[SP-F17] Hunting grounds <Feeding Your Enemy>

[Bismuth 0]

This was not the first time that Bismuth had found himself on the higher levels of Aincrad, though he had never done any real combat on any of the floors, even on floor one. And this time wasn't going to be different, at least that was the plan that Bismuth had in mind. Today he had made his way to the far eastern side of the seventeenth floor to a place called the Nemean plains, this was a fairly dangerous place to visit on the seventeenth floor, that was if you didn't know the path that the Nemean lion, and Nemean lionesses followed. Bismuth had already been to this floor before with some hired escorts, and on that previous trip, Bismuth had spent days studying that pride of lions and lionesses so that he would understand the way that they prowled and moved, so that when he came here again, like today, he wouldn't have any issues avoiding the lions. 

Bismuth opened his inventory finding inside a plethora of journals full of all of the diagrams, notes, and charts that he had taken, only one journal wasn't inside, the most recent one, so far only about two quarters of the way full, lay strapped against the side of his thigh. Pulling out one of the journals, Bismuth began leafing through it until he found what he was looking for, a detailed map of the Nemean plains, one that included the cycle and patterns of the pride of lions, along with what he was looking for, a rare material that could be found only in these plains, Nemean Lion-Grass, a material that in part got its name from the lions that commonly prowled these plains. The grass was used in some of the mid tier consumables, and Bismuth was hoping to be able to sell some, if he could get his hands on it. Quickly plotting the fastest course Bismuth could that would avoid the most common resting grounds for the Nemean lions, Bismuth closed his book with a small thud before placing it back into his inventory, it dissipating from his grasp as he looks forward towards the direction of his memorized plan. It was about to be a slow walk, but Bismuth took the first step with a noticeable hint of excitement, making sure to stay low as possible to make sure that he doesn't get spotted.

Spoiler

Bismuth,
Level: 1
Paragon Level: 0
HP: 20/20
EN: 20/20

Stats:
Damage: 5
Evasion: 3
BLD: 12

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: T1 P Dagger <Ketsushouken> BLD 2, DAM 1
Armor: T1 P Cloth Armor <Ryuusou> EVA 3
Misc:

Skills:
Dagger R1

Battle Ready Inventory:
Starter Healing Potions x3
 

 

[Bismuth 0]

Bismuth knew that finding the material that he was looking for was going to be an ordeal, all of the most likely places that he had recorded that he would be able to find it were in the common resting spots for the pride, but those weren't the only places it could be found. The place that Bismuth currently had his sights set on was one of the resting spots of the lions, one that had an outcrop a good distance away that could be used to view the lions from afar without much risk of being spotted, if all went to plan, he would be able to hide on the top of that outcrop in order to make sure no lions were there, and that even further the Nemean Lion-Grass was. 

Bismuth looked up noting the position of the sun, based on how it it had moved compared to when he started, he had already been walking for about an hour and a half, the ridge he was looking for wasn't much farther, though if he hadn't had such a slow pace he probably would have been able to cover all of this distance in a much shorter time. But the risk wasn't worth it, in the large and flat plains it was very easy to be spotted from a distance, so if one wasn't careful, the stealthy lions would be able to pounce on the carefree before they even had the chance to notice them. Normally that met Bismuth would have noted him as someone who didn't have a care in the world, and never went into anything with any sort of plan, but now, all that they would see is a cool and calculating man with a very serious face. Only one thing ever made Bismuth look serious, and that was his research, right now he was putting that research to the test, and being out here alone could quite easily lead to him finding his life at an end, there wasn't anything on this level of Aincrad that he could survive being attacked by. 

Shaking his head to get rid of the thoughts, Bismuth walked the rest of the way to the outcropping of rocks that would give him a vantage point at seeing the copse of trees that the Nemean lions used as shelter. There were seven trees in total, sparsely placed around a decently sized oasis, in the sand around the oasis was where the grass normally grew. Instead of the grass or a pack of viscous lions Bismuth saw a campfire next to the oasis with what seemed like a small caravan next to it, a single horse tethered nearby. Bismuth's interest was piqued most players knew that this was a very dangerous, and few knew this area as well as him, so seeing what seemed like a player in a place where lions commonly patrolled pulled at his heartstrings. Without much actual thinking Bismuth began making his way off the rocks and towards the campsite, if someone in there was in danger he had to help them.

