Mina

OOC: I don't mind the chest search too, all is cool ^^

Mina smiled with relief, feeling slightly proud of herself to deal the killing blow to the Dark Elf. Partying with people makes it certainly easier to hunt for monsters, with more damage dealt and more people to look out for your well-being, especially in a death game like this. "Good job people!" As they were about to start walking back, Pinball spotted a treasure chest, revealing it to the other two, before requesting to open it himself, which Mina agreed to it. After all, what matters was fun and enjoyment and friends to hang out with, fight with, stay together with, and she could see that Pinball thoroughly enjoyed this adventure. Just then, Krysta asked them a question, which Mina found it hard to seek an answer to. "In games, chests like this are everywhere, serving as a reward to those who happen to stumble across it, it doesn't really have any meaning to it. But here... maybe what you said is correct... most of the characters here have their own lives, just look at the NPCs around, maybe even monsters have it too? Maybe the reason why it fought us was to protect their territory..." Maybe Mina was just thinking too much, but that seemed to be a possibility.

@Krysta @Pinball

As the new girl came into their group, Mina couldn't help but smile at her cheerful personality. "Well, sure thing~ The more the merrier, right?" Taking a look at Hestia, I confirmed that she was okay with the newcomer, before proceeding to scroll with my fingers, sending party invites to both of them. <Hestia> and... <Kaya>. With three people now, Mina was sure that they'll be able to take down the boss in no time at all, granting them good experiences with fighting a boss, though not a floor boss level, but still a boss, and also additional SP and loot. Mina introduced herself to the new girl, and Hestia as well, before asking what type of player she was. "So Kaya, are you a DPS user?" If she was, with one tank and two DPS' , they'll be able to whittle down the critters and boss HP before they even registered what had happened to them. This was going to be easy.

@Kaya @Hestia

Mina didn't seem to take his thoughts into account, as she burst out giggling at the tiny pig taunting at Simba. "Look, this cute little thing is angry now." Simba had missed his attack, with the Boar Pup launching at him like a rocket, decreasing his HP by a little. Even if they were pups, they were still a threat because dozens of those creatures battering you would diminish your HP down to zero in no time. Mina shuddered at the thought, she wasn't afraid of dying, she was afraid of dying without even trying to clear the game once. With that, she charged at the creature, seemingly distracted by Simba, her blade raising high. But as she got closer, the boar pup saw her, and tried to move away from her attack. But it was too late. Her blade struck the creature squarely on its back, with it groaning in pain, charging at Mina thereafter, but she swiftly evaded by sidestepping it. "Come on, young pup. You can do better than this!"

@Simba

Noting what Krysta had said about the enemy dying with two hits or one sword art, Mina chose to do the latter on her turn right now, preferring to finish the fight rather than dragging it on. Based on past experiences, they might not get the loot on their first Dark Elf, they had to kill more maybe, just like how she did during her beginner's quest. But, it was still better to keep her hopes up. That's right, a self-fulfilling prophecy. If they believed that the Elf will drop the loot, it will drop. Likewise, if Mina believed her sword art will hit, then it will. Concentrating on the enemy in front of her, she dashed straight forward, her blade lighting up with a red glow. “Have a taste of this!” She exclaimed, the system assisting her in the three strikes of <Snake Bite>, and the Dark Elf shattered into crystals before it could even register what had happened. And there it was, the material needed for the quest! Tossing it to Krysta for her to keep it, Mina gave a bright smile to the other two. “We’re done.”

 @Krysta @Pinball

Just then, Mina felt a presence near her, before a voice called her out. Turning around, she spotted a dark-haired female with bright blue eyes, her smile radiating warmth and her hand extended for a handshake. Mina gently shook her hand, mirroring her smile before introducing herself. "Hey there! I'm Mina. Oh yes, I was looking for people to party up with for the respawning field boss in this area. If you don't mind, would you help out a low level person like me with a big dream of making it into the frontlines?" Hestia was of a tank build, which Mina found it surprising. Not many people were able to become tanks, having to face the intimidation and threat of the monsters in this world. Many at once sometimes. If a girl like her could be a tank build, she must have a really strong mentality, similar to myself. Looking at the familiar besides her, an albino lion with black wings, she wondered if she'll be able to get one for herself in the future.

