[SP-F1] (TFFLAF) Free as a Crow.

[Corvo 0]

"Zackariah" proved to be every bit the Merlin-esque old guy NPC everyone ran into at the beginning of their journey. At least, if their journey was in an RPG, and they actually started somewhere in the middle of their life. SAO was that kind of MMO, the sort of game where they gave you a chance to get your feet wet before trying to drown you.

"Just follow this quest chain and you won't die quite so fast."

Convenient. The other player who thumbed him in the direction of this quest was only a few levels higher, but he seemed to be kitted slightly better than average because of it. Corvo figured an opportunity to get an edge on the competition would tilt the odds of survival slightly in his favor, so he stood in front of the enigmatic old man with his arms folded. 

"Hello there!" the old man greeted with a kind smile. "I need some help. Could you run an errand for me? I will make it worth your while..."

The quest prompt appeared in front of him and the assassin tapped the accept icon lazily. "Sure," he said aloud, following the verbal cues. It offered a more immersive experience, and he had no one else to talk to anyway. "I'll help you out. What's the errand?"

"Could you bring me five materials?" Zackariah asked him. "Do that, and I'll fix you up a nice treat."

Corvo nodded, then headed off to work.

[Corvo 0]

"Let's see," he flicked through his inventory screen and over to his status, only half watching as he made his way to the edge of town. Everything looked good, except for the sheer lack of decent equipment. Thankfully, these quests were designed to remedy that ailment, so he didn't complain too much. "These materials should be fairly common just outside the gate." 

The map blossomed into view in front of him, and the assassin glanced over it. "Doesn't look like there are any marked nodes for gathering," he mused, a veteran of many other online games. "I'll just have to look the old fashioned way."

He rubbed his hands together as he stepped out of the safe zone and into the proverbial fire, undaunted by the risks he took in doing so. Many other starting players took forever just to do it, if only out of fear that they might die. For Corvo, that was inevitable.

"Now, where do I start lookin'?"

[Corvo 0]

His first few steps into the field yielded fruit. Rather, he instantly saw a collectable appear in front of him. It took the form of a gilded, shining orb that beckoned him to reach out for it. "What have we here?" the red haired boy asked rhetorically as he reached out and plucked the material from the grass. "A fairly decent quality ingredient, too? Lady Luck is on my side today!"

He sent the material to his inventory and directed his attention back to the field. There was plenty more to gather, and a lot of ground to cover. Success early on was a good sign. It meant that he would be able to finish more quickly-

Provided he continue to come across the more bountiful harvest of the first floor. 

"If this is a chain, then the next quest will likely follow the story from this one, or use an item I gain as a reward. We'll have to see what Aincrad has in store from me when that time comes, I guess."

His grim monologue reminded him that he was in a game, despite how he acted toward others. Corvo had to stay human somehow.

Somehow.

(1/5)

 

ID# 87445 Battle: 3 Craft: 6 Loot: 16 MOB 2

Edited August 3, 2017 by Corvo

[Corvo 0]

No sooner had Corvo turned than did he spy another, distant shimmering orb. "Looks like it's my lucky day," the assassin mused as he picked his pace up to a jog. Though it wasn't far to go, he wanted to be sure that he grabbed the item before anyone else.

When he reached down to pluck it, the item blossomed into a brilliant light in his hands. The material took shape and he sent it quickly to his inventory. "This one looks a little nicer than the last," he observed. "Wonder if that makes a difference?"

He glanced up and around the meadow again, eyes peeled for any sign of more crafting materials to give Zackariah. "I wonder what he plans to make with these," the redhead pondered aloud as he pivoted in place. Certainly, it was some sort of potion or other conconction that utilized herbs. That's why he was gathering from the field, and not from creature drops.

Or that was what he gathered, anyway.

(2/5)

ID# 87450 Battle: 6 Craft: 12 Loot: 20 MOB 7

Edited August 3, 2017 by Corvo

[Corvo 0]

"Another good pick, looks like," the redhead commented as he crouched down and scooped up material. The item practically evaporated between his fingers. Corvo frowned.

Hmm...

"Maybe I should slow down a little," he snickered as he pulled the pipe from his cloak and lit the tobacco. Two long drags later, he was back on track and puffing out large plumes of black smoke. "Looks like picking these things requires a more delicate touch than what I've been giving it. Don't wanna ruin any more of these materials."

The assassin stood upright and let out a massive yawn, stretching both arms skyward, fingers knitting between each other as his back cracked loudly in several places. "If'n I take my time here, I can probably get a bit of experience in before the next leg of this quest. All in the name of personal growth, right?"

He fumbled with his dagger for a moment and unsheathed it, taking a look at the weapon and opening the menu to view its statistics. "I'll need to be getting an upgrade here, soon," he commented blandly.

