PP-F2: 'Let there be Light'

[Esther 0]

Esther stood, in the city of Urbus - this was her first time on the second floor. Sure, she had travelled all the way up to the 10th floor, but that was via the warp pads. She hadn't ever dreamed she'd be out adventuring on higher floors like this, she never thought she'd have people on her fiends list; yet here she was - with people like Mari, Lowenthal and Domarus on her friend list, and hopefully soon Arc again too. 

"Ahh!" Esther took a deep breath, the air was so much fresher up in the mountains, and the town - it was so cute. Almost like a period movie. She had come here for sight-seeing today. Having completed a couple quests already, it was time for her to relax. She had lots of this Ess Peeh stuff, and soon she would start to be able to put it into Skills. She just wasn't sure what kind of skills she wanted yet. Maybe she'd have to find someone to talk to about that.

Esther was happily walking through the streets, minding her own business when suddenly- a mother came rushing over. Screaming and crying erratically - stating that she had lost her child. At first, Esther was distraught with the information. Worried that a little child was out there, alone. It hurt, it reminded her of Evelyn, but  then - the woman stopped - and a quest notification popped up. Apparently, Esther had inadvertently accepted a quest.

"That...was an NPC?" she asked confused, looking around to see if anyone would help.

[Morgenstern 1]

Jonathan strolled the streets of floor two. It had been a long while since he had ventured on the second floor. It used to be its favorite with the mountain air, the amazing dungeons filled with crystals and... A shrieking replaced the peace and Jonathan turned to see a woman scramble up  to him and screech about how her child was missing. She had no player cursor soshe must have been an NPC. A notifcation appeared asking him to accept a quest. He accepted it. It was an easy way to earn experience. He looked up and seen the NPC had traveled over to a pink haired girl who seem to radiate light with the way the sun hit her. Jonathan shrugged. I don't know the difficulty of this quest ight as well try and recruit her I mean we are working for the same quest. 

Jonathan strolled up to the girl and said, "Hello, I was wondering if you could do the Lost Child quest with me.... It would much easier if we partied up. My name is Jonathan. It is a pleasure to meet you. 

[Esther 0]

Esther blinked, a blonde youth had approached her out of nowhere, and - as luck would have it, he was doing the same quest as she was. So that lady was an NPC, good - that's such a relief  Esther was relieved that the lady wasn't real - and that there wasn't a real kid lost somewhere. Still, the prospect of a lost kid made Esther feel a little sad. It wasn't a very nice circumstance, even if it were a false one. 

Jonathan further asked for her help. Esther wasn't sure how much help she would be, but she was happy to meet a new friend "Ah!" Esther's face lit up, as she reached out and pulled his hand into a gentle shake. "Hello Jonathan. It's lovely to meet you. My name is Esther." She let go of his hand, "What a coincidence - I just got the same quest."  The girl had to admit, it was strange - that minutes after she got the request, she was approached by a stranger. Esther grinned, then laughed - "Or were you watching me, and just so happened to see that NPC give me the quest?" It was intended to be a teasing joke. She quickly waved it off. "Just teasing...but honestly...I don't have any weapons or skills, or armor - nothing. I'm not a fighter - so I don't know how useful I would be in this quest."

 

[Morgenstern 1]

Jonathan watched as the pink haired girl turned, and blinked as she looked him over. She introduced herself as Esther and teased him about watching her get the quest. Nope, I was just watching you get the quest, It saves me time for looking for someone to go out of their way and accept the quest. She laughed at her joke and quickly said, she was not made built for combat. Jonathan sighed, Why does no one ever build themselves for combat? It is the thing that keeps you alive... Jonathan shrugged the thought off and replied, It is okay, I am completely built for combat and can do the work... 

Jonathan sent the girl a party invite and looked at the girl. She seemed to have almost all starters gear but it was fine. He opened his menu and equipped his items. Seraph Guardian, A white and gold light metal armor appeared from his neck to his toe along with Morning Shield, The White and gold circular disc that was a great shield. And Finally Zodiac Blade appeared on his back finishing his Seraph Set. Ready when you are.

[Esther 0]

Esther crossed her arms, giving a slight pout. So he was just lazy then? She couldn't exactly blame him, it appeared he needed to do the quest too, so if the two teamed up - it'd be like killing two birds with one stone, as a  bonus - she'd be getting more of this SP business. She had already invested some in loot detection. Soon she'd be able to invest it in healing. Esther gave her head a slight shake, as though shaking any negative thoughts away.

"Alright." Esther said with a smile. "You do the combat, and I find the girl, we should be able to get the quest done twice as quickly then, right?" A party invitation was sent her way, and Esther accepted it, "Ok...." She muttered to herself, patting down her clothes. Unlike Jonathan, she didn't have any actual armor or gear, the only thing she did have was a small canvas painting that aided her in treasure hunting, and material hunting. Esther hoped it also applied to quests like this, where you had to find NPCs, at least then - she'd be some sort of help. 

