Andromeda

A genuine festival! An's excitement was akin to that of a child in a toy store. Ever since the absolute scam that was the Halloween event, she had been wondering if SAO had some... actual festivals that did not turn into monster-slaying fiascoes at the end. As soon as she received the PM from Randal -- yeah, so that guy's name was Randal; apparently, they added each other right after the something something Breaking Boulders quest and she just plain forgot -- she immediately flew into a rush: teleporting back to the safe zone, ducking into a building and changing out of her combat attire into a set of much more casual clothes, and running right up the teleporter.

"Teleport: Taft."

Her surroundings blended into each other and for a moment, she felt as if she was floating (she probably was) -- and then she came to right in the middle of the event. Oooooh!! An's crimson eyes glimmered with excitement at the sights. Stalls set up by players and NPCs alike, smiles on everyone's faces, and most importantly: dozens of things to try! What to visit first, she wondered?

She ended up at a game stand, with the NPC handing her the discs. It explained the mechanics to her as she regarded the cute snowmen figures she was supposed to hit... simple enough.

An took aim for the farthest target.

That reward looked nice... it was go big or go home!

--Then she totally chickened and aimed for the third target instead. The right choice, surprisingly. An's first disc hit her target... barely, and she aimed for the same snowman with growing confidence. 

Miss.

She aimed and tossed the disc again.

Miss.

Nooooo!

Despite her careless stance, she really did want the armor. And then the support song. And then... now the best she could get was some kind of lame Demonic consumable. With a dejected sigh, she tossed her last disc at Target 2.

Time to cheer herself up with the best part of the event.

An eyed the hot cocoa stand (they were all free? and with buffs??) and she took one for herself, smiling at the warmth that greeted her gloved hands. Looking up, she recognized @Randal approaching the booth and she waved at him, grinning. "Hey, thanks for the invite!" she greeted. Then she turned her head and nodded to the fresh set of hot cocoa the NPC was putting out for display. "Take one, it's free. So how have you been since the uhh- the breaking the boulder thing? Punched any more rocks lately?"

IDENTIFICATIONS

Name: Armor of Doomed Fire [#131543]
Your Profession: Merchant
Your Rank: 2
Roll ID: 132314 | 132315
Roll Result: 9 | 9
Item Type: Heavy Armor
Tier: 1
Quality: Rare
Enhancements: [x2] Heavy Momentum
Description: Black armor with red accents. It surprisingly doesn't offer much in terms of protection, but it emits a certain warmth that guides the user's hands into landing a successful blow.
Post Link: http://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/18519-f1-r2-merchant-pandoras-wares/?do=findComment&comment=591276

Name: Breastplate of Hellish Honor [#131550]
Your Profession: Merchant
Your Rank: 2
Roll ID: 132316 | 132317
Roll Result: 9 | 2
Item Type: Heavy Armor
Tier: 1
Quality: Rare
Enhancements: Taunt | Regen
Description: The breastplate is made from layers of metal, mimicking dragon scales. Offers no real protection against the taunting passive it provides but hey, who wouldn't turn down some regen?
Post Link: http://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/18519-f1-r2-merchant-pandoras-wares/?do=findComment&comment=591276

Name: Primal Iron Armor [#131551]
Your Profession: Merchant
Your Rank: 2
Roll ID: 132318 | 132319
Roll Result: 8 | 6
Item Type: Heavy Armor
Tier: 1
Quality: Rare
Enhancements: Taunt | Recovery
Description: A plated coat with the skin of a monster on the inside. Pheromones from the fur make opponents more aggressive, while also healing the player.
Post Link: http://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/18519-f1-r2-merchant-pandoras-wares/?do=findComment&comment=591276

Name: Wicked Skeletal Broadsword [#131572]
Your Profession: Merchant
Your Rank: 2
Roll ID: 132320 | 132321
Roll Result: 15 | 19
Item Type: 2H Straight Sword
Tier: 1
Quality: Rare
Enhancements: [x2] Damage
Description: A greatsword made of bone. Where did it come from? The amateur merchant doesn't want to find out. The only important thing is, it cuts really well!
Post Link: http://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/18519-f1-r2-merchant-pandoras-wares/?do=findComment&comment=591276

