[PP-F1] Forced Acquaintances - <<Secret Medicine of the Forest>>

[Iron_Lion 1]

Earlier that day, Akio had been sneaking around the settlement known as "Town of Beginnings" when he heard about the particular quest which spawns a field boss in the forest. The quest supposedly started in the town called Horunka in a two story building. Thankfully Akio had learned about a few of the alleyways and streets which weren't monitored, or at least poorly monitored, by guards, allowing him to walk through them without being caught and thrown out like he almost was today. Now he was entering the town through a secret passage way around the side. He had mixed feelings about the town. It was far less dense and populated than the town of beginnings, which Akio would have named city or metropolis instead. And because of that it was a lot more roomier, and he felt it easier to breath. He felt more relaxed here... But also not, as the downside was less crowds to hide in. So he needed to play it carefully if he wanted to avoid the guards. Keeping his hood up, he noticed that there were people wearing different colors, but there were a lot of white clothed individuals as well, so he didn't need to change the color of his armor. Walking along the edges of the streets, he passed many markets and stalls, eyeing some of the hunting supplies that they had available here. He was honestly quite interested as he'd studied various types of weapons, but it wasn't time for that now. 'Don't get distracted by what you don't need.' He held his right arm in front of him but close to the chest, and triggered his hidden blade to emerge before retracting it again. Right. That was all he needed. Besides, he couldn't use bows or throwing daggers anyhow... It was so unfair that the npcs could use ranged weapons but not them...

Eventually he finally managed to make his way to the two story building, which he now assumed was the town hall or something, without getting caught by any guards... Somehow... He took a breath, then started walking up the stairs and opened the door.

@Spencer

[Iron_Lion] [Lv. 10]
[DMG:_06//EVA:_03]
HP:  [                    ] (250/250)
EN:  [                    ] (20/20)
XP:  [                    ] (0/3)

[Spencer 0]

"How have I not done this quest before? I literally have nothing to do half the time and YET I've missed this one. Jesus Christ, lets get this over with." Checking his list of quests, Spencer noticed <<Secret Medicines of the Forest>> was something that he still needed to completed. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair before setting off to find the quest location, wherever the hell that may be.

After a few minutes of walking, he finally got to where he needed to go and began walking up the stairs to the building. Entering the building he swore that he could actually see an Orange Player entering the building, which was surprising considering the guards all around the city. He shrugs it off and picks up his familiar Penguin Noot so he doesn't have to climb the stairs.

He entered the building and his eyes fell upon an Orange cursor, which made him worried and also confused. It was very difficult in order for people to get into the main city with an Orange marker, but if someone was in the city, that means that they were rather good. However, upon earlier inspection, the player seemed to be rather young. He saw kids many times in this game but they were usually NPCs. He saw the player near the NPC he was headed for, and decided to interact with the newer player. "Hello, are you going to be doing this quest? I'm willing to assist if you want to accompany me. I haven't done it as well." He smiles softly at the person.

HP: 540 | EN: 54 | DMG: 4 | MIT: 74| THR: 2 | REC: 1 | REG: 1 |

Spoiler

Level 27
Health: 540 HP
Energy: 54 Energy
Damage: 4
Mit: 74

Skills:
Block R3 [12 Mit]
Howl [10 EN: 3 Hate, Up to 4 Targets]
1-Handed War Hammer R2 [2 DMG]
Heavy Armor R1 [8 MIT]
Familiar Mastery R3 [54 MIT]
Survival

Mods
Focused Howl [5 Hate on One Target]

Equipped:
Uncommon Warhammer [1 DMG]
Heavy Armor [2 Slots of Thorns]
Perfect Shield [1 Recovery, 1 Regen, 9 Mit]

 

[Iron_Lion 1]

Not even managing to take a single step into the building did someone speak to him. "Hello, are you going to be doing this quest?" Akio nearly cursed out loud but held his tongue and just turned his head enough to see the other player, trying to keep his face behind the hood as much as possible. Whoever this player was, he was clearly a strong one. He was wearing thick heavy armor, he had a war hammer hanging from his hip, a large shield hanging on his back, and... A, penguin? He couldn't help but open his mouth slightly in surprise to how cute the thing was... He almost smiled. Almost. In the end he half smiled at the penguin. 'Never judge by appearances. Everything and everyone is a threat until proven otherwise.' While that was true... It was just soooo cuuuuute~ At this point he turned completely to face the player, if only to keep looking at the cute penguin. 'I can't just go with this guy. I don't know him and he looks dangerous... But... I came all this way. I can't just abandon my plans now that I'm literally on the doorstep. What did mom's creed say again? 'Once you make a promise, always intend to keep it'. Well I promised myself I'd get stronger, and I can't do that unless I complete quests... If he gives me trouble, I can always teleport out of here I guess.' He stared at the penguin some more for mental comfort before finally saying something. "Why should I work with a complete stranger I don't even know? You could be trying to lure me into a trap for all I know."

