[OP-F1] No Respawns?! (COMPLETED)

[Ashtver 0]

A red light skimmed through the open air in a slashing motion, held by a boy with brown hair that opened to the sides like a set of curtains. He brought the dagger back, the blade glowing blue, and thrusting forwards, sending the knife piercing forwards in the air. Ashtver's hair was a mess, and he was already puffing.

"Too flimsy," he told himself, opening up his menu and stashing the dagger. He then brought out a sort of scimitar, lifting it up over his shoulder. The blade glowed orange, and he thrust forward, sending his whole body two meters forwards across the lush grass, leaving an orange trail of light behind for a moment. He slashed across a few times, before bringing the menu up once again and stashing it. He looked rather irritated as he spoke to himself again, "Too unwieldy," he complained. He made sure not to grab too much, or he would be blowing the limits of what he could carry. He was down to his last weapon - a long spear.

Ashtver stood back and poised the polearm at his side, the tip glowing purple. He thrust forwards, before turning back around, the shaft glowing red, and striking out with the butt of the spear.

"Might not be the best weapon," he mumbled, "but it'll suffice,"

Finding a fitting weapon and fitting equipment was the best thing for Ashtver to do at this point in time. Why is that you ask? Akihiko Kayaba, the creator of SAO, has just informed the entire SAO population that death is now a reality in this game, and there is no other way to exit than beating all 100 floors of Aincrad, the giant castle-setting of the game.

---

Unlike many others in the starting city at the time, Ashtver was more angry than panicked. In fury, he threw the mirror that he was given, all players received one, and their real life appearances took over their avatars, at the giant figure in the red cloak that was supposed to be Kayaba, and shouted at him.

"You're bullshitting us, right? You can't just do something like that! When the news and police find out about this, you'll be out of business in no time, and we'll all be out of here, you hear me?!" but he was quickly shut down when Kayaba had mentioned the fact that if the NerveGear was removed or power was disconnected, the microwave inside would destroy their brains. Ashtver's eyes began to shake, and he dropped to his knees.

And he thought his real life was hell.

---

Ashtver slid his spear in the sheath on his back and laid down on the grass, looking up to the azure sky above. It wasn't as uncomfortable as one would think, but still not exactly a favourable position. Oh, well, he told himself, it'll do. He began to search through his menu, and pulled out a piece of bread and a bottle of water. He took a large bite out of the bread, and tears began to well in his eyes.

This tastes like crap.

[Takao 0]

Takao's low whistling slowly faded out when he'd noticed a player laying in the grass. A quick glance from his place on the path suggested the player was low leveled, or at the very least poorly geared. Being the curious person that he was, the brunet decided to leap over the small stone wall that separated him from the field. He approached him from behind and walked without much presence in his step; not intentionally, just out of habit. His presence was usually loud enough once he started talking anyways. Takao's eyes watched him as the opened his menu and retrieved a pair of consumable items, from the starter's kit undoubtedly. He didn't seem to particularly enjoy eating them either, which made Takao chuckle lightly.

 

"That stuff's pretty bad, huh?" His voice was warm as he spoke, and not too loud. His weight shifted from one foot to the other while glancing down at the seated male. Takao decided to join him, and plopped down onto the grass with a soft thud. He swiped his hand across the air to open his own menu, and after navigating through a series of different screens a wrapped sandwich appeared in his hand. "Here, I bet ya' might like this more." He held it out toward Ashtver with a friendly smile.

 

"I'm Takao, by the way."

[Ashtver 0]

Ashtver heard a male voice behind him, and he tilted his head back, seeing the brown-haired boy upside-down.

 

"Yeah, you bet," he gave the boy a smile.  Thank goodness those tears were gone by now.  He sat up as the boy sat down beside him, and offered him a square package.  Ashtver took it curiously and unwrapped it.  It was a small sandwich.  It looked simple, but way more appealing than the bread he received in the starter kit.  He turned to the boy, "Are you sure this is-" but he didn't need to ask any further, as the boy's smile gave him all the permission he needed.

