[OP-FX][MM] A Night in Aincrad

[Plot Master 0]

<<A Night in Aincrad>>

"Alright, listen up." Aereth said after waiting for some time at the place just outside of the Town of Beginnings, he choose as a meeting point. His voice was cold and serious which was more than understandable if taken into consideration that they were going to go visit the most dangerous places in Aincrad.  "We have three witnesses scattered over three different floors. They are located in very dangerous areas. High count of orange players, high crime rate, shortly the worst places in Aincrad. Since it is hard to coordinate such a big group, and in order to maximize the efficiency of our search, I will split this big group into four smaller sub-groups."

Crossing his arms in front of his chest, he continued. "Each group should have something like a 'leader' who is then responsible for the safety of his group, and will report to me immediately after they have managed to get something out of the witnesses. This doesn't mean that the strongest players have to be the leaders though. But they have to be able to keep the weaker ones of the team safe and lead the interrogations."

"Soooo." he said, opening his arms in a slow motion. "Do we have any volunteers or will I have to choose some players?" the brunette asked his gaze slowly moving from one side of the crowd to the other.

Spoiler

Welcome to the second stage of the Mysterious Murders event.

• Anyone who wishes to participate may do so, but if you post here, you may not join the companion thread, hosted by @Lessa.
• While there is no event-wide word count requirement, you must exceed 150 words, per site rules.
• Please be sure to follow the specific prompt given in each Plot Master post. The expectations per cycle may change each time!
• You may bring along a NPC companion, if you would like, but they will not receive extra actions/posts/votes.
• It is recommended that you follow the thread, to avoid missing any updates!
• Don't forget to chat in the Mysterious Murders discord channel. That is the best place for scheming.
• Do not allow your own drama (in character or out of it) to drive the event off-course. While we hope you undergo some character development here, be careful not to ruin anyone else's experience in the process.
• If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact @Aereth!

In this cycle...

• Aereth leads his group out of the Town of Beginnings and will break the big group into smaller teams.
• Each team then will have to find and interrogate one victim, assigned by Aereth.
• You may post as often as you want in this cycle, but you must ensure that at least three people have posted since your last. This is meant to avoid spamming. 
• It is also required to post your group number at the start of every post you make.
• Plot Master/Aereth posts will be made approximately every 48 hours from this point, or whenever a full group has posted at least once (whichever comes first).
• Click here for inspiration.

| The First Meeting |

@Outlander @Froppy @Dazia @Sharr @Hikoru @Sunova @Teion @Jevi @Pinball @Oxand @Hidden @Macradon @Shi

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru listened as Aereth spoke in silence, gaining a small bit of control over his emotions. Ever since he beat the King, he had been having difficulty with his emotions, the stonewall of a character he made shattered when he was finally open to who he actually was with those around him. After that, and their meeting afterward, he had struggled to try and grip that character, and he was unsure of whether that was a good thing, or a bad thing. It was bad for business, making him seem a little weak and easy to manipulate, in his own mind. But, it was good for him, to finally be okay with who he was as a person, but he didn't know if he was ready to accept that yet. He grit his teeth and his focus was brought back as Aereth spoke about needing a 'Leader' for the small groups. He stood up a bit taller, and he brought his cloak back, the cloak being worn as more of a cape. He realized that if he didn't do this, that he had failed to take a step in the right direction, and he knew he couldn't afford to do it again. He took a few steps forward, until he was on the second step, in front of Aereth. He pulled back his hood, his jet black hair, goggles, and silver eyes there for all to see.

"If you are willing to join me-" He said to Aereth, then turned to the group. "If, anyone, is willing to join me, I will step forth as a leader. As one of the strongest players in this game, I can keep you protected and defeat foes easily. I however, will need a tank of some sorts in my team. I can take a good hit, but it's better for a good DPS player to have a better Tank." He said, and nodded. "However, if it is just me I will be alright with that, but I will ask that if you are under Tier 3 you not engage the enemies. We have no clue how strong they are, and if they are orange players, they will not be afraid to defend themselves, even if it means killing someone in the process." He spoke, then nodded. to the group. "I will ask for no one to step to my group, it is your decision. I know my history stands with me, but rest assured I will bring no harm to you-" he turned to Aereth. "Or anyone, as long as I can help it." He spoke, then awaited for others to step forth as leaders.

