[PP-F3]The Art of the Brew <<Earning a Living>> (Piera)

[Brice 0]

The sound of a bell rings throughout the air as a wooden door swings open. Brice takes a deep breath to notice that the room smelled of herbs and hundreds of other unidentifiable scents. An earthy feel was prominent through out the enire building as pottles of strange liquids filled the wooden shelves that took up a fair amount of the room. At the front of the room, behind a counter, stood a brunette girl, mixing what seemed to be some kind of herbs in a mortar. "Hello there uh... miss. I'm looking for someone by the name of um..." Brice open up his memo section of his menu, and finds what he was looking for. "Ah. I'm loking for someone named Piera. You wouldn't happen to know her or where she is, would you?"

Edited September 18, 2015 by Brice

[Piera 0]

Piera was humming to herself as set out the ingredients she would be working with today. She was trying to get the recipe just right for a teleportation crystal, but it was a difficult process to gauge since she had yet to successfully craft one. The material combination was complicated, not to mention the delicate crystallization process. But still she would try with what limited supplies she had, slowly and carefully grinding the herbs with her pestle. She looked up belatedly after the bell on her shop door tinkled, announcing a visitor and the alchemist put on a polite smile as she welcomed the young man that had entered her shop. "Hello, welcome. How can I help you?" She paused in her crafting as he spoke, checking something on his menu before stating that he was looking for a 'Piera'. Smiling in amusement, the brunette replied, "Well you found her. I'm Piera, owner of Piera's Potent Potions and High Priestess of the Velvet Room. Hm...that sounds a lot more impressive when I say it out loud huh?" She chuckled lightly before looking the teenage boy over. "And I'm guessing...that you're Brice?" Lowenthal had messaged her earlier about a new member of the guild and from what little was said she was fairly sure she'd like him.

[Brice 0]

Brice sighs in relief and warmly smiles at the shop owner. "Yep, that's me. I'm glad that I found the right place. I'm not really familiar with any floors higher than the first floor." He outstretches his hand over the counter to Piera. "I guess Lowenthal must have told you about me, right? He didn't say anything bed about did he?" Brice chuckles a but, but it's still unsure whether me meant it or was just joking. "I just hope he mentioned that I'm the new guild member. It just seemed like such an amazing guild. When Lowenthal taold me about the group and showed me around the place, I was completely sold."

[Piera 0]

Piera nodded with a knowing look as he stated that he wasn't familiar with floors above the first one. "I was the same way. Until Lowenthal and Jomei helped me out." The alchemist took his outstretched hand and shook it firmly with a smile. "Haha, no nothing bad. Yet~" Her tone was light and her eyes squinted and danced as she dropped his hand. The brunette's expression brightened and softened at the same time, excited to have a new member of the guild. "He did mention that, yes. I uh, it's amazing that you say that though. We're not a very large or even popular guild. But we're very happy to have you. So um, Lowe mentioned that you would be coming by, but he didn't mention why. Did you need some potions? Or crystals perhaps?"

[Brice 0]

"Oh right! Umm..." Brice holds his hand behind his back and looks at the ground. "I was wondering if you would help me with something." He looks back up to Piera and pauses for a moment before resuming. "I recently learned of professions in the game, and  um... I was wondering if you could teach me alchemy. It was the one profession that I think really sopke to me." Brice lowers his head and closes his eyes, preparing for whatever laughs or criticism s might come his way. He is clearly nervous about asking something like this, but, currently, nothing about about him would show why he mmay feel this way.

[Piera 0]

Piera's head tilted in curiosity as the teen asked if she could help him with something. At his pause, she nodded for him to go on, not quite voicing her acceptance until she heard what it was. Her eyebrows rose just a centimeter in interest when he first spoke of learning a profession. And when Brice said that he wanted her to teach him alchemy, the brunette's face lit up in pleasant surprise. "I...well of course!" The young woman stumbled over her words slightly, feeling a bit under-qualified but certainly honored to be asked such a thing.

