[PP-F03] Load of Bull <<Search for the Hoya>> (Hikoru)

[Winik 0]

Winik strolled through the busy streets of the Town of Beginnings, his armor catching the light and throwing it as the star like speckles refracted the light back.  He approached the player request board, intending to check if there were any responses to his ad.  The wind picked up, causing all the different papers on the board to flutter in the wind.  Winik pressed his hands against the papers, smoothing them down in an attempt to find his out of all of them.  When his eyes finally came to rest on his advertisement, his face split into a wide grin.  "A player named Hikoru, huh? I hope he's on this floor, otherwise he won't get my message," he spoke aloud.  He swiped his hand through the air, bringing up his menu.  He tapped the message icon, causing a pop up to appear in the air in front of him.  Without further delay, his fingers flew across the virtual keyboard.

Spoiler

To: Hikoru

I saw your response and would love to have you in my party.  I'm thinking of taking on the <<Search for the Hoya>> quest and your help would be greatly appreciated.  Shoot me a response of a good time to meet and I'll be there.

From: Winik

@Hikoru

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru received a ping on the 21st floor as he was searching for materials to get into the flow of players. He could definitely make some col off of these if he got enough, but for now he would be okay with what he got. He opened up the message to see that it was a reply towards the request he had commented on earlier in the week. He nodded and used a shadow-door to appear at the warp gate in Tomoika. He cleared his throat slightly and spoke.

"Teleport, floor three." He said quietly. Soon he was sent to the floor and looked around. He definitely didn't see him from here, but he went to a shady spot and focused, searching the areas that were shaded for him. Finally, he found him near the bulliten board. He focused and opened an invisible shadow door, then walked through, appearing behind the player. He cleared his throat. "So I hear you needed me?"

[Winik 0]

Winik jumped whenever the player cleared his throat behind him.  He spun around quickly, his hand straying to the sword on his belt.  He had it partially drawn when the words uttered finally sank in.  His face heated with embarrassment, his cheeks reddening as his blade slid back into its sheath.  "You're the one that responded to my notice, right?," he questioned, the player in front of him not exactly what he was expecting.  He knew he shouldn't have too much in the ways of expectations, but this player seemed to be one of the ones he heard about on the front lines.  "I hope you don't consider me rude, but what is your level? I don't want to get us into a situation over our heads," Winik said merrily.  This wouldn't be his first quest with a stranger, but his mother taught him to be scrupulous when it comes to newcomers.  She always said to greet them with a smile, but don't let them take you for a fool.

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru gave a nod as the young player asked if he was the one that responded, and gave a small bow, keeping his hood drawn much more than normal, the young player asked for his level, hoping that he wouldn't be offended, or that they would go over their heads. He just shook his head sadly, feeling a bit offended that his stature didn't look that of a frontliner, as other's knew. He knew his title was Master of Shadows, but it made it frustrating that his name wasn't known to the other players. He just gave another sigh, and started to move towards the gate.

"As far as you need to know, my level far surpasses yours, to the point where it would take you more than a thousand hits to end my life." He said, then moved towards the gate. "Come, lets get this done for you so you don't die today and get a bit stronger." He said, giving a last small sigh and making his way towards the gate, hoping that the player would follow, or else this would be a long, long day.

[Winik 0]

Winik followed, trotting to keep up with the new player.  His questions seemed to upset his new compatriot and he couldn't help but cringe.  "I'm sorry if I've upset you, I just wanted to make sure I was in good hands.  I've been holed up in the Town of Beginnings recently.  A kind frontliner gave me some col to get some decent gear and I've been trying to grind my way up ever since." Winik motioned with his hands as he talked, trying to portray just what he was feeling.  He could tell his compatriot was strong, he just didn't know much when it came to those on the frontlines.  He was too embarrassed to look into the information available to the other players, not wanting to make drive his mood deeper than it already was. "What about you?  You must have put some serious time into grinding to find yourself on the frontlines with all of the other players."