Helping Hand » Celeste & Young Gun
Celeste was tired of dying. It was getting repetitive, which was probably a sign she needed to give up on this quest. But she was not a quitter, and since she had already begun, she was determined to see it through to the end. Perhaps it was a bit ambitious of the swordswoman to think she could make her way through the Forest of Tephra on her own, but the rewards waiting for her at the end of the mission motivated her to keep going.
These particular woods were better suited for players accustomed to navigating the shadows, with an endless expanse of gigantic trees creating a dark canopy overhead. One's sense of sound was far more reliable than one's sense of sight, which Celeste had learned the hard way. Her first death was caused by some sort of monstrous raven that she never saw coming. If she had been more prepared, she would have known that she needed to listen for the swooping of wings as the only way to indicate an incoming attack from such a creature.
Another lesson she learned from her second death: the clearcut paths are tricks - avoid them. Not wanting to get lost, Celeste had stuck close to the trail and it ended up leading her straight into a death trap. So the next time she respawned, she started to create her own routes, relying heavily on her game map to guide her in the right direction.
She continued on like that for a while, checking the map every few feet and fighting her way through minor woodland enemies, until she stumbled across a small campsite. It appeared to be abandoned, with no sign of anyone returning to reclaim the place anytime soon. Curious, Celeste wanted to explore this place a little bit before returning to her actual quest. But she knew that many things in this forest weren't what they seemed, so she stayed just outside the area and took her time looking around in search of hidden dangers, ensuring that it was safe before cautiously stepping further in.
That turned out to be her biggest mistake yet. She should have just kept walking, ignoring the quiet little camp completely. Unfortunately, that's not what Celeste had chosen to do and as soon as she set foot on the grounds, she was surrounded by a horde of angry forest sprites. She had no idea where they all came from but they were on top of her in seconds, causing her third death before she even had time to react.
After she was revived she tried again, this time content in the fact that she already knew what was going to happen and therefore would be at an advantage to defeating the sprites. But the beings were too fast and too strong for her so she experienced her fourth death... and then her fifth, and her sixth, and eventually she just stopped counting. Celeste didn't stop trying though, her only hope being that perhaps another traveler would soon wander into the fight and lend a hand. If not, she was going to be at this for quite a while...
