[PP-F5] Too Many Cooks <<Blood in the Sand>>

[Emerath 0]

Thread Statistics

  Hide contents

Thread Appearance

Skills

Utility Skills:
►Searching - Rank 1 - Novice
►Gatherer

Combat Skills:
►First Aid - Rank 2 - Journeyman
►Familiar Mastery: Accurate - Rank 1 - Unskilled (Extra)

Weapon Skills:
►Martial Arts - Rank 2 - Journeyman (Extra)

• Sword Arts
  • Rank 1
    1. Embracer - [x1 Stun] - 4 Energy - An unarmed sword art that pierces the enemy with the fingers.
    2. Aggressive Twins - [x2 AoE] - 4 Energy - A fast combination of left and right jabs.
  • Rank 2
    1. Crescent Moon - [x3 AoE] - 6 Energy - The user pushes off the ground and performs a single backflip to connect a sweeping flash kick with their targets.
    2. Delayed Sword - [x4] - 4 Energy - An advanced technique which uses kicks to disable an opponent and then chops their neck with the hand.

Armor Skills:
►Light Armor - Rank 1 - Novice

Statistics
Current Level: 18
HP: 360
EN: 36

DMG Base (Unarmed): 8
Mitigation: 5 Damage
Accuracy: +3 on BD Rolls
Looting: +4 on LD Rolls

Inventory

• Equipped:
  • »Gambler's Coat [T1 Rare Clothes]
    • +2 Loot Dice
  • »Dueling Gloves [T1 Perfect Handwraps, Cloth]
    • +3 Unarmed DMG
  • »A Critical Eye [T1 Perfect Monacle, Lucky Charm]
    • +2 Accuracy
    • +1 Loot Dice
  • »Plague Doctor Outfit [Vanity Light Armor Costume]
  • »Mist [Familiar, Barn Owl]
• Battle Ready:
  • 3x T1 Red Heart (+40 HP Potion)
  • 2x T1 Greater Red Heart (+80 HP Potion)

As Emerath had expected, it was hot. He knew it would be an absolute nightmare wandering around on the fifth floor in his plague doctor costume. But he refused to take it off. He wanted his persona to be known somehow. He needed to just accept the sweat that came with it for the sake of it all. Still, he had wished he had brought more water. Not that he could actually dehydrate as far as he knew, but that didn't stop him from being really thirsty. Hindsight is 20/20, as they say.

He grumbled to nobody in particular about this sad state of affairs as he climbed over yet another sand dune. Just how many stupid dunes were in this desert anyway? And where was that stupid shark? He had seen a group of players happily chatting away as they came from this direction, about how they had killed it. Emerath knew it would be a bit of time before it respawned, but he was getting restless, and he was worried he was also lost. Really, he knew his map would lead him back to the city, but he was otherwise just wandering aimlessly.

Finally, he decided to just take the most direct route, and began shouting, "Hey, sharky!" His voice carried on the wind, and he continued, "Come on sand shark! Show yourself! I have a present for you! If you ask nice I might give them to you!"

And suddenly he felt really stupid. Taunting an NPC in a costume in the middle of a sweltering desert. Emerath had really hit new lows lately.

Edited November 3, 2017 by Emerath

[Telrenya 0]

Spoiler

Telrenya's Stats:

• Level: 20
• HP: 400
• EN: 40
• DMG: 7
• ACC: 2
• EVA: 1

Skills:

• [Rank 4] Rapier
• Howl
• [Extra] Survival

Equipment:

• [Rare] [Rapier] Radiant Dawn +2 DMG
• [Perfect] [Lucky Charm] Erin's Favor +2 ACC / +1 EVA

Battle Ready:

• [Perfect] [Shield] Fear Eater +14 Thorns / +9 MIT
• (5) T1 Health Potion [+40 HP]
• (1) T1 Damage Potion [+1 DMG]
• (1) T1 Overhealth Potion [+50 Temp HP]
• [Quest Item] <<Cerberus Soul>> +2 Burn DMG

Telrenya was suddenly very glad she had put the points into re-activating her Survival skill. Though she didn't have an enhanced set of armor yet, she still wore a vanity set that the Tailor who knew her brother was kind enough to make for her as a placeholder until he could make the real thing. The cloth and leather that covered her from head-to-toe only made the sweltering heat of the desert feel more suffocating behind her silver mask.

