Creius

Nathan was walking down a random road that he had not thought about, for those curious he was southbound heading back towards the Town's gates. He was going at a slow walk, simply looking about. He didn't really consider what it was that he was looking at, his thoughts occupied by other matters, but everything was quieting down. The streets were empty for the most part, creating that ghostly effect that night did, and the streets were lit up by the dim torches that hung over the street. Onto Jonathan and Brax. His mind began its logical approach to thinking, considering the matter on many levels. He wasn't too sure what he thought about Brax personally since they had just met right before the adventure was done for the day. However, on a practical side, he knew that he needed companions of some sort and Brax seemed willing to provide. As long as it seemed that he wouldn't end up with a knife in his back it would be fine. He wasn't used to being even this open to others in MMO's like this. Usually everyone was out for their personal gain no matter the game. Of course SAO was a bit different since it was literally a death game. That was probably the only reason he accepted Brax's help. Any other game or any other time and he would have rather grind away until he was strong enough to progress. That couldn't happen in this game, he only had one chance. He laughed a little bit, just the nervousness spilling out.

(OOC: For those of you whom will read or follow this a bit of preface for you. These "Midnight Jaunts" will be episodic threads I'll create, generally after something of significance, to develop my character a bit. If you are/thinking of partying with Creius then these might be good to read, or at least the latest one since it will include the most recent progression.)

It was right after he had split ways with Jonathan and Brax on the day that the three of them had met. Nathan walked back into the walls of the Town of Beginnings and looked around the darkening city. He really didn't want to go to bed just yet. The day filled with adventure had excited his blood and his senses were a bit too heightened. He wandered along the streets, approaching his usual resting spot. He lay down on the cobbles and looked up into the darkening artificial sky above him. Jonathan and Brax. The two names swam around his head as he considered them. He didn't think he was ready to completely trust them but he could definitely stick around them for a bit longer. Maybe a quest or two would be the extent of his adventures with them or maybe there was actually a bit of a future in their questing. He didn't think too far ahead though, there was still the matter of surviving until the next day. He sighed, not much time having passed since he had had lain down. He was feeling a bit antsy, maybe a walk would do him good. He stood up and looked in multiple directions, chose one, and began walking. It wasn't so much the direction that mattered to him right now, just the movement. Sure he could sit for hours and get lost in the expanse of stars, but that wouldn't resolve any of his thinking. No, he needed a nice peaceful walk to clear up his mind.

Nathan, upon entering the restaurant, was already lost at the front desk. He wasn't used to actually ordering a meal from something so... real. Then he saw someone passed him and nodded to the smiling acquaintance of his. He watched as Jonathan requested a table and followed him and the waitress to said table, taking one of the seats facing the door. Now that he was sitting his next reaction was to go get some bread and water from his inventory and begin eating. However, the waitress apparently had a different idea. "Oh... Um.. I'll have some water too.. and.." He tried to think of something that he would usually have had for breakfast back at home and took Jonathan's advice to be specific. "Give me some eggs, over easy, with some bacon on the side." Yeah, that was a suitable enough breakfast. When the waitress scurried off with their orders he turned to Jonathan. His interest was a bit peaked and he hoped to start soon. Maybe he'd found a group he could actually stick with for once. It all depended on how the next few adventures went of course, and that was if he survived them "Yeah, I'm about as ready as I'll ever be. What were you thinking of for an adventure?" Boar farming sounded like that would be smart for low level players like the three of them so he didn't think it wise to complain about the lack of variety in the farming. That was just a part of any MMO, it was crucial you farmed early to get you started off well.

When they had gone their separate ways the night before Nathan had headed off to his usual sleeping spot out in the middle of the town. The quiet noises of the still town helped him sleep deeply and completely recover from the excitement of the prior day. When he woke up he stretched a bit and wondered what he would do today. No thoughts of partying up really came to mind. Sure, that small bit of adventuring had been nice but he didn't usually partake in group questing or farming. Never had been his style. However, when Jonathan's message came in Nathan couldn't help but want to go. He felt a little better about partying with the two of them, but not too much better. He wasn't willing to open up or anything, merely give it another go. That was more than other games partying could say. He opened his social tab and went to reply to Jonathan.

Quote

To: Morgenstar

From: Creius

           Sounds good, I'm on my way then. Be there in a few minutes.

  He hit send, keeping the message brief so he could arrive there quickly. Free meals were always nice, especially since he usually didn't have the Col to afford one in the first place. He began running down the roads towards the northern part of the town, quickly passing the fountain and arrived at an eating house that was labelled Taki's. He opened the door and entered, looking around for signs of either Jonathan or Brax.

. : Summary : .

Creius - 200 Col + 1 SP

Morgenstern - 200 Col + 1 SP

Brax - 1 SP + 1 Mat (And 200 Swag Points for being awesome) 

Thread Complete

Since Jonathan made no objections to the man's presence among them Nathan figured he couldn't go and tell the man to leave. Plus they owed him something since he'd gone and saved their lives. That didn't mean Nathan was going to open up and trust the man. If anything he distrusted the intention of the man at the moment. As he stared into the eyes of the stranger he tried to gauge what type of man he was. He saw a sense of hardness but didn't see anything that might betray what caused it. He couldn't quite place it but it seemed more like there was just a lack of emotion in them. Not that sense of betrayal by the world that he saw in the people's eyes from his old land. "It was just a matter of learning the system. It doesn't matter how strong you are if you can't tell the difference of one side of a sword from the other. However, I'll take your advice for the future. A bit more studying of the opponent is warranted." They'd come a little too close to death that time around. A little bit of pre-battle planning was extremely necessary, especially in a death game like this. He shook the thought from his head and swiped his hand down. At least for now he would let the man stay. And so it would remain until Nathan so reason to not trust him. Hopefully it wasn't going to be the one time that Nathan trusted someone that he would be betrayed. He sent a party request to Brax, adding another adventurer to his little adventure. "Well, since you're so smart in the ways of SAO.. What would you think about joining our party? A little bit more muscle is always welcomed." Brax, while seeming to be strong, couldn't possibly be too much stronger than them. Plus, Jonathan and he were bound to be about to level up which would only even the playing field even more. There wasn't much worry of trouble if Brax were to betray them... Something told Nathan it wouldn't come to that though. He would trust that small voice this one time and could only pray it wasn't wrong.

Thinking back on it, the sound could equate to a train. There was a large movement as a body came barreling past him and placed itself between the boar and Jonatha. It was then that he noticed the boar was charging up a rather strong attack and he winced slightly as the stranger took the blow straight to his chestplate. That was bound to hurt, but the man barely flinched. He just proceeded to do a rather strong and quick attack. He watched as the boar got decimated by two successive blows from the heavy axe and winced again. That must have hurt a lot. After the boar dissolved into pixels and the man turned and introduced himself Nathan fought the urge to try and send the man away. He had just saved at least one of their lives if not both. "My name is Nathan. Thanks." He shuffled slightly, not really sure what to do now. He didn't know this man who'd just come barging into their fight but by doing so he'd saved them. There was a conflict between not trusting this stranger and trusting someone who'd just risked their life for him. "Um.. So, what were you doing out here?" The distrusting side of him questioned why someone would be out here, simply watching two players fighting a boar. And, as it had always been, his distrusting side spoke a little louder than any other part of his mind. 

Nathan watched as Jonathan missed his attack as well and panicked a little as the boar came charging at his party member. The boar ended up missing Jonathan, but only just barely. When it came to a stop between them Jonathan ran forward and thrust his rapier at its fat side. There wasn't any way he could miss such a target... Of course, he had missed a target that hadn't known he was attacking just recently.

41959     BD: 6   (1 Base + 1 Weapon Skill - 1 MIT = 1 DMG to Boar)

Nathan's attack was on a good course though and his rapier slipped through the rib cage of the still boar. He heard the boar squeal in pain and watched as its health bar inched down barely. This was going to take a while at this rate. With the deftness that his rapier allowed Jonathan slipped the blade out of the boar and jumped back, leaving the boar wide open for a follow up attack by Jonathan. "Your turn!" Again, barely able to say anything in the heat of battle. Of course, what else was there to say?

Boar:          

     Health: 4        DMG: 3      MIT: 1      (Hate:  Morgenstar-0    Creius-0)

The boar wasn't all that happy that its dinner had been disrupted. First some random human came attacking him while he wasn't looking and now some other was following up. Who were these pesky little humans thinking they could just go barging into someone's business? Whoever they were, they were definitely not the most skilled fighters he'd encountered before. He'd teach them for their impudence. The boar narrowly dodged the sword slash of the second boy and backed off a bit, giving itself some space for its charge.

41958     MD: 4

The boar ran forward, aiming its sharp tusks at the figure who had just swung out at him. The space wasn't enough to quite get in a good burst of speed for the charge, it would suffice though. The boar, upon reaching the boy, swung out with its tusks but had the trajectory of its charge wrong so it ended up running past the boy. The tusks came within centimetres of the boy's clothing but wasn't close enough to actually harm. The boar followed through with its momentum, running well past the boy and stopping somewhere between the two party members.

Nathan nodded at Jonathan's decision to stay and fight. Hopefully everything would go as smoothly as the first time.  Nathan looked across the grasslands, looking for their next target. He spotted a sizable boar and walked toward it. At the invitation to attack first Nathan nodded and drew his rapier out and broke out at a sprint towards the boar. Hopefully a quick strike would be enough to finish the beast off. Nathan charged and thrust forward his rapier at the beast.

41940     BD:2  

The boar, who was simply munching on grass when it was attacked, turned at the last second and Nathan's thrust whizzed through the empty space where the boar used to be. Not off to a great start, hopefully Jonathan could follow through better. Nathan pivoted on his foot and jumped out of the way. "Switch!" There wasn't much else he could focus on or say in the middle of battle. Just focusing on landing the next hit was proving challenging enough.

Nathan backed off from his position of imbalance, trying to recover himself from his attack on the boar. Luckily the boar missed its charge and Nathan was able to stumble back into balance. He turned and saw the boar preparing for another charge and Nathan prepared himself to roll out of the way but then Jonathan came and struck the boar in the side, finishing it off. He watched as the boar dissolved into pixels and disappeared into the air. Nathan sighed in obvious relief, somehow they'd made it out unscathed. He'd been terribly worried that he might have led Jonathan out here to his death like Lessa had presumed he was. "Yeah, fun. That's what this death game is... I'm glad I didn't get you hurt. My stubbornness might get me killed but that doesn't mean that I should bring someone with me." He sheathed his rapier and turned toward the wall of the Town of Beginnings. "You want to head back now or find something else to fight?" Both options had their appeals. Honestly, the combat training would be nice for the future. This was the first time Nathan had actually used his blade and any practice would save his life in the future. However, they'd gotten really lucky this time around. He didn't want to go get them killed because they had pushed their luck a little too far.

OOC: Fine by me (Not that I really have a choice since you went and initiated battle already)

When Jonathan's username, Morgenstern, appeared in his vision peripheral he smiled slightly. You would think he would have chosen hammer if he chose that to be his nickname. Not that it mattered, usernames didn't have to mean anything. Sometimes they just sounded cool and were there for a placeholder. He followed Jonathan out of the town and into the surrounding grasslands and trudged along, looking at the new sights as they passed them on the path. He watched as something caught Jonathan's eyes and noticed the boar in the tall grass. Their first target, and hopefully their first victim. He followed Jonathan after the boar and watched as his partner made his attack. He had to contain his laughter as his partner whiffed his attack and had to hurriedly run up to make his follow up attack.

41917          BD:9  (1 Base + 1 Weapon Skill + 1 Crit. Bonus = 3 DMG Dealt)        CD:8           LD:9          MD: 5          

(OOC: Are we going to do Mobs as separate posts then? Or will you include the mob's attack first in your next post?} 

Nathan charged the boar quickly after Jonathan shouted out the switch command. It wasn't his first time in an MMO and even if he didn't sually party up he did understand the basic callouts. Unlike Jonathan's attack, Nathan was able to land a sound blow on the boar, cutting a long gash along its side with his rapier. He watched as the health bar the porker dropped down past half health and close to red. Not quite enough damage to kill it but almost there. However, no he was wide open to a counterattack and he knew the boar wouldn't be too happy with the wound he'd just inflicted upon it.

This guy had to be insane for still wanting to party with him. Nathan was dumbfounded by the fact Jonathan was still willing to party up and was only able to nod at the thought of a second chance. That's something he could use. He didn't completely trust Jonathan at the moment, but maybe one day... Let's see how this first bit of adventuring went before thinking about the future. Had to survive today first. When the party invitation came up his finger hovered over the blue accept button. After the brief hesitation he pushed the button and followed Nathan out the door. "Yeah, let's go. I'm feeling the need to kill something at the moment. Thanks for giving me the chance, hopefully it doesn't get the two of us killed." He'd try his best not to die today but he was making life a little difficult for himself by being so distrusting, Thankfully he'd met someone who at least understood working alone was hard. Maybe they'd end up being successful together and have a bright future. Or, maybe they'd end up dying to the first mob they would encounter. Wouldn't know until they were out there and making their future.

Nathan shuffled slightly after the woman, Lessa, had left the inn. Her comments stung, mostly because they were true. He'd just been hurt or seen too many others get hurt by the actions of others. He couldn't quite open himself up in that way, not able to completely trust himself to someone else. After a bit of mulling he turned to Jonathan, looking him directly in his eyes. "Jonathan... If you want to go at any time I understand. I'm not exactly the best person to party with and I know that. I've always done better as a solo-player since I never trusted parties. I wouldn't blame you if you ran out that door and chased down Lessa. You'd probably have better chances of surviving with her anyways..." He sighed and shuffled a bit where he stood. He wasn't good at these types of things and that would be the one thing that would get him killed. He knew that his ability to trust people was too severely lacking. Maybe time would temper him or he could find a group of people that he could actually trust... That'd be the only way he'd survive this death game. The party offer still stood, all that mattered now was whether he would accept or reject it. Seeing as how things had gone in the inn he could see Jonathan running out the door in hopes of better chances of survival.

Nathan heard the terseness in her voice as she continued on. He didn't like being called, especially by someone he didn't know. Plus, she didn't know why he'd rejected her help. It wasn't like he didn't want help, it was just hard to trust his life into the hands of a complete stranger. He stared into her eyes, letting a silent pause extend as he cooled off from her comment on their decision. He knew better than to rise to anger so he wouldn't answer in anger or frustration like she had. "Obviously you don't understand an even more pressing matter that is the true reason why I reject your offer. I rejected your offer for help because I can't trust you. My friend here is at a similar level than me so I could at least put up a fight if he were to decide he wanted to slip his blade into my back." He turned back slightly so he was looking into Jonathan's green eyes and nodded an apology. His words might have caused offense and he knew he should apologize for their truth. "Sorry, but it is true. I don't really trust you either." With that out of the way he turned back to the woman in front of him. "You however, I can't risk trusting. You're many times stronger than the two of us combined. If you were to betray us, we couldn't stop you. Hell, you might be able to kill the two of us in one stroke. I'm sorry that it obviously frustrates you but I am not willing to risk the chance." That was all there was to say on the matter. It was the entirety of the truth. He couldn't trust her an inkling, that was just how it was. He held the stare for a bit, trying too see if any understanding about the predicament came to her.

Nathan, upon hearing the heavy foot steps from behind him could only groan slightly. Not another person... He turned and saw a surprisingly well equipped player. This one could kill him in a heartbeat if she wanted to. That much he could tell in an instant. He glared at her a little bit, not trusting his life with her in the slightest. What type of fool did she think him to be that he would just join her because she offered to help? On top of that she was a part of one of the most powerful guilds in Aincrad. That didn't really sit well with Nathan. That much power and he was simply supposed to trust she wouldn't cut him in half? He wasn't trusting enough to let her come... "Sadly, I believe I'll have to decline your offer... You would probably attract stronger mobs than the two of us can handle." There was a certain amount of truth in his rejection of her assistance, just enough to where his distrusting nature hopefully didn't show. The armour and her natural assumption that they were weak were just a bit too much for him to trust. He doubted his rapier would be able to penetrate that thick armour and if he couldn't effectively fight back he didn't want to risk the chance of her killing them.

His remaining water didn't last too long and soon enough he was just holding an empty glass. He kept his eyes averted though, not really wanting to draw attention from the other boy. He heard the quiet whisper of shoes against the wood as someone approached his table in the quiet tavern. Nathan winced slightly, so much for avoiding a conversation. There was the noise of wood on wood as that same person drew themselves up a chair and sat at his table. Now that it was unavoidable Nathan let the cup disappear into pixels and looked at the silver-haired boy in his green eyes. There was a sense of intelligence there, one that worried Nathan a bit. A smart enemy was a dangerous one. When the boy spoke he could sense a bit of nervousness. So he was about as anti-social as Nathan was, that was a little more reassuring. He couldn't help but look away as he considered the offer. Sure he needed to begin somewhere, but he wasn't really a people person. "Um...I don't know..." He wasn't all that interested in running off into the fields with some random person he had just met. However, he'd watched plenty of beginners go and get themselves killed in the fields right out side of the town. He knew he needed some help to kickstart his adventure... "...I guess...Maybe for a bit..." He stood up from his chair, closing off further discussion for now on the subject. When he was standing he swiped his hand down and reequipped his rapier, enjoying the comfortable weight at his side now that he was dealing with a stranger. He was all set to go, his few belongings now at his side, so he looked to the silver-haired boy. "My name is Nathan." With that he went to the social portion of the menus and sent a party request to the boy across from him.

Nathan was minding his own business in the tavern, or at least trying to. The new entrant was making that a little hard to do though. He could feel the eyes looking at him and, out of the corner of his eyes, he could make out the silver haired face that was looking at him. He took a bite of the bread and downed it with water. Why couldn't he just eat in peace?  He set the bread down and pulled on the collar of his beginner's clothes, trying to cut off the eye contact with his face. He couldn't quite break it though and sat there, enduring the gaze. He could barely swallow his bread, relying heavily on the water to wash it down. What if he'd just been targeted by a PKer? Analysis of his clothes showed he wasn't farther than Nathan himself at all, if not in a similar position. That boded well if they were to fight. Just maybe he could take him. With the bread done he sat there and sipped away at the water, hoping the young man would stop staring at him. It was a bit unnerving.

It was fine and dandy to decide that he would go and become strong enough to start clearing floor bosses with the strongest players, getting there was a different matter. Nathan touched the pommel of his rapier that he'd obtained in the early minutes of joining the game and looked at the various paths that led across the Town of Beginnings. He ran a hand through his black hair, trying to come to a decision about where to go but seemed unable to decide. There was just so much to cinsider, he was a low level and that could prove deadly if he made a wrong move. Sometimes it isn't the mind that decides for you though as Nathan figured out. His stomach rumbled slightly and he laughed a little. Okay, food it was then for now. He walked down one of the paths of the town and found an eatery which would satisfy his intentions. Tired Warrior Resthouse read the sign of the pub that hung over the door as he walked through the door.

The tavern wasn't terribly busy at the moment, but that suited Nathan quite well. Interacting with people weren't his strong suit, so much so that he still had yet to talk to anyone in the game. NPC's were even a bit difficult to talk to for him at time. Just one of the drawbacks of being extremely anti-social in a completely 3D rendered world. He approached one of the empty tables and unequipped the rapier from his selection and sat in the chair that faced the door. He didn't have the money to buy food, but he didn't need to by food right now. All he needed was a table where he could relax. He leaned back in his chair and swiped his right hand down, accessing his menus. Going through them quickly he selected the bread and water that everyone started with. They appeared on the table in front of him and he set a little meal up for himself. Sure, nothing fancy but it would set off that edge of hunger for now. As he began to dig into his inadequate meal he kept his eyes on the door. Even in a safe zone he couldn't quite trust people here. The thought of being PKed and actually dying only made him more distrusting of the people in this game.

Mmk, I didn't know how open people would be to such a thread since an utter newb would be starting it. Thanks for the suggestion, I'll get right on making a thread then.

I'll probably keep this pretty active with questions and requests for advice while I get used to this system of RPing. As a precursor, I would love to thank those that will help me and answer my questions. I really appreciate it very much. :D

As a skrub to this forum I'm surprised by how little questions I have about the system. Kudos to Oske for the tutorial and how it is set up. Lengthy, but definitely did its job. I made it through the journal process and have posted in the Town of Beginnings forum for starting off. Now though, what do I do? It isn't so much I don't have direction, it's more that I want to make sure I don't go and screw myself over. xD  Combat is out of the question at the moment since a boar could one shot me and, since my character is anti-social, I can't really go looking for a party. O.o I don't feel like being 'Bob' from the combat example. However, I don't really want to do what the most recent beginner did (which was just aimlessly walked through fields and scavenged for materials). Summary: What's an okay way to start off in this world without getting myself killed?

^_^ THANKS!