zero_lost04

Zero turned his head away from Randal for a moment.  He knew that the other player was just trying to cheer him and he knew that it wasn’t coming from a place of condescension, but he couldn’t help but feel a little talked down too. Still, he knew that wasn’t how it was intended so he didn’t let it bother him as he collected himself.  He looked once more around the area, certain that Carsar’s horde had to be around here somewhere but he was getting distracted but the hatchlings who had taken a bit of a shine to him.  
 

“Let me see what I can do to help make the trip a little easier for a couple of these little ones.  While I’m getting them ready for the trek, do you want to take another look around to see if the dragon’s horde is nearby?  My gut is telling me that Carsar wouldn’t have stopped here for  no reason so his horde has to be around here somewhere.”  Zero tried to put his limited usefulness in the battle out of his mind and instead focus on that task that was hand.  Most of the hatchlings were fine, but a couple of them had some minor injuries that could make the relatively short trip back more difficult.  He didn’t really have any first aid skills and using more of his small stockpile of healing potions wasn’t necessarily a good idea either, but with a system as varied as SAO, surely he could get something worked out to make the trek a little bit easier.

”I think we are about good to go when you are ready.”

“Yeah, I know, guess old MMO habits die hard, at least I didn’t shout out Leroy Jenkins before I charged in.  Normally, I’d be all about a plan of attack, but I got a little carried away.”  Zero chuckled to himself, as he apologized once more. Despite being offered the trinket, Astreya turned it down, said she already had one and that she thought he could use it. He takes the drop and puts it into his inventory, he could check out the specs on it later. Astreya then asks if he wanted to call it a day or go after the other one as well. 
 

“Not gonna lie, considering how well that went, I’d kinda like to see how we far against the other one. Another drop is always nice, plus maybe this one will be a bit tougher?  I promise not to rush in like a crazy person this time.”  It had been a much easier fight than had been expected, but considering that he had gotten in a hard hit and stunned it, the first minotaur wound up not being too much of a challenge for them. Going after the other would mean a more complete quest too and he was fun on this quest and getting to know Astreya, so another good round of combat would be a lot of fun. He begins to make his way out of the combat area and back into the maze so that they continue there way through the twisting maze to find the other Hoya. 
 

[Labyrinth Search 1/5]

Astreya and followed Zero’s lead and rushed in behind him, though he could hear call out to him in a bit of frustration. He had kind of rushed in and started the fight instead of letting the tank take point. Still, she launched into a flurry of attacks as well, easily striking the Hoya while it was stunned. As quickly as the fight had begun, it was all over, the western Hoya minotaur had fallen and was defeated. He sheathed his blade and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly as he turned to face her. 
 

“Sorry about that, rushing into a fight like that usually isn’t like me, but I guess I had gotten caught up in the moment. It’s been a long time since I’ve done a quest and this I’d actually the first time I’ve really gotten a chance to try out this sword, so I got a little carried away. As an apology, why don’t you take that drop.”  Zero lowered his head as he apologized, such recklessness was definitely not like him and he would definitely have to think about why he choose to rush in like that once they were out of the maze and he could relax and contemplate for a moment. Still, he was definitely quite pleased with the new sword arts he had access to, with a strong friend like a Astreya, they could probably make short work of a lot of the beginner quests with relative ease. 

Her attitude was actually somewhat astonishing.  Being trapped in a game, watching people you care for die and being told that their death was in the real world as well, that could break well adjusted adults.  He didn’t know what she had gone through to get to that point, but he was glad to see that she had take that pain and he put that motivation towards something positive.  After a while of walking and talking, they arrived at something that was a bit different.  According to Astreya, they had likely arrived.  With a smile on his face, Zero draws his two handed straight sword of the fallen and enters the area.

Entering what was likely the combat area, about half way away from them he spotted the western Hoya, sitting in patience contemplation.  When he noticed the two arrive and enter, he rose to his feet and picked up his massive axe.  It was an interesting dichotomy.  The axe was what you would normally associate with a berserker type enemy, but the stance and demeanor suggested a more measured opponent.  Zero knew that he needed to make his first strike count, with some of his new sword arts, he thought he had the perfect idea.  Breaking off into a sprint, with his blade behind him as he ran, he quickly closed the gap between himself and Govarron the western Hoya minotaur.  Once he is almost within striking distance, he pivots to the side before leaping at the Minotaur, hoping to strike him with a sudden flanking maneuver and stun him with his skill.  The gambit appears to have paid off as the strikes tear through the Minotaur and Zero takes a step back to bit a small amount of space between himself and the monsters massive weapon.

