[F17 - SP] Apollo's Challenge <<Challenge Of Olympus: Performer>>

[Tala 0]

Spoiler

Level: 12
HP: 240
EN: 24
DMG: 3 || ACC: 3 || MIT: 9 || REGEN: 1

Skills:
» Curved Sword - Rank 1

Equipped:
» Okami [Rare Curved Sword [Damage // Accuracy]]
» Arrow Ring [Rare Ring [Accuracy // Accuracy]]
» Mythic Jacket [Uncommon Light Armor [Mitigation // Regen // Light Momentum]]

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

Ding. That sound was not really something that she wanted to hear today. She just got done putting her instruments away from the days crafting. She managed to hit rank two though, so that had to be something right? Of course, it still didn't stop her from feeling horrible because of that game that she played. Oh well, she was just going to have to get over it at this point. Instead, she looked at the notification and saw that it was a special quest for rank two performers.

She shrugged as she opened the quest and looked over the details. So, Apollo wants to challenge me himself. Well, this ought to be interesting. She looked at her shop before she nodded lightly to herself and walked out the door, locking it behind her. She was going to see what this Greek God wanted. Only bad part, it was on the seventeenth floor, she knew that she wasn't going to be able to fight things at all, so here was hoping that she was going to have some kind of escort on her way there.

It didn't take her long at all to make it to the seventeenth floor, and she nearly gagged from the way that it was built. It reminded her too much of that owl that she just got done dealing with. She needed to get this quest done and fast.

[Tala 0]

She looked around the town as she tried to figure out where she was supposed to go. Of course, she should have known that the God was going to send someone to find her. Of course, she didn't realize that this was actually the case until a satyr came barreling up to her in the middle of the town. She looked at the satyr and held back a laugh in the current moment. Oh, how this was funny as hell to her. Greek everything and now she was being approached by a satyr.

Though, perhaps she should just turn around and go back to her shop, but that would just have to wait. "Come with me. I will show you they way to Apollo." She looked the satyr straight in the face and she raised an eyebrow. "And how do you know I am the one you seek?" "Please, you are the only dumb person here at your level. Now follow me." Okay, ouch.

[Tala 0]

She stared at the satyr as she followed it. Truth be told, she might be plotting in her mind on ways to get back at the satyr, but as of right now, she was coming up with nothing. Probably because she knew that she shouldn't be plotting anything new right now. Unless of course she was going to plot some kind of way to fix all of the things that she made go wrong. Ha, yeah right. That was wishful thinking on anyone's account right there.

Instead, she started to think of the different things that she could do for this challenge. Of course, she needed to know what the challenge really was. "So, satyr thing, what is this challenge?" She heard a grumble come from the satyr and she smirked at that. That was a minor win after that burn it gave her back in town. "You'll find out when we meet with Apollo, and I am just a Satyr, not satyr thing." Oh my, was that a bit of bitterness in the satyr's voice there?

[Tala 0]

Okay, so Tala and the Satyr are playing some kind of classified information game right now. This was going to be fun wasn't it. But the pace that this stayr had her walking was agonizingly slow. "You know, if your picked up the pace, I wouldn't feel like I'm about to fall asleep. Or pass out from your smell. When was the last time you bathed yourself?" Damn Tala, can you be any meaner to this poor NPC. The answer is yes, but here is hoping that she isn't.

The satyr stopped though and looked at Tala, which seemed to make the woman smirk. She clearly got under his skin, er, fur. "You mention one more thing about me or what it is that we are doing, and I will take you to my human farm instead. Got it." Tala's smirk left her face and she just stared at the satyr. Did he just threaten her?

[Tala 0]

No one would think that she could be quiet until this moment. She really wasn't in the mood to figure out if this creature of an NPC actually had a human farm or not. Nope, she just wanted to get to Apollo and see if this quest was even worth her leaving her shop. It had better be. But, she was still glaring a hole into the satyr's back as she walked behind it. At least it picked it's pace up. She sighed quietly as she walked, and half expect for the satyr to turn, but no, he kept his course.

