[PP - F1] Something Smelly

[Murph 0]

<<Scents of the Wild: Keepers of Nature>>

[Murph] Which quests would you suggest I take if I am looking to level up quickly, and with minimal risk. Thank you in advance. [Chrisazy]  just starting now? weve been in here for forever what u been doing that long? [LuvzDia]  Your mom. [Kazik]  lmaoooooo [Chrisazy]  yo my moms dead hope you feel bad now [LuvzDia]  Nah. [Vensh]  Ignore these idiots, Murph. Go start the Scents of the Wild questline. Can't remember what the first one's called, but it's non-combat, and on the first floor. [Kazik]  keepers of nature [Vensh]  Yup, that's it. Good luck!

Murph stood at the base of the tree, her hands on her hips, her head tilted back to take in it's massive size. Thick branches spiraled like petrified snakes, twisting back and forth, and doubling over each other before ending in clusters of emerald leaves. The light that streamed through the cavern's open ceiling set the canopy aglow, but cast strange shadows on the ground at the woman's feet. Though she felt no breeze, the shapes moved slowly, an effect a bit like looking through a kaleidoscope.

They certainly didn't have anything like this back in the safe zones.

That thought had Murph reaching back to gently touch the spear strapped to her back. It was a vanity piece she'd picked up for dirt-cheap at a shop in town, likely a crafting attempt gone wrong that the blacksmith was planning to throw away anyway. Given her nearly empty pockets, she couldn't do any better than the nameless common item with no attributes to speak of. She had, at least, finally invested her starting skill points into her weapon skill. If nothing else, after all these years, it was nice to not see that little "please assign your skill points" notification every time she opened her menu.

A private message to Vensh had netted Murph all of the quest information that she needed - where to find the cavern, where to find the tree, and ultimately, where to find tablet. The first two steps had been slow-going, as even with that knowledge, she'd been forced to slip around whatever mobs stood in her path. She had no idea if poking a boar with a what equated to a fancy stick and her one rank in <<Polearms>> would actually do anything, but she wasn't in a huge hurry to find out. Hopefully, completing this single quest would shoot her experience up, and she could finally afford the next rank. 

Still thinking about how nice it would be to level up, she picked her way around the tree's enormous base until she found the podium both Vensh and the quest log had mentioned.

Spoiler

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

Stats:
Damage: 4

Equipped Gear:
Weapon/Armor/Trinket: 
  - Vanity Spear

Skills:
  - Polearm R1                                                                                                                        

 

[Lessa 1]

"You really don't have to come with me."

Lessa glanced over her shoulder, tossing her blonde hair back before she tossed her friend a quick smile. "Don't get me wrong, I love the company. But I don't really need the help." As she walked, she summoned her HUD, then called up the quest information. Something something, find a cavern. Something something, find a tablet. Neither one of those things screamed 'high risk of death or bodily harm'. They didn't even scream combat at all. Granted, she was high enough level that the mobs in the cavern didn't notice her.

“Honestly,” she continued, dismissing the window and loosing a quick shrug, “if I struggle with a quest like this, I’m probably beyond help. This is going to be a cakewalk.”

The comment echoed through the cavern, bouncing around the walls with more volume than should have been possible. So it was no wonder that the statement drew the attention of the player who already stood by the next quest objective. And as Lessa recognized the starter weapon strapped to her back, a blush immediately crept up her neck. She sighed, then muttered under her breath. “Ah shit.”

