Zulas

The brightness of the moon hit Zulas's face as he stepped outside of Starting City. The quiet of the night felt heavy, the only sounds were that of the wind breezing through and those of insects. It's still hard to imagine it was a still a game, Zulas thought and started to walk in the direction of the lake. A few minutes passed while he walked on the road, and Zulas passed a few adventurers like him but paid them no mind. They didn't intimidate him, but wasn't comfortable around them neither. One group looked like a party, they talked about how the killed some monster in the dungeon which made Zulas thinking about the fact that he's never actually ventured outside the first floor. There will be time for that later. For now I have to complete my mission. 

Zulas followed the map quietly, the only thoughts were of what he was going to find at this lake: was the girl going to be there?, Will there be somebody else there?, or the question that worried him the most, Will she be alive? With that he hurried his pace until he was close to his destination. On his way, he found something that wasn't supposed to be there: "A Kobold!".

The woman looked hesitantly towards Zulas, waiting to answer the adventurer's questions. "You said... umm, that you're daughter was out, but why would she be out this late?", he asked the mother. 

"Well, my husband has been sick as of late. We went out to by some medicine when we heard a rumor." - she began. "As we paid for the medicine, we heard a conversation between two other townspeople." The woman walked around and sat on a nearby bench a few feet from where they stood. Zulas followed her and sat down next to her.

"What did they talk about, ma'am?" - he asked to continue the conversation.

"They mentioned that there was a flower that bloomed close to a lake northwest of here. They had said that it happened at midnight, and you knew which flower it was because a noise could be heard when you were close to it." - she chuckled at the reminder of that conversation. "The men laughed at the thought, but my daughter asked me, 'Mama, is it true? If it is, it can save Papa.'"

Tears started to swell up in her eyes, but she wiped them away and continued, "I told her that it couldn't be possible, but now I realized that right after that was when she left with without saying a word. Please, you must find her." - she pleaded to Zulas.

All he did was nod to the scared woman, "I'll go ma'am. I'll find her.". Maybe it was possible that the woman reminded Zulas of his mother, or maybe it was because she looked like a caring mother, that it urged him to help her. Whatever the case, he decided to follow up with her request and find her daughter. Look at me, playing hero. Would y'ou have been proud of me? I'd like to think so anyway, he thought as he got up and walked towards the exit outside of Starting City.

As soon as the pop-up window went away and the sign for 'Quest Accepted' fell of the screen, the woman's face changed. She smiled at Zulas before beginning her details of the quest.

"Thank you so much!" she said with joy. "I have a task that only you can solve.", she voiced but looked around before continuing on. "I have asked other people, but you have been the only one that has agreed to help me... and for that I'm grateful." Zulas didn't know what to say even though he knew that he didn't need to say anything. Shortly after there was a pause in her speech so he decided to ask something, but was cut off by the woman and was left with his mouth open.

"My daughter is missing, you see.", her voice was filled with sadness.  The woman continued on, "She has been missing for hours now. I know that it hasn't been long but she's only 7, and I'm looking for anyone that can help me find her." The concern could be hear in her words. 

Zulas composed himself, "Y-yes, ma'am. No problem... but if you don't mind I have some questions of my own."

Starting City was breathtaking with its many architectural buildings along with its many denizens that call this place home. Zulas was never an outgoing person so for him it felt weird being out at night on the town. He did not know if it was the fact that he was inside of a game or if he had indeed changed due to being trapped inside of one, but he decided to take a walk through town one night. Not a lot of people walked this time at night--he looked at his menu and saw that it was almost midnight. One thing was clear though, the taverns and restaurants were filled with people. 

Zulas walked through the streets eyeing the different business on this side of the city. The shops, as he expected, were closed during the night but the taverns and bars were quite the contrary. As he passed through one, music could be heard coming from the inside and loud laughter carried itself outside to the street. Zulas looked through the window and saw a lot people, adventurers and NPCs alike, talking among themselves. If a person from the outside saw this, it would seem like we're not trapped inside a death game. That's what most people were calling Sword Art Online now, it wasn't a normal game, it was a death game. 

The swordsman perished the thought and decided to continue walking onward. The night sky illuminated his path, and the stars were out bright giving support to the moon on top of the sky. His attention was interrupted by a soft cough sound behind him. Zulas gave a start and stepped back away from the figure that made the sound, and realized that it came from an NPC. The NPC cursor hovered above the name Kimiko, and the owner of said name stood before him.

