[SP-F1] <<The First Few Lessons Are Free>>

[Cremisius 0]

Town of Beginnings

15:00

It had been yet another day within the world of Sword Art Online. A day like any other. The sun had been risen overhead, various of the players and NPC's had tried to enjoy what little life they could manage to muster up within this game, and only those in the levels ahead had really been trying to do anything to get everyone out. All in all, it was really just like every other day. Well.. Except for in one particular way. Today, of all days, was the day that Cremisius was going to muster up the courage to finally take a step towards assisting the others! He had learned plenty since his time in Aincrad, even with his rather timid nature. It was pretty common place that someone, somewhere, had been speaking on matters pertaining to the progress of those on the front lines. Last he had heard, those on the front lines had recently cleared the twenty third floor! It was a rather impressive feat indeed. One that he likely wouldn't be able to replicate, but an impressive one for sure.

Honestly, the thought of striking out and assisting those on the front lines had been little more than a dream to Cremisius. After all, he could barely manage in combat, and the fact that he had an extremely hard time conversing with others didn't help. However, the thought of those on the front lines working as hard as they are and striking out in the ways that they are, only to get everyone out of this game? That thought in and of itself had been enough to give Cremisius a sliver of hope. Perhaps he could help in some way? Maybe than, the risks of dying wouldn't be as large for the others. Surely he could gather information or provide an insight into things that the others couldn't, right? Honestly, there was no way of knowing. All that he had known, after all this time, was that it was finally time for him to at least attempt to help out. What was his way of going about this? Simple. Cremisius was going to attempt to take on a few quests, so that he could find his true calling in this game. Once he has that out of the way, he will likely be capable of being of use. Hopefully.

[Cremisius 0]

After having finally made the decision to take on a quest, and having constantly talked himself out of it for a bit, Cremisius would finally find himself outside of a small wooden building, located among various other shops and buildings. Honestly, if it wasn't for the fact that this shop had been so widely known, due to it being the source of a quest, it was unlikely that Cremisius ever would have found it! With a slightly exasperated sigh, Cremisius would begin to run a single hand through his hair and would than begin to take but a single step inside. As he would push the door open, the ringing of a bell could be overheard. This had initially caught Cremisius off guard, but once he had realized what it was that had happened, he had simply brushed it off. It's probably nothing. 

Not long after Cremisius had entered the shop, he would begin to take in his surroundings, curious as to what it is that he would find. Immediately, his eyes would fall upon various beakers and other sorts of lab equipment. Flasks, vials, etc.. And of course, after peering around for a bit, his eyes would fall upon that of an old man with long white hair and a beard that had reminded him of his fathers. Tsk. The thought of his father had been a rather annoying one, given the fact that thinking about his family still hurts. After all, it was unlikely that he would even be in this situation if it wasn't for them. Of course.. he also would have been dead if not for them. All in all, it was a rather complicated situation that he didn't want to think much about. Whilst shaking that thought off, Cremisius would begin to walk towards the old man. In doing so, a golden exclamation mark would begin to appear over the old mans head!

Ah. There it is. The widely renown quest marker. Strange.. but it's alright. He is simply an npc, Felix. No need to worry so much.

Even with the knowledge of the fact that this old man had been an npc, Cremisius's timid nature had held a strong gasp upon him. As he would go to speak with the older man, he would begin to freeze up and his movements would begin to slightly stagger. "D-do.. Is the-.." Unfortunately, this was simply an issue that Cremisius was going to have to overcome. Two years later and he was still struggling with his timid nature.. It was truly a shame. Thankfully, the old man would begin to make it a bit easier for him! His eyes would begin to squint and he would begin to lean in towards one of the beakers that he had held within his hand. That action in and of itself had been enough to remind Cremisius of what to do! With a little less stammering, Cremisius would begin to steel himself before speaking once again. "I-is s-something bothering you..?"

[Cremisius 0]

""I-is s-something bothering you..?""

