<<Scents of the Wild: Keepers of Nature>> (Etherial, Morningstar)

[Etherial 0]

It was another spring morning in the Town of Beginnings where Etherial decided to head to the center of town to the market. She was looking for new gear to run with but wasn't sure what she was looking for. But at the same time she was wanting to continue with her adventure of this death game. The only issue is she didn't know who she was going to encounter to accompany her on her adventure.

Walking around the market though she would see plenty of players still around. Although this is the first floor it's always a pleasant to come back to the place where it all began. The thing is most people decided to do something about beating the game while she hide away in the town hoping someday the game will be defeated and she can return back to her normal life in the real world. The only thing is no on knows when it's suppose to happen.

«Etherial» 80/80 | ENG: 26/26 | DMG: 1 | Keen: 0 | ACC: 1 | MIT: 5 | EVA: 3 | Para: 2 |

Spoiler

General

Level: 4

HP: 80

Energy: 26

DMG: 1

Keen: 0

ACC: 1

MIT: 5

EVA: 3

Para: 2

SP Available:  7

Total SP: 15

 

Equipped Items

Silberklinge (+1 ACC +2 Para)

Snow Loyal (+3 EVA)

-------------------------------------------

Snow Loyal (+3 EVA)

Silberklinge (+1 ACC +2 Para)

 

Skills: 

» Rapier (Rank 1)

» Light Armor (Rank 1)

Mods:

 

 

 

Extra/locked Skills: 

 

 

 

Mithril:   T1 = 16 <> T2  = 0 <> T3 = 0

 

Profession:  

@Morningstar

Edited March 23 by Etherial

[Morningstar 0]

"Respectfully, four thousand col seems a little bit steep," Morningstar squinted at the blade, using his experience as an appraiser to examine it. The enhancements it carried were by no means bad, but with some luck he could have found his own for three quarters of the price.

"Two slots of static," the merchant crossed his arms, "and a slot of bleed. Hard to come by."

Maybe for you, the blonde thought, refraining from voicing his undesirable opinions. While the jewels were pretty, the sword itself was overvalued and a waste of his money. Gently, he placed it back on the merchant's counter. The player behind the stall frowned, clearly counting on Morningstar's purchase but unwilling to reduce his original price. "Sorry," he shrugged, moving on to the next merchant's booth.

As he turned away, however, he ran into an unexpected barrier. Upon further investigation, he realized it was another person whom he had rudely bumped into. She was pale with silver hair and rather short in comparison to himself. He apologized immediately for his mistake; he had been so caught up in the open-air stores that he had not noticed her enter his path.

[ lv. 51  ->   lv. 33 / p. 18 ] MORNINGSTAR | HP: 720/720 | EN: 110/110 | DMG: 23 | MIT: 20 | EVA: 4 | ACC: 4 | BH: 39 | LD: 8 (9) | BLD: 48 | FB: 40 | REC: 4   Hide contents notes.     Hide contents equipped bleeding giant BLD II, FB II red longcoat EVA II, REC I sapphire ACC III, EVA I battle-ready inventory magdalyn's cuckoo teleport crystal x5 skills.   Hide contents mod count: 3/5 2HSS | RANK 5/5 precision, stamina, ferocity shift: tech CLOTH ARMOR | RANK 5/5 athletics, nimble COMBAT MASTERY: DMG | RANK 3/3 SEARCHING | RANK 4/5 (5) night vision, detect BATTLE HEALING | RANK 5/5 ENERGIST CHARGE extra SURVIVAL FORGOTTEN KING'S AUTHORITY LADY LUCK DISGUISE buffs.   Hide contents statue n/a consumables  gelato | LD III paragon Lv. 5 | Gain additional col equivalent to 15% of EXP earned in that thread. Lv. 10 | +1 LD arts.   Hide contents en cost matches multiplier unless stated otherwise. shift underlined. ST | x12 -> x15 | x20 AOE | x11 -> x14 TECH-A | x16 | STUN | 13EN TECH-B | x16 | DELAY TECH-D | x16 | SHATTER TECH-F | x12 | AOE STUN misc.   Hide contents Well Rested | -1 energy cost for the first three expenditures of each combat. Squeaky Clean | The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 25% (rounded down). Filling | Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot. This can exceed normal Cook enhancement caps. Ex: A perfect T2 MIT food gives 35 MIT instead of 30. Tasty | Turn 2 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Lesser Feast. A Lesser Feast contains 4 portions of the food items sacrificed. Lesser Feasts created this way cannot be used outside of the thread they are created. Limit 1 item created per thread. Relaxed | Increases out-of-combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts. Multipurpose | Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll. Skylight (Searching) | +1 Expertise to declared utility skill.  gathering n/a

