thread_swashbucklingbuccaneer

lost cargo.

or, not lost. rather, stolen?

it was the start of yet another quest that seemed standard enough in every other game. so her favourite kind; because they were -- at the very least -- predictable, despite the monotony at its core. and there was some rumor about a unique weapon or other that could've been retrieved from one of the sailors. in truth, that was the reason why she was present, an investigation on some broker's behalf.

but the idea itself was enough for the player to want to go at it on her own terms. night showed, listening to the sailor's speech as he barely looked over his shoulder to address her, an explanation about some pirates or another.

pirates? night raised a brow, arms folded. her gaze was raised towards the distance as the cove was mentioned -- the sailor looking its way as he spoke of it. "either it's used as a place for their storage, or they've docked their ship within it; not that i'd be willing to check it out. it's way above my station, and i'd rather not take the risk on my life!"

"mine's fine though, huh?" she muttered, in a jest. not loud enough for the npc to have picked up on it, so the player raised her voice when the prompt came for her to accept. "sure. i'll investigate."

though, it was only when the formalities were completed that the logistics of the quest struck her. what about the cargo...?

Enemies could be anywhere...that was always the truth in this forsaken game.

No thanks to Princess tipping off certain individuals, Dazia had recently gained a minor reputation of notoriety...in a way that could easily make people suspicious of Dazia's presence. If Dazia couldn't prove Princess wrong somehow, she'd be chased all around Aincrad as if she was most wanted. Having to deal with those odd players near the coastline was enough for today, but she'd heard there was a quest around this floor somewhere...now if she could just find the damn location...

It was only when Dazia spotted a player speaking with an NPC that her sense of caution spiked again. The NPCs didn't seem to mind her presence yet, but she could never be too sure about players she didn't know. She took cover immediately, concealing herself with what was around her. Until she could do something about Princess staining her name, Dazia would have to always proceed with caution.

a boat.

"your... uncle's... rowboat."

"yeah."

night tried not to look disgruntled, looking to the water, noticing the seemingly shoddy rowboat tied to one of the pier's pillars with a rope. a hand placed at the pillar, her dissatisfaction still bled through when her gaze went to the sailor. "so, let me get this straight. you wouldn't stake your life on this expedition, but you'd stake... your uncle's rowboat just in case a stranger would've followed through on your request."

"yeah."

her eyes shot to the skies, offended. "and what happens if i lose it?"

"well--"

the sailor scratched at the back of his head, frowning, before deciding to wave his hands around trying to shrug the idea of flaws in his plans off. "-- then don't lose it! obviously!"

"right. i may not come back alive, as you'd said."

"then i'll tell him i lost it or something!"

cardinal was sure thankful the player could put up with its antics so much. night merely rolled her eyes, hopping down into the rowboat gracefully. the vessel had barely shook under her weight, the woman taking great care not to upset it through her fall. a seat in the dinghy, hands adjusted to the paddles. she'd seen her mirror do this a few times. how should she continue?

Dazia would begin hearing a conversation play out as she slowly made her way closer. Chances were, the other player might be taking a quest.

It might be the one Dazia was searching for.

So she considered her options. She could attempt to tag along, with the risk of being attacked or challenged by the other player. She could continue to remain in stealth, and shadow the other player taking the quest, with the risk of being discovered along the way. Or, she could wait it out and attempt the quest on her own...due to the fact that this was an MMO, the latter option seemed the least viable. The first option, however, still had the potential to be dangerously risky...

For the time being, she would remain in stealth and continue getting closer, but slowly and cautiously. Even upon slightly closer inspection, Dazia had no visual recognition of this player... If things ever went south, at least she had a teleport crystal.

there was space in the boat for just another person, in case she ever tagged along with someone else. and, given the width of the boat, had a party squeezed in, the players would've made way for four just fine. instead, alone, night simply rowed her way out to sea, away from the pier, gaze looking out towards the horizon.

boat rowing was tough work. it almost made her glad that she wasn't the one in charge of the controls for the most part. just think, how much effort would she have to have expended if someone else had gotten in the boat with her? the thought of it alone was already making her exhausted, so she pushed it aside, trying to steer the boat towards the cove.

the pirates' base was located on the other side of the water; out in the middle of the sea, across the pier. a natural rock formation was set to hide their ship set in an enclave, forming the outline of a horseshoe, its curve turned towards the way she came from. off to one side, sat upon its sandy coast, was a couple of dilapidated shacks painted darkened cool hues, rickety wooden structures that attempted to blend in with the cliff face it was attached to.

night wasn't worried about her appearance at the locale. boat parked along the shore, she finally allowed herself a sigh of relief from the work out, swearing internally to do add it to her routine, before starting to scramble out the boat.