@Spencer

[Iron_Lion] [Lv. 10]
[DMG:_06//EVA:_03]
HP:  [                    ] (250/250)
EN:  [                    ] (20/20)
XP:  [                    ] (0/3)

[Spencer 0]

He watched as the player slowly turned to look at him, well mostly at the Penguin in his arms. Okay, they like penguins! I mean who doesn't. He ignored the rest of his thoughts as he waited for the player to say something. After a moment of what Spencer could only assume to be quiet contemplation, the player finally spoke. The aversion to teaming up slightly surprised Spencer, but he had been there before. "Oh, I only ask because you do not seem to be wearing Heavy Armor. I am slowly becoming more of a 'Tank'," He used air quotes at that word, "and would like more experience helping those around me. Besides, a travel companion that can actually talk back to me sounds nice." He motions to the penguin in his arms. 

The penguin waves at the player and lets out a soft "Noot Noot!" Spencer looked down at the Penguin and smiled softly. "He's very vocal and friendly. Also, my name is Spencer if that helps break the tension at all." This player had to be a bit younger than me right? I can't tell for sure though... Hmm..

[Iron_Lion 1]

Ok, so this guy was trying to be a tank/not-tank, wanted experience "helping" people around him, and wanted a companion that could talk. Ok, the third one he bought, but he wasn't entirely sure about the first two. Even with his green cursor, he could easily be part of some player killing group. Or maybe anytime he tried making a friend some player killing group that followed him everywhere got the jump on whoever he traveled with, making him cursed or something... No that was just stupid, he'd been playing too many games lately... Oh, right. 'If forced to work with someone, deceive them. Make them think you're weak and friendly, while observing their every move and word in secret'. He closed his eyes under his hood. 'I'll make you proud mom.' When he heard a 'noot noot' his eyes widened again and he stared at the penguin. After a moment of staring he tilted his head vertically. "...Um... Is that the sound penguins make?" He shifted his weight between both feet for a moment as he thought before finally making a decision... On what he'd say that is. "Well... Alright. But just for this quest and no more, ok? And can I, uh... Can I hold the penguin for a little? If you don't mind that is..." Upon hearing the player ask for his name he almost said Akio again, but used his made up name instead. "My name's Shiroe."

@Spencer

[Iron_Lion] [Lv. 10]
[DMG:_06//EVA:_03]
HP:  [                    ] (250/250)
EN:  [                    ] (20/20)
XP:  [                    ] (0/3)

[Spencer 0]

He waited a moment again for the player to speak. He sensed that this player very much enjoyed thinking out their actions and words before doing them. That was fully a good trait to have, one that Spencer didn't have as much of. After a brief moment however, the player began speaking again. He couldn't help but smile when he began talking about the Penguin. "I'm not positive, but this is the noise that the game has them make so..." He shrugs and smiles a bit. He listens to the rest of the words and nods again. "I'm fine with just this one quest, no pressure of course. And you want to hold Noot? That's his name by the way. I don't see why not!" He smiles and sets the penguin down on to the ground.

Noot waddles over and waves at Shiroe, hoping on to his foot and sitting down. "And nice to meet you Shiroe. Shall we get started? I'm not entirely sure how long this will take and I don't enjoy being out past dark unless its the safe zone. Which even then can be a bit strange."

