[PP-F4+21] Quest Giver <<Essence of Steel>> (Pinball)

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru showed up on the fourth floor, making quick time of what he needed to do. Although he had been busy for most of the day, he had given himself 15 minutes to finally get the other essence that he was needing for his weapon. He let out a small sigh and <<Charge>>d ahead to the boss zone. The creature appeared for but a few seconds, when Hikoru leapt into the air and stabbed him right through his heart. Although he would usually use stealth to practice, he knew he needed to hurry. He finished off the creature as he grabbed the essence. He looked at the time.

"Ten minutes left til I have to get back..." He said between ragged breaths. He would need to make it back to the 21st floor soon, and with his state and the amount of snow, he would need to hurry. He made his way back quickly, using the teleporter to appear back on the 21st floor. ignoring the fearful looks he got from some of the NPC's. He was used to it by now, as his presence usually made people uneasy. He made his way to his home, letting out a sign and landing on his couch, out of breath but left with three minutes to spare. He remembered how out of shape he had really gotten, and he knew he needed to start training again, once he got caught up with work.

@Pinball

ID: 97871 BD: 8+1=9 Hit!

Hikoru used Swarm: 14x21 = 294 Damage to Snow Beast

Hikoru: 1420/1420 126/142 MIT: 79

Snow Beast: 0/250

[Pinball 1]

"I'm going out of business." 

"Wha- what the hell do you mean, going out of business?" Pinball asked, shocked. Sugutsuya offered a helpless shrug. "This guy's got quite the reputation, for a broker. He's grabbing most people's attention these days. I can't really compete, and I don't really want to." Pinball leaned back in his chair, a bit put off by the news. "Well... well what does that mean?" The white-haired info broker sighed, folding his hands in front of him. They were in a bar, sitting at a booth, drinks set out between the two of them. Pinball had asked to meet up with Sugutsuya for information on a quest he could take, but then... "It means this... thing? It ain't working out for me anymore. I'm retiring." Pinball shot up, shocked. "Retiring? You?!" Sugutsuya had been his dealer since the beginning, and he was definitely not the quitting type. Nonetheless, the man grinned. "Yeah. Honestly, I'm getting tired of the whole sneaky thing. Not my style. I haven't exactly bought a lot of my information, if you catch my drift. Call it a change of heart or whatever." Pinball's heart sank. "Damn," the fisherman replied, looking down. "Oi. Chin up, kid," Sugutsuya laughed, snapping his fingers. "I hear he isn't all that bad. Good at what he does, at least." Sugutsuya leaned forward, a malicious grin on his face. "Don't stress too much about me. After what you said to those poor kids in the bar, I'm sure you've got enough on your plate already." Sugutsuya chuckled. He was always in the loop; at least, he was with Pinball's affairs. "Here," he said, "I'll write out where you gotta go. Take it easy, Pinny. Try not to get yourself killed." 

Pinball stood in front of the giant gate, his eyes wide. "What... the hell?" The door looked especially foreboding, rather like a boss room. Was Sugutsuya playing a prank on him again? It wouldn't have been the first time. "Ohh, boy," Pinball sighed, stepping up to the door, and forcing himself to give it a knock. He jumped back, his heart pounding in his chest. He could only imagine what kind of person would live in a place like that. Anxious, Pinball gripped his spear, rubbing the jar on his waist where his familiar slept. He grit his teeth, waiting for some kind of response.

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru had just taken a shower prior to when he heard a small doorbell sound echo through his house. He raised an eyebrow and finished drying his hair, opening his security system HUD and seeing a young player at his doorstep, a Two-handed spear and shaking like a dog. Curious and a bit irritated at the same time, he donned on his gear once more, putting on his new armor set, Shadow's Victory, and putting on his signature blue cloak. He had never gone out in public without it since he received it from Itzal, except once with Vale. He let out a small sigh and mentally prepared himself to whatever was about to happen. The boy seemed harmless, but he could very well try to kill him, so he made sure to have his Dimensional Dagger sheathed and ready to fight. He pressed the button next to his front door, the large stone rolling away into a slot next to it, to reveal an old, rustic-looking oak door. Hikoru turned the knob when he could see to the caverns outside, and opened the door, poking his head out to greet the young man.

"Can I help you?"

