[PP-F2] Encounter With An Enigma <DHA:2>

[Telrenya 0]

"I'm sorry, Stryder. I've gotta get a head start on this one." Telrenya spoke to herself in little more than a whisper. It had been two weeks since she met with the leader of the Guardian of the New Dawn and explained her new secretive nature to him. She had planned on joining him and his guildmates to complete the quest chain that would have them facing a series of dragons, but as the days went on Telrenya found herself growing anxious. Not only was she still nervous at the idea of joining such a large party, but it seems they hadn't been able to establish a steady timeframe. Of course coordinating with more people only meant more delays, she thought, but she had finally reached a point that drove her to seek out the second hatchling on her own.

Jomei and the rest of their guild seemed to be more motivated with the peaceful atmosphere of the holidays winding down, which worked out nicely to allow Telrenya to slip away unnoticed for her own questing and training sessions. She was practically wracked with guilt from all the lies and secrecy of the past couple of months, and even the slightest thought of her deception caused a thick knot to begin forming in her stomach. With a sharp shake of her head, the masked woman continued mumbling to herself while she trekked through the uneven pathways far outside of Urbus. "Once I catch up it'll be easier... Then I can just focus on making it to the boss fights." She tried reassuring herself to dismiss the heavy unease that was working to nestle itself inside of her chest.

@Jomei

[Jomei 0]

"Warp, Urbus!" 

Jomei's journey to find the first dragon, Rhaegal, was more eventful than he had planned for. Part of him regretted taking the journey on his own, due to some of the lonelier, more boring walks towards the mountain where the dragon had resided. Yet, at the same time, he was happy he had gone alone, for he was able to reflect quite a bit, and learn about the leader he was truly becoming. However, despite having the desire to be able to serve as a better leader, he also wanted to make sure he was strong enough for whatever the front lines held, as well as be able to protect the ones he loved in case a certain dual wielding friend of theirs decided to pay them another visit. 

Straight from finishing the first part of the Dragon Hunter quest line, Jomei made his way to the all too familiar second floor, his body materializing in the center of the stone-built city of Urbus. The terrain surrounding the city was a bit more vast than that of the first floor, so finding the exact location of the dragon this time would prove tough. However, Jomei decided to waste no time with beginning his search. Since the area outside of Urbus' safe zone was one home to Jomei's music shop, he was familiar with certain areas, that and the mass amount of times he helped players find and defeat the Wind Wasp Queen. As his feet carried him farther out from the city, he thought of all the strange landmarks or natural structures he had seen or heard of on this floor to try and get a general idea of where to find the dragon. 

Hearing the sound of someone moving just ahead of him, the ginger took quick cover behind a tree. Was it already the dragon? Or another player? As the man peeked around the corner, he recognized a familiar hooded figure, wearing a thin mask over her face. His brows lowered for a quick moment as he looked at his mysterious guild member, one who he was learning a bit more about each day, Who are you.. He thought to himself before deciding to take matters into his own hands. The man stepped out from behind the tree and made his way over to meet the masked woman, "Erin, hey. What're you doing out here?"

[Telrenya 0]

"Once Aereth agrees to take me to the frontlines, I only have to worry about not falling behind... So maybe I can spend more time at home or in my shop, o-or maybe I can tag along with Jevi if she's planning on leveling..." Telrenya continued to mutter almost unintelligibly under her breath as she walked. She paid only enough attention to the path in front of her so that the toe of her boot wouldn't get caught on a stray boulder or tree root jutting out from the ground. She was wandering at this point. When she had taken on the first dragonling with Stryder and his friends some time ago, she simply followed along as those with more information up their sleeves led the way. Now she was on her own to find the second quest objective among all of the forests and mountain ranges of the massive second floor.

Pulling her away from her jumbled thoughts, Telrenya gave a small start at the sound of a familiar voice. She froze up, facing the man who wore a vaguely curious expression while presenting her with a simple greeting. An initial feeling of panic was forcibly quelled as she mentally urged herself a reply. "O-oh, just...questing. Same as always." Her voice was low behind the thin metal as she worked to provide him both an answer and an alibi for 'Erin's' elusiveness since hers and Jevi's plan was set in motion. Her hand pulled up to the nape of her neck, sliding in front of the hem of her hood while she shifted her weight to one side. "Sorry. I wasn't expecting to bump into anyone out here. Good to see you again." A bit of politeness would smooth things over, right?