Dazia took some thoughts into consideration. If she was going to take the same boat as this other player, she'd have to do it now. "No time like the present to be reckless, I suppose..." Dazia thought.

As the other player was finishing up conversation with the NPC, Dazia got herself into the boat and covered herself with a large rag. Hopefully she'd be able to blend in with this dinghy for the time being. Soon, she heard the sounds of someone getting into the dinghy. No doubt, it was the player who had now finished speaking with the NPC. Dazia remained still, her sense of hearing being her only hint as to what was going on.

It felt like some time, remaining still and keeping hidden under the cover of the rag. Soon, she felt less general movement from the dinghy. Dazia would wait to hear the player leaving the boat before slowly peeking her cowl-covered head out from the rag to see whether or not it was safe to leave the cover of the rag and out of the dinghy.

no, wait. the last she remembered, the other side of the boat was empty. now, she wasn't sure when the shawl had appeared on her vessel. between the times she'd looked away, too engrossed in getting her hands right upon the handles of the oars, and the habit of watching her destination grow closer and closer by the paddle, there had to be some reason why there was cargo loaded onto a once-empty rowboat.

because she wasn't hellbent on being some pirate's delivery player.

night stepped out of the vehicle, eyes set upon the stowaway object and her pace rounding towards the matted rag. a brief tug at it -- she was certain it would've been easy to unveil, had the cargo underneath it been inanimate, and yet there felt a certain resistance in that pull. so she ripped at it harder, unamused at the idea that it had been a different player.

the moment she spotted that green cursor, it took all of her effort not to muster up a grief-laden dissatisfaction. so it wasn't that she'd been weak, after all. rather, she was rowing for two, and frankly, it would've been nice to know from the beginning before she'd expended the effort.

night squatted, had she the chance. dead fish eyes looked right at the stranger, the makings of a scowl pushing through her expression. "you're kidding," was muttered briefly under her breath, before she spoke in earnest. "so, are you gonna pay the fare for making me drag you all the way here? --who are you, anyway?"

A sudden stop could be heard. That can't have been good.

A tug at Dazia's cover was then felt. "Damn it, I knew I should have tried a less obvious method!" She thought.

The rag was then forcefully ripped away from her, and she ended up flinching. Under normal circumstances, the cursor over the other player's green cursor would have been reassuring...but these were not normal circumstances...

There were two dark haired players, just awkwardly scowling at each other. The other player would ask if Dazia was going to pay fare for the trip here, and proceeded to say what came across as demanding to know who she was. "If my name wasn't slandered by a vengeful princess who considers me her sworn enemy, I wouldn't need to be hiding all the time. I normally would have taken better precautionary measures and avoided you, but I needed to find what's literally the only quest on this floor, and last I checked, there was only this boat."

Dazia's next lead happened to drag her here, over the mention of a quest...if Krysta hadn't been tipping players off to turn them against Dazia, she wouldn't be in this position. She'd need to have another chat with Vigilon at some point...see if she can't get him to end this damn charade already.

a vengeful princess who considered them her sworn enemy?'

"stop, stop." night was caught off-guard from that description. if this was cardinal's way of setting up hidden factions and alliances, surely this would've been placed in some quest or another. but she hadn't heard of royalty nor bloodlines with regards to player heritage. and neither was she certain that description would've fit a video game's narrative, either. because they hadn't been creative enough to step out of the 'saviour complex' trope yet. so... that just meant another player, right...?

but she wasn't keen on following that up with a query, because she wasn't here to play 4k civillization. "last i checked, boats don't give out quests." and it was true, because the terrible nephew of a sailor had offered this ride to her. night narrowed her eyes at the other player, considering those choice of words carefully. "wait, were you... eavesdropping the entire time i was talking to the npc?"

how coy. her expression of suspicion only fell away to annoyance. "you could've just asked to join, you know. and for what that bounty's worth on your head, it can't be as bad as you're making it out to be. what's it in for me to go orange against you, anyway?" a hand gestured towards the stranger's green cursor, night still brimming with agitation at the sight mixed with her own thoughts. "col? i've got enough of that for myself, thank you very much."

and night picked herself up from her squat, offering a hand to the unnamed woman. "well, if you're here for the quest too, then it shouldn't take us long to knock it out together. c'mon. maybe if you do good enough, i'll consider it payment for the ferry."

The other player seemed confused by how Dazia had mentioned the main source of her problems. The other player would also remark that boats didn't give out quests...but then she put two and two together, realizing that Dazia had managed to successfully shadow her up to this point. Upon being asked if she'd done so, Dazia was unable to immediately respond with anything other than an awkwardly timed shoulder shrug. "...Maybe."

