[PP-F5] A Parable, and Concordat

[Kindling 0]

A splash of cold water was always a nice way to wake up to reality. Now for the second time here, though with much more poise. Kindling was knelt down, one knee just above the hardened sand and red rocks, cupping his hands together to bring the clear, unimpeached water of this oasis to his face once more. A brief respite from the warmth of the sun on his skin. Wiping any of the stray sand that danced in the wind from his eyes and face, as well as disspelling any of the adventurous water droplets that trailed down his face now as a result of that splash. When his eyes opened again, hands parted from his face, Kindling was met with his own image, staring back at him. Distorted, shimmering in the disturbed surface of the liquid. Was this a memorable face? One that would look good chiseled into marble? That others would look upon, and be inspired to be the same as him - to mimic his greatness, and to strive for more. 

"They don't have a choice." 
He spoke out loud to himself, with furrowed brows. Burying the tendency to look at his reflection and pick apart every minute flaw. Telling not just himself, but the world, that it didn't matter what it was he looked like, in the end. He would reach that destiny, and the others of the world wouldn't be able to deny their idol. The hero who saved them all, and was everything they wanted to be. His hand plunged forward again, this time with the water cannister in hand, to fill it up. Erasing his face in the ripples, hiding the want to do so under the guise of needing more water for the trip ahead. It was a fine enough excuse for his ego to ignore his thoughts.

He moved to his upright position once more, blue eyes scanning the area just as he had last time. Still, the fireflies of this secluded paradise eluded him. Just as they had gone in his real home, they seemed to be gone here too. The depictions of those mesmerizing lights dancing in a warm summer's night in media seemed like nothing more than pure fantasy now. A dead dream that Kindling had missed out on. What did bugs matter anyway? They were insignificant to his life. It was better to get moving.

From the top of a nearby set of flat rocks, Kindling looked out, his gaze facing Northwest. Having recently made this trek before, it seemed all too familiar now. The endless expanse of the sand, the rotating dust devils that generated and then lost steam within a few feet. Yet, his footprints were no where to be seen on the path. Nor any other mark made by the doubtless thousands who had walked this desert before. All of it had been washed away, forgotten by Floor Five, and it's expansive wastes. Another thing that didn't matter. He didn't need the sand to remember him. Only those who inhabit it. Even the denizens of this barren bed of nothing needed stories to tell each other.

A few swipes of his inventory produced a large, rectangular piece of parchment, rolled up on either side. He unfurled it, looking toward the Northwest, then held it up in front of his face. Lines and dots began to write themselves onto the paper, as though an invisible hand was charting the map in real time, ending in a highlighted red dot on his minimap. It was time to go find that rock again, to pay a visit to people who don't even know they're his acquaintances.  

------

Good time was made, compared to the previous whole day venture that it took him to get here before. The lack of sand sharks, inhibiting dust storms, and lack of awareness speeding things along. Kindling watched as that red dot waypoint no longer clung to the top left corner of his UI map, and began to move inward relative the arrow that represented him. This time, sunset as opposed to closing in on midnight. Predictably, there was a lot more activity as night approached, and the day began to cool down. The large rock had a flurry of activity. Distant figures gathered around small pits around the carved stone that stuck out like a thumb against the otherwise flat landscape. Dozens moved in and out of the pair of wooden doors, inlaid on the face that Kindling could see. For now, he kept his distance, assessing the situation. Far too many for him to take on alone, all at once. It was hard to know their exact numbers. If only he had thought to bring someone with some scouting ability along, or stealth. Get a way to get an exact count on the situation, or lure them out in groups. 

For now, he'd play it safe from this hill, safe in the knowledge that they likely wouldn't spot him from here. Watching, and waiting for a moment to strike at this group. Though how long that would take, was anyone's guess.

"Patience is a virtue."
He reminded himself quietly, crouched down, and settling in for a long watch of these ants masquerading as people. 

 

Spoiler

 

Kindling  | HP: 700/700 | EN: 86/86 | DMG: 18 | ACC:5 | EVA:4 | BRN-IM  | PARA-IM | BH:34 | HB: 27 | BLD: 48  | BRN: 28 | LD:4 | (Unhindered applied since it is not in sheet, giving +1 ACC, +1 EVA, +20 HP)                                           
Level 34 | Paragon 2 | Tier 4            

Equipment and Consumables                                                                     

Spoiler

 

All enhancements reflected in the stat block unless otherwise specified. I stoled this format from Acanthus.
Equipment
Weapon | Hand Of The Mountain | +2 DMG, +1 BLD
Trinket | Sahelanthropus | +3 Evasion
Trinket | Koga's Wallet | Holy Blessing 2 | Fireproof | Para-IM 
Consumables
Water Cannister (x1)
+20 HP (5*Tier) Out of Combat Healing.