[Jomei 0]

“Quite the busy one, aren’t you” he said with a chuckle as he traversed over downed branches and shrubs along his path to Erin. Once he stood in front of her, he was met with a strange familiarity on many levels. Was it merely because he had met Erin before? But.. he had also heard that name before somewhere. There were so many pieces to this woman’s puzzle that were just stumping Jomei at every turn to learn who exactly wore that mask in front of him.

 

“I have to admit, I was pretty shocked to see that Jevi had gotten you to join the guild. Im happy you took my advice about not sticking to the Solo-player scene. I’m not sure if you’ve met any of the other members yet, but hopefully you can soon.” Jomei realized he had been rambling on a bit. Breaking eye contact with the gazeless mask for a moment, he dropped guild conversation and turned back to her. “Anyway, I’m actually out on a quest as well.. looking for some kind of dragon egg. Would you know anything about that?” Jomei suspected that Erin may be on the same quest, the two were far enough out to where they were no where near the spawn points of the Wind Wasp Queen, or her more powerful successor. He hoped that if she was, in fact, searching for the same egg, Jomei could convince her to party up with him so he could possibly learn more about the woman behind the mask.

[Telrenya 0]

Telrenya's gloved fingers grazed over the skin at the back of her neck, her faux-black hair pulled into a low ponytail that lay draped over her opposite shoulder. She gave a small nod when he mentioned their last encounter and the advice that he had given her. His next words reminded her of the recent guild event that her masked persona was so conveniently absent from. "Oh, about the Christmas Eve party... Sorry. There was, someone else I needed to be with." She crafted the reasoning in a way that she hoped was just personal enough for him not to press on it and just relatable enough to gain her some sympathy.

Thankfully, he shifted the topic. But to her further distress, he then inquired about a quest that featured a dragon egg. Her mind worked, already able to see where the conversation might lead depending on her response. She'd already told him that she was working on a quest, and she didn't know of anything else that would lead her this far away from the safe zone. More lies would only twist the knot in her stomach tighter, and would get her nowhere besides. They had worked together rather well during the quest on the ninth floor, she thought, so how bad could just one more quest be? "Yeah, that actually sounds like the one I'm looking for. I...don't know exactly where to find it, though." The difference in pitch from her regular tone was slight, and still Telrenya nearly forgot to keep it in mind when she spoke. She only hoped that the thin metal sitting between her voice and Jomei's ears did a fair job of making up for that which she wasn't able to hide away.

[Jomei 0]

Without bluntly asking about the Christmas party, Erin seemed to reroute the question to that event he had thrown and invited her to. Apparently, there was another person she needed to spend it with. His mind wandered for a minute, wondering if the events that transpired for her on Christmas Eve had to do with the sultry looking woman she saw earlier, taking out all of her emotions on a poor, unsuspecting tree -- and almost Jomei in the same fashion. Despite his wish to know more, so he could learn more about Erin, the man sensed the desire to keep her true intent for missing the party to herself. The man's chin fell and rose with a nod, the corner of his lips pulling into a smirk, "I understand. I know how it feels to want to spend the Holidays with someone special." His hands found their way to his hips as he offered the girl a small smile, "Oh! Speaking of which." the man said, before swiping his hand up to open his inventory. Moments later, a small lapel pin appeared in the palm of his hand that outlined the shape of Holy Dragon Alliance's symbol. "Here, Jevi made one of these for everyone as a Christmas gift." He passed the small pin off to the woman with a smile on her face, "Despite not being around very much, I'm still happy to have you as part of the guild."

