Complete Western Brisshal Treasure Hunt

[Crimson Ruby]

Sneaking near a bandit camp, Ruby smirked between two trees when finally spotting the small bandit camp, now mostly empty as expected. Only three bandits were in it at the time, and with the rest going out to hunt for the day, it was the perfect time for her to try and snatch a treasure map she had heard of.

According to what she had heard, this group, in particular, had a map with important spots from the ruined Vintergard, which they used as a hideout to hide expensive tools and artifacts- All of which the Explorer's League would love to have in their collection.

Silently, she tried to make her way to the barracks, but then--

Notice

@Tristaria accepted your friendship request!

"Wah-!" Ruby squeaked, widening her eyes and covering her mouth a second too late.

"Who's there?!" One of the gruff bandits called, and a more perceptive one quickly figured out the source of the weird noise. "Over there! An animal-kin!" They roared.

Pursing her lips, Ruby waved away the notification and quickly unsheathed her Jian, bracing herself when noticing two bulk bandits, one with a giant club and the other with an axe, charging at her. With a side step, she managed to avoid the first swing and slice a cut on the bandit's leg, who screamed in pain while she rolled out of the way.

One by one, they could be fought.

Ruby braced herself again, but the bandit that had spotted her was already in the background, preparing a bolt in a crossbow that quickly slashed on her arm, making her yelp and lose her focus, giving room for the wounded bandit to slam his club against her, throwing her aside against a tree.

Shaking her head, she recomposed herself only fast enough to manage to raise her blade and block the axe that was going down toward her neck, blocking it while the bandit continued to try and brute force his way toward her.

Her hands trembled with the exertion of trying to push her sword against the axe, struggling to move away while the other wounded bandit tried to get near her again. That wasn't looking good.

@Erick Styker

 

[Erick Stryker]

There was no shortage of bandits in the forests of Brisshal, both in its Eastern reaches that lay in Faldaren and to the West, in Astorea. On the Eastern side things were more controlled, hunted and regulated by the Kingdom, kept reasonably safe for the Starfallen to begin their journeys. The Western portion of the forest was wilder, less tame, filled with dangers that only more seasoned Travelers dared brave. It was a perfect intermediary for someone who was just coming into their own to test their skill.

At least, that was how the Landers described it to him in Honeyhome before he decided to strike off on his own. There had been no shortage of strange beasts and dangers off the beaten path, but the main road was fairly clear of obstruction and if he kept to it, nothing would inhibit Erick from clearing his way through Western Brisshal in a day or less. Finweald was only a short way off after that, and word had it that the largest concentration of Players in Terrasphere called that "home."

"If I keep going at this pace, I may even be able to get dinner in town," he said wistfully as he glanced around at the territory surrounding him. Western Brisshal was less densely packed with trees, instead offering large open areas with little cover. It may have been that it was harvested for lumber, but Erick saw no immediate evidence of deforestation. Instead, what he could feel about the area commanded the majority of his interests.

It was like the magic of the world whispered here, invigorating him as it flowed through and around. He felt more in tune with the energies in this place, which could have explained some of the radical differences in landscape. If the magic was more abundant, its effects were bound to be more pronounced. He stopped for a moment to consider some of the goblins in the distance, far enough from the trail that they posed no immediate threat.

When he turned to look the other way, he saw the outcropping in the distance that gave rise to a strange camp. Unlike what the more civilized folks in Faldaren managed, this looked roughshod, built from whatever could be scraped off the land and repurposed quickly. Erick chewed his lip thoughtfully. "If not goblins, bandits," he guessed, "I should keep to the trail for now, maybe come back when-"

He did not have the luxury of finishing the thought. A girl, younger perhaps than him, was locked in combat with someone much larger. A man with an axe, and he was intent on using it. Erick broke into a run and began to mutter beneath his breath, weaving the energy around him intricately. I've only got one shot at this, he concentrated as he came within range of efficacy, and the unseen well of force came like a drop of water from above and splashed outward, creating a ripple effect between the bandit and his prey.