"Aahhh, I swear, this floor is the worst!" She complained aloud as she trudged through the rolling sand outside of the safe zone. Despite her pouting, Telrenya had been pushing back a lump of apprehension that kept trying to settle in her chest. Up to the fifth floor, on her own? Sure, there were some easier quests to be found scattered throughout the first few floors, but her self-doubt was stubborn. 'Can I really handle this on my own?' She let out a sigh and turned her attention back to the stretch of sand dunes ahead of her.

For a while, the sound of the winds blowing past her hood were all she heard. Suddenly, though, her brows knit in confused curiosity when she thought she heard them speaking to her--taunting her, even. The woman stopped, giving a look around before a far-off figure in the distance caused her to squint in an attempt to make it out. "A person?" She mumbled to herself, about to shrug it off and keep moving when a blur of motion much closer caught her eye. The ground beneath her rumbled, throwing Telrenya off balance. She had barely managed to tear her rapier from its scabbard at her hip before she stumbled backwards. Not even 100 meters away, in the space between her and the far-away stranger, the large fin of her quest objective, the Sand Shark cut through the floor with ease.

[Emerath 0]

Emerath was about to give up in frustration, and heat exhaustion, but that was when he heard the ground suddenly start to rumble. And in a moment, the rumbling reached his dune, as he found himself falling onto his butt and sliding down a dune, cursing his very existence. Slowly, he slid down the sand, trying to stop his momentum. But it only got worse and worse until he found that he was sliding right towards a giant fin sticking out of the sand. Immediately he started to try to backpedal up the hill, and only found minimal success as he chanted, "Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope..."

Ultimately, he wound up at the bottom of the hill, despite his flailing and chanting, and sat right in front of the fin, covered in dust. "Hey, maybe if I'm lucky it hasn't noticed me yet..." he thought to himself in vain, as the shark slowly rose out of the sand and glared at him with beady little eyes. "Well, this is it," he told himself, "I'm going to get eaten by a shark and that's that..."

[Telrenya 0]

Her eyes were trained on the monster's large fin as she worked to keep her footing above the tremors that the shark's manuevers caused. Telrenya's shoulders stiffen as she watched the monster's course veer, not towards her, but towards the figure off in the distance. Not only that, but from what she could see, the stranger was left slipping down the side of a large sand dune. Without another moment of hesitation, she gathered up whatever courage she could find and ran as fast as her legs would carry her. She stumbled once or twice, the heels on her boots sinking into the sand as he ran. The grip she held around the hilt of her rapier tightened just as the monster began to rise up, allowing the rest of its body to become visible while its massive jaws opened wide before the long player.

Telrenya filled her lungs with a gulp of dry, hot air. For the first, and what she might have thought would be the only time, she called out over the short distance still residing between herself and the roaming monster, activating her <<Howl>> skill. "Get away from him!" She shouted. Her simple words were enough to trigger the skill, and by Cardinal's possession the beast's mouth clamped shut before it had lunged towards the disguised player. Instead, it set its sights on Telrenya.

The woman felt herself freeze up, and while she stood shocked by her own actions the shark burrowed itself back into the sand. It wasted no time in tunneling through the sands towards the masked woman, and as it quickly closed the gap between them it burst forth from the ground, jaws open wide with several sets of jagged, razor-sharp teeth prepared to bite down into her flesh. Telrenya managed to call her body to action, but not quickly enough. She dove to the right, tucking her chin and landing in a roll against the hot sand. She hadn't managed to clear the beast's maw, however, and she was rewarded with a wide gash stretching all the way from the outside of her left upper-thigh down to her knee. She winced, her landing messy as a result of the strike, but she was quick to push herself up and brandish her weapon as the monster had dived back beneath the safety of the sands.

