[SP-F1] Earning a Living: The Legendary Fisherman (Complete)

[Lindow 0]

Lindow wasted little time to improve his skills and that meant he needed to pick up his profession. Running through the list of applicable jobs, and knowing that there were a lot of smithies in town, it wasn't too smart in the economy to pick up something that had a lot of competition. The Fisherman Job seemed like a nice idea, and it meant he could do this without having to swing his mighty blade around for hunting materials, and he loved fishing in real life. He promised himself he would by a small little row boat and go fishing with his daughter one day, or bring his wife. He loved the smell of salted bass and he normally ate all kinds of sushi. This was the perfect job for him. His stoic expression changed very little as he reminisced over his loved ones. Eyes closing he walked towards the Quest NPC, the Legendary Fisherman. He was given a tackle box, a basic fishing pole...which was really basic as Lindow examined it from his inventory. Nothing short of a stick and a piece of string. Guess he had to start somewhere. Unequipping his massive blade behind him, the geezer decided it was time to start fishing. 

As he got closer to the blue lake, he smiled and sat down opening his tackle box. The other players didn't seem to bother him much as they were hunting the mobs around the area. He got the bait out of the box, a little worm that could be devoured by the smaller fish. After he equipped his pole, he stood up and threw the line out into the middle of the water. The small lake seemed very dead compared to fishes, normally you could see them splashing about in shallow parts, but this one seemed rather still. His eyes brows furrowed as they crossed into his nose and his stoic expression remained unchanged. He brought the line back up and found his bait still wobbling on the hook. He sighed once more, perhaps there was another place he could go with a little bit more bite? Picking up his tackle box, he took another short walk to another small lake, the area more secluded than the rest. He looked around and nodded, "There should be something biting here...I wonder if there are certain techniques one can use..."

Edited August 15, 2015 by Lindow

[Lindow 0]

He looked through his menu to see if there were any skills attached to the fishing rod, there were none he could see and the description was as basic as the rod itself. Muttering to himself, he let the line fly as he shot it out into the crystal blue waters. He waited for a moment and found that his line was attached to something. He eagerly attempted to yank back on the rod and came up short handed; well…he lost the bait…Not a good trade off however.

Lindow once more applied bait to the hook, there were fish swimming in this little pond and he would get one. He sat down in the grass, there was still plenty of light outside so he didn’t have to worry about being out too late right now. He focused on the pond and swung his casting arm out as the line went into the pond with a Plunk! 

[Lindow 0]

As he sat with patience, he looked out to the water once more, his mind filling with images of his wife. Her soft skin, her long brown hair, beautiful smile…

“Going to be late for work, dear!”

“I’m coming!”

The two couple kiss, a young girl sitting at the breakfast table listening to her musical device while reading some High Fashion Girl’s Magazine.

“Hey! Jas! What did I tell you about listening to your discman at the table?”

“What? What’s a discman? Dad, this isn’t the—“

“What are you wearing? Do you see what she is wearing? Go upstairs and change. You are not going to school dressed like that. Who bought her clothes?”

“Hunny, I’ll handle it, you are late. Go! Here’s your lunch!”

“She isn’t allowed to go to school dressed like that, and she better not be hanging out with any boys either until she is thirty. Especially that Ron guy, and James, and Peter…”

“Go!!”

Lindow felt the tug of his fishing pole in his sturdy hand,"Wooaaa! I gotchya!"  

[Lindow 0]

As he reeled in his catch, he pulled as hard as he could and fell down with a plop to the ground as a stinky old boot came crashing into his face. Lindow smacked the wet boot away as it dissolved into the air, “Ugh! Well, so much for that…” he placed the bait on the hook once more and he looked up at the sky, still good on time. He rested his body once more and cast his line out and patiently waited. Those thoughts of his family, when he was alone, are all he had to keep him going. His eyes burned through the water, it took patience and discipline to get through this mess. His calm eyes set on the bobble in the small pond, he needed to become one with the fishing line though it would be silly to start a manta and hum while he was fishing. He opened his inventory and got one of the pieces of bread out and ate a good chunk of it, chewing on the contents and swallowed. He thought about cooking up some fish, but he was no cook and he could only chose one profession. There was money to be made though, he didn’t see anyone else fishing for a living. He smiled, “We’ll be ok, right Crystal?” 

