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

[Teion 0]

"Oh. Yeah, alright." Both fiddling with her quest menu and the confirmation of the others that they were, indeed, finished with this specific task had her shrug her shoulders in easy acceptance. She'd only grabbed one material this whole time. 'Hope that's enough.' But if the quest said they were done, then they were done. "Hmm?" She walked over to Ryo and leaned over his shoulder to look at the «Skills» layout he was asking about. "Oh! That's the weird thing." She actually perked up at this with a mixture of enthusiasm, skepticism, and confusion. "I guess someone or something has patched or hotfixed the game at some point. I think it was around when Floor 25 was cleared?" Clearly she was aware of the update, but didn't have any real answers. "That update gave me enough skill points back to let me spec into Battle Healing." She remarked with some satisfaction.

And then Theo's words started spilling out. Some kind of catalyst sparked within them that caused more thoughts to stream out from his mouth as if there was no processing time in between. Theo practically took off back the way they came, laughing nervously at his admission of poverty, and Teion simply exchanged a glance with Ryo beside her. She offered him a sympathetic smile and a small shrug. "He's too pure for this world." She spoke softly and placed a hand on Ryo's shoulder. "Or the real one." She tacked on, realizing the initial irony of the statement. Giving a sideways nod of her head and pulling away, she'd start making her way to catch up to the brunette.

Teion had to make a brief jog, and then followed after him at a normal pace with her arms swinging loosely at her sides. She let him talk, and talk, and talk while she wore an amused expression. Unfortunately, she knew it would take a long time for them to run out of steam. "Theo," She took the next opportunity she could find to butt in, "Calm down." She still wore that smile, "I know it's been a while, and I do wanna catch up and...I know there's a lot to catch up on," Her smile faltered when she accidentally tripped herself up in her own honest admission, but she picked herself right back up again, "but you're getting all jumpy and word vomit-y like you do when you're extra nervous." Thea leveled with him. That part of Theo hadn't changed a bit from back then. "Don't get me wrong, I don't mind chatting about all this stuff. But if it helps any, neither of us are going to laugh at you for your game build or how many quests you've done. Promise." For the first time today, Teion spoke with a light-hearted enthusiasm that betrayed the laid-back teenager she used to be. "Ryo will brag about his mansion, there's no stopping that." She straightened up a bit and crossed her arms, brows raising in a playfully defeated expression.

Their conversation carried them all the way back to Zackariah's alchemy shop. Teion offered up her one meager material and the quest seemed to progress with all their contributions handed in. The old man spoke about borrowed col and dropped another name--Lyle the blacksmith. 'Guess there's more parts to this thing.' She didn't mind too much, since she'd just be looking for some other way to spend time with these two if not questing together.

[Referencing this in regards to the system update that took place.]

[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 December 31, 2024 by Teion

[Ryo 0]

Ryo thought for a moment. "Combat tips I can certainly give out. It's a little complicated, and I don't know how bows work in the game so all I can give are basic tips." He thought for a second. "Maybe this quest will give a quick rundown of combat?" He said, sharing his thought out loud. He looked over to his girlfriend. "That, makes sense. I don't remember placing things into where but I could have just forgotten. I'm not really a morning person." He said, rubbing the back of his neck. Were they really just past floor 25? Or, were they further now? He would have to look and ask, he hadn't really kept up with the news.

Ryo would give Teion a look as she placed a hand on his shoulder at the mention of Theo's poverty. He nodded in agreement. "So it would seem. Delightful fellow." He said, taking off after Theo as well. "Say, after this you wanna get a drink or something?" He asked her, hoping she wasn't too terribly busy.

"Well, there's a lot of professions to learn. And there's the sub-professions like gathering and fishing. So, you could be a blacksmith like Tei, or pick up a different one. There's like, an archeology one? Like, an appraiser or merchant type I think." He said, rambling on. "As for myself, I followed my real world ambition of cooking." He gave Teion a side-eye as she said he was going to talk about his mansion. "If you had a mansion, you'd talk about it too." He said.

