Pick

Pick smiled at his simple lie. He would never expose his identity during the night to anyone - not even a girl would could manage to persuade him during the day could do so at night. He was a barrier, a shield that not only prevented the world from seeing him, but from him seeing the world as well. It was a perfect shell, and to expose it would require either the death of him, or the death of the individual who saw what was behind the mask. He couldn't trust anyone - not even if this woman became his right-hand man. "Very well, we shall see exactly how strong you will be from all that killing that you do. After all, it won't be too hard for you to improve if you really are that much into killing other things." Pick smiled, not that the smile would be seen from outside of the mask.

"How you know I will be contacting you? First of all, I need you to tell me where you will reside every week. Why every week? Because you'll be moving around in inns that I will be giving you the funds for... and yes, you'll be moving around every week. Once you get your orange marker, there will be less hotels and inns that are available to you. When that happens, I'll find places for you to live. This will continue until we muster enough Col to purchase a secret operation ground where all of our members can reside in. In terms of how you know it'll be me, I've thought about this too. I'll specifically design a black card that I can write messages on and put them into a black envelope. Then, I shall seal it and use a dagger to carve something in the back. You won't see it, and neither will anyone else, but you can feel it. The envelope itself is a disguise, while the carving is what identifies me." 

@Slayer

ID: 105057 LD: 12+3=15 CD: 6 (3 Materials)

"While some of this skill is learnt, there's also the natural part of it. I'm sure you can gain reflexes at a fast pace if you practice a lot, but I don't know how helpful this type of reflex would be for a player in this game." Pick exclaimed, "It's not really that helpful in the grand scheme of things, since most things you can do without using this type of reflexes." Pick finished, reaching his conclusion, "A lot of my skills in real life don't correlate to things in this game, which is kind of sad. I would like to make money in this game, but ultimately, real life is far better. There's just a lot more that can be done."

@Artemis

"Well, the whole point of you searching for materials is so you can get a sense of your own independence. Perhaps once you learn how to gather materials, I won't have to give you them." Pick grinned, in his usual cruel humor that can be found coming from his mouth quite often. It was then that he saw an axe in the distance laying randomly on the ground. Picking it up, he winded up his shot and brought it down upon the tree in front of him. Unable to cut it down due to his weakness, Pick could only make a dent, but that dent was enough to give him three materials due to his luck and gathering abilities.

@Dustin

Loot:
T1 Materials (6)

It was then that Pick heard some random gibberish coming from insignificant players from down far behind him. Pick slowly turned his head so that only his mask was showing, while the rest of his body was still turned the same way. He didn't need to turn his entire body in order to see what was behind him, and he quite frankly did not feel the desire to do so either. Who would be stupid enough to linger on this floor in the darkest of nights that the first floor was quite renowned for. Pick sighed underneath his mask, keeping his cold, blue eyes staring in the direction of the two players whose words were louder and bigger than themselves. However, they too began to show form: A tiny little girl and a strong looking man who was much bigger in size compared to them. Actually, now that he looked carefully, the man was actually being chased by the little girl, as if the little girl was playing with him. What a grown man, Pick chuckled, realizing that the two players have yet to notice him. Brilliant. He thought - childish, and annoying to be frank. He continued in his own mind as slightly turned his body towards the two players. He was wearing all black, so he would be hard to spot, and it would probably seem like his mask was the only thing that was within his figure in the darkness.

"Haha," Pick chuckled, "Having a fun time in the middle of the night, huh? Do you think this is a good time to be doing something like this?" Pick asked - at that time, he could see the two players fully, and he recognized one of them - the blonde one.

@Prometheus @Artemis

Pick nodded, "You can tank then." This much planning was barely planning in the eyes of Pick. It was quite a simple plan - to have one person attempt to get the hate while the other two players stab away at it. The difficult part, however, is the fact that the tank must keep the hate, and without having any sort of skills that allows him to do so, he isn't that effective of a tank. Either way, all the players within this party was sure to be rather low-leveled, so they were all still leveling to obtain the skills that were required for their own particular builds.

"Well, you're going to be needing to keep track of your balance better if you are pretty sure that you are broke at the moment. Don't go around spending too much Col and wasteful things," Pick advised, smiling before finishing up his bowl of ramen, "I suppose Cosi should attack first, then, and then Artemis and I, and finally the queen bee will probably attack last as long as we manage to surprise it with a surprise attack." Pick finished up the planning with the order of attacking that would be used to defeat the Queen Bee. Pick stood up, and got ready to leave, "Let's go."

