[E3] PP - F21 Dark Velvety Chocolate <<Nature's Treasure>>

[Baldur 0]

Baldur smiled as they had made so much progress on this fishing trip that he had somehow accidentally dropped into when he had been exploring the caves for another fishing spot. Then the flume had sucked Baldur back into Shield's hidden grotto. It was a strangely productive day.

"Yea Cal, you're definitely joining the guild." Baldur got a huge [censored] eating grin on his face. "After all, as my kohai, you'll hold a special place in the guild hierarchy." His blue eyes twinkled with mischief as he teased the highest leveled player in Aincrad. How long had it been since he the young Calrex, still in the single digits, had come into Baldur's shop and asked for a healing potion. Baldur had wanted to make sure the young player survived, so he threw in a free extra.

I never would have known or could have expected the friendship I would get out of that.

"I will say... I know recruiting can be tough, and sometimes laborious, but I also think back to the first time I met all of you. Calrex hadn't hit double digit levels, yet he's grown to become one of my closest friends. Oikawa was one of the first people I ever partied with, long before either of us were in a guild or had seen the frontlines, yet we learned to stand shoulder to shoulder as brothers. And Shield, you have ended up becoming one of the few people I feel I can truely let down my guard around because we're adults in the land of all these damn kids who won't get off my lawn."

Baldur laughed and threw them all another jovial grin.

"We never know where these bonds will come from, or where they will lead to. But friends are the most valuable commodity in life, and we spend entirely too little time gathering them. With this guild, we're going to build a family, we're going to find new friends, and we're going to move forward so we can get the hell out of this game."

He reeled in his catch, which was much less inspiring than his words were. At least, he hoped.

---

ID#143143
CD: 6 (1 Material, +1 Housing Bonus)
LD: 8+3=11 (6 eggs)

Baldur's Haul:
Material: 30
Eggs: 68

Edited April 21, 2020 by Baldur

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

Opening Chest - ID# 143144 results: Loot: 3+7=10

• [8-11] = 1,575 Col, 3 T3 materials, 2 rare consumables

Total Loot:

Eggs: 110
Materials: 26
Col: 1,000
Rare Consumables: [143144a] [143144b]

"Back when I first wandered into your shop and had you botch that ID, I hadn't even picked out my profession yet," Shield said, hearkening back to the first interaction the two old players had shared. "Who would have expected me to surpass you as Aincrad's top merchant, eh?" He strode over to the chest that Calrex had unearthed, or rather, unwatered, and knelt down beside it. He pulled out the ring off golden keys that he kept at his hip and extended one of them towards the lock. The item vanished in a puff of gold dust, and the lid cracked open. The display for the chest was as disappointing as he had seen. "There is just an abundance of these subpar chests lately,"  he sighed.

Straightening up, he opened a transfer window to send Calrex his loot, subtracting out the at-cost value of the key he had used. "Sorry about that. Usually chests are a little more reliable for me. Maybe Aincrad is trying to balance out all of the extra loot that's being handed out from the event." With the items and Col sent, he turned around and returned to fishing.

Inventory Transfer

Shield wishes to send you: 575 Col, 3 T3 materials   Accept [O]                Decline [X]

 

Edited April 23, 2020 by Shield

[Oikawa 1]

Spoiler

ID: 143145 CD: 4 [+0 Material(s) Found + Chocolate Eggs Found] LD: 9 (6+3) [+4 Chocolate Eggs Founds]

Total Eggs: 80

Total Materials: 19

"Oh Shield has plenty of experience opening those rickety wooden boxes," explained the brunette with teasing grin. Oikawa's own haul was less than impressive to say the least. This was even more evident as Baldur spoke up about his envision of the guild and recalling the times they had met one another. Oikawa could only chuckle at the memory of their little dungeon-esque raids of hunting the upper floors, though now those floors were about ten or more floors ago. Time had surely flown since they had been in Aincrad but the samurai wasn't without truth. Their bonds and friendship blossomed no matter how unlikely given they were all cut from a different fabric.

