Sweets Is Not Enough

Kai barely caught a glimpse of her companion and their familiar's game. It brought a puzzled look on her face. "Yeah, I'm up for helping you out with the next one also Kai," Hestia said smiling back at her. This changed Kai's expression to a happy one. "Awesome!" she exclaimed with a light jump and her right arm in the air. Kai took the lead as she assumed she knew where to go. Players and NPCs scattered the street, going in and out of shops, standing or walking in groups chatting about their day or recent gossip. The surroundings were just enough to excite kai and not stress her out. As they approached a cafe the smell of grilled meat filled the air, it's sign brandished a boar giving a thumbs up and wearing an apron implying it was a barbeque themed restaurant. At that moment Kai remembered the only thing she had eaten since she'd woke up was a coffee and small pastry. A low grumble noise came from her abdomen and Kai blushed sheepishly. 

Confidence shined in Kai's eyes as she opened the shop's door, "I'm back!" she announced herself informally. Like before she found Zachariah deep in his work, surrounded by notes and samples. "My goodness! returned so soon?" The aged alchemist raised a magnifying glass from his face and met her in the middle of the shop. "Turns out I'm a pretty good finder!" Kai gave him a friendly grin before opening her inventory to summon the materials to her hand. As she tried to hand them over to Zachariah a question came to her. "What will you make with these?" she asked mildly curious about the alchemist's intention. The alchemist gave Kai a smirk, something that seemed out of character for such a kind old man. "Would you like to find out?" Before she could answer he made his way to one of the lab tables with ready potion crafting set up. As she approached the table a menu popped up different from her usual one. Zachariah gave her some instructions on it and told her to try it out. Not wanting to be rude Kai did her best in replicating the steps he had given her. With a perfect success, He congratulated Kai and gave her the potion as a reward and took the remaining materials. Kai gave her thanks and made her way back to Hestia with a grin she met her friend outside the shop. "Want to keep me company for the next one? You could be good luck for me!"

ID: 97578    CD: 11 (Perfect Success) 

<<1 Perfect healing potion crafted>>

A cloud rolled in over the sun, casting a temporary shadow over the meadows "Back home, I got this game with a friend to share till he could get his own. We agreed I'd go in first since this would end up being my copy. We worked so hard just to get our hands on this. . ." Kai looked down at her toes and took a second to organize her thoughts. She swallowed the lump that had formed in the back of her throat and continued "I missed him so much and was so lost without him that I was too scared to even function. Till recently I had been on auto, only doing what I needed to do to survive." Hearing the words spoken aloud made her shiver. It was the truth but that didn't make any more comfortable to say. Just as quickly as it came, the cloud moved on its way. Kai made a cough as to lighten the weight she felt in her chest. "I'm sure he's really mad at me for getting myself stuck here for so long. But that's why I'm going to level up! I'm going to be awesome and get out of this prison!" Back to her self Kai finally noticed they had arrived and were just outside of the alchemist's shop. 

"Yeah, I am pretty laid back!" Kai laughed with Hestia and continued on with her hunt for the last plant on the alchemist's list. As she walked alongside Hestia she realized she hadn't been this happy since she was in the real world and felt grateful to Hestia and her kindness. Kai looked up just as a breeze made it's way across the meadow and causing the blades of grass to bend and flow like an ocean. She realized what she had been missing all along had been the presence of another human. Watching the meadow she happened to glance at a small bundle of plants out in the distance. With a closer inspection, she was able to confirm them to be the exact kind she was looking for. Snatching one up she looked back to Hestia with a grin "Ready to head back to our friendly alchemist?"

ID: 97020    LD: 19+ 1 (Search Skill Ranked 1) = 20 (Material Found)

<< 5 / 5 Materials Found! >>  

 Kai listened to Hestia and felt a pang of guilt at how unproductive she's been since being trapped in this virtual world. "Well. As long as your happy then I can't see any problem in what you do, If you'd like, maybe sometime after this we can relax or whatever again. You're a pretty cool person and I'd like to get to know you better." While talking she continued to look around for any more plants. After a few paces, Kai stopped mid-step looking under her foot she noticed she had almost squished a plant with her size 9 boot. After confirming it to be unharmed Kai added it to her inventory and suddenly winced. Her lower back muscles began to sting as they protested her bent position. She stood straight and stretched her arms up further stretching her back in line. With a quick neck swivel, she was ready to go again. "One more and we can head back!"

