[PP-F3] The Argonauts And The Labyrinth << Search For The Hoya >>

[Gotz 0]

 

Today is quite boring, for I neither had anything to do nor have the mood to kill something. For some reason, the excitement of forging a sword or armor starts to wear off, as lately I have been reading about potions and crystals of Aincrad. I also found out that, in most cases, alchemists shops are more attractive than blacksmiths, and that is because people need potions and buffs more than equipment. Regrettably, I am indeed one of these people. All of a sudden, I have the feeling that my sword, armor and shield are adequate enough for my adventures in the first ten floors, or five. 

I always seek healing potions or crystals, since they are very vital to warriors or tanks in my perspective. I never bother to seek any potions that give enhancements, for I am confident with my own strength. Maybe..I think I bought one...hmm...

"Feeling spaced out?" says a gentle, masculine voice, accompanied by the short sounds of clanging plates. I turn around to see an elf NPC, donning a green suit of half-plate, which only consist of a double breastplate, one pauldron, one vambrace and gauntlet, and a helmet that only protects the face itself, equipped with a visor. The elf is dressed in woolen trousers and carries a longsword that is sheathed in an orange scabbard. 

I stare and note all of these details for a while, before staring back at the slightly cloudy sky. Spaced out is not a proper term to use in reference to my condition. I am more of a loner than one to crave a companion. I shake my head in response to my answer.

"Well, if you say so," speaks the elf as he sits down beside me. "You look really shiny...and strong. Perhaps you can do this 'labor' for me, and it will be okay to bring some friends along, swordsman."

"...what labor are you providing for me?" I say as I stare at his helmet with a blank look on my face.

Edited October 5, 2016 by Gotz

[Teayre 0]

Red hair falling down around her face. A hand brushing the locks away. In front of her lay a blue haired man. Calling out to her. Would she listen? Would she reach out to him and take his hand? No the crimson maiden didn’t. She did do something however. Her feet moved underneath her, the right hand gripping around the hilt of her sword. It was drawing in one motion. The blade scraping against the scabbard.

Teayre awoke with a start, gasping, beads of sweat rolling down her face. Her right hand gripped her weapon as she looked around the third floor, the mist swirling around her. Silence. No one. She slowly stood not being able to see anyone. Smiling quietly to herself the red head relaxed the grip on her blade. As her hand fell to her side the images of her dream flashed through her mind. “Guess I’d better start preparing myself.”

[Gotz 0]

"Well, by looking at you, I can quite tell that, like me, you are fond of slaying creatures or, in a more sinister situation, a human. Am I correct, swordsman?"

I nod as my eyes dart to the grassy ground, wondering how the hell can he read my personalities. Maybe it is due to my black sword, or my light plate armor..which I will soon discard and don my own Zertsalo plate armor that I forged some time ago. I set my eyes onto his helmet as I let my listen to his briefing once more.

"Now, you see, most minotaurs that you may have encountered are shirtless, and a little bit stupid correct? Now there is, no, there ARE two Hoya Minotaurs which bears little resemblance to their cousin, although these minotaurs carry the same blood. They are armored and well equipped, and this is very troublesome for me. Now do not get me wrong, I am a skilled swordsman myself. And I have no problem in taking care of at least one of them if not for their guardian.."

"What about the guardian...?" I ask him out of curiosity.

"The guardian..." the elf continues. "...is monstrous to begin with. It bears the form of a lion, but with a man's face and is equipped with bat wings and a scorpion's tail. I think its proper name is the Manticore...yes. It is the creature in which the Eastern parts of Aincrad integrate as part of their own mythologies. I ask you to be aware of the tail's venom, but thank goodness it doesn't breath out anything lethal..."

"...did you at least put a scratch to that thing?"

"N..no sadly. I had to run as it is too dangerous to be handled single handedly. What is fascinating is that the Hoya Minotaurs are afraid of their own guardian. Funny, don't you think?" 

With those words, he flashes a grin towards me. It is such a sweet grin, and I smile back at him in response.

"I think I know what to do," I say as I access my inventory. "Just give me the coordinates, warrior, and I will be on my way."

[Teayre 0]

As she gave a sigh of relief, the red head began to make her way out of the forest. She seemed to be coming here more and more recently. The first time she had taken a player’s life had been in a clearing not far from here. The girl turned left and stepped into that very clearing. Get Her. Kill Her. The three players had tried to rob her. They had been player killers and she had still been a green at that point. Turning her head to one side, she grits her teeth. Where would should next fall? Will her blood lust overcome her? The red head didn’t know. Gripping her hand tightly she slashes at the tree next to her. The blade stopping as the immortal object sign flashes. Closing her eyes Teayre lets out a long breath before sheathing her weapon. Stepping out of the forest she begins to walk towards the nearby farm.

