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[SP/F1] <<The Third Lesson, is just as Free>>


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Alec -- Lvl 6 / HP: 120/120 / EN:  12/12 /DMG: 3 / MIT: 35 /ACC: 2 / EVA: 0 / Thorns: 9 / Paralyze: BD 9-10

Equipment:

Mithril Battle Axe

One Hand Battle Axe

  • Tier: 1 Perfect
    Enhancements: Accuracy (2) / Dam (1)
    Description: This one handed Battle Axe is made of an ultra light metal allows it to be swung with much greater precision than normal axes of its kind. The strange metal has a highly polished sheen and resembles quicksilver or mercury in its coloration. The unique Mithril metal used in the creation of this axe causes it to retain a sharper edgethan other steel or iron variants. - Macradon

 

Shield of the Thunderhearts
Shield

Tier: 1
Enhancements: Mitigation, Thorns, Paralyze
Description: A tempered, beveled edged shield made from a white metal, and capable of building up static. It has acool-looking lightning symbol engraved on the front, and there are words engraved onthe back of it, which read as thus: "When the tides rise, become the storm." - Vigilon

Reinforced Iron Breastplate - Heavy Armor - (Rare - T1 - Mitigation (2) Prevent (9 per slot * Tier) (18) damage from successful attacks against you.

          Description: Breastplate is plain/unadorned but good craftsmanship and reinforced to protect vital areas

(5) Tier 1 Healing Potions (Uncommon - 40 HP)

Safeguard Potion (usable quest 3 only)

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Edited by Takalo
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Alec opened his eyes and scowled. "Was it morning already? Argh!" Alec thought bitterly. "Why was it the same every morning?" Alec rolled onto his side and sat up resting his bare feet on the cold hard wood floor. As usual the bed had been too small and cramped like it was every night he went to bed here. His nearly six and a half feet of height and overly broad shoulders make sleeping in this tiny bed and act of contortionism. Every night he jammed himself into this tiny cramped bed and every morning he woke feeling sore and tired and stiff. Like he'd gone ten rounds with a heavy weight boxer instead of getting a restful night of sleep. "Was it the game designers idea of s sick joke or something? To punish him every morning by making him feel like such garbage every time he woke up every morning in this tiny cramped bed, in this tiny cramped room, in the tiny cramped In, in this overly large overly packed city in this damnable game Sword Art Online?" Alec scowled one more time as he prepared to rise and start his day.

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Alec's feet rested on the cold hard wood floor as he flexed his tree trunk like legs and raised his massive frame from a sitting position to a standing one. His whole body felt knotted and tight. Alec proceeded to begin his morning regimen of stretches that would loosen and pop his muscles and joints back into place. First he began by reaching his hands towards the ceiling. Alec scowled as his finger tips touched the low ceiling. Then he proceeded to move his arms out to his sides like a giant bird spreading his wings. He felt a deep satisfying pop in his sternum. Next Alec rolled his shoulders forward feeling numerous shifts and grinds and pops there. Finally Alec bent forward at the waist and stretched his hands towards his toes he heard and felt nearly every vertebrae in his spine shift and pop as they each reset themselves to their proper position. His morning routine complete Alec stood upright and opened his inventory. Alec shook his head at the thought of how long it had taken him to figure out how to do even this most dimple of tasks here. "He was a slow learner here. But he was learning and his learning curve was finally picking up speed."

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As Alec looked over his inventory his gaze stopped and rested on the two newest items to join one was a shield he had bought from another player a Blacksmith named Vigilon it was called Shield of the Thunderhearts the other new item was a one handed Battle Axe he had commissioned from another player also a Blacksmith this one named Macradon. Alec took a moment to equip them both and admire them. The Shield of Thunderhearts was made of a white metal with a cool looking lightning symbol engraved on the front. Alec could feel a pent up vibration emenating from within it, like stored up electricity just itching to be released. It had another engraving, this one on the back that Alec eyed and read "When the tides rise, become the storm!" Alec smiled as he murmured the phrase to himself. He liked that phrase he hadn't known it was there when he'd first bought the shield but it fit and it felt right as he received the phrase again. "Yes. He would become the storm, the storm that swept through this world and cleansed it!" Alec thought resolutely.

Edited by Takalo
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The other of the two newest items was a simple yet extremely elegant one handed Battle Axe. It was labeled as Mithril Battle Axe. It had a crescent bladed head like his last Battle Axe but this one had a mirrored sheen to it like it had been thoroughly buffed and polished till it shone like mercury or quicksilver. Axe tested it's weight and balance in his hand. The balance was prefect and it weighed next to nothing. Alec took a couple practice swings with it. The lightness of the axe made it extremely easy to wield and adjust it's trajectory in mid flight. It's edge was also razor sharp and was reported to hold it's edge and never need sharpening. Alec sent a mental thank you to the Blacksmith who had created it for him Macradon. Both items brought a smile to his face "Yes." he thought he'd get a lot of use and enjoyment from these two piece he was sure of that.

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Having inspected his two newest items Alec unequipped them and placed them back in his inventory. He then selected his normal clothing. He equipped his sturdy worn brown boots. He selected and equipped his thick brown pants. And finally he selected his bear skin shoulder wrap. The bears head resting in his shoulder. He glanced at his reflection in the cramped room's small mirror again and saw the stern gruff face that was his scowling back at him. His head bald of any hair as it was in the real world and his thick bushy beard covering his face. Woad paint tattooed on his face and body and dying parts of his beard. With a final scowl at himself and the mirror Alec turned towards the door and took the two strides it took to cross the room to the door that led from his cramped little room to the cramped hallway that led to the cramped stairs that led to the common room. Alec wrapped his large hand around the small metal knob and twisted it pulling the door open and allowing him access to the hall beyond.

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Alec stepped into the small cramped hallway outside his tiny cramped room. His shoulders broad enough they almost scrapped on both sides of the hallway at the same time as he made his way towards the cramped stairs that led down to the common room. As Alec began to descend the stairs they creaked and groaned in protest of his massive frame and bulk. He felt he was inside a tiny box of a hallway as he descended the stairs. A tiny creaky cramped box. Alec left out a sigh as he stepped free of the cramped confines of the stairway entering the common room of the Inn where he rented a room. The common room looked as it always did with people whether real or fake Alec wasn't sure. He'd never tried to engage any of them but the Innkeeper/Bartender. The "people" sat in wooden chairs at wooden tables eating breakfast. Alec strode heavily across the room to snack open table and eased himself to one of the wooden chairs set at it. The chair as they all did creaked and groaned in protest as he gently eased his massive frame on to it. Once seated he waved over the Innkeeper and ordered his usual breakfast. Two eggs over easy, side of bacon, two slices of toast and a cup of coffee. Alec sat patiently at his table looking around the room till the Innkeeper came back with his breakfast.

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Once the Innkeeper had returned with Alec's plate and mug of coffee Alec set at devouring the food placed in front of him. The food was good even though it wasn't real but the coffee was the real treat. The game designer who had programmed the coffee must have been a real lover of coffee as the "taste" was rich and bold and silky all at the same time. Alec sipped it contentedly. It was one of the only things he really truly enjoyed here. In every other aspect he felt trapped and confined here but the coffee was a freeing experience. It allowed him to think fondly of home and what he was missing while being trapped in here. But as all good things do his coffee eventually ended. He sighed and set the mug down on the table next to his plate and stood up, his chair once again letting out a loud creak and groan as his weight shifted in the act of standing. Alec made heavy foot falls as he stride across the common room to the door that would lead him to the bustling streets of the main city here on the first floor of Aincrad the Town of Beginnings.

