[F08-PP] No! Not the Flowers! <<Information Broker Society Rumor>>

[Theo 0]

Finally, time to be a tourist. The sweater loving player enters into the 8th floor town of Ellesmera to do some proper sightseeing within this forested floor. His eyes twinkle in awe of the beauty of this floor. The intricate waterways that transport the water to a variety of trees, flowers, plants, and animals that call this floor home. Theo begins running around the city, investigating the different sculptures that decorate the settlement. While Theo was not flush with col, he does gather a couple of fast snacks, attempting to try everything that he can get their hands on to try. It was at this moment that Theo spotted someone looking a bit.. shady? Theo was not entirely sure what was happening with this individual, but something definitely seemed a bit... off. Theodore decided to walk over to them to see what was exactly happening. The individual clad in a simple set of adventure's clothing with a black cloak looked up at the person, looking confused for a moment as to why this person was approaching them.

"Hi, you look shifty. What's up?" Theo is all smiles when interacting with this individual. Luckily for Theo, this activated the NPC's instant dialogue to reveal a rumor that caused Theodore immense stress.

Spoiler

The flowers at the Graveyard of the Willowed are starting to die. Since they're supposed to contain the souls of dead elves, that's an obvious problem. 

"You're telling me the plants are dying?!?! THE FLOWERS!" Theodore Statil's voice yells out across the city center of Ellesmera, a collection of elven citizens looking at them with a confused expression before continuing on with their business. The info broker, the one who told Theodore about this rumor, raises their hands in defense, taking a couple steps back. "This is what I heard, take that information for what you will," The individual quickly leaves, leaving the lower level individual to panic by himself. What-What do I do? They're fake flowers but THEY'RE REAL HERE! Oh god uh um uh okay maybe I ask people for help? I know TWO people so um, uh, okay maybe Teion? Wait no she may be busy and she isn't a big plant pe- Ryo? Oh I don't know what they think about flowers so like... yeah! Okay yeah it could be Ryo and me! Okay lets reach out to him.

Theodore opens his HUD screen, selects his friends list, and begins typing a message to Ryo.

Spoiler

To: Ryo
Message:
- Hi Ryo! It's Theodore for a couple of days ago. So, I heard some weird rumor about dying flowers??!!?!? This is very important to me to figure out so can you PLEASE help me? And anybody else you want to bring! The more the merrier!! Thanks!
~ Theodore Statil

Theodore hits send and sits on a bench, one of his legs bouncing with built-up panic. God I hope he shows up soon.
---
Battle Stats:

Spoiler

Theo - HP: 20/20 | EN: 20/20 | DMG: 1 | LD: 1 | SD: 1
Housing: N/A
Equipment: N/A
Battle Ready Inventory: (3) Starter Healing Potions (Heals 50 HP)
Skills
- Searching R1 [+1 LD per rank. +1 to Stealth Detection per rank.]

 

[Ryo 0]

"Master Ryo, once again I am asking you to wake up." Pennyworth the butler said loudly enough to demand attention. Ryo's slumber ended as he woke slowly, his long hair a unbrushed mess behind him. "Wha~?" He asked, half asleep. "No sleep again, Master Ryo?" Ryo shook his head, but gave a weak thumbs up. "I'll be fine. Thank for *ya~wn* for waking me." He said, a yawn interrupting his sentence. "Anything happen?" Ryo asked as he moved himself from his bed. "Nothing important to note. Other than Master Teion stopping by to inform us that she would be busy today. And that you weren't answering your messages." Ryo let out a groan of frustration. "Shit. I'll check my mail, and get dressed. Can I get some breakfast perhaps?" Pennyworth let out a sharp exhale, a sign of him laughing. "It would practically be lunch sir, but I suppose eggs are good whenever."

In the restroom Ryo brushed his hair and tied it up before opening his menu and looking at his messages. "Only 2 missed, that's not bad." He said to himself before looking at the recipients. He raised an eyebrow to seeing Theo's name in his inbox. That was Teion's friend he met a few days ago, right? The tall one in the sweater. Ryo nodded as he remembered who it was. Ryo quickly responded to the message.

Quote

Message Sender: Ryo
Recipient: Theo
Subject: Re: 

»Hey Theo! Honored you reached out. Let me know where to meet ya at and I'll see who I can wrangle.

