[21F - PP] First Explorations [Completed]

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

ID# 84821 results: Loot: 6 + 3 LD item + 1 skill + 1 skill item = 11 - No materials (0 total)

It had been a long and arduous journey to unlock the twenty first floor, and given his contributions to the final fight of that floor, there was no way in hell that Shield was going to let the others pass him by and leave him in the dust. He had already made arrangements to join a scouting party, but in the mean time, a new floor meant a chance at new materials to push his business and his items to the next level along with his skills. As soon as he arrived on the teleportation pad of the cavernous main city, he opened his menu to send a new message to a contact he had not seen in some time.

Quote

"Anemone,

Lots of work to do and little time to do it! Meet me up on the twenty-first floor while the gettin' is still good!

Shield"

He sent the message, no other explanation included, aside from a rough sketch of which end of town he planned to wait. Just outside of the safe zone, in a tunnel that led down from the stalactites where the city of Tomioka hung, he set about searching, keeping his eyes open for anything that could be a useful material.

Edited May 22, 2017 by Shield

[Anemone 0]

ID: 84824
LD: 18+8 = +4 (T3 Mats) [4 total]

Anemone had only blinked as the mere seconds transpired slower than anything in real life. At one moment there was an exciting cheer from many players when Mothra had gone down. Several others ran for the exit to get a jump start on the scouting team. She would join them in with a fork, and with the new patched abilities of her skills, Anemone felt more confident in her role as a Support Healer. But the ding from her message box alerted her that work was not yet complete. She had some apprehension in joining Shield again, but deep down she wanted to help him and anyone else. So she made a quick dart, much like the others towards the exit. When she had been lifted up to the new floor, she did not have to squint. The dark ambient of stone and deep colored patterns gave her a sense of adventure once more on this floor. It was a mild ten degree Celsius, but Anemone was feeling a bit chilled. Shivering lightly, the woman met up with the Tank and waved across to him.

"Hello," her sentence was brief and she did not want to pester her him with her bubblyness anymore than she had in the past. She would keep her sentences short and to the point, after all, they both knew what they were here for.

"Let's get going on searching for those materials." Shield had lead them out, but Anemone was quickly speeding up and once the safezone was out of reach, the new score of tier three materials had come and blossomed. She quickly sat down on the harsh ground and combed the floor of any items, picking several colored gemstones in the process, "I'll hand these over when we are through." Another short and quick sentence. @Shield

Edited May 22, 2017 by Anemone

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

ID# 84826 results: Loot: 15 + 3 LD item + 1 skill + 1 skill item = 20 - +1 Material (1 total)

Shield grinned at Anemone with a focused determination. He felt more alive than he had since he first settled into the reality of Sword Art Online. Not only was he finally on the front lines, but they had pushed to a brand new floor, and he had the opportunity to be among the first inside to explore.

"We'll sort all of that out when the time comes," he said, keeping his message brief so he could focus on their surroundings. It had been some time since the altercation in the tavern where he had offended Aneomone with a well-meaning jab at her bubbly personality. However, as was his tendency, the focus of the moment had crowded the incident completely out of mind. For all he knew, she was just focused on the task as was he. "This is a big opportunity. For me at least. I don't know what your role has been in exploring other floors, but aside from the labyrinth and the fight on the last floor, I've barely gotten my feet wet."

As he spoke, his earring lit up. There on the ground by his feet, a solid chunk of something silver lay glinting on the path. He had no way of identifying the metal, but there was no question as to its significance. He scooped it up and stored it away.

"The benefits of a fresh floor, I suppose! Nobody else to take all of the loot yet!"

@Anemone

Edited May 22, 2017 by Shield

[Anemone 0]

ID: 84828
LD: 5+ 8 = 0

"Mm, it's my first as well. Since I joined the Knights, I have been becoming more pro-active." She attempted to keep her voice unenthralled by the experience of seeing the new floor but inside she was hopping up and down to see and look at everything. When she got up to her feet, she had bound in another direction to look for materials but came up short. She gave a small shake of her head when she could not find anything in this location and stood up while patting her knees cleans of the fresh luminous like dirt. Red eyes scanned the area, she would not readily reply to anything unless she absolutely had to. But it was true from his words, this was a new floor which meant all the nodes were still intact for the time being, just finding the right ones would a bit of a chore like in the past.

