[F01-PP] <<The Second Lesson, Is Also Free>> Adventuring Together Once More

[Joanne 0]

Joanne made her way through the center of town, searching for Lyle Tealeaf's shop. She had a package to deliver to him from the alchemist NPC. As she walked, she sent a message to Dederick, a small smile on her lips as she did so. 

Quote

Dear Dederick,

Would you care to join me at Lyle Tealeaf's shop to continue our quest together?

-Knight Joanne Hawke

She hit send just as she approached the steps of the brick shop of the old NPC blacksmith. She quietly stepped into the shop, the noise of hammer against steel ringing through the air. "Excuse me, Master Tealeaf, I have a package for you," she said as she approached the NPC, package in hand. 

Lyle quickly turned around and set his hammer and the piece of steel he was working on down. "Ah, hello young woman. How may I help you today?" he asked. Then his eyes rested on the package. "Oh! You brought me the package I've been waiting on! Thank you so much. Now, if you aren't too busy, I have another request to ask of you." He explained to Joanne that he needed three boar pup tusks to complete a craft.

Joanne smiled and agreed to help him. "Of course, Master Tealeaf. I'll go fetch the tusks for you right away." She bowed and turned to go, planning to wait by the steps of the shop for Dederick. 

@Dederick

Stats:
 

Spoiler

Level 7
Joanne: 140/140 HP | 14/14 EN | 4 DMG | 9-10 BLD | 26 MIT | 2 REGEN (10 TOTAL) | 2 THORN (18 DMG total)

Sword Arts
Rank 1

• [x2 AoE] Rage Spike (2 Energy +2 per target hit) - Strike each target in the vicinity twice in a blinding fit of uncontrolled rage.
• [x3] Snake Bite (3 Energy) - The user quickly strikes the target with three brisk angled slashes.

Spoiler

Equipped Items

Equipped [T1 Perfect Heavy Armor] <<Heaven’s Embrace>> 2 MIT, 1 REGEN
Description: A steel breastplate with ornate writing on it around the collar, arms, and waist. The breastplate is bright silver in color, with a golden trim on the plate edges.

Equipped [T1 Perfect Shield] <<Hawk>> 2 THORN, 1 REGEN
Description: The shield is a shiny, polished silver color with a hawk on the front. 

Equipped [T1 Perfect 1H Straight Sword] <<Deliverance>> 2 DMG, BLEED
Description: This is a one-handed sword made in the old English style. It is quite hefty. The handle is made of polished silver.

 

Battle-Ready Inventory
(5) Starter Healing Potions (Heals 50 HP)
(5) T1 Health Potions of Uncommon Quality (Replenishes 40 HP)
(1) T1 Damage Potion of Uncommon Quality (+1 DMG)
(1) T1 Over-Health Potion (+50 HP)

 

Edited November 30, 2019 by Joanne

[Dederick 0]

Spoiler

Stats
Level: 6
HP: 120
EN: 12
DMG: 4
MIT: 32
THORNS: 18
Regen 1

Skills
- One-Handed Straight Sword (Rank 1)
>>> +1 DMG

- Block (Rank 1)
>>> +5 MIT

Equipment
- Stormcaller (T1 Perfect One-Handed Straight Sword)
>>> +2 DMG
>>> Paralyze 1

- Tarn Mirror (T1 Perfect Shield)
>>> +9 MIT
>>> +18 Thorns

- Battleplate of Deaf Honor (T1 Perfect Heavy Armor)
>>> +18 MIT
>>> Regen 1

Battle-Ready Inventory
- Healing Rub - Restores 40 HP
- (3) Starter Healing Potions - Restores 50 HP

When Dederick received the message prompt from Joanne, he didn't even bother opening it. There wasn't a shot in hell he was going to repeat his blunder from before. He didn't need to read it, anyways. He knew exactly what she was reaching out to him for.  The continuation of the quest line. 

When he approached the shop, he caught Joanne walking out. "Fancy meeting you here," he mused, shifting beneath his armor. "I take it you wanted to  get started on the rest of the quest line, right? We're still technically in the same party, so I guess I got the quest prompt when you accepted it. And given where you are, I can't really think of any other reason."

