[PP-F1] Gathering Buddies <EaL Gatherer> (Astreya)

[Bismuth 0]

Bismuth knew that in order for him to survive in Aincrad he was going to need materials, and that here was no better way to go get those materials than to get trained as a gatherer. He figured that even without any actual equipment, that he wouldn't need them, the first floor was relatively safe, especially if you knew where you were going and what you were doing, which after two years of studying maps and spawn locations, Bismuth was pretty confident he fit into those categories. The gatherer that Bismuth was looking for was on the other side of the beginner village just outside of town, so it was going to take him an hour walking at least to make it there. tying his long brown hair into a loose ponytail and starts his journey.

Bismuth is only half way through his journey when he sees someone across the plaza from him 'Well hello, aren't you a sight for sore eyes' he thought to himself as he walked closer to the woman with long dark hair. "I'm sorry to stop you, but I couldn't help noticing that you shine even brighter than anyone else here." Bismuth stops the shorter woman and gives her a charming smile "What's a girl like you doing on the first floor?"

Spoiler

Bismuth
Level: 1
Paragon Level: 0
HP: 20/20
EN: 20/20

Stats:
Damage: 4

Equipped Gear:
Weapon:
Armor:
Misc:

Skills:
Dagger R1

Battle Ready Inventory:
Starter Healing Potions x3
 

 

[Astreya 0]

Astreya gave a low exhale, stretching her arms up over her head as she just enjoyed some of the sunlight here in the Town of Beginnings.  While she was certainly high enough level now to go out into the higher floors, she had spent so much time here on the First Floor that she was comfortable here.  She enjoyed the town, the atmosphere, and moreover, helping those who were finally gathering the courage to step out into the wilds beyond the safety of town.

There was a lot of danger for the unprepared, and while after a little bit of time if you were able to get some levels up for things, the first floor didn't pose much threat to you anymore, and that helped to build the confidence to get further.  She didn't know how many people she'd helped so far... but she was at least glad for the opportunity.

But while she was just enjoying the sunlight, a voice came to her, and she couldn't help but to smirk a bit at the pick-up line that he'd used, but that turned into a full-fledged smile as she turned around to greet him fully.  "Me?  I just hang out here on the first floor," the girl responded, the smile widening into a grin.  "Plus I like helping folks out and there's a lot to do down here," she added.  "What about you?  Anything I can help ya with?" she asked, bouncing a little in place with her unspent energy.

Astreya Statblock-

 

Spoiler

 

Stats:
-Level 26
-HP: 565
-- 520(Base) + 45 (Iron Skin)
-NRG: 70

-Base Damage: 15
-- 1(Base) + 7 (Weapon Skill) + 1 (Impetus) + 6 (Weapon)
-Mitigation: 104
-- 0(Base) + 35 (Armor Skill) + 15 (Iron Skin) + 54 (Armor)
-Regeneration: 4% (Currently 22)
-- 0(Base) + 4% (Battle Healing II)
-Accuracy: 3
-- 0(Base) + 1 (Weapon) + 2 (Accessory)
-Thorns: 0
-- 0(Base)
-EN Recovery: 0
-Taunt: 1
--0(Base) + 1 (Fighting Spirit)
===
Gear:
Item name: Glacial Blade (ID# 202819)
Item type: 2H Straight Sword
Quality: T3 | Perfect 
Enhancement(s): [ACC][DMG][DMG]
Description: A two-handed blade with what appears to be a hilt wrapped around a growth of icy crystal.  A large central crystal comes from the center, with two smaller ones forming the guard. While it doesn't hold any Cold enhancements on its own, it nonetheless seems to give off a slight fog from the chilled blade.

Item name: Battle Dress Mk II (ID# 202878)
Item type: Heavy Armor
Quality: T3 | Perfect 
Enhancement(s): [MIT][MIT][MIT]
Description: Keeping in with the design of her previous armor, the heavy-yet-fashionable heavy plate keeps the young woman well-protected, allowing her to ignore blows from her opponents with ease!  

