Koga 0 Posted February 16, 2022 #1 Report Share Posted February 16, 2022 (edited) k o g a the elder wolf Spoiler notes: none Koga, Lvl 32/40 | HP: 840 // EN: 118 // DMG: 23 // EVA: 2 // MIT: 30 // ACC: 2 // LD: 6 // BRN: 56 // BLT: 32/20 // FALN: 8 // B.HEALING: 46/92 equipped battle-ready inventory T4 Demonic Katana <<Tsuki no Hikari>> [ CRSED // BRN I // BLT I // FALN I ] T4 Perfect Light Armor <<Shadow Chance Coat>> [ EVA II // REGN I ] T1 Perfect Bracelet <<Woven Bracelet>> [ LD III ] T1 Perfect Trinket <<Kashira Cable - Wolf>> [ ACC III ] skills Spoiler | UTILITY Searching III | +1 LD per rank. +1 to Stealth Detection per rank. | 14 SP Night Vision | Ignores any penalties from low light or darkness. Negates the bonus Stealth Rating from low light or darkness. | 3 SP | COMBAT Combat Shift: Single Target | For the following Sword Arts, +3 to multipliers and +2 to EN cost; ST-I, ST-II, ST-B. No other Shifts may be taken. | 10 SP Mastery: Damage III | Gain 1 * Tier Damage per rank | 13 SP Battle Healing V | Recover 5% (rounded down) of your maximum HP at the start of your turn | 30 SP Emergency Recovery | When non-fatal damage would leave you with 25% or less of your maximum HP, recover 10% of your maximum HP after the attack resolves. Effect cannot occur more than once per thread. When activated if the player has lower than 10 energy remaining, simply reduce the player's energy to 0. | 6 SP EN Cost: 10 Energist | Increase Base Energy by 5 * Tier | 8 SP Charge | Perform a single attack/Sword Art with +5 base damage. Charge attacks have a -1 Accuracy debuff and cannot be affected by any auto-hit effects. | 10 SP Cooldown: 3 Posts | WEAPON Katana V | +7 DMG when equipped with a Katana | 30 SP Stamina | Reduces the energy of all Katana attacks by 2 EN | 4 SP Precision | Gain +1 ACC. | 2 SP Ferocity | +2 DMG when using Katana Sword Arts | 4 SP | ARMOR Light Armor V | +30 MIT when equipped with Light Armor, -2 Stealth | 30 SP Meticulous | +1 DMG when equipped with Light Armor | 4 SP Resolve | +1 ACC and +10 * Tier HP when equipped with Light Armor | 6 SP | EXTRAS Familiar Master: Rending | You and your familiar attack in tandem, applying Rend [7*tier unmitigatable damage] to the target that lasts for two turns. | 10 SP Cooldown: 5 Turns Survival | Increases Healing effects received from all sources by 10%. Grants immunity to all damage dealing environmental attacks/effects. | 0 SP Parry | Apply the energy cost upon proc, not activation. Reduces the final damage of the next successful attack against you by 50% (rounded down) and negates stun/paralysis effects of that attack. If hit by multiple attacks, only apply parry to the first attack against you. Parry lasts for three turns. Cooldown starts when the player activates the Skill. If the player is hit when using Parry, the cooldown is reset to 3 turns. | 10 SP 9 EN, Cooldown: 3 Turns Vengeful Riposte | A successful Parry also returns 50% (rounded down) of the raw damage that would be dealt to you back to your opponent. The reflected damage can be mitigated by the opponent. | 6 SP Cooldown: 4 Turns buffs Spoiler | PARAGON REWARDS Lv. 5 | Gain additional col equivalent to 15% of EXP earned in that thread. Lv. 10 | +1 LD to looting. | BUFFS <<Well Rested>> | -1 energy cost for the first three expenditures of each combat. <<Squeaky Clean>> | The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 25% (rounded down). <<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. <<Multipurpose>> | Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll. Koga listened as the door shut behind Astreya, the bell above it ringing as it closed. The man sighed and turned to look at his familiar, lying on the floor beside the counter. "Alright bud, let's go and get this over with," he said. The wolf looked up at him, obviously no wanting to get up. "Yeah, me neither dude, but the sooner we start, the sooner we'll be done." Okami whined, but stood and Koga began to walk out of his store, equipping his coat and weapon. The man turned and locked the door behind him, but when he turned back around to get going he was stunned. Astreya was swinging around the weapon he'd just crafted for her like she was a little kid playing with her favorite toy. The NPCs and players nearby cowed away from her, eager to give the uncontrollable girla wide birth, or else risk getting their heads lopped off. Well, at least they would if the safezone didn't prevent it. Koga just stared, dumbfounded. No words. A few moments of shock persisted, before Koga coughed into a balled fist and finally called out to her. "Uh, Astreya? Maybe you shouldn't be swinging that around out here?" Edited February 19, 2022 by Koga Link to post Share on other sites
Astreya 0 Posted February 16, 2022 #2 Report Share Posted February 16, 2022 The weapon felt good, in her hands. The ones she'd found before that she had been using just didn't have the same feeling. She had gone to Vigilon before to get the blade done, and the man had done a fantastic job of making one for her, but Astreya believed in a power of alliances and friends, that the more people that had a hand in the creation of her armaments, the more people she had with her when she went into battle. So having met Koga at a recent Christmas party (his, in fact!) and found out that he was a blacksmith, she'd wanted his touch added to it. And having extended upon Vigilon's work, the weapon was quite well done, moving fluidly in her hands as she practiced some of the Sword Arts she knew in the open, somewhat off-the-beaten-path area that was Koga's forge. She shifted, feeling the weight of her armor settling around her shoulders as well. The skirt of the battle dress moved evenly, never getting in her way even as she moved from one step to the next. Of course, from the outside, the woman mostly just looked like she was flailing her weapon around, and while her bird merely sat upon the roof of Koga's forge while the young woman struck out, most of the NPCs and other players were giving her a wide berth. She had just been about to try another one when she heard a clearing of the throat and paused, glancing over her shoulder. "Oh! Hey!" she cheered, grinning at the man. "This is awesome! Thank you!" she cheered. "I was just, like, testing it out, seeing how it felt and like, all that, y'know?" she added, excited to actually have some equipment that was at the fullest, highest level. "Like, all done for the day?" @Koga Astreya's Statblock: Spoiler -Level 32 | Paragon 3 -HP: 700 -- 640(Base) + 60 (Iron Skin) -NRG: 102 -- 82 (Base) + 20 (Energist) -Base Damage: 17 -- 1(Base) + 7 (Weapon Skill) + 1 (Impetus) + 8 (Weapon) -Mitigation: 122 -- 0(Base) + 35 (Armor Skill) + 15 (Iron Skin) + 72 (Armor) -Regeneration: 5% (Currently 35) -- 0(Base) + 5% (Battle Healing) -Accuracy: 3 -- 0(Base) + 1 (Weapon) + 2 (Combat Expertise) -Thorns: 0 -- 0(Base) -EN Recovery: 2 on CD rolls of 7+ -Taunt: 2 --0(Base) + 1 (Fighting Spirit) + 1 (Accessory) === Gear: Item name: Glacial Blade (ID# 203559) Item type: 2H Straight Sword Quality: T4 | Perfect Enhancement(s): [ACC][DMG][DMG] Description: A two-handed blade with what appears to be a hilt wrapped around a growth of icy crystal. A large central crystal comes from the center, with two smaller ones forming the guard. While it doesn't hold any Cold enhancements on its own, it nonetheless seems to give off a slight fog from the chilled blade. Item name: Battle Dress Mk III (ID# 203560) Item type: Heavy Armor Quality: T4 | Perfect Enhancement(s): [MIT][MIT][MIT] Description: Keeping in with the design of her previous armor, the heavy-yet-fashionable heavy plate keeps the young woman well-protected, allowing her to ignore blows from her opponents with ease! »Spotlight | Rare T2 Trinket [Taunt] - Adds 1 Hate generated from successful attacks, Howl and Furious Howl. [Recovery] - Regain 2 additional energy on natural CD rolls of 7+. === Skills: Combat: Spoiler ► Battle Healing - Master | 30 SP Passive Effect: While in combat, recover 1% per rank of your maximum HP (rounded down) at the beginning of your turn. - Currently: 5% (22 HP) Description: Passively recover health in battle. ► Energist Cost: 8 SP Passive Effect: Increase base Energy by 15. Description: You are more skilled with using energy, increasing your total energy available. ► Fighting Spirit Cost: 10 SP Passive Effect: Attacking and using Howl or Focused Howl generates +1 additional Hate. (Ex. Generate 1/2/3 Hate on a Miss/Hit/Critical attack. Generate 5 Hate when using Focused Howl.) Description: You become more intimidating when attacking enemies, making them even more likely to attack you. ► Howl Cost: 10 SP Active: Post Action Energy cost: 2 EN Cooldown: 2 turns Effect: Adds +2 Hate each against up to 4 targets. Description: Taunt nearby enemies to attack you, increasing your Hate against multiple creatures at once. [Howl Addon] Focused Howl Cost: 5 SP Active: Post Action Energy Cost: 4 EN Cooldown: 4 Turns Effect: Adds +4 Hate against a single target. Description: Focus the enemy’s attention on you to gain a larger amount of hate by taunting a single creature. Weapon: Spoiler ► 2H Straight Sword - Master | 30 SP -- +7 Base Damage Stamina Mod | 4 SP --Reduces EN of all Attacks by 2. [Rank 5 Shift] ST Specialist | 10 SP Cost: 10 SP Passive Effect: For the following Sword Arts, +3 to multipliers and +2 to EN cost; ST-I, ST-II, ST-B. No other Shifts may be taken. Armor: Spoiler »Heavy Armor - Grand Master | 30 SP -- +35 MIT --Rank 3 Heavy Armor Mod - Impetus | 4 SP ---- +1 Base Damage --Rank 5 Heavy Armor Mod - Iron Skin | 6 SP ---- +15 Mitigation | +45HP (15*Tier) Combat Masteries: Spoiler ► Combat Mastery: Accuracy Expert | 13 SP 3 Ranks Cost: [Unskilled] -> Rank 1 - Novice = Tier 2 [Novice] -> Rank 2 - Expert = 5 SP [Expert] -> Rank 3 - Grandmaster = 8 SP Familiar: Spoiler ► Hunting Familiar Cost: 10 SP Active: Free Action Cooldown: 5 Turns Effect: Your familiar has a nose for treasure. Roll LD/CD (without bonuses) as if you had slain a loot-minimum mob. Description: Where did all of this stuff come from? Some mysteries are best left unsolved. Extra: Spoiler ► Concentration Cost: Complete <<The Gemini>> Action: Free Action Cooldown: 5 Turns Effect: As a free action, gain Absolute Accuracy on your next attack. Effect lasts until the start of next turn. Description: You’ve learned to temporarily boost your focus, making your blade sharp and your aim true. Link to post Share on other sites
Koga 0 Posted February 17, 2022 Author #3 Report Share Posted February 17, 2022 "I'm glad you like it," Koga said with a genuine smile. Some vain part of him took great joy in hearing someone else was happy with his work, especially since most hardly ever said anything about it at all. Actually, all of him was enjoying this. Feel free to praise him more. "Yeah, I'm wrapping up for the day. Was gonna go pick up my gathering profession since I've been putting it off." Koga looked off to the distance for a moment, in the direction of the Town's exit. "Wanna join me? You can give her a test run while I do my thing, if you'd like." To be honest, Koga wasn't normally the type to ask others to join him on anything, especially not near strangers. But Astreya...intrigued him. Despite her, admittedly annoying, valley girl behavior, he still found the woman interesting, and tolerable enough to warrant a quick exploration to learn more about her personality. First impressions were rarely the truth after all. Link to post Share on other sites
Astreya 0 Posted February 17, 2022 #4 Report Share Posted February 17, 2022 "It's great! The balance is like, totally perfect too! I noticed if I don't have, like, my armor equipped that it's a little harder to wield, so like, the fact that you actually used the armor to help, like, compensate for the distribution of weight of the weapon is like, so cool," the girl gushed. If there was one thing that Astreya was not, it was crafty. She didn't do well in arts and crafts in school, and she just didn't have the head for designing things. She liked fashion to an extent but that was mostly just cobbling together parts from other people and making something look nice- she couldn't create something worth a damn. "Ooooh! Sure! That'd be fun!" the girl spoke, bouncing in place, seeming genuinely touched and happy that he had asked her out to go and do something. She wasn't really someone who liked to be alone, but she was also equal parts aware of just how frustrating she could be at times if she really got going with her energies. "So like, you gonna forage like me or you gonna fish? I know where the forage lady is, but like, if you wanna do fishing, that'll be fun to see how that quest goes! I've never gotten to see it," she spoke, bouncing along a little before a cawing sound from above gave remembrance to her frosty bird, which hopped from the top of the building and swooped down, landing on her left shoulder. "Oh, right. Like, Koga, this is Frosty. Frosty, this is Koga," she spoke, beaming at him. "What's your puppy's name?" she asked, even though she knew full well that it wasn't- she still couldn't help but to find the fur-covered four-legged creature cute as all get out. Link to post Share on other sites
Koga 0 Posted February 17, 2022 Author #5 Report Share Posted February 17, 2022 Okay, maybe Astreya wasn't as annoying as Koga had initially thought. The man grinned as she continued to appreciate his work. "As long as it serves you well, I'm happy," he said, doing his best to be humble. Although, that stupid grin he was wearing probably gave away his disguise, and the immense amount of pride he felt. "I'm probably gonna do some fishing," Koga admitted as he started to walk towards the Town exit, gesturing for the girl to follow. "Honestly, never been much for either. Don't have the patience. I do like exploring places though. But, I think fishing will be more beneficial to me as a smith. Besides, might be able to catch up on my sleep finally." The cawing of a bird drew Koga's attention as a feeling of chill blew over them. Given the bird's name, Koga figured that Astreya's familiar was the cause of it. "Hello there, Frosty," Koga greeted the bird. "He's cute. This one's Okami," the man said, reaching down and scratching the top of the wolf's head. "Bit of an asshole, but he's a good friend." Link to post Share on other sites
Astreya 0 Posted February 17, 2022 #6 Report Share Posted February 17, 2022 "I'm just like, super envious of you crafters that can like, make stuff like this," the young woman spoke, shaking her head. "Doing the Performer thing is like, so hard," she admitted, giving a small smile despite herself. "It's so cool though. You should like, totally be proud of your work, y'know?" she continued, the full sunny smile coming back out in full. At the mention of fishing and catching up on the sleep, Astreya couldn't help but to grin slightly, laughing to herself a bit at that. "That like, reminds me of my uncle. We'd like, go out on the boat sometimes to fish, and he'd like, be asleep so fast," the girl continued. "But I imagine doing all the stuff there is to do would take some time out of sleeping, huh?" she mused aloud, laying a finger on the side of her jaw. "Awww, I'm sure he's a good boy who loves belly rubs," the girl cooed toward the wolf, before the bird on her shoulder gave her a not-so-gentle nudge. "Omigosh, okay fine," she continued, opening her inventory for some sweet snacks, offering them to the bird. "Frosty's just like, a butt. She's scared of combat, but she's really good at, like, finding stuff. So she's always bringing me shiny stuff. It's nice, I guess?" she offered, a little amused despite herself. As they walked, the girl couldn't help but to glance back at Koga. "I hope your party, like, went okay. I had a lot of fun! It's been awhile since I could, like, just sorta relax and have fun with people, y'know? I got to meet so many people! I don't think, like, I ever thanked you for it. So thank you!" she cheered, beaming a sunny smile onto the man. Link to post Share on other sites
Koga 0 Posted February 17, 2022 Author #7 Report Share Posted February 17, 2022 "Hmph," Koga chuckled. "I've always been jealous of Performers. As much as I love making things, I've always wanted to be able to play an instrument or sing or something. Hell, I can't even dance, I got no rhythm," Koga said with a laugh. The man was better off standing in the middle of a dance floor staring at people than he was making any attempt at a dance. Okami looked up excitedly at Astreya at the mention of belly rubs, tongue lolling out of his mouth, greedy at the prospect of being pampered. Koga rolled his eyes at the canine. He was a ladies-man and he knew it. "A good boy, he is not," Koga informed Astreya. "The little shit's ran off with my gear more times than I can count. And he knows exactly what he's doing every time." Okami huffed, some lupine equivalent of a chuckle. Yes, he knew what he was doing every time, and he also knew his master liked him too much to actually punish him for it. "But, he's good in a fight, so I can't complain." "She seems like quite the helpful little girl though," Koga said smiling at the frosty Frosty. "Where'd you find her?" this was actually the first time Koga had ever seen a familiar like her. She bore some slight resemblance to the phoenix he and Noct had fought on...was it Floor 17? So perhaps the bird was a distant cousin of some sort. "Yeah, I enjoyed it," Koga said with a nod as they finally passed beneath the Town of Beginning's high arched gate. The man gave a passing wave to Marv, who stood resolutely and unmoving as ever. "I'm glad you had a good time too. I'll be honest that kinda stuff is way outta my depth." Although the man had been to a party or two during college, then he had the benefit of working alcohol to kickstart his getting comfortable with other. Without that crutch though, Koga was reminded that it took a bit longer for him to warm up to someone enough to speak freely with them. Or they just had to ask him about something he was interested in. Either one worked. "Don't mention it though. Even if Tala kinda cajoled me into throwing together the whole thing, I was hoping people who didn't have anyone to spend the holidays with would at least be able to...let loose for a little. It's the least I could do." Koga didn't really know what Astreya's situation was, nor did he intend to ask. That sort of information needed to be offered up freely. But, so long as she got some enjoyment out of the function he'd be happy enough. Link to post Share on other sites
Astreya 0 Posted February 17, 2022 #8 Report Share Posted February 17, 2022 The fact that they were envious of the other's profession amused the girl. She didn't know if it was just the 'grass is greener' mentality or if they both had definite thoughts there. She thought those that could do crafts and that sort of thing were quite impressive. Even if in the game it was all tool assisted, she imagined that it was likely the same for those that used sewing machines or pottery wheels and stuff. Sure, there was a lot more to it to do it by hand than that way, but a lot of people still depended on the tools to do it. "I mean I'm not really all that, like, good at singing or anything either. My attempts to like, make items have been pretty bad," the girl admitted with a small shake of her head, smiling despite herself. "I figure that like, I'll have to get it eventually, right? Maybe I should try like, doing something else. Like playing the triangle," she mused, mostly just kidding. That sort of instrument was pretty basic and maybe she could manage something with it? At the wolf's seeming interest in the belly rubs, she couldn't help but to move over toward Okami, setting a hand on the wolf's head and doing the pet-scratch combo on his head and around his ears, grinning down at the canine. "Well he's just trying to get, like, his owner to spend more time with him. Isn't that right, Oaky?" she cooed, already giving the wolf a nickname. She glanced up as Koga asked about Frosty, and she beamed a smile. "I think she's a rare spawn up on the like, Ninth Floor!" the girl cheered as she glanced back at him. "She was with a bunch of the Pyre Vultures, but she's all blue and icy. But like, if you put your hand right up to her, she's really warm. It's like she's... I dunno, like absorbing heat so everything is all cold around her I guess?" she spoke, shrugging slightly (which caused the bird to squawk at her). As Koga waved to Marv, Astreya had been too, and she blinked, looking at him. Did everyone know Marv? She put on a wide grin at his words about the party, practically bouncing in her heavy armor as she did so. "Yeah! We should have more parties! Maybe. I dunno, I know like, a few other people enjoyed them but I wasn't sure if like, everyone did, y'know? There were a few people that were, like, not really comfortable with all the people around," she mused. "You seemed to really like playing cards though! Gambling problem?" she asked, teasing him as she hopped a little ahead, fixing him with a sunny smile. Link to post Share on other sites
Koga 0 Posted February 18, 2022 Author #9 Report Share Posted February 18, 2022 (edited) "It's a skill like any other," Koga replied, "Just with less ephemeral results. You could always pick it up, I bet, with some practice." Koga took a moment to realize that no, technically she couldn't...not in Aincrad at least, if she wanted to remain a performer. "Er, when we get out, I mean," he amended. 'If.' Okami was quick to warm up to Astreya, the shows of affection from the girl serving like honey, and the wolf was the bee. The wolf drifted closer to the woman, enjoying his pets like he wasn't some bloodthirsty predator. What a goob. Koga could only roll his eyes at the pair. "God, I hate that floor," Koga said bitterly at the mention of the volcanic hellscape that was the Ninth Floor of Aincrad. "Must've been quite the relief to come across a living AC system up there," he said humorously, knowing full well how oppressive that kind of heat was. He was even willing to take the desert over that godforsaken place. The mention of parties made Astreya instantly light up. Almost expected. Almost. Koga could only quietly chuckle at the girl's unbridled energy. It certainly seemed like she had enjoyed herself more than most of the other partygoers that evening. Well, except maybe Gaius, he seemed to have really enjoyed playing up the 'drunk, but not really' card. He laughed as she gently teased him about his 'gambling' problem. "No, nothing like that," he laughed. "I actually hate gambling. Takes all the fun out of the game for me. I just like trying to win I guess. Besides, there's all kinds of card games. Anyone can just pick up a deck and there's a good chance everyone will know one game or another, or can learn one quickly." The Fisherman's shack was within sight now, and Koga could easily see the quest-giver, with his mane of hair, and relaxed stance, enjoying his leisurely past-time. Profession? "One sec, let me go grab the quest, be right back." Koga strode off towards the man and started speaking to him. "I'm here to learn how to fish," he informed the NPC, who grinned broadly at him. "Well, I'm the guy to teach ya! Here! Take this bait. Trust me when I say, its some special stuff, only a few people in the world can get it! Why don't you see if you can bring me back a Rainbow fish. If you can reel one in, I guarantee you'll have learned everything you need to know about fishing!" Koga took the bait from the man, and wordlessly turning around and taking a fishing rod from the long line of poles that leaned against the shack, clearly laid out for player use. "Yeah, that was about as useless as I expected," the swordsman muttered as he made his way back to Astreya. "Alrighty, let's go. If you're looking to do some foraging, why don't we head a bit further down the lake. I can just set myself up somewhere and you can wander." Edited February 18, 2022 by Koga Link to post Share on other sites
Astreya 0 Posted February 18, 2022 #10 Report Share Posted February 18, 2022 "When we get out? Maybe, yeah. But like, there's a lot going on that I've gotta catch back up on that's all left behind," the girl spoke, seemingly oddly not despondent or sad about the concept. She wasn't quite happy, but more as if she were looking forward to just being able to get back into everything. "Like, I was still in college, y'know? On the cheerleading team, the volleyball team, the chess team, on top of like, studying and having a social life and all of that. Maybe could like, swap one of those out for singing, assuming I still like it by the time we get out of here," she mused, tilting her head from side to side. Unlike Koga, there seemed to be absolutely no unsurety in her tone when it came to the potential for getting out of the game. She was dead-set on the goal and right now, more than anything else, that was what she was striving for. "But I totally don't remember, like, anything about what I was studying. Cheers are okay and I'm sure I could pick volleyball back up eventually, y'know?" she continued. "And like, chess is chess. It's been around for like ever." "Well yeah, except Frosty led me like, all over the entire floor, like twice, trying to hold her down. The other Vultures kept attacking me and ...ugh. Man, you were, like, a big pain, Frost," she spoke, looking back up at the bird, who merely cawed back at her, leaving Astreya to just roll her eyes as she scratched absently at Okami's ears and neck. At his explanation of the reasons why he liked cards, her smile beamed a bit. "Aww, that's cute. The lowest common denominator so everyone can have fun together. I like it! Even if you've, like, got a competitive streak going, eh?" she asked. "Maybe we can see just like, how much Foraging I can do while you're fishing and see who wins?" she asked, waggling her eyebrows a bit in a teasing manner. Once he'd gone inside the shack, the girl exhaled slightly, the wide smile dropping for a moment as she looked out over the nearby area, rife for new players to learn how to fish. Despite Koga not wanting to open up right away back at the party, he seemed a little easier to talk to, now. He was probably the sort that was better in a more direct conversation rather than a party atmosphere. But as she heard the NPC offering the last bits of dialogue, the girl pulled her sunny smile back on, greeting Koga as he came back outside. "For sure! Let's see who wins!" she called, even if she had setup absolutely no stakes for this little 'competition.' As she said that, immediately her frost-feathered bird hopped up, taking to the skies. The girl glanced up toward where the creature was going before she sighed and shook her head. "And there she goes!" Link to post Share on other sites
Koga 0 Posted February 19, 2022 Author #11 Report Share Posted February 19, 2022 (edited) The two began to move further along the shore line as Koga began to chuckle. "I'm not sure it's gonna be much of a contest, my luck is infamously bad," Koga remarked before looking out over the lake. "This looks like a good spot for us both, I think. Care to get started?" The man waded a few feet into the cool water, and pulled out the bait that the fisherman had offered, before casting his line into the water. The cast of a novice, obviously, but it showed that he had at least done this once or twice before. "So, you said you were in college, right?" he called to Astreya as he began his long wait for...wait a second...Koga felt the line tug, and with a skeptical look on his face, he began to pull the line back, reeling it watching the tension, doing his best to ensure it didn't snap. Out from the water came beautifully colored fish, splashing water all around as it tried to free itself from the hook with which it found itself caught upon. Scales, iridescent, refracting light every which way, pale aside from the rainbow streaks cast by it's peculiar scales. "Uh...'Streya?" he called to the girl, holding up the fish by the mouth, still wriggling. "I think I just won?" | 203815, CD 6, LD 10 +6, Gleaming Scale found Edited February 19, 2022 by Koga Link to post Share on other sites
Astreya 0 Posted February 19, 2022 #12 Report Share Posted February 19, 2022 Post Action: Foraging- ID: 203844 LD: 8 (Failure! +3 Forager XP) "Mine too! the girl responded with a wide grin back at Koga. "Like, when I help people do some of their early quests when they wanna like, come out of the town, then like... I have to actually stand back or like, they never find any of the herbs for Zakariah," the girl continued with a grin. "It also took me like over a day to get mine. If you wanna, like, compare bad luck, then I'm totally gonna win that one!" she called, laughing slightly as she hopped off to the side as he started to find somewhere to fish. She began to glance over the ground, humming to herself as she began to look for some of the materials, when his question came to her. "Yeah! Criminal Justice, specialization in Criminal Psychology," the girl cheered. "At least that's the plan, so like, we'll see how well that goes," the girl responded, giving him a small grin. "Not like I get a lot of practice here in the game," she continued, glancing back to where she was hunting. Of course, before she had much chance, she realized Koga had been fighting with a fish while she'd been talking, and at his response, she blinked, looking over toward him. "What the heck!? No way! Bad luck my ass," the girl said, laughing merrily along with it. "You like, totally cheated!" Link to post Share on other sites
Koga 0 Posted February 19, 2022 Author #13 Report Share Posted February 19, 2022 Koga actually laughed when Astreya called him out for 'cheating', a genuine smile flashing across his face as he recovered and replied, "If dumping my last few skill points into Searching and bringing a Luck trinket with me counts as cheating, then yeah. I just call it being smart though." Playful jests, something Astreya seemed to be good at. "I guess we head back now, yeah?" the man said as the fish disappeared into his inventory, and he began to turn to head back to the fishing cabin. The NPC was sure to be a bit surprised "So, criminal justice with a focus in psychology. What made you so interested in that?" he asked curiously. It seemed a surprising choice for the bubbly girl, but he shouldn't judge a book by its cover after all. It was more important to him that she enjoyed what she did. Or rather, what she wanted to do. Link to post Share on other sites
Astreya 0 Posted February 23, 2022 #14 Report Share Posted February 23, 2022 "Um, yeah, that's totally cheating," the girl responded with a small smile in return. She didn't get much chance to look for anything, but that was fine- she was having more fun just talking to Koga anyway. Actually hunting and finding materials was kind of a drag, anyway. There wasn't much to do there beyond just wander around til something caught your eye that might be a material, or it might just be some other random thing glinting in the simulated sunlight. He began to move back toward the NPC and Astreya followed, expecting the question that came. She didn't really seem fit for the type, she knew, as many of her teachers had told her. Of course, she was good at what she did. "I like people, y'know? Talking to them, like, getting to know them, that sorta thing. So I thought about just like, psychology and psychiatry and all that junk for awhile, but eventually I realized that if I was able to like, really help figure out why people act like they do, when they like, y'know, hurt people, that I could help more people at once." "Okay, so like, someone needs a psychologist and you talk them through junk and like, and you help them, and maybe their family too, right? But if you go to the other side, you get the same thing... plus you end up maybe helping all the people that person might've hurt. Or like, if you can find patterns in their lines of thought, no matter how like, diversified, you can draw parallels to other potential individuals who might generate the same sorts of actions so like..." she began, gesturing with her hand as if she were talking about the weather. "That's just like really cool to me, I guess?" Link to post Share on other sites
Koga 0 Posted February 25, 2022 Author #15 Report Share Posted February 25, 2022 Koga gave a wry smile in reponse to Astreya's teasing. His first assessment of her had been wrong. Yes, she was a little too loud sometimes for his tastes, but that was okay. She was pleasant to be around, and she had a good sense of humor, and that was good enough for Koga. The man listened to her reasoning with curious interest. The more she explained it, the more it made sense. Talkative, though she was, she took genuine interest in the people she spoke too, unlike many others Koga had met. It was an interest that bled into every aspect of her life, it seemed, including her choice of profession. "That makes, sense," the man said with a nod. "I'm glad you've figured out something you think you'll like. I admire that, and the fact that you wanna help people in the process." The struggle to figure out what one wanted to do, something that they found fulfilling was constant, but some people just figured it out before others, and it seemed like Astreya was the latter. "Ever tried figuring out the people you've met in here? Like what makes 'em tick?" Link to post Share on other sites
Astreya 0 Posted February 25, 2022 #16 Report Share Posted February 25, 2022 The young woman had realized, after she'd began to get deep into things, that she had been showing a bit too much of her hand. Not that she intended to, but the large words she'd been using and the way she'd been dropping the terms like they were no big deal had a stark contrast with the ditzy persona that she put out most of the time. That was why she'd finished as lamely as she had, to try and detract from the high-level she'd been speaking under for a few seconds there- hoping against hope that Koga didn't really notice. If he did, he didn't let on at all. Instead he turned it back around on her, complimenting her for the fact that she'd found whatever she'd liked to do... and to turn that into something that helped people. The way his tone changed, he found a genuine appreciation for her in that moment, and Astreya could feel the man warming to her presence on that alone, and that made her feel a little better. Maybe she had been too hasty in expecting that everything- He spoke again, and the question started to reach her ears, her brain steadily grinding to a halt at the words, like a car's tires spinning rapidly with no road beneath.. and then they hit, her mind going into overdrive as she arched a brow back at him, beaming a smile at him. "Whaaat? No way. Well, like, not on purpose," the girl spoke, shaking her head and lying through her teeth even as she returned his look. "It's kinda built into what I was studying for a long time so like, it happens sometime without me meaning to. But it's not like I'm totally picking people apart all the time," the girl spoke, shaking her head. The cheerful smile was the mask hiding that part of her away, keeping it as far from the light as she could. Astreya was someone who had been all-but trained to read body language and facial expression from a very young age by her father. You could control a conversation with it if you knew how. Pleasant smiles, showing (sometimes feigned) genuine interest, cheerful chatter along with open body language could get you close with people quite quickly. Playing the fool as Astreya did also let people open up to you quicker as they trusted you- you weren't someone who would use their words or actions against them- you were just that quirky, bubbly girl who was a delight to talk to. "All I've like, got on my read on you is that you're like, totally not a 'many people' person. You like hanging out with like, one or two other people, probably something low-key. Probably...doing something physical- you don't seem the type to wanna, like, sit still long," she added, gesturing toward him. "You went right from the forge to like, doing this quest. And I'd guess you're gonna totally go and do something else when we're done here," she spoke, giving him a teasing grin. "Am I right?" Link to post Share on other sites
Koga 0 Posted February 26, 2022 Author #17 Report Share Posted February 26, 2022 Though Astreya may have faltered, she did not skip a single beat in covering it up. Perhaps it was just the fact that Koga was willing to take people at face value until given a reason otherwise, or that he chose not to pry too deeply from sheer curiosity, or maybe he just believed that people were more than their appearances and found nothing strange in Astreya's knowledge, but the man did not notice a single crack in the carefully crafted mask that Astreya had donned. A wry grin appeared on his face as the man slowly shook his head, bemused with Astreya's evaluation of him. "Well, you're not entirely wrong," he said with a chuckle as they got closer to the cabin. "You're right, I'm not much for crowds. I do, however, love to just sit. I don't get enough time to relax usually, but I do get antsy pretty quick, so you're like, half right." By this point they were close enough to the cabin that the Fisherman was waving at them, and Koga waved back. "Hold on, one sec," the swordsman said before heading off to turn in the fish he'd caught. Link to post Share on other sites