[Bismuth 0]

Pebbles scattered down from the rocks as Bismuth scrambled down, making sure to keep his footing while also quickly making his way down the rocks towards the camp. It was so odd to him that someone would have set up a camp here, there was a settlement right in the center of the floor, Corinthia, and with how it wasn't even quite midday yet there was no reason not to just keep pushing all the way to the town, especially since it was a safe zone. it took another good ten minutes before Bismuth had reached the campsite, and while he saw a campsite, he didn't see anyone currently there. 

"Hello." Bismuth called out in barely more than a whisper, the plains may not seem like it, but they carried sound rather well. Bismuth turned his head quickly towards the caravan, he could hear a rustling coming from behind the cloth curtain, reaching back to the dagger that was in the sheath attached to his lower back, Bismuth waited ready to pounce if something was going to come out. The curtain parted and out of it stepped a woman wearing loose fitting thin clothes. "Hello, traveler." The woman's voice wasn't very loud, but somehow it seemed to permeate the air around the caravan. "What brings you by my caravan." The woman was clearly asking a question, but she said it more as a statement. Bismuth didn't take his hand of the hilt of his dagger as he replied "I think a better question is what are you doing here, there are lions about, this place is dangerous." Bismuth looked nervously about, the smoke piled onto the sound that the two of them were making made him very nervous that the lions were prowling in the tall grass that was surrounding the pair. "Oh. don't worry about me dear, the lions don't seem to bother me when I set up my camp." The lady stepped closer to Bismuth reaching into a deep pocket. "Here take this." this woman didn't really seem to have inflection when she spoke, and her voice was still ringing out clearer than it should have with how quiet it was. Bismuth accepted the offering which seemed to be a few balls of hard cat food, as soon as he touched the balls, a pop up appeared in front of him bold letters appearing Accept Quest?  beneath which Bismuth could see a description of the quest. Accept the familiar food and obtain a familiar before returning to the 'Gypsy' there were two buttons even further below one of which having a big green circle, the other having a red 'X'. Bismuth tapped the accept button and the screen disappeared "Go along now." The gypsy spoke one last time before turning back around and climbing into her caravan again.

[Bismuth 0]

Looking behind him Bismuth looked at the caravan again, growing ever smaller in the distance, not being able to take his mind off of the odd encounter, Bismuth had heard stories about how off putting and unnerving the Gypsy could be, but experiencing it for himself was something different all together. Taking a breather beneath a pair of trees a half hour walk from the lions resting spot, though it was relatively close, the lions never made there way to this specific area, so it was somewhere that players like himself could take a rest in relative safety compared to the rest of the area surrounding them. Bismuth sat down with his back resting against the tree, this routine mission had turned out to be more out of his control then he thought. Thinking back, the quest that he had been given hadn't really given that much information, just that he needed to return after having found a familiar. Sighing Bismuth reached into his inventory pulling out some simple rations to eat during his brief rest amongst the safety of the trees he found himself in.

Though Bismuth had already memorized the contents of all of his journals, he reached into his inventory once again pulling out one of his leather journals, adding more to the chart that he had drawn for this area, specifying that the gypsy could be found in this area. Bismuth looked at the map again, and mentally marked the oasis off of his list of areas that he needed to search through in order to find the Nemean Lion-Grass. Bismuth located the next closest area that it could reliably spawn at, and set up a plan in his mind for how best to get there, soon thereafter placing the beaten up book back into his inventory. Bismuth stood, dusting the dirt off of his clothes before beginning the slow crawl to the next area that he had to search through.

[Bismuth 0]

Bismuth walked slowly making sure that he kept himself low, the bright green ang gold of his armor wasn't really designed to hide in the plains that he found himself in, the off white of the lions that prowled these hunting grounds were much better at this sort of thing. The walk despite being the closest to his previous location still took him an hour, it had already been three hors since he had left for this journey, and it was reaching midday, and staying outside after dark was a almost a guaranteed death, the lions got more active night, and were even harder to see than they were during the day.

Bismuth made his way up onto a very tall tree, climbing his way up to the very top, this tree, he knew, would offer him a vantage point that would let him see the another area that the lions gathered before they would be able to see him. Luckily that the tree was here, because at the destination in front of him Bismuth could see a group of three lionesses lazing about in the sun, and where there were three there were bound to be more. Bismuth quickly scurried down the tree, keeping himself opposite the three lions, turning around to head the complete opposite direction of the lions. He couldn't risk them seeing him, so Bismuth took this walk a lot faster then he did then when he was just walking through the wilderness, if he lingered for too long, it was likely that a guard would patrol to where he was and that would be the end of him.

