[PP|F07]<<Case of Wurms>>Getting to Know Each Other

[Ruler 0]

Floor Seven was next on Ruler's list. There was a boss up here that gave some good experience compared to others, but her, Hisa and Katoka wouldn't be able to take it on alone. Instead, she would be using this time to meet some newer faces in the guild that she hadn't much time to speak with before hand. The other two players she had met during the sand shark quest was a man named Freyd, and then there was another girl named Vie. She didn't want to feel completely exclusive to Katoka and Hisa, so she would make sure to meet others.

She would send them both a quick message. 'Dear Guildmates, I am currently looking at doing a quest on the seventh floor. With my level, I will have a difficult time beating the field boss without help. Any drops related to this quest are irrelevant, I only want the experience. Please join me in Nimbus and we will continue from there. -Ruler, of Firm Anima.'

Spoiler

Name: Ruler
Level: 14
HP: 280/280
EN: 28/28

Stats:
Damage: 8
Mitigation: 18
Evasion: 1
Accuracy: 3

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Royal Claymore[THSS/Rare/T1] DMG II
Armor: Maiden's Garb[Light Armor/Perfect/T1] MIT II; EVA I
Misc: Maiden's Forgiveness[Trinket/Perfect/T1] ACC III

Skills:
Two-Handed Straight Sword [Rank 3]
Fightning Spirit [Obtained]

Extra Skills:

Mods:

Battle Ready Inventory:
Starter Healing Potions(50hp)*3
Ice Cream Mochi - LD III*2
Special OH(50hp)*1
Rare Healing Potions(40hp)*5

Housing Buffs:

Guild Hall Buffs:
Lucrative: Reduce LD needed for Salvage by 5 (10+ for Alchemist crystals, 6+ for everything else). +2 EXP per craft. Rank 9 crafters receive +1 crafting attempt per day. Rank 10 crafters receive +2 crafting attempts per day.
Col Deposit: +5% bonus col from last-hit monster kills and +10% bonus col from treasure chests.

 

[Freyd 0]

"Ruler of Firm Anima?" Freyd exclaimed, reading the missive aloud.  "That's a bit presumptive, isn't it?"  Freyd conveniently ignored the apostrophe for the pure amusement value.  "I wonder how Raidou would feel about that?"  He chuckled internally,  convinced that the vanguard captain would be glad for it.  He was one for the lens flares, not the spotlight.  "Sorry, Marv," he said waving to one of the homogeneous guardsmen at the main gate of the Town of Beginnings.  "Duty calls.  You know how it is, I'm sure."  His occasional chats with Marv had become an unofficial tradition.  He'd been doing so since the very first time he'd ever set foot beyond the City's walls.  It was one of the few forms of relaxation that Freyd ever allowed himself, save his occasional coffee.  Marv, for his part, had never spoken nor flinched.  In fact, he had never moved a muscle or contributed to these conversations in any way.  Man, he's such a good listener. Freyd admired his stoicism.

Accepting Ruler's request, he set forth for Nimbus and arrived a short portal ride later.  He waved in salutation as he spotted her in the plaza.  She reminded him of Marv quite a bit, except for the talking bit.  Most players in Aincrad were people first, gamers second, and warriors by default.  She was the only one he'd met where he seriously pondered the possibility that she worked those in reverse.  It was refreshing.

"Hey, Ruler.  Long time no see, and thanks for the invite.  What shall we be righteously beating up today?"

Vanity tag: @Raidou

Spoiler

Name: Freyd, The Whisper in Shadows
Level: 47
HP: 960/960
EN: 94/94

Stats:
Damage: 16
Mitigation: 54
Evasion: 1
Accuracy: 4
KEEN:1
HLY:2
BLD:12

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Forgiven Disobedience (T1-2HSS, ACC 1, HOLY 1, BLD 1)
Armor: Skirmisher's Garb [T2 LA, MIT 2, EVA 1]
Misc: Assassin's Cowl (T2-Trinket, ACC 2, KEEN 1)

Skills:
2H Straight Sword [Rank 5]
Light Armor [Rank 4]
Searching [Rank 3]

Extra Skills:
Disguise
Familiar Mastery: Fighter 3
Survival

Mods:
Precision
Finesse - Rank 3
LA Athletics
Ferocity

Battle Ready Inventory:
Starter Healing Potion (50 hp)*3
Teleport Crystals*2
Turkish March *2
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik*5
Golden Key*5
T3 Blank Dungeon Map*5

Housing Buffs:
Rested: -1 energy cost for the first two expenditures of each combat
Clean: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 20% (rounded down)
Hard Working: +2 EXP per crafting attempt and +1 crafting attempt per day
Filling: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot.
Item Stash: +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot
Relaxed: Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
Col Stash: +5% bonus col from monster kills and treasure chests
Multipurpose: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll

Guild Hall Buffs:
Lucrative: Reduce LD needed for Salvage by 5 (10+ for Alchemist crystals, 6+ for everything else). +2 EXP per craft. Rank 9 crafters receive +1 crafting attempt per day. Rank 10 crafters receive +2 crafting attempts per day.
Col Deposit: +5% bonus col from last-hit monster kills and +10% bonus col from treasure chests.

