[PP // F01] The First Few Lessons are Free

[Asmura 0]

The only thing that stood between the small body and the outside world was the plain, oak door of the Inn. Well, that and her inability to move as thoughts about stepping through to the other side bounced chaotically around her brain. Slowly, as if her arm was moving through molasses, the small child reached for the door. Asmura, breathe in...2...3...4...breathe out...2...3...4. As the warm breath bypassed her nostrils Asmura felt the tension subside and the knots in her stomach loosen. Her hands, which had been shaking, stilled and clasped the cold metal. "Nothing in the town can hurt you," she whispered reassuring herself, "You can do this." Before another thought could intrude on the progress that had been made she pushed and took a step through the threshold. Just like the first time she logged in the sun was illuminating the town and the wind caressed her face. This was her life now. Taking just a brief moment to just be in this world Asmura then headed off.

For the last several days she had been going to visit a shop of an NPC named 'Zackariah' to take on a beginning quest. Unfortunately, Asmura had been not been able to speak with him since arriving to his shop. Every time she attempted to approach her body would freeze and the words would get caught in her throat making her look like a fish gasping for air. Normally several seconds would pass before she would be able to force herself to move and run from the shop; pausing outside the door to control her control her racing heart. Today marks the sixth day of trying. Without incident Asmura entered the small shop and started to browse for wears. Already she could feel her breath come faster and her heart start to rapidly beat. The thought of approaching Zackariah was too much. Deciding to step outside once again the young girl leaned against the side of the shop and sighed. Am I ever going to be able to do this?

~~~~~~~

Spoiler

Name: Asmura
Level: 01
HP: 20/20
EN: 2/2

Stats:
Damage: 2
Accuracy: 3

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Curved Sword | DAM: 2
Armor: Light Armor | MIT

 

Edited August 13, 2020 by Asmura

[Vie 0]

Eyelids flutter open, a state of heavy drowsiness lingers over her body as she lays on the uncomfortable mattress tossing and turning. After a few minutes of staring at the ceiling, she'd begrudgingly sit up and stretch trying her best to mentally awaken while rubbing her eyes. Her resting place had been quite familiar by now. It felt like routine to be a lethargic mess, stumble down the creaky inn stairs, and drink some coffee in a disposable cup while wondering which quest she would conquer next. Once done with her pondering, she would open the door to greet the shimmering sunrise. 

Occasionally she would check up on previously helped NPCs, but instead today she took her time to glance at what had recently been posted on the quest board. Ultimately she decides to help Zackariah out with his stock as the quantity of potions was dwindling ever slowly since she last visited which felt like eons ago. The man was just as she had remembered him, a majestic white beard and a gruff voice. He was in the back of his store experimenting with alchemy techniques as always. Breaching the entrance of his secret hiding place with ease, she greeted him in a friendly fashion as if they were the best of pals, "Morning! What're we making today?" She had front-row seats to watching him pour colorful fluid-filled flasks into his complicated alchemy set to create some sort of solution. After a few minutes, she realized that she had been given the silent treatment. "Zackariahhhhh," Vie groans, the NPC just now notices her existence (as if he was extremely zoned out focusing on his craft) and turns to face her. They conversed over what needed to be done around the store, concluding that the redhead would restock the shelves as he would continue doing what he does best. 

As the girl manned the storefront she acted a little upset, pouting about how he didn't trust her enough to even touch the glassware. As she slouched, not lifting a finger to actually do the work entrusted to her, a while passed. Finally her ears perked up to the sound of the bell chiming signaling someone had entered. She put on her best customer service impression, "Hello there! What would you like to order today?" Realizing that phrase didn't really make any sense in this world she clears her throat. Ahem. "I mean, feel free to browse our wares and ask questions," she corrects herself though it isn't very convincing. 

 

Spoiler Vie | Lv. 8 | HP: 160/160 | EN: 16/16 | DMG: 2 (1 base, 1 skill) Equipment Weapon: Rapier [Vanity] Armor: Light Armor [Vanity] Skills One-Handed Weapons [R1] Fishing

[Asmura 0]

Unaware, and uncaring, if people were staring Asmura allowed herself as much time as she need to regain control. Despite continuing to have such reactions progress was being made. It used to take her several minutes to calm herself down and regain control. Now, it only took about a minute or so. Her parents and Mrs. Freeman would have been proud of the leaps and bound she was making toward managing her anxiety. Thinking of them--her parents--brought a cascading wave of sadness and loneliness. In this death game Asmura was alone. No friends. No family. No one. As someone who was used to having someone around all the time Asmura felt a little more than lonely. Nights by far the worst time to be alone. Closing her kyanite orbs she grasped onto the hem of her shirt. Mrs. Freeman has always claimed the emotions "we're like waves." Meaning that they come, but they also go. Several seconds later the overwhelming feelings of sadness and loneliness bypassed. Steeling her nerves and thinking of what Anne Bonney and Sadie the Goat, two notorious female pirates of the high seas, would do Asmura straightened and pushed the door to the shop open once again. The silvery bell above the door chimed alerting anyone in the shop to her presence. She had planned to walk right up to Zackariah and take the quest.

However, there was an unforeseen problem. 

Zackariah, the older gentleman who ran the shop, was nowhere to be seen. There was however a younger woman in the shop who almost immediately addressed her. The women’s words fell on deaf ears. She was not prepared for this. There was no way she could have known that Zakariah was not in the shop. He was always in the shop. Could NPC's even leave the shop? It was a question the Asmura had never considered but now it was the only question bouncing through her mind. Then something else dawned on her. She had been frozen in front of the door not saying anything for far too long. Upon that realization immediately ivory cheeks started to turn a violent scarlet. Her mouth opened, and then closed, and then opened again. Then she moved. Dashing like a mouse that had been caught she launched herself behind a shelf in the shop. No no no. Now you just seem even stranger. Say something! Before she could even think about the words passed her lips, "Your hair is nice!" A light 'smack' resonated through the shop as Asmura landed a palm on her forehand. Not that! Try again! Taking a large breath, the words started to tumble out. "I'mheretotakethebeginnerquest." Well, that was better at least.

Edited July 30, 2020 by Asmura

[Vie 0]

As the door creaked open slowly, Vie questioned why there had been no visual on a body at eye-level- rather a green cursor, she glances downwards only to realize that a kid had wandered in. Asmura was unresponsive, almost... paralyzed? As if she had seen a ghost of sorts with her eyes wide. The redhead watched as she lacked the ability to communicate it seemed. "Give me a moment, let me get the store owner," Vie turns and briskly jogs towards the back where the older male had been. "There's a customer here for you? They look rather frightened," concern was prevalent in her voice. Zackariah takes a moment to get to his feet having to expend quite a bit of energy to do so, beginning to make his way towards the entrance. His bones practically creak with every step, but the redhead is more concerned about the small girl.

Returning to the place she previously stood, she seemed to have lost sight of her. After checking behind the countertop, she decides to look outside and see if the girl had exited. The bell rings, but no one appears to be there. "Your hair is nice!" was heard, but where was the person who had said it? After searching around a little while longer, she finally finds where Asmura had wandered off to and crouches down enough to make eye contact with her while also giving her space. "Thanks for the complim-" Her words were cut off as nervousness got the best of the child and words got jumbled together though coherent enough to still understand, "Well, you're at the right place then!" Zackariah towers over the to the left of them and introduces himself though also realizing that he had seen her browsing the shop before. Listening in on their conversation, he gives her the run down of the quest essentially telling her to gather materials and return to craft a potion. "If you'd like, I could help you out!" The NPC doesn't interject Vie's attempt at being helpful, figuring it may be for the best that the two scamper off together. It might be more efficient than having the female interfere with his crafts. 

[Asmura 0]

Everything was happening at was felt the be the speed of light. Asmura blinked rapidly, and then the crimson locked girl was kneeling in front of her small frame while Zackariah towered over them both. The older man proceeded to relay information about the quest, but the information just went one ear and out of the of the other. Kyanite orbs had fixated on the emerald ones and all thought processing had been placed on a startling hold. Then the women said something. It felt like whiplash. Almost like a conveyor belt that was once broke suddenly kicking into high gear. Her words processed within seconds, but it left Asmura's head spinning. Placing a hand on the shelf to steady herself Asmura finally broke eye contact and closed her eyes. The wood was cold to the touch. What else do you notice? Not only was it cool, but smooth and slightly dusty. The feeling of butterflies spread at the thought of what she was about to do. Narrowing her eyes, and then bringing them up to meet the women's, Asmura flashed a timid smile. 

"Y-yes, please," Asmura managed to mumble, "I'm Asmura!" Quickly she stuck her hand out and started to study the dark, wooden planks that decorated the floor. Asmura hoped that she didn't scare the women off. This was her first chance to make a connect with someone and she didn't want to ruin it. At least, if she had not already. However, the women was still here. She had not run off; nor had she been rude in any way.  Therefore, she couldn't be a bad person. "I've n-n-never done a quest before." Just so you know. Asmura finished in her head unable to bring herself to be able to finish the whole sentence. 

Edited July 30, 2020 by Asmura

[Vie 0]

She couldn't help but find the small framed girl's smile rather adorable. In fact she considered everything about her to be quite adorable likely due to both her stature and the shyness conveyed through her actions. The combination of the two appeared to be the perfect amalgamation in her mind, though she also wanted to be of use to the girl who seemed to be just getting started on the playing the game. The redhead met the nervous hand that seemed to jet out towards her. "Hello Asmura, I'm Vie," had been her response as the man beside the two began to return to the back of his workshop to tend to it. The female returns to standing instead of crouching down and glances around at the store they now planned to leave, already slightly missing it. So many memories here, it felt like there was some sort of warmth exuded from its interior or perhaps she just felt at home in this strange store now. She puts her hand on the countertop as if a cashier that spent her life here though she had been "employed" for mere minutes in all actuality.

Listening attentively as the girl's words seem to fall to the ground, Vie decides to quench whatever fears she may have about the quest, "Well, we can start off slowly. We don't have to take everything quickly in life. Completing it's enough. Whereabouts would you like to head first?" Her words are all neatly packaged together with some unknown form of eloquence or clarity that allowed them to float (figuratively). She hopes asking her rather than deciding would give her a degree of interaction that may result in the growth of confidence in time, though she knew to not expect something of someone as that would be rude. 

[Asmura 0]

It was a simple question, but one that stunned her all the same. Where should we go? It dawned on the young girl that she had no idea what the first step to take a quest even was. No. That was wrong. Asmura did know the first step. The quest had to be accepted; otherwise there was no place to begin. However, what happened after that was a complete mystery. The next natural place that her mind went was supplies. Do we need to get supplies? Do I have enough col to get supplies? Without even looking her <<items>> tab she knew that answer. No. Since entering this death game--and being a new adventurer--she had not done any sort of jobs or quests that would bring in col. Which left her at the basic amount; and that she wanted to save for a better weapon. The quietness of the shop alerted her to the fact that the red headed girl, now known as Vie, was waiting. "U-um. We...should gooo..." Asmura's mind was working at a mile a minute, then the words started to fall out again, "the field!" 

Now that she had a moment to process the field sounded, and felt, like the right place to go. It was where the quest started.  A wave of confidence surged up and she found herself smiling again. See, you can do this. Asmura started to feel a bit of pride at the fact that she was able to make such a big decision. Well, in the grand theme of everything it was not that big of the decision, but it was a start. "Let's get going then." She wandered out of the shop and then froze. The streets were bustling with players and NPC's alike. Taking a moment to pause and take a deep, lung filled breath in she then narrowed her eye and pursed her lip. You can do this. With that said the Asmura was off. She took extra care to not loose Vie in the crowd of people; which was easier said than done. Players weren't use to seeing a kid on the street so their awareness was low. Luckily, Asmura had lots of practice dodging and avoiding people legs. It was almost like a game. As she passed in between a male and female player like a shadow Asmura addressed Vie again, "H-how l-l-long have you been adventuring?" 

Edited July 30, 2020 by Asmura

[Vie 0]

As the silence was filled and any questions had been answered, the two set off thinking about their new goal- the field. As far as the eye could see on either side they'd look from the store there were large gates with wooden doors and red-roofed turrets allowing for travel though the mossy stone border when it came to entry or exit. The girl's pause was met with her gaze. She didn't seem too confident in general, which was a cause for concern for Vie. She wanted this child to prosper in this world, not perish- she wanted to be of aid to her endeavors... As the two walked they'd notice the unchanging pathway, occasional street of cookie-cutter houses, and the lack of space there was when navigating through the cityscape.

As Asmura tossed a question, the redhead had to genuinely think while noticing the amount of energy she exerted in order to catch up. She considered holding hands in order to not seperate, but she wasn't sure whether that was a good idea- or whether that would make the girl more nervous. She was a mere stranger to her after all. After a bit of contemplation, she responds with a sort of admiration "Not too long, I'm fairly new as well... I just happen to have the advantage of guild mates helping me quest," she said without considering that the girl may be entirely alone. That moment of realization made her feel bad, the idea of such a young kid wandering without any sense of companionship even- seemed upsetting to say the least. "Some day- I'm sure you'll find people you can trust like them. Maybe... I can help you out with that if you'd like," she spoke a little downcast as the concept of lonesomeness seemed gloomy, the older female seemed to sincerely want to support the younger one... "Do you think that'd be nice?" the redhead inquired, unsure whether the kid had wanted help at all or whether she was too far away from her comfort zone already. 

[Asmura 0]

Dancing around another pair of armored legs, Asmura felt the question that Vie posed bounce around in her mind like a rubber ball. The thought of joining a guild had been a fleeting one if any. Sure, there was the occasional player in the square advertising their guild, and the young girl had listened as they lectured passing players about the "greatness" of their guilds. However, after listening and watching the representing player interact with potential recruits, they had seemed...intense. At least way too intense for her. As far as she could remember she had stood a the square and listened at least twice now and each time the butterflies in her gut would increase tenfold--and not for the normal reason. Something always just felt off.  Therefore, she had never pursued joining. 

"Umm...I-I don't know." Asmura concluded hesitantly, brows furrowing as she continued to ponder the question. While thinking the young girl took another shy glance at the red-haired women and wondered what kind of guild, she was part of. Vie seemed different than those recruiters though. For one, talk of a guild had come up naturally in conversation. There was no promise of glory or power or even a pitch. She didn't seem like the others. If someone like is Vie is in this guild then I wonder who else is? Are they all this friendly? "W-What is it like to be in your g-guild? W-who is your guild?" At that point the duo was coming up to the boarder of the city and the town. Large, stone gates towered--both figuratively and literally--over the small frames. It was the point of no return. Once passing those gates the adventure truly begins. Her first one. And hopefully not her last. With Vie at her side though Asmura felt that everything was going to be alright.  

 

[Vie 0]

As the two funneled from the narrow pathways of the city to past the gate into the wide open plains, Vie observed how relieving and relaxing the clean oxygen felt to inhale and exhale... The fluffy clouds drifted past her peripheral vision floating in the clouded though occasionally sunny skies. The child's meek and rather unsure response was met with Vie theorizing that she had previously been scared of the unsolicited over-friendliness guild recruiters would exhibit when attempting to lure people to join their guild. She sighed and shook her head a little, "Firm Anima isn't like that... We'd only want you to join if *you* want to join," the redhead emphasized that the obsidian-color haired girl had choice in the situation. The girl thinks back to when she just joined, meeting so many people in the guild hall- all of them being joyful and nice... "It's a group of extremely helpful people that just want to help lower level people like us through the game to at least the point where we're able to help others as well," she gave a smile as if remembering something amusing that her fellow guild members had done.

"Anyway, for now- do you want to learn how to gather materials?" Vie attempted to prompt a response from the girl while picking a stray flower from the ground, utterly failing to do so and sort of face-planting her head into the ground... God did she suddenly feel extremely stupid doing that in front of a child. She laughs it off and kneels, working through the process of getting back to her feet and dusting herself off as if grime had been stuck to her clothing. "Sorry, sometimes I'm too clumsy for my own good," she spoke frustrated that she wasn't able to easily pick it and show her how it was done... On top of embarrassing herself, she now had mud on her pants from the slightly damp ground! Today definitely wasn't going to be a very good day it seemed...

 

Spoiler ID# 162171: LD 6, no loot.

Edited July 31, 2020 by Vie

[Asmura 0]

As Vie describe what her guild was like--and that it was her choice if she wanted to join--the raven haired girl could not help but think how nice it sounded. Firma Anima helped players so that in the future there members could too. Asmura tried to picture herself a seasoned player with complicated skills and a familiar venturing into the fields with a new player, but it just wasn't happening. After all, she had yet to get past level one. Before trailing further down that through road Vie distracted her. Nodding in response to Vie's question she concentrated as the red-haired girl found a flower and started to pull. A lot happened all at once. One minutes Vie was pulling, and then her face was meeting the ground with a small "umph." Automatically, a hand shot up to cover Asmura's mouth. A grin--wide and goofy looking--had taken over. In an attempt to not embarrass Vie further she stifled her laughter. That was until Vie came up laughing. Then the laughter started to bubble over like a full cauldron. "N-no I'm sorry," Asmura answered, attempting to quiet her laughter again, "A-are you okay?"

As she finished asking that she found a beautiful purplish, black flower that was by her feet. Inspired by Vie the young girl leaned down and attempted to pick it. Unlike with Vie the flower popped off in her hand like it was made of paper. "Look Vie!" Asmura grinned from ear to ear, "I did it!" Happiness swelled in her at her success and she lifted the flower into the air and spun around. I did it, I really did it! 

 

 

Spoiler

ID# 162193 results:  Loot: 15

>11 (as per quest rules) = Loot

Quest Materials Gathered: 1/5

Edited July 30, 2020 by Asmura

[Vie 0]

After the thunderous burst of noise, she addressed Asmura, "Sometimes you just don't get it on the first time." She spoke, rubbing the back of her head and sort of comforting herself internally. The girl in front of her bent over to pick up the darkly colored flower. She immediately blurted out, "Congratulations! I've taught you well!" She hadn't really taught the raven haired kid anything, but she wanted to feel involved with her progress in some shape or form. Vie crouched down to the girl's eye-level and sort of patted her as if an award for an achievement. A smile appeared on the redhead's face that hid her slightly upset state over how she had already been surpassed by the child. "Four more materials to go!" She kept track of their progress, "Do you think the forest might have more materials about?" The redhead questioned, unsure whether Asmura wanted to stay in the same spot or travel a little further to where a larger amount of mats might be found.

Before she could respond to her inquiry, Vie once again attempted to pull the same flower out of the ground that she had failed to before. Thinking ahead of time what to say if she had plucked from the base of its stem. Finally, with a small wiggle and some strength the petite white daisy came free and laid into the palms of her hands, "Sometimes you've just got to try again." She spoke under her breath as she began to fiddle with its form, weaving it into a something that resembled a one-flowered bracelet. "This way we can both keep track of how many we have easily! Do you want to try?" Her tone was enthusiastic as she looked to her small companion for affirmation.  

 

Spoiler ID# 162285: LD 12, loot.

Edited July 31, 2020 by Vie

[Asmura 0]

There was a slight widening of kyanite orbs as the red-headed girls hand made contact with her head. It was a gesture that was so familiar, yet so distance. Her father, Ian Lambert, had done the exact movement more than a dozen times to show affection. At the memory that started to flickering before her eyes a title wave of emotions surfaced. As soon as Vie had left the young girl's vision her gaze traveled down to the flower in her hand. She missed them dearly. As tears started to appear at the line of her vision it was her companions voice that brought her back. Realizing that her companion had said something jolted Asmura's conscience back to the moment; allowing her to catch the end of the statement "Y-yeah," Asmura stated, turning to face the forest and trying to wipe away the wetness gathering in her eyes, "Let's go there." Cautious orbs scanned the boarder of the forest and the field. It was dim. In her minds eye shadows danced and writhed in the darkness. It's just your imagination. We'll be okay. 

As the raven haired girl turned to addressed Vie again, she found that older women was attempting to pull the flower out again. With interest, and silent support, Asmura observed at the flower popped out of the ground with minuscule 'pop.' "Whoo!" She cheered happily, glad to see Vie succeed. "Nice job!" She then watched as Vie started to weave the flower. Curious about what Vie was doing she made her way over and watched with interest as her companion expertly wove the flower before asking if she wanted to learn. Taking her own flower she settled across from the older women. "I would very much like to learn." Asmura earnestly and excitedly responded while she held out her own flower. "Where do I start?

 

~~~~~~~~~~

Material collected: 2/5

 

[Vie 0]

"I would very much like to learn, where do I start?" A proud grin crossed Vie's face, glad that she would be finally able to show off her hidden talent. Beginning the instruction process on how one should intertwine the stems to create the wrist accessory with the flowers shown outward, she went step-by-step and making analogies to real life things along the way assuming it would be more helpful than actual descriptions of what they were doing, something akin to teaching someone how to tie their shoes. "First the rabbit hops over the log, the toad runs through the log to escape the rabbit... and then the rope gets tied around the stump," the analogies didn't make a whole lot of sense when strung together, the teenager quickly acknowledged that she wasn't too great at teaching in the first place- eventually giving up on herself and redoing the ties for her making strange faces as she attempted to manipulate the flowers into the correct position. "Sorry I'm sort of bad at this," her mouth fell into some sort of neutral expression as she apologized with slight awkward laughter. As she made the finishing touches on the small bracelet she assured the young lass that, "Once there's more, it'll look even better!"

Finally she returned her attention back to the quest having gotten a bit caught up in trying to entertain the girl, "So you said you wanted to go there?" She raised the question and pointed towards the darkly bordered woods after scouting out and trying to remember what direction the girl had pointed to initially. "That looks like a great spot, good find!" she praised Asmura as if she were a prodigy of sorts as her hand shot up into the air in excitement. "Would you like to walk together?" The redhead bore a courteous smile and adjusted her position to a more courteous one, properly offering the palm of her hand in a semi-cupped fashion as if preparing to escort the raven haired girl towards the metaphorical ballroom.

Edited August 1, 2020 by Vie

[Asmura 0]

The older women had the young girls complete, utter attention. As Vie made phrases such as, "the toad runs through the log to escape the rabbit" and more like it the blackette attempted to follow. Bringing the stem of the flower around itself to create a loop before threading the steam through once again. Then making a couple more loops. Once finished she held out her creation, and then proceeded to frown slightly. While Vie's was smooth, crisp, and perfectly maneuvered hers was disjointed, knotted, and discombobulated. With quick flashed Asmura glanced between Vie's bracelet and then hers' attempting to find where she went wrong. Rabbit over the log, toad through the log, and then rope around a stump, right? A mental review the instructions suddenly left her confused. It appeared that Vie noticed the difference in skill and quickly addressed as her inability to teach. Not sure what to say she allowed Vie to take her flower and fix the stem. Just like the previous one the purple bloom was beautifully crafted. Happy that it aesthetically looked just as good she grinned. Perfect!

It was not long before both their attentions were drawn back to the quest at hand. Vie pointed out the spot in the forest that Asmura had been staring prior to their flower session. It was the place. When she turned back the red-headed women had offered her hand. For just a minute, all Asmura could do was stare as she was transfixed by the offer. Biting her bottom lip, she slowly, cautiously reached out. It was not that she didn't trust Vie, but how could this be happening. Just the other day she was wandering down a winding road alone; and she had accepted that. The image was now beginning to change though. Next to her the outline of a tall, slim figure who appeared to be focusing a warm gaze on in Asmura's direction. Spurred on the by the image in her mind’s eye she gently grasped the red-heads hand. Suddenly the picture in her mind’s eye explode with color. There was Vie, grinning down at her and joining her in wandering down the winding road. She was no longer alone. "Yeah," Asmura beamed, happiness spread through her very being, "Let's go together." 

Grasping the older women's hand, a little more firmly, as if afraid this was all a dream, she then started to go to the forest edge in tandem with Vie. A long, drawn out breath was taken before bringing her gaze up to meet Vie's warm orbs. "T-Thanks for coming with me. I'm glad that you did." 

[Vie 0]

The two near the dank gloomy deciduous forest which had been graced by the sun's rays, yet unresponsive to them. Their limbs droop to the point that a child would be able to disturb them. Just before they step through to the dark side, Asmura looks to Vie and thanks her for accompanying, "No problem, but to be honest- you don't need to thank me. I was helped by someone else too you know," she paused- thinking how it might be like to be a solo player, unsure if one can rely on others or ask for help... Rather alone. The redhead felt bad for a child having to experience such a thing, ultimately she continued with, "If... you ever need any help, don't wait to shoot me a message. Alright? I'm sure there are plenty of others that would love to support you along your journey." In an attempt to comfort the girl.

As they stepped into the forest, Vie realized just how scary this might be to a young person. Bark that looked like faces were carved out despite being a knob... slightly muddied ground- the distinct smell of wet bark that had been abandoned. The place seemed to be Mother Nature's own battleground, multiple types of plant clearly trying to prosper left in poor shape. The only sort of plant that seemed to flourish were fungi... If you can even consider them plants. Their hands left one another's as Vie turned to Asmura and bent down next to her once more, "I'll protect you from any sort of mobs that choose to spawn while you're gathering the materials, alright? Feel free to travel wherever you think is best, I'll be close behind just in case." She smiled, hoping that the eye contact helped in Asmura's ability to trust her while returning to the upright position and preparing for the smaller person to rush off into a direction.

[Asmura 0]

As they entered the forest the fear that Asmura had been feeling before peaked. It took a decent amount of self-control not to squeeze the older girl’s hand tightly and guide them both back to the vast, clear field they had just left. There the sun shined brightly and illuminated everything. There the mind could not play tricks. In here, where darkness reined, the mind could weave is web that just lured her further and further into the depths of fear. Then Asmura caught sight of the flower that she attempted to make with Vie. It was warm and seemed to illuminate the impeding darkness. The the fear that was creeping in started retreat as she remembers for probably the umpteenth time that she was not alone. As she started to remember that the red-headed girl made another comment; asking that if Asmura ever needed anything to message her. It's that easy? Just send a message. Eagerly, the young girl gave Vie a determined nod. She didn't trust her voice to be steady quite yet. 

In a flash Vie was kneeling in front of her. Had she not been paying that much attention? Either way, Vie encouraged her to explore alone and reassured her that if anything popped up, she could take care of it, and then she was back up. There is no way that Asmura would let Vie fight alone. They were in this together, and Asmura wanted to make sure that Vie knew that. "If anything pops up then we'll fight together," Asmura corrected, staring up at the red head with certainty laced in her voice, "We don't have to do anything alone every again." At least I don't have to be alone ever again. What that said the raven-haired girl started off. She keeled at the base of one of the trees and found a red mushroom with white polka dots. Trying not to disturb the soil below Asmura started to pick the mushroom. Without much effort the mushroom popped out of the ground. Shifting she showed Vie the mushroom. "Look!" Asmura exclaimed, giddy at her success, "That makes two. Only three more to go!"

~~~~~~~~~~

Spoiler

162978

9

11

11

10

Asmura

Collecting quest materials

2020-08-03 15:40:47

>>Material collected: 2/5

Edited August 3, 2020 by Asmura

[Vie 0]

"I'm glad I can count on you," had drifted out of Vie along with a lighthearted grin as she watched the young person pluck a mushroom from the slightly already unstable ground in an excited manner. "Ooooh, good job! You're doing really well!" the redhead supported on the sidelines, relieved that Asmura seemed to be having an easier time than she had. She watched over the young person while also staying cautious towards what might be in the shadows, feeling that she ought to take extra care to make sure the girl was alright as if in some sort of maternal paranoia. With the slightly damp ground, they'd leave imprinted footprints behind them when they traveled. Vie definitely didn't want any backlash to come from that- mobs could follow it... Or even worse, they could get the upper hand with how unlit the environment was.

When she wasn't overly protective, she was trying to keep some sort of conversation so that the two would get to know eachother better- they just met after all despite having partied up. After pause she began her barrage of questions, "What's your favorite animal? the best snack you've ever had? What'd you enjoy doing in the real world?" Leaving little room between each question, it likely felt a little overwhelming, but Vie just wanted to know more about her in all reality.

[Asmura 0]

An inquisitive gaze remained on the mushroom that lay innocently in her hand. Now that it was pluck out of the ground it dawned on the young girl that it was bigger than the palm of her hand--which she guessed was not very big. Gathering up the mushroom under her arm she stood back up and faced the red-headed women. Right as she did the waterfall of question begin. Wanting to continue to focus on the quest, as well as foster the connection that she was beginning to foster with Vie, the raven haired kid paused for a moment to think. "I really like orange, but I don't think that is my favorite..." Asmura pondered out loud. Then it dawned on her. "Green! Green is my favorite." As she said that a mushroom with different hues of green caught her attention. Making sure the other mushroom was safe Asmura bent down to retrieved the strangely colored fungi. "And as for favorite animal that's easy. Have you every seen a red panda? And they get to sleep all day, which is kinda nice." As she was talked Asmura reached for the second mushroom, only to grasp onto it and have her hand snap back. Now that she was up close she could see that it was covered in some sort of slime. Gross. 

Returning to a stand position the young girl was slow to answer the last question. The real world was a topic that she had not cared to discuss or think about. That's where her parents were. That's where her home was. Swallowing the emotion that was surfacing she started the search for the next mushroom. "The real world, hum?" Asmura questioned softly, "It's been so long. I really enjoyed learning about pirates and drawing." Unfortunately, since entering SAO she had not been able to read about pirates or draw; but that was not something to get stuck on. "What about you? What did you like to do in the real world? And do you have a favorite season?" Think of a question was enough to allow herself to ride out the emotion she had been feeling. With it gone she was able to turn and curiously look at Vie. 

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Spoiler

163235

2

2

3

5

Asmura

Quest Material Collection

2020-08-04 13:14:43

 Fail according to quest standards.

>>Material collected: 2/5

[Vie 0]

While Asmura was answering her questions, she popped in her own answers occasionally to make it a more dynamic conversation rather than sort of one-sided interrogation, "I like otters! Sometimes they drift downstream asleep on their backs while holding hands to keep from drifting away from one another. It's just a really cute concept altogether I think..." Her insert is filled with newfound excitement, as if she had never gotten to say such a thing before- as if no one had ever asked her such mundane things. Vie turns her attention to the small girl attempting to pull the slime-covered mushroom out of the ground unsuccessfully, "Don't worry, you'll find a better quality 'shroom soon enough," the redhead spoke, trying to keep the smaller one from being frustrated with herself over materials, as she didn't want her to experience things she had.

Vie was curious why Asmura seemed to be avoiding the final question, guessing after a bit of contemplation that she may have some bad real world experiences before speaking up, "Uh, you don't have t-" she was cut off by the girl's response along with her very own conjured up inquiries. There was a pause as the redhead stuffed all the pieces of information she had learned about the pirate-loving female into her head. After the silence, she began to address the small person's questions, "Well, other than games I enjoyed making online friends. Drawing was fun, but I wasn't very good at it. I preferred having conversations. My favorite season is definitely autumn. Halloween was fun despite not being in America." The girl leaves no room for response, smashing all of her thoughts into a compact cube and displaying it. She felt bad for the unsolicited interview, yet glad that Asmura had obliged. It felt like they properly knew each other a bit better which was nice. "Only a few more left!" Accompanied by a smile was Vie's attempt at motivating the young pirate-loving girl, questioning whether she'd like some sort of pirate-related nickname or not.