F01 PP <<The Third Lesson, Is Actually Free>>

[Oscar 0]

Spoiler

STATS

LEVEL - 10
HP - 200
EN - 20
DMG - 5
ACC - 0
MIT - 18
EVA - 3

SKILLS

NON-COMBAT
►Fishing
Cost: 10 SP
Active: Post Action
Effect: Use a dice roll to fish something up based on a natural CD result:

• CD 1: Fished up a boss monster!
• CD 2-3: Fished up a monster with loot minimum stats
• CD 4: Nothing seems to be biting...
• CD 5-6: 1 Material fished up!
• CD 7-8: 2 Materials fished up!
• CD 9-10: 3 Materials fished up!
• CD 11: 4 Materials fished up!
• CD 12: Treasure Chest fished up!

PASSIVE
»  

HOUSING SKILLS
» RESTED: -1 Energy cost for the first two expenditures in a thread
» WORKING: +2 EXP per crafting attempt
» TASTY: Turn 2 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Lesser Feast.
» RELAXED: Increases HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts
» ANGLER: +1 material gained when fishing
» BASIC TRAINING: +1 SP to a thread. Limit one use per month.

COMBAT SKILLS
» 

EXTRA SKILLS
»

WEAPON SKILLS
» CURVED SWORD MASTERY RANK 1
     ➥ +1 DMG WHEN CURVED SWORD IS EQUIPPED
» KATANA MASTERY RANK 1
     ➥ +1 DMG WHEN KATANA IS EQUIPPED
 
ARMOR SKILLS
» 

SWORD ARTS
» [x1 AoE] Tsumuji Guruma (1 Energy +2 per target hit) - A simple sword art that spins the user on their heel to slash in every direction.
» [x2 Stun] Ukifune (5 Energy) - Knocks the opponent high into the air.
» [x2] Han'ei (2 energy) - Two fast swings with the length of the katana blade

EQUIPMENT

WEAPONS
» [EQUIPPED] "NAJARALA" - KATANA (T1- PERFECT)
     ➥ PARALYTIC VENOM (OFFENSE)
     ➥ KEEN
     ➥ DMG

ARMOR
» [EQUIPPED] << ARMOR OF THORNS >> (T1 PERFECT)
     ➥ +9 THORNS
     ➥ +9 THORNS
     ➥ +1 REGEN

» [EQUIPPED] << AZURE TIGHTS >> (T1 PERFECT)
     ➥ +9 MIT
     ➥ +9 MIT
     ➥ +1 SAVVY

FAMILIAR
» Gob-Gob, Slayer of Immortals - No Bonus

BATTLE READY ITEMS
>>  3 HEALING POTIONS
>> 2 T1 POTION OF IMMOLATION
>>  1 T1 OVERHEALTH POTION

Upon returning to Hannah, Oscar was tasked with finding a particular gem in a particular cave for the young girl. Oscar was more than happy to oblige considering how generous the rewards for these Tutorial Quests had been. He headed out of town and looked for the cave. Well, he was going to. He got distracted. You see, Oscar really enjoyed fishing. As he sucked down a <<Potion of Immolation>>, he noticed that there was quite a good fishing spot just outside of town. And he just couldn't resist the urge to cast his line into it. He watched the bobber bounce up and down before, finally, it was sucked under. Oscar gave a mighty pull on the line and saw that there were two fish attached to the hook instead of one. Truly, this was quite a wonderful start to his day. The materials were placed in his inventory as he walked away from the water's edge whistling a tune. All he had to do was grab a gem? This would be an easy quest. Possibly one of the easiest ones he'd ever done.

 

Spoiler

ID: 121203 CD8 LD12 Obtain 2 T1 Gathering Materials

 

Edited August 11, 2019 by Oscar

[Oscar 0]

Oscar was happy to see that his route followed the river. This meant that he could fish to his heart's content and still make forward progress on the quest. He cast his line and took a seat on a fallen log. It was a beautiful day today. It was usually a beautiful day on Floor 1. But there was something about the cool breeze on his face and a spot of fishing that just made Oscar warm and fuzzy inside. He closed his eyes, enjoying the moment. He felt relaxed and calm. Calmer than he'd ever felt in quite some time. It was a great feeling. Soon enough, his bobber dipped under the water. with a mighty tug, Oscar pulled another two fish from the deeps. They were deposited into his inventory and he continued onward, his good mood only enhanced by his great fishing luck today. It was, indeed, a great day.

