Hirru

"How do you like that one, ya over grown rock fish!  I'll have you for dinner, with a side of sand!  Cause it's everywhere now.."

Hirru yelled out at the swimming abomination of a creature.  It was definitely a shark, but the hide of it was very rough and rocky.  It's fins seemed more for pushing itself through the sand, while it's had was more of a wedge shape.  It seemed like the head was more likely 'slicing' through the sand and the tail and fins were just to make it snake through the desert faster instead of actually swimming.  Fascinating stuff, but nothing that he really needed to look into at the moment.  Instead, he figured he could get a free hit in while the creature was still stunned, but the thing awoke from its stunned state, and dug into the sand once more, while slapping Hirru with its razor sharp tail.  It didn't help that the hunter's feet were being covered again, so he had to take another chunk of damage from the Sand Shark's ability.

[194528] [BD: 3+3-2=4] Miss -2 EN {Shatter missed -5 EN}  (Bad Footing active)
[MD: 7+1-1=7] Hit 65-53= 12 DMG

Hirru: 674/720 HP | 64/95 EN | 14 DMG | 53 MIT | 3 ACC | 1 EVA | 1 PARA | 8/4 ENVM {SA Cool: Tempest 3/2 | C.D. 1/3 | Shatter 3/2 | A.H. 1/2 | F.B. 2/2}

Sand Shark: 231/555 HP | 50 DMG | 35 MIT | 1 ACC | 2 EVA | 12/2 BLD | Shatter 0/3

Skills:

• <<Bad Footing>>: Missing an attack against the Sand Shark causes the Player to get bogged down by the sandy environment, making the next attack against them deal 15 DMG more.
• <<Sharp Jaws>>: On an MD 9-10, the Shark will reduce the MIT of its target by 10 for <<Sand Shark’s>> next attack, which will automatically target the same Player regardless of Hate values.
• <<Weapon Lock>>: Only Sword Arts of Rank 4 or lower may be used against this boss.
• <<Tier Lock>>: For the duration of the fight, all of the participants’ stats that scale with Tier are calculated as though they’re Tier 1. [DMG/MIT/BLEED enhancements etc.]

As the Sand Shark sand below the waves once more, the hunter tried to think of something that could really work against the field boss.  With it being an underground ambush predator, Hirru had witnessed quite a few of these creatures in his line of duty, in Aincrad.  Most of them had some sort of way to see you, whether it being some sort of sensory gland that could pick up vibrations, or they had heightened senses that could hear or see a creature from within a specific range.  If the Sand Shark was like any other shark on the 22nd floor, then they would be sight and smell, though the smell part was questionable.  Though, this being a game, the hunter's mind kind of defaulted back to wait to hit.  As it sprung from the very sands it called home, the hunter pulled from his rank 3 sword arts to slap it with a Fight Blade to stun it.  Upon the final strike of the sword art, the big rock fish was flopping on top of the sand dunes.

[194527] [BD:7+3-2=8] Hit
[Fight Blade -8 EN] 14x11= 154-20= 134 Stun
[MD: 2+1-1=2] Stunned

Hirru: 686/720 HP | 69/95 EN | 14 DMG | 53 MIT | 3 ACC | 1 EVA | 1 PARA | 8/4 ENVM {SA Cool: Tempest 0/2 | C.D. 2/3 | Shatter 1/2 | A.H. 2/2 | F.B. 3/2}

Sand Shark: 231/555 HP | 50 DMG | 20 MIT | 1 ACC | 2 EVA | 12/2 BLD | Shatter 1/3

Skills:

• <<Bad Footing>>: Missing an attack against the Sand Shark causes the Player to get bogged down by the sandy environment, making the next attack against them deal 15 DMG more.
• <<Sharp Jaws>>: On an MD 9-10, the Shark will reduce the MIT of its target by 10 for <<Sand Shark’s>> next attack, which will automatically target the same Player regardless of Hate values.
• <<Weapon Lock>>: Only Sword Arts of Rank 4 or lower may be used against this boss.
• <<Tier Lock>>: For the duration of the fight, all of the participants’ stats that scale with Tier are calculated as though they’re Tier 1. [DMG/MIT/BLEED enhancements etc.]

With the death of the final enemy within that room, the hunter could relax a little bit.  Throughout the room, there didn't seem to be anything in particular that required investigation.  Just a mostly empty room with a few tables and chairs here and there.  There were some things hanging on the wall, but the hunter didn't know if they were really important or not.  If they were, they were in a dialect that he couldn't read just yet.  Over time, and a little luck, he may be able to learn it all.

Turning back to Baldur, he shrugged while holding the envenomed blade.

"I have one more sword art before I turn to the third ranked arts.  Could use some time for Galaxy and Tempest to come off this heavier cooldown system."

He said while walking over to the next door.  He took a chair and wedged it under the handles, just in case the next creature in this dungeon decided to roll up to their slumber party.

