THE MOMENT
Tamara smiled. It was rare for her lately; but, it was almost impossible not to at the sight before her. Pure color poured out of the sky and collected into a large black cauldron-like pot. It was a sunny day and the air was cool. The heavens were blue until Tamara approached close enough that she saw nothing but a rainbow spectrum in the sky. And, a single figure by the pot. She approached the stranger and rainbow's end with caution and confidence.
"Hi," she spoke as she approached from behind. She did not want to startle the unknown person that shrunk as she grew closer. By the time she was in earshot, she realized it was a teenage girl. The stranger had neon green hair and wore a black robe with green detailing; Tamara recognized her as a necromancer. She turned at Tamara's greeting and smiled.
"Hi, I'm Outbreak," she waved. "You here for the leprechaun?" she gestured at the pot filled with rainbow light and nothing else."
"Terra," Tamara gave her codename. It was a somewhat new development for her; she used to give her real name, Tamara Flint, when introducing herself. But more and more lately she found herself less eager. Less proud of the name. "I'm here for my Flair," she nodded. "But, you got her first, you can go ahead," she nodded and even took a step back to communicate she was willing to wait her turn.
"I've already got mine," Outbreak nodded and held her hand out to show it off. White dust coalesced in her palm and produced a tea-saucer-sized six-leaf clover that smelled like sharp peppermint. It glowed with green magic for a moment before it disintegrated into nothing again. "I'm waiting for a friend to help get hers. You're welcome to join us," she offered. With her verbal invitation, an auto-declined message appeared in Tamara's view.
"Oh, sorry, you're on a team already," Outbreak smiled and shrugged.
"Yes, but, thank you," Tamara nodded.
"Are you a Paladin?" Outbreak asked, and she glanced at the black cauldron. "And you're using a Peppermint Clover for Flair? That's interesting, do you mind if I ask what your build is like?" Tamara shook her head.
"Fortress Paladin, Slime / Gargoyle," she answered.
"Huh, yeah, I can see it working with Slime," Outbreak nodded thoughtfully. "I don't want to tell you how to play; but, if you're new, most Paladins will agree that Flutter's Scale is the best in slot for Fortresses," she shrugged.
"Thank you for the advice," Tamara said. She did enough research to know that; but, she was under orders to avoid pursuing high-tier items to avoid standing out. She had to make do with budget quest items for now. "I am still learning." While she gave her answer, she momentarily lost Outbreak's attention and did not notice. Outbreak noticed her friend step out of a portal behind Terra and after a quick assessment, she shook her head and portaled out again.
[Let me know when she's gone. - Gia] her friend sent a discreet Whisper as an explanation with a promise of more details later.
[She thinks I'm dead. Explain later. - Gia] It was unexpected; but, still somewhat amusing. Outbreak smiled as she listened to Tamara.
"My friend just sent a Whisper that she's running late," Outbreak giggled and took a few steps away. "You can go ahead and trigger the quest, I'll help with buffs even if we're not in a team," she said.
"Thank you, you're very generous," Tamara answered. She approached the cauldron with the magic coin ready.
"Thanks," Outbreak smiled and began casting as Tamara threw the coin in. It erupted in rainbow smoke and Outbreak enveloped her with a poison armor spell as several pairs of tiny hands began climbing out. "You seem super kind too!"