Lycan

"...here's the map data. That'll be 2k Col," the information broker continued.

"Hey! Hey! I need your help!" Lycan interrupted, the nearby players giving way to him.

The information broker gave the boy a foul look.

"Can't you see I'm in the middle of something? Wait your turn," he spat.

Lycan shook his head.

"I can't! I need your help! My arm is on fire!"

The broker raised a brow. "Your arm looks fine to me. Your HP is at full... Go prank someone else, kid."

"No really! I saw this-this, thing in an alley! It did something to me!"

"Here you go, Calrex. Thanks for your business," the broker finished, closing out the menu he had open. One of the players shot Lycan a raised brow, then turned and left. "Alright, kid... Clearly you're a newbie. What's the name of the quest?"

"It's not a quest! At least, I don't think it is... It gave me an item, that's it!" Lycan continued, the grip on his arm growing tighter as the ache continued.

Lycan looked at his menu, tracing his finger along the different icons. He realized if he held his finger just above the icon, a small description would pop up.

"Hmm... Stats... Inventory... Skills... Party... Contacts... Settings... Exit... but no equipment? Wait! Exit?!"

Lycan mashed the exit icon as hard as he could press, his heart racing. A side menu popped up, and his excitement slammed into a brick wall.

"Blank..."

He took a deep breath, and let loose a long sigh.

"Suppose it wouldn't be that easy... huh?" he mumbled, utterly decimated.

He gathered his resolve, shook off the horrible flood of memories both good and bad, and returned to the core menu. Where he clicked on Inventory. In it, he saw ten Baker's Buns, ten Water Flasks, a Beginner's Straight Blade, and Begginer's Garbs. He selected the sword and the menu panned to several options, equip, trade, discard, and info. Lycan tapped equip and much to his surprise, his weight shifted. Something unexpected weighed on his back. Startled, he struggled to look a the source before his eyes fell on the handle of a sword. Impulsively, he had to draw it. From the leather sheath strapped across his back, he drew the longsword in a single fluid motion and held it in front of him.

"Woah," he commented. He turned to Lessa with a grin so pure and jovial, it looked silly "Guess I figured it out! I have a sword!"

He tilted his head toward his acquaintance's back. 

"Not as big as yours though," he chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.

As the boy wandered through the streets, he began to grip at his left arm. His face twisted in concern as the dull ache continued. In the corner of his vision, he checked for status ailments. Instead, he saw his normal HP at full bar, crisp and new as the day he logged in. Yet, his arm still ached and more than the usual pain inhibitors prevented. As he continued to search for a broker, the pain stretched further up to the shoulder. There, it stopped, and the whole arm now ached.

"Something is definitely not right. God, I hope something isn't happening to me in the real world..." he thought as he contemplated people breaking into his apartment and doing god knows what. Hopefully, he had already been moved someplace like a hospital. He had heard of some players just collapsing in the streets. Other players chalked the reason up to the user's body giving out in the read world from hunger, or dehydration.

He felt his heart race at the thought. Was that his real heart? Was that the game?

Thankfully, his attentions were distracted as he pinpointed a cloaked player surrounded by several others. This player stood alone, no stand, no shop. Instead, he managed a menagerie of windows and popups with the several players nearby.

"An Information Broker."

Hurridly, Lycan rushed to the group, his arm still clutched in hand.

((Manta & Calrex))

It had already been a few weeks in the game and each day started to feel more and more natural to Lycan. The warm sunlight, the gentle breeze, the sweet aroma of the wild flower fields to the west, everything started to feel like like living in a new city in the real world. Often, the youth would find himself stretched out on a bench in the town square, simply enjoying the day and the fact he was still alive. It was on one such day that he overheard a couple of frontliners discussing preparations for the upcoming boss battle on the thirteenth floor. He heard them discussing material gathering and rare crafting ingredients to help bolster their gear. Apparently, a creature existed on the first floor which yielded a special drop sought by jewelers and alchemists alike.

The Philosopher's Fragment.