Combat Results:

Spoiler

ID#: 90385
BD: -- | MD: 9 - Critical Hit! (51 DMG)

Telrenya used <<Howl>>: +3 Hate on Sand Shark

• Telrenya: 349/400 HP | 30/40 EN | 7 DMG | 2 ACC | 1 EVA
• Emerath: 360/360 HP | 36/36 EN | 8 DMG | 5 MIT | 3 ACC
• Sand Shark: 125/125 HP | 50 DMG | Hate: Telrenya (3), Emerath (0)

 

[Emerath 0]

Combat Data

  Hide contents

Combat Roll

  Hide contents

ID: 90389
BD: 4 + 3 [Hit]

Turn Result

  Hide contents

Emerath
Emerath attacks the Sand Shark with Delayed Sword [-4 EN] [+1 Hate]
Emerath damages the Sand Shark for 8 x 4 = 32 DMG

End of Turn Status

  Hide contents

• Sand Shark
  • HP: 93/125
• Telrenya
  • HP: 349/400
  • EN: 30/40
  • Hate: 3
• Emerath
  • HP: 360/360
  • EN: 30/34
  • Hate: 1

Emerath had anticipated that this was the end. The shark was right on top of him, and all Emerath really had left to do in this life was count how many sharp teeth were about to tear into his soft little pixely flesh. But at the last minute, the jaws snapped shut, a voice carried on the wind, and Emerath was sprayed with sand as the shark turned away and "swam" towards a new target. Another costumed figure, who seemed content to sacrifice themselves for Emerath's sake. Who was he to complain? Although he didn't like the idea of them dying.

The shark came down on the costumed woman and sand got everywhere, including the places it probably shouldn't, and it disappeared again aside from the large fin visible through the top of the sand. Emerath tried his best to brush himself off, not that it was possible to even know where to begin getting sand off of him at this point, as Mist flew over a dune. The owl hooted in the distance, though she was too far away to actually hear. She swooped down to her master, and she grabbed Emerath's arm, before flapping backwards as if to pull him back to his feet. "Okay, okay," he told her as the owl landed on his shoulder once he was upright again. "Well, we found the target, pretty lady. Now, that girl saved my life, and..." Emerath said as he pointed to the costumed girl and then to the shark fin, "that shark took a bite out of her. Let's go get it, eh?"

Mist gave a light hoot, and shot towards the shark fin, grabbing the tip of the fin with her claws, and flapping upwards, as if she were trying to pull the shark out of the sand. Emerath would have found this adorable in any other, not life threatening, situation. But the shark seemed confused enough by this action that it rose out of the sand and gave an annoyed roar, and this was the opening Emerath needed.

As soon as enough of the shark was above sand, the costumed man flashed forward and slid into the sand, delivering a solid kick to the shark's face, causing it to rear up out of the sand even more out of anger and more confusion. Emerath took this opportunity, jumping back to his feet and swinging a kick around to kick the shark square in the snout, before delivering an uppercut to send it backwards. It roared and reeled a bit, before turning its body and sliding back into the sand. Emerath waved to Mist and gave her and the girl a thumbs up after all was said and done. Whoever she was, they were in this together now, whether either liked it or not.

Edited November 5, 2017 by Emerath

[Telrenya 0]

Telrenya's eyes flicked to the health bar in the upper corner of her vision, watching as it finally came to a stop after dropping from the shark's attack. 'Okay, at least it doesn't do that much damage...' She thought to reassure herself, grasping at anything that might instill confidence in her that she could take down this creature. She hadn't tried to get a hit in on it yet, and the memory of the quest against the treants on the third floor with Jomei caused a weight of dread to pull her heart into her stomach. No matter how deep the blade of her rapier sank, her damage just wasn't high enough to surpass their mitigation. It was an impossible battle for her, and if it wasn't for the Irishman she likely wouldn't have survived the ambush on her own.

