[F1-PP] A saga worthy of song. I hope. <<The First Lesson>>

[Melodie le Breton 0]

 For too long now Melodie had allowed herself to sit and stew in an ever increasing state of anxious trepidation. Here was her chance to be the big hero she longed to be. Yet, here she was sitting in the town of beginnings, her mind clad in the rags of her regrets and decorated in the finery of her cowardice. She honestly felt like crying, curling up in a tiny ball and letting the tears fall. Yet, she could not or rather would not. After all, how would it appear to others when they beat this game and escaped, if all of her achievements were crying and being afraid. Everyone and that meant everyone, even her own parents would know she was a coward, too scared to stand up and fight, even when she had no alternative. Mel even called her character name to make it sound heroic, inspired by the name of a great fantasy hero. He fought when no one else would, fighting on even when all hope seemed lost. 

Finally, her fear of being exposed as a coward managed to override her fear of death and strong sense of self preservation. Besides, it might be better to die a hero than live knowing everyone knew she preferred to duck, hide and wait for all the noise to stop and the monsters to go away. She made her way through the starting town, ignoring the familiar streets and sights, trying her best to avoid attracting any attention. If she was going, then she was going. No one, regardless of their conversation or if she fancied a cup of tea or to talk about how long it might take to be rescued, would prevent her from going out into the wilderness. 

Sure, she happened to be way behind the true heroes fighting on the frontline, risking life and limb for the greater good of all. But soon she'd get there and show them all, what Melodie le Breton was made of, finally proving her quality to all as well as her bravery. She hoped. Or at the very least, somehow emerging at the end of a battle to take some of the credit for winning. The old voice at the back of her mind, tried to make her give up, retreat, back away and sit this out. With difficulty, she pushed the voice down inside her, though her pace slowed till she stood on the very edge of the safe zone. One more step. One more step and she would be out there, at risk of death or worse, at the hands of Pkers, Beaters and monsters. 

She felt as though such a moment, required a word, something to memorialize it, even if none other than herself would hear it and none save herself might care. In the end, Melodie stole from Caesar. "The die is cast." With these quiet words, she crossed out into the wilderness of the first floor, to seek battle with Mobs and rogue players, to find glory and not death. 

Yet, being out from the walled safety of town, even with a sword held tightly in her right hand, she did not feel brave. But, for someone so petite, she felt very small and very scared. She moved quickly and as quietly as she could manage, rallying her courage as she searched for a Mob. True, before the game of death, she had fought mobs without a care for her HP. But now... With death a real prize for fighting, the cold grasp of terror clawed at her heart. 

Level: 1
Tier: 1
HP: 20
EN: 20
Dmg: 4 (R1 Weapon Skill)
Acc: 2 (Gear: weapon)

Edited December 28, 2021 by Melodie le Breton

[Astreya 0]

Astreya gave a small breath as she spun on her heel, the armored boot digging into the grassy terrain of the first floor.  The woman didn't feel much fear here, not anymore.  She had at one point when she first started her path to getting to where she was now, but steadily, through grit, determination and a lot of help from other people (and the beginner quest line!) she had managed to get to where she sat now.  All the same, that didn't mean that the first floor was devoid of danger, and the young woman often spent a lot of time here on the first floor anyway when she wasn't adventuring.

Most of the reason for that was, of course, the fact that she had been here wallowing in her sorrows after the guy that had gotten her to play this game in the first place, her boyfriend, had been killed within a week of the new 'rules' being put into effect, which left her alone.  She had just stayed in the introductory town, doing just enough to make some money to get by or asking for help from the occasional front-liners that made their way through the area, managing to hold on for a very long time.

But amusingly and not too dissimilar to the player she was about to meet, Astreya had realized that her sitting in one spot wasn't doing anyone any good.  Furthermore, that if anyone died on the Front Lines that they were dead, permanently... but it set back the Front Liners if they didn't have anyone to come and help.  And there could be an eventuality that there was no replacements.  That they would just be stuck here, forever, until they died.  

Astreya couldn't abide by that.

"Hrah!  Take that!" she called out, swinging her blade in a wide arc, cutting through a large horde of Boars.  The AoE technique was enough to obliterate them en masse, and she didn't get any rewards for doing so.  No exp, no Col, but that was fine.  It wasn't something she was doing for that.  She was thinning the herds.  If weaker players ventured beyond the walls, she didn't want them to run into an entire swath of monsters right out the gate.  "Now stop grouping up you weirdos!" she hollered at them, waving her sword at the group of them before clipping it to the back of her armored dress.

