[PP-F1] A Quest Begins <<SoTW: Keepers of Nature>> (Lessa, Ghostie)

[Oji 0]

Quest: 

Spoiler

Floor 1
<<Scents of the Wild: Keepers of Nature>>
Party Limit: 2 | 20+ Posts
Repeatable for standard page rewards.

Quest Rewards:

• 500 Experience Points
• Each player receives: 
  • Nature’s Tablet
    • A stone with a message directing the player to defeat six tough enemies. It is an <<Immortal Object>> and cannot be broken by any other means than clearing the SotW questline.  
    • Not Transferrable
• Unlocks the following quests:
  • <<Scents of the Wild>> quest line

Requirements:

• Explore the cavern and find the tablet.
• Decipher the tablet on the tree bark (Combined LD total of 60 from all players. Equipment and skill buffs apply, consumables do not.)

Summary:

Information brokers have found something amazing underground on Floor One. Near the edge of the floor, there is a cavern that was once known as a great farming location when the game was first started. With the recent unlock of floor twenty-five, people were amazed to find a sealed off location revealed! A rock wall had disappeared, leading into a smaller cavern. The most notable thing was a massive, closed door carved into the stone. No matter what is attempted, the door refuses to budge. Upon further inspection, you find six indents within the door in peculiar shapes.

The room also contains a giant tree, having somehow grown to tremendous size despite the barest hints of sunlight that reach down from above. At the base of the tree is a podium with a tablet. On one side, there are six markings similar to those on the door. On the other, there is a message written in another language. Luckily for you, there is a cipher etched against the tree bark. Do some research and figure the message out.

Outline: 
Once the tablet is acquired, players must make a collective LD count of 60 to decipher the message on the back of the tablet. Once the tablet is readable, the words on the stone begin to change into the players' native language.

“If seeking power, wisdom and resilience, find ye those which embody nature’s graces: The fiercest of beasts with unmatched strength; a sentinel to the afterlife bound by the Stygian river; a wise and wily water-borne predator; the unmoved titan who is callous and free; a sly shadow high in the branches of the forest; and lastly, that which prowls and safeguards the sky. Only once vanquished will you harness their power to your benefit. These are the Keepers of Nature.”

Once translated, players may undertake the Scents of the Wild quests. For each quest completed, the tablet they carry with them will break into a shape of the indents in the door. These keys will be used to open the stone door and reach the ‘Power of Nature’ hidden within.

Oji sat at a small booth in a small, but quaint shop. He had heard from a fellow player, Oscar, about this place, and that it was a good place to get some quests. He had been quite surprised with how the place looked. When he thought of Info Brokers, he always had the thought of those shady players in back alleys handing out information. not... this. But, he wasn't complaining. Even though the coffee was served by some sort of small Pumpkin with one eye and a crown, the place had a quaint atmosphere and some pretty good coffee. He knew he'd have to come here more often for the pumpkin-flavored brew. He sipped silently as he looked out the window next to his seat, and didn't hear the young man approach is table

"Hey there, I hear you're looking for a quest." he spoke. Oji jumped in fright, spilling a little bit of the coffee out of his cup, the liquid turning into pixels as it hit his lap and table. The young man did his best to be respectful, but he let out a small laugh. "Sorry, I forget that I need to make noise for customers." He spoke, and sat down across the table. he wore a small suit, with a deep blue on the inside collar, a briefcase beside him and a pair of goggles lopped sideways onto his head. "No no its fine, I've always been a little jumpy." Oji jested, taking a sip. "The coffee is good by the way, did you make it?" He asked. The young man nodded "I help craft most of the stuff we sell. My name is Hikoru by the way, pleased to meet you." Oji's eyes widened. This was the person that started the whole Info Broker Society? He was younger than he had imagine. "Uh, Oji, pleased to meet you." He spoke, and the young man nodded, a small smile on his face.

