[F01 - PP] The Silver Eagle’s Inn

[Ghostie 0]

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Quest: None Active

Thread Prequel: I Swear I Saw A Ghost

Participants: Ghost, Koga

Spoiler

Ghost: Player Information

 

Ghost
Total SP: 5 | Allocated: 0 | Remaining: 5
Level 1 | Paragon ?
HP: 100/100 | EN | DMG: 1 | ACC: 1 |EVA: 1 | MIT |

Equipment
-Weapon: Scrying Dagger T1 | ACC | EVA |
-Armor:NA
-Trinket:NA

Back in the Town of Beginnings, Ghost walked down the streets of player made shops. At first glance, she seemed to be perfectly unaffected by the day’s failures. Her face was stoic as usual, her greyed violet eyes relaxed and her steps evenly paced. Almost regally displayed… at first glance. But from the perspective of anyone who knew her, they’d know that she was a bit of a wreck at the moment.

Her cheeks tinted, her hands shaking slightly, her steps measured perfectly from her overthinking and trying too hard to appear fine. She kept thinking of how badly she had failed to execute even a single point of damage onto the Boar that was otherwise killed in one hit. She kept thinking of the fact that she couldn’t even tell the difference between her character skills screen and the tutorial explanation of skills. She kept thinking about the fact that she had somersaulted six times and crashed into 4 boars, all over one attack.

And… She kept thinking about the man walking next to her.

Koga was seeming to keep an even pace next to her, his familiar wolf Okami right beside him. She glanced at him for a moment, keeping her head forward to be discreet.

…Just what exactly is the goal here??

Ghost knew that she was possibly being overly suspicious, and unwarranted considering how much the man had helped her so far, but she couldn’t help it. It didn’t seem reasonable that someone at his level and stats would go out of their way this much, just to help a level one that didn’t even know the elementary basics of leveling up, without having a motive…

Once again, Ghost shook the thought away as they walked. She was being callous, and she knew it. Koga has been nothing but kind, and understanding. She had no right to make speculations, just because of handsome appearances and high levels of experience.

..Wait.. Handsome??

Ghost’s face became as red as it was earlier, her eyes darting back forward before Koga would notice. Then, she saw their destination, and exhaled with relief. The Silver Eagle. Nodding and hoping to not make things more awkward on herself, she just faintly sped up her pace, knowing that Koga wouldn’t have any issues keeping up. 

Edited March 29, 2022 by Ghostie

[Koga 0]

