[PT][FL-01] New Role, New Quests, and New Acquaintances <<SoW: Keepers of Nature>>

[Jomei 0]

  

Jomei the emerald duelist

Spoiler notes Level: 33 | Paragon: 74 | Tier: 4(11)  Jomei | HP: 940/940 | EN: 132/132 | DMG: 23 | MIT:44 | ACC:3 | TAUNT | F-SPIRIT | EVA:4 | BH:52 | HB: 41 | VAMP-D: 103 | BLI: 32/-20  | LD:1     equipped Vicious Mockery Fencer's Regalia - Trepidation Token of Serenity battle-ready inventory Antidote (3/3)  skills Spoiler Skills Rapier R5 | TECH Spec. Combat Mastery DMG R3 Cloth Armor R5 Charge B Healing R5 Energist MA R2 Howl Fighting Spirit Quick Change Extra: (x) Concentration Survival  (x) Meditation (x) Parry (x) Forgotten King's Authority Assault Mode (x) Lady Luck Mods Athletics (x) Emergency Recovery (x) Vengeful Riposte (x) Justified Riposte (x) Addons Stamina  Ferocity  Precision Nimble Focused Howl data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== buffs Spoiler Housing Buffs:  Bedroom: -1 energy cost for the first two expenditures of each combat     Bathroom: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 20% (rounded down)     Dining Room: Turn 2 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Lesser Feast. Living Room: Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts. data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==

The sand of the hourglass slowly fell, and with it their blades would rise once more against one of Aincrad's floor bosses. As always, the uncertainty of what horrors lurked in the shadows that Freyd had mentioned left the frontliners with an anxious pit in their guts. No one ever said it, but they definitely all thought it - it could be their last fight. That was why they needed to prepare, together as a united front, and on their own. 

And that was exactly what Jomei was doing, seeking out quests he had yet to complete. 

A short trip to his old friend and information broker's abode, and Jomei was pointed in the direction of the very first floor of Aincrad. The Irishman did not hide his confusion in being told that a high level, and highly rewarding, quest line started all the way back at their humble beginnings. The virtual map that had been drawn for him led him towards the very edges of the flying castle, where he would find a cavern that led deep underground. The earthly 'disk' that contained the first level of Aincrad must have been thicker than he had imagined. 

Despite his status as a veteran player, he knew better than to attempt their quest alone. Especially since he was also hoping to test out his new equipment load out. Who would have thought the glass cannon Jomei would be sporting a tank build. He thought for a moment, who he could rely on for assistance, and Nari was the first of his friends to come to mind. As another player who had made the switch between tank and dps, he figured she would be perfect. 

A short message to the woman, and he was eventually met with a response. She seemed.. different, less enthusiastic -- less hopeful. But, nonetheless, she wasn't looking to go questing, even with someone she was close friends with. Instead, however, she pointed him in the direction of a player she had been assisting with the questline and insisted Jomei reach out to them. Wulfrin, one of the newest potential frontliners, and the happy groom who's wedding they used as a way to host the boss meeting. Suppose he'd get to meet the newcomer after all.

Quote

To: Wulfrin
From: Jomei

Hey there,

I know we haven't officially met yet, but was wondering if you'd be interested in finishing that Scents of The Wild quest? Nari-Lanreth gave me your contact information.. said she's sorry she bailed on you. 

Hope you don't mind backtracking a tad though, I haven't had the opportunity to start this one myself.

I'll wait for you near the entrance to the cave near the edge of the First Floor.

- Jomei

//Quest Details

Spoiler

 

 

[Wulfrin 0]

"You must be Jomei?" Wulfrin said as he emerged from the shadows of the nearby forest. He tossed the other player a pretzel as he made his way to the mouth of the cave. "You mentioned you were needing to start from scratch so I came prepared. The pretzel will help with this one... trust me."

The player before him hardly resembled the player Nari would have described. In stark contrast to the red overcoat and upbeat personality was a player who walked as if they were some odd dark quest mob. Their armor was charcoal road leathers under a long and tattered overcoat that was frayed at the edges. They had a cowl pulled over their head and shortly after tossing over the pretzel, the hands returned to the deep pockets of his coat. At his side, the ebony hilt of a strait sword with a cyan crystal pommel emitted an eerie icy mist from the opening of its scabbard.

