Endilix

The wind whirled and danced around the man as he stood in front of the quaint little shop in the blazing sun. Wind and sand in equal measure blew his crimson hair one way, only to change its mind and flow the other direction, occasionally landing a speck in his eye. And yet, the man still did not move, not even for the small sting of the shifting sands. Not even for the scorching rays playing across his arms and face. Not even as he told himself that this was the right thing to do.

In truth, the man was afraid. His natural smile played across his lips, making him look just as normal and happy as he had always been. But in his heart, he shook. A deep fear that he dare not let surface. Just smile. Always smile. No matter how hard it gets. No matter how much you want to give up. Just smile. But would she be smiling? That's what the man feared the most. That she wouldn't be. That she had no reason to smile.

The wind played across his drab tunic, as he stared at the door. Occasionally, a patron would enter, and others would exit. Those that exited would pause, and look at him, holding the door open as if they expected him to enter. The man simply stared back at them in return, just as curious about them as they were him. But they would eventually move on in what felt like hours, but in truth was only seconds. The man would let his mind wander, curious about the conversations she had with them. Curious if she was smiling and happy.

Occasionally he would shake some of the dust from his ragged pants, fraying at the edges. His black boots kicked away the dust, only to have to settle back into the sand once again, submerging themselves in the growing tides of yellow particles. It had been a long time since he hadn't worn armor. Longer still since he felt safe enough to do so. Would it be safe with her? Would she welcome him and make him feel at home, like a long lost friend? Would she smile at him?

The fear throbbed in the man's heart again. He realized he had missed her. He had missed that smile. And that was why he was so afraid. Was he too late to ever see it again? Had it left in his absence never to return? Or was it still there? The unknown was the hardest part. But the man knew one thing. He would smile, even if she didn't. Smiles were contagious, and even if it was gone, maybe it would return. That was all he could hope for.

And so the time came. It was time to stop drifting. Time to stop being alone. Endilix looked around to make sure nobody else was coming towards the shop, before pressing his palm against the scalding wood and moving forward. His feet barely carried him, as his fear almost made his knees buckle. But he had to do this, he had to face her again. He pushed his way into the shop, and tried his best to smile.

Endilix's brow furrowed as he crossed his arms and looked between his companions. "Well, there's no need for both of you to be so upset. The important thing is that we're all together again and we can go take care of business. Right Raz?" Endilix looked to watch Raz walking away from him and into the hole that he had left in the wall. Endilix sighed and looked to Aster apologetically. "Honestly, I didn't expect to see you again. But to answer your question, I'm on the side of good. I'm a hero, a White Knight, if you will. Someone with a title like that can't be a bad guy. Now as for Raz..." Endilix looked over his shoulder just in time to see the boy mocking the man who was tied up in the tunnel, "...let's just say he's a work in progress. But I think he can be a hero if he puts his mind to it." Endilix nodded, matter-of-factly.

-Drops a book on the table and walks away-

Endilix watched as the skeletons shambled towards him, their teeth chattering incessantly, as if they were gibbering at the man who had interrupted their supposed banquet. Not that he could blame the skeletons, the girl was lovely, though they seemed to be after her for decidedly different reasons. Endilix shrugged as he watched the girl cut into the skeletons, but their old, ragged armor seemed to block most of the damage. He saw it drop minimally and sighed a bit to himself. This is going to be a long fight, Endilix. Steel yourself, he thought to himself as he lifted his shield and managed to easily block the slow, lazy swings of the skeletons.

Endilix lowered his shield and said, "Nothing to worry about. These two are about as slow as snails, what with them being undead and all. Just keep plucking away at their health and we'll get them down eventually." Endilix nodded, and then in response, his hammer glowed a blood red, before he slammed it into the ground, causing a ripple through the earth that tore at the skeleton's shin bones. It was horribly ineffective, of course, as their health dropped just as minimally from his own attack. But at least he felt like he looked cool.

