[F01-PP] First Step Forward -- <<The First Few Lessons Are Free>>

[NIGHT 0]

After a few moments of haphazard scurrying, Ren took a beat to calm her anxiety, and catch her breath--

"What you need won't be here."

She hung her head in shame. No way, not again... Were my game senses always this bad? Maybe it's been too long...

"You'll need to search for a certain kind of flower amongst the scattered flowerbeds. Come, there's one over this way." Yukiro gestured and sauntered over close to the wall at a hurried pace. Ren took a moment to stand upright, gently dusting off the dirt from her armor. "Ah, wait for me!"

Jogging closer, she followed her team mate to a brighter patch of grass in the fields. They were little easier to spot had she been looking for the tell tale signs of wildflowers, but in the dark, the elements simply blended together too well. She crouched down in the same patch, opposite to Yukiro as he picked up a tiny yellow flower. "Look for something like this," he advised.

...

Ren glanced at it, a blank expression unchanging. She attempted to memorize its features, before digging through the clutter of flowers, but was unable to find anything similar. Sighing, her gaze returned to the held flower as she attempted to record it to memory yet again, but her attention shifted over to Yukiro eying the dark plains behind them. "Everything alright there?"

Quote

ID: 126818 | Gathering Materials | LD: 9 (Fail)

@Yukiro # ps. how do i delete a post if i double posted on accident,,,,,

Edited October 25, 2019 by NIGHT

[Yukiro 0]

Spoiler

ID# 126832 | LD: 13
2/5 T1 Materials found

Glared hard at the darkness. It felt like he was staring straight into an empty void. Nothing moved. Nothing crept up on them. 
Somehow, that was far more unsettling than seeing their mystery assailant closing in on them. Yukiro tried to listen for something moving instead. All he could hear was Night rustling through the flower bed beside him. He concentrated harder, listened closer...
"Everything alright there?" 
Yukiro jumped at the sudden noise. His head whipped around to see a slightly concerned Night. 
"Ah! Yes, of course! Everything is alright! I was just looking out for... something," Yukiro said a little too quickly. He frantically searched the flower bed for more items. After a moment he found and plucked out a second budding yellow flower. "Here we are, another one." He quickly deposited the item into his inventory. 
I don't want her to be afraid. On edge, maybe, but I've got to try and keep her calm. 
Yukiro gave Night a slight smile. 

Edited October 25, 2019 by Yukiro

[NIGHT 0]

"Ah!" Yukiro's sudden jump startled her as she was reaching out to sift through the earth again. "Yes, of course! Everything is alright! I was just looking out for... something-" He dove into the flora again, prompting Ren to continue her own search as well.

"If... If you say so."

If only I could recall how it looked like...

It didn't help that her party seemed a little on edge, though Ren tried to ignore it briefly. Maybe it was just a veteran's experience of being careful. She'd known the dangers of looking for items and being caught off guard in other games before.

Another search, and Yukiro brought up yet another flower. "Here we are, another one." Ren greedily eyed it, wanting to etch its details permanently in her brain. As he pocketed it, Ren continued her fieldwork, attempting to fill the void of silence.

"So, is there any trick to it?" She squinted her eyes. "I hate to be honest about this, but all these flowers just seem the same to me," Blinking the creeping darkness away, she picked up a stray one to examine it closer in the dark. "Maybe it's just more difficult in the night."

Quote

ID: 126833 | Gathering Materials | LD: 2

@Yukiro

Edited October 26, 2019 by NIGHT

[Yukiro 0]

Spoiler

ID# 126835 | LD: 13

Yukiro rummaged through the flowers, trying to keep himself from getting too jumpy. He sorted through the various colors; red, blue, green, purple, the list went on and on. And more still had combinations of colors. 
"So, is there any trick to it?" Night asked. Yukiro glanced over at her to see her squinting in the dark, trying to make out the various plants in front of her. "I hate to be honest about this, but all these flowers just seem the same to me," she told him. Yukiro felt a little bad for her. He'd struggled too. Of course, he hadn't slept or eaten for thee days when he was trying, but still.
"Maybe it's just more difficult in the night," she speculated. 
As Night said this Yukiro plucked yet another budding yellow flower from the flowerbed. 
"Perhaps my hidden talent is flower picking," Yukiro speculated as he examined the plant, "Truly, it is the skill of heroes, picking flowers."

