Shye

The redhead tucked herself back into the safety of her hiding spot, hoping that it would be enough to keep her hidden from the evil monkeys. She opened her menu again and looked to see if there was a new message from Shield yet. Nothing on his end. That meant that he was probably still trying to kill the witch.This sucks. Shye opened the window to type out the new message.

She pushed send then stood up, looking around the statue to make sure nothing was around and quietly left. She could probably find a closet to hide in or something.

@Shield

The red head watched all the Nepents explode into blue shards of data, just like what would have happened with Shield. The thorns disposed of them all instantly. Tanks were impressive, they seemed so invincible. Though, Shield would probably say it was more like being so prepared that it was impossible to lose. When the variant spawned, it made her face scrunch in disgust pretty quickly. The ovule was used to make some sort of medicine, which made some sense, but she still didn't like fighting them.

Her breathing got a little uneasy, but she still kept it under control enough to get an attack off. She leaped in and swung against air, she slipped up and landed on her chest with an - "Ugh!". The Nepent Variant didn't like her attempt to kill it. It stood over her menacingly, causing her breathing to lose control a bit. The fear was getting to her now.

Allies:
(H: 2) @Calrex: HP 1796/1805 | EN 169/176 | DMG 7 | ACC 4 | EVA -1 | MIT 141 | TNT 1 | PARA 2 | THRN 28 | HM 3 | ACH 0.5
(H: 0) Shye: HP 140/140 | EN 13/14 | DMG 2 | REC 1 | EVA 3 | BLD 2

Enemies:
Nepent Variant: 15/15 | MIT: 5 | Dmg: 10

Should she try to find another spot to sit and hide? They haven't checked here yet, but what if they decided to the next time and she was in danger. If she teleported away back to the safe zone, she wouldn't get the quest finish. She wouldn't prioritize that over her own life or anything but she wouldn't teleport unless she absolutely had to. She clutched the crystal in her hands and peaked around the statue again. Nothing in vicinity. Not much reason to move yet, so let's stay here.

She could hear the witch howling in frustration. She was sure that Shield was giving her a rough time, but she hoped that he was finishing up as fast as he could manage. If he could just finish, she probably wouldn't be taking any more of these "Take one hit and you'll die instantly" quests at least for a few days. No massive amounts of EXP would persuade her either.

@Shield

Giant plants...They didn't say that they would be absolutely ugly and smell awful. She plugged her nose and moved out of the way of Calrex so he could do his tank thing. "I-I know it probably wont mean much, but if you need healing, please don't hesitate to ask me! I can heal 8% of your maximum health."

She watched the creatures surround him, totally distracted with his presence. The girl took a moment control her breathing. Having an attack in the middle of battle wouldn't be good. Normally, she aimed to strike things in the neck, hitting vital points and making them bleed, but where was the neck? Oh well, just prick the damn thing. She didn't want to be anywhere near it to begin with.

The needle plunged into the Nepent's body, causing it to leak some disgusting ooze. She left the needle in it's body and grabbed a new one. "E-Ew! Are the poisonous?!?!" She asked worryingly.

Allies:
(H: 2) @Calrex: HP 1805/1805 | EN 168/176 | DMG 16 | ACC 4 | EVA 3 | MIT 116 | ACH 0.5
(H: 0) Shye: HP 140/140 | EN 13/14 | DMG 2 | REC 1 | EVA 3 | BLD 2

Enemies:
Nepent 1: HP 5/7 | DMG 3 | [BLEED: 2/2]
Nepent 2: HP 7/7 | DMG 3
Nepent 3: HP 7/7 | DMG 3
Nepent 4: HP 7/7 | DMG 3

A ping of a return message sounded in her menu. The sound of wings roaring in the distance as a group were coming down the hall. It would be a second before she had the chance to check what the message said.

-clink, clink, clink-

Something sounded as the mobs approached the stairs. A teleportation crystal, they saw one of them clawed the item up from the ground and try to toss it out the window. It banked off the glass and reverberated on to Shye's fragile skull. It took everything she had to not let out a wimper of pain from being boinked on the head by the crystal. It landed in her lap safely.

After a moment, the monkeys gave up their search in this area and moved on to the next. She let out a sigh of relief when they left and clutched the teleportation crystal in her hands. Opening the message, she replied, maybe a full minute after the crystal was thrown down the stairs.

