[F1-PP] Relearning how to Fight <Second Lessons>

[Rebekah 0]

It had been a few weeks since Rebekah had met Cleo on the first floor. It was an lucky day as it was the first time she had ever found a treasure chest, well, Cleo had found it. She knew that the potions from the first quest would come in handy someday. It was now time to start on the second part of the quest.

Rebekah had sent Cleo a message asking if she was available this morning. She had heard mixed reactions about the difficulty of the second quest relative to the first quest where she only had to search for materials. She knew that they would have to defeat a few animals in the wilderness. She had told Cleo that she was going to wait outside the NPC blacksmith store on the first floor.

It was not a long journey from the teleportation gate to the store. It was a dim store that was a bit small. It was the first time she was inside. Normally, the stores that she visit are a lot larger than this one, but she had spent the vast majority of her time on Floor 4. There was also a lot more room on the fourth floor to spread the buildings out. Here on the first floor, the streets were a lot more narrow and packed, as they had to fit a lot of players and NPCs in a relatively large settlement.

Spoiler

Rebekah
Level 32 | P 9 | HP 720/720 | EN 84/84 | DMG: 23 | MIT: 98 | ACC: 4 | EVA: 1 | LD: 5
BH 39 | Survival +10% | Thorns 36 | EN -2

Tier 5 – Paragon Bonuses
Laurel Wreath

Equipment:
Laevateinn II (T4 RAPIER) 3 [DMG]
 Silver Necklace (T4 Trinket) 3 [ACC]
Frozen Dress (T4 HA) 2 [MIT] 1 [Throns]

Skills:
Weapon Skill (R5) | 7 [DMG]
Battle Healing (R5) | 5% (36 HP)
Heavy Armour (R5) | 35 [MIT]
Searching (R5) | 5 [LD] 5 [SD]

Combat Masteries:
Evasion (R1) | 1 [EVA]

Add-ons:
Ferocity | 2 [DMG]
Precision | 1 [ACC]
Stamina | 2 [EN]
Iron Skin | 15 [MIT] 60 [HP]

Mods:
Impetus | 1 [DMG]

Extra:
Survival
Disguise
Meditation

Profession:
Forager (R2)  - 50/149 EXP

Items:
Unbroken (T4 Shield) 2 [MIT] [Anti-freeze]
5 Golden Keys | + 2 [LD] on Chests

Guild:
Trading Hall
Treasury | + 5% mobs + 10% treasure chest

 

[Them 0]

Asleep in a room in her favorite inn, The Aquatic Moon, Cleo stirred awake at the sound of an incoming message. Scratching some sleep out of her eyes, she went to who it was from and made a look of mild surprise upon seeing the sender. "Oh?" Rebekah, whom she'd met a couple of weeks prior after an embarrassing introduction, had inquired as to whether she was free that morning. Resisting the urge to reply 'Literally always,' she pieced together a response and sent a message back immediately, not caring for grammar in her still-half-asleep state.

Spoiler

To: Rebekah

yeh i'm free! see you at the blacksmith's.

Cleo went through her usual morning routine of changing clothes and eating a piece of stale bread she'd bought days before at the market. Soon after, she left the inn and made haste for the NPC blacksmiths, ensuring that she was still eligible to take the 2nd lessons quest. The Player knew that this was where the next introductory quest was supposed to take place but hadn't had the time nor care to tackle it alone. However, Rebekah would at least make the task entertaining, plus she could spend some time catching up with the other Player.

Cleo turned a corner and saw the pink-haired woman standing outside the Smithery and waved from afar. "Hey, stranger!" She made a friendly smile as she pulled beside Rebekah. "Long time no see. What've you been up to these last few weeks?"