[Iron_Lion 1]

With the permission of Spencer, Akio crouched down and gently picked up the penguin called noot, and held him against his chest. He leaned his head against Noot's head to hide his embarrassment. "Thank you." He said. When they turned to enter the building, and with Spencer looking the other way, Akio smiled like a kid in a candy store and nuzzled Noot, which he wanted to do the second he saw him. "Oh is that so? I mean... Yeah I can understand that. My first few nights in the forest were kinda scary, especially with monsters and all. But once I could buy tents and campfires, it wasn't all that bad. You know, when you can ignore the howling and all." 'Although I do want to get this work together stuff over with soon...' The two walked inside and found themselves in what appeared to be some sort of waiting room where a grown man and women were sitting on the sofa. Their faces were so covered in worry that Akio mistook them for elderly people. Above their heads was the quest giver marker. "I guess that's them right there." Walking over to the npcs he went ahead and started the conversation. "Hey, you guys need help or something?" The two turned to look at him. "Yes, we do. Many of our townsfolk are sick, and we can't make the medicine without the proper ingredient." The woman said. "And it's found within a terrifying creature that dwells deep within the forest!" The man added. "Not even our bravest warriors could handle it!" "Yes.. When you approached we were about to ask you to help us... But..." "You're only a child, and we couldn-" "Hey, shut up! I'm not a helpless kid I can help!" Akio yelled. He didn't like these two npcs and he doubted he ever would after this.

@Spencer

[Iron_Lion] [Lv. 10]
[DMG:_06//EVA:_03]
HP:  [                    ] (250/250)
EN:  [                    ] (20/20)
XP:  [                    ] (0/3)

[Spencer 0]

"I suppose camping is nice. I have not done it yet unfortunately. While I have a higher level than some I still worry about being taken out in my sleep by-" He cut himself off when his eye danced over the orange crystal, worried that he may say the wrong thing, "unfriendly individuals who come across me." He finishes the statement, hoping that he was able to smooth it over. "The animals themselves don't normally bother me luckily. Grew up in Northern Michigan so I dealt with wolves and Coyotes howling a decent amount at night."

Spencer and Shiroe approached the two NPCs involved and waved to them, listening to the audio going between them. He began to grow a bit sour as the conversation began growing towards bashing the young player's age. He went to say something to interrupt the conversation flow, but his companion quickly shouted out words to counteract their comments. "Yeah. We both will be helping. I believe he has the capabilities to help. I will be there to assist as well, so no need to worry. We both are fairly capable individuals." He had no idea what Shiroe could do, but he didn't want to upset him anymore. "Shiroe, we can just accept the quest and go. The NPCs don't have brains to themselves beyond their code."

[Iron_Lion 1]

"You mean player killers? Yeah, I've been able to avoid them so far. But, it's not like I can rent a place in a safe zone or anything like that, so I just gotta be careful you know?" Akio was completely oblivious of how other players viewed him with his orange cursor, as he didn't see it as a mark of a player killer. Especially since he himself saw himself as a survivalist, and, hopefully, an assassin like his mother. Able to support himself and anyone he cared about. "And besides, if you put some tripwire by the entrance and string it to some bells, they can't catch you by surprise right? Besides, the night looks really pretty out in the woods. Not so much in the towns." When he heard where the player came from he paused. "Wait, so. You're not from Japan either? That's really weird. I thought most everyone would be from Japan, but you're the second person I met who wasn't. This is a Japanese server right?" 'Why in the world are so many people from other countries in here?'

Punching the 'accept' button angrily he turned and stormed out with a huff while still cuddling with Noot with his free arm. "Even if that's true he knew my age somehow and pissed me off!" After a few more steps down the stairs however he fell into his thoughts. 'Then again, those npcs from the beginning quests had some level of intelligence too. And that pker helper npc has some as well. Maybe quest givers are given a little bit of information to work with, however limited, while every other npc is just dumb as bricks. Did that mean other npcs would have far greater intelligence then?' Upon looking at the quest information he looked confused. "Two nepents each? Does that mean four in total or something?" He then opened his map and tracked their path towards the quest destination. "It's in Tall-Leaf Woods. That's where the large, man eating plants are right? I never fought those before. How do you think they'll attack?"

