Ariel - The Crowned Lion

Finishing her deal with the chest and with teasing her familiar with the promise of fish, the blonde looked to cast another line. She seemed to have taken a liking to this Fishing profession and was happy to have purchased this valley that also had a river bordering it. She didn't pay attention to it before as it had no other utility other than making for a nice view but now , she could literally walk out the door of her home, cast a line in the river and perfect her new profession without much hustle. The blonde reached into her inventory and produced another golden key. "Now I just need to be sure I keep these well stocked, they're a great help." she muttered. A few moments passed and the line seemed to remain still, maintaining a firm grip she looked at Dracul that had his eyes fixed on the item he received. The gypsy seemed to have left already judging by the third pair of tracks leading away from their location.

ID# 188220  CD: 6+1 (NO material! +3 F.EXP)

Ariel left the two to their own business, while she didn't understand how the NPC trespassed into her property, she didn't look to deep for justifications. She seemed to offer Dracul something, like she did with Ariel a long time ago. But she didn't have the time to worry about that as she was now focusing on the chest in front of her. This time knowing what she had to do, a golden key appeared in her hands and she wasted no time inserting it in its proper place and twisting it. The same as before, the lock clicked without hesitation and the chest's lid opened wide. It was too bright to se what was on the inside but the blonde showed no hesitation in reaching in and grabbing whatever she could grab to. As she removed her hand from within and the morning light fell on her loot, the blonde's eyes widened alongside her smile. She hasn't seen a dungeon map ever since she last partied with Raidou on this floor. She pocketed the materials for later use but took a moment to admire the dungeon map. She noticed the changes and nodded with satisfaction as she added the map to her collection.

ID# 188182  LD:18 +3 F.EXP

Treasure Chest Loot Table (LD):
[15-19] = 5000 Col, Perfect Unidentified Weapon

As Ariel looks to cast her line a second time, she hears a noise in the nearby shrubbery. Dracul seemed unaware so she decided to continue her thing as the stealthy feline closed in on her unsuspecting target. The blonde noticed Kimba sneaking from a mile thanks to the connection they shared between player and familiar, if Dracul would pay close attention he’d notice the blonde’s silver irises gaining a golden hue; signaling her familiar’s proximity. However it was too late for the unsuspecting aristocrat to even notice, The lioness pounced him and managed to tackle the casually dressed blonde to the ground. Before he could even protest and try to force her off, Kimba dodged his intention and jumped backwards, landing on her feet. “That reminds me, I still need to get you a skill..” muttered the blonde as she reached with one hand to pet her wild familiar. She was once more violently interrupted by something yanking on her line, again she pulled with all her might and fished out another chest!

ID# 188181  CD: 9+1  LD: 13+1 (Treasure Chest Found! +7 F.EXP)

The blonde noticed the change in Dracul’s attitude but didn’t let it affect her too, she judged that it was best to keep the current conversation flowing as a means of distracting him from his thoughts. “That is a part of it, yes.” She added, lightly caressing the golden ornate saya at her side. “But I also need to get myself accustomed to this katana. Each and every one is unique. One needs time to adjust to its weight, grip balance and other factors, And some can argue that the katana also needs time to kind of ‘accept’ its possessor. It might sound wacky now but my ancestors believed some weapons were cursed or blessed, or had some kind of spirit of their own.” she gently cups the handle with her left hand as she continues: “Call me a fool but I also believe it, not to a fanatic level, but I acknowledge each artisan katana’s individuality. Even more in this ...world where there seems to be more behind the description of the items.” She kept poking at the chest in front of her with her free hand, trying to open it. Then, remembering that she purchased a specific item on her way back after completing the fisher quest, she reached inside her inventory and produced a Golden Key; she read it's description and nodded. She tried opening the chest, the lid flipped open as soon as she turned the Golden key. She extracted a small pouch and a unidentified weapon