 

Ashtver finished unwrapping the sandwich and took a huge bite out of the sandwich, and artificial flavour created by the NerveGear flowed into his mouth.  He could taste tomato, lettuce and some kind of meat, possibly from one of the boars or wolves on this floor.  While he was eating, the brown-haired boy beside him introduced himself as 'Takao'.  Ashtver gulped down the piece of sandwich he had stuffed in his mouth before extending his hand out to his companion.

 

"The name's Ashtver, but you can just call me Ash.  Nice to meet you," he greeted him with an equally friendly smile.

[Takao 0]

After the reassuring smile convinced Ashtver to take the sandwich, Takao turned his head to idly glance around to let him eat without being stared at. He pulled his legs in to sit cross-legged and leaned his weight onto his arms. "I picked it up on in Delilah. It's the village on the third floor, there's a restaurant on the west side." Even if the sandwich wasn't the best in terms of quality, the starter pack's bread paled in comparison to almost anything. He'd eaten sand - albeit accidentally - and would still wager that it tasted better than the bread.

 

Takao glanced toward Ashtver, and then to his hand. He shifted his weight onto one arm and reached over to meet his hand, shaking it firmly before returning to its previous position. "Ash," Takao tested the name once and nodded his head. "Nice to meet you too. So you're just gettin' started then, huh?" He looked him up and down, taking mental notes of the tell-tale beginner's clothing and weapon. The spear was a bit of an oddity, he hadn't personally seen the appeal of the particular weapon but knew plenty others that did.

 

"Tried fighting anything yet?" An innocent enough question fueled by his curiousity. He figured a spear would likely be better for slaying monsters with, given the range. He thought back to the first thing he'd fought and remembered how badly he'd been beaten. Takao couldn't help but wonder if his companion had fared any better with his first encounter.

[Ashtver 0]

"Wait, third floor?" Ashtver was smitten, "What Level are you?" he questioned.  If this boy was at the third floor, he must have been over Level 5.  The quality of the food was divine, even if only floor three quality.  Compared to the bread, the sandwich was heaven.  When Takao asked if Ash was just getting started, he already had his reply, "Yeah, got this game just this morning to escape the hell that was my real life," he answered the boy.  He probably sounded rather melodramatic now, "Man, if I thought my life was hell, I shouldn't have put that NerveGear on, hey?  That prick, Kayaba..." Ashtver shook his head to clear his train of thought, "So yeah, the answer's yes, I am just getting started," he gave Takao a wide grin.

 

"No, I've just been trying to find a fitting weapon.  The best for me, I think, is this spear.  Daggers come a close second, I reckon," Ash informed Takao in reply to the latter's question of fighting anything yet, "Now that I've got at least a half-decent weapon, I reckon I could probably give fighting a shot.  Mind helping me out a little?" he asked, giving Takao another goofy grin.

 

(I believe you should be the first to spawn a Mob and show Ash a couple of basic maneuvers so that you use the dice to include the Mob's movements in your post, and then I spawn it so I can use the dice so I can use the Mob's movements in mine :P)

[Takao 0]

[Combat Sequence]

Boar

Takao

Boar

Ashtver

 

Takao nodded as he was questioned. "Ayup, third floor. It's rather peaceful there, not as much bustle as this floor and not as many monsters as the others. Makes for a nice place to relax, y'know? Oh, 'n I'm level eleven." He flashed him another smile.

 

He laughed lightly at his response and nodded along. "What irony, eh?" He mentally questioned himself if that was even irony, a concept he'd always had trouble grasping. The conversation continued away from the topic of the situation they were in rather quickly, and traversed to a more interesting subject. A wider grin grew on his face when it turned to the topic of gameplay; his specialty. "Spear and dagger, huh? Those are pretty different, opposite ends of the spectrum I'd say." He shrugged and climbed to his feet, brushing off his pant legs and adjusting his coat as his back straightened. "I'm down to help you out, though. Let's go find somethin' easy!" Takao flashed him a glance and started walking further into the field, with the expectation that Ashtver would be close behind. It was an interesting feeling to be the "senior" player for once, when he'd only been surrounded by higher leveled players so far.

