[OP-F22] Paradise Lost

[Vigilon 0]

                       Vigilon chuckled in response to what Morningstar said while munching a granola bar. "I thought only certain NPCs could teach professions, Morningstar." He remarked. "You sure Freyd can actually teach fishing?"
            Granted, Fishing was a secondary profession, so he didn't know if it actually could be taught by something other than an NPC, but he at least knew that only NPCs could teach crafting professions.

     Freyd first seemed apprehensive about the situation with Dazia. Then he seemed to accept that there were multiple sides and perspectives to the highly complicated story. He also asked about Krysta regarding an order he had at her place. With the pop of an message notification in front of Freyd, Vigilon could only make a witty remark. "If that's her, she's got quite the timing." He said with a smirk. Krysta often had to do things on her own time and wasn't always at the shop twenty-four-seven, not to mention that she could have easily gotten backed up on orders.

         Vigilon nodded his head when Freyd gave his response to Morningstar. He had a hunch it wouldn't be that easy to get the profession. "Quest, huh? Noted. I'll need to find a time to get to that. Preferably soon, I did kind of notice some material exchange opportunities in terms of supply and demand regarding fish, after all..." He thought aloud.

    The green haired girl gave her thoughts on the Dazia situation, believing that she was taking the killings lightly because of how the game worked. From what he knew about Dazia, this might actually worsen the problem. Vigilon's expression darkened with worry. "I did ask her...in a bit of a heated argument, too. Kind of how I learned her first kill was indeed malicious." Vigilon took a deep breath. "She's not hopeless, but she does have some serious problems. I can't force her to get better, but I can at least try to suggest better courses of action." He decided to omit the fact that Dazia might as well be an incarnation of Wrath in her current state, that in itself would suddenly turn into a deep rabbit hole if Dazia's siblings ever got brought up.

        The green haired girl had some other thoughts to share as well, mostly regarding the difference between this virtual world and reality, and how it may become troubling to readjust to the real world if the players manage to successfully escape. "Well, I guess there's only one way to know for certain..."

Make it to the end.

[Morningstar 0]

Kyo's theories and philosophies about the game were logical despite her inexperience. She was an interesting character; a welcome contrast to the countless number of Town of Beginnings dwellers who saw the game only as a source of fear or anger. It was obvious that she had thought a lot about this.

He chuckled at Vigilon's question. "I don't know, actually. I imagine he can't give us the skill but anyone can toss a line, no?"

Stepping onto the bed of sand at the edge of the lake, Morningstar rolled out a towel and plopped down a basket of various foods. "There we go," he said, hands on his hips. "The perfect atmosphere for talk of murder and fishing. My snacks are yours, of course."

The lake was void of people, aside from them, but still full of animal life. "You think it's warm enough to swim?" Morningstar said, kneeling over the water and dipping his fingers.

[Freyd 0]

"Fishing is about a lot more than just catching fish," he replied coyly, a wistful smirk spreading across his lips.  "The rest really needs to be experienced to learn, though we could try it if you wish.  Kyu doesn't seem particularly keen, but maybe we could offer some conversation in exchange, at least to pass the time until something else is selected?"

Dismissing his bag back to inventory, Freyd wandered out into the water until it rose to the level of his knees, not bothering to remove his footwear.  Antiquated rod already in hand, suitable bait was promptly summoned, hooked and cast with the hand of a practiced angler.  Hook, line and bobber sailed through the air, landing in the drink some distance away and closer to the depths.

"And yes, the lake is definitely warm enough to swim.  It's also why it's typically so great for fishing," he added.  "But if you're going in, would you mind tossing me a sandwich, and maybe watching your bits around my bobber?  I wouldn't want to hit anything important."  The smirk broadened to a full-fledged grin.  "The future Mrs. Morningstar would likely not appreciate the perforations."

Turning his attention once more to Vigilon, he became pensive once more.  

"I tend to take a very pragmatic view on people who earned themselves an orange cursor, or otherwise performed deeds that should have done so.  The simply truth is that there are only so many of us in Aincrad - players, that is.  And every time one of us dies, by any means, our odds of getting the rest out typically get a little bit worse.  I'd much rather see everyone marshalled towards that singular goal.  Those who choose to actively work against that can be incapacitated or culled.  I really don't care which.  It's unfortunate, and nasty, possibly cruel, but also unavoidable.  If anyone has a viable alternative, I'd love to hear it."

[Kyo 0]

Kyo nodded simply at Vigilon's statement that there was only one way to know for sure; nothing more needed to be said on that point, but it was helpful to remind themselves of it occasionally, Kyo thought. Every drop of resolve that could possibly trickle into any given player's well of willpower was a drop that would be well-spent by the end of this, for sure. There wasn't really any question in Kyo's mind that the players would eventually make it out of this, only the question of which players would last until the end.

For another player, one who valued their own specific survival more, it might have been a stressful question. Kyo didn't care about living or dying anymore, though. Well, not for herself. There was a particular living person she hoped would die before the end, but it was the one living person in this game who had no cause to ponder their own life or death. An irritating irony, that.

