[ PP/F1 ] Last of the Chain

[Titan 0]

Quest: The Fourth Lesson, Is Actually Free

A casual yawn and stretch, sheets practically kicked off his bed as Titan woke that morning for some sense of semblance to his day. Taking his time as he showered, eat breakfast and got ready for his last and final of the introductory quests. Sure, he had already been level 15 but it was something that the ambitious tank hadn't wanted to engage unless there had been the highest chance that he wouldn't fudge it and accidentally end up a mixture of pixels by the hands of a boar or goblin. 

Ready and with Hannah's delivery in hand, Titan left his home and headed straight for the lake that his next quest npc was said to be. 

TITAN: Hey Mari, i'm about to do the last quest of the intrudction? 
TITAN: Interested in joining? I'll be at the lake on the first floor. 

He wouldn't force her since she had already been so helpful but he knew she offered at the end of the last quest. Titan made it to the lake fairly quickly and introduced himself and handed his package over to Ol' Pete. " If I could have 10 minutes, I have a friend that might be joining us. " With Pete's nod, Titan waited to see if Mari had been up for the break from whatever she was doing. 
@Mari

TITAN'S INVENTORY

Spoiler

Titan (Level 15) 
HP: 300 / DAMAGE: 5
EN: 30 / MIT: 9
ACC: 3 / EVA: 0
KEEN: 1 / PARA: 1

Skills:

• 1-Handed Assault Spear (Rank 3)
• Searching (Rank 2) ( + 2 LD )
• <Rested> -1 energy cost for the first two expenditures of each combat
• <Clean> The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 20% (rounded down)
• <Relaxed> Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts

Equipment:

• ( P ) TERROR'S REACH | 1H Assault Spear ( KEEN / DAMAGE / PARALYZE )
• ( U ) ARMOR OF TOTH | Leather Armor ( MIT )
• ( P ) EYE OF HORUS | Trinket ( ACC / ACC / ACC )

Inventory:

• ( 3 ) Starter Healing Potion ( Heals 50 HP )
• ( 6 ) ( U ) T1 Healing Potion (Heals 40 HP )

 

[Mari 1]

Mari had made her way down to the first floor; it took a little longer than expected, but hey - that's what happens when you kinda accidentally (not really) kill 8 people. You have to go the long way around. That meant no teleportation for this ginger haired lass. It was slightly overcast, but the warmth from the first floor still touched her pale ass skin, leaking warmth into her bones. Mari slowed her pace when she saw Titan talking to an old fisherman. Right - he was already well read. He probably didn't even need her on the quest. But, she did offer -and for whatever reason, he chose to ask her to join. Mari didn't have anything better to do - well, that was a lie. She had plenty better. But Titan was decent company, and hanging around him beat being holed up in her shop crafting potions for the frontlines. 

"Titan!" Mari called out with a small wave as she stopped in front of him. She placed her hands on her hips and tilted her head. "So, I see you've invited me to sit around and watch you complete another quest." She added with a smirk. "Tryin' for a chance to hold some hands again?"

@Titan

[Titan 0]

The fisherman seemed incredibly patient for Titan as the man opened up his inventory and began to shuffle things around for the sake of organization. He wasn't one who liked clutter and would sell or give things away if he hadn't considered them helpful to his current mission. That's why being an Alchemist brought him such joy and pain, the ability to concoct so many helpful buffs and boons but with the different levels and strengths, Titan would rather donate the weakest damage potions over to the first floor, simply so he hadn't had to deal with any of it. 

Lost in his own cleanliness, he hadn't noticed Mari at first until she had gotten close enough for her to place her hand on her hips. The curves on her body had been insane too and for such a short person, it seemed like there was something not to scale here. 

Titan shook his head with a scoff at her response. " You said to invite you because you're bored, I thought it meant you wanted a second date. " The fisherman watched the two of them, shaking his head before gesturing the two of them onto his boat.

" C'mon young lovebirds, get in here. " Ol' Pete tried to hurry the both of them up as Titan quickly got into the boat at offered Mari a hand to assist, not that she would take it.