The girl would feel the weight of the axe redistributed across the barrier Erick had erected, though both she and her attacker might not immediately realize what was going on.

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Ruby was strong, but outnumbered in surprise wasn't the best of the conditions she could fight on. She continued to try and force the axe away, with her blade being the only obstacle in front of it. The issue, however, was the approaching bandit and her Energy meter lowering.

"D-Damn you-!" She growled, for the bandit's enjoyment.

Her arms started feeling numb, and the axe's blade slowly neared her throat, making her gulp and do one last effort to keep the bandit away before clenching her eyes shut.

Suddenly, her arms moved freely and the bandit yelped, making her widen her eyes open to see a barrier protecting her. Staggering for a second, she managed to roll out of the way just in time to avoid the second bandit that approached, using her dynamism to quickly hop on a treetop while avoiding another bolt.

"What..?" Ruby muttered to herself.

With ears perked up, she looked around quickly trying to spot what or who did that, but soon the bandits would give her the answer.

"Another one, over there!" The bandit warned, reloading his crossbow, while the axe bandit hissed, trampling his way toward the newcomer.

Ruby looked at the blue-haired man in surprise, jumping down of the tree to land on her feet before darting off and using her primal aura to warn him that she was going to help.

@Erick Styker

 

[Erick Stryker]

A strange and foreign sensation, almost like one of his own instincts and yet distinctly not ripped through his body. Somehow, he had the sense that he was not alone, like someone had his back and they would help to protect him. It was the sort of feeling one might have when in a fight when they had their friends with them- but Erick was decidedly alone.

Or that was the impression he had.

He had no time to process the sensation. Another of his senses took preeminence as his Chronomantic Aura riveted his attention to the axeman hurtling toward him. "Robbed me o' m'kill, will ye, yew little git?" the larger man jeered Erick as he hefted the axe overhead and sought to bring it sundering down toward the small, seemingly helpless man.

With his hand outstretched, Erick murmured several archaic words and the blade began to flicker like the heat over cement on a sweltering day. It ground slowly through the air as he adjusted the timeline around it, slowing it to a snail's pace, enough that he could easily step aside and out of the way, thrust his foot out in front of the bandit's leg, and relinquish his fragile hold on the man's speed.

When he did, the timeline bounced back to normal, and the bandit went tumbling gracelessly over his outstretched foot as the crossbowman gawked at what he witnessed. Had the boy accelerated, or had his bumbling bandit buddy just slowed to a crawl before his eyes? Erick lacked the power to alter a great deal of space at once, and so, the bandit at range recognized him as the greatest immediate threat.

His friend still reeling from the faceplant, the crossbowman finished nocking a bolt and took aim...

I hope I'm not wrong about this...

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

When the trigger of the crossbow was pressed, the bolt flew piercing air and leaves toward the man that had just saved Ruby. With her speed, she rushed quickly enough to become just a blurr, outrunning the bolt just in time to swing her Jian and hit it with the blade, deflecting the bolt.

She casted a glance at the fallen bandit, then at the man with a surprised expression.

The second big bandit approached in a charge, but this time it was a one on one situation, allowing the cat to advance as well, swinging her blade to slash his sides while dodging the giant club he wielded, trying to buy time for the man to prepare any sort of magic he seemed to have.

With another dodge, Ruby twirled with her blade, making the bells of her clothes ring while she danced in the fight.

Meanwhile, the bandit with the crossbow hissed curses, hurriedly preparing another bolt to aim once again.

@Erick Styker

 

[Erick Stryker]

He wasted no time when the crossbow bolt was summarily denied. The continued presence of the other Player on the battlefield gave him closure about the sudden, strange sense of camaraderie and he put it out of his mind. Immediately, he began to weave another spell, his hands dipping into the Aether and dredging it out, plying it into form.