And message sent. Ryo took a moment to look through his friends list, looking for someone to help with a flowers thing. Tei was busy today, and HDA seemed to be disbanded. He rubbed the bridge of his nose. Another thing he managed to muck up. However, he thought of one other person but had no clue how he would react. Regardless, he began drafting the message.

Quote

Message Sender: Ryo
Recipient: Jomei
Subject: Hey

»Hey there! Sorry for the long silence, been trying to work some things out mentally. Still am. Anyway, I've got a new friend who's needing some help with some flowers dying. If you're free to lend a hand that'd be great. I think he's taller than you. If you're busy I understand.

And message sent. His stomach dropped a bit further. He never did tell Jomei about what he did. He wanted to after the masquerade party, which felt like an eternity ago. Maybe? No. Ryo shook his head. He couldn't tell him, not yet anyways. Beside, Theo needed help and he came to him for it. Ryo returned to his kitchen, and began to eat his 'breakfast', waiting for the messages to come back in.

 

(Using Yui's Grace for this thread)

  

Ryo | HP: 625/625 | EN: 91/91 | DMG: 18 | MIT:91 | ACC:3 | BH:21 | REC: 3 | LD:2 [TIER LOCK] PARTY STATS Spoiler Ryo | HP: 625/625 | EN: 91/91 | DMG: 18 | MIT:91 | ACC:3 | BH:21 | REC: 3 | LD:2 Jomei | HP: 980/980 | EN: 136/136 | DMG: 21 | MIT: 44| ACC:3 | TAUNT | F-SPIRIT | EVA:4 | BH:54 | HB: 43 | VAMP-D: 108 | BLI: 32/-20  | LD:1 Theo | HP: 20/20 | EN: 20/20 | DMG: 1 | LD: 1 | SD: 1 THREAD INFO Spoiler equipped »Gin Kin (+9 DMG) »Fierce Deities Coat (+36 MIT, +3EN Recovery) »Accuracy Charm (+3 Accuracy) battle-ready inventory » » » » » skills »Katana R5 (+7 DMG) »Heavy Armor R5 (+40 MIT, -5 Stealth) »Battle Healing R3 (18 healing per turn) »Searching R2 (+2 LD, +2 Stealth Detection) » extra skills »Survival (Healing effects 10% more, immune to environmental effects) »Leadership R1 (Grants access to Leadership Arts, takes 2 Extra Slots) »Leadership R1 » » addons »[Katana] Focus (Minor Crit on BD 8, reduce DoT threshold by 1) »[Axe] Stamina (-2 EN) »[Heavy Armor] Iron Skin (+15 MIT, +45 HP) mods »Impetus (+1 DMG) »Emergency Recovery (Heal 62 when brought below 156 | Once per thread | 10EN) »Night Vision (No penalties from low light/darkness) buffs » Yui's Grace Used (+ 600% EXP for this thread) » Dining Room: "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. » Basic Kitchen: "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.) » Living Room: "Relaxed" - Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.

Edited January 2 by Ryo

[Jomei 0]

  

Jomei the emerald duelist

Spoiler notes Level: 34 | Paragon: 77 | Tier: 4(12)  Jomei | HP: 980/980 | EN: 136/136 | DMG: 21 | MIT: 44| ACC:3 | TAUNT | F-SPIRIT | EVA:4 | BH:54 | HB: 43 | VAMP-D: 108 | BLI: 32/-20  | LD:1        Equipment: Vicious Mockery : ACC II | Taunt | Blight  Fencer's Regalia - Trepidation: Vamp D II | HB | MIT  Token of Serenity: HB| EVA III   equipped Vicious Mockery Fencer's Regalia - Trepidation Token of Serenity battle-ready inventory Bizarre Antidote Smores EVA II Bingsu MIT III Teleportation Crystal Creme Brule ACC II 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: Concentration Survival   Parry Forgotten King's Authority Assault Mode  Lady Luck Meditation Mods Athletics Emergency Recovery Vengeful Riposte Justified Riposte Addons Stamina  Focus Precision Nimble Focused Howl data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== buffs Spoiler Housing Buffs 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)     Tasty: Turn 2 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Lesser Feast. Relaxed: Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts. Filling: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot. This can exceed normal Cook enhancement caps.  Multipurpose: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll Item Stash: +1 BRI slot Advanced Training: +10% EXP to a thread. Limit one use per month. Must be used on a player's first post in a thread. Cooldown begins counting down when used in a post. data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==

 

A wispy plume of steam rose from the top of the clay tankard, carrying with it the inviting smell of apple and cinnamon. Dancing just above the surface of the amber liquid, its ghostly dance carried away with a gentle breath that cooled the cider just enough to sip. He was starting to understand the appeal of cider over coffee, though it probably wouldn’t do as well of a job to wake him up every morning. Definitely a winner in the taste department though.

