Hirru

Some time passed while the hunter waited.  The port side city was quite lively with commerce, especially now that Leviathan and it's horrific sahagin no longer torment the ocean waves of the twenty fourth floor.  Some people saw him and would greet the 'adventurer' and give thanks for their triumph over the undersea God fish.  The hunter would have to wave them by without a response.  He had not been there with those that killed Leviathan, so he did not deserve such praise.

One of the NPCs came to him and said

"Adventurer!  If your in need of some coin and have the thrill for cutting down Sahagin scum, then I got a barge down by the pier that we've been using to pull the beasts out.  If you want, I'll throw let you have anything they drop, just leave me the meat."

The man laughed his big belly off before heading down towards the pier.

-‐-----

Hearing his name and seeing the ebon haired wanderer known as Freyd, the hunter would give a curt wave back in a little two finger salute style.

"Hey, good to have you come with.  One of the NPCs is setting up a Sahagin hunt on his barge, sounded like a good deal to me."

Awaiting his hunting partners approval, they would head out and meet with the Captain of the barge.

"Ah!  You join us for a little expedition then, Adventurers?!  Grand!  Then climb aboard, and we'll head on our way."

The Captain bellowed while tying off a few ropes here and there.  On the barge itself, there seemed to be some nets full of fish, both fresh and rotting.. It seemed to attract the beasts, as four Fishmen jumped out of the water and attacked.  Hirru would strike first.

Combat AOE-I (-19 EN)

[ID: 199099][BD: 5+6] [CD:2] 24×15=360

[ID: 199100][BD: 9+6] Crit+2 26×15=390 dmg + 32 EnVenom + Paralyzed

[ID: 199101][BD: 10+6] Crit+3 27×15=405 dmg +32 EnVenom + Paralyzed

[ID: 199102][BD: 6+6] 24×15=360

Demonic Possession or Gleaming Future

Figuring that he shouldn't be dawdling around, the hunter figured that it was time to set about getting some demonic material so that he could fulfill his better build.  Hirru decided not to go to his favorite haunt to ruin any odd or weird plans that the elves of the area were plotting.  From what Freyd had talked about, and from their own fights with a few assassins that were aiming to kill them both, the Dark Elves had some weird things going on.  What was going on with this Spire shenanigans that the wanderer talked about?  The hunter could not get much out of him. 

He shrugged slightly while pursing his lips in thought.  Freyd never did tell the hunter about himself, did he!?  He figured that it would probably be a good idea to invite him back for another round, so Hirru sent out a quick message.

Quote

To: @Freyd

From: Hirru

Hey there!  We're getting closer to another floor boss, so I'm going to try and farm some demonic shards and equipment.  Did you want to come with?  I'm sure that we can take out a T4 Dungeon with some push and shove.

I'll meet you on the twenty fourth floor this time.  Kind of want to get some proper sun this time, you know.  Come buffed, we're hitting the sand running!

Respectfully, 

Jade Hunter, Hirru

With that, the hunter stood in wait on the main island, Scalabis.  The hunter remembered quite a bit of the island structure, but the size of it seemed to change quite a bit.

Consumed

Hirru Stats

What Is Truth From A Traitor?

Following the scouting mission into the 26th floor, the hunter had come to realize a few things.  One of which was his vastly lacking job as a scout.  Visiting a floor that he had never once visited, and proclaiming to everyone that they needed to hasten their search for the labyrinth?  What a fucking joke he must have been to everyone that actually searched that floor before they did.  NIGHT, whom seemed to have some knowledge of the floor, didn't know much about the front, but her expectations must have been sunken to the depths by how unprepared the lot of them were, information wise.  They had to talk to kids, for Lunala's sake!  Kids!  What were they really going to get out of that!?  These thoughts made the hunter question his every move that night.

He was moving into a small backroom behind Baldur's dojo, lent to him by the samurai himself.  It was a small space, only a few tatami mats in size, as Baldur told him.  It was Crozeph's old room, and it was only collecting non-existant dust.  This would be adequate to his needs, until some time that he could buy his own home to settle in.  He didn't want to intrude on Baldur's life, including the fact that Calrex and possibly Teayre, but he did not want to snoop around.  Instead, Hirru wanted to continue working on regaining trust between the front lines, and one of the big ones would be Macradon.

The second thing that he realized was Macradon's outward feelings towards him, which was not so good.  In fact, they were probably worse than he initially thought.  Hirru knew that the templar would not be so keen on him, but it wasn't until they actually met that he saw how badly the hunter was seen within his old guildmate's eyes.  They didn't talk too much between each other, but the look was enough.  There was rage behind those eyes that didn't surface into Mac's emotions, but the hunter could see it after the initial emotionless response.  If he ever wanted to get through to everyone, Macradon would be his biggest obstacle, minus a certain orange player.