[Pinball 1]

Pinball watched in awe as the stone rolled to the side, to reveal... a regular door. "Oh," he murmured to himself, a bit underwhelmed. He snapped to attention when a man poked his head out from the door. Pinball flinched, backing off a bit. "Uhh, y-yeah, um." He clenched his left hand tightly, though his spear wouldn't leave his hand even if he wanted it to. "Right, right," he squeaked, scared he'd aggravate the man. Sugutsuya, at least, had been impatient, and passionate about keeping to a schedule. If all info brokers were the same... "Sorry. I, uhh, I got sent here by... by a friend," he managed, pointing with his finger as if the man was right outside the house. He wasn't. Pinball was pointing at nothing."You're - you can tell me where I can find a quest, right? Like one that's a bit worth my time." Pinball grit his teeth, hating himself for acting so... strange. Jesus, dude. Why are you like this? And it was a very shallow shyness, too, because once somebody got him to open up, he was practically a joke-slinging lunatic. At his core, he was a softie, but Pinball wished it wasn't nearly as obvious. "Yeah," he muttered. "Sorry for bothering you," Pinball added, his face quite red. 

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru listened as the boy muttered, when he said he was brought by a friend. Curious, he continued to listen instead of slamming the door. He asked if he could find him a quest, and he let out a sigh and started to send through the names of the people who he had seen in the Info Broker Society that would send someone. He couldn't think of others, but he noticed that the boy had yet to let go of the Spear, although it could be seen as menacing, there was something in his notes about a player with a spear. He stood up straight and opened the door, waving the boy in.

"Come now, let's not let the heat of the fire be put out by the cold of the caverns." He said, then waited for him. Once he entered, Hikoru closed the door, the stone rolling over the entrance could vaguely be heard, until it fell into place and they were in the house. He motioned to a small area with some coffee and tea. "Feel free to help yourself, and excuse me for a moment..." He said, then went to his desk to start sifting through the papers and folders he had collected. He opened one with the name: Pinball. Curious, he opened it, and sure enough the description fit spot on. No personal information was given, just info about his weapon and his appearance. He let out a curious sigh. "So young man, care to tell me what kind of quests interest you, or are you trying to find a way to get rid of your spear?"

[Pinball 1]

Pinball straightened, his posture stiff and nervous. I feel the heat in my cheeks, not the heat of the fire, Pinball thought uneasily. Nonetheless, he walked through the door, holding his spear out in front of him to avoid bumping it against the doorframe. This is... surprisingly nice for a cave? He watched as the man excused himself, glancing over to the drinks set out. "Oh. Yeah, no worries," he mumbled, hesitating to pick up a drink. Don't be rude, he cautioned. Even still, he couldn't force himself to pick up a drink. Instead, he shuffled over to stand beside it, looking rather uncomfortable. 

When the broker came back, he snapped to attention. "Oh!" Pinball pulled his spear close to his chest, the weapon still standing well above his head, despite the teen's impressive height. He bit his lip. Get rid of my spear? I can do that? Pinball shook it off. It was cursed, and even though he could unequip it, it was something that was going to have to stick with him forever... or so he was told. The spear didn't hold much of a history, and Cursed was a rare enhancement even among the uniques. "Just- just something I can fight." He hesitated. "Something strong, y'know? A bit more dangerous.." His voice quivered a bit towards the end, but he covered it with a cough. 

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru listened through the known quests, and gave a small sigh. He had all the quests he could use, but he needs to know more information. He looked at the young-looking player with a bit of curiosity. "Alright, strong enough to cause a fight..." he looked at him curiously. "Can I happen to know your level, and what your build is? This can help me find you a good quest..." He said as he filed through. He had taken out all of the tier 3 quests, as he had yet to see the young man on the frontlines, so he had a feeling that he was yet to really join that higher rank of players. He looked through the other quests at Tier 2 and Tier 1, and he knew that he would need to go through and see which ones were good for both his level and his build. He wanted to guess DPS, but he didn't know what unique quirks his spear had, or what unique things he did with his build. It would be all known in due time though, and he could continue from there.

