[PP-PT-F01 to F04] Fortunate Encounters

[Khione 0]

Floor 1

Vex --> Khione: He ran into her by her house, she lead him away. Couldn't hear the conversation but looks like they're in the same guild now. She saw my footprints :(
Khione --> Vex: We'll meet up soon.
Vex --> Khione: Keep your promise ;)

Khiones lip twitched up into a grin, that worked. That worked quite well. She hadn't expected Mari to actually invite him to a guild. Vex had for once, in his life - he had been useful. Following Reytac long enough to have him run into Mari a second time. By pure chance. She'd have to try and bump into him again. Khione wasn't sure how exactly to orchestrate that. She didn't trust Vex to play the role of the villian - only for Khione to swoop in and save the day. Vex had about a 50/50 chance of actually murdering the guy. 

Khione was sitting at a cafe, by the teleport plaza in the Town of Beginnings, long lilac hair hung loosely over her shoulders. The woman was wearing simple clothing - black pants and a long sleeved shirt. She wore glasses and held a book in her hand, writing notes. Every so often she'd glance up at the gate then scribble something down. Every so often she'd pause to take a sip of her cappuccino. Overall, the woman had a simple and pleasant demeanor - passerby barely gave her any notice. But she kept notes on everything, and everyone. 

The woman hadn't expected things to pan out like this, in all honesty - she had recommended Reytac to go visit Mari's store because Mari was one of the few people who actively and consistently held stock. Khione had hoped the man would find it useful, and be grateful for the information. Turns out, that he had run into her again. Khione had Vex tailing Mari, but this was....fortunate. Very Fortunate. 

 

 

 

 

<<ASSIST SYSTEM ENGAGED ASSISTING KHIONE>>
+0% FINAL EXP REWARD
Level: 1            
Paragon: 0            
Tier: 1
True Tier: 1

Khione | HP: 20/20 | EN: 20/20 | DMG: 1 | LD:3 | True Tier 1     

Spoiler

 

"Name: Khione
True Tier: 1
Level: 1
Paragon Level: 0
HP: 20/20
EN: 20/20

Stats:
Damage: 1
Loot Die: 3

Equipped Gear:
Weapon/Armor/Trinket: 
  - 
Armor/Trinket: 
  - 
Shield/Armor/Trinket: 
  - 

Combat Mastery:
  - 

Combat Shift:
  - 

Familiar Skill:
  - 

Custom Skill:
  - 

Skills:
  - Searching R3
  - Whip R1

Extra Skills:

Inactive Extra Skills:

Addons:

Mods:

Inactive Mods:

Battle Ready Inventory:

Housing Buffs:

Guild Hall Buffs:

Scents of the Wild Totem:

Wedding Ring:

Crafting Profession:
 - Alchemist[exp] R1
Gathering Profession:
 - Fishing[exp] R1"         

 

                                                                                                                  

Edited Thursday at 06:14 PM by Khione

[Vex Vexxus 1]

Floor 4

I laughed to myself as I saw the curt reply from my darling little Emelia - my how quick to anger she was. I whistled to myself as I traced back my footsteps on the fourth floor. I knew Mari was smart, I knew she was astute - but damn noticing my footprints? Amidst all the others? I leaned down to glance at my boots. They were pure white dress shoes - sharply angled at the toe. “Ahhh… I see, I see.” I said to myself as I let my foot waggle to and fro. “So you, my pesky little friends - are what had caused it.” I wagged a finger at my boot, as if chastising it. “Tut, tut! You’re going to make someone way too paranoid! What shall I do if that happens?”

I stretched my back. Khione had promised me a treat for being a good boy, she promised to get more information on Atticus. Which, I desperately needed after accidentally killing his friend - Ben. The order of the Sun and Sword. A group of self righteous, self appointed knights who had made it their mission to hunt down the arsonists who burnt down their village. Funnily enough they had their sights set on little Mari. 

Not knowing she had taken that little arsonist right away from our merry troupe. I both hated and revered her for that. How did she do it? How did she convince someone like Lancaster to leave the Laughing Coffin? I wanted to know. I wanted her to become one of my little hypnotized playthings, but to do that, I needed more information on her, what made her tick - what her weaknesses were. The mind was truly a funny little thing, wasn’t it?