Hirru awoke the next day, and scrambled his gear together.  He would have to kill two birds with one stone, for this to work.  Taking the teleporter, he teleported to the 26th floor and looked upon the morning commute of merchants and peasantry as they roamed the streets.  His next action, would be to send a message to Macradon, and hoped that he would come; angry or not.

Quote

To: @Macradon

From: Hirru

Good Morning!

I hope I'm not waking you up.  I want to talk while looking into farming prospects within the 26th floor.  We found the floor boss, but there is still much more to find.  Meet me on the 26th floor, outside the teleportation portal.

Hirru Stats

Hirru never had any formal wear, so when he saw the message from Ariel, he was slightly relieved to see that it was informal.  If there was anything that he had that was formal, it would be his old Blades Cloak, but it was a tattered version now, and he no longer felt that he was able to wear it anymore.  Instead, he decided to wear his casual attire: a black sleeveless turtleneck, grey slacks; and tan brown boots.  His hair was still held back by his crimson headband, but the insignia of the dark elf queen was taken off.  He left his equipment in his battle-ready slots, but he doubted he would need them now.  This was supposed to be a peaceful discussion, but the issue would be himself, if Mac's behavior in the labyrinth search was apparent.  The hunter still had not spoken to the templar about his actions that day, and it was now too late to do so before the boss.

Riding along on the back of the Travelling Flame's rolling wagon, the hunter would let the Mysterious Merchant know they're destination.  It wouldn't take long after they left Coral to reach the Forest of Memories, where a newly laden path strewn forth.

"Rune Scribe, we can go no further.  The wagon won't fit."

"Understood!  Thank you."

The hunter would jump off the cart and look into the Forest of Memories.  He wondered in Nemo was alright?  Hirru figured he should spend some time fishing there again, but he needed to train proper tomorrow.  They would be fighting something big soon.  As he moved past the front of the wagon, the hunter pat Elizabeth before walking away.  To anyone else that saw this, they would just see him pat the air.  Only those with sufficient search skills would see the mischievous mount, but those that did business with Hirru knew her enough.

"Head back to town and sell some things!  I'm sure some players will need field rations!" 

He turned back to follow the newly paved road through the forest.  At some points, he was sure that he heard something off within the woods, but he left it to his memories going funky again.  Too many times have they hurt his mind with their thoughts.

------

Reaching the red gates, the hunter was amazed by the work that went into this place.  How long and how much did it take Ariel to accomplish all of this?, the hunter would think.  At the gate, there stood two people with green crystals over their head.  They seemed to be slightly chatty, though much of it was from the man that stood to the hunter's left.  The girl to his right seemed to talk a bit, but not much.  The both of them seemed to wear uniforms that denoted them as students of some dojo.  Hirru had seen it a bit from the old boulder punching quest, he couldn't remember the name of it anymore, but he did remember having to wear something along the lines then.

"..can you believe that we're getting guests within the valley!  Front liners even!"

"I wonder.. what they're like.."

It didn't take to long before they would notice the green haired player that had walked to the gates.  The black and white clothed man with blue lined cape stood upright before giving the odd man a look over.

"Hello sir!  Are you by chance here for tailoring purposes?  Please head inside and down the main trail.."

The girl seemed to clamp up as soon as the hunter would appear.  The hunter would shake his head before talking.

"Oh no, I'm here for the meeting.  I was sent a message by Ariel to come here for our floor boss meeting.  Something about a tea gathering?"

They both seemed to just stare at him before the man piped up.  He stood more at attention than before.

"My apologies!  Honored guest, please enter into Shirajishi-ryū Valley.  Our Sensei awaits your appearance!"

The sudden change startled both the hunter and the other girl, whom seemed to wear nearly the same uniform, except her cape had a greyish blue lining.

"Oh, thank you.  Haven't been here, so excuse me if I get lost."

"Just head down the path, it's the open air building, in the middle of the valley."

"It's easy.. to find."

"Again, thank you!"

He said while walking past the two and following the path to the building that he could only hope was the dojo.

Hirru Stats

There are so many people that are starting to flourish upon the first floor of this desolate and oppressive castle.  Hirru had heard news of an alchemist that had gained some notoriety around these parts.    He had to see this new trader in action, and looked around for anyone that may know of this "Cintamani".  Dressed in his easy living apparel, he walked the streets while keeping inconspicuous.  After walking around and asking a few questions to some local players, he found the place.  Two little steps would bring him to the front door.

Opening and seeing the lounge within, the hunter graciously looked around before sitting at the bar.  He hadn't seen a setup like this since a certain asian cuisine cook decided to open their shop as a tavern.  How time flies, he thought.  Hirru wondered how Iggy was now.

As soon as he saw movement or the alchemist herself, he would gain her attention and order the following items.