After hearing one of the basic quest acceptance phrases, further life would begin to inhabit the old man. His eyes would begin to narrow even further and a slightly worried expression would begin to form upon his face. The old man would than begin to grumble a bit before speaking to Cremisius in turn. "Hmm.. Yes, yes. I believe that I might actually require you're assistance young man." Now this was rather curious. Was that really all that it would take to get the quest off the ground? After taking a quick glance towards the spot above the old mans head, and realizing that the golden exclamation mark had become but a grey question mark, Cremisius would have his answer. He had now, officially, been working on his first mission!

"R-right.. So what is it that I can help you with mister?"

At this, the older fellow would stop for a moment, as though he had been pondering over something. The fact that he had been gazing directly at Cremisius hadn't really helped the young man feel any better. Thankfully, that wouldn't last lost because the old man would begin to burst into a fit of laughter. "Bahahahahahahaha! Right than!" After placing a plug within his beaker and than placing the beaker onto the table in front of them, the old man would begin to reach his hand out and would attempt to shake Cremisius's hand. It was.. definitely something that he wasn't used to. Certainly not something that he was expecting. Unfortunately, no matter how uncomfortable Cremisius had been with the situation, he had to go along with the quest giver and would simply shake the old mans hand. "My name is Zackaraiah and I am going to help you find your way young man! Y'see, I am an alchemist of sorts and believe that you could perhaps become one too!" 

In truth, Cremisius hadn't been expecting that sort of response. It was almost as though the NPC had known what it was that he had come here for. Of course, this is likely just the default setting of what the old man has to say. After all, from what he's heard, this quest is really for beginners. Learning the basics of how to play the game and giving the player choices to make on how to play. It's only natural for that to be what he would have said, right?

[Cremisius 0]

Regardless of whatever it was that Cremisius had felt about this matter, he knew that he was going to have to keep at it if he had wanted to be of use to the others. After all, a player that has no idea what they are doing is better off staying behind in the 'Town of Beginnings.' "R-right.. Well, thank you.. S-so what is it that y-you're hoping to have me do?" With that, Zackariah would begin to nod several times. For an NPC, this old man had been rather lively. Even after all of his time in the 'Town of Beginnings', it was still strange for Cremisius to see NPC's that had reacted so.. lifelike. "Well, my boy, I would first ask you of you're name. I believe that it is common courtesy to give your name after someone has given you theirs. At least, that's how it was back in my day." Of course. How could he possibly of forgotten that? Whilst shaking his head briefly, Cremisius would begin to speak up once more, stating his name and purpose.

"O-oh yeah.. M-my name is Fe-.. Cremisius and I am simply hoping to help out however I can."

The smile upon Zackariah's face would begin to grow for a moment as he would begin to place a single hand upon Cremisius's shoulder. "Well than boy, I am going to ask that you head out into the forest that is Northwest of here. Once you make your way out there, if you would be so kind as to fetch me five Tier One Roots, I would be ever so grateful." Cremisius had heard that the first couple of quests were fetch quests, but he didn't really understand why. Perhaps he would learn more about it in time? Thinking of these NPC's as people would honestly help with that. If he continues to think of this as a game, he will likely find himself dead. With a slight nod, Cremisius would begin to offer Zackariah a slight smile. "S-sure thing.. I'll go ahead and grab those for you.." It was than that a prompt would appear on Cremisius's screen, asking him if he would truly like to accept this quest. Once he had pressed that green button on the prompt, the mission would be fully accepted and Cremisius would be on his way. It was just finding some roots.. It shouldn't be that hard, right?

[Cremisius 0]

Cremisius couldn't of been more wrong.. It was true that this quest was nothing more than a simple fetch quest. However, he quite honestly didn't know what to look for! Would the materials look different than the other plants that lie out and about in the forest? What will he do if he gets attacked along the way? In all honesty, he really didn't have any answers. He simply had nothing more than doubts. It was.. unfortunate, but there wasn't much of anything that he could do for this matter. It was just apart of who he was. All along his way through the 'Town of Beginnings', Cremisius would ask himself if this was the right thing to do. If leaving the first floor was truly something that he had wanted to do. He wasn't too sure on that matter.. but he was at least determined to try and see things through. After all, any result is better than no result. All that he could do now was give it his best and hope that he was doing the right thing. 

