F1-PP) Finding a friend (Feeding the Enemy)

[Stryder 0]

Sky groaned as he looked around, seeing all these players with familiars. He was jealous, like, REALLY jealous. He wanted one SO BAD!!! He decided to go on a quest to get one... But he didn't know where to go. He sat just outside the town of beginnings, wanting to find something to be his. He was deep in thought, and was easily surprised by anyone who decided to come and scare him. 

What do i want, maybe a small dragon? No... to big... Maybe a bird? No... to small..... Maybe a dog? I love dogs.. but that will remind me of lucky to much..... How about a fox? No, that would be like copying Lady Olivia...... Maybe a... no that won't work either.......

Sky ended up yelling as loud as he could, getting frustrated as he failed to think of an idea, continually. He just wanted a cute pet.... something that would help him...

Edited May 7, 2017 by Stryder

[Ruus 0]

He made his way through the town of beginnings, the sun beat down on the busy metropolis as its citizens went about their normal day. Sweat beaded on his neck from the heat, if
only he could cut his long black hair he thought. An audible thump could be heard as his boots struck pavement below him, and his iron armor squeaked with the movement.The city was beautiful this time of year, he had been limited to the areas of Aincrad he had been exposed to so far, but the city was never dull.

He approached the gate that led to the grassy fields outside of the town of beginnings and stopped in the massive archway. He took a deep breath, his chest sinking in with the
inhale and out with the exhale and turned his gaze on sea of grass in front of him. He took another step once satisfied that he was in no immediate danger, once outside of the
town a player could be attacked by most anything so you could never be to careful.

That’s when he noticed the man in all black, his back against the wall just outside the gate. The man had a green indicator above his head so Ruus was comfortable approaching
the man. Still one could never be certain, his fingers losely grasped the leather hilt of his sword.

"Is everything ok?"Ruus asked the man.

[Stryder 0]

Sky groaned ash he turned around, seeing a guy glad in iron armor. He looked a little like those try hards you would see in RPG games, but since everyone here looked exactly like their real life persons, he knew that it was how he must look. 

"I'm fine.... I guess. I really want to get a familiar, just, got no one to go with me, kinda lonely searching for something" He said, groaning again. He sighed, before standing up. He had no weapon on him at all, he had gloves on, and a necklace of a fox, but other then that, and his suit, he didn't have anything that looked like a weapon.

"I'm Stryder, pleased ta meet ya" He said, his australian accent showing a little. It was where hew as from after all. He looked back out there, wondering what he wanted, before sighing again, wishing he could just make up his dum mind. He had to wait for SO LOOOONG.... He needed to think, and think hard.... He looked at the guy, wondering what kind of character he was going to build, and if he was still a low level player.

@Ruus

Edited May 7, 2017 by Stryder

[Ruus 0]

He released the hilt of his sword and extended his hand out to Stryder. "Ruus, nice to meet you as well." He responded in greeting.

"I'm new around here, when you say familiar I guess you mean one of those pets I see people walking around with?" Ruus knew what the term meant, but in other games a familiar was most often associated with a type of magic and sense there was no magic in SAO it had to be what he thought was a pet.

This could potentially be a good opportunity for the both of them. It looked like Stryder wanted someone to accompany him on this quest or farming session, and Ruus needed to meet some of the players and help with any questions he could come up with.

"If you want some company I can come with. I don’t know how much help I would be, I'm still a low level an all. But I can at least keep you company if you don’t mind doing most of the fighting. Speaking of, where are your weapons.?"

[Stryder 0]

Sky beamed up, this guy was willing to go with him!!! He could get a familiar, and not do it alone!!! He quickly pumped his fist in joy, his whole personality being thrown out of the way. 

"Yeah, one of the cute critters that follow players around. I'd be glad to have some company, and i can easily do most of the fighting" He said, giving a thumbs up and smiling. He wondered why he was asking about weapons, before realizing that not many people actually fully specialized in martial arts like he was now, most had it so that they could use a sword art requiring it. 

"My tree is Martial Arts, i'm a damage dealer. The gloves i'm wearing are my weapons" He said, realizing how unconvincing it was. He was telling the truth, but he realized that he might not be as convincing as he hoped. He decided to let him decide, before standing up and starting to walk into the forest, hoping to find a pet.

[Ruus 0]

Ruus smiled at Stryder as his mood quickly changed. The grind could be boring alone, Ruus knew this from other MMORPGs he had played in the past. It was always nice to have someone else accompany you and help break up the monotonous task.

