[F9-PP] Bad dog, bad dog! <Guardian of Fire> (Macradon, Hirru, Shizuka

[Macradon 0]

Macradon slept in the inn on the first floor when he suddenly woke up to feel a kind of emptiness. "I haven't done any big quests lately, I've done the Bandit Camp one but it really didn't yield anything ..." he thought and laid there in his bed. "I should probably look for some quests on the high floors again then" he thought and sat up in the bed. He would walk down to the innkeeper and pay his room. He went to his shop to get his items. He donned his steel pouldron, his chest plate and his cuirass. He was battle ready for the big quest that would come on the higher floors, or so he hoped. He equipped his sword and placed it on his bag for transport's sake and his robes to wear some decent clothing for this and put on his hood to keep his head warm for the trip. He went to the warp plaza and warped to the ninth floor. "It hasn't been that long time ago since I was here" he said and looked at the quest board. There were a quest he hadn't seen before, it was called Guardian of Fire. "Sounds interesting" he muttered for himself. He would use the same technique as before, send out a local message for the nearby floors, hopefully catching notice from someone. The message he would send out to the nearby floors was:

Hi, I'm Macradon.
I'm looking for a party to do the quest Guardian of Fire and would like your help
Meet me at the Plaza on the 9th floor, I'm the guy with the green robes

[Hirru 0]

Was it by chance, or fate that would bring the hunter to the upper floors.  Not since his scrap with the Gemini had he ever ventured past the 5th floor.  There were reasons for that, but that a story for another day.  Now, he had gone past his own barrier into the unknown, and there would be no turning back.

That being said, he wasn't prepared for how hot it was on the ninth floor.

"Why is there lava?!"

He would ask no one in particular, but it came out anyway.  As a prospective hunter, he needed to make his mark on this floor.  That would need a significant event or boss level fight to start his hunting status on the 6~10th floors.  Heading towards the quest boards, he would find one that read something along the lines of "fire beast".  Whatever that was, apparently someone had just posted for some help with that quest.  The hunter decided that helping them out wouldn't be too bad of an idea.  

Though before he could send a reply, he noticed that the sender had not traveled far from the board.  Green robed individual, as the message said.  Approaching the individual, the hunter began with a formal greeting.

"Good Day, Sir!  I believe you are looking for help with the Guardian of Fire quest?  I would like to help."

[Shizuka 0]

Shizuka had been chilling around this ninth floor. Indeed, there was no reason as to her being her and there was no reason why she should be here but no questions should be asked as she was here and indeed her presence was alive. However, she was unnoticed and she did not want to be noticed especially after that peculiar event that should not be mentioned here or else I would get in deep trouble for mentioning something that was involved in the UR thread. Nevertheless, here she was, seeking nothing and eyes full of emptiness. The ninth floor, often known as the hottest floor that can only be semi-compared with the likes of the fifth floor where only seas of gold can be found. However, she had no intentions to compare the two floors. The only reason that she was here was due to the fact of her recent experiences on the fourth floor where ice was in control. No longer was the fourth floor her most favorite floor. Indeed, she was not going to go near that floor again as she was extremely terrified and petrified of the things that she had experienced on that floor.

Her appearance had changed completely from what she had been before. Her eyes stared at the wall in emptiness while the top of her hair was covered by her dark pink cloak that turly doesn't fit her mood and attitude anymore. Still, she was too poor to buy a black one as there would be no point. That was when she heard the word "Guardians of Fire". Of course, this perked her interest and immediately, she went over to the sound of the speech to see that Mac, someone that she had met previously was standing there talking to a different person. With a smooth movement, Shizuka walked silently over there before speaking. She had her hood on, covering her face entirely. "I shall join as well."

[Macradon 0]

Macradon heard a voice approaching him, he turned towards the voice with a confused look. "Huh?" he quietly said. "Oh, yeah! That's me!" he would say and take off his hood to reveal his snow white hair and his red eyes that matched the setting. The green robes contrasted the red hued surroundings and his white hair stood out from the crowd. "Nice to meet you as well" he said with a smile and would go for a hand shake. "And by what name can I be referring to you with?" he would ask the man that looked just slightly older than him. Macradon met another person he hadn't met yet, that's great. The bigger web of connections you had in this game the bigger chances there were for one to survive on the fields. With all the different kinds of intel one could get far without risking one's life.