Astreya 0 Posted February 28, 2022 #18 Report Share Posted February 28, 2022 "Well I'd, like, hope I wasn't completely wrong," Astreya responded with a slight grin as she listened to him speak, and she gave a small nod in response to him as he continued, before she began to give a small sound of thought to herself. Made sense then that he was taking fishing as his Gathering profession. That would allow him to just sort of sit and relax now and then if he needed to do something without needing to worry about moving around. Dang- she was sure she'd had him right on with the go-go attitude. Granted, this was really only the second time they'd met, so maybe she'd have some more time to learn to get to know him a little better. "But yeah, I guess I should've, liked, figured that out with the fishing thing," she spoke, laughing at herself a little. As he caught the sigh tof the fisherman and began head toward him, Astreya turned away from the cabin, letting her back be to it as she exhaled slowly. She'd need to be careful. She'd very nearly let the mask slip not once but twice around Koga. He had a relaxing way about him- something that just allowed her to not mind chatting. But that just meant she'd need to be that much more vigilant around him. It wasn't intentional on his end, but admittedly she hadn't had much time with people like him. She drew in another long, slow breath before she exhaled it back out, even as Frosty came fluttering out of nowhere to sit on her shoulder. "Where's my stuff?" the girl, asked, looking back at the bird. Frosty opened its beak, cawing at her in response. "Ugh, fine. You're, like, so bossy," she spoke, pulling some snacks out of her inventory to share with the bird as she glanced up, seeing Koga returning back toward her. Link to post Share on other sites
Koga 0 Posted February 28, 2022 Author #19 Report Share Posted February 28, 2022 As Koga strode back up to the Fisherman, he held out the glittery fish with pride. "This is what you're looking for, right?" he asked, even as the Fisherman's jaw practically hit the floor. "My God! I don't think I've ever seen anyone return so quickly! How'd you do it!?" Koga gave a sheepish chuckle in response, "Just used the bait you gave me and cast a line, nothin' to it." Well, that, and whole lotta Luck buffs. But, whatever got the job done. "Well, I did promise you a reward, here, hand me over that beauty and the bait I gave you." Koga did just as the Fisherman asked, conjuring up the bait from his inventory before handing it over to the other man. Taking both, the Fisher tossed aside the bait and drew a knife from his belt, before quickly kneeling down and scrubbing away at the fish's surprisingly thick scales, before standing and handing one to Koga. "As I promised. Careful now, it's very fragile, and worth quite the pretty penny." Koga gave a small grin in gratitude, before saying good bye and heading back to Astreya, who was chastising her familiar as she fed it. The man chuckled as he watched the pair. "Good to know I'm not the only one who landed a brat for a companion," he said humorously. "Anyways, it looks like we're done here. Wanna head back to town, get some food? It's on me." Link to post Share on other sites
Astreya 0 Posted March 1, 2022 #20 Report Share Posted March 1, 2022 "Right? She's, like, such a fussy little butthead sometimes," the girl spoke in response, shaking her head slightly, the creature on her shoulder happily just nibbling on the food that Astreya had provided. She hadn't let herself get too beat up over nearly slipping over her words to Koga- mostly just trying to focus on being her usual upbeat, peppy self rather than chastising herself for what she'd done. That was better for her anyway- if she got too down on herself about things, there was a good chance that it would start to just all tumble downward and she'd need to find a way to beat a hasty retreat in order to somehow get herself together... and that could cause other issues. "I still, like, can't believe you're already done with this," the girl spoke, shaking her head slightly as she moved along with him as they headed back toward the town area. "Like, I mean, yeah, sure you got some luck buffs, but still," she continued. "Maybe I should, like, get some of those too. It'd be lucky to not-die when I'm out in the field and junk." The fear of death was omni-present for her, but she was getting (a little bit) better at keeping things light when it came to that sort of talk. At the promise of food though, the girl's eyes widened a little bit. "Whaaaat, like seriously? I'm in! There's a couple sweet shops that, like, have the best fudge. C'mon! I'll show you!" she spoke, not at all against beginning to try to pull the man along toward the shops that she frequented when it came to food. He was likely talking about actual food... but Astreya didn't bother with that. All food just filled you up to avoid hunger- so she went right for all of the sweets. She went along with him, grinning widely as she began to chat about nothings, just keeping the conversation flowing to avoid any awkward silence as they went to grab some food... ------- 6071 Words / 30 = 202 * 5 = 1010 Base XP Koga XP: 8080 Streya XP: 4040 1 Page = 400 Col Koga Col: 200 + (.15 * 8080 = 1212 Col) = 1412 Streya Col: 200 + (.15 * 4040 = 606 Col) = 806 Profession XP Streya: +3 (1 Failure) Other: Koga: +1 Gleaming Scale Link to post Share on other sites
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