Bismuth finally sighed in relief, not having any sort of backup was stressful, and it was times like this that he really wished he had payed a bodyguard to accompany him on his data collection. Though the call was close, Bismuth made it out just fine, and that was what really mattered, Bismuth was glad that he knew where the lions might have been, if he hadn't had the prior knowledge there were multiple times now that he probably would have ran directly into the lions. 

 

Spoiler

Gathering attempt

LD: 12 = fail

 

Edited January 30, 2022 by Bismuth

[Bismuth 0]

Bismuth had now failed to find the material that he was looking for in two of the most common spots to find it. Normally someone would get disheartened at this, but the hunt was just part of the fun for Bismuth, that along with the documentation and exploration were what really fueled him into this sort of research. Keeping up with his slow moving crouch through the plains, Bismuth took the time to look at the quest that he had received from the Gypsy at her Caravan. All it said was that he needed to tame a familiar, without really giving him much to go on when it came to actually finding said familiar, not even what would count as one. Sighing Bismuth closed the menu, again focusing on the task at hand, he was here for materials to sell on the market, he had to fuel some of his harder expeditions somehow, and this was really the only way he could. 

The sun was fully overhead now, only a few more hours until the sun would be setting completely as Bismuth made his way through the long grass that permeated this area, this part being the most dangerous of all, the lionesses would sometimes make there way through this grass, although rarely. It was the only way to really get to where he needed to be though, this place sloped down into a natural ravine of sorts and ended in a somewhat circular basin that could be used as a campground. Though they sometimes found themselves here in the grass, the lionesses never made there way into the basin itself. So if Bismuth could make it there through the grass, without running into any of the white lions, he would be able to set up a camp. Luckily, it seemed like the game was on his side this time, exiting through the long grass Bismuth could see the small Oasis that was here in the center of the basin, and the flat ground that surrounded it, perfect for building a campsite for what would probably be a couple days out in the harsh sun. Sometimes, the material that he was looking for would even spawn here, although this time, with a quick look around, it seemed like there wasn't any here.

Spoiler

Gathering:

LD: 1 = failure

 

Edited February 1, 2022 by Bismuth

[Bismuth 0]

Bismuth knew that setting up the camp in the basin would take at least an hour, and when there were only about four left that was a sizable chunk. Sighing to himself Bismuth began the tedious process, there was probably a faster way to set up the camp if he was to use the system, but he didn't like to rely on it when it came to basic tasks like this, it made him feel like he was back in the real world, and not stuck in some game of life and death. 

Taking out a tent from his inventory Bismuth set it down next to the supplies for a campfire along with some rations and a bedroll. Bismuth set up the tent with what was clearly a well practiced routine, the tent wasn't necessarily large, but it could definitely fit two people comfortably, and setting up alone had always proven to be a challenge, but after so much practice it managed to only take him a half an hour in the sweltering savannah sun. The fire took not even a full fifteen minutes, he had finished ahead of schedule and was proud. With the extra time that he had in his hour allotment Bismuth decided that he would give searching through the basin for materials another shot. Foraging for another 20 minutes through the grass Bismuth couldn't see anything that would be of use.

Spoiler

Gathering:

LD: 14 = failure

 

Edited February 2, 2022 by Bismuth

[Bismuth 0]

With his new campsite fully set up, and only three hours left of sunlight Bismuth figured that he would be able to make it to and from one of the areas he wanted to explore with about an hour of sunlight left after he got back. With that notion in mind, Bismuth set himself a two hour time limit to make it there and back, he liked to set these challenges for himself whenever he thought he could, gathering was a lonely task and with these challenges it helped him from keeping his mind from wandering. Bismuth had to make it through the little pass that led to the basin he called a camp, this time without the height advantage that the slope provided, which was never a good thing. Bismuth began his journey crouching through the long grass, as he made his way up the slope. It seemed like luck was on his side, the les active lions were nowhere to be seen on his prowl up. 

