Hirru

Grave's words seem to strike the hunter in an odd way.  Yes, all of them were young adults, he guessed.  Even some children here and there, but that was it.  Most of them had proven themselves to have grown past their physical age.  He was pretty sure of that.  Though, to call all of them heroes, may be a stretch.  They were all doing it to survive, but knew that they couldn't sit still to do so.  If they stayed here, they would all die slowly.  Hirru had been told as such, as they were all just wasting away on beds or what not.  Sooner or later, someone would pull the plug.  It was all a matter of time.  They were all just deciding to take that decision into their own hands.

Hirru looked at his own hands.  What was he doing then?  He was fighting with them all for such a long time to help them all leave, when he didn't even understand that he too was part of it all.  It wasn't until he saved that boy, that he started to find out the truth.  It wasn't until after he had betrayed everyone that his truth could be revealed.  How could he be called a hero then, if all he can do is do is blunder into the dark.

Standing at the doors, looking upon the two knights clad in armor far less intricate than his own, but probably much more protective.  The last time that he went through this quest, Mac was the one to take care of the lot of them.  Then something flashed before him.  It seemed to be a familiar place, but that would be obvious.  However, the one that stood with him in the memory wasn't Mac.  It was a red armored man with a two handed assault spear, but that didn't seem right.  Who..

It then hit him.  A name that had not graced his lips in a fairly long time.

"Ah.. that's right.  Mac didn't complete this with me..."

He would say softly.  Hirru looked back at Grave, while reading his sword and shield.

"It was our old Crimson Dragoon, Lawfer, that I did this with.  Man, that's a guy I haven't seen in a while either."

So many people passed through the guild.  For a while, they were the biggest guild for a time.  Hirru wondered who that title now belonged to.  Probably Firm Anima, as they were capable of furnacing an entire team and a couple stray members here and there for the last raid.  Freyd and Raidou really have something going on over there.  Rubbing his eyes to his cheeks with his forefinger and thumbs, he tried to pry those memories away.  He placed his focus back on the two soldiers.

"Damn, I gotta stop.  Reminiscing like this is gonna make me a worse fighter than I already am, now."

He would raise his sword before preparing for the first attack.  There wasn't any need to perform any skills now, as the enemies weren't even attacking them yet, but he would ready any number of the ones that would lead to a better situation for the both of them.  

"I've got you.  Start off however you want.  These guys will have thorns, so be prepared for backlash, but you'll be fine.  Although.. don't kill both of them.  We both need to 'show our worth', to face the guardian.  If you can, try to weaken the two with an AOE, then we can both defeat our one."

Looking up at his two handed sword that he now had to drag around with only one hand to keep any use out of the shield in his other hand.  He wasn't as powerful as he once was, but that doesn't mean the weapon was any weaker due to it.  Especially with his new technique.

Battle Stats:

"Yeah, the Knights are no more.  The guild is still there, but there is only the Commander now.  Although, no, I haven't joined anyone else yet.  Had too much on my mind."

Hirru sighed the response as they passed more burning lava.  The flames that scorch out would seem to singe the hunter a bit, but not by much.  Although he may not have <<Survival>> equipped anymore, his health pool and regen would disregard the minor environment damage.  At least, for this floor.  He wouldn't have the capacity to do the same on the highest floors, if they ever brought out a reason for it.  Although, the storm on the 27th floor's mountainous zone has been a pain to pass through.

"Honestly, I think Mac and I didn't really do too much to prevent it.  Didn't really recruit anymore people.  Didn't really talk to the Commander about anything to further our way."

Looking back towards Grave, shook his head.  The guild emblem was no longer on Grave, so the commander must have really let the guild die then, or that Grave had long left the guild for his own reasoning.  Either way, he was glad to see that Grave was moving on too.

"The only thing we did was decide if either of us would be the new Vice Commander.  Mac didn't want it, so I chose it.  Although, I wish I didn't..  I feel like the curse that followed all the rest of Vice Commanders, took hold of me too."

Stepping over a clump of foul smelling sulfuric rock formations, it looked like they were finally encroaching upon the Iron Guardians quest zone.  Hirru swept his vision across the area to scan what he could with his <<Search>> skills.  They were safe for now.

"All that aside, I've been mostly trying to move on.  Things happened after the last couple floor raids that broke and changed me.  I've had to reflect on that.  Been living with Baldur and his guild, Jacob's Ladder, to help with the recovery."

Hirru waved that all aside.

"That's enough of that for now.  We're here.  Are you ready?  Remember, I'm not the combatant type anymore, so you'll have to initiate combat when we encounter the enemies."

Hirru would follow after NIGHT, slipping out of the wagon without too much issue.  He had plenty of time around wagons to dismount them without falling from his heavy armor setup.  Putting the book away, he didn't want it to be the primary concern at this moment, although, he may have let on more than he thought.  When asked about the origins of the book, the hunter would give an honest answer.

"Oh, that?  I found it in a dungeon on the 22nd floor.  In the Forest of Memories, I asked a friend to help me with dungeon that I found.  Though, the place was covered in fog, the fog seemed to pull upon the memories of the individuals.  It created mobs in grotesque forms that I could barely understand, but later they started using the faces of those that had died in here.  The boss of the dungeon was called the Fog of Reminiscence.  It used the faces of the lost to try to confuse us."

