{{PP-PT-F01}} I Guess Murders Ain't All Bad

[Reytac 0]

 

Reytac stretched out his shoulders, his joints popping, as he walked down the dirt path that he'd found. He'd heard a rumor that a particular NPC that he'd been trying to find for a while was here - and from the odd structure in the distance, he was fairly certain that the rumor had been true. A frission of relief went through him. He'd wanted a companion for a while, seeing the ones that other players had just ended up filling him with more and more longing as the days went by, and now he'd finally found the key to starting down that path. 

There was a conservatively dressed, green-haired woman, humming a soft tune as she moved around a small campfire which had a pot bubbling atop it. As he approached slowly, the woman paused and held up one hand, and Rey watched as a sparrow landed on it. The bird thrilled at the woman a few times, puffed its feathers, then flew off, and he had to shake his head. 

A Disney Princess in Aincrad. Reytac stepped forward to raise his voice in greeting, only for the woman to turn around and stare at him intently. He stumbled, and she gave him a soft smile. 

"Greetings, traveler. Are you here for some aid with something?" 

"Ah, yes? Hi. I'm here because I heard that you might be able to help me in finding a companion for my travels?" 

"Oh, now that's wonderfully worded, wasn't it traveler? You know better than to think them a pet." The woman smiled, and Rey felt a little uneasy - there was something... Odd, that he couldn't quite place. "You've come to the right place. I can give you some of my Familiar Food, to help soothe the tension in their soul. It won't guarantee success, of course, that still hinges on you, but it will at least allow you to make the attempt." She picked up a wooden bowl with a lid that she unscrewed, and carefully ladled some of the food from the pot above the fire into it. After screwing the lid back in place, she held the bowl towards Reytac. 

"Here, traveler. May it aid you." Reytac took the bowl as he heard footsteps approach behind him. 

 

 

 

Assist System Engage: Reytac 

Level 18:

Tier 2

True Tier: 2

 

Stats:

Spoiler

Refunding Skills, Taking:
Keen Sight: +2 to LD for 5 SP
Hammer 3 for  14SP
Light armor 3 for 14 SP

Searching 5 for 30 SP: + 5LD

Meticulous for 4

Total: 57 SP

Reytac | HP: 360/360 | EN: 54/54 | DMG: 10 | MIT:24 | ACC:2 | EVA:2 | REC: 2 | LD: +7

 

@Cascade

 

 

Using: Spyglass: cut search requirements down by 5 posts

Pheromones: reduce CD for Taking by 1 - 

 

Can now search every ten posts instead of every fifteen

CD threshold for tame is now: 8+

 

 

Edited Wednesday at 08:47 PM by Reytac

[Cascade 0]

The world around her felt heavy. The greenery, the flowers, the breeze, the clouds, not even the sunshine had quenched this feeling of dread that drenched her from head to toe. She ignored it best she could, setting out on a quest of her own. One of hearsay. Cascade had overheard a conversation at her local tavern. There was a woman along the trails that could offer a means to acquire a companion, or at the very least, guide her in the right direction. She had dreamt of having someone to share her journeys with, but it had always been a distant wish. At best, all she could do was attempt to chase that far off dream. 

 

The path she walked along was rugged. There was a strange mist that almost appeared to curl around her feet as she walked; just enough to avoid the movement. Like a waltz, but instead of sharing the dance, they avoided one another as though the touch would poison upon embrace. Eventually she'd walked long enough to see others in the distance. Only a few paces more and she had reached them. A green haired woman stood near a flickering fire and pot. If Cascade hadn't known any better, she'd almost assume the woman was a witch. She glanced at the man. He he was tall, had a strong build, and scars that showed his experience in battle varied along his skin. She pushed the thoughts aside approaching the pair. Her eyes fell on the woman, as she locked gazes with her. 

 

Good evening, It's been foretold that if I sought you out you may be able to aid me. You see, I am interested in a traveling companion. Her voice was even and honest. 

 

The woman grinned. "Seems as though the lot of you today are very wise." She clicked her tongue and fiddled over to Cascade, grabbing her by the shoulders. Cascades alarm was far from hidden within her features as her eyes widened and face contorted from the sudden touch. She took a step back in protest, but the woman's grip remained firm, she stared into Cascades eyes as though she were searching for something.

 

The green haired woman let go, "Ah yes, you'll do just fine." She waved a finger in the air as she went back to her campfire; rummaging amongst her things. "Here it is." She said in triumph. She had found a bowl and now began to fill it with the slop that resided within the pot. "This is Familiar Food, to ease the tension in their soul. As I've just told your friend there," she gestured to the ginger haired man, "It will not guarantee your triumph. Succession hinges on you,  but this will allow you to at least make the attempt."

