[PP-F1] Ready to Reach for The Stars! <<The First Few Lessons are Free>>

[Fayetta 0]

Fayetta wore a soft smile as the herb disappeared from between his fingers and stored itself away into his inventory. He straightened up, letting his arm fall to his side, and paused while he took sight of their surroundings. Gradually, the smile that he wore faded. He and Astralin had both found their first of five quest objectives, but his eyes were failing to spot anymore by his feet. "Hmm..." He brought a hand up to run through his hair, unsure of how far he should wander. He took a few steps farther from the town walls, keeping himself close enough to the group while scanning the grassy fields.

"Oh, really?" He looked over his shoulder to spot Summoner's rapier glowing while it jabbed forward into the air. He continued with polite conversation, "I've used those once or twice. But my level is still pretty low that I run out of energy no matter what." He admitted with a small shrug.

ID: 122616 LD: 6 - Found 1/5

@Astralin @Summoner @Oscar (Sorry for the wait!)

Edited August 26, 2019 by Fayetta

[Astralin 0]

Oscar would swap his equipment, to which Astralin was nervous at first, but once she saw how it worked, she inwardly let out a sigh of relief. "Whew, that was a close one. I was not interested in seeing any of...that." She thought. Summoner would pull out her rapier, and demonstrate a sword art, striking nothing but air with the sword art. Summoner decided to note that sword art recovery was fast for a rapier. "Really? That's interesting...but too bad I probably won't be using that." Astralin noted. Fayetta would say that he had used sword arts once or twice, but his level is so low that he would always run out of energy. "Energy? Is that what the blue bar under my HP is? Before I first looked at the skill list, I actually thought it was something different, like...alright, I admit it, I first thought the blue meter was MP." Astralin asked and admitted. She managed to find another material, so far so good.

@Oscar @Summoner @Fayetta

[Active effects: Quest gathering- materials are found on LD 11+ until five are found. Is player-specific]

ID# 122751 LD: 16(success, found 1 T1 Material)

2/5 Materials gathered

Edited August 26, 2019 by Astralin

[Oscar 0]

Oscar had wanted to make himself useful to the party and try to find a treasure chest. He'd heard that they could contain some pretty choice rewards. For a pair of newbies, those rewards could give them quite a boost this early on. He'd have to make a point to introduce them both to Bahr and Macradon at some point. He looked high and low and just couldn't find one. It was his first time actually searching for one, so he didn't really know what he was looking for. He let out an exasperated sigh and sat down on a rock, watching the newbies dash about searching for materials. Summoner was showcasing her sword arts with her rapier and it had seemed to catch Astralin's attention. Oscar smiled softly and looked up at the sky. It was a peaceful day. Such days were a rarity in Aincrad. It was always fight for your life, kill or be killed 24/7. Sometimes it was nice just to decompress.

Spoiler

Searching Treasure Chest. ID: 122774 LD4+6 Nothing Found.

Edited August 26, 2019 by Oscar

[Summoner 0]

Turning around I looked as the two lower-level players turn around as I was done noting down my Energy regen a bit, "Oh... Um... Y... Yeah, um..." getting a bit unaware by them I took out a small book, this was an info book on a lot of beginner things. opening the book I started reading in a monotone, "Energy, the blue bar below your Hit Points... um... almost all action in combat take Energy, Sword Art being the main sort. Over time Energy slowly regens while in combat, once out of combat the energy will automatically go back to full," Reading it now as I did many times before to Haru was simple, just look down at the book and ignore everyone around you. But this time was different, I was teaching them about Energy or at least the girl. I have done this before on a forum but or voice chat but never really face to face. Closing the book again I was holding it in both hands and looked up, "Um... So yeah... Um... every Sword A...Art is different, Um... they... Um, weaker once less Energy... Strong once more Energy... Sword art per... Um, weapon changes too," I said nervously as I explain this while without knowing it I kind of started to hug the book and trying to hide my face in the hood from the robe.

@Fayetta @Oscar @Astralin

[Fayetta 0]

ID: 122941  LD: 13 - Found 2/5

He crouched over, having finally spotted a second herb hiding among the grass. He plucked the collectible plant from the ground and wasted no time in continuing his search, hoping that he wasn't lagging terribly far behind Astralin's progress that would cause anyone to wait on him.

Fayetta listened to Summoner read aloud from a book, but her timid nature shone through even though she was reciting the words from a page. The corner of his mouth absent-mindedly picked up into a crooked smile, but he kept his thoughts to himself. Trying to boost her confidence would only make her feel self-conscious, he thought.

