Winik

Winik made his way down the icy slope, his boots sliding in the snowdrifts piled high. He watched as his compatriot made an attempt to attack the mob and cringed when he watched her miss her footing.  His legs sank deeper into the snow as he came into the valley, his movements becoming even further hindered.  With cold, shaking hands, he drew his blade, holding it out in front of him with one arm.   He didn't want to attack, wanting to avoid drawing the aggro of the mob.  In his HUD, he took in the mob's information as it was available.  Its life was high, as was its damage, one hit from it would send Winik spiraling away as a cloud of pixels.  He gulped noisily, his adam's apple bobbing up and down nervously.  His hand shook and he wasn't quite sure it was all from the cold.  He slowly tried to circle the mob, hoping to avoid stepping within its aggro radius as he made his way into its blind spot.

Hidden 440/440 <> 43/44 | 3 ACC | 3 EVA | 7 DMG | 1 Bleed | 1 Para. Venom | Phase
Winik 40/40 <> 4/4 | 

Avalanche 100/100 | 40 DMG

"I've been looking around at some of the blacksmiths around the towns I can find.  Some gear would definitely help my plans along," he chatted merrily.  "So, since we've got this quest started, would you mind leading the way?  I don't want to get blindsided and end up getting pixelated.  I do, however, promise to repay the favor later when I can tank better.  Maybe hit up some dungeons as a duo?" Winik didn't like always being in someone's debt, he was more of a helper.  The weight of a debt unpaid has always bothered him and he wanted to make sure he repaid it as soon as possible.  He was still excited about the prospect of a quest, however.  Just the thought of new gear sends shivers down his spine, thoughts of flavor texts and items speeding through his head. He did have to ponder the thought of an EVA player tanking.  What did he mean that he could soak up the damage before it hit his health?  Light armors typically don't boast those abilities.

Winik jumped whenever the player cleared his throat behind him.  He spun around quickly, his hand straying to the sword on his belt.  He had it partially drawn when the words uttered finally sank in.  His face heated with embarrassment, his cheeks reddening as his blade slid back into its sheath.  "You're the one that responded to my notice, right?," he questioned, the player in front of him not exactly what he was expecting.  He knew he shouldn't have too much in the ways of expectations, but this player seemed to be one of the ones he heard about on the front lines.  "I hope you don't consider me rude, but what is your level? I don't want to get us into a situation over our heads," Winik said merrily.  This wouldn't be his first quest with a stranger, but his mother taught him to be scrupulous when it comes to newcomers.  She always said to greet them with a smile, but don't let them take you for a fool.

Winik strolled through the busy streets of the Town of Beginnings, his armor catching the light and throwing it as the star like speckles refracted the light back.  He approached the player request board, intending to check if there were any responses to his ad.  The wind picked up, causing all the different papers on the board to flutter in the wind.  Winik pressed his hands against the papers, smoothing them down in an attempt to find his out of all of them.  When his eyes finally came to rest on his advertisement, his face split into a wide grin.  "A player named Hikoru, huh? I hope he's on this floor, otherwise he won't get my message," he spoke aloud.  He swiped his hand through the air, bringing up his menu.  He tapped the message icon, causing a pop up to appear in the air in front of him.  Without further delay, his fingers flew across the virtual keyboard.

@Hikoru

Winik thumped a fist against his chest, puffing up before speaking. "The heavy plate, of course. Someone's got to protect the squishies out there." That being said, Winik visibly deflated, his shoulders slumping forward. "Unfortunately, I can't even do that right now. I'm a little underleveled and under equipped. But one day I'll be able to protect others. The frontlines are calling and I'm going to answer the call." Winik straightened back up, raising his arms to entwine his fingers behind his head. Gear was Winik's passion, making him jealous of those who are out in the frontlines with their awesome gear. He'll be there someday, he promised himself. "How long have you been higher leveled? It seems to take some time around here, with the whole penalty of death thing. People have to have larger safety margins. And I understand fearing the end, but I still want to tank, you know?"

