[F2 - PP] <<Long Live the Queen>> "Hook, Line, and Stinger"

[Elora 0]

Long Live the Queen

F*ck..., she thought as she rubbed the knuckles of her index fingers over each of her sleepy eyelids, What time is it...? The sun is still glaring through the window...Does that mean...it's before noon...? Elora seemed to be forcing herself to get out of bed more and more every day since her joining of Firm Anima. She wasn't sure whether or not that was because she was actually driven to accomplish more or simply because she felt like she was expected to contribute a greater amount of collateral to the guild. Either way, she wasn't entirely opposed to having a fuller schedule, aside from the fact that it tended to drain her of energy. 

Elora stretched her arms above her head as Borris unraveled himself from her arm and trickled down her wrist, eventually reforming into his usually bipedal shape once he reached the surface of her mattress. "Ahh -- that's tickles! You need to get better at sleeping on your own, you know", she scolded him only half-seriously. "Well, anyway, I'm not entirely sure what we'll be doing today, but I think taking on a quest with another member of the guild might be fun" Borris nodded in curious affirmation of the idea. "Let's see...", she began by lethargically opening up a player-list from her 'recent encounters' menu, "Already done a few with Freyd and Katoka, done one with Haine and Asmura, Vie -- oh...? Come to think of it, it's been awhile since I've seen Kill. I wonder how he's doing with the engagement" Elora chuckled mischievously at the thought before sending him an invitation to accompany her for the day.

To: @Kiluia Seiko From: Elora Message:  "Heyyy, so I know that we haven't talked in awhile, but I was wondering if you'd mind helping me with a mission. It's not anything that dangerous, I don't think. Also, aren't you getting married or something? Well, if you're regretting the proposal or just need someone to reflect on your life decisions with, I'm around." "Uh, yeah, so, meet me on Floor 2 or something."

 

Elora | HP:560/560 | EN:56/56 | DMG:9 | MIT:8 | ACC:2 | L.M.:2 | KEEN:1

Spoiler

Name: Elora
Level: 26
HP: 520/520
EN: 52/52

Stats:
Damage: 9
Mitigation: 8
Accuracy: 2
L.M.:2
KEEN:1

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Unnamed Starting Weapon (T1 Rare 2HAS, ACC 1, DMG 1)
Armor: Auspicious Gi (T1 Rare Light Armor, LM 2)
Misc: Justicar's Vambraces (T1 Rare Trinket, ACC 1, KEEN 1

Skills:
2H Assault Spear [Rank 5]
Light Armor [Rank 2]

Extra Skills:

Mods:
Finesse 2

Battle Ready Inventory:
T1 Healing Potions*5
Teleportation Crystal*5
Galaxial Water Snake*1
Requires Dimensional Backpack
Requires Extended Weight Limit 1
Requires Extended Weight Limit 2
Requires Extended Weight Limit 3

Housing Buffs:

Guild Hall Buffs:
Lucrative: Reduce LD needed for Salvage by 5 (10+ for Alchemist crystals, 6+ for everything else). +2 EXP per craft. Rank 9 crafters receive +1 crafting attempt per day. Rank 10 crafters receive +2 crafting attempts per day.
Col Deposit: +5% bonus col from last-hit monster kills and +10% bonus col from treasure chests.

Scents of the Wild:

Wedding Ring:

 

Edited October 23, 2020 by Elora

[Kiluia Seiko 0]

Floor one was where the man was located at. Since the early start of the morning, he had been picking out produce at the vendors. He wanted first crack at the freshest of the fresh to ensure the best quality. His schedule had been set in stone for quite some time now since he had a daily routine with the family and his shop. It wasn’t long before time started to move faster than he had anticipated. The penguin was close to him as it was warned like a child that if it was off galivanting without permission, she would go without lunch. The sudden ping of a message appeared before him almost making him drop the item he had been inspecting.