꧁༺Lessa༻꧂   Name: Lessa, Guardian of Aincrad True Tier: 12 Level: 34 Paragon Level: 83 HP: 1060/1060 EN: 138/138 Stats: Damage: 18 Mitigation: 127 Battle Healing: 32 Stealth Rating: -5 HB: 42 MENDING: 2 REC: 8 HLY: 8 Equipped Gear: Weapon/Armor/Trinket:    - Arcael's Might (T4 THSS - DMG DMG DMG HLY)                          Armor/Trinket:    - Vega's Panoply (T4 HA - THNS THNS HB HB) Shield/Armor/Trinket:    - Red Tide Beacon - Venus (T4 TRINKET - LM LM REC REC) Combat Mastery:   - Combat Mastery: Mitigation R3 Combat Shift:   - ST Shift Familiar Skill:   - Rending Familiar Custom Skill:   -  Skills:   - Battle Healing R3   - Energist   - Extended Weight Limit   - Heavy Armor R5   - Straight Sword R3 Extra Skills:   - First Aid R5   - Leadership R5 Inactive Extra Skills: Addons:   - Field Medic   - Hyperactive   - Iron Skin Mods:   - Barrier   - Energize   - Large Pockets   - Press the Attack   - Purify Inactive Mods:   - Inspiring Speech Battle Ready Inventory:   - Blessing of the Wood x4   - Chocolate Truffles (T4 Vitality II Desserts) x13   - Congealing Ale (Tierless Antidote Salves) x4   - March to the Dawn (Instant HP Recovery 3) x14   - Rumbling Rum Party Favor (Tierless Mass HP Recovery Crystals) x10   - Teleportation Crystal x14   - Tiger's Balm (Tierless Antidote Salves) x1 Housing Buffs:   - Basic Kitchen: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot. This can exceed normal Cook enhancement caps. Ex: A perfect T2 MIT food gives 35 MIT instead of 30.   - Storage Closet: +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot   - Living Room: Increases out of combatHP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.   - Attic (Storage): +5% bonus col from monster kills and treasure chests   - Basement: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll   - Guest Room: Players can have one «Amenity» in a «Guest Room» and the «Amenity» cannot be recovered. Players are allowed to change which «Amenity» is in the «Guest Room». Multiple instances of the same «Amenity» do not stack. This buff affects the player and their choice of up to two party members.   - Master Bedroom: -1 energy cost for the first three expenditures of each combat   - Master Bathroom: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 25% (rounded down)   - Greenhouse: +2 Gathering EXP per Attempt and additional +1 LD & CD to gathering attempts.   - Dining Hall: Turn 3 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Feast. A Feast contains 6 portions of the food items sacrificed. Feasts created this way cannot be used outside of the thread they are created. Limit 1 item created per thread.   - Mega Slime Farm: +10% EXP to a thread. Limit one use per month. Must be used on a player's first post in a thread. Cooldown begins counting down when used in a post. Guild Hall Buffs: Scents of the Wild Totem: Wedding Ring: Crafting Profession:  - Blacksmith[465exp] R6 Gathering Profession:  - Forager[0exp] R1"

[Oscar 0]

"Babe it ain't about safety," Oscar said. If there was anyone he didn't need to worry about, it was Lessa. Anyone from the Frontlines, really. But the two of them had different orbits. Just two different lives. So in the rare occasions they intersected, it was worth dropping everything to just hang out. He raised his hand as they walked, rattling off all of the reasons and rattling off reasons each time he did.

"First off, we haven't hung out in forever. I'm really pretty offended by it. Secondly, I gotta pay the stripper-" He paused there, realizing she didn't have any context. He didn't provide her any. Instead, he quickly gobbled down a whole bunch of consumables. "Thirdly, I'm running a Guild now. And we need money. Bad." It seemed like every time he thought there would be some pressure off his wallet, he wound up making some dumb decision or the other. Plus there was the amusement park.

"So I get to hang out with you, the stripper gets paid, and the Guild gets funds. Win, win, mother fuckin wi- Oh hey there," Oscar said as his attention shifted to the new player milling around the tree. He offered the woman a wave and a smile. 

"Keepers of Nature?" He tilted his head to the side, questioning why the woman was present in such a far-flung, out-of-the-way area. The quest was about the only reason someone would want to come out here. "Why don't you two party up? I can't help, but this one's a breeze with two people."

Oscar skipped the introductions. He wouldn't ask for names that weren't volunteered. Besides, what mattered was a smooth quest.

"Or don't, I'm not your dad," Oscar said with a shrug. It took a great amount of restraint to not continue with saying 'but I can be your daddy.' The stranger was his type, but so was anyone with a pulse. He really hoped that Lessa appreciated that. "I'm just here for the spiders and moral support."

Mostly the spiders. It had been quite some time since he had engaged in legendary battle with his mortal enemies. 

Spoiler

"Name: Oscar
True Tier: 12
Level: 35
Paragon Level: 80
HP: 1080/1080
EN: 140/140

Stats:
Damage: 30
Mitigation: 67
Accuracy: 5
Evasion: 1
Battle Healing: 59
Loot Die: 5
Stealth Rating: -5
AA 
PHASEVAMP-O: 178
REC: 4

Equipped Gear:
Weapon/Armor/Trinket: 
  - <<Kyūketsuki>> T4 KATANA//ABS.ACC/PHASE/VAMP2 | 200925                                                                                        
Armor/Trinket: 
  - <<TACTICAL UNDER ARMOR>> T4 HEAVY ARMOR//MIT/MIT/MIT/REC
Shield/Armor/Trinket: 
  - <<IVORY GOLD LEAF RING>> T1 TRINKET//ACC/ACC/EVA/EVA

Combat Mastery:
  - Combat Mastery: Damage R3

Combat Shift:
  - AOE Shift

Familiar Skill:
  - 

Custom Skill:
  - squabble up. 

