Pinball

With a tight, anxious grip on his spear, Pinball took his first few steps out of the inn he had holed himself up in since completing the Third Lesson. After his nearly fatal meeting with King Croaksworth, he wasn't entirely keen on tackling the fourth and final lesson of the questline. However, he knew that if he hid in the inn the entire time, he wouldn't get anything done, let alone the questline. Pinball had taken his time to talk to some of his guild members before he left the inn, and, after adamantly refusing any offers of help, he made sure that he was going to the right place. He was supposed to take the package the Artisan had given him, and deliver it to someone named Ol' Pete. Pinball stopped at the gate, taking in a deep breath. He had had a brush with death in his fight, but only one born of his foolishness. It was something absolutely avoidable, and he wouldn't make the same mistake again. Besides, he had much better gear now, and even if he did manage to fight something worthwhile on this floor, he would be able to handle his own. Using his spear as a walking stick, Pinball began his journey to the lake, his free hand stuffed in his pocket.  

Player Stats: 

Pinball walked into the pub where he knew he would find Gatsly, the merchant. Pinball immediatly took notice of the shining indicator over the NPC's head, notifying him that a quest was available. He had heard about this quest from his guild, after a rather scary experience with a Frog King. Stryder had told him he shouldn't attempt to do anything as dangerous as that again without him, but it was the only way Pinball would ever get stronger. Besides, he had made a deal with Mars. He had to get stronger so he could duel the man, and hopefully prove to be a relatively worthy match. Pinball was just about to step up to the man and initiate the quest, but he hesitated. Was this really the smartest thing to do? He had just recently had a close encounter with death, and here he was, eagerly pursuing danger as if it were a pal of his. Pinball stopped, sat at a table, leaned his spear against his side, and mulled it over. Would this quest really be worth it? 

Player Stats 'n Stuff: 

@Mars

Pinball nodded, activating Sonic Charge. He needed to conserve his energy if he were to fight longer, and with so many monsters to be fought, it was very important Pinball was able to deal some damage. With a grind-y quest like this, there was going to be a lot of fighting in their future, unless they got lucky. Pinball let his Sword Art loose, but the attack only hit one of the monsters, and even then, it didn't do nearly enough damage to kill him. "Damn it!" Pinball hoped Benjamin would be able to pick off another one. If not, he would let his stronger AOE Sword Art attack, and hope he finished them off like that. "Sorry 'bout that, not my lucky day. You're up!" Pinball jumped back, spacing himself, anxiously gripping his spear, cautious of the Nepent that had managed to land a hit on him. It wasn't life threatening, of course, but one could never be too careful. 

The Nepent Variant was soon in sight. Pinball nodded to Benjamin, accepting his plan. "Sounds good to me." Pinball activated Mighty Charge, and rushed the Variant. This time, he didn't miss. The spear embedded itself in the Nepent's body with a sickening crunch. The Variant gave out a helpless squeal as it died, shattering and dissapearing. Pinball slammed his spear into the dirt with a satisfied thump, and checked to see if the Nepent's drop had appeared. "Damn it! Nothing!" Pinball lifted his spear, and waved to Benjamin. "Well, nothing we can do about it. Hurry, we need to find another Variant. It has to drop eventually." Pinball was a bit dissapointed nothing had dropped, even with his Cloak. There was nothing he could do about it, however, so there was no use complaining about it. "Let's get a move on." Pinball walked ever deeper into the forest, eager to fight the nepents once more so he could get to the boss as soon as possible. 

Combat: 

Looting: 

Pinball laughed, scratching the back of his head and staring at the floor. "Yeah... it's - it's not a problem. I didn't expect you to, anyways." Embarrased, and his face a bright red, he accepted the Familiar Call, inserting it in his inventory. "Thank you much!" Pinball stood, walking towards the door. His face returning to its normal, healthy colour, he turned to her, pushing the door open as he talked. "Thank you, again. I really appreciate it." Pinball exited the shop, back into the snow. He would finally be able to undertake the quest, and get the familiar he so desperately wanted. Now, all he needed to do was to get his hands on another item that improved his odds - a consumable. He had plenty in his shop, so he figured he would use one of those. Hopefully, a familiar would help Pinball make up for his lack of damage when he finally fought Mars. 