Spoiler

ID: 121204 CD8 LD8 2 T1 Crafting Materials found.

Edited August 10, 2019 by Oscar

[Oscar 0]

As Oscar approached the cave, he cast his line into the water again. The hook caused ripples to form in the river as it broke the surface of the water, the red-and-white bobber dipping up and down with the tiny waves. Eventually, it all settled and Oscar waited patiently for a fish to bite. He felt a heavy tug on his line. He hurriedly pulled the line back to shore and found that he had a whopping three fish stuck to his hook. They were really biting today! He watched with delight as the materials were dropped into his inventory. He had already covered the cost for the suit of armor that he'd commissioned! He had also arrived at his destination. He put away his fishing rod and headed inside.The cave was dark. He could barely see in front of him. He placed his hand on the wall and slowly pushed forward, making sure there was firm ground under his feet as he did.

Spoiler

ID: 121206 CD9 LD17 3 T1 Crafting Materials obtained!

Edited August 10, 2019 by Oscar

[Oscar 0]

Forward progress was slow, but it was sure. Oscar clung to the wall for dear life. He pushed through the darkness, inching closer and closer to the quest indicator. As he rounded what he thought was a corner, he saw a faint glow up ahead. He pushed forward, careful not to fall into any pitfalls on his way. When his foot hit nothing, he looked closer and saw that there was a large hole in the middle of the pathway. He could just make out two narrow ledges where he could cross. He placed his back to the wall, spreading out his hands for support. He put his weight towards his heels and began to slide himself over to the other side. He didn't know how deep the hole was, but he definitely didn't want to find out. He move carefully until he felt the floor under his toes again. 

 

Spoiler

ID: 121226 LD6 Nothing Found.

 

Edited August 10, 2019 by Oscar

[Oscar 0]

Spoiler

Combat Encounter
<<Cave Guardian>>
HP: 20
DMG: 50 (first hit)
 

The glimmer from earlier had been from the light filtering down into a massive chamber. It was easier to see here thanks to that, but it wasn't perfect. He looked towards the floor, where the shaft of light ended and saw a faint glimmer. He approached and saw that it was just the gem that Hannah had been looking for. His fingers curled around it. No sooner than he had plucked the gem from the ground and added it to his inventory did he hear a fearsome screech. A giant bat swooped down from the darkness, trying to sink its razor-sharp talons into Oscar's shoulder. He managed to duck out of the way and swiped at the beast with Najarala. Because of the darkness, Oscar missed by a mile. He hopped backwards, getting into a battle stance. He tightened his grip on the blade and searched the darkness for the creature. Either it would meet its end at his blade or it would be in for a nasty surprise when it hit him.
 

Spoiler

Oscar HP 220 | EN 22 | DMG 5 | EVA 0 | ACC 0 | MIT 18 | ID: 121227

Cave Guardian uses Claw on Oscar. MD3 Miss! Savvy Activates

Oscar uses Basic Attack on Cave Guardian. BD3 Miss!

Edited August 10, 2019 by Oscar

[Oscar 0]

Spoiler

Combat Encounter
<<Cave Guardian>>
HP: 20
DMG: 50 (first hit) then 5

The <<Cave Guardian>> came in for another swipe. As it did, Oscar called his shot and timed his slice. He caught the creature in the wing with his blade, dealing a decent amount of damage. The creature screeched in pain and sunk its talons into his shoulder. Oscar took a hefty 50 points of damage. Because of the successful hit, however, the Cave Guardian suffered about as much as he did. Probably more considering its health bar tanked to zero and the <<Cave Guardian>> exploded into a shower of fractal shards. Oscar took a seat and rested from the short combat encounter. Despite having such a low amount of health, the thing did heavy damage. He was sure to give Hannah a piece of his mind when he got back to town. If he'd done this quest when it was intended, he would have died! That was a dirty trick for the NPC to pull. It's almost like the quests here were designed to put you in danger!

