Red_Rose

ID# 32025 results:

Battle: 6
Loot: 18
MOB: 3

All three wasps began to circle faster and faster. Red could barely keep up with any of them. At this rate She would lose sight of them all together and have no chance of blocking any of the attacks.AS they sped up she was seriously considering the thought that she was near a hive now. Three wasps don't just randomly appear out of nowhere, at least not like this.

In a flash and without prior warning the wasps dove again, all three at once and all three targeted at Red. Again she was in time to see them coming, and like before she lept back just as they collided with the soft earth where she had just been. Each wasp made a loud thud as it hit the dirt, sending up a small cloud of debris. This was her chance though, as for this moment each one was low and in range. In a flash of speed that rivaled even her opponents Red launched herself at the insects allowing the system to take over for a Haymaker AOE style attack.

Despite the small debris cloud Red connected with each one. She was able to feel each impact resonate through her spear, and it was more than satisfying. Her attack carried her forward through the small cloud and when she finally came to a stop all three of the creatures had pixelated and exploded. A notification had also appeared indicating that her auto loot had picked up new items. She didn't have time to look though as soon another pair of wasps emerged ready to fight.

Red_Rose
HP 20/20
SP 3/5

Wasp 1,2,3
Dead

Wasp 4
10/10

Wasp 5
10/10

Acquired:
3 Mats
100 col
1 good Item - Hair Tie - A simple white band of fabric used to tie back ones hair.

The addition of the new wasp definatly made things tougher. Now she had to keep her eyes on two highly agile opponents. Not only that she would need to still be trying to attack them at the same time. Wasps were difficult by most begginers standards and she had been warned to be careful and avoid nests. So far she had not managed to find any of these so called nests, nor did she even know what they would look like if she did. In this case a nest was not an issue as it was only two wasps.

ID# 31958 results:
Battle: 4
Loot: 12
MOB: 1

The pair of wasps hovered over head, moving in sync with eachother, dipping in and out, and zipping too and fro. There movements suggested more of a hive mind type of coordination, rather than individual inteligence. In a fleeting second the pair lined up and dove from 20 feet at Red, sending her sprawling out of the way. She attempted to swing her spear at them in retaliation, but found that they moved too fast and cleared her range too quickly. SHe cussed loudly as they swooped up overhead again.

just like before another wasp entered the fray, circling around her with the other two up and out of her range. Things were escelating quickly and she needed to figure out a plan to deal with this.

Red_Rose
HP 20/20
SP 3/5

Wasp 1
8/10

Wasp 2
10/10

Wasp 3
10/10

Red fell back into line again, raising her shield to face the wasp, keeping it between herself and the beast. She had managed to inflict some damage on it, but that had been simply defensive at best. For most players that wasn't what they wanted, However in Red's case it was more on an ideal scenario. For her there was more value in defensive play than there was in offensive runs. Once she learned howl she would have no need of a weapon and would resort to shield tactics.

ID# 31956 results:
Battle: 3
Loot: 7
MOB: 5

The wasp took a turn charging her this time. In a flash it zipped around over her head, blurring her perception of where it had been. Its movements were deliberate and with purpose, making it harder for her to strike back. For a moment she contemplated striking out at it first, but quickly abandoned the idea when her opponent suddenly charged. Rather than raise her shield she dove out of the way, rolling effortlessly along the ground and spinning sharply to perform a Haymaker AOE attack. AS earlier she missed her opponent.

The sound of a second set of wings caught her attention as she looked up to see another of the insects hovering above her. Clearly it had heard the scuffle and come to investigate. Red smiled to herself as she raised her shield again. So this was going to be difficult.

Red_Rose
HP 20/20
SP 3/5

Wasp 1
8/10

Wasp 2
10/10

Wasp Stats:
10HP
4DPS

Red_Rose Stats:
20HP
5DPS
3Mit
2Regen
2Thorns

Red charged the wasp that hovered only a few feet off the ground. Its beady eyes focused on her and it turned instinctively towards her preparing for the assault. Its massive wings beat the air mercilessly sounding like a giant helicopter and kicking up a small cloud of dust underneath it. As she drew closer to the creature she pulled back her spear allowing the system to take over. She had spent the day practicing her attacks and had learned quite a few so far. The attack in particular that she wanted to use was a move that relied on multiple strikes to an opponent. it was called Snake Bite And required a surprisingly large amount of speed to pull off. She had managed it before earlier in the day, once against an enemy and several times in practice.

