[ PP/F1 ] Rusted Bolts

[Titan 0]

Quest: Secret Medicine of the Forest

The Town of Beginnings looked the exact same same as a shrouded figure casually entered the North entrance, making his way into the very first residence in town. For those who knew, it was Titan's place but it hadn't been tended to since he left months ago. " Huh, it's exactly the same. " The tank mused as he noticed the pixels hadn't gathered to collect any dust, the place looking the exact same since the day he bought it. Despite how much town was untouched by time, everything couldn't feel different. He had a penchant for punishment, a glutton for guise and disappeared without a trace. No word to his friends list, his guild or even the frontliners who seemed to take an interest in helping to grow his budded tanking career. How could he look at any of them the same anymore? The typically swift and witty man on on side, his truer self loving breaks and escapes when things got too hectic. If this had been any other game, he would've deleted Titan and came back as a new character but death didn't quite feel like the answer. 

And so, after weeks of mustering up enough courage to return, Titan found his way back to his home readying himself to continue the climb and perhaps awkward conversations with a handful of players. He felt fairly safe on the first floor though, his hand resting on his one handed spear while turning the corner from his home and heading towards the forest north of town. It would've helped if Titan had steeled his nerves, walking directly into someone and sending him skidding against the cobblestone pathway. " Watch where you're going, ey! " He musters up a response, the nerves providing more fang than the man often spoke with. His eyes quickly darting on the other's clothes at the beginner who sent him flying with a scowl on. 

@Shay

TITAN'S INVENTORY

Spoiler

Titan (Level 16) 
HP: 320 / DAMAGE: 6
EN: 32 / MIT: 9
ACC: 3 / EVA: 0
KEEN: 1 / PARA: 1

Skills:

• 1-Handed Assault Spear (Rank 4)
• Searching (Rank 2) ( + 2 LD )
• <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)
• <Relaxed> Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts

Equipment:

• ( P ) TERROR'S REACH | 1H Assault Spear ( KEEN / DAMAGE / PARALYZE )
• ( U ) ARMOR OF TOTH | Leather Armor ( MIT )
• ( P ) EYE OF HORUS | Trinket ( ACC / ACC / ACC )

Inventory:

• ( 3 ) Starter Healing Potion ( Heals 50 HP )
• ( 6 ) ( U ) T1 Healing Potion (Heals 40 HP )

 

Edited October 10, 2020 by Titan

[Shay 0]

Normally, Shay would go to a merchant and just buy materials when she needed them to make her songs, but today, she didn't have a lot money so she would have to go and farm some for herself. Getting into a fight would actually be a great way to relieve all this stress this stupid game was putting on her shoulders. Anger and resentment were all she could feel these days. It had only been a few days since ChaseR had decided to leave her alone. It was a break up, but she couldn't really be mad at him. The more she continued with this barren life, the more she was realizing just how useless she was. Not only as a player in this this game but as a person in general.

This time of year was a little more chilly for the first floor. Having lived on floor four for almost a year now, she was conditioned to this sort of weather. What she wasn't conditioned for was the bump that someone would give her as she was making her way out of the north side safe zone. The two bodied collided, crashing into the ground beside each other. In no mood to deal with another player's shenanigans, Shay drew her blade from it's sheathe and placed it at his neck. She couldn't do anything in the safe zone, but her body simply moved on its own. Murasame's malevolent purple aura resonated against their skin until she finally took it away.

"You ran into me idiot. Pay attention next time." She could have no idea who the person behind the hood actual was. The friend the fired her soul to progress and be strong. Without that information, the raven haired woman would simply continue to walk to the edge of the safe zone, a little more upset than she was to begin with.

Spoiler Name: Shay Level: 32 HP: 640/640 EN: 64/64 Stats: Damage: 14 Mitigation: 42 Evasion: 3 Accuracy: 4 BLD:24 REC:2 Equipped Gear: Weapon: (Katana)Murasame α: ACC 2; BLD 1 Armor: Leather Overcoat: EVA 3 Misc: Deep Red Tie: Recovery 2; ACC 1 Skills: Curved Sword [Rank 1] Katana [Rank 5] Light Armor [Rank 2] Extra Skills: Familiar Mastery: Fighter III Mods: Precision Battle Ready Inventory: Teleportation Crystal*1 Incarceration*2 T1 Mass HP Rec. II*1 T1 HP Rec. I*2 T1 Instant HP Rec. I*2 Housing Buffs: Rested: -1 energy cost for the first two expenditures of each combat Filling: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot. Relaxed: Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts. 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: Wedding Ring:

 

[Titan 0]

“ Don’t call me an idiot. ” His tone showcasing remnants of royalty long passed, the shell of who he was now after months of isolation and solitude had more doubt settle into the cracks that spread throughout a man shattered.  Titan pushed himself off the floor with haste, the cloak’s hood pulling itself back to unveil the blonde’s radiating streaks that somehow seemed faded, dimmer then they once were. It didn’t take too long, deep pools of Atlantic sea washed over the other’s form noticing the weapon, the aura and the demeanor of a friend ignored.