Zero
HP 100/100 | Energy 17/28 | Damage 8 | MIT 20 | ACC 2 | RGN 1

Cooldowns: Fight Blade 3/2

Astreya | HP: 280/280 | EN: 46/46 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 37 | BH: 4 | ACC: 1 | THORNS 18 | TAUNT: 2 | REC: 2

Govarron, the Western Hoya Minotaur HP: 62/150 | DMG: 45 | EVA: 1 - Stunned

With great ease and grace, Randal scaled the outside of the cave mouth and leaped high into the air, going over Carsar and coming down while using his sword arts.  The claw sliced through the neck of the abominable dragon, and the final gurgles of his death rattle escaped before he fell and exploded.  Looking at the spot where the beast would have fallen, Zero breaths in deep before spitting on the dragon’s “grave”.  He takes a quick look around and scans the area, wondering if the dragon’s horde might be nearby.  He doesn’t find anything with a cursory glance and decides to focus his attention here to this moment in time.  Randal stood up from where he fell and thanked the older player for his support before patting him on the back.

”Nah, you could have easily handled this without me, I wasn’t much use this time.  Let me feel like I’m contributing something, I’ll help take care of the hatchling and make sure that they can make the trip back to their mom, do you want to scout around a bit and see if you can find Carsar’s horde?  There might be something good in it.”  Zero turns to face Randal and, with a sheepish grin and one hand behind his head, offers what he thinks is a fair assessment of his meager contribution to this quest so far.  At least he could do something for these children and get them back home.  That thought seemed almost poetic to him.

Randal at hit the dragon hard, dealing significant damage and causing it to recoil from him in pain and anger.  It didn’t take a fortune teller to see what was going to be coming next.  Carsar began to flap his wings and take to the sky.  It either intended to fight them from the air, hoping to rely on its breath weapon to tear us apart while we couldn’t reach it, or he was going to flee and escape from combat all together.  While the second scenario would likely allow them to complete the quest, that concept just didn’t sit right with him, so Zero decided to go ahead and make his move.

Zero rushed in and leaped up as Carsar began to take flight.  Activating his new sword art known as Lightning, he hoped to deliver a solid strike of his own and stun the beast so that it couldn’t get away.  Unfortunately, wielding such a large weapon wasn’t easy when flying through the air and the attack just barely missed striking the dragon.  It did get Carsar’s attention and Zero realized that he may not have been completely useless in this fight after all.  
 

“There’s the opening for you Randal, take the shot and finish this coward off!  Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine, just finish this!”

Zero
HP 100/100 | Energy 26/28 | Damage 8 | MIT 20 | ACC 3 | RGN 1

Cooldowns: Fight Blade 3/2

Carsar info
HP 82/350 | Damage 65 | MIT 40 | 2 EVA | -3 ACC

Zero couldn't hide the surprise on his face when the dragon released some of its power and he saw that he had gained a +1 to EVA for the upcoming fight.  He knew that this was going to be quite useful.  With a bow to the dragon, they left the area in search of Carsar, though it didn't seem like it was going to be a difficult search.  Even with the gift of flight, taking so many hatchlings would limit the distance that Carsar could get and with the two of them focused on their target, the foul dragon had no chance of escape.

More of the puzzle was beginning to take shape as they neared Casra and they could overhear him talking to him.  Unrequited love and the desire to be with be someone only to have them lost.  If Carsar hadn't stolen babies, it would almost be sad.  Zero gripped a hold of hilt of his two handed straight sword of the fallen and was about to draw it and strike with Randal when the other player stepped up and made a request.  He wanted Zero to get in front of the hatchlings and provide them cover.  He wanted to protest, but decided not to, in the end, Randal was the one who started this quest and he would defer to him, for now.  With a nod, Zero draws his blade and dashes off to the side and gets between Carsar and the hatchlings.  He didn't intend to stay on the sidelines for long, especially if Randal took some hard hits.  With his new ranks in 2HSS, he had unlocked a couple of stunning abilities, if things looked bad he figured he could lash out with those and buy a few seconds.  Turning his attention to the hatchlings, he takes up a defensive stance and readies to enter the fray at a moments notice.