"I am glad some one was willing to pick the quest up," Wulfrin said as he munched down a pretzel of his own. "This has been on my radar for a while, but I just haven't found a partner to run them with, especially with everyone in doomsday prep mode for the upcoming raid. Speaking of which. What's your build looking like?"

As he asked the question, a panel would appear before Jomei asking if he would like to form a party.

* * *

Wulfrin | HP: 720/720 | EN: 106/106 | DMG: 21 | MIT:78 | ACC:5 | AA | BH:24 | REC: 8 | FRB: 40 | FRZ: 64 | LD:3

* * *

Spoiler

Name: Wulfrin
True Tier: 4
Level: 33
Paragon Level: 7
HP: 720/720
EN: 106/106

Stats:
Damage: 21
Mitigation: 78
Accuracy: 5
Battle Healing: 24
Loot Die: 3
Stealth Rating: -2
AA REC: 8
FRB: 40 FRZ: 64
Equipped Gear:
Weapon/Armor/Trinket:
- Icingdeath | T4 Demonic Straight Sword | Freeze 2 | Frostbite | AA
Armor/Trinket:
- Fallen Angel Garb | T4 Demonic LA | MIT 2 | REC 2
Shield/Armor/Trinket:
- Dioscuri | Perfect T1 Trinket | ACC 3

Combat Mastery:
- Combat Mastery: Damage R3

Combat Shift:
- TECH Shift

Familiar Skill:
- Rending Familiar

Custom Skill:
-

Skills:
- Battle Healing R3
- Charge
- Energist
- Light Armor R5
- Searching R3
- Straight Sword R5

Extra Skills:
- Disguise
- Forgotten King's Authority
- Frozen Hide
- Survival

Inactive Extra Skills:
- Brawler

Addons:
- Focus
- Precision
- Resolve
- Stamina

Mods:
- Meticulous

Inactive Mods:

Battle Ready Inventory:
- Blade of the Warrior | T3 S.Sword | AA | ACC 2 x5
- Crystal | T1 Trinket | LD 3 x5
- Imugi's Inspiration | Mass Healing x5
- Popcorn | T4 Vitality 2 x1
- TP Crystals x1

Housing Buffs:
- Bedroom: -1 energy cost for the first two expenditures of each combat
- Bathroom: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 20% (rounded down)
- Basic Workshop: +2 EXP per crafting attempt
- Basic Kitchen: 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.
- Storage Closet: +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot
- Dining Room: 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.
- Living Room: Increases out of combatHP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
- Attic (Storage): +5% bonus col from monster kills and treasure chests
- Fishing Pond: +2 Fishing EXP per fishing attempt
- Basement: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll

Guild Hall Buffs:
- Trading Hall: Reduce LD needed for Salvage by 5 (10+ for Alchemist crystals, 6+ for everything else). +2 EXP per craft. Rank 9 crafters and Rank 4 merchants/performers receive +1 crafting/identification attempt per day. Rank 10 crafters and Rank 5 merchants/performers receive +2 crafting/identification attempts per day.
- Treasury: +5% bonus col from last-hit monster kills and +10% bonus col from treasure chests.

Scents of the Wild Totem:

Wedding Ring:

Crafting Profession:
- Blacksmith[1189exp] R7
Gathering Profession:
- Fishing[378exp] R4

Edited September 26 by Wulfrin

[Jomei 0]

If it weren't for the mention of his name before all else, Jomei might have drawn his sword on the figure as they approached. Dressed akin to a highway man NPC that would shake down newbie players for the little bit of col they had. However, it turned out to be the player he had been waiting for. "Aye, suppose that makes you Wulfrin." A hand came up to properly greet the man with a handshake, if he would accept. 

"I suppose congratulations are in order." the ginger started, as he pulled at the cloak on his shoulder and adjusted the rapier-violin housed on his hip.  "I didn't have the opportunity to speak with you on the big day, before or after the meeting. Felt a bit bad that I didn't, especially since the meeting was during your reception and all." 

Jomei chuckled at Wulfrin's response, "Consider this part of my doomsday prep. I had originally reached out to Nari about helping me out, but she's out of the game right now, and pointed me in your direction. Needed to get out and meet some new faces anyway. Two birds one stone kind of deal... or a few birds, in this case." Accepting the request to party up with Wulfrin, Jomei lead the descent into the mysterious cavern. "Actually, I'm testing out a new tank build. Can still dish out some damage, but should be quick enough to keep any enemies off of our backs." 

