[PP-F1]<Blade Of Dreams> The Beast's Fangs

[Cobalt 0]

( For Cobalt & Miaki )

"Dammit." the red eyed warrior gritted his teeth as he stood in the middle of a empty field standing by looking at the map on his HUD, the day was like any other, a minor breeze to rustle one's hair, blades of grass dancing in the wind as the warmth of the sun beat against his skin; only a game like SAO would have such perfect weather. Cobalt clicked off the large map "Tss." he was slightly annoyed that the quest he had heard about would be so well hidden in a plain open field on Floor 1. He searched his pockets turning back to see the small blip of 'Town Of Beginning' far off in the distance "I've come this far..." he continued walking up a small hill drudging onward to a quest that may not even exist, the noob that had told him about the quest seemed a bit odd "...It'd be a waste of energy to go back." he spoke to himself as if trying to keep his own morale up.

What felt like hours was surprisingly only minutes but who could really tell when you're searching for god knows what; when all seemed a bit hopeless he finally found a trail hidden away ahead of him leading into a group of shrubs & other flora "Promising." he cracked a smile walking over to the shrubs pushing them aside to make way for his frame, nearly tearing them out of the ground as he pushed on them "I smell a quest. Ha! Who ever said determination never paid off?" his eyes stared ahead of him examining the dirt trail, he made his way down the path; the wind blowing through his white grey-ish hair.

[Miaki 0]

Walking along a small dirt road leading back to the <>, Miaki was observing the sights around him. The rolling fields, the patches of forests, the small bodies of water in the far off distance, and the towering column leading up to the next floor. Miaki often enjoyed visiting the first floor. Every time he did the weather always seemed perfect. His newly added companion, Silverwing, soared in the skies overhead looking down at the sky below. Miaki wore his brown trench coat, which was open to let it get caught in the breeze, and his matching fedora. He was making his way back towards the <> when he noticed another player, who looked much like a warrior, close the the dirt road.

Miaki gave a simple wave. "Afternoon friend. What might you be doing out here?"

[Cobalt 0]

There was a screech head above head the wind carrying it far & loud; Cobalt gazed up at the majestic winged creature, the shade of the bird soaring over him it's silhouette running across his face "Hm." using his skills of deducing, he figured that this was a companion to a nearby player, if it was a monster on the field it surely would've attacked him by now especially since it could've easily taken a hit at him when he hadn't noticed it flying overhead. The warrior stopped on the trail looking around the shrubs & foliage "But where is your player." he said quietly to himself, was it an ambush? A war cry of sorts before an attack? Or...his ears perked a bit hearing the voice of a male not far from him, he turned his back to see the trench coat, fedora wearing boy approaching him "Seems friendly enough." he said under his breath, walking over to the boy meeting him half way. It was be shameful for any other male to ask for direction, supposedly it was a emasculating thing to do, he would more than easily set aside any pride to get to his goal "Greetings." he cracked a smile to seem a bit less menacing especially with his Great Sword holstered on his back which was practically his size "I'm lost; have you heard of a quest known as ?" he asked politely "If you could assist me with finding it, it'd be much appreciated." it would be rude to ask for his help without incentive "I don't have much but any monsters we fight along the way, I'll be more than happy to repay you with whatever Col they drop." his offer was set, Cobalt needed the Col BUT he needed the rumored weapon more.

[Miaki 0]

Miaki observed the approaching player who just appeared. He was clearly getting his feet off the ground in Sword Art Online based on the simple clothing he wore. On his back was a large sword that was impressive to be seen on such a player. The man asked Miaki for assistance regarding a quest and payment for the journey. "Blade of Dreams? Oh I know about that quest. I kinda started it a while back when I was first getting myself started in here. Never got to finish it due to complications with another player who was helping me at the time but I know all about it." Miaki considered the man's offer in exchange for helping with the quest. "Hmmm you know what? I'll help you and we'll split any COL gained from the quest. But first you're in the wrong place. Follow me back to the city and I can help you get the quest started." Miaki began walking along the dirt road toward the <>. "We need to get back to the Town of Beginnings. The shop we're looking for is found in the <> of the city and is run by an NPC named <>. She'll give you a list of materials needed for the type of weapon you are trying to get yourself." Slapping his forehead Miaki turned his head towards the player beside him. "Oh of course. Introductions. My name is Miaki and the falcon fly above you is my friend Silverwing."

