[PP-F5] Shark Attack in a Sea of Dunes <<Blood In the Sand>>

[Vigilon 0]

Vigilon was back in the fifth floor. Been a while since he'd been here last. Was it to get a lay of the land, or to visit the shop where he'd gotten his sword while he was low-level? Either way, he was here due to rumors of a monster in the floor. When he managed to hear more about this creature, he had some thoughts... "A sand shark? Why would a shark be in the sand? Don't they live in the sea? Man, this just might be confusing...but I might need some help to deal with this thing." He would then send a message to two players, his girlfriend, Krysta, and an acquaintance, Reinholt.

Quote

To: @Krysta, @Reinholt:

Hey, I've heard that there was a shark monster dwelling in the sands of the fifth floor, worth some XP and a mitigation consumable or more. I'll be waiting at the gates of Fortaleza if you're interested.

-Vigilon

He started for the city gate, and he would wait there for the players until they would show up. Three players against that thing, natural sand dweller or not, it wouldn't stand a chance against a trio.

[Krysta 0]

Krysta was making her first visit to the fifth floor, and it happened to be a desert. The color of the sands were not what she expected of a desert floor, however. She thought the sands would be white or of a similar color, but it didn't seem to be that kind of desert. She soon learned that the settlement's name was Fortaleza, and she put two and two together. "Oh, it's that kind of desert, one that I might find in the continent of North America." But that would only bring confusion. Such a desert had never been a place of swords and noble warriors...had it? She soon received a message from Vigilon, speaking of a shark in the sand. "But if it's a monster, could it be a shark that was attuned to the sand? That would be the only logical explanation for it..." She made her way to the city gate, and found Vigilon standing there. "Hello Alex! So I assume we're going to fight an elemental shark?"

@Vigilon @Reinholt

[Reinholt 0]

Reinholt had been lounging in his shop when he heard thr ting of a notification. Lazily he opens his interface and reads the message. It was from Vigilon, his fellow blacksmith and acquaintance. "Oh the sand shark? Shouldn't be a problem with the three of us." He mutters and types out a quick response saying that He would be there shortly. Rising to his feet, he switches to his Vangardian Plate armor and the cobalt blade Darukai. He whistles and Fenrir rises from the spot he laid near the forge. The Sabertooth Wolf yawns as he starts to pad toward Reinholt. "Lets go Fenrir. We have a Sand Shark to kill." he says as they leave the shop. Soon they materialize on the 5th and start to trek through Fortaleza to meet up with the other two players, his familiar walking along beside him. Soon he arrives at the gates and waves toward Vigilon and Krysta. "Hey guys. Thanks for the invite. Ive already killed this guy once but i don't mind helping out again. Plus that potion is nice." Fenrir sits down on his haunches and lazily flicks its mace-like tail from side to side.

@

[Vigilon 0]

Krysta was the first to arrive. "Elemental...now the whole shark thing is starting to make sense. The possible dunes we'll find in the desert are bound to be the 'ocean' it dwells in. But yes, we are going to fight a shark." Reinholt arrived, saying that he'd already killed the monster before, but he didn't mind facing it again, as well as the potion reward. "Ah, so like the Wasp Queen and the giant icicle, Avalanche, this sand dwelling Shark drops one potion per player...I'm starting to sense a pattern here..." Having all the thoughts in mind, he considered himself ready for the third of these potion dropping field bosses. Veriost woke up, stretched, and noticed Reinholt's familiar. The small white frost dragon stared at it, while remaining on Vigilon's shoulder. "Well, it looks like we're all here. Might as well head out now, I guess." Vigilon would start walking out the city gate, and Veriost would turn around, for she was still staring at the familiar she hadn't met.

@Krysta

[Krysta 0]

"Well, I do admit that it is rather interesting to have found a shark that dwells in a place without much water, but either way, it shouldn't stand a chance at all." This should be fairly simple, especially since there were three players that would be going up against this creature. They couldn't possibly lose. Reinholt had mentioned that he'd defeated the monster before, and wouldn't mind doing so again. "Oh, hello again, Reinholt." Yolviinsil had seen Reinholt before, but not his familiar. The small ruby red feathered dragon hid behind Krysta again. It wouldn't be long before she climbed back up on her shoulder, though. Yolviinsil may be shy, but it took less time to warm up to other familiars than with players. Vigilon started walking out the gate, but Krysta had a suggestion. "Um, Alex, don't you think that since Reinholt has faced the beast before, and probably knows where it is, that he should lead the way to the monster's dwelling?"

@Reinholt

[Reinholt 0]

Reinholt nods in agreement when Vigilon said they should get going. Fenrir paws disdainfully at the sand before then and thumps its tail harder on the ground, sending up a small sand cloud. Reinhokt glances at his familiar with a slight grin. "I guess my dislike for this floor has worn off on Fenrir already. But I agree, we should get moving." Krysta mentions he should lead the way and he smiles and nods his head. "I dont mind that at all." he responds and starts to walk out unti the vast desert before them. Fenrir stubbornly sits just inside the gate, apparently refusing to actually enter the desert. Reinholt pauses and turns back to his familiar. "Lets go Fen. I dont like this floor as much as you but im nkt complaining." Thr Sabertooth whines in protest, thumping its tail down again. Reinholt turns completely around to face his familiar and points to the ground beside him, his face serious. "Now, Fenrir. Lets go." The familiar snorts and slowly rises off its haunches to pad through the sand toward Reinholt. "See, its not that bad." Reinholt says as he turns and leads the way across the desert.

