[SP-F9] Keeping a Friend (Completed)

[Tyger 0]

"Icarus, c'mere."

 

Tyger called for her familiar, who was currently staring at one of the swords for sale on the wall with a mischievous hunger. The familiar turned his head, collar jingling as the multiple scales clinked on his neck. After blinking a few times, the dragon padded over to Tyger's side, sitting down obediently at her feet. Without a word, Tyger opened the door to the Forge, and allowed the dragon inside. Dutifully, the dragon slipped into the forge without a word. The player closed the door behind them, and prepared to craft for the day. However, in the corner of her eye, she saw the familiar sigh and hang his head. What..?

[Tyger 0]

"Icarus, are you okay?"

 

Tyger asked, putting down the Tiger's Paw, the hammer she used for crafting. The familiar glanced around the room, practically ignoring her. After a few moments, he then sighed once more, falling onto the ground with an unceremonious plop. Icarus's eyes were tired, and distant. Every time Tyger tried to meet them, Icarus would look away or turn his head to avoid eye contact. Even his hard body seemed soft and easily scratched. The fires that burned within his body didn't seem as bright, and the creature just looked... destroyed. It worried Tyger more than she realized at first.

 

"Buddy, seriously, what's wrong?"

[Tyger 0]

The dragon licked at his lips and turned his head to the side. Was Icarus… mad at her? Tyger ran through the events of the day, just to see if she'd truly upset the creature. No, she woke up and Icarus had heated up a bath for her, and then Baldur. She made breakfast, and gave Icarus some as well. After that, they went adventuring on one of the floors, and Icarus had helped dig up some mats. After that, they met a few players on their way back home. They ported back to the first floor, and then walked to the house. They got back here, and got ready to do some forging. So, why was the familiar upset with her?

 

"Did I do something wrong? How can I fix it?"

 

Despite her question, Icarus remained silent. His tail refused to wag, and his body just continued to dim like a dying forge. Tyger narrowed her eyes and continued to think, while watching the familiar. Is he sick?

[Tyger 0]

Icarus stood up, turned around, and plopped back down with his tail facing Tyger. Well. That uh, is quite the statement. Looks like I'm on my own for this. Reluctantly, Tyger walked past the familiar and to the door. She opened it up, feeling the cool breeze from the story lobby, and left the Forge. It seemed a good idea keeping the door open for Icarus for whenever he decided to come back out. Instead of going upstairs to rest, Tyger sat down on the desk and racked her brain. Was it… because she spent time with Baldur today? Icarus liked Baldur, so that couldn't be it. Was the creature feeling taken advantage of? Did Icarus feel underappreciated? After a few moments, Tyger figured that must be it. It was likely; Tyger and Baldur used him for everything. Material hunting, forging, even the little things like lighting fires and helping greet customers. Geeze, after Tyger got her familiar, everything had become a joint effort, but had she thanked him?

[Tyger 0]

"I'm going out, Baldur. I'll be back in a bit. Give Icarus some space."

 

The ginger called behind her as she walked towards the door to the outside world. Baldur was probably doing Merchant stuff, so she wasn't going to stay around and explain everything. He was busy, and couldn't do anything about it at the moment anywas. But, Tyger could, and she would. Tyger closed the door to the shop, letting Icarus stay in the house by himself. He'd probably end up going upstairs to sleep on the bed, getting coal everywhere. Oh! That was another thing. Tyger had fussed at him for getting coal on a stranger that didn't necessarily want any smudges. A reluctant thought, but something necessary all the same. The dragon had been slightly upset, despite Tyger training him to refrain from getting too excited and messing people's clothes up. Maybe she could figure something out on her walk. The door to the Catfish locked behind her, and she took to the teleportation portal.

[Tyger 0]

"Floor 9."

 

Okay. Goal for today. Find something to give to Icarus to show him I appreciate him. Secondary goal, figure out a way to let him be affectionate without getting things everywhere. Tyger ran through her list as the portal sent her to the 9th floor. How'd she know, aside from asking to go there? The heat assaulted her face, and her clothes under her armor immediately stuck to her body as she began to sweat. Joy. Stepping off the platform was easy enough, despite the rocky terrain that began from the portal and traversed across the entire floor. It only got worse the deeper and closer you got to the Volcano. The town wasn't as rocky as the wilds of the 9th floor were, and with the defeat of the floor boss, it was a refreshing notion to know that it was a bit safer. People had conquered what plagued this floor. She could conquer it while conquering the tasks at hand. 