The invisible shackles he molded around the club wielding brute constricted him suddenly and forcefully. When he tried to move his weapon, he found himself nigh frozen, unable to move. That was the sensation, at least. His joints locked up, tense, the gravitational force applied to specific zones of his body amplified to the point where it felt like they might crush him at the slightest twitch.

As a result, her efforts to strike the man bore far greater fruit than she probably intended, with blood gushing from the newly open gash on his ribcage. Only after she was safely out of reach did he drop the spell, turning his attention to the crossbowman, and he began to dip deeper into the world's magic to conjure another spell.

The wounded bandit staggered from the sudden release of his body, as he had gone from normal gravity to three times that and back in a matter of seconds. Pain from the one did not immediately register, but when he tried to take a step, he felt the warm sensation of blood down his side, and cried out in surprise and terror. "Ah hells, the little bitch got me!" he called out in frustration. "Kill her lads! Kill him too! Let's skin 'em both and eat their gizzards for supper!"

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Whoever that guy was, he played really well and knew what he was doing.

She shuddered at the thought of being skinned, not taking the threat lightly and glaring at the bandit with killing intent. Her eyes quickly sideglanced the blue-haired man, with her aura showing him the urge of finishing the bandit off while he dealt with the crossbowman.

Darting off, she pulled her Jian back, with its tip brushing on the grass as she charged in and kept it back. As she trotted, her bells rang with every swift movement. The bandit braced himself, raising his club to attack the cat woman with perfect timing-

However, it was all bait.

As fast as her charging was, that was just her passive speed, and upon having her dynamism activated, she blasted off even faster. Added to the fact she kept the reach of her Jian concealed, as soon as she thrust the blade forward, completely disrupting the timing the bandit was expecting.

The blade pierced his flesh and sank into him, and Ruby jumped acrobatically above his body while her blade was still inside of the man, opening a wide and fatal wound across his body.

It took him a moment to realize he was a goner, with his body collapsing as he tried to turn to see where Ruby had gone to.

@Erick Styker

 

[Erick Stryker]

Alone, his magic had its limitations. It was a defensive skillset that lent toward keeping others alive or bolstering their abilities. His entire build centered around keeping others alive and helping to maximize their potential, at the sacrifice of his own ability to deal extreme damage. He thought about that while in character creation. The simple path was to take a sword and learn how to cut things, but that was reckless even before he knew about the way death worked in Terrasphere. It took less self-reflection, and while it left room for growth, it would not make him friends.

He was tired of living like a loner. So, when he saw the cat woman exploiting every opening he made, combining their efforts and seeing the best possible results, it felt rewarding.

Lest he have time to celebrate though, the sudden and primal urge to put the bandit to death washed over him like a tidal wave, and Erick staggered. That was not his thought, and certainly not one of his feelings. He glanced to the girl who danced across the battlefield with grace and wondered.

Is this some kind of non-verbal communication?

What a strange phenomenon. If she was capable of something like that, could he do the same thing? He had no time to wonder about that, however. Another bolt came sailing through air, and his arm shot up in response. Within meters of striking the Beastwoman, the projectile careened off course and slammed into the ground loudly. The bandit with the crossbow cursed loudly and made to nock another bolt. "I won't miss the next one, I'll put my life on that-"

The crossbow slammed to the ground suddenly, weighted down with immense force. The bandit struggled with it in a panic, cursing and shouting for help as he managed to lift it only a small fraction of an inch. There was more than enough time to close the distance between them, should the feline woman decide to do so.

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Ruby rose from her crouch post-maneuver, raising her posture, looking at the crossbowman being restrained by something she couldn't quite understand but assumed to be from the man she was fighting along.

She swayed her tail, darting off as fast as she could while the bandit tried to move.

As she finally neared him, she wasted no time to sink the blade in his back, making him groan and curse something under his breath before she twisted the blade to finish the job. Her ears perked up, with her senses wary for any danger that was no longer there, looking around to spot all of the others incapacitated or gone as well.

