[PP-F1] Clue One (Kranzer)

[Raun 0]

Raun left his shop rather disappointed. It’s been five days since he got certified as an alchemist and he is yet to craft a single useful potion. I thought I could at least make an HP potion so that I can fight groups of mobs without having to worry much. Damn this game! Now, he ran out of reagents and had to go back to the fields to collect more. Besides, he also had to level up quickly so that he can search the other floors for Sophie.

Horunka Village was the destination this morning for the young man. He had heard that there were tougher mobs that drop decent loot there and also rarer reagents for his crafting. Sounds like the perfect place. He opened the map and plotted a course to the place. Dealing with the low level boars and wolves weren’t much of a problem thanks to his equipment and a few skills he learnt over the past few days. Once at Horunka, he rested at one of the ten buildings for a while before heading out. At around three in the afternoon, he was all set to go. He checked his gear and stepped out of the village with his usual annoyed expression at this game.

[Kranzer 0]

As per his usual routine Kranzer had left the Town of Beginnings just as the sun had started to peek over the eastern horizon. The first rays of light danced across the grassy plains and the distant woodland beyond. For the most part he avoided any direct confrontation with any beasts this day as he planned to scout out farther than he usually went. That was the one major deviation to his daily routine and one that he didn't take lightly. He'd recently heard a rumor of a hunting village that was surrounding by woodland. It seemed like as good a place as any to gather material and he may even get lucky to find something he had yet to discover. Either way it was a small adventure and it felt a little refreshing to step outside of his comfort zone to take a risk. Granted he wouldn't actually take any risks. He'd been out around the small village for a number of hours with no real success. He was just about ready to take a break in order to eat something. Doing so out here in the woods though was less than ideal so he trekked his way back towards Horunka village.

The little village consisted of ten buildings in total and it was actually a nice little retreat. It would definitely serve as a hub for his future ventures out into the wilderness. That much Kranzer was certain on. Just as the village came into view though the young man took notice of another player. The guy looked like he was leaving Horunka and their paths would have to eventually cross. "Great," he muttered under his breath. Not all of the players Kranzer had met had been all that nice so he took extra care when he met anyone new. The young man was clad in dark grey clothes with plain black boots. The dark grey coat he had on extended down passed his knees with black leather sewn into the torso and around the collar for added protection. His hands were mostly concealed by a pair of black gloves with only his fingers left exposed. A strip of black cloth was wrapped loosely around his neck. Each end of the scar fell down on opposite sides of his body. Kranzer's head dipped forward as his nose vanished beneath the edge of the scarf once he drew closer to the other player.

[Raun 0]

The path into the woods seemed deserted and Raun began to doubt this impulsive decision. Maybe I shouldn’t be going in there alone. Ah… Screw it. If I don’t take risks and level up fast, there is no point in me being here. The purple-eyed man shook his head and his doubts off. Except for the dark-brown, thick, chain-mailed leather jack, Raun was mostly still clothed in the basic starter clothing that was provided at the start of the game. He was even using the basic curved sword still and hadn’t had the opportunity to upgrade his gear. So far, the Leather Jack of Retribution has proved enough for both offensive and defensive purposes. He decided he will buy more gear only if it is absolutely necessary. At first he thought the in-game currency is useless and he can spend it as he liked. However, the previous day, when he had enquired about Sophie to a player in the Town of Beginnings, he told Raun that he has some information that might be useful but would only reveal it if he paid 1000 COL. A disgusted Raun pounced on him for monetizing a family’s pain, but that was all he could do. The greedy scoundrel just grinned nastily and wouldn’t let the information out. Raun doubted the guy had any information at all; but he couldn’t take that risk.

Gaining that 1000 COL was part of the reason why he chose to hunt in this far away region with tougher mobs. So, there was no backing out now. As he walked along the path, he noticed a nearly six-foot tall man in greyish-black clothing. Raun had hoped he would run into someone along the way whom he could party up with for the hunt. But this man was walking towards the village. Maybe he is returning after a quest. Until they were almost face-to-face, Raun hadn’t decided whether he wanted to interact with the guy or not. The obvious then struck him. I need to ask him about Sophie at least. He waved at the black-haired man and smiled softly before asking the usual question he asked any player he met. “Hi! I’m Raun. I’m looking for my sister Sophie… Although that’s not her in-game name. Have you ever come across a five feet, four inches tall blonde with blue eyes?”

