Iron_Lion

Ignorant of her thoughts on peanut butter and jelly, Akio continued walking happily by her side as they continued to look for his familiar. As she described the different foods which each came from the insides of some form of animal, his face became more wrinkled with each example, until his face was all scrunched up. "...Nature is gross." He said at last. "I'm never eating honey or eggs again." This wasn't the truth obviously, he loved eggs and loved sweets. It was just his way of expressing how disgusting that sounded when the truth was brought forward like that. "But... Yeah, I guess it isn't real is it? I guess that makes it, better."

While Mari was accurate in that there were moments where he seemed more mature, this was not actually the case. He did everything he could to focus and follow his mother's creed with all of his strength, but even in those moments he was easily distracted. At best he put on a brave face and claimed he was a man. He was really more scared than usual in those moments. There was nothing mature about him. He simply taught himself to shove all his emotions down when he was in danger and follow every lesson his combat tutors and his mother had taught him to follow.

Not that he'd ever admit to this of course.

Akio grunted as Mari pulled him out of the snow. "...I mean I guess... But, we're in a video game now too right? Where physics and stuff are different? Wouldn't that mean that we could do stuff like that too? Things we can't do in the real world?" He fell silent as he thought about this, hoping that it was true. Though those thoughts were interrupted when Mari suggested they go check out the place he spotted something. His bright smile coming back he nodded. "Yeah! Le-oof!" In his excitement he tripped over a root buried in the snow.

When they reached the area he thought he saw it, no matter how much they looked around, not a single hawk was to be seen. "Awww... I thought I saw one..."

ID# 188259  LD: 4+5=9  No familiar found... Gotta wait another 15 posts to try again.

@Mari

[Iron_Lion] [Lv. 10]
[DMG:_06//EVA:_03]
HP:  [                    ] (250/250)
EN:  [                    ] (20/20)
XP:  [                    ] (0/3)

[BUFFS: +4 LD, +1 LD (finding familiar only), +1 CD (taming familiar only)]
[Objective: Locate Familiar 0/1]

Current Level: 10
Current SP: 24
Link to SP Tracking: [Link]
Item Upgrades: No Items to Upgrade

Akio growled at the monster. This stupid thing was being annoying. It couldn't hurt them, so it should just give up it's rare drop already! They didn't have time to do this over and over again! "I don't care about it's stupid accuracy!" Akio said, a bit of his frustration seeping through. "I just want to find them quickly. Kill them quickly. And get the stupid drop! Should they all have this thing if it's part of their body? Why didn't the last one drop it?!" Akio took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he took his stance again. He didn't have time to get angry. "Fear keeps you alive. Love pushes you forward. Anger makes you stronger, but reckless. Be cautious not to be consumed by it." He watched as the monster made it's way over to Spencer and tried to get his timing right. Adjusting his footing, unsheathing his dagger and holding it in his hand. He took a deep breath. Activated the sword arts without moving. And charged. He aimed not for it's weak spot, just in case that's what lost him the ovule last time, but close to it. With a fearsome thrusting slash, he landed a solid hit and killed the Nepent Variant. After the strike, he spun his dagger in his hand before sheathing it and heard the shattering of it's body. He closed his eyes and crossed his fingers.

.......Bing!........

He opened his eyes, and was delighted to see that he'd finally received the Variant's Ovule drop, and had received the final objective of returning it to the quest givers in the town. He shook with excitement before jumping up into the air both fists pumping upward. "Alriiiiight! Finally!" He turned to Spencer and pulled out the Ovule with a big grin on his face. "That's mine down! And according to our agreement, it's a partnership. So I won't head back until we find you yours. But at least we know it's not that bad. Now we just need to find you a-" He heard something rushing towards them and turned just in time to roll out of the way as another nepent rush at them. This one was a weak one however, so Akio just threw his dagger at the creature, having activated a weak sword art, and took it out. "...Can we just go now before we get stuck in another battle?..."

[ID# 186715] [BD: 8+3=11=Hit] [6*4-5=19 DMG] [Target: Nepent Variant]
[ID# --------] [MD: ?-?=?=miss] [Target: Spencer]
[ID# 186716] [LD: 14] [+1 Ovule -> Iron_Lion]

-----------------------------------------------

[Nepent Variant] [0/15] [5 MIT] [10 DMG]
[ignores armor mitigation on a natural roll of 10]

[Spencer] [Lv. 27]
[DMG:_4//MIT:_74//THR:_2//REC:_1//REG:_1]
HP:  [                    ] (540/540)
EN:  [                    ] (44/54)

[Iron_Lion] [Lv. 10]
[DMG:_06//EVA:_03//ACC:_03]
HP:  [                    ] (250/250)
EN:  [                    ] (14/20) -4+1
XP:  [                    ] (0/3)

-----------------------------------------------

[Nepents Ovule { Iron_Lion} : 1/1] [Objective Complete!]
          [New Objective: Return Ovule to Town: 0/1]
[Nepent's Ovule { Spencer }: 0/1]

Tag: @Spencer

"Ooooh, so kind of like partners then. Like peanut butter and jelly!" He loved the way his mother made pb and j. She used a tool that cut the crust off and compressed it into a curved circle sandwich. As she continued and explained how some people put too much focus on their weapon skill, blushing a bit when she wiped some of the snow off of his head, he recognized the wisdom in it. While he definitely needed to max it out, he also needed to practice survival skills like hide. If he recalled there was also a mod that hid your username from others when in a party, while also preventing players from tracking you down. If he could get that mod, then he could be safe for a while. On the flip side, he needed more damage to survive longer against stronger mobs. He'd need to strike a balance between the two skills if he wanted to survive properly. Nodding he said: "I'll take you're advice to heart Mari. Thanks for the help~"

Upon hearing that the strange pumpkin someone got as a familiar could release pumpkin spice coffee his face crinkled up. He didn't like coffee to start with, but.. "Eeewww, someone actually drank a pumkin's vomit? That's disgusting."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Akio fell forward onto the snow. "...eeephhh." He said through the snow in answer to her question. 'Well, more accurately I'm bored.. But..' He rolled onto his back and wiped the snow off of his face and looked up... Or, forward? What would you call that direction if he was lying on his back? "Huh? Oh. Well... That's good right? I mean... Birds like forests... Right?" What she said next though made his eyes widen. "Reconnaissance, that's what all good assassins do, right? Survey their surroundings?" 'What a good assassin would do?' Akio curled up and kicked himself to his feet, almost losing his balance in the process. "R-right! I can do that! Just watch, I got this!" Akio ran up over to one of the more taller trees. 'Ok ok. I don't have climbing gear... But, it's a tree. I can use my dagger where there isn't a branch close enough. Wait, somewhere to jump down safely.... Oh there's a big pile of snow there! Perfect!' Akio drew his hidden blade and unhooked the dagger, before he began to climb.