“Hey, the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

Ah! Think of the devil and she shall appear! I turned on my heel, eyes widening in surprise. “Oh! Mari right?” I asked as I clapped my hands together loudly. “What brings you here?”

<<ASSIST SYSTEM ENGAGED ASSISTING KHIONE>>
+5% FINAL EXP REWARD
Level: 1            
Paragon: 0            
Tier: 1
True Tier: 2

Vex | HP: 20/20 | EN: 20/20 | DMG: 1                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Edited Thursday at 06:15 PM by Vex Vexxus

[Mari 1]

Mari had one hand firmly planted on her hip, the other - on her satchel of tricks. She had only met this man once before - and he was with a purple haired woman who called herself Emilia. Although her real name was Khione. This was not a coincidence.  Running into Reytac - the footprints - “You were following me.” Mari said tersely as her hand dipped into her satchel. 

“Explain.” This didn’t bode well, at least not for Vex. He seemed to always be attached at Khiones hip. Mari remembered the name now. The interaction. How pissed Khione had been at Vex for him revealing her screen name.

“I’m totally wanting to search for a malamute!” Vex replied as he placed his hand over his eyes, glancing around. “I want one big enough to ride!”

Mari kept her hand on her pouch. She didn’t trust it. She didn’t trust him. Mari knew very little of him, aside from the fact he was dancing like a complete and utter fool at the Crab Boil, and that he had followed Khione like a lost puppy.

“Aight. Say I believe you.” Mari said. “Why this particular area of the forest?” She needed to alert Lancaster that people were sniffing around the house - but couldn’t do it with the man right in front of her.

<<ASSIST SYSTEM ENGAGED ASSISTING KHIONE>>
+10% FINAL EXP REWARD
Level: 1            
Paragon: 0            
Tier: 1
True Tier: 14

Mari | HP: 35/35 | EN: 25/25 | DMG: 15 | MIT:97 | ACC:4 | AA  | FL.AURA: 2 | BH:2 | BRN: 14 | ENV-O: 8 | PARA-V | LD:5                                                                                                                            

Edited Thursday at 06:18 PM by Mari

[Reytac 0]

The familiar sounds of the Town of Beginnings washed over Reytac, wrapping around him like a comfortable, well worn jacket. While he was trying to push further ahead and grow, he still found himself coming back here on occasion. He'd spent a long time here after being trapped, even if most of it was a blur of depression and hopelessness. Teleporting always made him feel a bit queasy, he didn't know why - and hadn't seen others affected by it. Most seemed to treat it as just stepping from one place to another, but to him it was always disorienting. Just one more reason he was glad that the teleporter plazas were firmly in safe zones, at least for every place he'd teleported to. So far he'd been lucky enough to avoid having to use a TP crystal. 

 

As he recovered from the small bout of nausea, he looked around, taking in the city around him. He should probably look into restocking on a few supplies, some food and water to keep him going. Existing just off of baked goods from a Chef's shop was like a little kid's dream, but it certainly wasn't his. He has visited some of the other floors, looking for crafter shops as he was sick and tired of being nearly naked whenever he ran into a mob. But now that his impromptu shopping trip for actual gear was done, he realized he was nearly out of basic supplies. And worse, his stomach was rumbling as his nausea faded, and he realized it had been far too long since he last ate. 

 

As he walked away from the teleporter spawn, he spotted what looked like a Cafe where he could get something to eat. It certainly wouldn't be able to provide him with any buffs, but at least it would fill his belly. Hopefully it at least tasted good. He started rambling that way as he adjusted the spots where his new armor was sitting - it was still a bit stiff, not yet worn in yet, but he knew he'd get it broken in soon enough. But the most important thing was the new amulet that he had tucked underneath his armor. Resting against his skin, the swirls of metal still felt cool to the touch, and he had to resist the urge to pull it out and look at it to admire it again. He'd done that enough at the shop where he had purchased it in the first place. 

 

A bell chimed above Reytac as he entered the store, and he spilled his cloak tighter against him to make sure it didn't get caught as he walked over to the cash register. He still wasn't used to wearing one of the things yet, but it felt right at home with this armor. He did have the hood down as he stopped in front of the npc who was manning the register, and he placed his order for a warm tea and a small sausage roll. The transaction didn't take long, and as he accepted the items he started to ponder what he'd do next. It might be a good idea to see if there was a quest that could net him a new skill - while he had purchased an armor skill to go with his new gear, snagging one of the extra skills wouldn't hurt. 