[Gotz 0]

"Start by going to the farm that is north-east from this point," explains the armored elf. "You will reach a farm and it is up to you whether you wish to eat, rest or simply move on. From the farm itself, head south. Just use the old weather vane on the barn's roof as a guide. It never rotates for years, so don't worry about being misguided. I wish you luck of your quest, swordsman."

I give him a good nod as he smiles and gives me a gentle pat on the shoulder, before walking back to the direction of the village. Now would be a good time to don my plate armor, but second thoughts have cause me to just do it at the farm instead. It would be safer there. 

Walking to the area is a breeze, but I am constantly reminded of my previous, brutal battles and my taste for ultraviolence. I realize that I have never done such a thing for days, and now...heh...I am excited to slice off the tails, wings and head of that manticore. It sounds very risky, but I am still grinning in excitement due to the fact that I finally get to battle against an epic beast.

Around minutes later, I see the silhouettes of several farm buildings. This must be it, I think to myself. As I reach there, I here visible sounds of footsteps and turn around to see a red-haired girl with red eyes, bearing an orange mark as a sign that she had killed someone. Immediately I think of drawing my sword to fight her as I do not realize I walked past her, but instead I found myself staring at her face.

@Teayre

Edited October 5, 2016 by Gotz

[Macradon 0]

Stretching his body, Macradon wandered around the 3rd floor as he would look for something to do. He just needed to get ready for the boss raid in time so he didn't have to wait much longer for the Tier 3 initiating. A yawn escaped his mouth as he walked about, still haven't found anything that would make any notice for him, nothing that seemed to be an attractive this to do. He sighed as he would venture out alone, trying to see if there was anything that would accompany him today. As he walkde for minute outside of Delilah Village, Macradon would spot a small old barn not far from his vicinity. He would quickly begin to approach it, seeing that maybe someone were here, be it NPCs with a quest or players taking a rest "Heh, that rhymed" he thought out as he continued down the path towards the barn, not knowing what would encounter him when he arrived. Macradon was wearing his "newly" made feld gear that wasn't for boss raids. Basically just his normal battle attire, but with ropes over and his helmet removed for better visibility and less coldness when talking to people through the muffled visor.

Appearance

Spoiler

 

[Teayre 0]

In front of her a man stood in full armour. Her eyes flicking up to his, the red head pushes her thumb on the tsuba of her wakizashi. “Easy now. Wouldn’t want you getting hurt would we?”  She states before going to carry on walking forwards. “You’re in my way.” The girl adds coldly. “What does this Oaf want. I’m twitching to kill something right now.” As he didn’t move but stayed there watching her face. A loud clanking sound could be heard coming from a bit further behind, leaning to one side Teayre spots Macradon and lets out a heavy sigh. “I just get idiots around me today it seems.” Glaring at the man in front of her, she taps her foot. “So? What do you want?” She commands. Letting her thumb relax she crosses her arms in front of her. The weapon at her hip sliding back in with a soft clang.

[Gotz 0]

"I am heading to the farm so I can head south from it," I speak to her in a calm voice. "But I need a bit of rest in the barn first. Do you wish to join me in killing the Hoya minotaurs and their guardian, the Manticore?"

This sentence may also be applied to the smithy whose shop I frequently visit, Macradon. His armor is quite impressive thanks to its heavy influence of German Gothic armor, and the fact that he is a high leveled player only makes my day better. I walk up to both of them while extending my hand. "Shake my hand if you wish to join, Aincradians."

I do hope they accept my quest, for I fear that the Manticore would possess high strength and health, in addition to its poisonous tail, which is something I do not want to touch at all, even if I am the type of person to withstand all kinds of poison. This thought reminds me of a pet scorpion my former friend used to had. It is unfortunate that he used his own pet to kill someone he had a debt with, and eventually himself due to heavy depression. It sounded really f**ked up, but I learnt to overcome the incident in three weeks after his funeral.