»Hoya of the West | Perfect T1 Trinket
[Accuracy II] - Add 2 onto your BD rolls (Cannot cause crits)
[Prosperity] - Gain +1 to the base multiplier when receiving col from killing an enemy.

 

 

[Bismuth 0]

"Anything with you around would probably be a better time, Right now I am heading out to get the gathering profession, don't need a weapon much, if you know what your doing that is." Bismuth gestures at the fact that he is wearing neither armor nor weapons even though he planned to leave the town. "I sure could use company, especially from a pretty little thing like you. Shall we?" Bismuth asks gesturing towards that gate of the town that could be seen off in the distance, not waiting for an answer as he starts walking towards the gate without much care, his hands held up behind his hair. "The name's Bismuth by the way" he called out behind himself, looking back to make sure his newly met companion was following him. A big smile showing off his teeth as he waits for her to catch up "What's your name there angel?" Bismuth smiled to himself, this quest was about to get a lot more interesting now that he had made a new friend.

[Astreya 0]

"Well aren't you just, like, the total charmer?" she responded, grinning a bit toward him.  She wasn't quite used to having people being this open or brash with her- which was admittedly completely fine as far as she was concerned.  She didn't mind at all having someone who was willing to try and lay on the charms.  She wasn't so sure and would actually need to get to know the guy a little more first, but it was nice, if nothing else, to be noticed.

"Oh, gathering?  Yeah, that's actually, like, what I do," the girl cheered, beginning to move along with him, only a half-step behind for a few steps before she'd caught up with his longer strides.  "Bismuth?  Like the stuff you take for a stomach ache?" she asked, not really intending any insult or anything, but just genuinely curious before she paused.  "Wait wait, isn't that one of the Elements on the periodic table?" she asked, tapping her chin, almost lost in thought for a moment before he went on further.

"Ohmigod, I'm, like, so sorry!  My dad would give me the most disapproving glare if he knew I was forgetting my manners.  I'm Astreya!" she offered with a small smile, hopping along with him.  "This Gathering one isn't too bad!" she offered.  "I cleared it on my own awhile ago," she added.

[Bismuth 0]

"Charm is my middle name, don't worry I'm not this nice with everyone." Bismuth winks in her direction, seemingly amused with himself, still just as carefree as he had been since he walked up to her. Bismuth noted her smile, and was glad that he was able to bring one to her face, a smile was when someone was the most beautiful after all.  "An expert? I knew that fate was pulling me towards you, Well I guess with you here this is going to be a breeze." Bismuth smiled down at her, truthfully glad that he could have her help with this, there was only so much that books and maps could get you when it comes to knowledge about the world, and while he had read all the books that there were, he didn't have any actual experience.

"A stomach ache, Bismuth is a medicine? How did I not know that before I picked it as a name, how embarrassing."  Bismuth blushed, with a smile still plastered on his face. He hadn't done much research before picking a name, but maybe that hadn't been the best choice. "It is the prettiest element, I will have to show you some time, maybe over some coffee." Bismuth didn't look at her this time as they reached the gate while walking and talking. "A beautiful name for a beautiful lady. Astreya, I like it, perfect for an angel." Bismuth made sure that he let her name linger as he said it, he liked the way it sounded and hoped he would have the chance to say it again. Bismuth turned toward Astreya holding out his hand like a prince would to a princess. "Well it is all my pleasure to meet you, Astreya." with that he planted a soft kiss on her hand and kept walking.

[Astreya 0]

"Well that's a weird middle name," the girl teased back, not missing a beat in response to that.  She had been on the cheer leading team in high school and up through college and she was fairly well acquainted with several attemps at a pickup.  Although admittedly since most of the people who played this game were generally either less-sociable or filled with a number of personal traumas... it wasn't like she had been the target of such aggressive flirting in a very long time.  He pushed on with the compliments and she grinned, shaking her head.  "Naw.  No way, no expert here.  I'm what you could call, like, a passable neophyte," the girl spoke, her smile broadening into a grin again.  "I still totally know where to go, though, and like, what to do, so there's that."

