[PP - F2] Friendly Impetus «Long Live The Queen»

[Takao 0]

Midday had set over the second floor, enveloping the settlement of Urbas in a comfortable warmth. Having just returned from a brief bout of hunting, Takao had been on his way to the warp gate with the intention of taking it back to the third floor, but he was stopped by something that had caught his attention. It was a bulletin board placed on the northern side of the town's plaza, with a plethora of information relayed via slips of paper. Very rarely did he ever pass up the chance to glance over an information hub, especially if it had the potential to inform him of new quests. However this board told him very little that he didn't already know, mostly just player requests for one thing or another. He reached out and grasped one of the pieces of paper that held information about a quest he'd done a long time ago, titled «Long Live The Queen».

"These things never have anything new on 'em." he said aloud, then cast a glance to the red draconic monster that sat on his shoulders. It seemed entirely disinterested in the matter at hand, which prompted Takao to huff out a sigh and place the sheet of paper back onto the board.

[Seul 1]

Despite being only level one and outfitted with the worst possible equipment imaginable, Seul had managed to reach the second floor settlement of Urbas by following in the deadly wake of a party whose strength far exceeded his own. Any mobs that happened to stroll by were easily dispatched and a clear cut path to the second floor was his to venture down. Of course he kept his distance from them, as anyone would naturally be wary if they knew they were being tailed. Though if the group did detect Seul's presence they didn't pay it any mind. Probably figured he was too weak to actually be a threat of some sort and if he was being honest with himself they weren't wrong. Still, after a full day of travelling, everyone in their party had made it in one piece just as dusk fell and he was happy the trip went off without any real problems for them as he passed through the town's gates only moments after.

Unfortunately the feeling didn't last long. Only a half hour after his arrival the sun had gone down. There wasn't a single Col to his name and the NPC who ran the local inn wouldn't rent him a room without any money. Sleeping outside of town was out of the question and sleeping in the open was about the same as wearing a huge 'please force me into accepting a total loss duel' sign. Staying awake was an unreasonable answer as well. Out of the three he figured just hunkering down in the middle of town was the best option. Nobody would want to mess with him as he didn't have anything of value. What would they steal? His crummy dagger? He doubted it'd even fetch a price anywhere. That argument convinced him into wandering about until he found the town's plaza and the most comfortable looking bench around.

Morning hit like a ton of bricks. The sun was directly overhead and it seemed as though more time had passed than just a couple of hours. Seul didn't place too much thought into it though. His hunch had held true; providing him with probably the only time he'd be thankful for looking like a wimp. Such thoughts were pushed aside as a new problem arose. The monsters on this floor were more dangerous than the last. Each one had the potential to one shot him into oblivion. There must've been some way to toughen up quickly. His eyes darted about the now bustling area before resting on a bulletin board he recognized from his exploration the previous night. Without wasting another moment he sot up from his temporary bed and darted for the board. There had been another player, a boy who seemed to be about his age, who was paused in front of it and holding a single piece of paper before placing it back. Seul managed to stop just short of crashing into him, only coming close and skidding through the dirt hard enough to kick up a small dust storm behind him. 

An accusing finger jetted out at the boy's face from Seul's palm. "Oh no! Don't think I'm going to let you take all the good quests! I saw them first; they're mine!" His voice was boisterous and arguably high-pitched. The exchange managed to draw the attention of quite a few people who were passing by and the it didn't long for whispers to start amassing among the onlookers.

[Takao 0]

Despite his familiar's apparent disinterest, the shoulder-mounted monster still whined out a response after casting a fleeting glance at the board. Takao looked at the monster from the corner of his eye for a moment, then turned his gaze back onto the board. He shrugged his shoulders, which agitated the monster's balance, and slid his hands down into his pockets. "Lots of people are looking for materials though... guess everybody's trying to get stocked up for the raid." he said, though in a much lower tone. He'd started to doubt his participation in the boss fight as the day drew closer, but he knew that plenty of others were likely having the same feeling. Takao shook the thoughts from his head when he heard heavy footsteps approaching from on side, and upon glancing in the direction of the sound, he was met with an accusatory finger in his face. "Uh-" was all he'd managed to get out before his accuser raised his voice over Takao's.