[Pinball 1]

Pinball hesitated for a moment, but then he spoke clearly. "Oh, my build?" He swiped open his menu, checking his level and his equipment. "Uhh, give me a second," he murmured, tapping through the screens. He knew damn well what his own equipment was, but he was double-checking so as to avoid mistaking himself. "Just three Evasion, three Accuracy, and uhh... my spear." He checked the enhancements once more. "Two Freeze, Phase, and... Cursed." Pinball then double checked his level before swiping his menu closed. "I'm level twenty-five." Pinball then stopped to take a look around the area, quickly wondering what kinds of quest he could have missed. His build was a squishy one, and he wasn't sure how he'd be able to fight anything powerful without getting hurt. "I've only got Rank Two Familiar Mastery," he added, his hand reaching for the jar on his waist, "she helps me fight. I'm still, um, getting the hang of it." 

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru gave a nod and wrote out his answers out on a piece of paper, then placed it into the 'Pinball' file. He had gotten enough information to work with, and information in case people asked him about it. He went through his files of quests to see what he could find, and he was having a difficult time. "Your DPS, but my arent you a squishy one... " He said as he rubbed his chin, a small sound if bristly hair can be heard, and he realized that he was getting a small bit if 5 o clock shadow. He thought for a moment

"Maybe you could try... Long Live the Queen, if you havent done that. Seems up your alley... But if you've done it already, let me know what ones youve done so I can take down the numbers." He said with a nod. "Also, I do usually ask for a price when it comes to info..." He raised an eyebrow with a small smirk. "But I have something in mind to pay for my help. Information for Information." He said simply, then started to look for the long live the queen file he had. 

[Pinball 1]

Pinball grimaced at the mention of the squishiness of his build. He knew it was a risk, but it was one he was willing to take. Sure, it meant he would have to focus on dodging, and going on raids without a tank would be risky, but it was something he'd gladly sacrifice if it meant finishing the fight faster. He wasn't one that took pride in his combat ability, so he'd need to put as much damage out as possible in the quickest amount of time to help himself survive another day. "Y-yeah," he acknowledged, making a note to himself to try and fix his 'squishy'. He listened as the man told him about Long Live the Queen, but Pinball shook his head. "Yeah, no, I've already done that," he responded, feeling a bit awkward. He straightened a bit, but he had expected such. "What... What do you mean, information for information?" Pinball had been a bit put off by the mention of a price, but if it was just information... he gripped his spear, his jaw set. "What do you need?" 

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru gave a nod, then went back to the files, putting the quest file away. He didn't know what he did and didn't do, so he would have to double-check with him in a moment. He grabbed his enchantment folder, and walked over to the sofa where the young man stood, sitting down and placing the folder down, showing the contents and how they were filed. "DoT, Extra Damage, Healing, Armor, Damage, Other" Tabs could be seen on the edge. He went to the 'other' tab, and looked at the enchantments, then went to where the "Cursed" enchantment was, to show a blank paper.

"The enchantment that you have on your spear there-" He said, giving a sideways motion with his hand "- I have no info on. If you can help me learn about it, with a few tests and such, that would help me greatly." He said with a sigh, then he looked at the young man. "Also, let me know what quests you've done, so I can cross those out of the ones I have listed." he said with a chuckle. "It makes it a bit easier for me."

[Pinball 1]

He watched in silence as the broker made his way over to his files, and stood over him when he sat down, showing him the folder's tabs. The man seemed to have quite the collection of information. Shocker. Pinball nodded, realizing now what he meant by information for information. He wants to know more about Cursed, he knew. But run a few tests? The hell does that mean? Despite this, Pinball took a deep breath. "Alright," he said. "I can do that. No problem." He scratched at his neck, his head tilted at an angle. Does he mean to have me fight stuff? Or do tests mean something that can be done here? Questions just lead to more questions. He didn't know, nor did he claim to know the man's intentions. But, upon being asked for a list of quests, Pinball happily obligued. "I've done all four of the Lessons," he began, counting with his fingers, "I've done Long Live the Queen, Deforestation, Treant Rivalries, Worn Out Welcome, The Venemous Warg, the first DHA, Feeding the Enemy, Earning a Living, Search for the Hoya, Secret Medicine, Breaking the Unbreakable, and...  And yeah, that's it." He figured it best he tell him what he was already planning to do. "You can count Case of Wurms, Bandit Camp, and Avalanche as well." 

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru listened and wrote something mentally, about the boy being shy to be added to his personal list. He did another mental flip of all the quests he'd done, and he nodded. "I can think of a few quests you can do." he said, then went back to his desk, grabbing the files. He opened them and chuckled at the three of them. "We have <<Let There Be Light>>, which is meant for a level 5+ if I remember, so you are a little over-levelled, but it's still SP nontheless..." He turned to the second file. "Then we have <<Essence of Steel, a fairly simple quest with an item that is useful..." He remembered. "Speaking of which, Need to do that... Anyways," He turned to the file "The third one is <<The Gemini>> Which is interesting, as it can pose a real challenge." He said with a small chuckle. "Better make sure your prepared for that one." He looked at the young man.

"Now, about the test..." He said, then held his hand out. "Throw it to the wall over there." He said, motioning towards a wall with multiple scratches and marks, which he called this frustration station.

[Pinball 1]

Pinball took a mental note of the quests the man listed off, trying to commit to memory the things he knew he'd forget without writing it down. As soon as he left the broker's house, he'd probably pull out his journal, jotting down the things he had learned. "Thank you, thank you," Pinball smiled, taking a particular interest in the last thing he had spoken of. The Gemini, Pinball echoed, his imagination going a bit wild at the thought of why he'd possibly need to be prepared for a quest. Up until now, he'd been fine with just going with the flow of things. He hadn't been so unlucky as to take a bite bigger than he could chew. I'll do all the quests he mentioned before The Gemini. 

Pinball looked to the worn wall he pointed at, listening to the instructions given to him by the broker. "Uhh, it actually can't-" he began, but stopped himself. He probably wouldn't be satisfied with just his word, and so Pinball took a step in front of it, giving himself enough room to throw the spear. Or at least, try to. He held the long spear over his head, took a single step forward, and swung his arm as hard he could.... And got knocked off balance as a result. The spear acted as if it was glued to his hand. He tumbled forwards, staggering, trying to recover. The only reason he didn't end up with a hole in the wall was due to his outstretched arm slamming into the surface, stopping him. "S-sorry!"

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru watched the events unfold calmly. The boy tried to say he couldn't, but he stopped. He made a mental note, then he tried to throw it, but it seemingly acted as if it was glued to his hand, and he tumbled and fell, eventually catching himself. Hikoru made a note on the paper inside his folder, then stand up to help the young man. He just nodded. "That's good. So as far as I can tell, the 'cursed' enchantment makes it so that you can't get rid of it..." He scratched his chin. "That's very interesting... So you can never get rid of it, which i'm sure is very annoying. Can you not even unequip it in your inventory?..." He sat down. "Also, does the item... Tier up with you? Wait, you wouldn't know that yet, your still tier 1..." He scratched his head. "Well, I suppose you can tell me when you get to Tier 2. That may be weeks, or maybe days. I can't really know. Just... get in contact with me when you can, alright?" He said as he jotted down his mental notes on the paper, crossing some out and writing more underneath.

"Gonna have to tidy this up.... But, that's enough information for now." He said, then motioned for the young player to sit. "Now... Who gave you the information to find my place? I know it wasn't any of my friends, as only one person knows where I live, and I don't think he would enclose it so lightly..." He eyed him. "Which Info Broker was it?"

[Pinball 1]

The broker's assumptions were spot on. He had deduced so much from just the act of him attempting to throw his spear. Impressive, he thought. But, then again... His business was information. Who was to say he hadn't heard about Cursed from somebody else? It may have only been blank because he didn't want to go off of rumors. His questions brought him back to reality. "You can unequip it," he explained, swiping open his menu, demonstrating, "but it can't be traded. It doesn't even show up with the other items on the trading screen." He spread his now empty hands out. When he asked about the tier up, Pinball bit his lip. Instead of telling him he was in fact tier two, he kept it to himself. It'll give me an excuse to come back. I'm going to need a broker now that he's done with it. 

Pinball took a seat when signaled to, a bit glad to be off of his feet. Still, his question made Pinball nervous. He wasn't sure why. Information for information, he reminded himself, then added, he wouldn't care. He looked at the floor, finding it hard to make eye contact. Still, he answered honestly. "The broker was, uhh... Sugutsuya. You probably haven't heard of him." He'd been Pinball's broker for the past two years. Sugutsuya was a prickly one, and antisocial to top it off. From what Pinball knew, Sugutsuya was a bit hated in the community. The man didn't focus his business on quests or equipment. Instead, Sugutsuya was more interested in people's personal lives. He picked up secrets from God knows where (probably spying, given the hints the man had dropped over the years), and sold it to whoever showed an interest. Kind of sleazy, really. In contrast, the man Pinball was talking to now seemed much more professional, and his info looked to be much more varied and detailed. Pinball's mind flashed to memories of the white-haired youth. Usually wore that creepy smirk, too. Pinball coughed. "He's not that bad of a guy, really."