The other player proceeded to say that Dazia could've just asked if she wanted to join, and that whatever bounty was on her head probably wasn't as bad as Dazia was making it out to be. Ever heard of the phrase "better safe than sorry"? "Honestly, I should be thankful you've got common sense, unlike some of those bozos out there..." A few of which she'd encountered earlier, but she left that little detail out for the time being. The other player then offered a hand to Dazia, saying that if she helped the player out with the quest, that she could consider it as payment for the impromptu ferrying, as long as Dazia manages to do well enough. "Deal." Dazia decided, accepting the other player's hand. "My username is Dazia, in case you were still wondering."

"night," she shot back, pulling dazia up to her feet. the other woman was short, approximately an inch lesser than night's own height; unknowingly, the player adjusted immediately. "how much of this quest do you know about? besides --" and she rolled her eyes "-- whatever you'd heard about me speaking to the sailor back on land."

depending on dazia's answer, night would nod, arms folded, her head turned towards the shack. the pirates' gathering hall. she gestured to it with the jab of her thumb. "they're inside," she explained. "illegal activities require a hideaway." and the criminals must've disobeyed construction laws, too, for how neglected the shed appeared to look. "the cargo our sailor's looking for is probably in the back. on the ship, likely; otherwise, somewhere on the planks in between. there's got to be a storage area somewhere that's holding where they keep their plunder."

her words were cut off with a rousing laughter, the heavy sounds of wood slamming upon table surfaces apparent, even though they'd sounded distant. her head turned, if only for a moment, before going back to addressing her ally. "how's your build looking?" neither of their garments seemed to show the stereotypical class archetypes most games usually featured; common for the reality they lived in, though night was beginning to forget otherwise after hanging around nari long enough. "i'll take point and draw aggro if need be. we'll go through them slowly, so we won't be overwhelmed."

The other player introduced herself as Night as she helped Dazia up. The woman was only an inch taller than Dazia. In all honesty, Dazia didn't mind that the difference was only an inch. Night asked to know what Dazia had eavesdropped on. "What I got close enough to hear was you two discussing the means of transportation to the targets' cove. However, the frantic expressions show evidence of having escaped or survived an assault of some sort. Seeing that the targets you were sent after are in a secluded locale across the water, a fair enough distance away from the main Island of the floor, what happened could come clear if the hints were put together." She explained, thinking aloud as she did. "Piracy." She deduced.

Night would then note that the targets were inside the poorly-built shack, and that somewhere inside the rickety structure, or on board their ship, was the stolen cargo. The new ally would be cut off by a loud, boisterous noise. As distant as it was, the volume seemed to speak, well, volumes of the targets' arrogance, that they never considered the fact that they could have been followed, with enemies sent to put them down.

Dazia was asked about her build, probably for strategic clarification. "I focus mainly on damage and survival. I took up stealth as a survival aspect, but with the right additions, it makes fighting much easier." She answered. She then looked towards the targets' location. "Personally, I doubt they'll see me coming, as long as we know what we're doing."

She would then move to approach the rickety shack. She began to open it cautiously, as to avoid making enough noise to alert the targets. Dazia then slowly drew her blade. So far, she hadn't been noticed. There might be five enemies within her vision, but a Surprise Attack should be able to wipe those smiles off the enemies' faces at the very least...

stealth -- sure. night was keen on that route of action, too, had it just been herself alone. but it was easier to go in guns blazing, she thought, despite dazia's combat preference. "then you sneak in," the player commented, oathkeeper forging in her hands as her ally started to move. "where it counts, i'll play distraction."

and where it counted was the first moment she'd walked in. the doorway was notably enough to fit a human about twice the size of either the woman, and hence there was enough space for the assassin to round the room had there been a need to. five targets in their periphery; three at a table in front, chattering boisterously, with two playing a round of cards behind. dark, its interior, despite the few windows there were to the outdoors, broken squares devoid of glass, making the room's scent akin to the briny sea air. and night's appearance only stole what scarce sunlight was present from the room.

had it interrupted the two men at the back, surely they would've turned to look. instead, the three were first to move, playing guard for the rest of their crew. each had a bandana adorned of various colors around their foreheads. the pirate in blue, a mug in his hand, was the first to scowl and shake his affect towards their shack's new entrant. "--and who in the world are you?!"

"get lost!"
"this is no place for strangers."

night only tilted her head, frowning at the response. "well, that wasn't very nice of any of you."

"you're on our territory," one of them barked, "if anything, you should be nice to us."

"oh, sorry." her words dripped with sarcasm. night raised her hands, one palm open, the other gripping her blade as its tip was pointed towards the ceiling.

"hey!"
"watch it!"

