[F01 - PP] Basic Training

[Yukiro 0]

Yukiro was sitting on a bench in the Town of Beginnings, just watching people walk and wander around. He was feeling melancholic again, he didn't know why. And on such a nice day too. 
Maybe I should go eat or something... He considered his options. Normally he'd just head out of town to go fight something, but for some reason, he simply wasn't feeling the urge. He watched the players and NPCs walk around town, some in groups that were laughing and jostling around. 
I wonder what it's like to be in a party... He shook off the thought. Better to not dwell on such things.
He was starting to brood again. He needed to do something to clear his mind. Equipping his favorite piece of equipment, the Nightmare Overcoat (for no reason other than he liked it), Yukiro stood up and stretched his tall frame, and began to make his way towards a small, generally unoccupied cafe. Perhaps something to eat would help. 
"I should go and practice later today," he muttered to himself. 

Edited October 11, 2019 by Yukiro

[Elio 0]

Drinking hot chocolate is getting old, thought Elio, sitting on a cafe chair within the Town of Beginnings. Why am I still here, letting other people do my work for me on the front lines? Is it worth risking my life to get out of this pathetic town? He took another sip of his drink before noticing a tall figure walking over to the cafe. Averting his gaze, Elio gazed at the steam rising from his mug. There are so many players still here in this blasted town. What are we all doing here; what are we waiting for? We're all in the same boat here. We're all stuck. What makes the assault team different from the rest of us? Why are they willing to risk their lives as we sit back on the first floor?

 

Frustrated and deep in thought, Akki stood up promptly, spilling his drink in the process. He glared at the particles as the item despawned. 

Edited October 11, 2019 by Elio

[Cordelia 0]

Cordelia hummed to herself as she stirred around her coffee. What? She needed her morning coffee! How could one possibly expect her to just . . . go a day without coffee? 

Impossible! 

The blonde girl frowned to herself and let out a heavy sigh. She has to get over this addiction one day. It wasn’t going to be healthy for her . . . plus her pockets were going to empty soon enough with the excessive amount of coffee she had been drinking. 

Pacco jumped on her shoulder as the clatter of a cup rattled through the ‘relatively’ quiet cafe. 

“What, a scaredy-cat,” she snickered, smiling softly to her familiar before craning her head to see what exactly was going on. 

Well, to say it was an interesting event was an understatement. A very big understatement. She sighed and turned her head back to her coffee. Man, the first floor was getting more and more boring every day.

[Yukiro 0]

Yukiro turned as he heard a loud clatter. It seemed that an odd character stood up very abruptly, causing his drink to spill. The liquid broke into small, crystalline fragments that dispersed in the air. Yukiro paused, considering his options.
The player seemed like he was very frustrated, and it seemed like he was only getting more so. He could just leave. No, that wouldn't be very heroic of him. Perhaps he could do something to help..? 
He looked around for a waiter and, upon finding one, he approached and asked,
"Can I get one hot chocolate and one cup of water at his table, please?" He asked, pointing the table the boy was standing at. 
The waiter nodded and went off to get his order. Yukiro glanced back as the player and mustered up his willpower. He turned and slowly walked towards the somewhat smaller boy. He stopped at his table and softly cleared his throat. 
"May I get you a drink?"

[Elio 0]

Startled, Elio jerked his head towards the voice. Standing before him was a man he didn't recognize. What on Earth...? He averted his gaze to the ground sheepishly.

 

"I'd appreciate that, thank you... but who are you?"

 

 Sitting down again with a sigh, Elio took a moment to study the figure before him. Judging by the gear, the stranger was most likely just a starter like himself, perhaps slightly more advanced. Cringing, Elio thought of his own armor and weapon, hoping the man wouldn't pay too much attention or ask questions. After all this time, I still haven't bothered to change out my starter gear. At least he's not some front-liner... this would be a lot more awkward if I had to face one of the best. He shuffled in his seat uncomfortably, hoping the waiter would come by soon to relieve the awkwardness evident between the two players.

[Cordelia 0]

Cordelia hummed as she hopped off her chair. 

“I’ll take that, thank you,” she chirped, swiping the tray of drinks away from the waiter with an innocent smile. 

What? 

Awe, come on, she just wanted to help some fellow newbies out! Don’t give her that look!

Dropping the tray of drinks on the table in front of them, Cordelia crossed her arms and smiled sweetly at the strangers. 

Poor Pacco didn’t even know what was going on-

“So I take it that you two are . . .” she paused, scratching her chin. Nah, she could be blunt whenever the hell she wanted! “. . .  pretty low leveled. Judging by your lack in . . . better quality gear and all.”

“So I am going to make you two an offer! I’ve been terribly lazy for the past few days and I need someone to come hunting with me! Well, not really with me, but I’m far too lazy to actually go hunting alone, so you two can just watch. It would kind of suck if you were to die today.”

