[PP-F1] Beside the Frozen Lake (Vigilon)

[Saige 0]

Christmas had passed, but Floor 1's wintry season stayed. Saige predicted that winter in Aincrad would last as long as it normally did in the real world, with the game's attempt to be as close as possible to reality and everything. Or maybe it would only last up 'til New Year, like what most MMORPGs did. But knowing how long the snow will last didn't matter. What mattered was that she was going to take a break from leveling and have fun in the snow today! Well, to be honest, she had been going on lots of "breaks" lately, but that didn't matter much either. It was winter, and winter only lasted for around three months. Furthermore, she was quite proud of the fact that she had been leaving her lodging for three weeks, straight. It was hard to believe that the Saige from a month ago was too scared and depressed to be out of her lodging for just one hour.

Anyways, the afternoon of December 28 found Saige standing in front of a small, frozen lake she had found outside the Town of Beginnings. It was pretty far from the safe zone, maybe a twenty minute walk away, and she came across it while chasing a retreating boar; and it was something that was pretty hard to be found, so she was fairly confident that she would be alone for the whole afternoon. If she did get any unexpected company though, she had her sword and her Level 3 stats to keep herself alive. She was wearing her usual white and purple outfit with the hood pulled up and a large sword strapped to her belt, and it wasn't enough to protect her from the cold of the winter season. She shivered slightly as a mild breeze blew past her. Note to self: buy warmer clothes for the next winter season. If we're still stuck in SAO by that time, anyway.

The silver-haired player opened her inventory, and after a few moments of scrolling, tapped on an item. A pair of ice skates fell onto her hands. She had bought it for herself last Christmas when she walked past an NPC's stall and seeing the skates displayed, thought: Why not? Saige sat down on the ground and put the skates on. Then she stepped out onto the ice and slowly glided forward (she'd tested the strength of the ice earlier, and she was 98% sure it would hold; plus, she'd never heard of players dying from hypothermia, and she was careful enough so she definitely wouldn't be the first one). Stopped in the middle of the frozen lake and looked around, taking the beauty of her wintry surroundings in. "Okay. Let's see if I still know the basics."

@Vigilon

Spoiler

Current Stats

Level 3
60 HP
6 Energy
4 Damage

Equipped

• Starter Two-Handed Straight Sword (no enhancements)
• Starter Light Armor (no enhancements)

Battle Ready Inventory

• 3 Starter Healing Potions (Heals 50 HP)
• 5 T1 Health Potions of Uncommon Quality (Heals 40 HP)
• 1 T1 Damage Potion (+1 Damage)
• 1 T1 Over-Health Potion (+50 Temp. HP)

Skills

• 2H Straight Sword [Rank 1] -- +3 DMG, Access to Rank 1 Sword Arts

Known Sword Arts

Spoiler

2H Straight Sword

Rank 1

• [x2 AoE] Blast (4 Energy) - A pair of horizontal sweeping strokes that hits multiple targets.
• [x2] Straight (2 Energy) - Begins with the player bending their knees before thrusting forward with a singular powerful strike covering the gap between you and your opponent.

 

 

Edited December 28, 2017 by Saige

[Vigilon 0]

Vigilon only hoped he wouldn't be stuck with just another normal day. He had been wondering if there was anything particular that may happen in the floors during the winter. So far, he had been hearing rumors of a certain material type for blacksmiths that appears during the wintertime. The only other things that he heard about it were that it can be found near ice or near sub-dungeons coated with ice, and that this particular material was called stalhrim. At the moment, he knew there were a few lakes down in floor one, so why not stop by he guessed. He was in he midst of a small break between the times he would craft at his shop in floor seven. Veriost was in the same mood she was usually in when they were at floor four. Vigilon guessed that all the snow and ice reminded her of that floor from which she was from. "Are you feeling nostalgic Veriost, or are you always this awake when it's cold?" He shivered slightly, the cold getting through his light armor. "Perhaps I should get something warmer for the wintertime..." For now, he was walking across the lake which had frozen over, hoping to find materials, possibly the one he heard rumors of, and of course, a future friend/ally or two. The problem was, life was going to make him look ridiculous again. As soon as that one slip sent him sliding across the lake towards another player, he regretted not having any footwear that would have helped, or at least had better traction. "Of course. There just had to be a time for me to have another 'low-level accident'. And I'm already level like, what, fourteen, right? So why the heck is this happening to me???"