Edited March 23 by Morningstar

[Etherial 0]

As Etherial walked by what looked like a merchant that was selling weapons and armor she over heard what the merchant NPC and the player had to say. Although tuning most of it out, it seems as if the merchant was trying to "scam" the unknown player and wasn't to thrill when they didn't accept there offer. It was at that moment where she notice the man moving away from the merchant's stand and into her.

"Oh my apologies, I should of paid more attention to my surroundings."

On her defense, there were many other NPC around the area to the point there wasn't much room to maneuver around them all without bumping into each other.

She looked up at the man. Looking at this blond hair man she realize that he wasn't the same nationality as her. He must be a foreigner that manager to gather the game once it was released. Or maybe he was in Japan when the game was released. Either way it was very unusual to see someone that's not Japanese playing this game.

 

@Morningstar

[Morningstar 0]

The girl's apology was unnecessary. Bumping into her was one hundred percent Morningstar's fault; however, he did not press her for it. Instead, he held out a hand, positioned awkwardly in the crowd. She looked new to things, so he opened himself up as a potential ally. "People call me Star," he told her, acknowledging that a single person opted to call him 'Morning' instead. "If you're looking for gear, I'd avoid some of these merchants. They're greedy players, mostly," he hushed his voice to not draw the attention of said greedy players. "Stick to the tried and true shops if you can."  

Not even unique enhancements were worth the prices these merchants were bargaining at, and it was unlikely that a player at her level would know that. Had he owned a collection of low-tier weapons and armor at his shop, he might have offered a couple of replacements for the silver-haired girl. Alas, the weaker the item, the harder it seemed to find on his own.  

"Maybe this is weird, but I have a quest scheduled for later if you want to join me?"

[Etherial 0]

"Please to meet you. My name is Etherial."

She listen to him as he introduce himself to her.  After that though she also realized that he was here most likely to sell old equipment. With the items he's wearing as well as the knowledge, there's no way he's trying to buy gear from the lowest floor since most of the gear here seems to be for the players from the start of the death game.

After loosing her train of thought, she heard him ask if she would like to accompany him on a quest. She thought it was weird that mention that. Most of the quest here were low level players unless there's a quest he's wanting to do but is blocked behind the one here on floor one. It wasn't a hard question to think over. She want to continue with leveling so she can finally get out of this floor and know she wasn't going to be at risk of dying.

"Sure! I wouldn't mind tagging along. This would actually be good for me so I can finally leave this floor without feeling like  I'm going to die instantly."

@Morningstar

[Morningstar 0]

Etherial was a mouthful, but no shorter alternative stood out to him, so he sucked it up. "Good to meet ya, Etherial," he said, trying his best not to annoy people while standing in the busy street. He concluded that it was an unideal place for a conversation as a big-framed fellow bumped his shoulder, scowling behind as he passed. The rest of the shops in the market were presumed duds, and he would only waste his time if he spoke with each of them. He had intended to begin Scents of the Wild later in the day, but perhaps there was no time like the present to start a quest.

"Do you have anything you need in the market? I don't mind waiting or following you around if you need to shop, but if not, let's head out now. I've been told that the quest can drag on a while, so starting early in the day is smart."

"Oh, here. This'll come in handy," he said, handing her one of the loot enhancing consumables he had purchased a while back.

***

Morningstar offers x1 TIERLESS Gelato to Etherial | +3 LD

Edited March 24 by Morningstar

[Etherial 0]

She was quite surprise how nice the blonde hair man was. Most men in video games tend to be really into the game and don't really care to help others out. But there was always that one person who is willing to help out new players. Etherial never played video games before. This was her first and most likely her last experience. But in the end this would be the greatest experience if she does manage to survive the whole thing.

After he asked her if she needed anything from the market she shook her head.

