[SP-F01] To Cook or Not to Cook <<Earning a Living>>

[Faerie 0]

Fae stood in the cramped shop, this was one of the final things on her list before she started making her way up to the front lines, she wanted to make sure that she was as prepared as possible before leaving. This shop was one of the many different general merchants around Aincrad, located in the Town of Beginnings the selection it had wasn't the most grand, but it could offer most of the goods that someone was looking for, and today it had exactly what Fae needed. Fae tapped the glass container that held the Spyglass she was looking at. As soon as her fingers hit the glass a menu appeared "Do you wish to buy 1 set of spyglasses for 800 Col?" at the bottom were two symbols a blue circle with a white wring inside or a red circle with a white X in it. Tapping the blue button the menu disappeared as fast as it had came, the spyglass set which contained three spyglasses appeared in her hands in a flash of blue light. Tucking the spyglasses onto her belt Fae smiled, she was getting through her list of errands really fast, there were only a few more things that she needed to do now, having already put in an order for a better weapon and set of armor. Fae walked out of the door heading down the streets, next on her list was a quest, one that almost every player in Aincrad did, it was a quest to get an official profession. In order to craft items that could benefit the player, they would first need to complete one of the profession quests, Fae was planning on becoming a cook, it wasn't necessarily the most useful of professions, but the buffs that it could provide were something that she was looking forward to. Fae smiled again as she walked towards the building that housed the quest.  

Spoiler

Faerie,
Level: 2
Paragon Level: 0
HP: 40/40
EN: 22/22

Stats:
Damage: 5
Mitigation: 5
Loot Dice: 1

Consumables Used:

Sword Arts:
[x4] ST-I (4 EN) | A single-target sword art.
[x3] AOE-I (1 + [2 * targets] EN) | AOE | A sword art that strikes multiple targets at once.
[x4] TECH-A (5 EN) | STUN | A single-target sword art that stuns an enemy.

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Green Thumb [T1 SS DMG 1]
Armor: Forest's Cloak [T1 Cloth Armor LD 1]
Misc:

Custom Skill


Skills:
Straight Sword R1
Cloth Armor R1

Active Mods:

Inactive Mods:

Addons:

Active Extra Skills:

Inactive Extra Skills:

Battle Ready Inventory:
Starter Health pots | Heals 50 HP x5
An Mhaighdean Mhara | Familiars Sight x1
Spyglass x3

Housing Buffs:

Guild Hall Buffs:

Scents of the Wild:

Wedding Ring:

Loot Dice Breakdown:
Gathering: 1
Looting: 1
Finding Chests: 1
Looting Chests: 0
Finding Dungeons: 1
Finding Labyrinths: 1

Spoiler

Word Count: 322

 

Edited December 1, 2022 by Faerie

[Faerie 0]

The walk to get to Maggie's tavern was not a long one, and as one got closer to the street the building was on, the smells wafting from it's open windows only got stronger and stronger, it was like the smell was beckoning for people to come to the tavern, and it was almost impossible to ignore that call. Opening the door to the tavern the smell only got stronger, it was impossible to pin point what exactly was being cooked, but it was an absolutely mouth watering smell. Lost in though Fae barely noticed the middle aged woman stick her head out from the door to the kitchen "Take a seat anywhere hun, and I will be right with you." Fae was about to protest when the woman disappeared back into the kitchen, 'I guess I can sit down for a bite before getting to business.' Fae chose a seat under one of the large windows, leaning back in her chair and staring out the window, 'Kas would have loved this place, he always liked the fantasy themed taverns.' Fae's brooding wasn't allowed to last long as the woman from the kitchen, presumably Maggie came back into the main room of the Tavern "What can I get started for ya hun?" Maggie was a middle aged woman, but the years had not yet taken their toll on her looks, her blonde hair was perfectly styled, and the wrinkles from where she smiled too much only added to her looks. There was a small notebook and pencil in Maggie's hands, and she was ready to take an order "Why don't you surprise me Maggie, everything smells too good for me to choose." Maggie smiled at Fae's answer "Coming right up Sweetheart." 

It didn't take long for Maggie to bring back out a bowl of steaming stew, the meat and potatoes inside perfectly cooked, a hunk of bread that looked soft and homemade along the side. Maggie stood to the side waiting for Fae to take the first bite to see how she liked the food. Fae didn't wait long to give her what she wanted, bringing the spoon to her lips Fae hummed "Oh my god Maggie, this is absolutely delicious, I wish I could cook like you." Fae wasn't just saying that, she had been cooking for The Wayward for two years now, but she really couldn't produce something of very much quality, it was passing for the free meals that The Wayward provided, but nothing more. Maggie's smile seemed to brighten at Fae's words "I would love to teach you, but after today's lunch rush we are almost completely out of ingredients." Fae knew that this was how the quest she was looking for started, it was amazing how the quests in SAO almost always seemed to work their way through the same story no matter the variables. "Well if it's just a matter of ingredients, why Don't I just go gather some for you." Maggie thought for a second before coming to a decision "If you wouldn't be so kind, I would be glad to teach you some tricks if you helped me out like that." Fae smiled and finished the broth in her soup. "It's the least I can do after that wonderful meal." Fae smiled at Maggie and nodded before she walked to the door "I'll be back soon." The door closed behind Fae, and with that the quest was in motion.

Spoiler

Word count: 577

 

[Faerie 0]

Cooking in Sword Art Online shared a lot of similarities with cooking in the real world, somehow adding in both a lot of conveniences and a lot of inconveniences. For the most part you could find the same ingredients here as you could in the real world, it was where you could find them that was the hard part. The other thing was the fact that the system could handle most of the cooking for you, but  when you let it do that the food was usually worse for it. From what Fae had noticed, if you put the time and effort in, the meal could taste just like it did in real life, and that was very much her plan today.

Fae had decided exactly what she was going to make long before she even accepted the quest, she was planning to make an apple crumble, a favorite of both her and her father, she had long ago found out exactly where she could go to get the ingredients for the somewhat complicated recipe. With determination Fae walked out into the fields surrounding the Town of Beginnings, it was time to get this quest going for real.

