Lycan

"How in the-- Well struck, boyo!" Pappy cheered, trying to clean the fallout from his excitement. "Looks like you're a natural!"

'Natural... right... I get what's going on here...' Lycan thought, turning back to the stone.

'Normally, the Immortal Object notice would appear. It didn't. This stone has a durability scale. I just have to whittle it down to nothing and it should "shatter".'

The area where he struck showed a clear indent in the shape of his fist. Lycan nodded with a grin.

"I get it..." he muttered.

Quickly, the boy navigated his menu to the inventory screen. With the push of a button, one of his Beast Blood Elixirs appeared in his hand. Lycan popped the cork and let the thick, red contents pour into his mouth. The taste of copper coated his tongue as the concocted syrup slip down the back of his throat. Immediately, Lycan felt the heat of power well in his chest. Like a fire catching, the boy felt invigorated. He cast the empty vessel to the grass, causing it to explode into digital fragments.

"Come on boyo! This's getting good!" Pappy cheered on.

Lycan grinned and cupped his fist within the other.

Crack... Crack...

"Let's do this."

"Now, break the rock," Pappy hobbled back to his shallow table and flopped to the ground with a groan.

Lycan opened his mouth but the corner of his view continued to flash red. He hut his mouth and embraced his situation.

"Can I have my sword back?"

"No weapons, just your fists." Pappy took a loud slurp of tea, motioning to the boy as if to say 'go on, get on with it'!

Lycan took a deep breath and looked to the solitary monolith wrapped in banners. With a few steps, he stood beside it, and lifted his head to its peak some two or three meters high. The boy turned back to Pappy who smacked his lips with a bored expression. Lycan turned back to the boulder, taking a moment to look at his own two hands. Luckily, they were still clad with the gauntlets he had made for him based on Axios's advice.

'How in the hell...?' The boy thought.

'Make sure you get them with unarmed damage boosters on it. You'll thank me later. Oh! And you're an Alchemist, so make yourself a potion to boost your attack damage.'

Lycan recalled the information broker's words verbatim. Then, a spark of curiosity coursed through his mind.

CRACK!

Lycan's fist slammed into the side of the stone with a satisfying crack. He felt the rock give, ever so slightly as cracks spread from the point of impact. Little chips fell loose from around the boy's fist and settled into the grass below.

PHBFFFT!

Lycan spun around to see that Pappy has spit his tea all over the table, eyes bugged nearly out of his skull. 

"What?!" Lycan shouted.

CRACK!

Lycan: HP - 16/20

"Come on man! Stop that!" Again, the boy clutched his head.

"Break the stone," Pappy repeated. "If you can..."

"How am I supposed to do that?!" Lycan braced for impact.

The old man laughed again, fetching up his tea and silencing himself with a sip. Then, he shrugged.

"No idea, but I bet it'll be fun to watch!"

"Are you for real?!" Lycan got to his feet, anger clear on his face. Nearly a quarter of the way dead, patience expired, Lycan drew his blade.

"Ow..." the young swordsman mumbled. His head rang, arms felt as if they were broken, and his view of Pappy suddenly became that of the ceiling. Speaking of which, the upper left of Lycan's peripherals flashed a dull red.

Lycan: HP - 1/20

The boy's heart stopped for several beats.

"You come to my home..." He heard Pappy growl. "You insult me... and now you draw your weapon on an unarmed senior citizen? Tell me why I should let you live..."

'Oh ****, I'm seriously going to die...'

"I... I..." Lycan stammered. "Please, sorry! I don't want to die!"

"Do you mean that?"

"Yes! I don't want to die!"

"Good."

Lycan felt a firm grip clutch his wrist and yank him to his feet. Pappy let him go and patted Lycan's clothes back into place. In his free hand, he held Harbinger, the boy's longsword. Seeing it, Lycan instinctively reached to his back.

"You won't be needing that," Pappy reassured. "When I'm done with you, you'll be stronger without it." 