"I still need work on these two handed sword arts, too.  I'm mostly only going by my small glimpses from Macradon's moves.  Other than that, some of the sword arts were written down and recorded for other players.  So, I'm slowly relearning how to plant my foot down, instead of the faster movements of the one handed straight sword.  There could be another AOE in my skill set that I haven't tried yet."

HP regen +44 / Energy regen 1/3 {SA Count: G.A.: 3/4 | TP: 2/2}

After dealing damage to the sand shark, the shatter skill had dealt a large crack into it's hard hide.  It was visible for only a few seconds, but it was beginning to bury itself back into the sand.  Taking this opportunity, Hirru dug himself out of the sand to rush at the Sand Shark, before it could return to below the loose sand bed.  However, the hunter was not fast enough.  The shark sank beneath the sand, which prompted Hirru to bury his sword in the built up dune which came from the burrowing.  The sand crept around his boots again, making him just as susceptible to the heavy damage that it did before.  Sure enough, the sand shark had erupted out of the sand to take a bite out of the hunter.  It wasn't much damage, but it was still enough to take a blip out of his health bar.

[194038] [BD: 2+3-2=3] Miss (Bad Footing)
[MD: 7] Hit 65 - 53= 12 DMG

Hirru: 686/720 HP | 76/95 EN | 14 DMG | 53 MIT | 3 ACC | 1 EVA | 1 PARA | 8/4 ENVM {SA Cool: Tempest 1/2 | C.D. 3/3 | Shatter 2/2 | A.H. 3/2}

Sand Shark: 365/555 HP | 50 DMG | 20 MIT | 1 ACC | 2 EVA | 12/2 BLD | Shatter 2/3

Skills:

• <<Bad Footing>>: Missing an attack against the Sand Shark causes the Player to get bogged down by the sandy environment, making the next attack against them deal 15 DMG more.
• <<Sharp Jaws>>: On an MD 9-10, the Shark will reduce the MIT of its target by 10 for <<Sand Shark’s>> next attack, which will automatically target the same Player regardless of Hate values.
• <<Weapon Lock>>: Only Sword Arts of Rank 4 or lower may be used against this boss.
• <<Tier Lock>>: For the duration of the fight, all of the participants’ stats that scale with Tier are calculated as though they’re Tier 1. [DMG/MIT/BLEED enhancements etc.]

While keeping his search skills sharpened, the hunter could only hope to hit the swimming land fish, as it seemed to be much faster than he was in the sand.  The last attack also kicked up quite a bit of the small grained earth particles that it started to cover his feet much more.  Sensing that the creature would use this to it's advantage, the hunter could only pause and wait for the Sand Shark to reveal itself.  If he knew these ambush predators, Hirru figured the only time to hit it was when it was attacking.  When the opportunity presented itself, Hirru plunged his Calamitous Disaster sword art into the hide of the creature, but he was hit fairly hard for a creature of this floor.  It was negligible damage, and didn't seem to have any particular added problems either.  Weird, as it is.

"Come on, sharky!  I've faced things much more harmful on this floor than you!"

[194034] [BD:5+3-2=6] Hit [Shatter Activate -5 EN]
[Calamitous Disaster -10 EN] 14*15= 210-(35-15)= 190 Dmg
[MD: 8+1-1=8] Hit 50+15 (B.F)= 65-53 MIT= 12 DMG

Hirru: 708/720 HP | 77/95 EN | 14 DMG | 53 MIT | 3 ACC | 1 EVA | 1 PARA | 8/4 ENVM {SA Cool: Tempest 2/2 | C.D. 4/3 | Shatter 3/2}

Sand Shark: 365/555 HP | 50 DMG | 20 MIT | 1 ACC | 2 EVA | 12/2 BLD | Shatter 3/3

Skills:

• <<Bad Footing>>: Missing an attack against the Sand Shark causes the Player to get bogged down by the sandy environment, making the next attack against them deal 15 DMG more.
• <<Sharp Jaws>>: On an MD 9-10, the Shark will reduce the MIT of its target by 10 for <<Sand Shark’s>> next attack, which will automatically target the same Player regardless of Hate values.
• <<Weapon Lock>>: Only Sword Arts of Rank 4 or lower may be used against this boss.
• <<Tier Lock>>: For the duration of the fight, all of the participants’ stats that scale with Tier are calculated as though they’re Tier 1. [DMG/MIT/BLEED enhancements etc.]

As the shifting sands seemed to roll around him, he seemed to find himself being circled by something big.  Search skill could only show highlights and pings of where something may be, but all of its pings were coming from under the sand in different areas.  It wasn't until the creature burst out of the sands that the hunter could see what it was.  He thought he had fought something like this before, but couldn't remember.  This was a land shark, but not just any land shark.  It was the new field boss of the area: The Sand Shark.

"Finally, some good meat around here!"

