{PP-F9} Hasty Travels <<Guardian of Fire>>

[Pinball 1]

((OOC: Future Pinball, I am so sorry. I need that 2 SP bad.))

Pinball found himself walking, alone on another sleepless night. Ashes rained down from the heavens and Pinball, weary eyed and shuffling through the scorched, rocky mountains, made his way to where the NPC had told him the dog from hell lurked. Three heads and an appetite to match, Pinball was tasked with the job to hunt down and kill this fiery abomination. And so he walked, sword in hand, the sleeves to his dragon skin coat rolled up to his elbows. Zomekko followed alongside him, her shadowy paws padding along silently. Into the night. Into the unknown. Into another day spent without whispering a word. Pinball let out a single, lonely sigh, and kept walking. If the rewards lived up to the rumors, it would be worth his time, after all. Every bit of experience he gained would help to keep him alive. Especially considering his peculiar temperament. With a grunt, he eased himself over a boulder. 

[Mars 0]

The frontline were approaching and not in the most satisfactory manner that he would wish for them approaching as the clocks were slowly ticking towards completion of not having enough time to gain enough levels to utilzie the tier three armor is coming forward. Thus he was forced to purchase this new set of gear. The heavy metal gauntlets upon his wrists feeling slightly inconveniencing compared to his usual more so just full light armor look that he strived for. Though sacrifices had to be made for the improvement of his build to truly satisfy the constraints that time had placed upon him, and if anything it could be a good enough motivator to try and take a tanking spot given enough time with the frontliners since eventually they'll have no tanks.  Which will allow for him and Pinball to try and prove their point that their dodge builds are something that could be used and something that is vastly superior to that of the frontline tanks. Glancing around he sees himself in the main settlement of floor nine ready to get thsi quest started.

[Pinball 1]

For a moment, Pinball stopped and turned. Zomekko paused and looked up its master quizically, before sitting down and licking a foggy paw with a pure white tongue. From where he stood on this hill, he could see the town in the distance. The first lights of dawn were creeping over the horizon, the 9th floor's indefinitely black clouds steadfast in its obtrusiveness. Ash rained down sparcely, yet steadily, coating the blackened ground in a thin layer of grey. What was he staring at? It reminded him of that one book he had read in his room, years and years and years ago. Life outside the game felt like a distant dream now. He could almost see the waves lapping at the beach, his father beside him, teaching him how to cast a line. He could almost taste his mom's cooking when he got home, greedily indulging in the blissful nothingness of childhood. 

[Mars 0]

Making his way through the town was a trivial task as he would than be forced to travel through the vast wastelands of lava, shoot, and monsters that were plaguing the floor and stopping people from trying to travel in the locations. The intrusion of having to face such things that would stop himself and others from advancing floors. With a quick dash forward he would make a quick sidestep towards the left as a explosion of rock shook the earth around him as he stared lazily at the obsidian golem as his katana lashed out with a series of strikes as the creature would receive multiple red deep gashes along its form. Be gone beast you're impeding my travels. Comes the unenthusiastic voice of Mars as he kicks it in the chest kicking off of it before quickly spinning around and lettign the last hit carve horizontally across the chest of the golem as he would land. Stumbling slightly when doing so before falling onto the ground. Perfection takes practice Cassius. Perfection takes practice. He says softly to himself before getting up onto hsi feet and making hsi way back towards Cerberus once more.

[Pinball 1]

As the sun came up and took with it into the sky Pinball's thoughts of home, he turned around and held an arm out to the ghost cat sitting content on the ground. Zomekko almost immediately took notice and lazily drifted through the air, black smoke creeping up his arm and onto his shoulder, where she reformed into a cat. Pinball, wearing his familiar as a scarf now, kept walking forward. He knew that the quest location was this way; the villager had told him so. Plus, from the way he had to force it out of her because of his cursor, he doubted she would misinform him. Apparently it was supposed to be two day's worth of travel. That meant he was one night down. Pinball blinked, stopped, and swayed where he stood, a brief flash of exhaustion enveloping him. But he slapped his face, causing Zomekko to lift her head in worry. And then he got a move on. 

[Mars 0]

Making his way through the ninth floor was trivial at best for a compliment to such a thing he had gone on quests on much higher floors, faced much higher strength mobs, and if anything this was just a test for him on how much flashy and over the top he can get during combat. Using mobs as just tools to test different moves to his repertoire which is vastly limited into his combat to make it at least his own in some sense. To add more aggression into these stupid attacks, to add more rage, more strength, more of HIM into each of these swings of the blade. before it was so simply to feel into the combat when he could quite literally punch his problems away with his fists, but now because of this update that isn't viable and he is left playing with this stupid blade that is a hindrance to his enjoyment. however, at the sametime it is a huge buff towards his strength and thus he is dealing with it. Glancing ahead he just makes his way past the village not bothering stopping in it since this is a repeatable quest and thus the dog awaits him already and he is going to murder that mythical dog Cerberus.