"Nothing over here." She would quietly say to herself without trying to sound too let down by it. As she stood, she marveled at the patterns and coolness of the ambient on this floor. It sure was an enchanting feeling, but moreso she wanted a chance to explore the establishment. @Shield

Edited May 22, 2017 by Anemone

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

ID# 84831 results: Loot: 11 + 3 LD item + 1 skill + 1 skill item = 16 - +1 Material (2 total)

As Shield bent down to recover another piece of raw metal that he had stumbled upon, he tried to place what this feeling was he was experiencing. It was familiar, but very distant. Old memories stirred, and finally, just as he banished the lump of - what he assumed to be - platinum to his inventory, he found a resonant memory.

"Easter," he said, chuckling aloud. "It's like an Easter Egg Hunt." He bent over and actually laughed out loud, thinking of how ridiculous it must look for a grown man in adventurer's gear to be running around and bending over to pick up shiny objects. "Well, so much for taking myself seriously at such a significant time."

He returned to the task at hand, scanning the ground as this had proven most effective so far. Certain floors had quirks about materials and how they tended to show up, or rather not show up, but so far this floor had been generous.

@Anemone

Edited May 22, 2017 by Shield

[Anemone 0]

ID: 84834
LD:16 + 8 = +4 T3 Mats, (8 Total)

The woman had scrunched her nose, lifted her hand to her mouth and giggled from his comment. It was very much like an Easter Egg hunt, "Yes, I find that to be quite the right statement for what this is. I suppose even with these new materials, something could will come from them. Like a small prize in an Easter Egg." Of course she meant the plastic eggs with candy or prizes in them. She remembered hunting for easter eggs as a child and later when she came into her adult years, she had helped the youth at her Church to paint eggs and send them out early in the morning for a hunt. They were peaceful times and fond times she would spend with those children. But now...

It was best to keep and hold those memories to cherish them at times like these. She of course never forgot that she was still human. No matter how digital this game got, she was still whole in her memory. "Looks like I am winning." She said holding a bunch of different exotic things in her hands before letting them slide in her satchel bag. @Shield

Edited May 22, 2017 by Anemone

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

ID# 84836 results: Loot: 19 + 3 LD item + 1 skill + 1 skill item = 24 - +1 Material (3 total) 

"Maybe," Shield said, his eyes only momentarily glancing over at Anemone's haul so far. "Still, this is more luck than I tend to have most days while looking for goods, so I'm pretty pleased so far."

Even before he had finished the sentiment, his earring had flared back up again with its pale golden light. He turned his eyes to the ground and spotted the husk of what appeared to be some cavern-dwelling insect that was about the size of his hand. He tapped it with his finger, and sure enough, the many-legged molt displayed an item tag and selection menu. He stashed it with his other gear and straightened back up.

"Perhaps some rare chitin variant," he thought aloud with a shrug. "Either something for alchemy or perhaps for light and durable armor. At least I hope so. I'd hate to think of that thing being used in cooking."

@Anemone

Edited May 22, 2017 by Shield

[Anemone 0]

ID: 84839
LD:16 + 8 = +4 T3 Mats, (12 Total)

"Teehee." That bubbly laugh rose from her chest as she placed a hand over her mouth from Shield's comment. Despite what he had said to her before at the Inn, the woman couldn't deny that she was indeed bubbly at times, but its what made her-her. So she drew in a quick breath and exhaled slowly after clearing her throat. With one hand, she swept back the long crimson and blonde locks of hair from her ruby eyes and pushed the silken blades back over her ear. She had turned and folded her hands behind her back as she moved around the small area and looked with her hot like fire eyes. When something glittered, she skipped to her musingly way and found several more shiny crags. One of them was broken in half and had an array of vibrant colored that seemed to shimmer. "Yay! I found some neat ones over here." Exciting, she satcheled them up to give to Shield later on. For the most part, they were having a rather lucky time finding these items. It was first come, first serve and there were many more nodes to look at and explore. @Shield

Edited May 22, 2017 by Anemone

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

 ID# 84840 results: Loot: 1 + 3 LD item + 1 skill + 1 skill item = 6 - No materials (3 total)

Shield kept pace with Anemone as she followed the glints that were guiding them from one find to the next. As they were dragged over to the little nest of shiny discoveries, Shield noticed something else. There was a fissure that seemed to have opened in the wall, easily wide enough for a fully grown adult to slip through.

"Interesting," he wondered aloud. "I wonder what' inside of here. What do you think?" he asked to Anemone over his shoulder. "Worth exploring?"