Hirru smirked before readying his weapon.  Though, he noticed a huge problem already.  Fang seemed to be less weighty as it used to be.  In fact, his armor felt the same too, and his energy seemed to drop the moment the Sand Shark popped up.  Was this something that would happen with all field bosses?  He checked his stats quickly, and sure enough, there were significant drops in damage, mitigation, and energy.

Getting started, he would try for a Galaxy Destroyer, but it wouldn't come up.  It was like the sword art was no longer available to him.  It wasn't quite clear, but there were quite a few restrictions here.  Instead, the hunter proceeded to charge in with a Tempest, but the shark was ahead of him by diving once more into the sand.  

Stats dropped to T1
Combat Master DMG:  12 -> 3
Shelob's Fang Envenom: 32 -> 8
Bulwarks Mitigation: 72 -> 18
Energist Max Energy: 20 -> 5
Charge energy usage: 8 -> 2

[194028] [BD:3+3-3=3] Miss -2 EN (Charge -2 EN)  <<Bad Footing>> Procced
[MD: 2+1-1=2] Miss

Hirru: 720/720 HP | 91/95 EN | 14 DMG | 53 MIT | 3 ACC | 1 EVA | 1 PARA | 8/4 ENVM {SA Cool: Tempest 3/2}

Sand Shark: 555/555 HP | 50 DMG | 35 MIT | 1 ACC | 2 EVA | 12/2 BLD

Skills:

• <<Bad Footing>>: Missing an attack against the Sand Shark causes the Player to get bogged down by the sandy environment, making the next attack against them deal 15 DMG more.
• <<Sharp Jaws>>: On an MD 9-10, the Shark will reduce the MIT of its target by 10 for <<Sand Shark’s>> next attack, which will automatically target the same Player regardless of Hate values.
• <<Weapon Lock>>: Only Sword Arts of Rank 4 or lower may be used against this boss.
• <<Tier Lock>>: For the duration of the fight, all of the participants’ stats that scale with Tier are calculated as though they’re Tier 1. [DMG/MIT/BLEED enhancements etc.]

Since the hunter couldn't find the dungeon that he 'oh so wanted', Hirru had to resign himself to finding his way back.  Turning around, it seemed that the path that he took was covered in sand once more.  Not that he needed the trail.  Although it wouldn't be too hard, he wanted to still explore and see what else was new around the area.  There seemed to be canyons near the main settlement that held some sort of significance.  Maybe he could find something there that could help out, or maybe fight something that wasn't locked to a mediocre sum of health and power.  He was itching for something better than what he had dealt with before, but with him being alone, there weren't that many options.  With that in mind, the hunter switched from his gathering gear to his combat gear.  It would do him well in the encounters to come.

Favor of the Golden Dragon -> Bulwark

-3 LD | +72 MIT

[Reveal= Dungeon search on post 10] [All search mods and LD enhancements = +11 LD]

Activating his search skill, the hunter would set out to look for this 'flower in the sand'.  He had not heard of nor seen such a thing before, but he was determined to find it.  He wanted to get something done today, other than fishing up a singular fish.  Though, that fish was rather pretty.  Remembering what Anthony Gill said about the rainbow fish reminded him that they were incredibly rare for a reason, and that he should be kind to nature.  If he ever got to that point in his fishing career, then he would gladly send the beautiful fish back to their merry way.  Until then though, the hunter would have to level it through, just like his merchant profession.

Venturing through the sands, the hunter seemed to come up to something, but all it was was just a false alarm.  What looked like a flower, was just a rock with twigs.  It would have been something around it, but there was nothing around the area.  The hunter sighed.

"I guess that there isn't anything around."

[193683] [LD: 3+11= 14] Really.. one off..

He was nearing the most recent place that he had found some ruins before, but there was a slight problem.  Since the terrain had heavily changed, there was something new here.  A few obelisks that Hirru could remember from another area of the desert entirely.  Was he in the wrong space?  He wondered before checking his map.  It was weird, but he had nearly all of his map data from before, but there were a few grayed out area now.  Especially where the old labyrinth was.  It seemed odd, but not as much when he remembered that every floor was like this.  He wasn't going to get anywhere from questioning this matter.

Investigating the obelisks, he noticed that there were some weird runes on them.  Some seemed to be heavily rubbed off from years of erosion, but there were a couple that could be seen.  The hunter remembered somewhat what these meant from translations by NPC's that were around.  'Sand', 'Flower', and 'Luck' is what they seemed to roughly translate to.  It was rather crude, but the NPC's would speculate from there, and the player had to riddle it out from there.

"So, in the sand, look for a flower, with a little luck?  Just sounds like a fetch quest to me."

The hunter couldn't handle it anymore, as the mist seemed to have some sort of narcoleptic properties to it.  His eyes drew heavy, and before he knew it, he was asle..

"Wha!"