"Im looking for my, um, cousin," he managed to spit out. "I saved her a place in line to get this game and we said we'd meet up once we got here. I haven't seen her since, we never shared usernames until after the game starts back irl." He raised his arms, entwining his fingers behind his head as they walked. 'The scout person she's talking about sounds like he'll be useful, but I have no clue what she looks like anymore. There are so many ways to modify your appearance here, she very well could look like a completely different person. The only thing that wouldn't have changed would be her short stature." Winik mused to himself, thoughts running ceaselessly through his head. He needed to find Sakura before she got hurt. It was the least he could do for someone he considered family. He looked at his compatriot , their cloak obscuring their figure. 'The only thing I know about her is she's a girl,' he reminded himself. 'This group could be a trap.'

Winik stood, slapping his legs to try and knock the dust off from the humiliating blow. He took the proffered sword from Aereth, holding it loosely at his side.  He waved at the newcomer, his face reddening due to him having witnessed his humiliating failure.  "Hi, I'm Winik.  Aereth here said he'd help me out with the beginning stages of my life here. I kind of fell into his lap, metaphorically speaking.  He said you'd be able to give me some advice," Winik said to his compatriots.  "I'm a little cleaned out on gear, as in I don't have any right now.  But, I hope to remedy this soon.  You know how it is, tanks are equipment reliant in their beginning stages." 

ID# 85005 results:

 Battle: 5

 MOB: 7

He eyed the boar warily before raising his sword in preparation again.  He took a deep breath before running forward. He screamed a battle cry, swinging his sword horizontally as hard as he could.  The blade flashed past the boar's snout, burying itself into a nearby tree.  The boar squealed, swinging its head to the side and knocking into Winik's torso.  He stumbled back, holding his stomach and groaning in frustration. "Tank might be my best bet here, I can't seem to hit anything.  At least I can soak up the hits if I'm a tank."

"Are you trying to recruit me?," Winik questioned.  'A group could be useful,' he thought to himself. 'I still haven't been able to find her, maybe they could help.' Winik jogged, trying to catch up to his temporary compatriot.  "Do you guys have resources I could use? Particularly with help finding someone?," he questioned her.  Her familiar was still scampering in the snow behind him, but he kept losing track of the little critter.  As he made contact with her, he couldn't help but to notice the lingering traces of a smug look on her lips.  "I know how difficult tanking can be. A lot of people go for the DPS build because they like fighting the boss.  But who does that leave to protect the squishies? They all go into the fight bold and cocksure, but they all get taken out by the boss's first hit.  There's no greater feeling than being the one to stop that blow, and to laugh right into the boss's face?"

Winik picked up the chestpiece, running his hand down the smooth curvature of it.  The light in the shop picked up the highlights, the speckles shining like stars.  As the light played across Winik's face, he couldn't help but grin. 'I'm one step closer to being at the frontlines,' he thought giddily.  He quickly swiped his hand through the air, pulling his menu up.  He opened up a trade window, sliding 10 T1 mats into it and sending it to Teion.  

Once the trade was complete, he opened his menu once again.  He tabbed through the different menus, bringing to avatar menu into view.  He unequipped his Starter Iron Breastplate, the pixels of which flew into the air around him.  A wide grin split his face as he tapped the new armor.  A flash later, and he stood there donning his new armor.  The chestpiece, pauldrons, legplates, and arm guards hugged his figure accenting his build.  The pieces flowed smoothly together, the light playing off the gold trim and the star-like speckles.  On his left arm, the new shield rested comfortably.  He smoothly slid the shield onto his back, waving goodbye to the blacksmith as he turned and left the shop.  "I think I found myself a blacksmith to keep tabs on!," he called over his shoulder.

(-10 Tier 1 Mats)

(+ Starlight Guard and Lunar Protection)

Winik followed along side Stryder, he felt they were at least somewhat equals in this quest even though the other player was the stronger of the two. He raised his arms and entwined his fingers behind his head as they walked. "What's the quest reward again? Will it be something involving the mob drop? I wasn't really paying attention when I accepted the quest," Winik spoke aloud, aiming for some pleasant conversation. He wasn't always the best at it, but he tried. That's all anyone could ask for. Again, he looked at the player's gear, wondering how it suffered from any other gear. He understood heavy armor, it was like wearing a fortress. But light armors elduded him. Why would anyone wear something that didn't offer protection? It seemed ludicrous to him, but hey, to each their own. He was sure there were some merits, but why run from the hit when you could just stand and laugh in their face as the blow did nothing? That seemed the most enjoyable way of doing it at least.

