[PP-F2] Light Only Lasts So Long -Telrenya and Myself- -Let there be light-

[Domarus 0]

Domarus had spent enough time with players who seemed to be taking their time.  He needed the experience so he might as well get started on another quest.  He had discovered one that should be rather easy so he went to the proper floor and accepted the quest.  Domarus knew the mobs would be extremely easy so he wasn't afraid of them whatsoever.  Apparently the quest was to be taken place in a cave where the light never touched it.  Even if the player used light items.  The darkness supposedly dealt a debuff to the player's stats, though it was minor.  Domarus doubted that he would have any issues in that sense.  He would overcome it easily.  Keres remained at home still as she was still recovering from...  Her inability to inflict pain on herself.  Her addiction was strange but it was still and addiction.  Porvós watched over her while she was in her shop.  Rhozarth sat on Domarus' shoulder piece, the red familiar consistently ablaze as always.  Domarus wasn't wearing his Hopebreaker armor as he would switch to that once he was alone and in combat.  At the moment he was wearing his dragon bone armor, which he wore when around others.  He made his way towards the town's exit.
@Telrenya

Edited July 11, 2017 by Domarus

[Telrenya 0]

'Finally, the second floor!' Telrenya stepped down from the teleport gate nested in the middle of Urbus with a proud smile on her face. Though still a simple level one, the blonde had made the decision to venture past the first floor and the Town of Beginnings. Her hand brushed against the hilt of the rapier at her waist--a basic weapon, but she hoped it would serve her well should she need it. "Alright, now... What to do?" The woman mumbled to herself as she took in her surroundings--players moving between shops and others heading to the edge of town, with NPCs idling and chatting in between. Moving herself out of the way of the teleport gate, Telrenya walked slowly through the main city.

She hadn't been walking long when the sound of sobbing caught her attention. Looking for the source of the crying, Telrenya's brown eyes landed on a woman standing at the side of the road, face in her hands while her shoulders jerked up and down with her uneven breathing. 'An...NPC?' The blonde puffed out her chest as a sense of responsibility filled her. Walking up to the woman Telrenya tilted her head and leaned forward slightly. "Excuse me... Miss? Are you alright?"

After a distressed explanation about a missing child, Telrenya nodded. "Understood. You can count on me, ma'am!" The blonde gave the quest-giver a nod in farewell before hurrying off in the direction of the town's exit. She must have been in too much of a hurry, turning a corner and unable to stop her momentum before bumping against the back of a tall, armored player with fiery red hair. Stumbling back to regain her balance, Telrenya called out to the man. "Ah! Sorry!" She tensed up, unsure if the stranger would be terribly bothered by her clumsiness.

Edited May 26, 2017 by Telrenya

[Domarus 0]

A milk run.  That's what this quest was intended to be.  A quest on the second lowest floor in the castle of Aincrad in a cave filled with bats as the bosses, verses a player who was already tier two and would hopefully draw closer to becoming tier three.  Not to mention his armor gave him high defense and thorn damage to boot, as well as his intense strength with the two handed battle ax skill.  He had recently gained the correct ferocity mod as well.  Now all his skill points would be directed towards the charge skill.  After that he'd go after heavy armor for the athletics skill.  All out raw damage.  That was his intention.  He wanted to deal the maximum amount of damage this game had to offer, and he would do anything he could to get that.  Save for murder, that would ruin his reputation.  Domarus' thoughts were interrupted as a player bumped into him, though he barely felt a thing.  He turned around to see who had done so, the facade of him being surprised on his face.  He noticed a blonde haired player with a rapier hanging from her hip who had tensed up and apologized, obviously afraid she had annoyed or aggravated him in some way.  Just your typical low leveled player.  Most likely she was planning to do something that would end with her in a box.  Not that he cared.  He gave a kind smile and chuckled a little bit.
     "No worries miss-?"  While he didn't care about the player, he needed people to believe he did.  And thus he ended up helping noobs with their issues a lot.  This was probably why he wasn't climbing the levels at the rate he'd like to.  That and the fact that most of the players he trained with were rather inactive of late.  Rhozarth turned to look at her, his fiery eyes analyzing everything about her.  The blazing dragon came to the same conclusion Domarus had.  The player sought to be a dps, and yet she still went with the rapier.  Why players would choose the rapier over the two handed assault spear was beyond him, seeing as how the assault spear dealt more damage than a rapier.