"Sunnufa!! You're going to kill me!" Lycan shouted, hands again covering the sizzling red injury on his head.

Pappy set the kettle down on the tray and laid his cane beside him.

"Keep askin' dumb questions like that and you'll kill yourself!" chastised the old geezer. "It ain't magic, you fool, it's Ki!"

"Ki...?" Lycan immediately covered his mouth as he saw Pappy reach for the cane. Eyes wide, he shook his head and mumbled the unintelligible 'please don't hit me again!' through muffled hands.

"Hmm... Yes, Ki. It's the energy of life, of your being. If you can control it, you can possess immeasurable power. You can endure blows that would otherwise kill a man, move fast enough to catch an arrow, or even sunder a mountain."

Lycan just nodded.

"Would you like to know more?" Pappy added while he gently poured the steaming water over another kettle filled with tea leaves.

Lycan nodded harder, hands still on his mouth.

"Good! Then..." Pappy set down the kettle and poured the two of them a cup of tea.

"Go break that stone!" he shouted with a cackle.

"You're not the smartest tool in the basket, are you boy-o?" the old man, or "Pappy" as Lycan had so chosen to remember him by, asked while stepping into the main chamber of one of the buildings.

"So... I'm going to defeat a demon?" Lycan asked, struggling to follow.

"Not like that, you're not! I have to train you!" Pappy walked up to a shallow table topped with a tray filled with ceramic ware. He stretched out his cane and lifted the tray by an ornate chain tied to both ends.

"Hold this," he commanded, dangling the tray in front of Lycan. The boy held out his hands and took the weight of the tray.

"Uh... tea?" Lycan commented at the set now in his hands. Meanwhile, Pappy pulled the shallow table to the middle of the room. With a grunt and a guffaw, he took a seat on the tatami floor and motioned to the other side.

"Sit."

"Okay?" Lycan set the tray back on the table and took a seat. Pappy lifted the kettle and set it on his old wrinkly hand. Then, he just stared at Lycan, silent as the gentle breeze.

Lycan raised a brow.

"So..."

"Silence!" Pappy commanded. "Watch."

Confused, Lycan sat quietly, lips sealed. He looked at the geezer, who didn't move. Unsure what was going on and why he was there, Lycan looked about the room in case he was supposed to watch something else? Instead, he saw several stands adorned with armor, staffs and various weapons on the walls, and several scrolls sprawled in what he could only guess was handwritten Japanese.

"The kettle," Pappy barked. Then, Lycan heard a shrill whistling come to a peak. When the boy looked to his elder, the kettle in his hands hissed and spat a bout of steam. Lycan's eyes grew wide.

"Holy ****! Magic?! I'm going to learn magic?!"

CRACK!

Lycan: HP - 17/20

"Got what it takes?" All this seemed so cryptic to the boy. Axios better not have given him a bad tip. "How long have you lived up here old man?"

"Old man! I tell ya boy-o, I'm tougher than I look! Y'see that rock over there?" He pointed his cane at the stone wrapped in shrine banners.

"You mean the boulder that says 'fite me'?" Lycan's face was flat as a slate. 

"Why yes! That used to be the peak of this mountain! I knocked it off with my own two hands and sealed the demon that possesses the mountains in his tomb!"

"Then why the sign?"

Crack!

Lycan: HP - 18/20

"Ow! What the hell?!" Lycan shouted, clutching the sizzling red damage lattice that appeared on his head.

"I said I sealed him didn't I?! Still haven't defeated him! I've done my part. I'm enjoying the retired life now. Defeating him is your problem." The old man heaved and coughed followed by smacking his lips and clearing his throat. With an adjustment of his hawaiian shirt, he began to waddle off toward the Easter style buildings.

"My problem?" Lycan muttered under his breath. Confused and still rubbing his head, he found himself compelled to follow the old man.