He had little fear of what the floor had to offer, at least in the aftermath of the boss battle that barely managed to scratch his defenses. He had been on the full defensive, but that still was promising regarding the level of danger on the following floor. He was not in any danger. He did not know, however, how safe Anemone felt, and he waited to gauge her reaction.

@Anemone

Edited May 22, 2017 by Shield

[Anemone 0]

ID: 84843
LD:16 +8 = +4 T3 Materials, 16 Total

The woman perked up and followed Shield. She titled her head to the side, allowing her hair to spring from her ear as she had done so. Her keen fire like eyes squinted as she stepped forward, "I'm a little more petite than you are with all that armor on. I can probably squeeze through to the other side." The woman was a bit hesitant, but she moved with the greatest of ease with little friction between herself and the channel, "It...it is a bit of a tight fit," she said with a bit of tone as she struggled, her torso scraping along the wall causing a small plume of dust to errupt in her face, which followed a small bout of coughing. As she stepped through the other side, there was a massive glowing mushroom swaying side to side by a cool breeze and then hundred and hundred of luminescent butterflies scattered the area and blitzed through the crevice. The woman was no scared but she was swarmed by these fliers, as she knelt down, several items were collected that resembled butterfly wings as flowers. She collected these items and called out to Shield, "You are missing out on a wonderful butterfly wall over here. They are swarming like crazy." @Shield

Edited May 22, 2017 by Anemone

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

ID# 84846 results: Loot: 12 + 3 LD item + 1 skill + 1 skill item = 17 - +1 Material (4 total)

Shield sucked in his chest and leaned his weight into the crevice, willing himself to slide through despite the restrictions that put up the resistance of friction and cramped space.

"Hang on," he wheezed, forcing himself the rest of the way through the narrow passage. As he came free of the narrowed entrance, he popped out like a bar of slippery soap when squeezed to tightly, sprawling onto the ground and sending the flying insects scattering. He saw a whirl of slitting wings as they all disappeared through the crevice behind him. "Uh... Sorry. I'm sure they were spectacular."

His earring's halo lit the ground below his face, and to his right, he spotted another hunk of glittering metal. He had never seen so much precious material. It may not have been as fascinating as the fulgurites of the fifth floor, but this was still an incredibly productive little venture so far. He stored the items and stood, dusting himself off.

"It looks like we have plenty to explore," he added, pointing down the narrow tunnel they had found their way into, the floor of which was carpeted with pale blue moss that glowed with the same glow that the rest of the floor constantly seemed to exude.

@Anemone

Edited May 22, 2017 by Shield

[Anemone 0]

ID: 84849
LD: 10+ 8 = +4 T3 Materials (20 Total)

Anemone had stepped aside when Shield squashed the ground with his heavy armor frame. She looked down at him and helped him up, trying not to touch him too much, but he was so heavy with all that armor on she nearly fell down just from trying. But it seemed he was able to collect an item while he was there, "Too bad. It was quite enchanting. It feels like I am in a enchanted fairy tale or something. It's really exciting to be here." Anemone had nodded, "Let's explore then." But while doing this, she had brought up her map to make sure she could make a line back to the settlement in case things got a little too interesting for the search party. Glowing moss had spread across the ground like a carpet of grass before them. The supporter of the two had knelt down once again on her knees and was able to collect a sample of the glowing moss. Her eyes seemed to shift left and right, "I don't know what it could be used for, but its looks pretty. This entire floor is just like a giant chasm of magic. This place is so pretty." Sitting on one leg, the female grunted a little as she got up to her full height and set the sampling of glowing moss in her satchel.

With the back of her hand, the woman swept away the hair off her shoulder and examined the immediate area, "I wonder what kind of Boss this floor will have? Maybe a Kirin?" she thought. @Shield

Edited May 22, 2017 by Anemone

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

ID# 84850 results: Loot: 19 + 3 LD item + 1 skill + 1 skill item = 24 - +1 Material (5 total)

Shield's forehead furrowed at the speculation. He turned to Anemone as he tried to place the word. It sounded vaguely familiar, but then again, as an American playing a largely Japanese game, this was not an uncommon occurrence.

"You're going to have to explain that thought," he replied, scooping up a handful of the moss as well. Only certain portions of it seemed to be of any use, and his eyes were not as well trained as Anemone's. The little that seemed usable was stored in his inventory before they set off further down the passage.

