(PP-F1) The Journey Begins COMPLETE!

[Ebony 0]

Ebony stared out towards the exit of the starting city. She had been out once, for reasons she couldn't quite recall. She had recently made a decision that her friends were either dead or not even in the game, and that it was time to work towards clearing it by any means. That translated to growing stronger by any means in her mind. Only the strongest could fight the floor bosses, and that meant that she had to become one of the strongest. She was leaning on the wall of a potions shop, called Potion Paradise, a place run by a friendly looking girl with white hair. They'd never spoken, and Ebony was unsure of whether or not she'd ever been noticed leaning against the wall there. It was her thinking spot, a place where she could collect her thoughts. She needed to think, to figure out what the best way to grow powerful. Maybe she could introduce herself to the alchemist? No, that probably wasn't the best course of action. The best course of action would be to get a hunting partner, and generally alchemists weren't the strongest players. She ran her fingers through her hair, staring into space as she tried to think of people she knew that she could do her first hunt with. No matter how many times she ran that list through her head, she drew a blank.

Edited November 4, 2015 by Ebony

[Koumori 0]

I woke up with a startling need to buy some potions or crystals or something. Not only was Col burning a hole in my pocket but I had never bought any. I would probably run into trouble if I never had any health potions or teleport crystals. Of course the shop I'd go to would be Manta's. She was a friend so I'd be happy to help her out. Plus I'd been wondering what that place looked like. So I gathered myself and took the walk to the section of the town of beginnings where her shop was located. I found it without much trouble and went to walk in when I noticed a girl leaning on the wall. I had never seen her before. She stared in the distance with a determined look on her face. What was she doing? I figured maybe she wanted to go to the shop. So I walked past the door and pointed to it as I spoke to her. "If you wanted to buy something, you might have to go inside." That statement could easily come off as condescending but not the way I said it. I said it with a jovial tone. The kinda tone you'd hear from a kid who didn't know any better. 

[Ebony 0]

Ebony looked up to see a young girl standing there, saying something about having to go into a shop to buy something. It was pretty obvious, but the girl seemed to think that It wasn't as obvious as it seemed. Or were they a girl? Their voice seemed to be just a little deeper than a girls would be. She would call them a guy and see how they reacted. If she needed to she would apologize. "I know that." She said, not in a rude tone, but matter of factly. "This is my thinking spot. I was trying to think of someone to help me level up. Whats a well equipped man like yourself doing here, talking to a stranger?" From her experience well equipped players were usually of high level, and high level players always ignored the low levels like herself.

[Koumori 0]

The girl looked at me in surprise and irritation. She didn't seem to like my comment, or at least thought it was stupid. She started to examine me up and down. Looking at her myself she seemed to be pretty low level. She must've been eying up my relatively high level gear. When she was satisfied she spoke again. Huh. She called me a man. Finally someone didn't think I was a girl. "Hehe" I let out a little laugh about that thought before I answered her. "Interesting thinking spot. Well I was just coming in here to buy some things but I can help you level up if you want. I don't have anything else to do." I didn't have a problem helping her out. Plus I felt indebted to her for identifying my gender correctly. 

[Ebony 0]

Ebony raised an eyebrow. First off the girl was a guy, so she'd guessed correctly. And secondly, this high level player was buying from such a low level like that white haired woman. "Your joking me. The woman that owns this shop is such a low level, on par with me. Why would you buy from her?" Ebony stated. For some reason she didn't feel all that shy around this guy, maybe because he was so interesting at first glance that she was too busy analyzing him to be afraid to speak up. "Im only a level one, so I hope you don't mind babysitting me on my first hunt." She said in reply to him saying that he could help her level up. She didn't feel like she was worth the sort of attention she was getting from this guy. In her mind there was a very long and deep canyon between the low and high level players. Low levels didn't talk to the high levels, and the high levels didn't talk to the low levels. At least, that was the assumption she had been operating under for so long.

[Koumori 0]

I couldn't imagine why she seemed angry at what I said. She raised an eyebrow at me when I commented on going in the shop. My confusion was resolved when she told me about the "low level player" that ran the shop. "What are you talking about? She's around the same level as me. Are you sure you're at the right place?" She was pretty forward with me considering we had never met. She wasn't afraid to stand her ground or speak her mind. That was kind of refreshing. Most of the people I had met recently were timid and reserved. But that meant she was also quick to jump on my offer. "You have to start somewhere."

[Ebony 0]

Ebony wasn't angry, she was just stating the facts. "What are you talking about?" She asked, stressing the word you. "Have you seen her? Cheap pendant, starter sword, and useless breastplate. She uses a starter sword! Someone like that cant possibly be above a level two." It didn't even occur to her that her analysis could be wrong. "And your right, you do have to start somewhere. Everyone does." She sighed and pulled out her starting dagger. "This is all I have right now. No col, no mats. I don't have anything to pay you to escort me. And the stuff I get Ill need to get better equipment. Still feel like helping out?" He seemed like a nice guy, but from her experience all the high level players did was step on the low level players faces to push themselves higher. He would probably want her allegiance or something in return for helping out, maybe even her soul.

[Amira 0]

Manta stuck her head out of the door of her shop. She had been listening to the two talk for a minute or so now, the glass in the windows wasn't thick enough to obscure sound like that. "Can you two keep it down? Im crafting. Your free to stand out here, your pretty faces might draw some customers. Especially your's Kou." She joked. She mouthed the words 'Level Sixteen' to the young woman before closing the door to her shop quietly and heading into the back room to get some work done.

[Koumori 0]

I held my hands up in the air and took a slight step back when the girl went off. If I asked her about it later she'd probably say she wasn't angry but that's what it looked like to me. She practically went on a rant about why Manta couldn't possibly be a high level before condescendingly asking me if I still wanted to help knowing she couldn't give me anything. Well first of all: Manta would not have been happy if she head all that. Secondly: I didn't care about that. I was about to be diplomac and tell her it was fine but I was stopped when I heard the door open behind me. I turned to see Manta emerge, a smile on her face. She politely chewed us out for yelling in front of her store. She definitely heard it all. I should've been surprised when she made a comment about me being pretty but I wasn't. Instead I just smiled and thanked her sarcastically. "Thank you." She mouthed her level to the other girl before ducking back in the shop. Well that got rid of some of my explaining. I refaced the girl and spoke. "That was awkward. So yeah, she's level sixteen. Anyway, I don't care if you can't pay me. I don't want your money or anything like that. You just seemed like you wanted some help." 

[Ebony 0]

Ebony stared. Those two had some sort of weird relationship that she didn't know about. The boy certainly had a pixie like face, which she guessed was enough to explain the comment about him being pretty. She didn't believe the claim that the woman was level sixteen, but some people just had to over-inflate their actual level to make themselves feel better about themselves. "All right. Im Ebony, nice to meet you." She reached out a hand, still not fully trusting Kou, but determined to deal with it anyway.

[Koumori 0]

She still wasn't convinced I could tell. But I had no idea why she was so determined that Manta be level 1. She didn't know her at all so there couldn't be any personal issues. It was truly a mystery. "Still don't buy it huh? Why don't you duel her and find out?" I said with a sarcastic smile. Maybe if I reaffirmed it enough she'd believe it. Even though Manta just called me pretty in front of her I still had to back her up. In any case, she accepted my offer for help and extended her hand to me. I figured she'd put up some more resistance but this would make it easier for me. "I'm Koumori. Lead the way. Anywhere you want to go."

[Ebony 0]

Ebony smirked a little. "Maybe I will when we get back." That white haired girl must have some loyal friends, to lie for her like that. Maybe she payed them to lie about her level, in order to protect her from the higher level players. That was a question for another time. She needed to watch this Koumori, especially on the way back to the safe zone. He might kill her and take all of the mats and col she'd collected. She started to walk in the direction of the exit, planning on fighting a boar or two to get her level up. "I was thinking that maybe we could start simple and spear us some boar." She stated to her new 'friend'.

[Koumori 0]

I returned her smirk with one of my own, "Hope you don't mind getting killed then." I still couldn't put my finger on what her deal was. Why couldn't she believe Manta was level 16? Maybe it was some sort of female rivalry. She saw someone who should be weaker than her and couldn't grasp that she was wrong. If that was the case then she must've been really upset with herself for not advancing in the game. But still she had plenty of attitude. I'd definitely be interesting to see her advance. Would her personality change or stay the same? But I could see her becoming strong. She seemed a little on guard and tense as she started walking. It wouldn't be surprising to know that she was weary of me. "If that's what you want. It's still pretty dangerous." She was a level one, she could very well be killed by a boar. I definitely didn't want that. 

[Ebony 0]

Ebony looked over at Koumori and stuck her chin out at him. "Sure its dangerous, but if I don't try ill never get any stronger. It's your job to keep me from dying. Ive been around for a while, and I know that boars are the weakest mobs there are. Lets get going." She said, confident in her abilities now that she had someone who could help her. At least, someone she partially believed might help her. It was complicated, but something did seem off about Koumori, but she couldn't figure out what it was. He just seemed to girly to be a guy, but at the same time to guy like to be a girl. It was getting on her nerves. She exited the safe zone, her dagger still in hand, marching over to a nearby boar. It turned to face her, and she raised her dagger, she attempted to dodge it's attack, but it head-butted her leg. She took the opportunity to bring her dagger down on it's head and the boar burst into crystals. "See, easy."

ID# 36663 results:

Battle: 8 Hit

Craft: 12

Loot: 18 +1 Mat

MOB: 7

Boar: 0/2 (-2) (Im not going to get rewards because your so high of a level, so might as well make the monsters weak)  

Ebony: 2/4 (-2)

[Koumori 0]

Ebony stuck her chin out at me as she blew off what I said. She was definitely strong willed. She knew what she wanted and she wasn't afraid to get it. I admired that but she still had to be careful. She could get in a lot of trouble that way. And it felt like she was hiding something. I didn't want to outright say she was putting up a front but it was possible. "I'll do my best then." I followed her out to the fields to get ready to go but she was way ahead of me. She pulled out her dagger and walked right up to a boar and KO'd it, but not before she was hit herself. I ran up next to her to tell her not too be so rash. "Hey, don't be so quick. If you had been more careful it wouldn't have hit you." I was pointing my finger at her as I said it, maybe that was a little weird so I decided to put it down. I put my hands on my hips before I continued. "Play it safe alright?"

[Ebony 0]

Ebony smirked at Koumori. "I didn't die, so it's all good. Maybe if I'd been more careful I would have missed it." She said, her smirk growing wider. She sheathed her dagger, ready to start back towards the city. She wasn't an idiot, she knew that all it would take would be one critical hit from a boar and she would be dead. She needed to be more prepared, and that meant better equipment. This experience had taught her something though. She knew what build she wanted to be, what skills she wanted to work towards. She would keep people from dying and become a healer build. It was likely one of the least chosen builds in the game, and that would make her both extremely valuable, and dependent on other players. She weighed the pros and cons in her head and decided that the pros outweighed those cons. She would focus on <<First Aid>> and <<Heavy Armor>>, and make herself an essential part of the clearing party. She would be able to hide behind other players, away from harm, and still get rich and famous. "I've decided Koumori, Im going to be a healer build. Lets head back in now." She declared, turning on her heel and starting to head back towards the city entrance.  

[Koumori 0]

I smirked back at her when she started being snarky with me. "Why don't you test that theory. I'll just sit back and watch then." Instead of doing that, a Ebony resheathed her dagger and turned to go back to the city. I did the same and walked up beside her. In her face I could see that she was thinking hard about something. I was about to ask but she answered my question before I could get it out. I looked at her in surprise after hearing her say she wanted to be a healer. I had never met someone who wanted to do that. Quite frankly I wouldn't have expected it from her considering the way she had been acting. She seemed to me like an in your face type rather than a stay back and support type. But I wasn't about to tell her that. We could use great healers. "Really? Then I guess I may end up counting on you instead of the other way around." I said smiling as I started to walk with her. We headed back into town and began heading in deeper. "Say, what made you decide that?" I asked her, my curiously getting the better of me. 

[Ebony 0]

"It was a very simple decision really. While I do enjoy a taste of danger, i'd rather not die. A healer can stay back and is essential to raids. And if you haven't noticed, there aren't many healer builds at the moment, so if I get started now I can become an extremely good one. My skills will be in high demand, i'll be safe, and even more so I'll be rich. Those are my main reasons. A side reason might be that I can keep players from dying." She explained as they entered back into the city. She started to walk back towards the potion shop she had been hanging at earlier. That woman owed her a duel!

[Koumori 0]

She openly explained to me her reasoning and I could agree with most of her points. She put a lot of thought into it and she seemed happy with the decision. "Sounds like you thought about it a lot. You're right we could use more healers. But I think you may have reversed the reasoning a bit. Helping people should be one and getting money should round out the bottom of the pack. Just saying." I gave her a playful wink after taking a jab at her want to get rich quick. We walked through the city and ended up back at Manta's shop. As we approached I saw a fire appear in her eyes and smile. "No medic could save you if you dueled her. I'm serious, she is not low level." I could only tell her so many times. 

[Ebony 0]

Ebony turned to Koumori, who seemed to have the wrong idea about Healers. "Healers don't heal themselves, they heal others. And also, how much is she paying you to tell people that?" She asked him, under the impression that he was in fact, being payed to say that. Nothing but seeing the level number or dueling would convince her otherwise. They approached the potion shop and she turned around to face Koumori. "I'll go in and challenge her to a duel. Then you can see how weak she really is." She explained.