@Telrenya

[Telrenya 0]

Telrenya felt a sudden relief when the stranger's expression shifted and a small chuckle left his throat. Plenty of other players were friendly, but the ones that were not tended to be extremely so. Straightening her spine, the blonde placed her right hand over her heart with a gentle smile and offered the red-haired man a bow. "My name is Telrenya. Sorry again for disturbing you." Raising her head, the woman's arm fell and her fingers laced with each other in front of her torso. Her attention was quickly caught by the creature resting on the man's shoulder. 'A dragon?' She thought with interest, admiring how the flames that licked the dragon's flesh complimented the man's fiery hair color.

Realizing that her gaze had been lingering on the familiar, Telrenya came to her senses. "Ahh, sorry," she apologized yet again. "I don't believe I've seen anything like them before, so they caught my interest."

[Domarus 0]

Her posture switching to a more relaxing position told Domarus that she was no longer concerned.  After she relaxed she straightened herself and looked up at him.  When she put her hand where her heart was and smiled while giving him a bow, he was rather surprised to say the least.  Most players rarely went this far.  She introduced herself and apologized a second time.  If she was going to be one of those players who apologized for every five minutes then he'd be glad to be rid of her.  He had enough of that in his life.  Nonetheless, he showed nothing but interest and kindness on his face.
     "Telrenya eh?  That's a fancy name.  Nice to meet you.  And no apologies are necessary, such things happen all the time."  Domarus planned to move away and continue his way through the gates when he noticed she hadn't moved.  He focused on her again and noted that she was staring at his familiar.  Rhozarth, who noticed this as well, stared back, his fiery eyes focusing all it's attention on her own eyes.  If the player was skilled in reading eyes, she would note that Rhozarth would seem to only care for strength over every other trait.  Domarus heard her apologize and refrained from rolling his eyes before replying.
     "No need to apologize.  Dragon's aren't very common save for as bosses so it's understandable.  This is Rhozarth.  He's my familiar.  His personal enhancement is damage."  

@Telrenya

[Telrenya 0]

A small smile pulled at her lips. Telrenya finally tore her eyes away from the fiery dragon to give Domarus a small nod at his explanation. "Interesting." She said simply. The girl was curious, several questions surfacing in her mind. What other kinds of familiars were there? Do they all have personalities, or needed to be taken care of? And how did a player obtain a familiar at all? The man seemed polite, but she quickly decided against bothering him further with such trivial inquiries. The knowledge wasn't dire, and it wasn't anything Telrenya couldn't find out on her own with a bit of research. Instead, she left herself a mental note to look into the topic of familiars once she had some free time, most likely once she was done with this quest.

'Ah, right!' She had been so caught up in running into this stranger that she had nearly forgotten the objective waiting for her outside of the city gates. "Pleasure meeting you," Once the words left her, Telrenya realized that she hadn't, in fact, properly met the man. At least, he hadn't offered her his name in return. As odd as she found it, the girl chose to disregard the detail for now; it was incredibly likely that the two would never see each other again after this. Perhaps Domarus thought the same. Whether or not the redhead offered a response, Telrenya would give him another small nod, this time one of farewell. The blonde would move aside so as not to block his own path, making her way towards the city gates.