 

"It can take some getting used to if you don't have much experience with weapons, but the system takes a lot of liberties when estimating your skills." Takao explained. He spotted a boar roaming around aimlessly in the distance and glanced over his shoulder. "Everybody's style of play is vastly different too. Take me, for instance. I focus more on evading attacks than taking the brunt force with armour." Takao reached to his back and grasped the handle of his blade to pull it free of the scabbard. His hand held it firmly beneath the guard as it came to rest at his side. The boar spotted him and his brightly coloured clothing first and stomped it's hoofed feet into the dirt. It charged at Takao who stood still and allowed it to clear the distance between them. As it thrust its head forward in a simple attempt to tackle him, Takao shifted his weight onto one foot and stepped off to the side. He raised the foot his weight didn't rest on and slammed it into the side of the boar, then plunged his blade through the digital fur and hide. "It's important to be able to recognize their patterns here. Oh, and uh... It might be a little weird killing them for the first time. It's a bit more, uh... real, I guess. Not like pointing and clicking a mouse, y'know?" It was a fair warning to give, though Takao didn't have much of a problem with it to begin with. He had a talent for separating game from reality, even with Sword Art Online.

 

"Go ahead and have a go at this one while I have it down."

 

»ID: [23991]

»BD: [8] *hit*

»MD: [7 - 3 = 4] *miss*

 

«Takao»

» [[HP : 25/25]]

 

«Boar»

» [[HP : 2/5]]

[Ashtver 0]

"Level 11?" Ash asked, astonished.  Wow, it was crazy that people were already getting to those levels...

 

When Takao mentioned how ironic Ash's mention of his life being hell, Ash flashed a small smirk back, "Yeah, you're right.  It is quite ironic," and he gave a slight chuckle at the end.  Takao commented on  Ash's weapons of choice, "Yeah, they are pretty opposite, I know, but that's the reason I like them I guess.  The spear allows me to attack from a distance, but I can't really slash with it as much as I would like, while the dagger may be a close-up weapon, but it's the easiest to maneuver, allowing for quicker strikes," he finished with his description, while looking into the blue sky, before shaking his head and flushing slightly red, "Oh, sorry for rambling on like that!  I have a sort of... fascination with weaponry, so I guess that's something else that drew me into SAO," Ashtver apologized.

 

Ashtver nearly jumped for joy when Takao agreed to help, and his heart began to beat faster at the fact that he was about to participate in combat for the first time.  He stood back and watched in awe as Takao drew his sword.  Damn, he looks like a badass, Ash thought, impressed.  He couldn't tell whether the boy was trying for that kind of look or if it was natural, but he Ash couldn't care either way.

 

He watched as the oversized pig missed its charge, Takao easily sidestepping, before giving it a kick and a stab.  He stepped back and allowed Ash to jump in, which he did enthusiastically.  He drew his spear from its sheath and readied it at his right, left foot planted forwards and left hand near the head of the spear.

 

Without warning, the boar charged at Ashtver, and his wits became mixed up.  Should he dodge? Or block?  Or attack?  He decided on the third option, and went to stop the creature in its tracks, but completely missed in his panic, allowing the boar to push its tusks into the boy's stomach, sending him flying back.  He winced as he got back up into a kneeling position, gripping his spear tightly.  He looked to Takao and gave him an embarrassed smile.

 

"Do I get a round two?"

 

---

 

ID: 24015

BD: 4 = Fail

MD: 8 = Success

 

Ashtver: 6/7 HP

Boar: 2/5 HP

[Takao 0]

[Combat Sequence]

Boar

Takao

Boar

Ashtver

 

The boar shifted its priorities quickly upon being approached by Ashtver, deciding to attack the nearest target rather than focus its aggressive behaviour on Takao. He winced slightly and exhaled a breath as he watched Ashtver take the hit, though a quick glance at his Aincrad compatriot's health bar put his worries at ease. He'd forgotten about how little damage things on the lower floors did, which immediately sparked the memories of nearly dying to a boar when he'd first tried the combat. He was both fortunate and unfortunate nobody had been there to witness the blunder. Takao quickly put himself between Ashtver and the boar before the latter could do any more damage, though it would certainly try. The targeting was easy enough to confuse on such a simple minded monster, simply putting himself between the two was enough to shift its attention to him. The boar charged and aimed to headbutt Takao, its tusks threatening to impale him should the attack had made contact. Takao raised his sword and turned the blade, catching the boar's tusks with the flat and stopping it in its tracks. His strength parameters were high enough to hold it in place without much trouble at all. He glanced over his shoulder and gestured toward the boar with a few quick flicks of his head.