"i was just here to inquire about some stolen goods is all. do you think you can help me with it?"

but none of the attention was to her words. rather, the pirates' gazes were to the threat brought up from that complete whiteness in her hold. two of them near stood upon noticing the weapon. and night continued to play dumb, looking towards the men with a vacant expression.

"you brandish a sword in these parts, you're asking for it to be used upon ye!"

"what'sit to you, girlie, you looking for a fight?"

night's only response was two blinks, a pretense of unknowing. then, in one swift motion --

"yes."

a quick sweep of that blade against her opponents started the party's initial attack.

Night would enter and catch three of the targets' attention. She made some witty banter with them before eliminating all three in one fell swoop. What pathetic minions those deckhands were. It was then that the other two Pirate Deckhands had noticed they had an intruder, as well as the fact that said intruder had just effortlessly slaughtered three of their crewmates. Dazia still hadn't been noticed. but the surprised shouting that came from the two deckhands were followed by fast approaching footsteps. Dazia readied her Sword Art, but she would wait until the right moment to activate it.

Two figures would barge into the scene. One of which, who appeared as a burly and strong male, seemed agitated at the apparent commotion that led him here. The other seemed to be a female that was more vocal about the situation. "Oi, what's going on he-"

Dazia unleashed her Sword Art, leaving red marks that could easily suggest large gashes in the targets. The Deckhands cried out as they were flung by the impact just before they shattered. The burly figure let out nothing more than a pained grunt, while the female beside him seemed so suffer a more severe blow. The male boatswain glared at Dazia, and the female struggled to keep herself standing after the force of the blow. One hand on her blade, the other against the red mark across her torso. While her glare was less intimidating, Dazia could see the hatred within. "Yer gonna pay for that one, lass."

Dazia took position to evade, countering the target with a glare of her own. "Try me."

"Yer gonna pay for that one, lass."

"Try me."

the readiness to evade was probably important. for night's rush forward upon noticing the backdoor fly open was in the boatswains' introductions, and she hadn't thought twice about where her ally would've been before she struck. one slash downwards -- her first attack towards the burlier once he'd been slammed to the floor, the cut across his entire form was the man's death sentence before he disintegrated to the ether.

following through her momentum, a rounded slash, curved horizontal, tore into more environment than opponents. wooden furniture drew cracks in her assault; broken barrels, benches and toppled bottles splashing drink onto rotten floorboards. the edge of that sword art sliced into the woman from the pair -- the last trace of her night had realized was different was the hat donned on the pirate. a screech ensued, paired with the drop of a sword almost readied for a counter attack and the sound of shattered glass.

night forced her movements to a halt, giving her blade back to her inventory, the blade spiraling out of sight and fading before their eyes. "didn't have to."

and just as she was turning back to face dazia, the clatter of something by her feet caught her attention. a collection of blades that originally weren't present -- had they been stashed away in one of the barrels she'd broken open earlier? it sure looked like it, the way they were scattered across the floor, and yet she could've sworn they hadn't been present before she turned the floor's way. night bent down to pick one up, examining it close.

Before Dazia knew it, Night had quite literally jumped into the fray, and proceeded to finish off the two survivors of Dazia's attack. It wouldn't seem like Dazia would be getting close to avoiding debt anytime soon, but if there was anything left, she might have to get a move on before it was too late, otherwise she'd have to pay this acquaintance.

The player noticed two weapons had clattered onto the floor, and began to examine one of them. Dazia looked at the other blade, but now was not the time to rummage through junk in hopes of finding what was likely an unidentified weapon that would usually turn out to be a wasted gamble instead.

The sound of footsteps caught Dazia's attention. "There's more." Dazia whispered to her ally, before backing up and taking position to hide. Only one came out the door, so it would be safe to guess that he would be a bigger threat than all the two had faced previously. He saw the mess that had been made here, as well as the damages that were done to the poorly built structure. "What do ya think you're doin', bargin' in here and massacrin' Greybeard's crew?" He began. He couldn't believe what these two had just done. He looked over to Dazia, spotting her in the shadows. "And don't think I can't see ye there!"

Dazia remained silent, her only response being to glare at the target. "What, am I supposed to think you're intimidating, little scamp? I've seen worse than you." The target responded. Dazia's eyes burned as she immediately drew her weapon. "Do you want to try saying that again?" She threatened as she stared infernal daggers at the target. "Oh, please..." The target sighed, unimpressed. "I don't care what either of ye try, neither of ya will be leaving here alive. Any last words before I cut ye both down where ye stand?