*** Combat Details ***

*** Stats and Equipment ***

Quiet day today on Floor Three. Endilix wandered the forest, looking mostly for clues that would lead him on the hunt for the Floor Three thieves gang. He hadn't had much luck, and often tended to forget just how large these floors really are and how many hidden things there really could be. Endilix sighed as he leaned on a nearby tree. His armor thumped against the wood, the brown plates shifting to accommodate his weight. He was in that dense part of the forest right now, that dark area where nobody can see the sun except through little holes between the leaves, and that suited Endilix just fine. It fit his current mood. Somber with a side of, "I wish I had something to do right now."

Almost in answer to his thoughts, Endilix suddenly heard a cry nearby. He was suddenly alert, and listened for another cry, perhaps one of help, but nothing came. He grunted, and readied his hammer and shield, before making off towards the direction of the sound. What he found both surprised, and intrigued him, as he stumbled into a grove with a wall of trees, a lovely woman in a kimono backed into it. But she wasn't unprepared, as she had a sword drawn and readied against the two skeletons who faced her down. Not one to leave a damsel in distress, Endilix smiled, and gave a roar, drawing the attention of the two creatures as their heads swiveled around on their spines. Endilix made a face at the grotesque scene of the skeletons turning their heads around, but as they turned to face him he smiled.

"Madam, do you need assistance? I'm happy to offer my shield," he said with a chuckle, as he held up the gaudy, but effective, pumpkin top that served as his personal barrier against the beasts, and readied himself for incoming blows.

*** Combat Details ***

So far, you guys are essentially just addressing things that already exist or slightly modifying them. 1 SP/20 posts is pretty much how I do it, even in multi-part stories. I break them up into parts, which is completely legal. The only time it's illegal is if a combat goes past the 20 page mark, in which I finish the combat and then break it up as normal. So you guys are essentially asking for a system that already exists if players play their cards right.

That said, I think the leveling system is fine for as not complicated as it is. We can certainly think of grand leveling systems that make things super complicated, but that'd just give the mods a headache. If I had to weigh in on a change, it would be capping levels based on the floor we are on and balancing everything around that "Max Level". But again, major game changes, mods have a headache, high levels will be sad for all the work they've already done, etc. But that's all I've got.

TL:DR: I think the leveling system is fine. If you want 1 SP/20 posts, make multi-part stories like me. :P

I have to agree with what Life is saying. When the player representatives was first announced, I found it to be a band-aid on the problem. Based on my understanding, it felt like the staff team would be either replaced or gotten rid of entirely in lieu of a dictatorship. While I don't entirely agree with this option, I certainly don't think adding more staff was the option. Not to mention that they aren't truly staff. They're just community faces. And in that case we only need one.

But in regards to the community representatives having discussions that staff doesn't see, you have to realize that people do this anyway. You're just more aware of it in this case. And no, that isn't me condoning it, just saying that it's nigh impossible to stop by anyone but the people doing it. I do, however, agree that all discussions, especially those that affect us players as a whole, should be as transparent as possible.

This leads to my main point. There are unwritten rules, unclear rules, and just outright forgotten rules that either only staff know about, or someone thinks of and everyone calls it a defacto rule (or lack thereof). The best examples of this being the following ignored/forgotten or only staff known rules:

• The shared friend inventory (before it was abolished)
• The EN loss on misses (still not fully enforced, people ignore this all the time)
• Crystals requiring a slot of "Crystallize" enhancement on a potion to be a crystal (before the rule was changed)
• Trading between players either costing a post action or not costing a post action.
• Quest mobs ignoring the mitigation rule on loot (before it was written into the rules)
• Loot mobs requiring MIT rules (before it was enforced, people ignored it)
• Whether or not killing an orange player makes you an orange player (it doesn't, but it's not written in the rules, however Opal proved it with the death of Dom)
• Whether or not Performers can use Materials or have to use Recording Crystals sold by merchants for their shop (I've seen performers use materials, but the Recording Crystal in the shop explicitly says "Must be used for Performers to gain EXP")

These are what I can think of off the top of my head. It's not good that this list is as long as it is, and I've only been here for just over 2/3rds of a year, and I've seen all of this. I agree that etiquette rules are important, but what good is good etiquette when nobody knows how to play the game? New player guide? We need the regular guide updated for existing players before the new players can even think to understand the game. And no rule should ever just be "staff known". If it is a rule, it needs to be written down. Otherwise, it should not be considered a rule by anyone, not even staff. And if a rule is changed, it needs to be said to everyone in an announcement immediately at the time of change, and changelogs should be kept for every single rule change made from now to forever.