ID# 188173  LD: 5 / +3 F.EXP

Treasure Chest Loot Table (LD):
[5-9] = 2000 Col, T3 Rare Unidentified Weapon #188173

“It is not uncommon to practice with a naked blade but that right is reserved for higher ranking ‘kendoka’, or kendo practitioners. I’ve only officially reached 5th dan so I’ve mostly trained with shinai.” she puffed up her chest with pride as she continued: “I even did several exhibition matches with real katanas. I even was allowed to wield the Onimaru, one of the ‘Five Greatest Swords under Heaven’, albeit it was the official copy used for showcasing purposes.” The blonde remembered how honored she felt to be requested by the imperial house to showcase the tachi. On the other side, Dracul barely understood what she was talking about but decided to simply nod as she understood how much it meant to her. And that requesting further details would only derail the conversation into one he wasn’t particularly interested in. “I see so while it’s highly uncommon, it is not prohibited.” as he said that she felt her line get heavier and instinctively pulled on the fishing rod. She was amazed to find a chest and not a fish.

ID# 188166  CD: 8+1  LD:11+1 (Treasure Chest Found! +7 F.EXP)

It wasn't that easy to get a hold of this particular piece of intel, considering the history between them. Hell, the blonde even had to make good use of her Tracking mod across floors until she finally managed to discover Hikoru's location. This new 'society' was something in her ballpark as she would pride herself as being one of Aincrad's best scouts but also she strived to be a frontliner and take part in the thick of floor clearing. Being an informant for this society would detract from that, have her work more in the background than the front. However, no matter how much she searched around, she couldn't find the entrance to the labyrinth of the 26th floor so she had to resort to this society's rumors as a last resort.

Even with her search skill and mods, she found it extremely challenging to pinpoint the location of this information broker society outside of hearsay and whispers. However, throughout her searches Hikoru's name was the common link. So she decided to go old school and do a full sweep, one floor at the time. It took some time but as she was observing one of the main settlement's teleport gate, she found tracks that lead to her current location.

Oddly enough, Hikoru had opened a coffee store to serve as front for whoever sought to work for/with this society. After exchanging some words and receiving the information she was looking for, Ariel sat at one of the free tables inside the store and ordered something to drink. A long sigh escaped her as she started thinking on her next course of action. She deliberately avoided eye contact with Hikoru, propped her feathered odachi against the table then started fiddling with her cup; overall assuming a pensive stance. 'The eye' on the 7th floor, she had little idea what it was as that floor was of little interest for her. But what could spook the NPCs, some hidden mission that wasn't listed in the guides? She took another sip and continued to mule over the info, primarily trying to find out what 'the eye' was.

HP: 820/820 | EN: 100/100 | DMG: 23 (+16) | MIT: 12 | AA | ACC: 3(4) | EVA: 3 | +8 LD | Fallen (1) | Keen (1)

Buying the following items:

Golden Key x25
Field rations x5

Total: (1000 * 25) + (1000 * 5) = 30,000 Col

2nd Custom Skill Submission!

Custom Skill: Blademaster
Cost: 10 SP
Passive
Effect: Allows the use of sword arts from any standard 2 handed weapon tree, based on the user's highest rank in two handed weapon skill. All the cooldowns are shared between skill trees and unified as global CDs.
Restriction: Posses at least two weapon skills, one must be a two handed weapon.
Description: A master swordsperson can push themselves outside the limits, allowing them to rapidly adapt their combat style to the conditions of the battlefield.

how it works in detail:

The blonde was aware that someone or something might be watching her but she didn’t let it distract and kept her mind ‘still’ while mentally reciting her ‘mantra’: 'Meikyo Shisui'. Taking a deep breath, she kept it for a long second and then released it. That marked the end of her morning routine. She opened her eyes and as she returned Onimaru to its sheath, she extinguished the remnant dark flames and looked around her. She spotted Darius by a window and waved at him. He reciprocated and went on with his day, a moment later she saw Dracul and nodded at him. He nodded back and to her surprise didn't walk away but instead towards the outside where Ariel was training. “Good morning!” he chimed: ”I hope we didn’t interrupt your practice.” he added with a small touch of genuine concern. The blonde simply smiled and shook her head lightly. She then grabbed a fishing rod and cast a line in the nearby river. One of the perks of building her estate next to a river, she could transition from training to fishing on the nearby dock at will.