Dazia took this as an opportunity. This was why she was here, after all. She came to this floor to follow a lead. "...Midnight. Blade. Earthen Sun." She spoke. The target seemed confused. "That's...what's the Obsidian Cove got to to do with this? Nothing!" He uttered out. "Ah, so that's what it means, a location...about damn time my lead actually got somewhere." Dazia thought. "Obsidian Cove. Noted, thank you for your cooperation. With that out of the way, let's get this over with..." She said aloud as she readied her weapon.

she would've hid, the moment dazia had suggested the entry of a different personnel. and yet, the kicking of weapons scattered across the floor made it difficult to do so. night dropped the one she was holding in haste, and it clattered upon the wood. upon realizing its volume, she rolled her eyes and readied her blade instead.

the captain? at least, whoever it was seemed like it. and in the banter between her party member and the enemy, the player only found herself stiffening, almost being ignored.

not that it mattered. perhaps it was impatience, the reason why she was so eager to pull the trigger. a pass of keywords from them to the pirate, before she heard the sound of dazia unsheathing her weapon. that was all night needed to work with in the moment.

and she'd been ready the entire time. before the quartermaster could even ready his first swing, the woman's blade was already through him, holy light rending across his knee. as though cutting out where his peg-leg should go, the pirate only hollered and fell over at her strike. night bounced back, giving ample room to her companion -- the man should've been easy to strike, given their positions.

Before Dazia could strike, Night made her attack on the target, knocking him over. The target fell to the ground as Dazia was attempting to use her sword art. The attack missed the target by an inch, but the poorly crafted "doorframe" sustained heavy damage.

However, the doorframe wasn't what Dazia intended to hit. At this rate, she just might bring the house down instead of the target.

The target proceeded to get up, and he would lunge with his weapon. Dazia attempted to stop him in his tracks, but the target proved to be stronger than expected. "Out of the way, scamp." He grumbled as he shoved her aside before lashing out at the other player, slashing across her avatar with his cutlass. The damage dealt, however, didn't seem to be much of an issue. Dazia took position to ready another sword art, but she'd have to time it right as to avoid any allies getting caught in the crossfire.

it was in shifting out of the way that she found herself caught at the other end of the pirate's blade. and night stumbled backwards, swearing there was still space to move -- yet for some reason all her back could feel were tables that had failed to be knocked over from their earlier brawl: the clatter of mugs, playing cards and trashy weapons all causing more disarray than the players ever needed to face. she hissed, arm brushing over everything else she'd knocked over, trying to shove them all aside.

it wouldn't matter the moment she landed a strike on the quartermaster. but, as chaos had proven otherwise, her restricted movements were suddenly all the tells cardinal needed for its pawns to shift out of harm's way. one downwards swing, part lunge in her act -- all the grizzled man had to do was side-step that strike, and night snarled in return. almost deliberately, she allowed her attack to follow through, pushing aside the rest of the furniture around her, clearing space.

Night had trouble attempting a counterattack, as the debris and clutter would get in her way as the target sidestepped. Dazia activated her sword art, and unleashed it against the target from behind. A little over a quarter of his HP was depleted. Not bad, but not ideal, either. She'd need to get a stronger weapon at some point, probably invest in phase, if she could find a weapon that had it.

The target cried out in pain as he was attacked from behind, but his focus did not shift. He was insistent in attacking the other player, who he'd thrust his blade into. This normally would have started to become a problem, but the target's HP was dropping too fast for him to be a threat to the two players. Nevertheless, the target did not see fit to admit defeat. "Ye've ruined everything...I'll see to it that ye both be sent to Davy Jones' locker!" He snarled. Dazia scoffed in response, the target was truly pitiful. "Not like that, you won't."

really? was this man more worried about the state of his low quality shack than his own life? the same way dazia had wanted to scoff, so too did night wish to roll her eyes. except, the mess she'd made was more important for a conducive fight.

she'd expected the plunge her way, definitely, and yet hadn't expected to take another hit. now growling, reckless, and with a leniency to roam, night darted back to a spot where she was certain to avoid the pirate's next attack.

not that it mattered, but having room in her vicinity also allowed her a charge forth to his location. one swing, a powerful diagonal cut, and oathkeeper rang true, chiming as the rest of their target's health bar drained from an orange. the pirate's sneer transformed into a look of horror as a light enveloped his form.

he broke like glass in the space between them and the cargo. and night exhaled, pulling herself back together, thankful she hadn't forgotten the objective of the quest after their brief adrenaline rush. oathkeeper fell away, and the player turned to dazia, motioning to the shack's backroom with an open hand. "just loading and unloading whatever's been stolen now."

Dazia sheathed her weapon, irritated that she didn't get to land the finishing blow against the target. If anything, at least Dazia knew that the location her lead on the missing player case would take her to the "Obsidian Cove", whatever and wherever that may be. Perhaps an NPC might know the location.

