[E3-SP-F21] I Hate You. Yes, You. <<Nature's Treasure>>

[Pinball 1]

<<Using x1 Yui's Grace>>

Pinball was getting sick of eggs. 

Eggs here, eggs there, eggs everywhere and eggs nowhere. It's all anyone was talking about - of course, not with him. But amongst each other, the prisoners of Aincrad were abuzz with news and gossip about the newest Easter event, and the tasty rewards displayed in the event's exclusive shop. And there was some useful [censored] in there, sure -- but why should he care? It was annoying, hearing the same things from the faceless masses, and it was another monotonous grind on top of it. 

But that was just the reality he found himself in, wasn't it? 

He hadn't touched a fishing rod in what felt like years. But here he was anyway, pole in hand, facing a crystal-clear, glittering pool, hidden away in some damp, nobody cave illuminated by glowstones in the middle of nowhere that nobody cared about ever. With a huff, he took a seat. 

Cast his line. 

And in only a few momets, he had a bite. 

Player Stats: 

Spoiler

Level: 62
Health: 1240 | Energy: 124
DMG: 15 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3 | BH: 62
 
Skills:
 
Combat skills:
►<<Battle Healing>> [50/50]: Rank 5 - Grandmaster
 
Weapon skills:
►<<2H Assault Spear>> [50/50]: Rank 5 - Grandmaster
►<<1H Straight Sword>> [50/50]: Rank 5 - Grandmaster
 
Armor skills:
►N/A
 
Extra skills:
►<<Familiar Mastery: Fighter>> [18/18]: Rank 3 - Grandmaster
►<<Martial Arts>> [0/50]: N/A
►<<Survival>> ~ Active
 
Utility Skills:
►<<Hiding>> [50/50]: Rank 5 - Grandmaster
►<<Extended Mod Limit>> [2/10]: Rank 1 - Novice 
►<<Fishing>> 
 
Modifiers:
►[Active] <<2H Assault Spear: Ferocity>>: +1 Base DMG
►[Active] <<2H Assault Spear: Finesse>> ~ Rank 3 
►[Active] <<Sneak Attack: Trickster>>
►[Active] <<Hiding: Vanish>> 
►[Active] <<Hiding: Untraceable>> 
►[Active] <<Hiding: Blindside>>
 
Inventory
»[Equipped] [Demonic] Jack’s Hellfire: Burn, Blight, Bleed, Cursed 
»[Equipped] [Perfect] Dragon’s Skin: +3 EVA
»[Equipped] [Perfect] Warrior’s Focus: +3 ACC
 
Battle Ready: 
» [3x] Teleportation Crystal 
» [5x] Spinach-Artichoke Dip: +2 EVA  
» [5x] Hummus Dip: +2 Acc
» [Demonic 2HAS] Cold Fervor: +2 Freeze, Phase, Cursed

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Fishing: ID#141444 CD: 6 LD: 14
1 T3 Material, 6 Chocolate Eggs acquired 

T3 Materials Gathered: 1 
Chocolate Eggs Gathered: 6 
Chests Accumulated: - 

Edited April 15, 2020 by Pinball

[Pinball 1]

The first thing that crossed his mind as he reeled in his first catch, was that he wasn't enjoying it. Ever since that first bad decision in a string of bad decisions, nothing made him happy anymore. Not cooking, not fishing, not gardening -- and especially not grinding. Everything was boring. Pointless. He had no goal other than survive to see the next day, and waking up in the morning was a disappointment more often than not. Sometimes he wished it would end quietly, with him passing on to the next life without much of a hassle. But that was more than he deserved. He spared a moment to momentarily critique his first catch, before collecting the items and casting his line once more. Again, much like his first attempt, there was a bite. Maybe they'd buffed spawn rates for the event. It didn't matter. Silently, he reeled in his next catch, every part of him still but his arms. 

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Fishing: ID#141446 CD: 8 LD: 9 
2 T3 Material, 4 Chocolate Eggs acquired 

T3 Materials Gathered: 3
Chocolate Eggs Gathered: 10
Chests Accumulated: - 

Edited April 15, 2020 by Pinball

[Pinball 1]

Absentmindedly, Pinball stuck a hand into the pool. The water was cool, and he felt the liquid give way to make room for his hand, but that was it. It'd been so long since he'd felt what water really felt like, that it felt normal to him now. He remembered that at the beginning of the game, SAO had perfectly replicated every sensation -- minus the feeling of water on skin. It was there, and it was something, but it was noticeably imperfect. Now, though, this fake reality was the only reality he knew. Pinball chuckled softly, hopelessly, and recast his line. What a shitty reality, huh? Trapped in a game for years, and years. How long could his body hold out? What was going on in the outside world? How long before the medical bills got too much? Or, if the government was paying for them, how long until they stopped caring? Deemed it too taxing on society, or said society forgot about them?