The climb took a bit longer than he expected. He would have fallen if he hadn't thrust his dagger in between each branch he climbed to, just as a safety function. "I-I'm ok! I got this!" Eventually he'd reach the top and pant a bit as he scanned the area. Despite being tired, he was really excited. He felt like he was in assassins creed. Although this wasn't as tall as they'd normally be when synchronizing in the game, it was way, way tall enough for him. "...I don't see anything... Wait, WAIT! I think I might see something over there! I can't tell if it's a hawk or not, but I-aaaaAAAAAAAH!!" He leaned too far forward and fell towards the snow pile, arms flailing.... It didn't last as long as he'd thought and he fell into it with an 'oof' Akio crawled out of the snow bank and flopped on his back again. "That looks SO much easier in the game. How do they do it?"

ID# 185030  LD: 4  No MAT found

[Post Count: 13]

[Iron_Lion] [Lv. 10]
[DMG:_06//EVA:_03]
HP:  [                    ] (250/250)
EN:  [                    ] (20/20)
XP:  [                    ] (0/3)

[BUFFS: +4 LD, +1 LD (finding familiar only), +1 CD (taming familiar only)]

[Familiar Found: 0/1]

@Mari

The cheerful boy stopped skipping through the snow when she started talking to him about how to handle his skills. His mom always told him that he should have fun as a child, but when something serious came up to think seriously about it. "Tandem? Is that like, tantrum? Woah!" He almost tripped in the snow as he tried to hurry and keep up with Mari. He wasn't used to walking through snow all of the time, so not only were his feet being dragged through it, but sometimes the snow was thick enough to threaten tripping him. "Wait, what's wrong with maxing out your weapon skill? I thought that's what everyone suggested?" He watched her intently, listening carefully to every word she said. He looked down when she finished and thought about it carefully. 'I guess she's right. I may have been able to get better at hiding from guards, but there's always that fifty fifty chance they spot me instantly anyway. And players seem to know exactly where I am at all times. What's worse, they're starting to take notice of me. I can't let that happen. Maybe it would be good to get one or two levels in hide first, and then finish training up in dagger...' "Yeah.. That makes sense. Alright. I'll get one or two ranks in hide, and then keep ranking up my dagger skill. There are different quests that provide easy fights, so that shouldn't be too hard right?" He finished with a big smile.

"Wait really? That's cool!" He exclaimed when she told him her hair was naturally orange. When she told him that she'd dyed her hair cotton candy pink once upon a time, he couldn't help but chuckle, though he tried to keep it down. When she cut herself off however, he tilted his head with a confused look. After she 'corrected' herself it clicked. 'Ooooh that's right. Cursing is bad in public.' It wasn't in his mom's creed, so it wasn't something he thought of very much. And it didn't help when he rarely went out in public anyways, and his mom cursing more often than most. In any case, he smiled at her comment. "Yeah! I mean. I've gotta blend in when I can, but it's cool that you can be your own person, be unique and stand out like that!" He pumped his fists into the air. "People who aren't afraid of being different are great!"

Upon hearing about a pumpkin being involved with familiars, Akio's jaw dropped. "You can get a pumpkin as a familiar? Wait how does that work? Is it like a flying jack-o-lantern or something?" Even still, he was glad to know that his familiar could change color schemes to blend in with it's environment. That meant great news for him. His excitement and smile however, died down a little when he saw her reaction to his question. He even recognized the 'fake smile' his mom would wear sometimes. It happened after she'd gotten some counseling and stopped talking about the horrors she'd seen in wartime around him. He opened his mouth to ask what was wrong but held back. 'If someone is hurting, it's probably not the best time to ask them about it. If you want to help them, only talk to them about it when they're ready for it.' He closed his mouth and tried to put on a happy smile again. 'I can't... Not yet. When we're better friends...'  When she suggested a walk around the lake he pumped his fists into the air again. "Yeah lets do i-OOF!" In his excitement, he jumped in the middle of a snow pile and tripped into the snow.

One hour later.

"Awwww, we didn't see anything..." Akio whined as he dragged his feet through the snow. He really hoped this would be a lot faster than it appeared to be. He did however, expect it to be like this. Despite this, he kept searching the entire area, though he wasn't seeing anything.

ID# 184843  LD: 12  -  No Material Found

[Iron_Lion] [Lv. 10]
[DMG:_06//EVA:_03]
HP:  [                    ] (250/250)
EN:  [                    ] (20/20)
XP:  [                    ] (0/3)

[BUFFS: +4 LD, +1 LD (finding familiar only), +1 CD (taming familiar only)]

[Familiar Found: 0/1]

[Post Count: 11]

@Mari

"I mean... Yeah, defense is nice and all... But I'd rather not be hit at all. Plus, having heavy metal armor isn't the way I wanna go." He said before looking down at his armor, and then proceeded to stretch his arms in different directions. "I prefer armor that I can actually move around in myself." With their conversation and their fight having ended, Akio gave a firm nod with an excited gleam in his eyes. "Yeah! That stupid variant is gonna give me it's ovule one way or another!" And with that the two went off on their adventure yet again. And of course, as before, Akio was brimming with child-like energy. As they walked through the forest, Spencer went on about how part of being a DPS was timing and how he didn't have the hang of that. Akio hummed in thought. "Mmmmmmm... I don't think you'd have a problem like that in this world. I mean. Against players, yeah definitely. But I found that the system helps players get the timing right against monsters. I mean, how else would non-experienced players be able to... Well... Play?" 'Of course, I don't exactly have the right to say any of that. Given that my mother trained me to defend myself.'