At the invitation to coffee, Astreya couldn't help another grin at his words.  "You try to, like, work this fast for all the girls or am I just lucky?" she asked, not really offended in any way by the man's forwardness.  In fact, it was a little refreshing.  Granted, she didn't know if she'd actually go on and join him for that coffee, but that was regardless.  But as he continued, she couldn't help but to give a small laugh at that.  "Okay, okay, you're coming on a little strong, Biz," she responded, seeming to have no hesitation at all in using a nickname with him already.  She withdrwe her hand, still not offended by the aggressive flirting, fixing him with a small grin.  "Just be careful of doing that with other girls.  I don't know that everyone's, like, as open as I am about stuff.  Don't want a high level to smack ya in a freakout or anything," she mused.

As they passed near the gate, the girl waved to one of the guards on the way out.  "See ya in a few, Marv!" she called to the man, who responded as he always had- completely without any notice that she even existed, before glancing back to Bismuth.  "That's Marv," she explained without explaining anything, before she gestured to the fields beyond.  "So, like, this quest is pretty boring.  But it'll give us more of a chance to talk," she spoke, watching him curiously.  Either this was just the kind of person he was, or he was overcompensating for something.  The young woman's gaze seemed friendly an unobtrusive enough, but she was following the lilt of his voice, the movements he made, trying to read and put together just what kind of person this man actually was.

[Bismuth 0]

"Well a passable neophyte is still better than not having anyone around at all, your experience will be appreciated none the less." BIsmuth smiled inwardly, his face not changing from his usual expression of uncaring enjoyment, Bismuth wasn't going to claim that he was an expert or anything when it came to gathering and looting, but Bismuth had spent the last 2 years researching everything from locales, to mobs, to even some event bosses to write down all that he could about the way that they worked, their possible ranges, everything that could be useful out in the field and inscribing it all in his leather field journals, one of which, tattered and beaten with use, sat strapped to the side of his upper thigh. 

"It depends on the lady, I only lay it on this thick with someone I think is really special, but the charm can never fully go away." Bismuth chuckled a bit to himself, maybe he was laying it on a bit thicker than most would especially with the world that they lived in, but he liked to have his fun. "I think I can survive a bit of a smack, I like a challenge." Bismuth beamed down at the girl clearly enjoying the teasing flirtatious tone that he was using. "Speaking of talking, let's talk about you, what is Astreya like?" Bismuth tilted his head towards Astreya truly curious to get to know her more than a base level.

Edited January 27, 2022 by Bismuth

[Astreya 0]

"True, true.  I just don't know how much help I'll be beyond guiding you there.  Once you're, like, on the quest and all that I can't really do anything to, like, help you out, y'know?  It's totally only open for you to see the quest items," she spoke, giving the man a small grin.  He seemed like he was just the kind of guy who got by on his own happiness.  He made his own worth, rather than letting other people tell him what he was able to do, or not able to do.  That was actually a little unexpected, based on what she'd come to expect from the multitudes of people.  There were some here and there that were a little weird, of course, or stood out on their own, but all the same she hadn't expected that from someone who was so...untested on the field of battle.  

At his words of 'surviving a smack,' Astreya couldn't help but to shake her head slightly, the grin on her features not slipping away, even as she felt uncertainty creeping up her spine, like cold, clawed fingertips on her upper spine.  "Well let's hope you can.  Don't forget that you only get one shot," she returned.  She didn't lose the teasing tone or anything, but her words had that unmistakable ring of truth to them.  Even though this was a game world, there weren't respawns.  If you fell here, you were done.

