[PP - F6] Huntin' Dungin's (Birdie)

[Beatbox 0]

Last night was the first night Beatbox had slept in his new home, and he had never felt so much better in this game than what he had, he even took a shower earlier this morning and he was feeling very refreshed. However that was not the point of today, he came to floor 6 to search for a dungeon, however... he didn't want to do it alone. He hadn't seen Birdie in a long time, Beatbox sat down at one of the park benches that are in town and sent Birdie a message:

Quote

To: @Birdie

Hey sis! It's been a while, you wanna come to floor 6 and search for a dungeon with me? 

It's been... a long time actually... I don't remember what level you were on, lol.

Coordinates are attached.

See you soon?

- Beatbox

he felt rather awkward sending that message, he didn't know what to say honestly but he got the main question out there and thats all that mattered. Beatbox had leaned back placed his hands in his pockets and closed his eyes taking a nap waiting for Birdie to arrive.

[Birdie 0]

"Hm?" The mail icon popped up in the corner of her HUD, and she swiftly brought up the message.

'Hey sis!...'

Reaching the end of the message, a smile curled her lips. A long time had passed since she last saw Beat, save for an encounter at her own shop a few days prior. 'It'd be nice to get outside,' she thought, justifying the journey up to the 6th floor.

Quote

To: @Beatbox

Hey Beat! Dungeon searching sounds like fun, it's been way too long.

Got your co-ords, give me 10 minutes!

- Birdie

One short message later and the woman hit send, dismissing the menu with a swipe of her finger. She looked through her inventory, mostly to check whether her newest tier 2 kit was equipped. Satisfied that she was ready to leave, she did just that, waving goodbye to Glacia before making her way to the centre of town.

~5 minutes later~

The jungle air always tasted funny. Maybe it was something to do with the excess foliage scattered about the settlement? Whatever the matter, she found herself wandering the town of Amazon, glancing to her menu every-so-often to check she was following the right coordinates. "Should be just around this corner.."

She passed a wooden shack and laid eyes on the blonde, either side of her cheeks lifting with a grin. "Hey Beat!" the woman called from afar, waving a hand in the air as she approached. "Surprised you asked me to come here, all the strong players busy I guess?" She smiled, bowing out of politeness. 

Edited December 10, 2016 by Birdie

[Beatbox 0]

Beatbox had taken a short nap while waiting for Birdie, heck he didn't wake up until he had heard her voice. Beatbox woke up in shock and looked over relieved that it was just Birdie and not players that wanted to hunt him down for whatever reason. "O-oh. Hi Birdie... I was catching up on some shut-eye. And no, not all the "strong" players are busy, I rather would like to help you out then head out hunting dungeons with players that have the experience already." he said with a smile as he looked towards Birdie as he sat on the bench. "By the way... a lot has changed with me since then, other than my style of clothing and personality. But..." and reached into his inventory and pulled out a pair of keys "I have a home now on floor 11, costed me a tiny fortune if you can call 140,000 col a fortune..." he placed the keys back into his inventory and asked her with a smile "So... what have you been up to? Taking down dungeons? Hunting down loads of materials?"

@Birdie

[Birdie 0]

Her eyes fell to the keys in his hands, and her jaw hung open in surprise. 'He's bought a house?' she wondered, nodding as he confirmed her suspicions. "Well, not really actually.. mainly just training with Itzal and Aereth, and tending to the shop when there's been free time. Oh!" She dragged her fingers across the air and selected the stats tab, swinging her HUD around so that Beatbox could see. "But I did hit Level 25 a few days ago, so I can finally wear that armour you had made for me a while back." Birdie looked to the weapon on her hip, and then to the blonde again. "Plus my rapier is so strong now, I just need a few more experience points before I can maximise my weapon rank." She dismissed the screen and gave a happy sigh. "Awesome right? I might actually be able to join you on the Frontlines soon!"