Fae had a mental list of what she needed to get in order to make her dessert, and her first stop was a copse of trees where apples would commonly spawn, there were a couple of other places that she could get the fruit that she was looking for, but this was the most straight forward, so it was where she was heading first. In Sword Art online finding materials was more luck than it was anything else, you could know where the materials were going to spawn, but if they weren't there there wasn't anything you could do about it. In this case Fae was witnessing that, the sparse trees in the area not having anything for her at all, normally if you found a material it would have a slight twinkle to it, so if you were paying attention it wouldn't take long to find one if it was there.

Fae sighed at her luck, this would have been a lot easier than the alternative, giving one last look around she turned away from the trees and headed towards a part of the floor that could be considered a forest, it wasn't a long hike, but it was more inconvenient because it was for the most part out of the way from what she was looking for. In this particular forest Fae could get 4 of the ingrediants she was looking for, but the rest would need to be gathered somewhere else. Listening intently Fae made her way into the forest, it's trees having a decent bit of distance in between them, it wasn't a thick forest, with the canopy above being patchy with light shining through. 

It wasn't much longer before Fae heard what she was listening for, it was the sound of wood creaking and twigs snapping a fair bit of leaves rustling. Dropping into a crouch Fae slowed her walk, honing in on the sound, turning towards the somewhat thicker patch of the forest where the noise seemed to be coming from. Stealth wasn't something that Fae was good at particularly, but it was simple enough to make her way to the edge of the patch, keeping a tree in between her and the noise. leaning out from the side of the tree there were four creatures, two of them seemed to be made out of branches, their limbs long and lanky, comprised of the twisting branches and twigs you find on the floor of thick forests, coming in at a foot tall the creature was faster than it was deadly. The other two were more burly, looking almost like small trees with limbs themselves. These were Bramble Ents and Branch Ents, closely related to their larger brethren Tree Ents, the biggest difference being the size and personality. Without wasting more time Fae unsheathed her green sword from where it was on her lower back with a hiss, standing as she stepped out from behind the tree.

Spoiler

Roll ID: 210048    LD: 11+1 = 12 Failure no MAT

Spoiler

Word Count: 690

 

Edited December 3, 2022 by Faerie

[Faerie 0]

The fear that combat brought never really went away, it didn't matter how strong you were, or how experienced. The fear was what kept you alive, what kept you sharp, the fear was what pushed you to the upper limits of what you were capable of, and was what brought victory in the end. That fear was not unwelcome, it was a reminder of the stakes that were in store, even against creatures as small as these, a wrong step could spell the end. Fae paused for a moment her sword brought to the left side of her body in a low stance closing her eyes "Just a slight pause," Fae thought back on all of the lectures that Kas had forced on her when they came to SAO on launch day, it seemed like so long ago now. "and then release when you feel the power built up." Fae whispered into the forest, the Ents in front of her beginning to take action.

In an instant Fae opened her eyes and launched forward, spinning her body so that her sword would be able to fall on all of the wooden creatures in front of her. The rush was always exhilarating when a sword art went off and this time was no different, it was a rush of adrenaline that truly meant the battle had started. A small smile came to Fae's lips as she heard a series of small screeches, the sound letting her know that she had hit her targets, all except one, the most hesitant of the group, hanging back just enough that when her sword swung through the air he was able to scramble out of the way.

Fae quickly brought her sword up to guard her front, angling herself so that the side of her body was facing the majority of the Ents. Ready at a moments notice to block an attack from the group, though the speed of her preparedness turned out to not matter, as the group of Ents had been knocked back by her blow, only scrambling back to their feet, the sound of wood creaking as they moved, as Fae turned back to face them. 

Spoiler

Combat

Faerie | Lv. 2 | HP: 40/40 | EN: 15/22 (-7) | DMG: 5 | MIT: 5 | LD: 1

Bramble Ent 1 | HP: 24/24 | DMG: 8 | EVA: 1
Bramble Ent 2 | HP: 9/24 (-15) | DMG: 8 | EVA: 1
Branch Ent 1 | HP: 12/30 (-18) | DMG: 9 
Branch Ent 1 | HP: 15/30 (-15) | DMG: 9 

Round 1

ID210049 | BD: 6 - 1 = 5| <<AOE-1 vs. Bramble Ent 1>> | Miss! | MD: 2 | Miss!
ID210050 | BD: 7 - 1 = 6 | <<AOE-1 Vs. Bramble Ent 2>> | Hit: 5*3 = 15 DMG | MD: 5 | Miss!
ID210051 | BD: 9 | <<AOE-1 Vs. Branch Ent 1>> | Minor Critical Hit: 6*3 = 18 DMG | MD: 2 | Miss!
ID210052 | BD: 6 | <<AOE-1 Vs. Branch Ent 2>> | Hit: 5*3 = 15 DMG | MD: 3 | Miss!

Spoiler

Word Count: 364

 

Edited December 3, 2022 by Faerie

[Faerie 0]

Fae watched and waited, she no longer had the benefit of the small amount of surprise form the start of the combat, now her foes were as prepared for her as she was for them. Luckily patience was a virtue that Fae had, if not in abundance, than at least enough for her to wait out an attack from the plants in front of her. Fae's thoughts drifted back to Kas, he was always so rash when it came to combat, more the kind of person to rush in headlong, and deal with the consequences when they came, when it came down to it, that was probably why she was still here, and he was not. 

The morbid thought startled Fae, enough so that she clearly left an opening, as one of the larger Ents ran up to her, slamming his club like arm into the sides of her ribs. Fae grimaced at the discomfort that the blow brought her, but she still brought her sword up to send a slice at the other creatures coming to support their brethren. The attack was sloppy at best, it wasn't a calculated move like it should have been, but rather a quick swipe made in an attempt to back them away. This was evident by the fact the horizontal slash only hit two of its three targets, the third falling just short of the reach for her blade. 

