[PP-F6] <<Feeding the Enemy>> Another Try

[Teion 0]

The jungles of the sixth floor weren't a place that Teion could say that she frequented. The last time the violet-haired blacksmith had found herself among the looming trees and abundant foliage was maybe a month or so ago, when things weren't looking quite so bad. Now Teion sat, her back pressed up against the bark of a heavy tree with her knees pulled up to her chest. The woman wore a blank, sullen expression, one that had cemented on her features a couple of weeks ago now. An hour had already passed since she parked herself in the place that she had, and every once in a while her chin would tilt up as she looked towards the sky.

If her memory wasn't failing her, this was about the place that they had seen them. A small grouping of pixies that had taken an interest in them. She remembered how Beatbox was worried for her--a little trickster of a monster taking advantage of her. The thought normally would have made the woman smile, but instead she felt a pang of regret, unsure if she would prefer not to remember those things at all. Her arms folded as they rested on her knees, simply sitting in silence with only the ambient sounds the game provided her with.

@Rusty @Stryder @Kaya

[Kaya 0]

Wandering the forest of the 6th floor, Kaya trudged through the thicket with her basic two handed scythe in hand. She has no clue how she got here nor does she know how to get out. Keeping her head on a swivel, eyes always on the lookout, and knees shaking she tried to find a path or at least the town with the portal is at. "Damnit... Why do I always find myself in this situation." She thought as pushed on through. After a few more steps and just past a few trees, she spots a violet haired woman who seemed to be quiet comfortable. Not only did she seem strong, she was also pretty cute. Excitement surging through the red head, she rushed out of the bush. "Oh my god! Someone! Finally!" As she ran towards the player to talk to her, she trips and falls flat on her face. "Ow."

[Rusty 0]

While he had been told previously about the 6th floor's humidity, Rusty never imagined it feel so real and annoying. Beady, little droplets of sweats surfaced from the pores on his skin as he hiked through the dense foliage, brushing past rain-covered leaves and bushes. For a game meant to kill a big chunk of people, if not all, a lot of detail was put into it. What a waste of talent. Speaking of waste, he was wasting a ton of water, be it to just splashing his face with cold water to prevent himself from dying of heat exhaustion, even though that probably was not a feature in the game or just to keep himself hydrated. Every minute he spent in the jungle added to his regret of not just offing himself when this game first started. Although, his biggest regret was not getting a sword or a machete or something that could cut through all these dang leaves. "Why does there have to be so many f****** leaves?" He muttered as he continued forward. No, he just had to get the sword that was the least fit to cut through anything, a rapier. A dumb pointy thing that's used for fencing, not for duels. Fencing. "Look at me, I know how to fence. I'm so athletic! Hey, what sport did you play when you were high school? Oh I fenced. If I had a time machine, yep, I'm going straight for the guys who made that stupid sport and 'rapier.' Idiots." Eventually, ranting due to exhaustion and anger because of that exhaustion was too much energy and he just pouted throughout the jungle. 

"Oh my god! Someone! Finally!" Rusty stopped in his place, his brown eyes darting around the place, searching for the source of that noise. He moved silently, finding a place to hide before materializing his weapon. If he wasn't ready to fight for his life at any moment, he might as well not have it. "Crap, there's someone here. That sounded genuine, but it could be a ruse to lure me out." He peeked from his position, staring at the two girls. Odd. One of them was on the floor and the other was sitting by a tree. He took note of that and  then started peered around. He had heard months before of guilds/groups attacking a singular player to rob them. Sometimes they would have one person feign innocence or plead for help and when someone took the bait, the rest of them would come out and hold them at sword point. It was genius considering nobody who wants to keep their life will run or try to fight against 4 or 5 other people, so nobody has to kill anyone if they didn't want to and they would still get items. Of course, this didn't look that similar to those stories, but you never know. "..Do I go?" He mumbled, pondering over whether or not to step forward.

[Teion 0]

The only reason Teion registered the redhead's words was because she was trying to keep herself alert. Her head perked up slightly, expression still blank while her head turned to the side and her gaze fell upon a girl that seemingly face-planted into the jungle floor. Teion stared curiously without moving from her position. Her eyes examined the body before shifting over to the weapon the girl gripped tightly in her hand. The blacksmith was intrigued; the scythe was basic and likely low-level without many enhancements, but it was rare to see another two-handed axe user, and rarer still to see a weapon that resembled her own.

