[F5-PP] Rescue Mission <<Arabian Nights 1: Heroic Route>> (Aster)

[Husky 0]

The Fifth Floor has never been Husky's favorite place to be. The scorching sun radiating heat down to the yellow sand was never a pleasant thing. Husky has to left Woofles behind, since a snow-wolf going to a place like this would be torturous. Husky could do without the extra accuracy little Woofles can provide him, but he'd never put his pet through things as such, even if it's only a virtual game. It's still early in the day, so he have some time to spend before he started his quest again. Maybe a drink in the tavern would cool him off from the heat. Armadillo wasn't well known for the delicacy that they have to offer, however, they do offer some unique meals that Husky could learn from. The tavern does provide a rather authentic atmosphere. The wall made of sandstone fits well with the desert theme. Entering the place brings back some memories. Husky was astonished with the interior design as well. The polished dark oak fits well with the ambient lighting of the place, providing a soothing and calm feeling. 

What lacks in comfortable weather, it pays off for its atmosphere. Settling down in a table, Husky leaned his body back to the chair, enjoying the music. He had ordered himself some shimmered fruits, and while waiting for his order, Husky noticed a familiar figure outside the tavern.

@Aster

[Aster 0]

The sandstone floor in Armadillo was uncomfortably hard beneath Aster's feet. The alchemist pushed up her glasses as she walked, frowning slightly in discomfort as the heat in the air enveloped her. Having nearly dragged herself to the fifth floor, Aster knew there were still quests in the area that she had avoided. 'Perhaps if I can post a bulletin for any questing parties...
The ginger was lost in thought while she tried to formulate a plan, tapping on her chin with an index finger as she walked. She was in need of more experience to be able to level up her skills, but she wasn't going to be able to get that experience on her own. With a small nod to herself, as if she had made a decision, Aster located the town's bulletin board across from a tavern that seemed to be plenty busy despite the sun still hanging overhead.

As she approached the board, menus appeared in front of her, prompting the girl to write a message or choose from the options of different players' advertisements. She typed out on the keyboard that hovered in the air, carefully wording her request. When she was happy with the message, the ginger pressed 'Accept' to have it published, putting up a request to join any questing parties that were in need of a support player.

[Husky 0]

Husky had his eyes fixed onto the girl in front of the request board in the square. Her brown hair with a tint of orange reminded him of someone he had met a while back. "Where have I met her before?" The brunette pondered. Maybe he had paired up with her somewhere in one of his adventures; maybe he, or a customer from his shop. Try his best, he couldn't tell exactly where had they met. Maybe he should try to meet up with her after his meal. If he greet her in person, he might be able to remember just where did he met her. 

However, his plan for the day might changed to something he hadn't planned for. While dining on the dish of shimmered fruits, Husky noticed a man sitting in a table not far from his. His head drooped down to the table, showing sign of concerns about something. With the plate still half finished, Husky left his table and joined the stranger's, sat down on the opposite side. "Hey there. Something the matter?" Husky spoke, his voice was warm and soothing. The stranger looked up to Silvery Warrior, and began telling him his story. Husky found out the stranger's name's to be Ali, an NPC resided on this particular floor. Ali has requested that Husky go and find any clue about his missing brother, Cassim. Through Ali's story, Cassim went missing after he had entered a chasm in the dessert, an area known for bandit activities. Fearing that Cassim might have been captured, or killed by the bandits, Ali had requested Husky for his assistance. Husky couldn't say no to someone in distress. Accepting the quest, he set foot out from the tavern, leaving behind his unfinished shimmered fruit.

While on his way out, he did caught a glance of the request board. He could saw the newest request has been posted by the orange-hair girl. Memories of the name began coming back. "Aster!" Husky snapped. It was the girl that assisted him in getting his pet. How could he have forgotten her. By the look of the message, it seemed like she's eager to head out and venture with someone else. Since he had a quest to complete, maybe she could tag along. More people means more firepower. Opening his menu, he sent forward a message to the owner of the request. 

[Aster 0]

Once her message had been posted, Aster took some time to better get to know the layout of the fifth floor's main city. She didn't plan to build or identify as a scout player or info broker, but she sometimes found herself gathering her own data when time allowed. The ginger walked through Armadillo, doing her best to ignore the heat from the sun that beat down on her.