[Domarus 0]

It hadn't crossed Domarus' mind that he hadn't given her his name.  However if it came to it he could always fake that he had forgotten to do so, which with what he was seeing he could easily fool her.  The main reason he hadn't shared it was because she had no need to know it.  He would rather she hear the gossip of the 'white knight Domarus' that had been going around lately.  The white in the title was in reference to the personality he showed the players and npc's, not his armor which was black and designed to intimidate all manner of players during combat.  Which was why he only wore it in combat.  The player mentioned how it was interesting and stared at Rhozarth for a bit before she switched to Domarus.  She gave him an exiting sentence before moving off towards the gates.  She had given him time to reply however, so he smiled and bowed slightly.
     "The pleasure was mine."  As he watched the girl leave he decided to He did not wish for this new player to Domarus watched her for a little bit and waited a little bit longer before making his way to the gates himself.  He didn't want her to think he was stalking her.  He could not have any bad rumors, no matter how false -seemingly- or small they were.  Any tiny pebble could cause a ripple in the entire effect.  And while he could handle a ripple, he could not handle waves of them.  He'd like to keep the amount as small as possible.

Time Lapse - Near Cave Entrance

@Telrenya

[Telrenya 0]

Telrenya had made the journey through the forest outside of Urbus uneventfully. The objective marker on her map indicated that she wasn't far off from the cave now. The blonde woman drew her rapier, holding the weapon at her side as she walked. "I didn't take my level into account..." She mumbled to herself, realizing that she would most likely run into combat at some point. The cave's entrance was visible now, a gaping hole at the base of a small mountain that showed no source of light from the inside. Telrenya wondered for a moment if she would even be able to see where she was going once inside the cave, and then how she would ever find this little NPC girl that she needed to retrieve. The corner's of her mouth pulled down into a frown. As she walked up to the entrance, her left hand rested against the uneven rocky surface. "If I go in alone, there are a lot of risks..." Her thoughts voiced themselves again as she muttered to herself. Her low level left her without a generous number of hit points, and her basic equipment provided her with neither offensive nor defensive bonuses. If she got caught up in a fight and she was outnumbered, she likely didn't stand a chance. Although the quest details didn't say for sure, the blonde woman recalled the frantic NPC saying something about bats being common inside of the cave.

[Domarus 0]

Domarus was rather enjoying the trip from the gates to the cave.  One or two monsters came in his way and after utterly destroying them, he was rather unopposed.  Most players would think this to be boring but not Domarus.  Not only did he have silence for once in this God forsaken game, but such a thing gave him a sense of power and authority.  He was so caught up with his plans, schemes, ideas and other such matters, that he was able to move through the floor with a clear mind.  It was refreshing to have for once.  According to his map he was approaching the area.  Once he killed the bats he would need to go back to hacking at leveled monsters again.  Anything to get his level up.  Maybe he'd go up a few floors and look for a dungeon to clear out.  When the entrance was finally in his sights he spotted another player who seemed reluctant to enter.  The player had blonde hair, and...  Oh for the love of.  Domarus stopped in his tracks as he recognized this player.
     "Well this is an odd coincidence."  He chose to reply two seconds after instead of waiting since if a longer span of time passed she might notice it and think he was displeased with this encounter, which he was to some degree.  She might have some use at some  point however and thus he was able to tolerate this.  He waited till she turned around before gesturing to the cave entrance.
     "You took the same quest?  Or did this just happen to be something that interest you?"  He gave a false, but very convincing grin.

@Telrenya

[Telrenya 0]

The blonde let out a small sigh, still weighing her options. Surely, completing the quest would award her some much-needed experience, but the possible risks were starting outweigh those rewards. Perhaps she would have to spend some time killing monsters in the surrounding forest. If she could hold her own against them, it probably wouldn't take long to gain a level or two and leave her with a higher health pool to face off against any bats lurking in the cave.

Rousing her from her thoughts, a voice that Telrenya only barely recognized called out behind her, causing the woman to turn and spot the same red-haired man from town. "Ah, the dragon-tamer!" She called back with an amused smile. "Something about a lost girl and some bats, right?" She asked him back, figuring they must have taken the same quest after all. The thought struck her as odd, however. Thought she couldn't see his level, she had assumed the man was much more experienced than her. Perhaps she was still correct in her assumptions, and it was just a quest worth his time. "Yes, I'm here for the quest," She confirmed, "however I'm afraid I may be sorely underleveled." The woman admitted with a small frown.