Before he could react another voice was heard. "Someone else is joining as well!" he thought in his head. He would just take a quick look towards the feminine voice he somewhat recognized. "Shi ... Shizuka?" he would ask softly, the pink cloak somewhat gave it away even though he couldn't see her face, though it was recognizable. "Good to see you still alive" he would say with a comfy voice trying to pitch up a comfortable atmosphere that they were still strong enough to be in the game. 

[Hirru 0]

Seeing that the individual that the hunter would be assisting, he was certain that they were going to be fine.  He held out his hand to grasp the other mans in a hearty shake.  His jade plate cuirass would clatter with the motion.  With his new defensive rating, there should be no problem with the enemies on this floor.

"You can call me, Hirru."

It is a point to give trust to a client, especially when the client would be teaming with you to take care of business.  That was the hunter's first priority: safety and assurance.  To safeguard the client or their respectively wished objective until mission completion.  Though, as he was, this mission would require more assistance.  That way, the safety of all would be assured.

It would be at that point that another individual would answer the call to arms.  This one would be a female that the client was quite familiar with.  That was good, as familiarity made for better trust and stronger teamwork.  Depending on her skill set, this Shizuka, as Macradon had called her, would be an excellent asset to the mission ahead.

"Good day to you, as well."

He would say towards the pink cloaked individual.

[Shizuka 0]

Shizuka showed no emotion as she was told by Macradon that he was still glad she was alive. Indeed, perhaps she, herself was not glad that she was still alive. The only reason that she was still alive was due to her determination to finish this game for revenge for what the game had done to her. Through her clutched teeth that was full of hatred, Shizuka whispered, "It is good to see you as well, Macradon." Making note not to use any sort of nick names but to say that passage of speech in all seriousness. Also, she had sort of regreted her decision to join the party as she realized that a party of three might not suit her style. Nevertheless, she soon decided to stick with it as it might not be polite for her to leave at the instance.

That was when she was greeted by the player called Hirru. He seemed peculiar with dark green hair and a young face that was full of comedy and non-seriousness. Of course, someone cannot control how they looked but Shizuka could really not stare at the boy's face without thinking about the fun times that she has had in the past of the game. Hence, she continued to look at the ground before nodding her head to acknowledge the boy's words and his greeting. At this point, the sun had risen and well, if it was anywhere they wanna go, they'd better go now or they won't be able to make much progress before night approaches them. "Let's go then." Shizuka said, once again, in a serious, deep voice as she began to take a step.

[Macradon 0]

He quickly noticed that Shizuka wasn't the Shizuka he had met before. This one was more gloomy, more dark and not as energetic or happy as she was before. Macradon would glance it away for a second until he was greeted with his full first name. No one had called him out in his full name second time he would meet someone, it was usually Mac. He would keep a closer look at her for the moment to make sure she wasn't in any bad shape. Either way they would head out. "Let's go then!" he would say with a strong voice. The three of them should be able to get the big bad dog down. "Strategy!" he would say out of the blue, just to make sure everyone heard him. "Out strategy should be simple" he said as he invited the other two to a party. "I'll be the main front liner and take the damage in and deal some damage as well. Hirru, you will be the second damage dealer, staying behind me when you aren't attacking. Shizuka, you're the support in this situation so you should know your ways" he would say and nod towards her to make sure she heard him and understood. Of all the intel the quest came with, it was known that the three headed dog acted independently with each of its 3 heads, so Macradon should keep hate on all of them and focus as much AOE on them for Hirru to take them down.

[Hirru 0]

The hunter found that this may not turn out like he thought.  These two, though familiar to each other, the woman seemed cold.  Like he used to be when...  The hunter shook his head of the thought.  There was no time to dawdle in the past anymore.  The future needed to be created, and they were on their way to do just that.  The next step in this process would be to find this Cerberus, as the 'fire beast' was called.  A three headed mythological dog that was supposedly the guardian(s) to the gate of hell.  Fitting!

Macradon seemed to be a strategist, as most hunters had to be these days.  Going through their statistics, Mac was much stronger and could take more hits, but would need manuel healing or first aid from Shizuka.  It seemed that would be fine, but there was always the possibility that it could go wrong.  The hunter's armor had the Regen ability, so he could stand some hits, but not all that the creature could apparently dish out.  In the end, the plan would have to be as Macradon had made it.

"I agree with it."

It would take some time to get from the village to the cavern that the boss was situated in.  It already felt that it was going to be much longer than that.