Hikoru Volunteers as a leader, and would ask for Aereth to accompany him

[Outlander 0]

“Ah, night hours. Clearly the best way to hunt down savage and dangerous players is obviously in pitch black....” Outlander said as he arrived at the meeting point. It was dark, he didn’t think night time would have been “optimal” to search for hostile players. He was currently wearing his blue and silver armor, a leather strap across his chest held his longsword to his back. He held a coffee in one of his hands, he looked sleepy “...Oh right. I should add, me being a leader in this particular situation would probably, if not definitely, get someone killed. I’m not talking about the person we’re after either.” He continued. He took a long slow sip of his coffee after saying this, then mumbled: “Espresso may not be the answer, but it's worth a shot.” He then yawned, and stood there waiting for everything to get settled so he could go stab something, or more likely, someone.

[OOC: Outlander chooses not to be a group leader] 

Edited July 1, 2018 by Outlander

[Froppy 0]

Tsu listened to Aereth, pretty much downloading the situation, understanding the level of danger and what she would have to do. Now, playing the hero here and trying to lead a group would be a pretty bad idea for her level compared to everyone else, but Tsu had sort of an idea to make it work. She wanted to lead a group mostly just to be of some use. After all, Aereth had said that the leaders didn't just have to be the strong players, so Tsu figured she could give it a shot. Once Aereth finished speaking, she saw Hikoru walk up and volunteer, before offering anyone to join him. Tsu made her way through the crowd shortly after and walked up to Aereth, standing on the same step as Hikoru, "Sir Aereth, I'd like to volunteer too as a leader, ribbit." Tsu told him, before turning to the crowd. "If any of you would join me, I'll step forth as a leader as well, rrrrribbit. I can keep anyone in my team alive with my healing, although I am not saying to engage the enemy, ribbit. We still need to think rationally in times like this. Feel free to join or not join this frog, I can handle myself alone if needed, ribbit. Like Hikoru said, these are orange players, so be careful, so those of you tier 1 players who are here to just play the hero and fight off 'bad guys', I suggest you go home, rrrrrrrrrribbit." Tsu said, in a bit of stern voice. The last thing she wanted was someone to die under her watch here. For a bit of time after her small speech, she had been eyeing Pinball in the crowd, watching to see what group he would join.

Tsu volunteers as a leader

[Sunova 0]

Sunova was standing in front Listening to Aereth while writing some things down in the notebook she had with her. Knowing that it would become dangerous Sunova already was equipped with her weapon and armor. Wearing white samurai shoulder and leg pats while wearing a blue hoodie under it, She also had her white Katana on her back. Even if she was one of the smaller people here she definitely was standing out now because of her equipment. Then Aereth Asked for volunteers to become a leader of a group, Sunova was very tactical and defiantly was a good choice if it came to it but however, she did not want the spot as leader. As two other players of the group walked forward volunteering for the role as Leader, both of them gave their little speech, However, both of them said to not start any fight if you were under tier 3 because of the orange players But sunova was not planning in fighting she was still lower level maybe the lowest here. She looked up from her notebook holding it close to her and started to speak  "Even if I'm a tier 1 player, I won't ... no, I cant sit idle doing nothing. So I will be joining you Hikoru If you allow me. Even If I won't fight, I'm still very tactical when it comes done to things like this"  She said with a look of pure confidence in her eyes

Overs To join Hikoru's Group

[Jevi 0]

The group rallied at Aereth's meeting point, just outside of the Town of Beginnings. The plan was to split into four different groups, and search for various players among three different floors. Yellow eyes widened for a moment before her brows fell, searching for one of the most notorious murderers in Aincrad at the moment, and they would be splitting into an even smaller group? She looked around at the players who stood by her, not many of them looked like frontliners.. and many even looked to be a lower level than her. This was a bad idea, especially since they would be searching for these witnesses in the slums of Aincrad's settlements. 

