacked once or twice, so each boat will have three men:  Two fishermen and one guard.  When under attack the guard uses his shield to keep the fishermen safe while one of the fishermen uses the bow to counter attack.  Ever since we set this up we haven't been hit.  Some say we don't need them anymore but I think that's exactly what these men are looking for."  Itzal nodded.

"Wait till they get lazy and then strike again.  Simple tactic."  The guard nodded.

"We think alike then."  As they passed a group of men working on the boats one of them paused to stare at Itzal.  Itzal did not physically move his head but he let his eyes observe him.  The guard guessed at what Itzal was staring at and decided to lift the concern.  "Um.  Is it alright if we spread word about you?  These men would feel more comfortable if they knew they had someone watching their backs."  Itzal was shaking his head mid sentence.

"Not only am I busy most of the time, but if my presence was strongly known here then stealth would be nonexistent.  Spread rumors, mysteries about me.  A man of shadows and nothing more.  Don't make me a hero or a villain, just give a shroud of mystery."  The man hesitated but saw the reason in it.

"Understood.  Oh and.  There's someone who's visiting.  Someone of importance I believe.  However I wouldn't let him see you're face."  Taking the hint Itzal switched back to Niger Natio, covering his features and causing the workers to avoid him more.

Edited August 24, 2016 by Itzal

[Itzal 0]

As the guard opened the door he heard two men talking frantically.  When Itzal entered, one of the men glanced at him before his face lit up.

"Itzal!" he exclaimed and ran over to shake the player's hand.  "It's so good to see you!  I knew you would accept the quest!"  He stopped when he noticed Itzal's eyes were narrowed on the other person.  The man was dressed like most businessmen such as his employer but something was off about him.  Itzal looked at the employer.

"Would it be alright if this stranger waited at the base of the stairs?"  He was making it clear to both parties he didn't trust him.  Not one bit.  The man didn't frown but nodded slightly and made his way to the door.  After he did Itzal and the employer sat down.  "What was that about?"

"Oh, he was just telling me I'm overpaying these men and that he could keep me safe for less.  I don't believe him though."  Itzal nodded. 

"There's a good chance he's the one setting all this up.  If I were you I'd change shifts, double check your staff, and keep everyone on high alert.  I can visit sometime and check in, scanning for anything suspicious."  The man lit up. 

"You always make my day Itzal.  By the way my name is Marco."  Itzal nodded.

"Very well Marco.  Here's the information you wanted back.  I'll also tell you that you actually aren't a major target, but the organization I recently discovered does want access to this area.  I'll handle them, you handle the safety here."  The man smiled.

"Thank you ever so much Itzal!  I will never forget this."