[Shizuka 0]

They seem cheerful. Shizuka thought as she pulled down her hood more. She had realized that Macradon had sensed something wrong with her. However, she honestly could care less what he wanted to do. She was trapped in a void. A void that was impossible to leave from. Indeed, it was a period of depression. A period in which no one can free her from. However, there was a quest at hand and she had all confidence and defiance to finish it with the two now that she had started it. With a sigh, Shizuka listened as Macradon discussed the strategy. With a nod, Shizuka indicated that she had heard the plan completely and will no doubt be coorperating even in her condition. Just because she was now a completely different person, she still has the same philosophy. She will do all that she can to prevent someone from dying and that is even in the case of her depression. 

As they walked, Shizuka looked at the inventory to check whether she had everything she needed and yes indeed, she had the superior support with her even though she truly doubted that she would have a need for it. Even though Shizuka was a high leveled support, she was still rather inexperienced in healing and this was because she had been hanging around high leveled players such as Zelrius and Calrex. However, she had a strange feeling that she might have quite a bit of work to do this time around. With a sigh, Shizuka followed the two players and began to track back a little so she can have her own, preferred circle of silence. The last time she had done this quest, it took overnight to reach the tavern in which the dog awaits... if they were going to reach that tavern in quick time, they were going to have to go faster but Shizuka didn't bother pointing this out for the two players.

[Macradon 0]

The party walked along the volcanic range of the 9th floor. They had to find the Inferno Cavern. They had 2 days journey to venture out to the boss spawning area. "It's quite the journey ..." Macradon would say as he looked at the quest information in his HUD. 2 days of travel from the main settlement of the 9th floor to arrive at the Inferno Cavern. The quest information also told that they would have to fight Hell Hounds before the awakening of Cerberus while the amount of hell hounds was unknown. It was quite a fight for the three, probably going to bee very difficult with energy costs. "The hell hounds we're going to encounter can be a big hindrance for us. I can lock down 4 of them, but if they're more than 4 I want you guys to stun them if necessary" he would say. He would try to keep his team mates healthy for the big fight against the great hound Cerberus.  

[Hirru 0]

Listening to Macradon go on as he strategically tried to plan out our attack route, the hunter would try to give his own opinion on the matter.  They would have quite a bit of time for that as it would seem.

"From what I can tell, this floor is rather hot.  Would there be any chance that our Survival skill not holding up to such intensity?"

He could tell that they were not taking any damage, so far.  However, that could change when they get into a cave with tunnels burrowing into the magma.  The heat could hurt anyone that stepped inside, and he didn't have the information that Macradon did.     It could be possible that with the combination of environmental dangers, and the 'fire beasts' that they wouldn't have an easy time with this.  Thinking ahead of time, the hunter would equip the azure blade, Time.  Paralysis would be their friend in the upcoming battles.

"Let's hurry!  The longer we take to reach the destination, the worse our advantage may be, if any at all."

[Shizuka 0]

Of course, despite the fact that Shizuka was having her head and ears muffled by her cloak, Shizuka was able to hear bits and bits of the conversation between the two male players in front of her. Indeed, she knew the answer to Hirru's recent question but she remained silent. Partially due to the fact that she wanted to save energy for the walking and for the combat, but the other reason was purely the fact that she did not want to participate in their conversation. Indeed, Shizuka had lost her motives for communication just a few days earlier and she had no desire to obtain that motive back anytime soon. Hence, Shizuka kept her distance from the other two players and got out an apple from her inventory before beginning to eat it hungrily. Then, she hesitated while debating whether to offer some food to the other players and well, Shizuka soon decided that they could just simply ask if they were hungry. This is going to be a long journey. Shizuka under that sheltered hood of hers. Might as well eat. And Macradon can reply to Hirru's question if he knows the answer, otherwise, he'll just have to figure it out himself naturally once they arrive.

Soon, the night began to bestow upon the world and eventually, the stars were up and prepared to shine their puny, little lights upon the players. No longer did Shizuka think of those pixelated stars the same way as she did before... Now, they were just computer programs and no longer a piece of art. We're gonna have to find shelter... like right now. Shizuka thought as she glanced up to see if there were any nearby.

