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[PP-F3] Worn out Welcome <Quest> with Mari


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Worn Out Welcome - Quest for Armor

blacksmith_silhouette_3.jpg
 

 

Mari was rough around the  edges but she had started to grow on him.  While searching around Asagi had heard word of a quest available on Floor 3 that rewarded those who completed it with a simple armor of their choosing.  Apparently the difficulty was not anything far too difficult by his standards either.  It would appear that he would finally attain a useful item in his journeys.  As they approached the new smithy of the renowned armorsmith Griswold they could see the smoke plume from the active furnace.  As they entered the smell of steel and sweat filled the air, why they couldn't reduce the potency of smells in this game was a question Asagi asked him all the time when encountering such places.  Behind a small counter in the front stood a stocky older man in a smiths apron and a kindly old lady sitting down off to the side of him.

 

"How exactly can I help you youngins'?"

 

Asagi strode up to the man and opened up the chat menu.  Sure enough a quest marker was indicated within the options.  Clicking on it brought up a screen that exclaimed "Would you like to accept the Worn out Welcome" quest?"  Without wasting any time he clicked accept and Griswold behind the counter changed demeanor.

 

"You young adventurers always want something for free don't yah pffffft."

 

"Now dear don't be rude to the customers."

 

"Customers ha!  Well the deal is if you can find me the material I will build you a piece of armor."

 

"Of course I will sow you the leather if you wish deary."

 

"Yes, yes, of course, or my wife Hanna will tailor something for you.  So what is it you want?"

 

Suddenly another menu popped up in front of Asagi displaying three options.  Two were of the metal variety of armor, a light and heavy chestplate respectively.  The third option was a battle ready leather coat.  Now Asagi had though long and hard on what type of character he would be playing, the part of the agile swordsman spoke to him strongly.  Clicking on the leather coat the menu quickly disappeared.

 

"So you would like the Leather Battle Coat, well the materials you seek are on Floor 1 collected from the bodies of the great horned elk that wander the plains.  Bring back 4 hides from these creatures and Hanna will tailor you your coat."

 

"Thank you for your time Griswold, Hanna."

 

Now that his quest attainment was done it was up to Mari to choose her option and we would be off.

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The foul mouthed woman had to admit she was surprised when she had bumped into Lotharian earlier that day in town, only to have him ask if she would join him in a quest. She was sceptical at first, but after the whole ordeal at the tavern she figured it would be nice to be able to talk to someone without being tearing into each other verbally. Her nose wrinkled when they walked into the armoury. Unlike her flirtatious companion, Mari vocalized her thoughts; "My god did something die and rot in here?" 

Mari listened to the banter between the NPC couple, scratching her chin bored eyes roamed around the rinky dink shack. Finally, a menu popped up in front of her, asking her to choose what sort of material she would like her armour to be. Mari wasn't a fan of armour. Her first instinct would be to go for the leather, but noting that it raised evasion she figured she wouldn't need it. Her shoes already gave her the same stats - so the next step up from that was the light steel armour.

As she selected it the Male NPC Chuckled


"HO ho! Not too often ya see a fine lass coverin' herself in steel"

"Now, Now sweetheart. Don't belittle the lady for her choice. You will need To travel to the furthest corner on F1 - there you will find a small cave filled with skeleton warriors. Slay them and harvest the material they drop. after returning with four chunks of Iron my lovely husband will forge you the finest quality scale armour."
 

"Finest in ALL THE LAND" Griswald guffawed.

Mari sighed, "Jeez..right, c'mon then." She turned tail out of the armoury, an annoyed look plastered across her features. "Why have a quest on the 3rd floor...that takes you all the way back to the first floor." She muttered. "Although I suppose that's a perfect floor for you, Cassanova."