Over in the main shopping district, she had just considered looping back to the inn or tavern closer to the center of town to take shelter and rest when the familiar sound of a new message chimed in her ears. Aster stopped in her tracks, navigating her menus and pulling up her messages. A familiar name displayed above the body while she read through Husky's message. A small smile found its way to her face, both because she was satisfied to receive results on her bulletin message so quickly, and because Husky was a player she was familiar with. There would be no need for introductions or learning the fighting styles of strangers. Pressing down on the small button that read 'Reply', Aster wrote up a brief response, proposing that they meet up in front of the inn at the center of town. The girl assumed he was still in Armadillo if he had seen her message on the bulletin board, and the inn was a landmark in the city that couldn't be missed. Once she had sent off the message to the brunette player, Aster dismissed her menus and made her way towards their meeting place.

@Husky

Edited June 16, 2017 by Aster

[Husky 0]

The town square is not that far from the request board; therefore, Husky shouldn't have any trouble finding his way there. Meeting up with an old friend wasn't something he had in agenda for the day, but circumstances seemed to be in his favor. Since Husky had had his fair share of experiences working with the girl, he has some previous knowledge of her capability, what Aster's good at and what weakness she needs to cover. 

Waiting for his partner by the entrance of the inn, Husky pondered about the mission. How should they proceed and rescue the hostage hiding inside the cave? There're many ways that they could approach this mission, but Husky wanted to guarantee not only his partner's safety but his as well. They could try and rush through, taking on all of the bandits at once, or take them down one by one through stealth. Either way, their risks are apparent. Husky will have to ask @Aster more about it before the two embark on this quest together. "Right on queue." Husky chuckled to himself. Just as he had mentioned her during his planning, he saw the girl approaching from a distance. Husky his hands in the air to greet her. It has been a long time since they last met, and he was excited to see if everything is going well for her. 

Edited July 10, 2017 by Husky

[Aster 0]

A small, almost nostalgic smile grew on Aster's face once Husky was visible in the distance, offering her a wave. It had certainly been a while since she'd seen the man. She finished closing the gap between them, shifting her weight to one leg when she'd come to a stop. "Fancy seeing you here," She said in greeting. "I suppose we're both looking to do some more quests. Do you have anything good in mind?" She inquired, wasting little time before pressing Husky for the details. While waiting for his response and listening carefully for any quest information the man would pass on to her, Aster lightly pushed up on the thin frame of her glasses with one hand, swiping her hand through the air to open her menus with the other. She had a few skill points waiting to be spent, so this could be a good opportunity to pick up a new skill or a modifier that would be useful to them. She was hoping to get into similar small parties, and while she couldn't contribute much of anything in terms of damage, she had plenty of opportunities to offer support. Already getting herself in order to set out, the girl frowned at the lack of items in her inventory. 'I really ought to stock up on more potions...' She thought.

@Husky

[Husky 0]

"Fancy meeting you here on the occasion. How's everything been for you? It's been god awfully long since I've seen you around." Husky smiled, greet his old time friend as she finally made her way to him. It has been a while since their last mission together, way later back when they all taken down the land shark on this very floor, along side with Teion. It's quite a coincident that they finally meet here again, after so long without any contact, on the same floor since they last met. Husky only hopes that whatever happened in this new expedition wouldn't come to the same result as the last one. " Let's head out. I'll fill you in along the way."

"I actually found one a while ago. The NPC's name is Ali, he stays inside the town's tavern. The poor guy looks rather distressed; supposedly his brother is trapped inside a bandit cave not too far from here. He wanted us to help rescue his brother." Husky explained the quest details as he strolled down the street, with Aster walking by his side. "In any case, the bandit's treasure cave shouldn't be far from here. A small walk toward the west side of town from the town's gate and we should get there. However, you might want to stay close. I don't know much of this area, but I do have a hunch that they aren't the type that plays nice." The brunette carried on. He had checked all his equipped gear so see if anything is out of place. While Woofles isn't with him, the small buff from his little friend won't affect him much. 

[Aster 0]

Aster absorbed all the information Husky passed on to her, giving a small nod or a mumble of acknowledgement here or there. "A rescue mission? That's a new one." She mumbled in interest. Many of the quests she'd since until now were the most simple bounty or collection--kill so many of this monster or get so many of that material. She was still poorly-equipped to completed those quests on her own, unless she already had a level advantage, in which case she wasn't getting much experience in the end anyway. "Well I suppose I'll just remind you that all I can do is boost your abilities. Do you need any potions?" She asked. Until she was able to pick up the more advanced skills that allowed her to increase other players' stats without the use of items, she would need to make sure she had plenty of consumable items on hand to do her job.