F5-PP) Braving the harsh sands (The Traveler)

[Stryder 0]

As Sky entered the fifth floor, he couldn't help but groan a little. The place was broken as hell, not the buildings and stuff, but the landscape. It was just a barren desert!!! Thats all it was, desert, and sandstorms.... He couldn't help but sigh, glad that the settlement of Fortaleza was walled off so that he was safe. He wondered about the quest he had heard about, the Traveler, where he had to go get Cargo, and it would give him a skill, at least, thats what he had heard. He went to the wall, looking out the gate, seeing.... well desert. How was he meant to find ANYTHING IN THAT MESS!!! He whined for a moment to himself before sighing, looking around for a way to start the quest. He was glad though that his suit was stopping the winds from really hitting him, meaning he wasn't getting to cold, the one advantage of having a full suit. He walked around, wondering who he would run into, and if he could find the quest.

@Aster @Hirru @Yuurei

[Yuurei 0]

The fifth floor gate flashed brightly, blinding the pedestrians near it as it lit up radiantly. A sole person walked out from the flash of light - Yuurei. The Ghost covered her face quickly with the winds being blown in her face. Her first impression on this floor? She hated it. Snow and the cold was more her preference, or at least a more grassy scenery. She had been exploring all the lower floors’ safe zones to see what each floor was like since she had yet to progress past floor 3. Occasionally sand flung up into her eyes, causing some seriously unwanted discomfort.

“Jeez, does anyone even like this floor?” She asked herself as she rubbed her eyes. “I guess I should at least look around for doable quests.”

The silver-hair saber user stepped off of the teleportation platform and began to explore Fortaleza. Maybe there was a quick quest she could do while she was on the floor so she wouldn't have to come back.

[Aster 0]

Aster pushed open the wooden door to one of the shops that littered Fortaleza. The ginger healer stepped out onto the cracked sandstone with a small sigh, quickly bringing her hand up to hover in front of her face and shield her eyes from the sunlight that beat down on her. She was alone today, the presence of the orange fox that typically weaved through her ankles was oddly non-existent. She had business on the fifth floor, and she didn't need Reginald getting himself lost in a storm. Besides, the familiar was oddly picky about which floors Aster took him to. While he loved jumping around and burrowing holes in the piles of snow on Floor Four, Five was another story entirely.

Aster scanned the area, nudging the edge of her glasses with the tips of her first two fingers while she looked for the NPC that issued the quest she needed to complete. She had already given a look around Armadillo before making the trek to the next settlement over. As her eyes traveled briefly over the figures scattered throughout the town, Aster caught sight of a familiar face--Stryder, if she recalled his name correctly. She watched the raven-haired player for a bit with curiosity. He seemed to be searching for something himself, and the ginger's eyes followed after him.

[Hirru 0]

"Why do I have to go through this to find my own caravan?"

The disgruntled voice of a lone man would sound out through the nearly unoccupied town square.  As the fifth floor was a mad house with an incredibly arid environment, not many would ever truly call this place home.  Only a few that actually like the feel would call this home.  As for the man that was clearly ticked about being here, it didn't seem to matter.  All around him were people that couldn't wait to get off this floor, which were easily identified by their sweating or distaste for the heat.  There were the occasional person that didn't have any afflictions, and the man knew why.  There was a quest on this floor that could nullify environmental effects.  He knew because he already had it completed.  Then why was he on such a horrid floor.

To look for his merchant.

"This hasn't happened in a while, but I'm sure that it has to do with the bloody Traveler quest again."

Other than most others, he could easily be discerned from most others on the floor.  Being in a renown guild does that, for this man was part of the Knights of the Blood Oath.  An unorthodox sight for such a floor, but not unheard of.  There were quite a few sub-dungeons and treasures that haven't been out in the large desert which are great help for most guilds, but not for a front line guild.  His crimson armor seemed even weirder for a guild known for their white armor with red trim.  With the blistering heat that came from a gust of wind, his signature green hair would billow without much response from him.

"I could find him myself, but there are easier methods.  Especially since it has been awhile since I've been on this floor."

The man said while looking around for someone that was near the quest giving NPC.  They would have checkpoints from their quest given to them, but it was only a general area to search.  Also, there were three of them, which made the quest last for almost an entire day, if not done right.  It didn't take long until he decided to announce himself as help.  Standing near the quest giver, the hunter breathed in deeply before letting out everything in a loud announcement.

"IF YOU'RE DOING THE TRAVELER QUEST, I'M WILLING TO HELP!!"

[Stryder 0]

Sky couldn't help but collapse, bored as hell. He wanted to find this quest, BUT HE DIDN'T KNOW WHERE TO LOOK!!! He ended up giving up, looking around. He noticed Aster watching him from a distance... At least he thought it was aster. He decided to call out, waving her over, before seeing a message flash up, and area message. He was quick, he had been looking for it, and he had just found a message. He bolted towards Aster, stopping next to her.