@Spencer

[New Objective: Defeat 2 Nepents Each]
[Nepents Slain {Iron_Lion}: 0/2]
[Nepents Slain {Spencer}: 0/2]

[Iron_Lion] [Lv. 10]
[DMG:_06//EVA:_03]
HP:  [                    ] (250/250)
EN:  [                    ] (20/20)
XP:  [                    ] (0/3)

[Spencer 0]

He looked slightly confused when Shiroe mentioned that he was avoiding the Player Killers, but he was also marked with an Orange crystal. He knew that not all Orange players were actually bad people, but it still was rather strange. He shrugged it off and began thinking about camping for a little bit. "I suppose the night sky is beautiful. Haven't taken it in that much. And I suppose those traps could honestly work. Even the smartest of people could be gotten by a tripwire. Luckily many people are rather stupid." He laughed a little. He paused at the not Japanese comment. "Nope I'm not, and I've met actually quite a few people who aren't. It's surprising from a game and company based in Japan that a decent chunk of the player base isn't from Japan. Capitalism will do that to a company."

He listened to the age comment and thought for a moment. "I'm not sure what to say about age. You are the youngest individual that I have ran into as of late. While that isn't a bad thing, many people might see it that way. Being different can suck, just gotta learn that difference means you're better than a lot of the shmucks out there." He smiled and gave him a thumbs up. "And for the Nepent fighting, I'm not sure. I can draw their agro right at the beginning so they attack me first and will possible die off my enchantments. You have free reign after that to mess them up. What is your fighting strategy anyways?"

 

[Iron_Lion 1]

"Hey, we're in a video game. It doesn't matter how old, young or whatever you are, or in what shape you look. Everyone has the same stats because the game is fair. You at level one? You're stupidly weak. If you're level ninety, you're almost a god. That's how it works in video games." Akio crossed his arms annoyingly. "And I'm not that different..." With that they walked out of the house and began to walk through the town... Though they didn't get far when Akio remembered about his cursor. "D-dah, wait, we need to go this wa-" "Hey you!" A guard suddenly called out. Akio froze where he was. "Damnit! Uh, right. So um... Run?" With that Akio bolted down the street as fast as he could, though he would be, by default, slower than Spencer, he had become very good at dodging and avoiding guards while running out of the city. In the end, he got out of the town a lot easier than he usually did, primarily due to it's fewer number in guards and it's smaller size. Once out of the town he crouched over and panted as he caught his breath. "Right... Nepents... In forest... That way..."

About a half an hour later into the forest, they'd finally reached the zone where the nepents were actually able to spawn in. By this point Akio had looked up what a nepent even was in Sword Art Online, and had written some starting notes about them in his loremaster before putting it away. "Alright. So we're here now. I wonder how they spawn in. Like... Are they in sight all the time? Or do they pull a 'surprise attack' by looking like a normal plant first and then popping out the next seco-" He cut himself off as they walked around a cluster of trees and saw two pairs of two nepents, their massive plant heads rotating slowly looking for someone to attack. 'Well, guess that answers that.' Akio took the stance which enabled him to activate any sword art he wanted without making it's specified moves, then charged forward towards the right pair of nepents. As he neared them, he activated the rank one sword art "Round Accel". With two swift strikes, the monster shattered instantly and basic information on the monsters was transferred to his hud now that he'd beaten one. Seven health? No mitigation? These things were easy! "This quest... Is disappointing so far."

[ID# 183031] [BD: 8+3=11=hit] [6*2-0=12 DMG] [Target: Nepent 1]
                            [MD: 9-3=6=hit] [3+1=4]

[Nepents Slain { Iron_Lion }: 1/2]
[Nepents Slain { @Spencer }: 0/2]

[Nepent 1] [0/7][3 DMG][No Drop]
[Nepent 2] [7/7][3 DMG][No Drop]

 

[Iron_Lion] [Lv. 10]
[DMG:_06//EVA:_03]
HP:  [                    ] (250/250)
EN:  [                    ] (14/20)
XP:  [                    ] (0/3)

Edited February 16, 2021 by Iron_Lion

[Spencer 0]

Spencer didn't mean to upset Shiroe by making a comment about him being different, but it was a tad obvious that he might have said the wrong thing. "I-" He went to go apologize, but the guards of the city intervened. He knew that the guards around here did not like Orange Players, but he never once witnessed first hand how they react to the Orange Players. I have to remember that even if he is that young, he is still a player killer. He thought to himself and ran after the player who now was on the run with his familiar. Spencer was able to catch up to the kid, who was panting on the outside of the town. He chuckled slightly, finding it a little funny that players got ran out of town. "Well there's a first time for anything," he looks back at the city, "So, yeah. Lets head out."