Name: Bone Armor of Condemned Damnation [#131570]
Your Profession: Merchant
Your Rank: 2
Roll ID: 132350 | 132351 | 132352
Roll Result: 3 | 9 | 12
Item Type: Heavy Armor
Tier: 1
Quality: Perfect 
Enhancements: Regen | Mitigation | Taunt
Description: Mobs don't like the look of this armor. Maybe it has something to do with its overly edgy name or the fact that it's made of their kin's bones. Yeowch. 
Post Link: http://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/18519-f1-r2-merchant-pandoras-wares/?do=findComment&comment=591346

Name: Vest of Haunted Memories [#131574]
Your Profession: Merchant
Your Rank: 2
Roll ID: 132353 | 132354 | 132355
Roll Result: 10 | 20 | 2
Item Type: Heavy Armor
Tier: 1
Quality: Perfect 
Enhancements: Heavy Momentum | Mitigation | Regen
Description: Heavy armor that has a somewhat ghostly feel to it. While it still provides protection, it's lighter than the usual and sometimes the user feels as if they are being guided into landing a blow.
Post Link: http://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/18519-f1-r2-merchant-pandoras-wares/?do=findComment&comment=591346

JUNK SALE, pt. 1

Equipment
ID: 131293 | Crafting | CD: 8 (7,+1) | Tier 1 Uncommon Crafted Trinket |  >>
ID: 131297 | Crafting | CD: 9 (8, +1) | Tier 1 Uncommon Crafted Trinket |  >>
ID: 131343 | Crafting | CD: 8 (7, +1) | Tier 1 Uncommon Crafted Trinket |  >>
ID: 131344 | Crafting | CD: 9 (8, +1) | Tier 1 Uncommon Crafted Trinket |  >>
ID: 131557 | Crafting | CD: 8 (7, +1) | Tier 1 Uncommon Crafted Trinket |  >>
- -
ID: 131558 | Crafting | CD: 8 (7, +1) | Tier 1 Uncommon Crafted Trinket |  >>
ID: 131669 | Crafting | CD: 6 (5, +1) | Tier 1 Uncommon Crafted Trinket |  >>
ID: 131670 | Crafting | CD: 9 (8, +1) | Tier 1 Uncommon Crafted Trinket |  >>
ID: 131671 | Crafting | CD: 6 (5, +1) | Tier 1 Uncommon Crafted Trinket |  >>
ID: 131675 | Crafting | CD: 8 (7, +1) | Tier 1 Uncommon Crafted Trinket |  >>
- -
ID: 131889 | Crafting | CD: 9 (8, +1) | Tier 1 Uncommon Crafted Trinket |  >>

ID: 131295 | Crafting | CD: 10 (9, +1) | Tier 1 Rare Crafted Trinket |  >>
ID: 131342 | Crafting | CD: 10 (9, +1) | Tier 1 Rare Crafted Trinket |  >>
ID: 131561 | Crafting | CD: 10 (9, +1) | Tier 1 Rare Crafted Trinket |  >>
ID: 131674 | Crafting | CD: 11 (10, +1) | Tier 1 Rare Crafted Trinket |  >>
ID: 131891 | Crafting | CD: 11 (10, +1) | Tier 1 Rare Crafted Trinket |  >>

ID: 131542 | Combat | LD: 12 | CD: 1 | Tier 1 Rare Unidentified Trinket |  >>
ID: 131552 | Combat | LD: 7 | CD: 12 | Tier 1 Rare Unidentified Trinket |  >>
ID: 131705 | Combat | LD: 10 | CD: 7 | Tier 1 Rare Unidentified Trinket |  >>
ID: 131720 | Combat | LD: 8 | CD: 11 | Tier 1 Rare Unidentified Trinket |  >>

ID: 131570 | Combat | LD: 20 | CD: 8 | Tier 1 Perfect Unidentified Trinket |  >>
ID: 131574 | Combat | LD: 19 | CD: 7 | Tier 1 Perfect Unidentified Trinket |  >>

Consumables
ID: 131571 | Combat | LD: 8 | CD: 3 | Tier 1 Uncommon Unidentified Consumable |  >>
ID: 131543 | Combat | LD: 16 | CD: 8 | Tier 1 Rare Unidentified Consumable |  >>
ID: 131551 | Combat | LD: 18 | CD: 5 | Tier 1 Rare Unidentified Consumable |  >>
ID: 131572 | Combat | LD: 18 | CD: 1 | Tier 1 Rare Unidentified Consumable |  >>

