Azide

Azide swung his rapier at the persistent creature, missing as it maneuvered nimbly out his range in a way he couldn't hope to imitate on their current battlefield. Following his miss, he lost track of the creature's whereabouts just long enough for it to appear behind him. He made an effort to swat the bug out of the air, but struggled to make contact, being far too limited by his current predicament. Then he felt a sharp stabbing pain shoot through him, and screamed as the wasp's stinger plunged deeper into his back, before retreating. His breath quickened as the burning sensation began to radiate from his entire body, before disappearing. "Thank God injuries in this game are only temporary," he reflected. "Well, besides death, but you win some you lose some I suppose." He wiped away sweat from his brow, then tightened his grip on the rapier.

ID: 7239

BD: 3 (Miss)

MD: 8 (Hit)

Damage taken (Wasp) = 0 (Miss)

Damage taken (Azide) = 1 (Base)

Azide HP: 9/11

Wasp HP: 1/3

Unwilling to let the creature literally pester him, Azide reversed flipped the rapier in his hand, so that the blade now pointed downwards. He strained his arm as far as it would reach and wedged the iron pommel of his rapier in whichever rocky pocket would accept it, then leveraged it in order to pull himself further up the cliffside. After that, he simply shifted his free arm towards a rock higher up the wall and took a firm hold of it.

Before long, the wind wasp came darting back towards the player, hoping to do a little more damage the second time around. This did, in fact, result in a little more damage. One, to be exact, as the small creature managed to clip the player with wing as it sped past. Even doing minimal damage, it had at least had the advantage in mobility, and seemed to hold out on hopes of slowly racking up damage through sustained hit and run tactics.

These hopes quickly faded, however, as Azide swiped at the wasp before it could manage to fully escape his reach and managed to send it crashing into the mountainside. It dropped into a free fall momentarily, before regaining its wits and returning to flight. Seeing his chance, Azide had managed to overcome roughly another meter or so of the mountain by the time the wasp was close enough to pose a threat. "Just one more clean hit should do it."

ID: 7237

BD: 9 (Crit +1)

MD: 8 (Hit)

Damage taken (Wasp) = 1 (Rapier) + 1 (Crit) = 2

Damage taken (Azide) = 1 (Base damage)

Azide HP: 10/11 (-1)

Wasp HP: 1/3 (-2)

Azide peered over the ridge's and watched as a few chunks of stone crumbled away from the outer edge and tumbled down the steep incline. Each piece would bounce against cliffside- some more than other, although all but one of them had broken apart long before reaching the bottom. "Assuming I slip from up here, a one in twenty chance actually wouldn't be too bad." He watched as the sole surviving stone fragment collided against one of the many outcroppings which jutted out menacingly from mountainside, leaving behind nothing but a small cloud of dust. "Hmm, guess I should probably be careful." He turned around and rubbed his hands together, then began to scale the rocky wall that lay before him. For now, at least. "Just a bit more pain and suffering to go, but it'll all be worth it soon," he mumbled halfheartedly. Then out of the corner of his eye, he spied something heading- no, speeding his way. "Damn, all the way up here?" He strained his neck to search for his would be assailant, hearing its all-too-familiar buzz before spotting the wind wasp itself. It looked to be just a regular drone. "In other words, weak. Weak, but incredibly annoying."

The insect came gunning straight for the inconveniently positioned player but missed as Azide pressed himself flat against the rough cliffside, coming very close to losing his foothold altogether. With one hand preoccupied, the player clumsily drew his rapier and lashed out in retaliation, but missing it altogether.

ID: 7236

BD: 4 (miss +0)

MD: 3 (miss +0)

Azide HP: 11/11

Wasp HP: 3/3

Brayden gave little indication of paying much attention to his little ramble, but Azide figured that would be case. "I've thought about all of this stuff before, but it's good to hear it out loud as well. It's more tangible, in a way. Besides, the kid might be capable in this game, but he's still a kid." A kid like Brayden shouldn't have to think too hard about things such as death, he reasoned. "But at the same time, it's important he doesn't take it too lightly either."

A while passed before any more words were exchanged, and by then they'd long since made their way out of town. As they traveled through the woods, Azide had even managed to gain another level after the pair cut down a herd of boar that'd been blocking their way, and by now they were nearly there. He glanced at a lone cave in the distance as Brayden pointed it out excitedly, following the younger boy as they ran towards the opening. He drew his sword and glanced at Brayden, nodded, and the pair descended down the stairs and into the dark dungeon below.

For a while, he could see nothing but black. "Brayden, I think our eyes are still going to take a few minutes before they're fully adjusted. So in the meantime, keep your ears on the lookout," he warned. Azide slowly made his way forward, keeping one hand in contact with the cave wall at all times. He was suspicious of a faint hissing sound from up ahead, but didn't think it was quite necessary to cause any alarm. "A false alarm would be quite the pain in a dark place like this. The possible separation that it'd threaten could end up being worse than any creature we might encounter on the first floor."