"I'm s-shooting for a t-tank build," he chartered out. "P-problem is, i-i-it's equipment reliant at l-lower levels."

The movement of their trek was starting to thaw him out a bit, but it was still ungodly cold to him. 'Why did it have to be in the snow? Why couldn't the mobs be on a nice beach somewhere?,' he thought miserably. 

He took her words to heart, however. An assassin build sounds heavily reliant on skills and their mods, the opposite of his buikd for right now. He knew as he gained levels, there were skills available to make tanking easier. He just  didn't know a lot about the skills offered here, but he had someone who might need his help whenever he found her. 'I wonder how she's doing. I hope she's okay.'

His boots crunched through snow, the stuff still falling from the sky. His breath came out in great clouds, but at least he wasn't shivering as much. The trek was doing that much for him at least.

Winik nodded, his chattering teeth making it to hard to talk. He trudged after her, his boots burying in the deep snow banks. The fox behind him seemed to have no difficulty, almost dancing on top of the snow. 'Little creature has it easy,' Winik thought to himself. 'It has fur doesn't sink into the snow, and it's out of the wind. Meanwhile, I'm near buried and I think I lost feeling in my toes.' He trudged on, trying his best to ease his shivering and generate some warmth. He stuck behind the other player, walking in her footsteps  'This is a little easier,' he thought with delight. He knew he was the strong male but right now that wasn't his biggest worry.  'If I don't get warmer gear, I might freeze to death on this floor. What kind of monster thought of such a thing. He's a sock sadist, Kayaba is.'

"Okay, thanks," Winik replied, pushing into the forge. The first thing to hit Winik was the oppressive heat. There was a fire burning in the back of the room, more like roaring, with an older man standing in front of it. Large, beefy arms pumped bellows as the scraggly face of the smith concentrated on his work. Every now and then embers would come out of the forge, smashing against the smith's leather apron with no results.

"Excuse me," Winik called out. "I'm here about some armor?"

The smith turned from his work, turning to come over to the player. He wiped his hands on a dirty rag before extending it. "I'm Griswold, my wife and I are helping all the new players in town. If you bring me the right materials, I'll craft you something worthwhile."

A window popped up in front of Winik, the prompt for Worn Out Welcome. Winik pressed accept before turning and leaving the forge. He strode over to Stryder, shooting him a thumbs up to show he was done.

Teeth chattering, his shaking finger pressed down on the accept button. Hidden's health bar popped into view underneath his own on his HUD. "I-i'm W-w-w-Winik," he forced out through frozen lips that didn't want to comply. The thrill of the hunt was burning through his veins, but still he was frozen to the core. 'Remind me to definitely not set up shop here,' he thought to himself gloomily. He looked the other player over, but her cloak his any defining features from view. 

"A-a-are we h-headed out imm-mmediately?," he questioned shakily. 'God all mighty it's cold!," he screamed in his head. 'I should have picked up better gear for this!"

Winik stomped his feet and rubbed his arms in attempt to feel any warmth. Ice crystals could be seen forming in his hair, it wasn't such a good idea to take a bath before heading out. He cupped his hands around his mouth and breathed into them, the vapor cloud billowing into the air. 'Hopefully it'll get warmer the quicker we move,' he mused.

Winik strode through the fourth floor, holding his arms across his chest. 'It's so much colder than the first floor,' he thought, sniffling as he walked. He checked the mini map in his menu, trying to locate the one who posted the help ad. 'I don't know if they'll accept my help, I'm really low leveled,' he thought to himself miserably. But holding onto hope was good for many things, maybe this was one of them. The cursor on his map flashed and he looked up. A player was standing there, fully cloaked. "Either they're a mass murderer, or they thought to dress for the weather," he muttered to himself, raising his hand. "Are you the one posting for help?!," he called out, trying to be heard over the wind.

Winik followed behind her, jogging lightly to try and catch up. At this point, he was just trying to finish the quest. His hunt for mats ended back on his last failure. A breeze blew through the fields, lifting the hair from his face, the dappled light reflecting in his eyes "And all I have to say is I'm done?," he questioned as the entered the Town of Beginnings side by side. Again, he played bodyguard in attempt to keep Anemone from being batted around. He hovered over her, protectively without being extremely creepy about it.