Purchase

• Liquor of Light | 500col | 2 materials | Damage III | [03/03/21] | TIER 1 | (10) [20 Mats]

• Imugi's Inspiration  | 1,000col | 5 materials | Mass HP Recovery |[24/4/21] | TIER 4 | (1) [ 5 Mats]

• Fruit Infused Tea | 350col | 2 materials | HP Recovery III | [14/06/20] | TIER 1 | (4) [24/06/20] | TIER 1 | ( 1) = (5) [10 Mats]

Total Expenditures: 35 Materials

Summary

2 Pages
(Baldur gains 1/2 EXP, due to post count)

Word Count
16,163
(539 multiplier)

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UPxBsGkDdbp2z6g-Mcgv1lUVsnLXk_n8y-cXNKLoA8s/edit?usp=sharing

Col
800
(133 ea, except Lessa & Baldur whom gain 134)

Individual Rewards

Hirru
(Total Lvl: 60)
(Second Highest LD)

16978 EXP
(5x6x539+808[.05])
2679 Col
(133+2546[.15])

Baldur
(Total Lvl: 76)

10760 Exp
(5x8x269[1/2])
1748 Col
(134+1614[.15])

NIGHT
(Total Lvl: 89)
(Highest LD)

26680 EXP
(5x9x539+2425[.1])
4135 Col
(133+4002[.15])

Crozeph
(Total Lvl: 61)

18865 EXP
(5x7x539)
2962 Col
(133+2829[.15])

Macradon
(Total Lvl: 88)
(Second Highest LD)

25467 Exp
(5x9x539+1212[.05])
3953 Col
(133+3820[.15])

Lessa
(Total Lvl: 68)

18865 EXP
(5x7x539)
2962 Col
(133+2829[.15])

The great rat boss seemed to be causing much headache, as it enraged as it struck out at Macradon; rending away at the knight's chest plate, and causing a fair amount of damage.  Through out all of that, the hunter started to ease up on the thought process.  Crozeph was healed quite quickly by Baldur, and they had all pushed Telicomys nearly into the red already.  All they needed was a good burst and the labyrinth would be theirs.  The big issue was that it seemed the enraged rat seemed to more keen of its environment.  Something Hirru found out quite quickly as he went on the offensive once more, to give the creature a proper stunning for once.  The rat had other plans as, instead of blocking the hunter with his tail, Telicomys just bounced out of the hunter's way.

"Leave sickly one last, no?  Yes-yes~ *kikikikiki* All more tasty looking!"

"Get back here!  I am not.."

[ID: 199077][BD: 1][CD: 5]

[TECH-A -11 en] Miss -2 EN

A large eerily glowing mace would break out from under of the creature's clothes and slam into Crozeph, reducing his health by a scary margin.  Hirru's mind started to immediately think of counter measures.  Why did it enrage and attack Cro when Macradon or Ariel, whom hit the creature the hardest, should have been targeted instead.  No, it went after Cro.  Could it have been because he missed?  He would have the same hate as Hirru then?  Does that mean that this creature could hit anyone, like that one alligator boss in the 5th floor arena?  Though, it could be going after highest and lowest.  Could that be it?  Maybe, but Hirru needed to find more variables to make sure.  For now, he would have to either switch with Mac, or take the support route and do nothing.

"*sniffsniff* Die die skinny one.  Does not hurt us, yes yes. *growlsniff*  Maybe, big one more tasty?"

"I won't let you!"

Hirru quickly shot out at the giant rat thing, and proceeded to activate his concentration skill to get a better hit on the thing.  Sword glowing red, the hunter whirled around to strike at its back, but that damned tail got in the way again.  It bat his sword away, like it was nothing, and sent him flying backwards.  There goes the switch, that only meant that Hirru could only do nothing now.  Why was he always so useless, he thought, as the cowl of his cloak fell from his head, revealing his green hair once more.  This time, the eyes of Telicomys glinted.

"*sniffsniff* Sickly one, here!  Fur aglow with taint!  *growl* Must eat-feed, but big one also look mouthful, yes-yes."

"Huh.."

Hirru quickly looked back to Cro.

"Do you have any healing?  If not, try to gain HATE against the boss.  I'll take the rear, until I can switch hate with someone.  I can also give you my health potion!"

[ID: 199060] [BD: 2+7-4=5] [CD: 6] TECH-A  Missed {Concentration Active} -7 EN

Following the gaze from NIGHT, the hunter would scan the entrance to see what she was looking at, but the thing that moving seemed more than the hunter thought.  A mass of fur and rags would stand taller than even Macradon.  The appearance of a giant rat creature, or would it be a rat man, covered in decrepit ragged cloth which seemed to emit some sort of dust particles as it moved.  It moved closer to the group before standing high above Hirru.  It's voice seemed to come out in sniveling cackles, and noisy sniffing, but it could still be slightly understood.