Panting, Ruby looked back at the dead bandit, taking one, two steps backwards before landing on her butt and then laying on her back, trying to recompose herself.

With her body relaxing, the stingin sensation of her wounds started becoming more clear, both from her arm cut by the bolt, the bruises from the club hit and the thin cut the tip of the axe made on her neck. "I-I really... need to use... low pain meter again..." She muttered to no one in particular.

@Erick Styker

 

[Erick Stryker]

"Why on earth would you toggle it off?" he asked unceremoniously as he approached the woman who acted as an ally during the fight. She was the one doing most of the work, and when he saw the damage she had taken, he almost felt bad. "If you have the choice between feeling pain and not feeling it, I mean..."

He caught himself in the middle of chastising a person he did not know, and Erick shook his head. "Sorry, that was inconsiderate of me. Here, you're hurt- I can help with that." On command, he raised a hand and ornate sigils in some archaic font imprinted themselves in the air around his hand. His fingers fit into the runes perfectly, like fingers through holes in a glove, and he twisted the aetheric tendrils as he wove them intricately toward and around the wounds that were immediately visible.

"Sorry I can't erase the pain, but I haven't really got the ability to completely erase events or anything. I can rewind the surface damage and make it so that you stop bleeding and don't get any infections, though," he explained as the soft, glowing warmth nestled itself around the woman's flesh. His eyes moved up to find hers, and when they made eye contact, he smiled. "As long as you're okay with me healing you, I mean. With your permission...?"

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Ruby's ears twitched at his question, but her eyes remained shut for now. She needed to breath, so she didn't answer it right away, waiting for the man to complete his words before she finally managed a tired reply. "Wh-When it is toggled on, it makes your body stagger much more at damage- For a mobility player like me, it isn't ideal." She sighed, listening to his apology, one going after another, feeling some warmth around her wounds that made her flinch for a moment, and finally open her eyes as she tried to sit.

She looked back at his eyes, blinking confused but then smiled. "You saved me, you should stop apologizing," Ruby said. "Thanks for that, I was certainly going to lose a life there." One of her ears dropped as she rubbed her neck, feeling the cut itch for a moment.

Next time, she had to be more careful.

"If you could heal me, I would be even more grateful," Ruby added with a nod, watching him doing his work.

"Your magic is really good, by the way... Who are you? My name is Crimson Ruby."

@Erick Styker

 

[Erick Stryker]

"I see," he murmured, reflecting on her words. As he had no skill or experience in close combat, she had given him valuable insight. Damage was a reality for him as well, but the staggering could mean the difference between life or death for someone in close proximity to danger. That got his mind firing on all cylinders. With the right application of my magic...

Focus up, she needs healing.

"Yeah, I saw you were in some danger. I'm glad I happened by when I did!" he offered her a more sheepish smile, because his reflex when someone told him to stop apologizing, was to apologize. Instead, he bit his tongue and began to move his fingers in a precise pattern.

The latent energies that waited above her wounds for permission seeped into flesh like a painless needle, weaving the tapestry of time in reverse. What had been a small cut and bruises were replaced with previously unharmed flesh, moments before the impact of any weapon. Unfortunately, the nerves beneath were a different matter. Her body retained the memory of pain, a deeper and much more difficult injury to heal. His Chronomancy was far from strong enough for such a feat.

"Huh?" Erick had not been praised for his magic like this before, so he was caught off guard. "Oh, uh, it's nothing too special. Most people specialize in dealing damage, I just settled on a support role." As he finished putting the finishing touches on the wounds so that even the woman herself wouldn't know the difference at a glance, he beamed.

"It's an honor to meet you, Crimson Ruby," he said courteously, "my name's Erick, and I specialize in Spacetime magicks."

