[PP-F1] Again... <<TFFLAF>>

[Ghost 0]

Jade took in a deep breath, and exhaled. She looked up at the familiar building. She just couldn't finish the quest on her own, could she? Whoever leaves, just seems to, leave. Was she really that unlikable? They never said it to her face, maybe they just wanted to leave without hurting her. That might be why they never said it directly. She took slow steps into the building. "Hi again..." She muttered nervously as she approached the NPC. Zack looked up at her, and repeated the same dialog line as the attempts she tried before. She had to come back to re-enable the quest due to its reset period if left incomplete. 5 Materials. Jade thought to herself. Just five. But for some reason, mustering three is extreme. She also came to get help, hopefully they would remain. She walked back out of the building taking a seat on the steps watching the busy players moving around.

@Davidranger

[Davidranger 0]

David was walking along when he saw a depressed looking girl sitting on some steps into a building. She looked a little experienced, if her equipment and cape gave any semblance to the fact. He watched her for a second, from a distance so as to not garner her attention too quickly. He didn't want to come off as a stalker after all.

After seeing her eye so many players with longing in her gaze, and look back down, and breathe deeply, he came to a conclusion. She was either depressed, sad, lonely, needed someone, or all of the above. Well, only one way to find out.

He stepped out of the sea of people and walked up to her. "Hey," he said softly. "You ok?" He wasn't experienced in the game, but he was experienced in dealing with and helping people in real life.

[Ghost 0]

They way the players moved kind of reminded Jade of a bee hive, all working towards one goal, but all working separately or in small groups. "Hey," A male voice spoke, breaking her train of thought. She looked up. "You ok?" Jade realized her posture looked a little, lonely, especially since she was the only one on the steps of the building. "Y-yeah, I'm ok, j-just bored." She said quietly, she was still too shy to maintain eye contact with the other player, though her social skills were definitely improving. She realized her opportunity to get help. Though there was a roadblock standing in the way, she didn't know how to ask for help. Her whole life she did things on her own with relative ease, now? She needed help with the tutorial quest, that's right, the tutorial quest. What has her life come to. If asking for help was embarrassing before, it sure would be now. "C-can... I n... Can yo..." She was unable to say it her voice quivered and shook. "Why is this so difficult..." She muttered to herself. She would have to take a different approach to the request. "H-hey, have you done the... the quest, the beginners quest, "The First Few Lessons are Free", t-that one?" She asked the player nervously. 

@Davidranger

Edited February 22, 2019 by Ghost

[Davidranger 0]

He relaxed when she said she was simply bored. He chuckled. "That's to be expected in the town of Beginnings, I suppose." She looked timid, shy even. In order to not seem intimidating, he sat down on the steps, at the opposite end of where she was. This could be a two-banger. He could help a timid, shy girl and learn more about the game all in one. Yes! He mentally pumped his fist, though his outward demeanor remained unchanged. He looked at the cobblestone pathway for a second, contemplating what his next move - or words - should be.

His ears perked when she spoke, and he turned his head toward her. At first, it was hard to hear what she was saying. Was she even talking to him? He couldn't tell from her looking at the ground. "H-hey, have you done the... the quest, the beginners quest, 'The First Few Lessons are Free', t-that one?" Ah, so she was talking to him. He shook his head. "No ma'am," He said in his deep voice. "I can't unfortunately. I don't have enough...what was it...interaction points? I don't know." He sighed, putting his hands behind him, looking up at the ceiling of the level. "No-one will talk to me, and if they do, they say 'Hey', and move on. I can't even get info about a monster spawn out of anyone." He ran a hand over his face. "It is so frustrating."

He looked back at Ghost. "I'm David, by the way."