Hand moved up and he read the message relatively quickly. It was made aware that the others had discovered their engagement. It wasn’t a secret or anything and Haine wasn’t exactly the secretive type as she was caught wandering around staring at the ring on occasion like it was a dream. He casually yawned a bit typing up his answer.

Quote

Heyo. Seems like word gets around quick. I'll meet you there to hang out and catch up.

Kiluia

Then he was off to floor 2 to engage himself with another friend he hadn’t seen in awhile.

Spoiler

Kiluia, White Lightning
Level: 53
HP: 1090/1090
EN: 106/106

Stats:
Damage: 19
Mitigation: 79
Evasion: 2
Accuracy: 2
BLD:36
REC:1
KEEN:1


Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Ra's Destructive Wrath (T3/Perfect/Handwrap): Keen, Bleed 1, Absolute Accuracy
Armor: Osiris's Shade (T3/Perfect/Light Armor): Mitigation 2, Evasion 1
Misc: Rose of Truth (T3/Perfect/Trinket): Accuracy 2, Recovery 1

Skills:
Martial Arts [Rank 5]
Picking [Obtained]
Searching [Rank 3]
Light Armor [Rank 5]

Extra Skills:
Familiar -Fighter R3
Survival

Mods:
Dismantling
Finesse Rank 3
Ferocity
Athletics
Sprint & Acrobatics

Battle Ready Inventory:
Teleport Crystal *1
T3 Toxic Venom -170823*1
Primrose Cross (T1/Perfect/Trinket): Loot Dice 3
Titan's Strength DMG +3 164231-2*1
Requires Extended Weight Limit 1
Requires Extended Weight Limit 2
Requires Extended Weight Limit 3
Obtained via Item Stash (Housing)
Obtained via Dimensional Backpack

Housing Buffs:
Rested: -1 energy cost for the first two expenditures of each combat
Working: +2 EXP per crafting attempt
Filling: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot.
Relaxed: Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
Col Stash: +5% bonus col from monster kills and treasure chests
Basic Training: +1 SP to a thread. Limit one use per month [1/1]

Guild Hall Buffs:
Lucrative: Reduce LD needed for Salvage by 5 (10+ for Alchemist crystals, 6+ for everything else). +2 EXP per craft. Rank 9 crafters receive +1 crafting attempt per day. Rank 10 crafters receive +2 crafting attempts per day.
Col Deposit: +5% bonus col from last-hit monster kills and +10% bonus col from treasure chests.

Scents of the Wild:

Wedding Ring:

 

[Elora 0]

Elora read Kil's message and suddenly threw her sheets off of her and shot up from her bed. "Oh, sh*t -- I wasn't expecting him to respond so quickly! I need to get ready!" She quickly looked to Borris as if he could offer her any help. The rock golem simply shrugged and began to scuttle toward the door. "Hang on! I know that you don't have to wear clothes, but I do! Give me a few seconds to get ready!" Only a matter of moments passed before Elora was able to open her menu and change into her usual attire. The system caused a series of fairy lights to spin around her, dissipating as they floated upwards to reveal her clean outfit and styled hair. She found herself becoming bored of the monotonous morning routine, although it took little effort on her part. One of these days I'm gonna have a reason to wear something else, nodded Elora to herself as she hurried out the door, stooping down to grab her eager familiar who was already on his way out.

Edited October 27, 2020 by Elora

[Kiluia Seiko 0]

The second floor was just as the same as he had always left it. High altitudes and a colder atmosphere made him happy that his armor kept him warmer most of the time. The memory of breaking the boulder’s were always there as he helped a ton of people with their capabilities of gaining the skill. He had no reason to decline. Amber eyes would scan the surveying area spying the stalls still had items he could mull over. The way the produce was made raised and cultivated here was different than most other places due to the hardened soil and the brisk weather.

While his thoughts drifted down memory lane, he was able to find produce like it was second nature to him. It was automatic how his hands moved to check the firmness of the vegetable and the condition of it. He would brush pass other adventurers while looking for more until Elora come.