Without skipping a beat, Titan took a closer look at the person he bumped into with such a brazen personality. “ Shay, is that you? ” He asked, already knowing the answer as his deepest fears began to manifest themselves into the Town of Beginnings. He only wished he could hide in these moments, be given a reprieve and time to settle back into the groove of Aincrad before having to face those who helped him before.  

For now? He’d have to pretend he was whole again. His parents did often say he was quite the actor.

[Shay 0]

Shay's footsteps came to a halt as she neared the edge of the safe zone. He used her name? Who was this? Hardly anyone in this game really knew her besides Baldur and ChaseR. Her and Baldur had met only once, but she would never forget his kindness. He was the one who taught her how to use the sword that she now uses. It couldn't have been ChaseR. He was probably the last person that she wanted to see after just breaking up with him. No. The voice was familiar though. Someone she knew for sure, who else could it be?

Turning to see the golden locks of hair and the eyes of ocean waves, Shay's eyes widened slightly before she looked to the side. It felt shameful to see him of all people right now. Titan. How long had it been since the two had last seen each other exactly? Way too long.

"I'll call you stupid if I want. Where the hell have you been for the last half year? I sent you messages and you never responded to me, ever." Shay pulled her scarf over her face, trying to hide the newly crafted brand on her face. This sword that ChaseR had given her. Did he know that it would do this to her? Probably not. She wasn't even a high enough level to use it yet. It's enhancements were so alluring, but even still the marks wont go away, even when she's not using it.

[Titan 0]

Titan had almost forgotten the brazen attitude Shay had and simply scoffed at her answer of saying whatever she wanted while also seamlessly transitioning into the real issue at hand. He had simply ghosted everyone in Aincrad for the better part of the year. He wasn’t quite sure how to answer that but he hadn’t missed how she pulled something over her face and that it seemed like she was trying to hide something but he wouldn’t press, not quite yet.

“ Maybe it’s that attitude of yours. ” The bite showcasing itself once more, his eyes narrowing in as his fingers held onto the hilt of his weapon as a precaution. “ Or the fact that I was overwhelmingly trying to figure out Aincrad and it lead me to a huge panic attack. ” Titan sighed, the heavy rise and fall of his shoulders were signal enough that it had been even harder and deeper than he was letting on. “ Sorry for disappearing, I wasn’t trying to leave everyone questioning where I went. I just, I needed to escape. ” He didn’t need Shay’s validation to make him feel better, but his core could maybe start healing when he heard those who he cared about forgiving him for his behavior.

“ You look good though. ” He added on the compliment on purpose, a faux smile towards the girl as if a pretty smirk could be enough to undo the hurt of the past six months.

[Shay 0]

The bite of Titan's words cut her deep. Back then he was pushing her to do her best, and even still when the both of them are in the worst possible moods he's still trying to pull her out of the depths. Shay's expression slowly dropped from fierce and annoyed to regretful and upset. "I-I didn't mean it. Things have been hard... Just when I think I can do everything on my own, people keep showing up in my life and trying to make me feel better. I'm trying to better myself, do I really need other's help when I can't even help myself?!" Her voice raised the more she continued to speak, like she was slowly about to go crazy.

“ You look good though. ” The blonde said, being enough to calm her down for the moment. Taking a deep breath, she wave him along with her. "Let's walk and talk. There's still some things that I wanted to do. You don't look too busy right now anyway, right?"

[Titan 0]

“ We’re in a game where if we die, we cease to exist. ” It was incredibly matter-of-fact and after months of trying to simply accept that as fact, it came off his tongue a lot smoother than he thought it would. “ You can’t blame yourself for not being optimal during a time where nothing seems right. Those front liners are freaking machines. ” They’d never admit it but Titan was certain they were crazy and probably thrived in a space just like this. “ This now feels like it’s more than just me. What are you even talking about? ” His words curve their way into a question lobbed towards Shay, her pivot in conversation was a bit too far in left field for Titan to try to catch onto.

The promising tank shook his head and gestured out into the forest. “ Why don’t you help me with this quest first? And then we can do what you need to do. ” He suggested a break for her, his own demeanor lifted for a moment as though he was trying to put on a front. Who knows what exactly the glorious Titan had actually been feeling in these moments.