Total: [(100 * 11) + (200 * 9) + (2 * 400)] + [50 + (100 * 3)] = 4,050 Col

JUNK SALE pt. 2

>> T1 Rare 2H Assault Spear
>> T1 Uncommon 2H Assault Spear
>> T1 Uncommon 2H Assault Spear
>> Tier One Uncommon Dagger <<Poisoned Dagger>> [Paralyze]
>> Tier One Uncommon Katana <<Simple Katana>> [Damage]
>> Tier One Rare 1H Straight Sword <<Bandit's Sword>> [Damage // Damage]
>> Tier One Rare Katana <<Deadly Katana>> [Damage // Damage]
>> Tier One Rare Katana <<Reflective Katana>> [Accuracy // Accuracy]
>> Tier One Rare Two Handed Assault Spear <<Iron Spear>> [Damage // Damage]
>> Tier One Rare Two Handed Assault Spear <<Steal Spear>> [Damage // Damage]
>> Tier One Rare Two Handed Assault Spear <<Obsidian Spear>> [Damage // Damage]
>> Tier One Rare Two Handed Assault Spear <<Naginata>> [Damage // Damage]
>> Tier One Uncommon Heavy Armor <<Polished Chestplate>> [Mitigation]
>> Tier One Uncommon Light Armor <<Black Leather Coat>> [Evasion]
>> Tier One Uncommon Heavy Armor <<Black Cloaked Plate>> [Mitigation]
>> Tier One Uncommon Ring <<Fine Ring>> [Accuracy]
>> Tier One Uncommon Two Handed Assault Spear
>> Tier One Rare Two Handed Assault Spear

Total: (100 * 9) + (200 * 9) = 2,700 Col

...An let all of those items go unsold last night. But don't blame her! She fell asleep on her counter just as her last identification finished and then jolted awake in the morning with a horrible sense of dread.

She had told them both to return tonight!

The amateur merchant made her breakfast quick; she grabbed some cup noodles from her stock and finished it in seconds. Her daily adventures could wait, she was practically in the game equivalent of her finals-week panic mode! An cleared the mess from her counter, dumped the items for junk sale on the floor (they were getting destroyed anyway), and picked up the two last sets of armor for evaluation.

***

An could hardly believe it. She finished... and right on time for opening hours! With a sigh of relief, she counted her Col as she walked and dragged herself over to the front of her shop to flip the sign to 'OPEN.' She would greet the two customers with her usual practiced smile as they went in and received their respective requests.

"Thank you and please come again!"

"Hello!" An's greeting held more cheer as she recognized the girl who just walked in. She was the one who came by for junk selling just a few days ago-- did that mean An just earned herself a loyal customer? "How may I help you?"

Said girl proceeded to lay out sets of armor and a weapon on the table. For identification. Then she went and lugged in a sack. No... two sacks!

"U--Uhm." But no, showing any rudeness was definitely not good for business! An looked at the stuff, then at the girl with the best smile she could muster. "I'll get this done quick, no worries!"

Then the second customer went in. Oh, she recognized this one, too! She gave him her usual greeting with a bright smile.

...Said customer was also lugging a sack with him.

The amateur merchant was sweating. How was she supposed to get all of this done? She politely told the man to come back tomorrow night as it would take a while to junk sale all of his stuff then closed up shop early for the night when he exited and was too far off to notice. 

No. More. Orders.

She could almost hear Billy yelling at her.

An looked down at the stuff now cluttering her counter and cracked her knuckles with a huff. She wouldn't let any of these items go unsold tonight!

"Ah," An's eyes sort of glazed over. "So you are a bit bored."

That was... fine, she guessed? She was just as bored. But the difference was, she was the one who had to take and turn in this boring gathering quest and he was just tagging along to protect her. She eyed him again. Though she had intended the exact opposite, An wasn't exactly subtle about it. "Ehehehe. A ton of quests? That's funny. Wouldn't they have leveled up by now?"

Guild member. So he had a guild. That might explain the friendliness. Only the most sociable and/or skilled people got accepted into guilds, right? 

An wasn't the most interested in guilds. She felt as if the commitment would just tie her down... unless she found a full-fledged adventuring guild that she could somehow get into. So she didn't ask, but that was also because she finally spotted a bright yellow smudge in her vision.

A material!

"Be right back!"