Kyo looked down at the picnic setup that Morningstar had produced, blinking a few times. She realized she'd lost herself in her own mind long enough not to notice him producing the items from his inventory, and shook her head lightly; if she was going to fight through this thing, she needed to break herself out of that habit.

She had never used to zone out like that, in the real world. Getting into so many sticky situations, along with the occasional street fight, had taught her a sort of alertness that the average Japanese citizen had no need of. The Town of Beginnings and the surrounding wilderness had ironically been a safer space than reality. The only unexpected danger that had ever found her here had been during those first few hours before Kayaba had made plain his betrayal, and what it would mean for those who died... what it already had meant...

"An orange cursor ain't all that important," Kyo said quietly. "The real dangerous killers are the ones who figure out a way t' kill someone without gettin' marked that way, and then figure out how t' do the same thing more'n once. The others're just mad-dog killers. Or people who accidentally clipped someone with their sword within the last few hours. That happens sometimes, too."

Kyo had learned such aspects of the system in a more firsthand way, but this, too, was a valuable thing for SAO players to remind themselves of. Once she'd witnessed a bit of a kerfuffle on the outskirts of the Town of Beginnings, where someone had needed their party members to bring them a bit of food because they'd friendly-fired a stranger in a field dungeon by mistake with a mis-aimed throwing pick. The way Kyo understood it, minor offenses like that took a handful of hours to fade away. Had this still been a game, players would have had the option to find a field safe-zone and wait out the criminal cursor in the real world, rather than being stuck outside of town or camping in dungeons to avoid muddying their reputations.

But of course, even minor offenses could stack up. Repeat offenders could go permanent orange as surely as murderers could. Kyo thought that there was even a point where doing redemption quests to re-green one's cursor ceased being an option...

But she couldn't be sure. It occurred to her that she should probably find that out, pay one of the info brokers for a thorough rundown maybe. Given how dangerous this game might be, there was a chance she'd need to go orange herself at some point or another just to avoid something worse happening to her or someone else; the knowledge of what her options were in that situation could only be a helpful tool to keep in her back pocket.

Bringing herself out of her contemplations more deliberately this time, Kyo sat next to the snacks that had been laid out, peeking over to see what was on offer. "Thanks for this," she said absently. "What's kinda got me hesitatin' is that we can only take one craftin' and one gatherin' profession, so if I take Fishin', I'd feel obligated t' take Cookin' just t' get somethin' out of it without a middleman. Foragin' seems more flexible. So I dunno."

She snorted.

"On that note... I remember when this game was bein' promoted in magazines and shit, that the devs said you could live any kinda life ya want in here. Even buy a parcel o' land and raise cattle, or somethin' like that." She looked up, raising an eyebrow at the others. "I'm guessin' no one in here actually bothers with that sorta thing, yeah...? Or is that kinda junk on a higher floor, or another case of an ambitious RPG dev over-promisin' on features they ain't implemented yet?"

Edited February 15 by Kyo
Cut some redundant dialogue.

[Vigilon 0]

              Morningstar would set up what was basically a picnic. Vigilon wasn't feeling hungry at the moment, so he decided to wait for the time being, simply chiming into the conversation when needed.

         Morningstar and Freyd made some remarks regarding swimming in the lake and the current risk one would face when getting too close to Freyd's rod. "I've got a friend who once swam in the lake during the night. Apparently she did it because the lake's reflective nature gave her the illusion of swimming among the stars." Vigilon added, remembering the time Krysta mentioned to him what Astralin had done while Tanabata was going on. She was a bit odd, but she was the cute kind of odd. Everyone's got a quirk.

       Freyd gave his thoughts on the Dazia situation, and seemed to condemn nearly all orange players as well as a handful of green players. "Maybe those two would be in agreement if Dazia never killed Wardege...but Wardege's dead, so I guess we'll never really know..."  Vigilon thought. Kyo offered her thoughts on the matter as well. "Yeah, that's true." Vigilon noted. "Plenty of players have gotten themselves into all kinds of sticky situations involving Aincrad's flawed justice system. Some people are branded as killers when they were just stealing to survive, some people get into one too many fights without realizing they're hurting their cursor and, by the time they apologize, it's already too late for them." Vigilon took a deep breath as he paused. "...But I've also heard rumors of a player using words to aggravate or trick a green player into attacking them, then going for the kill once the victim's cursor turned orange. Some say that Duels can be used to kill players in a safe zone, but I personally doubt that." His expression was somber as he explained all this. Now he needed something to lighten the mood.

               Vigilon laid down beside the waters of the lake, as he listened to what Kyo said in regards to professions and, apparently some of what was being promoted in the game. Vigilon was never exactly a magazine reader. "Honestly, I never thought about it." Vigilon began, his arms laid out to his sides. "If there are actually uncountable amounts of possibilities for how we live our lives in this game, then I guess we just haven't discovered them all. I highly doubt that someone will choose to have a cattle farm, but that's just my opinion." He closed his eyes. "I guess most of us came here expecting to play a game, not live in a different environment...of course, Kayaba saw to doing just that right under our noses, and now innocent people are paying the price for it instead of him...in the end, it really is up to us alone if we want out, isn't it?"

         He sighed. "I mean, it's not like there's any more nasty surprises around this floor that we can't take a moment to smell the roses from time to time-"
            With a wetly sounding *GOMP!*, Vigilon felt something all over his left arm. "You have got to be kidding me..." Vigilon uttered out in an agitated tone. He then looked to his left, and there it was again...that damn oversized Koi. Here it was again, trying to eat his left arm. "...Of course it had to be you." He retorted. The Koi blinked. It was just a fish. Vigilon got up, and began using his right arm to try and pull it off. "That's my arm, stop trying to eat my arm, my arm's off limits..." 
           With some difficulty, he managed to pull his left arm out of the oversized fish. Vigilon awkwardly held the fish for a few seconds. It was heavier than he remembered, which probably meant...
                      Vigilon held the fish from its tail, and it dangled from there. Vigilon began shaking the fish. "Come on now, there's something in there that you can't use, I just know it..." Soon, the Koi coughed up a refined steel ingot. "Yeah...this thing kinda eats anything...now that I think about it, this can't be all it's got." He noted for the other players. He'd shake the fish more, but nothing came out. Had it actually gotten fatter, or was the fish just more persistent? "...Anyone else wanna give a try?"

 

ID# 219082 LD: 19+6=25(Found a material)

Edited February 16 by Vigilon

[Morningstar 0]

"I'll try to steer clear; I'm not into piercings."

He switched his outfit into something more suitable for the water. Committing to going knee-deep, he chose shorts and a simple blank t-shirt. With two sandwiches in hand, he strolled up to the lake. "There ya go," he said, delivering one to Freyd. The water was warm, as was mentioned. They'd picked a good day to come.

"The game's a bit of a paradise for messed up people. Since there's no real judicial system, you can basically do whatever you want. Killing's never been easier," he voiced, taking a bite from his sandwich. "Especially with Redemption. Turn orange, run the quest, and bam—you're green again. Feel free to terrorize some more players. At least it's non-repeatable, I guess."

"Ever hear about that serial killer down on eleven? Still hasn't been caught. Nobody knows who they are or how they do it but, apparently, their victims go missing inside of Taft. There's a lot of theories—duels, like Vig mentioned, being one of them—but they're like a sickeningly creative ghost, always escaping like a puff of smoke."

He gazed out at the water. Aincrad was a dangerous world, even for the strong. It made places like the Lake of Reflection all the better. He sifted through sand and pebbles with his feet, looking for any cool rocks or lost and forgotten knick-knacks. There was nothing to be found.

"I don't know," he looked at Kyo, "I think plenty of people try for the quiet life. It doesn't always work out but it's not impossible. I know a guy who bought some property in the Town of Beginnings early on and opened up a bar. Rarely leaves the safe zone. He's probably the happiest person I know."

Vigilon's mate leaped from the water, bypassing Freyd's rod and aiming straight for the arm of the former. Morningstar couldn't help but laugh. He knew that he should have helped but found it to funny to try. "He's all yours, pal."

***

Spoiler

Rolling for treasure chest
ID: 219109 LD: 6+6=12 (nothing found)

 

Edited February 16 by Morningstar

[Freyd 0]

"Dangerous killers?"  Freyd repeated Kyo's words hoping that doing so might offer greater clarity.  "As opposed to the not-so-dangerous ones?"  He laughed at the absurdity, knowing what she'd actually meant. It just sounded funny in his head. 

"You're not wrong about the insidious types, mind you.  I've met a few in my time, and am still trying to figure out whether Dazia counts as one." A shrug signaled that the jury was still out, preferring to lean into the more esoteric topic of professions.

"Nothing forces you into any particular combination.  Mats are mats, at the end of the day.  You could fish up the raw materials for heavy armor, or conversely turn tin plates into perfume or bacon and eggs."  He blinked.  "Okay, so now I am hungry."  Fortunately, Morningstar had his back and perfect timing, as usual.  Catching the sandwich with a single hand, he downed half of it instantly.  The fish must have sensed his moment of weakness and took their chance to go after his lure, forcing him to leave the food dangling from his mouth as he focused on reeling them in.

"There are plenty of players who've contented themselves with trying to scrape out a normal-ish existence in this world.  It's harder than you might expect, but possible.  Some people tend their trades and shops full time.  Others scavenge the materials crafters need.  Brokers, for example, live and breathe in a whole different world than most front line adventurers.  Theirs can be a particularly perilous life."  Adding his support to Vigilon and Morningstar's comments on the matter, Freyd also found himself agreeing about the Lake of Reflections. 

"This place can be absolutely beautiful, most of the time." A certain tiny shirt, torn to shreds by some unknown assailant under Tanabata's lights suddenly came to mind, forcing Freyd to wince at the notable exception.  It still stood out as one of his most painful memories through years of living in this world.