[Lindow 0]

How long had he been sitting down at this spot now? Twenty? Thirty minutes? He felt like a hermit out in the middle of no where while he was fishing. There seemed to be a snag in his line, he stood up, both hands on his rod and started to reel it in, "Oh no! Not getting away from me!" he yanked and pulled on his rod, it fought back and he dug his feet into the ground upturning the blades of grass in the spot. When he yanked back once more, his foot slipped and he splashed into the shallow pond, covered in a mess of green seaweed, "How...lovely." 

 

Paddling back to his spot, he got up out of the water with a light splash as he was soaked to the bone. He sighed and picked up his tackle box, he would try another spot for now. As he was walking along the bank with heavy footsteps that sloshed back and forth from his wet boots, there seemed to be an area that was off the beaten path. He took a right into some woods and found a nice rock to sit on and a crystalline blue pool of water. There was nothing else special here, but he knew...he would catch something in this little pond! 

[Lindow 0]

Sitting on the rock, he once more closed his eyes. He remembered the satin sheets of his bed, his loving wife sleeping next to him, the warmth of her skin pressed to his body.They were now all so distant memories to him, and they were devoured in darkness. His eyes twitched open as he felt his hand rumble and shake from the rod. He stood up on his rock, "Not this time!" he yanked back as hard as he could and in the beams of the sun, the water trickled down as he noticed a pint size little minnow flapping about on his hook. 

"Hey! I caught something!" he reeled it in to take a closer look, "Eh? This couldn't even feed my little cat Casper. Sorry little fish." the little minnow seemed to squirm a few more times before poofing into the digital world, he felt accomplished for once, so this Rod was actually useful for something. Once more he took some bait from the tackle box and applied his hook with a wiggling worm. He cast it out into the pond once more and his eyes were drawn to the ripples, "Getting late...I should head back soon."

[Lindow 0]

As Lindow continued fishing, in his deep tonal voice he was humming a light melody. His silver eyes looking to the azure water as he checked every once in a while to make sure his bait was still on the hook. He sighed as he cast the line out once more; there was a noise in the bush to his left. His eyes flickered but he didn’t move. Perhaps whatever it was would just go away. He remained vigilant as his eyes peered off to the corner, “Who’s there?” An older man, much, much older than Lindow was shaking about in the bush with a big white beard in tow. Sighing, Lindow looked to the older man…an NPC?

“Greetings, Traveler! Don’t see too many people off in this area. Mind if I soak my fee in the waters here? I’ve been hiking for a long time…”

Lindow nodded, hopefully this elderly man wouldn’t scare off the fish. 

[Lindow 0]

“Yahh! That feels great!” the man simmered down into a crouch and plopped his feet into the cold waters after taking off his muddy boots. The man had beady chocolate brown eyes, a grand ol’ beard, a set of fancy looking glasses and some basic traveler’s gear. The old traveler adjusted his glasses and looked to Lindow, “Are ya fishing? You ain’t gonna catch anything like that! You need to lure the fish in with some movement!”

“Oh? Are you an expert or something, Old Man?” Lindow asked, slight agitation in his voice.

“Hahaha! Something like that, yes. Here let me show you young wiper snapper how it’s done. Remove your line from the pond.”

The Old Man got up on his feet once more, his rickety movements made way towards the rock Lindow was sitting on as he materialized a fantastic looking Fishing Rod, the rod itself was nicely decorated, and look strong and sturdy and the reeling mechanism looked mechanic. He chuckled as Lindow stood in awe. The old man got some bait out of his own tackle boss, looked like a fishing lure. The man seemed to spin his rod around and around before the lure plopped into the farthest part of the pond.

