[F01 | SP] Behind and Ahead | <<The First Few Lessons>>

[Morrigan 0]

The First Few Lessons

 

Apprehension. Morrígan could feel it flowing through her as she stared at the forms passing her by, moving about their daily routines and adventures without a second look in her direction. Most were non-player characters, creatures built by the artificial intelligence that ran and maintained the game – one which was cursed by many other players as the bane of their tortured days. Some carried the air and appearance of the various players in the game – noticeable through their odd behaviours, non-repetitive motions, and generally more obtuse forms of clothing themselves. Many wore what appealed to their appearances, or benefited their continued progression towards battle and survival; a contrast and difference from the various simple wear that most non-player characters were outfitted with.

Morrígan knew that she appeared as little more than an NPC herself – the clothing she wore standard starting gear, the halberd in her hand so similar to some she had seen wielded by the local guards. She knew it wouldn’t be off-handed for a player to assume she was little more than one of the creations of the game itself, a character meant to entertain them. Which was why the individual before her had begun to annoy her to an immense degree.

"All of you look so alike, it’s really hard to tell you apart. If it wasn’t for the limitations on the system, I would definitely mess with you guys more. That’s the one thing with this game, it takes all the stupid fun out…” He’d been talking for several minutes, non-plussed by the lack of response that Morrígan had given, her eyes tracing the lines of walking individuals as she searched for the individual she had been told would start the quest. It was a quest designed for beginners to the game, to get them started on their journey. A quest that Morrígan likely should’ve taken a long time ago, but had restrained from doing out of a form of pride. She’d been pushed into it through the simple fact that in all her time within Aincrad, she had achieved so little in comparison to so many others. "I mean we can’t even force you guys to walk in different directions too much without bringing the attention of the guards, let alone touching you. Not that you understand a thing that I’m saying.”

He waved a hand, as if exasperated by his own words. She hoped that it would be a sign of him walking off and leaving her alone, yet he seemed content to talk onwards, drowning her ears with words that were little more than fluttering annoyances compared to the impact of her continuous surveillance. If she hadn’t had more control over her expression, she knew that she’d be scowling in annoyance – both at the player before her, as well as the lack of success she’d had thus far.

"I mean, it’s not like you guys are even real people. It’s silly that we can’t interact with you…” His voice had taken on an odd tone, one which brought Morrígan’s attention back to the player, noticing as his hand had begun to move towards the sword at his belt. She followed the movement for a second, before speaking aloud for the first time since he’d appeared before her.

"Perhaps in your experience, limited as that may be in such instances, it is polite to treat people in such a mannerism as to exasperate the very vocabulary available to oneself, but where I come from it is considered polite and requisite to introduce oneself before attempting to duel them.” The man’s face froze, his eyes alighting with a sudden fraction of fear as he realised that she was not, in fact, the immobile system creation that he had thought she was. As she finished speaking, providing a curtsy that came naturally to her, she saw his form begin to back away quickly, heels slipping on the ground as he reeled back and attempted to put space between himself and Morrígan. She watched, pensive and yet with a dull stare that she’d been told seemed to strip many of their desire to exist, as the man tried to collect himself, before deciding being anywhere but here was acceptable. She considered, if only for a moment, following the man to ensure he left the area, before realising the folly in the action itself. Shaking her head instead, she turned back to the area before her, wondering exactly when the mayor would show up. He was supposed to be here an hour ago, if the information was correct.

 

Statblock   Hide contents Notes [Theme] Morrígan | Lv. 1 | P. 0 | HP [20/20] | EN [20/20] | ACC [1] | DMG [4] | EVA [0] | MIT [6] Tier 1 | Tier 1 Equipment Halberd [Polerm | Tier 1] Enhancement: Accuracy [1 Slot] Breastplate [Light Armour| Tier 1] Enhancement: Mitigation [1 Slot]  Dark Cloak [Vanity | Tier 0] Enhancement: Nil [0 Slots] Battle-Ready Inventory Starter Healer Potions {5} [Potion | Tierless | Heals 50 HP] TBD {0} [TBD | Tier 0 | TBD] Skills   Hide contents Utility Skills N/A Combat Skills Polearm [Rank:1. Active: Passive. Effect: +3 DMG] Armour Skills N/A Active Extra Skills N/A Inactive Extra Skills  N/A Combat Mastery N/A Familiar Skills N/A Estate Buffs N/A Sword Arts   Hide contents [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. Housing Buffs   Hide contents TBD [Home] TBD [TBD.]

Edited Tuesday at 01:26 AM by Morrigan

[Morrigan 0]

“You there!” Morrígan turned her head to the right in surprise, the voice coming from beside her in a familiar tone and pattern, one that she had heard numerous times over during her travels through the town’s streets. It was now, clearly, directed at her – and more confusingly, directing her to do something that she had already done, hours ago. She’d almost opened her mouth to respond, stopping only as her natural decorum took control, and instead she gave a soft curtsy in greeting the to man. He continued, clearly unconcerned with the natural progression of conversing, his voice carrying a tone of urgency and concern as he explained the predicament he was in. “Pardon me, I’m in need of some assistance. You look rather capable, and it would appear that I’ve made a small…error, shall we say, with regard to a trivial thing.”

As if suddenly remembering himself and his station, the man’s expression shifted from one of urgent concern, to rightful appraisal of the individual before him, before he returned her form with a bow, introducing himself in a somewhat more refined manner than he’d been speaking moments ago. “My name is Dorian, the mayor of this fine town – and I beseech you to assist me in this endeavor.”

Morrígan gave a soft tilt of her head in response, coming out of the curtsy she had held while he had spoken, waiting for his own introduction. Her voice was soft and careful, each word spoken with a measure of assurance and confidence behind it. “A pleasure to meet you, Sire Dorian. I am known as Morrígan, and I would be more than pleased to hear your troubles and proffer any assistance I might be capable and obliged to tender.”

She waited patiently as Dorian explained the mess he had set upon himself, the investment that he had placed upon an unknown individual now forgotten. Morrígan couldn’t help but wince internally – her outward expression held in a pleasant smile that bespoke of one hiding their emotions within – at the realisation that she was, essentially, hunting down the money he had lost. She knew it was nothing more than a quest created and written by a program, designed to give players something to do while they learnt the foundations of Aincrad and the world, and yet she found herself wondering who in their right mind would leave such an absentminded individual in charge of a large populace centre, let alone capable of handing out money to possible investments without appropriately recording their debts and levies.

“So, as you can see, it would be truly appreciated if you could locate the col that I had leant out, and collect it for me. Should you be able to do so, I’ll ensure you’re rewarded appropriately for the work!” He seemed to wince at the final statement, as if he knew how hollow and odd the words sounded, when he had just admitted to handing out money without a second thought. Still, Morrígan was careful to keep her pleasant smile, nodding and tilting her form slightly in an endearing manner, before accepting the quest that had populated before her in the form of a query box. To the mayor, she gave a final note of acceptance and agreement, smiling even as she began to turn away from the man. Although her expression never changed, the tone behind her words carried a small measure of contempt for the mayor. “It would be my pleasure to assist you in this challenging time…and don’t worry, I’ll ensure to return the investment amount that you had…provided graciously, to one of your populace members.”

[Morrigan 0]

She departed from the mayor with their conversation concluded, heading towards the individual that she had been directed to meet with – an alchemist named Zackariah, whom the mayor was certain he had leant the money to, or at least he had stated he was certain. Morrígan had accepted the information without a change in expression, although she’d internally scowled at the idea. She had a feeling that the alchemist would be little more than a single stepping stone in what was, likely to become a long and tedious quest designed towards showing her a variety of skills.

That’s how all of these games work, naturally. Send you off to collect something, only to have you change direction in an attempt to appease and consulate those whom you were sent to see. This will be no different. At least I have no other plans today. She felt herself roll her own eyes inside her mind, the snarling tone in her mind doing more than any outward appearance could to signal her displeasure at the path she had been placed upon. She had no hatred towards the system, or the quest itself – even the mayor was little more than a nuisance in this instance. Instead, she found herself once more furious at the fact that her entire existence had been determined and handled by another individual, one who thought they knew the best way for her to live her life – to restrict her, contain her, and provide for her everything she ‘needed’.

Stopping outside of what was clearly the shop she had been sent to visit and attend, Morrígan glanced at the doorway and wrinkled her nose. Even from the exterior she could smell the variety of mixtures, chemicals and other ointments that drifted on the air towards her nose. She wanted nothing more than to turn away from the shop and head back to the inn that she had been calling home for the last while of her existence, but she knew that there would be no acceleration of her goal if she were to do so. Sighing softly to herself, she shifted her head up and back before making her way into the shop’s interior and meeting the wall of smoke that limited her vision ever so slightly, to the point that she could only just make out the outlines of various forms ahead.

“My sincerest apologies for disturbing your work, esteemed alchemist, but I have been tasked-” For the second time she found herself shifting on the spot in annoyance and frustration as her greeting was ignored, the voice from within the depths of smoke speaking in measure of greeting tinged with a frustration borne of being interrupted.

“Oh, hello. Are you here to order something? I’m sorry to say that I’m currently swamped with orders and running out of supplies.” The man’s form become clear as Morrígan stepped closer towards the figure, a long white beard prominent among the various other features that stared back at her. Although there was a pleasant and welcoming smile upon the alchemist’s face, Morrígan recognised the look in his eyes – a look that spoke to the disturbance she had caused, and one that was clearly not pleased by it. “If you would be so kind as to gather some, I could assist you further. Flowers, herbs, rare woods…anything, really, that can be used in creating a poultice or potion. They can be found outside the walls with ease. Return with those, then we can talk about getting you something made.”

[Morrigan 0]

The alchemist had turned away from her without another word, appearing to dismiss her suddenly in a mannerism that Morrígan was far from used to experiencing. A part of her bristled within, agitated by the fact that she had been so easily ignored. Although she wanted nothing more than to berate the individual before her, she knew that it would do her no good – the characters within the game were inhuman, incapable of learning the proper decorum that one should hold when speaking to another; a fact that Morrígan had slowly learnt during her experiences within the world of Aincrad. She still remembered, with a measure of humility and small disgrace, the first time she had attempted to correct one of the non-player characters; the being entirely befuddled by her words, and incapable of providing anything more than pre-determined responses. It had only been through the commentary of a nearby player that she had her folly pointed out to her.

She had just begun to turn away when the alchemist’s voice rang out again. A wave of his hand caught her attention as he spoke, pointing her towards the large fountain that he was speaking of, the continuous flow of yellowed liquid familiar to her eyes. “Ah, in case you’re hungry. It should help you find things in the fields a bit easier if you’re not thinking about food.”

His final comment completed, the alchemist returned to his work in a manner that confirmed he would have nothing more to add. Morrígan considered her options, sighing before she stepped towards the display piece. A collection of breads surrounded the item, their purpose obvious even to Morrígan. Contemplating the piece for only a moment, she reached out and took a piece of bread, dipping it into the yellow liquid before taking a nibble of taste. While far from the worst thing she’d consumed within the walls of the floating castle, Morrígan found the oddly sweet and bitter taste of the item less appealing to her more refined taste buds. Perhaps not the best, but…what’s this? Her eyebrow raised ever so slightly at the small marker signifying the change to her statblock. She pursued her lips as she considered the notification, trying to remember what the various symbols and shorthand meant. LD…LD…that’s looting, I think? Which means…a bonus to finding things?

Confident in deduction of the information provided to her, she gave a half nod to herself before heading out of the shop and back into the town’s busy streets. A small marker had appeared on her miniature map, pointing her in the direction of her goal. Her eyes glanced out towards the wall and gate that led beyond the borders of the town’s safe zone, knowing that her destination lay out in the fields beyond. Holding back the sigh that threatened to release itself in response to the work ahead, she strode down the street towards the expanse, deciding it best to simply complete the required task and return to the alchemist as quickly as possible. This is simply a step forward in the right direction. Soon enough…well, let us focus on what needs to be done in the moment.

---

Morrígan consumes the fondue.

Morrígan | Lv. 1 | P. 0 | HP [20/20] | EN [20/20] | ACC [1] | DMG [4] | EVA [0] | MIT [6] | LD [3]

 

Edited yesterday at 01:52 AM by Morrigan

[Morrigan 0]

Her walk from the alchemist’s shop to the front gates had been quick and simple, her feet carrying her around those few NPCs and players who refused to move aside, or were entirely unaware of her presence. Morrígan couldn’t help but feel a measure of displeasure at the abrupt ways in which she had been ignored – whether intentional or not, it was simply something she was unaccustomed to in the real world. Aincrad had been a true testing area of her patience in the regards of elegance and appearances, wherein she had found herself treated like the common folk that she had often stared at in wonder and some measure of desire. It had also, thoroughly, shown her how much she disliked the idea in actuality.

I’m not asking for a carriage carrying me everywhere, or for a fanfare, but at least some recognition of my presence…is that too much to ask for? She sighed as she stepped around another body – this one a player clearly engrossed in whatever it was that they had been reading in their menu system. She felt a twitch at the side of her eyes as she kept herself from frowning at the individual who had blocked her way. She wasn’t so egotistical to think that she deserved access to the entire street without any disturbance or blockage, but she also wondered if any of the individuals had ever before been provided any sort of learnings on the decency of acting in public spaces.

Passing through the gates, she gave a slight tilt of her head towards the guard whom everyone seemed to know – or at least, who seemed to be labelled as the locally known one. She’d been told his name a few times, and yet somehow she always found herself fumbling when she was placed in a position to bring it from mind to tongue. She’d taken, as of late, to instead simply acknowledging the NPC guard’s presence, preferring to remain silent as she passed through the area and beyond.

Open fields spread towards the horizon as a soft wind blew across the area in a picturesque scene that Morrígan couldn’t help but pause to take in. She had to admit, if there was one thing that the game designers had spared no effort towards, it was the scenery of the world. Her eyes roamed over the expanse of area even as she began looking for the items that the alchemist had sent her out to find; as much taking in the view as she was being calculated in her search. Such a beautiful world. Too bad it’s entirely ruined by those people who want nothing more than to control everyone else. She scowled this time, unable to keep the expression off her face as she thought about all the different people who tried to control one another; who tried to control her, in their own way. As much as it put energy into her searching, she hated the fact that it still bothered her so much, even now.

-

ID237745 | LD: 3+3=6 | Gathering Attempt | Result: Failure [1/3 attempts]

Edited 8 hours ago by Morrigan