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Mari was much less enthused by the NPCs rantings, it was true that they could get a bit boring after all.  This was one of the problems with a VRMMO, there was no skip dialogue button to just shut them up.  Regardless of this fact the interaction AI of NPCs in this game was impressive to say the least and almost comforting to Asagi.  It reminded him that this wasn't the real world and kept him firmly placed in reality every time he dealt with such an obviously pre-programmed situation.  The girl went through the quest lines as he did and decided upon a light chestplate.  It was an odd choice for her but Asagi wasn't going to question it, not to mention when this was all over he was interested in seeing what she would look like in plate armor.  Now that would be a sight, the spunky, sharp tongued, pink haired, girl encased in iron.  The thought almost made him giggle alittle as they headed for the exit.  Mari was remarking on the idiocy of a quest that had objectives in areas far below level for these NPCs placement.  It was strange but not unheard of in these games though.  Asagi though back to a few RPGs where the materials were in the hidden or out of the way areas in earlier stages only to be uncovered or needed at later times, it encouraged players to utilize the entire game world.  Though she of course had to add a snide remark in there afterwards about his level.

 

"Nice one Mari, but Im coming along quite well if you hadn't noticed.  Since our first meeting I been doing a bit of leg-work and raised my level multiple times.  So don't be worrying about my capabilities on the battlefield till you see them for yourself darlin."

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Mari noticed Lotharian chuckle to himself, she didn’t question it. He seemed to be in good spirits and they were slowly rubbing off on her. Thus far he was the only one she had really been able to get along with. So he was spared the snide quip for the time being, thatw as until he made his own comment about her failure to notice how he had gained any sort of leeway within Aincad.

“How can I notice when this is the first time we’ve-“ She paused, placing emphasis on the next word, “Hooked up; since the Tavern. At most all I can say is that you’re looking a tad rough around the edges. Is that the look you’re going for? Big bad boy for the ladies?”

 
Stepping in closer Mari looped an arm around his, giving his bicep a squeeze. “Mayhaps you have grown stronger. Does this mean I get to use you as my shield?” She asked lightheartedly before letting him go.


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The quick witted quips always came from Mari, and they were enjoyable albeit somewhat insulting.  It was refreshing to have someone who could keep up a good conversation.  At least she would keep him on his toes, sometimes it seemed too boring in this world with the same hum-drum grinding and such all the time.  Course it was a bit dis-heartening that she didn't notice a difference at all.  Asagi had hoped his growth as a player showed a little more than it apparently had.  In the end that is why they were here in the first place, to further eachother's power in the virtual realm.  Looping her arm around his she quipped about him being a human meat-shield now that he was stronger before letting go.  He knew she wasn't serious but his close encounter with the boar the previous day gave him a nasty reminder of mortality in here.

 

"I think I will refrain from being a human shield dear, but I might be able to show you my increased endurance stat later haha.  Now we can't stand around all day and battle wits, lets get going before our real bodies die of old age."

 

Smirking he opened the smiths door and ventured back out into the Floor's expansive prairie.

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Mari laughed, an honest laugh. It was not often she was able to do that. “Oh come now Asagi~” She teased, “A man with your intellect should surely be able to detect sarcasm, no?” She gave another laugh, Hearing his remark. “Hush now dear, we are in public.” She chided, waging a finger in his direction.

 Mari, almost skipping a few steps ahead of him before turning on her heel to walk backwards as she grinned a cunning grin. “Are you too enamored with my beauty to care? Or perhaps your heart goes doki-doki for your blonde haired friend?”

They were now out on the prairie; slowly making a beeline for the transportation area.


 

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Mari was seeming to enjoy herself, it was nice to see as she skipped and laughed.  It was an observation he had earlier on in their meeting that the girl was one of those who is hard to get close to, but wasn't a horrible person at heart.

 

"I did assume you were kidding dear, that why I played along with it after all."

 

As she moved ahead of him she quickly turned and started to converse again.  It was obvious that Mari was having her fun, but at the same time the childish demeanor was a pretty nice change to all the other hardasses he had met so far.  It was then she inquired about her beauty and also threw in a little quip about Alyssa.  Now that she mentioned it he didn't quite know what things were between the two old friends at this point.  Of course he felt closer to Alyssa than anyone else so far in this virtual world.  Was that residual emotion from the outside world clashing with this one, or was it something else.  Her question actually struck him as much keener and more intrigueing than even she had most likely intended it to be.

 

"Well sweetheart who wouldn't be enamored by such beauty as yours?  As for Alyssa I am not exactly sure what to define my feelings towards her as.  If I had to place it at this time, it would be that she is my one residing link to my real life while in here.  That makes her important to me, but if you want to know the emotional content of that importance I wouldn't be able to give you any consummate answer."

