Neopolitan

As Neo combed the area, she had started to become less thorough. She was getting a little distracted in her thoughts wondering what the cook would have her make first.

It could probably be anything, though I guess it would depend on what I end up bringing back to her. If I'm only bringing back plants I doubt that I'll be able to make anything that interesting. Probably a salad, if there's even enough leaves for that. Oh... I need to go back through this area again don't I. I might not need to, but I certainly wasn't paying that much attention to the ground in front of me now, was I.

Neo turned around and recovered the ground she had missed, wanting to make sure she hadn't missed anything. She hadn't, and decided to change up her pattern if only to break the boredom that was beginning to set in from her monotonously searching for ingredients.

Neo kept looking around, with still no boars in sight. She was beginning to wonder if the game had bugged and wasn't spawning anything when she spotted a plant standing a bit higher than the rest of them. She ran over to it and inspected it. It appeared to be some sort of herb. Not the best ingredient, but could certainly make for a decent spice if used properly. Neo plucked it out of the ground, causing it to disappear from her hand and show up in her inventory as another material collected.

Well, that's one, now only four more to go. Now I just hope that I'll be able to find the rest before another sundown, though I doubt that will happen without some effort from me.

Neo debated on how close together the plants could spawn. Neo decided to keep looking in this area, but was able to scan around a bit faster knowing that the plants weren't completely hidden in the grass.

Neo began to scour the plains, but hadn't come up with anything yet. She had noticed that there weren't many boars around though.

The boars seem to like eating the materials that spawn, I bet that wherever they are will lead me to the most materials.

There wasn't a boar in sight, even though the plains were flat as can be.

Strange, I could have sworn that there were way more boars around. Maybe I was just lucky before? I doubt I was put into an instance for such a simple quest, but maybe that was the cause of finding opponents so easily before.

Neo shrugged it off and decided to keep looking in the same general area, hoping that one would spawn relatively soon. She knew she could be out here for a while trying to find ingredients, but it certainly wasn't helping that she had yet to find a single one yet.

Neo left through the city gates and immediately turned to the bushes to try and find some berries. She searched about an eighth of the way around the town of beginnings, but came up with nothing.

Maybe there aren't any berries on these bushes, they certainly seem like the kind that would have them. Rats, I'll need to find another source for it then.

Neo turned away from the wall and decided to start scouring the fields for other plants. But not knowing what plants would work as ingredients would be hard for Neo to get around, she didn't even know if the plant's biology worked similar to real life.

Seeing as everything has been a pretty successful attempt at making things realistic, I'm guessing I'll still want to look for things that have color, but not overly bright. Overly bright would probably mean poison, and it would be a bad idea to poison food unintentionally. Or intentionally for that manner.

Maggie. So that's her name. Was always curious about that.

Neo started to make her way out of the Town of Beginnings once more to find herself materials to use for cooking. As she walked through the roads, she wondered what would be the best source of ingredients for her to use.

I could try to get some meat off of the animals, but they don't seem to drop that. I could also try to find some plants, but they may not be suitable for cooking. I could try fishing with the rod that the old man gave me, but I don't really know how, or even have the bait to do it. Besides, I may need a specific type of ingredient. I think plants are my best bet. There were some bushes along the wall to the town, they might have some berries. Yeah, I'll try to find some berries.

It turns out that simply willing the interaction to occur will get it to happen.

"Do you want to learn how to be a cook? Yay! I love teaching adventurers, follow me! Hurry, come on, we don't have all day." The woman nearly drags Neo to the back room of the restaurant, pushing open the doors to reveal a clean, white kitchen. There's something cooking on almost every stove, and the woman is checking all of them, ensuring they are made to her standards. "Now I hope you know I'm very serious about this, so I must show you how exactly to cook it. Follow my EVERY step and you'll be one of the best cooks there are, but not better than me." She began to look around a bit to find things to teach Neo to cook, but came up short. "Sorry about this, this never happens, but the cooks have officially ran dry of materials. Go get me five more ingredients, then I will know you want to be a cook just like your dear Maggie here."

