Aquan

He nodded a long while Dracul talked. His face dropped ever so slightly when it came back around to talking about the dramatics of the storm. "Yeah... The storm was not so kind to me and others who tried to fend it off on the 7th Floor..." His voice trailed off as he continued to listen to him. He did not know the high end pieces of the Crafting system, but it would be interesting to have multiple people working together on projects. "The work would definitely go faster if multiple people were working together."

He thought more on what he would want to be added. "I suppose I would want Guilds to become more of a big deal. As of right now they are worth it some what, but after joining a guild there is no real incentive to continue working with the guild. If you are looking for party members, it is easy to go to the community board and reach out, as what I did today and how we met to do this quest. Maybe Guild exclusive quest or more unique buffs to being apart of a guild."

Aquarian paused for a moment. He realized he never really looked at what they could do already as magic. "I suppose you are right, what we can do with our skills and accessories does seem to be magic." He was really enjoying this conversation. He liked the way Dracul's brain worked and it only furthered his happiness with questing with Dracul. Thinking of technology and advancement as technology. "I know if I lived during the Salem Witch Trials and saw a phone, I would immediately call it witchcraft." He mused to himself with a little smirk.

"So, you would fit the archetype of Wizard quite well.... And you do not have to be more specific if you do not want to. Magic for knowledge does make sense. I suppose that is something I enjoy, but the prospects of flora and fauna draw my mind away from anything like that." He nodded and continued the walk, taking in the day. "Do you believe something like the Storm will happen again? It seems as though an expansion was put into the game, but I am curious to see if it will happen again. I can not think of anything to add. Well, maybe throwable weapons or an expansion to guilds.... But beyond that I'm not sure." He shrugs and looks to Dracul for his answer.

Aquarian was not exactly sure what to say or do when Dracul told him to stop holding back his personality. The man was right, Aquarian was holding back and talking less than normal so he did not worry the man, but it has been a while for him since someone was accurately able to call that out on him. "Thank you Dracul." He says quietly, returning the grin he was given.

"What would you do when it comes to magic? In the real world I traveled a lot and helped my parents take photographs of nature, so I think I would go something more natural, like druid craft. The idea of conjuration and divination are very interesting, but I'd rather stick with what I know in that aspect. However, it would be interesting if you could learn any type of magic, no matter what you started in." He almost apologized for rambling,  but cut himself off before he could finish the word. "What type of magic would you use? I'm not very good at reading people so I can not tell from my perspective."

Aquarian was very, very happy at that moment. "Really?! I can keep them?! Thank you so much!" He gladly took the books and looked at both of their covers. He was tempted to start reading it now, but he put it away into his inventory before he was TOO tempted. "The book primarily gives stories and history, however there may be some info that I did not find in there about materials and hunting! It would be interesting if monsters gave unique materials than just a standard base array of them." He paused, taking a breath and realizing that he was talking a mile a minute. "I'll make sure to let you know what I think of these books." He says in a quieter tone, accepting the friend request at the same time.

He pulls out his compass again, realizing that it was no longer working because he had already found the item he needed to finish the quest. "I wonder if magic will ever become something that players can use. It would make things much more complicated."

His eyes lit up when Dracul mentioned letting him borrow some of the Alchemy books that he was reading. "I'd love to! There is not a lot of reading material so it's a bit difficult at times in order to pass the time without grinding levels or going gathering. I really appreciate the offer to read that." He was full smiles again. The last time he read the book, it was from his friend Grimm and it was about the monster lore. "I have a book on Monster lore if you would like to borrow it? I've already read it, I would just need it back eventually." He smiled and opened up his inventory. "It talks primarily about the more 'unqiue' monsters, like dragons and magical creatures. Explains why they are there, and just some fun facts about each creature." He pulls out the book and shows it to Dracul. "If you want to read it, I can see you again some time in the future and I can get it back from you. We are near each other geographically with my guild's hall and Ariel's house, so it should not be too terrible to see each other."

