[PP-F1] <<The First Few Lessons are Free>> Isekais Aren't All They're Cracked Up to Be

[Kaliot 0]

Mao breathed a metaphorical sigh of relief as he made the final touches for his character creation. He worked on it as best he could with the time he was given, and while it wasn't perfect, it was certainly good enough. As he hit the button to finalize the character, his screen turned bright and his body began to tingle as his body was disintegrated and reformed in the Town of Beginnings. Mao looked at his hands and wiggled his fingers before swinging around his other limbs to and fro to acclimate his mind to his new body. He looked around and, for just a brief moment, watched all the player-characters bustling up and down the street.

[I need to find a sh-

I need to see if-

What are my starting qu-]

Suddenly Mao's vision began to brighten and his body began to tingle again, much like it had just done.

[Again? Did the teleport bug out?]

He found himself in the central plaza surrounded by an endless sea of other confused players. Not long after, the sky turned a blood-red and a dark, god-like figure formed above the crowd which introduced itself as Akihiko Kayaba, the creator of SAO. Kayaba went on to explain the situation that everyone was in before disappearing, the sky returning to normal as he did so. Everyone was stunned, deservedly so, and while Mao was shocked as well, he instead took the time to use the mirror, which wasted all the time he had just spent on character creation, and confirm that it indeed seemed impossible to logoff.

[This has to be a prank, right?

Why would he do this?

If what he said is the truth, can people actually kill each other?]

Well, if it was a prank, everyone else didn't seem to think so. Discourse erupted across the plaza. Most were distressed and confused while some others were skeptical not unlike himself. Some immediately left the area while others stayed to form parties. Mao hadn't spent even a minute playing the game so all he could really do was stick to his original plan of finding a shield and questing, all the while hoping that either this was a joke or that someone on the outside would fix it soon. He opened his menu and looked at the list of available quests and selected whatever seemed most appropriate as the first one: <<The First Few Lessons are Free>>.

"Well, I guess that will have to do," Mao muttered.

Spoiler

Stats

LVL: 1 | HP: 20/20 | EN: 2/2 | DMG: 2 | MIT: 0 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 0

Equipment

• Weapon: Uncommon 1H Assault Spear [Accuracy (+1 ACC)]
• Armor: Uncommon Light Armor [Light Momentum]

Items

1. Starter Healing Potion (50 HP) x 5

Active Skills

• [x2] Pierce (2 EN)

Passive Skills

• [Rank 1] One-Handed Assault Spear (+1 DMG)

 

 

 

Edited May 7, 2020 by Kaliot

[Megitsune 0]

Pandemonium and chaos. The Town of Beginning was absolute chaos. The Megitsune was calm as one could be in this situation, opening her menu and scrolling down to confirm that her 'Log Out' button was missing on her menu. Sure enough, it didn't exist. Her blank, red eyes started through the mask she had gotten her hands on earlier covered her face. With a quick motion, her perspective changed. Her avatar had been reverted to her real physique? The tall, mysterious looking woman was now just a teenager that could barely ride a roller coaster with her stature. The girl strained her expression through the kitsune mask she was wearing and started leaving the plaza.

It was time to get started with this game and she wasn't going to be stopped by anyone. On to the First Lessons Are Free Quest so she could learn what she needed to. On her way there, another player was already doing the same as her it seemed. Her mask covered face stared to him and she couldn't think of anything to say, not that she wanted to say much at all. He looked like a goody-two-shoes like someone from her class, but he looked older than her. Finally, she barked something out.

"Kon." And with that she moved past him and into Zachariah's shop.

@Kaliot

1 Material Found Total

Spoiler

General
Level: 1 | HP:  20/20 | Energy: 2/2

Stats
DMG: 1 | EVA: 0 | MIT: 0 | ACC: 0

Skills
THBA Rank I

Equipment(In use)
Vanity THBA
Vanity Light Armor

 

Edited May 12, 2020 by Megitsune

[Kaliot 0]

"Kon?" Mao said as he exited the menu. He looked up (down really, considering her stature) to find a girl walking away from him and towards Zachariah's shop. He wasn't quite sure if she was the one that spoke to him, but out of everyone that was hurrying to and from the shop, she seemed the most likely. He followed her inside.