Her attention drifted away from the weapon on the ground and back to the situation at hand, causing a small frown to appear on the woman's otherwise dull face. There weren't many players that would wander through the sixth floor's jungles, and the girl seemed poorly equipped for the floor's level range. She seemed in a rush to approach Teion, but the woman was of no mind to meet new people. She was here to find the pixies, and she wouldn't be leaving her spot until she saw them again.

[Kaya 0]

Kaya quickly falls back on her bum as she  wiped the dirt from her face "Aaahhh that hurts." Kaya softly told herself. It seems like everytime, she's always stumbling somewhere. It's a wonder how her face hasn't strengthened up from all the face-plants. After wiping up most of the dirt, she looks back to the direction of the purple-mained woman. "Heeeeeyy!" She exclaimed as she waved her hands trying to gain her attention. She picks herself up from the ground and unto her two feet. Slowly trudging through the forest jungle, making her way to the woman, "Heey! Do you know where we are?" Scythe hanging lose on her side, Kaya felt that she could trust this woman. "I'm kind of lost... okay really lost.. Could you help me?" her face looked that of desperation. As she waited for the the woman's reply, she kept her eyes on the lookout. This was of course a higher leveled floor so this was really dangerous for Kaya.

[Rusty 0]

Rusty exhaled in relief, it was just him being paranoid. They didn't really seem to know each other and both seemed to be out of it, the purple-haired one sitting there, unfazed by the girl who tripped and the girl who tripped.. who had no qualms about running up to a person who she didn't know and asking them for help, even if she was lost. Although, it was a little suspicious that she had her weapon equipped. He decided to do the same and keep his weapon in his hand instead of sending it back into his inventory. "If I don't move now and show myself, they're gonna think I'm a creep when they discover cause they probably. Better if I do it now, let me just..." Instead of outright showing himself and coming forward, he walked parallel to them twenty feet away to make it seem like he had just passed by before stopping as he 'noticed' them. "Hey!" He yelled. "What are you two doing out here?"

[Teion 0]

Teion's eyebrows narrowed just the slightest bit as the red-haired girl continued calling out to her. 'So loud.' she thought, still staring back at the stranger as she approached. She came closer and explained her plight, causing the violet-haired blacksmith to make an irritated face. She didn't want to help people. She didn't want to talk to anyone. She wanted to stay put, waiting until she might hear the familiar chiming sounds in the air that had announced her targets' presence.

The woman nearly let out a tiny grumble, trying to figure out what to say to the girl when another unfamiliar voice called out to them. Teion's head swiveled forward until she found the source--a man facing them that stood only a short distance off. Another wave of unpleasantness washed over her. Now she had two strangers encroaching on her bubble of solitude. The blacksmith simply frowned, ignoring the man's question as she half-expected the redhead to shout back over to him anyway; she clearly didn't seem to be the type who was shy with strangers. Instead, she pulled a hand down in the air to open her menus, navigating to her map data and looking it over. "If you go that way," She extended an arm to point past the girl, at an angle from where she had first emerged from the foliage. "you'll get to the main city. Maybe a fifteen-minute walk." She explained briefly.

[Kaya 0]

Another sound came echoing from the side. It was a man's voice, one she's never heard of - probably. She looks to see who it was and instantly gave her attention back to the purple hair. She seemed a lot more interesting than the guy who seemed to creep out of nowhere. Watching her, she opened her map and point Kaya to the direction she needed to go. Just like that, no more words. "That's it?" She thought as he face shown disappointment. She wanted to mess around with the woman or at least get to know her a bit, but nothing. Trying to break the ice some more. She walks closer to the woman until she's right  beside her, looking at where she's looking. "Sssoooooooooooooo...." She paused for a little before she continued "Whatcha doooiiinnggg?" Kaya was genuinely curious why she's all the way out here, in the middle of nowhere.