 

He smiled at the prancing girl, backpedally along the road as they headed towards the transport.  It was a shame more people didn't seem to understand the girl better.  People who are rough around the edges rarely had a lack of reasoning behind it.

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The girl wasn’t expecting such an answer from him. A flirtatious comeback? An offhanded compliment? Sure, but a meaningful well thought out response?

“That’s unexpected.” Mari mused quietly. “Here I thought you were just a flirtatious young spunk, meandering through your time here. Who knew eh?”

The teleportation pad was within their sights, and the conversation between the two had fallen short – allowing a sort of serene silence to settle between the two. “It’s probably good to have that tie to reality. Reminds you of who you are.” Mari finally spoke, her tone more serious than it usually was. It was warm, affectionate, almost motherly.

“From what I’ve noticed, people forget themselves so easily in here; it irks me, it pisses me off. I get so angry and mouth off at them, but even I forget that those people. They’re just children. They were probably lost, alone – unknowing how to deal with things they turn to violence and arrogance. Wear a mask of power to hide the fear. When I think of it that way, its actually sad. I feel bad for them, it’s like they are beyond help now.”

Mari stepped up onto the teleportation pad; turning to Lotharian. “I don’t wish death upon anyone, but – sometimes, one must wonder; is it almost a courtesy to allow them to stay here?  To die here without coming to the realization of the repercussions of their actions in this lavish world?”

She finished, giving Lotharian a wry smile, “Ah, but what do I know; eh? Floor 1”

And with that, she was whisked off to the first floor.

 

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The very honest answer from Asagi had obviously thrown off the girl.  Her remarks were most likely met with less than considerate replies, but understanding her little by little he was simply conversing with an interesting verbal partner.  As she spoke again her tone was a little different, in fact he could call it serious introspection.  He had figured that Mari had it in her but didn't expect her to break the normal armored personality of hers, at least not at this junction.  There was a bit of distain, but also compassion in how she spoke of the others trapped along with them in this world.  They had almost arrived at the transport pad as she spoke almost in a sad tone, knowing how the non-perceptive may look at her.  This came as she set foot upon the transport and turned to him with one last remark bringing her back to the normal persona she wore.  The light glowed around her and then she was gone, off to the first floor ahead of him.  Asagi just stood there for a moment and thought on all that was said and sighed.

 

"What a complicated girl you are Mari, now what am I ever going to do with you."

 

With an entertained smirk upon his face he entered onto the platform.  He imagined she would be away from the pad at this point and it was safe for him to follow.  The light glowed around him and the odd feeling  that these teleportations always gave crept up his body.  In no time he was standing back on the floor 1 pad and waiting for him was Mari off to the  side.

 

"I don't think I will ever fully get used to those things.  So shall we go and indulge losing ourselves in the game then Mari?"

 

The quick jab was both to make her smile and assure her he was listening intently to all of the observant words she had spoken.  Stepping down he walked over to his party-mate so they could start upon the next leg of the journey.

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Mari stepped off the plate, shaking the dizzying feeling from her head. She was almost sued to it now; she reflected back onto the first few times she used it, and how she’d always, foolishly topple over. The short girl gave a sigh, rubbing her face, she then gave her cheeks a light slap. “Brr, right. Adventure time.”

Turning she noticed that Lotharial had joined her, “Took your time, did a pretty lady distract you again.” Mari gave a light sigh, “My, what are we going to deal with you.” She gasped, “Oh what will I tell Lessa?”  Not that Mari would tell her anything  really; she got the impression that the blonde girl was less than impressed with her and her antics, but it wasn’t really a bother for Mari. If anything, that was more or less the normal reaction from people.

“It’s like a rollercoaster, but without the fun, or the cotton candy.” Mari commented. Equipping her dagger she gave her party member a curt nod, “Right, lets; but don’t dilly dally now~ We got a whole castle to explore.”

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Asagi stepped over to Mari who was as always going for the quick witted quips.  It was both nice and disappointing to see her back to her normal self.  Over time he hoped he would see a little more of that serious side but it would wait.  It was apparent she wasn't too keen on the transporters either as she still looked a little dazed from it, confirmed by her rollercoaster analogy. As she took out her weapon it seemed that they were ready to set off again.