Looking back to the youth, who was now fully equipped Esther gave a shrug. "I got nothing to equip, so - ready."

[Morgenstern 1]

OOC Sorry for the delay

Jonathan watched as Esther Readied up which consisted just of a confidence booster. Jonathan smiled. Don't worry. I plan on both of us coming out of this one. Now lets head out. Jonathan began to walk forward out of Urbus, His armor clinking as he trodded forward. As he approached the cave he seen a smaller figure. It appeared human. As Jonathan came into range he seen it was a small child. Jonathan hustled over to the crying child. Barely making words out through tears the child said, "H... Help me. My best friend is in there! We were playing in the caves in the dark, and two big creatures attacked us! I managed to escape, but my friend didn't. PLEASE, go in there and help him. Jonathan looked forward after nodding to the boy. He walked into the dark and treacherous cave. 

Man I really hate the dark. It is hard to see. Jonathan took a breath of the dark damp, musty air. 

Edited September 16, 2016 by Morgenstern

[Esther 0]

Esther nodded, it seemed that Jonathan knew  where he was going, so she simply followed him,humming softly to herself, stepping in time to her own, cheery tune. "I'd hope so." Esther joked, "Planning to just have one of us out....that just doesn't sound like a good plan at all." 

The trek to the cave was uneventful, neither had any real words to say to the other, and all up - it was only a very short stroll from the town. Esther was surprised at how easy this quest seemed. Then again, it was supposed to be a quest for beginners, people who had no skills and little armor/weapons. Unfortunately for Esther, she had neither armor or a weapon, of course, it was her own foolish choice.

As they approached the cave, an NPC child ran up to Jonathan, probably because he was the stronger of the two. He tugged on the other player and begged for help. Without a word, Jonathan gave a nod and went deeper into the cave. Esther quickly followed, shuffling behind him. "Y-You know you can talk more if you want." Esther mused, "We don't have to be silent this whole time. I like conversations."

As they went deeper into the cave, sh gave a whistle. "Boy its dark in here."

 

[Morgenstern 1]

Jonathan looked back to the pink haired girl. He smiled. She was uncomfortable with his silence. Well, If you insist on talking... Me and a few others have brought up a guild. Our goal is to bring up the lower level players of Aincrad, to help make sure players don't die. Also, to bring more people to the front lines and help get out of this game. And finally for us players to untie as one. I would be glad to have you in the guild. But sadly, I would not be your Paladin. Jonathan looked forward. It was dark. He yanked his sword out of its place and, the blade began to give off a faint glow for them to be able to see. 

Jonathan took a breath. Just keep her alive.... Probably pushed the guild thing too fast, but it doesn't matter. He heard crying far off into the cave, and Jonathan made a left. 

[Esther 0]

At first, it sounded as though Jonathan thought talking was a chore, Esther frowned slightly at his initial comment about her insisting to talk- however it quickly dissipated as he began talking about a guild. The way his voice quickened, and his eyes lit up.. It was clear he was very passionate about the entire idea. Esther was a little envious, she wasn't exactly that passionate about any one cause, instead she flitted about dipping her fingers in everything.

"Your guild idea sounds lovely." Esther began, "but I don't think I am suited to join any guild just yet. I would rather make myself useful before committing myself into a single cause." She offered Jonathan a smile, "I will keep you, and your guild in mind- for the future though."

Jonathan pulled out his blade, and it almost seemed to glow, Esther blinked, confused. "I didn't know weapons could do that. It's like a little night light, kinda cute."

The man suddenly veered left, and Esther quickened her pace to follow. "You seem to know where you are going."

[Morgenstern 1]

Jonathan smiled, as the girl thought his guild had a good standard and would remember for the future. She didn't believe she was yet suited for a guild although. As Jonathan kept moving forward she remarked his blade. Oh? Ah, its name is Zodiark. I created the name and Idea of the blade through two names. Zodiac as in the twelve divisons of the Suns path, each going for 30 degrees. That's where we get our twelve zodiac signs. Ark is from the Story of Noah's Ark for Noah to build his Ark. So it goes for purify, because god wanted Noah to purify the world of sinners. And for its idea of the right path. Giving its title, Celestial Path. Yeah, its a bit complicated. So, yeah its pretty special to me at least. I don't know exactly what gold was used to make it glow like it does. 

As Jonathan kept moving he heard Esther speak again. I don't exactly know which way I am going, just following the sound of crying and screaming of the child we are trying to find. 