Giving Dracul: Spyglass#82369, ≪Codex Shake#86849[Drink]≫.

 HP: 820/820 | EN: 100/100 | DMG: 23 (+16) | MIT: 12 | AA | ACC: 3(4) | EVA: 3 | +8 LD | Fallen (1) | Keen (1)

Initial Application: https://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/15355-housing-evaluation/?do=findComment&comment=614547
Room(s) Being Upgraded: Yard 3 | Fishing Pond -> Yard 3 | Ornate Fishing Pond
Total Cost: 15,000 Col.

Updated House:

Custom Skill Submission!

Custom Skill: Tainted 
Cost: 10 SP
Passive
Effect: Increase the user's Fallen enhancement activation range to Natural BD 6-10. (from nat. BD 6-8)
Restriction 1: Unable to receive any other kind of critical bonus damage (Critical rolls, Focus SAs or Holy enh.)
Restriction 2: Unable to trigger any DoT Effects (Toxic Venom, Bleed, Envenom (Offensive), Burn, Blight, Static, Envenom (Defensive), Flame Thorns, Frost Thorns). Flame and Frost Auras only provide Mitigation, Frozen enemies don't take extra damage if struck before the effect ends, Frostbite only debuffs by -1 Accuracy. 
Restriction 3: This skill can be learned by a total of four players at any time.
Description: Having spend so much time using the corrupted flames, you become more proficient at summoning them; at the cost of your own downfall.

“So I take it your plans came to fruition?” came the unexpected question from the maid after they finished eating. Usually she wasn’t one to make small talk but Ariel was nonetheless happy to see her being less... rigid. “Indeed” she confirmed with a smile and fiddled with her HUD again then extended her palm. As the scale materialized, she passed it to the maid for inspections. The redhead adjusted her glasses with raised eyebrows as she laid her eyes for the first time on such an item. She read the description and took a better look at it from different angles before returning it to its rightful owner. “Congratulations on your finding!” she added afterwards and similarly with the blonde, materialized a small item of her own. At first sight, it appeared to be a normal herb that she had probably seen before inside their alchemy lab. However the description of the item was very similar to her scale. “So this is the gatherer’s counterpart? When did you even have the time to do the quest?”
“I have my ways.” replied the redhead sheepishly. It seemed that Ariel’s prediction came true, Darius had come home only after the sunrise of the next day. The blonde greeted him with a grin and patted him on the back as he showed her the results of his labor.

Thread END

+ 1075 EXP | WORD COUNT | [doc] 
+ 507 Col 
+ 1x Gleaming Scale

≪Fisher≫ Profession Acquired

With a smirk, as she sat at the table, Ariel said: “You should probably save Darius’ share for later. When I finished the quest he was barely starting it. I know it’s a random chance activity but I doubt he’ll have the same stroke of luck I did. I believe that karma will not be so generous with him.” 
“I’ll take your word for it…” muttered Claudia as she sat down at the table, of course not before setting a separate plate for the white lioness that was next to them. “Itadakimasu!”added the blonde, giving her gratitude with a small nod and joining her palms in front of her. Claudia simply waited and started eating after the blonde. Coming from a different part of the world, she didn’t have this specific custom before eating but nonetheless she showed the proper respect to those that held it. It was the least a maid like her could do.