Taking a sharp turn to the North, Bismuth kept up a fast crouch as he made his way to a hill on the northern side of the Nemean plains, there weren't a lot of ways to scout the hill out before going there though, so Bismuth just had to hope and pray that there wasn't anything dangerous on the top of the hill. The hour long trip was completely silent, though he knew that the lionesses weren't going to be making much noise. He really thanked himself for his meticulous study of all of the floors, it may be called crazy by some, but it was moments like these surrounded on all sides by the wilderness, with way higher level enemies on all sides of him lurking in the darkness that he knew he wasn't. The hill though, after about ten minutes of searching had no materials, and it was time to start a long trek back.

 

Spoiler

Gathering:

LD: 10 = failure

 

Edited February 6, 2022 by Bismuth

[Bismuth 0]

One hour, that was all of the time Bismuth had left for his little challenge if he had intended on achieving it, he was pretty sure that that was completely possible, and he was going to make sure he did. Bismuth crouched down the side of the hill careful that he didn't give up any of his stealth just for speed, His own personal goal wasn't really worth dying for, and there wasn't even a small chance that he would be able to fight against even the weakest monster on this floor. Knowing where to avoid and where he would be able to be safe was a big upside, and because of that he was completely able to avoid incident in its entirety. Making it back to his camp in his allotted timeframe wasn't that difficult, he made it back with not much time to spare, but glad to be back with an hour to spare, he always liked to take the sunset to relax on these expeditions.

Bismuth stood in the center of his campsite, the sun setting in front of him. Opening his inventory Bismuth pulled out a simple wooden easel and a half finished canvas, one that seemed to be depicting a sunset on an oriental house. Taking out his paints Bismuth began working on the painting in silence the sunset gleaming behind him. The painting was of one of the group homes that Bismuth had grown up in, one of the few good places from his childhood, he had a few paintings off his happy memories from before the game, but he usually only painted landscapes of the areas around him, he only painted these when he was feeling extremely sentimental. The sun was soon setting though, and after a little less than an hour Bismuth packed his painting up and stared at the sun watching it disappear as he let his mind wander.

[Bismuth 0]

Bismuth sighed as the sun finally dipped fully and completely behind the horizon, it was a fun day, but not a very eventful one, and yet Bismuth was still tired. Yawning and stretching his entire body Bismuth walked over to the tent that he had set up, he hadn't yet put a bedroll or anything down, figuring that he would just be able to do that when he went to bed for the night. Now was that time, Bismuth reached into his inventory and pulled out what was equivalently just a more padded sleeping bag and placed it on the bottom of his two person tent before crawling inside of it to sleep for the night.

The world around Bismuth was swirling as if it was ever shifting, it was like if he had been thrown into a writhing storm cloud. It didn't take long for the writhing world around him to solidify into a house, perpetually dark, with a solid wooden floor. Bismuth's face blanched as he saw the house come into focus like the maw of a beast out of the amorphous world around him. Bismuth could here thick heavy footsteps and the smell of alcohol and cigarettes permeating the air around him. A gut wrenching feeling as if he was being pulled out of his own body accompanied Bismuth as he took the form of a young kid cowering in a corner on the floor, flinching at every footstep. Until a door opened with a slam.

Gasping Bismuth awoke with a start, cold sweat drenching his forehead, and matting his hair to the back of his neck. It was clearly morning now, and bismuth could feel all of his muscles cramping, common for sleeping on the ground. Shaking his head Bismuth got out of his roll, and slapped his cheeks before fully standing up and getting ready to make his way towards that Oasis that the Gypsy was at last night. Bathing wasn't really necessary in the game, but it still felt nice, especially after a rough night.  

Edited February 7, 2022 by Bismuth

[Bismuth 0]

The Gypsy and her caravan were still there When Bismuth finally made his way to the oasis that she had set up at, but didn't seem to make any movement out of her caravan as bismuth took his journal off of his hip and dove into the water at the oasis, it wasn't that deep, but it was deep enough for him to dive into, it was about 7 feet deep, and had barely any gradual slope before bottoming out. The crisp cold water woke Bismuth up right away, and seemed to push back any of the thoughts that were permeating his mind. Spending ten minutes just swimming through the cold helped get him started, it was probably going to be another day of long searching, not that he particularly minded, just a fact, and he would rather feel well rested than die in the sweltering sun after a bad night.