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Fishing: ID#141447 CD: 3 LD: 11 
6 Chocolate Eggs acquired

T3 Materials Gathered: 3
Chocolate Eggs Gathered: 16
Chests Accumulated: - 

Edited April 15, 2020 by Pinball

[Pinball 1]

He reeled in his catch, a wriggling fish on the line, with gaudily decorated eggs wrapped around it like some weird sort of wiring. With a sigh, Pinball put the fish to the side, undergoing the process of unhooking it and detaching the eggs from the animal. Boring, boring, boring. He was itching to get up and walk around, but fishing had always been about patience. With a few taps on an interface, Pinball inserted the materials into his inventory. The eggs were bound to his person, it would seem. He could only guess it was to prevent any sort of weird grinding. Or slavery. Aw, jeez, imagine that: some messed up person forcing other to go on an egghunt for him. It was probably for the best, then, that they bound them to players. Pinball nodded, as if he was agreeing with his own unspoken musings. Yeah, it was probably for the best. 

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Fishing: ID#141449 CD: 5 LD: 9 
1 T3 Material, 4 Chocolate Egg acquired 

T3 Materials Gathered: 4
Chocolate Eggs Gathered: 20
Chests Accumulated: - 

Edited April 15, 2020 by Pinball

[Pinball 1]

But that really begged the question. Were there people like that, out in Aincrad, that enslaved other players and made them farm for them? That would be... really messed up. But as far as Pinball knew, there was nothing stopping anyone from acting like that. There were bindings in the game; rope and metal alike, that worked on players to varying efficiencies. If someone could catch a player unawares, or beat them half to death and force them into those bindings -- what was really preventing them from running a slave trade? They could threaten to kill those who were scared of death, and for those who weren't, the unpleasant sensation of hunger would likely be enough, after a while. And then for those that didn't listen, no matter what? Well, they could really kill those guys. Make a lesson out of them, and get the rowdier ones in line quickly. 

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Fishing: ID#141450 CD: 12 LD: 19 
1 Treasure Chest, 8 Chocolate Egg acquired 

T3 Materials Gathered: 4
Chocolate Eggs Gathered: 28
Chests Accumulated: 1 

Edited April 15, 2020 by Pinball

[Pinball 1]

For those that'd listen well, their captors could promise them more comfortable lodgings, maybe. Good rations -- food was cheap, anyway. If they really behaved, maybe they'd even let the good ones go. Pinball frowned. He felt a slight tug on his line, but it was gone as quickly as it'd come. He reeled the line in a few inches, waiting for the next bite, going through fish and eggs like a machine. Back to the slavery idea. No, promising them freedom would probably be a bit too much. Because when that happened, what was stopping them from running off and telling some righteous guild that'd be more than happy to kill or imprison those oh-so-unpleasant slavers? No, no, they wouldn't be able to let anyone go. Even suggesting it would probably be stupid. And if one of the slaves were to escape, somehow, they'd practically be done for, once word got out. 

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Fishing: ID#141451 CD: 9 LD: 12 
3 T3 Material, 6 Chocolate Egg acquired 

T3 Materials Gathered: 7
Chocolate Eggs Gathered: 34
Chests Accumulated: 1 

Edited April 15, 2020 by Pinball

[Pinball 1]

At that point, it'd all be a matter of preparations. What safety precautions did they take in the event of an escape? Had they revealed their appearance in the beginning, thus condemning them to a life spent on the run? Or had they been careful, wearing masks and disguises, switching up the genders of the guards that interacted with the slaves for an added layer of security? How well armed were the guards? Where were they keeping them all locked up? Are they keeping the slaves together? What were the chances of a mutiny? If the slaves somehow managed to band together, would there be enough guards powerful enough to put an end to it? Even unarmed, high leveled players were a threat. Pinball was confident, even unarmored as he was, that it'd take a lot of work to put an end to him, considering his skill set. And with tanks? Martial Artists? It would be dangerous for the slavers. 

