[F1-PP] Herbal Oddities <Secret Medicine of the Forest> (Takao)

[Brice 0]

Back out into the overworld once again. It had been a while since Brice had gone out into the game's overworld. He had primarily stayed in his shop maintaining a steady income by selling some of his concoctions to both NPC merchants and other players who were passing by. Despite this, he still had to go out on the regular errand run. Whether it would be to by food, go into the market to make more sales, or to retrieve more crafting materials for his shop. In this case, Brice had to fun out into the fields to gather some herbs and other plants for making his potions. As he walks through through the streets of the town near his shop towards the nearby fields, he comes across a a distressed looking woman with a quest symbol above her head. He stops in front of her and she begins to speak to him quickly and in a panicked tone. "Oh please won't somebody help me? Anybody? Please." A quest indicator pops up in front of Brice and he begins to think to himself. Well. It has been a while since I've done one of these. I guess it couldn't hurt. Maybe I'll get something good out of it. He confirms the quest pop-up and the woman seems a lot more relieved now. "Oh thank you young man. My daughter has been very ill lately and I fear that we can't afford the only cure for her. The cure is a <Nepent's Ovule>. I can't go outside the town to retrieve one for myself. It's been too long since I've been out there and I don't think that I would be able to survive out there. I would be ever so grateful if you could go out and find one for me. It would mean the world to me." Brice thinks to himself. Hmm. I've never heard of a Nepent before. He chuckles to himself. It's been so long since I've gone out to fight anything. His face lights up with an idea and he opens up his menu and goes to his friend list. Maybe an old friend wouldn't mind helping me out a bit. He scrolls down the list and find a familiar name. He types in a message, sends it out, and waits at an inn, awaiting his old companion.

Edited February 29, 2016 by Brice

[Takao 0]

A bright flash of light and accompanying sound effects gave clear warning of an arriving player coming through the warp gate of the first floor's main settlement. Punctual as ever, possibly due to his lack of any sort of agenda for the day, the teen trotted down the platform dais and delved into the crowds only ten minutes after his response to the private message had been sent. "This isn't so bad," he thought quietly to himself. "At least it's nicer than any of the new floors we've been unlocking... if not a bit crowded still." He took a mental note of the sheer population, players mixed in with advanced artificial intelligence of whom were denoted with a simple floating cursor above their heads, and he mused over their unexpected numbers.

He made his way to the inn they'd selected for their pre-quest rendezvous and upon noticing Brice, raised his hand in greeting. "'ey Brice!" said Takao, a warm smile accompanying his friendly tone of voice. "What's up?"

[Brice 0]

"Ah. Hi Takao." The young player waves back to his old friend. "I've been doing well. Haven't been out much, but I've been able to keep the shop running. Now speaking of the shop, I was just out and heading over to the fields to gather up some herbs and such for crafting. On my way to the town gates, I ran into this NPC woman. That's why I called you over here." Brice opens up his menu and goes to his quest log. There were hardly any quests listed in the "Completed" tab, but there was one in the "In Progress" tab. He beckoned Takao over to look at the quest. "Apparently she was a quest trigger and gave me this quest right here: 'Secret Medicine of the Forest.' Now I haven't really gone out much or done any quests in a while, so I called you over to see if you'd be willing to help me." He scrolls down to the quest requirements where an image of some kind of bulb was shown. "What the quest needs if for a Nepent's Ovule to be delivered back to her." Brice adopts a more embarrassed tone after mentioning the Nepent's Ovule. "I've um... Never actually fought one before, let along seen one. I was kinda wondering if you wouldn't mind coming along with me just in case things get messy. You wouldn't mind, would you."

[Takao 0]

Takao tilted his head to the side as Brice beckoned him closer and glanced over the shorter male's shoulder, reading over the displayed contents of the menu while he spoke. The quest was familiar to him, though the exact details of his own excursion had become blurry with time, he still remembered the premise. Something about a sick child and a fetch quest typical to the RPG genre. "Oh, I remember that quest." said Takao, straightening his posture as he began stretching his back. "It's not really all that difficult, but the monster that the quest asks you to kill is a rare spawn. Sometimes it can take days of grinding to get the thing to spawn." Despite not being the sort to openly boast about his own abilities, the low level quest would be easy for anybody at his level. "They're low levels enemies and don't have a lot of health. The only real danger is if they swarm you. I bet we could knock this out by evening."

[Brice 0]

"Oh okay. They don't sound all that bad." Brice smiles with relief now knowing that these monsters aren't very strong. "Well I guess if the mob is a rare spawn, we should probably get going now so we can find this thing before nightfall. Let's head out." The player takes his friend with him out to the gates of the town. Outside of the town is a beautiful, wide open field. There were a few other players out there. Some hunting low level monsters and others gathering crafting materials. Brice keeps on one of the trails on the fields. There are a few different trails that lead to other areas and towns, but he was taking the trail to the forest nearest to the town. He hadn't been into the forest very much, but as he entered, he was wondering why he had never checked it out before.The scenery of the area was beautiful. It's hard to imagine that a group of designers had spent so much time on a project like this just to have it turn into a worldwide tragedy. Brice's admiration of the scenery was cut short as a strange plant-like creature jumps out from behind some bushes to surprise them. "That must be one of the Nepents. Well, we better get started." He unsheathes his rapier and adopts a combat stance. Brice dashes forward for a jab attack, but the Nepent uses it's vine-like appendage to trip him. The player is able to roll quickly from the trip back onto his feet just in time to block the incoming attack of the Nepent. He raises up his sword and blocks the monster from whipping him with it's vine. "Don't worry." Brice reassures Takao, not wanting to make him come in to save the day. "I've got this."

ID: 49624 

BD: 3 (+1)

Brice

HP: 16/16

Energy: 4/4

 

MD: 5 

Little Nepent: 7/7

Edited February 29, 2016 by Brice

[Takao 0]

"Agreed," said Takao, abiding to the decision to head out as soon as possible. The first floor was large, supposedly the largest of the floors Castle Aincrad had to offer, and traversing the open landscapes and long winding paths through fields and forests alike was no simple excursion. "It's about three kilometers from the north exit, so it shouldn't take long to get there." The beginning of their journey to the quest item's location lead them across the pleasant environment, with some players scattered here and there, even fewer yet of those some locked in combat with the lower level monsters that inhabited the floor. "It's amazing there're still monsters to hunt down here." Takao mused aloud, letting his thoughts wander and turn to words while jade eyes examined their surroundings. "I guess most people move on before they wipe them all out."

His idle observation was cut short by the appearance of a flowery monster. It had no eyes, stood a foot or two shorter than himself, and shuffled closer on its prehensile roots that acted as some bastardized limbs. Takao's hand was instinctively at his sword the instant he laid eyes on the monster, not moving from his spot as Brice engaged it. The blade was pulled free just a few inches, revealing the two-toned blade that was typical for his weapons, and waited. "Alright, I'll let you handle it." He declared, allowing Brice the opportunity to engage it alone despite being prepared to step in if he saw their scuffle turning sour.

[Brice 0]

Brice relaxes a bit more from his blocking stance and thinks to himself briefly. Well this is what I get for not going out very much. Let's try that again. He lunges forward at the monster once again, but the Nepent dodges to the side and attempts to whim him once more. Anticipating that it woulld attack again right after his attack, he hits the vine out of the way with his sword before it could hit. Dang it. I should've gotten a little bit of practive in before this. I really need to shake off the dust. Brice begins to grow somewhat annoyed with how he keeps missing and only hopes that this is just a fluke. Still, he cant help but chuckle a little bit that he and his opponent had each missed twice in a row. "Don't worry. I've still got this."

ID: 49674

BD: 4 (+1)

Brice

HP: 16/16

Energy: 4/4

 

MD: 3

Little Nepent: 7/7

Edited March 3, 2016 by Brice

[Takao 0]

Fingers idly tapped on the handle of his sword as he watched Brice battle with the Nepent. His feet shifted apart slightly, ready to strike yet never once moving from where he stood. He had too much respect for Brice's decision to fight along to step in even after another exchange of misses. It wasn't so much frustrating to watch as it was worrying. He'd seen too many battles end abruptly to trust even the slightest slip up, which he used to justify his battle-ready stance. "Ah, it's uh... it's all good, man. Just don't do anything stupid or uh... or crazy." 

[Brice 0]

Brice takes a deep breath and gathers himself. As he does this, the Nepent takes the opportunity to attempt to strike him. It lashes out at him with one of its arms, but Brice see this and is able to duck under it just in time to dodge it. In a fluid motion straight from the dodge, he dashes at the plant monster and thrusts his sword at it. His sword strikes the creature's "torso", causing it to be knocked back a little bit. "Finally. There we go." Brice mutters to himself.

ID: 49847

BD: 6 (+1)

Brice

HP: 16/16

Energy: 4/4

 

MD: 3

Little Nepent: 6/7

Edited March 3, 2016 by Brice

[Takao 0]

A breath of relief escaped Takao's lungs as Brice landed the first hit. The brunette pulled his sword from the scabbard and swung it down to the ground, piercing the digital soil with its tip to stick it into the dirt. Takao slowly slumped down and reclined in the grass, though his eyes never left the scuffle going on before him. "Good hit, man!" Takao said, offering a few simple words of encouragement. "Let me know if you need me to step in or somethin'."

[Brice 0]

Brice hears Takao's words and turns his head to him with a smile. "Thanks!" His eyes widen as he sees a strange figure approaching his ally. Another Little Nepent had taken this opportunity to sneak up behind Takao. "Takao! Behind you!" Before Brice could turnn his attention back to his opponent, it had struck him fromm behind. "Damn it..." The boy mutters to himself. He picks himself up and charges at the plant-like monster. He runs past the creature, striking it on its "face."

As Brice takes care of his Nepent, Takao has his own sneak up on him. Although Brice had yelled a warning to his ally, the monster was still able to use the element of surprise to succesfully strike the other boy.

ID: 50049

BD: 8 (+1)

Brice

HP: 12/16

Energy: 4/4

 

MD: 9

Little Nepent: 4/7

 

ID: 50055

MD: 8

Little Nepent: 7/7

[Takao 0]

Takao's head tilted and he glanced up from the ground, looking at the Nepent closing in from behind. "Oh, huh. Didn't see that one coming." He said, chuckling lightly to himself as he rolled his weight onto his back, then proceeded to kip up back to his feet. The monster's vine smashed into the ground where he'd been laying previously, kicking up dust after having missed Takao by a small margin. In retaliation, the brunette pulled his arm back and rested the blade over his shoulder. The length of his two-toned sword began to glow red and emitted a low hum, both auditory and ocular cues that the sword art was ready for use. He stepped forward and sliced the Nepent in two, reducing its health to nothing in the single swing. "You still good over there?"

- -

» ID : [[ 34047 ]]
» BD : [[ HIT (5 + 3(ACC)) ]]
» MD 2 : [[ MISS (8 - 3(EVA)) ]]

« Brice »
[[ 12/16 HP ]]
[[ 4/4 Energy ]]

« Takao »
[[ 169/169 HP ]]
[[ 40/41 Energy ]] «Slant» used. (-1 Energy)

« Little Nepent 1 »
[[ 4/7 HP ]]
« Little Nepent 2 »
[[ 0/7 HP ]] [[ 13(DMG) * (1*1) = -13HP ]]

[Brice 0]

"Yeah. I'm alright. It just caught me by surprise." Brice calls out to his ally, keeping his focus on the current enemy as to not be take off guard again. "Are you alright? Did it get you?" The boy knew that Takao was most likely fine, but it wouldn't hurt to just check. After responding, he jumps forward and attempts a jab at his Nepent's body. It hops to the side, dodging the jab, and lashes out with both of its limbs. Brice ducks and slides away from the attack, clearing one vine and barely dodging the other one. He mutters to himself. "Now if I can only manage to hit this thing again."

ID: 50152

BD: 4 (+1)

Brice

HP: 12/16

Energy: 4/4

 

MD: 1

Little Nepent: 4/7

[Takao 0]

Takao glanced up at his health gauge, not having taken special care in ensuring that he'd dodged as a product of his own confidence. The things on the first floor just didn't hurt him, at least not a noticeable amount. "Yeah, I'm good. It didn't get me, my equipment's kitted out with evasion buffs." he said, taking a moment to think. He had a plethora of old gear in his inventory even now, and it seemed as though Brice was still using some low level equipment. The brunette swung his blade up and slid it into the scabbard as he watched their bout continue. "'ey, hurry up with that guy! I think I've got some gear you can use when you're done."

[Brice 0]

"Oh okay. That's good to hear."Brice chuckles a bit while still keeping an eye on his opponent. "It must be pretty easy for you to go around places like this with you gear and experience."The boy lunges at the plant monster with his blade. As he gets near it, the Nepent trips him with its vine-like arm. He falls and his sword clangs on the ground next to him. Brice looks up to see that his health guage is nearly halfway empty. Suddenly the small plant-like creature began to look a bit more intimidating than when he had begun the fight. "Um... I think I could. Use a little help over here." Brice calls out to Takao, hoping to get a little assistance.

ID: 50312

BD: 2 (+1)

Brice

HP: 9/16

Energy: 4/4

 

MD: 8

Little Nepent: 4/7

[Takao 0]

"Gotcha buddy." Takao said as he stepped in for Brice. Just beyond the single Nepent he'd been fighting, three more rapidly approached. scuttling along in an unsettling manner using the roots that connected to the ground. Takao shook his head and prepared a single sword art, waiting until all four were within his range before he released its minuscule wrath unto them. When the sword art was through, four sources of colourful pixels erupted like confetti before shortly disappearing into oblivion. "Alright, so the Nepent we're looking for has a little red flower on top of its head. If we're lucky, it'll drop it and we can go home. But, before then..."

Takao swiped open his menu and turned to Brice, offering up a trade of two items. "It's not much, but it's what I have on me. It should help you dodge a bit, I think."

Traded Items

Ironhide Coat -- +2 Evasion, +1 Savvy
Hunter's Shirt -- +1 Evasion

- -

» ID : [[ 51513 ]]
» BD : [[ C.HIT (10 + 3(ACC)) ]]
» MD 2-4 : [[ MISS (3 - 2(EVA)) ]]

« Takao »
[[ 169/169 HP ]]
[[ 39/41 Energy ]] «Horizontal» used. (-2 Energy)

« Little Nepent 1 »
[[ 0/7 HP ]] [[ 13(DMG) + 2(Critical) * (1*1) = -15HP ]]
« Little Nepent 2 »
[[ 0/7 HP ]] [[ 13(DMG) + 2(Critical) * (1*1) = -15HP ]]
« Little Nepent 3 »
[[ 0/7 HP ]] [[ 13(DMG) + 2(Critical) * (1*1) = -15HP ]]
« Little Nepent 4 »
[[ 0/7 HP ]] [[ 13(DMG) + 2(Critical) * (1*1) = -15HP ]]

[Brice 0]

Brice stands up and grabs his sword off the ground. "Thanks for that." The boy looks a little dissapointed with himself. "I guess I am a little glad that you came over when you did. I wouldn't have wanted to be there when those other three got here." He sheathes his sword and dusts himself off. A pop-up alert appears in front of Brice, notifying him of the trade request from his friend. "Thanks for the gear by the way." The boy tries to sound grateful, but there is a hint of negativity in his voice. Nevertheless, he opens up his menu and equips his new items. "Okay then. I guess it shouldn't bee too hard to find the varient then." Brice looks up at his health guage as it slowly regenerates. "I think I should wait a little bit and wait to regenerate before looking for this thing. Maybe I'll look around for some herbs and other crafting materials whild I wait to finish healing up. You can look for the variant while I heal up if you want." With that , Brice heads walks around looking for patches of herbs and other plants. The search didn't take too long. After a little bit of searching, he was able to find a mushroom patch. Unfortunatly, the only mushrooms he could find there were almost completely rotted out. "Eww. I'm not gonna be using those for any types of experimenting."

Items Obtained

Ironhide Coat (+2 Evasion, +1 Savvy)
Hunter's Shirt (+1 Evasion)

Brice

HP: 12/16
Energy: 4/4

ID: 51736 LD: 14

Result: Failure

[Takao 0]

Takao rolled his wrist and idly spun the blade in his grasp as he glanced around. His ear twitched as Brice spoke, alluding to his attention being on the other boy. "No problem, dude." He said in response, though his gaze continued to watch their surroundings. A rest was in order for Brice, but Takao felt more than capable of continuing on. He didn't want to wander far, just in case something were to go wrong, but a quick look around wouldn't hurt. "Go ahead 'n rest up. I'll have a quick look around and see if I can find a variant wandering around." He said, swinging his sword up to rest the flat across his shoulder. "If somethin' happens and you need me to come back, just scream in horrifying agony." A small grin crossed his face as he joked, waving off his sense of humour as he started off in a random direction. "Nah, but really, just holler if you need me! I'll be nearby."

In a few seconds, Takao disappeared into the underbrush. The forest wasn't particularly easy to navigate once a player wandered from the path, yet Takao was all too familiar with it. He'd gone hunting in the woods before when he had taken his first steps toward the vanguard, and had spent many an hour lost in the seemingly endless woodlands. His mindless wandering appeared fruitful almost immediately, as he noticed what he was looking for. A Nepent, identical in description to those they fought earlier, yet with one small difference. A flower grew from its head, resulting in a wide grin grew on Takao's face. "Bingo."

It took only a pair of precise cuts to take the monster down. He shrugged off the post-motion freeze effect that followed and glanced down to the menu, jade eyes brightening with excitement. "Hah, yes!" He yelled out, jumping once with delight at having found the supposedly rare item on his first go. That would save them quite a bit of grinding, he imagined.

Takao swung his sword over his shoulder and slid it into the scabbard resting on his back, safely storing it for the very short run back. His grin persisted as he emerged from the underbrush next to Brice. "Ya' boy's rare loot drop game is on point today. Check it." Takao said as he opened up a trade window, offering Brice the «Nepent's Ovule».

- -

» ID : [[ 51796 ]]
» BD : [[ HIT (7 + 3(ACC)) ]]
» MD 1 : [[ MISS (6 - 2(EVA)) ]]

» LD : [[ 19 ]] «Nepent's Ovule» found.

« Takao »
[[ 169/169 HP ]]
[[ 38/41 Energy ]] «Snake Bite» used. (-2 Energy)

« Nepent Variant »
[[ 0/15 HP ]] [[ 13(DMG) + 4(Charge) * (2*1) - 5(MIT) = -15HP ]]

[Brice 0]

Brice's hear perks up as he hears his companion's shout and stands back up reom his gathering. He sighs, having not found anything of use to him and looks around for his friend. He wouldn't have to search for him shough, as Takao cmoes out from some bushes with a grin on his face. "Well that didn't take very long." The boy was actually surprised at how quickly his friend had found the item. Not because he thought the monster would be too stong, but because Takao had said that it might be pretty hard to get it to drop. 

The boy opens up the trade offer sent from his friend and accepts the item. He opens up his inventory to examine it. "I'm still not sure how a plant monster ovule can be a medicine ingredient, but I suppose it is just a game." Brice looks back over to Takao. "How about we head back over to the town. Hopefully the npc will be where it last was." He begins to head off and beckons Takao to follow him. "Let's go."