[F23-PP] Surface Pressure <<Search and Rescue>>

[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==

 

For a floating castle, Aincrad had a lot of floors that were underground-based. Or, perhaps, he had just been finding himself frequenting these cavernous environments. Definitely not on purpose. For a ginger who was allergic to the sun, he would definitely prefer it over these cramped labyrinths of caverns and tunnels.  The Underdark, however, was a whole monster on its own. Not only did the tunnels feel even smaller, and the air felt heavier to pull into your lungs, but it was pitch black. Without any sort of light, seeing a meter in front of you was simply impossible, unless you had Night Vision prepared. Lucky enough, a small glowrod he had picked up from earlier was enough to allow him to see the area around him. A whole lot of nothing, but definitely not something he would want to pass through blind. 

In that moment, he had completely forgotten why he had even come here. Regretted it even. Turning a corner, he saw just enough into the wider cave that many.. many.. eyes looked back in his direction. A singular figure stepped from the shadow, long, pointed ears and skin the color of ash. A patch leather helmet they wore on their head completely covered their eyes.. yet they still knew exactly where Jomei stood. <Crazed Spider Tamer> read the name over the elf's body, and multiple <Giant Spider> tags surrounded them on the floor, walls, and ceiling. Before he could attempt to fight, run, whatever, the ashen elf shouted in a dialect that did not reach Cardinal's language translator, and all of the spiders began to move in his direction. He was able to hold his own against one, maybe two, but the fear took over. Jomei thought himself pretty brave, especially after facing so many of Aincrad's horrors.

Spiders, however...

"Shit shit shit shit shit" he cursed as he finally turned and ran, as fast as he could, in any direction he could. Just twists and turns, all rocky walls that looked the same, the occasional cavern that opened up. The pattering of dozens of arachnid legs began to dissipate as the ginger continued to gain a lead on them. Turning once over his shoulder, he could barely see the shine of his glowrod in their eyes at this point. Almost in the clear. But it only took that one moment of taking his eyes off of where he was going to loose his footing. Suddenly, there was no ground below him, and Jomei felt himself falling. It was only for about a moment or so, before colliding with some sticky webbing stretched about the opening. His body tore through, each layer breaking his fall more than the last. 

His body would jerk as it came to a sudden stop. Hanging by his ankle, and arms pinned down, he was left to dangle. He listened and waited for the sound of approaching spiders.. but it never came. Instead, he heard something from below him, footsteps. Realizing he was not too far up from the ground, he called out hoping that it was a friendly NPC, or better yet, a player.
"Oi! Hey! Think you could help me out?"

 

//Quest Details

Spoiler

 

 

[Cordelia 0]

Cordelia wasn’t really sure what was doing within the caverns of floor Twenty-Three, to be honest. Her messages with her info broker had gone dry, and she wasn’t really in the mood to go looking for another one on such short notice. From conversations she had passed by, it seemed like there was a pretty prominent questline on this floor, and she figured what better time than now to check it out for herself. 

She hadn’t expected someone to call for her from above.

Any reasonable response died on her lips as she locked onto the ginger man’s visage. Her face flickered with recognition, but her eyes went somewhat distant– as if her thoughts had retreated back to the inner parts of her skull. What was it again? Jorm… Jerm… Her face scrunched up with each new– probably incorrect– name. Still, she continued to test every new vowel and consonant on the metaphorical tongue in her head. Or did it start with an M? Morm… Morj… Morb… Cordelia shook her head. No, that didn’t sound right. She was thinking of the wrong ginger.

“Should I message someone?” she muttered to herself, index finger stroking her chin in thought. To the naked eye, she most likely seemed like she was debating on calling for help. In actuality, she just wanted to see if any of her friends knew who this somewhat-stranger stranger was. In a distant memory, there's a vague recollection of snow and hot soup, but was all jumbled in her head like fog settling atop a field in the morning after rain. Cordelia hummed. Lessa seemed like the type to know everyone, and while she’s been out of contact with her mentor for a while, Baldur fell under that umbrella as well. 

Taking her chances, the girl would suddenly wave at him, trying to catch his attention again should it have drifted off while she was mumbling nonsense about Jorms or whatever. “Yeah, hey! Sir?” Cordelia took a step back, casually opening her menu with a flick of her finger. “Can you stay still for a second? Lemme just…” Her tongue stuck out from the corner of her lips as she navigated the camera screen so that she could take a full picture of his tangled state. The swordswoman peeked from over her camera menu. “Actually, can you tilt your head to your right just a bit? Just like that. Perfect.” She shot him a thumbs-up as she went back to the camera.