Aquarian's face lit up a little bit when Dracul mentioned that he was connected with Firm Anima. Even though he would rather have someone to hang out with that was not connected to the guild, he still was making a friend with similar ties as to his own. "Oh wow! I've only been to the Guild Hall a handful of times so I'm not entirely sure all the buildings around it, but that is really interesting. I did not realize how close some of the player-owned buildings were to each other." He smiled and nodded after he finished his statement.

Dracul's statement about becoming used to people talking a lot made him falter a bit. He was saying it was okay, but it seemed like he did not enjoy it all that much. I should keep my talking to a normal conversation level. He thought to himself and sighed inwardly a bit while the two of them walked.  There was a bit of silence between the two of them before he finally spoke again. "Beyond gathering and crafting, what do you do for fun?"

Aquan had never heard of Ariel before, but they sounded like a pretty interesting individual, at least to him. "I do not think I've heard of Ariel before. However I only interact with a small group of people right now. I am apart of a Guild, Firm Anima, however I do not speak to a lot of them much. I tend to keep to myself more often than not." He smiled and continued to walk with Dracul. It was nice to meet someone new, someone who was not immediately connected to Firm Anima. "Are you a part of a Guild? It sounds like you already have a grouping with three other people... Also, I had no idea that education institutions would spring up in this game. It is surprising the lengths people will go to make sure that real life and the game mimic each other." He paused his bit of rambling. "I apologize if I ever talk too much. I have a habit of rambling." He frowned apologetically and had a slight blush on his face.

Aquarian did not expect such a long and well thought-out answer from Dracul, but he appreciated his partner's ability to speak and the amount that he did speak. He nodded and smiled when he related to Aquan's ability to make things with precision. He looked a bit confused at the man's hand movements to his chest but he ignored it for the moment. "I think I can relate to how you operate in this game. Recently I've become more accustomed to fighting but that is not something I rapidly seek out. I primarily just have my gatherer skills and my skills with my sword and armor. I haven't built myself up yet in order to attack enemies well or protect myself well." He shrugs and continues the walk with Dracul. He frowned a bit when he realized the man still had not found the item. However, the two of them had not be walking for long, so he couldn't blame him for lack of effort. "When you speak of your allies, what do you mean by that? If you don't mind me being nosy about your personal life."

He shrugged when he commented on the special abilities of the material. "Who knows. This game can be quite unique when it comes to what things can or can't do." He pocked both the item and his compass. He was not going to abandon his new companion to do the quest alone, and it was nice to explore the surrounding area in order to get a feel for what the storm and changed and kept the same. He placed his hands in his pockets and continued to walk, thinking of things to talk about. "Do you see yourself possibly becoming a front liner in the future? I like the idea of going to the fight and assisting in progressing the game. However, my interests lie primarily with gathering and things like that. I would much rather craft and create rather than fight monsters. Hence, why I'm doing this quest..." he paused for a moment, "are you a crafter? You mention fortune which makes me think that you make things. If so, what is your profession? I'm a cook, but I haven't crafted much lately. I've been trying to progress in more quests."

He listened to what the man had to say with an interested look on his face. He frowned a bit when he mentioned that he did not have much of a memory of what happened. Aquan's thoughts immediately went back to what happened on floor 7 and the danger he was thrusted in with another handful of players. He thought at the time that everyone was dying, and plummeting from that mountain after saving Jevi was something he did not expect to live from. He tried his best to push those thoughts away and continue to focus on Dracul's speech about the newest content they are able to access and the way the game has changed.

"I have not had much experience with the new update. The last thing I remember from the storm was rather jarring, and waking up in my home really messed with my mind for a while. However, if this quest gives me any hope to the future, I'm excited to see what else is out there! I was already gatherer a lot more in the past, but now I can get even better at it... It's nice to think." He beams happily and continues to walk.

