Merlin

Aden was poking around outside when he found himself window shopping at a smithy. He took a glance at the various weapons and armors displayed around the store, and the new player discount caught his eye. He took a look at his beginner dagger and decided to be prepared for when he couldn't simply dance out of mob aggro.

Stepping inside mulling over his options, he decided the curved blade was for the best. Straight swords took too much practice to use. Daggers put him too close. Warhammers and axes were out of the question from their weight. And he felt like the tip of the spear would embed itself into his enemies and become stuck. So he wrote down what he thought was a good design and began to search for the store owner about the new player deal.

Looking around, he realized that the store owner was on break. Aden added a bit on the bottom saying that this request as a new player, and his in game name. Placing it down, he started to head out for the door.

[Request Form]

While still hot, the water did wonders on Aden's mindset. Letting out a lengthy sigh of contentment, he began to stroll around the hills once more. As he walked, he couldn't find many material spots without a boar or the like wandering around it.

This continued for quite some time to his annoyance, so when he saw one of the spots guardians path away from his prize, he decided to gamble. Moving quickly and carefully, he weaved through the aggros of wasps and wolves to a sapphire chrysanthemum. Making it through without issue, he quickly and quietly set to work, this time his speediness due to focus and not lack there of. 

He felt the impact of his skills, letting him do cuts that he would normally botch. The rushed process was made up for by his equipment, making the flower stand a blunder or two without ruining the item. Aden finished and placed the flower into his inventory, and weaved his way through the mobs as quickly as he could.

[Gathering Quest Materials]

ID: 104462

LD: 12 (+3) = 15 [Success]

[Quest Material #: 4]

The sun was at it's full glory by this point. This heat made Aden's suit feel stuffy and restricting. Flipping open his inventory, he was about to swap out when he saw the buffs that the suit was giving him. Letting out a sigh of surrender, he flicked away the menu and trudged on.

While he had plenty of water, he did just drink a moment ago and wanted to use his supplies sparingly, though he was further tempted as time went on. Hoping for a cloud to shield him from the harsh rays, he continued his search through Aincrad for more crystals.

Finding a plant, he lazily began to harvest it, too hot to care at this point. And combined with his growing fatigue, his cuts became sloppy, and he sliced into the metals, scratching and ruining it. Giving up on conserving, he summoned a bottle and began to drink.

[Consumed 1x Water]

[Gathering Quest Materials]

ID: 104389

LD: 4 (+3) =7 [Fail]

After that failure, Aden decided to take a break. Materializing bread and water, he began to seek a place to rest. Finding a boulder with plenty of shade and zero mobs, he moved over to the covered area, leaning his back against the cool rock.

It wasn't the best bread by any means, but it felt nice to chew on something while watching the grass slowly sway in the wind. The day was hot as well, so the water was very welcome to him. Even mobs didn't stray to close. All in all, it was a peaceful scene.

Leaving half of his bread and water for a offering, he was about to set off when he saw another crystal flower blooming on the lit side of the boulder. Humming a mantra in thanks, he set to work, and easily plucked the flower away. Smiling, he gave a wave to the unseen spirits and went on his way.

[Consumed 1x Bread]

[Consumed 1x Water]

[Gathering Quest Materials]

ID: 104382

LD: 14 (+3) = 17 [Success]

[Quest Material #: 3]

Moving along, Aden found himself looking upwards. The clouds were lazily trailing along the blue sky, with the sun a drop of yellow which stood against the background. In the back of his mind he knew it was all simulated, but he enjoyed it none the less. It was nice to have the breeze blow around him and hear the swaying of grass. Though he wished he could do without the various boars and wolves which dotted the area.

Calmly, he glanced around for something harvest and found a rose which, fittingly, was made out of ruby. Kneeling once more, he began to make precise cuts into the stem, slowly and meticulously working.

Yet it was a gentle flower, and he had to cut it quickly lest the hand holding still would deform and eventually destroy the rose. He still took his time, and eventually the hand holding the flower still slipped, and deformed the flower to the point where it exploded into fragments of light.

[Gathering Quest Materials]

ID:104381

LD: 11 (+3) = 14 [Fail]

Deciding that multi tasking wasn't the greatest idea when extracting minerals, Aden restrained himself. Looking around the area, another chance presented itself in the form of a diamond petaled daisy. The sun light made the plant twinkle against the rolling hills surrounding them.

When he was close enough, he knelt and felt over the pistil of the plant. Oddly enough, it felt normal to him. Only the petals seemed to be affected by this stone like curse. Letting his hands run over the petrified petals, Aden marveled on how smooth they felt. Realizing that time was wasting, he drew his knife and got to work, making slow and shallow cuts into the stem.