Having community representatives doesn't fix this major problem with the game, but staff transparency does. Staff transparency, in the way of constant changelogs, full rule reviews, updates, and filling in the holes in the rules without being afraid to say, "Oops. I dun goofed." are what will fix this. And then once that is finished, we can look to etiquette rules and new player guides.

I love this site. I love the people here. Nobody is perfect, and I don't expect our staff to be perfect. But be willing to admit that you made a mistake and fix it. Sit down with us players and say, "Okay. We get that this is broken or this sucks. What can we do?" We'll tell you. You say that you can't reach out to us, but you can. We are just as open as any staff member, but only if you're willing to listen. And more importantly, ask.

Endilix looked around while standing in the doorway of the dilapidated building. "You guys didn't clean up much, by the looks of it." Endilix chuckled and walked over to Flints, eying her suspiciously. "We probably shouldn't steal from thieves. Who knows who it came from, and how precious it is." Endilix rubbed his chin in thought and followed up with, "Unless you guys want to put everything together and find the owners. That'd set things right. And we'd be heroes!" Endilix's eyes practically glittered in the dim light as he spoke, hardly noticing anything else. But then he turned to Raz, a bit more serious. "Where is everyone anyway?"

Endilix looked between the two, sufficiently satisfied with the result before smiling and saying, "Well, you see. I knocked out the guard there and took his place. I just wanted to have a bit of fun." He gave a chuckle before saying, "I was also led here by another thief, a boy. He said in exchange for not giving him up to the authorities and setting him free, he would show me where the poet's secret entrance is. That would be this wall." Endilix nodded at his explanation and looked back into the hole, "It's okay for you to come out now." There was a boy, wrapped up and hidden behind the wall, who moved out to stand by the knight. The boy waved to Raz and Aster, before looking to Endilix. "Thanks again, mister. I hope you're gonna be okay. The poet and his gang are mean people. We got lucky that we could get here without anyone seeing us." Endilix tousled the boy's hair and said, "That we are. Now then, go on, and be safe. No more thieving!" Endilix gave the boy a stern finger, and he nodded quickly before running off down the alleyway.

Endilix turned back to his companions, the smile still all over his face. "Well then, shall we be on our way to catch a poet?"

Continued from Part 2

Endilix gazed at the red and gold eyes attached to the other redhead through the hole in the wall. Endilix smiled, before unbarring the wall and pulling it out and pushing it to the side, revealing the tank to his lost companion. Endilix smiled, but was then taken aback by the sight of the girl he had been with in the market. He blinked, and then looked to Raz confused, before holding up a finger and stepping out of the hole in the wall to stand before the girl. He pulled a bag from his pouch and said, "I got these back for you. Though it isn't polite for the damsel in distress to run away." Endilix wagged a finger at her, but smiled nonetheless, before handing her the bag and turning to Raz. "Well? Did you miss me?"

Endilix could see the sudden anguish in Raz's face. Endilix never would have thought he'd see this side of Raz. He put a hand on the other man's shoulder and said, "Don't worry Raz. We'll... well, I don't know what we'll do. But we'll make sure they know how wrong it was to get rid of someone as skilled as you." Endilix nodded to him and said, "Now let's get in there and show these thieves that you not only killed the Executioner, but gained some great allies along the way. Nobody will ever question you again." Endilix put his hand on the door and looked back to Flints, "You ready? It's time to confront a band of thieves."

Endilix stopped behind Raz, most of the joking air having subsided in favor of the seriousness of the moment. He looked up to where Raz did as he spoke, and Endilix could've sworn he saw shadows dancing along the ceiling through a window above the door. How many could he count? The shadows moved and merged as the candle flame danced around its wick. "That's... a lot of thieves. That had to have taken at least months to be able to build this type of network." Endilix shook his head, and then rubbed his chin, "So barging in guns blazing probably wouldn't have worked anyway. You planned all this out pretty well, Raz. I don't think I gave you enough credit. Now, before we go inside, who is the leader of the Floor Two thieves?"