The pair walked in comfortable silence towards where they needed to go. After a while, Shiroe began talking about what they might encounter when they finally find the Nepents. He was thinking about the fight as well, but the two of them were quickly thrown into the battle as well. "Oh hello!" He laughed and pulled out his mace. The first one was taken out by Shiroe, but the second one was stalking Spencer. He quickly put both of his hands on the hilt, and placed the head of the weapon on the dirt. The Nepent choreographed his jump, and Spencer swung up his mace. "Four!" He yelled and slammed upwards into the Nepent, its blue crystals flying over the two of them. "Well," he brushed himself off, "Shall we search for the next two?"

ID: 183055 BD: 10 [6x2(Upper Swing)=12]
ID:  MD: 

[Nepents Slain { Iron_Lion }: 1/2]
[Nepents Slain { @Spencer }: 1/2]

[Nepent 1] [0/7][3 DMG][No Drop]
[Nepent 2] [0/7][3 DMG][No Drop]

HP: 540 | EN: 51/54 | DMG: 4 | MIT: 74| THR: 2 | REC: 1 | REG: 1 |

[Iron_Lion] [Lv. 10]
[DMG:_06//EVA:_03]
HP:  [                    ] (250/250)
EN:  [                    ] (20/20)
XP:  [                    ] (0/3)

Edited February 15, 2021 by Spencer

[Iron_Lion 1]

Akio had quickly turned on his heels easily, feeling the dirt beneath his feet give way slightly but not by much as he took another ready stance to slay the second nepent of his pair. That's when he saw Spencer smash it with his mace yelling "four!" which confused Akio, who didn't get the reference. He blinked for a second. "Four? What are you talking about?" However he focused once again as the second pair began to make it's way over to them. Akio took his ready stance, his eyes narrowing and the hidden blade drawing from his right gauntlet. Once his dagger glowed he ran forward, unhooking the blade to grip it in his hands. He ran past Spencer and aimed for the monster. He knew since he was small that he could use it to his advantage, so he slid at the last moment, avoiding it's vine attacks, and slashed the creature as he slid. He came to a stop underneath it, placed his blade back on it's slot, then stabbed it from underneath before watching it shatter. After that he rolled to the side to avoid the attack from the second nepent.

After evading the attack he rolled himself to his feet, his hidden dagger once again concealed within his gauntlet. "Man these guys sure are boring aren't they? They're even weaker than the tutorial mobs..."

[ID# 183093] [BD: 6+3=9=hit] [6*2-0=12 DMG] [Target: Nepent 1]
                            [MD: 5-3=2=miss] [Target: Iron_Lion]
[ID# 183094] [MD: 1-3=1=miss] [Target: Iron_Lion]

------------------------------------------------

[Nepent 1] [7/7][3 DMG][No Drop]
[Nepent 2] [7/7][3 DMG][No Drop]

[Spencer] [Lv. 27]
[DMG:_4//MIT:_74//THR:_2//REC:_1//REG:_1]
HP:  [                    ] (540/540)
EN:  [                    ] (51/54)

[Iron_Lion] [Lv. 10]
[DMG:_06//EVA:_03]
HP:  [                    ] (250/250)
EN:  [                    ] (8/20)
XP:  [                    ] (0/3)

-----------------------------------------------

[Nepents Slain { Iron_Lion }: 2/2] [Objective Complete!]
          [New Objective: Obtain Nepent's Ovule 0/1]
[Nepents Slain { @Spencer }: 1/2]

Edited February 16, 2021 by Iron_Lion

[Spencer 0]

He cocked his eye when Shiroe did not understand the golfing reference. "Oh it's.. it's golf. Have you seen Golf before?" He looked a little quizzical at the kid. Sheesh, how old is he? I knew about Golf at a young age... Okay lets just hope that he just didn't get the joke at the moment. He ignored his worry for a moment and kept an eye on the kid. He didn't have a horrible ability to fight, as he took out a Nepent in one hit as well. He was a little worried about the kid getting too emotional, but that does not normally happen when fighting monster NPCs.

Luckily for him, Shiroe took out another Nepent, that just left Spencer to take on the last one. "Disengage from the fight. If they land a blow on me they Die, if I land a blow on them, they die. Nothing to worry about, they just need to strike." He knew they were very weak and he had nothing to worry about, but he still felt like he needed to keep Shiroe and the others around him safe.