@NIGHT

Edited October 26, 2019 by Yukiro

[NIGHT 0]

Ren barely managed to stifle a laughter as Yukiro pulled up another flower. "Skill of heroes, huh? Maybe I could try harder then." She wasn't particularly hard on herself in light of the joke, instead finding conviction to try and do better. With a careful glance, Ren shifted her focus and picked another patch in the masses. She started sifting through the batch, much more careful this time.

... --!!

"I think I got one," she breathed, as her fingers grabbed a hold of something sparkling under the leaves. Bringing it up, she had expected to see a yellow flower, just like what Yukiro had shown her.

But it was blue.

"It's... it's blue."

Ren felt like staring into the abyss as she gazed upon the flower. The colors felt too familiar, it was almost as if the game was playing a prank on her...

She pocketed the flower, taking a glance at Yukiro to check if he was on alert. She'd hoped not.

Quote

ID: 126836 | Gathering Materials | LD: 13

1/5 Materials retrieved.

Edited October 27, 2019 by NIGHT

[Yukiro 0]

Spoiler

ID# 126844 | LD: 6

"I think I got one." Yukiro stopped to watch Night pull up a small blue blossom. Yukiro assumed it was going to shatter, as every flower he'd pulled up had been yellow. 
But it didn't. Huh. Maybe every player ended up with a different flower. An interesting detail. 
"It's... it's blue." Night said in what Yukiro thought was disappointment. 
"It is, in fact blue," he confirmed. He wanted to console her somehow... But how did one do that?
"Don't get down on yourself. I couldn't find these things for the first time either," he lied, "Besides, it didn't shatter so it probably counts for something."
Yukiro glanced through the flowers, looking to see if there was anything he had missed. Nothing stood out to him. 
He spun around, facing away from the flowers. Somehow talking to Night had calmed him down, so he managed to maintain a nonchalant expression as he kept a lookout. Maybe there was a chance he could befriend her... 
Probably not.

@NIGHT

Edited October 26, 2019 by Yukiro

[NIGHT 0]

''Don't get down on yourself,'' her companion consoled, as Ren continued looking around, relieved that Yukiro appeared to be relaxed. ''I couldn't find these things for the first time either.'' Now that was hard to believe; his searching skills seemed to prove otherwise tonight. But, maybe it had a lick of truth in it. 

''Besides, it didn't shatter, so it probably counts for something.'' 

''Oh yeah, that’s true,'' Ren proclaimed. It was difficult to wrap her head around differentiating the colorful flowers in the flowerbed around her, but the sudden explosions of blue pixels was also rather startling. Sticking to her intuition, she picked another flower that seemed to glimmer, but it shattered on impact instead. 

''Haa...'' She sighed, tensing up at the nature of her predicament. Maybe she wasn't cut out for material gathering. Should she just stick to combat?

Recalling Yukiro’s concerned demeanor, a thought went up in her scatterbrained head. She stood up from her squat, stretching a little, examining the area around her. ‘’You don’t think something out there might be frightening the flowers, do you?’’ 

Quote

ID: 126845 | Gathering Material | LD: 5

@Yukiro

Edited October 26, 2019 by NIGHT

[Yukiro 0]

Yukiro didn't even need to bother watching. He just snickered a bit as he heard Night rustle around the flowerbed, pick a flower, and the slight noises of Night's irritation as said flower shattered.
Ah, how nostalgic. The sound of shattering materials. Reminded him of his first quest.
Suddenly, Night stood up. Yukiro looked up at her as she stretched and began to look around. 
"You don't think something out there might be frightening the flowers, do you?" 
Yukiro did a double-take, blinking at her sudden question. 
Something was frightening the flowers? 
"Pft!" 
He couldn't hold it in. Yukiro laughed loudly at the question. Was that a joke? No, her face was mostly serious. He needed to stop laughing, he was being incredibly rude.
It took him a few moments to calm down. Standing up quickly, Yukiro genuinely grinned at Night.
"I suppose there just might be something... scaring the flowers." He snickered a bit as he said it. "Let's go find out what's out there!"

@NIGHT

Edited October 26, 2019 by Yukiro

[NIGHT 0]

The laughter was contagious, and Ren couldn't help giggling too. Her words had some truth to them; a vague sense of doubt in the system, the same way that some players believed in a Random Loot God. Resuming her work, she took a moment to check her belongings, before heading back over to where Yukiro was standing. "It'd be a good break from the flowers," she added, dusting off her gloved palms of dirt.