One Bramble Ent and a Branch Ent were the victims of Fae's most recent slash, the slash leaving a horizontal red line across their body, almost as if they had been bleeding. The red line didn't last much longer as they both disintegrated into the blue particles that came with the death of any creature in SAO. Fae didn't let that distract her as she backpedaled away from the two remaining Ents. One of their health bars were half empty while the other had been left completely unscathed so far.

Spoiler

Combat

Faerie | Lv. 2 | HP: 36/40 (-4) | EN: 11/22 (+1, -5) | DMG: 5 | MIT: 5 | LD: 1

Bramble Ent 1 | HP: 24/24 | DMG: 8 | EVA: 1
Bramble Ent 2 | HP: 0/24 (-15) | DMG: 8 | EVA: 1
Branch Ent 1 | HP: 0/30 (-18) | DMG: 9 
Branch Ent 1 | HP: 15/30 | DMG: 9 

Round 2

ID210053 | BD: 5 - 1 = 4| <<AOE-1 vs. Bramble Ent 1>> | Miss! | MD: 2 | Miss!
ID210054 | BD: 8 - 1 = 7 | <<AOE-1 Vs. Bramble Ent 2>> | Hit: 5*3 = 15 DMG | Target Destroyed
ID210055 | BD: 9 | <<AOE-1 Vs. Branch Ent 1>> | Minor Critical Hit: 6*3 = 18 DMG | Target Destroyed
ID210056 | BD: 3 | <<AOE-1 Vs. Branch Ent 2>> | Miss! | MD: 6 | Hit! 9-5 = 4 DMG

Spoiler

Word Count: 326

 

Edited December 7, 2022 by Faerie

[Faerie 0]

Fae took the initiative this time, deciding that rather than react to these woodland spirits she would make them act in reaction to her. Fae launched herself forward with the speed that only someone in cloth armor could match, or perhaps, something made of bramble. Bringing her blade swinging down in a diagonal arc, Fae felt it slash into the targets, one exploding into their customary blue explosion, and the other taking the strike in stride. The Bramble Ent was just as fast if not faster than Fae, and that fact made it more dangerous than the two Branch Ents that had already fallen.

The Bramble Ent chirped it's voice, if you could call it that, coming out almost like bird chirps as it chittered at Fae. It was only seconds later that it came barreling at Fae, bringing its thorny arms up to use them as weapons. Fae brought her sword down to strike at the charging Ent, but it was too quick for her strike, barely moving to the side as it kept up its charge, slashing it's thorns across Fae's legs. Fae ignored the discomfort now present in her legs as she quickly moved to the side, putting more distance between herself and the Ent. 

 

Spoiler

Combat

Faerie | Lv. 2 | HP: 32/40 (-4) | EN: 7/22 (+1, -5) | DMG: 5 | MIT: 5 | LD: 1

Bramble Ent 1 | HP: 9/24 (-15)| DMG: 8 | EVA: 1
Bramble Ent 2 | HP: 0/24 | DMG: 8 | EVA: 1
Branch Ent 1 | HP: 0/30 | DMG: 9 
Branch Ent 1 | HP: 0/30 (-15)| DMG: 9 

Round 3

ID210057 | BD: 8 - 1 = 7| <<AOE-1 vs. Bramble Ent 1>> | Hit: 5*3 = 15 DMG | MD: 9 | Minor Critical Hit: 9 - 5 = 4 DMG 
ID210058 | BD: 6 | <<AOE-1 Vs. Branch Ent 2>> | Hit: 5*3 = 15 DMG| Target Destroyed!

Spoiler

Word Count: 208

 

Edited December 7, 2022 by Faerie

[Faerie 0]

The bull rush may not have been the best decision the Ent could have made as Fae turned, its back wide open to her as it passed by her. One quick motion was all it took to plant her blade straight through the small Ent's back pulling the sword away as it exploded. Fae let out a small sigh as she let herself relax, the Ents weren't a hard opponent, but even so, she didn't let her guard down, and that took a lot of focus. Sliding her sword back into the sheathe she wore on her lower back Fae looked towards the screen that just popped up in front of her.

The screen was the spoils of her little skirmish, these screens would pop up whenever combat was over, and would let you know what items were added into your inventory. A smile spread across Fae's face as she looked at the screen, she had managed to get exactly what she was looking for and a bit more. From the Bramble Ents she had gotten a lemon, an orange, and some Nutmeg, not something that would normally be very exciting, but they were ingredients she was looking for. Alongside the fruit the smaller ents also gave her an amount of Col and a couple pieces of equipment and Col that she would need an appraiser to identify for her later. The loot From the Branch Ents were similar, netting her a decent amount of Col and a few pieces of unidentified equipment, alongside a cinnamon log, and an apple, there were a couple more materials dropped from the creatures, but none of them related to what she needed for her quest.

Fae was pleased, it had only taken one fight for her to gather everything that she needed from the Ents, she still had a few more things that she needed to gather now, but the hard combat was now over, at least for now. A smile on her lips Fae turned away to the thicker part of the forest and made her way out, heading towards a smaller abandoned town in the area.

Spoiler

Combat

Faerie | Lv. 2 | HP: 32/40 | EN: 4/22 (+1, -4 ) | DMG: 5 | MIT: 5 | LD: 1

Bramble Ent 1 | HP: 0/24 (-20)| DMG: 8 | EVA: 1
Bramble Ent 2 | HP: 0/24 | DMG: 8 | EVA: 1
Branch Ent 1 | HP: 0/30 | DMG: 9 
Branch Ent 1 | HP: 0/30 (-15)| DMG: 9 

Round 4

ID210086 | BD: 7 - 1 = 6| <<ST-1 vs. Bramble Ent 1>> | Hit: 5*4 = 20 DMG | Target Destroyed!

