[SP-F1] <<The Third Lesson Is Just As Free>> Keep Your Enemies Close

[Calypso 0]

Spoiler

Level: 8
HP: 160
DMG: 8
MIT: 9

Skills:

Weapon/Armor skills:
»2H Straight Sword [13/50] (Journeyman)

Extra:
»Familiar Mastery: Fighter [0/18] (Novice)

Inventory:

Equipped:
»[Rare] Polished Claymore (+2 DMG)
»[Uncommon] T1 Light Armor (+9 MIT)

Battle Ready:
»(3) Starter Healing Potions (Heals 50 HP)
»5 Tier One Health Potions of Uncommon Quality  (+40 HP)
»1 Tier One Damage Potion (+1 Damage)
»1 Tier One Over-Health Potion (+50 Temp. HP)

Callie's eyes fluttered open as a stream of bright light poured in through the window of her inn room. Her golden gaze met that wall that stood beside the edge of the bed, and a sleepy fog still clouded her mind as she groaned softly and lifted herself up onto her left arm. She looked down at her avatar, still garbed in the same casual clothing that she had worn the day before. 'Must have fallen asleep pretty fast last night...' She thought, letting out a yawn that worked its way through her chest while she twisted her body to face the center of the room. She was reluctant to pick herself completely up and out of bed, rubbing at the corner of an eye while she looked over to the open window. Danesh was curled up, as expected, lost in his own slumber. The sight of the snoozing familiar drained the bit of Callie's willpower, and she fell back onto the bed while the mattress beneath her gave a small puff of air in response.

Edited December 11, 2017 by Calypso

[Calypso 0]

Her mind was blank for a few minutes, staring up at the rafters of the inn's ceiling. The item she had received the day before from the NPC blacksmith was still sitting in her inventory, addressed to another pre-programmed character named Hannah. The first quest had her gathering basic materials, while the second had her run basic combat and collect loot from monsters. The corners of her mouth turned down as she thought over what other aspects of the game these quests were supposed to introduce her to, and how long this chain was going to go on for. She also thought about trying to go back to sleep. But, whether in the game world or the real one, Callie was the type who, once she had awoken, was up for the day. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she moved to the window to collect her sleeping companion and close and latch the window before she would head downstairs.

[Calypso 0]

It didn't take long to locate the NPC to whom the parcel was addressed. Making her way to the coordinates listed in the quest description, Callie spotted the small grove that was rather out of place among the cobblestone streets. With her back pressed up against the bark of the single tree that stood tall from the ground, Hannah was focused intently on the sketch sitting in her lap while her pencil dragged over the canvas. Callie approached and stood in front of the NPC, waiting for a moment before blinking in confusion and wondering why the girl hadn't immediately acknowledged her presence. She brought a hand up to her mouth, curling her fingers and giving a small clearing of her throat, as if that might trigger some sort of reaction. A few seconds later, and the girl with light chestnut hair braided over her shoulder simply continued scrawling her design.

[Calypso 0]

She opened her mouth, about to call out to the Artisan when a thought occurred to her and her breath caught in her throat. Callie swiped a hand through the air to open her inventory, navigating to her stored items and selecting parcel that the blacksmith Tealeaf had entrusted to her--a single, plain gold band. The item materialized in her free palm, and another motion across the air dismissed her menus before she held the item out in front of her. As if the NPC was programmed to only respond to that particular item, Hannah perked up as its presence was made clear. She lifted her head from her work, looking to the band and then up at the player who held it. "Oh! Oh my, you're here with Lyle's delivery? Sorry about that," She grinned sheepishly, setting aside her sketchbook and leaning forward to reach out and carefully take the piece of unfinished jewelry.

[Calypso 0]

Hannah looked the item over with a pleased smile. "Perfect, perfect." She nodded before turning her attention back to Callie. "Actually, this is only half the finished product. I need to affix a spectacular amethyst to this and it'll be truly perfect!" She put a bit of extra emphasis on every positive adjective she used. "Say," She spoke up again without much time in between her thoughts, and Callie already knew what was coming next. "I don't suppose I could trouble you to fetch the amethyst for me? There's a cave outside the northern gate here," Hannah stuck her thumb over her shoulder to give a vague direction before she continued rambling on. "I'd need to ask you for the positively most perfect jewel you can get your hands on, but I'll make it worth your while. If you help me out, I'll get you your own piece of wonderful, flawless jewelry."

