[PP-F2] Rosen Blaze

[Andromeda 0]

Today, the amateur merchant sat by the counter had her face buried in her arms. Brooding. Andromeda, local airhead whose cheerfulness was as well-recognized as her clumsiness, brooding. Was the world finally coming to an end? No, but her shop was.

She thought things had been going well with an impressively steady stream of two loyal customers until week after week passed with no activity. Then she realized through hearsay that the players who frequented Floor 1 didn't just sit on their butts for the holidays; another merchant had opened shop and everyone flocked towards them instead. It was as if her shop had just dropped right off the map. Or had it?! She shot up in her chair, made the trip towards the entrance and peeked out then was back at her chair again, utterly dejected. No supernatural or glitchy circumstance could possibly be used as an excuse. An had screwed up somewhere.

The player slumped down over her counter in defeat.

"Ughhh."

Bollocks! Anything to do with business was all utter bollocks. She very much wanted to go back to questing now -- at least the unexpected came with a certain amount of thrill. No, in fact, that was a good idea. Her mornings would be better spent levelling up than moping, that which she had done for the past couple of days along with trying and failing to figure out where she went wrong. A flutter of excitement followed the thought of heading out to the combat zone once again, but the amateur merchant remained mostly half-hearted in her efforts as she scrolled through her unanswered PMs for inspiration. 

A level-limited quest?

The sender had been considerate and spared her most of the details; An liked finding out that stuff herself. It was something that had to be done before she passed level 15, else she wouldn't be qualified for the EXP reward, and gauging her level against the maximum, the player was quite sure she was strong enough for it.  

Arabelle:
I met my beloved guild leader through that quest!
Maybe you'll find someone special, too ;)

Her cheeks felt warm. All other thoughts had been wiped from her mind. Seconds later, the teen's forehead banged against the counter with a thunk. Why did she even imply that?! She didn't often entertain those thoughts, but it was nearing February and practically her entire knowledge was founded on cheesy romances. Shoujo sparkles, roses, and-- and with a lovely, dashing person--

H o l d i n g  h a n d s.

Andromeda:
ahskdhskdjwkkdhks

No, no! Unaware of the accidental PM she sent, the girl clapped her cheeks with both hands. Not happening! She stood right up with a determined huff and immediately busied herself with tidying up her shop. ...or as tidy as it could get in its current horrendously disorganized state. Even she could acknowledge that. She went with her usual attire: [Leather Jerkin] worn over a buttoned up blouse, and a mahogany flared skirt and black stockings and boots. An peeked out of her shop once again: a light snowfall; and ducked back in to pull on her favorite red wool cap. Bringing both her rapier and shield out of her inventory, she locked up and teleported to Floor 2.

...And if there was a table, An would have banged her head against it once again because now all she could see were the pairs of players walking about town. The girl shyly watched a particularly sweet pair entering a building together and thought, hadn't Arabelle mentioned a boyfriend back then? It was typical of the girl she liked, though acknowledging that truth always came with a gnawing feeling of dejection for her.  Now that the matter had been unintentionally shoved back into her face by the very same person, it was hard to ignore her own increasing dissatisfaction -- especially when everyone appeared... not-alone. He's probably stronger. And smarter. And she probably doesn't even like girls in the first place. 

She tried to bat her thoughts back to her failing shop. How was she going to salvage it? Even the change of setting didn't spark any new ideas. 

Because her mind kept straying back to Arabelle's message like the returning swing of a pendulum. And her feet brought her to an unplanned detour towards one of the settlement's many mission boards.

Spoiler

LEVEL 11
220 HP | 22 EN | 4 DMG | 33 MIT | 2 Blight | 1 Burn | 1 Frost Thorns | 1 Frost Aura | 1 Light Momentum
[Blight: 24 (for two turns) | Burn: 12 (for two turns)]
[Thorns to non-critical: 12 | Thorns to critical: 7 + 2 per turn (for two turns)]
[Light Momentum: +1 to BD after unsuccessful attack]

SKILLS [used sp: 23 | unused sp: 3]

1. Rapier -- Rank 3

EQUIPPED

• Jack's Corrupted Legacy -- T1 Demonic Rapier -- Cursed | [x2] Blight | Burn -- [reference] "...and they shall cast them into the furnace of fire, where there was weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth." A malicious, unstable weapon hidden beneath a plain semblance. Patterns of vines and fleur-de-lis are etched onto its black swept hilt and its blade is 38 in. long. It takes on a crimson red aura when a Sword Art is activated. At random, unpredictable occurrences, the weapon will burst into flames - sometimes red, sometimes a darker hue, and sometimes a pitch black in color - and inflict a strong damage-over-time effect on its enemy.
• Svalinn -- T1 Demonic Shield -- Cursed | Frost Thorns | Frost Aura | Mitigation -- "The shield which once stood before the sun and kept the Earth from being set aflame." A small round shield perpetually encased in a thick layer of unyielding ice. Its surface is uneven, with sharp ice crystals jutting out and rising up, and any attack aimed at it would sure result in a nasty counter-effect. Attacks made from afar or otherwise aren't left without retribution either, as the opponent would feel themselves surrounded by an intense chill. When equipped alongside any item with a flame enhancement, the ice becomes dyed with an auburn hue but does not lose any of its intensity. 
• Rugged Leather Jerkin -- T1 Perfect Light Armor -- [x2] Mitigation | Light Momentum -- Contrary to the amateur merchant's belief, this light armor was crafted by the goblins themselves. It is made of fibre leather and a few frayed edges imply a rather clumsy craftsmanship. But it's light and covers the important places, and the merchant insists it's completely fine to wear!

BATTLE READY INVENTORY

• [x3] Starter Healing Potions -- Heals 50 HP
• [x1] Teleportation Crystal -- Use a post action to activate a teleport crystal. Teleports the player to the town or designated teleportation area they specify.

SWORD ARTS

Rank 1

• [x2] Rip Ravine (2 Energy) - Two quick slashes into a target

Rank 2

• [x3] Accel Stab - (3 Energy) - A chain of three nimble thrusts aimed at the target's torso.
• [x4] Quadruple Pain - (4 Energy) - Four thrusts are made, each aimed at the limbs of the opponent.

 

Rank 3

• [x5] Neutron - (5 Energy) - A single high-powered thrust, that pierces the opponents body.
• [x6] Crucifixion - (6 Energy) - A six-hit thrusting sword art that traces the pattern of a cross into the target.
• [x5 MA Stun] Twilight Resurrection - (8 Energy) - Four high-speed thrusts, followed by striking the opponent in the head with the back of the fist.

 

Edited March 5, 2020 by Andromeda

[Gambit 0]

Hopeless. 

Utterly hopeless. 

How was he supposed to level up like this, anyway? All these quests were dangerous - and they were all the same, too. Go here, find this, kill that. Get a reward. Yip-yip-hurray, you're another level higher. Yay. They were all so goddamn boring! Where was all of the variety? The quests without some sort of world-ending boss monster lurking around the corner? The people that made these washed up missions were all burnt out nobodies, it was the truth. 

Gambit practically pouted. Standing alone in front of this massive bulletin board of requests, the boy looked more than out of place in the bustling city. But mostly because he looked... confused. Like he wasn't quite sure what he was doing. And to be honest, he didn't. He'd spent the part of the past two or so years picking and selling plants for cash. He'd quite literally been living under a rock - but it was more of a dugout, actually. A den? And with all the extra money he got, he made it look a lot nicer than what it was. Comparitively. Like a crappy apartment. 

Complain as he would, it'd get him nowhere - most of these were out of his league. The Lessons quest caught his eye, but after a moment of brief deliberation he dismissed the idea. Too boring. He knew how all the mechanics of the game worked already, he didn't need to learn them again. Plus, he wasn't in the mood to burn a couple of hours running around doing errands. 

It didn't help that his... issue with combat had stayed with him. 

"I've got fist fungus," he murmured sagely, stroking his chin. But would the salve be enough to beat up a monster? He doubted it. 

Compared to your typical hot weeb, Gambit didn't strike a terribly flashy appearance. His smile wasn't dazzling - it was goofy and lopsided. His green eyes and black hair were the most appealing things about him, but his locks were shaggy and his eyes pale, lacking saturation. Plus, he was short. Not like, a midget, but short enough for it to be noticeable. Why the hell were most guys around here giants? And since when were sweaty fantasy nerds all so attractive-? 

[Andromeda 0]

There was someone by the mission board.

If there was a line between "laid back" and "intense," he walked it finely. Tousled raven locks hung low over bright green eyes as the lone boy stood with a contemplative look, perusing the mass of player-made requests pinned onto the board. Kind of cute, she thought somewhat absent-mindedly. It looked like he was mumbling to himself, tapping a gloved finger against his chin in quiet concentration, and An almost hesitated to interrupt.

What sort of contrived coincidence was this? That one moment she was wondering about love, and the next, butterflies were fluttering in her chest at the mere action of coming in closer proximity to a stranger. Maybe the stars had lined up in her favor once again, the same way they did when she met a small purple-haired girl who paved the way to her newfound strength.

Hey, she also kind of liked boys.

Red, a very embarrassed red, flooded her cheeks. Harriette, you lonely prat, you literally don't even know him. An tried, tried to only keep him in her peripherals as she stood by the other edge of the board and pretended to look around. So let's change that! Was he looking for a quest partner? That was the biggest reason for a player to be loitering around here. 

"H-hey," she suddenly spoke up before she could properly string together a much more... charming starter. If anything, it sounded more like a timid squeak that had her wondering if it was high time to save her dignity and run away now. And there goes all your fancy lessons on conversation and etiquette. An straightened and tucked her silver hair behind her ear, finding sudden interest in a random quest posted on the board as her greeting inevitably caught his attention. Red eyes flicked over to him -- once -- and her smile looked more uneasy than friendly. "Um, are... are you looking to go on a quest too?"