[OP-F1] An Escapist's Worst Nightmare (Complete)

[Kyr 0]

A gentle breeze whispered across his face as Kyr stared hard at the surreal sky. Where he sat atop the lush, grassy knoll seemed closer to the heavens than any place he had seen yet on Aincrad. When he reached up, the sunlight that his fingers bathed in felt warm and inviting in contrast to the nature of this place.

The youth stretched and frowned as he watched the billowing clouds swirl rhythmically across the azure sky. He rested both hands behind his head and craned his neck, and his eyes slowly shut. "I wish you could see it, old man," he muttered. "But I think I'd rather tell you about it myself."

Several hundred yards away, the Town of Beginnings began to light up in preparation for nightfall, only hours away. Kyr looked fondly down at his new home. "It's not so bad, for now. Real life's the same way if you think about it. Sometimes you get stuck in a rut, but you make the best of it 'til you can move on. That's what mom always used to say."

He sneered. "And in a lot of ways, the real world is also plagued by monsters that are out to kill you. What's so different about this?"

"You're talking to yourself again, Kyr." The raven haired boy whipped around at the sound of someone else's voice, and he sighed. "If you're not careful, this place will eat you alive, buddy."

"I'm surprised you came out of the town at all, Juan." Kyr smirked and his features twisted with amusement. The older man only shrugged.

"I'll leave the adventuring to you folks with a deathwish," Juansicle retorted ruefully, "but I damn well won't miss out on living what little life I do have while I'm trapped here."

"What an optimistic point of view," Kyr snorted.

"One of us needs to be. Now, Kyr, you better remember what I said. Don't go out there looking for trouble. Fight what you can, in places where you're not likely to die. Get strong. If you want to fight on the frontlines with the others, you're going to have to catch up to them."

"Yeah, yeah," Kyr waved a hand dismissively. "You should head back to town soon. When it gets dark, it's harder to see monsters when there's no light source."

"Hah, you're learning quick, kid." Juan smiled and waved. "Alright, have it your way. Stay safe, man. I want to meet you and introduce you to my kid one day."

"Yeah," Kyr glanced off into the distance, uncertain. "That'd be nice. I'll do my best."

Juan clapped Kyr on the shoulder and trotted off past him, headed toward the town. "What a good guy," Kyr stated. "I wonder why he ever got into gaming like me. He seems way more responsible than the gaming type..."

Edited February 26, 2016 by Kyr

[Snow 0]

Snow sat at the edge of a hill, the nearby forests on the horizon. The sun dipped low behind the horizon in a blaze of purple and orange. The young phalanx planted the pommel of her spear into the soft soil and swaying blades of grass. Her free hand crossed her brow to clear the sweat of hard labor. The blonde asked herself for two years why Daire didn't stay with her in the Town of Beginnings - why she chose to risk her life on the front lines.

Standing here, in the open fields, her chest on fire with life and labor, she saw through Daire's eyes.

She saw the beauty of this world.

Snow took a deep breath of the fragrant air and a smile worked its way on her lips.

"Time to head back," she concluded.

Snow hefted her spear from the earth and began up the hill toward home. As the city came into view, so did the dark silhouette of a man. His back against the grass, Snow quirked a brow.

"Is he sleeping? Out here?"

"Excuse me!" the blonde cried out as she broke into a light jog. "Are you alright, sir?"

[Kyr 0]

Kyr sneezed softly before he heard the girl call out to him, then bolted upright as he registered her. "Huh? Yes, I'm fine," he managed as he clambered to his feet, scratched his head and rested one hand on his hip. "I only just decided to take a quick break before heading back to town. I've been here for less than ten minutes."

His green eyes examined the girl with a certain degree of scrutiny as she came close enough to reach out and touch him. She would be able to clearly make out the shape of a bastard sword at his back as he rose, large enough to be wielded with two hands. He was hardly tall, and dressed in the gear that a new player might start with. 

Since he had only spent time learning the first floor and training just enough to gain competence with his blade, he lacked the ability to find better armor or weapons. That was true of most people still stuck down here, who had not moved up and begun to progress at the level of people still clearing their way through the game. 

He sometimes caught wind of the progress the lead group was making, messages sent down the pipeline via info brokers- it gave him hope that the game might end one day, but also, it made him wonder if he would ever quite be as strong as any of the best. As he looked over the shieldmaiden, he shrugged haplessly.

"And... you are?" he asked, uncertain of why someone he did not know would rush toward him so hurriedly, and with such worry.