At the thought of the ginger man, the sight of an owl shooting through the air caught the woman's attention. Telrenya blinked in disbelief, staring at the avian that latched its talons into the shark's fin. 'Is that...?' No, it wasn't Adere that was aiding them. The eyes behind her silver mask shot to the stranger just as he sprang into action and landed a solid set of blows against the beast. She blinked again, the situation never stopping to amaze her, but as the robed player offered her a thumbs-up after depleting a generous amount of health from the creature, the corner of Telrenya's mouth hooked into a smirk. It looks like she wasn't taking this on alone after all.

With her free gloved hand, Telrenya extended an arm and offered the man a thumbs-up in return. With the sand shark no longer exposed above the desert floor, she shifted her focus to the large fin protruding from the sand once again. It had fled a short distance before making a wide arc to turn back around and cut through the sand straight for them. Telrenya lowered her stance, holding the hilt of her rapier close at her side. She prepared herself for the beast to lurch from the sand once again. Just like the last time, the monster burst from the ground, preparing to take a bite out of the woman. She dashed to the side, pulling her free arm up in front of her face for the shark's teeth to graze against as she still wasn't quite fast enough to clear it's width completely. She had a counter-attack ready, however, and as her feet planted into the sand she gave several thrusts of her rapier at the shark's flank, the thin blade easily puncturing its sand-coated hide.

@Emerath

Combat Results:

Spoiler

ID#: 90395
BD: 7 + (2 ACC) = 9 - Hit! (56 DMG) | MD: 7 (-1 EVA) = 6 - Hit! (50 DMG)

Telrenya used <<Penetrate>>: (7 Base) x (8 Sword Art) = 56 DMG

• Telrenya: 299/400 HP | 23/40 EN | 7 DMG | 2 ACC | 1 EVA
• Emerath: 360/360 HP | 30/36 EN | 8 DMG | 5 MIT | 3 ACC
• Sand Shark: 37/125 HP | 50 DMG | Hate: Telrenya (4), Emerath (1)

 

[Emerath 0]

Combat Data

  Hide contents

Combat Roll

  Hide contents

ID: 90504
BD: 10 + 3 [Critical Hit +2]

Turn Result

  Hide contents

Emerath
Emerath regains 1 Energy
Emerath attacks the Sand Shark with Delayed Sword [-4 EN] [+1 Hate]
Emerath got a critical hit! [+2 base DMG] [+1 Hate]
Emerath damages the Sand Shark for (8 + 2) x 4 = 40 DMG

End of Turn Status

  Hide contents

• Sand Shark
  • HP: 0/125
• Telrenya
  • HP: 299/400
  • EN: 23/40
  • Hate: 4
• Emerath
  • HP: 360/360
  • EN: 27/34
  • Hate: 3

Emerath watched as the Sand Shark's HP dropped dramatically from the rapier attacks of the woman, and Emerath nodded, almost impressed. Almost. But now it was time for Emerath to show his stuff. Mist managed to catch the attention of the shark again, but this time Emerath had another plan in mind. The shark surfaced, attempting to catch the annoying owl, and Emerath dashed after it, running behind. As the shark went back into the sand after another failed attempt at catching the annoying white fowl, Emerath slid into the sand and caught the shark's tail for the brief moment that it lifted out of the sand and sprayed the dusty substance everywhere.

"Oh no you don't!" Emerath said as the shark tried to pull away into the sand, before Emerath twisted his body and gave a loud cry as he pulled the shark backwards and out of the sand, tail first. The shark gave a very confused roar as it shook in the air, before landing on the sand like someone who just did a belly flop into water, spraying yet more sand everywhere. A part of Emerath was really glad he was wearing a mask that acted like a very basic gas mask.

As the shark writhed and tried to get itself back into a proper swimming position, Emerath leapt into the air and landed on it's face before beginning to pummel the creature with furious blows until he saw its HP bar dwindle to nothing. As a final blow, Emerath jumped into the air after bouncing off the shark's rubbery flank, and drove both his feet into its side, causing it to explode into a shower of pixels around him. Once all was said and done, Emerath, the showman that he was, just stood in the middle of a bunch of floating pixels, giving the woman yet another thumbs up.