Back at the Alchemy Shop Ryo dropped off his singular herb he had found. A poor showing compared to Theo's haul. Ryo had learned his lesson about paying attention to the dialogue being spout to him, as it was clear his party was not going to explain things to him. "To Lyle's Blacksmith. Tei might have an advantage for this next part." Ryo said, mentioning Teion's profession. He stood around for a few moments letting the others turn in their herbs and get the quest updated. "Right then, lead the way." He said, motioning for Theo to take point.

[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 January 2 by Ryo

[Theo 0]

While practically sprinting to the city center when Teion reached him to calm his nerves. It took a moment for the words to actually solidify within his brain, the words of encouragement almost bouncing off as his thoughts continued to speed up. It took until Teion made the comment of not 'laughing at him' that Theo's pace began to slow, both in his thoughts and in his stride. "I... Yeah. Thank you, Thea. Thank you for staying my friend, even if life drew us a part for a while. It's nice to know I'm not alone in here." His face turned to Teion with a smile that looked different than the others. While he wore a smile of joy and enthusiasm, he now wore a different one, a smile of genuine appreciation.

Ryo's offer of getting a drink after this quickly course-corrected the smile, the enthusiasm coming in full force. "I'd love to! Note, I will probably ask you a million and one questions at said drink-getting activity. but yeah! I know a great tea shop ran by this adorable NPC couple. They also have really good pastries- Oh! What kind...." The spill of questions and words poured out of his mouth but colored by the tone of joy and energy and not panicked avoidance.

The trio arrived at the original shop, the three giving their materials that were gathered out in the field. Theodore couldn't help but smile at the amount that he had versus what others had gathered. After giving the materials, Zackariah didn't give the 'complete quest. Theo believed this to be the end of the quest but the three were sent off to a new individual, someone by the name of Lyle Tealeaf. Ryo told him to lead the way, and he nodded, stepping back out on to the street for the blacksmith.

En-route to the store, Theo gasped quietly. "I never responded to your question Ryo! I want to maybe do gathering! There is no 'florist' profession and gardening just sound like an off shoot of having a house on a random floor. So, unless something gets added to this game while we are here, gathering will be what I stick with. Beyond that, maybe like cooking or alchemy? I haven't thought about it TOO much though." Theo shrugged. "Are you a chef in the real-world Ryo? Oh, and Tei, did you do something with metal working after high school? Or something you discovered while you were here?"

[Teion 0]

Ryo's invitation out for a drink was unexpected, but not unwelcome. In fact, she smiled at the thought. "That sounds nice." She accepted, but then Theo's tone perked up again. He must have caught Ryo's words, and Teion hoped that she wasn't the one misunderstanding things. After a quick glance towards Ryo to gauge her suspicions, she took on the burden of kindly redirecting. "Theo, mind if we go for tea tomorrow? I owe Ryo a rain check, so I think we're going to grab dinner together tonight." The words came out more effortlessly than she could have expected, but inside of her chest those butterflies flitted about again. She own confidence in expanding and solidifying their date surprised her, but she played it off before her cheeks could go flush and betray her.

On the way to Lyle's smithy, a brief glint in Teion's eyes signaled her interest in one of the many topics Theo was flipping through. Something in particular had caught her attention and the gears were turning to pick out the right words. There was a wrinkle in her thoughts and she wanted to figure out the best way to iron it out. "I don't think there's any difference between what types of gathering you can do..." She mused carefully. "I know you like plants. There might be a specific market for herbs that alchemists and cooks use," she went on beating around the bush, "but if you put the points into it you can farm and sell any kinds of materials." She had to get to the point now. "I don't exactly have a player supplier for any of the mats that aren't just sold by NPC vendors. If you get ahold of any blacksmithing stuff, I'd definitely buy them off you."

To his question surrounding her in-game to real-world professions, Teion couldn't help but let out a small scoff. "No, I just work an office job." She felt a twinge of embarrassment at admitting it so casually. It was definitely something, and it kept her afloat in her apartment, but she hadn't been proud or particularly happy with the stage of life she had been in before SAO. It had felt like there had to be something better that came next, but she hadn't the slightest idea what it was. She wouldn't admit that her lack of direction was what kept her from applying for colleges when they'd shared that period of time in their lives. Thought Theo may have already gleaned that a long time ago. "Blacksmithing in real life, huh... Sounds complicated." She entertained the thought for a moment while they reached their next stop.