[Vigilon 0]

"Hmm, I see your point. Well, Reinholt, lead the way." Vigilon would slow down for Reinholt to be in front of him as they walked. Veriost noticed that Reinholt's familiar didn't seem to like the floor. The small white frost dragon assumed it was the heat, and when Vigilon saw her expression, he knew what she was intending to do. After all, there was only one method of cooling something down that she knew. "Don't even think about it, Veriost." He said as he held Veriost's maw shut. He let go after a few minutes, and then the small white frost dragon blasted him in the face with her frost breath. "Augh!! Cold, cold, cold!!! ...Nrgh, cut it out, Veriost!" "Grrrraaa!!" "So what if the heat bothers us? You've gotta be mindful of others, and have their consent before blasting them with the full might of your frost breath!" Vigilon had been getting better at reading Veriost's expressions, so it had slowly, gradually become easier to guess what she was "saying" as time went on. "You've gotta get out of this habit that makes you think frost breath solves everything!" This trip was going to be an interesting one, that was a fact.

@Krysta

[Krysta 0]

Reinholt's familiar seemed to dislike the desert that was before them, and it took a little convincing to get it moving. Yolviinsil was still a little shy at the moment, but she was willing to not hide. The small ruby red feathered dragon flew around to see what kind of terrain the floor was. She landed on the sand, and blew some fire at it, turning some of it to glass. She then looked at it with curiosity. "Yolviinsil, you do know that's glass that you just made there, right? We've seen it various times within settlements." Yolviinsil returned to Krysta's shoulder, and then Krysta witnessed Veriost's shenanigans. "Oh, Veriost, you don't seem to learn or change, do you?" Vigilon and his small white frost dragon seemed to argue for a bit. At least Krysta and her familiar were more civilized in their ties than Vigilon and Veriost were, from what she knew.

@Reinholt

[Reinholt 0]

Reinholt had hooked his thumbs into the sides of his breastplate as he walked. He looked completely relaxed, with not so much a care in the world. His canine companion walked near him, its spiked tail swaying back and forth. The small feathered dragon lands in the sand, catching Fenrir's attention. The Sabertooth wolf seems to grin as it attempts to sneakily walk toward the fire breathing dragon. Realizing what his familiar was about to do, Reinholt sighs softly. "Fenrir! Be nice!" He calls, making his familiar look back. It huffs and turns back toward the feathered drafon familiar, but it had already returned to its partner. It slams its tail into the sand and returns to Reinholt's side. "Sorry, he hasn't been around too many other familiars, plus ours is a fairly new partnership for the both of us." Reinholt apologizes and reaches down to pat his Familiar on its back. "You two seem to have a nice partnership, fire and ice.  Must be pretty beneficial to quest together." He says, turning and walking backwards, looking between Vigilon and Krysta and their familiars.

[Vigilon 0]

Vigilon saw Krysta's familiar, Yolviinsil, become curious about the desert terrain, and turn some of the sand to glass by using her fire breath. "Huh. I actually didn't know you could affect the floor's terrain in certain ways. Well, I guess, just like in real life, you never stop learning things." Veriost spotted Reinholt's familiar sneaking up on Yolviinsil. "Grrrrmmm...." "Veriost, you're growling. What is it this time?" Sure, growls were usually within the sounds Veriost made, but this growl was in a style Vigilon knew too well. Reinholt called out to his familiar, "Be nice". and Vigilon then noticed what was going on with Veriost. "Oh, brother..." Veriost used her wing to signal to Fenrir as her expression could roughly be interpreted as, "I'm watchin' you, bub. Nobody's getting near my friend like that." Vigilon sighed. Reinholt apologized about Fenrir, saying that the familiar hadn't been around many other familiars, as well as the fact that their partnership was more recently formed. He also commented on Krysta and Vigilon's partnership, comparing it to fire and ice. It wasn't like their personalities had any reflection to their familiars' elemental breath types, but Vigilon had honestly never thought of it that way. "Huh. I actually never thought of it that way before."

@Krysta

[Krysta 0]

Vigilon found it interesting that Yolviinsil was able to turn some of the sand into glass. Veriost started growling at something in what was either in a hostile or defensive manner. Krysta looked around, trying to see if a hostile monster was around. When Reinholt called out to Fenrir, telling him to "Be nice", she looked over, and saw that Veriost was apparently growling at Fenrir. Veriost soon made a gesture to Fenrir that might have been a defensive threat. Krysta decided to leave that alone for now, hoping that a quarrel wouldn't happen. Reinholt apologized about Fenrir, saying that he hadn't been around many other familiars, as well as the fact that their partnership was new. He then spoke of the partnership probably between Krysta and Vigilon, something to do with fire and ice. "Well...Sometimes, I don't get why some people try and match themselves with an element. While one's personality could mostly match an element, there will always be some traits from other elements, none of them in the same order. Every one of us is unique, after all. While I might have been told I can have a fire in my eyes during combat, that flame isn't the only thing within me."

@Reinholt