[Cobalt 0]

The player was oddly dressed not many players wore a coat & fedora as starter clothing...he was probably a higher level but on Floor 1? Perhaps he was helping out others just like himself, well the player was sensible & generous to offer them to split up the earnings, it would help him to have SOME Col at the end of this quest. The warriors ears perked at the words 'You're in the WRONG place.' he placed a hand to his face and sighed "Dammit, I knew that guy was a bit fishy...no doubt trying to dispose of me." lately some of the players have been telling lower levels about rumors & other false directions to quest in order to dwindle the population to sort out the Col & Exp. shortage. "I guess...back to the Town Of Beginnings." he had come so far & in the opposite direction, next time he will have more intel before pursuing a quest to see if all the facts check out. The audible smack of the player smacking his forehead for being a dunce made him chuckle lightly "It's nice to meet you, Miaki & Silverwing." he knew his way back to the town starting his drudging journey back, walking past the boy with a smile still curved upon his lips "You can call me, Cobalt." his Great Sword jingling & sway lightly from side to side with each step as he knew the player would follow at his side, 'Must be nice to have a companion that stays by your side.' he thought to himself.

[Miaki 0]

Miaki nodded after learning Cobalt's name. "Nice to meet you Cobalt. Yeah sometimes you have to be careful where you get your information. I try to use 'Information Brokers', players who are solely dedicated to acquiring information about everything possible in SAO. Sometimes though I'll overhear someone in a inn, bar, or tavern mention the latest thing and set out to discover it myself. You may have been simply misinformed but it doesn't hurt to be aware of the possibility of 'monster PK', that being when a player tries to use a monster to PK someone. Almost had that happen to me once, but the player wasn't too smart in how he tried to do it. Lucky for me right? That was quite the close call too. If the player did intervene I might not be standing here. Still I've gotten smarter since then and have chosen those I do quests with more carefully." Miaki took a breath and continued. "Right so the Town of Beginnings. Shouldn't be too long until we get there. I know my way around the city rather well so we shouldn't have any problem in finding Pepper's blacksmith shop." Miaki took another breath and walked silently for a minute. "Sorry if I sounded like a know-it-all just now. I sometimes do that without think. If I'm talking too much let me know and I'll try and fix that. But if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. The <> could be seen in the short distance by this time.

[Cobalt 0]

The warrior kept an attentive ear towards Miaki hearing every word he spoke of, he had heard of the term 'Monster PK' before, the way some of the newbies spoke of it though was as if it hadn't been confirmed as an actual method...apparently it is, coming from a first hand witness. Luckily, he has yet to have the pleasure in meeting a PKer; at his current level I don't think he would want to even start at a Red Player for a second, it could mean trouble...'Pick your enemies' that's the say. They continued walking and the other player kept talking "I know my way around 'Town Of Beginnings' like the back of my hand...knowing where to start quests, I know little of." he wasn't ready to share any of his history to the player, what he was doing BEFORE he started doing quests & seeking power. Cobalt's red hues dead set ahead of him seeing the blip of the town coming into few view now, it wasn't too far off now...with a non-joking tone the warrior spoke up "You do talk a lot." there was a silence for about 30 seconds, feeling the disappointed aura radiating off the player "But..." he continued his sentence "It's welcomed...I don't always get the pleasure to speak with another player for longer than this." the others were scared of him, even the one's he would help would scarcely say a word to him but he could see the appreciation in their eyes as they looked into his red orbs when he assisted them "A new change of pace compared to hearing my own thoughts all day long." he turned his head to gaze over to Miaki, it had been a while since he had even looked at the other player some would think he was just utterly annoyed but he greeted his gaze with a smile "Looks like we're here." he turned his head back to the Town gates, stepping passed the guards at the gate and down a busy street with other player roaming about minding their own business, moving...not stopping a bit to realize what was going on around them...this was LIFE now, deep down HE knew it.

[Miaki 0]

Miaki considered the man beside him. He didn't appear that much older than him and was one of few words. The look of determination and will was certainly in this person. Miaki didn't even bother letting him know that in this world numbers and levels aren't the sole factor of a person. The key was the will and drive of the player. It was clear that this man knew that already and had a goal in mind.