@Shield

Shye's smile continued. She wondered if she should let Calrex take the lead, but she was the party leader here and it was her quest. Mari took the lead for her when they did the quest with the giant bee, but that was when she was literally level one. She could handle this quest with some success now that she had a few more levels and actually had some good gear now.

"A-Alright Cal, I'll take the lead, if that's fine." She didn't sound entirely like she wanted to, more like she felt as though she had to. Like if she didn't do so she wouldn't get any necessary experience. It was nice to have back up, but she was taking this quest to help her confidence. 

Leading the both of them out of the safe zone, she reached back into her makeup case and pulled out a couple of needles that looked like needles meant for sowing. She held a clump of them in her off hand and a single on in her main hand. She could only use one at the time since the system denies the use of two at once, her weapon was disposable. Several needles were copied and remade with the same effect. Insanely tedious, but the needles wouldn't last long individually and they were easy to use.

@Calrex

Shye opened up the menu and read his message. She could still hear the monkeys flying around the giant mansion, nowhere near her now thankfully, but she still opened up the reply box and typed out.

The girl pressed send on her message board and peaked past the statue to see if there was anything around. Thankfully, nothing right now, but she was sure that they would make rounds again and be more thorough with their investigation. They were kind of dumb, but they were still large in numbers and she couldn't last very long, even with her new gear, without Shield to help her.

@Shield

Her thin hand swiped down, reestablishing the menu in front of her. The name of the quest was only shown there. She read it allowed when she found it: "Secret Medicine of the Forest - Head into the forest and find a group of plant monsters that will increase in numbers for larger parties. After fighting the regular enemies, a special type of Nepent called the Nepent Variant that drops a special item called "Ovule". Seems easy enough right? I was going to do it by myself, but I can tell that you're strong, so will you help me with that?"

The girl chimed with a warm smile, activating the quest share function for him to see the quest marker and details. "Since you're really strong, I'm sure it wont be a problem for you to get through. I cant do nearly any damage because I can only heal. Shield jumped on the chance to invite me when I told him that had healing abilities."

@Calrex

The girl closed her menu quickly as it got a ping, thank god she was the only person who could hear the chime when she received a message or she would be absolutely dead right now. After several, agonizingly long seconds went by, the sound died down. They were gone.

With a heavy sigh, the girl opened her menu and read the message. She would feel much safer than down here by herself. It was becoming increasingly dangerous to be sitting around without Shield on this floor. She quickly opened up the messenger and typed furiously.

Once that message was done and sent, she closed her menu and continued to stay as quiet as possible.

@Shield

"O-Oh, sorry for assuming." The girl said with a slight smile readjusting the makeup case that she had strapped around her waist, opening it up to make sure that nothing inside was broken. Thankfully everything was alright. After closing the lid, she turned back to the blue haired boy and held out her hand. "My name is Shye. People tell me not to share my real name, but I'm not really use to this. It feels a bit rude to not introduce yourself with your real name."

The girl looked up at her quest bar, seeing that she still has things to do. "Oh hey, do you want to join me for a quest so we can get to know each other? We'll be guild mates after all- or I guess we are. I only know Shield and Mari so far. Do you know any one else who is in the guild? Are the nice?" She opened her menu and scrolled down to invitations, sending him a group invite.

@Calrex

Walking through floor one, the shy teenager looked through the quest details. The levels she had gained so fast were great. She was so much stronger than she was when she first started off so she could maybe take a chance at doing a quest on her own. There was one where damage didn't go above ten points and she could survive with her 140 health points and her gear. There would be times where she couldn't rely on Shield and Mari to just carry her through everything. Mari said herself: She needed to grow some back bone and work up the courage to fight.

While she was walking through town, towards the open area where the quest would begin, the redhead collided with a mass of something that she wasn't paying attention to. A man with blue hair, stood above her. She looked up, fixing her skirt as she fell onto the ground.

"Oh, I'm so sorry-" The girl was cut off when she saw his health bar, but not just that, the symbol for Jacob's Ladder. "H-Hey! You're apart of Mari and Shield's guild! Are you that guy she mentioned... uh, Oikawa?" She asked standing up off the ground and dusting off her clothes.

@Calrex

Shye continued to just watch the green health bar on her screen go down and then straight back up almost instantly. It was so boring to stand here and do absolutely nothing, but she definitely didn't want to be up there where she would die nearly instantly. The girl sighed heavily, closing her menu and looking down at her feet. There was nothing for her to do in here...