He awoke with a start after having been splashed with something wet.  His face was wet and so was most of his body, though the water physics of the game would have it fall off in a few minutes.  His eyes didn't need to adjust to any bright light or anything, as he found himself in a dimly lit cavern.  Here and there, small torches would flicker and flare around, showing more and more of the area.  With more detail, the hunter's eyes widened:  he was surrounded on all sides by metal bars. 

In fact, there were cages and cells all around the area.  Some were empty, but others seemed to carry some sort of life within them.  Each one had a different amount of movement and sounds to them, but it wasn't until the hunter activated his search skill and all modifiers that he saw the bigger picture.  Of the occupied ones Hirru could see; 6 yellow crystals that denoted NPC's, 3 green crystals that denoted players, and...

"This can't be right.."

There were one hundred red crystals spread out over ten different cells, meaning there were mobs locked away. 

Although, for Hirru, they were more pink denoting incredibly weak mobs; but, to someone that was more appropriate for this floor, they were all red to dark red.  The only reason they were dark red, was because the hunter was here.  His presence was causing all the mobs to try and meet his level, but the floor maximum cap wouldn't allow them to reach any further.  Thankfully, they were all weak to him, but it would be a difficult time for anyone else.  If anything, he could be glad they were all behind bars, as he didn't want to waste his energy fighting all one hundred.  Though, what disturbed him most was that he couldn't tell their descriptions except for the glowing red eyes that would sometimes pierce the darkness, if the torchlight flickered just right.

With that though, there were also several red/pink crystal creatures roaming around the cells too.  These ones seemed to only count in the single digits, about four to five of them.  These seemed to be like the elven creature from before, the Fae.  There was one that had positioned themselves each of the four cages that seemed to contain players.  There was another that seemed to be keeping a few of the rabbit eared Faune in a tight precession.  This was sickening to the hunter, but there were further matters to handle.

Opening his menu, the hunter could see that his initial set of gear was gone, but everything in his battle ready equipment was still there.  Although, they seemed to leave his bracelet behind.  Seems about right, they took what was readily on his body, but not stuff that was hidden in his inventory.  While the watch was doing it's thing, the hunter would switch into his readied blade, Betrayal of the Lone Knight, and await the next rotation, or if the others try to make a move.

[Main inventory weapons and armor are locked away until cages are broken.  You can still use your main trinket and switch into and use Battle Ready Inventory items.  The doors have 50 HP, the cage itself has 200 HP | 10 MIT.  Any damage will alert the guards, adding them to the mob pool.  If less than 2 Fae are left alive, it will unlock one of the ten cells releasing ten Twisted Ones.  Parties can only attack 4 mobs at a time.]

Equipped Betrayal of the Lone Knight (+12 DMG) from BRI 

[Modified Stats until cage is broken]
Hirru | HP 720/720 | EN 110/110 | DMG 23 | 1 ACC (dim light) | 1 EVA

The dull pressure that would come about from the crooked dagger seemed to fade just as quickly as it came.  The dark elf extremist that had attacked him had reeled back while spouting some nonsense about killing all of us interlopers, until he saw the small symbol of royalty upon Hirru's headband.  His eyes would widen before squinting sharply, as if to say: 'there is no way'.

"How do you, an outsider and intruder to our home, carry the symbol of the royal family?!"

The hunter took this as a small sign that the item was good for something, but not much anywhere except the 23rd floor.  The hunter gave a sharp look towards the extremist before responding to Baldur.

"Unfortunately, it seems like two handed straight swords got.. what was it?  Nerfed?  Anyway, there are some sword arts that I learned, while watching Mac, that don't seem to do what they used to."

He would pull his sword across his shoulder before the sword art's activation light would ring out.  The sword art would rocket him forward before slashing twice into the creature and following the whole thing with a final smash of the pommel.

"To let you know, I've betrayed my people, just like you did."

The hunter would whisper into the ear of the extremist before it keeled over and shattered into thousands of light shards, for their lunar mother to reclaim.  He would look to Baldur before the sword art would freeze him in place.

"As far as I remember, Tempest used to be able to hit multiple opponents at one time, but now.. it's just a stun attack.  I don't have any strong AOE, other than Galaxy Destroyer."

[193498] [BD:4+3=7] Hit
[Tempest -10 EN] 23*14=322-90= 232 Dmg

[H:2] Baldur | HP 820/820 | EN 74/96 | DMG 25 | ACC 5 | EVA 2 | BH 41 | REC +4 | MIT 78
[H:1] Hirru | HP 602/720 | EN 96/110 | DMG 23 | ACC 3 | EVA 1 | ENV 32 | MIT 107 {SA Count: G.A.: 4/4 | TP: 3/2}
Dark Elf Extremist 1 | HP 120/450 | DMG 225 | MIT: 90 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 0 | FROZEN  | BURNING (1/2) 56 DMG
Dark Elf Extremist 2 | HP 0/450 | DMG 225 | MIT: 90 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 0

The hunter sighed as they ventured closer to the runic structure.  A small amount of mist was crawling out of the wood work as Randal investigated the monolith, which the hunter soon had issue with.  They were nowhere near the Forest of Wavering Mist for that to happen, and it was not morning, where the morning dew would could be seen as light fog as it hung in the atmosphere.  Neither conditions were met, so something else was the issue now.  His search skill immediately kicked in to alert him to a new danger.  Snapping his head over to where Dwayne once stood, there was now something different.  An elegant looking individual that seemed almost ethereal.  Other than its skin slightly changing from a human's to that of wood, before coming to a darker motif, the creature seemed to embody a sense of esteem and grace that would rival some of the elves on higher floors.

