[PP-F1] A Swing and Amiss (w/ Pick) [Complete]

[Sure 0]

The midsummer's sun swept high across the barren sky, blessing the grassy knoll with a radiant light as sunbeams split in the leaf canopy above. As fond of nature as Tully was, the sights which littered the shallow hills of the first floor were ones he'd never quite got enough of, and they carried the benefit of being just a short distance from the city walls. If the man was to explore all that the realm had to offer then he would one day need to face the dangers scattered across it, although with the real possibility of death at such a young level, his passion for adventure was slightly undermined by sensible fear.

A soft breeze rustled the leaves up above and swayed the loose fabric of Tully's tunic. He directed his attention away from the wondrous view to the axe firmly in his grasp, and the partially-beaten tree bearing fresh marks ahead of him. With his right thumb tucked beneath his left palm (as if horribly trying to wield a golf club), he took a steady breathe and pulled the tool leftwards, turned it on its side, and swung with force at the trunk. Producing a satisfied thunk, tiny splinters of wood scattered all around. As Tully lowered his tool to one side, desperately hoping for a lootable item, nothing appeared in the immediate vicinity. "Damn it!" he barked at himself, falling silently onto the vibrant grass as the axe's blade caught in the dirt below. As if questioning the very universe itself he uttered "What gives?", failing to pay any mind to the path nearby and any passing strangers.

@Pick

[Pick 0]

Pick took a sip of his perfect quality coffee as he walked out of the safe zone. He could breath the sweetness that lingered in the air of the first floor wilderness from just a sniff outside the safely guarded Town of Settlements. Pick sighed in delight at the wonderful weather that the game had provided him with for the day and finished up his cup of coffee before taking a few more steps away from the town. Today would be a material gathering day, and he would try out his gatherer skill as well as his cape which increased the amount of materials that he can find and will likely be able to find.

Ah. How can I forget? He thought, putting on his gloves. He could not put his fate into the hands of luck before putting his hands into those trademark gloves that he has had since the beginning of the game. Soon, he found himself walking further and further away from the safe zone until he came across a brown-haired man who was using an axe to cut a tree. "Sir, hola there, I was wondering what you are doing damaging property like that?" Pick pronounced loudly, attempting to obtain the attention of the man, "If you are trying to get something out of the tree, I'm afraid that won't happen. You'll have a much better chance killing a boar on this floor or picking apples off of random trees than what you are doing right now." Pick chuckled, amused by the man's action.

-1 T1 Loot Die Expresso

@Sure

Edited July 21, 2018 by Pick

[Sure 0]

'Oh God,' Tully thought, facing the stranger. From his seated position, glare from the sun made getting a good look at the guy impossible, though he noticed the golden hair and darkened gloves that covered his hands. Not an entirely threatening look, yet curious enough to warrant a swift rise to his feet. "Uh, s-sort of hoping that I can gather a few logs, maybe an acorn or two..." His accent was an unlikely blend of Scandinavian with hints of southern European, and a cautious tone carried through his voice. "Y-yeah, to be honest I should'a guessed this was a total waste of time after the 20th swing."

Tully kept an eye on the distance kept with the stranger. He was brandishing a weapon himself after all, the last thing he needed was conflict. "M-maybe I'll give the apple thing a try, beats the hell out of... whatever this is." Mimicking the action of swinging at the tree, he continued. "How do you know so much about gathering, anyway? You had much luck doing those other things?"

@Pick

[Pick 0]

ID: 103422
LD: 3+6=9 (No materials)

Pick smiled - one of those smiles that was more like a comical laugh. "Perhaps it would have yielded you with more materials if you continued to do it a couple of more times, not that I've tried it. I'd like to say a man makes his own luck. Look around, it's literally a barren wasteland with no materials out here, even the luckiest man cannot find anything worth putting into your pockets." Pick smiled, "If you would like, I can show you what it's like deeper into the wilderness of the first floor. You can join me on my material gathering session, and I'll give you half of all I gather or something. During the way, we can talk business as well," Pick exclaimed. That phrase sounded a lot familiar to him, nowadays. This was the second time that he has invited an individual to join him on a material gathering trip. Wealth, through experience, is not something that is obtained easily. He learned this on the streets of Cordoba, where the rich dominates, and the poor struggles, sitting outside shops and homes with a blanket. This place was far better than Cordoba, but obtaining wealth here was far easier than obtaining wealth back in Spain. This game just doesn't give him the excitement that he obtained back then.