[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)

 

[Ryo 0]

Ryo flinched as Theo accepted his offer for a drink. He thought he had whispered that to Teion, but now he was trapped. "I, er, well-" But was interrupted by Tei, offering to get tea with Theo tomorrow. He let out a soft sigh, but blushed as he realized that she said yes to not just getting a drink but a full blown dinner. Ryo waved his hand to Theo. "Yeah, maybe next time. I am available quite frequently." He said. "So if you ever want to hang out and do something, just hit me up." Ryo said, opening his menu and sending Theo a friend request.

Ryo thought for a moment. "I could use some more herbs at home. It's been a moment since I've actually did any cooking so I know I'm going to be missing out on some things." He said, trying to remember the exact contents of his kitchen cabinets. "Oh, no I'm no chef." He said waving his hand sheepishly in front of him. "Although, it's kind of a pipe dream to be one. It's more like, an expensive hobby. Before all this I worked as an overnight shift lead at a gas station." He said, before rubbing the back of his neck. "It's kinda lame, and why I was applying for colleges and schools for cooking." He said letting out a small sigh.

Reaching the next destination Ryo looked around. Much less of a building, and more of an open space with a roof. An older man stood over an anvil, slamming a hammer against a bright orange piece of metal. Ryo stepped up, and attempted to make conversation.
"Hel-"
"I'm busy."
"Lo...." Ryo said, being interrupted. He pinched the bridge of his nose. What was with NPC's like this? "Look we just need to know about some-"
The hammering stopped, and the old man straightened his back revealing his true height which matched Theo's. "I don't do anything without payment." Ryo, intimidated nodded his head. "Go deal with a few of those pesky Boarlets for me, and bring them back whole or else just their tusks. I don't care which." The aged blacksmith looked over the three with a discerning eye. "They're pretty weak, so even you shouldn't have any trouble. Do that, then I'll hear you out." Then, the NPC returned to hammering away on metal.

Ryo straightened himself out and adjusted his cravat. "So, that was something. Guess you're getting those combat lessons sooner then we thought." Ryo said, patting Theo on the arm. "Oh, loaner weapon?" He looked at the weapon, and noted it was much weaker than his current blade. Guess it really was a newbie quest. "Well, be sure you get that equipped Theo." Ryo said, reminding his new friend.

[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.

 

[Theo 0]

They blinked, realizing they misunderstood what Ryo's invitation was and who it was for. Theo's face dropped slightly, and he looked at the counter of the blacksmith's shop. "Oh.... Yeah. We... we can do another time." Theodore took a small breath in and sighed. In the right light it almost looked as if tears were beginning to form in the corners of his eyes. The distraught individual picked the weapon off the counter, offered to him by Lyle, and slowly equipped it. Theo rolled his shoulders, getting used to the slightly heavier weight of a stronger bow. The arched rose his head, their eyes threatening to spill the tears gathered in their corners. "I... Um..." Theo began, his voice trembling.

He quickly broke out into a smile. "Yeah! That's perfectly fine. I couldn't tell if you were inviting the both of us, or just your girlfriend, so I decided to throw my hat in the ring. I'd be down to reschedule, but also no pressure if not. I know I just put you in a weird social situation for a moment." He laughed and blinked away the now fake tears. He knew how awkward a situation like that could be, and besides. He trusted Teion and Ryo to leave if they wanted to. "I had you going there, right? At least a little?" He turned to leave the store and would walk towards the exit.

After about two minutes of walking down the cobblestone roads, Theo would abruptly stop. "Wait! When I was being needlessly dramatic, did you both say you were looking for a semi-easier way of collecting mats." He then pointed at Thea, "and did you hint at me being the one to get you mats?! Is the offer still there?" He bounced excitedly, "I promise to not be super drama- okay I promise to do it a bit less- okay no I won't make that promise." After waiting for a response, Theo would make his way towards the outside gates once more, this time pointing his direction towards where the boars normally are.

Theodore began to get more noticeably stressed and worried as the trio walked towards the spawning ground for the low level mobs. "So... Are you two willing to go first? I'm 'totally' not worried and 'definitely' ready to fight these boars. BUT I'd love a combat demonstration, so I'll let y'all go first." He quickly moved aside to allow Teion and Ryo to walk ahead towards a nearby boar. "I'll here to uhhh watch! And um take notes!"

[Teion 0]

Teion had first waved things off, figuring a simple mention of "another time" wouldn't harm anything, but then Theo's face changed. He turned away, and Teion stiffened up with the weight of social pressure. He wasn't...really upset over anything, was he? Her bottom lip stiffened and she couldn't figure out any words to say. She had just opened her mouth, willing up some kind of reassurance, but just then their demeanor spun on its heel and Theo was grinning ear to ear. "I--" Teion stayed put, this time shocked by his audacity. She was flustered. How dare they. Theo turned to leave the smithy first, and Teion vented her frustrations by bringing her hands up in a short throttling motion at his back.

She dropped her hands and sighed. She barely had the time to give a half-hearted glance at the starter axe sitting on Lyle's counter before turning and following the others. Boar tusks? Easy. She crossed her arms over her chest as they made back for a gate, this time on the west side of town. "Yes, I want you to get mats for me." A little huff carried through in her voice. "Well, specifically, I'll buy them off of you, if you end up with enough for something like that. There are dozens of different kinds, and except for the simple ones that are available from NPC shops in safe zones, you'll always find a buyer somewhere." She frowned. If it weren't hinging on their literal survival, she'd have more respect for a game that developed its own little ecosystems like that. "Or, if you need any blacksmithing gear made, I have material rates, too. Just get me the ingredients and I'll make you something, rather than having to pay all in col. Saves me the stock that way, too."

They were out in the wilderness again. Teion reached back to grab the polearm of her battle axe and let it rest over her shoulder, both arms extended out and her wrists crossed over one another as they scouted out some baby boars to hack away at. Expectedly, Theo seemed nervous. "Only if you bat those eyelashes responsibly, young man." She scoffed. "I might actually strangle you if you fake cry at me too many times." But she wasn't going to say no to a little showing off in front of these two. She spotted a lone creature wandering the fields and spotted the name above its head. Perfect. She rolled her shoulder and shrugged the large axe blade up to take a proper grip on the weapon. She picked up her pace, holding the axe out to one side, and ran up to the little monster.

One quick upward slice and the Boarlet squealed before shattering into light blue pixels. "Yeah, the biggest pain is going to be running around to get them all." She sighed, hefting her weapon back up on her shoulder. "Alright, who's next?" She called over her shoulder, turning back to the other two.

»Combat | ID: 239845 | BD: 6+4=10 [Hit] | MD: 9 (Monster Dead!)
Basic Attack vs. Boarlet I - Dealt 14 DMG

 [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: 35/36 | 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

Boarlet I | HP 0/5 | DMG: 3

[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 January 7 by Teion

[Ryo 0]

Ryo knew what real tears looked like, and yet it somehow made him at ease to know that Theo was merely jesting. "Well, if you need heavy equipment Tei's gonna be a good bet. Unless you feel like going window shopping at other players shops. Tei, as far as I know, has a pretty good deal for friends and family." Ryo said. He then decided to throw his hat into the ring. "I can also use generic materials to make some decent food items that not only taste good, but can give you some pretty good buffs. Like that fondue, but with better bread." He said, giving a chuckle.

And now came time for the combat portion of the tutorial quest. Was this safe? Or rather, how could it not be? Who ever died on a tutorial mission before? Maybe if it was a soulslike game, but so far SAO didn't present itself as one. Theo should be fine. "Alright Tei, you're up first." Ryo said placing a hand gently on the grip of his katana. "So when you attack the game moves your body for you. It's, a bit weird to describe." Ryo said, trying to find the correct words. "I mean, I'm not a katana master in the real world. And, as far as I know Tei doesn't swing a big hunk of metal around that easily." He continued. "So watch Teion here." Ryo said, not expecting her to quickly raise her arm cleaving a boarling in two. "See, just like that." Ryo said, rubbing the back of his neck. "The thing is, to let yourself go and trust yourself to move. Don't fight against the system, and don't fight against your own body."

Ryo took a few steps forward, his hand clasping onto his katana's handle. "Now another boarling is going to charge me and I'm going to stand here and let it come at me." Ryo said, spreading his feet somewhat. "Take a breath, concentrate on what your attack is going to be, then follow through." He took in a small breath, before exhaling slowly. As the boarling got closer it gave out a high pitched squeal and leapt into the air determined to go for Ryo's throat. And in a completely fluid motion Ryo drew his sword and slashed forward cleaving the boarlet in two, sending the two halves raining red pixels behind him as he stepped aside. Giving his blade a quick spin and a flick, he sheathed his blade with a satisfying click. "Now you give it a shot Theo." Ryo said, motioning to him to give his bow a try.

»Combat | ID: 239865 | BD: [10 - FULL CRIT!] | MD: 6 (Monster dead!)
Basic Attack vs. Boarlet II - Dealt 14 DMG

Quote

[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

Boarlet II | HP 0/5 | DMG: 3

[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) »[Katana] 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 January 8 by Ryo

[Theo 0]

Theodore couldn't even begin to hide the excitement bubbling over the nerves. Teion AND Ryo wanted to possibly buy mats off of him? This was amazing! He never had this type of business... well ever. He had always given anything that he had away to those that needed or even wanted it. So... Wait, am I finally going to make money now? That... wow yeah okay that's amazing I won't be broke! Their smile widened at that thought.

His eyes watched as Tei charged forward, slicing the boar in two with ease and sending a cascade of blue pixels into the air, dripping from the disappearing boar. "WOO! LET'S GOO!!!" He cheered for his blacksmith friend. Theo quickly looked over at Ryo who had been describing how the game assists with combat. He showed this of course by bisecting a lunging boar, Theodore flinching as the monster jumped into the air and went for Ryo's throat. Theo closed his eyes, worried that the boar would tackle the purple-haired man but quickly opened when the almost movie effect quality of a sword swing hung in the air around the three players. ".... THAT WAS COOL!" He continued the cheering for his new friend.

"Oh. Wait. Shit this means it's my turn doesn't it." Theo quickly began to clam up. "I-I umm... I won't be able to squeeze out of this unfortunately, will I?" He muttered and looked at Ryo and Teion with pleading eyes. Expecting no one to actually come to his aid, Theodore sighed loudly and pulled up his bow, feeling unease in this decision to use a bow, or to do this quest, or to even try this game.

Theodore notched an arrow, raised it at a boar he could see roaming the fields, having not noticed the sound of two boars being cleaved in half by the dynamic duo. I got this? I can do it? I'm bad at pep talks. Theo let the breath he was holding out and let the arrow fly.

And it hit! Theodore gasped in surprise as the arrow made purchase with the boar's hide, sending the creature tumbling a few feet. Their hope was that it would be a one and done sort of scenario.

It was not.

The familiar blue shards of boar-dying did not appear where the arrow struck. But Theo did become the target of one very, very angry boar. "I-I can deal with this." He tried to pluck up the courage in his voice. He went to notch another arrow, but the boar was already running. The creature jumped at him, similar to how it attacked Ryo, but got the man in the gut instead of the throat. A loud OOF comes from Theo's mouth as he is sent tumbling in turn, rolling a few times in the grass before coming to a halt. The boar stood there, panting quietly, and staring at the boy. "Heh.... I'm not dead!" He breathed out in a thinly-veiled attempt at hiding his panic.

This is going to suck.

ID: 240365 | BD: 10 (Base 2 + 2 = 4 DMG)  | MD: 10 (Base 3 + 2 (Major Crit) = 5 Dmg)
Basic Attack Vs. Boarlet III - Deals 4 DMG

Spoiler

Quest Item Used: T1 Perfect [Weapon of Choice] | ACC 2 | DMG 1

[Assisted] Theo | HP: 15/20 | EN: 19/20 | DMG: 2 | LD: 4 | SD: 1 | ACC 2
[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

Boarlet III | HP: 1/5 | DMG: 3

 

Edited January 21 by Theo

[Teion 0]

Having her own cheerleader for thrashing the most basic mobs out there felt like a bit much, but the smirk that tugged on her lips proved that her ego didn't mind. Theo's enthusiasm in all things was endearing, and it was beyond refreshing to see someone having genuine fun just killing monsters. This was supposed to be a game, after all. She wondered what playing SAO with Theo would be like under normal circumstances, if they were just back to being buddies and bonding over an MMO. She wondered if maybe they could still do that, despite not having a 'real life' to go back to for now.