" You know, Mari. You can say that you enjoy me a teensy bit. My ego wouldn't be mad or too inflated. " A goad of a response, he knew Mari enjoyed him regardless if she'd say so or not. 
@Mari

[Mari 1]

"Excuse me?" Mari said with a snort when Titan teased her about this being a second date. She scoffed. "Titan, please, If that was a first date - I'd have to say that-" She paused and shook her head. "You know what? I can't even say it'd have been the worst date I've been on, but it's up there. Least you didn't run out on the bill." Mari didn't get his lighthearted jab, but did her best to play it off. Not like he'd actually take her on a date or anything. This was probably just Titan's way of teasing.

Mari ignored the NPC - it was best to ignore them when they assumed two people were couples, lest their poor digital brains melt or something. Mari stepped onto the small boat, first one foot then the other. "It's....been a while since I was out on a lake like this." Mari said, hints of nostalgia on her tone as she shuffled to one side - allowing Titan room to sit beside her. Mari dipped her hand beneath the water. "It's...nice..." She said quietly. Mari shook herself from her stupour. "At least, it would be - if it weren't for a giant fish - speaking of - do you need any buffs?" Mari offered. There was no use reminiscing about a world she may never see again now.

@Titan

[Titan 0]

Questing with Mari felt like breathing to the young man who still had been so new in getting invested in this death game. “ You’re excused. ” His quip was timely and with enough wit to hopefully keep Mari intrigued, entertained, and interested. “ Don’t get too excited now. I’ve been known to be quite the swimmer in my day. ” As carefully as he could, the young tank reached towards the water and attempted to get a nice splash of water over to the orange-crystal player who had been kind enough to join him on his venture.

After the light teasing, Titan took a moment to gaze upon the waters of the first floor. For being a bunch of pixels, the environment felt so real that it was a bit frightening. He stood in the spot that Mari had left for him, the calm blues of the sea lulling them into a warped sense of reality. “ Buffs? No, I think I’m probably overleveled for this fight. I figure we can enjoy it a little bit and then I’ll reel in the fish. ” It seemed simple enough. “ This is my last intro quest to the world. How does it feel to know that I won’t be a noob anymore. Are you going to miss holding my hand through these quests? ”

@Mari

[Mari 1]

'You're excused-'

He had said, and Mari simply huffed at him in return with puffed cheeks. There was no use arguing with someone like that. Then he splashed her with the lake water, leaving Mari's face soaked. "G-Gah..." She wiped the water from her face, slicking wet hair out of her eyes. Shimmering blue eyes glared at the blonde from beneath wet lashes, her cheeks red with a flustered frustration.

"If you're such a good swimmer why don't you go for one?" Mari had intended to push him into the water, well not entirely, just enough to dunk his head under. But he had straightened himself before she could - so instead of her hand thwacking the back of her head it collided with his back, just between his shoulder blades.  "Tch...Lucky..." 

Titan shifted the topic back to her initial question. "I was just checking." Mari offered  as she picked up her scaf and used it to rub the remaining water off of her face. "What kinda guild leader would I be if I didn't help you." She said as she dropped the scarf. "I won't miss it in the slightest." She added with a wry grin. "Big boy Titan can't be mothered forever."

@Titan

[Titan 0]

Titan couldn’t place his finger on it, but Mari’s presence felt like the south wind. A gentle, warm breeze that could whip up a Hurricane in a matter of moments if so desired. He could only hope to never truly see her wrath, the man was certain she’d be a maddened queen bee in the skies, ferocious and fiercer than she’d ever been.

The next steps happened in a matter of moments, his moves were fluid enough to have Mari slide into the small of his back and luckily for her, his leather armor wasn’t plate mail and rattled her mind into a headache from the impact. “ You need to watch what you’re doing, Mari. ” He laughed, spinning for a second with his pointer finger gently finding itself against her chin so that he could ensure she hadn’t been bleeding.