 

"Yeah, give it another shot while I've got it held here." The boar tried to back up, but with the blade between one of the tusks and the boar's face, it left little room to move. Takao had a difficult time holding it in place as it thrashed about, trying to free itself from the bind, but was ultimately held in place. "Try aimin' for the center of mass, it's usually the easiest place to hit!" His voice didn't carry a sense of panic or urgency, but rather excitement. It was a difficult task to not get a little giddy when showing off to a low level player, effectively displaying to them what waited at higher levels. 

 

»ID: [24033]

»BD: [4]

»MD: [4 - 3 = 1]

 

«Takao»

» [[HP : 25/25]]

 

«Boar»

» [[HP : 2/5]]

[Ashtver 0]

Ashtver watched as Takao jumped in between the battle, expertly blocking the boar's attack and locking its tusks in place with his sword. I wish he didn't have to save my ass, he complained bitterly. He enthusiastically took up the offer to take a second stab at the large pig. He picked himself up and readied his spear again.

"The centre of the mass? Right!" he confirmed, and approached the boar from the side, readying his spear to stab at it...

Even creatures that are locked seem to be able to dodge and retaliate too. As Ash went to stab, the boar sat it's rear down, dodging the strike, before pushing up and knocking the spear upwards, pushing Ashtver off balance. While he was down, the boar swung it's back end over him and stomped both it's sharp hooves into the spearman's chest, winding him. Hurriedly and clumsily, breathing raspy, Ashtver dashed away, and took another pained glance at Takao. He have an even more embarrassed smile.

"Third time's a charm?" he quoted shakily.

(DAMN THESE CRAP ROLLS)

---

ID: 24040

BD: 5 = Fail

MD: 10 = Critical Success +2 Damage

Ashtver: 3/7 HP

Boar: 2/5 HP

[Takao 0]

(LOL, oh man that's some bad luck. uh... go ahead and roll again like normal, but feel free direct the MD toward me instead since it'd be pretty bad if you just happened to roll another ten.)

 

[Combat Sequence]

Boar

Takao

Boar

Ashtver

 

Suppressing his desire to laugh was, perhaps, the greatest challenge Takao had faced in his lifetime to date. He pursed his quivering lips and bit down hard as his chest shuddered, a hitched breath barely escaping through his nostrils. He wasn't a mean spirited person by any means, and laughing at someone else's misfortune was a terrible thing to do. Unfortunately, he was also human, and seeing his companion's bad luck only furthered the reminders of his own missteps.

 

"Okay-" his voice cracked, prompting him to cough and clear his throat. "Mm... Alright, you might wanna back off now." He eyed Ashtver's health bar, which now hovered uncomfortably close to the red threshold. If, by some stroke of terrible luck, the boar got another attack like that in, it would be lights out for the poor guy. "I'll take this one out and we'll uh... yeah... Another hit like that and you're out, y'know?" The impulse to laugh was  still choking in the back of his throat, but the potential fatality of the situation was doing a much better job at fighting it back than Takao could ever do on his lonesome. Regardless of Ashtver's response, Takao continued to keep the thrashing boar at bay. He pushed up on the hand that held the flat of the blade and down on the hand that held the handle, effectively throwing the boar to the side after its attempt to break free of the bind.

 

With himself between Ashtver and the boar, he glanced over his shoulder. "Actually... Y'know what, use me as a meat shield. I'll take the attack, you stay behind me and attack from there, that way I'll take the damage and you get the hit. Sound good?" His voice was oddly calm given the stakes, but this seemed like a rather good plan to avoid Ashtver taking any risks. Takao twirled the sword in his hand as he waited for a response, his attention snapping back toward the boar.