@Saige

[Saige 0]

Saige was proud to say, she still remembered how to skate. She skated around the edges of the lake, lifting her skates from the ice in alternating patterns, and then focused on gradually picking up speed until she was eventually racing around the lake, the cold winter wind blowing back her hood. She passed the branch she had placed near the lake's shore once more. Lap number nine! Grinning, she bent forward and picked up speed but instantly regretted it as she noticed a brown-haired player (@Vigilon) slip on the ice and uncontrollably slide into her path. Her stomach dropped. She had heard the bushes rustling awhile ago but was too focused on her skating to examine the source. "Hey, watch out!" the silver-haired player warned. Saige stuck one skate out sideways and attempted to stop. But she had been recklessly going at full speed, and she ended up colliding against the other player and landing on her side a few paces away. 

"Urgh..." The tingly sensation had spread to both her legs and her side, and when she attempted to sit up, her hand slid under her and her head slammed against the ice. This was not how she wanted to look like in front of a complete stranger. Hopefully, he had been too focused on standing up to notice her epic failure. Taking it slower this time, she picked herself up and stood on unsteady legs. After tugging her hood back on, Saige glided over to the player, but made no move to help him. He looked just about her age, maybe a year older, but the sword at his side sparked an overwhelming sense of caution. What level are you? He didn't seem too experienced with the ice though, so if it came to it, she could use her speed to her advantage and quickly get away from him. "Um, you okay?" she asked tentatively. A small white dragon was perched on his shoulder, and it looked a bit familiar. She resisted the urge to pet it. "I'm sorry about that, should've watched where I was going."

[Vigilon 0]

Vigilon tried to avoid collision, but what he ended up doing was only getting himself to spin out of control, which made him start thinking about if it was possible to become dizzy in this game, or worse, get sick to the stomach. The only thing he could do now was brace himself for impact. He closed his eyes until the moment of collision was over. "Aaaaaagggghhhh......" Why was it that life sometimes liked to make Vigilon look like an accident-prone idiot for a first impression? He got up, but not without about five minutes of trying to get up, then slipping and falling back down on his face, which was almost as cold as experiencing Veriost's frost breath in full blast. When he regained his focus, he noticed that the player he collided with was near, and she asked him if he was okay. She also apologized, saying she should have watched where she was going. "No need to apologize, really, I should have known better than to just carelessly walk on ice without remembering that a wrong step can make you slip and slide."

@Saige

[Saige 0]

The boy she had collided with stood up, and Saige cautiously inched farther away from him while maintaining a forced, polite smile. At her distance, he couldn't reach her even if he lunged, though she believed he wouldn't have much skill with the ice to do that in the first place. Still, it couldn't hurt to be cautious. She forced an awkward giggle at his response, and while remaining hyper-aware of the other player's movements, she said, "I suppose we've all made that mistake. You're not much used to the ice, are you?"

Now that she thought of it, why was he here? She could definitely eliminate ice skating or the other winter activities she'd seen the other players doing from the list (most winter activities could be done back inside the safe zone, anyway, so why risk it?). Furthermore, the lake wasn't exactly the best place to go hunting for mobs unless one had the Fishing skill, but even then, not many players were willing to sit on the cold, cold snow all day. Well, he could always be one of the exceptions. Unless he came here to kil-- Saige shivered and stepped back. She quickly decided that it was better to ask instead of drawing conclusions. "So, what brings you here? Obviously not ice skating, I presume," she added with an amused smile that came a bit more naturally than the previous ones.

[Vigilon 0]

The girl he had a collision with seemed wary, but he guessed it couldn't be helped. Vigilon didn't have a clue who she was, and vice versa. She asked if he wasn't used to the ice much. The question actually sparked a memory or two. "Peaceful conversation? Phew, at least there isn't any trouble at the moment. Guess I'll just roll with it, but I should remain with at least some slight caution." "I'll actually admit, yes, I'm not that good with the ice. Even my sister, who's significantly better at it, tried to help me with it once, but with little success. It is possible to walk on the ice carefully, but if I didn't watch my step, well...yeah." He already felt like he'd explained a little too much from his life back in the real world. The girl then asked him why he was here. "Heard of an uncommon material that blacksmiths can use. No idea why it only appears in the winter, and only near ice or ice-coated places, but if its a material I can use, why not make the search?"

@Saige