It was a middle aged woman of small stature and she was dressed as worker, but what caught Zulas's eyes was the look in her small eyes. There was something there that he couldn't quite place. "Hello, kind sir.", she said with a soft voice. "Would you be willing to help me?", the woman said and a quest window appeared before Zulas. The window of

"'New Quest: The Song in the Night'

Accept: Y/N?"

appeared. He didn't know why but he hit the button 'Yes' without a second thought.

Summary

Zulas: 200 Col + 1 SP

Raze: 200 Col + 1 SP

Thread Complete

Darkness had already claimed the day by the time the pair reached Starting City. The had agreed to eat food at a local establishment, but he didn't know which one. Once in the main plaza once again, Zulas sat on a nearby bench that overlooked most of the restaurants. "So... what are you craving for?", asked Zulas to cut the awkward silence that had befallen the both of them. "I could eat anything, right now I think.", he joked looking at all the places to eat to see which one caught his fancy. He wasn't going to be the one to choose but, if his partner didn't pick one he would. One caught his eye, it was a restaurant that had a coal smell coming from it. The outside of the restaurant didn't have anything out of the ordinary, but the smell coming from it was everything but ordinary. Zulas took a deep breath of the smell and then his stomach growled in response. "S-sorry, I think I found a place? Do you want to go?", he asked embarrassed and cursed his stomach for making such noises.

Zulas at his new comrade and saw him smile. He was taken aback a bit by this but decided not to show it. "Yes, I believe we should turn back for now.", he said looking at the sky from inside the forest. Rays of light could be seen coming through between the leaves of the trees, but they were dwindling down as time passed. The light was fading with each passing moment, so Zulas also thought it would be a good idea to return back to Starting City. He checked his equipment and his inventory one last time before he finally decided to start heading outside the forest. It shouldn't take us that long to get back I believe, he thought as he followed the path they used to go into the forest. "Are you hungry? I'm a bit hungry myself?", Zulas asked back to his companion as way of making conversation.

Zulas stood a bit wide eyed for a second, the words caught him by surprise. "Comrade", he whispered to himself. I haven't been called that in a long time, he thought for a second. Maybe it was what Raze said or maybe it was the meaning of what he meant, but Zulas smiled. If this is what a comrade is then, he thought as he closed his eyes. "You were right, weren't you? Then again, you were always right when it came to me.", he said to himself and opened his eyes once more. Zulas gripped the sword tight and said, "Raze, thanks for keeping him busy." He moved towards the Nepenthe, and readied his weapon to let the system assist him in his attack. "Now it's my turn.", he said over the monster to Raze.

 ID# 67780 results:

 Battle: 10 (DMG = 2x3 = 6+2 = 8)

 Craft: 2

 Loot: 20

 MOB: 7

Zulas: HP 37/40; Energy 1/4

Little Nepenthes: 0/10 (DMG 3)

The blade moved as if in a trance, dancing from one way to the other. Zulas let the system guide his hand as it cut the monster three times. The last one slashed the monster across the body. The Nepenthe screamed in pain for the last time as he exploded into, which announced that the battle was over. Zulas let them weapon rest in his hand for a second and slowly put it away in its scabbard on his left hip. He gave a big sigh and looked at his comrade. "Ok, co-comrade, what do we do now?", he asked hesitantly.

Zulas was glad that he didn't have to interfere because he knew that it would've caused more harm than good. The swordsman did see and smiled at the way the two-handed sword wielder took out those his monster. Zulas didn't know if it was because of how good he did or if it was because he really hated the beetles. There was a small silence as they stood in the middle of the forest where the only sound came from their steady breathing. "I believe we did well.", Zulas remarked as he moved deeper into the forest. He didn't get even a couple of meters out when a Little Nepenthes came out from behind some trees ahead. It lunched towards Zulas but he managed to ready his weapon in time. The monster crept closer and Zulas didn't want to let him get the advantage so he rushed forward as well.

 ((Best Pic I found))

 ID# 67762 results:

 Battle: 6

 Craft: 11

 Loot: 19

 MOB: 7

Zulas: HP 37/40; Energy 4/4

Little Nepenthes: 8/10 (DMG 3)

The monster was prepared for him and managed to dodge Zulas's attack that was headed straight for it. The attack hit the nepenthes in middle of the body, but using the same momentum the monster hit Zulas in the back and made him stumble forward passed the monster. Zulas turned around with a grim determination, he gripped his sword tight until his knuckles became white. "Come on, let's go.", he whispered softly.

