Red_Rose

Perfect. I was just curious as to the depth of the skills. That was actually like a great answer that explained alot of those little questions I had, so thanks muchly :)

So I was curious about the new sword arts that have been posted Primarily the ones that allow for multiple hits.

So My understanding is that in an attack like Snake Bites for example (1x2) It uses two precise strikes. And that ones SP must be at least two as each strike uses 1 SP point each. Obviously there are attacks that can do more than that on their hits and in turn use more SP per strike as well.

My question then is, Does each strike have its own set damage, or when calculating it does it add together in one shot. So while we know the 1x2 will do two damage, does it count as 1 damage per strike or does it simply count as two damage period. My though being if you are rapidly striking an opponent with more than one hit, each hit should have its own damage as it is an individual hit.

This is important as it would determine when to use such abilities against certain opponents, thus adding more strategy to the game. For example. If say your opponent had high armor, you might not opt to use one of these rapid fire maneuvers as each strike would do almost nothing after armor mitigation (1 Damage per hit if armor was high enough), thus making a higher damage single strike more effective. On that note an opponent with less armor might suffer more from a rapid fire strike over a single damage strike.

Also would a critical hit only add the single point of damage for the attack as a whole, or would it add that damage on to each strike, making such rapid fire attacks more destructive as a whole?

Finally If one of those rapid fire attacks misses would it eat 2 SP for each missed strike in the chain? A 1x2 attack does use 2 SP to activate, and as we know missing an 1x1 attack does eat double the SP of its success, so by default an 1x2 should eat 4 SP for a miss.

I tried reading but I couldn't find answers to these questions, and I do feel they are important as these variables would play a part in choosing strategy in the game.

Red looked at him quizzically. He was actually encouraging her to play a different game? What kind of man was this? "I'm stuck here." She said coldly popping over her menu to look at the logout button that didn't exist. After learning she was trapped she had spent hours trying to make the button appear, opening, and closing her menu's over and over. Clicking on an option that didn't exist. Nothing helped. Eventually she settled on the idea that she wasn't going anywhere, but still from time to time she would open her menu and look, just in case. "It's not like I chose this game anyways. Honestly It's my first game..." She hesitated now taking another drink. Perhaps she was sharing too much information now. She had no idea if this guy was a good person or not. He could easily manipulate her if he was familiar with things around here. She would needed to be more careful in dealing with people if she wanted to survive. "But, I'm doing alright for myself." She threw in at the last minute, attempting to make herself sound tougher.

His next statement was both exciting and surprising. He was a floor clearer. one of the Elites that pushed the game along. In a flash she picked up her drink and near lept from her seat, moving swiftly to sit at his table. She had not been invited to do so, but given that the pair were conversing she assumed that consent was implied. "Your from the front lines?!" she asked a little louder than she had intended. That was where she wanted to go. Not so much to be a hero, but instead to spite her ex. She wanted to get out of here and tell him how well she had done in his stupid game. "You must be one Helluva player if your up there."

Red smiled at him, laughing a bit at his comment about not being much of a tank. "Thats ok. Because I will be a tank for us both then." That was her goal, to be a tank. It had been the position her ex hated the most. he used to say it was so slow and pointless. So now she wanted rub that in his face when she became an amazing tank. More importantly though, Takao had accepted her friend request. Making him the first person in her hopefully soon to be long line of friends. He had also offered to help with hunting or questing. While to some this would seem like a simple invitation, to Red this was him going above and beyond the call of duty. This was a man who was actually willing to help better others. "I'll keep that in mind, and If you ever need me, please don't hesitate to ask. I am in yer debt after all now."

After a moment or so she raised her spear again, this time with the shield in her other hand. Red wanted to see how it felt to perform the Focused Strike with the added weight and balance issues of the shield. Sure enough as she expected the system did not trigger the same way. Now instead of simply pulling back her spear arm, she needed to push out with the shield as well. With both of those moves completed the system triggered and she followed through the motions from before. She was impressed with the level of detail in this game, where simply adding new equipment would change the way things worked all together.

Red gave one last satisfied smile before looking back to Takao. "Would you mind hunting a few of these low level boars with me?"

It wasn't long before she was nearing the rock where she had first witnessed the Gemini killing another player. Red let out a little sigh as she decided to sit down and have another drink of water. Strangely enough the little lizard that had been there before had remained unmoved from his previous perch. Though now the bred she had left seemed to have disappeared. She smiled as she took her seat back down on the rock, while placing her spear and shield next to her. "Didja at least enjoy the show?" She asked while sending a glance at the lizard. She knew it wouldn't respond, and if it hadn't moved by now was in no hurry do do so.