ID# 31955 results:
Battle: 3
Loot: 18
MOB: 7

With the Gap closed Red launched her attack. Her spear lit up an eerie blue, and suddenly felt like ice in her hands, as was its aesthetic effect. She fired off the attack with blinding speed, but managed to strike only air. The wasps themselves were quick creatures, and ones not restricted to fighting on a horizontal plain. This one in particular shot straight up to avoid the strike, and in the same instant dove at Red, blasting into her shield with its stinger.

Red responded by pushing free of the wasps attack, while dragging the razored edge of her shield along its midsection causing damage. She had received some as well, but her generation triggered and quickly recovered her health. Instinctively red adjusted her feet, stopping for a brief moment when her foot hit something hard. Sticking out of the ground was a piece of Iron ore, a Common crafting material. In a flash she scooped it up and prepared for her next assault.

Red_Rose
HP 20/20
SP 3/5

Wasp
8/10

Aquired 1 Mat

Red could see that he was trying not to laugh, and that evoked her own smile to return to full force. She even giggled when he bumped her arm. While she had little experience interacting with other players she was glad to see that they could be down right sweethearts. She responded to his kind words with a bump of her own into his arm. "So what do you do hear aside from saving damsels in distress?" She said in a flirty tone looking up at him again with a grin. After she spoke she cast another wayward glance to make sure nothing had respawned near them, and was pleased to see there was nothing nearby. Nothing creature related. She did however catch sight of a single tree not far off with some large leafy branches that did well to cast some shade.

Red gave him one last look before gesturing to the tree. "Cmon lets go sit down for a minute or two. I don't know about you, but I could use a drink."

Red could only wonder what it was like up there. Originally upon finding out she had been trapped here, she had had no interest in getting involved in the fighting. But recently she had come to the conclusion that she needed to learn to fight, and help to get out. That's why she was here now, pushing up so to speak. Zelrius was one of those players who had seen things. He had fought hard, and witnessed the world around him change. No doubt he had seen players rise and fall, and watched hero's be forged. He probably was one himself, some valiant knight who walked around in normal clothes so as not to impose on the lower levels. He was a man here by choice, he was here to make a difference.

"Well there is not much to tell. Before this, I never played games. I bought one for my douche of a boyfriend, caught him cheating, and kept it for myself to spite him." She let out a little sigh, fighting her urge to smile at her own story. She had recently shared it with another and he had thought she had a good plan to get back at him. "Of course it looks like the jokes on me, because here I am, stuck..." She smiled now at the irony of it all. Perhaps her ex was having a laugh at her right for being stuck. Or he was pulling his hair out for missing the greatest adventure ever.

"I'm not eager to get to the front lines. But I do want to get their someday when I'm more ready. Honestly the stories Id have after would be amazing."

takao shocked Red with his understanding. She was certain he would have thought it to be immature at best, but he seemed to think it a good idea. This brought a smile to the blondes lips as she looked back up at him. It was nice to know that she wasn't completly crazy n her reasoning. OF course now with the talk of the real world, she couldn't help but wonder about her body, if it was back home, or what had happened to it. She knew that some players had died simply because they lived alone and there was no one to feed or care for them. She lived alone, but she had friends, so someone had to be doing something for her.

As the conversation turned to his own origins, Red got the impression that perhaps he had some secrets to hide. That wasn't surprising as everyone did, and having just met him she was in no position to probe further, despite her own curiosity on the subject. It was good to know that he had an idea of what he was doing though, not that hae hadn't already proven that with his knowledge and combat prowess. "Well, Im glad your here." She said with a smile before realizing what she had just said. "I mean, not that your stuck here, but that your in the game and... Damnit" fer smile faded a bit, as she continued to watch him for a reaction. "Im sorry."

Before Red could move Shirosu was on it striking hard and delivering a fierce blow to the animal. She was impressed with the speed and agility of the attack, not to mention the brutal accuracy that was involved. It was no surprise to think that Shirosu was a well trained and seasoned soldier. Once the attack was completed Red moved in again, pushing herself between the boar and her ally. Shirosue may have had the agro, but it would be a cold day in hell before she allowed her to get hit on her watch.

