[PP - F01] Another Day << Secret Medicine of the Forest >>

[Amethyst 0]

Twas just yet another sunny day on Aincrad in the Town of Beginnings, the temperature was at a cool level, and there hadn't been a cloud in the sky of the first floor, and Amethyst was near the body of water meditating and breathing in the fresh air exposed to her. Amethyst had smiled and returned to her normal position. "Do you know why that woman is there almost every day?" a player had asked feet away from her speaking to another, "I'm unsure, she seems like she has been meditating I guess everyday it would seem. However meditating doesn't calm my mind, only getting stronger could." he had chuckled before moving away, Amethyst had opened her eyes and looked over before shaking her head thinking to herself "The goal isn't to get stronger, the goal is to escape as a group of survivors." she had returned back to her normal position and kept to her meditation.

@Neopolitan

[Neopolitan 0]

Neo was wandering about the first floor looking for places to get better gear at when she came across a body of water. There, she spotted someone meditating there, and though it was a curious thing to do, Neo chose to join on a whim. She sat down close enough to be seen, but not so close that she was being rude, and crossed her legs in silence.

I'm glad to see that there are others who enjoy silence, it's so hard to find calm people in a group of people like this. Most people stuck in this game are eager egomaniacs that want everyone to be talking at full volume.

Neo let her breathing become deeper, and lost herself in the peace of mind the cool breeze offered. She thought about how to deal with being in the game for so long. It wasn't until recently that she had worked up the courage to get up and do something, and it was nice to take a break from it for once.

[Amethyst 0]

Amethyst had heard from behind her a figure approaching her, however Amethyst didn't move a muscle and listened for any form of word or noise, however... she had heard what could be described as... sitting down? Amethyst had grew a tiny smile letting out a small hum, however she had let the silence seek in for the other to enjoy. After a moment however, she had spoke out "Enjoying the silence too I presume." she had looked over to see it was a female with multi-colored hair, she had smiled a bit wider and looked back forward to the body of water "Meditation is great to calm your mind you know. It's a real shame that many other people don't use it to clear their minds of negative thoughts and all the stress they possess." she had done a movement moving her hands upward then outward like she had opened her arms for a hug, however she wasn't wanting one it was for her meditation process. "Take in all the fresh air given to you and enjoy existence and the silence as a whole."

@Neopolitan

[Neopolitan 0]

Neo listened calmly to the woman as she spoke. She seemed to enjoy the calmness brought in by the meditation, and Neo had to admit it was growing on her. She never knew how good it was at clearing her head.

I wish I had been able to do this at home, I would've been able to avoid a lot of stress this way.

Neo nodded to the woman's remarks, Neo really was enjoying the calming that the meditation brought to her. Once the woman turned back to her own meditation, Neo closed her eyes and continued her deep breathing. She thought of what to do, and let the stress flow away from her. It was nice to be able to think of her goals without being immediately frustrated by how far they were from her grasp.

Though they are far, I still have goals, and that is something. I don't ned to worry about how far they are, just how I'll eventually get there.

[Amethyst 0]

Amethyst had finished her statements, Amethyst had kept a smile on her face as she had looked back to the woman seeing that her eyes were closed and she had joined her on meditation. She had let out one giggle before facing the body of water, "Just take a moment to remember that you can do anything you wish, no matter how hard. You were born to move mountains, no matter how hard or stressful it can be, the fact that you can do it is enough to dispel any worry your body clings onto." she then waited and gave her a moment to fully finish her own meditation. She had turned her body to face the woman smiling sweetly, after it had all been said and done she had spoke out "It's nice knowing someone is willing to take a moment to meditate in this world. Everyone is so bent on growth when they don't realize keeping connected with yourself is the most important thing to remember. This experience we're forced upon wont be even worth it if we all lose our spiritual connection."