There was a slight pause.

"Boar tusks, huh? Sounds easy. Shouldn't take us more than an hour or two, right?" A childish mischief began to play in his eyes. "That means we'll have some time for beef stew after, right?"

[Joanne 0]

 "Fancy meeting you here," Dederick greeted Joanne as she practically ran into him while leaving the blacksmith's shop.

A warm smile played across her lips. "Hello, Dederick. I was hoping you'd come along soon." As she listened to him explain the party system, she nodded her head. He knows everything about this game already, she thought to herself, amazed. She herself was not one for technology or figuring out how the systems in games even really worked. She was glad she at least knew how to attack and block. 

 "That means we'll have some time for beef stew after, right?" Joanne laughed lightly and reached out to hold Dederick's hand. "Of course. I'll always have time to go get beef stew with you no matter what." She squeezed his hand affectionately. "How about we head out to the fields North of town once more?" she asked as she led the way towards the gate leading out of town. She was excited that she was able to spend a day with him once more. Her heart was light with glee. 

@Dederick

[Dederick 0]

When she offered her hand, Dederick graciously accepted it. No longer was he nervous about such a thing, in fact it felt more natural than ever. The companionship they shared seemed closer than usual friends, and he was okay with that. What reason did he have to reject such innocent affection? "Absolutely," he replied with a warm smile, sauntering along with her as she led the way to the northern fields.

Once they got there, it was clear that today was going to be a tad different than the day before. It was slightly overcast, and smelled like rain. None had fallen yet, but Dederick felt as though it was only a matter of time. "Guess we might get some rain today," he mused as he looked up into the murky clouds. "I actually really like the rain, especially on a hot day like today. I just hope our armor doesn't attract lightning." The last bit was delivered with a light laugh and a gentle jab from his elbow. He was joking, of course. Lightning didn't really behave like that in Aincrad.

Unless... it did. In which case it was pretty stupid for them to be out in the field at a time like this. But he didn't really care. As long as he was with Joanne, he felt like everything would be alright.

[Joanne 0]

Joanne looked up at the sky as Dederick mentioned, "Guess we might get some rain today." Her gray-blue eyes matched the color of the clouds above them. She looked over at Dederick and smiled. "Then we better get this quest taken care of so we can head back and dry ourselves by a warm fire with a hot cup of cocoa." 

"I actually really like the rain, especially on a hot day like today. I just hope our armor doesn't attract lightning," he continued on. Her eyes widened at the lightening comment, and she shifted in her armor nervously. "I like the rain as well, but not so much the lightening." She felt a nudge by Dederick and looked down, smiling. Ah, he had been joking. She laughed lightly with him. Hopefully there wouldn't be any lightening either way. Joanne was scared of it as well as thunder due to a lightening storm one year when she was younger. A chance lightening strike had hit one of their barns and set it ablaze, killing several of their horses in the process. Joanne shivered at the memory, remembering the chaos and panic as she followed her da, trying to get the barn doors open in time... She closed her eyes and let the memory fade away. 

@Dederick

[Dederick 0]

Dederick felt her quiver, and when he looked, she had her eyes slammed shut. It seemed that his comment had bothered her a lot more than he had meant for it to.

"Hey, it's alright," he said, giving her hand a light squeeze. "As long as we're together, nothing bad is going to happen. I've got you." He hoped that his reassurance would help bring her back from whatever edge she had just found herself at the fringe of. 

Luckily, it appeared as though they were nearing the spot. Tree cover now offered them a bit of a buffer between themselves and the clouds looming above. All that there was left to do now was locate the spawn zone of the boars. He looked around, but didn't see any obvious signs.

"Hey, did the quest give you any location data on where exactly to go? It could take us forever to search a forest this big."

[Joanne 0]

The squeeze of her hand helped bring Joanne back to reality. She realized her breathing had quickened as she had revisited the past memory. She focused on slowing her breathing down for now. "As long as we're together, nothing bad is going to happen. I've got you," she heard Dederick say as she regained her focus. Joanne smiled weakly and squeezed his hand back. "Thank you, Dederick. I just had a bad memory with lightning is all." She sighed and took a deep breath in. "I'll tell you about it when we get back into town, okay?" she said, her eyes focused on the man beside her. I'm lucky to have found him, she thought to herself, her heart warm with gratitude and... another emotion. Was this love? She had never felt this type of love before (besides the love you have for your mum or da), so she was unsure. 

"Hey, did the quest give you any location data on where exactly to go? It could take us forever to search a forest this big."

Joanne quickly brought up her map (one of the few things she had figured out to do quickly in the game) and saw that the whole area around them was highlighted. "Um, well I suppose we just walk around until we find one-" she began to explain. All of a sudden, a tiny boar pup burst from out of the bushes and ran in circles in front of the pair. "I see," Joanne said, a bit surprised, as she brought out her blade and raised her shield. 

As soon as the boar pup noticed the pair, it charged towards Joanne. She lowered her shield, the boar pup bouncing off of it. Then the enhancement on the shield activated, sending thorns into the small animal. The pup burst into pixels and left a tusk in its place. Joanne walked over and picked the item up. "One down and two more to go," she said, smiling over at Dederick. 

@Dederick

Spoiler

snake bite vs. boar pup
Roll ID#: 130719
BD: 2 fail
MD: 7 success (thorns activated, regen activated)

loot of boar pup 1
Roll ID#: 130720
LD: 18 (success)

Joanne: 140 - (3 - 26) = 139/140 HP | 14 - 2 = 12/14 EN | 4 DMG | 9-10 BLD | 26 MIT | 2 REGEN (10 TOTAL) (1/3) | 2 THORN (18 DMG total)

vs. 

Boar pup 1: 5 - 18 = 0/5 HP | 3 DMG

1/3 boar pup tusks found

Edited November 30, 2019 by Joanne

[Dederick 0]

Dederick clapped as he witnessed Joanne make quick work of the baby boar. "Upgraded your armor a bit, I see!" he mused, recognizing the damage that had been delivered as Thorns. "That's a good call. I can't tell you how many times Thorns has saved my hide. Now, about the rest of those tusks..."

Dederick darted past the bush the first one had emerged from, finding another three hiding just beyond. "Thought so," he mused as he drew his sky-colored sword from its sheath. After a moment, it became imbued with an amber light, and he dashed forward, ripping into the pack with a single swing of his blade in a wide arc. Tow of the Boar Pups crumpled under the weight of the attack, but the third managed to avoid taking any damage and dashed in. 

It bounced pitifully off of Dederick's breastplate with a dull thud, rolling back across the ground. "Wow. They really are harmless, aren't they?" Since it seemed he had ample time to check, he opened his menu and checked the loot from the last two kills, giving Joanne a nod as he dismissed the panel. "Looks like I nabbed one, too."
 

Spoiler

Dederick: HP: 120-1=119/120 | EN: 12-6=6/12 | DMG: 4 | MIT: 32 | THORNS: 18 | REGEN 1 | PARALYZE 1

Dederick used [x2 AoE] Rage Spike, -2 EN

Boar Pup 1: HP: 5-8=0/5 | DMG: 3 | ID: 130722 | BD: 8, Hit for 4x2=8 DMG | Boar Pup 1 defeated | -2 EN
Boar Pup 2: HP: 5/5 | DMG: 3 | ID: 130723 | BD: 1, Miss | MD: 9, Crit for 4-32=1 DMG | REGEN ACTIVATES
Boar Pup 3: HP: 5-8=0/5 | DMG: 3 | ID: 130724 | BD: 6, Hit for 4x2=8 DMG | Boar Pup 3 defeated | -2 EN
-6 ENERGY TOTAL

Looting:
Boar Pup 1
ID: 130725
LD: 1
Looting failed.

Boar Pup 3
ID: 130726
LD: 17
1/3 Boar Pup Tusks acquired.

 

[Joanne 0]

"Upgraded your armor a bit, I see!" Joanne nodded and smiled, glad that he had noticed. She realized that she had needed a bit more damage-dealing enhancements to make things easier. 