 

“Sir.” Rey blinked and turned his attention to the npc who had a mildly annoyed look on her face. “All seating for the cafe is outside. Please don't stand in the way of other customers.” 

 

“Ah, sorry, sorry.” Reytac rubbed the back of his head with one hand sheepishly before walking back out the door to find a place to sit. He paused when he saw a somewhat familiar shock of hair, and made sure to step out of the way of the door as he twisted his lips, wondering if he should approach the woman who looked distracted. 

 

<ASSIST SYSTEM ENGAGED ASSISTING KHIONE>>

+15% FINAL EXP REWARD

Level: 1            

Paragon: 0            

Tier: 1

True Tier: 1

Reytac | HP: 20/20 | EN: 20/20 | DMG: 8 | MIT:12 | ACC:2 | EVA:2 | REC: 2 | LD:2  

Edited 2 hours ago by Reytac

[Khione 0]

Lilac eyes watched as a familiar face approached her - Ah. Reytac. She hadn’t expected to see him anytime soon. Perhaps luck had been on her side lately. Khione grinned as he approached only to have him walk right past her. The woman blinked. She supposed she hadn’t left that much of an impression on him. Oh well. She wasn’t the type of woman to go running after someone. She picked up her half empty cappuccino and took another long sip before shifting her attention to her messenger - tiny beeps had been going off in her ear, one after another.

Rosaria → Khione: Need some fresh supplies.
Khione → Rosaria: Got it. XX YY ZZ. Tomorrow. Noon.

Khione then deleted the messages from her inbox, erasing any trace that the conversation had happened. She sighed, tapping a long fingernail against the table, the Coffin was wanting more people lately, the woman hadn’t had the faintest idea as to why, but she’d never question it.

“Oh. Hello again.” Khione said as she shifted her gaze toward Reytac - whom had wandered back outside. “Reytac, right?” She asked, keeping a pleasant tone, despite feeling slightly irritated he had the audacity to walk right past her. “We met at the crab boil, you shared one of your drinks with me - remember?” Khione gestured to the empty seat in front of her. “I have another cup on its way - its all yours. To say thanks for the drink back then.”

If he’d sit, Khione could continue the conversation, find out exactly what happened between him and Mari - if he chose to walk away. Khione would simply move onto finding targets for tomorrow.
 

[Vex Vexxus 1]

I laughed to myself as I saw the curt reply from my darling little Emelia - my how quick to anger she was. I whistled to myself as I traced back my footsteps on the fourth floor. I knew Mari was smart, I knew she was astute - but damn noticing my footprints? Amidst all the others? I leaned down to glance at my boots. They were pure white dress shoes - sharply angled at the toe. “Ahhh… I see, I see.” I said to myself as I let my foot waggle to and fro. “So you, my pesky little friends - are what had caused it.” I wagged a finger at my boot, as if chastising it. “Tut, tut! You’re going to make someone way too paranoid! What shall I do if that happens?”

I stretched my back. Khione had promised me a treat for being a good boy, she promised to get more information on Atticus. Which, I desperately needed after accidentally killing his friend - Ben. The order of the Sun and Sword. A group of self righteous, self appointed knights who had made it their mission to hunt down the arsonists who burnt down their village. Funnily enough they had their sights set on little Mari. 

 

Not knowing she had taken that little arsonist right away from our merry troupe. I both hated and revered her for that. How did she do it? How did she convince someone like Lancaster to leave the Laughing Coffin? I wanted to know. I wanted her to become one of my little hypnotised playthings, but to do that, I needed more information on her, what made her tick - what her weaknesses were. The mind was truly a funny little thing, wasn’t it?

 

“Hey, the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

 

Ah! Think of the devil and she shall appear! I turned on my heel, eyes widening in surprise. “Oh! Mari right?” I asked as I clapped my hands together loudly. “What brings you here?”

[Vex Vexxus 1]

Mari had one hand firmly planted on her hip, the other - on her satchel of tricks. She had only met this man once before - and he was with a purple haired woman who called herself Emilia. Although her real name was Khione. This was not a coincidence.  Running into Reytac - the footprints - “You were following me.” Mari said tersely as her hand dipped into her satchel. 