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a shadow dart across the ground, seeing it pop up again moments later. Azide drew his rapier discretely, so as not to draw the attention of either Brayden or the probable monster. He stopped and closed his eyes, trying to track the figure's movements, but found only the gentle patter of his friend's footsteps. Finally, heard the distinct march of little feet from the darkness ahead and opened his eyes just in time to see a cave spider leap at him from the ceiling. He swung his blade, hoping to at least knock it out of the air, but missed as the shadowy blur bled right past it. It landed on his chest, and for a moment he could see the glow of a countless number of eyes stare into its own. Before he could knock the creature off of him, it pricked his shoulder with either a pair of sharp fangs or claws (he couldn't tell), then jumped back onto the rock wall. "There's a spider here, by the way."

ID: 7217

BD: 5 (miss + 0)

MD: 8 (hit + 1)

Azide HP: 10/11 (-1)

Brayden HP: 15/15

Spider HP: 3/3

((Long post, but figured I should probably add some direction to this quest, haha!)

Azide watched as the player sheathed his own weapon. His response was firm, and his voice both steady and level- to the point of coming off a little cold even. And yet as aloof as Arrekusu seemed to appear, Azide thought he sensed something lurking beneath the surface as he searched the youth's eyes for an answer. He maintained eye contact with the boy throughout his introduction, though his efforts yielded little in the way of any telltale signs.

"More than pleased to meet you, Arrekusu- especially now of all times." He drew his arm back, being one to know when an attempted handshake had failed, and acted as if he'd just been reaching to adjust his jacket (which he now did). "I don't think being nice and being a kid are necessarily related," he remarked, the corner of his lip curling slightly upwards. "But with that said, you do seem to be a nice kid." He'd been about to explain how he wasn't exactly quite sure how to proceed, when he noticed a man had suddenly appeared alongside them and picked up the shiny object that'd been dropped by the boar.

He seemed to come out of nowhere, although he looked harmless enough. An older gentleman he was, with the expected white hair and thick beard, although a rather scholarly-looking one. The man reminded Azide of the type you'd see working at any university, perhaps as a professor of some sort. In any case, the man held the object in front of his spectacled eyes and nodded with approval.

"That looks just like one of those flasks I always used back at the research lab," thought Azide. "Excuse me sir, but would you happen to be associated with my quest to become an alchemist?" he asked, now recognizing the man as an NPC. "The game must have spawned him in- guess I'm on the right track after all."

The man chuckled, nodding once again with a twinkle in his eyes. "You're absolutely right my son! These bones and aching joints of mine just aren't what they used to be. See- I'm getting old, and I'd just been readying to retire and close shop the other day when a bunch of wild animals smashed into my store and ran off with some of my glassware!" He held the flask out for Azide and Arrekusu to see. "This might look like just a single flask, but don't mind that. It's just Aincrad's way of saving space and all that. Anyways- looks like that should be it for the flasks, but I'm still missing my beakers, and vials." He shook his, almost as if amused by his ordeal. "Tell you what! If you manage to find the rest of the equipment and stop by my shop, I'll give you the keys to the old shop free of charge."

Azide opened his eyes wide. "You're saying if I find a couple of beakers and vials, I can have the whole place all to myself?" Inside, he was overjoyed. He hadn't thought it would be so easy, but he played it off since Arrekusu was still watching.

The man nodded a third time. "That's right young man, it's your lucky day! Granted, you probably don't know the first thing about alchemy, but this town needs some young blood to fill in for tired old fools like me." He laughed and gave the two something resembling a salute, before walking off towards the Town of Beginnings, the disappeared. Shortly after, a basic map of the town appeared under Azide's health bar- with one building in particular highlighted in red.

Azide turned to Arrekusu once again. "Well, I think that just about explains it." Then he spotted something in the distance, and his eyes narrowed.

Azide craned his neck around, desperately searching the woods for even a single player. Finding absolutely nobody around who fit that description (the description was, namely, existing), he groaned and allowed himself to fall onto his back. He grabbed a fistful of the pine needles, which seemed to litter the forest floor in its entirety, and flung them in whichever direction his hand arm happened to travel. He watched as they scattered before slowing drifting back towards the ground, having no breeze travel upon today. He blew away a particularly ambitious needle before it could dare land on his face, then grudgingly picked himself back up and brushed as much plant material out of his hair as he could manage. Azide swore under his breath, before muttering to himself.