ID: 183148 BD: 5 CD: 12[Miss] [Regen 3 - 2(Miss)= +1

[Nepent 1] [7/7][3 DMG][No Drop]
[Nepent 2] [7/7][3 DMG][No Drop]

[Spencer] [Lv. 27]
[DMG:_4//MIT:_74//THR:_2//REC:_1//REG:_1]
HP:  [                    ] (540/540)
EN:  [                    ] (52/54)

[Iron_Lion] [Lv. 10]
[DMG:_06//EVA:_03]
HP:  [                    ] (250/250)
EN:  [                    ] (8/20)
XP:  [                    ] (0/3)

Edited February 16, 2021 by Spencer

[Iron_Lion 1]

Now Akio looked at Spencer with curiosity rather than straight up confusion. "Wait, golf? What does 'four' have to do with golf?" He'd only glossed over golf in his reading as it didn't look like very much fun to him. He'd much rather read adventure filled stories. Ironically he could write a few of his own when they escaped this world for good. Upon hearing Spencer telling him to disengage and let the last nepent die via striking his armor, which Akio could only assume had the thorns enhancement on it, he nodded and began to turn and run towards the forest. As he turned to run however he saw from the corner of his eyes the monster winding up it's attack and leaped forward, ducking into a roll for boosted momentum, and to make a smaller target, before getting to his feet again. The thing was still on him though. "Or you could. You know. Just lice it like last time?"

[ID# 183177] [Result: Partial Success - Do not escape, but enemies unable to attack]

+1 EN

-----------------------------------------------

[Nepent 1] [7/7][3 DMG][No Drop]
[Nepent 2] [7/7][3 DMG][No Drop]

[Spencer] [Lv. 27]
[DMG:_4//MIT:_74//THR:_2//REC:_1//REG:_1]
HP:  [                    ] (540/540)
EN:  [                    ] (52/54)

[Iron_Lion] [Lv. 10]
[DMG:_06//EVA:_03]
HP:  [                    ] (250/250)
EN:  [                    ] (9/20)
XP:  [                    ] (0/3)

-----------------------------------------------

[Nepent's Ovule { Iron_Lion }: 0/1]
[Nepents Slain { @Spencer }: 1/2]

Edited February 17, 2021 by Iron_Lion

[Spencer 0]

"I... Nevermind." He dropped the golf subject and waited for the Nepents to come and strike him. One of them was still very interested in what Shiroe was doing, which was quite annoying considering he was wanting the Nepents to attack him. "Oh come on, you literally had to go for the person that is no longer in the fight." He sighed and readied his mace. A second Nepent had come by, and this time he was going to take it out. Spencer creeped forward and did a similar move as to before, swinging up hard and taking the creature off of its feet for a moment, before it exploded into a cloud of blue crystals. "Well. that went not too bad. Now we just have to take out the big one." He smiled at the direction the kid went, realizing he went a bit of a distance. "You okay to find the next creature? We can take a moment if you need a moment, no harm in taking a breather. I'm okay to go though, so no waiting on me." He approached the man with a questioning look.

ID: 183201 BD: 6 [4x2=8 DMG]

[Nepent 2] [7/7][3 DMG][No Drop]

[Spencer] [Lv. 27]
[DMG:_4//MIT:_74//THR:_2//REC:_1//REG:_1]
HP:  [                    ] (540/540)
EN:  [                    ] (50/54)

[Iron_Lion] [Lv. 10]
[DMG:_06//EVA:_03]
HP:  [                    ] (250/250)
EN:  [                    ] (9/20)
XP:  [                    ] (0/3)

-----------------------------------------------

[Nepent's Ovule { Iron_Lion }: 0/1]
[Nepents Slain { @Spencer }: 2/2]

Edited February 17, 2021 by Spencer

[Iron_Lion 1]

"This is the first time I've ever attempted to disengage from a fight before, so it's news to me too. Hmm." Once again he pulled out his loremaster and jotted a few notes down real quick. 'It seems that even attempting to break away from the smallest of mobs isn't a guarantee. Maybe it's up to randomization? Or is it skill? Or both?' Once he'd finished he put his loremaster back into his inventory. He was very careful to keep Spencer from seeing what the contents of his loremaster were. Once he'd put it away though he blinked as he didn't see the penguin. He looked around until he saw the penguin standing behind a tiny tree. "Um... So what enhancements does your familiar have? Is it a combat familiar? A searching familiar?" To Spencer's question he sat down. "Nah, I've only got about two more sword arts in me. I'd like to charge up a little before we head to the..." He looked closer at the quest information. "Nepent variant- wait there are variants of mobs?" He almost pulled his loremaster out then and there.