He didn't want to talk about the faces that he saw.  The ones that he lost and the ones that seemed to still be alive, but were no longer actively fighting with him.  He couldn't understand this world, even when he started to understand how it worked.

"I can't say."

Hirru would continue after NIGHT asked if he remembered what the sorrows that the book was talking about would state.

"Not so much that I don't have any sorrows.  I've had my fill.  Though, I thought I had already let those go."

He would say as he looked onward to where this walk would be taking them.

"So, where are we going?  I haven't checked this floor well enough yet."

Hirru shook his head as NIGHT asked if she should switch out her weapon.

"No, although this is for observation, I can always revisit this dungeon multiple times to learn more.  I prefer our safety over information.  We may be powerful as we are, but that can change quite easily, especially if the enemy has something we don't know about."

He nodded down to her hand as the weapon would disappear.

"Whatever is your preferred method of fighting would be better.  Especially for the next part of this place.  We've taken care of the dungeon's guardians, so let's enter and deal with the bosses next group.  They're be a bit harder than the others."

He started to walk past the two trees that he avoided before.  Their guardian elementals were no longer here, for now.  As soon as Hirru walked past, the visual effects of the area seemed to change.  It would appear to NIGHT that Hirru had disappeared, but the blue glint of a teleportation effect would be left behind.  To Hirru, he was now in a large clearing that was covered in the green crystals that would denote the area.  The ground itself seemed to elevate into a small hill.  Atop the hill was a large tree, with two smaller ones of the same style, that seemed to have germinated not far from it.  Little seedlings would drop down from the main tree, as small cones that roll away into the surrounding forest. 

At times, Hirru thought he could see an elemental appearing from nothing, to take the cone and move farther into the woods.  Was this how the trees were made?  Then, how about the wood elementals?  Would every tree get one?  No, there were trees that didn't have the protection, or did not have an elemental tied to them anymore.  Was this something that happens over time?

"So, this is the nest?"

"So, right before I fully joined the front lines."

Hirru would say as Grave would start eating the ration that he gave him.  Still as happy-go-lucky, as ever it seemed.  The feeling and want of reminiscing upon old times would make him start to walk.

"Let's get going, and I'll talk about it all along the way."

Walking out of the main gates of Yogan Village, the two of them would be heading westward towards the Iron Wrought Ruins, where this quest would take place.  For most, they would be take the shortest route through the lowlands, but the area was known to shift and changed depending on the lava flow.  Hirru would instead be taking a route that only the NPC's use, a route that is relatively the same, though it still has some shifts that happen here and there.  It is a much more efficient route than trekking through the randomly generated footholds that make up the majority of the ninth floor.  It would also take a bit to recount the events that have happened.

"So, first off, not too long after you left, we lost Mack.  He's not dead, just kinda like you.  They just left and have been missing for some time.  Their shops are closed and locked, but I can still hear the clanging of hammer on anvil in Mack's, or the sheer destruction that Chewie is making, probably.  I haven't really got an answer from them, though, which is so weird for our old Vice Commander."

Hirru couldn't shake the feeling that something was up, more so than usual.  Mack would be the one to be jovial, and rush in to corral the masses to his sentiments.  Would he had done the same as he did?  Would Mack have gotten the support of the people more than he had.

"After that, Lowenthal took over as our Vice Commander, and we were doing okay.  It was around then that I joined the front lines on the 18th floor.  Let's just say that I accidently made the Crimson Maiden, Teayre, angry, and had to lead the front for that encounter.  It was difficult, back then, but not by much.  I didn't give orders to have anyone do anything too stupidly.  All I did was have the damage dealing groups do their thing, while a third group mostly took care of weird mechanics that came up.  It was roughly over in less than an hour though."

His grip upon his sword's pommel tightened.

"Lowenthal died not too long after, after one of the Chaos Sisters, Ariel, killed him in a duel to the death.  It was around then that the majority of the guild started falling apart."

Seeing everyone starting to come in to the kitchen, the hunter was reminded of the glory days of the Knights of the Blood Oath.  Grave making food for everyone in his café, especially for the ever hungry Chewie, as all the blacksmiths of the guild would come down to eat their fill.  Hirru really had to think back on it, and there were far too many of Blacksmiths in the guild.  Of course, there was Opal and Mack's constant pranks using Opal's or Petra's potions that would paint someone purple for an hour, or make sounds follow them for a time.  Although they kept everything rather strict, that was how the Commander wanted the Vice Commanders to keep everyone on task.  They were all a well oiled machine, and as long as everyone was doing their part, then the machine was running fine.  These times were always his favorite to remember, at least, until everything started to crumble apart.

'Heh.. guess we got rusty..'

Hirru couldn't ever see that in this group.  They were all too lively and uncoordinated, until the time when it actually counts.  Though, that is where they shine the most.  They all don't need that constant authority to tell them what needs to be done.  Everyone already mostly knows what they're here for.  Baldur does his part to keep the guild down a specific path, though, as it was going, he was looking to be the only one left to do so.  Though, that may be all that is needed, as everyone confides in, and refines the advice given by their eldest member.  Hirru smiled a bit at this before looking to head out, when Calrex came through the door.  One of the strongest players that he knew within game, and a large cornerstone in some of the most influential guilds back when. 

