iris

iris: hello! items out for delivery!

item evaluation.

using cluster of stars.

majesty. | [#194561c] | TIER 3 CLAWS STRAIGHT SWORD | ABS ACC, DMG II | ->
[desc.]: the remains of a long forgotten and distant dimension, slate polished clean for wrought over a new world.

-

mafiq. | [#215420] | TIER 4 RAPIER | PHASE, ACC III
[desc.]: a tapered blade with a razor-sharp point, colored black like obsidian. the guard is a matte grey, wide bowl shape completely void of design or intricacies.
[notes.]: +1 demonic shard.

Just now, NIGHT said:

trade request: to iris. from night. contains [cluster of stars] (x1).

received.

iris retrieves oblivion. and then settles payment with a multitude of weapons as though it is no big deal.

summary.

| col: 86,180col

| 02/26/25 | total: 86,180 | [link]

item evaluations.

demonology 101. | [#215579a] | TIER 4 STRAIGHT SWORD | BLD, FLN, DMG
[desc.]: an edged sword that studies demons. comes with a pen, and doesn't talk.

solemn vow. | [#233632] | TIER 4 STRAIGHT SWORD | BLD, ABS. ACC
[desc.]: a bundle of scrolls wetted and moulded into a blade's point. its ink had long run dry.

blade of zariel. | [#233635] | TIER 4 STRAIGHT SWORD | BLD, HLY
[desc.]: Retrieved from the Bleeding Citadel on Floor 9, this blade was once wielded by the Archangel turned Archdevil Zariel. The weapon is a longsword forged from celestial steel. As a result, it constantly emits a faint humming sound as well as luminescence.

blinded. | [#216243] | TIER 4 STRAIGHT SWORD | DMG, HLY
[desc.]: this blade cannot see past others for itself.

chipped tooth. | [#210852] | TIER 4 STRAIGHT SWORD | TAUNT, PHASE
[desc.]: a chipped tooth from a large monster. could be equipped as a blade.

02/03/25

iris skips in with an item fusion request!

iris sends NIGHT a trade request.

iris walks the board.

marquis doesn't have a stall, but it doesn't matter, says she. she'll open when she's ready. so iris approaches the woman who's examining her prospects on a floor she never thought she'd return to, and taps the statue on the shoulder. marquis turns, and her stoicism slips away.

iris wonders if her smile is honeyed in her eyes.

she trades the pre-requisite components, and rests her hand idly by a wooden post as she waits for the tailor to be done.

summary.

| col: 190,480col

| 02/26/25 | total: 190,480 | [link]

mystic essence.

[#1] | 215427-1 | 215427-2 | 215420

02/26/25 | t4cloth. | [#215427] || ANTIFREEZE / FIREPROOF | BLOODCLOT / PARA IMMUNE | REGEN / REC
02/26/25 | t4cloth. | [#215420] || REGEN / REC | BLOODCLOT / PARA IMMUNE | REGEN / REC

item evaluations.

impulse. | [#215442b] | TIER 4 CLOTH ARMOR | RISKY, HB, VAMP-D
[desc.]: a black cloak that drapes over one shoulder. comes with a hood.

transient. | [#233639c] | TIER 4 CLOTH ARMOR | EVA III
[desc.]: a white iridescent scarf that flickers in and out of existence.

oblivion. | [#211520c] | TIER 4 STRAIGHT SWORD | BLD II, FALLEN
[desc.]: a blade forged out of non-reflective metals. along its stony surface are pockets of glitter, speckled, fading into cooler hues.

herald. | [#210669c] | TIER 4 STRAIGHT SWORD | DMG, TAUNT, FALLEN
[desc.]:
 |  WE ARE ALL GOING FORWARD.
 |  NONE OF US ARE GOING BACK.

myotoxin. | [#211012c] | TIER 4 STRAIGHT SWORD | ACC, PRLYZ, PARA-V
[desc.]: a fang from a serpent larger than life itself.

chiliagon. | [#208152] | TIER 4 STRAIGHT SWORD | BLD, ACC, ABS ACC
[desc.]: a fractal blade. when left alone, it collides into itself.