Unused Inventory
Tier 4 Marked Dungeon Map (Said used in post, but that's just narrative, I will use it to enter the dungeon)
Spyglass (x3)
Water Cannister(x1)
Teleport Crystal (x1)

 

Abilities (Skills, Shifts, Masteries, Add-ons, and Mods)

Spoiler

 

Combat Mastery and Shift
Combat Mastery: Accuracy R3
ST Shift
Skills
Battle Healing R5
Unhindered
Addon: Precision
Mod: Detect (1/5)
Searching R4
Polearm R5
Addon: Ferocity

Extra Skills

First Aid R5         

 

 

 

 

Edited 3 hours ago by Kindling

[Hakai 0]

It was treasure time. Again. The ginger woman's hair fluttered behind her as she braved the sand and wind of the fifth floor. Usually she would pick a nicer floor for a treasure hunt, but she had gotten a tip about a dungeon with enough treasure to make the suffering worth it. Her black jacket with white fleece flapped around her waist where she had tied it, the article of clothing being a horrible choice for trekking through the sun scorched wilderness that made up the fifth floor. Her black crop top and blue jeans were only slightly better. Her fingers grazed the light brown cloth covering her mouth and nose, wrapped securely around her neck and shoulders. It would have been hard to breath without it, with all the sand particles flying around. 

From underneath the impromptu face covering, a diamond shaped, white and scaly head would occasionally emerge, forked tongue flickering out to taste the sandy air before retreating for cover behind the cloth. Hakai's deep amber eyes flickered over the shifting sand dunes, only stopping to alight on something very strange. Footprints in the sand. In this weather?

Her knee hit the ground with a thud, making a deep impression in the sand as she knelt in the searing hot sand next to the prints. They were rough and eroded, wearing away by the second in the wind. With the way they were disappearing, they had to be relatively fresh, and were heading in the same direction she was. Her fingers gently tugged the thin brown scarf down a little to take a closer look. She shook her head after a moment of staring. She couldn't get any information from these. With a grunt she stood up, the tracks fading before her eyes. Her treasure hunt was contested? She couldn't give this up, not after the sunburn she had already earned coming out this far.

----

She would kill for a cigarette. That was an expression, but Hakai would probably actually do it. She had quickly made her way out of the small sandstorm she had been in, following the tracks much more easily now that they weren't being covered up in front of her eyes. She was confident that she was approaching her final destination. All that was left to do was figure out how to approach the stranger she had been stalking. That was something she somehow hadn't considered up to this point. She yanked the cloth down from her face, taking in a breath of the much cooler evening air.

There was a similarly red-haired man up ahead, facing the other way. He was peeking over the top of a sand dune, seeming to be hiding from something, so she hesitated to call out to him. Hakai slowly approached, keeping her weapon sheathed and her hands visible, trying to show that she wasn't looking to start anything. "Hey." She called out softly, having gotten close enough to whisper shout. "What are you out here looking for?" 

She pulled a blank dungeon map out of her inventory, making sure to keep behind the sand dune. "I heard from a friend that there might be something special out here..."

Hakai | HP: 700/700 | EN: 88/88 | DMG: 21 | MIT:20 | ACC:1 | EVA:4 | BH:21 | BLD: 48 | PARA | LD: 9

Spoiler

Skills and stuff:

Spoiler

Searching (5)

- Reveal (Add on)

Lock Picking (3)

- Dismantling (Add on)

Battle Healing (3)

Katana (5)

- Stamina (Add on)
- <<Katana>> Focus (Add on)
- Precision (Add on)

Combat Mastery (3) - Damage

Cloth Armor (5)

- Athletics (Mod)
- Nimble  (Add on)

Extra Skills:

<<Concentration>>

<<Shatter>>

Equipment:

Spoiler

Limbo's Claw

Item Tier: 4
Item Type: Katana
Item Enhancements: 2 Bleed, 1 Paralyze
Description: A black katana with a scarlet edge

Item Name: Fur Lined Jacket
Item Tier: 4
Item Type: Cloth Armor
Item Rarity:  Perfect
Item Enhancements: 3 Evasion

Name: Finder's Lens +2
Item Type: Trinket
Tier: 1
Quality: Perfect
Enhancements: +3 LD

Consumables:

Spoiler

x1 Teleport Crystal

x4 Golden Keys

 

Edited 2 hours ago by Hakai

[Teion 0]

”Left!” The single word was all she needed. The ground was trembling, the sands shifting under Teion’s feet, and matching her call just a moment later, a geyser of desert erupted to the left of a purple-haired man in the distance. Teion stood in a battle-ready stance, her hands tight around the handle of her ivory-white axe. She waited for the right moment to move, the correct time to lead her partner’s strike. Emerging from the ground in an explosion of force was the rounded head of a massive, segmented creature–a sand wurm. The center of it seemed to splay open in a ring of thousands of tiny, jagged, malformed teeth like a gnarled garbage disposal. One might expect a roar or a screech to pierce the air as the giant monster breached and thrashed about in the open air, but the wurm was quiet, unable to emit such a battle cry.