[Domarus 0]

Domarus nearly cocked an eyebrow at the title he was apparently given as well as the 'amused smile' the girl wore.  The name she associated him with was understandable given how that was all the info she had on him besides the fact that he wore dragon bone armor.  And thus he chuckled and nodded after she described the quest.
     "Essentially yes, and my name is Domarus.  It occurred to me that I did not inform you of my name and I apologize for that."  This statement should win over more of her trust.  Hopefully things would go smoothly with this player.  He'd need to get more intel on her of course, background, any players whom might be close to her.  But overall he shouldn't have too much to worry about.  Not many could see past his disguise.  However there were a few who had, and they had vanished off of the face of the earth.  When she confirmed that she was here for the quest, but she was under leveled he changed his face to one of curiosity.  Internally he didn't think that players had to be such a strong level to conquer this quest, so she must have been very very low, possibly level one even.
     "Well then, perhaps we could aid each other.  I have nothing good to do today regardless, and you need help with this quest.  I'll help get you through it, and you can help me get through this day without dying of boredom?  Sound good?"  He spoke in such an honest and humorous way with a smile and held his hand out for her to shake, if she accepted of course.  Rhozarth simply gazed at her with a blank look.

@Telrenya

[Telrenya 0]

"Well then, pleasure to properly meet you, Domarus." Telrenya paid no mind to his lack of providing a name in their first meeting. The blonde was even a bit surprised they had run into each other again at all. When the dragon-tamer offered his proposal to team up, the girl mirrored his curious expression. He had been friendly with her, for which she was grateful, but her first impression of the man had been that he was much more skilled than her. Though her judgement could always be incorrect, she couldn't imagine things going any differently than Domarus wiping out any monsters without her being able to contribute. An easy quest completion, sure, but she wasn't eager to be anyone's baggage. The girl brought up a hand to idly rub at the back of her neck while she mulled over his offer. "Mm, I can't help but feel it's a one-sided deal," She felt the need to voice her concern before continuing. "but if that's really all you want in return I'd be foolish to turn you down." A small smile came back to her features, resting her right hand on the hilt of her rapier. "Thank you, then." She offered the man a nod.

[Domarus 0]

The player greeted him, seeming to pay no mind to his previous withholding information.  It was becoming more and more clear to Domarus that she was rather lax in the area of caution.  When he proposed the team up she seemed to show a curious expression.  What she was curious about he had no idea, but regardless he didn't think it would be much of an issue.  It was true that Domarus was far more stronger than this quest, but he needed the experience.  She needed assistance.  And he really didn't have much to do today so he might as well amuse himself for a little while.  Perhaps she would decide they should gather materials at some point.  Domarus surely need some for the sake of crafting after all.  Finally she spoke up, mentioning how she felt it was a one sided deal and he allowed a light friendly chuckle to be heard.  After she finished he nodded.
     "I understand why you're hesitant.  However I feel that if I see someone in need I may as well give them a hand.  Besides, there are minor ways this helps me out as well.  In one turn, having someone there with me will keep this day from getting boring.  Most of the players I hang out with have been rather inactive of late."  She finished off by thanking Domarus and of course, his response would be to smile and give a slight bow.
     "It's my pleasure to assist.  Well, I suppose we should be heading in now.  Give me a second to equip my weapon."  Domarus wouldn't bother with his armor as this monster would be pathetic in damage.  He opened his menu and equipped his two handed battle ax, the black weapon appearing on his back with a pulsing red glow.

@Telrenya

[Telrenya 0]

Telrenya gave another nod, watching the weapon materialize behind him with slight interest. The axe certainly looked more impressive than her basic rapier, and she made a mental note to get her equipment upgraded as soon as she'd saved up enough col.