They walked for several minutes, final entering the shopping district where the old lady box awaited. Winik gestured for Anemone to stay there and jogged over the the lady. He made comment about being done and a window popped up in front of him. He accepted and ran back, a smile plastered across his face. "I'm a cook now!"

Thread Rewards: 1 SP Each, 200 Col Each
Quest Rewards Winik: Shop-Title, +21 [T1] Materials, +1 SP, + Material Roll by Thread Closer

Winik clapped his hands on his knees, pushing against them as he straightened.  He towered over most other npcs or players, being above average height for a Japanese male.  He strode over to match pace with Stryder, his long legs carrying him quickly.  "I'm going for a tank build in this one, what build are you?," queried Winik, he couldn't really tell from the player's current equipment.  Since he was new and partnering with someone he didn't know, he wanted to make sure he had a game plan for their encounters.  'I know he said he would tank the mobs, but I just want to be careful,' Winik thought to himself.  He had no idea where Stryder was taking him, but he felt that the player didn't have any ill intentions, even if there was something about him that felt off.  Maybe he had some skeletons in his closet he didn't want people to know about.

"I'm fine with anything you're willing to help me with," he said honestly.  He was happy to have found someone who was ready and able to go questing.  He spent too much of his time in the Town of Beginnings mulling over his fate.  He had someone who logged on that he had to find, and when he found them he wanted to be able to help them.  Or at least be a meat shield for them.  He wanted to be a tank, and the journey of 1000 steps starts with one.

"I don't have much in terms of gear, or anything for that matter, so I'm ready whenever you are," he replied.  He settled back on the bench, staring out at the people milling about.  He didn't know what was in store for him, but by God he was ready.  As he rested, the wind picked up and blew his bangs out of his face.  He smiled up at the sky, his blue eyes catching the light and lighting up.  For all intents and purposes this was a death game, but it was a beautiful one at that.

Winik came into the shop, looking around.  He didn't really know what he was doing, a player had pointed him in the direction he needed to go but no one gave him any specifics.  He walked further in, cupping a hand around his mouth and calling out, "Hello? Is anyone here?  I need some new gear and I was told you could possibly help me?" 

Further and further he progressed in.  He went from display to display, taking in all the different arms and armor offered.  "I need a shield and some heavy armor next, Hirru gave me a sword.  I really want to prove my worth," he muttered to himself, becoming completely unaware to his surroundings.  His words brought an idea to his mind. 'Do you think she does custom orders?  Maybe I could get an armor set unlike anything else anyone else has!  What better way to stand out as the King of Knights?!'

Winik stared at the trade window, speechless.  He glanced at Hirru's eyes, trying to figure out what kindness brought him to do such for a greenie like he.  Hirru nodded at Winik, as in confirmation to take it.  Winik swallowed heavily, pressing his finger firmly against the accept button.  Another swipe of his hand brought up his menu, where he looked for all his new additions.  His heart raced at the sight of his now heavy coin purse.

"Here!  The sword was my old one that brought me to the higher floors.  The col will be to get you some new gear.  Go into town and look for the Blazing Typhoon, and ask for Macradon.  Tell him, Hirru sent you, and he'll hook you up.  Though, you may have to visit a man named Shield to buy some materials, as well. Think of these as either rewards, or a small loan.  Neither matters, as long as I see that you're making progress in the world.  Work hard, but think lightly.  Don't let this world stop you.  Live well, Winik.  I'll see you around."

"You really didn't have to do this," Winik said, secretly shouting with glee in his mind. "I promise you I'll make good use of it.  And if you're ever looking for somebody to tank for you, find me.  I'll be there in a heartbeat." A few taps sent him to his inventory.  He unsheathed the blade from his waist, holding it up to the menu and letting go.  The old blade vanished, a tap later and a new blade was appearing in Winik's hand.  It wasn't much to look at, but the flavor text let him know of its true potential.  With a flourish, he swiped the blade to the side before sliding it smoothly into the sheath.  "First thing I'm going to do is get an armor set and a shield.  Then I'm going to grind until I'm on the fronlines.  I'll never forget this, Hirru."

