[PP-F1] Ashes of the Wake (Icarus)

[Kyr 0]

Light broke through the stormclouds above the town, and Kyr stared at the gilded reflection in a puddle. A soft smile touched his lips for a moment as he reminisced about something, but it was gone only a moment later. He glanced up and rain plastered his hair to his face, but his piercing green gaze burned cold as he contemplated everything.

"They never last long," he commented in an almost sad voice. Thunder rolled across the heavens as it slowly ebbed away. "Storms in Aincrad aren't like the ones back home. The rain isn't warm. The wind doesn't dance through trees and sing a song..."

A sigh escaped him as he folded his hands neatly in his lap. "I wonder if they're even worried about me," he mused. "If this had happened to her, it would be the end of the world..."

Before he could finish the thought, the rain stopped. Warmth swept across the world and Kyr slowly stood. "Alright," he announced, "it's high time I got to work." Water dripped off his clothes as the youth walked brusquely across the plaza. "I need to go pick up a quest or two."

[Icarus 0]

An overhead hanging provided by one of the Town of Beginnings' many inns did wonders to protect Icarus from the falling rain that assaulted the First Floor of Aincrad.  Now, he wasn't sugar - he wouldn't melt if he happened to get caught up in the wrath of the heavy droplets but he couldn't find a reason to will himself beyond that point.  He had found that he had become rather directionless since his commitment to become an adventurer.  There were things required of him to become stronger, he knew that much but he wasn't sure the best way to go about doing so.  So much time had passed since the world as he knew it had changed and yet, here he was, a meek level five player with hardly a sense of purpose.

Icarus was willing, however.  He wanted to learn.  He desired to figure out the best way to catch up to the others and contribute to the success of their release.  Maybe that's why he loitered around the main plaza of the First Floor, in search of the answers that would bring him to the top.  Surprisingly, that answer didn't come from a high leveled player but from someone in the same predicament as him, whom he overheard speaking of picking up a "quest or two."  Questing in the surrounding areas is exactly what he needed to do but why do it alone, when there was already someone needing to do the same as him?

"Excuse me," he said aloud, the calm strength of his voice pointed toward the dark haired man carrying on across the cobblestone of the plaza.  Icarus stepped out from underneath the overhang and was surprised to find that it was no longer raining; the weather hadn't even occurred to him once he had made his decision.  "I apologize for overhearing but I heard you mention you're looking to start questing.  Allow me to introduce myself - my name is Icarus and I'm also looking to get started with a few quests."  Along with his introduction, Icarus extended his hand to the man in an effort to offer a handshake.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to accompany you."

His appearance left much to be desired.  Here he was, a man of six foot four in the typical starter clothes that were awarded to all beginning players, which amounted to a navy blue, long sleeved shirt, a set of canvas colored pants, and a pair of light tan work boots.  There was nothing spectacular about the outfit but it was better than the nothing he could be wearing.

Edited February 26, 2016 by Icarus

[Kyr 0]

Kyr slicked his mop of hair out of the way as the man introduced himself as Icarus. Lines of salty water stained his cheeks as he slowly blinked and accepted the gesture of fraternity. "Good to meet you, Icarus," he greeted, "I'm Kyr." 

As he spoke, he glanced up at the man to make eye contact. Kyr stood a head and a half shorter than his new acquaintance, and he was markedly less stocky. His attire was not much more sightly than Icarus' own, if a tad darker.

Once the customary greeting ended, the youth crossed his arms and considered. "Up to now, I haven't played with any of the quests. I've just started to realize that it's the most efficient way to get stronger, because everything else I've tried just isn't working."

His jade eyes skimmed the horizon for a moment. "That said, I'm also not sure of which quests are best suited for my current level of strength. Or for that matter, which ones I can do on my own, or with others."

With a laugh, Kyr shrugged helplessly. "I guess I think too much, huh?"

The player before him had already made a significant amount of progress, but he was still within a few levels of Kyr. That meant he would probably know a good way to deal with their current situation without looking down on, or even treating the weaker player with contempt. Kyr often worried about how front liners might condescend to him, or to others.

Even though they were all trapped in this world together.

He deftly equipped his starter weapon, a two handed sword, which appeared at his back. "So Icarus," he spared a glance back at the other man. "What sort of fighting style do you prefer?"

Edited February 26, 2016 by Kyr

[Icarus 0]

"Kyr," he said solemnly, committing the man's name to memory as he shook his hand with a firm shake.  While he had to physically look down upon his new acquaintance, he didn't look down upon him in the slightest.  Whatever the reason, the man had strayed away from fighting from the beginning much like Icarus had and he couldn't fault him for that.  The truth was, they were trying to make a difference now and that is what mattered.  "It's good to meet you, as well."

"Think too much?  No, not at all.  You are thinking logically and that's the important part.  I've yet to actually take up a quest myself with the exception of the Earning a Living profession quest - I'm not sure that one can really be counted, though.  I've just been grinding away on the swine found just outside of the safe zone.  It isn't nearly as lucrative as one would think but it's a start."  Icarus shrugged at his last statement.  There really wasn't much of a choice for him.  It was either farm on the boars for experience or risk soloing a quest at a low level.  He chose the safer of the two options.

"I'm a two-handed straight sword user, also.  I heard they were good for clearing out groups of mobs but it's way too early for me to tell.  To be honest, I don't have a clue what I'm doing.  I've never held a sword in my life so when I'm out there, I'm just swinging wildly and hoping to catch something on the other end of it."  He shook his head at his admission, unable to help himself from cracking a light smile.

"I'll get better, though - I hope, anyway.  As far as questing, I'm sure there are some low ones on the First Floor we could look into.  Before that, though, we might want to try and get your level up a little bit so you don't get taken out in one hit.  That would be... bad, you know?"

[Kyr 0]

"Yeah," Kyr laughed, always one to make light of the more sullen things in life. "Wouldn't want to go and die, now. I'm not sure what the going rate for coffins in Aincrad is, but I'm pretty sure I can't afford one."

He was quietly grateful that the other man praised his logical reasoning rather than condemned him for it, since anyone who did otherwise would prove difficult to get along with. Rationale in a world brimming with chaos was a precious commodity. "You're definitely right about me needing to raise my level, though. If I'm going to keep up with you, or catch up to the front liners, I'm going to have to put in some work. I'm glad to have you aboard for that, Icarus."

With a mischievous grin, the shorter swordsman pointed toward the center of town and inclined his head. "I figure the best place to sift through quests would be over there, since that's relatively where we started when we logged in."

Kyr looked to Icarus and waited for any hint of objection. To survive this long and already have a few levels under his belt, Icarus obviously had a knack for staying alive. Kyr placed a great deal of stock in whatever the man might have to say.

He spared a quick glance sideways toward the outskirts of town and added, "this adventure may not be as bad as we initially thought. As long as we can meet new people and work together."

A sad smile stole across his features. "Don't worry dad," he whispered. "I'm gonna be fine."

[Icarus 0]

An unexpected laugh croaked out of Icarus after Kyr's comment of being unable to afford a coffin.  Even though it was a joke, it was also the truth for both of them.  He shook his head as he tried to get rid of the inappropriate laughter that trailed, pushing his forehead into the palm of his bare hand as he did so.  After a moment, he composed himself, although there was a smile on his mouth that he couldn't seem to put away.  "That's the truth, isn't it?  A sad, sad truth."

"We're both going to need to raise our level if we plan to get out of here someday.  Sure, we could wait and let the rest of the frontliners do all the work but where would be the fun in that?  The most important thing is safety, so we'll take things slow until we get more familiar with the workings of Aincrad.  I've heard some terrible stories and I would really prefer we didn't end up as the title characters in one of them."  Icarus nodded then looked in the direction of the town center where the initial announcement from Kayaba had been presented.

"You're probably right.  Let's head over and see if we can't find something befitting players of our level.  I don't know if I've heard of any low level quest that provide gear for beginners but that would be our ideal route - to get you some gear.  An alternative would be to gather materials in the grasslands outside of the Town of Beginnings.  Crafters are always looking for raw material and are often willing to exchange gear, or even craft fresh pieces, for materials."

Icarus bobbed his head in direction of the town center; a gesture indicating his desire to head that way.  He followed up his nod with actual movement, though he kept his pace aligned with Kyr so he didn't leave him behind from the get go.

[Kyr 0]

"Right on." Kyr acknowledged and acquiesced quickly enough. They matched pace for a good while as the square grew closer, and Kyr had the sheer determination not to be left in the dust to drive him forward. "Let's check out what kind of quests are available, to start. Then we can pick from those," the young man decided.

"If you see anything that gives weapons or armor, let's set that to top priority for now. Provided it doesn't seem out of our league, I mean." Kyr shielded his eyes from the sun as he scoured the plaza for quest givers, his success marked by several NPCs with indicators overhead. "Seems like there's plenty of opportunity, here..."

Icarus had mentioned material gathering, but at the moment, the risk of enemy spawn was fairly high. For Kyr, that meant almost certain death, and he was not alright with it. Maybe in a level or three, he might opt for that route. "After I pick up enough points to level up and pump my stats up a bit, I can see about having someone craft me some better gear. Dying in the attempt makes the risk not worth the reward."

He blinked. "So... you wanna check over there and see what the quests are offering, and I can take this side?"

[Icarus 0]

"Of course.  Let's meet back here in a couple of minutes and share what we've found."  Icarus nodded and then promptly pivoted upon his leather soled heel to face the opposite direction.  He set off toward the nearest of the NPCs from where he was standing and in only a few of those long legged strides, came to stand in front of him.  While many of the players in the world of Aincrad held little love for the Cardinal controlled characters, Icarus treated them with the same civility he would anyone else.  He would smile and wave, strike up a conversation if the options allowed him to, or even laugh with them - not for their benefit but for his own.  It did wonders for him to try and keep Sword Art Online as real in his mind as possible and force out the detrimental thoughts of how his life was being controlled by a video game.

After talking briefly with the first NPC, Icarus moved down the outer circle of plaza, engaging each possible quest giver he came across in conversation in order to find out more details about the quest they were offering.  A good number of minutes passed by before Icarus, whose hair was as blue as the ocean deep, returned to the designated meeting spot he had set up with Kyr.  There was a soft frown already curving his mouth as he stepped forward.

"I hope you had better luck than I did.  Not many of the NPCs offered quests and what ones they did, were a little out of our level range.  Why would we want to go berry picking in the underground cavern on the Tenth Floor?  We're just starting out!"  Icarus shook his head, mildly upset with the lack of logic behind that last notion.

[Kyr 0]

"Who even knows," Kyr threw up both hands. "They probably appeared after the floods opened up, and since the game doesn't have blinders like most RPGs- the ones that cap you below a certain level- it's probably taken a few casualties." He sighed. "People should know better than to go traipsing off to the tenth floor at level one."

After a moment, he stretched his neck. "Just a little bit more luck, but not much. There's a quest available for when we hit level five, something that awards a nice weapon- just, obviously, at the risk of dealing with a fairly strong enemy." Kyr paused, then added, "obviously nothing that will profit us in an immediate capacity, but it's good to have a goal in mind. For now, getting the experience to level up will put us in the running. We need to be strong enough to survive the quest before we undertake it, after all."

He tugged at his nonexistent beard and mulled over the prospective courses of action. "I tried to fight a boar by myself the other day. Ended up another player jumped in and saved my backside, but I got a pretty good idea of how combat works. What do you think, want to try and see how you and I fair against one? That'd be a pretty good test of our teamwork."

[Icarus 0]

"Level five, hm?"  Icarus contemplated the quest for the future.  It might not have been as beneficial to him due to the fact that he was already well-equipped with a strong weapon but it would definitely be good for Kyr to upgrade his gear.  In the long run, based on the assumption that they might be joining forces for the long haul, it would take a lot of worry off his shoulders if he knew his companion wasn't risking death every time they entered combat.   "Make note of the quest.  I'm sure we'll come back to it."

"Boars?  Certainly.  That's pretty much all I've been doing since I decided to venture out in the world.  It's time consuming and not very rewarding but in the beginning, it's a perfectly good route to take."  Icarus nodded before gesturing with his hand in the direction of the North Gate.  "Shall we, then?"

I guess I had better suit up, then.  His bare hand lifted into the air and then, quickly, swiped down to open up his personal menus.  Within the menus, by use of just his outstretched index finger, he navigated to his inventory where he promptly swapped out his plain stater clothing with his battle gear.  Around his body, from shoulders to feet, a full set of plated red armor formed around Icarus; its golden accents shining in the sunlight pouring upon it.  Along with the armor, an enormous sword to fit his gargantuan stature materialized upon his back; its long handle extending over the top of his right shoulder for easy access when he need to draw it.

By the look of his armor, he was much more than just a boarslayer - unfortunately, that wasn't true.

[Kyr 0]

Well, that was a surprise. Icarus equipped some armor suddenly that demanded Kyr's attention, and the shorter man nodded appreciatively. "Man," he laughed, "you really did a head start. Wish I had some spiffy armor to keep the tusks away."