Pick shrugged, "Maybe my luck will rub off of you in some way. Although I'm not the best gatherer yet, I will soon be. Today's your lucky day... you can see me in action." Pick concluded.

@Sure

Total Materials: 0

Edited July 21, 2018 by Pick

[Sure 0]

A sharp exhale passed through his nose, was it wise to consider the offer? Best case scenario, he would make a new friend - his first within the game itself - and collect a few extra materials for crafting. Worst case, he could probably make a break for the city walls before a gang of party killers sank his health bar...

Tully nodded. Acknowledging that the stranger was taking an equal risk, he realized it wasn't likely to be a setup. "Alright friend, deal." The axe disintegrated before the pair, and the damage inflicted upon the tree had slowly begun to repair. "But I'd feel bad about taking so much of your stuff, say 25% instead?"

He put on a jovial smile and chuckled, "What a treat." The man's enthusiasm had started rubbing off on him, now all he needed was some of that luck. Looking amusingly towards the man he said, "Your skills are leagues ahead of mine in any case. The only material I've seen got snatched up some scout girl earlier, like snatched it right out of my hands. That's cold, right?" Extending a hand, Tully introduced himself. "The name's Tully by the way, but people usually call me 'Sure'. That's what it says up here anyway," he added, glancing at the name on his personal HUD.

ID: 103433

LD: 3

@Pick

Edited July 21, 2018 by Sure

[Pick 0]

ID: 103444
LD: 9+6=15 (1 Material)
CD: 8 (2 Bonus Materials)

"Twenty-five percent? That's practically an insult to me. Trust me, I've gotten quite an amount of materials from farming <<Nature's Treasure>> all day. Although I'm low-leveled, materials aren't worth that much to me already due to how easy I can grab them. Here, let me demonstrate." Pick said, not even looking behind him as he backed up into a tree, reached up, and tore out 3 small apples with one hand. "There, three already. I'll hold on to them until later. We can distribute it to each other when we leave." Pick decided, opening his inventory and putting them in, keeping a mental note of how many materials he had gotten. He grinned, listening as the man introduced himself and offered his hand for a polite handshake. Without hesitation, Pick took the hand - all great business negotiations are a result of a good introduction with a firm handshake, and that was what Pick gave him.

"The name is Pick," Pick introduced, amazed at the politeness that this Sure character was showing. He must have come from an upper-class family, the type that Pick used to steal from. That was in the past though. "Sure is quite a unique name. How did you come up with it?" Pick asked, starting to walk as he browsed the trees nearby quickly.

Total Materials: 3

@Sure

Edited July 21, 2018 by Pick

[Sure 0]

"Impressive," Tully admitted, applauding the blonde's efforts. He guessed Pick was using the <<Gatherer>> skill and realized its practicality; Three materials in one go? 'Crazy.'

The brunette felt bad about splitting the loot so freely, and the mention of 'business' instilled vague uncertainty. This was a favor, and he didn't doubt there was a debt to pay once it was all said and done. Moving on for now, he respected the firm handshake with a nod and gestured towards the forest opening. "Truth be told, it's a boring story. Shall we?"

Almost immediately the brunette found something; An apple, identical to the three Pick had picked earlier. "Nice. So yeah, my English was pretty terrible growing up. I didn't know a whole lot of words so when my online friends asked me something, I always responded with 'Sure'. They mocked the hell out of me for it but it stuck around, and I... I guess I started owning it?" Amusing as it was to him, he failed to tell the story with any flair. "You look like a guy with a history, what's your story? Pick is quite a unique name."