"Geeze, was it really that much of a stretch to think I'd find at least one other person for this quest on the way here?" He scanned the area yet again, rolling his eyes at the occasional wind wasps that zipped by in the distance. "I should really start making a habit of doing this sort of thing *before* setting off," he thought. Suddenly, a brilliant plan came to mind, and he brought his hands up to his face and cupped them together. "If anybody's out there, come over here immediately!" he shouted. But all kidding aside, it was more of a shot in the dark for the agitated youth. Appealing to odds in this world never seemed to work for him anyways.

Azide's air of calm threatened to waver as he glanced down at his shoulder, his eyes confirming actions he'd already concluded to be true. The steel of the white-haired man's sword felt cold against his shoulder, and he could see his own reflection in the blade as it glinted in the moonlight. He'd thought that something like this might happen, having witnessed the man's degrading condition. "I just didn't think it would happen quite this fast." He was silent as he tilted his head back to cast a discerning look into his assailant's eyes. They trembled, and quivered. Hardly the eyes of someone prepared to kill. "These are not the eyes of a killer," thought Azide. "He lashes out at me not as an act of hostility, but an act of confusion. Like a child who kicks over the tree when he finds out jolly old Saint Nick is actually just drunken uncle John. No, if I die in this place, it won't be because of him."

He stood unmoved as the man crumbled before him, distressed and distraught. "I'd love to play armchair psychologist, but as of right now I have neither the time nor the armchair." Regardless, he felt an obligation to show mercy to this stranger in front of him. It most definitely wasn't his strongest suit, and he'd much prefer to break him down and list what he observed to be wrong, but this wasn't the time for that.

But of course, not all plans went so accordingly, and he was taken by surprise once more as he felt a hand on his shoulder. The white-haired man was still in front of him, both hands clearly pressed against the ground. "If not him, then?" His suspicions were confirmed as he felt himself pulled back, and found himself looking out over a head of pink locks. "Maybe there's something in the water supply on this floor, but people around this part are completely unpredictable..." he thought. Appreciative of the gesture, he stepped out from behind her as the man began to show signs of regaining his composure, softening his eyes as the man did his best to smile. "Don't worry about it, Kosan. Or if you still don't want me to call you by name, I'll happily call you what you wish, of course. I like the sound of 'Hoodlum', but maybe that's just me," he answered with a smile full of mischief.

He'd been about to turn and address the orange-named girl, who the man had referred to as Mari, when yet another player descended from the trees, landing directly behind Kosan. This one event seemed to trigger a chain of events that baffled him in their explosive suddenness, as he watched the girl throw herself at the man-dressed-in-bue. Watched as Kosan ran in an effort to calm her, and watched still as yet another girl appear to diffuse the situation. He stepped forward and looked from face to face, making eye contact with the man in blue, now on the ground. From there, he switched his gaze back to Kosan, then to Mari, and finally to the girl who'd arrived only moments before. "Excuse me, and I hope I'm not stepping on any toes, but what the hell is going on here?"

"There's no way to be entirely sure, but I'm pretty darn sure this is what the old man was talking about," Azide remarked, raising and lowering the sketch repeatedly. "Damn, Osenkowski wasn't kidding when he said he'd been practicing his drawing skills here." He remembered the crude drawings the man had scribbled on the boar occasionally, and after looking back at the perfect recreation of the landscape before him, had trouble reconciling his the past and the present. He shook his head and laughed. "Bless your heart old man." He carefully rolled the piece of parchment into a neat little tube, then slipped it away for safe keeping. He wished they could have made the journey together, but the more rational part of his brain assured him that he'd have enough trouble protecting himself, let alone someone else. 'Some day, old friend."

He gazed in awe at the mountain before him. It was somewhat lacking in the spiraling-peaks department, belonging to a flat-topped range, but it was an impressive sight nevertheless. Azide scanned the massive structure for a hole in the side of the mountain, eventually spotting it near the top. "There's my entrance, but how to get there?" he thought. After a few more moments searching, he spotted a path leading all the way up. A rugged, beaten, and rough path- but a path nonetheless. Azide rolled his shoulders around, then stretched his calves before straightening himself up again. "Bench or not, I sure as hell am glad I managed to get some sleep last night." And off he went.

Leaving immediately, the pair had been able to make good time on their trip, managing to reach the Town of Beginnings without much trouble. Up until that point, their journey had been rather uneventful, and between the two of them few words had been exchanged. Azide glanced over discreetly every so often, noticing the far off look in his eyes. Brayden was probably lost in his thoughts, he reasoned. " A child, albeit a relatively capable one, is still a child nonetheless. Here's hoping he's not already burdened with too many thoughts." As a future chemist, he was quite familiar with the power of thought and what it could accomplish. That is to say, it could accomplish nearly anything, with enough minds search for an answer. And yet, he knew all too well their potential to overwhelm. He had his own moments, after all.