The first leg of the journey into the stone tunnels was simple. "So, how'd you get to meet Nari anyway? The two of us have been friends for quite awhile now." Oil lanterns hung from the wall every couple of meters to provide an adequate light source for those traveling into the depths. Nearly reminded him of a mine, but its workers yielded fresh crops rather than raw ore. Very similar to Dagan's lush caverns on Floor 27, just less... caved in. It wasn't until they arrived at a sudden split from the main path did their trek take a turn. Unpaved, nearly pitch black, leading down into the unknown.. for him at least. "Guess this is the way." 

[Wulfrin 0]

"Yep," Wulfrin accepted the handshake. "And thanks for the sentiment. The meeting though was always the plan. At the time I set it all up, I didn't know if I was going to be able to participate, so I used the wedding's feast option as a way to give back to the frontlines a bit. Though I guess I'm doing that with steel now."

Wulfrin eyed the violin rapier that Jomei adjusted at his hip. It was familiar to Wulfrin. It took him a moment but he thought back to a handful of days ago that Morningstar had dropped off a rapier and asked him to fuse it together with a stick. He chuckled as he reminisced about the process.

You going to tell him about the out of tune string? A voice echoed in Wulfrin's mind.

"No, Konteris." He mumbled under his breath. Stay quiet. We've got a job to do.

"Nari?" Wulfrin quickly shifted the conversation to the new topic. "Actually, I didn't really get to know her too well. Truthfully I only ever completed two quests with her, both of which were Scents of the Wild quests."

Wulfrin followed Jomei into the caves. Wulfrin had been through this song and dance before, though it was a while ago. His mind was fuzzy on where to go, so it was basically like starting from scratch. HE figured it was best to keep the conversation going.

"i hope that violin of yours is treating you well." Wulfrin remarked. "I wondered who Morningstar was building that weapon for. It's an interesting concept."

Edited September 27 by Wulfrin

[Jomei 0]

"Ah I see." Jomei responded with a nod to how the two were acquainted with one another. Not much of a backstory to it, just a veteran helping a newer player. Didn't really help out with keeping the small talk moving. "Shame she wont be joining us for the raid. Could've used her skills." There was only a short beat of silence before Wulfrin chimed in once more, mentioning the new weapon he wielded. "Yeah. I really owe Star for that one.. All incredible work." He pat a hand on the face of the weapon's housing. "Well, I'm a Performer.. but I'm not a crafter. I don't have songs to provide, so I wanted to think of another way to bring music into my battles. Just wanting to play a real life bard." he would finish with a chuckle. "I haven't had the opportunity to test it out yet, but I trust Morningstar, and I'm sure it'll hold up to the task.." he looked forth at the cavern they had entered, "... But i have a feeling it won't need to this time."

This new space was only illuminated by the tiniest rays of run that seeped through cracks high up above them. While it seemed insignificant, it was just enough to dispel a majority of the creeping shadow. Thick branches, lush with green leaves, stretched out from the base of the tree reaching upwards towards the sunlight that, by some grace, keeps it alive. Its roots dug deep rolling outwards like waves, leaving the deep earth upturned, but not treacherous enough to get to their destination. Up a small set of stairs that remained partially intact, a pedestal with a stone tablet resting upon it. "What is this?" he would say in awe as he stepped forth, wiping any dirt and dust from the tablet's surface. 

He stared at the words for a moment, a script he was entirely unaware of. Waiting a moment too long for his translator to kick in, he straightened up and crossed his arms. "Huh.. I have no idea what this says.. Maybe we need to take it somewhere and-" the ginger tried to lift the tablet but it would not budge. Not an inch off of the pedestal's surface. It didn't seem heavy, however, it was being held there by some unknown force. "..Guess not." 

[Wulfrin 0]

"Indeed it is," Wulfrin agreed with Jomei's sentiment. "She was a near impenetrable wall. When we fought Kumatetsu, I was pretty much just watching as the bear killed itself against her armor and shield. I'm kind of excited in that sense. I get the chance to smack the bear on a more equal ground."