This was a Fae.  Below its feet, lay the remains of the Faune that accompanied them.

"Sh*t.. Everyo...! ?"

Before he could warn anyone, he felt that his senses were being heavily dulled down.  He dropped to one knee, while using most of his strength to keep himself conscious.  What was this all of a sudden?  The hunter had not heard of something like this happening before.  Was this part of that rumor?  Was this how the Fae captured their prey?  The hunter would have to study this more.

It would take some time to find the lost ruins that made up quite a bit of the deserts lower array.  From his old knowledge, there used to be a thriving civilization that once made these lands their home.  Not much is known, except that they existed long before the desert even existed.  Apparently, there was evidence to show that grass, flowers, and other foliage used to exist in some of the lower ruins.  It was quite weird to hear, but after visiting quite a few sub-dungeons in his time on this floating castle, the hunter could tell that something that could have been plants were there.  Though, all of them were either fossilized remains, or really dead dried out greens.

This didn't mean that there were no flora in the desert, as cacti and other brush that could be found near oasis' still existed in this eroded floor.  The hunter would walk over to one such prickly boi, and hack at it a bit to hopefully gain something from it.

[192923] [LD: 13+8=21] +1 Mat

[Enacting darkness debuff: -1 ACC unless Night Vision or Glowstone used]

It was dark by the time the group was ready to go.  Short words were given, but by the time they had set out, there wasn't much that would help them now.  It would take some time to get to the Forest of Wavering Mist from where they were.  Going south from Aryut, the party would roll through the small town of Flora.  A beautiful place in of itself, but one could feel eyes upon them.  Faune and Fae alike live in this village, which gave some concern to the hunter as he wasn't getting any nasty pings out of his search skills, but the feeling of being watched was ever present.

While passing through, the hunter would keep a close eye on everyone.  Since they were now partied up to keep everyone's health and energy gauged, the hunter was able to find the other two's names.  The battle maiden was called Astreya, and the tall nimble one was Randal.  It was great to associate names to faces, since neither had introduced themselves just yet.  Including Dwayne, their party would be full, which was something that most players don't normally get.  With that though, it would bring a new danger.  Hirru was probably a higher level than any of them here, which would lead to bad business if they come into combat.  He figured they may be able to hold their own, but it would be better if the hunter was alone.  Nothing he could do about that now.

Reaching the edge of Flora, which led towards the Forest of Wavering Mist, the hunter turned back to Dwayne.

"You said that they disappeared around the forest, correct?  Did you see anything strange other than the mist, or anything to determine that they could be elsewhere?"

Walking the sands seemed like a nostalgia trip, as trying to pass the dunes without crossing between certain 'safety nets' would bring about mobs to come about and attack anyone that came near.  Especially antlions that would trap people in quicksand and eat them as they came down, or the ever present scorpions that would paralyze their prey before ripping them apart with their pincers.  Incredible creatures, but extremely dangerous at low levels.  For the Jade Hunter though, they were nothing but a shot in the wind.  Whenever there was one, the hunter had enough knowledge to cut off any potential of harm.  These things were no longer any threat to the hunter, and it showed.  He didn't need to be constantly on guard anymore, at least, as long as he could hit everything.  There wasn't much else here, so the hunter continued to follow the path laid before him using the guide stones that dot the area.  He missed when these were not a prevalent, and only a few spots could be found.

[192557] [LD: 13+8=21] +1 Mat

The Jade Hunter was taken aback by the sudden question.  There weren't that many that really questioned it, and most just said it was odd.  This was the first time that he was properly questioned about it.  He had to turn it around.

"Is any of our hair real?"

Taking a more philosophical approach, but he couldn't hold his smile back before waving his hand out to the taller man.  While grabbing a tuft of hair, Hirru replied.

"Ha!  No, this is dyed.  You could get some from an alchemist, if they still care to make them anymore.  My hair was supposed to be green like a clover, for luck.  It's become pretty iconic for me."

He would explain while smiling over the small amount of memories that gave him that information.  It wasn't too long ago that he could remember it, but it gave meaning to something so important to his life here.

"Sorry, should introduce myself."