It didn't take long for them to run into the nepent variant. As they approached it, Akio took a stance. "If I can't kill it in one hit, you draw it's hit, k?" Akio was determined to take this sucker down and get that ovule this time. With that, he pushed off of the small mound of dirt he'd made when he took his stance, pulled out his hidden dagger and attacked. While his timing was perfect, he had forgotten to take one variable into account. "D-the dumb thing dodged it?!" The variant stepped to the side, narrowly avoiding Akio's hit, who barely managed to catch himself and avoid falling flat on the ground. Luckily the creature wanted to attack Spencer instead of him, and rushed over with it's vine like feet. However, it's sense of timing was bad, as it made it's attack before it even reached Spencer.

[ID# 184841] [BD: 1+3=4=Miss] [Target: Nepent Variant]
[ID# 184842] [MD: 5-0=5=miss] [Target: Spencer]

-----------------------------------------------

[Nepent Variant] [15/15] [5 MIT] [10 DMG]
[ignores armor mitigation on a natural roll of 10]

[Spencer] [Lv. 27]
[DMG:_4//MIT:_74//THR:_2//REC:_1//REG:_1]
HP:  [                    ] (540/540)
EN:  [                    ] (44/54)

[Iron_Lion] [Lv. 10]
[DMG:_06//EVA:_03//ACC:_03]
HP:  [                    ] (250/250)
EN:  [                    ] (17/20)
XP:  [                    ] (0/3)

-----------------------------------------------

[Nepents Ovule { Iron_Lion} : 0/1]
[Nepent's Ovule { Spencer }: 0/1]

Tag: @Spencer

-----------------------------------------------

[POST COUNT: 27]

"Hate huh? That's what draws attention of the monsters right?" Tanks distract the opponent due to focusing on defensive capabilities and strong armor to protect themselves. Specifically heavy armor and shields, though there are some others. 'I didn't read up on any of the enhancements other than DPS ones... But.' 'Akio's eyes narrowed in deep thought. 'Always read up on the latest equipment to know what you're up against.' His fist tightened in self-scolding for such an obvious mistake. 'If I ever have to fight a tank, it would benefit me to do research on the subject...' With that said, or thought rather, he was already making up for it by studying this player. While he couldn't see the player's status menu due to them being separate players and not in a party, he couldn't know for certain, but glancing at Spencer's health bar, he was willing to bet there were additional hate points that generated after the howl skill. If Akio built up hate points against the nepents that exceeded those, then he'd be attacked instead... But then Spencer would just howl again and the whole thing would repeat.

"Huh? Oh I'm trying to train enough to become an as-" catching himself before he gave himself away, Akio coughed to try and cover what he just said off. "a DPS. Sounds more fun don't you think?" Akio crossed his fingers in hopes that Spencer didn't catch that. Wanting to get this over with and move on from this quest, Akio took his stance and charged forward. He almost tripped and fell as he stepped on a loose stone, forgetting for a moment about his environment: the forest, which had loose objects everywhere, but the system's accuracy mechanics adjusted his footing which enabled him to strike all the way through, shattering the nepent. Though he did stumble forward a few feet trying to regain his balance. "Woah.. I'm ok!"

-----------------------------------------------

[ID# 184494] [BD: 3+3=6=Hit] [6*2=12 DMG] [Target: Nepent 8]
[ID# 184495] [MD: 3-0=3=miss] [Target: Spencer]

-----------------------------------------------

[Nepent 8] [0/7][3 DMG][No Drop]

[Spencer] [Lv. 27]
[H8: 5]
[DMG:_4//MIT:_74//THR:_2//REC:_1//REG:_1]
HP:  [                    ] (540/540)
EN:  [                    ] (43/54)

[Iron_Lion] [Lv. 10]
[H8: 0]
[DMG:_06//EVA:_03//ACC:_03]
HP:  [                    ] (250/250)
EN:  [                    ] (16/20)
XP:  [                    ] (0/3)

-----------------------------------------------

[Nepents Slain { Iron_Lion} : 1/2]
[Nepent's Ovule { Spencer }: 0/1]

-----------------------------------------------

[POST COUNT: 25]

Well. Looks like they weren't going to be getting much of a break now. They had only just killed the variant and now more nepents were coming after them. Did that mean that killing one drew the others towards them? He'd have to remember this so that he could write it down. Even still... "Yeah well keep your eye out! I think the variants draw more towards them. Not sure if it's when they die or an ability when they're alive, but it's no coincidence these guys are here immediately after killing the variant!" He took his stance and drew his hidden dagger before charging forward to take on one of the nepents. The creature didn't even have time to register Spencer's howl before the kid made his move, taking his blade and thrusting it where the varient's rare drop was, and just as he suspected he landed a critical hit. The creature screamed and Akio pumped his fist into the air. When he turned to boast about his kill his excitement altered as he saw two nepents shatter upon biting him. "Woooaaah! So that's what thorns can do! That's amazing! You just have to yell at them and they kill themselves!"

[OOC_Note: Each <Nepent Variant> can appear after 2 nepent kills. Thus both Iron_Lion & Spencer alike have their own. By killing four more nepents, both players may fight up to three variants before they are forced to summon another pair of nepents.]

