[PP-F7] Exploring the New Floor

[Oske 0]

Oske stumbled outside of the dungeon, panting with her sword still clenched by the hilt in her hand. Her legs would’ve been sore if she could feel pain. She slowly sheathed her sword, walking down the small path leading to the first village. She had heard that there were butterfly related creatures in a glowing forest on the far west side of floor seven.

Oske’s footsteps slowly became trudges, until she finally collapsed on the ground with her eyelids fluttering. She tried to get up, but she was too tired. She closed her eyes and just hoped that someone would find her before a PKer did.

[Zeke 0]

Zeke had been circling a village for hours with his beginner's sword still equipped in his right hand. He had been grinding near the village In search of a freshly re-spawned enemy, using the convenient location as a means to stock himself whenever he needed it. On another trip around the grassy hills, a girl was barely noticeable to him through the shaking blades of grass that covered her on the windy day. In shock to find this player only just now, he ran over hoping it wasn't too late to help this girl. (I've been here all day, how did I not see her before?) Zeke thought and pulled out a healing crystal from his inventory immediately. (I don't understand how someone could let themselves collapse right here. There isn't much that can do this to you nearby.) Once her health had been restored back to green on her health bar, he picked her up in his arms and ran her to the Inn.

"I wonder what she will think when she wakes up and I am just sitting here. I'd probably freak out myself but be relieved that another cared enough to take me here." Zeke relaxed into a rocking chair he had moved across the Inn room floor to keep from waking this sleeping stranger. The chair rocked slowly back and forth near the window he looked out of. The curtains were drawn slightly so he could enjoy the view but also keep the light away from the bed. It was a waiting game now until she would wake up. Whatever her response to the change of location would be, it had his heart thumping louder than the squeaking the rocking chair made.

[Oske 0]

Oske slowly opened her eyes, noticing under her eyelids the health bar in the corner becoming green. It had been green for a while now, but she had only just woken up. Her olive eyes wandered over to the player in the rocking chair, and her heart thudded hard in her chest.

She rolled out of the bed and jumped up, drawing her sword with a "shing" sound. She then pointed it right at the player's chest. "Alright, buddy, if you think you can keep me here and use me like a puppet then--" She paused when she realized she was in an inn, and the player was simply watching her. She began to lower her sword.

[Zeke 0]

Seeing the tip of a blade at his chest cavity, the thumping suddenly grew louder at the surprise of how stealthily this girl had sneaked up on him. It wasn't long before the sword was lowered and he could then give all of his thanks to whatever gave this other player the reason to calm down.

"Excuse me." Zeke lifted himself up out of the chair and headed past the girl to a small wooden table in the corner and retrieved a pair of eye glasses. "Here you are, these weren't going to be useful to you in your sleep, so I placed them to the side." He waited beside her for her palm(s) to be held out for the return of her personal item.

[Oske 0]

Oske blinked, staring at the glasses. She peered at them, trying to make out what they were. She then realized why she couldn't see--of course her eyes glasses were removed, otherwise she would've rolled around and broken them. She blushed and pushed them back onto her face.

"T-thank you, mister, uh..." She tried to find his name on his health bar, but she didn't have him friended, so she couldn't find it. "What's your name? I'm Oske. What happened...?"

She was rubbing her head, confused.

[Zeke 0]

Zeke cringed at the sound of being called mister. It didn't sound right because of how he thought he wasn't mature or old enough to be considered anything but a stranger or his real name, Zeke. "Hi Oske, I'm Zeke. I'd like to ask you to please just call me Zeke from now on whenever you address me. I prefer it." His eyes widened at the difference in height between the two of them, it was the first time he ever felt like a giant considering he didn't know this girl's actual age.

"I don't know what happened to you before I found you laying in the fields, but the only thing I did since then was bring you to this Inn. You've been sleeping ever since. If it's okay with you and if you recall, I'd like to know what made you pass out like that myself. I've never seen another player outside of the normal circumstances of either dying or staying alive with their wits about them." The entire time he spoke, he moved the chair back closer to the bed and changed the small details about the room he had customized during his wait. Light now shone all throughout the room with both curtains drawn all the way back.

[Oske 0]

"Okay, mis--I mean, Zeke," Oske murmured. "Well, I... I don't really know how I passed out. It was almost like I was sleeping, but there wasn't any time before where I was lying down and waiting. It just came so abruptly... one second I was up, the next I'm here."

She adjusted her glasses as the light reflected off them, almost blinding her for a moment. She moved them out of the rays, and then stretched a little. "I just came out of the floor six dungeon. I wanted to go explore, because, uh... I wanted to see the butterfly forest."

[Zeke 0]

Zeke stood a few feet away from Oske as she explained the situation. His hands struggling to find something to occupy themselves with since he was in such a nervous bind just looking towards this person he didn't know at all. The tensions in his body eased up a bit when she mentioned looking for the Butterfly Forest. A small smile grew on his lips but he tried to hide it before she would notice.

"Let's go together then." A friend request was sent to her in the blink of an eye and he had already been making his way to the room door. "If it's out there, we will find it." The door was being held open by his foot wedging the bottom of it. His face looking away from the room and out to the lobby so he wouldn't be able to see her walking closer to himself.

[Oske 0]

Oske stared at the friend request. It had been a while since she had received one. She slowly lifted her finger and pressed the "accept" button, adding Zeke to her friend list. She then approached her new friend, her metal boots clicking on the ground. She played with her fingers nervously. “R-ready. You know that’s the forest is dangerous, right? It’s beautiful, sure, but… there are Neon Tigers and Sharpjaw Rabbits… at least, that’s what the information broker told me. There’s… there’s lots of monsters before the butterflies.â€

[Zeke 0]

Walking out of the Inn and out of the Village, Zeke explained his reasoning for coming along with his new friend. "I've held my own for now and I won't die easily. I want to see this place that has you so interested in it. I like beautiful places as well. Sword Art Online has a lot of beauty to it. That's one of the reasons I was so hooked on playing it before it came out. You'd rather have someone help you as well I'm sure and I would rather be there with you instead of finding you passed out again. I value myself as a Martyr you could say.."

The confession was left by him to linger as he searched his inventory for his basic weapon and equipped it. The time of day, judging by the sky, it was nearing night time and the Sunset had the atmosphere eerily serene before they would make it to the Forest and it would be complete darkness when they would arrive. (Come to think of it, I should have rested as well. I had no idea I would be doing something like this.)

[Oske 0]

"Wow, it's getting dark," Oske murmured. She followed her friend and looked around, then remembered. "Oh! Good thing the forest... the trees... they glow."

She smiled at the thought--glowing trees, bright butterflies, beautiful loot... Whatever she could get from there would be great--more things to match her title as the Butterfly Blacksmith. She opened up the pouch on her belt, releasing a small creature that climbed up and sat on her shoulder. It was a pink squirrel like creature, with shining eyes that held fear and curiosity.

[Zeke 0]

At the sudden appearance of a pink creature on Oske's shoulder, Zeke couldn't contain himself by much before he wanted to squeeze it in hugs. (Awwwwww! It's so adorable. It looks a little like my favorite animal too.) A small laugh emitted from his mouth before he could pull his scarf up over his nose and mouth to muffle any noise Oske might hear.

"I don't know why, but I had the feeling the Forest looked something like a bunch of glowing trees. I'm excited to see it myself. Also... what is the little one's name?" If he had any knowledge whatsoever that he showed signs of blushing, he would know that right now would be the time that his cheeks turned red.

[Oske 0]

"Oh, her?" Oske said, glancing at her little familiar. "Her name is Pinkie. She's not a fighter, but she's great when I need a few health points back in a battle."

She gently scritched Pinkie's head, smiling softly. "She gets all cramped up in that little pocket from time to time."

((sorry for the short reply))

[Zeke 0]

"She's absolutely the cutest. Being a Beast Tamer has some awesome benefits." Zeke admitted in a slightly more forced macho tone, trying to behave like he wasn't so drawn to the familiar. "I couldn't imagine living in a pocket. That would cramp a lot of small creatures. It's cramping me up by just thinking about it." He held his right hand out after switching the sword arm and clenched all of his fingers together in memory of how he used to have so many cramps from drawing.

When the stars started to pop out, the level of danger on the path they walked had grown intensely. Player killers were much more dangerous than any monster based on how their intelligence stretches beyond the game. "Pick up pace a little please." Zeke looked back at Oske and Pinkie as they followed behind. "The entrance isn't too far away now! I can see inside a little bit!" The wind of the night played tricks on his ears. The volume at which he spoke was being thrown off by the sound of breezes in his ear.

OOC: No problem. Let me know if I'm not doing anything interesting in the topic.

[Oske 0]

Oske paused, then rushed a little. She saw the brightness of the glowing trees poking through patches of openness in the surrounding regular trees. "I see it up ahead," she said with a smile. Pinkie wrapped her tail around herself, shivering. Her fur was very thin, so even the slightest chill in the air was freezing for her.

Oske gripped her sword tight, her knuckles white around the hilt.

[Zeke 0]

Once Oske had caught up to him, he slowed down before they reached the entry point and checked his footsteps to match her's so they would all enter at the same exact moment.

Once inside. the lighting in this dungeon had him taking a second glance at Oske. His new friend was almost completely covered in dark except for the front of her body. (The change in this place will make things difficult for us to stay together and not be distracted.) Zeke thought and placed his hand near Pinkie in an attempt to stop Oske from going any further into the trees. "Make sure you don't lose concentration in here. If we get split up, we might not see each other again.."

[Oske 0]

Oske barely seemed to here Zeke. As soon as she entered the forest, her heart began to race and her pupils dilated. "Oh... my GOSH!" she squealed. She suddenly pushed past Zeke and ran ahead, barely gripping her sword. Her eyes were wide and excited, and she barely noticed a white tiger with glowing stripes spawn beside her.

[Zeke 0]

"What are you doing!? There's an enemy right behind you!" Zeke yelled to Oske as clearly as he could but it still wouldn't be enough now that there was little time for her to react appropriately. Switching his sword arm back to the right, Zeke ran up behind the enemy while it's focus was on his friend. *Groan* The level seven was fallen back onto his butt with his health one point lower than the maximum already. His attack had dealt no damage but he had managed to shield Oske for the time being until she could compose herself. (I hope she is as good a fighter as she looks.) He noted her advanced attire for the level she was on, while he himself was still stuck in a dark blue version of the beginners attire with the only notable difference being that he had a scarf as well.

Zeke's health: 16/17

[Oske 0]

Oske turned when she saw her friend fall, and rage filled her olive colored eyes. She gripped her sword tight and raised it above her head, slamming the hilt down on the tiger's head. It roared in rage, stumbling over and unsheathing its claws. Eyes blazing, it lunged at Oske again. She smacked it away with her small shield, but dealt no damage to it beyond that.

Monster: 5/6

Oske: 19/19

[Zeke 0]

The reality factor of this game had him wincing at the sight of Oske's sword pommel hitting the Tiger right between the eyes. The first hit belonged to her and she seemed more ready for such a fearsome opponent than he did. The unyielding stance she took in reaction was completely opposite of her excited demeanor right before.

Using his straight sword to push himself up onto his feet, the Tiger gave little to no time before aiming at him again for an easy target. *Groan* Zeke struggled to push back the giant paw of the enemy even with his weapon. In the middle of the tug of war going on between him and the Tiger, he forced his blade on to it's sharp side against the enemy and dragged his weapon straight through it's body only to miss his second attack. (I hate my bad luck.)

Zeke's health: 16/17