Just as the ginger had suspected, Erin was searching for the same dragon egg as Jomei, thought she had no idea of its whereabouts either. The man let out a sigh before looking back up to the woman, "Well, we can search for it together if you want. I really was out here on my own, but we might as well look together if you're up for it." Placing a hand on his chin, Jomei took a couple of steps away from the girl trying to think of where it could be. Suddenly, a small icon flashed in front of the man, signaling he had gotten a private message. With a curious hum, the man tapped the message to see it was from the same information broker who had given him the information for the first dragon. "Argo?" he said under his breath, before reading over the information. 

[Telrenya 0]

The girl blinked in surprise as Jomei summoned at item from his inventory, though the reaction was lost behind the mask. She held her hand out to accept the pin without any fuss, remembering how the brunette had handed her an identical pin a short time ago, along with all of the other members of the Holy Dragon Alliance. Seeing the extra that Jevi must have made, perhaps just in case, brought a small thankful smile to her lips for the help and support the woman had given her. "Thank you..."

'Right,' she thought, ''Erin' knows Jevi.'

"I'll have to thank her later." She added, taking a moment to affix the item to the cloth beneath her collar and above the thin metal breastplate. While she did so, Jomei made the suggestion more direct that they take on the quest objective together. Despite having already considered it, she still hesitated a moment before answering. "Umm, yeah. Why not?" Her palm found the pommel of her rapier while she shifted her weight, and she suddenly felt a wave of relief from a realization she hadn't even thought about until then. She silently thanked herself for having Veiled Dusk equipped, rather than the incredibly recognizable weapon Ruby had given to her. She bit down lightly on her bottom lip while Jomei seemed to be distracted with his menus, dwelling on the thought. 'Shoot, that'll drop my damage a bit... I hope that doesn't cause any problems.'

[Jomei 0]

The Irishman's eyes scanned the words of the short message, first a look of curiosity plastered on his face, but soon a smirk broke out that pulled at the corner of his lips. Dismissing the message with a swipe of his hand, his eyes met the thin metal mask that covered Erin's face, his smile only widening. "Looks like its our lucky day.. My information broker just messaged me. She found out some more information about the second dragon's whereabouts."  He took a couple of steps past Erin, placing a hand on his chin in thought, "According to what she said.. there's a small grove of trees in this forest, where the leaves are a bit of a duller color, almost brown. Unlike Rhaegal, this one likes to hide in the trees.. and apparently like to play tricks on any players trying to find him." The man turned back to Erin, "So, ready to have some fun?"  he said with a chuckle before letting out a sharp whistle, summoning his avian companion to one of the tree branches above them. "Adere, we're looking for another dragon in the area.. Look for brown trees, it should be there." 

The owl's head tilted, before looking back and forth at the trees around them, and then back at Jomei. Realizing what Adere was trying to say, Jomei shot a glare at the owl, a bead of sweat trickling down his jawline, "T-The leaves Adere, I know the bark is brown." He said with a small blush. Immediately after clarifying himself, the owl took off into the air yet again, flying over the tree tops in search of the discolored grove. Jomie ran his palm from his forehead to his chin with a sigh, "I don't remember raising her with that sass." he said with a chuckle before turning back to the masked woman. "Alright, we should start searching the area. Hopefully Adere comes back soon, or we find it on our own."

[Telrenya 0]

Her attention pulled back up when the Irishman addressed her, finished referencing the message that had apparently come from an information broker that was able to fill him in on some details of the second dragon's location. Relieved that they wouldn't be left to wander aimlessly, Telrenya's head titled slightly with his mention of the dragonling being a trickster. Adere soon swooped down towards them, taking her perch atop a sturdy branch among the forest trees. The blonde's chin tilted up to look at the owl, immediately spotting the green scarf wrapped around her tawny feathers. The sight brought a warm smile to her lips, and she had to bite her lip once again, this time holding back a fit of laughter, at the sarcastic exchange between the man and his familiar.

She allowed herself a chuckle, bringing up a curled hand in front of her mouth despite the accessory that already hid it from view. "It seems like you two get along very well." She commented, taking a few slow steps to start them off on their joint search. She was mindful of her steps, avoiding whatever foliage and debris stood high enough on the forest floor to threaten catching her balance. Though the air felt a bit awkward, she didn't dare volunteer to fill the silence with small talk.