Skills:
  - Battle Healing R5
  - Charge
  - Energist
  - Extended Weight Limit
  - Extended Weight Limit
  - Fighting Spirit
  - Heavy Armor R5
  - Howl
  - Katana R5
  - Quick Change
  - Searching R5

Extra Skills:
  - Forgotten King's Authority
  - Meditation
  - Parry
  - Survival

Inactive Extra Skills:

Addons:
  - Ferocity
  - Focused Howl
  - Iron Skin
  - Precision
  - Reveal
  - Stamina

Mods:
  - Detect
  - Impetus
  - Night Vision
  - Tracking

Inactive Mods:

Battle Ready Inventory:
  - <<CRYSTAL OF DIVINE LIGHT>> ID: 236066 x1
  - <<DARK SERAPHIM>> T4 HEAVY ARMOR - VAMP.D2/HOLY BLESSING 2 x
  - <<GLOVES OF CAERUS>> T1 LIGHT ARMOR//3 LD x
  - <<IMUGI'S INSPIRATION>> MASS HEAL x
  - <<RHINO'S HORN>> ID: 236068 x
  - <<TELEPORTATION CRYSTAL>> x
  - <<TIGER'S BALM>> ANTIDOTE x

Housing Buffs:
  - Basic Kitchen: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot. This can exceed normal Cook enhancement caps. Ex: A perfect T2 MIT food gives 35 MIT instead of 30.
  - Storage Closet: +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot
  - Living Room: Increases out of combatHP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
  - Attic (Bedroom): +1 Expertise to declared utility skill. Cannot boost a skill without ranks, or increase a skill past its maximum rank. Cannot boost a skill the user has not learned yet. Ranks obtained using this buff will make the mods of that rank available for purchase. Mods obtained this way are unusable if this buff is removed until the skill is returned to the appropriate rank by way of SP purchase.
  - Basement: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll
  - Master Bedroom: -1 energy cost for the first three expenditures of each combat
  - Master Bathroom: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 25% (rounded down)
  - Extended Workshop: +2 Crafting EXP per crafting attempt and +1 crafting attempt per day
  - Ornate Fishing Pond: +2 Fishing EXP per Attempt and additional +1 LD & CD to fishing attempts.
  - Dining Hall: Turn 3 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Feast. A Feast contains 6 portions of the food items sacrificed. Feasts created this way cannot be used outside of the thread they are created. Limit 1 item created per thread.

Guild Hall Buffs:

Scents of the Wild Totem:
  - Kumatetsu
Wedding Ring:

Crafting Profession:

Gathering Profession:
"                                                                                                                 

Long Island Iced Tea consumed +3 DMG
Power, Dawg consumed, filled +3 DMG -45 MIT
Focused Dog Consumed +2 ACC          

 

[Murph 0]

A cakewalk.

After spending the afternoon alone, creeping by mobs and avoiding conflict of any sort, the voice gave her more of a jolt than she'd like to admit. She'd swung around to face the source before she registered the action, her hand once more finding her weapon, just in case. When Murph's gaze landed on the two approaching players, her heart sank. Judging from her shiny armor and his twenty feet of height, <<Spear>> wasn't going to be getting her out of any bad situations.

When the mountain of a man asked about the quest, she relaxed, but only marginally.

"Yes," came her answer, her hand not moving until he spoke again.

Party up?

"You haven't done this quest yet?" Murph asked, surprise lighting her brown eyes as she turned them on the other woman. She flicked her wrist, gesturing to the elaborate armor before adding, "Given your gear, I assumed you would have."

When the player confirmed, and sent Murph a party invite, she accepted it. "I guess there's no reason not to. I haven't made it very far in the quest yet. It should definitely go faster with two people."

ID: 256963 | LD: 14 | Total: 14/60

[Lessa 1]

The laugh-adjacent noise Lessa made sounded forced even to her own ears. "Ah, no, I haven't," she finally answered. "There are a lot of these beginner quests that I didn't get to when I first started the game. I had kind of a weird start to things." Recognizing the absurdity in her own statement, she amended, "More weird than finding out I was trapped in a death game that could actually kill me. Or, not more weird than that. I guess just... additional weirdness?"

Murph didn't press, and Lessa was grateful for that. Instead, the blonde set to work creating and sending a party request. What was it about this woman that put her off her game? Was it her earlier blunder, or something else? The woman was gorgeous, sure, but so was Oscar. And she didn't ramble like a song by the Allman Brothers Band when he was around.

Which reminded her.

"This is Oscar, by the way." She threw out a gauntleted hand to casually thunk the back of it against his firm midsection. "And I'm Lessa. It's nice to meet you. With two of us doing this, we'll definitely be done in just a couple minutes." As she spoke, she moved up alongside the brunette. The pair stood in silence for a second, both studying the tablet that stood before them.

Suddenly, Lessa whipped around to face Oscar.

"Wait a second, you're running a guild now? When did that happen? Did you tell me about that?"

ID: 256964 | LD: 19 | Total: 33/60

[Oscar 0]

Oscar recoiled inward, taking a step back as a chuckle escaped his lips. Murph had gassed Lessa up with all the talk about low level quests and her gear, so he didn't want to disappoint the new face by making her think that Lessa couldn't put him on his back. She wouldn't, of course. Monogamy and other such foolishness. But a man could dream. He threw up his hand in a wave, offering the woman a polite smile.

"Well it's also that low level quests like these are like... the least efficient way to level up? If you're in a rush, probably best to rush the good ones and then circle back."

Skittering could be heard from above. A quartet of arachnids approached. They wore headbands on their bulbous heads, each with his name carved into the metal front plate. Each with his name scratched out. The spider council was on the move. One by one, they fell from the roof of the cave like octapedal artillery shells. 

"It's a new development," Oscar said. Without even looking up, he drew his weapon. Four strikes, slashing the moment they entered his range. Four clean kills. He spun his sword over the back of his hand, bringing the back of the blade to rest over his shoulder. Keep it casual. Play it cool. Do not explain the spider ninjas. Lest his two companions share his curse to be hunted by every arachnid within Aincrad. "Which reminds me! Murph! You seem like you could use a little help getting going. That's what my Guild's all about. You'll find plenty of helping hands if you join."  He gave a small shrug. "Or not. We'd still help out anyway."

Oscar then turned his attention to Lessa, giving her a cheeky smirk. "And you are, of course, invited too, lover."

Spoiler

Post Action -> AOE-I vs Spinobi 1, 2, 3, 4 -22 EN
Accuracy reaches necessary threshold to never miss. BD values will not be recorded.
Damage reaches necessary threshold to slay Loot Minimum Mobs in a single attack. Damage will not be recorded. Critical Attacks will similarly be ignored.

Oscar | HP: 1080/1080 | EN: 118/140 | DMG: 30 | MIT:67 | ACC:5 | AA  | PHASE | F-SPIRIT | EVA:1 | BH:59 | VAMP-O: 178 | REC: 4 | LD:5

ID: 256965 | Spinobi1 defeated | Oscar receives 10,000 Col, 3 Materials, T4 Unidentified Perfect Armor 
ID: 256966 | Spinobi2 defeated | Oscar receives 10,000 Col, 3 Materials, T4 Unidentified Perfect Armor     
ID: 256967 | Spinobi3 defeated | Oscar receives 10,000 Col, 3 Materials, T4 Unidentified Perfect Armor     
ID: 256968 | Spinobi4 defeated | Oscar receives 10,000 Col, 3 Materials, T4 Unidentified Perfect Armor                     

Loot Total:
40,000 Col
12 Materials
T4 Unidentified Perfect Armor | IDs: 256965, 256966, 256967, 256968                                                                                   

 

[Murph 0]

Anxiety flared within Murph's chest. She was trained well enough that it didn't show.

"Least efficient way to level up?" she echoed, gaze tracking from Oscar to Lessa, then back again, checking for any sort of reaction. Was this some sort of inside joke that she wasn't privy to? He couldn't possibly be serious. Her gut instinct was to press further, or better explain her... precarious situation. Given her total experience - zero - and her lack of any noteworthy gear, she was incredibly limited on what she could actually accomplish outside of the safe zones. Skipping the starter quests and prioritizing those with higher yields might have been smart, but it simply wasn't feasible. But was highlighting her shortcomings, especially in the shadow of two behemoths, really a good idea? Surely, they could deduce that she was a lower-level player from her gear. There was no need for her to make clear just how low they were talking.

Just as she decided to plead the fifth, four enormous spiders materialized over their heads. Her spear was off her back in an instant, and though it would likely deal exactly one point of damage per strike, muscle memory had her extending the pointy end toward the approaching enemies. The move, it seemed, wasn't necessary. Oscar dispatched the group of mobs in the blink of an eye, returning his blade with more style than should have been allowed as pixels rained down around him.

Damn.

If joining his guild taught her to do that, then perhaps the solitary life wasn't meant for her after all.

"I'd need more information," she told him, replacing her weapon and turning back to the tablet. Then, over her shoulder, she added, "But I'll consider it."

ID: 256970 | LD: 6 | Total: 39/60

[Lessa 1]

The new guild had to be a very new development, and she and Oscar talked practically daily. Curiosity officially piqued, she did her best to split her attention between the quest objective and her best friend. Murph deserved some level of effort, as they were meant to be working together. But Oscar creating a new guild had thrown her for a loop, and the tea needed spilling before it got too cold. Why in the world hadn't he brought this up on the walk over, instead of waiting until now?

Lessa didn't bat an eye as Oscar dealt with the four spiders - they seemed to target him every time they adventured together, and she could only comment on their funny little headbands so many times before it grew redundant. A sideways glance at Murph's face revealed that the other woman was far more surprised, and impressed, by his thrilling heroics.

A new guild, slain mobs, and a raptured audience? It was a beautiful moment that Oscar just had to go and spoil.

"Not your lover," she ground out, simultaneously rolling her eyes and jabbing a finger at him. Then, to really drive the point home, she turned to Murph. "Not his lover. For the record. Zero loving. Not even once."

ID: 256971 | LD: 11 | Total: 50/60

[Oscar 0]

Oscar was distracted for a moment. More spiders, more problems. This time, he didn't move from his position. Didn't make an effort to swing. His opposite hand shot out like a bolt, grabbing one of the spider by the leg and then used that one to beat the loot out of his fellows. After his time as Oscar's weapon was don't, he was dropped onto the floor of the cave rather unceremoniously and then subsequently squashed under Oscar's boot.

"Well we're a new Guild," Oscar said. "But the goal is to get as many people leveled and geared as we can. If it works out, great. If it doesn't-" Oscar merely shrugged. "Whatever. We're a fun bunch of idiots. I'm the biggest one."

His expression suddenly turned serious, from warm to warning in a flash. "But if I might offer a word of advice, don't hit things you can't kill." He raised his boot, green ooze sticking to the sole and squelching when he lowered it. "I make it look good, but these things are about equivalent to a Field Boss for you right now."

Right now. An important qualifier. He turned his gaze to Lessa, holding back a laugh as she stumbled over herself to correct the record. The warmth returned to his expression, a small smile on his face as she rattled off her explanation. "Oh you're so cute when you're flustered lover."

He stepped forward, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind. Exaggeratedly nuzzling her cheek with his. And then he stepped back, chuckling. "I'm just giving her a hard time. I'm totally single."

Spoiler

 Post Action -> AOE-I vs Spinobi 5, 6, 7, 8 -22 EN
Accuracy reaches necessary threshold to never miss. BD values will not be recorded.
Damage reaches necessary threshold to slay Loot Minimum Mobs in a single attack. Damage will not be recorded. Critical Attacks will similarly be ignored.

Oscar | HP: 1080/1080 | EN: 100/140 | DMG: 30 | MIT:67 | ACC:5 | AA  | PHASE | F-SPIRIT | EVA:1 | BH:59 | VAMP-O: 178 | REC: 4 | LD:5

ID: 256972 | Spinobi5 defeated | Oscar receives 10,000 Col, 3 Materials, T4 Unidentified Perfect Armor 
ID: 256973 | Spinobi6 defeated | Oscar receives 10,000 Col, 3 Materials, T4 Unidentified Perfect Armor     
ID: 256974 | Spinobi7 defeated | Oscar receives 10,000 Col, 3 Materials, T4 Unidentified Perfect Armor     
ID: 256975 | Spinobi8 defeated | Oscar receives 10,000 Col, 3 Materials, T4 Unidentified Perfect Armor                     

Loot Total:
80,000 Col
24 Materials
T4 Unidentified Perfect Armor | IDs: 256965, 256966, 256967, 256968, 256972, 256973, 256974, 256975