[Macradon 0]

As he got closer and closer to the small barn, he would notice two people standing. At this range he saw only small blurs of the players, being like a silhouette. None were looking like they were gonna kill each other, so no harm from that. He would get closer and see who it was and was filled with the thoughts of what Teayre could've been doing to Gotz, a patron of his. "Oh hey, you two" he said to the read head and the warrior. "What seems to be the occasion?" he would ask as he wasn't too fully aware of why someone like Teayre would be present down here in the third floor, though Macradon had no excuse himself as he was a prominent frontliner as well. As he scanned on both of them, it didn't seem like Teayre was in any hostile mood as of yet, so Macradon wouldn't want to aggravate anything.

Listening to what Gotz had to say, it was quite the time for Macradon to join, as he hadn't been doing that quest for quite a while now "Hm ... doesn't seem like a bad idea for my end" he said and would shake the hand of Gotz "Though I haven't heard the term Aincradians before, but it sure is true" he said and would tense less down. It wasn't like Teayre was suddenly just gonna attack him for no real reason. How would he even know, it wasn't like he knew how it was to be a player killer, the only player killers he had been acquaintance with were Dom and Oikawa. Though Dom never told how or why he became that orange player, Oikawa became an orange player when Macradon was present, the one who killed Zelrius because of Opal, who proclaimed herself the slayer od Dom, while she backstabbed him because she would've lost a fair fight.

[Teayre 0]

Teayre let out a long sigh as Gotz spoke to her, his hand extended and him speaking the name. ‘Aincradians’. The red head stifled a laugh as she continued to walk past Gotz. “Maybe one day I’ll help you. But that day is not this day.” Glancing back Teayre saw Macradon offering his aid to Gotz. The crimson haired girl shook her head. Why would he do that? The man was more annoying than Kayaba and his damn death game, she raised a hand as she walked away from the pair. “No way in hell.” She thought to herself, her eyes began to glaze over the different players that were training some stopped to stare at the player killer. Others looked away, hoping that she would ignore them. She finally made it to a small orchard several smiles away. The girl cuts an apple down biting into it before settling with her back to a tree. “Perhaps now is the time…”

<Teayre has left the Thread.>

Sorry about that Teayre just wouldn't interact with Gotz, in any way other than trying to kill him in her current state.

[Gotz 0]

 

I stare at the redhead leaving us with a rather unnerving expression. It is a bad idea to try to convince her to follow us, so I let her be and gaze at Macrodon's suit of armor. At least he still have high stats to slay and protect ourselves from the monsters we are about to face. I continue my journey to the farm with him, expecting to see farmer NPCs working on their crops and offering hospitality to the visitors of their place. I do not think there is anything to talk about to the smithy, as my mind is entirely focused on the manticore and the Hoya Minotaurs. As we reach there, however, I see something that is completely unexpected to my eyes.

The farm is entirely decrepit and abandoned. Not a single soul can be seen in the area, or maybe in the two buildings, which are the barn and a large house. I cannot help but gain a bad feeling that something caused this, and in a panicked state, my mind is convincing me to don my armor right now. So I do what I need to do, trying my best to not be hasty so I won't leave any gaps between the suit.

[Macradon 0]

Teayre left the two, which probably was a good thing since she could've tried to kill Gotz at any given time. The remaining two warriors would walk their way to a farm not too far from the barn they had rendezvoused at, so the trip wasn't that bad. As the farm they would arrive at would be desolate and quiet, Gotz would don his armor, like something was gonna happen or had happened here. It could've been here Teayre was at before she came and met with Gotz and Macradon, but he doubted it. Drawing his sword, a two-handed curved greatsword, from the harness on his back, Macradon prepared his blade for whatever would dare to go in his way. "Seems like something happened here" Macradon said with a weary tone "If you can stun the big target for a turn, I'll sweep all the small ones in a short amount of time, if that would come to happen" he would say, not entirely sure if he would need to do anything though, as Gotz probably knew how to fight anyways.

[Gotz 0]

 

Armed with my black sword and tower shield, I proceed to explore the remnants of the buildings. Stepping into the barn is like stepping into a ruined Templar fort. There are evidences of the walls being destroyed, and the smell of metal(?) is common inside. Haystacks are barely visible in the dark corners of the building, and no tools are present. The second story is also empty, save for a lone pitchfork lying on the floor. Perhaps the owner sees something through the round window that is located at the upper centre of the barn's front area. There is nothing worth scavenging, so I get down and head out to the farmhouse, thinking that @Macradon may be inside or is investigating the other parts of the farm.