After working over the flower for a few moments, his knife slipped through the final few plant fibers, and released the flower. Placing it into his inventory, he dusted his knees and got up once more, letting a tune slip into his voice.

[Gathering Quest Materials]

ID: 104380

LD: 15 (+3) = 18 [Success]

[Quest Material #: 2]

Used to being interrupted by the beasts, Aden continued onward without a fuss. He began to hum a small tune. As he walked along the path, he messed around with various pitches, mixing and matching. While he did experiment last time when he was out, admittedly he wasn't entirely sure what his voice could or couldn't handle.

During all of this, a tulip made of emerald caught his eye. He drew his knife to cut into the flower and extract it. All the while, he continued to sing and play with his voice, trying to see how he could manipulate it into certain ways. His attention was split between the flower, and his song.

This didn't turn out favorably for the flower. While the petals were of gemstone, the stem was delicate to the touch. Applying to much pressure to one cut, he crushed the flower into shimmers once more.

[Gathering Quest Materials]

ID: 104375 

LD: 3 (+3) = 6 [Fail]

Running his hand over one of the many rocks which were scattered around the area, Aden began to explore this land of gentle hills. There were no mobs so far, and he accounted it towards the small offering he gives out every morning. Looking to a boulder which held amethyst, he saw himself tinted in purple, which made him smile.

Glancing around, he found a gem flower with a similar look, knelt once more to cut the petals away. He began patiently, cutting into receptacle. Then, he heard a oh so familiar snort, and glancing back into the vein, he saw a boar was about to come into range of him. Grimacing at the reflect, he abandoned the flower and began to dance out of the aggro of the boar, hearing a shatter behind him.

Rolling his eyes, he began to walk away from the scene.

"There is no safe haven from them..."

[Gathering Quest Materials]

ID: 104374

LD: 4 (+3) = 7 [Fail]

Instead of taking the path towards the forest, he instead began to trek towards the low mountains of floor one. While he loves the forest, he doubted there would be much in the way of crystals residing there. Pushing forward, he passed by the plains and soon the fields became sloping hills, and Aden found himself in a new area.

Seeing a lonesome rock with a speckling of ore in it, he took out his knife out of habit and prepared to gather the material. Then, he glanced down at his tool, and realized he was unprepared. Sheathing his dagger, he began to step back towards the town to get a chisel when a flower like no other caught his eye.

It had the shape of a lily, yet its petals seemed to be made out of gem stone. Fascinated, he ran his hand over them, and it was as hard as it looked. Cutting into the stem, he gently removed the bloom from the flower, and placed it into his inventory. Smiling at the convenience of it all, he began to travel further into the mountains for these gem flowers.

[Gathering Quest Materials]

ID: 104373

LD: 14 (+3) =17 [Success]

[Quest Material #: 1]

An amber eyed and red headed player walked around the starter town. Clad in a dark suit and a dagger by his side, Aden walked around aimlessly around the "Town of Beginnings". He was running out of things he could look into in the city. Out of boredom, he flicked open his menu to look at the materials he gathered over his last adventure, then grimaced at the pending quest about the boars. Ignoring the inevitable, he closed out his menu and continued on the winding roads of the first floor city.

Then he heard a voice being carried on the wind, it's tone beautiful. Curious and wishing to distract himself, he followed the noise to a open door, where he finds a woman whose looks matches her voice. Sensing his presence, she turns around and waves him over. Walking inside she gives her quest spiel. Aden almost pressed yes before giving Alyssa a questioning gaze.

"Does this require combat of any type?"

She shook her head, a gentle smile on her lips.

"It is optional, though preferably I would like you to avoid gathering from mobs."

Aden accepted without further hesitation, and began to make his way out of the city.

[Declared Inventory]

[Declared Skills]

Aden was messing around with his suit when he received the message. He took a glance at the clock in his opened menu, and found himself stunned at how quick his order finished. Pushing his thoughts into the back of his mind, he equipped suit and headed out of the inn towards Hei's shop.

He pushed into the store this time, and his appearance really did match the suit. With amber eyes, hair, a relaxed expression, and a grin to top it all off, the namesake of the suit felt true, at least to him. Aden's grin melted into a smile as he waved towards Hei.

"Still can't believe you gave this out for free."

After trading with Hei for his items, he swapped outfits for a bit, his smile remaining. Shaking his head in happy disbelief,  he swapped back into his suit, and looked at Hei.

"This is great. I'll come back here to actually buy items soon."

