[f09-pp] break the ice <<guardian of fire.>>

[NIGHT 0]

<<guardian of fire.>>

bistro did not like hearing how adjudicator got traded away so soon.

it wasn't so much that adjudicator was simply that precious, night believed. although, to the discerning eye, any weapon with a 'legacy' behind it should be worth more than the usual enhancements it came equipped with. in any case, it was still night's own equipment to do as she wished – and from that, she realized how many other pieces she still had in her inventory that wasn't benefiting her, due to the clutter. so night's terrible logic was to junk those off instead to some other players, and somehow, by a stroke of luck, that worked.

all her broker expected of her, now, was to actually clean out her storage system.

and night didn't like that.

WANTED: help please take these items from me. my boss asked me to. THIN ICE [#142596] | TIER 1 PERFECT LIGHT ARMOR | EVA, FIREPROOF | [state]: identified White cleats that are cool to the touch. Dry ice line its soles, causing wisps of mist to emanate from its wearer as they walk. Only the shoe's tongue and lining are made from black fabric. Did these come from a modern-day sneaker store...? IRIDESCENT BLUE SCARF [#142597] | TIER 1 PERFECT LIGHT ARMOR | MIT II (12), PARA IMMUNE | [state]: identified A blue scarf that shimmers with colours of the rainbow. It's long enough that even after it around loosely over one's shoulders, there's a stream of silk leftover that flutters behind the player as they walk. -night

see, night couldn't have made those flyers for the boss meeting herself. because, if the player had anything to say about her own missives, they would more likely be formatted informally as above. and therein was the joke, too – no player was likely to come forward to claim said 'junk items', simply because the message looked too much like a scam, given the veteran's name tag attached to it.

so why exactly did night feel as though life was about to provide a twist to the narrative, just to spite her? on the ninth, she had been placing these notices up around yogan, casually minding her business... and blind to the machinations of the fates in hell.

[ lv. 142  ->   l. 32 / p. 110 ] NIGHT | HP: 1080/1080 | EN: 146/146 | DMG: 22 | ACC: 5 | EVA: 3 | QTY: 2 | PROSP: 2 Spoiler notes.   Spoiler equipped Cosmic Devourer+1  ABS. ACC, ACC III regards. EVA II, HB II locket.  QUALITY II, PROSP II battle-ready inventory Teleport Crystal (3) Imugi's Inspiration (5) | MASS HP RECOVERY Thin Ice EVA, FIREPROOF skills. Spoiler mod count: 5/7 2HSS | RANK 5/5 focus, stamina, precision shift: aoe CLOTH ARMOR | RANK 5/5 athletics, nimble COMBAT MASTERY: DMG | RANK 3/3 BATTLE HEALING | RANK 5/5 emergency recovery ENERGIST QUICK CHANGE CHARGE SCOUTING FAMILIAR EXTENDED MOD LIMIT extra SURVIVAL CONCENTRATION HIDING untraceable, vanish, surprise attack-t buffs. Spoiler statue BIALAS | +TAUNT consumables - - - - - - paragon Lv. 5 | Gain additional col equivalent to 15% of EXP earned in that thread. Lv. 10 | +1 LD to looting. arts. Spoiler en cost matches multiplier unless stated otherwise. shift underlined. ST | x12 -> x15 | x20 AOE | x15 -> x18 TECH-A | x12 | STUN | 13EN TECH-B | x12 | DELAY TECH-D | x12 | SHATTER TECH-F | x8 | AOE STUN  TECH-G | x12 | BURN misc. Spoiler housing Dimensional Backpack, Item Stash | +2 Battle-Ready Inventory Slots. Well Rested | -1 EN for the first three expenditures of each combat.  Relaxed | +(5 * Tier) HP per out-of-combat post. Full energy restoration occurs after two turns out of combat. Squeaky Clean | -25% DoT damage taken from the first DoT applied to this player in a thread. Skylight: Searching | +1 Expertise to declared utility skill. Cooldown of 30 days to reassign. Multipurpose | +1 LD/Prosperity/Stealth/Detection to one post per thread. Can be applied after a roll. Filling | +1 T1 slot to a food consumed by this player in a thread. Can exceed Cook enhancement caps. Col Deposit | +5% col from loot-minimum mobs, +10% col from treasure chests. gathering Greenhouse | +2 G.EXP, +1 CD&LD to gathering attempts. Familiar: Profession | +2 G.EXP Demeter's Cornucopia | +1 CD to gathering attempts.