Honestly, by the time that Cremisius had finally settled down on whether or not he should even proceed with this quest, he would find himself outside of the large deciduous forest region. There really wasn't any point in turning back, given how he had inadvertently walked himself all the way here. Things would be okay, right? As he began to ponder over that thought, a shiver would begin to shoot down his spine. With that, a wave of negative thoughts would begin to flood his mind and he would begin to seriously doubt himself. There was no way that he could go through with this! He would be killed if he tried! But.. he's dying anyways, right? Perhaps there isn't a point in pushing off the inevitable. At least, if he dies this way, he'll have died trying to help others. In a sense. Shaking those thoughts from out of his head, Cremisius would begin to push forward into the forested region. 

[Cremisius 0]

As Cremisius would begin to push off into the forested region, his eyes would immediately fall to the ground. It wasn't that he didn't wish to see the things that had been around him. In fact, he was sure that he would absolutely love to gaze about the forest. Surely it had looked far more serene than the 'Town of Beginnings!' In fact, most things probably did. After all, the 'Town of Beginnings' had been so cramped full of PC's, NPC's and buildings that it was overwhelming at times. The reason that Cremisius had been watching the ground had actually been rather simple. He was trying to search for any possible materials that may have been near him already. After all, the forested region was rather large and he didn't want to get lost within it. He hadn't been out there before and he didn't have a map to show him the layout. It would have been easier if there was simply some resources nearby that he could take advantage of. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to be going that way for him, seeing as how he would come to find no materials nearby. He should have seen that coming, given how close to the edge of the forest he had been, but he figured that he had to try at the very least.

Spoiler

ID: 110645   LD: 10   

No Materials Found

 

Edited December 20, 2018 by Cremisius
Adding in Roll & Roll Response

[Cremisius 0]

It was clear that Cremisius wasn't going to be able to find any materials as close to the edge of the region as he had been. As such, he would continue to delve further into the forest, in hopes of actually managing to procure the materials that he had been looking for. The main issue that he had held was that there wasn't any real information on what he had been looking for. Not anything that he had asked about anyways. And how could he?! After all, he could barely speak with Zackariah. The thought of interacting with another player..? He would likely not be able to manage. None of that mattered right now though. Even if it takes him hours on end, he is sure to find what he is looking for out in these woods. Either that, or he'll die trying. Hopefully he doesn't die before that.. "C'mon, c'mon.. All I have to do now is find these damned materials. They can't be that hard to find, right? I'm sure that they'll grow or something. After all this is a ga-.." As if realizing that he had done it again, Cremisius would immediately put a stop to his sentence. He can't keep thinking that this is a game. Not if he wants to get out alive. Not if he wants to help the others get out.

Spoiler

ID: 110646   Loot: 4

No Materials Found

 

[Cremisius 0]

Unfortunately, things really didn't seem to be going Crem's way. Thus far, looking around at the ground hasn't done him much justice. Of course he has found little prints here and there, but plants obviously don't have foot prints. In fact, he is quite certain that he had found his own foot prints at one point! If he was going to get on with this quest, he was going to need to change up tactics. He clearly couldn't find anything down below. Perhaps he could find something up high? Unsure of what else to do, Cremisius would begin to approach one of the nearby trees. It was than that he would begin to attempt to climb up one of the trees. If there was any way that he would be capable of finding things within this forest, it was likely to be from above. There was no doubt in his mind about that. Well.. maybe there was a little doubt. Or a lot of doubt. Honestly, the thought of falling from that tree and hitting the ground, possibly ending his life, had scared the living hell out of him. At this point though, there wasn't really much of a choice. As such, he would continue to climb the tree, only to inspect the branches first and foremost. Simply put, there was nothing there besides.. well.. leaves.

Spoiler

ID: 110648   Loot: 4

No Materials Gathered

 

[Cremisius 0]

Given that there weren't any materials to be located within the top of this tree, perhaps there will be some located within other treetops? Glancing around at the various treetops, Cremisius was simply having no luck. It would seem as though there wasn't really any materials to be located out here. At least, not where he had been looking anyways. Knowing that, Cremisius would begrudgingly begin to climb down the tree, careful with every movement, so as to not fall and cause his own death. With each movement that he would make down the tree, he would continue to look around, hoping to find something to take back with him. Any material worked for him at this point. It didn't matter what it was or where it came from. He could always trade the material for something else, right? He had, of course, been wrong, but he didn't know that. All that he had known was that he wanted to hurry up and get out of this forest before a boar or a wolf or something comes after him.