ID# 31942 results:
Battle: 4
MOB: 9
Result: Boar Strikes Critical
Regen Triggers
2/5 SP remaining

Massive Boar: 11/25 HP

"Shirosu, its your turn" Red called out as she stood up pushing back away from the boar.

((OOC: I am so sorry.. I thought I clicked send on that post, but i must have messed up somewhere.))

Red watched in amazement as another boar suffered defeat at Takao's hands. Before he asked her about her reasoning for being here. Red blushed furiously as her thoughts drifted back to that morning, and her anger. In truth she was here for the stupidest of reasons, she didn't even like games. "Well, I mean." She stumbled around her words for a moment before letting out a sigh. "I was originally getting this game for my boyfriend, but I caught him cheating on me. So after I threw him out I logged on to spite him." She held on a second before continuing, half expecting him to think she was crazy. "See Sword Art Online was so hard to get I knew he wouldn't have one, so I was gonna rub it in his face." She smiled weakly now, as she realized how childish her reasoning sounded.

"I honestly was not expecting anything like this, though I dont think anyone was." She wondered now if she knew what she was walking into with this game, if she would have just gone shopping instead. The scary thing was that she might have logged in anyways, perhaps out of spite, or even as an escape. "How about you? I mean your pretty good, SO you must have some sort of background in games?"

Takao destroyed the boar in an instant. His precision with the blade and speed of attack, proving to be far too much for the creature to handle. Moments later it disintegrated in a marvelous blue light. Red smiled at the success of the attack combo, her blocking and him attacking. It seemed to be a very good and reliable strategy. he had now taken the chance to mention to her about hate, and hate generating abilities such as howl. At the mention of these her interest was peaked. "So If I am able to generate more hate, both passively and aggressively, then creatures will focus on me first? She asked so that she could confirm her thoughts. She would definitely need both of these abilities then in order to ensure her usefulness on the battlefield.

Takao also mentioned the block skill, which was exactly where she was going to be spending her next set of skill points. No doubt it would help her greatly in soaking damage and protecting others, and herself. Red nodded now, showing that she understood what he was explaining to her. It all made a lot of sense, and wasn't too difficult to get. If her role was tank, then her focus should be on defensive abilities. She almost regretted spending points in her spear now, though it was a needed skill if she wanted to survive.

Moments later another boar wandered over. It passed by fairly close before falling into an agro stance and charging at Takao. Red caught sight of it and quickly moved to intercept, smashing her shield into the front of the boar stopping it in its tracks. Thats how a tank should work. She thought as she strained against its strength. A tank puts them self between the DPS and the threat.

As Mack confirmed that she was in fact Red_Rose, she lowered her head respectfully. "Please, Call me Red." She said with a pleasant smile. A  moment Later and he ahd handed her a cloak explaining it to be her guild cloak. While he spoke she unfolded the fabric allowing it to flow freely through her fingers. It looked very similar to the cloaks worn by himself and the other woman Shirosu. The key difference being a lack of adornments. Mack explained that this cloak was a representation of standing, with more details being added as she progressed. She quickly slipped it on, allowing the fabric to slide gently over her shoulders while she clasped it tightly at the neck. Its crimson folds reached expectantly to the ground, stopping just short of the earth below. Before red could thank him he produced a medallion and slipped behind her. A smile crept across her lips at the discovery of how quick he could be. In her experience, larger players were generally not so fast and smooth, but he clearly defied that trope.

The medallion fell neatly around her neck, secured in place by the chain that Mack had just clasped. Everything was so ceremonious that she felt under prepared for such an undertaking. Clearly this guild handled things seriously, and for that she was thankful. The Medallion now rested neatly below her collarbones, and as Mack circled back around to her front, he tapped it gently. In that instant it took the shape of a single crimson dagger. he explained that this was her true guild sign, something to be worn at all times to identify her as a Blade. In a way it was similar to a dog tag of the real world. "Thank you Grand Master, I will do you and the Blades proud." she said lowering her head deeper than before.

Finally to top everything off, she was presented with a new shield. Her mouth hung open in disbelief at the item that had been crafted for her. It was longer than the one she currently carried, almost 3 feet from top to bottom, with 2 feet across at its widest points. Slowly red reached out to take the shield marveling at its weight, surely there was no way she could wield something like this. Or could she? As she equipped it she noticed a sudden shift in the items weight, It was all in the center of the Kite, across where her arm was. It felt secure, and with the weight centered in such a manner allowed her to move around freely. She took a second lifting her arm up as if to block an invisible foe, noticing that it seemed to cut the air as it moved. Mack explained its properties, and that's when she noticed the silver trimmed edges looked like Razors, clearly that's how it would fight back causing thorn damage. All in all the entire system was immaculate and well made, strangely it felt like it had been made for her.