However, despite Aereth's cold voice, barking out orders, and the looming thought of having to deal with the worst in SAO, two players still spoke up to lead the others. The first was a man in a long blue coat who seemed to stick to the shadows for the most part. He seemed familiar, though the brunette was sure she had never met him before. However, the confidence in his voice and the way he carried himself made him stick out from the rest as someone who was leagues above her and some of the other players. The second player, a dark haired girl with frog-like features, also stepped up to perform as a leader. The second served a bit as a shock, since she seemed to be at a bit of a lower level than some of the others, though her courage was admirable. 

The thought of being a leader caused Jevi to slink back, away from the limelight. She did not have the personality to lead others, or the skill like Jomei, Telrenya, or even Ruby had. Looking down, the woman shook her head.. but she knew she could at least be of service. Stepping from the crowd, Jevi stood before Tsu, a confident smirk on her face. "If you'll have me, I'll tag along with your group."

[ Jevi has joined Tsu's group ]

[Macradon 0]

Arriving at the designated meeting point, Macradon would stand and listen to the sound of the search party’s mastermind. Listening to all the other players, their reasoning to be party leader and their reasoning for not being one, Macradon would stand silently and await what outcome could come right now. Slowly seeing two parties being set up, one with a girl he hadn’t met before as their leader, and one with the Master of Shadows as their leader. At the current state, it didn’t look like any of the two parties were in need of Macradon, so he would lazily raise his and as he yawned, bringing up his other hand to cover his mouth. “I’m not going to propose myself as a party leader yet, only if no one else would want that position. Against orange players, other people’s safety is priority as a party leader, and with what I currently am capable of, I would be a nice addition to any team. Getting the experience of being a team leader, being able to learn how to coordinate situations, how to react to different scenarios and how to structure a confrontation would be nice having others that don’t have much experience with it learn it this way with me in that party to guide. If no one chooses to take the role of a party leader, I guess I’ll just pick that up. For now, I’ll await to see what happens next” he said and lowered his arm mid speech as he scouted out the place, looking at the different players gathered this night. Shaking his shoulders lightly, Macradon would shake up his body and get ready for whatever action would come.

[ No assigned party yet ]

[Pinball 1]

It was night now. After the meeting, Pinball had thought about whether or not he should actually join the search. It didn't really involve him, after all, and more than likely, there would be swarms of players jumping at the oppurtunity to somehow make a positive name for themselves. The boy's pessimistic side was suffocating with its presence. It's going to be a group of conceited, self-important pricks, I know it. Still, seeing Froppy at the meeting had swayed the moody teenager. He hadn't gotten a chance to apologize for what he had done so long ago, and he didn't know what he would do if she somehow came in harm's way. He joined the group in a timely manner, and listened to Aereth's instructions. 

He noticed the difference in level between the majority of the group and the minority. Judging purely by the looks of the people that had gathered, there were more underleveled players than there were players with a middling or frontline level. It made him worry, but seeing Hikoru offer himself up to be a group leader made him feel a bit more confident. Froppy's leadership, on the other hand... Pinball grit his teeth. On the other hand, part of him was surprised Outlander hadn't offered to lead a group, as aggravating as that would have been. Pinball wasn't much of a leader though, so he couldn't really complain. Looking to fill the silence, Pinball piped up, his voice a nervous mumble. "Uhh, I'll just go with whoever needs me. Like, when the parties are set up. Whoever that may be. I'm not really the uhh... leader type, I don't think." 

[ Will Wait for Party Assignment ] 

Edited July 3, 2018 by Pinball

[Dazia 0]

When Aereth mentioned splitting into groups, Dazia looked around, seeing not only the players who stepped up to lead, but those who chose not to, or were avoiding it. She also took note of the amount of players around. There were more than twelve, but only two had stepped up to be leaders. Dazia wasn't the strongest, but one didn't always have to be the strongest in order to lead. Most qualities she had noticed in leaders was one of several things. Often, it was strength or power. Sometimes, it was certain charismatic traits that would compel the followers. Sometimes it would even be the stubbornness to protect others, or push forward, no matter how close to death's door one was. What was seldom? Strategy. Some strategic people were clearly capable of leadership, they just had to do it right, and plan their moves carefully. Dazia considered herself clever, so there was no way she was going to stand idly by, Tier one or not. "So only two are willing to step up? If that is the case, I'm willing to lead a group. I often strategize and play out various scenarios in my spare time, you're going to need someone with a plan, so if anyone is willing to stand by me, just let me know. I might not be the strongest player around, but I can offer some good choices of action." Yinangi looked at Dazia and said, "Wow Dazia, I'm actually quite surprised you would step up! I mean, I'm clearly not the leader type, especially for a situation like this one...but seeing that plenty of strong-looking players haven't offered yet, I'm wondering why they didn't volunteer to lead!" Dazia wondered, would the strategizing she had done pay off here, or would she end up getting schooled by other players? She might learn something, but she considered that it would be better if her ideas could work, rather than failing at what she claimed she was able to do.

