Oscar

"NPCs talk a lot of crap, to be completely honest. I'm sure it was just a pre-recorded line," came Oscar's reply. Not that it would help much. Clearly the NPC's words had struck a cord with Ceres. Possible abandonment issues? It was a common enough affliction. Probably some underlying anxiety that worsened the condition. Ceres didn't like fighting and, perhaps, being in such an situation placed her in a vulnerable state, thus lending more weight to the NPC's words. Oscar stretched out in his chair and shook his head. "Statistically, it's unlikely that you're going to die alone anyway. I think you're worried about no one missing you when you're gone. Which is just foolish." What an odd place to be contemplating mortality. Then again, death was an ever-looming threat in this game, so perhaps it wasn't so far out of left field. He let out a heavy sigh. It was definitely a morbid conversation topic, even considering that. "Besides, you don't have to worry about it Ceres. I'd miss you if you went and died on me." The most anyone can hope for is that they would have made enough of an impact for someone, anyone, to miss them when they died. If you want someone to hold your hand while you drift off into that good night, then you're probably out of luck. But if you want to be mourned, to be remembered. Well, that's easy. Oscar had had enough of confronting mortality for the day. Clearly, the only thing to do was to force something else to face its own mortality. He drummed his fingers over the surface of the table as his eyes darted over to Gatsly. Then an idea struck him. "Say Ceres, have you done The Venomous Warg quest?" He pointed over to the merchant wringing his hands in the corner. "Go talk to that guy. We're gonna go hunt us some wolves. And I'll prove to you that you have nothing to worry about." @Ceres

Oscar and Benjamin ventured down to the forest floor. As they walked, Oscar looked at the quest requirements. Apparently, they had to track down the boss before they would be able to fight it. Which meant they would, concievably, be stuck on the forest floor for an extended period of time. Plenty of time for the Monkey King to make an unwanted appearance. Rather annoying, really. But, Oscar felt more comfortable having Benjamin around. The dude could heal. Plus Oscar would probably perform better if he had someone else watching. "You know, I really don't even bother keeping my Uncommon crafts. Sometimes, even keeping the Rares is pushing it. But I have a few enhancements that I can apply that can only have two slots maximum, so it works out. Probably would get more if I took them to a merchant, but it's really not worth the effort. Especially considering my shop isn't even my best Col generator." He pointed back to Chaos Eater behind him. "I get more Col from killing four mobs than I think I've ever obtained via my shop. AoE in this game is busted." ID: 134438 Searching for Kumatetsu LD8 Fail. @Benjamin Bookworm

Oscar nodded in agreement with Arabelle's observation. Surely if Oscar wished to go home, he would find himself transported to his manor on Floor Seven. The NPCs of this game were certainly life-like, but it was doubtful that they would know what Oscar meant by "home." There's always the risk of being killed if the NPC attempted to forcibly log me out. A rather morbid observation. One he quickly cast aside. Trapped though he was, it was still Christmas. This was no time to be thinking about death and dying. He draped his arms around Cordelia and Arabelle's shoulders. No small feat considering their difference in heights. "C'mon ladies. I noticed there was eggnog floating around. Eggnog means rum. We're getting drunk tonight." Doubtful. Oscar didn't even like eggnog. But this quest for inebriation would inevitably lead them on a journey together in which they could enjoy the festivities and be filled with the holiday spirit. And then, just for one night, they could forget they were prisoners in this game. @Arabelle@Cordelia

MANTICORE MASK ACQUIRED

Oscar didn't make it very far out of town before the thieves were upon him. Apparently, these dudes were attracted to Ali like flies to [censored]. Oscar readied Chaos Eater and sized up his enemies. They covered their faces with masks, as to be expected. Couldn't have any witnesses to their larceny, after all. They were also all rather tall and lanky, which lent itself well to their weapon of choice. They weren't about hitting hard. Instead, their energies would be focused upon finding openings and stabbing at weak points. Oscar would make sure not to give them any. Quick as a flash, he rushed in. Chaos Eater glinted in the sunlight as he cleaved through the thieves, killing one of them outright. Its companions stepped forward, their daggers raised. But Oscar was already gone when they brought their weapons down to penetrate his flesh. He had somersaulted over their heads and landed nimbly behind them. If they had the capacity for learning (they didn't, being NPCs) and would survive this encounter (they wouldn't, Oscar was annoyed), this would be an important lesson for them. Cardio isn't all it's cracked up to be.

"Have you heard," he began, his eyes darting back and forth as if checking to see if there were any people prying into their conversation. There wasn't. The tavern was mostly populated with NPCs milling about on their preset paths and tasks. Nevertheless, the man's actions gave off an air of suspense and tension. Once the NPC was seemingly satisfied that there were no eavesdroppers, he continued. "They say that those bandits have tamed a legendary being, some strange mixture of a lion with the wings of a dragon, and the tail or a scorpion. They captured it from the other side of Nimbus, high up the mountain." Oh boy. So not only did Oscar need to tussle with those thieves again, but he also had to deal with a boss. Fun, he thought. Ali then asked Oscar to check it out, just as he thought the man would. Wouldn't be much of a quest otherwise. At that moment, the quest prompt popped up. Oscar tapped the green circle and headed out of the tavern. Nimbus was a fair distance away. Definitely well out of his usual route. But once you've trekked one mountain, you've pretty much trekked them all.

It didn't take Oscar long to arrive in Deepedge. As much as he would have loved to bring Cordelia along on this adventure, he felt like it would wind up being a waste of time for her. Something told him that the previous Arabian Nights quest had to be cleared before one could undertake this one. He didn't know if she had it cleared, but somehow he doubted it. Otherwise he'd hear her complaining more about how garbage Katana cleave damage was. So, Oscar entered the Drunken Crane and scanned the area. Ali saw him enter and threw up his hand, beckoning the tall blonde man over. Oscar strode over to the man and sat down opposite him, admittedly eager to hear what the man had for him. For a long moment, there was silence between the two of them. It was as if Ali was hesitant to even mention this to Oscar. Finally, the man cleared his throat and looked Oscar dead in the eye. There was a determination in his gaze that immediately caught Oscar's interest.

Oscar awoke one morning to a PM from Ali. He vaguely remembered the quest in which he rescued the NPC's brother from some bandits that had captured the poor fellow. Apparently, the man wished to meet on Floor Seven this time, at the Drunken Crane. Oscar wasn't all too familiar with this particular establishment, but then again, he didn't spend a huge amount of time in Deepedge. Nevertheless, given the man's close location to his home, it was worth checking out. At the very least, this would lead into a quest which would result in some much-needed SP. He was right on the cusp of Tier 3, so close that he could almost taste it. Any sort of boost at this point would be extremely welcome. He gathered his things and headed for the door, careful not to wake Cordelia. He left after giving her the softest of kisses on the forehead and a note as to where he would be today. He honestly hoped to have this wrapped up before she even woke.

Wargs? What quest is she talking abou- Oh. Oh no. Bane of Blood. Oscar had his doubts about that quest. He'd heard through the grape vine that it was a real son of a [censored]. Despite this, Oscar nodded in the affirmative. He would need to check his supplies to insure that the team would be fully buffed and ready to go. But more importantly, he wanted another pair of hands on this quest. And he knew just the guy to call. He flicked open his menu and typed out a quick message: With that done, Oscar headed rose from the table upon which he'd been eating his breakfast. He began to take the dishes up and place them into the sink. Chances were that he'd be too beat to do this later, so he took a few moments to wash up before turning to Cordelia with a grin. "Alright, girlie. Let's go kill us some wargs."