No sooner after I touch the doorknob of the door, I hear loud, shaky footsteps stomping on the wooden floorboards, and as I retreat from the door to stay back from whatever is present in the house, a giant blade slashes through the wood, followed by two pairs of bull horns. Stepping out from the house is one of the Hoya Minotaurs, clad in half plate armor that covers the right side of its body (+3 MIT). It wields a large scimitar that possesses sharp metal (+1 Bleed upon critical damage) and two aging horns, which become less effective in battle. It lets out a loud, deafening roar as it walks up to me, exclaiming: "You are lucky to come here, for you will be my opponent and my next meal!"

ID: 69208

BD: 4 MD: 1

The Hoya Minotaur is already charging his horns and sword towards me, and I am lucky to block his attack with my tower shield. Because I have to stagger backwards and compose myself, I couldn't swing my sword towards him. The creature grins at me as I am gazing at his ferocious face through my visor.

Gotz: HP 120/120

Hoya Minotaur: HP 45/45

 

Edited October 10, 2016 by Gotz

[Macradon 0]

Gotz and Macradon would split up momentarily to get a wider spread area so they would be able to locate whatever or whoever could've desolated the farm. Got would walk into a building, looking around, but Macradon would keep himself outside of any building, as he wouldn't want to be cornered or hindred inside any house. He would keep walking around the outside of the farm, not really being able to find any clue of to what or who could've done it. All he could ever see was hay, a few tools and some overalls. No life was present in Macradon's eyes so he would go back to the building Gotz went into. Activating his <Search and Detect>, Macradon would acquire a more keener sight and would be able to see through thin material in the building Gotz had just been through, maybe something useful was hiding behind the works of the one desolating the farm.

Though his eyes would change into a much brighter green hue because of the skill, he still haven't been able to spot anything under any kind of rubble or leftovers from what the farmers could've had. As he heard the sound of Gotz's armor changing in position quickly, clanging into itself and emit the sound of what armor always did when clashed upon itself. Armor's sound was something Macradon was way too common with, so he would ignore it for the most part, but be aware that something was happening behind his back. As the loud noise of wood being broken and a deep voice would be heard, Macradon would turn his head lightly, looking over his shoulder to spot what had appeared.

A minotaur, but much more beefier than Macradon had been facing the two times he had been taking this quest. It seemed like the quest was changing all the time, no run for this quest was the same, at least Macradon had never heard about that before. The minotaur would come with its entering line, a cheesy villain line that would just annoy Macradon. He would shout out back to the minotaur before he would get into battle stance "Like you'r even worthy of fighting against me" he said and would turn his head away from the minotaur and get into a low stance with his sword before him. His <Charge> skill would kick off as he would be sent in a speed faster than what eyes could follow through as he would quickly turn around form his position and would be placed right before the minotaur as he would cleave a heavy strike downwards through the minotaur and its armor like it was mere butter. "I even had my back turned" he mumbled as the minotaur's health bar would be emptied within seconds and the minotaur itself being scattered into bits, pixels and crystals before finally vanishing for good.

It took him a bit time before he realized that he was way too over leveled for these kinds of quests and would quickly get up in a casual stance again and rub the back of his head "Oh damn, Gotz. I'm sorry, got a bit carried away there" he said "I'm not used to run these quests anymore ... so I thought he would be able to retaliate" he said with a flustered voice. "I'm sorry, man" he said and would bow lightly "I'll let you take care of the next one!" he said with a smile on his lips as he would sheathe his sword back into its harness on his back. Macradon loved fighting, so this was nothing that was irregular of his actions, fighting was what kept him going all the time, the adrenaline that would rush through his body as he would draw his sword and meet his foe.

Spoiler

ID: 69221
BD: 6+2=8, Hit!
CD: 5, No proc.
LD: 4+4=8, nothing found
Sword art used: Back Rush 1x5x19-27=68 DMG

- Heath List -
<Gotz>                120/120 HP
<Macradon>       995/995 HP

<Hota Minotaur>    -23/45 HP

Edited October 10, 2016 by Macradon

[Gotz 0]

Well then. This is the so far the quickest battle I am ever involved in my life in Aincrad. I look in amazement as @Macradon unleash his single attack with his Sword Art, splitting the head of the Hoya Minotaur and kills it instantly. As it disappears from this farm, I could only stare at the armored player as he talks about how he acknowledges the fact that he is probably too strong for the quest and his love for fighting, which is the same as mine. I think we can get along even better.

"It is fine," I speak. "We haven't seen the Manticore yet..surely it is worse than the Hoya Minotaurs."

