[PP-01] <<Dragon Hunter Anthology - Dragon Hunt 1: the Emerald Hatchling>> w/ Oscar

[Cordelia 0]

Cordelia stretched her aching back as she kicked her feet just above the ground. She felt like benches were literally made for her. 

She felt like fighting something. Anything! She did hear something about dragons and gems a few days ago. Maybe she should check that out? She hasn't really been keeping up on her game data lately. Her poor little notebook was probably collecting dust on her nightstand. 

Well, if she was fighting an actual dragon, maybe she needed some help.

But that begs the question; who?

She had actually met very few people. Alec? No... even if he is a high leveled player, he probably wouldn't do a lot of damage against a full blown dragon.

Kityuisa- no. Definitely not. Cordelia hated her guts and she knew that Kityuisa felt the same about her.

Which leaves her with the last guy she really talked to; Oscar.

Spoiler

To: @Oscar

Hey, I know that we were planning to do another quest, but could you come down to floor one and help me with something?

 

[Oscar 0]

Speak of the devil and the devil shall arrive!

Oscar passed the bench, munching on a Hot Dog. He didn't notice Cordelia at first, but then he did a double take. The last time they had spoke, Oscar had developed something of a crush on her and offered to give her some space in his house. Now that he'd had a couple days to get his head in order, he was back to his usual self. He slid onto the bench beside her, absentmindedly gnawing on his hot dog. She seemed really deep in thought. She hadn't even noticed the giant blonde man sitting down next to her. He slowly finished his dog and wiped his mouth. Hot dogs were delicious but they were certainly messy. Once he was sure there was nothing coating his mouth, he opened it to speak. "So whatcha thinking about so hard Cordelia?"

He plastered on a wide, toothy grin. Thankfully, there was nothing in his teeth. There couldn't possibly be. The video game didn't allow it. He was eternally grateful. He definitely didn't want Cordelia to see him with a bunch of meat and onions in his teeth.

Chili Dog with Chili Fries Consumed. +2 DMG, -10 MIT
 

Spoiler

STATS
400 HP
40 EN
8 DMG
3 EVA
2 ACC
18 MIT

EQUIPMENT
<<Bloody Howl>> 2 BLD, DMG
<<Librarium Overcoat>> 3 EVA
<<Azure Tights>> 2 MIT, Savvy

BATTLE-READY INVENTORY
>>  3 HEALING POTIONS
>>  1 T1 OVERHEALTH POTION

NORMAL INVENTORY
>>  5 UNCOMMON T1 HEALING POTION
>> UNIDENTIFIED PERFECT WEAPON ID: 121755
>> BEGINNER DUNGEON MAP
>> INTERMEDIATE DUNGEON MAP
>> ADVANCED DUNGEON MAP
>> 3x ULTRA PROSPEROUS HOT DOG
>> ULTRA LUCKY HOT DOG
>> 3x NEGATION DOG
>> 3x ULTRA PROSPEROUS HOT DOG
>> FOCUSED VITAL HOT DOG
>> 2x FOCUSED ELUSIVE HOT DOG
>>  2x CHILI DOG WITH CHILI FRIES
>>  3x STEEL-INFUSED HOTDOG

 

Edited September 5, 2019 by Oscar

[Cordelia 0]

Cordelia let out a small yelp as she held up her hands in some kind of karate... cut motion? She didn't even know herself. 

"O-oh," she wheezed. "I didn't know you were there, sorry!" She exclaimed, bowing her head apologetically. 

"I was thinking about... stuff."

"What were you eating just now, by the way?" She asked, quick to change the conversation with a small smile. She tilted her head as her brows knotted together in slight confusion. "It looks... odd."

"Anyway!" She pipped, grinning from ear to ear at him. "I wanted to see if you wanted to help me on this quest? I think I might be strong enough for it... but considering how my luck went last time we were fighting, I'm not so sure, anymore," she sulked. "You're big and tough and all, so I was just hoping that you would have my back if things suddenly go downhill," she chuckled, kicking her feet in the air a few times innocently.