[Dazia volunteers to lead]

[Dustin 0]

Dustin sits in the back, watching the stronger players step up to lead, and looks at his brothers broken sword and clutches the handle. "I'm open to join a group, but I'm not the best with others, and I don't entirely understand the mission. I was hoping someone could fill me in." Dustin pulls a hood up to hide his face. "I don't much like people, but I'm looking to make a few friends, no one survives this death game alone right?" He looks around. "You all appear to be a lot stronger, but I'm fast, and I know how to use a sword. It's better than nothing." He leans against the wall and lowers his head. "Besides, not much better to do down here, right?" He lowers to a sitting position against the wall. He falls asleep there, with the broken sword in hand, held tightly. He snores loudly.

[Sunova 0]

It started to look interesting as the girl she met and the first meeting called Dazia wanted to become a leader, She mentions as she said that she was good at tactics and so. Sunova was also really good with tactics but would never take the burden of taking the role as Team leader as she was only so small most people would look over her. the truth be told Sunova looked out to join into the same party with people she knew, But as for now she really did not know anyone in this group, Maybe some by face, or heard from them but not many people. It did only matter that they would be asking people some questions but still, they all suspected that everyone would start fighting even though they were in a safe zone at this very moment so it would make sense that they wouldn't have to fight. "I will redraw my fist as I will just wait and see where I'm needed, Just to be sure, I mind be a tier one here but I'm still very useful when it comes to tactics and fighting styles. And if you still don't want me then I will start my own group by myself and find out information by myself, I have my ways to tell people to talk." as she smiled looking all cute and innocent.

Waits to be selected by anyone to join their party.

Edited July 5, 2018 by Sunova

[Kasier 0]

Kasier sighed. Leader or not? That is a question that Kasier has no answer to. At the moment, not a lot of people were volunteering for the leaderships in the teams, and the result would probably be some random people being randomly picked to take the leadership. Despite this, Kasier feels like she doesn't have what it takes to be one of the leaders. She sighed - her not volunteering to be leader is not going to hurt anyone, will it? Kasier decided that she was not the leadership material, even if she had taught a few apprentices in her guild. Although she was a paladin, she was never the sort of leader that Hikoru used to be, or Jonathan and Itzal are currently. Even Shield had more of a presence than her, and he wasn't even a paladin. She was only a paladin because they needed a healer in that position, and Kasier was just the right type of support for it. She glanced around to check on the quality of players around, and spotted a few players that she knew. First of all, she saw Pinball, a player that she had spent a day material gathering with, but the event was not that memorable, so maybe he had forgotten her. Next up, she saw Hikoru, and it had been a while since she last spotted him. The two of them never really got that close as guild mates, so she wouldn't involve herself in a conversation with him. Kasier's blonde hair swayed as she walked over instead to Sunova, whom she remembered very clearly.

"Sunova, you should be a leader. You can test the waters and maybe you can turn out to be leadership material. Who knows? It seems that not a lot of players are volunteering at the moment, so I'm sure we're all looking for someone to step up." Kasier exclaimed, encouraging the low-leveled player but also allowing herself the freedom to not involve herself with the possibility of coming into these leadership positions.