He began to walk towards the door, but then turned around.

"I'm planning on taking up a profession. I'll message you when I set up shop, and you can request one free item of any quality. See ya Hei."

And with those words, he faced forward and went out, a grin still on his face.

"Perhaps luck is a spirit..."

[Gained Casual Clothes]

[Gained Green Cloak]

Aden raised his head from his menu, giving Hei a polite smile when he was given the go ahead.

"Thank you, I appreciate it."

Though after Hei's second sentence, Aden fumbled with his menu, resulting in him unequipping his dagger by mistake. He raised his eye brow at first, confused. Then he smiled with cheer in his eyes, his disposition relaxed.

"Your going to run yourself out of business, but I'll take your offer on the vanity items. On the topic of enchanting the cloak, no need. It will be only used during times when I want to take a stroll through the forest."

Closing his menu out, he walked over to the James with the suit on it and placed it into his inventory. Then he shifted his focus back onto Hei, and threw him a friend request.

"I'll head out now, take care Hei. Throw me a message when they're ready."

[+1 The Devil's Suit]

He heard the striking of metal ringing across the streets, and entering through the open door, he found another old man. Apparently this was the place for him to deliver the package, and so he waited for the blacksmith to finish up his craft.

Sensing that there was someone else in the room, Lyle Tealeaf, placed down his tools and wiped the sweat off his brow. Giving a grin, the elder waved him over.

"Hello lad, I'm gonna assume your form Zackariah? Glad it's finally done."

A little shocked that the stranger was able to guess his attentions, he simply materialized the package and handed it over to Lyle, who took it with a glimmer in his eye. After placing down the box on a nearby table, a screen appeared in front of Aden, saying quest complete.

Swiping it away, Aden had a small smile on him. His second adventure has concluded, and he was about to step outside when he was stopped by Lyle.

"Ah, before you go, mind helping me out with something? I need a few materials for weapons."

Hearing that, and seeing a quest notification pop up, Aden accepted it without a second glance. Smiling, Lyle spoke up once more.

"Great, all you have to do is kill a few baby boars and grab their tusks. Good luck!"

Stunned, the high of finishing the quest was doused by the implication of Lyle's words, and he groaned as he realized what he just got himself into...

[Quest Complete]

[-3x Bread]

[-2x Water]

[+475 Col]

[+4 T1 Materials]

[+2 T1 Unidentified Rare Consumables] (Gained from chest. Roll ID: 104312)

[+3 SP]

"Ah..."

An awkward smile plastered onto Aden's lips, he reached out for the next material, this time it was the orchid with a lunar glow. Gently cutting off the glower of the plant, he began to crush the petals into a pulp. The glow was still there as he scooped it into the pot.

Aden's expression turned into wonder as the flower acted like a drop of red dye, slowly spreading out into the rest if the water. Slapping his back, and giving a booming laugh, Zackariah smiled at Aden.

"Well done my boy. Before you go, if you do one more odd job for me, I'll give you a choice of a free potion."

After Aden nodded, he placed a package into his hands.

"I'm getting to old, so can you deliver this to a friend of mine? And just grab a box of potions before you leave."

Placing the box into his inventory, and grabbing a bundle of health potions, Aden waved goodbye, and walked back onto the street.

[Gained 1x Package]

[Gained 5x Tier One Health Potions of Uncommon Quality (+40HP)]

Entering, he gave a small wave to the old man, whose eyes brightened up seeing Aden. Zackariah was standing next to his work area, seemingly in the middle of something. Waving him closer, the elder gave him a large smile.

"Have you gathered my materials yet?"

Aden materialized the 5 quest materials and passed it to  Zackariah, who gave a hearty chuckle at the sight of them.

"Good work, now let me fufill my promise, come now."

He took the mushroom that I gathered first and cut off the cap, putting the stalk away and placing the cap into a nearby mortar and pestle. Zackariah crushed it into a pulp, and moved to boil it in a pot full of hot water. The liquid soon became a beautiful red, and after letting the mixture cool and straining it, he bottled it and smiled.

"You try now."

The excitement he felt from before began to return. Potions admittedly were tonics and non magical, Aden believed he can gain a clue in the creation of them. Aden grabbed the translucent bulb plant and began to repeat the process. Yet when he boiled it, it became a muddy brown. Confused, he took a glance at Zackariah, who gave him a blank look.

"You didn't remove the stem before you tried it..."

ID: 104325

CD: 3 [Fail]

A amber eyed player had his gaze wander over the two story building, activating his search ability for anything odd. He saw the sign outside about giving away free items. Instinctively, he wondered what was the catch, but he casted away his doubts. Dropping his skill to be polite, he entered into the store quietly.