[Kranzer 0]

It took a short while before Kranzer was going to pass by the stranger and from the way things looked they very well may just pass each other by. The young man had no qualms with that since it was better to play it safe at times. That is until the guy waved and smiled at Kranzer and asked one of the strangest questions ever. Had he seen a blonde haired woman with blue eyes? Who was roughly five feet and four inches tall? He'd met plenty of blonde players during his time spent in the Town of Beginnings. Four immediately came to mind. The only problem was he didn't seem to recall how tall they all were nor could he remember what their eye colors were. That might prove to be detrimental. "Hello Raun. I'm Kranzer, now as far as blones... well at least five come to mind when I think about it. Some I've had more interactions with while others I have only met briefly." He remembered his meeting with Lessa only a day before he took his first step out into the wilderness that surrounded the Town of Beginnings. Ariel who had made his coat and that he only knew in passing. Then there was Allania. The young woman he'd struck an accord with only recently. Then there was Samriel, the woman who seemed to be looking after all of the youth within the Town of Beginnings. Then the last blonde that came to mind was Hunie.

Those were only the ones that were at the forefront of his mind though since blonde happened to be a common color among women. "I can't say that I know any of their real names so I don't know how much help I can be there, and I hate to admit it but I can't say for sure what their heights are or which ones actually have blue eyes." He wanted to say almost all of them had blue eyes save or one that actually had green.

"

[Raun 0]

When he heard the words ‘as far as blondes’, Raun’s heart almost sank as that’s what most people had said before telling him they hadn’t met anyone like that. But this time, it was different. Raun’s eyes widened in hope. Yes! He didn’t care that the guy wasn’t sure about their eye colours or their heights. This was a start. Something was better than nothing. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll meet every last blonde in the game to find my sister if I have to. Could you please give me the names of all the blonde girls you’ve met? I know this sounds really stalker-ish. But… Please. Believe me. I really am searching for my sister. In fact, you don’t even have to give me their names if you aren’t comfortable with it. Just please send a message to all of them asking if any of them have a brother called Raun,” he said, desperation showing obviously in his eyes. Just then, he remembered the player he had met the previous day who claimed to have information, but demanded money for it. Swiftly opening his inventory, he pulled out the pouch containing whatever Col he had left and thrusted it into Kranzer’s hands. “Please… Take this. It’s not much. But it’s all I have.” Raun sincerely hoped that the man would help him. It’s been more than a week since he joined this wretched game and this is the first time he even found someone who had met a blonde.

[Kranzer 0]

Raun seemed to lose some of his spirit at first but that changed as his eyes grew wide. "Uh," he managed to get out as Raun went on about trying to find his sister and wanted to find out if any of them had a brother named Raun. Kranzer took a step back and an awkward expression crossed his face. "Woah hold up there." The guy seemed pretty desperate which was only reinforced as he tried to offer Kranzer all of the Col he had. Kranzer looked a little aggravated at having gotten stuck in this situation. "Keep your money," he said with a dismissive wave. "Now I can't just go giving names to you without their permission so let me send the messages. Just uh... wait here." Kranzer walked back down the road a bit and kept an eye on Raun. The menu appeared before him with nothing more than a swipe of his hand. He sent out a few quick messages that stated, "This may seem strange but there is a guy here looking for his sister. Do you have a brother named Raun?" He sent them all out and when his menu closed he started to walk back towards where Raun was. "And now we just wait for some replies."

[Raun 0]

Raun was rather pleased when Kranzer rejected the Col; not because he wanted it for himself, but because it made Kranzer seem like a decent and genuine guy. And that fact was only further confirmed when the man refused to give out names, but agreed to send the messages. “That’s all I can ask for. Thank you very much. I really am grateful for this,” he said, bowing. When Kranzer moved away to send the messages, Raun stayed where he was and looked around aimlessly. I hope one of those girls is Sophie… As Kranzer began walking back towards him, he smiled at the guy with genuine gratitude. “Of course... I understand. Again… Thanks a lot,” he said, in response to Kranzer’s prompt to wait. Raun then accessed his menu and sent a friend request. “I’m going to be hunting mobs around here this evening. So, if you get a positive response from one of the girls, please do send me a message. I’ll return to the village as soon as possible. Or… if you are in the mood, you can join me maybe?”

[Kranzer 0]

“Uh,” the young man said awkwardly. He held his hands up and a nervous smile spread across his face. “Really it’s no trouble.”  This was the first time anyone bowed before Kranzer and it was a little strange for him. When he got back the man continued to thank him and a hint of sorrow flashed across his eyes. Is this what it was like to have a sibling? It was clear that Raun was worried and appeared to be genuinely happy at the chance to be reunited with his sister. The thought of having been alone most of his life never truly bothered him and this was one of the rare instances that it did. When he saw someone like this it gave him insight into what he’d missed out on and it cast a heavy weight to settle over his heart.

