[PP-F7] A Question of Heroism

[Calypso 0]

"You would nap in that tree all day if I didn't make you get up, huh?" Callie called over her shoulder. Sitting cross-legged atop a grassy hill a short distance from Nimbus, she surveyed the mountain ranges that stretched into the distance. She had returned to the place where she had first met her familiar, Danesh. The small, wingless dragon hybrid lay curled atop the bare branches of a single large tree that decorated the hilltop, paying no mind to his companion's teasing words.

Her defenses were still lacking, but now that she had a few levels under her belt she made the effort to travel past the safe zone every now and again, if only to enjoy the fresh breeze that carried through the seventh floor during the day. The call of adventure was a tempting one, her golden eyes having spotted what looked like the entrances to a cavern or two sitting at the base of the nearest mountains. After recent events and her track record when it came to wandering blindly into cave tunnels, however, she was able to resist the temptation rather easily. Shield wasn't here to bail her out if she stumbled into more trouble, and she had already been relying on the tank man than she had originally intended.

@Crozeph

[Crozeph 0]

The light was still from afar but he knew that it was withing his reach. He kept on running as fast as he can, he was right all along. Crozeph used the last strength he had and dashed out of the cave. All is well as he felt the warmth of the sunlight at his face but then he tripped. Crozeph rolled twice before recovering his balance and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, eyes on the darkness inside the cave before him. "I should've brought potions of higher quality, how could I let such think thread of arrogance wrap my thinking" he muttered to himself. There was a growl but it soon faded away. Crozeph eased himself and sat a few feet away from the cave,  an hour and a half of darkness was nothing  but a few minutes of impending danger that could end his life was more than just a couple of hours. It was also a fruitless roaming, he wasn't able to find anything, only the lesson of taking much more quality assured potions instead of the usual stock he has. Crozeph stood up and dusted himself, he has to find something better to do now before the last remaining time he has goes to waste.

@Calypso

Edited December 13, 2017 by Crozeph

[Calypso 0]

Callie let out a yawn, her arms lifting and stretching over her her head. "I'm jealous, Dani," She started in a childish pout, dropping her hands back down into her lap. "It's so nice out here, I wish I could nap all day, too." She chuckled softly, casting a glance over her shoulder towards the dragon perched in his tree. She was about to turn back forward when she found herself giving a double-take. Her gaze returned to linger on Danesh, whose head was lifted and pointed off in the distance. Callie turned her head slowly, trying to follow the familiar's onyx eyes. They quickly fell upon another player in the distance, the figure seeming to be picking himself up as if he had just recovered from something.

She scanned the area around him: the mouth of a dark cave, but otherwise no monsters or any threats that she could spot. If he was fighting anything, it was gone now. The woman gave a shrug of her shoulders, dismissing her attention from the player. Whatever he was doing out here, whether it was questing, farming, or just exploring, was none of her business. She turned her chin to look back out to the mountain ranges in the distance. Her hands pulled up to the sky again before she leaned back, her upper body falling against the grassy hill behind her with her arms spread out on either side.

(ooc: if Crozeph wouldn't approach her on his own, I'm fine with making something happen that forces them to interact, just let me know :3)

[Crozeph 0]

Just when he though it was all over, A giant bat rushed out of the cave. Crozeph took a few steps back and readied his sword to engage but the bat just went past him. Crozeph turned his head and saw that it was flying away from the cave "I guess it had bad roommates" he uttered as he eased himself. The relaxation was only a few seconds when Crozeph saw a player from afar. The player wasn't clearly visible but he is sure enough that it was one. He dashed as he chased the bat, the player was to be put in danger if he doesn't arrive in time. The run upward was painful but Crozeph took it, not letting the bat have a chance of easy preying. He gathered was strength he has and jumped high enough to grab one wing of the bat. It was a bad idea but he had to take it or the player gets hurt. The bat struggled to keep itself flying, it was determined though to move. Crozeph was still clinging to the bat when they went past the player, a dragon by her side "a girl taking a nap?"  he thought. Crozeph wasn't sure if the girl noticed them or not but one thing's for sure, she was safe. The bat lowered itself dragging Crozeph on the grass "why you capricious, giant ba..." Crozeph lost his grip and fell on the hill, face down. He rolled over and sighed "that bad was aiming for an out of town I perceive" he muttered as he lie down.

