[F1 - SP] An Old Enemy <<The First Few Lessons Are Free>>

[Yukiro 0]

Spoiler

Yukiro

********************************************
LEVEL 1
20/20 HP | 2/2 EN | 5 DMG | 18 MIT | 2 EVA | 1 ACC

Skills:
2H Straight Sword - Rk 1

Equipped:

• "Cross of Regret" - Two-Handed Straight Sword (T1 - Rare) ACC - Gain +1 to the BD when attacking. Cannot be used to cause a critical hit, DMG Gain +1 base damage per slot.
• "Cloak of Twisted Worlds" - Light Armor (T1 - Rare) EVA x2 -  Reduces the die value by 2 on an enemy’s attack against you. Cannot be used to avoid a critical hit.
• "Leggings of Shattered Torment" - Light Armor (T1 - Rare) MIT x2 Prevent 18 damage from successful attacks against you.

Items:
Starter Healing Potions (Heals 50 HP) x3

Yukiro half expected a Minotaur to jump out at him. The town of beginnings felt like a massive labyrinth, so many streets and passages and alleyways it was nearly impossible to not get lost. In that respect, Yukiro was somewhat baffled by the maze; he was completely lost, and the only landmark he'd managed to find was a tailor's shop. Fortunately, he'd marked the place on the map, but that didn't help him find an escape route. 
This is getting nowhere fast. It seems I'll have to ask someone for help. 
As much as he'd rather avoid it, Yukiro opted to enter the next door he found and pray it was safe.
The door he found was a mostly smooth door made from what looked like oak. He braced himself for the worst and opened the door. What he found was a homey,  somewhat small room filled with bookshelves and vials. The liquids within the glass containers were of many colors; some clearer than others, some bubbling, some nearly full, some almost empty. A single man, old but with a persisting aura of youth, populated the room. He had been examining and mixing vials, but he looked up and set down his work when he saw Yukiro enter.

Edited October 5, 2019 by Yukiro

[Yukiro 0]

"Ah, a visitor. Welcome, " the old man greeted Yukiro, "Ah, would you happen to be an adventurer?" 
Yukiro noticed a small exclamation point above the man's head. That means he has a quest if I remember correctly. 

"I am an adventurer, yes," he replied to the man, who's face seemed to relax slightly.

"Oh, good. May I ask you to do me a favor?" He asked. Yukiro saw no reason to refuse.

"I would gladly take on your request," Yukiro accepted. If nothing else, the rewards would be appreciated. 

"Thank you. You see, I am an alchemist. To create potions I need certain materials. Plants, to be specific," he informed Yukiro, " if you could go out of town and gather five budding flowers, I would greatly appreciate it." 

Yukiro nodded. "I will do so," he told the old man. It seems he stumbled upon a fairly easy quest.

"Thank you," the old man said with a slight bow. Yukiro returned the bow as he stepped towards the door.

Before I go...

"Which way would I have to go to find the town square?"

Edited October 6, 2019 by Yukiro

[Yukiro 0]

Spoiler

Boar; HP 10 Dmg 3
ID# 125276
BD: 3 (2+1) MD: 1 (3-2)
Yukiro: HP 20/20 I EN 0/2 (-2)
Boar: HP 10/10

Yukiro made it to the town square in the Town of Beginnings thanks to the old NPCs advice (turns out his name was Zackariah). The large field of stone, with a sort of obelisk in the center, brought back the bad memories of finding out he was trapped inside this game. He quickly shook off the melancholy and started making his way out of the Town of Beginnings. Like a bad meal, the thoughts had left a bad taste in his mouth.
He didn't move as quickly as he had hoped; repeatedly catching himself walking slowly, deep in thought, somewhat disappointed him. He saw it as a sign. 
This is gonna be a bad day.
Upon (finally) exiting town Yukiro decided that the best way to shake off his slump in focus was to fight something. A boar, he decided, There are always more boars.
Upon actually finding a boar, he quickly learned that simply fighting would not rid him of his being distracted. He intended to use a sword art and somehow managed to get lost in thought mid-attack. The lunge he made (because of the sword skill) managed to pull him out of the boar's path, but Yukiro was not doing well.
Why am I like this?

Edited October 8, 2019 by Yukiro

[Yukiro 0]

Spoiler

Boar; HP 10 Dmg 3
ID# 125427
BD: 4 (2+2) MD: 10 (EVA doesn't avoid crits)
Yukiro: HP 20/20 (5-18) | EN 0/2 (-1)
Boar: HP 10/10

Yukiro was lost in thought.

Why am I thinking so much? This isn't like me. I usually just accept things as they are. And why am I so depressed? Not to say I'm in a good mood, generally speaking, but I'm also not in a generally bad mood. What am I missing? Does it have to do with the game? Is it something I did? Did I eat something weird? No that can't be it, 'cause...

Yukiro simultaneously wanted to laugh and punch himself. Of course. It was so obvious he didn't even realize it. 

I still have to eat in the game.

As he realized this the boar plowed into his right thigh, almost directly from the side. This snapped Yukiro out of his thought process and back to reality. Despite the boar's direct and extra powerful head but, Yukiro's health didn't fall. He didn't even stumble. 
Note to self. Thank Bahr. I really hope I got that name right.
Yukiro took a step away, turning to face the boar. Hopefully, he could manage to stay concentrated enough to fight.

Edited October 8, 2019 by Yukiro

[Yukiro 0]

Spoiler

Boar: HP 10 Dmg 3
ID# 125440
BD: 6 (5+1) MD: 10
Yukiro: HP 20/20 (5-18) | EN 0/2 (-1)
Boar: HP 5/10 (-5)

To nobodies surprise, Yukiro had managed to drift into a trance again.

If I still need to eat in the game... that is... not good. I've gone three days without food. That is very bad. I require sustenance! 

Another thought occurred to him.

If I still need to eat and drink in this game, does that mean I need sleep? Do I need to sleep here too? How is Sword Art Online so unrealistic yet so irritatingly realistic! 

Once again Yukiro was woken by the increasingly familiar sense of a boar's tusk attempting to gore him through his seemingly iron pants. Without thinking Yukiro's arm made a swift thrust straight through the boar's midsection. Using the inserted blade to hold the boar at length Yukiro took a large step back. 

I really need to focus. Hold on, what was the item I was looking for? A flower of some kind. I'll look for that. With that as a sort of (temporarily) concluding thought Yukiro flicked his blade upwards, sending the boar a short distance away.

Edited October 8, 2019 by Yukiro

[Yukiro 0]

Spoiler

Boar; HP 10 Dmg 3
ID# 125445
BD: 10 (9+1) CD: 4 LD: 10 MD: 5 (7-2)
Yukiro: HP 20/20 (3-18) | EN 0/2 (-1)
Boar: HP 0/10 (-6)
Loot: 140 col, 1 uncommon consumable

Yukiro was finally managing to shake off some of his initial tiredness. He had practiced going without sleep before, and he had fasted for 24 hour periods of time. Even so, a full three days without eating or sleeping was catching up with him fast. He'd have to finish this quest up sooner rather than later so he could go find a place to eat and rest. 
The boar began to charge him again. Yukiro decided it was time to test his new outfit. As the boar reached him he made a sharp upward kick at its throat. It was a solid hit that managed to lift the boar off the ground. Yukiro hardly noticed that he'd been hit. Taking advantage of the animal's helplessness he swept his sword down in an exemplary stroke that shattered the boar. 

Good job, me. You did something.

He'd earned some col and a consumable of some sort. He'd have to find someone to appraise his items soon enough. 

Edited October 8, 2019 by Yukiro

[Yukiro 0]

Spoiler

ID# 125455
LD: 15
1 T1 material found
Yukiro: EN 1/2 (+1)

Yukiro was standing in the field, zoned out. After a long while, he snapped out of the funk. His daydreaming was getting worse. 

Plants. He wanted plants for the quest. What kind of plants? Flowers, I think. What kind of flowers? I can't remember. He concluded his daydream with the resolution to eat sooner rather than later. 

Ah, gathering quests. My old enemy. My luck when gathering is about as good as my luck when gambling.

Yukiro wandered for a while before catching himself and beginning the hunt for the required materials. He looked around for colorful vegetation. Conveniently he spotted a cluster of flowers only a few meters away. He wandered over to the garden and stared at it for a few moments. 
Once again having to snap to attention Yukiro grabbed a small flower, just starting to bud its yellowish blossoms. The item added itself to his inventory. 

Oh, good, it is flowers. That makes this a little easier. Despite his newfound determination to complete the quest, Yukiro was getting a feeling that a nap was further away than he hoped.

Edited October 10, 2019 by Yukiro

[Yukiro 0]

Spoiler

ID# 125456
LD: 4
Yukiro: EN 2/2 (+1)

I wonder... are there restaurants in Sword Art Online? Or cafes of some kind? There should be inns... No, I shouldn't spend money on pleasantries. Though I should find a safe place to sleep. Maybe a rooftop somewhere...

Yukiro pondered his predicament. He had been picking more plants from the garden-like area, but they shattered one by one in his hands. It was probably supposed to be a certain item that he needed to find. He wasn't able too think to hard about it though; eventually, if he kept picking flowers he'd get the right item.

If worst comes to worst I'll just find a secluded, hard to find spot and rest there. Food is my more pressing concern. I need to eat. 
I wonder... do boars drop meat? No, I can't cook. Is there a skill for that? Probably, if you need to eat.
Ah! I got distracted again!

Edited October 10, 2019 by Yukiro

[Yukiro 0]

Spoiler

Boar: HP 10 Dmg 3
 ID# 125507
BD: 5 (4+1) MD: 1 (2-2)
Yukiro: HP 20/20 | EN 0/2 (-2)
Boar: HP 10/10

Yukiro decided to stop needlessly destroying the innocent plants. For a while, at least. It would be better to fight a mob for a bit. As usual, a boar would be a sufficient target. He scanned the area. The closest boar was actually a fair distance away. Probably a way to let new players (such as Yukiro) gather the items in peace. 
He half stumbled, half walked to where the boar was grazing. 
Perhaps, as I am, I shouldn't be fighting. But maybe I shouldn't worry about it. 
The boar, upon noticing the newcomer, turned and charged. Yukiro activated his sword skill and lunged towards the boar. 
And tripped.
Managing to fall sideways, Yukiro rubbed the back his face for a moment before standing back up. 
Yeah, I should probably avoid combat until I rest up.
The boar stopped it's charge and turned to face Yukiro again. Yukiro slapped his face lightly in an attempt to wake himself up, which was to no avail.
I'm gonna eat this boar if this takes much longer.

Edited October 8, 2019 by Yukiro

[Yukiro 0]

Spoiler

Boar; HP 10 Dmg 3
ID# 125508
BD: 9 (8+1) MD: 10 
Yukiro: HP 20/20 (5-18) | EN 0/2 (-1)
Boar: HP 5/10 (-5)

Yukiro was slipping in and out of consciousness. He could hardly focus on the fight. 
This is not good. This is very bad. It's dangerous to do this. 
In that moment, Yukiro's mind gave up. He was dead. He couldn't fight anymore.
His body, however, trained by Yukiro nearly all his life, did not give up. It adapted to the situation.
As the boar charged Yukiro's eyes were closing. His body began to act on its own. In the moment the boar rammed into his leg, Yukiro's body allowed it to push his leg, forcing Yukiro into a spin. As he spun to face the boar Yukiro's body made a sweeping cut at the boar, which effectively struck the boar's back. 
As the exchange finished Yukiro's eyes fluttered open again. He wasn't sure what he just did, but he could feel a little power edging into his body.
I.. can finish this fight.

Edited October 8, 2019 by Yukiro

[Yukiro 0]

Spoiler

Boar: HP 10 Dmg 3
ID# 125509
BD: 10 (9+1) CD: 7 LD: 19 MD: 5 (7-2)
Yukiro: HP 20/20 | EN 0/2 (-1)
Boar: HP 0/10 (-6)
Loot: 60 col, (4) T1 materials, Unidentified T1 Perfect Armor, Unidentified T1 Rare trinket

Yukiro could feel the last of his adrenaline rushing into his blood flow. The current in his veins was bringing him just enough energy to focus on the animal in front of him. He lifted his sword into a high guard stance (which required more energy than he'd like to admit), preparing to end the fight in one more attack. If this wasn't the final blow he'd have to flee. 
The boar charged at Yukiro. It was moving a little faster than Yukiro usually perceived. In a sort of last-ditch effort, Yukiro stepped aside the boar's path and brought his sword down in an arcing cleave. His sword bit into and through the boar's hide. A small rush ran through Yukiro's body as he saw the boar shatter in his peripheral vision. 
Oh, good. I can rest.
A small window popped up, revealing his prizes. Several things were listed, which boosted Yukiro's mood. Maybe he could sleep for now.
No! I need to eat first! And I need to finish the quest before that!

Edited October 8, 2019 by Yukiro

[Yukiro 0]

Spoiler

 ID# 125510
LD: 18
1 quest material found (2 total)
Yukiro: EN 1/2 (+1)

Yukiro wandered over to the patch of flowers and keeled over next to them. He was exhausted. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. No, no falling asleep. He forced himself to sit up and look through the flowers. If he was more careful of what he picked, he should finish faster. 
I need to focus on something... 
An image of one of his friends flashed through his mind. No. Not that. An image of his brother came next. Please, not that. It took a while before he managed to settle on thinking about what kind of sword he would look for.
I prefer a hand-and-a-half sword, cause I can use is as a one-handed or two-handed weapon. But I don't think such a thing exists here. I can use a two-handed sword in one hand, but not a one-handed sword in two hands. I'll probably stick with two-handed swords...
As he mindlessly thought about his choice of armament Yukiro hardly noticed when he picked the correct item from the ground. It added itself to his inventory.

Edited October 8, 2019 by Yukiro

[Yukiro 0]

Spoiler

ID# 125511
LD: 13
Found 1 quest material (3 total)
Yukiro: EN 2/2 (+1)

Yukiro plucked out another flower like the last one, which also added itself to his inventory. He was beginning to feel his stomach's emptiness. He was becoming more emotionless by the minute. It was like his body was sacrificing his emotions to make room for just a little more energy. Indeed, Yukiro felt like he was operating at near his full capacity. 
Unfortunately, he knew about this condition. It was a state of tiredness where the body begins to enter the first stage of shutting down. The sense of energy he was feeling was false; he was in fact in much worse condition than he cared to admit. 
This is it. I need to finish this soon and eat something. And right after eating I need to sleep. I'm running out of options that I can live through. 
Despite the danger of the situation Yukiro could use his newfound focus to do at least a little better than he was before.

Edited October 10, 2019 by Yukiro

[Yukiro 0]

Spoiler

ID# 125526
LD: 12
1 quest material (4 total)

Yukiro began to search more earnestly for the quest item he needed. A flower, he knew that. He picked a red lily. It shattered. He picked a blue rose. It also shattered. A green daisy, bluebells, some yellowish blossoms. The daisy and bluebells shattered shortly after picking them, but the budding yellow blossoms were added to his inventory. 
Got it. Blossoming flowers, not ones in full bloom.
He looked around and found some purple plants, each just entering the budding process. One by one he picked them. One by one they shattered in his hand. 
Not the purple ones.
He repeated the process with other colors of young flowers. 
Not the red ones. Or the blue ones. Or the green ones. Or the orange ones. 
This process of elimination went on for quite a while. It took nearly ten minutes, but he finally identified that the specific item he was searching for was the spiraling plant with the yellow flowering buds. And he only needed one more.

Edited October 8, 2019 by Yukiro

[Yukiro 0]

Spoiler

ID# 125535
LD: 11
Gained 1 quest material (5 total)

Yukiro dug through the many plants and flowers in the garden. He was lucky that no mobs seemed to be coming close to the place. 
Though maybe there is a reason for that...
Nah.
Eventually, Yukiro managed to unearth a small plant. It's spiraling form was dotted with yellow buds that were just in the process of flowering. With a sigh of relieve he took the item in his hand and gently tugged it out of the soft dirt. The item was in his hand for only a moment before it glowed and vanished, having automatically added itself to his inventory. 
Yukiro took a moment before slowly rising to his feet. After all this time, he could go and finish the quest. He needed to hurry. The lack of food was going to reach a critical point soon enough. So was his lack of sleep. The faster he moved, the sooner he'd be able to support his needs.
 

Edited October 8, 2019 by Yukiro

[Yukiro 0]

Yukiro moved much slower than he would had he been at his best level of performance. He wasn't sure if moving slowly would conserve energy, but it was certainly worth a try. He took long detours to avoid any combat, which was difficult due to the sheer number of boars in the area. He even had to hide for a while when a party of players showed up to fight boars.
Interaction at this point will only end badly. Besides, it would make me more aware of my sleep deprivation and food situation. 
After quite some time, he made it to the walls surrounding the Town of Beginnings. It irritated him that it took so long, but he didn't have the energy to be upset. He slowly made his way through the town of beginnings towards the only alleyway he was familiar with; the alleyway where Zackariah was waiting for him to deliver the necessary plants. Yukiro was ready to be done.

[Yukiro 0]

Spoiler

ID# 125540
CD: 4
Used (5) quest materials to craft (1) T1 Healing Potion (not kept)

Yukiro opened the door to Zackariah's small brewery. The old man looked up from a small vial he was holding. 
"Ah, welcome back. You were so quick I hardly had the time to make any potions," he greeted in a somewhat soothing voice. 
Yukiro nodded to the man. "I hope that is good," he replied, opening the menu he had only figured out how to use on the way there and handed the elderly NPC the five small plants. 
Zackariah took the blossoms and examined them closely. "You brought some fine ingredients, my friend," he remarked, turning towards a small mortar and pestle. As he went to place the items in the mortar he paused and turned back to Yukiro. "Would you like to learn how to create potions?"
Yukiro had a double-take. Was there more to the quest? Best not risk it. "It would be my pleasure," he accepted. Zackariah stepped away from the table, crowded with instruments for making potions, and handed Yukiro the herbs.
"It's a simple but often difficult process," he started. Yukiro began to sway a little. Zackariah smiled and continued. "First, place the herbs in the mortar and grind them into a paste."
Yukiro followed his directions. It wasn't long before the plants had transformed into a fine, green substance. 
"Next, scrape the paste into a beaker. use the one with the translucent green liquid-- yes, that's the one."
Using a special scraper of sorts Yukiro transferred the paste into the vial. The two substances began to intermingle.
"Now lightly shake the vial side to side. Careful, we don't want any to splash out."
The paste began to dissolve in the greenish, watery liquid. As they fused, a deep green liquid only a touch thicker than water began to form.
When the two liquids had fully mixed, Zackariah gave another instruction, "Now simply pour the potion into the empty container next to the beaker." He guided Yukiro's eyes to the correct bottle. After Yukiro poured the liquid in, it glowed for just a moment before returning to normal. 
"Is it done?"
Zackariah took the bottle and examined it. "Hmm... I must say, it's not bad. Congratulations on such a success on your first try," he congratulated Yukiro. 
Yukiro gave a slight smile. Zackariah was making him feel brighter if only a little.

Edited October 8, 2019 by Yukiro

[Yukiro 0]

Yukiro was set to leave. Zackariah had given him several potions of three varying effects, though he kept the one Yukiro made.
"It is one that I would like to put up for sale," he replied when Yukiro asked why he wanted to keep the potion. Such a compliment was hard to refuse, and Yukiro let him keep the potion.
It was finally time to rest. As Yukiro moved to open the door, however, he heard Zackariah's voice.
"Forgive me if it interrupts anything, but would you mind taking this package to Lyle Tealeaf? He's a resident blacksmith, his smithy should be on the main road out of town," he continued, "I'm simply to busy to take it to him at the moment." 
Yukiro wanted to turn him down, he was so extremely tired. But he couldn't refuse such a request. "I shall do it, though it may not be immediate," he offered.
Zackariah smiled. "Of course. Thank you very much for all your help." He said, giving Yukiro the package. Yukiro placed it in his inventory (though he was unsure how that made any sense). With another farewell, Yukiro left Zackariah's workshop.

Edited October 8, 2019 by Yukiro

[Yukiro 0]

An easy way to tell that Yukiro is running out of energy is that he tends to think out loud and become more talkative.

Upon exiting Zackariah's workshop, Yukiro began to think about what he should do about his lack of food. 
"I need to find a way to get food. Perhaps that tailor's shop... No, it would be rude to demand food of someone else. Is there somewhere I can buy food? I don't have much money to spend, but I'd rather spend some col than go broke." 
As he pondered aloud, he walked back to the city center of the Town of Beginnings. He was somewhat off-balance but paid it no mind.
"I suppose I should find a place to eat," he concluded in his most intelligent statement yet.

After a lot of searching, he managed to find a restaurant of sorts. He ordered vast quantities of food, hardly bothering to breathe as he simply devoured everything put in front of him. after nearly fifteen minutes of non-stop gorging himself, Yukiro could honestly say he'd recovered from his hunger plight. 
Problem was, he was still lacking significant sleep and needed to find a place to rest. Being uncomfortable wasn't a problem, but he did need somewhere relatively out of the way.
After a fair amount of searching, he found what looked like a walled-off alleyway. It took a small amount of difficulty, but Yukiro managed to get over the wall and found a walled off area inside it. It was unsheltered and somewhat small (a four by four-foot square), but it should serve as an adequately safe place to nap. Yukiro curled down inside the small prison and almost immediately drifted off to sleep. 

Edited October 8, 2019 by Yukiro

[Yukiro 0]

It wasn't until early in the morning that Yukiro woke up. Once his body started to become active again he quickly regained consciousness. His family had a military-like sleeping schedule, so waking up almost instantly was no issue. He shook his head a bit and stood up, shaking off the remaining tiredness. Taking a deep breath, he evaluated how he felt. 
Not tired. Don't need sleep anymore. 
Not hungry. Don't need food anymore. 
My mind is clear. My body feels light. 
Seems like I've recovered.
Yukiro took a moment to decide what to do now that he was ready and able. 
Oh, right. I need to deliver that package to... a blacksmith. He was on the main road out of the Town of Beginnings...
Yukiro scaled the wall which lead to a road just barely larger than an alleyway. He found it much easier to climb it than he remembered. That was probably because he wasn't overtired anymore.
Walking down the path towards the main road Yukiro saw some players who were out wandering around. Some were walking to or from an inn, others were gathering in groups. Some were opening shops or heading out of town. The morning light was just creeping over the city, warming the chilly air. In the new light it was almost easy to find the Lyle's workshop. All he had to do now was deliver. He pulled the package from his inventory and opened the door.
"Pardon me! I have a delivery for Lyle!"

Spoiler

Overall rewards:
3 sp 
600 col
5 Tier One Health Potions of Uncommon Quality (+40HP)
1 Tier One Damage Potion. (+1 Damage)
1 Tier One Over-Health Potion (+50 Temp. HP)
1 uncommon consumable
(4) T1 Materials
 Unidentified T1 Perfect Armor
Unidentified T1 Rare trinket

 

Edited October 9, 2019 by Yukiro