(2/5)

 

 

 ID# 87493 Battle: 1 Craft: 5 Loot: 6 MOB 2

Edited August 5, 2017 by Corvo

[Corvo 0]

Yet another success.

The moment he waltzed out into the meadow on the first floor, Corvo had seen largely triumph. He hardly believed it to be possible, yet he felt the sinking sensation that it would not last. If he could manage to harvest one more item in a row, he figured he'd try his luck at a lottery or something.

No use in letting them hot hands ice over without yielding some pay out, after all.

The assassin carefully sent the fourth of five collectables to his inventory, where it would wait in safety for him to turn it over to Zackariah. "So, what do I do once I collect it all, I wonder? Seems like a whole lot of work just for him to get a couple of materials."

That thought gave him pause. Would Zackariah put the materials to use himself, or would the older man put Corvo to work trying his luck at the craft himself? Those thoughts only caused him to shake his head. "I'd probably end up poisoning myself," he muttered.

(3/5)

 

ID# 87507 Battle: 8 Craft 8 Loot: 15 MOB: 7

Edited August 5, 2017 by Corvo

[Corvo 0]

Another material evaded him as he plucked it, and it dissipated into the immaterial. He recognized the frustration that many established Crafters felt when they went into the field for their trade, and it only made him want to not deal with that at all.

"Guess the game's trying to tell you that you can't just live on fighting mobs," he said with a humorless laugh. "Oh well, though," he glanced at the ground where he found the item, and wondered if there were more to it than just scooping up items. 

"Is there some specific way I have to touch them?" he pondered aloud. He went for another softly glowing material in order to test his theory. The item shivered the way they all did when he got close, and he picked at it slightly higher than he had before. When he pulled, it snapped pitifully, and as it entered his hand, it disappeared the same way the other two had.

"Must be something to do with pressure," he guessed, "or handling. They seem to be pretty delicate."

(3/5)

 

ID# 87578 Battle: 5 Craft: 9 Loot: 7 MOB: 1

Edited August 6, 2017 by Corvo

[Corvo 0]

"Sheee-" Corvo bit his tongue as another material slipped through his fingers and returned to the ever constant stream of data that made up Aincrad. 

The redhead stood himself back up and stretched his back, stifling his annoyance. There was no use in getting worked up, after all. "You wanna get stronger, ya gotta play the game," he told himself.

Then he laughed, abruptly.

"I'm gonna have a bad habit of talking to myself by the time I get home. Hope my family understands-" He stopped short, and his sentence turned into a sigh. His eyes were glass and distant, and he relaxed his shoulders as he glanced up at the sky. How long had it been since he last saw them? When would he see them again?

His expression instantly soured. "They're gonna say a whole lotta I told you so's," he lamented at a grumble. That made him kick another material, instantly destroying it without ever touching it. "So much for just wanting to spend more time with friends." 

And not a damn friend in sight.

(3/5)

 

ID# 87628 Battle: 1 Craft: 5 Loot: 5 MOB: 8

 

Edited August 10, 2017 by Corvo

[Corvo 0]

"Finally! he called out, exasperated as he pulled a material from the dirt and sent it to his inventory. "That only took forever to find."

It also meant he had only one left to gather. That bit gave him a refreshed sense of purpose, and he yawned loudly as he considered his next course of action. There were a few directions to choose from, each of them as promising as the last.

"If I go that way," he glanced toward the forest, "I might end up getting into trouble with the Nepents. Not strong enough to deal with that, yet."

His eyes traveled over the path and toward the small safe zone several kilometers away. That road was straight and quick, and promised the fewest altercations. Of course, it also took him further away from town, where he had to go to turn the quest in.

"Maybe..." he looked toward the edge of the floor, where several boars did spawn, but was close by. "That might be the way to go."

(4/5)

 

ID# 87707 Battle: 5 Craft: 6 Loot: 20 MOB: 4

Edited August 10, 2017 by Corvo

[Corvo 0]

"Nothin' over this way," he mused as he walked along the path, careful to avoid any form of combat. It wasn't that he couldn't fight, so much as that he was focused on his current task and didn't want to get sidetracked with unnecessary entanglements.

"If'n I only got one left to find, I reckon I can take a little bit of extra time finding it." Though he had no intention on shaking the local boats down for their item drops, it made for a viable option if he continued to struggle in his searching. He had entertained the idea initially, but his ability to find four of the items made him wary to deviate from the tactic.

Trial and error had shown that most likely would be the case regardless. "And fighting yields excess experience," he argued to himself.

Ever the practical man, was Corvo.

He hurried further down the path, eyes skimming over the dirt for any sign of his quarry.

(4/5)

 

ID# 87714  Battle: 10 Craft: 9 Loot: 3 MOB: 6

Edited August 10, 2017 by Corvo

[Corvo 0]

ID# 87715 Battle: 8 Craft: 6 Loot: 5 MOB: 8

Edited August 10, 2017 by Corvo