OOC: sorry rusty xD

Edited July 26, 2017 by Kaya

[Rusty 0]

That was a first for him. They completely ignored him and his question, but it wasn't as if they didn't notice him, they didn't care enough t- "Wait, what the f***, that's Kaya, how the hell does she not recognize me?! I helped her become a cook and she forgets about me?!" It stung slightly that she didn't remember him even after all this time, especially since he assisted her in doing such an important quest. Guess he was that forgettable. Speaking of that, the purple-haired one responded to his question with a frown. Mad because he asked a question? Although, considering the fact that she had been alone and had just been sitting there while alone, she likes solitude and they both intruded into her personal space or she didn't like people. Well, it was probably both. There was a ton anti-social people here which he found very confusing because if they didn't like people, why the hell did they join a multiplayer game. Maybe masochism and antisociality went together? He still wanted to someone acknowledge him, just so he could have closure. He moved towards them, unequipping his sword just as he reached them. "Hey... Kaya." He said, sending a cold look her way. "So yeah.. why are you two ignoring me? You clearly heard me since you both looked my way and it's not like you two were having a discussion between friends because you two just met each other and you-" He nodded towards Teion.  "were just showing bubblehead over here directions, or am I wrong? I kinda understand why Kaya ignored me because her head is waaaay up there, still kinda rude to just brush me off. So what's your reason? Are you in a bad mood or something?"

@Kaya @Teion

Edited July 26, 2017 by Rusty

[Teion 0]

She had expected the cheerful girl to giggle and thank her, and be on her way. Teion closed her menus with another swipe of her hand just before Kaya proved her very wrong. The woman leaned away an inch or two out of reflex when she realized the redhead was standing right next to her. Her expression twisted into one of slight discomfort at the girl's verbal prodding. Unable to easily ignore the girl or try to send her away, Teion simply mumbled out a vague reply. "...Waiting for something. Trying to find a monster." was all she offered.

The woman had been so preoccupied with the girl at her side, she hadn't noticed the movement in front of her until a voice spoke up for the second time, questioning both of them again. Teion looked up at the man standing in front of them without much change in her expression. He called the other girl by name, addressing her as 'Kaya', although Teion wasn't able to discern whether they were friendly with each other or not. Then he began questioning her directly. The blacksmith felt herself internally retract, feelings of defensiveness festering as she looked up at him. Still, she didn't know how to respond. She averted her gaze, looking to the many trees that scattered the jungle floor before mumbling another response. "Sorry. Didn't expect other people around here."

[Kaya 0]

The stranger boy pressed on. He acted as if he knew Kaya, well might I add. Kaya, however didn't really take it to mind until he started being rude to her. Calling her an bubblehead. Kaya's eyes soon glared the boy. She march forward towards him and stomps on his foot. She then turns back around to stand next to the stranger lady when it finally hit her. Hitting a fist in her palm, her face brightens up. "Oohh! Rusty right?! Now I remember." She scratches her head as if trying to look innocent. "S-sorry okay! I completely forgot who you were until just know. I've met so many people, I've lost track." Trying to look more innocent, she gave him a smile while sticking her tongue out just a little bit. After finally fixing things with the boy, she looks back to the purple headed lady. "Whatcha mean monsters?" Her face looked curious, like a baby finding something new to them. "Shouldn't you need others with you if you're gonna fight a monster?"  Kaya kept looking around the trees, there was nothing there, so she had no clue what 'monster' this woman was really talking about, but as she stood there, she grew more curious. "I wonder what it could be." She thought as she looked to the ground. Her hand, pressed against her chin while she was deep in thought.

@Rusty @Teion

[Rusty 0]

"OWW! What the hell?!" He yelled, holding his foot in pain. She really was an airhead. "Took you a long time to figure out.. and probably a lot of brainpower." He muttered that last part. "Don't try to act innocent, doesn't work on me. Couldn't you have just punched me in the shoulder or something?" He turned to the other girl. "If you're trying to find something, shouldn't you be walking around and searching for instead of just sitting there? It's probably not gonna come to you if you're just here, you'd cover way more ground and would find it faster than just waiting. You don't always need others to fight monsters Kaya, especially if you're a high level. Maybe if there's more than one I guess. It's not like you can't just get away using a teleport crystal or run." He paused. "Anyway, are you okay? You don't seem that well, even though we're probably bothering you right now."