Edited November 7, 2017 by Emerath

[Telrenya 0]

Telrenya's breath came out in light pants, the discomfort of the desert sun beating down on her mixed with the difficulty of maneuvering in the uneven sands beneath her feet catching up with her. Besides the gashes decorating her avatar that the shark had so generously left her with, the woman was starting to think this fight wasn't going half-badly. The health bar hovering in the air beside the monster's massive frame had dropped considerably from their initial attacks, and she thought she might be able to finish it off when her battle companion shot forward after the creature. She stared in stunned silence as the masked man quite literally ripped the sand shark from the ground it tried to retreat into, bringing a hand up in reaction when the thousands of grains kicked up and flew through the air with the shark's thrashing.

The man had unleashed a flurry of blows strong enough to deplete the rest of their target's health bar to zero, shattering the monster before she had a chance at another strike. Her eyes fell upon his frame in the aftermath of the fight, simply flashing her another thumbs-up. "Well." The word left her in a mumble, and she urged herself to straighten back up. Telrenya brought her rapier across her body, sheathing the thin blade at her hip and taking on a more relaxed stance. She gave a light clear of her throat as she regarded the still-stranger standing a few paces' distance from her. She pulled her right hand to rest over her heart and offered him a bow in proper greeting. "Good--uhm, good job." She stumbled over her words as her spine straightened again, as if she wasn't sure of the right thing to say in the situation.

[Emerath 0]

As the pixels around Emerath faded away, and the sand mostly settled around the two combatants, Emerath finally let out a deep breath. He wanted to hoot and holler, but that would have just looked strange in front of this stranger. Something he wasn't entirely keen on, since she may have very well saved his life.

As she greeted Emerath, he was also greeted by a confirmation window on killing the shark, providing him with a potion and experience and whatnot. Emerath confirmed the dialogue box, and waved his UI away, but materialized the potion in his hand, before closing the gap between them. Emerath held out an arm for Mist to land on, and she did so obediently, before sidling her way up to his shoulder as he lowered his arm back to his side.

"I believe the good job was earned by you, madam. For without your heroism, I would probably be busy punching that thing's heart from the inside rather than the outside. I believe you earned this," Emerath said as he held out the potion for her. If she planned to go dashing to someone's rescue again, she should at least have a better means to protect herself. It's not like Emerath didn't have a tank in his pocket if he was ever in true danger. Which he probably was, but he waved the thought away mentally. That was neither here nor there.

"You can call me Doc. This is Snow," Emerath said as he indicated Mist on his shoulder, who nipped at his indicating fingers almost as if in protest at her strange new name. Regardless, Emerath continued, "and you are?"

[Telrenya 0]

Though the silver mask obstructed her features, Telrenya blinked in surprise when the stranger stepped forward and held out a glass vial to her. Though she had the chance to dismiss her timid nature, her body language and the words that stumbled out of her took no such opportunity. "Oh, what? I-I mean--" She froze up for a moment before she was able to catch and give herself a mental shake. 'What good is all this if I'm just going to stay the same shy girl?'

As redundant as it sounded, she forced herself to relax a bit and her lips pulled inwards as she gave her next words a bit more thought. She carefully reached out to take the potion from one gloved hand to another, looking it over in her fingers before offering the man a nod in thanks. "I appreciate it. Really, it wasn't anything worth praise. I was only out here looking for the bounty on it, anyway." She let out a small chuckle. She was choosing her words more carefully than she normally would have, but her typical demeanor hadn't much changed. It's not like she was trying to pull off some alter-ego, though, so perhaps just working on the stammering was a good place to start.

When he gave her his name--although on second thought, she doubted that his username was really just 'Doc'--Telrenya responded in kind. "Call me Erin." The twinge of guilt she would have normally felt about telling such a white lie was lessened, perhaps by her suspicions of his own title. Here she was, standing across from a man who's appearance was just as hidden as hers, that she had just exchanged false names with. 'Now that I think about it, my username is basically the same thing...' She frowned at the feeling of redundancy that came to her, but quickly tried to shake it off. "Well, that was all I came out this way for. If the same goes for you, we can head back to town together?"