[Pinball 1]

As the morning continued, leaving Pinball alonee to his musings, as was the usual for him, he started to get hungry. There wasn't much to eat on this floor though, was there? Pinball frowned, resting his hands on his hips and looking here and there. The only creatures he had seen on this floor were fire elementals and the like; he doubted he would see any rabbits or deer scurrying behind the rocky, magma covered ranges of the 9th Floor. But maybe... he remembered reading in Symphony's book about the wildlife on this floor. He had skimmed over it, but he could have sworn that there were vultures or eagles sketched in there. Maybe, if he was desperate enough... Pinball tilted his head skywards, watching for any signs of movement. He didn't think he had any rations left in his inventory, but then again, how would he manage to knock one out of the air - if he even saw it? 

[Mars 0]

Making his way through the rocky terrain he takes out a bit of food he had packed for himself and eats the vanity meal that was made for him by a shop that costed him a bit of the col that he made during teh cleansing run he did with Pinball, but certainly worth not dying of starvation during two days of travel. After all one doesn't simply go out on a multiple day travel without being prepared and just hoping the floor will be kind towards you and make your survival easy. 'Though i guess that is what laughing coffin does unless they are cooks..yeah that is the only explanation they must go on food hunts and use some time and resources for that and have a few cooks lying about to prepare them meals. It's the only way they could survive without NPC shops.' he thinks idly to himself at the thought as he eats the food till it is gone for this meal at the very least as the form of someone in the distance slowly starts to come into view. Mars lets his right hand rest gently upon the handle of his sword.

[Pinball 1]

Pinball shook it off. He could put up with a little bit of hunger, just like he could deal with a little bit of tiredness. A lack of sleep never killed anyone - at least, that's what he kept telling himself. But that boulder was looking kind of comfy, wasn't it? Pinball moved on, as the sun crept higher and higher into the dark sky. His icy blue eyes were always on a swivel; always looking this way and that, as if he thought something - or somebody - was going to jump at him at any moment. He wondered if all player killers felt like this. Is this what they all went through? Or were they mindless psycopaths who enjoyed the lifestyle, and the thrill of the kill? Was Pinball the exception? The sympathetic killer? Pinball scoffed at the thought. Was he really pitying himself right now? No. He needed to keep going. 

[Mars 0]

Making his way through the area towards the direction of the cerberus keeping his eyes upon the player in front of him that looks rather paranoid from this distance the crystal color not being exactly clear either from this floor giving everything that weird little tint of color. The fact that everything has a red filter makes it hard to tell sometimes between orange and green when viewing the players that make their way through here. 'i wonder where player killers even try to hide their bases. you think eventually the scouts or info brokers would find their base of operations..or they have and they've simply been captured or killed for doing so is the more likely outcome probably.' he thinks to himself as he gazes towards the player and starts to pick up his speed to catch up towards the form of him or her. As the figure's details slowly come into view he finds that it is his rival making his way through this floor by himself. 'he does know that he could get captured again or killed right?' he thinks idly to himself.

[Pinball 1]

With Pinball's head always on a swivel, he eventually noticed the man watching him from the distance. The red haze and the black filter of ash obscured his vision, but the green crystal hovering over his head contrasted greatly with the environment and cut clear through the darker, moodier colors of the 9th Floor. And then they moved forward, and Pinball held his ground, drawing his sword as if to send a message to the other player. Back off. But they kept coming. They wore unfamiliar armor, and they seemed intent on catching up to him. A bounty hunter? Or just an overly curious traveler? Pinball didn't know, but his first instinct was to turn tail and run. Ahead of him the path was a slope downwards, littered with boulders and rocks and dried, dead shrubs. Pinball rolled his head on his shoulders and leapt forward, letting the momentum carry him down through the air, his hands held out by his side. A flying figure in a cloak of fog. 

[Mars 0]

'A sword? Still using that silly weapon i see Pin. Though...maybe i can force you to realize that you need to take all forces seriously and fight me like a actual fighter.' He thinks to himself with a grin as he raises his natural darker outfit up to cover his face so all that would be seen are his eyes. He than runs forward drawing out his katana and holds onto it with a grin across his face with a singular thought in his mind as he does so as he tails after the should be spear using Pinball. 'Round 2 Pin. Fight like you mean it.' When he would reach the edge where he had seen Pinball slide down the cliff he would quickly let his eyes scan for the figure of his rivals the heavy metal gauntlets around his arms not feeling as heavy within the heat of the moment as he scans the distance and checks for each viable hiding spot his rival could be hiding. 'He won't even suspect it's me possibly since i don't remember if i told him i'd be getting heavy armor.' He thinks to himself in a amused tone of voice within his mind.