Before them was the blacksmith Pepper, a somewhat perky NPC but not a pushover in the least. Miaki gestured to the girl. "Alright Cobalt, just talk to Pepper here and describe to her what kind of custom weapon you are wanting. She'll give you a list of the materials needed and from there we can plan where to go to get what we need or figure out what monsters to kill."

[Cobalt 0]

There she was the NPC that granted the quest he so eagerly sought after, he turned to gaze at Miaki once more as he urged him to speak with Pepper The Blacksmith. Cobalt gave a nod as a reply, making his way over to the smith, the quest marker just above her head "I'm here for the quest." the NPC crossed her arms giving the warrior a vexed look "Isn't everyone." she replied "No one ever comes to say 'Hi' to little ol' Pepper just because they wanna know how her day went." Cobalt stepped back a bit not knowing how to react to the NPC realistic womanly fit, he turned his head to look over at Miaki with a distressed look as in saying 'What the hell do I do now? I made her mad.' the NPC waved away any bad vibes as her face softened a bit realizing she was frightening the poor warrior "So what kind of weapon would you like, Warrior?" she asked him.

Cobalt turned his attention back at the Blacksmith, rubbing the back of his neck "A-..." he cleared his throat swallowing his fear of the womanly rage, for such a young girl she scolded quiet well "A Greatsword, sir...I mean ma'am, MISS!" he corrected himself to not bring the wrath of such an animated NPC such as herself. Pepper turned walking over to a chest picking out a piece of rolled up parchment "Here you go." she spoke out handing it to him "It has everything you'll need. Materials. A list of what kind of blades are made with said materials. You can mix & match if you'd like to make sure it looks the way you want, all the materials are pretty simple to find, you can find what you need just outside in the field north of here." she turned pointing to the northern direction "Thank you, Miss." the NPC had smiled warmly at him this time as if he had learned some manners, cutely she would speak one last time "You're very welcome." he gripped the parchment in his hand rolling it open gazing at everything that was written down, it didn't take long to know what he sought out. He turned back to Miaki walking over to him "I got it. She said the Northern Field would be where we would need to go for the materials on the list." he safely tucked the parchment in his pouch, turning down the path & walking knowing the player would follow behind.

[Miaki 0]

Miaki laughed at Cobolt's recent interaction with Pepper. "Bit surprising at first isn't she? Not your typical run-of-the-mill NPC at all. I remember when I first met her I was questioning myself whether someone was playing a joke with me because she seemed so lifelike." Miaki tucked his hands in his coat pockets. "So, what kind of materials do we need for your new weapon? I reckon we'll need atleast some iron or steel ingots, those we can get from killing a few skeletons. But the materials differ I've heard so I'm not entirely sure what you might need."

[Cobalt 0]

The two walked along side each others as equals, Cobalt gave a chuckle at Miaki's first time interacting with Pepper "It caught me off guard, that look in her eye & the arm cross..." he chuckled a bit more "That's exactly what my mother would do when she wasn't happy about something." even in a place that seemed so far away made him think about the real world...why did he miss the real world...was it the need to get back to the 'social norm'? Did he miss his family? though his laugh may seem genuine there was much that plague his mind when he remembered. The items were already remembered in his head "We need both Iron & Steel ingots, Rainbow Fish Ink Sack which can be looted from a Killer Frogs stomach, a ruby & Leather Strips." they had been walking & talking that he hadn't even realized that they were outside the Northern gates already...was this how it was like to have a traveling companion, perhaps he could get used to it, he always believed others would only hinder his way of doing things.

[Miaki 0]

Miaki looked over the list as the <> was left further behind them, thinking about all of he items they needed to complete the quest. "Iron and steel ingots won't be a problem to get. Neither will the leather strips. I've seen killer frogs in the area we are heading..." He took his right hand and started rubbing his chin. "The ruby will be a tough one. That itself will be a rare drop from possibly a skeleton."