[Invious 0]

Invi, not very experienced with combat nor equipped with anything special needed to get out of her own store to relax from Ruby's constant appearances and constant vanity clothing creation and to breathe in the air. She would admit that she was lonely however, she never imagined having someone like Ruby in her life that it would be almost a negative effect on how much she wants from Invi, however shes a great friend and she supposed that she would bare with her. It didn't take much exploration along the path before she would find two players standing on a path, both masked from the world much like Invi... her fingers interlocked within her hands in front of her in a noble manner smiled behind her cloth hiding it from the two, it seems as if this truly was a small world, and many have a secret to hide. However a part of Invi doubts they would have a secret much like her own, however she stepped forward to confront the two. "Why hello. Do you mind if I accompany you to head back into town, I needed to take in the scenery around here and I am afraid I don't know my way back." she said out to the woman masked figure in front of her in a noble and calm voice.

[Telrenya 0]

Telrenya hadn't given much thought to the few other players she had spotted roaming the barren desert. Many were likely out looking for loot and experience, and perhaps some were searching for the same shark dwelling in the sands that the masked duo had just defeated. What she wasn't expecting was to run into someone who had gotten themselves lost. Telrenya blinked, though her surprised expression was kept behind the thin piece of silver metal resting over her face. A third masked person, standing before them in a set of white and indigo robes, asking for their guidance with an air of nobility about her.

Telrenya gave a small nod, dismissing the initial unease that the presence of two strangers provided. At least one had fought alongside her, and the other gave her no reason to bear any ill will. "Of course," She responded in a more positive tone after confirming that her original travel companion wouldn't mind the additional company.

[Invious 0]

Invi had gave the masked figure a bow as she had given out a "of course" in response to her question, "Invious, its a pleasure to be within your presence this afternoon." she had said out to the figure and then asked "And who might you be?" she then asked, she didn't want to be rude however she turned to try to find the other man, she had greeted the man and said out to him "Sorry for interrupting your conversation, I am Invious and you are...?" waiting for the man to reply, Doc was a weird name... however she would just deal with it. She turned back to the hooded figure and said "I presume you know your way back into town? I do appreciate the help you are presenting to me." she bowed before her again "I don't have anything to give as payment, so hopefully my presence and someone to talk to is good enough." she said knowing she still was only a mere level 3 with a store with too much vanity clothing.

@Telrenya

[Telrenya 0]

"Ahh, Erin, pleased to meet you." Telrenya bowed her head in greeting  before her legs began to carry her forward again. With Invious tagging along , the trio trudged along through the sandy dunes in the direction of the floor's main settlement. This woman seemed so formal and polite, it was almost a bit intimidating, as if she might feel herself rude in comparison. Trying to shake the self-conscious thoughts from the front of her mind, she turned her attention to the conversation that Invious provided. "Yeah, we should be fine. I have some map data for this area, so even if the winds kick up or something, we can get back on track. And it's no trouble at all, Invious." Though the smile on her face was concealed, her voice carried a reassuring tone with a light chuckle at the mystery woman's sincerity. "No need for payment, or anything like that."

[Invious 0]

Invious had given a bow to the woman that stood in front of her and said "Erin, what a pleasant name to have." however, the only question is why she is masked while looking like a player killer while she was at it, she had gained her suspicion, however she had shrugged it off for the time being. Erin, had said out to her how she had some map data to get back on track and how its no trouble at all and there is no need for payment. Invious had bowed before the masked figure and said "Well... consider my company to be payment I suppose. Thank you once more for taking me along to safety." Invious, had just followed Erin's lead heading back into town, she didn't really have any form of conversation starter without intruding upon why she wear's a mask or anything, she looked over to Invious with a smile placing her fingers together then looking back forward along the path back to the main settlement.