Taking a moment to calm herself down and let him answer, she looked around for an exit that might lead away from town, and noticed a gated door in the distance. Gesturing towards it, she took a step forwards looked back to Beat.

@Beatbox

[Beatbox 0]

Beatbox gave her a warm smile and said to her after her response "Oh, I see. How is Aereth? We never really got the chance to personally meet. So I wouldn't know a single clue about him." he chuckled. He was surprised to hear that Birdie had finally reached level 25, with a smile Beatbox looked at her and said "Wow, you've been catching up! I haven't been getting too many levels as I am only level 37, you're catching up... maybe I need to train a bit harder." he then listened to Birdie speak about her weapon and how she'll be able to join the frontlines soon, Beatbox smirked and said "W-well, have you attended the boss meetings? The boss sounds pretty menacing, but this is out last boss on this tier floor... so it wont be entirely easy. Having good damage and high mitigation will be needed, heck after a potion i'll have 110 damage mitigation. I'll be able to hold my own in the next boss." he explained, he noticed that she had been looking for an exit from the town and took a step forwards, Beatbox smiled and stood up following behind Birdie.

@Birdie

[Birdie 0]

"Aereth's nearly caught up with me in levels actually, he's doing pretty well!"

To his next point, Birdie shook her head regrettably. "I haven't been able to join one yet, this week's been pretty busy." She listened intently, it was interesting to her- as a hopeful strategist- to gain insight into a boss fight before it had occurred. It put into perspective how much planning and care was put into the fights, and that she might one day make a wealthy contribution to the cause.

"110 mitigation? For a DPS, that sounds insanely high," she commented, turning her head up to Beat. "So, wait a sec, you said this boss is the last one for tier 2? Does that mean after this one is beaten, people will have access to tier 3 items?" Ideas surged through her mind, she hadn't even thought about making tier 3 items before! Business would surely boom for a short while at least- if that was the case, preparations needed to be made. 'The strong are about to get a whole lot stronger..'

Coming to the edge of town, she thanked the Amazonian guards in passing and ventured onwards, reaching the edge of the jungle. Itzal had taught her a little about dungeon searching- mainly that it was down to location and surroundings, though she had a sneaking suspicions that dungeon spawns were simply randomised. The path ahead diverged two ways, so she hung back to let Beat decide their course.

[Beatbox 0]

"Really?" he asked in shock, he didn't think that he would get up in levels that quickly, but he supposed that anything is really possible if they worked really hard. He smiled and said "Well, we need all the players that we can get, however I am unsure on how well you can help. But if you ever want to be put in one of the teams be sure to contact Macradon or Calrex I suppose. If you know them." he said with a warm smile. He chuckled when she was surprised about his new build, he honestly designed this build to keep himself alive, by no means did he want to die in this game... he needed to survive as well as he can. "Well, I honestly just want to stay alive to be honest with you. I want to see myself get out of this game, that and you and arc." he gave her a wink before looking back forward again "Yeah, we'll finally have access to tier 3, which has been a long time in the making, we really need to speed up this process..." he said looking down. They met on a cross-roads either going left or right, however Birdie had hung back to leave Beat decide, he looked back with a worried look and said "dont entrust me with this choice! I'm terrible at making decisions! you decide for me!" with distress.

@Birdie

[Birdie 0]

To hear that he wished only to stay alive wasn't terribly surprising, most (if not all) Frontliners had that same common goal it seemed. "I'm positive we'll come out of this on top eventually. We're 20% of the way there already," she said- realising after that the numbers weren't comforting as much as alarming.

Then to Birdie's dismay, Beat expressed his displeasure with deciding on their path. She rolled her eyes, grinning lightheartedly. "You're not that bad at making decisions! But fine- if you want a scout's opinion.." She looked left, then right, then over to her friend. "There's hills in the distance on our left, it's more likely that a dungeon would spawn near elevated ground."