"Talk about me?  I guess, like, I'm not the typical sort to be here, right?" she asked, cocking her head to the side.  "I am, or I guess I was, captain of the cheerleaders in college, and Setter for the volleyball team.  And like, region chess champion?" she added, giving him a small grin.  "What about pretty element Bismuth?" she returned, folding her hands behind her lower back as she walked.

[Bismuth 0]

"I know, but if you've done it already that just means you can give me some pointers when I start doing everything wrong." The pair had almost reached their destination it was only a few more minutes of walking before they would arrive, Bismuth didn't know how to feel about it though, he wanted to get this quest over and done with, so that he can start more of his research for the more rare materials in Aincrad, it was hard to study them without the benefits that the gathering profession provided, and he had finally caved.

"Don't worry your pretty little head angel, I'm not careless, I've made it this far haven't I. Combat experience isn't the only experience that exists." Bismuth winked at her somewhat playfully, growing a bit more of a serious comforting face and tone, when he looked at the girl again, usually death was a touchy topic, so Bismuth avoided it, but it seemed unavoidable this time, though he didn't want to worry his newly found friend.

Bismuth smiled, for some reason cheerleader and volleyball player didn't really surprise him, but the chess champion took him back, though he didn't let that show outwardly. Though he couldn't keep his face straight when Astreya asked him about himself. Something flashed onto his face for a bit before becoming his normally care free self again, if a little bit simmered down from what it had been previously. "Me before Aincrad isn't much to talk about. But here, you could call me a researcher and artist." Bismuth gestured at the book he kept strapped to his thigh, not actually giving any information, but rather leaving Astreya to wonder, mystery is what kept people intrigued after all. 

With that a few minutes had past, and the pair could see the smoke billowing out of the top of the gatherer's hut. "It appears we may have arrived." Bismuth remarked fully regaining his care free attitude once more. "Last one there buys the coffee." Bismuth grinned before dashing off, hoping that his new companion would follow suit.

[Astreya 0]

At the man's words, she couldn't help but to grin slightly.  "Sure, sure.  I'll, like, tell you all the ways that you're screwing it all up," she responded with a small laugh.  "I'll give you all the pointers I can," she added agreeably.  She didn't think there was any way that she could actually help here, from what she remembered about how this quest went.  She hadn't had a whole lot of problem with it... but when it came to the other quests, she tended to just kind of...cause issues for people.  Not really by being annoying or around, but she was pretty sure she was bad luck  There was no way that anyone could be able to struggle to find that many herbs.... and whenever she stepped back, the people she was escorting did better- it was basically expected at this point.

As he continued, she rolled her eyes slightly at the 'angel' comment but didn't really make any note of it at all.  "Well then make sure whatever experience you do have, like, keeps you from biting it," she murmured, not really wanting to lose someone else to the hideously unfair rules of this game.  Not that she was particularly 'close' yet with this guy, but all the same, it wasn't like she wanted him to die.  He seemed nice enough, and it wasn't often she found someone that was as open as she was.

Astreya's gaze didn't miss the slight change in his expression and tone- the young woman had a knack for reading people and while it had taken her some time to get used to it here in Aincrad, it was still in full force.  She didn't know, of course, what it meant but there was likely something he didn't want to talk about.  But what was perhaps even more telling was the fact that he'd done just as she had- a few bits of information and then refocused the conversation onto something else entirely.  That was basic misdirection tactics.

But at his sudden race request, the girl blinked, smirking despite herself.  "Hey, that is like, so not fair.  I've got all this heavy armor on!" she called, trucking after him but there was no way for her to keep up with the lightly-armored player, even with her having several levels on him.

[Bismuth 0]

Bismuth chuckled, Astreya was turning out to be a fairly enjoyable companion, Bismuth had mainly just walked up to her on a whim because she was pretty, but now he was glad he had, so far she had been nothing but kind and funny. He knew that there wasn't actually anything much that Astreya could do when it came to helping him, he would have to gather his own resources without any actual help from anyone, but support was still support, while Bismuth enjoyed the task, gathering could be something very boring when you were doing it alone. 