His compass starts to spin, freaking out as if he was right on top of an item. "Hmm." He made a soft noise and looked down at the ground, noticing something flowing in a bush right next to him. He reached his arm in and pulled out a small, metallic looking object. "I think I found one!"

ID: 187603 LD: 18 CD: 9
Demonic Shard: 1/1
Materials: 1

Aquarian doesn't really react much to the name comment. "Thank you. I decided that shortening my name to around 1 syllable would be the best for some people. Also, some people did call me that in the real world so I assume it should be a good nickname." He nods and smiles, starting to walk when the other individual suggests that the two of them start walking.

He pulls out the magical compass that the two of them have and  studies it for a moment. "It is rather strange that we use items in quests that have magical properties, but we as players can't use magic outside of just these items." He pauses, using the compass to lead the two of them. "I rather enjoy the repetitive nature that is gathering, so having a profession that suits that play style sounds wonderful. Besides, it gives me something to work towards on my gathering excursions." Aquarian looks around the floor, not exactly sure a good place to start looking. "The First Floor feels the same but different since the.. Storm. Did you fair alright during that event? I know everyone survived it. I just worry that some people are not very comfortable with the change to the game. I find it interesting to know things have changed and developed in different ways."

Aquan pauses and picks up a rock, identifying as a material. "Unfortunately not the quest objective, but at least it's something."

ID: 187598 LD: 20 + 8 = 28 [1 Material] CD: 3

Demonic Shard: 0/1
Materials: 1

Aquan was elated to have already received someone who wanted to complete the quest with him. He started messaging him back and forth a couple times before the two of them finally agreed to meet in the central square of the first floor. Aquan got up from the bench he was sitting at and made his way to the meeting location.

Aquan looked over and saw Dracul approaching the meeting point and he waved to the man. "Hello, are you Dracul? I'm Aquarian, but you can call me Aquan if you want. Do you know much about this quest? I don't remember it every existing, but all of the sudden it became available in that area of the First Floor. I've been in that area before and I don't fully remember something like that existing before the Storm." His face soured at thinking about the storm, but he quickly pushed it away. "Anyways. Would you like to head out now? Or do you need to complete something in this area?"

"Wait. What?!" Aquan stood outside the campsite he found on the first floor, looking incredibly confused. It had been about a day since he woke up after the Storm washed through the floors, but yet... He was still alive? He checked multiple times to make sure he was still living, but all the tests came out to be positive. "I'm not dreaming, what is going on." He had mused to himself when he finally awoke.

He shook his head and looked around the area, it looking a bit different than it had in the past. "The storm basically updated the game... That makes sense I suppose. The ability to add continuity to a game where people can't log off or get kicked off the server. I wonder what this campsite consists of." He approached the lady, Giovanna, and began the dialogue with her. Through talking with her, he began to look very, very excited. "A Gatherer profession?! That is amazing! That's exactly what I want to do!" He said to himself, his eyes glinting in happiness. He took a breath and looked around. "Okay, now I need to start a party, complete this quest, and get my profession." He gave himself a to-do list and went to the announcement board, putting up a listing for someone to join him on the new quest.

Current Level: 20
Current SP: 53
Link to SP Tracking: [link]
Item Upgrades:

Notes:
[any other items that are required to be converted would go here. players may also leave additional clarifications for staff to refer to regarding their application here. note that converted items do not benefit from the same upgrades provided in the field above.]

• Character Name: Aquan
• Character Description: Aquarian. Nature nerd by heart, but now hopeful Gatherer. He tends to talk way too much, over analyze everything, but he tries his best to be 'normal'. He has been called Indiana Jones by others, but he just wants to find whatever he can, and help out the best he can... whatever that means. He enjoys cooking and exploring, and will always be happy to hear about nature.
• Character Journal: [link]

"I'm glad it will be dead too." He said to Valentine and quickly went in for another strike. Same old same old, he did the V-Strike and took the Giant's health down even farther. That, mixed with the Bleed effect that activates, the Giant went down quickly. It shattered into thousands of smaller blue crystals, leaving the empty space free of its presence. On the ground was an item called <<Essence of Steel>>, the item the two of them were after. "Well, I suppose that wasn't too terribly difficult?" He smiled to Valentine and walked over, picking up the material. He was hoping that it would come in handy at his Shop, depending on how he would use it.