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Fishing: ID#141453 CD: 1 LD: 2 
But Nobody Came 

T3 Materials Gathered: 7
Chocolate Eggs Gathered: 34
Chests Accumulated: 1 

Edited April 15, 2020 by Pinball

[Pinball 1]

Ah, so maybe the idea of slavery on Aincrad was a bit impractical. There was no way to force players to hand over the items they harvested from the mobs they'd be forced to grind, and even unarmed, a player was still a threat. There were too many factors to conduct such a job safely, and once the slavers were found out, they'd either be imprisoned for life or killed on the spot. There were more than a fair share of righteous assholes that'd love to stamp out what they considered to be a blight in the world. Pinball included. He'd thought the same thing, once, about the frontliners. And he still did, to some degree. But there was more to consider. More to think about. There always was. There was no right answer, as there was no wrong answer, and there was nowhere for him to go but push forward and hope for the best. Or in his case, hope for the worst. 

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Fishing: ID#141454 CD: 2 LD: 7 
Name of My Sex Tape 

T3 Materials Gathered: 7
Chocolate Eggs Gathered: 34
Chests Accumulated: 1 

Edited April 15, 2020 by Pinball

[Pinball 1]

Those were darker thoughts, though, and he didn't really wanna take a walk down that path for a while, if he could help it. That kind of thing was best reserved for late, sleepless nights filled with dread, anxiety, and self-loathing. Pinball stared out vacantly at the expansive pond set in front of him, his head empty for a few beats. And then he stirred, going about collecting his catch from a few moments ago and setting the chest aside. He had no interest in opening it, so it'd probably fade away in a couple of moments, anyway. He was here for fish and eggs. Materials and eggs. Eggs, eggs, eggs. The thought of eggs made him sour. What could you even make with eggs? Desserts? More eggs? Hard boiled, soft boiled, scrambled, and every other style of cooking them on the face of the earth. Eggs were [censored] stupid. This event was stupid. 

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Fishing: ID#141455 CD: 9 LD: 9 
3 T3 Material, 4 Chocolate Egg acquired 

T3 Materials Gathered: 10 
Chocolate Eggs Gathered: 38
Chests Accumulated: 1 

Edited April 15, 2020 by Pinball

[Pinball 1]

And the smell of fish was getting to him now, too. Could it like, not smell like something died? That'd be nice. The cavern's pool of crystal clear water was stagnant, stirring only when his hook hit its surface and sunk, or the force of a fish pulled against his line, and a whirring echoed throughout the cave. Somewhere in the dark distance, he heard a monotonous dripping every other second. It was starting to get on his nerves. There were no people, thankfully, but there were similarly no mobs. It made him feel like he'd stepped into some sort of forbidden zone, and it was annoying. For a moment he found himself wishing for a Glow Frog to show up, just so he'd have something to absolutely and mercilessly obliterate, but he quickly shook the thought away. Anything but that. The slimy fuckers always seemed to move in hordes. 

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Fishing: ID#141456 CD: 9 LD: 15 
3 T3 Material, 6 Chocolate Egg acquired 

T3 Materials Gathered: 13
Chocolate Eggs Gathered: 44
Chests Accumulated: 1 

Edited April 15, 2020 by Pinball

[Pinball 1]

Boring, boring, boring. This event was boring. People were boring. Fishing was boring -- but that was the point of it, wasn't it? Practicing patience. It was supposed to be pretty. Calm. Relaxing. But there was nothing even remotely beautiful about his current surroundings, and the situation he found himself in on a larger scale was even less so. How was grinding supposed to make him relax? It was doing the opposite, because he was fishing for [censored] fish with eggs cartoonishly wrapped around them. Pinball grit his teeth, holding his fishing rod with a death grip. Eggs. Eggs. More eggs. Eggs were [censored] ridiculous and he hated them. How many did he have now? One hundred? Two hundred? Four? Five? Pinball swiped open his menu after reeling in a catch, just to check. There were only forty eight of the festive items tucked away in his inventory. Less than he thought.  

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Fishing: ID#141457 CD: 4 LD: 8 
4 Chocolate Egg acquired 

T3 Materials Gathered: 13
Chocolate Eggs Gathered: 48
Chests Accumulated: 1 

Edited April 15, 2020 by Pinball

[Pinball 1]

Tearing his eyes away from the blindingly white UI, Pinball once again locked eyes with the slowly echoing water before him. When was the last time he'd talked to someone who was happy to see him? When was the last time he'd done a quest with friends? When was the last time he'd smiled? Well, he knew the answer to that last question. He thought about the recently passed Christmas event as he threw out his line, and of the girl he couldn't help but feel like a different person around. His heart sank in his chest, finding a comfortable spot in the miasmic recesses of his chest. He couldn't see her. It wasn't safe for her, and it wasn't safe for him. Was it? Tch. Pinball shook his head. He wasn't sure. He could never be sure. Ah, another question. Since when did everything in the world get so damn confusing? 