"Don't worry, I don't tend to find myself in trouble too often." Bismuth winked at Astreya hinting at the fact the often part generally had something to do with the ladies, which from his personality so far, wasn't too surprising. Bismuth smiled to himself, it was at least sweet she cared, no one wanted someone else to die, but most don't put in the effort to even mention it, Bismuth was oddly touched by that, though he didn't let it show.

"Did I say loser buys coffee, I meant winner. " Bismuth laughed as he gained a very quick advantage with himself not wearing much armor, and his companion wearing what could only be considered very heavy armor. Bismuth reached the caravan that the gatherer called home before astreya, just like he assumed he would, and the victory meant, that he would be buying that coffee. "So, it seems I have won our little race. I guess It's my pleasure to buy our coffee next time we meet." Bismuth smirked cheekily at the smaller woman as she finally reached him. "Well then, shall we?" Bismuth offered his arm to Astreya like they did in those old timey movies where the man and lady would link arms as they walked.

[Astreya 0]

Astreya couldn't help but to roll her eyes a little at the other, given the fact that he changed his mind when it came down to the fact that she couldn't beat him in the footrace.  Really all it meant was that he had wanted to have some opportunity to buy her coffee.  While she was flattered that he was interested, so far she didn't quite know enough about him to really give him any time of day.  Not that it was his fault- but her father was a military man, and there had been very, very few boys who had managed to get through her dad's scrutiny.  So because of that, without her father to loom menacingly in the distance whenever there was a boy who was attracted to her, she had to shoulder that responsibility on her own.

All the same, she was considerably higher in level than he was, and managed to catch up to him relatively quickly.  At his words regarding the coffee, she gave a small breath of a laugh.  "You could just, like, offer to buy me coffee without playing a bunch of games around it," she spoke, grinning lightly at him.  She didn't necessarily mind, but there was a difference between directly offering to do it and trying to make it out to be the result of something else.  That spoke to her that he didn't really have any definite intentions with her, as he didn't want to be the 'responsible party' for the coffee buying- that would have been the results of the race, not him.

Of course, that actually just helped to lower her guard a little.  Having an inkling that he wasn't looking for anything serious helped frame him a little better in her mind.  "We shall," she responded with a little smile, looping her own arm in his, allowing him to lead them up to the quest-giver.  Since she'd already completed this, Astreya wouldn't be able to really talk to her at this point, so she'd just let Bismuth take point on this end.  "Don't, like, hit on the NPC though," she added with a small smirk.

[Bismuth 0]

"The games just make it more fun. Who doesn't just love a race, plus it lessens the stress of the request, if I were to just walk up and ask to get a coffee, that puts you on the spot. This way since it's just a joke, if you don't enjoy the idea of getting coffee there is no pressure to say yes." Bismuth explained his methods very bluntly though not in a rude way, just matter of factly. Bismuth was genuinely enjoying his time, and he didn't want to upset his new friend at all, so he wanted to make sure that he explained his reasonings. "Though, my request stands. I have enjoyed your company so far, and would like to meet again. So we should go get coffee, or dinner, as friends and nothing more." Bismuth gave Astreya a large smile linking their arms together.

"I would never." Bismuth looked at Astreya with a face of fake astonish "What kind of low life do you take me for? I don't just flirt with everyone I meet." Together the pair walked up to the gatherer NPC and Bismuth spoke up. "Hello there." Bismuth looked towards the gatherer before him, she looked like a druid out of some RPG, which made sense because they were in one, she looked like the job suited her well. "I'm interested in learning your trade. I've heard you are an excellent gatherer, and would like to learn under your tutelage." 