Neo walked into the restaurant, unsure how to proceed. All she could think was how delicious the food smelled. Though it did bring back memories of the times past when she was sitting in a gutter, it also brought a feeling of hope for the future. She noticed another woman running around serving food to players in the restaurant, likely the head chef. Neo approached the woman and noticed she had a quest marker above her head.

Maybe I could also be a chef, instil these feelings in people before they even get a taste of my food. Wouldn't that be wonderful. I just hope that dialogue will progress without my need to participate, I might end up stuck in a quest if it doesn't.

After waiting a little bit for the woman to not be so busy, Neo walked up to her and attempted to initiate the quest in some way.

Neo was unsure where to go from here. She had just completed what appeared to be her final beginner quest, and there weren't many other quests around for her to grab.

I want to get to the front lines as quickly as I can, but if there's no quests left here that means I'll need to go to a higher floor. There may be some quests for me to do, but I don't know if they're actually within my level at the moment. That and I need to start making connections. If I don't start meeting with people soon, I'm going to have a hard time getting in with the people working hard to progress this game. Wait... What's that smell

Something smelled delicious. It was wafting over the air, intoxicating to all those who could smell it. Neo followed the scent to its source, a well kept NPC restaurant. She recognized the sign out front as one many people offering charity food sourced from. Even though the computer was the one running it, it was some of the best food she had ever had. Then again, perhaps everything tasted better when food and sleep was all you had to look forward to.

Thread Summary:

• 1 Page of completed RP: 1 SP and 400 Col
• Quest Completed: <<The Fourth Lesson, Is Actually Free>>
  • 2 SP
  • 1 Fish with +1 Carbohydrates (+3 Energy Regenerated in Combat for one Thread)
• Total SP: 3
• Total Col: 400

The old man rowed Neo to shore in silence, likely still pondering over the fight he just witnessed. Once they got to shore, the old man broke out into a smile once again.

"I can't thank you enough for what you did for me. Please, take one of the fish I caught as gratitude for clearing up my lake. I can finally continue to fish in peace with that monster of a fish gone. It would have been nice to ctach it, but I suppose not all things are meant to be controlled by us."

Neo bowed slightly to the old man and graciously took one of the smaller fish, not wanting to deprive him too much. She waved a silent goodbye, knowing she would likely never see this NPC again, and turned back towards the Town of Beginnings. She checked her inventory and checked on the fish to see if it gave any bonuses. Left unsurprising, Neo began her trek back.

When Neo returned back to the starting town, she decided to look around to see if there were any other quests for her to take on before trying to go to a new floor.

The fish was picking up a lot of speed this time, even more than when it first attacked Neo. It was preparing for something big.

I don't think I can mess this one up if I want to get out of here alive.

The beast took a wider turn, and came at the boat broadside. Neo prepped for another leaping attack.

Even if it goes under, I can take that unprepared and be okay, I need to make sure I'm prepared for the more deadly option.

Sure enough, the Swordfish jumped out of the water and straight at Neo's head. As a gut reflex, Neo ducked down and unleashed her sword art in a general upward direction. She heard a whoosh of air as the swordfish past her, then the shattering sound of its defeat.

"That was certainly crazy now wasn't it? Thank you for your help, hope you do well in your future adventures." The old man began to row the pair back to the pier.

The swordfish didn't appear to be stopping its tactic of bumping the boat until they were both knocked unconscious. Neo tried once again to stop the fish with a sword art. She waited until the very last moment, making sure the fish wouldn't be able to dodge out of the way without giving up its attack and aimed straight in front of it. The strike connected and the fish turned around to escape. Not before its tail hit the side of the boat Neo was on and made her hit her head on the wooden siding once more.

At least I managed to deter it. I just hope that was enough to get it to abandon this tactic and either move to a new one or go back to leaping. At least leaping was working out better for both of us, and would make the loser go out in a bit more style.

Neo was standing there glad that the fountain of life didn't show how she died, so at least she could be killed by something better than a boar pup.

The fish was circling around again for another under the boat hit, and Neo tried in vain to get a sword art to stop him. She was regretting not readying her consumables, as her health bar was starting to get uncomfortably low. She didn't dare look at the numbers, but noticed it take another steep dive as she once again took a tumble at the impact of the boat. She felt herself starting to get exhausted from using so many sword arts, and was wondering whether or not she'd make it out of here alive.