"Oh no, I was more sight seeing this part of the city. Usually it's always packed here so I avoided it."

Not so long after she notice the man handing her an item. Which she would take to activate the effects.

"So what are we needing to do on this quest? I'm not really good at fighting so I'm hoping I'm not going to be to much in your way."

***

Etherial consumes x1 TIERLESS Gelato

@Morningstar

[Morningstar 0]

Morningstar chuckled. "I'm the same way. I normally keep to the quieter parts of town. This place is rambunctious," he agreed.

She took the gelato, eating it up quickly while they walked. The change in environment as they passed out of the market square and onto a side street was as clear as the ocean at Raitoborou Bay. Only a few people hung out around the nearby shops and buildings. One player relaxed on a bench, taking in the warm waves of the first floor's sun. It was a niche street, full of businesses that didn't fit within the category of common professions. Some were merchants, selling trinkets and wares from across Aincrad (but actually rare ones, not the silly things he had come across in the market). Others sold services, like massage therapy or card readings. There was one cook on the street that specialized in different kinds of bean and honey buns. That was Morningstar's kind of store.

"The quest is pretty simple," he explained, answering Etherial's question. "There's a tablet in a cave and our job is to decipher it. There isn't any combat, at least for that stage of the quest. According to my guy," referring to a broker he had spoken to, "the quest bosses won't show up unless you've deciphered the tablet and they're on different floors. The first is on Floor Eight. You can tag along with that too, if you want, but let's start with the cave and see how it goes."

[Etherial 0]

It was a relief to hear that the quest they're about to participate in is easy with no combat. But it wasn't just one quest but a set of quest in a quest line. Those were always fun on other mmo games but on this one who know's what is set aside to try and kill them. But for her to beat this game she has to put her fears behind her and continue to level and push herself to get with the rest of the front liners.

"I'll be glad to tag along. I just hope I don't get in your way if there are combat. I'm not much of a fighter"

With the end of that sentence though she started to speak softer. She doesn't know how people feel about carrying a low level in a boss fight. It helps for the low level to level up faster but it also means that the higher level that is carrying is having to babysit the other to make sure they don't die.

[Morningstar 0]

"Nonsense. You'll be fine," Morningstar assured the girl. "I've been around the combat block a few times. If anything does show up, I'll take it out."

Morningstar took the position of guide for the party. He knew the floor like the back of his hand and had done his research before showing up for the quest. He knew where the cave was located and the best route to get there. "If we go by horse it'll be quickest. It's not protected, but we should be safe along the road. We can ride past Horunka, towards the Stone Valley. The trip's not so bad. We'll cut through the forests; the cave isn't too deep in the valley."

He led Etherial to the local stables, near the Town of Beginnings' gate. Tossing a few col to the stablemaster granted them horses for the day. The brown steeds were walked out of the stable for them. Morningstar straddled one, offering the other to his partner.

"Ever ridden a horse?"

[Etherial 0]

It was a relief after he explained the plain for today was. It was also nice when he mention that he would do anything he could to guide her from getting killed. The only thing is she's hoping that eventually she'll be some use to not just him but for everyone she meets.

The journey for this quest will be little long but seems reasonable considering the in's and out's of the are seems to be easy for most people. But when he brought her up to the stable and got both of them a horse she gave a small smile.

"Of course I know how to ride a horse. I did this in my off time back in the real world."

She took the lead of the horse and hoist herself onto it's back with no struggle at all she would start to ride along side him waiting for him to start heading out to the next destination.

[Morningstar 0]

"Good," Morningstar grinned, steering his horse out of town. "Let's get going."

The path they traveled was exactly as Morningstar had described. The bumpy plains outside of the Town of Beginnings stretched as far as the eye could see. They traversed them together, with Star in the lead. Eventually, Horunka came into view. Instead of stopping or passing through, they took a detour, circling around the settlement and passing it entirely. Along the way to the Stone Valley, they rode through three separate forests, and then one large one on the way into the valley.

When they arrived at the cave, it was nearly midday. Morningstar leapt from his horse's back and tied it to a thing tree nearby. Staying on foot would be the best course of action inside the cave. It was too cramped for an animal as large as a horse, and mobs were always a possibility outside of safe zones.