[Calypso 0]

"What do you say?" Hannah grinned as the quest prompt appeared before Callie, and the cerulean-haired woman hurriedly tapped on the accept button, if only to put some distance between herself and Hannah's over-the-top personality. While the Artisan went back to losing herself in her drawings, Callie moved past the grove and walked towards the northern gate. With Danesh on her shoulders, she let out a small sigh and crossed over the boundary that marked the safe zone without a second thought. It hadn't taken long to reach the mouth of the caves detailed in the quest description. She gave a glance to her shoulder, meeting the beady eyes of the familiar that lay perched atop it. Her lips pursed in a tiny smile, as if to say 'well, let's go', and she faced back forward and walked into the dark caverns. She wandered for a short distance, keeping herself close to the wall as her eyes strained to find anything of interest as they went.

Used Safeguard (from previous quest)

Edited December 11, 2017 by Calypso

[Calypso 0]

Navigating the darkened tunnels as well as she could, Callie kept a hand skimming along the craggy surface of the right wall to keep herself on track. "I don't suppose you have night vision or something, huh Dani?" She questioned the ermine on her shoulder. Knowing better than to expect a response from the familiar, she continued on, hugging the right wall as she moved down the passageway. She had only barely remembered about the item she had received alongside the piece of equipment during the completion of the last quest, and as she read over the potion's effect she grimaced, realizing there was sure to be more combat along the way. Quaffing the potion in a single motion, the empty glass vial rested in her fingers a moment before shattering completely. A few minutes later and her eyes managed to spot a softly-glowing gemstone protruding from the cave wall ahead. "Here goes." She breathed out, taking the amethyst in her hands as she pulled the material free.

ID#: 92087 | BD: 3 (-1 ACC) = 2 - Fail! | MD: 6 - Hit!
Safeguard broken!

Calypso: HP: 160/160 | 14/16 EN | 9 DMG | 9 MIT
Cave Guardian: HP: 20/20 | 5 DMG

[Calypso 0]

Just seconds after she stepped back from the cave wall with the quest objective in hand, a slight rumbling caused Callie to spin around. She quickly pocketed the item to deposit it safely into her inventory while she watched the earth in front of her rip and tear. Heavy boulders lifted from the dirt, forming a bulky figure of something like a stone golem that crawled from the cave floor. It towered before her, only a foot of space between the golem's 'head' and the jagged cave ceiling. Wasting little time, the monster simply labeled as a Cave Guardian raised its arm, fist crashing into the ceiling before it was brought down on the player. Callie's legs weren't able to carry her out of the way of the golem's strike in time, and the boulder crashed down on the flinching player's back. The indication of pain was absent however, and as Callie's arms pushed against the ground to lift herself up, her eyes glanced to her health bar to note that the effect of the potion she had consumed had vanished.

ID#: 92154 | BD: 4 (-1 ACC) = 3 - Fail! | MD: 5 - Miss!

Calypso: HP: 160/160 | 13/16 EN | 9 DMG | 9 MIT
Cave Guardian: HP: 20/20 | 5 DMG

[Calypso 0]

"Ehh? Why me?" Kirana's expression had contorted into a grimace when her blonde companion nudged her shoulder to push the girl closer to the cave's entrance. "Who else? You complain about me so much, y'think her and I would just be best buds?" The man replied with a light scoff. The noirette standing at the front of the trio of players grumbled, but did not protest further as she entered the dark cave. Farther into the network of tunnels, Callie's eyes continued to strain against the low light. "Is this seriously affecting my accuracy stat?" She complained as the sharpened steel of her double-edged blade flew past the stone golem's body. The creature's rocky fist pulled to the side across it and hurled itself back the other way towards the cerulean player. Callie quickly dropped herself lower, ducking below the heavy boulder that whizzed past the top of her head.

ID#: 92155 | BD: 3 (-1 ACC) = 2 - Fail! | MD: 4 - Miss!