[Jomei 0]

Jomei nodded his head with a soft smile, "Aye. Adere and I have been together for a long time. She was a trouble maker when we first met.. always leading me on a wild chase while she flew after a small rabbit or smelt food or something." he said with a chuckle, reminiscing the time he had spent together with the owl. "Over time, she really turned out to be more than a trustworthy companion who was helpful in battle, she became a friend."  Jomei's pinks flushed a light pink, "When her and Telrenya first met.. Adere seemed to warm up to her immediately. Something about her kind, soft nature that just really made Adere feel comfortable, despite Tel's obvious discomfort... I'm just happy she's finally starting to like her." he turned to look back at Erin, "S-Sorry.. Didn't mean to get lost in thought like that." he said, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. Focus on finding this dragon Nick..

The two began their search for the second dragon, being weary not to trip on any fallen branches or rocks. Jomei's eyes went up to the sky for a moment, waiting for any signs of Adere's return. The man sucked his teeth, hoping that they were not walking in the opposite direction this entire time. "See anything yet?" Jomei asked over to Erin. It was times like these that Jomei wished he had some sort of skill to help him in finding things. 

[Telrenya 0]

Telrenya couldn't help the warm smile that stretched between her cheeks while she listened to Jomei recall his history with Adere. When she heard her own username, a matching blush tinted her cheeks and she had to stop herself from tilting her chin downward, her fingers from fidgeting with themselves, or other such shy mannerisms that might have manifested. Still, she was allowed a shy smile behind her mask, and she gave a shake of her head at his apology. "No, it's okay." She laughed it off with a small chuckle, though she let the topic drop there.

Jomei's prompt caught her from getting lost in her own thoughts shortly afterward. "A grove with brown leaves..." She repeated the description in a mumble, turning her eyes back up to their surroundings. She scanned the treetops for several seconds before a slight discoloration in the distance. The sight caused her to stop in her tracks, and she focused on it a moment before speaking up to draw attention. "Ah, does that look about right?" She extended a hand with an outstretched finger in the direction of a break in the trees nearest them.

[Jomei 0]

Erin seemed to notice the brown trees before Jomei, and Jomei's eyes moved up to the leaves above them as she asked him to verify. As Jomei looked up to the trees, he noticed the immediate change in color from the previous leaves. The farther the two began to walk, the more trees took on the similar color. The Irishman nodded, "Yeah. Looks like we found it... Now we just need to keep our eyes open for that dragon." The man's eyes returned to his front, making sure not to trip over any branches or rocks in the way. The path was pretty much clear now, nothing that he needed to watch out for. With his gaze returning to the treetops, he began to look around for any signs of the dragon. "I'll keep a look out in the trees, you check the gr-" In the middle of Jomei speaking, his foot caught on a thick branch, causing him to trip and fall forward. 

Jomei's body hit the ground with a thud, "Ugh.." the man groaned as he turned onto his back and looked over to see what he tripped over. The way, which was once clear, now had a large stick laying across the grass. "The hell? That wasn't there before.." In a flash, the fallen branch seemed to vanish, an eerie sounding cackle coming from some creature above them. ".. Guess we found out why they say this dragon's a trickster.. And he knows we are here.." 

[Telrenya 0]

Telrenya gave a tiny start when Jomei fell forward, and she had reactively taken a step closer to him before she stopped herself from kneeling beside the Irishman. She instead directed her attention to the large piece of foliage that was somehow out of place among the forest. Blinking in surprise as it vanished, her head whipped around when the sound of amused laughter echoed through the trees to reach her ears. It was unnerving to say the least, and she began to wonder if this was all the doing of the dragon they were after, or perhaps something more sinister. Her hand found the hilt of her rapier almost without her instruction, pulling Veiled Dusk from its scabbard and holding the weapon cautiously in front of her while she strained to determine where the source of the laughter came from.