"Hey Aster, i'm heading to meet whoever sent that message, want to come?" He said, offering a hand to her in meeting, hoping she would shake it. He was suprised to actually see her here, this wasn't the kind of floor he expected to see people on. He looked for her fox, not seeing it, but deciding against saying anything. In casae something had happened, he didn't want to risk hurting her.

[Aster 0]

(ooc: @Yuurei if you wanted to go before me just let me know and I can change/remove my post. I figure posting order is pretty flexible until we start the quest.)

The ginger tilted her head as she watched the raven-haired player fall to the ground. He didn't seem to be hurt, which left her wondering why he would want to sprawl out on the hard sandstone when the sun was beating down on them from overhead. The girl was just deciding if she should call out to him when his head turned towards her. Aster flinched slightly, not expecting her observation becoming noticed.

When Stryder quickly ran over to the girl, Aster nervously pushed up at her glasses before giving him a small nod in greeting. "Oh," She took in his words and considered them a moment. She had heard the booming voice of what she assumed has been another player, but hadn't paid the words much attention. 'Something about helping out with a quest?' She recalled vaguely. Realizing she had been invited along, Aster reflexively looked down to the empty space beside her ankles as she would have silently asked Reginald for his opinion. Realizing the fox was probably enjoying a nap on her shop's countertop, the girl gave a small, thoughtful frown before another nod of her head. "Alright, I'll come along." She agreed with a small smile.

@Hirru @Stryder

Edited May 11, 2017 by Aster

[Yuurei 0]

(OOC: Sorry for missing this, forgot to notify of replies. I don't mind the posting order, so don't worry about it.)

Sand swept up in to Yuurei’s face, disgracing her eyes rather abruptly. She rubbed her arm against her eyes and blinked a few times to regain her sight. This had to be the worst floor she had been on so far, granted she hadn't gone passed the fifth floor yet. She sighed heavily, resigned to the thought that there was no available quests she could do by herself. 

As she turned to head back to the teleportation gate, however, a voice called out. A male, looking to help anyone with a certain quest. The Ghost’s eyes shifted through the area covered in sand until they locked onto a man with green hair clad in white and red armor. She would have commented on his taste in apparel if not for her snow white hair and black and green armored plates underneath a not-so-modern emerald dress. The saber-user stepped up to the other player after closing the distance between them.

“You looking for help with a quest? Count me in.” She says, trying to act like she's a player who knows what she is doing despite only being level four.

[Hirru 0]

The loud shout seemed to bring many eyes to him; something that he wasn't too keen on, but he had to get this job done.  He had all of the knowledge from his previous experience to just head out there and have a blind guess at things, but that was just it; a guess.  The shifting sands of the fifth floor always changed things up for every single quest that was on the floor.  Every.  Single.  One.  There wasn't much one could do to map the place, except hope that a monolith or obelisk would mark familiar territory.  The same could be said for this quest.

It didn't take long for some players to come over to him.  One of the first to actually say anything was a girl with emerald plate mail on.  It seemed that she wasn't under the effect of Survival, so that was a plus for him.  She would need it for further exploration, and a better survival over all.

"Well, it will more likely be me helping you, but we can deal with that once more people come along.  I'd rather have a big party going into this.  Better odds, you know."

He would say while waiting for what seemed to be two more heading his way.

@Yuurei @Stryder @Aster

Edited May 16, 2017 by Hirru

[Aster 0]

Aster walked over to what would now be a small group forming around a green-haired man. Assuming that @Stryder had been following along with her, the healer stopped and surveyed the other two players--the one who had advertised himself as assistance with some quest, and a white-haired girl who also seemed interested in taking up on the offer. Though it was difficult to discern at a glance, the girl assumed that the man who had called out was a higher level than all the other players surrounding him. Surprised at the man's willingness to take on an entire party of less experienced playesr, Aster wasn't in a position to question his kindness, if that's what it was. She wasted little time, taking in a breath before approaching @Hirru and offering the man a small curtsy in polite greeting. "If you have room for a healer in your party, I would be happy to join you." The ginger laced her fingers together in front of her as her spine straightened again. She glanced over to the raven-haired player to see if he would introduce himself as well.

@Yuurei

[Stryder 0]

Sky had zoned out, before noticing something. His partner, had vanished!!! He turned, looking around and trying to find her before noticing Aster running off towards where the message had originated from. He shrugged, running towards the source with her. Once they got there, he noticed a few people had already gathered. Their was a young girl, a guy who looked like he had come from the frontlines and Aster, as well as himself. They were going on the Traveller Quest, which meant he could get a cool extra skill that would make him immune to a lot of damage and also give him more healing.