Spoiler

ID: 110649   Loot: 6

No Materials Found

 

Edited December 20, 2018 by Cremisius

[Cremisius 0]

Before Cremisius would manage to get himself down from the tree, he would begin to catch a glimmer or something akin to the coloration of a rainbow within the distance. Could that perhaps be what he had been looking for? Of course he hadn't heard of Tier One materials with a rainbow coloration, but anything is possible, right? As the thought of some good luck finally coming his way began to creep into his mind, a slight smile would begin to find its way onto his face. If this was what he had indeed been looking for, than perhaps he could gather all five materials from that location! Knowing this, Cremisius would begin to scramble down the tree at a faster pace. Unfortunately, he would lose his footing whilst doing so, causing him to fall a about six or seven feet, hitting the ground with a loud thud. Not only had he been in pain, albeit not that much, thanks to the pain inhibitors, but he had lost sight of the flowers! This had greatly agitated him, but there wasn't much point in worrying too much about it. After all, he was sure that he could find them again. They had been shining and with a rainbow-hue after all.

Spoiler

ID: 110650   Loot: 9

No Materials Found

 

Edited December 20, 2018 by Cremisius

[Cremisius 0]

Although Cremisius couldn't feel the pain any longer, his mind had tricked him into thinking that there had still been a stinging sensation applied to the back half of his body. It left him feeling rather uncomfortable, and the after thought of how he could have died had still greatly bothered him, but there wasn't really much that he could do about any of that. At this point in time, with that shimmer of hope within him, Cremisius was going to simply have to continue on. There wasn't much room for doubt at this point. He had to do what he came out here to do. As such, once he had gathered the strength to get up and walk around again, he would find himself headed in the basic direction that he assumes the shining flowers had been. It would take him a bit to finally get to where he had thought to of seen the flowers, but he would eventually get there. The only issue was that.. they certainly weren't flowers. No. What he would see, after having traveled all that way, is a swarm of shining rainbow wasps! Thankfully they hadn't taken notice of him, so they weren't going to come after him. Still..he would have preferred to of found what he had come looking for. Maybe he'll just have to come back and inspect those wasps at some other time.

Spoiler

ID: 110651   Loot: 11

No Materials Found

 

Edited December 20, 2018 by Cremisius

[Cremisius 0]

In an attempt to both survey the area for materials, and for a way to get further away from the rainbow wasps, Cremisius would find himself crouched low to the ground and making his way through several rather large bushes. They weren't exactly the best place to hide, but they were better than nothing. And in all honesty, he had figured that there weren't too many other places that the materials could be. Tier One materials? They sound like they would come from a bush. They also sound like they would come from a tree top though.. It would seem as though he had been wrong in his assessments, regardless of where he had searched. It was unfortunate but it was true. Thankfully, even though he wasn't able to find what he had been looking for at the moment, he had still managed to secure a hiding place away from the rainbow wasps. One of them on their own? He could probably take them down. An entire swarm though? Definitely not! The very thought of that experience gives him chills. He couldn't afford to go out like that. Not this early on.

Spoiler

ID: 110653   Loot: 5

No Materials Found

 

[Cremisius 0]

As the distance between Cremisius and the wasps would grow, Cremisius would continue to search for the materials that he would have needed. Thankfully, it would seem as though he was making some progress in that field. Currently, he resided within a line of bushes that had been keeping his location hidden from the rainbow wasps. From his current location though, it would seem as though there was an outline of yellow on the other side of the bushes. Whilst trying to be as quiet as possible, Cremisius would continue to crawl through the bushes, until finally, he would come out onto the other side. His eyes would go wide as he would begin to take in a field of flowers that had been hiding within the forest. Was this finally it? Was this what he had been looking for? A slight smile would begin to find its way back onto his face as he would push through the bushes and out into the flowery field. Slowly, he would begin to reach out into the field, so as to grasp one of the yellow flowers. "Is this.. actually it?" Unfortunately, yet again, things had chosen to not look all that well for Cremisius. These flowers were simply.. flowers. Nothing special. With a slight sigh, he would place the flower back down onto the ground, before rising up to his feet and walking further into the field.

Spoiler

ID: 110654   Loot: 14

No Materials Found.. Unfortunately

 

Edited December 20, 2018 by Cremisius

[Cremisius 0]

The further into the field that Cremisius would go, the more the field would begin to grow. It was filled with vibrant yellow and slight variations here and there. Unfortunately, in some instances, these variations were just that. Slight variations. However, as Cremisius would continue to walk around, he would begin to take note of a single flower hidden within the field, withdrawn beneath several of the yellow flowers. This unique flower held a teal hue and had been distinctly shaped to mimic that of a lily. For the life of him, Cremisius couldn't figure out why this one had been so different. That is why, when he had reached down and attempted to pluck the flower from the ground, he had been amazed when it would seemingly disappear! It was as though the flower had shattered into various particles. An act that would leave Cremisius worried about what he had just done. Had he received any status ailments from that? Did something go wrong? Just than, in the center of his visual display, a notification would appear. It simply read: '+1 T1 Material Added to Inventory.' As the realization of what had happened had finally dawned upon him, a smile brighter than any other that he had worn since his time in Aincrad would begin to fall upon him. For the first time since being here, he had actually managed to achieve something. It was pretty pathetic to be honest, but to him, it meant the world. All that he could go on to think after this was simply, 'I can do this.'

Spoiler

ID: 110655   Loot: 19

One Tier One Material Found!

 

Edited December 20, 2018 by Cremisius

[Cremisius 0]

At the moment, Cremisius had been so happy that he could have cried. It was so strange for him to actually be able to achieve something. Very rarely did he manage to succeed in life. Ever since the Leukemia had hit, his life had done nothing but go down hill. That is one of the many reasons that he had remained within the 'Town of Beginnings' for two years. However, now that a little more hope had been poured into his heart, and he had found that he is able to overcome certain obstacles, he had begun to have a bit more faith in himself. Of course he is still going to struggle with various other things in his life. Speaking with others will likely be one of those things. However, that doesn't mean that he is going to give up. At least now.. he knows that he is capable of doing something more than being a waste of space. As such, when he had continued to look around in the field, and had managed to come across yet another of the small plants, this one blue and shaped as an orchid, he had simply been overjoyed. This was by far one of the best things to ever happen to him! He could only hope that this stroke of good luck continues to go well for him.

Spoiler

ID: 110656   Loot: 16

One Tier One Material Found!

Two Tier One Materials in Total

 

Edited December 20, 2018 by Cremisius

[Cremisius 0]

If things were to continue going the way that they had been going, the rest of this quest was going to be a breeze. At least, that is what Cremisius had been hoping for. Unfortunately, things don't ever really go the way that he wants them too. Even if he has little spouts of luck here and there, his luck usually runs out. All that he can hope for at this point is that the bad luck doesn't continue to run its streak. With a slight nod to himself, Cremisius would continue to walk about throughout the field, in hopes of finding another one of the materials that he had been searching for. He already had two out of the five that he had needed. Things should hopefully continue to run smoothly. However, as he continues to make his way throughout the field, even after rechecking it a couple of times, Cremisius ends up coming up short. His luck seems to of run out for the time being. With a slight sigh, Cremisius would begin to shake his head from side to side and he would than begin to walk on out of the pasture. The forested region was rather large in and of itself. Given that he had already managed to find a couple of materials, despite how long he had been within the forest, it was likely that he was going to eventually find some more. He couldn't give up. Not after having hit that stroke of luck.