Sounds came from down the corridor, the cawing of the monkeys? It was getting louder! They were heading this way, straight for her. She quickly stood up and scrambled to get behind something. A large statue propped up near a window provided enough space to hide as they passed by. She huddled up behind it with her back to the statute and covered her mouth to ensure that her breathing couldn't even be hear.

"Hurry up Shield, please..." The girl thought as the sound of flapping wings deafened the hallway.

@Shield

Rewards:

Shye:
SP: 3 Quest + 1 Page + 1 Bonus
Col: 200
<<The Matriarch's Stinger>>

Mari:
SP: 1 Page + 1 Bonus
200 Col
<<The Matriarch's Stinger>>

Chelsea watched the man take his leave and head up the spiral stair case after he was done talking. She stayed at the bottom of the stair case, able to hear some sounds of the battle going on upstairs. She was sure that Shield would be fine, but hopefully she could do more in the future for him. Though she was starting think that Shield was pretty much invincible. The girl sighed quietly and took a seat on the bottom of the stairs.

Her eyes watched the health bar connected to her HUD. It ticked down then went straight back up. Was a healer really that useful for someone like Shield? Her presence here felt only like it was slowing him down. Though, like Mari told her: She was a low level still and needed to be sure that she could level up and improve her confidence. If she couldn't take care of herself, she wouldn't be able to take care of anyone else in combat.

@Shield

Shye shook her head, questioning the performer profession. She was sure something like that was out of her league. Even if they system helped her, she would be much more happy with making alchemical potions. She could make them like perfumes and stuff!

"Alchemy will definitely suit me much better than Performer. I don't have any idea how to play any instruments or sing. Don't have the courage for something like that." She said, seeing that Mari probably bit her tongue a bit trying to save Shye from hurt feelings. Now that she was getting some experience, she could be helpful. Maybe this is mutual gain for the both of them.

"Thank you Mari, I'll get a little bit stronger and apply for the guild. What's the guild's name, or soon to be name? And don't worry, I don't take much to fill up, more food for everyone else." She giggle a bit to that, even though she had no idea who this 'Oikawa' person was.

@Mari

Shye was nervous as they walked into the castle. She was worried about getting caught up in crossfire, but Shield had done an amazing job at keeping her alive so far. There was no reason to stop believing in his protection now. Subconsciously moving closer to the tank as they got deeper into the castle.

"E-Even these nicer looking floors can look terrifying when you they pull out this kind of stuff for them..." She said basically a footstep behind Shield at this point. Nothing really threatened them at this point. "Are you sure nothing will bother me while I wait on you fight to finish? I'm worried..." The spiral stair case was starting to come into view.

"So I guess I should stay down here then? You can handle everything up there ri- Well, you wouldn't do it if you couldn't... Right. Sorry." It was apparent that she was feeling anxious.

Shye followed behind him, not too closely until the chimp dissipated. She remembered him saying not to heal her for this fight, or else she would be subject to the damage that the witch could dish out. Unlike the shark, the witch had AoEs that would fill the entire battle field with damage that Shield couldn't protect her against. That meant that there was no way that she would be walking into battle with him. In fact, she would be as far away as she could stand and still get credit for the quest completion.

"I'll stay as far back as possible and avoid the AoE's. Th-They'll kill me if I get too close...wont they? No second chance like with the shark." The girl shook a little just being reminded of instant death. As they came near to the castle, she slowed down until she stopped at a safe point, far enough to watch the battle where she wouldn't be in danger. "G-Good luck Shield! I'll be back here!"

A guild? She wasn't even level 2 yet, how was she supposed to contribute to a guild? Also, she had already seen the quest for earning a profession and decided to go for Alchemist because of the benefits of healers.

"R-Right! I already knew that I would want to stock on potions, that's why I've already decided that I will be getting the Alchemist profession! I remember this book saying they could make potions that healed allies and gave buffs to tanks and damage players. I will get working on that as soon as possible!" She said a little enthusiastically. 

She went back to the topic of guilds. "I'm lacking in a lot right now, I know... B-But, like I said, I don't intend on sitting in the city anymore waiting around like a coward when people could use help that I can give! That would haunt me to the end of my life even if I made it out of this game in the first place..." The girl looked at her shoes. "I-I'll do my best, but I'm sorry if I disappoint you all..."