An autumnal medley of leaves crunched underneath Jomei’s boots with a truly satisfying sound. He slowly made his way along the path, following the slow, yet pleasant, pace of the townsfolk going about their daily activities. A board with various postings that stood outside of Glyndebourne’s City Hall caught his eye, and he would take a detour through the crowds to get a better look at it. Not the usual ‘adventurers wanted’ or player request posting, but plots of land for sale. He had been in the market for a new house, and the theme of Floor 28 really made him feel at home. Before he embarked on the venture into real estate, the ping of a message hitting his personal inbox caught his attention. Rather not keep them waiting.

A name he had not seen in some time, and even then unexpected; Ryo. 
His eyes followed the message as he softly mumbled the contents to himself. “Taller than me?” he would pause on, a curious tilt of his head followed.

Quote

 

Subject|| Re: Hey

»Hah, I know that too well. Good to hear from you Ryo. Flowers dying? Haven’t heard of that one before. Send me the details and I’ll meet you both there
// Jomei

 

 

[Theo 0]

"Hey Theo! Honored you reached out. Let me know where to meet ya at and I'll see who I can wrangle."

Theodore smiled brightly and began typing furiously, answering as fast as he could.

Spoiler

To: Ryo
From: Theo
- HIIIIIIIIII! Thank you so much! I am in the town center of Floor 8! Ellesmera to be exact! I'll see you soon, and anyone else you may bring around. Thanks!
~ Theo

The excitement in their body caused them to stand up, re-reading the message that Ryo sent him. Okay, not only am I not expected to give Ryu anything to be my friend, but he's ALSO willing to help me! And maybe bring people along! Maybe I'll become friends with this other per- OH THEY MIGHT BE A HIGH LEVEL!! Wait they probably are if they're friends with Ryu, Ryo? I'm not sure what he like- wait I'm not a high level and I'm his friend! Wait, am I his friend? I actually haven't ask- is that a weird thing to ask? Theo's thoughts began to divulge down an ever-branching path as he started to pace in a circle through the town center. A few of the local NPCs gave him a strange look, but didn't say anything to the pacing person.

"I have no idea how to investigate." The realization dawned on him as he was halfway through a thought about getting a house and becoming neighbors with Teion. "So, it's the Graveyard of the Willowed, which gives me no context personally, but these flowers contain souls of dead elves?! So something is draining their life fo- VAMPIRES?! no, maybe not that. Wait what if it IS vampires?! I haven't fought anything humanoid?! I don't think I'm ready for that type of moral commitment!" Theo's hands quickly open his inventory and equip his simple bow and arrow and his quiver. He quickly adjusts these on to his body and pulls an arrow out. "If the shaft is wood, does that count as a stake to the heart? Do these vampires work the same as real world vampires?.... I need to calm down, Jesus Christ." The realization that he has been at this for a couple minutes now finally dawned on him. "Lets... lets just wait for the rest of the party, shall we?" Theo question themselves and sat back down on the bench.

[Ryo 0]

Ryo hurriedly opened his messages as two pings went off. "Town Center, floor eight." He read softly aloud. He quickly sent a message to Jomei.

Quote

Message Sender: Ryo
Recipient: Jomei
Subject: RE: Hey

»Floor 8, town center. See you soon. :)

As he walked he opened his menu and checked his equipment. Yep, still not good. It didn't synergize with his build well. Not like it would matter too much, this was floor 8 after all. They should be fine. Theo was still entirely new to the whole exploring thing, so that may cause some issue. Ryo shrugged. With Jomei there it wouldn't be any issue at all.