 

»ID: [24041]

»BD: [5]

»MD: [8 - 3 = 5]

 

«Takao»

» [[HP : 25/25]]

 

«Boar»

» [[HP : 2/5]]

[Ashtver 0]

Ashtver began to back off, clutching his spear close to him, as Takao told him to consider falling back. He almost seemed to be hesitating a bit - was he stifling a laugh? Then again, Ashtver probably would have done the same in that situation, even though it was cruel.

However, he was surprised when Takao released the boar and got in the way of the two, suggesting he act as a meatshield. As much as Ashtver wasn't that happy with the idea, it was the best way to kill the boar and not die in the process. Nodding, he crouched behind Takao, spear poised for a third time.

The oversized pig made a mad run for the duo. Before Ash could react, the creature slammed its skull into Takao's gut, chipping away a very small portion of his health. Reacting faster this time, Ashtver struck our for the boar's unguarded shoulder, piercing through. The pig gave one last squeal before exploding into blue, crystal-shaped data. The spearman stood up and faced his protector, putting his fist out towards him.

"Third time's a charm, eh?" he repeated, a triumphant grin on his face.

---

ID: 24042

BD: 7 = Success

MD: 6 = Success

Stats:

Ashtver: 3/7 HP

Boar: DEAD

Takao: 24/25 HP

[Takao 0]

(Oh hey, just as a little heads up, when you roll the killing roll on a monster you should check your loot die too. If you score an 11 or higher, you can get something from it. Scroll past the treasure chest part on that page and it'll let you know what you can get for what rolls. Since you got a 13, you'd be entitled to either a "good item" or 25 col.)

 

Takao watched their hoofed quarry approach rapidly after being tossed aside. He didn't doubt the beast was feeling some sort of rage, even if it was just a pre-programmed reaction to being thrown around. A grimace contorted his face as the beast lunged forward, his hand gripping the handle of his sword tightly as he prepared for the impact. His level and superior statistics kept the boar from dealing any notable damage, and his feet barely moved from their spot, but he still felt the air escape his lungs as it made contact. He glanced down at the spear that pierced the shoulder of the beast, and his green eyes watched the boar disperse into crystalline shards. He took a deep breath to replace the air lost from the impact and spun on his heel to face Ashtver, a smile on his face. He met the outstretched fist with his own, dapping his fist against Ashtvan's.

 

"Third time's a charm! I was gettin' worried there for a second. That was almost as close as my first go." His left hand moved up to rub the back of his head as he sniggered. With no further use for his sword, he swung it up over his shoulder and slid the tip into the mouth of the scabbard, then slid it down into the housing. The entire action seemed fluid and practiced, as if he'd done it a hundred times already.

 

'But yeah, that's the gist of combat. Equipment and skills will make it less... uh, what's the word... perilous? When you get decent equipment, it'll usually have properties that help you out. Stuff that makes it easier to hit enemies with, or makes you less likely to get hit." He glanced around the field to make sure no other monsters were lurking nearby. Once satisfied with scanning the area, he turned back to Ashtver. "Have you decided what sorta armour you're going to use?"

[Golden 0]

Golden had been passing by, attempting to get some material for his cafe when he heard sounds of combat. He approached the sound and saw two players battling a pretty weak boar... no... a very weak boar. Looks like when of them is new to be fighting a boar with only five health. Golden thought as he looked at the players. Eh... I don't recognize any of them... I think both are pretty low leveled. Finally, after quite some time, the two brown-haired boys managed to slowly grind away the health of the boar. Pathetic... Golden thought as he saw the blade that the boy was wielding. A starter spear. Golden remembered when he used to have one of those before I threw it into a pit of fire when he'd gotten a better one.

 

Golden chuckled as he approached the two players. "Well, what do we have here?" Golden said with a shrug. He liked to be quite polite and gentlemanly having been raised in a fairly rich family when he was little. "Sorry, very impolite of me... shall I introduce myself? My name is Golden and beg my pardon but may I enquire about the names of you two?" Golden said with a bow and a smile.