A weird feeling crept up the back Zulas's neck when there were no monsters around. He believed that they would appear when they least expected it. As soon as they stepped into the forest he heard them, those unbearable screeches that the beetles were so famous for. It brought back bad memories to Zulas, but he didn't feel as defeated this time. This time he brought a companion to put an end to those insufferable creatures. Zulas saw the way Raze jumped into battle and admired the bravery the other warrior showed. At the same time he wished that he would possess that bravery, or that he would've had it that time. Maybe... just maybe. 

Zulas shook his head to throw away the thought, because he knew that he had to focus. He wouldn't let his new companion fight the beetles by himself, but he saw that Raze was focused on one of them ((Beetle 1)) so he focused on second beetle ((Beetle 2)). Since he had leveled up he had looked at the new Sword Arts he had acquired and decided to give them a try. He readied his weapon low and let the system guide his sword. The blade moved in X pattern, first up and then down and finally up again in an angular fashion. Zulas knew that it was a classic movement of Snake Bite and hoped that it would be enough to do away with the beetle.

 ID# 67757 results:

 Battle: 7 (DMG = 2x3 = 6)

 Craft: 2

 Loot: 19

 MOB: 7

Zulas: HP 40/40; Energy 1/4

Beetle: HP 0/4

In a flurry of movements that left behind a blue light pattern made the beetle screech in pain until it exploded into a thousand pieces of colorful game data. Zulas gave one last movement of his sword and let it rest by his side. He would let Raze deal with his monster and stand by his side to give aid in case he would need it. It felt kind of awkward standing there, but he had never done such a thing. Hopefully, his new partner would not need his help because he didn't know how to provide it.

Zulas saw the hesitation of his new party member at accepting his invitation but didn't notice anything else. He was focused on the map and the area they were going to go hunt for monsters. He knew that if he was going to become better he would have to get better equipment, and for that he needed money. His last outing hadn't garnered him enough money to buy something decent, but he knew that with his new partner it could be done. "We can hunt monsters till about evening time, then we can come back here and rest up.", he said without a problem. The realization came to him later, and he chuckled at his own eagerness to go ahead with this simple plan. "Alright.. let's go." were the last words before Zulas started to head towards the exit of the city and the fields beyond. They both set out with a goal in mind, to be better than how they were now but Zulas guessed that each for their own reason.

Zulas looked at the perturbed adventurer with curious eyes. It couldn't be possible that there was someone same as he, but he shook the thought away. "No problem. Nice to meet you, Raze". Zulas was quiet for a moment and looked at his clock inside of the menu. After a few moments he decided what to do, and invited his new acquaintance to form a party. "It seems that it's afternoon still, do you want to go fight some monsters?" he asked Raze. He awaited to see what the response was of his new soon-to-be party member. Zulas thought that if that wasn't the case they could always go out tomorrow. He looked forward to defeating monsters due to his last run in with them. Last time he went out exploring and looking for a fight with monsters he almost died, but he vowed that it would not be like that this time. Also, he would hopefully have a party member this time around and it made it seem like it would be easier.

Zulas was caught by surprise by the firm handshake but gladly took it nonetheless. He quickly set upon composing himself and looking around for a store nearby. He motioned his finger in a downward motion to make the menu appear. The first thought was to go over the inventory he had: 10 bread, 15 water. He knew that it wasn't enough to go out adventuring but he knew that with a party of two it would make things easier. Then he set up about making the party and went to add his new party member to the list when he stopped for a second. "Uh... Ahem, sir. I haven't gotten your name.", he asked with an quizzical look. The menu sparked to life with a list of all his buttons and found the one for adding a player. Zulas didn't want to look as he was pressuring the new guy, so he set about looking through all of his menu tabs. The tab of "Log Out" was always there and it taunted him, telling him that as much as he wanted he was never going home. He then waited for his conversation partner's response.

Zulas blinked both eyes letting them open and stay wide eyed in confusion. "I-I apologize, sir. I seem to have made a mistake." Then he turns around and starts to walk away with his arms slumped down. He thought that this guy would have been his way of learning about this world. Some distances was already between him and the warrior before Zulas suddenly stopped. He raised his head and turned it around towards the tall warrior and walked back to him. "Sorry, to come back and take more of your time, but I have a proposition for you." 

Zulas mulled over the words that he was going to say next in his mind. In the past, the thought of him asking this question to a total stranger, or to anyone besides his family would have him petrified. But today was not that day, and Zulas got the strength to ask the question that had been forming in his mind, "S-sir, would you like to form a party with me?", he said hurriedly and extended his hand with his eyes towards the ground. Whatever happens, it was all thanks to you.