 

"Think your getting a little ahead for now Mari, the rest of the castle might take awhile.  Lets just stick with this quest for now and we will see how we feel afterwards.  If you feel up to it maybe we can get make a nice bonus quest of our own at the inn after some drinks."

 

Pulling out his wakazashi Asagi bowed in a semi-sarcastic manner implying ladies first.  They still had a bit of a walk from this teleport pad to the destined plains and cave.  Opening up his map he marked the two sites so they would both be able see the objectives clearly.

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Mari shrugged, “I’m clearly not suited to be a front liner A-sa-gi. But seeing new sights, its always interesting, No?”

 

She gave a wry smile to his chivalrous act. “Such a man”  She mused, “But I have to wonder, you wouldn’t be trying to get a fine lady such as myself drunk would you now, eh Asagi?”

They began their trek toward the caves; “So you need – what was it exactly? I know  I need to go crawl into a grimy cave.”  

 

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"Well not to toot my own horn but I imagine I wouldn't need the aid of alcohol for what your hinting at.  Was a simple exclamation, and an offer of continued company after we are done with this."

 

As they traveled along the familiar sights passed by.  Since Asagi had spent much of his time on Floor 1 he was finally seeing this landscape as normal for him.  That realization was both a good and bad thing he supposed.  After a short bit Mari remarked about the respective materials we would have to gather.

 

"Well Griswold said something about 4 pelts off of the elk that are in the plains.  I marked it on your map if you didn't notice earlier.  Yet another perk of being in a party for these sorts of things I suppose."

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“You’d need more than the aid of alcohol I think.” Mari retorted, voice turning bitter at his remark. She didn’t like the implication that she was easy, when in reality she had only ever been with the one man – who just so happened to be her ex husband. Mari didn’t mind his flirtatious behavior, and she didn’t mind engaging in it or the exchanges the two shared; certain things just irked her. “You can toot your own horn all you want, since no one else will be tooting it for you.”

Mari rolled her eyes at his next comment. “Yes well I can see the cursor; but it’s not like there is a giant neon sign flashing ELK HERE” Mari exclaimed, mimicking the outline of a flashing sign with her hands. “I know I need to get some skeletons in a cave; your mark is closer, so we’ll hit up some Elk, then go get some Bonefied skeletons!”

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Mari did not seem amused at his last little quip.  It was obvious she partially misunderstood what he was saying, but he had figured she would react similarly even if there had been clearer communication.

 

"I think you have taken that wrong, I merely mean that if I were to want to try the art of seduction I would not rely on such underhanded methods as alcohol.  If a girl wants to engage in carnal pleasure I believe they should enjoy it uninnebriated or it just isn't a gentemanly way of attaining the outcome."

 

Whether that made sense to her or not at least he had said his piece.  The comical way in which she described the map marker was indeed amusing to him and she agreed to hunt down his materials first hand.  This was awefully kind of her and he took it as that.

 

"Well then let us go get some elk darling, I of course want to get it done with so we can move on to your current objectives as well.  We are in this together after all for the promise of more useful equipment than some of the drek we are currently slighted with."

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The woman gave a shrug. "Still be tootin' your own horn there, sweetheart." She knew Lotharian was a man of words, a skilled bard; and he could easily twist most anything to give him the positive favour, Mari would admit it was an admirable and useful trait, but she wouldn't topple over so easily. The two would bump heads, but seemed to have a mutual understanding. Mari had the inclination to say more, but knew it was best to keep her mouth shut - why push away her only friend?

"Of course, I wouldn't be with you if I didn't get anything from it~" Mari teased, "I have to admit, it would be nice to get some proper junk. Maybe then that stupid guild would leave me alone for a while, eh?" Turning to the Horizon, Mari noted several large creatures, their black silhouettes moving slowly against the bright sky. "So, 4 pelts means we got to kill 4 elk, guess that's them up ahead." 

 

 

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Seemed the woman was going to be a bit of a challenge to get through to, but the situation was difused as of the moment anyway.  She was a spitfire that was for sure, but always in a bad way.  As they walked along they were reaching the plains area of Floor 1 as he noticed the hillsides slowly disappear into flatter terrain.  Mari began to remark on the possibility of gaining much better equipment, and the boon it would give her in later endeavors.  That and the sobering realization that she had made enough enemies that strength was imperitave to her survival.  Asagi hoped that nothing happened to her, and if he heard that she had been killed he imagined he would not be very forgiving towards the ones who did such an act.  Player killing was akin to murder both here and in the real world, he hoped that he was never placed in a situation where he was forced to make that decision.  Wiping away that dark thought process Mari pointed out that they had arrived in the elks spawning area.  In the distance they could see the grazing creatures wandering around.