Edited February 22, 2019 by Davidranger

[Ghost 0]

Perfect, now all she had to do was ask him if he would like to do the quest together. It would be easier on her if there was someone watching her back. "I-I wanted to know if you would- I w-wanted to know if you could assist me. It safer if there's someone else out there. You know?" I sound like a fool. No one will help me, why even bother? I guess it was worth a shot. She took a deep shaky breath, before moving on. "B-because it would also b-benefit us both. T-then we both get the quest done, and get something out of i-it." She went on trying to explain. "S-sorry, that sounded a bit weird, didn't it?" She sounded kinda embarrassed. She twirled a strand of her hair around with her finger, for some reason, when she did it, it just seemed to calm her. "S-so, are you here to take the q-quest? Y-you get it just inside. T-Though that would mean that we would h-have to get twice the m-material if we worked t-together." Jade listened closely, only responding when she could relate to a topic. The only one she could relate to, was there names. "I'm Ghost." Jade muttered, she was reluctant to tell the stranger her real name.

@Davidranger

Edited February 22, 2019 by Ghost

[Davidranger 0]

He felt compassion for the girl. Her attitude and demeanor showed either A. she was a mature adult who had a personality IRL influenced by negative circumstances, B. she never got the experience to interact with others, C. she was immature, or D. she was young. He remembered when he used to not interact well with others.

He laughed softly at her backpedaling and conversation save - well, attempted save. "You're fine." He held up a hand, smiling. "I understand what you're saying. And I'm actually glad you asked. Because without someone on the quest with me, I couldn't do it alone due to my low interaction points. Or time in game. Whatever." He shrugged.

He looked at the door to the building, looking ominous and inviting at the same time. "Yeah, twice the material? We can do that. I'm sure of it." He smiled at her again. "I'd be happy to go on this quest with you."

He stood and bowed. "It is a pleasure to meet you, lady Ghost. When would you like to go on the quest?" He extended a hand to her, to assist in her standing.

@Ghost

Edited February 22, 2019 by Davidranger

[Ghost 0]

Interaction points? Jade thought to herself. Wait, does he mean... “Oh, d-do you mean level?” Jade asked, she never heard it phrased like that before. It made her a little bit more curious about David. He stood up, and bowed. Saying it was a pleasure to meet her, but the display made her nervous, it drew attention to him and by association, her. “T-That isn’t nessacary.” She spoke, implying the bow, her voice shaky. “T-though the gesture is n-nice.” Jade reassured him. “T-thanks. I could use t-the assistance.” Jade commented. Jade held her hand out, getting to her feet. “T-thanks again. As soon as possible would be nice. I wouldn’t want you to miss out on the quest items.” Jade said, brushing a bit of her hair away from her face.

@Davidranger

[Davidranger 0]

He shook his head. "Last time I tried doing the quest, the NPC told me I needed at least 50 conversations with players to go on the quest on my own. Level 1's can do it, just not without reputation. Maybe that's it?" He rubbed his chin, then shrugged. "Meh. That's neither here nor there."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. Trying to be gentlemanly," He said with a smile. Oh, God, she was cute. He hands were soft too. He ensured to be gentle but strong as he helped her up, trying not to linger his hand with hers after she was on her feet. "My pleasure." Now that she was standing, he got a good look at her. She was really stunning. At least her avatar was. And shapely. She went with a modestly curvy figure, but not sultry. Bravo, young lady. Bravo.

Upon further inspection...yep. She definitely had some rare items. Probably knew how to use them, too. "Sounds good. Lemme look at my inventory really quick." Ok. Everything was there. "Shall we?" He opened the door to allow her through first. "After you, ma'am."

Edited February 23, 2019 by Davidranger

[Ghost 0]

"M-maybe..." Jade said, sounding a bit puzzled. She crossed her arms, one hand coming up to her chin. The which was the typical thinking stance for her. "W-well, its worth another try, maybe he'll give you the quest this time?" She sounded unsure, Jade honestly had no idea if he would give David the first quest, though he should under normal circumstances. "N-no! Sorry, I'm not o-offended, I-I didn't mean it like that." Jade quickly spoke, straightening her arms and clasping them together. Her face turning a shade red from embarrassment. "O-ok. W-were probably not gonna be attacked by m-monsters unless we provoke them. T-The fields are generally c-calm." Jade waited for a moment as he checked his menu, before continuing. "Thank you."  Jade said softly as she past the door he held open. She walked up to Zackariah, the NPC didn't even seem to notice her. "J-Just talk to him and you should get the quest." Jade said, leaning over and gesturing towards the old man behind the table full of alchemy equipment.

