Private Quest Eastern Brisshal [Trinity Quest] Honeyhome!

[Ishtar]

She stared at the message in her inbox with a bit of incredulity. Who the heck was this person? From the phrasing and words they used she assumed they were some kind of player but if they were giving out quests would it rather be a GM? Was that a thing? Or was there some way for players to obtain the ability to hand out quests? Her lip twitched, now that was an ability worth coveting. She glanced down at the list of quests that were offered by this strange person before looking up from the small bench she had found herself sitting at. The sweet smelling air of Honeyhome caught her again and she couldn't help smiling as the soothing atmosphere washed over her.

This was a pretty nice place, it was a bit of a shame that the goblins in the area were such a nuisance. She looked over at the local npcs as they went about their daily lives. It all seemed so real and she couldn't shake the feeling that they were more aware than she wanted to admit. Case in point; the two men who were standing about ten feet away gawking at her figure. She restrained a sigh and kept herself from making eye contact less she attract a literal cliche. She had considered opening her inventory and drawing out the weapon that had dropped off that bandit leader a few days prior but found herself reluctant to do so. Something told her that the local guards wouldn't take kindly to her brandishing a weapon in such a peaceful place.

Instead, she returned her attention to the quest prompt and looked it over a second time before glancing at the party requirement. There was a minimum of two players in a party. She kept her face impassive even as she internally railed against a system that demanded group minimums. How was she supposed to gain strength in secret if she had to pal around with some random person? Regardless, if there was any sort of decent reward for getting involved in this, she wasn't unwilling to give it a go. She scrolled down to the accept button and found that it had been changed to 'Find Party Members?'. She tapped the button and another window appeared showing a swirling light. Soon the light vanished and words appeared; 'One person had been found in your immediate area who is also interested in this task, sending notification'.

What? She didn't even get to decide if she wanted to go forward? What if this was too dangerous for two people! No response came from the system and she could only infer that meant that her protestations were largely irrelevant. She shook her head and closed the window, patiently waiting for a response from the person the system decided would be her ally for the day.

@MAI

 

[MAI]

‎

‎
‎

Notice

Cooperation partner has been found for the selected quest - Honeyhome in Danger!

Starting navigation to cooperation partner, happy questing!

The notification was relatively brief, but it conveyed what it had to. MAI was actually surprised that it took this long for someone else to officially show interest in the quest. Honeyhome was a place where many newbies gathered, a defacto first stop for any newcomer. Yet, so few would answer the call to arms and show up to defend it when the need arose? Honestly, just because they grew in power didn't mean they should abandon these lower-level areas...

Never mind all of that, the Magia would look over her UI to notice a small compass-like navigation that appeared after the small window was closed. Such elements were normally absent to help with the immersion of the game. Nothing more immersive than getting lost in the woods and not knowing the way back out, after all. Right now, however, it was quite appreciated. With how little information was provided about this other person, it would be near impossible to find them in this place otherwise.

Skipping the crowded streets entirely, the mechanical girl used her masteries to free herself from the shackles of gravity, gentle wind pushing her up until she reached the many roofs that stretched into the distance, feet touching down and letting her gently float ahead with each step. The locals were plenty used to shenanigans from the Starcalled, so they would hardly question a stranger hopping between the roofs like that.

Soon enough, the little arrow of the compass spun in a circle, indicating that her goal was either above or below. Only white clouds and blue skies stretched up above, leaving but one direction to explore. Stopping her momentum mid-leap, MAI simply descended slowly onto the street and turned around. There she was, a single girl sitting atop a bench and looking somewhat... disgruntled? Tilting her head to the side slightly, there wasn't much else to do but try to approach.

"Greetings - Has this individual requested aid with a local quest?"

@Attia Patal

 

[Ishtar]

She hesitated when she picked up on movement above her and glanced up, her eyes going wide as a figure drifted through the air in her general direction before dropping to the ground like a feather let loose. The small form alighted on the ground delicately and Attia had to admit it was pretty impressive. She still hadn't reached a point where her wings were of any use to her. She'd tried flying herself a few times but had felt like she needed a little more strength to do so. Quashing her jealosy down furiously she kept her expression impassive and perhaps even a little serene. She had an appearance to maintain after all.