On floor 8 Ryo didn't have to search very hard for Theo. "I swear Theo, you're are way too tall. You're like a building." He said to himself, as he closed the distance. "Yo!" Ryo said as he greeted Theo. "So, fill me in. What about these flowers dying?" He asked. Ryo sat down beside Theo and would listen to him speak. After he was done filling him in Ryo would speak up again. "The guy I invited is Jomei. Good friend of mine and Tei. He's tall, with red hair. Has a bit of an accent." He said, describing Jomei as best he could.

 

 

Ryo | HP: 625/625 | EN: 91/91 | DMG: 18 | MIT:91 | ACC:3 | BH:21 | REC: 3 | LD:2 [TIER LOCK] PARTY STATS Spoiler Ryo | HP: 625/625 | EN: 91/91 | DMG: 18 | MIT:91 | ACC:3 | BH:21 | REC: 3 | LD:2 Jomei | HP: 980/980 | EN: 136/136 | DMG: 21 | MIT: 44| ACC:3 | TAUNT | F-SPIRIT | EVA:4 | BH:54 | HB: 43 | VAMP-D: 108 | BLI: 32/-20  | LD:1 Theo | HP: 20/20 | EN: 20/20 | DMG: 1 | LD: 1 | SD: 1 THREAD INFO Spoiler equipped »Gin Kin (+9 DMG) »Fierce Deities Coat (+36 MIT, +3EN Recovery) »Accuracy Charm (+3 Accuracy) battle-ready inventory » » » » » skills »Katana R5 (+7 DMG) »Heavy Armor R5 (+40 MIT, -5 Stealth) »Battle Healing R3 (18 healing per turn) »Searching R2 (+2 LD, +2 Stealth Detection) » extra skills »Survival (Healing effects 10% more, immune to environmental effects) »Leadership R1 (Grants access to Leadership Arts, takes 2 Extra Slots) »Leadership R1 » » addons »[Katana] Focus (Minor Crit on BD 8, reduce DoT threshold by 1) »[Axe] Stamina (-2 EN) »[Heavy Armor] Iron Skin (+15 MIT, +45 HP) mods »Impetus (+1 DMG) »Emergency Recovery (Heal 62 when brought below 156 | Once per thread | 10EN) »Night Vision (No penalties from low light/darkness) buffs » Yui's Grace Used (+ 600% EXP for this thread) » Dining Room: "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. » Basic Kitchen: "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.) » Living Room: "Relaxed" - Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.

 

Edited January 2 by Ryo

[Jomei 0]

Another trip to the eighth floor, it would seem. A free hand would swipe away the message, leaving Jomei looking briefly at the flyers pinned to the posting board. Taking the bottom of one sheet in particular with his thumb and forefinger, he would yank the listing from the tack and dismiss it to his inventories. Some light reading for another time. Taking a much deeper sip of his hot cider, he turned heel and retraced his steps. Past the chatting townsfolk, the cozy cottages, the forever-autumn trees. As much as he wanted to stay and continue exploring the floor he had decided to call his new home, he was needed elsewhere. And who was he to turn that down. 

Now adorned in his combat gear, rapier and violin attached to his hip, and long cloak of green with gold tinted filigree - but steaming cider still in hand - Jomei stepped from the fading ring of blue into the Elven capital once more. It was not long ago that he was in this very city, in the days preceding the raid to unlock floor twenty nine, on the hunt for a hidden boss on this very floor. That time, the city was silent for ceremonial matters, but now the ornately carved streets were full of life. With every elf that he passed, he almost felt the need to bow. Each passerby as elegant as the last, holding their noses to the sky as they gracefully walked. Center of town; time to find Ryo. Shouldn't be too hard to find them, he thought to himself. Obviously no idea who his 'friend' was, so he'd have to rely on trying to spot the long, purple hair. 

Thankfully, Jomei was standing far enough from the meeting point that they could not hear the failed attempt to stifle a chortle. He had nearly forgotten that Ryo was a short king - but he looked even tinier compared to the giant of a man that stood next to him. Enough of that, he would clear his throat with a raised fist, they had business to attend to. 

"Hope I didn't keep you waiting long." he would say as he waved a hand in greeting. "Ryo, how have you been?" 