@Davidranger

[Davidranger 0]

"I can only hope so." He shrugged. He had no idea if it would work, and really had no idea how the quest worked, so he was glad she was going to come with him since she'd been on it before. Her knowledge was going to be invaluable. 

Oh, my God, she's adorable, he thought as she clasped her arms together. He smiled warmly. "I'm glad. Wouldn't want to offend the pretty lady helping me get my first quest, after all."

"Oh, good. I wasn't sure what to expect out there. I anticipated some low level easy ones outside the town, but any further than that is anybody's guess." He wiped his hand across his brow. "Glad I got you coming with me. I wouldn't have known the first thing about starting this quest. Thank you for offering."

"You're welcome," he said after she walked in. He entered behind her and stood beside her when she stopped. "Ok." He looked at her before stepping forward. "I really appreciate you doing this."

"Hello, sir? I'm here for the 'First Lesson is Free'. I don't have 50 player interactions, but I'm questing with this young lady, who does." He gestured to Ghost.

"Ah," the NPC said. "Zach. It's a pleasure." He extended his hand and David shook it over the counter. "And I see you have 10 materials." He looked thoughtful for a second. "But you know, even though you only need 10 materials to start, you'll need double the quest amount to clear it since you'll be going in a two-person party."

David nodded. "Yes sir. I'm aware."

Zach rubbed his chin and sighed. "Ok. I'll give it to you, but you have to party up before you can accept it, as it'll be set for the party number we discussed."

David nodded again. "Absolutely. Thank you sir!"

Zach shook his head. "Thank her. She's the one willing to party with you." He swiped his hand and both David and Ghost got the quest notification.

David turned back to Ghost and and smiled, then broke out in a little dance. "Whoop Whoop! Yeah!" He then sent a party invite to Ghost.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkW-Kv0AAWI

Edited February 23, 2019 by Davidranger

[Ghost 0]

Once inside, David initiated the quest, because Jade was in the room at the time, she also got the quest notification despite already having the quest active and pending. After David started talking to Zach, she zoned out and began daydreaming about life, food, more food. Fifteen seconds later, she snapped out of it, and with absolutely no context, saw David dancing. Confused, she looked around, wondering why he was dancing. He stopped, and she received the party notification. She quickly accepted it. "A-alright, hold on, I have to c-change first." Jade went into the back room, only to come back seconds later wearing a white dress. "D-don't laugh." She spoke slowly. "I-it increase the chances of f-finding something, for m-me that is." Jade left, signalling David to follow then went out to the fields outside of the town. "So... W-what was with the dance?" She asked curiously. She arrived at the field, and began searching for anything that could qualify as a material. Nothing. 

0/10 Found

Spoiler

David, what you do here is click the PERMA ROLLER thing down at the bottom of the box your writing in, follow the instructions, and if it comes out 15 or above, then you got a material. Good Luck.

Roll ID# 112742 results:

 Battle: 8

 Craft: 12

 Loot: 7

 MOB: 1

@Davidranger

Edited February 24, 2019 by Ghost

[Davidranger 0]

Spoiler

Thanks!

Posting from 172.58.155.243
 ID# 112743 results:
 Battle: 3
 Craft: 7
 Loot: 19
 MOB: 6

Posting from mobile. No colored text. I'm sad. Tear.

David nodded when she said she had to change. He chuckled again as she walked away, noting her deer in the headlights look just now.

When she came back out, he was kind of speechless. She looked beautiful in the flowing gown. He shook his head to clear the thought before responding. “No. I…I think it’s uh…” He blushed and walked out the door so fast he nearly ran.

'Man. I really gotta get a hold of myself. Why did I react like that?'

“Oh-ahem-oh that. Um” He pulled at his collar a little bit, his face still beet red. “I was excited I got to go on the quest with you-I-I mean-I was excited we’re doing it together-augh!” He hit his head and took a breath. “”I was excited I got the quest, and I was happy that someone actually took the time to help me.”

'Oh, God that was intense. Did she catch that I was attracted to her? I don’t wanna seem like some weirdo.'

As they were walking along he picked up a mushroom. His indicator said it was cooking material. “Hey, I got one!”

Mat 1/10

Edited February 24, 2019 by Davidranger

[Ghost 0]

She knew it. She looked ridiculous, she could tell by his reaction. She took a deep breath and continued down the streets of the town. After Jade asked why he just started dancing looked at David curiously, he seemed to be acting, odd, she wasn't sure why. Though she had seen stranger and accepted it as normal. Jade wanted to ask another question, but she kept it to herself. The field was pretty scarce of both monsters and players. The closest players were only seen because the sun slightly illuminated a group under a tree almost half a mile away, or what seemed to be that far. Jade began her typical material search pattern, which was similar to a sweep. She made a grid on the ground in her mind, then only searched the area within one sector before moving on to another. Whether or not this was an effective strategy was unknown, she just seemed to function better when faced with a lots of small areas to search rather then one large area. "A-alright, we got one, only nine more to go." Jade said, searching through the last bush in her little mental square. Nothing, again. She let out a sigh of disappointment. And began humming a tune quietly.

@Davidranger

[Davidranger 0]

David nodded at her statement. "Yep. Just 9. If we keep this pace, we'll be done in no time!" 

A he walked along he thought of something. His real name was David, but he probably shouldn't let that on just yet. If at all.  "My UserID is Davidranger. I introduced myself as David so you wouldn't have to say the entire thing. It can be a mouthful." It wasn't technically a lie. He did like the username, but he didn't like saying the whole thing every time he met someone in-game.

He glanced at her dress as they walked, noticing how she tried to conceal it even though it was nigh impossible to do so. He did remember her saying not to laugh at her dress, and that it increased her search skill. He still thought she looked nice, and she also looked a little downtrodden after they left the building. He rubbed the back of his neck, wondering how to proceed with what he was thinking. He wanted to let her know that he thought her dress looked nice, and that he didn't think it ridiculous at all.  "I uh...I don't think your dress looks funny. Actually, it um...don't take this the wrong way please...it looks..." He swallowed. "It looks really nice on you."

There. I said it. I hope she doesn't think I'm weird.

He saw a random piece of charcoal on the side of the road in a pile of wood and rocks. He decided to pick it up, as it looked interesting. As soon as he did, "Artistry Material"  scrolled across his viewer. "Hey, another one! Your dress is working! That's awesome!" He stored the item happily, excited that they found another one so soon. He hoped she'd find some too. But, if he found all the material, he'd do it for both of them. He refused to leave her high and dry. She did help him, and she seemed like she needed a companion anyway.

Spoiler

Mat 2/10

 ID# 112746 results:

 Battle: 4

 Craft: 6

 Loot: 18

 MOB: 3

 

Edited February 25, 2019 by Davidranger

[Ghost 0]

She knew exactly what David was talking about, she met tons of people with somewhat long names, and after a while, it can be a burden. Though she does it anyway, unless she is given a nickname, or something. “Good to know.” Jade said calmly. Jade never knew how to properly respond to a compliment, she isn’t usually complimented, in the real world, she was nothing, even here not much is different in that perspective. So the only thing she knew how to say was “T-thanks.” then she tried to thing of a response. “You too.” She said, quickly realizing the error. “Er… I-I mean you look good t-too. I didn't mean t-that you look good in a d-dress.” Jade laughed nervously, trying to play off her mistake as a joke. She searched the next mental square, the pattern was easy to predict. She noticed something, she picked a bright pink flower, of which disappeared into her inventory. "I got one, that makes three."