Zulas looked up at the man when he made his way up close. "Sir, umm... excuse me?", he said in a whisper to the tall warrior. Before he could finish, Zulas's eyes made their way to the other adventurer's weapon. Compared to his, the other adventurer's one looked quite formidable. He coughed and tried to compose himself, "Ahem, sir you seem to look like.. uh quite an adventurer.", he managed to blurt out. It was the first thing that came to his mind and, after he said it, Zulas realized that it came out a lot pitiful than he intended. I believe I have made an impression, though not the one I wanted, he thought as he coughed once again. "Ahem... What I meant to say was, sir my name is Zulas. Nice to meet you. I was wondering if you could ehh... show me the lay of the land so to speak?", he said in a serious tone. Then, he looked intently into the other warrior's eyes and waited for a response, as that's how he had learned from others. 

@Raze

Zulas walked down one of the streets of Starting City. Alas, it was a breathtakingly big city to walk in a day. This time Zulas was particularly interested in the market square, he was startled at how big it was. There's a lot of people walking around the square, but mostly were just passing through. Zulas guessed that they must have had other plans and most likely they were a higher level than he was. the number next to his health bar only said 'Lvl 2' at the moment, but he didn't mind it. One thing he also noticed that most people were not looking inside the stores, but were just chatting with one another. That made him nervous a bit, since he knew that he was they called 'socially awkward', but unfortunately not by choice. This happened after he was in the accident that took his girlfriend's life and almost his. Zulas shook his head and decided to sit on a bench to see the people pass by, one past time he enjoyed doing in the past while she was alive. "Wish you were here", he sighed softly. 

The young swordsman scanned the crowd to see if he could spot somebody that would be approachable. He didn't want to have a repeat of the last time he went outside by himself. Fortunate, Zulas learned his lesson although not by choice. It was a painful experience but enlightening at the same time, he found a part of himself that he didn't know existed. The starting warrior stood up from the bench and stretched his arms out, until he saw what he was looking for. In the distance he noticed a tall young man, in his face he could see the serious look of an adventurer. His hair moved in front of his face, but what stood out were his eyes. The tall person looked like he had seen a lot of experiences in this game and it seemed to Zulas that he could be the best candidate to teach him the ways of the game. "But how to do it?", he asked himself. "You know what? I'm just going to go ahead and ask?" And with that he started to approach the tough looking warrior.

Summary

Zulas: 400 Col + 1 SP

Zulas: HP 2/20; Energy 2/2

Beetle: HP 0/4

Zulas felt his anger pull away from him towards his sword. The sword moved with a speed and force that he didn't know he had. It struck the side of the beetle and after fighting the husk it went through. The swing cut the beetle in half, and made it explode into a million pieces. Zulas didn't care about that, the victory meant nothing to him at this point. He slumped to the ground and let go of his sword. He knelt down and saw the tears come down from his face unto the ground. The hands that were used to defeat his foe now trembled with fervor. They trembled with fear and anger, two powerful feelings that he had always bottled up. That's when he came to the realization, "Y-you knew, didn't you?", he said as he looked up towards the sky. "You k-knew h-how I felt every time, didn't you?", he said again. 

Minutes passed or was it hours... Zulas couldn't tell how long he spent there. Eventually, he got up and walked towards the Town of Beginnings. He promised himself that he had to be better, if not for him then for her. She saw a light in him that nobody else saw, a side that nobody else knew--not even himself. He put his sword in its scabbard on his right hip and began walking back to civilization. The voice did not come again on the trip back but he still felt the warmth of that smile shining at him from above. "I'll see you soon.", he finally whispered to no one in particular.

Zulas: HP 2/20; Energy 2/2

Beetle: HP 2/4

The flashes came in a flood, one after the other without stopping. First his family, then his friends and finally... her. There she stood in all her beauty, with a radiant smile that brought warmth to whoever saw it. She was the one that made him change and turned him into a better form of himself. The thought of loosing her was too much to bear, so he welcomed whatever fate had in store for him. If he was going to die because of this game, then so be it. Zulas realized that he didn't care, because even if he got out she would be gone. That was his pain to endure, his cross to bear... one he wouldn't wish for anyone. With one last attempt, he charged and screamed in rage. The rage he had hidden all of his life and never chose to express it. It had been bottled up for a long after she had died. Anger towards himself, towards the people around him and towards her. With one last swing of his sword he let out all that anger towards the object that stood in front of him, unaware of all that Zulas was going through at that moment. The beetle didn't even know why there were tears coming down his assailants face and probably would never know.

