[PP-F1] <<Earning a Living>>

[Saix 0]

Enraged pig and girl hurtle towards each other on a collision course, as the <> paws at the ground, preparing to charge yet again. Ayane narrows her eyes in supreme concentration, her virtual muscles tensing as she prepares to evade again, this time believing she has figured out the pattern well enough to side step the charge rather than use her acrobatics to escape damage. With a squeal, her porcine enemy launches forward, murder in it's red eyes as it swings it's blunt head from side to side, as though it wanted nothing more than to slash into her body with it's tusks. Waiting until the last moment, the slender dagger wielder activates her <> skill, holding the skill charged before twisting to the side a mere arms length from being run over by the <>, her Sword Skill activates in a flash of magenta, her dagger flashing out three times into the beast's flank as it rushes by, narrowly missing her. Spinning on her heel, and remaining in a ready position, Ayane watches the <> halt it's mad forward charge, taking a step as though it meant to turn to charge again, before collapsing sideways into a spray of polygons.

[Saix 0]

With enemy defeated, Ayane slowly stands from her crouch, closing her eyes as she breathes a forceful breath, forcing herself to calm. This isn't just gathering materials, this is training. She must remain cool and focused on the task, no room for error, no risk of panic affecting her while she has to fight for her life. The moves are already ingrained into her muscle memory, thanks to preparations taken before ever daring to venture out of the city. She had spent several long hours practicing the meager Dagger Skills she used, until they had become second nature. But knowing the moves was only a small part of the equation, she needed to be capable of keeping a cool head no matter how dangerous her situation, so that she could use them moves effectively. With that thought weighing heavily on her mind, she checked her inventory, hoping for more of the Animal Hides she needed to collect. A small smile tugs at her cupid's bow lips as she sees another of the precious hides having been added with the kill.

[Saix 0]

At this rate she should finish within the hour. However, rather than rush to the next kill, she paused and began to check her equipment. Thus far she had managed to evade every attack that had come her way, however she still elected to closely monitor the condition of her gear. Her daggers showed minimal wear, only having been used these few times, while her armor remained in pristine condition, even if it was the basic starting gear. With that out of the way, Ayane scanned the area, waiting for the telltale red diamond to pop, alerting her to a nearby enemy. <> was relatively common in this area, and she could see at least 3 nearby spawns. Balancing her <> in hand, she loped after the nearest enemy with a casual feline grace.

[Saix 0]

Ayane had decided on her new target, and took a moment to observe the creature as it milled about the hillside, snuffling here and there as though it were looking for food. The movement was a little difficult to predict, as <> seemed to wander aimlessly, stopping infrequently. Doing her best to compensate for the erratic movements of her target, Ayane settled back on the balls of her feet, bringing her dagger up before her in a reverse grip. Bending at the knees and lowering her center of balance, she activated <>, her dagger being suffused in a soft magenta glow. Her eyes narrowed, her focus targeting the unprotected neck of her opponent, before she released her hold and let the skill launch her forward, pushing off as hard as she could to speed her attack.

[Saix 0]

Ayane's brow furrowed with annoyance when her strike failed to connect, the <> was lurching back and forth drunkenly, her charging attack had passed within a foot of her target, doing little more than startle and aggro the target. She needed to attack now, before it had the chance to prepare for a charge. Flipping her <> into a saber grip, she shifted her weight and prepared her Sword Skill, the <> flashing out in a trio of stabs suffused with a magenta glow. The <> screamed in outrage as her blade tore into it's flank three times, carving off roughly a third of the digital creatures HP bar in one attack.

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Sidestepping after her attack hit, Ayane did her best to keep the <> changing direction, delaying it's ability to use the lengthy build up to it's charge, the telltale pawing the ground with it's hoof before launching forward. Darting to the side, she drew her <> back, once again charging her preferred Sword Skill <>, when her dagger was once again lit up with that magenta glow and she was certain the attack was charged, she released the trio of stabs. In it's rush to face her, the circling <> threw her off, her attack missing completely. A frown of annoyance creased her pretty lips, the short range of her daggers was proving to be dangerous, even the slightest mistake in gauging her distance would result in the short stabs missing.

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Stepping to the side in a quick movement, Ayane decided that she could press her advantage for just a few more seconds, before she would absolutely need to open distance between herself and <> before it could prepare it's charge attack. So stepping forward she lowered her center of gravity and drew her <> back, blade held low, activating <> again with the tell-tale magenta glow suffusing the blade in pale purplish light. She needed to do some damage, she only needed a one or two more hits to take it down, and while it had not been able to damage her yet, the longer the battle went on the more danger she would be in. Three stabs flashed out as she released her attack with a focused battle cry.

[Saix 0]

If ever Ayane had felt the desire to scream with rage, this was it. The turning mass of the <> prevented her close range attack from connecting. What's worse, she had known she would miss even as she released the attack and the broad back of her target suddenly turned. But once a Sword Skill had begun, it could not be changed until completed, leaving her frustrated as she stabbed out at nothing but air. <> red eyes locked on her with a squeal of simulated rage and she wisely backed away. She waited for the charge that would follow, clued in by the narrow hoof digging into the grass covered soil as it shorted menacingly. She had a split second before it would launch forward into it's trademark charge, the only attack at it's disposal. When the charge came, she somersaulted gracefully to the side, lashing out with her dagger as the <> passed, scoring a light hit with her unassisted attack along it's flank, dropping it's HP into the Red zone.

[Saix 0]

Ayane flipped her dagger into a reverse grip as she landed, shifting her stance low to absorb the shock and dropping into a half crouch, letting <> activate before <> could even completely turn to face her from it's berserk charge. She wanted to end this, now. Already she had missed too many attacks, it was only a matter of time until it would be able to damage her at this rate. Focusing on the thick neck of her target, and hoping to score an attack that would put it down for the count, she released <> rushing forward with her blade held at the ready, her swift farm lapsing into a magenta blur as she rushed into her attack. This time the rapid charging attack connected, the point of her dagger piecing deep into the <> neck with enough force to rock the large creature back. It didn't even have time to react, only stumbled with a gurgle, before bursting into prismatic shards and fading away.

[Saix 0]

Ayane stepped back slowly, sheathing her dagger on her thigh. She loved the speed of the daggers, and how they allowed her to move easily, but the range was becoming worrisome. If she had been using a longer blade, she was sure she would not have missed her target so many times. But she had practiced so much with the dagger that switching to a one-handed sword would mean she would be starting all over again. No, what she really needed was to find a decent smith who could forge her a weapon with the proper enhancements to help rectify this situation. Then she would be able to use her dagger to her heart's content, secure in her knowledge that the short range of the weapon would be somewhat bolstered by enhanced accuracy. Checking her inventory, she found that the <> had dropped another Beast Hide. Just one more hide, just a little longer and she will have finished her task.

[Saix 0]

This time she did not afford herself much time to rest, she started immediately for the nearest <> and drew her weapon in a reverse grip, settling herself low and balancing on the balls of her feet as she drew the blade back and focused on her target. <> glowed, the magenta light pale and ghostly on her blade, before she rocked forward and released the skill, pushing off as best she could to speed the strike forward as she attempted to rip a gash down the flank of her target in a powerful rushing attack. Her blade bit deep into the muscled flank of <> and she jerked the blade free as she continued her charge, spinning quickly on her heel to face the creature's broad back. She had chosen her attack position carefully, ensuring that even after she finished the charging attack, she would have that crucial second or two that the creature turned to prepare for her next move.

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<> hooves scrabbled against the grass noisily, tearing clumps of virtual grass into the air, as it furiously turned to face her. For a moment she paused wondering if she should press her attack, but those baleful red eyes were locked on her already, and she was too far away to risk rushing forward blindly. So she waited, balancing herself and preparing to somersault to the side. When the beast finished scratching it's hoof and launched forward in a charge, she through herself to the side, flipping gracefully as she lashed out with her dagger, grazing the beast along the same wound she had carved into it's side a few scant moments ago, dropping it's HP into the red zone, before landing gracefully and spinning to face the <> again, deciding to attempt to end this battle in one more move.

[Saix 0]

Slipping into a half crouch, she flipped her dagger into a reverse grip and drew the short blade back, letting <> build with the now familiar ghostly magenta glow. One more strike, that was all she wanted. She would carve a final blow into her digital enemy, and then with a little luck, she would be finished and could turn in her quest. Then she could attempt to make some armor for herself, and seek to trade her tailoring services to a smith in the hopes of getting a better dagger. Releasing the building <> she rushed forward, kicking off as hard as she could with a forceful battle cry. Her blade slashed deep into the beast's hairy flank, tearing through digital flesh, before ripping free as she passed. Her unfortunate target tried to side step, before faltering, and disappearing in a flash of breaking polygons. She glanced down, to the notification that stated she had harvested a further two Beast Hides. She was one over her limit, oh well, there was no kill quite like overkill.

[Saix 0]

Standing straight, and allowing a tiny smile of accomplishment, Ayane sheathed her dagger on her thigh, before consulting her map. She had been fighting for the past hour, and had turned around so many times that all the rolling hills looked the same to her. But after taking a few moments to find her bearings she was ready to start the trek back to Starter City. Keeping an eye out for any orange players, she did her best to enjoy the trip back to the City. It had been rather productive to embark on this quest. She had leveled a few times, gathered some crafting materials, and would soon have a crafting profession that she could use to equip and support herself. She just might be able to survive in this world after all. Now if only she could find a means to obtain a better dagger.

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The sun was just beginning to slip down past the horizon when she finally passed through the gates of <>. The streets were beginning to clear somewhat, and she did not have to push her way through the throngs of crowds as she returned to the <>, many players having already gone to get food for dinner at the many inns and taverns that dotted the huge city. As she walked around the large plaza, she could not help but remember the launch day of the game. Where, at a sunset like this, the entire population of the game had been right here, listening to Kayaba Akihiko's fateful message, that they were now trapped in a game of life and death. She frowned, ever so slightly, and pushed the thought from mind. There was no point in dwelling on the past, not when she still needed to push forward.

[Saix 0]

Within a few minutes, she was standing before Nimue the Tailor again, turning in her quest. Removing the required quest items from her inventory, she laid the 5 large tanned hides on the desk, and listened to Nimue's delighted thanks. The grandmotherly NPC then launched into an explanation on how the crafting system would work, the basic menus and options she could navigate when she created items, and a whole host of information. Finally, the Quest Reward screen popped before her, and her eyes fell on the quest reward: where there was listed a small Exp and Col bonus, as well as the Tailor Profession. Feeling an unexpected surge of pride at the accomplishment, she pressed the accept button. Maybe there could be fun in this game after all, even if it was a Death Game. She had never been much of a gamer, but this must be the feeling of accomplishment that MMO players always sought in their games.