[Snow 0]

"I see," the girl replied in her soft Russian accent. "You certainly don't look like you should be out here. How did you make it so far without drawing aggro?"

Snow cocked a hip with her weight on the length of her spear in the opposite hand. She ran her eyes over him, a beginner like herself, but far less afraid of the wilds. How long has he been like this?

"It doesn't matter," she corrected. "We should get back to town before the night beasts cycle in. They're far more predatory than the boars."

Snow gestured with the head of her weapon toward the glimmering city lights.

"Shall we? Let's talk more then."

[Kyr 0]

"...sure," he remarked offhand as she suggested they head back to town. There were traces of fear, or something like it in her demeanor as she expressed concern and ultimately disinclination toward remaining out in the wild. "I was waiting for them to come out," he added, "the night mobs. They yield more experience than anything that spawns during daylight."

With more danger came better spoils, and Kyr had originally intended to use that to his advantage. Now though, with someone else to account for, the young man was uncertain of whether she would be an asset in combat or just someone he had to protect. The odds did not favor those who tempted fate. 

He continued to stare at the ground for a moment. She had already begun to head toward the city, so after a moment, he jogged to catch up. "We've still got a few minutes of daylight. What's your hurry?" he asked skeptically. Kyr watched in the distance as a few boars grazed idly, mindful of the golden hue bleeding out on the horizon.

[Vayrin 0]

Vayrin sprinted out of the treeline from the small forested grove lying in the middle of the large field. The violet haired girl had her sword drawn, and it was only a few seconds later, two massive boar like creatures charged after her from the same grove. "Guess that wasn't the right place." She mumbled to herself under gritted teeth. This had been a rather annoying day. She had heard rumors of possible violet's growing in the grove, but just her luck it was home to a pair of Dire Boars instead.

As the two mobs closed in on her fast, Vayrin began to slow slightly, her weapon glowing a violet aura. The girl planted her foot hard into the ground, before swinging her body backwards towards the two giant creatures. She brought around her weapon, and with sudden speed, it flashed through the air at the two giant monsters. It traced a large square into one of their faces, and was blown back several feet. She rolled under the second's legs, before swinging around and doing the same thing to it's side as it turned... Soon Vayrin was standing alone in the field as the two beasts lay in the grass on either side of her, before shattering into a million blue pixels each. She panted slightly before sheathing her weapon on her back, as her cloak blew in the slight evening breeze.

It wasn't a moment later when the violet eyed girl looked up and saw two unfamiliar faces on a hill not far from her. She decided they probably saw the scene, and decided to ask if they knew where the violets she was looking for were. She jogged up to the two players, not knowing she may have interrupted their conversation. "Hey! Sorry for the disturbance but... You haven't seen any violets growing around have you?"

 

Spoiler

 

ID#: 49116

BD: 7+1=8 [Hit!]

Vayrin's DMG: 5+Vertical Square - 4x1 - AoE - (8 Energy) - A mid-level sword art that traces the shape of a square = 20

Vayrin's ENG: 4/12

Dire Boar's HP: 0/16

Dire Boar's HP: 0/16

 

 

[Ranmura 0]

Ranmura walked out from the shade that a large tree she was sitting under provided, looking at the cute new targets with her permanently smiling face. She approached the group and shouted cheerfully while smiling, "Hi! My name's Ranmura, who are you? You guys don't look like K-pop idols because if you were I'd fall head over heels for you two! You know what, now that we're all friends let's talk about our feelings! You know what, forget that! I have a joke! What do you call beautiful tea? Prettea! Nya ha ha! Did you get the joke, wasn't it funny?"

Edited February 24, 2016 by Ranmura

[Ethereal 0]

The sounds of fighting could be heard ringing out from a small, weathered cluster of nearby trees, there was something strange about it. The cries and snorts that were piercing the air were solely of mobs, the shouting that generally comes hand and hand with a fight involving players were absent. The noise would slowly grow closer until it seemed to have reached the edge of the beaten grove. Suddenly, tall stranger wearing no armor but commoners clothes breaks through the edge of the outcrop whistling to himself as he went. Something was wrong - he was being attacked on all sides by a pack of boars and slightly higher level mobs that could be found on this level. Despite this fact, the man seemed totally at ease despite the red lines that were being scored into him by the tusks of the enemies.

Tossing what looked like a violet or similar flower in the air - a common alchemist's material - and gracefully catching it the bearded man notices the few players scattered around the field. He would wave politely with a smile while casually walking in the direction of town. He seemed absolutely insane to the average onlooker however if one looked closely the board seemed tired, as if they had been at it for a while.

Edited February 24, 2016 by Ethereal

[Snow 0]

Snow watched as the flock of players emerged from the tree-lines, all manner of things in tow. One woman easily dispatched two Dire Boars that would have easily fragged the level one player she was. The pit of Snow's stomach began to sour with anxiety.

"We have to go," she directed at her new acquaintance. "Gathering like this in the field at night is bad."

Snow edged herself toward down, spear gripped with with knuckles. In honesty, it wasn't the critters that were the most frightening, it was the potential PKer's. The cover of night added to the stealth skill which proved fantastic for hunting mobs.

And other players...

At the thought, Snow eyed the three newcomers. The girl who dispatched the boars seemed innocent enough, likely seeking materials which were either time sensitive or rare. The vibrant white haired girl who seemed a touch too forward in a game filled with danger at every turn. Lastly, and most threateningly, the player who waltzed from the forest with a pack of boars in tow. His body radiated with the speckled scars of damage as the beasts continued their tired onslaught. Meanwhile, he casually continued, not a single expression on his features.

Snow pointed.

"Like that," she stated. "If he gets close enough and we pull aggro..."

Snow's fight or flight cried out, and her legs hurried her pace.

"We need to get back to town!"

[Kyr 0]

Kyr stared blankly at the source of the girl's terror as she began her lively surge toward safety. "I don't know, he seems fairly undaunted," he managed to say as the girl rocketed out of earshot. "Oh, for f..."

The boy snorted in exasperation. "You can't just go running away from all your problems," he groaned. "That's how some of us ended up in this game in the first place." 

Kyr grasped at the hilt of his bastard sword as the enigmatic man ran in his direction, and he tore the weapon from his back with some visible measure of competency.  "Most of these mobs don't spawn this close to town," he observed, "they're pretty far outside their aggro zones. To kite them this far out, he must have been hitting them."

The low level player pointed toward the flighty, bearded man questioningly. "I... damn it, he's not stopping." He watched the other player, mobs in tow, go hurtling past.

Kyr binked. "I'm surrounded by crazy people."

He turned his gaze toward the two other players who had only just arrived, and he shrugged. "Can't say I've seen any flowers around here," he answered the first girl honestly. "But I don't wander too far into the forest by myself, and it's getting on toward nighttime."

The other girl started to prattle on about feelings, friendships, and... god only knew what else. Kyr tried to make sense of it with a knitted brow, then stood for a moment with his mouth ajar. "I... what?"

[Icarus 0]

His heavily armored feet found traction as he ascended the mild slope of a well-sized hill that overlooked the most of the grasslands.  As Icarus' tall, obscured figure came into view, it was revealed that his two-handed greatsword was already freed from its usual position upon his back and clutched within the palm of a single ruby red gauntlet.  Waiting for him at the top of the high ground was a particularly nasty looking boar; the end of its snout was blackened by mud, and its mouth bore an additional set of tusks not usually found on the swine.  Despite its mangy appearance, it was just another low level mob that only made an appearance when the light of Aincrad dipped beyond the horizon.

The length of his sword illuminated with a faint blue glow long before he took it up with two hands and vaulted toward the feral mob.  Alondite, now swathed in a translucent blue veil of light, was swirled once in a whirlwind fashion at his side a moment before he leapt at the boar.  In the time it took him to close the distance between him and his intended target, Icarus gathered the handle of his weapon in both hands and moved to raise the massive blade above his head.  Between the momentum of his heavy weighted movement and gravity's desire to bring his sword down, the boar didn't stand a chance as Alondite cleaved through the whole of the monster in one fell swoop.  Unfortunately for the boar, it didn't even get the chance to seek a reprisal before it fractured into countless polygonal pixels.

Icarus gathered the loot dropped by the beast before surveying the area.  There were quite a number of fledgling players roaming the fields this night, which was quite surprising considering the danger that usually crept up when the sun fell.  A peculiar sight in particular caught his emerald gaze - a man surrounded by an entourage of vicious boars who attacked him relentlessly, yet he didn't seem bothered in the slightest.  He would be remiss if he didn't address the situation at all.

"Hey!" he called out from his vantage point, pointedly looking at the bearded man.  "Do you need assistance?!"

Spoiler

ID# 49146 | BD: 6 (Hit) | MD: 1 (Critical miss) | LD: 19
Sword Art: Straight (5x2) = 10 - 2 = 8 Damage

Mangy Boar: 0/8 HP  MIT 2
Icarus: 16/16 HP  2/4 EN

Loot: +2 materials, +40 Col

 

Edited February 24, 2016 by Icarus

[Vayrin 0]

Vayrin swiveled her eyebrow upwards at the girls odd reaction. "Woha. Listen, I'm not here to cause any trouble." Vayrin started. She then took a moment to observe the two, and she concluded by their gear they were much lower levels then her. Vayrin looked at herself for a moment. Her cloak and armored plate underneath didn't look intimidating did it? She turned her gaze back up to the other two and began again. "Is this your first time outside the safe zone?" She said with a slight chuckle as she crossed her arms. "I assure you, you don't need to be that cautious of dangerous players. After all, my icon is green isn't it?" She gestured to the icon that would have been floating above her head in other player's eyes, even though she herself couldn't see it. Before Vayrin said anything else, another player had interjected. She turned her head to see a white haired girl she had never seen before. With an odd smile across her lip. She seemed to be cracking a joke, although Vayrin's facial expression didn't seem to change at the punch line. "Friend of yours?" She asked as she turned back to the other two players.

It wasn't long until the violet haired girl heard the commotion that the others seemed to be staring at. She turned her head to see the player waltzing out of the grove as boars were attacking him relentlessly. She smirked when she saw this, knowing full well what the situation was about. She glimpsed closer to see him holding a very peculiar object. Her eyes widened when she saw it a was a single violet. She turned back to the others "Well, pleasure meeting you and... Whatever that is, but I must talk to that fella for a quick second." She said as she unsheathed her blade. "But hey, stay and watch the show if you want. I'll make quick work of those mobs who seem to be failing at killing the high level. Also, I'm Vayrin. In case you were curious." She stated before giving a quick bow and a mischievous wink before turning and sprinting towards the mobs with her sword glowing...

[Ethereal 0]

Ethereal was a little surprised at everyone's reaction to his appearance - I mean, he thought it was obvious enough that he had enough hate on the mobs for them not to aggro the others. The warrior shrugged mentally; the sight of so many boars would have unnerved himself as well once upon a time. It was strange, however, that they broke off to retreat in different directions or stand around. In this sort of situation people tended to stick together.. 

As his mind wandered to such thoughts the higher-level player takes in all that lay before him. There seemed to be a small cluster of players - a bewildered man dressed in dark clothes chatting with a young grinning girl. Seemed a violet-haired girl was dashing towards him holding a nice-looking blade along with a bulky warrior clad in red armor. Finally, a blonde was running as fast as her little legs could carry her towards town.

"Hey!" he called out from his vantage point, pointedly looking at the bearded man.  "Do you need assistance?!"  Eth turns to the player, it was rare that anyone offered help in this sort of situation. He would wonder for a moment if he was part of the Knights of Blood - the armor certainly hinted at it. "I'm just collecting materials. These things just don't quit even when I'm not damaging them.. They're just annoying more than anything." As if to make his point, a boar would nip his hand and Ethereal would just sigh before smacking it away.

Edited February 25, 2016 by Ethereal

[Hydra 0]

Awoken from his daydream, Zamharuun looked down at the adventurers causing the ruckus, his right leg dangled from the branch he was sat on, back to trunk. He let out a yawn before contemplating if he should greet them. Before he could make that decision the branch he was sat on snapped, the peaceful kiss of the sun breaking through the leaves and the sounds of birds tweeting was suddenly spoilt, "AHHHHHHH!" *thud*. Zamharuun dazed but otherwise fine staggered to his feet. He took another large yawn, before dusting himself off. Looking down at the spot he fell in, he noticed another man that looked to be taking a nap, then he realised this man had actually broken his fall, "Ah s.sorry, bad habit, I was daydreaming, and well I didn't expect to find people here... are you okay? Zamharuun looked at the man with a worried smile on his face. As he turned to look at the others, he noticed several boars surrounding him and the man "When did these get here?" he said with a puzzled look, before taking another yawn failing to contemplate their hostility.  

 

[Ranmura 0]

Ranmura stared at the man falling on top of the bearded one. She opened her HUD to equip a piece of armor, but it is invisible since she's wearing a vanity item. "Wow! Another targ- I mean person! Do you like falling on people? Can you fall in a pit of spikes so I can watch you die? Nya ha ha! I mean, could you fall in a pile of marshmallows? It'd be really cute to see a boy fall in one of those, the last time one did was when I pushed them! Oh, want to hear a joke? How do treehuggers express love? By saying 'I love yew!' Nya ha ha! I always laugh at my own jokes, what abouut yoouuu?"

[Snow 0]

Snow looked back to the collection of odd personalities and loons as they exchanged in the fields. Night drew to an open as the sun dipped beneath the horizon and gave to darkness. Perhaps they didn't have fear of the fields like she did? She only recently ventured out and admittedly lacked the finesse with her weapon that others displayed. Regardless, she made for the city.

As she pulled her glance away from the strangers, she caught a glimpse of a familiar figure, Icarus. Her mind wavered on staying for the briefest of moments. Yet, with a shake of her blonde head, Snow dismissed the thought and continued her hurried pace to safety. Were she a higher level, or more competent with her abilities, she would have stayed.

Another time. Another life.

Snow crossed over into the safe zone and buckled over. With her hands on her knees, she panted heavily to catch her breath. She let her cerulean gaze float out to the fields one last time. Then, she picked herself up, and trecked to Lady Seraphillia's Inn for a well deserved Cider and Chowder Bowl.

[Leaves Thread]

[Hydra 0]

Zamharuun glanced at the girl who just cracked the joke, "Aha, good one.." he said with a drained voice, whilst ignoring the remark of falling on spikes *is this girl a sadist?* he thought to himself. Zamharuun took another yawn, and looked back towards the man he fell on who still seemed to be gathering his thoughts, then turned back to the girl and smiled, "i've got one, what do..." Zamharuun looked over the girl's shoulder noticing a woman that appeared to be running away from the area "ehh" he said with a puzzled look, then shrugged. As he turned towards in an opposite direction walking back towards the forest completely forgetting about the joke he was about to tell, his foot got caught under a broken bit of wood that had separated from the fallen branch *thud* "Ow". As he got up again he noticed his left hand had been cut, red blood began flowing out, and tainting a small patch of grass beneath him red, "hmmmmmmm" Zamharuun stared at the cut for a while and then entered another daydream. 

 

[Ethereal 0]

Ethereal yelps with surprise as a stranger dropped from the heavens and onto him, falling to the ground under the weight. Laying there spread-eagled as the man scrambled up and looked at him like /he/ was the one that did something wrong, Eth couldn't help but chuckle. He'd had enough darkness in his life to be mad at something as comical as this.

"Ah s-sorry, bad habit, I was daydreaming and, well, I didn't expect to find people here... are you okay?" the worried voice would query as Eth pushed himself up into a seating position; "And I thought I'd seen it all.. Now we have people getting the drop on players by hiding in trees, heh?" The swordsman would smile to show there was no sort of anger from what had happened. "Don't worry i- Wait, you're a new pl- Uh oh.." the bearded one glances around at the numerous mobs forming a tight circle around the two of them, enough to easily overwhelm a low-level player.

Grimacing, the man equips and draws his huge jagged greatsword of red and black, stepping in front of the new arrival as the mobs made their way menacingly towards them. He would ignore the young girl shouting over to them from relative safety - right now it was about clearing a pass for this guy or getting him back into the tree.

Edited February 26, 2016 by Ethereal

[Icarus 0]

Icarus nodded in response to the bearded man - he seemed to have everything under control.  He heaved the weight of Alondite from where its blade was stuck in the ground, pulling it free from the earth and spinning it around in a single revolution before replacing it at his back.  As soon as it was set, the weapon dematerialized back into its permanent spot in his inventory.  He looked about the area and despite how many people were about, it was relatively quiet.  People seemed to be having a good time for the most part.  As long as they were comfortable and felt safe with their surroundings, Icarus was content.

On his armored heel, he made an about-face and headed into the direction of the Town of Beginnings.  Far ahead, at the very edge of his vision, he saw a blonde haired girl departing into the town.  From his position and the great distance, he couldn't clearly make out who it was but the shape of their figure was familiar.  Judging by the new look of the hooded sweatshirt-like piece of gear clothing her upper torso, though, he could assume it was the young lady known as Snow.  It certainly wasn't a look he could imagine on Lessa.  Regardless, his feet started hitting the ground and taking him onto the path that would lead him back to the safe zone.

[Kyr 0]

Kyr glanced around quickly and realized that things had escalated to a point that he had not expected. "Well, that was fast," he commented in a low voice. The woman who originally approached him had fled fast to the town, followed by a burlier player who he was uncertain of. Now all of the others conglomerated had begun to descend into the caluclated madness that was Sword Art Online, and he decided that the best option for the evening would be to advance to the rear.

Discretion was, after all, the better part of valor.

[Kyr leaves, Fin]