Recieved: 

Pinball pushed open the door to the shop, a gust of cold air filling the room as he entered. The boy muttered to himself as he stepped in, shivering a bit. "A tiny bit chilly today, isn't it?" Pinball walked into the shop, looking for the owner. It had been a long time since had ordered his item, and he knew it was incredibly rude to come and pick it up so late. He wasn't even sure she still even had it waiting for him. "Anyone home?" Pinball took a seat at one of the chairs, waiting to see if he could talk to the girl about picking up his item. If she had sold it, or given it away, he couldn't really blame her. He would just have to come back and order another one, later. 

Pinball laughed. "Not weird at all. I'm planning on hunting one of those rare ghost cats, myself. I need one to help me fight... I really like cats, too." He had only heard a handful of people talk about the rare cats, especially the ones of the shadow-y variety that Pinball was interested in. Taming it was going to be tough, but he would have his guild members to help him. "I'd be happy to come along, if you'd take me. Just give me a heads up." Pinball could respect Benjamin's decision to be a healer. There was a sore lack of them on the frontlines, after all. Pinball took a second to think... "There's only one other 'healer' I know of in this game. I remember my guild leader talking about her. Ruby, I think It was." Pinball shrugged. "There's a handful of skills you can pick up to fill the role of a healer. All of which would be useful, considering our current frontline situation." The fighters were stalling out, and unlocking floors has never been slower. Pinball stood, watching his energy once again restore itself to maximum capacity. "Well, I guess it's time to get a move on. You ready?" 

Energy Recovery: 3/3 

Pinball entered the shop, unsure of what he was supposed to do. He spoke up to the nearest person he saw; a young girl in a... maid's outfit. "Uh, are you... are you Domarus?" Pinball's face lit bright red, quite embarrased. "I- I don't..." He stuttered, shoving his hands into his pockets. A healthy amount of anxious fidgeting followed. "I need some kind of accuracy trinket." He swiped open his inventory, pulling out his Candy Cane Material. "I'll pay with this, if that's alright... I need it as soon as possible. Do you still want the material payment, or...?" He wasn't quite sure what to do. He was a crafter himself, but he was always left stuttering when talking to new people. "I'll- I'll just leave the design to you. It just needs to have three slots of accuracy, if that's alright." Pinball backed away, unsure of whether he should leave or stay.  

*Sent Candy Cane Material to Domarus. 

Candy Cane Link: http://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/15730-sao-2017-holiday-raffle/?do=findComment&comment=533415

"More quests, huh...?" Pinball took a second to think. He didn't really know about any other beginner quest he hadn't already done. "I don't really know." He hesitated as well, then continued with, "B-but if you have anything you want to do, send me a message after this. I'd be happy to accompany you with anything you need help with. Even if it's with those... other friends." A bit of venom dripping with those last words. It was an anger that Pinball himself couldn't even explain; after all, he had no idea who these people were. But there was something about the way Benjamin used the word brash that Pinball knew he wouldn't like them too much. "Eh, well," he muttered, scratching his neck, "we have to make it out of this quest before we plan on doing anything." Pinball cast a glance at his energy bar, which was slowly climbing. It would be full soon. 

EN Recovery: 2/3

Skill(s) Being Dropped: Dagger ~ Rank 1 
Mod(s) Being Dropped: N/A
SP Refunded: 5
Cost: 5,000 Col 

Pinball nodded. "You're right... there might just be..." Pinball looked around, standing, suddenly seriously intent on finding a treasure chest... but he saw nothing. "Hmm, I could've sworn.." Pinball shook his head. "I guess not. The forests are usually littered with them. They're definitely worth looking for, too." He sat back down, now thinking. "Maybe they don't appear in this forest? Since this is a designated questing area. Maybe the devs didn't want every party going through this quest to find a free chest." He shrugged. "I - I dunno. Maybe we'll find one on the way back.. I kinda wanna find one now." Pinball leaned back against the tree, closing his eyes as he waited to heal. "I should've brought searching items from my shop, now that I look back on it. Ah, well. Too late now, I guess." Pinball laughed to himself, finding great humor in his inability to think ahead. "So... how are you enjoying the game so far? Make any friends?" 