The person that approached was smaller than her and had an unusual bearing. Was she a magia? She'd heard of them and had seen the option upon character creation but she hadn't picked the race after a great deal of thought. Magia were machines of a sort but were very much alive just like herself. More interesting, the very presence this person gave off was far more significant than any of the other players that had passed by during her day lounging here on the bench. A high-level player, perhaps? Why was she here? Had she come back to complete lower-level quests or was there something else on her mind?

Perhaps the reward was just that good from completing all three of these so-called 'trinity quests'.

Attia dismissed the thoughts when the girl spoke up, her stiff greeting adding another layer to the image of what a magia was in her eyes. Attia inclined her head serenely and smiled, "Yes, Thank you for coming," She said and meant it. With a strong player nearby she didn't have any worried about how this would play out. She held out a dainty hand in greeting, "I am Attia," she said, "I prefer not to use my UI and greet people normally, can I ask you your name?"

@MAI

 

[MAI]

‎

‎
‎

A somewhat feathery visage was quick to betray the sitting woman as a beastfolk. A popular choice among the players, although one of an avian nature was less common than those who sported fur upon their ears and tails. Certainly, the woman had quite the aura around herself that MAI could only describe as befitting a noble bird. It was always pleasant to meet up with a friendly individual and exchange pleasantries, even if the mechanical girl preferred a certain level of loneliness for herself.

"Response - It is a pleasure to meet you, Attia. You may address this unit as MAI. This unit also apologizes ahead of time for its manner of speech. It is... not on purpose."

It was always rather awkward to get this out of the way. But Attia wasn't running away after the first few words were spoken, so that was at least a good start. One could only hope that she wouldn't grow annoyed with MAI's robotic manner of speech over time. That aside, she could also understand wanting to be immersed in this game to the fullest. It must have been annoying to use the UI to initiate the quest and look for a party in the first place.

"Query - Is Attia a new Starcalled? Honeyhome is an area where most new players gather before setting out on a grander adventure."

@Attia Patal

 

[Ishtar]

Attia regarded the magia thoughtfully. She hadn't had a moment to really process what she was looking at, but after a moment a faint warmth rose to her cheeks. This little one was so... cute. Positively adorable. And her manner of speaking was... Attia quickly reigned herself in before she started breathing heavily, clearing her throat as the wings coming out of her shoulders rustled with a bit of nervousness she normally didn't show around others.

The girl spoke and Attia beamed at her, So Cute!

"Oh you don't have to apologize for a thing dear! Honestly I find it quite endearing," She tittered, waving a hand and cupping the side of her face like an embarassed older woman.

Attia paused when the girl posed her question and relaxed a little, keeping her smile even. It wasn't like she distrusted the girl for her curiosity but she had a rule about giving away information about herself to strangers. That said, she had to maintain at least some level of respect when teaming up with someone on a volunteer level. "I am relatively new, about a month in I'd say," She admitted, "I've spent much of my time in the forest getting used to things."

She got to her feet, "So, are you familiar at all with the quest's structure?"

@MAI

 

[MAI]

‎

‎
‎

A small tilt of the head to the side followed MAI's curiosity about this new player, and the way she acted toward the magia. Not many found her speech 'endearing'. It was usually more along the lines of... Oh god, no another roleplayer, anything but that. It was a nice change of pace to have someone who found it pleasant instead.

"Statement - This unit appreciates the sentiment. Thank you."

With Attia standing up, MAI took a tiny step back to allow the other girl more personal space, although she eyed the bird woman some more. There was something almost mesmerizing about the coloration of her clothes and... well, the avatar in general. She had good taste.

"Answer - This unit is somewhat familiar. Quests such as these that can be tracked via the UI generally do not exist in this world. Tasks given by Trinity are the unique exception. A system exclusively for us Starcalled, you could say."

Her eyes shifted over to the treetops that were visible even with all the houses in the way. The forest that stretched into what almost looked like infinity was the place where new players would be spawned in. But now some of the more dangerous monsters from within were harassing the town and the two girls would help deal with that.

"Opinion - That time will come in handy during this mission, this unit is certain of that."