She turned to head back to the main gates, but as she did so, she saw an unfamiliar face heading out.  Given that Astreya had assisted quite a few other low-level characters, she was quick to note the starter gear the girl had on and beamed, grinning widely as she waved at her.  "Heyyyyy!  You doing Zackariah's dirty work?" she asked, referring to the common 'first quest' that many went on in order to try and build up some strength before venturing further beyond the walls.  "I can help if you are!"

Spoiler

 

-Level 22
-HP: 485
-- 440 (Base) + 45 (Iron Skin)
-NRG: 62

-Base Damage: 10
-- 1(Base) + 6 (Weapon Skill) + 1 (Impetus) + 2 (Weapon)
-Mitigation: 62
-- 0(Base) + 35 (Armor Skill) + 15 (Iron Skin) + 12 (Armor)
-Regeneration: 2% (Currently 9)
-- 0(Base) + 2% (Battle Healing II)
-Accuracy: 3
-- 0(Base) + 1 (Weapon) + 2 (Accessory)
-Thorns: 18
-- 0(Base) + 18 (Armor)
--EN Recovery: 0
--Taunt: 1

»Silver Frost [2H Straight Sword] | Rare T2
[Damage] - Gain +2 base damage per slot.
[Accuracy] - Add 1 onto your BD rolls (Cannot cause crits)

»Battle Dress | Rare T2 Heavy Armor
[Mitigation] - Prevent 12 damage from successful attacks against you.
[Thorns] - Successful non-critical attacks against you deal 18 unmitigated damage to the attacking enemy. Only activates on damage dealing, melee attacks.

»Hoya of the West | Perfect T1 Trinket
[Accuracy II] - Add 2 onto your BD rolls (Cannot cause crits)
[Prosperity] - Gain +1 to the base multiplier when receiving col from killing an enemy.

 

 

[Melodie le Breton 0]

 There were far too many boars at here for her liking. Sadly, Melodie could not call upon magic to see them all explode since there was no magic in the game, nor was there the option for artillery, since a battery of cannons might be more than enough to deal with her porcine enemies. Unfortunately, such excessive firepower also tended to be absent from a fantasy game. But that was besides the point, she needed to kill them and not stand around all day in the wilderness, watching the herds of hostile monsters sweep majestically from place to place. But suddenly, the pigs started to explode as a lone female warrior, much to Mel's surprise and amazement, began to butcher them all with impressive attacks. 

Too late did she considered the need to hide, since understandably such a powerful person might not automatically choose to be friendly. Whilst Melodie had yet to actually encounter a hostile player in the game so far, there had been more than a few which made her a tad uncomfortable. Outside the boundaries of the safe zone, she was quite vulnerable should the other party prove to have hostile intentions. She doubted her starting garb and rare sword might do much to prevent an attack or win a fight if it came down to one. The other player called out to her, the voice friendly and female which happened to be quite reassuring, since Melodie had wondered how fast could she sprint back to town in case they weren't.

Seeing as it would be rude to firstly, run away and second ignore a friendly greeting from someone who happened to be a much higher level than her, Melodie returning the greeting as she nervously headed over towards her. Mel decided to sheath the sword as she approached, not that she suspected it might make the warrior feel threatened, but because it probably counted as bad manners. "Hi." Mel greeted, trying to sound calm and relaxed, but her voice had that squeaky tone of someone way out of their depth. "Yes... I am and yes please. I'd... Appreciate the help if at all possible." 

After all, having someone heavily armed and armoured she believed might help keep the hordes of Pkers and monsters away long enough for her to level up. Plus it was nice to encounter another female player.  

Level: 1
Tier: 1
HP: 20
EN: 20
Dmg: 4 (R1 Weapon Skill)
Acc: 2 (Gear: weapon)

 

[Astreya 0]

At the girl's greeting, and agreement that she was doing the first quest, Astreya's smile only broadened, and she bounced in place a little, excited.  The young woman was very much a fan of being able to help out the other players, to help them get their feet wet, but she very much understood the fear that came from such things, and so having someone to watch their back while the quest was undertaken was a welcome thing for most players.  There were a few that liked to go it alone, and she understood that, but she still liked to offer it to anyone that was willing.  