He sheathed his sword finally, his hand feeling strange when it was empty of the hilt. "Well, I suppose we are good to go yes? I'm going back to my place, I'm assuming you're going back to your house with Grimm?" He asked as he began walking towards the city. "I believe I may ask for some help soon for my familiar, if you're willing to help. I'm very interested in getting an Ice Otter now."

Rewards:

3 SP Each (Quest, 1 Full Page, Covid Bonus)
200 Col Each (First Page Completion)
Essence of Steel - Aquarian (Quest)

He nodded along more as Valentine talked. It seemed as though Aquan almost wanted to start writing all of this down, but he luckily didn't have a pen or a paper on hand to do so.... yet. "That is honestly a really cool thing to thing about. I wonder how unique my familiar will be whenever I start that quest. I know I want to do it soon, but I'm not sure if I want to do it alone. While there is a higher chance that I will be able to find it alone, with not scaring the creature away, it is nice to have the company of someone else around."

He paused his rant to deliver another strike. His confidence was growing with each attack the pair did, and it was only a little bit now before they took down the creature fully. He delivered a similar strike, this time his abilities activated, again. "Oh wow! They went off again! This will be done even sooner!" He smiled with a bit of joy as they almost took down the beast.

He nods along to Valentine's explanation. It is easy to see his mind going in multiple different directions. Part of his mind is calculation, while the other part is holding multiple questions inside, hoping to speak about them at a later date. "That is very interesting! Do you feel when she enters and leaves your body? I have never heard of an organic creature being used as a vessel for a spirit. At least, in lore wise. I am not very familiar with Djinn lore and occult studies, however the idea of using a body other than an inorganic object is definitely a unique idea!"

He shook off his nerd moment and went in for another strike, hoping that this one would do more than just a normal hit. Lucky for Aquarian, it did just that! His strike went in normal fashion. However, his paralyze and bleed activated at the same time. The Frost Giant blinked a couple times and then stopped in place. "Less than 40% and it is paralyzed! This will start going much faster!"

He smiled and nodded, happy to have his friend now fighting along side him. He knew that he was still doing good work where he was healing, but having someone carry the 'burden' of fighting the Frost giant was definitely helping his morale. "Perfect! We shall get this done even faster than I expected!" He gripped his sword a little tighter. Watching Valentine go in for the strike, he realized that even though he was doing the main fighting, Valentine was still an amazing fighter, someone who could definitely take him on if worse came to worse.

"Okay, my turn." He smiled and readied his sword. He went in fast at the giant, and again... Did a V-Strike on it. He watched the health go down faster and faster. "Less than 50% We shall be done... However long it took us to get to this point." He laughed softly at that comment. He looked at Sherry, taking a moment. "I do love your snake. It's interesting that this game continued to have snakes be cold blooded, and even have a type of personality."

He shook his head. "You are still a really good healer Valentine. You are keeping me up when facing an enemy I should not be fighting. I'm surviving thanks to you. Even though you are in the low 30's when it comes to level. Like you said, there's room to improve. However, that doesn't mean you haven't improved. Don't sell yourself short, your abilities are working with the system well enough to keep me at an adequate level." He smiled and turned back to face the Frost Giant once more, planning on taking an actual shot at it again.

Aquarian readied his attack, making sure that his path was not blocked by pesky ice. He ran forward with his sword, mimicking his common strike of making a V shape red mark on the creature's body. He hoped back quickly and let the creature react in the way that the system did every time it was struck. "Okay, so, I think this fight might take a tad longer than expected."