Looking around, Ren tried her best to see through the darkness for any signs of movement. There was some ruffling from a few small bushes, sure, but a small creature could very easily hide in there. She wasn't entirely sure what she was looking for. Glancing over to Yukiro, she questioned, a little cautious. "You were looking out for something earlier, weren't you? Maybe we can find it together."

Patting her chest with conviction, she added, "I think we could handle it!"

@Yukiro

[Yukiro 0]

Yukiro scanned the darkened fields. His observations were fruitful. He found that the fields were, in fact, dark.
It wasn't very good fruit.
"You were looking out for something earlier, weren't you? Maybe we can find it together." Night suggested. It had crossed Yukiro's mind that they could try to hunt their hunter, but his partner's low level concerned him... 
"I think we could handle it!" Night added with more conviction. Yukiro glanced over at her. She seemed genuinely confident. Seeing her so sure of them boosted his confidence as well. He let out a heavy sigh. 
"Yeah, I bet we can. Let's go hunt a big one."
Keeping a watchful eye out Yukiro led Night through the darkness, keeping her as close as was reasonable. He would much rather have any sneak attacks be either directed at him or within his ability to intercept. 
"What I saw earlier was much bigger than a wolf, so keep an eye out," he informed Night softly.

[NIGHT 0]

"A big one?" Ren paused to think the term through. Were the beginning fields really that terrifying? But maybe Sword Art Online really was different. That would be a shock -- Ren would have to throw out almost all classical knowledge she was familiar with through the window. Holding fast to her past memories, she quipped, with finality, "Well, if you wanna call it that."

The two headed through the dark, moonlight and bright absent-minded eyes of various creatures be their guide. "What I saw earlier," Yukiro commented, "was much bigger than a wolf, so keep an eye out."

Oh.

That's what he meant.

"M-Mm," she agreed, her gaze trailing to the grass. But what could be bigger than a wolf out in the open field? It'd have to be pretty obvious of a silhouette, she guessed, standing at least taller than the other animals lounging around. Maybe a werewolf? ... Did the game even have werewolves?

... A person?

Ren looked behind her, fists tightly balled and her skin crawling on her back.

@Yukiro

[Yukiro 0]

Yukiro drew his sword. He wasn't about to be caught unarmed. 
Alright, what could it be that's out here... It wasn't a wolf, unless it was some sort of massive wolf. That would be pretty boring. Maybe a bear? I remember those from real life. A bear would be problematic. What else is out here... There are insect mobs. Maybe a giant spider or something? I hope not. Maybe it's a supernatural monster, like a drago-- nope, not jinxing it that badly. More like... a giant duck. Or a unicorn. Maybe a manticore. 
It had better not be a manticore.
Yukiro had been mumbling a bit, so Night heard;
"Out there... sort of massive... boring... remember from real... problematic... out here... hope not... giant duck..."
Night glanced behind them. She seemed really nervous.
"Hey. You okay, Night? Did you see something?"
Yukiro glanced around where she was looking. Nothing in particular stood out to him.
"Hey, a quick tip. If something jumps out, just remember to kick with your shin, not your foot."

[NIGHT 0]

"Hey." Ren jumped, snapping her vision over to Yukiro. "You okay, Night? Did you see something?"

Gulping, she fidgeted, a grip on her wrist. "N-no, I think I just spooked myself..." Her initial guess was a PK-er, and she had heard stories about them before. She sighed, attempting to calm down. It'd be easier if it was a system-controlled creature, she thought.

Maybe it was a bear... That might fit the fields better.

But the overthinking was getting to her.

"Hey, a quick tip." Yukiro advised, aloud. "If something jumps out, just remember to kick with your shin, not your foot." To Ren, the suggestion felt a little out of place, but she quickly recovered after processing the information, taking a guess. "Oh, to maintain stability as much as possible? I think I can do that."

As the two trudged on, Ren decided it would be better to air her anxieties before she got caught off guard by them. "So, uh..." she trailed, taking another look across the plains. "What did the figure look like? Bulkier, leaner?"