@Hestia @Kaya

After wandering in the second floor for quite a while, Mina gathered some information from brokers on a high-level monster which yielded quite a lot of experience on that floor. Apparently, there was a group of people battling against the insectoid creatures in the forested area, mainly <<Wind Wasp>>, when they managed to spawn a huge field boss named the <<Wind Wasp Queen>>. That mob proved to be too difficult for them, thankfully retreating without any casualties. But there was a party who managed to clear it, with the boss dropping a powerful alchemical potion. And another thing was that this boss was not a one time thing. It can be respawned if you manage to kill a certain amount of <<Wind Wasp>>, which was what Mina was going to do today. She walked into the centre of the town, hoping to find people who looked strong and was not afraid of dying, to join her in a party on a quest to slay the creature. But with SAO now being a death game, these kind of people were hard to find.

@Hestia @Kaya

accepting this quest with @Hestia & @Kaya

Seeing as how Krysta missed her hit again, Mina grimaced. This was starting to be a tough fight, but thankfully with Pinball's stun, they were able to pull through. Mina had all but one sword art left, but gauging from their previous attempts, maybe the system had a glitch in which sword arts didn't work against stunned enemies. Or maybe they were just plain unlucky, or not proficient enough with their blades yet. The latter seemed more likely, as Mina only had a few battling experiences throughout the few weeks that she have been trapped inside here. But this time, she was determined to hit the creature, not with a sword art, but a standard attack. If they continued hitting accurately with normal attacks, the creature would be down in 3-4 turns. And judging from their HP, they'll be able to last, even if the creature wasn't stunned. One thing is, if the Elf didn't drop the quest material, they'll have to go through it all over again. Shuddering at that thought, she gripped the hilt of her blade, aiming straight for the creature, hitting it precisely on the chest. "We can do this!"

@Krysta @Pinball

"Exactly what you said, my dear friend!" They needed 10 quest materials from the boar pups that were roaming about, and it was still early. Mina projected that they'll only complete the quest in a whole day, like what Facade said. That was the same time she took to complete the previous quest as well. With that, she gripped her blade, watching on as Facade unleashed the familiar sword art she had, a three hit, single target attack, <Snake Bite> defeating the stray <Boar Pup> in an instant. "No loot from that too?" she asked, judging from how he sighed. "Well, like you said, the day is not over, and we'll finish this no matter how long it takes!" Dashing forward, she casted the same sword art he used on another boar pup, the three angled slashes decimating the creature in an instant. There was no window on this Boar Pup too, and she looked back at Facade, shaking her head.

@Facade

With her current level, Mina could afford to cast only 2 sword arts, which meant that every sword art used had to count. Damn, I really need to level up. Seeing the other two party members dashing into the Dark Elf, with Pinball successfully hitting the enemy and stunning it, whilst Krysta missing it with her sword art, she really should have got closer to the enemy, by mere inches. Thankfully, the enemy was stunned and Mina got in closer, the familiar red glow to her blade gleaming once more. However, the system assist failed on her, with her sword art cancelled after she made the first slash, missing the creature. “What the…” It wasn’t the first time that the sword art cancelled on her halfway, it almost cost her her life when she missed while fighting gorillas on the second floor. Stepping backwards, she kept her guard up, in case the Elf was about to break free of the stun.

@Krysta @Pinball

Watching as Facade charged in to deal the killing blow, Mina grimaced as he missed completely, with the boar sidestepping him and attacking him, which he evaded by doing the same. “A fast little piece of meat, are you,” she dashed in, her sword aimed directly at her target, while Facade went to taunt the creature, distracted it from the incoming attack by Mina. The boar shattered into countless crystals, not knowing how it had died. Well, they’ll just come back anyway. It’s just computer data. Hoping to see the Bonus Item pop-up, it was to no avail as nothing dropped, not even a single col. “Argh!” The loot parameters of the <Boar Pup Tusk> items were not high either. “Damn, are you sure this is a beginner’s quest?” Mina groaned. However, this was only the second boar. Remembering how many herb patches she dug before eventually finding 5 materials, she let out a huge sigh, picking herself up, ready to fight another one in the distance.