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Fishing: ID#141458 CD: 10 LD: 8
3 T3 Material, 4 Chocolate Egg acquired

T3 Materials Gathered: 13
Chocolate Eggs Gathered: 52
Chests Accumulated: 1 

Edited April 15, 2020 by Pinball

[Pinball 1]

Since it stopped being his world, probably. That was always the catch, wasn't it? Nothing here was real but the people trapped in it. He remembered he'd been happy in the first few years. Even after it all. He thought he'd pushed through Lucy's death. He'd thought he would move on to the frontlines, get strong, powerful, help the frontliners fight their way out of the virtual prison they found themselves trapped in. The sunrise, Pinball had thought, was what he wanted to see more than anything. But he'd never see it again, would he? He'd never get to see the sun -- the real sun -- find its place in the sky. Reality was a bitch. Pinball was either going to die in the game, or, when he got out, he'd be arrested and executed out of it. He shook his head. There was no escaping it. So what was with that fear that gripped his chest? 

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Fishing: ID#141459 CD: 11 LD: 5 
4 T3 Material, 2 Chocolate Egg acquired 

T3 Materials Gathered: 17
Chocolate Eggs Gathered: 54
Chests Accumulated: 1 

Edited April 15, 2020 by Pinball

[Pinball 1]

It isn't fair of him to wish to survive, after the lives he'd taken. Cruel, without reason, and without remorse -- until his world had come crashing down on him, and the weight of his situation had finally settled on his shoulders. Horrible crimes, sins, atrocities, committed as easily as putting an end to a mob. Every time he killed, it'd been a little bit easier. Each one felt less wrong, and more right. He'd thought he was in the right. But he'd never been so wrong. Ah, annoying, annoying. Now wasn't the time for that. Hadn't he just caught himself for thinking about this [censored] just a few minutes ago? He needed to remember that these things were best reserved for the sleepless nights. It wasn't like he slept much these days anyway. Right now was the time for grinding. Eggs and fish were his two best friends. Eggs and fish

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Fishing: ID#141460 CD: 1 LD: 17 
none zip nadda 

T3 Materials Gathered: 17
Chocolate Eggs Gathered: 54
Chests Accumulated: 1 

Edited April 15, 2020 by Pinball

[Pinball 1]

Eggs and fish. He hated eggs. And he hated fish. This sucked. Why was he here? For a reward? Why? Hadn't Arabelle been interested in the event? Was he here for Arabelle? None of the rewards listed in that event shop seriously interested him, right? They were all the same old things - uninteresting buffs to weapons or gear, monotonous tools to help monotonous frontliners grind monotonously. Grind, upgrade your weapons, level up, rinse, wash, repeat. It was the same old cycle. There had to be things that still interested him in Aincrad. Something that wasn't tied to his level, something that didn't have a rank attached; something that didn't work in experience or skills. A hobby. A mildly interesting chore, perhaps. No mechanics, no grinding, no boredom, no sadness, no hollow feeling in his chest. There had to be something left, right? Something? Anything? Anyone? Pinball flinched again. Well, there was someone.  

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Fishing: ID#141461 CD: 12 LD: 12 
4 T3 Material, 6 Chocolate Egg acquired 

T3 Materials Gathered: 21
Chocolate Eggs Gathered: 60
Chests Accumulated: 1 

Edited April 15, 2020 by Pinball

[Pinball 1]

How did he feel about her, anyway? How has he felt about her? 

No. Not doing that. He wasn't that bored. There was no point in thinking about useless [censored] like that, especially when he was already doing something equally as useless. Whatever happened to thinking about slavery? Hadn't that been an interesting subject? Or maybe it only had been. Maybe its level of intrigue had already been well exhausted, and going back on himself in a desperate attempt at finding something to do was just going to end up with Pinball beating a dead horse. There was really only one matter at hand, wasn't there? Eggs! Eggs and fish! He loved eggs and fish. 

"I think I want to die," he said to nobody, considering only briefly how easily he could drown himself. Pain wasn't a factor, after all, and once you did away with that -- every suicide attempt would be too easy. No more pain, no more fear. 

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Fishing: ID#141462 CD: 4 LD: 2
2 Chocolate Egg acquired 

T3 Materials Gathered: 21
Chocolate Eggs Gathered: 62
Chests Accumulated: 1 

Edited April 15, 2020 by Pinball

[Pinball 1]

There he went again, thinking about death. It was scary. But it was something he knew was coming. He'd tried to kill himself before. A number of times, actually -- but each and every time he'd found himself standing at the edge of the world, he'd been filled with a paralyzing sense of fear. Of dread. He'd never been able to do it. There was too much riding on his shoulders, right now. He couldn't end it before his job was done. He'd talked with Bahr -- but he hadn't heard tell about Alec or Sey in a while. That really only left Dustin. Pinball grimaced as he adjusted himself. The cool stone beneath him felt like it was sapping the heat from his clothes, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to be here for much longer. The place was too empty. Too dark. He didn't really like it. 

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Fishing: ID#141463 CD: 12 LD: 20 
1 Treasure Chest, 8 Chocolate Egg acquired 

T3 Materials Gathered: 21
Chocolate Eggs Gathered: 70
Chests Accumulated: 2

Edited April 15, 2020 by Pinball

[Pinball 1]

The water was still. The cavern was quiet. Dark. No sound other than the occassional dripping in the distance. Here, Pinball felt like he was even more isolated from society than he already was. What would a player think, stumbling upon a lone Player Killer, fishing quietly in a place like this? Would he scare them? Would they approach him? They'd probably approach him. For some reason, lower leveled players didn't really fear Player Killers like they used to. More often than not, they'd ignore the cursor altogether, as if it wasn't of use to them. Pinball snorted, distinctly recalling more than one time when just that had happened. They had requests, a desire to be carried through a quest, or they were just being friendly. Pinball shook his head. Not that he was complaining. But at the end of the day, as he so often reminded himself, he didn't deserve that sort of kindness.

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Fishing: ID#141465 CD: 1 LD: 6 
nothing 

T3 Materials Gathered: 21
Chocolate Eggs Gathered: 70
[censored] chests i dont care about them 

Edited April 15, 2020 by Pinball

[Pinball 1]

There hadn't been any bites for a while, and so Pinball, with a sigh, reeled in his line and cast one last time. The hook hit the water and sunk with a soft, barely audible plop, and he was alone again. He felt a sharp tug on his line. Then nothing. A false alarm -- something to try and mess up a player's success, get them to reel in too early, scaring off the fish in the process. For someone like Pinball, false alarms like that never fooled them. An experienced fisher was well acclimated to the feel of the pole, and in tune with every nudge and vibration experienced. Fishing was a death sentence for the impatient, and that was even more true in Aincrad. Well, for the impatient other than him. Pinball didn't much enjoy it anymore, unfortunately -- but as he reeled in what would be his final catch for the day, undoing the ornamental eggs wrapped so cartoonishly around the fish, Pinball was strangely relaxed. There were no monsters to fight here, no players to avoid. 

Just him, fish, and eggs. 

Fish and eggs. 

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Fishing: ID#141466 CD: 6 LD: 15 
1 T3 Material, 6 Chocolate Egg acquired 

T3 Materials Gathered: 22
Chocolate Eggs Gathered: 76
 

Edited April 15, 2020 by Pinball

[Pinball 1]

With that, he was finished. Sparing one last look at the cavern's pool, Pinball folded up his fishing pole and put it back into his inventory. If he was lucky, it would never see the light of day again. If he was unlucky, Pinball would be back in a few days, grinding out some more eggs. But for now he was done, and it was time to go home. Home? 

The walk back into the twenty first floor was largely uneventful. What monsters were present would have been easy pickings for someone of Pinball's level, so he just opted to avoid them entirely. For the ones that locked on and aggro'd, instead of running, he'd vanish. It was a lot cleaner that way, and saved him from the embarrassment of being caught running away from a monster in broad daylight. There wouldn't be any other players, though. He'd be all by himself, like always. 

Just him, fish, and eggs. 

<< SUMMARY >>

Pinball Receives: 
3 SP (Thread, Bonus, Yui's Grace)
400 col
25 T3 Materials
76 Chocolate Eggs
 

Edited April 16, 2020 by Arabelle
+400 col (page) & +3 T3 mats | see post #12