She let out a sigh as she opened her menu and produced another water bottle."Ya know It wouldn't kill ya to at least act a little interested" She gave the creature another small poke while she spoke. Surprisingly this time it did respond. Lazily the small animal opened its eyes and turned to look out towards the clearing again. Despite moving it continued to ignore Red as she offered it another poke though this one was much firmer. Clearly it had been programmed to ignore players, or rather had not been programmed with any way to interact with them.

Start of Turn

Replenish 1 SP

Replenish 3 HP

Red fell to her hands and knees breathing heavily and shaking violently. She felt as though she had run a couple of miles, or climbed a small mountain. Still despite the unpleasantness of these physical symptoms she felt light good inside. She had done it, she had actually accomplished something special all on her own. There were so many things that a victory like this would do for her. It would boost her confidence immensely not to mention get her name out to others who could help her. She smiled as she pressed off her hands so that she was simply kneeling in the clearing. The wound that had been inflicted on her hadn't actually hurt and even now her HP had started to regenerate on its own. She had been lucky this time though, and despite the confidence boost she was aware of her fortune in this duel. It could have, and almost should have ended differently.

After a few moments kneeling alone in the clearing she got up slowly using her spear as a support for her still shaking body. She took a look around ensuring that nothing had snuck along to block her path back to the village, and after confirming her safety she began the walk back.

Start of Turn

Replenish 1 SP

Red spun quickly on the spot as she prepared to engage the Gemini again. Her feet slid along the loose dirt as she came to a stop kicking of a cloud of dust. She cursed out loud again, though this time in frustration for her miss. The Gemini acted similarly, sliding to a stop with a spin, though rather than curse it only sneered. "You missed child. I think you wont last so good here." It said imitating her own giggle in a twisted manner. Red only cast her a sarcastic smile before issuing her own taunt. "Yeah, I'm still new to this. Whats your excuse." Her voice had a sinister crack to it and her own smile widened at the words. The pair both adjust their stances simultaneously before charging again.

ID# 31360 results:

As Red's strike began to go she pushed her arm along the known path, adding her own strength to the systems path for the Focused Strike. Doing this removed the feeling of simply being guided, and replaced it with the power of actually doing it herself. And it was with that that she found her mark, striking the Gemini cleanly in the torso, running it through from front to back. Her strike had been perfect not just landing, but hitting for a super critical. Unfortunately in this instance she had let her guard down and it had caused her to be hit in return. The wide open target she had presented had allowed the Gemini to land a super critical as well.

Red was powerless to watch her health bar deplete, down to 1 quarter of itself. She was shocked had her opponent only struck for 3 damage, but relieved to still be alive. She watched also as the Gemini's health dropped off to nothing before fading to nothing. She knew now there was only a few fleeting seconds before it disappeared so if she wanted to say to it she needed to do it now. "If you can't keep up, You shouldn't have stepped up." She said with a smile as her opponent exploded in a hail of shattered fragments.

Red_Rose HP: 1/4

Red_Rose SP: 0

Gemini HP: 0/4

Gemini SP: 0

Red_Rose Wins

Concentration Skill Unlocked

The old man smiled as he faded to a dull metallic grey color. Red watched in horror as his body seemed to morph right before her, he was turning into her.  Given that she was so short he actually seemed to lose a few inches off his height, which had she not been so shocked would actually be funny. Before long he finished, and she had to look again, or risk believing she was staring into a mirror. His weapons had changed as well, from that sword she had seen him kill the other player with to a spear like her own, effectively nullifying her reach advantage. To make matters worse, above his head sat a full health bar. "Alright child, I hope you made piece with your god, because i'll be sending you to him." The creature said emulating her voice.

Red got a chill as she heard her own voice come from her opponent, to be honest it scared her, she was certain now that she was in way too much trouble to survive this fight. How could this happen? she had been so dumb, and now there was nothing she could do. No that wasn't true. There was something she could do. She could fight and win. Though the odds were not in her favor, she had to win. Her ex would never let it down if she was bested so easily. "Alright... But please..." The doppelganger sneered as if expecting her to beg for mercy. "I wont go easy on you." It said in that same cold voice that made her shiver.

