[PP-F1] A Senpai's Work is Never Done <Itzal and Birdie> Completed

[Itzal 0]

Itzal listened to Birdie ask for him to go easy on her and he smiled.  "Don't worry, it's not an actual duel per cay.  I just need to see how you fight.  Then I can show you a few tips and tricks to help you improve, that's all.  And sure we could go gathering.  If you want to start with the forest then we'll start with the forest.  I don't have a problem with it.  Come on let's go try it out."  He rose to his feet, putting the leftover pizza away and adjusted his jacket.  Birdie seemed resourceful and intelligent.  This shouldn't take very long at all.  They moved into the forest and Itzal turned to her.  "Alright, so we won't do a competition, but I would like to see how efficient you are at getting materials, while fetching some myself.  I need more materials.  Despite not having any customers whatsoever in my shop I have a good feeling like I will.  Not to mention that I'm interested in selling materials as well.  I need the col desperately if I'm going to get a rumor anytime soon.  Goodness knows I could use it."  He looked around for anything he could use.  As he looked he spotted something.  He narrowed his eyes and discovered a shine coming through the tiniest crack in a dead log.  He walked over and began pulling it apart and nearly gasped.  It was a recording crystal.  However it wasn't an ordinary recording crystal.  The crystal was like a combination of sapphire and diamond, and it seemed to hold a small collection of stars inside.  He would definitely make a song for Kasier with this.

ID#  69080  LD:  20+6=26

+1 MAT

@Birdie

Edited October 6, 2016 by Itzal

[Birdie 0]

“Materials make the world go round,” she stated with a half-smile, feeling the analogy worked quite well. Knowing that he wanted to gauge how strong her gathering prowess was, as well as understanding that he was looking for materials himself, she decided that anything she found would go to him – he was using his own time to train her, after all.

Birdie’s expression twisted curiously upon the mention of a rumour. “A rumour? You mean like, the stuff that the information brokers talk about?” She recalled a discussion with Arc about how the brokers worked, though there wasn’t any telling if that’s what Itzal was referring to. “They must be pretty expensive if a player like you doesn’t have the Col for it; how much are you expected to pay for the ‘rumour’?”

Searching through a small pile of leaves and sticks, nothing worthy of material status showed up. She rolled her eyes in disappointment and caught up to Itzal, keeping her eyes peeled along the way.

ID# 69115 | LD 7+3 (No mat)

@Itzal

Edited October 6, 2016 by Birdie

[Itzal 0]

Itzal heard Birdie ask about rumors and he nodded.  "Yep.  Rumors can be anything, but I found out that quite a while ago there were rumors about unique skills you could get.  Four players now have unique skills.  Calrex, the most powerful player in Aincrad at the moment, has one.  Not sure what it does though, I haven't actually had a decent talk with him yet.  However I know it's powerful.  I want to be able to get one myself.  And as for cost, it's a hefty price.  One hundred fifty thousand col.  And I'm currently at a pathetic ten thousand.  So I'll be mob grinding like crazy from here on out.  Anything to get myself some col to be honest."  Itzal scanned the area again but found nothing.  He looked back to Birdie with a smile.  "I mean I think a unique would be great and all, but even if I don't get it it's not the end of the world.  Just a big disappointment for me."  He laughed afterwards and continued searching.

ID#  69118  LD:  5+6=11

@Birdie

Edited October 6, 2016 by Itzal

[Birdie 0]

Most powerful player in Aincrad? Surprised that Itzal had such a connection, she listened on as he explained the requirements to obtain a rumour. “And that’s all for a chance at a unique skill? Jeez, I could only imagine what a person could do with that much Col.. but it’s so worth it if you don’t end up finding a unique skill. I mean- only 4 players in the whole game have one? That’s like a 1 in 2000 opportunity.”

Lowering her gaze to the ground, she came across a small gem protruding from the earth. Picking it up, she tapped Itzal on the shoulder and offered it to him with a smile. "Here~ every little helps," she smiled.

“But yeah, I’m sure you’ll be able to pull it off- you could always come by my shop? The prosperity enhancement grants a little extra Col for each mob you slay, I think it’s up to 60% more?” She shrugged, “What kind of skill would you want to get? Something that fits into your scout role?”

ID# 69121 | LD 14+3 (1 Mat found)

Material given to @Itzal

Edited October 6, 2016 by Birdie

[Itzal 0]

Itzal listened to her words and nodded.  It was true, just extremely difficult to get his hands on.  And that's why he needed to hurry.  Every moment he lagged behind was another chance someone else had of getting their hands on the rumors.  He heard her ask what sort of unique he wanted.  "Well yes I'd like something to help with unique skills, but I'd also like to get my damage up as well.  I do want to help in the front lines after all.  But until then it's all I can do to level grind, col grind and work on my scout stats."  He saw Birdie offer him a material and he smiled.  "Thanks but it's your find.  I find these things really easily with both my skill and my cloak.  Get what you can and use it for whatever it is you need ok?  I was actually considering getting gatherer so that I could start collecting and selling materials.  That might actually help better than my shop right now."  Itzal let out a chuckle after his comment.  "And yeah I think I will.  Keep an eye out for me ok?"  He scanned the trees for anything available but he spotted nothing.

ID#  69127  LD:  2+6=8  Wow XD

@Birdie

Edited October 6, 2016 by Itzal

[Birdie 0]

 

Birdie nodded as Itzal described the ideal unique skill for himself; it made sense, damage was arguably the most important stat in the game world after all. Her smile dampened as the man rejected the material though the reason why seemed fair, and she deposited the item into her inventory. “Alright, if you’re sure- I’ll put it to good use.”

“Gatherer seems really useful, I’m surprised I haven’t seen more players using it. Like, Cooks and Alchemists could stock up nicely on food and potions, and make a ton of Col out of it. “ She sighed, shaking her head to get back to the matter at hand. “Sorry- yeah, you should totally learn the skill. Actually, I wanted to ask you about that, do you think it’s worth me using up 10 SP to grab the skill early?” She glanced sidelong to Itzal, curious as to what he’d advise.

Scouring the ground, no materials seemed to turn up. "Okay, maybe the forest wasn't a good idea. Like.. really not a good idea." The girl sighed, "Do you think we should look elsewhere? Or try something else?"

ID# 69129 | LD 3+3 (No mats found)

1 total

@Itzal

Edited October 6, 2016 by Birdie

[Itzal 0]

Itzal listened to her as she asked him if she should get the skill and he took a pause to answer.  "Well that depends on if you really need materials, for either crafting or selling.  I have plenty of materials simply from searching everywhere I go with my search and detect skill.  Doing so every chance you get is helpful.  If you get gatherer you'll find more materials than you'd know what to do with.  Unless of course you have lots of customers or people willing to buy your materials then you've got no problem and should shoot for it.  Otherwise I'd focus on search and detect.  And we can move elsewhere if you wanted."  He pointed through the trees to the other end where the mountain was.  "See that mountain?  There's a cave over there and it's filled with glowing crystals.  We can search there.  If you want we could walk together or we could race:  You on the ground and myself in the trees.  I'm cool with either."  Itzal looked around real quick and noticed something in the ground, squatted to check what it was and smiled in satisfaction as he lifted up a small ruby.  "Of course there is sometimes more than meets the eye," he said as he lifted it to show her before placing it in his inventory.

ID#  69133  LD:  17+6=23

2 MAT

@Birdie

Edited October 6, 2016 by Itzal

[Birdie 0]

“Materials are usually pretty easy to come by, but I don’t really search for them at every waking moment.” She paused in her walk. “Maybe I should start doing that, I’ll hold off on the skill for now then. My shop doesn’t get too many customers, but with the Frontlines reaching Floor 18, it’s worth considering Tier 3 items will be unlocked for those levelled enough to equip them. Search and Detect would be a lot more helpful- thanks for the advice.” She sent him a thankful smile, her eyes scouring the ground for any immediate materials.

She searched the distance for a mountain ahead, nodding as soon as she spotted it. “A race? I-I haven’t tried running properly since school, but… I’ll give it a try. Plus, there’s no way you could beat me when you’re climbing through trees, monkey boy.” She put on a smile, though her words carried with them a hint of hesitation.

She counted up her gathered materials; an embarrassing one, but better than a straight zero. Birdie unequipped her shawl and sword to ensure she wasn't being burdened by her equipment and turned to face the cave, giving Itzal a brief glance. "Let's search over there then, it's been a while since I've tried to gather inside a cave. Are you all set to go?"

ID# 69117 | LD: 4+3 (No mat)

1 total

@Itzal

Edited October 8, 2016 by Birdie

[Itzal 0]

Itzal listened to Birdie thank him and he smiled to her.  "It's what I'm here for Birdie!"  Itzal then heard her talk about how she hadn't run since school and he nodded.  "Yeah, I've noticed that many players are like that.  Heck I was one of those before I entered SAO.  Of course I did a lot of running in my school years.  Not track, mainly to escape an unsavory group.  However when I entered SAO I knew that the ability to run long distances without tiring out or slowing down would become essential.  And since pain is void in this game it's worth it to push yourself a little.  A friend of mine asked me to teach her and I had her start with exercises she could handle, and I simply extended those exercises when she made progress, or added others.  I won't teach you something you don't want to learn but if you do I won't push you to the breaking point.  It would be a slow and steady sort of thing."  Itzal heard the challenge she gave him and stopped dead in his tracks.  He smiled at her.  "Huh.  Alright.  Challenge accepted.  Just a fair warning though, there are a lot of roots and rocks you'll need to run over to get there.  Sometimes parkour can be easier.  Especially for a master."  He ran up to a tree, jumped onto the trunk and pushed off, grabbing a strong low branch and lifted himself up.  He crouched on the branch in a leaping position.  "On your marks, get set, GO!!!"

@Birdie

OOC- Player with the highest LD gets a head start

ID#  69178  LD:  4.   Figures.

Edited October 8, 2016 by Itzal

[Birdie 0]

'Hm, that isn't a bad way to go about training.. maybe this'll come more naturally than I thought..' Her trail of thought returned to the active conversation, affording Itzal a smile as he assured her it wouldn't be too strenuous. "I'm glad to hear I wasn't the only one. And if that training worked out well for your friend, then I'll try as hard as I can to make it work. I wont let you down with my training!"

Birdie's eye twitched a little. "Eeh.. huh?" She didn't even have time to process his words as Itzal shot up the tree, leaving her to look up to him in a dumbfounded gaze. 'I knew he was fast but not that fast!' Scanning the course ahead, the obstacles she'd soon face became apparent, Birdie put one arm and foot behind the other, crouching her knees ever-so-slightly as she got herself into a ready position. "Especially for a master.. I'll show him-," she whispered under her breath, a light smirk forming as she awaited the countdown.

"GO!!!"

She burst into a run, one foot pushing into the ground as her legs carried her forwards.

ID# 69224 | LD: 8 

@Itzal

Edited October 10, 2016 by Birdie

[Itzal 0]

OOC- An LD will be rolled for each of our turns.  1-2 will result in that player falling behind the other.  3-18 will result in catching up/falling back to the other.  9-10 will result in getting ahead of the other.  +LD will be active, however a 1-2 will nullify the +LD...  Unless you want to just say who wins and rp the rest

Itzal watched her shoot off and found that she was a good runner, probably a sprinter like Itzal.  Of course he had trained himself to sprint or run, depending if the situation needed to be quick or long range.  He began working to catch up with her.  He leaped from one branch to the next, starting slow but quickly picking up the pace until he was traveling just as fast as Birdie was. 

ID#  69227  LD:  11+6=17 = Caught up with Birdie

As he made his way across the branches he focused his eye on the end, the branches at the end of his vision, barely seeing them.  He relied on instinct and reaction skills, only glancing downward with the more harder to place branches.  As he did he gradually sped up his pace until he was at last even with Birdie, although he didn't realize it.  Parkour was amazing in his mind, and while he only used it to escape the bullies in the real world, in here he could use it almost all the time.  It was incredible, the adrenaline rush.  So entertaining, so exciting, it was so amazing!  And while others saw it pointless, he didn't care.  Everyone was allowed to have their own opinion.

@Birdie

Edited October 10, 2016 by Itzal

[Birdie 0]

Birdie felt the wind rush by, the hair on the bluenette's head waving in the air as she sped along the path. Her eyes showed fierce determination, narrowed and zeroed in on the path ahead. 'Come on, come on- gotta win! ' She felt invigorated, ready to tackle the world- motivation she hadn't possessed since her first unassuming moments in the game.

As she looked up to the trees beside her, a peculiar figure flowed through the branches up high, catching up to her with ease. Her face showed surprise at how fast he'd managed to catch up, before contorting into a competitive scowl as she snapped her eyes back to the path.

ID# 69266 | LD: 18+3=21 | Birdie pulls ahead of Itzal

To Birdie's benefit the path began to lead downhill, and she felt her pace quicken. A grin wrapped around her lips and she shot a glance at Itzal, watching him slowly recede into the distance. Feeling her foot almost slip, she gasped and focused her attention on running once more, watching as the cave grew ever-so-slightly closer.

@Itzal

Edited October 11, 2016 by Birdie

[Itzal 0]

Itzal watched as Birdie made good use of an upcoming path that went downward.  Itzal noticed the same on his end.  However his was a little more steep.  Instead of the ground slowly descending downward, it made a sudden drop.  And with that sudden drop the trees also dropped.  He needed to decide how he would perform his next maneuver quickly, because the wrong reaction could be dangerous.  However, that was the life of a parkourist.  They took risks.  As he neared the edge he came up with a plan.  The trees nearing the edge were getting smaller which meant he wouldn't need to climb to achieve his goal, which would require he be on the top of a tree.  When he reached the edge he spotted a bendable branch and jumped at it, forcing it to bend and when it reached it's most bendable point he leaped off of it.  He soared through the air until he fell far enough.  He spotted an inevitable vine and grabbed it with precise accuracy, sliding it through his hand to slow his fall before grabbing a second vine.  When he was slow enough he let go and continued to leap across branches.  He checked real quick on Birdie's progress he noted that he was now in the lead.

ID#  69272  LD:  20+6=26  Made it ahead of Birdie

@Birdie

Edited October 12, 2016 by Itzal

[Birdie 0]

Birdie glanced at Itzal for only a second, but it was enough to catch him in the middle of the mid-air manoeuvre. Her jaw from almost hit the floor at the sight and she fixated her attention to the approaching path- 'We're going up now? Really?!'

The ascending slope dawned on the girl and she knew she'd lose by a landslide by traversing it. Frantically searching for other options, Birdie immediately diverted to the right on another path, leading her around the small hill and a little ways out from where she hoped to end up.

She lost sight of the trees and thus couldn't see Itzal by proxy, and her feet began to ache as they overworked themselves. Years of not running led her to stumble a little as an aching pain shot through her leg, though she couldn't give up.

Turning a corner, she found herself back on track and spotted the cave in the distance. '200, 250 metres at the most,' she thought. Glancing nervously over her shoulder, she could barely see Itzal wading through the trees a little ways behind. 

ID# 69394 | LD: 18+3 | Takes lead over Itzal

@Itzal

Edited October 13, 2016 by Birdie

[Itzal 0]

~Race ends in two more posts

Itzal saw Birdie run around the hill and he looked at the top.  With the right balance, speed and movement he could reach the top fairly quickly on the trees.  The high vantage point would give him gravity as his ally.  With gravity he could increase his speed tenfold and although that meant more danger, life wasn't fun without a little excitement.  He began to leap up the trees.  Normally these movements would be getting him higher up the trees, but with the slope he was ascending the trees like one would stairs.  Occasionally he'd use hanging vines to help pull himself up faster.  Normally this would leave him far behind, however when he reached the top of the hill he found himself fairly even with Birdie in distance.  And now he had gravity at his side.  This was it.  The final stretch.  He wondered what the outcome would be.

ID#  69408  LD:  6+6=12  Caught up with Birdie

@Birdie

Edited October 14, 2016 by Itzal

[Birdie 0]

'We're getting close,' she thought, watching as the cave's entrance fast approached. If she could just keep up her pace, she knew she'd be able to steal the victory-

Her eyebrows pulled inwards. 'Dang it!' Swinging from vines and jumping across branches beside her, the image of her brown-haired friend flashed every so often through the leaves of the trees, managing to keep a steady pace with her. How he managed to catch up after that lead she'd never understand but it didn't matter much now, and with the end of the race swiftly approaching, she became desperate in her search for ways to overcome him.

Pain seared through her chest, the girl's pounding heart begging for the exercise to come to an end. She couldn't push on, finding herself deadlocked at the pace she currently ran at. At this rate, she'd slowly begin to pull behind and lose the race..

'Just a little more!'

ID# 69444 | LD: 13+3=16 | Even with Itzal

@Itzal

Edited October 14, 2016 by Birdie

[Itzal 0]

ID#  69467  LD:  5+6=11  It's a tie!

By the time Itzal hit the top he had gravity on his side, and moved quickly downwards, dangerously leaping across the branches with intense speed on his way down.  By the time he reached the bottom the forest ended and he rolled on the ground.  When he began to run he spotted Birdie, who seemed out of breath.  He looked at the cave and estimated that they'd reach it about the same time.  And lo and behold they did.  Itzal slowed down his running before he hit the cave, as it was important to slow down first rather than make an instant stop.  When he did he continued to walk around, as it was also important to keep walking after a run to give your lungs a chance to keep up.  "That was...  A good run...  Great job!"  After he gathered enough air he stopped walking and shook her hand.  "I've never known anyone who's been able to keep up with me.  Impressive."

@Birdie

Edited October 15, 2016 by Itzal

[Birdie 0]

"Yeah-" frantic breaths escaped her lungs. "Good.. run.." Birdie slowed down to a near instant stop, coming to rest by the stump of a fallen tree. She leant back against it and rested her tired arms on her knees, blue hair covering her eyes as she took a moment to recover.

Hearing the footsteps of her teacher, she stood up and composed herself properly, a faint smile appearing as he complimented her on the speed she displayed. "T-thanks," she replied, shaking his hand with a polite bow. "You were amazing too- I have no idea how you managed to keep up so consistently." Her eyes dipped to the ground for a moment, "It felt good to start running again, though I might need to sleep off some of the aching.." Birdie groaned, a lasting pain felt in her back.

She looked to the entrance of the cave, peering into the hollow hole in mountainside. "Looks like we made it- why did we come over here again?" 

@Itzal

Edited October 15, 2016 by Birdie

[Itzal 0]

OOC- Sorry for the wait!  We can close it after your post if you want

He heard her comment and chuckled.  "The key to keep your heart and lungs from aching so much comes in two parts:  The first is train your lungs and heart to handle that kind of length by doing daily runs, extending it every time it becomes easy.  The second is this:  When you run or sprint, never suddenly stop.  Walk the energy off and give your body time to slow down.  Otherwise you end up hurting yourself.  Oh yeah, as for the muscles, just stretch each day, get them flexible.  Otherwise that will happen.  As for why we're here, we were going to look for materials since our luck hasn't been well back there."  His eyes scanned the area and he spotted a large wooden log.  Walking over he picked it up and noticed it's unusual quality.  Royal wood he realized.  He placed it in his inventory and looked to Birdie with a smile.  "When we're done here I'll start setting up a schedule for us to train.  Is there any time or day you aren't available?"

ID#  69696  LD:  20+6=26

+1 Royal wood

@Birdie

Edited October 19, 2016 by Itzal

[Birdie 0]

"Now that you mention it, I remember the teachers telling us something like that in PE class.." Birdie absorbed the information like a sponge, running it through her head a few times to remember it properly.

As Itzal jogged her memory of why they were there she gave an enlightened nod, and as he walked away in search of a material, she began looking around too. "Hm, my morning routine is busy most days and I'm at the shop for a few hours around lunch.. how do afternoons sound? Are you free then?"

'Is that one of those fancy logs?' Birdie strolled over to a nearby tree, picking up a lump of wood from the ground. Inspecting it for a moment, she stashed it away in her inventory with a smile and returned to Itzal. "Speaking of being done here, would it be alright if we cut the day short a little? My bird's been at the shop for a few hours now, I don't really like leaving her on her own for too long.." She met Itzal's eyes with a nervous look on her face, hoping he wouldn't take her request badly.

ID# 69700
LD: 20 <<Gained 1 Noble Wood and 1 Material>>

Birdie's Loot:
1 Noble Wood
2 Materials

Edited October 19, 2016 by Birdie