@Mari

Shye maneuver through the combat trying to dodge the whirlwind of monkeys swarming around her tank. Every once in a moment, she would nearly crash directly into one of the mobs, barely stopping on a dime to avoid such a thing.

Chelsea watched the enemies basically dive bomb Shield like it was choreographed for such an occurrence. Maybe the AI in the game was a little smarter than she anticipated it to be. The important thing was the enemy with practically no HP remaining. Adrenaline was kicking in a bit, and whether it was through desperation to prove she could be tenacious like Shield, or just an instinct in a fight kick in the wound, she rushed through the battle field, past Shield and onto the monkey with only a smidgen of hp remaining. The thin needle went straight through its head, causing it to bleed some fake digital blood. She removed the needle and waited for it to die from the bleed effect.

"Wh-Who's next?!" She barked, obviously a bit worked up. Even though she was able to work through it, Shield could still see the fear that Shye was trying to hide in her eyes.

@Shield

(I meant to hit threeeee I'm sorry brain scattered)

[H:1/0/0/0] Shye:    HP: 120/120 | EN: 11/12 | BLD: 2 | DMG: 2 | Rec: 1 | EVA: 3
[H:4/4/4/4] Shield: HP: 1745/1850 | EN: 170/176 | DMG: 2 | EVA: -1 | MIT: 169 | BH:92 | HB: 48 | THN: 99 | ENV: 18/4 

Flying Monkey 1: 35/150 | MIT: 20 | DMG: 70 (Min: 35) [ENV 18 - 4/4]
Flying Monkey 3: 14/150 (-2+2)| MIT: 20 | DMG: 70 (Min: 35) [ENV 18 - 4/4] | BLEED[1/2]
Flying Monkey 4: 51/150 | MIT: 20 | DMG: 70 (Min: 35)

Chelsea took cover as they came back for their next attack. Best not to get in the cross fire, she wasn't sure how many attacks she would be able to survive against these things, so no need to test it. If it wasn't safe, Shield wouldn't have brought her here though.

Shield let her know that she should be calming down. Yeah, he's right, the middle of a fight was no place for doubts or regrets. Just keep out of the way and you'll be fine Chels. Shield could see her doing her breathing techniques once again, in and out slowly, helping keep her mind cool and clear.

"Alright! I've got this." The girl said taking her thin needle in her skinny fingers, creeping up behind one of the monkeys to get a sneaky attack off on it. She raised the piercing metal and attempted to shove the second one into its neck. Unfortunately, the mob flew higher into the air causing her to just barely miss her mark. "Right... Misses, no worries, this is just practice."

(Rolled wrong character sorry ;-;)

[H:1/0/0/0] Shye:    HP: 120/120 | EN: 11/12 | BLD: 2 | DMG: 2 | Rec: 1 | EVA: 3
[H:4/4/4/4] Shield: HP: 1745/1850 | EN: 169/176 | DMG: 2 | EVA: -1 | MIT: 169 | BH:92 | HB: 48 | THN: 99 | ENV: 18/4 

Flying Monkey 1: 35/150 | MIT: 20 | DMG: 70 (Min: 35)
Flying Monkey 2: 51/150 | MIT: 20 | DMG: 70 (Min: 35)
Flying Monkey 3: 33/150 | MIT: 20 | DMG: 70 (Min: 35) [ENV 18 - 3/4]
Flying Monkey 4: 51/150 | MIT: 20 | DMG: 70 (Min: 35) 

Shye moved away from the monkeys just as Shield roared in a rumble so deep that it seemed to shake the ground. Shye watched the mob instantly turn on him, letting her take a sigh of relief. It was stressful to see something trying to destroy you and easily have the capability to do so. She took a few seconds to use her breathing techniques to calm herself before making her next move. Really quick though, she peaked up at their health bars and made sure Shield was fine after those attacks. Yep, full HP.

Now, on to the next needle. It was difficult to predict a flying, erratic target like these monkeys. The needles gripped in her hand met only air as she snuck up on another one of the mobs, having no effect on them. Her energy replenished though, thankfully she had a lot more than she used to. "This is... This is... The redhead stuttered trying to keep her breath from going haywire. "Wow I'm having a hard time here..."