She scurried off as if it was going to disappear if she arrived a second too late. I mean, who could blame her? She hadn't had many successes the past few times. Dipping down, she gently freed the roots of the herbs from the soil, dismissed them to her inventory, and checked her quest tracker with a satisfied smile. One left. An returned to Dustin, grinning brightly. "Yeah, I can't say anything to contest that. Lots of interesting things can be found in the safe zones, but I can only keep to the same old places for so long before I get sick of it, you know? What I've been doing in the safe zones now, what I've been finding out... I want to do the exact same outside!" 

The silver-haired player took a few steps forward and tossed a glance over her shoulder, red eyes glimmering with excitement.

"How is that floor the worst? I mean, the way you described it, sounds like a pretty rare sight."

Name: Angel Ring [#121306]
Your Profession: Merchant
Your Rank: 1
Roll ID: 131536 | 131537
Roll Result: 16 | 9
Item Type: Trinket
Tier: 1
Quality: Rare
Enhancements: Accuracy | Recovery
Description: A golden ring. 
Post Link: http://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/18519-f1-r1-merchant-pandoras-wares/?do=findComment&amp;comment=590118

-----

Name: Triumph Ring [#122887]
Your Profession: Merchant
Your Rank: 1
Roll ID: 131538 | 131539
Roll Result: 20 | 4
Item Type: Trinket
Tier: 1
Quality: Rare
Enhancements: Accuracy | Keen
Description: Another golden ring. The merchant clearly does not know how to describe rings.
Post Link: http://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/18519-f1-r1-merchant-pandoras-wares/?do=findComment&amp;comment=590118

"Welcome! How may I -- h-hello there, senpai!"

Oh no. That sounded weird. That totally sounded weird, didn't it? She picked up that nickname when the smaller girl helped her during the Halloween event, but didn't that sound too familiar now that they were just merchant and customer? An turned beet red. She hardly even considered that Arabelle would pay a visit; she hadn't told the girl just yet and she - really, really - would have preferred if Arabelle came by when her shop was in a better state.

Eeeeeee--

Fortunately (unfortunately?), her unexpected customer didn't stay for too long. She left before An could embarrass herself any more.

The amateur merchant looked down at the trinkets she left on the counter with sudden determination.

I'm definitely going to get a unique enhancement!

...tl;dr An did not get a unique enhancement.

An peeled herself from the pole with a sniff.

Why does this ALWAYS happen? Stupid Harriette.

Then someone slid off the roof and plopped to the ground near her, leaving them with a scene that looked as if it was taken out of a comedy that relied on the most ridiculous of exagerrations: one guy defeated by the snow and the pull of gravity, another by... a stationary pole, while the two at the center of the chain of events looked on in disbelief. An's sniffling turned into a peal of high-pitched, somewhat broken laughter.

If this were the start of an epic, here be the moment where our main team of heroes - dubbed Aincrad's Unluckiest - happens to meet.

"Uwaaa... are you okay?" An pulled herself up but bent down to check on the other fallen player. White hair, red clothes - hey, they kind of had the same taste! "Guess it wouldn't have been long before my bad luck finally spilled out the brim. Ahahaha..."

Name: Fortune's Wool Drape [#128776]
Your Profession: Merchant
Your Rank: 1
Roll ID: 131433 | 131434
Roll Result: 12 (unique) | 16
Item Type: Light Armor
Tier: 1
Quality: Rare
Enhancements: Envenom (Defensive) | Loot Die
Description: A dark green wool cloak said to be blessed by Fortune herself. And hey, it's totally legit! Enemies who come your way with strong attacks find themselves afflicted with poison and it's easier to locate items. With a cloak. Somehow.
Post Link: http://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/18519-f1-r1-merchant-pandoras-wares/?do=findComment&amp;comment=589513

Suffice to say, An was actually pretty confident in her abilities this time around. One quick message to Leah to ask for some info right after she accepted the quest, and she received some numbers along with an instruction to compare it to her stats. Simple enough, and she had done so quickly - only to startle as another message interrupted: a stern reminder to stop messaging her during working hours on weekdays. 

...and she remembered that Leah had told her that a few times already.

She had slumped on her chair, dejected, and fully anticipating some sort of scolding from the guild leader when they met up again. Why was she even friends with a scary lady like her?

Quote

From: Leah

But I do appreciate that you came to me for info before taking it on. Keep it up

An smiled dazedly at the remembrance. Was it just her, or had Leah's tone been softer than usual...? It kind of felt like she was getting a pat on her head from one of her favorite teachers!

"RARRRR!!"

The silver-haired player glared down at the mob and flicked her rapier.

"Oh, shut up! I swear I'm paying attention!"

