[F4-PP] Searching for a Familiar <Feeding Your Enemy>

[Rebekah 0]

After watching two of her guildmates' familiars play with each other in the forest, Rebekah was now interested in looking for one. She exited her shop on the cold and fidget fourth floor. The fourth floor is where the pink hair girl had spent the vast majority of the time. She wanted a companion that would be able to keep up with her in the cold, so she knew this fourth floor is where she should be searching for her enemy. As she went through her contact list, she noticed that Star was available today.

To Star From Rebekah Meet me near the teleportation gate at Snowfrost. Dress warmly!

She had sent the message and then spent the time getting ready. Rebekah liked the cold. It had felt better than the scorching hot in the desert. She made sure to dress warmly in layers starting with her vanity toque to keep her head warm. She put on a large winter jacket, and a pair of winter boots. She wanted to make sure that she get today's task finished as soon as possible before the sun had set. She knew better than anyone the dangerous of being stuck outside the safety of a building on the fourth floor at night, especially when it was still the middle of winter. Rebekah was not afraid, as she is unable to be frozen on the floor with her shield, but not everyone has the same luxury.

Rebekah finally made her way to the teleportation gate, waiting for Star to arrive.

Spoiler

Rebekah
Level 32 | Paragon 3 | HP 640/640 | EN 82/82 | DMG: 22 | MIT: 48 | ACC: 4 | EVA: 1
LD: 4 | BH 35 | Survival +10% | Anti-freeze | EN -2

Equipment:
Laevateinn II (T4 RAPIER) 3 [DMG]
 Silver Necklace (T4 Trinket) 3 [ACC]
Unbroken (T4 Shield) 2 [MIT] [Anti-freeze]

Skills:
Weapon Skill (R5) | 7 [DMG]
Battle Healing (R5) | 5% (32 HP)
Searching (R4) | 4 [LD] 4 [SD]

Combat Masteries:
Evasion (R1) | 1 [EVA]

Add-ons:
Ferocity | 2 [DMG]
Precision | 1 [ACC]
Stamina | 2 [EN]

Extra:
Survival
Disguise

Items:
N/A

Guild:
Trading Hall
Treasury | + 5% mobs + 10% treasure chest

Profession:
Forager – Level 1: 0/50 EXP

 

[Morningstar 0]

The Town of Beginnings was quiet today. A rare occurrence, Morningstar thought. As usual, he was dressed in his shabby light armor (consisting of a brown jacket and black bottoms) with a green cloak draped overtop. The cloak's hood covered the swordsman's bored expression as he wandered through the city. Everyone was busy. Elwood had a guild meeting, Joaquin was up on the twenty-sixth floor doing some tough quest, and Julius was off doing who knows what.

Morningstar was rarely this bored. Aincrad had a million possibilities but today none of them seemed exciting to him. He wanted someone to talk to, to hang out with. He found himself in the center of town, which was much busier than the streets he'd walked down. He didn't question it. A beep startled him, returning him to reality. He'd received a message.

"Rebekah, huh?" Morningstar said.

He didn't message back to ask what they'd be doing—anything was better than another loop around town. It took him less than a minute to walk from where he was to the teleporter. He equipped warmer clothes, a look he wasn't used to. It was more casual, like something he would have worn in real life. A black jacket and black pants accessorized with gloves, a teal scarf, and a maroon toque. He smiled, adjusting the hair that poked out from beneath his beanie, and teleported to the fourth floor.

Snowfrost brought back happy memories. It was his favorite town he'd been to in Sword Art Online. It didn't take long for him to find his friend in the crowd. She waited by the teleporter like she'd said, her pink hair standing out in the snow.

"I didn't picture you as a snow person. I thought you'd be more of a tropical drinks-on-the-beach kind of girl," Morningstar joked, waving to Rebekah.

@Rebekah

Spoiler

Morningstar's outfit

Spoiler

Morningstar | Lv. 14 | HP: 280/280 | EN: 46/46 | DMG: 11 | ACC: 4 | MIT: 24

Gear:

• Beginner's Straight Sword | Uncommon
  +1 DMG
• Beginner's Light Armor | Uncommon
  +9 MIT
• Lexa's Light | Perfect
  +3 ACC

Skills:

• Two-Handed Straight Sword | Rank 5 | Precision | Stamina | Ferocity
  +9 DMG
  +1 ACC
  -2 ENG per attack
• Light Armor | Rank 3
  +15 MIT
  -1 Stealth

Combat Shift:

• TECH Specialist
  +4 to multipliers
  +3 to ENG cost

 

[Rebekah 0]

Rebekah did not wait long until Star had approached her in his black jacket and toque. She responded to his greeting, "You are not wrong. I do enjoy tanning on the beach. But I am trying to keep myself away from floor 24, I can stay there for weeks without doing anything." Rebekah had just recently returned from an extend trip from floor 24 during her retirement. "The beach is fine but I cannot stand the heat in the desert." she added.

"I will explain what we are doing today. We are going to look for a beast tamer who can provide us with some food to help catch an animal." Rebekah has not decided on what type of animal she was looking for. "We will have to head towards the Winter Woods to find animals around here." As she began to lead him on the trek outside of the town, she pointed out The Frosty's Cafe to him.

"Have you ever tried any of their specialties, the hot chocolate or ice cream?" Rebekah asked. "They are quite famous for their selection, especially their hot chocolate with whipped cream and marshmallows." There was a giant line waiting for the store to open, full of NPCs and players who visit this floor. "I tried making my own version, but it does not come close to their version of the drink."

@Morningstar

[Morningstar 0]

Morningstar chuckled. "I recently spent some time on twenty-four and I almost didn't come back down. I see what you mean."

Rebekah seemed to have their day planned out extensively, which Star respected. He usually went into things with half the knowledge he should; he was prone to winging it. This was a nice change. He listened to her proposal, thoughts of animals roaming his mind. He wondered what hid in the Winter Woods for them to find and what she would end up taming.

The thought of familiars had crossed his mind a million times, but Morningstar had still not tried to find one. He had no idea what kind of an animal he'd want. He thought back to his time on the Paradise Islands to a furry little critter he'd met. Maybe something cute and cuddly would suit the man.

"I'll agree to help you find a familiar on the condition that you help me when the time comes for me to get mine," he winked.

Rebekah showed him a spot he'd never tried before: The Frosty's Café. He'd somehow never noticed it there, which was odd since he loved cafés.

"I've never been but it sounds good. Although, I think they're on the wrong floor for selling ice cream," he jested. "Want me to buy us some drinks before we head out? The line's a little long but I don't mind."

@Rebekah

[Rebekah 0]

"I agree with your idea. I will help you when it is you decide it is time to look for a familiar." Rebekah said. "Let's wait in line as well." Rebekah lead him to the back of the long line-up for the cafe. She knew that the cafe had just opened, but the line would be moving fast.

As they waited in line, she continued, "I do think this is the perfect place to sell ice cream. You can take your time to finish the ice cream without trying to finish it before it completely melts. Normally, I would sit down indoors but there is too many people inside." Rebekah estimates it will take over an hour for them to find a seat, so she figures they should just grab something to go.

As they got closer to the counter, she told the NPC cashier, "I will pay for both of us. Can I get a hot chocolate with grande size with extra whipped cream to go. In addition, can I also get two scoops of vanilla ice cream in a bowl? No sprinkles, toppings or syrups today". She turned to Star motioning to him that it is his turn to order.

"They sell vanilla ice cream made from the real vanilla bean. It is not made with the fake vanilla extract, which most vanilla ice cream is made from." Rebekah said, as she took a bite out of her ice cream before waiting for Star's order to pay the bill.

@Morningstar

[Morningstar 0]

Morningstar was hesitant to order the ice cream, as much as he did love it. Rebekah's description of it didn't help the internal war he was experiencing either. Ice cream in the snow seemed like a bad combination, but quality vanilla ice cream was something that Star treasured.

"I'll get the same as her," he told the cashier.

In one hand he held his hot chocolate and in the other his ice cream. Coming from a wealthy background, he hated it when people paid for him. That being said, he was by no means the richest in Aincrad and it was a nice gesture from Rebekah.

"Thanks for covering it, by the way," Star told the girl as they left the café.

They entered the snow-covered city once again. Morningstar smiled at a couple passing by. After taking a sip of his hot drink, he turned his head to Rebekah.

"So," he started, "where to now?"

@Rebekah

[Rebekah 0]

They needed to find the Traveling Gypsy. Luckily, she so happened to be outside The Frosty Cafe. Rebekah immediately ran outside and walked up to the lady in a dark dress on this cold floor.

"Hello. I am looking for some familiar food to help me tame a familiar." She asked the Gypsy. The Gypsey hesitated for a second and gave her the item that she needed. "Here you go young adventure. Remember to find me and return the food once you catch a familiar."

Rebekah received the food in her inventory and then turned around to find Star listening on their conversation.

"Let's head towards Frostbite Lake. I want to see if there were any animals over by the lake." Rebekah said.

The frozen lake was too far away from the town center. In fact, from the edge of town, one could reasonable make the trek in under 5 minutes if there was not a lot of snow. It was one of the most popular locations on the entire floor, she could always see a player skating or ice fishing.

As Rebekah continued to eat her vanilla ice cream, they walked through the sparsely populated streets of the Snowfrost town. The streets were fine but the moment you exited the town, the walking would become more difficult. With the first step she took, her boot began to sink about several inches into the snow. She turned to Star, "Do you need an pair of snowshoes?" She had summoned an extra pair just in case. "I thought these might be useful today, given that there was a heavy snowfall last night."

Rebekah began to put on her snowshoes over her boots. These were normally not advised since it was near impossible to run with them on, but it does making trekking in the snow a lot easier. As she snapped on her snowshoes, she continued walking towards the lake. "Are you a good skater?" she asked.

@Morningstar

Edited March 14, 2022 by Rebekah

[Morningstar 0]

"I do actually," he said to her snowshoe offer.

Star accepted her gift, snapping on the shoes. He'd gone snowshoeing once in the past, on this floor specifically. It'd be on his bucket list to try it again if he had one. He took a sip of his hot chocolate. It was delicious—one of the best hot chocolates he'd ever had. Rebekah wasn't lying when she said the café was good. 

"I'm the worst skater," he replied to her next question, "but that's never stopped me from trying."

When he was a kid, Star's parents put him in skating lessons with the other rich kids in their neighborhood. They coloured on the ice with markers more than they actually skated. After a few weeks of that, his mom finally withdrew him and moved on to whatever hobby came next. As a teenager, he decided he'd go every winter. He never got any better.

"Maybe after we're done finding your familiar you can teach me. Unless you're not much of a skater yourself," he jested.

@Rebekah

[Rebekah 0]

"I can skate quite well." Rebekah replied. She had taken a lot of skating lessons in real life. However, skating in Aincrad was different. There was a reason why she was skating, often used as a shortcut to cross the lake instead of going around. It was a necessity, as a good skater can easily save over 30 minutes by going through the middle of the frozen lake. Skating in real life was a lot about following the rules and skating in circles, it got boring after a while since you were trapped inside in the rink.

As they kept hiking in the snow, Rebekah stopped and paused to look at some footprints in the freshly made snow. Rebekah was trying to identify whether or not the footprints belonged to a monster or a friendly animal that she could tame. It looked like a paw from a bear. "There are bears nearby." Rebekah told him. While bears are not inherently dangerous on this floor if you stay out of their way, the last thing you want to do is to run into one.

Rebekah told Star, "I have not decided what animal I want yet. I known a few people to have caught a penguin or a fox on this floor. However, let's stay away from the bear. It is too to hard to train as a pet."

@Morningstar

[Morningstar 0]

Morningstar tried to imagine the small girl with a massive pet bear. It was a funny yet terrifying thought. Maybe it suited her.

"What're you looking for in a familiar? Maybe figuring that out could help you pick an animal," he said.

Personally, Star wanted a companion more than a useful pet. He didn't care about abilities and skills as much as he cared about having a friend to join him on his journeys. He loved birds. Millions of memories involving a variety of bird species cluttered his mind. There was also the rabbit who had found him during his time away from the world on the twenty-fourth floor. He glanced up and down at the girl, trying to think of animal ideas. Both penguins and foxes sounded lovely and she couldn't go wrong with either choice.

"How do you feel about owls?" He asked, curious to know if she also had a love for them.

@Rebekah

[Rebekah 0]

"I think the pet needs to be intelligent. I would like it if it could instinctively know what to do, if you understand what I mean." Rebekah said. She was planning on training her pet to be useful, but she has not decided what she wanted. "I have not decided how I want to train my pet."

She had heard about the many skills that pets were able to assist in daily life, anywhere from hunting on its own or to assist in combat. Both of these options would be very helpful. As they continued to walk, they saw a pair of snowshoe hares hopping across the snow. "Normally, I may hunt them but today I have snowshoes on." Rebekah said.

"By the time I take everything off, they would have run into the forest." She continued. It was interesting, Rebekah had already eliminated rabbits as a possibility. Star had then asked her about an owl. "An owl would be nice, it can fly which gives it a lot of mobility. It can also hunt by itself, so it would be low maintenance."

However, it has been a while since she saw an owl on this floor. She seen a lot of wolves and bears wondering the floor looking for pray to hunt. But none of those would make good pets.

@Morningstar

[Morningstar 0]

Morningstar wasn't sure of what other creatures inhabited the snowy floor. He'd seen foxes and rabbits but without more exploration, it was impossible to say what else existed there. He sipped his hot chocolate, which had come to the perfect temperature. Despite the cold trek they'd started, he felt comfortable. He'd finished his ice cream by now and was left with just his drink.

Star had spent a fair amount of time on the fourth floor, but mostly near the safezones. He didn't mind the cold but he spent most of his time around people who hated it, so it made more sense to stay away.

"Have you spent much time here? I've always wanted to explore this floor but I've never made the time for it. I'd love to find some secret spots hidden in the forests or something," he said.

He knew about the quests available on the floor but those were common knowledge; everyone knew about them. There was plenty of treasure hidden in Aincrad in the form of temples, ruins, and other unknown structures. Star wanted to find as many as he could.

@Rebekah

[Rebekah 0]

"I spend a lot of time here due to the location of my cafe. I find it convenient since I do not have to travel using teleportation gates every morning. It also gives me another space to store some of my things since I do not own a property, or at least not yet in Aincrad," Rebekah respond.

"Look over there." Rebekah said. There were a lot of animals here. There were a pack of foxes nearby hunting for food. These were friendly animals, so Rebekah did not need to worry. However, there were also a polar bear in the distance. She did not want to be nearby.

On the tree tops, there was a beautiful white snow owl. She reckon it was a male since only male owls have completely white feathers. For female snow owls, some of the feathers are a darker brown. Finally, on the lake, she could see a colony of penguin ready to hunt for food below the lake.

"I guess it is almost time for me to pick." Rebekah said. She was still undecided but she knew she would have to go with her instinct.

@Morningstar

[Morningstar 0]

"You own a café? So you're a cook then?"

Morningstar wasn't much of a chef himself. He cooked when he had to, but he didn't love it. He could count the number of dishes he was comfortable making on his fingers. Taking another sip from his drink, he looked to the spot that Rebekah pointed at.

Owls, foxes, and penguins all entered their sight. The polar bear in the distance didn't worry Morningstar; they were far enough away for him to feel safe. Star expected more of a hunt. Honestly, he was a bit disappointed that they'd found their options so soon.

"What'll you choose?" He asked Rebekah.

The owl looked enticing to Morningstar but to avoid influencing her decision, he didn't say anything else. Besides, there was no wrong choice. Preparing for the potential polar bear encounter, he equipped his straight sword and finished off the last of his hot chocolate.

@Rebekah

[Rebekah 0]

Rebekah had finally decided on which familiar she would want. She stepped onto the frozen lake and tried to attract the penguin's attention with a fish but the penguins were not walking anywhere closer to her. This was a disaster, and the penguins have all avoid her by diving down into the whole to hunt for fresh fish.

She turned her attention back to Star, "Yes, I am a chef. I have been for many years. I enjoy it because it gives me a purpose in Aincrad. It also does not hurt that I am able to create my own consumables which are very helpful in battle or events." She continued.

Rebekah wondered if she was not lucky enough today, she could have went for the extra consumable, but decided not to. Perhaps that was why the penguin ran away. "Have you thought about picking a profession?" Rebekah asked. It was a good way to make additional income or goal on the side.

ID 205454 | LD = 6 + 4 = 10
Failed

Familiar LD reduces from 15 to 12

@Morningstar

Edited March 10, 2022 by Rebekah

[Morningstar 0]

Rebekah spoke proudly of her line of work. As she should, Star thought. He respected cooks; they were essentially artists. After her failed attempt at taming a penguin, the man couldn't help but chuckle.

"I don't think they liked you," he teased.

He thought a bit about choosing a profession for himself, but it felt impossible to settle. There were so many choices and not enough chances to give them all a shot. Up until now, he'd only given alchemy a shot and he hadn't been very successful at it.

"Artisan maybe? I like to draw and paint. Blacksmith also sounds like it could be fun, although I don't know much about it," he told her.

His hands entered his pockets and he observed their surroundings. He hadn't noticed how quiet the forest was before. It was tranquil. He wished he had a bit more hot chocolate. It would have made the moment even more special. A thought popped into his head.

"What about a reindeer? Do they have those here?"

@Rebekah

[Rebekah 0]

"I suppose you are right. I am not going befriend any penguins today. An artisan or a blacksmith would be cool. I do not know many artisans in this game, since they are quite rare." Rebekah responded.

"A reindeer." Rebekah thought about it for a few seconds. She had never seen a reindeer before on this floor, so it must be unique. However, the issue would be trying to keep it alive. "I suppose a reindeer might work, but I think it is a bit larger than what I was expecting. Can a reindeer fly?" She wondered. Perhaps, Rebekah spoke that last part out loud.

Her pet did not need to be able to fly but having that ability would be cool. She looked around and saw the beautiful snow owl that she was watching earlier. It flew off into the distance but Rebekah had secretly hoped it would return sometime soon. "Now that I think about it, having the extra mobility such as digging underground, being able to swim or fly away would be very important. I want the pet to assist me in battle, either by stunning the monster or dealing damage. So it needs to be able to retreat to safety somehow." Rebekah said.

@Morningstar

[Morningstar 0]

Rare, huh? Maybe he'd look into the artisan profession some more. It fit under his hobbies, after all. He'd never sculpted before but he was sure the system had something in place for incompetence. His drawing skills were, at the very least, up to par. Anything that wasn't acting sounded good to him.

Rebekah's reindeer question was an odd one. "Yeah, Santa's real too," he said sarcastically, a smirk finding its way onto his face. "Sorry. Reindeers can't fly," he admitted.

His next thought was a seal, but that seemed even more restricting than a reindeer. Seals couldn't do much outside of water. At least a reindeer, even a young one, can move reasonably on land. Maybe it was best if Rebekah stuck with the ideas they'd spoken of previously.

"Foxes can dig and owls can fly," Morningstar shrugged. Neither of them was a bad option and they were both relatively common on the fourth floor.

@Rebekah

[Rebekah 0]

Santa is real? Rebekah had always wondered if Santa was ever real in Aincrad. She knew that many players have celebrated Christmas in Aincrad but Santa was one of those that individuals that she never saw, not even on Christmas Eve around here on the fourth floor. She was one of those who had spent a lot of time on the fourth floor. She had always thought reindeers were magical and could fly, but perhaps it could not. "Have you seen Santa in Aincrad?"

The idea of a seal was not that far fetch. She had seen seals in person, these were aggressive little creatures especially the young harbour seals. "I think you are right. A young seal would be the right size, and it can survive on land, but it loses a lot of its mobility." Rebekah continued.

She was not planning on building a pond in her new house, whenever she had enough gold to afford one in Aincrad. Therefore a seal would not be the best option. Rebekah was almost there, but she needed to start planning on where she would like to move to. "I think you are right, foxes and owls are a good idea." Rebekah replied. "What do you think of a young bear if we could find one away from its mother?" However, she would not want to pry a cub away from its protective mother. That would not be a fun time. She chuckled when she asked him that.

@Morningstar

[Morningstar 0]

Rebekah had taken his sarcasm seriously. He shook his hands in front of him. "No, no. I was just joking," he chuckled awkwardly, "I don't think Santa's real, even in here."

Although, he could have been wrong. It was a video game, after all. Were there any rules, really? Magical reindeer and a round man in a red suit wasn't the weirdest thing he'd discovered in Sword Art Online. He thought back to the five-headed frogs he'd fought a few days earlier, shuttering at the idea of them. Rebekah took his seal recommendation seriously as well. This time, he was pleased. He loved seals but agreed that they were a bit pointless in terms of utility. Unless you lived in the ocean, there wasn't much a seal was going to do for you.

"A bear could be cute. Not to mention they've got claws. If you get the chance, I say go for it," Morningstar told the girl.

He wondered if bears were common as familiars. He'd seen birds, snakes, cats, and even a monkey but he'd never come across a pet bear before. He wondered if she was referring to the polar bear they'd seen while she was chasing down the penguins. If he'd known they might steal a bear cub, he would have brought something more protective to wear.

He wiped a melted snowflake from his face. "I've come up with a few ideas for my familiar, when the time comes for me to find one. I guess mine are less practical and more for companionship, though. My first thought was a bird," he told Rebekah, "I don't know where I'll find it, but I loved shinning-green hummingbirds as a kid and young Morningstar would be pretty happy if I tamed one now."

"My second option is a rabbit. I found one up on Floor 24 the last time I was there and I've been thinking about going back to find her."

@Rebekah