ID: 103453

LD: 15 (+1 Material | 1 Total)

@Pick

 

Edited July 22, 2018 by Sure

[Pick 0]

ID: 103491
LD: 8+6=14 (No materials)

Pick looked up and around him, and when he saw an apple hanging loosely off of a branch, he went on his tip-toes and tore it off. However, he soon realized that the other half of the apple had a hole, and it hence was not a good enough of an apple to count as a material for himself. Pick sighed, tossing the apple to the ground and watch as it turned into millions and millions of pixels. 

"Pick? Well, I like picking up materials and picking up girls. So it's naturally a good name for myself," Pick lied. He didn't want people to know his past completely. He used to be a thief, and, of course, a pickpocket. Being a pickpocket, and being famous for it, he naturally had to include part of his name in his username for this game. "Also, one more question, do you have a profession? Or are you seeking to obtain a profession?" Pick asked, asking his routine first question once again when he desires to start business talks.

@Sure

Total Materials: 3

Edited July 22, 2018 by Pick

[Sure 0]

He stiffed a smile, turning an amused eye towards Pick. Going by the blonde's expression alone, Tully couldn't quite decide if he was being messed with, a few seconds of searching saw no change in expression however. "Fair enough reasons I suppose," he accepted, seeing no reason to mistrust the man.

The second question came as a surprise, partly as he hadn't put any thought into professions. "I haven't decided yet. Obviously I want to get a job at some point, probably something sustainable like a Cook or an Alchemist. Something that will keep the customers coming back and the money rolling in, you know?" Broadening his search, he gazed through the gaps of nearby trees. "All depends on the market's demands, to be honest. What makes you ask, trying to eliminate the competition early?"

Spotting a hole in a hollow trunk, he swiftly approached the promising sight and felt around inside. Whatever the item was, it slipped through Tully's fingers a number of times before he got hold of it, and the man finally pulled it out to reveal a pristine-looking acorn. "Catching up pal," he chuckled.

ID: 103492

LD: 19 (+1 Material | 2 Total)

@Pick

Edited July 22, 2018 by Sure

[Pick 0]

ID: 103493
LD: 6+6=12 (No materials)

Pick looked around, but his eyes weren't detecting any materials that can be picked. It couldn't be helped though, since this was the first floor, and most of the materials would've already been picked by prior players who had come through, and has yet to respawn. If Pick were to find patches of materials, he would have to go even deeper into the wilderness of the first floor. "Shame, doesn't seem to be much around here. I think we should walk a bit further from here, maybe into the tall grass for some more materials." Pick exclaimed, "Don't worry about it... when I find materials, I find patches of them at once, and then I grab them all up." Pick explained, not worrying about his unsuccessful run at the moment.

"Not trying to eliminate competition. I'm simply trying to put my voice into the market. Here, I'll offer you an offer that I gave someone else the other day. He was a blacksmith. I'll cover the materials needed for you to craft on a weekly basis. Every week, I'll go on a material run, and obtain materials to drop off at your shop. However, as compensation, I request the two perfects completely free of charge every week as well. The amount of perfects will increase as you increase in rank because the amount of materials you need will increase as well. What do you think?" Pick asked, smiling.

@Sure

Total Materials: 3

Edited July 22, 2018 by Pick

[Sure 0]

"Yeah? If you say so," he agreed, knowing he couldn't challenge the man's expertise. "Lead the way." Seeing as he'd had a few strokes of luck himself, he almost wanted to insist on staying put for a while longer, though Pick was the one doing the real gathering. For the purpose of the mission, a change of scene was necessary.

Still, tall grass felt a little strange to the brunette. What was the blonde hoping to find? A wild Pikachu?