Edited December 15, 2021 by Oji

[Lessa 1]

꧁༺Lessa༻꧂   Lessa, The Violet Guardian Level: 31 Paragon Level: 39 HP: 820/820 EN: 114/114 Stats: Damage: 23 Mitigation: 122 Battle Healing: 41 H.M.: 8 HLY: 8 THRNS: 72 LD: 3 Equipped Gear: Weapon: Arcael's Might (T4 THSS - DMG DMG DMG HLY) Armor: Empress Armor (T4 HA - HM HM THNS THNS) Misc: Purple Hair Ribbon (T2 TRINKET - LD3) Skills: Straight Sword R5 Heavy Armor R5 Battle Healing R5 Energist Fighting Spirit Charge Active Mods: Impetus Emergency Recovery Addons: Iron Skin Ferocity Stamina Active Extra Skills: Parry Housing Buffs: Well Rested: -1 energy cost for the first three 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. Col Stash: +5% bonus col from monster kills and treasure chests Advanced Training: +10% Exp to a thread. Limit one use per month [1/1] Multipurpose: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll Guild Hall Buffs: Helping Hand: Lowest-leveled guild member receives +10 bonus Exp at the end of the thread. At least half of the thread's participants must be guild members. Limit one use per month, per character. [1/1]

"Did you say you had a quest?" 

The blonde slipped up beside the two Players, her smile warm, and more than a bit sheepish. Prying into someone else's business wasn't something she cared to do often, but at the moment, she really needed a new quest. Something to get her mind off of everything else, and to help her claw out of the weird funk she'd found herself in. "I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but-" Realization dawned as Lessa's gaze finally settled on the man's face; her smile exploded into a full-fledged grin. "Hey Hik!" She exclaimed. "I didn't expect to see the man himself when I stopped by for some information. It's great to see you again!"

Not forgetting her manners, she turned to face the other Player. "My name is Lessa," she began, "and I was hoping to pick up a quest or two. I just need a change from the norm, I guess. I completely understand if you'd rather go solo, but if you're willing, I'd love to team up."

She was being really forward, and she knew it. In fact, Lessa figured she was doing more talking now than she had in the previous weeks. Not to mention the fact she was talking to a complete stranger - quest sniping a complete stranger, to be more exact. But it actually felt pretty good to branch out a bit, and interact with new faces. Not too long ago, she used to love this. If I'm not careful, she mused, I'll turn back into that hermit that I always hated.

[Oji 0]

As Oji was about to reply to the fancy young man, yet another voice popped up behind him and he jumped. Luckily, he didn't have the coffee in his hand, so no spills were made. He turned to see a woman in some pretty heavy duty armor, a large amount of blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. The word "intimidated" Did not even come close to how he felt. He had always been a bit of a quiet man, keeping his thoughts to himself and just did what he loved. But this was an assertive woman, she came in wanting something and asking for it directly, something he both dreaded to do and respected others for doing. Hikoru, the young man across the way, recognized the woman and gave a broad smile.

"Ah, Lessa! The pleasure is all mine!" He said with a laugh. "And now I think that would be a great idea, this man might need a good player to carry him to the end! Would you care to sit down for a second while I get the file? Oh, and how does some Peppermint Hot Chocolate sound? I distinctively remember you saying you don't like coffee." Oji just waved quietly, taking a sip of his coffee and avoiding eye contact. Hikoru looked him over and shook his head. "My oh my... Anyways, from your gear I can see that you're not anywhere near combat ready. Why don't I grab a perfect starter quest for you, and you get to know Lessa here." He said with a nod. He patted Lessa on the shoulder with a smile. "I'll be back in just a sec. If you need anything call Demmy here, she'll take care of you while I'm in the back." And with that, the black-haired youth strolled into the back, shouting a few things to the workers in the back as he passed through the kitchen door. Oji sat awkwardly for a few moments, then finally found his spine again.

"Hi, the name is Oji. Sorry I'm not much in my element here, I'm still a bit uncomfortable walking out of the Town of Beginnings." He spoke, a bit softly at first. "I don't mind if you tag along at all, I'm just trying to get used to this whole 'Adventuring' thing that I've been seeing every other player do." He gave a small smile, rubbing the back of his neck "I'm afraid I might be a little too old for this, but I'm tired of just sitting still."