[Esther 0]

Esther listened as Jonathan explained the name of his sword, his voice filled with great passion, clearly proud of his possession. Esther thought it looked...interesting, to say the least - especially how it glowed. However, if she were truly honesty she didn't exactly care about weapons, she just wanted to know why it glowed, what part of it made it glow. Instead, Jonathan gave her a lengthly spiel on why it was named Zodiark. She bit her tongue as he explained the zodiac signs, something she had studied. One thing Esther hated was how people would talk down to others as though they were stupid. He was partially right, but she wasn't going to get into a discussion about the astrological signs, and their placements with a stranger - especially in a dark cave where she could barely see, during a quest where they were looking for a missing child.

"I see. As long as its special to you, that's what counts, I think. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks or says about it." Esther mused.

The two continued down the dark cave, it was difficult to see. Even with the faint glow of Jonathans Zodiark. They turned another corner, and the crying had gotten closer. Esther squinted, "I think I see movement up ahead...but its hard to tell."
 

[Morgenstern 1]

Jonathan looked down to Esther, where she seemed to be holding herself back. He had insulted herself. His eyes dimmed as he felt bad. He returned the front. She said something else but Jonathan was lost in thought and never caught it. He seen something in front of him moving faintly, and apparently so did Esther. Jonathan began to run forward. As he got closer he made out three figures but only their outlines. Two were picking on the smaller child. Anger filled him. His sword began to gleam a bright gold bringing forth the attention of the two bats. He leapt forth, not at full speed or strength but enough to get him there, to stop them from pestering the child. The two bats flapped back, entering the darkness of the gave. Jonathan grimaced. He hated flying enemies. He spun looking around, not spotting the two enemies. They came on either side of him, allowing Jonathan to spot them at the last second. He rolled forward at the slammed into his shield, losing them health. They flew up into the darkness of the cave. 

Spoiler

68122 BD:4-1=3 MD:6 Thorns Activated

Jonathan 360/360

Esther ?/?

                      

Giant Bat A 36/50

Biant Bat B 36/50

 

Edited September 19, 2016 by Morgenstern

[Esther 0]

"Right! You deal with those bats, I'll make sure the NPC child doesn't run away." Esther shouted. She may not be useful in combat, rather - in her current state she was utterly useless. At least until she started investing in healing skills. Still, that was in the future, not in the here and now.

As Jonathan took up an offensive stance, gaining the bats attention Esther kept her distance, waiting for her chance.

As the bats fluttered up toward the ceiling Esther made her move, she ducked underneath them - making a beeline toward the crying NPC.

As she approached th NPC she skidded across the rocky ground, lowering to her knees she was at eye level with the child. "It's ok. We're here to save you. Just stay here." Esther insisted. Grabbing hold of the child's hand. It felt weird... This was an NPC, it wasn't real, and yet - his hand was just as soft and warm as any real child.

[Morgenstern 1]

 Sorry forgot you posted! Sorry for the short post!

Jonathan stood still with eyes closed. He could barely see anyway so he needed to shut down the sense to increase the others. He breathed deeply listening for the bats sound of return. A flapping came close and Jonathan struck his sword. He missed yet again, and the bats flew up into the darkness. Esther seemed to be comforting the child, making sure he would not run off. Jonathan sighed. This really is an annoying quest. These are some hard to hit these bats. Jonathan readied himself for the chance to strike at the bat again.

68193 BD:1 MD:5

Edited September 20, 2016 by Morgenstern

[Esther 0]

ID: 68195   LD:10 +3 = 13 FAIL!

(psst, keep an eye on that word count, I don't wanna have this thread made invalid >__<   and its ok I don't mind waiting! Although I do want to get this done soon! We both need that SP ahha)

Esther watched as Jonathan fought the bat, he shut his eyes, which Esther thought was a little silly, just what was he trying to do exactly? One of the bats let out a loud screech, and swooped down onto Jonathan. Luckily it missed, but so did he. "Of course you're gonna miss if you close your eyes silly!" Esther called out. "Keep trying! Jonathan! I believe in you." She turned her attention back to the sniffling NPC child, "Here..." She gently whispered. Giving him a gentle pat on the head. "Soon the amazing Jonathan will defeat those evil bats, and we will take you home to your mother."  The child gave a small nod, seeming to begin to calm down. 

Good, with the child calm I may be able to look for some materials, and maybe give them to Jonathan  Esther thought to herself as she looked around, she thought she saw something shiny under a small rock. Esther crawled over to it, and with a little bit of effort, pulled the rock up and out of the ground, alas, it was nothing, just a puddle of water that reflected off the light of Jonathans blade.

"Darn..."

