[PP - F21] A Helping Hand <<Nature's Treasure>> (Shield)

[Neopolitan 0]

Neo had just been gifted some materials for helping with the raid, which she wasn't expecting at all. Though she knew she got a lot, Neo figured it would be a good idea to get more in case her crafting went sideways. However, she knew that she wouldn't be able to handle herself in a fight that well on the higher floors.

Hopefully, I can get someone to respond to help me in case of a monster while I do some gathering.

Neo went to the 21st floor, the lowest she knew she could go while still getting the best ingredients, and posted on the request board there.

Spoiler

Low-level player but decent cook. Looking for help gathering materials in high-level areas to assist in raid preparations.

After the request was posted, Neo just sat around and waited, hoping that someone would respond sooner than later. Though she knew the raid wasn't going to be for a little while, any little thing she could do to speed things up she would do her best to do.

@Shield

[Shield 0]

Quote

Consuming + Applying Basic Kitchen Bonus: Good Luck Chuck - +4 LD

Quote

Fishing CD Results: [1-4: Nothing] [5-6: 1 Material] [7-8: 2 Materials] [9-10: 3 Materials] [11: 4 Materials] [12 + LD 1-14 - 4 Materials] [12 + LD 15+ - Treasure Chest

ID# 102364 results: Craft: 5 - 1 Material

Shield had been spending an exorbitant amount of time in his shop as of late. With the fight quickly approaching, more and more players had been traipsing through his shop, buying up materials and teleportation crystals and the like. He had needed to dissuade a number of players from participating who were of too low of a level. While he could have maybe kept them alive, with so many wildcards, it was impossible to say.

He needed a day out, and today was going to be that day. He picked out his fishing rod and tackle and made his way out the door, but not before grabbing the slab of beef that he had been marinating on the counter. He consumed it along the way, making quick work of both the food item and the journey, arriving in Taft with most of the day left ahead of him. Teleporting up to Tomoika, he began to scan the boards and immediately found a fresh post.

"This is a familiar name... which is convenient, because I don't have to make guesses about what the player looks like." He looked up, searching the square until he spotted the player in question. Wiping the last of the marinade from the corner of his mouth, he strolled up to Neo. "Good to see you again. Sounds like you wanted someone to watch your back while you gathered. I was planning to fish in one of the farming caverns anyway. Follow if you like."

Shield motioned for Neo to follow his lead and made his way through the familiar twists and turns through the mining tunnels until they opened up into a grand, glistening cavern, filled with luminous crystals and mushrooms. Setting down his tackle, he threw his line out into the water.

Before his lure hit, a small fish leaped from the surface and caught his lure. he promptly reeled it in.

Edited July 7, 2018 by Shield

[Neopolitan 0]

Thankfully, Neo didn't have to wait long. A familiar face showed up just as she was grabbing herself some food to help herself out with her gathering. She didn't know much about him, but he was the one kind enough to give her the materials to start helping with the raid effort. Neo followed as he went through the maze of tunnels. It was certainly quite amazing how well he knew the place. As they walked, Neo quickly ate a snack from her shop. Though she didn't like depleting her own stocks, no one had come to her shop yet and she was using it to help the raid effort.

No harm no foul, plus with any luck I'll be able to get many more resources this way. Plus, it's bad if a chef doesn't enjoy their own cooking, it wouldn't do for me to not taste test my own food before serving it to customers.

Once the two arrived, Neo began to look around for fresh ingredients to use.

Spoiler

Consumed Golden Cheesy Bread - +2 LD

 

[Shield 0]

Quote

Fishing:

Fishing CD Results: [1-4: Nothing] [5-6: 1 Material] [7-8: 2 Materials] [9-10: 3 Materials] [11: 4 Materials] [12 + LD 1-14 - 4 Materials] [12 + LD 15+ - Treasure Chest

 ID# 102367 results: Craft: 10 - 3 materials

Totals:

4 T3 Materials

Shield cast his line out a second time. Neo didn't seem to be much of a talker, which was fine. He was usually not particularly talkative unless pressed, but he didn't mind at least having some sort of dialogue running as he waited. "Is this your first time up this high? It's a good spot, but it can be a little intimidating getting here for players who haven't been and don't know the safer paths."

His pole bent forward and his reel began to whine. He yanked back against it, setting his hook in his prey's lip as he began to reel it in. It fought against him quite a bit, but he was soon able to fight it back to the shore where it flopped for a moment before falling apart into three separate cuts of fish. "If you're looking for more materials, I'd be more than happy to make you an offer. You're welcome to Col and Materials we find along the way. I'm only interested in equipment. Whatever gear we find, I'd like first crack at those. Does that sound fair?"