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Ruby smiled at the kind words. "If you are glad, I am even more. That would have been a hassle." She rubbed her neck and chuckled quietly. "I never died in this game, and I think this is my first close call. It feels... more realistic than it should." She admitted, still feeling that her heart could explode at any moment, considering how fast it was still beating after all the adrenaline.

She watched the magic sewing her wounds with an impressed expression, the man was really good at it. Ruby still had to see all kinds of magic this world had to offer.

"That's nice. And it was really helpful, you could stop even that giant guy without laying a finger on him... I am a bit of both, honestly. I can heal and do funny things too, but I can also stab. I just can't take much damage." Which was why she tried to avoid must of it.

Her eyes then set on his again, smiling warmly. "It is nice to meet you too, Erick. I specialize in harmonic magic and sword arts. You could say I am a blade dancer." She said, tapping her sheath.

@Erick Styker

 

[Erick Stryker]

I can't even imagine coming that close to death...

His face betrayed nothing of the sudden, dark thought her words brought. The fear, the anxiety... things she must have been feeling from the beginning of their conversation, and yet, she kept them well under control. Erick found that kind of self-control commendable. "Well, if this is the first time you've dealt with it, you're doing a great job," he praised her, "but let me know if you want to talk about it or anything, okay? I bet there's a lot on your mind, and I know how much it sucks to hold stuff in and try to bear it all by yourself."

The youth blushed a bit, embarrassed by how forward his offer came. "N-not that I'm saying you need my help or anything, by any means," he stammered.

He found himself blushing a bit harder when she praised his magic, and the way that he was able to control the movements of the large, brutish bandit. Oh gosh, he just did all of that in front of someone. Up to this point, he had only shown his most basic skills to other players. This woman now had seen things he had been working on and perfecting in secret.

Erick never expected anyone to think highly of any of it.

"A Blade Dancer?" he repeated suddenly as she spoke those words. Oh, that explained it- "That was why it looked like you were dancing across the battlefield," he spoke without thinking, "it was so beautiful to watch. I can't do anything that majestic."

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

His face made her feel a vague guilt, so she cleared her throat- "A great job at what? Nearly dying?" Ruby giggled, knowing it wasn't what he meant, but wanting to ease the mood. Feeling a bit more comfortable now that most of her HP was recovered. The pain still lingered, but there was nothing she or he could do about it, she could only hope it wouldn't be too sore by the next day.

"There is nothing wrong with a little help every once in a while." Ruby swayed her tail. After all, she was only there because she was helped. Otherwise she would have been respawning in a temple and being one step closer to true death, if the rumors were true.

"I appreciate the offer." Ruby added.

She wanted to enjoy the game much more before having to never log in again because of the risks.

At the compliments on her dance, Ruby's cheeks grew rosy. Not as much intense as Erick's, but enough to make her warm. "I am glad you liked it. Dance is my specialty after all." She said, trying to stand and struggling slightly while doing so.

"But about that help offer. I do have something else in mind."

@Erick Styker

 

[Erick Stryker]

He laughed too, strangely. There was something liberating about the way that a person could laugh in spite of their own mortality, something that peacefully, quietly disconnected them from the morbid reality for that brief moment. Erick was thankful for it. "Yeah, I agree," he said, recognizing the hypocrisy in his own words. What had he done when his parents extended their hands and offered him help? What had he said to them then?

"I appreciate the offer." Yeah. Something like that, exactly.

"Oh, hey, here," he offered a hand as he stood upright to make sure she could find her balance and stand on her own. In the moment, he almost forgot about the battle, or that he had rushed over to heal her wounds. He almost felt silly.

And then, she said something else, curiously. "Yeah, sure," Erick blinked several times. He was so unused to people actually hearing an offer for help and then wanting help. Was he jaded by stoicism? "What can I help you with? If its something I can do, I will definitely do my best."