 ID# 66771 results: Battle: 3 Craft: 5 Loot: 3 MOB: 1

Rewards:

3 Bonus Materials
((PENDING FINAL LIST BEFORE CLOSE))

4 hours ago, Ariel - The Crowned Lion said:

Former Weapon Skill: One-handed Rapier
Former Weapon Rank: 5

New Weapon Skill: Two-handed Assault Spear
New Weapon Rank: 5

A - P - P - R - O - V - E - D

"Mmm... yeah. Good point." Lycan moved himself more into the middle of the clearing. A stagnant pond stood on the perimeter, loomed over by a large, twisted willow. Reeds and cat tails swayed in the gentle breeze from the pond's edge. The faint buzz of insects hung in the air.

Lycan pulled up his menus and navigated to the area map. Sure enough, they were in a clearing but...

"Uh... Ariel?" the swordsman called out with uncertainty.

The icon for their location pulsed on the semi-transparent screen. The two clearings were on the map, but their icon wasn't in either of them. In fact, it was in a hazed out area on Lycan's map. Yet, in a clearing they stood.

"I don't think Kimba took us to the right place..." he continued, looking up ever to briefly to the oddly prideful lioness. 

"I think we're lost..."

The faint buzz quickly rolled into a roar as four massive black and yellow bees bolted from the gnarled willow. Lycan ducked instinctively from the introduction of new enemies and forced his menus to cancel out. Luckily, his instincts spared him from a needle point stinger to the head as <<The Wasp Queen>> buzzed over head.

"Son of a--! Kimba look out!" Lycan shouted.

The other three bees sped toward Ariel and Kimba. The lioness, far quicker than the young swordsman, deftly evaded their attack. Meanwhile, Lycan used the window to draw Harbinger from his back. Stance firm, its edge hummed with Cardinal's guidance system. Peaked, the boy lunged forward in a massive arcing sweep. The tip of Harbinger gouged the surface of the Soldier Bee's carapace, doing little damage for the effort. The afterimage of the sweeping blow reached out, chipping away similarly at the other three foes.

"Lost or not, we found some bees!" Lycan shouted.

"Where the heck am I?" the youth asked.

"Eh? Eh?!" the old man shrieked, his snaggle tooth bare to the world to see. "You climbed all the way up here without knowing why?! Are ya' after my loot?!"

The geezer lifted his walking stick and assumed a rather laughable combat stance. Limbs extended and on one leg, the tremors of arthritis threatened to crumple the man to the ground. Meanwhile, Lycan's gaze drifted to the bizarre, lush environment somehow thriving atop the rocky crags. His attentions so lost, he nearly staggered off the edge of the cliff then the old man's cane cracked him one on the head.

Lycan: HP - 19/20

"Ow!" the boy shouted, rubbing his head and teetering on the edge of a cliff some unmeasured odds high. "What was that for?!"

"Hmm..."

Lycan barely found his balance, and gripped his knees to catch his breath. Looking up, he noticed the old man sizing him up while petting his white, wirey beard.

"Decent balance... Terrible reflexes though," he mumbled, then prodded Lycan with his cane. "Pretty fit for a kid."

"Uh... can I help you?" Lycan asked, increasingly more weirded out.

"Perhaps," the old geezer replied. "Or perhaps I can help you... Well, granted you've got what it takes..."

Startled, he watched as she locked their pinkies together.

'A... Pinkie Promise? I haven't seen one of those in a while...' the teen thought to himself, her touch still warm on his skin after she broke away.

The girl was kind... too kind. He could tell she was genuine, but that worried him more than if the opposite were true. Lycan saw a friendly smile and innocence where others would see prey. Perhaps this is what she meant when heard her mention the "grumpy man"? The teen wondered if perhaps someone else had already lectured her for trusting too easily or worse: tried to get her into the fields for an easy PK.

The grim thoughts spinning through his mind leaked into his expression. He decided not to come out with his concerns, but keep them logged on the back burner as a precaution. He let her remark of throwing her shoe lighten his face with a smile. Not genuine, but enough to hide his thoughts.

"Sure," he replied. "Do me a favor though..."