His eyes were immediately drawn to rolls of fabric and mannequins showing off Hei's product. Taking a glance at himself, he realized that he's been using the same clothes for awhile now. They weren't dirty or anything, it just felt, really odd to him now that he thinks about it. That, and he feels like his mother would have yelled at him for not thinking about this sooner.

He filled out a few order forms, and waited around. When Hei would grab the requests, Aden would call out to stop him. Then, he would gesture to "The Devil's Suit".

"Hello, I'm Aden. I saw your promotion for lower leveled players, and that suit looks really good. May I take it before the other items are complete?"

After saying that, Aden began to flick through his inventory, preparing to pay.

Order Forms:

Request #1

Request #2

Poking the chest a few times with his knife, he half expected for the chest to explode or the like. When it didn't burst into flames, he began to fiddle with the rusty lock. He looked around for a key, but came up with nothing. Thinking that it was old enough, he tried to use his knife to pry off the lock. And even with his poor strength, the lock was fairly weak anyways.

Using both hands, he hefted up the lid to find himself face to face with an array of items. Three small bags of dried, crushed up herbs, a small stack of Col, and a few strange masses. For the last items, he tried to use his "Search" skill on them, only for them to come up as "Unidentified". Pushing his worries aside about taking something unknown from a shady chest, he began to place the various items into his inventory.

Smiling, he materialized a piece of bread and placed it back into the chest as thanks to the forest, and continued down the path. He exited the forests without further incident, avoided any trouble at the fields, and made it back safely back to the "Town of Beginnings", where he found himself in front of Zackariah's place.

[Opening Chest]

ID: 104312

LD: 9

[Consumed 1 Bread]

[Gained 75 Col]

[Gained 3 T1 Materials]

[Gained 2 Unidentified Rare Consumables]

He was silent for the good while, mulling over home and the like. Yet there was a focused look in his eye as he looked around for any trouble, and potential materials. Luckily, the sun was still high enough for the forest to be bright, yet it was beginning to dim. Picking up the pace, he was about to jog, when something odd caught his eye.

There was a weird looking tree, the trunk a bit to big to be normal. Curious, Aden activated his "Search" skill, and to his amazement a section of the tree was highlighted, indicating something was off about it. Getting closer, he tapped onto the section, and found that the tree rang hollow. Using his knife, he pried off the covering with his knife to reveal a chest inside, looking worn and old.

It smelled admittedly pretty moldy inside, but Aden didn't care about that right now. Instead he regarded it with doubt.

"This looks like a trap..."

[Looking for Chest]

ID: 104311

LD: 17 (+1) = 18 (Success)

Finishing off his meal and dusting off the crumbs, he set off once more. He took his time with the road, letting the forest slowly pass him by. His thoughts returned to home, about his Mother. Biting his lip, he realized that all of the nostalgia this forest was giving him was reminding him of home. About the times where he was playing in her lap, listening to her stories.

Reigning in his emotions, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes, waiting for the tears to disappear. A moment later, he let out a big sigh and continued on. He disliked how childish he was in his final few days with her, about a goal that she had no control over. Muddling over it, he saw a way to distract himself in the form of another plant, a beautiful blue rose.

He began to cut, and he lost himself in it. He was so close, but he wanted to try something better. Applying a bit too much force, he accidentally snapped the flower again. Yet as he saw the particles float into the sky, he resolved to himself...

"I won't end up like that flower, and return to my home."

[Normal Gathering Material]

ID: 104310

LD: 13 (+1) = 14[Fail]

With this thought, he began to play with octaves, trying to see which notes he could and couldn't hold. There was a time outside the game he studied into song for shamanistic song. However, he didn't become a song bird after mirroring one, so he eventually gave up in that path.

Here, there were new rules, and Aden believes that song is entwined with one of them. Yet as he pushed his voice to cracking and shifting at one point, he got fairly hungry with all of this. Opening up his inventory with a flick of his finger, he got a bit of bread and water, and began to find a area with good shade.

Finding one along the path, and not seeing any nearby mobs, he didn't look much closer as he sat down. The familiar shatter was ignored for the sake of bread and water, though one couldn't tell whether his sour expression came from the poor quality of food, or the fact that he ruined another plant.

[Consumed 1x Water, 1x Bread]

[Normal Gathering Material]

ID: 104301

LD: 10 (+1) = 11[Fail]

Sighing in relief, he muttered thanks to the spirits which he believed protected him. He stepped forward onto the path which he began, heading back towards the starting city named "The Town of Beginnings". On the way, he sent some idle glances towards some materials, yet they were all guarded. Combat didn't suit him, especially due to the lack of spells/physical prowess.