When Domarus appeared to be ready to go, Telrenya got herself moving as well. It didn't take long after they had entered the cave for the light source behind them to grow farther and farther away, leaving them in a growing darkness. The blonde squinted her eyes against the virtual darkness, unsure if her vision would gradually adjust like in the real world or if they would be forced to travel through the caverns in near blackness. Rhozarth, still perched on Domarus' shoulder, was their only source of light once they had turned a corner and the mouth of the cave disappeared from view. The flames that covered his skin gave off a weak glow--just enough to allow them to see the cave walls around them, but they would likely still be left at a disadvantage in combat. Hand still resting on the hilt of her weapon, she tried her best to stay attentive. The woman wasn't sure how they were going to find a lost child in these conditions, but it seemed like sound was going to be their best bet.

[Domarus 0]

Nothing but curiosity emanated from the girl when his blade was revealed.  Understandable of course.  The blade by itself didn't seem very intimidating.  His armor however, would have made it appear far more cruel, destructive, and give it that little fear tactic.  If he had chosen to equip his hopebreaker set, she would be giving of a very different emotion right now.  Telrenya entered the cave and Domarus followed suit.  It became rather clear that Rhozarth was their only light source, weak as it was, so the flaming familiar waited for Domarus' command to take the lead.  After waiting a few seconds he nodded to the familiar and the flaming dragon took flight, it's fiery wings sending small flames onto the walls as it glided forward.
     "Well now.  At least we don't need to worry so much about tripping over something."  Normally, his blade would be pulsing a dark red glow, something else that added to the intimidation factor, but with the darkness crushing them the blade's glow could not be seen.  In all honesty Domarus enjoyed this.  Darkness.  Unable to see.  No color, no blurred lines.  Everything black and white.  So many relied on their sight alone which dulled their other senses.  It was good to be reminded to use your other senses as well.  Domarus was no exception.  He would not speak, make no sound, unless Telrenya asked for it.  Not that he cared much.  He was here for the experience points and nothing more.  She just happened to be a source of amusement for afterwards, something to keep him busy and from getting too bored.

@Telrenya

Edited June 2, 2017 by Domarus

[Telrenya 0]

Through her concentration, a small smile rested on Telrenya's face at the man's comment. Her expressions likely wouldn't be visible unless Domarus was paying close attention, as only the faint light from Rhozarth was cast on her. She was thankful for the fiery dragon's presence, providing them just enough light to give them a sense of direction. The woman walked in silence; she wouldn't be opposed to conversation, but her sense of hearing was too concerned with locating their objective to listen to her own voice reverberate off the walls.

Only their footsteps echoed lightly down the winding tunnels. For a few long minutes they walked in silence, but before much longer another sound met them. It was faint, but Telrenya could make out the sharp breaths and sniffles that resulted from a child's crying. The blonde frowned slightly as the sound reached her ears before turning her head to the red-haired man. "Must be our target." She said quietly.

[Domarus 0]

The silence continued for a longer period of time as they journeyed deeper into the caverns below.  The air grew colder, and more damp the further they went.  Darkness.  The freezing depths.  All so familiar to the idea of the cold, lifeless void.  So many feared death.  Others danced on the edge of it.  Domarus however, didn't care.  He wasn't afraid to enter the uncaring void.  However he wasn't about to plunge in either.  While he existed he would make his dreams be realized.  And if not by him.  Through someone else.  That was what he would need an apprentice for.  To ensure his goals were realized and continued on after his passing.  Then he heard the crying.  It was the typical helpless crying child and Domarus could honestly care less.  When Telrenya turned to him it sounded as though she didn't really care either, that it was just the end goal.  However when he focused his sight, he noticed that she was wearing a frown.  Perhaps she did care about the npc.  Despite the fact that it was made up of numbers.  He nodded.
     "Go see what you can do.  I'll handle the bats."  Rhozarth would follow Telrenya if she did as he said, in order to keep her path illuminated.  Domarus turned and waited.  When the girl was approached he heard the bats that he rightly guessed would emerge at the last moment.  The first thing he did was wait till they grew loud enough, nearly on top of him, before releasing the sword art.  Despite his surprise trap, the monsters had managed to dodge him.  At this point Domarus would stop and not move a muscle, listening very carefully to see if he could determine where the mobs would strike next.

