[PP-F01] Xena's First Outing <<The First Lesson>>

[Xena 0]

"Well, while we're doing so I guess I might as well make it official." As she was equipping the bag she looked towards him, with that gaze and a push down on a button a notification was sent too Freyd, a friend request. In truth if he accepted it Freyd would be Xena's first friend on this game, or, her first friend of her new life you could call it. She fiddled with the menu some more trying her best to know what she was doing as she finally equipped the strange bag. "Just hope this works out... I hate these games constantly making everything difficult." It was more of a pout of the moment, she actually didn't mind it when she gets her foot hold, but here where she had no foot hold it sucked, alot. She went back to looking through the grass her back turned to Freyd.


Xena equipped the Small Konpeito Sack

[Freyd 0]

Surprise.  It was the only way he could react to the offer when it popped up in a 2D display bright and bold in front of him and completely unmissable.  Tension bled from his face once he recognized what it was and meant.

"Thanks," he offered with surprising sincerity, gladly accepting the request. It made an unexpectedly huge difference to have someone reach out like that.  Sure, he'd had countless connections on various social media platforms prior to joining SAO, but those were more like contacts for networking purposes.  Maybe that's what this was too, but somehow it felt far more meaningful, what with all of the impending doom floating around the local atmosphere.

"Don't worry too much about the interface," he chuckled.  "I suspect that we'll have plenty of time to get used to it.  You know, like when we're all old and grey, hobbling on crutches and hover-scooters to go beat up the last boss."  A wry grin perched itself on his face.  Amazing how such a simple act could brighten even the darkest of circumstances, even if the humour remained black as pitch.

[Xena 0]

Xena simply smiled to herself as he seemed too find the request meaningful, in truth whether it was strictly business or if he would like to be her friend and hang out at times she didn't mind. It was someone to talk too, someone she could message is she was in a bad spot, mentally or physically. And with how bad the whole death thing is, she didn't know how much longer she could put up a cheerful front before she'd finally break down from the stress. Continuing too look for the herbs she spread a portion of grass, too find nothing. She was getting sorta annoyed, the green cloak she wore practically made her invisible in the tall grass as she kept digging around in it. At this point she was tempted to just start slicing the grass apart with her claws to get it out of the way permanently.



Failed to find anything

203281 1 + 6 = 7

[Freyd 0]

Wandering about as if on some sort of improvised boar patrol, Freyd eyed the various critters with a wary eye.  It was the other players around that made him far more nervous.  The fields were positively crawling with people, all staring at their feet and scouring for the same things they were.  It reminded him of the launch of so many other MMOs where the starting zones were completely overwhelmed and a strange resource race developed just to progress to the later content before anyone else.  He'd read about similar things happening in the beta for SAO, but everyone was too tight lipped over their non-disclosure agreements to say a word about it openly.

"What about over there," he suggested, noting a pair of other players leaving the same area and heading back towards the village.  "Might be worth a look and see if they left any behind."

He moved in the same direction, warding off any would-be claim jumpers with a nasty glare and slip of the hands towards his sword.  Not that he really knew how to use it.

[Xena 0]

Xena finally had enough of all this grass, it reached up to her damn waist, speaking of which she reached into her cloak pulling a single claw out of it, it latched onto her hand rather easily as she pushed the blades against the grass cutting it a tad, with any luck it would provide a easier time looking through the grass, Freyd suggested a area which Xena turned towards. Slowly pushing her way through the grass she muttered in a bit of joking manor. "Maybe you should be the one looking for the herbs, sense ya know, your not gonna get sucked up by the grass." As she walked over she made a heavy slash into the grass revealing. A herb! Finally. She reached down picking it up with a smirk of success. "Yes! 1 down, 4... 4 more too go..." Shoving a hand against her face she questioned if this was worth it.


Xena successfully found a herb. 

203283 9 + 6 = 15

[Freyd 0]

Freyd laughed aloud as she unleashed her fury upon the poor defenseless sod.  Player rage at its best, and apparently producing results as she claimed their first victory.  He waved off her earlier suggestion.

"Nah!  You don't need me.  Looks like you're on a roll.  Besides, you just ate my best chance to find anything."  He beamed another goofy grin in her direction.  "Besides, how are you going to boast being this totally awesome info broker if you can't even find stuff in grass."  That might have been pushing his luck, but tensions finally seemed to be bleeding out.  They both needed to let loose a bit of steam, and this seemed to be doing the trick.  Lunging suddenly to his left, Freyd caught a wayward boar sneaking a little too close to his ward for comfort and popped the critter like a bacon balloon before he'd even realized it.