Red hesitated a moment before speaking up again. "No... Please leave God out of this. He wants no part of whats going to happen here today." she said raising her glance to the copy. This is it, it's time to do this, to stand up and be counted, she thought with a renewed fire as she charged at the creature. As Red neared it she raised her spear and shield falling into the strike pattern that activated her Focused Strike. Once she felt the click of the system taking over she relaxed and allowed the system to guide her along.

ID# 31353 results:

Red_Rose HP: 4

Red_Rose SP: 0

Gemini HP: 4

Gemini SP: 0

The man turned his gaze to her and smiled in a friendly manner. "Well hello young lady. Fancy a friendly duel to help an old man sharpen his skills?" Red stopped in her tracks now as she realized that this man was just a creature mod. It was obviously a human NPC combatant, and not a player as it lacked an indicator. She let out a light hearted laugh as she shook her head marveling at her own stupidity for thinking this to be a player. It was then that she remembered that this creature had just killed someone, and was now weakened. If anything it was the perfect thing to fight to help her level up. Odds are with how bad it looked it would only have a hit or two left, and with her shield she could now take a few shots herself. She could imagine the loot and XP she would get now, not to mention being able to tell the player that fled, that his friend had been avenged.

Red stood thinking for a moment while the old man continued to approach her. No doubt she had triggered it's AI when she spoke to it, so naturally it would approach her. What it would do when it got to her was a mystery to her. If she was going to do this she would need to make it fast. "How about it? we will keep it friendly and maybe both learn something?" The man propositioned again stopping 10 feet from her and looking like he could be easily defeated.

Red sneered at his words. She had just seen him kill someone, so the duels were clearly not friendly. Obviously this was a trap to lure her into a fight and kill her. Had she not seen what happened she would have been surprised. She had also seen him use a sword, and shield. From what she knew that would limit his range, giving her an edge over him. And with him wounded it was now looking like a sure thing. "Alright then old man. I'll finish what the other guy started."

Either way it was a gamble and she would need to do something, either walk away or intervene. After another few moments she decided to do something. This was one of those moments that would define her career here in Aincrad. She wanted to be strong, to have a name, and to show how good she really was. More though she wanted stories to tell her friends so that her Ex would hear. "Alright, I'll do it." She said determinedly, while casting a glance to the lizard that still sat obliviously next to her. She smiled again, giving it a last pat on the head before standing up. Red took a last sip of her water before tipping the bottle over onto the rock, in case her new little friend had been thirsty. "Wish me luck." she said as her menu re opened and she equipped her spear and shield.

It was now or never, and there was no time to waste Red thought as she started walking towards the victorious player. Strangely as she neared him he began to take on the form of a feeble old man, slouching forward and having a general look of instability. Perhaps she was right, he was wounded, she could take him in, or take him down if he tried to fight. The clearing still remained empty and she looked back over her shoulder one last time, confirming her path was clear if she needed to flee. Once satisfied she looked back to the older man, who was now much closer than before, before yelling out to him. "Hey... That was a dick move. We are not supposed to kill each other."

It was a scream that caught Red's attention now as she cast a quick look back to the dual. The stronger player had impaled the other on his sword. She coughed violently as she had tried to gasp, only to choke on her water. The impaled player fell to his knees while the other placed his boot neatly on his shoulder and pressed his wounded opponent free of the blade as if he were nothing more than trash. The wounded player fell over onto his side before exploding into a thousand pixels like the boars from floor 1. The spectating player seemed to be distraught and let out another scream that sounded similar to the first one she had heard, so as of this point she couldn't tell if the defeated player or the spectator had made the first scream. Either way he ran now, towards her, towards the village, and what she assumed was towards the gate.

AS he past her she heard him scream for her to run or be killed too. A threat that now seemed very real to her given what she had just seen. On that note she had not seen another player die before, this was new. For a few moments she wasn't sure what to do as she only stared off after the other player who had passed her. This was very serious, was she supposed to report this? on that note who would she report it to? Better yet the question remained, should she do something about this. No doubt the victor was wounded by now, she had after all seen him take many shots before he won. Did she stand a chance? Maybe with her shield he might think her to be bigger and simply surrender. Or maybe he was a powerhouse just racking up victims.