 @Facade

Mina watched on as Facade completely destroyed the Boar Pup, with it shattering into polygons as soon as he struck it. As expected, two is better than one. They were going to finish this quest in no time. Or will they? As he walked back to her, shrugging, Mina sighed and shook her head. "No drop at all? Well, damn it." A beginner's quest. What a load of bullcrap, honestly. If the drop rate was the same as when she gathered <Red Herb> items, they're going to have to fight through the night. Facade pointed towards the field ahead, prompting her to take a look. "Alright, then I'll just have to lure them out." Picking up a rock on the floor, she flung at the nearest Boar Pup to her, taunting it to come towards her, which it did. "That's it, come here." She smirked, twisting her sword and dashing forward once more, aiming straight at the boar with her blade. A perfect hit. There was no time to waste.

@Facade

The glint in his eyes told Mina that he was ready to fight, with his sword materializing on his right hand. This was it. What could boar pups do to her? Immediately spotting one, Mina dashed forward, gripping the hilt of her blade tightly and lunging at the creature. With one hit, the boar pup's HP immediately decrease to the red bar, leaving only a single line left. "Damn it, I got to score criticals to one-hit this creature." The Boar Pup stumbled, but not before charging at Mina, which she evaded as smoothly as possible. "Too slow, pig. I wonder if you drop meat in addition to those Boar tusks you have there." She smirked, taunting her creature which probably couldn't understand her human words.Taking a glance at Facade, who was ready with his blade. "Hey! Kill it for me, will ya!" she shouted across to the male, at the same time distracting the boar who was ready to charge at her again.

 @Facade

"Alright!" Mina pumped her fist in the air slightly, before accepting the party invite he sent to her. She wasn't going to spend another night or day hunting down these stupid boars, she just wanted to get it done fast, to level up, to make it to the frontlines where she was determined to clear the Floor Bosses and make it out of this game alive. A HP bar appeared below her own, with the name <Facade> which referred to the male who sent her the request. "I'm Mina. It's nice to meet you!" she chirped, offering a handshake, before they set off to the outskirts of the city for boar pup hunting. 

Getting there in about 15 minutes or so, Mina stepped out of the city gates first, nodding to the gatekeeper whom she had just saw a day ago. Her sword materialized on her back, and she whipped it out, ready to defeat any monsters that were about to attack her. Looking back, she ushered the male to come forward with her. This was going to be a breeze.

 @Facade

Handing over the package from old man Zackariah to Lyle Tealeaf, a bearded blacksmith, kind of like Santa Claus' brother, thanked Mina, completing the first beginner's quest she accepted, and starting on the second one. But before he could start with his scripted dialogue, a young man with bluish grey hair entered the workshop, passing the same package to the same blacksmith, who thanked him just like how he thanked Mina. So how many packages does this guy have? Finally starting on his scripted dialogue, which stated that he needed 3 <Boar Pup Tusk>s to complete the weapon that he was working on, Mina accepted his request without hesitation, changing the unaccepted quest marker on his head to an ongoing quest marker. Battling Boar Pups seemed like an easier job compared to gathering <Red Herb>s, where she had to dug the whole night in order to find the elusive 5 materials needed. Looking at the other player who came in, Mina asked politely, "Hey, do you want to complete the quest with me?" With two players, they could hunt down the boars much faster, thus completing the quest as soon as possible.

 @Facade

Walking towards the Forest of Wavering Mists with the other two, the blonde suddenly stopped in her tracks, prompting Mina to unsheath her sword, guarding herself against any incoming attack. The forest was indeed eerie and mysterious, the mists clouding their sight, but not before she spotted a hooded figure on a tree limb. There was a throwing knife on the ground near Krysta as well. "Well, we sure didn't need to go far," Mina exclaimed, dashing towards the enemy, her blade letting out a soft red glow. One-handed sword skill, <Snake Bite>. With the system assisting her movements, she jumped, striking the Dark Elf with three brisk slashes, its HP going down, and also prompting the Dark Elf to reveal a dagger. Swiftly evading the incoming attack, she kicked the creature down on the tree limb it was standing on, simultaneously shouting to the other two players to prepare themselves for battle. "Incoming!" 