"Huh.  Whatayanno.  Not that hard after all."  Meaning to flip the sword in his hand, he promptly fumbled and dropped it instead, quickly snatching it up and wandering away as if nothing had happened.

[Xena 0]

Xena stopped looking at Freyd as he looked away, she never out right stated she was a broker but, she supposed she dropped enough hints for him to figure it out, shrugging as with a small flick the claws came back out of the guard on her hand she ripped through the grass some more with it, in truth she'd prefer to finish this before she was a old lady. She heard Freyd fumbling behind her which gave her a small giggle, her hood fell down due to a wind blowing through the grass which annoyed, she grumbled slashing again into the grass to reveal, score! another herb. Picking it up she called out to Freyd. "Oi i found another one!" As she said that it vanished into her inventory for the time being as she continued her search once again. Maybe she'd manage to find all of them back to back, this was better then having to constantly farm monsters for a rare drop at least. 


Xena found herb!
203284 LD 16 + 6 = 22

[Freyd 0]

"Nice!" he responded over his shoulder, turning and walking back over towards where she continued her search.  "It makes a good argument for the benefits of buffs and gear I guess."  Turning his weapon over, he held it up for closer inspection.  "I hear that there's a profession for appraising items in the game.  I might look into that one myself.  Being able to easily identify items would be worth its weight in gold.  It also makes me wonder whether it can be used to analyze mobs for their weaknesses.  If so, that could generate some very real coin."

He caught he folding her claws back in just as he approached.

"Ah.  Interesting choice.  Any particular reason for it?  I'm thinking of going with a two-handed straight sword for max versatility."  He banged the flat of his starting blade against the trunk of a nearby tree, producing a dull thud.  "Won't hurt to get something decent made to replace this thing.  Or maybe a nice random drop off some boss.  Yet another thing worth looking into.  Did you have anything particular in mind for yourself, as a profession, I mean?"

[Xena 0]

Xena shrugged removing the claws handle from her hand as the blades seemed to retract into the large guard above the handle. She placed it back on her waist the other claw dangling still on the other side attached to her belt. "I just, happened to have been lucky enough to practice with these in my real life." She mumbled possibly a bit shyly, she wasn't exactly one for revealing aspects of herself in the real world but well. She didn't have too many ways to explain why she uses such a unorthodox weapon. Most people prefer swords or great swords yes, but those are so large heavy and unwieldly to her, hell she can barely hold up a club. Daggers and Claws really are the only weapons she's very effective with. But she'd never admit it too anyone at all. "Profession eh... I'll probably do what i planned to do originally, which was do Info Broking, should help the low levels down here get a foot hold easier if i can get my own."  As she spoke she brushed a patch of grass out of the way to reveal another herb which she hastily grabbed. "Three down 2 too go, maybe this wasn't so bad." She said possibly jynxing herself.


203285 LD 9 + 6 = 15
Gained a herb.

[Freyd 0]

"Hrmmm?  Didn't know that they had a mechanic for such a thing.  Wonder how it works."  There wasn't, of course, but Freyd was still too much of a newb to understand such things.  "Still, if you can make it work, that might be a really good idea.  Info will be super useful in the days ahead.  Getting it the right people will be key, or possibly just selling it for the right price?"  Morality wasn't the issue so much as risk and reward.  The goal was to get out of here, and there was a tipping point beyond which it hurt business to try and hold too many cards to one's own chest.

"I guess buying a house also takes on a whole new meaning.  I'd never given it much thought, but it might be a much higher priority now.  More food for thought, I guess."  Another quick scan of their surroundings suggested no impending threats.  Xena had proven correct in that there were few natural hazards out here, save perhaps in the form of other players.

[Xena 0]

With a sly grin Xena simply stated. "Well you could always live with me silly." As she had stated that she walked through the grass some more. "I mean I don't bite, much." After adding that last part she had giggled to herself looking around a bit more. If only she could just feel where the materials needed were or they had a way point or anything other then this aimless searching! Kicking the grass infront of her had miraculously revealed another herb right at her feet, wonderful there was only one more needed and they could finally be done with this stupid quest. "Hey I got another one!" She had stated happily raising it up with a beaming smile, the safety in this area just gave her room to feel stress free and happy. It wasn't something she got to feel often sadly. She continued to push away more grass ask she spoke seeing how he could hear her just fine.

