[PP-F5] Chill in the Desert <<The Traveler>>

[Sey 0]

"Want a candy apple? I made and packed a few before we go, I'm kinda hungry." Sey would explain as he was walking through the desert alongside the one he planned to assist. He already had the survivalist skill. It was nearly noon, but it took a while to prepare. And by prepare, it all started with him trying to force himself out of bed to get the one lady who could sleep longer than him to wake up as well. If there was a common link between the both of them, it was how they loved sleep. "You'll thank me for this in the future, this is probably one of the more useful skills in the game. There is a reason why it's called survivalist." Hey, if Sey were to be sleeping on the lounge couch instead of the bed in his bedroom, he had plenty of reason to do this sort of thing. Sure, Kooh might have been a little bit unmotivated unlike the snow-haired player, but he wanted to see her at least grow enough to want to become stronger by herself. The feeling of ambition, it gave a huge rush of adrenaline.

[Kooh 0]

A sharp intake of breath would indicate a yawn escaping the blonde's mouth as she held up a hand to it. She had tugged the black and white hood down to her shoulders after just minutes of arriving at the teleport gate in Armadillo. Refusing to remove the item entirely, she suffered in silence as the virtual sun beat down on them both. Well, mostly in silence.

"It better be the skill that just says 'if you die, don't instead.'" She replied, her tone a bit more annoyed than usual. Not only had the white-haired player insisted that she get up at a decent hour, but he dragged her to what she quickly proclaimed the most miserable, god-forsaken floor in this damn game. Needless to say, she didn't care for the heat one bit. Pulling her hands from her pockets, Kooh gathered her long hair and held it in her left hand a moment, the other instinctively reaching to her shorts pocket. She stopped herself, quickly realizing that the hair band she expected to be there would not. As she dropped her raised arm with a scowl, the locks of hair she expected to fall back over her shoulders stayed neatly pulled behind her. In a moment of confusion, Kooh reached back up to touch the thin elastic that now secured her ponytail. "Huh." She mumbled simply, dismissing the game's mysterious functions.

"Anyway, sure, why not?" She replied to Sey's words out of order. She was skeptical of whether or not a candied anything would help her feel better, but she wasn't going to pass up free sweets.

[Sey 0]

His finger would trace over to the front of his body as he opened up the HUD screen along with it, revealing a set of options. The inventory was first as he would pluck out an apple on a stick covered in nice cold caramel. "Dig in then, I made sure to make it the better of it's kind. Should be sweet enough." The reason why he aimed for the inventory first was because he then was hoping she would eat while sitting through the explanation, so the ginger would have something to do while listening. Keeping the HUD screen up, he would then move to his skills set. "Oh trust me, this can definitely make this a life or death thing. Check this out, it's called Survivalist. In places like the desert, if you aren't careful, you might take 10 damage. This damage tends to stack quickly as well. But with Survivalist, you're immune to any environmental damage on any floor." He'd then point over to the second part of it. "Know how you recover 3 HP at a time? What if I told you it increases that number to 20?"

[Kooh 0]

Kooh took the treat from him, letting him continue on as she took a bite. After he finished speaking, she commented again. "Well," she promptly took another bite of apple, pausing a moment to chew her food. "You have to get hit first to regain health." The girl replied cheekily. "Y'know, you should be a salesman." She added on, continuing to work on her candied distraction as she waved with her free hand for him to continue with any explanation.

It wasn't until they'd reached the edge of the desert city that a heavily cloaked figure waved them down. Kooh cocked an eyebrow, glancing to Sey who seemed to acknowledge the woman as relevant. The girl followed his lead and stopped as the out-of-breath NPC explained her plight. "Please adventurers, I was separated from my caravan out in the desert." She started, and Kooh stared at her with the same uninterested expression through the entire dialogue. "I am too ill to track it down myself, but the cargo in my caravan must be recovered in no more than two days! Please, will you help?" And following her words, a quest prompt appeared in front of the blonde, asking if should would accept 'The Traveler'. "So this is it?" She asked simply, pressing the blue circle to accept before Sey had the chance to confirm.

[Sey 0]

She never admitted to taking damage at all, in which he would smile to her playfully. "Oh absolutely not. Heil the queen of Aincrad!" He'd joke as he would then bow formally to her before then continuing to speak. However, the comment she made about him being a salesman hit closer to home than she could ever expect. "Oh? Hmmmm, perhaps. But I already have my restaurant."  Sey was indeed a businessman in the real world, but Kooh did not need to learn such a fact. Not yet. Why bother? The NPC would then arrive a few moments later, and before given the chance to reply to the gingers question, she just confirmed it. So with a sly smile, he would reply to her. "Nope, now we have two quests to take. Hope you're feeling lucky~." However, he could not bring himself to mess with her too far, it felt a bit mean to do so. Besides, she never wronged him in the game. "Seriously though, that is the quest. And now we go through the desert."

CD: 8

ID: 74253

@Kooh

Edited January 14, 2017 by Sey

[Kooh 0]

Environment

Spoiler

• ID#: 74255
  • CD: 11 - No damage

"Tch, and I was so ready to try out that 'abandon quest' button, too." She joked back, just about finishing up her apple as they stepped outside the safety of the city walls. Good timing, considering the sand was starting to kick up pretty quickly from the occasional gusts of wind that circled around them. Nobody wanted sand in their candy apple.

After her last bite, the game took over, discarding the stick by dissolving it into thousands of light shards. As she wished everything was so convenient, Kooh slipped her hands back into her pockets, noting the different ground beneath her boots as the sand had much more give than the hard stone in Armadillo. "So what, we have to walk around in an oven until we find some lost junk? Don't tell me we could be out here for an actual two days." She was less snarky this time, as her question was actually serious. Sure, she slept out in the forests on the first floor many a night, but this was an entirely different situation.

Edited January 14, 2017 by Kooh

[Sey 0]

"Well, in usual cases, yes. But fortunately, Sey has you covered. Say thank you." Despite her serious tone, he was still joking around a little bit with that "thank you" part. His inventory would open up once again to reveal no items used for fighting, but instead to prepare for events out in the desert. Plenty of water packets from his vanity crafts, plenty of food items to make even possibly feasts. It took him a while to make as well. And finally, a huge tent he got back when Pixel used to live at his shop, and he wanted to go camping one time. But Kooh was the one who resided in his shop now, so she would have to do. "We'll be staying for the night because the quest demands us to. But we'll be protected by the tent, and we would have plenty of food and water to make sure we are neither hungry nor thirsty. Any questions?" He'd ask with now a genuine smile as he would await to see if there was anything she wanted to say.

CD: 7

ID: 74259

Edited January 17, 2017 by Sey

[Kooh 0]

Environment

  Hide contents

• ID#: 74419
  • CD: 7 - No damage

Kooh nearly grimaced when she realized they would, in fact, be camping out in a desert. Call her just a stick in the mud, but that sounded like anything but fun. Even in a virtual reality world, what kind of person did a quest like that for fun? Allowing herself a sigh of annoyance and a small "No." to answer Sey, she moved her gaze back to the rolling hills of sand before them. Kooh slipped her hands back into her pockets. Gusts of wind came in patterns, kicking up a fair amount of sand each time and occasionally prompting the girl to raise her arm to provide even slight cover to her face. She could see how the environment alone could cause them some damage if they weren't careful.

Just as the boredom began setting in, Kooh's rhythmic pace was abruptly stopped. As her boot met the desert floor, the sand around it reacted to quickly wrap itself over the top of her foot and hold it in place. The girl only stopped to notice when her body failed to continue moving, causing her to look to the ground with a mumbled "Huh?" The noise was quickly followed by a shriek of surprise as the blonde's leg was pulled out from under her and her upper body crashed against the desert. "Gross!" Kooh was more complaining than panicking once she'd propped herself up on her arm. The sand encasing her boot had been morphing, taking the rough shape of a hand now grasping her entire bottom half of her left leg. At the same time, the surrounding environment quickly rumbled to life and within seconds the hand was given an arm, torso, and the remaining top-half of a creature forming from the sand. Beside it hovered two green health bars and the simple name 'Sand Elemental'.

Combat Results

Spoiler

• ID#: 74419
  • MD: 2 - Miss
     
• Kooh
  • HP: 200/200
  • Energy: 20/20
  • 5 DMG | 2 EVA | 2 ACC
• Sey
  • HP: 640/640
  • Energy: 64/64
  • 12 DMG | 30 MIT | 3 CC
• Sand Elemental
  • HP: 350/350
  • DMG: 50

 

Edited January 17, 2017 by Kooh

[Sey 0]

"Hey now! Kooh!" The snow-haired player would exclaim after seeing her slammed to the ground by the elemental as it would then reveal itself, the both of them entering it's turf. Seeing this, he already disapproved. If something obtained his disapproval, he tend to eradicate it. He was the one that brought her onto this quest in the first place, it was up to him to make sure that she lives in the end as well. Teeth were clenched hard as he gripped his one-handed Memorilia Spear tightly, lashing out towards the enemy. When approaching it the best he could, he would slice on time between the link near her foot that the sand monster was capturing her, and the sand monster itself, hoping that it could cut the connection and allow her to move freely. "Back off!" Sey ordered as he would then begin the nightmarish combo. The first three hits were simple slashes to the sides, left right left. The monster attempted to swipe him from above, only for him to neatly duck under the attack before stabbing twice to where the stomach would be, following up by a spinning slash to the right. As he was in the air, he would swing the blade upwards to knock the monster back a little bit before stabbing it down the center for times. The final slice would be diagonal and towards the left as he ripped it through the chest down to where the waist would be before backing up. "Seems like there was more to this quest this time... Stay with me Kooh. If you die, do you know how much paperwork I have to do?" Even in the heat of battle, he could crack such a joke. Amazing

@Kooh

Spoiler

• ID#: 74420
• CD: 8
  • BD: 3 + 3 Acc = 6  - Hit
    Dmg: 12 x 12 x 1 = 144
     
• Kooh
  • HP: 200/200
  • Energy: 20/20
  • 5 DMG | 2 EVA | 2 ACC
• Sey
  • HP: 640/640
  • Energy: 52/64
  • 12 DMG | 30 MIT | 3 ACC
• Sand Elemental
  • HP: 206/350
  • DMG: 50

 

Edited January 17, 2017 by Sey

[Kooh 0]

Environment

  Hide contents

• ID#: 74464
  • CD: 8 - No damage

When Sey's blade sliced cleanly through the sentient terrain that held her captive, Kooh quickly got to her feet. Regaining her balance, the girl took a few steps back from the imposing creature and took a moment to dust herself off. Once the boy had finished slashing through the sand to deal a good chunk of damage to the monster, Kooh couldn't resist a chuckle at his comment. "Pfft! I'll keep that in mind." She didn't have much to retort with, but appreciated his humor nonetheless.

Managing to rid herself of the virtual sand, Kooh took her turn at the enemy. As hesitant as she was to get close to the desert creature again, she didn't have much of a choice. The vamp of her boots began to glow a bright red as she ran up to the monster, delivering a series of kicks that would blow out small sections of its torso. The girl jumped backwards after her attack to distance herself while the elemental screeched and slowly began to reform itself from both players' attacks.

The hollowed sections of its face where a set of eyes would normally rest focused on Sey as the creature's arm swung down to crash into the desert floor, mixing its own sandy appendage with the terrain around it. The monster's movements were sluggish and clumsy after both Sey and Kooh's attacks, and even a second swipe would go wide to miss the snowy-haired player. Kooh frowned as it seemed intent on striking him. As she took a couple more steps back to reposition herself for her next attack, the girl called out to the monster with feigned jealousy. "What, now I'm not your type?"

Combat Results

Spoiler

• ID#: 74464
  • BD:  4 + (2 Equipment) = 6 - Hit!
    • (3 Base) + (2 Weapon Skill) = (5 Damage) x (4 Sword Art [Delayed Sword]) = 20 DMG
  • MD: 5 - Miss!
     
• Kooh - 1 Hate
  • HP: 200/200
  • Energy: 20/20
  • 5 DMG | 2 EVA | 2 ACC
• Sey - 1 Hate
  • HP: 640/640
  • Energy: 52/64
  • 12 DMG | 30 MIT | 3 ACC
• Sand Elemental
  • HP: 186/350
  • DMG: 50

 

Edited January 17, 2017 by Kooh

[Sey 0]

It seems that Kooh was no longer the main dish for the elemental as it would aim to strike down onto his him this time. With this attempt ending up as a failure, he leaped out to the side while rolling, covering himself up in a lot of sand particles as he would then arrive back up, making his white hair look a lot more like Kooh’s. “Hey! I don’t swing that way!” Right now, he was trying to swing neither way. It was not the purpose of the game. Not that he was able to hold that up so far with some recent events that occurred back in the past. Another twelve strikes   to the midsection of the elemental would be carried out as he successfully triggered the merciless flurry technique. The elemental would roar mightily from the barrage unleashed from the attacks. With this executed, he would look back to Kooh. “Well, you’re up.”

 

Spoiler

• ID#: 74492
  CD: 9
  • BD:  5 + 3 = 8 - Hit
  • Dmg: 12 x 12 x 1 = 144
• Kooh - 1 Hate
  • HP: 200/200
  • Energy: 20/20
  • 5 DMG | 2 EVA | 2 ACC
• Sey - 2 Hate
  • HP: 640/640
  • Energy: 40/64
  • 12 DMG | 30 MIT | 3 ACC
• Sand Elemental
  • HP: 42/350
  • DMG: 50

@Kooh

Edited January 17, 2017 by Sey

[Kooh 0]

Environment

  Hide contents

• ID#: 74536
  • CD: 9 - No damage

Kooh grinned. Even though they were taking on a monster easily bigger than both of their heights combined, their laid back attitudes persisted. The girl gave a small bow before stepping up to take her attack. She dashed in, taking the same approach as her last strike. Just as she got within range of the elemental's body, however, its arm swung across to swat her away. The blonde stopped short just as the sandy appendage crashed down in front of her. As its body melded and separated from the sand on the ground, the terrain shifted beneath her feet causing her to lose her balance for a moment. Unable to get a good shot in, the girl shifted her position and called back to Sey. "Err, I'll be the distraction. You keep doing the sword thing!"

@Sey

Combat Results:

Spoiler

• ID#: 74536
  • BD:  2 + (2 Equipment) = 4 - Miss!
  • MD: 1 - Critical Miss!
• Kooh - 1 Hate
  • HP: 200/200
  • Energy: 16/20
  • 5 DMG | 2 EVA | 2 ACC
• Sey - 2 Hate
  • HP: 640/640
  • Energy: 40/64
  • 12 DMG | 30 MIT | 3 ACC
• Sand Elemental
  • HP: 42/350
  • DMG: 50

 

Edited January 22, 2017 by Kooh

[Sey 0]

"Good effort, Kooh. I'll finish the fight off now!" And with that declaration, he better not make a fool out of himself by exclaiming that and ending up with no results in the end. It would have looked awful and the blonde probably would not let him live it down. With this said, he felt confident that he could hit his weakened target. The elemental was focused on him of course, but with it tried to strike with it's damaged limb, he would slice through the arm to cut it off and turn it into normal sand as he triggered the merciless flurry art once again, resulting in the monster taking a nasty lashing with light blue light flashing from the tip of his one-handed spear, killing the monster and eventually giving them both loot. Now that he carried out that task, he would use his free hand to flick a bit of hair from his face and walk from the scene towards Kooh as if something like that were no big deal. "That was a little pesky."

@Kooh

Spoiler

• ID#: 74566
  • BD:  7
  • Dmg: 12 x 12 x 1
  • LD: 12
  • Loot: 1750 Col + 1 Mat
• Kooh - 1 Hate
  • HP: 200/200
  • Energy: 16/20
  • 5 DMG | 2 EVA | 2 ACC
• Sey - 3 Hate
  • HP: 640/640
  • Energy: 28/64
  • 12 DMG | 30 MIT | 3 ACC
• Sand Elemental
  • HP: 0/350
  • DMG: 50

 

Edited January 20, 2017 by Sey

[Kooh 0]

Environment

  Hide contents

• ID#: 74982
  • CD: 1 - 10 DMG

Kooh stretched her arms over her head before relaxing back to a casual stance. She dismissed the notification window that appeared, listing off the amount of col and experience she was rewarded. The girl brought up a hand to shield her eyes from the sun hanging overhead. It wasn't setting quite yet, but it had definitely been making it's way across the sky since they started the quest.

The blonde followed Sey's lead as they continued trudging through the desert, though she wondered how he knew which way they were going. Hopefully they hadn't been wandering blindly the whole time, but he had mentioned completing this quest before, so she had little choice but to follow along. The remainder of the day wasn't much more eventful, although the harsh winds began to gradually tick away at Kooh's health bar. Before she knew it the bright sun was starting to set over the sandy hills.

Health

Spoiler

• Kooh:
  • HP: 190/200
  • Energy: 17/20

 

Edited January 22, 2017 by Kooh

[Sey 0]

He was following the glass that he found from the cargo the last time they went to the desert, but why would Kooh care about such a detail? They were nearing the supply as more glass would reflect the sun to the point in which they were near able to dig it. They made a lot of progress, but the drop was not going to show until a day passed. So they needed to start with building the shelter. So with a right pointer finger, he would open up the inventory screen before summoning the tent and the tools required to make it. "Hey Kooh, we need to make some shelter. Mind helping me out with the tent? If we work together, we should have this up before the sun sets. That should be enough time for me to make us some dinner. I'll reward ya the best I can." He only could bring so many ingredients with him on the trip, and three types of drinks as well, the most being water, but there was also juice and tea.

ID: 74980

CD: 9

 

Edited January 22, 2017 by Sey

[Kooh 0]

Environment

  Hide contents

• ID#: 74983
  • CD: 1 - 10 DMG

The blonde brought up an arm to brace herself and shield her face from the hot wind. Sey seemed to be fine, most likely from already having the skill, and even though her health bar was still in the green the damage the desert was inflicting was annoying.

The boy spoke up, bringing out some materials and calling her over to help set up a tent. She blinked, staring at him a moment before walking over. When she looked at the components he had laid out, however, the girl simply tilted her head. "What do I do?" Camping was gross, and with that attitude it was safe to assume Kooh didn't know the first thing about it. Besides, with how the game translated real-world activities, she wondered if she would know what she was doing even if she'd assembled a tent in the real world before.

Health

  Hide contents

• Kooh:
  • HP: 180/200
  • Energy: 18/20

Edited January 22, 2017 by Kooh

[Sey 0]

It was his father that taught him about how to set up a tent if he ever ended up in a situation where he had to do it himself. Now it was his job to pass this on to someone else who did not know. Sey handed her one nail and one hammer for her to use. "There is some rope on the ground. Just tie a double-knot to the nail, then use the hammer to pound the nail hard into the sand. Once that is done, Ill pull the hull of the tent and we'll be set up. You worry about that nail, I'll handle the other five. If you happen to like doing it, I don't mind you working on the others. " It was expensive, but he made sure to get a large one, which was why it needed six nails. With this, he would begin to tie the knots and hammer them into the ground, going from the first, second, then third in a matter of a couple minutes before walking over to the other side to see how she was doing with it. "How is it holding up?"

@Kooh

ID: 74987

CD: 3

Edited January 22, 2017 by Sey

[Kooh 0]

Environment

  Hide contents

• ID#: 75007
  • CD: 5 - No damage

Sey handed her some equipment and explained what she should be doing. She saved the deer-in-the-headlights look for now as her eyes followed the rope laying on the sand that he referred to, quickly making note of his instructions. While she wasn't terrified of Sey knowing a flaw or two of hers, since she was pretty sure at this point he was far too golden-hearted to do anything underhanded with the knowledge, she still wasn't keen on the idea of seeing her inability first-hand.

The girl just nodded as Sey sent her off to her task, and Kooh walked over to kneel down where she was supposed to be setting up tether. She took the end of the rope, wondering for a moment if the game would be assisting her in any way, or if she was all on her own. Tasks like cooking and blacksmithing seemed to be incredibly simplified, but was there some kind of camping skill? 'Ugh, this is too much for a game...' She kept her complaints to her thoughts as she pulled a knot she was satisfied with on her fourth try. She wouldn't call herself a perfectionist, but she wanted it to look halfway decent.

Kooh nearly jumped when Sey's voice appeared behind her again. She hadn't expected the boy to be finished already. "Ehh. If the whole thing collapses, I guess I'll take the blame." The girl said nonchalantly, refusing any signs of embarrassment. She was on the second attempt at getting the stake properly down into the sand, her first try too crooked and unstable for her liking. She would've continued, but with Sey standing there she was immediately unsure if she should try to finish or let him take over.

@Sey

Health

  Hide contents

• Kooh:
  • HP: 183/200
  • Energy: 20/20

Edited January 23, 2017 by Kooh

[Sey 0]

“You seem a bit tense, just loosen up your arms a bit. Remain calm and…” He proceeded to do one of them on the other side where she was working, though slowly so she could see. His elbows were bent a decent amount and his fingers curved as if they were in their casual position when he placed them by his side. With this, he would tie the knot once, breathing as he would go for the second. Once that occurred, he pulled the knot and then slammed into the sand. “It can be a little bit tilted, as long as you could step on it without feeling discomfort. That tends to be the determining factor.” Sey explained as he would tilt the nail on purpose. “And give the nail gentle taps if you feel, as long as it eventually gets firm into the sand.” With this, he then placed the hammer onto the nail a few times as they made subtle “clings” before eventually, the nail got grounded.

ID: 75185

CD: 8

Edited January 24, 2017 by Sey

[Kooh 0]

Environment

  Hide contents

• ID#: 75803
  • CD: 5 - No damage

Kooh frowned while Sey was focusing on his work. She wasn't enjoying herself, but she felt like she shouldn't be too vocal with her complaints. She still had to spend several more hours out here, and Sey actually knew where they were going and how to get them back to town. Instead, she let out a small puff of air and turned back to her own task. Doing her best to copy him and his movements, this attempt actually seemed to take less time and was more successful. With Sey close by, she gave up the perfectionism and settled for what she thought looked satisfactory.

Straightening her knees to stand upright, Kooh placed her hands on her hips. The wind had decided to take a break from digging into her health bar, at least for now. "So we just keep looking in the morning?" She tried to fill the silence.

Health

  Hide contents

• Kooh:
  • HP: 186/200
  • Energy: 20/20

Edited January 28, 2017 by Kooh