For a few moments Red became distracted by a small lizard that had snuck up on her, perching neatly on the rock beside her. It seemed to be oblivious to her presence and sat with its bright orange and yellow back to her. With a curiosity that rivaled that of a child she leaned over to get a better look at the animal that had invaded her picnic. Despite her now being only a few inches away from her it continued to ignore her, closing its eyes, as if to suggest it hadn't a care in the world. "Funny little beast, ain't ya?" She said gently as she poked it with her finger a couple of times. Still it ignored her, even as she prodded the little creatures side trying to get it to move.

A smile crept accross Red's face as she sat back up again. "You might have the right idea there little guy." She said as she tore a piece of bread from her loaf and placed it in front of the lizard, before returning her gaze back to the dual the seemed to be winding down. One of the players had been struck hard, and seemed to slow down considerably now. Clearly the fight was nearing an end and the players would no doubt go their separate ways. The victor would take his spoils and the loser would limp off to lick his wounds and train harder. That's how these things worked.

As the last bite of bread disappeared behind her red lips, she returned to her menu and drew a water bottle from it. Red cracked the cap gently and took a quick drink, allowing the cool sweet water to fill her mouth, refreshing her from the inside out. It was a good thing she hadn't done this on the 4th floor or her water might have frozen.

Red didn't have much in the form of possessions. Her clothing, a few loafs of bread, and water, A single basic spear and the Perfect shield given to her by Takao the day before. Aside form that she was considerably under prepared for any floor after floor 1. Despite that she was here, learning and gaining experience to become more powerful. That was how these things worked, or at least how she thought they did. Red was a woman with something to prove. She hated games, and was only here out of spite. Naturally it figured that she would get stuck here and need to fight for her survival while her no account ex was out with his mistress. The girls fists clenched as she thought about how much of a laugh he must be having at her expense. That's why she needed to get better, so she could survive, and eventually get to tell him what a dolt he was.

In a bid to calm herself she decided to have a  seat on a nearby rock and have her food here. the rock itself was outside the safety of the town, but the clearing allowed her the option to see around her so that she would not be ambushed by a random mob or player. As Red seated herself she noticed a dual going on not far from her. A pair of players, who looked incredibly evenly matched were trading blows back and forth while a third watched on. She had heard of these duals, often they were nothing more than dick measuring contests, but in rare circumstances they were serious. As she pulled a loaf of bread from her inventory she casually wondered what kind of dual this was. At the very least she wondered what had caused the players to fight, as they both seemed to have an intensity that suggested something serious was happening.

Floor 6

Jungle Clearing

The Teleport gate erupted with a blinding flash of blue white light, illuminating the area around it for several seconds before simply fading out. As the light dimmed the form of a player could be seen and before long she was entirely visible. Red left the warp platform huffing heavily as she leaned up on a nearby tree for support. one hand was placed gingerly on her hip as she gasped for breath. The act of teleporting was still something she needed to get used to if she was going to survive here. After a few moments the girl managed to stand up straight stretching out her back with a gentle moan before returning to a more relaxed posture. "so this is the 6th floor eh?" She asked out loud to no one in particular. She had not been expecting such a lush and tropical environment, In truth she hated humidity and heat, but the warmth had certainly been welcomed over the frigid climate of floor 4.

Today Red was simple going to all the floors she could, learning about them, and getting an idea of what this game actually held in store for her. So far she had climbed from floor 1 up to hear with no problems. She had made sure to stay within the varied safe zones so as not to draw agro from hostile mobs. This floor however despite the heat and humidity seemed to be alright looking, at least to say it was aesthetically pleasing. She had even decided to have a bite to eat here, given that it was just after midday, and she hadn't eaten since sun up on floor 1.

With no real purpose in mind Red wandered away from the gate, strolling harmlessly through the Village that it had been built in. A community full of female NPC's. This was supposed to be an Amazonian village, or so she determined from the females walking briskly around, with not a single male in sight. In fact pulling up her recently populated info on the town revealed her suspicion to be true. She giggled to herself thinking about how it would be to live here, while she walked on, waving to the NPC's or players that she saw. Before long she was at one edge of the village, with a large clearing on the side. Not too far off in the distance sat the freeline that marked the start of the hostile jungle.

Before Red could really say anything else, Takao went and pulled up his menu. That was something that she herself was embarrassed to say that she had only recently learned to do herself. A moment later and a shield had materialized in his hands. Its design was both simple and elegant. It was a traditional looking heater shield, with the obscured diamond shape that allowed for great protection while maintaining maximum mobility. Its grey and green paint looked scuffed ad faded as if this shield in particular had seen many battles. And in the center sat a single painted eye, almost like the eyes spots of a butterfly that would lure the attack of other creatures thus sparing the insect from direct physical harm.

Red hesitated again before reaching out to take the shield that was being offered. In her grasp it felt heavy, but at the same time it felt sturdy and secure. Once in her grasp she wasted no time in equipping the item so that it appeared on her free arm opposite her spear. She took a moment moving her arm around, rotating it left and then right getting a feel for the new item and its weight. The shield itself boast a 12" by 26" profile, which to her reduced size felt bigger than normal. However with the system assisting her it soon began to feel light and natural. "Th-Thank you." She stammered, now unsure of what to say in such a scenario. He had told her she could trade it in for one that suited her better if need be. "I'll pay you back for this. I promise." She managed to say as she opened up her menu and sent Takao a friend request. "I Don't have anything to offer right now, but I will don't worry." Through all of this she had the biggest smile accross her lips. With a shield like this she stood a decent chance at getting past the first floor, and moving onto better things. The thought had crossed her mind of how jealous her Ex would be if he could see this now.

Is this still a thing? If so id like to join. Even if there are no activities or anything. Just to wear the colors and sigils of the knights of the blood.

I don't mind if im the only one.

Red laughed lightly with Takao. It was funny that of all the games she could have started in, that she ended up here. This was probably the worst place for a noob like her, considering that her life was on the line. But at the same time, maybe it was that kind of dire scenario that would allow her to succeed over others. It did help meeting people like Takao, who were nice enough to help her along. At the very least his kind words were certainly enough to give her confidence. He had complimented her on her ability to use the sword art ability, causing her to smile with pride at her achievement.

Before long the conversation changed back to the familiar. According to Takao there was a quest to get them, and it allowed you to tame almost any creature you came across. This of course meant that there were dozens if not hundreds of options for creatures to take. Some would even give her bonuses to her skills. Red cast a casual glance over to a nearby heard of boars and wondered what kind of buff something like them would impose. Possibly defense or maybe with their powerful sense of smell a bonus to searching. She wanted one now, not necessarily a boar, but a familiar of her own. Anything that would offer her the chance to get better and survive.

"Mack, the Blacksmith." She repeated after Takao explained where she might be able to get some gear. It was a shame that he was currently busy, meaning she would have to find alternative means to getting gear, or go without for the time being. Red didn't have too much time to think on that before Takao offered her a shield that he had. She looked up at him a moment, confused and unsure of what to say. Was he actually serious, being willing to lend her gear till she could get her own? If so it would certainly help her along the way. "Are you serious? I mean yes Id love that." She blurted out before she could do anything else. "Id take really good care of it, and make sure you get it back as soon as I get my own."

"Pre-Motion." She repeated as she pulled back allowing the system to guide her through one more strike. Red couldn't help but wonder how neat she looked from the outside as she expertly thrust her spear at the imaginary target. Of course she was no expert in such things, but the system was, and with practice she could learn to tap into it whenever she needed. This also of course raised the question of how many moves were there, and how did they activate. In a way it was kind of exciting to say the least. "Well, im new to all of it really." She stopped playing with her weapon for a moment and looked up at Takao with another small blush. "This is kind of my first real game." she felt embarrassed now by how noobish she sounded. "This copy of the game was meant for someone else..." That sounded even worse. Now that she said it out loud she really could see how out of place she was.

She allowed another moment to go by before changing the subject. So how do you get such a cute little familiar?" Her attention now returning to the small creature on Takao's shoulder. Red had wondered now if this was a special reward for buying the game early, or even a special edition of the game. Or maybe it could be bought in a shop somewhere. If that was the case she would start saving now for one. "And on that note. Id like to buy a shield, and maybe armor. got any recommendations on places?"

Once again she found her hand in his, though this time as a greeting. After a moment she released the hand shake and smiled again. He had been humble about saving her, she had no doubt in her mind that she might have been toast without him, yet he allowed her to keep some dignity. "It's a pleasure to meet you Takao." She replied with a slight nod of her head. Red made a mental note to make sure to add him as a friend before they parted ways, after all one could not have too many friends here. Her gaze now traveled to the animal that was perched on his shoulder. It was an odd looking creature, certainly something she had never seen before, and one that didn't exist in real life. "I like your... friend?" She said with an unsure gesture towards the creature. Somewhere she had heard someone mention something about familiars, perhaps this was what they looked like, if so she wanted one. On the other hand she had heard people mention things about Parasites, though she was certain those were just stories.