Bismuth pulled himself out of the lake letting the water roll off of his clothes, In the sun out here it would take the cloth absolutely no time to fully dry, so being sopping wet wasn't really an issue. Sitting at the edge of the lake Bismuth pulled out one of his journals, looking at it for an idea of where to go even though he had already memorized the book a long time ago. bismuth wasn't quite sure where to go at this point, he had already spent an entire day searching through the lion infested plains, and the longer he stayed here the more likely it was that he was going to run into one of them. Sighing bismuth closed the book before standing again. For now he would bring himself back to his camp, it was a nice centralized area, and with that he took the first step forward, leaving his bad night behind him at the oasis.

[Bismuth 0]

It wasn't long before Bismuth was back at his camp, it wasn't all that far away from the oasis, even with him having to be stealthy to make sure that no lions got the drop on him. Luck always did seem to be on Bismuth's side when it came to avoiding his enemies though, and there were no signs of them as he made his way to his impromptu home. Bismuth decided that now would be a good time for breakfast, and with that thought stoked his campfire until it was a decent sized fire, more than enough to make a decent stew. Bismuth hadn't yet started his career as a cook, so he wasn't very good at it, and the vast majority of the meals that he makes are bland, but at least he knew what he was doing enough to make a somewhat decent stew.

Bismuth filled the big kettle that he had over his fire with vials of water he kept in his inventory, and added in some seasonings and meat, the best part about being a cook for Bismuth was that he knew most of the materials that could be found in Aincrad, so he knew exactly what to do to get desired results, And as soon as his skill in the profession was higher he would be able to get the food to taste the way it was supposed to too. It took a while for the food to just stew, ironic with a name like stew, so Bismuth just sat down and pulled out his journal for the seventeenth floor and began reading, it was never a bad idea to be even more familiar with the floor than he already was, and the refresher would be a good thing. 

[Bismuth 0]

Bismuth let his food stew for thirty minutes before finally getting up to get himself some, he didn't have any great epiphanies about finding the Nemean Lion-Grass, and was thinking maybe he should change his tactics. Pouring himself a hearty helping of his stew into a wooden bowl Bismuth opened up his newest quest again to look it over, he was having no luck with finding the materials that he was here for, so maybe he could focus more on this quest, simply described as finding a familiar, super helpful. From what little he knew about finding a familiar, it had to be a non combat monster, the animals that are around for ambiance more than anything, and it also couldn't be very big. The fourteenth floor was one based on Greece and the area surrounding it, and there were a lot of animals that could fit that description, he just had to find one, and somehow tame it, though that wasn't going to be an easy task, because he had absolutely no idea what he was doing. 

Bismuth finished his breakfast and placed his bowl beside his pot of stew before making sure the fire was out before he went out, he had no idea what kind of animal he would want for a familiar, but he figured that when he saw it he would know that he needed it. Taking his time to make his way up the slope from his camp Bismuth kept his eye open for anything that would be a good familiar, he could get a snake, or a fox, but he wasn't sure that that was something that he would want to get. Making sure that he paid as much attention to his surroundings as he normally did, Bismuth looked around himself everywhere before deciding that he would find an area that animals would normally go, something like a watering hole, though with the Gypsy and her caravan being at the oasis ruled that one out, so he would have to go to a different one. There were a few dotted around the Nemean Plains, and Bismuth chose one at random starting what would hopefully be a short journey to find a familiar. 

[Bismuth 0]

The trip, like Bismuth was hoping, had truly not been a long one, it had taken maybe forty minutes before Bismuth had made it to a watering hole that had a nice tree next to it that he could climb up in order to watch the water for any sign of wildlife. The chosen tree was a good thirty feet from the water that he was watching, and with a skilled hand he climbed up the tree in a matter of seconds, leaning his back against the it to just watch. Hopefully this method would prove to be enough, it wasn't a very active one, but it was the easiest way that Bismuth could think to do this, if he stood at the waters edge, he would probably scare away any potential familiars, and that was far from what he wanted. 

Bismuth pulled out a sketchbook, this one different from his journals, seemingly to not be for research, but rather just for drawing, though it was completely filled with sketched out landscapes. Bismuth flipped to an empty page and pulled his charcoal pencil out of the cannister that he kept it in on his thigh, before getting to work on his drawing. Bismuth sketched the outline of the water hole, and the surrounding area, drawing all of the natural fauna that surrounded it. Making sure that he was still paying attention to the water for any signs of movement Bismuth lost himself in his art, Letting over an hour pass with him just drawing the beauty of what he saw before him, it wasn't often that he sat down to do this, but he always enjoyed it when he did. In the complete time that it took him to complete his drawing and put it away back in his inventory there hadn't been a single animal at the water, or at least nothing big enough that he could see it from where he was. Bismuth sighed, he would give it another half hour before he found himself a different spot to find a familiar.