So instead, he sang as he walked. Celtic in tone, his voice carried no words, simply switching octaves to a unseen melody. He harmonized with the wind, a duet between him and the game, though he believed it was with the spirits. Then, his voice was caught in his throat as he saw a flower beginning to bloom in front of him. But as he stopped, the flower reverted back to a bud.

It seemed like a ordinary white flower with a yellow middle, but Aden restarted his song, kneeling down next to the flower. As soon as it was in full bloom, he gently cut the flower from the ground, and placed it into his inventory. He stood up, with one thought in his mind.

"Is song magic?"

[Normal Gathering Material]

ID: 104294

LD: 19 (+1) =20 [Success]

[Materials Gathered #: 1]

He was done with his quest, however he wanted to stay and gather a few more materials for his own purposes.

Happy that his little ritual succeeded, he continued to wander around, making sure he didn't stray to far from his land marks. There were plenty of materials, yet most were guarded by devilish boars, buzzing hornets or a sneaky giant worm. Looking around, nothing really stood out from the foliage that didn't have mobs around it. Starting to trek back to the path, he was interrupted by a beautiful whistling sound.

The noise only occurred when the wind blew, so it took him a few moments to find it. It didn't look like much, just a normal blade of grass. Yet it's tip was shaped beautifully. It looked delicate to the touch, and he gently began to cut away once more. Yet he heard a sticky sound, and spotted a worm that was getting dangerously close to being in aggro range.

Half way through, Aden knew he couldn't finish in time, and instead beat a retreat, a shatter ringing out behind him.

[Normal Gathering Material]

ID: 104288

LD: 6 (+1) = 7[Fail]

A few moments after, his eyes widened at a sight. There was a flower a while back that he actively pursued in his first adventure. It was a flower which would refresh one's strength if used in a spell. The flower in question was a sun flower. This was something he knew how to work with, especially with zero mobs surrounding it.

Admittedly, it wasn't a normal sun flower by any means. It's petals were the color of the sky, a entrancing mix of orange, red and purple. Similar to the plant before, it gave off a warm feeling, yet this time it mirrored the strength of the sun's rays directly. 

Instead of cutting at the stalk, he would cut into the base of the flower itself, looking only for the petals and the seeds. He continued to cut away various flowers, which still maintained their colors when separated from the plant. Though all of that work counted as one material, Aden's expression was content, happy to see the plant he pursued once more.

[Quest Gathering Material]

ID: 104287

LD: 17 (+1) = 18 [Success]

[Quest Material #: 5]

[Quest Requirement #1: Done]

Letting himself get side tracked, he used a few landmarks to make sure he knew the way back to the path, and pressed into the brush. It was getting cooler, though it had been a long day. While walking, he swiped his finger and brought up his menu. Making a bottle of water appear in his hands, he began to casually sip his drink as he trekked into the unknown.

The water felt great running past his lips, cooling his body further. He wore a smile as time passed on. It was all so familiar to him, and he continued on, swirling his drink in his hand. It felt like stepped back into the past, where he gathered enough courage and spells to dare trek into here.

As nostalgia filled him once more, his eyes weren't as sharp. And, yet again, he heard the crunch and shatter of a plant. Rolling his eyes, he poured the rest of the drink on the ground, and threw a bit of bread as a offering to the spirits, and continued on his way.

[Consumed 1x Water, 1x Bread]

ID: 104283

LD: 3 (+1) =4 [Fail]

As he traveled, he kept tabs on the types of mobs nearby.  While boars still prowled and tortured the weak, insect types were prominent here. Wasps buzzed around and giant worms crawled on branches. Aden wasn't confident in his ability to escape flying buzzers, and seeing a worm leap onto a branch was admittedly terrifying. So he tended to stay away from materials that were surrounded by them.

A lily with a sunset like glimmer appeared off the beaten path. Confirming no happy surprises awaited above him, he once again held the flower. It gave off a warmth that tickled Aden. For a moment he hesitated, this flower was fairly beautiful, and definitely seemed a little magical. He decided to grab in anyways, instead treating it as gently as he could.

Letting his knife cut into the stalk, he slowly cut into it.  The knife went through the base of the plant like butter unlike his previous materials. Getting up and dusting off his knees, he continued on his way.

[Quest Material Gathering]

ID: 104273

LD: 19 (+1) = 20 [Success]

[Quest Material #: 4]