[Cobalt 0]

Cobalt opened up his HUD viewing the map, he pressed his index finger on two locations of the map marking where the groups would be "I know Floor 1 well enough...I observe the monsters but never knew what items they dropped." he examined the paths they could take while avoiding the stronger mini-bosses within hordes of the lower level beasties "We can do down the main path & at the fork in the path we continue straight, we'll hit the pond the Killer Frogs are at & from there go east to hit the ruins where the skeletons reside." he got out of his HUD & began down the path "Rare drop equals more monsters to kill which equals to more EXP & Col." it wasn't long that they hit the fork in the road, instead of taking the right or left they went down their own path, he could see a group of boars in their way "Well, they migrated over here...great." he gripped the handle of his Great Sword pulling it up & over his head, his grip firm as he held his weapon within only his right hand, a stance not many Great Sword wielders used "I count five...we charge in & take them by surprise. Within the first minute we can slaughter 1 each leaving 3 left, even the odds a bit." he turned his head to Miaki & grinned "Ready?"

[Miaki 0]

Miaki looked up to the sky and saw Silverwing circling overhead. "Think we'll have less than that in a moment. This'll be a snap." Miaki reached for the curved sword at his side and drew it slowly. "Battle routine. Set! Execute!" With his left hand he drew his <> and blew it, commanding Silverwing to attack one of the boars. Lunging forward, Miaki attacked the other with his charged blade.

(OOC: No use of battle dice here. Just describe the battle.)

[Cobalt 0]

Cobalt gripped onto the hilt of his blade swing it over his head taking it out of his holster, his battle stance was an odd one to many especially since he use a two handed Great Sword. The warrior turned to his side, his sword behind him the tip of the blade inches away from the ground, his left hand closing into a fist and raised up about chest level, it seemed like the other two were already engaging...his turn. The warrior dashed at a great speed considering he was holding a heavy weapon than some, the edge of the blade not even touching the floor, he seemed to be well composed with the monstrosity. "Hyyaaah!" Cobalt jumped into the air, using his strength & the weight of the sword to successfully spin one full 360 spin at a tilt, gaining velocity to slash two boars at a vertical slant, shattering the ground between the creatures and sending them tumbling back, only one left.

---------

Kills

Boar x2

[Miaki 0]

Silverwing took out one of the boars, attacking it's face using his claws. Miaki charged in with his curved blade and stabbed one of the boars right in the snout, exploding it into countless bits of data. Soon as the first one was killed, he spun around and slashed at the second one which was distracted by Silverwing. Slashing at it three consecutive times, the boar shattered and vanished. "Hostiles deleted." He said holding his arm out for Silverwing to land on.

[Cobalt 0]

Cobalt spun his Great Sword within his right hand with such ease before holstering it onto his back "Deleted is an understatement." the shatter grounds 1's & 0's before to reform the dirt & grass as if nothing had destroyed it "Obliterated, is more like it." he pushed forward walking past Miaki without losing anytime "Come...we're almost at the pond." the shimmering water was in view but still a good walk away. It was silent as they closed the gap between them & the pond...he broke the silence on their way over "You know your way around a blade, Miaki. I admire that." a great compliment from one worry to another.

---------

Kills

Boar x2

[Miaki 0]

Miaki gave a small smile. "Thanks. You know your stuff too with that large blade of yours." This won't be so bad after all he thought to himself this guy is good for someone with starting gear. The party approached the medium sized pond. As they looked about for the prey, Cobalt spotted the the killer frogs. To the left of where they were. The bulbous amphibians croaked and caught flies unaware of what demise they were about to experience.

[Cobalt 0]

Cobalt chuckled after hearing his statement about knowing his way around a blade, it was probably all the movies he watched to keep his mind from wandering when he relaxed at his house. Medieval Movies, Samurai Movies, Anything with Action he truely enjoyed. The warrior had never really thought about why he was so good with his blade, they had stopped once the medium size pond was in view, there was about 2 on their side and 3 on the other side of the pond, good thing they had the smaller group "Excellent, see if you can take one by surprise with your Familiar...I'm going in to impale the other." he waited for Miaki's first strike before rushing in with his over large blade.

[Miaki 0]

Miaki looked up in the sky at his falcon circling above the two. He brought his hand to his mouth and whistled then waved before toward a collection of <>. With a screech Silverwing nosedived toward two of the monsters. "Be right back." He said to Cobalt as he jumped up and rushed the collection of monsters. Drawing his blade just prior to reaching them. In the last instant, Miaki drew his sword and slashed two of the <> in a flash. "Hahahahaha too easy!!!"