[PP-F1-NK] Advancement

[Sey 0]

Feeling a little homesick, he was trying to find a way to get an orchestra to play this one certain song that he liked back in the past. It was made by an indie artist, so that did not really help his case in finding someone, still though, he was looking anyways since he figured that at least one person in the game might know. But then he would lose focus on that and look through the town of beginnings. The real reason why he was on this floor was because he had a shop on it. It was a restaurant, and he was interested to see if some new players left some orders for him to make for them. Other than that, he was just walking through town to see what he could find, though all he usually saw were green crystals and lots of confused players. This poor floor, if only the people asked for help from each other or from a higher leveled player, that would make their lives a lot easier on them. It was none of his business though, he got out of there and progressed to the point where he could be independent.

[Kooh 0]

While the bright sun hung overhead, the same as it would on every past and future day in Aincrad, adventurers milled about on the first floor's Town of Beginnings. Going about what they now called their lives, at this point most people who played exclusively on the first floor often gained nothing but a cold shoulder from the more experienced players who would occasionally find themselves back in the massive city--save for the dedicated crafters that had set up shop down here.

In one of the lesser-populated squares, beside the soothing sounds of a large centerpiece fountain, a young girl lay across the dark stones that lined its edges. With her right leg outstretched and her left lazily hanging off over the side, boot flat against the hard bricked ground, Kooh lazed about without a care in the world. Her regular clothing indicated no intention of combat, from her signature thin hooded cardigan to what some might call a revealing pair of shorts. With one arm draped over her eyes to block the onslaught of sunlight from disturbing her, the blonde felt another unproductive day before her.

[Sey 0]

The most interesting thing that he would notice was a girl that seemed to be beside a fountains edge and lying down there. Yeah, that was really there was to it, but she seemed bored out of her mind. That made for the two of them, he might as well approach her, see what she was planning to do... Since it was not painfully obvious enough already. However, he needed to disguise himself, make himself look lower in level. So he would take off the regular equipment he had and would put on a regular hoodie and a pair of acid blue denim jeans, finished off with a pair of sneakers that didn't fit the era, but could be crafted with a good tailor. Fortunately, he had nice tailors to make them for him. With that, he would calmly pace over to her before standing right in front, his shadow possibly covering a half of her body. "Hey there, mind if I sit next to you right here? I need a little place to rest as well. And the sun is not so strong here as it is on the other side." A story for him to tell to hopefully convince her to say yes. The last thing he needed was hostility, and hopefully his clothes would suggest that he was not anyone important.

[Kooh 0]

Despite the limb blocking her vision, Kooh became vaguely aware of a presence growing uncomfortably near. It wasn't until a shadow draped itself over her that she finally pushed away the sleepiness that had threatened to take her away the past while. Only a moment later, a voice confirmed the presence of another player, one that sounded friendly and inquisitive. Lifting her arm to rest against her forehead, Kooh's garnet eyes squinted as the figure standing beside her came into view, sunlight peering around his silhouette as her eyes took a moment to adjust. The girl took half a second to glance the boy up and down, resisting the instinct to raise an eyebrow at him as his words began to register.

Instead, the girl blinked and allowed a small smile to play on her lips. The stranger's demeanor seemed fairly casual, and so she responded appropriately with a light shrug. "Sure, go for it." She replied simply, bringing her arm back down to cover her eyes as she prepared for the sunlight to hit her once again when the boy would move from his standing position.

[Sey 0]

She was rather chill, being able to rest in public like that. Had he not known any better, he might have thought that she would sleep right then and there. But she was nice, smiled, and said that he could go for it. Sounded dope for him. So he'd move to the side of her before sitting onto the edge of the fountain, placing his palms against the rock that the edge provided while he looked up to the sky. "Were you sleeping by any chance? If so, I want to apologize for waking you up. It's just too bright today, and I have spent a bit too much time indoors." It was a small attempt to spark up a conversation with the girl. Fortunately, there were many ways to being able to do this. If she wanted to go back to sleep and she told him that, then he would probably leave her alone since she did not deserve to be bothered. The fountain was at least relaxing, though he felt a bit of paranoia, he would rather not be pushed back against the water, which was why he placed his palms where he did.