 

 

203286 LD 20 + 6

Edited February 6, 2022 by Xeno

[Freyd 0]

Something must have gotten caught in Freyd's throat at that precise moment.  An awkward gurgling-mewling-choking sound eked its way from his mouth and his whole chest inexplicably constricted.  His face turned a blushing shade of red so deep that it actually threatened the nature of purple, doubling him over into a spasmic coughing fit.

*cough*  *HACK*  *wheeze*  *cough* 

"I'm good!" He waved off, his eyes so wide and bulging that they looked ready to pop out of his head.  "Something... in my throat..." he rasped again, looking like he'd accidentally tried to swallow his sword in a single bite.  It took over a minute for him to recover.

"That's... I... uh.  That's incredibly generous," he finally replied.  "I really don't know what to say.  Except..." Realization dawned.  "Wait.  Does that mean you already have a place of your own?"  Curiosity had trumped his social awkwardness and managed to suppress his overwhelming anxiety.  The poor boy was just lost when it came to such things.

[Xena 0]

"Eh, I'm setting something up, not sure if its official or not, deed issues in this game are annoying as shit." She continued her digging through the grass with relative failure, too be fair she only needed to find one more herb but to also be fair she had a feeling that was going to be the most annoying pain in the ass thing to find in the world. As she dug through the grass she simply asked a question towards Freyd. "Are you feeling better now? I feel like you've settled down a bit sense this whole thing started." She asked this in a genuine caring tone, as seeing someone freaking out that badly so close was kind of hurtful to her own heart. She didn't know him that well but, she was the closest thing she had in this game now. And nothing would be changing that for a while she figured. As she continued digging she pushed through some grass to reveal. Success! the final herb, swiftly picking it up she let out a yell. "Hey i found the last herb! We're finally done!"

 

Xena found a herb!

203300 LD 16 + 6 = 22

Edited February 6, 2022 by Xeno

[Freyd 0]

"Yeah.  Yes, I am.  Thanks for putting up with me.  I'm still really freaked out, but just keeping busy has helped."  A small smile returned to Xena better expressed his gratitude.  "Oh!  Hey, that's it!  Come on.  Let's get this stuff back to Zackariah and we can get our rewards.  I hope it's something really good, but these are starter quests, so I probably shouldn't be getting my hopes up, yanno?" 

Bouncing off ground like it had just turned to lava, Freyd scampered back towards Tolbana with renewed vigor.  Panic wasn't gone.  In fact, it was just below the surface, but he was doing his best to put on a brave face for Xena.  She must be stressed out too, he imagined.  Odd that he actually managed to empathize with her predicament.  It really wasn't his style, but she'd managed to get him to open up, and seemed easy to talk to.

"Watch there be another phase, like we have to make something out of it, and then that will be our reward," he cried, laughing nervously as he went.  "Wouldn't that just be so lame?"

[Xena 0]

Xena smiled coming out of the tall grass grass sticking to her pants only to slowly fade into particles. "That grass smell was starting to annoy me, its so weird how life like they made stuff like smelling and touching, it felt so real." Hearing his response she was certainly happy to have helped, she let out a small giggle but quickly stopped herself. For but a mere moment a look of pure panic crossed her face when she giggled but she was behind Freyd thankfully when she did. "Hopefully not, that would be annoying, especially if i end up having to go digging in that grass anymore." She walked with a bit more pep in her step just to keep up with Freyd, her claws jingled on her waist as she did her hood bouncing up and down a bit as well as the cloak behind her. She had a happy face on, it was a reassuring one if Freyd turned back to see it. "Hey, maybe the rewards will actually be worth while, you never know."

[Freyd 0]

Their pace slowed once they reached the village proper.  Tolbana still bustled with activity, dozens if not hundreds of players crowing the starter zone as they scrambled to complete their quests.  Zackariah's hut was absolutely swamped, blocking any sight of the NPC.

"Huh.  Well, that's a problem."  Freyd stood with his left hand on his hip and his right scratching at his unruly mop of mousy-brown hair.  A mischievous grin spread across his lips as the beginnings of a plan formed in his head.  "You may want to stand off to the side, behind that fence," he said to Xena, nodding towards a nearby low rubble stone wall.  A flick of his thumb opened the well-oiled latch on the white picket gate, allowing her easy passage.