Without leaving her much time to get her thoughts in order, a nearly-identical tree branch had appeared shortly after the first had vanished. This time, the creature in control of the mysterious branch did not seem so patient as to wait for its victims to stumble upon it. Instead, it slid along the forest floor, quickly closing the short distance between it and Telrenya. With an unexpected force against the backs of her ankles, the blonde felt her feet swept out from under her. She instinctively let out a small cry of surprise, followed by a tiny grunt of discomfort when her back collided with the ground. Her grip on her blade vanished, and the rapier hit the ground with a dull clang. The item, while it had served her well since she had ordered it from a stranger at the start of all of this sneaking and soloing, was sitting with a dangerously low durability remaining. It gave a foreboding red flash when it landed on the forest floor, one that the blonde hadn't caught sight of while she recovered from her fall. Once again, another ominous chuckle sounded through the forest, and Telrenya gave a low grumble as she propped herself up on her elbows. "I guess looking for this dragon just became a lot more 'fun'." She remarked with plenty of sarcasm.

[Jomei 0]

As the ginger pushed himself up to his feet, his gaze returned to the tree tops, looking for any sign of where the laughing came from. Erin had already pulled her blade out, ready to strike if the dragon showed itself. The ginger looked to her before taking Oathkeeper from its own cover on his hip, the slow sound of the metal scraping against the scabbard sounding out around him. Suddenly, the man heard a small yelp come from Erin's direction, and turning his attention attention to her, he saw that a similar branch had knocked her off of her feet. The man noticed her rapier fly off to the side and crash into the ground, giving off a faint red glow which Jomei recognized as a sign of low durability. However, before retrieving the blade for the woman, he rushed to Erin's side, reaching a hand down to help the girl to her feet. He chuckled at her sarcastic comment about finding the dragon, "Well.. at least that will make things more entertaining." Jomei said, helping the girl up if she accepted his offer. 

Once back on her feet, the man walked over to where the rapier had crashed into the ground. After picking it up, Jomei investigated the weapon-- it felt light and flimsy, not from poor craftsmanship, but just from simple wear and tear. Erin would most likely not be able to make it through a few hits without the weapon shattering on her. With the rapier in his hand, Jomei walked back over to Erin, "You may want to look into getting your sword fixed up.. looks like it might break soon if not." As Erin took her sword back, Jomei returned his own rapier to his hip for a moment. With a swipe of his hand upwards, Jomei opened his menus and scrolled through his inventory until he came upon St. Andrew's Bane. The thin black blade, its handle red and wrapped similarly to a katana, appeared in his hands. "Here. Merry Christmas." he said with a chuckle, handing his old rapier over to the woman to use. 

Handed to 'Erin':

Saint Andrew's Bane
T2 Rapier: Dmg | Dmg | Dmg
 

[Telrenya 0]

She paused for a split second, but after she registered Jomei's hand extended to help her up she moved to accept it. Pulling herself back to her feet, the girl began to dust herself off. Just how often would this forest trickster be trying to trip them up, or otherwise mess with them? Right before she could let out a sigh at the thought, Jomei's voice reached her again. He held her weapon in his hands, warning her against the item's durability. "Oh, shoot..." She mumbled, having once again forgotten to check on such a thing before setting off in search of the second dragon hatchling. She wasn't sure whether she should keep the rapier drawn, return it to the scabbard at her hip, or check her inventory for any other weapons she might have on-hand that the Irishman wouldn't recognize.

Before she had come to a full decision, Jomei was handing over a rapier she had seen him using up until not long ago. She blinked, the look of shock on her face hidden behind her mask, but her hesitation clear as she froze up at his offer. "Wait, what? N-nonono," She shook her head in an attempt to decline what he was making sound like a casual gift. Even so, Jomei's insistence and the reasoning of the nearly-broken weapon in her hand caused her to falter. She let out a tiny sigh of defeat, sheathing her weapon and dismissing it back to her inventory before she reached out with a lingering hint of hesitation to take St. Andrew's Bane in her grasp. "It's... I can't accept it as a gift, but if you don't mind me borrowing it for a while... Thank you." She replied with her own stubbornness.

