[PP-F11] <<The Essence of Steel>> The Sound of Inspiration

[Calypso 0]

Callie took on a satisfied smile when he seemed to recognize the item she described, going so far as to reveal its name and give her a comparison to a field boss she happened to be familiar with. She recalled the fight with Avalanche--with her frail defenses that still carried over to the present, she had requested Shield's assistance with taking the glacial beast down at the time. Without the threat of taking damage, though, she wouldn't have considered the monster difficult for her to take down. As the entirety of their outing came back to her, it was the events that followed the quest's completion that caused her smile to falter. Ever since she had made it back to the cities from that trap room, her bouts of exploration and adventure seemed to have tapered off.

With the distraction of Jomei readying himself to head out, Callie's brows knit while she moved herself closer to the door as well. She didn't offer a verbal response when he suggested warmer clothing and didn't bother to open her menus. She still hadn't taken the time to replish any of the vanity clothing that she used to have, whether the thought of the task had been too discouraging  It wasn't until the two players had stepped out into the streets of Taft that she finally voiced her discomfort. "I... Err, I was really only hoping for some information." She started with an awkward air. Golden eyes nervously traveled over the busy city in mid-afternoon. "You don't have to go out of your way to help me with it. I can't offer you much for your time." She said, as if trying to give Jomei reason to change what seemed like an already-made-up mind.

Despite her protests, the Irishman seemed intent on helping her complete the quest. Trying to keep her continued discomfort with the situation inward as their avatars appeared in Snowfrost, the cold air was quick to bite at the skin of her hands and cheeks. Danesh, though happier to be away from the more modern feel of the city, did not seem to care much more for the weather. The dragon hybrid remained perched on his player's shoulders, his long neck curling so he could press the top of his head flat against the side of Callie's neck.

[Jomei 0]

Calypso’s words had not hit Jomei until they were about to warp down to the Fourth Floor. The man turned around with a bashful look on his face, his brows raised. “O-oh Im sorry.. I guess I misunderstood you.” His hand led to the nape of his neck. “I guess I got a bit carried away. Despite, let me help you.” he said with a nod, “The item is a rarity, so the Snow Beast that drops it is pretty tough, much higher challenge rating than that of the Avalanche.”

Now on the Fourth Floor, the two players made their way out of Snowfrost, following the snow covered trails towards one of the many tall mountains that lined the floor. The farther the two went, the heavier the snows began to fall, and the stronger the winds picked up, making traversing slightly tougher. However, the paths seemed familiar to the Irishman, and in time, the two had emerged from the blizzard, at the base of a mountain, coated in a thick sheet of ice.

The trail, which luckily was not as slick and coated with frost as the steep stone sides of the mountain, led up about halfway, before leveling out to a clearing. In the center, a bonfire which had long been snuffed out, sittinf directly in front of the mouth of a large cavern. Snow covered skeletons, their bones blackened with decay scattered about the opening, serving as a warning to players who made it this far. In the center of them, another skull, this one larger, one belonging to a beast of some sort. Jomei slowly took his black and red rapier from the scabbard on his hip, looking over to Calypso. “The Snow Beast is in that cave.. last time I remember, you have to hit that big skull.. that’ll wake him up.” Jomei lowere his body into a battle stance, “I’ll keep it off of you.”

[Calypso 0]

Callie generally didn't dislike the cold. It was sometimes fun to bundle up in warm clothing and take a stroll in the crisp winter air. But as the snow packed under every step of her boots and the wind whipped around their avatars to pelt them with flakes of snow that clung to their hair and clothing, the woman scowled. Her arms were folded over her chest, shoulders taut even after they arrived at the den of the Snow Beast. Callie's frown deepened at the pitch-black mouth of the cave in the distance, her eyes then dropping to trail over the variety of skeletal remains that littered the ground. She cast a sidelong glance towards the ginger-haired man beside her as he drew his weapon and readied himself for combat. Her golden orbs then shifted to focus on the largest of the skulls half-covered in snow that he pointed out, studying it for a moment before giving a nod. "Got it." She acknowledged simply.

She walked forward, unfolding her arms. She was just about to reach for the hilt of the claymore standing over her shoulder, but she hesitated before her fingers made contact with the leather bindings. Rather than dwindle the durability of her weapon, Callie spotted one of many bones sitting around her feet. She took the item in her hand like a basic mace, then closing the rest of the distance between herself and the impressive skull. With one swift motion she wound her arm back and then swung it forward. The rounded edge of the bone collided with the thick surface, shaking some of the piled snow free as a solid thud sounded out and rang in the air.

[Jomei 0]

Using a bone, much like Jomei had when he had taken the quest, Calypso struck the skull with the thick edge of the remains of some unlucky person or creature. The echo rang out like some deep, eerie bell, the sound bouncing off the walls of the cavern, going deeper and deeper. Eventually, the echoes were answered with a loud roar, which shook some of the snow free from atop the cave. The ground shook beneath their feet, as the entity that created the noise awoke and stormed its way to the snowy surface to meet just who had disturbed its slumber. The creature emerged, walking on all fours like a gorilla, yet its fur was long and white as the snow that fell around them. Atop its head, two curling horns, the tips stained red to signify the death of the victims prior. Its piercing red eyes took a look at the player who had cracked the bone into the skull, before raising onto its hind legs and letting out another powerful roar, two large, green health bars stretching across its frame as the name <<Snow Beast>> appeared above its head below a red crystal.

