[PP-F5] One Jump Ahead <<Arabian Nights: Night One>> (Kimi, Teion)

[Hestia 0]

I look towards the girl known as Teion with a confused look as i soon after hear a little blip noise as i see a party invite which i accept. Finding myself confused by the apology not knowing what just transpired only a few moments before i had arrived here. Having been focused more on my gear, and making sure i had everything. Well it is nice to meet you Teion i hope that i can get to know you a little bit during this journey. I say politely to her before stepping back towards Kimi and returns her side hug with a smile on my face. Don't worry about catching me at a bad time or anything Kim. I am always ready to help my friends out in anyway i can, and its a nice bonus i get to do a quest with some friends rather then being by myself doing this alone. I say with a small little chuckle.  While i am talking Kuro tries to approach the woman with Teion trying to get a sense of what she is like from what his senses tell him.

At hearing Jomei's hello i grin a little bit and wonders if i should call him Dad in front of this Teion woman. I look between her, and then back at Jomei then just seemingly nods to myself. Deciding not to do so since it seems something serious just happened before i got here, and doing such a joke might not be the nicest of things. Also, because Kim is here and i don't wish to ruin her little thing by making fun of it.  Hey Jomei how have things been since the last quest we did? I ask curiously not wishing to state what happened during Iron guardian since that seems like a thing you should say at your own leisure with who you trust to know that.

Once out of the town i feel the sun right away as i am not that bothered by the heat of the place do to survival, but the desert sun doesn't make this any less miserable. I sigh softly as i look towards Kuro with a look of pleading as he grumbles softly before taking to the air with his wings flying over me, and blocking the sun from hitting me. My familiar Kuro now taking the bearing down of the sun for myself. 'Thank you Kuro. I promise i will give you a special home cooked meal tonight.' I think to myself as i look slightly up at my flying familiar, and then back towards where we are going. Just mainly following Jomei then anything else. i turn to Kimi and whispers softly to her just loud enough for only her to hear. Sooo what happened before i got here? All of you seemed upset by something. I ask curiously.

@Teion

[Teion 0]

Teion felt as though she wanted to crawl into the farthest corner of her shop and stay there for the rest of the day. Despite the raven-haired woman breathing some fresh air into the otherwise very tense situation, Teion couldn't help the feeling of embarrassment that washed over her. Hestia was more than nice, the girl named Kimi showed a bit of concern before turning her attention to her friend. Jomei directed them to the main gate, and Teion followed wordlessly, a bit more eager at the idea of sinking the blade of her axe into some of the bandits the ginger had mentioned earlier.

Teion pulled her hands behind her head to gather her long violet hair, making quick motions to comb it through with her fingers while she brought it up into a high ponytail. She summoned a hairtie that matched the hue of her eyes to secure the hairstyle in place. The woman continued to navigate her menus as she walked, the feeling of loose sand soon replacing the more sturdy sandstone of the city they left behind. A thin hairpin in the shape of a crescent moon appeared affixed to her hair beside her right temple.

The player closest to her was once again the orange-haired man, and Teion had just dismissed the window from in front of her avatar when he too asked for an explanation of her outburst. She kept her gaze forward, frowning slightly as she tried to think of the right words to say. "I, uhh... Someone gave me a hard time the other day. I guess I had the wrong person."

[Kimi 0]

As soon as everyone was ready and Hestia joined the party the party of four made their way into the desert. Kimi dismissed the idea of asking about the scene that Teion made earlier as it was pretty blatant that anyone in that situation would've been embarrassed. The thought of what she might've done made her shudder a bit because there was a hint of killing intent behind Teion's words. Even though that just happened Kimi knew better than to judge a book by its cover, and it seemed that there was a cause to her reacting like that. 

The desert heat pounded down onto Kimi, and it didn't help that she was wearing heavy armor. Noodle on the other hand seemed worse for wear as he was dragging behind and looking fairly shriveled up. Kimi wasn't sure what to do, but from past experience Noodle has always been able to adapt. As Kimi was trailed behind Jomei a little slower for Noodle to catch up, Hestia went up to her asking what happened. Kimi kept her answer brief and quiet as to not make Teion hear so she wouldn't feel bad for the scene she caused earlier. "Well a mix up just happened, and it was pretty bad. Lets just leave it at that." Kimi said as she kept her head down trying to match Jomei's footprints. A few minutes later Jomei asked Teion what that whole situation was about, to which Teion answered wholesomely. Kimi just raised an eyebrow indicating to Hestia that that is what happened. 