k o g a the elder wolf Spoiler notes: none Koga, Lvl 32/54 | HP: 880 | EN: 122 | DMG: 23 | EVA: 3 | MIT: 30 | ACC: 5 | LD: 3 | BRN: 56 | BLT: 32/20 | FALN: 8 | VD: 96 | B.HEALING: 48/96 equipped battle-ready inventory T4 Demonic Katana <<Tsuki no Hikari>> [ CRSD // BRN I // BLT I // FALN I ] T4 Demonic Light Armor <<Shuku-ro Coat>> [ EVA II // VAMP-D II ] T1 Demonic Trinket <<lupine.>> [ ACC III // EVA I ] none skills Spoiler | UTILITY Gathering: Fishing I | Successfully forage for materials on a LD 14+ | 0/49 EXP  Searching III | +1 LD per rank. +1 to Stealth Detection per rank. | 14 SP Night Vision | Ignores any penalties from low light or darkness. Negates the bonus Stealth Rating from low light or darkness. | 3 SP | COMBAT Combat Shift: Single Target | For the following Sword Arts, +3 to multipliers and +2 to EN cost; ST-I, ST-II, ST-B. No other Shifts may be taken. | 10 SP Mastery: Damage III | Gain 1 * Tier Damage per rank | 13 SP Battle Healing V | Recover 5% (rounded down) of your maximum HP at the start of your turn | 30 SP Emergency Recovery | When non-fatal damage would leave you with 25% or less of your maximum HP, recover 10% of your maximum HP after the attack resolves. Effect cannot occur more than once per thread.  When activated if the player has lower than 10 energy remaining, simply reduce the player's energy to 0. | 6 SP EN Cost: 10 Energist | Increase Base Energy by 5 * Tier | 8 SP Charge | Perform a single attack/Sword Art with +5 base damage. Charge attacks have a -1 Accuracy debuff and cannot be affected by any auto-hit effects. | 10 SP Cooldown: 3 Posts | WEAPON Katana V | +7 DMG when equipped with a Katana | 30 SP Stamina | Reduces the energy of all Katana attacks by 2 EN | 4 SP Precision | Gain +1 ACC. | 2 SP Ferocity | +2 DMG when using Katana Sword Arts | 4 SP | ARMOR Light Armor V | +30 MIT when equipped with Light Armor, -2 Stealth | 30 SP Meticulous | +1 DMG when equipped with Light Armor | 4 SP Resolve | +1 ACC and +10 * Tier HP when equipped with Light Armor | 6 SP | EXTRAS Familiar Master: Rending | You and your familiar attack in tandem, applying Rend [7*tier unmitigatable damage] to the target that lasts for two turns. | 10 SP Cooldown: 5 Turns Survival | Increases Healing effects received from all sources by 10%. Grants immunity to all damage dealing environmental attacks/effects. | 0 SP Parry | Apply the energy cost upon proc, not activation. Reduces the final damage of the next successful attack against you by 50% (rounded down) and negates stun/paralysis effects of that attack. If hit by multiple attacks, only apply parry to the first attack against you. Parry lasts for three turns. Cooldown starts when the player activates the Skill. If the player is hit when using Parry, the cooldown is reset to 3 turns. | 10 SP 9 EN, Cooldown: 3 Turns Vengeful Riposte | A successful Parry also returns 50% (rounded down) of the raw damage that would be dealt to you back to your opponent. The reflected damage can be mitigated by the opponent. | 6 SP Cooldown: 4 Turns Justified Riposte | A successful Parry also stuns the target for 1 turn. | 5 SP Cooldown: 4 Turns Frozen Hide | As a free action, apply one slot of Frost Aura and one slot of Frost Thorns equal to your tier to yourself until the start of your next turn. | 0 SP 5 EN, Cooldown: 4 Turns buffs Spoiler | PARAGON REWARDS Lv. 5 | Earn Col equivalent to 15% of player’s EXP earned in thread. Lv. 10 | +1 LD to Looting | BUFFS <<Well Rested>> | -1 energy cost for the first three expenditures of each combat. <<Squeaky Clean>> | The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 25% (rounded down). <<Filling>> | Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot. <<Item Stash>> | +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot <<Tasty>> | Turn 2 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Lesser Feast. A Lesser Feast contains 4 portions of the food items sacrificed. Lesser Feasts created this way cannot be used outside of the thread they are created. Limit 1 item created per thread. <<Relaxed>> | Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts. <<Multipurpose>> | Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll. <<Practiced Angler>> | +2 Fishing EXP per Attempt and additional +1 LD & CD to fishing attempts.

Koga was far less thoughtful, at least at this moment. Or rather, it was more a lack of over overthinking, than thoughtfulness altogether. Once Koga had managed to get past the fact that the girl had somehow not used up any of her skill points, his thoughts had turned on what possible build paths she might be interested in, what gear he might be able to offer from his storehouse.

While Ghost might've wondered what ulterior motives Koga might've had, the truth was he had none. He had time, nothing in particular that needed to be done. And, truth be told, he saw it simply as paying an old favor forward. Many had helped him when he'd been a low-level player, it only seemed right to be of many to help others.

And so, because of this simplicity, no glances were shared between the two (or at least none that Koga noticed).  Simply, they walked side by side until Ghost suddenly picked up her pace, Okami trouncing happily along behind her, leaving Koga behind with an eyebrow cocked in an amused expression. Well, they weren't far from the tavern now at least. And so Koga was content to lag behind a little before entering the tavern after them.

It wasn't long before they found a table and took their seats, at which point Koga looked at the girl, still red for some reason. "Are you feeling okay?" he asked, a look of concern flashing across his features.

Edited March 29, 2022 by Koga

[Ghostie 0]

Ghost perked up from her thoughts, freezing up when she heard what Koga said. Taking a moment to breathe from the anxiety spike, she did her best to explain without telling him everything. I’m dealing with a lot of thoughts at the moment, like how stupid I looked earlier. Especially my triple backflip. I feel useless, and it, along with some other topics, are distracting me.

Sighing, Ghost dropped her hands and rested her head on one of them, looking over at Koga across the table. Having finally calmed down about the handsome thing, she was back to her guarded relaxed expression, and she took this moment to really think about her current situation from her trained objective standpoint.

All things considered, she really didn’t see herself making it past anything in Aincrad without Koga’s guidance at this moment, especially with his capabilities and knowledge. She hadn’t seen him do too much currently, but based on how he carried himself, he was clearly resourceful, quick witted, a great fighter, and has a fair amount of knowledge about video games which she clearly lacked.

But outside of objectivity… 

Ghost’s slightly reddening face and wandering thoughts were interrupted, as a waitress came by and dropped off some menus for them. “Hello, and thank you for choosing the Silver Eagle! One of our staff has recently maxed out their cooking skill, so to celebrate, we have higher class meals unique from our regular selection for fifty percent off! My name is Riley, and I’ll be your waitress for this evening! Would either of you like anything to drink?” Riley asked, looking over to Koga first with her menu open to type his answer.

[Koga 0]

Cocking his head to the side slightly, Koga listened as Ghost told him, or rather signed to him, what it was that was bothering her. He let out a small sound of amusement in response. "Don't worry about that stuff too much," he replied, only the slightest of smiles on his lips. "We've all been there."

At that moment, a server approached them and left a couple menus for the two players before stating they had a special today in celebration of their staff maxing out their cooking skill. "Oh, that's great!" Koga remarked before deciding upon something to drink. "I'll take an iced tea, thank you," he'd order before starting to go over the menu as Ghost made her request.

Koga could remember all the time's he'd fucked up when he'd still been learning the ways of Aincrad. Well, not all of them, but quite a few. "If it makes you feel any better, I almost bit the bullet when I started too. Wasn't a much higher level than you," he said, as he flipped through the pages, trying to decide on meal. "Hmm, any idea what you're gonna get?" he asked as he glanced up at her. "I can't decide."

[Ghostie 0]

Ghost listened to what Koga said, not finding any false undertones. It was… strange, but she liked it. She took the time to hold up her menu as the waitress Riley took Koga’s order. Glancing over it, Ghost  showed the menu to her and pointed to an item.

“…Oh!! Orange juice! Yes ma’am, right away,” Riley said with a nod and a polite smile before jotting the drinks down quickly. “Have you decided on your meals for this evening?” Ghost looked back at the menu, and studied it again at a surprising speed. Hearing Koga mention his indecisiveness on what he wanted to eat, she nodded and showed the menu to him.

Spicy Mapo tofu Ragout with buttered dressing.

Then she showed the menu to Riley, who nodded and quickly took down the order before looking over at Koga. After getting his order, she would bow and head back toward the kitchen. Ghost set her menu down, before looking back at Koga with a slightly softer gaze, and signed.

I’m sorry if I seem unresponsive to your encouragement. I’m… I’m not used to constructive criticism, or positive input. It makes me wary, which is unfair to you. You’ve been nothing but kind, and are still helping me, and I really enjoy your company.

[Koga 0]

Koga blinked in surprise at how quickly Ghost had just managed to browse their entire menu. How fast could that woman read, he wondered, before realizing that the waitress was waiting on him now. "Oh, uh, I'll just have the jajangmyeon, thank you," he managed to get out, going with an old favorite he'd seen listed, before handing his menu to the waitress with a smile.

When he looked back at Ghost, she just stared back for a moment. Not in that awkward 'no one-knows-what-to-say' way. Just...getting acquainted for each other. It was then Ghost who was the first to begin to convey words. Some words, that, once read, Koga couldn't help himself from chuckling at. "Oh, just wait, I'm sure you'll start getting annoyed with me real soon," he joked, smiling back at the woman.

"For real though," he went on, a slightly more serious, but admittedly still lighthearted tone, "I don't blame you. People are fucking sketch, and you never know." Koga shrugged as the waitress returned and set their drinks down in front of them, alongside two cups of water. "Your food will be out momentarily," she said politely, before leaving. Koga thanked her quietly again as she left before turning back to Ghost. "I'll be honest though, I'm a shit teacher, so don't worry, I'm used to the blank stares and look of zero understanding. If you want me to cut it out too, just say so. Or...sign it, whatever."

[Ghostie 0]

Taking a long sip of her orange juice, Ghost smiled just barely when she heard Koga mention the annoyance thing. You don’t need to worry about that, she slang signed with one hand before setting her drink down and getting back to it. It would probably take an apocalyptic level threat before I’d finally got annoyed. 

As for people being.. sketch? I’ve not heard that phrasing before, but I usually try to put my best foot forward and give them the benefit of doubt. I’m just also very.. anxious. I don’t have friends here, let alone in the real world. If something did happen to me in here… Ghost paused for a moment, her eyes staring blankly before she snapped back out of it and continued. Forget that last part. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to unload onto you.

Sighing with a shudder, she took another sip of her drink, and continued thinking about her situation since she had brought it up. If something did happen to her.. She shook her head, and perked her head up, regaining her positivity.

Anyways, I think we were going to play Twenty Questions, correct?  I’m still unfamiliar with the game, but it sounds like a fun way to learn more about each other. I’d still like to participate, if you do?

[Koga 0]

Apocalyptic level threat equals...annoyance? Koga made a slightly confused and concerned look as he tried to piece together how those two fit together before deciding to give up altogether and lifting his glass to his mouth to take a sip. He'd played Fallout. Somehow, after that, the apocalypse really did just seem like a mild annoyance.

"Mm, don't worry about it," he told Ghost, waving a hand in front of himself to indicate he wasn't bothered by Ghosts' unloading. "It's our reality now. No reason to hide it, not like we don't all have some kinda story." Some were worse than others, but he hadn't been lying when he said it was their reality now. All ten thousand of them. Or, at least, those still left alive from those original ten thousand. Each day their numbers dwindled. A distant look came over Koga as the thoughts drifted through his mind for a moment, only to be pulled back into the present by the rapid movement of Ghost's hands, and the words flashing into existence between them.

"Oh, right, I forgot about that," Koga said, before he spotted their server returning with their food. "Here you guys are!" she said cheerily before setting the food down before their respective devourers. "Enjoy!"

"Thank you," Koga said to her for the fifth time in an hour, before picking up his chopsticks and idly mixing the black bean sauce with the noodles. "I think you asked the last question, technically right? Favorite movie? I guess that would make it might turn." The man started eating some noodles as he thought of what would be a good question to ask before it dawned on him. Might as well make it a useful question.

Swallowing before speaking, "What kinda build do you wanna have?" he asked.

[Ghostie 0]

Hearing the bit about everyone having a story, she glanced up, and noted the look that Koga was showing. Judging by his skillset, he might be a part of the frontlines, and most likely has had to deal with a lot more than she could even imagine at the current moment. Meanwhile, here she was, complaining about not having friends… Feeling like an inconsiderate jerk, Ghost focused on her meal to distract herself. 

Then, as she continued to eat, it dawned on her… She could join the frontlines. Obviously not now, but perhaps after she got plenty of levels under her belt and had a firm grasp on everything that she could possibly need to know about Aincrad, video games, the different floor environments, and successful combat, she could help Koga and others make a difference, one way or another. How difficult could it be?

She was more confident about her chances by the second. Ghost took another bite and then listened to Koga’s first of the twenty questions, and the question wasn’t one she was exactly prepared for. Ghost thought for a moment before replying, her brow faintly cocked.

Build? I wasn’t aware that Aincrad had a Construction class?

 

[Koga 0]

The food here was good. If this was what it was like to have a max level chef cook for you, Koga might've needed to level up his cooking skill as well. Picking up noodles with his chopsticks the man enjoyed the meal while he man awaited Ghost's answer.

When it came though, Koga paused mid chew and stared at the girl. 'Wait is she serious?' One glance at the slightly raised brow, the otherwise blank expression, and the answer was clear. 'Oh god, she's serious.' By some Herculean feat, Koga forced himself to swallow all the noodles he'd shoved in his mouth whole, in one go.

"No, I mean like DPS or - wait, hold on, you know what a class is, but not what builds are?" Why was this conversation getting more and more confusing by the second? And why was he the one getting confused, wasn't it supposed to be the other way around?

[Ghostie 0]

Of course I know about classes, Ghost replied with her own look of confusion. I used to play chess against my father’s employees, and one of them referred to the pieces based on Tank, Damage and Support roles to spice up the theme, which was ridiculously time consuming to learn. Also, I was taught about different weapon classes in real life due to curiosity, and recognized the term when I was horribly attempting to teach myself.

Ghost went to take another drink of her orange juice, until she noticed the glass was empty, her eyes widening. She nervously looked over at Riley who was passing by, shakily raising a hand but not catching the waitress’ attention in time. Slowly dropping her hand, Ghost faces back forward and picks up her glass of water, sipping on it with noticeably less enthusiasm.

Putting the glass down, she took a breath and relaxed again. Tucking her hair behind her ear, she started resumed signing. I suppose this is wasting my first question, but I’m guessing that a build means something different here by how you responded. What is a build? 

[Koga 0]

Wait, RPG classes in chess? Koga began to rub his temples with one hand, grimacing as he tried to wrap his head around this new notion. 'DPS, Tank, Support? What? What the hell were the pawns? Are Rooks tanks? But its not like any of them have HP to soak damage...' Thinking about how any of this made sense was certainly going to give Koga a head ache...probably why the man never played chess...At least the weapon classes bit made sense.

Putting his hand down, Koga reached for his glass of tea again, hoping that the beverage might serve as a coolant for his rapidly overheating CPU, just as Ghost tried to signal the waitress, before giving up and opting for water instead.

"A build is like...mm, I dunno, a sub-class, I guess?" Koga tried to explain as he pushed around the food on his plate absently. "Like, for example, I'm a DPS, right? And my build or 'sub-class' is Raw damage, so just whatever damage I can dish out from hitting things. My friend NIGHT, who's also a DPS, on the other hand, has a DoT build, where she get's most of her damage from her weapon's elemental effects and stuff like that." That was kind of a rough explanation, but hopefully it made more sense than Koga thought.

Catching sight of their waitress, Koga waved her over and pointed at Ghost's glass. "Mind if we get a refill?"
"Yeah, of course! I'll be right back."

The swordsman then turned back to Ghost again before going on. "Tanks might make a build out of being Evasion focused, while others might be MIT based. I'm not too sure about supports though, I don't actually know that many, now that I think about it." There was Hirru, who was more healing and buffs focused, but that kind of encompassed the entire Support role. Then there was Oji, who, though was just starting out, seemed to be putting most of his efforts into healing.

[Ghostie 0]

Listening carefully, Ghost nodded while taking everything Koga was saying into account, surprisingly not having any issues with putting two and two together. So in other words, a class is like your deliberate martial art, versus the subclass which is the variant school of the style. Like the difference between Judo and Jiu Jitsu. That makes more sense than I was expecting it to, she signed. When Koga caught the waitress’ attention, Ghost instantly froze up, waiting until Riley had walked away before calming back down.

I’m… guessing that support roles are in demand currently, she continued. Crossing her legs, Ghost seemed to be in thought. What class and role would be more effective for her? Thinking about the potentially various options, she seemed to come to a conclusion before replying again. What is an MIT? She asked. After a a few moments, she kept going. I’m joking; If I had to choose what I would want for a ‘build’, primarily, I would want to focus on DPS.

When I was learning Kyusho Jitsu, I relied on strategic direct combat with consistent deliberately placed strikes, so it would probably be what I would be the most comfortable with. And your ‘Raw’ damage subclass I think sounds like that, too! If I had to guess, it relies on average numbers instead of spontaneous outside ‘buff’ help, right?

Ghost stopped, lightly blushing. I’m sorry if I’m talking too much. I’m having a lot of fun learning, so I’m getting a bit carried away.

[Koga 0]

Koga took the time he had while Ghost worked through her own comparisons of builds to dig into his food a little. Almost as good as the real thing. Almost. It was a little bit harder though, to eat and also constantly glance up to try and catch the flitting script that passed from Ghost to himself. A lot like trying to read subtitles moving too quickly. Still, he caught enough to understand what was being said.

'Like the difference between Judo and Jiu Jitsu.'

"Yeah, pretty much," Koga nodded, having taught Judo in his past life, and recognizing Jiu Jutsu as another grappling based art. "Same concepts, different executions and techniques." Don't die, beat up the other person. That about summed it all up.

 "There's a pretty large influx of DPS and Tanks, yeah," the man then went on to explain, pausing to drink some tea. "Every one wants to hit be the guy to get the last hit in, or just score big numbers, and somehow there are enough masochists that got trapped in here to build up a decent amount of Tanks. Supports, I dunno, harder to find I guess." Koga shrugged a little, before bringing some more food to his mouth. The only reason he'd become a DPS was because it was one of the only things he was any good at. Sure, he could've become a tank too, but even then, he had a habit of hitting things about as hard as a DPS would. Just seemed like a waste of skill points at the time to invest in tanking. Now though? Maybe it was time to add that into his repertoire.

And then came the line that nearly made Koga choke on his food.

'What is an MIT?'

The man sputtered, coughed, choked, and forced himself to swallow before downing the rest of his tea as he recovered, only to start chuckling as Ghost clarified she had been joking. "Christ, you were scarin' me for a second there," he managed to squeeze out between coughs as he pounded on his chest with a fist.

The man sipped at his water, soothing his throat as Ghost went on, trying to decide what might work for her build, before apologizing. "Don't worry about it," Koga said, for what felt like the twentieth time. "I told you I'd give you a hand, remember? Besides, this stuff is my bread and butter, I enjoy it," he said, pushing aside his now empty bowl.

"It's not so much average numbers, so much as it is damage type," Koga began to clarify. "Instead of tossing out elemental damage types with status effects attached, it's just the 'raw' damage from your attack itself. Some people have crit builds, which are like...uh, twenty percent chance of launching a nuke, versus a consistency build like mine, which is like some ICBMs thirty percent of the time. Not too different, and both hurt like hell, I just don't wanna have to pray that I hit that one in five chance to blow something up, as opposed to just taking two or three good chunks outta it's health bar, ya know?"

[Ghostie 0]

 

Happy that she managed to catch Koga off guard with the joke, Ghost rested her head on her hands with her blank expression and lightly kicked her feet while listening intently on everything Koga said, making notes of the terms that he used that she assumed were game related. From the way he made it sound, a support role would be useful in the field for a lot of people, including Koga. She remembered seeing a few various crafting ‘skill trees’ that would be helpful with that, specifically cook, alchemist and performer.

She thought about it for a moment while Koga continued; Ghost didn’t really feel the need to get into science for support, if she didn’t need to. And cooking is a skill that she would definitely enjoy, since she enjoys cooking in the real world, but not enough that she’d invest countless hours cooking for support alone. Performer sounds interesting, she thought to herself. From what she’d read, it had to do with using items called ‘recording crystals’ to store songs, which could be used later to give advantage to the player or players that use them…. She did enjoy playing acoustic instruments when she was younger. Maybe it’d be worth looking into?

Sitting back up straight, Ghost took another bite of her mapo tofu, enjoying and savoring the flavor for a moment before signing to Koga again. So in other words, Raw damage is more like generally realistic damage, meanwhile these ‘crit’ and ‘elemental’ builds add unique damage aspects to your attacks that are more game like that can strengthen you or weaken the enemy? So far, raw damage sounds more appealing by the second. Are there any major downsides to the raw damage… subclass, you called it?

[Koga 0]

"Mm, that's a matter of opinion," the man answered back with another shrug. "Fact is, your average damage output is roughly the same. Raw wins out by like, two or three percent, and that's about it. But that's only over the duration of a longer fight. In terms of one shot potential, DoT does well, but you have to wait for all the effects to tick down. Crit, on the other hand, takes the cake. Some people like nuking something in one hit, some people prefer the consistency and certainty of a raw build. Personal preference at that point."

It was no question that a single lucky strike from a Crit player could lay out just about anyone they came across, but that was just the thing. Koga wasn't willing to rely on luck and RNG to determine the outcome of his fights. To put his fate, and the fate of those beside him into the palms of Chance? Fat chance.

Riley returned to their table soon after, with more orange juice for Ghost and even a refill of tea for Koga. Clearing away the plate, she gave the two a pretty smile as she asked. "Anything I can get you guys for dessert?"

"That's up to you," Koga said, looking over at Ghost, "I'm good either way."

[Ghostie 0]

That's incredible! Ghost signed, becoming more and more interested in this 'build' concept than she thought she'd be. The idea that such a singular change in one's choices in this world can alter their output to such a minute detail is mind blowing. I would have to agree with you however, on the preference of 'Raw' damage. Even though this is a game, I'd feel uncomfortable, unless at least my fighting has some sort of realism. Perhaps that might change later down the road, but if I punch or kick something, electrocuting my target or 'nuking' them even would take away from the feeling of combat.

Ghost pondered over it more while Koga appeared to be in thought and reading her STS; She knew that there was a Martial Arts Weapon Class, where she could use bare handed fighting in a sense. But from what she's read on bulletins, it's time consuming and stressful on players attempting to complete its unlock quest alone... Maybe Koga would be willing to help? Ghost shook her head lightly. He's already helped me tremendously so far, I couldn't ask him for more than what he's done... It wouldn't hurt to ask?

As Ghost went to sign, however, the waitress startled her, making her hands stop and tremble like they were earlier. Hearing the mention of Riley grabbing their used plates, Ghost looked over at her only partly eaten Tofu. She's gotten so distracted with the conversation, she had all but forgotten about her meal.. Not knowing how to respond, Ghost quickly grabbed her bowl, turning away from Koga and the waitress for just a moment before practically inhaling the mapo tofu, eating it at an insanely fast pace. Within virtually seconds, the plate was spotless, and she shakily offered the plate to the waitress as she wiped her mouth with a napkin. Ghost's face was flustered, avoiding eye contact with either of them before giving Riley a small bow of thanks.

[Koga 0]

There was an audible chuckle and a smile of amusement as Koga read the words that appeared before him. "I mean, I guess. It's pretty common in most RPGs and stuff," he commented, her excitement at what he took to be a basic fact of the world of Aincrad being almost refreshing.

Moments later though, Koga was afeared. Eyes grew and he instinctively pressed himself further into the back of his seat, while Riley, standing beside him took on a look of horror and physically recoiled from the sight of whatever monster the silent Ghost had suddenly become, devouring her food like aa blackhole. Not a trace of the massacre was left behind in the bowl as she handed it back to Riley, who took it with shaking hands and scurried back to the kitchen.

"Ahem," Koga coughed into a balled fist, processing and then setting aside the carnage he'd just witnessed. "Anyways, none of that raw vs crit vs DoT stuff matters too much right off the bat. Have you thought about what kinda weapon you wanna use?"

[Ghostie 0]

Ghost, still refraining from making eye contact, simply nodded in response to the question about her weapon. She knew that what she did with her food was impulsive, odd and probably even disgusting; she could feel the awkward tension pulsate between the three of them, waitress included, the moment that she had started. Did Koga think that she was estranged? Is the waitress saying something right now?? Steeling herself, the paper haired girl quietly opened her player menu and went through it at a rapid pace, before opening the tab and setting it to Public View, so that Koga could see it.

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Floor 2
<<Breaking the Unbreakable>>
Party Limit: 4 
Repeatable for standard rewards.

Quest Rewards:

• 300 Experience Points
• Unlock access to <<Martial Arts>> skill 
• Unlock access to <<TECH-F>> collected sword art

 I would like to gain access to Martial Arts Weapons, she signed. Her hands were still a bit shaky, but she continued as efficiently as she could, her STS luckily making up for any signing errors that she was making. I would appreciate any help. I’ll understand if you don’t want to, or can’t. I apologize for my actions; I’m not typically very good at social interactions. You’re my first. After a moment, she realized what she had said, and blushed deeply before correcting herself as quickly as possible.

I mean that you’re THE first person in a long time that I’ve had a stable conversation with. I’m actually very surprised at how easy it’s been to be comfortable conversing with you.
 

[Koga 0]

It was around now that Ghost had started to act...awkward. Although Koga gave no indication of it, question marks began to pop up in his mind, wondering for what reason the girl had suddenly lost her composure.

When she turned her UI towards him, Koga leaned forward slightly to read the small text scribbled across. He immediately cringed. Oh no. Not that quest. He remembered it well. It had been painful, torturous, utter hell at the hands of a mere lump of stone. Whoever had designed that particular quest was the spawn of Satan themselves.

When the man glanced up at Ghost again though, she didn't appear to be looking at him, only nervously making vague symbols with her hands. Symbols the man was thankful he didn't need to understand...although...was there something that just didn't translate well?

The man gave Ghost a simultaneously confused and concerned look. Had...had he been giving her the wrong impression this whole time?...DID SHE KNOW WHAT BEING SOMEONE'S FIRST MEAN- Oh...oh thank God...Koga breathed a sigh of relief as the girl frantically recovered from her signing blunder.

"I'll take that as a compliment," the man chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "You're doin' fine, if that's what you're worried about." The man's gaze shifted from her face, to the quest page, and back again. "I will warn you though," he began to say, "not even a masochist can enjoy that quest. I can help, but we should pick up some things from my house first, we're gonna need them."