B0nse

The wining crunch of the tree was a sign, the first threshold was passed and the tree was that much closer to fading away. It form grew scars and missing chunks as if they were natural and a few branches fell down. When gathered together, these branches could be crafted into a mat of wood, something which he did posthaste. The lone woodsman with his two-handed axe paused to look at B0nse's progress. 

ID# 59312
LD: 17 [5 Mats] (+1 Mat)

The shade of a giant cloud had begun to overlap the woods, their inconsequential form easily conquerable by the shade, it was only a matter of time. The tree, heavily marked, was one of the first to be consumed by the shade, and so the spots of light that scattered themselves around his feet became no more. He glanced up to the cloud, no rain, the axe swung once again. Wood was farmed, and the chops continued on.   

ID# 59311
LD: 15 [4 Mats] (+1 Mat)

There was nothing else but the swings of him and that man, the wind blew, a boar-sized worm writhed in a patch of light in some instinct borne tradition, and the sun loomed in the distance.He wiped at his brow and looked out to the prairie, 2 figures bobbed along it's horizon, faint but human. Somewhere, an animal screeched and the piercing sound of a sword art rang true. There was the prairie. 

ID# 59296
LD: 1

The kit vanished away, along with it his insurance against any further cracks. In hindsight, he acknowledged it wasn't entirely bright considering how fragile starter weapons were, but it was for that very reason that he was so precautionary. Had he lost the hatchet, not only would he have no safe passage home, but the Mats would no longer flow; he couldn't have with that. He chopped down and a chunk of wood popped and was kicked into it's pile, which he promptly took into his inventory. 

ID# 59295
LD: 15 [3 Mats] (+1 Mat) 

The break was nice, but he'd hardly even started, there was more chopping to do, no doubt. A breath of fresh air and the axe swung down. Another swing, another swing, then those of another.  He paused, looking towards the source of the sound. A familiar face had taken to chopping the trees as did he, the fellow used a knife, and tended to keep to themselves. Nonetheless, he'd seen the man farm mats at the woods on a near frequent basis, and so he called out to him and waved. The man nodded, then swung his great-axe against his tree to fell it.  

ID# 59069
LD: 3

He chopped and chopped and a crack formed on the blade. He yanked the blade out and summoned a repair kit from his inventory, it would take no time to mend a simple crack, but the risk of a broken weapon was to great to bear. And so it was that he bared the brunt of some wasted time. 

ID# 59294
LD: 11

"Hmm," He couldn't argue, nor did he see the subject as even worthy of effort, so he let it slide; if she saw him as courageous then so be it. He reclined to his thoughts and turned back to the path only to be shaken awake by the unexpectedly close hut. "Eh, yeah, the atmosphere is nice," he muttered absentmindedly, his gaze flowing to the boulders which pecked into the sky at the hut's side. Her words and he smirked, " 'A while?' If punching a rock for few hours means you've gotten past the hardest part of your martial arts training in Sao, then that's what I'd call a vacation!" he chuckled at the thought. "The hell I've put myself through practicing is far worse than some bloody knuckles, not that I mind~" He vanished the map away, making note to check it for their path once he got the chance, "Anyways, let's catch up to the kids, hmm?" 

With a beckoning gesture he broke into a jog, carrying himself without a hint of clumsy looseness despite his bulk. "You know what they say about the last one there!" He slowed himself to see how fast Teion would go, not willing to leave her behind by way of a head start alone.   

"Hmm, I'd have to disagree," There was a reason his level was one, after all, as much as he hated to think. He made to speak words along those lines but thought against it, the subject of his own personal vices simply wasn't proper for that time and place, besides, he wouldn't want to bother. The voices of the two younger players could be heard dimly over the din of the path, their soft voice voices granting no hint to what they spoke of beyond a few words. He wanted to hear them, to speak with them simply because he hadn't already, but alas, he could not, and so their words faded to nothing and the hut came into view. He squinted his eyes and stared it down, "Hmmm, looks nice" perhaps he'd been abit too careful in charting his course, then again, it was only through caution that he'd bumped into the three. 

