[PP-F4] Test Thy Mettle

[Garou 0]

The Chained Werewolf was wandering around the Fourth Floor with a rusty old curved-sword in tow. "Could this... really be the spot...?" he said aloud to himself. Through the trees ahead of him was a beautiful lake, complete still and no animals in sight. A truly serene location.

[Zauis 0]

Kirito, traveling on floor four in the middle of nothing but beautiful nature. It was trees and nice looking plants followed by a huge lake. It was the perfect place for The Black Swordsman to take a small little nap. Though he knew he should be on the front lines with everyone else. "Meh, what's the point in being in a dungeon on a beautiful day like this? It's such a waste. They should try taking breaks every once in a while. Pushing yourself could cause your very own death. Huh....?"

Kirito heard sudden movements as if someone was walking bear him. He stayed calm and looked around trying to be careful I case he was in danger.

[Garou 0]

Garou continued walking through, the reinforced-silver chains around his body and heavy Victorian clothing he wore keeping him rather warm in the chilly environment. The lad accidentally bumped straight into Kirito, falling back on his bum with a cry of surprise. "AH! ...oh, I'm terribly sorry. I didn't see you there." Garou got up and began dusting off the younger boy's clothes, doing quick bows in the process.

[Zauis 0]

Kirito, The Black Swordsman, felt a bump into him which made him stumble back a bit when he heard an older boys voice. Though he didn't sound that much older. Any who, the guy began dusting of my attire. Kirito's left eyebrow raised along with both of his eyes widening while taking a step back and waving his hands from side to side.

You could tell that Kirito thought the boys actions were rather strange. "Its fine. Don't worry about it too much. I know you didn't mean it. I'm Kirito, by the way." he smiled.

[Garou 0]

The purple-haired boy smiled back politely. "Ahhh, The Black Swordsman. I've heard of you," he said in a more relaxed tone. "I am Garou, The Chained Werewolf. Perhaps you have heard of me..." Garou's voice trailed off, as if he were deep in thought. His gaze flew over to the lake.

[Zauis 0]

Kirito's eyes widened at the boys excitement. "You've heard of me, huh? Meh... Not sure whether that's a good thing or bad thing." he rubbed the back of his head and laughed nervously while listening to the boy. The Chained Werewolf, huh? Sounds familiar but it's not ringing a bell. Kirito shrugs. "Actually I'm not to sure I've heard that name. Sounds familiar but I usually don't pay attention to nicknames. Your names Garou, correct? What are you doing way out here?" he asked nicely as he was rudely interrupted by his stomach with a growl. Kirito embarrassedly looked away. Oh man....he thought.

[Garou 0]

Garou chuckled at Kirito's evident hunger and looked out towards the lake again. "I'm seeking an optional dungeon to gain some experience. It's around this lake, called Damp Cave, apparently." He took out some sugar cookies and offered them to his new friend. "Here, before you die," the boy joked. "What are you doing here?"

[Zauis 0]

"Ahh I see. A dungeon, huh? Sounds pretty interesting." he said casually while listening to the boy cracked a joke before handing Kirito some sugar cookies. Taking a bite outta the sugar he smiled delightfully while giving Garou a thumbs up. "Hahah thanks. I didn't really get a chance to eat. But, I'm only here cause this is were I usually nap at. Calm places like this puts my mind at ease. Especially with a slight breeze." he could picture everything he had just said in his head.

[Garou 0]

The older boy smiled at the thought of relaxation, knowing it was far from his grasp at the moment. "I won't disturb you anymore then, Kirito. If you desire to explore the dungeon, however, I'd be glad to have company." Garou continued staring at the lake- his destination.

[Zauis 0]

Kirito noticed the boys smile and rubbed the back of his neck at his next comment. Kirito knew he liked being solo if if he did help out a certain guild. Either way the guy seemed okay in his opinion. "Garou, was it? I really don't mind you accompanying me on the dungeon. You know where it is right? Maybe it'll drop some kinda rare prize. It's worth a shot to fight." he chuckled and looked over at the lake near them.

[Garou 0]

Garou smirked. "Well, all I know is that the Damp Cave is around the surface of this lake somewhere." He yawned and scratched his head as he walked towards the body of water within the taiga. "It may look intimidating, but surely it won't take too long to locate the dungeon." Garou pulled out a fruit and began slowly chewing off of its side.

[Zauis 0]

Kirito's right eyebrow raised and his facial expression was filled with curiosity when he continues to listen to the boy. So it's called the Damp Cave? Hmm. It sounds like it's gonna be filled with some lame monsters. Hopefully the boss makes things interesting for me. He thought to himself while tapping his right foot. "Damp Cave, huh? Let's just hope the monsters aren't push overs. That'll be a huge disappointment. So it's around this big ass lake, eh? Meh, hopefully it doesn't take too long. Let's get started on looking for it." he smirked and looked at Garou.

[Garou 0]

At first, Garou was taken aback by Kirito's change in attitude. Is that cockiness...? No, that's definitely just confidence. There's something different about this player... He looks like a normal kid, but he radiates bravery... It's not just his level... Garou grinned back. "Yes, that would definitely be a waste of time. I was hoping for a high-level secret boss within it, but who knows with this game." The purple-haired boy marched along the woods onto the marshy bank of the lake, looking around. There was no entrance or cave or anything on this portion of the water.

[Zauis 0]

"Heck yeah! That'd be a major disappointment! Or maybe not. I mean, we still get to enjoy some type of battle, right? Let's get lookin." right as the young male spoke he gently push the other boy to another direction to look for the entrance while he headed the other way.

Traveling along the lake it started to look a little different. In plain sight was a weird looking cabin that seemed too strange to be in the middle of no where. Kirito pressed up against the door and slowly opened it. Barely making any type of sound, behind the door was an empty room. Kirito's eyebrow raised. He knew it was some type of trap. Looking back at the male he just meant, Garou. "Yo? Come and check this out! It looks like a trap of some sort. Maybe..." he yelled at Garou.

[Garou 0]

The other boy trudged into the oddly empty place. He already could sense the feeling that he had come to know- not emptiness, but settlement. Not a hollow place devoid of possibilities, but a home to festering dangers that were at the brink of nonexistence. Kirito picked up the feeling a few seconds before Garou, but he didn't believe it all the way until he felt the familiar aching in his bones and the heat of his ears. A sensation that he was being watched...

"We must proceed with caution..." he said quietly, more out of being troubled than trying to stay hushed. "Anything could happen. The laws of Aincrad are not the same as the real world. Traps may even be completely invisible..."

[Zauis 0]

The young male, Kirito, nodded at his friends statement. "Your absolutely right about that Garou. This could be very dangerous....but we can guarantee that some good might come outta this. Hey! Check it out bro! It looks like a stair case that leads down to another room maybe? Wait..." as the boy spoke he took a peek down the staircase and saw a green sticky looking liquid substance.

"Look Garou....this place is icky as hell. Look at all this green stuff. Let's go down the staircase. But first....just in case anything is waiting down on a step for us to come..." he went through his head up display menu and equipped throwing picks. He through a few down in the shadowy area were the staircase lead down to. "Alright let's get going!" he started going down the staircase.

[Garou 0]

Garou had seen plenty of Aincrad so far, and he actually felt into the illusion that he had seen practically all there was to see. It wasn't very confusing when he stared at the green gunk, and then at Kirito's picks. "Are those... giant nails?" The boy followed his guide deeper into the cabin, perking his virtual ears as much as possible to detect any malignant noise that could hint at danger. "Could all of this material be toxic and have a poison effect?" He stuck a finger into it, waiting to see what would happen.