“This is where the fun begins, watch what I do…”

[Lindow 0]

The elder Angler seemed to have a vast amount of knowledge about fishing. His keen eyes were set on the pond as he moved his hands left and right and reeled in gently, stopped and then back to a unique pattern of movements. The line started to shake and the rod was coming to life, he fought as the fish he just caught was putting up a fight. Lindow watched amazed as the old man jerked and reeled the fish in, the sport lasting maybe five minutes as he reeled in a nice looking bass.

“Hahaha! See? Try and true method right there. Of course, I do have better equipment, but it’s the knowledge that I pass down to you which will help you succeed in catching more fish. Here, this is for you.”

The elder fishing traveler sent over a list of helpful techniques that were added to Lindow’s fishing tips section. It included simple patterns, when to fight, when to release and an explanation of what type of lures and bait to use when searching for specific fish.

“That was perfect fishing, I have never seen anything quite like it,” Lindow said, humbling the old man.

“It was nothing, many years of practice and finding the right spots to fish. Aincrad has many mysterious lakes and waters alike, you never know what kind of fish you’ll catch. There are even some rare monster fish that can give some nice rewards out. Well, I think I spent enough time here. Good luck to you, Player. I am sure we’ll meet again, perhaps. “

[Lindow 0]

The day was coming to a close, the sun was now just starting to set and it was becoming more dangerous as the sun was going down. Picking up his belongings, Lindow shifted his body and came out of the forested region with his mighty great sword strapped to his back. His silver eyes were low as he watched out for any spawning mobs. He didn’t want to get into a fight with a monster right now, it was already past the time he wanted to be out. He made his way back to the safe zone as there seemed to be little cause for alarm as he made it back without a hitch. Tired from the day, he found himself a low cost inn and set up his room. He sighed as he sat down on the bed, his thoughts on his family. Jasmine was too old to be tucked in, but at this moment he wanted to do just that, tuck her in, kiss her goodnight.

He twisted in his bed as his eyes grew heavy, new thoughts of his beautiful wife at home. Once more he could remember the perfume of her body, the silky strands of her hair, and the warmth of her body. These nights were long and lonely. His eyes fluttered, he needed to become like steel should he want to see them again. The last remaining thoughts were of those of beating this game and seeing his family. 

[Lindow 0]

If it had been the real world, the time Lindow normally got up would be 5am, would have his morning coffee and read the newspaper. None of these things happened for him in SAO. He grumbled as he woke up the sun not even rising yet as the new day started. A blank look on his face as he yawned. He sat in his bed and rubbed his shoulders getting the stiffness out. He stood up on his feet and stretched once more with a mighty yawn. He then fell forward with both hands on the ground and started to do push ups. This possibly did not affect his character at all, but it was something he did out of habit in the real world, he worked out a good deal but he didn't look sculptured to perfection and his age was showing on him and his face. Nearly fifty, he knew waking up and working out was going to be rough. 

 

With his final push up, he walked down the stairs of the cozy inn, the Inn Keeper a man that seemed as old as himself looked him up and down, "Well! Good morning, sir. Did you sleep well?" Lindow nodded with another yawn before sitting on a stole and making light conversation with the NPC. It was important to keep these things going even if it was just a game. Talking with people, making a connection, it was those feelings that kept his humanity intact. He needed reasons to feel he was still 'warm.'

[Lindow 0]

As dawn appeared, the sun started to show over the horizon. After making small conversation with the NPC, Lindow decided to give fishing another go. Ruffling his peppered hair, he nodded to the NPC and a waving gesture as he pressed the door open. People were waking up now, there seemed to be kids playing in the streets getting a good start for the day. The two handed swordsman set out on the same path as he did yesterday, heading through the city towards the gates and out of the safe zone. 

"Seems like people are hunting mobs now too, thats good. They'll be fixed on those players and not me while I go fishing in that one lake," prepared for anything, his mighty sword was strapped to his back as he made way to his destination. The emerald grass blew as a wind blew by, refreshing and cool just before the sun could kiss it warm. His steely eyes set on the path to his fishing spot and soon he came upon the thickest part of the entrance and maneuvered around the thorny bushes until those crystalline blue waters were seen. 