@Calypso

[Calypso 0]

A yawn worked its way up through her chest, escaping from her lungs while she looked up to the pale blue sky. A few loose clouds littered the space above, pushed along by the light breezes that rolled through the valley between the mountains. Creeping into the silence, a faint squeaking steadily grew louder as it reached Callie's ears, paired with the flapping of wings and the pounding of footsteps. The woman let out a short hum while she propped herself up on her elbows, turning her head back in the direction where she had spotted another player earlier. Quickly catching her attention was the sight of a monster drawing near and what she thought she recognized as the same man from the mouth of the cave chasing after it.

Callie pushed herself into a sitting position, drawing back a few inches before she got to her feet, keeping her eyes on the large bat all the while. Her footsteps fell back, bringing her closer to the base of the tree that Danesh still lay upon, unfazed by the oncoming threat. Her hand reached for the hilt of the claymore sheathed over her right shoulder, but before she had drawn the weapon the stranger that was giving chase had grabbed hold of one of the bat's wings to throw the creature off balance. The whole scene played out quickly before her, and the dark-haired player was left laying on the grassy hill a moderate distance in front of her looking exhausted and irate while the giant bat flitted off into the distance. "Uhh... Are you alright?" She called hesitantly, one palm pressed against the bark of the leafless tree while the other abandoned its grip on the hilt of her weapon.

[Crozeph 0]

Crozeph bolted up into a sitting position, the bat has already gone far leaving him and a girl looking at him asking if he was alright "I'm fine, just like what Manji says..." Crozeph scratched his head "just a scratch" he added. Crozeph stood up and dusted himself and also flicked the grasses clinging on his armor and yukata. He looked around him and saw his white katana lying a two feet away from him. Crozeph picked up his sword and strapped it on his right side before looking back at the girl. Crozeph could see that she's with a familiar "it's dangerous resting in front of a cave, trying to be a hero?" he asked her "no offense about that, just that you rarely see it nowadays"  he added. "Normally a player killer would greet you or me out of a cave, you know, loot issues" Crozeph made clear for her what he meant and "lucky you have a familiar, planning on entering a cave?" he asked her another question.

[Calypso 0]

(ooc: very sorry for the wait! I should be back in the swing of things now)

Callie cocked a cerulean brow at the stranger's words, but her shoulders dropped slightly as he picked himself up, seemingly unharmed. Her confused expression wasn't as quick to disappear as the tension she had felt, however, as he continued to address her with a voiced observation and a couple of questions. "A hero? Hardly." She mumbled, curious as to what having a familiar had to do with such a concept. Perhaps they were somewhat of a rarity. After all, the other players she'd encountered who had familiars of their own far out-leveled her. She had only been lucky enough to find and befriend Danesh because of the help that Hestia insisted on giving her after they had met.

She frowned at his mention of player killers--a concept she was lucky to have only heard rumors and stories about with a thankful lack of first-hand experience. She took no offense to his caution, but shifted her weight while both her and her familiar's eyes were trained on the katana-wielder. "Entering a cave? Not likely, I've had my fill of those lately." The unsavory memory of cave exploration on the fourth floor with Shield once again resurfaced, and she did her best not to dwell on the thought. "This is where I tamed my familiar, and he seems to like the area. We come up here every so often just to relax." She explained.