-----------------------------------------------

[ID# 184026] [BD: 10+3=13=Hyper_Critical_Hit] [6+2*2=16 DMG] [Target: Nepent 5]
[ID# 184027] [MD: 1-0=1=miss] [Target: Spencer]
[ID# 184028] [MD: 7-0=7=hit] [3-74=1 DMG] [-18 HP [Thorns]] [Target: Spencer]
[ID# 184029] [MD: 7-0=7=hit] [3-74=1 DMG] [-18 HP [Thorns]] [Target: Spencer]
[ID# 184030] [MD: 3-0=3=miss] [Target: Spencer]

-----------------------------------------------

[Nepent 5] [0/7][3 DMG][No Drop][Spencer: H3]
[Nepent 6] [0/7][3 DMG][No Drop][Spencer: H3]

[Nepent 7] [0/7][3 DMG][No Drop][Spencer: H3]
[Nepent 8] [7/7][3 DMG][No Drop][Spencer: H3]

[Spencer] [Lv. 27]
[H5: 5] [H6: 5] [H7: 5] [H8: 5]
[DMG:_4//MIT:_74//THR:_2//REC:_1//REG:_1]
HP:  [                    ] (540/540)
EN:  [                    ] (44/54)

[Iron_Lion] [Lv. 10]
[H5: 0] [H6: 0] [H7: 0] [H8: 0]
[DMG:_06//EVA:_03]
HP:  [                    ] (250/250)
EN:  [                    ] (20/20)
XP:  [                    ] (0/3)

-----------------------------------------------

[Nepents Slain { Iron_Lion} : 1/2]
[Nepent's Ovule { @Spencer }: 0/1]

"Oh, I heard about the dragons." He said, his eyes sparkling beneath the hood. "I know they're supposed to be dangerous, but damn am I excited to meet one!" After saying that however, his thoughts lead to another mob he mentioned, and his body relaxed in disappointment. "That giant bat I already saw though. One of the beginning quests. He wasn't much fun to fight." When he gave the signal to head off Akio kicked off the rock and landed on his feet. The journey through the forest was rather boring. Neither of them really knew what to talk about, and he was constantly on guard in case the other player tried anything.

And then they found the variant. Well.. All that worrying for such a short period of time.. "Eeeeww. Who designed this for a boss? Maybe it's looks are to make up for it's stats?" As he looked over the creature however, he noticed what he was guessing was his ovule. Akio wondered if that was his weak spot or something. Well, only one way to find out. Taking his stance, he waited until the monster set it's sights on Spencer. Once the creature swung it's vines out at the player, Akio charged forward. When he did, he slashed it's ovule which sat inside the creature twice, and stabbed it from behind as he passed before sheathing his hidden dagger again.

Akio grinned. "Hah. Piece, of..." The menu he was waiting for wasn't popping up. "...Damnit, we're going to have to fight more of these guys to get the drop, aren't we?"

[Nepent Variant] [15/15] [5 MIT] [10 DMG]
[ignores armor mitigation on a natural roll of 10]

[ID# 183444] [BD: 10+3=13=hyper critical hit] [6+2*4-5=27 DMG] [Target: Nepent Variant]
                            [MD: 5-0=5=miss] [Target: Spencer]
[ID# 183445] [LD: 6=No Drop]

-----------------------------------------------

[Spencer] [Lv. 27] [H: 5]
[DMG:_4//MIT:_74//THR:_2//REC:_1//REG:_1]
HP:  [                    ] (540/540)
EN:  [                    ] (46/54)

[Iron_Lion] [Lv. 10] [H: 0]
[DMG:_06//EVA:_03]
HP:  [                    ] (250/250)
EN:  [                    ] (20/20)
XP:  [                    ] (0/3)

-----------------------------------------------

[Nepent's Ovule { Iron_Lion }: 0/1]
[Nepent's Ovule { @Spencer }: 0/1]

Akio stared with a blank expression at the penguin as it started, then stopped chasing the butterfly. Almost as it started. "...Is he the, only thing that doesn't make that much sense in this world, or are there more like it?" As he listened to Spencer talk about the monsters, he smiled and paid close attention to him, his feet kicking back and forth as he sat. "Just with quests huh? That's odd. Maybe it's just them wanting to be consistent?" 'No matter how constant and unchanging something may seem, always expect a change in the pattern.' Right. No matter what he couldn't let his guard down. He would have to be vigilant at all- His thoughts were interrupted when he noticed Noot sitting on the stone right beside him. "...How, did... Um.. Never mind." Upon hearing the player explain that he would use the howl skill before they started the fight, Akio nodded. 'It would keep me safe, and also give me a chance to watch the howl skill in action. Jackpot.' "Yeah I'm cool with that. I don't need to kill the nepent, just get the Ovule, so that works out." Checking his energy and smiling he jumped to his feet. "Come on let's go!"

[Iron_Lion] [Lv. 10]
[DMG:_06//EVA:_03]
HP:  [                    ] (250/250)
EN:  [                    ] (20/20)
XP:  [                    ] (0/3)

-----------------------------------------------

[Nepent's Ovule { Iron_Lion }: 0/1]
[Nepent's Ovule { @Spencer }: 0/1]

"This is the first time I've ever attempted to disengage from a fight before, so it's news to me too. Hmm." Once again he pulled out his loremaster and jotted a few notes down real quick. 'It seems that even attempting to break away from the smallest of mobs isn't a guarantee. Maybe it's up to randomization? Or is it skill? Or both?' Once he'd finished he put his loremaster back into his inventory. He was very careful to keep Spencer from seeing what the contents of his loremaster were. Once he'd put it away though he blinked as he didn't see the penguin. He looked around until he saw the penguin standing behind a tiny tree. "Um... So what enhancements does your familiar have? Is it a combat familiar? A searching familiar?" To Spencer's question he sat down. "Nah, I've only got about two more sword arts in me. I'd like to charge up a little before we head to the..." He looked closer at the quest information. "Nepent variant- wait there are variants of mobs?" He almost pulled his loremaster out then and there.

[Iron_Lion] [Lv. 10]
[DMG:_06//EVA:_03]
HP:  [                    ] (250/250)
EN:  [                    ] (15/20)
XP:  [                    ] (0/3)

-----------------------------------------------

[Nepent's Ovule { Iron_Lion }: 0/1]
[Nepent's Ovule { @Spencer }: 0/1]

Now Akio looked at Spencer with curiosity rather than straight up confusion. "Wait, golf? What does 'four' have to do with golf?" He'd only glossed over golf in his reading as it didn't look like very much fun to him. He'd much rather read adventure filled stories. Ironically he could write a few of his own when they escaped this world for good. Upon hearing Spencer telling him to disengage and let the last nepent die via striking his armor, which Akio could only assume had the thorns enhancement on it, he nodded and began to turn and run towards the forest. As he turned to run however he saw from the corner of his eyes the monster winding up it's attack and leaped forward, ducking into a roll for boosted momentum, and to make a smaller target, before getting to his feet again. The thing was still on him though. "Or you could. You know. Just lice it like last time?"