The teens took the lead and he tried to recall what mob spawn had scared him away from taking that particular path. His memory failed him, so instead he simply looked to the purple at his side, "How many of you are taking on the quest? I'm assuming the kids are going to go for it, but are you?" He looked to her blade, "You held your axe in a two-handed grasp...so that's probably a 'no' now that I think about it...but small talk is nice, hmm?" 

(No Prob :y) 

He stepped back, took a few breaths, wiped at his brow, and stared up into the clear sky.  The prairie, for all it's danger, was still beautiful. The endless horizon inspired him and the soft breeze was a reminder of the uncanny domain: Sao. It was there that he resolved to experience more if he were ever to escape Sao, but the truth of the matter was that he wouldn't know where to start.  Nonetheless, the thought was a nice one, and he relished in it. 

ID# 59202
LD: 11 [3 Mats] 

The children's refusal to speak in anything above a private whisper was confusing, but proof enough of how their cookie crumbled. People were allowed their oddities in and out of Sao, especially in Sao, so he wouldn't question their act of silence. However, he did make note of the girl's aversion, if only for the sake of the future. He lowered his hands, "Thanks," a nod of appreciation and he moved to Teion's side, keen enough to know that she was the type of person who'd rather him stay in sight. Her precaution was a sad but necessary thing, a thing which brought to question why he himself wasn't like that. He was aware of all the risk,  but at the same time, still optimistic. He refused to believe experience alone could change him, so what made him different? That question would sulk at the back of his mind for quite a while, but now, her voice drew him back to the earth at his feet. "Yeah, I'm alone," He glanced towards her and her prying eyes, following them down to his attire, "I came here to learn Martial Arts simply because I practiced it back at home, every little thing counts, and I suppose that If I'm going to react to certain things like a martial artist, then I might as well get the skill for the martial artist...that way my little tricks actually deal damage," A bush he would have cut through passed by, he gave it a sideways glance, "I got by purely through taking advantage of safe routes through monster agro, what I'm holding here is detailed map of F2," He rose the map up once again, "It's got everything I could ever need."  

More wood fell from the tree and his mind was soon dulled by the monotony of the deed. Anything that threatened to leave you exhausted tended to shut-up the mind, and while his natural strength aided him, he wasn't entirely immune from the beat of the axe. The tree was marked up considerable and beyond that there was nothing of note. 

ID# 59128
LD: 18 [2 Mats] (+1 Mat)

((OOC: No worries, I wasn't making any commentary on your roleplay earlier, just Connor's thought process!)) 

He'd figured that his question scared them away, but ever the hopeful, he extended his wait, glancing at the nearby foliage in hopes of seeing their faces. The silence tempted him to think of orange, but once again, he refused to believe ill-intent would be behind those words. His palms clenched and loosened and soon he could hear the clank of heavy armor. He glanced toward it to see a hint of purple among the green, a hint that soon became a woman with two children at her side.

Her axe was worrying, but he was certain she would sheath it in due time."Hello," He smiled, looking down to the teens with a semi-salute before meeting eyes with what assumed to be their sister, "I'm headed towards that quest too, called you guys out on the off-chance we had the same destination in mind. Since that's the case, would you three be fine with me accompanying you?" He paused to gauge her reaction, the bird chirped once again, "I'm not all that familiar with the area, and while I have a map," he rose it up for them to see, "I can't necessarily take the fastest path since I'm not that strong...plus, company would be nice, eh?"  He took a few wary steps forwards, hands jutted upwards in a gesture of peace, "I can go on my own if it's problematic to have me." 

While swinging with one hand was statistically in his favor, it still put considerable stress on that hand. With each thunk of the wood he knew he would only be add more of a tang to the eventual ache he'd have in  the morning, for this was a morning-to-night operation. He intended to farm, at the very least, 12 mats, and swinging an axe around long enough for 12 mats was no easy feat. He reassured himself that water would come on the 8th mat, knowing the thirst would attack him soon.  Another chunk popped up, and was kicked to it's twin. A good start. 