Scents of the Wild: n/a

Wedding Ring: n/a

 

Edited August 21, 2020 by Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

[Vie 0]

The petite redhead stared blankly at the message that had been sent to her, not recognizing the sender's name. Attempting to decipher it, she sort of squinted and turned her head- seemingly unsuccessful. She rubs her eyes and attempts to comprehend the words for the sixth time. Just woken up, the inn's bed was unmade with her things tossed astrew. After a moment, she blinked awake and stretched- contemplating how the 7th floor would be as she hadn't yet had the chance to reach and explore it at her leisure quite yet. Nonetheless, she felt obligated to join despite not knowing what to expect. She made her way down the creaky wooden stairs and stopped for a moment- making sure her equipment was in order, not wanting to make bad impressions. Finally opening the rather heavy door and making her way to the teleportation gate, she adjusted her eyes to the bright sun and stone jungle that appeared to be coexisting with nature peacefully. The landscape seemed typical of fantasy games, yet unexpected in comparison to what she had experienced during her travels thus far... Almost too normal.

Glancing up at the world clock, she realized that she might've spent too much time idle. Beginning her search for the two in Nimbus, she immediately encountered her guildmates- Freyd and the one she assumed was named Ruler who she had barely recognized. Surprised that the hunt didn't last too long, she joins the party with the most enthusiastic greeting she could muster as if it were to increase morale. "Hello! Hope I wasn't too late. Whereabouts are we headed?"

 

Spoiler Vie | HP 280 | EN 28 | DMG 8 | BLD 24 [8-10] Equipment Cow Punchers [DMG I, BLD II] Light Armor [Vanity] Wabi-Sabi [LD III] Skills One-Handed Weapons [R1] Two-Handed Weapons [R4] Fishing

Edited August 27, 2020 by Vie

[Ruler 0]

"Good day to the both of you." Ruler smiled as the both of them came around. Freyd's comment got a chuckle out of the holy knight. Her gimmick was obviously being jabbed at but it was all in good fun. "'Righteous is quite the word to use, I guess. Not the one I would have chosen but it works nonetheless."

Once all the greeting were out of the way, Ruler took a deep breath and looked back over the quest that she was looking to finish on her menu. "Case of Wurms. Seems like a rather easy boss to go against as a group. Freyd is a rather high level, so I imagine that he has already finished the quest himself, but I'm willing to guess that you have yet to complete it Vie. Of course, taking it on alone would be so difficult if I just gained a few more levels, but where's the fun in questing without some friends, right?"

[Freyd 0]

"This is a good one to do in a group.  I've already finished it twice...or maybe three times," he grimaced at the melding memories that made it hard to keep all of his past quests straight.  "The terrain gives the beast a bit of an edge, and caused problems in all of my past outings against it.  Having a few friends along to bail me out when I fall flat on my face again sounds good to me."  He chuckled at his own past misshaps.  He and Chase had just defeated the Amphis Serpens a few days ago, and it had gone exactly as he described - with Freyd flat on his ass after the damned thing burst out of the sand outside of its usual spawning range.  Cardinal was surely to blame.  The system hated him to the extent of some bizarre and disproportionate kind of personal vendetta.

"It's a bit of a hike around the mountain to get there, so we might as well get walking.  Not too many dangers along the way."  With a gesture, he ushered both ladies towards the heavily fortified stone wall and gates that led out of the settlement.

[Vie 0]

The redhead interpreted Ruler's character to be be filled to the brim with stoicism- something she wasn't entirely sure how to handle. It was hard to tell whether the blonde woman's words were meant to poke fun or state truth so she opted for the silent route though the addition of the word 'friend' towards the end was a bit more welcoming. "If anything it sounds like you'll be the one murdering the mob and we'll be bystanders," she spoke after a little while of silence in between- looking at Freyd and remembering the sandshark bursting before her eyes for a brief moment. Though it was possible for the tank to get into trouble, the woman seemed to be able to handle herself with that sort of confident disposition so there was nothing on that front to be too afraid of. Lacking information about what they were to be fighting and such, she was slightly uneasy- but the fact that two guild members accompanied her was encouraging, balancing it out to a more comfortable place internally. With Freyd's line of dialogue, the group begins to migrate towards the quest location. Meanwhile she attempted at some sort of conversation to keep the journey interesting, "What's your favorite floor so far out of curiosity?" The girl spoke, slicing through the deafening silence.
 

