[PP-F1] Am I doing this right?

[Lishuu 0]

The First few lessons are free

While others wandered by going through their daily routine, Lish only gleaned bits and pieces of how it all worked. She understood going to vendors and paying for various services. The way that people went out of the town and entered combat was still a bit fresh, and she hadn't experienced that for herself, but she had watched from afar. Every tick of health away from someone's maximum made her heart skip a beat. If the green bar above their head dwindled into the red, it was akin to the heart monitor fluctuating rapidly. If it dropped to zero, they flat-lined. She hated thinking about it.

She didn't even really like the idea of bashing away at the health of monsters. Lishuu understood the importance of killing inanimate creatures with no inherent personality in order to set everyone free, but the association had already set in. HP was life force. Everything had it, living or inorganic. Any type of combat resulted in death- and while many cultures celebrated the end of life as part of a new cycle, she just hadn't attained that level of inner peace yet.

No- Lish hated the idea of contributing to the wheel of death. She wanted to stand in its way, to ensure that Aincrad couldn't take anyone else. Unfortunately, Lish didn't know the first thing about surviving outside of civilization. She was hesitant even to take the initial quest that would set her on the path forward.

But today was the day. 

For too long, she watched as her friends left her behind. They'd gotten stronger, and she'd done nothing.  If something were to happen to them, with the way she was, there would be nothing she could do. She was tired of feeling powerless. So, she headed for that icon that she knew to denote a quest, and she pushed open the door. 

"Um, pardon me...?"

@Koga @Recon

Lishuu level 1 20/20 HP | 5/5 EN 1 DMG

Edited February 25, 2021 by Lishuu

[Recon 0]

Recon had stuck to himself ever since the announcement never wanting to leave the town due to the amount of threats that could be lurking beyond the town so it was about time to start looking around once again. So started Recon's wondering spree around town this was a normal thing for him due to how the place looked even after all this time It still stuns him. At first Recon avoided the quest icons since he didn't want to leave just yet but this one got the best of his curiosity so he headed for it. After a quick jog over to the quest icon he pushed open the door only to be stopped in his tracks because of the design of the place. Sure other players wouldn't have been stunned by the look of the place unlike Recon but the details had him taken out of the world for a moment. When he entered the old man NPC tried to greet him but Recon ignored him entirely the NPC's alchemist work area had sucked him in.  I came looking for copper found gold! Recon thought to himself and kept a mental image of where the place was.

Recon turned to the door looking to see if anything was over the entrance. Due to his lack of situational awareness the girl pushed open then door and it slammed right into his face "AW FUCK!" he yelled out now he was taken out of his little daydream shattering it. Recon covered his face even though there wasn't any pain it was just a reflex. This wasn't the first time he was hit in the face and it definitely not the last.

Recon Level 1 | 20/20 HP | 5/5 EN  | 4 DMG

Edited February 25, 2021 by Recon

[Koga 0]

Well...Koga had done some crafting today...he supposed he deserved a break...

"C'mon, Okami," the smith called to his wolf, who quickly sat up and followed the man out the door, eager for some fresh air. The pair exited the wood door, and Koga paused to lock it behind himself before beginning to walk the cobble streets. It was a nice day. Even Koga had to admit that. The sun was shining, but it wasn't too warm. Quite the opposite, in fact, a cool breeze filled the streets and made for pleasant weather.

The sound of a loud crack and shouting drew Koga's attention to a building he'd all but forgotten about. Well, it was a safezone, so at least no one was dying, but still..."Hey, let's go check that out, bud." Okami barked in agreement and followed his master as he approached Zackariah's laboratory.

"Hey, is everything okay in here?" Koga asked, poking his head through the doorway. "Oh, Lishuu," he said, recognizing one of the two players who were present, "What're you doing here?" The other player, a guy, clutching his face, seemed vaguely familiar, but just where Koga had seen him, he couldn't quite recall. "Uhm...you okay, dude?" Yeah, he probably broke his nose...but it was a virtual nose...and besides, the NerveGear had pain dampeners. It couldn't possibly hurt that bad, right?