 When Raun made mention of going out to hunt Mobs it brought Kranzer out of his thoughts and back to reality. “I could use some more materials actually. I’m aiming to open a Merchant’s shop so I need all I can get for my appraisals.” A quick look at his menu showed that nobody had replied just yet. "Send me a party request. Are you properly geared and leveled to survive out here?" The last thing he wanted was to part two siblings before they could be reunited by having the brother dying at the hands of some Boar.

[Raun 0]

{OOC: Sorry about the late reply. Got a little busy this week.}

At the mention of a party request, Raun sent one immediately with a smile. “I too have been looking for some reagents to make some potions. And as for gear, I have a decent jack thanks to a generous tailor; nothing else. But this has proved sufficient so far because of the enhancements. As long as I don’t find myself amidst a large group of mobs, I think I should be fine. However, being in a party is always safer.”

If Kranzer accepted the party invite, Raun would then start to make his way into the fields. He noticed that the grass here was much taller than the ones near the Town of Beginnings. “These are almost as tall as the grass in the Prairie lands on the third floor. We have to stay careful. I had three wolves jump on me up there. It wasn’t pleasant,” he said with a frown. Just after he said that, he heard the grass to his left rustle and move slightly. He stopped immediately and unsheathed his Scimitar. “Watch out! I think something is hiding there,” he whispered to Kranzer. Raun crouched and moved slowly towards where he heard the rustle. He slashed at the grass to check if something was there and he was right. An angry boar jumped out of there; Raun’s attack only cut the grass and the boar escaped.

Spoiler

ID: #54686 | Battle: 5 | Craft: 7 | Loot: 9 | MOB: 2

<<Boar>> Miss! | HP: 4 | DMG: 3 | MIT: 1

Raun Miss! | HP: 12 | DMG: 2 | MIT: 9 | ACC: 0 | EVA: 0

 

Edited April 1, 2016 by Raun

[Kranzer 0]

When he received the request Kranzer accepted it. The mention of gathering regeants for potions certainly piqued his interest. “Oh? You’re an alchemist?” Potions and crystals were two things he was always in need of since he had planned to take on a more support role within his group of friends. He could only smile when Raun mentioned he’d gotten his coat from a generous tailor. He turned to the side to show off the left sleeve of his coat. There was the emblem of the head of a crowned lion there. “I actually got this coat the same way. This here is her mark which designates a craft as hers.” Kranzer turned back around and gripped the edges of his coat and pulled it forward with a grin on his face. He really did like the coat he’d gotten from Ariel. It had served him very well during his ventures out into the wilds.

When Raun headed out into the fields Kranzer followed. He quickly checked his menu but didn’t see any indicator that he’d gotten a new message. His eyebrows rose in surprise when Raun mentioned that three wolves had set upon him around some tall grass. “There were two wolves that always seemed to follow me around out here but I recently killed them to save another player. Luckily I made it in time.” His memories drifted back to that encounter and it wasn’t until Raun shouted a warning that Kranzer’s focus snapped back to reality. The man cut at the grass which resulted in an angry boar jumped out of it.

Raun’s blade missed which incited a soft curse from Kranzer’s lips. The left edge of his coat was pulled back as he unsheathed his dagger that was concealed on his left hip. The young man charged forward with his dagger held high and ready to be plunged down into the boar's flank. A flash of blue steel sliced through the air as Kranzer's blade found its mark and slayed the Boar where it stood. Its body slumped before it burst into a shower of blue data shards. Krazer blinked for a moment before he let out a low nervous laugh. He quickly sheathed his dagger and pulled the edge of his coat around to conceal it once more. "Sorry I think I got a little carried away."

Spoiler

 

Roll ID #54720 BD: 10[9+1] [Kranzer CRITS[+1Dmg]!]

Kranzer: 40 HP | 10 EP | 4 DMG | 1 ACC | 2 EVA | 12 MIT

Boar: Dead[4-5+1] HP | 3 DMG | 0 ACC | 0 EVA | 1 MIT

Hate: Kranzer[]

(Using Fate’s Hand[1 Acc; 2 Dmg]; Merlin’s Shroud[12 Mit; 2 Eva])

 

Edited April 2, 2016 by Kranzer