"Hey Cal!"

He would move to the door, as everyone was mostly here making the kitchen rather crowded.  There were a few members that were not in the estate today, which Hirru figured as their homes lay elsewhere.  Looking back to Snow and Baldur, he would wave to them all.

"I'm heading over now.  I'll meet you guys there, if we're eating breakfast in the gardens."

Flipping through the book, the first couple pages seemed to have instructions, or more like a warning.  NIGHT was going through it rather quickly, so Hirru wasn't able to see exactly what it was pertaining to.  The next couple pages seemed to have, what looked like poems of sorts, or were they riddles.  Again, NIGHT was flipping through the pages faster than what he could read.  Though, after the three pages, they seemed to have little to no writing what so ever.  Not really much to go on, unless one actually read it.   He took the book back while NIGHT was asking him questions.

"Huh..?  Oh, no..  I haven't really talked with anyone about it yet."

At least not anyone that wouldn't already know about his current predicament.  Though, Baldur and Shield have been busy with guild matters, and Hirru had not seen Beat or Hestia in some time now.  He thought that maybe, it would be good to let go of it, and start letting people know.  Though, how was he going to let people know about it.  It's not like he can start throwing that kind of information out right out the gate.  It has to be brought up after a bit of instigation upon both parts.

'You didn't really do that when you let Hestia know'

His thoughts went back to that day on the 19th floor.  Why did he confide in her so much.  He couldn't put his finger on it. 

"I guess I do have more pressing matters than my own, but I can't place this into the hands of just anyone."

But what his finger was on, was the book once more.  Flipping the cover over, so that he could read the first page, it seemed that thought of it being a warning wasn't too far from the truth.  

To those that seek the light of the other world, one must first acknowledge all of the sorrows that have transpired in ones past.  This book with both guide you, and serve as a record keeper of your accumulated guilt.  Once acknowledged, and recorded within the book, one will be given passage to the Temple of Recollection.  If one has any lingering regrets or sorrows before entering, the guardian of the light will give you no quarter.  Purge your sins before the guardian, and you will be allowed access to the forbidden knowledge of the other world.

Seek out your pain, and know peace.

Unlike his venturing partner, Hirru had no proper power against these creatures.  NIGHT's barrage would send all but one back to their digital prisons, or what ever the hell this place would call the after life, if ever a things was reasonably viable.  Her movements mirrored many others that would use the sword arts, though, he could swear that some of her own movements were being thrown in.  Though, the darkness that came out of it was something he had been seeing a lot more of lately.

"Fallen, huh?"

He had seen similar effects quite a bit more recently, mostly from when Hirru was venturing into another dungeon with Jomei.  Although, the enhancement didn't have the specific effect until after the events of the 25th floor.  He had seen the Chaos Sisters in action, and knew too well that they weapons were laden with the foul enhancement, and they only held a slight change in the sword art's color.  He shook his head to the thought, as he too wished to encounter that enhancement on one of his appraisals, one day.

Readying his own weapon, covered in the venom of the spider queen, or that's what it's lore would pertain to, Hirru would spark forward in an art that he had only recently found out about.  Shield had used it during the floor boss raid, and he was dealing significant damage to the boss.  Nearly more than everyone else was, actually.  He thought that if he could build around that, that even a healer could deal damage too.  Nearly bowling into the elemental, just to have both his shield and sword to barrel into the creature, scraping his thorns thoroughly upon its bark like exterior.  The elemental would die before even getting a chance to counter attack his companion.

"Well, that was unfortunate.  Didn't get to see how they attack.  I guess I'll try to play a passive role with the next ones, if we want to learn anything from them."

Looting Cedar Elemental 1
[ID: 208838] [CD: 5] [LD: 9+9=18]
2000 Col (400*3 + Even LD *2 multiplier)
1 Mat (Odd CD)
Rare Consumable UnID [208838a]
Rare Armor/Shield UnID [208838b]

"I'm.."

He lets go of the book enough to allow NIGHT to access the inner workings of the problematic book.

"I've been looking for this quest for some time, to the point of nearly going mad.  I would venture around the floor that it used to be on, only to claim nothing but the exhaustion of a sleepless day."

He would be embarrassed to say it, but there are many things that he could not say about the matter.  At least, he was trying not to.  It was such a burden to lie to people about it, but it was a reasonable thing to not talk about.  What would the world think, if one person didn't remember the pain that they all had to experience.  If someone couldn't sympathize with the struggles of everyone else, because he viewed their goals as beyond himself.  They're world was not one that he thought was something he needed to worry about. 

In reality, it was something he yearned for.  He wanted to have the memories to have that pain.  The drive that everyone had to complete the floors and get on with the next challenge, even i the darkest of hours.  He wanted that ambition and determination, so much so, that he was willing to sacrifice himself to do so.  Little did he know, that he had more to bargain with, than he anticipated.