Looting

Bramble Ent 1: ID210087 | LD: 14 + 1 = 15 | CD: 5 | LD = 2 MATS + CD = 2 MATS | Rare T1 Weapon + Uncommon T1 Consumable
Bramble Ent 2: ID210088 | LD: 15 + 1 = 16 | CD: 11 | LD = 48 Col + CD = 2 MATS | Rare T1 Trinket + 72 Col
Branch Ent 1: ID210089 | LD: 14 + 1 = 15 | CD: 2 | LD = 2 MATS + CD = 60 Col | Rare T1 Trinket
Branch Ent 2: ID210090 | LD: 19 + 1 = 20 | CD: 12 | LD = 60 Col + CD = 60 Col | Perfect T1 Weapon + 120 Col

Total

8 MATS + 420 Col + Rare T1 Weapon + Uncommon T1 Consumable + Rare T1 Trinket [2] + Perfect T1 Weapon

Spoiler

Word Count: 355

 

Edited December 7, 2022 by Faerie

[Faerie 0]

It didn't take very long for Fae to make it to her next location. Currently she was in high spirits, she had managed to find five of the ingredients she would need for her dessert, and now only needed a few more, all of which could be found on the outskirts of an abandoned town on the first floor.

This particular area still had the golden fields of the wheat that had been planted in the area, along with cows scattered in the area, it was relatively safe, though the town center housed a gang of bandits that sometimes moved through the area. It was here that Fae would find the next group of her materials. 

First things first Fae turned towards one of the cows, they were fairly docile, and would let you get close to them if you were calm enough, and would even let you milk them if they were in a good mood, it was if you weren't careful that it became an issue, the cows were easily angered when you weren't. 

"Hey big girl, I need some of your cream, please don't get mad." Fae moved slowly towards the cow as it eyed her and huffed. Fae smiled as it didn't immediately act with her presence. Fae reached her hand out to slowly to touch the animals back. Right before making contact the large farm animal huffed harder stamping its foot as it turned towards Fae. "Shit." Fae muttered to herself as she started backing away.

Spoiler

Faerie | Lv. 2 | HP: 40/40 (+10) | EN: 5/22 (+1) | DMG: 5 | MIT: 5 | LD: 1

Gathering

ID210091 | LD: 2 + 1 = 3 | Failure! 

Spoiler

Word Count: 251

 

Edited December 7, 2022 by Faerie

[Faerie 0]

The cow didn't move forward as Fae backed slowly away, it wasn't the calmest cow, but it definitely wasn't the most temperamental either. It just watched as Fae turned and walked away. The cows weren't the only useful things here though, this spot also had fields of wheat planted before the bandits took over, and while not every stalk could be harvested, some of them could.

Fae wandered the fields looking for a few minutes, the sparkle of the harvestable stalks of wheat would stand out in the field, and would be hard to miss. The plan was to search for the wheat that could be found here, travelling between the cows as she made her way to the small lake nearby.

So far Fae had had no luck with the grain, she still needed four ingredients, and the grain was one of the most important, she would grind down the grain into flour which she could use to make her dough. Fae wasn't disheartened as she kept walking, she didn't need to rush, this was an important step to make it in the front lines.

Spoiler

Faerie | Lv. 2 | HP: 40/40 (+10) | EN: 6/22 (+1) | DMG: 5 | MIT: 5 | LD: 1

Gathering

ID210091 | LD: 4 + 1 = 5 | Failure! 

Spoiler

Word Count: 186

 

Edited December 8, 2022 by Faerie

[Faerie 0]

A smile was on Fae's face as she walked, the sun was out, and it was warm, a small breeze making her hood flutter in the wind as she made her way through the golden fields that surrounded the city. It had been a really long time since she had come here, or even made this specific dessert. The last time had been with Kas, during the two months that he and Fae had lived in SAO together, they had made there way out of the gates, one of the rare occasions that they did, because they heard you could get a milk substitute in the fields around here, in a relatively safe place. Fae slid her hands over the top of the wheat as she walked, lost in thought. 

Back then it hadn't gone very easily, Kas didn't know the word calm when it came to animals, and as soon as he tried to touch one of the cows it went berserk, turning on the pair, in the end, it wasn't really a problem for the two of them to deal with, so they were able to just laugh it off. Fae's smile grew a somewhat somber tone, that was one of the few times she shared with Kas that was truly happy. One of the few times since SAO that she had been truly happy. After Kas, Fae moved it with Angel, and at first it was hard. It was still hard, in so many ways, Angel just reminded her of Kas, she was more gentle, but still had that same presence, that of someone who was designed for bigger things, not like Fae.

The thought drifted away as Fae drew nearer another of the cattle that roamed the outskirts of the ghost town. Slowing her pace down she walked up to the cow, repeating sweet nothings over and over quietly as she approached. Hopefully she would be able to get this cow to let her milk them, it was so much easier when that happened. Fae placed her hand on the cow's shoulder as it looked at her, seeming gentle enough. Fae pet its shoulder for a few moments before slowly walking along its side. A small snort was the only protest the cattle gave as she neared its flank. 

 

Spoiler

Faerie | Lv. 2 | HP: 40/40 | EN: 22/22 | DMG: 5 | MIT: 5 | LD: 1

Gathering

ID210091 | LD: 3 + 1 = 4 | Failure! 

Spoiler

Word Count: 383

 

Edited December 10, 2022 by Faerie

[Faerie 0]

"Okay, please don't get mad at me." Fae started to crouch, bringing herself closer to the cow's utter. A hoof was all the Fae felt as the cow kicked with both feet backwards, planting them firmly in her sternum. Fae was practically the spitting image of Kas as she flew through the air, landing squarely on her back on the dirt. Fae gasped, she wasn't hurt, Sword Art Online didn't let much pain through the system, but the sudden slam into the floor was more than enough to expel all of the air from her lungs. Breathing was almost impossible as Fae slowly rolled over onto her side, looking at the cattle who was running with its back facing Fae. It started turning as Fae slowly managed to climb onto her knees, coming to a stop staring at her.

Fae's breathing finally normalized as the discomfort faded, the cattle was starting to charge, and Fae needed to act swiftly. With a hissing sound Fae pulled her green sword out of its scabbard. Still on her knees the animal charged at Fae. The moment before contact with the trampling hooves, Fae launched herself diagonally forward, simultaneously slashing her sword along its side and bringing herself into a standing position. The cow kept charging past as Fae turned to stand opposite it, her hood blowing in the breeze as she stared it down. Like a bull the cow pawed at the ground, preparing for a second charge.

Spoiler

Combat

Faerie | Lv. 2 | HP: 32/40 (-8) | EN: 18/22 (-4)| DMG: 5 | MIT: 5 | LD: 1

Milk Cow | HP: 36\60 (-24) | DMG: 13

Round 1

ID210100 | BD: 9 | <<ST-1 vs. Milk Cow>> | Minor Critical Hit! 6 * 4 = 24 DMG | BD: 7 | Hit: 13 - 5 = 8 DMG

Spoiler

Word Count: 245

 

Edited December 8, 2022 by Faerie

[Faerie 0]

The Cow was more of a gag fight than anything, it had a decent bit of health, and did some damage but unless you let yourself get swarmed they would be simple enough. the fight mirrored a bull fight, right now the cattle was standing staring at Fae as it pawed at the ground with its hoof. the slight breeze picked up making Fae's cloak blow harder acting like a start flag. The breeze was sudden and Fae's cloak settled as the cow charged. 

Fae didn't immediately move when the cow did, if she dodged too early the cow would be given enough time to adjust its movements to follow her. Instead it was when the animal was uncomfortably close that she moved to the side, taking more of a single step than an actual dodge. Side stepping the cow Fae thrusted her sword straight in front of her, the typical red data appearing where her sword art had struck the cow. Its health had now dropped below fifty percent, and Fae should be able to end this with just another strike. Fae smiled looking at the cow that was starting to wheel around "This would have been better for you if you had just let me take the milk the fast way." The cow didn't seem to listen as it turned back to face Fae.

Spoiler

Combat

Faerie | Lv. 2 | HP: 32/40  | EN: 15/22 (+1, -4)| DMG: 5 | MIT: 5 | LD: 1

Milk Cow | HP: 16\60 (-20) | DMG: 13

Round 2

ID210101 | BD: 6 | <<ST-1 vs. Milk Cow>> | Hit 5 * 4 = 20 DMG | BD: 3 | Miss!

Spoiler

Word Count: 226

 

Edited December 8, 2022 by Faerie

[Faerie 0]

The rest of the fight with the cow went by like deja vu. Again the large cattle stamped its feet, and again it charged at Fae. With the grace of a dancer Fae spun to the side slashing her blade along the side of the cow. Coming to a stop Fae's green cloak settled around her again, the shower of blue date exploding behind her like she knew it would. 'Hopefully I got the ingredient I wanted.' Fae flicked her blade before spinning it and sliding it back into her scabbard. A screen had popped up in front of Fae, it was the loot screen from the animal she had just slain, and true to her usual luck she got the cream she was looking for along with some other ingredients to bring back to Maggie.

Closing the floating screen Fae looked around herself, She still had a couple of materials she could get in the vicinity of the ghost town, and with the fact that she had yet to have any luck in the large golden fields of wheat Fae figured she would make her way over to the small lake in the area. The lake was more of a pond really, it was large enough to swim in, but not much more than that. Fae's somber smile returned as she started walking again. The last time she had made this walk it was with her friend, and doing it now, it was like something was missing. It had been two years to the day, and still Fae could picture the short blonde man standing beside her, could practically feel his presence on the first floor, could feel his eyes still watching over her. Fae shook her head, brushing her purple hair out of her face. Just as fast as it had came the feeling went away.

A ping startled Fae as she walked. It was a message from Krysta, the woman that she had ordered her new cloak from. It was a straightforward message just saying that the cloak was done and that she could pick it up whenever she wanted to. Shrugging to herself Fae turned on her heel, she didn't need to get the materials now, and it wouldn't take long to just hop by the extravagant store and then come back. Making it back to the Town of Beginnings seemed to take even less time than it had when she had came down this way the first time, and soon Fae was passing through the gates for the third time that day.

Spoiler

Combat

Faerie | Lv. 2 | HP: 32/40  | EN: 12/22 (+1, -4)| DMG: 5 | MIT: 5 | LD: 1

Milk Cow | HP: 0\60 (-20) | DMG: 13

Round 3

ID210102 | BD: 6 | <<ST-1 vs. Milk Cow>> | Hit 5 * 4 = 20 DMG | Target destroyed!

Looting

Milk Cow: ID210103 | LD: 2 + 1 = 3 | CD: 5 | LD = 2 MATS + CD = 2 MATS

4 MATS 

Spoiler

Word Count: 427

 

Edited December 10, 2022 by Faerie

[Faerie 0]

Fae had not made the journey much, but it didn't take her long to wind her way through the cobbled paths of the Town of beginning finding herself in the main square. The slight feeling of nausea returning to her along with the memories from two years ago. Fae could feel herself looking up at the sky, as if the man in the red cloak, Kayaba, was still floating up there. Quickly Fae walked to the center of the square, to a big monolith. This was where people teleported to and from the other floors. "Taft" the sound of Fae's voice echoed through the air alone in the large square. A blue light enveloped Fae as she was teleported to the other floor.

Fae had been to the big castle town that was Taft only one other time when she was ordering her cloak but she remembered the path, walking down the paved streets until she finally arrived at Luminous Linens the tailor shop run by Krysta. "Hello, Krysta, I'm here to grab my cloak." Fae opened the door to the large fancy building, the oversized windows letting in more than enough light, Krysta was standing behind the counter fiddling with some cloth. "Ah, Faerie, give me just a moment." Krysta put don the cloth that she was working on and walked to the back of the store through a door.

Fae turned to face away from the counter, looking at the store Fae was just as thoroughly impressed as she was the first time she entered the store. This place was way fancier than anything Fae was used to, and having lived at the Wayward for two years she had gotten used to the simple wooden tavern. Fae was interrupted just a few minutes later as Krysta opened and closed the door to, from the brief glimpse Fae had gotten, looked to be a storage and workshop. Krysta placed the full cloth outfit on the counter "Here you are. Please feel free to try it on." Krysta smiled as she gestured to the folding screen that customers could use to change.

Fae grabbed the cloth armor and moved to the partition, folding it around herself so that she was completely covered. Fae unequipped the simple armor she had on and put on the clothes that she had commissioned from Krysta. The outfit was simple in design, consisting of a pair of tight but non constricting pair of white pants tucked into soft, light brown, leather boots. The shirt tucked into the pants, being a somewhat flowy pastel purple shirt that made it easy to move ones upper body and arms. There was a set of belts that fit to the right thigh that one could attach vials and potions to along with a matching waist belt that could hold a scabbard. Fae buckled the belts into place and attached the scabbard so that it was on her lower back causing the belt to slip on her waist in a fashionable way. none of that compared to the main piece though, a pastel blue and pink half cloak, a poncho like garment that covered the entire upper half of her body starting at her midriff. Attached to the cloak was a hood, along with two long pieces of cloth attached to her shoulder blades that ended at her lower back resembling fairy wings.

Smiling with the full outfit complete Fae stepped out from behind the partition and stood in front of the full length mirror. The set of armor was absolutely exquisite and Fae had no complaints. "This is wonderful Krysta, you did a perfect job. Thank you."  Fae did a small twirl in front of the mirror, the cloth strips on her back fluttering with the spin that made it look like the wings were real. Fae turned towards Krysta and placed the col for the order on the counter. Fae left the fancy store in higher spirits than she had been all day.

Spoiler

Faerie | Lv. 2 | HP: 40/40 (+10) | EN: 13/22 (+1)| DMG: 5 | MIT: 5 | LD: 1

Gathering

ID210105 | LD: 8 + 1 = 9 | Failure! 

Spoiler

Word Count: 665

 

Edited December 10, 2022 by Faerie

[Faerie 0]

Fae closed the door to Luminous Linens behind her and started making her way through the streets of Taft. The city wasn't very packed, with it being only about halfway up what they had currently explored it wasn't a particular hotspot in the first place, and with the dwindling supply of players actually heading out it was rare to find any one for the most part. Fae made her walk in that complete solitude, the only company being the NPCs that ran the shops and street markets in the market district of Taft.

Fae found herself back at the teleport location in short time. Standing in the middle of the square Fae simply called out the name of the Town of Beginnings, and the feeling of being transported overtook her again as the blue light slowly surrounded her. When it faded she was back in the large coliseum that made up the center of the Town of Beginnings. Not letting the once bustling and now empty town center affect her Fae made her way through town, walking down the familiar streets. 'I should stop by the Wayward, I bet the kids would love my new outfit' Fae smile was quickly sobered as she thought about how Kas would have also loved this outfit, and how he was no longer there to share it with. 

The path to the Wayward was one that she had fully printed in her memory by now, and Fae moved through back alleys and streets with perfect grace as she neared the shelter and orphanage combo. the kids would probably be in class right now, but if she kept her visit short than she wouldn't derail the kids too much. Fae opened the door to the unassuming wooden building, and quietly closed it behind herself. The door immediately opened up to a not small, but not quite large dining area where Angel and Fae would host there free meals. In the back of the room was a counter, behind which there was a single door under a staircase. That door would lead to the kitchens where Fae did most of the cooking for Angel, the kids, and herself. The staircase led upstairs to the rooms, right now they had seven kids living at the Wayward of varying ages, along with Fae and Angel, for a total of nine of the twelve rooms taken up.  Sometimes Angel would rent the remaining three rooms out to players who were planning on spending long periods of time on the first floor, but it had been months since the last visitor. On the left wall of the building there was another door, and this door was the door that Fae went to.

Upon opening the door one would see a small classroom set up, in what had once been a storage room there now sat seven desks for the children, and a blackboard on the back wall for Angel to teach them whatever she could while they were stuck in Sword Art Online. Right now all seven kids were sitting in their desks paying attention to Angel as she tried to teach them what appeared to be grammar, but that undivided attention immediately flew out the window when Fae opened the door. "Hey, I didn't mean to intrude, I just thought I would stop by for a quick second." The children all stood from their desks, the younger ones running up to Fae asking for her to play with them. "I can't right now, I have work to do, plus you're in class." Fae smiled at the kids before gesturing to her new outfit "I just wanted to show off what I got today." Fae did a small twirl and let the fake wings on her back flutter. "You look amazing Fae." Angel smiled, clearly somewhat annoyed at the interruption, but supportive none the less. "Okay, I have to go. You guys be good for Angel, and I might even share some of the apple crumble I'm making today." Fae winked at Angel, earning a deeper smile from the woman. At the promise for dessert the younger children ran back to their seats as Fae waved. 

Spoiler

Faerie | Lv. 2 | HP: 40/40 | EN: 14/22 (+1)| DMG: 5 | MIT: 5 | LD: 1

Gathering

ID210106 | LD: 9 + 1 = 10 | Failure! 

Spoiler

Word Count: 696

 

Edited December 10, 2022 by Faerie

[Faerie 0]

Fae found herself back on the streets of the town that she called home before much longer. The Town of Beginnings used to be a lot more populated, but as the frontlines became more and more dangerous, and as the players dwindle farther every passing floor, the once prosperous town had been mostly deserted. Every once in a while you would pass a non NPC player, but for the most part it was just her and the NPCs, especially with Angel not leaving the confines of the town. The loneliness only built after you left the town itself, the NPCs being replaced by monsters who only wanted to kill you. Fae missed the days when she had a partner who she could come out here with, and even if Kas was awful at the gathering and tracking that was Fae's specialty, he was an amazing companion.

Fae let the thoughts consume her as she walked, she had gotten comfortable enough here on the first floor that she knew where to avoid in order to make it to her destination without any issues. For the most part the first floor didn't really pose any problems for a careful player, the fields here acting as more of a tutorial than a real floor would, just about the most dangerous thing you can run into in the fields was a wolf, not really much of a challenge once you got used to it. 