[Bismuth 0]

Bismuth was about to give up when he finally saw it for a brief moment, an eagle, a brown and gold color, it's wingspan taller than he was, that was it, that was his familiar, and he would have it no other way. The eagle was majestic, and if he recalled correctly, it was a golden eagle, and they were storied to have been the messengers of the king of gods Zeus. It was considered a good omen to see one in flight over your crops, and it sure was a good sign for Bismuth too, With a renewed vigor he scurried down the tree with the same trained hand that he had when he had climbed up the tree. He had only seen the bird briefly before it had flown far enough away that his tree obscured his vision of it. He looked through the clear blue skies, but it was as if the bird had completely disappeared, but Bismuth knew the direction that it had flown, and with that knowledge he set out to find it.

Tracking a bird however was a more daunting task than most realized, they didn't leave footprints, or any signs at all, so it was all pure luck and conjecture, he knew that he had flown this way, but at any time he could have turned or flown in a different direction. At this point Bismuth was basically just wandering around the plains in any direction hoping that he would see the bird again, but the plains were big, and it could have even flown further away, out of the plains, it was impossible to know. Though Bismuth was not any closer to giving up, he wanted this bird, and he would have it.

Spoiler

Familiar Finding:

LD: 9 = Failure

 

Edited February 10, 2022 by Bismuth

[Bismuth 0]

The great search for a familiar had only just began for Bismuth, and it was going to take a long time for him to complete it. He had already been searching for his bird for a few hours, and he was beginning to grow weary, the walking was one thing, but the mental effort that it took to just watch his surroundings at all times was really taxing. That was enough for Bismuth for the day, there was only so much looking over ones shoulder that a man could do before he was mentally exhausted, and after the night that he had had, he was ready to spend the last few hours of the day relaxing at his camp with a nice cup of coffee. The walk back was just as arduous as the rest of his search for his familiar had been, he still had to watch for lions, but he mostly knew when or if they'd be in an area, so there wasn't too much he had to pay attention to, especially without having to heck the skies for birds.

Not paying attention was probably not a good idea for Bismuth, because he didn't notice the smoke that was coming from his very own campsite as he climbed down the slope to his home for the last day and a half. Clearing through the long grass and out into the basin Bismuth immediately pulled his dagger with a shaky hand from the sheathe that was on his lower back with a scraping hiss sound as the metal scraped against the leather, his crimson blade glinting in the setting sun as he held it out in front of him "Who are you?" Bismuth's voice was shaky as he looked before him and saw what seemed to be an older man siting in his campsite, muscular and with long salt and pepper grey hair braided into a bun to go with his well trimmed beard, a two handed bastard sword leaned up against the log he was on as he sat staring at Bismuth with a look that Bismuth couldn't read.

Spoiler

 

Edited February 11, 2022 by Bismuth

[Bismuth 0]

"I am disappointed in you, Bismuth." The man sitting in front of him spoke in a slow methodical voice that sent chills down Bismuth's spine. He was ready to just turn around and flee before he heard a large thump behind him, as if something had landed from above. Spinning around Bismuth fell backwards he dagger falling out of his hand as he landed hard on his ass, eyes wide and filled with fear, as a stunningly white male lion stood behind him it's golden eyes seeming to pierce through him as it just stood there watching him. "Don't go fleeing now, we haven't had a chance to talk." The calm voice came from behind him causing him to look back, not being able to decide whether he should watch the man behind him or the lion in front of him. "Don't worry Siegfried won't hurt you without my permission, now come have a seat." Bismuth hurriedly nodded scrambling to sit on a stump opposite the middle aged man.

Bismuth took a moment to look at the man in front of him in earnest for the first time, he wasn't a player, or a monster, he was seemingly an NPC simply dubbed <The Hermit>. "That's better, I thought you would be more perceptive than that, but maybe I was wrong about you." Bismuth calmed down, figuring that if he was going to be attacked by the man and lion duo that he would already be dead. Leaning forward so that his elbows rested on his knees Bismuth looked towards the so called hermit with his chin on his hands, a more serious look on his face than was normal "How do you know who I am." Bismuth actively didn't look back as he heard a soft thump, probably the large lion laying down. "You may not have seen me, but I have been watching you with interest for some time now." Bismuth didn't know what to say so he was content to let the man just continue speaking.