Its not like I can exactly run away while in the middle of a lake. Even if we row as fast as we can, that fish will easily out race us and it could take us both out before we reached the shore. If only there was a way to bait it to come back to leaping above water, then I could almost certainly hit it with a good attack. I think that may be my only hope at this point.

Neo tried to get her bearings, and was only partially successful. Still a bit dizzy, she saw that the fish was already towards the attacking part of its pattern. It was going lengthwise again, meaning it would stay underneath the boat.

Oh no you don't, not this time.

Neo tried to unleash a sword art onto the fish to interrupt its charge at the boat. Sadly, she didn't place it correctly and it splashed down behind the finish, emboldening it to go a little faster. Once again it hit the boat and Neo lost her balance. She did so with a little bit more grace, and with some help from the old man who was getting better and better at keeping the boat stable.

I don't know if these silver linings are for the better or for the worse. I just hope that I'll be able to get a hit in on it again, if it keeps up with this I may not be able to win unless I jump in the water. That would be asking for death.

Neo was ready for another leaping attack by the swordfish. It had other plans this time though. It started out in its same pattern, speeding up its circling and taking a wider turn in preparation for a leap. The first red flag was that it was attacking the boat lengthwise instead of broadside. Neo was unsure how to react to this, but took up as best of a blocking stance as she could to keep the fish off of the old man. As the fish got closer, she noticed that it wasn't leaping. It instead swam underneath the boat and hit it from below, causing Neo to lose her balance and whack her head on the wooden side. The old man once again kept the boat upright, which was a miracle in and of itself, but Neo had a little trouble getting back up.

I'll need to watch for that, not that I can do much about it.

The fish definitely attacked with a pattern. It kept circling around, then speeding up and turning out so it could jump out at Neo once again. As it tried for a third time, Neo decided to go against the swordfish head on. She hoped to finish it off with this next hit, but was unsure as to how close it was to dying. As the fish came hurling towards her, Neo let the game's energy flow through her. She was guided by the program and let out two quick strikes with her rapier. She heard the fish let out a squeal and was then knocked flat by it as it kept coming towards her. She fell into the boat, rocking it heavily and causing it to take on some water. The old man had a face of concentration, making sure that she could keep fighting without worrying to much about the surface she was fighting on.

Once again, the swordfish began to pick up speed. Its turn radius increased slightly and it once again jumped out of the water. This time, Neo was ready. She tried to go to the side and unleash a sword art while the fish passed her. Sadly, she couldn't sidestep that much in the boat, and the fish clipped her in the shoulder. This wasn't before she was able to hit it right back with a sword art. The fish hit the water with a loud splash, landing on its flat side rather than going in nose first. The boat rocked quite a bit, but the old man kept to his word and made sure that it didn't capsize.

At least I don't have to fight it in the water, not that waiting for it to jump up at me is much of a better alternative. It appears to be quite wounded, but it will probably still be able to fight for quite some time.

The fish's circling came to a terminal speed, and it leaped out of the water and straight at Neo. Caught off guards, Neo wasn't in any sort of blocking position. The best she could do was to try and retaliate with another sword art. As the energy charged up within in her, she suddenly felt a dull tingling sensation in her chest. The swordfish had speared her. Gasping for breath, the sword art unleashed. Though it had gone wild the fish was still close enough that it hit, cutting off the part of its nose that had embedded itself into Neo. The fish fell back into the water and continued its circling, prepping for another attack. As it did, Neo pulled out the part stuck inside her, thankful for the pain suppression system put in place.

At the very least I don't have to worry about it spearing me again, not without a lot of difficulty that is.

As the fish continued to circle, Neo tried to get its attention once again with another sword art. She let loose with a v-pattern, but once again only succeeded in shaking the boat a little bit with the waves that she created. The swordfish was definitely fixated on the boat now though.

It probably sees us as a threat now, one it has to deal with before it can move on to tastier prey. I'm just wondering why it hasn't attacked yet. Maybe its waiting for me to tire myself out, or perhaps its my sword arts that are keeping it suppressed underwater. No matter what, this stalemate is going to have to end eventually, I just hope that I can be the one who ends up on top. Because even though this old man is just an NPC, he's lifelike enough that I don't want him to die without me giving it my all.