Lovely morning. Bright skies and chirping birds. An was in a sunny mood today and so it followed that everything she saw looked bright and happy. The fountain at the center of the plaza with a couple seated at its edge, the light sheen of snow that covered the roofs of houses and establishments, the NPCs hanging Christmas decorations... oh, it's almost Christmas! 

"Big sis!!" The little NPC she frequented - no, not Billy - dropped the pack of tape it was holding in its hands to wave at her, much to its older brother's chagrin. The older glared at her, but probably due to the festive mood, it lacked its usual intensity. "I can't play today, I'm helping. Wanna help?"

"Maybe later," she responded with a friendly wave of her own.

She left the pair of NPCs behind and continued down the streets. An didn't have anything particular in mind today - she just wanted to walk and appreciate the pretty sights and the lovely mood that was going on--

And it happened.

Blonde Girl and Boy in Pink Hoodie turned a corner and crashed into each other. Off to the side, An held back a laugh and walked straight into a pole.

Classic.

"A braver death!" An commended. She sheathed her rapier and smiled triumphantly at her first victory. Then she tilted her head at the remaining data fragments. "But why did you run in the first place...?"

Now you're probably wondering how she ended up here, slaying plant creatures that were much weaker than her and probably didn't do anything to warrant the abuse - aside from the mere fact of them existing as mobs. Short answer: An was on a quest. Long answer: An overheard a group of players laughing and recounting their amazing adventures while she was sampling a drink at a tavern and she got jealous. Enter the next day, and she woke up fully determined to secure a few more levels under her belt so she could have fun like that too. A quick trip to the next village after being tipped off about a certain quest in the notice board, and she was immediately approached by the very distressed local alchemist. Apparently, one of their villagers was down with a fatal disease that could only be cured by a Nepent's Ovule and they were looking for any able-bodied adventurer to secure the item from a Nepent Variant in exchange for some gold.

An could only wonder, somewhat morbidly, what would happen if nobody ever took that quest again. Does that mean that the villager would die? Would they remain sick forever? Or did they only get sick because a player who had not yet taken the quest came within the town's vicinity? Or maybe there was no sick villager at all; and the alchemist was just programmed to believe there was.

She should have asked to see the sick person.

While she was lost in thought, the scattered data fragments from the deceased Nepents reappeared and softly clumped together into a formless blob. It grew large wooden roots for its legs, vines for its arms, and its head split open to reveal a mouth lined with human teeth.

"Grrrarrrr!"

...An walked right past its attack. And then she raised her head and finally took notice of the quest mob.

"Oh, sorry! Let's get this started!"

Maybe what everyone else meant when they said this quest wasn't hard by any means was that it wasn't deadly, unless you were the ultra noob who went out and tried to aggro a boar when you were at level freaking one. That was definitely not An. She would never do that. But she digressed. Returning to the subject of the difficulty of the quest... An was literally in the middle of the forest. And no matter how brightly her eyes flared with her reactivation of <<Detection>>, she couldn't find one freaking herb among all the brush.

"Hm...? Oh! That would be nice," she said, almost distractedly. She followed after the friendly player as they cut through the brush and she ducked beneath a low-hanging branch. Chancing a glance back at where they came from, she confirmed that Ms. Aris really did not choose to go along with them. Her crimson eyes rested on the back of the boy leading her. "Um, not to sound rude, but... wouldn't you have been better off going with Ms. Aris? She's your teacher and well, I guess I'm just a lost newbie. Ahahaha..."

Yeah, this must be completely boring for him.

An wasn't the most accustomed to working with people, even moreso being just helped by them, so if he looked back at this moment, it was obvious in her red eyes that it was a sincere question.

"I think this entire world is an adventure in itself!" They left the brush behind and An dusted off her clothes with a bright smile. So this was it? It didn't look too special but maybe... "I've been exploring the safe zones all the while. You know, just trying to catch every detail, every area or event that might normally be overlooked... do you know how many things players usually miss? I'll claim that it's hundreds! For example, did you know that if you played all the pianos in the only music shop of Floor 13, a hidden compartment would open? Things like that. There's more than you might think!"

They actually broke down a boulder! An cheered, not just for the guy who landed the last hit in one freakishly strong punch, but also for their team effort. They all had their own contributions after all, and she was pretty proud of her own! It was maybe the first time she truly felt like a part of a group with her own weight to pull and not just being endlessly dragged behind by the stronger players in her team. Sorry, Ara and Mish. Her time with them was lovely, but the teamwork in this group was a different thing entirely.

"I'll just keep taking quests! Or maybe I'll go down to Floor 1 and try to farm some Col from a <<Garden>>..." the silver-haired player happily listed off the possibilities as they drew away from the broken rock. "Or what if I just keep exploring...? There might be something else to find... hey, want me to stick with you guys until you reach the safe zone?"

Probably, they would agree.

But it was only later, when she was lounging behind the counter in her shop, did she realize...

An didn't even ask for their names.

***

@Randal

• 3 SP
• 150 Col
• <<Martial Arts>>

@Skeleton

• 3 SP
• 150 Col

Andromeda

• 3 SP
• 100 Col

An punched the rock. It's super effective!

Though punching too hard twice was sending tremors up her arm and even though SAO wasn't supposed to have any pain, she thought she was starting to feel it from all the exertion. Ow. An pulled back and rubbed her other hand along the length of her forearm. Surprisingly, they were making progress much faster than she expected - what were all those horror stories about other players staying here, punching away at a rock for an entire day? fake news! - and <<the boulder>> was very nearly dead.

"Down at Floor 1! I was able to rent an old place right at the middle of the trade district; it's smaller and it's completely made of wood compared to the other buildings, so it shouldn't be that hard to find," she answered. He was asking about where her place was now, so on top of her offer, that meant she was really on the way to securing a dedicated customer! "It sure does take a lot of time. There's the daily identifications, and then the actual managing of things. I think it took me... two weeks tops to set up the shop and even then, it still needs lots of work." -- An thought of the piles of items she had somehow accumulated in the process and laughed sheepishly to herself -- "But it's still a fledgling shop that only opens at night, so I haven't gotten many customers yet."

Short explanation: she didn't want to be stuck at her shop waiting for customers all day. That was boring as heck.

"Together? Yeah, maybe." Now they were starting to make plans? This unusual meeting really did lead to a friendly bunch. "I'm not too interested in looking for my own familiar yet, but I can come along with yours."

Another day (night), another set of identifications! Well... it was honestly just one. Somehow, amidst all of this mess she made, An only had one piece of unidentified equipment. Then what were the rest of these scattered items for?!

Don't. Question. It.

So when a customer swung by and she piped up with her usual greeting, An kind of hoped he had at least one unidentified piece with him. She felt it was a waste, finishing a day with only one of her daily identifications used. He had one, a few, and the silver-haired girl lit up. 

For junk sale.

So did the next girl.

Oh, right. That was a function. An didn't look too disappointed though, if anything, she just felt a bit awkward as she took their items and effectively dissolved them for Col while they watched. Less work, but still loads of shop EXP earned. This was nice, too. "All done," she would say as she sent the Col over to them via trade windows... after triple-checking her computations for the division of Col. "Thank you and please come again!"

Returning to the piece of light armor, her jaw dropped at the notification that presented itself to her.

"If leaving it for a while was all it took, then I'll definitely do it again!"

And then she identified the next slot and got [Loot Die].

Ew.

JUNK SALE

Equipment
[100 Col] Quest Reward | Tier 1 Uncommon Dragon Bone Cuirass | >> 
[200 Col] ID: 126950 | Tier 1 Rare Unidentified Trinket | >>
[200 Col] ID: 126756 | Tier 1 Rare Unidentified Trinket | >>
[200 Col] ID: 126757 | Tier 1 Rare Unidentified Trinket | >>
[200 Col] ID: 128564 | Tier 1 Rare Unidentified Trinket | >>

Consumables
[50 Col] ID: 129456 | Tier 1 Uncommon Unidentified Consumable | >>
[200 Col] ID: 128564 | Tier 1 Perfect Unidentified Consumable | >>
[200 Col] ID: 126950 | Tier 1 Perfect Unidentified Consumable | >>

Total to be received: 1,350 Col

And the unlucky Nepent disintegrated at the touch of her darkened blade. An glared down at the remaining data fragments and swished her weapon in the air with a certain finality. "Now you know better than to run from me, fiend. What a shame! Charging at me outright would have warranted for a more valiant and less painful death. And now for the one that chose to throw you to the wolves! Would they have any less mettle than you, I wonder?"

She was getting wayyy too into this.

And for the record, she was not actually that type of person. She giggled into her hand and checked to see if she was still alone. 