The thought passed. Shield had manged to check-out Calrex's chest with less than stellar results. An unusual sight to see for someone of Shield's expertise. Shifting his attention to his pole, Oikawa thought out loud. "It's rather ironic that the player that mentored us has now been surpassed by all of us in some way. Even if indirectly," he said with a chuckle. "How does it feel knowing the master has been surpassed by his pupils?"

Edited April 21, 2020 by Oikawa

[Calrex 0]

Spoiler

ID: 143148
CD: 10 / 3 Materials Fished Up + Found Chocolate Eggs
LD: 7 (+2) = 9 / 4 Eggs Found

The bluenette gave a smirk at Baldur's comment, stepping back as Shield moved to unlock the chest he had fished up, "I have a feeling if I hadn't stopped in to get potions from you, I probably would have been a stain on the wall of where I fought a golem unarmed. Of course Oikawa I've come to know ever since I first decided to stop staying shut in the first floor inns and start venturing out. Shield, if I recall, I think the first time we became acquainted was when you and I both ended up dropping into a underground dungeon on the fifth floor."

With the contents of the chest opened, Calrex looked and too note of the items the other frontliner tank had procured and set up for the offer, acknowledging it with a press of the button. 

Adding fresh bait to his line he cast again, this time with a shorter waiting period before a tug on the hook indicated a bite. Moments later a moderately sized fish emerged attached to his line, along with another cluster of eggs.

Spoiler

Calrex: 76 Eggs / 39 Materials / 575 col

 

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

Fishing - ID# 143149 results: Craft: 8 [2 Materials found] Loot: 9+8=17 [8 Eggs found]

Total Loot:

Eggs: 118
Materials: 28
Col: 1,000
Rare Consumables: [143144a] [143144b]

It seemed as though the main business of establishing the baseline of the guild had passed. Although hardly a stressful thing to discuss, it still was satisfying to have the matter settled and out of the way. It made it somehow more real. More concrete.

Who knows? Maybe leaving the front lines was exactly what was needed for everything to come together.

Shield was pleased with the outing. He was well specced for making the most of a fishing trip, and as such his haul was turning out to be about on par with his past successes. "Is everyone on track to get everything they were hoping to from the event?" he asked all who were present. It was a matter of idle curiosity. His egg count was so well in hand that he had stopped keeping track. He was planning to do a final tally once the drops stopped and make his decision based on those numbers as far as how to spend the extra. It had honestly been the absolute perfect time for him to come out of hiding.

Heh. It's like the game knew just how to lure me out.

Edited April 23, 2020 by Shield

[Oikawa 1]

Spoiler

ID: 143151 CD: 5 [+1 Material(s) Found + Chocolate Eggs Found] LD: 17 (14+3) [+8 Chocolate Eggs Founds]

Total Eggs: 88

Total Materials: 20

"Aye it has been a very long time since our early days Cal. We've been on several interesting quests and adventures that it's hard to believe it’s only been a few years in this place. The Iron Black Palace comes to mind when thinking of our first couple of explorations haha." Reeling in his own haul of eight or so eggs, Oikawa tossed his line once more to try and secure another bountiful catch.

"Is everyone on track to get everything they were hoping to from the event?"

"It is as if he was reading my mind earlier... I'm on to you Shield," he thought. A grin showing in the process. "Unfortunately, I still have a little way to go. I'm on pace however to get the amount I need by the end of today if I manage to keep raking them in sets of eight." Drafting his inventory, Oikawa recounted his eggs. "Of the two-hundred and seventy-five I'm looking to obtain, I have two-hundred and forty right now." Surprised by his own count, he relented. "Welp, thirty-five more to go then."

Edited April 21, 2020 by Oikawa

[Calrex 0]

Spoiler

ID: 143153
CD: 8 / 2 Materials Fished Up + Found Chocolate Eggs
LD: 13 (+2) = 15 / 6 Eggs Found

"Heh, well with the level we're at now compared to back then, I think another visit is in order to see just how deep we can go down this time. From what I recall we didn't get very far."

