[PP|F5]<<The Traveler>>Just for a skill.

[ChaseR 0]

Chase appreciated the help and how she felt, but it wasn't a matter of what she was letting him do and what she was 'forcing' him to go through. If he didn't want to, he'd just turn her down and that'd be that. He was the one pushing himself on and on to do quests, to rush to get to the higher levels and be able to clear the game alongside her. "N-No, it's not like that. I shouldn't have gotten this angry, even if she is acting like that, I just lose all of my en-", he didn't even get to finish before she seemed to get hurt by the sandstorm, despite having more protective clothing than he did.

Even in his current state, he frowned and looked at her as he stopped leaning and stood on his own. "Hey, is everything okay?!", he asked with worry in his face, having noticed her HP dropping just a bit right away. It wasn't anything to be scared of, but it certainly wasn't reassuring him any. Adding that on top of the fact they'd have to rest for the night... "Come on, let's catch up to pink and rest. Don't push yourself.", he added to the end, ironically enough, and even stood in front of her in hopes that'd prevent the sandstorm from harming her any further.

Edited July 20, 2020 by ChaseR

[Zajcica 0]

Yuki took note of the damage that the performer had taken from the sand storm. She likely wouldn't have it back until the group made there way back to town. This quest was specific that way. Being caught in a sand storm mean that you were technically always in combat without having survival. She really only needed this skill to get make sure she doesn't take unnecessary damage during the Gatekeeper quest. An important quest that she had still yet to do. That rune was way too good to pass up.

Finally at the crag in the rock, it was an offer enough of protection. The sun had already started to set. She had spent quite a bit of time on this desert floor and knew more than anything that the desert got freezing during the night. Hopefully the other two would be alright.

Yuki started to set up a camp. She had brought three tents for this specifically. She didn't know if the other two would be comfortable sharing the tent, so best to be sure. By the time the other two had gotten to the crag, she had already set up two of the tents and was working on the third. "Pick whichever ones you want. They're all the same on the inside, but hopefully this will keep us protected from the storm enough to not take anymore unnecessary damage."

[Shay 0]

"I-I'm fine," Shay says as she tries to rub the sand out of her eyes. The bits of grains burn her crimson pupils for a moment before finally it calms down and she can see clearly again. Chase was now standing on his own, so that was nice to see at least. Rest was need for him at this point with how hard he has been working to level up, he deserves it.

"Let's catch up with the tank, yeah." Shay led the way to where Yuki had gone to see she was already setting up their camp for the night. She took a seat near the tents and sighed. "I'll take the first watch for the night and we can rotate. Probably not a good thing for all of us to be unconscious outside of the safe zone, especially when the weather itself can deplete our health points. I have recovery crystals, so if any of us gets low, I can use one of them then leave them out for the next person."

[ChaseR 0]

With a nod, the two caught up. Although due to his stats, he couldn't feel the weight of his sword too much, Chase felt rather awkward walking around with his scabbard empty, same as his hands. They eventually got to the crag with the tents, and at this point, the mere idea of rest was enough to please him. He didn't even argue at Shay's proposition, and although having given it a bit of thought, he reluctantly trusted Yuki with his blade, leaving himself practically defenseless.

Especially since he didn't have his martial skills leveled any. He quickly picked a tent to head into, saying little once he was inside before proceeding to fall asleep just out of exhaustion. "Thanks, both of you. Good night.", he wished them in a tired voice only moments before he passed out. 

Spoiler

ID# 160720 results:

 Battle: 10

 Craft: 7

 

Edited July 22, 2020 by ChaseR

[Zajcica 0]

Yuki finished setting up the last tent that would be hers. The remaining one would belong to Shay. Before she went to bed, she made sure to take Sky Slasher and put it down in front of ChaseR's tent. It laid carefully beside the tent entrance.

She glanced over to Shay and nodded quietly, then turned back to her tent to get some sleep. She was just as tired as Chase was. Resting down on the make shift bed, she soon finds herself falling asleep, knowing that no matter how long she slept out here she wouldn't even come close to losing all her health points. Chase and Shay didn't have nearly the same size health point pools, so she wouldn't sleep for very long.