@Sunova

[Hidden 1]

Elucia Persona 

The two groups seperated, her following Aereth and her large team to outside where Aereth would give them orders. They would each be making four groups and moving out to interrogate. There were three people to interrogate, so she was ocnfused why to make four groups. However, with her playing as Elucia she would become more outspoken and not hiding in the back. She raised her hand with a smile. "I am more than capable to lead. I'll be one of the leaders. Whoever would like to join hasn't any need to fear. While I don't hold a spot on the frontlines or am well-known, I do hold an arsernal of weapons capable of keeping a target from making any moves or to deal damage to finish something off. I should also mention that is easily able to be seen from my cursor that I am not afraid to kill anybody that might attempt to hurt anyone" She smiled as she pulled out her dagger, a silvery white dagger. A trail of snowflakes followed the dagger's path as it generated snow by itself. She looked over to two of the female players in the group. @Sunova, @Kasier, if you two don't plan to create your own group, I would love to have you in my group. I've heard enough about Kasier to know she is a healer and Tank which would be amazing to have around as a just in case. 

Elucia volunteers as a leader. 

[Dazia 0]

Dazia looked around, noticing that some players who had volunteered to be leaders were already inviting and accepting allies into their respective groups. Yinangi tugged on the sleeve of Dazia's light armor. "Hey, Dazia, since nobody's asked to join you yet, I'll just tell you this as a friend. I'll be blunt and straight to the point, too. Get a move on or all the good ones will be taken." Yinangi didn't exactly have to say it that way, but she did have a point. Dazia looked around, and then she walked over to @Macradon and @Pinball. "I'm not sure if you'd be willing to do so, but if neither of you are interested in leading groups, maybe you could join mine. It will be a bit of a first experience for me, I've never lead a group for a task like this yet. However, I'm certain I might be able to either get used to the role, or master it, in due time."

 

[Macradon 0]

Raising an eyebrow, Macradon looked at the girl approaching him. Looking at the girl, she wore light armor in many layers, stocked up for quick movements and agile interactions. Macradon would chortle lightly and smile “It’s not like I’m not interested in leading, I just think that someone else should have the chance instead of every frontliner present taking that role. That said, I’d love to join your group, if you think I’ll be a nice addition that will synergize well with whomever you so choose to also take into the group” he replied. Looking at the girl and her description of herself from before, it didn’t seem like she would be in the frontline if anything were to happen, but that was fine, Macradon would try to be the wall in this group together with Pinball. The two would be able to wall quite the few opponents, even without enhancement potions and crystals.

[Aereth 1]

"Yeah I'm in." The brunette answered his old friend and ex-guildmate. "I need to talk to you anyways so this is only convenient for me." After that, slowly but surely the four groups started to form. Froppy was quickly joined by Jevi, while Dazia asked the Knight Macradon and Pinball to join her group. Last but not least was the girls only team consisting of Elucia, Kasier and Sunova. All in all the brunette was pretty satisfied with how the groups had formed. In case the groups would stay this way, he only would have to assign Outlander and that strange guy Dustin who fell asleep, and since there were only two teams with only two players, the assigning didn't take long. 

"Outlander." he called out looking at the armored player. "You're with us." His gaze then moved to Froppy. "Care to wake up Sleepy guy and fill him in?" Aereth asked slowly looking over to Dustin with a raised eyebrow.

OOC: The next Plot Master post starting the actual interviews will go up on this Sunday, or earlier if the group assignment is finished before that day.

Underlined Bold marks team leads

Group 1: Hikoru, Aereth, Outlander
Group 2: Forppy, Jevi, Dustin
Group 3: Dazia, Macradon, Pinball
Group 4: Hidden, Kasier, Sunova 

Spoiler

Welcome to the second stage of the Mysterious Murders event.

• Anyone who wishes to participate may do so, but if you post here, you may not join the companion thread, hosted by Lessa.
• While there is no event-wide word count requirement, you must exceed 150 words, per site rules.
• Please be sure to follow the specific prompt given in each Plot Master post. The expectations per cycle may change each time!
• You may bring along a NPC companion, if you would like, but they will not receive extra actions/posts/votes.
• It is recommended that you follow the thread, to avoid missing any updates!
• Don't forget to chat in the Mysterious Murders discord channel. That is the best place for scheming.
• Do not allow your own drama (in character or out of it) to drive the event off-course. While we hope you undergo some character development here, be careful not to ruin anyone else's experience in the process.
• If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact @Aereth!

In this cycle...

