[PP|F9] Gone Camping <<Bandit Camp>>

[Mordecai 0]

Spoiler

<<Bandit Camp>>

This quest takes place on Floor 9
This quest is repeatable

Having been told that there is a group of bandits on the ninth floor that likes to control all the good grinding locations, you as a player have been approached by an NPC warrior to clear the area so that everyone can have an equal share of the monsters..

Requirements:
-At least two [2] Pages (21 or more posts)
- In order to complete the quest you must fight four <<Bandits>>.
- All Bandits MUST be defeated

Outline:
<<Bandit>>
HP: 100
Dmg: 90

Additional Information:
In This Quest You have 2 Choices: 

1. You can fight each bandit 1 by 1 by using a stealth factor. Take advantage of the new Hiding skill in order to stay hidden from the entire group and silently take out a single bandit at a time. This will allow time for item usage between fights or to recover your Energy.
2. You can also decide to jump out and try to fight all 4 bandits right away.

Rewards:

1. A Col Value of your Loot Dice multiplied by 25 [ Party Leader rolls LD on Summary post. All players are rewarded that amount ] 
2. 1 Skill Point

Parties or Groups of low level players are advised.
Recommended Level: 20

Kai had heard about a group of bandits on the ninth floor. Spending his time in taverns and alleys to listen to people talk about secrets was really paying off. Of course, dealing with this problem was likely gonna take more than just him, or would be really boring all alone. It would be a waste of time if I couldn’t talk to anyone about it. He says, pulling his hands up and setting them on a random player’s shoulders. “You wanna go kill a bunch of bandits?” He asks, the player looking bored and almost dead in the eyes. Kinda looks like a background character. He sighs and steps away from the boring player and walks up to a female player. A cocky grin crosses his face as he steps across the brick path.

”Hello ma’am, would you like to come with me to help the sad people of the ninth floor?” A sly and cunning sentence like that would generally get the holier than thou players interested, but a small smile he gives makes the cynical people usually think he’s joking and agree to come along. Playing with people was his favorite thing to do, and he was especially good at it in the real world. Maybe we can do a little more. Nah, that won’t work, she could be a lady with a little bit of self respect or maybe she’s not interested in men. Gotta be careful Malcom. He stands proud and examines her discreetly.

Her black hair and red eyes stuck out to him. Part of him wondered if his approaching her was a mistake and really she wouldn’t be all that fun to adventure with.

@Vesper

[Vesper 0]

Why am I even here?, the leather-clad adventurer thought to herself.

She had wandered aimlessly for days, searching for something worth her time without the risk of death around every corner. In all that time nothing stuck out other than her usual observing of others more gifted. All it had landed her with was an empty stomach, dim eyes and the ramblings of some loud, proud do-gooder. Or at least, he tried to appear as a do-gooder, but when she noticed him approaching her, Vesper could tell it wasn't quite real. She'd met these types before, and more often than not they were the kinds that would stab and loot anybody foolish enough to take them up on their offers.

"Help with what? Are you running a soup kitchen?", Vesper responded in a similarly condescending tone punctuated by a small grin of her own.

She shrugged off the man's demeanor and took a step backwards to lean against a wall and to show what her rules on personal space looked like, before making the gesture of a wrist flick in curiosity and crossing her arms. There wasn't much on her to observe other than her clothing - which in of itself was revealing enough to get the cheers of rowdy men on more than one occasion. Though ashamed to admit it, she did feel a modicum of enjoyment from it; not that she would ever openly show such feelings or respond in kind unless money was involved. Nobody ever seemed willing to pay up though. Cheap, she thought, before returning to reality and finishing her declaration of doubt.

"Gonna need some context before I agree to go anywhere with a smiling stranger."

[Mordecai 0]

A feeling of excitement courses through his body as she begins to act disinterested and distant. Good, I like a challenge. He takes a step back, and nods at her. “Understandable. I wouldn’t trust a random stranger either, so I’ll explain further.” He puts his most confident face on and smirks as he thinks of a way to explain it without seeming insane. “We’d be going to kill all the bandits who are robbing the supply runs. Don’t worry, they deserve it.” It wasn’t entirely true. He had no clue whether they deserved it or not, but to him, it didn’t matter, he was getting payed for it and sometimes you have to ignore morality to get further in life.

