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[F01 - PP] Highschool Reunion <<The First Few Lessons>>


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Theodore, after a long time of ignoring it, fighting it, and trying to find solutions for it, had to face the music that he had a problem. Due to his kind nature and doubling down on said nature whenever someone needed help, Theo's coffers had become... light. They wouldn't use the word broke, but that was unfortunately the perfect word to describe the situation.

During his time within the digital world, Theodore Statil joined a variety of different guilds, organizations, and friend groups. Whenever they needed support with materials, money, or item, Theo was the first one to offer up anything and everything within his inventory. While that brought him close to a lot of people personally, his mechanical disadvantages left him behind, well, everyone. As time went on, so did the distance these disadvantages which in turn caused separation between him and the people he called friends. Almost like clockwork, the group would remove him from the party, and he would carry on to the next one. This cycle had repeated itself again... and again... and again. To today, this morning to be exact, where Theo realized he may not have enough money for an inn room that night.

Theodore Statil was completely broke.

"It's fine. It's TOTALLY fine. I've done this before, and I'll do it again." Theo's voice attempted to quell the rising panic within his body, but it did not do much. He was standing on the streets of the <<Town of Beginnings>> when a man with a monocle approached him. "You there! Stop, please!" Theo wasn't even moving, but whatever.

The individual, introducing themselves as Dorian the mayor of town, begins asking Theodore for assistance in a financial matter. He opened his mouth to tell Dorian that he was, in fact, poor, but stopped when he learned it was a simple retrieval mission. The man's face lit up with a bright smile. "You need help?! I'd love to help!" Theo's body was almost vibrating from excitement. How had he never triggered this quest before? He's been in this part of town before, but maybe someone had always triggered it right before he did. He shrugged internally, just thrilled to have a way to make money AND help someone... even if they aren't real.

"Excellent, I knew I could count on you! You might start with Zackariah, the alchemist. He's often doing projects for the town, so it may have been him that borrowed the money." Theo nodded and quickly opened his map, identifying the quest marker.

The man was just about to start on his journey when he stopped himself. Did he really want to do this alone? It seemed to be an easy enough quest, but doing something by himself was never his interest. A sigh escaped his mouth as he found the quest board on the map. I need to keep any rewards I recieve to myself this time. I need to be able to afford food and inn rooms for more than just a couple days at a time. Theo knew full well that this would be a struggle, but hopefully a struggle he could live through.

His boots strode across the stone roads, marching his way towards the town's quest board. The smell of something sweet came on the wind towards Theo, making his stomach grumble as he marched on. Maybe I should eat something after this. I should get enough money for... something? He thought back to the last time he had something sweet... it had been a few months.

"It's fine, you'll get paid today." The words were muttered as he came in front of the quest board. He put in an ad for assistance, hoping a stronger player will take pity on him and not rob him for all he's worth... Which isn't much to be fair.

<<The First Few Lessons>>

Hi all! I'm starting this quest and didn't know if anyone would want to help me out? Please and thanks!
-Theodore Statil

He smiled and nodded with approval, stepping away from the board. And now I wait. He found an open bench and sat down, waiting patiently for someone to come to his aid.

 

--
Combat Stats

Spoiler

Theo - HP: 20/20 | EN: 20/20 | DMG: 1 | LD: 1 | SD: 1
Housing: N/A
Equipment: N/A
Battle Ready Inventory: (3) Starter Healing Potions (Heals 50 HP)
Skills
- Searching R1 [+1 LD per rank. +1 to Stealth Detection per rank.]


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A little silver bell mounted above the door of a quiet cafe let out a distinct ring as the door swung open. Teion was exiting the shop with a half-eaten pastry in her hand and a bored expression on her face. She tried not to make it a habit of coming to the first floor. There were plenty of settlements higher up that had better town layouts, more interesting NPCs, something worth doing...but damn if the Town of Beginnings didn't have basic materials at the most baseline, dirt-cheap prices. As a seasoned blacksmith, Teion was generally self-sufficient. She could craft most of her own gear, fix her own tools and equipment, and farming monster drops was little more than a chore on most floors. But gathering? "Searching" was a skill she had so half-heartedly invested in that she had just barely allocated enough skill points so that she would have an easier time seeing in the dark. Grabbing a pickaxe and toiling away in the mines sounded like miserable work in any video game, much less the simulated reality they now lived in. No, she would take the teleporter back to Floor 1 as many times as she had to if it meant she could grab a cheap stack of ores from a vendor.

She had just stopped by a cafe for a quick snack before finishing her chores. That sweet smell in the air was too tempting to pass up. Half a block towards the market district of the circular cityscape, the large quest board standing tall in the city center caught her eye. Most of the beginner quests offered here were old news, but the playerbase regularly used this floor as a hub for their own quests, offers, and other such trading of information. Teion stopped at the board's center and craned her neck slightly, skimming the digital flyers and advertisements. Her eyes fell on one of the most simple requests, and she read the listed quest name back in her head a second time. "First lessons...? Sounds like a tutorial." She muttered, thinking aloud. "That's not the name of the crafter quest, is it?" It had been so long since she jumped on the profession quest herself that she could scarcely remember it. In hindsight, running a shop was a lot of work. She wouldn't be surprised if players were dropping, switching, or picking up crafting skills at any point in the game.

She frowned. 'Theodore Statil...' She doubled back to the name written at the bottom of the request. She reached up and tapped on the paper with curiosity. The system opened up a dialogue box in front of her that displayed the message in plain text and gave her a few options to interact with it. The username listed simply read 'Theo'. But why was that name familiar? She tapped at her chin with the side of her knuckle. Her brows furrowed in concentrated thought. "No way." She mumbled again, a sense of recognition bubbling within her that clashed with denial. She remembered where she knew that name from. All this time in Aincrad had seemingly muddied the memories from her previous life, but in that moment she recalled the innocent, charming grin of her goofy old high school friend. Her heart sank. After everything she'd been through so far in this hellhole, she didn't want to think about anyone else that she liked being trapped here, too. With a pit in her stomach, she tapped on the icon to message the bulletin's author.

Quote

Message Sender: Teion
Recipient: Theo
Quest Board Response Notice

»Sorry, did you go to Salem high school?

She had hesitated at first, but then quickly typed the one-line message and hit send. There was no getting around such a straight-forward, personal question, so she wasn't going to beat around the bush. As the message window closed in front of her, Teion had been loitering in front of the quest board for several minutes now. She let out a small sigh, impatience gripping at her. 'Might as well get to the shop...' She forced her train of thought elsewhere. She turned and re-oriented herself towards the market district while waiting to hear the little chime of a response ringing in her ears.

  

829306252_Capture2copy.png.74e170cc47eb57ca69ae759798ca27a2.png

[quest info]

Teion | HP: 760/760 | EN: 90/90 | DMG: 23 | MIT:78 | ACC:4 | BH:42 | REC: 8 | LD:3


 NOTES

  Hide contents

[Tier Lock] - 5% EXP bonus

[Assisted] Theo | HP: 20/20 | EN: 20/20 | DMG: 1 | LD: 1 | SD: 1
[Assisting] Teion | HP: 190/190 | EN: 36/36 | DMG: 14 | MIT:42 | ACC:4 | BH:10 | REC: 2 | LD:3

THREAD INFO

  Hide contents

equipped

»Requiem (+12 DMG)
»Waning Crescent (+2 ACC, +4EN Recovery)

»Amethyst Set (+48 MIT, +4EN Recovery)

 

battle-ready inventory

»Sand Armor Potion (Parry next attack)
»Bottled Banshee Scream (Stun all enemies for one turn)
»
*Potion of Fallen Strength (+3 DMG, -9 MIT)
»Banner of Command [3 Charges] (+1 ACC to your party until start of your next turn)
»Monkey's Agility Potion (+1 EVA)


skills

»Axe R5 (+7 DMG)
»Light Armor R5 (+30 MIT, -2 Stealth)
»Battle Healing R5 (38 healing per turn)
»Searching R3 (+3 LD, +3 Stealth Detection)
»Charge (+3 DMG -1 ACC attack | 3 post CD | 8EN)

addons

»[Axe] Precision (+1 ACC)
»[Axe] Ferocity (+2 DMG)
»[Axe] Stamina (-2 EN)
»[Light Armor] Resolve (+1 ACC, +40 HP)

mods

»Meticulous (+1 DMG)
»Emergency Recovery (Heal 76 when brought below 190 | Once per thread | 10EN)
»Night Vision (No penalties from low light/darkness)
»Detect (+2 Stealth Detection, +1 LD to dungeons/labyrinths)
»Bull Rush (Charge may stun instead)


buffs

»

 

Edited by Teion
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While waiting for a response, Theo decided to participate in some good ole' fashion people watching. For a few moments he watched PCs and NPCs alike travel the city under the morning sun. For a moment he could imagine being at his mother's shop, Blossom Avenue, and watch people walking down Plymouth's busy streets. It was calming to watch people within the world to just, exist. He could almost hear his mom behind him, asking for help moving a couple bags of dirt. A smile broke across his face and for a moment, he was at peace within this day dream.