Searching...

Energy Recovery: 1/3 

@Benjamin Bookworm

Pinball sighed. "Yeah, you can have the extra." Pinball needed it too, but if he was only a Rank 1 Alchemist... then he needed it more. Pinball sent the man his share of the materials, and said, "We can split the col down the middle, at least. I'll let you keep the light armor, too. I won't be needing it. You could always sell it for the col." 

After everything was finished, Pinball nodded. "It was nice questing with you, Mars. Maybe we can do it some other time... and I look forward to our duel." After the farewells were shared, Pinball left the man to himself, satisfied with the progress he had made. He was well on his way to becoming a force to be reckoned with. With time and the right items, Pinball would one day be one of the best players in the game. He wouldn't rest until he was. Pinball laughed to himself, shaking his head. "Yeah, right."

*Sent 4 T1 Mats to Mars

When they arrived in the safe zone, Pinball stopped. He swiped opened his menu, counting up the total amount of materials he had gathered while fishing. He let out a groan. "Damn it - an odd number. I got nine Tier-One Materials." He looked at Mars expectantly. "Did you get anything from that one fish monster thing? Hopefully something that'll even the number a bit?" The last thing Pinball wanted to do was start an argument over something as cheesy as materials. Pinball showed Mars his screen with the materials on it. "Yeah, I've got nine," he repeated. "What does that leave with the two of us? Did you get anything?" It was one of Pinball's biggest fears. He wanted to be rivals, not enemies. After all, gamers often argued about things much less important than materials in SAO. He hoped they could split their loot in a friendly enough way, so they could leave each other on good terms. Good enough, at least. 

This guy is very generous, he thought suspiciously. Pinball isn't the worst person in the world, but his cynical mind refused to believe that there's someone alive that was truly kind. Pinball believed that people were either kind to make themselves feel better, appease some deity, or for their other, personal gains. Pinball didn't think Thorsten any different. Watching him as he talked, Pinball absently gathered a material as he passed it. He was going to confront the man soon, he knew. He wanted answers... but he would have to wait. He needed to get well away from the town so that he would be able to press these questions without having to worry that the man would call off the gathering trip. "Hey," he said, pointing at a point in the horizon, "I scoped out a stream somewhere around there. I wanted to test out my fishing skill some more; I've only used it a couple of times now, and I want to see if we can get any goodies without reeling in something that'll kill us." 

Gathering: 

"Jesus, that sounds rough," Pinball whistled, swiping his menu open as they walked. At the rate they were walking, they would be reaching the town soon. "Well, I'm going to have to take that quest eventually. We'll see what happens, I guess." Pinball watched his map for a second, then swiped over to his equipment. Pinball got very focused on his task, biting a nail as he worked. It was a nervous habit that had carried over into the game... one that still affected him. Suddenly, he tripped, and his menu closed for him. Pinball hit the ground, then shot back up, his face bright red. He brushed off his pants, and kept walking, speeding up so he wouldn't have to look at Mars directly. Pinball was silent the rest of the walk. 

It wasn't terribly long before the Floor's starting town came into sight. Pinball let out a sigh of relief, turning to look at Mars, walking backwards. "Not too far, now. We'll count up our materials 'n stuff when we get inside the safe zone." 