Edited February 11, 2022 by Bismuth

[Bismuth 0]

The hermit was right, Bismuth had never seen this man before in his entire time in Aincrad and he had spent a large amount of time outside like he had now, clearly this man hadn't wanted to be seen, but why had he been watching him? Bismuth wasn't sure if his questions were going to be answered but he was finding it harder to ask questions with the sound of the lion behind him, idly laying down. "You have talent, I will give you that, but you lack the training that nature can give you." The hermit continued his speech as he talked to the young explorer before him. "You lack actual experience, you could be far better than you are, you just need to focus." Bismuth just listened, assuming that he knew what the man was talking about, not knowing exactly what led him to reveal himself now if he had been watching for so long, what was different now. "Come to me when you want to be a true ranger of these wilds." With that the larger man stood up grabbing his sword and buckling it to his hip before tossing a compass into the Bismuth's hands. It was a broken thing, the glass shattered and the casing creaking, the needle not even pointing to the north. "I trust you can find me." 

Walking past Bismuth the hermit left in silence the large lion following behind him disappearing into the long grass as they left. Bismuth had no clue what any of that was truly about, and he was left with more questions than were answered, if that was an NPC than why was it putting so much effort into following him. Bismuth shook his head, getting the questions out of his head, today had been a hard day, and he was tired, grabbing and sheathing his dagger Bismuth walked to his tent where he would lay down and fall into a deep slumber. Unbeknownst to him, the needle of the compass, now laying discarded on the stump where he had sat, had moved it's apparent north as the hermit had left and seemed to be pointing in the direction that he and his lion had left in.

[Bismuth 0]

Birds and insects, the general sounds of a morning spent in the wilderness, this was all that filled Bismuth's ears as he groggily woke up, still in the tent that he had set up in his basin. Morning's weren't something that Bismuth coped with very well, every time he woke up thinking was like trying to walk through oatmeal, and this morning was like every other. Had he had a dream about a lion and an old man? Bismuth shook his head as he got out of his matted bedroll, whether he was tired or not, he still had the whole day to get to, and he had a bird to search for. This morning was like all of the others for Bismuth, he got up, took care of himself in all the ways he would have in real life, despite not needing to in the game, and then started his fire to warm up the stew he had made the day before. Everything was normal, that was, until he looked over at the stump that he sat on when he ate his breakfast, there just where he had left it the night before was a cracked and beaten up compass. 

It hadn't been a dream, Bismuth thought as he made his way to the trinket, the needle noticeably pointing in a different direction than it had last night. Picking it up Bismuth examined it, he didn't know why he had been given it, but clearly it was important somehow, and eventually he would figure out exactly why that was, but for now he put it out of his mind, clipping the broken compass too his belt so that it sat right next to his journal Bismuth sat down, he didn't know how to find that other man, and for the time being that didn't matter, he would have more time to think about that encounter later, for now he had a bird to be hunting down, and he had no idea where to even begin.

[Bismuth 0]

A decision had been made, Bismuth wasn't getting anywhere with his search here, but he knew he had some stuff that he left at home that would be able to help him in his search, most notably the glasses that Freyd had given him on their first encounter. His Hikei, or revealing mirror, made it a lot easier to notice material nodes around him, giving the ones that had materials to find a feint blue glow. It would be a really slow and long trek back to the main city here on the seventeenth floor, and he would have to go through territory even more dangerous than this one, the hoplites were even harder to predict then the lions, and once he made it there, he would still have to get to the teleport gate, and travel to the town of Flora on the third floor before he was home, and then he would just have to do it all in reverse again. 

Bismuth smiled despite all of that though, the exploration and thrill that came with hiking through the hostile zones of Aincrad was part of the reason he even came out here at such a low level. Resolving himself, Bismuth began his journey through the long grass, pausing every now and then to make sure that there was nothing around before he would continue again, the tireless journey took him 2 and a half hours, being able to make his way from where he was and where he wanted to go in a straight line really shaved most of the time off. It could be hard to tell where the Nemean plains ended and the lowlands began, but Bismuth's knew the wilderness here pretty well, and the minute change in length and color of grass was the indication that he was now in a much deadlier hunting ground, a war between the Athenaians and Spartaians had led to the areas around the main settlements to be constantly filled with warriors from both sides.