"I'm not the best alchemist you could learn from, but I'm certainly willing to try and teach you. In my personal opinion alchemy is one of the most useful professions in Aincrad. Armor an weapons are necessary to have, but once you have the best that you can afford, you don't need to visit a tailor or blacksmith again unless you lose or break your items. But potions and crystals on the other hand... Players will always need them for those worst case scenarios to be able to fall back on." Her tone was warm and yet her eyes seemed somewhat sad.

Forcing herself to brighten, the alchemist clapped her hands and said, "Right! Well then let's get started! Assuming you wanted to begin immediately that is." If Brice didn't say otherwise, she would begin storing her ingredients and packing up her Potioneer's Kit as well as putting away her mortar and pestle and dousing the flame under her cauldron. "We'll need to find an NPC run alchemy shop for you to be able to get the quest. I know just where to find one. But first..." The brunette flicked open her menu and sent a party invitation to her new guild member. If he chose to accept, he would be able to see her stats as well as the name and stats of one other player: Lee.

[Brice 0]

Brice lifts his head as his eyes open in surprise frfom the alchemist's agreement to help. "Oh my gosh, thank you so much! That is so nice of you." Upon hearing what Piera says about her opinion on alchemy and its usefulness he nods his head in agreement. "Oh yes, I would love to start soon. Well, unless you wouldn't want to, that is. I mean, I can wait if you want." He becomes more releived seeing that she's fine with starting. When Brice sees the party invite, he goes to accept, but stops before he does so. "Hey, umm. Who's Lee? I don't  thin he's pet of the guild? Even is he is, Lowe didn't mention anything about anyone name Lee."

[Piera 0]

Piera shook her head, letting out a breathy laugh at the boy's enthusiasm. "It's nothing, really. Least I can do for a guildmate. You'll learn to rely on us and with time we'll rely on you too. You won't be so thankful then when your shop is swamped with customers and back orders and we come to you asking for more." Her tone was teasing. "Don't worry, we wouldn't press you for more than you're capable of though."

When Brice seemed to accept immediately at the offer to get started before backtracking and saying that he could wait if she wanted. When that was decided, the light haired teen seemed to hesitate accepting the party invite, questioning who Lee was. Piera's smile was soft as she explained, "No, Lee's not part of the guild. He's my boyfriend. We stay in a party so we can tell where we are and that we're alright even when we're apart. It's a handy trick we've always used."

[Brice 0]

Brice chuckles at the mention of him getting overwhelmed with customers. The thought did seem a little troubling, but somewhat flattering at the same time. He loved the thought of being useful to people who would genuinely appreciate him for it. "That sounds petty cool. I can't wait to start helping out the guild and other players." When Piera explains who Lee is, Brice's blushes a bit. "Oh, umm..." He scrunches his eyebrows and looks around awkwardly before he accepted the party invitation. "So you mentioned that we needed to go finan NPC shop, right? Do you think we could find one nearby?" Althought He tried to be inconspicuous, it was obvious that he was trying hard to change the subject.

Edited September 20, 2015 by Brice

[Piera 0]

Piera nodded with a content smile as Brice spoke of not being able to wait to help the guild and other players. "That's good to hear. Those are the same reasons I became an alchemist myself." Her eyebrows raised slightly in amused surprise when the teen blushed, causing her to chuckle a bit at his expense and wonder how old he was. "Nothing to be embarrassed about." She glanced up at her HUD for a moment after he accepted the invite, checking his stats as he asked her where they would go to find an NPC shop. "Hmm...well there might be one around here, but I already know where one is on the first floor and I'd feel better if we were on a lower floor as well. I'm not much higher than you and I'd hate for anything to happen to you. So better safe than sorry." The alchemist gave him an apologetic smile as she walked out from behind the counter and looked over the shop to make sure everything was put away before walking to the door and waving him over.

Once he was outside, Piera would flip her sign to read 'closed' before exiting and locking her shop behind her. "We'll take the teleport pad to the first floor and then I'll take you to the NPC that I got my quest from." She lead him through Delilah village and did just that, materializing at floor one's safe zone before waiting for Brice to appear and ushering him to follow. It took her a little bit to remember and navigate back to the shop she had earned her alchemist title from. The shop looked more like a flower shop than having to do with potions and crystals. Various plants, flowers and herbs grew and hung outside the shop and inside the window, in pots, in flower beds and even hanging from the roof. "This is the place!" Piera announced happily before entering, holding the door open for Brice.

Inside was the smell of earth and greenery with a pleasant overtone of sweet flowers. Then they were greeted by a female voice, "Hello there. Can I interest you in some potions? Perhaps crystals?" The voice came from a slightly older than middle aged woman with silver hair behind the counter. The lack of a cursor above her head informed them that she was an NPC rather than a player. Stepping forward slightly, Piera prompted, "No, thank you though. We're actually here because he," The brunette's hand rested on Brice's shoulder before gently pushing him forward towards the senior lady. "Wants to become an alchemist."

This immediately triggered a response in the NPC as she exclaimed happily, "Why, yes! Oh goodness me, I haven't had an apprentice in goodness knows how long."  The bespectacled young woman smiled slightly at the thought that an NPC could go senile or perhaps develop Alzheimer's, as she had only been in here a few months ago to become an alchemist herself. "These young new adventurers these days just don't seem to be interested in the finer art of alchemy. Not as flashy or well...adventurous as most of the other professions." She sighed before regaining her smile. "My name is Agatha dear. A pleasure to meet you. Might I know your name?" She looked at the teenager expectantly.

[Brice 0]

Brice follows along with Piera to the teleport pad and activated it along with her. As they materialize on the first floor, Brice stumbles a bit. "I don't think I'll ever get used to that teleportation function." He follows Piera through the vendor-filled streets, taking the occasional stop to see what interesting goods they might carry. As they finally reach the store, Brice takes a minute to examine some of the beautiful plants one display outside and in. Once he finishes, he joins back up with his new companion. He listens to the NPC and notices the quest varification pop-up in front of him. He accepts, and his first quest in the world of SAO begins.

The woman smiles when Brice accepts the quest. "What a lovely name. I am so glad you chose alchemy as your profession. I can teach you everything you need to know, and then some. Given enough time and prectice, you could become as great an alchemist as me." She lets out a hearty laugh that fills the room and seems to bring out a happy atmosphere. "Now, alchemy is an extremely useful skill to have around here. Especially with all these adventurers running around. You never know when you might rurn into a situation that you can't handle on your own. That's where alchemists like myself come in. We can craft many different items that can be used in battle. Now, why don't I show you how thing are done so you can give it a try."

Agatha turns to a large case at the wall, behind the counter. She opens it up and gasps in shock. She returns to her previous position behind the counter with an embarrassed look on her face. "Well this is quite a predicament. I seem to have run all out of herbs, and I can make anything without them. Say, why don't you go out and get some for me? That would be a great help. Now run along. The quicker you get those herbs, the quicker we can start crafting." At that, a window opens up in front of Brice saying that he would need to retrieve some crafting materials in order to continue with the quest. "Well, I guess we should go out for some hunting. What do you say?"

[Piera 0]

Piera listens to the NPC talk to Brice with interest. She had never repeated a quest before and was pleasantly surprised to find that the dialogue was different than when she had accepted the quest. Her eyes began to wander around the shop until a sharp gasp caused her head to whip around before relaxing at the explanation. When Brice asked if they should go hunting for the materials, the brunette smiled and replied, "It's your quest. But if you want my advice I would definitely suggest doing so if you want to become an alchemist." She chuckled lightly before also suggesting, "Probably best just to go outside this floor's safe zone and see what we can find. You can find materials on any floor, but it's always best to stick to the low ones until you're a few levels above the floor that you want to go to unless you're not alone. Even when you're just material gathering, you can still draw the attention of monsters. I'll just be around as backup. A safety net. So, where to now?" The bespectacled young woman prompted the teen with a smile.

[Brice 0]

Brice nod along with what Piera suggests. "Yeah, I agree completely. When I started out, someone was helping me with learning the basics. I was a boar and I wasn't doing too well. Thankfully he came in and helped me out when I needed it. Oh! Speaking of which." He opens up his menue and checks his area map. "Ah, there it is. We could head over to to he narby plains. The nearby plains are are actually the same ones where I was at earlier. There are some pretty weak monsters over there. Here, I'll lead the way." Brice begins walking through the streets until he comes upon a large gate at the edge of the city. "Here we go. It's not too far off from here." He continues along a dirt path to a large plain area. "Here we are. Now we just need to look around for some easy mobs. It shouldn't take too long."

Brice heds off the path and to the plains. After a bit of searching, a boar spawns in a flurry of flashing lights. Brice unsheathes his weapon and assumes a fighting stance. As the boar charges at him, Brice makes an attempted lunge at the beast. To his surprise the boar was more intelligent than he had expected. It ducks under the attack and tackles Brice, nearly causing him to fall from the blow.

>ID: 32170 BD: 4 +1 MD: 8

>Brice: 5/8

>Boar: 4/4

Edited September 21, 2015 by Brice

[Piera 0]

Piera smiled, though her brow was a bit pinched upon hearing that Brice had been in trouble before a helpful player assisted him. "I'm glad someone did... Aincrad isn't kind to low level players lately." She followed him out of the shop as he looked through his menu and announced that he knew just where they should head. "Sounds good." The brunette nodded amicably before following the teen as he walked through the Starting City. As they walked past the gate, the pair would receive a small warning on their HUD, announcing that they were leaving the Safe Area, but that did not dissuade them from pressing on.

As Brice mentioned needing to find easy mobs she spoke up, "Mobs aren't the only source of mats. You can find them around areas as well, though it's a bit harder to find them than to be able to get a guaranteed mat with every kill. Definitely less dangerous though." She herself kept an eye out for any possible materials while they walked but didn't spot any until a familiar sound of a mob popping up. It spawned closer to Brice than herself and immediately attacked the lower leveled player, causing her heart to stutter when she saw that it nearly brought him to half health with one hit.

"Get back behind me!" She ordered sharply, immediately stepping between the boar and her ward. Both players had the same amount of Hate currently, which was zero, but with the close proximity, she was counting on it attacking the closer target rather than going out of its way to charge at Brice again. Turning slightly, the brunette pressed her free left hand to the teen's chest as she called out, "First Aid." Immediately a small green plus symbol would appear next to his health bar, informing him and his party that he was being healed, bringing him back to full health thankfully, allowing Piera to let out a very small breath of relief.

ID: 32233
CD: 9+3CombatCraft=12

Brice: 8/8
Piera: 32/32
Boar: 4/4

{» First Aid [Rank 1]   -  Heal (4 x X)% health on CD rolls of 7+ (X=Rank Level). Takes a post to use and cannot be used on yourself. The amount recovered is (4 x Rank Level)% of the target's max HP. It is affected by the Combat Craft enhancement. }

Edited September 21, 2015 by Piera

[Brice 0]

Brice hops back, behind Piera as instructed. He emidiatly feels the effect of the skill and sees the healing notification. Resuming his stance, he bolts around his teammate to surprise the boar. Apparently the boar must have either been preparing to strike Piera or expecting an attack from her becaue it was caught completely off guard. Brice was able to land a clean hit to the side of the creature's torso. It is flung a few feet away from the duo and fragments  into shards of light. Brice relaxes and turns back to Piera, dismmissing the victory notification. "Thanks for that. It's too bad that you had to jump in though. We might have been able to get our  hands on some more loot. By the way, what skill was that? I don't think I've heard or seen of it before."

>ID: 32237 BD: 10 +1 MD: 6

>Brice: 8/8

>Piera: 32/32

>Boar: 0/4

Victory

+1 Crafting Material

[Piera 0]

Piera felt a twinge of worry as she saw Brice dart around her as soon as he was healed to strike at the boar. She wanted to tell him to stay back while she took care of it, intensely worried that something would happen even though he was back at full health now. It made her wonder if Lowenthal had felt this panicked inside when he first took her out of the safe zone. But she needn't have been so distressed as the teen managed to take out the boar in one hit, instantly letting her relax as a smile graced her features.

"Sorry, I can't help but worry. One wrong or unlucky move can be fatal when you're low level." The brunette hoped that he didn't think she was being too much of a mother hen....even though she pretty much was.

When he asked about the skill that she had used, she nodded with a happy smile. "It's a newly discovered skill called First Aid. It lets a player attempt to heal another player. I even got an item that helps me with it." She tugged on the golden chain of her Healing Heart and showed the opal heart necklace to Brice. "Have you come across the type of material that the alchemist asked you to get before? Materials sometimes re-pop where they were found originally."

Edited September 21, 2015 by Piera

[Brice 0]

Brice's happy look turns to embarrassment when he see's Piera's reaction to him attacking. "I realise that," he tries to explain, "but I don't want my friends to get hurt. Besides," he brandishes his sword, "my weapon has an enchantment that gives me added accuracy when attacking." Brice sheathes his sword and opens up his inventory to show to Piera. "As for the crafting materials, I only got some from the last battle. I've never found any respawning materials though. You wouldn't mind showing me where they are would you? That would be really helpful in the longrun. That way I won't have to dag someone along with me whenever I have to grind for maaterials."

[Piera 0]

Piera nodded in understanding. "I feel the same way. Which is why I got the First Aid skill." She tilted her head and stepped closer to the teen as he swiped open his menu to show her his weapon's stats and enhancement. "Accuracy is good, I have it on my weapon too. But that doesn't mean that you'll never miss either."  If anyone knew that it was her. The brunette stepped back out of Brice's personal space as he mentioned not knowing about respawning materials and asking for her assistance in finding them.

"Sure, no problem. Materials can be found just about anywhere outside a safe zone honestly. It can be pretty hard to find them sometimes though. You can get items with special enhancements that help with that. Let's see if we can find anything." She motioned for the teen to follow as she lead the way further out, her eyes keeping peeled for anything as they walked but not finding much. "Sometimes areas will be a bit barren either due to the materials not reappearing after another player has come by and gathered some, or you just can't spot them."

[ID: 32277] [LD: 9+1=10] [Total Materials: 0]

Edited September 21, 2015 by Piera

[Brice 0]

"I see what you  mean. It's not possible to always hit your mark. You always need to have some type of reserve just in case."  He says while examining Piera's weapon. Brice looks up as she starts explaining how searching for materials work. "I guess it's pretty convenient that you don't have to go around fighting monsters all the time  to do some crafting." Brice begin to look  around for some mmaterials, but stops for a moment to listen to what Piera had to say. "Maybe someone was out here a  little earlier. I guess you can almost never tell in a pelce like this." With that he returns to searching. "Oh, hey! Come over here. I think I found something." Upon close inspectioon of a small patch of flowers at the base of a tree, there were some herbs growing amongst the flowers. "Sweet." Brice opens up a poromt menue and harvests some of the herbs. "Do you think this will be enough, or should we go to look for some more?"

>ID: 32303 LD: 15

> +1 Crafting Material

[Piera 0]

Piera nodded in agreement with Brice. "Exactly that." Her nodding continued when the teen mentioned that it was good that players wouldn't have to kill mobs to get materials to craft. "Yeah I really would've been screwed when I first started out if that wasn't the case. Also a handy trick is that you can sort of cheat the system. You can repeat this quest even after you complete it the first time. At the end of the quest the NPC will give you a random amount of materials as a sort of 'starter bundle' for you to start your shop with. They'll do this every so it's a great way to farm mats if you have the time." The brunette offered the teen a wink.

Perking up when he beckoned her over to the base of a tree, she walked over as he picked the herbs before asking her if it was enough. "Hmm...Not quite. Maybe one or two more and that should do it. Oh!" When she stood, Piera caught sight of flowers growing out from the tree's branches that looked very usable as materials. She jumped to try and reach it but her meager height made it impossible. Still the brunette jumped again and this time managed to brush her fingers against the plant, but it only caused it to come loose from the tree and fall to the ground and shatter, causing Piera's jaw to drop before settling in a disappointed frown. "Well....nuts." She cursed lightly, mindful of her tongue for once.

[ID: 32329] [LD: 13+1=14] [Total Materials: 0]

Edited September 22, 2015 by Piera