"You you *sniffsniffsniff* Why do you stand there?  Stand here here? *sniffsniff*  Stay back, earth thing!  You you smell *sniffsniff* stink clean.  Make no sense."

Hirru had no answer for the creature, he had had enough of talking to beings of this floor to get anywhere.  He unsheathed Shelob's Fang, a two handed straight sword that glistened with the venom of a spider.  With a short wind-up, the hunter went in for a stunning strike, something he learned to start off with while venturing with Freyd.  However, Hirru did not fathom that the rat would be much stronger and faster than he was.  The rat parried the hunter's strike away with a swipe of his tail.

"Wha.."

"Yes yes *sniffsniff* This one does want die!  Do you all too?  *sniffsniff* Say say you do."

With that, the rat's health bars filled out in front of them all with a name to reside over them, Telicomys, Guardian of the Sewer.

[ID: 198986] [BD: 1+6-5] [CD: 8] TECH-A Missed -2 EN

"It's good to see that we're getting somewhere with.."

The Jade Hunter scrunched his nose, before covering it with his hand.  Quickly going through his menu, he equipped his forest cloak to pull the extra cloth around his mouth and nose.

"..And I thought I experienced enough in here."

He would sigh softly before looking over everyone.  Sensory issues have been a pain in his arse since he could remember.  Not being able to feel pain, but know when something is supposed to hurt from memory alone?  Every dull throb would register as pain, if not for the human mind taking care of most of that.  Taste and smell were still an issue though.  One couldn't get sick or nauseous, but that didn't mean the gag reflex was still there.  He felt like throwing up then an there, but the cloth kept most of the issue at bay.

"Let's get this over with already."

Hirru Stats (Buffs applied in scouting thread)

Several things were happening all at once, and the hunter had to analyze all of the information that was taken.  NIGHT had found the slums some time ago, but they still had to make sure that Cro was okay.  Alone in a new floor was not something for a lone player to be in.  Especially if there were unexpected variables on this floor.  NIGHT had said that this entire floor was a central city-state for an empire.  Hirru didn't really understand what an empire was, but the few kingdoms on several different floors would give him a slight idea.  If this was a gigantic version of those, then they could expect the nobles to be..

*ping*

A sudden message from Cro announcing his location at the Noble District.  He said he was going to find them soon, but only after he shook off some.. guards?  As soon as that message came up, he got another message from NIGHT.  She was sending coordinates for her location in the slums.  Baldur and Lessa seemed to have just as much of a issue with the children as they had.  Macradon did the smart thing and started a party for everyone, while asking if they had any coordinates from NIGHT yet.

"Yeah, it seems she found..."

*ping*ping*ping*ping*

Several messages from NIGHT this time.  Coordinates kept changing, as if she kept going deeper.  The hunter sighed.  Inquisitive will be inquisitive, it seemed.  One message, however, made him tense up.  A large door surrounded by ugly grim and algae covered masonry.  NIGHT did say that the sewers were probably their best bet, but the figure that stood before it.  Didn't seem right for a labyrinth guardian, if that could even be counted as one.

"Nevermind, NIGHT found what could be the labyrinth entrance.  She sent Cro her coordinates, I'll give everyone else the coordinates too."

He said while sending everyone the last three area codes, including the attached image of the door and the "labyrinth guardian" that NIGHT had sent him, for further use.  It was at that time that they were slightly reunited with a strangely dressed Crozeph.  He sighed a bit when he heard that Cro had not gotten rid of his pursuers.

"We're leaving, then!  Let's get out of here and find NIGHT."

Quote

To: @NIGHT

From: Hirru

>We're on our way.
>Do not engage, unless you think you can handle a tier 4 field boss by yourself.

Starting off at a brisk pace after sending that message out, they would head through the alleyways, following the first set of coordinates that NIGHT sent to reach the downward ramp that would suggest the slums.  Fearing for a confrontation, the hunter switched out Favor of the Golden Dragon for his iconic red plated armor, Bulwark, that covered only one arm with full plate gauntlet and pauldron.  His old armor from that day, that he converted to fulfill its purpose on a higher tier.

It would probably take a bit to reach NIGHT, but he hoped she wouldn't go out of her way to fight a Guardian alone.  They didn't have Freyd here to one shot the thing, so it would take all of their efforts for this.

"Let's not keep her waiting, anymore."

As they entered into the slums....

Equipment Change: Favor of the Golden Dragon -3 LD -> Bulwark +107 MIT (72 armor + 35 skill) = 167 MIT

His intuition paid off, it seemed, as NIGHT acknowledged Hirru's request and went out to follow the children.  To be fair with it all, he really didn't know.  He barely even registered that NIGHT was a two handed sword user, like himself.  So why did he call her out?  He took a gamble with assumptions and relatively no information to go off of.  He could have gone to a stretch of info by saying she was quite inquisitive, but the hunter had only just met her.  He could have asked about their abilities before setting off to know better, but he didn't.  So why did he say something now?  He just assumed a possibility, and let his luck be his guide.  So far, that has been all he has been doing now.  Coasting off of the fumes of luck and bull that let him through to this point, Hirru could only wait until karma came crashing down upon him.