Just a regular teenage girl coming out to play. Nothing to see here. True to her word though, she spun around and chased after the other Nepent. Thankfully, its little plant vines slash feet things didn't make it the fastest creature and she was able to overtake it in no time. Prepping her shield, she skidded to a stop in front of the retreating plant mob and grinned.

"I won't let you escape~!"

Fight. Or flight. The remaining mob chose the former and its vines clashed against her auburn shield with a hiss.

Flat price... as in, plain identification costs? An thought there was some reason to that. On one hand, agreeing to the deal meant he was practically guaranteed to keep coming back to her shop and she needed only to identify his stuff to rake in the EXP. It was an easy way to get better ranks, and then better ranks naturally attracted more customers who would actually pay her, and she'd be swimming in good profits in the long run. On the other hand, that meant she wouldn't ever profit from him. He could walk right in with a fifty item identification and of course, her daily identifications were limited and it would be unfair to prioritize paying customers over him and then the queue would fill up and then...

Ew, business stuff. An had no idea where her mind was going, so she just decided to think of something randomly and say it with the most confidence she could muster. "Sure, but I still need the profit to support my other activities. So, how about you get to pay just the identification costs with none of my added service costs for the first fifty? And when you've used all fifty up..." She tilted her head, self-editing her next words in her mind. "As a sign of gratitude for all the EXP, you'll get to pay the flat price for general stock. Only once you've used up your fifty free identifications though. Sound good?"

Yeah, that seemed safe.

Anyways, now there was food. An's eyes practically sparkled at the curry with potatoes - it wasn't a traditional food in her place and free food was always a nice treat! But, as the other two took turns with the rock, she remembered they needed to get this done first.

An swung her fist at the rock with renewed determination. Crack! The gap widened by a significant margin but the silver-haired player hadn't even stayed back to look at the result of her attack.

"Thanks for the meal!" She gladly accepted the curry and took out a fork. Then the boy spoke up -- something something familiar quest something -- and An had at least the basic knowledge to answer his question. "Um, you get approached by a gypsy lady in some random floor. Or you find her yourself. Then she gives you treats and you then try to find a familiar to tame them with."

JUNK SALE

Weapons
>> Tier One Rare <<Unidentified>> Weapon [200 Col]

Trinkets
>> Tier One Rare <<Unidentified>> Trinket [200 Col]

Armor
>> Tier One Rare <<Unidentified>> Light Armor [200 Col]
>> Tier One Rare <<Unidentified>> Light Armor [200 Col]

Total to be received: 800 Col

"How merchants ranked up?" An echoed as she thought. "Identifications give the most EXP and the fun part is, it's consistent! I receive the same amount, no matter the quality of the item I'm identifying. Other than that, there's also selling general stock or junk sales. But the most important part of it is identifying. If the merchant is at a high enough level," she recited with a confident smile, "They've got better chances at getting unique enhancements and they can sell better general stock. It's a mutually beneficial relationship!"

While she was doing yet another plug, the two punched away at <<THE BOULDER>>. Or maybe she should stop thinking of it in all caps cause oh wow, this thing was actually breakable. It wasn't your real-world boulder, that's for sure. 

"I get that, kind of," she replied to the boy who used to be a student like her.

An aimed at the crack and landed another punch that sent a tingling sensation up her arm.

And that was that. With the incident now behind them, An believed in him pretty easy and gave the brown-haired boy a thumbs-up. ...which felt kind of awkward cause she didn't say anything in return, but luckily enough, he gave he the chance to! "Sightseeing!" the girl exclaimed as her red eyes shone with excitement. "This place is one of the tallest mountains on Floor 2 and I finally managed to climb all the way up, so I would feel bad if I didn't even try to get the best view. Mountains are best for that sort of things, you know? Ah! You should try looking down at the floor from a better vantage point; it's a good experience on its own."

He would do it alone though. An had steeled her resolve: No. More. Climbing. Trees. 

"Hm." Nutrition... a boring but necessary job, everyone needed to stay healthy, especially people who had special conditions that meant they needed to be put on diets. That aside, he gave a helpful template for her to follow. "I used to be a high school student. ...Man, I feel kind of bad saying 'used to' but well, there aren't any schools in here. When we all wake up, I'll be so behind~." Yeah. For a nerd like An, that was a terrible thought. Even now, she'd forgotten most of the advanced science lessons she used to love. "Right now though, I'm a merchant. Just opened up shop, so I'd appreciate it if you guys dropped by Pandora's Wares in Floor 1 for your general needs!"