She watched as Dederick faced three boars, taking out two of them instantly. She clapped excitedly. "Good job, love," she called as she saw the two enemies burst into pixels. The third one managed to just bounce off of the man's armor. "Wow. They really are harmless, aren't they?" Dederick said. Joanne laughed and agreed. "Yes, it seems like it will be an easy quest today." 

She watched as he picked up one of the boar pup tusks that he needed. "Ah, good!" Then a small grin came to her lips. "How about we make a deal? Whoever collects all of the boar pup tusks last has to pay for dessert?" 

As she waited for his response, two more boar pups burst out of the bushes and raced towards her. Her blade glowed a light blue hue as she slashed twice against the second boar pup, her blade shattering into pixels. She turned to face the third boar pup, but it had run too far away for her to hit it. She then turned to check the ground to see if the second boar pup had dropped anything. Nothing. She gave a light sigh and stood up, turning back to Dederick and smiling. "Seems we're still even." 

@Dederick

Spoiler

rage spike vs. boar pup 2
Roll ID#: 130761
BD: 10 (+2 crit)

rage spike vs. boar pup 3
Roll ID#: 130762 
BD: 5 fail
MD: 3 fail

loot of boar pup 2
Roll ID#: 130763
LD: 5 fail

Joanne: 139 + 10 = 140/140 HP | 12 - (2 + 2) + 1 = 9/14 EN | 4 DMG | 9-10 BLD (1/2)| 26 MIT | 2 REGEN (10 TOTAL) (1/3) | 2 THORN (18 DMG total)

vs.

Boar Pup 2: 5 - (4 + 2) * 2  - 12 = 0/5 HP | 3 DMG
Boar Pup 3: 5/5 HP | 3 DMG

1/3 boar pup tusks found

Edited November 30, 2019 by Joanne

[Dederick 0]

"That sounds like fun! But I hope you're ready to pay," he teased as another pair of Boar Pups accosted her. Since it seemed as though she would have her hands full, Dederick turned his attention back to the Boar Pup that had struck his breastplate just moments before. It appeared timid - scared, really. But there was a defiant gleam in its eye. Dederick liked that, even though he knew there wasn't a chance it would survive. There was something endearing about it. Perhaps he would pick up a baby boar as a familiar one day?

No, that just seemed foolish.

When it charged him again, he was ready. His shield took the hit this time, and the moment a flash of blue left its reflective surface and surged into the pig, it burst into a cloud of shimmering blue pixels. There was no loot to be found, but slaying another one of the arrogant creatures was satisfying. "Still tied. Wonder if that one you're working on will put you in the lead?"
 

Spoiler

Dederick: HP: 119+5-1=119/120 | EN: 6+1=7/12 | DMG: 4 | MIT: 32 | THORNS: 18 | REGEN 1 | PARALYZE 1
Regen: Turn 1/3

Dederick used [x0] No Action, -0 EN

Boar Pup 2: HP: 5-18=0/5 | DMG: 3 | ID: 130909 | BD: x | MD: 6, Hit for 3-32=1 DMG | THORNS DEALS 18 DMG | Boar Pup 2 defeated | REGEN REFRESHED

Looting:
Boar Pup 2
ID: 130910
LD: 6
Looting failed.

 

Edited December 2, 2019 by Dederick

[Joanne 0]

Under her helmet, Joanne grinned playfully. "Let's hope so!" she threw back towards Dederick as he asked if the boar would put her into the lead. She turned back to face the small, brown boar, which was now charging towards her with its small tusks thrust forward.

Joanne heard Dederick's voice faintly in the background as she focused in on her target. Her breathing slowed as she slowly brought her arm up and back into a lunging position. She waited, letting the small beast grow ever closer to her, staying perfectly still the whole time. Slash! Slash! Slash! In three quick moves, she sliced through the beast, moving quicker than the lightening that threatened to make its appearance out of the clouds above them. She let the breath she had been holding out and walked over to where the boar had just been. 

Bending down, she saw the usual glint hinting at a dropped item. She picked up a small, white tusk and put it into her inventory. Turning around towards her partner, she removed her helmet briefly to get some fresh air. "Just one left for me!" she called happily.