Zero smiled when the girl began to give the brief version of events that led her to this point.  He had heard those comments about gaming from some of the more seasoned members of his own family, but as he got older he also knew that sometimes the older generation just doesn't get what the new generation is into and that doesn't make it necessarily bad, but that it just needed to be judged on merits.  However, his mirth stopped and his heart nearly broke as she briefly went over the events that happened when she had been trapped here with a friend.  Sadly, that type of story was far to common.  He could tell that she was almost forcing herself when she said she was here now and ready to go, but deep down he knew better.  He had many scars himself, both physical and mental, and he knew that those feelings would soften over time, but would never go away.  The thought would cross his mind from time to time, about the what it was going to be like for these children when they finally managed to escape this place.

"While it is hard to imagine right now, one day, when we have all managed to leave this place behind, there will be things about this world that we will remember fondly.  It is those memories that give me the strength to go on.  When you get out of here, you will still have most of your life ahead of and there will be many lessons that you will have learned here that will be a great benefit to you.  When I leave, what time I have left will be even more precious and wonderous to me because of what I've experienced here.  Whether here or in the real world, life is what we make it, it can be beautiful or we can choose to only see the shadows." Zero had no idea why he felt the need to say all that to Astreya.  Maybe he thought about his own youth and what he was doing when he was her age.  Still, he could tell that she was strong, that she was a fighter and the desire to survive this game and excel was strong in her.  It was also at that moment that Zero realized that he could no longer take a back seat in this game.  This kids were going through a lot, he could share the burden with them.  After all, what was one more nightmare?

[Labyrinth search 4/5]

Zero couldn’t help but smile at the young girl’s excitement. Whether she meant it or not, her exuberance was contagious. Still as they proceeded through the maze, he could tell that there was something on her mind, that she wanted to say but wasn’t sure about.  She finally looked back to him over her shoulder and got her question out. What was it that had brought him to sword art online. He couldn’t help but chuckle slightly. 
 

“I have to admit, that may be the nicest way someone has asked me that question since we all got trapped here. I’ll give you the short version for now. I grew up playing games when I could. Thanks to the career path I choose and the work I did, I was able to retire pretty early and took a new job that allowed me to come to Japan for a while. I hadn’t bought a new console in a long time, so I thought I’d get a nerve gear and play for a little bit, plus it would give me something to do while I was in a new town. Definitely got the new town part I suppose.”  Zero had see a lot of people got turned into knots when talking about life before sao and he wanted to try to keep things as light as he could.  It was, mostly, the truth and he kept a smile on his face as he asked a question in turn of his new friend. “Would you mind if I asked the same of you, what brings such a polite, young lady as yourself to Sword Art Online.”

[Labyrinth Search 2/5]

Zero had allowed Randal to take the lead on this quest, he was the one who found the scroll to begin with. He spoke kindly with the dragon and Zero was able to get an idea of what happened based on the tale and the conditions around them. Another dragon had appeared and fought with these two; killing one, wounding the other and stealing the remaining hatchlings away. The was enough to make Zero’s blood boil right away, even for data so things should be off limits, but if the point was to tug at the heart strings, they succeeded. The dragon pleaded with them for aid and Randal took him aside for a moment, asking him if he was still interested now that it looked like it was going to be a dragon fight. With a sigh, Zero opens his menu and begins scrolling through some options. 
 

“You know, I had intended not to allocate this SP just yet, I was going to decide if I wanted to be a tank or a dps first and try to max out the most beneficial first but it seems I don’t have time for that right now and I’ll just have to make my decision as I go.”  Zero selected his skill and allocated more of his Sp, taking 2 more ranks in 2HSS and one more rank is Heavy Armor. That would give him some more mitigation ability, along with some higher level sword arts that included some stun abilities.   He also selected one of his healing potions and took it in hand. Rather than use it, he took it over the dragon and placed it before her. 
 