[Iron_Lion] [Lv. 10]
[DMG:_06//EVA:_03]
HP:  [                    ] (250/250)
EN:  [                    ] (15/20)
XP:  [                    ] (0/3)

-----------------------------------------------

[Nepent's Ovule { Iron_Lion }: 0/1]
[Nepent's Ovule { @Spencer }: 0/1]

[Spencer 0]

"What type of Familiar? Oh he is for combat. He is primarily for mitigation properties.... Which I know for sure is strange considering he is, in fact, a Penguin. However he does very well for a bird of his size and friendship. I'm not entirely sure how." Noot, as if on cue, sat down on the ground and watched a butterfly fly past, almost getting up to chase after it, but deciding to stay put. "No worries about waiting. And yep! Not all Mobs have a variant style, but some do. Primarily those that are connected to quests. The variant, I think, wont be much harder. I can use my howl ability at the beginning of the fight to draw its attention. That way you can get an attack in and it wont target you. I don't expect anything bad to happen to you, but just as a precaution." He smiled and sat on the ground, taking in the forest. "Have you thought about getting a familiar? You seem to have an interest in some animals, and Noot isn't the only loveable animal out there for adoption."

[Iron_Lion 1]

Akio stared with a blank expression at the penguin as it started, then stopped chasing the butterfly. Almost as it started. "...Is he the, only thing that doesn't make that much sense in this world, or are there more like it?" As he listened to Spencer talk about the monsters, he smiled and paid close attention to him, his feet kicking back and forth as he sat. "Just with quests huh? That's odd. Maybe it's just them wanting to be consistent?" 'No matter how constant and unchanging something may seem, always expect a change in the pattern.' Right. No matter what he couldn't let his guard down. He would have to be vigilant at all- His thoughts were interrupted when he noticed Noot sitting on the stone right beside him. "...How, did... Um.. Never mind." Upon hearing the player explain that he would use the howl skill before they started the fight, Akio nodded. 'It would keep me safe, and also give me a chance to watch the howl skill in action. Jackpot.' "Yeah I'm cool with that. I don't need to kill the nepent, just get the Ovule, so that works out." Checking his energy and smiling he jumped to his feet. "Come on let's go!"

[Iron_Lion] [Lv. 10]
[DMG:_06//EVA:_03]
HP:  [                    ] (250/250)
EN:  [                    ] (20/20)
XP:  [                    ] (0/3)

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[Nepent's Ovule { Iron_Lion }: 0/1]
[Nepent's Ovule { @Spencer }: 0/1]

[Spencer 0]

"Oh trust me. You tend to see some Crazy things. There are dragons, weird plant Bosses. Sea creatures, giant fish, Giant bats.... Noot is just a penguin. Found him on the fourth floor." He smiled at the penguin and slowly stood up, Shiroe mentioning that he is good to head out. "Alright, lets get this party started." He clasped his hands together and smiled. The two of them began to trek out towards where the Variant might spawn, hoping to find it easily enough.

Wow, that was definitely easy. After only a minute or so of walking, the pair came across the large, corrupted looking version of a regular Nepent. "Man, that's ugly." He muttered and readied his mace and his shield. He focused for a moment, and let out a loud yell, slamming his mace against his shield. A red aura appeared around him for a moment, and the Nepent turned its eyes directly at Spencer. "Okay, that works out well. You're up Shiroe."

Using [Focused Howl] for 5 Hate Against the Nepent Variant

Nepent Variant
HP: 15
Mitigation: 5
Damage: 10
Nepent Variant ignores armor mitigation on a natural roll of 10

[Spencer] [Lv. 27] [H: 5]
[DMG:_4//MIT:_74//THR:_2//REC:_1//REG:_1]
HP:  [                    ] (540/540)
EN:  [                    ] (46/54)

[Iron_Lion] [Lv. 10] [H: 0]
[DMG:_06//EVA:_03]
HP:  [                    ] (250/250)
EN:  [                    ] (20/20)
XP:  [                    ] (0/3)