@Lishuu // @Recon

Spoiler

Koga
Level: 37
Health: 740
Energy: 74
DMG: 15 // EVA: 0 // MIT: 51 // ACC: 4
BRN: 24 // BLT: 24 // FALN: 4 // REGN: 10

Skills
>> Katana V
     // Ferocity
     // Precision
>> Light Armor III

Extra Skills
>> Familiar Master: Fighter III
>> Survival

Inventory
>> T2 Demonic Katana <<Tsuki no Hikari>> [Burn // Blight // Cursed // Fallen]
>> T1 Perfect Necklace <<White Owl Necklace>> [Accuracy // Accuracy // Accuracy]
>> T2 Demonic Light Armor <<Wrathful Bracers>>  [Cursed // Mitigation // Mitigation // Regen]

Battle-Ready Inventory
---

 

Edited February 25, 2021 by Koga

[Lishuu 0]

"Oh goodness!" she declared loudly as the wet crunch of a nose smashing into wood made her visibly cringe. It was unlikely that he actually felt anything of the pain, but the impact was very real. She didn't feel any less bad that the man had been spared the worst of the ordeal by the NerveGear, though. "Are you alright?" she asked of the man, who had cursed quite loudly.

That bit did cause her to shift her gaze around, mindful of any children who might be within earshot. Satisfied that there were none, she found herself surprised to find Koga, who she'd met during an altercation between her friends. The man seemed to be alarmed, which made sense given the outcry that the other man made.

"Yeah, sorry," she said quickly to the man and his familiar, "I've gone and tried to take this poor man's nose off. I'm terribly sorry, by the way," she apologized a second time, this one meant for Recon. "Is there anything I might do to make it up to you?"

She was here to take a quest, but that meant this unknown man most likely had business with the old alchemist as well. Perhaps she could offer her help in the quest? Two heads were better than one, and all that.

[Recon 0]

He wasn't in any serious pain due to the nerve gear shielding him from the pain. Recon still covered his face with his hands before turning away from the two. That other player sounds a bit familiar and I don't want to be recognized after that incident he thought now it was a great time to use his neck warmer to cover his face. He pulled the neck warmer up to the bridge of his nose. Recon wasn't listening to the two then he turned back around to them. "Sorry for being such an overdramatic dude" His voice was muffled over the neck warmer. Recon notices the other male player giving him a quick look up and down. Have I seen this person before? Or did I not?    He heard the girl's last sorry for him. "Gee I kinda need my nose for you know...breathing." Recon sounded sarcastic when giving that response.

"Anyways It's okay thank God that wasn't the full-on real thing right?" He laughed it off considering it could have been a lot worse if it wasn't for the nerve gear. That's noted

[Koga 0]

"You apologize a lot, don't you?" Koga said humorously to Lish before turning towards the other man, how'd pull up his neck warmer to cover his probably just red nose, who had started to laugh off the incident. Well, he was taking it in stride at least. "Nose is good, yeah?" he asked, confirming what he already knew before looking into the back of the shop.

There was Zackariah, at his...whatever that table with all the alchemical equipment was called, doing something or other with a vial of sickly green liquid. Whatever it was, Koga did not want to know. How the NPC stayed oblivious to all the ruckus that had occurred no more than ten feet away from him, the swordsman did not understand.

"Ah, you there! I hate to be a bother, but could an old man trouble you for some help?" Zackariah had to be one of the fittest old men Koga had ever met.

"Well, I've already done this quest, so he's talking to you two," Koga said, nudging both the players towards the NPC. "Have fun!"

This was not fun...this quest was hell...Koga was glad he didn't have to do it again...

"I need some herbs to finish making some healing potions," Zackariah began, "but I can't leave my station for the moment. Gotta keep an eye on the old vials, and whatnot. Wouldn't want the Town of Beginnings to explode, now would we!"

'Eh? I don't remember that being in the quest dialogue...'

"Oh, say, you two young folk look like the adventuring type. If you give me a hand, I'll let you take some of the potions, how does that sound?"

@Lishuu

[Lishuu 0]

She quirked a brow when the man made the joke that he needed his nose. It was sarcastic, and certainly not what she was used to expecting from a stranger. In this situation, seriousness took absolute precedence. She'd made a gaff of her first impression on someone. Then again, his response was equally horrendous in terms of social etiquette. Did that make them even?

Lish didn't tarry long on the thought, though. Koga spoke up and directed her attention to the shopkeep, the old man apparently named Zackariah. What an interesting old man, she appraised in silence as he finished his pitch. Lish knew nothing about leveling up or getting stronger, but what she surmised was that a quest would be the proper step in that direction. After all, everyone seemed to be doing them as much and as often as they could.

"Ah, yes," she forced a laugh. It came out as awkward as she expected, but then, she was just trying to be polite. "It's actually quite a relief that things like this don't have quite the sake consequences that they would in the real world."

Part of her wished that they did, though. Every part of this world that robbed her of any portion of the human experience was a letdown. She didn't iterate that to the room, of course. Someone might mistake her for a masochist. "Anyway, it seems that this man has a request, and he's willing to reimburse us for our effort." Lish turned her attention to the quest giver.

"I'd be delighted to help," she told him with a smile.

[Recon 0]

Who are these people and were they there to take the quest? If so I would take the opportunity to join them. Better to go with others than alone right?  In his head, this was a golden opportunity one in a million in his opinion. Recon smirked underneath his mask when Koga mentioned something about his nose this was a great time to throw in another joke eh? "Yeah my nose is fine but could you quit nosing around?" Recon a quick chuckle at his joke before turning to the NPC. "Wait there was an NPC here?" He was surprised when he shouldn't be during his little daydream earlier Recon didn't notice him upon entering the building. He looked back to Lishuu "Yeah it is except I don't want to know how it would look if I was Impaled by a sword or something.” Recon didn’t know if he would panic if that ever happened. He gave Zackariah his attention and from the looks of it, the NPC had his hands full then he asked them for help to find some herbs. 

 

“Yeah sure sounds easy.” Recon gave him a thumbs up. Shouldn’t be too hard right?

Edited February 18, 2021 by Recon

[Koga 0]

Koga let out a small chuckle at the man's joke. "Sorry man, just checking," he replied. God, that joke was bad. Funny. But god awful.

Lish was quick to accept Zackariah's proposal, but the NPC waited to hear the other man's response before saying anything. "Yeah, sure sounds easy," the player said giving a quick thumbs up.

'Oh, you couldn't be more wrong,' Koga thought to himself. He almost pitied the guy.

"And what about you, old friend?"

"Heh? Old fr-do you mean me?" Koga asked, pointing at himself.

"Why, yes, of course! You helped me in the past, I thought you might be here to help these kind souls,"

"Wait, no, I mean, sure I can but-"

"Splendid!"

Koga's shoulders slumped. The damned old man fooled him...

"Alright...fine..."

Koga shook his head and gestured for the other two players to follow him. "So, either of you two know about gathering?" Koga asked as he flitted through his inventory, his gear appearing on his body in preparation of leaving the safezone.

@Lishuu

[Lishuu 0]

Is this guy serious?

Lish stared blankly for a moment at Recon as he responded to her. What a positively bleak outlook to have, and again he persisted with the tasteless humor? Everyone marches to the beat of their own drum, I suppose? The bluenette blinked rapidly, uncertain of what sort of response he was looking for. In lieu of a verbal answer, she gave a cheery 'mhm!' in response to his comment about being impaled. Her eyes moved over to Koga and widened slightly, sending a non-verbal plea of 'HELP ME' to the man before Zackariah busied himself with drafting Koga to actually help them.

Well, at least she wouldn't be stuck alone with the dry bar comic. 

"Not a thing!' she answered with a bright smile that contrasted her dimwitted retort. "I guess I'm in your care, Koga-senpai!" She felt a bead of sweat drip down her forehead as she said those words, utterly disgusted with herself. The others in her Uni's cultural association would have berated her relentlessly for it. "Erm, anyway," she cleared her throat, the rosy hue of embarrassment fast fading from her cheeks. "I honestly have no idea, I've never actually wandered outside of the city before now. I'm actually quite anxious about it." 

[Recon 0]

This girl is a handful and too cheery.

Recon stared back at Lishuu confused did he do something wrong?  He turned his head away from the girl she was getting creepy at this point. Jesus, you slam a door in my face and you proceed to stare at me? Recon thought to himself then he heard Lishuu’s cheery 'mhm' response. That answered his thoughts on the girl I was right she is too cheery. Recon gave a quick 'Uh huh' nodding in response to her. His head turned to Koga and stared him down his eyes screaming 'MR PLEASE DON'T MAKE ME DO THE QUEST WITH CRAZY GIRL HERE PLEASE' Recon hoped that his non-talkative stare scream would reach him but that hope was slim. It wasn’t himself judging people this quick rather he’d give the person time to get to know them but this was different cause staring equals bad.

Recon’s prayers were answered when the NPC talked him into joining the quest with us. Thank the lord if there is one.

“I’m guessing it’s just ripping shit out of the ground right?” That was his thoughts on gathering herbs or well his idea of it. Recon looked at both of them and spoke in a cheery voice “But let’s get it done, shall we?”

[Koga 0]

Koga should have known, the moment that both players had turned to him with their pleading faces, he wasn't going to escape this fate. Zackariah's tomfoolery had just been the final nail in the coffin. Koga's fate had been sealed.

Death by gathering.

The black-clad swords stared at Lishuu blankly for a moment. 'Did...did she just...' his mind was having a very hard time wrapping itself around the words she just said. There was a whole world of wrong in what she just said that he wasn't about to get into.

Thankfully, the other player jumped in at just the right time. "I mean...you're not wrong...I guess," Koga admitted as he tried to understand what he had just gotten himself into. "Just...keep an eye out for little blue glistening lights. They're indicators that you can pick up...whatever the fuck is blue and glistening." In Koga's case, it was usually ore and rocks, but he thought that had more to do with the fact that he was a blacksmith than anything else. "Oh, by the way," Koga said, turning to the pair of players, "don't worry about mobs and stuff. I'll take care of them, alright Lish? And...actually, what's your name?"

@Lishuu

[Lishuu 0]

The one thing she was glad about was that she wouldn't have to do any fighting. At least, she wouldn't this time. Time would come when it was unavoidable, but for this particular foray into the world outside of the Town of Beginnings, someone said they would protect her. She didn't want to rely on others for that, but she wasn't going to say no when the die had already been cast. She did note the expression on Koga's face was one of befuddlement, and so she decided that she would not repeat the ill-fated 'Senpai' incident a second time. It wasn't like she'd assumed he was Japanese, it was more that Sword Art Online was a Japanese release; but that didn't mean it wasn't possibly racially insensitive, and she had to be mindful of that sort of thing as well.

"Blue and glistening, is it?" she repeated thoughtfully as they left the laboratory behind them and headed out toward the gates of the city. "That sounds like it would stand out at least."

Lish knew she could be wrong about that, though. In all likelihood, this would be a bit more difficult that she gave it credit for. If the NPC quest giver had deigned to assign them a protector, it made sense that there might be dangers she wasn't taking into account. "Let's hurry, I'm certain you have other things you'd rather be doing, Koga," she managed an empathetic smile, as if to say 'I'm sorry to have inconvenienced you.' She spent the duration of the walk with her hands folded neatly behind her back, practically skipping toward the outer wall of the town. It was as exciting as it was terrifying for her. Everything she'd seen only from afar she was about to experience firsthand. This was it. This was her first step forward.

[Recon 0]

Thankfully there wasn't going to be any combat cause Recon wouldn't be of help by any means unless he was a flesh shield clearly a 6'2 man was great for that. Asides from being a flesh shield he didn't know how to swing a sword correctly only thing he could do is swing it like a damn bat. This was going to be a first for him leaving the town of beginnings after all this time he never planned to leave this soon but it was kinda like don't ruin the group's mood to him so he went along with all of it. Recon took a deep breath and a long exhale At least we have someone watching over us. That’s what he was thankful for.

Recon nodded after Koga gave them some information on what to look for. Recon looked at Koga when he asked for his name “I uh.” Recon paused thinking whether to tell them his name before deciding “It’s Roy.” He followed the two as they were leading him towards the gates. Time to tell them another joke eh? Recon had a great one just for herbs or gardening. “Hey I had this beautiful herb garden in my childhood…” He smiled under the neckwarmer “Good thymes”

[Koga 0]

The small party of three began to set out on what would hopefully be the first of many adventures for the other two. God, Koga hoped he didn't get them killed on their first day out. Lishuu flashed the man an apologetic smile, and Koga shook his head in response. "No, don't worry about it. I'd probably just be sleeping in my store right now anyways, I'd rather be out here giving you guys a hand," he admitted. A quick moment passed by before 'Roy' spoke again..."Uhm...that's nice...?" Koga replied, the joke clearly going way over his head.

The group had moved a bit outside of the safezone at this point, and despite being on the main road still, there weren't many other players around, which left the two players free to gather without interruption. And, there was a nice tree for some shade to boot. "Well kiddos," Koga said, as he sat down in front of the tree and leaned his back against it, his katana cradled in his arm, "this is where you guys get to searching, and I watch to make sure you don't die. Have at it."

@Lishuu

[Lishuu 0]

After a few less than reassuring words from Koga, Lish nodded. Really, some of the people in this world needed a better outlook; or at least, they needed some lessons about how to talk to people. Or in this instance, how not to. The young woman only felt a bit more uneasy after hearing from the man designated her protector that her life wasn't completely safe in his hands. The least he could have done was acted like he had everything under control! With a bit of trepidation evident in her hands, she turned her attention to the field.

It was like one of the vast fields where she'd played as a child. 

Everything about it reminded her of the first vestiges of life, wherein carefree and unsuspecting young experienced things. The First floor felt akin to infancy, and Koga like a first time father. She chuckled at the thought. The entire situation felt wrong, like a simulation of life to the point where someone might lose sight of what was real and what wasn't if they leaned into it. Many people most likely already had. Lish would have to talk to more people to get perspective on it.

She couldn't be the only one who felt that way, after all.

As she wandered the area in search of "blue, glistening" things, she realized one almost crunched under the toe of her boot. With a quick yelp, she backpedaled to assure that she didn't mangle the item and ruin it. Carefully, she bent down and gathered it up, and as she glanced over it, she realized that it was actually a beautiful and translucent blue bloom. "What an odd looking flower," she commented, and the next moment, a window popped up across her HUD indicating that she'd found a "blue moon flower," which was described as useful in alchemical experimentation. "Koga, I think I've found one!" Lish exclaimed, holding the item aloft so that the man could appraise it.

ID# 183258 Loot: 12 <1/5 gathered>

Edited February 18, 2021 by Lishuu

[Recon 0]

Recon’s smile soon faded after realizing they were getting closer to the wall. At least Koga had given them some encouragement it wasn’t a nice one but it was something. Hopefully, this little adventure didn’t get us killed although it is kinda funny if they did die are a starter quest. “Sleeping sounds nice. I never actually had a full night’s rest yet.” That was true the amount of sleep he got was little to none since joining. Once the group had left the safe zone Recon’s attention was taken by the fields. He had never seen any fields much growing up only ones he saw were in photos or briefly in games. The only things he has really seen growing up were snow and tall skyscrapers. Time to get down to work. Recon then headed off the main road and into the field he went. 

Recon took a knee and started looking for the materials Koga had described. He pushed grass around and there was nothing to be found in his area.

ID#183259 Loot: 9 0/5 materials gathered.

Edited February 18, 2021 by Recon

[Koga 0]

"Wait, really?" Koga asked Roy, as he shifted slightly in place, making himself more comfortable. "Not even in, like, an inn or something?" Koga could still clearly remember those days, sure. Barely scraping by in a world where you didn't even really need to eat really sobered you up to the world sometimes. But he'd always made it a point to have enough money to rent a room for a night, and once he got his forge, he'd moved in there until Noct had asked him to start staying with her. Koga felt a little bad for the guy if he really wasn't sleeping all that much after so long in the game.

Lishuu, for her part, found an ingredient and held it high into the air for Koga to see. Although the man could not clearly make out what the hell she was holding, aside from the fact that it most certainly was not a rock, he did know that it was a material of some sort. Which meant they were that much closer to just calling it a night. "Nice!" Koga called back, lifting his own hand with a raised thumb back at her, "What the hell is that thing though?" he asked, too lazy to get up himself and walk over to her.

@Lishuu

[Lishuu 0]

"It would appear to be some form of flower," she stated, a bit amused that he couldn't make that out from where he was standing. It wasn't like it looked any different from a normal flower, but for the strange coloration. "Just, it's a bit prettier than any flower I've ever seen. Makes you really think about the fact that this world is supposed to be a fantasy setting, huh?"

She often vocalized those things aloud for other people's benefit. There were plenty of people who just naturalized the game over time, and she'd spoken to many of them who talked about it like it was no different from everyday life outside. That made her feel a bit sad for them.

Then again, maybe that was how they coped with it. She couldn't just accept this world as a new reality. That flew in the face of everything she'd learned up to now. It ignored millions of years of evolution and adaptation that went into something as small as her family. Her family, who no doubt missed her and still cried when they thought about their daughter, living in some sort of death game.

She disliked the idea that they had to hear about it from someone else. The inconvenience that it would put on her father, who had to travel internationally in order to sit idly by while no one could do anything. She hated it.

But that hate channeled quickly, apparently, to her resolve. "Wow!" she called out, as her fingers plucked yet another material from the ground. "Either I'm really good at this, or it's just too easy," she said with a smirk toward Koga. 

"Just three left to go!"

ID# 183282  Loot: 19 <2/5 materials found>

Edited February 19, 2021 by Lishuu

[Recon 0]

Recon gave a response back to Koga to answer his question about sleeping earlier “To answer your question about sleeping in an inn no I haven’t. You know how much that shit costs?” The last time he checked about staying in an inn Recon chose not to just to save more money. “To be honest with you sleeping under a bridge is a lot better.” he said with confidence because to him it was true about sleeping there. “Believe it or not the sound the water makes is soothing.” Recon stood up and advanced further in the field and took a knee once more and began to search. “Why did the scarecrow win an award?”  he didn’t find any of the needed materials there. “Because he was outstanding in his field,” Recon chucked at his joke before making sure they got it. “Get it? Because scarecrows are usually placed in fields?”

ID# 183285 Loot: 7 0/5 materials found.

Edited February 19, 2021 by Recon