"Good thinking, by the way, keeping track of the path," he said. "I'm usually more calculated, and I'm sure I would have been able to find my way back eventually, but it doesn't hurt to be cautious, especially considering the unknown nature of the floor."

For all he knew, the floor could rearrange itself as it was explored. That thought caused him to shudder slightly. He needed to be more careful.

@Anemone

Edited May 22, 2017 by Shield

[Anemone 0]

ID: 84852
LD: 11+ 8 = +4 T3 Materials (24 Total)

Anemone stood and brought her manicured thumbnail to her mouth and chewed on it for a brief moment before turning back to Shield, "Its a magical horsey-dragon thing!" she exclaimed to him. That was her best explanation from the top of her head. She shrugged her shoulders, "I think something like that would be an interesting boss for this kind of place." They had continued further down the rabbit hole as the Tank and Support Healer wandered the new floor. Enchanting glowing walls and flora was all around them, even the flooring seemed to light up once in awhile with its strange glow. But the odd thing were the interesting cracks in the floor.

"I wonder what those are for..." The woman was interested and she stood over on top of one and peered down at the broken crag of earth below her feet. With squinting eyes, she was blasted with a torrent of hot air that seemed to lift her shirt way up to her elbows before giving an awkward yelp. She hurriedly did everything she could to bring her shirt back down to her waist and looked over at Shield, "Steam vents..." she muttered stepped away from it. Hopefully he didn't see anything, that was most embarrassing. But she was able to draw some items from the ground nearby, attempting to save face by discovering something new. @Shield

Edited May 22, 2017 by Anemone

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

ID# 84853 results: Loot: 4 + 3 LD item + 1 skill + 1 skill item = 9 - No Materials (5 total)

"Interesting," Shield said, seemingly unfazed by Anemone's little Marilyn Monroe moment. If he had noticed, he at least had the decency to not draw attention to it. "If there are vents here, I wonder what other volcanic activity there is. There could be hot pots or geysers... even hot springs or actual lava flows"

He went on ahead a little ways, giving Anemone time to rearrange herself if necessary. The passage ahead bent gradually to the left, and he followed it carefully, not wanting to leave his party member behind, nor to stumble into a trap room, which he had experienced first hand in the previous floor's labyrinth. He had managed it just fine but he had had more backup then, and without some actual damage on his side, fighting his way out would take a considerable amount of time.

"There's definitely quite a bit we don't know about the floor," he said, thinking back to the description, if could be called that, of the mythical creature Anemone had mentioned. He put two and two together, wondering if it could be assumed that the creature would be of some significance to Asian culture. "That creature you mentioned. It wouldn't be like an equine Shisa, would it?"

@Anemone

Edited May 22, 2017 by Shield

[Anemone 0]

ID: 84855
LD:13 + 8 = +4 T3 Materials, (28 Total)

Anemone had indeed collected herself as she turned around and fixed her shirt. The blast of hot air made her feel hot and cold at the same time now that was back in the open of the cavern. Her red eyes shifted as she adjusted her satchel and followed Shield with a small jog back to his direction. She stopped herself before slamming into his back with the full force of her movement and then let her arms hang at her sides when he mentioned something she did not understand. She shook her head, "I don't believe I know what that is. I only know a kirin by name, it was in a book I read and when it was described, that was the best that I could remember from it." The female had said shortly gathering her breath and belongings.

"So far, I have found a decent amount of materials. I won't mind giving you these items, but I will be asking for a favor in the future. I'll happily compensate since you are one of the few Merchants I know of. Word has it you are good at finding special and unique enhancements. I am nothing special and normal equipment would fair just as well for me, but there might be something useful down the road." Speaking of usefulness, Anemone had stopped by a stone pillar, carved with glowing paint like substance. It was glittering blue with red horizontal streaks like a rune etched in the surface. She placed her hand on the pillar and it cracked open revealing more pretty looking flowers. @Shield

Edited May 22, 2017 by Anemone

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

ID# 84856 results: Loot: 9 + 3 LD item + 1 skill + 1 skill item = 4 - No Materials (5 total)

"A Shisa is a mythical dog from Japanese folklore, from my understanding," he said, trying to recall the little that he knew about them. "Their statues are all over the place in Okinawa. They tend to be very stylized and have a lot of colorful detailing, though their faces are a little more human, now that I think of it."

Shield's ears perked up and he glanced over at Anemone as she mentioned the idea of business. He had been keeping close tabs on the ways that the game seemed to be shifting in the aftermath of the last boss, and one thing that seemed to have changed was his shop menus. It didn't change the foundation of his shop though.