The hunter was about to beat his breastplate with his unarmored hand, but immediately stopped.  He didn't need to do that anymore.  He was no longer apart of the Knights of the Blood Oath; he didn't have to salute to anyone anymore.  Instead, he touched the emblem on his head with two fingers before taking them off in a quick wave.

"I'm Jade Hunter, Hirru.  Nice to meet you all."

When Dwayne explained his lot, and said that they were going to wait until morning to find their targets.  The hunter shook his head.  This person's partner was missing and he was going to wait more?  He has excellent firepower here, but chooses to wait.  That won't work for the front lines.  Waiting at the wrong moment will get you killed.

"The longer we wait, the worse it can get.  We should head out, as soon as possible.  If anything, the battle maiden here and I, can look into it.  Though, I think we can have a higher chance if we all went together now."

The hunter couldn't help but hear shouts for some people around the area.  It seemed that a player had just been taken captive by the Fae, as well as, another of the bunny race.  The red headed male was trying to find some people to help him in getting their friend back.  It seemed to get the attention of two separate players; one that seemed to be built for speed, that much can be seen from the brunette man's choice in armor.  The other seemed to be a girl of dark long hair.  This one seemed to be sporting a heavier build than the other one, while still being a dress at the same time.  Rather odd party, but the hunter had seen worse.  Hirru chuckled to himself while looking upon, what he could only think were, lower tiered players.  He couldn't say for certain, but there could be plenty of players that were his level and above now.

Seeing an opportunity to seek out more upon this rumor and investigate further, the hunter scratched his head, shuffling his green colored hair which was held up by a red headband.  Upon the headband was a unique emblem from a victory long past.  Hirru moved over to the three adventurers and raised his non-armored right arm slightly in front of him, in a gesture to give his attention towards another.

"Mind if I join in with you lot?  I may not have Tracking, but I can help in searching out different things."

Hirru would speak in a deep solemn voice.  

The fifth floor of burning suns and scorching sands.  How the hunter had missed this place, although it wasn't much to miss.  It seemed the update did do a number on the environment, but all in all, it was mostly the same.  Some places seemed to be more cavernous, with cliffs and canyons, but the desert was still the most predominant part of the entire floor.  He hated it, but in a familiar way.  The sand was coarse and harsh.  Sandstorms would kill even the most stout of players, unless they found the Survival extra skill somewhere along the way.  He was fortunate to find much more than that skill, but a trade to deal in.  Sub-dungeons were plentiful on this floor, as the desert was full of ruins under the scorching sands.  It was this luck that got him to become a proper scouting force on the front lines.

Cracking his neck, the hunter trudged out of Fortencia, and into the great desert.

Never Make A Deal With A Fae

Among the Faune, humanoid creatures that sport quite large rabbit like ears, there have been word of disappearances of late.  Many can be attributed to the other denizens of the third floor, the Fae.  Whimsical creatures of their own right, they show an air of excellence and elitism, none so higher than some elves on higher floors.  These Fae are known to be quite hospitable and homely, but that is just a light ruse.  Their guise is two fold.  They can not outright lie, but their ways of spreading out the truth is quite remarkable.  It is easy for one such creature to insight intrigue and curiosity from their words, and it rings true for both Faune and players alike.  However, word around the main town of Aryut say:

Faune and Foreigners alike are being captured by the Fae.  Unspeakable dark acts are being acted upon them in the Cavern of the Faeries.  If only we could enter the Faerie and rescue them, but how?

It is up to you, to find out!

*********************************

The third floor had changed quite a bit, just as every other floor the hunter had visited so far.  He wasn't here for loot nor the hunt for foes.  The Jade Hunter was there for answers, to a very odd rumor.  Hearing about the oddity, he had teleported to the main town of Aryut, a large sprawling network of huts and homes that settle along the roots and branches of the large trees that call this forest home.  It was odd to see this place, after so long.  Stepping away from the warp station, Hirru made his way to the notice board; looking for a particular notice or rumored tale.  It wasn't long before the hunter saw a very familiar poster, one that he made so long ago.  Hunter for Hire.  A poster looking for people to hire the Jade Hunter to complete difficult tasks for them.

"How long has it been, since I last saw this floor?

Combat Stats

Hirru | HP 720/720 | EN 110/110 | DMG 23 | ACC 3 | EVA 1 | PARA 1 | ENV 32 | MIT 107

"I've had quite enough practice to figure out this two handed straight sword, but I can say that I do need to break this new one in."

Following along side his samurai brother-in-arms, they appeared to be in a den of thieves and miscreants.  Apparently, Baldur had got some very important dungeon maps recently that applied to the whereabouts of this particular group of assassins.  There were a few dark elves that sprung out of the shadows to stop their attempts, but the speed of Baldur's blade made them a trivial thing.  As the rubble that would break from the upper terrace fell down around them, the hunter shrugged.

"Let's not keep them waiting any more than we have, then!"