Supposedly, to the northeast of the Starting City, just to the east of the Tower Dungeon and south of the rolling hills of the map's edge, sat a small forest grove. Through it ran a small stream that pooled in the center before flowing off the map's edge. There, on a very rare and unpredictable spawn timer, a monster could be found by the name of "The Gemmed Rabbit". From what Lycan gathered, the rabbit was pure white, the size of one of the starting boars, and had a small crimson gem fixed in the center of its forehead like a third eye. Once slayed, the gem would be given to the final strike player. That gem was the sought after Philosopher's Fragment. Luckily, the frontliners seemed to get an important message and ran back to the warp gate.

This meant opportunity for Lycan, however, he knew he couldn't make the journey alone. Not at his level, even with the brand new armor he received from Ariel.

Lycan also didn't want to share this information with just anyone, he needed to find just two people. No more, no less, and they would have to be players willing to help a fledgling player out of the kindness of their hearts. Even if he didn't strike the final blow, Lycan would still have the opportunity to learn how Sword Arts worked by watching. Hopefully, he'd pick up on a few other tricks on the way.

So, with a goal in mind, Lycan took to the town square, seeking out idle players with just the right qualities about them. Qualities that would hopefully help him on this adventure without finding a blade in his back. His eyes fell on one such player, and with a tap on their shoulder, he tried to get their attention.

"Hello there!" he greeted, "My name is Lycan, I'm kinda new at all this and was kinda sorta hoping you might have a little time on your hands to help me out..? I heard of this cool place that might be worth your while...?"

His words left his mouth with just the right tone of innocence, sincerity, and a dash of 'pretty please with a cherry on top' begging. 

"Skill points? Hmm... That's kinda like the JRPGs I used to play. Makes sense..."

"Okay," Lycan began, trying to remain as attentive as possible, "I think I got it."

He fidgeted with a few of the on-screen buttons and with a little guesswork, plopped all five of the SP into his weapon of choice, the one handed straight sword. A small notification alerted him that he was now rank one in that weapon class. When he dismissed the pop up, another window appears showing a list of acquire sword arts. Lycan had read about these in a Game Informer before the release. These were the equivalent of special attacks and the core element of the game. Instead of magic, spells, or super powers, players had Sword Arts.

As he scrolled through the list and raised a brow at some of the numbers, another pop up appeared. This time, it showed a player name, Lessa, and asked if he would accept her contact request.

"Lessa..." he mumbled. "Is that your name?"

He pressed the green accept button and looked up to her with a warm smile.

"Pretty name, I like it! I'm Lycan, but you can call me Lye."

In the cool shadows, atop damp cobblestones, alone, and overwhelmed by the situation this game had become, Lycan sat in silence. The small item window hovered just in front of his face, still visible even with his head hung low. His eyes focused neither here nor there. As he sat, the world moved on... without him.

"What the hell is going on? That had to be a quest giver, right?" Lycan asked in his head. "Why couldn't they see him? Did they complete that quest already?"

Name: Mark of The Beast
Quality: ???
Shop: ??????, &# %he Beast Arts
Description: You bear The Mark.

"What the hell is the Mark of The Beast? Why is part of it all static?" Lycan's mind filled with numerous questions. VRMMO's were far different than anything he had ever played before. If something like this happened in a console, he'd assume it was a glitch.

"Wait. What if this was a glitch?" he thought, finally rising to his feet. The only way he would find his answers would be to seek them out. Lycan had overheard of people called "Information Brokers". Perhaps they might be of some use.

The boy stood, dusted his pants off, and rejoined the swath of bodies moving in the streets. Information Brokers frequented the marketplace, it was only a matter of time.

"What. The. Hell?" Lycan rasped between heavy breaths.

The alley way was once again empty, dark, and lifeless.

"Is he having a breakdown?" the youth overheard from behind him.

"Hey, kid! You okay?" another shouted.

Lycan turned to the crowd that had gathered at the alley's opening. Eyes of over a dozen gazed back at him with whispers on their lips and concern in their eyes.

"Did you see that thing?! The NPC?!" Lycan asked, pointing to an empty alley.

"Nope, just you kid. Talking to yourself and acting awfully strange."

"Yep, he's lost it."

"What a freak!"

"Come on, let's go grind some Col..."

"Loser..."

"No, really!" Lycan shouted. "There was someone here! An NPC! It had claws!"

"Must be one of those role players? Kinda sick... This isn't a game..."

"Psh, what a looney."

"Really! It was there!" Lycan shouted, but by this time, the last of the onlookers carried on to their intended tasks leaving the boy to himself and the item screen in front of him.