Good, that means no human farm for her today. Actually, how many humans was on that farm? That was a golden question really. She started to think on this, until she stepped on the satyr's hoof. She jumped back as she looked up to see the gates of Olympus. Well, weren't these expertly crafted. She stood there and marveled at the craftsmanship for a few minutes.

[Tala 0]

Someone cleared their throat and it made Tala jump as she looked to see who it was. That was when she saw Apollo standing before her. Or at least, she was going to assume that it was Apollo and not that damned human farm owning satyr. Perhaps she should have a talk with Apollo about that. "Welcome to Olympus, it's time to start your challenge." She held a hand up then, not really caring that this was a God that she was doing it to.

"Hold up. First, who the hell are you. Second, why was your satyr thing threatening to throw me into a human zoo. Third, why am I even here?" The God standing before her just stared at her for a moment. She half wondered if he was just going to smite her right here and now. That would save the world a lot of trouble wouldn't it? The writer too. But no, Apollo merely sighed. "First, I am Apollo, the quest giver for you today. Second, don't worry about him, he is like that for all humans who annoy him." Ouch. "Third, you are here to compete against me in a performance."

Wait...what?

[Tala 0]

Right, so she has to perform against the Greek God of music. This is going to be interesting. Also, don't ask her how she knows this, because she wasn't studying up on ways to be mean to the owl by using Greek culture. No, not at all. Either way, Apollo started to walk and she figured that she needed to follow, so that is what she did. "Now, this performance, you have three tries to woo the crowd that will be there. It is a competition, but not in the sense that you have to beat me. Merely impress me. Show me that you are worthy of being a Performer."

Okay, that didn't sound too horrible. She already had a song selected that she was going to do. Now, she just needed to see if the crowd was going to like it. But first. "Are instruments allowed." There was a pause, as if Apollo was looking over her instrumental skills. "No instruments. Voice only." Crap. She nodded though and continued to follow him. Okay, so no Mozart today.

[Tala 0]

Thankfully though, that wasn't cutting down her song selection. She knew plenty of songs by heart that she could sing, so she just had to find the right one to woo the crowd. "Who is this crowd going to consist of?" Apollo laughed. That wasn't a good thing was it. "That 'satyr thing' and his human farm." Wait, you've got to be kidding right. Please say that you are kidding. "And if I fail?" Apollo stopped walking and look her right in the eyes. "Then I demand that you change professions to no longer make this one look like a fools job."

Okay, hey! Who said told the God that she was doing horribly? That wasn't fair! She was still new to this. Besides, it's hard to get an instrument to sound correct in the recording crystals. It was like it wasn't meant to be...oh. So that's why he said no instruments. She needed to better her singing to actually be able to craft songs. Well, this was going to suck wasn't it. "Don't worry, I know your singing isn't the best. That is why I issue this challenge. To better yourself. So pick your songs wisely." With that, she noticed that she was now standing in a recording studio.

[Tala 0]

Apollo was now gone, and there was a countdown. Five minutes. She had that long to prepare for the first performance. She sighed as she went back through the songs that she knew. She scanned and scanned, of course it being in a pure mental way. Wait, that song was going to be perfect, and it fit her current mood. She did basically just bury Yukiro, so the song was going to be the best thing. Wait... was it bad that she was connecting dots right now? She was in this mood because she let Yukiro go?

Or was it because she destroyed her brother's life? She knew that she had, she didn't even need the report to come in from the goon to know this. Tala sighed as she watched the countdown hit sixty seconds. It was almost time to go out and do this first performance, but did she have the heart to actually do it was the question. That was going to be the problem, finding a way to make sure that she was bleeding her emotions into the music. She had spent so long lately hiding her emotions, that it was going to be hard to do.

[Tala 0]

Five...four...three...two...one... Now up next is Tala!