[It would be safest to party.

Are there going to be enough spawns for everyone?

This place is a damn fire hazard.]

The innards of the shop were bustling, as expected, and Mao could feel his body start to tense up just a bit. Despite some personal-space violations, he managed to maneuver through the crowd towards the girl and saw that she was a bit younger than he was; he wasn't sure how to react. "Kon, right?" he asked her, "Did you...want to party up? It'd save a lot of time if quests are shared". He held out his hand for a shake. "Oh, and Mao," he said with a smile.

@Megitsune

[Megitsune 0]

Her masked face stared back at the boy, angled up to down, like the eyes behind the mask were sizing him up. He asked a question, but nothing that important. Even so, she would still correct him.

"Chigau. Fox." She came up with the nickname on the spot. People could see her true name in a party, but she wouldn't use it. Most probably would find it difficult to say. "I am busy. I can't have anyone slowing me down." The soft but clarion voice muffled though the white visage donned around her face.

After getting the updated quest from Zach, the Fox could begin. It seems that she had to leave the safe zone and go collect materials for the NPC who was too lazy to go fetch them himself. That was a bit annoying considering he ran a shop and didn't have any materials of his own to lend to her for use. Whatever, it was designed to teach them how to play the base game so time to get started. She moved past the boy, who likely had gotten the quest himself, and somehow she was sure that he'd follow her. She stepped out of the safe zone anyway and found an herb right off the back. She picked up the item and moved it to her inventory, continuing further out of the safe area.

@Kaliot

1/5 materials found

Edited May 7, 2020 by Megitsune

[Kaliot 0]

Mao felt embarrassed by his mix-up. He wasn't sure how much of it manifested on his face, if at all, but his face felt beet-red regardless. Mao didn't feel slighted at all by the fact that Fox thought he'd slow her down since he deep in his bones, he could feel that it was likely true. For fear of possibly annoying her, he didn't say anything more and let Fox go on her way. He snagged the quest himself and traced her footsteps to the nearest exit. Mao paused just before leaving as a thought wiggled it's way into its mind.

[If what Kayaba said was true, then past this point is true danger.]

Of course, the threat of death was always present in the real-world as well, but it didn't stop distracting thoughts from popping up. Mao shrugged the thought off and stepped into the wilderness where Fox and many others were already searching for materials.

[Watch out for other players.

The faster we level, the safer we'll be.

Let's make some small talk, I guess.]

Mao began searching for materials himself, and he almost managed to get one until someone else swiped it out from under him and quickly skittered away. He sighed and continued looking. He glanced at Fox. "So...Fox, do you play VRs often?"

@Megitsune

0/5 Quest Materials Found

Edited May 7, 2020 by Kaliot

[Megitsune 0]

Fox could hear him walking behind her. You can't be more sly than a fox, so sneaking up on a Megitsune was nearly impossible. The pseudo-yokai turned to the boy when he asked her a question. Was it not apparent that she played virtual reality MMOs to being with? Did people without experience really exist in this game? Seemed like an oversight considering there were so many more dedicated players that would want to get their sticky fingers all over the game.

The kitsune sighed audibly. She knew he was going to follow, but did he really have to bug her of all people? Whatever.

"Did you need to follow me? Ah, whatever. Yes I do, what does that have to do with anything? Have you not played one yourself?" The girl continued to look around for more materials. She scooped up more materials and moved them into her inventory quietly. Her fake visage looked over his direction, expecting an answer.

2/5 materials found.

Edited May 7, 2020 by Megitsune

[Kaliot 0]

"No no, I've played plenty myself. I was just curious". Fox was young, but Mao could tell she had a sharp tongue. He thought it best to not comment on anything pointless like her believing he followed her which would more than likely make things worse, and to eradicate any weakness in his words and tone since it seemed like that's what Fox was latching onto; while Mao was telling the truth, he was more of a keyboard and mice guy and wasn't as experienced in VR's. Plus, with so many people around, anybody could've been listening in. He scurried about the area looking for his first quest material, but still failed to do so. Just his luck.

[Perhaps a more interesting topic would suffice?]

"So, what do you think about Kayaba's message? Do you think it's truth, or do you think it's bull? I can't help but think it's some incredibly elaborate prank".