Both hands were raised defensively, his head drew back a bit, and his eyes widened slightly in response. He could tell there were eyes on them, though he didn't care much to glance around at how many had stopped. "Er... I uh- they're all yours, dude. I already did most of them ages ago anyway." he said as his hands dropped back down to his sides.

[Seul 1]

"Huh...? Oh, I see-" His hand withdrew before moving to scratch the back of his neck gently and a sheepish grin gradually grew across his face. "Haha, good... A-Anyway, it's not like I could do anything about it if you did want them." It didn't take long for him to notice the large crowd that had now formed around the two boys. He could see that they were expecting a fight of some sort, some even went so far as to start placing bets. Just how many people put money down on him, he wondered. Maybe he could've convinced the person running it to split the profits with him! Wait. No. That was a terrible idea. The disparity in strength between himself and the player before him was obvious. Too obvious. The familiar resting on the male's shoulder was evidence enough.

"Alright everyone, show's over." The entire crowd stood with their feet firmly planted and shot off disappointing looks. Seul could feel his blood start to boil. "Am I speaking Yiddish?! I said scram! Beat it! Vamoose! You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here!" He yelled while flailing about. Most people just exchanged confused glances before departing seeing that their hopes at receiving some quick entertainment had been dashed. A soft sigh escaped his lips as he turned back to face the guy he got mixed up in all this. But just then, his eyes flashed with a brilliant plan taking hold of his thoughts. "Heeeeey, I just had a genius idea: Why don't we do a quest together? Yay, everyone's happy! I truly am the Einstein incarnate!" He exclaimed and started to gently pat himself on the back while murmuring under his breath in self worship.

[Takao 0]

Takao's head tilted slightly to the side as he watched Seul. In comparison to the mental formula one race the similarly-aged male appeared to be participating in, Takao's confused expression displayed the exact opposite. He hadn't paid the crowd much mind at all despite being aware of their presence, and his familiar displayed even less interest, if doing so was even possible. Only after Seul addressed the players that had gathered and attempted to dismiss them did he briefly glance sidelong. "I'm not selfish enough to keep an opportunity for progression away from somebody." he said as he set his attention back onto Seul. "Besides, most quests are instance based anyways, so the bosses just respawn after some time."

His hands found their way into his pockets as Seul finished with his attempt at sending the crowd away. He could've sworn he saw the male's eyes flash with something, an idea perhaps, and his assumption was reinforced after he spoke up again with the proposition to party up for the purpose of completing a quest. A lighthearted chuckle escaped his lungs and he nodded. "Sounds good to me, I don't have anything to do anyway." he said as he turned back to the board. He reached out and grabbed the paper he'd been looking at earlier, then turned it to show Seul. "How 'bout this one? It's a low-level field boss quest, so it should be easy to knock out real quick."

[Seul 1]

He had no objections and indicated so with a thumbs up. "Works for me!" How could anyone pass up a such a prime opportunity? For someone in Seul's position it was like a dream come true. The high level players might not have looked twice at such a simple task, but as he was now there was no chance of being able to take it out without some assistance. Relying on others was just a part of life now, and he had accepted that a while ago. Though it didn't necessarily satisfy him to constantly have people do things in his place. "My name's Seul by the way." He threw in while bringing up his menu to forward Takao a party invitation. Less than a minute later, the message appeared in the boy's field of vision.

Seul has invited you to his party.

Accept?

Yes (O)            No (X)

[Takao 0]

Takao's eyes fell to the floating menu as it opened in front of him. He raised his hand and confirmed his approval of the invitation, and watched as the prompt disappeared and a second health gauge formed beneath his own. Taking note of the name seemed to be irrelevant, given that it was supplied to him only moments before. "Nice t'meetcha, Seul. I'm Takao." he said in response, offering up a warm smile alongside his words, as per usual. He gestured for the male to follow him as he started off back in the direction that he'd originally come from, instinctively knowing where to head despite his typically bad sense of direction. "We'll have to kill a few monsters to draw the Queen out, but I think I can handle that part."

[Seul 1]

"I hope so. I'm somewhat unprepared for any actual combat at the moment. That's sorta why came to the second floor; to get stronger quickly." He admitted in a casual manner while following Takao's lead. There was no point in trying to act like he'd be of any use in the coming battle. Instead he resolved to feel that this was the best course of action. Once he was of a higher level he'd help the lower level players just as so many had done for him up to this point. He just had to stay alive until then. He quickened his pace to walk beside Takao and turned slightly to face him, figuring it was better to chat for a bit rather than walk in stone cold silence. "So what brought you to this floor? Judging from your gear and level, you could be well past these parts." 