[Kooh 0]

A small smirk played on Kooh's lips as she listened to the boy's attempted conversation. While her mind lazily wondered about his reason for approaching her, she humored the situation with her own idle chatter. "It was tempting," She replied simply, still not yet motivated enough to move her body from its lazy position. "but as nice of a day it always is here, the crowds and noise would just keep me awake."

Kooh lifted her arm just enough to let herself glance at the boy now sitting down beside her. She only took a moment to survey him again before returning her sight to darkness, following her answer with a question of her own. "So, what brings someone like you to a boring part of town like this?" The blonde asked with curiosity, keeping her choice of words rather vague. She wouldn't prod too hard, but the boy seemed easygoing enough. She only had to figure out his motives before she could create her own.

Edited December 29, 2016 by Kooh

[Sey 0]

Had he been forced to be blunt, it would be to help the lower players get a jumpstart in their game and allow them to be able to fight for themselves if the time for that ever were to arise. But that sounded arrogant, so he needed to be calm about it. Besides, he was only assuming that this was a lower leveled player. For all he knew, she could have killed him if they were on the outside of the safe zone right now. His arms would unfold in front of him as he leaned his body forward, looking towards the front now as his fingers would lock in on themselves. "Like me? I guess what any player would need, some col right now. But those boars out there, they could most certainly kill a player, so I'm a bit hesitant on trying." More stories, so much for him to remember, it was even beginning to hurt his brain a little bit. He'd then return a question to her, looking to the side and downwards with his violet eyes to the arm that covered her face. "Wouldn't you feel a bit more comfortable sleeping on something soft? I don't think rock on a fountain makes a good pillow."

[Kooh 0]

Unable to feel the boy's eyes on her face, Kooh allowed herself a small frown following his words. 'So he's a broke weakling, huh?' Her thoughts came to her skeptically as she resisted the urge for a third glance. Was this boy at such a loss that he would decide to approach her of all people for help? She surpressed a snort at the idea. Instead, another smirk crawled across Kooh's lips as she idly rocked the heel of her right boot from side to side as she weighed her options. "Mm, you have a point." She started. The girl pulled her right leg to the side to meet her knees together, lifting herself to a sitting position in the same motion. As her eyes flickered open to the bright artificial sunlight hanging overhead, she was grateful for the fast adjustment her virtual eyes provided, though she would have preferred to continue avoiding it entirely.

The blonde sat upright, twisting her body and resting her palms close together on the rough surface. She leaned forward slightly on her arms, meeting Sey's violet eyes with her own as she faced him. "Why, are you offering something?" She asked with a coy smile.

[Sey 0]

If his plan of acting stupid and ignorant to the game worked, he would have never noticed. She did not seem too suspicious of him, not that she was telling him either. A little strand of snowish hair would make it's way in front of his right eye, so he'd use his left hand to flick it to the side. While this distraction occurred, the girl would suddenly be upright, a swift one for sure, since he missed it from those few seconds of distraction. On top of that, she would then look directly into his own eyes as she were taking an offer, though her lips suggested that she was innocent from such a thing. Both his eyes would blink twice before he continued to speak. "Perhaps, perhaps." He'd answer with a sly smile of his own before looking out to the town streets in front of him again. "But I guess if you want to keep sleeping here by the fountain, I guess little ol' me will have to take on the boars alone. It seems like a rather huge load of col to carry around as well." As if he were not carrying enough already. Who knew that acting as a new and weak player would get him far with recruiting members to fight for the frontlines. Teaching them the basics should be a start at least.

Shoving his weight onto his feet, he would push his body forward and stand back up on his two feet. Both his hands would be placed inside of the denim pockets of his jeans. His head would shift to the side while his eyes would do the same, looking down to her with one final question. "Perhaps you care to help me out with that problem?" Sey would offer, though the amount of col that they would receive in the fields was not really what he wanted. Heck, he'll gladly give her all of it with a little bonus from his own pockets. It depends on how much she would like to learn.

[Kooh 0]

Kooh gauged his reaction carefully, maintaining the smirk upon her lips as Sey began to intrigue her. She expected a response similar to the raven-haired scout Itzal, and while she was a tad disappointed with his lack of flustered embarrassment, Kooh cocked her head to the side ever so slightly. Her eyes followed the boy's back as he stood up before he turned to face her again. She wanted to narrow her eyes, to scrutinize his words and decipher a goal from them. His suggestion felt planned, but she couldn't piece together where it started and ended.

The worst scenarios hadn't even run through her mind before she lifted herself to her feet beside him. She had made up her mind, and was now focused on the best method of getting some money that required the least amount of work. The white-haired player was interesting--enough for Kooh to follow along with for now if it meant easy col. At the same time, she didn't want to let her guard down completely. As her hands found their way to the pockets of her cardigan to almost mirror his stance, Kooh looked ever so slightly up at Sey as he could boast a couple of inches on her. "Alright, I'll bite. Who could turn down such an upstanding gentleman in his time of need?"

Edited December 29, 2016 by Kooh

[Sey 0]

What puzzled him the most was how very well-spoken that she was, he honestly felt a little bit outmatched despite obtaining his way at the same time. She was not so quick to agree, yet was able to agree at the same time. Not that he really minded it, the snow-haired player loved a challenge. "Well how noble of you, M'lady. I'm humbled. Now follow me, this probably won't take too long with the both of us taking on the enemies." Of course, he can't go blind in this battle. His armor would give him away if he were to equip it, so it seems like he was going to have to fight without any mitigation for this battle. He let out a small sigh from his lips from such a thought, it was one of his favorite enhancements. As least he has his pocketwatch to increase his accuracy. Placing the tip of his right finger over his face to reveal an HUD screen, he'd flick open the inventory and pressed the Memorilia Spear, a somewhat simple seeming weapon with a music note tattooed to the end of the metal tip.

With that equipped, he would make his way over to the safe zone at a calm pace. Collected was an adjective that he liked to consider himself to be, and this girl probably did not want to go for runs based on her activities. Well, he can't leave a lady in silence. "Is that fountain where you usually sleep? If you don't mind my asking, but if you do, I can shut up about it." Just to be safe as he would cross the borders between the safe zone and the outside world.

[Kooh 0]

'Crap.' Kooh maintained an amused expression as Sey prepared himself and led the way to the closest city gates, but her mind started to scramble. This boy had two things she didn't expect from most people--charisma and wit. She felt she was carrying herself appropriately so far, but he was serious about fighting monsters. She started running through a couple of plans in her head:

She could actually put in effort and do her best to fight some monsters. In the best case, at her current level six, she could probably hold her own and take down a few creatures without taking much damage. At the worst, she probably wouldn't die from just a couple of boars, but embarrassing failure was a possibility. And Sey's reaction could change in so many ways as well--if she somehow manages to impress him by fighting, she would be setting a standard for herself that she wouldn't care to live up to.

On the other hand, her earlier thoughts of appearing weak, scared, or otherwise unwilling to fight were seeming less and less viable. Normally she didn't mind playing the part of a weak girl, but something about Sey and the way they'd interacted so far discouraged her from it.

As her thoughts drifted, Kooh's eyes fell upon the spear Sey carried. While she took a moment to admire its appearance, a sudden wave of dread washed over her as she realized her own lack of a weapon. Since being forced to change her weapon skill, she hadn't gotten around to sweet-talking Cygnus into making a Martial Arts weapon for her. 'Damn, now I've done it...' Kooh quickly regained her composure just in time as Sey spoke up again. They were approaching the outskirts of the city, and already he was back on the topic of her location of choice for lounging around. She frowned just a bit before giving him a sideways glance. "Nah. As comfortable as it looks, I'd rather not sleep in the middle of town if I can help it." While her answer was vague enough to work, she wasn't going to let him have all the personal questions. "What about you? Is there any floor you'd call your home?"

[Sey 0]

The further that they got into the conversation, the more that he felt like his one utmost specialty was becoming useless on her. Somehow, she was able to rip holes through his words, an expert at semantics. Whatever experience she was able to obtain, he himself wanted to go through as well so that being able to read through someone's words would be made as easy as this girl made it. She did technically answer the question, and the motive of knowing where she would usually sleep would result in a failure. It was honestly more out of concern, but they did just meet after all. Despite her being a lower-leveled player, they were both strangers at the end of the day. Still though, he wanted to help her out, and obtaining col from the mobs should do the trick. "That's nice to hear, it would have been worrysome if you actually did." It was a simple reply for a simple Sey. What else was he going to add? Applying pressure to something personal to a stranger was not the best idea.

He would answer the question when they would enter the fields, in which he felt that he could answer honestly. Now she just mentioned which floor that he called home, but that was all. With a smile, he would look back to the town and point towards it with a carefree left pointer finger. "The floor that belongs to that town right there. The town of beginnings, which is appropriate, is it not? It's not too bad, the inns are most certainly nice. Besides, where else would a player here go to for sleep?" He did have a shop here... Fortunately, she did not seem to recognize him or that said shop, which worked in his favor. It had one small humble room with an equally humble little bed for him, but that was it. The rest of it was all restaurant. As they proceeded, he would look towards her to see what she was armed with, only to see... "Hm? Are you okay? Do you you have any weapon so that you can defend yourself? These boars do get a little bit... Annoying."

[Kooh 0]

A smirk once again played on her lips as his responses came without hesitation. He certainly kept Kooh on her toes, so to speak. For a moment she wondered if Sey was trying to figure her out as hard as she was with him. At least she kind of hoped that was the case and she wasn't giving him too much credit. His replies came back just as casual as hers, and she assumed his honesty despite the nagging feeling that his words were also well thought-out. Their conversation so far was interesting to say the least, but if she spent more than a few hours in his company she could already imagine how mentally taxing it would be unless she really wanted to let her guard down.

While his last question was more rhetorical, she let it hang in the air as the pair approached what was more or less their destination--an open section of grasslands with a few boars roaming around a safe distance away. As the computer-generated creatures followed their predetermined paths, grazing around the outside of the city walls, Kooh came to a stop as Sey suddenly turned and questioned her lack of equipment. She offered a tiny frown in reaction, opening up her menus to select a couple of items. Her clothing retained its normal appearance as the vanity items they were, the only addition to her wardrobe being a ruby pendant that nearly matched the color of her eyes hanging around her neck.

"Yes and no." She answered calmly despite her lack of a plan. She didn't like going in blind, but she didn't have much of a choice left. Bringing her hands up in front of her chest, she curled them into loose fists. Not exactly taking a fighting stance, she was more attempting to 'display' her weapon of choice. "I'm sure I don't look it, but I use the Martial Arts skill." The girl clarified with a tiny smirk.

[Sey 0]

Cryptic answers as usual, they were only running around in circles at this point. Perhaps he needed to keep himself from going over the edge with this. It would only be like this until one of them would let themselves loose. It would probably give him a little bit of relief, and despite his pride, there was no shame in letting himself go. But before given the chance to do so, she would put up... A fighting stance? It was what he assumed it was, but he was not quite sure if he was correct or not about that. Still though, that skill allowed her to fight with fists. His violet eyes would raise, lips opening up to show that he was impressed. "Dang, now that is impressive! Can't wait to see what you do to the boar." Sey would tell her with a proud genuine smile rather than the usual sly one he kept on to keep his words locked in the back of his head. He himself considered doing that, but then the skill points he put into his spear would end up going to waste. So he would refrain from doing so, despite how cool it sounded being able to learn martial arts. Note to self though, never to anger her unless he wanted his arm snapped. At least he would never have to worry about stretching before exercising again.

Now he had to loosen himself. So with a small breath, he would give a real bit of information to her. "Not that you have to tell me your username, but call me Sey. Just... Sey." And just by giving that little detail alone, he was able to feel a little bit better. Circling lies eventually got a bit old, even if they did not really hurt anybody. This was a lot more relieving. With that, he would look forward to see a boar all of a sudden. Placing his spear forward, he would brace his muscles as he wanted to leap. Eyes locked onto the NPC monster, he would ask the girl another question, this time for preparation. "I'm about to strike it, but if you want to prepare yourself, let me know now. I'll make sure to wait a bit, but let's not let it get away from us." So he would hold his peace for the moment.

Sey: 440/440 7 Dmg l 3 Acc l 44/44 Energy l 0 Hate
Kooh: ???/???

Boar: 220/220

[Kooh 0]

Kooh felt a very strange combination of confidence and regret when Sey offered her a smile paired with kind words. She accidentally raising her own pedestal of expectations higher, and she was getting more afraid to look over the edge should she fail spectacularly to meet them. She blinked with slight surprise, the way she held herself relaxing a bit as he introduced himself. Had she not noticed the lack of exchanging names earlier? Her mind must have been too preoccupied. Still, she felt an odd sense of satisfaction. Their war of wits was likely far from over, but she felt as thought she had won the battle.

Still, she wasn't going to be rude about it."Kooh." She answered with a small smile, giving a bit of ground herself. "Looks like we both prefer a short username, too."

Just as they began to exchange some actual information, Sey set his sights on a nearby creature ahead of them, readying himself for battle. Kooh tensed up a little before looking to the boar herself. This would be her first real combat since re-learning her combat skill as Martial Arts. When she heard about the quest that awarded the skill, Kooh only thought about the convenience of being "weaponless", despite the cool factor her old claw weapons gave her. With an inward sigh, she only hoped not to embarrass herself. Widening her stance a bit, the girl figured she was as prepared as she could be. "Go right ahead."

Sey: 440/440 | 7 DMG | 3 ACC | 44/44 Energy | 0 Hate
Kooh: 120/120 | 5 DMG | 2 ACC | 2 EVA | 12/12 Energy | 0 Hate

Edited December 31, 2016 by Kooh

[Sey 0]

The both of them seemed to have a lot more than common than one could expect. This might also mean that she was hiding her level and experience from him under the clothes that she is wearing right now. Well, at least she had a great sense of style, despite it not seeming to show much enhancements. But that's why he was doing this, he'll gladly help with that if she worked for it. For right now, she won their little battle, and being humble was not something that bothered him. Besides, it was always ladies first, for things that they preferred anyways. However, thanks to him being able to humble himself, she actually gave him her username as well from the exchange, showing that she was willing to be mutual about it as well. Kooh. "Nice name you got." Just the name itself made him smile. "Indeed, simple names for simple players." He'd reply in turn. For a small moment, he was actually beginning to get into the conversation. But right as he was enjoying it, the boar would also recognize the simple players.

Now he was going to help her out with a bit of cliff notes, but he played it off as if he were speaking to himself. As if he were reminding himself how to play the game. "Okay Sey, normal attacks only cost one energy, but you gain one energy per strike. So I can inflict default damage for every strike endlessly. But if I miss, the game makes me lose two energy, and only one of those two are recovered." And with that, he would activate concentration and stab his spear through the boar as it would arrive, only for it to jump back from the small hit that he gave to it, inflicting a petty seven damage onto it. "You're up Kooh!"

ID: 73508

BD: 2 + 3 ACC + 1 (Concentration Skill) = 6

Sey: 440/440 7 Dmg l 3 Acc l 44/44 Energy l 1 Hate
Kooh: 120/120 | 3 DMG | 2 ACC | 2 EVA | 12/12 Energy | 0 Hate

Boar: 213/220

@Kooh

Edited December 30, 2016 by Sey

[Kooh 0]

Dice Results:

Spoiler

• ID#: 73511
  • BD: 9 + 2 ACC = 11 - Critical Hit!
  • CD: 5
  • LD: 16
  • MD: 1
• (3 Base) + (1 Critical) + (2 Weapon Skill) = 6 DMG

Kooh felt another smirk crawling across her lips. In some strange fashion, the two players actually seemed to be getting along, more or less. This one interested her--perhaps, if all goes well during this little combat escapade, she would find an interest in his company to curb her boredom now and then. Either way, she'd have to trudge through this experience first. 'Hopefully this pile of dirt drops something good.' She thought, expectations far too high for a basic monster.

Her eyes drifted as Sey took a simple stab at the boar, the creature recoiling slightly in reaction as it was programmed to do. A quick glance to the health bar floating beside it showed a very unimpressive decrease--the thing had barely been scratched. The girl quickly wondered if his attack was supposed to be so ineffective, or if he really was a low-level player. Snapping her out of her thoughts, Sey's voice called for her action, and Kooh responded with a small out-of-sight scowl. 'Alright, alright, just like the last time, Luna...' The blonde psyched herself up, suddenly putting herself in motion to close the gap between herself and the monster. As she ran up to a melee range, she gave a quick twirl to bring her left leg around. The heel of her boot connected with the side of the boar's head, and Kooh's foot even found its way back to the ground in the right position to keep her balance. As the boar was struck, it gave a quick shake of its head followed by an annoyed snort as its gaze focused on the girl. Stealing a glance at the health bar, what Kooh thought was a solid hit did even less damage than Sey's attack. Holding back a groan, her eyes met the boar's just as its front hoof began to paw at the ground beneath it and kick up some dirt.

@Sey: 440/440 | 7 DMG | 3 ACC | 44/44 Energy | 1 Hate
Kooh: 120/120 | 5 DMG | 2 ACC | 2 EVA | 12/12 Energy | 2 Hate

Boar: 207/220

Edited December 31, 2016 by Kooh

[Sey 0]

"You might want to get out of the way, otherwise that boar..." The enemy npc monster would aim to take advantage of the girl while it still could and while she did not seem to want to move away. It seems like he was going to have to save the cliffnotes for later. The damage that she was able to inflict with simply her foot was surprisingly high in his opinion, the amount that he got with his fist was simply one damage. Martial Arts default damage for players is something definitely worth considering later on in the future. But for now, he was going to have to leave that topic alone. Sey himself would press his legs onto the ground, dashing towards the boar as he released his full speed instead of the forced back amount used to pretend that he was a lower leveled player. It blew his cover, but it should save the girl the pain in the process as well. As the enemy leaped up from the ground, the assault spear would coat itself in blue light before the snow-haired player would impale it through the head. Naturally, it did not actually kill it, it did not even rip the skin, but it would instead just be launched into the air and continuously roll in a sloppy manner upon arrival towards the ground. The health bar it had also took a huge hit as well. "To finish my sentence... that boar would have gotten ripped in half. Well, seems like I couldn't stop it anyways, you're up." Ah, the bliss beauty of sword art techniques. They were able to inflict critical amounts of damage.

ID: 73518

BD: 9
Sword Art: Furious Spike (1 x 6)
Dmg: 8 x 1 x 6 = 48 Dmg

MD: 4

Sey: 440/440 | 7 DMG | 3 ACC | 39/44 Energy | 3 Hate
Kooh: 120/120 | 3 DMG | 2 ACC | 2 EVA | 12/12 Energy | 2 Hate

Boar: 161/220

@Kooh

Edited December 30, 2016 by Sey

[Kooh 0]

Dice Results:

  Hide contents

• ID#: 73567
  • BD: 10 + 2 ACC = 12 - Critical Hit!
  • CD: 12
  • LD: 7
  • MD: 1
• (3 Base) + (2 Critical) + (2 Weapon Skill) = 7 DMG

"Tch." As the boar prepared to charge, Kooh narrowed her eyes in annoyance, bringing her arms up in front of herself to attempt to block the incoming attack. Just as she thought the creature would lunge toward her, a flashing blue light sliced upwards to knock the animal away. As it collided with the earth, the boar's health bar dropped drastically, causing Kooh to blink in disbelief. A quick glance to the Sey that now stood beside her led her eyes to the spear in his hand and its fading blue light. She eyed the boy suspiciously before frowning. "Show off." The girl muttered. Whatever attack he unleashed, it was several times stronger than any damage she could do, especially weaponless.

'Well, at least that means he can't expect me to out-damage him.' Her lazy train of thought immediately kicked in. As the boar began to pick itself up, Kooh snapped back to attention. She frowned again to herself, feeling little need to be involved with the fight at this point. What was he on about, needing help? The girl quickly dashed forward, closing the gap between herself and her target once again. This time, she dropped her stance low once she got in range, placing her fingertips on the ground beneath her. Bringing her right leg around in a fluid motion, the girl swept the boar's hooves out from under it, causing the creature's side to slam back to the ground. Just as quickly, she followed up with another hit, this time picking herself up and bringing her leg back up and across her body--dropping her heel down into the boar's ribs. With a squeal, it's health bar dropped just a bit more than her first attack, but still paled in comparison to Sey's damage.

@Sey: 440/440 | 7 DMG | 3 ACC | 39/44 Energy | 3 Hate
Kooh: 120/120 | 5 DMG | 2 ACC | 2 EVA | 12/12 Energy | 4 Hate

Boar: 152/220

Edited December 31, 2016 by Kooh