Seeing as this was a third tier dungeon, if this was anything like the sub-dungeons from before, then the hunter was prepared to summon up his strongest sword art.  Running over to a closed door, he could immediately sense a couple enemies on the other side, through his search / reveal / detect combination.

"Knock knock!"

He would call out while raising his leg to kick down the door. 

"Who goes there?!"

Slamming his foot down, the activation for Galaxy Destroyer would set in.  The door would swing open while the large arc of his sword would cut through the doorway, slashing one of the oddly cloaked dark elves on the other side.

"The door!"

Unfortunately, the one that answered the door was flung away from the impact of his blade, just in time.  He was spared from the deep gash that the other extremist would have, but all were still alive.

'Not nearly enough.'

[192182] [BD: 2+3=5] Miss
[192206] [BD: 6+3] Hit (23x17=391-90=301 dmg)
[Galaxy Destroyer -12+-2 EN]

[H:0] Baldur | HP 820/820 | EN 81/96 | DMG 25 | ACC 5 | EVA 2 | BH 41 | REC +4 | MIT 78
[H:1] Hirru | HP 720/720 | EN 96/110 | DMG 23 | ACC 3 | EVA 1 | ENV 32 | MIT 107 {SA Count: G.A.: 5/4}
Dark Elf Extremist 1 | HP 450/450 | DMG 225 | MIT: 90 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 0 
Dark Elf Extremist 2 | HP 149/450 | DMG 225 | MIT: 90 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 0 
 

After talking to Anthony the final time, it didn't seem like the sun colored man seemed to have anything else for him.  It disappointed the hunter, cause he wanted to continue the fishing venture; however, it seemed that one had to set their sub-profession within their shop before they could do anything else.  It was a crying shame, but there was nothing else that he could do.  He had used up his time on the first floor to perform this simple quest.  Hirru thought that he was gonna be there much longer than he really was.  Maybe there was something about his luck that his memories were more than speculative of.  Either way, there wasn't much else on this floor.  He could've looked around the old haunts of the floor, but it wasn't great for a front line player to be walking around the beginning town, especially one that may have a more infamous history.

He decided to quickly move through the Town of Beginnings without a glimpse towards any other area, before looking on to the warp zone.

"Fortaleza!"

"Wait, what?"

The hunter was propositioned to join a guild that Baldur and Shield had brought together out of nearly all of the most infamous players in Aincrad, including the mass-murderer Mari.  If it wasn't for the fact that Hirru had a brotherly relationship with another mass-murderer, Teayre, then the hunter would think that Baldur had lost his own marbles.  Everyone deserved redemption, as the samurai stated before, and he was willing to lend people a hand with it.  This man was crazier than the hunter ever thought, and it made him happy.  He wasn't the only crazy one around.

Smiling hard, he gave a slight chuckle.

"I would love to join you guys, but after I get a couple things settled."

He ducked around the corner to find something weird.  Nearly all of his search skills and modifications were alerting all at once.  

"Baldur, I know I asked you up here, but what did you bring me to?  It looks like a dungeon?"

Hirru listened well about what happened when he left the frontlines.  It seemed that what Hestia had said was true, there was a heavy divide when he left.  He gave a heavy sigh before continuing to listen in.  With his recent venture with Hestia, he could confirm that whatever caused that divide seemed to faze her, but by how much he couldn't say.  He dealt with his own pain first, and revealed a heavy part of him that the hunter had only told a small amount of people.  He would probably have to reveal it to a few more, if his advice was to be trusted.

While talking about the events leading up to the 25th raid, the hunter was astounded to hear that they had pulled off something that hard.  Communication, even during the best of times, was hard to do.  Getting everyone buffed up and finding the resources for said buffs, this Raidou must have quite a following to put that all together.  He would need to look into their services.

"That's good to hear!  Glad to hear that you gathered quite the team for such a dangerous act.  We're going to need that much coordination, and more."

The hunter went on.

"If this update, or patch as you say, has reset everyone down to a max level thirty one (31), minus all this Paragon bull, we can expect quite a bit of fresh blood that wish to join the front.  They'll think that because they are level 31, that they can join the top.  It's not like before where a level forty plus was minimum for survival.  Most of us are now at the precipice to interact with the front, but we have additions that they don't.  They need knowledge, training, and resources, as well."

Hirru's face was stern, but concern was heavy in his eyes.

"We can't let these new players come in without prior knowledge of what to expect.  We may have well more than just 4 full squads, and our teams would have to accommodate that.  Each needs proper equipment and items"

Even with an existential crisis around him, the hunter was a strategist at heart.  He lived and breathed the information around him, and would spit out issue and solutions that could be relevant. 

"Although, I know I would do great to join back, but I would just be another divisive obstruction.  I'm sure there are quite a few players that resented what I did.  That would only cause a larger divide, if young blood come in to an ever present schism"

A certain silly two handed sword user came to mind, clad in his intricately made armor.  Mac's face when the 23rd raid ended was one of disappointment and failure.  He was the raid leader then, and Hirru had hurt not only his trust, but everyone else that would think that the Blood Oath, was nothing more than a joke.  Hirru looked up to his health bar, and the absents of his once proud guild symbol hurt him more.  The hunter couldn't handle facing the man, nor the commander, and abandoned it all.  Everything that he swore, all those that died.  He left behind.