@Krysta @Pinball

"The Guardians of The New Dawn huh... What a grand name! The New Dawn must be a reference to the real world we'll see after the game is cleared, right?" Mina smiled at him, amazed at this guy's strength and determination in this world of despair. To gather players for frontlines when everybody is afraid of dying, to dare to dream of a tomorrow when they'll all be logged out; Mina couldn't have met someone as similar as herself until he came along. "You're cool, man." Punching him lightly on his shoulder, she chuckled, continuing, "That is right! The frontlines is the future, I'll make it out, we'll make it out, and the future begins now. It's the start of the journey to the hundredth floor!" Pumping her fist in the air, she cheered softly, making her way to the two storey building in the midst of the diminishing light.

Rapping on the door, they were both greeted by a missus, looking weary and tired. She offered them glass of water, beckoning them to come in and have a seat, also adding that she didn't have any food for them at the moment. The smell of medicine wafted through the air, and there were coughs coming from the locked door on the other side of the room. Something must be wrong here. "Is somebody sick?" Mina asked carefully, activating the scripted dialogue of the NPC, where she stated that her daughter was severely ill, and that she had tried every medicine from the marketplace, but to no avail. The only way to cure her was to brew a medicine with <Little Nepent's Ovule> from the predatory plants, Nepents, on the west side of the forest. But it was dangerous, and she had no way of doing so. "We'll help you out." Mina accepted the quest in an instant, also asking if they could stay for the night, and that they'll set off when dawn strikes. The NPC nodded her head, agreeing to their request, and proceeded to bring them to the room upstairs.

@Stryder

Mina followed the blonde into the blacksmith's workshop, nodding at Pinball who had decided to wait outside for the two ladies. It was gentlemanly of him, such courtesy was not seen much in this world, where everybody only fended for themselves, trying to survive. Stepping into the workshop, Mina leaned against the wall as she watched Krysta accept the quest, describing the type of armor she wanted, down to each and every detail. A white vest with fine details of silver. It suited her really well, the whiteness would complement her features and her gold locks. On contrast, Mina was dark haired, wearing a black leather armor, somehow feeling like an alter-ego to Krysta herself. Well, dark and light can go hand in hand with each other, and she believed that both of them would match each other well. The blacksmith accepted the offer, and explained of the materials he needed to gather, pointing out that only a Dark Elf outside of the city will drop that certain material. "A Dark Elf huh... Interesting."

 @Krysta @Pinball

"Yeah, let's." What a day indeed. It had been a thrilling day, one that was unexpected, with her rushing in to save someone and then fighting to survive together. Mina had never expected battles like this to be of much fun, she'd gained plenty of experience battling today, and maybe a new friend along the way? Who knows.

Trudging back into the main settlement of the second floor, they passed by the gates just as the light went out, the street lamps lighting up the medieval looking town. The town was lively, with people walking around, chatting with each other, going into inns and restaurants to chill and hang out. However, whispers and murmurs could be heard around them, due to the fact that they were both battered and worn, but they still managed to make it back in the end. Going towards the center of the town, Mina sat on a bench and leaned backwards. "Good fight out there." Yatsu certainly made a good ally, and Mina didn't want to break this newly forged friendship so quickly. But goodbyes had to be done, they both had their own goals, and who knows, Mina might just seek his help sooner or later. Sending him a friend request, she waved a goodbye as he walked the other way, afterwards disbanding their party.

Thread summary:

Mina gains 420 col, 1SP & 1 uncommon consumable (Tier 1 HP Potion (40HP))
Yatsu gains 200 col, 1SP & 1 T1 Material

The whole scene was bloody and gory, with Yatsu laughing maniacally, thrusting his sword and finally jamming his blade through the creature, sticking it into trunk, pinning it. It was the Crucifixion on a whole other level. Hearing Yatsu's command, she grinned, knowing that this battle was about to be over soon. In the real world, the scene folding in front of her would be deemed too scary, but this was a game, and Mina was a little kind of sadist right now. It gave her enjoyment while she was balancing between life and death, and it pushed her survival instinct way above her limitations. "Got it." Holding the hilt with both her hands, she dived straight into the creature's chest, thrusting it deep, and the creature shattered without making much of a sound. They were done with this battle. Not even the strongest of the gorillas could falter them, and they proved themselves worthy of clearing the game. 