Pinball jumped at the sound of a menu opening. For a moment, it seemed to Pinball as if somebody else was with them - but no, it was Mars, changing his outfit. Pinball was quite jealous; he only had his combat gear to wear. He listened as Mars told him his plans, and Pinball decided he would do the exact same thing. He couldn't let this guy beat him... He had a point to prove... to himself, if anyone. Pinball nodded, a determined grin on his face. "Yeah, that's right." Mars seemed like he would make for one hell of an opponent. Even if Pinball's Fishing skill held him back a bit in terms of SP allotment, he was absolutely determined to be one of the hardest fighting players Mars would ever go against. Pinball started to hum, enjoying the breeze on the air. "I gotta get me some clothes, I think. Something warm... Floor 4 gets very cold; I was only lucky Stryder had an extra coat that one time." Pinball hoped his casual attempts at conversation would carry them to town entertained. 

Pinball smiled. This was going to be interesting. Fighting another player... but first, he would need to get stronger. Much stronger. To the point where Mars wouldn't be able to hurt him as much as he did the mobs. Pinball nodded. "When we get back to the town, we can count up the loot." Pinball looked back to where they had just been, then back at Mars. "Then, I guess we go our seperate ways... for now." Pinball started walking. "The town is a ways away. We went out quite a bit to find the stream. Anything in particular you want to do before we get there?" As he walked, Pinball went out of his way to count the leaves on the floor. There wouldn't be any once they made it out back to the plains, he knew, but it was something to do that would keep him from being bored. Walking in silence is one of the most awkward things two people could do. 

Pinball laughed as he saw Mars, relief washing over him immediately. They had made it out safe. Thank God. Pinball nodded, laughing. "Yeah, I'm definitely not the luckiest person around. It's probably time to call it a day." Pinball stopped walking, and stuck his hands in his pockets. "Well, I did manage to fish up a few materials," he said, opening his inventory, "and I'm sure you earned something for killing the mob for us." He paused for a moment, counting up his materials. "You said you wanted to earn half of them?" Pinball grinned, an idea forming in his head. "Here's the deal - when we reach Level 20, or around there - we have a duel. Half Loss, of course. If you agree to that, then anytime you come fishing with me, I promise to split everything earned 50/50." Pinball nodded, confirming his choice. "We can start now, by splitting our loot when we get back to town." Pinball closed his inventory, letting out a yawn. "Yeah - I think that's fair. You down?" He stuck out his hand, offering it to Mars. 

OOC NOTE: Let's get to 60 posts before closing. 

Pinball nodded. "Coming right up!" Pinball rushed in, activating the Sword Art that would finish the monster off. It hit perfectly, and killed the Nepent instantly. As the monster shattered into pixels, Pinball let out a breath. "Jeepers, that was rough. We shouldn't try to fight the boss without recovering our energy, I think." Pinball jammed his spear into the ground, and took a seat in the grass, using a tree trunk as support. "Damn, hopefully we get the drop this next kill," he said, scratching his head. "I know they're supposed to be super rare, but I don't wanna be stuck out here all day, y'know? I hate it when quests are like this - like a grinding type thing." Pinball sighed, smiling. "Either way, I guess it's more experience for us, so I shouldn't complain too much. We'll get through it one way or the other." Pinball leaned back, getting comfortable. His energy would begin to recover soon. 

Combat: 

Pinball entered his shop the next day, and started crafting. He had learned that Kaya had also become a cook, and that she was already a rank higher than Pinball. This, and this alone, is what made him come back the next day. He got straight into crafting, and after all was said and done, he leaned back in one of his chairs. He had ranked up, and he was now Rank 5. He was beginning to believe that crafting just wasn't for him. After putting his crafted items away, he made a mental note to stock his shop and left, locking the door behind him. 

-CRAFTING- 

Attempt 1 

Attempt 2 

Attempt 3 

Attempt 4 

Attempt 5 

RESULTS: 

• 1 T1 Rare Dessert crafted. 
• 1 T1 Uncommon Dessert crafted. 
• Gained 12 EXP 

Started day with 17 T1 Mats, ended with 13. 