ID: 97001   LD: 16+ 1 (Search skill Rank 1) = 17 (Material found)

<< 4 / 5 Materials Found >>

Kai had to pause and take a minute to take in Hestia's answer. She knew of people being classified as workaholics but hadn't known anyone to be like that, so it was hard for Kai to grasp how someone could not do something that came so easy to her. "Sounds about right. Being relaxed is . . .  just taking one day at a time... being able to let things go or    to let them be till your ready to pick them back up again." Kai took her time trying to find the right words and was satisfied with the way it came out. With every few words, she took a couple steps expanding her searched area, on her closing bit she managed to spot the third plant on her list and added it to her inventory. She was very pleased with the progress she was making, having company made the job that much easier.  

ID: 96880   LD: 14 +1 (Search Skill Rank 1) = 15 (Material Found)

<< 3/ 5 Materials Found >>

Kai got low to the ground to try and spot any more of the same plant while she responded to Hestia's question. "I've roamed around the eighth floor for a while, found a lake to swim in. That was when I was bored of just staying on the first floor. So I randomly chose my destination and jumped." She casually stated a suicide attempt. If she hadn't been so lucky, landing on a lower floor and strolling through one of the forests that had recently been cleared by higher leveled players she very easily could have died. But the thought had come and gone through her distracted mind and she couldn't be bothered. "After that, I realized the real way to make things happen is to do them yourself. So you kinda caught me on my first day of activism." Just as she was about to move on to another location Kai's eye caught another lone plant of use from her list. Adding it to her inventory she returned the question. "What does a skilled player like yourself like to do on your off days?"

ID:96832  LD: 12 + 1 (Search Skill Rank 1)= 13 (Material Found)

<< 2 / 5 Materials Found >>

Kai couldn't help but give Hestia a sympathetic look when she mentioned wanting to grow closer to an NPC. "Yeah" She knew the all too real truth about humanity and the darkness that lives within their hearts, Kai did what she always did when things began to feel too heavy for her and smiled. "Zachariah could exist. In the real world I mean, he must have been based on someone real. With so many NPCs the creators had to of used people in their lives to help them come up with the characters." Looking ahead Kai noticed the meadows just a short distance away. "It's like each NPC's set personality is what a creator remembered most about someone specific they've met." Realizing she might have been babbling on Kai stopped herself. "Or at least that's what might have been the case. I don't know. Just a thought haha" Kai brought her hand up to the back of her neck and rubbed it in a nervous tick.

Once out of the safety of the first village Kai equipped her weapon to her back and began her search for ingredients on the list provided by the Alchemist Zachariah. Looking over their surrounding area she quickly spotted a usable plant and added it to her inventory. 

ID: 96735  LD: 19 (Material Found)

 << 1/ 5 Materials Found >>

Hearing the elder speak with such spirit in his work and with people warmed Kai's heart making her forget that he was only an NPC. In response to the prompt, she gladly hit the 'Accept' "We'd be happy to assist you! What kind of things are you in need of?" The old man gave them a beaming grin "Wonderful!" And like a wizard from another realm began wooshing around his cluttered lab in a zigzagging pattern before stopping in front of the two adventurers. In his hand, he offered them a list of materials and ingredients he was in need of scribbled on a piece of parchment he must have had laying around. It even branded a coffee ring on the upper right corner. "I appreciate you for your hard work" After proper goodbyes, the girls made their way to the meadows. "He's a nice guy, the alchemist. He also seemed to know you pretty well. How many times have you done this quest?" Kai asked recalling how the alchemist was familiar with Hestia.

Kai took in a breath at the feeling of Hestia's arms gentle embrace. It had come by surprise but she understood. The overwhelming feeling of wanting to reach out to someone upset or in need. At the sight of Hestia's armor, Kai's eyes grew thrice in size and her mouth made an unintelligible noise of approval. Hestia then noted that they had arrived at their destination and at that moment Kai was more than ready to begin her first quest. She took a deep breath and exhaled just before opening the door. Inside was a half shop and half laboratory that seemed to blend seamlessly like organized chaos. Several shelves with varying bottles in size and colors stacked on two of the left side walls while notes and recipes layered like a wallpaper over the right side walls. Just as Kai was about to announce their presence an aged man popped up from behind a table on the lab side. His face misshapen in the reflection of the beakers that littered the surface of the tabletop. 