Sometime passed while awaiting NIGHT and her reconnaissance mission that the hunter had sent her on, a thought came to him.  When they do find these slums, where will they go next?  Just finding the slums shouldn't automatically give them the labyrinths location, unless the slums were the labyrinth, that is.  Hirru thought about it for a bit, but dismissed the lot of it.  It was very unlikely to come to that.

No sooner that he thought that, did NIGHT send him the message.  Looking around, he would find that a certain individual was missing.  The dark-haired individual named Crozeph had disappeared.  Looking around, the hunter could not see anything from the large crowds starting to form around some of the merchants.

"Where's Crozeph?"

He asked before sending a quick message back.

Quote

To: @NIGHT
From: Hirru

Good, get back here as soon as possible.

We may need to find Crozeph too.

The two boys were starting to get rather worried when three new people came towards them.  The green haired one was still looking at them rather quizzically.  A young woman came around beside him, kneeling down to their level, and presented a pouch of col.  Another two men seemed to be presenting something different than coin.  There was a slight aroma coming from them, and it seemed to entice the younger, more quieter child.  The older boy felt his brother leave his side, the younger one seeming to reach out to the candy.  The older one grabbed his hand, but the gaze of the silver haired man behind the green haired one was giving him the harshest of gazes.  It would go away for a bit when the man was given the candy from before, and seemed to eat the candy; wrapper and all.  It made the younger boy chuckle a bit, and the older one was shifting his eyes from the coin purse, to the candy, to the faces of everyone.  The words from everyone seemed to slightly ease the older boy, but not by much.  A tug at his sleeve made him turn to his brother.

"Brother, they don't look like they would hurt us."

"We can't say t'at t'ey're not Inquisitors.  You remember Zashua, don't you."

The older brother, it seemed instantly caught his mouth before saying anymore.  The little one's eyes grew wide and shrunk back behind his brother.  There seemed to be something more at work than the hunter originally thought.  However, the children didn't seem to want to talk any more.  They slowly backed away before running around a corner.  The hunter would hold his arm out to halt anyone that tried to follow, except one.

"NIGHT, I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that you're a stealth based player.  Sorry to ask but, could you stealth up and follow them?  See if we can gain anything out of following the little ones.  If not, we're gonna be sitting on our butts about this, unless we find a better lead."

The hunter seemed to sigh before wondering what was really going on behind him.  He could not see Baldur or Lessa.  Did they go to seek information some place else?  Standing up to find Macradon behind him really startled, as he was not expecting him to be so close.  It seemed that Crozeph had got Mac to enact one of his little blunders.  It made the hunter feel slightly better that the Mac he knew was still there.  Other than that, it seemed that Crozeph had focused on something and went to find Baldur. 

It would just be him and Mac.

Letting everyone banter to each other while they figured out what to do next, the hunter seemed to be left alone.  Baldur and Lessa seemed to know each other from quite some time ago.  The hunter remembered that Baldur was quite well known before they met.  How far back did Hirru go?  The hunter couldn't say for certain, as there as a point where even he couldn't remember much.  It was still fuzzy..

too fuzzy.  He could only assume he was there at the beginning, where everyone else was.  Maybe, interaction with more people would help, but that would take time.  It worked with Hestia.  Maybe, it will work with Mac.  He looked to the knight in his formal wear, and the colors of the suit shut Hirru up.  Those colors were once a proper uniform and form of being for the hunter.  The KoB were his family and home for so long, even before when the Crimson Blades were first created.  His heart was torn to leave the guild.  So hard that he fell into a cold state of depression, as Hirru kept a small glimmer of hope, thinking that he would be forgiven.  That everything would be okay.  It wasn't until after the 'Storm' that he took it upon himself to seek the forgiveness, or at least, seek the consequences that he deserved for his actions.  That has given him a new goal to seek out each player that he wronged, and speak to them about it.  Talk it out the best he could.  Let them know.. why it all happened.

His mind was pulled back to reality from listen to Night, Cro, and Mac talk.  They seemed to deduce that some underground caverns or sewers were the proper way to go.  That would require finding some slums or peasant quarters that could link to the underworld.  Cro even suggested, as he pointed them all out, to talk to the children around the area.  Maybe they would know something.  Baldur furthered that to trying the children of the slums.

"We let's see what we can do to get some information out of the kids."

The hunter didn't really want to deal with the children.  He already lost everything from one child.  He didn't need to work around more, but this was gonna be required.  Walking close to one of the alleyways, he stood beside it before peering around.  Two boys seemed to fall backwards from surprise.  One of them got back up and was immediately defensive.