Edited July 7, 2018 by Shield

[Neopolitan 0]

As Neo looked around for ingredients, she quickly spotted a couple root vegetables that had sprung up. Though it was likely she'd mostly be finding things respawning, it would be much better to stick close to shield. As he began his questions, Neo gave her response. She nodded to his first question, she had never even been close to this high. And if she remembered correctly, this was actually pretty close to the highest floor they had unlocked so far. As Shield made his offer for Col and materials in exchange for equipment, Neo considered it for a moment and then nodded her head once again.

Most of the equipment we find here is going to be too high of level for me anyways. Though Col is always useful and I can still use the high-level materials for others. I do feel a bit bad taking from his fishing, he'll probably be getting loot at a much better rate than me and I'm effectively leeching off of him.

Spoiler

Roll ID; #102368

LD: 14 + 2 = 16 - 2x T3 Mats found

Total: 2 T3 Mats

 

[Shield 0]

Quote

Fishing

Fishing CD Results: [1-4: Nothing] [5-6: 1 Material] [7-8: 2 Materials] [9-10: 3 Materials] [11: 4 Materials] [12 + LD 1-14 - 4 Materials] [12 + LD 15+ - Treasure Chest

ID# 102369 results: Craft: 10 - 3 Materials

Totals:

9 x T3 Materials

Shield's line bowed once again, and he could tell from the force of it that it would be another difficult catch. He kept himself seated, digging in his heels for added stability and leaned back into the pole. He was settling into his groove, pulling to gain ground and then reeling up the slack left behind as he relaxed the position of his pole. After a brief battle of force and will, he dragged another considerably sized fish onto the shore which shuddered and fell still, yielding more cuts of raw fish. Gathering them together, he tapped them to bring up their item menus and stored them away for later.

With that, he took his seat back on the shore. "Is there a reason you don't talk much? Not a problem either way, merely curious." It was rare that he found a player so silent. He wondered if it was nerves or uncertainty, or if there were more unique reasons than even that at play, but there was no way to know just yet.

Edited July 7, 2018 by Shield

[Neopolitan 0]

Though Neo wouldn't have thought so, there was ingredients aplenty in the cave. Shield certainly knew how to pick a good spot. She almost immediately found two more harvestable ingredients for her shop and quickly grabbed them. As she did, she continued to listen to Shield when he did talk. He seemed to be rather focused on his fishing and didn't talk much, which Neo didn't mind. However, she did try to answer the questions he asked. She realized that she couldn't really sign to him effectively why she was silent, so she quickly composed a message to him.

Shield,

    I can't answer your question with my signs, so here's a quick message for it. I have been mute since birth, and joined SAO for the chance to finally speak. And though it gave me that ability, it cost me my freedom. I refuse to give in to being trapped and using the speech it granted me would be accepting my fate.

Spoiler

Roll ID: #102372

    LD: 17 + 2 = 19 - Gather 2x T3 Mats

Total: 4 T3 Mats

 

[Shield 0]

Quote

Fishing CD Results: [1-4: Nothing] [5-6: 1 Material] [7-8: 2 Materials] [9-10: 3 Materials] [11: 4 Materials] [12 + LD 1-14 - 4 Materials] [12 + LD 15+ - Treasure Chest

ID# 102373 results: Craft: 6 - 1 T3 Material

Totals:
T3 Materials: 12

Shield's line tugged, and he reeled in the little catch that waited for him. As he was taking care of the single material that the fish gave up, he heard his message notification ping. Checking to see who had written him, he was a little surprised to see who it was from. He read the message and nodded. Turning back to Neo, he racked his brain for a minute, searching the recesses of his memory to try to pull out some very old information.

Clumsily, he made a fist, placing it on his chest and moving it in a small circle. He then touched his index finger to the center of his chest and moved it up next to his face, flicking his finger upward to sign that he understood, though he was sure he looked very sloppy doing so. He was also certain that Neo would be able to tell from how rusty the motions were that he would not be able to hold on a conversation. He considered speaking up, perhaps to argue with the logic of why she did not permit herself to speak, but he was not close enough to her yet for such words to sound anything but trite. Returning to his fishing gear, he left the subject alone.

Edited July 7, 2018 by Shield

[Neopolitan 0]

Neo looked around some more while Shield read her message, and finally came up short. She wasn't surprised. In fact, she was wondering how she had already been so successful. Most of the time, it seemed that materials were spread far apart, though this place seemed to be an exception to that rule. As shield began to sign, Neo was a little worried. She knew that it was likely someone she would meet would know sign language, but wasn't hoping it would be so soon. She had never bothered to learn any, instead just opting for simple gestures that anyone could understand. Though she could vaguely get the meaning from shield from the little she remembered herself, she quickly went through some gestures. She pointed to him, and made a talking gesture with her hand, then pointed to herself and drew a zipper along her mouth. Though she was silent, there was no need for others to be. People often assumed that they should handicap themselves like her, but there was no need to. She could hear just fine.

Spoiler

Roll ID: #102376

LD: 5 + 2 = 7 - No Mats

Total: 4 T3 Mats

 

[Shield 0]

Quote

Fishing CD Results: [1-4: Nothing] [5-6: 1 Material] [7-8: 2 Materials] [9-10: 3 Materials] [11: 4 Materials] [12 + LD 1-14 - 4 Materials] [12 + LD 15+ - Treasure Chest

ID# 102377 results: Craft: 3 - Nothing

"Yes, I know I can talk," Shield said, reeling in an empty line. "I've heard stories of the Nerv Gear correcting for things of that nature before. Plus, you apparently understood me well enough to nod in response to my questions earlier and to reply just now." He pondered to himself, throwing his line out once again. "Are you worried about communicating in the heat of battle? Say for instance you worked your way up to the front lines. What then? If you're in danger, how do you let someone know in time?"

It was not a pointed question. He was legitimately curious whether Neo had a plan for such a situation. It wasn't impossible that she could come up with a solution, but it seemed questionable at least. Even with his experience with tactics, he had a hard time coming up with solutions that that puzzle.

I'm sure she has it under control though. This isn't new for her by any means.

Edited July 7, 2018 by Shield

[Neopolitan 0]

As Neo pondered Shield's question, she went and grabbed two more ingredients.

I guess I've never really had to do much communication in combat, I have mostly been going solo. Of course, I know that it would be different in a raid, and there I would need to find some way to communicate with others. For the most part, I tend to follow when with others. I listen to other's commands and use that. It means that I can't voice my own observations, but I can still be useful. I also can follow people very closely, as I'm alert for any information that they might give me.

As Neo finished up her thoughts, she returned to where Shield was fishing. She thought how to express her thoughts for a little, then pointed to herself and then cupped around her ear. Though saying that she would listen is a simplification, she hoped Shield would understand that there was more to it than just listening.

Spoiler

Roll ID: #102378

LD: 15 + 2 = 17 - Found 2x T3 Mats

Total: 6 T3 Mats

 

[Shield 0]

Quote

Fishing CD Results: [1-4: Nothing] [5-6: 1 Material] [7-8: 2 Materials] [9-10: 3 Materials] [11: 4 Materials] [12 + LD 1-14 - 4 Materials] [12 + LD 15+ - Treasure Chest

ID# 102379 results: Craft: 9 - 3 Materials

Totals:
T3 Materials: 17

Her meaning was clear enough. In a sense, her tendency to listen answered for some of his concern. However, it did not cover all of it. It was difficult not to sound critical, but so far she did not seem offended by his questioning, so it could not hurt terribly to continue. "I see that," he said, nodding his acknowledgement. "Still, what happens if you're in danger? Boss fights especially are not always linear and simple. If there's a new threat, one that nobody else sees, how do you warn them? How do you call for help if it corners you?"

His line pulled with a powerful force, threatening to lift him up onto his feet. Still, he had practiced his angling skills quite a bit in this cavern, and he had yet to be bested by a fish. Planting and powering through it, he slowly fought the fish back to shore. As it plopped up on the bank and Shield went to gather its remains, he resumed his thoughts. "It's not as though it's pressing. Perhaps you will choose not to even fight outside of small, controlled fights. If so, then listening and following may do you just fine. Still, I worry. Communication can mean the difference between winning and losing a fight." He paused, not sure whether to add this last part. Eventually, he decided to at least try it. "If you're letting SAO and what it represents make you give up some of your freedom, wouldn't that be letting the game win? Or, I suppose that's how I would feel about it, in any case."

Edited July 7, 2018 by Shield

[Neopolitan 0]

Neo tried to think of a response with just her hand gestures, but realized she couldn't do her reasoning justice without proper text. She brought out her pad of paper, and wrote on it her reasoning. She had had to do this many times before, though admittedly this was a different situation. Most people questioned what the point of her being mute was if writing out what she wished to say was perfectly fine. Once she was done writing out her message, she placed it next to Shield.