Before long Fae was back at the ghost town, the golden fields back to her main priority as she tried to get the ingredients to finish Maggie's quest. There were only three left, she could get one here in the wheat fields themselves, and the other could be found in the small pond that she was heading to before she got Krysta's ping. The final ingredient however was a small journey away, on the verge of where the green fields and the stone valley met, in a cave. 

Deciding to make her way to the pond that she had originally been heading to Fae walked through the long golden stalks of the wheat, running her hand over the top of them as she walked. The small twinkle of a material caught Fae's eye, it looked like one of the stalks of wheat was twinkling every couple of seconds. Walking to the stack and pulling out her sword Fae cut the wheat bundle, placing it into her inventory. Fae smiled, that was one step closer, only two more ingredients, and then the hard part is over.

Spoiler

Faerie | Lv. 2 | HP: 40/40 | EN: 22/22 | DMG: 5 | MIT: 5 | LD: 1

Gathering

ID210107 | LD: 20 + 1 = 21 | Success +1 MAT

Spoiler

Word Count: 425

 

Edited December 10, 2022 by Faerie

[Faerie 0]

Fae closed her inventory and began her walking again, the lake was on the other side of the ghost town from where she was now and the fastest route would be going through the town itself, but that was also the most dangerous option. The town had a group of bandits that called it home, and while it was completely possible to sneak your way through the town, that could be dangerous. Each individual bandit wasn't much of an issue, it was when they were in groups that they were truly an issue. "Fuck it." Fae weighed the options in her head, opting for the fast option of trying to sneak her way through the town. 

Dropping lower in the grass Fae tried to hide herself, moving slowly as she made her way closer to her destination. The sounds of a pair of voices floating through the air towards her caused Fae pause, the upside of the long stalks was that she couldn't be seen, however it worked in reverse as well, as she couldn't see the sentries as they conversed. Acutely paying attention to what direction the voices were coming from Fae turned to move around the edge of the town, finally breaking through the line of the grass next to one of the buildings. The town was not big, it only had a couple dozen building in it, but the bandits had clearly modified it, ramshackle catwalks of wood had been constructed between the widely placed apart buildings and equally as awfully built building were built in places to add more to the town.

Fae looked above herself, the roof of the building wasn't too high, and if she was able to get a running start she would be able to climb it. Turning around Fae walked a few paces away from the building, psyching herself up as she ran and jumped placing one foot on the wall of the building to climb higher. Fae's fingers firmly grasped the edge of the roof, and without to much effort she swung her leg around to catch on the flat roof. Seconds later Fae was fully on the roof of the building, laying flat as she looked around so as to help her not be spotted. So far it seemed like there wasn't anyone on the catwalks, and it was unlikely for any of the bandits to look up.

Crouching low Fae made her way across the catwalks slowly, making sure to place her feet only on the places she could tell were well reinforced and whenever possible keeping the small walls used as railing in between herself and the town hall building which was the main bandit hangout. Taking things slowly Fae neared the edge of the town the riskiest part of the crossing coming up. she would have to walk on the roof of the Town hall, and even now, over ten paces away, Fae could hear the ruckus from inside clearly there were a handful of bandits in there laughing and drinking. Fae walked as carefully as possible placing one foot in front of the other slowly as she took her first steps on the roof. A loud creak could be heard as Fae took another step, and suddenly all of the noise in the town hall stopped. Her heart in her throat Fae stopped moving, stopped breathing even as she listened. Just as quickly as the silence had came it was replaced by screams of elation. Sighing with relief Fae took this opportunity to take the rest of the steps to the edge of the building and drop down. 

Moving as quickly as possible Fae dove into another one of the farm fields surrounding the town "That was way too close Fae." crouching low Fae let herself calm down before continuing her slow walk through the grass, not standing at all until she couldn't hear the group anymore. Standing back up Fae looked ahead, the small pond was almost in sight, and before long she would be there.

Spoiler

Faerie | Lv. 2 | HP: 40/40 | EN: 22/22 | DMG: 5 | MIT: 5 | LD: 1

Gathering

ID210108 | LD: 9 + 1 = 10 | Failure!

Spoiler

Word Count: 672

 

Edited December 10, 2022 by Faerie

[Faerie 0]

Putting the bandit town behind her Fae walked towards the pond that was finally coming into view. The breeze picking up as she walked causing the half cloak she was wearing to rustle, the long strands of cloth fluttering like they did when she was in combat. Eventually the long golden stalks of the farm land gave way to the rolling green fields once again, and the pond was within full eyesight now. It wasn't very big, maybe coming to about twenty feet across in an irregular circle. Long stalks of what appeared to be bamboo grew along the shore of the pond upon closer inspection though one would be able to tell that this was actually sugar cane, one of the few ways to get sugar in Sword Art Online.

Breaking into a jog Fae hurried to the pond, coming to a stop in a copse of the sugar cane, keeping a close eye out for the sparkle that would tell her whether or not she would have to find the ingredient she was looking for somewhere else. A sparkle lit up in the corner of Fae's eye and a smile widened on her face. Turning towards the sparkling material Fae slid her sword out of its sheathe and swung it in one swift motion, a chunk of the sugar cane falling to the floor. Picking it up Fae sheathed her sword and opened her inventory "Only one more to go."

Opening up her menu Fae looked at the time, it had now been a couple of hours since she had originally accepted Maggie's quest, and she was getting hungry. Sitting down next to the serene pond Fae opened her inventory and reached her hand inside, pulling out a small box with a note on it. Lifting the note up Fae smiled, it was a note from Angel telling her to be safe and to come home soon. Clearly Angel had put it on her lunch without her realizing. Placing the note carefully back on the lid Fae took the it off revealing the contents of the box. It was just a small sandwich homemade by Fae this morning because she knew she would get hungry out in the field. 