"Awesome!  I'm Astreya, or, like, you can totally just call me Iris if you'd like," the girl spoke, not at all ashamed or afraid of giving out her real name.  There had been several people who told her she shouldn't, but so far no one had ever really given her a good reason 'why' she shouldn't.  It might have been some sort of gamer respect or code or something but despite the fact that she was Level 21 and able to manhandle hordes of boars, the woman hadn't really played any games before this- and it showed in just how overly friendly and trusting she was.

Still, the very clear 'valley girl' accent came through her words as she offered her hand, although it was at that point that a large vulture began to descend upon them.  Rather than show any aggression though, Astreya just held out her arm, the creature landing on it with a small sound coming from it.  Its body burned a bright, almost electric blue, but the flames burned cold.  "Hey Frosty.  Whatcha got for me?" she asked, taking the small bit of loot from the bird's talons, before the bird simply took off again, heading somewhere else.

"She like, totally likes shiny things, y'know?  Brings back lots of Col," the woman offered with a grin.  "Anyway, sorry!  You familiar with hunting for herbs?  If not, like, I can help!  I can't see the ones Zackariah needs, buuuuut we can talk and I can keep any nasty beasties away so you can, like, search for herbs without watching your back," she offered, nothing but friendliness on the girl's features.

---------

Hunting Familiar Roll: #202885
CD: 6 (528 Col)
LD: 20 (528 Col)
793 Col
Perfect T3 Armor/Shield (1)
Perfect T3 Trinket (1)
[Cooldown: 0/5]

Edited December 28, 2021 by Astreya

[Melodie le Breton 0]

Astreya appeared to be very friendly, if not overly friendly, something Melodie concluded when she gave voice to what she guessed to be her real name. Mel had never given her real name to another gamer before and was not about to start now. But far be it from her to make an overly friendly, highly dangerous player change their ways. Besides, even if she had wanted to, which she didn't, she lacked the confidence to even begin to say anything along such lines. If anything she envied the other girl's confidence to come out with her real name. She felt even smaller than usual, this was a girl who stood up and fought back where as Mel hid herself away, giving into her terrors instead of doing what was right. But at least now, now she was finally on the right path. 

"I'm Melodie or Mel if you'd like?" She introduced herself in turn, unsure of whether or not she should hold out  a hand to shake. She took a small step back at the unexpected appearance of the creature, but recovering her nerve she  quickly complimented it. "That's a cool bird." It never hurt to be polite to the higher levels, particularly where they could, if upset do some serious and potentially fatal harm to her. Good manners cost nothing. 

Mel nodded slowly, familiars that gathered stuff for players whilst they played were a common thing in most rpgs, at least the ones Mel frequented back before her entrapment. "Pretty handy feature to have." She responded before answering her question. "Yes, that is the plan and I'd appreciate someone to watch my back. Plus it would be nice to have some company to boot." Even if she had not wanted the company, Melodie doubted she would have decline the offer, since a friendly knight on her side was a significant boost to her safety. if she wanted to level up, then she needed higher level friends and allies to help watch her back, at least until she could stand on her own feet and fight by their side as an equal. 

Level: 1
Tier: 1
HP: 20
EN: 20
Dmg: 4 (R1 Weapon Skill)
Acc: 2 (Gear: weapon)

Edited December 28, 2021 by Melodie le Breton

[Astreya 0]

As the name was returned, Astreya couldn't stop the smile on her features.  She knew that most people weren't willing to share their name (for whatever reason) but it didn't bother her in the slightest.  Everyone had their own beliefs and that was totally fine by her.  "Mel it is!" the girl cheered, as she was the sort to use nicknames as opposed to full names whenever she had the opportunity, mostly because it was easier to say, but Astreya liked to feel closer to people.  

"If you change your mind about the nickname, just like, let me know, kay?" the girl asked.  She missed being around and talking to people, so any chance she had, she went after it as much as she could.  But as Mel complimented her bird, Astreya blinked, before bouncing a little in her excitement.  "Frosty's really cool!  Like, literally too, but she's really helpful!  Found her up on another floor, and she just flies around and finds stuff for me.  It's totally helpful, y'know?" she added.  "I was kinda hoping that she'd be able to, like, help me with monsters and stuff.  But I guess I didn't check her stuff before I got her," the girl spoke, sighing a little.

"I'm a little new to all this like...gaming thing," she spoke, gesturing around to the whole area.  "So I make a lot of rookie mistakes," she affirmed cheerfully, as if she weren't particularly upset about the fact that she made them.  "But anyway, this is your quest, not mine.  I already, like, did this one so I can't go on it, but since we're out here, you should totally be able to see some of the Herbs Zackariah needs.  I'll let you take point, and if anything tries anything, they'll get me all up in their face!" she cheered, grinning.

