Pick

Pick took a mental note - indeed, this place seemed excellent as a shelter for thieves. Not only were there practically no NPCs, but it seemed that players rarely came here either. This was the first time that Pick had come to the ruined place, and it was surprising because Pick liked to adventure and discover new players. He marked it on his mini-map, knowing that it might come useful in the future. "Want to make it big huh? Confidence is key, and I shall support you the whole way. Like I said, I've got the materials to support at least ten crafters in Aincrad if I want to. Even if I cannot obtain more materials, I will do so just for you." Pick winked, continuing to follow Ennakai as she kept on searching for materials. It would be close now - any moment could be the moment that she finishes up with the quest.

"Excellent, you are not that bad of a material gatherer yourself - perhaps you are an apprentice of luck, just like me. Luck is a valuable asset - make sure to take care of it with care." Pick said as the girl managed to find her last material. This would mark the last material needed for the material gathering session, now she just needed to get the crafting done, and the quest would thus be over. Pick smiled, "Well, if I remember correctly from helping other people on this quest, now you have to go and actually craft the item, right?" Pick wanted to confirm. Since he did the merchant quest, everything was that tad different, but the gist should still be the same.

@Ennakai

The night time had fallen, and it was thus time for Pick to begin his nightly walks in the streets. Of course, this wasn't any walk - this was the sort of walk where you scout around and check for any potential victims that would fall to give him Col. Pick grinned, pulling out his night gear from his inventory and equipping it. The black robe, the mask, the wig, everything was set into place, everything except the axe that he had yet to receive from Dustin, of course, but this was enough to begin his plan of dominating this world through riches. 

Pick had made sure to delete all the players in his friend's list - he'll come up with an excuse later - something like not wanting to have to commit fully to something. However, he was ready to commit to something far greater. He was definitely unnoticed by the players up there, which is exactly what he wanted. Pick desired not for anyone to know who he really is until the last moment, when he would reveal himself and take his mask off as the one who dominates Aincrad. 

"Huh. Red moon." Pick whispered, looking straight up at the sky which was brightly lit up with a red hue accompanied by the small little stars around it. It was a beautiful sight, so even Pick would have to admire it. If it had been morning, Pick would've probably sat down and spent half the day there, but no, it was night, and this was the time for true business. Pick smiled under the mask, looked down, and took a few steps.

@Slayer

(OOC: See night gear in signature to get a feel of Pick's appearance)

Object Complete: Accept the quest and form a party

Pick smiled as two players arrived to assist him. Like he said before, this wasn't an extremely difficult quest so it should not take that long to complete, and it should not be dangerous either. However, Pick would pick completing a quest with multiple people far more than completing a quest by himself over and over again - he had learned that lesson from completely soloing the four beginner quests. It was, of course, not a very good experience. Pick sat down, observing the shops of the first floor. There were actually quite a variety around - ramen, pizza, pasta - all sorts of different shops that were available for players to dine in. Personally, Pick would love the pasta - it was a gentlemanly food which could be eaten without making a mess of yourself.

As Pick was observing these restaurants, he noticed a blonde figure approaching him with the corner of his eye. Standing up, he extended his hand as well and gave the man a weak handshake. "Pardon me, I am not adapt at the art of handshakes," Pick said after releasing, "I've learnt that touching a woman's hand requires absolute gentleness, but I've never touched a male's hand. Besides, where I came from, we bow and give kisses instead of a handshake. Anyways, my name is Pick, a thief," Pick hesitated, "Of hearts."

As he finished the sentence, he heard a familiar voice call out. It was that of a girl who he had helped on a quest not that long ago. "Artemis, it has been a while. Since you are the last one to arrive, I shall allow you the option of choosing where to dine for the day." Pick exclaimed, extravagantly. "We won't judge your tastes."

@Cosi @Artemis

Before Pick had the chance to escape the area and leave the place, the woman began to say something. It was a faint sound since her vocal chords were weakening as each year went by. Of course, she would never die since no one dies from age in this game, and Pick could tell that she was an NPC as well. Still, Pick couldn't help but feel pity from the life that the woman had to live through. He hoped that once he got that old, someone could just end his life, but right now, he was perfectly fine being alive. Pick turned around, listening to the slow words of the woman who had begun to speak. His ears shook as he realized that the woman was currently giving information that he needed for a familiar. Indeed! He had been chosen! The NPC had chosen him to be the next to obtain a familiar!

ID: 104793
LD: 10+3=13 (No materials)

"Well, if it's not done yet, I'm afraid you're going to have to endure through troubles times my friend," Pick grinned - he had witnessed players banging their heads and getting frustrated from their ability, or rather inability to gather materials. These were the moments that if they could rage quit, they would do so, but of course, players cannot log out of the game, and jumping off Aincrad would be a punishment to themselves far too extreme. It was then that Pick saw the girl gather a material with ease. "Oh? Perhaps beginner's luck? Or perhaps you truly are an apprentice of luck. Either way, let's see how much this luck lasts you." Pick exclaimed, curiously. It was probably just his luck rubbing off of her.

@Artemis

Pick watched as Dustin started his material gathering too. "Nothing here," Pick exclaimed shrugging, "Look, if you really don't want to pay for ice cream, I wouldn't mind paying for them. After all, I've got a bit of materials in my pocket that I can use." He called out.

@Dustin

Pick sat down on a park bench and that was when a small old female walked up to him. Pick watched the woman walk slowly, using the cane as support for her weak legs that had worn out from age. She was elderly, and Pick could see that, so he would show his respect by standing up and allowing the woman to sit down on the bench to rest. Pick smiled in greetings before taking a few steps to leave the area. He would find another bench to sit on - after all, he was a young man and always full of energy, so it was only right that he gave the seat to the old woman. Although he had never been taught by anyone to respect your elders, he had observed from the rich that doing so was just another display of showing your class and gentlemanly traits. Pick snickered.

Pick smiled apologetically, "I apologize for my charm. Since you're so tired, may I offer to carry you on my back? I still have some energy left... after all, I fell asleep in the waterfall back there." Pick pointed, offering to give the girl a piggy back ride. Indeed, the girl would probably not want it, but Pick would offer anyways. How can he afford to let a tired girl walk all by herself? "Yes, it was a wonderful day. That Dustin sure has something in him - to jump off the cliff like that. I would've done the same, of course, if I was in that situation," Pick bluffed, not wanting to look bad. His image still would not ruined just because he wasn't exactly there to save Asakku. He had, however, saved Dustin from falling and dying from fall damage.

Pick sighed, looking at the direction that Dustin went in, "I think he went the wrong way. I'm sure he'll realize it soon enough," Pick noted, shrugging before getting low to the ground, "My back is all yours."

@Dustin @Asakku

Objectives:

• Accept the quest
• Consume items
• Tame the owl
• Material Gather

Pick sighed, it was yet another normal day where there wasn't much to do. He was here, like usual, walking the safe zones to see if there were anything to eat. At this point, he had so much materials that it doesn't even matter what he spent it on. He could go buy the best things in Aincrad with the materials that he had... at least all the tier one items, and he would still have some left, and even so, he can use some of those materials to help him out with the material gathering - like the LD bonuses. Pick sighed, one of these days, he would have to get a familiar to help him scout and do damage, but he had no idea how to get one, as the no one seemed to have information, being that the quest was a rare one. It seemed to just show up for some people.

Pick had heard that his clothing - cape and cloak had both been done, and within a day from when he ordered. This was the service that he liked - on time, perfection. This was the type of service that Pick would try to imitate as well. Pick was very fond of the tailor who had been creating clothing for him, since both times he ordered, he had been provided timely service. With a smile, he entered the shop and nodded gratefully to pick up the two items. He would equip one of them immediately and save the other one for when an emergency situation happens. Hopefully, the man doesn't remember his appearance too well, because then he would be a witness, since Pick is planning on doing some criminal acts with the cloak equipped.

+Cloak and Cape

Objectives:

• Accept the quest and form a party
• Defeat the Wasp Queen (Wasp Queen: 50/50 | DMG: 20)
• Socialize/Material Gather/Plot

Pick smiled - he was eager to try out his new cape that he had obtained from Hei just a couple of minutes ago, and what was the best thing to try it out on? In the wilderness of the second floor. Here, there were a plentiful of materials, and they would prove to be useful for him eventually, not that he was short on them at the moment of anything. Material gathering wasn't the main reason that he was here, though. No, he was here to complete a quest as well, to be exact, he was here to defeat the queen of the second floor and take her crown as a price. Pick grinned, checking his inventory and equipping everything that he needed. Like always, he would post on the player request boards for anyone who wanted to tag along. Pick could definitely just solo this quest and defeat the queen with ease now that he had added a rank to his weapon skill, but what was the fun in that? It's quite boring soloing quests - he had learned that from experience. The more the merrier - that was his philosophy, and he could spend this time establishing relationships and bonds with other players that might come useful in the future. Pulling out his menu, he began to write:

Quote

If any low-leveled players are still in need of completing the queen bee quest, meet me near the gates of the second floor. We can grab something to eat for lunch and then head out to get the quest done. I'm the blonde handsome guy standing around waiting for people, so it shouldn't be that hard to find me.

@Cosi @Artemis

Objectives:

• Go to Ol' Pete's
• Deliver Fishing Pole to Pete
• Catch a Sword Fish with Pete (CD: 6+)
• Defeat the Sword Fish (Sword Fish: 35/35 | DMG: 50/5)
• Travel back to Ol' Pete's
• Gather Materials

Pick found today to be an awfully good day to finish up what he started. Pick has always loved the feeling of finishing something, and this didn't start from his quests in this game either. To complete something was a wonder to him, it was a great sense of satisfaction that was provided to him at the moment that it's done. Although he had completed several quests prior to this one - this one was the first one that would be a series of quests to be completed by him. He was glad that he had taken the time to go ahead and do this, since a lot of other players had just decided to skip this quest trilogy and go on to the more interesting ones. Of course, Pick, being as precise and calculative he is, knew that he needed to get this quest over and done with so he can get the skill points.

Pick smiled - the girl had some sort of passion and enthusiasm that he had not seen for a long time, especially since she was going to be gathering materials. Most people are unable to gather materials and they get frustrated at that fact. However, Pick was way too good at gathering them, and as a result, he gets extremely bored of it. Pick sighed, looking down at the short girl before speaking once again. "Well, you better start gathering what you need before the day ends. Trust me, it's going to take you a long time to get this quest done. Material gathering isn't as easy as people think without a skill or two to help you with it. Of course, you would also need excellent luck, something that I must say, I have." Pick grinned, confident, almost arrogant at his material gathering abilities.

@Artemis

Pick then looked at Dustin who absurdly challenged him to a material gathering session. It was almost as if he wanted to lose. The chances of the man beating him was little to none, especially with the gathering skill and the LD bonuses that his new cape provided for him. Pick would have refused, had it not been the thought to make the journey more entertaining. The quest was a boring one without some help making it more fun, so Pick would do just that. Plus, he wouldn't want to waste Col at the moment. "Excellent. I accept your challenge that would inevitably end in a victory for me. As a gentleman, however, I would allow you to begin. Let us witness your luck at play." Pick smiled.

@Dustin

"Well that's true. At least they left you something to find as material. So how many is that now, are you getting close to gathering all the materials that you need?" Pick asked, wanting to know if the girl was close to getting the quest done. She was going to become an artisan which would be useful to him since there really weren't that many of them around. Eventually, he would need to get some items from artisans as prosperity would be a necessity for his build, and at the moment, the one he ordered from that other artisan was still yet to get anywhere close to his inventory. Pick was a patient man, but he could not afford to let other people get in the way of what he wanted to do in this world of Aincrad. For example, if someone was to order something in Pick's shop or even enter the shop, he would get to them immediately. Pick shrugged, it didn't matter at this point, though.

"Alright," Pick responded - normally he would say more, but he was thinking about the whole artisan thing. He watched as the girl jumped down from the wall with ease. Quite athletic I see. Pick observed before following her. As a thief in the real world, he was already used to athletics like this, jumping around, running around - it was what he did for a living, of course. Pick sighed, "Anyways, I hope you remain an active crafter after getting this quest done. Artisans are really hard to come by these days, so you should be able to make quite a living from it." Pick exclaimed.

@Ennakai

Pick smiled, the man had agreed on the purchase. With quick maths and slight calculations, Pick was able to deduce that he should at least get a 150 Col profit from this, which could mean an extra identification of a consumable or something. Besides, this was Pick's first customer, so he was very glad that he could finally get some business done and get the transaction over with. This could be the start of something great for Pick - no, this would be the start of something great for Pick. Now only is he selling items and obtaining profits, he is also able to form connections as a result. Pulling out his inventory, he soon brought out his menus to send the Col over to Kioshi. Once he was gone, Pick would sell the perfect armor to the merchant shop for 400 Col, getting some profit off of the items. But that would be later. "Well, thank you for the business," Pick exclaimed as he received the armor. "Hope we can make some more later."

@Kioshi

-225 Col
+Scale Mail Set (Perfect) - Sold as Junk (+400 Col)

Profit: 175 Col

Merchant Purchasing

"Well, a perfect armor, you say? And how many are you selling to me? Just one? Well, if that's the case, as you can see to your right on this price list I got here, I am willing to pay 225 Col for every perfect T1 equipment. Believe me, this is the best deal that you'll find around. I've already done some scouting on other merchants and they don't give as much as I do for what the game calls 'jumk'. One man's junk could be another man's treasure, you know." Pick grinned, letting him know the price that Pick was willing to pay for the item itself. In addition, the man had asked for a blank dungeon map, which Pick was glad to get him immediately. Pick would be able to get 10 Col in profit... only 10 Col, but he wanted to make his items as cheap as possible compared to other merchants. "And here's your blank map." Pick finally said, sorting out his purchases in the back. "So, you down to sell that armor?" Pick asked, confirming that the price was good enough for the man.

@Kioshi

(Don't forget to send the 110 Col to me in the economy dashboard. This is so I can remain organized. Thank you!)

+110 Col
-1 [T1] Blank Dungeon Map (Kioshi)

"Well, I'm going to make this world a better place, of course," Pick kind of lied when he was asked what he wanted to do in this world. Yes, he wanted to make the world a better place, but first he needed to rule this place first. Without his authority, there was no way that the world could be a better world. Of course, the methods that he would go through to become a ruler - now that would never be exposed to anyone. He could never afford to tell that to anyone. Instead, he just made something up on the spot, "I'm going to gather as much materials and Col as possible and then help people with them, get them to the front lines, of course, and hopefully they'll help all of us beat this darn game that Kayaba has jailed us in." Pick finished, giving the violet-haired girl a grin. "So, what would you like to do in this game? Maybe even make the front lines, eventually?" Pick asked, curious as to what the girl would accomplish in this world of dread.

"Lore? Most people don't care, to be honest. I mean, there are certainly a story, and that story is definitely up to you to discover, just like how your story would be up to someone else to discover. Stories, lore - they are passed on." Pick smiled, "I don't see any NPC around... maybe we can find out exactly what happened here? That would be a fun thing to do - playing some detective while doing material gathering," Pick suggested, wanting to find some fun during the boredom of material gathering.

@Ennakai

Pick was out to provide the fast quality of service in order to ensure customer satisfaction. As soon as he heard the bells ring that notified him about the arrival of a customer, he came burst from the back where he had been identifying some consumables that probably won't be sold any time soon. It would help him with practice and getting his stats up though, so he figured they were worth identifying even if they weren't too helpful for anyone. Pick coughed his throat, walking and seeing that it was the old man he had accompanied on a recent quest.

"Hey, good day to you sir. Please provide me with the details of the equipments, and I'll get you your col as immediately. To be exact, please tell me the tier and quality of the items, please." Pick requested. The amount he is willing to pay were based on those criteria.

@Kioshi

"Ah, so you are becoming a tailor with the intention for money. If you are really out for that though, I must say artisan is a far better choice. There are no active artisans at the moment, so becoming one would be excellent to make cash." Pick suggested. Artisan was actually his second choice as a profession, but he wanted merchant because there were already top merchants out there, and he wanted to compete with them - to prove that he can possibly even be the best out of all of them eventually. Sure, it would be hard, but Pick could care less. If it gets too hard, it's never too late to change his profession to that of an artisan. "Well, if the thing that you sell lasts longer, then why would people need more of it? They can just buy it and then not come back for a long time, but if you become a cook or alchemist, they come back often since they already used up the weapons," Pick asked, seeing some sort of a contradiction here.

@Artemis

Pick had finally noticed that Dustin had devoted himself to the art of blade making. He never picked it up before, but now Dustin seemed completely obsessed with his sword. He should still be a level one or two crafter since the last time Pick had went to his shop wasn't that long ago, and he was already in love with the blade. Wait until he becomes high level, and he would be sleeping with his sword, too. Pick chuckled at the boy's enthusiasm, "Ice cream? Sure, there are bound to be some around. And do what? I thought we were going to help this young girl here with her material gathering? I can give you some tips, if you would like."

@Dustin

ID: 104745
LD: 18+3=21 (Success!)

Pick finally thought of a tactic. In order to run away, he must have a distraction. At the moment, the mimic was focused completely on him, and that was not good. He needed a noise - a very loud noise. Bending down slowly, he picked up a rock while the Mimic was preparing to attack him. It didn't see and the next second, Pick threw the rock as fast and hard as he could towards a nearby tree. The noise wasn't too loud, but Pick guessed mimics were sensitive to these noises, and it immediately stopped its attack. Looking over, it realized that Pick had baited him. While looking back, the mimic realized that Pick had already run. Disappointed, it went back to its chest. Now, Pick had learned a lesson - he must not go to that same chest again, and he would finally go claim the quest that he had started.

Pick: 151/180 | EN: 18/18 | DMG: 4 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3 | LD: 3
Mimic: 90/90 | DMG: 27

Loot:
   T1 Materials (12)

Thread Complete:

Pick: 400 Col, 3 SP, 12 Materials, T1 Ring (+1 ACC)

ID: 104744
LD: 9+2=11 (Partial Success)

Pick would attempt to run away again, without any strange thinking this time. He knew that this game had a system where if you ran away enough, the game registers it and makes it more likely the next time that you try to run away. At least at the moment, he was stalling getting hit by the Mimic enough that his health wasn't constantly dropping. Sure, he could stall this way for a while, but who knows when his luck would change? Pick shook his head... no, his luck was made by himself. His confidence was dropping, and this was why he was getting unlucky. The moment that he has doubt about his luck was the moment that his luck would decrease. "You make your own luck" He remembered - those words that his master had spoken to him. Luck doesn't actually exist - it's just something that other people blame for failure.

Pick: 151/180 | EN: 18/18 | DMG: 4 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3 | LD: 3
Mimic: 90/90 | DMG: 27

Loot:
   T1 Materials (12)

ID: 104742
LD: 9+1=10 (Partial Success)

Pick had once again failed to run away. This time, he went back the way he came and the mimic continued to follow him. Although every single time, the mimic was unable to hit him while he ran, but who knows how long this would last. With his evasion, he could dodge a few attacks, but when heavy attacks came his way, there was nothing that he could do but to get hit and struck. His health would suffer the consequences. If he died now to a mimic, that would be the story of the century. The man who would rule the world died to his own chest that he thought would wield wishes. At least he could consider this exercise as he ran away from the Mimic. The Mimic was persistent, so Pick would need to practice using his mind against it... maybe try a few tactics before running.

Pick: 151/180 | EN: 18/18 | DMG: 4 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3 | LD: 3
Mimic: 90/90 | DMG: 27

Loot:
   T1 Materials (12)

ID: 104741
LD: 9 (Partial Success)

Pick had decided that now would be a good time to do what he does best - run away. The fight would take too long for him to endure without wanting to kill himself. His damage was not high enough to do anything like this, which is why this would be a good time to run away, and practice doing so because he might have to do it a lot in the future. He would never be the strongest player, and when he comes up against a strong player, he would have to run away to avoid capture or even getting killed. Pick had no intentions of making risks in this game - and he would certainly have never opened that treasure chest if he thought this would happen. Pick sighed, turning around and running, unfortunately, the Mimic was actually quite fast and managed to cut him off before he could do so.

Pick: 151/180 | EN: 18/18 | DMG: 4 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3 | LD: 3
Mimic: 90/90 | DMG: 27

Loot:
   T1 Materials (12)

ID: 104740
LD: 2 (Mimic!)
MD: 10 (27+2=29 DMG)

Pick had expected a chest of riches, but that was far from the case. This was the first time that Pick has seen a mimic, and he was surprised by it. It struck against Pick as soon as he opened the chest, and managed to inflict a critical damage on Pick, sending him backwards in surprise. He looked at the monster, and saw that it was stronger than anything that he had ever fought. However, perhaps this was lucky, because he'll get some good loot off of it. The battle would take a long time though, since it was very strong. Still, Pick's damage output was not enough for this fight to be worth it. The best situation that he can do right now was run away as fast as possible. It was all he could do, end the fight as fast as possible before his life is in danger.

Pick: 151/180 (-29) | EN: 18/18 | DMG: 4 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3 | LD: 3
Mimic: 90/90 | DMG: 27

Loot:
   T1 Materials (12)

ID: 104738
LD: 19+3=21 (Treasure Chest Found)

Pick was about done and ready to go and claim the quest as finished. He would be complete as soon as he arrived and then he can go gather even more materials when he feels like it. After this quest, though, not only would he go up a few levels, but he would be getting another weapon skill, which would make him even more powerful than the people would expect him to be. His damage output was slowly increasing and he was glad that he had the ability to do that. Pick grinned, preparing to walk away when he suddenly felt something at his foot. It was a treasure chest, and he was delighted to find it. There was no chance that he could get unlucky, so whenever these showed up, he always got something good and never a mimic. In fact, he had never even seen one before. This time, it will be the same.

Loot:
  T1 Materials (12)

ID: 104738
LD: 17+3=20 (1 Material)
CD: 11 (3 Materials)

Just right next to the apples that he had picked, he spotted a few more apples that were just there, waiting for him patiently to pluck out of the tree. He smiled, wrapping his hands around the babies that he loved before plucking them out of the three with one smooth hand movement. It was gentle, and he did so while patiently caressing the materials. They were precious, and are meant to be handled with care. Just like money, Pick would want his materials to be handled the same way - calculative, and precise. Pick smiled, glad that he had managed to add even more materials to his inventory. It was excellent, that he was able to do so because now he had twelve in his inventory - quite the amount for a day that wasn't even spent material gathering. He hasn't even been trying to gather materials to day, and didn't use an item either.

Loot:
   T1 Materials (12)