[Crozeph 0]

Crozeph nodded while scratched his chin at what the girl replied "I'm assuming that you like the place already?" he told her. Crozeph was never fond of any floor, if there ever was a fondness he had, it was those floors with large areas. He would explore and roam until he gets lost "it's fine to like one, just know that when in doubt, know your way out" Crozeph threw some advice. He opened his user interface and tried to see if there was something ahead inside the map "it's dangerous to relax sometimes. I do that a lot way back my noob days and it was hazardous..." Crozeph gave her a faint smile "...not player killer issues this time, just that you get lazy and suffer serious level gap from others then it turns into a player killer issue" he added. If there was someone who suffered from that it was him, he even lost a half-brother for it.

[Calypso 0]

"It's not bad." She said, still strangely skeptical of the player across from her. He made mention of the dangers of relaxation, causing Callie to raise another brow. He spoke about it like enjoying the scenery wasn't something he did anymore--like it was a luxury reserved for the ignorant and underleveled. He went so far as to mention player killers, and she held in a small snicker when he brought up the concept of level gaps. In terms of level, Callie probably shouldn't be on this floor at all. She certainly shouldn't have been venturing outside of Nimbus when she only had a couple of levels under her belt, yet that hadn't stopped her from leaving the city walls and finding Danesh. Granted, she had only left the safe zone because she had the accompaniment of a rather sweet girl who now held one of the few populated spots on her friends list, but that didn't much change the fact that she hadn't been the most mindful person when it came to her own safety.

"Umm, yeah. Thanks for the advice." She tried to retain her normal sense of politeness, but perhaps her mood was just a touch less patient than she would have been on any other day. She wasn't sure what this stranger wanted, whether it was just to chat or offer her some unsolicited guidance.

[Crozeph 0]

Crozeph felt the slight impatience of the girl before him. It was rare but not that it was a hundred percent possible to not meet someone impatient. Crozeph stretched out his hand and introduced himself to the girl "I'm Crozeph, if that's something that would not take up much space in your memory" he told her "I usually go by the name Crow but if you're not into codename stuff just call me Crozeph" he added. It is also rare for Crozeph to do the first approach. He wanted to get on with his agendas but the time wasted and unproductive results changed his mood for explorations. The familiar was also something to note, she seemed like the other player to take up a hybrid looking familiar "no offense, is the familiar's name 'manticore' or something like that?" he asked her. Crozeph was trying to test out something "a little impatient, let's try a slight tap" he thought, waiting if he'll be ticked off with any reply from her or the other way around.

 

[Calypso 0]

"Oh, right. Calypso." Her guard finally seemed to lower a bit as she accepted the hand that he offered to her in a quick shake. Though it was still strange to address herself by her username, she hadn't made it a habit to offer others the nickname that she would normally go by. In fact, Shield was the only person whom she had prompted to use her shortened name. Still, Callie wasn't so formal that she would shrug off a casual name someone else gave to her.

"Manticore?" She echoed, having to catch herself before a hint of incredulity could work its way into her voice. She also had to stop herself from snickering. Perhaps Danesh's paws and long tail might somehow come close to resembling a manticore, but otherwise the term was way off. Callie worked to compose herself before answering, not really wanting to put the other player off with her reaction. "The game has him registered as an Ermine Sky Dragon. So, basically half-ferret, half-eastern style dragon, it seems." She turned her attention to the creature, bringing a hand up to run her fingers over his head and circle around the small horns that protruded from his skull.

[Crozeph 0]

"I have no idea what a ferret looks like" he replied. Crozeph lived in the city ever since he was born and he never saw a ferret in his life or if he saw one, he didn't know. "Some kind of rodent? you know, the size of mice or squirrels?" he asked her "maybe a platypus and the hybrid of a dragon made it bigger than normal" he added. It took only a few minutes before the bat came flying back. Crozeph grabbed the hilt of his katana and made himself ready if it ever attack "faced winged creatures before? they're a real pain in the neck"  he uttered. He was about to draw his katana when the bat flew past them and perched itself just by the entrance of the cave, like a bat. Crozeph made a sigh as if danger was gone yet he is still unproductive. "Let's see, do you think you can take on that one? I don't like fighting multiple enemies, duels are the best" he told her. Crozeph never charged into battle like he's some guy named Guts "I work efficiently or at least I tried, I did well also most of the time" he told her "winged creatures like that one are the ones breaking my efficiency streak on duels" he added. 