“ You’re our guild leader? ” His brows furrowed as he looked over to her, feigning shock as he pulled back and looked her over once more. “ I’m joking. I know you’re one of the pillars. ” The words meant to tease as he moved over to the edge of the boat and set up the fishing pole so that he could start trying to capture the sword fish for the quest. " I appreciate the vote of confidence but i'm certain i'll be on training wheels for a bit longer. "

@Mari

SWORD FISH CATCHING

Spoiler

 

Edited October 11, 2020 by Titan

[Mari 1]

'Bamf'

Her head had collided with the mid of his back, Titan turned, being careful to steady both himself, and her on the rocking boat. A strong hand was placed on her shoulder, squeezing it gently. Keeping her from tipping out into the lake. Then he, he was the one to chastise her. Watch what she was doing. "Bah!" Mari said with another wave as she waved his steady hand off of his shoulder. His lips quirked up into a cheerful smile as a finger pressed itself to the underside of her chin, angling her face up so his gentle sea-blue gaze could travel down her face. "W-Wha..." Mari took a step back. Her leg hit the seat and she immediately sat down. What the heck was that. She thought to herself. cheeks red. Was he staring? Why? To find new ways to tease her. No doubt.

You’re our guild leader? ” 

Mari opened her mouth to express her sheer shock at his statement, but she clamped it shut when he laughed - sitting himself by the fishing rod. His gentle teasing gave her a moment to catch her breath. Mari simply shook her head. "You almost had me there." She joked. "Maybe you should keep those trainin' wheels."

It wasn't her quest; so Mari wasn't given a fishing rod of her own - of course, she had one - but that was for regular fishing, not for giant ass creatures that'd snap her rod in half. "There's nothing wrong with that." Mari said as she dipped her hand into the warm water, swirling it round and round. This was nice, it wasn't stressful, it wasn't fast paced - it was just her and another, in a gently rocking boat. Mari closed he eyes and softly exhaled. "I could almost fall asleep here."

Which really said something, since the poor woman rarely, if ever, felt comfortable enough to sleep.

@Titan

[Titan 0]

In the Real World, Titan was quite the charmer and knew his way through practically any social scenario. It had been nice, despite being low level, despite being in a death game, to be reminded how powerful the gestures he relied on so heavily in life could still be despite how weak he was in comparison to Mari. In this moment, he had much more power than he would ever within the game’s system.

His gaze rested against Mari for a second as her cheeks blushed scarlet, her own composure returning to herself as she made herself comfortable near the edge of the boat once again and casually rested herself near the edge with a hand skimming across the surface. “ We might be here a while. ” Titan teased, his own position shifted as he held the pole loosely waiting for a bite.

And then it came, the jerk of the line against the water as Titan jumped to his feet and a tight grip. He fought against the beast, the majestic creature pulling hard against the pole as it pulled the boat into a much more chaotic path for a few minutes before the tank pulled while his entire might and brought the fish up into the air. “ Feel like hitting the fish? ” He asked in a frantic voice, his own weapons now being drawn in case Mari hadn’t wanted to help and secure the kill (a single flick of her  fingertip would probably be enough).

@Mari

SWORD FISH CATCHING ( FISH CAUGHT ! )

Spoiler

 

Edited October 17, 2020 by Titan

[Mari 1]

"I think your definition and my definition of 'a while' are a taaad different." Mari chided as she gripped onto the boat to avoid herself spilling over the edge. 

The fish was large, but not exactly monstrous - nothing more than an oversized Swordfish. Mari snorted. Compared to everything she had been through this seemed almost comical, but...Titan was a little wet behind the ears - perhaps literally in this scenario, as well as figuratively. "Yanno..." Mari began as she swept bangs of golden copper behind her ear. "You're in the presence of your powerful guild leader here - make a good impression."  Mari gave Titan a grin as she wedged herself straight back down in the boat, shifting to make herself more comfortable. 

"I might just reward you with somethin' if you do well enough."  

She'd probably give him some Col and Materials, maybe some extra gear. That's probably what Titan was looking for anyway. And Mari would be more than willing to help with stuff like that.

@Titan

[Titan 0]

“ To be fair, I didn’t expect to hook it this quick. ” He attempted to yell over the sound of the waves slamming into the boat. Titan couldn’t help but roll his eyes over at Mari, what she said wasn’t untrue but he was at least expecting a little help like she did in the last quest (although, he really didn’t need the assistance.) “ Yeah, yeah, yeah. ” He waved her off and quickly equipped his terror’s reach before activating FURIOUS SPIKE on his spear, which sent him lunging into the air.

It all happened so quickly, the spear having a mind of its own as the fish craftily aimed its nose directly at Titan’s armor and pierced through it causing him to lose a large chunk of health in an instant. “ Jeeze. ” His eyes widened while he noticed his health bar dropping, his own attack finally activating while he flipped in the air and landed a quick stab of his weapon at the perfect angle before he landed on the fish taking a second to get his balance, trying to ready a second attack before the beast could hit him again.