ID# 59124
LD: 16 [1 Mat] (+1 Mat)  

Regardless of how he struck the tree, or where the marks were left, the tree would only pixilate into nothing when it had been dealt the proper amount of damage. If he were to fell it, he would simply have to chop at it from another angle, and actually cutting down a tree was rendered pointless and even problematic, as it would attract attention. Instead, he aimed his slashes so that no side was favored, rotating around the tree as he went. A chunk of wood magically popped out from the tree's side and to the ground and he kicked it out of the way, one mat down. 

ID# 59121
LD: 20 (1 Mat gained) 

The woods grew closer and closer and then they were there before him. If one looked past the initial greenery they could see signs of a feeble fence that had once wrapped around the entire of the grounds, but had now been overgrown. Deeper within the woods there was a hut that was home to some form of quest he wasn't particularly interested in at the moment, for he did not want to even go in the forest at all. Inside was the Danger, and all he wanted could easily be found in the circumference. Among the stumps and half chopped trees he found one that he liked, a particularly thick and old thing whose very shaving could be considered adequate enough to be a "Mat". 

He shrugged off his knapsack and unsheathed the axe, tapping his mark along the tree's side before raising the axe up and swing down and down and down. The first few of many swings. 

ID# 59120 
LD: 14 [No Mats] 

With all good things came and end and the group soon went their sperate ways, the crew toting their gains back home and B0nse faced with Worm Woods. He threw his apple core far into the grass with the hopes of baiting away some annoying flies and continued on his way. A gust blew over the land and the "shshshshshshsh" of grass soothed him. He hummed a familiar tune to the beat of the receding wind, keeping an eye out for any disturbances in the grass. If the wolf came again, he would be ready for it, but caution ought not ruin the peace.  

~~~
-1 Apple Core
+1 Hp, now [4/4]

When the apple was nothing but a core if faded into shards and he turned his full attentions to the map, a detailed thing written by some player with the aid of the basic charts Sao provides. As did happen to all floor maps made by players (those that are wanted) replicas were made, and eventually trickled their way down into the hands of all. However, despite this low demand, the maps he'd bought had still taken a good chunk of his savings from him, and combined with the repurchase of a starter kit, had left him practically broke. What he got in return was a detailed bird-eye view of the first few floors he would have to contend with. 

Fortunately, even with his horrid map-reading skills, the investment was worth it, as the map and all its functions had begun the process of adoption into his intuition. Not only that, but now that he knew where he was, he could now fully take advantage of the notes on agro zones, landmarks, and so on. His original path had cut through the High Fields of Crossing, so he needed to readjust slightly, but before long he'd charted a path that spared him of most, if not all of the mob spawns F2 had to offer. Now it was only a matter of staying true to the route. 

~~~

He popped open a bottle and gulped down to sate his thirst, exhaustion taking its toll. He was thankful for the cooling winds, but even still,  the hike was long. Foot after foot he pushed through greenery and horrid footing alike, breaking through established paths for the sake of safety and in almost total trust of the map. It was his guide, but as he rested in the shade to check the map he heard the voice of another. "Another few minutes and we'll be there,"  pronounced itself faintly. He went stiff for a moment before rising up, map still clutched open. A girl had spoken, no, a young lady, with others from the sounds of it. He looked down to the map, what could be minutes away? The summit would take an hour with his path, at the very least, and there was nothing else of note on the map. Perhaps they had some secret base hidden away? Unlikely, it might be a sub-dungeon at best. 

Regardless, there was a possibility that woman knew a better way to the quest, and if he could convince her to take him too, or at least point the way, all the better, for he'd have guide back home as well. He resolved to approach them, but how? Assuming she hadn't heard him already she would certainly be on edge if he just popped up. Did they make any suspicious sounds? No, damn, no way to tell. Only one move then. 