Keeping this in mind, he was almost surprised to hear the boy toss a question his way. He glanced around quietly for a moment, judging them to be roughly around the town's midpoint. It'd been awhile since they'd last spoken, relatively speaking.

Azide replied without missing a beat. He'd thought over all of this before many times, of course. There was no true research or interning here to be done, no real research to be performed. Stuff to be seen and observed, yes, but there was no comparing it the nitty gritty realness of the real world which had captivated him at birth. "It's all just artificial, lacking the finesse and finer details of the world it was based on. Almost as if it were a masterpiece that'd been translated one too many times, and lost a layer of its complexity," he'd reflected. "So why does it excite me?" It was thoughts like these that filled his mind when all was said and done.

"This world is dying, Brayden," he replied. "To untrained eye, it's a place of beauty and wonder- lush with life and a worthy recipient of our awe. And yet, it dies." He stopped, and gestured around them. This was the very same spot Kayaba Akihiko had made his fateful announcement many moons before. "Ten thousand stood here before," said Azide. He let his eyes close for a moment, then opened them again. "Ten thousand lives. Nothing more than that will ever exist in a place such as this, where nothing is born." He turned to look the boy in the eye. "Every day that passes, this world grows weaker. It dies, Brayden. It dies, because we die." He set his hand on the boys shoulder. "And when the last of us dies, nothing else will remain." Suddenly, he raised a finger and poked at the boy's armor, as if striking at his heart. "So don't die, Brayden."

Azide laughed, then tapped lightly on his watch. "Come on, we've still plenty to do."

"Am I safe in assuming that person would be you, professor Osenkowski?" Azide smiled, and his eyes looked both brighter and fuller. It had taken hearing the old man's voice for him to realize it, but those glasses hadn't just resembled the ones of a senior professor from the university. They were the ones of a senior professor. Azide reached out with his hand to greet his old friend, secretly relieved to see at least one familiar, if unexpected face in this world.

The old professor accepted his hand, but instead of shaking it, drew him in for a bear hug. "Really Nouel? After all this time and you'd settle for a shake of the hands?" Osenkowski kept his arms wrapped tightly around Azide, bringing back to him childhood memories which he could now call fond. "I'm so proud of the young man you've grown up to be, but you still have a lot to learn about opening up to people." He felt no resistance on the part of Nouel, and yet he was all too aware that the boy was not exactly returning reciprocating the gesture. Osenkowski pulled away and chuckled quietly. At his full height, he stood almost two heads higher than the youth in front of him. He would be quiet imposing if it hadn't been for the distinctly gentle look in his eyes.

Azide's eyes looked far off and away as his old friend wrapped his arms around him. He remembered all that that man had done for him- remembered the man who'd set him straight, and whipped some sense into him. Not just as his professor, but as the man who'd lived down the street and responded to his delinquent pranks with nothing but kindness and understanding. Years ago, Azide had laughed at the man, and thought him to be another naive idiot. "Just another old fool," he'd thought. But was Osenkowski who'd seen the potential within him. It was Osenkowski who'd sponsored him with a top notch education, and had even convinced the university board to overlook the boy's prior record. Because of this man, he'd gotten a second chance at life, and eventually became a serious contender for the top rank in his class. That was, until he ended up stuck in a little place called Aincrad. He looked at the man in front of him, eyes full of regret. "So they got you too?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

Osenkowski laugh bellowed as it always had. Getting the last of it out, he ruffled Azide's hair, making the boy avert his gaze. "Aye. I'd just been trying out a gift I'd gotten for my grandson's birthday. Took me quite a while actually! Surprised I was even able to get it on with this big noggin of mine," he said, tapping his knuckles against his temple. "And by the time I'd figured I'd seen enough, a fellow by the name of Kayaba Akihiko showed up, and it all went downhill after that." He shook his head, but he looked more amused than angry or saddened. "Since then, I've been travelling with any souls kind enough to watch out for an old man like me." He paused, and his eyes flashed with a sort of insightful look. "And it just so happens that after all these travels, Nouel, I know just the place to find what you're looking for."

Azide downed the rest of the bottle's contents, then watched as it shattered into an assortment of glowing crystal shards before fading from his hands. "Well, I think it's safe to assume all those waters I have won't be coming from one bottle." He shifted his attention back to the other player and nodded. "Ready when you are, Brayden." He scratched his head and looked at the ground for a moment, then cleared his throat. "Actually, I have no idea where we are right now, so you should probably lead the way," suggested Azide. "I have a feeling today's gonna be a long day, and me playing the role of navigator probably wouldn't help." 

He'd never been particularly good with directions, and something about going from point A to B somehow always ended up taking him to C, G, K and sometimes even Q. He thought himself to be just as smart as the next guy (likely smarter even, assuming the guy was within a few standard deviations of the norm), so it baffled him just how poorly his grasp in this one area happened to be. "If I survive all of this, I should really start carrying around a compass of some sort."

Looking back up, he gestured towards the general direction of where he thought their destination to be (although he was most likely completely off base, judging from his record with that sort of thing). "Well? After you."

((No problem at all Mari!))

He stood unflinching as the girl slowly approached him, and even still as she lifted his chin with her slender bowstring. A chill crept down his spine, then quickly spread throughout his entire body, leaving him feeling cold and breathless. He could only hope she didn't notice the faintest bit of drain from his face. "Now isn't the time to back down," he thought. He stared her down, simply unwilling to give her any inch of victory, or project even an ounce of vulnerability. "Still, that man over there wouldn't let her kill me just like that, would he?" He let his chin fall back to its natural position as the girl drew back, seemingly ready to return to dark forest just like that. "Just like that, huh? After she's completely out of sight, I think I'll be content with heading back to town for the night," He briefly glanced at his health bar to see if it had dropped at all as a result of the encounter. Thankfully, it had not. He sighed quietly to himself, and started thinking about all the different return routes he could take, and how much sleep he could get if he were to start walking back now.

Suddenly, the girl stopped in her tracks as the voice of the hooded reached her ears. He listened to the two of them exchange verbal blows and for a moment, he thought he'd become invisible and briefly considered taking his leave as they were preoccupied. He shook his head. "No, I can't exactly guarantee that I won't run into any more trouble tonight. It'd be better if I could travel with that hoodlum standing over there," He watched as the man tore off his hood, revealing the white locks underneath. Still, he waiting for his chance. 'They may know each other, but I get the feeling I can play them off of each other if need be, " he thought. Finally, he watched as the man turned and began walking off. "Hey," he called out, speaking for what'd been the first time in a while. "You over there, with the hood and the big black scary armor." He waited for the man to either stop or acknowledge him. "You seem like you have some misgivings about your friend over there," he added, slowly making his way towards the man. He shot a glance back at the pink-haired girl.

"Something in her is starting to give," he thought, recognizing the slightest hint of something more which shadowed her words. Up until now, she'd been fairly straightforward in her speech, but now she seemed to be holding back somehow. He could hear it lingering on the end of certain words, and perhaps if he knew where to look, he might even be able to see it in her eyes. "But I don't necessarily want to play that up right now," he thought. He had to admit that though the girl seemed to be a danger, she was at least a stable one.

Finally, he reached the white-haired man in black, setting a hand upon his shoulder. "Whatever misgivings any of us might have," he turned to look at the girl again, "nobody's kill anybody tonight. Isn't that right, Kosan?"

Azide looked and noticed it was considerably more spacious around here than it'd been just a few minutes ago. "Well, at least this gives me a little more elbow room to work with." He glanced back at the girl and the blue-scarfed player, who appeared to have resigned to just watching for the last leg of the fight. What had potentially been a five person beat down now looked more like an almost-reasonable fight. "If you two are standing down, I'm just gonna go ahead and do my thing." Sensing no objections, Azide set his sights on the sole remaining wolf and ran forward, aiming straight for it's heart. Or rather, where it's heart would be, if it weren't simply a heartless, mindless and soulless enemy in an online video game. Eager to test out a move from his earlier training, he sprang into the air, spinning once in the distance between himself and his target. Intending to deliver a crippling blow to the wolf, Azide swung his rapier in an arc in a manner that complemented his aerial rotation. Each and every aspect of the routine had been carefully rehearsed and analyzed countless times. What he hadn't accounted for, however, was the wind that pelted his eyes with just enough snow to blind him long enough to miss his chance. He tumbled against the ground a couple of times but immediately regained his composure, wiping himself off with his sleeve. He turned toward the only other remaining player participating in the scuffle. "I'm just gonna say this now, but don't even think of leaving."

Azide brushed himself off as he got back up on his feet."Geeze, who knew kicks could have such high knock back in this game?" He opened the inn door just a crack and peeked inside, hoping to make a better impression this time. Technically speaking though, he wasn't the only one who'd left an impression.

"I know you're still there!" yelled the innkeeper from outside his field of view.

Azide opened door the rest of the way and stepped back into the room. He scratched his head, noticing the girl's pursued lips and crossed arms. "Er, sorry about that. It's been a long day," he offered. "How about we start this over?"

She eyed with a fair amount of skepticism, but after taking a moment of consideration, softened her expression. "Apology accepted." She sighed, then rested her forearm on the desk in front of her and leaned forward. "But first, I wanna know what brings you here! I mean, we're not the biggest inn around here- in fact, we're probably one of the smaller ones now that I think about it."