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Ruby took Erick's hand and got on her feet, stretching herself when she managed to recover her balance. "Thank you." She said with a grateful and genuine smile before averting her eyes to her bloodied blade, shaking it a making it shimmer with an illusory magic that cleaned it up instantly.

Tucking it back into her sheath, Ruby glanced at Erick when he asked what he could help with. She suppressed a giggle seeing his face. Was he not expecting her to ask for help? She hoped he wasn't regretting it.

"I wasn't fighting these bandits for no reason. I actually just wanted to snatch something away from them, but I got caught in action." Ruby said, gesturing for him to follow if he wanted as she approached the camp.

"From what I was investigating. These guys should have a map with hot spots from Vintergard. That place that was destroyed-" She explained.

"Finding this map and getting some expedition going for these places would be ideal for someone like me." Ruby turned to Erick, tapping on the Explore's League orange whistle that was on her chest, hanging like a necklace.

@Erick Styker

 

[Erick Stryker]

"Stealing from thieves, huh?" he pondered aloud. "That just sounds like trying to get something back where it belongs to me. Seems legit."

He watched as she approached the camp, eyes sharp and on the lookout for any previously unseen enemies. If there were any, he had neither sensed them or foreseen any imminent danger. When she lifted the whistle for him to inspect, the young man blinked. "A whistle?" he asked. "Is that for some kind of sport? Something to do with your dancing?"

Erick was still largely new to the world, and anything subtle- or perhaps even explicitly important- went way, way over his head. Based on what she was telling him, it involved an expedition. He didn't know what Vintergard, other than "that place that was destroyed," but his immediately leap of logic-

"Some kind of place where they made epic musical instruments?" he almost sounded exciting. "Like a city of mythical beings who fight with song and dance?" The string of thoughts seemed almost ridiculous, and he realized-

"Or... maybe I should just let you explain."

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

"Sounds fair, right?" Ruby swayed her tail, knowing that Erick would understand what she meant, getting to the camp and started to shuffle everything she could, investigating thoroughly to make sure she could find the treasure map she needed.

Usually she would be entirely wary about her surroundings, but having someone with her made her more relaxed and more focused on her investigation, tossing aside journals and personal goods from the deceased bandits. "Sport? No." She chuckled quietly, turning at him and holding the whistle out to him. "This whistle is pretty much the symbol that shows you are part of the Explorer's League. Its color shows your rank, and I am an orange whistle, that is the second rank." She said.

"Someday I wish to become a white whistle, but that is very far from happening." Ruby shrugged, twitching her ears when finally finding the map, grabbing it and beaming. "Here it is!" She perked up, getting closer to Erick to show it.

"Vintergard isn't a place for epic music instrumental. It is the old capital of Astorea! Though it seems like a giant ship fell on it, destroying everything. I've heard there are magi tech monsters in there, but there are also these bandits, that probably gathered a lot of lost artifacts and documents from the capital." Ruby explained, tapping on the locations that were marked in the map, and being quite talkative now that she was talking about something that interested her.

@Erick Styker

 

[Erick Stryker]

When she held the whistle out for him to look at, Erick stopped and admired it. It seemed a strange thing, to place such importance on an object; but for it to be a designation of rank made some sense. He hadn't met anyone else from any organization, so it immediately made him want to know more. He would have to ask-

"White whistle?" he tilted his head. Given context clues, he assumed that it was a higher rank. He would let her speak on that more if she felt so inclined.

Astorea... That made sense. He had been traveling to the new capital before he stopped to help. If there were an old capital, and there was a catastrophic event, then... "Oh man," he murmured, "that sounds so tragic. I'd like to help out any way I can," he told the woman. "I like the idea of exploring and finding things and adventure, even if there is a little bit of risk involved."

Erick leaned over the side of the map and took a look for himself. It was massive, and the way things were laid out was so foreign that he found himself following her finger without really understanding much of what she was talking about. He glanced sidelong at her and smiled.

"Sounds like you're pretty excited, huh?"

@Crimson Ruby