"I need to gain more trust before that can happen.  I need to talk to them myself.  Even if they don't believe my words, they need to know why.  I've already talked to Hestia, but I guess I didn't need to."

He shook his head.  For some reason, she had agreed with him saving the child, Durares, but not for the same reason Hirru did.  She believed that we couldn't just kill NPC's or else they would lose empathy, or something along those lines when they finally exit the game.  It was ambitious, but Hirru had to tell her why he did it.  That he felt everyone was real.  A moral dilemma for a few, but a risk that he couldn't take.  That was why he did it.  That was why he failed so many.

"I need to apologize to Mac, the most."

Hirru fought with the large fish as it tried to flip this way and that, trying to get away to the safety of the water, but Anthony was fast.  He grabbed the fish by the gills, using only two fingers to hold it up.

"Woo boy, that's a pretty catch there.  You're fixing to be a true fisher with this luck.  Maybe you'll be able to find your own Rainbow fish, some day."

"Wait.. what?"

As the hunter questioned it, the fisherman would take a knife and shave off a single scale off of the rainbow fish, before letting it go back into the water.  Hirru's eyes widened.  Didn't this man ask to catch this specific fish?  Why did he let it go?  Anthony didn't seem to mind before presenting the scale to the hunter.

"This right here is a Gleaming Scale.  All Rainbow Fish have them, which is a shame really.  They are quite valuable to the right people, so they have been getting fished to near extinction."

Anthony would say as he watched several other colorful lights swim through the water.  A look a fatherly satisfaction in his eyes.  The hunter took the scale looking at its brilliance in color.

"I raise them now to help bolster their numbers.  They're basically my kids.  So, if you find a Rainbow Fish on your hook one day, just take a scale and release them.  Don't need to kill them all now."

The hunter smiled.  Anthony Gill was nothing more than an NPC that was programmed to say and do all of this, but that didn't mean that they didn't have a tale to tell.

"I won't."

Suddenly, Anthony would thump Hirru across the back, nearly making him fly into the water.

"That's my boy!  I knew you wouldn't."

Just as he said that, the quest menu would pop up showing that the hunter had finished the quest for the Fisher profession.

There was little action that the hunter could see through the water.  That didn't seem to be right?  He thought.  The search skill with his luck based trinket should be making his luck based actions skyrocket.  He checked his wrists to find that the Spirit of the Jade Dragon and Favor of the Golden Dragon were still upon his person.  Hirru furrowed his brow while trying to figure this all out.  It was then that he remembered something with his main profession.  Throughout his time, he was not able to benefit from his own skills, mods, or enhancements.  The only thing that seemed to work, was his own ambition, which he seemed to have a lot of.  It shouldn't take too much time to get the knack for it, but he would still have to learn.

Pulling back the line, the hunter realized something, he didn't put any of the sick smelling bait on the hook.  Trying to hold his breath while applying the bait, the hunter nipped himself on his finger.  It didn't really hurt, but it didn't mean he didn't yelp.  He could hear a snicker behind him.  Anthony must be watching him to make sure he did things correctly.

After correctly applying the rancid bait, Hirru casted out the line and waited.  It didn't take long.  The bait seemed to work wonders as the bobber bop and bobbed until it suddenly sank down into the water.  Immediately, the hunter jerked on the line, and the fight was on.  It was a hard fight, as this was the first fish he had ever got.  He had no other knowledge on what to do, except to reel in.

"Don't reel in too suddenly!  Ease her in, with a gentle pull.  It took the bait, so it's your job to finish it.  Slow and steady rhythm as you reel her in."

"How do you know it's a female?"

"The bait always get's the girls."

Slowly, with Anthony's guidance, Hirru reeled and reeled until the glimmer of multiple colors would ripple from the water.  Pulling hard, the fish splashed out of the water and hung upon his line: the infamous Rainbow Fish.

"Maybe, I am lucky?"

"That you are."

Casting out!

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    `\%%.'   /`%&'        CD:9 (A Bite!)
      |     | ID:191568  /`-._           _\\/
      |,    |_          /     `-._ ..--~`_
      |;    |_`\_      /  ,\\.~`  `-._ -  ^
      |;:   |/^}__..-,@   .~`    ~    `o~ <>< LD:19 (Caught a Rainbow Fish) +1 Gleaming Scale
      |;:   |(____.-'     '.   ~   -    `    ~
      |;:   |  \ / `\       //.  -    ^   ~
      |;:   |\ /' /\_\_        ~. _ ~   -   //-
 jgs\\/;:   \'--' `---`           `\\//-\\///