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[PP-F19] Swords and Sunshine <<Keep Calm and Ki'Raion>> (Dustin, Freyd)


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Oji paced back and forth in his home quietly, a steaming cup of coffee growing cold on his kitchen counter. He had been staring at this quest for an hour, trying to rack his brain on how he could defeat the creature to gain a hidden skill. This skill was perfect for him, and it would be the best way to boost his healing without having to get any items with unique enchantments on them. But, this creature was far, far beyond his skill level, and there was no way that he could heal something to win, it would kill him before he even got a chance to even punch the giant flower lion thing. He had no idea what it was, but he knew that if he did not get this skill, he would be lacking in his healing capabilities.

"I cant try and... what did Koga say, 'cheese' this boss?" He turned to Soup. "That's how he said it right?" The familiar, who was ready for bed, only gave a squeak and turned over in his bed. The more Oji thought about it, the more his head hurt. He thought and thought, but to no avail. He tried contacting friends, but they were all busy with their own plans or didn't respond to his message. But, when he asked Koga about what to do, the young frontliner told him to try putting up a status on the "Notice Board." That way, people that he didn't know could come and help him, and he could support and heal them. It didn't seem like a bad idea, and he wrote up a small post.

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NOTICE BOARD:

From: Oji
Request: Help on Quest!

Message: Hi! I need help from up to three people for a quest on the nineteenth floor! I will be waiting at the Main Settlement of the nineteenth floor tomorrow morning since I am aiming for the hidden skill from the quest, I am a healer and do not have any tanking or damage capabilities. Please come ready to fight with a healer by your side!
 

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After he sent the notice board, he finished up his coffee and went to bed, a tad tired from the stress that he had put himself under. Once he awoke a few hours later, he started the morning with feeding Soup and helping himself to a cup of coffee and toast, and read the paper. Nothing of interest had happened in the previous day, and the only thing that somewhat interested him was a rumor about new quests on the newest floor, but none that he was ready to tackle. He closed the HUD and whistled for Soup, who came over from his empty plate and hopped onto Oji's shoulder, and the two of them set out for the nineteenth floor, appearing from the teleporter and sitting down on a nearby bench, awaiting for someone, anyone to appear to help him.

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"Are you Oji?"  An elderly with thick leathery skin and enough wrinkles to make a Shar Pei blush slowly hobbled up beside him.  It was slow arduous process to wait while he struggled to lift the flesh flaps from his bald brow up high enough to witness the reveal of a pair of shiny grey eyes.  They seemed friendly and jovial, which was more than could be said for most of Home.  The settlement was little more than a refugee camp, cobbled together behind the towering Bastion Wall and nestled against the very edge of an otherwise wasteland of a floor.  The locals were a rough, salt-of-the-earth sort of breed.  Durable.  Survivors.  Many also desperate.

"A bit of healthy advice, my friend.  Knowing your limits and asking for help on quest you can't handle alone is both brave and wise.  Telling every PKer in the tower where you'll be and when, and that you probably can't defend yourself if they can get you out in the open..."  The elder grimaced, showing a few missing teeth, as if he was struggling to swallow something.  "Maybe not so much."

The false visage fell, peeling off like the skin on an overripe banana to reveal a darkly clad and much younger man with a mop of tussled brown hair and generally unremarkable features.  His face was plain, if slightly pale.  It was probably from wearing that hood up over his head too much.  Stormy blue eyes peered back at Oji from beneath, friendly and nonthreatening.

"You never really know who you might be inviting to join you.  My names Freyd, from Firm Anima.  I think we ran near each other in Ladonia and at Baldur's estate afterwards, but never quite collided."

A black gloved hand extended with the introduction.  Internally, Freyd was already cross-referencing what he knew of this man, sending out tracking pulses to verify that his name matched his location, and running through a variety of scenarios where the inverse might be true and this could be an ambush all its own.  Worth chancing to save another player from a potentially terrible fate.

"Why don't I just hang around a bit and see if anyone else answers your call.  If they seem legit, all the better.  If no one else shows, I can help you out.  Sound reasonable?"