She let Ryo do the teaching and hung back while she kept an eye out for another bristled victim of her own. Teion pulled the polearm of her axe up and over her head, hooking her hands over the handle and letting the weight of the weapon rest across her shoulders. "It doesn't hurt when you get hit, if that helps any!" She shouted over to him. He took a shot at the boar and landed a clean hit, and she watched its health bar rapidly drain with a soft, satisfied smile. She was about to move on when she heard the squeal of its counter-attack, and she winced as Theo was launched by the boar's headbutt. Her eyes instinctively darted up to the edge of her own vision to check Theo's health bar. 'Seventy-five percent...' She didn't like how much damage it did to him with a single attack, but she stopped herself from intervening. There was only a sliver of red left in the boar's HP. She knew he could finish it.

Off to Theo's left, movement caught her attention. Another boar had wandered over, though it hadn't seemed to notice any of them yet. Still, she imagined even an inkling of being ambushed or surrounded might very well throw Theo into a panic. Besides, she still had two more boars to kill herself, so she might as well call dibs as she spotted them.

She jogged over and pulled her battle axe from her shoulders, holding the weapon's head off to her side. By the time it finally noticed her, it was too late. The boar perked its head up and let out an aggressive snort, only for a thick red slash to cleave through its jaw. A short squeal signaled its demise and it soon burst into a hundred fragments of light blue crystals.

»Forgoing Recovery roll - Full EN after passive regen
»Combat | ID: 240442 | BD: 8+4=12 [Hit] | MD: 1 (Monster Dead!)
Basic Attack vs. Boarlet IV - Dealt 14 DMG

 [TIER LOCK] PARTY STATS
Note: Fixed Ryo's energy to 34/35

  Hide contents

[Tier Lock] - 10% EXP Bonus

[Assisted] Theo | HP: 15/20 | EN: 19/20 | DMG: 2 | LD: 4 | SD: 1 | ACC 2
[Assisting] Teion | HP: 190/190 | EN: 35/36 | DMG: 14 | MIT:42 | ACC:4 | BH:10 | REC: 2 | LD:6
[Assisting] Ryo | HP: 135/135 | EN: 34/35 | DMG: 12 | MIT:55 | BH:4 | LD:2

Boarlet IV | HP 0/5 | DMG: 3

[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 February 3 by Teion

[Ryo 0]

Ryo looked over and winced from the heavy hit that Theo had received, hell Ryo wasn't even sure if he'd be able to dodge that attack. "Nice shot Theo! Now get up and move! The enemy isn't going to always stand there and let you shoot it." Ryo said, attempting to be firm in his teaching. He looked over at Teion who had mentioned that getting damaged didn't hurt. "That's true. Getting hit doesn't harm you, but it's a double edge sword. In the real world, pain is what could keep you alive. Here though, that basic response is gone and it allows you to do incredibly stupid things." Ryo said, reading to attack his own boar. The small being squared up, not knowing who it was across from it. "Treat every encounter that you may die, that each hit my be your last." Ryo said, as he allowed the boar to rush him. It leapt into the air, but it was too late. Ryo side stepped and slashed down, slicing the small pig into two which crashed onto the ground into a shower of pixels. "Use fear of being hit to keep yourself alive." He said, being pragmatic about it. It was better to instill a sense of evasion then just taking the hits because they didn't hurt. After all, it would only take some mad man to mess with the coding to turn pain on, and if that happened how many people would suffer from it.

Ryo sheathed his blade as he waited for more boars to spawn in his area. Theo's HP went down a sizable amount, but nothing too terrible. "Theo, can you hold out a few more moments? I can help you now or later." Ryo said, referring to his leadership skill. "It won't make you stronger, or healthier. I'd just be reminding you to dodge when you needed to." Ryo said, explaining how his skill would work.

 

»Combat | ID: 239865 | BD: [10 - FULL CRIT!] | MD: 6 (Monster dead!)
Basic Attack vs. Boarlet III - Dealt 14 DMG

Spoiler

[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

Boarlet III | HP 0/5 | DMG: 3

[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) »[Katana] 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 February 6 by Ryo