 

[fauxkiller 0]

While Faux was certainly interested in maintaining his best appearance, he had never been a major sneakerhead. It wasn't surprising that Aincrad would contain some level of modern fashion influence for cosmetic items, but when he read about the Thin Ice armor in the bulletin, it felt a little too good to be true. In fact, he didn’t perceive them to be junk at all. Taking misty steps of crisp, dry ice just felt correct for the synthetic-haired boy.  However, his curiosity hadn't peaked until he read the moniker of the player who had posted the flyer: night. In his attempts at joining information broker circuits for his first few months of the game, he had heard the name before. Surely. But he couldn’t remember why that tag stuck out in his mind. In any case, the offer seemed like an incredible one. One he might suspect usually. Maybe he really did just want those icy kicks, but he also had a hunch that a player willing to give away such nice items for free might be a member of the frontlines. It was worth a shot. This would mark Faux’s first time traveling to a floor above F5. He wondered for a moment if it were a mistake. Being here, surrounded by scolding heats and thick, hard-to-breathe atmosphere was overwhelming. Let alone brushing past intimidating NPC and soot-coated players. It almost felt wrong to come here to exchange items pertaining to water or ice. Yogan village felt like a testimony to the power of flame itself— a declaration of the power of endless fire. Nevertheless, Faux would travel anywhere it takes from here on out to unravel this world’s mystery. Right now, top priority is filling these armor slots.  And there she stood, a petite, dark haired woman pinning one of her flyers to the side of a building. Faux walks confidently up to her and forces a greeting smile. “Hello,” he holds up one of the flyers that he had torn down. “I’m Faux, and I believe you are Night. I’m interested in your offer.”

 

Spoiler

fauxkiller [#996699] [LEVEL 3]
SABER (T2) | HP: 60/60 | EN: 24/24 | DMG: 1 [+4] EVA: 0 | ACC: 0

Spoiler

Weapons

• “Salt Therapy” [ SABER ] [ RARE / 2 SLOTS ] [ PARALYZE ] [ BLEED ] Description: An ornate, white saber with a slight minty tint to it. Its hilt has two horn-like blades protruding from either end. It was the first weapon Faux received in-game. He feels attached to it, despite not finding much use for it at first.

Armor

• N/A

Consumables

• Materials - [12]

• Starter Healing Potion (50 HP) - [3]

• T1 Rare Quality Health Potion - [1]

• T1 Uncommon Quality Health Potion - [5]

• T1 Uncommon Overhealth Potion - [1]

• Teleport Crystal - [1]

• Demonic Shard - [1]

• Intermediate Dungeon Map #213801 - [1]

 

Edited July 24, 2023 by fauxkiller

[NIGHT 0]

(and... bingo.)

night hadn't been expecting anybody to have approached her. cue her sluggishness for a reply faux did, the player turning her head slow to the stranger (npc?) that had stepped up to her, only to glance up at the cursor above him, just to make sure it wasn't some strange prank by her counterpart.

then she took a second look, and the expression on her face morphed from reticent to shock.

"i – sorry? you want to take up the offer." night blinked twice, before holding up the paper in her hand, those fake flyers. "these. i hadn't even gotten to floor ten yet. and you're telling me within the time i'd started on the first, till now, someone's wanted something from my inventory."

talkative. night wasn't usually like that. and in realizing so, she knew she'd lost. perhaps it was the heat of the floor, or her trauma from the location itself – but she didn't fight it. a pained sigh and a head hung, rolling to face the skies before returning to rest on... the new kid on the block.

she erased the flyers from existence with a thought, eyes bearing holes into faux as she brought out her equipment for discard. damn that bistro. "okay, which one do you want... ah! wait wait wait..."

as her scarf was looped over her forearms, and thin ice gripped upon two fingers, she pulled them closer to herself, discontent with allowing fate to have its way with this outcome. no, if she was going to be playing by its rules, she wanted something in exchange, too. so night tilted her head, eyeing up faux. "foe? like f-o-e? look, i haven't seen you around before. what do you want with either of these?"

[fauxkiller 0]

Faux can feel the cool of the icey shoes caress his fingertips before they're being pulled away again. He frowns. But her inquiry is not unfounded. Even Faux thought she had pulled out the items rather quickly. This would possibly be the truest show of strength Faux had seen yet- she would feel so comfortable in her abilities to openly brandish valuable items in this way? It seemed bold, to say the least. Especially here, where NPC character are less than friendly, and players follow suit. Or maybe, he's just overvaluing this commodity, due to it being instrumental for the man to continue his journey. "Yes, Faux. Like a farse," and then Faux looks directly into night's eyes, "or an adversary." "I am an open book, but I know, in this world, valuable information is like gold. One might consider me an information broker for low level players, or an expert anthologist," he shrugs. "I want to test the new kicks. Let me put them on and we will walk together. I'll tell you whatever you want to know about me. Deal?" He smiles a corny smile as he declares this. Faux is not a whitholding person by any means, but he also wouldn't be tricked into spilling about himself by the lure of these items. Judging her demeanor, it was apparent this girl was afraid of losing nothing but time in this interaction. He figured this offer is most likely incredibly boring to someone of her stature, so he might even be able to retreat from this scene even quicker. A sparkling sensation spins it way down Faux's spine. To imagine himself as such a non-factor to this woman— harsh.