[Ruler 0]

Vie's faith in her abilities was nice to hear, though if she could handle the boss on her own, she would have just killed the boss on her own. Though like she had mentioned, helping others get some experience was always a good bonus. "I wish I could say I could handle it on my own, alas I cannot. My gear is very well fitted to be less of a heavy hitter and more of a defender. My weapon skills are still lacking as well but I enjoy the company, even if I could slay it on my own."

Ruler decided to take the lead over the other two. Freyd was easily the senior member here, though if she wanted become a tank and a leader, she would need to learn how to take charge. "Thank you for the information, Freyd. I will remember it when I am fighting." Ruler says as she walks towards the quest location.

Turning to Vie, she answered her question rather quickly. "Unfortunately, I have only had the pleasure of experiencing less than twenty-percent of the floors in the game, so I find it difficult to offer a concise opinion. However, the twenty-second floor where the guild hall is located it extremely beautiful. The floors that I have seen pale in comparison to that one."

[Freyd 0]

Freyd walked casually behind Ruler, glad to see her taking initiative and the lead.  He admired her profound sense of duty and formality made interactions so much easier.  If only more of Aincrad's players could be so direct.

"Huh..." he muttered, pondering Vie's question as as Ruler offered her response.  How did she expect them to answer?  Floor 22 was the most valuable for grinding.  Floor 21 was the most profitable, with regards to col.  Resources be found in equal supply on virtually any level.  She couldn't possibly mean aesthetics, could she?   Ugh... emotional attachment.  He nearly sighed, but choked it back.  Appearances had to be maintained.

"Floor thirteen," he replied, immediately after Ruler responded.  "It reminds me that we're in a nightmare, but that hope can survive and triumph remains achievable."   

There, he thought, that should sound sufficiently sappy and morose to maintain his guise.

"What about you?" he asked Vie in return, hoping to turn the conversation back away from himself. 

[Ruler 0]

The silence Vie was offering after Freyd's response had caused an awkward aura in the group. Clearing her throat, the blonde tried to shake it off and shined a smile to the both of them. "This world does have it's faults, yet it is still much more beautiful than I ever would have ever imagined." As much as she wanted to continue that sentiment, Rig was closing in. They would be getting ready to fight this field boss. Like Freyd had said, they would have a little trouble with the flooring, but it wasn't much of a problem with three of them there.

Once they had made it town, Ruler didn't see much point in talking with the locals. They're objective was to eliminate the serpent and free Rig from it's wrath. "I will start the fight. I can take a couple of hits, but we should focus all our attacks on the monster once I initiate combat."

The ground shook the moment the trio left Rig's township. Ruler grabbed her blade from her side with her left hand and drew it the moment the sandy terrain exploded below her feet. With a verticle slash, the force was returned to the snakes. The fell on their backs and laid their stunned. "My defense cannot be so easily pierced." Ruler commented.

---

Ruler | HP: 300/300 | EN: 21/30 -(9) | DMG: 8 | MIT: 18 | ACC: 2
Freyd |
Vie |

Amphis Serpens | 172/175 -((8*6)-45) | 70 DMG | 45 MIT | (MD: 9-10) 20 damage per turn for 5 turns | [STUNNED - CD: 3/3]

Due to the shifting sands and movement of the boss, players take a -1 penalty to Accuracy and Evasion.

[Freyd 0]

Determine to break his pattern and not botch his first attack, Freyd charged the beast, darting past Ruler's right side to flank the serpent as best he could.  Forgiven Disobedience sang proudly as its white blade shone with brilliant holy light.  Before her, Ruler could only see the silhouetted shadows of Freyd and the beast as they collided in mid-air, the latter cleaved in twain by the blow and bursting into motes of white light.

Freyd rolled as he landed on the far side of the clearing, regaining his footing as he skidded to a stop.  The white blade dimmed once more in his hands as the cloud of celestial light washed over him, looking like a pair of feathered wings for but an instant before they vanished.

"Fourth time's the charm, apparently."  He laughed at the fact that he hadn't fallen on his face this time.  His prior battles here having been considerably less impressive.