He left out the fact that the bear fell quick and the two decided to walk into a dungeon. The dungeon was a Cave of Wonders and it was scaled off of Nari's level, meaning that Wulfrin was a meager tier two player in a dungeon far beyond his paygrade. He hoped to avoid a similar situation this time around.

"That violin started as a rapier and a stick," Wulfrin remarked as they moved deeper into the cave. "When he placed them on my work station and described the final product, I was worried that it would be impossible. It took me a bit but I managed to get it functional."

Wulfrin chuckled reminiscing over the nearly flawed item craft. It was a fun little project to finalize, but Wulfrin had managed it. His knowledge of musical instruments outside of the percussion field was minimal at best, thankfully the system was able to help close the gap. Jomei pointed out the tablet carved into the wooden bark. It was familiar, yet also foreign to Wulfrin at the same time. Wulfrin leaned over the tablet and began to stare at the intricate runes.

"If I remember correctly," Wulfrin spoke unsure of himself and his hazy memory. "There is an impassible door further down and no other branches. The secret lies in translating this tablet. My theroy has always been the door would open once all the keys were collected, but I never returned to verify."

[Jomei 0]

"Ah, so I have you to thank as well for this gear." His bowed his head with a respectful nod in Wulfrin's direction, truly thankful that he would not only help out Morningstar, but a player he did not know. "You have my thanks. Seems only right that you'll be the first one to see it in action." 

"Hmm.." Jomei hummed as Wulfrin recollected what he remembered about the quest. "The keys.. That seems the most logical." He spoke as he stepped quickly around the outer rim of the tree, watching each of his steps carefully as to not get snagged on some bulging root or upturned stone. There, as Wulfrin as said, was another tunnel that ran deeper into the cavern. He could not confirm the presence of an impassible door, but Wulfrin had no reason to lie about that. Returning to the other player, and the immovable stone tablet at the base of the tree, Jomei racked his brain for answers. Fingers scratched into the nape of his neck, rusting strands of ginger that twisted around his knuckles. "Maybe there's a clue on the door what to do next? or something on the walls?" Slowly turning in place, olive orbs would scan the darkened interior of the inner cavern. He was looking for anything that could help paint a picture, carvings, murals, even corresponding cracks in the walls. Was just a regular old cave, well, as regular as one could be with a tree growing in the center of it. 

"Hold on.." his gaze fell upon the tree, the slight shimmer of peeking sunlight cascaded down the branches and bark, "Do you see that?" 

Etched into the tree itself were small symbols, visually similar to the ones carved into the stone tablet. Another message? No, for beside each symbol was a corresponding letter. "It.. looks like some type of cipher. We can use this to decode the message, I assume." Stepping back around the pedestal, he would run his fingers along the first couple of symbols while simultaneously looking back and forth at the carving on the tree.. what he could see with what little light he had, anyway. 

ID 234172 | LD 11

11 | 60

 

 

[Wulfrin 0]

"It was nothing," Wulfrin said as he accepted the thanks form Jomei. "I also don't think either of us will be seeing the weapon in action. As far as I recall, there is nothing that will be attacking us on this leg. Now that's not to say we can't go straight for the first boss. I have a vague recollection of where it's lair is, so we shouldn't get too lost."

Wulfrin's attention was drawn to the section of bark that Jomei was pointing to. Wulfrin pulled up his menus and frantically searched them for anything he could from his notes. When he eventually found where he was keeping track of his Scents of the Wild progress, he found nothing but corrupted data text. No shortcutting by already knowing the answer. Great. Wulfrin scribbled down the cipher on a small pad of paper before making his way to the tablet in the center of the room.

"I think we may have a problem," Wulfrin said as he analyzed the tablet. "There are some symbols here that don't appear in the cipher you found. Maybe there are more scattered about?"

Wulfrin scanned the room, but was unable to find any additional ciphers.

* * *

ID: 234259 | LD: 6+3=9

20 | 60

Edited October 1 by Wulfrin

[Jomei 0]

Jomei's shoulders rose with a shrug, "Eh, I figured if this was just going to be some quick info-gathering quest, then we would probably have enough time to take on the first boss." He would imagine that the fight would not be too difficult either, being the first leg in a multifaceted journey starting on the First Floor of all places. The thought of a low leveled player stumbling upon the cavern on their own, without knowing what they were up against.. No, this game was cruel.. but not that cruel.. right?

His expression turned sour for a moment.

Retrieving a writing pad from his inventory, Wulfrin began to make a rough copy of the cipher. "Good idea. Better than me giving myself whiplash" a chuckle would slip out between his words. Stepping to the side, he would wait for Wulfrin to finish his sketching before allowing him to cross reference his notes with what was on the tablet.

I think we may have a problem. 

Either the tablet had a strange translation, or they had run into an obstacle. So the cipher was incomplete, as Wulfrin pointed out, a few missing symbols. "Alright, that's not that bad." he said as he took a look at Wulfrin's notes. "Maybe we can make out most of the translation, and then fill in the blanks. Might not be too many missing." Slowly, his finger would point to a symbol, and follow the lines of the cipher with his other hand. "That way, we have a better idea of the exact symbols we are looking for." 

ID 234276 | LD 11

31 | 60

[Wulfrin 0]

"Perhaps we can," Wulfrin responded to the prospect of fighting the boss. "Though if we do plan to face off with the first boss, I'll need to make my rounds to some of the consumable vendors. I'm running a bit low on some necessary buffs. On the other hand though the last time I faced off with the giant bear, I was like tier 2, so I could probably take it down without the boosts."

Wulfrin started going around the entirety of the cavern and jotting down every cipher he could find, as he figured having them all in one place would make it easier. This proved to be a much larger task than Wulfrin had originally anticipated. Every time he finished writing one down, he spotted two more. This would be infinitly easier if he could access the riddle that he had already deciphered once. Alas Cardinal refused to let anyone cut corners. Time for a change of approach. Wulfrin flipped over to a blank page of his notebook and wrote down all the symbols on the tablet. If he couldn't find the cipher, he would just brute force it. Having written the text down, Wulfrin made his way over to the chamber's entrance and leaned against the wall. He was paying direct attention to repeated symbols. These would most likely be common vowels or cosecants. 

"Well here's what I got....." Wulfrin sighed as he begun to read off his translation. “__ see____ _o_e_, __s_o_ ___ _es___e__e, ____ ye those _____ e__o_y __t__e’s ____es: The __e__est o_ _e_sts __th ____t_he_ st_e__th; _ se_t__e_ to the __te____e _o___ _y the Sty____ ___e_; _ __se ___ ___y __te_-_o__e __e__to_; the ___o_e_ t_t__ _ho __ ____o_s ___ __ee; _ ___ sh__o_ h__h __ the _____hes __ the _o_est; ___ __st_y, th_t _h__h __o__s ___ s__e_____s the s_y. O__y o__e ______she_ ____ yo_ h___ess the__ _o_e_ to yo__ _e_e__t. These __e the _ee_e_s o_ _____e.” He handed over his pad to Jomei for comparison. "I have a few other ideas floating around in my head, but haven't tested them yet. Take the lone symbols. Typically those could only be I and A. Considering the context, I'm leaning more towards A."

* * *

ID 234424 | LD 5 + 3 = 8

39 | 60

Edited October 2 by Wulfrin

[Jomei 0]

The cascading shadows from branches and jagged stone made this task all that more difficult. Losing his place was often an issue, especially when he would search the darkness for a specific character, only to learn it was one of the many that Wulfrin said were missing. "Dammit." he would curse under his breath, thick green fabric trailing behind him as he quickly shifted back to the tablet's pedestal. Wulfrin took it upon himself to scour the rest of the hidden grove for those symbols and their translation absent from the cipher. 

A few moments later, and they began scribbling across a blank page of their note book. Jomei watching for a moment before returning his attention to the tablet. "Anything?" he would call back, after allowing Wulfrin a minute to finish recording his findings. 

Definitely something, he thought to himself as he adjusted the book's position so he could catch some light. He had translated a large chunk of the riddle, but definitely not enough to make deciphering the rest of the message simple. "Alright, now we have something a bit better to work with." Placing the notebook down beside the tablet, he would run a hand along his forehead to push the hair from the front of his face. Focusing just on the single letters, as Wulfrin had pointed out, Jomei began to fill in the blanks "Good thought.. so if those are a's.. then that means that these are also the letter a... A couple of these three A words here could be and, but can't be completely sure. This looks like 'are' though, so then we can try the letter r here.. here.. here..." 

 “__ see____ _o_er, __s_o_ a__ res___e__e, ____ ye those _____ e__o_y _at_re’s _ra_es: The __er_est o_ _easts __th ____t_he_ stre__th; _ se_t__e_ to the a_ter___e _o___ _y the Sty__a_ r__er; a __se a__ ___y _ater-_or_e _re_ator; the ___o_e_ t_ta_ _ho __ _a__o_s a__ _ree; a ___ sha_o_ h__h __ the _ra__hes __ the _orest; a__ _ast_y, that _h__h _ro__s a__ sa_e___r_s the s_y. O__y o__e _a____she_ ____ yo_ har_ess the__ _o_er to yo_r _e_e__t. These are the _ee_ers o_ _a__re.”

ID 235050| LD 9.

48 | 60
 

[Wulfrin 0]

Wulfrin watched as Jomei took his translation and started adding his own additions. They were making decent progress, yet there was still plenty for them to decipher. Wulfrin continued trying different letters in the missing spots, but each time he would think he had a symbol pinned down, that same symbol would make a word incoherent further on in the message. This whole process seemed way more tedious than the last time he had completed it. His mind began to wander with various possibilities on whether they could finish this task in one sitting. If they could finish it, how would they kill the rest of their day if the duo managed to decipher it soon.

"Alright," Wulfrin said. "I think I found the symbol that correlates with N."

“__ see__n_ _o_er, __s_o_ an_ res___en_e, __n_ ye those _____ e__o_y nat_re’s _ra_es: The __er_est o_ _easts __th _n__t_he_ stren_th; _ sent_ne_ to the a_ter___e _o_n_ _y the Sty__an r__er; a __se an_ ___y _ater-_orne _re_ator; the _n_o_e_ t_tan _ho __ _a__o_s an_ _ree; a ___ sha_o_ h__h _n the _ran_hes __ the _orest; a__ _ast_y, that _h__h _ro__s a__ sa_e___r_s the s_y. On_y on_e _an___she_ ____ yo_ harness the_r _o_er to yo_r _ene__t. These are the _ee_ers o_ nat_re.”

* * *

ID 235146 | LD 2+3=5
53 | 60

Edited October 9 by Wulfrin

[Jomei 0]

Pat pat pat

The heel of Jomei's boot tapped against the ground anxiously. There was no danger immediately present, or any sign of failure if they did not accomplish the task in a set amount of time. Rather, he was just excited to solve the riddle. He found that he greatly enjoyed some of the puzzles that Aincrad had presented them. A nice change of pace from the typical fetch quest or monster fight. It allowed him to use his brain and knack for the problem solving rather than the sword fighting abilities that the Cardinal System bestowed upon him. Maybe that was a bit of Lessa rubbing off on him.

"So close" the ginger said in a hushed voice as he scanned each hole-filled word, hoping that intuition would fill in the blanks. "But so far, there must be some more symbols that we are missing... or maybe if we take a close look, we can just fill in more blanks." Taking a step back at first, he took a quick look around the cavern. It would take them forever to scour the entire premises for any more pieces of the cipher. He then decided to take matters into their own hands. 

"Blank... of blank, so if thats an F then..." he matched the letter F with the corresponding symbol. "This first word, not many two letter words ending in F.. if not of then it has to be if." Another letter to fill in the blanks. The larger words were becoming much more apparent. 

"Sty.. river.. What? Wait.. After.. life. River Styx, Stygian." The phrase etched upon the tablet was coming to life, and by the time the ginger paired the last of the symbols and letters together, the very visage upon the stone began to warp and shift. "Can't say I ever would have expected us adding a new written language to our built in translators... Exciting." He would exclaim with a small, breathy laugh before reading the text 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.”

"The Keepers of Nature.." he repeated over again.

'Click'

The tablet unlocked from the pedestal, allowing the two men to take it.

ID 235172 | LD 7
60 | 60

[Wulfrin 0]

"Well would you look at that," Wulfrin smiled as the tablet clicked out of place. "Mission accomplished."

Out of curiosity, Wulfrin opened his quest log to where his previously corrupted data for Scents of the Wild was housed. Having recompleted the first of the quest, the data seemed to have fixed itself. That or it was a special flag to avoid line skipping the deciphering portion of the quest. Cheeky Cardinal always trying to keep the players from skipping where they could in an attempt to "speed run" the floors. Come to think of it, Wulfrin hadn't seen any speed runners taking part in Aincrad's little game. You'd think they'd be the ones at the forefront of the frontlines.

"Come on," Wulfrin gestured to the other tunnel entrance. "Let me show you to that door before we leave. We've still got time left in the day. May as well sight see."

Wulfrin did as he promised and led the duo down the second corridor. After a handful of twists and turns, the duo arrived to a dead end. The wall of the cave was decorated with intricate designs of various forces of nature and beasts. The design looked like it resembled a swirling storm that orbited at a small alcove in the center.

"This is it," Wulfrin said as he eyed the door. "I have no idea what lies beyond it, but I don know what the first target is." He pointed with the tip of his sword towards a vicious bear deep in a forest. "Kumatetsu. Is it's name and it's located on Floor 8. Could also be good practice for the upcoming raid since I have good reason to believe it's some sort of bear based off the info given."

[Jomei 0]

"Ah, yes!" the ginger quietly cheered as he prodded the tablet out of its housing using the tips of his fingers. Despite the density of the stone it was carved out of, the slab was surprisingly light. Approximate to the weight of a novel. Not that it would matter, for it would be housed as lines of code and data within the confides of his virtual pockets. Tucking the plaque underneath one arm, a simple movement of his free hand would bring about his own, personal menu. Definitely beats the real world alternative of having to lug it around from place to place. 

Wulfrin mentioned wanting to show Jomei the door that they would ultimately be working to unlock, apparently. Something to reward them for their efforts, or something to test their might to the fullest. Only time, and their efforts, would tell. While the other of the men was unable to remember anything regarding the riddle and its cipher, he was able to recall the first foe they would face. A monster of a bear, deep in the woods of Floor Eight, named Kumatetsu. His eyes followed all of the other images that followed the curve of the storm depicted on the door. The bear - their first opponent-, some undead nightmare, a shark or fish , maybe, a stone golem, a jungle cat, and a warhorse. All collaboration of beasts and monstrosities that varied greatly. "Looks like we'll have our work cut out for us. You said that this Kumatetsu was the only one of these Keeps of Nature you've fought? Do you know anything about any of the others we'll have to take on?" 

With questions answered, their business in this cavern had come to a close. Following the paths they had taken thus far, Jomei and Wulfrin made their way back to the Floor's surface. "I definitely appreciate you answering the call to come help out. Figuring out that cipher would have taken far too long on my own." 

[Wulfrin 0]

"Unfortunately yes," Wulfrin sighed as Jomei asked his question. "Kumatetsu is the only one I've faced. The other keepers I only have speculation on." He pointed to a skeletal figure seeming to rise out of a river of twisted faces. "This is the only one I have any speculation on. I don't know the name or location, but I am assuming this is the sentinel of the afterlife. If I had to guess, we'd need something with holy to combat it. The others are even more obscure. Too be honest, I kind of stopped researching once the labyrinth boss was defeated. It was nothing but grind grind grind at that point."

Wulfrin returned his blade to its scabbard and turned to lead the duo out of the cavern. He smiled at Jomei's compliment as they exited the cavern back into the wilds of floor 1.

"Don't mention it." Wulfrin replied. "That cipher is a pain to work through. I just wish we could've skipped it, but my quest data for it got corrupted at some point. I've still got time available today. You want to go and test out that blade a bit?"

[Jomei 0]

"Truthfully, I enjoyed it." a remark that accompanied a shrug of his shoulders. "A close friend of mine really turned me onto puzzles like this, with not just reward at the end, but a more in-depth understanding of the story behind each floor." Of course, ancient ruins and tales of the past were, in reality, no older than the most recent buildings in Aincrad. The entirety of this tower, and whatever vast world may exist beyond, all came to life on the same day. That was dull thinking in Jomei's eyes, seeing SAO as just a video game they needed to escape from. With everything gone to hell around them, they should allow themselves a little respite to learn about the experience that could have been. "So no worries about not being able to recall the answer. Wouldn't be totally fair if we could just do that anyway."

As the duo were bathed in the virtual sun's light, warming their bodies from the cold bite of the depths. Jomei would stretch his arms out to either side. "You said you wanted to stop by some of the shops first if we were going to try and take on the bear, yeah?" He asked with a slight tilt to his head, retracing the path he had taken from the Town of Beginnings. "Or did you have something smaller scale in mind, for now." Either way, Jomei showed interest. The monster's on the First Floor were not much of a threat at their level. So attempting tanking maneuvers against them were mostly pointless. 

[Wulfrin 0]

"Yeah," Wulfrin sighed as they began to approach the Town of Beginnings. "I'm running low on combat consumables. Which is both a problem for now and a problem for the raid. I know I cant use my standard kit for the raid, but I also like to be prepared. Good news is Zandra hooked me up with a raid kit at the meeting, so raid kit is covered. That just leaves the ones for personal use."

Kumatetsu wasn't necessarily a hard fight when he had gone through it with Nari. As far as Wulfrin was able to recall he hadn't even taken any consumables for that fight. It was more the dungeon that they tried to tackle after that was on the sketchy side. At the same time though, they might be having to take one on if the bear fight goes just as well this time. The biggest difference was Wulfrin could actually fight this time around, so being bailed out was unlikely to be necessary.

"As for plans?" Wulfrin continued. "I don't really have anything outside of hunting mobs to learn each others fighting style, but minimum mobs typically fall to just a handful of hits. So I guess we can just split off. I'll message you when I'm ready to face off with the bear?" 

[Jomei 0]

Jomei nodded in response to the mention of Aincrad's favorite alchemist, who also happened to be an ex-girlfriend. Weird how that worked. "Yeah. Z is good for that. Isn't around outside of her shop and boss raids anymore but, she's always willing to hook up the raid party." The ginger chuckled as he gently scratched at the side of his nose with an index finger. "I'm very irresponsible when it comes to combat consumables. Never end up picking them up before I need them.. and I usually pay for it." A heavy sigh would break up the statement, the weight of the reality the words brought crashing down on his shoulders. "Callin' it luck that I'm even still alive, at that." That was far too true.

"Perhaps you're right. Best to give us time to prepare for the bear, just in case something goes wrong." Even though they had both come to the conclusion that the fight with Kumatetsu should be no issue for a pair of frontline fighters such as themselves, they needed to air on the side of caution. Jomei had never played the role of tank before, so what if he had miscalculated and either one of them takes a heavy hit from the boss. No, purchasing consumables before hand was probably the best bet. 

"Maybe in the next day or two I'll send you a message. I'd like to test things out on a formidable boss-like monster before the actual boss. For now, then, I'm going to head back to town, do a little shopping. I take it you'll keep at it out in the wilds here?" 

[Wulfrin 0]

"I'll probably head up to a few floors to be honest," Wulfrin replied as the duo began to part ways. "I've got a few lingering leads to follow higher up. That and my own shopping to do, but yeah I agree getting a trial run before the raid is probably smart. I'll put a rush on my other tasks. Just say the word and I'll meet back up with you. Come prepared to traverse a forest. The bear is somewhere on Floor 8."

Wulfrin gave a gentle wave as he began to walk into the streets of the Town of Beginnings toward its teleport plaza. As walked his shadow seemed to drift away from him taking physical form. The new figure looked to be about the same size and shape as Wulfrin, even equipped with similar gear. With the hood up on their armor though it was near impossible to make out any actual features. To Wulfrin though the features were clear as day. He saw himself walking next to him as if a mirror were reflecting him perfectly. The two carried on a conversation with each other, and to those who would observe he probably just looked like some lunatic that cast no shadow on the world around him. Wulfrin eventually made his way onto the teleport gate as his shadow returned to its proper place, and with a wave of blue light was gone to the floors beyond.

* * *

Thread Closure:

Wulfrin Receives:

2,101 EXP: (6003/10*5*0.7)
515 Col: (200 [1 page] + 315 [+15% of Exp P5 Reward])
1 Mon (Shield Arts Playtest)

Jomei Receives: 

5,122 EXP: (6003/10*11*0.7 + 500 [quest])
986 Col: (200 [1 page] + 786 [+15% of Exp P5 Reward]
1 Mon (Shield Arts Playtest)
Nature's Tablet

<<Scents of the Wilds>> questline

Edited October 19 by Wulfrin