@Yukiro

[Yukiro 0]

Spoiler

Manticore: HP 50 | DMG 15
ID# 126900 | BD: 2 (1+1) 
Yukiro: HP 140/140 | EN 11/14 (-3)
Manticore: HP: 50/50

"Oh, to maintain stability as much as possible? I think I can do that."
"No, the pants just block more damage that way," Yukiro said frankly. He'd kicked many a mob with those pants. It was actually quite empowering.
The pair walked a while longer in silence. Finally, Night broke the quiet.
 "So, uh..." she trailed, looking around, "What did the figure look like? Bulkier, leaner?"
"Hmm... It looked bigger, but the proportions were more... off. Sort of unnatural--" his danger sense was going off. Which way... Behind us and to the right!

Yukiro blurred around Night, getting between her and the unheard danger. 

He drew back his blade and activated a sword art. In the solar orange glow, they saw it. 
It had a body and head like a lion. It was covered in spines and had an eerily humanoid face. Gaping jaws held rows of shark-like teeth and a scorpion-like tail protruded from it's rear. 
Holy crap that's over the top. Why would they make something like this on the first floor!?
The manticore lunged toward the pair. Yukiro pushed Night back and away from the beast and fell onto his back. The creature sailed over his head. 

@NIGHT

Edited October 26, 2019 by Yukiro

[NIGHT 0]

Now this was something that looked like it came out of nightmares. What was it again? A <<Manticore>>?

... It sure didn't look like it belonged here...

Yukiro had swerved around to defend her, his sword glowing in the night. As the creature leaped to them, he'd shifted her a little a ways from its landing position, getting on his back to avoid its attack.

But Ren had the advantage, having known of its position and bulk as it came crashing onto the dirt. With a wide arc, she drew her greatsword, slamming the blade's edge against the beast's face, drawing a red scar through its eyes. In shock, it clawed back at her, knocking her to the side. As she tumbled, the beast roared in agony, pawing and pacing against the dirt.

With the red lines on herself blinding her own vision, she managed to stop herself with her sword, slowly getting back up.

Smarts, that really hurt...

Patting her armor, she made sure that she was still in relatively safe condition. Looks like there was only good news.

Quote

Turn Order: Yukiro, NIGHT, Manticore

<<Straight>> on Manticore.
ID: 126907 | BD: 10 (Crit) | MD: 8 (Hit)

[Hate: 2] NIGHT: HP 19 (-1) | DMG 4 | EN 1 (-1)
[Hate: 0] Yukiro: HP 140 | DMG 5 | EN 11

Manticore: HP 35 (-6, -9 from Thorns) | DMG 15

Edited October 27, 2019 by NIGHT

[Yukiro 0]

Spoiler

Manticore: HP 50 | DMG 15
 ID# 126914 | BD: 2 (1+1) 
Yukiro: HP 140/140 | EN 9/14 (+1-3)
Manticore: HP: 50/50 (Hate: Yukiro 0// Night 2)

Yukiro watched Night swing her sword at the manticore as it landed. The weapons sharp edge cut into the large beasts face, leaving a long red scar across the unusual creatures face. The manticore returned the attack by clawing at Night's face. Night was thrown back, away from the enraged entity as the manticore let out a deep, piercing bellow. 
"Oi! Night! Are you okay?"
Stupid question.
Night thrust her sword into the ground, managing to stop herself from traveling any further away. Yukiro flipped himself to his feet and dashed over to Night's side.
"Sorry. This was my fault. I should have insisted we wait until morning."
Night slowly pulled herself to her feet. Yukiro glanced at Night's health bar. It was nearly completely full. The manticore's health bar, however, had been reduced significantly. A though crossed Yukiro's mind.
Night's winning... This might be a good chance for her to grow as a fighter... No. It would be cruel to leave her to fight this alone. 

@NIGHT

Edited October 26, 2019 by Yukiro

[NIGHT 0]

"Sorry, this was my fault," Yukiro commented, running over to regroup. "I should have insisted we wait until morning."

"It's fine," she replied, adrenaline rushing through her veins. "Although, I'm not sure if this creature usually lurk about in these fields," taking a few steps away from Yukiro, she brandished her sword, sweeping it to the side dramatically. "It's kind of intimidating!"

Bringing her blade up to her cheek -- her front hand holding it steady, the back aiming it at her target -- she readied her footwork into a familiar stance. A stray thought crossed her mind. This wasn't exactly the same stance she took before, would the server recognize her intentions?

Ping!

A jostle of her blade, and she was off. This time, she kept an eye open, careful to watch her movements in the rush. As she cut through the side of the manticore, it bounced away from her, howling aggressively. She turned as she landed, flourishing her blade in the direction of her enemy to regain her stance. She'd hit.

But she wasn't so lucky this time around. The manticore swung its tail back at her, sweeping her off the ground, and she hit the dirt landing on her back. The beast growled back at her, waving its tail.

Okay, this isn't as easy as it seemed last time...

Quote

Turn Order: Yukiro, NIGHT, Manticore

<<Straight>> on Manticore.
ID: 126919 | BD: 7 (Hit) | MD: 10 (Crit)

[3] NIGHT: HP 18 (-1) | DMG 4 | EN 0 (+1, -2)
[0] Yukiro: HP 140 | DMG 5 | EN 9

Manticore: HP 27 (-8) | DMG 15

 

Edited October 27, 2019 by NIGHT

[Yukiro 0]

Spoiler

Manticore: HP 50 | DMG 15
ID# 126920 | BD: 10 (10+1) (7*4+2=30 dmg)
Yukiro: HP 140/140 | EN 5/14 (+1-4)
Manticore: HP: 0/50 (-30) (Hate: Yukiro 2// Night 3)

"It's fine. Although, I'm not sure if this creature usually lurk about in these fields," she said, taking a few steps away from Yukiro. Night brandished her sword, sweeping it to the side in a dramatic fashion. "It's kind of intimidating!"
Her confidence was all too familiar. This was exactly what Yumi was like. 
Night assumed a battle stance. That sword art!
"Yu-- Night, hold on!"
He was too late. Her sword began to glow a bright azure, and Night lunged forward. Her sword cut into the manticore's side, forcing the beast to retreat a ways. 
But she couldn't prevent it's attack. The creature's barbed tail whipped upward, slicing across Night's body. 
Time seemed to stop. All that existed to Yukiro was Night's body flying through the air. But hat he saw was the lifeless body of his friend hitting the ground. 
Yukiro looked in horror at his friend laying on the ground. And a deep rage began to surface. Yukiro stood, turning to the manticore. 
"How dare you.."
Yukiro used both hands to raise his sword above his head. 
"How dare you..!"
His sword began to glow as if his sword was on fire. Yukiro's fury flared. And he shot toward the target of his anger.
He reached the beast instantly, cleaving off it's striking tail. 
Not yet.
He spun his sword over his head and slashed through the creature's leg.
Not yet!
Another stroke cleaved directly through it's face. 
With a cry of rage he stuck a final blow, cleaving the creature directly in half. 
"... I will avenge you..!"

@NIGHT

Edited October 27, 2019 by Yukiro

[NIGHT 0]

When she rose, the creature had already shattered and burst into tiny fractures of light, illuminating the area temporarily. Ren paused, lost in thought. Did something happen? She recalled Yukiro's battle cries and the desperation in his voice.

"... I will avenge you!"

Did he... lose someone?

The tense atmosphere was cut short by the drop of loot, and Ren dusted the earth off her armor and kept her sword as she read the box's contents. Closing it, she wandered over to Yukiro, concerned.

"Hai! Good job back there," she started, uncertain of how to begin. "Uh, you doing alright though? I know you might be concerned, but I'm doing alright."

"Um, did you lose someone, before..?" No darting around the issue, she supposed. Ren had heard of stories from players who'd gone out in a party and had their numbers whittled down by beasts, but she'd never imagine it to be this pervasive. Traumatic though... she could understand.

Quote

ID: 126927 | LD: 4 | CD: 3

Loot: 250col, Tier 1 Materials (2)

@Yukiro

Edited October 27, 2019 by NIGHT

[Yukiro 0]

"Hai! Good job back there." Night said suddenly. Yukiro snapped back to reality. 
...I lost my cool.
"Uh, you doing alright though? I know you might be concerned, but I'm doing alright." Yukiro let out a breath. It felt like a weight had been taken off his chest. He slowly lowered his sword and stood up straight. His skin was tingling. He was breathing harder than he should have been. 
"Um, did you lose someone, before..?" 
Yukiro's entire body stiffened. The rage in him immediately melted into sorrow. He had to take a moment to keep himself from weeping in front of her. 
Once had himself under control Yukiro spun around to face Night. There were tear in the corners of his eyes, but he hadn't noticed. 
"It's nothing to worry about. I'm sorry I didn't protect you earlier, Yumi." 
He patted Night on the head and walked past her. 
"Come on, we still have some flowers to pick!"