Bahr

He had done it. Yet again, the power of the hole proved its immensity. He triumphantly held the material above his head for all to see. Except nobody was there. Yes, the fields of the first floor were indeed desolate after two years of play. Who was sad enough to spend any length of time there anymore? Well, besides Bahr, that is. He was simply a broken man who had wallowed in apathy for several years following the announcement. Even if it was pathetic, he had an excuse. 

It dawned on him that he still had plenty of time on his hands before he needed to head back to Zachariah. Perhaps now was time to take on some of those monsters he had been thinking about before. Luckily, there happened to be a boar nearby that fit the bill. 

While the creature was distracted, Bahr's sword began to glow. He bent his knees before thrusting his sword forward. Almost as though by magical influence, the sword seemed to carry him as he rocketed forward toward the boar. 

No hole here, but there was a material the search was going much smoother than he ever could have imagined. He only needed, what, one more material? Too easy. In fact, which how quickly everything was going, it wasn't a stretch to imagine farming some loot off a couple monsters before heading back in. 

There was still the matter of the final material, though. Looking around, Bahr couldn't see any obvious spots where a material might be hiding. The narrator could, though. The narrator saw all. It was right under Bahr's nose. 

Then he finally noticed it. There was indeed another hole nestled within the grassy patch he had just trimmed. The Bloodedge was filled with glee, and promptly dropped to his knees and shoved his arm into the hole. You know the drill, he searched around it tenderly like he did all the other holes. Could he get lucky again?

While Kit was busy gawking at the newcomer's creature, Bahr shot her an invite to the party. 

"Nice to meet you, Kirbs. I'm Bahr, and this is Kit. She's, uh, got squirrel syndrome," he mused, cracking a grin as he awaited retaliation. "Pretty simple, really. Just gonna go into the field and kills stuff. Shall we?"

It didn't take the party long to reach the exit and push on through into the fields. As usual, it was the most boring place in Aincrad. Bahr could remember his face lighting up the first time he saw it, completely enraptured by the splendor and immersion full dice technology allowed. Now he gaze upon the same fields with a bitter indifference. 

While lost in thought, Bahr almost hadn't noticed the plant monster that had materialized in front of them. 

"Hey, we lucked out. Looks like an easy one."

Bahr brandished his oversized sword, its blade beginning to glow as the signature Sword Art whistle rang through the air. He bent his knees before blasting off toward the hideous plant at a speed the likes of which he had difficulty adjusting to.

The Straight carried Bahr directly toward his target, and the blade sank deep into the creature's torso area. Or, at least, what Bahr assumed was it's torso. It was honestly difficult to tell. The attack hadn't been enough to defeat the creature, however, and after it let out a shriek it thwacked Bahr away. He managed to keep a grip on his sword, but was flung several feet away from the monster. 

Absolutely marvelous. Holes truly were the key. Wherever a hole lay, there was an 80% chance you would find something in it. Bahr had the power of RNG and anime on his side, and there was no reason to stop now. 

His eyes flickered excitedly about the environment, scanned for anything that even remotely resembled a hole. To his dismay, he couldn't find any. There was, however, a patch of tall grass no far off. Perhaps some clever creature had hidden something there. Or better yet, perhaps a hole was hidden in the grass. 

He meandered over to the patch poking through it with his sword. Becoming annoyed with the patch quickly, he swung his sword through the patch to cut it down, the clipping exploding into blue triangular pixels. With less grass in the way, he found it much easier to search around. 

No luck, it seemed. Perhaps he had been off track earlier when he assumed animals were stealing the materials. But if they weren't, where could he find some?

As he attempted to climb down, he lost his footing on one of the branches and fell face-first toward the ground. He rolled over and groaned loudly after impact, embarrassed and in pain. Luckily, it was Aincrad-style pain, though. Not real pain. If that had been a real tree and a real fall, he probably would have broken his neck right there. Instead, he just lost a couple HP. Not too bad. 

While laying on the ground, something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. It was another hole. But not just any hole, a hole in the trunk of the tree. If a squirrel was going to hide something anywhere, it had to be there, right? He stood up straight and looked into the hole for a moment before shoving his hand in there, feeling around for anything that resembled an item. 

Alas, his hole streak has come to a close. Within the hole he found nothing bet emptiness, and a longing for more. Probably for the best, as things had been starting to get weird. If he had continued, it was likely he would have picked up some sort of disease. Then he wouldn't be able to search other holes, lest he spread it the ailment. Yes, it was best that he stopped now. 

But he still had a quest to complete, didn't he? Perhaps he would find something within the branches of that tree over yonder. Yes, that's exactly what he would do. He traversed the field and arrived at the solitary tree, eyeing it from top to bottom. It looked tricky, but he was confident that he could handle it.

He grabbed a branch with both hands, placed a foot against the trunk, pulled himself up and promptly lost his grip, faceplanting into the bark. After a bit of grumbling, he tried again, this time successfully pulling himself up into the branches. Once in the tree, he started looking around for materials. Perhaps a squirrel had stashed some somewhere?

"Woah, no way."

Like clockwork, Bahr pulled up another T1 Material. It was interesting how easy things had become since he just started focusing on the holes. He had to be on to something here. This couldn't just be coincidence, right? Were holes the key to every secret in all of Aincrad?

He hurriedly pocketed the item and pranced along to his next target: another hole. He gazed upon the orifice with glee, imagining what spoils he might find there. T1 Materials. T1 Materials were the spoils he was imagining. I mean, what else was he expecting to dug out of a rabbit hole?