[Calypso 0]

"Oh... Right." It often slipped Callie's mind that she was in this game with people from all over the world. Perhaps it wasn't so strange that someone didn't know what a ferret was. "Uh, yes. Larger than mice. Danesh here is a bit bigger than a standard ferret, I think. But the body and face structure is very similar." She paired her explanation with a small nod to herself. She couldn't help cocking another brow at Crozeph's words, but before her discomfort lingered too long, her attention was drawn back to the giant bat that seemed to make its way back to the mouth of the cave a short distance away, as if its programming had been reset to place it back where it came from.

"What? Why?" Callie couldn't stop herself from sounding a bit more annoyed than she intended. Was it rude of her to respond so uncooperatively? Or was it rude of this person to suddenly ask her to take on a monster because it wasn't 'efficient' for him? She frowned, turning her narrowed gaze from the bat hanging at the cave's entrance, to the familiar over her shoulder, and back to Crozeph standing across from her.

[Crozeph 0]

"Well I got the mice part a little right"  he replied. Calypso's reaction was somewhat different from what Crozeph expected "you don't seem the battle type huh?" he asked her "or was it just a nuisance to do it out of nowhere?"  he asked again. He had a lot of question to her which seemed stupid enough to cause annoyance but Crozeph rarely does talking like that for a long time. He had friends from his guild from way back whom he can talk senseless things which may lead to laughter or just spawn another question. "Let's put it this way, you analyze what I should do with that thing then I execute"  he told her "I also need suggestion from anyone from time to time" the thought of having someone tell him better ways to engage the enemy a bit confusing but maybe he'll manage.

[Calypso 0]

"I can fight if I need to." She responded, holding her tongue before she admitted that she could easily take his sudden request as a nuisance. Callie shifted her weight, hearing out his further explanation while she tried to keep her head from spinning as it tried to wrap around his reasoning.

"So, you want me--a stranger you've only just met--to guide you through a fight with a cave bat by calling out instruction?" She placed a hand on her hip as she tried to reiterate what she understood as his revised request. The woman sighed, picking up her free hand to tuck her cerulean locks behind her ear. She didn't have a reason to agree, but it was almost becoming troublesome--not to mention rude--to continue responding so negatively. "Sure, why not, I guess?" She shrugged off the voice in the back of her head that told her she should just try to excuse herself and head back to Nimbus.

[Hestia 0]

I appear on the seventh floor by myself just wearing some casual clothes taking a small deep breathe in of the fresh air as i exit the main settlement and start to walk among the plains. Just wanting to get some fresh air to get out of my shop, and to enjoy the wonderful world that can try to bring a sense of peace. I smile slightly as i gaze around the rolling hills as i take steps in a random direction finding the scenery change rather nice and beautiful. I wonder where i should make my home? I question myself softly out loud. Should it be this floor since it is so open, or maybe have it be like floor twenty two..or should i just wait to see what other floors come about? Can you even move your home after you make it? I say talking to myself as i then see a opening of a cave, and then see two players that i haven't seen awhile. Crozeph just seemingly entering the cave while the other just waiting outside as i grin and makes my way over towards her.  Hey Calypso what is up! I call out over towards the girl.

[Calypso 0]

Callie's hand found the back of her neck, and it grazed the skin for a moment while her eyes shifted back over her shoulder to the small dragon who continued wearing a curious expression. Just what was she getting herself into? Her general safety wasn't much of a concern, as much as it might have should have been when it came to interacting with strangers in this virtual world. Just as her head was continuing to doubt her already-hesitant response to the odd player across from her, a new but familiar voice called out her username. Callie perked, turning her head to quickly spot a head of long raven hair that fell around a smiling face she happened to recognize. Suddenly, a thought clicked into place in her mind, and gears turned while they worked to tell her how exactly she could take this 'out' being presented to her.