Yep-- this is how you make friends, folks!

[Yukiro 0]

Yukiro blinked at the newcomer. She was about a foot shorter than him but seemed to think she commanded a presence that would compel him to obey. 
She did not have a presence that would compel him to obey. 

In fact, her superior attitude and superiority actually made Yukiro see her as maybe a little weak-spirited. Though maybe he was being to quick to judge. She didn't look all that powerful, but in a world based on numbers, looking weak was meaningless. 

He assumed she was simply struggling to ask him, and the other player next to him, to join her. She seemed like the tsundere type. He wanted to ask who she was, but he couldn't ignore the player next to him. Should he introduce himself? Nothing better came to mind.

"Er, sorry. My name is Juni--" he nearly said his actual name. That's what I get for avoiding interaction for a year, I suppose. "Yukiro. May I ask who you both are?" There. Now he could speak more freely. "Also, pardon my bluntness, but why do you need us to accompany you?"

[Elio 0]

Elio winced at the ever-increasing awkwardness of the situation before him. The woman was confident, perhaps too confident. Who was she to ask two strangers not even to hunt with her, but to watch her hunt?

 

"Ehm," was all Elio managed to spit out. He could feel his face turning bright red as his brain scrambled for something slightly more intelligent to say. "I'm, um, Elio."

 

Great, he thought to himself, you're making yourself look like a fool.

 

Trying to hide his embarrassment, Elio grabbed at one of the cups, hoping it was something he liked, and started gulping it down, avoiding eye contact with his two new acquaintances. Luckily, the drink was a cool lemonade. Elio sheepishly realized that had he grabbed something hot and chugged it, he may have made an even bigger fool of himself. He listened as the two continued their conversation.

[Cordelia 0]

Cordelia beamed as she clapped her hands together. "Pleasure to meet you, Yukiro. The name's Cordelia!" 

The girl scratched the side of her face and shrugged with a sheepish expression. "I don't know. Hunting alone is really boring, and I don't have many friends in my skill range, most of them are higher than me, but I'll get there soon! Plus, you guys look like you have never hunted before so I'll be killing two birds with one stone," she said bluntly with a small smile.  

"It'd be awesome if you guys could help me hunt, but I'm pretty the mobs that I hunt are going to one-shot you two, and it'd be a real shame if I was responsible for the death of two newbies . . ." she muttered, crossing her arms with a small frown. "I'll get a bad reputation before I even reach the front lines, so uh, don't die!"

Cordelia raised a brow at the other player's . . . weird behavior, but didn't pay much mind to it. "Pleasure to meet you, too,  Elio."

She turned her head so that she was face both of them and tilted her head with a grin. "So, are you two in or what?"

[Yukiro 0]

He wasn't gonna lie; this was exciting, disappointing, and overwhelming all at the same time. What should he do? A situation where he wasn't actually improving was... less than ideal... but at the same time, he couldn't exactly refuse a request. He couldn't ask for a reward either. 
Chivalry is a massive pain.
Yukiro took in a deep breath and let out a big sigh (only made bigger by his large lungs). "I suppose I have no reason to refuse. Cordelia, I accept and appreciate your offer," he turned towards Elio, "That is not intended to put any pressure on you to join, you have my apologies if I have done so." 
Despite all his suspicions towards the rich girl (would princess be appropriate?) and borderline pity for the shy Elio, Yukiro had to admit he was at least a little excited about joining a party. 
Even if he wouldn't actually be doing anything. Though this was a good chance to scope out a high-level player's abilities. 
"I shall follow you wherever you lead me. As long as I don't endanger myself to much, at least."

[Elio 0]

Attempting to redeem himself from his less-than-quality behavior, Elio stood up and stretched. Act casual!

 

"Sure, I don't see why not. Like he -- um, Yuriko -- said, it'd do me good to watch a higher-level player in some combat. I haven't fought too much yet. Where do you plan on going? I know there's some decent hunting spots out pretty deep in the forest, especially at night." He glanced at the sky. "It's getting close to dusk. If we wait a while, we could probably encounter some stronger mobs. Anything past Floor 1 I'm not very familiar with, but I guess I'm up for whatever."

 

Excitement and terror fought in Elio's gut. He was thrilled at the chance to watch a fight without having to resolve to do it himself. This would certainly be an interesting experience, and would be helpful if he decided to actually try his hand at this game. On the other hand, he had no idea who these people were. It could be an awkward situation, but Elio had made up his mind. 

 

May as well give this a shot at least once.

[Cordelia 0]

FLOOR 12:

Cordelia: H: 0 | HP: 460/460 | EN: 45/46 | 9 DMG | 3 EVA | 1 SAVVY | 2 KEEN | 2 ACC | 2 BLD

ID: 125907
BD: 3+2=5, Miss
MD: 4-3=1, Miss [+1 ACC]

Giant Crocodile: HP: 600/600 | 70 DMG