[Lessa 1]

At the mention of peppermint hot chocolate, Lessa's eyes lit up. Aside from caramel hot apple cider, flavored hot chocolate was her absolute favorite warm drink. She hadn't considered picking up anything except information while at the Pumpkin, but now she didn't see the harm. "Yeah, definitely," came her eager reply. "That sounds amazing. And thanks for remembering I don't like coffee. You've got a great memory." With one hand, she motioned to their surroundings. "It must come with the territory though." She grinned at him, and when he turned his back, she swung her attention to Oji.

With a practiced ease, she navigated her heavily armored body into the chair opposite him. "No need to apologize," she reassured him, resting her gauntleted hands atop the sparkling clean table. "We've all been there before. Some of us have even felt that discomfort more than once." She offered him a lopsided smile, and a one-shouldered shrug. "Personally, I go through phases. Sometimes, I'm really confident, and ready to go take on some floor bosses. Other times, I don't feel prepared to leave the safe zone." After a pause, she blew out a hard breath, rustling her already unruly bangs. "And sometimes, more frequently than I'd like to admit, I don't want to leave my bed. But that's what this quest is all about. Getting a fresh start."

Why had she told him all of that? Talk about unloading on a complete stranger. With an apologetic laugh, she waved off his concern. "You're definitely not too old. One of my closest friends in the game has a decade on me, and I hope I can be half the fighter he is one day. You'll be fine!'

[Oji 0]

Oji's smile returned to his face as Lessa eased his worries with her thoughts and explanations towards her feelings and his ill thoughts about his age. He was glad that, maybe he wasn't the oldest guy on the fields. Maybe there were some even older than he is, and if that was the case then he could do fine in this field of work, at least in small doses. Running around every single day just felt like a bit too much work for him. He nodded at her and picked up this cup of coffee. "Well, I'm glad I'm not the other old guy then, that makes me feel just a tad better." He took a sip of his coffee, then set it down. "But I think I might even be older than him, because if he's a decade over you, then I might be two. You don't look a day over Twenty-Two." He said with a laugh "About the age of my Oldest brother's first born." He jested.

Hikoru peeped out from behind the curtain and saw the two of them chatting. He smiled, glad to see frontliners, and upcoming ones, enjoying his store and getting to know one another. He came out with a fresh mug of Peppermint Hot Chocolate, and a coffee pot. He came over to the two and set the Cup down in front of Lessa, and held it over the almost-empty mug. "Refill?" He asked. Oji nodded and held the cup still. "Room for milk, please." The older gentlemen spoke. Hikoru nodded and poured just enough to leave plenty of room if needed. And he turned his attention to Lessa. "Let me know how the hot chocolate is when I get back. I'm always looking for pointers and maybe new ingredients to try in them to make different varieties. Can never go wrong with experimenting." He said with a warm, and surprisingly happy, smile. "I'll be back with the info in just a sec, just wanted to get you two situated." He said, then took the coffee pot back to the kitchen, disappearing behind the curtain.

"He's a nice kid." Oji spoke, adding a little bit of milk from the table to his coffee, taking a spoon and stirring until the two liquids melded into the perfect blend of coffee. "Did you two meet on the... what's it called, front-lane? That doesn't sound right" He said, trying to think. "Anyways, I was just told only a tid bit about him and a few others. Shield, Calrex, some girl named "Ariel", and also another guy that started with a J, but I can't recollect what it was." He did his best to remember, but it just wouldn't come to him. "I tried getting a little bit of info, so I'm not going into too blind, but he didn't really know a lot about Hikoru."

[Lessa 1]

While Oji spoke, Lessa flashed Hik a quick smile, and a nod of thanks. The steam rising from the cup was absolutely heavenly, hitting just the right caramel and apple notes. She drew in a deep breath, just enjoying the way the sensation crashed over her. Nothing brought her comfort, or took her to her happy place, quite like hot caramel apple cider. The cup was half-way to her mouth when she paused, something Oji had said peaking her interest. She allowed herself a second for her first sip, blew out a satisfied breath, then replaced her cup on the table top.