“You have lost enough today. It’s not much, but take it, your hatchlings will need you at full strength when we return.”  Though Randal and Zero had only just met, it would be pretty clear that this quest had struck a nerve with Zero. He didn’t know if at his relatively low level if he would even be able to do anything but that didn’t matter. 
 

“I gave my word to aid you with this quest and a man is only as good as his word. That is true in the real world, and it is even more so while we are trapped in this world. I won’t abandon you or the dragon now that this has started. I’m ready to go when you are, let’s get this sob.” 
 

“I’ve been in the town of beginnings have enough that I’ve heard about quite a few different quests. I want to say I have heard about the quest but not much in the way of details about what the quest entails. Though to be fair, I’ve really only asked about quests that had good synergy with my two handed straight sword or heavy armor, still haven’t decided on tank or dps yet.”  Zero was just trying to make some small talk while they were traveling, one of the troubles with a map like that was you had no idea if the scale was anywhere near accurate. Still, as they continued walking and talking, the terrain began to change become more like what was on the map. 
 

Randal almost seemed like he knew where he was going, though Zero could tell that that feeling was a little confusing to him. Suddenly they came across a cave entrance and he noticed a few gold coins scattered on the ground. “I’m sure I don’t need to say this out loud, but if this is the dragon nest, probably best not to touch anything that it might consider a part of its hoard until we know what we are telling with.”

The two enter the cave and make through way into it as it quickly widens up. The scene was set before them. A wounded dragon, a dead dragon behind, a nest that was either empty or filled only dead hatchlings or shattered eggs. Zero knew this was just a game, that what was before him was nothing but data, but that didn’t stop his anger from beginning to simmer. Such a lose senseless. He sees the dragon taken notice of them, but barely react, only doing so much as revealing its claws. It was clearly still in mourning and didn’t want to fight but would if pushed to that point. Zero raises his hands and puts them as far away from his weapon as possible, attempting to show by action instead of words that they mean no harm. 

The other player introduced himself as Randal as he accepted the party invite. He quickly showed Zero the scroll and the journal and while Randal started with the map, Zero read the journal to get some more context. Having read over it and accepting the quest himself, he was able to put together the gist of the map pretty quickly. Having grown up during a time and in an area where gps was extremely unreliable, he had learned to read maps at a pretty young age in case of an emergency. 
 

“I’m not at a very advanced level yet, just 5. But thanks to some friends and some decent bartering, I’ve got some pretty solid equipment that should last me until I need to upgrade to Tier 2 equipment. Plus, I’ve always loved heavy weapons in MMOs and since this one is essentially brain control, I like to think I’ve adapted pretty well. How about you, what is your general fighting style?”
 

Astreya was very helpful in getting to the quest giver, a very imposing figure named “Larbrook”. From what Astreya had told him, the NPC could accompany them and could fight, but the way the quest was set up he couldn’t do any actual damage and the Minotaurs wouldn’t attack him. That, unfortunately, meant he already had a decision to make. Taking the NPC would make it essentially an escort quest, which told him that the reward was likely better but the original drops were supposed to be really good, especially for early game tanks and dps players. After giving it some good though, he decided against it. It was likely that a quest with a choice like this was likely repeatable, drops probably wouldn’t proc but the escort reward could probably be picked up later. Since he already had a guide and teammate, he decided to pass on it for now. 
 

Once they arrived at the entrance to labyrinth, Astreya broke it down for him about which direction they would need to head through in general terms. 
 

“I don’t know if this is still a thing, but when I was a younger man, we had a saying. ‘Good adventures always go left’, so I say we follow the left hand wall first and see how it goes.”  Zero says with a bit of a grin on his face. It had been a while since he had done a quest and it was always worth trying to remember that even though they were trapped here, it was still a game so you may as well try to make it fun. 

Practice. He had to practice more. Between the recent events and his own shortcomings, if he wanted to be anything other than a burden to those trying to clear the game he had to practice. Fortunately he was still at a level where most of the monsters on this floor could still drop loot for him and with the equipment he had it was essentially a safe practice for him to fight boats now. Zero was slightly aware of the other player nearby doing something similar, he might be farming for some drops of materials. He tried to put it out of his mind he focused his attention on fighting the boars. Every blade was slightly different, even in a game and he needed to get more practice in with the blade Macradon had give him. With a quick roll to his side and snap of his wrists, the current boar he was fighting fell. He was about to take a few deep breaths to collect himself before heading on to the next boar when the other player approached him. 
 