[ID# 183177] [Result: Partial Success - Do not escape, but enemies unable to attack]

+1 EN

-----------------------------------------------

[Nepent 1] [7/7][3 DMG][No Drop]
[Nepent 2] [7/7][3 DMG][No Drop]

[Spencer] [Lv. 27]
[DMG:_4//MIT:_74//THR:_2//REC:_1//REG:_1]
HP:  [                    ] (540/540)
EN:  [                    ] (52/54)

[Iron_Lion] [Lv. 10]
[DMG:_06//EVA:_03]
HP:  [                    ] (250/250)
EN:  [                    ] (9/20)
XP:  [                    ] (0/3)

-----------------------------------------------

[Nepent's Ovule { Iron_Lion }: 0/1]
[Nepents Slain { @Spencer }: 1/2]

Akio had quickly turned on his heels easily, feeling the dirt beneath his feet give way slightly but not by much as he took another ready stance to slay the second nepent of his pair. That's when he saw Spencer smash it with his mace yelling "four!" which confused Akio, who didn't get the reference. He blinked for a second. "Four? What are you talking about?" However he focused once again as the second pair began to make it's way over to them. Akio took his ready stance, his eyes narrowing and the hidden blade drawing from his right gauntlet. Once his dagger glowed he ran forward, unhooking the blade to grip it in his hands. He ran past Spencer and aimed for the monster. He knew since he was small that he could use it to his advantage, so he slid at the last moment, avoiding it's vine attacks, and slashed the creature as he slid. He came to a stop underneath it, placed his blade back on it's slot, then stabbed it from underneath before watching it shatter. After that he rolled to the side to avoid the attack from the second nepent.

After evading the attack he rolled himself to his feet, his hidden dagger once again concealed within his gauntlet. "Man these guys sure are boring aren't they? They're even weaker than the tutorial mobs..."

[ID# 183093] [BD: 6+3=9=hit] [6*2-0=12 DMG] [Target: Nepent 1]
                            [MD: 5-3=2=miss] [Target: Iron_Lion]
[ID# 183094] [MD: 1-3=1=miss] [Target: Iron_Lion]

------------------------------------------------

[Nepent 1] [7/7][3 DMG][No Drop]
[Nepent 2] [7/7][3 DMG][No Drop]

[Spencer] [Lv. 27]
[DMG:_4//MIT:_74//THR:_2//REC:_1//REG:_1]
HP:  [                    ] (540/540)
EN:  [                    ] (51/54)

[Iron_Lion] [Lv. 10]
[DMG:_06//EVA:_03]
HP:  [                    ] (250/250)
EN:  [                    ] (8/20)
XP:  [                    ] (0/3)

-----------------------------------------------

[Nepents Slain { Iron_Lion }: 2/2] [Objective Complete!]
          [New Objective: Obtain Nepent's Ovule 0/1]
[Nepents Slain { @Spencer }: 1/2]

"Hey, we're in a video game. It doesn't matter how old, young or whatever you are, or in what shape you look. Everyone has the same stats because the game is fair. You at level one? You're stupidly weak. If you're level ninety, you're almost a god. That's how it works in video games." Akio crossed his arms annoyingly. "And I'm not that different..." With that they walked out of the house and began to walk through the town... Though they didn't get far when Akio remembered about his cursor. "D-dah, wait, we need to go this wa-" "Hey you!" A guard suddenly called out. Akio froze where he was. "Damnit! Uh, right. So um... Run?" With that Akio bolted down the street as fast as he could, though he would be, by default, slower than Spencer, he had become very good at dodging and avoiding guards while running out of the city. In the end, he got out of the town a lot easier than he usually did, primarily due to it's fewer number in guards and it's smaller size. Once out of the town he crouched over and panted as he caught his breath. "Right... Nepents... In forest... That way..."

About a half an hour later into the forest, they'd finally reached the zone where the nepents were actually able to spawn in. By this point Akio had looked up what a nepent even was in Sword Art Online, and had written some starting notes about them in his loremaster before putting it away. "Alright. So we're here now. I wonder how they spawn in. Like... Are they in sight all the time? Or do they pull a 'surprise attack' by looking like a normal plant first and then popping out the next seco-" He cut himself off as they walked around a cluster of trees and saw two pairs of two nepents, their massive plant heads rotating slowly looking for someone to attack. 'Well, guess that answers that.' Akio took the stance which enabled him to activate any sword art he wanted without making it's specified moves, then charged forward towards the right pair of nepents. As he neared them, he activated the rank one sword art "Round Accel". With two swift strikes, the monster shattered instantly and basic information on the monsters was transferred to his hud now that he'd beaten one. Seven health? No mitigation? These things were easy! "This quest... Is disappointing so far."

[ID# 183031] [BD: 8+3=11=hit] [6*2-0=12 DMG] [Target: Nepent 1]
                            [MD: 9-3=6=hit] [3+1=4]

[Nepents Slain { Iron_Lion }: 1/2]
[Nepents Slain { @Spencer }: 0/2]

[Nepent 1] [0/7][3 DMG][No Drop]
[Nepent 2] [7/7][3 DMG][No Drop]

[Iron_Lion] [Lv. 10]
[DMG:_06//EVA:_03]
HP:  [                    ] (250/250)
EN:  [                    ] (14/20)
XP:  [                    ] (0/3)

"You mean player killers? Yeah, I've been able to avoid them so far. But, it's not like I can rent a place in a safe zone or anything like that, so I just gotta be careful you know?" Akio was completely oblivious of how other players viewed him with his orange cursor, as he didn't see it as a mark of a player killer. Especially since he himself saw himself as a survivalist, and, hopefully, an assassin like his mother. Able to support himself and anyone he cared about. "And besides, if you put some tripwire by the entrance and string it to some bells, they can't catch you by surprise right? Besides, the night looks really pretty out in the woods. Not so much in the towns." When he heard where the player came from he paused. "Wait, so. You're not from Japan either? That's really weird. I thought most everyone would be from Japan, but you're the second person I met who wasn't. This is a Japanese server right?" 'Why in the world are so many people from other countries in here?'

Punching the 'accept' button angrily he turned and stormed out with a huff while still cuddling with Noot with his free arm. "Even if that's true he knew my age somehow and pissed me off!" After a few more steps down the stairs however he fell into his thoughts. 'Then again, those npcs from the beginning quests had some level of intelligence too. And that pker helper npc has some as well. Maybe quest givers are given a little bit of information to work with, however limited, while every other npc is just dumb as bricks. Did that mean other npcs would have far greater intelligence then?' Upon looking at the quest information he looked confused. "Two nepents each? Does that mean four in total or something?" He then opened his map and tracked their path towards the quest destination. "It's in Tall-Leaf Woods. That's where the large, man eating plants are right? I never fought those before. How do you think they'll attack?"

@Spencer

[New Objective: Defeat 2 Nepents Each]
[Nepents Slain {Iron_Lion}: 0/2]
[Nepents Slain {Spencer}: 0/2]

[Iron_Lion] [Lv. 10]
[DMG:_06//EVA:_03]
HP:  [                    ] (250/250)
EN:  [                    ] (20/20)
XP:  [                    ] (0/3)

With the permission of Spencer, Akio crouched down and gently picked up the penguin called noot, and held him against his chest. He leaned his head against Noot's head to hide his embarrassment. "Thank you." He said. When they turned to enter the building, and with Spencer looking the other way, Akio smiled like a kid in a candy store and nuzzled Noot, which he wanted to do the second he saw him. "Oh is that so? I mean... Yeah I can understand that. My first few nights in the forest were kinda scary, especially with monsters and all. But once I could buy tents and campfires, it wasn't all that bad. You know, when you can ignore the howling and all." 'Although I do want to get this work together stuff over with soon...' The two walked inside and found themselves in what appeared to be some sort of waiting room where a grown man and women were sitting on the sofa. Their faces were so covered in worry that Akio mistook them for elderly people. Above their heads was the quest giver marker. "I guess that's them right there." Walking over to the npcs he went ahead and started the conversation. "Hey, you guys need help or something?" The two turned to look at him. "Yes, we do. Many of our townsfolk are sick, and we can't make the medicine without the proper ingredient." The woman said. "And it's found within a terrifying creature that dwells deep within the forest!" The man added. "Not even our bravest warriors could handle it!" "Yes.. When you approached we were about to ask you to help us... But..." "You're only a child, and we couldn-" "Hey, shut up! I'm not a helpless kid I can help!" Akio yelled. He didn't like these two npcs and he doubted he ever would after this.

@Spencer

[Iron_Lion] [Lv. 10]
[DMG:_06//EVA:_03]
HP:  [                    ] (250/250)
EN:  [                    ] (20/20)
XP:  [                    ] (0/3)

Ok, so this guy was trying to be a tank/not-tank, wanted experience "helping" people around him, and wanted a companion that could talk. Ok, the third one he bought, but he wasn't entirely sure about the first two. Even with his green cursor, he could easily be part of some player killing group. Or maybe anytime he tried making a friend some player killing group that followed him everywhere got the jump on whoever he traveled with, making him cursed or something... No that was just stupid, he'd been playing too many games lately... Oh, right. 'If forced to work with someone, deceive them. Make them think you're weak and friendly, while observing their every move and word in secret'. He closed his eyes under his hood. 'I'll make you proud mom.' When he heard a 'noot noot' his eyes widened again and he stared at the penguin. After a moment of staring he tilted his head vertically. "...Um... Is that the sound penguins make?" He shifted his weight between both feet for a moment as he thought before finally making a decision... On what he'd say that is. "Well... Alright. But just for this quest and no more, ok? And can I, uh... Can I hold the penguin for a little? If you don't mind that is..." Upon hearing the player ask for his name he almost said Akio again, but used his made up name instead. "My name's Shiroe."

@Spencer

[Iron_Lion] [Lv. 10]
[DMG:_06//EVA:_03]
HP:  [                    ] (250/250)
EN:  [                    ] (20/20)
XP:  [                    ] (0/3)

Not even managing to take a single step into the building did someone speak to him. "Hello, are you going to be doing this quest?" Akio nearly cursed out loud but held his tongue and just turned his head enough to see the other player, trying to keep his face behind the hood as much as possible. Whoever this player was, he was clearly a strong one. He was wearing thick heavy armor, he had a war hammer hanging from his hip, a large shield hanging on his back, and... A, penguin? He couldn't help but open his mouth slightly in surprise to how cute the thing was... He almost smiled. Almost. In the end he half smiled at the penguin. 'Never judge by appearances. Everything and everyone is a threat until proven otherwise.' While that was true... It was just soooo cuuuuute~ At this point he turned completely to face the player, if only to keep looking at the cute penguin. 'I can't just go with this guy. I don't know him and he looks dangerous... But... I came all this way. I can't just abandon my plans now that I'm literally on the doorstep. What did mom's creed say again? 'Once you make a promise, always intend to keep it'. Well I promised myself I'd get stronger, and I can't do that unless I complete quests... If he gives me trouble, I can always teleport out of here I guess.' He stared at the penguin some more for mental comfort before finally saying something. "Why should I work with a complete stranger I don't even know? You could be trying to lure me into a trap for all I know."

@Spencer

[Iron_Lion] [Lv. 10]
[DMG:_06//EVA:_03]
HP:  [                    ] (250/250)
EN:  [                    ] (20/20)
XP:  [                    ] (0/3)

Earlier that day, Akio had been sneaking around the settlement known as "Town of Beginnings" when he heard about the particular quest which spawns a field boss in the forest. The quest supposedly started in the town called Horunka in a two story building. Thankfully Akio had learned about a few of the alleyways and streets which weren't monitored, or at least poorly monitored, by guards, allowing him to walk through them without being caught and thrown out like he almost was today. Now he was entering the town through a secret passage way around the side. He had mixed feelings about the town. It was far less dense and populated than the town of beginnings, which Akio would have named city or metropolis instead. And because of that it was a lot more roomier, and he felt it easier to breath. He felt more relaxed here... But also not, as the downside was less crowds to hide in. So he needed to play it carefully if he wanted to avoid the guards. Keeping his hood up, he noticed that there were people wearing different colors, but there were a lot of white clothed individuals as well, so he didn't need to change the color of his armor. Walking along the edges of the streets, he passed many markets and stalls, eyeing some of the hunting supplies that they had available here. He was honestly quite interested as he'd studied various types of weapons, but it wasn't time for that now. 'Don't get distracted by what you don't need.' He held his right arm in front of him but close to the chest, and triggered his hidden blade to emerge before retracting it again. Right. That was all he needed. Besides, he couldn't use bows or throwing daggers anyhow... It was so unfair that the npcs could use ranged weapons but not them...

Eventually he finally managed to make his way to the two story building, which he now assumed was the town hall or something, without getting caught by any guards... Somehow... He took a breath, then started walking up the stairs and opened the door.

@Spencer

[Iron_Lion] [Lv. 10]
[DMG:_06//EVA:_03]
HP:  [                    ] (250/250)
EN:  [                    ] (20/20)
XP:  [                    ] (0/3)

Seeing the smile on Mari's face when he showed off his armor made his smile all the more wider. "Yeah! I asked for it for that reason exactly! Now I can use it and my hide skill to camoflauge! Well, I mean. Once I get the hide skill that is. I'm just working on my weapon skill at the moment. But once that's done I can get the hide skill easy!... Unless you think I should stick to getting the hide skill first?" 'Man, I thought I had this whole thing planned out, but I guess if I'm second guessing it in front of Mari, I don't have that much faith in myself do I?' Akio shook those thoughts and feelings away. They weren't going to be helping him in any manner at the very least, so it was best not to ponder on them too much. Especially when there were more important things to do, like search for his familiar. When she told him how even if she had clothing that could change colors like his did, it wouldn't do her any good because of the color of her hair, Akio laughed. "Yeah, I don't think that would blend in anywhere! Did you make it orange by the way? Like, with a dye or something? Or is it a natural color?"

As she described other familiars she'd encountered he could only 'wow', 'woah' and 'ah' at the descriptions. Not verbally but with his expressions. He very much wished to see some familiars that were shadow like for certain. That sounded pretty cool. "There's a pumpkin familiar? Someone wanted a pumpkin as a familiar? That's weird... Though I don't think I could put a familiar in my inventory like that. I'd like it with me for company. Maybe I can make a potion which changes the color of my familiar! I don't know how complicated a potion like that would be, but it could work, right?" He'd already been experimenting with the cosmetic factor. Right now he could only find materials that generated a 'sparkling' or 'glowing' effect, and they weren't really that potent either. They were mild and mainly for fun. One day he wanted to try and see if he could make a potion that, when uncorked, shot a firework into the sky. That would be awesome.

Hearing her state that they should look for his pet now, he nodded with a smile. "Yeah!" He said and took out the song crystal. Activating it played the song 'Spring (The four seasons)', which was a beautiful melody. Akio was almost taken aback by how pretty it sounded. "It's really cool that we get to make all of these... Cool stuff. I wonder if it's possible to make songs that loop on crystals. Or maybe I could make a playlist! Ooh, a trinket that taps song crystals once the other is done! Oh, now THAT'S  a cool idea!" Absolutely giddy with excitement now, he pulled out his inspection lense and put them on. "Alright! Do you have any ideas where we should start looking?"

Song activated: +4 LD, +1 CD when searching for Familiar.

@Mari

[Iron_Lion] [Lv. 10]
[DMG:_06//EVA:_03]
HP:  [                    ] (250/250)
EN:  [                    ] (20/20)
XP:  [                    ] (0/3)

[BUFFS: +4 LD, +1 LD (finding familiar only), +1 CD (taming familiar only)]

"Snow Hawks? That sounds cool~" He wondered if they could change colors in the game or not... Probably not but if that were the case then any colored hawk would do. Then again, at some point he'll change his color to blend in, so he'll need his familiar to stay away from him eventually in order to hide from people chasing him. 'There is never a perfect plan. Always have multiple fallback plans to ensure you're prepared.' He always needed to be prepared... For any situation. When she mentioned how they'd match colors he chuckled at how close their thoughts were... Oh wait a minute. "Oh that's right! I forgot to show you. Watch this!" he said before he opened his menu and moved to his armor. He hit it's special function and grinned when he turned his armor's primary color from white to green. He beamed with pride at Mari. "I asked if they could do this and they totally could! This way I can do my best to blend in with any crowd if I need to! I don't think animals or monsters can chance colors in this game though, so I gotta be careful when sneaking around with one. But that's ok," he said as he changed the color back to white. "I can just come up with something later!"

When she asked if he was ready to get a pet, his eyes gleamed with excitement. "Yeah let's do it! Oh, wait." He looked at the cheeto stain he made on his jacket and gave a sheepish smile. "Uhh.. Is there a way to clean clothes fast? This might ruin my camouflage a little, heh heh..."

@Mari

[Iron_Lion] [Lv. 10]
[DMG:_06//EVA:_03]
HP:  [                    ] (250/250)
EN:  [                    ] (20/20)
XP:  [                    ] (0/3)

[BUFFS: +3 LD, +1 LD (finding familiar only), +1 CD (taming familiar only)]

OOC - Sooo sorry for the late reply x-x

Taking another bite of the sweet she gave him he nodded with a bit of excitement growing at the thought of getting his own familiar. "Mhhmm! I u'" He stopped as he swallowed. "Aha, sorry. I'd love to get a hawk or falcon! Aw it would be so cool to have it fly and grab something, bring it back to me! Or maybe deliver messages for me! Yeah that would be so cool!" He kicked his legs with a great wide smile as he continued. "The raptor was cool and all, but I don't think it would be something I'd have. It's just something that would be cool to see every now and then. OH! OH MY GOSH! DRAGONS! THEY'VE GOTTA BE REAL HERE TOO RIGHT? Oh that would be so AWESOME to see!" His eyes were so huge and sparkling as he fantasized what it would be like to see a massive wise dragon soaring through the sky.