[Shay 0]

As Titan moved up next to her, he suggested that the two of them go on a quest together. While it wasn't really what she was looking for in the first place, maybe it was for the best. Sighing, and finally giving up on hiding the brand that the sword had given her, she summoned her regular weapon to her hands. "I'm just trying to get my mind off things and fighting is one of the easiest ways for me to do that. I can't stand sitting around and doing nothing anymore." Shay mentioned, letting the blond lead the way with whatever quest he was attempting.

As they walked through the forest of the first floor Shay was somewhat quiet. There was a lot on her mind recently with her break up and just her general drive to continue further in the game. "I understand needing time alone, but I would have respected it if you told me that you wanted to take a break from this overwhelming situation. I-- I spent a lot of time thinking about how it felt like you'd abandoned me. You gave me a light of hope to get stronger and improve and then you just disappeared. I became a mess..."

[Titan 0]

“ I don’t know what to tell you, Shay. ” On one hand, he felt awful for what he did but on the other hand,  what he did deep down felt right and like the thing to do and so he was torn in his disastrous ways of vindication and letting down the handful of people he’d met, Shay probably being the most let down by his absence. After she shared how she felt, Titan couldn’t help but let the silence linger while they walked through the forest that would open up into the village where the Nepent, World Boss would be.

Titan looked over at her, she was a shell of who she had been too. “ I’m sorry. ” He offered the weakest smile he could, still giving her space to process and breathe while the trees began to thin itself out and the village began to show itself against the horizon. “ What happened with me going though? And what’s that on your face? ” Obviously, a lot more happened than just Titan leaving.

[Shay 0]

The mention of the scar made Shay uncomfortable. The resentment of her expression was apparent in her expression. Thinking about ChaseR was the last thing she wanted, but she wasn't going to skimp details. That wasn't the kind of person she was. Saving face was stupid.

"After you left, I sat in silence for months in my shop. It felt like I spent an eternity in their away from everyone else. It was nice after what happened, honestly. I learned to calm down and relax a little. When I finally decided I couldn't stay pent up forever, I traveled out and met a boy who I partnered with up until now. We got closer than we thought and dated a little. He just recently ended it though. We're split up and this stupid sword refuses to let me use it. The damn thing left this mark on me. It goes all over my body. I think it will go away if I get strong enough to control it though, so I was gearing up to get stronger. Then... You bumped into me. There you go."

[Titan 0]

Honestly, Titan hadn’t expected Shay to open herself up in this moment. He had a feeling the scar meant something but for her to expose herself in this manner, perhaps she had grown a lot more than she realized in their time a part. “ Well, that was fairly succinct. ” His face scrunched up in playful humor as he had begun to realize this was about a boy. Normally, Titan would’ve prodded a bit more but it felt too sensitive of a wound on his own end to poke at knowing very well that Shay could turn it around and remind Titan that he was simply a ghost, an afterthought of a man during his absence.

“ Sounds like fate meant for all of this to play out then, huh. ” This had been the very first thought Titan had that had been positive, as though he had been willed away for a reprieve of sorts. The nepents began to pop themselves up around them, now they both were far stronger than the beasts around. “ You ready to continue like old times? ”  Titan offered his knuckles in solace, as though they had a hatchet to bury and a ladder of strength to ascend.

[Shay 0]

“ Sounds like fate meant for all of this to play out then, huh. ”

If that was true, fate was pulling on her leg extremely hard. First Titan leaves her life so she fills the void with another person. Then that person leaves her behind only for her to find Titan later again. She sighed heavily, yet again, trying to make sure that she didn't snap under all the pressure she was feeling on her shoulders. "If there's one thing I know I'm bad at, it's lying. I've stopped trying to pull the shade over other's eyes." She felt like she had to explain herself at every turn. The emotional state she was in was not agreeable for her usual demeanor.

Coming across the field of Nepents, Shay summons her regular sword. The demon's curse Murasame, brother of the Masamune. "I deal with the weaker ones while you farm the bigger one. Get the drop and we're done. Easy quest when you have the luck." For the first time, Shay offered him a smile. Getting into a fight was exactly what she needed right now.

With a rush of speed, she drew her blade, leaving the saya to fall in the grass behind her. Every accurate slash split out the pack of Nepents, allowing for Titan to make haste to the boss directly without distraction.

---

Spoiler

Shay | HP:640/640 | EN:64/64 | DMG:14 | MIT:12 | EVA:3 | ACC:4 | BLD:24 | REC:2
Titan |

Nepent 1: 7/7 | 3 DMG
Nepent 2: 7/7 | 3 DMG
Nepent 3: 7/7 | 3 DMG
Nepent 4: 7/7 | 3 DMG