[Ashtver 0]

(@Golden: Two slight problems with the context of your post.  First of all, neither character is red-haired, they both have brown hair.  Second of all, I'm not sure who the post refers to with the 'starter blade', but Ash wields a spear while Takao, I am led to believe, wield an Uncommon sword.  Just letting you know ^^)

 

"Oh, so it's not just the fact that I'm crap at this, huh?" Ashtver gave a light chuckle as he pulled his fist away.  He watched as his companion and teacher swung the blade over his shoulder and into the sheath like an expert swordsman.  Then again, he probably was in this world.  Ashtver noted Takao's advice about getting new items, and, coincidentally enough, a grey box popped up in Ashtver's vision.

 

He took a closer look, and noticed that it was a Good spear.  It wasn't going to change anything, but when Ashtver closed the popup and replaced his spear with the new one, it definitely looked better; the butt of the spear now had a steel pommel, there was a kind of string at the center of the shaft and base of the head that hung like skirts and the head had two, talon-like parts at the side.  He stepped back and gave it a few swings before nodding his head, and deeming it decent.  He raised the butt of the spear behind him and slid it down into the sheath, the leather catching on the string in the middle and his left hand supporting the pommel on the weapon's way down.  He looked to Takao.

 

"Thanks for the advice!" he thanked the boy, before the latter questioned him of his choice of armour, "Well, seeing as with my spear I'll be sitting back a fair bit, I'm thinking of going for light armour," he informed Takao, before the two were interrupted by a third male's voice.  Ashtver turned to the source of the voice to see a boy, possibly a few years older than himself, with a rapier stowed at his side.  He proceeded to introduce himself as Golden, and Ashtver politely bowed his head to the newcomer.

 

"My name's Ashtver.  Nice to meet you, Golden," he introduced himself before standing up with a friendly grin.

[Takao 0]

(Ayup, Takao's got himself an Uncommon sword.)

 

Takao shrugged slightly and laughed alongside Ashtver. "Well, I mean, it's not just the system's job. If you put yourself in a bad situation on your own accord then it probably won't end too well. I wouldn't necessarily call them substitutes for actual skill, y'know?" He rubbed his jaw a bit as he glanced over Ashtver, wondering if his words had been understood as he meant them to. "It's not an easy thing to learn either. In real life I was part of a HEMA club, so I had some experience with swords before that made it easier, but it's still hard to get used to your skill's and level parameter's influence. Buuut, that being said, sometimes you just get a bad roll o' the dice."

 

Takao's eyes shifted to the menu prompt that had appeared in from of Ashtver, having been too caught up in his explanation to have noticed. His eyebrows flicked upward when he watched him equip it and grinned widely. "Oh, wow! Your first monster and you got a drop, too? Must be the universe tryin' to say it's sorry." He snickered lightly and glanced past Ashtver to notice that they were being approached. He didn't acknowledge him just yet, as he was still a bit far off, and settled his attention back on Ashtver.

 

"Hah, yeah! Light armour's great! The best part is that when you gain levels in light armour proficiency, you get the same sort of damage mitigation as the heavy armour skill. It's kind of a broken system I think, but hey, I'm not complainin'!" Being that he too enjoyed the benefits of light armour, he felt a certain pride in knowing that his interest was shared. He figured most people in this sort of setting would want the biggest, bulkiest armour that turned them into unstoppable tanks. On the other hand, Takao preferred to use the amazing acrobatic capabilities the systems granted. It seemed like too good of an opportunity to waste. By the time he'd finished speaking, Golden had approached them and introduced himself. Takao still wore his usual warm smile as he regarded the newcomer after Ashtver.

 

"Cool to meet you, Golden! I'm Takao." A quick glance over Golden's equipment gave him a good idea of his level and skill, but the familiar guild icon that hovered near his health bar caused him to pause for a moment. "Oh, hey! You're in the same guild as Hasai, aren't you?"