[Elora 0]

The earthy smells and sounds of low-lying deciduous forests and babbling spring-fed brooks overtook Elora's senses the moment she teleported into Urbos. Sunlight spilled over the horizon and trickled down the mountainside, shedding a scattered light into the steppe below. Combined with the cool breeze shaking dewdrops from the curled leaves of spindly plants, it still felt like morning in the little village she'd visited once before. Elora found herself sighing in content as she basked in the tranquility of such a familiar climate. It all felt so -- well, like home. 

She stuffed her hands into the pockets of her trousers before taking to meandering through the criss-crossed cobblestone streets in search of her guildmate. I wonder if he's even here yet. Maybe I showed up too early? Happening upon the central square's bustling marketplace, she spotted a familiar head of shaggy white hair. Thankful for the man's recognizable appearance, Elora called out with hands cupped around her mouth, "Kil!"

 

[Kiluia Seiko 0]

Slender figure had been leaning over a cart of distinguishable fruits and vegetables native to the game and some native to reality. He had been caught in a daze wondering how he was going to endure making new recipes with these foreign tastes he had been avoiding lately. “Hmm..” He tapped his chin as he kept lingering between the red tomato and the square looking brown potato. He had figured out that they had looked like their counterparts, but the taste was far off from what he had originally anticipated.  
Ears perked slightly as he realized someone had called his name. His figure straightened out and his amber orbs glanced around the surveying area obscured by his white locks. The green haired lass had already made it to the second floor as he had been diving for bargains. “Heyo.” He spoke and waved to her. The breeze had managed to caress his white locks causing them to sway a bit while making movements to her. He hadn’t seen her in a good minute. “What’s up? Haven’t seen you in awhile.”

[Elora 0]

Closing the gap between them, Elora greeted Kiluia in turn, "Hey. I'm glad that I was able to find you. Everything's been alright with me, but how about you? You're getting MARRIED!" Her arms reached out as she gestured excitedly toward him with splayed fingers. "I'm actually kind of surprised Haine isn't here with you", considering for a moment, she continued, "Wonder if Katoka's taken her out to shop for a dress today. I heard they had plans for -- er, I don't know if I was supposed to spoil that --" 

Geez, I've been talking a lot, haven't I? I should give him a chance to say something. Nervous energy seemed to emanate from her as she hyperactively bounced on her heels and circled around the produce stand while she spoke. It probably had something to do with, well, what Kil said -- that they hadn't seen each other in a long time. Conversation felt quite a bit less natural with him than it with some of the other guild members. Still, she found herself being thankful that they weren't strangers. Talking would likely become easier as they went about the day.

Edited August 12 by Elora

[Kiluia Seiko 0]

Her behavior was contagious. A smile graced his features as he placed his hand behind his head nodding. “Yea. I’m getting married.” He laughed slightly before speaking again. “I literally don’t know if I’m ready for this but I popped the question because I knew what I wanted. I just hope she’s ready for this too.” He walked with her hearing the word dress. A grin slightly appeared on his face as he was excited to hear about what was happening with a dress. It seemed though she wasn’t going to loosen her lips. He would just have to wait to see his beloved in a dress.

He walked with her and poked her shoulder. “So you joined the guild… and in my division no less. I was kinda shocked to see that.” He scratched his head slightly before looking at her again. “But that’s okay. I’m happy to have you aboard! And of course, I will provide you with some desserts I made. You rang for help?”

[Elora 0]

"Well, she said 'yes', didn't she? That must mean that she's ready to make the same commitment", Elora insisted naively before adding, "Have the two of you known each other for very long?" She assumed that Haine and him must have meet in-game, especially since that seemed to be the case for many of the other players she'd held short conversations with. "If I'm being honest", she began after he had introduced the subject of the guild, "I don't even remember what my division was. Am I supposed to be doing something with that?" Her leisurely tone shifted to one that contained traces of nervousness. It was probably best not to mention that she had also neglected to make any progress in practicing her profession.