26/02/25

"i'm back."

"oh, hey!" basuke piped up, chipper as always. in his hands were a mess of refreshments --- partway through walking, he'd given up on snacks and handed them off to iris for safekeeping. iris accepted them, still uncertain about why he hadn't just saved the items to his inventory. "so did you see that crystal game on the way back?"

"the crystal game?"

iris looked away.

"yeah, iris was telling me about it while you were gone," basuke spilled. the woman felt demian's gaze bear down on her, to which iris had to pretend to clear her throat at. "the crystals were really pretty! and she was wondering if it was possible to collect some of them after the festival's over."

iris snuck a peek towards demian, who simply looked at her, expression unreadable, his form draped in darkness, backlit. "you hadn't brought this up earlier?"

iris laughed nervously. "well, i figured it was no big deal. no need to cast the group aside just for a small detour."

-> CONTRIBUTING: 100 flower petals. | [link.] 

iris: demian, did you grab mine yet?

-> 100 flower petals from night.

IRIS | Lv.5 | HP: 100/100 | EN: 28/28

perhaps bistro hadn’t been lying when she said she’d joined a guild that would help her gain access to information quicker. iris hadn’t ever recognized the start of a festival before, but this time, she did. while there were many ronbaru residents wandering out in the streets, what gave her the tell was her quick scan of green crystals. there weren’t many — and the ones she did see were all unfamiliar faces.

demian had trailed in behind her through the teleporter. the lead was hers; she’d decided to give it a quick scout before handing the intel off to jean and hers. and there was their third man that he told her he was responsible for, gawking excitedly in her stead. not that iris minded. with a giggle, watching basuke cheer excitedly for the mass of people present, she turned to demian with a smile. “you really have your work cut out for you. how will you manage to pull it off?”

iris: on speed dial!

iris: here you go!

item evaluation.

trainers. | [#233639c] | TIER 4 CLOTH ARMOR | EVA III / MIT | >>
[desc.]: when the reaper comes knocking, you run.
[notes.]: +1 demonic shard.

"ah, a fisher of efficient words!" the nymph nodded, and started to row.

what fog that did gather slowly started to swallow the two, until they were nothing more than silhouettes in the grey, shrinking and sinking further into the distance. for them, however, the ride was but a wait. even with her eyes closed, it seemed as though the guide knew their way through the tides. gently, and gradually, like the inflections in her voice as she continued to sing, the tame ocean that once gave way to their route soon turned energetic, lapping at the sides of the boat in eagerness to receive.

a chuckle was what broke their silence. the whims of the sea did not change.

"we're getting close, now," the nymph said, eyes open. "i hope you don't mind me asking, but with what apparatus are you used to collecting the fish you do catch? most use a fishing line and rod, but i'm afraid to suggest our lady will have something different in mind." with a tilt of her head, and to the roars of the ocean starting to break steadiness in tandem, she asked, "you're not afraid of large fish either, are you?"

then, crash after crash, their conversation was inevitably broken. the tides, ever violent, shifted them towards the island unseen and unheard of in many decades, the fog eating at the shore as the boat came to rest. the entrance of hesperides seemed like it was a small enclave as part of a larger isle that neither of them had seen coming, as would've been expected from terrain in the thick, and what would lead wulfrin to sunlight and higher ground from the rocky seclusion of their docks were a set of stairs spiraling upwards.

the nymph took him upstairs, and the island lead them downwards on an emerald slope once they were above the water's surface. there, against that verdant plains, the sky cloudless and awash with a brilliant baby blue greeted them back to the abode of their gathering patrons, the calls of wildlife a cacophony to the picturesque backdrop of peace. past a forest, they'd walked, snaking around the outer edge of the island, where the coast of corinthia that they had just departed from could be seen from afar. when they hit the beach, all was but quiet again, save for the sounds of the waters calmly hugging landfall, the rustle of the leaves from the nearby glade and a melody on strings, beautiful yet haunting in equal proportions.

