Kimono draws the casting ring away as she runs from it, and it relentlessly pursues. However, by this time, Kusardo has reached the casting goblin. An upheaval of stones from the ground effectively portrays the power behind the attack, and that goblin is no more. The final goblin, in between the two attackers, begins another casting ring at Kimono, however, by the time it starts, Kiku has used her own skill trigger, and a much faster magic circle catches it.

"Rue Krutz!" Kiku calls, impaling the goblin wizard with a volley of icicles. The words 'Elemental Critical' appear in blue as they hit, and the goblin instantly dies.

Current Morale Gauge: 14%

Golden numbers indicating the group's EXP gains flash over their respective characters. Kiku gains 120 EXP, Kimono gains 210 EXP, and Kusardo gains 240 EXP. (I forgot to mention this in the previous area, but you also get GP as well, which is twice the amount of EXP you gained)

With another two Repths from Kiku, the party is ready to move onwards at full health.

"Oh! Mushrooms!" Kiku calls, running over and kicking up one of the mushrooms in the room.

[Kiku has obtained Smoke Screen]

"Well, this'll be handy if we need to run from a monster or PK." Kiku murmurs over Party Chat.

There is one other mushroom in the room, as well as a treasure chest. You have come from the west, and you can go either north or south through the tunnels. Also, on one of the walls in this room, is a small track that goes into and out of the wall, and after a moment a trolley with three purple, round things with four legs, wide eyes, and a symbol on their front that have a blue sphere balanced on their head whiz by. There is a switch next to the track, and when you stand next to it, you are given the option to press it.

Kiku stands next to the track expertly, waiting, timing, then she presses the switch as the Chim-Chims pass by. A billow of steam lifts them off the trolley and into the room, where Kiku then runs after and snatches the spheres off of their heads. Once she does that, the Chim-Chim she takes the sphere from vanishes.

[Kiku has obtained 3 Chim Spheres]

She giggles, "It's fun to play tag with Chim-Chims too."

((Chim-Chim overview: http://dothack.wikia.com/wiki/Chim_Chim))

"I suppose if it's necessary," said Kusardo flatly.

While Kiku made her way to the trolly, Kusardo walked to the treasure chest and opened it with a swift kick.

He noticed, after raiding the chest, the weird looking creatures emerging from the trolly with the translucent orbs on their head. Kiku chased one of them and stole the orb off their head, causing them to disappear in a puff of smoke.

"Um... what are you doing?"

As Kursado moves for the treasure chest, Kimono shouts a warning. "Beware of traps!"

~

"Too late" she mutters, as he kicks the chest...

(Be back next week)

Kusardo kicks open the chest, the hands of his player suddenly tensed with anticipation from Kimono's warning, but the chest simply opens without any foul play.

[Kusardo has obtained 1 Simple Bracelet!]

"Um... what are you doing?"
The question is asked by Kusardo hesitantly, and Kiku replies even as she snatches the other two Chim Spheres.

"Gathering Chim Spheres." Kiku says simply, "Just in case we need them later on... in dungeons such as these, you usually do."

He had acted recklessly. Fortunately nothing happened, but it would be a waste to suffer death from a simple trap and lose precious experience points and loot. Kusardo the Edge Punisher knew better; he had played this game and many others before this one, and one of the most important things he learned was that it never pays to be careless. It may have been three years since he played The World back when it was Revision 2, but he was more than a green-horned novice.

Shaking off his guilty carelessness, Kusardo attempts to observe the statistics of the item before equipping it. "Thanks..." he said to Kimono, "I was careless. I won't let it happen again." While this might seem like he's asking for forgiveness, he wouldn't ask it of anyone but his own ego. In any case, the tone was too gruff and serious to be apologetic.

He turned to Kiku's responses, still somewhat stumped. "...What do you do with them?"

"Oh, you can use them for many things... usually regarding machinery in The World. In dungeons such as these, they're usually used to open doors that are closed. However, particularly in Carmina Gadelica, they're used for other things. I don't know much myself; I haven't gone to Carmina Gadelica in quite a while." Kiku replies, "I think I'll go with Twin Lightning at some point though."

Seeing another trolley with a trio of chim chims, Kiku flips the switch again, and grabs three more spheres.

OOC: Will you be controlling Kaelyn's character? Or are you gonna wait for him to come back?

"Hmph. I see." It seemed the idea of stealing a small creature's life essence for energy brought with it no guilt or sense of cruelty in The World. After all, this is a game; the very practice of battling to gain items, money, and experience is no different. Removing that would leave only social and exploratory gameplay, which in and of itself would sound perfectly permissible on paper; however, if that were the case, then Kusardo and the like would likely play the game less, if at all.