That was her cue. She walked out the door of the recording studio that she was in only to realize that the door directly connected to a stage. She thought that she would have had a bit longer to be able to prep herself. Take the walk to clear her mind of everything but the sing lyrics. You know, the kind of things that make a person calm down and be able to do what they needed to do.

But no, she didn't get that luxury just now. Instead, she was staring at the crowd and she sighed. There was no way past this. But then again, did she actually agree to this challenge? She didn't recall, unless her following Apollo was how she accepted the challenge. "Tala, either start singing soon, or this performance will be considered a failure." She took a deep breath and nodded, before she started her song.

[Tala 0]

"What do you want from me? Why don't you run from me? What are you wondering? What do you know?" She started her performance, hoping to be able to impress. Though, even she could tell that there weren't any emotions being projected into her voice, and if she could tell, she knew that the crowd would be able to as well. "Why aren't you scared of me? Why do you care for me? When we all fall asleep, where do we go?" She was going at the pace that she remembered from the song.

She was trying to keep it as close as possible, while still giving the song her own flare. Something that she learned to do in the real world. But there was nothing coming from the crowd yet, and this was starting to discourage her. But she wasn't going to let it completely stop her. "Say it, spit it out, what is it exactly you're payin'? Is the amount of cleanin' you out, am I satisfactory?" Still nothing from the crowd, or even from Apollo.

[Tala 0]

"Today, I'm thinkin' about the things that are deadly. The way I'm drinkin' you down. Like I wanna drown, like I wanna end me." She stopped watching the crowd at this point, it just wasn't worth it. It was starting to make her feel down. Feel like she wasn't worthy. Wait, was this the point? She didn't know, but the show had to continue. "Step on the glass, staple your tongue. Bury a friend, try to wake up. Cannibal class, killing the son. Bury a friend, I wanna end me." She was singing the best that she could in the moment, but that wasn't going to be the best that Apollo wanted was it?

"I wanna end me. I wanna, I wann-" She was cut off by Apollo holding her hand up to her face. "Enough. Tala, that was horrendous. How do you ever plan on becoming a true performer when you sing like that? Enough, go back to you the other room and prepare for round two. And this time, Impress me." With that, Apollo was gone and the crowd was laughing at her. She spun on her heel and quickly walked back to her recording studio here in Olympus.

[Tala 0]

Did Apollo just say that she sounded like crap? Was that the truth? Currently, she had a strong feeling that she was a crappy person, but a crappy singer? She sat on the chair in the studio and looked at her hands. No, she wasn't a crappy person. Sure, she used Yukiro, but that was beyond the point. She wanted to save her big brother, and well, she did. There was a new five minute countdown above her head and she watched it slowly tick.

She knew that next song that she was going to sing. This one was going to work, she knew it. But did she? This was starting to be more of a doubting session than a prepping session. She shook her head to try and clear her thoughts of all of that just to be able to focus. She wanted to win this challenge and well, she was going to do everything that she could do to be able to win.

[Tala 0]

Three minutes. Well, that was going to give her just a little bit longer to try and think things through. She wanted to win this challenge, prove that she was able to be the performer that she knew that she was. To prove to herself that she is the person she is. She wasn't going to believe the doubt and the nagging feeling, they were wrong. She was right. She was a good person and she did things the way that she did them on purpose because she is a good person.

Tala sighed lightly as these thoughts crossed her mind. She didn't want to believe them at all. She just wanted to believe and know that she was going to get back on her brother's good side. Why did life have to be so darned difficult? She just wanted things to be easy. She ever had to pull some kind of elaborate plan like this in the real world. But here, here she had to. Here she had to use more than one pawn. That wasn't right.

[Tala 0]

Five...four...three...two...one...

She didn't even bother to wait for her name to come out to be told that she was to start her performance. She was just geared up and ready to go. Blocking out those earlier thoughts and doubts, she started with her next masterpiece of a song for the crowd, and this stubborn and picky God, Apollo.