It wriggled as its head swiveled through the air and its mouth heaved with a gasping-like motion. It was hunting. Teion’s eyes were sharp, and she snapped into action to make her move. She pulled her axe close and broke out into a run. She darted across the uneven sand with practiced steps that had walked these dunes hundreds of times before. She made to circle the beast rather than approach it head-on.

The monster took the bait. Its eyeless body seemed to track her movements in a slow, careful swivel before it deigned to strike. The sands shifted again as it made its move. Propelling itself up and breaking free from the ground with the rest of its length, the wurm launched through the air in a steady arc. Cardinal had calculated her speed, predicted her path, and the wurm’s huge maw was aimed directly for her as it dove down. Its form cast a dooming shadow over her, but she didn’t stop to gaze up at her would-be killer. ”Now!” She shouted.

------

Teion stood with the weight of her axe resting across the back of her shoulders and she brought a free hand up to wipe the sweat from her brow of a job well done. She held out a hand to invite Ryo for a high five while she caught her breath. ”That one-hit wonder build is really something.” She complimented. ”You’re taking that in to the front lines?” She only hoped those boss fights were so generous to allow Ryo that precious time he needed to build up to those devastating attacks.

A cool breeze graced them as the light of the sun began to wane and the sky was taking on a noticeable orange hue. She paused before she would dismiss the loot window still hovering in front of her, mulling over their next course of action. The pair had really only come out this way as a means of killing time. Wurm guts and sand-filled boots hardly made for a romantic evening. ”Should we head back now?” She was at a loss for any better suggestions.

Then something caught her eye. ”Wait,” She squinted at the bits of motion in the distance that she swore she was seeing. Something like a camp, or tents, or maybe just propped up tarps were real in her vision, and she pointed it out. ”That can’t be Saharda. And any players camping out here overnight would have to be out of their minds.” She remarked. She cast a glance to Ryo, trying to gauge whether his curiosity matched hers.

Teion attacks! ST-I vs Sand Wurm (-10EN)
ID#: 243261 | BD: 4+5=9  [Hit] | Teion deals 23*12 = 276 DMG

Quote

Teion | HP: 760/760 | EN: 80/90 | DMG: 23 | MIT:78 | ACC:5 | BH:42 | REC: 4 | LD:4 | QTY: 2
Ryo | ??

VS

Sand Wurm | HP: 315/591 | DMG: 136

[no active quest] Teion | HP: 760/760 | EN: 90/90 | DMG: 23 | MIT:78 | ACC:5 | BH:42 | REC: 4 | LD:4 | QTY: 2  NOTES   Hide contents   THREAD INFO   Hide contents equipped »Eclipse Edge (+3 ACC) »Amethyst Set (+48 MIT, +4EN Recovery) »Sun Spot (+2 Quality, +1 LD)   battle-ready inventory »Sand Armor Potion (Parry next attack) »Bottled Banshee Scream (Stun all enemies for one turn) »*Potion of Fallen Strength (+3 DMG, -9 MIT) »Banner of Command [3 Charges] (+1 ACC to your party until start of your next turn) »Teleport Crystal (1) skills »Axe R5 (+7 DMG) »Light Armor R5 (+30 MIT, -2 Stealth) »Battle Healing R5 (38 healing per turn) »Searching R3 (+3 LD, +3 Stealth Detection) »Charge (+3 DMG -1 ACC attack | 3 post CD | 8EN) addons »[Axe] Precision (+1 ACC) »[Axe] Ferocity (+2 DMG) »[Axe] Stamina (-2 EN) »[Light Armor] Resolve (+1 ACC, +40 HP) mods »Meticulous (+1 DMG) »Emergency Recovery (Heal 76 when brought below 190 | Once per thread | 10EN) »Night Vision (No penalties from low light/darkness) »Detect (+2 Stealth Detection, +1 LD to dungeons/labyrinths) »Bull Rush (Charge may stun instead) buffs Spoiler »

 

Edited 1 hour ago by Teion

[Ryo 0]

Another hot day on floor five. The sand was particularly irritating today, the high gusts of wind carrying loose particles into his mouth and eyes. Today was a farming day, Teion and himself set aside some time to wander the wonderful desert to kill every sand worm, bandit, and scorpion within a twelve mile radius. And this deep into the desert, they sometimes posed to be a challenge. Were it not for Teion's remarkable knowledge of this floor, he'd be lost for sure. And the denizens of this floor proving to be a hassle at times, it would've been awful. Thankfully, he had decent company.