Night would motion to the back room, where the stolen cargo was hidden away, stating the quest's next objective.

The fact that Dazia couldn't just stuff the cargo into her inventory was bad enough, it hurt that she was kind of small, too, as it caused the cargo to end up being bulky and difficult to handle. She set some cargo into the boat and saw an extra pair of oars. Looks like she'd be able to do her part for the trip back to the main Island...although the weight of the cargo might make it significantly harder, as Dazia's arms and hands were trained for combat, not rowing an encumbered dinghy.

Several minutes of moving cargo from the shack's back room over to the Dinghy later, as Dazia picked up one more crate of cargo to load into the boat, she heard a snap. She then looked around, and then noticed that after all that damage done to the shack during the battle, the structure had just ran out of time to keep itself together. "Damn it, not now!" Dazia thought. "Overdoing it" wasn't exactly a concern of Dazia's, but maybe this rickety structure's ridiculously low durability begged to differ. A wooden plank fell down from the poorly-built structure, and it would only be a short matter of time before the rest of the shack would follow, unable to hold itself from all the hits it sustained. Dazia rushed out with haste, but also just enough care to keep herself from tripping over and losing the cargo. She was able to slow her pace once she was out of the structure's range of collapse.

Dazia turned around to look back at what was now just a large pile of splinters and broken timber. "Whoever that 'Greybeard' the target mentioned is, it's his problem, now...if anything, making a new base of operations should keep him and any other goons of his occupied for some time." She remarked, before continuing to transport the last crate over to the Dinghy.

she did wonder what exactly had been stolen. from the looks and sounds of it, dazia was having a difficult time ferrying each crate over to the dinghy -- and a part of night had wondered if multiple trips might've been needed with the vessel to complete the quest. after all, they'd just culled a multitude of pirates in opposition to a handful of players, and granted the vessel for the former was likely to be larger than what the latter had been issued...

it was the crumbling ceiling, that stray plank that had caught her attention, the woman picking up only a handful of items to carry outside -- the bulk of the workload had been handled by her ally. and night watched the roof for more signs of its dismantlement; her quick steps outside only spoke to her lack of hesitation for leaving this place behind. a pirate's shack for a hideout was never her style, any way.

the items she placed down on the dinghy were only secured to the other bulkier cargo once the shack had crumpled over -- stray pieces of rope could be salvaged from the wreck, and night took great care trying to tie the bulk together, listening to dazia muse on the outcome for the pirates. "likely they'll just use the ship they've got as their main quarters. pirates are like that, after all." once their haul had been fastened, she bid the two of them into the boat, grabbing onto the oars and starting to row once they were positioned.

though a tiring ride, the trip back to shore of the mainland was much shorter than from the edge of the pier itself. night took point on unloading the largest items that seemed to give dazia trouble earlier, though stopped as she realized how close they were to the settlement. she could only turn to her companion, at this point, head tilted as she leaned on their luggage. "so how do you keep your distance away from others, any way? i don't suppose being caught along hotspots while you're slowly travelling with these is good for you."

Night noted that it's likely the pirates will just remain on their ship to use as a base of operations. While this was true, it did beg the question, why would that lumber rubble that used to be a rickety shack end up being used as a base if their ship would have fared much better?

Best not to dwell on that, as there was a task at hand...but as short as the trip was, Dazia was peeved that her strength didn't seem to click with the use of the oars. Either that, or they were simply a bulkier pair. Was the system poking at her over her height? If Cardinal was to develop a "sense of humor", the playerbase might as well be doomed.

Night would ask a question, one that so happened to strike somewhere. "Mainly, I use stealth and keep my distance. I can't always remain outside the safe zone, due to certain leads I follow or quests I try to take, so having a teleport crystal at least helps. However, it's not like I'm a 'kill on sight' for most players, but most of them seem to be getting more and more wary when they find me. Only a handful are responding with hostility at sight, but so far it's mainly a group of maniacs and a trio of idiots who simp for Princess, despite the fact that she's taken. Then there's Freyd, and an assassin with a green cursor that dwells in the fourth floor. They're trying to kill me, too." Dazia explained. "Now that I'm saying it out loud, I suppose I've been a bit lucky so far...but I won't hold my breath or get my hopes up, there's no telling how far 'luck' will last, especially with Princess 'warning' people about me, if not sending them after my head." She noted, knowing that if something wasn't done soon about all of this, there would only be more trouble.

there it was. that 'princess' drop once again. night, still leaning on their cargo merely raised her brow at it -- and she would've been focused on ruminating upon such a queen bee character, too, until an even more fortunate name drop occurred.