"Get behind me!" Jomei shouted at Calypso, urging her to get away from the Snow Beast before it tried to attack her. Once the girl moved, the beast's large hands slammed into the skull, shattering it and sending snow and pieces of bone in either direction. Jomei took a couple of steps backwards to create a bit more distance between himself and the Field Boss, as its target changed to the Irishman who prepared to attack. With a quick flare of his blade, Jomei lowered his body and activated his <Charge> skill, which shot him forward at speeds making him almost a blur. His shoulder connected with the Snow Beast's chest, knocking it off of its balance. The master duelist then followed up with his Over Radiation sword art, the golden glowing blade cutting upwards before entering into a swift barrage of slashes and stabs. With the final thrust piercing through the Snow Beast's chest, the monster exploded into hundreds of data fragments, which rained to the ground along with the snow. 

With the monster now defeated, the Jomei tapped the small screen claiming he had completed the quest, prompting the Essence of Steel to appear in his hands. Turning back to Calypso, Jomei walked up to the woman and extended his hand outwards, handing her the rare item. "Simple enough." he said with a chuckle. 

ID: 92954
BD: 5(+4) = 9
<Charge Rk. 5> Activated

• Over Radiation: 14x(14+5 Charge) = 266

MD: Disregard

Jomei: 1140/1140 | 97/110 | 14 Dmg (Based on Equipment at start of thread)
Calypso: xx/xx | xx/xx

Snow Beast: 0/ 250 | 160 Dmg
         Partial Phase- Snow Beast will always deal a minimum of 24 damage, even through Armor and Armor Abilities.

[Calypso 0]

While the term 'Snow Beast' was both just vague and just descriptive enough for her to get a general idea of what the creature might look like, she still took a couple of hesitant steps backwards when it emerged from its cavern. The monster stared her down, and the woman then reached to draw the broadsword from its sheathe at her back and instinctively stand her ground. Before she had done so, Jomei's stern instruction caused her to falter. After a moment's hesitation, she took another half-step back. At this point, the beast had rushed forward, bringing its heavy fists into the air and throwing them down. Callie turned, the sole of her boot skidding over the slick, frozen floor before it caught the friction needed to push her forward and away from the skull before it was shattered into jagged fragments.

She stopped running once she was closer to her original position beside Jomei, just as the man shot forward to engage the beast. Turning back to their opponent, Callie finally reached to the hilt of her sword and drew her weapon, taking hold of it in both hands in front of her avatar. She watched Jomei's initial attack patiently, waiting for an opening that would allow her to follow-up without putting herself in unmanageable danger. What had her blinking in disbelief, however, was the Snow Beast's health bar draining rapidly with each strike of the man's rapier. Its color shifted twice before disappearing completely, the monster promptly shattering into lighted polygons. Callie's shoulders fell, and her golden eyes fell to the dialogue that appeared in front of her to inform her of the quest's completion.

Her pride was wounded, the tip of her blade meeting the piled snow when Jomei approached her and offered the item drop. She simply stared at the item in his hand with a furrowed brow, her body working on auto-pilot as she picked her stance up and dropped her claymore back into the sheathe that she shouldn't have bothered removing it from. Finally pulling her gaze up to the Irishman's face, his expression told her that he hadn't meant to disparage her. Even so, his good intentions didn't stop her from wondering exactly how hard that field boss hit. Through her discomfort, she finally reached out to accept the item, giving him a small, "Thanks."

[Jomei 0]

Jomei immediately noticed the dissatisfaction of him having wiped the Snow Beast on his own without Calypso's help. His lips curved downwards into a frown as he returned his arms to his sides, his olive gaze shifting from the girl as he slouched forward slightly. "I'm sorry..I just know what this monster is capable of.. and, well, since I don't really know how well you can take a hit, or what level you are.. I wanted to make sure it wouldn't put you in any danger." His hand rose to find the nape of his neck, ruffling the back of his hair as he rubbed up and down. "I guess I've always been like this.. jumping in to help others like that, almost since day one. Most people just.. take advantage of higher level players, just in it to get the rare item drops or the experience points." he chuckled, "I've just gotten so used to running quests for people.. that I never stopped to think that they wanted to get in on the action." His head and back lowered into a respectful bow, "I really am sorry I got ahead of myself." 

As he returned to stand up straight, his arms crossed at his chest with a nod, "Well, at least you have the Essence of Steel.. it should really come in handy if you have a piece of gear that you want to power up." 

[Calypso 0]

Callie almost hurried to soften her expression, bringing a curled hand up to clear her throat after Jomei's explanation and apology. She hesitantly deposited the item into her inventory, having to actively ignore a lingering feeling that she shouldn't be allowed to accept it. "No no, I'm sorry." She pulled her right hand up to the side of her head and tucked a few loose strands of cerulean-tinted hair behind her ear. "I'm the opposite, in some ways. I'm used to doing everything on my own, so even asking for help is something I don't jump at the chance to do." She let out a nervous chuckle at the admittance. "I would never want to think of it as taking advantage, but," She struggled a bit to come up with the words that would pull the man from his disheartened state. Golden eyes pulled to the side while her first two fingers and thumb idly rolled the end of a lock of hair between them in front of her chest. "perhaps I should focus more on being grateful before prideful. Thank you."

Thread Summary:

Calypso: +2 SP, +200 col, +<<Essence of Steel>>

Jomei: +1 SP, +200 col