0/5 Quest Materials Found

(Flipped Link and Purpose by mistake)

Edited May 7, 2020 by Kaliot

[Megitsune 0]

The fox looked around momentarily for any more usable herbs that Zachariah could find a benefit from, but so many were getting snatched by other players that the place was seeming dry already. How annoying.

"Is that so difficult to see?" The teen questioned her follower and pulled up her menu scrolling to the bottom and orienting it around so that the boy could see. Underneath the "System Settings" was a clearly blank spot for where the log out button should be displayed. She touched it with her hand and nothing happened, even though the tab gave feed back.

"If this is just a prank by the developers to get people to play for longer, then it will probably show up later. If it's not a prank, well then you should stop questioning things and start getting stronger. You don't want to find out if Kayaba is telling the truth, do you?'

2/5 materials found

Edited May 7, 2020 by Megitsune

[Kaliot 0]

"That's true, though I had no intention of finding out the hard way in either case". If everyone was really trapped, then it'd really be in everyone's best interest to work towards beating the game in some capacity, but the thought of that was honestly unfortunate and unsettling. Hell, if too many people die off and there's no longer enough people to push through the tower, then they'd be stuck here until they actually die in real-life, that is assuming that nobody finds a solution to safely get them out before then.

As bleak as things could possibly get, Fox seemed unfazed by the situation and Mao couldn't help but be impressed by her confidence. "You know, I imagine you may not think so or care but-".

Mao was cut off by the sudden appearance of a quest material right at his feet. He swiped at it as quickly and ferociously as a bear at its prey and instinctively proclaimed "Score!" after having failed his last two attempts. Quickly realizing what he'd done to draw attention to himself, he took a quick glance around to see if anyone was looking at him funny before awkwardly clearing his throat and returning to the search.

@Megitsune

1/5 Quest Materials Found

Edited May 7, 2020 by Kaliot

[Megitsune 0]

The Fox adjusted her mask on her face. It was originally sized for her face on her avatar, so it was slightly bigger than she wanted it to be right now. Her attention was drawn back to the blond upbeat. Looks like found something, much to her dismay as she was unable to clutch her hands on anymore of the materials.

"I care about a lot of things, but you're probably right about whatever it is you're going to say. The number of things that I could care less about severely surpass those that I do. Try me anyways, it could be amusing. The kitsune could see into one's intentions, therefore, she had not reason to question another person's motives or drive. One thing she was sure of so far was that everyone in this game should get the drive to fight and free them all. This boy would be there to help as well as herself, so she would at least wish him the best in his endeavors.

@Kaliot

2/5 materials found

Edited May 8, 2020 by Megitsune

[Kaliot 0]

Ah yes, Mao's little outburst truncated whatever he was saying at an interesting spot: pretty ambiguous but enough there to bait her into finish the thought however she wished, or at least be curious enough to ask. Now if only he'd done it on purpose. Mao took a mental note and filed it away in a little miscellaneous manila folder.

"Oh, I was just going to say that you're confidence is...admirable? Commendable? Those sound kinda condescending, huh." Mao paused for a moment to think. "Maybe...relaxing? Honestly, I'm sure anything I put there will sound weird, but I'm already in too deep so that's the best I got." He left out the bit that mentioned that Fox sounded pretty reliable despite her age figuring that the message already sounded condescending enough.

Mao didn't seem to be having much luck in his area so he moved somewhere else. "Anyway, test you out, huh?" Again, he took a moment, this time wondering what a safe question would be. "Hmm, do you have any pets, Fox?"

1/5 Quest Materials Found

Edited May 8, 2020 by Kaliot

[NS 0]

Spoiler

General
Level: 1 | HP:  20/20 | Energy: 2/2

Stats
DMG: 2 | EVA: 0 | MIT: 0 | ACC: 1

Skills
Dagger Rank I (+1 DMG)

Equipment(In use)
Rare Dagger (+1 DMG, +1 ACC)
Vanity Suit

... Is this a joke?

Vince can barely recall walking into one of the NPC shops. He can barely recall accepting one of the obvious beginner quests. He can barely recall making his way out to gather materials. All his thoughts were consumed by the truth that was revealed not too long ago. He just wanted to make easy profits! He doesn't want to-

A game of death.