"Age is such a weird thing," she commented, brow furrowing in thought. "I do know I was twenty when I joined the game. Just finishing up my first year of student teaching, and pretty close to graduating from college, too." The memories of her time teaching students, and being one herself, came and went like a ship on a distant horizon. Rather than dwelling on them, as she had a tendency to do, she kept her gaze on the man sitting opposite her. "But I have no idea how long we've been in here. I figure I'm at least twenty six or twenty seven now, but that's just a guess based on what I can remember. I'm sure someone kept better records, but time kind of got away from me for a while there." She took another drink of cider, her expression contemplative. "Not to mention the fact that time may work differently in here. I wasn't a part of Beta, so I don't know for sure. Is it a one-to-one deal, or is it going more quickly in here?" Or god forbid, more slowly? Would she wake up a fifty year old woman? 

Unwilling to reflect on it too much, Lessa smiled after Hikoru as he left the table. "Sort of," came her short answer. "We kind of just saw each other around, and spoke briefly. It wasn't until last Christmas, when we finally sat down and started talking, that we got to know each other." Recalling the snowy night, and their run-in with the mysterious Father Wuotan, Lessa couldn't help but laugh. "Probably more memorable than a boss fight, honestly." As Oji rattled off some other names, Lessa cocked her head to the side. "I know of Cal," she replied, "and I definitely know Ariel. She actually used to be a member of my guild. As for Shield, and the J guy, I'm not really sure. How is it that you came to know Hik?"

[Ghostie 0]

________________________________________________________
Player Name: Ghost
Total SP: 5 | Allocated: 5 | Remaining: 0
Level 1 | Paragon ?
HP: 100/100 | EN | DMG: 1 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 1 | MIT |

Equipment
-Weapon: Scrying Dagger T1 | ACC | EVA |
-Armor:NA
-Trinket:NA____________________________________________
 

As Oji and Lessa talked, another figure stood near the entrance, having only walked in moments earlier. It was a girl with white shoulder-length hair, crystalline eyes, and a relaxed expression. She wore a simple black belted dress with a short skirt and long sleeves, sandals adorning her feet. She looked blatantly inexperienced, having nothing more than a dagger fashioned to her hip as she scrolled through her player menu.

Hit Points? Player stats?? EXP??? All of these terms were seemingly foreign terms to this girl, and it showed as she focused on studying any tutorial information she could scrounge from the menu. Tucking a bang behind her ear delicately, she continued to search for any information she could, attempting to learn the game as quickly as possible.

While the other two continued to converse, the occasional confirmation noises of the girl’s menu could be faintly heard.

 

[Oji 0]

Oji sipped on his coffee quietly, listening to some of Lessa's theories with the time. It was true that it seemed to work differently. He had felt like he's lived in this game for a few years, but what if it had only been a year? or what if it's been a decade? Thoughts of this stayed in the back of his mind, maybe he would spend a night or two and think about it, ponder about the life that he could be losing. But now is not the time for that. Now is the time for focus, to try and get this quest complete,

Oji then returned his attention to Lessa, who was talking about how she had met Hik, apparently around Christmas. A weird time but he felt it was better to not ask. She then asked how he had heard about him, and he shrugged. "My friend Oscar told me about this place, and I decided to visit to see if he was screwing with me." He said, a small chuckle escaping his lips "I trust him but people always like to mess with one another. Its the human way, even though it doesn't make sense as to why." He heard a few dings of a menu in the booth behind him, and decided to ignore it for now.

Hikoru emerged through the curtains to the customer he had forgotten to serve. He came towards the smaller girl, suit looking clean as he smiled and held a small folder. "Hi ma'am, can I take your order? Anything to eat or drink?" He asked, motioning towards the menu at her table. Oji heard Hik and looked behind, smiling and turning back to Lessa. "We'll get our order eventually, might be falling behind on the orders." He jested, and he felt Hikoru's eyes peering into his soul, looking for the perfect place to stab him that wouldn't leave too much of a mess.