@Cosi @Artemis

"None of those. More simple actually - a game of guessing." Pick smiled underneath the mask. His eyes were fixed on the red-haired man. They would, of course, bet Col if the man would allow it, but Pick was comfortable with allowing the Col debts to be erased if he saw potential in the black-haired man for greatness and offer him participation within his guild. It was inevitable to Pick that he would win... after all, he was the master of luck - How can he not? He makes luck himself.

"Waitress, help us out." Pick instructed. "Let me explain the rules. We'll be playing what I like to call the smuggling game.There are 10,000 chips in each player's bank. Every round, you are either the inspector, or the smuggler. If you are the smuggler, you write the amount that you would like to smuggle from the other player's bank, and give it to the waitress. If you are the inspector, you guess what they have written down. If you guess the precise amount, you obtain half of the amount that they wrote, and the rest goes to the bank. If you under guess, they get away with the money they smuggled subtracted by the amount you guessed, while the rest goes to the bank. If you over guess, you give the amount of money you guessed subtracted by the amount of money they smuggled  to the bank, and they get away with the money. If you think they didn't smuggle anything, you can pass, allowing them through, if you pass and they smuggled money, however, they will profit from it, understand?" Pick finished, "The game will end after ten turns. Let us play by smuggling only 0 chips, 500 chips, or 1,000 chips each turn, to make it more possible."

@Mars

Pick, like the previous few nights had been wandering around the wilderness of the first floor, seeking for players who came out at night with a venomous desire to join him in his cause. He had recruited a few already, and some others that won't be important to him in the future - just henchmen to be completely frank. Pick was looking from either extreme intellects - people who are tactical in combat, or extremely powerful, aggressive players who won't back down from a fight. Pick wanted an assembly of the best of the best, and he knows exactly how to approach the recruitment process. People came out at night - and these people were usually the ones that he would like to recruit. Pick fixed his mask, making sure that it covered his face completely before standing under the direct rays of the moonlight. He was standing on the top of a slope, and as he looked around, there weren't anyone else on there except for the moon as his only companion. It shined down at him, making him appear pitch black to the normal human eye to those underneath him - if there were any individuals.

He chuckled, knowing that his plan had already started. The domination game had already begun, and he was the player controlling the pieces on a chess board. He just needed more pieces, and those willing to over come this world of Aincrad with him. The game was over as soon as it started - Pick was sure of it.

@Prometheus @Artemis

Pick watched as the bartender/waitress mixed,stirred, and eventually gently placed some ice in there with a small little sound. The sound of a solid touching liquid was actually quite satisfying. With no one in the bar, all the sounds that were happening seemed to be magnified - exaggerated to the point where the tiniest sounds could be heard through the gentle music that has been toned down for the night. This included the small sound of the door creaking open, notifying Pick that someone else had come through the entrance. Not turning his head, he watched the man with his peripheral vision through the corner of his eyes, making sure that the newcomer doesn't see his awareness and curiosity. The man was wearing armor, which made it difficult to judge how big or small the character is, disallowing Pick from making a first impression on the strength of the man. he had red eyes, and that was the thing that stood out most about him.

Pick smiled underneath the mask, motioning for the waitress to make another one. As soon as both of them were done, Pick slowly stood up and walked to the counter to pick them both up, before turning and heading to the newcomer's direction. Sitting down across from him, he placed both wines on the table, and motioned to one of the cups, as if to say, "be my guest." Then, Pick picked up his own cup of wine and sipped it through the opening of his mask. "Lonely night?" Pick asked, starting to speak first in his deeper than usual voice. "Well... how about we play a game?" 

@Mars

Pick walked into the small shop, leading the way for the other two players and making sure to hold the door for them so he could enter last. Allowing the other two players to pick a seat, Pick would later on take a seat as well before opening the menu that had been given to them by a waitress who was waiting at the door. Knowing already what he was going to order, he was simply doing so out of habit and politeness. Closing his menu, he called out to the waitress, "Chicken bowl ramen, please." Pick requested, handing the menu to the girl with a wink before looking back at the other two players. "Well, feel free to order whatever you want. I'll pay." He remarked. At this point, this too had become a habit. Pick found it to his taste to pay for other people's meals, especially since he was wealthy in materials.