It's just a gamble of the highest stakes.

A large, almost unnatural smile grows on his face as he's treated to the view of the vast world that is going to be his home until they all escape. The simulated wind blowing past his face, the faint smell of almost realistic nature striking his nose. Had he ignored the past few minutes, he would've appreciated this a lot more.

Alright. I'll play. And I play for keeps.

And it all starts here, with this first action-

... He just twitches at the failed attempt to gather one of the necessary materials. His grin, strained. Vince is clearly trying to retain his composure. Damn. Well. Every step to victory has to start somewhere. Looking up from his poor attempt to harvest something, he takes note of all the people around him. Huh. What's with the awkward nerd next to the shorty in a... Kimono? Eh?

0/5 Quest Materials Found

 

Edited May 12, 2020 by NS

[Megitsune 0]

The Megitsune chuckled a bit when she was called relaxing. That has to be the first person to ever associate her with 'being relaxing'. Most of the time, others would just call her really bad names or hurry along to not invoke a response from the girl. A lot of people at home were afraid of her, she just realized. Jerks like them always got what were coming to them though. It kind of helped that she took matters into her own hands and shoved her foot up their bums.

"My mother brought home a dog a few years ago. She said that it might help bring out my 'tender side'. Screw that. Having a weak side like that gets you stepped on and bullied." She said reaching down to pick up another material at her feet when someone ran by and snatched it up for them self. She growled a bit to that. "Temmei..."

@NS@Kaliot

Materials: 2/5 found

Edited May 9, 2020 by Megitsune

[Kaliot 0]

[Bullies, huh.

Who is this guy?

But the dog, though.]

"At the risk of soundin' lame, someone having a 'tender side' doesn't make them weak and and it doesn't get them bullied. Being the target of some cunts does that." Mao wasn't sure what exactly Fox'd been through so he made sure to distance the subject away from her and to talk with a somewhat distant tone. Though Mao never experienced being on the receiving end of such people, he held disdain for them. Of course, some of them were victims themselves, but it didn't give them the right to entrap others. "That's just my two cents, anyway."

A quest material popped up right in between Mao and a green-haired guy next to him whose focus was in the opposite direction. Mao stealthily made his way toward it, nabbed it up with a quick swipe, and began his search again as if nothing happened.

"So, how's your luck faring?" he asked the green-haired fellow.

@NS

2/5 Quest Materials Found

Edited May 9, 2020 by Kaliot

[NS 0]

Vince returns his focus back to gathering quest materials. A twitch of his eyes as he tries to successfully look more - unfortunately missing the one that was nabbed by a certain sneaky one. How unlucky can he be that he hasn't gotten a material yet? Hell, he's gotten winning hands so many times back in the good 'ol days of poker tournaments. Surely one will show up now, wouldn't it? The smiling one turns his gaze over towards the average-looking fellow. "Well. It hasn't been going-" Right there! Whatever he was going to say gets cut short as he dives for the quest material that swiftly showed up at his side at a distance. 

... Except it got swept up right before his very eyes as someone else grabs it. An apologetic glance from the random player does little to appease the strained grin on his face...

Vince gets up from his dive, brushing the dirt off his clothing as he turns towards the average fellow once again.

 "... Splendid! My luck has been great so far! How about you?" The pleasant tone is a stark contrast to the subtle annoyance on Vince's face. He proceeds to readjust his expression into a much more pleasant one and bows at the waist in greeting. "The name's Vince, by the way."

0/5 Quest Materials Found

@Megitsune @Kaliot

Edited May 9, 2020 by NS

[Megitsune 0]

Another one. Great. How many people were going to elect to annoy a person who clearly enjoys her own company as opposed to the company of others. The girl watched the man stand up. He looked older than her, maybe than the other boy here. He seemed a bit more on the stumbling side so far. "There are a lot more eccentric people playing this game than I thought." The Fox commented out loud as she tried to swipe up another material for herself when it got stolen yet again. Fuyuko was starting to think it would be a good idea to begin chopping people's hands off. They wouldn't die from it, at least.

Once she got a grip on her anger, she calmed down and looked between both of the boys. They were a lot different in features, but neither of them really interested her. The Fox, sighed again, knowing that somehow the both of them would end up following her around for awhile. 