Click.

All it took was a press of a button for Jomei’s little slip-up to be memorialized in the game. Should he ever forget this moment, know that it has been etched into the very code of this world.

Spoiler

 [ Cordelia [LVL33/PGN27] - HP: 800/800 | EN: 114/114 | DMG: 23 | MIT: 20 | EVA: 3 | ACC: 5 | BH: 44 | AA | HLY BLS: 17 | HLY: 16 | PHASE ]
[ Cordelia [LVL33/PGN27] - HP: 800/800 | EN: 114/114 | DMG: 24 | MIT: 20 | EVA: 3 | ACC: 5 | BH: 44 | AA | HLY BLS: 17 | HLY: 16 | PHASE ]

EQUIPPED GEAR:
<<Carver of Demons: Onimaru>> | T4 Katana | PHASE/HOLY/HOLY/ABS. ACC
<<Empress' Kanzashi>> | T4 Trinket | ACC/ACC/ACC/EVA
<<Bastille's Downfall>> | T4 Cloth Armor | EVA/EVA/HOLY BLESSING

SKILLS:
R5 Katana
R5 Cloth Armor
R5 Battle Healing
Charge
Energist
R3 Combat Mastery: Damage

EXTRA SKILLS:
Survival
Disguise
R5 Hiding
Meditation
Forgotten King's Authority

Familiar: Rending

MODS:
Ferocity
Athletics
Resolve

Combat Shift: ST Specialist

CONSUMABLES USED: 

BUFFS:
Kumatetsu Statue: +1 DMG

 

Edited September 27 by Cordelia

[Jomei 0]

The glow from his light source was just enough to see that someone had stopped and was looking up at him, though most of their features were still masked in shadow. His eyes strained as they tried to adjust to the darkness and see just who was peering up at him. There was an air of familiarity to them, but he could not figure it out, especially when looking at their silhouette.. while swinging upside down.

He could hear slight muttering, but couldn't make out what they were saying. Perhaps they were trying to formulate a plan to help the ginger down. "It-Its strong web, but should cut easily. I can't grab my sword or else I wou-"

 “Yeah, hey! Sir? Can you stay still for a second? Lemme just…"

Jomei could recognize the glimmer of a player's personal menu as it opened in front of them. Good, looked like they were trying to pull out the right tool for the job and... was that a camera? His expression dropped when he finally realized exactly what was going on. His body gently swaying back and forth like a slow moving pendulum, not able to do anything except to accept his fate. 

"Did you get my good side, yeah? Are we about done having a laugh? .. Now, if you wouldn't mind giving me a hand."

[Cordelia 0]

After sending the image of a tied-up Jomei to a couple of her close friends, following a message along the lines of “who the fuck is this,” Cordelia finally turned her attention back to the elusive man she might’ve forgotten the name of. “Which side is your good side?” she asked thoughtfully, pulling up the image again. Her eyes narrowed as she squinted at the albeit, poorly taken picture. Yeah, she thought, grimacing as her fingers swiped it away, definitely didn’t get the good side. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Cordelia called, hand grasping the hilt of her katana before she pulled it out of its saya. “I’m coming. Just don’t move too much!” Her eyes shifted over to a nearby wall. In a flash of white, she dashed towards it, the soles of her feet crunching against the cave soil as she propelled herself off of the floor and then onto the wall. Sword outstretched, she performed a vertical slash that very, fortunately, missed Jomei’s body by a hair. The webs tore cleanly, falling away as they abruptly released Jomei. 

However gracefully or ungracefully the other player landed, Cordelia dropped to her feet with a satisfied hum, sheathing her katana back in its scabbard cleanly.

"So." Amused eyes looked at him from over her shoulder. "How did you get stuck in that situation?"

[Jomei 0]

That picture was definitely getting sent out, no doubt about it. Jomei could only hope that he didn't have many mutual names on their friends lists, else he'd never live down this embarrassment. He would sigh softly to himself as he waited a short couple of moments for her to close out her menus and begin her actual rescue .. which took not even half as much time as it took for her to take the picture and spread it to her friends. With some deft footwork and a precise strike, the webbing had been slit, and Jomei could feel the silky threads continuing to tear. Freeing his arms first, the rest of the web unraveled, forcing the man to tumble through the air as to not land flat on his face. Twisting his legs and pulling his chest towards his knees, he would right himself just in time to land in a squatting position on the balls of his feet. 

Taking in a breath of stale air, he took a moment for the 'blood rushing to the head' feeling to go away before slowly rising to his full height. "Yuck.." he groaned as he began to brush off loose threads that had clung to his clothing and hair, "disgusting.." He could feel her gaze from over his shoulder as she housed her blade, the smirk on her lips apparent by her voice. Wiping his chest once more, he would turn his body to face her. Familiar still, yes, but her appearance was definitely unlike anyone he had met before. It would not have been the first time an old acquaintance showed up with an entirely new look. Finding themselves or freshening it up, either way Jomei could respect that.

"Spiders... Large, Spiders. Lots of them." The adrenaline finally wearing off, and the common phobia settling in, he would push out a heavy breath from his lungs as he bent forward, hands on his knees. "I've fought zombies, dragons, anything in this God forsaken world with no issue." he would stand back up brushing a hand through his hair, "But spiders still make my stomach churn... nasty fuckers.." A much smaller breath this time, and Jomei found himself composed once more. "Anyway, thank you.. I really don't know how I would have gotten out of that mess if you didn't show up." His eyes narrowed as he continued to look over the woman, before finally breaking the silence with the question that had been eating at his mind. "We've met before, haven't we?" he would place a soft hand on the center of his chest, "I'm Jomei..... Noodle Shop on Floor Four?" he asked, taking a small step forward. 

[Cordelia 0]

Cordelia’s nose wrinkled, and she visibly shuddered. “That’ll do it,” she said. While far from considering it a phobia, she preferred to steer clear of anything with more than four legs. Anything with more than that was bound to be trouble– trouble that she did not want to deal with. 

Upon the mention of her shop, she blinked dumbly. Then a rush of memories flooded her head, and she suddenly gasped. The ginger hair. The green hood. “Oh, you’re Baldur and Mac’s friend!” she exclaimed, eyes widening. The day Jomei must’ve been talking about was far in the distant past, so her memories of it were a little fuzzy– but she distinctly remembered the chaos that followed Baldur when he emerged into her shop… chaos that came in the form of Macradon. She didn’t exactly remember how Jomei fell into the mix, but seeing how she had to cut him down from a giant spider’s web, Cordelia didn’t doubt he only added to the shenanigans. "It's been a while since we've seen each then," she began with a smile, "and I'm Cordelia if you don't remember." Because I definitely didn't remember you at all. She hasn't really seen Baldur nor Macradon recently either, and even before getting stuck in that stupid slime, she had mostly kept to herself for a while. 

"So what are you doing down here?" she asked idly, arching a brow. "Cave spiders aren't too uncommon on this floor, so you don't sound like you'd come down here willingly."

[Jomei 0]

Cordelia. Finally a name to put to the face. A name that, thinking on it, he did not remember in the slightest. In one ear, out the other, when he first heard it. Maybe it was because the two hadn't even said two words to each other, except for maybe a noodle order. He wouldn't admit it, but he probably lumped her in with NPCs based off of that brief shopkeeper-customer meeting. 

"Yes! Right! I remember now. It was on the tip of my tongue." he awkwardly laughed. "Yeah, it has been awhile then. Probably would have seen you more often if Baldur, Mac and I held through on our dinner meeting plans." 

A bummer, really. He would have enjoyed making better friends with Baldur and Macradon.

"Like I said.. a cave spider on its own might send a chill down my spine.. but its doable. This was a dozen, maybe more. Some bigger and hairier..." he shuddered at the mere mention of the hairy ones. Disgusting. "But I'm going to be honest with you.." his eyes looked off past Cordelia, staring at nothing in particular. A gloved hand scratched at the hair on the back of his head, knocking a couple leftover webs loose. "With that whole.. debacle, I don't even remember." It was embarrassing to admit, but the fear that the spiders instilled in him - followed by almost falling into, what could have been, the endless abyss - really short circuited his short term memory. Tapping the side of his temple with an index finger, as if that would jog his memory, he took it upon himself to open up his menus to see if past Jomei left future Jomei any clues. 

Simply enough, he saw the contents of a job listing copied into a message sent to himself. A quest, perhaps. Good enough reason as any to visit a floor like this. "Ah, here we go. Looks like I was coming here to response to a posting I saw on the job board. Someone in Kalanaes reaching out for help from 'surface dwellers' .. guess they mean players like us." Swiping a hand to dismiss his menu, he looked over at Cord. "There aren't many quest listings up on this floor, as far as I know. You wouldn't happen to be heading in the same direction, would you?"