Conner/Stories
Seasoned adventurer Conner catches a pickpocket, and gives the pilfered wallet back to its rightful owner—Alk. They talk about adventuring, and Conner agrees to take Alk for a practice session in the Kaleidoscope.
Alk: Man, it sure is crowded!
Alk: Where'd I put my grocery list... Let's see, food, potions, what else...
Alk: Whoa?!
Merchant: Whoops, sorry 'bout that, kiddo! You all right?
Alk: Yup, I'm okay! I shouldn't have been spacing out in the middle of the street.
Merchant: I wasn't looking where I was going either. I'm in a hurry, so I'll have to dash, but glad you're okay!
Gruff Spearman: Oh, you were looking, all right.
Gruff Spearman: But unluckily for you, so was I.
Gruff Spearman: Cough up what you stole, pickpocket.
Alk: Huh?! That's my wallet!
Merchant: Tch.
Gruff Spearman: If he's got the guts to pull a stunt like that in broad daylight, he should go earn himself an honest living in the Kaleidoscope.
Gruff Spearman: Well... Doubt he'd last long, even in the shallows.
Alk: Um, thank you for the help!
Conner: No worries. Name's Conner. I work as an adventurer 'round these parts.
Alk: I'm Alk. I'm also an adventurer... Kind of.
Alk: It's a bit embarrassing to call myself an adventurer after what just happened...
Conner: Yeah, well, you know the saying. "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." Experience counts. Now you know better.
Conner: With the Guild's greedy thugs running things, it's hardly surprising the city's a rough place.
Conner: But hey, kinda suits a lowlife like me.
Alk: Lowlife? You don't look like a bad person to me, though.
Conner: Looks can be surprising. You might not wanna go trusting every guy who does you a tiny favor.
Alk: I dunno, I've met a lot of odd people, so I'd say I'm a pretty good judge of character by now!
Conner: You're an odd one, yourself. I'd best get going, though. Seeya, kid.
Alk: Wait! Um, could I maybe take you out to lunch? I'd like to repay you for the help!
Conner: Whew. Never been on a date with a guy, but there's a first time for everything, I guess.
Alk: Wow, you're a treasure hunter?
Conner: I guess you could call me that. Honestly, I'm just a run-of-the-mill adventurer.
Conner: I take on Guild quests and hope I find the odd treasure or two along the way. Nothin' special.
Conner: Sometimes I join parties, sometimes I just do my own thing.
Alk: You can take on the Kaleidoscope by yourself? That's so cool!
Conner: ...What, you want me to take you in with me? I can see it written all over your face.
Alk: You can? You're really observant! Catching pickpockets, reading people's expressions—no wonder you make a great adventurer!
Conner: I dunno about the "great" part, kid.
Conner: Besides, you've already got your own party to adventure with, haven't you?
Alk: I mean, I guess I do, but...
Alk: I want to get stronger—strong enough that people are relying on ME, instead of me always relying on them.
Alk: Remember what you told me earlier? About how experience counts?
Alk: If I want to learn how to rely on my own strength, I need experience adventuring without my party, right?
Conner: Sigh— All right, but just the shallows. Meet me back here with your weapon of choice and at least three days' rations.
Alk: Really? You'll go with me?
Conner: Lesson number one: never a bad idea to build your network.
Alk: Thank you so much, Conner! I was right, you really ARE a good guy!
Conner and Alk fight off monsters in the Kaleidoscope. As a spearman through and through, Conner tends to keep people at a distance—but Alk manages to slip past his guard.
Alk: Good morning, Conner!
Conner: Looks like you're all set. See you've got a sword, huh? A bold choice, for a brave guy.
Alk: Bold? Brave?
Conner: Nah, it's nothing. Anyways, let's get a move on. We're not gonna find any treasure while chatting up here!
Alk: Okay!
Conner: Yah!
Conner: How you doing on your end, Alk?
Alk: Fine! I managed to take it down!
Conner: Not bad, kid. I thought I'd be babysitting, but you're actually a pretty good fighter.
Alk: Heh, really? I guess I—
Conner: Still too early to get ahead of yourself, though.
Alk: So-sorry, I'll be more careful...
Alk: Spears sure are handy, huh?
Conner: What? First time seeing one in action?
Alk: No, it just got me thinking, is all.
Conner: Well, it was about time we took a break.
Conner: Let's hear it.
Conner: You've got something on your mind, right? Spill, or it'll bug me what's bugging you.
Alk: Oh, um... Don't laugh, but...
Alk: I kinda thought spears might be a good option.
Conner: Huh? What do you mean?
Alk: I guess it'd be cool to learn how to use a spear. I wish I could do lunges like you.
Alk: I never put any thought into my choice of weapon. I've always used a sword because, well, that's what I've always used.
Conner: Nah, I'm gonna stop you there. If you're a swordsman, stick to swords.
Conner: I think what you've got suits you.
Alk: It does?
Conner: Yeah. See, spears have a long reach, but they're not good for fighting up-close. You've gotta take opponents down from a distance.
Conner: Spears are for people—cowards—who pick off enemies before they get a chance to fight back.
Alk: Cowards?
Alk: But YOU'RE not a coward. A coward wouldn't have saved me from that pickpocket yesterday.
Alk: A coward wouldn't agree to train in the Kaleidoscope with only a kid for backup.
Alk: You wouldn't be here teaching me out of the goodness of your heart if—
Conner: Enough! Enough, already! I get it...
Conner: You know what, you're not the right kind of guy to take on the Kaleidoscope solo.
Alk: What?! No way! Why?
Conner: You aren't the kind of guy who'd need to. You're a real team player.
Conner: Introduce to me your party some time. If they can deal with a guy like me, I'd like to try running the dungeons with 'em.
Alk: I'm sure they'd love to have you! I know I would!
Conner: Heh, guess we've got a deal then.
Conner: I tend to keep people at a distance, but this kid... Man, he slipped right past my defenses.
Conner: Now THAT'S a skill to be reckoned with.