[PP-F9] Scorched Earth <<Guardian of Fire>> [KotB]

[Hirru 0]

Scorched Earth
<<Guardian of Fire>>
<<Sword Art Lock: Rank 1 Only>>
Rank 1 Sword arts are the only thing that can be used within this thread.  All bonuses from skills and equipment are still in effect.

The ninth floor of fire and lava.  A barren waste land of volcanoes and ruins that have been overcome by the newly created earth.  There was barely anything of worth around this floor, except some quests and an old event that the hunter awaited.  Unfortunately, until that day came, he would have to wait and train, which was why he came here today.  One of their number had been low on the level quota, and since it was best that everyone was getting to the goal, he asked for Magda to come to the ninth floor.  With that, the hunter decided to make it a full guild experience.  Another message went out to his Vice Commander, to get him into the training, and to have him watch over our shield maiden.  More would go out to the main shield of the guild, Xion, and their newest member, Beatbox.

The jade hunter stood by at the border of Phoenix, a smaller village in the outer reaches.  It was closer to the cave than the main village, but the area was mob infested.  He would have his merchant's caravan in waiting, in case they needed it to make the journey faster.

@Mack@Magda@Xion@Beatbox

[Beatbox 0]

It was finally time it seemed for a guild training, as he hadn't fully met some of the actual members of the recent, but the quest they had picked he had already completed... although he felt as though they we're going to do so much more than just this. Beatbox made sure he was fully equipped as today was going to either end out in a good way or in a interesting way. Either way, Beatbox was up for the challenge and to prove his own worth, so he decided to head out towards the area that he had spoken of. Without much time Beatbox had found himself towards the area in which Hirru had spoken of... but Hirru was the only guild member present at the moment. He had placed his hand on the handle of his sword and placed one hand over his heart and bowed before the Jade Hunter "Good evening Hirru, how has it been?" he asked, then straightened himself back upwards and gave him a little smirk "I assume some other members should here soon?"

[Magda 0]

Magda didn’t know what to think at first when she received the notification that she’d received a message. Her trepidation proved unnecessary once she opened it and realized it was from a fellow Knight and guild mate. She hadn’t had cause to speak with Hirru much but the incentive to gain strength definitely wasn’t lost on her. She wasted no time in heading to the closest teleport to shift to the ninth floor. It was a rare occasion that she got to go so high into Aincrad so this was also a nice little treat for her.

The smile she wore quickly withered as her body was assaulted by the almost oppressive heat that radiated from the volcano beneath Vulcan Village. Once she managed to regain her composure she wiped sweat from her brow and made her way to the meeting place indicated in Hirru’s message. She was clad in her armor and cloak which denoted her as a member of the Knights of the Blood Oath; white armor and shield that was lined in crimson.

The heat was more than just bothersome but at least it wasn’t cold. This wasn’t something Magda couldn’t withstand. When her crimson-eyed gaze finally rested upon the caravan and hopefully the green-haired Hirru she’d offer a hearty wave and grin. “So, what are we going to fight today?" Her gaze quickly shifted towards a rather unfamiliar face but her smile didn't falter. Instead she simply stuck her hand out and said, "Hi."

[Mack 0]

"We are going to focus on turning you into a true tank," a deep voice rumbled as Mack emerged from one of the side streets to also join the group, his presence adding fourth health bar to the top corner of everyone's field of vision as he joined the meeting. "I don't know what Hirru has found, but he wouldn't have summoned us here without a reason for it and we could all always stand to do some work on our teamwork and battle formations," the Vice Commander grunted, drawing back the deep snowy white hood of his mantle and scowling. "Even if this place is Aincrad's version of Hell, at least it's not that desert floor," Mack concluded, crossing his arms over his chest as his scowl deepened. "Is there anyone else we're waiting on?"

[Hirru 0]

Whenever a scout says to come to someplace, they all come running.  The hunter got a little chuckle out of that thought when everyone came around.  Beat was the first of the group, but that would be expected.  New guy of the group needed to prove themselves, but not to the hunter; he had seen plenty.  He would give a short pounding of his chest and polite greeting before telling Beatbox that the others would be here shortly.  It didn't take too long after for the Shield Maiden herself to come by, Magda, and her brother, Vice Commander Mack, ever closer behind.

"Indeed, we're going through a ramshackle of things today, Vice Commander.  Since you were out and about, myself and Macradon have had to work through our own tactics and formations, as well as, the formations of the others.  Most of them have kept the front lines alive, but one slip and our integrity is over."