"So, these sword arts... They activate when you do the right things I guess?" She asked raising her spear again and moving back into the same jab stance she had adopted earlier. Again she felt the trigger of the system as it activated the ability a second time. The follow through was identical, aside from having no target to aim at. It was a neat system and she wondered how many other moves she would have access to.

(ooc: So This thread is not for loot or anything from the boars. its just RP. so yeah if you want to one hit them go for it. Its just fer RP purposes.)

Red closed her eyes as she waited for the hit. It was at that moment that she heard swift approaching steps, followed by a hard thud. It took her a second before she opened her eyes and saw the man standing in front of her. He looked friendly, with his short neatly tuzzled hair, and gentle smile. He even had a hand outstretched to her, as he casually mentioned the boar was coming back. Red blushed a moment before reaching up to take his hand as she got to her feet. For a moment all she could do was look at this stranger who had helped her. Her current task and the boar were temporarily forgotten, and she blushed a little deeper realizing she was staring. "Thank you..." She managed to stammered looking away and noticing the animal again. The sudden rush of panic surged through her as she suddenly remembered what was actually happening. "Right, Sorry" She said as she raised her spear.

With her spear lifted she turned her body facing the charging boar. it was nearing with surprising spear and she needed to attack it. Clearly just swinging at the beast was not going to have an effect, so she would need to act with a little more control. Red did have a spear, so perhaps a jab would work better than a swing for now. The biggest question was how to do it. She had seen movies before where people used spears to fight. They often pulled the weapon back while using their free arm as a guide and striking with the weapon running parallel to their outstretched arm. Now was the time to try.

In a hurry Red turned exposing her free side to the boar and holding out her arm towards it. With her feet still unsteady she pulled back the spear, and thats when she felt it. It was like a click, and suddenly she was moving more fluid, like she was guided. This wasn't her, this had to be the system acting through her. Perhaps this is what people talked about with the system assisted attacks. It suddenly made sense, obviously the other players here had no combat experience with swords or weapons either, so the system would make up for the lack of training and experience. With this in mind She decided to relax and go with the system on this one. As the boar neared she felt her body tighten, until she stepped forward thrusting her spear hand at the boar, driving her weapon deep into its center mass. The creature stopped dead in its tracks before exploding into a shower of pixels.

Red cheered jumping up and down a few times with excitement before turning back to the man who had saved her. Her blush returned for a moment as she averted her own green eyes. "Thank you again. I think I would have been in trouble there if not for you." She held out her free hand for him to shake. "Call me Red." She said with a smile. So this is what a hero looked like in this game she thought happily.

(ooc: Fair enough. Sorry I figured with the censoring. Ill keep things toned down to the lesser cussing and only in moderation.)

Rose looked up as a new face entered the Inn. He was certainly something different to said for sure. He wore a skull to some beast on his head, but before she could determine it he removed it. She took a second to look him over, before turning back to her drink and taking another generous sip. The contents had been something considered to be alcohol, while it warmed her up from the inside and made her feel relaxed, she noticed that an indicator had appeared next to her health bar stating that she was currently suffering some negative status effects. If anything that was a neat thing to say the least. It was almost like real life alcohol.

A moment later and a voice cut through the Inn's silence. Considering that she was the only other person here, and the only one considered a mademoiselle she looked up to see the man addressing her. She hesitated a moment before responding, taking another quick second to look him over. For the most part he looked harmless, or at least as harmless as anyone could look. He also seemed to be enjoying a drink like her, so they had something in common. Maybe that's why he was talking to her, they had something in common and he wanted to get to know her. She smiled again turning in her seat to face him. "I'm moving up in the world. Gonna start adventuring seriously now." She said with a confident smile. Her own curiosity was peaked now. Who was this man and why was he here of all places. He was not dressed like a low level player, yet here he was at a place that people were either too big or too small to be at. "And what about you? What brings you here?"

Rose threw open the doors to the local inn. A broad smile stretched across her lips as she swiftly entered into the room, allowing the door to swing closed behind her. It was nice to see that there were no loading screens in this game as that would seriously kill her rather happy mood. Inside the Inn was particularly empty, clearly indicating that if you weren't on the first floor, then you were definitely much higher up. However Seeing as she had just finished her first hunt it seemed fitting that she should move up a floor. Soon she would be up at the top with the rest of players, and soon she would best them and head up further. It was amazing how one victory could fill someone's head with such visions of grandeur.