@Rebekah

Stats and Equipment:

Spoiler

Level 11 | HP: 220/200 | EN: 40/40 | DMG: 13 | ACC: 1 | LD: 3 | MIT: 5

• Dagger R5 - (30 SP)
  • Stamina - (4 SP)
  • Precision - (2 SP)
  • Ferocity - (4 SP)
• Cloth Armor R1 - (4 SP)
• Meditation

Equipment:

• Obsidian Stylet (T1 - Perfect - Dagger) [Damage III] | #204397 | "As dark as the void itself. Its handle has been fashioned into three tear-shaped bulbs of obsidian stacked on top of each other, and its stout dark metal hilt is capped on each side by tiny spheres of volcanic glass. The stylet's characteristic blade is thin at the base and twists to a point at the summit."
• Music Box (T1 - Perfect - Trinket) [Loot Die III] | #203379 | | [•] | infinity.
• Basic Cloth Armor (Vanity)

 

Edited March 13, 2022 by Them

[Rebekah 0]

It had been a few weeks since she had last saw Cleo, a lot has changed for Rebekah. "Good Morning Cleo." Rebekah said as she returned her greeting. "In the last week, I been trying out my brand new heavy armour. I have worn cloth armour with a shield in the past, but I wanted to try heavy armour since it was different." she explained.

It was a beautiful chest plate that looked like a dress. It had the iconic white fox logo, which had the logo of the blacksmith who had crafted this fine piece of armour. "I like it so far, I did lose some movement but the extra durability helps a lot in battle." Rebekah explained. "How about you? Have you been up to anything lately?"

They entered the NPC blacksmith shop. Rebekah could smell the burned iron and the sound of a hammer slamming onto a piece of hot metal. The NPC was continuing to work on the metal and ignored them. "Hello?" Rebekah squeaked.

"Can't you see I am very busy!." the NPC responded. Rebekah tried to explain what we were here for but Lyle was not paying attention.

@Them

Edited March 13, 2022 by Rebekah

[Them 0]

Once Rebekah had pointed out the new piece of armor, Cleo took a step back to admire it. Thinking the detailing to be immaculate, she took a closer look, turning wide-eyed after spotting the signature white fox logo. "I love it! It suits you. Plus, I'd recognize that insignia on your armor anywhere—Nari's work is top-notch, as ever." Stepping toward the door, she continued. "As for me, I've been focused on leveling, trying to figure my 'build' out. Besides that, I became a tailor! I'm horrible at it, though, so I'm also working on it whenever I can. Keeping myself busy, you know me." Making a little smile, she entered the shop with Rebekah.

Inside, after trying to explain what they were there for, the Blacksmith dismissed them entirely. "Please, Dorian just wants to know if-" she started to tell him, but the man cut her off with a wave of his hand.

"I don't do anything without payment. Go kill a couple of those pesky boarlets for me, and bring back their tusks. They're pretty weak, so even you shouldn't have any trouble. Do that, then I'll hear you out." And with that, he returned to his hammering, not sparing them a single glance.

The quest window appeared in front of both players, and Cleo accepted hers without a second thought. "Should have expected something like this. Why aren't quests ever that easy?" Turning to Rebekah, Cleo gestured to the door. "Shall we? I don't think we're getting any more out of him, not until we get him some boar tusks."

@Rebekah

[Rebekah 0]

Rebekah saw the notification update and began quickly reading the quest window that had shown up. "It says that the we need to kill six boarlets. They can be found outside of the town of Tolbana. Cleo, do you want to lead the way? It has been a few weeks, and I forgot where the exit is." She asked. Normally, Rebekah used the teleportation gate to travel, so she had trouble finding the exit through the maze of streets on this floor. Given the first floor settlements are often one of the largest towns in the whole game.

It was the first time she had been back here in over a few weeks. Rebekah followed Cleo pass the busy streets of Tolbana towards the exit. They were headed towards the grassy wilderness where boarlets have overrun the place. They would spawn out of control there, and many unsuspecting players have died there underestimating groups of boarlets. They were not worried given that both of them are far stronger than the classic level 1 player without any items. She had heard stories of players being killed in this area but it was the first time she had ever visited this grass field.

To the naked eye, there was nothing remarkable about this field other than boars and many players killed here.

@Them

[Them 0]

Cleo nodded resolutely. "Of course, let's go. It seems we're not wanted here anyway." Staring at the man behind the anvil as she spoke, the man appeared to ignore her, to which she sighed, annoyed.

Sometime later, they exited the city of Tolbana through the main gates. Though Cleo was more familiar with the Town of Beginnings, she'd frequented the first-floor's 2nd largest settlement a lot in recent times to become more comfortable wandering the wilderness alone, as well as to feed her growing hunger for adventure. Ironically, she'd killed a few boarlets on her way to meeting Rebekah and starting the quest, so Cleo had already set her expectations reasonably low for how difficult the task was going to be.

As they walked deeper into the fields surrounding Tolbana, schools of boar were scattered all over the place. Cleo began to track the quest and equipped her dagger before closing the menu. "Alright, let's murder some piggies. Poor little bastards." She turned to the pink-haired Player. "Would you like to start? Haven't seen you fight yet. I don't think. Not that anything around will be even remotely challenging for you." Standing back a little, she made a curious smile.

@Rebekah

[Rebekah 0]

"I guess I will go first. Nothing on this floor should be much of a challenge." Rebekah responded. She spotted a group of boarlets nearby. There were three of them. This was perfect, as she could potentially kill all three boarlets in the first battle. This would make up half of the requirements that they need to pass this quest.

Rebekah took her rapier out and quickly made her way over to where the group of pigs were, trying very carefully not to make too many sudden movements to scare the boarlets away. She did not want to have to chase them across the entire field just to kill one especially in her newly acquired heavy armour that she was wearing.

Rebekah managed to sneak over to the boarlets undetected. Without taking any extra seconds, she got out her rapier and immediately swiped her weapon at all three animals. All of them had died instantly given their low health and level on this floor. "Cleo, it is now your turn to find three boarlets to kill." She replied.

At this rate, there were likely going to finish the quest requirements early.

Spoiler

Post Action: [x11] AOE-I (11 + 2 * targets EN) | AOE | A sword art that strikes multiple targets at once.

Rebekah Level 32 | P 9 | HP 720/720 | EN 69/84 (-11-6+2) | DMG: 23 | MIT: 98 | ACC: 4 | EVA: 1 | LD: 5 | BH 39 | Survival +10% | Thorns 36 | EN -2
Cleo Level 11 | HP: 220/200 | EN: 40/40 | DMG: 13 | ACC: 1 | LD: 3 | MIT: 5

ID 205966 | BD = 7 + 4 = 11 (hit) | DMG = 23 x 11 = 253
ID 205967 | BD = 3 + 4 = 7 (hit) | DMG = 23 x 11 = 253
ID 205968 | BD = 7 + 4 = 11 (hit) | DMG = 23 x 11 = 253

Boarlet 1 | HP 0/5 (-253) | DMG 3
Boarlet 2 | HP 0/5 (-253) | DMG 3
Boarlet 3 | HP 0/5 (-253) | DMG 3

@Them

Edited March 15, 2022 by Rebekah

[Them 0]

In seconds, Rebekah cleared the entire group of boarlets, leaving nothing behind but three clouds of shards as they each faded away. "Good stuff! We're gonna finish this up real quick, aren't we?" Now came Cleo's turn. With the other Player setting the bar so high, she couldn't help feeling nervous about taking on three more boarlets, not due to fear of dying but rather the fear of embarrassing herself. Such trivial foes would die in one hit, barely a tickle, but it was landing the hits that she dreaded.

Cleo watched the fields from afar, preparing her weapon and spotting a small group of nearby boarlets—the perfect size to finish the quest. An arched slash should do the trick. With a plan laid out in her thoughts, Cleo took a deep breath, laying her focus on the group.