 

Just a moment later she set down her laddle and twisted the lid on securely, before hurriedly handing it to Cascade. "May it aid you on your journeys travelers." She looked to and from Cascade and the man who stood off to the side. He had been watching from afar since her arrival. She glanced at him and then turned away, eyes falling to the lidded bowl. She didn't let the thought stew withing her mind, but something felt strange. She had recognized it the moment the woman had spoken to her, but what was it?

***

Cascade| HP: 20/20 | EN 20/20 | ACC 0 | EVA 0

Spoiler

Name: Cascade

True Tier: 1 

Level: 1 

HP: 20/20

EN: 20/20 

 

Stats-

Damage: 1

Mitigation: 0

Accuracy: 0

Evasion: 0

Recovery: 0

Bleed: 0

Battle Healing: 0

 

Inventory- 

(3) Starter Healing Potions (Heals 50 HP)

2,000 Col

(25) Material

 

 

Refunding Skills, Taking: Keen Sight: +2 to LD for 5 SP

(1) Pheromones

 

@Reytac

 

Edited yesterday at 06:25 AM by Cascade

[Reytac 0]

There it was again, that odd tension in the air when the green-haired woman handed the new arrival her own bowl of Familiar Food. It was almost like the air was filled with ozone, a lightning strike about to happen - but there was nothing, just the Tamer going back to busying herself with things and ignoring the two Players. Reytac rubbed the back of his head and gave a slight shrug before turning his attention to the new person, raising one hand in greeting. 

"Howdy there miss, nice ta meetcha. Name's Reytac. You interested in working together for the 'Feeding Your Enemy' quest? I think it can be co-oped." Since they had made it here at the same time, it'd be nice if he had someone to work with, and talk with as they passed the time while searching for some companion animals. But he wasn't going to press it, he knew that some people would prefer to work alone even now. Still, she seemed about as fresh as he still felt, as opposed to all the ridiculously powerful people he'd met so far. 

Reytac tested to see if the bowl of Familiar Food would go into his inventory - sometimes quest items acted a bit particular. This one, thankfully, didn't give him any issues, and slotted in smoothly, taking up one inventory box by itself. That done, he closed out his inventory panel and focused back at the white-haired woman. Despite her hair color, she seemed young, younger than he was at least. But he'd already noticed that most of the people that he'd met were younger than him, so that didn't surprise him any. She didn't have any equipment out that he could see, but with how fast some things could be pulled out or out away, that didn't really mean anything. But if she actually didn't have gear, he could always point her towards one of the shops he'd used. 

Spoiler

@Cascade

 

[Cascade 0]

She peered over at the man, his sudden movement had set her on alert. What were his intentions? She turned to him as he raised a hand to her in greeting. 
"Howdy there miss, nice ta meetcha. Name's Reytac. You interested in working together for the, 'Feeding Your Enemy,' quest? I think it can be co-oped."

It wasn't necessarily the fact that there was something wrong with the player that now stood before her, but the wary feeling from before lingered. The atmosphere around them felt thick and grimy, the green haired woman had put her on edge, and to top it off, a random stranger now offered a party invite. The accent was noted. She hesitated a few beats more before smiling and nodding in acceptance. She pushed all her worry aside focusing on the person that now stood before her. It was almost certain that pairing with someone else would prove useful. Cascade wasn't a stickler, she could get along with anyone. It was just the task of hiding how unhinged her mind really was that knocked at her senses. 

She offered a hand as she began her introduction, "My name is Cascade, pleased to make your acquaintance Reytac. I look forward to working with you." She opened her menu sliding the bowl into an empty slot before looking back at her partner expectantly. He had been eyeing her, a small feeling of dread crossed her thoughts. He isn't going to hit on me is he? She almost pouted within her own being, but she gave him the benefit of the doubt. He most likely had just been assessing her, or thinking about how strange her eyes were, or about the fact that she had some unusual tattoos for a woman. Something normal. It took her a moment but she mustered the courage, "What's next?"

 

@Reytac

[Reytac 0]

Poor kid, she seems stressed as all get out. Reytac gave the offered hand a brief shake before turning away to toss her the party invite. It took only a few moments to send it to her, and then he clapped his hands together as she asked what the next step was. He gave her an easy smile as his eyes started roving across the area around them, before he picked a direction almost at random to start walking in. Only almost, random, as in the distance he had seen the shape of birds moving in the distance, and he knew that he, at least, was interested in an avian companion. 
“Well, Miss Cascade, the next step is gonna be figuring out what the two of us are looking for, if we're actually looking for any type of companion in particular. I know I am, I'm hoping to get a crow or a raven - preferably a raven. How about yourself?” As he spoke, Reytac was walking slowly in the direction that he had seen the birds in. It was, thankfully, a pleasantly sunny day, so spotting the birds hadn't been too difficult. Still, to make sure that they weren't waiting their time, Reytac pulled a Spyglass out of his inventory and lifted it up, using the device to scan the sky ahead of them. 
Sure enough, he could see the black feathers and the gleaming eyes. The Spyglass certainly did it's job - while they still had to make it over to them, and try to lure the birds closer, at the very least he knew he wasn't crazy thinking that there were corvids in this direction. He stowed the tool away and looked over his shoulder to Cascade following behind him. 
”Are you trying for anything in particular yourself? Or more just, going to go with the flow? Nothing wrong with either way, mind you.” Now that they had a bit of distance from the camp, Reytac felt some of the tension easing out of his shoulders. He couldn't tell what it was that had had him on edge there, but he was glad that it didn't seem to persist after leaving the place. 

