[PP-F9] Agressive Negotiations <<Bandit Camp>> (Lessa)

[Jomei 0]

The Ninth Floor, probably his least favorite place to be out of all the floor's discovered so far. It was way too hot for him, a lot hotter than he was used to anyway. Thats why he usually preferred the lower floors when he wanted to relax and avoid any confrontations. However, this was not one of those days. While in a pub on the Second Floor, Jomei was hearing talk of all the best monster spawning spots on the Ninth Floor was suddenly getting run dry. He wondered if it was from some front liners trying to level up for the next boss fight.. or maybe all the players just eventually took enough of them out. Both of his thoughts were put down when he heard it was a clan of bandits who were clearing out the mobs. That was when Jomei decided to join the conversation, and tell them that he was interested in helping out if they knew how. Lucky for him, there was a quest for just such an occasion, known as <Bandit Camp>, and one of those players he spoke to shared it with him. Those other players were not interested in going on such a quest, but that did not stop Jomei from making his way to the Warp Gate and traveling up to the volcano infested Floor.

 

While walking through the streets of Vulcan Village, Jomei lifted his hand and opened up his HUD, scrolling down to his Quest menu. He briefly looked over what needed to be done before closing the menu again. He was not sure who he wanted to bother out of his friends to help him, so he decided it to be best to meet someone new. He found the Ninth Floor's bulletin board, where players could easily reach mass amounts of others to advertise items, events, or even ask for help. He filled out a small request form, stating he wanted some company for dealing with a group of bandits on the Ninth Floor, and he sent it to all players nearby. He then turned around and slouched back, leaning on the wall the board was present on and waited for a reply. 

[Lessa 1]

"Bandits, huh?"

The woman stood a few paces away from the player who had put out the request. Her hands rest on her hips as her blue eyes scanned the message that hovered directly in front of her. Then, she swung her gaze to his. Lessa's blonde hair was twisted back into a tight braid, a hairstyle she preferred when roaming about the hotter floors. If that was not a give-away for the foul mood the heat put her in, her reddened cheeks, faint scowl, and thin line of sweat certainly were. No relaxed pose or casual tone could hide the fact that Lessa was miserable. But the ninth floor held some of the best health potions available, and she had ventured there to secure some for her new guild. The request for aid, which she had received as she walked past the board, had come as a surprise. After months of helping other players, she was finding it increasingly difficult to say no.

But the player that stood before her was a far cry from the level ones she dealt with outside of Starting City. For starters, he was on the ninth floor, which usually suggested at least some experience. If not experience, she supposed confidence could explain his presence as well. She generally did not see that in beginners. His high-quality sword, which her blacksmith's eye caught immediately, also told her that she was dealing with a very capable player. So what was it that he needed help with?

Curiosity got the best of her. "I'd be willing to help."

[Jomei 0]

Jomei was gazing at the ground in thought, wondering who would reply to his request.. or if anyone even would. Looking over the quest details, he figured it should be a piece of cake for them, even if he would have to do it himself. Still, what would be the fun in running around seas of lava and volcanic rock by yourself. His questions were answered as he heard a woman's voice from a couple of feet ahead of him,  "I'd be willing to help." He looked up to see a girl with blonde hair in a braid walking towards him. Jomei was not one to try and read people by their looks often, but she did not look like she was feeling very cheery today. Maybe it was just the heat.. since he knew he was the same way, being used to the chilly weather and all. Well, she was willing to accompany him on the quest.. so that was enough for him. Jomei gave the girl a warm smile, "Well thank you, lass." he pushed himself off of the wall he was leaning on to meet her. "Im Jomei, by the way." 

[Lessa 1]

A sudden happiness lit up the girl's face. "Lass?" she echoed. Then she laughed softly. "Even though it's faint, I'd recognize that accent anywhere. Where in Ireland are you from? I studied there last year." Language had been a huge barrier since entering SAO. Most people spoke English, but it was often broken, and thick with various accents. She had heard a great range of Asian accents, and a few other Americans, but this was one of the first Europeans he had stumbled across.

"Anyway," she added hastily, shaking her head. "Yeah, my name is Lessa. It is nice to meet you, Jomei." His name was unusual, but the same could be said about most in the game. Generally, players used screennames, and those were often hard to pronounce. She did the best she could with this man's name, echoing it just as he said it to her. "If you want to just share the quest with me, and shoot me a party invite, I think we can get started. I don't know of anything else I need before we go."