She ran at the trio and reached them in seconds. Three high-pitched squeals echoed throughout the field as the Player's slash effortlessly connected with each boarlet, killing them instantly, updating the quest requirements in tandem. A small glass vial dropped from one of them, landing in the grass nearby. Noticing it and the oddly colored liquid swirling inside, Cleo looked over to Rebekah to beckon her over. "Hey? I think the boarlets dropped something. Is that normal?"

@Rebekah

Spoiler

 

Rebekah | Level 32 | P 9 | HP 720/720 | EN 69/84 (-11-6+2) | DMG: 23 | MIT: 98 | ACC: 4 | EVA: 1 | LD: 5 | BH 39 | Survival +10% | Thorns 36 | EN -2
Cleo | Level 11 | HP: 220/220 | EN: 25/40 | DMG: 13 | ACC: 1 | LD: 3 | MIT: 5

ID: 206322 | BD: 6 + 1 = 7 (hit) | <<AOE-I vs Boarlet 4>> | DMG: 13 x 11 = 143
ID: 206323 | BD: 6 + 1 = 7 (hit) | <<AOE-I vs Boarlet 5>> | DMG: 13 x 11 = 143
ID: 206324 | BD: 7 + 1 = 8 (hit) | <<AOE-I vs Boarlet 6>> | DMG: 13 x 11 = 143

Boarlet 4 | HP 0/5 (-143) | DMG 3
Boarlet 5 | HP 0/5 (-143) | DMG 3
Boarlet 6 | HP 0/5 (-143) | DMG 3

 

 

Edited March 16, 2022 by Them

[Rebekah 0]

Rebekah watched as Cleo also made quick work of the group of boars that was in front of them. She was not surprised as the girl had grown a lot in the past few weeks since she had last met. "Good job, Cleo." She said after she struck down three boarlets at the same time.

Rebekah was unaware that the boars had dropped something for the them to examine. After all, she knew the rule and did not realistically expect any loot to be obtained from fighting these boars because of her level. Therefore, she was surprised when Cleo had told her to examine something. It was a liquid of some sort. She began to examine the colour, being very careful this was not a poison with some negative debuff.

Rebekah did not notice the mama boars that had just spawned in front of them. She had heard Cleo yell to warn her as she was too lost in examining the vial of liquids. The vial had disappeared but it was too late for Rebekah to respond with the appropriate sword art. In this frantic situation, Rebekah was only able to strike one of the boars.

Spoiler

Post Action: [x12] ST-I (12 EN) | A single-target sword art.

Rebekah | Level 32 | P 9 | HP 720/720 | EN 59/84 (-12+2) | DMG: 23 | MIT: 98 | ACC: 4 | EVA: 1 | LD: 5 | BH 39 | Survival +10% | Thorns 36 | EN -2 (1 Hate)
Cleo | Level 11 | HP: 220/220 | EN: 25/40 | DMG: 13 | ACC: 1 | LD: 3 | MIT: 5 (0 hate)

ID 206379 | BD = 8 + 6 + 1 = 15 (hit) | DMG = 23 x 12 - 5 = 271

Mama Boar 1 | HP: 0/60 (-271) | DMG: 15 | MIT: 5 | EVA: -1
Mama Boar 2 | HP: 60/60 | DMG: 15 | MIT: 5 | EVA: -1

@Them

Edited March 17, 2022 by Rebekah

[Them 0]

With the sudden appearance of two more boars, bulkier than their lesser counterparts, Cleo watched Rebekah smite down one of the enemies with an expertly executed attack. Responding with a sword art of her own, Cleo targeted the second <<Mama Boar>> and made a run for the mob, thrusting her blade forward. The matriarch squealed in pain as its health bar drained to zero, and both the enemies disintegrated into clouds of shards, leaving behind naught but a loot screen for each player.

When no more foes made themselves known, Cleo settled down and looked over to Rebekah, eyebrows raised. "Well, that was something. Is that all there is to this quest?" A quick check of the quest's status revealed that they were to return to the Blacksmith, to which she shrugged and then smiled, shifting her gaze back to the pink-haired woman. "Alright, I guess so. Hm. Well, is there anything else you want to do out here, or in town, maybe? Would be a shame to waste such a nice day."

@Rebekah

Spoiler

 

Post Action: [x12] ST-I (12 EN) | A single-target sword art.

Rebekah | Level 32 | P 9 | HP 720/720 | EN 59/84 (-12+2) | DMG: 23 | MIT: 98 | ACC: 4 | EVA: 1 | LD: 5 | BH 39 | Survival +10% | Thorns 36 | EN -2
Cleo | Level 11 | HP: 220/220 | EN: 16/40 | DMG: 13 | ACC: 1 | LD: 3 | MIT: 5

ID 206392 | BD = 8 + 1 = 9 (Hit) | DMG = 13 x 12 - 5 = 151

Mama Boar 1 | HP: 0/60 (-271) | DMG: 15 | MIT: 5 | EVA: -1
Mama Boar 2 | HP: 0/60 (-151) | DMG: 15 | MIT: 5 | EVA: -1

 

 

Edited March 18, 2022 by Them

[Rebekah 0]

Rebekah began examining the beef jerky that was dropped as a result of defeating the mother boars. This seem like to be a stronger consumable than the mysterious liquids previously. She also made sure she had received the three boar tusks from the previous battle, as those were part of the quest requirements.

With both mama boars dead, they have finally finished the requirement of this quest. All they had to do was to return to Lyle's shop to finish the quest and collect their experience points. "Do you want to take the scenic route back to the city, or do you want to visit another floor? We need to return the boar tusks back to Lyle." Rebekah asked. She was wondering what else they could do. Cleo was right. It would not be right to waste such a beautiful day indoors and inside the town. Perhaps, they will run into a monster or another treasure chest in the wild. Rebekah had nothing else planned to do.

@Them

[Them 0]

Cleo became interested in the idea of visiting another floor, her intrigue given away by a twinkle in her blue eyes when Rebekah suggested it. "Mhm, let's head back to Tolbana and see if Lyle knows anything about Dorian's debts. I like the sound of checking out another floor, though—maybe the fourth? Did you say that you spend a lot of time there?" Desperately hoping that she hadn't gotten her facts twisted, she recalled their conversation during their last encounter when several floors came up in discussion. She continued, only slightly going off on a tangent. "I've been on the sixth floor a fair bit recently, but I haven't done too much exploring outside of that, so it'd be nice to see something new. If you're free, of course." Looking across at the pink-haired woman, Cleo had a hopeful look in her eyes.

With no reason to stick around, she started the pair's walk back to Tolbana, the town's perimeter already in view.

@Rebekah

[Rebekah 0]

"I do spend a lot of my time on the fourth floor due to the proximaty of my shop. We can visit the fourth floor." Rebekah asked. "It is a little bit cold at this time of the year." She reminded the girl since the snow never melts year around on the fourth floor.

The pair finally made it back into the Tolbana as they navigated the bustling streets full of NPC vendors and players alike. It was way too crowded for her own liking at this time of the day. It did not take them long to finally return to Lyle's shop. As both of them walked in, Lyle was surprisingly not busy at the exact moment, and he allowed them to show him the proof that the boarlets and the mama boar had been defeated.

"We finished killing the animals per your instructions." Rebekah said. Lyle being as rude as ever, took a quick peak before the cardinal system gave both of them the quest completed notification on their screen. Rebekah turned to Cleo in a lower voice, "I do not think he is in the mood to talk. Let's visit the fourth floor now?" Rebekah said. Rebekah grabbed a weapon on her way out. It was weaker than what she normally has, so it was useless. But she was not turning down free stuff.