"I'm going to assume the queen bee is pretty big... it's a queen after all, but like a lot of queens in the past, it must be dethroned somehow, and that's what we're going to do," Pick smiled, completely ignoring the second part of Artemis' comment about getting stung by a bee - he hasn't seen that much in real life to be fair. "Now, our strategy should be pretty simple. Hit it. The second floor field boss should not be that strong. Let's declare roles and get to know each other's positions. To begin, I'll say that I can deal some damage, not that much, but enough to contribute to the quest."

@Cosi @Artemis

(OOC: Takes place the night after Pick's encounter with Slayer)

Pick grinned under the mask that he had worn once before. He had wandered around the wilderness of the first floor but yielded no results. At the moment, he was staying safe - not going around terrorizing people or making a huge name for himself. It was actually fortunate that not many people roamed the streets at night - at least not in the first floor at least, since his costume would get a bit of attention. Pick sighed, walking into a bar that is open all through the day and night. He frequents this place, and has even thought about making it a gathering place. The bar was worn-out and was well-known for being visited by a lot of shady characters, even some PKers since it was outside of the safe zone. Not many players come here, making it highly secretive, and the perfect place to house meetings and hide players.

He walked in and was immediately greeted by the NPC waiter, who had seen him a few times before. He looked up, stared at the man before ordering a glass of wine and then sitting down at a two-seat table. Pick was looking forwards to a calm night between himself and the cup of wine. Little did he know, his plans would become one step closer at the introduction of one more potential member that may prove to be crucial in the final outcome of things.

@Mars

"Relationships in the real world aren't based on trust - it's based on mutual benefit, at least in a professional sense. I'm afraid my face is the one thing that you cannot have access to. I do not trust you enough to allow you to have such a powerful information. After all, it's the one crucial part of my identity that is the key to everything." Pick declared. Give his identity to a woman that he had just met? Impossible. Pick wasn't a genius, but he was bright, and smart - he knows when to take risks and when to not. To show himself to a seemingly low-leveled player was not something that he would like. 

"I assure you that you'll see my face in the future, but until that moment comes, you'll just have to wait. Now that we're done with that, let us proceed to logistics. All criminal action and organization movements shall be done during the night, unless for extreme circumstances. During the day, you are free to deceive, kill, grind up your levels... whatever you want to do. I'll make sure to tell you several days before when I need you on a specific night. If you wish to be a weapon, I'll allow you, but don't expect me to answer too many of your questions until you've proven your worth." Pick chuckled.

@Slayer

Pick looked up, and let out a heavy laugh. To be honest, he was actually getting kind of nervous, and when nervous, his judgement begins to fail slightly. Pick was afraid of direct confrontation - a weakness that he has always failed to rid of. He was a thief, after all, and if it hadn't been the fact that the red-haired girl was on the first floor with a green marker, Pick would not even have approached her. He could assume that the girl was weak, but the curious turn of events certainly occurred when the girl literally announced the fact that she was a killer. "A killer without an orange marker, huh? Well, I guess you are just starting your journey as well. How can I tell you my grand plan when you are unable to comprehend it? Well, I suppose that I can give you a small part of my ultimate plan." Pick exclaimed. He had no point of hiding what he wanted to do - the first step to his scheme of ruling Aincrad, since there was no stopping it even if people found out some parts about it.

"Currently, the world of Aincrad is without fear. There are no major criminal organizations, which means no danger. There would no longer be fear for players who roam the day and night... don't you find it unsettling?" Pick said quietly, almost a mumble behind the barrier of his mask. "This is why I will organize the biggest criminal guild the game has ever seen," Pick began, starting with the basics of his plan, as that was all he actually needed to say at the moment, "Don't you enjoy killing? Well, you are a killer, right? I am a thief. I get information, and I act from behind the scenes, giving you guidance, and all you have to do is kill, does it not sound like a good deal?"

@Slayer

ID: 104998 LD: 1+6=7 (No materials)

Pick was going to head straight out in the safe zones and wait until it's dark again. Of course, his definition of wait was not the type where you simply do nothing. Instead, he was ready to wait by doing some material gathering as always. It was not like he had much else to do anyways, since material gathering was practically the only thing that he was actually good at. His luck, however, was not coming for him today, and he had no idea why. He wanted to get a familiar, but it had taken him more time than some of the lucky companions that he had heard from who managed to get a great familiar without that much boost in luck - at least not as much as Pick had. He was jealous of them - his luck was supposed to be the best of the best, but nothing is working.