"Most simply expect me to forage their materials for them, but few truly care about the process itself. You surprise me." Digging into the pocket of her dress, Giovanna draws out a small compass, offering it to Bismuth before continuing. "You may borrow my compass. Dark magic has made it capable of locating an incredibly rare item called a Demonic Shard. Should you find one, and bring it back to me, you will prove yourself worthy of my teachings. Take care, and may good  fortune travel with you." Taking the compass Bismuth smiled "I will not disappoint" And with that Bismuth turned back to Astreya, "I guess we must search for this Demonic Shard, Now where to begin?" Bismuth's normally carefree expression was changed into one of serious enjoyment at the prospect of hunting down a rare material and exploring the world of Aincrad.

[Astreya 0]

"No way!  That, like, totally depends on the girl that you're asking," Astreya spoke, not at all minding the light-hearted nature of discussing the fine art of flirtation and courting with someone else.  Everyone she'd met had been a rather serious sort, so getting a refreshing sort of conversation like this was nice.  It wasn't anything too deep, too dark, or a concern for her, plus she was interested in seeing just how guys saw this sort of thing.  Usually she just watched them either try and fail or try and succeed, and she wasn't too sure they actually knew the reasons for it.  "So like, if you get some wild, outgoing girls, like me- just ask!  Plus like, there's totally some girls that would feel obligated to if you made it into a game," the girl continued lecturing, even as she smiled along with her words, waggling her finger at him. 

"But since you're like, asking me to go and get some, then sure, I'm down.   As long as there's sweets.  Like, since I can eat whatever I want to keep from being hungry in game, it's just like, desserts all the time," she spoke, giving a little flippant wave.  But she allowed him to lead her onward, scoffing in very overt teasing as he mentioned that he didn't flirt with everyone he met, waiting for him to initiate the quest.  She recalled this as well, in being asked to find the shard.  She still had hers, honestly, having not had the chance to really use it yet.  

At his question, she could tell the slight change in his demeanor and temperament- he seemed as if he were a lot more serious all of a sudden.  This must be what got his goat, she reasoned, nodding to herself a little, filing that information away.  "So, like, there's his big old field this way that I found mine in," she murmured, gesturing outward.  "I might have a look along with you, see if I can't, like, get some more materials for crafting," she mused.  She hadn't really gotten very far in her crafting so far... but she really needed to make sure she had the materials to do it when she needed it.

[Bismuth 0]

Bismuth smiled both at the deep and intricate conversation the pair had on flirting, as well as her acceptance to go get coffee later, Bismuth may like to flirt, but he wasn't really actually looking for anything more than friends, so a nice cup of coffee and some deserts. "Well, I think some desert and a coffee sounds like an amazingly fun time." Bismuth was glad that she had accepted, being a recluse and doing nothing but research for years had led to his friend circle being all but non existent. 

"A big field you say? Where was it, I know of a few big fields around here, most of this level is fields, I think I have it mapped out already." Bismuth didn't even try to hide the twinkle in his eye as he opened up his inventory pulling out what seemed to be the most beaten up journal out of all of the ones he owned, this was after all the very first one, and what started him out on this journey to be researcher first and foremost. Flipping through the journal Astreya could see what was page after page of diagrams, the beginning just being of common herbs and materials around the starter village, and eventually branching out into monsters and the materials they were able to drop, extensive notes on their behaviors, and the best strategies to avoid them. Along with those were very accurate and detailed maps of areas around the first floor, finally about two thirds of the way through the book Bismuth flipped to a hand drawn map that took up the entirety of the two pages in the journal. Bismuth handed the book over to Astreya, and what she saw was an incredibly accurate and detailed map of the entire first floor. "where did you say this field was, do you think you could point it out to me on this map?" Bismuth was blushing a bit at the question, primarily because this was the first person to actually see any of his work, he was proud of it, but he was still nervous to have someone scrutinizing it.