"Bite my tongue, bide my time. Wearing a warning sign. Wait 'til the world is mine. Visions I vandalize, cold in my kingdom size. Fell for these ocean eyes." She had her eyes closed as she sang this song. She didn't want to look at the crowd, see their faces. No, she was scared of the faces that they might turn into. She wasn't about to break down, not here, not now. No, she was going to work through all of this pain that she was suddenly feeling.

She soon put that pain back to the side and continued on with her performance that she thought was going to win her the competition.

[Tala 0]

"You should see me in a crown. I'm gonna run this nothing town. Watch me make 'em bow. One by one by, one." She was slowly getting into the song, but not in the way that the crowd seemed to truly want. She was being vocal and she was giving it her all, but there was still something that it was missing, raw emotion. This was the moment when she could be told to get off the stage and try again, but no, she kept going.

"One by one by. You should see me in a crown. Your silence is my favorite sound. Watch me make 'em bow. One by one by, one. One by one by, one." She smiled as she sand the song. She thought of how she just got rid of that blasted owl for once and for all, and it made her happy, then sad, then happy. But she wasn't showing this in how she sang. No, she was blocking all of that out. The words, while meaningful, held no emotion to show that meaning.

[Tala 0]

What she didn't see, was Apollo starting to get mad, and she wasn't going to see that. "Count my cards, watch them fall. Blood on a marble wall. I like the way they all scream. Tell me which one is worse." She kept her eyes closed, trying to drown out the impending doom that she was starting to feel. She was starting to doubt herself in this song, mainly because her brother's heartbroken look kept coming to her mind. She didn't know what to think on it.

She just wanted to keep singing. She wanted to fix things. But she couldn't. Not here. Not right now. So, once again, she pushed all of the to the side and continued with her song. "Living or dying first. Sleeping inside a hearse. I don't dream. You say, come over baby. I think you're pretty. I'm okay, I'm not your baby. If you think I'm pretty, you shou-" "Enough!" Uh oh.

[Tala 0]

"Do you think this to be some sort of game? Do you think that these past two performances make you worthy to be among my ranks of performers? Just what do you think you are doing?" With that, she went back to her studio, but she wasn't alone. The satyr was right behind her, with a serious look on it's face. She closed the door and looked at the satyr. "What? Come to offer me a front row seat to my fall out? To my break down?" The satyr didn't say a word, instead, it sat down on a spare chair and just looked at her.

"I don't deserve this." A small sigh as she slumped into her chair. She was finally admitting it. "I did wrong. I broke the hearts of three people. Hell, who am I kidding, four. I destroyed the good that my brother had. I used a guy to make that happen and I even fell for him. I had blind hatred for someone who I never bothered to get to know. You know what kind of person that makes me? A crappy one."

[Tala 0]

She didn't say anything else. Had this satyr been muted? He wasn't saying anything either. She just stared at him, and that was when she felt the first warm tear drop on her face. She couldn't believe it, she was crying. That was a new one. She was like her brother and didn't cry much, and never in front of others. Well, guess there is a first time for everything. "I need to win this challenge, and try to fix things. I just don't know how." Her voice was a mere whisper at this point.

The satyr stood and put a hand on her shoulder for a moment, "Show that to Apollo. This is what he has been waiting to see." Wait, did that mean that this challenge was purposely to help her figure her stuff out? If that was the case, it was perfectly timed. Either either, she nodded and looked at the countdown. Five...four...three...two...one....

[Tala 0]

She walked onto the stage, the tears no longer falling. That was a good thing. But as she tried to sing, she stopped herself. She had chosen a different song before she came out, but, she wanted to change it right now. The other song just..didn't feel fitting to the new found mood that she was in. Nor with the feelings that she wanted to portray into her song. A throat was cleared and she jerked her head to look at Apollo.

He seemed to be smiling, but also tapping his watch. Right, she was still supposed to perform wasn't she. But why was he smiling? She noticed a small satyr-like form behind him and she smiled lightly to herself. The all knowing Gods had their informants didn't they. Either way, she closed her eyes for a second before she opened them and started to hum a small little tune, just to get the feeling of the song started.