[SP|F1] Lessons for a New Routine <<The First Few Lessons Are Free>>

[Katoka 0]

Katoka was tired.

Tired of the safe and simple routine that she had grown accustomed to in the past few years. There were other players that were trapped in this death game alongside her that were making progress to clear the castle to ensure their freedom; they were living their lives, making memories, even enjoying themselves. It was time that she broke free from the safe cocoon of normalcy that she had hidden inside for so long and do something with her life.

After a pitiful breakfast of cheap bread she equipped her curved sword and made her way to old man Zackariah's place to begin the tutorial quest that was in the information guide put out by the players. She stood there, almost frozen in place as all the courage she had mustered up began to drain from her body replaced by a cold sensation in her veins. But she shook her head and stomped her foot in irritation.

"No! I can't keep hiding like this anymore. If I stay on autopilot like this for one my day I'm going to lose it!"

With the speech she gave herself, Katoka opened the heavy wooden door to the potion maker's home and stepped inside.

Spoiler

Name: Katoka
Level: 1
HP: 20
EN: 2

Stats:

Damage: 4
Mitigation: 0
Accuracy: 0

Equipped Gear:

Weapon: Curved Sword | Rare (+ 2 damage)
Armor: Starter Armor | Vanity

Skills:

Weapon Skills:
Curved Sword | Rank 1

 

[Katoka 0]

The inside of Zackariah's home was littered with numerous potion making paraphernalia. There were herbs hanging from the rafters, various shelves containing glass containers and bottles, tables of every shape and size that had something brewing, fermenting, or dripping. Katoka was only standing in the doorway and she was already overwhelmed by the sight of it all. She shut the door behind her and called out to the seemingly empty home.

"H-Hello? Is anyone here?"

There was a clatter and a thud before a voice called  from a back room, "Just a moment!"

A few seconds later an older man exited the room and brushed himself off. Katoka was surprised by how fluid and human his movements were, the NPCs in SAO astounded her on a daily basis with how convincing they were.

"Ah, hello there young lady. Might you be here for a bit of a lesson?" Zackariah smiled and a quest window popped up in front of Katoka.

Take part in <<The First Few Lessons Are Free>> ? The window prompted. She took a deep breath and tapped the little blue circle to accept.

[Katoka 0]

Zackariah was a pleasant man, he offered Katoka tea and some biscuits while he explained what he needed from her. She happily sipped the tea and the warmth that filled her felt like it spread down to the tips of her toes. The biscuits, though they were dry and a bit stale, were so much better than the bread she had lived off of for so long. It was at this moment that she knew she could never go back to being poor again.

Katoka thanked the man before she left and set out to the nearby forest to search for the herbs she needed to find. Once she was certain that she had everything she needed she started off but stopped at the edge of the town's gates. She had never set foot outside the Town of Beginnings before. Taking a deep breathe she stepped onto the pavement and out into the "wild", a message appeared in front of her that startled her at first, <<Leaving Safe Area>>. As she continued to walk towards the forest her thoughts began to run rampant, "What if I'm attacked by a monster and am killed instantly?"

"The majority of the monsters in the area are so low level you should be fine. Plus all the ones where you will be are yellow cursors anyways."

"What if there are PKers waiting in the shadows for me?"

"With the amount of floors available it's highly unlikely that anyone is here and waiting to hop out and murder me."

This inner monologue of back and forth went on until she had reached the forests edge. Satisfied that she had convinced her inner self that everything was going to be fine, Katoka stepped into the trees to begin her search for the herbs.

[Katoka 0]

Initially, Katoka thought that finding herbs in the forest would be simple, boy was she wrong. As it turns out, finding a plant in a forest full of other plants, is rather difficult. Trudging through the foliage and brush she managed to find several flowers, numerous sticks, and an over abundance of leaves. If she hadn't known any better, she would have thought that Zackariah had sent her out because he had a hard time finding these items as well.

After about ten minutes of searching Katoka stopped and stood up from the bush she was kneeling in.

"D-Did he show me what the herbs looked like?" she asked allowed to the empty forest.

She groaned and sank back down to her knees.

"I can't get too depressed about this. Just remember Katoka, you can get much yummier food with the col you're soon to start racking in!" she exclaimed to herself inside the bushes.