[Astreya 0]

"Awesome!" the girl spoke in response to his agreement for coffee and sweets. That was about all it really took to get on Astreya's good side (granted it honestly took a lot less than that as was being made clear now) but she couldn't help but to think a little further on the opportunity.  "Well, let's say more sweets than coffee," she amended after a moment of thought, curious on just how much good food she could get out of him.  "I know a few good places a few floors up.  So like, it's a date," she asserted with a grin, even if they'd already somewhat come to the unspoken agreement that they were just friends.  

As the man inquired as to the field, Astreya was about to response when he opened his inventory to pull out an old journal.  She arched a brow at that, not sure where he was going with this.  Maybe he liked to take notes?  She looked on as he opened it, and immediately her eyes widened.  "Oh wow!" she spoke, moving forward a little closer to him, peering over his arm as she looked down at the well-worn document.  "This is so cool!  Did you, like, do all of this?" she asked, looking from the journal back up to him.

Then she paused as she looked back down at the journal he had at the side of his hip.  "Wait is that another one of these?  Are you just like, some sorta cartographer or something?" she asked with a grin, even as she leaned in closer again to look at the first one he'd pulled out.

"It was right by the quest NPC... so this one then, if we're here," she spoke, pointing to the field, noting all of the small little details and informational notations that were listed on it.  She glanced up, pointing out toward where the map's representation was in the real world.  Or Aincrad, but it was basically their real world.

[Bismuth 0]

"Just an ice cream social then." Bismuth wasn't opposed to only having desserts, it didn't matter at all what they had, and most things, unless prepared by a very skilled cook didn't have much taste to them at all. "I am excited to see what you have to show me. It's a date" Bismuth smiled, it was nice getting out in the fresh air and actually talking to other players, something that he didn't honestly do that often. Spending more time with someone as nice as Astreya would be a nice change of pace from the books and pencils that normally kept him company.

"Yeah, it's just about all I have done the last two years, there are a few gaps here and there, but for the most part I have every inch of the world we have found written in these journals, I figured, since I don't like to fight, I could be useful some other way." Bismuth awkwardly rubbed the back of his head, he hadn't really ever put into words why he was doing this, but that, just sounded sort of pathetic. "Oh, that ones not done, have to keep it close for when I need it, faster than reaching into my inventory every time. I'm cataloguing the 26th floor right now, for the most part, I have learned how to avoid a lot of the mobs there, and for the right price plenty of people are willing to escort me for my research, I haven't finished yet though." Bismuth smiled at Astreya calling him a cartographer, it wasn't just cartography that he did, there were a lot of maps though "I guess you could call me that. A lot of people have called me a ranger, in truth, I am just a nerd who likes to draw." Bismuth smiled he was glad that someone thought his work was cool, a lot just found it useless, why bother with drawings and notes, when you could be helping in the frontlines. "Well that sounds perfect then, the boars that spawn around here are a bit dull, so avoiding them is really easy. Follow me." Bismuth beamed at his companion shutting the journal with a small thud, before putting it back in his inventory. He was excited to be exploring the first floor again, though he lived here, it had been a long time since he had explored it in earnest. Taking the first step towards where Astreya had recommended Bismuth thought to check the compass which was pointing in the very same direction. "I think you are on to something."  

[Astreya 0]

Astreya nodded along as the man spoke, finding his whole point of view to be rather interesting in what he was doing.  He noted that he didn't really like to fight much at all, and she kind of understood and respected that both- she wasn't exactly much of a combatant either when it came down to it, but she did so because she felt like she needed to.  And because the Tanks were in the most danger, she figured there might be more openings in that vein so... that's where she had dove headlong into.  Of course, she was still getting there, but she was making some pretty strong strides in that direction.

"Ohmigosh, that would've been so helpful!  I went and found my pet bird up on the Ninth Floor, and like, there was all this lava and volcanoes and all sorts of crazy stuff up there!  Being able to avoid all of that would have been so nice!  Are you, like, looking to distribute these to all of the players?  Or charge for services maybe?" she asked, mostly just curious on what he was going to do  with the information... and what she might do if she needed his information in the future.

