[F2 - PP] Feeding Your Enemy (Feat. Starla & Dynasty)

[Starla 0]

     Starla was minding her own business on the second floor. It had been a long day of trekking around trying to find enemies. She had found a few, but maybe it was just a bad day. She wasn't finding many around, so she was wondering if there were a lot of parties hunting today. She didn't see many people around, so maybe she was just barely missing them. Starla was running around the side of a high rocky cliff face and wondered if she could make it up to the top. She was hoping she might be able to get a good view of the floor from there and see if she could spot any monsters around. It didn't take her long to find a bit of a winding path up to the top, so she made her way up. Once she was there, she was looking around and seeing almost no monsters. Dang. What is up with today? I guess I might just be missing out or something. As she turned around, an older woman was standing in front of her. "Ah!" Starla exclaimed, taken by surprise at the old woman's stealth.

"Hello dearie. Would you like to hear a story?"

     Starla looked at the old woman who was clearly suspicious. She didn't have a marker over her head, so Starla assumed she was an NPC of some sort. She wondered what kind of quest she might offer. If she was approaching Starla, it must've been something that she just met the requirements for. It's not like she had leveled up or anything. Maybe it was the cliff face and had something to do with the missing monsters? Starla looked at the old woman with a smile. "If it pleases you, I will listen."

     "Excellent." The old woman sat down on one of the nearby rocks. "You see.." She went on to describe a story about how she was able to tame monsters when she was younger. She was a legendary tamer whom was able to conquer whatever she wanted. Nary a monster was too hard for her to tame and she wished to pass on her legacy. "Young lady, I think you have the talent to tame a monster." What bull. How much do I have to pay you for this? "Go tame a monster with this." The old woman handed her a handful of some kind of dry food. It looked like a dog treat. How... Fitting. The old woman relaxed. "Will you do this for me?"

     The quest window popped up and Starla felt she had no reason to decline it. She could benefit from a familiar. She accepted the quest. The old woman smiled at her. Starla was taken aback. It reminded her of the grandmother she once had who became estranged from her due to family greed. The feeling made Starla disgusting. Not at the woman, but at the situation. It made her feel a bit empty for a moment. "T-Then I'll be on my way. Will you be here?" The old woman shook her head. Starla looked at her, a bit confused. "You'll know where to find me, if the time ever comes." Well that's ominous.

Starla made her way back down the cliff face, wondering where she was going to find a potential familiar. Where to start...? Starla just began looking around, not too hard. Might as well take my time looking for a suitable one for me.

Spoiler

Starla

Level: 8
HP: 180/180
EP: 16/16
DMG: 5
MIT: 5
EVA: 3
ACC: 3

Equipment:
Celestial Body (LA/Perfect/T1) EVA III
Black Star (Dagger/Perfect/T1) DMG III
Gold Ring (Accessory/Perfect/T1) ACC III

Skills:
Light Armor Rank I
OH Dagger Rank I

Battle Ready Inventory:
x5 Starter Healing Potions

 

[Dynasty 0]

Spoiler

Dynasty
Level: 4
HP: 80/80 | EN: 8/8 | DMG: 3 | ACC: 3 | THORNS: 9

Equipped:
» Ashrune [T1 Uncommon 1HSS [DMG I]]
» Eerie Defender [T1 Uncommon Shield [THORNS I]]
» Small Peppermint Sack [T1 Perfect Trinket [ACC III]]

Battle Ready Inventory:
» (4) Starter Healing Potions (Heals 50 HP)
» Red Omamori [T1 Perfect Trinket [LD III]]

Skills:
» 1H Straight Sword - Rank 1

The second floor was a bit of a change from the first, but a welcomed one. She was going to enjoy the challenge and the fun. But as she was walking around, she stopped when she saw the very familiar looking gypsy woman. This made her chuckle, which caused Asimi to leave his form as her vanity ring to look at what had caught Dynasty's attention. She gently pet the silver fox's head before they walked over to the other player.

Right away, Dynasty could tell that the other player was higher leveled than herself, but that was alright. There was no real danger with the familiar quest, just some minor monsters here and there, but nothing that couldn't be handled in due time. Plus, if this other player was a damage dealer, then things would die insanely faster.

She waited until the gypsy was gone before she walked over to Starla, a smile on her face. "Hey there, I noticed that you just got the familiar quest. Would you like some company? It can be quite daunting when done alone." She chuckled lightly, her hand instinctively resting upon Asimi's head. Her sword was sheathed, and the shield on her back, so it was easy to see what kind of aspirations that Dynasty had.

[Starla 0]

     While Starla was looking around, she was suddenly taken by surprise. A woman approached her and asked if she wanted help with her quest. It didn't seem like it was that hard. Was she under the wrong impression? Starla looked at the silver fox next to the woman who addressed her. Couldn't hurt to have another person accompany me. Might as well have them help me look. Starla looked over the girl, up and down. She wielded a shield, so it seemed she was going to be the front liner in this situation. Although Starla was confident that with her light armor skill, most monsters wouldn't be able to do anything to her on this floor. Starla gave a small smile to the woman. "If you'd like, you can accompany me." If she was someone who had already taken this quest, Starla wouldn't be surprised if she was her level or higher. It made her curious why she was on this floor. "My name is Starla, and yours?" Starla wasn't extremely interested in her personal details, but she was glad to meet another person who was beginning their journey late like her. She had met a lot of high level people and so she worried she was going to get a big head. She stuck to lower floors for this reason. "And might I ask why you're on this floor?"

[Dynasty 0]

The smile that she received from the other woman was small, perhaps Dynasty should have not offered companionship for a long and tedious quest? Or perhaps, this player didn't know how long this quest could actually take? There were many questions that passed through her mind, before she was given an answer on the matter. "Sorry, I only offer because the quest to get a familiar can get pretty long and tedious. It took almost all day to find Asimi here."

The fox looked at Starla, before shrinking to his pocket sized form. Quickly, Dynasty picked the fox up and put him in her pocket, before she smiled again. "My name is Dynasty, it's a pleasure to meet you Starla." For Starla being one of the first people that she's actually held a conversation with, she was really nice. That was something that Dynasty could get behind, kindness. A lot more of it was needed in this game, that was something that she had noticed over their time stuck here.

"Oh, I'm actually working on leveling up more. I'm only level four right now, so I figured that finding some quests up here might be a good idea." Dynasty still smiled, even as she made a small jest at herself for how low leveled she was. It was alright, she'd get to her goal sooner or later really. Though, she might be hoping more for the sooner aspect, things only worked as fast as she could make them. She did need to sleep after all.

[Starla 0]

     Starla was glad to have some help on the quest. There didn't seem to be very many monsters out and about, so maybe it was a good thing that she had offered to help. Since she said it had taken her so long to get her own familiar, there must've been some kind of perk to having another person along with you. The quest did say that there was a limit of 2 in a party, so maybe there was something else you could get by having another person there? She wondered if there was a secret reward for helping out someone on the familiar quest. If so, she hoped that this girl wasn't going to keep it for herself. At this thought, she wondered if the girl was someone who would do that. Listening to her introduction and her level, Starla was almost certain this girl wasn't capable of such treachery. Starla smiled at her. "Well perfect! You look well equipped for a level 4! I'm level 8, so admittedly I'm not much further along than you. Seems you're more oriented for being a tank. I'm more oriented for being a DPS, so we will match well in that regard. It's good to meet someone around my level. Most people I've met are far ahead of me in level. Gives me comfort to see someone here that I can help instead of being helped."

     Starla surveyed her surroundings, seeing some movement off in the right corner of her vision. Her head darted to the area she had seen movement. "Shall we get going?" Starla sent a party invitation. "Ah, and what is the name of your little one there? I'm also looking for an animal that resides in the forest. I'm unsure whether it should be a wolf or something like a fox. I think a wolf would suit me well. What do you think?"

[Dynasty 0]

She couldn't help but chuckle a little at Starla's enthusiasm, it was truly refreshing to her. "I'm a little far from being geared how I like, but I have an order in. Thank you though, the compliment is very much appreciated." She looked over Starla's gear and smiled with a curt nod, "You're very well geared as well. Though, I do agree, it's nice to be around someone my own level, or well, anyone who is leveling in general." Dynasty looked at Asimi and brought the silver fox kit from her pocket once more.

"This little guy is Asimi. I actually tamed him a few days ago." Asimi looked at Dynasty and barked lightly, it sounding like a tiny little squeak almost because of his current size. "Don't let this size fool you, he's able to take a hit." Asimi climbed up Dynasty's arm and moved to his spot on her shoulder. There, claw marks could be seen in the leather straps, just before he put his talons right into the same spot. "Hmm... I kind of want to say that a wolf would be good for you." She nodded lightly as she accepted the party invitation.