Lycan flicked his wrist, produced a semi-transparent screen, and navigated its menus until a pop-up appeared in front of Esther.

"Accept the party request. If for whatever reason we get separated, I can track you until you disband the party. I can keep an eye on your HP that way too." He closed out the screen before him and gestured toward the city gate as one might do to guide a guest into their home. His sharp gaze focused on his peripherals, keeping note on the two sides of the archway. If anyone was going to make a move on the girl, he wanted to see it coming before it was too late.

"After you. Herbs should be on the right if memory recalls. Do a search check for ingredients and let me know if anything turns up."

From upset to genuine in a matter of seconds. It reminded the boy of a time before SAO and his confusing, colorful attempts at socializing with girls his age.

"I think you misinterpreted my meaning. When we all first picked up SAO and a Nervegear, we entered the game expecting just that: a game. Go to the fields, fight some monsters, laugh, play, die, respawn..." He hung on the last word. It hit him harder than he expected as memories of those faces moments before shattering like glass boiled to the surface. It made his stomach churn. He took a deep breath.

"When the GM made the announcement and we all received the Mirrors of Truth, the will to go on an adventure - to play the game - died for so many people. I don't blame them, nor do I resent them. What they do is just as valuable as those risking their lives against the floor bosses. Those twenty five percent are why I'm here protecting them as they harvest."

Lycan gestured to the players in the tilled gardens. A young woman looked to the slowly listing clouds in the artificial sky before wiping her brow and turning to the two small children pulling up root vegetables beside her.

Hopefully clarified, Lycan changed his tone.

"Anyway, I happen to be an alchemist too. I'm not a Grand Master yet, but I have a few ranks under my belt. In fact, you don't even need to go into dangerous territory for the basic ingredients. These gardens grow several herbs you can use in lower grade potions and salves. The higher grade materials... well..."

The platinum crested swordsman rubbed at the adolescent scruff struggling to grow from his chin.

"Without hunting for it yourself, you'll need to figure out a supply line or get a player on contract to hunt for you." He shook his head. "It won't be cheap either way, but you'll be peddling the low end stuff until you gain rank anyway. You should have some bargaining chips by then."

He offered Esther a smile. "Unless you want to specialize in unarmed combat and punch your way through a few dungeons?"

Lycan laughed at his own joke, probably losing the humor on the pacifist acquaintance. 

Lycan turned to the new voice to see the trademark blue hair of Calrex. Instead of greeting his acquaintance turned role model, Lycan shot his gaze to the sky. Amber eyes looked for the blue wings of Calrex's peregrine falcon, Roc. With a smirk and a scoff, the young swordsman gave up the search. No telling where that familiar could be.

"You sure do hang out in the lower floors quite a bit," Lycan commented.

He turned back to the two other players and popped his kabob into his mouth to pull off another piece of meat. With a few chews, he attempted to speak.

"Might even be able to knock a quest out. You two heard of <<Long Live The Queen>>?"

He swallowed his snack and turned back to Calrex.

"What do you think? Hunt some bees and if we're feeling up for the challenge, we knock out that quest?"

Lycan popped the last of the kabob in his mouth and tossed the skewer to the streets. With a single bounce it shattered into a burst of blue data.

The youth raised a brow.

'Know of me?', he thought, spending a few more moments racking his brain if he had met her before. 'I don't think my reputation has preceded me... Has it?' 

"Lycan," he replied shortly as he eased himself off the wall and turned toward her. "And yeah, I like to return back to my roots to help the city. About a quarter of the players trapped here gave up their thirst for adventure. Can't blame them, but they at least deserve a sense of safety."

The teen took a few steps toward her, took her hand. In the real world, a proper gentleman would kiss it like so many generic movies. Instead, he offered a respectable bow and pulled his hand from hers. He ran his eyes along her flowing magenta hair, long and slightly waved. Her green eyes contrasted the warm hue of her fair skin. Her features held an aura of softness and lacked the hardened edges gained through SAO's more troubling experiences. In all, her form boasted developed curvature, putting her age near his, if not older. While she had his interest, but his focus remained on the sounds of field. If a boar killed one of the townsfolk while he gallivanted with some pretty lady, he wouldn't be able to live with the guilt. 