@Dustin

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Freyd | HP: 1120/1120 | EN: 146/146 | DMG: 27 | MIT: 123 | EVA: 2 | ACC: 7 | BH: 61 | LD: 5 | FLN: 16 | HLY: 16 | REC: 8

Freyd offers: Gugnir’s Shard (Untradeable/Unique/Reusable Consumable): Crème Brûlée Tray | ACC 2 | Feast (6/6) - takes 1 portion for himself

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Dustin had been spending way too much time wandering the fields as of late. Looking for something to kill, someone to save, or anything to keep his mind off of his most recent loss. As his eyes floated around, his attention was grabbed by the mention of a battle. Dustin would smile as he took note of where to go, pulling an old useless axe out of his inventory and placing it on his belt. Maybe he could have some fun with this quest, get to play the part of a great viking warrior.

Coming to the place where they were supposed to meet up, Dustin would notice a familiar face. A polite wave in the direction of his newest friend would be followed by a question. "What's up? I heard there was a quest someone wanted help with?" He would ask, giving Oji a weak smile. "If it lives, I can kill it. If it doesn't... I can still kill it." The young boy would extend his arm to reveal fingerless black handwraps with golden trim in the shape of Mjolnir on the back of his hands, in an attempt to shake Oji's hand. It was clear Dustin had an image he was going for with nordic runes tracing the fabric of these wraps, the mjolnir necklace hanging in front of his blue sweatshirt, and his vanity axe dangling from his waist. The only thing that would be different from the last time Freyd saw him was this time Dustin had a light brown cloak hanging off of his back like a cape. One he had worn for a long time and just now decided to pull it back out.

That and his wedding ring was gone.

"Name's Dustin. I'm a solo player these days." The guardians almost seemed like they fell off the face of the earth, it had been so long since Dustin had contacted anyone within the guild. What does it matter, after what he did they would never accept him back anyways. "So where we going and what are we killing?"

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Took a bite of: Gugnir’s Shard (Untradeable/Unique/Reusable Consumable): Crème Brûlée Tray | ACC 2 | Feast (6/6)

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Oji jumped in shock as a voice came from nowhere. It hadn't been long since he had sat down on the bench, only a few minutes when an older gentlemen came from nowhere. He asked if he was Oji, and he just quietly nodded. He spoke that telling other people about his quest would not be a good idea. He scratched his head, a bit confused. He was told that it was a great idea, but PKers... he didn't know what that term meant. Public Knowledge? That did make a bit of sense, people knowing about Oji could be a bad thing. He was about to speak, but the man's face peeled away, and Oji's face changed into a look of horror initially, but soon it appeared to be a young man, and he fell backwards. Was disguising yourself that easy? Could you make a skin suit in this game? He had never heard of such a thing.

"U-uh... I have... many, questions about what just happened." He started with. The player introduced themselves as Freyd. He stood slowly, still a bit wary and held a hand out. "Oji, but you already knew that." He said. After a few moments of speaking, another young man approached, and asked if there was a quest that he needed help with, and held out his name. Oji smiled and took it, giving a firm handshake. "Yes, I'm in need of some help killing a giant... flower-lion, I think." He said, trying to remember what the creature looked like. He introduced himself as Dustin. A pretty plain name, and it definitely wasn't a username. So either he went by his real name, or both were one in the same. "Oji, a pleasure to meet you." He turned to Freyd, whom him and Dustin seemed to have history of some kind, as they were friendly.

"Well, honestly if you think you can handle it, then we can head right out." He said as he popped open his HUD, going to the tabbed quest and accepting it, a small compass appearing in his hand that would lead him to the creature within the nineteenth floor's vast area. He turned to them. "So, before we go, what are your uh... builds, is it?" He asked innocently. "I'm still trying to get all the terms right in my head."

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Freyd's smile deepened as he watched Oji's reactions.  The telltale signs of a non-gamer trapped in an unfamiliar universe.  It was charming, in its own way, but could also be faked.  

"If you're a healer in search of bodyguards and allies to take this beast down, would it not be more prudent to find them before coming all the way out here?  Have you not considered joining a guild?  No offense, friend, but healers need allies.  A mercenary medic would be a tough gig, and you don't strike me as the type."  Freyd drew his hand back and crossed it with the other over his chest, leaning back against the bench while he assessed what he could about the man.  Being a healer required at least some passing capability in the form of level.  The necessary skills were too far down particular trees to pick up on a whim.  Party invites were shared, offering scant but valuable additional information.  Enough to gauge basic capability.

"You're looking a little light on gear, my friend.  If this beast clips you, it could spell trouble.  Tell me you're smart enough not to join the fray directly."

A familiar voice joined them, Freyd noting the pacing of its associated footfalls.  Funny how certain signs could give a person away without them even needing to speak, or how personal input bled through, even in a simulated world.  Players held considerable influence over their avatars.