Endilix looked out to the warehouse that Raz had pointed out, hardly giving a sideways glance to Flints at her odd outburst. "Seems like a well picked place. How extensive is this thieves guild anyway, Raz?" he asked the thief as he admired the mountain. It was shaped a bit like a crescent moon, and the warehouse appeared to be fairly dilapidated, but not to the point of disrepair. Endilix looked to Flints, "I wouldn't doubt it could go either way, though I doubt any of the other thieves are as cute as Raz." Endilix winked to Flints, wanting to gauge her reaction to what he said after she tried so hard to ruffle his feathers.

Endilix looked to Flints innocently, and smiled as he watched Raz get nervous. "Absolutely no plotting here, sweetheart. I was simply letting Raz know how important you are is all." Endilix gave Flints a pat on the shoulder before looking towards the distance. "So how much farther do you think, Raz?" As much fun as Endilix was having messing with the thief and making him feel awkward, he figured it was about time for them to actually arrive at their destination, or so he hoped. I hope I didn't spook Raz too much. Endilix thought to himself as he looked over to Flints again, And I hope she isn't going to kill me....

Endilix chuckled as Raz turned away and began walking again, turning to Flints before he began to follow, "You know, you shouldn't give him too much praise. His head is liable to inflate and he'll float away. Then we'll have no more thief to help us solve this mystery." He winked to Flints, before making after the young man, and said as he walked, "We had better get our stories straight though. Did you woo us with your combat prowess as a level one standing up to the Executioner, or did you find us sometime after your heroic survival event?"

Endilix walked up behind Raz and put an arm around him, whispering in his ear while they made their way across the fields away from Flints, "And do you have a thing for that little lady over there? I've been watching the way you two look at each other. My brother had a similar look in his eye at one point, and she almost killed him for it." Endilix chuckled a bit darkly at that last bit, and then watched Raz for his response.

Endilix looked to Flints and then to Raz, before giving a sigh. They were both looking at him like he was crazy, and Endilix certainly felt bad for what he had said almost immediately. He looked apologetically to Flints before saying to Raz, "Okay, okay. I'm sorry. You're both right. It's just odd having been walking around, and we were just ambushed by NPC thieves, and... I apologize. Raz, continue onwards and I'll not let paranoia plague my thoughts any longer." Endilix looked to Flints, "Also, I've been thinking, and perhaps we should act like Raz is the leader here. If anyone recognizes him, they're realize he had been sent for execution and lived and we can get through the warehouse with little issue. Perhaps we'd gain more information that way than fighting. What do you both think?"

Continued from Part 1

Endilix followed behind Raz, still fairly intrigued by the idea of a warehouse full of thieves. But as they had walked, and continued along the landscape of Floor Two, Endilix watched the sun begin to set behind the mountains and was beginning to wonder if Raz was actually leading them anywhere. His thoughts began to mirror Flints, as he watched the other redhead practically skipping his way to what he hoped was their destination, before beginning to consider the idea that this was all a trap. Raz was too happy, and perhaps Endilix had been too trusting of the boy.

Finally, Endilix called a stop to their wandering, as he said, "Hold on. Raz, we've been walking for the better part of an hour or two now, and I feel like we're no closer to our destination. Not to mention, the more I think about it, our destination seems a tad too... convenient for you. How can I be sure that you're not just leading us on either a wild goose chase or into another ambush, only this time with actual, smart players?"

Endilix watched as Raz ran the bandit through, and as the man was stunned, Endilix took the opportunity to smack the enemy right across the jaw with his hammer, causing the bandit to go reeling, before looking at Endilix stunned and busting into pixels. Endilix huffed, glad that ordeal was finally over as he looked to his group with a bit of a sheepish smile. "Well, that went well, all things considered. Though, uh, we should probably be more careful about where we discuss our plans, eh?" Endilix replaced his hammer and shield in their respective places on his belt and back respectively, before walking over to Raz and Flints. "You both did great, and I forgot how much fun I have adventuring and fighting with friends."