”The quest pays good last I checked.” He opens his menu and looks through, looking where the quest is out in the field, planning a path and then checking to see if everything he wanted was equipped. No need to check really, I have like two things. I really need to get more col so I can buy better gear. His hand waves and his menu disappears. “Maybe I make it worth your time after we go on this quest. I’ll take you anywhere for dinner, my treat, and you’ll get to decide whether I stay or not.” He moves his hair out of his eyes.

[Vigilon 0]

(OOC: Received permission from thread owner to enter.) 

If there was anything that needed to happen, it was something to be different today. Vigilon was getting bored of the tedious, typical training that kept going smoothly day after day after day, with little to no reward. He sighed, and decided to just wander one of the towns of the first ten floors until he came across something. He stopped for a minute to examine his current gear. He needed a new set of handwraps, and a new third item, too. He'd have to get it from an Artisan, since he couldn't equip a shield while using the martial arts skill. Then again, his build was leaning toward the offensive, so a shield wouldn't exactly do him much good, anyway. "Hmm...Should I start seeking out materials I could use to make weapons, and possibly a shield, for Jewel once she reaches tier two?" He thought aloud. "She's already level 20, last I checked. It shouldn't be too long before she'd be ready to use items of that tier..." As he finished his thought, he looked over to his familiar, Veriost, who was asleep on his shoulder as usual. The small white frost dragon snoozed away without a care in the world. With a smirk on his face, Vigilon shook his head. "Sleepyhead."

He began to dwell on things he'd been hoping to try, as well as things that confused him. He walked along, losing his current attention span, and it wouldn't be long before he would walk into a conversation, either physically or he'd stop walking, right in front of them. Either way, walking in on their conversation would be completely accidental, and a bit embarrassing, too. "Oh, um, uh....hi."

Edited June 26, 2019 by Vigilon

[Vesper 0]

"Bandits? No offense, but I don't know if either of us are capable of that by ourselves. Ninth floor seems quite high for people like us, don't you think?", Vesper finished by realigning her stance to face the individual more directly, placing a hand on her hip in defiance.

In her thoughts, though, she weighed the pros and cons of the situation. Bandits horded piles of loot, so it was a good opportunity for something to boost her own wealth beyond the average for somebody like her. On that same note, though, it could easily mean death due to it being plural. Multiple bandits. Her brow furrowed considering her response, when she felt somebody bump into her from the side. She turned to glare daggers at the person and saw a spaced-out boy. Her look of frustration subsided once she realized it was an accident, and relaxed her tense body language.

"Hey. Is it every day you walk into people, or am I just the lucky winner?"

[Mordecai 0]

Her reaction was reasonable, and yet again, challenge arose. He thinks for a moment, he hadn’t planned it out enough to really be inviting the player on this quest. “What about...” A new person comes crashing into the little conversation as he was about to speak. Weak words come from his mouth as he apologizes to the lady and then she returns with a sarcastic comment. Hmm... this is a big town, but him bumping into us is still... curious. A smirk crosses his face, he looks over to the lady once more and looks her up and down rather quickly, though a little more obviously. “What about stealth? We sneak in, steal the stuff and get out.” Confidence carries itself in his words, a plan like that was for the sly and forward thinking, but he would likely still need a backup plan.

”Hello there, if I can convince this nice lady to accompany me, would you like to help us take care of some bandits on the ninth floor?” Polite mannerisms and handshakes were always a good way to get what you wanted in life. Right now he was doing both, with his hand extended toward the new player and a polite smile to go along with it.

[Vigilon 0]

The woman made a sarcastic comment, asking Vigilon if he always bumped into people like this, or if she was just the "lucky winner". "Not really. I've had various times where I met someone in a regrettable way, but nothing like...like this. Erm, sorry..." The "regrettable way" that he'd omitted was almost always a time where he'd met someone right after one of his mishaps. He used to think they were just "newbie mishaps", but he changed his mind when they kept happening, even after level eighteen. A smirk crossed the male's face, he looked the woman up and down quickly, and spoke of stealth and theft. "I'm right here. Don't these kinds of people know not to speak of nefarious activity when someone they don't know shows up?" Vigilon thought. The male then turned to Vigilon, and asked him if he would be willing to help them with some bandits up on the ninth floor. "Well, I guess I might be wrong. Might be..." He thought. Of course, aloud, he would answer, "Bandits, you say? Sure, I'd be willing to help you take 'em down." He accepted the handshake. "I'm Vigilon. Nice to meet you."