With all of his gifts given Red Bowed her head again, before pulling up her own menu and returning her previous shield to her other hand. It had been a gift from Takao, and had helped her defeat the Gemini. He had told her to trade it to Mack if it would help her, and while this didn't feel like a trade she felt it necessary to offer it to him. "Please then. Take this in exchange for your gift. Let it be my first contribution to the Blades and their cause." She said as she humbly offered the old shield to her Guild Master.

« Lex Talonis +3 »
Crafted by Oikawa
Perfect Quality
| Enhancements |
1 Paralyze | 2 (+6) Damage Mitigation

Lex Talonis is a heater shield made of steel and simplistic in design. The outer surface of the shield is a brushed steel texture, dyed dark grey, and embellished with a white design in the vague shape of an eye. The shield attaches to the user's arm through the usage of straps, which also allow for it to be stored on the back for ease of access.

Gifted to Red_Rose by Takao
Traded to Mack for the "Shield of the Blood Rose"

With that done Mack explained the exercise for the day. Red would take control of a party comprised of the three of them, and tank while Shirosu played the roll of DPS. This was easy enough considering this is what she wanted to do within this game. "As you Wish Grand Master" Red said with a nod. It was also now at this point that Shirosu chose to speak her own part. She introduced herself in a friendly manner, breaking the otherwise serious tone that had been set, and causing a grin to cross Red's lips. "I'm glad we have the chance to work together Shirosu." She said taking her hand in a firm hand shake. This was followed by a warning about a duel, and not to rely on a shot below the belt to win. While she would not have thought of doing such a thing, she did feel thankful for the advice.

"Alright, With your permission Grand Master, I'd like to get started. Lets move out." She said confidently, adjusting her stance to be a little more firm now. Who would have thought that in such a short time she would be here leading a party to combat. Granted it wasn't anything glorious, and the party was comprised of people who did not need her leadership, but it was all still a step in the right direction. Red had some difficulty containing the smile and excitement she now had for her undertaking.

It had taken several minutes to navigate out of the City, primarily because of the crowds that plagued the City at these hours, but before long Red had found the City gates, and once outside she was quickly able to spot several Mobs spread out across the landscape. Several were small Boars, but not far off she noticed one particularly large boar. Given that this was a test, that would be the one she would want to start with. With a smile she pointed to the beast. "There that one. He's a bit bigger, but he looks like a good start." As she spoke she pulled up her menu making sure her spear was equipped so that she could at least attack and generate some hatred. "Grand Master I assume you are standing by to observe. Shirosu, I have not learned Howl or fighting spirit yet. After you attack get behind me so that you are no longer a target. Ill make the first move to tick it off."

ID# 31696 results:
Battle: 2
MOB: 2
Result: Both Miss
3/5 SP remaining

Massive Boar: 25/25 HP

So far things had been going much better for Red. After her tangle with the Gemini she had put out word that she was looking to join a guild. One in particular had caught her attention, The crimson Blades. They offered new recruits training, as well as encouraged growth throughout the guild and AIncrad. To top it off they were a guild focused on the bettering the world around them, offering assistance to those in need. She had done some asking around, and after an exhaustive search had turned up few leads on recruiters for the Blades. So instead she had made it known that she, was a tank interested in joining up with them.Naturally as things did in this game, word spread quickly and she was soon contacted by a man named Mack. She had heard of this man before, from a friend Takao, who had praised his blacksmithing work . Red was surprised to learn that he was actually a higher up as well. He had sent her an invitation, to meet and join the guild.

Red had responded promptly accepting the request and invite, and in return had been sent a time and place. She was nearly there now, pushing through the crowd in the Town of Beginnings. It was her small stature that hindered her now as few seemed to care enough to get out of her way. However with a few well placed cuss words and a racial slur or two she had been able to negotiate the crowd. At the far side of it she caught sight of a pair of people, both in matching cloaks. This was a dead give away that these were the people she was looking for.