It didn't seem that Xion, or anyone else had decided to come, so the hunter figured that now would be good.

"Today, we're going to have a multi-purpose hunt.  One to further Magda into our main tank, since Xion has been indisposed.  Another part for breaking our newest member of the guild, Beatbox.  It's a simple quest, but we're going through a sub-dungeon after, so don't worry."

He looked on to Beatbox before giving a wry smile.

"Though, it's not your true initiation, I thought you would benefit from it, since you're a front linesmen.  Next is to work through possibilities.  We don't know how the next floor boss will work.  There may be a chance that one could lower our combat effectiveness even more so than poison, corrosives, or irregular terrain.  With that said, in exception to Magda, all of us will be using Rank 1 Sword arts only.  This will simulate the effects of one such scenario that could happen to us.  This will only be in effect for the quest mobs, so we can be at our fullest for the sub-dungeon, if found."

"Any questions?  If not, get in the wagon.  We've got a days travel by caravan in front of us.

@Beatbox

Edited January 28, 2017 by Hirru

[Mack 0]

Mack listened as Hirru explained the plans for the day and grunted his assent. Everything seemed to be in order as far as he was concerned when it came to this little adventure. Even if it was on the volcanic floor. "Well, then, let's get a move on," the Vice Commander rumbled in a deep voice. Crossing the open space to the wagon the hulking axe man hauled himself up and into the means of conveyance. Where, and how, Hirru had come up with the wagon and the horses to pull it in the first place was anyone's guess. With a grunt, Mack hauled himself up into the wagon bed and settled himself in one of the back corners of the simple wooden covered wagon, a spot from which he would be able to see any approaching mobs and be the first one out to deal with them if there was a need to. "The sooner we finish this up, the sooner we can leave for a more hospitable climate."

[Magda 0]

The all too familiar voice of her brother instantly drew her gaze away from the others. She smirked and offered the man a quick nod of her head. The mention of being made into a true tank was both exhilarating and interesting. She’d taken the time to learn the basics of the different roles she could have taken in a group but she ultimately went with the role of tank. The idea of being a tank that held up to the true sense of the role gave her a sense of purpose she’d long since forgotten upon her arrival to Aincrad.

She listened intently as Hirru explained how things have been and what they were to do this day. The fact that Xion was evidently indisposed and she was up to take on the task of being the guild’s main tank did incite a degree of trepidation to rise within her heart. The revelation that there was a possibility to have their combat effectiveness hindered didn’t inspire a large degree of confidence in her success in fighting on the front lines one day. Regardless she kept that insecurity to herself and simply offered everyone a broad grin.

She was quick to hop into the wagon and move passed Mack towards the front. This way the others would have room to climb in as well. She did cast a playful smirk Mack’s way. “Well at least this place is better than that frozen wonderland your forge is located at.” Whether or not she truly meant that was unclear but she was always very vocal in her dislike of the frigid weather on the fourth floor.

[Beatbox 0]

Beatbox had agreed and had gotten into the wagon, sure he had already had done this quest all by his loansome, but this wasn't going to be for him... it was going to be for the people that needed the training for it, however he never really suspected it to be this harsh... them being so demanding, he never really expected them to be that kind of type if you ask him. He shrugged it off as he sat their without another word to say keeping his thoughts to his own mind instead of his mouth. Beatbox had placed his elbow on his knee then placed the palm of his hand onto his cheek looking outwards towards the distance, this was going to be a ride and a half, and it wasn't going to get any shorter from here, he had a bit of time think amongst himself, then he sighed... did he make the right choice on joining KoB? He wasn't too entirely sure to be perfectly honest. He heard a couple of comments coming from the other KoB members, but he mostly had kept to himself.

@Hirru

[Hirru 0]

Once everyone was in the wagon, the hunter made sure that everything was secure and that none of the merchandise would fall on any of them.  It would be pretty snug, but they would all fit with some of the armor moved around.  The hunter really wanted to see an artisan about creating a secondary wagon to add on to it, but that may put too much strain on the poor girl, even if you couldn't see it on her.  The entirety of the wagon was mainly used for the storage and business of the mysterious Merchant, an NPC that the hunter found some time ago.  After helping out the Merchant with getting his pet chameleon back, he asked the hunter to be his caravan body guard, which would be a weird thing to ask any normal player, but for the hunter it was just another person seeking help.  With that they have been traveling ever since, but it had been some time since the last time the caravan was needed.