Azide glanced up at the ceiling and fiddled with his brown locks, pondering her question. "Well, I suppose I just l prefer a more personal abode," he replied. "That's actually somewhat true, but I'd better save the rest of my answer for another day." He stretched both of his arms, then covered his mouth and yawned, then rubbed his eyes. "See, I've been working on collecting some materials today. On top of that, I probably have another long day waiting for me tomorrow as well, so I figured I'd prefer to stay somewhere nice and quiet tonight." In the background heard the creak of a rusty hinge, followed by the sound of a door gently closing shut. A man stepped out of what Azide assumed to be one of the bathrooms, and watched as he slowly made his way down the hallway.

"Ahh, I see!" She nodded her head, and appeared to have cooled off at least a bit. She tapped her fingers quietly on the table, producing a definite, and yet unfamiliar rhythm. "Well unfortunately, our last room was just filled not too long ago, but if you tell me what you'll be looking for tomorrow, I'll let you sleep on that bench over there!" She grinned and gestured at the line of adjacent chairs which sat in the corner of the lobby. 

Azide bit his tongue, suppressing the urge to point out that her "bench" wasn't even a real bench. More importantly, he had a few choice words for her decision to withhold that bit of information until just now, but he knew he might as well just play along. "After all, I'm not exactly sure if sleeping outside would actually restore my health, he thought. "Well I'll be searching for two things actually. Greater Steel Ore, for one, and a Ruby Red Ruby. I don't know if those mean anything to know, but it'd be much appreciated if you shared anything you knew." 

"I hate to tell you this kid, but you're probably not gonna get far asking a girl like her about rocks," said the man from earlier. His hair was both neat and gray, and he sported a pair of wide-framed glasses that reminded Azide of the ones all the senior professors seemed to love back at university. His dress was both modest yet neat, and he seemed surprisingly sturdy for someone of his age. The older man walked right up to the two of them and smiled warmly, setting a hand on his shoulder. "But I think I just might know someone who can help you find just that." 

Hey there Circe, that's quite a witty introduction title you've got there. Welcome to the site!

Out of the corner of his eye, Azide watched as another figure emerged from the mist. The player stood cloaked completely in black, making him blend in with the darkness around them, and Azide watched as he covered himself in his hood. Thinking it unwise to take his eyes off of the orange-named girl, he turned in a way that kept both of them in view. "Oh believe me, I wasn't planning on getting any closer. I just want to make sure that your friend over there and I have an understanding- is that clear?" He chuckled and shrugged to make light of the situation. "We're just making friendly conversation, and that's all there is to it."

He kept his eyes trained on the pair, but was especially careful not to let the girl leave his sights for more than the briefest moment. "Even if she were to make any sudden movements, I have the upper hand as long as I keep my guard up. After all, she has to get to me first." Worst case scenario, he'd have a fun little trip in those woods over there.

Azide hopped out of the way as something rushed past him, feeling both relieved and also disappointed to see it was another player and not a monster. "Hey, I'm not asking for three week's notice or anything, but a little warning next time would be nice!" he remarked, as the wolf shattered into pieces and faded away. "Just one more left." He turned around upon hearing yet another player approach, and gestured for him to come on over. "We practically have enough firepower here to invade a small country, but you might as well join in on the fun," said Azide with a shrug. "And if anybody wants to cry about how unfair this is, they're free to do that later." He looked over at the remaining dire wolf, which stood dazed and hopelessly surrounded.

Bright blue eyes tore through the heavy mist and locked with his own, making him shift around. He wanted look away. Wanted avert his eyes, turn back and try again in the morning. He was too exhausted and drained to run or even put up much of a fight, and he knew it. Thinking quickly, he straightened himself up and breathed deeply through his nose, then exhaled slowly through his lips. "But she doesn't necessarily know it." He stood firmly and upright, casting aside all of the uncertainties that had arisen in his mind, letting his eyes steel over. "A killer thrives on fear and vulnerability, so let's not give her any of that to work with."

He stepped forward, stowing away his sword as a sign of good faith. "Somewhat of a risk, but considering how little damage my rapier can actually do at this point, putting it away at a time like speaks louder than anything I can say with a stab or a slash. " he reasoned. The sound of her violin unnerved him, but he did little in the way to show it, biting his tongue before finally speaking. "It's a little late to be playing a tune in a place like this, don't you think?"

Silently, he changed his mind about those eyes of hers. Though bright they were, something seemed to shroud them in darkness, only getting darker and darker the longer he stared into them. Still, he didn't drop his gaze.

(OOC - I love your posting style, Mari!)

Azide threw his head back and sighed deeply as he continued to trod forward. Each and every step was a labor in and of itself, and every last molecule in his body seemed to be protesting against him. His gait was visibly slow, heavy and halting as he shuffled forward. He would drag his feet forward and lean against it all hunched over, then slowly drag the other, all while his arms hung still at his sides.