Calypso: HP: 160/160 | 12/16 EN | 9 DMG | 9 MIT
Cave Guardian: HP: 20/20 | 5 DMG

[Calypso 0]

"I swear, I get the worst jobs..." Kirana mumbled under her breath as she trekked through the dark caves. Her dull, violet eyes flickered with a soft golden glow when she had felt the darkness affecting her accuracy and limiting her sight. With the Night Vision skill activated, she didn't have to aimlessly wander for long before she heard the crashing of the stone golem's noisy attacks wreaking havoc on the cave's interior. While she picked up the pace, Callie was doing just well enough to avoid the guardian's attacks, but not well enough to land a hit of her own. The steel blade of her claymore scraped along the rocky ground as she dodged another wide strike, and despite the absence of a mouth--or any facial features, for that matter--the golem promptly let out a guttural roar of frustration towards his slippery target. Callie let out a breath that she angled upwards, ruffling her cerulean bangs while she worked to find an opening.

ID#: 92156 | BD: 2 (-1 ACC) = 1 - Fail! | MD: 5 - Miss!

Calypso: HP: 160/160 | 11/16 EN | 9 DMG | 9 MIT
Cave Guardian: HP: 20/20 | 5 DMG

Edited December 13, 2017 by Calypso

[Calypso 0]

Finally, that opening presented itself. With her body low to the ground, Callie dashed in towards the golem, taking her sword in both hands and driving the tip through the monster's massive body. Her one attack was enough to fell the guardian, dropping its health to zero while it faltered. The earthen creature glowed a bright white and promptly shattered into pixels. Callie let out a small sigh of relief as the threat vanished, but her shoulders stiffened and she brought her sword back to the ready in front of her as soon as she spotted another figure in the darkness beyond where her previous foe stood. "Gah!" Kirana let out a low, short yell of surprise, her hands clad in fingerless leather gloves flying up in front of her with palms facing outward. Once she registered that it was a player standing across from her, Callie's claymore quickly lowered and she dropped her aggressive stance.

ID#: 92157 | BD: 8 (-1 ACC) = 7 - Hit! | MD: 10 - Dead

Calypso: HP: 160/160 | 9/16 EN | 9 DMG | 9 MIT
Cave Guardian: HP: 0/20 | 5 DMG - Dead

Edited December 13, 2017 by Calypso

[Calypso 0]

"Oh, sorry!" She offered, hurrying to sheathe her weapon at her back. The stranger's dimly-glowing eyes were still a bit off-putting, and something that had made her jump to the association of another monster, but her reaction seemed to be a peaceful one. The green cursor circling above her head also prevented any alarms from going off in her head. If this person was in this specific cave on the first floor, she could very well be doing the same low-level quests. Kirana's hands slowly lowered back to her sides, and in the dim light Callie couldn't see the inspecting stare being cast upon her. A short silence hung in the air before the cerulean-haired woman hesitantly moved forward and to the left so as to walk past the player standing in the path ahead of her. "Well, excuse me." She said with a simple politeness, keeping her eyes forward to avoid the awkward air between the two.

[Calypso 0]

"Wait, hold on!" The stranger's voice called after Callie before she had put much distance between them. With a small sense of unease and wondering what it was this girl wanted from her, Callie stopped and cast her strained gaze over her shoulder. Kirana had turned and jogged back to stand beside the woman, bringing a hand up to slide behind her cloth hood and graze against the nape of her neck. "If you're going back to town, can I tag along?" She asked in a plain tone. The request caused Callie to blink in surprise, but without a specific reason to deny it, she gave a nod after a short pause. "Uhh, sure. Did you get lost?" She questioned, legs moving forward again so as not to linger in the dark tunnels. The two navigated back to the exit, Callie blinking with the bright light that greeted them while the glow of Kirana's eyes faded away.

[Calypso 0]

"Yeah, I finished that objective ten minutes ago, but I got lost in the caves." She lied. The noirette didn't seem to carry much emotion in her voice or face as it was, so Callie's suspicion wasn't too high despite the lack of embarrassment she displayed after admitting to getting herself lost. With a confirmation that the girl was on the same quest chain, Callie took on her regular polite smile. "Ah, I see. Well, it's a straight shot back to town, but since we're both heading that way I suppose the company doesn't hurt." She spoke with a light chuckle. The words normally wouldn't have been completely truthful, as she would have preferred to make the trip back alone, but the thoughts she was finding herself lost in as of late were still rather unsavory, and so she shrugged it off in the hopes that the interaction might do her some good.