[Oscar 0]

Oscar looked gobsmacked. Had this woman never had the pleasure of imbibing a cylinder of mystery meat? It was blasphemous! It was tragic. It was... not completely unheard of. Oscar produced a dog from his pack. A Focused Elusive Hot Dog. It was piled high with chili, sweet relish, mustard, and diced onions. There was also a little something special in there that would help solve her hitting things issue. It was packed with a +2 bonus to Accuracy, with an additional bonus to Evasion. Oscar offered her the hot dog, allowing its pungent aroma to permeate the air and, hopefully, whet her appetite.

"I don't know what you've been eating up till now, but I'm a Rank Seven cook. I can almost guarantee this will be more scrumptious than anything else you've gotten your hands on so far."

He beamed with pride. He was very confident in his cooking. Who better to give her her first hot dog than someone who really knew what brought out the best in them? He was more than happy to help her with her quest, after she scarfed down the wondrous meal he had offered her.

Edited September 5, 2019 by Oscar

[Cordelia 0]

Cordelia wrinkled her nose as she looked at the thing. Has she ever seen this thing before? It certainly looked... odd to what she usually ate back at home. 

"Uhm," she blinked, cautiously taking the hot dog from him with a blank face. "How do I... eat it?" 

Did she need a fork and knife? Heck, did she eat this with a salad fork? Was this some kind of common food? She's never seen these in Japan before. Maybe it was some kind of western thing? She wasn't sure if it looked completely... healthy, too. There was a lot of color on it, as well. She wasn't sure if she could really trust herself with eating this. Who knows what it could be made of? Her virtual stomach tightened at the thought of eating it. 

But she wouldn't really get any weight gain from eating in Aincrad, right? 

She lowered the hotdog and rested her knuckles on her lap as she looked down at it with narrowed eyes. "I haven't had anything but coffee, tea, and a few sweets in a while," she mumbled sheepishly, her cheeks puffing up in embarrassment. 

[Oscar 0]

Oh wow, she really hadn't ever eaten a hot dog before! Oscar took out a Steel-Infused Hot Dog - a gag dish that had served him well in the past. He tapped her on the shoulder and opened his mouth. With his free hand, he pointed at his mouth as he brandished the dog. Then he shoved it into his facehole and took a hearty bite. The steel crunched in his mouth as he chewed and tasted like raw onions. Wasn't his best-tasting dish. That's why he didn't sell it to people. He finished his dog in four bites licked his fingers. "You just shove it into your mouth and eat it. Trust me, you'll love it."

If she hadn't ever seen a hot dog before, she either had eff-you money or came from a place they weren't very common. Or both. Oscar wasn't one to judge. That is, unless she didn't eat and enjoy his Hot Dog. Then he would be absolutely insulted.

Steel-Infused Hot Dog consumed. +10 MIT

[Cordelia 0]

Her lips formed into a thin line as she stared at the hotdog. "So no knives or forks?" She echoed, confusion written on her face as she turned her head to look at Oscar. 

She's never really eaten anything with just her hands before. It almost made her gag just to think about it. Where had her hands been? She had touched that railing near the inn this morning, right? She gulped as she turned to look at the hot dog again. It suddenly looked even less appetizing than it already was. 

"I think I-" she cut herself off as she scratched the side of her cheek confusingly. "I guess I'll try it out," she mumbled, turning her onyx eyes back to-- whatever this thing was. 

Did she mention how weird it was to be watched while eating? It was starting to freak her out just a bit. 

Cordelia muttered a small thanks before hesitantly taking a bite out of the thing. Of course, not being to eat the whole thing in one bite, she set the food on her lap as she covered her mouth as she chewed. She wasn't really sure how to describe it. 

"It's certainly... unique," she bit out, her voice muffled behind her hand.

