[PP-F9] <<Guardian of Fire>> Fire and Blood (Baldur)

[Cygnus 0]

<<Guardian of Fire>>

Cygnus stood around the gates of Vulcan, waiting for his friend and mentor, @Baldur. The two have been going on a lot of quests together lately and Cygnus had learned much from the elder player. This was the warrior's purpose today. He had sent a message to Baldur not long ago, asking him if he wanted to go on another quest. This time, they were going to tackle <<Guardian of Fire>>. Cygnus had heard little about this quest, just that the boss was the legendary monster and guardian of the underworld in Greek mythology, Cerberus. Just knowing that was enough to pique his interest. He also heard that there was some kind of ongoing damage effect, so Cygnus was sure to pack plenty of healing items just in case. It was always better to be prepared. With a sigh, the brunette wiped the sweat off his brow. This place on the whole wasn't bad, just the city was. It didn't help that the city was made of metal and suspended over an active volcano. That made things here even hotter than the rest of the floor. Eager to leave, Cygnus scanned the surrounding area for any sign of Baldur.

Edited August 30, 2016 by Cygnus

[Baldur 0]

Baldur appeared in the portal at the center of the town. The town of metal. Suspended over a volcano. A volcano. A town a metal.

This floor designer needs to be fired.

Or thrown into the volcano he created.

He immediately cursed the heat and blessed the fact that he had survival. It made things like this much easier.

Cygnus, he friend and protege had asked for his help with the quest <<Guardian of Fire>>. Baldur remembered the quest well, because it had been the last one he had done before... Well that was another life ago for him at least. This represented a good chance for him to fight back his demons and press forward into his new determination. His mind flashed back to the days he had been here before. Maybe of a level with Cygnus now, he and Oikawa, and Ariel, and Alyss and... her. They had all been here together, acting the perfect team.

Oh so long ago.

As Baldur passed through the gates, he immediately recognized his friend and his old armor.

"Ohayo, @Cygnus. How are you my friend?" 

[Cygnus 0]

Cygnus turned his head towards the familiar voice and smiled when he saw that it was who he was waiting for. "Good morning, Baldur! I'm doing fine. Itching to take on this quest though. It sounds pretty fun and I could certainly use the SP. I'm so close to grandmastering my weapon skill. I look forward to the accomplishment. Once I get some decent T2 gear, i'll be just about ready for the frontline." Cygnus laughed, half-nervous and half excited. The idea of being there with all these high level players and going up against these powerful bosses intimidated and excited the warrior at the same time. The thought of battle thrilled him, while the thought of being compared to these elder players unnerved him. Cygnus grinned at his friend. "Anyway, how are you doing, Baldur? It hasn't been long, but i'd like to know if you're still well."

[Baldur 0]

Baldur nodded to his friend a bit more solemn than usual when Cygnus asked how he was. Baldur was fine, but the situations surrounding him now that he was becoming more entrenched in the frontline was what had bothered him. Someone needed to do something about Opal and the Laughing Coffin before she managed to fracture the already divided frontline. How could they do that though? She was still green, but to Baldur it seemed to come down to her pride and using that against her. She was like a greek character now, a caricature of the person he had thought she was. Her fatal flaw was her pride; she would not back down when challenged... but they could not ask someone to take a life. Even if Opal deserved it, and unfortunately that could be debated, someone would still be required to take another human life, and Baldur wasn't sure that he could do it, and that meant he could never ask someone else to do it either.

I would never ask someone to do something I couldn't do myself.

For now, Baldur seemed to hope that ignoring Opal would prevent her from doing more than talking. She wouldn't try her hand again at a boss meeting. Everyone was waiting for it, and she knew she's never get out alive. Her only compensation was to bait and duel, so she could be 'justified.'

Baldur shook his head, his steel blue eyes returning to his friend standing before him.

"Sorry, I'm fine. Just getting ready for another boss fight. This one looks like it might be a mean one."

He clasped @Cygnus on the shoulder, and gave him a reassuring smile before they headed out of the city.

"It will be good to have you on the frontline, but we must be careful not to rush it. I need more reliable allies on the frontlines, but I want to make sure you can enter it safely. I came back too soon, confident in my abilities and that the Frontline had the bosses under control. That arrogance almost got myself killed, and it did get two others killed. I don't say this to scare you, just to remind you that the Frontline must always be respected. As soon as we feel like we have it figured out, it changes on us and someone gets killed. Still, you have a good head on your shoulders, and we'll make sure we get you as prepared as possible. A full set of T2 gear, a full set of buffs, and a good party should make it about as safe as it'll ever be."