Edited December 13, 2017 by Calypso

[Calypso 0]

"Oh, I'm Calypso, by the way." Keeping to her formalities, she offered a brief introduction. "Kira." The name she provided was neither her full username or the name by which her companions addressed her, but it would do. Though she didn't seem to be one for conversation, it was Kirana who began speaking again. "I think I've seen you around here. You do a lot of trading in the markets, right?" She asked, casting Callie a sideways glance before turning her attention back to the front. Callie nodded, "I've practically made it into my dayjob." She explained with a small smirk. "Doing quests and leveling up... Well, it's not that it isn't kind of fun, but I feel like I'm of more use supporting the merchants and crafters. A lot of them work hard to supply the frontliners, so I'm just trying to do my part, you know?" She lied back.

[Calypso 0]

Kirana only provided a small mumble and nod in acknowledgement. A few long seconds of silence stretched between them until the noirette spoke up again, this time offering a suggestion rather than another question. "Let's do the last one together." It took Callie a few moments to realize what the stranger meant, and still without a clear understanding she opened her mouth to inquire. "Are you talking about this quest chain?" She made only half of the motion required to look back to the cave over her shoulder. Going with that assumption as Kirana hadn't indicated to the contrary, her lightly-colored eyes turned to the side and she watched the scenery that passed them by as the pair drew closer to the city gates."Well, I wasn't sure how many quests this had in total, but if there's just one more left then I don't see why not. That last one didn't take much time at all." She reasoned with herself, still staring off into the distance.

Edited December 15, 2017 by Calypso

[Calypso 0]

"Cool, cool." Kirana said in a low voice. The girl seemed to be a bit odd, to say the least. Blunt and impersonal, but not exactly rude. Callie wasn't out to make friends with the girl, either, but it was difficult not to feel a bit awkward in her presence. "You a solo player or something?" She presented another question to break the silence just as they crossed into the safe zone. Callie's brows narrowed and her mouth turned down into a thoughtful frown. "I suppose you could say that..." She agreed, though she seemed a bit hesitant to answer that way. "I don't mind working with others if need be," She tried to explain. "but I'm more used to taking care of myself and doing things my own way. I've heard the mid-range content is challenging without a party, though, so I haven't really planned on questing much outside of the basic ones on the lower floors."

[Calypso 0]

Callie worked her way back towards the grove where Hannah resided. The girl with braided hair was in the same position as when Callie had left, dragging her pencil across her canvas to continue yet another sketch. Much like their first encounter, it wasn't until the cerulean-haired player scrolled through her inventory and pulled out the amethyst she had fetched from the caves, holding the hunk of gemstone in her hand. Once the glittering material was out in the open, Hannah perked up and turned her attention on the two players. "Oh, love! That is truly a fantastic piece of work!" She beamed, rising to her feet. She took the gemstone from Callie's hand and held it out before her, bringing the uncut amethyst close to her face for a moment before extending her arm to look at it from afar. "Right, perfect! This is just the wonderful piece that I needed!"

[Calypso 0]

"Here we go, as promised," Hannah pocketed the stone before kneeling down in front of a small bag of supplies that rested against the base of the tree. She slipped her hands inside and rummaged around for a bit before pulling out two items with a satisfied, "Here we are!" Turning back around to the pair of players, Hannah held the band of a ring in between her thumb and index finger in one hand, while the other curled around the chain holding a small pendant. "Take your pick, they're nothing too spectacularly amazing, but they're good to get you started! Somethin' simple, but pretty, eh?" She grinned. In front of Callie, a notification appeared to inform her that the quest was complete, and she was prompted again to choose one of the items presented to her. She inspected each option before quickly favoring the ring, plucking it carefully from Hannah's grip.

[Calypso 0]

All the while, Kirana stood beside the two, simply watching and waiting. Her eyes glanced curiously over Callie's shoulder when she opened her inventory, dancing over the small icons that were on display. Once the quest window had been dismissed and the item retrieved from Hannah's grasp, the NPC smiled brightly, tucking the remaining option of the pendant into the same pocket that supposedly housed the amethyst. "Well now, if I've still got your attenion, there's one more thing I might ask of you." Callie wasn't sure why she was surprised when Hannah returned to the bag still laying open on the ground. She dug around in it again for a few seconds before pulling out a large, thin pole that looked as if it had been folded over onto itself. She handed the item out for Callie to take and gave a brief explanation of the next quest objective that would be offered to her.

Thread Summary:
Calypso: +3 SP, +400 col, 1 Tier one ring with +1 Accuracy