Spoiler

ID#  85579  BD:  1+3-1=1  MD:  1
Player:  0 dmg dealt.
Monster:  0 dmg dealt.

Domarus:  620/620  34/62
@Telrenya:  ???/???  ??/??

Mob#1 - 50/50
Mob#2 - 50/50

 

Edited June 5, 2017 by Domarus

[Telrenya 0]

"Right." Telrenya simply nodded at Domarus' instruction. While the red-haired man stopped in their path and turned his back, the blonde woman continued on through the cavern. She nearly hesitated once she realized that Rhozarth was following her rather than staying with his master. She looked over her shoulder at the dragonling, his uninterested expression keeping her gaze from lingering on him for long. 'Domarus must be in control of him, so I guess he doesn't mind holding the line in this darkness.' She reasoned.

The rapier-wielder didn't have to walk much farther before the sobs that echoed through the tunnels grew much more clear. With the dim light radiating off of Rhozarth, Telrenya was soon able to spot a small figure curled up at the edge of a dead end. When she approached, the woman frowned for a moment, hesitating while she stood in front of the unnamed child. The sobbing continued, and Telrenya felt a knot begin to form in her stomach. 'Talking to NPCs is so weird...' She thought. Sometimes an NPC's programming could make it feel as if it was a real player. Then Telrenya would have to remind herself that she's just interacting with a part of the game's coding. With a small sigh, the woman knelt down before the little girl to try and get her attention.

[Domarus 0]

Listening carefully, he pushed past the sound of Telrenya and her actions and focused on the sound of the wind.  He could hear the wind beating against the walls.  He could hear quiet screeching as the two communicated.  Suddenly he heard a loud sound that he identified as wings pushing the wind away with enough force to shoot them forward.  He heard one, then another which meant they came at him at different times.  He released his sword art, swinging in large arcs but at a slower pace.  This way he managed to hit both monsters and eliminated them both.  He heard them shatter which meant that they were not leveled to him.  The void swallows all in the end, he thought.  Domarus turned around and saw Rhozarth lighting Telrenya a little bit.  She was trying to work with the npc, on the girl's level attempting to gain her attention.  He made his way over, at a decently slow pace in order to keep from stumbling.
     "Is she listening to you?" he asked as he knelt down as well.  Even kneeling he would be huge to that girl.  He didn't care of course.  His face had a masterful disguised mask that would appear calm and caring, rather than bored and destructive as he really was.  

Spoiler

ID#  85800  BD:  10+3=10  MD:  1
Player:  15+2x2x7=238 dmg dealt.
Monster:  0 dmg dealt.

Domarus:  620/620  6/62
@Telrenya:  ???/???  ??/??

Mob#1 - 0/50
Mob#2 - 0/50

 

Edited June 21, 2017 by Domarus

[Telrenya 0]

"Err, you're lost right? Let's head back," Telrenya wore a friendly smile while trying to interact with the NPC child. Her feminine instincts conflicted with the fact that the crying little girl in front of her wasn't actually real, leaving the woman hard-pressed for words. Despite her uncertainty, the wailing child sniffled and rubbed at her eyes, calming down a bit as the game registered Telrenya's interaction with her. She gave a small nod, tears still running down her cheeks while she stood up. It wasn't much longer when Domarus had caught up with them, approaching behind Telrenya and kneeling as well. She turned to look at the man with a weak smile.

"It took a little bit, but she's finally done crying." She said, a bit relieved that the noise had died down. Standing herself back up, Telrenya rested a hand back on the hilt of her rapier and kept on eye on the NPC child to make sure she was following after them now. "You've taken care of the bats already? Good job, that was fast." Her smile grew a bit wider.

@Domarus