He scratched the back of his head as Stryder explained the Martial Arts tree. It seemed like a fine way to play the game, there fists being the weapon. Ruus just couldn’t understand why someone would want to fight a spear-man for example with fists. The reach advantage alone would be a lot to overcome. A competent fighter though could probably make up for the disadvantages and even capitalize on the advantages, reach goes both ways, if the martial artist manages to get inside the long range of the spear he would have the upper hand.

He followed closely behind Stryder. His eyse scanning the terrain as they entered the forest. The tree coverage provided some shade and much needed relief from the heat. The heavy iron armor was like an oven in the direct sunlight so any relief refreshing.

"So, are we hunting anything specific? Is this a quest or just a mob grind for a specific drop? I know in some other RPGs you have to farm the specific mob to get the drop you want." Ruus asked.

[Stryder 0]

 Sky looked around, trying to find some leather but failing miserably. He groaned, wanting to find some mats he could use to help this guy pay for some armor and a blade, without that he could die!!! And he didn't want that, not at all. 

"Well to find a familiar, i have to tame it. Mainly thats just feeding it, not much else then that, just gotta find one i want. And if you want to hunt, thats alright, but i might attract mobs that are a little strong for you, but i'm happy to try and get some loot for you, who knows, i might even get an armor drop" He says, laughing a tiny bit. He would like to get this guy some armor, but it was risky. It was his call, he could easily kill it, but it was his call whether or not he was willing to risk it. As long as he didn't enter the battle he was at no risk at all, so it wasn't to bad.... He hoped.

ID# 84118 results:

 Loot: 9 (No mat)

[Ruus 0]

"No that’s fine, we don’t have to attract any trouble we don’t need. I mean dying in real life because I was to reckless isn't exactly how I had planned on leaving this world. I would at least like to have a fighting chance you know? I am mainly just here for conversation and moral support."

Ruus kept pace with the martial artist. The heavy iron armor creaked and groaned with each step. A new set of armor, kite shield and a decent weapon, these where things he needed, or wanted prior to trying to engage a hostile creature. Well he didn’t need a kite shield, any shield would do. He just preferred the look of a kite shield over a buckler.

"So you don’t have to fight a monster for the creature. You just have to feed it to tame it. Seems easy enough, have you decided on what type of pet you want.?" Ruus asked Stryder, hoping all of the questions wasn’t starting to bother him.

[Stryder 0]

Sky couldn't help but laugh a little, he was dead right. It would SUCK to die so early on. He remembered his very first fight, against the boar him, Mist and Eatos had ganked. He had taken a serious hit in that fight, but they had won, and all laughed about it afterwards. From there he had fought a lot, and not once been taken down, he was strong enough to survive right now. 

"All good, if something happens stay back and watch. As for feeding, sounds easy, isn't easy..." He says, and before he finishes speaking, a massive roar is heard by them from the side. Sky quickly turns, his fist echoing as it went straight for the panther, who nimbly dogged it, scratching Sky across the stomach. He didn't flinch, move, or wince, instead he just lashed out a foot, forcing the panther to back the hell up. He stared it dead in the eyes. He was ready to kill. He would not BE killed. He was going to win. He was going to survive.

"Stay back, this thing does damage, watch and learn" He said to his companion, staring dead into the panthers eyes with no fear.

ID# 84119 results:

 Battle: 2 + 3 - 5 - miss (Ah bullocks)

 MOB: 7 - 1 - 6 - hit

Panther - 120/120HP | DMG 36

Stryder HP 222/240 | Energy 22/24 | ACC+3 | EVA+1 | Mit+2(-18 DMG)

[Ruus 0]

The roar had caught Ruus off guard. The piercing cry echoed off the trees as the beast leapt forward. Ruus went for his sword, his hand gripped the sheath and he started to draw the weapon from its holster. This monster would be twelve times his level or more, there was nothing he could do for Stryder. He released his grip on his sword and let the blade fall back into the holster.

"I'm sorry, I would help but I don’t think I can. " He responded to Stryder as he ordered him to stay back. This was one order Ruus intended to honor. Not jumping in the fight went against every moral instinct Ruus had, he always played a tank character, his job was to shield friends from harm and he couldn’t even help the one person he had any type of interaction with in this game.

Ruus placed his back against a tree and watched as Stryder held hand to paw combat with the sleek black predator. The cats movements where fast, but the fighter moved with as much precision. Stryder threw a fist at the beast but it failed to find its mark, the big cat retaliated, claws raked virtual flesh but the stoic fighter didn’t wince or flinch he simply held his ground.

"Just make sure your alright, if you need some sort of distraction let me know I will do what I can. You can beat this thing!" He exclaimed in encouragement.