She approached the counter where the NPC innkeeper was posted. He was a homely sort of sprite, looking like he had seen some action in his younger days, but had now long since retired to serving drinks to would be adventurers.  "Goo evenin, miss. Wha can I get fer you today." He said cheerily. Rose only smiled as she layed out some coins on the counter. "I'll take a drink if you don't mind." The inn keeper snatched up the coins and quickly obliged, bringing her a mug of something or other, that she swiftly picked up, before giving the NPC a quick wink and heading off. It was a shame that no one was here, she had wanted to brag about her recent victory. The fact that she had gotten the help of a much larger player had not even phased her as now she believed she knew enough to get by. "This game aint so tough." She said rather loudly as she took a seat near a flight of stairs that no doubt led up to the Inn's rooms.

The long road that stretched out from the main city seemed to have no end in sight. It just went on into the fields and forests that made up this floor, almost threatening to go on forever. If Red hadn't looked at a map earlier she might have sworn it actually did. Fortunately for her this floor did have an end and a finite amount of space meaning she could eventually cover it all. And if it wasn't so big it wouldn't be as scary, and therefore was able to be conquered. That was the plan for the low leveled player now creeping along side the road. That player was Red_Rose a non gamer who had become trapped like everyone else here in Aincrad. Her reasoning for being here was silly, and she hated games, yet here she was.

Despite everything though, she had to admit that this was pretty cool. Red had remembered the stories from her childhood of brave warriors fighting monsters and doing noble deeds. They had of course all been fables, but this place made her feel like she was in one of those little stories. Even now she gripped her chipped and dulled spear tightly prepared to enter herself into these stories and become a hero, or something. It was strange though, never in her life did she imagine holding a spear for real. This wasn't like back at home when her boyfriend had bought that set of "Ninja Swords" that sat looking trashy on her book case. This was a real spear, though chipped and dulled by forces unknown, it was still real, and she really needed to use it to kill things. A smile crossed her lips at that thought. "I need to kill something" She muttered not believing that she had actually said that. That however was the name of the game in Aincrad. Kill and become stronger or wait to die. And she had already wasted too much time.

She flicked her golden hair carelessly as she veered off the path heading towards the shade of a few trees. A small group of boars wandered not far off, grazing on digital grass. Even they looked really well rendered. 't have much in the way of gear or skills. In fact all she had was starter gear which offered no bonuses. Her clothing was nothing more than to hide her shame, and her sword was hardly better than a wooden stick. But many others had come through her claiming these boars for their experience and pelts. They were supposed to be easy and farmable, providing a bounty of low level experience and col. The only problem, she had never fought before. The last little while had been spent in the safety of the city, if one could call it that. She browsed vendors, stayed at shelters and generally had achieved nothing. A sad state of affairs really. Luckily she had become bored with that and now wanted to do something else, learn something new, and advance to a new floor.

She neared the trees, still smiling confidently. These were just boars, low level easy kills. Everyone here had managed to beat them down, everyone but her. Now though she was going to join the ranks of Aincrads warriors and slay one of these beasts. Once she hit the trees she turned to look, quickly spotting a boar off on its own. "Perfect!" She said with a smile before approaching the sprite. It wasn't so big, maybe 3 or 4 feet at the highest point. It even seemed oblivious to her approaching it. Perhaps it was because she did so quietly and carefully making extra good use of her sneaking. Or maybe she just hadn't entered its circle of agro yet. Needless to say the moment she was within 20 feet of it, things changed quickly. The boar stood up staring her down, and quickly charged. This sudden change in behavior had caught Red off guard and she was quickly knocked down by the beast. She let out a cry of anguish as she fell onto her backside, while the boar charged right on past her. Above her head her small health bar ticked away indicating she had just received a point of damage. This was going to be harder than she thought.

Still she was quick to rise to her feet and face the animal again, and like before it charged. This time she swung her sword at it when it neared , but it still knocked her over as it barreled through her. She would definitely need to try moving around more if she wanted to live through this. Luckily she had managed a hit as well, dealing a clean 2 damage strike to the animal. This did not seem to be enough to kill it as the boar turned sharply and charged again. Red had not managed to get to her feet this time and could only raise her spear in front of her as she awaited the beasts attack.