 

Edited July 22, 2023 by fauxkiller

[NIGHT 0]

"Yes, Faux. Like a farse... or an adversary."

that made a little more sense. but even the danger implied by the man didn't seem to shake her, and not for lack of trying. there was something in the security of noticing that green crystal above this individual's head that made her snort, accepting his words at face value.

these were tier one shoes, for an unfamiliar face, who was a player. once the pieces fell into place, she knew very well what kind of person she was dealing with – which meant she hadn't had to worry about cardinal's underhanded tricks once more. "sure," night replied, returning her scarf to her inventory with a flash of light, and gingerly handed the kicks over to faux, absent minded. if she stared, it wasn't to size him up further – not completely, anyway. but it was curious to find an information broker outdoors and trying to gear themselves up, especially when it had been a while since they'd started the game. she was more familiar with the dichotomy of all into combat while selling their intel, or all out.

night folded her arms as she watched faux equip the item. with brokers, they were usually straightforward – tit for tat. that ease made her open to chatting up faux; she was just trying to help him do his job, and technically, bistro her's.

"so what brings you out to get your hands on these shoes? even better, what're you looking for that requires the fireproof on them?" another turn of her cheek, and she continued probing. "you mentioned low level players earlier. who're you in contact with then, if that information's up for grabs?"

---

Thin Ice -> faux.

Edited July 23, 2023 by NIGHT

[fauxkiller 0]

"Well," Faux starts as he equips the shoes, "I am actually a low level player myself, as you may have guessed." His eyes twinkle with joy as he watches the biting mist start to pool around his feet. He already felt more a part of his environment. These "boots" were made for first steps (and that's just what they'll do). Perhaps, night wouldn't understand this sentiment. So, Faux continues humbly explaining what he really does. "I've never been higher than Floor 10, but I investigate rumors on the lower floors for potential hidden quests. I also interview players, mainly in the Town of Beginnings, for my..." Faux trails off. He flicks his fingers through the air and quickly pulls his sketchbook from his inventory. Better shown than told. "I call this my Diurnālis. I take notes and record landscapes in a sort of anthropomorphic study. I suppose in truth, I'm only a broker in the making." Because, he didn't know how to do anything else. How would he explain that this is his genuine nature (that is, seeking a universal truth)?  "I have no specific need for fireproof sneakers," Faux starts, lifting a finger in the air, "But, I heard there's a quest line on the ninth floor that grants a collected sword art one otherwise couldn't learn. These shoes make me feel confident I'm ready to attempt it." This might be a misguided confidence. "You've heard of such a quest?"

 

[NIGHT 0]

admittedly, night too was an artist, but not exactly for landscapes. when she saw faux's drawings, she wasn't exactly certain of they were good, but they were different, and night was open to different. if anything, she had respect for the new-adventurer's gall to be able to record down his environment in such detail, though she did question his title usage the moment faux said 'broker in the making'.

what? and here night thought she'd struck gold.

no, that wasn't the way to look at things. she considered his capability in gathering information through the sketches, then the rumor about cerberus after that. the gap between her index and thumb cupped her lips as she thought about the difficulty of his truth. he was right – there was one quest like that, but it wasn't exactly for new players.

"sure," she answered, hand removed from her face and placed on her hip. "gatekeeper of fire. but that's no quest fit for a low-levelled player." if night hesitated, it was in contemplation of giving away information – for free! – in addition to the boots he'd picked up. well, if she wanted to ensure the safety of whoever was picking up intel from faux in the future, she'd better correct him with the appropriate details, fast. "the better alternative is it's pre-requisite, guardian of fire. note the difference. if you're going to be a broker, you'd have to be mindful of your rumors' accuracies."

night eyed thin ice, mind quick to the possibility that, had she not decided to take advantage of the situation to question faux further, he might've just gone ahead with trying to find the more-powerful cerberus instead, and if cardinal would've let him despite the requirements. the player closed her eyes, briefly, before opening them, looking to the novice. "if you're thinking of heading out for it, i'll accompany you. let's see... in exchange, you can tell me about the different places you've visited. i don't care how 'mainstream' your intel is, or otherwise."

(if anything, she was just trying to stave off the idea of having to go back through all eight floors to tear down her flyers... just in case.)