Loot:
T1 Materials (34) 

ID: 104997 LD: 4+6=10 (No materials)

Pick then went right to his inn and began to walk into the room that he adored. It was a great inn and he was very pleased that he had chosen this one on the first floor. Although it would be considerably expensive to newer players or rather low-leveled players on the first floor, it was definitely no where near Pick's budget cap. Pick had the ability to pay anything and anyone in materials, it was just the fact that players could care less about obtaining materials - instead, they would much rather obtain the Col that was so hard to come by. Pick knew that for himself - no one would be wiling to buy materials with Col, because materials were so often found with ease. Pick sighed, recognizing the mistake that he had made at the beginning of his adventure by not picking the sword skill that would have helped him.

Loot:
T1 Materials (34)

ID: 104994 LD: 6+6=12 (No materials)

Pick smiled, the great ramen that sat in front of him was simply waiting for him to chow down with few fast pulps. It would be the highlight of the day after all, since there really wasn't much that he had accomplished other than a few gathered materials. He could get materials so easily nowadays that he no longer even had to try to get them. He could technically get them at any moment, and what he wanted from all of this was not the materials, but rather the familiar that would help him on his quest to achieve the task that he wanted to achieve. Pick sighed, fixing his hair that had managed to fall forwards, blocking his vision from the ramen that he adored... and that would be it. He soon finished up the ramen bowl and stepped away from the chair that he had been sitting on.

Loot:
T1 Materials (34)

ID: 104993 LD: 3+6=9 (No Materials)

Pick was disappointed, but he soon reached the safe zone at just the right time right as the morning came and the night had disappeared. The night time was over, and so was his chances at finding this familiar that he wanted. Pick sighed, not pleased with his results as he changed into his regular clothing before heading into the safe zone. There was nothing he could do, except to go catch a snooze and do so after having breakfast first. He went to the ramen shop that he had been going to a lot lately, ever since he completed that queen bee quest which gave him a few levels - or one actually, now that he thought about it. The shop was more like a stand, like that ramen shop from the Anime Naruto. It wasn't actually a shop or a restaurant, but it was good enough to eat in.

Loot:
T1 Materials (34)

ID: 104990 LD: 19+6=25 CD: 3 (2 Materials)

Pick sighed, knowing that the night was over and he would have to come back on a different day. Pick knew that the quest was going to be hard, but he didn't expect it to be as hard as what it seemed to be at the moment. He was unable to see anything even close to what he was looking for except for that last owl which proved to be useless in the end. Pick had better things to do with his life than to do what he had been doing the entire time, such as searching for materials while doing this scouting for the owl thingy that he didn't like. Why couldn't the game just give the players their familiar, or allow them to buy them with materials, since they were practically possessions after all. His owl won't be that much help, except for the fact that he'll be someone to talk to.

Loot:
T1 Materials (34)

ID: 104946 LD: 6+8=14 (No familiar)

It was then that he noticed that the owl was not the type that he was searching for. This owl was different somehow, and he could obviously tell once he was closer. He would be done for the night. He had spent all night trying to get an owl and would now head back to his inn in his Pick costume before taking a nap and getting right back into the grind. He had failed both fifty percent chances now of getting a familiar, and if he continue to fail, who knows how long this quest might take him? It didn't matter - Pick was a picky individual and he would make sure to get the perfect owl even if it takes him a week to do so, and coming out every night too. The good thing to all of this was the fact that he could get some materials as well.

Loot:
T1 Material (32)

ID: 104945 LD: 7+6=13 (No materials)

Pick was walking up to it slowly, not getting the bugs out of his inventory just yet and not wanting to startle it just yet. He wanted to calmly approach it and he took off the mask as well in order to do so. The owl should see his owner in his first appearance - which is his face. Pick smiled, underneath the mask of course, but he desired the owl very badly and he knew that another opportunity to get one would be very rare. Pick sighed, beginning to get closer and closer to the enemy - the enemy until he manages to tame it. According to his calculations, he had fifty-fifty chance to tame this familiar. If he fails here, he doesn't quite know when the next opportunity will come. Pick sighed, taking off the mask and putting it into his inventory before preparing to start the whole taming process.

Loot:
T1 Materials (32)

ID: 104943 LD: 20+6=26 CD: 1 (1 Material)

Pick was happy - his luck had come at a crucial time. Soon enough, he would be finding another material. His confidence was finding its rightful path towards his brain, and he knew that soon, he would be able to obtain the familiar and then use it as a competitive advantage during the night, and possibly even during the day when he manages to do something like give it coffee to keep it awake. Pick smiled underneath his mask as he walked forwards a few steps and getting closer and closer to the owl in the distance. It was then that he stopped, this one seemed like the right type. From the distance, he could see the majestic brown feathers that would be valuable to him in the future. There were little of the same type of species on this floor. Sure, Pick could find another one, but he wanted this one.

Loot:
T1 Materials (32)

ID: 104941 LD: 11+6=17 CD: 9 (3 Materials)

Pick stood up, after all, he had nothing to do before the morning would soon hit. He wanted to get a familiar today, and he hoped that the luck gods would not fail him the next time that he attempts to do something like this. HIs ability to gather materials were completely unmatched in this game of Sword Art Online, and in the real world as well. The amount of times his confidence in his luck had managed to pull through and help him escape from the cruel police chasing him was uncountable at this point. As far as he knew, Pick was invincible, and it was all due to his luck. Without his luck, he was nothing, without his mask, he was nothing. Pick stood up suddenly and went immediately to the left to test his luck. Right there, he was able to find something - a material, three actually.

Loot:
T1 Materials (31)

ID: 104939 LD: 4+6=10 (No materials)

Pick would continue to gather materials after materials in order to waste time before getting the familiar that he wanted. He knew that his luck hasn't been great, but whenever he even thinks about that fact, his luck would only get worse. This was not an ideal situation for Pick, as he was very renowned for his luck - and if his luck was not up to his standards, it would only continue on the decline. Pick sighed, sitting down for a while this time, thinking about the things that he had done to make his luck go bad. It wasn't going to be permanent, he knew about that, but for some reason, his luck had gone on a decline. If someone was to see him dwelling like this , they would find it extremely weird that a man in a cloak and a mask was doing what he was doing like this.

Loot:
T1 Materials (28)

ID: 104938 LD: 13+6=19 CD: 12 (4 Materials)

Pick closed his eyes, imagining himself in a void. Luck would come and go, but his ability to make luck would not. He could meditate, and keep a clear mind in order to make sure that he completes whatever he needs to do. He has one task at hand, and he should no longer think about future. Instead, he should be thinking about the present, dwelling in his own luck .With his luck, there needs to be no planning at all times, but only during the times when he needs to do so. Dwelling on thoughts about the future could only lead to disappointment as well as failure. Pick would not get any of those, he would make sure that that happens. Pick smiled, putting his mask on. The night was getting to him, and he was feeling slightly tired already, but he knew that he had one more chance to get a familiar.

Loot:
T1 Materials (28)

ID: 104937 LD: 5+6=11

Pick took off his mask slightly and whipped off a few beads of sweat that had appeared from his forehead. He had been on a bad streak of luck, and this was not ideal for him. He needed to refind his luck or else he will never ever find a familiar for himself. This was not good, and he knew it. Perhaps it was due to his lack of confidence but it had been about an hour or so since the last time that he had managed to get a material. He had bunch of loot die boosts too, so Pick should be getting materials easily without any sort of difficulties. Pick sighed, sitting down before standing up once again. Look, he was getting discouraged, but he wasn't the type of person to just give up on anything. If he doesn't manage to get any materials or familiar tonight, another night awaits.

Loot:
T1 Materials (24)

ID: 104934 LD: 4+6=10 (No materials)

Pick saw something in the distance, and he had been distracted once again. He would be unable to find a material as a result, but he was sure he saw something in the distance - an owl? A person? Heck, maybe it was some sort of monster that no one has ever seen before? Pick didn't care - he was strong compared to everything on the first floor, and there was no way something too powerful would ever show up. Pick was still a coward though, and would sneak towards the figure in the darkness before crouching. By the time he got there, though, Pick could hear the flattering of wings as an owl or bird flew away - an owl... probably, because they were the only birds that roamed during the night. Pick smiled, he had seen his next target - it was magnificent and big in the darkness, hopefully in light as well.

Loot: 
T1 Materials (24)

ID: 104933 LD: 5+6=11

Pick was finally ready to move. He felt inspired again suddenly when he realized that he ought to get some material gathering done so he doesn't have to come out here again in the nearby future. Material gathering, although necessary, wasn't that fun, as he was just picking up items. However, it was far better than combat. He would hate to have to fight any one in a one versus one situation, but he was fine with farming lots of weak mobs with his weapon to get col eventually. Pick smiled under his mask as he decided that he would move. The owls were waiting for him, and so were the materials. At the moment, he was only collecting tier one materials that could be used to make tier one equipment, but soon enough, he would begin to gather some tier two equipment for when he eventually hits it, which won't be too long.

Loot:
T1 Materials (24)