"HEY!  GUYS!  THEY'RE GIVING AWAY FREE PERFECT WEAPONS AT CALLUM'S SMITHY, BUT ONLY FOR THE FIRST HUNDRED PLAYERS!!!"

It was amazing that someone so generally slight of frame could actually produce such a bellowing voice.  Freyd was lanky, possibly wiry under his various layers of clothing, but he wasn't what you might consider to be a big man.  A horde of heads turned in their direction, and the crowd suddenly surged towards the edges of the villages.  Only a dozen or so players remained, most grinning with wide and knowing appreciation at his tactic, opening up a spot for he and Xena to work with their gratitude.

[Xena 0]

1 minute ago, Freyd said:

Their pace slowed once they reached the village proper.  Tolbana still bustled with activity, dozens if not hundreds of players crowing the starter zone as they scrambled to complete their quests.  Zackariah's hut was absolutely swamped, blocking any sight of the NPC.

"Huh.  Well, that's a problem."  Freyd stood with his left hand on his hip and his right scratching at his unruly mop of mousy-brown hair.  A mischievous grin spread across his lips as the beginnings of a plan formed in his head.  "You may want to stand off to the side, behind that fence," he said to Xena, nodding towards a nearby low rubble stone wall.  A flick of his thumb opened the well-oiled latch on the white picket gate, allowing her easy passage.

"HEY!  GUYS!  THEY'RE GIVING AWAY FREE PERFECT WEAPONS AT CALLUM'S SMITHY, BUT ONLY FOR THE FIRST HUNDRED PLAYERS!!!"

It was amazing that someone so generally slight of frame could actually produce such a bellowing voice.  Freyd was lanky, possibly wiry under his various layers of clothing, but he wasn't what you might consider to be a big man.  A horde of heads turned in their direction, and the crowd suddenly surged towards the edges of the villages.  Only a dozen or so players remained, most grinning with wide and knowing appreciation at his tactic, opening up a spot for he and Xena to work with their gratitude.

Xena had chuckled at the tactic he used, she could never scream like that, not with her voice. "You cheeky bugger, you realize people aren't gonna be happy with you for that don't you!" She said this in a tone that was obviously try not to laugh, she found it absolutely hilarious. She opened her inventory, and then noticed a alert, a crafting reciple, idly tapping it without thinking...  and crafted something specifically a healing potion apparently. Elbowing Freyd she had a faced that was basically. 'I think i just fucked up big.' As she held it out with a panic'd face. She honestly didn't even mean to use the materials and didn't know if this was what she was supposed to do or not. Looking in her inventory the materials were infact gone. That wasn't good at all. She looked around in a panic as the inventory closed and she just looked behind herself.

Crafting success
203318 CD 6

[Freyd 0]

"Relax," he added, still laughing.  "There were way too many people around to tell who did that, right guys?"  A clatter of chuckles sounded from the other players around the room.  Freyd had just made their lives easier.  They weren't about to rat them out for it.  

"If you're serious about the broker thing," he added, clearly believing that she was, "you're gonna need to pull tricks like that, or at least spot them when people try to pull them on you.  There will be no shortage of people willing to take advantage, or just to stiff you for their own shits and giggles."  

A systems prompt opened between them, indicating that they had completed their quest and allocating their rewards. 

"Not a bad recovery, given how the day started."  He paused, as if reflecting on all that had happened in such a short time. 

"And thanks again, Xena.  You're okay in my books, and I'll be glad to help you survive this Hell hole however I can."

***

Thread Summary

8591 words / 30 = 287*5= 1435*Tier

Xena receives:

1885 EXP (Word Count [1435*1] + Quest [450])
900 col (400 [1 page] + 500 [quest])
5 materials
(5x) T1 Uncommon Health Potions: Heals 5% of Maximum HP.
(1x) T1 Uncommon Damage Potion: +1 DMG for an entire thread.
(1x) T1 Uncommon Overhealth Potion: Adds 5% of Maximum HP to users Maximum HP for a thread.
(1x) T1 Health Potion, quality is based on Crafting Results.
Unlock <<The Second Lesson>> quest

Freyd receives:

20090 EXP (Word Count [1435*14])
3013 col ([Laurel, +15% of EXP as col]) - Freyd gives his reward to Xena.