With a quiet chuckle, she started, "Yeah, and if I remember correctly, you still owe me something mint-flavored" Elora waved a gloved hand to imply that she was only teasing. It really wasn't a big deal. "I was hoping you could help me with completing a quest on this floor. I didn't look into all that much. Sounds like we just have to squish a big bug or something -- and it doesn't seem very strong"

[Kiluia Seiko 0]

Nervousness took over as she stated the obvious intent of saying yes. "She did indeed say it. I'm just nervous, I guess." He rubbed his hands together as if they were cold. It was a tick he had when he was ever nervous. With the other question, he rubbed his neck answering. "Actually, we've known each other for quite some time. She was a school mate of mine. My first crush really. Fell in love with her the second I saw her. We gamed practically every day and joined this game as well." He spoke as they traversed the small path.

Both hands rested on his neck as he walked with Elora. Gaze met hers and he laughed rather loudly at the point. "We gather and provide. I took up cooking to provide food buffs when I can to help others. I primarily like to bake sweets or anything sweet really. I'd rather let people enjoy it as opposed to a feast. I have a devastating sweet tooth." He kicked a cobblestone as the fields became more open to them. His eyes shifted from her to the smaller bees that ignored them as they walked. "I do indeed owe you a sweet treat. Mint Ice cream, baked goods, or whatever interests you. I'll make sure to make it properly. As for that bug... I remember doing it myself and then also I remember just squashing to be really honest. These lower quests are always good to get out of the way with people, so the survival rate is high. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if someone I knew went and did this just to perish." He frowned a bit not liking the thought. 

"So, please feel free to call me any time to do anything. I'm down to help my fellow mates and to make sure we can continue being strong together." He smiled as the buzzing progressed to be louder. 

[Elora 0]

Elora silently swooned as Kil shared his history with Haine. It was adorable to imagine how a fledgling romance to blossom into a long-term relationship. As they walked her mind began to wander, wondering whether or not she would meet someone special one day. "I can see the appeal", agreed Elora after a long pause, "Desserts are sugary and pack the most powerful punch to our tastebuds. There's few things better than cool gelato on a hot day or biting into a square of chocolate during...", she trailed off, "Anytime of day --" Nice save.

She found herself nodding along with his remarks on introductory quests. Most of them were simple, predictable in every sense. More than anything, Elora enjoyed having company to make the experience more entertaining. "I appreciate the offer to help. There really isn't any other option for me. I can't do anything outside my level, but I also won't get anywhere unless I finish these early quests. So, it's best to knock them out one at a time."

The sweet aroma of summer flowers began to saturate the air around them as the pair followed the trail ahead. With so much pollen, it was no wonder that bees and hummingbirds were abuzz. Butterflies fluttered haphazardly from stigma to stigma before being swept by a wayward gust. 

"You can use honey for desserts, can't you?", asked Elora, "I'm sure the kind from around here tastes unique to the local flowers." At a glance, those flowers were pom-pom in shape, perhaps a bit like marigolds. "I should probably get more familiar with the fauna of this world. I'll need to have more knowledge of their medical benefits in order to craft potions...."

Edited August 21 by Elora

[Kiluia Seiko 0]

He had almost forgotten about how beautiful the place was when it opened up to the large fauna and the scene had been breathtaking. “I didn’t think I’d be able to perform really with giving sweets or making them for anyone who wanted. It was a spur of the moment decision as I realized that enhancing people and making them feel like a piece of home was indeed something within their grasp…” He thought about how desperate he was to at least have something familiar in this strange world despite being in it for a while. The familiar way of just eating with friends and recreating memories of your favorite sweet made sense to him.

His eyes locked upon the flowers and the smaller drone bees collecting pollen. He was strangely allergic to pollen in reality but here he was able to not experience the sneezing that ensued. “Think of it as nothing. How else can we form friendships? We can make them appear out of nothing as long as we try to pursue it. I’m sure I was dead bored doing this. Then again, I was bored doing quests alone that were tedious like punching a rock.” He had remembered that quest that aggravated him in a way. 