He lay in wait perched upon a small rock. The worms in the area couldn't track him from this point, and that was the plan. Teion called out left, and Ryo adjusted himself dropping into a squat. Just like fishing, he told himself preparing for the signal. They had a few hiccups earlier that day, but with enough repetition and practice this was as easy as counting. The sand worm bore after her, it's body twisting and thrashing as it spat up dirt and sand. "Ittōryū-" Ryo started, signaling the start of his sword art. He blade, still in it's sheath, began to glow as it activated. And on his beloved signal, he leapt into the air. "Flying Tiger Strike!" He shouted, completing the sword art. His blade flashed and hummed through the air as it cut into the worm cleanly, severing nearly into two piece. Were it not for it size, he would have.

He landed in the sand, stumbling a bit as he sheathed his blade again. "I think that's the last of them in this area." He said, making a mental note of how many they had slain in the last few hours. "Wanna move back to the scorpions or go get a shower?" He asked, thumbing in the general direction of civilization. Ryo nodded. 'Yeah, this build is pretty good. But it could be better." He said, patting the katana on his hip. "I have a few things I need to get first, but it's the general idea of what I'm taking yeah." He said, answering.

Ryo squinted into the distance, trying to make out whatever city they were closest too, only to see what it was that Teion had mentioned. If only he had the tracking mod for his eyes, then he could at least go through his friends list and see if it was anyone he knew. Not that anyone he knew would be camping this deep into the desert. He looked over his lover and saw the look in her eyes. He let out a small sigh. "Let's go check it out, could be that someone needs help with something." He said, shrugging and shaking his head. He knew that look, and when it happened it was almost impossible to get her to not want to go poking around.

~~~

Approaching was a simple task, there was even a rocky outcropping to use as a scouting bluff. As the pair approached Ryo began to sniff the air, catching the faint scent of a campfire or two. And sure enough, looking out he could see a few plumes of smoke trailing into the orange and blue sunsetting sky. Squinting into the distance, and lit by the fire he recognized the outfits of the men. Bandits. He had run into a group of them a few days ago. He, a women named Nymoria, and his sister like cousin Acanthus had dealt with a bugged quest that decided to toss bandit after bandit at them. Ryo shrunk down low, attempting to hide his profile and motioned for Teion to do the same. "Bandits. Didn't think I'd see them this far out though. Thought they'd be closer to town." He said, trailing alongside the backside of a dune.

A few feet more he would notice two figures doing the same. He didn't recognize them, and they didn't have an orange crystal, both good things. Hopefully this wasn't more lost relatives. Ryo raised a hand, his palm outward in greeting. "Oi." He whispered. "We interrupting?" He asked, motioning over to the small crowd down below. "Because we can dip if we need to. We were just curious is all." He said, letting them know that he was with someone. Looking at the pair of people, recognition appeared across his face. "Oh hey, it's you!" He said in a loud whisper. "How did you like the chips?" He asked, genuinely curious.

------

<Quest Info>

Ryo | HP: 700/700 | EN: 102/102 | DMG: 21 | MIT:103 | BH:31 | REC: 8 | HM: 8 | BLD: 48  | PARA | LD:3  PARTY STATS Spoiler Ryo | HP: 700/700 | EN: 102/102 | DMG: 21 | MIT:103 | BH:31 | REC: 8 | HM: 8 | LD:3 Teion | HP: 760/760 | EN: 90/90 | DMG: 23 | MIT:78 | ACC:4 | BH:42 | REC: 8 | LD:3 THREAD INFO Spoiler equipped »Gin Kin (Damage | Damage | Damage) »Fierce Deities Coat (Mitgation | Mitigation | Recovery) »Accuracy Charm (Accuracy | Accuracy | Accuracy) battle-ready inventory » » » » » skills »Katana R5 »Heavy Armor R5 »Battle Healing R4 »Searching R3 » 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) »[Katana] Stamina (-2 EN) »[Heavy Armor] Iron Skin (+15 MIT, +45 HP) mods »Impetus (+1 DMG) »Emergency Recovery (Heal 10% when brought below 25% | Once per thread | 10EN) »Night Vision (No penalties from low light/darkness) shift » ST-Shift buffs » 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 16 minutes ago by Ryo