Tears poked out the corners of Kai's eyes and a lump formed in the back of her throat. Hestia was so sincere and compassionate that Kai couldn't help but get a little emotional. "yeah . . . Thank you." She managed to croak out without the tears spilling over. Kai rubbed her eyes and brushed away the sadness with a laugh " It means a lot to me that a stronger player- no a stronger person is willing to give their time and energy to someone like me. I hope to prove my worth in return." With another reassuring smile, Kai pushed back whatever dark feelings that lingered in her mind then let in the joy and excitement for her first quest to begin. As Kai's mind moved to one feeling to the next she realized she'd forgotten an important question about her superior "This may be important for later but I chose the two-handed assault spear and I still only have my starter. What weapon have you?"

(Sorry for the long wait. I'm feeling much better and work will have me on a semi-normal schedule from now on. Thank you for your patience)

"Kuro" Hestia gave her feline familiar's name. "He's a handsome fellow." Kai gave the familiar a grin, he seemed rather tame but still held an air of power with his large size. Hestia then asked a question in turn. "To be honest this is my first quest," Kai answered sheepishly "I've been kinda. . . unproductive on my own" She felt self-conscious about her lack of progress, even when she had spent an entire day in a forest gathering for materials she only managed to gather a couple flowers and a rock. "I've only just recently found my will to fight. I just hope it's enough to keep me alive." The sound of her own voice made Kai pause. "I don't mean to sound so. . . I'm just happy to finally be doing something. But uh why'd a player like yourself approach an inexperienced newb like me?"

Hestia's upbeat attitude was refreshing. No one was particularly rude to Kai but due to her shock from the announcement that happened on the first day inside Aincrad she hadn't been around anyone for a long time. Just the interaction with another human being was pleasant. Kai's attention was diverted from Hestia when she caught a glimpse of a large white and black creature with her perifocal vision. Looking down she couldn't believe she hadn't noticed it sooner. Beside the blue-eyed girl sat a large cat with a pure white main with a pair of midnight wings. The creature was roughly a full meter in height and in Kai's eyes, it was absolutely adorable. With a surprising amount of self-control, Kai managed not to immediately bend down and pet the exotic creature. A feeling of delight overcame her and not wanting to waste any more time she followed Hestia to the alchemist  "So what is your beautiful companion's name?" She asked smiling down at the large feline.

The sounds of her deep breaths slowly exhaling and inhaling filled her mind as Kai relaxed. She was so focused on her meditation that she didn't hear someone approach till they spoke. The sudden realization that someone was right next to her caused Kai to jump and instinctively gasped and immediately felt bad for it. The voice sounded cute and the person it belonged to seemed nice enough. Kai smiled, the girl by the name Hestia's offer to help brightened her mood. "sure. . ." Kai felt a need to be professional and stood up to offer her a bow in return. "The name's Kai and I'd very much appreciate your help and company on my first quest."  Mid-bow she felt a blush pinken her cheeks 'Too formal?' And in an attempt to lighten the mood she lifted her head smiling with the embarrassment. Not knowing what to do with her hands she rubbed the back of her neck with a nervous chuckle.

 A stranger's shoulder bumped into Kai just as she was getting a closer look at the board "Oh- Sorry" she stuttered. The interaction had snapped her focus from reading back to her surroundings and reminded Kai of her discomfort. She backed away from the crowd to take a breather, she hated how such minuscule things got to her and let out a huff. In an attempt to keep looking Kai approached the board from the side. Kai's focus wasn't enough to block the paranoia, she couldn't help but feel everyone's eyes on her but she persisted. Forcing her eyes to stay on the board she moved them from one quest to the next till finally, she spotted it. The beginner's quest <<The First Few Lessons Are Free>> Kai quickly clicked the [Accept] button on the quest's menu and put as much distance from herself and people as she could. Looking around She spotted a bench with little to no one around it and sat down to take a breather.

 Kai sat in a quiet cafe sipping on a bittersweet mocha frappuccino with one shot espresso. She took in the moment, fellow patrons scattered the shop with assorted beverages or books in hand, the smell of coffee and freshly baked pastries filled the air while a soft jazz played as background music. Despite the relaxing environment Kai could feel a hum of excitement growing and pondered if it could be from her plans for the day or the half-empty caffeinated beverage that sat in front of her. Content with her visit Kai left the cafe and it’s peace to the busy streets of the first floor. The sudden change in volume and brightness gave Kai a little shock but she pushed onward into the crowds of other players, nothing was going to stop her from reaching her destination. 
 The Quest board stood up on the center of the square for all to see. Kai could feel the anxiety growing as she closed the gap between herself and the crowd gathering around the public post. Kai put all her focus on looking for the quest suggested to her by her players' handbook.

@Hestia

~We gon' party like . . . Wow, fantastic baby ... Dance!~ The dip in the creek put Kai in a sour mood, so in an attempt to lift her spirits she began singing songs from her favorite playlist. She wasn’t confident in her vocal skills but that didn’t stop her from having fun. ~Click-clack botta bing, botta boom... bottle full o' Henny... Jennie~ Resighting the familiar lyrics accomplished more than just brightening up Kai’s mood. It also helped fill the silence of the forest. For Kai, being alone is nice as a way to recharge but she can't take being left with only her thoughts for too long. She blames this on her large family and being raised with such chaotic siblings. Still singing as she goes Kai made an effort to stop every few meters to look for anything that might be of use. 

ID:94716   LD: 7(Nothing)

 The cold water splashed Kai in the face. “Gah!" And for the second time, Kai was on her rear. She sat there for a little too long trying to process what had happened. Her pants absorbed the water, soaking from her legs up to her back. The front was dry, thank god, but as she stood she could already feel the weight of the soaked clothing pull down on her. “Gross.” Standing up caused Kai to cringe from the soggy feeling of her pants against her legs. With a huff, she opened her menu once more to her equipped outfit. Before pressing the unequip button Kai looked around the see if anyone happened to be near. Satisfied she removed her starter clothes and quickly re-equipped them. Dressed and dry Kai started to climb out of the small incline when she happened to lay her eyes on something in the creek's bed. It looked to be like a rock but different from the rest. In the water, it didn't look to be anything special but in her hand, the surface was smooth and in the center was a small ornate design carved into it. Curious how such a pretty stone wound up in a creek Kai looked for a description. The stone in question had no description but her menu informed her that it could be used as a mat. Pleased with her find Kai put the stone into her inventory and continued out of the creek.  

ID:94649   LD:20 (Materials found!)

Loots: 

1 Material 

Thinking about her family made Kai’s heart heavy with guilt so she pushed the feelings into a small box in the back of her mind. Trying to distract herself from the sad thoughts Kai looked around desperately for any promising plants or flowers. When neither was in sight she became strongly interested in what she planned to do once out of the forest. ‘I think I heard that this floor has some pretty villages.’ When she had approached the portal to the eighth floor Kai caught bits and pieces of conversations. Some about simple visits and others about epic hunting trips through the forest. Ignoring the dangers of possible mob spawns Kai focused on the simple. ‘And where there are villages. There are shops and restaurants!’ Before Kai got herself too excited she opened up her inventory to check how much col she had and was pleasantly surprised that she hadn’t spent a single bit of her starter col. Just as she was about to close her inventory Kai felt a slippery surface under her foot. In an attempt to catch herself she threw her hands forward only managing to close the menu before falling into the creek she had been following.

ID:94522  LD:10(Nothing)

“Ouuuuuuuch” A stinging pain pulsed from her lower back to her tailbone causing Kai to wince as she stood up. With a quick glance at her health bar, Kai could tell she had lost a few points due to the fall. Deciding it wasn’t a significant amount she let it be and strolled back to the creek. “Could have been worse,” Kai recalled the time she had fractured her left leg, the pain was the worst she had ever experienced. During her recovery, Kai spent most her time playing video games with Ryuji. ‘Without him, I would've gone mad’ Her family was there to help but they tried too much and irritated her. ‘Love them to death but sometimes... ‘ Before her thought could be completed she spotted a delightful array of colors. Before she could get a closer look the colors seemed to flap away in a pretty cloud. The butterflies flew deeper into the foliage and out of sight. Guilt tugged at Kai's chest and she immediately felt bad for thinking of her family negatively when she so clearly missed them and their insanity.

ID:94457   LD: 9(Nothing)

Kai took a deep breath. 'No need to panic, I just need to use my head' She closed her eyes hoping to be close enough to hear the creek. After a minute with nothing she gave up and looked for a different method.  “Guess I’ll have to climb up” Kai found a tree with short enough branches to reach and hoisted herself up. From the new perspective, Kai noticed a large and beautiful lake. The view was so pretty it lifted her spirits “I’m going to make it out of here alive. I’ll see them all again and give them my best apology.” Taking her eyes away from the pretty sight she was able to spot the creek just a few meters away. Kai took advantage of the high ground and looked for more flowers. With no such luck, Kai took note of the direction she needed to go and half hazard swung down the branches. The drop was a little more than she anticipated and landed roughly on her rear end. 

ID: 94103 LD:8(Nothing)

As Kai continued her search she let her mind wander back to Ryuji. Even after a several month absence, they were able to pick right back up from where their friendship had left off. However, Kai could sense a little more was there 'was Ryuji being nicer to me so that I wouldn’t leave again?' This thought brought tears to her eyes. “And then I go and leave again. He’s really going to hate me now!” Due to a lack of vision, she was brought to a stop and she let her feelings pour out. Echoes of her wailing bounced from the trees and were then returned with the sounds of mobs that were closer than she liked. Not wanting to get into a fight Kai rubbed the tears from her eyes then quickened her pace. Once Kai felt safe she slowed back down and with a quick review of her surroundings, she had managed to separate herself from the creek. Kai let out an exhausted sigh "And not a flower in sight."

ID: 94101 LD: 5(Nothing)

The reunion was a little awkward at first but Ryuji let her in to try and calm her down. His response was serious and to the point “I haven't been avoiding you. I've been working a second job to help pay for college.” Shame washed over her and a flood of apologies came after. As a means to make up for her blunder, she’d made it her goal to buy the hottest game on the market. It took lots of convincing to her parents to let her stay home during the holidays so she could work up enough money and connections to get a single copy of SAO only to get herself locked inside. 
 Just as Kai was about to dismiss a patch of grass she caught a glimpse of color and made her way to the clearing. With closer inspection, she could tell the plant had to be something useful. Or Dangerous. In a squatting position, Kai looked the flower petals over. They gave off an icy blue color that just tempted Kai to pick it. Without any more thought, she plucked the stem close to the roots as possible and dropped it into her inventory and went on her way back to the creek. 

ID: 93938 LD: 18(Materials Found)

Loots:

 1 Material
 

  Kai let out a yawn, she had gotten up early for her venture today and forgot how she wasn't much of a morning person. For school, Ryuji would get her up with just enough time to throw on clothes and run to class. Kai would always bark at him for not waking her up earlier for breakfast but he'd turn around with "If you want time to eat you should wake yourself up" this response made her grumpy but she’d shut up because of how right he was.

  ‘He was right’ Kai thought as she made her way over a fallen tree. She continued following a creek and kept an eye out for promising looking plants. The thought only brought up more memories of her best friend. After they had graduated Ryuji became distant, afraid she'd done something wrong to anger him Kai tried to give him his space. It took Kai several months before she broke down in tears in front of him asking for forgiveness for whatever she did.

ID: 93936  LD: 7(Nothing)

  The sounds of a near-by creek trickled while surrounding birds called out to each other, Kai felt at ease in the 8th floor's forest as she continued her stroll for ingredients. She pondered how such a pretty setting could be a part of a mad man's world bent on killing innocent players, then decided such dark thoughts could be best saved for later when she spotted a patch of plants surrounding a massive tree trunk. As she plucked the leafs off the stems fond memories came to mind of her childhood friend and the times they'd spent at the neighborhood park. A drop of water fell on her hand causing her to realize she'd been crying. "Damn" Kai rubbed the tears away and went back to work. She disliked crying when she didn't have to and especially when she was busy, satisfied with the number of herbs gathered she continues down a path. "Ryuji, would you please not pop up into my thoughts for no good reason? I'm trying to work here and get back to you and everyone else as fast as I can!"  Echoes of her voice bounce through the trees and Kai let out a sigh. She missed her family and friends but Ryuji most of all. Using the ache in her heart, Kai pushed forward

ID: 93913  LD: 9(Nothing)