Now... where to?
Kusardo stood between the passages running north and south, wondering which path would be best to follow. He looked down each for anything out of the ordinary.

As Kusardo glances up and down, seeing which path may be more profitable to follow, Kiku once again knocks off three more chim-chims for her to snatch. She takes the spheres from the first two, but actually catches the third one, holding it in her arms as its feet run uselessly on the air below it. The paths seem identical to Kusardo, but perhaps that's because his vision doesn't go too far along the paths before it fades and is incomprehensible.

"Aww, I was wondering if this command worked. A chim-chim would make a good pet." Kiku says, holding her new 'pet'.

In the return back to the center of the room to determine where to go, Kiku finally takes the chim sphere from her chim chim, and it disappears in a puff of smoke.

Kimono in the meantime, kicked the remaining mushroom in the room, and acquired a Healing Drink. However, as the trio reaches the center of the room, it is heard.

Faint, yet strong enough and peculiar enough to stand out of the background music and sound effects, a note is heard. It is almost like a bell tone, with one single strong beat, before fading away into nothing.

"A." Kiku says automatically, "C major, I think."

Kiku suddenly freezes to the spot as her player puts down her controller for a second, and a flute is heard, playing a single note.

"Yep, I was right." Kiku says, her character reanimating as the player returns, "A in C major."

OOC: Well, I could... I think I will if truly needed, but after you post your reaction, I think it'd be easy enough to just wait for Kaelyn to return. I think he should be back soon

A in C Major? Well, if it meant anything, then I suppose Kusardo's lucky he paired up with someone who could tell the difference. All he cared about, though, was where the sound was coming from. He moved down the north passage a couple steps, and then to the southern passage, attempting to ascertain how much closer or farther the sound of the note is depending on where he goes.

Kimono kicks the remaining mushroom and is rewarded with a health drink, just before a chime is heard. A single short note, A in C Major Kiku called it, she would have to see her piano later, but for now, she couldn't be bothered.

"Strange graphics last time, odd tones this time, we've got to be on to something here Kiku. Kursado, let's get going!"

(Ack we're the KKK group lol, for some reason that just struck me as really funny / wrong at the same time)

"Umm, excuse me..."

Turning back towards the platform they came from originally, the group sees a female Twin Blade. She has long, pink hair, and red eyes that rather than seem threatening appears actually quite warm and gentle. She wears a pretty blue blouse, a flowery turquoise ankle-length skirt, and leather boots. The two blades she has have hilts that appear to be large flower stems, and the individual blades are like a string of flower petals while the guards are in the shape of leaves.

"Who are you?" Kiku asks.

"I'm Sara." the woman replies, "Umm... I don't suppose... well, you probably won't, but would you mind if I tried... umm..."

Her voice gets softer and softer as though she's afraid to finish, but she finally blurts, "Can I PK you?" her character actually blushing as she asks such an outrageous thing.

"Can I Pk you?"

Kimono couldn't contain herself at such a rediculous question and burst into laughter.

"Ser- seriously, did you just ask us if you could kill us? because I could have sworn *giggle* that's what you just asked."

Kimono whipped her scythe out from behind her and took a defensive tance.

"Because if you're serious, you're either the strongest most polite Pker I've ever met here or elsewhere, or you don't have a clue and if that's the case, you've got nothing but a world of pain ready to reward you for your efforts."

Sara quickly jumps back at Kimono's quick reflexive stance, actually dropping one of her flowery blades as she does so.

"I'm sorry! Don't hurt me!" Sara nearly screams, covering her eyes.

Kiku fares no better than Kimono, and laughs in spite of herself, "H-have you actually PK'd anyone before?" she asks.

Peeking between her fingers, and seeing the party not attacking her, Sara slumps to the ground. "No..." She says simply.

*snickerfit* "Listen Sara, a PK isn't something you ask for, it's not even something you should be thinking about at all, PK'ing just ruins the day of the person you're Pking, and setting back alot of hard work they've done just for you to get a quick thrill. I don't know how you found out about Pking, but juding by your approach you don't seem like some sadistic twirp out to compensate for their own misgivings by taking it out on some pixellated character graphic." Kimono approaches, scythe in one hand open palm in the other offering her a hand up.

"We don't much care for PK'ers if you hadn't figured that out, but since it seems like you're not one, we shouldn't have any problems, kapeesh?"

Sara nods, taking Kimono's hand with her own, still-shaking, one.

"I never understood it myself; my classmates just always said it was cool and fun. I... I can hardly even bring myself to approach other players if I even begin to think about PK'ing." Sara says, retrieving and sheathing her pretty blades.

"I can't even bring myself to try to enter the arena yet, even when my classmates say they'll help me."

Sara's character shivers, "I don't play this game to fight." She says, almost sounding like she's just confirming aloud what she already knows.