The monster dropped very little loot compared to the previous one. Holding up a piece of metal, she tapped on Yatsu's shoulder, passing it to him. "You look like you love metal a lot, so here's yours. Man, that was a tough one, huh?" 

Mina was surprised at Krysta's sudden outburst of emotions, due to something that happened on the tenth floor quest the blonde and male both participated it. Her heart ached, hearing bits of the story. So she lost someone dear to her... This game was really cruel, the creator especially, murdering thousands of lives like it was nothing. There was only one way out, to get stronger and to clear the game. One day, they'll be all free.

“I deal a base damage of four too, so we’re all the same.” With a party like this, it’ll be easy to deal with the quest. Walking slowly towards the place, she heard Krysta’s question, simply shrugging it off. “I’m fine with my current equipment! You guys can have it.” Mina loved her black leather armor, light and fitting, made for her specially by a blacksmith whom she owes a favor to. She was determined to climb the castle with this armor until she reached the second tier.

@Krysta @Pinball

“That is right!” she shouted in reply to him, determined to achieve her goal. As they made their way into the forest, the bright sunlight dimmed as it was shrouded by the large trees overhead them, and the shrubbery slowly getting thicker and harder to walk in. She kept her guard up, unsure if there were going to be any monsters popping out. Looking at the visual field in front of her, she saw a guild symbol right beside Stryder’s name. He must be really strong. Following the path, they soon reached a small village in the middle of the forest, of no more than 10 buildings in the area. There was a two storey building down the street that stood out, which gave Mina the hunch that the quest giver might be in that very building herself. Leisurely strolling towards the building, she asked Stryder something which she had been curious about ever since she saw it. “So… how’s your guild like?”

 @Stryder

As Mina dashed in, she saw Yatsu, seemingly frustrated at the long fight, hacking and slashing at the creature like nobody's business. Everybody was tired, the gorilla too, as it slumped on a nearby tree, watching our movements and groaning in pain with Yatsu's strikes. Mina circled around the gorilla, unsure of its sudden movements which caused her to get hit countless of times, at the same time looking for an opening to hit it hard. There! Distracted by the resonance of the metal on Yatsu’s helmet, Mina dashed in, thrusting the sword forward on the gorilla's chest; the gorilla expecting the attack and moving out of the way, causing her to strike at the large tree. At the same time, the beast's hand had tightened into a fist, and Mina, also expecting the attack, moved out of the way just in time.  Both of them were cautious and weary of each other, fighting with their life on the line.

Good job Yatsu. Exhaustion was a very dangerous thing in this world. When you're too tired and your brain begins to lose focus, anything can happen to you. Especially in situations like this. What was once a simple monster may just kill you if you lose focus, unable to hit and dodge. His sword struck the beast's jaw, giving it a good Glasgow smile, sinister, but weakening it as well. The battle was almost done, just a few more hits will take it down. Watching as he taunted the creature, Mina found an opening and swung her sword down, only to find the blade being stopped by the creature, its eyes focusing on her. "Sh*t..." Then came a quick blow to her chest plate, and backwards she flew once again, her HP dropping.  I'm losing focus now. Standing back onto her feet, she shook her head wildly, reminding herself to concentrate, then began to charge in once more.

“Maybe. Since we’re on the way already, might as well make the trip there. It’s good to see new places. For me at least.” Smiling at him, she kept in pace with the male, who seemed interested in helping her out with the quest. And yes, he was indeed interested. Why would a level 27 player help her out though? There wasn’t any benefits in helping a low level player at all. Or did he have any intentions in mind? Mina thought for a brief moment, but decided that there was no harm to it. If he wanted to kill her, he’d probably done it at the start of everything. Accepting his request, she scrolled on the window, sending a party invite to him.

“You’ll get there soon! And I will, too. Let’s both participate in boss raids next time,” Mina spoke cheerfully, the fire in her burning up. She was determined to get there, no matter how long it took her. For now, she’ll start with these low level quests in order to level up. Looking into the distance, she could see the path leading into a dense forest, which meant that they were nearing the village. Waving towards Stryder, “Come on!” she quickened her pace, also making sure that he was doing the same.

@Stryder