[Takao 0]

Takao nodded his head along with the information he was given regarding Seul's apparent inability to fight and shrugged his shoulders slightly, which agitated his familiar. "Kind of a risky move doin' that, y'know. There's a few easy quests you can knock out on the first floor before you come headin' up this way." he said, trying his best not to sound condescending while he gave legitimate advice. Having gotten into situations over his head on quite a few occasions, it only felt natural to try and keep others from experiencing the same perils. "I was just doing some grinding though. There's a few decent hunting spots that spawn monsters with okayish drops, you just have to look for 'em." he said as he lead Seul out of the gates of Urbas and into the wilderness. He'd drawn his sword after leaving the safe zone, though he only held it at his side. Before long, the two were headed in the direction of a forest.

[Seul 1]

Letting the words sink in was easy, though he somewhat doubted this would be the last risky choice he made during his time in Aincrad. The growth he was looking for couldn't be obtained from moping around on the first floor, picking flowers and murdering the weakest monsters around. With so many others already ten floors higher dangerous stunts like these were all he could do to catch up. He peered down at Takao's hand, noticing the his now drawn blade. Seul's own dagger seemed much weaker than it already was in comparison. If that was even possible. As soon as he could afford it he'd locate a blacksmith and try to have a better one forged, but for now he decided to leave it in the scabbard at his waist since fighting would've been a futile effort anyway.

"How much further is this place supposed to be?" He asked, starting to not really mind if his impatience was getting the better of him. They had been walking for some time and he was starting to question if either of them really knew where this fight was supposed to take place considering he did not bother to find out and Takao mentioning earlier that he completed most of quests listed on the town's board ages ago.

 

[Takao 0]

"Should just be..." Takao began to say, although his voice had begun to trail off as he glanced around the forest. "Ah, right, here we go. It's right up this way." he said, gesturing with his free hand toward a clearing in the forest. The ambient sounds of the forest were interrupted by a faint, weak, yet steadily growing buzzing sound that became louder with each step they took toward the clearing. "When the Queen spawns, I'll lead with a stun, and while it's unable to move you can move in and attack it. The hate'll stay on me since I'll hit first, so you won't have to worry about taking damage, 'specially since it doesn't even have AoE." He cast a sidelong gaze to Seul as he gave his sword a twirl by rolling his wrist, then turned his attention back to the clearing. Several small wasp-monsters, or at least small relative to the size of the Queen that intended to spawn, were floating around aimlessly. "But first, I'll hit those few with an AoE. Should be enough to draw it out. Y'ready?"

[Seul 1]

It took a moment for the directions to sink in. Until that moment, Seul hadn't used his dagger for much more than carving tally marks into the sides of rocks. But this fight was real. He wasn't too worried considering his role would be kept to a minimum, but that didn't change the fact that threats still, quite literally, hung in the air around him. Upon drawing the weapon from its scabbard he raised his arm almost instinctively, while gripping the small knife in a backhanded style. Making sure to take a step behind Takao first, he nodded his compliance with the plan. "Let's do this."

[Takao 0]

"Alright then, it's show time!" said Takao as a wide grin grew across his face. Like most of the higher leveled players, and if not all of them, Takao always got a strange excitement from combat. He found it to be rather necessary to enjoy the thrill of the fight to survive the ruthless combat in Sword Art Online, for weaker willed players surely wouldn't have been able to stomach the atmosphere. Despite his enjoyment of the thrills, he wasn't sadistic by any means, however contradicting the two traits might've been. Four of the wasp creatures set their sights on the brunet as he stepped closer to them. Their glowing red eyes bore daggers into his own green, yet he didn't seem affected in the slightest. He held his blade out to the side and poised it just right in order to active a sword skill, which resulted in the steel edge glowing red. When the monsters drew closer, he released control of his avatar, and both he and his blade were guided by the system in the following instant. The tip of his sword pierced each of the monsters, and the simple skill quickly reduced their health to zero. "Right! She should spawn any second now."

- -

« Battle Sequence »
Takao » Lesser Wasp 1 » Lesser Wasp 2 » Lesser Wasp 3 » Lesser Wasp 4

» ID : [[ 31659 ]]
» BD : [[ HIT (5 + 3(ACC)) ]]
» MD 1 : [[ MISS (2 - 3(EVA)) ]]
» MD 2 : [[ MISS (2 - 3(EVA)) ]]
» MD 3 : [[ MISS (2 - 3(EVA)) ]]
» MD 4 : [[ MISS (2 - 3(EVA)) ]]

« Takao »
[[ 122/122 HP ]]
[[ 16/28 Energy ]] «Sharp Nail» used. (-12 Energy)

« Lesser Wasp 1 »
[[ 0/55 HP ]] [[ 10(DMG) * (3*2) = -60HP ]]
« Lesser Wasp 2 »
[[ 0/55 HP ]] [[ 10(DMG) * (3*2) = -60HP ]]
« Lesser Wasp 3 »
[[ 0/55 HP ]] [[ 10(DMG) * (3*2) = -60HP ]]
« Lesser Wasp 4 »
[[ 0/55 HP ]] [[ 10(DMG) * (3*2) = -60HP ]]

[Seul 1]

Before he knew what happened the first part of the fight was over. "Whoa..." There wasn't any other way of putting it. Takao was strong. Effortlessly killing off not one but four of the wasps with a single skill. Was this the kind of power that came with achieving high levels? Regardless of the answer, Seul was just happy that they were on the same side. At least for now anyway. "That was wicked!" He couldn't help but exclaim as he glanced about the now empty clearing while lowering his dagger. "No sign of the queen yet though."  

[Takao 0]

Takao straightened his posture as the monsters took turns bursting into colourful fragments of data. He smiled wide as Seul exclaimed and shrugged his shoulders slightly. "That's about all these weapons are good for," he said as glanced down at his sword. "They have a lot of options throughout the ranks, but it lacks any kind of specialization, so it's really not that good in the end game." As he spoke, a shadow appeared from above them, and a much stronger buzzing sound became apparent. Takao turned his gaze upward and squinted to look at the silhouette hovering above, and quickly noticed that the silhouette was growing larger. In the following instant it came crashing down where Takao had been standing just a second prior to diving into a tumble, which spared him from sustaining damage. He rolled back onto his feet, prepared another sword art, and unleashed it upon the monster. Two hits ripped through the large wasp creature's body and dropped a fair deal of its health before its glowing red eyes became solely focused on the brunet. "Alright, you're up!"

- -

« Battle Sequence »
The Queen » Takao » Seul

» ID : [[ 33470 ]]
» BD : [[ HIT (6 + 3(ACC)) ]]
» MD : [[ MISS (8 - 3(EVA)) ]]

« Takao »
[[ 122/122 HP ]]
[[ 13/28 Energy ]] «Vertical Arc» used. (-4 Energy)
[[ HATE : 1 ]]

« The Queen »
[[ 10/50 HP ]] [[ 10(DMG) * (2*2) = -40HP ]]

[Seul 1]

ID# 33499 | BD: 3 (FAIL) | -2 Energy

Seul [HP: 4/4] [Energy 0/1] | Takao [HP: 122/122] [Energy: 13/28] [Hate: 1]

The Queen [HP: 10/50]

Alright, it was his time to shine. While Takao engaged the queen Seul took the opportunity to sneak around to the monster's back. A well aimed backstab was bound too deal at least some damage. Though the other boy didn't seem to have any trouble fending off the beast, he didn't wish to needlessly draw out a fight with lives in the balance for no reason. With knife in hand he lunged at the queen ready to bury the blade deep into her spine. What happened next he'd never live down. The monster noticed the impending attack and performed the super advanced aerial maneuver of leisurely floating upward to dodge the hit. Seul's eyes widened as his body struck not with the wasp or the ground, but Takao who had been in front of the queen. Thankfully his blade hadn't connected, though he doubted it would've even scratched the boy anyway. Still his folly unintentionally sent them both sprawling to the ground.

 

[Takao 0]

With Takao's attention focused solely on the Queen, he had only barely noticed Seul moving around its flank before launching his attack. His attempt was valiant, but ultimately unsuccessful, and he was instead sent tumbling into Takao whose eyes widened as well just before the two collided. He was sent to the ground along with Seul and immediately tried and failed to hold back his laughter as he realized what had happened. It wasn't aimed at Seul so much as it was at the situation in general, but it hadn't much time to last long before the Queen was descending upon them. He grabbed Seul and rolled off to the side to dodge the massive stinger that slammed into the ground, then quickly stood himself up while the wasp monster was attempting to recover from her attack. With his weight shifted to one foot, Takao spun his torso and slammed the heel of his boot into the monster's side. The damage it did was minimal, but it was enough to force the monster's attention to remain on him even when Seul managed a hit. "Go ahead and have another go at her! Just remember, her, not me!"

- -

« Battle Sequence »
The Queen » Takao » Seul

» ID : [[ 33522 ]]
» BD : [[ HIT (7 + 3(ACC)) ]]
» MD : [[ MISS (4 - 3(EVA)) ]]

« Takao »
[[ 122/122 HP ]]
[[ 13/28 Energy ]] «Normal Attack» used. (-1 Energy)
[[ HATE : 2 ]]

« The Queen »
[[ 8/50 HP ]] [[ 2(DMG) * (1*1) = -2HP ]]

[Seul 1]

Energy regen: +1 = 1 Total! | ID# 33834 | BD: 7(HIT) | Normal Attack | - 1 Energy |

Seul [HP: 4/4] [Energy: 0/1] [Hate: 1]

The Queen [HP: 6/50] (1 Base + 1 Rank One Dagger = 2 Damage!)

There was no way he'd screw up twice. The mishap only served to strengthen his determination to finish off the stupid monster and silence it's condescending buzzes! Avoiding the stinger was only another reminder that he wouldn't have gotten this far without Takao's help. He wouldn't let this fight finish without getting at least one good shot in. The beast seemed to be slightly disoriented as a result of the assaults up till now. Its movements were more sluggish than before and Seul was sure that if he struck now it'd be a clean blow. Ditching the surprise method, he rolled to his feet and into a low charge before jumping up to latch onto the queen by burrowing into the flesh of her abdomen with his dagger. His weight was obviously taking its toll on her as she only hovered higher enough for his feet to barely touch the ground and with a confident look he turned his gaze to Takao. "Finish her!"

[Takao 0]

Takao's gaze moved from Seul as he plunged his blade into the monster's abdomen to the monster's health, and watched it tick down a few points. His intention hadn't solely been for Seul to kill the monster after having inflicted as much damage he had, but rather to simply give him a low-risk and first hand taste of what combat against stronger enemies was like. Of course fighting this kind of monster at his level likely would've been suicide, given the large divide in stats, but he was sure he'd succeeded in his intentions regardless. As the Queen began to raise with Seul still holding on to the knife, Takao stepped forward and plunged his blade straight into the monster's chest. The damage from the simple attack proved to be enough to slay the weakened beast, which froze and turned to colourful polygons before disappearing into oblivion. Takao gave his blade another quick spin before aligning it with the opening of his scabbard and sliding it inside. "Alright then, that's that! How'd your first field boss kill feel?"

- -

« Battle Sequence »
The Queen » Takao » Seul

» ID : [[ 33848 ]]
» BD : [[ C.HIT (9 + 3(ACC)) ]]
» MD : [[ MISS (3 - 3(EVA)) ]]

« Takao »
[[ 122/122 HP ]]
[[ 13/28 Energy ]] «Normal Attack» used. (-1 Energy)
[[ HATE : 4 ]]

« The Queen »
[[ 0/50 HP ]] [[ 10(DMG) + 1 critical * (1*1) = -11HP ]]

[Seul 1]

He had fell to the ground, landing on his butt after being dislodged when the queen was defeated. Rubbing his lower back he looked up at Takao with a grin on his face. "That was awesome!" He exclaimed in a child-like manner. The thrill of combat had taken its toll on him, but he felt it had been a good learning experience. Knoing the up s and downs of fighting first hand would serve as a useful resource in the future. While rising to his feet he patted the dirt off his clothes before looking around the now empty area. "So, I guess that's mission accomplished then." He stated. "Thanks. This seriously wouldn't have been possible without your help. Oh, and before I forget..." With a swipe of his arm the menu screen appeared and only a moment later after fiddling through it did a text window appear in Takao's field of vision.

Seul has Sent You a Friend Request!

Accept?

Yes ( O )              No ( X )