[Pinball 1]

Pinball had ducked behind a boulder, looking up at the figure on the top of the hill - where he had just been standing. He still couldn't make the finer details out in the distance, but he couldn't assume they had friendly intentions. Pinball kept himself low and pushed up against the back of the rock. Did they see him? He wasn't trying too hard to hide himself, but the teenager obviousy wanted to keep himself at a distance. He bit his lip, his heart racing in his chest. What the hell was this situation? He had had run-ins with people before on the road, but nothing that set off that little voice in his head quite like this one. He didn't quite know why it was, but something about the way that silhouette held itself gave off a dangerous aura. The type of menacing presence that Pinball's slim, unarmored figure didn't quite exude. Zomekko's shadowy form swirled around him, covering him in a fiery blanket of blackness. And then that fog faded, blending into its surroundings.

Stealth: ID#114672 LD: 13+5= 18 
Stealth Rating: 18

Edited April 13, 2019 by Pinball

[Mars 0]

Gazing around the fields he slowly lets his eyes scan from one location to the next taking his time since he knows that if his friend is a killer, managed to escape a frontliner, and not be found it must mean he has above average stealth capabilities. However, even if he has none of that he won't allow this chance to just blow past him. he grins when he notices a small faint trail of smoke that seems unnatural for this floor even if it is all ash and shoot so with that he narrows down towards that boulder and rushes forward with his blade in hand. Once more nothing visible but his eyes if someone tried to detect hsi physical features. His all black outfit with the metal gauntlets around his wrists being the only clashing part of his outfit. Having even removed his typical red cloak he wears to further drive the point that he wasn't Mars towards his rival.

When he gets into melee range he would take a quick swing of his blade while staring his rival in the eyes. his own seeming amused as the style of his fight is mixing maneuverability quickly trying to move around him trying to gain a advantage iwth position. With a mix of rapid attacks to give a feeling of desperation to his opponent, ot make his opponent think he is. with each strikes intention being to slowly force his opposition into a corner.

#114673 LD:19 *player detected*

Edited April 13, 2019 by Mars

[Pinball 1]

And just like that, Pinball was spotted. He felt the player before he saw him, and instinctually he drew his sword, the silver weapon sliding out of its scabbard instantly. In a clash of steel on steel, Pinball's sword barely deflected the masked man's initial strike. There was an unusual amount of force behind the blow - was this the difference between a two and one handed weapon? Pinball could feel that difference, and so he put his second hand on Tyrfing's grip to avoid having both swords drill into his skull. As soon as he was able to, Pinball hopped backwards. Distance! Distance was key! And he needed to remember that here. The man used a plain katana, but even that was an advantage he had over Pinball when he was caught without his spear. There was no way he could outfight him as he was, so he focused on his evasiveness. 

Pinball's fighting style was fluid, spontanteous, and smooth yet animalistic with a focus on adaptibility. He wasn't afraid to use the environment to his advantage, and he wasn't afraid to fight dirty. If he could kick up a cloud of dirt to obscure his foe's vision he would, and he would bounce around on boulders and against rocky walls like his namesake. Handstands and flips weren't unusual, and out of habit he'd angrily tease every missed swipe at him with a rude gesture or a stuck out tongue. 

[Mars 0]

Adaptivity, underhanded, using tactics to cloud judgement. Seems like he underestimated pinball when he felt like he was fighting for his life. However, even if that was the case his rival would last only so long he could simply make this a game of just waiting out his rival, to just allow him to run his energy down into nothing. When he was tired he'd be making many more mistakes than what he was currently doing, and he was going to make sure to capitalize on that to teach him a lesson on also trying to get him to get some proper sleep. He doesn't need him sleeping and dying on the frontlines because of his induced Insomnia. he will force him to sleep if need be. Your days are numbered murderer. While the police force may require you captured. Assassin guilds don't tolerate your stain on this world. he says and doing his damndest at that to try and lower his pitch, and force a gravel like tone to his voice to try and make it sound as different as he could. he would switch his style to be more reactionary to go on the offense would only wear him down if he committed too soon for a swing with his weapon. He just needs to react and deflect each strike that gets sent to him. Wait for that moment when he gets his spear out, and when he does. Allow him that moment of getting more hits in. To try and condition the man to realize the spear is just better by allowing those odds to improve more.