[Macradon 0]

Macradon agreed. This floor was hot as it was, just like the windy storm out side on the 5th floor where he earned the Survival skill. But this boss room would be hotter, at least it said so in the information he had got though if it did any damage over time was not known. "It says the room is hotter than the floor, but I don't know if it'll harm us by any means" he would say to Hirru. It would probably do something, just like the storm had some effect on players. "Well, if we just keep this pace we should be there in no time, no need to rush it" he would say. It wouldn't take long before the starry night would begin to appear. "The stars are back" he thought when he looked up onto the sky, it was indeed a beautiful sight, something like this that was just a computer program that looked like the real deal. He remembered something about really hot areas, something that the heat would drop tremendously at night. If what he remembered was true he would need to find shelter for the group. "Hm ... where could there be any shelter ..." he thought as he scouted around trying to find anything that would make sense to stay under for the night. "That looks fine" Macradon said as he spotted a rock formation made of pillars of some kind of rock going up into a point with one of the pillars destroyed leaving a hole for someone to go into the rock formation. It was like an Indian tipi. "This place looks nice for some shelter" he would say and point at the location he just spotted. "What do you guys think?" he asked the rest.

[Hirru 0]

The hunter would listen to the party leader as he went on.  Apparently he was rather skeptical if it would or not, but that didn't really answer his question.  He would expect an answer from Shizuka, but that probably wouldn't happen.  He could sense that her mood wasn't something to try and get around.  The mood of this entire group was rather... odd.  Not that it was any different from his friends in the Blades.  They were much weirder than anyone that he had previously met.

After some time, the night sky would appear... well what little of a sky you could have with an entire ceiling/floor above you, but the view through the floors sides would retain that amazing view.  He wished that he could remember what the sky of the real world looked like, but that would be a tale for another day.  Macradon had found something that would suffice for shelter.  The rocks would probably help conceal themselves, but in any case, a guard would have to be posted for the night.

"It'll have to do for now.  I'll stand first watch.  Get some rest, in the mean time."

Edited December 12, 2015 by Hirru

[Shizuka 0]

Shizuka nodded. She felt the urge to argue as she would probably not feel comfortable sleeping in such a condition. With a sigh, Shizuka sat down before opening up her inventory. This setting was quite pleasant. It seemed rather peaceful and quiet... Plus, it was completely hidden from plain sight. This makes it easier and more secure for all three players in the party. Indeed, Shizuka clicked a few buttons before pulling out three bowls of ramen. This ramen is different from the ramen that she usually ate. Well, it is different from real life because it is automatic but another reason that it was different was the flavor. Indeed, previously, Shizuka had taken quite a liking to the spicy flavored chicken ramen but recently, she had adapted and began to eat more peaceful ramen. Correct, Shizuka had changed her flavor completely and with a sigh, she offered the two male players some spicy ramen. 

The stars were brilliant up there. It was like hope... hope to Shizuka. She had literally lost every single dap of this so-called hope, but she required some inspiration and one of those was Greg... while the other was the desire for revenge. She wanted revenge... Revenge on the person that had changed her so dramatically. As far as she knows, only three people know of the event and she liked to keep it that way. Shizuka then stood up after finishing the bowl of ramen for dinner before opening up her menu once more. "I have a portable tent. If any of you want to join me, I don't mind. Just don't do anything sketchy." Shizuka said, keeping the same tone that she had used throughout the whole journey.

[Macradon 0]

Macradon went inside the massive rock formation that shielded them from the frightening cold and sight from any hostility that would come by. It was quite cozy in here, very nice and all, quite the place he spotted for the party. Macradon would doff his armor to he could sleep comfortable, it would be quite cumbersome to wear his armor while sleeping. He stood there without his armor on, only wearing his robes. He felt like he was naked being used to wear his armor nearly everywhere he went. Shizuka asked if he wanted some of her ramen. "Deja vu" he said with a smile as he remembered that she offered him the same thing the last time they were together. "I'll take some this time then" he said and accepted the ramen. It was quite a change, from stale bread sandwiches to warm ramen. He would thank for the meal and begin to eat, slurping it down quickly enough and finishing the soup base by drinking it all. He would lay the waste away for it to disappear by program. "Thanks a lot, I really needed that" he said to Shizuka. 

Hirru proposed to take the first shift of guarding while the others would sleep, it was a good idea. Macradon wanted some sleep before he would be able to fight for now, so if he could engage the sleep he would be fit for fighting. "That sounds great, I'll take the next shift then" he would say and open up his inventory to take out his bedroll. Shizuka asked if anyone wanted to share her tent, just as long they didn't do anything. Macradon would think about it, it was probably more comfy than sleeping in his bedroll itself, and he needed to be relaxed when they would fight. "I can take a little spot and switch out with Hirru when I take the shift then" he would say and look at Shizuka, awaiting her aproval.