"freyd," she reiterated, disdain with every bite of air. "an assassin? what do you mean he's an assassin, and why in the world would he want you dead?" sure, night glanced at the green cursor above dazia's head once more, and then back to the player's face, but no crime she could feasibly consider (in the moment) would paint such a terrible cost. and if someone from firm anima has a hand in it, the more suspicious it looked to night herself.

if she thought aloud as she worked the remaining crates, it was to ensure dazia knew that night wasn't playing when asking. "try explaining that to me again -- because it's definitely not got to be of that bounty of yours. that much i know of. whatever 'princess' you might be speaking of might want a pay check, but freyd's a name one would drop only on shadier business."

staring blankly at the surface of the last package from the boat, the player huffed, considering loosely. did that make dazia a shady player too?

"that makes you shady, too," night lied, pacing back towards where the rest of the cargo was deposited.

"And an Assassin." Dazia repeated. "Both Freyd and this assassin's cursors were green, so it was likely they only hunted killers. The assassin is a greater threat, and I didn't catch their username. They always used disguise, so I know nothing of what they look like, either...but they only seem willing to remain in the fourth floor from what little I know. Freyd, however, might be willing to keep an eye out to try and find me." She explained, irritation in her expression as she realized she didn't know very much about the most dangerous of her potential assailants. "I don't know if either of them are willing to give up their green cursors to kill me, and I'm not gonna stick around to take any chances with them. As for Freyd himself, since you asked specifically, my guess is as good as yours, save for the theory that he was turned against me by Princess. I guess this because I saw both of them with her, and it became clear to me that they were on her side during a short exchange before I escaped."

Dazia's fists clenched around the oars. "Princess is another matter. Her username is Krysta, and she's been a thorn in my side ever since I first defended myself against another player...because she just so happened to be related to the very player who first tried to kill me." She added. "And every time I defend myself against a killer or would-be killer, every name I cross off the monument, just makes her want me dead that much more. Also, she refuses to listen to reason anytime I or my name is involved." She continued, her voice slowly beginning to seethe with anger as she did.

Dazia's teeth were grit, and her fists were shaking with fury. "So what if people think I might be shady? At this rate, it's the least of my worries, and both this world and the real world are overpopulated by idiots!"

Following that outburst, she then stopped, and took a deep breath. Her hands were still shaking and clenched tightly around the oars, but less intensely this time. "But it's not like it's your problem, though, is it?"

in lieu of mishearing, night then did listen intently, keeping her mouth shut as she watched dazia's anger build within that minute frame of hers. the player couldn't help but wince, realizing the number of players after this other's head -- perhaps it would do the population some good to just scalp dazia off, after all? not that she would know, nor would be willing to do the deed. she simply nodded, arms folded, as it occurred to her that her little jab had seemed more like claws against skin.

"you're right," night returned, as she turned her body sideways to gesture to the already-complete pile of quest items. "it's not my problem at all." and as she started to walk off the beach, gesturing for her companion to follow, she spoke quickly, with an air of indifference. "but given that there's a common suspect between us, there would be reason to probe into your perspective -- 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend', right? --or something like that."

her footwork took her up the steps towards the boardwalk, where she was certain to hand in their completion status at. "by the way," night added, glancing over to dazia, "i don't know who this krysta character is, either. i don't claim to care about your feuds -- but i've got a mind to listen."

Night agreed in the aspect that it wasn't her problem. Of course, she also seemed to suggest, despite the air of indifference in her words, that there was reason to hear out Dazia's perspective on the whole ordeal, over a common suspect between the two players. Only problem was, Dazia only had one encounter with Freyd, and thus wouldn't really have much to tell about him.

         As Dazia followed Night, mentally ready to finish the quest and begin gathering intel on this "Obsidian Isle" that was mentioned earlier, she did at least have some words to spare in regards to Freyd. "As far as I know, he and the assassin were the only ones that have outsmarted me in this game. After my latest kill made out of self defense, over in the fourth floor, I began making my way over to the Starglades, a monster free environment that I was hoping to take refuge in and lay low in case Krysta began looking for me. I don't know how he guessed my course of action, nor do I have a way to outsmart that assassin." She explained. There were more details about her newer adversaries, but hopefully she could explain them clearly. "During the encounter, I heard the assassin's voice only once, yet it's as though it were a disembodied voice. Until I get the disguise skill, which the Assassin seemed to just love using, I'll have to steer clear from the fourth floor, because said Assassin seems to prefer staying in that floor only, as if it's her territory or something...and she seems dead set on killing me the first chance she gets." As discouraging as this seemed, her exterior did not show signs of being unnerved, despite the fact that she was very much unnerved and had no clue how she was going to contend with self-righteous individuals who could outsmart her. What showed on the surface instead, was irritation. "I don't know if Freyd had an extra on hand, or if he'd known, but when I brought Krysta's spy as leverage for my freedom when forced to walk into an obvious trap, he tossed the spy a teleport crystal, which the spy caught and used to escape...funny, now that I say that, I'm pretty sure it was his hands were bound, not his wrists...it's like everything me and my two allies tried was completely useless. He forced me to comply to his little game, honestly I'm lucky I even got out alive, despite the trap and confrontation happening within the floor's safe zone."