"C'mon," Morningstar gestured for Etherial to follow as he entered the cave.

It was shallow. At the end, where a wall once sat, was an opening. Morningstar had been to the cave before, years ago, before the wall had opened. He had been brought there to train during a time when he needed it most. He couldn't remember what mobs spawned there at the time, only that Lexa would make them look like fodder. Now, it was empty and quiet, but for the pitter-patter of water droplets against the earthy floor. Through the opening, he could see a tree. It was beautiful and large. He wondered how it could even grow in such a place, quickly realizing that they were in a video game. Anything was possible. Upon its body was a tablet.

"That there is our quest," Morningstar pointed.

He stepped up to the tree's base and took a seat, leaving room for Etherial to do the same. Before he could even begin to read the cipher next to the tablet, a quest prompt appeared before him. He accepted it and moved on, beginning the questline known as Scents of the Wild.

Spoiler

DECIPHERING TABLET

ID221330 | ld14+5 = 19

total combined score = 19/60

 

Edited April 5 by Morningstar

[Etherial 0]

It wasn't long until they departed from the stables. The travel on the first floor wasn't to bad although she did find it amazing how the game developers manage to add in such detail to a video game.

"So how long have you been playing games?"

She mention to him as they continue around the village of Horunka. Although they didn't go through the village it was still a pretty nice area probably a lot of other players spent a lot of time there when the game first started.

Riding through the cave was also another experience that she's never saw. The cave though wasn't too deep was still pretty even though the visibility was lacking. But then she saw it. The area that Star mention was the quest area. It looked interesting to say the least.

Watching him walk up to the tree that what looks like where the quest starts he sat down and with that she followed suit and proceed to help out with the quest.

Spoiler

DECIPHERING TABLET:

ID221415: LD8

Total Combined Score: 27/60

 

Edited April 6 by Etherial

[Morningstar 0]

"So how long have you been playing games?"

Morningstar thought very briefly before giving his response. "How long ago did this one start? Eight—nine years, maybe? Geez, I'm getting old," he chuckled. "Anyway, that long. I'm not really a gamer. Or maybe I can't say that anymore. I was a Nintendo kid but lost interest and time as I grew up. This is my first, and probably last, real video game. Quite the choice, I'd say."

People didn't ask about other's lives lives before the game, and he tried to do the same. His experience was that they were often taken aback by it or prickly with their answers. People didn't like talking about the past.

While he understood the dislike for that type of questioning, he did not mind it himself. There were many unpleasant memories to avoid, but the greater part of his history was nice to reflect on. Besides, he liked to talk about himself.

In the cave, they worked at deciphering the tablet on the tree. Whatever language it had been written in, Morningstar did not like it.

Spoiler

DECIPHERING TABLET

ID221416 | ld3+5 = 8

total combined score = 35/60

 

Edited April 5 by Morningstar

[Etherial 0]

She was thankful that he talked to her about his personal life a little. It makes it a little at ease knowing that the person you're doing quest with is someone friendly to talk to.

"I never played games. My dad is an important man in Japan with one of the biggest companies in the country. This game was meant for my little brother but he was sick and was sent to the hospital on the day of the launch. I figured I'd try the game out to see what was the big hype my little brother gave when he found out about the game... And well the rest is history."

She has a feeling that he wasn't expecting a person like her to be in a game. Has no experience what so ever with games nor MMOs. But she decided that in order for her to get back to the real world she'll have to beat the game with the rest of the players. The only issue is she was scared to be in the frontlines and getting attacked. But one day one of her friends mention for her to try and do a support role where she wont always be in the front attacking.

She snap back from her train of thought and tried to decrypt more of the tablet.

"Looks like I can understand this better than you. Strange because this looks nothing like Japanese."

Spoiler

DECIPHERING TABLET

ID221430 | ld14= 14

total combined score = 49/60

 

Edited April 6 by Etherial

[Morningstar 0]

He listened to her story while putting together pieces of the puzzle. They were similar in many ways, he imagined. The both of them came from families with enormous reputations and he thought that insurmountable expectations were common territory. "Look at us," Morningstar smiled. "No MMO experience and yet here we are, surviving."

"I'm sorry about your brother," he added. "I hope he's doing okay now."