Turning his attention to the other man, Jomei could see what exactly Ryo meant in his message. With the tiniest tilt of his chin upwards, Jomei would extend a hand in greeting. "You must be Ryo's friend. I'm Jomei. Pleasure to meet you." 

[Theo 0]

The familiar voice of Ryo caused Theo to quickly stand up and turn to face the fellow player. "Hey! Thank you so much for coming! So yes, the flowers, vampires maybe? Pesticide gone wrong- wait are there pesticides in this game?" Theo paused, visibly pondering that question. "Well, that I don't know just yet, but yes! The flowers are apparently dying? Some creepy guy earlier told me and then.... wait where the hell did he go." Theo began to turn around quickly, searching for him. Instead of finding the rumor monger that led them on this journey, Theodore found an... Irish bard? Theodore looked back to Ryo, then to Jomei. 

"Hi! I'm Theodore, thank you so much for coming and being willing to assist with what is going on. Which is... It's hard to explain I guess?" He took Jomei's hand and shook it enthusiastically Theodore then began to tell Jomei and Ryo, again, about the rumor of dying flowers he received from a shady individual and how said is now no where to be found. "So, I've never been here before so all I know is that this floor is natured focused and inhabited by elves and... living plants? I heard someone mention a walking a tree, but I can't remember if that was said as a joke or said as something that actually happened or is happening." Theo shrugged. "I also am suspicious about there being vampires here, considering the flowers are dead people or souls and vampires like draining people of blood and their life.... could the flowers have blood? That would be creepy." He shivered at the thought. "Also, can someone point me in the direction of the graveyard? I don't know where I am going."

Whenever someone would point Theodore on where to go, they would start walking almost immediately, a determined look in their eye. "So, Ryo, how have you been since I last saw you? Oh, and Jomei, hi! Are you a frontliner as well? Are you a crafter? Tell me about yourself." He looked at the violinist with a bright smile. "Oh, and do you play many instruments? Or just the violin?"

[Ryo 0]

Ryo raised an eye brow. "Between you and me, I'm gonna hope it's vampires." He said, waving a hand. "Pesticides sounds kinda lame. Unless it's vampires USING a pesticide." Ryo said, his eyes going wide with the thought. "And it lines up with like, any vampire movie right? Weird mystery thing happens around town, then brave new hero with darkish brown hair appears wearing a cozy fit to investigate, then is told about weird rumors by a mysterious and dark stranger." Ryo explained. "I mean, it kind of lines up?" He said, thinking. "But if it's not vampires, then I don't know what else it could be. I didn't really pay attention to the lore of the floor." He said, rubbing the back of his neck. It was shortly after Ryo would spot Jomei making there way towards them. "Ah, here he is." Ryo said to Theo, breaking the conversation of vampires. 

"Yo! Jomei! Long time no see." Ryo would call out, raising a hand to his friend. "Theo meet Jomei. Residential bard and frontliner. Jomei, this here is Theo. He's new around here, turns out he's an old friend of Teion's Something about High School." He said. "What a small world." He commented. "Just got here myself, Theo thinks it's vampires and I'm inclined to agree." He said nodding confidently.  Ryo thought about the lay of the land.. "This area has a few quests about a Treant and Elf conflict right? Or at least, it's where it starts. Maybe that has something to do with it?" He thought aloud. "If it's not vampires, it's gotta be the elves right?" Ryo said thinking logically. He would be hard pressed to believe that the Treants would do anything to plants. 

[Jomei 0]

Theo greeted Jomei with a fresh enthusiasm he had not seen in some time. He could only chuckle as the handshake caught him a tad off guard. "Ah so an old friend of her's from outside? That's always a nice comfort not many find here." Jomei would smile sincerely between the two. "How is Teion doing by the way? Don't believe I've heard from her in just as long." he nodded towards Ryo. 

With introductions out of the way, they allowed Theo to go over what he had discovered - and his theories. Brows would lower with genuine curiosity over the lid of his cider as he took another sip. Vampires? As far as he recalled, he had never experienced a vampire on this floor, let alone in Aincrad as a whole. It wasn't out of the question though, and he was not too knowledgeable on the lore of this floor to know of any other options. "I've been to this floor a few times, never heard of any vampires before... but-" he rubbed the back of his head, as if trying to pinpoint the thought, "- It's entirely possible they may have shown up. There's so much life behind the scenes on all of these floors, things changing and shifting every other day. The war between the Elves and Treants, however, I'm not sure if that'll ever change. Maybe the destruction and negative energy from the endless fighting created some kind of rupture that they spawned from." 