Walking a wide arc from where Oscar and Summoner had settled herself and Oscar was also giving the area a search, Fayetta looked to Astralin. "MP is also like a resource, right?" He asked, only vaguely recognizing the gaming term. "And this game doesn't have that? Is that weird?" He questioned.

@Astralin @Oscar @Summoner

Edited August 28, 2019 by Fayetta

[Astralin 0]

Astralin noticed that Oscar searched around, but found nothing. He would simply sit on a rock and look to the sky for a bit. Summoner would take out a book, and begin reading from it, explaining what energy is, and how it worked. "Ah, so that's how it works...Thanks!" Fayetta would notice the term that Astralin spoke of earlier. "Yup, MP is indeed a statistical resource. It's new for me, so of course it would seem weird. I mean, I could see ways that this 'energy' meter could take place of the MP meter, though. There are some fantasy magic systems in fiction where one uses their own energy to cast magic. So, even with an energy meter, it would still be possible, I guess...but I think Kayaba's a jerk for not letting magic be entirely a thing. I mean, potions are a scientific form of magic...right?" She would explain as she searched around, finding another material with alchemical properties.

@Oscar @Summoner @Fayetta

[Active effects: Quest gathering- materials are found on LD 11+ until five are found. Is player-specific]

ID# 123050 LD: 11(success, found 1T1 material)

3/5 Materials gathered

Edited August 29, 2019 by Astralin

[Oscar 0]

Oscar listened to Astralin bemoan the fact that magic hadn't been included in the game. He held his tongue. Personally, he was quite happy that magic wasn't a thing. It's easier to stay alive when all you have to worry about it someone or something hitting you with their sword. He shuddered to think the sheer death toll that would come about if enemies had access to fireballs and lightning bolts and other sorts of arcane abilities that made them that much more difficult to kill. As he was caught in his reverie, he saw a flower shining on the ground. In dire need to materials, Oscar stooped down to pick it up. After the material was added to his inventory, he found himself a nice shady spot under a tree and began to doze. It ran counter to his whole "protect the noobs" plan, but it was also so mind-numbingly boring. There was nothing around here that could possibly threaten him so why not pass the time with a nap?

@Astralin @Summoner @Fayetta

Spoiler

ID: 121094 LD17. Mats found!

Edited August 31, 2019 by Oscar

[Summoner 0]

I listen to what the two talked about and nodded, "MP... is mana Points or um... Magic points" I said low, "Here... um, Energy or... EN is used for things... potions are... yeah kind of Magical... but this game is not fully... none Magic... looking closely to abilities, they are ... like magic... they are ... more based on boosting magic... like Enchanting Magic... upping your human abilities like focus and um... constitution," I paused a bit looking down at the ground before I cleared my throat, I have to teach them I need to, "EN or energy... Is very important to keep an eye on, Ever Sword Art uses them, they guide you into the movement if you use them... and Um... a... no... um... they like magic in some way, but the only thing I count as... magic is First Aid... it allows the user to heal another player." I said to the two noobs, It was really something I had to force out but I needed to keep them informed to make sure they don't end up like some other people going for the wrong skills or thinking this is more with Magic.

@Fayetta @Oscar @Astralin

[Fayetta 0]

ID: 123300  LD: 16 - Found 3/5

"Hmmm..." Fayetta hummed and mused to himself while the girls took turns explaining things. He unearthed a chunk of wormroot and gave the surface a firm pinch between his fingers to gauge its density before shrugging and dismissing the item to his inventory with the rest. "Makes sense." He commented absent-mindedly. Learning the fine details and mechanics of the game had been a chore since day one, and it seemed that Fayetta was less and less interested in buckling down and committing any of it to memory each time the topics came up. It just seemed to suck all the fun out of everything for him.

The heel of his shoe grazed across the grass while he straightened up and went back to pacing around the fields. Intentionally or not, he was letting the conversation die off. A glance over his shoulder and Fayetta spotted Oscar settling under a tree to close his eyes. Fayetta cocked a brow, but didn't say anything about that, either. He fidgeted nervously with his fingers underneath an oversized baggy sleeve, wondering if he should just blurt something out in the air to keep the conversation rolling.

Meanwhile, fast chattering could hardly be heard from a large brown squirrel that paced back and forth across a long branch hanging above Oscar's head. Perhaps the animal was angry with him for choosing his tree to lounge under, of all places. The squirrel finally stopped to gnaw intensely at the stem of a large apple, eventually freeing the fruit from its branch so it would fall towards the player below.