       Dazia didn't like to admit defeat in moments like this, and to her, there was nothing worse than being helpless in a world that demanded strength for those who wanted to get anywhere. Night added that she didn't know who Krysta was, nor did she care about the feud between them, but she had a mind to listen anyway. "...Well, as I've noted before, we've basically been enemies since before we even met. In our first confrontation, she tried to attack me, but I turned the tables quickly. Nobody took any damage, which was helpful since we were literally at a seasonal event hosted by an NPC, who didn't seem to like the idea of conflict showing up. It only got more complicated from there. A draw, a loss in which I barely escaped with my life, I still have yet to actually win a fight against her, duel or otherwise, now that I say it out loud." She explained, realizing just how lucky she was to still be alive after all this. "I mainly call her Princess because she just looks like one, and comes across as one to me. Seriously, it's like she walked out of a fairytale or something and lived in our world before coming here."

      None of this, not a single bit, was anything Night would be concerned about. But if she was willing to listen, maybe speaking was for the better after all. If there was anything left to do with the quest NPC, it was likely that the two players would have returned to them at this point, most likely with the objectives complete.

involuntary manslaughter. then the assassin, on the fourth floor; night figured there were definitely a wide variety of individuals who found its environment hospitable, assassins included, but couldn't put a name to anyone who seemed to fit that description.

so she listened, still perplexed. the more she heard about freyd, the more it sounded like he was the type to plan for most, if not all contingencies, which was especially troubling if night ever had to deal with him in an aggressive capacity. what was worrying, too, was in the fact that dazia was followed to a safe location... for what? poor reputation? plus, the talk of spies and princesses just sounded political, despite it being a simple dispute between players, and if that clued her in on anything, it was on how seriously both parties were taking the conflict. night winced at the idea. player drama, indeed.

"and what," night returned with a scoff, expression of disgust and disbelief, "freyd's her knight? seriously, what is up with that story...?"

she shook her head, however. they were already on the way to informing the sailor of his retrieved goods, and that was all she knew and cared about. then night considered the idea of dazia being attacked, again, if firm anima's shadow were to intervene. "well if you think he's going to come after you again," she said, "then go ahead and grab me. on the other hand, the princess thing just sounds like harassment at this point. no thanks."

with an exhale, a friend request sent dazia's way, and a quick chat with the sailor afterwards, their quest was finally completed. night simply shuffled off towards the floor teleport, with a shrug, nonchalant, sent the other player's way. "yeah, i won't tell anyone you were here," she declared from over her shoulder, before facing the settlement proper. "no one to tell that to, anyway."

Dazia shook her head, equally disgusted by the thought. "Please, he doesn't even seem like the knight type." She remarked. "Even I don't know what's up with it all." Freyd might not have been "her knight" in all of this, but he was definitely one of Krysta's two most dangerous allies at this point. Dazia didn't know, nor did she care, about Freyd's motive. "It's not like he'd have a chance with her anyway, since she's taken...by my idiot cousin, Vigilon, of all people. Seriously, I don't understand what he sees in her, but it's not like I have a chance to actually see their dynamic when she goes into hostility just on the sight of me." She added. It was all so utterly stupid. "Not like he's the knight type either, though. He's not exactly a bad person, but he's such a dumbass." She finished, exasperated over the ridiculousness of it all. And to think it all began with self-defense...

       Night noted that if Freyd or the Assassin were to try coming after Dazia again, that she could always grab her, but wouldn't be willing to help in regards to the conflict with Princess, which she considered to be harassment at this point. To Dazia, it was more like a seemingly never ending chase, but the point remained understandable. Dazia accepted the friend request that was sent to her, and gave a subtle nod. "Fair enough, I'll keep you posted if Freyd goes in pursuit of me again."

              With the quest now complete, it was time for the two players to go their separate ways. Night declared over her shoulder that she won't tell anyone that Dazia was here, then she began heading over to the settlement proper. One last nod of her head in understanding, before Dazia would vanish from view, for she was hoping to take the scenic route for the time being. Who knows, maybe she'll catch a glimpse of this "Obsidian Isle" she'll soon be investigating along the way.