[Lindow 0]

Setting up his gear and setting it aside for the moment, Lindow took the time to read over the new material the Master Fisherman had given him in his little journal. The pull and give technique seemed interesting, and it said that lures attract fish better than natural bait. He scratched his chin while helping himself to one of the starter breads in his inventory. He wouldn't starve knowing he would be a fisherman soon, so the bread was more of acting reminded her needed to get this quest done although...now that he thought about it. 

 

"How DO I finish this quest? Do I just sit around and...fish until I catch something? Perhaps its time based, the number of hours I have to put into it? Well then! I have all day!" Closing the journal and taking a mighty swig from his water bottle, he cleared his wetted beard with his sleeve, took out his fishing pole and stood up. He gave the rod a spin with his wrist and flicked the line out to the farthest part of the pond. His small eyes beamed; today was going to be a GREAT day. 

Edited August 15, 2015 by Lindow

[Lindow 0]

Using the techniques that were laid out to him by the Master Fisherman, Lindow used those points to draw in the fish. First he would reel in the line a few inches, then he would pull to the left and then pull to the right, stop and do a zig zag pattern and then come to a full stop. The lure at the end of his line seemed to dance in the water as it was trying to attract the fish. There was a snag and Lindow burst forward almost slipping into the pond itself as his rod took off with his arms, "Wooo!!" he dug his boots into the soggy grass and put on the breaks. He used his upper body strength to pull back and fight the fish. 

 

Whatever was on the other end was not giving up without a fight as he once more caused Lindow to push forward, one foot slipping and he almost let go of the handle. Gritting his teeth, he pulled back once more and was leaning back, he fought hard; tooth and nail as he felt the line slacker. The fish was tiring out, and he was able to reel it in without any further problems. As he lifted the hook out of the water, he was amazed he caught such a colorful looking fresh water fish. Delighted by that, he noticed a small bar under his green HP one that a margin has been filled. So he just needed to fill up the bar. He was happy to have noticed that now, so there was a number he actually had to fish for. The fish dissolved into nothing and Lindow once more set up his lure and cast the line out to the farthest end of the pond. 

[Lindow 0]

A different method, a different kind of lure, a different kind of pull and give pattern. The notes he received from the Master Fisherman were beyond helpful at this point. An hour or two had passed in the day and he had caught a few more fish to fill up his margin. Unfortunately he was unable to keep the fish as they disappeared out of his inventory, but it was the thought of catching them that was rewarding and soon enough, he'll be able to catch real fish in these ponds and hopefully make a comparable living to a blacksmith or tailor.

Eyes on his line, there seemed to be a dip in the crystalline waters, the force of his rod being pulled forwards once more.  Lindow dug his feet into the ground and pulled back on the pole and started to reel the fish in, the fish giving almost no fight to his novice experience. As he gave a final yank the rainbow fish flipped out of the water and landed beside him flapping about on dry land. Just a few more and he could call it a day, and call it the end of a quest. 

[Lindow 0]

"And another!" Lindow exclaimed as the fish plopped down beside him, wiggled and curiously enough did not disappear like the others. Instead it seemed to transform into a natural bait. He wondered if this next fish he was supposed to catch be bigger than the rest, but could his pole handle the strain? As the thoughts were churning in his head he realized there was a sound coming from the bushes to his left. His eyes roamed to that direction, low lit as he was prepared to strike should something try to be creeping up on him. As he placed a hand on the hilt of his blade, that old Fisherman emerged slapping his pants with free of any debris and waving happily at Lindow. 

Sighing with relief, he sat down and smiled. It was nice to have company, even if it was just an NPC, "What brings you back out here, old man? Got any more nice tips for me?"

[Lindow 0]

The old man with the great legendary beard took hold the edge of his glasses and smiled, "It seems you come across some natural bait. It is time to learn how to catch some bigger fish, here are a few lessons for you to read up on." The old man sent over a few detailed explanations of natural bait to be added to the resource list of Fishing. Lindow looked over the material quickly with a hand on his chin as he skimmed the context, the old man smiled and spoke up once more. 