Shaking the memory off of the boulder, he listened to her words about the honey. It was indeed a valuable commodity when it came to collect for a variety of things. “I can use honey for desserts. Acts like a preservative if item decay was a thing.” He applied the real-world knowledge as if it actually had anything to do here. “Though, I’m sure if you craft a potion with it, it could dispel a variety of debuffs if applied the right way?” Not being a potion maker was a little tough for him to think about other than once again thinking of properties that honey had in reality. “I’m sure the game mechanics here have some basis.”

Now Kil had to ask some prying questions. “Have you met anyone that suits your fancy?” A grin spread across his face as they walked down the path together. 

Edited August 12 by Kiluia Seiko

[Elora 0]

Her imagination was briefly whisked away with a montage of comforting smells and tastes. Kiluia's reasoning was sound. There were few staples of home that came to her mind more readily than food. From boxty for breakfast to shepherd's pie for supper, Elora could recall the warmth of many meals she'd tried. "Your idealism is admirable", she offered sincerely, "There are few tasks more difficult than that. How do you recreate real-world dishes without their ingredients?" It seemed impossible, in her mind, to harness the taste of home without so much as a recipe.

"I don't envy you, Kil", she laughed softly as she nonetheless considered the proposed properties of a honey potion. 

“Have you met anyone that suits your fancy?” 

"Eh -?", she questioned reflexively, "Like...romantically?" 

The look on Kil's face confirmed his intention.

"I mean, yeah...plenty of people --", she answered, "Uhhhh...there was this one guy in high school. We were kind of on and off..." Elora seemed to search for something more before settling with, "He was funny, I guess." 

Edited August 21 by Elora

[Kiluia Seiko 0]

Her question about how to make the items seemed like a fair question. He had to think back to see if anyone had ever asked him that question. "To be honest, it's about trial and error. At first, I burned through a lot of materials to figure out the right combination of items to make the other items. Then it got progressively easier once the recipes were automatically stored. I made some strange creations that were neither sweet nor pleasant to anyone when I practiced by myself." He spoke about the memories about how he managed to burn a few things and make bitter items that caused him nausea. 

The way she answered his question was innocent. He was going to tease her if it was any person they knew together. When she brought up reality, he couldn't help but realize that the girl was still new at this and wasn't as exposed. It was a logical answer, he thought. "Oh, I see." He wasn't going to ask anything about reality as it could upset the balance of someone's mental stability. He wasn't prepared to do that and fight a giant wasp. "Thats fair. Humor is a go to for most people." 

Feeling a bit bad, he decided to change the subject. "Why potions? Is there something about them attracts you to it personally?" He stopped a bit and looked around for a moment. He wanted to see how far they had traveled and to see if they could see the hive soon. If not, he was thinking if there was anything worth harvesting in the field. 

[Elora 0]

Elora's elven ears seemed to perk up at the question. "Well, yeah --", she started with some enthusiasm, "Chemicals have always interested me." She paused momentarily before correcting her phrasing, "Chemistry, I mean -- the way that different solutions can work together to create unexpected reactions. I've...never been great at the math behind it all, but I like the experimentation."

Something appeared to cross Elora's eyes at the admission. Her attention gradually retreated inwards as ears sank back and into their usual position. Where she'd intended to retrieve an appropriate story, she instead uncovered memories of recent failures. Flunked tests and scatterbrained reports did well to remind her that she was dim outside of this world's woefully-distilled mechanics.

She did well to pry herself from the ensuing doubts, her train of thought astonishingly intact. "Huh. I guess it's not really much different than cooking. Or dating --", she joked with a deflated optimism.

[Kiluia Seiko 0]

He eventually stopped before a sizable forest before them and gauged where the beehive was. His eyes would look around and he stretched listening to Elora. "Experimenting is always fun. I usually take what I think will work and try to slap it together." He shrugged slightly as he looked over at Elora. "I prefer something exciting when I make something completely new. It makes me happy to know that people will enjoy sweets." 