Spoiler

Oscar HP 170+5 | EN 22 | DMG 5 | EVA 0 | ACC 0 | MIT 18 | ID: 121228

Oscar uses Basic Attack on Cave Guardian. BD7 - 1 + 1. Deal 5 DMG.

Cave Guardian uses Claw on Oscar. MD7 Deal 50 Damage. Take 28 Damage from Thorns. Cave Guardian dies. Regen activates, Savvy Deactivates.

Edited August 10, 2019 by Oscar

[Oscar 0]

Oscar made his way out of the cavern with the gem in tow. One thing about having a larger health pool was that now it took him ages to regenerate. Not that he was complaining. More health meant he could take more hits. Which also meant that he ran a much lower chance of dying. He slid across the ledge again, careful to avoid the hole. Fall damage would definitely kill him if he wasn't careful. Once he got to the other side, he noticed something glowing on the ground. A progress bar opened up and when it filled, another crafting material was dropped into his inventory. He continued on his slow trek out of the cave. Soon enough, however, he was greeted by the bright light filtering through the mouth of the cave. Slowly, but surely, it got bright enough to move safely. As it did, he was able to move faster. Soon, his lungs filled with fresh air as he stepped back into the sunlight.

Spoiler

Oscar HP 175+5+15 | EN 22 | DMG 5 | EVA 0 | ACC 0 | MIT 18 | ID: 121229

Oscar attempts to gather items. LD16. T1 Crafting Material found!

Edited August 10, 2019 by Oscar

[Oscar 0]

Spoiler

Oscar HP 195+5+15 | EN 22 | DMG 5 | EVA 0 | ACC 0 | MIT 18 | ID: 121230

Oscar attempts fishing. CD8. 2 T1 Crafting Materials fished up.

Back from his spelunking adventure, the first thing Oscar did was cast his line out to do some more fishing. His heart was still racing from the fight that the Cave Guardian have given him. He needed to relax before going back to Hannah. He listened to the wind as he closed his eyes, meditating to calm himself down.He took deep breaths and relaxed his muscles. Most of the monsters on Floor One weren't aggressive and the ones that were didn't patrol this close to town. He felt a tug on his line and quickly reeled it in. Two fish were deposited into his inventory. He was happy to see that the fish were still biting. He stood back up, stretching as he did, and then put his rod away. He continued to follow the river back towards town. With any luck, he'd have enough materials to last him for a few days of crafting.

Edited August 10, 2019 by Oscar

[Oscar 0]

He'd made it half way before the fish itch returned. He cast his line into the river and waited, humming a tune to himself as he did. Soon enough, his bobber was pulled underwater by a sharp tug. Oscar reeled his line in and obtained another fish. It was only one this time, but he had already been so fortunate. No sense getting greedy and being upset that his luck wasn't holding out. He put his rod away and headed back towards town. He still needed to give Hannah a piece of his mind. Getting too relaxed wouldn't let him tap into the anger he needed to properly tell her off. Even though she was an NPC, he was still quite upset that the bat wasn't even mentioned. His anger grew as he stomped back through the gates to town. Gob-Gob mimicked his masters movements, looking positively terrifying as marched closely behind Oscar. Eventually, he found Hannah in the grove of trees and threw the gem at her.

"You could have told me that there was a giant bat in that cave!"

Spoiler

Oscar HP 215 | EN 22 | DMG 5 | EVA 0 | ACC 0 | MIT 18 | ID: 121230

Oscar attempts fishing. CD6. 1 T1 Crafting Material fished up.

Edited August 10, 2019 by Oscar

[Oscar 0]

"I did. You just walked off like a dummy, dummy."

That angered Oscar even further. His face contorted into a scowl as he stepped forward. "DUMMY? I'm not the one sending people out to gather a gem without making it perfectly clear that there was a giant bat there! If I hadn't waited to take this quest, I could have died!"

Hannah adjusted her glasses and sighed. "I gave you a Potion of Safeguard. It protects you from 50 damage. How much damage did the Cave Guardian do again?"