A few hours went by and the paladin was already roused awake. She had been having a tough time sleeping lately thinking about what Night had told her. That's why she had gone out here with the two younger players. No combat and relaxed environment to level up with. She took a step out to find Shay sleeping at her post. Quietly, she walked over, picked up the raven haired woman and moved her into a tent, then rotated her watch shift.

[Shay 0]

Shay watched the other two players move into their tents for the night and lay down to sleep. She would have to stay up for a few hours and make sure that none of them lost too much of their health points. Fatigue, however, was overwhelming her. She hadn't realized just how much she was wearing herself out by questing like this. She thought that since she was so used to grinding games like this, that it wouldn't be much of a problem for her. After an hour, she fell asleep herself.

Yuki moved her to her tent, which she didn't even wake up from being moved. The pile of crystals lied next to her, just to be safe if they other two were to fall too low. Luckily, no one would drop a significant amount of health, even though the night. The paladin didn't even bother waking the boy up to do a shift. She would instead stay awake until the group would be ready to move on in the morning and continue looking for the shipment. They couldn't be that much further from it.

[ChaseR 0]

Although he'd agreed to the idea of rotating between shifts, with his levels of exhaustion and Yuki not even bothering to wake him up, he remained asleep throughout the night. Albeit late even for when he eventually woke up, he crawled out of his tent feeling a slight headache from just how quick he was to sit up and get to checking out the group's condition. Nobody seemed any more hurt than before, which was a relief. With a quick yawn, he found his blade right below him, crawling out whole before sheathing it onto his side once more. 

He saw Yuki up, assuming he'd missed his post and frowning. Chase silently moved to sit right next to her and let out a deep sigh, hesitating as per usual before asking her in an attempt to start a conversation until Shay was also up and about.  "... I overslept and you had to do my shift too. Right?", the boy's voice carried tiredness as well as a sense of guilt on it. There was, this time around, no ill intent or apparent distaste. 

Spoiler

ID# 160721 results:

 Battle: 3

 Craft: 11

 

Edited July 22, 2020 by ChaseR

[Zajcica 0]

Yuki was quiet through out the night, thinking solemnly on the words that her best friend had told her yesterday. After this, she would take a break. If she wore herself ragged, she would surely just be too tired to fight the Shadow. This wasn't a fight where she could complain the entire time like she had been the last few days of questing. People were betting on her protection to keep them alive, and if she didn't put all her money on black then she would be going home poor.

Soon into the morning, Chase would wake up. He took a seat next to the girl and apologized for oversleeping. Yuki was quiet for a moment before responding. "You slept because you needed it. If you want to join the front, you need to keep your stamina up. I'm already here. I can deplete what I have, rest and be ready for the fight to come. If I had a problem staying awake, I would have simply woken you up and went back to bed."

[Shay 0]

The paladin sighed and rested her head against the wall behind her, looking up at the ceiling of the crag that protected them from the bulk of the sandstorm. The sun was going to rise soon, based on the slightly orange-tinted skyline that was forming.

"You're girlfriend, the pianist," She pointed to the tent that Shay was currently resting in. "She is a tough one, I can tell. She's seen these kinds of games more times than once. I bet she has been playing them all her life. MMO's I mean. Even she is still human as a digital body. I came out to her sleeping on watch. You both are going to tear yourselves up if you don't learn to control yourself. That being said, you're both still pretty weak in comparison, but that doesn't mean you can't toughen up. If you don't this world will chew you alive and spit you back into the data you spawned from."

Her words were harsh, but they were meant to be a harsh truth. It was about this time that Shay stumbled out of her tent, looking as though she was the worst morning person you'd ever meet. "Morning."

[ChaseR 0]

What Yuki was saying was sure harsh, but the bluehead couldn't help agreeing. It was true that if they weren't careful or any stronger, they'd definitely get wiped out sooner or later. He turned to look at the paladin with furrowed eyebrows and a frown once he'd quickly exhaled. "She won't die as long as I-", he stopped to look over to Shay's tent when she crawled out, deciding to not continue talking with the pinkette about this any further and simply greeting her back. "Morning."