[Pinball 1]

Pinball tried his best to persevere through exhaustion and a consequently slow reaction time. The shock of adrenaline in his system had made him feel more awake and alive than he had in days, but even that would start to fade, and when that happened, Pinball's methods would start to fail. It was when the man spoke that Pinball's expression visibly twisted. "[censored] hypocrites," he spat, venom dripping from his voice. He threw himself into the air, spinning into a long kick - that would be inevitably met with a katana strike. But Pinball caught it in midair with his boot, and while he lacked the force needed to twist that weird movement into a counter, it served as a footstool that let Pinball throw himself higher into the air - kind of like Dark Link in Ocarina of Time. And then he was in defensive mode. The guy was too quick to underestimate, and as he was, Pinball was severely lacking the firepower he needed to finish this fight. 

He was all over the place now as he sheathed his weapon and hopped from place to place like a mad man. Ducking and jumping and swiveling, Mars' sword would nick Pinball in more than one place, covering the boy in tiny red gashes. But he would also dodge the more brutal attacks - and those, if Mars wasn't careful, would hack a boulder or cut a dead shrub in half. Pinball's menu opened, and his sword disappeared. 

Pinball threw himself forward, holding the palms of his hands outward. And when Mars' katana came down on him, a spear materialized in between his hands and caught the blade. 

Edited April 13, 2019 by Pinball

[Mars 0]

On the inside he can only be disappointed by the performance now as he can see the sloppy showsmanship in each strike and in each move that is being displayed. ' he would've fell asleep midfight with Cerberus.' he thinks to himself as his blade slashes along Pin's form as he does do some more stronger attacks that hack the boulders as he gazes towards the spear user. When the spear comes out though visibly he looks annoyed and angered. On the inside though he can't have been happier at seeing his rival finally get the spear out and ready to fight against him. Taking that opportunity for what it is worth as he would keep up the same ferocity against his rival to try and corner him against a boulder, but also allowing him hits against his body while using the spear. With only a singular thought as he would be doing so. 'I hope he doesn't get lucky and freeze me in place. I don't need to get murdered while trying to prove my point against him that the spear is the only weapon to counter me and keep up' he thinks idly to himself while staring down Pin while keeping his katana locked as best as he can with each clash in a slight stalemate with Pin, or give pin the victory of each small exchange in this mini war to let him get more comfortable with the spear. To see how much better it is doing.

[Pinball 1]

With his spear out now, Pinball fought with the renewed vigor of a man fighting for his life. With his spear, Pinball fought with the same Jack Sparrow-esque style, but now he could use his spear to pole vault or direct his wild acrobatics or to trip up his opponent. All things that Pinball tried to do, minus the latter. Pinball's spear lashed out, and he quickly found that the man was equally as vicious. There was a difference in their fighting styles, and while it wasn't a game changer, it was an interesting distinction. The assassin's was precise and unforgiving, and left little room for mistakes, while Pinball's was flowy and wild, almost animalistic in nature. Pinball started to try and push himself forward, the air around the icy spearhead very much so colder than anything on this floor had a right to be. With every strike of ice or wood on steel, there would be a blast of cold air, and if Mars wasn't quick enough to deflect Pinball's blows, or sloppy enough to let Pinball get a solid hit in, he would find ice creeping up his torso and his arms and his legs, locking in place. For Mars, who had witnessed Pinball fight many times before, it was obvious that that was what his rival was going for. But already, from this vicious exchange, there was a very thin, crystalline layer of ice forming on the edge of Mars' katana. 

[Mars 0]

Grinning he just lets the exchange continue once more with renewed vigor as he just enjoys the fight now as he lets his mind go for a moment in the sense of letting go of all worries about who he is fighting and the why. He just lets his blade become an extension of himself as he leans in fully to his style of fighting each strike aiming for a singular goal, each strike meant to be swift and filled with all his strength. The slim form of the katana and how this one was crafted not really being a perfect representation of his fighting choices. The unknown figure towards at least Pinball just trying to press the attack more and more as he just stares him down and lets this continue for one more minute. And after that he would just grin and dodge whatever next strike was sent towards him and takes off his mask by lowering it down towards his neck while looking towards pinball with a grin on his face. Adapting, dirty tricks, and quite a few other things i've noticed. Seems like you're a entirely different beast when trying to fight for your life Pinball. Nice use of the environment by the way. He says in a tone of sincere what sounds like pride and genuine kindness. I just wanted to test you and see if you've been keeping up, and get a bit of a taste of what our dual would be like when we fought. he says towards Pin with a grin.