Edited September 20, 2016 by Esther

[Morgenstern 1]

OCC Srry, Really been starting to think... I begin to fail on posts that there is really not any action

I have to focus more... This quest relies on me. If I fail Esther will die! Jonathan's eyes snapped open. He heard the faint flapping of wings. They arrived closer and closer til they were a few feet away. Jonathan crouched down, then his sword began to illuminate a bright gold, before he swung up in an uppercut. I have to be faster than the Bat! Jonathan struck his blade and missed his target by mere inches as it flapped up. Luckily it made the mistake of trying to return back down. The both swooped down and allowed Jonathan to make a quick come back by having them both smash into his shield. Bot of the big bats creatures fell to the ground, and then they shook their heads and flew back up. Jonathan backed up to the woman and the child. His sword glowing a fierce gold, as he used himself to protect. 

Spoiler

68213 BD:4 MD:8

Jonathan 356/360

                      

Giant Bat A 22/50

Biant Bat B 22/50

 

Edited September 21, 2016 by Morgenstern

[Esther 0]

(THat's ok, just try to add small bits of detail more I guess?  )
ID: 68237  LD: 4 + 3 =7 FAIL

Esther turned her attention backto Jonathan as his long, sharp blade began to glow a brilliant gold. Lighting up the surrounding area, bathing the cave walls in a warm, pale yellow light. She watched as he lowered his position, then gripping his blade tightly, he swung in a large uppercut. He missed, but only by mere inches. It was so very close...Jonathan's fighting style was different to Lycans. Jonathans was less refined, but he still held such a ferocious determination that Esther admired. Esther may not be a fighter, but she wanted to be just as useful. Instead of becoming lost in the heat of battle, she would have to work on getting her SP up, collecting materials, and finally opening her shop so she could create potions that would help others.

Esther gave the sniffling NPC child a few comforting pats on the head, bringing him into a hug, all the while glancing around to see if she could see any materials, it was a difficult task, juggling a crying computer generated child, and material hunting. She couldn't see anything straight away. Esther sighed, hoping Jonathan was having better luck than she was.

@Morgenstern

Edited September 22, 2016 by Esther

[Morgenstern 1]

Jonathan stayed quiet and waited for the two enemies toshow themselves once more. He knew, if he could hit them, they would most likely perish. Jonathan took a deep breath, and waited longer, shifting his feet to a better position, shuffling the rocks under his feet. He held his sword in front of him. It would be so much easier if they would not be flying, and would fight me face to face. He listened closely. He heard the breahing of Esther behind him, the soft dripping of the damp cave, and then two sets of flaps. The were arriving once more. Jonathan grimaced, and the waited for a second more. AS he seen the enemy, he lunged forward, missing the bat once again. The low lighting really effected the cause. AS he was still in the ending phase of his attack. The bats attack, damaging him, but dealt little damage, then flew back up leaving Jonathan in an angered state. Jonathan growled, and then noticed as his shield let off a brilliant gold light, and his cuts and wounds were instantly healed.

Spoiler

68286 BD:5-1=4 CD:7 MD:10

Jonathan 360/360

                      

Giant Bat A 22/50

Biant Bat B 22/50

 

Edited September 22, 2016 by Morgenstern

[Esther 0]

Esther watched as the battle continued. It must be hard for Jonathan, it was bad enough that it appeared that the darkness of the cave gave him a debuff during battle, but the bats....the bats were just flying around in circles above his head. It barely gave him a chance to attack, and when he was able to attack - his openings were sparse, with only seconds to strike  back. Still, he was performing extremely well under the circumstances. Esther knew that she wouldn't be able to do the same. She knew that if she had encountered them, especially in her current state. She'd have to run away. Esther couldn't help but feel a little useless, just sitting there watching the battle take place. She wondered if there were any sort of potions or crystals she could make in the future that would help with battles - she remembered something like that....but wasn't 100% sure. 

Esther noticed that the bats health were just under half way gone, it wouldn't take too much longer....

Hopefully...
 

Edited September 22, 2016 by Esther

[Morgenstern 1]

Jonathan smiled, as his wounds had finally healed completely. H?is shield provided a healing ability which allowed him to remain in the full health zone. Jonathan took a breat and tried to zone in on the bats again. The darkness was a problem though. He could here them all he wanted but he would never end up seeing them. Or even be able to hit them. Jonathan sighed, as a surge of anger filled him. WHY ARE THE BEGINNING QUESTS ALWAYS THE ANNOYING ONES! Jonathan yelled. His <<Howl>> Skill amplified his voice, making his voice echo across the caverns. Jonathan heard the flapping of the bats go farther away from him. The bats had been frightened by the voice of his anger. They had very sensitive hearing and he had bet that had hurt. Jonathan muttered some colorful words and waited even longer for his bats to arrive once again. His anger had risen pretty high, but not the highest he had been. Rage had not taken over, the point where Rage took control over his body and he viciously snapped at everything. 

68340 BD:1 MD:5

Edited September 22, 2016 by Morgenstern