[PP-F1] The First Quest <<The First Few Lessons are Free>> (with Solei)

[Tanoshi 0]

Spoiler

Stats
Level 1
HP: 20/20 | EN:2/2 | DMG: 4 | MIT: 0 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 0

Skills
*Weapon Skills
>>Novice Two-Handed Weapons (+3 base damage)

Sword Arts

Rank 1

[x2 AoE] Blast (2 Energy +2 per target hit) - A pair of horizontal sweeping strokes that hits multiple targets.

[x2] Straight (2 Energy) - Begins with the player bending their knees before thrusting forward with a singular powerful strike covering the gap between you and your opponent

.Equipments

Weapon(s): Rare T1 Two-Handed Straight Sword (+1 ACC, Bleed)
Armor(s): Vanity Leather Armor

Battle-ready Inventory

1) 3 Starter Healing Potions (heals 50 HP)
2)
3)
4)
5)

It was another day in this strange world for Tanoshi, he had learnt quite some new things since the first day he got here and he finally had the gut to take quests, getting stronger, he no longer feared of dying because he knew that if he didn't risk his lives, he might as well never got to leave this virtual world. As he was zooming through the Town of Beginning, he spotted a strange NPC, one he didn't see before. Could be a quest NPC! he thought, he knew that if an NPC was to be in the Town of Beginning, the quest was gonna be easy, suitable for him so he approached the NPC old man, greeting him. After a series of interactions, Tanoshi was given the quest <<The First Few Lessons are Free>> by the old man. The boy opened the quest menu and took a look at all the objectives he need to complete in order to receive the rewards. He sighed and closed the window, believing that it could be a bit dangerous to go alone, he set off to find a party. 
@Solei

Edited February 5, 2020 by Tanoshi

[Solei 0]

Solei peeked through the crack of the door. They don't see him. Freedom! He slowly shut the door and sped off. 

Course, he felt bad for Andromeda, but ever since Athena had gone missing and Hydravion barely being around, he had been rotating his roles with Andromeda quite often. . . today was a lazy day, of course. He needed to find some materials for his shop. He couldn't live on his limited supply forever. 

The bluenette stretched his hands above his head as he let out a relieved sigh. This was good. He needed time off of. . . work? Would this really be considered a place of work? He sighed and shook his head. No, it was more than that, but everybody needed a break once in a while, right?

He hummed to himself as he passed by countless food and vendor stalls. It seemed pretty busy in the Town of Beginnings today, not that he'd really know though. He only gets out once every blue moon or whatever.

[Tanoshi 0]

Tanoshi decided to firstly stop by the different food stalls before taking the quest as he want to fill his empty stomach. Standing from a fair distance, he could already smell the warming and comfortable scent of breads. Just as he was walking to the stall of bread, he noticed something better, not any kind of food, but a boy. 

A guy that was possibly a few years older than him, a guy with beautiful gray hair, a type of hair he had never seen before. Tanoshi felt like he had found his party member, he could feel that this boy wasn't like the others, so he decided to request some help from him.

Soon, Tanoshi was standing in front of the other boy, then, he was shocked by his height, That guy is approximately 10cm taller than me...impressive! then, Tanoshi felt a bit awkward as he hadn't asked anyone for help in this game before, it would be easier to do so in other games. Tanoshi cleared his throat, about to spoke but a wave of random thoughts came at him, what if the boy wasn't a good person? Tanoshi couldn't trust a stranger at all, then he shook his head and spoke, better taking a shot he guess?

"Uhm, sorry, good morning! Can you help me with a quest please?"

Tanoshi made eye contact with the boy, which was a bit hard because he had to look up all the time.

[Solei 0]

Solei blinked when an unfamiliar player came up — or down— to him. . . for help? On a quest? He didn’t know if he should be flattered or not. 

He gave the boy a sheepish smile. “Are you sure you want my help for a quest? I don’t do any damage, like, I literally do not attack. I’m a full time healer,” he explained, giving a nervous smile.

And a full time caretaker apparently.

”I mean, I’d be happy to accompany you if it’s some kind of gathering quest, though,” he added, his eyes trailing up and down the player a few time since before he smiled warmly. He didn’t look like he was a higher level than him, but he could be wrong? He never really, y’know, interacted with players as much as he’d like to, unless you counted the kids he had back at the. . . orphanage.