As time passed by Kimi looked back to see where Noodle was, but he was nowhere to be seen. Kimi quickly called out to him to see where he had gone since she couldn't find a trail of her adorable little shark doggo. Not a moment too soon Kimi felt a little nudge beneath her which gave her a little scare. When she went to see what it was and even bringing her arms up just in case it was a monster. She saw Noodle peaking from underneath the sands with his back fin sticking out of the ground. "Gave me a scare there buddy." Kimi said as she smiled with relief. Noodle, like before, had once again adapted to the environment around him and turned into a sandy colour. Kimi excitedly called out to Jomei, "Jomei! I never had the chance to show you, but look what Noodle can do." She said with a smile pointing down at her familiar.

[Jomei 0]

Teion was a bit hesitant to answer as Jomei tried to pry into exactly what the reasoning was for her to lash out at the overly-french player who had bumped into her, though her reply was a bit more descriptive than the last answer she had given Jomei. "Well, I haven't heard many people in Aincrad with an accent like that.. so I suppose it is pretty easy to mistake him for someone else" the ginger said with a shrug of his shoulders before chuckling, "For a minute, I thought you just had a problem with people from France." After addressing Teion about the situation, he heard Hestia calling from behind him, asking how he had been. Jomei switched his attention to Hestia with a smile, "Things have been alright. Been keeping myself a bit busy for the most part. How about things with you?" His eyes then shifted over to Kimi when she wanted to show him Noodle's new trick. The ginger. had originally expected for Kimi to have taught him how to sit, or roll over, like most pets would be taught to do. However, Jomei's eyes widened in surprise when he saw the normally blue skin of the landshark pup was a beige color, similar to the sand they walked on. "W-Whoa! Looks like Noode has some sort of chameleon powers." Jomei said through a laugh, impressed with the skill of Kimi's familiar.

What Jomei expected to be a short walk turned out to be a bit longer of a journey, the sun nearly setting over the sand dunes as they approached the outskirts of the small encampment of bandits. Jomei gestured for the group to take covered behind one of the dunes overlooking the small camp to gather information. "From the looks of it.." jomei began in a whisper, "It looks like theres only about.. four bandits in the camp. I'm guessing Ali's brother is held up in one of the tents down there... We can do this stealthily if we want, any suggestions?" 

[Hestia 0]

I nod my head in understanding as you say that it was just a simple misunderstanding of some type, and then Teion just confirming that with her words soon after. Things have been pretty good for the most part really been practicing music really to try and improve on me being a performer. I say honestly with a smile wishing i had brought my guitar wondering how the little shark dog reacts to music, and also the owl that Jomei owns. I chuckle a little bit to myself imagining the little shark dog somehow break dancing in the sand as he listens to music. During the walk i see Noodle just disappear as i shrug figuring the little guy has many talents, so he will eventually show in some form or the other during the day. When he does resurface i chuckle seeing the little guy adapt once more. 'Okay so ice for snow, fire for lava, and now sand colored..does that mean he can dig better or something?' I think to myself wondering if their is a theme, or benefit to the little shark pup changing with his environment. Upon hearing Jomei's shock i chuckle as i shake my head. No, but kinda close Jomei. This little shark pup can actually adapt to his environment. Like if he just somehow gets dropped into lava he turns into a fire shark dog. I try to explain to the guild leader hoping that i won't need to explain how i know this.

During the progression of the trip which is not all that bad when you compare it to ninth floor walking for three nights the bandit camp is arrived at as i get low to the ground to be stealthy which is failing misery since heavy armor likes to make noise. Well these guys are just mobs possibly right? Couldn't i go in and take the hits using Howl, and then you three go in and attack them? I suggest to the group knowing that i should have the capacity to take them all on with just my Mitigation alone. Not going right away since i don't wish to be reckless and hear the opinions of the group first. Besides it is just a bandit camp for a fifth floor quest. They shouldn't do that much damage when compared to 104 Mitigation. They shouldn't be able to even scratch me. I say to the three other players here.

[Teion 0]

With the sun beginning to set, the heat that it brought finally started to let up. Even Teion, with her Survival skill active, her previous experience on the floor, and her higher tolerance for the heat in the real world, couldn't ignore the discomfort of travelling in the harsh desert for so long. She was grateful to finally spot the smoke that rose into the air from what could only be a campfire.

The other three players lowered themselves behind the largest sand dune nearby the encampment, and their hushed voices reached Teion's ears as they discussed a plan of attack. Teion brought her hand behind her back, taking a firm grip on her tri-colored axe as she pulled the weapon to her front. Holding the pole of the curved blade in both hands across her body, the violette wordlessly continued walking. Her eyes were quick to spot two half-masked figures sitting around the fire, and she caught Jomei's mention of another two that must have been in one of the tents set up nearby. The woman lowered her battle axe, picking up her pace just as she caught the theives' attention.

As the Irishman warned, two more figures hurried from their tents while the two around the fire sprang to their feet, daggers in hand. Teion broke out into a run and slipped past the group of riled mobs. She put some distance between them while the bandits gave chase, waiting just a few seconds to skid to a stop. The violette turned with one fluid movement, kicking up sand as she shot back towards the group of thieves with the activation of her Charge skill. Requiem's golden blade glowed brightly before it dragged across all four of the thieves' bodies. She twisted her wrists, rotating the weapon in her hands and bringing it back for a second strike that left an equally deep gash in each of the monsters' torsos. In unison, the bandits' health bars dropped rapidly until they hit zero. A combined flash of light flickered in front of Teion as they all shattered.

With the head of her axe planted into the ground, Teion's shoulders bobbed with the heavy breaths she took after unleashing her strongest possible attack. "Yeah, that...actually felt pretty good." She whispered in between.

Combat Rolls:

Spoiler

Teion's Attack: Explode Catapult vs. Thieves 1-4
ID#: 95009 | BD: 4(+3)=7 - Hit!
ID#: 95010 | BD: 7(+3)=10 - Hit!
ID#: 95011 | BD: 7(+3)=10 - Hit!
ID#: 95012 | |BD: 5(+3)=8 - Hit!
(14 base) + (2 Charge) + (1 Ferocity) = (17 DMG) x (14 Sword Art) = (238 DMG) - (25 MIT) = 213 DMG

Combat Stats:

Spoiler

• Teion: 680/680 HP | 40/68 EN | 14 DMG | 3 ACC | 3 EVA
• Kimi: do
• Jomei: it
• Hestia: yourselves
   
• <<Thief>> 1: 135/135 HP | 6/7/8 DMG | 25 DMG | 1 ACC | 1 Savvy
• <<Thief>> 2: 135/135 HP | 6/7/8 DMG | 25 DMG | 1 ACC | 1 Savvy
• <<Thief>> 3: 135/135 HP | 6/7/8 DMG | 25 DMG | 1 ACC | 1 Savvy
• <<Thief>> 4: 135/135 HP | 6/7/8 DMG | 25 DMG | 1 ACC | 1 Savvy

Thief Sword Arts:

Spoiler

[CD: 1-4] Side Bite - x2
[CD: 5-8] Infinite - x5
[CD: 9-10] Tri Pierce - x3
[CD: 11-12 | MD: 1-5] Armor Pierce - Base DMG & Stun
[CD: 11-12 | MD: 6-10] Shadow Stitch - x6

 

[Kimi 0]

Kimi laughed a bit to herself as she heard Jomei say if Teion just had a problem with french people. She just thought i would be silly just to have a grudge against someone for being french, but she was glad that wasn't the case. While making their way through the desert Hestia kept a conversation going about how she was doing and what she's been up to. Following that when Kimi caught the attention of Jomei with Noodle being able to adapt to his environment. Hestia mentioned on the side the incident that happened back on the ninth floor which make Kimi freeze to a halt for a brief moment from the thought of it. She really didn't want the idea of something or someone precious to her leave again like Noodle did, but it wasn't like she knew that Noodle would survive falling in lava. Kimi brushed off the thought and resumed walking alone the group with Noodle by her side "Swimming" in the sand. 