"The elves are very connected to the nature here, just like the treants. Fighting over the woods is really the entire focus of it, so I doubt they would do anything to disrupt that balance and kill off the flowers. But, Theo is onto something with the graveyard. The elves here take death very seriously. They might not let any visitors in without probable reason.. but if they're just as worried about these dying flowers, then maybe its reason enough." 

"We may have to ask around for the cemetery.. can't say I've ever seen it. Any time I was here before I was just passing through, spent more time in Florenthia if I'm being honest." The group moved in search of the graveyard, or at least someone to point them in the right direction. Conversation was not scare, however, as Theo questioned Jomei about himself. "Aye, I fight on the frontlines." he smiled slightly, though his sigh sounded tired, "We just took down the boss guarding Floor Twenty Nine.. so looking forward to another little break before the next one. Not a crafter, but I took the performer profession." he would rap his fingers on the face of the violin on his hip, "Makes it easier to get access to instruments and a recording studio. I didn't start with the violin, I actually used a lot of my free time here to learn some other instruments. Its usually just for fun, but I've actually started using music in combat and it just feels.. right. What about you? Any exciting adventures you've gotten into since you stepped out into the world?"

[Theo 0]

Theodore opened his mouth to retort against Ryo's comments on being the brown-haired hero and his excitement about vampires existing on this floor when Jomei began talking about this floor in question. Just hearing the man discuss how there hasn't been reports about vampires on this floor before was putting his heart at ease to the point of ignoring the comments about how the floors change constantly.

The discussion based around the war caught his attention. "W-well, the war idea may have something. Maybe there is a specific wellspring the flowers are fed from. Maybe the flowers have other properties that us players don't know about?" He thought for a moment. "Oh! Chemical warfare!" He spoke those words a lot more excitable than the content would have suggested. "Maybe the treants are using some type of magic or chemical that is killing the flowers! Just like a pesticide." He threw a look at Ryo. "As for the asking around and getting in.... Umm that's a good question. Do the elves here have any sort of clergy or religion? If these flowers actually contain their souls, then that sounds like a religious thing to me. If there's like an elf pope maybe we can push to be allowed in on the premise of helping the garden?" He looked at Jomei, the man seeming to be the best expert on this floor.

Theo didn't fully notice the tired voice when discussing the frontlines. "You helped push us to the next floor?! That's so cool! I don't expect to ever go to the frontlines, so I normally just live through other people. So I'd love to hear all of your stories..... But also maybe another time so we can defeat the chemical warfare treants and or the flower killing vampires." He paused and thought for a moment. "Oh you also asked me another thing. I don't really have any stories. I only recently actually started doing stuff, so you're on the 'ground floor' of my development arc here." He laughed a little.

The player's eyes would catch a catherdral-styled building off in the distance, the spark of 'elf clergy' still in his head. "Hey, should we go there? Maybe they might have some idea of what to do next? What do you think Ryo? I know I'm sort of shooting down your vampire excitement... that's mostly because I'm petrified at the idea."

[Ryo 0]

Ryo smiled at the mention of Teion. "She's doing pretty well. She's finally starting to grow out of her 'Ugh, I live in the desert leave me alone' phase, so that's something." He said, mimicking Teion as he spoke. "But it's really nice to see her growing out of that shell." He said. "How Tel been? Oh, I know you guys should come down sometime. I'll cook everyone dinner and we can make it a double date." Ryo said, unfamiliar with the relationship that Jomei and Tel had. 

Dropping the conversation, Ryo listened to Jomei and Theo theorizing about what it could be. Jomei brought up the idea of a graveyard, agreeing with Theo's suggestion the plants being people. He held his chin and tilted his head in thought. He, really didn't know anything about the lore of the floor. "My col is still on vampires." He said smirking. 