"But this time, we are going to help each other. There is a certain fish in this pond that is one slippery fellow, very hard to catch but he only likes natural bait. Now, even I haven't been able to catch this fish, but today! Today, Junior. You will be helping me do just that. We just need a little time and patience. Well, are you up for it?" 

Lindow was confused, but he nodded his head all the same. The old man sent a party request? What in the world? Lindow accepted the request, his finger pushing down on the 'O' as the new party member's HP bar landed below his own. The name "Legendary Fisherman" appeared. The DC stood up and greeted his new partner as they stood side by side. Each one of them cast out their lines as they merged together for this event. It was different, but exciting. 

[Lindow 0]

The old man yawned as his partner to his right, Lindow, seemed very alert and aware of the pond in front of them waiting for this mysterious uncatchable fish to appear. 

"So, exactly what are we trying to catch, old man?" 

"A monster fish," he replied without a note of excitement as he looked over and chuckled. Was he serious? He was, "It was a long time ago that I was at this pond and I saw a deep shadow in the waters as I was walking by. I caught only a glimpse of it as the Shark Monster flicked its tail fin in the water and submerged back down below the depths. There seems to be a cave connected below this pond that leads to a larger area outside. It probably comes to this area to find easy prey. But today, that MOnster Fish is mine!"

As the old man finished his story, there was a wobbling in the line and they were both pulled forward, "AHH!! WE CAUGHT HIM! Come on, Wipper Snapper! We got this!!" 

They pulled and yanked, fought and reeled with every fiber of their being. There was no tactic to lure the Monster Fish to them, this was a straight up slug fest against Fisherman and Fish. Lindow was jerked side to side as he was manhandled by the monster, he fought alongside the old man as they pulled once more. A mighty tug and the monster fish came exploding out of the pond creating a wave of water to crash down on them. The shark like beast was able to stand on land and it chomped down viciously as snatched away their poles.  

[Lindow 0]

The battle had begun as the land shark reared its head at Lindow and seemed to roar at him, "Such a jawesome looking fish..." he said under his breath. The monster fish looked like a shark, the head and body and fins, but it stood on two large trunk like feet and had a equally large hands with massive claws. The Legendary Fisherman backed away, "Alright Lindow! Its all on you!" 

"What? You're not helping? What is this? I thought we were going to do this together!?" 

"Yes! The fishing part! Do I look like I have the ability to help fight this thing? Hahaha." 

He laughed, he actually laughed. Sneering on the inside, Lindow grabbed the hilt of his monstrous blade and unsheathed it from his back. He lowered to the ground bending his knees, the hilt tight in both his hands. Leaning forward he jumped and the mighty greatsword came down crashing into the head of the Land Shark. The beastly looking shark closed it's eyes from the attack as it appeared to be stun for a moment shaking away the pain it felt from the attack.

"Oh boy! I think you just made it mad! Smack it again!" The Legendary Fisherman cheered on the player as he side stepped from a massive downwards claw strike and uplifted his sword over his head. Once more, that might blade came crashing down on the head of the shark and knocking it back towards the water. 

[Lindow 0]

Slightly dazed from the attack, the Shark Monster turned around and slammed its tail fin against Lindow who was sent barrel rolling into a tree. He slid to a stop and fell over on his knees, his HP bar depleted a good amount from the assault. Leaning on his sword for support, he got back up to his feet and regained his composure and stance with the heavy blade held in both hands and out in front of him. 

"What are you doing just standing there? Get him!! Two more attacks from that weapon should do the trick! Hurry before he escapes!" Lindow's stoic expression remained unchanged, he charged like a wolf running as quickly as he could. He leapt into the air the wind blowing against his face as he leaned down and smashed the weighty instrument of destruction into the monster's elongated face. The creature roared in pain once more as a chunk of it's HP had gone away. There was another strike from it's tail, but Lindow was able to evade the blow. The creature took a step back roaring as it glowed a mysterious aura around it's body. 

"Hey old man! What is it doing?" 

"It's getting ready to charge! Move out of the way!!!"