with a smile and a lowered head, the nymph but gestured to wulfrin to head within, into a room amidst that cluster of trees, from where the song's performance originated from. "lady amphitrite awaits you. but do pardon the eccentricity of her audience as you enter --- and keep your voice low until she speaks. you might see some bones across the room? it's normal for today's ritual; i'm sure you can understand."

the satyr snorted as he turned around, unshaken hand waved with a scoff, starting to lead them through the fields. "a smith of many talents, you are, but not one of words." he shook his head afterwards, remembering his pact. "no matter. hephaestus will appreciate your assistance nonetheless."

his guide but squinted to wulfrin, as they walked. was he being sized up? "has word gotten round about his condition as of late? no idea with what archaic technologies you mortals use to communicate with each other. it's good for us to take caution with newcomers he looks to meet with, lest they don't expect the unexpected. the shocks some people will go through..."

the steps up mount olympus were steep. for any player who hadn't invested into the right sort of endurance training, perhaps they would've needed to take a break partway through. the air became denser, clouds forming around their trek in layers of rings, until the ground below them could hardly be seen -- creatures, cities, land. the sky but only consumed all.

then, in one breach, they'd crossed the threshold, and it was though all had returned to normal. behind them, floor seventeen only seemed but a fall away through a thick fog. a white stone pavement snaked across the summit, that seemed more like a plateau than a peak. that hub, marked by a circular patch of flowers, branched out into different roads that led to various pantheons in the distance. the satyr stepped ahead of wulfrin, taking him towards the one located northmost.

"watch your step," said the satyr. and he gestured to the path -- where most others had been delicately lain, a smooth sheet of calcite level with the ground, the tiles set on the road they'd walked were misshapen, bumpy, unaligned. sloppy work. it might've been only a miracle that the building they'd came to stop at seemed unlike their journey here.

wulfrin's guide advanced slowly, but forward, and found himself stood by the large doors before the player. "go on," he clarified, gesturing with his elbow violently towards the entrance, signaling the player to go through. "ready yourself. and give the man some time to answer."

replicant. | [#210669c] | TIER 4 STRAIGHT SWORD | ACC, TAUNT, FALLEN
[desc.]: once wielded by the archduke of stygia, this frigid blade has felled many beasts and mortals alike. the blade of this longsword is made of silver with a diamond edge that constantly emits a rolling icy mist similar to dry ice. its blackened metallic hilt is bound with a light blue almost white leather wrapping. its pommel resembles that of a white dragon’s head crest. rumor has it that the blade itself was forged from parts of such a dragon, but none can confirm it.

vega's panoply. | [#206638] | TIER 4 HEAVY ARMOR | THORNS II, HB
[desc.]: armor plating with a cape attached to it. the cloth is in shifting gradient hues, of blues to purple, a cluster of studs against it a vibrant white. the mail, carrying prismatic properties, reflects and sheds light to warn against those that might come too close. 

imperfect chassis. | [#206623] | TIER 4 HEAVY ARMOR | THORNS II, HB
[desc.]: an armor plate that's once seen use on a machine from the twenty-sixth.
[notes.]: +1 demonic shard.