"So, what is it you needed help with?" Lycan asked, folding his arms over his chest.

"Merc huh?" Lycan responded with a hint of inquiry. He heard of the type referenced in history books, but that mentality had faded in recent times. Most mercenary forces banded together under one flag or another. Many considered themselves armies without borders, but a single man in a hostile world differed from the norm.

"You seem a little green for that line of work." Lycan added, then continued in more muted tones,  "Though not like I have room to speak..."

"Well, hey. Nice to meet you Arc. Listen, I'm working my way up the ladder as well. How about I hire you?" Lycan grinned.

"I'm short on the Col, but I can pay you with my own blade. A blade for a blade. What do you say?"

As he spoke, the white topped teen flicked open a menu, flipped, clicked and slid his way to the social screen and threw over both a friend and party invite to Arc. Two screens materialized in front of the new acquaintance.

Lycan grinned.

"Personal trick," he stated, plucking Harbinger from the earth with a slight rock to loose its edge. "Weeds out the natural talent from the system granted talent."

Calm, collected, just as analytical and decisive as he, the youth had gathered what he wanted from the first impression. He maneuvered Harbinger's tip into its back-mounted scabbard and let gravity seat it in place.

"Aincrad is a world of makeshift heroes molded from gamers or dreamers. Only a handful of us actually have real world experience with the weight and balance of a blade. An even smaller fraction of those with the discipline to appreciate it," he rambled.

"Looks like you are the latter."

Lycan raised a brow.

"You're not a frontliner by any chance, are you? You seem more hardened than most of the players still wandering around this floor..."

Lycan rubbed his chin again.

"Or perhaps you've got a point to prove? Seen the darker sides of this place and decided enough was enough?"

The teen shook off his verbal and unorthodox analysis of the complete stranger.

"Manners. I'm Lycan. No real lengthy backstory, just someone proving a point to himself and working up the later. Nice to meet you."

Closing the gap, Lycan carefully witnessed the stranger reach for his weapon. He smirked at the reaction as if he approved. In response, Lycan quickened his footsteps into a near sprint. His body angled closer to the ground, eyes focused on the boy. Within nearly enough distance to strike, Lycan snapped his hand to Harbinger's grip, rooted his feet into a slide on the dusty gravel, and loosed his longsword with a harrowing song of steel. Weight hefted into arching momentum and dust faintly obscuring vision, the platinum swordsman swung his blade at the stranger.

"Head's up!" shouted the attacker with complete contradiction to his actions.

However, before the blade could contact, be parried, or dodged, Lycan halted it short and drove it into the ground point first. His momentum halted abruptly and staggered his attempt to catch his balance. Full near expecting a retaliatory action or some tradition shock and shout, the teen took a deep breath of the now dusty air.

"Howdy," he greeted. Lycan's eyes stayed sharp, his lips twisted in a grin. He readied himself to size up this stranger, all the groundwork laid bare for any array of response. The perfect way to gain insight on someone's personality.

Or so the youth thought.

On 8/30/2016 at 3:52 PM, tricolor_mina said:

Name: Cherished rose

Your Profession: Blacksmith

Your Rank: 1

ID: 66484

Roll: 10

Item Type: Weapon
Tier: 1

Quality: Uncommon

Enhancements: +1 damage

Description: A beautiful dagger with a greenish gold hue.

Post Link: 

 

On 8/30/2016 at 3:57 PM, tricolor_mina said:

Name: Salamander

Your Profession: Blacksmith

Your Rank: 1

ID: 66582

Roll: 10

Item Type: weapon
Tier: 1

Quality: Uncommon

Enhancements: +1 damage

Description: A one handed sword with a bright red blade, and a greenish-gold hilt

Post Link: 

 

These have been reviewed and approved. Please note that the mat rolls were done after the craft rolls, but in light of a learning experience, these are still pushed through. 