'Damn, he means business...' The proposal brought back shuddering memories of his real-world job. Pick's offer seemed simple enough: Have materials supplied, make items for the supplier, rinse and repeat. What immediately concerned him was the long-term commitment, two Perfects a week? Was that such an easy task? "It's interesting, but let's talk specifics." He put a pause on his own search for materials. "If I can't provide the items, I assume you cut me off until they're in your hands. Will the item-to-rank ratio be linear, an extra item for every rank? And what about termination terms, are we free to back out of this whenever?" Tully turned to Pick, "I want to know what I'm signing up for."

@Pick

[Pick 0]

ID: 103577
LD: 19+6=25 (1 Material)
CD: 5 (1 Bonus Material)

"Yeah something like that..." Pick muttered, but then he realized that perhaps doing business wasn't the best in this game. With gatherers like him, people can get these currencies really fast, especially him. If Pick wanted an item, he can simply just gather a bunch of materials and then use them all to purchase these items. Maybe doing business wasn't that good in this game. He sighed, in the end, he'll probably have a bunch of materials that are left over and unused. He would want to dispose of these materials and give it to random shopkeepers for a good reputation. Pick shrugged, beginning to walk towards the tall grass that shouldn't be too far away. "You know what... business talks are a bit boring at times. We can talk about this in a more formal location." Pick said, smiling as he led the way.

As soon as he reached the location, Pick noticed a yellow mouse moving in circles. With precision, he grabbed it with perfect timing, picking it up by its tail. "Huh. Never seen one of these before." Pick exclaimed, "Oh wait, there's another one." Pick noticed, picking it up quickly with the other hand. "Why don't you have a try? Also, what type of player are you working to become?" Pick asked out of curiosity.

(I forgot to edit this one XD)

@Sure

Total Materials: 5

Edited July 25, 2018 by Pick

[Sure 0]

"O.. oh," Sure started. "Y-yeah, sure, sounds good. We'll talk about it another time." A part of him felt relief that they wouldn't need to weed through awkward negotiations and compromises, although another part was silently disappointed. 'Maybe it was something I said?'

He trailed behind Pick as the blonde led the way, reaching the tall grass before long. The terrain became far richer and full of life, with birds tweeting high up in the branches and rodents scurrying around on the ground. Enthralled by the luscious scenery, Sure had grossly neglecting the wildlife like a truly inexperienced gatherer, something that his companion was obviously paying attention to. Pick grabbed the brunette's attention as he knelt over, though the mere sight of his findings made the explorer recoil. "M-mice?!" he jumped, "T-those count as materials? But how! How does- how would that even work?" Traveled as he was, the man failed to remember a time he'd watched anyone pick up a little beast so calmly; Let alone two of them.

At least the question calmed him down, and he regained composure before lining up an answer. "Truthfully, I haven't decided. I'll level as fast as I can and build up a damage/defense profile, though I'll end up joining the front-lines in a more strategic position hopefully. I'm more of a thinker, you know?" He smiled, returning the question. "What sort of player are you trying to be? Have any plans for the front-lines yet?"

ID: 103617
LD: 12 (No Material | 2 Total)

@Pick

Edited July 25, 2018 by Sure

[Pick 0]

ID: 103639
LD: 6+6=12 (No Materials)

Pick's brows wrinkled awkwardly as he was unable to find another material. He was going through a bad burst of luck, and he had a pretty good reason for that. Business does have a bad reputation. Perhaps his own self-doubt in his abilities to do business had managed to rub off in his own luck. Pick sat down, "Let's take a rest. I haven't had this much failed material gathering attempts in a long time." Pick exclaimed, crossing his two arms as he closed his eyes, focusing on nothing to clear his mind. With a few minutes of silence, he soon opened his eyes but remained sitting in order to continue the conversation.

"Rats? I've lived with a few of them before. Maybe I've developed a sense with them. Let me tell you: it doesn't really matter what form these materials come to you in, because they morph to whatever use you have for them. I can probably give these rats to cooks and they can use them to makes or something. Materials are materials." Pick explained, smiling at the man.