 ID# 67658 results:

 Battle: 10

 Craft: 9

 Loot: 9

 MOB: 10

Zulas: HP 4/20; Energy 2/2

Beetle: HP 2/4

The thoughts on his mind clouded his judgment and made him hesitate at the last second. The beetle did not hesitate and ran forward, something that Zulas did not see coming. Its movement was fast and it hit him square in the chest. This hit took the air right out of him and made Zulas stumble back. He nailed the sword into the ground and used it for support. The gasping for breath did not help his situation and the red zone alert was loud in his ears. It flashed a warning sign, but he held on. The beetle would not beat him, that he had decided. If this was to be his last fight, his last time inside of this world he would go out not afraid anymore. He would be happy because if he did die, he knew that he would see her again. Zulas got into his combat stance for potentially the last time... "I'll see you soon.", he said and swung his sword towards the coming beetle. 

 ID# 67656 results:

 Battle: 3

 Craft: 2

 Loot: 5

 MOB: 7

((Can't believe this is happening! LOL))

Zulas: HP 7/20; Energy 2/2

Beetle: HP 2/4

The beetle jumped out of the way to avoid the attack this time but a bit far that it didn't attack him. If it had it wouldn't have mattered because the distance was long and the attack would not have landed. Zulas closed the gap between them, hoping to put an end to this encounter. He was growing tired and was mentally exhausted. Time had passed but he didn't know how much. The concept of time was foreign to him at this moment, so he didn't care. The only energy he had left was spent toward his foe in front of him. Again, he looked at his health bar in the yellow zone. I still got one more chance, Zulas thought to himself. He knew that he had to make that one count. He didn't dare to think what would happen if he didn't land this next attack. The clothes were close to his body with sweat or what the system simulated sweat was. He wiped what he had on his forehead away and readied his sword again. He ran towards the beetle in forward thrust and hoped that it would be for the last time.

 ID# 67655 results:

 Battle: 4

 Craft: 9

 Loot: 9

 MOB: 9

((My God! Are you serious?! Haha))

Zulas: HP 7/20; Energy 2/2

Beetle: HP 2/4

Zulas regrets waiting that moment for the beetle. It got its opportunity and attacked him at the same time. Zulas's attack missed because the beetle had jumped into the air and hit him over the head with its horn. Zulas realized his mistake too late when his sword hit nothing but air and felt the hit on his head. He fell to the ground with a loud thud, but quickly got up and turn around. He could have sworn that the beetle made some kind of laughing sound, but shrugged it away. The sweat in his hands kept going towards his grip so he held the sword tighter. The thought of losing here had not occurred to him once since he came back, and it wasn't going to start now. He raised his sword one last time and swung it down to try and cut the beetle in half.

 ID# 67654 results:

 Battle: 1

 Craft: 6

 Loot: 12

 MOB: 4

Zulas: HP 9/20; Energy 2/2

Beetle: HP 2/4

Zulas grunted as he was pushed back with a hit that brought his health bar into the yellow area. He knew his strike had hit home, but not enough to fell the beast. The beetle recoiled back after being hit and Zulas saw that his heard was cut in half. He smiled at his luck, Just one more. The possibility of triumph gave him one last ounce of strength that he needed in order to complete his task. The beetle began to run towards him, but he was ready for it. He pulled his sword back, aimed at the beetle's head again and hoped that it would be for the last time.

 ID# 67653 results:

 Battle: 3

 Craft: 7

 Loot: 1

 MOB: 8

Zulas: HP 13/20; Energy 2/2

Beetle: HP 4/4

Both of them missed exchanging blows against one another. Each narrowly missing one another. Zulas sword would take a chink out of the beetle's husk, and the beetle would rip of parts of his clothes. Zulas looked down at his clothes, they were torn and battered and looked worse for wear. He still had cuts and bruises from his previous fight, but nothing would stop him now. He was determined to see this through. I promised, he reminded himself. That last thought gave him the strength to keep going and fight on. He readied his sword once again, and swung at the head of the beetle. 

 ID# 67652 results:

 Battle: 7

 Craft: 5

 Loot: 14

 MOB: 10

Zulas: HP 13/20; Energy 2/2

Beetle: HP 4/4

Zulas missed his mark once again, but stepped back in time for the beetle to miss him with his own attack. Zulas ran around the beetle keeping him on his sights, and stepped in in one move. He raised his sword over his head in and let the system take over after that. His hand moved almost on his own, to the point that he know where his arm was going to end up. This let him know to get ready in order to perform his next attack against his foe. The beetle also got into position and waited for Zulas attack in order to lash out with one of his own.

 ID# 67651 results:

 Battle: 3

 Craft: 3

 Loot: 5

 MOB: 1