Pulling in yet another fish, along with a cluster of eggs, Calrex wipes some virtual sweat from his brow before adding the haul to his inventory, taking a quick count of what he had gained from the trip. It was a nice change of pace from what he had grown accustomed to: Hanging out in the Amethyst Boutique, then stepping out whenever the next floor raid was about to commence. Being along people he knew and trusted, performing a rewarding task that didn't involve combat was a good shift.

At Shield's inquiry he felt a bead of sweat form again, "I'm in the same boat. Right now I'm barely past the halfway mark to affording an upgrade stamp, eighty-two of a hundred fifty."

"Guess this is what I get for trying to go big on the first thing I've seriously tried in a while."

 

Spoiler

Calrex: 82 Eggs / 41 Materials / 575 col

 

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

Fishing - ID# 143154 results: Craft: 3 [0 Materials found] Loot: 9+8=17 [8 Eggs found]

Total Loot:

Eggs: 120
Materials: 28
Col: 1,000
Rare Consumables: [143144a] [143144b]

Shield was a little shocked. He knew that he was being efficient and diligent, which would mean being ahead of the curve, but he hadn't realized where other players were on their counts. He had just taken for granted that those gathered would be just as fervent as he was about their gathering. "I didn't realize-" he paused, flipping through his records. "Cal, if you're short what you need, I can help you out. It sounds like the upgrade is your main concern? If so, I would gladly cover your remaining expenses if you can grab some extras of those other limited buys for me. I was using this whole event as a chance to bring my gear up to a truly better standard, and if you weren't going to be able to get them, they would be a huge help to me. I'd gladly owe you a favor." He checked his numbers, and by his figures, he was more than on track with where he needed to be, plus helping Calrex out as well.

He cast his line out into the lake, mulling over some of the memories other players had mentioned. "Actually, one might say I already do owe you one after that dungeon. That was not one of my prouder moments letting the mobs deal so much damage to you. I kept getting sidetracked and forgetting to pull aggro off of you." As he spoke, he felt a tug in his line and reeled in another plentiful bundle of eggs.

Edited April 23, 2020 by Shield

[Oikawa 1]

Spoiler

ID: 143167 CD: 11 [+4 Material(s) Found + Chocolate Eggs Found] LD: 5 (2+3) [+2 Chocolate Eggs Founds]

Total Eggs: 90

Total Materials: 24

"Hmm I wonder if we can make a proper [Sub-Dungeon] of the place now? It would be interesting to see how far we could delve into it." Oikawa's thoughts flashed back to a year or so before when they still frequented the beginner floors. the Iron Black Palace was their own personal training grounds of sorts though they never delved into the actual [Sub-Dungeon] of the location. The thought was amusing and he actually wondered if they could. His train of thought was broken however as Shield and Calrex continued to converse about the eggs. Oikawa forgot that the eggs weren't trade-locked and that the items you could buy weren't either. The only restriction was the amount a player could buy. A nifty loophole to say the least.

"Your ability to navigate the best deals and ways to profit here are as astounding as the claims against would have me believe," he mentioned to Shield. Glancing to his line, the little bobber dipped only momentarily, but it was enough to cause the brunette to quickly reel in the small catch holding both materials and eggs. Though the ratio wasn't in the direction he had wanted. 

Edited April 22, 2020 by Oikawa

[Calrex 0]

Spoiler

ID: 143168
CD: 2 / Nothing Fished Up

"Hah, don't worry about the past dungeon dive Shield. I was also fairly unprepared at that point, and from what I recall I was also running into the issue of burning up my energy reserves, due to the fact my combat wasn't the most efficient at the time. Granted, it still isn't 100%, but probably a lot better than trying to spam straight sword AoE attacks continuously. That being said..."