She looked like she'd a rough waking up, or a sudden one at least. With a deep sigh, he apologized to Yuki once more and then moved just a bit further from the crag to check on the desert, see if he could spot anything from their current position. "Sorry again."

Nothing to be seen however. The sandstorm was definitely quite a lot to handle, and it wasn't making their survival any easier either. Then again, at least they had no combat and they'd also get a skill out of this mission to boot. 

Spoiler

ID# 161058 results:

 Battle: 8

 Craft: 6

 

Edited July 24, 2020 by ChaseR

[Zajcica 0]

Yuki scratched the back of her head. Talking was easy - Tanking, however, was not. It was a cruel way to play the game, honestly, until you got to the point of her build where it seemed as though nothing could scratch you no matter what clay-more they brought to you're armor. She knew exactly what he was about to say without him even finishing the sentence. It was one she constantly repeated to herself everyday while grinding. 'I'll protect them - As long as I'm here, nothing will hurt anyone.' That sort of stuff.

"Morning." Yuki exchanged pleasantries. With a snap of her fingers, all the camping gear was moved back into her inventory. "We should continue on our way. The shipment can't be too much further."

Taking a peak back at ChaseR, the paladin gives him a slight smile. "I will teach you more about tanking on another day. Take this one easy, and let's get this extra skill."

[Shay 0]

Shay yawned as the others greeted her back. They seemed to be having some sort of conversation, but she barely caught any of it. Probably had something to do with the whole tanking ordeal, so she wouldn't really pry.

"Glad to see you two are getting along better now." Shay mentioned while stretching. She took a moment to fix her messy hair while she spoke. "I think we are pretty close to the shipment yeah. The NPC said that this was around the location that they had abandoned it. They weren't able to carry everything, so there is a few things left behind. We should be able to fit it all in our collective inventories and take it back to them. Then once we are done, we will have this skill unlocked finally. I think it's been a little more taxing than I originally envisioned." She admitted summoning her sword into her hand.

[ChaseR 0]

Chase's attention turned back to Yuki when she got up and packed everything back into her inventory with a simple snap of her fingers, to his surprise. He gave a small nod, letting out a slight sigh as he wondered just how hard he'd have to train hos mental fortitude so as to not get pissed off with Yuki next time they met. He didn't have that much of a choice though, given her shop and how often he was required to go there for his own good. 

Regardless, he looked back at Shay as soon as she mentioned them getting along better, giving a hesitant nod. "We are, aren't we..? Are we..?" With a sigh, he put his faith in the rogue and trusted her to lead the way. They were probably as clueless as he was, but they knew their way around games like this much better than he did. Once he'd stepped out of the crag, he rested a hand on the hilt of his blade, ready to draw it out at the slightest hint of a monster showing up. 

Spoiler

ID# 161102 results:

 Battle: 7

 Craft: 7

 

Edited July 24, 2020 by ChaseR

[Zajcica 0]

A short journey further into the wastelands of sand and the group would be able to see the crashed shipment that they were looking for. Yuki reached her hand out in that direction and called through the sand storm. "There! Look's like what were looking for."

The paladin continued the lead until the group made it to the busted down wagon. She grabbed a part of the shipment and moved it into her inventory, but that's about all she could carry for herself. "You guys will have to take the rest then. All we have to do now is take this stuff back to the quest giver and we have the skill unlocked for purchase."

Shay picked up her own part of the package and moved it to her inventory the same way. Then, she picked up Chase's set and reached out to give it to him. "Here, this one's yours."

[Shay 0]

After collecting her own set of materials from the wreckage, Shay picked up her friend's share and handed it off to him. The group was now ready to head back to the main settlement and get this quest over with. It had been much more taxing than she thought it would be, not only with the two tanks of the group arguing to each other, but with having to sleep on the ground. She could feel the crick in her neck.

"Man, I really didn't expect for us to have to sleep on the ground like that. I wish I had brought something to sleep on." She complained trying to roll the soreness out of her muscles. She looked over to Chase and looked him up and down. "Did you sleep well at least?" She asked, trying to make sure that he was doing better now that they all had gotten some sleep.