"God, I look like a zombie right now," he thought. He drew in a deep breath, then breathed out slowly through his nose. "There's plenty of moaning and groaning to be done, sure, but definitely not around here." Every so often he'd been surveying the area, making sure nothing would catch him by surprise at the very least. For a long while, he'd simply shift his gaze from the forests to his left and the barren plains at his right. Although he hadn't seen anything yet, he stayed quiet, hoping to avoid drawing any undue attention. With a grand total of zero col and few connections, he figured he'd press on forward through the night and make his way toward the fourth floor instead of lying around on the street like some chump. "A brilliant idea that was," he muttered. He probably could have pleaded with an innkeeper for a place to spend the night, but somehow he found that scenario even less desirable.

He'd heard about the third floor's vast woodlands, he'd decided to lay low and instead walk around the area's perimeter, seemingly less dense in monster population. Fortunately enough, as tiring as his efforts may have been, he in fact had yet to actually be spotted by a single creature.

Suddenly, he became aware of the sound of music from up ahead, emanating from the forest's edge. How long it'd been playing? He couldn't say for sure. Cautiously, he shuffle on, ready to draw the flimsy piece of iron he called his rapier. After a while longer, Azide finally found himself able to peer through the wispy mist, just in time to see a figure exit the dark forest, violin in hand and singing a siren's song. More importantly, he was able to spot an orange tag which floated above the user. His body tensed and his mind raced. "Orange tag? That means..." He shook his head and turned back, stepping on a pile of twigs and branches by mistake, and creating some rather noticeable snapping and crackling in the process. "Damn it," he thought, realizing his error. He slowly turned around.

(Haha, no problem at all Brayden! Bad luck though!)

Azide's ears perked, and he turned to Brayden. That very same curiousity which had once served him well in his scientific pursuits now seemed to flash across his eyes once again. "If what he says about the dungeon is true, there are still things left to be explored there." He stroked his chin a slowly a number times and nodded to himself. Whether it was just the allure of knowledge that drew him in, or the rush of adreneline that flowed through his veins with these brushes with death, he wasn't entirely sure. "Well, that settles it," he decided. "I'm getting tired of walking around fighting boar all day. They really are a bore you know." He shot a quick glance at his health bar in the corner of his vision. "Nine health and no supplies. Better than what I started with, yes, but something I'll have to watch out for in any case." He made a few taps through the SAO user interface and after a moment, a bottle appeared in his dominant hand. He unscrewed the cap and eyed it cautiously, before taking a long swig. "Well what do you know? Waters really do come in bottles after all," he reflected. "That still leaves the question of whether all of my water comes from this one bottle, or if I'd spawn another one, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there. Realizing the other player was probably waiting for him to continue, he snapped out of his little daze and looked back up. "Sorry about that," said Azide as he wiped once at his lips with his sleeve. "To the dungeon it is."

Azide looked up. The sun was starting to set on Aincrad, and it was getting late. "Geeze, the trip here alone ate up such a large chunk of my time," He passed by Sai's shop and considered stopping by to tell her he'd gotten his hands on a boar's tusk, but decided against it after considering how comparatively little progress he'd actually made. He shook his head, but hopefully some rest would make the next trip at least somewhat smoother. Maybe he'd even slay a few monsters here and there and get a bit more practice in. In any case, rest was his primary goal at the moment, so he decided he'd think about all of this in the morning. After wandering around the alleys of the city a while longer, he eventually stopped in front of a rather small wooden building. A carved wooden sign hung on the door from an old piece of rope, which read, Sleep Inn. "With a name like that, surely this place must be both classy and reputable," he thought. He opened the door to the rather small inn, and was greeted by the cheerful smile of who he presumed to be the innkeeper. Her smile seemed to light up the comparatively dark dark room, although that was no excuse for the lack of functional light bulbs. She waved at him from behind her desk, putting down the book she'd apparently been reading by candlelight. To the left of her desk was a hallway marked "rooms", and to the right was a shorter hallway labeled "bathrooms". 

"Hi there!" said the girl. "What can I do for you buddy?" She cleared her throat. "Actually, now that I think about it you're probably here for a room, am I right?" Noticing the player's blank expression, she waved her hands around again. "You still there buddy?"

He thought it somewhat strange to see a younger player running the equivalent of a motel, but then again an MMROPG like Sword Art Online hadn't exactly electrified the elderly audience. Then again, in a world as fantastical as this one, being a little young was almost trivial. Snapping out of that little daze, he looked back up at the innkeeper. "You know, you should probably fix the lighting in here. I think I'm getting the opposite of a tanning session in here. Also, I don't think that book is doing any favors for your eyes either." He pointed at the hallway. "Oh, and I'd like a room please."