@Astralin @Oscar @Summoner

Edited September 3, 2019 by Fayetta

[Astralin 0]

Oscar went off to take a nap, while Summoner gave her thoughts on Astralin's words. "To be honest, that's kind of why I invested my skill points into the First Aid skill. However, it's rendered me helpless in combat as a result..." The hooded girl seemed to be a bit shy. Not entirely the best for conversation, but potentially a good friend. She had a similar experience with a real world friend of hers, Pisces, back when she was younger. She slowly grew out of her shy state, and became much braver later on, something great to know when a friend is growing up. Fayetta remained silent, as if to let the conversation die off. Did he not have anything to say? Either way, Fayetta and Astralin would look over and see a squirrel get a fruit to fall on Oscar's head. Astralin kind of chuckled at that, and she would walk over. "Morning, Sleepyhead." She would then pick up the fruit and realize it had some alchemical properties. She would store the fruit into her inventory. "Right, that's four...that means there's one left on my end."

@Oscar @Summoner @Fayetta

[Active effects: Quest gathering- materials are found on LD 11+ until five are found. Is player-specific]

ID# 123369 LD: 16(success, found 1 T1 material)

Materials gathered: 4/5

Edited September 5, 2019 by Astralin

[Oscar 0]

Spoiler

ID: 123390 LD15+6. Materials found.

The fruit fell on his head and Oscar woke up from his power nap feeling refreshed and reinvigorated. He didn't even care that he had just been assaulted by a falling apple. He stretched out with a contented groan and popped his neck. Or, at least, he went through the motions of popping his neck. He didn't actually have bones so he couldn't adjust them. One of the many things he missed about having an actual body. But, such was life for the time being. He would make it out eventually and he would be able to pop his joints to his heart's content. Oscar noticed a shimmering spot on the ground beside his boot. So, he did what any reasonable person would do and gathered it on up. Then he rose from his spot and looked over at Astralin.

"Sorry about that. It's hard work balancing the grind with a shop down here. Wanted to catch a little shut-eye since you guys aren't in any real danger."

Edited September 5, 2019 by Oscar

[Summoner 0]

So people still cared about my word even if they did not come from a book It felt just as Haru told me, just be yourself and try to help people like you always did online with Text, even not speaking you would be better of at least trying. Those were good words, and maybe warming up was also a better idea for me to do as well. It seemed that on player had fallen asleep agains a tree but was awoken by a falling apple, I could not hold myself in by this out of nowhere surprise and turned around with a laugh, Small laughter came from under my hood a bit and I turned around still holding my Rapier in one hand, "S...sorry for laughing, just... Never seen Animal NPC get so... Mad for... something like that," I said to him from under my hood. hearing him say we never in real danger I kind of nodded in agreement, While we can be far saved from this we are in a group making us less of a target for Orange players and the lower level monster seemed to stay away from both me and Oscar because of our level. "He... is right... But um... si... no um... Oscar, you can get some shuteye If you want... It's not... really needed to keep awake while... we are out here... I'll wake you if you really want to sleep," I said to him with a friendly and awkward smile on my face.

@Fayetta @Oscar @Astralin

 

[Fayetta 0]

"Oh, you have one of those player-run shops?" Fayetta inquired. Pushing surface-level conversation again. He spent a few moments trying to roll up one of his baggy sleeves, folding the cloth over itself until he felt it was bunched  up enough and pushed the whole thing up just over his elbow. His arm was just as pale as his face and rather thin. He didn't know how long it would last, but he bent his arm back and forth a couple of time and then went about his way to look for more materials.

ID: 123659  LD: 4 - Found 3/5

And for several minutes he continued coming up short. More than once he thought he saw the familiar shimmer of a lootable item nestled within the grass, only to crouch down, run his hands carefully over the surface, and realize that nothing was there for him to take. He heard Astralin chirp happily about her progress, and lowered his head before picking himself back up. He was falling behind, and he didn't want to be that guy running around trying to finish the quest while three other people stood around waiting on him. His other hand fidgeted with the edge of the sleeve that still hung around his fingers, and he turned around to take several strides farther into the fields.