The other player had approached with his weapon sheathed and seemed to be a bit sheepish in his words when he spoke. Zero couldn’t help but look him over quickly to try to make a quick assessment of the player. Still, if the other player had meant ill, he had had plenty of opportunities long before now. 
 

“A quest you say?  I’ve been trying to work off the rust out here and maybe a quest is just the thing that I need.”  Zero says as he opens up his menu and does a party invite, allowing the other player to be selected as the leader of the quest since he was the one that found the scroll. “My username is zero_lost04 but feel free to call me Zero or Lost, whichever you prefer. “
 

“This “Freyd” person sounds interesting, maybe one day I’ll have the chance to party with them as well. I’d love to get strong enough to party with a player named Macradon to one day. He’s actually the one who gave me this sword that I’m using now.”  Zero tried to keep the conversation light, he was so used to playing alone he didn’t want to go off on a tangent. On top of that, he had become acutely aware of late that he was good a bit older than many of the other players in the game that we’re trying to clear Aincrad. Astreya was very clearly a very social person so he just smiled as she talked and chuckled a little bit as she shoveled the remaining cake in her mouth and blurted out for them to go. 
 

“Sounds like a good plan to me, shall she form a party and then go accept the quest. Lead the way!”  Zero arches his shoulders slightly, allowing them to pop quietly as he grabs his blade and affixes it to his back again as he gets up from his chair to follow his new teammate. 

“I like to try to give the option with my username, over the years I’ve come to learn to Zero is a pretty common handle so I don’t want to confuse anyone.”  Zero responds in a pretty nonchalant manner about the name. Time in this place had definitely started to do a number on his psyche and many other players here. He lost himself in thought for but a moment, wondering if any players had fully forgotten themselves and embraced their new identities. He shrugs at the mention of the tanky dps being in this season. “I picked two handed straight sword at a time when not a lot of other players were using it and heavy armor seemed to be a natural fit, especially since I have this bad habit of wandering off alone in MMOs, being able to hit and take a hit seemed pretty important”.  He kinda chuckles to himself as he responded, never really realizing how he had fallen into what he had currently taken. 
 

Zero smiles as the girl takes a big bite of her cake and mentions that she is grateful that she doesn’t have to watch what she eats here. He gives a respectful nod and continues the smile, all while thinking about the fact that he hadn’t really indulged in anything like that since all this started,  not that it hadn’t crossed his mind, he just never got around to it. His attention becomes undivided when she begins to speak about the minotaurs in the maze. Two of equivalent strength, but with one favoring speed and one favoring accuracy. He had some thoughts on what that could mean for their fighting styles but he decided against losing himself in thought down that rabbit hole. 
 

“That is definitely some interesting information to have going into the quest, depending on which one we go after, or if we go after both then the order we try to defeat them in could change the strategy. Still with the enhancements I have on my equipment, I should be able to do a decent bit of damage and, in a worse case scenario I should be able to take a few hits myself. This sounds like it should be pretty manageable. I hope that you enjoy your cake Astreya, don’t rush on my account, we can head out whenever you are ready. I planned to get some questing in today anyway, so I’m already geared up and ready to go.”  Zero muses to himself slightly, talking to both himself and Astreya while rubbing his beard. After finishing his comments, he ruffles his hair just slightly as he adjusts the nearly hidden bandana around his forehead. An adventure the line of Theseus on Crete was something he never thought he would have but it was definitely an exciting proposition. 

Zero couldn’t help but notice her shock at first, apparently she had not realized that she was speaking out loud to herself. He noticed that tended to be a trait players who did a lot solo seemed to share as he was more than guilty of that himself. She quickly regained her composure and started talking about how she had actually just finished it up not to long ago. He was actually quite surprised to hear her say that she was willing to run the quest again to help or he was welcome to just pull up a chair if he wanted to do it himself.  
 