The tablet was coming together nicely. Etherial mentioned being shockingly adept at reading it, which Morningstar agreed with. She had a knack for translation. "The game will translate real world languages just fine, but this language was created specifically for this questline. It doubt it exists outside of this floor at all. There's probably some lore to it that I don't know, maybe from an ancient civilization that never really existed," he shrugged. "Anyway, it was intentionally left out of the system's translation database for that reason."

As he finished rambling, they completed the translation of the tablet. The words, once deciphered, transformed before their very eyes. Now visible in English to Morningstar and Japanese to Etherial, they could read it normally. The former read it aloud.

"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.”

Spoiler

DECIPHERING TABLET

ID221823 | ld16= 16+5 = 21

total combined score = 70/60

tablet deciphered.

 

Edited April 9 by Morningstar

[Etherial 0]

She was surprised how much in common he had with her on the terms of video game experience and the wealth of families from all around the world. The thing is. Her family could care less about her. Matter of fact she's pretty sure they didn't even realize that she was gone or if they have, probably tried to find a way to sue the company and the game developer just for there or greed and wealth.

"Thank. I didn't really have a great relationship with my family so it doesn't really bother me now." She stared at the tablet for a few seconds before she spoke again.
"Matter of fact I've found more friends here I'm sometimes glad that I'm stuck in this game."

After a few minuets of the two trying to translate the tablet he manage to fully translate it and a note popped up on her screen showing what they translated.

[Morningstar 0]

From his inventory, Morningstar pulled a pocket journal. It was leatherbound, and well-crafted at that. He had found his original on the game's opening day, shortly after discovering that he would not be leaving. It was his first purchase, even before a meal. He had continued buying copies ever since. Each time he dotted the concluding sentence of the final page of a book, he would return to where he started and purchase a brand new one. It was an cycle that he wished would never end; a ritual that brought him peace in a world so uncertain.

Everyone had something, he theorized.

He flipped through the messy pages, eventually coming to his most recent entry. A list of names were written along the horizontal lines of the page. Beside each of them was a floor. "This is where you should call it quits, if you don't feel ready for combat. If you need me to escort you back to town, I'm happy to do so."

The fiercest of beasts with unmatched strength, he realized, was Kumatetsu. It was at the top of his list and the first quest boss he intended on challenging. He did not explain the continuation of the quest, interested in hearing her answer first. If she returned to the Town of Beginnings, or Tolbana, or Horunka, she would stay safe for as long as she so desired. If she joined him on his quest, there were no guarantees of anything whatsoever.

[Etherial 0]

It didn't take much time before Star started to get going on his adventure. That being said though she knew that she wasn't strong enough to really partake in higher floor quest. But at the same time this would be the chance she can finally get out of this floor and on with her own adventure.

"I think I'll come along with you. I don't want to waste away here in the Town of Beginnings anymore."

She wasn't nervous when she said that. Instead she was confident. She knew that if he left this area she'll soon be caught up with the main group and she can help get them to the next floor. The only question is. How long is Star willing to drag around a low level player before calling it quits. That part may be a mystery but at the same time who knows. Most of the players in the frontline were always willing to help low level players catch up so they can help if they wish and Etherial was no exception. She wanted to beat this game and free the one's who didn't want to risk their life.

[Morningstar 0]

His expression remained neutral while he grappled with the idea of bringing her along with him. She would be little use to him against Kumatetsu, but the experience would be good for her. Eventually, he smiled. "Alright then."

He skimmed through his journal, looking for the page on Kumatetsu. Maybe it would have been a good idea to bring along a waiver for Etherial to sign, ensuring that he could dodge liability in the event of an accident. He had no such thing, however. Extra caution would be required.

Coming to the journal entry, he cleared his throat. "Seven quest bosses to defeat. I don't know if it's a good idea to show you all of them. I've heard Colossus is a real pain in the ass. There are a few that I'm comfortable bringing you along for though," he explained.

Morningstar showed off some crude drawings of the mobs. They were based on player descriptions and not first hand, so the details were imperfect, but the ideas were there. He pointed to the bear in the corner of the page. "Kumatetsu is who we'll go after first. He's on Floor Eight. The rest of them we'll play by ear. You can drop out at any point if it gets to be too much for you."

"Welcome to the real game," he finished with a wink.