He went through the motions of inviting Icarus to his party and watched with satisfaction as the window appeared. At least he was starting to get a feel for the system. "Well, all things come with time, I guess," he checked over all his vital statistics- health, energy, experience- and nodded once more. Everything was in order.

The only thing left to do was take on a boar.

"So, I guess you're built a little sturdier than me," he joked, though there was a hint of truth in his words. "How should we tackle this?"

[Icarus 0]

Icarus laughed in response to Kyr's comment.

"You can't blame a guy for not wanting to die," he said in response.  Eventually, their walking brought them to the edge of the safe zone just outside of the North Gate, which bordered the grasslands that were home to countless low level boars.  Plain and simple, it was a hunting ground; however, when you considered the number of newbie deaths that had occurred here, you had to wonder who the true hunters were.  Icarus stopped and turned to face Kyr; his feet were just short of stepping off the cobblestone path and onto the dirt road leading into the fields beyond.

"Here," he said while his hand flicked through his menus.  A moment later, a trade prompt appeared before Kyr.  "This is an old piece of gear I keep on hand.  It's not fancy or good looking but it is practical and it'll keep you safe until you can find something that suits your tastes better."

[Breastplate of Protection]
Rare quality Heavy armor
+18 MIT

"It's heavy and it'll make you look as big as a house but it's sturdy.  You won't have to worry about getting one shot by these foul beasts out here." A light smile wrangled its way onto his lips.  Even though it was a small thing, Icarus felt good about being able to help someone less fortunate than him out in the same way he was helped along when he decided to hit the open road.  "I only ask that you give it back once you've had a chance to upgrade.  There is always someone new out there that could use a helping hand in the beginning.  Does that sound acceptable?"

[Kyr 0]

"Dude..." Kyr widened his eyes as the other player opened a trade window and offered him vaunted protective gear. "I... woah." His mouth gaped a little at the prospect of someone in this world showing him such great kindness. It was a first, to be sure. But to Kyr, one small act of kindness had the potential to spark a storm to follow it. "Absolutely, I'll give it back. Heck, I don't mind giving it back after we finish here, it's more than enough that you're willing to let me use it at all."

He gladly accepted the trade and quickly equipped the item. Kyr almost fell forward unexpectedly as the unfamiliar weight caused his center of gravity to shift, and though it was hardly as bulky as some of the higher level armor, to an inexperienced player it was something to get used to. "This'll help keep me alive for sure," he said gratefully. "Thanks a ton, man!"

With that caveat in place, Kyr was much more enthusiastic about moving forward. "Alright, let's give these boars hell! I want to see what I can do now that the odds are evened."

He readied his blade and strode out into the field, for the very first time confident that he would not die. This time, he had Icarus watching his back.

[Icarus 0]

"Don't worry about it.  I wouldn't be any better than Kayaba if I simply stood idle while others put themselves in harm's way when I knew I could help by some means."  Icarus nodded in response to Kyr's enthusiasm.  He meant what he said; it was a very small thing for him to do.  Soon after the trade took place, Icarus turned on heel and followed his companion as he headed out into the boar populated field.  The fluidity of his stroll was disturbed only when he reached over his shoulder and took a hold of Alondite.  The heavy sword was pulled free with a jerk and swung around to the front of him, where he held it outward with its pointed blade aimed toward the first boar that caught his eye.

"I'll take the first round and try to keep the beast's hate.  Regardless of the outcome, I think it's safe for you to follow after - the boar shouldn't pose much of a threat to you with that armor equipped.  Let's have at it, then!"  The speed of his footsteps quickened the closer the boar wandered toward them.  Soon, Icarus was in a full sprint forward with his weapon raised over the edge of his shoulder in preparation of an attack.  As easily as he had raised the sword, he brought it down into the tusked mob as the distance between them disappeared.  An orange, luminescent gash remained where his blade had carved a path, leaving the animal already wounded when it struck at him with a retaliatory charge.

The mob connected with his armor and the enchantment of his thorns enhancement triggered.  The boar was finished off before Kyr even had the chance to take a swing at it.  A frown was present on his lips when he turned to his dark haired companion.  "I apologize.  I didn't think it would topple so soon."

Spoiler

ID# 50685 | BD: 7 | MD: 6

Icarus deals 3 damage to Frenzied Boar.
Frenzied Boar deals 1 damage to Icarus.
Frenzied Boar sustains 14 damage from Thorns.

Icarus: 19/20 HP  5/5 EN
Boar: -7/10 HP

Icarus receives +1 material.

 

Edited March 9, 2016 by Icarus