Spoiler

ID: 110657   Loot: 2

No Materials Found

Two Tier One Materials in Total

 

Edited December 20, 2018 by Cremisius

[Cremisius 0]

As Cremisius would head further and further into the forest, various things would catch his eye. It was than that he would begin to realize just how vast this region had actually been. Of course he had anticipated that there were to be various oddities within the forest, in addition to things that resemble that of the real world. However, the things that he would come across, in his search for more materials, were truly exotic and unbeknownst to him. Or at least, things that he had never witnessed himself, up unto this point. A few case examples of these things would be insects of various kinds, and a few basic low leveled monsters as well. There weren't any boars to be found within the forest, but a couple of dire wolves and beetles could be found. Birds and amphibians as well! Unfortunately, no matter how hard he had looked though, he still wouldn't come across any other materials. Tons of plants and animals, yet none of which he had been looking for.

Spoiler

ID: 110658   Loot: 8

No Materials Found

Two Tier One Materials in Total

 

Edited December 20, 2018 by Cremisius

[Cremisius 0]

Continuing onward, Cremisius would begin to recount his journey thus far. The fact that he had decided to start his journey both so late and alone had honestly seemed to cause more problems for him than he had anticipated. The fact that he had no one to walk about with him wasn't all that surprising, given the fact that he barely knows what to do when he is around other people, but the beginning of his journey? In all honesty, that could have started quite some time ago. Than again, depending on how one desires to look at it, the reasoning behind that could have been his reluctance to be around others. In fact, companions seem to be what helps the majority of the population get by at this point. This thought is honestly one that he knows that he should consider at some point. The only issue there lies in if he is capable of trusting anyone enough to become acquaintances with them. Even believing in himself in that matter is a bit of an issue for him. As these thoughts would continue to fester within his mind, Cremisius would continue to walk about the forest, keeping an eye out for any noteworthy materials. Yet again, for the time being, there were none to be found. 

Spoiler

ID: 110659   Loot: 12

No Materials Found

Two Tier One Material in Total

 

Edited December 20, 2018 by Cremisius

[Cremisius 0]

As Cremisius would continue to walk around, both deep in thought and focused on his task, he would begin to raise but a single hand above his head, resting it on the back of his skull. He would begin to rub at the back of it than, as he ponders why there might not be any materials nearby. Hm.. I mean, if I remember correctly, Horunka happens to be in this same direction. It's entirely possible that some of the NPC's that reside out there have been gathering the materials for their own shops. But than again.. Would they even need to? After all, that's what these fetch quests are for. Maybe it is because of the players than? Or.. Maybe I am just extremely bad at this sort of thing. Clearly, luck is never really on my side. A slight look of worry would than begin to take over his features as he looks down at the ground. I really hope that it's just something simple.. Like if I am just in a bad location for this sort of thing. Suddenly, without even having heard the sound creeping up upon him, a single frenzy boar would rush past him, knocking him down onto the ground with a heavy thud. Once he had realized what had happened, Cremisius would begin to push himself up off of the ground. Upon doing so, his right hand would come into contact with a single velvet lily. He would admire it for a moment before reaching down and plucking it off of the ground, hoping to take it home with him. As he would do so though, the material would de-materialize and would simply appear within his inventory as yet another material. Although disappointed at the loss of the flower, he was grateful that he had finally managed to procure yet another material.

Spoiler

ID: 110660   Loot: 17

One Tier One Material Found!

Three Tier One Materials in Total

 

Edited December 20, 2018 by Cremisius

[Cremisius 0]

Now that Cremisius held three out of the five required materials, and his mind had begun to settle back onto the task at hand, a sudden realization would hit him. Their shouldn't have been any frenzy boars this far out into the forest! At least, that's what he believes to be true anyways. They are typically found in the plains near the 'Town of Beginnings' and not often found out into the forest. It would be understandable if he had been closer to the plains, but from what he knew, he was actually pretty far out into the forested region at the moment. Than again, it didn't really seem to matter. The creature had run off and hadn't of caused any serious damage to him. For now, it would simply need to be a matter to be discussed at a later date. Whilst shaking his head from side to side, and thinking about that lily, Cremisius would begin to try and make headway towards the 'Town of Beginnings.' It was true that he hadn't of had all of the required materials, but at least he could continue searching on his way back. The search had managed to become unfruitful once more, but that was alright. He had almost been there. As long as there weren't any serious delays, all things should be fine.

Spoiler

ID: 110661   Loot: 12

No Materials Found

Three Tier One Materials in Total

 

Edited December 20, 2018 by Cremisius