orhalimi

I stopped them in the middle of the conversation "I'm glad to hear that you are all agreed to the detailed" I didn't heard from Yuki, but didn't cared about her to much. "Anyway, we will begin with the first challenge. Your first challenge is to find my shop". I got tired from looking after my shop, and that's was the main reason for this competition to exist in the first place. I just got back to my motto in life and find someone else that will do it for me, after we will handle this little thing I can test their actual skills.
"You already know the shop's name. it should be a *bit* old merchant shop, I will send you the starting location in a private message, it should around floor one" I know the general position, but the place was so big and who know when was the last time that I entered it. Maybe Yuki will be able to figure out the reasons, but I hope that for once she will keep her mouth shut.
"The first one who will manage will find my shop will win this challenge. When you will find it, please send me a massage with the right location and I will send it to the others" I opened my tab and craft a message for each one of them separately, then I sent a different starting location for each one of them. For Yuki I choose a special place. "You may start. good luck"


OOC: To find the shop we will use LD. Each post is one turn, so if two players find it in their second post they will both find it at the same time. To find the shop you will need 17 + in LD, Because Rowan give yukisuzuki a [coursed] starting point, she will get -2 to her first roll. Please describe your leaving on the next post and start rolling only on the second one. For any questions PM me, Good luck :-)
 

I tend to agree with Baldur. Parry shouldn't be a rank skill because you are using your SP and your turn to survive, and I like the fact that you have more choices then just attack ( I will also want to see protecting friend and pre-action in the future). Also parry is not the problem here, and make it harder won't solve the balance issue (thorne...). 
I tend to agree that thorn is not so SAO thematically, but since a lot of people got thorne I can see the problem of removing it right now. I would prefer it will be an extra effect (that doesn't require slot) that deal very low hp, but I believe that without riposte the attacker will have more chance (Takao?)

Takao thanks for the info, it's worse than I thought. Maybe it's time to flood it up?

@Mack @Tristan Delaney
Can you comment on this post? Are you planning to work on it in the future?

I gave him a sharp glance, waiting for him to argue with me. He didn't, Well at least I can be attributed that to his advantage. He know he have been [cursed] up, and doesn't try to argue or give excuses, I liked that. "Well, at least I know that I can count on you from now on. Keep up with the good work" I said appreciatively and put a material on table. Than I turned around to walk away "AND DON'T DRAG IT THE WHOLE WEEK! OR I WILL CANCEL MY ORDER!"   And with that words I left that stinky place, closing the door strongly behind me. He need some motivation, doesn't he?

-1 material

Item: pendant

Quality: Rare

Name: Quickeye

Description: I small pendant with an engraving of an opened eye on it craft from stone. The Pupil of the eye made from a dark black opal.

Ability: +2 accuracy 

Roll: 17 LD

ID: 54689

Thead:

I jump behind the troll and used my sword to cut him right after Allania attack, it cut him all the way down and turned him to a huge cloud of glowing pixels. I smiled to Allania "keep it up, soon all of this will be behind us!". That was weird, I didn't remembered myself like that. I used to not cared at all. I was one of fewest time that I actually cared about another player. The stun effect end on the last troll, as he hauled and charged toward me.

 

I understand that, but if I want to battle other players it forcing me to use this in order to reach the same level. I don't want to use thorns or heavy armour, so its mean I will never have a chance against these guys.

If no one want to touch it right now, give other valuable options is the way to go. 

I took the sword from his hand, it was a bit heavier than mine but I can live with that. I spined it in front of my eyes and examined it closely, its look just like my type. The hilt was also well crated. Prefect. then I used my merchant skill to examine the sword's Enhancements. Great, I see one bleed Enhancements. And the other...what is it? DAMAGE? No. "NO. NO. NO NO NO, that's not what I asked for. I told you MASSIVE bleeding effect, what part of the word massive you don't understand?"

I knew I shouldn't go to a novice blacksmith, I just want to pay less and ended with a crappy order. "I knew I shouldn't pay you half from the start. The damage was just an optional, in case you will manage somehow to make a perfect weapon. Now what I'm gonna do with this piece of crap? Make me a new one RIGHT NOW!"

See Allania beaten by the trolls I forced myself to make a move toward them. I'm not sure what's going on, but right now Allania is struggle and I got to help her. She probably came to help me and then... something happened. I ran right behind them and swung my sword in a huge elliptic while cutting their both legs. My sword colored with a deep purple colored as I used most of my energy for this task. The trolls falls on the ground and shout with a virtual painful voice. 

I barely injured them. It wasn't much, but it will be enough to help Allania to get back on her feets and finish them once and for all.

I cross all this damn marking place again  on my way to this sewerage hole again. "Seventh heaven". more like Seventh hell. That blacksmith send me a message earlier, he claimed that he finish the job. I was skeptical about that. I enter his shop pissed off and head right toward him, hoping he got a damn good reason to call me all the way down here. I looked at him and held out my hand. "Show it to me".