"Hello, is anyone there? I heard something!" He shouted without a thought for the possibility of an orange marker, the notion seemed absurd on F2 of all things. A bird stopped in it's chirping to glare down at him, and he rolled his map up in the silence that followed. "I'm here for a quest, how about you?!"

~~~~
-1 Apple & Water

One paw slowly proceeded another and the two slowly tread back to the Mat farmers, who had grown wise to the situation and had risen to aid B0nse. The wolf, not a breed programmed for suicide, snarled at the group before trotting away into the grass.  B0nse sighed, content with the turn of events, sheathing his hatchet as he watched the disturbance in the grass trot on to the horizon. One of the mat farmers offered B0nse a seat among their crew and so he joined them in their break, taking the time to chomp away at one of his own apples and regain himself. The crew merrily went on about some arena battle which B0nse hadn't seen, and so he had little to add to the conversation. Regardless, their company was enjoyed. 

ID# 59084: 
BD: 3/MD: 9
CD; 11/ LD: 10 

The Wolf [Hp: 2/4] [Dmg: 1] 
Leaves the battle

[Ener 1/1] B0nse [HP: 3/4] [Dmg: 2]
CD: 11 (B0nse escapes the battle, lucky he didn't try to fight]  
 

The wolf plodded back into the grass, well aware of the advantage it provided. B0nse followed as the path would permit him to, watching the grass with a diligent eye. The wolf paused and so too did B0nse, the two motionless for a few moments. Then, in a sudden movement, the wolf charged B0nse down, tackling him in the chest and ploughing him down to the ground. It moved to bite down at his neck, but B0nse managed to throw the animal off him before the fatal bite could be made. The wolf growled at him from within  the grass and he quickly rose up, waving hatchet erratically in the air before him to still the Wolf's approach. "RAWR," he shouted, slowly backing away towards the Mat farmers, unwilling to continue the fight with the threat of a crit looming in the distance. 

[Next turn shall be an attempt at escape] 

ID# 59083
BD: 1/MD: 8 
CD: 8/LD: 8 

[Ener:1/1] B0nse [HP: 3/4] [Dmg: 2] 
Preparing to escape next turn

Wolf [HP: 2/4] [Dmg: 1] 
MD: 8 (Hit) 

The Wolf lowered itself to the grass B0nse took up the same approach he used against the Pup, waiting for the Wolf to leap before reacting in accord. The Wolf feinted to the left before lunging at his right and in reaction, he sidestepped to the left, kicked the wolf's belly as it neared. The Wolf was knocked to its side, attempting to roll back up on an instinctive whim. Before it could fully regain itself, B0nse's blade sunk into its side, leaving shards in the air and a pixelated gash as he pulled away and rose his blade up in the air. Another swing and the wolf rolled away from the attack and onto its feet, clearly displeased with the turn of events. B0nse pressed onwards. 

ID# 59072 
BD: 7/ MD: 4
CD: 3/ LD: 20 

[Ener: 0/1] B0nse [Hp: 4/4] [Dmg: 2] 
BD: 7 (Hit) (-2 HP from the Wolf) 

Wolf [Hp: 2/4] [Dmg: 2] 
MD: 4 (Miss) 

[Since Monsters don't have CD's, I'm using my CD for the pup's escape roll] 

Plodding into the grass, he rested his axe on his shoulder in the position of Slash, intending to use the wide arc of the sword art to clip the pup if it somehow had enough reaction time after howling to attempt an escape. Unfortunately, with grass came uneven footing, and so it was that the glowing blade shaved only the grass above the pup as he flung himself towards it. The Pup, frightened beyond bearing, let out the closest thing to a howl before scampering away, a single wolf trotting from nowhere to accompany it's escape, another moving towards B0nse in a slow trot. He rose up to meet eyes with it, groaning at his horrible luck, and moving back to the path. 

ID# 59071
BD: 3/MD: 10 
CD: 11/LD: 1 

Wolf Pup [Hp: 1/3] [Dmg: 1]
CD: 11-Wolf pup escapes!
  
[Ener: 0/1] B0nse [HP: 4/4]  [Dmg: 2] 
BD: 3 (miss)

Wolf [HP: 4/4] [Dmg: 1] 
Wolf Spawns! 

B0nse watched the grass shift and followed the trail the pup left behind with the focus of his eyes, the young thing's next attack telegraphed in perfect clarity. He caught a few of the mat crew from earlier watching the skirmish with mild interest in his peripheral but paid them no mind. A youthful yip declared an attack, and B0nse swung his hatchet at the air the grassed declared the pup would be. The blade hit its mark, cleaving through the Pup's snout. It was sent spiraling away and into the grass once again, whining in pain. He rolled the grip in his grasp, moving in to strike the final blow.