Fae didn't linger long, quickly eating her sandwich before standing again and stretching, placing the now empty box into her inventory. Fae was about to start walking again when she got her second ping of the day, this one from Vigilon, the blacksmith that he had requested her new sword from. The message very simply said that the sword was ready and that he would hold it for her until she was ready to grab it. Like with the cloak Fae figured that she might as well just go grab it now, it didn't really matter, and she didn't want his shop to close before she got a chance. 

Spoiler

Faerie | Lv. 2 | HP: 40/40 | EN: 22/22 | DMG: 5 | MIT: 5 | LD: 1

Gathering

ID210109 | LD: 20 + 1 = 21 | Success! +1 MAT

Spoiler

word Count: 480

 

Edited December 11, 2022 by Faerie

[Faerie 0]

Closing the message Fae once again turned towards the town of Beginning, now far enough away that she couldn't even see it in the distance. Starting to walk Fae opted to go around the bandit's town, while it would be slower, it was more dangerous to go through, and her close call from earlier was more than enough for one day. Fae broke through the golden fields not even fifteen minutes later, putting the waist high grass behind her as she walked to the Town of Beginnings. 

It was another hour before Fae reached the gate to the town for the second time today. Making her way through the familiar streets until she again found her way to the monument in the center of town. "Nimbus." Fae called out the name of the main settlement for the seventh floor, and again the blue light enveloped her that same feeling of weightlessness almost like she was falling filled her. As fast as it had came the feeling disappeared her feet firmly back on the ground as the white light gave away to the orange lights that filled the city of Nimbus. This city was one of the most unique, finding itself in the hollowed out center of a massive mountain, the entirety of the town in perpetual darkness except for the orange lanterns that were evenly spread out over the town. Fae let her eyes adjust to the much darker area for a minute before looking around. Every building around her was made out of stone, looking like they were carved directly out of the rock.

The entrance to Nimbus was on the middle of the mountain, and the only other settlement on the floor was lower down the mountain. Making her way through the tunnels of Nimbus Fae was surprised at how lively the town felt, with this being practically the only settlement on the floor, all of the NPC's were congregated here giving it a livelihood that the Town of Beginnings and other towns on the lower floors didn't have anymore. Fae was brought away from her thoughts as the warmer lights of the sun began to slowly fill the tunnel around her, she was practically out of the mountain turned town. Picking up her pace and stepping out into the sunlight Fae blinked. For the second time in less than thirty minutes Fae had to just stand there and let her eyes adjust. 

As soon as Fae could see again Fae looked below herself, she was standing on a platform that jutted out of the side of the mountain, carved paths spiraling down below to the settlement of Deepedge. Most people would take this path when leaving Nimbus, but instead Fae looked up, where there were much more precarious looking paths leading further up to the summit, and it was these paths that she would be taking today. Vigilon's blacksmith shop was located about forty-five minutes away from Nimbus towards the summit. Fae looked at the rickety paths that led to the summit and gulped. She had taken the journey earlier that day, and with the amount of rocks that she had made tumble to the bottom of the large mountain the first time, she had a reason to be worried.

Spoiler

Faerie | Lv. 2 | HP: 40/40 | EN: 22/22 | DMG: 5 | MIT: 5 | LD: 1

Gathering

ID210110 | LD: 6 + 1 = 7 | Failure!

Spoiler

Word Count: 543

 

Edited December 12, 2022 by Faerie

[Faerie 0]

Fae took her first step onto the thin path that led to the summit, it was very clear that this path was not a very common one, and Fae understood why, rarely was the path ever wide enough for two people walk abreast. It was a lot more common for it to not even be wide enough for a single person, making the player shimmy across the ledges with their back against the wall. Vigilon's shop was only around 45 minutes away from Nimbus, and for the most part that was just because of how long the winding upward path would take for someone to walk along. carefully placing walking along the edge of the path Fae made good time, having to stop multiple times as some of the ledge would break of and tumble down the mountain until they couldn't even be seen anymore.

Other than the couple of times that some rocks had fallen into the depths, the walk was easier than one would have expected looking at it from below. On the end of the path was a square looking jut sticking out of the wall, if you didn't know that this was Vigilon's shop, then you could easily miss it, passing it off for just some rocks sticking out of the wall. Fae opened the door to the shop, a place that looked a lot less hostile than the path that she had taken to make it up here. "Hey Vigilon, you in the back? I got your ping I'm here to pick up my sword." Fae called out into the empty shop, she could hear the feint sound of someone hammering on a piece of metal from the back of the shop pause. Wiping off his hands Vigilon came back into the shop portion of the building. Reaching behind the counter and pulling out a sword, placing it on the counter as Fae smiled. "Here you are, I think this might be exactly what you were looking for." Vigilon slid the sheathed sword closer to Fae. 

Fae picked up the sword looking at the plain pommel as she gripped it, pulling the blade about an inch out of its sheathe. The blade was a light blue color, and felt like it almost glowed with the way the light bounced off of its service. Fully sheathing it and clasping it so that it hung on her lower back Fae's smile grew "This is wonderful Vigilon." Fae placed the bag of Col on the counter "This is exactly what I was looking for, thank you." Waving one last time Fae stepped out of the shop and started on the treacherous walk back down, which was worse than the way up.

Fae was forced to look down the mountain, acutely aware of exactly high up she was, and even more aware than ever that if she fell, there would be no surviving the drop. Even slower than before Fae placed one foot in front of the other as she walked down the narrow path, keeping one hand on the wall. Rocks occasionally tumbled down the mountain, and every time they did Fae would pause for moments as she waited for it to become silent again. Although it was terrifying, Fae made it back to the city of Nimbus in one piece, and making her way through the darkened halls she found her way back to the center of the town. "Town of Beginnings" Fae called out before the light enveloped her again, she now had a sword to accompany her on her journey, and felt safer than ever.

Spoiler

Faerie | Lv. 2 | HP: 40/40 | EN: 22/22 | DMG: 5 | MIT: 5 | LD: 1

Gathering

ID210111 | LD: 13 + 1 = 14 | Failure!

Spoiler

Word Count: 600

 

Edited December 15, 2022 by Faerie