Just as I am about to move on, something else comes out of the house. I turn my head to the door to see a humanoid NPC dressed in tattered clothing, his lips are dry and his eyes are sunken. He approaches us as he talks in a weak but audible voice.

"S...south..." he mutters as he gazes at us. "S..south and take..take only the path covered by a single...long thread...I have been there...rrgh..."

He grunts as he kneels down, covering an injury on his body with his hand. He then reassures us that he will be fine, and not to worry about him.

"Careful of his tail...rrgh...go now, and thank you..."

Edited October 11, 2016 by Gotz

[Macradon 0]

"Alright" Macradon said with a light audible chortle. "If this would go as I thought, I'm going to sweep through this mission like it was nothing ... dammit" he said with a lowered head as that probably wasn't what Gotz had thought when he wanted to go on a quest that would be challenging at his level. What Macradon hated when he was lowerleveled wasn't that he couldn't solo quests, it was just that it took an eternity to do it. Remembering back where he had so much mitigation that he could just 'hit it until it dies' like it was nothing. He wouldn't be harmed in the long run, and he would be able to deal a significant amount of damage to the bosses he would face. Back to the case, Macradon and Gotz were met by this young man. "South?" Macradon muttered as he listened to what the man had to say, albeit him being an NPC, he would understand the fear and trauma he would be going through.

"If you say so" Macradon said and would kneel down on one knee and lay his hand on his shoulder. Glaring to him with his crimson eyes "I will at least come back later and do a check up on you" he said "I know a few medics if you really are in dire need" he would say as he would then get back up on his feet. "And thanks for the heads up" Macradon would respond by the information of the Manticore's tail, scorpion tail. "Alright, let's get on going" Macradon would say to Gotz as he would begin to head south with his field map opened up. "Hm ..." he said "A single path covered by a thread? How was that supposed to make sense ..." Macradon thought out loud, maybe awaiting answers from Gotz, or maybe just so he could here himself and find an answer himself.

[Gotz 0]

It is a pity that the man is in a bad condition even though he can surely survive, but I must make haste in finding the other Hoya Minotaur and his guardian.

"Let's go, @Macradon. I cannot wait to see and cut up the Manticore itself." I speak out as I start walking south, heading towards the fields that would hopefully lead us to the path of the Minotaur's lair. As I move along the grass with my armored partner, Sri Rama emerges from my backplate, which he has being resting on in shadow mode for quite a long time since day one of his new partnership, and glides onto my pauldron.

"I have full faith that this minotaur you are seeking must be one of the raiders," he speaks. "I cannot stop thinking of the fate of my people ever since I told my tale to you."

"...what about the hostile shadows that you speak of?" I ask.

"Oh. Regarding that....during my stay with the old lady, I happened to stroll around the city at night, enjoying the beautiful sights of the constellations in the night sky. Somehow, I notice shadow figures of four Ramayanas, and I quickly rush towards them to find out what happened to the rest of my people. Although they recognize me...they...they are corrupted..you see..."

"...I assume the minotaurs are the cause of these corruptions and sent them to kill you, correct? 

"Correct, Gotz. They clearly told me of their corrupted state, and how they were proud of it. They even stated the name of their masters, which I unfortunately cannot recall. The next thing I knew, they launch their psychic attacks towards me, but not for long. The old lady thankfully saved me by using an ancient magic that harms their shadowy forms. I was so crestfallen of them....they were my soldiers..."

"...I'm sorry to hear that.."

"...It is okay...these men were the only hostile Ramayanas I have ever encountered so far. I am even afraid that the kings might be corrupted as well. I wish to get such thoughts out of my head. It sickens me so much, Gotz."

Sri Rama then looks at Macrodon, realizing his presence as he bows and moves his arm upwards towards him.

"Pleased to meet you, armored adventurer," he says.

[Macradon 0]

Macradon nods lightly as they would both begin to venture down the road towards the south where they presumably would find the lair of the Minotaur. This quest never went the same as all the other times, he was sure of it now. It was a randomly generated quest with the same premise, but always different every time you took it. Something emerged from Gotz, a kind of creature, Macradon could not exactly recognize who or what it was, but it was something, though for what Macradon did not know what it actually was. “Uh … hello” Macradon said, trying to greet the creature that suddenly appeared. Macradon was in superiority in power, but he wanted Gotz to lead the quest as it was him who took the quest after all, so Macradon would just follow his lead and see where he would end and how the fight would go, probably way too easy, but still something for Gotz to experience.