It was a legitimate concern to which Kimba simply yawned at and continued to make her way. Ariel in return, opened her HUD and checked out all the information available on familiar. It was only after the two returned to their home on the 22nd floor that the blonde closed the info. window and said: “We need to train you in a new familiar skill!” However her familiar seemed less interested in her long term future and more on what’s for dinner. Her nose up high, she could smell Claudia’s cooking all the way from the entrance to the valley. After a couple of whiffs, the blonde too could also feel her stomach’s protest in the form of a low rumbling noise. “But first, let’s get some dinner…” she muttered, her familiar letting out a small chuff in approval and once more taking the lead towards the estate. They were greeted by the hardworking maid who had almost finished preparing a meal for four.

She was halfway to the teleport plaza when she remembered that Gill didn't actually take the scale. She looked through her inventory and pulled it out: "So this is mine now?" she asked with a little disbelief, then tapped on it and read it's description again. It didn't say quest item anymore, that meant she could combine it with 2 others into a Rainbow Scale or trade it... Right? Her mind started working on the possibilities and she almost tripped and dropped the scale. Letting out a relieved sigh she pushed that thought for another time and sent the item back into the absolute safety of the inventory system. Kimba gave her a confused look but nonetheless continued to diligently guide the blonde. The person in question looked at her familiar with squinted eyes and remembered something that popped up during her redistribution of skill points. “So what do you do now?”

Skill(s) Being Dropped: ► Scouting Familiar
Mod(s) Being Dropped: None
SP Incurred Towards Limit: 10
SP Refunded: 10
Cost: 10,000 col

Relaxing a little himself, his shoulder slightly dropped. "I.. I overslept..." He muttered as she took a few steps closer and raised his eyebrows. The blonde opened her palm and showed him the Gleaming Scale she had found. "So this is the quest item, should be easy enough getting one for myself." he claimed proudly. She frowned and shook her head, closed her palm and sent the item into her inventory. Then she tucked on her kendogi and started walking away. "Do what you must! I'll be seeing you back home!" and with a wave she disappeared through the shrubbery.

It didn't take long before she reached Gill and handed him back the tin with the 'unique' bait. Replying positively and producing the scale prompted a congratulations message alongside the fishing skill details. "Oh now you tell me how it works..." she muttered but got completely ignored by Gill that only bid her farewell. 

She couldn't help but smile like an idiot at the sight but a couple of fake coughs quickly forced her to return to her usual demeanour. "Woah you actually got one, Ariel-sama!" came a voice from behind her. In all her excitement she failed to pay attention to her surroundings. It was by pure instinct that she balled the hand that was holding the scale into a fist and drew her katana with the other. In one smooth motion her black blade let out a cursed half arc before stopping in front of the person behind her.

She let out an audible sigh and instantly dropped her guard when she recognized Darius in front of her. His arms, at chest level, holding a fishing tool and a similar small tin that she received from Gil. "Only one in the world he said." she scuffed and sheathed her weapon. "Osoi darō I thought you'd be here before me!"

Nothing happened, she had half a mind to pick her stuff and go back to Gill and demand more instructions. She however noticed that the tip of her fishing rod bended towards the water. She half gave up and assumed it was some debris or a boot that got stuck in the line. The lioness grabbed it with both hands and pulled with all her strength pushing every body altering mod to use. Her annoyed state only served as fuel to increase her power and she almost threw the tool like a in a Scottish log competition. 

A gentle 'plop' announced the success of her attempt and to her amazement, the success of her mission. She picked up the glowing item and her face lit up as she read it's description. It was the Rainbow fish she needed, now she only had to.. harvest the scale. Problem is she had no idea how to do it so her first though went to the cooking profession. She started to probe the fish from all angles, luckily it was already lifeless or else this treatment would've been too cruel for the poor living thing. It was by dumb luck that after a swipe towards the eye that the fish started to glow and it transformed into a single scale, significantly lager than the ones the fish had.

ID# 187646  LD: 17+8 CD: 6 (Demonic Scale Found!)

Demonic Scale: 1/1
Materials: 0

She met with the quest NPC, a charming fellow named Gill, even made Ariel crack a smile. She finally accepted the bait and took one of the fishing rods nearby. It didn’t look like much and she made a mental note to buy a better one from the merchant or have a smith make one for her if it was worth it. Not too far from the shack, she went to the nearby river to cast her line. “And now we play the waiting game…” muttered the blonde. It was the first time she went fishing.. ever. So with no experience to her name in this department, she was unsure of what to do. She took some of the bait and kind of mashed it against the hook but it never stuck to it and kept falling off. Was she supposed to throw the bait first then follow up with the hook in the same area?

ID# 187642  LD: 6+8 CD:1

Demonic Scale: 0/1
Materials: 0

Her left hand firmly grabbed the saya at her left side… before the update, she used to keep her spear out of sight, in her inventory, and bring it out only in case of combat since it was too impractical to have it out all the time. But now, she felt her bosom swelling with pride as she donned the katana at her side. She felt like she participated once again at a formal event at the Tatsumi-ryu dojo. Balling her right hand in a fist she once more vows to go back to the real world and attend many more events like that. For now, she would visit Noob town as there was something she needed to do there. Luckily she made her way easily through the crowds, as always, with the help of her menacing familiar. Her appearance alone was enough to sway people out of her way.

Until now she looked at the tea cup while gently stroking the edges but then she turned to Ariel and looked her in the eyes. Again, it came to a surprise to see this made so flustered as she continued: “You see? He often went fishing with milord and other servants, on their day off.”
“So it was his hobby? I don’t see nothing wrong with that.” replied Ariel matter-of-factly. “Besides he’d be bringing something new to the table.” she added with a smile, trusting that the maid knew exactly what she was talking about. “I suppose you’re right…” she muttered, making the connections.
They spent a little more time chatting, until the sun wasn’t just peeking over the eastern edge of the valley. After they finished breakfast, the blonde thought about changing out of her training attire but decided to wear her spartan cape on top of it instead.

The blonde shakes her head, she’ll act accordingly when the time comes, she trusted herself to do so. Her gut feeling (intuition) being one of the few loyal allies she had ever since the start of this death game. Taking a deep breath she listened to the maid’s reply as she poured: “I will probably pick up Gathering to help supply the laboratory. As you know alchemy is quite demanding when it comes to materials, on top of other things.” as she finished filling up her cup she gently yet effortlessly placed the pot on the tray before resuming drinking from her own cup. 'How commendable' though' she thought: “And Darius? Any idea what he plans to do?” she added, continuing her small interrogatory over her students’ future. It came to her as a surprise as she heard Claudia sigh: “ I really don’t know. While I recommended he should take the same 2nd profession as Dracul-sama, he seemed to be wavering.” 

The young head of the Shirajishi-ryū nodded in appreciation and extended her cup to be served. It felt weird to be treated like this but she can’t brush it off as only Claudia being Claudia. She noticed a change in Dracul most of all, Darius too even if it was barely visible. She knew the two siblings were serviable by nature having, since little, grown as a noble’s maid and butler. But Dracul’s change shocked her the most. She attributed it to the difference in level and what happened outside the boss room during the floor raid but knowing him, those things would only change him by a small amount. But he even lowered himself off the pedestal when talking to her. Respect and something a little more than between two equals, that was what she’d see from him. So if he acted that way, others that are to come will most likely treat her similarly.

“A kind offer.” replied the blonde with a soft smile as the wind slightly picked up, they both shielded their long hair with one hand to keep it from dishevelling. While adjusting the few blonde strings that got disturbed she added: “But I have a different plan for today.” Her smile broadened and she slapped her palms together: “I’m going fishing!” Initially, she earned a raised eyebrow from Claudia for half a second then a nod as she finally understood the meaning behind her words. “Curious how we get to pick another profession now.” added the crimson haired maid as she adjusted her glasses, a small smile escaping her lips. “Have you thought of what 2nd profession you want to pick?” asked the blonde in return as she resumed drinking tea but noticed that her cup was empty. But before she could even reach the kettle, the maid had it in her hand and offered to refill her cup “Allow me.”