[Tanoshi 0]

When asked about whether he truly wanted to be accompanied on this quest, Tanoshi nodded his head unceasingly, then he looked down, thinking that the other guy must had felt pretty random to be asked out. Tanoshi looked up and scratched the back of his head, slightly blushing. Awkward....  he thought, did he even have any integrity? He was just going up to a stranger and asked, which could be pretty rude. Tanoshi then attempted to read the guy's facial expression...he was smiling, could be good? Guess Tanoshi would never know... Tanoshi would actually feel great with a Healer assisting him, his life would feel less threatened actually. He told the other guy:

"Yes! I am taking <<The First Lesson Is Free>> which seems like a beginner's quest, and the fact that you are a Healer is really good as I'm a DPS! My name is Tanoshi."

Anyone with the ability to understand Japanese would definitely know that "Tanoshi" is the word for "fun". The reason he named himself Tanoshi was because he seeked fun from this game, he wanted it to be an escape from the harsh reality...

[Solei 0]

“Oh, really? Alright then, I suppose I don’t mind going with you. I was just about to leave to go gathering anyway,” he said with a bright smile. “Ah, right, sorry,” he extended his hand to Tanoshi, somewhat recognizing his name because he was an absolute bilingual pro. “My name is Solei, but you can call me any variation of it if you want.”

“Assuming we’re on the same level, I might not heal you much if you need it. . . But I got healing crystals from my shop, so that’ll be helpful if we were to need it,” he chirped, opening his menu before selecting a blue healing crystal from his inventory. “I played the song myself!” He said with slight pride. All those guitar lessons were worth it! 

“So about this quest, I did it a while ago. It’s fairly easy, but do you have an item to boost your luck with finding materials or something?”

[Tanoshi 0]

Tanoshi extended his hand out as well, shaking the hands on Solei, he gave the boy a welcoming smile and said:

"It's a pleasure to see you Solei, thank you very much for assisting me in this quest."

Then, as Solei brought up the topic of healing crystals, he was a bit confused as he didn't know what that was. People called him a rookie, a noob. He scratched his head and smiled awkwardly, looking at Solei.

"What is a healing crystal...? Why do you play the song? What do you mean by all that?"

While he was talking, he didn't attempt to hide the confusion in his voice, he wanted Solei to know that he wasn't very good at this game. Moreover, when Solei asked him about items that boost his luck, he tilted his head to the right, his mouth wide-opened, if an item like that exist, he could be able to find materials fairly easy, he wanted to have one so bad but he didn't want to ask for one, so he just asked a question.

"There are items that boost our luck?!"

 

[Solei 0]

Solei smiled along with a sweat drop. He couldn’t really blame him.

”Well, I’m a performer, so I make support and rebuff songs. I perform songs and I’m able to record them into these little crystals,” he explained, juggling his blue crystal between his hands a few times before he held it up to him.

”This particular crystal has a guitar reconstruction of a song from the Beatles, Blackbirds,” he said excitedly, remembering how his father had taught him that song a few years into him learning it. “Course, I hope I never am going to have to use it, but if I do, I hope it sounds good.”

Solei gave him a reassuring smile before he nodded her over towards the town exit. “You have much to learn, young grasshopper,” he chuckled, his hands dipping into his pockets. “I’ll explain it to you on the way. Let’s go get you some materials first,” he said, gesturing for the player to follow him.

[Tanoshi 0]

Tanoshi was concentrating on Solei's speech, realizing that he was too inexperienced and he still had a lot of things to learn. If I am this rookie, when will I be able to join the frontlines and get myself out of this game? He looked down at his feet and let out a deep sigh, expressing his concerns. Tashino hoped that he would be able to survive this quest with some help from Solei, the boy was clearly knew more than he did. Tanoshi was impressed by the idea that songs could be used as a mean to support, items like those would definitely decrease someone's chance of dying. He felt good for having Solei with him.

"The Beatles? That's nice, not many people nowadays appreciate classical music! I can play the piano myself, took a few classes but I haven't managed to play many musical pieces yet..."

Grasshopper?! Tashino raised an eyebrow in disbelief hearing what Solei just called him, Solei must be teasing him. Though, he just coped with it and jogged after Solei, excited to finally start his first quest.

@Solei

[Solei 0]

"Yeah, my pops always loved blasting The Beatles from the speaker late in the afternoon," Solei said a slight smile, though faltering when he felt a pang of homesickness in his heart.

He sighed as he tilted his chin up to look at the sky. "I guess I should really start explaining, huh?" He murmured, chuckling briefly before he tilted his head slightly to give Tanoshi a small wink. "Well, for starters, yes, there are items that enhance our luck. Luck can factor in a bunch of things, from some battle mechanics to gathering," he explained, abruptly stopping for a second as he opened his HUD menu, revealing his inventory. He gave Tanoshi a quick smile before he selected an item he had gotten a while back, but still used today.