---

Hunting Familiar: 1/5

[Melodie le Breton 0]

Mel smiled and gave a single nod, she was not good at dealing with people face to face. The virtual world, she was normally good at, usually anyway. But that was behind a screen, inside SAO happened to be completely different, even before it turned into it's final form, a hardcore mode no respawns allowed, with permanent real life death. "I'll try." She admitted honestly, though Mel struggled to actually tell people her honest feelings. It had always been a problem, if she could not tell her mom in real life, a person who she hoped still loved her despite getting stuck in a game, that she hated eggs and her mom loved to cook them for her, then telling a armed stranger, that she did not want to be called something, probably was not going to happen. 

"Very few games include familiars or animal companions that fight by your side. Normally, they are passive buffs or just a decorative item." Melodie confirmed, wondering just how new to the whole gaming thing this player happened to be. Ah the irony, here she was a veteran player of countless games, a mere level 1 afraid of dying, meanwhile someone new was charging ahead and already a much higher level. 

A moment later, Astreya confirmed that she was in fact new to gaming. "That's fine. Though it does explain why you told me what I assume to be your real life name." Melodie said quietly. "A lot of gamers don't do that, especially us... Well me mostly." She awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck as she said this. "I'm not normally... Good face to face with people." She knew a lot of gamer girls who preferred to keep their names a secret, but most of those 'friends' did not come over to SAO. "You're alive though, so that's always good right?" Mel pointed out, trying to move the topic away from herself, even though she was the one ultimately responsible for such an awkward thing. 

"Okay, let me know if any monsters come. I want to see what my sword can do." Mel put on what she hoped was a brave face as she tapped her sword's hilt, before leading of to the first indicated clump of herbs. 

Level: 1
Tier: 1
HP: 20
EN: 20
Dmg: 4 (R1 Weapon Skill)
Acc: 2 (Gear: weapon)

[Astreya 0]

"Like, I could totally rock a little purse pooch," Astreya commented back to Mel regarding the fact that a lot of pets were cosmetic items.  She wondered if that was something that some people might actually have in the game somewhere.  She imagined that some of the people here were going to be concerned about how they looked on the outside and all of that and so they'd want to keep things cute and whatnot.  She supposed she wasn't entirely an exception, having chosen the armor design because it was stylish on top of being protective.

As Mel continued, Astreya nodded, grinning.  "Yeah, like...a bunch of people have told me not to tell my real name but so far no one can tell me why, y'know?  Just that you're not supposed to?" she asked, gesturing with a hand as if she weren't all that concerned about it, but all the same, still being genuinely curious.  She didn't mind the chat though.  Maybe Mel would be able to tell her, once and for all, why she wasn't supposed to do it.  Maybe some folks just wanted to keep their game personality different from who they were in real life?  That wasn't how Astreya handled things, but she could respect it, if nothing else.

"Yeah, that's true," Astreya murmured in response to her still being alive, and the smile dropped for the briefest of moments, a blink-and-you-miss-it moment, before it returned.  "The next quest in this chain though has you killing a bunch of boars, so if you wanna test your sword we can do it then... but if any monsters come by, as long as there's, like, not too many we can try it out!  You've totally got the same sort of sword that I do, so I can show you how the Sword Arts, kay?" she spoke, clearly excited to help someone out.  "But see what you can find for now!  I'll keep an eye out!"

[Melodie le Breton 0]

 Despite herself, Mel shot the other player a curious look as if trying to figure out whether or not she happened to be joking. In the end, she had to go with her being serious. "I'm... Rather a poor judge really, I don't really have much sense of fashion." She replied quietly, thinking back to the life left behind, video game related t-shirts and hoodies were mostly what she clad herself in, combined with pajama bottoms. Perfect for a relaxing day of gaming. 

"Sometimes that can be it. But many prefer the privacy of online. You can be your real self... Or at least that is normally the case." She sighed, shaking her head in a mixture of sadness and frustration. "Personally I prefer to keep my name to myself because of the way some male players react to the fact you're a girl. Always asking if you have a boyfriend or if they can have your name." She shuddered visible, before continuing the search for the herbs. 