"Not-the-glue-sniffer," Freyd said, reciting the informal title with a chuckle.  "I should not be surprised."  He wasn't, but it was flattering to let Dustin think he was, and people liked that sort of thing, so why not.  "You look a little out of sorts, and like you're looking for trouble.  More trouble than usual, at least.  Solo?  Did something happen?"  A glance back towards Oji.

"Maybe I should stick around after all.  The more the merrier, as they say.  You've got yourself a pair of DPS, bruisers, beaters, damage-dealers, or whatever other moniker suits your fancy.  Come. Let's walk and talk.  This thing is always more ferocious in the daylight, and Dustin will get mad at us if we dither to take on its lesser form."

***

Freyd activates Tracking for Ki'Reion.

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Freyd's title for Dustin was met with a dismissive wave, and a light chuckle. As Freyd continued to talk, Dustin simply replied, "Best not talk about it. I get to kill something, that's all that matters. As far as being a solo player goes, my guild kind of fell apart a while ago." Dustin turns back towards Oji. "Why would we fight the weaker version? There aren't songs of warriors who fought the dragon while asleep." The kid would pulls his handwrap tighter. "I will see Kadin in Valhalla." Dustin says, drawing his vanity dane axe and slapping it on his arm rhythmically. "So... where is this guy?"

Dustin had issues, that's for sure, but he had his own way of dealing with them. The kid wanted to be a great warrior, a folk hero. His dream was on hold for a while, but he was ready now. Ready to become a strong player, helping people through the hard times.

Dustin would turn to Oji and walk backwards. "Do anything interesting over the past few days?" The kid would twist back with a flourish as he got all of his gear in order. "I think it's good to know the people you fight with, and you can always tell who someone is by what they find interesting." the kid would say, trying to think of what all he had done to be ready in case anyone asked him in return.

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Oji listened to the... interesting, gentlemen telling him about guilds, gear and googads of which he did not have any idea existed. There were guilds in the game? And you could buy gear? He thought they only dropped from creatures. He thought his trinkets from his artisan was just accessories that could give small buffs, he had no idea other professions could actually make items. He was a bit lost, but as the other young man asked if they were fighting the weaker version, he shook his head. "On the contrary, we're fighting the stronger version." He pointed to to the sky, the sun burning brightly above them. "When the suns out this thing is pretty dangerous, but it's the only way that I can get the hidden skill from it."

Freyd started to lead the way, using some sort of skill to track in the correct direction, exactly where his compass was pointing. Dustin turned around, walking in a backwards motion and asked him of anything... interesting. He thought for a moment. "Well, Last week I went and did the Traveler... that was a tad depressing." He chuckled. "And usually, I just either fish at my home or read the morning paper. It's the only way I've been able to keep up with anything these days." He opened his HUD and quickly skimmed the paper, since he didn't have time to read it this morning. "I've thought of contacting the paper person to thank them, but they've kept themselves anonymous. They only go by the title 'The Newsman'. I'd love to meet and work for him, maybe get my own article in the paper."

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"Who's Kadin?  And what's with the axe?"

His delivery may have been overly blunt, but Dustin struck him as the type who appreciated direct questions over beating about the bush.  Freyd was half-distracted anyway, scanning telltale signs in the stonework as they made their way up the Bastion Wall and through the temple at its top.  The vista it offered was spectacular, yet the Whisper hardly seemed to notice.  Either he didn't care, or he'd seen it all countless times before.  It could be both.

"You seem big on the whole Norse motif, Dustin, but that particular name doesn't ring any mythological bells.  Have you lost someone?  Is that why you're so eager for death, whether others or your own?  Oh, and which guild?  You never mentioned, but there's been a spate of lost guild namedropping."

His hooded head popped up, like some sort of spoopy marmot, poking its head up out of the underworld at the casting of epiphany.

"Did you say news?  I don't suppose there's been anything interesting on the feeds that last few days.  I just keep getting reports about player killer this, then Laughing Coffin that.  Tedious, in the dreary, murderous sense."

Shrugging, as if the thought exercise was to continue in his head, or follow their responses, he led them down the far side of the stone fortress and into the fields beyond.

"There's your target, Dustin," he said, spotting something radiant prowling just beyond a nearby ridge, a tail and few giant petals bobbing up and down over rocky outcroppings as it paced.  "Be mindful of its pride."

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The temple they had passed through would barely hold Dustin's attention as he thought about how best to explain Kadin to someone he barely knew. "He was... he wasn't a mythological being. Just my little brother." His eyes would sink to the floor. I should've been more careful about my wording. The axe was a much easier question to answer, as Dustin just picked it up to throw certain people off of his trail. "I've been seen using a sword and my fists. I've also made enemies of the less than reputable side of Aincrad. The axe is sort of a front to throw some people off of my trail." He would pull it out to show its sick Norse design. "Plus, Vikings are cool. My dad trained me to fight because I liked vikings so much. Well, that and he was a bit of a weirdo. Had me hunting with a sword when I could barely write my name." His words flow through a bright smile like he was completely unaware of the weight of what he had just said.

Next was talk of the newsman. "I try to stay away from the newspaper. If I want to see what's on the frontlines, I'll have to fulfill my dream of actually getting there. I can't spend time dilly dallying on words from a second hand source." Dustin would say, turning to Oji. "Of course, I too am curious about who writes the paper. I've heard rumors, but none of them have panned out."

The moment they stepped out of the temple, Freyd would point out towards a beautiful creature, and Dustin would smile like a child. "Ullr has blessed us." The kid would shout, taking off in a blur of blue and black, kicking up a cloud of dirt as he ran. His mind had all but shut off, the words of the past, present and future all colliding into this one empty moment. Every step, rhythmically placed as if the song of the Valkyries was picking up. His eyes danced playfully across the creature as it rotated towards him, and his last step would hit the ground.

Jumping to a tremendous height, Dustin's whole body would rotate as his foot extended outwards to swing across in a beautiful arc, parallel to the ground beneath him. The shockwave alone would've been enough to push him back a good distance, even if he hadn't planted both feet on the monster and jumped backwards. With a flourish, both of Dustin's feet would slide as the boy turned to face the lion once more. "HAHA! DID YOU GUYS SEE THAT?" Dustin would shout back to the others waving his arms and jumping up and down. While Dustin wasn't looking, a paw sliced through the air. Not feeling right, Dustin's arm came down to his side, but even with all his might the monster slammed right through his arm and launched him across the battlefield in a much less glorious display.

"Wasn't as cool as my kick, but alright." The kid would say, wiping his face and spitting on the ground.

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Action(s) taken: ST-I on Ki'Raion/Ki'Raion attack on Dustin

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Dustin: 558/680 HP | 67/82 EN | 23 DMG | 78 MIT | 5 ACC | 1 EVA | 34 BH | Hate: 2

Freyd: ?

Oji: ?

 

Ki'Raion: 740/1000 | 200 DMG | 100 MIT | 3 ACC | 2 EVA

Edited by Dustin
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Oji listened to the two of them have a somewhat private conversation of their past experiences with one another, and he decided to hold his tongue of any comments. He didn't know either of them well enough to make any comments of any kind. However, both of them were interested in the paper for their own reasons, Dustin wanted to also know who read the paper, while Freyd was more interested in any tidbits in the paper, which he was sad to report was none, most things were very small things for the more frontline-oriented players. It told him some cool things about fishing, and a good place to eat on floor fourteen, but nothing that would help with the bosses or to clear quests.

"Nothing that I've seen the past while would help Freyd, sorry." He said with a small sigh. "If I do see anything that'd interest you, I can forward it your way." He stopped in his tracks as Freyd pointed forwards and he saw the giant creature. It was definitely based on a lion, that much he could tell. But this thing was a beast, and he decided it would be best to let Dustin for for an attack first. He watched as Dustin pulled some sort of amazing maneuver, something way more flashy than Oscar had done, but it was just as impressive if not more. But he saw the recoil of the attack hit him dead on, throwing him away from the giant dande-lion. He quickly came over to him, laying a hand on his back and healing his health back to full. "Jeez, gotta be careful of those claws." He said with a chuckle. "Hopefully I can avoid them easily." He turned to Freyd. "I got him back to full, can you get the anger or whatever it's called for this thing?"

Oji uses First Aid on Dustin: -15 EN, +136 HP

Dustin: 680/680 HP | 67/82 EN | 23 DMG | 78 MIT | 5 ACC | 1 EVA | 34 BH | Hate: 2

Freyd: ?

Oji: 300/300 HP | 33/48 EN | 1 DMG | 0 MIT | 0 ACC | 3 EVA 

 

Ki'Raion: 740/1000 HP | 200 DMG | 100 MIT | 3 ACC | 2 EVA

Edited by Oji
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