[Tyger 0]

Her metal scraped together as she bent down to run her fingers across the ground. There wasn’t much dirt, mainly rock and dust. It matched the city perfectly. Metal, sheen buildings without much fluff or distraction from what they truly were. This floor was a giant, molten rock. And, that's why she liked this floor. Nothing about it was sugar coated. It was rough, rugged, and hard. And everything in it matched the same vibe. All… except Icarus. Looks like I found a soft rock among the hard. She thought to herself. Icarus isn't some parakeet locked away without any personality. He's sensitive. He has thoughts, feelings, a heart, just like I do. And i've gotta find a way to show him that I appreciate him, so... here I am. 

 

"Icarus, so what do you think about goi-"

 

She paused, stopping mid stride. Icarus wasn't here. A chilly feeling overcame her. He was at home, upset with her. Duh. Tyger'd gotten so used to him being there that it never even crossed her mind when she began to speak out loud. Gosh, how awful of a beast tamer was she?

[Tyger 0]

Geeze, Icarus. Sometimes I wish you could talk and tell me if you were feeling underappreciated. I'm sorry. Tyger groaned to herself, kicking rocks here and there as she passed them.

 

"Gah, i'm so dumb. What do familiars like? Peanut Butter? Toys? Snacks?"

 

Angrily, she vented her frustrations in little growls or snarky remarks here or there as she sauntered through the 9th floor as if she owned it. She wasn't paying attention to aggro zones, so of course, her luck would have it, one of the rocks had beamed a fiery creature in the side, causing it to immediately attack. She couldn't tell what kind of creature it was, but only that it was covered in flames, and was possibly made of rock. There wasn't much she could do, the creature was already on her, biting her arm. She feebly attacked it, sword nicking it's side, but not enough damage to deter it from attacking again.

 

____

 

ID 9431, BD 5+2=7, MD 10

(Icarus is not present, so his stat buff is not calculated)

 

Tyger deals 6 damage, Fiery beast deals 3 (2 mitigated)

 

Tyger - 30/31

Fiery Beast - 10/16

[Tyger 0]

Using her shield as a launching pad, the beast jumped away from Tyger before she could do anything to it. But, Tyger wasn't about to let the fiery behemoth, whatever it was, get the better of her. She rushed forward, sword high and ready for a poised strike. The line from her weapon drug down the beast's side, practically blending in with the fire that rippled and crackled off it's skin. Surprised, the beast attempted to swipe at her, but the shield blocked well enough this turn to save her from damage. The familiar tingling sensation from her battle healing restored a hit point, causing her to smirk to herself. At least this wasn't going poorly, eh? Maybe this fire beast would drop something neat for Icarus to chew on.

 

ID 9433, BD 6, MD 5, CD 11

(Icarus is not present, so his stat buff is not calculated)

(Battle Healing Activated, +1 HP)

Tyger deals 6 damage, Fiery Beast Misses.

 

Tyger - 31/31

Fiery Beast - 4/16

[Tyger 0]

The fiery beast snarled, features concealed with licking flames. She could see fangs though, and wondered how a familiar like this would function with a tamer. Never being able to hold, pet, or be close to their tamer, and vice versa. Once more, even just watching the way the Beast paced back and forth like an agitated animal, Tyger was reminded about how lucky she was with Icarus. Not that she doubted it. But, her familiar did at the moment, so she was going to do her very best to make sure he felt loved when she returned.

 

"Hey, you're stalling a tender moment. Let's finish this."

 

She growled to the beast, receiving only a growl in return as they jumped to meet blades. Tyger dodged the fiery claws, but the same couldn't be said for the beast. In a few seconds post slice, the beast exploded into shards of light.

 

ID 9440, BD 4+2=6, MD 6, CD 11, LD 2

(Icarus is not present, so his stat buff is not calculated)

(Battle Healing Activated, +1 HP)

Tyger deals 8 damage (+2 Thorns) Fiery Beast Misses.

 

Tyger - 31/31

Fiery Beast - 0/16 Drops 1 mat

[Tyger 0]

After the combat ended, Tyger was left stranded, alone once more in the fiery floor. Her breath soon slowed from the ragged gasps from combat, and her heartbeat slowed until she was back to 'normal.' 

 

"And to think, that thing was nothing like Icarus. And yet, they came from the same floor."

 

She remembered the giant Magma dragon that was probably kin to Icarus, and wondered where she might find some of those. But, before she could go to where she'd found the little dragon in the first place, another unwelcome mob had joined the fray. This time, it was a hellhound. An ugly beast indeed, with dark red fur and a 'devil's tail.' A gaping maw with rows and rows of teeth. Before she could let the beast get the better of her, she charged forward and struck a decent blow, knocking it's HP down a peg or two. The hound tried to bite back, but missed.

 

"You're nothing like Icarus, either."

 

ID 10401, BD 5, CD 9, MD 3

 

Tyger - 31/31 (Deals 7 Damage)

Hellhound - 9/16

[Tyger 0]

The hellhound snapped it's jaws, hungry for something to eat that wasn't rock, more than likely. What did hellhounds eat? The souls of poor players that wandered up here without care or remorse? Whatever it was, it wasn't about to be Tyger.

 

"Tell me, do you know where to find the little charcoal dragons?"

 

Tyger asked the hound, but it merely snarled and snapped it's jaws again as it attempted to fake her out for an attack. Instead, Tyger slammed her sword down on the hound, causing it to yip in pain. 

 

"I'll ask again. Know where to find them?"

 

The hellish fiend attempted to retaliate, but to no avail.

 

ID 10421, BD 10, CD 6, MD 2

 

Tyger - 31/31 (Deals 8 Damage)

Hellhound - 1/16 (Bleed Applied, -1 0/2)

[Tyger 0]

The wound she'd left on the hellhound refused to disappear, meaning that Tyger had managed to strike some bleed damage, which was nice. The hound looked as though it wanted to attack, but it wasn't going to get the opportunity. Tyger watched as the bleed damage took effect, and smiled when it was enough to destroy the mob without her influence. The creature disappeared without so much as another growl.

 

"... Well then."

 

Tyger sighed and sheathed her sword, attempting to remember the route she took to find Icarus in the first place.

 

 

ID 10403, LD 13

 

Tyger - 31/31 (Deals 8 Damage)

Hellhound - 0/16 (Bleed Applied, -1 1/2) (Drops 1 mat, 80 Col)

[Tyger 0]

So, Icarus was feeling underappreciated. What could she do to make him not feel that way? She wanted him to know that she loved him just as much as any real pet she'd had, despite that this was just a video game. She could change up the way she treated him, for one. And, if she could figure out a way to help him be a little less messy, that'd help with the scolding too, as it was truly his fault. Unless he did it on purpose, which she was trying to break him from doing. 

 

"I've never had to do this in the real world, but he's just so sweet and I love 'em to death. I mean, how to you please a familiar in this game?"

 

Perhaps going back to where she found him would help.However, on the way, she couldn't help but notice the strange rocks she'd find and kick. They looked oddly like the rocks Icarus had been gnawing and playing with, so perhaps she could take them and use them as ore, since Icarus tended to eat her mats.

 

ID 10408, LD 19

 

+1 Material

[Tyger 0]

Giant Footprint crater, aptly nicknamed by Tyger, was where she'd found Icarus, yes? She'd kicked the little molten rock, and she'd managed to attract the familiar that way. So, she stood in the massive footprint and thought. The little rock Icarus had been playing with was still there, so she shoved it into her inventory. It had no value, but it could help her think of something sweet for the familiar. 

 

A hideous growl echoed from the magma pits beside her, as the Mother Magma she'd fought before emerged, boiling hot and hissing. It spat Magma at her, which seared through her armor and bit at her skin with intense heat. 

 

"Yowch! Not you again!"

 

She growled, unsheathing her sword and readying her shield. She gave a quick slice to the Magma as she charged, dealing a good bit of damage back at it, while giving it something to bleed about.

 

ID 10409, BD 10, MD 10

 

Tyger - 29/31 (Deals 9 Damage, 6 base +1 Charge +2 Crit)

Mother Magma - 19/30 (Deals 6 Damage, 4 Mitigated) (Bleed Damage, -1 0/2)

[Tyger 0]

The Magma dragon studied Tyger with angry eyes as it studied the player. It almost looked scorned, as if Tyger had stolen it's baby. Which, in truth, she had.

 

"Look. I know you're mad, but I need help. Icarus, uh, your coded dragon baby thing, is upset with  me, and i've gotta make him feel better somehow."

 

Mother Magma paid no heed, or at least it appeared that way as she tried to strike out at Tyger. Instead, she was met with a painful shield. The dragon hissed in anger, and retreated back a few steps, narrowly missing Tyger's strike. The bleed damage seemed to be taking it's toll as well.

 

ID 10410, BD 1, MD 7-2=5, CD 12

 

*Battle Healing +1 HP

*Both miss

 

Tyger - 30/31 (Thorns Damage, +2)

Mother Magma - 16/30 (Bleed Damage, -1 1/2)

[Tyger 0]

The Magma dragon seemed to consider Tyger's words, although the smoke drifting out of it's nostrils, and the offensive pose it retained made Tyger think twice about trusting the creature. The head of the dragon faked to the left, while it's tail swept from the right to catch Tyger off guard. A quick jump left Tyger in the clear, and the back of the dragon facing Tyger. Taking her chance, Tyger closed her eyes and concentrated as she jumped forward to scrape her sword down the stony, hard body of the dragon. It hissed angrily, and turned it's body back to facing Tyger. It wouldn't make a silly mistake such as that again.

 

 

ID 10477, BD 3+2+1 Concentration = 6, MD 1, CD 9

 

*No Battle Healing

 

Tyger - 30/31 (Deals 6 Damage)

Mother Magma - 9/30 (Bleed Damage, -1 2/2)

[Tyger 0]

With the duo facing eachother once more, Tyger growled in frustration.

 

"Why won't you just help me?" 

 

Her eyes would've burned holes into the Magma Dragon if it weren't already made up of fire and charcoal. The dragon merely snorted more smoke and fire before lashing out at Tyger once more in the same fashion. Having to use her shield this time, Tyger managed to block the attack and get the tail of the angry mother away from her, giving it a good hack before sending it back. The dragon sat there momentarily, before ceasing to create the magma in her body. Was she giving up?

 

ID 10478, BD 7, MD 5, CD 7

 

*No Battle Healing

 

Tyger - 30/31 (Deals 6 Damage)

Mother Magma - 3/30 

[Tyger 0]

Tyger's frustrated plea seemed to hit somewhat of a soft note with the dragon. Despite it's feelings toward the player, Tyger could see the gears practically turning in the dragon's head. However, when Tyger let down her guard, the dragon's tail lashed out once more at the girl, causing her to jump back in pure fear. The reaction seemed to give the dragon more amusement than anger at missing once more. Tyger attempted to stomp on the tail of the dragon, but Mother Magma moved it at the last moment. Typical... 

 

"Look. I don't have to kill you, ya know."

 

Tyger shrugged, and took a few steps back to show she didn't feel the need or want for the material the Mother would drop. However, Tyger's feelings wouldn't change the fact that the Mother Magma was a mob, and was going to defeat or be defeated.

 

ID 10711, BD 1, MD 2, CD 8

*No Battle Healing

 

Tyger - 30/31 (Deals 6 Damage)

Mother Magma - 3/30 

[Tyger 0]

Finished with this battle already, Tyger lifted her sword and shield. 

 

"I can't change the way you think, dragon, but that doesn't mean i'm going to fall into the same pit that you have. Maybe Icarus left because he felt unappreciated by you? Who knows. But, you lashing out at him like that won't change a thing."

 

Tyger reminded herself that the dragon was coding, and sighed. Charging forward with a few hefty steps, Tyger drug her sword down the side of the dragon's hide, turning and jumping to avoid another magma pool the creature had spat. But, she wouldn't have to worry about it again, as it was over now. But, before disappearing, the creature raked off a bit of crystallized charcoal on it's side, dropping it as an item instead of having it disappear with the rest of her. Their eyes met before the dragon exploded. The material and loot box came up, and Tyger accepted before looking at the strange item. Perhaps Icarus would like them?

 

ID 10711, BD 5+2=7, MD 4, CD 1, LD 17

*No Battle Healing

 

Tyger - 30/31 (Deals 6 Damage)

Mother Magma - 0/30 (Drops 150 Col, 1 material)