"I'll follow you Starla." She smiled lightly, making sure that Asimi was settled before she got ready to follow the other player into the depths of the wilds.

[Starla 0]

     Starla made her way forward, seeing that Dynasty was letting her take the lead. It wasn't as though she could make Dynasty find her pet for her. As she made her way forward, she looked to Asimi and smiled at the little squeak he had let out. "It seems Asimi has already more than warmed up to you, even though you've spent such little time together. I hope my familiar and I might share a similar bond when I find them." Starla thought about a wolf companion whom was almost as large as she was. A protector might be suitable, but she would have to give it some thought. A wolf seemed to fit her style a bit more since it was a bit more on the rural side. She wanted something that would blend well with the image in her head. Wolves were certainly a super common familiar, but they were a classic. A staple of any kind of roleplaying game with a companion. Starla smiled as she made her way through the woods, keeping an eye out for any kind of wolf howl or wolf track. For now, there wasn't anything and that was fine. Starla hoped this wouldn't take too long. She would probably get impatient if she didn't do it on her first try after all. "Did you find your familiar pretty quickly?"

[Dynasty 0]

Dynasty would have looked at Asimi, but with where he was placed on her shoulder, she couldn't exactly look at him. "I think it might also be because I treat him with jerky every once in a while." She laughed lightly, and as if to prove her point, a small piece of jerky was brought out of her pocket and given to the little fox. "We found out that he enjoys jerky as much as I do, so it's a common little snack that we have when we aren't back at the inn."

She watched Starla, the woman seemed to be thinking, and that was always a good thing to do when going into a quest like this. "When I went to train him, I gave him a piece of jerky for each time he successfully protected me from an attack." She kept pace with Starla, but did her best not to be in the woman's way. She wasn't going to be the reason that Starla missed her familiar right away. "Actually no, Asimi proved to be a little stubborn to be found. By the time I found him and tamed him, nightfall was right around the corner. But, I also went solo to look for him, so it was kind of boring and led to a lot of overthinking."

She was still smiling, even as she stated all of that. She wasn't ashamed that it took her so long to find her familiar, or the fact that she had been overthinking when doing things. It was just who she was after all. "Had you thought of a name for your familiar when you find it?"

[Starla 0]

     Starla watched as the cute interactions of Asimi and Dynasty didn't stop. It made her envious of her close familiar. She hoped that her familiar might be like that in the future, but there was only one way to find out. Starla ventured forward, noting that this quest probably would've been boring just like it was with Dynasty. It made her grateful that the girl had sought her out to accompany her. "Thank you for accompanying me, I'm sure I would've gone through the same thing you had if I took this on alone." Starla laughed nervously. "I do tend to get a bit frustrated if I don't accomplish things quickly. Having you around should help to cool my head."

     Starla thought for a moment. She hadn't even thought to think of a name. "I can't say I have thought of a name for them. I think I'm more inclined to name them once I actually capture them. Temperament, color, and some other things will likely play into my naming. Did you come up with your name beforehand?" Starla looked down near the ground she was at and smiled. Seems I found a bit of a trail. Looks like the paws might belong to a wolf. I wonder if this might be my fated partner. Starla began to move along the trail in hopes that she would get some sort of clue as to where the wolf was. It seemed it might be a little ways away though. She was never much of a tracker, but her gut was telling her this catching a familiar thing might be a whole day ordeal. She had wasted so much time laying around, so she would work the whole day if she had to. A determination burned within her that would not be quenched.

[Dynasty 0]

Dynasty looked at Starla, a happy smile on her face, "Of course! Helping others is something that I strive to do, and well, keeping you company during this quest is going to be good for us both." She chuckled lightly, "I haven't exactly held conversations with an actual player in a bit, been mainly helping the NPCs around the town this entire time." It was the truth really, she had gotten so wrapped up in helping around the town, that she sometimes forgot the difference between a NPC and a player.

"When I first started the quest, I had an idea of what I was looking for. I love foxes, and truly fell in love with the silver ones like Asimi. But, I didn't truly have his name until I did find him, just in case you know." She noticed that Starla had started to follow some tracks, so she stayed close beside her, just in case things decided to get a little hostile. "I hope you don't mind my curiosity, but why only the choices of a fox or wolf? Don't get me wrong I love them both, I'm always just curious to know why some people choose certain animals for their familiars."

It was also an odd way for her to further get to know someone. She always had a thought in her mind that you could learn a lot about someone from the pet that they have. She's seen some with snakes, and well, she doesn't trust them. Snakes can't be trusted, so in her mind, that meant that their masters couldn't be either.

[Starla 0]

     Starla continued to keep an eye on the tracks as Dynasty spoke. Starla thanked herself for being perceptive enough to see them in the first place. She could be a bit of a "rich girl" sometimes, so she worried she might not be able to pick up on survival skills for that reason. She guessed that maybe her behavior had changed due to the time she spent inside the game. As she made her way forward, she decided to answer Dynasty's question. "I think it would match the kind of theme I have going on right now. A wolf companion seems suitable for someone like me as well. They are fiercely loyal and bare their fangs at anyone who stands in their way. On the other side of the coin, foxes are mischievous beings. Back at my winter home, I would see pairs of foxes running around chittering. I think it would be nice to have such a companion. Something tells me that a wolf will be the companion that chooses me. And I don't ignore my intuition." Starla smiled. "My Father always taught me that a businessman's instinct was the thing that kept a man's business from collapsing." Starla turned her eye toward Dynasty. "Although I've always wondered if intuition was just based on our unknown powers of observation, but... I'm rambling. I'm glad you made the trek to come speak with me." How could I let myself talk this long? This girl makes me uncomfortably comfortable.

     Starla looked off in the distance and she could've sworn she saw movement. Was something keeping an eye on them? As Starla moved forward, her gaze was piercing. She did not blink and her breathing became rhythmic as her vision honed in on the movement. "Seems we've got eyes on us."

[Dynasty 0]

Starla had stayed quiet for a little before she started to respond to Dynasty. Right when Starla started to talk again, Dynasty figured out one thing very quickly, this woman could talk. It wasn't something that was a bad thing, in fact, for this quest, it was probably the best thing that could happen. While Dynasty didn't say anything while the talk went on, she did listen intently. Starla was right about foxes, they were mischievous, and it was interesting to see. Asimi himself was hiding on his own, only instead of being in her pocket at this point, he had turned back into his ring and was firmly placed on Dynasty's finger.

"It's alright, sometimes talking about the intuitions can help them make more sense. I learned everything that I have by following my own gut and just listening to what my intuition has told me. Now, I didn't expect my gut to tell me to get stuck in a death game, but hey, it can't always be right." She chuckled lightly, but it was cut short. She had felt the eyes on them for a bit now, and knowing that Starla felt, and even saw them now was a good thing for Dynasty's sanity. "Well, we could keep walking and ignore the eyes, see if it's a creature that wants to become a familiar, or, we could attack it."

She looked at Starla and smiled lightly, "But, I fully leave that decision up to you, since this is your quest."

[Starla 0]

     Starla kept her point of view focused on the eyes that were watching over them. It seemed that maybe it was a creature that was wanting to be a familiar. She had never seen an enemy who had kept such a watchful eye on her before, so she had a feeling that this enemy was hoping it would find them. "I think this creature wants to be found, to an extent. On the lower floors, I haven't heard of an enemy who would stalk you in hopes of attacking you. I wonder if the quest triggers such a creature to spawn." I'd be interested to know how the coding for that kind of thing might work. And... I wonder if the game might know what your preference for a familiar is. The game does tap into your brain, so it wouldn't be shocking if they could read a small portion of your thoughts. Starla moved forward, trying to get a lock on where this creature might have been. It was clear that they were nearby, but they seemed to be darting around behind a group of trees.

[Dynasty 0]

Dynasty smiled warmly at Starla's thoughts and reasoning on why they were being watched. Of course, that didn't stop the woman from being prepared for anything and everything that could possibly happen. "Possibly, I was hoping to find a silver fox, and the game sent me Asimi. At this point, in this game, I'd think that anything is able to truly happen." She felt like her words were true, but there was just the question on if her words were actually true. Only time would be able to tell. She hoped that Starla was able to find the creature that was stalking though, that would make for an interesting story to tell others when they asked about the familiar. "If this does happen to be the wolf that you are looking for, I'll stay off to the side with Asimi, so that your taming attempts will hopefully not be distracted by us."