3/10

Spoiler

ID# 112747 results:

 Battle: 7

 Craft: 4

 Loot: 20 = Success

 MOB: 1

@Davidranger

Edited February 25, 2019 by Ghost

[Davidranger 0]

He looked around at the field, enjoying the artificial breeze on his artificial face. Yes, being in this world was scary, but if he was stuck here until someone cleared the game, then he'd might as well enjoy it.

He laughed loudly at her stumbling around with words. "Don't worry, Ghost, I didn't take it that way." He chuckled some more. "Hoo!" He wiped a tear from his eye. "Oh, now that was funny!" He let out another guffaw, lasting a good several seconds. "Hoo, praise God. You are a riot, Ghost. I like being your partner. This is enjoyable." He had a huge cheesy grin on his face, still humored by the "I didn't mean that you look good in a dress" comment.

He suddenly became very gentle and stopped, putting a soft hand on her shoulder. "It's not against the rules to smile. Even at your own expense. God knows, I am a goofball. I can't count how many times I've embarrassed myself, or made a fool of myself in front of friends and strangers." He shrugged. "If someone else thinks I'm weird or out of place, that's their problem, not mine. I got enough problems as it is. They can keep it." He lifted his hand and kept walking, whistling a merry tune.

"Awesome, one more, 7 to go." He searched right along with her, but unfortunately not finding a thing. "What do you think about moving over there?" He pointed to a grove of sparsely planted trees with a pond in the middle. He asked it pointedly, as he wanted her involved in the decision-making. He wanted to help her gain some confidence in herself, as it seemed she lacked it. He felt a little like a big brother.

He heard a growl behind them and a Wolf - level 1 - appeared. He didn't know if she had any combat skills. He hoped she did. He turned around and took his short sword out of its sheath inside the buckler. "Ghost, I got this, unless you wanna help. If not, stay behind me, and stay safe." He stepped forward, placing himself in between the monster and his partner. There was no way on this planet he'd let someone get hurt. Whether he died or not.

Battle Music:

Spoiler

 

Spoiler

 ID# 112756 results:

 Battle: 9

 Craft: 2

 Loot: 9

 MOB: 1

3/10

Edited February 25, 2019 by Davidranger

[Ghost 0]

"T-thanks, I guess..." She said shyly, unsure whether to take it as a compliment or not. Jade listened closely, though she was trying to search at the same time. It's not against the rules to smile. She thought to herself. Why does it feel that way though. Jade continued searching without comment to his words. Jade perked her head up."O-over there? I- Sure, I don't see why n-not." She resumed, hoping she was onto something, thinking she was going to find something. She quickly turned as she heard the wolf growl, at first shock and disbelief, she didn't think they'd be out around this area. Then came fight or flight. Jade face looked a lot more serious, the wolf seemed to be warning the players to back off, and not attacking. Some NPC's do that in other games, so why not here? The wolf continued to growl as Jade went through her menu equipping a few items. Suddenly she wore a black cloak, with silver chain mail and leather over the chest, leather wrist guards and shin guards,  she wore a hood now too. She equipped her her dagger, and assumed stance. "If it comes to it, I'd rather help then watch." Her nervousness seemed to be gone, for the time being. Her voice was stern. She was ready if the wolf were to jump them, she stepped forward, dagger in hand. Hopefully, the creature would back off on its own.