A wave of realization washed over Oscar. He didn't use the potion Hannah gave him. But he was still angry. "You think a Potion counts as a warning?!"

"No, but telling you 'Watch out for bats' as you walked away does. Not my fault you don't listen." Oscar turned beet red and almost got in her face. But he controlled himself. Which was a miracle considering how angry he was.

[Oscar 0]

"Here dummy." Hannah tossed a package to Oscar. "Go take this to Old Pete who lives on the lake nearby. A lake is a giant land-locked body of water. In case you're too much of a dummy to figure that out."

Oscar's eyebrow twitched. Through gritted teeth, he said, "Sure thing Hannah. Have a great rest of your life." As he walked away with the parcel, he could only wonder if he'd go orange if he killed her. It was a bad idea, but boy would it make him feel good right about now. Fishing would also make him feel good right now. As soon as Oscar left the town, he cast out his line and sat down.

"Who does she think she is," he grumbled. "Talking down to people like that. It's downright rude."

Oscar noticed he got a bite and reeled it in. It improved his mood a bit to see that he'd got a massive haul of fish with that one cast. Not by much, but a bit.

Spoiler

ID: 121238 CD9 LD16 Successfully fished up 3 T1 Crafting Materials.

Edited August 10, 2019 by Oscar

[Oscar 0]

After that last cast, Oscar decided to take a nap. He found himself a calm, peaceful place under a tree and lied down. The cool grass tickled his exposed skin as the gentle breeze brushed against his face. He closed his eyes, listening to the sounds of nature as he drifted off to sleep.

The blackness soon faded into a dreamscape of an old dirt road. Walking down it was a younger Oscar with a tall elderly gentleman with cropped hair. The both of them carried fishing poles and tackle boxes. The blonde-haired youth looked like he didn’t want to be here, but the older man paid it no mind. Eventually, they reached a pond off the side of the road. There was a jetty jutting out a ways into the pond with a boat tied to it. The older man ignored the boat and, instead cast his line off the side of the jetty.

[Oscar 0]

“You see, Oscar,” he began, calmly taking a beer from his tacklebox that doubled as a cooler. “Fishing is all about patience. Patience is a skill you must not only know, but master. No matter what you do with your life, patience is a must. Remember that.”

The young Oscar listened intently at the older gentleman’s words of wisdom. He sighed and tossed his line into the water. “But why fishing, Major?”

The Major chuckled and set his beer down on the wooden surface of the dock. He pulled out a soda and handed it to the boy. “Because it’s boring. If you can learn to be patient doing something boring, then you’ve got it made, son.”

Oscar’s eyes lit up. It was the first time he’d ever heard anyone call him son. His eyes went misty and he felt that burning in his face. Never show weakness. Never. The Major cleared his throat.

“You know son, it’s okay to cry sometimes.”

[Oscar 0]

And so he did. Years of pent up frustration were let out all in one moment. The loss of his parents, everything he suffered in The System. All of it flowed down his face and into the water. The Major said nothing as Oscar wept. He remained motionless save for putting his arm around the boy to comfort him. For what felt like hours, the tears flowed like rivers from his eyes. When he finally stopped, the Major looked down at him, his eyes a little misty.

“How does it feel to let go of all that pain, Oscar?”

Oscar felt refreshed. He felt like a weight had been lifted off of his chest. All the years of struggle, the mental anguish he suffered, had been alleviated in an instant. He’d finally left his past in the past. Now he could move forward. Now he could dream.

"It felt great," Oscar replied, his face now turned into a confident smile.

[Oscar 0]

Oscar awoke, the bright skies and crisp air of Aincrad greeting him once again. It was a fond memory, that dream. His first fishing trip with the Major. The first of many. The passtime grew on Oscar as the years went by. Eventually, he developed a great love for it and would sneak away to fish whenever he could.

But, more importantly, it was the start of everything.

He’d decided that day what he wanted to do with his life. He wanted to help the kids just like him. To give them actual compassion and understand when they needed it the most. He didn’t want anyone to ever feel the pain he felt ever again. An unrealistic goal, certainly, but he would chase it with everything he had. He could trace every significant event and accomplishment in his life back to that one fishing trip. That was when his life changed for the better.