The beast was beginning to grow quite close, but it didn't seem to want to leave the water. Not wanting to have to wait much longer, Neo decided to try and get a first strike in. She had no idea if her sword art had any range, but at the very least she could try and agitate the water enough to aggro the fish. She let the energy flow through her and out the tip of her blade. She felt the boat rock, but it didn't do much of anything. The fish did seem to take notice though, as it began to swim faster than before.

"You seem to have got its attention, " the old man remarked, ""Hand me your rod, I doubt you can fight that beast effectively while still trying to get another fish."

Neo passed the old man her fishing rod and got a steady footing standing in the boat, she was going to have an interesting fight ahead of her.

WHIZZZZZZZZZZ

The line zipped out of the spool and flew out of the boat. The hook gave a slight splash as it hit the water, and began to sink into the lake. It certainly was a lot deeper than Neo had given it credit for. It appeared to go down quite a ways, but it was so dark that Neo couldn't properly tell how deep it was. It certainly didn't seem like the kind of lake that would have a giant fish in it, but nonetheless she was here. Neo looked down to where her line had dropped and saw a giant dark mass circling below, it must have been the fish. Neo saw its circles get tighter around her line.

I guess that means it's about time to reel it in.

Neo slowly brought up the line, and the fish began to become clearer. It was a swordfish, with a giant, pointed nose. While it was no monster, it certainly wouldn't be the most friendly of creatures if provoked.

"We're at the center now. This is where the fish typically lurks around."

Hear as "where it spawns"

"You can bait your hook with just about anything and the fish will hang around. The real trick is getting that monster to actually come to the surface. I found out hat if you slowly bring the hook back up, that tends to bring it closer. It might take a few tries, but the fish should eventually get to the point that you can agitate it and get it to attack. I'll keep the boat as steady as I can, but you'll still need to be careful that we don't capsize."

Neo grabbed her newly acquired fishing rod and made sure it had some string and bait on it. She gave the man another glance to make sure they were going through with this. When the man gestured to go on ahead, Neo brought her arm back and prepared to cast.

The boat was beginning to reach the center and Neo was unsure about how well she would be able to fight while on a boat against an enemy in its natural territory.

Maybe I can try to get it stuck on the boat. I doubt it would stay on for long, butit should be enough time to get a stab or two in. Of course, it will be flailing while it tries to get back into the water. That might make it very hard to take on. Depending on the type of fish it is, I might be able to stab it while it's flying at me. With that comes the risk of getting hit myself, but the best chance of landing a critical blow. Maybe I can duck under and gut the fish... No, I would need a slashing weapon for that and a rapier isn't cut out for it. Gah, I just hope this fish isn't too hard, or I'm going to be toast.

The man's face lit up, "Thank you so much for helping me, if you'll just hop on my boat we can be on our way." The man offers his old rod to Neo, "You can use my old one, I have no need for it now and it would be much more useful for you than sitting and gathering dust." Neo takes the fishing rod as the man dips the oars into the water and begins to row out to the center of the lake.

"Been a real hard time fishing with this monster in the water. It scares all the smaller fish away and eats the slightly larger ones. All that's left is that one fish, and I can't reel it in for fear of it impaling me. With you and that weapon though, I bet that the fish won't stand a chance. We'll fill this lake with little fish once again, though hopefully it's not the last thing I do."

"Ah, this must be the package from the beautiful Hannah. She is always so kind to me, you know. She's even the reason I got out of the house after my wife died. Such a tragic day, when she died." The old man's eyes trailed into the distance, losing that happy sparkle in them. He shook his head and continued. "I shouldn't trouble you with that, what really matters is what is in this package." He tears into the package, revealing a brand new fishing rod. "A yes, this will be an excellent rod. Say, have you ever fished before? It can honestly be quite relaxing. Though I've got to warn ya, there's been a monster lurking these depths recently. If you're up to the challenge I would love if you could lend a hand and reel him in." Neo stood there, nodding her head in acknowledgement and agreement but knowing that she couldn't do anything but wait for the dialogue to continue.