One... Two... Three...

Lycan's chest tightened out of either fear or intimidation as his attempt to flag one man lead to the near immediate formation of a party. A samurai, classic knight, light hearted hero and novice swordsmen all stood together at the archway to Urbus. 'What a strange group,' thought the teen.

"Heya," Lycan greeted to Baldur and his husky... er, wolf. 

"Dude," the teen continued. "Is that a wolf?"

As he asked, the white beast sniffed at him, bowed, and moved on to Calrex. The young swordsman sat with mouth ajar. Sure, it was a digital creature preprogrammed with standard behaviors, but in a world where fake was real and real was a dream, the details were lost in the experience.

"That's awesome," Lycan remarked. Meanwhile, a falcon dove from above, turning the impromptu meet and greet into a Discovery Channel special. Roc, as it was named, perched on Calrex's shoulder and the green hue of envy crawled across Lycan's features. 

"Well then. I'm not jealous. Not at all," he voiced aloud with arms folded over his chest and a cheeky smile.

"Don't suppose you lot might want to help me out with search and rescue? Calrex called it 'Let There Be Light' quest. Some lady is looking for her daughter?"

Lycan turned to Calrex as he finished greeting what he could only assume were other players equally as strong as he.

"Think we could party up? If we find the girl quick enough we could, I dunno, do a little sparring? And by that I mean get a free lesson in swordplay I can use for later?" he asked with a musing grin.

In the beginning, these fields exuded uncertainty, fear, and death. Staring up at the sky, Lycan grinned. He knew the listing clouds, bright light, and soft blues were nothing but some bizarre pseudo weather. Beyond all the smoke and mirrors laid a ceiling or another floor. Above that, just antother. On and on it continued until the freedom waiting on the hundreth floor. The brokers stated a castle waited for them. In the central chamber, upon a massive throne, the final boss sat. Once his/hers/its life bars faded from red to nothing, they'd be free.

So, in a sense, this false sky and masked ceiling was still a world of freedom; just like the other side. The teen smirked.

"The other side..." he mumbled. "Seems more like fantasy now than this place."

A soothing breeze swept the swaying fields of grass, batting softly at his arms folded behind his head. Lycan inhaled the crisp air and deeply sighed. Smirk and smile turned flat, his head lifted and comforted posture broke as he rose to his feet. The blades of grass and dirt he dusted from his attire shattered like glowing glass upon the ground before he fetched his long-sword, Harbinger, from its resting spot.

As he wrestled with fixing it to his back, a figure along the narrow path caught his eyes. Alone, stern looking, and armed with a rather intimidating bastard sword on his back, the player continued on. It almost seemed as if he wasn't just alone, but isolated from the world in his own. A true solo.

Lycan rubbed at his chin, the dozen or so little hairs of adolescence scruffed against his fingers. With a shrug and armed with a potentially dangerous curiosity, Lycan hustled toward the stranger. 

A burst of red pixels scattered to the grassy fields of Floor One. Lycan stood amidst the digital ash of the fallen boar, hefting his Harbinger to his shoulder and back into its sheath. With a deep breath, a sigh, and wipe of his brow, he turned to the timid players which watched him.

"Everyone okay?" he asked.

Inside the Perimeter Gardens, several non-combatants nodded back to him. Others offered their thanks or a brief smile. Since what Lycan called, "The Week of the Dead", many of the players were trapped inside the Town of Beginnings out of fear. What once was the spurn for adventure now became the fear of impending doom. These players forfeited their desire fight digital monsters and over time, resorted to a similar lifestyle as seen on the other side. To do this, they needed food, water, and resources. Hence, the Perimeter Gardens were formed - small sections of tilled land just outside the city walls where players could gather necessary materials without having to venture deep into hostile territory.

"Good," Lycan nodded with a smile. He took a moment to search out any other nearby threat, but found reassurance that the mobs were spawning further out. He made his way to the city's archway where he perched himself against the wall and remained on watch for any stray boar, bee, or similar threat.