[Oscar 0]

"Come on now! You gotta really get into it. The point is to make a mess," Oscar smiled softly. It was clear she was out of her element. But she really needed to finish that Hot Dog if she wanted the buffs it would provide. He thought for a moment. He was a Rank 7 cook. He only made hot dogs to keep up with the theme of his shop. But there was no rule against making something special for her. Something more her speed. Oscar certainly wasn't affluent but in the real world hot dogs were even considered a bit low-brow for him to eat consistently. They were a convenience food, if nothing else. But here in Aincrad, he was having fun with it. Plus, the perk of being able to make anything taste like anything you wanted was fantastic here.

"Tell ya what. You finish that so you get the buffs. We go do your quest. Then we come back and I make some actual food for you. Don't wanna force you to eat something you just don't like, you know?" The tone of his voice was upbeat, communicating that he wasn't at all offended that she didn't like it. His eyes were apologetic though. He really felt like a jerk for forcing the food on her without knowing if she liked it.

[Cordelia 0]

"Make a mess?" She murmured, feeling a shudder go down her spine. She was not really one to make a mess... especially on purpose. 

"Why would you make a mess on purpose?" She whispered hastily, leaning her head in. "It just doesn't fundamentally make sense!"

She looked down at whatever this hotdog thing was and sighed. "It's not... terrible," she uttered, trying to find the right words to describe it. "Let's just say I would eat this in a life or death situation," she said bluntly. She felt bad now. He was only being nice to her by offering her something to eat, but she guessed she preferred just... not eating? She didn't know anymore. 

"I'd like that, though," she spoke up, smiling softly. "Let's see what you can make other than hot dogs," she giggled, grabbing the hotdog and standing up.

"I'll eat on the way there. Let's get going. No time to waste!"

 

[Oscar 0]

Spoiler

COMBAT ENCOUNTER
Rhaegal, the Emerald Hatchling
HP 125
MIT 25
DMG 50
ACC 0
EVA 0

"Let's go then," Oscar exclaimed excitedly. He jumped off the bench and started leading them to where Rhaegal, the Emerald Hatchling spawned. Once they had arrived, Oscar saw that the Emerald Hatchling was waiting on them. So he decided to take the first strike. He rushed in, leaving Cordelia in the dust. He drew his blade and delivered a frenzied barrage of slices that whipped up strong wind shear. The wind bit into the Emerald Hatchling's hide, leaving jagged red gashes in the dragon's verdant scales. The dragon attacked Oscar with a fireball, which he nimbly dodged. "Alright, switch!" Oscar leaped backwards and tagged Cordelia on her shoulder. It wouldn't take much more now to finish this thing. Then, she could collect her Emerald and they could possibly do some hunting before dinner. Honestly, they could to practically anything they wanted if they finished the quest up early. They had plenty of daylight left.
 

Spoiler

Oscar 400 HP | 40-7=33 EN | 10 DMG | 2 ACC | 3 EVA | 18 MIT | ID: 123388

Oscar uses Haku Senpu [x8] on Rhaegal. BD9. Deal 88-25=63 DMG

Rhaegal 125-63=62 HP | 50 DMG | 25 MIT | 0 ACC | 0 EVA attacks. MD5-3. Miss. Savvy activates.

 

Edited September 5, 2019 by Oscar

[Cordelia 0]

Cordelia felt a gust of wind fly past her and she nearly sighed. She didn’t even finish her food yet. 

“Uhm,” Cordelia mumbled nervously, looking around for a place to put her hot dog. She didn’t trust the ground... or the trees. Even though there weren’t such things as germs in SAO, it still didn’t sit right with her to put anything that can be considered food in such an unappealing place. 

“Where do I put it?” She panicked, her eyes blinking from one random place to another. 

“Ah, screw it,” she huffed, throwing off her coat, which only left her in her under armor, and setting it on a clean patch of grass. “I’m sorry, my baby,” she whispered with imaginary tears. The girl placed the hot dog nearly on top of her coat and sighed. “I sure hope that things don’t stain in this game,” she muttered lowly before unsheathing her rapier.

Cordelia whipped her head to the baby hatchling. It didn’t deserve her mercy.

“Got it!” She yelled, nodding over to Oscar before dashing off after the emerald dragon. 