A system alert broke him from this stupor and back into virtual reality. He opened up the notification, quickly reading over the words that this stranger sent him. Well, maybe not a stranger?

Theodore blinked a couple times and looked up at the quest board, seeing the purple-haired woman standing in front of it. When his eyes fell on her, his brain felt as though it stuttered in recognition and surprise.

"Thea?!" Theodore jumped to his feet and practically yelled at the woman from about 20 feet away. He blinked multiple times in rapid succession, almost as if the image of her was in his eye, and maybe blinking enough would remove the image of his high school friend. He could still see her back in their school days, but here she appeared more... present? 

"It's not a surprise to see you in a game like this, but here?! In this game specifically?! And we haven't ran into each other until now?!" Theo couldn't help but laugh as he approached the Thea. "You're... wow okay you're kind of a badass now? Wait are you a front-liner?!" A sparkle entered his eye as he asked this, akin to someone meeting a celebrity for the first time.

He opened his mouth to ask another question, and then quickly realized he had not gotten an answer to the rest of the questions that he asked. His hands brushed down the front of his sweater, an attempt at distracting his mouth from saying even more words. Holy shit HOLY SHIT IT'S A FRIEND FROM HIGHSCHOOL. Okay. Okay don't mess this up.

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She had hardly taken a handful of steps when the sound of her real name shouted from across the way caused her to tense up with a strange alertness. 'That voice...' Her head turned quickly in Theo's direction, and she, too, barely believed her eyes as they crossed the courtyard with an abundant air of pure, unbridled excitement. "Huh?" Their eyes met, but even so she seemed much more reluctant--or maybe just incapable--of believing them just yet.

And then came the barrage. A series of statements riddled with questions spilling out of that happy-go-lucky face of his. She blinked in continuous disbelief. "Wait..." Her brows furrowed slightly. "Wait, wait. Hold on!" Her tone cut more sharply than she might have meant. The air between them took on a different silence for a moment and the two stood across from each other. Teion was tense, shocked, and confused with a twinge of despair wriggling around in her belly. She looked up at Theo. It was Theo. They were a little older than she remembered, but it was them. The mixed expression that she wore shifted. A chuckle born of nerves bubbled up swiftly from her chest and cause her shoulders to bob. Her brows softened, and then she laughed. "Oh my god, it's really you." She remained overwhelmed, but a strange sensation of relief was now thrown into the mix. "How... How are you?" Was all she could muster in response, her voice incredulous.

"Oh, right, right, uhm," At some point her brain began catching up to things. "Wow, yeah. I...can hardly believe you're here, either." How was he always so cheerful? Her thoughts immediately followed. She was beyond flustered, and a hand reached up to tousle at her bangs. "Oh, I, err... Well, I have gone to a couple of the boss fights." She admitted, finally addressing something directly. What floors were those again? "Twenty-two and three. It was...intense, so I'm at least taking a break from that stuff." 

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Theo's shoulder's tensed at the immediate tone shift from Thea's response. Did he have it wrong? Was she not the independent girl he went to school with? He was close to falling over himself with apologies, but the look of recognition dawned on her. Theo's smile quickly returned and even doubled when Thea's tone turned friendly. "Yeah Yeah Yeah!" He was thrilled that he knew someone here, someone he didn't have to go through the path of making small talk/getting to know them.

He nodded along with her words, listening to her talking about being a front liner. "It definitely sounds difficult. I'm glad you're getting a break from it. And hey! We just got to floor 29!" He was excited to eventually visit, but worried that any sort of tourist visit may be dangerous. "And I'm doing well!" Well, that was a lie, but Theo wasn't going to divulge everything immediately. "Decided to finally get started with playing the game and working my way up in the world, you know?"

"Oh, have you done this quest before? I'm assuming so considering you're, well, you. Also, should we get started? Or do you have any errands to run in town?" He was all smiles, staring at her almost unblinking awaiting her response. Maybe after this we could get coffee and talk! I wonder if she's in a guild, maybe I could hang out with her more and maybe join up with her group? They're probably all higher level and wont need all the stuff I have, but I will hopefully have some stuff to offer... The thoughts continued to whirlwind around, Theodore already planning the next three-to-four steps of this reforming friendship.

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Theo's bubbly attitude seeped into the air, and the way he beamed at her practically stole the wind out of Teion's lungs. She simply looked back at him with brows turned up, a smile tugging relentlessly at the corner of her mouth. She wanted to feel terrible. The weight of dismay at their shared circumstances--their shared prison--was heavy just a moment ago, but... That grin of his brushed that burden away with ease. For now, at least. It was as if they had caught each other in the hallway between classes and just hadn't seen each other in a while. There would be time to worry over life and express her existential dread later.

With her nervousness slowly subsiding, she remembered about the quest he had been asking for help with in the first place. "Oh, hmm..." Truthfully, she wasn't sure. She didn't quite recognize the quest name, but it was so generic. "I guess I'd have to check." She admitted vaguely. Then, she remembered something entirely different. "Oh, shoot. Sorry, one second." With practiced motions, Teion opened up her menus, then her friends list, then she clicked on a name and chose another messaging option. A keyboard materialized in front of her and she began typing up another few short sentences.

Quote

Message Sender: Teion
Recipient: Ryo
Subject: Sorry!

»Hey, I'll be late coming by. I ran into someone I know. I'll let you know.

Just as soon as she sent off the message, a second thought nestled in. She wasn't sure how long this would take, and she didn't want to keep him waiting all afternoon when she said she'd stop by his place... "Actually..." She already knew what Theo would say, but she'd be rude not to ask. "Do you mind if I invite someone else to tag along? I had some plans, but," She hesitated. If she didn't keep speaking, Theo would probably trip over himself thinking he was inconveniencing her, but now she'd trapped herself into revealing more about her relationships than she'd intended so quickly. She would have to rip off the proverbial band-aid, but delayed it just a little bit longer. "I want you to meet him." She punctuated the thought. She'd type up a second message shortly after.

Quote

Message Sender: Teion
Recipient: Ryo
Subject: Meet Up?

»If you're bored, I'm helping out with a quest on F1. Come say hi?

She wasn't actually sure if Ryo would simply opt to wait for her at his home, but her thoughts didn't linger for too long. Brought back to her friends list, she tapped on the "Add" button and input his name. Then she scoffed with a smirk. "And you really named yourself Theo? In the sword fighting fantasy game?" She cocked an eyebrow and cast him a teasing glance. She'd send him a party request as soon as his name settled into her list. Her menus then closed with a soft chime after a wave of her hand, and she continued the motion to wave off his other question. "Oh, I was just here to pick up more materials from the craft traders here, but that can wait. I'm not in a hurry for them." She insisted. "Share that quest with me."

As they headed towards the first objective location that the quest specified, the alchemist Zackariah, she pitched an innocuous topic of conversation. "So...what kind of build are you going for?" After all this time, it was easier to talk about the game. She knew he was supposed to be in the middle of his undergraduate degree, but how could she ask how his classes had been when she knew he hadn't seem them in ages? The game was their lives now, after all.

Edited by Teion
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Ryo stared at the ceiling as he lay in his bed. He rolled over to his stomach, then back to his back as he filled the bed by spreading his limbs. He lay still, his thoughts running rampant in his mind. Where did this sudden apathy come from? Why did it hit? How long has he been in this bed? What was Teion up to? What was everyone else up to? What was he going to be up? He sighed again, another sign of the exhaustion of doing nothing. And the worst part was that he truly didn't want to do anything. Not anymore. He tried to catch up to the current Heroes of Aincrad, and join them on the front lines. But that was a dream, and only that. No amount of training would allow him to reach those dreams and so he lied here in his bed.

His door opened. "Good morning sir, still wallowing away in bed?" Pennyworth, an NPC butler of his entered and spoke. Ryo didn't reply. Talking with Pennyworth usually led to a round about ploy to get him to go outside and do something. "Good to see that you're still in good health Master Ryo." Pennyworth said. "Any word from Master Teion?" Ryo let out a groan. "She said she was going to spend the day doing chores, and then be over." Ryo responded. And as if fate itself wanted to intervene, he got a notification. He read it softly aloud. "Never mind. Seems she ran into someone and is going to be late." He let out a small sigh of defeat as he knew what his butler was going to say next. "I'm glad Master Teion is out and about, meeting people. It certainly a bit more becoming then wasting away in one's bed." Ryo let out an exasperated sigh before getting another notification. "Look, I can go outside and mingle with as many people as I want. It's not going to change the fact that-" He stopped his sentence short, and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm not going to argue with this anymore." He said, looking at the new message.

He read the message, asking if he wanted to hang out. He had some apprehension towards it. It wasn't that he didn't want to hang out with Teion, he did he always wanted to do that. It was that he just, didn't want to go anywhere. He entered in a message reply. 

Quote

Message Sender: Ryo
Recipient: Teion
Subject: Re: Meet Up?

»Yeah I'm game. Be right there.

He sent the message and found himself smiling. "Pennyworth, I'm taking your advice to heart and stepping out for a bit. I'll be back in time for dinner." Ryo said throwing his clothes on. "Ah wonder Master Ryo. I'll be sure the kitchen is cleaned of any dust that may have accumulated. And be sure to wear your sun hat. Your lack of sunlight may have left your skin unprotected from its rays. Would hate to see you turn pink sir." Ryo let out a small laugh as he exited his home. "I don't know how Master Teion does it. I shall have to ask for notes."

~

Teleporting to the first floor Ryo adjusted the katana on his hip, making sure it was still snug and secured. Ryo looked around his map menu attempting to get his bearings after all it had been some time since he had been here. Getting his bearings he began to walk to where Teion had mentioned to meet him. The tranquility of the first floor was appreciated, that was before he started getting accosted by someone. "Ah! What?" Ryo said flinching from the sudden intrusion into his personal space. Realizing it was an NPC softened his gaze slightly, but annoyed him "Who programmed you to accost me in the streets?" He asked the NPC aloud, before growing more annoyed with its behavior. 

"Pardon me, but-"

"Yes. Skip."

"My name is Dorian, and-"

"Skip."

"Excellent, I knew-"

"Skip." Ryo said, skipping the dialogue and hastily pressing the accept button. He would either do the quest later, or just never do it. It wouldn't harm him in his menus. He just wanted to meet Tei and move on with his day. He stomped off, a little perturbed by the sudden quest he hastily accepted. He would instead look for Teion, who according to the message details should've been around here somewhere. He squinted, and scanned the crowd of NPC's mingling with people. Scouting ahead, he could catch a glimpse of purple standing still amongst the dark browns and blacks. Making his way through the crowd, Ryo raised his hand and cupped the other to his mouth. "Oiiiiiiiii! Teiiiiiiioooooooon!" He called out from across the way. Making sure it was the correct purple haired woman.

Confirming who he was shouting at was indeed the correct person, Ryo would approach the two. "Hey Tei. Finally made it." He said, giving her a smile. "And this is?" He said, looking up at the tall man before him. Studying his features Ryo leaned over to Teion and spoke. "Are all Americans this tall? Or just you guys?" He asked, teasing slightly before holding an empty hand to the man before him. "Hey there! I'm Ryo, Tei's boyfriend. I take it you're new to the scene?" He asked, still feeling good about being able to say 'boyfriend' after all this time. After introductions were made, Ryo asked his next question. "So we doing anything, or do we want to talk about the weird NPC over there that accosted me in the street." He said pointing to the quest giving NPC and giving a slight chuckle.

[Using Yui's Grace]

 

  

RyoTiny.png.4fc72a98b56fa958749bb7890aac4c95.png

[quest info]

Ryo | HP: 625/625 | EN: 91/91 | DMG: 18 | MIT:91 | ACC:3 | BH:21 | REC: 3 | LD:2


[TIER LOCK] PARTY STATS

Spoiler

[Tier Lock] - 10% EXP Bonus

[Assisted] Theo | HP: 20/20 | EN: 20/20 | DMG: 1 | LD: 4 | SD: 1
[Assisting] Teion | HP: 190/190 | EN: 36/36 | DMG: 14 | MIT:42 | ACC:4 | BH:10 | REC: 2 | LD:6
[Assisting] Ryo | HP: 135/135 | EN: 35/35 | DMG: 12 | MIT:55 | BH:4 | LD:2

THREAD INFO

Spoiler

equipped

»Gin Kin (+9 DMG)
»Fierce Deities Coat (+36 MIT, +3EN Recovery)

»Accuracy Charm (+3 Accuracy)

battle-ready inventory
»
»
»
»
»


skills

»Katana R5 (+7 DMG)
»Heavy Armor R5 (+40 MIT, -5 Stealth)
»Battle Healing R3 (18 healing per turn)
»Searching R2 (+2 LD, +2 Stealth Detection)

»

extra skills

»Survival (Healing effects 10% more, immune to environmental effects)
»Leadership R1 (Grants access to Leadership Arts, takes 2 Extra Slots)
»Leadership R1
»
»

addons

»[Katana] Focus (Minor Crit on BD 8, reduce DoT threshold by 1)
»[Axe] Stamina (-2 EN)
»[Heavy Armor] Iron Skin (+15 MIT, +45 HP)

mods

»Impetus (+1 DMG)
»Emergency Recovery (Heal 62 when brought below 156 | Once per thread | 10EN)
»Night Vision (No penalties from low light/darkness)


buffs

»Zackariah’s Fondue (+3 LD)
» Yui's Grace Used (+ 600% EXP for this thread)

» Dining Room: "Tasty" - Turn 2 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Lesser Feast. A Lesser Feast contains 4 portions of the food items sacrificed. Lesser Feasts created this way cannot be used outside of the thread they are created. Limit 1 item created per thread.
» Basic Kitchen: "Filling" - Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot. This can exceed normal Cook enhancement caps.(Ex: A perfect T2 MIT food gives 35 MIT instead of 30.)
» Living Room: "Relaxed" - Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.

 

Edited by Ryo
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"I want you to meet him."

Theo's eyes threatened to tear up before the emotion was heavily suppressed. Even after all this time Thea still wanted to be in his life AND involve him within her own social circle. It was almost too difficult to believe, he hadn't been this lucky in the past. "G-Go right ahead! Always happy to meet more people!" Theo all but shouted the words at her. Who could this be? A partner? A friend? Guild mate? Wait, does she want me to meet the guild she's in? Is she in a guild? - Wait, I was just thinking this.

"Also, I like the name Theo, thank you very much." Their arms crossed and out of his mouth came a loud 'huff,' attempting to mimic some type of grumpy exterior. He quickly accepted the party invite, seeing his name pop up next to Th-Teion on his HUD. He then opened his quest journal, selecting <<The First Few Lessons>> and sharing it with her.

Theo fell into step next to her, people watching as they went. After being on this floor for so long, it was difficult not to notice the patterns that both players and NPCs alike fell into. It was calming in a way, you always, vaguely, knew what to expect in the Town of Beginnings. Players trying to party up, NPCs selling their wares whenever someone walked by, and the repeated dialogue all quest givers would regurgitate to any new person that walked by. It could get boring, but Theo found it just like home in a strange sort of way.

This floor had everyone, both front-liners and those that never made it past the beginning. Like me, I guess. He prodded himself with that thought, the inward guilt of giving away everything to others clawing its way into his brain.

"So...what kind of build are you going for?"

He visually froze, both dreading and not expecting this question from his party member. "I... Uhhh." How does he tell her that he had no idea? That any progress he made he quickly fell through on due to his need to help others? "I'm not entirely sure." Theo's voice came out strained and about one octave above his normal speaking pattern. That's not an answer, that's a cop-out. "I-I mean I'm debating between options still. I picked up the <<Searching>> skill when everything started. Maybe gathering? I don't really do much combat so.... I have no idea what I would do for it." He shrugged, dismissing any aspiration he may have for combative endeavors.

Luckily, someone new came by to distract him and Thea- Teion a like. The individual, assuming to be the person Teion wanted to introduce to Theo, broke into the scene with a handshake and a declaration of being her boyfriend. Theodore quickly put his hand out and shook Ryo's beaming at the man. "Hi! I'm Theo, it's nice to meet you! And yeah, a bit new. Decided to finally do something and got given a qu- wait you also got a random conversation by an old man?" He leaned over and looked past Ryo, seeing the same person who gave him the current quest. "Oh, well, that's the one we have! So, I guess we are all on the same page."

Theo opened his map quickly and spotted the alchemist's shop nearby. "It looks like the next step is only two stores down, shall we head there and get this going?"

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PART I | THE FIRST LESSON

Spoiler

As you enter Zackariah’s shop, you are met with shelves and shelves of colorful potions in various vials and jars. 

“Oh, hello," comes the distracted greeting from behind the counter. A man with a long, snow-white beard glances up from a bubbling cup of sweet-smelling purple liquid. "Are you here to order something? I’m sorry, but I am currently swamped with orders, and I’m running out of supplies.” Light comes into the man's dark eyes, a lightbulb going off to signify a brilliant idea. “Would you gather a few materials for me? Flowers, herbs, rare woods, whatever you can find outside the city walls. I promise I’ll help you fill your order as soon as you return. In fact, I would be willing to show you how to do it yourself.”

Zackariah offers each player a sample from a small bubbling pot of fondue in the back of his shop.  Those who accept are granted a +3 to their Loot Die scores for rest of the quest.  This effect counts as a consumable enhancement and will not stack with other LD consumables. Eating the fondue is optional, but requires a post action. Players must update their stats on the same post where they partake, to reflect this change. Escorts gain no benefit, but may roleplay their participation, should they desire.

After receiving your instructions from Dorian and Zackariah, head out into the wilds of Floor One and roleplay attempting to gather the necessary components.  An LD roll of 15 or higher is required to successfully find a material.  Players with the Forager profession may use their current proficiency with that skill instead.  Note that Zackariah’s fondue helps with gathering rolls, but not the foraging profession. 

After everyone has made at least 3 attempts, excluding any escorts, return to Zackariah.  Should you fail to return with any materials, he glances at you over his glasses with fatherly disappointment, but you suffer no other consequences.  Either way, he responds the same way to your queries about Dorian’s debts:

"Leave it to Dorian to forget something so important. No, I'm afraid it wasn't me that borrowed the col. You might try Lyle, the blacksmith. I've seen him talking with the mayor frequently the past month or so, and he's just up the road. I wish you luck!"

Her lips pursed to the side while Theo expressed his uncertainty. She hadn't expected him to be terribly interested in the type of combat this game had to offer, so it made sense that he was leaning towards the other systems. A gatherer, crafter, or maybe even a scouting type of build easily felt like it suited them better than swordplay. She just nodded, but followed up with a bit of advice that carried a solemn tone. "You should learn how to fight. Just the basics, at least." Sure, it was possible to never step foot outside of a safe zone. Actually... 'Has he been stuck on this floor this whole time?' She wondered with slight horror if Theo had ever faced combat before, or even visited the safe zones on other floors. It was tough to find too many quests in these types of hubs that didn't point you out towards the wild unknown or demand you to hunt dangerous monsters.

A shout pulled Teion out of her thousand-yard stare, and she perked up when Ryo called her name. She turned, spotting the purple-haired man catching up to them, and a small smile took over her lips. "Hey." She matched his greeting. The two of them jumped into introductions, and she grew a bit flustered over Ryo's side of things. "Be nice." She couldn't hide a smile as she gave him a nudge over his teasing. "Theo and I are friends from school." She gave Ryo a little more context. "It's been a while, even before the whole game thing, but you seem still as optimistic as ever." She looked to Theo at that, her voice dripping with amazed skepticism. She didn't know how he did it, then or now. Teion sighed softly, sent Ryo an invitation to add his name to the party roster, and then nodded her head towards the road they'd been walking. "C'mon."

They had made it to the alchemist shop specified by the quest's directions. Teion pushed the door open and stepped inside unabashedly, taking a couple of strides past the entryway so that she wouldn't be blocking the path while gawking from the doorway. She glanced around at the very plain-looking shop, bottles full of colorful liquid lining every shelf. The bearded, white-haired man caught their attention with a a simple greeting and then went into his spiel with very little prompting on their part. 

Quote

“Would you gather a few materials for me? Flowers, herbs, rare woods, whatever you can find outside the city walls. I promise I’ll help you fill your order as soon as you return. In fact, I would be willing to show you how to do it yourself.”

Teion let him talk, casting a sideways glance at her party members. Sounded like a simple fetch quest. The fields just outside of town are mild, so even if Theo was out there all by himself she wouldn't feel too worried for his safety. Wait. Wasn't this quest about something else? Were they here to pick up an order for someone? She almost started pulling up her quest log to read over it, but ultimately shrugged it off. Then he waved at them and began to offer some sort of 'snack'. She cocked an eyebrow, a skeptic look clearly written on her face. "Uhh. After you," She motioned a hand to wave either of the other two to go ahead of her if they wanted a taste of the old alchemist's hospitality. She tried to gauge Ryo's reaction specifically. He was quite literally good with food in this game, so if he thought it was worth their time then Teion might be convinced to check it out more closely. Until then, she stayed put next to one of the many displays of vials and poultices.

Edited by Teion
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Ryo nodded as Theo's name was given. "Pleasure to meet you Theo." He said, receiving the handshake. Ryo felt Tei's nudge, and chuckled softly in response. "I am being nice." He said, defending himself. Ryo paused to think for a moment. How many people were actually in the game, and would anyone from real life recognize him from school? Probably not, and if he had met them early on. He shook his head, not wanting to dwell on past mistakes. Ryo snapped back into focus as his received the party invite, and joined it. "Wow. Still level 1." He said slightly amazed. "So, what's gotten you in a kick to suddenly get out and about? Accepting quests and what not." Ryo asked, curious.

"Wait, same quest?" Ryo asked as he frantically opened his menu and fumbled through the drop downs. "Oh that's what that was. I just skipped all the dialogue to get here faster ha ha." He said giving a small laugh as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Been a while since I've been this low on the tower, so I was a little surprised to see that something new got added since my time here." He admitted. When even was the last time he took on a quest? It was with, Hestia if his memory served him correctly. And they were fighting, something. Probably some kind of ghost, or dog thing. He accepted the party invite, and saw the option to level sync. Seeing that Teion already had, why wouldn't he.

Following the group he would attempt to make more small talk, mainly with the new Theo. "I'm curious. What was Tei like in school? I really only know the 'leave me alone, I live in the desert' portion of her life." He said, making his voice deeper to mimic his partner.

After bits of small talk was done, they would have reached the shop in question. The general quest details he ignored as he trusted the other two to lead him in the correct direction. His spent a few moments looking at the variety of jars and bottles. He picked one up and held in between himself and Teion, letting the liquid inside distort her body. Letting out a small singular 'heh' he placed the bottle back and then noticed the fondue. "Oh shit?" He said aloud. "Didn't know there was a snack on this quest. Maybe I won't complete it to get infinite cheese." He said musing to himself. He grabbed a skewer and a piece of dried bread to dip and popped it into his mouth. His face scrunched up slightly as he finished tasting. "Breads really dry. Practically a brick. Fondue's decent though. Could use some more spice maybe." And with that he was formulating how to recreate the concoction. "Oh, this gives a buff to your looting apparently." He said, noting the new buff icon in his HUD. "So uh, where to next?" He asked.

 

Combat Stats

Quote

[Tier Lock] - 10% EXP Bonus

[Assisted] Theo | HP: 20/20 | EN: 20/20 | DMG: 1 | LD: 1 | SD: 1
[Assisting] Teion | HP: 190/190 | EN: 36/36 | DMG: 14 | MIT:42 | ACC:4 | BH:10 | REC: 2 | LD:3
[Assisting] Ryo | HP: 135/135 | EN: 35/35 | DMG: 12 | MIT:55 | BH:4 | LD:2                                                                                                                            

  

RyoTiny.png.4fc72a98b56fa958749bb7890aac4c95.png

[quest info]

Ryo | HP: 625/625 | EN: 91/91 | DMG: 18 | MIT:91 | ACC:3 | BH:21 | REC: 3 | LD:2


[TIER LOCK] PARTY STATS

Spoiler

[Tier Lock] - 10% EXP Bonus

[Assisted] Theo | HP: 20/20 | EN: 20/20 | DMG: 1 | LD: 4 | SD: 1
[Assisting] Teion | HP: 190/190 | EN: 36/36 | DMG: 14 | MIT:42 | ACC:4 | BH:10 | REC: 2 | LD:6
[Assisting] Ryo | HP: 135/135 | EN: 35/35 | DMG: 12 | MIT:55 | BH:4 | LD:2

THREAD INFO

Spoiler

equipped

»Gin Kin (+9 DMG)
»Fierce Deities Coat (+36 MIT, +3EN Recovery)

»Accuracy Charm (+3 Accuracy)

battle-ready inventory
»
»
»
»
»


skills

»Katana R5 (+7 DMG)
»Heavy Armor R5 (+40 MIT, -5 Stealth)
»Battle Healing R3 (18 healing per turn)
»Searching R2 (+2 LD, +2 Stealth Detection)

»

extra skills

»Survival (Healing effects 10% more, immune to environmental effects)
»Leadership R1 (Grants access to Leadership Arts, takes 2 Extra Slots)
»Leadership R1
»
»

addons

»[Katana] Focus (Minor Crit on BD 8, reduce DoT threshold by 1)
»[Axe] Stamina (-2 EN)
»[Heavy Armor] Iron Skin (+15 MIT, +45 HP)

mods

»Impetus (+1 DMG)
»Emergency Recovery (Heal 62 when brought below 156 | Once per thread | 10EN)
»Night Vision (No penalties from low light/darkness)


buffs

»Zackariah’s Fondue (+3 LD)
» Yui's Grace Used (+ 600% EXP for this thread)

» Dining Room: "Tasty" - Turn 2 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Lesser Feast. A Lesser Feast contains 4 portions of the food items sacrificed. Lesser Feasts created this way cannot be used outside of the thread they are created. Limit 1 item created per thread.
» Basic Kitchen: "Filling" - Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot. This can exceed normal Cook enhancement caps.(Ex: A perfect T2 MIT food gives 35 MIT instead of 30.)
» Living Room: "Relaxed" - Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.

 

Edited by Ryo
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Teion's insistence that he should learn to fight, and Ryo's comment on Theo remaining at level 1 all this time caused a small amount of embarrassment to creep into his body. His face adopted a soft shade of red, his eyes began to investigate every corner of the store instead of meeting his party members' eyes, and his hands fiddled with the hem of his sweater. Logically, he fully knew that these two were not meaning anything nefarious by their comments, more surprise than anything else. However, logic hasn't always won out within his brain. "yeah... Yeah I haven't really done much. To be completely honest the onl-" His admittance of being poor was cut off by Zachariah, the quest NPC, jumping into his commonly regurgitated dialogue.

He listened along to the words said by the man, smiling softly to himself due to the fact that the quest was gathering items. I... I think I can do that? It was truly the only skill he had in his repertoire, so Theo hoped and prayed that they could do it. The alchemist offered some... Fondue? to the party, which Theo accepted happily. He listened to Ryo's review and decided to eat it anyway, he was very hungry after all. It tasted fine going in, but as soon as he swallowed, the dried bread sat like a lump in his throat.

Theo began coughing in a similar fashion to someone on their death. They placed one hand on the wooden counter, a way to stabilize themselves as the dried bread attempted to pass through his esophagus. "It-" another round of coughing. His face went brighter red, a silver lining in the way of hiding his earlier blush by almost choking to death. A minute passed before things became a bit more 'normal' with Theodore only giving a few ragged breaths. "It's a little dry." He finally wheezed out, wiping away new-formed tears from his near death experience.

Theo righted his posture and smoother out his hair and clothing. "It umm yeah, it gives you a buff. You should try it." Theo did not look or sound convincing when offering the food up to Teion. Whether or not Teion took the food, Theodore would then leave the shop for the open field outside the town, wanting to get started with the quest. When he stepped onto the cobbled streets, Theo finally decided to answer the questions posed to him by Ryo and Thea.

"I can hear your skepticism which is, well, understandable in our present circumstances. I tend to just... not think about it as much? It's helped with where I currently am, the safest floor in the safest city on that floor. But I just like to remind myself that I am not dead. Usually helps any weird feelings." His smile returned and his eyes locked with Teion's for a moment. "And as for you Ryo- wait she lived in the desert?! That's cool!" He turned to Tei to ask another question, but then quickly remembered he did not respond to everything Ryo said. "Oh right, the other part of your question. She was was... very creative. Seemingly always coming up with cool characters, stories, idea- wait that's where Teion came from isn't it?! It came from high-school- sorry that was a bit loud. But yeah! She was very passionate about what she liked." He smiled to himself with memories of high-school on top of his brain.

"Wait, how did you two meet? Do you also live in the desert? Are you also a front-liner? Answer those in whatever order you'd like." He asked the purple hair party member, the masculine one that is.

---

Updated Combat Stats

Spoiler

Theo - HP: 20/20 | EN: 20/20 | DMG: 1 | LD: 4 | SD: 1
Housing: N/A
Equipment: N/A
Consumable: Quest Item - +3 LD Fondue

Battle Ready Inventory: (3) Starter Healing Potions (Heals 50 HP)
Skills
- Searching R1 [+1 LD per rank. +1 to Stealth Detection per rank.]

 

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Teion's cheeks were dusted with a hint of pink when Ryo so quickly asked about her school days. "Still do." She quietly tacked on about where she lived. "I have a blacksmith shop on Floor 5." It was impossible for her to speak about her craft without a touch of pride showing through. And then Theo mentioned the moniker of her username and her lips pressed into a wide, knowing smirk. Indeed, she had played 'Teion' before, in the first MMO she'd ever played back in high school. Long purple hair, wielding a huge, heavy axe... The first time she had logged into SAO, she'd built her character with a bit more of an imposing frame and striking rose-colored eyes. Some time after reverting to her real appearance she managed to dye her hair, and was strangely glad she had decided against cutting it before she picked up the game.

Teion would give the dubious fondue a try, if only because the other two had both vouched for its mechanical effectiveness. A small smile lingered on her expression for the brief window of Ryo's commentary. Watching him cook or listening to him talk about food always stirred the butterflies in her stomach.

"The fireworks festival." She answered Theo's question while they passed through the southern gates that delivered them to the wide, sweeping fields of the first floor's wilderness. "Were you there?" She glanced towards Theo. An event had cropped up in the middle of summer here on the first floor a while back: food stalls, mini-games, the whole nine yards, punctuated by a fireworks display. It really was surprising that Teion and Theo hadn't crossed paths until now. Recounting their first meeting, Teion couldn't help but make a face. The side of her mouth pulled up and she looked towards Ryo with a huge, teasing smirk. "He was flirting with me from the moment he opened his mouth to say 'hi'."

Amidst their small talk, something caught Teion's eye. She paused where she was walking through the grass, stopping to scan the area to her right where she thought she'd seen a hint of color. There is was. She briefly strayed from the group's path, squatting down to carefully pluck a small plant that identified itself as an 『Herb』 as she got close to it. She let the item disappear into her inventory as she'd done a hundred times before, and then caught up to keep herself within a safe distance of the others. "Theo..." She started. He was already a bundle of excitement, and she felt like they had mountains to catch up on, but a thought had crossed her mind and she would be remiss not to make the offer. "If there's any other floors you want to see, or anything you want to do that you haven't been able to tackle by yourself... I can go with you. Just say the word." Her small smile was anything but forced. This world was dangerous, but it was also beautiful. If Theo was putting out bulletins for quests, she wondered if he had many people he could rely on. Scouts and gatherers were incredibly useful, but perhaps only rivaled by supporters in how vulnerable they were without a party.

»Gathering Attempt (1/3) | ID: 239446 | LD: 11+6=17 [Success]

829306252_Capture2copy.png.74e170cc47eb57ca69ae759798ca27a2.png

[quest info]

Teion | HP: 760/760 | EN: 90/90 | DMG: 23 | MIT:78 | ACC:4 | BH:42 | REC: 8 | LD:3


[TIER LOCK] PARTY STATS

  Hide contents

[Tier Lock] - 10% EXP Bonus

[Assisted] Theo | HP: 20/20 | EN: 20/20 | DMG: 1 | LD: 4 | SD: 1
[Assisting] Teion | HP: 190/190 | EN: 36/36 | DMG: 14 | MIT:42 | ACC:4 | BH:10 | REC: 2 | LD:6
[Assisting] Ryo | HP: 135/135 | EN: 35/35 | DMG: 12 | MIT:55 | BH:4 | LD:2

THREAD INFO

  Hide contents

equipped

»Requiem (+12 DMG)
»Waning Crescent (+2 ACC, +4EN Recovery)

»Amethyst Set (+48 MIT, +4EN Recovery)

 

battle-ready inventory

»Sand Armor Potion (Parry next attack)
»Bottled Banshee Scream (Stun all enemies for one turn)
»
*Potion of Fallen Strength (+3 DMG, -9 MIT)
»Banner of Command [3 Charges] (+1 ACC to your party until start of your next turn)
»Monkey's Agility Potion (+1 EVA)


skills

»Axe R5 (+7 DMG)
»Light Armor R5 (+30 MIT, -2 Stealth)
»Battle Healing R5 (38 healing per turn)
»Searching R3 (+3 LD, +3 Stealth Detection)
»Charge (+3 DMG -1 ACC attack | 3 post CD | 8EN)

addons

»[Axe] Precision (+1 ACC)
»[Axe] Ferocity (+2 DMG)
»[Axe] Stamina (-2 EN)
»[Light Armor] Resolve (+1 ACC, +40 HP)

mods

»Meticulous (+1 DMG)
»Emergency Recovery (Heal 76 when brought below 190 | Once per thread | 10EN)
»Night Vision (No penalties from low light/darkness)
»Detect (+2 Stealth Detection, +1 LD to dungeons/labyrinths)
»Bull Rush (Charge may stun instead)


buffs

»Zackariah’s Fondue (+3 LD)

 

Edited by Teion
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Ryo slapped a hand onto the middle of Theo's back giving a laugh as he choked on the bread. "I warned you." He said. Poor guy, almost taken out of the game by a piece of bread. Pretty sure that'd be a first, and somehow still better than a handful of things on the board. Ryo's eye twitched when Theo explained how he felt alive and to help with any weird feelings. "Ha ha, I've been there." He said, waving a hand and turning his body away to look for, whatever it was he was supposed to. "Teion came from high school?" he said stifling a laugh. "I can't say 'Ryo' is any better. I meant to type 'Ryu' but messed up." He said laughing again and rubbing the back of his neck. 

As Theo got distracted with where Teion lived, a smirk appeared on his face. He gave a glance to his purple haired friend. "Oh ho ho she still does." He said at the same time she did. "When you get a few levels under your belt I'll take you to see my mansion." Ryo said, bragging a bit.

"Good memories at that festival. And can you blame me?" Ryo teased. "Listen Theo, you miss every shot you don't take. You see something you like, you've got to reach out and say hi." He said, planting a fist into his palm. Ryo let out a small sigh. He would place a thoughtful finger on his chin as they walked. "As for front lining, I haven't seen a floor boss ever. I've been playing catch up for a bit, and only now can I see their backs." Ryo said, a sudden look of determination crossing his face. "And sooner still, I'll be the hero who will get us all out of here." He said softly.

Now outside Ryo opened his menu. Since the other two already seemed to be doing, something. Squinting at his menu he quickly read through what he was meant to be doing. "Right then, looking for herbs. Easy enough. All I got to do is look over-" Ryo scanned the area. "There!" He said, pointing to a nearby spot and rushing to it. He gasped with excitement when he thought he found something, but it was only a useless『Weed』 which dissentigrated in his hands as he picked it up. "Dangit. What about you Theo, find any good Herbs in your spot?" He asked.

  »Gathering Attempt | ID: 239459| LD: 1+5=6 [Failure]

RyoTiny.png.4fc72a98b56fa958749bb7890aac4c95.png

[quest info]

Ryo | HP: 625/625 | EN: 91/91 | DMG: 18 | MIT:91 | ACC:3 | BH:21 | REC: 3 | LD:2


[TIER LOCK] PARTY STATS

Spoiler

[Tier Lock] - 10% EXP Bonus

[Assisted] Theo | HP: 20/20 | EN: 20/20 | DMG: 1 | LD: 4 | SD: 1
[Assisting] Teion | HP: 190/190 | EN: 36/36 | DMG: 14 | MIT:42 | ACC:4 | BH:10 | REC: 2 | LD:6
[Assisting] Ryo | HP: 135/135 | EN: 35/35 | DMG: 12 | MIT:55 | BH:4 | LD:2

THREAD INFO

Spoiler

equipped

»Gin Kin (+9 DMG)
»Fierce Deities Coat (+36 MIT, +3EN Recovery)

»Accuracy Charm (+3 Accuracy)

battle-ready inventory
»
»
»
»
»


skills

»Katana R5 (+7 DMG)
»Heavy Armor R5 (+40 MIT, -5 Stealth)
»Battle Healing R3 (18 healing per turn)
»Searching R2 (+2 LD, +2 Stealth Detection)

»

extra skills

»Survival (Healing effects 10% more, immune to environmental effects)
»Leadership R1 (Grants access to Leadership Arts, takes 2 Extra Slots)
»Leadership R1
»
»

addons

»[Katana] Focus (Minor Crit on BD 8, reduce DoT threshold by 1)
»[Axe] Stamina (-2 EN)
»[Heavy Armor] Iron Skin (+15 MIT, +45 HP)

mods

»Impetus (+1 DMG)
»Emergency Recovery (Heal 62 when brought below 156 | Once per thread | 10EN)
»Night Vision (No penalties from low light/darkness)


buffs

»Zackariah’s Fondue (+3 LD)
» Yui's Grace Used (+ 600% EXP for this thread)

» Dining Room: "Tasty" - Turn 2 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Lesser Feast. A Lesser Feast contains 4 portions of the food items sacrificed. Lesser Feasts created this way cannot be used outside of the thread they are created. Limit 1 item created per thread.
» Basic Kitchen: "Filling" - Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot. This can exceed normal Cook enhancement caps.(Ex: A perfect T2 MIT food gives 35 MIT instead of 30.)
» Living Room: "Relaxed" - Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.

 

 

Edited by Ryo
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Fireworks? Oh god uhhhhh. Oh right. No. "Oh yeah, I wasn't able to attend. A previous guild I was a part of asked me to help with a few things away from the main display so he could see the fireworks," Theo's face did not drop at this admission, appearing to not look upset or distraught over this previous action, "but I bet it was beautiful! That is one of only great things about this world, there is no 'budget' for fireworks. NPCs can just do them without blowing their paycheck." He quickly turned to Ryo, listening to him discuss his mansion, and inviting him when his level gets higher. "YOU HAVE A MANSION?! THAT'S SO COOL WHAT THE HELL!" Their eyes were as big as the moon that had set just a few hours prior. "Okay okay okay, how many floors? Do you have staff?! Any secret tunnels- WAIT do you have a garden? Do you need a gardener?!" All of these words sound almost on top of each other but it's obvious Theodore believed their words made sense.

Theo did not wait for a response, assuming Ryo.. Ryu? Would respond whenever he wanted. His attention was taken by Thea offering assistance in progressing through this game and seeing the different floors.

Theo stopped walking for a moment, their head angled slightly downward to stare at the ground and not meet the eye of either of his party members... friends? "I.... I would really appreciate that Thea. Thank you." Opposite of his normal bubbly attitude, Theo's body was almost motionless amidst the wind flowing through the grass. After a few seconds of this dramatic moment, Theo blinked a couple times, shook their head lightly, and looked back up at Ryo and Teion with the same smile as before.

When their eyes looked up at his friends, he was almost immediately distracted by something that he could have sworn was... mint? Was mint good for this environment? Would it be healthy here? Is it invasive like the real world? There was no way for him to answer all of those questions immediately, BUT he did know that mint could be used for alchemical work. He walked over to the sweet-smelling plant and picked it, getting an alert of gathering an 『Herb』

"Yeah! I did look!" Theo holds the plant up triumphantly to Ryo. "Oh, you found wormwood! It's a really pretty weed!" Theo said before the weed disintegrated. Theo quickly put the herb into his inventory and began searching again.

Gathering Attempt | ID: 239469 | LD:  14+4 = 18 [success]
<<First Few Lessons>>
Part 1: 1/3 Gathering Attempts

---
Combat Stats
Theo - HP: 20/20 | EN: 20/20 | DMG: 1 | LD: 4 | SD: 1

Spoiler

Housing: N/A
Equipment: N/A
Consumable: Quest Item - +3 LD Fondue

Battle Ready Inventory: (3) Starter Healing Potions (Heals 50 HP)
Skills
- Searching R1 [+1 LD per rank. +1 to Stealth Detection per rank.]

 

Edited by Theo
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"Oh." She was surprised to hear that he was in a guild. Or, maybe she shouldn't be. Theo was a people person, after all. He could make friends with almost anyone, on accident. Maybe she was more surprised at the past tense. Ryo distracted her then, and she cocked a brow and turned to him with surprise and a verbal prod. "Ryu? And here I thought the both of you just didn't like coming up with character names." She smirked a bit again.

She smiled as Ryo couldn't help but taunt Theo with the fact that he owned a whole mansion, and she rolled her eyes before going back to scanning the grassy fields for more items waiting to be found. She walked lazily, breaking away from the group by a few paces to give them all space to search for their own materials, but didn't find much of anything the way that she was going.

The other two were chatting eagerly about gathering their herbs (or attempting to) and their friendly tones were comforting. The wind brushed against her face and tousled her hair, which she reached up to tuck behind her ear and pull to one side of her neck. This was nice. It had been some time since the last and only guild she had ever been apart of disbanded, and she sometimes wondered what those peeople were up to. They were her friends, too, but things were different here. She wondered if her and Theo would keep in touch after the novelty of their reunion had run its course. She wondered if they were actually ready to share their experiences and their feelings with each other. The thoughts were sobering, and soon the smile had faded as she looked out into the distance. The breeze swept over the fields and caused wide ripples of motion in the swaying grass. The speckled forms of wildlife--mostly boars--grazed in the distance while she stood lost in thought.

She shouldn't dwell on it. Everyone was going through it since the game started, and standing here lamenting wouldn't change anything. She glanced briefly back towards Ryo and Theo, shook her head lightly, and strolled slowly forward to keep looking. She urged herself to say something innocuous. "So, Theo, do you have a weapon? Or a favorite type, at least?"

 »Gathering Attempt 2/3 | ID: 239483 | LD: 2+6=8 [Failure]

829306252_Capture2copy.png.74e170cc47eb57ca69ae759798ca27a2.png

[quest info]

Teion | HP: 760/760 | EN: 90/90 | DMG: 23 | MIT:78 | ACC:4 | BH:42 | REC: 8 | LD:3


[TIER LOCK] PARTY STATS

  Hide contents

[Tier Lock] - 10% EXP Bonus

[Assisted] Theo | HP: 20/20 | EN: 20/20 | DMG: 1 | LD: 4 | SD: 1
[Assisting] Teion | HP: 190/190 | EN: 36/36 | DMG: 14 | MIT:42 | ACC:4 | BH:10 | REC: 2 | LD:6
[Assisting] Ryo | HP: 135/135 | EN: 35/35 | DMG: 12 | MIT:55 | BH:4 | LD:2

THREAD INFO

  Hide contents

equipped

»Requiem (+12 DMG)
»Waning Crescent (+2 ACC, +4EN Recovery)

»Amethyst Set (+48 MIT, +4EN Recovery)

 

battle-ready inventory

»Sand Armor Potion (Parry next attack)
»Bottled Banshee Scream (Stun all enemies for one turn)
»
*Potion of Fallen Strength (+3 DMG, -9 MIT)
»Banner of Command [3 Charges] (+1 ACC to your party until start of your next turn)
»Monkey's Agility Potion (+1 EVA)


skills

»Axe R5 (+7 DMG)
»Light Armor R5 (+30 MIT, -2 Stealth)
»Battle Healing R5 (38 healing per turn)
»Searching R3 (+3 LD, +3 Stealth Detection)
»Charge (+3 DMG -1 ACC attack | 3 post CD | 8EN)

addons

»[Axe] Precision (+1 ACC)
»[Axe] Ferocity (+2 DMG)
»[Axe] Stamina (-2 EN)
»[Light Armor] Resolve (+1 ACC, +40 HP)

mods

»Meticulous (+1 DMG)
»Emergency Recovery (Heal 76 when brought below 190 | Once per thread | 10EN)
»Night Vision (No penalties from low light/darkness)
»Detect (+2 Stealth Detection, +1 LD to dungeons/labyrinths)
»Bull Rush (Charge may stun instead)


buffs

»Zackariah’s Fondue (+3 LD)

 

Edited by Teion
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Ryo rubbed his nose. "Oh yeah. Big mansion. Some parts still under construction, and some of it needs a new coat of paint. But I'm just one guy." He said. "Well, myself and Pennyworth." He said mentioned his butler. "And as for secret tunnels, that's not a bad idea. And a garden would help a lot with cooking." He said thinking about the possibility of one. Where would he put it? There was a nice spot next to front.

Ryo looked down by his feet and managed to catch a herb spawning by them. "Oh ho ho, lucky me." Ryo continued to searching looking for more. "Yeah Theo, that's a good question. What sort of stuff are you interested in? I've seen a lot of people try to stick with one thing but they kinda have to pivot at some point." Ryo explained. "I remember trying to learn this damn thing. And that was a pain and a half." He said, patting the katana on his waist. "Even if it's a knife, probably a good idea to at least get familiar with the game's combat system. Double so if you're wanting to go out and do anything." Ryo said, remembering how he and Lowenthal triggered a trap while exploring.

Ryo turned on his heel and looked at Theo. "Typically, someone of your height and build would be perfect for a sword and shield. But I don't think that's up your speed. You seem more like a gentle giant, so maybe the healing skill and some sort of farming implement?" Ryo thought. "Like a battle scythe, or a spear. Something to keep you away from the baddies, but enough for you to poke 'em." He said, miming the action of using a spear.

Ryo shrugged his shoulders. "Look, I just wanted to get in and play the game of a lifetime. How was I supposed to know this wasn't going to be a temporary account?" He said, defending himself. 

»Gathering Attempt | ID: 239486 | LD: 16+5=21 [Success]

  

RyoTiny.png.4fc72a98b56fa958749bb7890aac4c95.png

[quest info]

Ryo | HP: 625/625 | EN: 91/91 | DMG: 18 | MIT:91 | ACC:3 | BH:21 | REC: 3 | LD:2


[TIER LOCK] PARTY STATS

Spoiler

[Tier Lock] - 10% EXP Bonus

[Assisted] Theo | HP: 20/20 | EN: 20/20 | DMG: 1 | LD: 4 | SD: 1
[Assisting] Teion | HP: 190/190 | EN: 36/36 | DMG: 14 | MIT:42 | ACC:4 | BH:10 | REC: 2 | LD:6
[Assisting] Ryo | HP: 135/135 | EN: 35/35 | DMG: 12 | MIT:55 | BH:4 | LD:2

THREAD INFO

Spoiler

equipped

»Gin Kin (+9 DMG)
»Fierce Deities Coat (+36 MIT, +3EN Recovery)

»Accuracy Charm (+3 Accuracy)

battle-ready inventory
»
»
»
»
»


skills

»Katana R5 (+7 DMG)
»Heavy Armor R5 (+40 MIT, -5 Stealth)
»Battle Healing R3 (18 healing per turn)
»Searching R2 (+2 LD, +2 Stealth Detection)

»

extra skills

»Survival (Healing effects 10% more, immune to environmental effects)
»Leadership R1 (Grants access to Leadership Arts, takes 2 Extra Slots)
»Leadership R1
»
»

addons

»[Katana] Focus (Minor Crit on BD 8, reduce DoT threshold by 1)
»[Axe] Stamina (-2 EN)
»[Heavy Armor] Iron Skin (+15 MIT, +45 HP)

mods

»Impetus (+1 DMG)
»Emergency Recovery (Heal 62 when brought below 156 | Once per thread | 10EN)
»Night Vision (No penalties from low light/darkness)


buffs

»Zackariah’s Fondue (+3 LD)
» Yui's Grace Used (+ 600% EXP for this thread)

» Dining Room: "Tasty" - Turn 2 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Lesser Feast. A Lesser Feast contains 4 portions of the food items sacrificed. Lesser Feasts created this way cannot be used outside of the thread they are created. Limit 1 item created per thread.
» Basic Kitchen: "Filling" - Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot. This can exceed normal Cook enhancement caps.(Ex: A perfect T2 MIT food gives 35 MIT instead of 30.)
» Living Room: "Relaxed" - Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.

 

Edited by Ryo
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"Uhhh... hmm. I have a weapon- wait I don't even have it equipped.... Shit." Theodore quickly opened his <<HUD>> and scrolled through his inventory, selecting the bow and equipping it. He then selected his quiver and added that to his person. The bow was a light-brown wood with a simple string running from one end to the other. It attached to his back with a leather strap that crossed over their body. The quiver was a dark brown leather attached to his belt for quick-drawing. "I... I don't know why I picked bow and arrow. Have I ever used a bow and arrow? No. Did I want to prior to SAO? Also no. But this felt like the best option for me. I don't know about you Thea, but I can NOT see myself face-to-face with an animal or a monster... I'd probably scream and run... Maybe cry too?" Theo couldn't help but chuckle at the end of that.

"As for interests? I like gathering things! I have no idea if my knowledge of plants here would actually do anything here in SAO but I think I might want to stick to my roots." Theo snapped his fingers and did 'finger guns' with the roots pun. "I don't see myself doing much fighting on the front lines. Very much more staying in the background, gathering materials, and maybe making things? I haven't decided whether or not I want to actually craft items or just get the things to craft said items, you know? Oh! and for combat, maybe doing like bleed or DOT effects? Wait, is DOT the right term? I'm a bit our of my zone when it comes to gaming terminology." Theodore shrugged and watched Ryo get a material. He smiled at the man and started looking more.

"What about you two? What are your builds?" He cast a look at the both of them before returning to the ground, spotting a purple flower hiding behind a bush. "Lavender!" The forager exclaimed as they picked the flower. The system declared it as a『Herb』and Theo quickly put it into his inventory. "Oh, and how did you come upon your builds? Like, did it take a long time? I feel like a decision like that would take forEVER to decide on." Theodore stood straight up after gathering the item and turned to Ryo and Teion. I bet they knew right away, they seem fairly sure of themselves.
ID: 239491 | LD:  19+4=23 [Success]
<<First Few Lessons>>
Part 1: 2/3 Gathering Attempts

---
Battle Stats
Theo - HP: 20/20 | EN: 20/20 | DMG: 1 | LD: 4 | SD: 1

Spoiler

Housing: N/A
Equipment: N/A
Consumable: Quest Item - +3 LD Fondue

Battle Ready Inventory: (3) Starter Healing Potions (Heals 50 HP)
Skills
- Searching R1 [+1 LD per rank. +1 to Stealth Detection per rank.]

 

Edited by Theo
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"Hmm..." Teion let out a low hum, looking to the ground. "I didn't know if I'd like it in VR," She started, pulling up her own menus, "but I guess it grew on me. I like playing brawler, bruiser builds in games, so..." She trailed off, guessing at which term might be the most correct to describe what she was thinking of. Teion tapped on an item in her inventory and chose the option to 'Equip' her two-handed battle axe, Requiem. Cardinal's blue glow created the weapon's silhouette on her back and then it snapped into existence. The massive blade was easily visible over her shoulder, measuring at least a head and a half wide and sporting a sharpened, bright silver edge. "But I didn't want to be stuck with full plate or tanking or whatever," She continued with a small frown and poked at her chest with a finger that pressed into leather. "So I'm sticking with light armor. It's not as tough, but at least I'm not rattling around." Her nose scrunched.

"Um... Besides weapon and armor skills..." She had to think, and swiped around to open her list of skills. "I mean, I have my crafting skill up pretty high, but... Yeah, I guess I've mostly dumped everything into combat. And enough Searching to get the Night Vision mod." She admitted, realizing just how narrow her build had become. She'd never really given much thought about changing it, either. It had just sort of been good enough all this time. Her lips pursed to the side in some more thought, "It was tough to get used to in VR, though. Getting up in monsters' faces and getting thrown around is...a time." She glanced sideways at Theo and cut herself short with an awkward choice of words in an attempt to avoid scaring the man. She shook her head. "I've never tried a ranged weapon, though. I bet you'd be better at it." Teion affirmed.

"Well, whenever you want to try it out, I'll cover for you." She smirked. "Ryo, too, if I ask him nicely again." She assumed. He didn't seem in the habit of turning her down if she were to ever ask something of him. Which wasn't all that often, come to think of it. Did he mind if she would volunteer him for things like this? There it was: that wriggling doubt that crept along the edges of her thoughts. That playful smirk held for a moment when she naturally glanced back Ryo's way, but she broke her gaze quickly and took another few wandering steps. She was in and out of her own head today, it seemed. Teion and Ryo had made things official between them, called each other boyfriend and girlfriend, but she had insisted on taking things slowly--a request that in itself she worried about from time to time. She would consider their romantic relationship 'fresh' regardless, messily jump-started with some trauma bonding and a slew of harrowing situations they'd had to struggle through together. And so she reminded herself every now and then that she didn't really know him. Not as well as she would like to.

Teion caught herself, but couldn't figure out the right way to speak up, and held her tongue. 'Next time.' She assured herself.

It then occurred to her that she wasn't sure just how long they'd have to stay out here. What was the requirement on the quest? A certain number of herbs or something? She pulled up her menus as she thought aloud, "How many of these do we need, anyway?"

 »Gathering Attempt 3/3 | ID: 239493 | LD: 5+6=11 [Failure]

829306252_Capture2copy.png.74e170cc47eb57ca69ae759798ca27a2.png

[quest info]

Teion | HP: 760/760 | EN: 90/90 | DMG: 23 | MIT:78 | ACC:4 | BH:42 | REC: 8 | LD:3


[TIER LOCK] PARTY STATS

  Hide contents

[Tier Lock] - 10% EXP Bonus

[Assisted] Theo | HP: 20/20 | EN: 20/20 | DMG: 1 | LD: 4 | SD: 1
[Assisting] Teion | HP: 190/190 | EN: 36/36 | DMG: 14 | MIT:42 | ACC:4 | BH:10 | REC: 2 | LD:6
[Assisting] Ryo | HP: 135/135 | EN: 35/35 | DMG: 12 | MIT:55 | BH:4 | LD:2

THREAD INFO

  Hide contents

equipped

»Requiem (+12 DMG)
»Waning Crescent (+2 ACC, +4EN Recovery)

»Amethyst Set (+48 MIT, +4EN Recovery)

 

battle-ready inventory

»Sand Armor Potion (Parry next attack)
»Bottled Banshee Scream (Stun all enemies for one turn)
»
*Potion of Fallen Strength (+3 DMG, -9 MIT)
»Banner of Command [3 Charges] (+1 ACC to your party until start of your next turn)
»Monkey's Agility Potion (+1 EVA)


skills

»Axe R5 (+7 DMG)
»Light Armor R5 (+30 MIT, -2 Stealth)
»Battle Healing R5 (38 healing per turn)
»Searching R3 (+3 LD, +3 Stealth Detection)
»Charge (+3 DMG -1 ACC attack | 3 post CD | 8EN)

addons

»[Axe] Precision (+1 ACC)
»[Axe] Ferocity (+2 DMG)
»[Axe] Stamina (-2 EN)
»[Light Armor] Resolve (+1 ACC, +40 HP)

mods

»Meticulous (+1 DMG)
»Emergency Recovery (Heal 76 when brought below 190 | Once per thread | 10EN)
»Night Vision (No penalties from low light/darkness)
»Detect (+2 Stealth Detection, +1 LD to dungeons/labyrinths)
»Bull Rush (Charge may stun instead)


buffs

»Zackariah’s Fondue (+3 LD)

 

Edited by Teion
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Ryo stifled a laugh as Theo mentioned that he had a weapon, but didn't have it equipped. A bow? That works too, he thought. Ryo did let out a laugh for Theo's 'roots' joke. Ryo nodded his head. "Oh yeah, monsters can get pretty big. But then again, you're pretty big. So maybe they'll be, less big?" He said, noting his lack of height.  "And DOT is correct, you can also just say dot." Ryo then though hard about his build. "Well, I just wanted to fit a 'vibe' so I went with what looked cool." He said, motioning to his katana. "I mean, I nailed it yeah?" He asked, striking a quick pose. 

"I've had a normal experience when it came to VR. I was excited for Full Dive for a good long while. Being able to play games lying down sounded like a treat. No sore muscles, or eye strain, or anything like that." He said. "Didn't think a bit longer about what would happen if someone became a pyscho and trap everyone by threat of brain frying." He said, lamenting his lack of foresight. Speaking of builds he decided to open his and check his again. He noticed something that caused him to look closer and stare at his stats. "Hey." He said. "Did these, change?" He asked aloud, mostly to Teion. "Wow, my build is all sorts of messed up." He laughed, now noticing his gear and skills.

Looking down he saw another plant spawn, only for it to be a weed. "Aw, dangit." He mourned as it disappeared into pixels. "Aight, I'm done. I'm ready for the next step." He said, noting the change on his quest objective. "Ranged weapons sound cool. Should I get some?" He asked, looking at Teion. "Like maybe, throwing stars." He said excitedly thinking of the prospect of becoming even more of a ninja or a samurai.  "Monsters are easy, it's the humanoid ones that mess me up. I can never really read the movements right and they end up nicking me from time to time." He said. "Oh and don't get me started on the ranged mobs." He said exasperated at the prospect of being out ranged. But then he quickly doubled around. "Ah, but it's cool when you do it." He said, trying to save face. "But what Tei said. More than happy to help with anything. Especially quests at the like." Ryo said, noting his empty quest log. 

 »Gathering Attempt | ID: 239493 | LD: 5+5=10 [Failure] (3/3 Attemps made, 1 quest material found)

  

RyoTiny.png.4fc72a98b56fa958749bb7890aac4c95.png

[quest info]

Ryo | HP: 625/625 | EN: 91/91 | DMG: 18 | MIT:91 | ACC:3 | BH:21 | REC: 3 | LD:2


[TIER LOCK] PARTY STATS

Spoiler

[Tier Lock] - 10% EXP Bonus

[Assisted] Theo | HP: 20/20 | EN: 20/20 | DMG: 1 | LD: 4 | SD: 1
[Assisting] Teion | HP: 190/190 | EN: 36/36 | DMG: 14 | MIT:42 | ACC:4 | BH:10 | REC: 2 | LD:6
[Assisting] Ryo | HP: 135/135 | EN: 35/35 | DMG: 12 | MIT:55 | BH:4 | LD:2

THREAD INFO

Spoiler

equipped

»Gin Kin (+9 DMG)
»Fierce Deities Coat (+36 MIT, +3EN Recovery)

»Accuracy Charm (+3 Accuracy)

battle-ready inventory
»
»
»
»
»


skills

»Katana R5 (+7 DMG)
»Heavy Armor R5 (+40 MIT, -5 Stealth)
»Battle Healing R3 (18 healing per turn)
»Searching R2 (+2 LD, +2 Stealth Detection)

»

extra skills

»Survival (Healing effects 10% more, immune to environmental effects)
»Leadership R1 (Grants access to Leadership Arts, takes 2 Extra Slots)
»Leadership R1
»
»

addons

»[Katana] Focus (Minor Crit on BD 8, reduce DoT threshold by 1)
»[Axe] Stamina (-2 EN)
»[Heavy Armor] Iron Skin (+15 MIT, +45 HP)

mods

»Impetus (+1 DMG)
»Emergency Recovery (Heal 62 when brought below 156 | Once per thread | 10EN)
»Night Vision (No penalties from low light/darkness)


buffs

»Zackariah’s Fondue (+3 LD)
» Yui's Grace Used (+ 600% EXP for this thread)

» Dining Room: "Tasty" - Turn 2 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Lesser Feast. A Lesser Feast contains 4 portions of the food items sacrificed. Lesser Feasts created this way cannot be used outside of the thread they are created. Limit 1 item created per thread.
» Basic Kitchen: "Filling" - Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot. This can exceed normal Cook enhancement caps.(Ex: A perfect T2 MIT food gives 35 MIT instead of 30.)
» Living Room: "Relaxed" - Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.

 

Edited by Ryo
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"I.. I never even thought about the humanoid ones." Theo paused for a moment and spaced out, rapidly thinking about different situations where he have to fight humans, humanoids, and vague-human shapes. There's a floor with elves on it. Could I fight an elf?! He blinked a few times and looked up at Ryo. "Maybe, just maybe, I'll try to ignore the humanoid fighting for a little while. Don't need to develop a complex just yet, you know?" He chuckled, but sounded nervous while doing it. "But... Maybe in the future I'll like some help fighting some monsters? I don't think there are any training seminars so I would very much be asking you both for any tips, tricks and guidance, if you're willing! I could even offer materials or col in return! Well, maybe not right at this moment as I'm broke." He paused, realizing the information that he revealed. "W-well not BROKE broke, but... okay yes fine I'm broke." He continued the nervous chuckle, acquiring a blush to match the action.

"But we don't need to talk about that, we can talk about the fact that we're done with this quest! Or this quest section?" He quickly opened his <<HUD>> and checked the quest log, seeing a step marked as COMPLETE. "Yep! okay, so this is done, do we think the next step is just talking to the guy and being done? Or are we assuming there will be more to this journey?" Theodore just continued to talk. "Shall we head back?" Theodore was already walking, not waiting for an answer from his compatriots.

"Oh, do you know of anymore quests I should be doing? I didn't really know about this one, but I'm assuming there are a LOT that I don't actually have any information on." Theodore stopped walking and turned to face Thea and Ryu. If I just keep asking questions, they wont comment on the fact that I am broke. Yes, wonderful plan. Nothing can go wrong. "Oh, Ryo do you have any type of craft? I know Thea- Teion, that's going to be difficult to get used to, I know Teion does blacksmithing stuff but I'm not sure if I just missed what you do."

ID: 239521 | LD: 5+4= 9 [Failure]
<<First Few Lessons>>
Part 1: 3/3 Gathering Attempts
Outcome: 2 Materials found

---
Battle Stats
Theo - HP: 20/20 | EN: 20/20 | DMG: 1 | LD: 4 | SD: 1

Spoiler

Housing: N/A
Equipment: N/A
Consumable: Quest Item - +3 LD Fondue

Battle Ready Inventory: (3) Starter Healing Potions (Heals 50 HP)
Skills
- Searching R1 [+1 LD per rank. +1 to Stealth Detection per rank.]

 

Edited by Theo
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