[Jomei 0]

Jomei gave the girl a wide smile when she recognized his accent and mentioned she studied in Ireland for awhile. "Hah no kidding! Im from Dublin, well.. just outside of Dublin.. Haven't been there in a couple years though." he lifted his arm and scratched at the back of his neck, thinking of how it was back in Ireland. It really had been a long time since he had been there.. Being his family had to move to Japan and all. Jomei knew he would go back some time after this whole mess ended. 

 

The girl then replied to Jomei's introduction by revealing her name to be Lessa. "Lessa, huh, nice to meet you as well." He gave the girl a warm smile and a slight bow of his head. "O-Oh, right." He had almost forgotten about sending Lessa a party request and the quest itself. He lifted his arm up, opening up a menu in front of him. He then invited Lessa to join a party, switched over to another menu, and send the quest, <Bandit Camp> to his new party member. He gave the girl a nod, "Aye, I have everything I need as well. Might as well get going." Jomei took a couple steps as he spoke, waiting for Lessa to follow before continuing walking himself. The two made their way through the streets of Vulcan Village towards the archway leading out of the walled city. 

 

There was only one way in and out of the city, which was held above the mouth of a volcano by large metal chains. The two crossed a long bridge that connected Vulcan Village and the main land, which looked very similar to the Fifth Floor.. despite the lava and volcanoes. Jomei looked over the side of the bridge, looking down at the sea of lava beneath them. As if the drop enough wasn't enough to kill you.. the pit of lava at the bottom made extra sure of it. Jomei let out a sigh as he turned to Lessa, "So, judging by the look on your face.. you're not a big fan of heat like this either." Jomei wiped the sweat from his brow using the back of his hand. 

[Lessa 1]

The girl accepted both the friend and the party invites as she listened Jomei speak of his home. "Dublin, huh? I studied Irish history and literature at Trinity for a summer." Her cheeks warmed as she laughed goodnaturedly. "Though I think I spent more time at the Fitzsimons than I did in any classroom. But you can't blame me - they had an awesome Bon Jovi cover band."

 

The boy began the trek through the village, and after jogging a moment to catch up, she matched his stride. The heat seemed to rise from the rough stone below their boots, and the sticky air worked to suffocate her if she thought too long about it. Gasping softly, as if to fill her lungs before that happened, Lessa nearly choked. Whether Jomei read her mind, or was merely reacting to her strange behavior, the blonde could not be certain. But his assessment of her was spot-on.

 

"I hate the heat," she croaked, gauntlets closing so tightly around the chains that her knuckles grew white within them. She peered over the side of the bridge, but regretted the decision immediately thereafter; it was as if she had opened the door to a sauna. A few beads of sweat dripped from her temples, and she watched them plummet into the volcano below. "Let's go." It was more of a plea than a suggestion, and without waiting for Jomei, she hurried the rest of the way across the bridge.

[Jomei 0]

"Ah, Trinity. Went to DCU myself.." let out slight sigh ".. finished up there and was planning to teach.. until this happened that is..". He scratched his arm with a slight face of worry, wondering what would happen once he got back into the real world.. how tough it would be to follow his career choice. Now was not the time to think about that, and luckily, Lessa easily brought his mind off of it. His eyes widened as he let out a loud but excited laugh, "The Fitzsimons?! That was me favorite pub back in the real world! o'I would always be up at the bar on the roof!" As he spoke, the excitement in his voice brought out his accent a little bit more, really making him sound like the Irishman he was. When he realized his change in voice, he placed his open palm over his mouth and cheeks, clearing his throat.. but also hiding the slight blush "Heh, sorry about that."

 

"I agree.. I really tend to stay off this floor as much as possible.. Even the Fourth Floor in a pain, though not as brutal as this." He wiped the sweat from his brows using the back of his hand. He turned to look back down at the volcano.. despite the heat coming from it and certain death, it was pretty cool to look at. When Jomei turned around, Lessa had picked up her pace and was now moving quickly to the other side of the bridge. Jomei had to lightly jog for a bit to catch up to her. Once the two had crossed the bridge, he scanned the area over the hills, looking for any sign of their destination. 

[Lessa 1]

She first heard the footsteps of her approaching companion, and then felt his presence as he fell into step beside her. Lessa did not turn back to him, however; the heat rising from the volcano was beginning to make her light-headed, and though they had crossed the bridge, it still wafted a ways down the path. Long, hurried strides carried her as she put as much distance between herself and the volcano as possible. Finally, when the air she drew into her lungs did not feel so much like sandpaper, she slowed to a less frantic walk. 