"Thanks, Icarus," Lycan commented. He turned to the tall stranger and the wise woman with the axe.

"And thanks to both of you. I think I'll do some more preparing before I head to the field. I'm sure we'll see each other again. Stay safe! And may the sword's blessing be with you."

That last part felt a little strange to him, but Lycan started to grow fond of the NPC girl's farewell. For now, he'd adopt it, for it was by the sword they would escape this place. Either through victory, or death.

The somber tone of that thought carried over to his expression as he turned away from them and began to follow in Icarus's footsteps. Unlike the tall player, Lycan would not pay homage to some nameless soldier. Lycan would search for his name by time stamp and he would never forget it. 

"  Their deaths have carved a path for us to succeed, don't waste it. "

"I won't..." Lycan muttered.

[Leaves the thread.]

"Wow, really? I doesn't show. You must've played a game like this before or something." Lycan commented. "Oh, my manners! My name is Lycan, it's nice to meet you."

The boy smiled, then looked over to his left. There stood the player he bumped into just moments ago. Lycan looked up at him, only now realizing his height compared to his own. In his rush, he must have missed such a critical and obvious trait. No wonder he decided on a dagger as his main, with an arm-span like that, he doesn't need the reach of a sword or polearm.

"We meet again," Lycan commented.

In the bliss of the moment, he nearly forgot about what happened just moments prior. Someone died just in front of him. Someone with a name, a family, and aspirations. Lycan quickly checked his hud for the time. Just quarter past noon.

"Hey, uh. I overheard there was a tablet for the fallen. Do either of you by chance know where it is? I want to... I want to pay my respects to that player..."

Lycan looked at the box, paused, then looked back to Ariel. He opened his mouth, paused, looked to the box, then back to Ariel. He then lifted a finger, looked at the box, then back to Ariel.

"I-I... But... Are you sur--?" He stopped his idiotic stammering laid his hands on the counter and bowed his head.

"T-Thank you!" he said louder than intended. Keeping his head low, he added, "My name is Lycan!"

He remained in that position for a short while before lifting his head and letting his eyes rest on the crisp white box. Lycan extended his hands ever carefully as if the box were made of egg shells and pulled it close to him. Like a child, he lifted the lid just enough to peer inside, no more.

There it was, beautiful, expertly crafted, unique, and now... his.

He closed the lid and looked back up to Ariel, a tear crested on the corner of his eye. With this place as hostile and unforgiving as it was, kindness went a long way.

And it would not be forgotten.

"Thank you, again, really. I will repay you."

Then, finally, the familiar chime of a notification popped up in front of Lycan.

He smiled, letting the tear roll off his cheeks and shatter into bright fragments of data on the shop floor. 

Lycan smiled at her as she began to speak. Though he didn't want to start spewing gratitude, his eyes certainly didn't hold back. He nodded to her hand moved his hand just like hers. Low and behold, a semi opaque menu popped up form this air just in front of him. His name, stats, equipment, and skills all popped up from the menu. His HP, EN, and a stat of SP which showed a counter of five.

"What's SP?" he interjected while still trying to mimic her every move.

Lycan turned to this third person just at the moment his blade cleaved the boar in twine. A look of awe crawled across his face and his sword arm fell slack. The man's armor caught the sunlight and his blade glistened with such brilliance only seen in movies and elaborate cutscenes. Wait... This wasn't a cutscene was it? Naw, can't be.

The white haired youth shook off his admiration and returned his sword to its sheath. The battle of the boars was over. Which sadly hit him with a bit of confusion. Since when was killing a first tier mob something to celebrate? Man, things sure have changed.

"Thanks," Lycan added to the newcomer. "To be honest, this was the first time I drew my sword. You made it look easy though! Are you a high level?"

It was a lot of questions to ask to someone you just met, but Lycan had a knack for walking the borderline of awkwardness. Especially to newer people - powerful newer people.

Lycan smiled at her greeting but almost immediately turned it upside down when a white lion approached him. The youth took a step back to find himself against the wall with a beast looking directly at him. Lion to Player, Lycan's eyes grew wide.

"The Forth Floor has monsters in town?!"

The lion stopped right in front of him and held out a paw to which Lycan cringed. A moment passed. He opened his eyes, curious as to why he didn't feel the pain from the blow. Or... was he already dead?