@Mari

TITAN USES FURIOUS SPIKE ON THE SWORD-FISH. (30 DAMAGE)
SWORDFISH ATTACKS TITAN. (41 DAMAGE)

TITAN VS. SWORD-FISH

Spoiler

TITAN & SWORDFISH STATS

Spoiler

Titan (Level 15) 
HP: 259 out of 300 / DAMAGE: 5
EN: 24 / MIT: 9
ACC: 3 (+1) / EVA: 0
KEEN: 1 / PARA: 1

SWORDFISH
HP: 5 out of 35 / Damage: 50 (on first successful hit only) / 5 (Does not gain bonus damage from Critical Hits)

 

Edited October 17, 2020 by Titan

[Mari 1]

"To be fair, I didn’t expect to hook it this quick. ” 

Mari snorted as she readjusted her scarf.  "Normally I'd be complimenting you here- about your fishin' skills but I worry it'd make your head too big and it'd sink this boat." Mari tapped the side of the boat. "I'd hate to see you sink." She joked. Her smile faded and she turned serious. "For real though. I'd not wanna see that."

Mari was enjoying Titans company, in earnest - it was rare to find someone that didn't immediately rely on her for emotional support- he was...well not exactly a breath of fresh air, but different. It was nice. Mari felt like she could breath a little easier and let her guard down.

She gave him a wide grin as he tried to brush her and her offer for a reward off. "Look at you, flippin' around in the air." Mari said, amused. "So fancy."

Edited October 17, 2020 by Mari

[Titan 0]

Titan’s mind had only been focusing on a single thing and that was to prove to Mari that he was more than capable of taking on a fish that was much lower level than he was. His spear had been readied, footsteps against the giant fish pushed him up while he dodges the swordfish’s attack and let gravity pull him down as his weapon was aimed to pierce the beast right between the eyes. It all happened so quickly and with his mighty blade, Titan quickly sheathed his spear and dove right into the lake while the fish’s flesh seemed to land on top of the boat as the player swam to the side and peeked his head to look at his kill.

“ Do you think that might earn me a few style points? ” He couldn’t help but tease as he hoisted himself back into the boat, the drips of water would seem dissipate as ‘Ol Pete looked eager and excited to get them back to shore. “ Mmm, I sure will be eating good tonight! ” The old fisherman said, a wide smile showcasing his excitement.

“ So for a newbie, on a scale of 1 – 10, how’d you rate those battle tactics, Mari? ” He wasn’t expecting a perfect score but he sure was expecting a high rating for what he did.

TITAN USES PIERCE ON THE SWORD-FISH. (22 DAMAGE)
THE SWORDFISH IS KO'D.

TITAN VS. SWORD-FISH

Spoiler

TITAN & SWORDFISH STATS

Spoiler

Titan (Level 15) 
HP: 259 out of 300 / DAMAGE: 5
EN: 24 / MIT: 9
ACC: 3 (+1) / EVA: 0
KEEN: 1 / PARA: 1

SWORDFISH
HP: 0 out of 35 / Damage: 50 (on first successful hit only) / 5 (Does not gain bonus damage from Critical Hits)

Edited October 17, 2020 by Titan

[Mari 1]

"Style points hmmm...." Mari tapped her lip. "I suppose so, several style points." Mari concluded with a nod of her head.  She watched as Titan's health ticked down, ever so slightly as the Sword Fish tried to rally against him, turning its pointed nose (apendage-thing?) toward him to try and strike him in the chest. But Titan pushed back - refusing to relent. Mari's eyes drifted to his feet, they were grounded steadily enough, but two too many steps forward would net him straight into the very lake they floated atop.

"Hey you di-"

SPLAASH

Mari was about to congratulate him; before Titan DOVE straight into the water. Mari leaned over the side of the boat - only to see a drenched blonde face bob up and out of the water, wearing a grin that stretched from ear to ear. He seemed proud of himself. "Mmmm....I'd have said a solid 8 - before you jumped in the water and soaked me." Mari said, gesturing toward her own wet, dripping form. "So just for that, I'd drop that to a five."

Despite her words, Mari didn't seem irritated or bothered.

@Titan