@Dederick 

Quote

snake bite vs. boar pup 3
Roll ID#: 134848
BD: 9 (+1 crit)
DMG total: (4+1) * 2 = 10 DMG + 12 BLD = 22 DMG

loot of boar pup 3
Roll ID#: 134849
LD: 13 (success)

Joanne: 140/140 HP | 9 + 1 - 3 = 7/14 EN | 4 DMG | 9-10 BLD (1/2)| 26 MIT | 2 REGEN (10 TOTAL) | 2 THORN (18 DMG total)

vs.

Boar Pup 2: 5 - (4 + 2) * 2  - 12 = 0/5 HP | 3 DMG
Boar Pup 3: 5 - 22 = 0/5 HP | 3 DMG

2/3 boar pup tusks found

Edited January 24, 2020 by Joanne

[Dederick 0]

"Awesome job!" Dederick congratulated enthusiastically. "Guess I've gotta catch up now," he mused, looking around for another pack of the tiny vermin. He stepped forward, scrutinized a patch of brush, then swept an oversized leaf aside. Hiding beneath were three more of the very creatures he sought to hunt. "Found you, you little pests."

He charged up a Sword Art. Released it. Heard his sword whistle through the air. Then blinked in confusion. One? He'd only hit one of them? And he hadn't even gotten a Boar Tusk out of it. Bewildered by his utter failure, he hardly even noticed that the remaining two Boar Pups were cowering before him. He craned his neck to the side, toward Joanne, and let loose a disappointed sigh. "That didn't go as well as I'd hoped. Any luck on your end?"

It wasn't any fun to be behind, and falling further and further back the longer this went on. But he did genuinely hold hope that she was having better luck than he was.
 

Spoiler

Dederick: HP: 119+1=120/120 | EN: 7+1-4=4/12 | DMG: 4 | MIT: 32 | THORNS: 18 | REGEN 1 | PARALYZE 1
Regen: Turn 1/3

Dederick used [x2 AoE] Rage Spike, -2 EN

Boar Pup 4: HP: 5/5 | DMG: 3 | ID: 135872 | BD: 4, Miss | MD: 2, Miss
Boar Pup 5: HP: 5/5 | DMG: 3 | ID: 135873 | BD: 5, Miss | MD: 1, Miss 
Boar Pup 6: HP: 5-10=0/5 | DMG: 3 | ID: 135874 | BD: 9, Crit for 5x2=10 DMG | Boar Pup 6 defeated | -2 EN
-6 ENERGY TOTAL

Looting:
Boar Pup 1
ID: 135875
LD: 6
Looting failed.

 

[Joanne 0]

Joanne turned to answer Dederick's question when suddenly another boar pup leaped out from the brush and charged towards her. "Oh. Give me one second," she replied as she re-equipped her helmet and readied her sword and shield. She braced herself as the small beast rushed towards her. Her shield in front of her, she felt only a slight tap as the boar pup hit her shield, bouncing harmlessly off. The thorn enchantment activated once more, skewering the little pup with green thorns. 

Quickly, she knelt down where the beast had fallen, checking for any loot. But to her disappointment, the boar had dropped none. She stood back up and turned towards Dederick. "It seems like we're both having a harder time at this than usual," she said, smiling warmly. She watched Dederick face the other boar pups as she waited for another to spawn. Hopefully these next few boar pups would drop useful tusks. 

@Dederick

Spoiler

snake bite vs. boar pup 5
Roll ID#: 136013
BD: 2 fail
MD: 7 success

loot of boar pup 5
Roll ID#: 136014
LD: 2 fail

Joanne: 140 - 1 = 139/140 HP | 7 + 1 - 2 = 6/14 EN | 4 DMG | 9-10 BLD | 26 MIT | 2 REGEN (10 TOTAL) | 2 THORN (18 DMG total)
Thorn dmg: 18

vs. 

Boar pup 5: 5 - 18 = 0/5 HP | 3 DMG
DMG: 3 - 27 = 1

Edited February 18, 2020 by Joanne