@Astralin @Oscar @Summoner

Edited September 10, 2019 by Fayetta

[Astralin 0]

Oscar would apologize, and say that it was hard work balancing a grind with a shop he had in the floor. He apparently chose to nap because the rest of the party didn't seem to be in any real danger. "Oh, it's ok, no big deal." Astralin reassured. Summoner laughed over the squirrel's actions, and told Oscar he could continue napping if he wanted to. Fayetta asked Oscar if he ran the shop he spoke of, then he looked around, then began walking more towards the field to continue his search. Astralin would also continue the search for materials. Maybe she could get her hands on another one of those fruits. She picked up a small stone, and tried throwing it at a fruit to make it fall. The large brown squirrel was upset over the fact that the players still hadn't left the tree it was territorial over. It began gnawing on one of the tree branches until the branch fell on Astralin's head. "Agh!" Astralin would get up and glare at the critter responsible. "Alright, now you've asked for it." She would climb up the tree and chase the squirrel within the branches. There would be the obvious sounds of a struggle and a squabble for a few minutes, then the words "This critter's a jerk." could be heard. Astralin's arm would emerge from the top of the trees, holding the struggling brown squirrel. She would throw it into the air with a "YEET!" The squirrel would flail about as it soared through the air about seven yards before it landed on the ground. The critter would stand up on two legs and shake one of it's front legs as if it were a fist as it chattered angrily. "Yeah? Well you started it!" Astralin would call out in response before climbing down from the tree.

@Oscar @Summoner @Fayetta

[Active effects: Quest gathering- materials are found on LD 11+ until five are found. Is player-specific]

ID# 123675 LD: 1(FAIL)

Materials gathered: 4/5

Edited September 11, 2019 by Astralin

[Oscar 0]

Oscar yawned loudly and stretched. Once he felt limber enough, he stood up and looked at Astralin and Summoner. "I think imma head out, guys. There isn't really anything for me to do here, y'know?" Since there wasn't much in the way of any threats, Oscar decided that his best course of action would be to stop getting in the way and let the newbies do their quest. All he'd done was nap and get smacked in the head by a piece of fruit. Oscar waved them farewell and started to head back towards town. If he was gonna nap, he'd much rather do it on his own in the comfort of his own shop. Or, even better, the comfort of his own home. It might have been a touch cold-hearted, but he was tired and didn't really care. Plus, his head REALLY hurt from that dang apple.

Oscar leaves the thread.

Edited September 12, 2019 by Oscar

[Fayetta 0]

ID: 123806  LD: 18 - Found 4/5

Fayetta looked over his shoulder after he finished crouching over another patch of grass. The flowers nearby proved useful, and he tucked one away in his inventory with a faint smile. He spotted Oscar, the tallest blonde frame, giving a wave and turning away. Was he leaving? Fayetta frowned at the thought that they wouldn't be able to have that meal. It had been a kind offer, after all. Then again, how boring it must be to watch over a group of strangers in the middle of the Floor One fields. Fayetta's eyes drifted towards Summoner, and for a moment he wondered if she would leave, too. Maybe she and Astralin were friends, so she might stick around, he thought.

Now that he was out here, he regretted not just taking the quest alone. It wasn't hard, and looking at the boars that roamed around peacefully, it didn't seem as dangerous as he might have feared. Just then, after getting lost in his thoughts, a force from behind his knees caused them to buckle and he stumbled forward, losing his footing and falling against the grassy floor. Fayetta groaned slightly as he pushed his face off of the ground and looked behind him. It seems one of those same boars didn't appreciate him just standing around in the middle of its grazing path. The monster's long snout nosed at the ground, sniffing and snorting as it strolled forward. "Must've been in its way..." He muttered with a frown.

@Summoner @Astralin

Edited September 13, 2019 by Fayetta

[Astralin 0]

(OOC: A week has passed. Time's up, Summoner, your turn haz been skipped!)

Astralin finished climbing down from the tree, and she would notice that Oscar was leaving. This made Astralin slightly nervous, as she was still without a weapon she could use...then again, she did manage to yeet a squirrel off a tree, so she had that going. Fayetta would have a close encounter with a boar, but at least the big pig wasn't in the mood to attack anyone at the current moment. Astralin would stir clear of the boar, until the squirrel that she quarreled with would rush towards her, clearly looking for more trouble. She got an idea, and she would back up in a particular direction, and when she sidestepped early, on purpose, the boar would be between Astralin and the squirrel. The squirrel would bump into the boar, which was clearly upsetter by this squirrel crashing into it. Astralin rolled to the side to avoid any further contact with the creature, and the boar would begin attacking the squirrel. Under normal conditions, Astralin would pity such a creature, but this one was a hothead and kind of deserved it. She would go back to searching as the boar returned to its foraging. She wouldn't manage to find much in the area, and all the fruits in the tree were out of reach if one didn't climb. Maybe she should climb the tree again?

@Summoner @Fayetta

[Active effects: Quest gathering- materials are found on LD 11+ until five are found. Is player-specific]

ID# 124559 LD: 6(nothing found)

Materials found: 4/5

Edited September 22, 2019 by Astralin