"Oh! Hestia!" She called, creating a friendly smile on her face back at the woman while she straightened her spine. The hand that had been rubbing at the back of her neck reached out to the side, finding Danesh without the help of her sight, and scooped the creature up from his perch on the low-hanging tree branch. She pulled her companion to her chest, ignoring his small squirms of silent protest at being handled. The cerulean-haired woman would release her grasp and let him hurriedly climb up her shirt and onto his more usual perch of her shoulders only after she'd taken a couple of quick steps towards Hestia. "Oh, god, sorry! I totally forgot about our thing, thanks for coming to get me!" She met the younger woman's path, reaching out a now-free hand to her shoulder where she applied enough pressure to turn Hestia away from Crozeph in an attempt to hide the sure expression of confusion that she would be wearing. Taking half a step forward to start them on their way, Callie turned her head over her shoulder to flash the man an apologetic smile. "So sorry, but I'm already late for something. It was nice meeting you." She paired her rushed and polite farewell with a small nod, turning back forward and continuing to walk without allowing Crozeph the time to interject in their parting.

[Hestia 0]

I smile a bit as i see Calypso greet me back as i wave and looks over to see Crozeph and smiles a bit glad to see that he is doing okay, but then starts hearing what she said gaining a rather confused look on my face at the rather sudden words that don't make much sense to me at all. Wait what do you-. I say with some confusion as i get pushed away from where Crozpeh is as my mind quickly fills in the blanks as i glance back towards Calypso and says in a soft voice once we're far enough away. Was he bothering you or something, or just really awkward to hangout with? I ask knowing that his speech pattern can be a bit much at times, and create some awkwardness in the air. But yeah besides that awkward greeting how have you been? I haven't seen you in a little while, but at least you're doing alright in terms of staying safe. I say sounding rather cheerful at the fact of just seeing you alive and well within the world of Aincrad.

[Calypso 0]

Letting out a wry chuckle, Callie matched Hestia's bright blue eyes for a moment with a sidelong glance of her own. She let out a quick sigh through her nose while Danesh made himself comfortable atop her shoulders, and she spoke up once she was sure they were out of earshot, though she still kept her voice a bit lower than normal. "That person was...odd, to say the least." She started, trying to come up with a way to summarize the encounter. After a few moments in thought, she instead gave a shake of her head and worked to change the topic. "Anyway. What brings you here? I don't think we've actually met up since that first time, when you helped me find Danesh." She flashed the woman a polite smile before golden eyes flickered back to the familiar perched on her shoulder, who stared back at them with beady onyx orbs on an expressionless face. "I hope you've been well. You look a bit more relaxed than when I first saw you in that armor." She commented with a small chuckle, taking note of Hestia's casual attire.

[Hestia 0]

yeah that is Crozeph for you. He can be a bit strange for certain, but he has a kind heart through the weird and awkward exterior that i promise you. I tell Calypso with a nod of my head as we make our way through the seventh floor. I turn to Calypso and sees the little familiar and smiles remembering helping the girl meet the small little dragon like being. SO then Calypso how have you and familiar been since last we met? i ask curiously and then nods my head. And what brings me here is just me doing my patrols and everything. To make sure that people are staying safe, and i also came to enjoy the beauty that this floor has. Things have been a interesting and a bit chaotic for myself as of late. i say with a nervous chuckle as i rub the back of my neck as i say that. When mentioning my appearance i tilt my head slightly. Do i really look all that high strung when wearing my armor? I ask innocently and curiously i then look down towards my clothing. Oh..you meant my clothing choice. woops. I say with a bit of laughter at my own expense. Yeah i am not as scared of this floor because i have made considerable amounts of progress where i feel safe exploring in vanity clothing.