[Jomei 0]

Jomei insisted, holding the blade out slightly farther. "Erin, its fine. It's my old rapier, so its just taking up space in my inventory anyway.. Besides." The man said with a smirk, "From the damage output I saw you dealing last time we met, I can tell you that this one is more suited for your level." After hesitating for a moment, Erin finally took hold of the rapier, dismissing her old one and placing St. Andrew's Bane on her hip instead. The man chuckled, "It suits you. Keep it as long as you need.. I really don't need it anymore. And like I said, I gave everyone else in the guild a gift. So consider it a late Christmas gift." Jomei placed a hand on Erin's armored shoulder, giving it a gentle pat and a friendly smile into the mask that covered her face. Of course, her well being was his first and main reason for giving her the stronger sword, as well as actually wanting to gift it to her.. but he hoped the increased kindness would get her to open up more, so Jomei could continue to learn about this shady character in his guild. 

The sudden sound of rustling leaves from a large creature above them caused Jomei to spin around, pulling his sword from its sheath with quick speeds. "Guess our friend is finally deciding to show himself. You ready?" 

[Telrenya 0]

Telrenya drew St. Andrew's Bane from its sheathe, taking a moment to adjust to the size and weight of the weapon that she had grown so used to. She felt the weight of Jomei's hand upon the thin pauldron covering her shoulder, and the girl's cheeks burned with his reassuring words. She considered trying to return the weapon to him as soon as they had completed the quest. After all, she would just be heading back to Urbus after they took down this dragon, right? She would just have to be more careful that she didn't run into the Irishman yet again when she worked to track down the remaining hatchlings in the chain of quests.

A throaty chuckle sounded out along with the rustling of leaves, causing Telrenya to snap to attention. Jomei readied himself beside her, and she gave a quick nod in affirmation, "Ready." Zylara finally made his appearance, hopping lazily between thick branches high above the players. The dragon seemed to work his way in a circle around them, shining amber eyes drifting between the two as if he were not sure which of them to 'play with' next. The blonde eyed the creature carefully, unsure as to whether or not she should take the initiative to act first. She wracked her brain trying to remember the strength of the hatchling on the floor below. She had no doubt that Jomei would be able to make quick work of the monster, but how would she fare?

A snap decision led her to believe that she would just have to find out. She tightened her grip on the hilt of the rapier once Zylara had lowered himself closer to them. The dragon stopped on the branch of a tree several meters away from them, lowering its body so that it lay against the thick bark, flicking its tail lazily back and forth beneath it. Telrenya took half a step back. Her newly-learned Charge skill activated as she pushed herself forward, blade held out to the side as she closed the distance between herself and her target. She used a tall-standing boulder to boost herself to the wide branch that Rhaegal had claimed, crouching slightly as the continued momentum allowed the tip of her blade to sink into the dragon's scaled flesh. With her strongest sword art active, she continued with a barrage of thirteen more consecutive strikes that shredded the creature's defenses and quickly drained its HP almost to zero.

The dragonling cried out as its HP dropped into the red, Telrenya gritting her teeth when it froze in place before it would drain completely. The dragon took none too kindly to her assault, rearing back before lunging at the girl with a swipe of sharp claws. Telrenya shifted backwards, just barely avoiding the counter-attack. As her footing shifted, however, a slight misstep was all it took for her balance to fail her. She fell a short distance, her back meeting the forest floor for the second time with an audible thud, followed by a small groan at the girl's discomfort.

ID#: 93740 | BD: 4+4=8 - Success! Over Radiation (x14) +Charge Active| MD: 6-3=3 - Fail
(12 base) + (1 charge) = (13 DMG) x (14 sword art) = (182 DMG) - (35 MIT) = 147 DMG

Telrenya: 520/520 HP | 39/52 EN | 12 DMG | 4 ACC | 3 EVA | 5 MIT
Jomei: --/-- HP | --/-- EN

<<Zylara - the Quartz Hatchling>>: 28/175 HP | 65 DMG | 35 MIT | LD 15+ reduces target's ACC by 1

[Jomei 0]

Ever since he found himself on the front lines and helping other players out with quests, Jomei always found himself acting first and wiping out the monsters before his companions had a chance to attack, merely to keep the mobs attention on him, rather than on the others who could get hurt. He learned that it was not something that was always wanted, with his time meeting Calypso. With Erin, he was not entirely sure what her mindset was.. or even how powerful she would fare against a single enemy. However, the fact she was able to wield the higher tiered rapier that Jomei gifted her, it meant she knew what she was doing. 