Melodie pretended to focus on the herbs as way to hide her reaction to the thought of the suddenly coming battle. This would be it, her moment to sink or swim. She had to fight, she must fight, otherwise the friendly girl behind her would know she was nothing more than a coward. She couldn't let that happen, thus once she got to that part of the quest, she would lead the charge so to speak. "Deal, after the quest maybe I can buy you a meal as thanks." Mel offered, it was the least she could do since the other girl was helping her with no real benefit to herself. 

Level: 1
Tier: 1
HP: 20
EN: 20
Dmg: 4 (R1 Weapon Skill)
Acc: 2 (Gear: weapon)

Gathering herbs: 1/5

Roll ID #202896
LD: 19 (+1 Material)

Edited December 29, 2021 by Melodie le Breton

[Astreya 0]

As the girl admitted that she was a poor judge of fashion, Astreya had to resist the urge to jump in, to offer to help her coordinate her armor to make sure she looked as stylish as possible.  The girl had long since realized that not everyone had the same sort of background that she did when it came to these sorts of things.  Additionally, she had to consider the fact that she was kind of the anomaly here.  Everyone she'd talked to had been a gamer on some level- she was just...not really one of that crowd (not that she let it bother her (much)).

Once the girl gave her reasons for wanting to keep her real name a secret, Astreya paused, moving her hand to her jawline as she looked upward, trying to think of all the guys she'd met playing this game.  Raidou... he was a little too out there, she was pretty sure.  The way he thought and talked just made her see that he had no interest in any sort of romance here.  Maybe she'd guessed wrong, but she didn't get that vibe.  Freyd, on the other hand, was really kind of a weird guy.  Both more and less weird than Raidou, depending on how you caught him.

Plini seemed ungrateful up on some other lady, Vigilon was already together with Krysta... she wasn't entirely sure that she'd met any guys that had been interested.  "Nah all the guys that play this game are, like, totally extra weird or taken, so you don't need to worry about it," Astreya responded, waving a hand to dispel the girl's thoughts on that.  "No one's come onto me at all, so like, it's probably fine?"

At the offer for food though, the girl practically jumped.  "Cake or sweets and I'll love you forever," she responded, pumping her fists in her giddiness.

----

Hunting Familiar: 3/5

[Melodie le Breton 0]

 Maybe Astreya happened to be fortunate then, never running into any of them? Melodie considered it for a few seconds then decided to move on from it, there were other far more important topics to focus on and or worry about than the potential for being hit on by random roaming gamer guys. Not getting killed by monsters was probably her greatest concern really, probably followed by dealing with others when she found herself once again in a safe zone. Astreya appeared to be, from Mel's perspective anyway one of those confident individuals who was certain of themselves and tended to be able to handle most situations. 

"Cool cool." Mel responded quietly, part of her, a small tiny part of her wondering if Astreya happened to be correct there. Still, it would be funny if she was, Melodie gets stuck in a video game and still cannot find a boyfriend. Not that she knew what to do with one if someone asked her out, but the principle of the thing, nor was she exactly looking for one either. There were far more important things to worry about and focus on, like for example not dying, leveling up and finding these herbs. One down now, four to go. Then all she would need was to craft the potion and keep on going. "It might just be me having bad experiences with other MMOs." Melodie admitted quietly as she continued to search for more herbs. "You probably shouldn't listen to me... I'm not... Well a people person... Really." She sighed awkwardly, telling herself to focus on the gaming aspects of life rather than stress on the human parts of it. At least the gaming stuff she was usually good at. 

Level: 1
Tier: 1
HP: 20
EN: 20
Dmg: 4 (R1 Weapon Skill)
Acc: 2 (Gear: weapon)

Gathering herbs: 2/5

Roll ID #202897
LD: 19 (+1 Material)

 

Edited December 29, 2021 by Melodie le Breton

[Astreya 0]

"That could be!" Astreya responded readily to the other girl's thought that it might be possible that she had poor luck with other MMOs and the people there.  "I mean, this is really the only thing I played, y'know?  My dad taught me a lot of chess so I'm, like, pretty good at that," she spoke, giving an impish little grin over to Mel.  "But when it comes to games, I totally don't have a lot of experience.  Oh!" she began, as if an idea had just suddenly struck her and she stood up, looking to the other girl.  "We could trade help!  You can help me be better at this game, and then, like, I can help you learn how to talk to people!

Sure, Astreya was a higher level than Mel was, but there stood a very good chance that the girl just didn't understand the game as well as some others.  She constantly felt like she was behind and missing something anyway, so that was entirely possible.  "If you're willing to, I mean.  Don't, like, feel like I'm pushing you into it, or whatever," Astreya spoke as she gestured toward the girl.  She honestly didn't wan Mel to feel like she was being pressured and if that was something she dealt with daily, then Astreya didn't want to add to that weight.

"I can at least help you get started with junk, but, like, once you get going I'm sure you'll pass me in no time," she cheered, not at all bothered by this fact, it seemed.  Astreya was, by all counts, a pretty genuinely good person.  But for those who weren't used to that, it could take some time for her to win them over, as it were.

-----

Hunting Familiar: 4/5

[Melodie le Breton 0]

 Astreya had certainly picked a dangerous game to start on her road to becoming a gamer, though Melodie doubted if anyone could have predicted any of this. But still, to go from playing chess to SAO was a huge leap. Whilst Mel did not mind helping her get better at the game, the thought of having to deal with people... It made her skin crawl. For a while she did not look over at her new found friend, unsure as what to say or as to what her expression might say on it. "I don't mind helping you with the game." Mel began, her voice soft and quiet. "But... I just find dealing with people... To be... Awkward." Others were perfectly fine talking and communicating, but Mel was beset by self doubt, besieged by her own fears and insecurities. What if the people Astreya introduced her to only liked her because Astreya liked her?

"No. It's cool... We need to work together to survive. Lone wolfing it is just going to get me or others killed..." She admitted sadly, there was only so much a solo player could do to clear the game. Heck, as a mere level one her overall effect on the game whether as part of a guild or as a solo happened to be forgettable. But one day, she would get there, if she lived long enough. 

"It's my own fault for starting late... I... I don't mind the help but... If you have stuff you need to do instead... I understand." Mel answered, loathe to part with Astreya, she thought it quite nice to have someone to talk to, who was not cowering behind the walls of the town and waiting for someone else to do the rescuing. "Who knew picking herbs would take so long?" She joked with a half hearted laugh, not to mention she suspected it would be a lot more dangerous if Astreya had not been going around killing the Mobs and keeping watch. She smirked, she happened to have her own heavily armed and armoured guardian angel. 

 

Level: 1
Tier: 1
HP: 20
EN: 20
Dmg: 4 (R1 Weapon Skill)
Acc: 2 (Gear: weapon)

Gathering herbs: 2/5

Roll ID #202905
LD: 4 

[Astreya 0]

As the woman admitted that dealing with people could be awkward, Astreya couldn't help a small smile flit across her face.  The problem, of course, was that in this sort of game if she wanted to get out, and if she wanted to fight on the front lines, she would be forced to do so.  At least to a certain extent.  She could probably take up more of a damaging role and just sort of go where directed and smack things until it went down, but Astreya imagined that might not be the best either.  

But she didn't bring it up, at least not yet.  Despite her bubbly and seemingly flighty personality, Astreya had a keen eye for people's emotions and their body language.  Thankfully, with the equipment actually copying any and all movements the body would want to make, her skills in reading the small tells people hadn't gone to waste at all.  As Mel continued, however, Astreya's smile became a bit more somber and honestly a little more 'real' than the wide plastered grin she'd been wearing for most of their conversation.

"I get that.  I started late too.  I was really scared of...well, everything.  But like you said, we have to work together to get out.  I kinda, like, put together that the people that are fighting to get out on the front lines?  If someone gets... if someone doesn't make it, they don't come back.  So unless more people like us step up, like, there's a chance we might never get out," the armored woman spoke, shaking her head.  "So when players need help starting out, like, I need to help them out," the woman spoke quietly.

At the small joke Mel put out, Astreya grinned.  "You think you got it bad?  It took me two days to find them all!"

----------

Hunting Familiar 5/5 - Ready!

[Melodie le Breton 0]

 The petite brunette paused, turning when Astreya gave voice to something that Melodie believed she never could. "I... I know it is natural to be afraid of dying... But I worry more about living and having proved myself to be a coward." The brave die but once where as a coward dies a thousand times. She looked surprised at the confession of this most private of sins. "But we have to keep trying and one day, we'll get out or someone will get us out from the real world." Though from the tone of her voice, it was clear that she did not believe the second option at all. If anyone was coming, then they would have already done so, thus it left the players themselves to try and escape. Though given the casualties suffered so far, it seemed increasingly unlikely that anyone might manage to escape from this game. 