[Hirru 0]

The hunter nodded to them both as they agreed to the posting of a guard.  It wasn't like he wanted to, but these two would need the protection during the sleep.  There was no telling when a roaming mob would appear.  Having dealt with quite a few in the past, he had become wary of anything that would crop up in the dark.  The night would be long, and he was probably going to take the shift through most of it.  It wasn't that he didn't trust them, but he was more aware than his teammates.  Most of the night would probably be him alone... with his thoughts.

When given the ramen, the hunter would oblige.  It would help him during the early hours, as he deliberated about the fight ahead.  Fire beasts with one that had three head that would attack simultaneously.  The fight would mostly be defending against the creatures flame attacks while trying to take out the heads.  Possibly try to keep a constant stream of AOE attacks, but his energy would allow too many at once.  He would have to invest in some energy replenishing food next time.

Taking SoLH from its sheath, he would start making rounds along the open area to the shelter.  Several hours will pass like this..

[Shizuka 0]

Shizuka burped as she woke up in the morning. Indeed, it seemed like the night had progressed on peacefully and quietly without any player or mob interference. That's good. I would hate to wake up due to a boar.  Shizuka thought with a yawn before rubbing her eyes continuously to try and achieve her awakened state. With a deep sigh, Shizuka looked to the next of her to see that Macradon was indeed sleeping soundly a good distance away in the gigantic tent. She remembered the tent... Indeed, it had been a present from Ariel just a couple of days before her depression had set into her mind. With a sigh, she opened up her menu and equipped the pink cloak that she kept always on except during sleep. And then, she sneezed. Yeah... The weather and climate were pretty cold.

Soon, Shizuka sat up and stood up before exiting the tent. There, she put on her cloak hood and looked around to see if there was anything out of the ordinary and failed to see anything of interest. There was nothing... however, she could see that they were very near to the tavern in which the quest takes place in. Indeed, it was going to be a short walk... 30 minutes at the maximum before they reach the tavern.  "Good day," Shizuka whispered under that pink cloak of hers. She only had ramen for breakfast, but she wasn't sure whether the other two would like them as well. Perhaps we shall just skip breakfast. She decided as she looked upon the sun as it arose from the sky.  Seems like a sunny day yet again.

[Macradon 0]

Macradon woke up in the middle of the night, as it was his turn to take the guard post. He had taken a plenty amount of sleep to be able to take the guard post. He would walk out and switch with Hirru. "Damn it's cold" he said and opened his inventory to don his armor for the guarding. He went outside of the tent, out from the formation and into the open fields. He would equip his sword, Crusader, and wield it like the royal guard would hold their rifles. Marching forward and backwards around the formation, once in a while checking up on his sleeping party members that they were sleeping tight. He would keep up his guard duty and make sure no mobs would come near them. 

The night quickly went by as Macradon walked around with his hood up. it kept him warm and made him look sinister. Hopefully scaring away mobs from the vicinity. The night was not as cold as he thought but when dawn appeared the weather got morning cold. Macradon didn't like this cold, even though it wasn't as cold as the snowy blizzard he once was at, he still wan't used to it when it came so suddenly. He would wrap himself in his robes, tightly, to ensure that he would keep his heat inside. The armor didn't help at all. "I Maybe I can take a short nap before we head out again" he thought and went inside the tent again to then take the power nap as he doffed his armor. 

A sneeze, that was all that was needed to wake Macradon from the power nap. It was Shizuka, she had awoken herself. They should probably get out walking again. "Morning" he'd say and get out of his bedroll. He shook his body lightly to get the heat in his body again. He he would get up and pack his bedroll and put it away in his inventory again. Macradon would don his armor once again as they would be venturing out into the area again. He went out of the rock formation to look on the day that has come.

[Hirru 0]

As dawn would break over the edge of the 9th floor, the most odd thing would come to pass:  a cold chill on a floor covered in volcanic mountain ranges.  The hunter didn't get much sleep as it was.  After Macradon took post, the hunter would find a simple outcropping of rocks to call a makeshift bed.  He preferred sleeping on natures wonders, than to busy himself with emptying out his inventory for items that he didn't need.  He had expected the floor to stay hot so he took his armor off, but the cold snap got to him.  Waking him up in time to notice that a certain someone wasn't on post.

"I'm not surprised.."

He said as he donned his armor again to take the rest of the watch.  Finally, the two had awoken from their slumber.

"Good Morning.."

The hunter would grumble to no one in particular.  They needed to head out soon, which meant that they either ate fast or not at all.

"We had better hurry, and use this morning to get to our destination..  I'd rather not stay another night in the wilds."