“Well I don’t know if you were expecting this answer but perhaps it could be both?  I would never impose upon another player in this world with the way things currently stand but I will always accept help when it is offered. Plus, knowing more about your enemy increases the likelihood of victory”. Zero smiles and bows his head respectfully as he pulls up a chair to the table and takes his Two Handed Straight Sword of the Fallen of his back and leans it against the chair that he sits in. 
 

“Oh, my apologies, I have not properly introduced myself. My handle in this world is zero_lost04, but feel free to refer to me as Zero or Lost for brevity. I haven’t settled on my role in the game just yet. I’ve taken a rank in my weapon and a rank in heavy armor, so I guess my path will either be tank or dps. Considering recent events though, the time for half measures may be gone if I hope to be of any use on the frontlines myself. Please, don’t allow me to interrupt your meal but I’d love to get as much knowledge about the quest as possible before we set out. That is whenever you are ready of course, no rush.”  Zero tries to continue the conversation and tries to focus on what was before him at the time. One step at a time, one quest at a time. 

Zero suddenly wakes up in a cold sweat. He looks around his room and breathes a sigh of relief while stroking the silver streaks in his beard.  He had that dream again but he just needed to continue reminding himself that that day had passed and he needed to get a move on.  The recent events had reminded him that he needed to start putting one foot in front of the other if he ever hoped to get out of this game.  Rubbing his face as he rises, he gets out of bed and selects his vanity clothing "The Seeker's Clothing" and equips it, covering himself in his black pants, black and gold shirt and signature long red coat with matching bandana that was almost entirely hidden by his silver hair.  He selected his equipment and decided to head out and meet the day after getting something to eat.

He thought about what he would eat the whole way there and tried to ignore the whispers that he heard in town.  For some time now, people that he had never met would look at him strangely, while pointing and whispering.  As a solo player mostly, he didn't really bother to find out what this was all about and choose to ignore it most of the time.  As he enters the restaurant, he sees that most of the tables are already full, he may just got something quick and easy to eat and leave rather than stay today.  However, as he was moving through to place his order, he couldn't help but over hear a player talking themselves.

"Hmm.  It feels weird to be having a glass of milk after beating up a giant cow person.  Hoya or whatever it was,"

His ears perk up at the mention of the "Hoya".  From what he could remember, that was the name of lower level quest.  He needed to start doing more in this game to get his strength up so maybe that would be a good quest to take on.

"Excuse me, I don't mean to interrupt you and I will be more than happy to leave you alone, but did I hear you mention the "Hoya" quest?  I was thinking about taking that quest on myself and I was wondering if you had any advice that you could give me before I take it."  Zero steps up to the player and lowers his head respectfully as he speaks.  He didn't expect to get too much, but any information that he could gather from someone who has already done the quest could help save him time and allow him to formulate good battle plans.

Current Level: 5
Current SP:   12
Link to SP Tracking: link

All equipment is tier 1 and considering my level, there is nothing to be upgraded.  All of my items and equipment are from 2017 so most of the IDs are unable to be found but I will provide as much detail as possible on all the items that I currently have.

Two Handed Straight Sword of The Fallen (+2 Damage, +1 Acc) - Given to me from Macradon.  He obtained the weapon from the quest "Falling of Tagas".

Obsidian Guard (+2 Mit, +1 Regan) (-5 Tier 1 Mats): No records exist of me getting this item anymore.  I believe that the shop I got it from was completely archived.

Gentleman's Cufflinks (+1 Acc) (-200 Col) : Purchased from Baldur in the "Catfish Sundry's" thread.  I can see all of his items approved in the evaluations but I can't find links to any particular items.

The Seeker's Clothing (Vanity) (-130 Col) (ID: 83649)

Steel Breastplate (Stored - +1 Mit): Obtained from The Second lesson is also free