"I know that boss fights can throw unexpected things at you, and that will force me to adapt. Though I have not had o be in a fight prior to this game, I have learned how to communicate wordlessly with those that know me well. I do need to make those kind of friends again, but I do believe that so long as they are in the party I can at least grab their attention so they may point it out to the group at large. As for you saying I'm giving up my freedom, I don't think that's what it is. I'm not losing anything. I've never spoken except for the few sentences when the game first began, and even then it felt alien to me. I feel that developing a close relationship with someone without the need for words has so much more power. It cuts out much of the fluff of small talk and gets people to talk less about trivial matters. I honestly feel like I would lose out on that if I did choose to talk. And of course, I don't want to get rusty with my silent communication. Once we're free of this game, I'll be back into a world where it is no longer a choice for me. And there I will still be content with my silence. In short, I just have no need to talk."

Spoiler

Roll ID: #102381

LD: 4 + 2 = 6 - No Mats

Total: 6 T3 Mats

 

[Shield 0]

Quote

Fishing CD Results: [1-4: Nothing] [5-6: 1 Material] [7-8: 2 Materials] [9-10: 3 Materials] [11: 4 Materials] [12 + LD 1-14 - 4 Materials] [12 + LD 15+ - Treasure Chest

ID# 102382 results: Craft: 11 - 4 Materials

Totals:
T3 Materials: 21

Shield read over the notes. The tactician in him wanted to argue, but he bit his tongue. It was a world he didn't really have authority to comment on. Sure, he could talk battlefield tactics all day long, but in the end, Neo knew her business better than he did. Still, a thought itched in the back of his head.

"There's... a player you may want to get to know," he said, mulling over his words carefully. "His name is Hikoru. He used to be one of the leaders of my guild, the Celestial Ascendants. He's since split off and started doing his own thing, information brokering and such. He highly values stealth... and he may be able to make good use of someone silent like you if you are willing."

The pole was practically ripped from Shield's hands, and he had to grasp for the handle, gripping hard as he reigned in the power of his latest catch. It was notably stronger than anything else he had encountered today, and it was only after letting the thing wear itself out for a moment that he was able to begin fighting it back towards the shore. A minute later, and after plenty of grunting and straining, four fresh cuts of fish sat on the shore by his feet. He gathered them and stored them away.

Edited July 8, 2018 by Shield

[Neopolitan 0]

Neo considered Shield's offer of sorts. Though she wasn't one to be sneaky, she could understand the use of silence in it. She let the information go to the back of her head. She didn't plan on seeking Hikoru out, but would keep that in mind if she did change her mind about stealth later.

Stealth isn't the most honest of things to do. I don't wish to be that, I want to win fair and square. Not saying stealth is useless though, it can certainly be used for many things. Though I'm not sure how well it applies to this game specifically. I've never seen an opportunity for stealth, but maybe I just don't see them because I don't look for those opportunities.

As she was thinking, she looked around for more materials. She was unable to find any, but she had already gotten plenty and suspected more would spawn before the two of them parted ways.

Spoiler

Roll ID: #102383

LD: 7 + 2 = 9 - No Mats found

Total: 6 T3 Mats

 

[Shield 0]

Quote

Fishing CD Results: [1-4: Nothing] [5-6: 1 Material] [7-8: 2 Materials] [9-10: 3 Materials] [11: 4 Materials] [12 + LD 1-14 - 4 Materials] [12 + LD 15+ - Treasure Chest

ID# 102384 results: Craft: 12, Loot: 2+12 [+2 "Versatile" Basement Bonus applied Post-Facto]=16 - Chest Found!

Totals:
T3 Materials: 21

It was hard to say, but Neo did not seem very thrilled by the idea. "I know it's maybe not quite what you had in mind," Shield added, giving a slight shrug. "Still, they do important work, scouting out new floors to disseminateinformation to the rest of the players, helping them find quests and avoid dangerous spots. People think of the front lines as the vanguard, and in a lot of ways they are, but the brokers are an important piece to that puzzle. If nothing else, having experience communicating silently in tense situations could help the-"

As he went to reel in his tackle, the pole bent. There was not a pull against it. Rather, whatever it was attached to just refused to move. He hauled against it and something gave a little bit and then stopped again. "That's a chest." He redoubled his efforts, pulling to dislodge it from the bottom of the lake and reeling in the slack, working it closer and closer to shore. As it came even closer, the lid of it broke the surface and he gave one last pull, bringing it within arm's reach of the shore. With heavy footfalls, he made his way quickly to the water's edge and reached out, heaving with his whole body weight to drag it up out of the muck and onto the stone shore. He reached for his belt and unhooked the ring of golden keys that hung there. "Stand back a little, just to be safe," he instructed. "If you have the right skills, even mimics won't wake up and just act like normal chests, but just in case..."