Erin launched forward with what looked like a lower ranked version of Charge. She used the momentum and a large boulder to propel herself into the air at the dragon that stood atop a tree branch, staring down at the two players. Jomei's eyes went wide with shock as the woman used the Over Radiation sword art, delivering a devastating combo against Zylara, nearly depleting her HP. Jomei sucked his teeth, feeling for the girl when just a red sliver remained. As he saw Erin lose her balance atop the tree, Jomei tried to rush forward to catch her, but she hit the ground before he could reach her. 

Instead, Jomei shifted his movements to attach Zylara. Activating his grand mastered Charge skill, and combining it with the effects of his Athletics and Acrobatics mods, Jomei lowered his body and shot upwards at the dragon, his shoulder colliding with the dragon's snout as he reached her level. Zylara stumbled back, groaning in pain, and in the same moment, Jomei found himself balancing on the branch aside the dragon. His rapier began to glow a gold aura before using his Accel Stub sword art to piece the dragon three times in its chest, ending its life after the third thrust.

As the body of the dragon burst into fragments of data, a small screen appeared in front of Jomei, prompting him to accept the second gem for defeating the second dragon. The Emerald Duelist hopped from the tree before placing his rapier back in its scabbard, "Thats two down.. seven to go. Are you alright?" 

ID 93746
BD 2(+4) = 6 Hit
Charge Activated

• Accel Stub: 3x(17 Base + 5 Charge) = 66(-35 MIT) = 31 DMG

Telrenya: 520/520 HP | 39/52 EN | 12 DMG | 4 ACC | 3 EVA | 5 MIT
Jomei: 1150/1150 HP | 127/127 EN | 17 DMG | 4 ACC | 4 EVA | 52 MIT | 2 Savvy 

<<Zylara - the Quartz Hatchling>>: 0/175 HP | 65 DMG | 35 MIT | LD 15+ reduces target's ACC by 1

[Telrenya 0]

"Ugh..." Telrenya propped herself up onto her elbows just as Jomei followed up after her opening attack. As expected, the Irishman made quick work of what was left of the dragon and Zylara was felled with his swift attack. By the time the dragon's last shards of light had dissipated, the girl had risen to her feet and retrieved her rapier, bringing it back to its sheathe. She nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine," and used her hands to once again brush any loose debris from the forest floor off of her clothes.

With the weight of St. Andrew's Bane still hanging from her hip, Telrenya shifted nervously as she tried to work up the courage to return the item. The idea that she might be discouraging Jomei's earlier kindness towards her made her feel uncomfortable, but she wasn't sure if that outweighed the discomfort of keeping possession of the weapon under such false pretenses. After a few long seconds of internal debate, Telrenya pulled the rapier in its scabbard from her side, holding it back out to the Irishman in both hands. "I really appreciate it," She started, only hoping that he didn't think her ungrateful. "And thank you for doing the quest with me."

[Jomei 0]

Already expecting the exchange that was about to occur, Jomei's arms crossed about his chest and waited for Erin to finally speak up. Pulling the rapier out of its scabbard by the red handle, the masked woman held Saint Andrew's Bane back out to Jomei, thanking him for letting her use the weapon, as well as helping with the quest. Jomei rose a hand up to the woman, palm facing out, as he shook his head. "Like I said, its a gift. It suits you better than the other one anyway." Jomei's lips stretched into a smirk as he chuckled, looking down to the woman who was slightly shorter than him. "Not only that.. But there's still another seven dragons we each need to take out before we can get into that castle.. And I honestly don't know anyone else at this point in the quest." Jomei pretty much expected Erin to decline his offer, however, that would not stop him from trying. The man extended a hand outwards towards Erin, "Lets just team up and finish the rest of these quests together.. I promise I won't pry to much into your life, since I can tell you like keeping that a secret."