“Explain.” This didn’t bode well, at least not for Vex. He seemed to always be attached at Khiones hip. Mari remembered the name now. The interaction. How pissed Khione had been at Vex for him revealing her screen name.

“I’m totally wanting to search for a malamute!” Vex replied as he placed his hand over his eyes, glancing around. “I want one big enough to ride!”

Mari kept her hand on her pouch. She didn’t trust it. She didn’t trust him. Mari knew very little of him, aside from the fact he was dancing like a complete and utter fool at the Crab Boil, and that he had followed Khione like a lost puppy.
“Aight. Say I believe you.” Mari said. “Why this particular area of the forest?” She needed to alert Lancaster that people were sniffing around the house - but couldn’t do it with the man right in front of her.

[Mari 1]

Mari had one hand firmly planted on her hip, the other - on her satchel of tricks. She had only met this man once before - and he was with a purple haired woman who called herself Emilia. Although her real name was Khione. This was not a coincidence.  Running into Reytac - the footprints - “You were following me.” Mari said tersely as her hand dipped into her satchel. 

“Explain.” This didn’t bode well, at least not for Vex. He seemed to always be attached at Khiones hip. Mari remembered the name now. The interaction. How pissed Khione had been at Vex for him revealing her screen name.

“I’m totally wanting to search for a malamute!” Vex replied as he placed his hand over his eyes, glancing around. “I want one big enough to ride!”

Mari kept her hand on her pouch. She didn’t trust it. She didn’t trust him. Mari knew very little of him, aside from the fact he was dancing like a complete and utter fool at the Crab Boil, and that he had followed Khione like a lost puppy.
“Aight. Say I believe you.” Mari said. “Why this particular area of the forest?” She needed to alert Lancaster that people were sniffing around the house - but couldn’t do it with the man right in front of her.

[Reytac 0]

Reytac tilted his head to one side. It wasn't hard to pretend he'd forgotten her name - he had, after all. “Right, yes, you're the lady who actually wanted mead while the others just kept taking beer. Met you the same time as..” He pulled his drink of tea and roll out as he sat down in the seat she had indicated, then tapped his fingers against the table. “Abellio. That was his name and the other guy. Sorry, I'm terrible with names now, been a while since I tried to remember any.” This was the woman, the one who sent him to Mari's shop. 

Potentially setting him up to die, if the orange player had been ruthless. Or setting him up to just visit the store, if she knew that Mari wasn't unhinged. He still didn't know which it was and the woman now sitting across from her gave him the same pleasant smile she had at the broil. Which made it hard to tell, for sure. 

“You don't need to pay me back miss. You have me that lead on a shop where I was able to buy some consumables, which was more than in had before. Thank you for that. Though you may want to warn anyone else you send that way, I dunno if I just got lucky or what all things considered.” He gave her an apologetic smile.

“Sorry, but I did forget your name too. What was it, miss?” 

 

[Khione 0]

“Emelia.” Khione reintroduced herself as she gestured for the NPC waiter to set the cup of cappuccino in front of Reytac. “That’s my real name, of course. I prefer to use it.” She said, It was honest. Using her real name helped humanize herself, disarm others - and kept her username safe. “I’m pretty good with remembering things.” Khione said as she shut her book and set it away in her inventory. Best case scenario it was. He had chosen to sit across from her. Reytac mentioned the shop. 

“Oh! So you met Mari then?” Khione asked with an amused grin. “I’m glad. I only met her once, and she seemed quite…hmmm…” Khione tilted her head to the side as she leaned forward, elbows on the table, as she placed her chin in her hands. “Prickly. But - she’s a frontliner. Helped clear the 29th floor raid, and if you ignore the rumours. She’s usually willing to help people. I mean, it's part of her whole guilds schtick. She’s also one of the few places that keeps her store fully stocked.” she watched as he nodded at that. 

Khione couldn’t quite get a grasp on Reytac, on what he thought of her. Perhaps sending him up to Mari’s store without warning wasn’t a good thing. Especially with how he mentioned it.

“I suppose I did forget to mention she’s a PKer. She’s kinda pretty renowned. So it escapes my mind, that people don’t know who she is these days.”