It looked as though they hadn't seen her yet, and she used this as an opportunity to adjust her clothing a bit. It was still only basic clothing used to simply hide ones shame, but she still took pride in it, flattening out the creases to make it look neat and trim. She also equipped her shield, both to show off the gear, and also to show that she was a tank. "Alright." She muttered to herself as she pushed closer towards them.

"Crimson Blades?" She asked as she looked up at them noticing that they were taller than herself.

Quest: The Gemini

Thread Length: 21 Posts

Loot gained: 400 Col

Skill Points: 4

Skill Unlocked: Concentration

Red lay there for several minutes, cursing out loud and generally making a scene. Then again in this scenario, most might act in a similar manner. She had just defeated a powerful creature and had been bested by a lizard. it probably wasn't even a mob, it was probably a crafting ingredient or something stupid like that. Yes this lizard was no better than a green herb that one could pick anywhere. She let out an exasperated sigh before letting out one more string of curse words. Despite this awkward scenario, things could be worse. After all it could be raining or there could be actual mobs around. No in this instance she was lucky. The Gemini was wandering off at the other end of the clearing, not that he wanted to fight her anymore, and the weather was beautiful.

She was startled by rustling from the nearby bush. Perhaps this was it, something was coming to finish her off. The rustling increased in intensity and she closed her eyes tightly expecting the worst. Just as suddenly as it began the rustling stopped, and she waited for the attack that was destined to follow. However it never came. Not only did she remain untouched but there was no sound of animals or players or anything. Slowly she opened her eyes expecting to see some bizarre creature staring back at her. Instead there was nothing, Nothing but a small orange and yellow lizard. It had come back.

The Lizard wasted no time in crawling up her body, stopping when it got to her forehead. Red's eyes crossed as she tried to focus on the critter now seated neatly on her. She let out another frustrated sigh as she lay there humiliated by a crafting ingredient. "You really are a scaly little...."

Red gingerly placed her now bitten finger in her mouth. It was an old habit from real life that she often did when faced with a paper cut or any sort of minute injury to her fingers. Naturally this being a game, the bite had not actually hurt, but rather she had reacted to it in the manner most fitting. In this case to pull away, say ouch and suck on her finger. After a second or two she pulled the finger from her lips and looked at it. A red bite mark still sat looking pix-elated and broken over the tip of her finger from where the critter had managed to catch her. She sighed again placing it back in her mouth. "Stupid Lizard..." She mumbled in a rather loud and unpleasant manner.

Strangely now though she began to feel uneasy. Something was wrong. Red tried to stand only to find her body refused to work properly and she fell over landing in a huddled mass on the soft earth floor. "What the Hell is going on?" She asked out loud before noticing something strange. Beside the green bar that marked her now increased health was an indicator that looked as though it were a little yellow lightning bolt. Her eyes went wide as she realized what had happened. The Lizard had bitten her, and now she was paralyzed. She cursed loudly now directing her screams of frustration at the small animal that was nowhere to be seen.

Suddenly she sat up a new query in her mind. She had just completed a quest, and obtained a reward. She had also defeated a supposedly powerful monster with a surprising loophole. She should have gained some experience here. Something should have happened. Red pulled up her menu again and looked at her personal stats She was shocked to see that she was now level 4 after defeating the Gemini. She wasn't entirely sure what to do at first. Normally what she had seen with games was her boyfriend gaining a level and then announcing it to all other players by shouting ding into his headset. In this instance she had no one to share her achievement with but still she wanted to do something. That's when she remembered the Lizard. Sure enough it was still in its spot looking off into nothingness as if the world simply didn't exist.

Red smiled as she gave it a poke. "Hey... Guess what." She said enthusiastically before poking it three more times. "Ding, Ding, Ding... Ouch" During the last poke the Lizard had clearly had enough and it snapped its tiny jaws shut on her finger rather fiercly. Red cussed out loud as the Lizard bolted from the rock disappearing into a nearby bush.

Red now took the opportunity to lay back on the rock. Her recent alertness was now dulled by her own thoughts on the game and its progress. Till this point she had never really stopped to think about it. She had always been just waiting in the starter town for the better players to finish things so they could all go home. It figured though that now she was actually working for something she would think of these things. At least in some regards. In truth she had never wanted to think about these things. She had seen how others obsessed over them, and how it had driven some to suicide or despair. She didn't feel that now though. She was beginning to see things better. Now she felt like she could be here, maybe she wasn't the best, but she could be good. Good enough to make friends, good enough to be known. She wanted stories. Now though they wern't just stories to brag about, instead she wanted stories to share with other SAO survivors. She wanted to sit around and have a few drinks and remember the times they had here. This Gemini was her first. It was an accomplishment and others who had beaten it would know what she was talking about. It could be an inside story, maybe even a joke, she was level 1 after all.