"The rumored quest that could show you a bit of the other side.  For a hunter like me, it seemed like a grand treasure."

His hands slowly slid along the cover, feeling the texturized title mark.

"I guess, that now that I have a proper clue.. I don't want to rush things."

"Note that floor bosses are not always the equivalence of the mobs upon which the floor has made clear.  However, more so concepts that we can see within each area."

He backs away from the two trees, and it seems that the elementals that were keeping watch were slowly fading back into their trees.

"Back when I was first starting to raid, one of the first things I started notice a bit more, was that the bosses had a key theme, or something that could be seen within the entire floor."

Hirru started to explain a bit.  His face would slightly relax as they were no longer in the danger zone for these creatures.

"Nineteen was a land of giants, and the boss was one of the biggest there ever was.  Twenty was ruled over by insects, and Mothra was a giant moth.  Twenty three..."

He stopped for a second before continuing on with the explaination.  They had already had this conversation before, and there were still so many things that he still couldn't get rid off, from that day.

"Twenty three was the floor devastated by the war of the elves, so it wasn't really that much of a surprise to fight them, I guess."

He shrugged before continuing so he didn't have to repeat himself about that venture again.

"The recent boss showed that much more too.  A human in a human empire.  Now, we had no way to know about his 'magic' or whatever the flying hell those flying ships were doing there, but I don't want to go off on a tangent about floor lores and why proper investigation should be made before properly scouting a labyrinth.  Which.. technically I did do when I called the scouting party for that floor.."

Hirru put his hands out in a gesture to forget that last part, or push it aside.  There was far too much that he had a problem with, as the humanoid bosses have been a pure pain, in his miserable life.  Drawing his sword and shield, the hunter sighed as he feigned a slash at one of the more protected trees.

"Though, there are many instances where that didn't happen, like Bialas on the 22nd floor, where there wasn't a single aggressive creature."

With the show of aggression, a few of the creatures would come out of the wood work.  Getting a better look at them, the hunter could see that they were heavily tree like, if not for the green sprites of life that seemed to flow through their insides.  Tall, but thin.  Not like the treants at all.

"Well, let's get this party started."

Hirru | HP: 1067/1067 | EN: 104/104 | DMG: 1 | ACC: 1 | MIT: 95 | PARA: 1 | OENV: 32 | Loot: 9 | BH: 53 | HLY BLS: 43 | MENDING: 2 | REC: 8 | THRNS: 76
NIGHT | HP: 1060/1060 | EN: 144/144 | DMG: 26 | ACC: 5 | EVA: 3 | HLY/FLN: 16 | LD: 5 | BH: 58 | VAMP-D: 174 | TAUNT | Stealth Rating: 6

Cedar Wood Elemental 1 | HP: 400/400 | DMG: 180 | MIT: 60 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 1
Cedar Wood Elemental 2 | HP: 400/400 | DMG: 180 | MIT: 60 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 1
Spruce Wood Elemental 1 | HP: 400/400 | DMG: 180 | MIT: 60 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 1
Spruce Wood Elemental 2 | HP: 400/400 | DMG: 180 | MIT: 60 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 1

"The wood required would exceed the limitations of this floor.  We'll have to deal in trade with the sixth and eighth floors.  I'll front some of the col for this venture, but we're going to need further help from other guild for this venture."

Hirru exclaimed as he talked to multiple NPC merchants within the area.  Some would not know what he talked about as they only existed upon the 26th floor, but others would know as they were player owned.  They would flock to their masters to relay the news of the 26th floors reclamation.  The news would bring out business which would know no parallel, as other players would also buy and sell to the aristocracy that existed at this time.  Most would only dwell upon the higher parts of Ladonia, but some actually took pity.  Well, not totally, but money is money.  Loans would be low, but the interest was enough for a profit, it seemed.  Hirru didn't feel that it was justified to do such things, but that was how the economy was.  Merchant's had hearts of gold, only to those that could replicate the gold.

Hirru sighed as he looked upon the reparations and destruction that the felling of the Juggernaut Ifrit caused.  They would have to use quite a bit of resources to bring this floor back to its original glory.

Hirru was glad to find that he was not imposing too harshly, as he was the one invited to this little rendezvous.  He didn't really think about what was going on.  He wasn't really tired, at least not yet.  He was fine with only a couple hours sleep each night, but knew better than to let that go one forever.  He would have to head back to the Baldur's estate, when he was ready.  It was the only home that he had left now.  He didn't have anywhere else to go.  Taking to NIGHT's questioning, Hirru responded.

"No, I haven't seen that yet.  I'm trying to make it a habit to not venture out alone, anymore."

He looked down at the sword at his hip.  He tapped it several times before looking back to NIGHT.

"I'm not as strong as I used to be.  So I mostly try to find easy to handle tasks.  Can't heal myself as easy as I can heal others."

He sighed heavily.  There are far too many times that he wanted to use his last golden ticket to reset himself back to the Jade Hunter of old, but the way things are now, the Jade Healer would be needed more in the future.  He needed to persevere against his own thoughts.  Which made him look at the book that had been kept under his arm, the entire trip.  For some reason, he couldn't help but keep the quest book out for his own use, however, he still had not opened it to find out what it said.  Something was blocking him from doing so, and it wasn't the game.  No, it was himself.