As he mentioned going all the way up to the Twenty-Sixth floor, her eyes widened. "Wow!  I've only been up to the nineteenth!  That's as far as I got, and then like, I met some weird guy and came back down," spoke, tilting her head to the side, frowning slightly.  Maybe she should try and go back up there again?

But at his validation with the boars and the field, the girl beamed, grinning.  "Nice!  But like, if anything nasty shows up, I've got your back!" she spoke, nodding toward him, moving a hand up to grab the hilt of her sword.  "Maybe we can spawn, like, whatever gross monster has demonic scales!  What if it's a fish?" she asked suddenly, her thoughts flitting back and forth as they often did.

[Bismuth 0]

"I don't really know yet, I don't think it is good enough to give out yet, this is all just rough data, it isn't compiled at all, I am hoping someday I can turn them into compendiums of each floor, but I am not there just yet." Bismuth truthfully had wanted to open his own guild, focused around this sort of information gathering and dishing out, the expeditions were getting more and more dangerous, and on top of that more and more expensive. Having a guild to back him up, that would be a really good push for his research, but he doubted that dream would ever be achieved. 

"I haven't been very far up there, haven't even gone far enough to really encounter monsters yet, for now just compiling all of the materials you can find out in the wilds around the safer places on the floor, it takes a surprising amount of time." Bismuth knew that being so low level and also making it up to those higher floors was very rare, but with the teleport system, there was no reason he couldn't explore the areas outside of the main villages for each of the floors, and the ones before 26, he hadn't gotten all of the data for, his complete data sets ended on the seventeenth floor, it just got too expensive to regularly supply bodyguards and escorts to take him out further, so while he still had a pretty good amount of information on all of the floors beyond, it started dwindling the higher up he got. That is why Bismuth wanted a guild, likeminded people who could back him up when he needed it.

Bismuth smiled at the higher level player, he doubted that there was anything here that she wouldn't be able to take on. "That would be very convenient. A fish? in the plains?" Bismuth chuckled as they reached the field that Astreya had mentioned, pulling out his compass he searched through the area that it was pointing towards. No luck, Bismuth ruffled through the grass founding nothing in this particular spot "Looks like we will have to keep searching through the grass for a while."

Spoiler

Gathering:

LD: 3 = failure

 

[Astreya 0]

"Well I think it's super cool," the girl announced, giving a small grin in response to the man's words.  He didn't seem as if he were really certain of just how much information and such he had to share with everyone, but surely he had enough documented here on the first floor?  "If you're gonna, like, release it all at once, then for sure.  But once you've got a whole collection down... like the first five or ten floors all totally figured out, then that could be really useful, y'know?" she spoke, tilting her head slightly to the side in question.  "Like, just finding where all sorts of cool things are at without needing to hunt them down and try to figure it all out... man, that would be so cool!"

She bounced a little in place at the idea, having had to struggle through all sorts of things while she was still getting going, early on.  But she had managed it, and was arguably better for it, even though it had been super annoying for her to figure everything out.  Even now she was still struggling through getting to where she wanted to go.  

As he mentioned not having gotten very far yet, the girl shook her head at him.  "No way!  It's just crazy that you were, like, able to even get starting on mapping stuff out up there!  That's so wild!" the woman spoke, her fists pumping in her own excitement.  "Once I like, get a bit stronger I'm going to head up to those floors as well.  Maybe I can help, like, keep some of the baddies off of you," she spoke with a grin as she came along with him.  

She figured she might as well start looking for some materials herself, and gave a small breath of frustration as she glanced around.  "Mmm... nothing for me either.  That's totally lame," she spoke.

---------

Foraging Roll-
ID: 203133
LD: 4 (Failure! +3 EXP)