 

@Cascade

  

[Cascade 0]

The invite popped up in front of her. She had seen it happen to others before, but it was different when you received one of your own. She stared at it for a moment before pressing, 'accept.' He stole her attention away as his feet trudged forward. Does he know where to go? It wasn't as though the green haired woman had given them directions. She had simply handed them some 'Familiar Food,' or so she called it, and had sent them on their way. She shivered, stealing a quick glance back at the strange woman. She turned her attention back to Reytac, beginning to follow him loosely; walking a deliberate few paces behind. She looked around, this place still gave her creeps; just enough that she figured it wouldn't hurt to quicken her steps, if only a little bit. Rey's voice cut through the silence. "Well Miss Cascade, the next step is gonna be figuring out what the two of us are looking are looking for, if we're actually looking for any type of companion in particular. I know I am, I'm hoping to get a crow or a raven - preferably a raven. How about yourself?" She looked up at him in surprise, and not a moment later a bold smile came across her face. He opened his menu, summoning an item. Her smile faded. 

She watched as he held up the small object from his inventory. It seemed to be a small round spyglass. Curious. Cascade wasn't blind, no, but she did assume; rightfully so, that he could see more than her with the aid of his gadget. His voice cut through the wind, "Are you trying for anything in particular yourself? Or more just, going to go with the flow? Nothing wrong with either way, mind you." He stashed it away and looked back at her as she took a moment to consider his question. 

"You say you are hoping to make a companion out of a raven; interesting thing is, so am I. I have always been fond of birds. Ravens and crows can be beautiful, gentle creatures. I too, hope to make a companion out of one of the pair," she replied earnestly. "It isn't often that someone seeks out an avian friend such as crows or ravens though. Some people consider them loud and uncleanly. I gather from those observations, that the black feathered avians are simply misunderstood." She nodded brining a hand to her chin in thought, nodding in agreement with her assessment. "Though it's true I could be wrong, maybe they are just as people say. Either that or one has simply not taken enough time to spend with them, " she paused, "What do you think?" Her pace quickened until she found her place next to him. Slowly the tension began to ripple away. She took a deep breath. Where they had been before held a sickening atmosphere. In all her time near the woman and the mists she hadn't been able to understand what it was that made her uneasy, the feeling just stayed stagnant in the pit of her stomach. It had felt like an impending danger, one that threatened to pounce every minute she had stayed. Thankfully these were also the feelings that now left her, mostly. She looked up to Reytac expectantly, almost eager for his answer. Her brows furrowed for a moment before another question emerged, "How far can you see with your spyglass exactly?" She looked forward peering into the distance. Far off she could see speckles of black in flurries. They moved about, probably pecking at the grass and talking amongst one another. Keen sight could only do so much.

Edited 14 hours ago by Cascade

[Reytac 0]

”Dirty, unclean? Hah, no. Corvids are smart crackers, and I've known the little guys to get under water spouts to get clean when they want to.” Reytac laughed. ”More, from what I've known, people don't like them because they're little kleptos, or seen as harbinger of bad fortune. They have a liking to picking up shiny bits and bobs. But even out in the physical world, they can be trained, and are known to form bonds with people - bringing humans who feed them little shiny rocks, or pieces of glass. The things that catch their eyes, y'know?” Little Cascade was wanting one herself, and ignoring the misinformation that she'd been given in the past, so that was good. He twirled the Spyglass around on his hand, before holding it out towards her as they walked. 

”Here, we can stop a second and you can try it out Miss Cascade. They're not gonna go anywhere fast enough for us to lose them. And keep in mind - they're wickedly smart little guys.  Ravens are a bit bigger than crows, but they're very similar despite that.” The young girl had relaxed as they got away from the camp, and he couldn't fault that. There had been something unsettling, though he in no way could have ever placed his finger on it exactly. He hoped that talking, and getting a chance to see things for herself and not necessarily take his word for it, helped relax the white haired girl some more. Being high-strung when they were trying to get some animal companions wouldn't do her any favors, that was for sure. As he held the Spyglass out towards her, he pulled out a canteen of water and took a drink of it, hoping the normal, mundane actual would also help put her at ease.