@Neopolitan

[Neopolitan 0]

Neo was calm, and just as she was wondering if there was anything more to the meditation than the calmness, the woman spoke. Neo let the words sink in, pondered each statement like she was savoring a delicious meal. Her words of encouragement were not wasted on Neo, she took them to heart and realized that she could do anything if she set her mind onto it. As the woman commented about no one else meditating, Neo couldn't help but give a shy smile. She wouldn't have sat down and meditated herself if it wasn't for a recent friend she had made. She was so hellbent on growth as well and wanted to get out of this place. She had forgotten that even in this prison, there was a reason behind it. And though Neo couldn't know what the purpose of the game's creator was, she could make her own purpose in it. Neo stood up slowly, wanting to hold onto that peace of mind for as long as possible, and gave a short bow to the woman in thanks for the lesson.

[Amethyst 0]

Amethyst had continued to smile however in her head she had thought to herself "No words... nothing? Hm..." she had then, looked up as she had stood up slowly and bowed to her. Amethyst had stood up and said to her placing her hands behind her back "Going so soon? The day is still young, and I'd love to teach you more in meditative thoughts, perhaps do a quest together as well." she had stepped forward and extended a hand forward with her sweet and kind smile "My name is Amethyst, I am not super strong, however I do know a bit of what to do." she had waited for her to respond back in someway, shape, or form. However a part of Amethyst wasn't going to blame her if she had wanted to stay safe and not talk to strangers, however she thought that the friendly greeting would be enough for her to open up to Amethyst a little bit.

@Neopolitan

[Neopolitan 0]

As the woman spoke, Neo turned back towards her. Her offer was certainly enticing, as Neo enjoyed that feeling of calmness so much. And of course, doing a quest couldn't hurt, at the very least Neo could be helpful. Neo gave a nod to the woman, accepting her offer.

It'll be good to get to know more people, Su has certainly been pushing for me to do so. I'll have to do my best to communicate, though I don't think I'll be able to do so very well while I still get used to not having a translator. Perhaps I can find myself someone to translate for me, though I don't want to stress anyone out and force them to spend all their time with me. Though peace is nice, we'll all need to get stronger if we want to go home.

Neo was looking forward to continuing to make new connections.

[Amethyst 0]

Amethyst had smiled a bit when she had accepted the offer that she had displayed out to her, however she was still rather confused on how she hadn't been speaking. Amethyst had taken a moment to briefly think to why this could be, could she had been potentially mute in the real world? Either way she had spoken out to her "Why so silent? Are you afraid of how people see your voice? Perhaps you don't know?" she had asked, she had spoken in a sweet tone, she didn't want to come too forward about it however she did just want to know why she had been so silent just so she could know what the whole situation may be. Amethyst had continued to speak with a sweet tone "Is there a quest you haven't done you miss to do with me? I am willing to do almost anything with you." 

@Neopolitan

[Neopolitan 0]

Neo listened to the woman and did her best to give responses, it was still quite strange not having someone to help translate for her. She shook her head to her first inquiry, she wasn't afraid of how people would hear her. She choose to be mute because of her and not others. The woman was being very kind to Neo as well, which was helpful. Neo felt like she could open up to her as best as possible. When she asked what quest she could do, Neo made a gesture like popping pills. She had seen the title of the quest, but didn't really know what it contained.

Secret Medicine of the Forest, certainly a strange name to have for a quest. I guess that I'll be able to figure out just what I the quest is about soon enough. That is assuming that she understands my gestures. I really do miss my mother, she was the best at understanding me.

@Amethyst

[Amethyst 0]

Amethyst had watched the woman try her best to give responses, it would seem her assumption that her being mute in the real world would be far from a wrong assumption at this point, she had watched her make some movement, it took her a minute but it would seem like she made a movement of popping pills... Amethyst had looked up to her and scratched her head, before opening her menus and offering a friend request to the woman that had been right in front of her, with a smile she had said out to her in a sweet tone "Maybe speaking to me via Private Message would be a better way to communicate with me. I don't mind needing to read to be able to speak with you, its better than assuming your movements to what you wish to say anyways." she had let out a bit of a giggle waiting for the woman to accept or deny, she just had to offer to make things a bit easier.

@Neopolitan

[Neopolitan 0]

After seeing the woman contemplate her movements for a bit and getting the friend request, Neo quickly accepted it. It seemed that she would need to work a bit better on her gesturing until she got another person to work as a translator. Once accepted, she quickly sent a message over to the woman she saw was called Amethyst.

Amethyst,

    Thank you for the friend request, though I apologize for being so difficult. I was thinking of Secret Medicine of the Forest, I only have heard of the title but don't know what it entails. I would enjoy having your company with me as we work on that quest. Assuming you're fine with that of course. Don't want to trouble you too much.

Your New Friend,

    Neo

With the message sent, Neo waited for the reply. And while doing so, she contemplated possible gestures to work on so that she could communicate better.

@Amethyst

[Amethyst 0]

Amethyst had looked at the players name once she had accepted it, she had seen the name "Neopolitan" Amethyst had smiled and said out to her as she had wrote her message "I like your name, it suits you perfectly." she had let out a small giggle. After a moment Neo had finished her message to Amethyst, she had opened it and began to read. Amethyst after finishing responded to her "Ah don't apologize, I understand when something bothers you to a point where you choose not to do such a thing. I just wanted a easier way to communicate with you is all, I am very patient. And I would be more than happy to do that quest with you, just know my level still lacks a bit, however I can do a bit of damage." she had opened her inventory and pulled out her one handed assault spear, it was nice and light with a bit of range, she had really liked her weapon choice.

@Neopolitan

[Neopolitan 0]

Neo shrugged in response to Amethyst's proclamation of being low level. Neo had been in a similar situation not too long ago so it was perfectly reasonable. And she wasn't too worried about not dealing enough damage, she felt that she would be able to do just fine as she was considering to solo the quest sooner than later. It would be good to practice fighting with others though, she needed to be able to communicate a bit better with signals. It was honestly a challenge to silently give signals while both were busy fighting. Though if she was able to get good with it, perhaps there might be a boss one day that Neo could have an advantage against because of her silence. It would certainly be interesting, though she doubted the game would bias things towards other players so heavily. Of course, the game did lend itself to make itself difficult in interesting ways.

Best not to get my hopes up.

[Amethyst 0]

Amethyst had said out to her "Then I suppose we shouldn't waste anymore time, lets head out Neo." she had smiled placing her assault spear onto her side in a sheath and began to walk with Neo towards the location. Amethyst had taken a deep breath to dispel the immediate bad thoughts that infected her mind "We're going to be fine, our power combined will hopefully be enough to strike them all down." she had looked up and back to Neo and with a smile she had asked out "So Neo, have you kept yourself busy since the beginning of the death game? I can tell you I have mostly just meditated to remove all the negative thoughts my mind had grown onto. So... I haven't grown much at all." she was completely honest, she had wanted to display to her how powerful or useful she would be, however she knew everything was going to be okay. At least she had hoped.

@Neopolitan

[Neopolitan 0]

As the two began to head out, Neo was hit with the question of what she had done since the beginning. As such, she was hit with memories of how terrified she was to leave the starting town, never wanting to risk her own life. She thought that she was stuck in the game forever and that there was no hope of ever getting out. She wanted to push the memories away, but couldn't quite. Holding back tears, she simply shook her head. She didn't want Amethyst to notice, but with her seemingly calm grace, she would likely be quite noticing of such a thing. Still with the sadness and hatred of her cowardice in her heart, Neo stood straight in an attempt to get rid of it. Though it didn't work terribly well, it gave her enough energy such that she could start walking towards the quest marker.

That was in the past, no need to worry about it now. There's nothing that I can do about it, I just need to focus on the now and what's ahead. I've already learned from the past, there's no need for me to keep worrying about it so much.