@NS @Kaliot

Materials: 2/5

Edited May 9, 2020 by Megitsune

[Kaliot 0]

Mao wasn't sure how to read Vince either, but he seemed friendly enough at least. He had barely managed to stifle a laugh as Vince dove for a mat only to end up with nothing; karma would be sure to punish Mao to be sure.

"Kaliot. Or Kali. Or Mao. Whichever's easier for you. Nice to meet you!" Mao gave Vince a casual salute, and with him around, Mao figured he could maybe lighten the mood and learn a thing or two in the process. "And this is my acquaintance, Fox!" He gestured towards her. "Feel free to join us," Mao told Vince before going back to his search.

If Fox wasn't already annoyed with him, she'd surely be now. He wanted to test her and get a handle on her annoyance threshold so he knew where he could skirt though that information would be useless if he drove her off with his dumb antics. In the meantime, he managed to snag another drop.

@NS @Megitsune

3/5 Quest Materials Found

Edited May 9, 2020 by Kaliot

[NS 0]

Vince smiled in response. ”Pleasure to meet you two.” He pauses, tapping his chin in thought. “...Though the nature of this quest implies that we’re all doing the same thing anyways, no?” The smiling one just lightly shakes his head as if he disagrees with the thought he just said two seconds ago. ”Then again, I’m sure all of us are just trying to get through this for easy rewards...”

The green haired lad sticks his foot out, trapping a quest material that someone else tried to sneak out from under him. Vince continued to speak as if nothing had happened, though giving a side glance at the player. “I suppose this is a good way to trade future plans. Who knows what each of us will do in the future. Or, well, even cross paths.”

The smile remains on his face as Vince stares down at the now sheepish player that starts to shuffle away... After a few seconds, he just bending down to grab the quest material without any further reactions.

“Then again, maybe getting through this as fast as possible without... extraneous ‘colleagues’, so you can say, would be much more appealing.”

... The two seem interesting enough.

1/5 Quest Materials Found

@Megitsune @Kaliot

 

Edited May 9, 2020 by NS

[Megitsune 0]

The Megitsune's strained annoyance was hidden behind her mask. The blond had introduced him and her without even asking if it was alright to do so, and not only that, he invited the green haired one to join them when he wasn't even part of her party. Why hadn't she just walked away yet? Oh yeah, he was following her. The wooden visage of her mask fell upon the green haired player. The ruby-crimson hue behind the slits made for her eyes looked into his.

"I know exactly what I'll be doing: Destroying anything and everything in this game on my way up to the top." Her muffled, clarion voice could be heard from behind the mask. She was agonizingly hard to get along with for sure, but it was in her nature. Something of a defense mechanism to be direct and simple with other people. Tip-toeing around subjects were just time wasting.

@NS @Kaliot

Materials found: 3/5

Edited May 9, 2020 by Megitsune

[Kaliot 0]

"It's pretty hard to get through this as fast as possible when we're, y'know being gated by luck." Which wouldn't normally be an issue if it were simply a game, but Mao couldn't help but imagine how much of this he could actually take considering that it might just actually be his life now. He made a low, quiet, and fried hum as he pondered the thought.

"All the way to the top, huh?" Mao, having dropped into the game at the last second, was unsure of his own goals. Obviously, there were the ultimate goals of beating and surviving the game, and obviously he had to get stronger. But those were, or should've been, everyone's goals. He joined this game because he wanted to fight, but would he be able to stand strong and control his anxiety in perilous, or would it consume him and put not only himself but his future teammates in danger? Unfortunately it was impossible to know right now. He could always sit back and settle into a profession, but he wasn't sure if he'd be able to live soundly knowing that other people might be dying to get everyone else out.

Mao rattled his head, shaking out the shards of anxiety that'd infiltrated his thoughts. He'd also noticed that his breathing had grown heavier and that his heart had quickened. He slowly relaxed himself.

"As for me," Mao said before giving himself a moment, "I just hope I can join you guys at the top, my aliveness permitting."

[Is that even is a word? Welp, it doesn't really matter, I guess.]

@NS @Megitsune

3/5 Quest Materials Found

 

Edited May 9, 2020 by Kaliot