Seeing her happiness at his success only made his smile grow. It felt like when his mother beamed with pride when he showed something off to her. That warmth he felt inside... It felt amazing. He missed it. And hearing her tell him to be proud. He was going to make lots more than just this salve. He was going to keep training until he could make the grandest of potions. He was going to make her so proud. Both of them, so proud. Though when she wiped some of the cheeto dust off of his cheek, it clicked what she was reacting to when she opened the door the first time. His cheeks flushed with embarrassment as he started to wipe it off with his sleeve... Then realizing what he just did, tried to rub the cheeto dust off of his sleeve. Eventually though he gave up and just returned his gaze to her, smiling again. "Thanks.. I'm really excited to make new things too. I got to rank two, but I need rank three to make potions. Maybe I can find more materials outside while we search for my familiar. I wonder what I should call him."

@Mari

His face lit up when Mari opened the door, practically oozing energy and excitement. "Hey Mari!" "Oh! You err..." His smile faltered for a moment as he looked for what she was talking about. His hands fidgeting and touching multiple pieces of his clothing as he looked for the cause of concern, accidentally getting the orange dust everywhere now. "Uhhh, what's up? Was there a spider or something?" There was a small incident he had at one point while learning the system. He saw a spider on his arm and freaked out, smacked it but didn't deplete it's health all the way. It looked venomous, bit him, he had a panic attack, then saw that his health was going down by one point per second and stopped freaking out. She then told him she got his message and gestured for him to come inside which he did. When she told him to warm up by the fire he ran over to the plush chairs and threw himself into it, tilting the chair back just a tiny bit before nearly vanishing in the cushions. "Aaaaaaaah, so waaaarm~" He said with a blissful smile as he took off his hood.

"Hmm.. I was thinking something like.. A bald eagle! Or like, a really cool looking hawk! Something like that. I saw this one guy with a velociraptor for a familiar, which was pretty cool but." He hesitated as he thought of how the guy just, disappeared like that. "I don't know, I guess I want something more simple? I played a lot of assassin's creed so maybe that's why I wanna go with a bird." When Mari gave him a sweet, his eyes nearly bulged out of his sockets and didn't hesitate to accept the generous offer. When she commented on his cheetos he stopped his mouth's advance on his treat and instead looked up at her with a slightly pouty face. "Hey, I worked really hard to get enough to buy that. It was a buff to help me find my familiar." 'Well less work and more steal, but semantics' His pout returned to excitement however as he pulled something from his inventory. "Oh, I also got this! It's a song crystal that helps lure them in! And I also made this!:" He said, his excitement reaching it's peak as he pulled out a salve of his own creation. "It's a pheromones salve! I made it using glow shroom powder. Mixed it in with a bone meal paste. Worked reeeeaaaally hard to make it!" After that he took a bite of the sweet and his eyes closed as he sank, almost melting into the chair. "Sooooo yummmyy~"

@Mari

[Lv. 10; HP 200; EN 20; R3 Dagger; 7 DMG; Hidden Blade {3 DMG}; Assassin's Armor {3 EVA}; Strange Sigil {3 ACC}, Inspection Lense {3 LD}; x1 TP Crystal, x1 Glowing Scented Salve, x1 Spring (The Four Seasons), x1 Super Lucky Fancy Asian Cheetos]
[BUFFS: +3 LD, +1 LD (finding familiar only), +1 CD (taming familiar only)]

Waking up in his alchemy tent, Akio stretched and rolled off of his sleeping mat with a grin as he leaped to his feet. "Right, today's the day.." He started putting everything in the tent back into his inventory. The potions, the station, the supplies and materials. And finally he walked outside and took the tent into his inventory too. His face beamed even more. "Today's the day, I get my familiar!" He had messaged Mari a few days back, asking her if she'd be ok with spending their weekend finding a familiar for him. She agreed so long as it wasn't on the ninth or fifth floors. And Akio, who'd traveled up to the eleventh floor by this point, understood why. The fifth floor was a desert, which was stupidly hot and nearly killed him getting to where he needed to go. And then ninth floor was a volcanic wasteland. And it made even more sense seeing as how Mari said she preferred the cold as opposed to the heat. Shaking his head though, he got himself back on track and on the right mindset. He made his way to the fourth floor with relative ease as opposed to the last few times. He wasn't worried about monsters anymore. He found out that he was already a lot stronger than most of the monsters on the lower floors now that he was level ten, especially with a rank three sword skill, so he hummed and walked without much worry or regards to the mobs around him.

Akio eventually made it to Mari's house and ran up to it, his hood and jacket keeping him warm from the cold. Although, he made sure to stretch his shirt and pant sleeves down further so that his legs and arms weren't exposed. It was also a nice feature when he tried to evade guards, tricking them by changing the length of his clothing in an instant, plus changing the jacket and clothes color really helped. He knocked on the front door, and while waiting went ahead and ate the asian cheetos. When he did his eyes widened and scarfed them down. "Wow, these are nothing like the cheetos back in Japan!"

@Mari

When he had lots of free time, he'd love to spend it mountain climbing. He'd never done that before and it sounded fun. But when he was in a rush? And trying to find some kind of consumable for finding a material? He'd rather NOT run across raised, lowered, steep and inclined terrain to get to his destination. Akio opened the door to the shop before falling face first panting. "...I didn't need exercise today... Why did I have to go through some exercising today?.." He looked up and saw that it was a traditional Japanese Noodle shop... Which caused his eyes to blink. 'Why would someone have a noodle shop in the middle of the mountains? Kind of a weird location.' He shook the thought away and stood up, heading to the counter after grabbing a bag of Cheetos. Japan had been making them, but one time he heard that they were way better in America. "I'd like to buy these please!" he said, making sure his hood concealed his face before placing the materials on the counter. With the payment there, he went ahead and turned around and walked out the door... And then drank two cantines of water before starting his journey again

@Cordelia

T1 | Super Lucky Fancy Asian Cheetos: +3 LD  paying 5 mat