Respiro gathered three things from Torino's message, and two of those were emojis. The third was something about
ingredients. The word was the same in Catalan and only a letter away in Spanish, so he was reasonably sure it matched up.
There was a clear conclusion to make: ingredients for making swords and shields! Like a cooking recipe, only for amazing in-game items!
He was not a complete stranger to UNOVR's little-known Crafting System, though back when he was Rook he had preferred to buy his armaments directly from a seller in town. Places like that had become sparse as they progressed deeper into the Endless Winter, however, and so many players needed to arm themselves against roving gangs of bandits. Pokemon were stolen by The Chill day after day, making players more reliant on themselves.
This version of UNOVR was a less hostile experience, at least so far. Not a complaint about EU: frankly, Rook had been happy there. He'd enjoyed going hand-to-hand against bandits, fending off daggers and cutlasses. It was exciting, like a Far North campaign.
But all things come to an end. To an ultimatum. To a choice that is not always yours to make.
...
"!!" Respiro said as he Fast Traveled in, spawning in at the Precipice Shrine checkpoint of the Misty Timberlands. Torino must be nearby: he looked around for her, and was surprised to find himself looking at a very different scene than he remembered.
Pink flowers!
He also remembered something from before: one could mine special
iron from the walls of the Precipice Shrine. Just a bit down, perhaps twenty feet or so. The trick was not falling all the way to the bottom, or accidentally activating the Dream World portal.
Before he met up with Torino, Respiro decided to try and collect some iron ore. He sent out the Snivy he'd caught with Torino before. Picking a couple long flower stalks, Respiro demonstrated wrapping them around something (he indicated himself) and lowering them down the pit.
"How far?" Snivy asked, peering over the edge. It rippled like a soap bubble, warning of the portal.
Respiro could not answer. Instead, he became increasingly impatient. Snivy sighed and obeyed, using Vine Whip to gently wrap around the masked player's midsection, securing under his armpits.
Then he lowered him down.
He tried not to wiggle, but it was surprisingly uncomfortable. And cold.
Terribly cold. He felt the hairs rising on the back of his neck, reminded again of The Chill.
No, no es posible. No puede ser aquí.Yellow eyes flashed like a cat's in the dark as he was lowered down, down, darker. He could see, nightvision adjusting to the blackness of the pit. The iron ore looked dull grey, its metallic luster hidden by the lack of surface light.
PIT-CHILLED IRON x4 read the tooltip, and Respiro wiggled in Snivy's vines, trying to guide himself closer to the edge.
His knuckles brushed the side of the pit. That was enough.
Aura built up around his hands as he struck the wall like the fan-strum of a guitar, dislodging the freezing ore. He barely caught it before it fell, hugging it to his chest with his heart beating fast, then tugged on the vine to be brought back up.
When he was back in the light, Respiro put Snivy on his shoulder and set off to find Torino, already lugging the chunk of Pit Iron. How pleased she'd be!
{INGREDIENTS COLLECTED (1/4)}Pit-chilled Iron - This iron has been down into the Precipice Shrine and lived to tell the tale. It exudes a melancholy chill.