Edited July 8, 2018 by Shield

[Neopolitan 0]

As Shield was explaining how important the information brokers were, Neo found herself agreeing with him. She didn't realize it, as all of the information brokers she had come across were sly con men who simply wanted to exploit her out of her money, or worse. Just as he was explaining how Neo would fit well, Shield began to tug hard on his fishing reel. As soon as she saw the chest, Shield told her to step back. Not wanting to be in range of a mimic bite, she quickly turned around to look for some materials. She found a couple and walked over to them, taking her sweet time in collecting them. She didn't wish to seem rude towards Shield, but knew that she wouldn't be much use if a fight broke out at this high of a floor. Once she was done collecting the ingredients, she turned around and cautiously watched Shield open up the chest.

Spoiler

Roll ID: #102385

LD: 17 + 2 = 19 - 2x T3 Mats Found

Total: 8x T3 Mats

 

[Shield 0]

Quote

Fishing CD Results: [1-4: Nothing] [5-6: 1 Material] [7-8: 2 Materials] [9-10: 3 Materials] [11: 4 Materials] [12 + LD 1-14 - 4 Materials] [12 + LD 15+ - Treasure Chest

Using Golden Key:

ID# 102388

LD:16+7=23

CD:1

4,800 Col, 10 T3 Materials, 1 T3 Perfect Consumable, 2 T3 Perfect Weapon

Totals:
Col: 4,800
T3 Materials: 31
Perfect T3 Consumables: 1 [102388a]
Perfect T3 Weapons: 2 [102388b] [102388c]

Holding out one of the keys, it dissolved with a tinkling of bright sounding metal and a small cascade of glittering golden dust. The lid popped open a crack and an item list appeared, detailing the contents. Shield gave a nod, glancing over the contents. "Looks like we both walk away richer on this one. Two perfect weapons, a perfect consumable, and a solid chunk of both crafting materials and Col." He closed the lid and straightened up. With the contents of the chest depleted, its durability was taken down to the breaking point, and it shattered into shards of light. "Well, that just made this trip considerably more worthwhile!"

He rubbed his hands together, looking around the cavern. The lake had already yielded some worthwhile treasure. It was about time to see if the rest of the chamber had anything to offer today. Setting out around the edge, he scouted the perimeter, looking to see if there were more chests hiding in the debris somewhere.

Edited July 8, 2018 by Shield

[Neopolitan 0]

Neo watched Shield open up the chest with a golden key and saw the inventory of it while he was looking through it. It was quite the haul of stuff, and Neo was suddenly no longer surprised at how some of the higher level players got so much in their wallets. This chest alone had more worth in it than she had ever had combined. Wanting to break the shock of seeing that much stuff, Neo turned around to look for more items in the ground. After a little bit, she did manage to find some more ingredients and quickly gathered them. It seemed that so long as Shield was around, there would be plenty of resources. Even if they weren't sharing and simply gathering on their own, he seemed to almost be a good luck charm for gathering. She was doing much better here than anywhere else for gathering. Maybe it was just the location though.

Spoiler

Roll ID: #102389

LD: 15 + 2 = 17 - 2x T3 Mats found

Total: 10x T3 Mats found

 

[Shield 0]

Quote

Fishing CD Results: [1-4: Nothing] [5-6: 1 Material] [7-8: 2 Materials] [9-10: 3 Materials] [11: 4 Materials] [12 + LD 1-14 - 4 Materials] [12 + LD 15+ - Treasure Chest

ID# 102392 results: Loot: 15+12=27 - Chest Found!

Totals:
Col: 4,800
T3 Materials: 31
Perfect T3 Consumables: 1 [102388a]
Perfect T3 Weapons: 2 [102388b] [102388c]

As he paced further around the water's edge, he spotted the telltale glow of his earring on his shoulder. The single gold wire that was inlaid into the silver hoop shone out like a light bulb filament, casting a steady golden light into the dim light of the cavern. That was a sure sign of nearby treasure. Glancing to either side, he spotted a small cluster of fungus with an odd, lumpy shape to the ground they all grew out of. Kneeling down beside it, he ran his forearm across it, knocking the mushrooms away, digging in with his hands to pull up lumps of moss and peat. Just below the soft soil layer, there was something hard, and as he cleared more away, the shape of yet another chest began to emerge.

"Paydirt!" he celebrated, very much aware of the pun, but not too concerned with congratulating himself over it. He continued clearing away the remaining decay and fungus from the top.

Edited July 8, 2018 by Shield