The hunter got into the drivers seat next to the cloaked figure that would be the mysterious Merchant.  

"Heh heh, It's been some time, Huntah.  I see you've brought a few strangahs with you."

"Likewise, we're heading out to the hound's den.  Hope you remember the way."

He would open up his map and after a bit of searching, he pinpointed the location of the cavern where the Cerberus lay.  With a quick flip of the reins, they were off.

 

[Mack 0]

"The fourth floor is much better than this hell," Mack grumbled in response to his twin's comment about how preferable the volcanic floor was to the floor where Mack had located his forge. That kind of statement simply was not true. When one was cold they could always put on more clothing until they were no longer cold. But, when one was hot there was only so much they could take off before they were naked, and still entirely too hot. The logic of his position was totally unassailable, as far as the Vice Commander was concerned. "Who's the new guy," Mack rumbled after a few minutes, once the merchant's wagon had lurched into a rickety and bumpy motion. He jerked a thumb in the direction of Beatbox as he rested one arm along the back baseboard of the wooden wagon. At least riding beat walking. "Where'd you find a wagon anyway, Hirru?"

[Magda 0]

The only response Mack would receive to the comment about the fourth floor being better was a slight rise in one of Magda’s eyebrows. For several moments she watched him as she tried to judge if he was joking or not. Only when he brought attention to the new guy did she turn and look away. At first she just assumed he was another member of the Knights that she’d never met. The fact that he was new brought a degree of understanding about his silence.

Magda promptly extended her right hand and offered a quick greeting. “Welcome, I’m not the official welcoming party of course. I’m still rather new as well. The name is Magda!” If he accepted her hand she’d give his a firm squeeze and shake before releasing it. She’d idly listen in if Hirru chose to reveal the origins of his wagon. The red-haired giantess possessed a mild sense of interest in hearing what he had to say. When the wagon started to move she leaned back and yawned.

If they were going to ride in this the entire way then she might as well take the opportunity and relax. Her gaze shifted about the wagon for a moment and if she didn’t see Chewie there she’d turn to look at her brother. “How’s the ball of fur and claws doing?” Her brow rose in genuine interest as she’d very rarely seen Mack without him. Then again she only traveled outside of the safe zones with him on a select few occasions.

[Hirru 0]

As they rode forth, the trip would last them for most of the day.  After making sure that the trail was safe, for the most part, he turned to the wagon while pulling aside some of the canvas to see everyone better.  The hunter seemed to find that Mack had taken a sudden interest in both the wagon and their newest recruit, Beatbox.  Beatbox didn't seem to be that much interested about anything other than the sights outside the caravan.  The hunter leaned against the opening that he made to talk, making a small gesture to Beatbox.

"This is Beatbox.  He's a potential recruit for us, but that's you and him to figure out later."

Magda had introduced herself already, but Mack had not done so.  The hunter would quickly move his head over to

"Oh, yeah!  That's right.  I haven't introduced you guys yet."

Pointing to the large and in charge, red haired giant.

"This is Mack; he's the Vice Commander of the Knights of the Blood Oath, and your potential boss."

He would say before giving a hefty grin.

"Look lively now.  This is your first impression before the interview."

@Beatbox @Mack @Magda

Edited February 25, 2017 by Hirru

[Mack 0]

As if on cue a furry brown face popped up over the edge of the cart just before it lurched into motion. Chewie squalled loudly until one of Mack's enormous mitts descended on the bear and grabbed the cub by the scruff of the neck. "Why don't you ask him yourself," the Vice Commander rumbled, tossing the grizzly in the direction of his twin's lap. Chewie thudded down into Magda's lap with a heavy thud and, realizing on whom he had been foisted off, he mass of brown fur promptly rolled over onto his back, opened his mouth, and demanded a fishy offering as he flopped outrageously across Magda's legs in a manner that indicated that he knew very well that his demands were going to be met. Maybe even there would be more than one fish, the jackpot.

Mack, having secured his familiar in the wagon, proceeded to ignore the bear's antics. He had, long ago, given up on ever being able to give the cub anything like basic manners training. The hulking axe man simply nodded a greeting to Beatbox when Hirru introduced him. "Welcome to the band," the ginger giant said in a soft rumbling tone. "You ever going to tell us where you got this wagon, Hirru?"