*** Combat Results ***

Endilix watched the bandit in front of him take a wild swing and easily blocked it with his shield, looking past the silly enemy to the two behind him. Endilix raised an eyebrow at the way they were looking at each other, until he saw Flints snap out of it and look back to Endilix with a smile. Endilix smiled back at her and shook his head. What a silly little band of heroes we make, Endilix thought to himself as he stepped to the bandit and gave a swing of his hammer once again, but the bandit lithely sidestepped his blow. Endilix grunted, before saying, "We should probably quit dancing and end this sooner rather than later. It's just one silly bandit, and we were doing so good!" The bandit just snarled in response.

*** Combat Results ***

Endilix smiled as Flints ripped another one of the bandits apart, applauding her with some banging on his shield, both to get the attention of the remaining bandit as well as to give her and odd sort of Endilix praise. Raz was doing pretty well for himself as well, carrying his momentum forward into continued success against the bandits. And even Endilix had managed to come some damage with his Thorns buff. Endilix almost thought that he should just let things hit him just so they died faster, but shrugged at the thought and kept his shield up. As the bandit approached, Endilix took the opportunity to smack the man in the face with his hammer, sending him reeling as his HP dropped a bit.

*** Combat Results ***

Endilix watched the combat flow in front of him and smiled. Things were going smooth for having been ambushed, and Endilix was happy that even Raz seemed to be enjoying himself. Perhaps we should go hunting sometime. I think these two would enjoy that. But that is for another day. Endilix thought to himself as he watched the thieves take poor swings at him, easily blocking the blows. Though, having been distracted by his own thoughts, Endilix's retaliation wasn't exactly anything great and he hit nothing but air. Endilix grunted and looked to the other two to continue their onslaught.

*** Combat Results ***

Endilix cried in frustration as the three bandits sliced into him, faster than he would've been able to dodge. He didn't like the way they attacked in unison from three different sides, and Endilix decided he needed to quickly get out from the middle of them, especially with Raz spinning his sword around. It was only a matter of time before the boy hit him as well. Endilix dodged away from Raz's attack before taking a step out towards the outside of the bandits and gave an angry roar at the bandits, who all promptly turned to look at Endilix. Endlix banged on his shield and said, "Right here, guys. See if it works so well when you can't surround me!"

*** Combat Results ***

Endilix grunted as the three thieves thrust their swords into him, and he growled at them in response, watching as their health dropped due to his Thorns. When Raz had shouted to get down, Endilix instinctively ducked as he watched the golden blade slice overhead and hit the thieves around them. Endilix smiled, but wasn't about to be outdone by the boy, as Endilix took a step back and watched as his hammer glowed a deep red in his hand. He gripped it tightly as he slammed it into the ground, causing a ripple through the earth that hit each thief and drained their health bar a little bit more.

*** Combat Results ***

Endilix glared down at the thief, breathing heavily, practically boring a hole into him as the boy's rapid breathing didn't subside. "P-please d-don't hurt me, mister! I'm j-just trying to survive!" the boy cried at Endilix, and Endilix's features softened a bit in response. Endilix gave a heavy sigh as his breath came back to him, before rolling off of the kid and standing. He grabbed the boy by the front of his shirt and hefted him onto his feet once more. Endilix brushed him off with his free hand, before holding his hand out to the boy. "The pouch, if you please," Endilix said calmly, and the boy stared at his hand for a long time, before slowly placing the pouch of materials in it. Endilix nodded back and then released the boy. "Go find a home, a family who will take care of you. Don't be a thief, kid. It isn't worth it," Endilix said solemnly as he turned away.

"Aster, I got your-" Endilix started as he turned, looking for the girl who had been with him through the afternoon. But she was nowhere to be found. Endilix looked a bit surprised as he looked to the stage area, which now appeared to be mostly empty. "...Aster?"

Endilix walked behind Raz, who was furiously scanning the horizon for their target. At the intensity of the boy's stare, he couldn't help but laugh. "Having trouble, Razum-dar?" Endilix asked, walking up next to him and giving the boy a slap on the back, "You'll find it, don't worry, I have faith in you." Endilix gave another laugh as he scanned for his own goodies, those of which being things he could use to cook with. Sure enough Endilix found some wheat grass growing in the field. It wasn't the ideal material, but it would do to start. He smiled as he pulled it out of the ground and put it in his inventory.

*** Out of Combat Gathering ***