<<coo:fsh>> | iris: lvl 5.

see, there was that message to visit olympus from zeus. but then, for professions of the gathering variety, there would also be one from poseidon himself.

the nature of this message was in stark contrast to the junk mail from zeus. poseidon's writing was regal, almost unreadable to the general public for use of jargon. mayhaps many would suffer in attempting to scramble it.

but wulfrin got a summarized version, because some fishy intern likely managed to simplify the language. it called for his attendance on olympus on whenever he'd felt like, and attached to the invite was a whistle he was meant to use near corinthia. strange, for it was a long ways away from athenaia and olympus both. stranger still --- it likely wasn't as safe as many would expect the journey to be headed up to olympus.

the whistle promised safety on his journey afterwards, however. a nymph to meet. somewhere along the coast, down where eyes wouldn't catch was the best place to use it, and upon its call did the nearby tides still after a moment. the wind stopped, as well, inviting a mist that obscured all with a matched stormy overhang. in that blanket of fog, a silhouette would arrive from the horizon on a rowboat, singing a lovely melody. the boat would be beached in time, and with sharp, glistening eyes the nymph that appeared would extend her hand, still seated in their vehicle.

"charmed," she said. "are you a fisher, now? most who arrive are usually foragers nowadays, as far as i'm aware. and by that call you'd used -- poseidon's favour -- it likely meant that there was something different about your attendance." the nymph winked, and then offered for him to get in. "this will be a calm journey, but the seas can get frisky closer to the island. i hope you don't get sea sick easily. shall we be off? the lady will be excited to have you over for the trial, i'm sure."

<<coo:bsm>> | iris: lvl 5.

every player advancing through the ranks of a crafting profession would receive a message in their inbox, that often looks like spam. imagine, a god in aincrad, summoning mortals to the seventeenth on mount olympus to partake in a challenge, without any warnings or further detail?

@Wulfrin would receive such a message this day. the missive didn't exactly state a time, but whenever he would get around to doing it, there would be a satyr that could be found present right by the entrance to the wilds from athenaia. garbed with a sash and a guard's helm, upon noticing the player approach him, the satyr would snort, inspecting the blacksmith from head to toe.

"you look more like a warrior than a blacksmith," the satyr commented. in his hands was a spear, with different signs of wear upon it: scratches on the handle, dents in the metal blade. he pointed it at the player, gesturing to the equipment pieces he had on himself -- if not, the player's physical build instead. "are you sure you're the one i'm tasked to guide up olympus today? you did bring your tools with you, didn't you? even though i'm told of your ability by hephaestus himself, i'm still liken to disbelieve it."

the satyr shook his head, almost as though to calm himself after his insults. "no. he needs the company as much as ever." in contrast to his prior insults, he offered a hand out to the player for a shake. "let's make this quick, then. truce for us in the interim. better for us not to keep the smith himself waiting long."

iris: i've got your orders up in the scarlet line!

@Acanthus

@Arabelle

oh.

iris had to admit she might have been taking her time looking over the pieces on display and a little distracted trying to put the outfits together to have noticed the tailor's call. still, though, when she finally realized she'd been slacking on the job (totally on accident, she'd swear!) the cuff had already been completed. rushing over to the counter as best as she could in heels, with a smile, she gave the shopkeeper a bow, two hands folded at her front. "thank you so much for your hard work!"

after she'd retrieved the item, however, her gaze drifted over to one of the pieces that stuck out in her mind. never mind frivolity for the moment. it would work for jean. she took it off the rack and placed it on the counter as well. "i'll be taking this as well, if you don't mind...!"

-> whatever else she got, it was vanity.

-> retrieving: 

saint-germain | [#234698] | TIERLESS CLOTH ARMOR | RISKY II | VAMP-D II
[desc.]: a silk wrist cuff upon which a corsage of pure white roses is pinned.

a distinct, clear voice rings out in accompaniment with the opening of the shop's door, and footsteps upon the wooden floor. "pardon! is anyone here at the moment? i have a request for an item fusion."

iris examined the store in full, curious, but nonetheless wary of the tailor at work. once he'd made himself known for availability, she approached the counter, pulling up a couple of cloth pieces.

"sorry for the intrusion! i was referred to visit this place upon request. just these two items, and then i'll be off."

still, as the crafter busied himself with his work, iris' gaze was still fixated upon the clothing on display. she gave him a smile and a raised finger ("i'll... just be a moment!") before gingerly making her way over to the store's selected stock.

for item fusion: