[PP-F20] Gathering (initiation) <Itzal and Sey>

[Itzal 0]

Itzal was waiting for Sey at the teleporter of the third floor.  Itzal had seen the twentieth floor at a glance, but didn't really get a good look.  The scout party that originally was going to go out had decided to hold back a moment and prepare...  As well as give the Celestial Ascendants some time to discuss what needed to be discussed.  The Knights of the Blood Oath had presented the guild with something that had a lot of weight to it.  And so the guild had a meeting to discuss what they would do.  They had shared opinions, beliefs, concerns, reasons for both sides.  And in the end a conclusion was made.  Now all that was left was for the paladins to meet up with the KoB leader and inform him of their decision.  Itzal took a deep and heavy breath as he thought about what they were going to do.  Would this be a good thing?  Or would it haunt them in the future?  Velnia sat uneasy as she could feel his nervousness.  However he brought himself back to the here and now, shaking off his emotions and keeping a good face on for when Sey arrived.

@Sey

Edited January 9, 2017 by Itzal

[Sey 0]

Sey was told to move up to the third floor by Itzal, because their activity was going to require a lot of percentages to shift towards their favor. He was not too sure about his chances considering the goal was going to be the highest floor known to man as of currently, but if they were going to make a lot of the materials there before anyone else can, then so be it. It was a little while ago when Sey was able to obtain the gatherer skill, in which he was very hesitant to buy at first due to him wanting to continue investing in his weapon. And perhaps he would have been able to master it if this was the case. But the gatherer skill was beyond worth it. Upon arrival, he'd nothing the dark-haired scout out towards the distance before waving to him. "Yo Itzal, you ready for this? I think I have come with a lot more preparations this time for the task ahead. I even got myself an item to help my loot earnings a bit."

[Itzal 0]

Itzal turned as he heard his name being called and smiled to Sey.  "Hey man!  Yeah I'm ready.  We won't be fighting any monsters, just taking a look around the floor and gathering tier three materials is all.  Unfortunately the only crafts I'll be making in tier three will be for myself since nobody wants my songs."  It was a fact of life and he accepted this.  Nobody wanted his songs, enhanced or otherwise.  Especially since even if the debuffs could work on the boss they didn't do enough to make a difference.  Literally the only useful ones were healing songs and familiar calls, but familiar calls were needed only once, and potions were a bigger favorite rather than a song that heals.  Nobody likes music anymore he thought.  If only there was a song that enhanced the LD....  Oh well.  He noted that Sey said he had equipment that enhanced his loot gathering skills.  "You wouldn't happen to have vitamins on you?  That's always useful for loot gathering.  If you're ready let's head through the teleporter."

@Sey

[Sey 0]

"Sweet! I got myself the gatherer skill as well, plus an item that should help with the loot! Also I figured this would happen, so I did bring some vitamin based items. Though... They aren't in the best of shape I'm afraid. Hey, an item is an item." Sey would explain before handing over a bag of bird seeds over to Itzal, in which those were able to provide a decent 1 or 2 boosts to his body. The snow-haired player would bring out the smile cookie, a sugar cookie with frosting in the shape of a smile. It was a stupid idea that was smart at the same time, plus a little adorable as well when he looked close up to it. "All right, I think I'm ready to go then!" He would declare with a victorious right fist pumped into the air, waiting for the path of the scout as he would end up placing his own hands back in his pockets. Now it would only be a matter of time before they would embark on their voyage to the highest floor.

Spoiler

Name: Sunflower Seeds
Profession: Cook
Rank: 3
ID:  73402
Roll: 10
Item Type: Snack
Tier: 2
Quality: Uncommon
Enhancements: +1 Vitamins
Description: Regular Sunflower seeds, though it is said that seeds bring good fortune to the consumers. There's no real reasoning behind it, but it might be true.

Spoiler

Name: Smile Cookie
Profession: Cook
Rank: 3
ID:  73314
Roll: 9
Item Type: Dessert
Tier: 1
Quality: Uncommon
Enhancements: +1 Vitamins (+1 LD)
Description: A sugar cookie with a little smile made from white thin frosting.

 

[Itzal 0]

Itzal heard what Sey said and accepted the uncommon quality item.  He smiled to the player and nodded.  "Thanks Sey."  As he stepped into the teleport pad upon Sey's declaring his being ready, he began to eat the sunflower seeds.  One might say that sunflower seeds were one of the easiest things to cook, but Itzal would probably have burnt them in two seconds flat.  Such was the life of a horrible cook.  When Sey stepped onto the pad Itzal nodded with a smile.  "Alright here we go.  I only got a glance the last time I was there so it should be a new experience for the both of us."  With that Itzal teleported the two of them to the twentieth floor.  When they arrived Itzal immediately scanned the town around them.  He looked around and noted that the city was made of stone.  Then he saw the view and smiled.  That was the glance he had received.  A glance of the land below.  He turned to Sey.  "quite a site is it not?  I can't wait to explore this world."  Indeed he was very ready to explore.  He was itching to actually.

+1 LD (+9 total)

@Sey

[Sey 0]

"Not a problem." Sey would be able to emit through a muffled voice as he would end up biting into the head of the cookie, which made the smiley face cookie lose an eye. What a heartwarming scene to witness. Upon entering the next highest floor, he would end up seeing a new site, it was as if everything had been shrunk down to make them look small. It was a nice sight though, he had to admit. What could hurt though is the monsters that try to attack them, thanks to how high they were. If they were to get out of line, they would end up facing their worst nightmare on the floor. "So this is where we have to explore, I don't mind this at all. Though imagine how much a house would cost up here, that would be quite expensive, eh? Still though, it seems like a nice place, it makes you wonder if someone has enough money to get it anyways. If so... We should visit them sometime. Anyways, where do you think we should go first?"

(+4 LD total)

@Itzal

[Itzal 0]

Itzal smiled as he had already asked himself that question, and even ran the calculations in his head.  "Two hundred ninety six thousand, eight hundred col.  That's how much the house I want would cost on this floor.  WAY beyond anything I could dish up, but perhaps Beatbox could help me out.  He's always been a good friend."  He had his house all planned out.  When Say asked where they should start Itzal looked around.  "Well this town has three sections, which we could check out.  Or we could descend the mountain and explore the forest below.  I do know that the monsters here are giant insects.  Since insects have patterns they follow it shouldn't be too hard to keep out of their aggravation range, should you know the patterns.  Luckily, I do.  So scouting the forests shouldn't be difficult."  He awaited Sey's answer and response.

@Sey

[Sey 0]

"As if someone could easily just cough up over two-hundred thousand col. Then again, since when was a house supposed to be cheap. If I were to try to buy your house, I'd end up only a tenth of the way there I'm afraid." An admittance before he would then continue to listen to what was being explained to him. While the town was nice, they probably would make more progress out in the forest. If not for that, at least it would be for the new sights. "Sounds good to me, we should check out the forests. I need to get my equipment updated since I recently got to level 25, so it looks like we might have to hold on being able to fight anything here. Not that we intended to, but monsters might not be as tame and expectable." So with this, he would begin to walk around, looking for some border that would separate them from the outside world. Not to much avail as of currently unfortunately thanks to the ignorance of his knowledge of the town.

[Itzal 0]

Itzal nodded to Sey's comment.  "Yeah it's a long way, but I'm a patient guy.  Maybe Hik would be willing to fight with me and we could get col gathering over with.  We plan on getting a few guild missions done too in hopes of getting the guild hall faster.  It is our goal to become more active.  Our plan is to take down one dungeon after another.  Not only will we get lots of col and mats for the guild, but we'll also get much more experience that way."  Itzal listened to Sey talk about going into the forest and they made their way down the city towards the first of the many gates.  As they did, Itzal decided it was time to let Sey in on the truth of this trip.  "Hey Sey?  There's something I should tell you.  Tier three isn't unlocked yet.  That tier is unlocked on the twenty first floor.  This is your initiation.  And technically I'm supposed to ask you questions and you'll be in.  Other than that I figured we might as well explore this floor and gather."

[Sey 0]

Ah shoot. It was nothing but a little trick that was supposed to be his initiation. There were a few things that went against him. One of them might be the fact that the tier 3 was not yet unlocked. It was just merely a wonderful fantasy until the next floor, which was bound to be evil due to how the monster would be meant for those who were at the third tier. The other part of it was how he was nowhere near prepared for his examination.  But it was not best to say that, in which he might get a shame on you sort of speech. "All right. So what might those questions be? I have obtained the approval pf the other three paladins as well, as you might know." Sey would explain as his hands were now placed in his pockets as he would await to hear what would be asked with him. This was going to determine if he made it inside of the guild or whether he had to be kept out. The former was what he had been fighting for the whole time.

[Itzal 0]

Itzal nodded.  "Yes I know.  In fact they would have initiated you first but they've been very busy lately.  So I stepped up to the plate."  They drew close to the first gate, which meant they were in the middle segment of the city.  Once they crossed the second gate they'd be in the lower segment, leaving the city gates.  Then there would be a long trail down the mountain and into the forest below.  Itzal was a bit excited to do so but for now he stayed focused.  He looked to Sey with a smile.  "And don't worry, I know you're qualified.  It's just that this is sort of official part.  So the first question is this:  Why do you want to join?  And what are you willing to offer the guild?"  There wasn't a wrong answer for this one.  They accepted players for all sorts of reasons (save for killing players).  If players wanted to join until they were trained that was perfectly fine.  They wouldn't hold them back.  It was their job to train players.  As for what he's willing to offer that was optional.  He was just setting Sey up for the moral questions afterwards was all.  The ones that really held weight.

@Sey

[Sey 0]

Those questions seemee familiar, he would then answer the way he did back in the last few moments he talked to them. Itzal should be more than this answer. "I plan to help being the guild, for while its not massive, it wants to help out new players. There is a huge risk when dealing with the monsters as a new player, as there was an unfortunately low chance of living. So if there is anything i want to support, its the one that is able to help the ones who cant help themselves." it was a common reply, but that was just him. Nothing was really too special with that sort of answer, but that was what he answersd last time, and he did not want to steer clear of his sight on that task anytime soon. There was not really much else for him to add onto that. Though he was curious to see what he might have had been expecting. If his answer was off, what might he be missing for the guild?

Edited January 9, 2017 by Sey

[Itzal 0]

Itzal nodded.  It was a common goal and a very honest one.  Perhaps his goals would develop into more, but that was neither up to Itzal, nor his concern.  Those who tried predicting the figure would ultimately fail.  The only thing you could do is prepare for anything and the unexpected.  And Sey was definitely preparing.  However his build would require much more SP than any other build.  Itzal was very much willing to get him there, as that was the guild's job.  Hopefully the dungeon hunting would help drive that forwards too.  "Alright, next question:  What's your drive?  Why do you get up out of bed every morning?  And why do you wish to fight on the frontlines?"  This question was very specific and, once again, didn't really determine whether or not he would be entering the guild, but was once again to learn more about him and how best to train him.  It was the next question that was really the only important one when it came to joining the guild.

@Sey

[Sey 0]

What motivates him? Goals as a whole seem to do the trick, but the question was being asked in a way that wondered what his goals were. What life did he live everyday? It was that sort of thing. "I wake up and start making meals, because I want to be the best chef to provide the frontlines their meals. I put this shop on the bottom floor, so even level one players have access. And while that is the case, I look for new players to assist on this floor. They are all surprisingly nice to be honest." With that, the final question about what he would do when fighting in the front occurs. Now that was a new question. "Every player fights for the same goal, but lets face it, we are beginning to lack. We need all arms to go towards the cause. I want to gwt out of the game like everyone else. But I dont want to just say it, I want to be a part of that solution."

[Itzal 0]

Itzal nodded.  Many many times, actions spoke louder than words.  Itzal was friendly and a very nice person, but he did tend to try acting more than talk about the matter.  No wonder Kasier liked Sey.  Itzal smiled.  Kasier and Sey.  The two had been together for, what?  A month now?  Two?  It felt much longer than Itzal but that didn't matter.  Now it was time for the final question.  The one question that would determine whether he actually joined or not.  Knowing the question, Itzal knew that Sey would definitely join.  "Alright last question.  When do you believe it is ok to kill someone?  Another human being?"  Itzal was very serious about this question as it was the only real punishable crime in SAO.  You had to be careful however and not judge someone because of their cursor.  If it's orange than yes, be cautious, but don't accuse them.  It could very well have been received by self defense or a quest even.  Itzal didn't like those quests as they marked you as a murderer even when it was an npc you killed.  It wasn't right.

@Sey

[Sey 0]

Sey looked towards the ground when he heard this question. A common answer he heard was that it was for self defense and just that only. But if everyone went by that logic, then there was never going to be a fight. And that did not line up with the world that tbey lived in. What made killing acceptable depended on the person and what they believed... What they believed... "The common answer you might be expecting is that I must only do so in self defense. But anyone can say that, and that logic is something deemed to be common sense, but that doesnt line up with what this world provides. There are still murders." He would pause before looking up back to the scouting paladin, his facial expression neutral. "How about beliefs though? We all fight because we are defending what we believe. A fight is a conflict between the both of them, when beliefs threatens each other, only one can prevail. So to ask a question such as when is it okay to kill... Its when your belief is being threatened. If you believe you want to live, or if you believe its to guard someone else, its still down to belief at the end of the day."

[Itzal 0]

Itzal listened and knew that Sey was on neutral ground here.  He wondered precisely what Sey meant.  Was he fine with players dying then?  Most likely not, but an untrained mind would most likely accuse him of this.  "Yes this world has murders.  Every world will have murders.  This is because sin is in our worlds.  Nothing will change that, but that doesn't make it right.  If belief is what you decide then there's something that must be decided.  Is it right to take a life when there's no point to it?  Revenge, pleasure, fear.  None of these should be a logical reason for murder.  However, everyone has a right to defend themselves.  And whether you think it's right to defend another player is an individual choice, the guild is founded on the belief that we must work together.  We are a family.  So Sey.  What are your beliefs?  Do you think players should be protected?  Or should they be left to die while others run?"  This was a very important question and thus far Sey had answered in a way that didn't tell him what Sey himself believed.  He talked about beliefs and that the idea of murder was based on that, but he never shared his own belief.

@Sey

[Sey 0]

"Well, as of this moment... I fight for my teams, my clients, and myself. Any of those three that end up having their lies at stake can worry about me taking their lives away. I dont hesistate to gain the power needed to protect my values and valuables." Sey would explain as he placed his hands in his pockets with a relaxed stance, but he definitely meant those words. He treasured lives that profitted for him and he was helping, his valuables were also something to be desired. And by the 100th floor, for something to be more valuable than the progress I made, that thing must be extremely special..." His voice was then hushed as he then remembered the words of Kasier as they echoed in the back of his mind. It was insane, she sounded so sure about it. And as much as he tried to push them away, her confident tone haunted him as he remembered that one moment. A human life that has more value than his own, such a thing was a fairytale. It had to be... It had to be...

[Itzal 0]

Itzal nodded.  He was nervous a moment ago, although he shouldn't have been.  And even if Sey didn't say it nor believed it, even though Kasier hadn't said those words to him.  Itzal would have agreed.  If you had the chance to save someone elses life, it was your responsibility to do everything in your power to keep them alive.  Itzal didn't believe in survival of the fittest.  One of the things about being a Christian he thought.  "Alright then, apprentice.  Welcome to the guild.  Your in.  Wasn't hard was it?"  He smiled and patted him on the back.  "So what should we do to celebrate?  We could go gather, or get a bite to eat.  Either way I'm in.  I can explore this floor without worrying about running into others or getting players in danger for a while now.  Seeing as how it's the newest floor and considered extremely dangerous.  Hopefully I can take these monsters on one day though.  Maybe."

@Sey

[Sey 0]

He was in the guild, though the words were hard to get of of his tongue at first. Come on, that was by far one of the most difficult things to answer honestly. Still though, Sey liked himself to be different from the crowd. Kasier herself said that he was more or less unique, more so than her, which was funny since she was a blonde with red eyes. It somehow helped his case in that instance though, so that was a bonus. A white-haired player with a balance build, extremely rare. Put a pair of purple eyes on the top to add the little cherry to the top of the shake. "I'm humbled. Thank you Itzal." The snow-haired player would explain before bowing in respect, formally as if he were playing for an orchestra at a violin concert. "Yeah, let's start gathering then. I REALLY need some Tier 2 materials right now anyways, and hopefully we can unlock the third tier soon enough. Confusing number system I must say. I have Gatherer as well, so that should help."