Thread Complete

Summary

1 SP
(All)

10400 Col
(Winik)
[10000 Col Traded from Hirru + 400 thread]

Solace of the Lone Hunter
T1 OHSS +3 dmg
(Winik)
[Traded from Hirru]

"Um, can we skip the screaming part? I don't think I could handle it if we drew any aggro right now," Winik shot back. He was mortified that Hirru had to take care of the kill for him. 'I know I'm a tank, but I should be able to take out a mob on my own," he berated himself. 

Winik stared where the boar once stood, mulling over his failure. 'I'm too low leveled, under equipped, and lack the necessary skills. I'm going to get myself killed,' he thought to himself.

He turned to the green haired adventurer, an apology on his lips. "I'm really sorry you got stuck with this. This seems a little under your skill level." Winik hung his head in shame, he felt bad for someone having come help him and all they did was get to see him have his rear handed to him by a filthy pig. "You probably had better plans for your time than dealing with a noob, but I'm really thankful for all your help."

"Press the attack?," was his reply, as he readied his sword again.  'I'm going to do it this time,' he told himself, rushing the boar with the blade held out horizontally.

ID# 84693 results:

 Battle: 5

 MOB: 10

And just like all the other times, his blade whistled through the air and completely bypassed the boar.  It squealed a series of mocking sounds before burying its head in Winik's gut.  He flew through the air once again and came crashing back down next to the green haired hunter.  "I'm sorry I'm such an embarrassment.  Damn pig seems to have it out for me," Winik apologized to the hunter.  He was losing any motivation he had, the agony of his humiliation catching up to him and causing his stomach to roll.  This was getting out of hand and Winik was absolutely powerless to do anything about it.  Why did it have to be him who had to mess everything up?  Why couldn't it have been anyone else?

Winik - HP: 15/20 | EN: 0/2 | DMG: 2 (- 5 from Boar Critical Attack) (-2 EN)
Boar - HP: 4/10 | DMG: 3

Winik sighed as he unsheathed his sword from his waist.  "You know I have no experience with this system, right?  I don't think I'll be able to do much," he called over to the other swordsman.

ID# 84691 

 Battle: 1

 MOB: 9

He leveled his sword by his side, eyeing the boar wearily.  Another deep sigh escaped him, as his boots dug into the ground and he charged forward.  The last remaining boar squealed as it spun to face against its attacker.  Winik let loose a war cry, not really knowing why.  His sword came to rest vertically above his head, his arm held high.  Through the open air, a voice cried out and surprised the young swordsman.  He turned his head just as the system took over control of his blade.  Blue light gathered on the blade, before tearing through the air at the creature.  What came next was no surprise to him.  His sword slashed past the boar's head, the tip burying itself in the ground.  The boar squealed in indignation, beady red eyes staring directly into Winik's.  It pawed the ground once, before charging into his torso and blowing him off his feet.  His sword was left behind as he was sent hurtling backwards.

Winik: 16/20 HP | 0/2 EN | (-4 from Boar Crit)

Boar D: 10/10 HP | 3 DMG

[+1 Minor Health Potion]

Winik thanked the Hunter, turning to scowl at the pig. He raised the goal to his lips and downed the potion once again.

ID# 84664 

 BD: 3

 MD: 2 

Winik watched his health rise again, enjoying the cool sensation of the potion. His HP returned to normal, eliciting a sigh of relief from the tank. Another really note, the boar actually left him alone this time. He was ecstatic to see that he's get the chance to actually heal before the same, filthy pig came back for another round. 

Winik turned his head, calling over his shoulder, "Thank you for the pots. I'd be a goner if you hadn't given them to me. I'm going to make sure to pay you back for them, it's the least I can do."

Winik stood, brushing leaves and other dirt off of his clothes. He beamed a smile at Anemone as he strode over to her. "I'm fine with going ahead and turning it in. But I'm not sure how some food mats will get me armor or weapons. What do you mean?" Confusion clouded his eyes, she was throwing things at him too quickly and he wasn't able to comprehend a lot of it. 

"All we have to do is go back to that old lady I talked to, right?," he called back to her as he headed for The Town of Beginnings. His long legs carried him quickly and he forgot to check if she was keeping up.