[ChaseR 0]

Although Chase was definitely keeping an eye out, he was far too absorbed in making sure that nothing would jump at them out of the sand like the shark from the previous quest. When they finally arrived, he wasn't sure how to pick the shipment up and just waited for Shay to hand him his share to carry. He looked over to the side once she asked, staying silent and giving it some thought. He'd slept and woken up so mechanically, he wasn't sure just how good his rest was in the first place. 

The boy didn't sleep with a good mood and woke up feeling guilty, so he was still not in high spirits. Then again, he did at least feel a lot less stressed right now, putting aside how he'd have to try and take everything Yuki said easy so he didn't lash at her again. "I guess. I can't wait to sleep in your shop properly.", he joked, realizing it might have sounded a bit off and scratching his neck awkwardly. "...The sand was not the best.", he added at the end trying to make it less awkward, but then again, it probably just sounded more uncomfortable now. 

Spoiler

ID# 161327 results:

 Battle: 4

 Craft: 6

 

Edited July 25, 2020 by ChaseR

[Zajcica 0]

The paladin was mostly quiet throughout the walk back to Fortaleza. There really wasn't much for her to say at this point. She had give Chase a hard enough time as is and the tension was still somewhat apparent even after his apology. Given how she was with Shield, she was glad that he at least came around. Since he wasn't going to be focusing on taking the same way that she does, she wouldn't have to be as hard with him as her mentor was with her.

Putting her hand up to her face, she tries to cover her eyes from the raging sands. They would be there by mid-afternoon if they kept up this pace at least. Then she could finally go home and actually get some decent sleep. Maybe take a few days off of questing and grinding to recuperate from her fatigue and be more ready than ever to take on the tasks ahead.

[Shay 0]

The walk back was really annoying with this sand storm. It had only hit her once, but the fact that her health bar refused to regenerate was what was most annoying. It stayed there with it's missing health points and refused to return to full.

"Are we almost there yet? Jeez." The girl said covering her face as well as the sand storm picked up a little bit more. It was getting hotter than it was yesterday too, making Shay really miss her home on the frozen fourth floor. Well, they were nearly done with this quest anyway, then they could get the hell out of here.

Another hour or so went by and the group could see the safe zone of Fortaleza in the distance. Only a few more minutes of walking and they could put this desert behind them for awhile. She knew there were a ton of quests on this floor to do, but they wouldn't have to worry about them until later.

[ChaseR 0]

By this point, the boy was sweating like crazy, his face practically glistening as he kept up the pace and even now, continued to look around to make sure nothing would get the jump on the three. Yuki was there to protect them, but he couldn't rest easy no matter the floor or party. The silence was almost killing him, as he was partially at fault for it, but when Shay spoke up again he smiled with his left eye half closed to avoid getting blinded by the harsh sun. "I-I think we're almost there... My clothes are too warm damn it..."

With a deep sigh, the boy wiped his forehead with his right sleeve and just thought of a surprise he could show Shay. He'd have to go to Floor 1 to get what was necessary, but at least then he'd be able to rest in her shop's cold floor with the hot spring nearby to soothe his aching muscles. He was starting to wonder if Yuki would do the same too, trying to read her username and flinching as he mumbled it lowly. "Wh-What the fuck... Zac.... Zajc... Zajkee... Huh..?"

Spoiler

ID# 161360 results:

 Battle: 10

 Craft: 4

 

Edited July 25, 2020 by ChaseR

[Zajcica 0]

The paladin walked through the barrier of the safe zone and instantly felt better. The sand was still being flung up by the wind, but at least like this, there were some structures that blocked the full force of the storm.

"Well, that's pretty much it." Yuki said, looking to Chase who was mumbling her name under his breath, presumably to get it correct. "Zay-chi-sa" She said, not really going further on the subject, but opening her menu to send him a friend request, along with the girl.

"If you need me, message me. I'm going to be taking a few days off to enjoy and upcoming event on the twenty-second floor. Once that is over, we'll teach you a little more about tanking." Yuki turned her items in to the quest giver and started to walk to the teleporter. Time to take a well deserved break after quite possibly months of endless grinding.

Spoiler

Rewards:

SP: 1 quest; 2 page; 1 event
Col: 400 to Chase and Shay

Players unlock the <<Survival>> Extra Skill.