[Vesper 0]

It seemed situations like this had happened to the man before. It wasn't reassuring for Vesper, to say the least, and she indicated as such with a hand massaging her temple. 

"Whatever gets you going, I guess.", she muttered, "But try not to let it happen again, okay?".

With that, the charcoal-cloaked cynic stopped leaning against the wall and nodded her head once the other two had shook hands. Certainly a polite bunch of folks, but it couldn't be understated the amount of doubt she still felt around the pair. If this was some trap she would be making a grave mistake, but nevertheless greed would overpower Vesper's survival instincts in the moment. 

She raised a finger above her head, flashing her username 'Vesper' above as she looked at the two introducing themselves. Figuring that was enough, she began moving towards the ninth floor at a brisk pace, hoping to get it over with. Like a vaccination, she preferred her work quick and simple, with all the pain quickly washed over.

"C'mon, let's go. We're burning daylight out here."

[Mordecai 0]

After releasing the boy’s hand, Malcom smiles and boys a little. “Nice to meet you Vigilon and Vesper, My name is Ma- Mordecai.” He hadn’t introduced himself in this world as often as he had introduced himself in the real world, so he was still getting used to it. His stumble was followed by a nervous gulp, but his face didn’t falter, nor did his confidence. “Ah yes, I’d say it is time to head out. But maybe burning daylight isn’t so bad, might be easier to sneak up on the bandits at night time.” A plan fit for an assassination, the man follows the lady towards the ninth floor. She doesn’t look very happy about this. Whatever, I can always just take a back seat while they do all the work.

He had never gone on such an adventure before, and it was kind of making him nervous, especially considering such an attractive lady would be accompanying him and some boy on a daring escapade in the night. Maybe I can go on a date after this. Who knows? Most likely not, but this definitely won’t hurt my chances. He smirks confidently, hopefully this won’t be too different than the real world. He tightens the higher part of his gauntlets, and unbuttons the strap that holds his sword in the sheath.

[Vigilon 0]

Vigilon took the woman's muttered words as a subtle threat, but he was unwilling to show it. Besides, he knew better. If he was in a safe zone, anyone could beat the crap out of him if they were skilled, or physically strong enough to do so. Stats didn't matter whenever there was unorganized PvP in a safe zone, but nobody could take damage, either. After Vigilon introduced himself, the woman would raise a finger above her head, revealing her username, Vesper. "That's new...I didn't know I could do that...well I guess as the saying goes, 'you learn something new every day'." He thought. The male would introduce himself as Mordecai, but Vigilon couldn't help but figure that the Ma that was uttered might have been part of the male's real name. It kind of reminded Vigilon of when he first met Krysta, who let out a J before remembering to introduce herself by her username. Of course, Jewel was still a nice name, in his opinion... Vesper would claim that the three were burning daylight, and that it was time to head out. This part of her reminded Vigilon of someone else who preferred to not waste time, unless it was waiting for another ally to show up...ah, yes, it was Dazia who was like that. Mordecai agreed with the idea of heading out, but he intended to sneak up on them during the night. "Well, day or night, I don't think a bunch of floor nine enemies can do much against a level thirty player...unless they were among the rarer, stronger enemies, that is...which I highly doubt they are...right?"

[Vesper 0]

Vesper teleported to the ninth floor, and assuming the others followed in kind, turned to face them to continue the conversation - forcing herself, really, for the sake of ensuring her survival. Communication was definitely important, and while she wasn't quite sure how much she could trust her new companions, it was better to clarify now than face disaster later. With her arms crossed, she looked them in the eyes with intent and spoke.

"Truth be told, since I'm only level 1, chances are a ninth floor enemy could kill me in a single blow. You do realize the severity of this, right? And I'd wager that the thief over there isn't much better.", she spoke plainly, realizing she could easily be killed at this level and deciding that there would be no shame in admitting to her own fragile mortality. 

Within the raven's own self she felt heavy anxiety at the mere thought of approaching a challenge like the ninth floor. Many people much higher in level died here, and with the way she's heard damage scales later on, she felt weighed down by the potential for her swift demise. Choosing to avoid showing this openly, she then cocked her head with sharp eyes to hone in on Mordecai and made a gesture with a hand behind her.