He smiled warmly at the praise he received from the man. He knew that he was getting better when it came to leveling and working on his combat ability, but it was still nice to hear all of the things that he was telling him about it all. "Thank you Valen. I really do appreciate it. You, by far, are a big reason why I am where I am right now. You have supported me and worked with me to get me to this level. I'm almost level 20 and I believe you met me when I was level 1. So thank you." He turned to face the man for a moment and nodded with a smile.

He quickly turned back to the Giant at hand, getting ready to do the same attack he had been doing almost the entire time. However, his foot caught a random patch of ice. He felt himself slip and slide against the ground, messing up the execution of the attack. Aquarian quickly scrambled up and put distance between him and the Giant. "Well, I suppose I have a large room to grow."

He nods, happy that there is an easy way for the two of them to trade aggro. He wasn't very scared of dying, but that fear pricking in the back of his neck was still there every single time he looked at that monstrous creature in front of them. "I'll try my best to not get hit. Its accuracy is rather low so it will be difficult for it to hit me luckily. However, as we both have seen, that wont stop it from hitting me in general." He almost laughed, but remained serious. He twisted his arm that had the sword in it, surprised that he had been using his sword for so long.

Rinse and repeat. He struck the creature in a "V" Formation and quickly jumped back, letting the giant react to the damage it just took. He smiled a bit at how much health it had. "60% Health Remaining. We should be able to finish this in... Possibly 2-3 minutes if all goes well and I can keep doing attacks like these." He calls back to Valentine, keeping his eye on the giant.

He felt the impact of the Frost Giant again. This time he almost felt pain. It was a weird ghost-like sensation that made him realize that he could really die. His health was fairly low and he knew that he couldn't take much more at this rate. However, he still wanted to stick with his plan. He thought that he could be right in this situation even though he might not be. He turned back to Valentine when he mentioned that the two of them could switch out. "I think I have pulled too much aggression from the creature to swap out with you, but I appreciate the thought." He nodded to him and turned back to the giant.

He decided to do the same attack, still biting the bullet when it came to the his attack. He did a similar motion with his sword and made a V cut into the creature's body. He rolled his shoulders and backed up, making some more room. "Thank you for the healing. I do not know much about those support skills so it helps having someone around who does." He smiled at him, a little apologetically.

He smiled when Valentine activated his ability for his familiar to help him in healing. He saw his health bar go up, happy that he was able to take another strike easier. He thought for a moment when Valentine mentioned that he should be stunning it. He knew that stunning it would protect him, but at the same time he wanted his paralyze and bleed to activate. It didn't make sense to paralyze and stun in the same attack. "I think I will hold off on Stunning for now. I will hope that my paralyze activates. I know you can keep giving me energy, but I think I will be okay for now." He wanted his plan to work.

He shook off his worry and ran forth towards the Frost Giant. Again, he did a similar attack of striking a V-Shaped red mark on to the giant's body and quickly stepping back. He was already looking nervous again. He was disagreeing with Valentine on what he should do. No, he know what he is doing... Should I just wait? I don't know for sure. It only hit me the one time.

Aquarian was definitely not looking out, and it showed by him getting hit by the Frost Giant, Hard. He felt the giant slam him against the floor. A plethora of different curse words went through his head, but the wind was knocked out of him so he didn't use any of them at the moment. He shook his head and slowly stood up. He brushed his coat and pants off, brandishing his sword once again after being struck down. "Okay... I'm okay. I trust you Valen. So far I'm still breathing with your help." He was of course worried about his health, but he knew that he was going to be safe with Valentine with him.

He held his sword up and he ran forward, getting ready to take another strike. He did what he was normally doing. He did two vertical slashes to the creature, leaving red lines that show where he had struck it. He quickly backed up and let the frost giant do some sort of telegraphed action after his strike. "Less than 80% health. This fight will take a while, but I believe it should go well, depending on how many times I'm struck."