It's not that I didn't believed him because I thought he is a liar, is because I didn't thought he know what a [cursed] job he does.

"you are fighting well" I shouted toward him. "I never saw bare handed fighter before". You just lucky enough to have armour that do you all the job for you, because without it I doubt you will last. I stretch myself and wake up from the grass,  the air here feels cleaner then floor one. I was lazy as always and hope that he will be the one who will do the quest for me. "Tell me, are you by any change on you way to the Wasp Queen boss?" 

What I am doing here? how did I end here..the last thing I remembered was calling Allania to help me, after that everything has been blacked out. I saw Allania attacking one of the trolls with her knife, but her attack didn't stop his swing, and she didn't saw it coming.His club met her body surprisingly and lift her in the air. Before she managed to balance herself the other troll strike her with his weapon too. I just stood there trying to realized what's going on.
 

"We will start now, but you are not welcome." I said to Yuki directly. "You see, this position is for people with social skills, and you clearly doesn't have any." I gave her my get-out-of-my-way gaze and then move my eyes to the other competitors. Lee and Ronin can fit the job well, but she will be just a pain. Well, why do I mess up with that so much? I can easily make her give up without looking bad. This time her hot temper will work against her. "Well, I guess I can't prevent you from participating. But let me give you some quick advice; this job won't suit you at all, and applying to it will be a waste of your time".
Now after I dealt with that mess I can continue, "The winner will be response on the shop. Create new deals, greet customers and so on while I will take care on bringing a new supply and appreciate items. He will also get the promising reward. Now, I want you all to add me to you friends list. The first challenge will test your awareness skills."  
 

"No" I said softly "I'm not."
"You even saved my character life once, saved me from passing this hell again". I tried to hid the shock I felt from her words. She killed people, real people. This funny pixel game is nothing compare to what she experienced in the past. I remember her first reaction when I tried to steal her items. But now she is not like that, she is different, like her fire start to give heat instead of burning our skin alive. I wonder what changed her, or who. 
"What do you mean when you are saying that you killed people in the real life..." how many you killed? and why?
 

"Za-nd-ra..." I felt the pronunciation "An interesting name". I took t2 dmg and t2 mit potions in my hand "Yea I imagined that would be the case, worth trying though. You remind some experiment that I saw once on the news in New York". I added a t2 antidote and raised all the potions in my hand "I will take them also. I have a feeling they will save my character life soon"

 

That was cute, I took the two HP recovery crystals and put them on my inventory, wonder why she is doing that while she can get money for these items. "I never catched you name yet. You know, if you have problems to sell this items I can always sell them for you in my trading network. Every merchant has one, of course it won't be a lot but it's better than nothing" Maybe she was a Pacifist, that could be the reason. I examined the damage and the mitigation potions in my hands, than on the antidote potion too. "I think I will take three more potions, if that's ok"


+ HP recovery crystal +20 x2

"Alright" I said, "If no one else is going to show up we'll just started". I spotted the pink haired girl walking toward us, Great. all players are welcome. But then my eyes widened when I saw who she was. Please don't tell me that you came for the contest. Go away, you are the last thing I need right now. I could not tear my eyes away from her when cross the distance between us. But that's ok, soon she will understand what's going on and she will quickly give up on whatever ideas she had.

"Welcome to my Shop Assistant contest.  A contest that will test your abilities in various tasks, like selling, deals making and so on." I forced myself to look away from her eyes and focus on the two other players. Since she didn't said anything, I will just ignore her for the time being.  "Since I don't have the resources to simulate some of these tests, we will use the game environment for some of them, but in the end of each test I will made the final decision...." I stop to see if there is any questions.

I didn't believe her, but she told the true. I just didn't want to believe her. I didn't remembered any of it, but I did remembered the feeling, the touch of her lips, the curves of her body. 
snap out of it. It was a bad idea. I  released the sword grip from her throat, but stayed alert in case she would do funny business. it was probably a bad idea too. "I can't remember anything." I said to her, telling her the thing that only few players know. "Not about myself, not about my true name. nothing. All I remembered is that I'm from Israel, Rowan is just a name that I made for myself". I looked at her to see her reaction, but when she stayed quiet I continued "I waked up on level 5, have no idea how I entered this game and when. but according to my suspicion I played it before I lost my memory, but I have no memories from the first five levels".

I smiled a bit,  at last. It felt good to tell it to someone. I looked into her lovely eyes back "You know, that's what I thought in the first place. That gets involved with you will eventually get myself killed." But here we are, both alive.

It happened to to fast. I jump from the tree in front of him, until I lend he already killed two Wind Wasp. Well he wasn't so good by himself, it was his armour. "of course" I said. It was really hard but I manage to put a smile on my face. I swiftly stepped away and sat on the grass with a crossed legs .The Wind Wasps didn't mind me and continued to rush toward the player. He is probably around my level, low level player with high tier equipment. And I never even saw him in my life, exactly what I was looking for. I layed down my sword beside me for any funny business, and watch the player handle with the monsters around.

OOC: you can post until you will kill them, Rowan will just watch in quiet.

Allania attack trigger their marking system on her, it was lucky because I couldn't gets up. The two trolls turn to Allania again and start to swing their clues blindly on order to bring down the women that troubled them so much. But their strikes were purely aimed, they didn't even didn't came close to hurt her. From far away I heard them swinging their massive weapon upon her, I stand up slowly and examined the environment around me, trying to remember where I am and what I am suppose to do.
 

"I kissed you?" When I heard that I couldn't stop myself from laughing, but then I quickly stop it when I saw the look on her face "Ho, you are serious". I couldn't recall anything out of it, but who know, in my case it could be true. She was a good looking girl, smart and filed with fire. All of these made her really desirable, I won't mind to kiss her. If I would kiss you girl, I wouldn't let you go that quick. 

 No, she is lying. she want to get me out of balance so I won't notice her hand. I swear that if she will try to pull out her sword right now, I will put an end to her character life. "Nice try" I twisted my smile again. "I almost believed you at start, but then I remembered how you pull your sword at me out of nowhere" I got close to her face "You see, I can't even recall any encounter with you who doesn't involved a sword in my hand. And I remember all of them, even with my bad memory". I got even closer that my face almost touched her, "So your little trick won't work again. But keep a secret between us, I won't mind to kiss a girl like you"

It was I fine morning outside, the virtual sun smile at me as I wake up under a dusky blanket at floor one. I got dressed and shacked the dirt out of my hair. then I looked at the town around me, but didn't saw anything interesting in particular. I start to wake outside of town, not sure what I will do next. Today I was in a good mod, and it was a rare thing by itself. As I cross my way to the gate I saw a bunch of players gathered around something, I went through the crowd until I reached a stand full of crystals and potions. More free stuff! I know it was my lucky day. I walk to the women who managed it and said "Hi, can I get two crystal please?", I pointed on the massive recovery crystal and one of the healing crystal. Then I saw it's the same girl who gave me free potion back then "Oh it's you" I smiled to her, never quite catch her name "Didn't you learned not to give up  free stuff?"

I saw her entangled with her own words, I released a bit the grip on the hilt, its reduces the pressure on her neck. It's doesn't suit her at all.
”What do you mean? the last time I saw we were on opposite situation. You put a sword on my throat and threatened to take my life, all I remember after that is waking up with this blanket on me and this [coursed] note, like you found me and rescued me." I tightened the pressure on her neck again, "You didn't found me, you hitted me to unconsciousness. And then you dragged me all over to some [coursed] place on floor three and left me there to die, just because you couldn't finish the job!"
Something was weird, it's looked like she told the true, but still something was strange with her behavior, also something was missing in her story. I could feel it.

"You are even more", I said, without sarcasm. I shift my off hand in the air and opened up the menu, then I choose inventory and click on some item inside. A note appeared on my hand.

"Hey Rowan!" I read from the note, ”yeah its me again... i know, you hate me. :) but i don't care how you feel about me. I saw you unconscious on the ground so i brought you here so you wont get sick. Well hopefully we will see each other soon! bye bye... :P Bye Baka. And in the end a sign '-YUKI SUZUKI' in red”. I looked at Yuki again, she keep staring without saying a word "I will ask again, what's the meaning of this?"

They won't die, I thought. I hold my head in pain and try to focus my sight again. Heard Allania sorry about something after spin around from unsuccessful hit.  I charged toward the right troll again when everything start to blurred around me. I noticed that I am running straight to some big brown thing and raised my sword against it, when it was to close I found out that it was his clue. I throw myself aside while hearing a huge HUUSHHH voice near my ear. I manage to dodge the blow as a rolled all over the floor. I stayed lying on the ground. Just for a moment, until the world will stop to spin.

 

"Sound good" I put 250 col on the table in front of me. "You will get the rest at the end. I will give you 100 more if it will be perfect and 50 more if it will looked Iike a normal beginner sword with a red fabric around the hilt". I hold my hilt and drawn my basic two handed sword out of it sheath. It looks like a normal one and half size sword, the hilt was built for both hands, but because it was light and not long as other massives two hands swords I could also use it with one hand if I wanted to. 
"Remember,  the most important thing to me is a massive bleeding effect, I won't pay for anything else".  And with that words I left that stinky place, closing the door strongly behind me. I basicly want a sword that will feel the same, but I doubt that he will be able to make some as perfect as my own blade. 

OOC: +2 bleeding / and +1 dmg
-250 col