EXP: 162/159 

Pinball activated Sonic Charge, an AOE Sword Art with a much less severe energy cost. It hit the first Nepent, but missed the fourth. The nepent that was hit died immediatly, saving Benjamin from having to deal with it later. Pinball grimaced as the Nepent reeled back for an attack, but the monster strangely did not attempt anything. Pinball nodded to Ben. "One more. Get a Sword Art in if you can; if not, just a basic attack. I'll finish it off the next turn, if I can." Pinball took a few steps back, clearing the way for his fellow player and party member. Either the Nepent died Pinball's next turn, or it dies the turn after that. Then, they would have to recover their energy before moving on to the variant. Pinball nodded to himself, deciding that it was a fair plan. "You won't get hit here, but If I miss this next attack, you might."

Combat: 

He placed a hand on Mars' shoulder. "If you're not out of here in five minutes, I'm coming back. Meet me at the west edge of the woods, so I know you're safe." And with that, Pinball ran off, ducking around the hissing and spitting monster that would surely do a good amount of damage to whoever it attacked. Mars would have to face it on his own for now. If he didn't come back in a good amount of time, Pinball would rush back, and stun the creature, hopefully buying Mars the time to get away. Pinball rushed through the forest, not daring to look back. After he had ran for some time, he turned around, and saw nothing but woods. Pinball started walking towards the forest's edge, which was still a ways away, filled with anxious dread. Please don't die on me. He had seen firsthand what a fishing boss could do, and it was not a pretty sight. Pinball shuddered, already questioning whether he should run back.

Running Away:

Pinball shrugged, and, with a sigh, started walking even deeper into the forest. The woods were filled with creatures like this, so It wouldn't be that hard to find others. "Don't stress it too much. I didn't expect to get it on the first try. Either way, the longer we fight, the more experience for us!" It didn't take long for the two to find other Nepents. Another group of four, and Pinball promptly activated Hellish Twice. His attack hit and killed two of the monsters, but the movement delay that occured after finishing a Sword Art left him vulnerable, and he was hit by the remaining two Nepents. He jumped back to Benjamin, and nodded. "You don't have to fight. You can stay back there and regenerate your energy, if you want." He didn't want to force him into anything, seeing as he could get hurt. "Your choice," he mumbled, quickly swiping open his menu... and realizing Hellish Twice was a bit overkill. He should be using Sonic Rush, a Sword Art that didn't have a multiplier for damage, but only cost 2 Energy per hit. Yes, he wouldn't be able to hit every one out with a single swipe, but the energy he saved would let him fight longer. He closed his menu, and got ready to jump back into the fight. 

Combat: 

"Roger that!" The Nepent Variant was stunned, meaning Pinball gets a free shot at it. The Nepent tried to attack, but couldn't move. He activated Mighty Charge once more, his spear embedding itself in the Variant's soft body. He ripped it free. The paralysis effect wore off, only to be immediatly repraced by the "frozen" effect. The air took on a sudden chill, and the Nepent stopped moving. It wasn't quite dead yet, but the next hit it took would finish the job. The freeze effect, like paralysis, canceled an enemy's movement for that turn. The enemy also loses all of its Evasion, though the Nepent had none. However, when someone attacks and hits an opponent with freeze, the enemy takes damage. Judging by the Nepent's low health, it would be plenty to do the monster in. Pinball let out a breath, swung his spear over to his other hand, and stepped back. "Alright, you've got the honors. If It takes one more hit, Freeze will finish it off."  Pinball smiled, and stepped aside, giving the player room to be the one to finish it. 

Combat: 

The variant was in sight now. Pinball pulled his spear out, and waited. The Nepent Variant lashed out, but the attack went wide, missing the both of them. Pinball activated one of his Sword Arts, Mighty Charge, and rushed the Variant. But the monster let out a loud shriek, and Pinball flinched. The movement canceled the Sword Art, and Pinball backed up, his eyes not leaving the plant monster. "Hey," he called to Ben, "be careful. Try to stun it, if you can." Pinball backed up even further, spreading the distance between the player and the mob. The monster was extremely weak to what he had heard, but Pinball figured he'd rather be safe than sorry. "Keep a potion ready, too. It attacked already, so it'll take a second before it goes again. You've got a free shot." Pinball nodded, determined. He was going to kill this thing, and pray to God that the item dropped. He didn't feel like repeating this cycle over and over again.

Combat: