[F01-PP] Overture | <<The First Lesson>>

[Siraius 0]

Siraius stretched his fingers, taking a deep breath as he surveyed the bustling streets of the Town of Beginnings. A complex mix of emotions coursed through him. "This is my life now, whether I like it or not,"  he thought. On the one hand, he wasn't exactly thrilled to be trapped inside this video game, forced to fight his way forward for survival in a world he wasn't altogether familiar with. This was a world alien to him, a stark contrast to the predictable patterns of his previous life. But on the other hand, he couldn't deny a sense of liberation - he was free. The relentless grind of practice sessions, the monotonous drone of lectures and assignments, the heavy expectations resting on his shoulders - all faded away. His destiny was now his to forge, and yet he had no idea what to do with himself.

For months, Siraius lingered in the Town of Beginnings, familiarizing himself with his new surroundings and coming to terms with his new life. But he couldn't stay here forever. His mind made up, Siraius decided it was high time for him to venture out and explore more of this new world he was part of. "A new world - a new life. Let's see what I can make of myself, shall we?" He didn't have an exact plan in mind, but he knew he had to do something. It was then he remembered his good friend Lance - or he supposed it was Wulfrin now. "I wonder what he's up to... it's been quite a while since we last talked." Siraius decided he'd send Wulfrin a message, see if he'd still be alive after all this time. "Hey there Wulfrin. It's been a while. Got a sec to help out an old friend?"

Now, as he awaited a response, Siraius stood there on the edge of the unknown, his heart ablaze with purpose. This was the dawn of his new chapter, his very own Overture, in a world full of possibilities.


 

Spoiler

Siraius | Lv. 1 | HP: 20/20| EN: 20/20| DMG: 5 | ACC: 1

Equipped Items:

• Rare Rapier | Tier 1 One-Handed Rapier | DAMAGE I, ACCURACY I

Battle-Ready Inventory:

• Healing Potion (3) | Tier 1 Perfect Potion | HP RECOVERY III [+60 HP]

Consumed Items:

• N/A

Skills:

• One-Handed Sabre | RANK 1/5

Misc. Buffs:

• N/A

 

Edited April 8 by Siraius

[Wulfrin 0]

Wulfrin was busy at his forge early one morning when a message from a player not currently in his friends list.

"Well that's odd," Wulfrin said to himself as he finished quenching his current craft. "You aren't supposed to be able to message someone without knowing their username, and the only people that know mine are on my friends list."

Then he saw the familiar username. That explained quite a bit. Siraius was his friend from a few other online RPGs. Initially Wulfrin had intended the two of them to tackle Aincrad together, but a combination of conflicting schedules and an admittedly cowardly action on Wulfrin's part to hide in the Town of Beginnings had led to him not knowing if his friend had even logged in, or worse died in combat. He had never seen any of the handles he knew on the Monument of Life, so he had assumed Siraius had stayed away from the game.

To: Siraius From: Wulfrin Subject: Help Response Sure thing, I just need to know where you're at and what you need help with. Let me know if you think you need a bit more back up, I have a couple other players I can reach out to.

Having sent his message off to his long lost friend, Wulfrin changed course from smithing to prepping for an adventuring day.

"Solaris," He said getting the attention of his phoenix familiar snoozing in the flames of his forge. "Go get Ciela, I've got a friend she needs to meet."

* * *

Spoiler

Stat block:
Wulfrin | Level 22 | HP: 470/470 | EN: 62/62 | DMG: 17 | MIT: 66 | ACC: 3 | BH: 4 | LD: 5 | BLD: 36 | REC: 3

Skills
Active

• Light Armor Rank 5
• Straight Swords Rank 5
• Searching Rank 2
• Battle Healing Rank 1

Extra Skills (Max 3)

• Concentration

Mods (Max 5)

• Meticulous
• Night Vison

Addons

• Stamina
• Precision
• Ferocity
• Resolve

Inactive

• None

Battle Ready Inventory

• 3 Starter Healing Potions (Heals 50 hp each)
• 6 T1 Uncommon Health Potions: Heals 5% of Maximum HP.
• 2 Teleportation Crystals
• Protein Pancakes | [ID #219428a] | TIERLESS RARE MEAL | PROTEIN II
• [desc.]: They're a little dry but they do the trick.
• 2x Terra Firma Scale (equivalent to T3 MIT 1)

Equipment

• Armored Long Coat | T3 Perfect Light Armor | ID [220094]
  MIT 2 | REC 1
  [desc.] A long red leather coat with additional armor plates. The right pauldron has the signet of Sentinel Armaments emblazoned on it.

• Wolf's Bite | T3 Perfect Straight Sword | ID [220774]
  ACC 1 | BLEED 2
  [desc.] Sharpened to a razor's edge, this blade cuts deep and leaves lasting wounds. It is well balanced to aid in attacks. The center of the cross guard is the signet of Sentinel Armaments.

• Crystal | TIER 1 TRINKET | LD III | ID: #205224
  [desc.]: a blue crystal. scraps of a larger crafting component.

Estate Buffs

• Bedroom: "Rested" -1 EN to first 2 combat expenditures each combat
• Bathroom: "Clean" First DoT effect damage reduced by 20%
• Basic Kitchen: "Filling" increases effectiveness of one food item by 1 T1 MIT slot (+5 MIT)
• Storage Closet: "Item Stash" +1 Battle ready Inventory Slot
• Living room: "Relaxed" +10 out of Combat healing, Energy full after 2 out of combat posts
• Dining Room: "Tasty" Turn 2 identical food items into a lesser feast. (Feeds 4 players)
• Attic (Storage): "Col Stash" +5% Col from monster loot
• Basement: "Multipurpose" +1 LD, LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity (Once per thread)
• Fishing Pond: "Angler" +2 Fishing Exp per attempt

 

Edited April 10 by Wulfrin

[KnightessCiela 0]

Ciela had just awoken for the day, due to a very rude little fire chicken. "What Solaris? Why aren't you with Wulfrin at the forge??" Ciela begins falling back asleep on the couch. As Solaris pulls at her loose sleep shirt in protest, she grumbles. "Fine. Fine. I'm up. I'm up. Perlita, it's time to get up for the day." 

Ciela's hair was all kinds of wonky, you would think she stuck a fork in a socket and got electrocuted. She was wearing a shirt that hung off her shoulder and a pair of upper-thigh length workout shorts. "What do you need Solaris? Do you need me to go down to the forge this early in the morning and this urgently?" Solaris screeches in protest flying back through the front door. "God, this bird will be the death of me." Ciela pulls up the menu to see what time it is. "Why the hell did he wake me at 8 am. Solaris and Wulfrin should both know I like to sleep in till at least 10 am."

Ciela grumbles once more and picks up Perlita, who is also half asleep and starts to head out the door.

* * *

Spoiler

  

Character Sheet:
 

Spoiler

KnightessCiela | Level 12 | HP: 270/270 | EN: 42/42 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 86 | ACC: 2 | FL. THRN: 4 | THRNS: 36

Equipment:

Spoiler

• Honed Longsword | T2 Perfect Straight Sword | ID [220512] | ACC 2 | DMG 1
  [desc.] A simple steel longsword that prioritizes balance over damage. The center piece of the cross guard is the signet of Sentinel Armaments.
• Duergar Battle Plate | [#220061d] | TIER 2 PERFECT HEAVY ARMOR | Flame Thorns, MIT, Thorns
  [desc.]: Forged deep below the surface, this black steel plate armor is fashioned with various spikes making it a guarantee that attacks will hurt the attacker more than you
• Sentinel Shield | T2 Perfect Shield | ID [220639] | MIT 2 | Thorns 1
  [desc.] A kite shield emblazoned with the signet of Sentinel Armaments. Enemies will find quite the sting when they collide with this shield.

Skills:

Spoiler

Armor:
 

Spoiler

R5 Heavy Armor

MIT 25

STEALTH -5

Combat Mastery:
 

Spoiler

Mitigation

R1 - Novice

6*tier MIT per rank = 6 MIT

Weapon:
 

Spoiler

R3 Straight Swords

• [x8] ST-I (8 EN) | A single-target sword art.
• [x11] ST-II (11 EN) | A powerful single-target sword art. Only available for use when ST-I was used and successfully struck an enemy the previous turn or if ST-II had been used and had missed the previous turn.
• [x7] AOE-I (7 + [2 * targets] EN) | AOE | A sword art that strikes multiple targets at once.
• [x8] TECH-A (9 EN) | STUN | A single-target sword art that stuns an enemy.

Addons:
 

Spoiler

Iron Skin

+15 MIT and +15* Tier HP (30 HP)

Mods:
 

Spoiler

None Yet

Extra:
 

Spoiler

None Yet

 

Battle Ready Inventory:
 

Spoiler

• (5) T1 Uncommon Health Potions: Heals 5% of Maximum HP
• (1) T1 Uncommon Damage Potion: +1 DMG for an entire thread.
• (1) T1 Uncommon Overhealth Potion: Adds 5% of Maximum HP to users Maximum HP for a thread.
• (1) T1 Rare Health Potion: Heals 10% of maximum HP.
• (3) Teleport Crystal

 

Edited April 10 by KnightessCiela

[Siraius 0]

Siraius was perusing some of the shops around the Town of Beginnings, considering a few different items he might need for his trek out beyond the city. He wasn't sure where he was headed, precisely, but he wanted to be somewhat prepared. While browsing, he saw a message from Wulfrin. He smiled to himself, glad that Wulfrin still remembered him. He sent a quick reply, before stepping away from the stall he was browsing. While he was excited to hear back from Wulfrin, he wasn't exactly sure how their potential reunion would pan out. The two of them had once been close, playing several games together any time Siraius had free time. But as their lives went in different directions, they grew somewhat apart. Siraius just couldn't keep up with his incredibly active life. Now that they were both trapped in SAO, however, he was hoping that would change. He wanted to reignite the friendship that they had in the past, and hopefully learn a thing or two about this new world in the process.

 

To: Wulfrin From: Siraius Subject: Help Response I'm still in the Town of Beginnings. I'll go into more detail later, but I've made up my mind on some things and was hoping you'd be willing to help a newbie out. You know, for old time's sake.

 

Edited April 8 by Siraius

[Wulfrin 0]

To: Siraius From: Wulfrin Subject: Help Response Say less. I've got the picture. One Tier 3 guide on the way. Meet us by the gate. Marv can keep you company 'til I get there.

Wulfrin met Ciela at the front door.

"Morning Sleeping Beauty," Wulfrin said in full adventuring attire. "Get your gear on. One of my friends needs a hand getting started. Perfect opportunity to grind Foraging Experience."

Without skipping a beat, Wulfrin drug Ciela by the hand to the nearby teleport gate in Coral. With a quick shout of the teleport command the duo appeared in the Town of Beginnings. Apparently Wulfrin was much faster at navigating the streets if the starting town, as Siraius had yet to arrive. Wulfrin gave a quick wave to the NPC Guard that always stood ever vigilant over the largest city on the floor. Time ticked on as the pair waited for their third party member to arrive.

Edited April 8 by Wulfrin

[KnightessCiela 0]

Ciela grumbled. Before she could even get her gear on, she was dragged away to the teleport gate. They were back in the town of beginnings once more. When they finally had a moment, she swapped out of her pajamas and into her actual clothes. Then she donned her armor. "Hey Mr. Speedy Man, what the heck? I didn't even get to change out of my clothes before leaving the house!" She scowled at Wulfrin. "You're lucky I like you." Ciela elbowed him in the arm gently.

"So who are we meeting up with? Freyd? I can't imagine he'd need help on the lower floors. Maybe Morningstar? Even then he's pretty powerful right?" She looked at him puzzledly. "I guess I can't complain about foraging experience. I really need to rank up." She let out an exasperated sigh. Perlita was running around the two, excited to be in a new place, with all new people. 

Ciela giggled, she enjoyed the energy of all her companions. "I will never understand how and of you have this much energy this early in the morning." She leans up against Wulfrin sleepily, wrapping her arms around his waist.

[Siraius 0]

Siraius sprinted down the streets of the Town of Beginnings, having gotten sidetracked on his way to the gate and losing track of time. "He's probably there by now... I need to hurry!" he thought to himself. He ran past NPCs and players, bumping into a few along the way. "Sorry!" he shouted, slowing down a bit to be more mindful of his surroundings. As he was running, Siraius realized Wulfrin said meet us at the gate, not meet him at the gate. Did that mean there were more people with him? If so, he wondered who Wulfrin would be bringing along, and how strong they might be. It intimidated Siraius somewhat, but he knew that whatever the case he could handle anything Wulfrin threw his way like he did before. He could learn something from them, in any event - and learning was something he enjoyed.

Fast approaching the gate, Siraius saw two figures standing there. He immediately recognized Wulfrin in his signature red and black attire. He smiled to himself."Some things never change, it seems." Drawing closer, he waved to Wulfrin and his companion, calling out to them. "Hey, Wulfrin!" As he reached them, he slowed down to catch his breath for a moment before looking up. Recognition sparked in Siraius' eyes, as he had fond memories of the copper-haired menace in front of him. "Wait a second.. Dahlia? Is that you?"

Edited April 8 by Siraius

[KnightessCiela 0]

Ciela, still groggy snapped herself awake when she heard her real name spoken by a familiar voice. "Khyrion? What are you doing here?" She looked back and forth at both Wulfrin and her old friend Khyrion confusedly, her mind must have still been half asleep. Then it clicks, "WAIT A DAMN SECOND! You two know each other??? Cause I know you didn't message me." She checked her messages just to be safe but there was nothing there.

Ciela let go of Wulfrin and walked over to Khyrion, giving him a tight hug. "I didn't think I'd ever see you in here. At least I hoped I wouldn't." She let go of her old friend. "Also its KnightessCiela in here. But some people call me Knight, Knightess, or Ciela to make a long name shorter." She smiled at him and returned to Wulfrin, and held his hand. 

Ciela looked back at Khyrion and her little sea otter Perlita strayed from Ciela and Wulfrin. Perlita was now running circles around Khyrion. Ciela laughed, "Well Perlita definitely likes you."

[Wulfrin 0]

"We've ran a few guilds together in other games," Wulfrin said with a bit of a surprised look. "We've never met offline, so I guess we kind of all know what each other truly looks like." He let out a nervous chuckle. Wulfrin did the honors of getting the formalities out of the way by sending out the party invites.

"Alright now that that's out of the way," Wulfrin said pulling up his map for the two of them to see. "If you're looking to get started in SAO, you'll want to take on The First Lessons quest line. It starts in Tolbana, the town closest to the floor labyrinth. Get ready the first lesson is one big fetch quest. Good news is that it's probably the worst of the three quests. Ciela and I have completed the first two already, so if you have any questions don't be afraid to ask."

Wulfrin took Ciela by the hand and started to walk out the city gate. "Later Marv!" Wulfrin waved at the guard who simply responded with a stock motion yawn.

[Siraius 0]

Siraius returned Dhalia's hug, excited to see his old high school friend. "I can't believe you're here, Dah - I mean, Ciela. Didn't think you'd get stuck in this game too, although I can't exactly blame you for being drawn to SAO. As for you, Wulfrin, it's good to see you. Sticking true to your colors, I see?" He nudged Wulfrin, smiling at his two friends. Siraius noticed a little otter running around excitedly, so he reached down to scratch under the otter's chin. "Hello there, little fella." He stood up as Wulfrin formally introduced everyone, then explained The First Lessons quest line. 

"Tolbana, huh? I've heard of that town from some players that came in and out of the Town of Beginnings, and I've heard mentions of something about lessons, so I guess that's what they were talking about. Sounds relatively straightforward. Lead the way, you two." Siraius fell in step behind Ciela and Wulfrin, excited to be setting out on a new journey and for a change of pace. It was strange being reunited with is two friends, both from different walks of life - one from his real life, one from his virtual one.

[Wulfrin 0]

As the trio stepped out of the Town of Beginnings, there was a noticeable streak of fire following above them. After a few hundred feet, the streak of fire descended towards the group. A loud and proud eagle screamed in the air as it rocketed straight towards the swordsman in red. Wulfrin didn't even flinch as the eagle perched on his shoulder and eyed Siraius with deadly intent. In reality the eagle was a phoenix. Wulfrin took notce of the bird's gaze and pulled a small fish from his inventory. That got the flaming bird of prey's attention.

"Don't mind Solaris," Wulfrin said as he fed his phoenix familiar. "He may seem a bit pretentious at first, but give him some time and he'll warm up to you. Once we wrap up a few quests here, come up to Floor 22. I've got a smithy up there, and I'd be more than happy to get you some better gear. Unfortunately you'd still have to pay, but the prices aren't exorbitant. You have access to every floor unlocked so don't feel like you have to stay on Floor One."

[KnightessCiela 0]

Ciela chuckled at Wulfrin, "Solaris didn't take very long to warm up to me. Actually, I'm pretty sure the first quest he tagged along for, he was more keen to be close to me than he was to you." Ciela smiled and pet Solaris, then gave pets to Perlita so she wouldn't feel left out." As Wulfrin explained his shop to Siraius, Ciela piped up. "I also have a shop. It's not anything fancy just a little bakery on floor 22 not far from Wulfrin's forge."

"We need to get him started on the first lessons," Ciela looked up at Wulfrin. She remembered the first time they'd met and Wulfrin keeping tabs on where the mayor spawned, "So where do you think Dorian will be this time?" Ciela got them on the path to Tolbana. As they walked along the path, Ciela would stop for a moment and look for materials. She was determined to find something on this trip since previous attempts at foraging have all been a struggle. This trip was starting to seem the same way.

* * *

Spoiler

Foraging:
ID: 221947 | CD: 4 | LD: 1
0 Material Found

+ 3 Foraging EXP
[3/49 EXP] 
R1 - Novice Forager

 

Edited April 9 by KnightessCiela