Her eyes closed now while she thought of the floors above her. There were still 94 waiting to explore. What could they be? "You wouldn't know would you? And if you did you wouldn't tell me would you?" She asked out loud to the lizard. Even without looking she knew it had not moved, that like her it was now just lazily waiting for nothing to happen, enjoying the small moment of piece and quiet contemplation that could be found right here, right now. She sighed again, opening her eyes for a moment to look back up at the sky above. She wondered now how long it would take to get there. Or for that matter how long had it been already. The truth was she had lost track a while ago. Days and nights had merged together in some cases, and weeks and months seemed to have simply vanished. In a way this was much the way a good MMO would effect people in real life. She had read a few stories about people who had lost their lives playing these games. The irony of course was that she like the others here didn't have a choice.

With her message sent Red sat still for a moment, looking out over the clearing again. It was funny to think how afraid she had been earlier. And how she now felt so full of life and confidence. This was clearly the feeling the people addicted to RPG's got when they did things, and no doubt its what caused them to stay. She liked this feeling, it was like accomplishment, but different. In the real world if you did something it felt good, you knew you were moving forward. But here, if you did something it was an achievement. You became tougher, or more powerful. You felt tangibly better than you were before hand. Even without the risk of dieing she could see why people would like this.

Still there was more to do. Now she wanted to back track and do quests on the lower floors. Get comfortable with herself and others. She wanted to fight more, and become stronger and well known. It was hard to imagine life before this. This is what she wanted, Now at least. Red let out a pleased sigh as she looked up at the sky. The good thing about being in this clearing is that she could see up. There wasn't much up though mind you, just the bottom of the next floor. Above that however was another floor, and above that another still. She was in a world of promise, where she could excel further than her dreams had allowed her before. And somewhere up at the very top the 100th floor sat waiting for her.

Red frowned now as she slumped down on the rock next to the creature. She knew it was silly to think it would be excited with her achievement, but it was depressing that it failed to care at all. That's when she remembered her friend from earlier. Takao. He is the one who had given her the shield in the first place, thus allowing her the chance to do this quest and gain this skill. She needed to tell him. Her smile returned as she popped open her menu and pulled up his name from her friends list. With it came the option to group up with him, message him, and unfriend him. Clearly the choice was simple as she clicked on the message button.

Moments later a small keyboard popped up with an empty window. Red immediately began typing out a message for him.

Takao

Hey, thought Id say Hi and thank you again for the shield. I put it to good use today and beat a quest called "The Gemini". It spawned a creature that was a direct copy of me, but your shield saved me. Hope all is going well for you, and to see you soon.

Red

The message was simple enough but it did well to convey her excitement. She bet it wasn't often he received messages to tell him how he had helped someone, so she hoped he would appreciate the gesture.

Red took her time now returning to the rock where she had shared some bread with a harmless reptile. What had the Gemini meant by telling her to enjoy her new skill. She hadn't done anything special, not that she knew of anyways. A few steps later and a new thought arose in her mind. Without skipping a beat the Blonde pulled open her menu to inspect the skills menu and gasped when she saw in plain sight "Concentration" as a passive buff. The description read that it was able to grant a player a 1 in 5 chance to increase their attack accuracy for a single strike. She was shocked by this turn of events, and quickly shut her menu, only to open it again and check to see if the skill was there. Sure enough, it was still in the same place she had left it, much like the lizard that had been ignoring her this entire time.

Red squealed delightedly as she went deeper through her menu to her completed quests. Sure enough, there was one marked as "The Gemini". Beside it was today's date and time. She had actually done it, a quest that is, on her own. Perhaps she wasn't so bad at these things after all. Perhaps she did actually stand a chance at this. At this point she swore they could see her smile all the way back at the village, as she practically skipped back to her rock to tell her apathetic friend. "You see that, I did it. And you doubted me." She laughed while poking it gently again. This time the lizard responded sticking out its tongue and turning its head away from her again.