As he felt his line go slack once again, Calrex pulled in his line, giving a small sigh as he found only an empty hook on the other side, "If my luck is as fickle as it has been for the past few casts, I'll probably need to take you up on that offer if I'm to have any chance of adding Taunt to my go-to accessory."

"From what I remember, the Evasion and Accuracy enhancements are two of the very few that actually are not affected by new tiers being unlocked. Guess that's why the Amethyst Charm, Tide Pendant, and Rebellion of Sapphire have lasted me as long as they have, while I'm constantly having to commission a new set of weapon and armor with each cap bump."

Spoiler

Calrex: 82 Eggs / 41 Materials / 575 Col

 

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

Fishing - ID# 143177 results: Craft: 7 [2 Materials found] Loot: 15+8=23 [8 Materials found]

Total Loot:

Eggs: 128
Materials: 30
Col: 1,000
Rare Consumables: [143144a] [143144b]

"I wouldn't be where I am today if I weren't always looking for opportunity," Shield replied to Oikawa. "And I extend the same offer to anyone else who isn't able to complete the list. Whatever it is you're short of getting, I'll buy you that next item in exchange for some of the remainder of the limited items." With that, he reeled in his line, lining up a new avenue to cast that did not interfere with the lines of the other anglers. "And I will say that I quite enjoy the work I do. Even if the items I discover are of little use, finding the little diamonds in the rough and putting them on display is quite a nice centerpiece to my shop."

Unique items were the ebb and flow of business in SAO. They were its heartbeat, its lifeblood. Getting to the point of optimal builds within normal constraints took next to no time. It was the niche items that allowed players that slight edge in a fight that really excited players, and being able to have a pulse on that, even if the items in his shop were mainly trifles compared to real boss drops, was a good way to stay relevant in a market that very regularly stagnated. Marketing in SAO was typically a nightmare, but if anything ensured the life of a business, it was word of mouth.

"In any case, Cal, just keep me posted on what you need and we'll make it happen," he added with a nod.

Edited April 23, 2020 by Shield

[Oikawa 1]

Spoiler

ID: 143199 CD: 1 [+0 Material(s) Found + Chocolate Eggs Found] LD: 23 (20+3) [+0 Chocolate Eggs Founds]

Total Eggs: 90

Total Materials: 24

"Touche," the brunette responded. "But noted. If I fail to be able to get the eggs I need, I'd be willing to part with a reward in exchange for completing my want list." Oikawa counted them again. He was approaching  the thirty or less mark. He just needed to acquire a few more. Shaking his his pole, he watched for any signs of ripples or life in the water. However the bites seemed to stop flowing for the moment. Though that may have been to Shield fishing up all the loot as Calrex seemed to turn up nothing as well.

"You mind saving some fishes, eggs, and materials for the rest of us Mr. Opportunist?" he question in jest. Shield seemed to be in a rhythm and Oikawa and Calrex were smack in the middle of a bad string catches. Baiting his hook again, seeing as how the fishes made off with it last time, he cautiously tossed the line and watched it sail out deep. "Hopefully I catch something worthwhile here soon. My fishing rash is starting to lose its itch."

Edited April 22, 2020 by Oikawa

[Calrex 0]

Spoiler

ID: 143208
CD: 5 / 1 Material Fished Up + Found Chocolate Eggs
LD: 17 (+2) = 19 / Found 8 Eggs

"Maybe it's like how it was for me when gathering materials back in the day. It takes some time for the area to actually refresh to full again."

Casting his line out once again, the bluenette gave a small sigh to steady his nerves. Instead of waiting for the soonest opportunity to pull in his line, he let it sit and wait, many minutes after the past few casts. It was then that he felt a tug on his line, a light one, but one nonetheless. Immediately he pulled back to engage the hook and started reeling, his line getting closer and closer.

Eventually a small fish was produced on his line, but along with that catch came a large clutch of eggs, ones that he could add to his total haul, "Still a ways off from what I need, but at least it's closer."