[Ghostie 0]

The girl looked up at Hikoru, her face mostly expressionless. Closing her menu, she bowed politely and nodded. However, she wasn’t entirely sure how to proceed from that point onward; she appeared anxious. Her hands trembling slightly, she raised them both and tried to make a simple sign that she hoped the man would understand.

She pointed toward her chest, followed by holding a finger out with one hand and tapping it with a finger from her other, before bringing a hand vertically up to her mouth, pointing at her throat. Then she clapped her hands together apologetically:

‘I’m sorry, but I am unable to speak.’

She wasn’t sure if the man would understand, or if he would even know sign, but an attempt is better than none. In the meantime, she delicately picked up a menu and flipped through it, seeing what all options the store provided. After a moment, she showed the menu to Hikoru and pointed to a menu option that appeared to be a special for an extra whipped mocha double shot iced espresso with vanilla.

Edited December 16, 2021 by Ghostie
Edited to meet minimum word count

[Lessa 1]

At Oji's mention of Oscar, a shadow drifted across Lessa's usually sunny expression. Dipping her head in an attempt to hide the gut reaction, she managed a simple, "Ah, I see."

Interest replaced the unease as Hik began addressing a new customer. Lessa recognized how incredibly rude staring was, but she couldn't help watching the snowy-haired Player out of the corner of her eye. When the woman began gesticulating, those eyes popped wide. "Oh," the blonde breathed. "I think she's mute." Turning back to Oji, she flashed him an apologetic smile before holding up one finger. "Hang on one sec, okay?" Then, shoving back from the table, she moved up alongside the pair.

"Hey," she greeted them both, then addressed the other woman. "I'm so sorry if this is rude or anything, but I just wanted to say that I know some basic signing." Pressing her palm to her chest, Lessa continued, "During my student teaching, I had a student with dysarthria. I learned some easy stuff so that I could understand him better. Really, nothing too complex, but things like the alphabet and ground-level stuff." As a blush warmed her cheeks, she concluded with, "So yeah, just if you need to order anything special or something."

[Oji 0]

Oji felt a tone shift at their table as he brought up Oscar, and a sense of discomfort washed over him. He didn't know what had happened or why she looked so sad, but he knew they had history, and it wasn't a good one. Instead of prodding for information, he knew that if she wanted to talk about it with him, it would come up in conversation. There was no need to keep her uncomfortable so he could learn about some dark backstory. He wasn't rude, or some kind of Info Broker.

But before he could change the topic, he looked and saw that Lessa's attention was put elsewhere, and he turned around to see Hikoru talking to a white-haired player, and Lessa excused herself from the table and went over to her. He listened and got most of the context. "A mute player, that's interesting." He muttered to himself, before he turned back as to be polite, and finished his cup of coffee.

Hikoru on the other hand, was a bit taken aback from Lessa's initiative. He had a young lady that could read sign as some players still used it to communicate. He nodded to Lessa, and smiled at the young lady. "Ah, the special for an extra whipped mocha double shot iced espresso with vanilla. Absolutely, one of my favorites. Coming right up." He warmly spoke, making his way back to the kitchen with the order.

[Ghostie 0]

The girl’s eyes warmed as she listened to Lessa’s greeting. It was definitely a relief to know that some players could understand sign, albeit she’d have to gradually get comfortable with… well, socializing, for a start. Nodding in response to Lessa’s explanation, the girl then opened the player status menu and opened a show-other view of her basic info to show Lessa, figuring that this would be easier to give her name.

Spoiler

Ghost
Total SP: 5 | Allocated: 0 | Remaining: 5
Level 1 | Paragon ?
HP: 100/100 | EN | DMG: 1 | ACC: 1 |EVA: 1 | MIT 

After putting her name and info on display, she began to sign, doing what she could to simplify it and make things easier for Lessa if necessary. I’m happy to meet you. I have something that might make talking easier. It’s taking some time to fully work. I’m new to games in general but want to learn. Could you and your friends help me?

She then gestures to her dagger on her hip and attire before signing again. I have basic items. I want to be of use if I can. I need to… get experience, she finished, not knowing how to properly say ‘level up’.