It wasn't too long until the four of them arrived at the outskirts of the bandit camp to which Jomei stopped them behind a dune that overlooked the camp. Kimi wasn't sure what to say for their planning since both Jomei and Hestia had good ideas, but while the planning was still going on Teion went on into the camp with her axe in hand. Kimi watched as Teion attracted the attention of all the bandits in camp and made them chase her and towards the end of the chase fluidly turned around and slaughtered them. With no more bandits around Kimi slid down the dune and made her way to Teion. "Wow..." Kimi said in awe of what she just witnessed. "That was really impressive. Wish I was as strong as you." She said still taking in how easily she went through the four bandits. 

[Jomei 0]

Jomei looked to Hestia as she spoke out her own idea for an attack--drawing their attention like the tank she was. The ginger nodded in agreement, realizing that may have been their best choice of action, being none of them were necessarily the stealthy type. "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.. Teion, what do you.." Turning his head to look at the violet haired woman, he saw that she had already began a speedy descent down the sand dune, alerting all four of the bandits to her position. "[censored]." Jomei cursed under his breath, quickly raising to his feet and rushing down the side of the hill to help her. What the hell was she thinking, rushing in on her own.. it wasn't like she had any heavy armor to decrease any damage dealt to her. 

The man was only left in shock when Teion turned skid to a stop and wiped out all four of the bandits with a single attack. The man slid to a stop himself in the sand, his eyes wide as he looked at the axe wielding woman. "T-That was.." Jomei shook his head, he had no idea that he was dealing with someone so powerful. "I'm sorry I doubted your strength" Jomei said with a chuckle. Who was this Teion.. and why was she not fighting on the front lines with them?

Jomei's ears picked up a groaning coming from one of the tents. Taking out his rapier, Jomei moved to investigate the largest of the shelters, revealing a bruised man tied to a spoke dug into the sand. "W-Who are you?" the man asked, his voice sounding exhausted from dehydration and being beaten by the bandits. "Ali sent us, we are here to rescue you." Jomei said, as he rushed behind the wooden spike to cut the man's bindings. As Jomei's rapier passed through the rope, the bindings durability gave out, and it shattered into pixels, leaving Cassim to fall face first into the sand. Jomei turned to Kimi and Hestia, "Can you two help him walk so we can get back to the town? Teion and I will lead and make sure that theres no other bandits that try to sneak up on us.. I'm sure they won't be happy to find out their camp was wiped out." 

With Cassim being helped to walk, the players began their trek back the way they came. The desert was now dark and cold, the only light coming from the virtual moon that hung in the sky above them. Olive eyes scanned the horizon, making sure no more bandits were coming in their direction. When he saw the coast was clear, Jomei turned his attention to the axe wielding woman, "Teion, I have to ask. You seem pretty strong, and know how to use that axe. How come you haven't joined the front lines?" 

[Hestia 0]

I suddenly watch the purple haired woman suddenly break from the group and heads towards the mobs as i look at her in shock. 'What the [censored] why would she just.. oh that is why.' I think rather blandly seeing the bandits get destroyed as i check the Teion woman's crystal and sees that it is still indeed green meaning that this is somehow still within quest parameters. I get up from behind the hill and makes my way towards the purple haired woman with a grin rather impressed by the blatant strength, but also slightly disappointed she couldn't wait at all for whatever reason. 'Doubted her strength? That means she never fought on the front lines i am guessing. Who is this woman, and why isn't she doing so.' I think to myself as i keep an eye on the Teion woman making sure to keep her watched encase she could be dangerous. Not wishing to bring Kimi, or Jomei into harm encase this woman is just here as a sort of stranger.

I see Jomei walk over towards one of the tents and sees the man. When i get my task i nod my head as i quickly make my way over towards the man and gently helps him towards his feet. Come on sir we need to get you back toward  Fortaleza Ali is worried so much about you. i say in a gentle tone of voice as i start helping him walk back over towards Kim if she doesn't come right away to help the man walk. I grin hearing Jomei ask the question as i pay lots of attention to hear the answer wanting to know if it is worth trusting a woman that people might not know. Not really knowing if either Jomei or Kimi knows her. having mostly just skimmed the message Kimi sent to know where they were and why they needed help.

[Teion 0]

Working to catch her breath, Teion hauled her axe up from the sand and rested the upper handle against her shoulder. As the sea of lighted pixels disappeared in front of her, she saw the rest of her party on the other side, each of them staring at her for a few long seconds. She shifted slightly, unsure if she should apologize for something--whether it be charging in on her own, or not allowing the others to take a shot at the thieves. The ginger and the girl with a fiery fringe each made comment, to which Teion brought a hand up to the nape of her neck, yet again unsure how to respond.

The party's attention soon turned to the quest's main objective, and after the others had taken the initiative to help Cassim to his feet she joined Jomei at the front of the group as they would start their long trek back to Fortaleza.

It was then that Jomei addressed her with another question. Teion crossed her wrists over the pole of her battle axe that stuck out in front of her, countering the weight of the blade that hung on the other side of her shoulder. She frowned slightly, but answered honestly. "I hadn't thought my damage output was anything impressive, but my level sure isn't." She cast a glance to the Irishman at her side. "Do you really think someone at my level would be considered qualified?" She was hardly informed on the minimum level for a frontliner in the current state of things, but her previous conversation with Max on the matter had made things pretty clear for her at the time. She turned her gaze back forward, "Anyway, it was a recent goal of mine to get there. Things have just been a bit...messy since then." She gave another vague explanation.

[Kimi 0]

The reaction coming from Hestia and Jomei weren't a surprise as they just witnessed Teion wipe out the bandits in one hit. Jomei then went on to check the tents to find Ali's brother Cassim. Once the man was found Jomei called out to Hestia and Kimi to help him out, "Sure" Kimi said as she picked up the man by the arm while Hestia took the other.

The four of them started making their way out of the camp and along the way Jomei asked why she didn't join in the frontlines. Hearing about the frontlines and Teion's reasoning caught Kimi's ears making her scoot closer to Teion to say, "Well if getting to the front lines is a goal of yours then i can't wait to fight by your side." Kimi was excited that she met someone like her who had a similar goal in making it to the frontlines. "I didn't think there was much of a level requirement to be in the frontlines, but i just want to get stronger enough to help." Kimi said with confidence.

ID# 95106 results:

Loot: 4(+2)=6

No Treasure 

[Jomei 0]

The ginger rose a hand to his chin, his gaze glued to his front as he thought about the woman's reply. Teion had mentioned her level not being too impressive.. yet she had taken out the bandits with ease. "Well, Kimi is right.. there isn't technically a level requirement to join us on the front lines.. Its just more so.. wanting to avoid it at lower levels just so you don't end up biting off more than you can chew." the man said with a small chuckle before continuing, "If you don't think you are a high enough level, that's fine. I shouldn't be judging off of seeing you wipe four bandits in one clean cut. Despite.. I see a lot of potential in you, and I can definitely see you up there with us someday. And I'd be more than happy to help you if you ever needed it"The group continued until Fortaleza was just on the horizon, their final destination in sight. Silence had fallen over the desert, the only sounds to pierce the quiet of the cold night was their equipment shifting in place in each step, or their voices if they held conversation. 

Out of the corner of Jomei's eye, the man spotted swift movement heading in his direction from behind a rock. Turning his head to investigate, Jomei was immediately met with a piercing gaze from behind a half mask, leaving him almost no time to react. The bandit's knife cut into Jomei's armor multiple times, causing the ginger to stumble backwards from the force. However, the attack itself left Jomei completely unscathed, the green bar that represented his health only showing a sliver being lost. "Bad move." Jomei said, balling his hand into a fist and punching the bandit in the face, not dealing any damage, but just moving the man away from him. Reaching for his rapier, Jomei drew the weapon and immediately activated his Flashing Penetrator sword art, piercing the man several times in the chest with the sharp end of his rapier, ending his life with the single attack. Right behind the thief, another bandit revealed themselves, charging at Jomei with a curved blade. The ginger simply stepped out of the way, of the attack. 

 

Spoiler

ID 95113 | BD 8(+4) | Flashing Penetrator: 11x17 = 187 (-25 MIT) = 162 DMG
ID 95114 | CD 7 | BD 10 | Infinite: 5x8 = 40(-52 Mit) = 1 DMG vs. Jomei
ID 95115 | CD 2 | BD 3(+1)(-4) Miss

• Jomei: 1209/1210 HP |126/133 EN | 17 DMG | 4 ACC | 4 EVA | 2 Savvy -1 
• Teion: 680/680 HP | 42/68 EN | 14 DMG | 3 ACC | 3 EVA
• Kimi: do it
• Hestia: yourselves
   
• <<Thief>> 1: 135/135 HP | 6/7/8 DMG | 25 MIT | 1 ACC | 1 Savvy -162
• <<Thief>> 2: 135/135 HP | 6/7/8 DMG | 25 MIT | 1 ACC | 1 Savvy

 

 

[Hestia 0]

I nod my head hearing the reason behind the goal and can understand that worry quite well do to not thinking myself even worry of being among the frontlines either do to my level, and having met a tank in the form of Morgenstern. Having seen the big difference between himself, and me in that brief little encounter of that mock little fight to try and improve myself. That fact alone making me wish to be at a minimum tier three before i could enter such a dangerous situation. I just continue helping the NPC across the desert not wishing to fault in that duty as i have one arm helping to keep the man up while the other hand is holding a shield to defend. My familiar Kuro staying beside the little shark dog familiar and trying to poke it to see what is different this time around.

Eventually the group travels through the desert and see the main settlement in the distance and grins a bit. Well this quest has been ridiculously easy, but i guess that is what happens when their is a frontliner, and two DPS to lower them down to nothing in one hit. I say with a small chuckle, and i then see another of these mobs hit Jomei with an attack. Then promptly gets defeated within a single move i bite my lip and just stay with the NPC doing the important thing and protecting the object being escorted. Not wishing to repeat the quest do to such a grievous failure on my part when i was trusted with this.

• Jomei: 1209/1210 HP |126/133 EN | 17 DMG | 4 ACC | 4 EVA | 2 Savvy -1 
• Teion: 680/680 HP | 42/68 EN | 14 DMG | 3 ACC | 3 EVA
• Kimi: do it
• Hestia: yourselves
   
• <<Thief>> 1: 135/135 HP | 6/7/8 DMG | 25 MIT | 1 ACC | 1 Savvy -162
• <<Thief>> 2: 135/135 HP | 6/7/8 DMG | 25 MIT | 1 ACC | 1 Savvy

[Teion 0]

Teion cast a sidelong glance that the girl with dual-colored hair, having to stop herself from raising a curious brow. The way they all spoke, she was no longer able to discern which of the players were veterans to the boss raids and which were just aspiring guildmates, if any. Once again, she wasn't sure how to respond to their kind, enthusiastic, and encouraging words. It'd been a while since she was a member of a questing party, and it was as if she'd forgotten how to interact with people. She wasn't out to make friends. Just getting some extra experience and taking the advice for some stress relief.

The violette's reaction time was worse than Jomei's, and she flinched with surprise when she turned her gaze to see a bandit, having sprung from his cover, cutting into the man's armor with his dagger. Teion scowled, placing a proper grip on the handle of her axe while she shrugged the blade forward. The mob was brought down swiftly, but a second figure was quick to attempt a follow-up attack. As Jomei side-stepped the curved sword that sliced through the empty air, the thief's momentum carried him right towards her.

Teion took a half-step back before bringing her right leg up. The sole of her flat shoe found one side of the bandit's ribcage, and a forceful shove sent the man falling backwards into the sand. He let out a grunt with the impact, his shoulders slamming into the ground while Teion gave the pole of her axe a single spin. Its golden curve glowed brilliantly as she lifted the weapon over her shoulder. The bandit scrambled against the loose sand for only a moment before her blade came down to sink cleanly into the center of his chest. He choked out a breath as a huge red gash appeared on his virtual flesh around the steel that was still radiating with energy. A second later the light seemed to swell before bursting in another wave of critical damage that caused the bandit's health bar to deplete even faster until it hit zero.

Teion's blade was left cutting into the shifting sands after the monster's form had dissolved. She was panting only slightly from the force behind the attack, and the adrenaline rush that it had given her. Jomei was right--slaughtering bandits actually was pretty good therapy.

Combat Roll:

Spoiler

Teion's Attack: Screw Dimension vs. Thief 2
ID#: 95163 | BD: 10 - Critical Hit!
(14 base) + (2 Crit) + (2 Charge) + (1 Ferocity) = (19 DMG) x (13 Sword Art) = (247 DMG) - (25 MIT) = 222 DMG

Combat Stats:

Spoiler

• Jomei: 1209/1210 HP |126/133 EN | 17 DMG | 4 ACC | 4 EVA | 2 Savvy
• Teion: 680/680 HP | 29/68 EN | 14 DMG | 3 ACC | 3 EVA
• Kimi: do it
• Hestia: yourselves
   
• <<Thief>> 1: 0/135 HP | 6/7/8 DMG | 25 MIT | 1 ACC | 1 Savvy
• <<Thief>> 2: 0/135 HP | 6/7/8 DMG | 25 MIT | 1 ACC | 1 Savvy

[Kimi 0]

Kimi took in the answer from Guild Dad to heart saying that lower level player might bit off more than they can chew. Kimi carried the NPC by one arm and Hestia on the other making it easier escorting him back to the tavern where his brother waited. As the party continued steadily towards Fortaleza in the freezing night a bandit came attacking from the shadows which startled Kimi, but he was made quick work of by Jomei. The bandit caught Jomei by surprise as far as Kimi could tell, but he managed to deal no damage. Soon after, another bandit made its way out of the shadows to follow up its previous partners attack, but was taken care of as quickly by Teion. "Wow! you two sure are beasts. Remind me not to tease or joke with you too much" Kimi said in a joking matter as she lowered her guard. "Didn't think there would be more after wiping out their hideout." She said as she watched the bandits light up the dark a bit before vanishing.

[Jomei 0]

Sidestepping out of the way of the second bandit, the force of his strike carried him forward.. right into Teion. Her boot rose up, planting a front kick directly into the rib cage of the thief. Knowing that the violet haired woman could easily take care of the single opponent, Jomei turned around to make sure there were not other bandits looking to sneak up on them while they were not paying attention, especially behind Hestia and Kimi. Olive eyes slowly shut as he heard the scampering of the bandit in the sand, followed by the sound of Teion's axe plunging deep into his chest. Once the area had been cleared of the two bandits, Jomei returned Oathkeeper to its scabbard at his hip,  "These guys were probably part of a scouting party that left the other four behind to guard the camp. At least there was only two of them.. Come on, lets get back to the city before we run into any other thieves." 

The straight walk back to the walled city was uneventful, and quiet for the most part. Teion really was not much of a talker.. but who could blame her? From what Ryo had told him.. she was close with Beatbox-- whether just friends, or more-- and recently, stories of his murder had been coming more to light. What other reason for the girl's sorrow could there be, besides James' death. He wondered if she knew anything more about the boy that would put Telrenya's mind more at ease. "Teion.." Jomei finally spoke up, keeping his voice a bit lower, "I'm sorry about James... Ryo told me you two were close.." 

[Hestia 0]

I watch as a second bandit quickly appears after the first to try and avenge its death, but it gets quickly put down by the Teion girl's axe. I relax but make sure i keep my own senses sharp encase their is another sneak attack coming for the two players that haven't been attacked yet. Thankfully though if their are anymore bandits it doesn't seem they are coming out right away to attack the two players actually keeping the man safe. I look over to kim and smile a bit at hearing her words as i can only nod as i can only feel slightly surprised and a little bit overwhelmed by the clear gap of what is seemingly DPS and Tank. That is not even taking into account the fact that out of the two people that have been attacked one is a frontliner. That fact putting a certain light to how much Tanks seem to need to play catch up when faced with the crazy amount of damage mobs can put out. I think back to Morgen and nods my head to myself making sure to try and get in contact with that player once more. Figuring that maybe a little bit of out of guild training is in order to prepare me for the path of a tank.

So then Teion not to say your attack on the camp wasn't a success, but why did you just suddenly rush in? I know this quest is only on the fifth floor which is possibly just nothing to you in terms of how much danger you could face, but it is always better to practice patience and such for later. I say to the purple haired girl curiously. Trying to figure out why the girl has seemed rather upset, or even aggressive in her attacks and ways of attacking these bandits. From just charging in which had worked to now which seemed like a very executioner style kill that you would see in video games.

[Teion 0]

"Yeah. In my opinion they programmed too many generic desert bandits into this floor, but those ones looked like they were tied to the quest. Gotta keep escorts exciting, right?" Her words dripped with sarcasm as she forced a reply. Escort quests were atrocious no matter the game. Shrugging the handle of her axe back to rest against her shoulder, she kept her weapon drawn as they continued at a steady pace, fully expecting more thieves, monsters, or, with her luck, unfriendly players to harass them before they'd made it back to the safety of town.

Her eyes drifted to the side as she heard her username called out from behind her. After Hestia's words registered, her gaze snapped back forward while a feeling of irritation crept over her to mask the embarrassment she felt underneath. "Impatience, I guess." She said honestly in a low voice. "I haven't been questing in a group in a while, sorry. The whole 'stopping to plan things out' bit kinda went over my head." While the matter of being in a group was irrelevant, she left her explanation at that.

Again, at the mention of her name, Teion's eyes drifted to the side where the Irishman walked beside her. His tone of voice prompted a hint of curiosity, and when his next words sunk in it was as if Teion's legs had stopped working. She froze in place, staring at Jomei while her mind suddenly started filling with questions. He provided the answer to one on his own--Ryo had informed him of her relationship with the swordsman. Although, he had mentioned being a frontliner himself, so it would make sense if he knew about Beatbox and his passing anyway. But there was something that her head couldn't explain. "How do you know his name?" Her tone was flat, and she couldn't settle on a single emotion, whether it was curiosity, confusion, or even suspicion.

[Kimi 0]

After confronting the bandits the group continued making their way to Fortaleza at a steady pace. Hestia then popped a question which was actually on Kimi's mind also, but she didn't bother to ask. Teion was quick to answer in a brief way, but that didn't bother her to much. Kimi could see that despite killing the bandits with ease and at great numbers also. It still didn't help the fact that she was still troubled and wanted to keep to herself a bit. As they continued on through the freezing desert night, Jomei mentioned something out of the blue towards Teion. The question was completely unexpected since Kimi didn't know whom they we're talking about, but it seemed to be a sensitive topic. She hesitated for a moment to ask about what was going on, but decided its best to stay out of that conversation to avoid unwanted memories.

Kimi slowed her pace a bit so that the two could have more privacy, but still within range to hear whats going on. "Who are they talking about?" Kimi asked Hestia in a low tone.

[Jomei 0]

The mention of Beatbox's real name to Teion caused her to stop in her tracks, the look on her face one of mixed emotions.. Jomei could tell that he had caught her off guard by mentioning James. "I know you're probably concerned why I know Beatbox's name" the man said in response, turning the rest of his body towards the violette, palms facing outwards towards her, "and I'll explain everything.. But I really think we should get back to Fortaleza first.." Turning round again, Jomei led the group the rest of the way towards the city gates.

Entering back into the city did not take nearly as long as exiting the city had, though the guards at the front gates seemed a bit more cautious letting players in, rather than letting them out. By now, Cassim had recovered a bit and was walking on his own without Kimi of Hestia's help, thanking them as he stood to walk on his own. As the group arrived at the Tavern, they spotted Ali sitting in the same spot as before. Dark eyes turned on the group as they entered, lighting up at the sight of his brother. "Cassim!!!" the first thing Ali shouts at the sight of his kindred, right before rushing to hug the one he thought off as probably dead. After the two parted from their emotional embrace, Ali turned his attention to Jomei and the rest of the group, handing the man a large pouch filled with Col. "I can't thank you enough for this. I won't forget what you did for me, please accept this as a small token of my gratitude." he adds with a wide, joyful smile. With one more "Thank you!" he goes to his brother and celebrate his return with opulence. The ginger looked at the pouch in shock, "W-Wait... where did you get all of this money?" Ali, hesitated before turning to the ginger, dismissing the question and leaving the bar with Cassim.

Jomei let out a small sigh, watching the men leave the bar. "I guess that's it then." Turning back to Teion, Jomei took in a short breath, "Well, guess I should explain.." Interrupting Jomei was the sound of a notification, a message being sent to the man. Opening the private message and reading over the contents, the ginger's lips stretching into a wide smile before closing the message. "I'm sorry. I need to go pick something up. I'll tell you another time. Hestia, Kimi.. I'll see you guys around."  The ginger then turned for the open doorway to the tavern and immediately made his way to the town's square. The message he had received was from a shopkeep on Floor Twenty One who had informed the ginger that he had completed a very special piece of jewelry for the man, and it was ready to be picked up. 

Thread Complete:

Jomei: 4 SP 3950 Col
Teion: 4 SP 3950 Col
Kimi: 4 SP 3950 Col
Hestia: 4 SP 3950 Col

ID:95245 | BD:5 | CD:6 | LD:8 | MD:2

(Night one: Hero Route)