Sidestepping a failing Vigilon, Freyd somehow managed to reel in his catch, long with a small loot coffer that came as a bonus.  Several item prompts popped up as he opened it, and just as quickly vanished when dismissed to join a heaping pile of similarly unidentified items waiting in his inventory. 

"I really needed to clear out my inventory at some point.  Hey, Kyo, what kind of weapon are you using?  I might have something for you."

***

Fishing ID 219189 | CD 8+1=9 | LD 16+1=17 | +1 Material | Critical Catch!
Practiced Angler: (+2 EXP/attempt, +1 CD, +1 LD when fishing)
No Olympic Fishing Tool
R5 Fisher | CD 4+ for mats; LD 8+ for Chest, CD 12+/LD 17+ for Gleaming Scale; +5 to LD when opening fishing treasure chests)

Opening Fishing Treasure Chest | ID 219190 | LD 12+5=17

T4 Perfect Weapon 219190a
T4 Perfect Weapon 219190b
T4 Rare Weapon 219190c

Edited February 17 by Freyd

[Kyo 0]

Kyo turned to glance at Vigilon, raising her eyebrows at the mention of it having a flawed justice system.

"Aincrad ain't got a justice system," she said blandly. "It has a crime-discouragement system 'cause that's all it was s'posedta need. 'Justice,' bannin' or suspendin' accounts, was s'posedta be the GM's job. Bein' able t' play a criminal role was s'posedta be a feature o' the game, just like if you were t' play a Dark Brotherhood or Thieves Guild run in the ol' Elder Scrolls games... but it'd suck if people camped floor one and just ganked newbies for fun, so, the penalties are harsh."

She scowled.

"It was also designed under the assumption that new players would actually exist, so. It'd prolly work, if this were still a game and newbies were loggin' in on the regular. Players would only gank other players if they could get somethin' valuable out of it, or if it were part o' some guild war, or stuff like that. Back when I logged on, first day, me an' my friends were more amped for that than any other part o' the experience, the PvP..."

She trailed off, her eyes going a bit dull. But she'd had practice at getting her thoughts away from what had happened that day, so the moment was only that: a moment. She grinned wanly and looked up at the sky, or rather the obstructive stone expanse where the sky should have been.

"Well, anyway," Kyo said. "Any 'justice system' is gonna hafta be whatever the player-base forms and enforces. Which I guess is how it's always been. We just get t' experience the long-dead part o' that where it starts from scratch. Livin' and growin' in a world where all that hard work was done generations ago, maybe it's spoiled us!"

She laughed humorlessly, and finally reached into the food basket and drew out what looked like a sandwich with spicy-looking meat as its central feature. Given the visible muscle-tone of her avatar, though, her decidedly carnivorous choice might not have come as a surprise to anyone. She munched quietly on her sandwich, listening thoughtfully to the ensuing conversation as she did.

A serial killer on the eleventh floor... Kyo had been so surprised by that tidbit that she hadn't reacted, at first, but now she filed it away. It would be reckless to investigate while she was still so low-leveled, but maybe, after she'd gotten some XP under her belt and some decent gear, she should take a trip to the eleventh floor and have a look-see. It wasn't necessary to fight the culprit herself, after all...

"I know there's plenty o' people who try t' live peacefully here," Kyo eventually said, in answer to Freyd. Glancing sidelong at him, she added: "But the game spreads out its features floor-by-floor, right? I was wonderin' if the farmin' mechanics had been unlocked yet, or if they even made the final cut. Aincrad's big, maybe Daggerfall big. I was curious if they'd finally realized the ambition o' bein' able t' realistically buy land, build houses, and farm there. It's a design idea that's been floatin' around the RPG space for decades!"

Spreading her free hand out (even as she held her sandwich inches from her face), she waved it across the lake, grinning and saying:

"It ain't just the Full-Dive part that people were psyched for, y'know! The way the devs talked up SAO, it was really grabbin' the attention o' the kinda crowd that runs a five-hundred-plus-mod load-order on top o' Skyrim t' transform it into a hardcore adventurer survival-life sim! Only the really niche indie devs ever seriously took on that sorta mechanical design... the big-names tended t' be afraid o' scarin' off the mainstream crowd. So the promises bein' made with SAO were kinda tantalizin', y'know? Not that Argus was promisin' all o' that, but even part of it's more'n most games offer."

Kyo shrugged then, returning her attention to her sandwich.

"I'm not exactly hardcore, as gamin' goes... a little too outdoorsy t' devote that kinda energy to it. But always did see the appeal. I guess I thought, leadin' inta launch... that Sword Art Online might be the perfect way for me t' experience that kinda thing. Y'know, since I can really experience a world like this while I'm playin', my outdoorsy side and my gamer side finally gettin' t' meet and high-five each other."

It was as she finished her sandwich that the question of what weapon she used came up, and she raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I mean, I'm usin' a whip," she said. "But I don't really need a replacement yet, and for all y'know, I could die tomorrow."

There wasn't even a hint of concern as she voiced the possibility; she might have been commenting on how nice the sun looked reflecting on the river. 

"Thanks for the thought, but how about y' hold that notion 'til I've proven I won't get myself killed by a floor-one field-dungeon elite mob or some shit, and call it a first-grade graduation present?" Kyo smirked and added: "I'll think of it as an 'unmarked quest.'"

Edited February 17 by Kyo
Added a bit.

[Vigilon 0]

      Morningstar and Kyo continued the conversation on the more insidious types of killers, as well as how messed up the game's sense of justice is. Morningstar mentioned a serial killer on floor 11, and that immediately caught Vigilon's attention. "Wait, floor eleven?? Krysta's got a shop and living space in floor eleven! Do you know any clues or hints? There's a lead that can allow us to stop him, right?" He asked worriedly, his eyes widened and filled with concern for his beloved girlfriend. He did NOT want anyone to even get close to killing Krysta. Not at all. "Right...? There is a way we can stop him, right??"

       Vigilon's concern for Krysta aside, it was back to the other topics, though it was clear that once this little time here in floor 22 was over, he'd probably make a beeline for Taft to try and at least warn Krysta of the danger dwelling near her. Freyd made a strange comment regarding mats and how any material can be used for anything. Vigilon blinked, a confused look clear on his face. "Freyd, have you been drinking monster acid mixed with mushroom juice or something?" Vigilon asked. Wait, could you even juice a mushroom? and if so, which ones would be juiceable? "I highly doubt you could make a sword out of fish. Trust me, I've tried your theory about materials being universal for crafting...it doesn't work. Thankfully, there are numerous ways to swap materials you can't use in exchange for ones you can. Most can be found in the main settlements in most floors, if I remember correctly." He noted.

               Some players preferred different lives than the rest of the playerbase, and that was ok. The four players talked about the different possibilities for the lives that players could lead. Buying land, building homes...sounds like the Hearthfire DLC for Skyrim. "Heh...just picturing, getting on enough NPCs' good sides, that you'd be able to buy land and build up on it? Could you imagine the kind of work it would take to build an Estate? Sounds like a Recipe for craft-focused players to make bank with their businesses. Blacksmiths could craft the nails, hinges, fittings and other metallic materials for structure making, Artisans could decorate and or color the finished or near-finished buildings, potentially add some interior designs, or possibly add a little stylistic flair to the building process...I don't think there are any Stonemason or Carpenter professions out there, so I guess that'd be some neutral ground for any willing player to try and fill, but I bet the Strength requirements would be pretty hefty to deal with all that stone and lumber..." Vigilon thought aloud. It would give the playerbase a bit more freedom, adding customizeable homes that they can make themselves, as they witness the buildup of their dream home slowly becoming a reality.

                         Now back to the oversized fish. Nobody else wanted to try their hand at the giant fish. If shaking alone didn't work, then maybe some other disturbance was necessary. Vigilon swung the fish down onto the ground, about three times, before shaking it again. The oversized Koi then coughed up a large pearl...it was large enough to be a pommel, now that Vigilon saw it. Maybe it could have some use, so he took it. "What else are you eating that can't be good for you..." He thought aloud, glaring at the fish as he did so. The fish just looked around its surroundings hungrily but also confused that it couldn't just swim away from Vigilon's grasp. It was just a fish.

 

ID# 219562 LD: 12+6=18(Found 1 Material)

Edited February 22 by Vigilon

[Morningstar 0]

Morningstar paused before taking another bite of his sandwich. He stared at Vigilon, surprised by his sudden outburst. He cleared his throat. "I mean, probably. To be honest, I'm a little bit uneducated; but, I've been meaning to look into it. If Krysta doesn't already know, then maybe let her know. She's strong, though, so I doubt she'd be picked on."

The sound of urgency in Vigilon's voice made Star want to investigate even more. He'd save it for another day. He snacked again, this time managing to bite, chew and swallow before he felt the need to speak again. "Non-gamers are always interesting to me, mostly because I fall under the category. Sword Art Online is what, the seventh video game I've played in my life? Board games and tabletops were more my thing. I had a Game Boy growing up, so my mechanics were pretty limited to pressing A and B. It's hard to differentiate between players these days. Everyone seems so much more comfortable maneuvering the world now. Obviously, I was a mess on day one," he admitted.

Splashing with each step, he abandoned the warm water, returning to the food basket after devouring the last of his sandwich. He picked through his fruit collection, looking for the prettiest apple. "Oh, yeah. That's the one," he took out a shining red fruit and bit into it. Sweet and crunchy, he thought. A perfect specimen. He took a seat on the opposite side of Vigilon and his fishy friend.

"Man, farming skills sound genius. I'd absolutely start a gardening guild. We could just sit around planting things all day. Maybe we could grow our own guild hall. It'd be the life," Morningstar said, laying half on the grass and half on the towel. "You three don't have any current guild responsibilities, no? I'll go ahead an throw you all on a list of future Gardeners of Aincrad?" It was a half joke.

His eyes were drawn to the sky and his thoughts on Freyd's words. A single cloud floated slowly above. He couldn't put a finger on what it was shaped like. It was sort of like a heart with a UFO on top. Or maybe a Ring Pop. It was hard to decide, although he agreed with Freyd. Despite its faults, they lived in a beautiful world. "Assuming we do eventually get out," Morningstar began, breaking the silence, "what'll you all do first? I'm hoping my legs still work."

Edited February 24 by Morningstar

[Freyd 0]

"Having an orange mark is no joke," Freyd replied with dour bitterness.  "I've known a few players who have had it, and it carries significant drawbacks.  Imagine not being able to enter any town for simple provisions, or access teleportation portal.  We take for granted the simple task of moving between floors, but asking someone with an orange icon to go from the Town of Beginnings to this floor is a lengthy, risky and potentially exhausting ordeal."  Glancing over towards Kyo, he nodded in general agreement.  "You're not wrong about justice in this world.  It's fleeting, at best.  And fickle enough that people can earn themselves that same damning badge over their heads for the simplest of infractions."  Leaving the rest of the exchange around design intent untouched, Freyd saw little point in speculating.  This was the world they had, whether it was meant to be otherwise or not. Watching Vigilon continue to flail with the flounder trying to eat his arm, instead, he flicked his rod back out to open water while whispering something under his breath.

Without warning, a tiny black shadow slunk out from under his hat, darting towards the open picnic basket, nabbing another sandwich.  Persi's brilliant blue eyes opened wide as she pounced on her prey, proudly returning to her master with her prize.  Freyd wished he'd been more clear and took the now-soaking snack in a free hand, muttering a half-sincere thanks as he squished it between his fingers trying to wring out the water.  Letting slip the discussion of a potential serial killer, Freyd knew too well how common such reports could be.  The terrifying truth was that such individual existed throughout all of Aincrad, and more were added daily as people succumbed to the psychological pressures of their torment.  It was too dire a conversation and would ruin their relaxation to delve into it deeply.

"Plenty of people have found ways to reach for a sense of normalcy.  One woman I know started an orphanage for younger players who were without or have since lost their parents.  Another friend took a gaggle of youngers under his wing and taught them to survive.  Plenty of players make due with their trades or push the limits on what the system will permit just through sheer creativity.  You'd be surprised, I think."

"I highly doubt you could make a sword out of fish. Trust me, I've tried your theory about materials being universal for crafting...it doesn't work. 

Something bit on Freyd's bobber with suspiciously conspicuous timing, as if prompted by Vigilon's remark.  The fisherman yanked, reflexively, pulling a massive marlin out of the shallows - far too large to have ever possibly have been swimming in their midst.  And yet, there it was, hovering in gloriously slowed bullet time over their heads, its giant gleaming sword-like nose glaring against his companion's statement.  The fish popped, mid-jump, turning into a series of system reward prompts that included both weapons and armor that were instantly added to Freyd's seemingly endless pile of such items stored in some ephemeral, otherworldly inventory.

"Hrm," he added, somewhat smugly.  "I think Cardinal just disagreed with you."

Freyd started laughing as Morningstar laid out his plans for a gardening guild.  "Actually, I'm already in one of those.  Firm Anima is a crafting guild started by Raidou, among others.  I swear that man amassed half of his mad skills just by wandering Aincrad picking plants, petals and roots one by one.  It's an oddly impressive accomplishment for someone who became one of the most renown tanks on the front lines.  Sadly, my own duties in the guild are a little less...uh... floral?"

***

Fishing ID 219604 | CD 10+1=11 | LD 13+1=14 | +1 Material | Critical Catch!
Practiced Angler: (+2 EXP/attempt, +1 CD, +1 LD when fishing)
No Olympic Fishing Tool
R5 Fisher | CD 4+ for mats; LD 8+ for Chest, CD 12+/LD 17+ for Gleaming Scale; +5 to LD when opening fishing treasure chests)
Opening Fishing Treasure Chest | ID 219605 | LD 19+5=24
T4 Perfect Weapon 219605a
T4 Perfect Weapon 219605b
T4 Perfect Armor/Shield 219605c
T4 Perfect Armor/Shield 219605d
Random Dungeon Map 219605e

Edited February 24 by Freyd

[Kyo 0]

Kyo glanced sharply at Vigilon when he mentioned Krysta, but kept silent. If she tried to poke for information now, it would probably just end with these three relative strangers telling her to keep her nose out of it. Being a level-one player, that wasn't exactly unreasonable... but the idea still chafed. If not for Sword Art Online, after all, Kyo would have claimed easy seniority over any of these guys when it came to facing dangerous situations. But she set that relatively useless thought aside and simply filed away the name Krysta. Someone to look up when she made her way to Floor Eleven, at least, and now she knew to mention the name "Vigilon" if she ever met a player by that name.

Kyo was no info-broker, but she knew very well—even from just her street-punk days—how powerful information could be as a tool in one's arsenal.

Allowing the subject of Krysta and the eleventh-floor serial killer to fall by the wayside, Kyo chewed thoughtfully on her sandwich. The taste was quite good. The texture... wasn't quite there, but that might have been by design, to make the use of rarer ingredient classes in combination with higher-leveled Cooking Skill more rewarding. Kyo had idly asked a few people in the Town of Beginnings what the cooking system was like, and it was every bit as in-depth as the third-party Taste Recreation Engine it was founded on. Impressive stuff, really.

Once she swallowed her last bite, she let herself fall back on the grass and closed her eyes, sighing in contentment.

She didn't speak until Morningstar jokingly mentioned guild responsibilities, at which point she snorted.

"Eh," she said in a sleepy-sounding way. "Guilds suck enough when it's not life-and-death. I don't even wanna think about how shitty they can be when it is."

She raised a hand to her mouth and let out a yawn.

"Keep me on the short list for the choice ingredients, though. I might not be sure about takin' the Cooking Skill, but I still might..."

When the swordfish burst out of the water, Kyo opened one eye to look at it idly. It didn't really seem to phase her, but a look of amusement crossed her face at Freyd's crack about Morningstar being proven wrong. Kyo closed her eye again and chuckled.

"Well, there was that sword in Final Fantasy X that was made o' water..." she murmured comfortably. "And SAO's relatively low-fantasy so far, but I wouldn't put anythin' outta the realms o' possibility for the higher floors... besides, even the really serious old games had stuff like the 'Hoe of Destruction.' Y'never know..."

She trailed off, sounding for all the world like she was drifting off for a nap.

Edited February 26 by Kyo
Formatting.

[Vigilon 0]

        Anyone could be picked on for any given reason, and if someone managed to become a serial killer, they'd be no pushover in combat and would probably be high enough level for most players to be given a run for their money, as well as be a troublesome opponent for the stronger players. Heck, maybe they could be strong enough to be a problem for a single frontliner alone...and that was exactly why Vigilon was concerned. So he pulled up his messenger and typed up a message for Krysta using his free hand. Hopefully by alerting her, he'd be able to keep her safe, right...?(He'd definitely be wrong.)

             Freyd fished up a creature that seemed to have biologically developed a functional weapon that was coming out of its...uh, nose? Vigilon didn't exactly remember much of what he was taught when it came to marine biology, so he didn't know the proper name of the part the blade was coming from. The fish soon became a pile of loot, including a sword that Freyd would point out in attempt to claim Vigilon was wrong by saying the Cardinal just disagreed with him.
      Vigilon let out a chuckle so short it could have been a scoff. "You fished up the fish that dropped that weapon, you didn't craft the blade. You looted that weapon...or, more accurately, ripped it from the fish's freshly filleted remains. My point still stands." He remarked with a smirk.
    Oh, and speaking of Cardinal, Vigilon just remembered something...back when he was in his mindscape, just before dealing with the strange Isle, the Elite Demons within, as well as that...Meta.

Spoiler

                 He looked in front of him, and saw a figure in the distance. He walked near the figure, and was only able to see one thing when he stopped walking. The figure wore a red cloak, there was little other detail he could notice. "Do you know what that isle is?" Vigilon asked, hoping for a different answer. The figure didn't look towards Vigilon, but they spoke anyway. "Are you sure you'd be ready for what's in store for you if you were to go there?" The figure asked. 

         Strange counter question, but ok. "I've fought quite a bit around here, I'm sure I can handle it." Vigilon answered. "I doubt that you are ready, but it is your choice to make." The figure noted. "Ok...one more question though. What's 'The Meta'? Can you tell me what it is?" Vigilon asked. "No." The figure replied.
        Gonna have to go in blind then? "Right...I'm going to that isle, I'm gonna see what it holds." Vigilon decided. "This isle...it is nothing to be messed around with. Even if you manage to hold physically, you are likely to give in mentally. Even if you hold out mentally, you are likely to give in physically. Both may actually push you to a breaking point. Knowing this, do you wish to attempt? Yes? No?" Came the figure's reply.
       Vigilon thought for a moment, he might encounter battles worse than the skeletal axe wielder or his father's killer...but he'd won those battles without them being too much of a threat. "Yes." Vigilon decided. "I'm going."

                 The figure didn't turn around, not even a turn of the head. Vigilon could still only see the cloak. "Then prepare yourself for the worst you might ever face, Vigilon." The figure said. "One last thing before you go. Should you succeed, I have a message for you to deliver, so please remember...tell the Paranoid One I said Hello."

              Vigilon had no idea who the figure was, and he'd been wondering what it possibly could have been, and it was only just recently that he'd figured it out. Whether that's how it chose to appear to him, or if it was just an avatar it used exclusively in his mind scape, was unknown. What was also unknown to Vigilon was why it even appeared to him in the first place. He never even saw its current avatar's features, just that cloak it wore, of an oddly specific color... "Also, I just remembered something, I've got a message to deliver." He began, seeing that he'd also remembered to identify the intended recipient. He walked right up to Freyd, nearly to the point of being face-to-face with him...
                         "Cardinal says Hello."

