Tsuisuta

The woman spoke up, letting Awateru not be the one to start the conversation. Turning towards her, Awateru gave a shrug. "I don't know much more than you, I haven't really done much myself." She kept her answers trite, not wanting to give too much of her thoughts away. Even though she knew they were trapped in here just like she was, she still had reservations about giving away her information publicly on the internet. "If you want, I heard that there is an NPC around here that gives a quest to help new players out. Haven't done it myself, was just looking for it actually." Awateru got up from her seat and brushed off the leather armor she was wearing. "Don't know where they would be, rumor has it they're in the plaza here though." Even if her sisters were nowhere to be found, may as well work to become stronger. She came into this game to prove she could accomplish something, would be best if she didn't go back on that idea now.

@Rithe

Letting her thoughts swirl about her, Awateru noticed someone coming up to where she was sitting. She gave a curt nod towards them, acknowledging their presence. Not feeling terribly in the mood to socialize, she didn't want to start a conversation unless someone else did. She continued to stare forward, letting her thoughts consume her. If her sisters were still nowhere to be found, then it would probably be best to work her way towards the front lines or at least try to make some news with her name on it. Unless that news was her death, she could use that to draw her sisters towards her. Remembering the stranger next to her, she realized maybe making some friends would be a good idea to move forward quickly. It was all too many things for her brain to figure out. She was only sixteen, and this game was making her lose her childhood to it. Maybe there was so actual reasoning behind it when people say video games are destroying people's childhoods.

@Rithe

Having returned to the first floor in search of her sisters, Awateru was dismayed her search was still fruitless. Deciding it was finally time to take a break, she went over to the request boards to see if anyone was looking to help some lower level players. There still wasn't much to be had, as most offers seemed rather sketchy. It wasn't that she didn't want to trust people, just when someone words a request to sound like there's more to it she didn't want to take it. With little else to do, Awateru decided it would be best if she walked around and looked for some starting quest or other to do. She ended up in the main plaza, where it all began. That was the day her separation had been solidified. She had scarmbled around to search, but to no avail. And now she was back. If she was lucky, they might've stayed nearby that whole time. Awateru had scoured the place multiple times though and never found either of them. She sat down at the fountain, passively looking around while putting her thoughts into place.

@Rithe

"You have found where that anger comes from, and can see it's source. You now have the way to let it out in full. Do not hold back, open the floodgates."

Awateru let out a scream, punching the boulder with everything she had, she could see some more cracks beginning to form along it. The anger she had wasn't subsiding, it just kept flowing out of her without an end. It felt like it would consume her in its entirety.

"You hold on to more anger than most. When many people come to me, they are hanging on to life's sorrows. You seem to feel no regret, only the lust for vengeance. You have yet to live to see the consequences of these actions. You know only of what the results are, and they seem sweet to you."

"And what does it matter to you old man!"

"It matters to me because seeing someone lose themselves in hatred is not the way for someone to go. It is a terrible fate for any involved."

"Thoughts of the two of us facing off aside, focus on that anger you have. Find just where it is coming from. Now that you have it on the surface, you can trace it back to its origin. Find where that is."

"And if I can't find it?"

"You'll find it."

Awateru tried to think back to why she had so much rage, and she went all the way back into her past. Though she hadn't lived as long as some of the others trapped in this game, she still had reasons to hate. She was always stuck in her sisters shadow, always stopped from achieving what she could. All the effort went to making Kireina the strongest. All the protection wen to making Ilulu the most innocent. All Awateru was stuck with was the last shreds of effort or protection that her parents were willing to give. She threw another punch at the rock, a bit more focused this time.

"Now that the emotion is fully recognized and on the forefront of your mind we can begin in earnest."

"So what, was all this just so you could get me riled up? That just sounds like a way to get yourself into a fight."

"On the contrary, you need to be this angry to understand what being out of balance feels like. If you truly wished to fight me right now you would most certainly lose and be stumbling off of the cliff that is now behind me."

"And what makes you so sure of that?"

"You're favoring your left leg more and aren't paying attention to how you're throwing your punches, all I need to do is pull a little onto your arm as you go for a punch and you'll easily stumble forward off of the nearby edge."

"Well, screw your predictive abilities." Awateru threw another punch at the boulder. She knew the old man was right, but didn't want to acknowledge it.