"I'm also interested, i'm a damage dealer, though  i don't know how much use that will be on this quest" He said, smiling as he joined the group. He hoped that he would get along with these guys, he had his doubts, being who he was.

@Aster @Hirru @Yuurei

Edited June 7, 2017 by Stryder

[Hirru 0]

As the other two came towards him to enlist their help in his effort to complete his objective, the hunter nodded to the both of them.  With the group of four, they should be able to comb through the known parts of the desert with ease, but that is for them to negotiate.  It takes teamwork to find the bloody cargo that the quest giver requires, which also points towards the hunter's objective.  The hunter nodded to all of them.

"Good, I see we're all well rounded then.  Alright, once we get out there prepare to get blasted by the intensity of the fifth floors true identity.  Make sure you all have some kind of water source on you at all times, as you'll need it."

The hunter said while assessing everyone to be quite low in the level range, but again that wasn't something one could easily tell.  Heck, if he didn't have the symbol for the Knights of the Blood Oath, maybe he would be too.  Though, that didn't mean that they wouldn't.  In any case, he was ready to head out.

"Alright, let's go!"

[Reminder to roll for environmental damage]

@Aster @Stryder @Yuurei

[Aster 0]

ID# 86372  CD: 6 - No damage

Aster glanced over her shoulder to spot the raven-haired player following after her. She brought up a hand to nudge her glasses up on the bridge of her nose while the green-haired man began to address them all. The ginger's gaze shifted outside of Armadillo's main gates to the wild desert beyond. She did still have a fair supply of water and bread to keep her alive outside of the safe zones, and the combination of her healing skills and the potions that she had on her left her without worry for her or her party's health. The girl gave herself a quick once-over, ensuring that her handwrap weapons were equipped and there was nothing she couldn't go without before departing.

Their green-haired leader, whose name she didn't recall catching in the commotion of the desert city, led the way. Expecting Stryder to continue following along, but not eager to drum up casual conversation, Aster made her way outside of the safe zone's borders. She kept to herself, as always, and simply kept a careful watch of their spacious, sandy surroundings. As a support-build, she needed to focus on making up where her combat skills lacked, which included observation and tactical thinking--at least one of which she already had confidence in.

@Yuurei @Stryder @Hirru

Edited June 27, 2017 by Aster

[Yuurei 0]

Spoiler

#86840 CD 5 No damage

The white haired woman covered her eyes with her arm as the harsher sands blew across her face in the heavy wind. It was like snow, only more annoying; at least snow is just water. Nevertheless, the parameters for the quest require that she make her way through the desert wastes and that was exactly what she intended on doing. 

Yuurei drew her curved saber from its sheath. She knew the dangers of the non-safe zone already and hadn't spent much time in them, but Shield had surely shown her just how hazardous it can be. Her teammates all went ahead of her, except for the other girl in their party who had taken up the rear. She assumed she was strictly a healer and not much of a combat player from her previous statement.

“My name is Yuurei, guys, nice to meet you all.” She said, just before choking on a glob of sand that had flew into her mouth. “That’s Yūrei, not Yurei. Ghost, not oil cooler.” She emphasized the long vowel in her name with hopes that her new companions would respect her choice in screen name.

@Aster @Stryder @Hirru

Edited July 18, 2017 by Yuurei

[Telrenya 0]

ID# 87774  CD: 9 - No damage

Telrenya brought up a hand in a feeble attempt to shield her eyes from the desert sands that whipped back and forth across the fifth floor. The area outside of the safe zone was less forgiving than she could have imagined, and the woman found herself tripping and stumbling often as she carried herself forward. "So much... for some basic exploration..." The blonde practically panted out the words as she mumbled to herself. The rapier-wielder had initially set out from Armadillo with a simple goal in mind: get an idea of the area outside of the safe zone and try to collect a bit of map data. Just some simple scouting before she would head back home to Delilah. The desert seemed to have other plans for her, however. Hopelessly lost, Telrenya trudged along, only hoping that she might be heading in the right direction to get herself back to civilization. "I really hope... I can make it somewhere safe before sunset..."

Edited August 13, 2017 by Telrenya

[Stryder 0]

Sky didn't know what had happened, but he had gotten lost. He had somehow split from that original group of people he had met, he didn't know if any of them were following him or if they were just.... Gone. He had no idea, but he chose to keep gong. He needed to find the cargo....

Spoiler

ID# 87775 results:

 Craft: 4 - No damage

As he was going, the sandstorm picked up, the sand making him have to cover up his eyes, but he managed to do so, it not causing him as much trouble as he had suspected it would. He noticed a figurine as he was walking.... It looked like... a person? He couldn't tell, the sandstorm was picking up and he had to find that dam cargo before these winds killed him!!

"HEY, YOU ALRIGHT?" He yelled out, not knowing if she, or if anyone who had followed him, could hear him. All he knew was that he had to be careful with this, for all he knew it was some top notch Pker...