 

"As long as we can grab up pelts from each one yes I believe 4 elks will be the objective.  Now time is wasting lets get moving."

 

Changing to his fully serious mood Asagi took out his sword and moved quickly towards his prey.  The sprint ability he had chosen to attain from leveling up was indeed useful he found.  His movements were much more fluid and fast compared to previously.  As he approached a lone elk from behind he spared no time and pounced.

 

Rolled a 6 on the d10 (battle) dice.

 

His blade streaked across the animals skin as he swept in for the attack.  The animal bucked around startled at the sudden attack and turned its massive elk horns towards it's new enemy.

 

Elk has 8 HP and deals 1 damage

Rolled a 7 on the d10 (mob) dice.

 

The antlers struck Asagi right in the chest as its head swung with alarming speed to counterattack.  Gripping on to the creatures natural weapons with one hand Asagi remained set in place as to have a good opportunity to strike again when the time was right.

 

Lotharian 12/13

Mari 17/17

 

Elk 6/8

 

[Dice roll ID # 557]

 

 

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Mari grinned as she watched Lotharian waste no time, in one fluid motion he seemed to have equipped a weapon and struck out at the lone Elk. Mari, casually half skipped behind the normally passive creature, equipping her own Dagger. “Careful handsome~” Mari mused, as the Elk attacked, Lotharian deftly grabbed its horns, still sustaining damage but he had managed to hold it in place, allowing Mari to not-so-sneakily attack it from behind.

  Rolled a 6 on the d10 (battle) dice. SUCCESS
-2 HP 
 


Mari, brutally stabbed the Elk, multiple times with her dagger, finally pulling it out of the rump of the Elk Mari stepped back, giving it one final Kick.

She wasn’t exactly the fighting or combat type. Rather, if she had it her way she wouldn’t fight at all; but she was quickly realizing that she would need to, to survive. Not just the wilderness, but the other players. The long list of enemies she was making.

E
lk 5/8 HP
Mari  17/17 HP
Lotharian 12/13 HP

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As Mari skipped up in back of the creature Asagi held it in place.  A swift stab from the dagger she wielded dealt another blow to the creature.  Chiming in she mentioned something about not being much for combat but right at that moment he was a little too busy to say all that much back.  Raising his sword up he hoped to knock down the beast, holding onto its antlers was getting harder and harder as it attempted to gore him upon their tips.

 

Rolled a 6 on the d10 (battle) dice.

 

The blade hit its mark and sliced into the flesh of the beast.  As it bucked from the injury Asagi let go as it looked angry enough to trample him if he wasn't careful.

 

Rolled a 5 on the d10 (mob) dice.

 

As it charged Asagi swiftly dodged to the side barely avoiding the antlers of the large mob.  Thankfully he came out of it unscathed but unfortunately the creature seemed to have a bit of fight left in him.

 

"Phew, you mean careful like that?  I think we almost got it dear, lets just kill this thing off now and skin it so we can move along."

 

Mari 17/17

Lotharian 12/13

 

Elk 2/8

 

[Dice roll ID # 600]

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Mari shook her head, "Tut-Tut A-Sa-Gi~ If you're too busy flirting with me you may just be bested by an Elk, of all thinks, now wouldn't that be a ..." She paused, "Horn in your side?"


He was struggling with the Elk, and it had taken a few hits already. It was a shame neither herself or Lotharian had managed to land a critical hit on the thing, else It'd be dead by now. Mari attempted to strike it, however with a severe jerk of its head, she missed. "ARGH are you KIDDING me?"
 

Rolled a 4 on the d10 (battle) dice.


The Elk, giving up on Tristan turned to Mari,  stamping its hoof and dipping  its head, horns now aiming for her.  Mari stood her ground, It looked like it was Lotharians turn to attack from behind, the sassy woman had a comment about that too. "Hey Asagi~ Like what yer see?" She joked.

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