@Them

[Them 0]

And in a flash, the quest drew to a close. Cleo withdrew her surprised reaction; it was, after all, the first questline players were expected to take, so to have spent any longer on it would have been more peculiar than anything. With no responsibilities nagging at either of the Players, and with Rebekah's agreement to head to the fourth floor, Cleo led the way out of the shop. "Let's go, then!" She pushed onward, excitement building as she wondered what it might be like on the higher floor—all the while accompanied by a patron of the winter wonderland, no less.

---

After a brisk walk back to the Town of Beginnings, the pair found themselves next to the floor's teleporter. Bursting with activity, the square was as loud as ever with parties teleporting in and out of the game's main settlement, and Cleo hung back, gesturing the other Player to take the lead. "You can do the honours. Is it weird that I'm pumped about this? Also, sort of dying for a coffee, do you mind if we hit up a place while we're up there?" Her go-to social activity in the real world, she wondered what sort of cafés lay in wait for them on the frozen floor.

[Rebekah 0]

Rebekah took the first step into the teleportation gate and selected the fourth floor. It was not a chilly day but she could feel the cold breeze the moment she stepped onto the floor. Spending so much time on this floor, Rebekah was used to the weather, but it always took a little bit of time to adjust whenever she spent a lot of time elsewhere. She quickly pressed her interface to activate and wear a jacket. It had appeared instantly on her body and she felt a lot warmer.

She turned around and looked for Cleo. She had arrived onto the floor right after her. Without spending anymore time in the cold, Rebekah lead her towards the busy and bustling cafe, where they were famous for their hot drinks, especially their hot chocolates, pastries and coffee. Rebekah lead her towards the lineup, and asked Cleo, "What do you usually order?"

It did not take them long to wait in line in this busy cafe, there were a lot of NPC baristas here to make drinks. She told the NPC, "A French Vanilla Latte with extra milk." Rebekah ordered, and paid for her drink. She waited for Cleo to make her order before asking her, "Do you want to go explore the frozen lake?"

[Them 0]

A brisk, cold chill blew right past before the teleporter's light faded. Cleo didn't hate the cold—plenty of that in Norway, after all—but had grown accustomed to more temperate climates in her time on the first floor. She paced through the menu quickly, equipping a thicker version of her dark-blue jacket with a fur-lined hood and a light blue beanie she'd crafted not a few days before. At Rebekah's insistence, she followed her to a nearby establishment, a café, much to her delight, eyes awash with wonder as she scanned the menu board from afar. "I normally get a salted caramel flat white with extra sugar; dentists hate me."

They hadn't long to decide as Rebekah moved to order, and Cleo's turn came shortly after. "Hi! Um, a salted caramel... mocha, please, with extra sugar." A slight deviation from the usual, she felt adventurous, returning to Rebekah's side with a to-go cup in hand. "Frozen Lake? Fuck yeah, I want to explore that!" She laughed excitably and started to follow wherever the pink-haired woman might go, taking a sip of her mocha as she trailed behind.

She started to notice just how many players were going about their daily routines there, comparable to the Town of Beginnings on even its busiest day, despite Snowfrost's inferior size. It was a detail she'd never spotted before on prior visits, though it was the first time she'd gone there purely to relax. "Do a lot of people live in this town? I've never seen so many people in one place at once. Besides the first day on the first floor but, y'know, that doesn't count."

@Rebekah

Edited March 26, 2022 by Them

[Rebekah 0]

Rebekah watched as the girl ordered a caramel mocha from the NPC player. She then asked about this town. "Well, I do think this is a popular town. It has the ski resort or resort town vibe to it without the downhill skiing of course." Rebekah began to explain. "I suppose it is popular more akin to a tourist destination. I would say the actual number of inhabitants, players and NPCs combined, are a lot less than the towns on floor one if you count the total number that reside on this floor for an extended period of time. That said, similar to the other tourist destinations on floor 22 or 24."