All it took was one kind old man’s patience.

[Oscar 0]

Oscar lied there for a moment, a calm smile plastered on his face. Like a slideshow, every good memory in his life played through his head. The first test he aced, the first straight A’s he earned on his report card. Being accepted into his top choice of university. Graduating and becoming a social worker. He loved his job, he loved his kids. Especially Tyson. He saw a lot of himself in Tyson. They had similar backgrounds. Similar interests. Oscar truly hoped to help the kid. But his life had been cut short by a boar on Floor One. A pang of sadness stabbed his chest.

So much potential had been lost that day. Not just Tyson, but the other people who died before the warning had gone out. It was tragic. It was senseless. Most of all, it was infuriating. Oscar took a steadying breath to keep himself from losing it. He could think about this for too long if he wanted to keep from going off the deep end.

[Oscar 0]

Oscar rose to his feet and cast his line out into the water. As the hook sank into the water, his anger was dashed away as he focused on the red-and-white bobber floating in the river. He let his mind wander back to the good memories, leaving the bad in their place. Eventually, he felt a tug on his line and he reeled it in. A single fish was deposited into his inventory, but it was better than nothing. He let out a contented sigh and put his fishing rod away. It was time to make for the lake. It was a little far out, but as long as he followed the river, he would find it eventually. The quest marker helped guide him as well. He walked along the bank of the river, stepping over stones and roots from nearby trees. Soon, the lake was in sight. Oscar hurried along wanting to deliver this package so he could hurry up and see what he could fish up from the lake.

Spoiler

ID: 121290 CD5 LD9 1 T1 Crafting Material Found!

Edited August 11, 2019 by Oscar

[Oscar 0]

Spoiler

ID: 121291 CD1 Fished up a boss!

ID: 121293 LD16 Successfully ran from fishing boss.

Oscar cast his line into the lake, enjoying the sun upon his face. That was when he felt a massive tug on his line. Oscar pulled and strained. Whatever it was, it was really big. Which didn't bode well for Oscar now that he thought about it. He cut his hook from the line, but it was too late. An absolutely massive creature had crested from beneath the waves. It looked like a gigantic shark with rows upon rows of razor-sharp teeth. Oscar stared in horror.

"THAT'S ENOUGH FISHING FOR TODAY!"

He started to run and as he did, the shark raised up. It flopped its belly onto shore and began snapping wildly. Thankfully, fear was a great motivator. Oscar was already gone before the shark had landed. Its prey having escaped, it slowly sunk back into the water, presumably looking for its next meal. Oscar thanked his lucky stars that he wasn’t that next meal.

Edited August 11, 2019 by Oscar

[Oscar 0]

After his close encounter with the shark, Oscar decided the best thing to do was to go and turn in this quest. He followed the quest marker to an old fisherman next to a boat. Oscar approached and handed the man the package.

“Ol’ Pete right? Did you know there’s sharks in the lake?”

“Of course I did, dummy! Why wouldn’t there be sharks in the lake?” The old man’s gruff voice and agitated demeanor really struck a nerve with the man who just had a near-death experience. Oscar let the one-liner slide though. He just wanted to finish this quest up and go home. He turned to leave and Ol’ Pete called after him.

“Hold up dummy! I got a job that even a dummy like you can do!”

Oscar flipped him off as he walked away. “I’ll be back later. Maybe when you put some warning signs about sharks in the lake!”

[Oscar 0]

With that adventure out of the way, Oscar headed back to the <<Town of Beginnings>> so that he could teleport up to Deepedge and go home. He didn’t imagine that Kayaba would program in an encounter like that, but this was the guy who thought it was a good idea to turn his video game into a death game. He strode right into town and made a beeline for the teleport platform. Once he was up on Floor Seven, he made the trek back to his home.

Gob-Gob was waiting for him, greeting him with a powerful flex the moment Oscar walked in the door. Oscar smiled and patted him on his bald head before heading up the stairs and into his bedroom. He set his sword next to his nightstand and flopped down on the soft mattress. Within moments he was asleep, the days adventures having taken quite a bit out of him.