Searching for Materials:

Spoiler

 ID# 112757 results:

 Battle: 9

 Craft: 6

 Loot: 4 = Failure

 MOB: 10

Current Battle Ready & Stats:

Spoiler

Stats:

Level: 4

HP: 80

Energy: 8

Accuracy: +1

MIT: +1

Evasion: +3

Base Damage: 4

Skills:

[x2] Round Accel (Dagger)

Battle Ready:

Agile Cloak [EVA +3]

Waist Protector [MIT +1]

Jessica [Dagger | +2 DMG and +1 ACC]

@Davidranger

Edited February 26, 2019 by Ghost

[Davidranger 0]

He smiled at her gently and spoke in a whisper. "FYI, you making me laugh, that's a good thing." He winked at her before returning his attention to the grove of trees with pond. He searched some more on the way there. "Hey, some more charcoal!" He picked up the material and added it to his inventory.

He heard and saw Ghost's reaction to the wolf and was surprised. She completely changed her demeanor in a snap! Now this was the confident Ghost he'd been trying to get out. If she reverted back to "meek and weak", he'd have to help her to see just how strong she really is.

David took a step back slowly. As he stepped back, he stumbled over something, but quickly regained his footing. When he stumbled, the wolf lunged at him. He dodged it, ducking and spinning quickly to get out of the way. Thank you, Jesus for Kung Fu. He stopped and measured the wolf's action just now. Did...it aim wide just to get him to move? After it passed him, it turned around quickly and started backing up, still growling. David noticed some movement in the brush surrounding the grove they were headed to. "Ghost, I think it's protecting a litter in the grove we were going to search. Let's back off."

He sheathed his sword and backed away slowly. The wolf didn't advance. When he got about 30 meters out, he turned around and slowly walked away. The wolf didn't move from its spot in front of the grove.

Spoiler

Roll for: Battle Escape and Loot (Did I do this right?)

Spoiler

ID# 112808 results:

Battle: 9 = Combat Avoided

Craft: 1

Loot: 15 = Success

MOB: 10

Material: 4/10

Edited February 27, 2019 by Davidranger

[Ghost 0]

Despite David reminding her it was a compliment, she still was flustered. “T-Thanks…” Her face was red and she was trying to use her long hair as a sort of curtain, covering almost half of her face. At least he found another material. Jade didn’t know charcoal was a material, though she should have, it made sense. Charcoal can be used to fuel the forges and stoves of Blacksmiths and Cooks, it can be used to heat elixirs in an Alchemy Lab, and if in a pinch, Charcoal can be used for drawing and writing.

 

Jade watched in horror as the wolf lunged at David, but fortunately, he managed to dodge it just in time. She let out a sigh of relief. That's when David came up with the idea that the wolf was protecting its litter. Jade thought about it for a moment, it was a high possibility. Jade decided to do the same as David and back away, after a while, the wolf turned around and disappeared into the vegetation. Jade quickly went back through her menu, getting back into her dress with the enhanced loot bonus. There was a brief silence. “A-are you ok?” She asked shyly, she was back to being calm. She doesn’t typically serious unless someone is in immediate danger. “I-I thought the wolf, I-I thought it was g-going to… hurt you, or w-worse.” Jade said, her tone full of worry. She completely forgot to search for materials, though she did think she spotted something earlier, she just didn’t remember where she spotted it. Seeing as she was a little preoccupied then.

 

Search Results:

Loot: 10 + 3 = 13 Fail

@Davidranger

Edited March 8, 2019 by Ghost

[Davidranger 0]

David smiled at her. "Yeah, I'm fine." She seemed really concerned about his welfare. Like, seriously concerned. When they had first met a couple.hours ago she seemed like she just wanted to get the quest over with and move on without him afterwards. Now, she seemed...invested in him for some reason. Maybe it was just his imagination.

"I'm glad it didn't. Thank God I was able to dodge it. Honestly I believe it aimed wife just so it could get past me to its litter." He had been looking at the field around them, recounting the event on his mind. He then looked at her. "How about you? Are you ok, Ghost? Are You hurt at all?"

While he was recounting the would-be fight, he didn't see any material by chance, though he wasnt looking at the moment. He was really just concerned about getting as far away from that wolf as possible.

Spoiler

Loot 6 = Fail