She faced west relative to their position and began walking- the journey might take them a while, but she felt confident enough about the decision. "So, I didn't really ask, how's.. well, how's life been?" One thing she was curious of was his bounceback from the depressed state; what'd triggered the shift? One solution sprung to mind, though after knowing how torn-up he'd been about Mossino, she thought best to not make assumptions.

@Beatbox

Edited December 11, 2016 by Birdie

[Beatbox 0]

"But I'm not an amazing scout like you... I don't make good decisions sometimes..." he said complaining before giggling, after Birdie deciding his face grew a little blank as he said "Oh.. I guess that makes sense... I'm such an idiot sometimes" he shook off his blank face and smiled, he followed behind Birdie as they walked together throughout the area as they we're looking for a dungeon to explore, he looked over as she asked how life was been, with a smile and a chuckle he said "Eventful, very eventful. I have been upset for a while sure, but that's behind me now and I have things to look forward to now, there's no need to be upset anymore. How have you been Birdie? It's been quite some time since we have talked mono-e-mono." he chuckled, he took a deep breath a lot of things went down with Beatbox in the past few weeks, a lot of drama with the Celestial Ascendants... a lot of drama behind Beatbox's cursor... and a combination of numerous things.

@Birdie - SO SORRY FOR NOT POSTING :c

[Birdie 0]

She smiled, relieved that the answer wasn't as grim as it could've been. "Glad you're bouncing back from all the hardship, you're way too strong to let it keep you down forever." Sure, it didn't quite answer her curiosity behind the struggle he'd been in, but it was better that way. It wasn't a truth she needed to know, and it was all in the past anyway.

"Yeah! I've been great- well, uh.. pretty okay, I guess. The scout training's gotten me tired out recently - excited to be taking a few days away from that." Birdie rolled her head, looking over to Beatbox. An eyebrow arched on her face as she thought back to the last time they'd met in an outside setting; suffice to say, it was a long time ago. "It has been a while, huh? We should go out questing some time.. hey, what if we went and fought one of the quest bosses when I get Grandmastered with this?" She held up her newly forged blade, a thin layer of mist hovering on its icy surface. "I mean, I'm sure you've killed a ton of 'em already, so I understand if it's not worth your time," Birdie said, returning her sword to its scabbard.

@Beatbox

Edited December 13, 2016 by Birdie

[Beatbox 0]

Beatbox had chuckled, training, he never was one to accept training from others, he was always the guy that wanted to train himself... even though he didn't really need a strategy to beat some things in this game. He let her finish speaking and Beatbox said to her with a warm smile "I still hadn't taken down all the bosses yet, I would be more than happy to help assist you on killing one of the many respawning bosses. All my EXP and SP we earning through hard training and boar grinding, its not the best way to gain it as it is a very slow process, however I can make do with tedious work." he looked back forward and thought to himself, "Geez... I really need to do some of these quests, I have been slacking off for the longest time on these quests... now if I did them I would be at a incredible level sure... but..." he sighed "some of these quests are very tedious though." he giggled before looking back forward while not staring into space.

@Birdie

[Birdie 0]

"You put in hard work for your levels? I kinda envy you, wish I had the drive to go boar grinding.." Shivers came spiralling down her spine as she recalled her first encounter with the creature, and the subsequent unpleasant memories that would take place afterwards.

She glanced sidelong to Beatbox, a look of curiosity making its way onto her face. "Oh, really? I just thought they were linear go-find-this-boss-and-kill-it sort of missions- at least, that's what they've all been to me thus far.." Little did she know that field boss encounters were far from what a player should expect out of high-level boss quests. "What makes you say they're tedious? Do they have like, extra tasks you have to complete or something?"

The path looked to pass through a family of oak trees, and further up ahead would only lead to more forest land. She wouldn't give up hope - dungeons wouldn't pop up immediately, or so she thought.