[Aster 0]

ID# 87776  CD: 8 - No damage

'Of all the bloody places to get separated...' The ginger's rare temper began to flare as she squinted her eyes against the winds that increased their intensity by the minute. Aster had been looking for the raven-haired boy that she had initially agreed to join on this expedition immediately after she'd noticed he was no longer following behind them. The girl let out a small scoff when she'd finally managed to spot a far-off figure, blurred by the heat that radiated from the desert sand. The healer gave a hesitant glance back towards the other members of their meager party, whom she had already put some accidental distance between. Drawing a short breath so as not to inhale too much of the sand particles that floated around her face.

Jogging over to the figure, she eventually confirmed that Stryder was standing alone in the middle of the desert, but she caught the sound of his voice as if it was calling out to something. "Oi!!" She shouted as the dark-haired player as she approached. "Where the hells are you running off to?" She practically scolded him as she closed the gap between them.

Edited August 13, 2017 by Aster

[Telrenya 0]

ID# 87777  CD: 7 - No damage

Telrenya let out steady breaths as she walked. She mostly stared at the sand in front of her feet as she pressed on, occasionally looking up to see if she could spot any sign of a town or other players along her invisible path. The woman dragged an arm across her forehead, Cardinal unmercifully putting her under the effects of the desert's heat. Suddenly, she thought she might have heard something over the winds that whipped around her ears.

Telrenya stopped in her tracks, continuing to squint slightly against the dusty air as she gave a quick look around her. Surely enough, a figure stood in the distance. For half a second, she wondered if it was even a real person before deciding it didn't matter one way or another. Even if her mind was playing tricks on her, it seemed worth a shot to investigate. Changing her direction slightly, the blonde began walking towards the person in the distance, wondering if they might be able to hear her if she were to call back out. "Heeeeyy!" She yelled, cupping her hands around her mouth as she did so. "Excuse me!" Even in this kind of situation, she couldn't help from trying to be polite. "I'm trying to get back to town! Can you help?!" She called out while trying to reach the boy on foot.

Edited August 13, 2017 by Telrenya

[Stryder 0]

Sky wimpered down slightly when he was scolded by her, not having expected someone to come out of nowhere. It was Aster, the only one of their group he had any familiararity with. He had no idea how she found him, but she had, so he had someone to keep him company while he was searching for this cargo, and before long someone else heard him and started making their way towards him. He couldn't help but call out again, hearing she was trying to find her way back home. He looked up, noticing it was late, VERY late. It was actually midnight right now, the massive walk into the desert having actually taken an entire night.

Spoiler

ID# 87778 results:

 Craft: 10

"Were triyng to find Cargo, you found any?" He calls out to her, before looking at aster, a little worried about what her reaction might be. "Sorry,i  don't know what happened, but i guess i went to find the cargo?"

[Aster 0]

ID# 87783  CD: 2 - No damage

Aster held back a huff of breath at Stryder's meek apology, doing her best to compose herself before she snapped at him any further. 'This heat is unbearable. Even after the sunset, it almost gives you a headache...' She left her complaints to her mind as she pushed up the frame of her glasses. She found it odd when Stryder seemingly called out in a different direction, but her amber eyes quickly followed where his body was facing to find another person approaching them. "And you've somehow made a friend." The words left her in more of a statement than a question, but the girl forced herself to get past the oddity and try to get back to a logical solution to their situation. Staring down the figure that slowly became more and more clear, it looked to be a young woman dressed in knightly attire. With her blonde hair and delicate-looking frame, Aster would say she almost looked like a combination of a knight and a princess. The thought made her frown, wondering if the woman would act as oddly as she looked. With a tiny sigh, the alchemist decided to address the new player as well. "Yes, we're looking for a quest objective. A piece of cargo, like a wooden crate or a lockbox." As she wasn't sure of the item's appearance, she was equally unsure how to describe it to a stranger. Still, it was worth a shot. "Have you seen anything like that?"

Edited August 13, 2017 by Aster

[Telrenya 0]

ID# 87784  CD: 4 - No damage

Telrenya was nearly panting again by the time she closed the gap between herself and the pair of players. She leaned over, placing her palms to her knees to try and catch her breath once she had come to a stop. Upon taking in their questions about finding a piece of cargo, Telrenya's expression took on one of deep thought. "Uhh... I think I picked up a few things while I was out, but I don't fully remember..." She admitted a bit sheepishly. Straightening up a bit, the woman brought a hand to the back of her neck. "I can probably check..." She mumbled under her breath. Swiping a hand through the air to open up her menus, the woman scrolled around in her inventory and tapped on a handful of different items. Some were just regular materials, while others were complete junk. Among the items that spawned at her feet, however, was a small wooden chest that would appear to the other players as <<The Cargo>> quest objective.

Edited August 13, 2017 by Telrenya