@Amethyst

[Amethyst 0]

Amethyst had finished her statement and looked back forward onto the path they had walked upon, after a moment she had looked over to see that Neo was clearly... just a bit upset. She felt as though she had been fighting her emotions "Are you alright? We can speak about anything you wish. I can help you meditate against any negative emotion you may be currently feeling right now." she had offered in a kind and sweet tone. However if she didn't want to she was going to let it pass, however she did want to speak more with Neo once this whole thing was said and done and see if she had been interested in learning more about Meditation, Amethyst would love to see many more people meditating but its not something many actually like to do. She had waited for some sort of response from Neo to see if she had needed help with the negative thoughts she had been growing onto before moving.

@Neopolitan

[Neopolitan 0]

Though the thoughts were strong, Neo overcame them. As she thought to herself, it was in the past, there was nothing she could do about it now. She nodded her head to Amethyst, she would be fine, and brushed away what little tears came out of her eyes. She shook her head to the offer of help, however kind of a gesture it was. There was little she could do about her feelings, she just wanted to go push herself to distract her mind from the memories. Neo turned back towards Amethyst with a smile on her face, all trace of the negative emotion gone. Although they were still inside her, Neo didn't want to trouble someone so nice with her problems. She had a sinking suspicion that she would still get her questions in when they were done with their quest together though. And when that time came, Neo would be ready to possibly break down.

@Amethyst

[Amethyst 0]

Amethyst had simply smiled and continued moving upon Neo's request, she didn't want to push anything and she can always just get the objective done then they could press on with the topic when they have free time they didn't settle something for. The walk towards the location was a bit of a short one, however it still remained silent. As they had around four Nepents had turned to the two women, Amethyst had looked over to Neopolitan with a smile and she had pulled out her One Handed Assault Spear and moved forward to attack, however unfortunately missing her target. Amethyst had looked over to the Nepents as it had been their turn to strike against her, two had missed, however two had successfully managed to hit Amethyst, removing more HP than what Amethyst was really comfortable with honestly. However Amethyst remained unfazed by this, she had remained calm and believed that everything was going to be alright.

@Neopolitan

ID: 102656 - BD: 5 Miss
ID: 102657 - MD: 4 Miss
ID: 102658 - MD: 7 Hit
ID: 102659 - MD: 8 Hit
ID: 102659 - MD: 2 Miss

Sword Art Used: Failed Attempt
[H: 0/0/0/0] Amethyst - HP: 14/20 - EN: 1/2
[H: 0/0/0/0] Neopolitan - HP: 240/240 - EN: 24/24
Nepent 1 - HP: 7/7 - DMG: 3
Nepent 2 - HP: 7/7 - DMG: 3
Nepent 3 - HP: 7/7 - DMG: 3
Nepent 4 - HP: 7/7 - DMG: 3

[Neopolitan 0]

Neo watched as the nepents came in and charged at Amethyst. She didn't think that they would be swarming so much. Hoping that she could take at least one out, Neo tried to go in with two slashes. She was too cautious though for fear of hitting her ally and ended up pulling back too much. Neo tried to kick at some of the nepents, hoping to grab their attention. She didn't want to see Amethyst go down so quickly. That would certainly not be the best thing for someone of such a low level. It would probably scar Neo's mind forever. Much worse than her own fate. That was only her, at she didn't affect anybody. Now, this player's life was in her own hands and she didn't want to lose someone like this. After trying to get the nepent's attention once more, Neo planted herself in hopes that she would have to defend against the creatures herself.

Spoiler

ID: 102665 - BD: 4 + 1 = 5 - Miss CD: 7 - Recovery

Sword Art Used: Failed Attempt
[H: 0/0/0/0] Amethyst - HP: 14/20 - EN: 1/2
[H: 0/0/0/0] Neopolitan - HP: 240/240 - EN: 24/24 (-1 sword art; +2 recovery)
Nepent 1 - HP: 7/7 - DMG: 3
Nepent 2 - HP: 7/7 - DMG: 3
Nepent 3 - HP: 7/7 - DMG: 3
Nepent 4 - HP: 7/7 - DMG: 3