"Well, that depends," he said, keeping his eyes on the lookout for materials as he spoke. "The most successful method of searching has been to set up a contract. People will come in with resources for my crafting and I'll go through them until I either run out or find something worth finding.

"I'm not trying to brag or anything, but my services are about the best you can find in Aincrad, so they're not exactly cheap, but I'm not going to rob you, especially considering the help you've given me so far. I'll need a few things from you if we're going to enter into a contract."

He opened up his inbox and sent her the message with outlined basics for a contract:

Quote

What I need to know from you:

1. Resources - For T1 and T2 appraisals, this can be done with Col or with materials, but for T3, I will specifically need materials.
2. Items to be appraised - Blank enhancement slots can no longer be appraised. You will need to bring in unidentified items.
3. Your wish list - What to you will mean a successful, completed contract? Are you looking for a specific unique, or just anything rare?
4. Compensation - Note: Col not accepted for this portion!

• If I succeed - Suggested compensation with either T3 mats, additional unidentified T3 items, or other valuable items/services.
• If I do not succeed - Sadly, appraisals are based on luck, and I need something to compensate me for my efforts either way.

"Look that over," he said, closing out of his menus. "That will give you a starting point."

@Anemone

Edited May 22, 2017 by Shield

[Anemone 0]

ID: 84858
LD: 17+ 8 = +4 T3 Materials (32 Total)

"Oh! So that's what they are called..." Anemone had seen several of those at temples and other places, including in jewelery and charms she had seen in shops. She had no idea of the name though, but she supposed it was close enough to what she might be talking about. With a small smile, the woman and Shield enter into a small conversation about how his shop ran. He was nice enough to create a note for her to carry since there was a lot of information to go through. As she read the contents, the woman bit down on her lip, "Some of these things will require a DPS." She said mostly to herself. Red eyes looked up at Shield and she nodded, scrolling through the message and packing it up in her small tab of memos for safe storage. Materials she could get easily, but these unidentified items she would have some problems acquiring for someone of her build.

"Well, thank you for that information. I'll try and do what I can to gather the resources. Maybe I can trade my services for DPS who can find these things. So many things to do." she smiled and sighed heavily sweeping the hair from her brows and eyes with one finger. She leaned over and collected more unique items to this enchanting floor, more materials was never a bad thing to collect. Red eyes looked back at Shield and she patted her satchel, "We got a good haul so far." @Shield

Edited May 22, 2017 by Anemone

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

ID# 84859 results: Loot: 20 + 3 LD item + 1 skill + 1 skill item = 25 - +1 Material (6 total)

Shield nodded in acknowledgement of the thanks, but he didn't really see a need for it. Business was business, and it was in everyone's best interest to help one another as much as was reasonable. The economy was based off of an understanding that survival was key.

"I agree," he said, seeing the bulk in the satchel. "This is definitely a good starting point for now."

As he said so, his earring blazed to life. Casting about for an explanation, he spotted a large crystal, easily the size of his fist, that glowed with the same intensity as the floor itself. He stored it and turned back to her.

"I'd say that's a good stopping point. This rabbit hole likely goes on a ways, and exploring too far without a balanced party is risky, even with high defense."

He turned and began making his way back along the passage towards the floor's entrance where they had first begun. As they walked, Shield wondered to himself how soon proper scouting parties would make their way onto the floor.

@Anemone

Edited May 22, 2017 by Shield

[Anemone 0]

ID: 84860
LD: 3+8 = 11 Nothing Found
Dungeon Roll

Anemone and Shield had stopped, with her haul of thirty-two need tier three materials, he had plenty to at least get himself some new gear. Now was the time to start heading back to the other group. "We should head back to the town and call it a day. We've been out here for a little while and I don't wanna risk engaging some mobs unseen. Although I think you came away with a steal today. I got you a lot of materials, I hope they'll be helpful." Anemone smiled and bowed her head, "Thanks for calling on me. We should do it again sometime." The duo had traveled back using the indicated map markers Anemone had set up during the trip. She was cautious and wanted to make sure she could find her way back if something bad would happen. It was the first successful trip on Floor Twenty-One. She hoped she could spend more time here as well.

Thread Rewards: +1 SP Each, 200 Col Each
Loot Rewards: 32 T3 Materials given to Shield+ 6 T3 Materials he Found
 

 

Edited May 22, 2017 by Anemone