5 Tier One Health Potions of Uncommon Quality (+40 HP) - Obtained from the quest The First few lessons are free

1 Tier One Damage Potion (+1 Damage) - Obtained from the quest The First few lessons are free

1 Tier 1 Potion of Safegaurd - Obtained from the quest The Second Lesson is also free.

1 Tier 1 Over-Health Potion (+50 Temp. Hp) - Obtained from the quest The First few lessons are free

If he was going to find his way through this game and improve on everything with the hopes of making it to the frontlines anytime soon, Zero knew that he needed to start working on speeding up his progress while also multi-tasking as best he could.  Materials were very important for the crafting system and while he had an excellent set of tier 1 armor and weapons, he knew that he would need to improve his trinkets and have extras in order to develop his crafting skill once he settled on a new profession.  He had actually planned on being a fisherman, though just about the time he was about to finish that quest line, the profession had been patched though, he he had heard a rumor that it might make a return in the near future.  Regardless, materials were important, so he decided to keep an eye out as he got closer to the tree grove.  It was a good thing that he did as well as he was able to find some materials just as he entered the grove the saw the NPC he was looking for.  Zero wasn't really paying much attention at the start of Hannah's conversation, though he was aware of the quest prompt that popped up, indicating that he needed to turn over the gold band to Hannah in order to finish or progress the quest.

"Thank you so much for bringing this out here to me.  I always feel like I can do my best work out here in nature, I just always feel so inspired.  If you wouldn't mind, I do have one request I was hoping that you could help me with so that I can properly finish this.  I can promise you that the reward is worth it."  The NPC rattled on his text and Zero was paying more attention now, figuring that this quest was probably going to involve more than just going from point A to point B.  Accepting the next part of the quest, Hannah started the next batch of her scripted dialogue.  "Excellent," she exclaimed excitedly, "near here there is a cave that has a beautiful gemstone in it.  Normally there aren't too many monsters in it, but the cave is dark, making it hard to see.  If you would, please, enter the cave and bring me back the gemstone so that I can properly finish this item."

Zero shrugged his shoulders and left the grove of trees, heading for the area told to him by Hannah.  With any luck, it wouldn't be to difficult of a quest and would net him some easy experience and treasure so that he could keep moving on his journey to get to the frontlines.

It had been a while since he had left the relative safety of the safe zone around the main city on the floor of beginnings.  From the best information he could gather, this was still the most populated city in the game as many players had either remained on floor 1 or had decided to make their main base or home on the floor since it was supposed to be the largest.  That meant that, as long as he was careful, he could avoid contact with most players and guilds so that he could work on his skills in private and be left alone.  He had not had a conversation about joining a guild for a very long time and it was a subject that he was not all that interested in revisiting right now.  Perhaps he would join one at some point, but now was not the time to consider things like that.  As he wandered throughout the fields on his way to the grove of trees, Zero remembered that while he was out of the safe zone, it was possible to gather materials.  Most of the professions required the use of materials so gathering whatever you could was always a good idea and some craftsmen would even accept payment in materials so they could get experience in their crafting profession.  It was probably due to being out of practice by remaining in the main city for so long, but he wasn't having any luck finding any materials right now.  Deciding to focus on the task at hand more, he decides to stay on the main path for the time being and avoid any confrontations with monsters, there would be time for that later, but for now he wanted to get to the NPC Hannah as quickly as possible.  He had put off doing anything in the game for far to long, he needed to focus on the task at hand and get moving on getting stronger.

After going out on a few adventures, Zero had decided to slow things down slightly and work on perfecting his skills.  There were many aspects of this world that related to real world physics and while "Sword Skills" were the main way of doing significant damage to enemies, basic strikes were going to be his bread and butter until he grew several more levels and could rely on the sword skills more consistently.  As such, rather than going out and risking his life against monsters and growing his level, he decided to focus on the fundamentals of swordsmanship.  Great swords required a lot of training and focus to make the basic attacks work and he wanted to develop his skills more in that regard, so he had spent the better part of the a year perfecting his attacks on training dummies.  Another consideration that weighed on him was the gift that Macradon had given him, the Two Handed Straight Sword of the Fallen.  It was an incredible weapon for his tier and he wanted to make sure that he wasn't just swinging the sword around wildly and hoping to get lucky.  Powerful, methodical strikes, looking for opening and driving the blade with the force that he could muster, that was the way to use a great sword.  Still, he felt like he hadn't been improving lately, perhaps it was finally time to step away from the training dummy's and put his training into practice.  Ultimately, that was going to be the only way that he was going to improve and if he ever had any hopes of joining the frontlines, he needed to get a move on.  It was at the moment he decided to look through his quest log, just to see what he was still holding on to and there was part three of the tutorial quest line.  