[Vex Vexxus 1]

I grinned, oh this area o’ the forest she says. I tilted my head to the side in a mock pout, placing a finger on my lips. “Oh? Why? Is there something about this area of the forest?” I gestured to the trees around us. Knowing full well that she lived nearby. “This is far enough away from the main settlement for me not to be a….you know…” I rolled my hand over and over before making an exaggerated point to my cursor. “This thing! It just never disappears!” I lamented with a mock faint. “I hadn’t even killed anyone, you know?”  Technically true, by the rules of Aincrad and its standards - my name wasn’t on the monument. Oh but so many others were. It was incredibly easy to wrap my hand around someone elses, and shove it into their itty bitty digital chest over and over and over again. Only for the monument to be all self inflicted harm It was comical. Hilarious! How many murderers actually took advantage of this? I bet there were countless seedy men and women all wandering around with a pristine green shard above their heads. “It pains me so!” I said with an exaggerated sound of anguish. “But stealing, oh I can’t help it. I’m just a thief at heart! Its too easy to just nab anything and everything from those pesky NPCs!”

[Mari 1]

Mari didn’t trust him, so she opened up her HUD system, one hand still on her pouch. Eyes constantly flicking up to the white haired man to ensure he didn’t take a single step further, he seemed quite happy to just bounce to and fro from his toes to the heels of his feet.

“I ain’t want to hurt you, Mari.” He said with a whistle. “Go on, tell anyone and everyone ol’ Vex is here!” He said with a flourish and a bow, scraping his feet against the snow.

Ugh Mari inwardly cringed at his demeanor, she didn’t like it. Somehow…it reminded her of Tybalt. If Tybalt had his wits about him, and was trying too hard. That was the difference between the two. Tybalt was somehow actually good at his performance, this man…was not.

 

Mari→ Lancaster: Someone named Vex has been snooping around the forest area. Orange crystal. You know him?
Lancaster → Mari: No. Need trash taken out?
Mari → Lancaster: Hold off for now.

“Ooohh, messaging the boy toy?” Vex asked as he had slung an arm loosely around her shoulder, peering at her HUD. “I’m hurt. I am not trash.

Mari jumped as she ducked underneath him and swept her leg under his - sending the man tumbling to the ground. Mari planted a foot firmly on his chest. “Don’t fucking touch me.” She hissed. 

[Reytac 0]

Reytac munched on his roll for a moment as Emilia spoke, not trying to be rude but trying to quiet the rumbling in his stomach. As she talked, he nodded once or twice and used eating to cover the fact that his face twitched once or twice. He let out a short laugh and wiped his mouth of any crumbs with a napkin, then politely sipped the cappuccino that she'd had the waiter set down, ignoring his protest. 

“I suppose so. I was one of those with my head stuck in the sand after the whole announcement back then, so I missed it. Bit of a shock, I'm sure you can imagine.” He had also noted that, although she said she'd only met Mari once, she did mention that she knew that Mari kept her shop stocked all the time. Which meant someone was telling her about Mari's shop being stocked, either someone who was watching the shop, or someone else that she had sent there before him. He was terrible at these mind games, so he kept to simple things to avoid slipping himself up. “I would have had no idea she was that strong - I guess even front liners want to relax from time to time. Something I'll want to keep in mind since becoming one is my current goal.” He gave Emilia a smile and took a drink of the tea he'd bought, a slight bit of tension leaving him at the soothing flavor. 

“So what do you get up to when not hanging out at cafes and broils? I've tried to explore a couple of the other floors, figure out if there's any quests or skills that I want to snag and add to my repertoire.” A nice, safe topic, Rey thought.

 

[Khione 0]

Khione leaned back against the chair, sighing as she saw another ping from Vex, she ignored it for now. “I guess it can be rough.” She mused as she glanced into her cup. Khione felt in situations like this, truth worked far better than any lie ever could. “I was testing the game for some patients, to make sure it was safe - see its power consumption, and all that.” SHe paused to take a sip. “I’m a nurse. This game was supposed to be for the children, something for them to do during long hospital trips, or ones who were bedridden. I loathe to think what would have happened if it weren't for us testing the system first.” That part was true. Khione may be cold, but she wasn’t a monster. She didn’t want sick children trapped in this game. Not with all the people that were dwelling within it. Hell, even her own guild was a testament to that. A place filled with people who wanted nothing more than to idle away within the game. Under its current leadership - many of the members had been reigned in. One of the 3 golden rules: No unnecessary killing. It had been easy for her to follow, but others, not so much. Khione swirled the milky drink around in her hand.