"You want to take the lead? You invited us here. Unless you'd like to lead here?", she then turned to Vigilon, a less harsh expression on her face.

"You seem to be the only one here who isn't a complete rookie, right?"

[Mordecai 0]

“Woah-woah-woah... thief? Okay, it’s true I’ve stolen my dad’s fine scotch more than a few times, but I’ve never actually stolen anything. I’m just trying to survive to level 2.” He says, looking at the lady and then over to Vigilon. “So I know where this is, but if you want to take point, please do.” His tone is much more kind and endearing than the woman he was almost regretting inviting. “Listen here cutie, I’m in the same boat as you. Only thing is, I’m trying to have fun while we’re headed up [censored] creek without a paddle.” He would’ve gladly done this with any other woman in the world, maybe even galaxy, depending on how cute they were, but this lady was something else. He was content with this setup, a cynic was always good so when stuff went down there was a voice of reason, but sometimes it was better to have fun.

”I’m not scared to do this because I have a plan, and while plans never go as planned, I’d like to think mine is fool proof.” He smiles cockily and takes point, unless Vigilon had taken point already.

[Vigilon 0]

Once the players made the teleport to the ninth floor, Vesper turned around to speak to the two players. She admitted that she was level one, meaning that one hit would kill her, then asked if Vigilon and Mordecai understood the severity of it, and she wagered that Mordecai, or as she called him, the thief probably wasn't much better. Vigilon was going to speak, but Mordecai reacted to Vesper's words before he could. "Hold up....so let me get this straight, you both are only level one, and you're thinking of taking on a quest in this floor, the ninth floor??" Vesper looked to Vigilon with a less harsh expression than before, asking him if he really was the only non-rookie in the area. "Yep, I'm no rookie. Level thirty, that's how far I've come since I started...but man, it's felt like years since then! Anyway...I guess I might take the lead..." Mordecai explained the rest of what he had to say. Vigilon would also have something to say. "Oh, so you know where we're going? In that case..." He opened up his menu, and pulled up his map. "You can pinpoint the location, if you'd like, it would make the trip a bit easier. I've only been around the ninth floor once, so I doubt that I'd know where we're currently headed." Mordecai claimed that he wasn't scared because he had a plan. He also claimed that while plans don't go as planned, he believed his was foolproof. "Well of course plans never work!" Vigilon exclaimed. "We all see it and read it all the time in various forms of fiction! They plan, they get there, all hell breaks loose! You make a plan, and that monkey wrench is gonna be waiting' for us, cracking its knuckles! Having an intended method to do something is one thing, but a plan is something else entirely!" Vigilon took a few seconds to calm down and breathe. "I'll be taking the lead so that if anything hostile pops up, I can punch it. I'm not gonna stand by and let anyone die today."

[Pinball 1]

He sat alone on the mountain top, a motionless body beside him, hidden nearly completely by the snow if it weren't for the telltale spear protruding from its throat. But there was another body, and another; the corpse of the snowy-haired info-broker was accompanied by the bodies of Spangie and Paglikha and Froppy and Reinholt and Dustin and Stryder and Hestia and Mars and Lucy and Mishiro. The pile only got higher, growing until he could no longer see the end of it; a pile of the vanquished friends and foes alike. The spear stood proud, standing above all, and tied to the end of it there was a flag that whipped endlessly in the wild winter winds. 

Pinball stood now, alone at the top of the world, but there was nothing but empty sky around him and the sun was setting. He was alone. As darkness and snow descended around him, he laughed, for his loneliness was now his only companion. "I am the king of nothing," he cried, and tears ran down his grinning face. 

*    *    *    *    * 

The ground of the 9th floor was cracked, blackened, and volcanic, so it was surprising to wake up here. He didn't remember falling asleep, and the memories surrounding his trip here were still hazy and obscured by an unbecoming groginess. Scowling at nobody but himself, Pinball stood and brushed off a layer of accumulated ash that stuck to his clothes. Now, if only he could gather his bearings. He held his spear in one arm; his fingers were literally stuck wrapped around the weapon at all times. 

He could have sworn he'd had his sword equipped. 

But that didn't matter now. Using his spear as a walking stick, he picked his way slowly across a scorched, desolate, mountainous wasteland.Tired blue eyes cut through the dark and orange floor, but the orange cursor hovering above his head blended in. 

Where was he going?