"Hey, watch w;ere yer goin, huh!"

The other one, a more timid lad, seemed to be hiding behind the other one.

"Please don't hurt us."

They both seemed to be rather ragged, but the holes in their clothes were patched up fairly well.  Their hair was partially well kept, but the black stains upon their skin would portray a harsher environment to live in.

"Excuse me?  Didn't mean to scare you.  Just wondering if you know of any weird or fun places to play or hide in.  This place seems far too noisy, and I could use a quieter place."

Hirru was taking a whim here, and it was probably going to backfire.  He wasn't much for subtlety, and it was costing him now.  He has tried to keep things simple for the boys

Macradon's words seemed to cut the hunter.  They felt like that had no feeling in them, as if the hunter was not worth it to him.  Hirru understood that much, he guessed.  The hunter did betray Macradon and everyone else on that forsaken floor.  Though, the hunter wanted to clarify the reasoning, since Baldur already knew and would be a needed companion for this discussion; now was not the time or place for it.  Especially when something else happened.

A sudden bit of dust was kicked up in front of him before a new sight was brought to his attention.  A young lady with black hair seemed to have stopped near the them; inquiring about the hunter himself.  Swiping the dust out of his face, he could talk a bit better to the lady.  It seemed she was accompanied by another woman.  Blonde and a bit more well dressed than the other.

"Yes, I am Hirru.  Thank you both for coming by.  The samurai beside me is Baldur and you already got acquainted with Macradon."

Introductions were presented at this point.  The short black haired one was NIGHT, a bit of an odd one but quite inquisitive.  The blonde one called Lessa, which he had no proper introduction to yet.  He got a chuckle out of NIGHT's 'lack of resume / form'.

"I don't know what that means, but we have never needed something along those lines.  Oh!"

It seemed that another had joined too.  Hirru heard the words Crow, which could only mean that this one was the Crozeph that he messaged.

"You must be Crozeph, I presume?  I think that makes all of us, then.  If no one has any luck based buffs, I have some if needed."

With that, the hunter noticed that Mac didn't want to waste any more time and was already heading out.

"Oh.. Okay, let's get going then, everyone!  Though, does anyone have any thoughts to where we should start as we walk?"

Although, the hunter was expecting a crowd, he was not expecting the ones that came.  Looking back at the message for a moment, he was able to see all to whom the message was forwarded.  There were two players that he did not recognize from the forwarded names: Night and Crozeph.  It looked like Night was sending him some cryptic messages, but the hunter seemed to understand slightly.  Since they didn't know him, it would be obvious that this circumstance would be weird.  Hirru would respond in kind.

While he sent his message, he would see a familiar face approach: an azure samurai.

Quote

To: Night, Crozeph

From: Hirru

My apologies for not giving specifics.  Please meet outside the teleporter in the Concordance Commons, you'll see two individuals.  One with green hair and another in a blue haori with a katana.  That will be us.  We'll be waiting.  

As he sent the message, he would turn to his friend and breath a sigh of relief.

"I'm glad you got the message, Baldur.  No, I don't know much about this floor, except what I see here.  I have been on quests to realize a new form of combat, which has helped me a little with my swordsmanship.  Now, I don't feel like I'm copying a certain someone."

A small message came from someone he didn't expect, but would dismiss it for now.

"I sent out a missive to whomever I knew, but it seems that my message was received by two others.  A player named Night and another Crozeph.  Do you know either of.."

A striking figure came into the mix. One that Hirru could never forget, which made his eyes widen in both fear and anguish.

"..them."

He had gotten the man's letter, but never figured he would actually come.  It was him.. The silver haired knight and Hirru's former guild mate..,

"Macradon.."

Hirru mumbled softly.  He was not ready for the reunion to be now.  The knight seemed to wave at them, but the hunter was sure that if he said anything specific, he would lose any sway in this matter.  He slightly shot his eyes downward and gave a low sigh.  This was going to happen sooner or later.  It may as well be now.  Raising his head, he would look towards his former brother-in-arms.

"Macradon, thank you for coming."

It was a small gesture, but the hunter would hand out a food bar to both Baldur and Macradon.

"We'll be needing as much luck to add to our search as possible.  I know this isn't much, but this is only the start."

Looking to the both of them trying to smile.

Offering to party

• Berry Crumb Bars [189098, 189098-1, 189098-2, 189103, 189107] +3 LD

Hirru went out to find the cook that he had bought the many different consumables from before.  It didn't seem to be too hard of a venture, but it seemed that the wayward cook liked to travel as much as the Merchant did.  After a time of searching around, the hunter could see a familiar looking area in a small grove ahead.

"I know I'm hard to find, but sheesh man!"

The hunter poked his head out of the wagon before it would come to a halt before the grove.  Walking over, the green haired man would grin and ask.

"Might I ask you for some of your finest feasts?"

Purchases:

• Crème Brûlée | ACCURACY II | 300col | [18/04/20] | TIER 1 | (12) [12 Mats]
  • Requesting Feast made from 2 of them.
• Yaki Hatahata | MITIGATION III | Price varies | 3 materials | [07/05/21] | TIER 4 | (11) [33 Mats
  • Requesting Feast made from 2 of them
• Berry Crumb Bars | LOOT DIE III | 500col | 2 materials | [13/05/21] | ( 7) [14 Mats]
  • Requesting Feast made from 2 of them

Total Expenditures:

• 59 Mats

An Empirical Matter

(Message on #Frontlines before joining thread)

This was something new to the hunter.  All other floors were much more open and spacious.  The wilds were somewhere, even if the vegetation and fauna were dead, they had an area.  Ruins, creatures, and the unknown were his Forte.

This was none of that, exempt from the unknown.

Ladonia, an empire nation that was growing quite a bit, and was hitting a new peak.  Their grand vision, Imperial and opulent, would create a grand city-state the which no one has seen before.  However, the stench of sovereignty was always foul, and it could be seen even in the Concordance Commons.  It seems like this place was a safe place, but for how long?

Looking around, the hunter sent out a message:

Quote

 

To: [insert name here]

From: Hirru

I may not be the best to say this, but I want to find the next Labyrinth.  We have been stagnant for far too long.  Will you join me?

 

The Jade Hunter removed his crimson cloak and armor.  This first part wouldn't require those for a while.  Instead, he had his black sleeveless turtleneck covering his chest while the silver and gold bangles, Spirit and Favor respectively, lay upon each of his wrists.  His green hair was still held up by his red headband, which still carried Lun'Rial's Insignia.  This would be quite the venture, if they can keep out of trouble.  Taking everything in stride though, he would use his buffs.  There could still be Labyrinth Guardians that would make fighting without armor an issue.

The hunter then realized that he just sent an unaddressed letter.

"Wait, who did I send that to?"

Consumed:

• T4 Map -> Team Size 4->6
• Lemon Berry Palmier [186761] -> +3 LD
• Creme Brulee [189092] -> +2 ACC
• Yaki Hatahata [189834] -> +60 MIT
• Field Ration -> +86 Max HP
• Immolation Potion T4 -> +40 Thorns

Offering to anyone that asks:

• Berry Crumb Bars [189098, 189098-1, 189098-2, 189103, 189107] +3 LD

Stats: 

• 10 Field Rations          [10000 Col]
• 10 Immolation Potions T4  [12000 Col]
• 5 Golden Keys            [5000 Col]
• 10 Blank Map T4.        [4000 col]

Total Expenditures:  31000 Col

This was the first time that the hunter was in such a weird place.  Everyone there seemed like they were top dog and were more important than him.  Even though he had never met any of them, he was somehow knew their names.  What sort of place was this that could beam such thoughts into ones mind.  The hunter thought about that last part for a second and remembered what Shield had said once.  Everyone had some kind of helmet on their heads in real life that was giving them sensations through some sort of wavelength that could be used and read by the brain, and read back into the machine to give them the movement in this world.  It was odd, but quite intriguing, at the same time.

Coming up to the event vender, she seemed a little skittish, but a little bundle of joy all together.

"Oh yes, I'll have one of those Gungnir shards and a set or two of the platinum keys please."

Hirru buys:

The two of them were exchanging hard and heavy blows to the giant troll, and it had shown.  Of course, Freyd had dealt the most massive amount of damage that the hunter had seen yet, but it seemed to take a told on him.  The hunter couldn't have the troll try to target his friend, so as Perci did his thing, the hunter rushed forward like he had before against the Hassan.  A deadly slash would sever the shattered arm before plunging the blade deep into the trolls chest, like a spider clamping down onto a person's skin.  His two handed sword may have been a small toothpick to the giant troll, but that didn't mean it couldn't cause significant damage.  A low groan would escape its lips before it shattered into nothing.

Falling onto his arse, the hunter used his sword as leverage to get back up.

"Remind me to not be on top of the boss when we finish it."

He chuckles a little.  This was what he missed the most.  Nothing formal, and not requiring haste.  Just two friends, sharing stories and kicking arse.  Speaking of stories..

"You know, I still don't know much about you, and I just spilled a huge amount in the past few days.  Least, I could get is a little story from you, but again, it doesn't have to be today."

Loot [ID: 197630] [CD: 8] [LD: 4+8=12]

• Col [Even x2]: 3100*7= 21700 Col
• T3 Rare Weapon [197630a]
• T3 Uncommon Consumable [197630b]

Summary

The red skinned troll had gotten up at this point, and aimed his attack towards the dark haired, red eyed one.  His fist was about to connect before a swirling light would spin around his arm, carving a path of orange scars along the whole of the arm.  A large impact upon his forearm would throw the punch way off the mark, and into the adjacent wall.  Looking at the wound, in a large crater in his skin, the troll could see the green haired swordsman with his blade still stuck within the creature.  As it pulled its arm back, the hunter would pull out from the creatures flesh and retreat as far as he could.

