[PP-F6] Pest Problems (Tyger)

[Oske 0]

Oske had been looking for something to do for a while to get her mind off her problems. She had been slipping lately, continuously flashing back to her issues of the past and to where the player almost killed her. She remembered watching Pepper’s blade stab into him and shatter his body into little blue bits. To get her mind off of it, she decided to go hunting for materials. While she wasn’t really interested in crafting, she could easily sell the items or use them as payment for things.

 

Stepping into the jungle, the warmth made her almost relish the fact that her cape had been destroyed. She was well aware of the mobs that resided here: bugs. Big, big, bugs. She scanned the areas to see if any other players were around. She was worried… she didn’t want to run into any player killers.

 

 

Name: Pester

Description: A large bug similar to a cicada. They use their vocals rather than their body to attack.

Damage Per Attack: 2

HP: 22

 

 

Name: Buzzen Bee

Description: A large wasp with a stinger that can shoot out, stab the victim, and retract. It also can body slam.

Damage Per Attack: 4

HP: 25

Extra: On a mob die roll of 1, the bee attempts to attack and you may break the stinger if you roll above a 3. Once the stinger is broken, the damage per attack drops to 2.

 

[Tyger 0]

Bugs.

 

Why did it have to be bugs?

 

Sword in hand, Tyger did her best to walk through the jungle with Icarus at her side. The familiar had no issues with the humidity of the jungle, despite the condensation and heat difference pooling little beads of black 'charcoal' sweat on the dragon's hide. 

 

"Mat hunting here was a terrible idea. I blame you for this."

 

Tyger joked with Icarus, who wore his new collar proudly. She did her best to make sure he got to see every floor, and they'd been spending far too much time on the 4th floor. Now it was probably best if they went somewhere else. F6 was good enough. It had Amazon and the nice waterfall. Aside from that, she hadn't really met any people aside from NPC's. The more she thought about it, she hadn't seen many people anywhere. They'd be walking about, but she wasn't about to go and seek them out. Once an introvert, always an introvert. 

 

"Phew. It's a jungle out there. At least we might not run into anybo-"

 

As they passed through a bit of undergrowth, Tyger stepped into the same general area as another player. Her icon was the first thing checked; it was green. The way she held herself probably hinted that she'd been here before, or was high enough level to not have to worry about anything here. 

 

"Uh.. hi."

 

Tyger raised her arm in a wave, metal clinking against metal as her furred cape billowed behind her with the movement. Almost immediately, Icarus shot out from behind her and went to investigate, sniffing at Oske curiously. 

 

"Uh, he doesn't bite. I promise. He does leave stains though, watch out."

[Oske 0]

Fantastic. Another player.

 

Oske saw the player walk into her line of sight, and after she realized the woman had been talking to herself, she spoke to Oske. After greeting her, Oske swallowed down her fear and opened her mouth to greet the player back. She seemed friendly enough. She noticed her cape as she waved, and jealousy washed over her.... if only that stupid player hadn't ripped her cape. 

 

Before Oske got the chance to speak up and greet the player in return, a small little dragon flew over to her. Her eyes widened, and the player warned her of stains. That was no problem to Oske--she wore all black. She quickly grabbed the dragon and gave it a big hug. "OOOH, aren't you the cutie-patootiest thing in the whole work?" she gasped, using her happy baby-talk voice. She flipped him over on his back and cradled him like a baby, tickling his tummy. She had completely forgotten about the player, distracted by the little dragon. "Ah-boo!" 

[Tyger 0]

Icarus relished the attention, and did his best to make sure that every inch of her was covered in some kind of soot or smudge. Tyger took a few steps closer and watched the two with amusement, until the familiar wriggled from her grasp to return to it's owner. He hit the ground with an animated splat before fumbling back towards Tyger. Oske had warmed up so quickly to the familiar, so she probably wasn't very malicious? Or at least, if she was about to go on a crazy killing spree, Tyger would be spared because her familiar was just way too darn cute. 

 

"He's not used to getting that much attention from strangers. They all worry about the coal."

 

She smirked, petting Icarus. 

 

"I'm Tyger. Just out material hunting today. You are?"

 

She held out a smudged hand to introduce herself and shake with. After all, what's a little coal smudges between possible new friends?

[Oske 0]

Oske watched in surprise as the little dragon flew off and splatted to the ground before returning to his owner, who introduced herself as Tyger. The player offered her hand. Oske gently took the hand, shaking very lightly despite always being told to have a firm handshake. "I'm Oske. Nice to meet you. I'm just... well, bored. I wanted something to do, you know?" She left out the bit about her trying to distract herself. "If you're material hunting, I suggest you head to the Waterfall of the Sage. It's where the Meditation quest is. Underneath the waterfall is a cave with monsters that drop ores... you'll have to fight through the bugs to get there, however."

 

Oske paused. While she had been there before, she wasn't sure if the player had. "Do you know where it is?"

[Tyger 0]

The player introduced herself as Oske, which seemed an easy enough name to remember. 

 

"Nice to meet you too."

 

Tyger returned the girl's handshake before crossing her arms to listen to Oske's predicament. Bored, in SAO? There was always something to do, but then again, Tyger knew the feeling. She couldn't honestly say there were a few days she really wished she could just do nothing. But even when those days came, duty and honor always came before, unfortunately. Forge this, go kill that, go fetch this item, after playing so many MMO's in the real world, they honestly started to blend in with eachother. 

 

"Yeah, i've been there. Interesting quest, uh, for sure..."

 

She scratched the back of her neck sheepishly. 

 

"But I don't willingly place myself in a place with bugs unless i'm just that mat starved. I'm sure i'm doing decent..."

 

With a quick swish of her finger, she opened her inventory and checked the count. After a few seconds, Tyger's solemn face was seen after she closed the menu. 

 

"Gross. Bugs it is."

[Oske 0]

Oske paused again. It was clear that Tyger wasn't exactly interested in going to fight bugs. Oske also knew that these bugs were hefty creatures, and Oske wasn't quite sure that Tyger could handle them alone. She seemed like a tanky player, but Oske still was rather high leveled and probably had more health than her. She also wanted to play with the little dragon again, but didn't want to admit that. "Tell you what," Oske said with a slight smile. "I'll go hunting with you. The deal is that you give me everything that isn't mats that you need. But you can keep items in case you get, say, an uncommon item or something. If I kill anything that drops mats for you, I'll hand 'em over. By the way, what is your profession?"

[Tyger 0]

Tyger thought of her offer. She normally didn't try and get Uncommon Items, and instead went for the extra mats and Col. But, if the girl wanted Col, then this would work, right?

 

"I've got no problem with that. Usually all I find is Col and mats, but you're welcome to all the money. Having another along just makes things go faster."

 

She thumped her chestplate with a finger.

 

"I can keep their hate if you want, I've got plenty of mitigation. Comes with the armor and skill, I mean. Oh, and i'm a blacksmith."

 

Tyger prided herself on tanking, but if Oske was going to lead with her higher health, then it couldn't be helped. 

 

"I own the Catfish Forge and Sundries. The Merchant part is run by my boyfriend back on the first floor."

 

She pointed at the ground, as if pointing down to the first floor. 

[Oske 0]

"Oh, I'm so dumb," Oske said with a slight chuckle. I know you're a blacksmith. I believe I purchased something from your store at one point. I'm actually a blacksmith too, but I've... shied away from doing anything with it. I'm not really interested in doing that stuff."

 

With a shrug, Oske went over everything Tyger had just said. “To be completely honest, I don’t know how hate works,†she said with a laugh. “I’m more of a… hmm. I don’t know what I am. I fight, but I prefer to not get damage. You can lead if you want. I just don’t want the little dragon getting hurt.â€

 

Her last statement was said with a smile.

[Tyger 0]

"Nah, Icarus'll be fine. You can lead if you want, i'll just make sure they don't attack you as much as possible. I like playing the meatshield. And yeah, I remember you coming in one day. Bought some uncommon gauntlets I'd made a few days prior."

 

She chuckled. Icarus peered at her once more from atop Tyger's shoulder.

 

"But thanks for being so thoughtful about my familiar. Nah, I wouldn't let anything happen to him. He's a sweetheart."

 

Her finger scratched under his chin, and he let out a fiery gurgling sound of happiness. 

 

"But, let's go ahead and be on our way. There be mats waitin'!"

 

She said with a smile, returning the glance back at Oske. 

[Oske 0]

Oske paused again, then began to walk forward in the direction of the waterfall. Out of all the things that could've happened, she didn't expect to have made a friend (or at least, started to) on that day. As the two made their way through the large jungle, a fluttering cry echoed and resounded through the trees. Oske stopped, going silent to see what it was. A Pester leapt in from the treetops, fluttering its golden patterned wings furiously. Oske readied herself for a fight, unsheathing her sword. It would be impossible to deflect attacks with a shield, as a Pester used vocalization to attack.

 

ID: 9199

BD: 4=1 (fail)

MD: 2 (fail)

 

Oske: 45/45

Tyger: 31/31

Pester: 22/22

[Tyger 0]

Tyger began to follow Oske, allowing the higher level player to lead the way as they began their trek through the jungle. They didn't make it too far before the fluttering wing beats of what Tyger assumed would be some sort of terrible, winged pest filled the area. Before she knew it, a Pester was on top of them. Stupid little creatures that Tyger didn't like, to be sure. 

 

"Be careful! These guys ignore the Block Skill!"

 

Tyger warned, revulsion pitting around in her stomach at the sight of the bug. However, she unsheathed her sword, readied her shield and charged forward to assist her friend with the mob. Her sword slammed into the side of the bug, and Tyger watched from close up satisfaction as the bug's HP dropped a few points.

 

 

ID: 9206

BD: 6, CD: 6

(No Battle Healing this turn)

 

H0: Oske: 45/45

H1: Tyger: 31/31 (Hits for 7 Damage, +1 Charge)

Pester: 15/22

[Oske 0]

The Pester was about to let out a shriek when the orange-haired player hit it quite hard. Startled, it flapped its wings and tried to circle around them. When Oske ran at the bug-mob, it flew up and escaped her blade. She hissed slightly, and the Pester buzzed before swooping around and darting for Tyger. It currently wanted the player dead, and would do anything to make that happen. Oske didn't seem too worried--Tyger had a good head on her shoulders.

 

ID: 9207

BD:  4+1 (fail)

MD: 1 (fail)

 

Oske: 45/45

Tyger: 31/31

Pester: 15/22

[Tyger 0]

Despite having the extra eyes watching out for the mob (IE Icarus, on her back currently) it still wasn't enough to land a hit all the time. It had taken a few days, maybe even a week or so for Tyger to miss such an important slice, but it couldn't be helped. As Tyger stretched to swipe at the mob, the buzzing creature moved slightly out of range. If only she had some wings to compete with...

 

"Damn!"

 

She hissed under her breath, still glaring at the bug as it zipped by. At least they did the same amount of damage, right? Even if Oske hit, Tyger hoped she'd still be the center of the mob's attention. She'd hate to lose the trust of a possible friend by losing Aggro in a fight this simple.

 

ID: 9208

BD: 1, CD: 9

(No Battle Healing this turn)

 

H0: Oske: 45/45

H1: Tyger: 31/31 (Misses)

Pester: 15/22

[Oske 0]

Oske's eyes darted to a tree with rather rough bark. It seemed to have just a high enough foot hold for her... not too high for her to reach, but high enough for some leverage. Oske suddenly dashed to the tree, her foot meeting the hold and giving her enough time to use her lack of balance to her advantage. Pushing off from the bark, she flipped over the bug with her sword drawn. It cut into the bug's side, giving it a tear in its back. The Pester buzzed in discontent, stunned and unsure of what to do or who to attack.

 

ID: 9209

BD:  10+1 (1dmg+3swordskill +2 dmg = 6 dmg)

MD: 3 (fail)

 

Oske: 45/45

Tyger: 31/31

Pester: 9/22

[Tyger 0]

Oske's movements were calculated as she practically flew overhead after launching herself off a tree. Tyger took advantage of the Pester's confusion to jump up, slicing at the belly of the bug as it hovered in the sky. 

 

"That was impressive! How'd you do that? Some type of skill?"

 

Tyger called out, clearly impressed. She thought she'd heard a skill that did something like that, Acrobatics? She hadn't thought about taking it, but maybe she should...

 

"Finish it!"

 

The HP of the bug fell into the red. If Oske could manage a hit, this bug would be toast. 

 

ID: 9210

BD: 6, CD: 12

(+1 HP Battle Healing)

 

H2: Oske: 45/45

H2: Tyger: 31/31 (Hits for 6 Damage)

Pester: 3/22

[Oske 0]

Oske laughed. "Actually, it's not a skill! That's just me--spending at least four months of my life figuring out how to do a backflip off a wall. The only reason why I didn't crack my head open was because there's no ceiling here!"

 

The Pester was clearly suffering. It hovered down low after the damage Tyger had dealt, and it was just low enough for Oske to run to it and cut right through its body, slicing it in half. The red line appeared as she ran her blade through it, and it buzzed a little before shattering into a bunch of tiny little shards.

 

“He never even landed a hit,†she said with a smirk.

 

Reward: +Pester Head (tailor/artisan mats, 1)

 

After checking the reward, Oske paused. She wasn’t quite sure what the reward was. She opened up her menu and pressed on it. The head of the bug fell into her hands. It was an empty shell, and only the face remained. If cut properly, a tailor could make it into a masked shawl or an artisan could just make it into a mask. However, in its current state, it was useless.

 

Oske lifted the face up to hers and moved the antennae a little. “Oooh, I’m coming to get you, Tyger!â€

 

ID: 9212

BD:  6+1 (1dmg+3swordskill = 4 dmg)

MD: 4 (fail)

LD: 2 (no extra loot)

 

Oske: 45/45

Tyger: 31/31

Pester: 0/22 DEAD

[Tyger 0]

Oske destroyed the bug with the final hit, and watched as she picked up the... head... as a material. Her stomach flipped and she had to keep from gagging in the presence of the almost stranger. The head wasn't going to be used in the forge, unless Tyger just wanted to throw it in the fires to watch it burn. 

 

"Okay, yeah, that's pretttttty gross."

 

But when Oske lifted it up to her face to speak to Tyger, she took a few steps back. 

 

NOPE NOPE NOPE. GETTING ON THAT NOPE TRAIN."

 

Icarus almost fell off Tyger's shoulder with the sudden speed Tyger had moved to get away from the bug head. 

[Oske 0]

Oske tried to control herself and continue her little stupid shenanigans, but ended up bursting into laughter. She used to have a classmate at school who would often use that phrase, as “nope†was one of his favorite words. She didn’t know him well, but he was certainly funny. “Okay, okay,†she said, trying to stop laughing. She took a deep breath and but the bug head back into her inventory.

 

“I’ll make sure to get someone to make it into a mask and I’ll give it to you as a present~†Oske teased. “Anyway, we should get going. More bugs will spawn if we stay in the same spot for too long, hehe.â€

[Tyger 0]

"Oh THANK you, you're far too kind."

 

Tyger visibly shuddered, and probably turned a few shades closer to green than she needed to. Badass tank had a weakness, and it was bugs. Especially spiders. When Oske had mentioned mobs, Tyger kept her shade of green, but nodded. The more they killed, the quicker they could get out of here, right?

 

"Sounds good. I'll follow your lead."

 

Tyger nodded, picking up her sword from where she'd apparently dropped it or had it fall out of it's sheath as she jerked backwards and away from the ugly bug mask. Icarus had looked at it like a tasty treat, or something to bat around like a toy, so he didn't need any of those either.