"Excellent work, Ruler."  He patted her firmly on the shoulder pauldron as he passed, heading back the way they had come.  "We'll have to find you some more worthy foes to stand before."

Spoiler

Ruler | HP: 300/300 | EN: 21/30 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 18 | ACC: 2
Freyd | HP: 960/960 | EN: 85/94 (-9)| DMG: 16 | MIT: 54 | ACC: 4 | EVA 1 | Holy 2 | Bleed 12
Vie |

Galaxy Destroyer (x13): 13 EN - (Rested, Finesse 3) = 9

BD: 9 (Crit +1, holy 2, bleed 12).  Freyd deals (247 - 45 = 202, +12 bleed = 214) damage to Amphis Serpens

Amphis Serpens | 0/175 | 70 DMG | 45 MIT | (MD: 9-10) 20 damage per turn for 5 turns | [STUNNED - CD: 3/3]  (172 - 214)

Due to the shifting sands and movement of the boss, players take a -1 penalty to Accuracy and Evasion.

[Ruler 0]

Ruler gave him a confident smile. Though she had hardly done anything at all, she knew that she could be confident with those around her. As long as she had people backing her up, there wasn't a reason to be afraid of anything.

"Indeed. I would be honored to do more quests with you. You hit pretty hard. With practice, that could be me one day." Her awe of his strength was nothing but the end of the road for her. It probably wouldn't actually stop there, but she would be ready to reach that level at some point. If she couldn't become better, she couldn't preserve the memory of her fallen friends. "That was much faster than I anticipated. If you two are free, I would love to do more quests right now actually. Anything will do, I just want to get stronger as quickly as possible." She started to lead the way back to the main settlement, to use the teleporter.

[Freyd 0]

Freyd watched Ruler out of the corner of his eye as she spoke.  There was a particular strength of resolve about the young woman that he found appealing.  She reminded him of Yuki, but without all the yelling and attitude.  Part of him wondered what might happen if the two of them ever faced off against each other.  Vie seemed to have gone quiet, and he chose not to pry.

"You know my offer: I will help any member of Firm Anima improve their skills in any way that I can.  It didn't take me that long to be where I am now.  I'm sure that both of you will reach the same level in no time at all.  If you have other challenges you wish to face, just let me know.  I will be there to assist, if I can."  Dismissing his blade, Freyd stuck his hands into a pair of hidden pockets in his armored jacket, sauntering casually along the rocky path back to town.  Vie seemed to be in her own little world, so he drifted back to walk with his other companion, taking the opportunity to chat.

"You seem unusually drive, Ruler."  Freyd's voice was soft and barely registered above a whisper.  "It's an admirable trait, but there is often something stoking that kind of fire, in the background.  Is there anything pushing you you?  Or anyone?"

[Ruler 0]

Ruler took a moment to think about his offer. There was a pretty long quest line that she would need to go through later down the line that she'd found on the first floor. The quests alone probably didn't give a ton of experience or rewards, but once they added all up, she would have gained quite a few levels.

"There's a long quest line that I was looking at awhile back. Again, I could just level up and take them on myself, yet I feel obliged to ask if you would join me. I'm still new beginnings of the game and could use a little guidance." She admitted.

At the mention of her drive, she seemed to drift off, hiding her expression from the boy. "Uh, nothing..." She lied rather blatantly. "D-Does everyone not want to get out of the game? Is that not drive enough to get stronger?"

[Freyd 0]

Freyd smiled politely.  "Yes, I suppose that's the ultimate goal, but it's also the obvious answer.  Everyone wants that."  He spared her a sideways glance, from the corner of his eyes.  It was always easier to have these conversations without making direct eye contact.  People were surprisingly less defensive when they didn't think you were staring directly into their soul.  

"Ever since we met in the Cathedral of the Forgotten, you've been courteous, prim and proper - formal at every turn.  It's fine, of course.  I have no issues with propriety, but your drive reveals that something else must be pushing you forward.  The prim and proper types are typically less devoted to their causes than they claim.  I'm sensing some other passion in you."  He paused to let her think, before adding an out clause.

"Please, feel to tell me to mind my own business.  It was merely an observation."

[Ruler 0]

The problem was her own. She didn't need to drag others along in her personal affairs. "I was simply taught how to treat people with respect. I was never pampered or anything, this is just how I am, I guess." Talking about herself this felt kind of weird. It was just in her nature to be as kind to others as they were to her. "I have my own problems, I will admit to it, however, that is what they are: My problems. I will deal with them on my own because I can."

After saying what she did, she realized she was talking a little bit rudely. She cleared her throat and spoke again. "I apologize. I admire your concern for me, but I can handle this situation on my own. If things become more complicated, I will be sure to enlist your help without a second thought on the matter."

[Freyd 0]

Freyd shrugged, not at all surprised by the response, yet mildly amused as she fell into the quandary he had laid before her.  Of course, she had to apologize for refusing to speak.  Predictable.  He veered back to another topic as casually as if they were in a crowded coffee shop.  Around them, the barren landscape scrolled by as they made their way back to Rig.

"You mentioned a longer quest chain.  You don't seem ready for the Scents of the Wild, just yet, so I assume that you were speaking about the Dragon Hunter series?  I've only just started that string myself.  But-" he halted mid sentence and opened his UI window to check something.  "It appears to be repeatable.  Hmmm."  He glanced over Ruler again for a moment, assessing her arms and armor along with what little he could read from their current party statistics.

"Yes, I suppose that you're ready for it, especially given the ease with which we defeated the Amphis Serpens.  Call on me when you feel ready to begin the chain.  I will be there."

[Ruler 0]

Ruler peaked over to look at the quest information that he pulled up, she was now more sure than ever that she could handle fighting the first dragon at least. It didn't seem difficult at all. Also, the motivation he was feeding her about her strength was more than enough stir her up.

"Then how about we meet on the first floor tomorrow and take out a dragon. After that quest, I should be able to invest further in my weapon skill and be ready for the next one." The girl said, spying Rig in the distance. She had only just met Freyd, but she was already glad that she had decided to invite him and Vie along. Vie's silence was worrisome, but she felt as though she wasn't good enough friends with her to ask what the problem was. "I want to be a tank and help people. This will be good practice."

[Freyd 0]

"You remind me a lot of a friend of mine - another young woman of remarkable... drive.  She must have reached the front lines by now, and also worked to become a tank, as you aspire to be. It's a date then, tomorrow morning.  Meet me by the main gate.  I'll be having a coffee and catching up with Marv.  It's a little ritual I perform whenever I return to the Town of Beginnings.  Forgive me a moment."  Stepping up his pace, Freyd caught up with Vie and spoke briefly with her before dropping back again.

"Looks like it may be just the two of us for the next leg of this journey.  Vie has chosen to follow a different path."  He left it at that.  No sense in dwelling on choices made.  "Good practice indeed," he agreed.  "This place requires a well-maintained and ever-sharp blade to be ready at all times."

[Ruler 0]

"A-A date?" The phrase caught her off guard for a moment, even though it probably wasn't meant in that context. She hid her face yet again until she told convinced herself that wasn't what he meant. Freyd caught up to Vie to talk with her about something, giving her enough time to recover from that awkward thought. She cleared her throat. "I am okay with that. We'll be just fine and when she feels ready we can run it again with her." The blonde smiled to Freyd as she continued to make her way back to the teleporter.

It was now that they would split up for the day. Perhaps she should go home and work on her crafting skill. She hadn't spent enough time on it. If she wanted to have better equipment for the later levels, she would need to increase her skill level a bit. Caliburn was going to need upgrades soon.

[Freyd 0]

Bidding both guild mates farewell, Freyd took a moment to catch up on various bits of correspondence before he left this level. 

Ruler's reaction hadn't gone unnoticed.  Freyd wasn't appointed head of Firm Anima's Operations and Intelligence division without good cause.  Beyond that, the friendly demeanor he maintained was yet another carefully crafted mask.  For those in the guild, it was a more sincere illusion than for others.  But, behind it lay an ever-watchful, calculating thing that absorbed every bit of data sent its way and stored it for later use.  Her awkwardness was not surprising, given her other demonstrated traits, but it could be exploited, especially by others.  It was a potential flaw, to be carefully repaired or excised. 

There was nothing new on the other floors.  All was quiet.  So be it.  They would gather again tomorrow morning and begin a new hunt.  He'd already bagged the dragon.  What would he focus on this time?

**** 

Thread Summary:

Ruler

5 SP

400 col

<<Snake Venom>> A coating which grants a weapon a poison effect which activates on a critical hit, dealing 4 damage for 10 turns to an enemy. Lasts for one thread. Takes a post action to apply.

Freyd:

2 SP (quest previously completed)

<<Snake Venom>> A coating which grants a weapon a poison effect which activates on a critical hit, dealing 4 damage for 10 turns to an enemy. Lasts for one thread. Takes a post action to apply.

Vie: 

2 posts only.  No rewards.