[Stryder 0]

Sky took a deep breath, glad that the guy listened to him. Without worrying about him, he could fight to his fullest. His mind snapped, going into his survival mode. He dashed in, moving as fast as he could, the panther coming in. As it went to bite, Sky was quick to grab it by the maw, before slamming it into the ground then throwing it up He then quickly used his five swords sword art, delivering multiple hits to the mobs pressure points, the mob landing unable to move and being stunned. It was growling at him, and was already down to about half health. He had stunned it, and it was unable to do anything for a little bit. He hadn't gotten hurt this time around, it had been easy, and he was going to kill this thing with his next hit. He had no doubt about that, and he was ready to kick this things lights out.

"I don't know what your used to in other games, but here in SAO, you fight to live. Not to have fun, once your life is on the line no messing around. Never die alone, if your going to go down, make sure its fighting for people you care about. We are limited in how many of us are here, and we can't lose people to stupid mistakes" He said to him, and the world. He hadn't lost anyone yet, but it was getting to the point of him being on the line quite a lot. He had made a lot of friends, and that was giving him the will to continue to fight.

ID# 84120 results:

 Battle: 7 + 3 - 10 - Hit

 MOB: 3 - 1 - 2 - Miss

Five Swords 11*5x1 - 55 (Stun)

Panther - 65/120HP | DMG 36 (Stun)

Stryder HP 222/240 | Energy 15/24 | ACC+3 | EVA+1 | Mit+2(-18 DMG) H1

[Ruus 0]

Ruus understood, this isn't a game like the others. I mean it is a game and all but the choices you make here in Aincrad, affect your well being back in the real world. They had been led to believe that you share your final breath with your virtual character. If you died here, your body and mind would shut down as well.

There was still an aspect of fun to this world to Ruus though. Sure it was serious, sure you had to be cautious. People, creatures, NPCs if coded incorrectly could all be very hazardous to your well being. But this was still a game, there where fairy tale elements to the game, dragons and creatures that didn’t exist back on earth. You could fight with swords and skill instead of guns. For the most part people had the same purpose here, fight for themselves, the people they loved and a way back home. A man with a purpose could be a dangerous man.

Ruus nodded in acknowledgement to Stryder. "Well said." he thought as the man in black continued to fight the creature. His hands moved like missels, swiftly, precise and devastating. The beast appeared stunned and weakened after Stryder's last attack. Something about it seemed different as well Ruus thought. It wasn’t just your run of the mill standard attack, it looked more powerful and elegant at the same time. He would have to ask Stryder about that after the fight was finished.

[Stryder 0]

The panther stood up, somehow managing that. It was stunned, and unable to do much but stand up wobbly. He walked up towards it, the panther obviously scared to death, it knew it was over, but it didn't know what to do. Sky's foot glowed, and he quickly jumped towards it in a dash, doing a full three sixty before pummeling it with a kick, sending the panther straight into a tree, the creature exploding on impact. He gained 360 Col from it, though he opened his menu and sent it towards his partner.

"Sorry i didn't manage to get anything for you other then this col" He said, his normal attitude back. He no longer seemed like a warrior, more now just like a fun loving idiot. He grinned, laughing a little.

"That was a small fight, thanks for staying out of the way, that thing managed to do around eighteen damage to me through my mitigation, so i'm guessing it would have instantly killed you"

 

ID# 84121 results:

 Battle: 10 CRIT +2 Base DMG - 13

Tornado Kick - 11+2*6x1 - 78 DMG

Panther - 0/120HP | DMG 36 (Stun)

Stryder HP 222/240 | Energy 10/24 | ACC+3 | EVA+1 | Mit+2(-18 DMG) H1

 ID# 84122 results:

 Loot: 2 (No extra loot) 

Col - 120*3 - 360 - Given to Ruus

[Ruus 0]

The fight didn’t end on as high a note as it started for the panther. The first attack the creature landed would be the last. Stryder finished the beast off with a spinning kick that sent the cat tumbling backwards into a tree and dissolving into virtual fragments.

"No worries, glad you are ok. It was a very skilled fight if I had any doubts about martial arts as a primary means of self defense you cleared those up."

He noticed a deposit of Col in his inventory. This must have been the reward Stryder had got from the fight. "You really dont have to do that. You earned the Col, I couldn't even help you. It should be yours."

He was dissapointed in himself for not being able to help. He knew he wasn't strong enough yet but he would work on that. He would make sure he got strong enough and was able to help. He would return the favor some day and put himself between the danger and his new friend.