Red eyes just scanned looking for that damn hive and he furrowed his eyebrows looking a bit more serious trying to spot it. "Do you see it? Because I'm not exactly sure where it'll spawn this time..." He always had seen the hive at the front or at least close to the front of the woods. He loosely jumped a bit as he had seen some worker bees starting to crowd and knew that jackpot would be discovered. 

It seemed that her humor about dating and things seemed to be dejected as he stared at her with an expression, but he wanted to pat her head. He, of course, refrained from doing things unnecessary. 

[Elora 0]

Accidental blank post

Edited September 4 by Elora

[Elora 0]

"Not yet", she started, "But I'm sure if we follow the bees, we'll have our answer." In any realistic scenario, Elora would reel at the thought of getting closer to the swarm of raging insects. But in Aincrad, uncomfortable encounters tended to be the source of any reward worth receiving. Hesitant at first, she shuffled forward, spear held diagonally across her chest.

The nearby hum of activity quickly morphed into a roaring frequency. Dozens of worker bees darted and crawled outside of a papery hive, its base woven securely to the underside of an oak branch. Normally, Elora would expect to encounter a nest no larger than half a meter in size. This monstrosity on the other hand, occupied a good chunk of space in comparison. The tree's limb was practically arching beneath the weight of it all, which was pretty much as comical as it was terrifying.

"Well", Elora began with the hesitant raising of her spear, "Only one way to draw out the queen."

She wasn't sure whether or not that was true. But when, in her entire life, would she ever have the chance to smack a hive and find out? Creeping forward at first, she lunged at the bulbous cocoon, her spear plunging straight through it like an overeager kid readying to roast a marshmallow.

Edited September 4 by Elora

[Kiluia Seiko 0]

His eyes would watch Elora as she answered him. Gaze would follow her and also look at the worker bees going around them suspecting nothing. Kiluia not using weapons was always an advantage as he followed quietly with his fists clenched. He rubbed his head slightly watching move which proved she was hesitant at first but then the lunge started after she raised her spear and thrusted into the cocoon.

"Yep. Here goes nothin." The cocoon burst open allowing all the bees to flow out. He hadn't exactly approached it this way striking the hive directly, but what was done was done. Perhaps, if they needed to, they could run away if this proved difficult. He swung his fists around at the worker bees in an AOE strike to lower them to the ground in search of their large queen. 

Of course, there she was in all of her glory. Larger than he had originally seen and a bit off. He perked a brow at the creature as it seemed like it was out of the ordinary since he had done this quest a variety of times. "She looks bigger..." His voice trailed off staring at the bees coming in droves. He would leave the queen to her while he slapped the worker bee's silly with his AoE strikes. 

[Elora 0]

It would be difficult to miss the droning matriarch as she spawned beside the dwarfing nest. At first, Elora assumed the shadow that passed over her was from a cloud intercepting the sun. Only a few seconds had proven enough to prompt additional investigation. Turning her head, the amorphous peripheral mirage morphed into a wicked shape - the angular body of a wasp, and one that was pissed.

Reorienting her attention to the stronger foe, she began to shake with worry. "Yeah --", her resolve began to crack, "She's big!" With an angry whirr, the queen thrust her abdomen forward. Elora narrowly managed to flounder out of the attack's trajectory. There was little time to be spared, especially when Kil was too preoccupied with culling workers to distract the mini boss.

A clumsy flank carried her around the colony's tree in a semi circle. She hesitated for a moment, feigning uncertainty to bait the queen into another attack. The flying insect returned its attention to her, diving downward toward its target. In that instant, Elora dove behind the trunk of the tree, causing the bamboozled bee to lodge its stinger directly between the craggily bark. 

Elora let out a brief battle cry, which sounded more like a cocktail of fear, anger, and surprise all at once. A slash from her spear sent the enemy flopping to one side. Now, she need only batter it until the exp and items began to sprinkle from its dilapidated shell.

Edited September 12 by Elora