"I'll let you know what my total ends up being, but at this rate I'm fairly sure I'll still need to borrow at least some of your massive hoard of eggs."

Spoiler

Calrex: 90 Eggs / 42 Materials / 575 Col

 

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

Fishing - ID# 143213 results: Craft: 2 [Nothing]

Total Loot:

Eggs: 128
Materials: 30
Col: 1,000
Rare Consumables: [143144a] [143144b]

The Feint, as others called him - which as Shield thought about it, he did not know the reason - seemed insistent on busting Shield's chops for his success. It was nothing incredibly new. In fact, the more time he spent around Oikawa, the more he felt that the Feint and the Unstoppable Force had an awful lot in common. If Beat could ever get over the color of the man's cursor, the two of them could become good friends.

"You know, they say that mimicry is the most sincere form of flattery," Shield mused aloud, drawing in his line and pausing for dramatic effect. "In which case, I do not feel flattered in the least in this company, since none of you scrubs seem to be able to mimic my success."

He was tempted to drop his fishing rod like the proverbial microphone, but decided it would be more useful to fish instead. He cast out his line. Unfortunately, on this particular cast, it seemed that dropping the mic would have been equally as effective for catching fish. He spooled up his line, slightly deflated, but he would never let that show.

Edited April 23, 2020 by Shield

[Oikawa 1]

Spoiler

ID: 143220 CD: 7 [+2 Material(s) Found + Chocolate Eggs Found] LD: 20 (17+3) [+8 Chocolate Eggs Founds]

Total Eggs: 98

Total Materials: 26

"Oh hohoho," Oikawa mocked with a chuckle. "That line would have had more merit if I didn't see you just catch air just now. Which makes you a scrub just like the rest of us," he teased. Looking back towards Calrex, Oikawa re-adjusted atop his rocky throne. "That'd be a real shame if we were still dealing with refresh rates but I guess that makes sense in a way." Looking down at the fishing rod he held, Oikawa gave the wooden pole a little wriggle. Much to his surprise, the line gave a tug back and rewarded him for his playfulness. Hauling in the eggs and materials, Oikawa gave Shield another jab of words. "Enjoy the flattery, because I just hauled in eight big ones." Adding them to his count, Oikawa tossed his line back out and awaited the next nibble of sorts. The day was coming to a close and he still had a twenty plus eggs to get.

Edited April 22, 2020 by Oikawa

[Calrex 0]

Spoiler

ID: 143217
CD: 6 / 1 Material Fished Up + Found Chocolate Eggs
LD: 2 (+2) = 4 / Found 2 Eggs

The bluenette gave a smirk at the banter going back and forth between Oikawa and Shield, focusing his time towards making up the bad casts he had already gone through. Pulling his rod back, a quick exhale escaped his lips before hurling the hook to the far end of the lake, seeing the glint of the small piece of metal fly over the water until it softly sank beneath the crystal blue surface.

Already feeling resistance on the line Calrex started pulling it back in, the string remaining taut the entire time. However, the result was not particularly notable, a small fish carrying a pair of eggs being the only thing produced. Holding up the tiny catch he returned an awkward smile.

"Well I'm not really one to flatter, so...make of this what you will, heh."

Spoiler

Calrex: 92 Eggs / 43 Materials / 575 Col

 

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

Fishing - ID# 143225 results: Craft: 11 [4 Materials found] Loot: 11+8=19 [8 Eggs found]

Total Loot:

Eggs: 136
Materials: 34
Col: 1,000
Rare Consumables: [143144a] [143144b]

The mental jousting match was all well and good, but for the moment, he decided he would leave that to the DPS players and figured it was better to tank the hit and move on. He cast out his line once again, this time taking a moment while his bobber sat idle on the water to begin penning a note to Mari regarding a meeting. "How exactly does one go about inviting someone to something that's essentially a business pitch?" Shield asked himself aloud. He felt as if that was essentially what he was doing, which seemed an unusual sort of arrangement to make with someone he considered a friend of sorts.