"What was that awesome looking attack you did to stun the panther? It didn't look like a normal attack."

[Stryder 0]

"Take it, i have no need for it. I want to help players, that is my goal" He replied, letting him know he wanted Ruus to keep the col. "The 'attack' i used was a sword art. They are how you deal real damage in this world. If i had used a basic strike, i only would have done around eleven damage. With these arts, i can do fifty plus with a single hit. Once you invest in a weapon skill, you gain access to these abilities" He answered, smiling to him. It had been an easy fight. He felt like he was being watched, quickly looking around, only to see what seemed like some black hiding in the tree's, though he couldn't make it out. Before he could move towards it, it vanished, literally disappearing into thin air. He had NO idea how that happened... But it had.

"Anything else you want to know?"

ID# 84123 results:

 Loot: 6 (No familiar found) 

[Ruus 0]

"Ah, so I should have access to these Sword Arts then. " He moved his hand and activated the menu. He swiped his hand to the left to browse through pages before finding the page with the list of skills available.  

'Vertical, A simple sword art slashing vertically.'

That seemed easy enough he though. He drew the basic iron straight sword from its sheath and held it with one hand in front of him. The blade was light and sturdy to be beginner sword. He knew the item wasn’t worth anything, and quality wise it wasn’t a very good weapon. But it was what he had for the time being.

He spread his feet shoulder width apart to center his balance. He raised the sword so that the guard was eye level and swiftly swung the blade down vertically. A blue hue outlined the blade as it descended, cutting through air.

"So thats what a sword skill is then?."

[Stryder 0]

Sky watched as he used vertical, a 1x1 sword art that only dealt the base damage, which was pretty low. He remembered using it when he had started, managing to someone swipe his sword by using vertical, but now that he was doing martial arts he was a lto more free. 

"Pretty much that, there are a lot of different ones. My first landing blow was an sword art called 'Five Swords', it stuns an enemy it hits, and the one i used to finish it was called tornado kick, its an AoE, but it does the most damage i have gotten right now" He says, shrugging. He was going to get stronger, he just needed the points. 

"As your skill with your weapon goes up, so does the amount of arts available for use. Pretty simple, but..... Well not at the same time" He said, knowing that for some gamers, it was hard to learn how to use abilities WITHOUT the menus, which you had to learn before being able to fight. He wondered about what to do with this guy, he seemed to want to level quickly.... 

[Ruus 0]

He was satisfied that he was learning. Coming out on this journey and meeting an ally, someone who didn’t mind explaining how things worked was most definitely going to pay off in the long run. Just being out taking in the environment, and learning skills was fun. ‘I should have done this sooner’ he thought. 

“I’ll just have to keep practicing then and become stronger.” He sheathed his sword and turned towards the direction they had been heading before the panther attacked. “I guess they become second nature the more repetition you get with them. As I level and unlock more sword skills I’ll be able to learn them and use them on the battlefield with no problem.”

[Stryder 0]

(Just a note all posts need to be 150 plus words, that one is 118, they can't and won't actually lock and 'complete' the thread without them being 150 words each)

 

Second nature? That was an understatement. Within a day of using his skills during his first fight to the death.... He had learn them off by heart. It wasn't hard, its born out of instinct, though he was a gamer, so he did find it quite easy to fully memorize those patterns needed.

"Once your in a life or death situation....You will learn, whether or not you want to, you will learn, its either that or die. At your level, your at the most vulnerable. You can't do any arts other then the basic first one, and you have low Hp. Once you get to around level six, you are able to survive independently a little, at least against weak mobs..." He said to his student, wondering if his words were actually reaching him.

"Though if your ever in a bind, don't hesitate to let me know, i'l be there as quick as i can" He said, his language being fully clear. He meant it, every word.

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru appeared on the first floor for not the first time in a long time. He wanted to keep training, but he knew that he would need a break from time to time. He would take an hour or two break, then get back to grinding. Even on this floor he could gain a few points of experience. He walked around and saw two young players nearby, but one walked away from the other, Curiously and cautiously, he made his way over, his hand near the hilt of his dagger in case. He didn't recognize them, so they might be a few lower-levelled players that weren't ready for the frontlines. He came over, his cloak covering his face as he made his way over silently. He appeared behind the young man and stood as tall as he could.

"Might I ask what you're doing out here at this time of day?" He asked, giving a monotone voice but his curiosity peaked. As far as he knew, there weren't any unique quests on this floor, unless he was doing one of the new beginner quests that were given out a patch or two ago. He wouldn't be able to tell until the player told him, or ran away from the high-levelled player, which he was used to at this point.