While the Gardens were still close to the division between safe zone and wilds, the occasional random respawn put innocent lives in jeopardy. It was a short run to safety, but as anyone knows, all it takes is the blink of an eye. On his off days, Lycan liked to give back to the Town of Beginnings for keeping so many people safe including his earlier days. Free of charge, he played lifeguard for the gardeners and civilians so they could harvest in peace.

"Should I message Arc to help me? He is a mercenary, he would probably want something in return...." Lycan heard nearby, directing his attention to a bright haired young woman. The youth raised a brow, noting her close proximity to the safe zone limits and cautious gaze towards the fields.

"Something you need help with, Miss?" Lycan called out, curiosity plain to see on his face.

Floor two felt so much like the forests of the midwest. By far, Lycan preferredthe atmosphere here compared to any of the other floors he had been to, albeit few. Luckily, it wasn't just nostalgia that anchored him here, but the food as well. Rich with the critters one would normally find in the woods, chefs flocked to the second floor for the surplus of meat and herb ingredients. Just the other day, Lycan caught word from a passerby of a humble cook in Marome that sold a particularly tasty kabob.

With a tug, the platinum swordsman scraped his teeth along the wood skewer and let the tender morsel of meat fall into his mouth. Savory flavors unlike anything he had tasted on the other side melted in his mouth. The rich oils of rendered fat and butter coated his taste-buds, providing an oily catalyst for the herbs and spices to travel.

"Oh man..." he murdered through chomp and chew, "So good..."

"My girlfriend really likes honey, so..." Lycan heard as his steps carried him through the dirt streets.

"You know the drop rate for stuff like that is stupid low, right?" Someone replied, dripping with skepticism. "Even if we managed to kill five, it might take twenty times that many just to get one bit of honey."

"Whaaaaat? You're kidding me!"

Lycan halted in his steps, the remainder of his kabob dangling from his mouth with skewer clenched between teeth. Without regard for privacy or tact, he spun about.

"Honey hunting, huh? Ever heard of <<Royal Jelly>>?" he asked the two strangers with partially chewed food still in his mouth. Lycan saw a fragment eject from his lips and scatter to digital ash on the floor. Like remembering an important date or critical step to a procedure, Lycan swallowed his meaty treat, pulled the kabob from his lips, and straightened out his posture.

"My bad," he corrected. "But Royal Jelly is supposed to be an even rarer drop. I could certainly use some for my shop. You two want to join up as a hunting party?"

The question was innocent enough and the younger of the two seemed far more interested with the idea than his colleague.

Lycan breathed a sigh of relief as the azure scalped warrior worked his way over to him. Nothing embarrassed worse than calling out someones name to them only to learn its the wrong person. Feeling his chest lighten from the accurate recollection, Lycan offered the old acquaintance a simple two finger salute.

"Hey, man! Hope you've been good. The information brokers have been abuzz with the news from the upper floors. In the past few months we've had the most deaths since week one."

The youth gave a nervous smile that faded quickly. To him, news held little to no weight to those who experienced the loss first hand. Delving too deep into the details didn't suit this fortunate reunion.

"It's good you're safe," Lycan stated somberly.

"Hey, listen. I know you probably don't have much free time on your hands, but I'm trying to help this NPC lady find her missing girl. I'm pretty sure its some low level quest judging by how everyone treats her."

Lycan gestured down the way. While it was difficult to see who exactly he was referring to, the cries for help of a desperate mother still reached them.

"I'm not all too confident in my survival abilities and was wondering if you might know some people to help speed up the search?"

Lycan hadn't seen the warrior in about a month or so. Even then, their brief moment working together with the fencer named Manta hardly warranted a favor. Still, the novice knew Calrex was good people and his moral compass remained on track despite some of SAO's darkest horrors.

