[PP-F1] <Secret Medicine of the Forest> (Seul)

[Galilea 0]

Hmm, I'm beginning to question just how secret this medicine is if everyone knows it's in the forest. But alas, that's not the issue at hand. It is in fact finding these worrisome creatures known as 'Nepents'. Nasty little things they are, at least from what that NPC messenger described them as. SNAP! The pinkette's head swiveled to the noise as two white and red spotted plant-like monsters scuttle from the brush. "Perhaps I spoke too soon." Drawing her axe, Lancelot charged forward and placed both handles on the gold and black handle as she forced her arms to turn and swing at the first monster to approach. The attack connected and nearly severed the plant-type mob in half. A grin on her face, the pinkette swung the axe and pointed it at the two of them. "Well come on then."

ID: 48420 BD: 6

Stats:

Spoiler

HP: 24 | E: 6 | D: 5 | M: 9 | A: 0 | E: 0

Armor of Achilles [Vanity Heavy Armor]

Iote's Shield [+18 Thorns and +9 Mitigation]

Hauteclere [+4 Bleed and +2 Damage]

Party:

[1] Lancelot: 24/24 E: 5/6

Enemy:

Little Nepent 1: 2/7 D: 1 (-5 HP)

Little Nepent 2 7/7 D: 1

Edited February 17, 2016 by Lancelot

[Seul 1]

It would seem today was his lucky day. For whatever reason Seul had decided to take a stroll through the forest and as a result came across an interesting scene. A lone female fighter facing off against a pair of overgrown weeds. If you had told him prior to being trapped in SAO that he'd be getting involved in such a matter, he probably would have just laughed and said you've been watching too much anime. The nepents, as like most monsters on this floor, weren't particularly strong individually. But as more and more monsters decide to join the fray, there'd be trouble eventually. Sure, he could have just kept walking. But where would the chivalry have been in that? Without hesitation, he rushed forth with dagger drawn from the scabbard and shield raised to kill the first mutant plant in sight!

...Though in his efforts to look cool, the Nepent simple had to shift its body slightly to the side in a dance that left him cutting nothing but air in the end. While passing a glance toward the woman he broke into a nervous yet brief coughing fit. "Um... I meant for that ot happen. Gives the enemy a false sense of security, ya know-?"

ID: 48427 | BD: 2

Stats:

  Hide contents

HP: 80| E: 20 | D: 6 | M: 47 | A: 0 | E: 0

Kusanagi  [+2 Dmg / +1 Keen]

Cloak of Protection [+18 Mit / +9 Thorns]

Hydra's Aegis [+9 Mit / +18 Regen]

Party:

[1] Lancelot: 24/24 E: 5/6

[0] Seul: 80/80 E: 18/20

Enemy:

Little Nepent 1: 2/7 D: 1

Little Nepent 2 7/7 D: 1

Edited February 17, 2016 by Seul

[Galilea 0]

The plants danced back and forth as they 'eyed' the girl despite not having any visible eyes. Their roots slithered and snaked across the forest floor, likely feeling the ground for vibrations and changes in movement speed. This may have in fact saved the pinkette's first target as the white stalk twisted itself to the side as a dark haired boy came tumbling from the growth. As he rolled by, he offered a few words that amused the girl. Stifling a giggle, Lancelot raised her axe and stepped in front of the boy as the two nepents lashed out. Both used their whip-like vines as weapons, grazing the girls shield as she repelled their attacks.

This is where she shined as a tank. Her thorns soon activated, dealing enough damage to kill both monsters as they suddenly burst in pixelated fragments. Relieved, the girl turned to face her 'failed' chivalrous knight and spoke. "Thanks for the distraction there haha," she joked as she offered him a gloved hand. Just as she was about to pull him up, a movement in her peripheral vision caught her attention. Pushing the lad to the side, she watched as another pair of vines came smashing down into the area the stranger had just been occupying. Retrieving her axe, she wasted no time in carving out the side of one of the two nepents that now graced their presence. Knocking it aside, she gestured for the player to get up. "Two more heh. Here's your chance to show me what you're really made of."

ID: 48430 BD: 8

Party:

[2] Lancelot: 24/24 E: 5/6

[0] Seul: 80/80 E: 18/20

Enemy:

Little Nepent 1: 0/7 D: 1 (-18 HP) [ID: 48427 MD: 8]

Little Nepent 2: 0/7 D: 1 (-18 HP) [ID: 48428 MD: 8]

Little Nepent 1: 2/7 D: 1 (-5 HP)

Little Nepent 4: 7/7 D: 1

Edited February 17, 2016 by Lancelot

[Seul 1]

She didn't have to tell him twice. Within seconds Seul was back on his feet and ready to go, adopting a stance for the move he would use to finish the battle. The dagger in his hand took on a soft glow around the blade as he traced a circular pattern through the air. Wind surrounding the area picked up for a brief moment, but immediately directed itself toward the remaining Nepents who were subsequently torn apart by the gusts. The only AoE attack for the dagger, Round Accel. It wasn't particularly strong and on the higher floors such an attack would be useless, but he figured there must be some good in having it if it lets him clean up weak mobs without exerting too much energy. "Impressed yet?" He asked while finally addressing the pink-haired woman once again with the joking tone clearly evident in his voice.

ID: 48443 BD: 6 Hit (Keen Activated)

Party:

[2] Lancelot: 24/24 E: 5/6

[1] Seul: 80/80 E: 15/20 [Sword Art: Round Accel | -4 E | 6 x 2 = 12 Damage + AoE]

Enemy:

Little Nepent 1: 0/7 D: 1

Little Nepent 2: 0/7 D: 1

Little Nepent 3: -10/7 D: 1 (-12 HP)

Little Nepent 4: -5/7 D: 1 (-12 HP)

Edited February 17, 2016 by Seul

[Galilea 0]

"Oh yes. I'm impressed you managed to hit one this time let alone two," she quipped between stifled laughs. As the small bit of laughter subsided, the pinkette secured her axe and turned to the newcomer. "But in all seriousness thank you. You effort was valiant." Offering ah handshake, she opted to introduce herself. "I am Lancelot. May I have the honor of knowing my knight in Light Armor's name?" she asked with a slight grin. Lancelot was intrigued about what he was doing in the forest, but she figured that'd be a topic for another time, should there even be another time.

[Seul 1]

Seul met Lancelot's hand with his own, but paused momentarily at her question. Maybe in the past he would have strayed off on some sort of tangent while avoiding the mention of his name entirely through the whole thing. But now didn't exactly seem like the time for such things. This woman was obviously out here with a purpose and wasting her time with his antics might only annoy her in the end. "Seul of the Knights of the Blood, at your service." He ultimately responded; easing up a little at the recognition of his own seriousness soon after. "But... You didn't really need my help fighting off those weeds, so I'm technically only a knight in title alone."

[Galilea 0]

"Seul...hmm..and you are right. Those Nepents would have stood no chance against me alone. You just proved to be a perfect meat shield," she joked with a grin. "But in all seriousness, pleasure to meet you Seul." Releasing her grip from his, Lancelot, twirled her blade around, removing the digitized pixel flecks with each spin. Planting the axe in the ground, Lancelot decided to go ahead and revisit the mental topic she had suppressed before. "So if you don't mind, care to entertain me with why you were out here all by your lonesome?" She didn't mean to pry, but she was curious.

[Seul 1]

He couldn't help but feel at least a little wounded by her joke, but quickly shook it off before getting over it entirely. But why exactly did he wander into the forest this day? It's not like there was anything particularly interesting about the place and as far as hunting went, the monsters posed no threat. Maybe he just liked exploring the different floors. Being cooped up in the city all the time was the perfect way to drive a guy mad, so sometimes he felt it was best to just go off somewhere for a change of pace. Still, he didn't feel like there was a legitimate reason to give her as to why they crossed paths when they did; other than pure coincidence and his desire to aid other players of course. "I'm usually on my own, so I just thought it'd be fun to take a lonely stroll through the wilderness today. Get in touch with some good, old virtual reality nature, you know?"

[Galilea 0]

"I suppose I do actually. I like to stick to myself as well." Unequipping her axe, the girl stretched out and yawned as she readjusted her attire to be more suitable. "So Seul, what level are you if you don't mind me asking? Despite your display, I can't imagine you'd be anything lower than level fifteen or so. Why meander such lowly floors when there's so much more to explore or aspire for?" The noirette was genuinely curious towards what his answer would be. Brushing a few hairs back behind her ear, she waited patiently for his answer. 

[Seul 1]

He took a moment to focus on number beside the bar hovering in the corner of his vision.  That last battle, as minor as it had been, was enough to push him to the next level and even closer to being able to wield the second tier gear he relentlessly craved! Still, it was long way off and nothing to get too excited over. The small accomplishment only taunted him, just as his previous gain had. All he could offer was a shrug and released an exasperated sigh before giving a halfhearted response. "Twenty one... It's a curse I tell you! Too weak to be on the frontlines, but at the same time too far gone to blend in on the lower floors..." He paused for a moment after realizing how silly the dilemma must have sounded. Silly or not though, it was something that had been weighing heavy on his mind for a while now. It'd being lying to himself to not acknowledge the obvious gap that existed between himself and both groups. On the bright side, his level did seem to be rising after all. Hopefully this marked the end of its flat line, as it'd be somewhat awkward to have to explain to his frontline focused guild why none of his skills have increased for ages now. "Anyway... A level's just a number. It wasn't too long ago when I had to go through some crazy stuff just to get this far, so it's nice to come back to the lower floors when I get the chance. Helps remind me where I started out ...If that makes sense- I did get kind of rambly there. You know what? Don't mind me- I'll leave now if you want- I mean, you don't even know me and I'm over here spilling my life story like we've been friends for years or something- Ha... Ha?"

[Galilea 0]

"Quite the high level aren't we?" mused the noirette as Seul responded. The young man then continued on to address the second part of her question. Entertaining her with the tales of his philosophy for visiting the lower levels such as this one. As he concluded, she hung on to his closing remarking, smirking as she moved closer to him. "Don't be daft, I asked and you answered. Nothing more to it. Plus what's the best way to get to know anyone if not talking about themselves hmm?" Shifting her gaze to the tree line, she thought about her own reasoning for being here, which reminded her that she still need to find the variant. Turning back to Seul, she reached for his hand asked, "Mind helping me look for the variant of those nepents. Would I be wrong to assume you've done this quest before?"

[Seul 1]

"I suppose you're right." Though making forming connections with people was never really a strong point for him, things weren't going as badly as he had expected them to. "Yeah, I did it after I decided to leave the starting city. It seems to a have changed a little since then, but I'll still help." In the midst of their conversation he failed to realize that his own hand was now in hers but instead of jerking away he simply placed the free hand in his pocket while looking away. "A-Anyway... Since this is your quest you should lead the way and I'll follow."