A pair of gray fingerless gloves materialized in his hands as he pulled them on. "Like, these," he exclaimed, holding up his now gloved hands. "I use these to help me gather for my shop," he said, his voice trailing off as a glimmer of light caught his eye from under his feet.

"Ah, here's one!" He said cheerfully, bending down to grasp the blueish crystal in his hand before showing it to Tanoshi. "Course, you can just have good luck in general, but luck items tend to typically improve it."

ID: 135580 LD: 19, +1 Material

[Tanoshi 0]

He felt jealous by hearing different people talking about their fathers... He had never got on well with his own. To many people, his father was a successful businessman, a wise man, bla bla bla. However, they never saw his other side. He was cold toward his own family, too busy for work that his children barely get to see him, Tanoshi had always believed that someone like his father wasn't worthy of becoming a father. There were times that he actually thought it would be better if he never got out of this game...

Solei's explanation finally begun. Throughout the whole commentary, the boy carefully listened, he thought that this game was all about swords, armors, and shields but it turned out to be false. Supporting items, in fact, do exist and they would make his life a lot easier. He should really get a pair of gloves like Solei as this wasn't his only gathering quest, he'd got many more along the way. Then, he was surprised by how Solei just bent down and a material appeared in his hand, impressive!

"Where do you get those?!"

Upon asking the question, he bent down as well, trying to see if the magic worked.

 

 

 

 

Spoiler

Roll ID: #135582
LD: 20

Yes, the magic really worked. As he reached for the ground, a piece of material appeared in his hand.

Edited February 7, 2020 by Tanoshi

[Solei 0]

"See, you're getting the hang of it," Solei complimented with a grin. "As for where I got them. . . I bought them at an old pal's shop. He's actually located somewhere in the Town of Beginnings I think. Yeah, he used to deliver supplies to the orphanage I helped run, so we went a while back I suppose. I can help you find it once we're done with this quest if you want?" He offered, tilting his head at the player with a childish smile.

"He's a real nice guy. He helped me even open my own shop. . !" He exclaimed, smiling to himself as he remembered the countless holes Bahr and him and stuck their hands down in search for materials for him to craft. "And if you're in any need for some support or debuff crystals, I totally recommend going to my shop!" He chimed, giving the player a thumbs up. "Prices are cheap but I can't assure that I'll have my shelves stocked anytime soon."

ID: 135583 LD: 2+3=5, Fail

[Tanoshi 0]

Tanoshi was delighted that he had met such a good guy. There were people in Sword Art Online that would try to buy your trust and then assassinate you for whatever you have on your body. However, Tanoshi could feel that this guy was different than many other players, from the way he talked to the way he acted, so Tanoshi could consider him reliable and trustworthy, despite that they had just met each other.

"A friend? That really sounds nice. He must be a really good person! Also, I would truly appreciate it if you can find me one. Oh and you have a shop? That's nice, will pay a visit sometimes."

Tanoshi gave Solei a grin, as a reply to his childish smile. As he was walking, he tried to guess how old the guy was in real life, as he looked pretty young, and somewhat cute, could be one or two years older than him? Or maybe younger...?

After some time walking, both of them had completely left the safe protection of the city and into the training fields. Tanoshi watched his steps closely, being on high cautious for materials.

Spoiler

Roll ID: #135584
LD: 4
No materials found

 

Edited February 7, 2020 by Tanoshi

[Solei 0]

"Yeah, he is pretty great," Solei murmured as he turned his head to the sky again. It's actually been a while since he had seen Bahr. No doubt he was probably on the frontlines now. He was a strong player. He knew how to get things done and how to do it fast. It was really quite incredible.

"That would be great," he exclaimed, turning his attention back to the player with an excited grin. "I don't have much at the moment, I'm always busy with my kids and stuff so I barely have enough time to craft anything," the bluenette gave a short sigh as he rubbed the back of his neck.

Right. Things have been busier since Athena had gone missing and Hydravion constantly gone. Andromeda was here but it still wasn't enough. He scratched his chin. Perhaps he should go find an older player to help now? The thought alone scared him, though. The caretakers had all been there since day one, and now he had to find someone after more than two years? The thought didn't really sit too well with him. Of course, the best candidates were probably on the front lines or on their way there, and he wouldn't want to possibly halt the progress of the completion of floors just because he didn't have enough hands at the church. . . yet he wasn't sure if he could really recruit anyone on the lower floors. . . if they hadn't gained enough strength to be on the intermediate floors after two years, could he really trust them with handling children?