"Well, I suppose now is as good a time as any to start back up on the quests and get my level up some more.  Let's see, I've still got the safeguard potion that I got from the second quest that is part of the requirement and I've got the quest item to take to, looks like the NPC's name is Hannah.  I need to make sure that I've gotten my inventory up to date and get all of my equipment on."  Zero speaks to himself, a bad habit he developed from playing by himself in so many MMOs.  Still, even in this world, he found that helped to keep him focused on a task at hand and to prioritize his thoughts.  Opening up his menu, he went through and made sure that he had equipped his Two Handed Straight Sword of the Fallen, Obsidian Guard and gentleman's cufflinks.  However, before leaving, he goes down his list to a set of vanity clothing that he had commissioned and stopped on it for a moment.  He had been waiting for the right moment to finally equip these clothes and now was the time.  After selecting "The Seeker's Clothing", Zero's clothing completely changes, a blue and gold trimmed tunic with black pants, a red coat that draped down behind him and a red headband that went around his head with a long tail that went down to about the middle of his back.  This was the style of clothing that he had always loved in MMOs and he was so happy to final feel like himself again.  With that accomplished, Zero began to follow the instructions from the quest and began to make his way to grove where he could find the artisan Hannah.  

Level 5
HP: 100/100 I EN: 10/10 I DMG: 6 I MIT 26 I ACC: 2 I EVA: 0 | RGN: 1
Equips:
Two Handed Straight Sword of the Fallen [+2 DMG, +1 ACC] | Obsidian Guard [+2 MIT, +1 RGN] | Gentleman's Cufflinks [+1 ACC]
Skills:
2HSS [R1] I Heavy Armor [R1] 

:Editing - Rolling for Combat:

After lying on the shoreline for several minutes, Zero finally moved his focus to the battle results screen.  He was actually pleasantly surprised to see the results from the battle, including the loot that he received included 4 additional materials that he could use for his fishing work.  A part of him wondered if this was nothing but a coincidence or if there was something programmed into this quest that would allow him to gather up some more materials.  Either way, Zero wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth and accepted the results of the battle, placing the materials into his inventory before standing up and heading over to the old man.  When he gets over there and begins the conversation with the old man, the swordfish spawns in his arms and he talks about how happy he was to finally have caught the swordfish of the river.  On cue as well, the old man then begins to give Zero the specifics on how the fishing crafting mechanics worked and how you could fish.  He pays very close attention to everything the old man says keep track of it with his own notes while also looking through the menu as more information becomes available for the profession.  When he finished, Zero was a bit distraught to see that he hadn't completed the quest yet.

"One last thing, and this may be the most important.  Before you can start fishing, you need a fishing rod.  I've got an extra one that you can have out in my home.  If you head out of the city gates, it is on the edge of the forest.  Here, I will mark it one your map, you can't miss it.  Once you've got yourself a fishing rod, you will be able to go fishing anywhere there is enough water and some good fish to catch.  Thank you so much and I hope you enjoy catching your own fish."  The old man gives Zero the last bit of the quest.  He can't help but let out a sigh as he thought he would finally be done with this quest.  Still, with a little bit more to go, it wouldn't be that bad and he would finally be able to catch fish.  Plus, he didn't like the fact that he only had 9 materials, an odd number like that actually bothered him a little bit.  Heading out into the forest would give him some time to get a few more things and hopefully round it out nicely.

The fish leaped out of the water and high into the air, knocking into Zero as he stood on the shoreline.  It did the same amount of damage that had been done all along to him but this time the fish continued up into the air from his leap.  He smiled as he watched the fish and readied his blade, there was nowhere for the fish to go and all he had to do was time his attack just right and it would all be over.  As the fish begins falling towards the ground, Zero takes a careful step forward before putting all of his weight behind his next strike, swinging and uses his "Straight" Sword Art one last time and slashing deeply into the fish.  The red scar was there for but a moment before the swordfish exploded into a mass of particle effects.  With a deep sigh and shouting out the word "Finally", Zero falls to the ground on his back and stares up at the sky.  The old man doesn't respond right away, a new quest trigger was waiting for Zero once he accepted the loot from defeating the fish, but for right now, he was going to take a minute and relax.  Who would have ever thought that battling a fish would be so exhausting!