      Regardless of any potential responses or facial expressions, Vigilon would just smugly turn around and get back to business, like the oversized fish he left on the ground, which was currently flopping towards the picnic basket. Walking towards the fish, he'd make his next remark on the flowing conversation. "I'm not in a Guild yet, but I don't think I'll be interested in gardening unless it's a last resort, I think I'm much better at getting into sticky situations and doing stupid shit." He said in response to Morningstar's offer of potential invitation to a gardener's guild. Kyo seemed to be getting sleepy, and seemed to dislike the idea of guilds, though she seemed willing to go for the cooking profession if necessary. When Morningstar asked what everyone would do first if they all got out, then mentioned hwhat he'd do, Vigilon decided to chime in. "I'd check and see if the world around isn't apocalyptic or post-apocalyptic. Who knows what's going on out there while we're trapped in here, we don't exactly have access to the typical internet, just here and our message system...unless there's some hidden feature we don't know about, that is." He thought aloud.

     Now back to the fish, which he'd grabbed once again. It was staring hungrily at the picnic basket, but that didn't stop Vigilon from messing with it further until it coughed up another refined metal ingot. "I'm starting to think the See-Food diet ain't working for ya..." Vigilon remarked.

 

ID# 219786 LD: 13+6=19(Found 1 Material)

Edited March 2 by Vigilon

[Morningstar 0]

"I met Raidou once. Interesting character. Good taste in apples," Morningstar said, yawning.

A mosquito hummed in his ear, hovering for a while before landing on his neck. Before it could sink its proboscis into his skin, he smacked it hard. Vigilon uttered some cryptic words to Freyd that flew completely over Morningstar's head. He ignored it, shut his eyes and enjoyed the sunshine. If he needed to know, he'd find out.

He chuckled at Vigilon's comment about guilds. "I'll let you know if I find a sticky situation and stupid shit guild. Sounds like we'd fit in perfectly there."

Kyo seemed like she was about ready for a nap and, to be honest, so was Morningstar. If he closed his eyes for a little bit too long, he'd start to drift off and have to catch himself. He picked out a banana from his basket and peeled it. Eating would keep him awake, he thought. Even so, with the combined warmth of the lakeside and the birds singing up above, it was difficult.

"If the world's post-apocalyptic then I think I'd rather just stay here," he laughed. "I'm not trying to wake up in "The Walking Dead" or something like that. At least we've got decent food."

In between bites, he continued, directly to Kyo this time. "Speaking of which, if you do become a cook, let me know. I'll send some ingredients your way. I'm in need of a go-to cook."

[Freyd 0]

Freyd's appearance shifted before them, his bizarre leisure attire darkening then bleeding into inky liquid before reasserting itself into his more conventional attire.  Trademark cowl now firmly in place, the Whisper offered no reaction to Vigilon's aquatic conundrum.  Any intended barbs found no purchase.  Whatever he was thinking, he simply kept to himself.  Only the odd mallard-handled fishing rod remained of his previous getup, which he promptly tugged at to collect one final catch before being dismissed to the ether.  

"Don't be so quick to dismiss the value of a guild, Kyo," he offered quietly.  "Trust and allies can go much longer in this world, and what it has become, than can be accounted for in any amount of game marketing or whatever Argus' original design intentions might have been.  No one will survive this game alone." He turned and withdrew from the edge of the lake, nabbing one last sandwich for the road when Vigilon delivered his message.

"Cardinal says Hello."

Half-turning his cowl so that the lower half of his face could be seen, Freyd's lips were pursed in a confused half-smirk.  

"Uh.  Okay.  Not sure what that's supposed to mean, but please remind him that he still owes me five bucks and few hundred players' souls."  Stuffing his hands into his pockets, the enigmatic fellow started walking back towards the nearby Forest of Memories.  "Thanks for the break, gang.  It's been a slice.  See you out there, and give me a shout if you need anything done about that serial killer.  Might be something to it... or not."

***

Fishing ID 219787 | CD 11+1=12 | LD 1+1=2 | +1 Material 
Practiced Angler: (+2 EXP/attempt, +1 CD, +1 LD when fishing)
No Olympic Fishing Tool
R5 Fisher | CD 4+ for mats; LD 8+ for Chest, CD 12+/LD 17+ for Gleaming Scale; +5 to LD when opening fishing treasure chests)

***

Thread Closing:

Kyo receives:

804 EXP (Word Count [16089/10*1*0.5])
400 col (1 page [400])

Vigilon receives:

5,628EXP (Word Count [16089/10*7*0.5])
844 col (1 page [0] + 15% P5 Reward [844])
3 Materials (Foraging [3])

Morningstar receives:

4,020 EXP (Word Count [16089/10*5*0.5])
603 col (1 page [0] + 15% P5 Reward [603])

Freyd receives:

12,864 EXP (Word Count [16089/10*16*0.5])
1,929 col (1 page [0] + 15% P5 Reward [1929])
3 Materials (Fishing [3])
T4 Perfect Weapon 219190a
T4 Perfect Weapon 219190b
T4 Rare Weapon 219190c
T4 Perfect Weapon 219605a
T4 Perfect Weapon 219605b
T4 Perfect Armor/Shield 219605c
T4 Perfect Armor/Shield 219605d
Random Dungeon Map 219605e

Edited March 2 by Freyd