Shameless plugging. An was starting to take after the little NPC who had taught her the basics.

Back to work. The silver-haired player glared at the rock - as if glaring could somehow buy her more power. That was a thing in anime though? She breathed in, pulled her arm back, and smashed her fist into its solid surface with as much force as she could muster!

"Come on now, come right at me, you cowards!"

An had no idea how dumb she looked. No one tell her. She had her shield and trinket - opting for a set of comfortable red-and-brown casual clothes instead of the raggedy armor she looted from a dead goblin, I mean, could you blame her? - and she grinned in excitement. Her silver ponytail swung in the air as she made threatening motions with her rapier. The thrill of combat! The freezing aura that radiated from her auburn-tinted shield in anticipation! This was the moment she received those weapons for! She hopped excitedly from foot to foot as she faced down...

--A rather confused-looking pair of Nepents who were just out doing Nepent things when a player ran up and started yelling at them. They were suspicious of the blobs of black fire bobbing out of her black-hilted rapier, too.

"Ehhh, isnt this the part where you attack...?"

She waved her malevolent rapier around again. The poor things were now practically shaking in their boots - if they even had any. The smarter one of the two skedaddled away with its vines moving in a frenzy.

"No, waiiiit!! You're supposed to come at me!"

An stomped her foot in annoyance. She glared down at the remaining Nepent with all the wrath teenage girls possessed when they looked down at their source of embarrassment. And teenage girls had a lot.

"Accel... Stab!"

"I'msorryI'msorryI'msosorry!!"

Why does this always happen? If she wasn't insisting on joining a team only to end up being completely useless, or running into a treasure cave that turned out to be guarded by more goblins than expected, getting caught by other players as she stalked watched them from a distance, or persuading some random stranger to jump straight into a hole with her... 

"Oh, you're... wel--." It took her a few moments to process his tone. And that she was still on top of the poor guy who just came here to help someone beat up a rock. "Ugh. Yeah, yeah. Hold on."

An pried herself off of him and sat upright on the ground. "My fault," she repeated, her face still burning with embarrassment. A huge part of her just wanted to chicken out and run back to the safe zone as fast as she could but... they would definitely remember that one time a girl with silver hair literally fell from a tree. She was going to make a better impression!

And she started by accepting the party request and waving the brown-haired boy's hand away. She stood up by herself and dusted off her clothes, feigning a calmer composure.

"Let's just forget that happened, okay? Please!" An clapped her hands together with an embarrassed smile. "I'm An. What do you want to know?"

All three went and stood in front of <<THE BOULDER>>.

...she really thought of that in all caps. Because holy crap, how were they supposed to break this thing down with their fists? She had heard of martial arts masters doing the thing where they broke cement blocks, but... by quest description, everyone who took this quest was just a beginner... and this was a big, round rock.

An poked the rock. It did not deal any damage.

No, heck, Harriette, what were you even expecting?!

An startled.

"Oh, hey! Wazzup?"

And then she turned a bright red at the words that automatically flew from her mouth. What the heck was that overly-casual greeting? And to a stranger?? An felt like banging her head against the job board, right then and there. Harriette, you dummy, it didn't fit your voice at all! You stupid, socially-inept-- And from there, her thoughts were equivalent to a keyboard smash. But she had autocorrect on. And it was limited to spitting out every single self-insult she knew.

She took a proper look at the equally -- no, much less -- flustered woman who had approached her out of the blue, and she at least still had enough brain capacity to process what she was saying. Quest... help...

Oh, a noob!

"Yeahhh, sure." Being preoccupied with her thoughts made her sound a bit disinterested, but she quickly psyched herself up and nodded vigorously. "I-I mean, I really want to! I was kind of looking for one. A, uhhh, a party member, I mean." She seriously needed to slow down or she was just going to embarrass herself more. She took a deep breath, puffed her cheeks out, and exhaled. Then she gave the woman her best attempt at a calm, friendly smile. "I'm An. That's fine, I was a noob just a few months ago. So, I totally get you. Party request."

At her voice command, the pop-up window appeared in front of Noob. 

...she was not going to call her that forever, it just kind of stuck, okay?

"Let's go. I'm okay with combat, so I think we can go right ahead with just the two of us. We can talk as we walk."

But really, she felt as if she couldn't handle more than one completely unfamiliar teammate at a time. An nodded to the street that led back to the main road and they went off on their way.