[PP-F4] Reverend Hail

[Sey 0]

Sey figured that maybe he should calm down on the spamming of quests. Leveling up and gaining things was nice, but it would not be too fun if everything was a game of grinding. On top of that, one goes insane from having too much work. The community focused mainly on grinding, so he was not quite sure what to do with his free time. However, to make sure to keep his sanity and stress levels in check, he refrained from taking anything that would put the load on him. So what could he do? He decided to just walk around to see all of winter in its splendor on the fourth floor. However... Doing this was costly, since he would already feel the tips of his hair spiking up from how insanely cold it was in a safe zone. Armed with nothing but his uncommon heavy armor, he was left to be cold and rub his arms over his chest. Yeah... This was not something he was quite accustomed to. But where was a winter coat when he needed one? Regardless, he just wanted to see the sights on the floor, so the freezing cold was only an obstacle trying to prevent him from doing so. To defy this, he pressed on anyways towards the edge of the safe zone.

[Itzal 0]

Just as Sey had decided to take a break from quest grinding, Itzal was forcing himself to slow down from all the level grinding himself.  He did this from time to time.  He liked to enjoy himself by either relaxing in a few spots, or hanging out with his friends.  Particularly Kasier.  Today he was scouting the fourth floor in order to find a decent spot here.  It had taken a long time but he finally got over the cold.  He had his twilight cloak, a deep purple trench coat with a silver vest and dark brown pants that kept his body warm, as well as the survival skill, and yet he had still found this floor very discomforting.  And indeed while he still didn't like visiting it as often, he refused to leave it unscouted.  He needed to know where everything was, or at least he felt like it.  As he traveled he spotted something, or, someone.  The player had silver hair he noticed.  He'd been seeing a lot of players with hair like silver or red lately...  Odd.  He made his way over to the player and as he did so, activated his detect mod to check the vicinity.  Satisfied there were no other players hiding, he waved to the player and made his way over.  When he was within earshot he spoke.  "Hey there!  You taking a walk to huh?  Mind if I join you?"

@Sey

[Sey 0]

His snowy white hair would end up spiking even worse than it was normally, flailing in the wind like raging thorns lashing out against an intruder. The winds were not so comforting as well, he might as well have not worn any clothing and he'd still obtain the same results. Fortunately, he had been stopped by a player from behind, calling out to him for attention. Turning his back around, he'd see another player with gear much more advanced than he own. At this point in time, that was nothing of a surprise to him. This character looked rather different, not so heavily armed with armor like Jonathan had been. More casual in fact, nothing that seemed too battle-ready. Then again, there were many builds that had many purposes, this one might just be a sneaky one. A thief perhaps. However, despite this being a possibility, he seemed friendly. If that trait alone was not good enough, his black hair definitely stood out among the snowy setting. "Yeah, I wanna see some things here. Haven't quite gone here yet. Feel free to come, I could most certainly use the company." The offer had been accepted before placing his palms in his pockets to keep them warm. "Anywhere specific you are aiming to travel towards?"

[Itzal 0]

When the player turned to him he seemed to analyze him before replying.  Which was a good thing to be honest.  Itzal smiled at the player when he said he could join him and shook his head at the question.  "Not really.  I was looking for any good spots to hang out when I saw you."  As he joined the player he held his hand out for a handshake with a smile.  "My name's Itzal by the way.  Nice to meet you!"  As they walked he noticed two things:  The player was wearing what looked like, 'decent' heavy armor...  Was this player a tank by any chance?  Or.  Perhaps a healer?  Either way the front lines would need someone like that.  The second thing was that the player was attempting to keep himself as warm as possible.  "Hey, you need something warmer?  I can lend you my Twilight cloak if you'd like.  I can wear my armor while you do.  The armor keeps me warm as well.  Also, are you aiming to become a tank or healer by any chance?"

@Sey

[Sey 0]

All right, so this guy was just looking for some areas to hang around. A casual answer, one that certainly did reveal the common half smile of the snowy-haired player. However, th next sentence definitely had his interest. That name... Itzal, that one has definitely been told to him before. Twice, three times including this encounter. Sey had great memory recollection, it did not take him too long to figure out where he had heard it. And if he were correct... "Oh shoot! This dude is a Paladin! Take it easy Sey, keep cool. Breathe! Keep calm! I SAID KEEP CA-" His mind was kind of on an alert right now, since this was definitely a moment for him that was far too rare. At least his shivering and chills had an excuse, considering the setting they were in. "N-nice to meet you to." It did not take too long for him to regain his composure. Placing his fist against his own lips, he would clear his throat before continuing. "My name is Sey." As long as he kept his cool, things should be fine. Besides, at the end of the day, this was just another human being he was talking to. And as a Businessman, he can't let his emotions get in the way of a conversation. "Are you sure? I'm sure you could use the cloak than I can." Double standards, he was really hoping for that cloak, but he was just trying to be polite. As for the final question... How does he explain it? It did not come across too well to Jonathan, but he seemed to get it. So maybe as long as this man understood... "Well... I'm not aiming to be like any of the four builds. I'm aiming to make my own, a balanced set. Used for all four purposes, while not mastering any of them, not having any corners left uncut. I focus on damage and mitigation mainly, but I want to use healing skills and luck, if you get what I mean."

[Itzal 0]

Itzal saw a flicker of shock in the player's eyes but he didn't bother with it.  Perhaps he thought he saw a monster nearby, but of course Itzal would have detected it before Sey did.  He smiled.  "Nice to meet you Sey!  And yes, go ahead and use it.  Like I said my armor does the same thing.  I just don't go around with it on all the time due to..  Um..  Reasons.  This outfit is a lot more nicer and less intimidating so to speak."  He went ahead and opened his menu and switched to Niger Natio (image in journal) and pulled out his Twilight Cloak, handing it to the player.  He went ahead and pulled the hood and mouthpiece off before he heard the player's reply.  Why do players always assume it's luck?  he wondered.  It's because they can't figure out that it's percentage rate.  He stopped thinking to himself and replied.  "Balanced huh?  Well that's not uncommon in video games to be honest.  It's difficult to master but if you pull it off then you'd open up a whole lot of strategies and tactics.  Especially since you could switch from tank to dps, vice versa, help scout or gather, and then being a healer would be essential.  In fact, tanks and healers are the most needed currently."

@Sey

[Sey 0]

"All right, thanks then. It's a huge help." he would reply in turn, accepting the offer of having a cloak to help him through the cold. It was to keep him warm, but what else did it do? he might as well know if he were to equip it for the moment. If it did nothing, it did not matter since it was never expected to provide him with something to fight with. After all, heavy armor is what is needed right now. "But how often do you see them here? I have been told that it's one of the four builds that you expect to find. As for tanks and healing, I think those go hand in hand, though I don't think many people like the fact that their purpose is to take hits. I don't mind, as long as the damage is lessened and healed." With that, he then noticed something. What about him? Itzal did not seem like a tank for sure, but possibly a DPS? A scout? A healer? Any of those three were possible. "As for you? What is your role in combat? I don't think you are a tank, but that's all I can just about assume."

[Itzal 0]

Itzal watched the player accept the cloak and put it on.  When he did his vision should have been enhanced a bit due to the +3 LD enhancement.  When the player asked how often a balanced build was spotted.  Itzal sighed.  "Remember how I said it was hard to master?  It's so easy to want to try everything but SAO is different in two ways:  The first is that this build is harder, much harder, and takes longer to get to the point where you can fight on the front lines safely.  And if it's difficult and a player dies, well there's no second chances here.  Another reason is that due to the stakes players typically want to stick with what they know works rather than take a risk.  Oh me?  I'm a scout.  I specialize in detecting materials, players, and hopefully in the future, finding the boss room.  I can't join this raid though due to it going to be a hard one.  Not to mention my status effects probably won't effect the boss due to it being made of stone.  Extremely high mit, and we're assuming it has powerful AoE attacks which will definitely hit me, and without MIT I'd be destroyed.  So I'll be sitting this raid out."

@Sey

[Sey 0]

True, it probably took longer than expected. But that was the point, was it not? To grind through the game to earn what you want? Go the fast way, and you leave yourself exposed to danger. He did not want to leave openings, and he was not saying that he wanted to master everything either. He just wanted a bit of everything, to be useful in many ways. He was going to main mitigation and damage, a mixture of DPS and tank sure. But that did not mean that he would not invest in a certain healing skill every now and then. "I think the wait is worth the risk. Even if I can't master every single thing, I'd love to be a versatile fighter. I've been waiting as it is, what is the point of trying to rush anything?" With that, he would then explain that he was a scout. Dope, someone that is really good with the loot, Sey himself wanted that for extremely rare drops and free items at his disposal. However, he was not going to be a part of the raid? Just because of the lacking ability to put status effects? This was one reason why he would rather not aim for one certain thing, because then he missed out on the rest. "Hey man, I see what you mean when you say more tanks are needed then. I'll see what I can do, maybe one day I can make sure you don't have to miss a raid over something like that. You look for the boss room, so you should reap the benefits as well, right?"

[Itzal 0]

Listening to Sey he wondered what drove Sey.  Was it the thrill?  Excitement?  Entertainment?  Or did he have loved ones too?  Whatever his drive was, Itzal hoped he fought for those who couldn't as well.  "Oh believe me I'm doing anything but rush.  Once I've mastered all the scout skills I'm going to work on adding some damage to my build as well.  Of course that's only when I've completed scout.  See, the front liners need supplies so they can make items for the front lines.  I can get those supplies really easily.  Not only that but I can help find dungeons and chests as well.  I haven't found a chest yet of course but it's only a matter of time.  And that's why I'm trying to increase my picking skill.  Speaking of crafts, have you found yourself a profession?  It's a good way to get col...  Well, if you get customers that is...  And the moment I can enter the boss room without the ridiculous chance of getting myself killed I'll do so.  I doubt I'll ever get a demonic item that I can use myself but it's worth a shot right?"

@Sey

[Sey 0]

He was rather confident and hopeful with what role he had right now. A scout, which he had been told there were plenty, was able to provide those on the front lines a chance at a victory. They were the reasons for the victory in fact based on what he had understood. They are to be appreciated. Besides, he was able to provided himself with some good drops in the process, another plus. "Well that's dope, being able to hold up the weight and then sit back and watch victory! Though I chests are hard to come by I find in this world. The chances for me are not so high I'm afraid, not yet anyways. I plan to change that though, I myself love a good treasure." With that, he would then be told about professions. Being able to have one? Sey was ignorant to the quest that existed, allowing anyone to make it if they had finished the required quest. Now his was very much interested in hearing this. "A profession? Don't you need to get a certain amount of Col to open up a shop or something like that?"

[Itzal 0]

When the player mentioned how great it would be to hold up the weight and then watch the victory.  Itzal looked at the player.  "I know my build is important, but sometimes I wish I could do more to help the frontlines, like what I have isn't enough.  It's hard to just sit back and watch them risk their lives like that.  However I'm too concerned to take the risk.  It's a contradicting feeling that I have.  Oh, speaking of chances, it's not luck.  Luck has nothing to do with it.  It's percentage.  Each player by default has a twenty five percent chance to find materials, and that percentage varies with other elements such as chests or loot drops.  Getting the skills required help increase that percentage chance, and it helps if you know how to look as well.  As for professions there's a quest you can take.  When you finish it you get your profession, get a shop, and some extra materials to start you off.  You can retake the quest too so you can get those bonus materials.  It's real easy actually."

@Sey

[Sey 0]

It was definitely hard for him to understand, because that was exactly it. It did contradict itself, and one thing he knew about that was that there was no way to fight that sort of thing. That was something to be dealt with on their own with their own experiences, words alone won't fix that. Perhaps Sey can help him with increasing his damage output, or perhaps just allowing him to gain mitigation so that he did not get too hurt out on the battlefield. Regardless, this was only an idea. "Whatever you feel you want to do, do it then. I'm sure you will find the answer to both if you keep pursuing an answer." It was all that he felt he could say, words that he said would only be an opinion. It was best not to even give said opinion. The next explanation was that there was no such thing as luck here... Just percentage. Trigger the right end of the scale and you win, and stats can help increase that. "So basically, some are "luckier" than others simply because they have stats that boost their percentages?" He would ask, tilting his head to the side. "I might look into the profession thing, though I'm sure other players do it too if it really is that easy. I need to find something that not many other people have. Competition is fierce I assume."

[Itzal 0]

Itzal nodded to Sey's comment.  Experience was the only way to truly learn anything really.  When Sey replied to his mention on percentages he mentioned the word luck again.  Itzal decided to leave the matter be.  "Yeah pretty much."  Everything was percentage and calculations to Itzal.  Sometimes he felt like an AI himself.  He chuckled when Sey mentioned the bit about professions.  "Well sort of.  Professions that are normally sought out are things like blacksmith, tailor, sometimes Artisans and then Alchemists are big too.  They have the most competition.  Then there's performers, fishermen, cooks and merchants.  They are almost never sought out, though they each have their perks...  Save for fishermen.  However I heard there might be an update coming in to change them up so we'll see about that.  I'm a performer and I've only had three, maybe four customers thus far.  Pretty sad really.  Anyways I plan on making my living off of selling MAT's until the update comes out.  Maybe players will actually visit me then."

@Sey

[Sey 0]

He would continue to speak about the professions and which ones were too full on competition. However, not all of the names were memorized easily, since he had no notebook to jot down any notes or anything. Blacksmith, Alchemist, and Tailor were the three things that he obtained. Then came a few things that were not too much in the field of competitions for now... Which he could take advantage of, but he needed to learn more about them first. If he were going to be stuck with a profession like the other games told him to be, then he needed to make sure that it was the absolute right profession. Then came the word about an update possibly being formed, which gave him a reason to have a break rather than worrying about the task. "If that's the case, I think it would be best to wait until the update comes by. In that case, I can get the information from those professions and see which one is the best investment." With that, he would then address another topic. "I've heard a bit about this group known as the Paladins. And I believe I heard your name among them, the scout of the four. Is this correct?"

[Itzal 0]

Itzal nodded when Sey mentioned waiting.  "Indeed.  Patience is a very good thing to have.  I know a few players who would just rather rush into the fight and destroy it rather than wait until we had the proper items or even scanned the enemy.  One of these seems to be the KoB commander..."  Then Sey said something about hearing him be a part of a group called Paladins.  Itzal chuckled and shook his head.  "While I am a paladin, the group I'm part of is a guild called Celestial Ascendants.  And yes I'm the scout.  The other three are healer, dps and tank paladins.  We take low leveled players who are willing, train them, and help them reach their goals.  If you're ever interested just let one of us know.  We'd like to meet you in person, each of us, before initiating you though.  It's happened one too many times where someone was initiated without our knowledge but we've fixed up that issue."

@Sey

[Sey 0]

With that, he would then be told that the leader of one of the guilds that was not the Celestial Ascendants was one of the reckless people to go without even bothering to do their research. That must have been far too dangerous for their own good, and how they are even alive was amazing. But before bringing that up, the next topic was how he probably should meet all of the Paladins before they do some form of initiation. Fair enough... But... "All right, sounds fine to me! I found two of them though, I found their tank..." He remembered his encounter with Jonathan. As a little bonus, he even had an encounter with Beatbox, who told him just about everything he needed to know. "And now I found their scout. According to a certain member in your guild, the other two go by the names Kasier the healer, and Hikoru the DPS. Though... He also said that you don't find Hikoru, but Hikoru finds you. I need to find all four, correct? I believe Jonathan can vouch for me."

[Itzal 0]

Sey seemed to accept the idea of meeting the four paladins rather easily he thought.  He looked like a nice guy and seemed eager to join the guild.  He smiled at the player when he mentioned that he had already met Jonathan.  "You have eh?  Jonathan's a good friend of mine.  He was my first training partner.  I think you'll like Beatbox as well.  I still don't know why he wears such flashy outfits though."  In truth he actually did, but it was a rather sad story and Beatbox didn't want many people to know.  Then when Sey mentioned what Jonathan said about Hikoru Itzal couldn't help but laugh.  "Ha ha!  Maybe for him that is!  As a scout I could spot in any time.  While I haven't received the tracking mod yet, I always have detect activated so nobody can catch me by surprise.  Anyways, Hikoru can mess with your head from time to time but he's really a nice guy.  I can help you find him if you'd like."

@Sey

Edited November 20, 2016 by Itzal

[Sey 0]

"Yup, I met Jonathan. The dude helped me out on a quest, gave me a good start. In fact, he was the one who introduced me to the guild in the first place. As for Beatbox, he also helped me out with a quest. Seems like the guild is everywhere, eh?" He would explain before placing his palms in his pockets before he would then hear that he could find Hikoru easily. But again, that just came back to the scout thing. Besides, he was pretty sure it was Beatbox who said it to him, and Beatbox was a DPS. "I'd love the assist to find him. I'm sure he seems like a chill guy. He's the DPS... I'll make sure not to get on his bad side." With that, he would then wonder what his plan was to get contact with the other Paladin. If he DID do such a thing, then that puts 3 out of 4 down. Then Kasier.

Edited November 20, 2016 by Sey

[Itzal 0]

Itzal nodded with a smile.  "Yeah that sounds like Jonathan jumping right into quests.  I've been taking them just a little bit easier I'll admit.  Still doing them of course but not grinding them.  I have been level grinding though.  As for the guild being everywhere, I wouldn't say that.  We're just very active is all."  Itzal listened to Sey talk about Hikoru's bad side and Itzal chuckled.  "I haven't seen his bad side as of yet, though I don't doubt that it exists.  When it's time to be serious he doesn't goof off.  He's a master of stealth in this game, probably the greatest at it.  That's how we met.  He, uh, sort of hit me from the shadows consistently.  Eventually however we got to chatting...  Well Ulises did.  That's not important though, he's a nice guy though he can be annoying at times.  Don't tell him I said that."  He finished with a grin.

@Sey