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru made a note, then nodded as he said it could be unequipped, but not traded. He jotted down that note, and putting away the file. He heard the name of the info broker who gave away his location, and he sighed. He went back over to his desk and started to file through his Info Broker information. He found the file titled 'Sugutsuya' and brought it over.he had a file for every info broker, and had been keeping tabs on most of them. He came and sat down, flicking through the pages, some complaints from other info brokers, but mostly just information about the info broker himself. He nodded, then closed the folder.

"Hm, interesting for him to give it out. Although we have few rules as a society, a rule I had added is to not give away others locations, to protect each other's identities..." He looked at Pinball. "So either he's trying to get himself killed, or he's leaving the society, which isn't good, because he knows every location of every info broker..." He sighs and opens his HUD, quickly opening a message to send to all info brokers. "Great, now I have to find new areas..." He muttered and sighed, hanging his head, closing the message. "That'll take me a moment, so i'll put it off for a little bit." He looked at the young man. "Any other revelations about the enchantment? Or any questions about the quests I gave you?" He asked, trying to keep his composure

[Pinball 1]

Pinball watched, interested, as the broker brought out another folder. He watched him flip through the pages, then close it with a nod. So he does keep tabs on everyone. Like I thought. He wondered for a moment what that meant for him. What does it say in my folder? He wasn't sure he even wanted to know what others knew about him. But, as long as this guy was honest in his trade, he'd probably notify him before selling his information out to anybody. Probably being the keyword, there. And what does he mean by "finding new areas"? Pinball was still pondering this when the man shot his final question. He shook his head, trying to think of things he could come up with. It was a rare oppurtunity to get this kind of information for "free". Pinball started slow first, gathering enough confidence to ask his own question rather comfortably. "Uhh, I don't really know about anything else with the weapon. I'll let you know if something comes up? But, I do want to know what the Gemini is about. Other than that..." He shrugged. "That's all I want to know. Thanks for the help." 

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru muttered a few words about locations as the young man asked about the Gemini. Hikoru scratched and rubbed his chin, the bristly sound heard throughout the house due to the complete silence and serenity of the cave-like structure. He pondered for a moment, and found the words he was looking for. "The Gemini... Challenges you, and makes you really think about your strengths and weaknesses..." He chuckled. "In my case, My Gemini Quest I saw the person that I could become, the person that I could have been... The person I feared." He said with a sigh, staring off into space as he leaned back on the couch, his hands resting behind his head. "It was a fight that was easy thanks to the old mechanics of sword arts, but now... I quite fear how hard it would be for me to do it now." He said with another chuckle, then he turned to the young man.

"If you learn anything else about the enchantment, don't be afraid to send a message to see if i'm home. You know where I am, and I don't plan on re-locating anytime soon. Maybe sometime you can tag along with me on a rumor quest, as i'm pretty interested in your fighting style young Pinball." He said with a sigh, and gave him a nod. "But for now, a deals a deal, and at your current level these are the quests I think you can do quite easily. If you have any problems with them send me a message, I may be able to help in the future." He said, then gave a final nod, before picking up his papers to put the back into their designated drawers and files.

[Pinball 1]

A challenge, huh. Pinball thought for a moment. It sounds rough, if even this guy had a hard time with it. It seemed to be more of a mentally challenging, if anything. Or, at least, that's what Pinball figured. As the broker wrapped things up, Pinball took the signal as if he were being asked to leave. He told him he was interested in his fighting style. Pinball straightened, lowering his eyes a bit. "Ah, yeah. Thanks," he managed, his voice soft and uncomfortable. At the broker's request, Pinball would message him when he needed information. He'd use the tier-up as an excuse to try and talk to him again, since Pinball believed that when people said they'd like to talk to you, they didn't really. Pinball made his way to the door, looking back at the man. He was picking up his folders and papers. He's sure collected a lot of folders. Pinball turned back to the door, reaching to push it open, but stopped himself. He looked back to the man. "Ah, see ya. Thanks for all the help. I really appreciate it. Thank you, thank you." After much more thanking, Pinball left the cave with new information, and a new broker. At least, I hope. I still don't know that much abou him. He made his way back to the teleporter, his eyes set on the sky above him. "Oh, whatever. Time will tell."