A flash of light, a sense of weightlessness, and a sudden surge of haptic data. Lycan phased into the streets of Urbus. Small, quaint, and faintly humming with the chatter of local townsfolk, Urbus exuded an aura of tranquility. The thick woods that covered the majority of the floor's fields filled the air with the earthy and zesty notes of forest flora. Breaking the winds of Aincrad's unknown flight path, a pleasant breeze remained a constant. Lycan filled his lungs with the fresh, artificial air and exhaled in a comforted sigh.

"Reminds me of Montana," Lycan mumbled to himself with a smile. "Feels like real hunting here."

"Help! Help! Somebody please!" cried a woman in distress.

Lycan's head snapped to the source of the disturbance, his amber eyes narrowing on the sight of a poorly dressed woman clinging to passersby. Locals and players alike skirted her off of them with a hand, elbow, and even a harsh shove. The last to make physical contact with her left her reeling into the street gutter. The moist filth and mud slopped against the cobblestones and peppered her already stressed attire. Eyes wild and glistening, the woman brought soiled hands to her face. She pulled her knees in and softly wept as the river of bodies parted around her like a boulder in a steady creek.

"My baby..." Lycan heard her whimper over the ambient chatter. "My poor baby..."

Brows furrowed and blood tempered, the platinum crested youth forced his way through the streets to her. He knelt beside her and thrust an aggressive glare on anyone who dare look upon them as an inconvenience.

"Are you alright?" the teen asked softly with his hand extended to her. Soft blue eyes rimmed with the redness of tears peeked through parted fingers. She shook her head and tried to stifle her sobs. 

"Here," Lycan continued, gripping her lightly by the wrist. "Let me help you up." With a gentle tug, the two rose to their feet.

"Better?"

The woman nodded.

"Good. I'm glad. My name is Lycan, and I couldn't help but notice something was wrong. Looks like the folk around here aren't as kind as one would hope."

"Please, sir. You have to help me," the woman begged as her thin fingers clutched Lycan's hand.

"Tell me what's wrong."

"My daughter... she's missing. It's been days now! She went to play in the woods with the neighbor's son but never came back. Their boy looked terrified. He said there were monsters that took her away! Please, please help me. I'm all alone. I don't know who to look to for help. Please."

The desperation on her hallowed features tugged at Lycan's sense of good will. He knew from her lack of player chevron she wasn't real but in this world, the frantic grip of this woman felt just the same as any player.

"Sure, I'll help. What can you tell me, where did you last see her?"

"The boy said they went to the cavern in the southwest. They were playing some game, looking for some... Please. I need to know she's safe."

"Alright, alright. I'll go. Just stay right here and try not to let people push you around. Try your best to relax. I'll be back before nightfall to let you know what I find. Okay?"

The woman nodded and again tears came welling from her eyes. Instead of sorrow, these were tears of relief - happiness. 

"Thank you! Bless you!"

Lycan nodded, turning his head away like a bashful child.

"Oh!" he spouted, his mind calling forth something of importance. "Her name... What's your daughter's name?"

"Elise."

"Elise, got it. Sit tight miss, I'll be back in a jiff." With a reassuring smile and a two finger salute, Lycan spun on his heels and briskly jogged toward the west gate. The woman's glistening eyes watched him vanish into the streets wither her hands clenched over her aching heart.

The teen, sure he was far enough from view, slowed his jog to a trot and then a trudge. With a deep sigh and hand over his face he muttered, "I just wanted to find some new materials and level up... Now I'm on search and rescue by myself. This is a recipe for success... Way to go, Jax..."

He shook his head and let his arm slap to his side like a limp noodle. He took a deep breath.

"This is going to be easier if I can find a few more people," he mumbled as he scanned the players both coming and going through the west gate. "Let's see..."

Red head, blonde, brunette, noir, verdant, blue...

"Wait..." Lycan furrowed a brow. "I know that guy..."

"Hey! You!" the boy shouted with hand waving above him and the other cupped unceremoniously beside his mouth. "Calrex! Over here!"

Thinking of taking this with Baldur and/or Teayre.