 

"You don't have to apologize," she said suddenly, turning to Jomei with a ghost of a smile. It was sad, somehow. Haunted even. "For your accent, I mean. I think it's awesome. And it's awesome that we've been to the same pub. You're the first person that I've meet here that I have some sort of connection to in the outside-world." Realizing how strange her comment sounded, she added hastily, "I mean, even if it is really indirect, it is something we have in common. Sort of blast from the past, I guess." Her smile curled into something more sheepish as she hooked her thumbs into the waistband of her leggings. "Ah well, weird, I know."

[Jomei 0]

Jomei shook his head, "No no, not weird at all. Its the same for me really." he chuckled, "Hey, for all we know, maybe we have even met before. Though I probably would have remembered your face at least." He scratched at the back of his head, trying to think back to when he was in college and at that pub. There were some nights, however, were he did not even remember being there the next morning, so it was all possible that he could have even met Lessa once there. He shook his head lightly with a smirk, dismissing the thought. "I may need to take a trip back to there.. to Ireland in general, after we get out of this mess."

 

The two made their way over the dunes of the almost desert like land. The sand that they trekked through looked gray, most likely a combination of sand and volcanic ash. Jomei looked up into the sky above him to see a small brown bird circling their position. Jomei scoffed, "There you are." he let out a sharp whistle and the bird swooped down to their position. It revealed itself to be a small owl, which perched onto Jomei's shoulder. "You see anything?" he said to the owl, to which it replied by jumping off of his shoulder and into the air in front of them, flying forward. "Huh.. guess she did."  Jomei turned and made a gesture with his hand for Lessa to follow. If Adere, his owl familiar, was right, she should be leading them right to the bandit's position.  

[Lessa 1]

Lessa smiled. It was a warm, genuine expression. "Maybe we did," she echoes. "I sort of hope we did, to be honest with you. How funny would that be?" Briefly, she thought back to her time in Ireland, shifting through the sea of faces that surfaced in each of her memories. But she quickly gave up; not only were there far too many people to remember, it was a very long time ago. Even more troubling, there were more than a few black-outs in Lessa's Irish adventures. She had  just turned eighteen, and taken quite a liking to Guinness.

 

The girl's blue eyes widened as the owl swooped down and landed on Jomei's shoulder. "Oh wow," she breathed, her expression immediately lighting up. "You have a familiar? And she is so beautiful!" An avid animal lover herself, Lessa knew better than to rudely shove her hand toward the bird. Instead, she continued to appreciate her from a few paces away. "You have her scouting for us, yeah? That is really helpful."

[Jomei 0]

Jomei laughed, "That really would be funny." He thought about it for a moment and then nodded, "Aye. I hope we met too. It'd be nice to have some sort of connection to the outside world here. When SAO first came out.. no one I knew was really interested in the game except for a few unfavorable faces." he scoffed during the word 'unfavorable.' "Well.. looks like we will never know. Or maybe we will." he shrugged... he really was thinking about it hard now, trying to place Lessa's face onto a person in the real world. Wasn't working too well for him though. 

 

Jomei looked over to Lessa and smiled as she watched Adere perch onto his shoulder. "Aye, she really is quite the bird." After a moment, she took off again, and Jomei looked back over to Lessa, still with a face of awe in her eyes. As Jomei stepped past her, he chuckled, "For future reference, Adere is very friendly.. and she loves the attention." Jomei knew too well that many of his friends, upon first meeting the owl, felt weary about approaching her. Soon after they would find out she is as lovable as a puppy. "Alright, we should follow her so we can take care of this quest." Jomei placed his left hand on his rapier's handle as he picked up his pace to follow the trail.

 

After crossing over multiple dunes made of sand, ash, and rock, a small ransack settlement could be seen set up at the bottom of a mountain. The camp was made up of a couple of tents, one smaller tent and two larger ones. In the center of the campsite was a fire set up with multiple rocks and bags set up around it. Upon noticing the campsite, Jomei lowered his body and crouched to the ground, stretching his arm out in front of Lessa to make sure she stopped as well. Jomei looked down at the camp, squinting. "I can't see.. very well. But I can see at least two.. maybe three people moving.. There might be more inside those tents though.." 

[Lessa 1]

"Adere," Lessa echoed. She nodded. "That's a beautiful name. I like it a lot. And I'll remember that for later. I'll have to scrounge up a few snacks for her, to thank her for helping us out."

The heavily armored Guardian lowered herself to the ground beside her new companion with a soft huff of air. A year spent in the bulky gear had made combat much easier, but the breastplate still made some maneuvers a little tough. She pulled her arms under her, propping her body up on her elbows, before peering down the slope. A sideways glance toward Jomei revealed that he was also surveying their final target. "Yup," she replied. "That's what I see too." 

Another minute passed as they both watched in silence. Then, "so, listen. I don't have any sort of stealth skills." Lessa shrugged slightly. "Basically, I'm not very good at being sneaky. I'm more of a 'bust in, guns-a-blazing' type. So, I'm not sure what you have planned, but I won't be much help of you're looking to make less noise."

[Jomei 0]

Jomei's lips curled into a smirk, and then into a grin as he quietly laughed. He then slightly turned his head to Lessa, "Well.. neither am I" he gave the girl a wink before standing up. He drew his rapier from its sheath and pointed it down the hill towards the enemy camp. Looking over his shoulder at Lessa, he smiled again, "Shall we?" He then turned his head forward again before hopping over the side of the steep hill and sliding down the slope. The sand shifted underneath his boots as he began to slide, his movements turning into a sprint as to ground began to level out. His eyes darted to the side as he saw his owl companion flying right beside of him. As he entered the camp, he turned his feet and skid to a stop and kicking up a cloud of dust. The enemy bandits in the camp were suddenly drawn to the sudden sound of sand shifting and the large cloud that appeared in their camp. They slowly walked to the hidden man. Jomei then spun his sword and pointing it forward towards the group, some of the dust clearing as he did so. He quickly looked over his shoulder to see if Lessa had made it down the hill side safely to join him. Once his question was answered, he turned back to the others and spoke sarcastically, "Well hello there."

 

[Lessa 1]

The response to Jomei's greeting was a delayed chaos. It took a few seconds for the bandits to process what was happening, but when they did, their programming kicked in. Slowly, the four men walked toward the pair, their eyes narrowed, their mouths twisted in angry sneers. Taunts spilled past their sand-chapped lips as their hands moved to their own weapons. The match-up seemed radically lopsided, two players against four bandits. Yet Jomei showed no fear; his sarcastic tone spoke to the ease with which he approached the situation. Lessa found herself growing more confident as she watched him.

As the four men bore down on them, Lessa lifted Hell Rose into the ready position. Because there were multiple opponents, it seemed like the opportune time to launch one of her AoE attacks. But try as she may, Lessa could not get the sword to glow, or warm in her hand. I need more work on my sword arts, she thought with a frown.

Spoiler

 

{[40667] BD: 2. Attack failed.}

Lessa: HP: 89/89 | Energy: 19/21 | Hate: 0 | +1 DMG on next hit (heavy momentum)

Jomei: ?

Bandit Bob: 70/70

Bandit Fred: 70/70

Bandit Tom: 70/70

Bandit Joe: 70/70

Turn Order: Lessa > Jomei > Bob > Fred > Tom > Joe

 

 

Edited November 30, 2015 by Lessa

[Jomei 0]

The bandits did not seem happy that the two intruders had entered their camp as they all drew curved swords and daggers to take out the two players. Despite the fact that Jomei was once worried about taking this mission on by himself, he felt confidence growing in him. He knew he was strong enough to take on these bandits, especially with someone as strong as Lessa by his side. His female companion decided to make the first move, bringing her sword up into position and preparing an attack. Judging by the size of her blade, she would most likely be using a strong area attack. However, she seemed to freeze and was not able to get an attack charged up. Gritting his teeth, Jomei quickly switched with the girl, stepping in front of her. As he did so, his blade met with one of the curved blades of a bandit who was attempting to slice Lessa clean in two. With another strong crash into the scimitar of the bandit, he knocked the sword out of his hands. "Got you now." Jomei said with a smirk, as he pierced his rapier into various vital parts on the bandit's body, more specifically, his heart, stomach, lungs and throat. The lifeless corpse of the bandit fell backwards, erupting into a puddle of white crystals. Seeing their friend perish in front of them, the bandits rushed at Jomei to gang up on him, swinging their blades ferociously. With Jomei's speed, he was able to dodge every one of them, blocking some with his sword. "Lessa, you alright?" 

ID: 41107
BD: 7(+2) Hit Penetrate: 4x2x9 = 72
MD: 5 (-2) miss
ID: 41108
BD: 4(-2) miss
MD: 6(-2) miss

Lessa: 89/89 (19/21) (Hate: 0) +1 DMG on next hit (heavy momentum)

Jomei: 125/125(22/30)(Hate: 1)

Bandit Bob: -2/70

Bandit Fred: 70/70

Bandit Tom: 70/70

Bandit Joe: 70/70

[Lessa 1]

Her companion moved in front of her with a speed and precision that demonstrated countless hours of training. Without a word, he swooped in and filled the gap that she had left with her failed sword art. The blonde grimaced, mixed parts impressed by his performance, and embarrassed by her own. While she had managed to train many low-level players, helping them to feel confident outside of the safe zone, she had let her own skills rot away to nothing. And when the sword arts had been implemented, she had paid them no mind. Now, that error was coming back to bite her.