@Beatbox

[Beatbox 0]

"Yeah, I have spent a long time and many days and weeks just grinding off boars or the higher equivalent when it comes to other floors." he said with a smile feeling a little more proud of himself, "It's not that hard." he said "it just takes a while for them to just drop dead." he sighed, he listened to Birdie speak for a few moments and he looked at her with a smirk and said "Well, its only tedious if the boss is really simple... which most of them are, I can beat them without much effort... and most of the time I stand there thinking on what to do in all honesty." he sighed "But at least I can get all the SP that I can get from all of it, it'll be very well needed since of all the boss raids that I want to participate in." he said with a chuckle, that boss raid was coming up soon... he was actually very nervous to see what will happen in that fight... he only wished that nothing bad would happen. He looked past the oak trees and kept his eyes peeled for any sort of dungeon opening or hidden switch.

@Birdie

[Birdie 0]

"Simple, huh.." Birdie spoke inquisitively, as if pondering just how basic the upcoming bosses might be. The Avalanche and Wasp Queen had been stunning creatures in their own right but, at the end of the day, they were a simple mob with basic attacks made only as cannon fodder for lower level players. Even the Sand Shark hadn't posed much of a threat - granted, Lowenthal had taken the consented liberty of destroying the creature with one strike.

"No kidding, boss raids are.. scary as hell, having more levels is a huge advantage." She was still hesitant to consider them so early, though there were more important things at stake than just her well-being. "I'm actually kinda curious about what the benefits are for participating in the raids.. I mean- obviously there's skill points and Col to be earned but like.. is there really anything else?" The scout glanced sidelong to her dungeon-searching partner. "And what about last hit bonuses, they've gotta be pretty insane considering you're trying to kill the toughest monster on each floor? The materials would probably be great too, doubt many scouts are present to clear them out.." She sighed.

@Beatbox

Edited December 14, 2016 by Birdie

[Beatbox 0]

"Yeah... most of the bosses I found to be easier than mobs nowadays, I can't seem to have a challenge at all with these bosses. Heck, if I went back all the way back to the Long Live the Queen quest with the stats I currently have, I'd simply murder the wasp queen without a single question asked." he said with a disappointed look "It's quite a shame that the bosses happen to be weaker than some of the mob's on the floors, it makes this game feel like its a joke almost." he said with a sigh, he looked over to Birdie has she talked about the boss raids and Beatbox couldn't help himself but laugh "What else? Well we get one step closer into getting back to the real world silly." he reached upwards and patted her head "I'm not fighting the boss for the col, or the skill points to sharpen my skills up, I am fighting to get out of this game, because I want to see myself going back out into the real world." he said with a warm smile as he continued to move forward.

@Birdie

[Birdie 0]

'Amen to that,' she thought. Each boss had more health than the last, though the numbers weren't at all reflective of player skill growth - any player with a Rank 3 weapon art could deal with all bosses below 200 health points without much of a fuss. Now that mobs with highs of 800 had been spotted on higher floors, she really started to question whether Kayaba was aware of the problem, or whether he considered it one in the first place.

She huffed, slapping her forehead with a quiet groan. "Right, sorry, the real world. I kinda forget about that sometimes, it seems so far away.." Birdie shook her head. "But that's why you guys are risking your lives out there, to get us.. home. Thanks, on behalf of all low level players." In truth, she didn't know what to think. Life inside the game had become so easy that escaping Aincrad was almost like talking about the second coming - if it is coming, nobody knows when.

Birdie jumped as a school of primates swung from vines high above, passing by like a casual random event. "You know, when you think about it, this place is kinda creepy." She looked sidelong to Beatbox. "Just think about it, somebody could be waiting on a vine to swing by a pick off new players.. oh! That reminds me, what made you want to search for a dungeon on this floor?"

@Beatbox

Edited December 16, 2016 by Birdie

[Beatbox 0]

Beatbox had grinned and placed his hands on his hips saying with a disappointed/joking tone "Did you really forget about the real world Birdie? Its the main reason that I fight for now a days, mostly because of the fact that I don't have much to fight for. I don't have any beliefs to fight for in this world, nor do I really have anyone to fight for, except one and us. But other than that I want to see us get out of here and meet together in the true real world. This world is nothing but 1's and 0's, but that's at the core foundry of this entirety." he said with a grin as he continued to walk forward and stare off into space, he had heard birdie express her concern about this floor and asked him why of all people he chose her to come along, Beatbox closed his eyes and smiled with a giggle "Because I am terrible at finding things, I only get materials through fighting, plus Itzal had been ticking me off a tad bit more everyday, so I wanted to bring the sister I never had instead."

@Birdie

[Birdie 0]

"Maybe it's what's waiting on the other side, Beat.." Birdie kept her voice low, almost a silent whisper masked by a passing breeze. The man's ambition gave her a smile; as much as she was impartial to which world they inhabited, there were major changes to be made once she arrived back in the real world, and they were challenges she hadn't fully thought about since first being trapped in the game world.

She rolled her eyes at the mention of Itzal, and looked over to Beatbox with a grin. "You really think of me like that?" Since their initial meeting and after having the opportunity to meet up a few times, it felt right to return the gesture. "Well, I'll be coming along soon! Then I could search for materials alongside my.. big brother?" She blinked. "Oh my god, I just realised I really don't know how old anybody is.. not.. not that it's important, I guess." As she looked blindly ahead for a few seconds more, she finally came to and shrugged, keeping her eyes on the path ahead.

Telltale signs that something lied ahead started unravelling; lower density of trees, quieter forest, and an inquisitive feeling that she couldn't quite shake. "Hmm.. you feel that?"

@Beatbox

Edited December 16, 2016 by Birdie

[Beatbox 0]

Beatbox grinned, it seemed as if she was getting annoyed with him, Beatbox replied with a grin waiting for her to be done speaking "Are you worried? Are you annoyed by me? I only look at you as sister to have something to fight for." he gained an upset look "I ain't got anything to look forward to in the real world, no family, nor friends to be completely honest. If you wanted to know more about me you could have just asked. I am 18 years old out in the real world, my actual name is plain and basic James, nothing entirely special. If you wanted to know more about me you should have just asked." he said as he looked forward and then looked from side to side, he had listened to Birdie speak about feeling something... however Beatbox did not, maybe it was an ambition to her, however he was going to be honest since he honestly didn't feel anything "Uh... no? I honestly don't... you're feeling somethin' inside or somethin'?" he asked with a little bit of concern.

@Birdie

[Birdie 0]

"S-sorry, it's.. not really the sort of information that a lot of people give out. Thought you'd be more secretive or something.." Birdie rolled her eyes and hung them low, but eventually came to look up at Beat. "That's great to know! I'm uh, 19- technically older than you but um.. yeah, levels are more important than anything else here." The woman gave him a weak smile. She hadn't meant to seem annoyed at him at all, but it didn't look like he was too offended by the incident.

She nodded, "Call it a girl's intuition, but something about this place is off.." Instinctively, the scout ground to a halt. ".. let's take a look around." Birdie remembered one of the very first lessons she'd had with Itzal, where they went over the possible signs of a dungeon being in the area. 'The game will try to make things look out of place, like an odd gathering of plants or strange formations in the trees..'

Heeding the advice, she scanned the trees and greenery around her, desperately hoping to spot even the slightest hint of a nearby dungeon. ".. huh?" If her eyes hadn't deceived her, one tree seemed to split into two about a metre up from the ground; a curious sight, if anything. Approaching with caution, she spotted another strange formation not so far away; almost like a trail of breadcrumbs, each split in a tree would direct them to yet another tree, until she came to a standstill just behind some vines and overgrowth. Raising a hand revealed a draft coming from the other side, and her eyes widened with excitement. "This is.. hey, over here! I think I got something!"

ID# 72381
LD: 13+(3+1+1)=18 <<Beginner Dungeon found!>>

Loot:
<<6th Floor Beginner Dungeon Map>>

@Beatbox

Edited December 17, 2016 by Birdie