 

[Tanoshi 0]

Tanoshi himself also had a "great friend" as well, didn't he? The one that was willing to show up whenever Tanoshi needed him most. The one that cheered the boy up whenever he was unhappy. Hiroto was also the one that gave up his life for Vanessa and Tanoshi. He wondered what would change if Hiroto was still around. The only thing that Tanoshi wanted was to revive Hiroto, let him live a life he deserved to have. However, Tanoshi still had Vanessa, a girl he hadn't seen much since Hiroto's death, sometimes, she would appear and assist Tanoshi in several things. Memories were flooding back as Tanoshi take his steps into the field because it was also in this exact same area that the tragedy happened.

Anyways, Tanoshi needed to be on high alert for the materials required for this quest. He was listening to Solei throughout the path as he looked around for materials. Suddenly, there was a part in Solei's words that troubled Tanoshi.

"I don't have much at the moment, I'm always busy with my kids and stuff so I barely have enough time to craft anything," 

Kids, he has kids...?! No way, he looked so young! Or it could be the player I am talking with here is 30 or 40 years old already...?

"Y-You have kids?!" Tanoshi asked in disbelief. "No way!"

Spoiler

Roll ID: #135678
LD: 2

 

Edited February 10, 2020 by Tanoshi

[Solei 0]

Solei blinked at Tanoshi before spitting out his water-- metaphorically, of course.

"Gah!" He wheezed, pounding at his chest before giving the player a weak smile. "N-no! That's not what I meant," he said quickly, holding up his hands with a nervous expression. "Sorry if that caught you by surprise," he laughed, sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked at his feet. 

"You remember how I told you about the orphanage and such? I sometimes just call the kids I take care of my kids, it's something I used to do with my brothers and sisters back in the real world since I was the oldest," he sighed, feeling another pang of homesickness before he smiled sheepishly at Tanoshi.

"I'm way too young to be having kids anytime soon, plus I've never been a relationship before, so it's not like I have a solid chance of having any, either," he said with a blank face before sighing.

God damn, he was lonely.

[Tanoshi 0]

Of course, Tanoshi chuckled, wondering what he had been thinking. Indeed, Solei seemed to had mentioned an orphanage recently in the conversation, but Tanoshi was too focused in gathering materials so he didn't pick every pieces of information up. A job in the orphanage sounded like a really nice job, you would get to help children whose parents are long gone. He wanted to apply to a similar job when he get to leave this death game. He should stop thinking too much about the future and focus on the road ahead instead. So Tanoshi kept walking, paying close attention to materials.

"Hey so, how old are you?" Tanoshi asked Solei in curiosity because the boy claimed that he was too young to have children on his own.

Spoiler

Looting:
Roll ID: #135708
LD: 10

Tanoshi paid attention to his surrounding, fear that he might lose a few pieces of material by accident and so far, he had only found one of them, he seriously needed a skill, a buff of some sort.

Edited February 11, 2020 by Tanoshi

[Solei 0]

"That's a very straight up question," he mused, flashing the boy a small grin before he crossed her arms over one another. "I'm twenty-four at the moment, soon to be twenty-five in a few months," he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I suppose some people already have kids at my age. . . but I have too many people in the real world who are like kids to me already, so I don't know if I'll be planning to have kids once I get back to the real world," he mumbled, scratching his chin with a sigh.

"What about you?" He asked, tilting his head at Tanoshi. He didn't look older than Solei himself, but maybe enough to be in his twenties by now? Age was one of the thing he was horrible at guessing, after all.

Solei sniffed before unequipping his jacket. It felt too warm to be wearing that, plus it wasn't like he was going into battle anytime soon, right? 

"So," he paused, trying to start up a conversation. "What kinda of build are you planning to do?"

[Tanoshi 0]

"Twenty-four?"

Tanoshi restated what Solei just said, confusion in his tone. He had never expected a 25-year-old guy to look this young. Just a slight look at Solei gave Tanoshi an impression that the boy would be around fourteen or fifteen, he looked just like a high school student. Maybe it was just Tanoshi's expected appearance for someone in their mid-20s that was wrong. He sticked his tongue out playfully and added.

"You seem really young, thought you were around 15 or 14..."

Just at Tanoshi ended his response, Solei asked Tanoshi what his age was, a question which Tanoshi tilted his head to a side to. He hadn't kept track of time since he got here, but it felt like a really long time so he figured that he would be in his early 20s by now.

"When I entered the game, I was like...16? However, I don't even know how old I am at the moment."

Spoiler

Gathering Materials
Roll ID: #136312
LD: 2 (fail)

 

Edited February 22, 2020 by Tanoshi