@Attia Patal

 

[Ishtar]

Attia nodded, she had noticed that most of the tasks given to her by landers hadn't appeared in any form of quest journal. She wondered why the person called Trinity was able to do such things. Was it a player controlled by someone who governed the game world? Curious. She dismissed the thoughts and proceeded to follow MAI's gaze.

"Then we should get going, the sooner we do this the sooner we can take advantage of the rewards, yes?" She said, not bothering to hide her ultimate goal; "Though more important to me is the reputation increases with the townsfolk. That's why I took this quest."

She shrugged and drifted off to the side, turning her focus on the forest. After a moments thought she glanced back at MAI.

"I provide buffs, mostly, I can do it to myself but it seems that the natural strengths of the individual I aid influence the strength of the buff. 1.2x times 5 is still 6. So it only provides me with a marginal buff. I imagine it would be much more beneficial to someone like yourself." She wasn't sure exactly how strong MAI was, but saying something like that was a good way to test the waters.

@MAI

 

[MAI]

‎

‎
‎

Simply nodding along with Attia's explanation of her reward-oriented motives, the magia was ready to follow whenever. She didn't exactly care that her partner wanted what was offered for the quest above all. After all, they were playing a game. Rewards were often the reason why people continued to play. And having a better reputation in places helped as well, especially if one intended to return frequently, even if this area was generally meant for newer players.

Following behind, MAI took airy and light steps, almost as if her whole body was completely weightless, each step carrying her through the air at least a few meters before her feet would touch the ground again. Although she stopped as soon as her avian friend did. It seemed that two supports got together for a quest... well, not that much of an issue in this case.

"Understood - If Attia assumes a supportive role, then this unit will engage combat-ready offensive-oriented protocols. This unit will make sure that Attia remains unharmed."

Saying that, a few small drones flew from behind the girl, circling her a few times before becoming stationary slightly farther than her back. While MAI on the whole focused largely on helping others and honing her defensive abilities, that didn't mean she was completely hopeless when it came down to dishing out punishment.

@Attia Patal

 

[Ishtar]

Attia offered a serene nod and strode through the street past a few more villagers, greeting them politely as they inched closer towards the quest zone. According to the marker the target location was a little ways into the forested area and they would have to defend the town from a close range. That seemed a bit... much, but she would have to adapt she supposed. Leaving a quest area was a good way for it to simply fail automatically to prevent gaming the system.

Her lip twitched, so much for thinking outside the box and meeting them when they were further away. She supposed there were other ways to take advantage of the terrain but she would have to come up with something once they got there.

She glanced down at MAI who was explaining what their roles would be and Attia nodded, that would work fine for her. "Agreed, I'll leave it to you. I have my bardiche if I need to defend myself more directly but I would prefer to defer to someone a bit more experienced in combat during a quest."

She eyed the drones, fascinating. She kept forgetting that Magitech was a thing in this world, even when face to face with MAI who looked remarkably human-like. It was a strange and very appealing combination if he had to give any opinion.

Soon they had stepped into the forest and drawn closer to the quest zone, monsters would start charging in any second now.

@MAI

 

[MAI]

‎

‎
‎

A bardiche? Now that was a bit unexpected. Not for any other reason than MAI feeling like such a weapon just didn't fit the serene and elegant aura Attia was putting forth. Perhaps the magia was falling into her bad habit of judging people and trying to sort them into pre-existing stereotypes again? Better avoid doing that as much as possible.

"Reassurance - This unit will make sure that no significant harm will come to Attia. Furthermore, any content where such a thing is a possibility will also likely be undertaken together with others, so learning teamwork is a good start for anything to do with this world."

Reinforcing that early on for players seemed like a pretty good idea. Working together was a decent way of preventing needless deaths. Even though this was the case with many games, here, no one single individual could be a hero capable of accomplishing everything. That said, she also noticed the way the other girl glanced at her drones.

"Query - Does Attia think that magitech breaks the game's immersion? This unit is aware of just how different it often is to anything else in this medieval fantasy-inspired setting."

Attia's own feelings aside, MAI was asking out of curiosity for herself as well.

@Ishtar