HP: 4/4

"Huh?" he mumbled as he opened his eyes. He jumped a bit when he found the lion patiently waiting with it's paw out.

"Uhh... Nice kitty?" Lycan commented, hesitantly taking the beast's paw in his own with a gentle shake.

"Wait, I read about this. Are you a beast tamer?" Lycan asked the shop keep, Ariel. "Oh, and I guess I'm still level one. I'm trying to get as much information as I can before venturing into the fields. I kinda... didn't read the manual when I jacked in. Didn't realize how big a mistake I was until, well, you know."

The lioness's whiskers flared as it shut its eyes with a soft, but rolling purr. It made Lycan smile. Meanwhile, the lioness snapped her attention to the ferret Lycan hadn't quite noticed yet. Almost instinctively, it licked its snout as if out of hunger. Oblivious to this, Lycan reached out his hand to pet her, but it seemed the familiar was content with him and turned about to its master. When it curled up back near the fireplace, Lycan's eyes drifted to a peculiar piece of armor. An odd leather duster lined with a red fur.

The item spoke to him on a personal level, mesmerized him. Almost as if it were already a part of him, but he shook his head. Anything here would be way too far out of his price range of zero Col. He let out a soft sigh of disappointment.

"I heard my order is ready?" Lycan heard over his shoulder which caused a startle. The boy turned to the newcomer in time to see him nod welcome. Lycan nodded back, intimidated by his gear and the beady eyed creature perched on his shoulder.

"Are all the players here beast tamers?!"

"Teleport! Fourth Floor Safe Zone!" and in a matter of seconds, Lycan appeared on the main city of the Fourth Floor.

Here, everything looked different. The players, the buildings, the climate, everything was completely changed compared to the Starting City. Why the Fourth Floor? Seemed like a good number at the time. Frankly, the 13th Floor sounded like something of nightmares.

Lycan shook off his first teleport jitters, and quietly began to explore the city. Compared to the others in various forms of new gear, Lycan's starter set stood out like a school bus in a haystack. His first destination was always the marketplace. There, he could oogle over the custom gear, listen in for tips and tricks, and maybe learn something vital to his continued survival.

Lycan ducked and weaved through the crowed, eyeing the stands as he passed. One such stand caught his attention, the same stand with several Players crowding together to purchase the gear presented. Atop the shop hung a Lion's head and the words:

The Lion's Den

The youth shrugged his shoulders and did his best to stuff his way through the armor, sheathed weapons, and bodies of the other players. Finally, his head poked out with frazzled hair, and he met eyes with one of the keeps.

"Uh.... hello?" he greeted nervously.

Lycan forgot to breath for a moment. Was there even air here? Who knows. He just sat there, stricken with the image of what just happened. He heard about it, the "End Game" the perpetual "Game Over", but this was the first time he had seen it up close. Suicides over the map edge were different; you never saw the player get sharded. This, this was real.

This was Sword Art Online.

The female's axe broke his trance with words to follow. He didn't catch the majority of them, but he hung on her final sentence:  "Their deaths have carved a path for us to succeed, don't waste it."

Lycan felt a fire awaken in his chest. First, just a warmth then, as a blaze. Was it adrenaline, or was it something more? Either way, those words struck a chord. He snapped his amber gaze to her as she equipped herself for combat. His hand moved on its own and wrapped around the hilt of his sword. Like a compulsion from a dark spirit, he drew his blade.

"I won't," he replied somberly. "I won't let their lives be in vain."

The boar looked to the three of them with a red glint of malice in its eye. This beast didn't just taste its first kill, it enjoyed it. It dug its hoof into the grassy soil, snorted and roared its battle cry.

Whether it was the girl's words or just her fearsome presence, Lycan remained firm in his resolve and met the boar's eyes with his own.

(OOC: I'm not engaging in combat, but my weapon is drawn. I haven't utilized the dice in an actual fight yet, so let me know if I need to edit in a roll to this post.)

"You, boy." Its voice was deep, growling, almost primal.

"Me?" Lyan asked, his head turning left, right, and every which way.

"Yes, you." Each word sounded foreign, like a second language spoken by a tourist to a far off land. Lycan watched it extend a finger toward him, a finger with a long, pointed talon fixed on the end.

The young teen felt a shiver crawl up his spine and put the hairs at the base of his neck on end.

"It's not a monster, right? Monsters don't talk. Is it a glitch? Oh god, am I going to die?"

Just then, the identifying data appeared over the avatar's hooded figure. Unlike Aeris, it appeared as though it were made of static fading into view. What Lycan saw only confused him more:

??????, &# %he Beast Arts

"Why are you here?" It asked.

"I-I don't know? I'm new?" the statements came out at questions. Something didn't feel right. Lycan wanted to flee, but something bound his feet to the cobblestones. An invisible tether? Fear?

"Why are you here?" It asked again. This time, taking a step closer. As its foot hit the stones, an uncomfortable clicking noise echoed in the alley.

"This is not good."

"I-I'm just trying to figure out how to survive? I don't know!" Lycan's fear raised his voice to a near shout. Passer's by from the main street looked to him with concern and confusion.

"What does it mean to survive?" it asked, taking another threatening step forward.

"What?! What do you mean?!"

"What does it mean to survive?" it repeated.

"What is that kid doing?" Lycan heard someone whisper behind him.

"I have no idea, talking to air? He must've snapped," came the hushed reply.

"You don't see that thing?!" Lycan shouted, pointing at the hooded figure.

"What does it mean to survive?" it asked again, nearly breathing on the teen.

"I don't know! Strength?! Power?! Courage?! I don't know!!" the teen cried out, his feet still frozen.

"Can you bear the mark?" it asked.

"Mark?!" Lycan repeated in a frenzy.

It reached out its clawed finger closer and closer to Lycan's face. Lycan reeled back, but still could not move. Then, the claw touched the teen's forehead and eerily traced down to Lycan's chest.

"You, boy, are marked by The Beast..." its guttural words rang like church bells in Lycan's head, forcing the boy to his knees with both hands clapped to the side of his skull.

"Survive..." Lycan heard, this time more distant.

Then, he heard the chime of a new window. The ringing subsided, and Lycan opened his amber eyes.

Item Received!
Name: Mark of The Beast
Quality: ???
Shop: ??????, &# %he Beast Arts
Description: You bear The Mark.

Lycan sped onward toward the gate. His first quest given by Flower Girl, Aeris to harvest some flowers that might make traveling the beginner fields more tangible. However, his paced slowed as he approached the glowing blue border under the archway that divided the city from the field. Crossing that line meant your HP could fall below zero. It meant that you could die.

Lycan took a gulp and raised his foot to cross over.

"HELP!" Lycan heard someone scream, and his gaze shot up.

A player, similar to his own build, ran toward Lycan with a panic written across his features. Lycan squinted, and the system showed the player's health.

Lycan gasped.

It read: 1/4 HP

Behind the player, Lycan noticed a single boar, its HP still at a healthy three out of four. As it charged, its tusks began to glow blue.

Before Lycan could do anything, the player's body halted just outside the line, a glowing blue tusk peeking out from his thigh. Red glints of damage hissed into the air and the last tick of HP fell to zero.

"Please... No..." the player cried, frozen in place.

Then, a burst of light, and the fragments of data showered over Lycan's terror stricken face.

The player was dead.

The young teen began to feel a little more confident with the game. With the menu down and quest system operational, he just needed to figure out... everything else. Great.

Lycan took a deep breath, rolled his shoulders, and cracked his neck. Wait, his neck? The game picks up on that too? Impressive. He looked around the streets, from medieval shingled building to dark and mysterious alley. He tried to discern the next NPC to talk to, but struggled to differentiate player from non-player. With so many people moving through the streets with green chevrons over their heads, it became nearly impossible to tell which chevron belonged to what avatar. 

Until, his amber gaze fell on on a shaded, hooded figure sitting atop what could have been boxes in a dark, shaded alley.

"What the...?"

He narrowed his gaze, activating the system's built in analytic function like he did with Aeris. However, the more he narrowed his gaze, the more he realized it wasn't working like before. Lycan raised a brow.

"Maybe I have to get closer?"

The boy started sifting through crowd, everyone moving towards something equally important to them. He bumped shoulders, caught a hilt or two against the top of his head, and gathered a few obscenities from stressed players further inconvenienced by his actions. As Lycan approached, he noticed something even more peculiar about this mystery figure.