“It is very...” She paused, taking time to activate her most lethal sword art, “impolite to disrupt someone while they’re eating!” She declared rather loudly, her rapier charging forward to repeatedly send fits of energy at the creature.

The hatchling let out a shrill screech of pain before exploding into the air, leaving a rather large emerald in its place.

Cordelia sighed and picked up the emerald, inspecting it for a few seconds before sending it off to her inventory. “Well, that was fast!”

 

ID: 123389

BD: 8

14x9= 126-25= 101 DMG

Cordelia: 

HP: 400/400 | EN: 27/40 | 9 DMG | 2 EVA | 1 SAVVY

Rhaegal: 0/125

 

 

[Oscar 0]

Oscar saw that Cordelia had landed the final blow. He smiled as the creature's health bar was depleted and it shattered, leaving only the emerald in its place. "It sure was," Oscar piped happily. He sheathed his blade and grabbed up Cordelia's coat and her hot dog. He walked over and draped the coat over her shoulder, keeping the hot dog for safekeeping. "You wanna go do some hunting? Or you can save that dog for later and I can go make you some real food. Your call Cordelia." He crossed his arms and smiled brightly. Either way, he was good. Hunting or food both sounded equally appealing. Though, if he had to pick one, he would lean more towards the food. He really wanted to put his culinary expertise to the test. Cooking for someone would make him work a bit harder at it. He had no idea what she would like, however. That was another challenge in and of itself.

[Cordelia 0]

She grinned as she slid her hands through the sleeves of her coat. "Hunting sounds good but I want to see what else you can make!" She exclaimed, sheathing her rapier in its hold. 

"Do you make any pastries? Or anything sweet?" She asked, her eyes lighting up as she waited for an answer. "My serv- er, friend used to make these really good cookies when I was a kid," she said softly, a small smile blooming on her face. "I thought they were the coolest things in the world at the time." 

"I really want cookies now," she mumbled tiredly, slapping her cheeks lightly. "Maybe with some tea or a cup of coffee," she said wistfully. 

"Maybe you could try to make something for Pacco, as well," she continued. "I'm such a bad owner," Cordelia chuckled, face palming herself as she whistled a small tune-- and there comes Pacco! "Sorry I forgot about you, buddy," she said nervously, tapping her fingers together with a sheepish smile.

[Oscar 0]

"Cookies and coffee. Got it. Let's go!"

Oscar nodded in agreement. That sounded really good. He hadn't really tried his hand at anything other than a churro, but he was sure he could make it work. He marched back to his shop, hoping that Cordelia was following along. The outside of the shop was extremely grungy, almost decrepit. But once she stepped inside, she would see the immaculate, modern furnishings of an actual restaurant. Oscar was the owner, after all. And his clients deserved nothing less than the best. "Go ahead and sit down anywhere, Cordelia. I'm gonna go see what I can do about those cookies and coffee." He disappeared into the kitchen and then reappeared with some crackers on a plate. He set them down on the table with a smile. "For Pacco," he said. Then, he turned on his heels and headed back into the back. Cordelia wanted cookies and coffee. She would get cookies and coffee.

[Cordelia 0]

Cordelia gaped in awe as she entered the shop. "This is cool," she murmured, turning her body around to look at every nook and cranny this place had to offer. She's never really seen anything like this before!

"Oh, alright," she said, plopping herself down on to a chair. 

"Thank you," she said softly, letting Pacco hop off of her shoulder with a small smile. He tilted his head at the cracker cautiously before experimentally pecking them. 

"This place is pretty cool," she muttered under her breath as she turned her head around to inspect a shop. Maybe she should get a shop one day? Nah, that was too much work for her. Plus, all of the kinds of fields already had a major shop, so what was even the point anymore? She should be out and about leveling up, anyway, she didn't need a shop to weigh her down!

[Oscar 0]

A few moment later, Oscar came out of the back of the shop carrying in his hands a piping hot pot of coffee. Without another word, he turned around and disappeared into the back after placing it on the table. When he returned it was with a large plate of Snickerdoodles and two mugs. Oscar placed it down on the table and then slid into the booth opposite Cordelia. He smiled warmly as he poured them both a cup of coffee and set a small platter in front of the blonde-haired woman. He was quite proud of his confection, if he said so himself. Oscar helped himself to one of the cookies, but waited patiently for Cordelia to give them a try. He had made this especially for her, after all. It would be quite rude to eat them first. Plus, he wasn't really a big fan of sweets. Not that he would let her know that. He didn't want her feeling self-conscious about her idea to eat sweets and coffee if she knew Oscar wasn't feeling it.

[Cordelia 0]

She squealed and gave a bow of appreciation. "Thank you so much!" She chirped, clapping her hand together as she eyed the plate of cookies hungrily. bShe said, turning her head to give Oscar a thumbs up. 

Cordelia then turned her attention back to the plate of Snickerdoodles. "There's so many," she said in awe, picking it up delicately with her hands. 

She quickly bit into one and grinned. "They're really good, good job!" She said with a mouthful of cookies. She gulped down the sweet and smiled gratefully. "I wish I could cook. Do you know how many pies I could make in a single day if I could bake?" She asked, stars forming in her eyes as she thought about it. "I'm not too good at cooking things, though," she mumbled, giving a depressing sigh as she deadpanned. "I'm pretty sure I'd just burn everything."

[Oscar 0]

"Hey now. None of that. I'm sure you'd be great at it. But then again, you gotta remember. Behind every great achievement is a stream of countless failures. You can't be afraid to fail, otherwise you'll never succeed."

Here he was, giving the same uplifting speech he gave his clients in the real world. But he could tell that she loathed the idea of failing at something. He ate the cookie in front of him and took a sip of his coffee to wash it down. "Failing is a part of life. Failing is the most important part of life. It helps us define where our weaknesses are so that we can overcome them. It helps us know our limits so we can push them. As long as you persevere and never give up, you can do anything. You've got a lot of fire in you Cordelia. Don't be afraid to fail. I know you'll come back stronger than ever if you do."

Oscar cleared his throat and pointed to her weapon. "Case in point. Last time we did a quest together you couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with that thing. Now look at you. You took down a quest boss. You failed, but then you got better. Isn't that what life is? Just getting a little bit better every day?"

[Cordelia 0]

Cordelia silently gnawed on the edge of cookie as she listened to Oscar. 

"It was just dumb luck," she mumbled, setting the cookie down and taking a small swig of her coffee. "My stats haven't changed that much since we did that quest. I guess I was just a bit lucky today," she shrugged, setting the cup of coffee down. 

"I've had enough of failing, too," she muttered, her nose wrinkling for a few seconds before she gave him a small smile.

"I think I'm going to head out before it gets dark," she chirped sitting up and brushing her lap off. "Things get fishy around my inn at night, so I should probably head out. I'm still considering your offer of being your little roommate or something. Maybe I'll have an answer next time I see you-- which I will tell you will be very soon because of those cookies," she chuckled, gesturing her head to the plate of unfinished cookies. 

"Thank you for the food," she grinned, taking a small bow as Pacco flapped up to her shoulders. "See you soon!" She chimed, giving a small wave to him as she left the shop.

[Oscar 0]

Oscar bade her farewell for the evening. He could tell when pressing the issue just wasn't going to work. Instead of being in her face about it, he would merely offer encouragement until such time that she could see how far she came for herself. It bothered him that she had to go back to the inn, but again, pressure wasn't what she needed. Clearly she needed the freedom to make her own decisions. To learn her own way. Oscar could get behind that. So, with his guest gone and no more customers chomping at the bit for some food, Oscar boxed up the cookies and cleaned up before heading home for the night. As he walked out the door, Oscar whistled sharply, calling his familiar to his side. Then he locked up and headed for the teleport platform. A half hour later, he was walking through the front door of his home. The expansive structure was incredibly lonely to live in by oneself. There wasn't much else to do besides go to bed. So he did just that.