When inquired by NIGHT about his current motives, he shrugged.

"It's been a little about the elementals, and mostly about something else that has been on my mind."

He showed the book that he had been keeping with him outside of his inventory.  Leather bound book, gold lettering reading "What We Fight For" could be read from the front cover.  For some reason, the hunter holds the opening, as if he isn't ready to actually open it himself.

"Let's look at it like this.  Everything has a territory, a range in which they claim dominion.  Some things have a specific area that whole range takes up.  An aggro range some people like to affectionately call it, to keep the game from getting too real.  Even the NPC's understood that, as they never built a shop any closer than four feet from any given tree.  Everything obeys the laws of nature that are presented."

Hirru would explain while moving his arm to one of the trees, encroaching on that 4 foot range.  Suddenly, four aggressive pings would erupt from behind several of the trees before them.  He would pull his hand away, and the red crystals that would indicate where the Wood Elementals were, would slowly fade from RED to PINK to nothing as they disappeared once more behind their trees.

"These beings are one with the trees.  I kind of figured from their physique, but as we were walking here, I could ping a few here and there.  The camouflage they use in ingenious, but I'm not called a hunter for nothing.  They remind me of the treants from the third floor.  So they must care for the multitude of trees within this land.  "

The hunter cupped his chin in thought.

"Or are they part of the sixth floor now?  Too much has changed now for me to keep my lores together, anymore."

Hirru sighed before pulling out Fang and Embrace.  He would not be just letting NIGHT take their time with the fight.  He would be joining the attack.

"Anyway, their alpha, or would the term matriarch work in this regard?  Sometime, I can't remember which one is which.  ANYWAY!!  Do you want to rustle the nest?"

Switching equipment: Favor of the Golden Dragon +3 LD -> Shelob's Fang +1 ACC / +1 Para / +32 Envenom

Hirru: Well, what a coincidence.
Hirru: I'm already there. 
Hirru: Just in the northern providence, so I'll be there in a few minutes.

After sending the messages, the hunter stood up from the mound of dirt that he had made his perch, for the time.  He was only there to help some of the villagers with the Earth Elementals that were causing trouble nearby, as they claimed more territory for themselves.  Quite odd for these elementals to be acting so different from each other.  It may be a regional difference, or something along those lines.  The climate and environment is causing varying effects to come out of each elemental being that he saw on this floor.  So far, it was the Wood Elementals, that would keep their distance from someone, as long as the trees were not disturbed.  These Earth Elementals were not as passive.  If one were to get anywhere near their garden, they would snap and rain hell upon the trespasser.  With the bulky stature and aggressive nature, it's wise not to engage against this mob alone.  Especially when Hirru only had his Tech skills, with RAW being his only damage dealer.  Though, it was enough to be a presence, it seemed, as no elemental would come to attack the people.  Especially as the night came.

Following a set path back down to the Ronbaru region, the hunter would find himself in the main settlement after dodging past a few of the Water Elementals.  There was some rain that poured in from the western storm lands, which made the little blobs frenzy.  He didn't want to get in the middle of those, so he mostly ran for it.  He had all the battle healing and holy blessings to heal himself back up, if he was hit.  Though, he wasn't an evasion artist, so a few hits would splash against his armor.  Not that it did much regardless.

After slowing down to a walk once more, the hunter found himself in the main hub town of Ronbaru, Ronbaru!  Totally unimaginative, but Hirru wasn't here to question town names.  Taking his helmet off, he would go to the teleporter, where a certain figure cloaked in black would probably be waiting.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

"Even in a game, the laws of nature apply."

Hirru said before lowering the spyglass a bit and starting to walk slowly towards one of the smaller forests that populate the Srona area. 

"You can find quite a bit of information from talking to NPC's, and quests.  Though, everyone does that, and coming up with the same information time and time again, becomes dull.  Barely anything changes.  What we're looking for is something slightly more."

They walked past many shops and NPCs, most hawking wares while others were busy gathering and crafting.  Some of them that were settled in or around trees didn't seem to dabble in fire, while those within a certain distance were quite handy with a flame.  Those that settled around trees did not do so around certain trees, and others would just out right be left alone.  Not once did he try to walk close to any tree, despite the multitude of different and exotic types of trees that filled the land.  In fact, if permitted, Hirru roughly stayed a good four foot distance from most trees that he could see as they walked forward.  This was not by any random nature, or aversion to the foliage. 

"Mob patterns.  Daily life within their own environment, with some combat data, as well.  What do they do to NPC's that stay near them?  Players?  Do they live in solitude, or are they territorially aggressive?  Do they attack with their vestigial appendages, or other means?  All of this can tell you quite a bit about the floor, it's inhabitants, and the floor's boss, sometimes.  Dungeons usually hide the strongest of these creatures, or other hidden lore that can not be found in the overworld. 

After about half an hour of walking, he would stop before two trees that were roughly close together.  Both of them had leaves that were very odd in pattern, while rather yellow in color.  Hirru didn't know the actual differences from the real world, so the names would escape him.