• Aereth leads his group out of the Town of Beginnings and will break the big group into smaller teams.
• Each team then will have to find and interrogate one victim, assigned by Aereth.
• You may post as often as you want in this cycle, but you must ensure that at least three people have posted since your last. This is meant to avoid spamming. 
• It is also required to post your group number at the start of every post you make.
• Plot Master/Aereth posts will be made approximately every 48 hours from this point, or whenever a full group has posted at least once (whichever comes first).
• Click here for inspiration.

| The First Meeting |

@Outlander  @Froppy @Dazia @Sharr @Hikoru @Sunova @Teion @Jevi @Pinball @Oxand @Hidden @Macradon @Shi @Dustin

[Jevi 0]

Players continued to speak up, either stepping up to lead or join an already established group. However, most of them seemed to just speak their mind and stand around.. waiting for Aereth to pick their groups for them. Yellow irises vanished as she rolled her eyes with a shake of her head. Once everyone was present, and four leaders had stepped up to the challenge, Aereth assigned the rest of the players to groups. The brunette turned to her groups leader with a small smirk and a nod, "I'm Jevi by the way."  The third member of their party was not present, or at least.. no where near where they stood. Behind the whole group, the woman picked up on loud, obnoxious snoring coming from a hooded character. "Please... don't tell me its him.." the woman said with a look of annoyance on her face. With a heavy sigh, the brunette stormed past the group to where sleeping beauty lay. Her nose scrunched as she stood over him, the snoring even louder now that she stood directly in front of him. The heavily armored woman lowered herself to a crouching position. Reaching out, the woman pinched his nose to cut off breathing for a moment and stop the snoring. "Hey, get up. We've got a job to do." she said with no sense of sympathy for the sleeping player. 

@Froppy @Dustin

[Dustin 0]

Dustin flails his entire body around trying to get air, completely unaware of what just happened. He rubs the back of his head, "Sorry." He says, smiling innocently. He stands up and pulls his hood over his eyes. "I'll get serious now." He claims, looking at the broken sword in his hand. "And hey, that was rude." He adds, looking at the scary looking woman in front of him. He looks towards the other player in his group, "The name's Dustin, and I specialize in pretty much nothing." He explains, letting out a small chuckle of self pity. He drops his shoulders and head, "Sorry you all got grouped with the weakest here." He looks at Froppy, "But I'll try not to be completely useless." He exclaims, with a smile on his face. He walks toward the rest of his group, head lowered, watching everyone's feet. "I don't like being awake, so let's get this show on the road." He finished, reaching out for a handshake.

@Froppy @Jevi

[Kasier 0]

Group 4

Kasier had been talking to Sunova when another girl initiated with the two of them. Kasier wasn't sure whether she had met the girl before, but her voice sounded strangely familiar, although she was unable to place on her hand on the owner of the voice, and her name. Her gaze switched from Sunova to the new girl, as she had acknowledged Kasier and stated that she knew who Kasier was.

"I didn't know I was renowned enough for people to hear of me. It is a pleasure of mine, and Sunova's, I think, to join your group. May I ask for your name as well? I'm not sure whether we've met before, but it has escaped my mind already." Kasier exclaimed, taking a quick glance at Sunova, looking for a signal that she agrees that the two of them should join this individual. 

Any interaction between Kasier and this individual would have resulted from her being under a hood in the past, but Kasier did not know that, and could not remember the source of the voice. "Also, I was wondering if you two know about what we're supposed to do here, since I came to the meeting late and rushed to join a team." Kasier said, looking at Elucia since she was the party leader.

@Hidden @Sunova

[Hidden 1]

Group 4

Getting her own group was an easy success. Her straightforwardness gave her command over group four which involved someone she didn't know and a healer capable of the frontlines. As Kasier mentioned she didn't realize she was well known and Elucia shook her head. "I promise you, we haven't met yet. I know who you are because you are in the same guild as my fiancee. Sey has talked about you before in the past... so I know quite a bit about you" The white haired woman would curtsy and say, "You may call me Elucia" She would smile and look up to where Aereth was standing. He would be joining Hikoru's group, making most of the group involve stealthy. "We are waiting on Aereth's instruction of who we are going to go and interrogate. We are trying to figure out a little more about Wyson and his whereabouts" She looked over to the player in her group that she didn't know. "Sorry if I stole your spotlight, I hope you won't be mad. What is your name might I ask?" She smiled. Their team was a girls only one, funny how it worked out that way. 

@Kasier @Sunova