"Try not to over do yourself, Freyd.  If the stench is getting to you, then we can end him quickly enough.  I just shattered his mitigation a bit."

He would then smile a little.

"Thank you for being honest about it."

"Huh?"

The hunter was speechless.  This was really the first time that someone didn't understand what was going on, but that seemed to dawn on the hunter too.  His betrayal wasn't fully going out.  Could it be that Hikki boi was suppressing the information, was it all just the front liners of that day that knew of the events of that day.

"Oh.. I.."

The hunter pulled out a teleportation crystal from his battle ready pack.  He waved it around a bit, as Hirru remembered what happened.

"In the Council fight, one of the five members was a small boy called Durares.  He was essentially the healer and prophet? for the group.  He could use this deck of cards to apply buffs and debuffs while healing select council members.  We had already killed two of the most dangerous ones, and it was beginning to look like we would be able to resolve the battle rather peacefully after killing the main leader, Isaxi.  Unfortunately, Durares had painted himself as a more desirable target as the squishy healer, and no one else would listen to what I or any of the other two were asking to spare him and kill Isaxi."

Hirru held his arms out wide, making himself look bigger than he really was. 

"There was another of the Council, Evahira.  She seemed to be protecting Durares, but not from obligation, more from kinship.  Like a brother-sister, or something along those lines.  So, I put my body on the line.  I chose to be a second shield, and gave them my only teleportation crystal to leave.  It was given to the boy, whom was able to use it.  In the meantime; I was shoved aside, stabbed, and ridiculed for being a f*cking dumbass for betraying my words and betraying everyone there."

The hunter lowered his arms while putting the crystal back.  He didn't have time to be trading tales right now.  Ugzeke was his target now, not Durares.

"So that's my crime.  I have my reasons for what I did, but I hope you sort of understand.  An A.I. that can nearly replicate a proper being, especially a child haunts me."

Hirru said while running up to the bum bum of a mob and sank Shelob's Fang into his achilles tendon once more, stunning him in place.  

"Heh, Oikawa wasn't one of us.  He was apart of another guild, but still got roped into the assassination of Zelrius.  No, the third vice-commander was our good old Mack himself.  The boisterous man self promoted himself the moment Opal killed Ssendom.  At least he kept the ball rolling for a while, and we kept plowing through each hurdle.  Until he disappeared, that is.  He's didn't turn mad, or at least we don't think he did, but anyone would with little Chewie destroying your food stock."

The hunter began to smile a bit more.

"After some time, we got another player by the name of Lowenthal to take the mantle.  He was once an orange player, for reasons he did not want to explain.  However, he was one of the first to show me that the book isn't judged by it's cover, or so that saying goes.  After some time though, I found out from an old friend of both Lowenthal and myself that Lowe had passed away; taken from us by another player.  I've been told that he grew mad, and threw himself into their spear.  He had had enough of this twisted world."

His eyes fell now to his partner and newly found friend.

"And you guessed right..  I guess I'm too easy to read, huh.  That's right."

He would stop to meet Freyd up front.

"I was the last Vice-Commander of the Knights of the Blood Oath, and traitor to everyone that lived and died here in Aincrad.  I went against my word to free everyone to let a little boy go free."

His hands tightened.  He didn't care about revealing that he was a traitor, that he had betrayed everyone because a digitally created child feared for their life.

"Was it sentimentality?  Pretty sure if was..  Can you blame me for being sentimental?  Of course you can!  You understand that this world is fake!"

Full energy regen

"I don't know who that was.  He could have been a subordinate of the old Council, or he could have been part of something new.  All I know was that he knew something about the last boss of the 23rd boss raid."

The hunter sighed normally now, as the talking was getting him to calm down a little more.  Though, the information within would put him on edge.

"You're right that some of us got sentimental.  One tried talking to them, which kind of worked, but only to get some information out of them.  Another would try enticing the bosses to stop fighting, it never really did well either.  Then there was the third one.  He chose a more direct approach.  At some point, that man went mad, and used his own body to protect one of the bosses, a young dark elf boy named Durares.  This was all after making an oath to protect the people of Aincrad and ensure their future.  What a sham.."

He was beating himself up now.

"He was the last Vice Commander of the Knights of the Blood Oath, and now the Traitor to all players, for giving the boy a chance to escape.. to live."

Pulling the sword out of the ground, and returned it to his scabbard.  There would be a short trek to the Underdark, but enough time to continue on.

"Let's go.. I'll tell you more before we hit Ugzeke."

2/3 energy regen
3/3 Charge recharge