"Also, nah. I don't plan to die. I'm a gentleman and I'm going to fill myself with currency, so I'll be helping out the front lines from behind the scenes without directly being on the front lines. Eventually, I'll be supplying most of the items to the front lines. I guess that will be my goal." Pick exclaimed, finally standing up. "Ok, I'm ready to keep going."

@Sure

Total Materials: 5

Edited July 26, 2018 by Pick

[Sure 0]

"Sounds good," Sure agreed, discouraged by the superior gatherer's lack of findings. The traveler rested his hind, taking respite over a convenient tree stump as he savored the unfamiliar environment. The almost industrial stench of a town's outer walls was nowhere to be found, the welcoming smell of baked bread and stat-dampening ale replaced by a pleasant, unthreatening aroma. An unending field of grass amidst a smattering of trees and vibrant flora was seen as far as the eye would allow, all-the-while accompanied by an index of animals each going about their pre-programmed routines. If not besmirched by the simulated nature of their new world, one might have called it beautiful.

"That's... convenient." Although he wouldn't admit to liking the material system, thinking it to be a rather lazy oversight on the developer's part, it was hard to argue its dynamic nature wasn't useful. "If I see any of those golden things, I'll be sure to let you know." Rising from the stump, he tried to hide his discontent by occupying his eyes with a sweep for materials. 

'Why am I not surprised?' was his first thought, naturally assuming Pick's overall goal to be business related. He nodded as the blonde set off once more, started for the path himself. "A wise decision," he chuckled, "I suppose it's a smart idea to get on the good side of a future front-line supplier." He'd be lying if he didn't find the idea of future discounts enticing. "So, am I correct in saying your goal is to create a network of traders and have a warehouse of all items types to sell off?"

A lack of materials caused his brow to stifle, a groan croaking out of his throat. "Is there anything you can do to make gathering a little easier? I get that nothing in this world is free but come on!"

ID: 103668
LD: 11 (No Material | 2 Total)

@Pick

Edited July 27, 2018 by Sure

[Pick 0]

ID: 103695
LD: 1+6=7 (Nothing...)

Pick smiled, "A network of traders? Honestly, that would never work in a game like this. Honestly, I just want to make connections with everyone in this game - preferably every single profession, so whenever I need something, I'll know that I have a connection or friend to go to for that help. It's just like how anyone can come to me for materials once I get so much that I won't know what to do with them." Pick explained, "This game is too serious at the moment. There's death, and it seems that some people are always so worried about everything... I guess I am too, since I'm scared of fighting anything, but at least I can use my beautiful face, intelligence, and charisma to encourage people to look on the bright side of things. Plus, I like money." Pick finished, taking a deep breath having said that speech. Honestly, he didn't really have that much of a plan. He had originally said business because he wanted to see what people will propose, but most of the time, it was him who actually said the ideas, and they were practically made on the spot.

"Even without the traders, I can still become the richest man in this world with time," Pick said, confident of his own abilities, "It just seems like there is nothing at the moment that I can gather. I'm actually extremely sorry about this unfortunate luck that we're going through. If you would like, I can take you to a garden that I found recently with a bunch of materials in it on another date, just to make it up to you." Pick finished, apologetically scratching his head as his streak of unluckiness continued. "There are ways to help you get materials easier... but a magician never reveals his secrets."

@Sure

Total Materials: 5

Edited July 28, 2018 by Pick

[Sure 0]

After what seemed like the Queen's speech, Sure couldn't resist cracking a smile at Pick's final points. "Amen to that," he remarked. "That's fair, seems you can still prosper in SAO without risking your life... When you really think about it, this world's not so different from the real one. Stupid people die doing stupid stuff, brave people take risks for the greater good, and the smart people... Well, they keep on living." Tragic as it is, the game was a chance at a new life; Some chose to stand and fight, others took the back seat. It was clear what each of these two sought to achieve in their time there.

