Oske

Pepper was working behind her counter, polishing a silvery sword on the wall. She placed her hands on her hips and sighed happily, then turned. She nearly jumped with fright. "Oh! Didn't notice you there, player. Do you have the smithing materials?"

Pepper laughed. "I'll be waiting here with the furnace ready on your return." She lifted her skirt and curtsy to the player, with a thin smile on her face. "Good luck, player Saix. May your travels be bountiful with Dragon Heart Stone!" ((OOC: From this point forward, you may use this thread as a solo party until you return to the smithy with the materials.))

"I know the perfect material," Pepper said, closing her menu. Her eyes shut, and she began to speak in a monotone voice. "Dragon Heart Stone can be found in the caves of Floor Two. Kill the young red dragons until you obtain at least three <>. Once you obtain them, I will smelt them to remove the bubbles and then hammer it into a sword. It is sharp and almost impossible to break, however... it can be very heavy, depending on how large the sword is. I'm sure you won't have to worry about that, though...."

"Okey-dokey," Pepper murmured. "So, any particular color you're looking for? We're almost there. Just a few more questions." Up on the menu by Pepper's head, words began to scrawl across the screen. She gave Saix a slight smile, twirling her gingery-blonde hair between her virtual fingers. Sword Shape: One-handed straight short sword Enhancements: Durability and Sharpness Color: ??

The NPC gave a smile and a laugh. "You don't have to pay a single Col. All you have to do for me is get the materials for me, and I'll make your weapon for free!" she exclaimed. She then pulled up an order menu, which only an NPC could access. "What are you looking for?"

The smell of burning metal wafted out the chimney from the furnace on the roof of a small smith shop. Inside, one NPC bustled and ran about with duties to do and swords to make. The NPC’s name was Pepper—she was a young girl, who didn’t look to be a blacksmith. However, she held a hammer as she walked up the stairs when the bell to her shop rang as a player entered. “Mornin’!†she exclaimed. “How goes it, player?â€

Oske shrugged as she placed the hot crystal down on the anvil. "Maybe an alchemist, then? Or an information broker? Though that's not really a profession..." Oske easily crafted a near perfect hammer, and after examining it realized it had an enchantment. "Wow... it makes weapons a little bit better than before," she announced, staring at the silvery hammer.

Oske placed the hot crystal down on the now clear anvil. She then lifted her hammer above her head and began to slam down on it. "Well, you don't have to do a profession that isn't fun. You could be a fisherman, or a cook. I would love it if you knew how to cook--I wouldn't have to learn!" Soon she had a new sword--a curved sword with a golden lining and a black hilt. It was still warm, but perfect at the same time. It was a rare item. "Wow! I'm good. Hmm... I think I'll make a new hammer, too..." She placed another crystal in the furnace.

"Yep," Oske said. She equipped her smithing gear--the dirty apron and elbow gloves, along with her basic hammer. "Let's see.... okay, so I'm going to put this in the furnace here..." Oske carefully placed the first large crystal into the furnace, heating it up. "Could you clean up the anvil? It's got a rusty sword on it. The one right there." Oske pointed to the anvil as she pulled the hot crystal out of the furnace with tongs.

Oske's ears rung with the words, and her cheeks grew red. She quickly put the stone down on the ground for a moment before running over to Zauis and kissing his lips. "I love you to, Zuzu!" she exclaimed, giving him a big hug. She then quickly pulled away, her face still red. "Now, come on, let's go. I might need your help." With that, she grabbed the crystals and hurried into the smith shop.

Oske stopped by the door of the smithy, turning back to Zuzu when he said her name. She was holding the silvery, marbled golden material in her hands. "Yeah?" she asked nervously. "If you want to watch, you can, if that's what you're going to ask..."

Tears welled in Oske’s eyes, and she hugged Zuzu tightly after putting the crystals in her inventory. “Don’t ever fight all alone again… If I’m here, I have to fight with you… even with my bare hands.†She sniffed and wiped her eyes as Pinkie crawled back into her pocket. "Okay. Let's head to the smithy--I've got a sword to make..."

"Zauis!" Oske shouted, running over to him. She had been standing back, trying not to freak out. She watched as her husband-to-be was attacked and lost a ton of health. She quickly opened up a pouch on her belt, and a pink furry creature came out. It climbed up onto Zauis' shoulders and blew frosty breath on him, which made his body emanate a blue aura which healed him. "Are you okay?"

Oske nodded shakily, backing up to the entrance of the cavern. She didn't want to leave Zuzu completely alone, but she got far away enough to not be in range of the boss. "Be careful, Zuzu..." she whispered under her breath.

"Zuzu!" Oske shouted. Rage filled her eyes and escaped her lungs as she shouted and ran at the dragon. It swung a claw at her, and she met it with her sword. She was sent flying backwards after the sudden clash, and... her sword shattered into blue particles before disappearing. "Oh no..." Oske: 15/17 Boss: 10/10

Oske narrowed her eyes, focusing on the crystals lining the back of the dragon. She then ran forward and swung her sword, missing horribly. She jumped back, panting. Oske: 17/17 Boss: 10/10

She slowly made her way toward the black cavern. Once she placed a single foot there, however, it illumined itself, revealing crystal shards lining the walls and sending reflections everywhere. “Wow!†she exclaimed, not noticing what was hanging upside down from the ceiling. Her eyes slowly wandered up at the sound of cracking ice, and a huge dragon erupted from the ceiling. It has six <> growing on its back.

This is Oske. I drew her, and you can find more of my work on my deviantART page.

"Whoop," Oske laughed slightly. "I guess I lost an HP point..." She suddenly had a faint blue aura around her, and her health went up by the point it had lost. She then put her hands on her hips. "Anymore of you jerks!?" she called. No dragon answered. She shrugged, then continued to walk. Up ahead was the opening to a frosty mountain cave, which probably contained the Ice Dragon.

Oske paused when she saw the spiky teal trees appearing on the horizon, growing closer as they walked toward the snow covered path. She slipped a little bit, stopping to notice the ice beneath the frost. “Looks like its an ice bath,†Oske noted. “Doesn’t surprise me. It is an ice based field, after all… We’re almost in the monster spawning zone.†As the were approaching the icy mountain path, Oske hugged her jacket around herself. She pulled up her long socks to cover her legs, then trudged onward. Once she stepped over the invisible line, three small dragons spawned and fle

"Don't worry, I'll be fine!" Oske laughed nervously. However, as she continued to walk the weather grew colder and the snow falling became more solid and harsh. She paused to open up her inventory, equipping her coat, gloves, and boots. "Geez, my shorts aren't good for this. I should probably get pants." She paused. "Hey, Zuzu, when we start sharing an inventory, how will we do it? Should I just take everything and you can use whatever you want whenever? I have a pretty big inventory--it's one of my skills."

"Yeah, I'm super excited!" Oske exclaimed. She jumped off the short wall she was sitting on and stretched. "I'm a little nervous that my sword might break... it's a little worn out." She lifted her sword from her sheath, revealing "Petal Edge." She swung her arms back and forth. "I'm ready to go if you are. The mountain isn't that far from here, but... remember, the dragon boss is huge."

Oske sat with her feet swinging back and forth as frost gathered on her glasses. She wiped them off quickly, puffing breaths of frozen air out of her mouth. Today, she was planning to get smith mats of Ice Crystal. She would have to kill a few small dragons on a mountain for ice shards, and then the larger one for the Ice Crystal. However, at the time, she was just waiting for her fiancé.

"A red player?" Oske gasped. "But... Rage, why do you know a red player?" Oske's heart pace quickened. She was concerned that her friend was associated with a red player... a murderer.

"Okey-dokey!" Oske exclaimed. "I'll follow you wherever!" She then blushed nervously.