raab

Glad to see you've made it around to our neck of the woods.

Enjoy your stay!

Looking forward to seeing you around.

Good luck!

Nice to meet you, sir. Enjoy the site!

It was amazing how quickly one could manipulate the ebb and flow of combat in the world of «Sword Art Online». In one moment, a player could have their back against the wall, scrounging for what little footing they could muster amidst an unrelenting onslaught. In the next, the player could be standing triumphantly over the corpse of several creatures, basking in the glory of a battle turned victorious. There was no telling what could happen in a single instant of a battle; even then, there was only one thing that mattered: survival.

Raab set himself back, putting his weight on his back foot as his shield faced the two remaining wolves. However, Raab's battle stance had made a few slight improvements as compared to his purely-defensive, turtle-shell like play style; in a simple explanation, Raab simply looked more relaxed, confident, comfortable with the equipment he came to acquire and the environment in which he was forced to cope with. As Raab stared down the road towards his two adversaries, his right hand slid down from behind his shield to the small pouch containing the «Throwing Picks» he had just acquired from the random loot drop. Pulling two thin, metal spikes from the pouch, Raab was ready to make his next attack.

"Let's try this again!"

Raab immediately dropped his shield, leaving his body free of any weight that might throw off his accuracy. Moving one of the picks to his left hand, Raab spun his body around a complete 360º before throwing the first pick at the blind wolf. At the end of the spin, Raab released the second pick, allowing the second projectile to fly towards the second unscathed wolf creature.

Let's hope this works...!

The first attack, much like before, met its mark at break-neck speed, burying itself in the front left leg joint of the first wolf. Raab noticed a trickle of fluttering binary code pouring from the first wolf, its health gauge depleting with the passage of time. Raab could tell that it was almost dead, partially from its change of attack pattern, secondly from the low amount of space left in its visible «Health Gauge».

"Alrigh-...oh, SHI-...!"

The second wolf, much like the first attack, cleverly ducked the shot and dashed towards Raab before he could even realize what was occurring. Once again, Raab attempted to grab the shield from the ground, but this time the wolf was too quick. As Raab went to reach for his trusty piece of equipment, the wolf lashed out with a massive bite, intercepting Raab arm as it was stretched away from his body. Feeling the sting of precious health being drained from his body, Raab wrenched his arm free before kicking the wolf away for no damage. It was in that time that Raab recovered himself, grabbing the shield from off the ground and resetting his footing.

"Well...that could have gone better."

» Battle Statistics:

[ Raab ]: 8 HP

[ Dire Wolf ]: 1 HP

[ Dire Wolf ]: 3 HP

"Oh, SICK."

"Wa-hoo!"

"Oh, right on!"

Raab hurriedly tapped the "yes" option, which then led to a menu listing all items carried by the wolf Raab had just defeated. Expecting a longer a list, Raab painfully read off the name of the only item carried by the monster.

Raab obtained Throwing Pick Set!

"What the hell is this?"

Raab watched as a rectangular boxed-pouch utility belt materialized before his body. Not knowing the items function in the slightest, Raab equipped the equipment immediately, drawing one of the throwing picks from the holster that sat on the player's back right hip. Raab couldn't help but twiddle the needle-sharp projectile between his fingers, lavishing in the cool touch of the steel against his bare skin.

"This is too cool."

Raab immediately dropped his shield, turned his attention to the two remaining wolves before him, and hurled the throwing pick already in-hand at the left-most monster.

"Take that!"

In another fluid motion, Raab drew another pick, immediately launching it at the second wolf.

"And summa' that!"

Whether it be sheer dumb luck or some sort of untapped, deep-seeded skill, Raab successfully hit the first wolf. What's more is that the needle managed to land in the creature's eye, temporarily blinding it and removing it from the current battle situation. The second throw, however, was rushed and miscalculated. The wolf easily avoided the attack and instead took up the counter-offensive. In a burst of uncharacteristic reflexivity, Raab hopped backwards while retrieving his shield from the ground below. He managed to bring the weapon up just in time to block the gnashing jaws of the second wolf. It's attack successfully thwarted, the creature leapt back to its comrade, unaware of its temporary blindness. If there was ever a time that the battle had turned, it would have been right at this moment.

"I think I'm getting the hang of this!"

» Battle Statistics:

[ Raab ]: 9 HP [+2 HP: Upon Achieving Lvl. 4]

[ Dire Wolf ]: 2 HP [Blind: 1 Turn.]

[ Dire Wolf ]: 3 HP

"Eh-...Oh, hey! Excuse me. Would you happen to know anything abou-...t."

The disgruntled player ripped his trademark goggle from off his forehead, only to then slam against the dusty ground of the settlement known as «Armadillo». Raab had been information-hunting for about an hour already, the efforts of which proved to be of no help in the slightest of forms. Anything anyone knew of a cloaked woman and a quest was what he had already learned from the bulletin's message. Regaining his composure, Raab bent at the waist and snatched his goggles from the ground. Their once pristine condition had been soiled by the sand and dirt of «Armadillo's» desert environment-type. It was, however, nothing that a few wipes with a sleeve couldn't remedy. Raab returned his goggles to their rightful throne atop his head, serving as a sort of newbie's crown in many regards. The player couldn't help but smile in that moment...though he wasn't entirely sure why.

"Well, nothing here."

Raab turned a heel and immediately headed back towards the «Teleportation Gate» located at the front of the city. The young adventurer figured he would pose a few more inquiries about the whereabouts of the «Mysterious Cloaked Figure» and her lost cargo. However, before he could get a word out, Raab noticed a young woman running straight out into the street from the first floor gate. She seemed to be making a b-line for a particular vendor or...was it something else?

"Well I'll be..."

Raab immediately took off towards the same location this other player had clearly figured out. Raab managed to quicken his pace ever so slightly, forcing his body beyond its limits so that he could reach the «Mysterious Cloaked Figure» at the same exact time.

Almost...there...!

"Wow, man. That's crazy."

Raab managed to mutter that simple phrase in between bites of bread and what little butter the newbie player had in his extremely limited stock. Finally gulping down the last of the virtual feast, Raab grinned and nodded with child-like fervor. The player had finally struck the social goldmine: a fresh guild recruit, ripe for a party destined to climb the tower. This was the time to sew the seeds of loyalty; networking, after all, was one of life's greatest challenges. What better way to start than through the stoic Hisamuya.

"So you must be a pretty accomplished fighter then...that's good."

Raab looked down the road, spotting the settlement of «Tolbana» not fifteen minutes walk from their current location. It was at this point that Raab began looking around, searching the steadily-growing tree line that seemed to erupt quite suddenly. While searching for the hidden location described by the bulletin message, Raab elaborated on his previous comment.

"I say that 'cause I have little-to-no combat effectiveness whatsoever..."

Raab turned back to Hisamuya, grin blazing.

"I'm sure you're strong enough to protect the both of us!"

Raab's ears twitched at the sound of his name, causing the player's head to jerk towards Hisamuya with animal-like alertness. In the next moment, Raab was all smiles, his signature toothy grin plastered to his face. Raab took another moment to adjust his goggles before affirming his comrade's inquiry.

"You got it, buddy. Let's roll; but be careful...there's a ton of mobs out here. No telling when we're going to get jumped."

The pair slowly made their way down the second of the two major roads dividing the «Grasslands». The first road, historically, was created as way for players to easily traverse the open-world of Floor 1, leading them to the first settlement known as «Horunka Vilage». The settlement made its mark on the Floor 1 map as an outpost for hunters looking to farm mobs and craftsmen looking to gain access to crafting materials. The road Raab and Hisamuya had chosen led directly to the settlement known as «Tolbana». The location is the last outpost before the first floor's labyrinth, a «Raid Base» that houses the first floor boss, «Illfang the Kobold Lord». Though the two players were nowhere near a level decent enough to take on the floor boss, they seemed capable enough to traverse the wilds of Floor 1 safely.

"So what have you been doing this whole time? Do you have a guild that's helped you all this way, or..."

It was clear that Raab was prying for information, if only to break the silence of the long walk that yet remained. There was no harm in small talk, right?

Möngöl Hörde | Mongol Horde

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2mfg7UNeyg

Raab's face immediately lit up with an amount of marked excitement. This was the first time another player had ever accepted his «Party Invite» without some serious convincing. It was good that the rumor and possible promise of treasure was incentive enough to join the young player on his journey towards in-game success.

"Well alright, man! Just give me a second to send you an invite...let's start walking towards the gate in the mean time."

While the pair of players made their way to the outskirts of the town, Raab brought up the «Player Menu» and attempted to quickly send a party invitation to his new-found companion. It was in that moment that Raab had realized the player had completely moved past the introduction phase of social interaction and jumped straight into party companionship. Raab had to glance over at the player's «Health Gauge» to learn his name; it was the only way to send him an invite, after all.

"Hee-sah-moo-yah...right?"

Raab quickly typed the name at the top of the «Party Invite» and clicked the send button in one burst of fluid motion. At that point, the pair had already reached the outskirts of the city, altogether ready to brave the «Grasslands» with whatever skill and wits they could muster between the two of them. Raab quickly adjusted the goggles on his forehead and checked to see that his things were in order before turning to see if his newfound companion was ready to begin their first adventure.

"Alright! You ready to hop to it?"

"I've never once stolen a thing in my entire life!"

"Get back here!"

"We don't take kindly to players like you 'round here!"

"Yeah, shack up with Hood if you're trying to play like that!"

The young player had got himself into quite the pickle. As Raab had come to better understand the world of «Sword Art Online», it was growing particularly clear that many of the players had adopted play-styles that lacked any sort of serious loyalty or trust. At least, that was the way it was on Floor 1. It was difficult to find your way into a party, especially having come into the game as a solo-player with no out-of-game friends to back you up. Raab sighed and shook his head, knowing that marked progress in the game was going to have to come sometime. He was just going to have to meet the right people.

Which brings us to the current situation, a young player sprinting away from another group of slightly higher-level players after accusations of thievery started getting tossed around. There were many rumors surrounding various groups, both criminal and vigilante, that had begun terrorizing the players of the first 10 floors. It was clear that these groups were simply looking to take advantage of low-level players, taking their consumable gear to help fuel their own adventures as the attempted to push through towards the top of the tower. It was sickening, at least to Raab, that people would take those kind of measures to ensure a better standing in the game.

And so, after being accused of stealing the party's last rations of bread and jelly, Raab was forced to retreat to the «Grasslands», a large enough expanse of Floor 1 territory that Raab hoped would facilitate a cunning escape from the enraged players he once called his party members. Raab had turned his head around, looking to see if the group was still chasing after him.

"Oh, sweet. Lost 'e-..."

Not realizing the danger of sprinting at full-speed in a more densely populated area, Raab had haphazardly tumbled right into a young man with a mop of strawberry-blonde hair and a light brown trench coat. The crash sent both players to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust which left Raab hacking up a lung as he desperately attempted to get to his feet. As Raab regained his composure, he quickly rushed to the other player that he had so rudely pummeled with the entirety of his own body.

"Ah! Oh, shi-, uh...sorry, man!"

Raab couldn't help but allow an uncomfortable smirk creep across his face; it was all he could do to lighten the air after the unprecedented collision.

"Here...let me help you up."

The pack of wolves before the lone player seemed much more cautious now that one of their members was low on health; they seemed to realize the group had a weak spot, this sort of high-level coordination shown by the placement of the two full-health monsters at the front of the group. Raab's grip tightened around the handle of his shield, and his knees bent ever so slightly so that he could maintain a grounded position. It was clear that defense was the name of the game in this situation.

"Let's go, you mangy mutts!"

As if the virtual creatures could even understand the young player, Raab attempted to entice the wolves out of their own formation so that Raab could deal a decisive blow against his first canine adversary. Raab dug deeper into his position, his front foot sliding slightly farther out forward from the rest of his body; the rest of the weight was carried by his back foot, a stance that allowed for quick retaliation in the event of a successful defense. But perhaps there was another way...

"You guys are gonna' be hungry tonight."

Raab smirked, pleased with his own trash-talk as the two full-health wolves dashed away from their starting positions in a burst of feral ferocity. The player took a deep breath, relaxing himself just before his own burst of calculated counter-maneuvers.

"Let's have at it, then!"

...

The pair of wolves leapt towards Raab, lashing out their claws in an attempt to completely overpower the young player.

Just what I thought...!"

Raab, after fighting against the creatures for so long, finally managed to pinpoint the attack pattern of the creature; it had become abundantly clear that the wolf-class monsters, at least on Floor 1, were more likely to open with a lunging or leaping attack rather than a grounded assault. This allowed for Raab to push off of his back foot towards the ground, easily rolling underneath the two wolves, and pop back to his feet with shield stretched out to the side.

"You're finished!"

The player then hurled his shield towards the wolf, the defensive equipment spinning through the air like an over-sized discus. What was even more shocking was that, in all of the craziness that had been Raab's attempts to slay this creature that had caused him so much distress, that this was the way it was going to end.

As the shield made contact, the wolf seemed to freeze on the spot for a split second. In the next moment, the wolf burst into a small flurry of twinkling ones and zeroes before completely winking out of existence. Somehow, through burst of adrenaline or beginner's ignorance, Raab managed to not let the success immediately rush to his head as he pushed on. The player performed an excellent roll overtop of his shield, grabbing it in mid-roll, only to pop up and spin towards his remaining two adversaries.

"Now...how can I help the both of you?"

» Battle Result:

[ Raab ]: 7 HP

[ Dire Wolf ]: 0 HP [ Congratulations! ]

[ Dire Wolf ]: 3 HP

[ Dire Wolf ]: 3 HP

"Thanks for letting me tag along, guys! I really apprecia-...oh, you're, uh...leaving, huh? So...so soon?!"

It was abundantly clear that the party Raab had latched onto, in some hopeless attempt to garner some sort of mutual-sense of player loyalty, was not at all interested in helping the newbie with any of the quests on Floor 5. Raab kicked at the ground as his once thought-to-be-trusted allies walked through the main gates of the «Teleportation Plaza», never to be seen or heard from again (by Raab). The player's outburst produced a cloud of dust and sand that instantly got caught in a passing breeze, shooting the microscopic specks of debris straight back into Raab's face, blinding him for a few moments before regaining what little composure he had to begin with.

"Now...let's see, here. The message said Floor 5...and..."

Raab brought up the note he had made in his «Player's Journal» regarding a certain «Mysterious Cloaked Figure», and that she might have something valuable for players that can help her out of an "unfortunate situation." Luckily, Raab had brushed up on the mob information and environment modifiers unique to Floor 5. In the information provided by the «Beginner's Guidebook», Floor 5's main settlement, Armadillo, is where most of the player and non-player populations reside. Other settlements are scattered across the floor, though they are few and far between The Lost, a vast expanse of desert specially designed for the fifth floor. Raab knew that he was going to have to first find the woman described in the bulletin message and obtain the quest; hopefully then a nearby player would catch wind of the event and want whatever loot the NPC would provide. That kind of incentive was fair enough for Raab to be willing to offer the loot to whichever player or players decided to help out. Hopefully his courtesy would not go unnoticed.

"Alright...Armadillo...looks like we're gonna' get to know each other real well."

Raab cracked his neck to both sides before stepping onto the bustling streets of Floor 5's main settlement, Armadillo. Hopefully it wouldn't be too long before the young player could manage to discover a lead as to the whereabouts of the mysterious NPC.

« Quest Accepted ! »

• Participating Players:
  
  • [*:3kls2v49]

Doppelganger | The Fall of Troy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VN5kzHnqOCE

Sup, duder.

Welcome back!

"Better steer clear of them, then...huh?"

Raab had been standing at the bulletin board for some time now, itching to make conversation with any one of the thousands of players that had passed by his immediate standing amongst; the sea of travelers had made the player anxious, noticing that many of the surrounding players were looking to party up for higher-level play rather than beginner-area mob raiding and dungeon crawling. The young man that happened to comment on the players on Floor 8 had been the only other solo-adventurer Raab had come across while party hunting. Eager to make conversation and promote in-game socialization, Raab jumped at the chance to squirm his way into this young man's life.

"Th' name's Raab! The Alchemist's Apprentice. The Shield Bearer. The Hawk...eh, Eye..."

Raab finally managed to catch himself, stifling the progression of self-titled epithets while he still retained what infinitesimal fraction of his dignity yet remained. Raab's face contorted in an awkward, half-laughing, half-embarrassed visage of pure humility. Looking to move past the blunder of an introduction he had so impromptu-edly fashioned for himself.

"I, uh...found a message on the board that said there might be some treasure in the glade just outside «Tolbana». Would you, uh...wanna' check it out with me?"

"Well alright! Movin' right along."

Raab carefully adjusted the goggles atop his forehead as he allowed his body time to grow accustomed to the «NerveGear» hardware, each movement becoming more organic than the one previous until the player had reached 100% synchronization with the virtual console. A wide grin crept across the newbie's face, the sudden burst of excitement accentuated by a loud snap of the fingers, it seemed that Raab was ready to begin his day of adventuring.

"Now...where to..."

Raab swiped at the air before his body, accessing the «Player Menu» in order to obtain the «Beginner's Guidebook» from his inventory. Upon obtaining the item from said inventory, the player quickly flipped through the pages as he headed toward the central square, the hub of most of the «Town of Beginning's» player activity. After spending the past few days honing his in-game skills, Raab felt it was important to figure out how to ascend the tower, whether that be through the help of a party or by his own wit and personal prowess.

Perhaps today was the day that someone would finally find the young alchemist's apprentice useful and allow him to tag along, even if his responsibility amounted to front-line defense during mob raids. Or maybe they would allow him to craft medical supplies for boss raids...Raab could count the marketable skills his low-leveled account could possibly advertise, and even then he could see that his future looked bleak.

Raab let out a sigh as he closed the «Beginner's Guidebook», allowing it to wink out of existence in a blast of digital effect. Raab found himself heading towards what seemed to be a large bulletin board rife with various posters and brochures documenting the going-ons of the floor, the tower as a whole, and the in-game community. Taking a deep breath, Raab quickened his pace and made a direct path to the front of the crowd surrounding the board.

Well, let's see what you got...

Raab.

"Ræb"

Like "rabbit."

(y).

Awesome way to promote more plot-structured threads. This explanation will certainly go to good use!

This guy is a cool dude.

Cheers for cool-dude!

Let's do it to it, bro-chacho.

Let's talk about plot and such in PM?

Raab took a deep breath, prepping himself for the impeding onslaught. In the next moment, Raab felt a surge of warm energy course through his body, covering the young warrior in a dim, astral light of extraordinary nature. The feeling, however, was fleeting and went almost as quickly as it had came, and by its end Raab noticed his health bar had risen by two tick marks. The player quickly brought up the local battle statistic screen, checking the «Health Gauges» of both himself and his enemies.

» Battle Statistics:

[ Raab ]: 7 HP

[ Dire Wolf ]: 1 HP

[ Dire Wolf ]: 3 HP

[ Dire Wolf ]: 3 HP

"What the shi-..."

Raab quickly exited the menu prompt and charged towards his opponents with an incredible burst of courageous might.

"Let's end this!"

Raab leapt at the first wolf, the creature panting from a complete lack of energy. As Raab's body soared through the air, the player grabbed his shield by the iron frame once more, bringing the piece of equipment down towards the top of the wolf's head.

...

In an unprecedented burst of coordinated retaliation, the two full-health wolves caught the brunt of Raab's attack, using what was left of their strength to shove the player backwards, resetting the field of battle with no damage dealt to either party. Raab was finally feeling the exhaustion of a prolonged battle, wiping a drop of sweat from the side of his face with his clothed shoulder.

"This has got to be a joke...we're only on the first floor..."

» Battle Result:

[ Raab ]: 7 HP

[ Dire Wolf ]: 1 HP

[ Dire Wolf ]: 3 HP

[ Dire Wolf ]: 3 HP

Welcome to the site, friend. Looking forward to see what you bring to the table!

Let's do this RP thing!

PM ideas?