Red only stared at the man. He seemed exactly as feeble as he was, but she was aware of his tricks now. he was going to match her and attack again. Strangely though she wanted to do it again, knowing what he was, knowing how he would do things. Perhaps she wanted to repeat her victory, or perhaps his frail sirens song, promised easy xp and loot. Either way she raised her shield and accepted his challenge a second time. "I've beaten you once before I'll do it again." She said as she waited for him to transform.

The old man smiled at her, and rather than transform he simply shook his head and spoke. "I'm sorry dear. I must say I hadn't recognized you there. I remember how you beat me once already. An old man  like me can not take such punishment from you young pups. Go enjoy your skill reward and leave me to my training." And with that he turned away from her and began walking off. Red was confused now, what skill reward? She hadn't gotten anything from him. Perhaps his AI was damaged. She laughed now, both relieved and disappointed at the denial of the fight. Perhaps she had beaten him so bad she had broken him. This thought made her laugh harder as she turned and began to walk away.

With her spear and shield back in hand she stood up again. It seemed like only a second had passed since she sat down. Her heart hadn't even stopped racing from the actual fight. Still with her shield she felt confident she could take on anything and that was a good feeling. With a small grunt she dropped off her rock landing neatly on the soft earth. The fall had not been more than 3 feet high so no fall damage had occurred. Cautiously Red approached the old man who had now spotted her, and begun walking towards her in the same tired manner he had earlier. As the pair neared She raised her spear in preparation for a surprise attack. "Well hello young lady. Fancy a friendly duel to help an old man sharpen his skills?" He asked again in the same tired voice.

Red hesitated a moment before responding, choosing to try and sound unafraid. "I know your tricks old man. I beat you once already." She said, her voice shaking a bit. Still the old man approached her walking slowly, looking like a simple hermit. This must be his pre programmed sequence she thought as he came to a halt in front of her. For another few seconds he stood still, as if waiting for her to say a specific phrase to activate his duel. So he wasn't angry or revenge focused. He was just a programmed monster or trap. "How about it? we will keep it friendly and maybe both learn something?" The man asked in the same form he had before.

Red looked up to see where the little creatures gaze had gone. The clearing was still empty except for an old man wandering about. She froze on the spot at as it clicked in what she was actually looking at. The old man was back, the Gemini had already respawned. A sudden rush of terror flooded her body as she watched the tired looking old man walk in a lazy circle in the field. Had he come back for her? Was he out for revenge? Perhaps she should have left here right after killing it. How was this possible even? She knew creatures respawned, but this fast? it was too quick to be normal so then what was going on.

After several fear filled moments Red finally stirred from her spot. The Old man had not approached her, nor had he payed her any heed. So clearly it wasn't a monster with a Vendetta for her. But then again maybe she needed to get within it's agro range to activate it. What would it do then< would it fight her on sight or would it offer her the same duel it had before? She continued to sit now, trying to decide what to do. After another moment or two the same wave of courage she had ridden before seemed to return to her and she decided to investigate the Gemini again.

Red smiled at the thought of being asked for help, especially as a tank. Naturally she would be more than happy to be there whenever he needed. "Just let me know, and I'll be there for you. It is the least I can do to repay you." She said happily before returning her gaze to the field of boars. The one that had been killed recently had returned, obviously it respawned while they were talking. She wanted to try out the new shield and see how well it would work for tanking. Basically she wanted to get hit and see how little the beast could do now. Alternatively she wanted to see how a swordsman worked in combat, the way they moved, even the speed at which they went about their attacks. She had often heard that they were fast, and those without shields were faster still.

"Would you mind if I tanked, while you attacked?" She asked looking more determined now than she had. She knew she could anger the NPC enough to fight her, or gain agro as others called it, and with it focused on her it would be easy for Takao to kill it. Red wasn't sure of his level, or even if he would gain anything from fighting creatures this low, but if he was willing to waste a little time and help her learn her battlefield role a little better then that would be great. "And Don't be afraid to tell me what to do either. I'm still new so I need all the guidance You can give."

With that she raised her shield again, and this time rather than attacking the air like she had been doing she charged the boar. Running with a shield was different too, more difficult. Clearly the downside of using these items was a decrease in agility, while the upside was a beautiful rise in defense. Despite taking longer to reach the boar, she was soon within its range, and it followed its previous pattern. Moments later it had charged and Red met its attack head on holding the shield out in front of her to stop it.