"That is very kind of you, in most games few players would go out of their way to help the newbies." Mel had to class herself among that number, she would be off usually grinding out her build or taking part in some manner of raid in an attempt to get better gear for her build. She tended to not be too active in voice chat or anything, letting her fellow party members school the newer players, though by then those new players were high level and getting used to the raids. Plus in game death only required respawn or a team revive to fix, not at all like in Sword Art Online where death was an inevitable fact of existence. 

"Two days? You must have had some serious bad luck." Despite herself, Mel found herself chuckling at the idea of Astreya searching in vain for the missing herbs. It felt good to laugh, the world had turned on it's head but laughter remained the same, something human... Something this game and it's creator were unable to take away from her. "Three down, two to go." She quickly cast a nervous glance about her. "No sign of Mobs or Pkers nearby right?" She asked nervously, wary and anxious as a Meerkat emerging from it's bolt hole. 

Level: 1
Tier: 1
HP: 20
EN: 20
Dmg: 4 (R1 Weapon Skill)
Acc: 2 (Gear: weapon)

Gathering herbs: 3/5

Roll ID #202906
LD: 18

[Astreya 0]

Hunting Familiar Roll: #202907
CD: 2 (528 Col)
LD: 16 (528 Col)
793 Col
Rare T3 Consumable (1)
Rare T3 Weapon (1)
[Cooldown: 0/5]

-------

Astreya could feel the girl's own frustrations at being too afraid to actually move forward, and it was something that Astreya knew well, herself.  This whole world, Aincrad, had been a terribly dangerous world to live in.  There were monsters that could, and would, aggro you if you got too close and be willing to cut you down and attack if you weren't careful.  That was something Astreya had dealt with on the second part of the quest line, and she knew that Melodie would have to as well.  During those fights, Astreya wasn't allowed to participate or Mel wouldn't get credit for the quest.  But it was weird- the fear of things had actually been a lot worse than actually doing it and experiencing the dangers first-hand.

"We'll get out!  I'm sure of it!  Everyone that was like we were and, like, too afraid to keep trying... I can't blame them.  It's totally scary," Astreya admitted with a small frown.  "They thought they were just, like, playing a game... no one expected any of this to happen, y'know?  But I'm gonna help get everyone out," she spoke, a certainty to her normally flighty voice.  "I want everyone to, like, get back to the world they left."

At the change in topic, however, Astreya couldn't help but to smile slightly.  "Yeah, yeah.  I know, right?  I've never had much luck with getting the herbs.  I actually took on a Profession to make it easier," the girl admitted, shaking her head.  "Crazy, right?" she spoke, even as the beating of wings reached her again.  She glanced up as Frosty came in with another care package.  "Thanks, Frosty!" she called as the Frost Vulture cawed once before flying off again.

"So if you're gonna try and totally get to the front lines...you thinking like a damage dealer or a tank or...like, something else?"

Edited December 30, 2021 by Astreya

[Melodie le Breton 0]

 Astreya had noble aspirations, a dream to get everyone home and safe, back to whatever lives they once had before becoming trapped within Sword Art Online. Melodie's own reasons seemed increasingly selfish by contrast, her reasons were simple ones really. She wanted to get everyone out of the game, be the hero and prove to everyone, more importantly herself that she was not a massive coward. But there were other problems than merely, escape. The world they left would have changed in their absence, Mel knew as soon as she got out of the game she'd be online in another as soon as possible. She stayed silent, not daring to voice her own reasons, selfish as she felt they were.

She shot her friend a disbelieving glance, Astreya must have been going for a build which needed herbs she eventually decided on. Not that Mel would fault her for picking it, even if only to make a few quests easier. It was her first real video game, everyone happened to be new once. "It might be crazy but if it works, it works." She said to try and reassure her, diplomacy one-oh-one always be nice to your heavily armed neighbors. Astreya had a really cool pet bird, Mel decided she needed to get one of those when the chance arose, seeing it return to her. 

"Fast damage dealer I'm thinking, maybe some sneaky stuff in there too." Mel knew it was a hard choice for many to make, speed or protection. She would rather trust her reflexes and her agility stat than a suit of armour that may or may not be out of date for the very next fight. 