[Golden 0]

"Hasai?" Golden responded, quite surprised to hear that name. "Do you know her?" Golden asked before realizing that he hasn't answered the question yet. "Ah, yes. I'm indeed in Hasai's guild and we're always recruiting new players..." Golden smiled and laughed. (Shameless advertising is shameless) Golden looked around seeing that it was still early in the day and he had lots of time to spare. He didn't have much to do that day anyway so he could probably hang out with these players and maybe get a good reputation for the guild. Golden smiled again, "What are you guys planning to do today? Mind if I join you adventurers on your journey? It seems like there would still be a lot of time before the day ends." Golden then checked his inventory to see if his rapier is there and whether his equipment are all there.

[Ashtver 0]

Takao and Golden began speaking of some kind of Guild and someone by the name of 'Hasai', and Ashtver felt like quite the outsider.  Then again, these two were higher level players and possibly had many more contacts than himself.  He turned around and faced the blue sky out over the fields and forests.  It still dazzled him with how real it all seemed and felt.  However, it was like the poisoned apple in the Snow White story - it looks so divine and enticing, only to end up being deadly in the end.

 

When Golden spoke up again asking if he could join the two, Ashtver turned back around to face the two.

 

"I wouldn't mind.  I guess the final decision's up to Takao, though," he gave a friendly smile again and chuckled a little, scratching the back of his head.  This player seemed strong, too, possibly stronger than Takao.  Again, Ashtver felt left out.  The level difference between Takao and Ash was already large - he couldn't imagine the gap between himself and Golden.  However, he was going to get stronger, at least as strong as Takao, then he could fight alongside him normally, without being protected all the time.

 

Sounded like a gamer's pipe dream.

[Emblem 0]

Emblem walked around the corner of an cliff hoping for some adventure, he wondered what his guild mates were up to. He hadn't seen any Pm's from them and had no idea what they were up to. He yawned and put his hands behind his head. He heard the chatter of people and decided to introduce himself he hoped they were planning some kind of hunting party he walked towards the people to recognize the white cloak of his best friend Goldenarroz. Hey Gold what are you up to. He looked next to his friend to see to other players. Hi i'm Emblem but you can call me Ren. Emblem had recently went to asking people to refer him to his real name due to personal causes. Nice to meet you! Emblem squatted next to his friend and hoped to hear news of a hunting party.

[Takao 0]

Takao scratched his cheek and maintained his smile as he nodded. "Ayup. I met her at a tavern in Snowfrost. What a weird coincidence," Takao said as his attention shifted over to Ashtver, his body turning to face him. "I was actually about to recommend you to get a new weapon from her. She's a good blacksmith, aaaand..." His voice droned on the last word as he opened his menu and navigated about through the various prompts until he reached his inventory. He selected the crafting materials in the list, then keyed in an amount, and finally offered a trade to Ashtver. A prompt appeared in front of his fellow brunet, offering him fifteen crafting materials in total in return for nothing, a trade Takao had already approved on his end. "You can pay for her services with crafting materials! Five of these should be able to get you a perfect tier weapon, but I'd appreciate it if you could give the rest that you don't use to her for me. I promised that I'd gather some for her."

 

When Golden asked what their plans were for the day, Takao rubbed his chin. What had he been doing on the first floor anyway? Whatever it was had completely slipped his mind, so he shrugged in response. "To be honest, I forget what I was doing before. But if you guys wanted, we could go and do a quest or somethin'? Ashtver could use the experience, and a few extra skill points would help him out." Takao said, and immediately upon finishing he noticed another person approaching them. They'd started to attract a crowd! He introduced himself as Emblem after greeting Golden, establishing right away that the two knew each other. A quick glance at Emblem's guild icon confirmed that. "Heya Ren! Nice t'meet you too! I'm Takao."

[Emblem 0]

Nice to meet you too Takao! Ren was happy to see somebody with such a kind heart. So you know Hasai too? As Ren neared the players he heard the name Hasai and wondered if she really was that popular. So what are all of you up to? Emblem took a seat on the floor and leaned back against the wall with his hands behind his head. So who are you? Emblem looked at the other player next to the man names Takao. You look like a nice guy! Emblem flashed a toothy grin and opened his inventory. You guys want a drink? Emblem took a sip of the water he had materialized then slumped down and played with his scarf.