She had never counted the number of players on this floor. However, she was lucky since she was able to get a long term rental on this floor as she stayed on this floor the vast majority of the time. It was quite difficult to get a good rental location these days as all the good locations had already been booked up. "Let's head towards Frostbite Lake." The frozen lake was a popular destination for all ice skating and ice fishing. The edge of the lake was situated on the outskirts of the town.

[Them 0]

The floor's status as a popular tourist spot made sense, given that the snow never stopped falling and the climate perfectly (and permenantly) emulated the holiday season. As they made for the edge of town and then onward to the Frostbite Lake, Cleo stared upward, watching the clouds drift by high above. In a moment of introspection, she aired her thoughts out loud. "Maybe I'll move up here, soon. The first floor's safe and comfortable but it gets boring after so long. Plus, I bet there's a market in this town for warm clothes. Think about all of the coats you could sell here..."

A clearing led them out onto the frozen lake, sandwiched between a pair mountains and encircled by an endless expanse of snow-capped trees. Despite lacking a safezone, small groups of players gathered all around the edge of the lake, some skating around on the icy plain itself while others simply enjoyed the peace among their peers. Taken aback by the picturesque scenary, Cleo stood in awe, struggling to believe such a place could exist. She hummed in satisfaction as she sipped her coffee, pulling her eyes away from the view and back to Rebekah. "This place was pulled straight out of a fairy tale, right? It's gorgeous!" Her feet carried her closer to the edge of the lake before she stopped, looking back. "I don't know how you manage to get anything done, I'd never leave this place if I lived around here. Maybe it would be a bad idea to move here," she said with a laugh, planting herself down on the snow with an 'oof'.

@Rebekah

[Rebekah 0]

Rebekah had been here many times before given that she was a resident of the fourth floor. However, it never got old watching another person's reaction to the frozen lake on the fourth floor. Although not officially a safe zone, animals including the polar bears will often ignore the players unless directly provoked by the players that were on the lake. "I agree with you. It is a gorgeous."

"I like living here because the frozen lake is situated not too far from the town, about some several hundred metres. I like to stay active, so I do not like being indoors all day. This is the main reason why I moved here so many years ago. Unlike some of the other floors, the main attraction is so far away, and may not always be easily accessible by a teleportation gate." This place reminded Rebekah of home. She had lived in a city where nature can be found not too far from downtown.

She explained. "It also helps that a majority of the residents in the town also enjoy winter sports, so we will often have events here on the ice on a regular basis."

@Them

[Them 0]

Having learned why Rebekah chose to stay on the fourth floor, Cleo understood, even agreeing with the reasons herself. "I'm with you there." To be stuck inside all day long was healthy for nobody, especially in their virtual reality. Indeed, the floor seemed an almost perfect place to live; natural beauty, plenty of amenities, and an entire sub-community of snow-loving dwellers with which to mingle. "The only reason I wouldn't want to stay here is because of the cold. But, that's nothing a few coats can't fix." She smiled and looked out to the lake, then to the twin peaks of the mountains beyond. 

"Thank you, by the way. Today was pretty boring before you messaged earlier. It feels like we accomplished something, even if it was just doing a quest meant for level one players and getting cheap coffee. It's the little victories, I guess?" She fell back into the snow with a laugh, sighing. "Let's hit each other up soon for the next quest, yeah?"

--

Thread Summary:

Words: 4,228
Base EXP: 704

Them (T2):

1,408 1,409 (Thread) + 475 (Quest) = 1,883 1,884 EXP
500 (Quest) + 400 (Page) = 900 Col
Boar Jerky - T1 Perfect Consumable | DMG II | MIT I
Tealeaf Blade - T1 Uncommon Dagger | DMG I

Rebekah (T5):

3,520 3,523(Thread) + 475 (Quest) = 3,995 3,998 EXP
500 (Quest) + 599 (Paragon 5) = 1,099 Col
Boar Jerky - T1 Perfect Consumable | DMG II | MIT I
Tealeaf Blade - T1 Uncommon Rapier | DMG I