The wild boar charged wildly at Azide, which when combined with his rather large size, reminded him of the sight of an oncoming train. Luckily enough, Brayden had managed to derail it with a kick before it could reach him. He watched as the creature went flying back, then tumbled across the ground, giving Brayden an obligatory thumbs-up. "That was pretty good work buddy," he began as he took a few steps toward the toppled boar. "But I'll do you one better." Azide rocketed forward with blinding pace, bringing back memories of the track team, then leapt high in the air before bringing his blade crashing back down cleanly through the overturned creature's heart. Flawless. "Sure, this is the first time that particular maneuver's worked, but what he doesn't know won't hurt him," thought Azide as he remembered all those hours of rehearsed practicing his sword skills. It squealed shrilly before bursting into a scatter of crystals, then faded away leaving behind nothing but its hide (which he stowed away just in case). "Come on now, can't even spare a single col?" He shook his head. "Impoverished swine." He looked up out of the corner of his vision to see that both his level and health had increased. "Oh hell yes!" He looked over to Brayden. "So guess who just turned level three?" remarked Azide offhandedly. "If you guessed me you'd be totally right, by the way," he added. "So, what's next?" He put away his rapier, looking around at all of their potential targets.

ID: 6940
LD: 4 (Nothing found, except for guaranteed mat)

BD: 10 (Crit +2)
Damage = 1 (Rapier) + 2 (Crit) = 3

Brayden-14/15

Azide-9/9

Boar-0/7 (-3)

*1 material acquired.

Azide watched as Brayden charged boldly at the boar with nothing but a tiny dagger, then found himself nodding in approval after seeing the attack actually turn out well. "Hmm, who knew daggers made good assault weapons? Ah well, what do I care." His rapier in hand, Azide ran forth and flanked the wild boar, turning sharply to deliver a well-placed blow in its side. He watched as the creature flailed about momentarily. "I wonder if he knows he's at the end of his rope?" As both a boar and a virtual one at that, he decided the answer was probably no. Still, an animal without knowledge of death was arguably more deadly than one which knew itself to be mortal. He looked to Brayden. "Let's wrap this up, shall we?"
 
ID: 6940
BD: 9 (Crit +1)
Damage = 1 (Rapier) + 1 (Crit) = 2 

Brayden-14/15

Azide-5/5

Boar- 2/7

"Way ahead of you!" Seeing the scarfed player suddenly overtake him, Azide decided to try to match his pace once again and caught up after a quick burst of speed, albeit they soon stopped dead in their tracks anyway. "Either he's pretty fast or I'm just getting slower," he thought. He looked out ahead only to be met with the sight of two dazed dire wolves surrounding what looked to be a lone female player. Azide nodded at the scarfed player, then drew his sword as he watched the player's swing miss the closest of the wolves by a hair. He readied his own sword, then ran forward and attempted to land a strike against very same wolf, only to miss himself as it leapt out of the way. "Damn it, thought I had him!" He turned toward the girl and gestured toward the pesky creature. "Well, batter up."

ID: 6937

BD: 5 (miss)

Damage = 0
 

DrakeWing 11/11 HP

Azide 7/7 HP

Ariel 13/15 HP

Dire Wolf(1) 4/8 HP

Dire Wolf(2) 8/8 HP

Azide found himself gasping for air and breathing deeply as he realized the weight and severity of his situation. He eyed the boar closely, knowing he didn't have any room for error, and fully aware of his rapidly diminished HP. "Damn it, two critical hits in a row? I don't know where these numbers come from, but I could sure use that guy on my side for once," he thought. "This feels vaguely familiar, and yet I doubt anyone will come to my rescue." He was, after all, in a private party. Finding himself too exhausted to outmaneuver the beast (who seemed to have no limit to its stamina), he pooled all of his bets into an uncharacteristically risky option. He could always run away, but that only meant wasting more time, which would bore him to death anyways. He flipped his grip on the rapier, so that the blade now pointed downwards in his hand. He doubted the boar would notice or even comprehend he was doing, hedging his bets from his earlier observations that it would be expecting a close-ranged attack. "Well, it's now or never, he thought. As the boar awaited his reply, he drew his arm back as far as it would go, then sent the blade hurtling forward using a lightning-fast overhand arc. The boar fell over and exploded into an array of diamonds, giving one final shriek, as well as bestowing to the player one of its famously-hardened tusks. He walked over and picked up his rapier, which had fallen to the ground with a gentle thud, then sheathed it before letting out a long sigh. He glanced at the health bar in the corner of his vision. Two health points remaining. "Not a moment too soon," he thought. 

Remembering the two health points he'd gained while hunting the other day, he was grateful he'd taken the time to level up at least once before undertaking his current quest. He took out a loaf of bread and bit into it, then headed off to the city to rest up before the next leg of his journey.

ID: 6931
BD: 8 (hit)
Battle damage = 1 (Rapier)

Azide HP: 2/7 (-0)
Boar HP: 0/3 (-1)