@Telrenya

[Telrenya 0]

"So, Invious," A short while of silence had settled between them before Telrenya decided to initiate conversation. She couldn't determine if she was simply trying to be polite, or if the idea of walking wordlessly back to the floor's main settlement left her feeling uncomfortable, but either way she pulled the closest topic from her mind and spilled it out into the hot air. "If you don't mind me asking, what brought you out to the desert?" Beside just filling the silence, Telrenya was a bit curious as to why the woman was out in the harsh environment alone, especially if she had managed to get herself lost among the sandstorms. "It seems that both Doc and I were after the same field boss, and we happened to run into it together." She offered her own explanation so as not to put Invious on the spot, giving a light chuckle at their coincidental meeting.

[Invious 0]

"Hm?" Invi had let out a small hum when Erin had said out her name appearing that she was going to ask her something, eventually she had said out asking why she even was out in the desert in the first place, her and "doc" were out trying to take out the same boss which had gotten them together, Invi had chuckled a bit and said "I'm just looking to get out of my store is all, I've been in there all day everyday not really having much action or exploration in my life. Just wanted to go outside and taste the air I haven't been in before. Trying to make myself feel more alive I suppose." she had said then exchanging a look to Erin, she had offered a smile and said "Why are you out yourself fighting a boss Telrenya? Trying to catch up in levels? Trying to find yourself somewhere?" she asked calmly with interest.

@Telrenya

[Telrenya 0]

"You could say that." She replied with another chuckle. She brought her gloved hands past her torso, pressing her opposite fingertips lightly against each other in front of her stomach as she gave Invious' words some thought. "Yeah, I've been trying to quest more lately, get some experience, all that." She explained. The whole process sounded pretty normal to her. Wasn't that what everyone basically did in video games? She had to remind herself that SAO couldn't be called a normal video game by any stretch of the term. People like Invious, or so she assumed, tried their best just to make a living and keep themselves sane while others worked for hours a day to get themselves closer to beating the game. Everyone had their motives, goals, and ways of achieving them. She touched on the topic that Invious had shot back: her being alone. "I know playing solo can be dangerous, so I try to do my research before putting myself out there. Last thing I want is to get in over my head." She said, despite having already done so on more than one occasion. "And so far I've been lucky enough to bump into a few like-minded people." She added on, not only referring to the players accompanying her, but recalling the few other players she'd encountered since she'd started solo questing.

[Invious 0]

"I can understand that, myself ill be doing some of the quests to grow in levels, what I am going to do afterwards is beyond me. However right now I am just looking for things to do." she said with a smile. They had continued walking with a bit of silence, however Invi's mind is absolutely quiet, not a thought in her head, nothing but enjoying the time outside her store as she can get it. Eventually she had spoken out to fill the silence stating how solo could be dangerous however shes not going to be over her head, Invious had given her a smile and said "I suppose you are taking it smart Erin, its nice to see people taking their time learning about things instead of moving in guns blazing into the unknown, that's at least how I have seen some customers disappear anyways." she had replied with a somewhat disappointed tone, however she picked back up and keep her head up on the road back to the main settlement.

@Telrenya

[Telrenya 0]

The casual way in which Invious mentioned seeing people disappear was unsettling. Without the visual cues of her facial expression to give away her discomfort, a silence simply fell over them again just as before. The trio would make it back to town after several more minutes of trudging through the shifting sands, and once they had passed into the territory that marked the safe zone Telrenya turned to the other two players. With one palm resting on the hilt of the rapier at her hip, she shifted her weight and gave both Invious and Doc a quick wave in farewell.

"It was nice to meet you both. Thank you again for the help with that boss." She nodded towards the plague doctor with a notable sincerity in her voice. "Maybe we'll see each other around." With that, the masked woman turned to make her way back to the teleport gate.

Thread Complete!

• Telrenya: +4 SP, +133 col, +Sand Armor Potion (+27 MIT)
• Emerath: +4 SP, +133 col
• Invious: +1 SP, +133 col