Nest type dungeons help in the former, allowing us to see the mobs in a more concentrated area.  Creatures, regardless of stature and will, follow the laws of nature.  There will always be a hierarchy, there will always be an alpha, of sorts.  Even in a place like this, where the mobs may all seem like they are the same, there is always one that has more sway than the rest..  Have you ever wondered why such strong creatures were in dungeons?  They're protecting the alpha."

"Can you see them?"

He would say back to NIGHT as an easy <<Search>> ping could see the glints of flowing green in the trees, that would disappear at the slightest look.  Every so often, one would see the bark of a tree move slightly, or a limb suddenly disappear.  

"Right here, they are watching us, instead."

The Jade Hunter would give a slight hand gesture to a few trees here and there.

"It could be that they've been watching us the entire time, but it does not look like any of them are attacking, but patiently observing.  Why do you think that is?  We are obviously deep within their territory.  Why wait?"

His eyes would glow a slight green, showing that his full <<Search>> skill line was being used.  Reveal and Detect would both ring

"You have the same sight as me.  You've shown as much from our scouting of the 26th floor.  Tell me, what do you make of these creatures, these Wood Elementals, as they seem to be called."

Hirru searches for a Dungeon
ID: [208654] LD: [5+14] (5 Search, 3 Trinket, 3 Food, +1 Detect, +2 Reveal)
Dungeon Found

The Jade Hunter waved over to the darkened fighter as she approached.  This would be a fairly simple task, although possible difficulty may be apparent.  He had already dealt with the issue of dungeon hunts before with his new build.  The venture with Jomei showed just how useless he was, if Hirru was only just healing and buffing his party member.  The elite mobs that would fair through the second portions of most dungeons were quite capable of destroying an opponent with ease.  That was why he decided to take a little incentive that this Orion had proposed onto them all.  A custom skill, as it were.

"Yeah, I thought we could work in an area that is already known for it's cultivation, while still having some areas that may still be outside the citizens view.  I mostly go for information, but I do need better equipment as we go along.  Most dungeons are either old relics or ruins, or their varied nests for certain mobs.  Probably going to be searching for the later."

Hirru took the Emerald Flame from where it stood, and returned it back to his inventory.  The glow would fade before the hunter would set his sights for the inner woods.  He remembered that he had a spyglass with him, and pulled it out to hopefully find something a bit sooner than normal.

"Ruins are great for learning about those that came before, but this place doesn't have that much of it.  It's better to understand the guardians of these lands.  These so called Elementals are odd beings.  Gonna see if we can get another out of a larger variant."

Spyglass used.  Dungeon search reduced from [15 -> 10 (Reveal) -> 5 (Spyglass)]

What is it that we fight for?  A question that many have to ask themselves through out their lives.  Some only have to question it once and are set for life; while others have to repeat the question to make sure that they're on the right path.  Does their answer ever change, and if so, does it feel wrong?  What is the right answer and what is the wrong one?  The choices one makes can not be taken back, so to repeat the question after committing the action, would that not be akin to doubting or regretting the decision made previously.  Would you still choose the same decision, when you've seen the results, and regret them?

Hirru sat in the grassy knoll where a few humans and dwarves were breaking ground, and plowing their fields.  He made sure to not be in the way as they worked, but his attention was still set to the book that sat in his lap.  A leather bound book strapped together in leather bindings.  On the cover, in golden lettering, sat the title of the book "What We Fight For".  This was a quest line that Hirru was looking for, for so long.  It was meant to show the player an instance of themselves, or something along those lines.  He had heard about it from several people, but never really found it himself.  It nearly drove him to madness, quite some time ago.  So to now have the key to the quest in his hands, he was.. hesitant.  He couldn't seem to find the strength to open the cover, to read further.  Even the quest window didn't show anything, except..

<<Finish the Book>>

It was then that a sudden message would come up.  It startled him to the point of nearly throwing the book onto the rough earth.  He looked on to find that it was from NIGHT, of all people.  She seemed to be curious as to why he was awake at this time.  Hirru was curious at the question to look upon the time himself.

"Oh.. it's really late."

Looking back to the message, he would send a quick response back.

To NIGHT:

Good Evening!  I could ask you the same.  I've been contemplating some things lately.  I guess it has been keeping me up more than it should.

Hirru Stats:

Hirru got the message and had to flip himself once more for leaving out specific information as to where they were going to meet up.  Shaking his head several times to the point where his helm was not keeping up with the movements, he sent a message back.

Message: Head to..

He had to look around to figure out where the hell he was before he could send the information.  He had literally walked east from the portal town, and wandered into an area full of green gems.  Although the area was foreign to him, the ethereal power of nature seemed to be where he liked to venture the most.  So wherever there were trees, he would find the most out of it all.  Besides, the southern lands looked too bright; the west seemed to be covered in storm clouds, and the north looked dull.  Walking over to a little workshop in the middle of nowhere, Hirru was able to glean some information about the area.  Srona was the name of the natural land, which seemed be be a crafters paradise.

Message: Head to the eastern land of Srona.  I'll be there waiting on the main road.  Just look for the green flame.

As he sent that, he would pull the Emerald Flame, a tall torch that seemed to draw individuals by it's ethereal dance.  It's about the only way he could make sure he was seen outside of his own hair, which was still hidden by the bucket helm.

A smile spread throughout the hunter's face as he pulled the helm off to show the signature green hair of the Jade Hunter.  Although the face and hair would seem the same, there was a deep difference in the eyes, as they shown a long history of loss and regret.  It was nearly enough for tears to well up, just to see someone among his old brothers-in-arms.  Whether that was good or bad was up to interpretation, as Hirru nodded to his former guild mate.

"Sorry there, Grave.  You disappeared so long ago with several others.  I wasn't sure that was really you until the name came up."

Hirru saw the friend request come up, and as he was about to about to press it, something stalled him.  A sense of dread that held him there, but was mostly indescribable.  All of the events that transpired since he had last seen Grave.  The Mack's abandonment, the downfall of the Knights...

..The incident of the 23rd floor boss raid..

The hunter shook his head before pressing the confirm command to befriend his old brother-in-arms

"There have been far too many things to recount.  We can start where you last remember."

Where The Elements Thrive

A land surrounded by the bountiful spoils of nature, while also cast into darkness.  Separated, but equal in all ways.  A land that would be cherished by all that choose to strive their path into its domain.  It used to be called by many names before, but it is now known as the Twenty Seventh Floor of the Flying Castle, Aincrad.  Five lands that was separated, not by walls, but by the sheer force of nature itself.  Water breaths life and claims the center lands.  Fertile earth prospers among the lands of the north.  High winds tear through the countryside of the west, weathering all but the most capable warriors.  Nature reclaims the fractured mountainsides of the east.  The calming heat that washes those that claim the southern plains.  It all brings an overwhelming sense of equality.

Following the recent events that had kept the hunter from reaching the newest floor, he was ready to start scouting out the area, but there was an issue.  He wanted to properly investigate this floor, instead of blindingly wander around, like the last floor.  Though, there have been many whom have done that very tactic before, Hirru wanted to err on the side of caution.  There was word of a couple quests in the area, but he wanted to look into any dungeons that were within the area.  They were much more fruitful than anything else that could be given, so far.

He ventured to invite some of Jacob's Ladder, but they have been busy getting somethings together for their own excursion into this floor.  As an independent agent, he was willing to just go on ahead.  So in that nature, he figured he was look into if a certain raven haired stealth user would venture with him, this time for something more tangible than a discussion over if NPC's should be spared.  He's had enough of that talk for one month.  He sent a passive message, this time giving more information.

To @NIGHT

From Hirru

I'm going dungeon hunting on the new floor.  Did you want to join?

Hirru consumes:

Hirru stats

Spirit of the Powerposter

Body of the Casualposter

Mind of the Shitposter

Eh, I guess I post often enough for a powerpost, as long as the other person posts as often

The day before: 

There was a great feeling of urgency.  Everyone was scrambling around, mostly plowing into Hirru's room, which also doubled as the storage for most of the equipment for the dojo.  Hirru was sure that the guild kept the treasury separate from the dojo, but what the hell did he know.  Waking from another nightmare of drowning once more, the hunter found that a few of the students were trying to find some things for the trip of their sensei.  He grumbled as he pulled his clothes on.  This time, he would apply his proper paladin set, as they were about to head out to the new floor.  He set up his raid gear to the up most perfection.  There was no way he was going to let everyone go below 60% health.  He didn't have to waste his energy for anything above that.

Stepping out onto the outer decks, Hirru made his way over to Baldur.

"I'm always ready to scout ahead, Bal.  Just let me know when we're heading out."

The night before:

It took quite a bit of prior trips to understand the layout of the 27th floor, and the woodlands of Srona were a bit of an easier start to deal with than the other three regions.  The land was spacious between the multitude of trees and various small shops that some of the NPC's would settle upon.  This land, which was known for its crafting lifestyle, had some of the most peaceful of mobs.  Although, not really peaceful, as they were more secretive.  The Wood Elementals that roamed this area, didn't really seem to fight anyone, as long as the trees were not disturbed.  If one was to get too close to a protected piece of flora, it was then that it's respective elemental would attack.  So far, all the other elementals would still attack the player, if they were seen for only a second.  Well, except for the Water Elementals of the Ronbaru area, as long as it wasn't raining.  

Finding this place was simple, but making sure of the attention drawn from the large group of players that Baldur was sure to draw would be an issue too.  They would all have to know the issues of the mobs and how best to deal with them.  Though, there probably won't be much issue at all, then.  Baldur and Calrex were veteran front liners, and could take warnings and advice fairly well, just as much as they give them.  Cro, on the other hand.  Hirru knew that he would be a constant aggressor of the elementals, if he learns of the fruit bearing trees that reside deeper within the forests.

Finally, taking care to get some more research out of the area, Hirru was certain upon the spot they would use for their base of operations.  There would be much more scouting to do later, but for now, they would be settling down here for a few nights.

"Hopefully, it won't take too long."

Present Day:

Guiding them all through the land was simple, but they were all now here.  Most of the current members of Jacob's Ladder, that he knew of, were here.  The next floor's scouting procedure would start tomorrow, as soon as they all got some rest.  Which meant that Hirru would have to start preparations to leave once more.  He had his own scouting to do.

Hirru Stats

Walking (probably with @Baldur) towards the main kitchen, the sounds of another familiar voice would come to him.  If the hunter remembered right, that was the sound of the gourmet of the guild.  Stepping through the threshold, he saw that it was true.  The black haired personification of gluttony himself, Crozeph, was already raiding their food stores once more.  Hirru sighed as looked over to Snow whom seemed to be cooking up some breakfast.  He was glad to always have a smiling face, even if they are not that familiar to him yet.

"Morning, Snow!  Don't indulge that one too much now.  He'll eat us out of house and home."

Hirru joked with a slight grin, while pointed over to @Crozeph.  Walking over to the kitchen counter, Hirru would place the two fish he had caught.  It wasn't much, but it would help feed a couple more of them.  Especially if Calrex and Crozeph were here.

"Not much biting in the dojo ponds, Snow.  Gonna head up to the garden side, see if the fish have reset over there."

Fishing was a constant cycle of allowing the environment to flourish once more.  One could not constantly fish up the same spot too much, without having drastic issues in overfishing happen.  Of course, the game system keeps that in a constant resetting cycle of roughly 8 hours.  With the abundance of pools and ponds in the estate, Hirru has a large amount of resources to pull through, but they are small and run out quickly.  So, he usually only fishes through a few set ones before heading out on a dungeon hunt or two.

"Huh?  Oh!"

The hunter tried to feign knowledge, but in the end, it would not work.  This quest was notorious for a simple plot point, which was that the broker was actually going to attack the questing player in the end.  Depending on how the player reacts, they were slapped with the orange symbol at the end, if they attacked first.  Although, that was back before the flood of Shadow.  After the flood, entire floors seemed to change.  Quests became slightly different, with NPC's being more vocal with backgrounds now.  The hunter figured that there may be another change here, but he wasn't holding his breath.  The main part of it all was the guardian fight, anyway.  They would come up to the issue of the broker in due time.

"I've done the quest myself before.  It was some time ago, though."

He had done it back when the Knights were out questing.  He remembered that he had done it with Macradon.  More memories to burn through..

"Some things have changed since then, so I'm sure my old knowledge may be varied now."

As soon as the little hud came up to give confirmation for a party invite, the name of the individual that would ask for the party invite would come up.  The hunter smiled through the helmet as he accepted the invite.  The name Hirru would now be visible to his old guild mate, to which, he wanted to be done with the charade anyway.  He was sure that his friend would love to get to know about what happened.  Even if it was hard on the hunter to do so, especially to someone that was there from the beginnings.

"Well, Grave?  Sounds fairly familiar..  Here, take these consumables."

The hunter would then pull out some consumables from his inventory.

"You're gonna be on the vanguard, as your hate buildup will probably be higher than my own.  Take these and we'll head out afterwards."

Hirru gives:

It had been some time since he had ever seen the like, but the face was indescribably his.  The jaw line, the hair, the pure lack of weaponry upon their body.  There were many people like him, but he knew far too well this one.

***

Hirru had remembered that he was going to meet the others on the ninth floor, to get the last TECH art for a few of the other members of Jacob's Ladder.  The Jade Hunter had not been to the lower floors as often as he used to.  Since he didn't live in the guild hall of the Knights of the Blood Oath anymore, he mostly stayed up on the higher floors where his new home was.  As he stood upon the hot volcanic floor, he remembered that Survival was not part of his repertoire of extra skills, anymore.  He could feel the heat now, and it was sweltering underneath his heavy armor.  Even more so now with the change of armor sets, he was now head to toe covered in silver paladins armor.

"Bloody hell, if we can get through this thing fast, I would..."

He looked around the portal area and realized that no one else from the group was here.  That was odd?  They should be here by now, shouldn't they?  He opened his menu to check the time, and saw that the time was correct.  However, the date wasn't.  He pulled out a few things of food, to eat before the realization kicked in..

"Oh dammit.. I'm a day early.  Well, might as well.."

He turned to go back into the teleporter when he saw a face enter through the portal.  One that helped him so long ago with several quests, but more so, was an old member of the Knights of the Blood Oath.  He looked so much different from before, but that was just how time worked.  For the hunter, though, his face was covered in his helmet; which meant his iconic green hair was hidden to everyone now.  Would the man still remember him?  One of the original members of the Knights and Crimson Blades?  Surely..

***

Tailing behind the man, Hirru watched as it seemed that he was starting the Iron Guardian quest line.  It was a simple quest one could take here, but the reward had changed since the last time he had completed it.  Maybe, it would be something of use to him.  Though, the worst part would be from the <<Mysterious Broker>> as he would attack the player at the end of the quest, if everything is still the same.  The Jade Hunter sighed before calling out to the white haired individual, this voice unusually muffled in the bucket helm that covered his face.  Nothing on his person would denote that he was once his former guild member, as Hirru long since left the Knights of the Blood Oath.

"Ahoy there!  Fancy some help?  I may not look it, but I'm a decent healer."

Hirru Consumed:

Hirru Info