Then again, if he thought about it, he had had such meetings with other players before, including when he and Baldur first discussed starting a guild.

As he struggled with an opening sentence, his pole was yanked almost completely out of his hand. He only managed to grip the last few inches of it and had to walk forward to get a better grip before the fish tugged it free. This one was strong. It took the power of both legs and arms to land it, but the payout was well worth it.

Edited April 23, 2020 by Shield

[Oikawa 1]

Spoiler

ID: 143387 CD: 4 [+0 Material(s) Found + Chocolate Eggs Found] LD: 20 (17+3) [+8 Chocolate Eggs Founds]

Total Eggs: 106

Total Materials: 26

The jesting could only be as fun for so long and it had seemed Shield had reached his bantering cap for the moment. Taking the rather minute victory with a grain of salt, Oikawa also went back to focusing on his fishing. The skill was pretty auto-pilot to say the least. Their odds of reeling in something or nothing was merely dictated by numbers. Granted some players could manipulate those numbers to a degree like Shield, but majorly it was randomized and took zero inherent skill or knowledge to use. He even began to wonder if these same numbers affect their catch rate seeing as how as long as they hooked one, it was seemingly an inevitable catch. The struggle of reeling the fish could all be simulated actions that had zero effect on the catch itself, but he wasn't one to spoil the fun by testing his theory out.

Collecting another clutch of eight, Oikawa turned to Shield as his thoughts spilled over out loud. "Honestly I wouldn't even pitch as a business. Its a dream that happens to do business. More importantly though, it's a mindset held by people that want to see success in leading us all out of here."

Edited April 22, 2020 by Oikawa

[Calrex 0]

Spoiler

ID: 143407
CD: 10 / 3 Materials Fished Up + Found Chocolate Eggs
LD: 19 (+2) = 21 / 8 Eggs Found

Feeling a stronger tug on his line, Calrex pulled his rod back and began to reel. It felt a lot stronger than his previous casts, though not as much as the weight of a chest or massively large fish. From the tension, he could already tell it was probably going to be a decently sized catch, but what he was hoping for was a large clutch of eggs. His wish was granted when the end of his line emerged, revealing a larger fish and a full group of eight eggs, "Huh, exactly a hundred, nice clean number to land on."

As he added fresh bait to his line, the bluenette listened to Shield and Oikawa speak, giving a small smirk at the way the question was presented, "Inviting someone to a business pitch? That sounds less Jacob's Ladder and more Ponzi Pyramid. I think Oikawa's description is a little more apt, as this guild is trying to make what all...or I guess if I'm being cynical, majority of us want to accomplish. With the fact that Jacob's Ladder isn't even going to require membership, it would be closer to something like inviting someone to check out a new cafe that happens to have a rewards program, for lack of a better comparison."

Spoiler

Calrex: 100 Eggs / 46 Materials / 575 col

 

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

Fishing - ID# 143414 results: Craft: 1 [Nothing]

Total Loot:

Eggs: 136
Materials: 34
Col: 1,000
Rare Consumables: [143144a] [143144b]

"We're looking for a partner in getting a kick-start organization off the ground," Shield said, throwing his line out into the water. "Even people who start a charity for a noble and personal cause still need to find people willing to sacrifice time and resources bringing that dream to life. It's a very specific kind of business, but it still feels like a business." He turned the crank slowly on his fishing pole, hearing each little click as his line came closer and closer back to shore. "Look at it under whatever lens you like, but it's still going to take some convincing, and in a sense, selling."

His hook came back empty, and he took a moment to bend down and fish out another gummy worm, baiting his hook for the bizarre candy fish he kept catching.

This event is so weird.

With his hook freshly baited, he returned to actually fishing, casting out into the water. "It might just be my merchant self speaking that way, but there is an art to persuasion, and if you don't find the right sales pitch for a situation, you might have some problems."

Edited April 23, 2020 by Shield