Not only did it look like it had fangs, but that its eyes were glowing.

"A monster in town?" Lycan thought to himself as he slipped into the alley. The figure rose, and turned to him. Its hands, or arms hid beneath the black shawl it wore.

Lycan dashed through the crowd with the same finesse and grace as he had once done through the halls of his High School when running late to Mr. Pierce's AP Chemistry lecture. However, this time, Lycan ran into a wall of bodies he couldn't simply slide through. The momentum was there, and stopping wasn't an option if he wanted to. Lycan gave it his best and luckily only clipped on fellow. Unfortunately, the collision took the pep out of his step and Lyecan had to stagger to regain his balance.

"Crap!" he swore as boots clamored against the cobblestone trying to relearn their balance. They finally caught, and the silver haired teen stood straight.

He found himself in direct eye contact with his involuntary victim.

"Uh, hi?" he began awkwardly. "Sorry about that - in a rush to get my first quest done!"

Lycan smiled, but he felt his body build with the anxiety to get under way. His feet began to move as though he was running in place...

Or had to use the restroom... It was very unclear from an outsider's perspective...

"You should, uh... keep that thing in its sheath till you need it, yeah?"

His body turned away from the boy.

"Good luck!" Lycan shouted, his legs beginning to pull his body back toward the West Gate to the fields.

"Sorry again!" His voice grew faint over the idle chatter of other players in the alley as he made way to the exit.

"Help?" he repeated. "I don't want to be a burden; you look like you have some place to be."

"What are you doing? You know nothing about this game. Look at her gear! It's definitely not new player gear."

"I mean, if you have a moment, I would love it. I jumped into this game without reading the manual like most people do with a new game and figured 'what's the worst that can happen?'"

Lycan recalled the man in the sky, the mirrors, and all those faces... Panic, despair, fear, sorrow... The only thing worse would have been to kill everyone on the spot. Actually, that would have been far more merciful than this mess. From the rumors, even the fastest players to level were only to the 13th floor...

Out of a hundred...

Lycan's features dawned with the a tinge of depression. A small look of defeat found its way into his persistent and bright nature. It was fleeting, for he felt showing weakness only lead to being seen as weak.

"So yes, I would like help, but only after you've taken care of what you came here to do. I don't know how to add people to my contact list or I'd send you an invite... or something." 

Her words sailed in one ear and out the other. At first, he paid her no heed. Then, as if the words that passed through were tied to a ball and chain, her presence and slammed into him with all the ferocity of a hammer against the anvil. Lycan's eyes shot open and he staggered forward, awkwardly spun around on the balls of his feet, and came to a halt in a half-standing, half-ready to pounce stance.

"Yes! Me! I'm fine! Dang it! Was I in your way?!" he stammered, struck dumb by her armored frame and massive weapon in tow.

"They can't PK in town right? I'm pretty sure I read that somewhere in the previews. Oh god, please don't PK me..."

Then, much like the delayed reaction to her, his nerves caught up with him and settled the panicked look in his eyes.

"Play it cool. No one would PK with this many witnesses anyway. Just apologize, and stop being an idiot."

"I'm sorry," he began with a deep, calm breath. "I lost track of myself there. I'm still a bit overwhelmed by... well... everything. Anyway, sorry, again."

"God I'm such a noob," he mumbled under his breath hopefully out of earshot and masked by idle chatter.

"Oh, well... Guess that's how quests work..." Lycan mumbled to himself after poking the 'yes' button.

Surprisingly, the menu yielded a slight haptic feedback like tapping a thin piece of plastic. Another chime sounded, the prompt vanished, and in the far upper right edge of his vision, a small icon in the shape of a scroll with an icon began to flash.

"How the hell do I..." he muttered, waving his hand as if swatting at invisible insects. In that motion, his arm spanned one fluid horizontal arc with an open palm, and another chime sounded. This time, a full menu appeared.

"Okay... let's try that again."

Lycan waved his hand and the menu disappeared. Once more, and the menu reappeared. This time, his attention was drawn to the blinking notification similar to the one in the top right of his hud. He pressed it and a list of active quests pulled up, Aeris's being the only one.

"Good, I can work with this," he muttered.

"You okay over there?" Aeris asked, breaking the boy from his studious trance. He waved his hand to dismiss the menu.

"Yep! Totally fine! Thanks for your help, Aeris!" Lycan bowed slightly in formality. Aeris returned the gesture.

"Then I hope you have a fantastic day! Sword's blessing upon you!"

"Uh... you as well?"

Then, Aeris directed her attention forward to the crowd, her eyes always on the nearest player as they passed.

"Are you okay?" Lycan heard from behind him. A familiar voice. He turned to see the flower girl looking at him with concern. Again, the young gamer was surprised at the complexity of design this game offered.

Even if it was a mass slaughterhouse...

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for asking."

"My pleasure! Will you be needing anything else from me today?"

"Actually, where exactly do you pick these flowers? Just curious?" Lycan asked as he squinted to read the display name faintly hovering over her head. The more he desired to see it, the more opaque it became until it read, Flower Girl, Aeris.

"Wasn't that from some really old game? I swear I remember dad rambling on about something to do with a katana dude killing her off? Whatever..."

"Oh yes! If you take the west gate and head southwest, you can find a lovely field of them. Be careful though, sometimes Killer Bees frequent there and unlike the other animals, they're attracted to the flowers!" Aeris replied.

At that moment, a small semi-opaque prompt flashed in front of Lycan's face with a melodic chime.

"Optional Quest: Flower Picking
Giver: Flower Girl, Aeris
Location: Floor 1 Fields
Details: Journey to the Southwest of the West Gate
and find the field of Wild Carnations & harvest
(5) Wild Carnations.
Reward: (5) Wild Carnations.
Accept?
Yes or No"

"Out of the way, kid." Thundered a deep, booming voice followed by a meaty hand on Lycan's shoulder.

Lycan turned just in time to get a glimpse of a man clad in full plate minus the helmet. The green chevron above his head indicated a player, same as the two new looking and equally attractive female players behind him. Before Lycan could give way to them, he felt the cold cobbles of the street collide with his tailbone. Lycan winced, only to find the pain far less minimal than the times he recalled in the real world. He was pleasantly surprised and grateful, but that quickly turned to anger at the looming monolith of a man.

"Hey!" Lycan shouted. "What gives?!"

The player didn't respond and the two ladies looked down upon him silently - one with a smile, the other with bangs hiding her eyes and spear tucked close to her heart.

"Prick," Lycan mumbled.

"Here you go, ladies, a stack of five flowers for each of you," the large dolt spoke as he opened the trade menu to both of them. "Use these while we're out in the field. They keep the monsters from generating hate within their threat radius. So long as you stay out of melee range, they won't attack."

Both ladies chimed in their appreciation with either a slight bow or curtsy of their war skirts. The giant's gruff expression softened. Lycan assumed this to be the closest thing to a smile that meat head could manage. The teen dusted himself off out of habit and rose to his feet. The giant snarled a lip at him before returning his attention to his party members.

"Come on, girls. Let's see about getting you some potions and crystals next." The brute motioned toward one of the many player ran shops peppered with elegant vials and sparkling crystals. "Every player needs to keep some HP consumables on their person at all times..."

The trio melded into the crowd and out of Lycan's vision. Thankfully, that rude encounter provided some benefit. Now, he knew that this girl's flowers weren't just some cosmetic item. She was, in fact, a vendor.

"Sorry! Sorry!" Lycan backed away from her, hands up and embarrassment on his face. "How disrespectful of me. Please forgive my rudeness."

The girl eyed him with caution, but returned to her usual fixed posture with both hands resting on a basket filled with colorful carnations.

"I'm just not used to such... uh... lovely aroma!" he tried to correct.

"Ew, no, that sounds like I wanted to sniff her..." he internally struggled.

"I mean the flowers! The flowers smell great!" he blurted to much of the few onlookers' amusement.

"Nailed it."

The girl smiled, hefting the basket closer to her chest.

"They're wild carnations from the field! I pick them daily! Would you like one, only 15 Col?" she chimed.

"No, no," Lycan dismissed. "Not today, I'm all out of Col. Wait... You said you pick them from the field? What about the Wolves and Boars out there?"

"They don't bother me very much. It must be the scent of the flowers that keeps them calm. So long as I don't scare them or get too close, they leave me alone!" The young girl swayed her basket rhythmically.