@Shield

[H:1/0/0/0] Shye:    HP: 120/120 | EN: 11/12 | BLD: 2 | DMG: 2 | Rec: 1 | EVA: 3
[H:4/4/4/4] Shield: HP: 1850/1850 | EN: 169/176 | DMG: 2 | EVA: -1 | MIT: 169 | BH:92 | HB: 48 | THN: 99 | ENV: 18/4 

Flying Monkey 1: 149/150 (-1)| MIT: 20 | DMG: 70(Min: 35)
Flying Monkey 2: 51/150 | MIT: 20 | DMG: 70(Min: 35)
Flying Monkey 3: 150/150 | MIT: 20 | DMG: 70(Min: 35) [ENV 18 4/4]
Flying Monkey 4: 150/150 | MIT: 20 | DMG: 70(Min: 35)

Shye watched the monkeys descend upon them in a horde. Her instinct was to run and hide, but then she remembered what Shield told her. Tenacity, determination, and a level-head. If not a better time to practice a combat situation where she could get hit then when? She picked one of her needles, the first to be used and took a few steps back, watching them surround Shield. He was probably about to do something to get there attention, so she could safely make an attack.

As they came down, her tiny frame seemed to fade into the mist The monkeys surrounded Shield while she moved to be a bit sly, getting behind one of the flying chimps, taking her large needle and jamming the metal directly into the enemies neck. It let out a squeal of pain and turned to her with an angry expression. The needle stuck out of its neck. Her breathing was uneven, but controlled enough to keep her from having attack. "Y-You chose the wrong team to harass!" The girl choked out with hairs on her neck standing on end.

@Shield

Shye: 120/120 | 11/12 | BLD: 2 | DMG: 2 | Rec: 1 | EVA: 3
Shield:

Flying Monkey 1: 149/150 (-1)| MIT: 20 | DMG: 70(Min: 35)
Flying Monkey 2: 150/150 | MIT: 20 | DMG: 70(Min: 35)
Flying Monkey 3: 150/150 | MIT: 20 | DMG: 70(Min: 35)
Flying Monkey 4: 150/150 | MIT: 20 | DMG: 70(Min: 35)

Shye got up quickly before Shield left without her. He was straight to business today. Being a high level player must keep a person busy, especially when they were doing their best to help out lower level players.

"Oh, no not yet. I was thinking it would be best to do Alchemy though. I could make neat little perfumes and makeup with it." She said, with a shy smile. "A-And make healing potions of course..."

She stuck close behind him making sure not to get lost in woods without her tank. "What's the plan for me today? Am I sitting on the side lines again? I actually have a full set of gear now! My armor will make me more difficult to hit and I have a weapon now!" The girl reached into the box that was attached to her side on a belt. Upon opening, Shield could see a ton of cosmetic items like makeup and perfume, but she pulled out something odd. A large set of needles, there were a ton. At least 20 in her hand and even more inside. "Here they are."

@Shield

Floor twenty-two, why did Shield invite her all the way up this floor. The coward of a teenager looked around Coral. It seemed like a pretty regular city and it looked like a pretty regular environment as well. Hopefully it would stay that way and there wouldn't be any more sharks that swam in sand. The redhead swiped her toothpick of an arm and pulled up her HUD, navigating over to the tank that had called her up here in the first place. A timid, shaking finger opened the message box and started to type.

"I'm here by the teleport area. I'm too afraid to move around the safe zone without losing track of where I am, could you come and pick me up from here?' She wrote out as quickly as possible and pushed send. Once the 'delivered' message came up, she moved over to the side and took a seat on the stone ground surrounding the transportation pad. She wouldn't move from this spot until Shield got here and ushered her to where they were going.

@Shield

Chelsea saw the troubled look on Alisea's face and decided that this was the time that she needed to be there for someone, like Yua was there for her. Yua wasn't much of a softie like Shye was, but she knew how to talk to be people and she had picked up on that a little. The girl sat on her knees in front of the pink haired tank and tried to give her a warm smile.

"I think...We're all working to do our best. This experience is harrowing at the least, and I'm sure several of us will have an extremely hard time to readjust our reality upon return. I'm terrified with every step I take that it'll be my last, but I'm doing my best, and so are you. If we keep working together, we'll continue to grow strong and make it out." As she was wrapping up her speech, a material phased into existence between them. It looked like a root, or herb.

"Oh hey, is this the thing we're looking for?" She said picking it up.

1/5 Materials found, finally...