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Alec placed his large hand on the door knob and turned opening the door and allowing the "light" of early morning to flood in through the opening he had made. His large frame eclipsed much of it though so the room stayed roughly the same. Alec looked outside as was baffled as he was every time he observed the sheer number of "people" walking through the streets of the Town of Beginnings. He had never seen anywhere close to this many people in one place at one time before in his entire life. Alec was from a small town in middle America and had never ventured into any of the larger cities the US had to offer. Alec liked his small town and had no reason to want to go anywhere else. But that wasn't the case now. Alec had been thrust here and was forced to make the best of his bad situation. Alec scowled as he stepped out of the doorway and entered the controlled chaos that was the Town. Alec checked his map HUD as he entered the flow of traffic. His larger than average size granting him a small bubble of freedom amidst the crowd of people moving through the street.

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Alec's map showed six groves of trees within the Town of Beginnings. He had been told yesterday,when he'd completed the second tutorial quest, by Lyle Tealeaf that he needed to take a package which was sitting in Alec's inventory at the moment to say young woman named Hannah who could be found in one of the Town's groves of trees painting. Lyle had told Alec that Hannah was an artist and needed to package he bore to finish a project she was working on. The package Alec bore for Hannah was a gold band that Lyle had informed him was for ring making. So with no other information than that Alec set off through the throng of pedestrians towards the closest of the six groves of trees within the Town of Beginnings. His map showed him that the grove was a mere four blocks away from his Inn. Alec had decided he would visit the groves in a clockwise pattern starting with the one closest to his inn. Alec strode down the road amidst the bustling crowd of people. After only a few minutes found himself standing at the edge of the first if six groves.

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Alec stood on the edge of the grove of trees and looked in. He couldn't see much from outside though. The foliage and canopy wasn't overly thick inside but it was enough to obscure his vision. So Alec plunged through the thin wall of greenery and entered the grove. It was actually very pleasant inside. Overhead canopy cut down the sun beating down and cooled off the temperature. The sun's glare was cut down and muted to a soft shade. Inside the grove Alec walked around enjoying the feeling of solitude he got being encapsulated inside the copse trees away from the hustle and bustle of the busy town. Alec walked around for a half an hour but didn't see another soul. With a shrug Alec abandoned the grove of trees and reentered the city street and the throng of people. As he entered the mass of bodies moving through the streets he missed the grove and it's solitude. Alec mentally reminded himself if the location and vowed to return at a later date. With that Alec checked his map and started off for the second grove of trees.

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Alec made his way through the crowds of people thinking back to home and the stockades there and mass of milling bovine bodies they contained. Alec fought down the urge to let out a loud sonorous Mmmmmoooooooo! The urge was almost overwhelming but Alec fought it down and kept the thought contained as a thought and not as an act that would surely earn him glares from the populace. After about a half hour of walking Alec finally made it to the second grove. It looked just as inviting as the first one so as soon as Alec reached the edge of the tree line he burst into it abandoning the mass of moving bodies for the peace, quiet and solitude provided by the grove of trees. As Alec made his way through the trees he found numerous small song birds of various varieties. They hummed and warbled and sang as he past by them on his voyage through the grove in search of Hannah. After about thirty minutes of walking through the grove Alec came back to where he had entered and found nothing else within it's boundaries besides the song birds. With a sigh at having to give up the solitude and re-enter the crowds awaiting outside the grove Alec forced himself to leave the calm of the grove and rejoin the masses of bodies moving from point to point in the streets.

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After once again forcing himself to travel amidst the crush of bodies moving through the streets if the Town of Beginnings Alec eventually found himself standing before the third grove. Standing there before the grove he scowled, not at the grove.  He found themselves extremely peaceful and refreshing he scowled at the thought of having to leave the grove and re-enter the press of bodies outside. Every time he entered a grove he relaxed and every time he was forced to leave he became more and more agitated at the sheer number of people in the streets. Alec hated large groups of people, by sheer grace of his size he was naturally given a buffer of sorts as most people subconsciously gravitated away from him and his large size which was as Alec preferred. Pushing all other thoughts from his mind he stepped through the wall of brush and tree trunks and entered the grove. As he breached the solitude of the grove he let out a sigh and began to breath calmer and smoother. He basked in the quiet provided by the calm and seclusion of the grove. As Alec passed amongst the trees of the grove his breathing calmed and his pulse dropped on a soothing beat again. He really did enjoy these groves and was starting to realize just how much the Town outside them irritated him. He couldn't stand the press of all the bodies and the sheer numbers of people in the Town. Alec took advantage of the respite offered by the grove and soaked up it's calming energies. Though Alec reattained his inner peace he did not find the Artisan Hannah. He did find a pair of large grey squirrels dashing and chasing each other through the trees tackling and tumbling and generally at play with each other. The sight temporarily washed away the scowl that had affixed itself to his face since being trapped here inside the game. Alec found himself smiling at the squirrels and their carefree play. Alec was reminded again of his situation and how he had gotten here. He was trapped in this Death Game because he'd been a good father. He had found the promo code the buy the Neve Gear and SAO game in a trash can on his garbage route so he bought it for his son Danny as a gift but had refused to let Danny play it on the opening day. He had explained that he wanted to see what it was about before he'd let his son play. As such that is how he found himself here instead if his teenage son. He'd make the same choice every time knowing this would be the outcome. He'd never be able to forgive himself if the rolls had been reversed and Danny were stuck in here.

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Alec took a deep calming breath to relax himself. He found himself getting agitated when he ended up thinking of Danny and home and how it had all come to pass. After a couple deep calming breathes Alec steeled himself for what was to come and pushed through the wall of trees and brush to once again reemerge in the crowd of people filling the streets around him. His gaze travelled across the masses reasserting his scowl firmly in place on his visage where it had taken up nearly permanent residence. His grim look and visual intensity caused those closest to reflexively flex away from him. Alec kept his scowl as he stepped into the mass and began moving to the fourth grove of trees within the Town. He had searched half already and now had half to go. This Artisan Hannah was beginning to prove an elusive target to find. Alec made his way through the crowded streets till he stood before another grove of trees. Alec gladly abandoned the streets and their endless sea of bodies for the calm and quiet withing the trees. After walking for a time in utter seclusion Alec came upon a small pool of clear water. As he approached the pool he noticed a handful of large koi swimming contentedly around in slow looping circles within the pools cool clear water. Alec took a moment to gaze down at the fish swimming lazily in their circles with not a care in the world. Alec felt some of the tension in his  shoulders  and back caused by sheer mass of people outside the grove to relax and melt away. "These groves really were therapeutic." Alec thought to himself as he played his fingers across the surface if the water causing minor ripples on the surface and startling the koi beneath. After a few short moments Alec stood and heaved a sigh as he prepared to re-enter the fray outside the grove.

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Alec reemerged from the fourth grove and found himself back in the crowded mass of people filling the streets. Alec stepped forward with his grim look of disapproval firmly rooted on to his face. He had two groves left to check all in search of one Artisan named Hannah who he was supposed to give a package to from Lyle Tealeaf the Blacksmith. Alec strode through the crowd with a stiff and uncomfortable pace. He really disliked being surrounded by this many people it rankled his nerves and put his hackles up. All in all it made him really uncomfortable to say the least. Alec proceeded for what felt like forever but was really more like ten minutes until he stood at the edge of the Town's fifth grove of trees. Alec looked around him as stepped from one world to another. Outside the grove was chaos and crowds inside the grove was peace and solitude. Two world's apart separated by a thin wall of tree trunks and brush. When inside the groves you could forget all about the thousands of people not a stones throw away. Inside the grove you were alone.

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Only this time Alec wasn't alone. He almost started at the sight of the pretty young woman seated before him with a drawing pad on her lap as she sat on a mound of grass and stared at a small lizard on a tree in front of her. Her hand absently moving across her pad of paper as she dabbed her brush in some water colors next to her and painted a beautiful picture of the small green lizard perched on the tree trunk in front of her. Alec himself had no skills at drawing or painting. He had always wished he could. He loved to see the beautiful things created by others but had no skill of his own to create such masterpieces. He stood quietly off to the side do as not to distract the young woman and her painting or the lizard that was her model. Alec smiled a faint smile watching her subtle movements with brush on paper and gazed mesmerized as a beautiful painting developed before his eyes. When the young woman had finished her painting she calmly and quietly put away her brush and paints and looked up at the larger man standing quietly behind her. "Good afternoon good sir. My name is Hannah and I am an Artisan. How may be of service?" the young woman asked demurely as she looked to the large man.

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Alec cleared his throat before he began to speak. He replied with his deep resonating voice "My name is Alec and i was sent here by Mr Lyle Tealeaf to bring a package to you." with that Alec opened up his inventory and selected the quest item for Hannah. The gold band materialized in his hand and he presented it to the young woman. When she took the offered golden band she turned it over inspecting it. "Thank very much Alec but this is only the first part of what I need to create the item I am working on. This band is used to form metal into a ring but that is not all that is needed sometimes. For the ring I am about to create I need a certain type of gem stone. This specific type of gem can only be found deep within a dark cave deep within the forest. Will you assist me this task Mr Alec and retrieve me a suitable gem for the ring I am crafting?"

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"First off, it's Alec, just Alec no Mr needed and secondly I'd be happy to help find a suitable gem for the ring you are making. Can you give me any more direction as to where in the forest I can find this cave Miss Hannah?" Alec asked. "The forest is pretty expansive and I could spend days walking around in it trying to find a solitary cave." stated Alec.

"The cave you are looking for is to the North West about an hour's walk into the forest. As you leave the North Gate look to the North West and you will see a large out cropping of rock jutting from deep inside the forest. The cave is at the base of the rock out cropping." Hannah directed.

"That sounds like as good of directions as I could ever hope to receive." Alec replied. "Then I'll be off to find you a suitable gem for your ring and return here as quickly as I can." promised Alec solemnly.

Edited by Takalo
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With that Alec turned to leave. As he began to step through the brush separating the grove from the rest of the Town Alec looked over his shoulder and gave a wave to Hannah before disappearing from the grove into the tumult of the crowded city streets. Alec made his way from the grove towards the Northern Gate that led into the grassland beyond the wall to the North of the Town of Beginnings. Alec had already ventured into the grasslands but had yet to visit the forest. Alec was sure that inside the forest he would find more mobs and more aggressive mobs than he had encountered in the wide open grasslands of the plains. Alec made his way from the grove to the Northern Gate by the most direct route available. He wanted to waste as little time inside the Town as possible. His directness and outward seriousness opened a slightly larger bubble around him than normal allowing him to stride purposefully down the streets with little no impediment to his pace or progress.

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As the northern Gate came into view Alec reached out his right hand and made a quick vertical downward swipe motion in front of him which opened his inventory. Alec tapped on his Reinforced Heavy Iron Breastplate to equip it on his torso, it shimmered into view around his check and back. Then he tapped the Shield of Thunderhearts which caused it too to shimmer into view attached to Alec's left forearm. It felt good there, right, solid. Then Alec tapped his Tier 1 Healing Potions and drug them to one of his active Battle ready slots. Next he tapped the Safeguard Potion he had received last quest and moved it to another Battle Ready slot. It must be important to this quest Alec thought if it had a tag that said it was only usable for this quest. Finally Alec tapped the icon for his Mithril Axe causing the mirror reflective axe to shimmer and waver into reality attached to a hook in his right hip where it could be easily grabbed. Alec checked the straps and buckles on his Breastplate to ensure they were secure they were. Then he checked the securement of the Shield of Thunderhearts to his left forearm. It too was secure. Confident all was in order Alec stride purposefully through the Northern Gate and into the plains beyond.

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