[Teion 0]

Teion could feel the irritation bubbling up inside of her. Why were these two so nosy? Why were they asking her questions and lecturing her? Arms still resting across her knees that were pulled close to her chest, she glanced first to Kaya with her childish curiosity, then to Rusty with his harsh advice. His tone seemed to soften a bit after a small pause, now asking the woman if she was 'okay'. Her temper threatened to flare, and she almost muttered something about agreeing with him that the two were bothering her. But the feeling soon died down and she chose not to bother questioning their motives, despite still wondering what reason they could possibly give for sticking around.

"I'm fine." She responded in the same dull tone she had given the redhead. "I have a quest. There was a type of monster I saw the last time I was here. I want to find it again." She explained herself in short, vague sentences, looking to Rusty to give a cold retort to his earlier comments. "And sometimes I just want to rest and think." She hoped that her responses would satisfy the two players and they would be on their way, but she had a strong feeling that she wouldn't be getting rid of them so easily.

[Kaya 0]

"Well what if it was a superduper strong monster?" Kaya raised her eyebrow and tilted her head as she questioned the brunette's advice. This woman interested her and she waned to help, if she could, and the brunette wasn't going to stop her.

"Oh oh oh! I'll help you!" She says with a smile full of excitement. She has no clue what she was looking for exactly, but that didn't stop her one bit. She began to search the area, looking through the thickets and shrubs until she finally feels something. "Oh! found something!" Through all the excitement, she rips it off the shrub and raised it high in the air, only for it to break into a multitude of pixels. "Ehehehehe... woops." She scratches the back of her head as she looks to the two with some embarrassment.

Giving up on the task of searching, she plops her bottom next to purple haired woman. She sat there curled up into a ball, Kaya leaned back with her hands keep up body somewhat up. Her legs stretched out in front of her. She looks up to the sky and the trees where the purple haired woman kept her eyes at. "I guess just wait with you here then." Kaya kept a warm smile as she sat there in silence with the woman.

ID# 87333 results: Loot: 2

@Rusty @Teion

Edited July 29, 2017 by Kaya

[Rusty 0]

"Are you doing Feeding The Enemy?" He asked. "The only quest on this floor that would have a monster in it would be... Deforestation. But nobody would do that alone, that suicide. Gemini and that inner demons crap don't count.." If he was right, then she was just looking for a familiar to bring along with her. He had tried that too, but the quest went wrong. "I get that, sometimes you just want to relax a bit and take time for yourself." He wasn't sure if that was a hint to leave her alone, usually, people had to imply it because it was hard for them to just outright say 'piss off.' Kaya didn't seem to care if the player wanted some time alone or didn't want anyone to help with her quest, declaring that she'd help her and that she would wait with her. "I should just ask if she needs help, it's not like I have really anything better to do." He thought to himself. "Hey, if you need some help, I could search around here for the monster. In case you're wondering why I'm offering to help, I don't really have anything better to do and I'll be able to get some skill points out of damaging and/or killing mobs. I won't really talk or bother you unlike Officer Friendly over here."

@Kaya @Teion

[Teion 0]

ID#: 87418
LD: 12 + (3 Equipment) + (3 Consumable) + (2 Skill) = 20 - Success!

The bubbly redhead continued to dumbfound the blacksmith as she rooted through bushes and other plant life looking for nothing in particular. The brunette served as a minor distraction from the girl's odd behavior, and when he inquired further about which quest she was on, she gave Rusty a nod. With an actual question to offer his assistance--unlike Kaya's immediate meddling--Teion's head tilted to one side ever-so-slightly.

Just as she was deciding whether or not to just accept the man's offer, a small sound reached Teion's ears and stole away her attention. A soft musical sound, akin to tiny wind chimes, indicated the presence of the creatures Teion had been waiting to see. Despite the girl that had just take a seat at her side, the woman quickly stood up, searching the skies for any sign of her target. Finally her cobalt eyes landed upon a group of five winged creatures in the distance. From afar, Teion had to strain her eyes to try and spot the same red-and-white pattern on one of the creatures.