"I'm fine," she called back, her voice masking the frustration that the creases in her brow did not. "Thanks though." For asking, and for saving my butt. Jomei had dodged the oncoming attacks with such practiced ease, and Lessa felt a bit clumsy clunking toward them in her heavy armor.

"Alright, go time," she muttered just under her breath. This time, when Hell Rose rose into the air, the much desired heat warmed her palms. A bright flash of pink lit the air just before her as she, finally, successfully activated <<Fight Blade>>.

Spoiler

 

{[41128] BD:6. Success. 9+1(heavy momentum)=10x6=60.}

Lessa: HP: 89/89 | Energy: 8/21 + 1 | Hate: 1

Jomei: 125/125(22/30)(Hate: 1)

Bandit Bob: -2/70

Bandit Fred: 10/70 (-60)

Bandit Tom: 10/70 (-60)

Bandit Joe: 10/70 (-60)

 

 

Edited December 4, 2015 by Lessa

[Jomei 0]

Lessa unleashed a powerful attack, spanning across all of the remaining bandits and knocking them back a bit. It was strong enough of an attack to knock all of their HP bars well into the red zone, and now the two just needed to clean up the mess. Jomei lowered his body and brought his arm back to his side. "Time to finish this." Jomei took one large step forward, accompanied by his gold glowing sword swinging in front of his body with a diagonal slash. The initial strike cut deep into two of the bandits in front of him, leaving just one left. Once he returned to a regular standing position, he brought his sword back across his body, cutting into the last bandit on his right. All three bandits then popped like balloons, one by one, leaving only a rain of white data fragments behind. 

ID: 41132
BD: 4(+2)
Sweep: 2x9 = 18

Lessa: HP: 89/89 | Energy: 8/21 | Hate: 1

Jomei: 125/125(22/30)(Hate: 1)
+3 Mats

Bandit Bob: -2/70

Bandit Fred: -8/70 (-18)

Bandit Tom: -8/70 (-18)

Bandit Joe: -8/70 (-18)

[Lessa 1]

Immediately, alerts filled both player's visions. They prompted both Jomei and Lessa to accept their rewards, congratulating them both for completing the quest. Lessa accepted everything with a quick flick of her wrist. Then, she cast a glance toward the Irishman. "Not a bad AOE." Then, slyly, she added, "for a rapier user."

Now the pair stood alone in the campsite, the settling dust around them the only indicator that a skirmish had taken place. Everything was eerily quiet. Lessa slowly slid her heavy claymore home, its sharp metal sliding along the sheath with a sharp hiss. Then, she hooked her thumbs in the waistband of her breeches, glancing out over the empty tents and now-unaccompanied fire. Why would you need a fire in a place like this, she briefly thought, before the usual I hate this floor consumed her thoughts once more.

Edited December 7, 2015 by Lessa

[Jomei 0]

Jomei let out a huff of air, a sigh of relief. That fight had gone much more smoothly than he had initially anticipated. Going into this quest, Jomei felt nervous. He had not done many quests on his own before that required fighting, which was why he sent out the request for help instead. The assistance and extra courage boost he gained from forming a party was definitely something he needed, and proved to be quite fruitful in the end. He was happy that, of all people, it was this woman, Lessa, who took it upon herself to help Jomei. Despite just meeting her a mere few hours before, Jomei felt like he could truly trust the girl, even eventually see her as a close friend.. being they had so much in common. 

The irishman sheathed his weapon and crossed his arms, turning to Lessa with a sharp brow when she mentioned his skills were good 'for a rapier user' "Oi, watch your tongue." he said, smirking.

[Lessa 1]

His response prompted a soft laugh from the young woman, a sound that remained melodious despite the dryness of her throat. When she turned back to him, her smirk had blossomed into a grin. "We made quick work of that gang, didn't we?" She paused, reaching a hand up to rake her fingers through her heavy mane of hair. It was coated in a fine layer of sand, which rained down across her shoulders as she shook her hair out. "Honestly, I was thinking we were going to have a bit more trouble. I guess that speaks to how far we've come."

It was a positive note to end the day on, and with a soft nod of her head, Lessa motioned back the way that they had come. "How about we head back? I don't care to spend any more time on this floor than I have to." Yet as she began her trek across the sand, Jomei close on her heels, she found herself reflecting on the beauty of the setting sun. 

Maybe it wasn't so bad after all.

Edited December 7, 2015 by Lessa