“I was testing it out, to get a feel for it when I went to introduce it to my wife.” Reytac's voice was quiet. “I hate the idea of her being stuck in here. So I understand that.”

 

Khione nodded, so he had a wife. A strong drive to escape from here. A family man. Good information to know.

“I’m an information broker.” Came her reply, another truth. “I make it my job to know how the frontliners are faring, among other notorious figures within the game. The strongest players in Aincrad - we all look to them to help us escape, but who keeps an eye on them? Who keeps track of those who are close to snapping?” Khione asked. “Some already are, some, like Mari - already have. How would you defend yourself if the strongest player in all of Aincrad were to start a rampage in this place?” She asked, gesturing to the bustling city around them.

 

Ding
    Ding
      Ding

 

“Ugh. Fuck. One moment.” Khione muttered, frustration almost boiling over at the incessant pings.  She read the messages. “Oh. Seems like my friend has run into the subject of our discussion. He didn’t leave the best impression on her last time.”  Khione sighed as she downed her cup.

“I need to check in on the situation, over on the fourth floor. Care to join me?” She’d ask. There was a pause. “Fair warning. My friend, Vex - has an orange marker, but he hasn’t killed anyone. We can even stop by the monument for you to confirm, if that eases your mind.” 

[Reytac 0]

Reytac turned his head to one side, then the other. “I appreciate the warning this time. Hang on, give me a moment with this. ” He demolished the rest of his roll and then downed his tea, putting the cup in the trash receptacle nearby. As his back was to her, he sent Mari a quick, abrupt message. 

 Reytac - >Mari Purple hair is named Emilia. She's on her way to fourth floor. Asked if I want to go, y/N?

 

Mari → Reytac: I know. Is fine.

 

 

If it somehow came to a fight, then he had a feeling he would just end up getting in Mari's way, or worse, make her have to defend him. But since she seemed to think it was fine - either she was just that confident, which she had every reason to be, or she didn't think it would come to a fight. So he dusted off his hands and turned around to Emilia and gave her a bright smile. 

“Now that the trash is sorted, sure, let's go. And since you were kind enough to warn me this time about your friend, I'll take your word for it. I know there's other ways to get Orange tag than just murder.” What that might mean, what this unnamed friend of hers had done that got him that fun little color change, he wasn't sure of. 

 

Emilia stood and pushed her chair in. “He’s a bit of a kleptomaniac. One time, he was so proud of stealing all the cutlery from a church.” Emilia said, clearly frustrated with him. “I don’t know why he follows me around, but - I suppose I let him.”

 

That was an odd one, to be proud of stealing from a church. But at least it was just the cutlery? At least that Emilia was telling him about. Still, it was nice that she'd let him know to some degree. Rey led the way over to the teleporter, and gave a small bow towards it. “Ladies first?” 

 

 

[Vex Vexxus 1]

Oh my how she would wound me so, throwing me to the floor and placing a foot firmly against my chest. I hummed, thinking - man - don’t people pay good money for this? Too bad I wasn’t interested in such things. “Ohh owwww! Whatever did I do?” I said in mock pain. Knowing full well what had happened. I caught her off guard. Quite easily so - and that pissed her off. It made her very, very angry - and me…very very happy. I had already figured out she was suggestive to hypnotic persuasion. And whilst she normally held fast and strong - right now, she was absolutely exhausted. Why? I hadn’t really the faintest idea - it wasn’t my business to know. That was Khiones job. Mine was just to cause a hot mess wherever I went. And to induce people into our way of thinking. Easily enough, right?

“What. What. What!?” I asked, hands up to show her I meant no harm. I slowly waved my arms to and fro in front of her, my grin widening as her wild eyes attempted to follow the movements of my hands.

“It’s not like you’d want to kill me, right?” I asked, adding emphasis on certain words. “Even just a tiny, itty, bitty bit? You’d not give in. You’re Mari.”