Above each of the monster's heads, the game would display them as <<Pixie>>s. Tiny humanoids with insect-like features such as antennae and large black eyes. Its legs ended in a pointed appendage, leaving them without 'feet', and their hands consisted of three claw-like fingers. Their color schemes appeared to vary--some were different shades of green, another was dark gray with purple hues, and the one that Teion had fixed her attention on was was a milky white with fiery red hair that resembled upturned leaves--or perhaps it was the other way around.

((I'm going to stretch out the 'taming' into the next post or two if it okay with you guys :3))

[Rusty 0]

Rusty stood patiently, waiting for a reply. She probably was mulling it over, deciding whether or she would accept his offer. He was fine with either outcome, he didn't have anything important to do besides level up, but that was less of a task and more of a goal. It was around then that the wind chimes that caught her attentions alerted him to the monsters. He looked around the vicinity until he noticed that Teion was staring upwards. He stared at the creatures, pixies apparently, although it's odd that they were so far up. Odd color schemes and their bodies seemed more animal-like than human. Guess these were the monsters she was looking for, she got up so fast anyway. He equipped his sword again, but he didn't take any sort of offensive stance. Pixies couldn't be very strong, especially if they were that small. Although, if they were pretty weak, he would have to be very cautious. There was a possibility that he could get a crit on one and kill them before she had a chance to tame them. She'd probably kill him or something, Rusty didn't know the girl too well to put that past her.

@Teion @Kaya

[Teion 0]

The Pixies seemed drawn to the players, although they did not charge at them in the same way most creatures would initiate combat. The creatures looked more curious than anything, but Teion was left to wonder if that type of expression was simply due to their large, beady eyes.

Teion perked up as if she had remembered something. The woman silently opened her inventory, tapping on a single item to summon it. Whatever words Rusty or Kaya might have said truly seemed lost on Teion now, as she was caught up with the creatures. After something that looked like red pieces of candy appeared in her palm, her eyes traveled up and caught sight of the brunette that looked cautious with the monsters around. Seeing his weapon drawn, Teion stared back at Rusty.
"This is what I was waiting for." She vaguely explained. Although she hadn't quite addressed his initial question, the woman didn't seem to want to dwell on conversation, instead shifting her gaze back to the fiery Pixie. She held her hand out to the creature, who responded by flittering its wings and moving in closer.

[Rusty 0]

The pixies' odd movement was very unsettling for Rusty, making him feel uneasy. Instead of charging or attacking like most monsters did, they stayed hovering or fluttering in one place. Their beady eyes stared him down, blinking every so often. It made him uneasy because he couldn't get a read on them. Were the mobs analyzing their every move, waiting for the opportune time to strike? Or.. maybe they were waiting for more to come, from different directions and this time hiding. "They could be feigning neutrality in order to trick us and let our guard down, we could be surrounded.." He tensed up and moved towards an offensive stance, his coffee-colored eyes darting all over the place. Old habits die hard. Teion's presence made him hesitate. She seemed to be calm and after all, she did say she had been waiting for them. He needed to calm down and stop worrying so much. His eyes turned to watch the pixie fly to Teion's hand.

@Teion @Kaya

[Teion 0]

As the creature rested in her palm just as it had done before, Teion reached a hand into a small pouch at her waist and pulled out a single piece of wrapped candy. The woman took one end of the plastic in her teeth, pulling gently to twist the treat free. She placed it carefully at the edge of her palm, presenting the item to the pixie.

"Sorry," She said quietly, glancing towards the brunette only briefly before turning her attention back to the creature in front of her. "I'm doing that quest, yeah." She had finally answered his question despite the curtness of her reply. She paused, as if she was thinking about something, before a tiny sigh escaped her and she opened her mouth to speak again. "I went on this quest before but wasn't able to get a familiar. I decided to come back and see if these pixies were still here, and if they were tameable." Perhaps the most she had spoken all day, Teion offered the man a brief explanation while she watched the little monster curiously examine the candy that had been placed before it.

Thread Complete

• Teion: +1 SP, +134 col (Abandoned Quest)
• Rusty: +1 SP, +133 col
• Kaya: +1 SP, +133 col