Ryo spoke up. "If they do have a religion, I don't see it. The elves follow their queen and the court. The treants however do very much have a religion." He said looking around. He pointed to a few symbols and signs. "That's a royal symbol not so much a religious one. And the elves clothing doesn't suggest a major religion. For example, in Taft practically everyone dresses for their religion. Necklaces, differing symbols and colors, etc. But they also follow a general theme for the nobility. The elves here just follow the nobility." He said, trying his best to explain it. "The treants are a bit different. They don't wear clothes, or iconography, but they fight with a zealot like passion. Most likely over they worship the great tree." He said looking at the large overhanging leaves and branches above them.

Ryo looked over into the distance of where Theo mentioned. "It's a good as spot as any. We might end up doing some favours for them before being allowed to visit the graveyard. Perhaps if we open up with saying that we're trying to help it'll go easier?" He said, shrugging. "Besides, I still think it's vampires." 

Ryo | HP: 625/625 | EN: 91/91 | DMG: 18 | MIT:91 | ACC:3 | BH:21 | REC: 3 | LD:2 [TIER LOCK] PARTY STATS Spoiler Ryo | HP: 625/625 | EN: 91/91 | DMG: 18 | MIT:91 | ACC:3 | BH:21 | REC: 3 | LD:2 Jomei | HP: 980/980 | EN: 136/136 | DMG: 21 | MIT: 44| ACC:3 | TAUNT | F-SPIRIT | EVA:4 | BH:54 | HB: 43 | VAMP-D: 108 | BLI: 32/-20  | LD:1 Theo | HP: 20/20 | EN: 20/20 | DMG: 1 | LD: 1 | SD: 1 THREAD INFO Spoiler equipped »Gin Kin (+9 DMG) »Fierce Deities Coat (+36 MIT, +3EN Recovery) »Accuracy Charm (+3 Accuracy) battle-ready inventory » » » » » skills »Katana R5 (+7 DMG) »Heavy Armor R5 (+40 MIT, -5 Stealth) »Battle Healing R3 (18 healing per turn) »Searching R2 (+2 LD, +2 Stealth Detection) » extra skills »Survival (Healing effects 10% more, immune to environmental effects) »Leadership R1 (Grants access to Leadership Arts, takes 2 Extra Slots) »Leadership R1 » » addons »[Katana] Focus (Minor Crit on BD 8, reduce DoT threshold by 1) »[Axe] Stamina (-2 EN) »[Heavy Armor] Iron Skin (+15 MIT, +45 HP) mods »Impetus (+1 DMG) »Emergency Recovery (Heal 62 when brought below 156 | Once per thread | 10EN) »Night Vision (No penalties from low light/darkness) buffs » Yui's Grace Used (+ 600% EXP for this thread) » Dining Room: "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. » Basic Kitchen: "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.) » Living Room: "Relaxed" - Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.

 

[Jomei 0]

“Oh” Jomei would respond to Ryo, his voice cold. “We aren’t, uh, seeing each other anymore.” He would raise a gentle palm and shake his head, as if to stop Ryo before responding. “It was a mutual thing, kind of, and it was a while ago now. So I’m past it.” He should have expected the topic of his relationship with Telrenya to pop up at some point. When they met Ryo, the two were together and practically inseparable. There was no way he would have known they weren’t together anymore unless Tel mentioned it. With nothing else to say on the matter, he would brush it off and continue on with the group.

The bridge of his nose would scrunch up as his brow furrowed, a tight smirk painted on his lips. 
“Chemical warfare?” the words spoken with a small laugh, “Now that’s something you don’t hear everyday. Not mocking your hypothesis in the slightest, don’t get me wrong. Just interesting to hear. It’s entirely possible, but the treants are just as protective over the forest… Ironic that both sides are literally destroying the thing they’ve sworn to protect.” Olive eyes would meet the sharp gaze of elven passerbys, who looked disgusted and appalled that Jomei could suggest that the Elves were partially at fault. “But, best not point any fingers until we put together the story more. Would make it pretty hard to investigate if we weren’t welcomed anymore.”

A smile crept its way across his freckled cheeks. It felt nice to be recognized for what he did, let alone be revered for it. It made the constant danger he insisted on putting himself through a bit more worth it. “Of course, I’d be happy to share. Though, be warned, it’s not all epic battles and giant monsters. One time, I hadn’t even stepped into the boss room before some bastards stunned and kidnapped me.” he shook his head. “Not a weekend get-a-way I’d recommend, mind you. But again, like you said, another time.”