As he went to massage his forehead, Sure was quick to dismiss Pick's apologies. "Hey, i-it's cool man, honestly I'm the one who should be apologizing," he confessed, "Searching for materials around the most populated city was a terrible idea in the first place." Seeing as Pick was uneager to give up any trade secrets, he figured it best not to pry the gatherer and offered a loose shrug as he crossed his arms. "Was worth a shot. If you wanna do this again sometime, I still sort of need to do <<Earning A Living>>. First Perfect is on the house?"

The tall grass, despite its elegance, was a material bust. "Shall we call it a day? I feel like we're done here, the player I saw earlier must've picked this place clean." 'Maybe that garden will prove more plentiful,' Sure thought, knowing that anything would be better than their current situation.

ID: 103705
LD: 2 (No Material | 2 Total) [I'll take Nothing for 600, Alex]

@Pick

Edited July 28, 2018 by Sure
Phrased the LD joke wrong damn it

[Pick 0]

ID: 103739
LD: 18+6=24 (1 Material)
CD: 9 (2 Bonus Materials)

Pick smiled, "Honestly, life is simply like riding a wave. You ought to do what you feel like at any time. There's no right answer to anything. I wouldn't say I'm smart, in fact, I am probably most likely to do something stupid... but that's just how I like to live, you know. One of these days, I'll ride up to the front lines with a chariot that I bought from gathering Col, and take out a battle axe to one-shot everything. Who knows what might happen." Pick finished, joking of course, when he spotted some patches of wheat that was growing out of nowhere. With a smile of satisfaction, he jogged over and plucked them out of the fields, adding three materials to the total amount of materials that the party of players had managed to accumulate. 

"Also, it's not your fault. My luck should be supplying me with materials on any floor with no exceptions. It seems like an off day for my luck, but I cannot blame it." Pick finished, as if luck was a person, and not only a person but quite a good friend as well. "Sure, you may go ahead. I'll finish off the day by seeing if I can get my hands on a treasure chest." 

Actions

Spoiler

Action:
1 Material (Base) + 2 Materials (Gatherer) = 3 Materials
Total: 8 Materials

@Sure

Edited July 29, 2018 by Pick

[Sure 0]

Mainly savouring the experience before the two would take their leave, Sure felt motivated to take one last look at the scenery. To his good fortune, two sprigs of golden oak were brilliantly intertwined and left out in the open; A parting gift from the forest, he liked to think. "For your sake, I hope that it starts to get better soon." Rounding off the conversation about Pick's luck, the brunette nodded at the mention of a treasure chest and stashed away his final findings. "Worth a shot, it looks like we're getting some consolation prizes for failing so badly today."

Overall, it wasn't such a bad day. What started as an embarrassing morning for one clueless player was quickly rescued by a helpful stranger. Despite their findings falling short of anything you'd consider impressive, they at least weren't walking away with empty pockets. "Thanks for helping me earlier, by the way. I'd probably still be vandalizing that poor tree if it weren't for you. I'll see you around?" Sure put out his hand, offering one last gesture of good faith for the day.

ID: 103741
LD: 18 (1 Material | 3 Total)

@Pick

Edited July 29, 2018 by Sure

[Pick 0]

ID: 103747
LD: 9+6=15

Pick nodded when the man suggested that they should meet later. He was fine with that, because the man had proven to be a high-class player and could probably turn out to be quite a good companion to have on other quests and such. That was when he noticed something glowing behind a bush. "Hey, I think that's..." Pick began, walking up to it and checking what it is before  confirming that it is, in fact, a treasure chest. "You sure you want to leave already? Want to find out what's inside this chest? We can share the gains." Pick exclaimed, chuckling as he grabbed the huge chest and carried it on his chest away from the bush. "It's quite a big thing, this is the first one that I've found, and I can't believe someone else didn't get to it before I did. What a lucky find, huh?" Pick exclaimed, blowing air and rubbing the chest so that the dust accumulated on it can disappear. 

Actions

Spoiler

Post-Action:
Treasure Chest Found

@Sure

Edited July 29, 2018 by Pick