Awateru was getting more and more frustrated as the time went by, she just wanted the man to show her how to use her hands as weapons, like she had heard others say he could. Yet so far all she was doing was punching a rock in frustration while trying to convince this man to do what she wanted him to do. She didn't even care at this point whether or not she sounded like an entitled child, she just wanted to know whether or not she could actually learn what she wanted from him. Now he was just speaking in circular riddles that made no sense to her. It was honestly unfair. With his latest statement, she let loose another punch out of pure frustration. Small cracks began to form and she realized that the boulder was actually a breakable object, the immortal object sign had never appeared. Maybe this was the reason the man was getting her to become frustrated.

"Good, bring your emotions to the surface. There is where you can acknowledge them in full."

"I don't need any of your stupid nonsense, just show me what you have to show!"

"I know what you seek, and it can be learned here. However, what you seek is not something I have. Each person must find their own path to this truth, or else it becomes a lie."

Frustrated by the man's antics, Awateru punched the rock once again. "Stop speaking in riddles and give it to me plainly. How can you know something I want yet not have it, that's not even possible. And a truth is a truth, there's no way a truth could be a lie."

The man gave out a sigh. "It appears we still have quite the long ways to go, or else you will never understand what I am trying to say."

"You can say that again."

"It appears you are already building up some frustration. There is no harm in letting that frustration out, but you must control it rather than let it control you."

"I don't need any advice from you old man, just show me what you've got."

"The lessons I teach are not a show and tell. You must learn by listening, both to me and your heart."

"What has my heart got to do with pummeling a rock?"

"Use your heart to guide you. Even if others help, it is there that things will first go wrong. If that is wrong, you will never know where the issue truly lies."

Awateru let out a frustrated scream and slammed her fist against the rock once more. It continued to sit there, and no cracks were forming on the exterior. On the inside, it was letting out just as many screams as she was.

Walking out of the town on the second floor and into the mountains, Awateru came across an older man meditating on the side of the cliff. It was in a bit of a precarious spot and she couldn't help but wonder if he had ever come close to falling over. As she approached, the man spoke.

"I see you have come to learn what I have to teach. You also seem to be one with little patience. This may take some time, so let's get you started while we make the introductions shall we?"

"Sure, I just want to see what you have to teach."

The old man guided Awateru to a rock. "Do not discredit what your elders have learned, for that is when you get stuck lots on your own path. There is virtue in blazing your own trail, yes. But it must first be known where others have gone."

Frustrated, Awateru threw a punch at the rock. It didn't budge, but she felt it give just a little.

Awateru had heard of a man on the second floor that would teach her how to fight with her hands, and she was quite interested. Though she had a dagger to begin with, she just felt more comfortable if she could use her own hands rather than an extension of herself. It felt wrong to be holding a tool to do a job. She was hesitant to go to the second floor before having found her sisters, but decided it would be best if she kept her visit short and had more power to show when she finally found them. They hadn't even all decided on a way to meet up, so for all she knew they were off the first floor by now. Hopefully she would find them soon. If she didn't, she hoped to see them on the front lines, where they would all be making progress together.

After getting the message that the wraps she had ordered were ready, Awateru went back to the shop. Doing her best to sound pleasant, she picked it up with a smile. "Thank you for making this. Here is your payment." She traded Hei the materials for the wraps and tried them on. They were just what she was hoping for. No more need for the dagger she had from the start, she always felt a bit more comfortable just having a hands-on experience. Awateru gave a slight bow after trying both them and the armor on. "These will do quite nicely, I hope we can do business again sometime in the future." She did her best to sound like an adult, even though she didn't quite know how to.

Items Received:

Name: Sister's Lament
Your Profession: Performer
Your Rank: 1
Roll ID: #103690
Roll Result: 11
Item Type: Support Song
Tier: 1
Quality: Rare
Enhancements: HP Recovery 2 (Heals 40 HP)
Description: A mournful song about a child whose lost their sisters (lyrics in post link)
Post Link: http://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/16762-sp-f01-do-a-deer-a-femlae-deer/?do=findComment&comment=554119

Before the track could begin, Awateru began to sing. It was a soft, mournful melody. And she couldn't help but let the tears flow while singing it. She kept her voice unwavering though, making sure the sadness could only be found in the emotion she infused into the piece. There were no instruments to back her up, but she didn't care. All there was was her feelings and the mic, ready to capture what she had to say.

I find myself wandering

Through mists and veils of scorn

And though I have lost myself

I still don't feel forlorn

I'm pulled by my emotions

To those for who I care

But their faces lost in darkness

Towards them I cannot stare

They're lost inside the darkness

Tucked away from sight

But now a light does glimmer

As we all withdraw from this blight

As she finished the song, she brushed the tears away from her eyes. She could see the NPC was also giving a tear. She came over and tapped the crystal once more, ending the recording.

"That was truly beautiful, you deserve to keep this. If you ever need more help, I'll be here. With a voice like yours, I doubt you'll need it though."

Awateru took the crystal and walked out of the studio calmly. It felt good to have the feelings off of her chest. And now her search was forever emblazoned in song, ready to be shared with others who might sympathize.

Craft Roll:

Thread Summary:

The NPC set Awateru up in a little recording area with the crystal out in front of her.

"Once I tap the crystal, we'll be live. I'll start the track soon after that."

Awateru gave a nervous nod, she had never sung before and wasn't sure if she could pull it off that well. The NPC tapped onto the crystal, and it began to emit a soft light. She quietly exited the room and started the backing track. It was a soft, gentle melody, and Awateru just froze while listening to it. It reminded her too much of how sh had lost her sisters. How she had failed to find them after two years. A tear began to fall down her cheek and the music stopped.

"Don't worry about it, everyone gets nervous their first time around. It's perfectly natural."

Realizing she was showing weakness, Awateru stiffened up. "I'm fine, let's just try again."

"Don't be so stiff while singing, let the emotions flow through you to form the words in your mind."

With that, she put a new crystal into place, tapped on it, and went to start the track again.

Awateru quickly got herself back to the studio she had found the NPC in, which had thankfully not changed around. Of course, if it truly was supposed to be a regular quest, it likely wouldn't change. She had just never heard that singing before. As she entered, the NPC turned and smiled.

"I see you got some crystals we can use for recording. Why don't you bring them over here and we can get them prepped."

Awateru followed her towards some sort of small work station.

"It isn't that hard to prepare them, all you need to do is use a special little tool. Here, have this one. I always have so many extras lying around. Just strike them with it and it should set it up. YOu'll know you've gotten it when it glows."

Awateru took the object, which looked strangely like a tuning fork and struck it against one of the crystals, accidentally breaking it in the process.

"Don't hit them so hard. Though if they break that easily, it probably wouldn't have made for a good recording anyways."

Awateru kept going with the other crystals, which converted just fine. Each gave off a comfortable glow and shaped to look like a microphone.

"OK, with that we should be ready to record. I'm guessing you'll want a backing track?"

As Awateru turned away from the patch of grass, a gleam got caught in the corner of her eye. She quickly turned around and spotted another crystal protruding from the ground. She could've sworn it wasn't there before. Whether it was just her mind not remembering right or it had just respawned though, she didn't care. It was the last one she needed and she could finally head back towards the Town of Beginnings and go record a song or something. She didn't really know what she would sing, hopefully the NPC would help out a little bit with that part. And unless the NPC wanted to hear her sing A Capella, she would hopefully be provided with a backing track of sorts. Awateru had never sung in the real world, except for the occasional hum to the national anthem or song being played on some speakers nearby. It wasn't one of those talents that she prided herself on. Maybe she would find something that she was passionate about after all.

The grass began to grow higher, and Awateru began to worry a little. it seemed as though she would need to find another place to search for crystals. She checked behind her once more to see if there was a place she had missed to look and didn't find any. She had already scoured that small area for any possible materials to get. She had even tried to harvest a couple plants, but they ended up not giving the prompt to harvest like the crystals had. Even though the NPC had said that just about anything works, it seemed that was a much less general statement than Awateru had anticipated. It seemed like she was limited to just crystals at the moment. It didn't even really make sense. Why would an NPC be so desperate for Awateru to record her first time singing, or even assume that it was her first. She just wanted to get this quest done with at this point so that she could move on to do more things.

Awateru kept walking and stumbled across yet another crystal. This place seemed to be littered with them! The smirk returned to Awateru's face and she picked it up. There was only one more that she would need before heading back, and hopefully she could find it before the grass grew to a higher height once more. She glanced around and realized just how small of a patch this lower grass was. Her smile disappeared and went back towards her default scowl. Her thoughts turned towards what she would hopefully have to show her sisters when they eventually met up. She would hopefully have some experience under her belt and finally get to work more towards achieving something. It would be the first time that Awateru could remember that she had achieved something that her sister hadn't already. At least, that was what she hoped. For all she knew, her sister was close to being on the front lines already.

As Awateru finally approached the area she had spotted from on top of the hill, she gave a slight smirk. This would certainly be a much better place to find the crystals she was looking for. It didn't take her long either. Within moments of reaching the area, there was already one gleaming from the ground in front of her. She went to pick it up and rechecked her quest objectives. It seemed that there would be two more that she would need to grab before heading back towards the Town of Beginnings. At thre rate she was going, it shouldn't take too much longer. Though if her pattern for searching kept up, it would be quite a bit longer. Either way, it seemed as though she would be able to head back towards the starting town with all she needed before sundown came. It was already high up in the virtual sky, but she was doing quite well and hadn't started too long ago.

As Awateru kept looking, she realized that she already had some of the materials that the NPC had talked about in her inventory. Maybe the requirement was just there as a sanity check, or maybe it was something else. Either way, it seemed a little arbitrary to have that requirement there. Besides, what would happen if she was unable to get a good recording out with just the crystals she had found. Knowing a bit about how games work, she figured that there was some sort of sanity check to make sure the quest didn't require players to go out searching multiple times for things.

Was this even really a quest? There wasn't much that made her think it was one, just a happenstance of events happening for her.

I guess that means the developers did their job well. I'm not really losing immersion by getting hit with a sudden, jarring quest. It all flows seamlessly from one thing to the next.

Thinking about age, Awateru realized just how bad being in this game would be for all the younger player's health. If things happened like she thought they did, most people were probably in hospitals hooked up to IVs. It still wouldn't be the greatest for fully grown people, as their muscles would atrophy. But younger players would likely have their growth stunted as well. Awateru didn't full understand the technology, and didn't know exactly how things would work. But she figured that if people played their cards right, they could at least keep their mind maturing while in the game. Things wouldn't feel the same, but it may be enough of an activity that people would still be functional once in the real world. Either way, it was a terrible thought for Awateru to look forward to. She didn't want her sister stuck in the mental state she is in. It wasn't right for someone like her to be stuck not understanding anything that was going on.

Closing the map, Awateru kept moving towards where she thought she had seen a better place to find crystals at. She also spotted some caves to her left, but decided that would be best to ignore for now. It would be dark and hard to find things there, as well as likely hold some hostile mobs. With how uncomfortable she felt with the dagger she had gotten at the beginning, Awateru didn't want to risk fighting anything at the moment. It would certainly be bad for both her sisters if she did die. Even if they were going to die, she wouldn't want to be the first to go. She wanted to finally achieve something, and this game was going to be her best bet to do it. Here, age didn't matter nearly as much. Even though her older sister would be 18 by now, it didn't matter. She could still have her own voice and carry herself just as far. Here it was all about your level and personal experience. Here, everyone was considered a player.

Awateru spotted a place and began to head towards it. It appeared it was a bit further away than she anticipated though. She had already been walking for quite some time and only passed one of the landmarks she had set herself. The Town of Beginnings was starting to shrink behind her, and she got a little worried. She pulled up her menu and began to look around for a map. Thankfully, there was one and it pointed right towards where the Town of Beginnings was. That meant she could safely let is disappear from her view and still find her way back. Not that she would want to get that far away anyways. It had almost become her home, what with all the free handouts she had been given. It was where she had made do for as long as she could. She had even had a few of the makeshift orphanages try to take her in. She turned them down though. She didn't want to be stuck in a place until she had found her sisters, or at least her little sister.

The plains continued on with their rolling hills and unending grasses. There was little in sight. Even if there were some crystals poking out of the ground, they would likely be too small to poke up through the grass, it would be pure luck for Awateru to find one. She climbed up to the top of a hill and looked around for a better place to find these crystals. Preferable one with shorter grass. It was also bothering her legs now. Going with the open legs seemed like a cute idea, but in reality it wasn't that practical. It was an outfit really only suited for more urban areas.

Hopefully I'll find myself somewhere to get a set of actual armor soon. I went with this set of gear, as it seemed to be the best for me. Now that I think about it, just about everything felt awkward in my hands. If only there was some way to use just your hands. That seems like a more practical way to fight a creature. Sure a weapon will help you get through their skin, but you don't need to draw blood to take them out.