[PP-01] The First few lessons are free! Really? Lessons? (Ft. Kali)

[Sphix 0]

Click clack. Click clack. Dexter's footsteps struck the cobblestone lightly producing that sound. It almost seemed unnerving.  Sunglasses were perched upon the bridge of his nose as those oceanic eyes peered behind them quickly absorbing the scenery at a rapid pace to analyze. People who were not people but digitized data and then people who were people who could die or kill in this world. Everything seemed real and then fake at the same time. Poor Dexter. Not having immersed in such matters before, the idea of mingling and socializing was a fast no. 

Snow white hair seemed to whirl upwards and in every direction that the wind would see fit. With one hand stuffed in his pocket, the other held his hair back pressing the hair to stay away from his field of vision. The sensations, the textures, and everything felt like he was actually walking in a town designed to house this game. Game?, he thought. He was briefly explained that he would be hooked up to a machine that would help him merge into society by helping him socialize with a vast number of players before heading into the real world. He knew that this was firing electrons into his brain and would help stimulate the creation of novelty memories that would allow him interaction and behavioral therapy to release him.

While he was thinking, his body actively moved away from people wary of bumping into them. It was auto pilot. He had a touch sensory overload issue when someone unknown would touch him physically. Lithe figure moved effortlessly throughout the crowd and gained momentum as he had just gotten free information from a broker since he was still new that there would be a place in town where he could find some sort of board that would allow him to take newbie lessons, as the broker referred. Figure bobbed back and forth as the rumored message board would be found.

"So, this is the place. Huh." It was underwhelming as he stared at the board. Then again, it was welcomed information as he noticed the difference between players and NPC's. Blue orbs stared at the board a moment. Then he felt this unwarranted gaze fall upon him and he turned around quickly with his fist balled up ready. He met Dorian. The first quest had been triggered immediately upon the man walking up to him. His head fell to the side as he listened to the man and then raised his hands. "Okay! Okay. I'll do it. Didn't think it would be this pushy." He took one big step back to produce space between the man who simply moved forward to continue the conversation as to where to start. He mentally gathered the issue and then sighed nodding. The man would just continue talking even if he moved around. After he finished, he accepted his fate and moved on to the next target. 

Off to Zackariah's place.

Sphix | HP: 20/20 | EN: 20/20 | DMG: 4 | MIT:18 | ACC:3                  

Spoiler

"Name: Sphix
True Tier: 1
Level: 1
Paragon Level: 0
HP: 20/20
EN: 20/20

Stats:
Damage: 4
Mitigation: 18
Accuracy: 3

Equipped Gear:
Weapon/Armor/Trinket: 
  - Force Dagger Whip | T1 Perfect Weapon (Whip) | DMG III
Armor/Trinket: 
  - Coat of Endurance | T1 Perfect Armor (Heavy) | MIT III
Shield/Armor/Trinket: 
  - Purchase of Wolf Pendant (220941-4)

Combat Mastery:
  - 

Combat Shift:
  - 

Familiar Skill:
  - 

Custom Skill:
  - 

Skills:

Extra Skills:

Inactive Extra Skills:

Addons:

Mods:

Inactive Mods:

Battle Ready Inventory:

Housing Buffs:

Guild Hall Buffs:

Scents of the Wild Totem:

Wedding Ring:

Crafting Profession:

Gathering Profession:
"                                                                                                                            

                                                                                                         

 

 

[kali 0]

Old Dorian and his money troubles. Name a better pair for Aincrad's clueless newbies.

No sooner had the mayor finished making his appeal than he zeroed in on the second player in the vicinity with an empty quest log. He marched up to her with single-minded purpose. "Hello, Mayor. I heard." Yue Hua raised a hand, cutting off his pre-quest spiel. She had just been passing by. "I can help. Let me at 'em."

Old Dorian kindly advised her not to beat them up. They were sitting on town money but they were still human in the end. "Oh, don't worry."

With her progress window tracking a new quest, Yue Hua walked a few steps in the direction pointed out to her, craning her neck to try and spot Dorian's other errand-runner among the crowd. They were tall, so they should have been easy to find. But they were remarkably quick on their feet, it seemed, and left alone, she was briefly stuck wondering if she should simply shadow Player One's steps for the entirety of the quest. Like some kind of creep.

The tromp of her farming boots took her past a deserted side street. Then she wheeled back, iridescent eyes fixated on a bunch of crates stacked against a wall.

Oh, perfect.

Yue Hua set off in a brisk jog. Two quick hops, and she was at the top of the pile. Yue Hua braced herself, and with a stronger jump, she managed to catch herself with her fingertips on the edge of a roof. She swung sideways, grasping farther up the ledge with her other arm, and she scrambled the rest of the way up, tail thrashing behind her. Alone on the rooftops, unimpeded by the crowds, the half-dragon leaped from one roof to the next, the patter of her feet alerting the buildings' inhabitants to her passing. By the time they went to investigate, she was already gone. The journey was an almost straight shot from Point A to Point B. She kept low and to the center to avoid being seen and she dropped off right in front of the alchemist's door.

No one was here. Player One was nowhere to be found (and perhaps oblivious to the fact that there was even a race).

All too pleased with the outcome, Yue Hua picked herself up and entered Zackariah's abode.

 

 

The door swung open a second time.

Sitting cross-legged before a small circular table at the corner of Zackariah's shop, Yue Hua looked up. A pot of chocolate fondue bubbled in front of her with an array of treats for dipping. She had bundled up her long hair and was manually holding it back so that none of the loose strands spilled into the concoction, and in her free hand, she had a fork. Distractedly, she swirled a strawberry into the pool and took a bite.

Wow. He's pretty.

"Hello. Come here and take a few." She flicked the end of her tail, 'waving' Sphix over once he had finished speaking to the alchemist. It settled back down in a loose swirl after the gesture, and Yue Hua drew the bulk of it into her lap to allow the man the space to step past her. "Fork's beside the marshmallows. Try it; it tastes great."

 

厌倦你浪潮般涨落地爱我 当作莫名靠岸惶惑地来过 再说了从未幻想过你爱我 天马行空都埋没

Spoiler LEVEL 2: HP: 40/40 | EN: 22/22 | DMG: 7 SKILLS: Spoiler  | skills mod count: 0/5 STRAIGHT SWORD | RANK 2/5 [BASE: Proficiency] +4 DMG | expenditure Spoiler Total SP: 10 | Spent: 8 | Unspent: 2 SKILL: Straight Sword (8)   EQUIPMENT: Spoiler Dull Blade DAMAGE II TIER 1 RARE STRAIGHT SWORD it's worn from use. but the swordswoman favors it anyway. it was her first blade. INVENTORY: Spoiler (2) Teleport Crystal Use a post action to activate a teleport crystal. Teleports the player to the town or designated teleportation area they specify.

Edited September 26 by kali

[Sphix 0]

Hip hop. Hip hop? He was slightly skipping to a melodic tune in his head pushing all unnecessary noise from the people speaking along the streets. This time though, both hands were stuffed in his pockets as he still made evasive maneuvers against the advertising folks and their wares. All he had to focus on was that little marker ahead to where he would find out his next target would be. 

The faces of those that seemed to be unimportant to him seemed blurred. They were unimportant. They need not have a face, he thought. This was what it was like in reality to him. There were few people who had no impact on him, minus the nurses, that he even interacted in real life. 

The cursor loomed in front of him as he stood beyond the door. He was already mentally drained.

Ignoring the shouting vendors, he was already on his last social battery and wanted to get this part done and over. 

Taking a deep breath, he would push open the door finally and head inside. There laid the cursor overhead of the person he needed to speak with. His face was visibly blurred to him. Gaze followed the bobbles and do dads that laid neatly in a strange assortment of size. Adorned with various colors, they piqued his curiosity allowing him some quiet time in his head to recharge a bit. If one would follow on the other side of the layout, they would see his face on the other side distorted with small ones and big ones peering at bottle after bottle. 

He was too busy absorbing the scene before the sweet smell invaded his nostrils. Whoa.

What was that smell? He wanted to immediately know what was that smell that had made him jolt slightly. He walked up to the NPC and the conversation was initiated. "I'm here for Dor.." He was cut off by the conversation of the NPC saying how he was swamped. Rude? He thought as he listened to the NPC drone on about how he was busy. Instructions were given as he was trying to obtain information from him but was initially cut off. It looked like he would have to do this favor before executing the rest of the plan.

He turned but only to hear a voice. A woman's voice caught him off guard as he was too enthralled with the shop's lay out. Her words felt like a trap. A honey as if you would. The hairs on his neck stood up as those ocean hues stared at her. For the first time, a face. A normal face. She held no history with him, none. So why...

He looked toward her and listened to her instructions. He picked up the fork and looked at the marshmallow and fondue. Not knowing what the items were, he would simply partake in gesture of what she was doing and placed the sweet snack into his mouth. Sweet! Overwhelmed, he took another and ate it as well, enjoying it. Of course, now, he seemed gluttonous in front of her.

With an apologetic look, he spoke. "I am so sorry. My name is Dexter." He sat down across from her. "And you are?" Mouth covered and eyes dazzled at the woman before him. He had to know. 

[Consuming Fondue +3 LD]

Edited September 24 by Sphix

[kali 0]

He faced faintly ruddy cheeks and a pair of equally mystified eyes.

One bite and he was hooked. He finished a second, apparently before he even knew what he was doing. It was more amusing to her than offensive and she rather liked the brightness that took ahold of him as he enjoyed the sweet. Joy was her favorite emotion to witness in others. ...And that's the LD buff I missed before. Four small square platters were laid out between them: strawberries, slices of oranges, dry biscuits, and marshmallows, divided by the aforementioned set of forks. They were filled for just as much as Zackariah was willing to let players sample, a generous amount, considering, and Yue Hua had already gone through half of each.

Were she the more expressive type, she would have let out a soft laugh. As things stood, Yue Hua simply made a fluttering, dismissive gesture with the hand still holding the empty fork. From fingertips to the middle of her forearm, the flesh was an unnatural yellow-green, traced with thick red lines. As though she had dipped it in paint and it never came off.

"Don't be. A fan of sweets, are you?" She reached forward and poked her fork into a marshmallow, popping it into her mouth in solidarity. When she was done chewing, she also introduced herself. "I'm Yue Hua, player name 'kali'. Call me whichever you like, but I prefer going by my real name. I'm here to take the quest but this isn't my first time. Is it for you?"

 

-> consuming: Zackariah's Fondue [+3 LD]

Spoiler

kali | HP: 40/40 | EN: 22/22 | DMG: 7 | LD: 3

 

Edited September 26 by kali

[Sphix 0]

Variety? What were these other items that seemed foreign to him? While most common items such as strawberries and oranges were recognized, they were alien to him. He pulled his sunglasses off and examined the fruit product trying to see if he could interest himself in trying it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, he thought. 

Fork was raised and soon plunged into the orange. The citrus smell invaded his nose, and he was excited as it triggered the saliva glands. He dipped and placed it into his mouth to start chewing. To his delight, it was tasty.

Her honeyed words again caught him off guard as he placed his hand over his mouth to avoid exposing any unsavory sight or behavior. Now with hues exposed to her, she could see the vibrant crystalized eyes. “I love sweets. I rarely ever got them…” He paused after that word to make sure he would not over share about where he lived. That would bring more questions than answers he could provide. 

Her name was exotic. He had barely stepped into the world and was now meeting someone of a different origin. His voice seemed to catch as the brain was processing the way she enunciated her name. He had to mimic it like he had been for the past 17 years. “Yue Hua?” He questioned trying to ensure no offense was given. He said it several more times before he figured it out. “ A very pretty name. Dexter is my name. Or Sphix. But Dex is also fine.” He stated as he placed a handout to her. After he introduced and gently shook her hand, he thought about the quest.

“Never done it. First time quest ever.” He spoke with a calm demeanor. 

His brain analyzed and processed her answer. She had done this before. Was this something someone wanted to repeat? Was she trying to be helpful or… sinister.

Reality came back as he spun the fork to try the strawberry, “Do you like sweets too? And have we… met before?” He asked in curiosity. 

 

Edited September 23 by Sphix

[kali 0]

The trials and tribulations of having a mortal body: one had to maintain a healthy diet lest they die young. Such concerns were beyond them in this world. Yue Hua nodded solemnly, unaware of the surrounding context. He was, too. He had taken off his glasses to reveal the brightest blue eyes she had ever seen and the full intensity of them turned onto her when he caught her name.

“Yue Hua?”

Yes.
“Your eyes are jewels.”

Wait, no.

“Yes.”

“Yue Hua,” he said, thoughtful. “Yue Hua… Yue Hua…”

Thump. Thump. Thump. Went the woman’s feathered tail against the floor of the alchemist’s shop. After a few more repetitions, she realized what the man was doing. “Yü-Hwä,” she repeated. He was approaching it but of course every student needed a bit of guidance. Mispronunciations of her real name were common here, where her mother tongue was more foreign than not. She couldn’t expect everyone to pronounce it with the right accent and it was always touching when someone put in the extra effort to try. “Like letting out a breath at the end. Yü. Hwä.”

“A very pretty name.”

“Thank you,” Yue Hua squeaked behind the cover of her hand. Then she cleared her throat and shook his hand over the pot of fondue. So Dexter’s the real name? She hoped there wasn’t someone out there who would name their kid Sphix. She continued to speak in a more level tone. “I like sweets. It’s nice to feast on them here without having to worry about all the sugar.

“And no.”

She very gladly took advantage of the opportunity to obviously look Dexter up and down. “I’m pretty sure this is our first meeting. Well, now that we’ve been acquainted, Dex, what do you say to going at this quest together?” It was the appropriate time to ask anyway, they were running out of fruits and biscuits to eat. Pretty soon they’ll be overstaying their welcome. “Teamwork makes the dream work, or so they say.”

[Sphix 0]

Jewels? He heard the words but continued to work on his way of speaking. When he mastered it, he noticed the changes in her demeanor. Was it him? Was it her? With no experience, the feeling was strange with nothing to resonate to.  He flashed a radiant smile and spoke. “Thank you for the help!” It reminded him of a nurse who taught him English. She still took care of him with his medication.

Her squeak caught him off guard after the compliment. He had experience in that due to the social work he had to experiment on with others. He knew that it was a positive outcome and he was happy she didn't shy away from the introduction. When she told him about them knowing each other, the mystery of the mysterious girl continued. “Oh.” Good thing he didn't forget a girl like this. Would have been a shame. 

They had to go? Damn. He could do this all day. Perhaps he would be with her. Or… Vile thoughts were shaken off as he took her hand and escorted her off the premises.

“Let's be off then, Yue Hua.” 

He held her hand taking her along keeping pace with her side by side. Glasses were shifted back on their perch and soon headed to the gates. Was he excited? Yes. Was he curious about this girl? Absolutely. For various reasons like the obvious of her culture. 

What do you say? He thought. Wait. How do you talk to a girl? Whoa there, boss. He chided himself. He had always been surrounded by older men and women that he was unaware of how to interact with people his age. It was almost childish. 

“So what have…” Words were hard. “Um. What do you like…?” He asked as they slowed and breached the front gate with no one caring. First time for him as he stopped and gazed upon the rolling hills of green grass and the wind that touched his skin. He took a deep breath and spoke. “I wonder… if this is really what it's like.”
 

Edited September 24 by Sphix

[kali 0]

He seemed inclined to agree. Yue Hua rose first, stretching her arms over her head. “Thanks for the free food, Zackariah,” the woman passed on as she ambled over to the door. “‘Twas good. Five out of five stars. Perfect for that seniors’ potluck.” Since no one here, not even the NPCs, minded their health, apparently. She wasn’t about to rain on their fun by testing it.

Then she felt a hand take hers and her head snapped in her new friend’s direction. “Whoa. Hey.” Her eyes were wide and she was momentarily torn between ripping her hand out of the completely uncalled for contact and fixating on how Dexter towered over her at full height. Teamwork makes the dream work or something (she was eating her words), but she’d never heard of an exercise that involved holding a stranger’s hand. Forget the fondue; Forget the incomparable matter with the name -- she was half-certain that it was questionable in any place.

But the man seemed harmless so far. Almost childish? He wasn’t holding on too insistently; her hand remained loose in his grip but she didn’t pull away. They made it past the walls without further incident, save for the lamentable return of Dexter’s glasses.

Watching the wind roll through the fields, Yue Hua blinked slowly at his question. “I like healing,” she said, equally clueless. There were simply too many ways to answer. “And making potions. Collecting them, also… and fighting with swords. I used to sign up for duels sometimes just to test my strength against other people. Right now, though, hm--”

She paused to consider, her eyes drawn upwards.

“I like seeing the sky unobstructed, I suppose.”

Then Yue Hua found herself firmly back on earth. She turned her head his way, curious. “What’s ‘what’ like?”

He still hadn’t let go.

She snuck her tail behind their joined hands and gave them a light -- smack.

“Do you do this with everyone you meet or did you just want me to stay close outside of the safe zone?” Yue Hua asked. Once she had drawn out of the hold, the end of her tail wrapped around Dexter’s wrist in replacement. It was loose enough for him to shake out of but she could also tug his trapped hand around. Experimentally, she waved it up and down. “Here, then.

"I’m guessing this is your first time out here, too. It’s safe even if we walk a bit farther, but we don’t really have to. This part is a breeze. Look, I think I just found one.”

With both hands unoccupied and the extra give granted to her by the sheer length of her tail, Yue Hua was free to wander ahead of her companion to peer down at a glowing item in the grass. She gently pulled the herb free of its roots and pocketed it.

 

-> Gathering [1/3]: 233618: LD 14 + 3 = 17 [+1 Mat]

Spoiler

Total Loot: 1 Mat

 

Edited September 26 by kali

[Sphix 0]

How? What? He was looking at how this tail reacted. It had its own will and he was simply in amusement and wonder now. Hand didn't move away as he let her tail guide him.  It was fascinating to him how the mechanic of this was working.

He reflected on her tone and realized that had done something terrible. He bowed his head slightly and spoke.”I'm sorry, Yue Hua. I got a bit excited.” He had realized long ago that his personality may clash with others with his strange upbringing. He lifted his head up and listened to her answers. Too broad, he thought. His blue hues scanned the perimeter to see the people fighting in the distance and it triggered something.

It felt hot. It felt like his blood was on fire as he wanted to experience this but far it be for him to do such things. He was weaker than most and hearing her sign up for duels sparked more interest. 

“Are you good? Like skilled and such. I always wanted to try my hand at it but not yet.” 

Her other words brought him to reality. What was what like and if he did this with everyone new. Could he trust her? No! Yes. Stop being so reclusive. Those words echoed in his head at the nurse trying to provide him with courage. She'll betray you. They all do. His heart rate spiked and slowed as he felt the medication go inside him. 

Taking a deep breath, he spoke. “I'm not used to this. I'm pretty sheltered. I don't even know what.. the forest is like or… anything really.” His heart calmed as he spoke to her. His eye glanced at the ground searching but to no avail. He wasn't done but he wanted to give her a reasonable explanation.

“And, you would be the first. My only friend. I don't talk to people. It's hard for me. But not with you.”  He still sifted through the dirt a bit to ensure he didn't miss the material. After that, he flicked his hand to clean the dirt off and looked back at her. He had hoped that these were reliable answers. She could ask more if she wanted to.

“Wanna tell me more about you?” He held onto her tail loosely.

Spoiler

Action: Gathering Materials

 

ID: 233628 Roll: 10+3 = 14. Fail

 

Edited September 26 by Sphix
Adding roll