Level: 1
Tier: 1
HP: 20
EN: 20
Dmg: 4 (R1 Weapon Skill)
Acc: 2 (Gear: weapon)

Gathering herbs: 3/5

Roll ID #202918
LD: 6

[Astreya 0]

Astreya noticed that when it came to her own ideals, Mel didn't speak in on those, which meant, at least to the way Astreya had been raised, that Mel might not agree with her... or that she had her own ideals that she was working toward.  So long as Mel didn't want to be a Player Killer, Atreya didn't have any problem with the woman at all, no matter what her goals were.  But with Mel dropping the topic, Astreya didn't want to push it either on her end.  If it made Mel uncomfortable, she certainly didn't want to cause any problems with her new friend!

"Yeah!  Well, it was that or Fishing and I figure, like, I'm always wandering all over the place, and Fishing totally seems really boring.  Not that people who like to fish are boring," she amended, lifting both hands quickly.  "But, like, I enjoy getting to wander around and finding herbs and other materials is totally way more fun than sitting around a pond and hoping something bites," the woman spoke, immediately going back on what she had just said, as Astreya had a tendency to do.

"Man, I always feel like I'm in the minority there!" Astreya responded with a grin, shaking her head.  "I haven't come across many other armored people!" she announced, lifting up her blade as if it were a barbell.  "But like, I dunno.  I just feel a lot safer if I'm encased in a bit suit of armor than I do hoping I dodge right," she admitted, considering the ideas.  "It totally makes it easier to farm up the weaker enemies too," the woman added with a grin, before glancing to the side.

"Speaking of..." she murmured as she stalked forward toward where a boar was getting a bit too close for comfort.  "Get outta here!  We're looking for herbs, not mushrooms!" she hollered at the NPC, taking a swing and putting it down in a single movement.

----

Hunting Familiar: 1/5

[Melodie le Breton 0]

"I'm going to guess that you won't try to by a plot of land and farm then?" Mel suggested quietly, if Astreya disliked fishing then farming might be something else she found boring in game. To tell the truth, Melodie would normally find both quite boring and very tedious, but given the circumstances of perma death, boring might not be so bad after all. Unfortunately, for her there was no such escape from this realm of battle, not if she wished to prove herself to be a hero and finally shake off the belief or worry of her cowardice. 

"I suppose it comes down to personal preferences?" Melodie offered with a small shrug of her shoulders. If there were more fast damage dealers than tanks, then it might give her an excuse to not be picked for a boss raid. True, she would make sure she volunteered her name for them, but if there were loads of willing players then the chances of her being picked were going to be a small as possible. Mel drew her own sword at the arrival of a boar, wondering how best to initiate her sword skill, but it turns out she did not need to bother, Astreya slew it with impressive speed. "A fine kill." She commented, sheathing her sword before shaking her head at the failure to find a fourth herb. 

"At this rate I'll be here till night fall." Mel groaned, she understood her quest to reach the frontlines would not take place overnight. But still, the thought pained her about having to return back to the Town of Beginnings to hang out with the other cowards and waiters till morning allowed for another try at this quest. 

Level: 1
Tier: 1
HP: 20
EN: 20
Dmg: 4 (R1 Weapon Skill)
Acc: 2 (Gear: weapon)

Gathering herbs: 3/5

Roll ID #202920
LD: 5

[Astreya 0]

"See, farming might not be so bad if I can like... do stuff all the time, y'know?  Like, planting the seeds and watering the plants and like, doing stuff all the time.  Fishing just seems totally boring of just like... sitting there," the woman spoke, gesturing outward, even if there wasn't anything there for her to really gesture toward, given they were still out in the wild grasslands beyond the Town of Beginnings.  "Back in the real world, like, I was always active.  Volleyball, cheerleading, basketball sometimes, so like, sitting still for too long really gets to me after awhile," she spoke.  She had started to get the feeling from meeting people here that most were more of the gamer persuasion- which didn't align well with her own interests.

As the boar was killed, Astreya noted that the young woman she was partnering with had also drawn her blade and was looking to fight, leaving the young woman to grin.  "Gonna try to keep them off you as best I can.  Getting swarmed with a bunch of boars is... not a good time for anyone," she murmured.  "But like I said, don't worry!  The next quest after this one you get to fight a bunch of boars!  So we'll be able to see how well you can do with that blade of yours," she added, grinning widely toward the other woman.

"Man I tried to tell ya," Astreya spoke with a small laugh, shaking her head.  "I found all sorts of herbs, but never the one that Zackariah wanted.  He's so specific with what he needs it drives me crazy.  This one is definitely the most annoying of these introductory quests though, promise.  The next ones aren't bad at all!" she cheered.  "But until you get a couple more, we'll just keep wandering!"

---

Hunting Familiar 2/5