Edited July 11, 2020 by Katoka

[Katoka 0]

While trying to keep the edge of the forest always close by, Katoka continued her search for the elusive herbs in the forest outside of the Town of Beginnings. Her foraging so far has gave her little to no success, but she was motivated to none the less to continue. Though her motivation was mainly food related at this point.

"I swear, after I get a good chunk of col I'm going to find myself the best restaurant I can afford-" she grumbled while crawling around on her hands and knees through another thick bush.

After a few more minutes of getting sticks and leaves in her hair Katoka had an idea. She scurried up the trunk of a nearby tree and perched herself on a stable branch. "If I can't see them from down there, maybe something will stand out from up high." she said aloud again while holding her hands up to her eyes lick binoculars.

Edited July 11, 2020 by Katoka

[Katoka 0]

Hanging from the tree branches unfortunate didn't yield the results the Katoka had hoped, however she did spot a nice area that let in some light through the tree canopy. After descending from her perch she made her way into an area that had a small brook and large rocks strewn about. Letting out an exhausted sigh, Katoka decided to take a break, lounging on a sun warmed rock for a few minutes.

It surprised her how real the world felt to her, she could feel the warmth of the rock under her spreading through her body. She felt the annoying tug of the branches and bushes on her hair while she searched earlier. It made it seem like this wasn't all just a game, but in the back of her mind she still knew that she was lying in some hospital bed somewhere with that NervGear still strapped to her head.

Edited July 11, 2020 by Katoka

[Katoka 0]

Katoka jerked awake wit ha start, she had felt so warm and comfortable in the sun that she had briefly dozed off. Checking the time on her hud it had only been about fifteen minutes. She yawned and stretched a bit, and it was at that moment that she saw it, the grouping of grass that was a different color near the edge of the brook.

"Holy hell that has to be it." she said to herself and scrambled over to the water's edge.

She carefully plucked the plant and tapped just above the item to bring up the description screen. It read <<Medicinal Herb - Quest Item>>, she leapt up in the air and cried out in relief.

"So they must grow along the edge of the water. This should be a bit easier now... I hope."

Katoka proceeded to walk along the water's edge, a new skip in her step now that she had a mall nap and successfully begun to gather materials.

Quest Items Gathered: 1/5

Edited July 11, 2020 by Katoka

[Katoka 0]

Despite her quick success previously, it still seemed like the herbs were just as elusive near the water as they were in the woods, but Katoka didn't let that darken her mood. She was making progress, and she was damned well not going to let a stupid plant get in the way of her newfound drive to live. It was in this moment of crawling around in the dirt and picking at plants that she felt a pang of nostalgia.

Katoka remembered being out in the garden with her mother and sister, picking at weeds and taking care of the plants they had there. She always thought of it as annoying and tedious work. Why did they need to grow vegetables and herbs when they could get them from the store? But she'd give anything to be home again, watering the plants and teasing her sister with bugs.

It was then that she looked down and saw that she was holding another herb in her hand, she smiled sweetly and said, "I promise I'll help out in the garden without complaining when I get back Mom. Thank you."

Quest Items Gathered: 2/5

Edited July 11, 2020 by Katoka

[Katoka 0]

Two successful finds back to back, on top of her nostalgia of home gardening and missing her family, had given Katoka another burst of energy that put her in good spirits. She felt confident that she was getting the hang of finding the ideal spot, where the sunlight hit the soil near the water in just the right area. It couldn't be too close to the edge of the brook or the mud and water would over saturate it. If it was too far away the sun and lack of water would leave the area too dry. It was a Goldilocks spot in every sense of the word.

It didn't take her long to find another grouping of the herbs in another area not far from the previous two. If she kept up with her luck, she'd be done in no time, and it'd be an easy first quest clear for her.

Quest Items Gathered: 3/5

Edited July 11, 2020 by Katoka

[Katoka 0]

Katoka was marching about gleefully now, her spirits were high and her motivation was beyond that. She felt like she could do anything now, except maybe take on a floor boss. But with this upbeat attitude she was beginning to feel more like her old self, she began to mentally make a list of things to do when she got back, what she would do for the rest of the day once this quest was done, and what she would do the following morning. She loved lists and organization in her life, and she had been lacking it for so long. Once again she found the perfect spot and plucked another bunch of herbs to add to her inventory, she only had one more left and then she could head back to the safety of the walls.

"Now, if I was a fifth and final herb, where would I be?" she said out loud, looking about quizzically at the surrounding area.

Quest Items Gathered: 4/5

Edited July 11, 2020 by Katoka

[Katoka 0]

After a couple of hours of rolling around in the dirt and mud, it seemed that Katoka had exhausted the herb resources in her area. All she needed was one more and she could call a quits to the quest and head back to town, but it seems like she let her luck go to her head. So instead she decided to take another break and rest on a large grouping of rocks that positioned her at a good height. From the vantage point she looked a bit back towards the direction she came from to see if she had missed any potential spots for raiding, while also for the first time taking in the wildlife that was present in the area. She hadn't noticed the birds at first even though she listened to their calls the entire time. Closing her eyes and resting on another sun warmed rock, Katoka once again drifted off into a half asleep half awake state while listening to the melody of the forest.

Edited July 12, 2020 by Katoka

[Katoka 0]

While in this half dream state Katoka felt listless, almost like she was floating on a river in the dark. It was relaxing, despite the hard rock underneath her she was almost comfortable. This is stupid, she thought, I'm in a hospital bed with a machine strapped to my head and I'm lying here on a rock in the woods like I'm on some sort of vacation.

But despite this train of thought she continued to float down the river in her mind, hearing the sounds of the birds and bugs of the forest sing their songs. She could also hear the rustling of bushes nearby, it was something larger than a bird though. This caused her heart to beat a bit faster, her stomach beginning to tie in knots as the river she peacefully floated down began to pick up in pace. What if it's another player, or a red cursor monster?

Edited July 12, 2020 by Katoka

[Katoka 0]

Katoka was beginning to panic more and more, her breathing was rapid and she was beginning to get short on breathe. As soon as she thought she couldn't take it anymore her fingertips got icy cold and it caused her to jerk awake, and back to the outcropping of rocks where she rested. Looking down at her hand she could see a small pool of water and bit of dirt placed neatly in the rocks. Growing there in that patch of dirt was the last bit of herbs she needed. With a sigh of relief she picked it and placed it into her inventory. But her face turned sour, "How did I even miss that before?"

Her train of thought was cut short when she heard rustling again, that familiar panic began to set in but just ahead a small rabbit like creature hopped out and to the edge of the brook. It looked around before it drank briefly and then scurried back into it's hiding place. Katoka stared in disbelief that she was even afraid of such a small creature for a few moments before she shook her head and started making her way back to the forest's edge. It was time to finish off this quest and collect her reward.

Quest Items Gathered: 5/5

Edited July 12, 2020 by Katoka

[Katoka 0]

It took Katoka some time to make it back to where she started. First she had to follow the brook back a ways and then she had to try and find the tree she had climbed to get a better look at things. From there it was a straight shot out of the woods, but once she emerged she found herself off the beaten path and had to walk even father to get back to the main road. All in all it took her about 4 hours, naps included, to find all the herbs, and about another hour to make it back to the main road. By this point in time she was exhausted and ready to turn in these obnoxious plants, but she still had another fifteen minute walk back to the Town of Beginnings. Katoka drug her feet the whole way, picking the sticks and leaves that she could feel from her blonde hair and tossing them to the side.

[Katoka 0]

When the window popped up letting her know that she was back in the safe area, Katoka let out a sigh of relief and let her shoulders sag in response. The whole way back to town she was anxious about being cornered or attacked, thankfully it seemed like she was going to live at least another day. After a brief moment of celebration she made her way back to old man Zackariah's to give him his stupid plants, unfortunately that wasn't the end of the ques it seemed. After she pushed her way back into his home through the heavy wooden door the potion maker met her with the same bright smile and was excited to take the herbs from her.

"Excellent! I trust finding them didn't give you too much trouble?" he asked inspecting them with a strangely shaped magnifying glass.

"Actually they were a royal pain in my ass, though I'm sure you knew that already." she retorted with her arms crossed. Zackariah simply smirked and turned around to begin hanging the herbs up to dry.

Edited July 12, 2020 by Katoka

[Katoka 0]

After a moment Katoka realized that her quest window never popped up offering her the rewards for completing her work, "Uhh, I turned everything in to you right?"

The old man laughed, "Of course, but now you get to help me brew up something spectacular!"

Katoka groaned, but talked over to where the old man stood. He began to roll up his sleeves and set various tools and things out, "Now today we'll be making a Healing Potion, something quite useful as I'm sure you know."

Katoka nodded and watched as Zackariah explained the crafting process to her. It was fairly simple in terms of preparation, it took little to know real world knowledge of chemistry which she was thankful for. The potion maker turned to her and smiled, "Do you need me to repeat anything my dear?"

With a smile she shook her head and cracked her knuckles, "Nah, lets finish this up old man. I have a date with a hearty stew later."

[Katoka 0]

Opening up the crafting menu, Katoka selected the recipe that was provided to her for the quest and selected all the items sitting out for her on the table. She then tapped craft and let the progress bar fill slowly in front of her, after what seemed like an eternity a potion popped on the spot where the items once were. Zackariah looked pleased as he picked up the bottle and inspected her work.

"Hmmm, very good very good. Perfect Quality on your first try eh? Maybe you should think about picking up the trade?" he laughed a bit and patted her on the shoulder. Katoka was filled with a sense of pride and accomplishment.

Maybe she could be an alchemist in this world, it certainly wouldn't be difficult for her since it was all rng for success. But if she wanted to go out out gather materials she would need to gain more levels, and possibly some friends.

Quest Item Crafted: Perfect Quality Health Potion

Edited July 12, 2020 by Katoka

[Katoka 0]

The potion master placed her completed work on a shelf and turned back to Katoka, "I have one more task for you my dear. If you wouldn't mind I need a package delivered to the local blacksmith. He isn't far from here and it would be a big help."

Of course she sighed and accepted the package being handed to her. "I'll be sure to get it to him as quickly as possible sir. Thank you for teaching me."

"And thank you for your assistance young lady." he smiled and opened the door with ease for her.

Stepping outside she waved at Zackariah one last time before making her way towards the blacksmith shop. On the way though she made it a point to stop at the bulletin board to see if there were any guilds or newer folks looking for people. She did find a posting for a guild called Firm Anima looking for members. She sent them a quick message and continued on to her destination.

[Katoka 0]

Upon arriving at Lyle Tealeaf's blacksmith shop, Katoka was surprised to see how active it was. Smoke was actively rising from a very predominant chimney, there was a clear sound of metal striking metal even though the stone walls and thick door. The ai in this game has yet to disappoint her in making it seem like the npcs were alive. After a few moments taking in the sights she opened the door and stepped inside. It was exactly what you'd expect from a blacksmith, various tools hung from the walls, many types of weapons and armor in every shape and size, shields of various weight and design. It left Katoka in awe for a moment.

"You in need of something young one?" a gruff voice said from nearby. Katoka nearly jumped out of her skin at the man, he was over six feet tall with a thick white beard that was pepperd with soot and ash. His head was completely bald with a set of goggles resting atop them.

Edited July 12, 2020 by Katoka

[Katoka 0]

"I-I'm here to deliver you a package sir!" Katoka shouted handing over the parcel in her hands.

"Ah! Lovely my dear, thank you very much." the blacksmith said taking the item from her.

This action caused a window to pop up, <<The First Few Lessons are Free>> Completed. A jingle sounded and it popped up with the various rewards for the quest. She accepted them and heaved a sigh of relief. She had done it, her first quest completed! Katoka jumped up and down excitedly before she heard the gruff voice again.

"Now if you're interested I am in need of some help myself. See there are some materials I need that I don't have the time to collect." he smiled as a tiny window popped up asking for her to accept another quest.

"Oh no, not right now. I need a break man." she declined the request, "But don't you worry I'll be back after a short rest."

Lyle Tealeaf gave her a hearty grin, "I look forward to you return then young lady" he bowed and went back to work as Katoka stepped back out into the Town of Beginnings.

Spoiler

Quest Rewards:

- 5 Tier One Health Potions of Rare quality. (+40 HP)
- 1 Tier One Damage Potion of Uncommon quality. (+1 Damage)
- 1 Tier One Over-Health Potion of Special quality. (+50 HP to maximum HP for remainder of thread)
- 2 SP + 1 (Page) + 1 (Quarantine Bonus) = 4SP
- 400 col