ID# 59070 
BD: 7/ MD: 3
CD:4 / LD: 18

Wolf Pup [Hp: 1/3] [Dmg: 1]
MD: 3 (Miss)

[Ener:0/1] B0nse [HP: 4/4] [Dmg: 2] 
BD: 7 (Hit, -2 HP from the Pup)   

[It will take 1 Mob encounter for B0nse to reach Worm Woods, so I rolled the Mob Die to decide how strong this mob will be, I got a one :y] 

Suddenly, the grass began to rustle as a small thing shot through and towards B0nse. He drew his hatchet and prepared to deflect whatever blow came his way, standing his ground for sure footing was the best footing. The thing emerged and revealed itself as a wolf pup, fangs bared as it leapt for his leg. It hit its mark, or rather, its mark hit it, smacking the poor thing aside and back into the grass. Wolf pups could often be found alone on the plains, but if allowed to cry for help, they would become more than an easy fight. Fortunately, the Mat farmers weren't too far away, and could easily come to his aid by the time any reinforcements came. Running might seem the wisest choice, but a wolf-pup cried for help not only when it felt its life was in peril, but when it felt humiliated. The pup had to die. 

ID# 59069
BD:5/MB:1 
LD:2/CD:3

Wolf Pup [Hp: 3/3] [Dmg: 1]
MB: 1 [Crit Failure] 
Clumsy [Passive]: -1 Accuracy
Whimp[Passive]; When put down to 1 Hp, Wolf Pup will stop attacking and begin to cry for help if it can't escape. If not killed in the next turn, Wolf Pup will summon 2 normal wolves each turn until it succeeds in running away. Half of the summoned wolves will leave with Wolf Pup. If Wolf Pup is spawned with company, it will only attempt to run away at 1 Hp unless that company is killed, which will then result in it crying for help. If wolf pup escapes before finishing a call for help, then only one normal wolf will spawn, as the other will be concerned with protecting the pup. Pup ignores hp restrictions on escape, and merely acts in accord with the maximum required roll for escape if it's hp is too low. 

B0nse [Hp 4/4] [Dmg: 2]
BD: 5 [Miss]

The path emerged from the horizon, branching off from the dirt and towards the nursery, which could now be seen, albeit as a distant clump. A small mat farming crew was sat at the intersection of the road with the path, eating their lunch. When asked, they said that Woods were relatively calm whilst they had done their work, so it was with good spirit that B0nse entered the path. The path itself was a thin line that weaved through the grass, which hosted a wide array of insect mobs. Most came out at night, and thus, those wishing to avoid a fight would set off for the Woods during the morning, much like B0nse did. 

Time passed by, and he soon came across a sign labeled 'Worm Woods, 5 miles away,' any who were aware of the routes of F1 would also know the signs, and how often they are wrong. The Worm Woods sign was also misleading, as the distance between the two couldn't be more than 3 miles. Nonetheless, the signs proved an adequate reference point in conjunction with a map, as every sign was labeled on the paper editions, which B0nse trusted intimately. He needed no map to know his route, however, as he'd often come to Worm Woods, the catchy for that nursery I mentioned before. It's namesake, the worm and most of its variants, could be found writhing in some moldy nook or another, the dangerous hues of their breed hidden away underground and in the nursery's center.

Thinking back to the wolves, he realized there was fair chance that the dangerous worms might feel like exploring the forest circumference. Fortunately, all of the worms were easily avoided, as they were slow creatures. Nonetheless, the possibility was problematic. He figured he'd have to keep a vigilant eye out.   

Up ahead on the road he could see a duo of players pit against 4 wolves. Wolves were the one of the more dangerous 'common mobs' in F1, so the fact that 4 had spawned so close to the city was worrying. He made an internal note to alert the Mat guilds of this fact just in case they didn't already know, but since the players clearly had the battle under control, he merely nodded a hello and continued down the road. He could hear a pain-wracked yelp dim to nothing as he left the sounds of combat, and when he looked back, the wolves were cut down to two. He smiled.