As with the previous holes, he just jumped in and shoved his arm right in there without a care in the world. This time, he felt something different. Just kidding, it was still just a hole in the dirt. He fingered the hole hoping for it to produce its loot. 

Once again, the rabbit hole trick had proven worthy. As he pulled his hand from the hole, out with it came a T1 Material, just like he had been hoping. What was with these rabbits and their hoarding habits? It was no wonder he couldn't find any materials anywhere else!

With the item pocketed, Bahr's eyes scanned the landscape once more. This time he was looking for these rabbit holes in particular, as they seemed to be offering him the most luck so far. After a few moments, he spotted one such hole and ran over to it. 

Without a second thought, he dove toward the ground and just shoved his arm right in there up to the shoulder. His fingers tickled the edges of the small tunnel, feeling around for anything that was distinctly not dirt. As he was doing this, his eyes met with that of a small rabbit, which tilted its head while looking at him. 

"Don't worry, I'll be out of your hare in no time."

He hadn't found anything so far, but that didn't discourage him. It was a nice day out, after all. Even if the scenery was familiar, repetitive and boring, the warm sunlight and light breeze were doing wonders for keeping his mood upbeat. Who could honestly be upset on a day like today? The only thing that could make it better was finding the materials he needed and completing this quest.

"Alright, Pantaloots, show me what you're made of," he whispered to his pants before continuing along. Some might think it was odd behavior, but Bahr honestly couldn't care less. Who wasn't a at least a little crazy after two years trapped in this hell?

Perhaps he was in like, because he spotted another rabbit hole similar to the one he had found materials in during his first quest. He shoved his arm into the orifice, feeling around for anything that remotely resembled an item. 

"Geez, could you get any more dramatic?" Bahr mused, staring down at the woman as she lay across the bench. She had appeared to be lost in thought, her eyebrows furrowed and expression scrunched into something more stressed and uncomfortable than usual. He held out his palm for her, an offer to help her up. "C'mon, Kit. Let's go do something."

Once they were both standing, Bahr shot Kit a party invite. "I was just going to do some hunting today. Need some more materials for my tailor shop. Want to come along?" He had a cheesy grin spreading from ear to ear. Something had him in a good mood. But what? He didn't even know. Heck, I don't even know, I'm just the narrator. 

Without waiting for a response, or even for Kitsyuisa to respond to the party invite, Bahr continued to saunter along toward the edge of town, whistling a cheerful tune. 

Imagine, if you will, the most boring place on Earth (or in this case, Aincrad). Did you think of the plains on Floor One? You did, didn't you? No judgement here, I'm just the voice inside your head. You know, the one that sounds out the words mentally as you're reading them. Oh, wow, look at that scrunched up expression you just made. Am I making you uncomfortable? Okay, I'll stop. 

Anyways, for someone who had spent the past two years in the exact same spot, the plains had definitely lost their zeal. What had once seemed relaxed, peaceful and tranquil was now desolate and uninteresting. How he had managed to lollygag around the first floor for so long was completely beyond him. That first taste of the outside had gotten him hooked, and now he was chasing that feeling as far as it would take him. Hopefully all the way to the frontlines. 

Part of that was making it past the first floors, however. Finishing these quests may have been boring, but it was basically free SP. And who could pass that up? For this quest, all he needed to do was acquire materials out of combat. Easy, right? He walked through the fields carefully, his eyes scanning the tufts of grass. 

(I will be using Yui's Grace for this thread.)

The quest for gaining the Tailor profession had been taxing, but it hadn't been a waste of time. In addition to having a storefront of his own established and a skill that would help him down the road, he had managed to craft a piece of equipment that would be invaluable in aiding him along with his upcoming quests. One such quest was infamous for being what was probably designed to be the standard player's first ever quest, <<The First Few Lessons Are Free>>. Evidently it was super easy and only required searching for materials with no combat. Bahr figured his handy dandy new Pantaloots could help him in this regard. To make the journey more interesting, he pulled out an item he had been holding onto for quite some time - Yui's Grace. Supposedly using the item would yield bonus SP gains.

As he meandered into Zachariah's lab, the NPC immediately piped up with its canned dialogue.

"Welcome! I've been waiting for a young adventurer just like you. I need you to-"

"Please, for the love of god, just give me the quest."

The quest prompt appeared a moment later in front of Bahr. It seemed that all he really had to do was collect some materials, the same as he had heard around town. Eager to get to work, he departed from the lab and mad his way to the edge of town, headed toward the fields.

 

Name: Pantaloots
Your Profession: Tailor
Your Rank: 1
Roll ID: 118597
Roll Result: CD:11 / LD: 16
Item Type: Pants
Tier: 1
Quality: Rare
Enhancements: [x2] Loot Die
Description: These pants might not be fashionable, but they sure are lucky!
Post Link: 

DAY 1

Bahr cracked his knuckles and sat down at his sewing station. It was time to get to work. There wasn't much he could do as a Beginner Tailor, but as he continued to hone his craft and level up, he would be capable of creating the most wondrous armor. The store would stay closed to the general public until he had a chance to perfect his craft.

Without further adieu, he got started.

Bahr spent some time at his sewing station. Sewing, weaving, pulling, stretching, mending, and assembling. After what seemed like forever, the fruits of his labor finally presented themselves. They were nothing special, just a few basic articles with the occasional breath of brilliance in between. Bahr could feel himself progressively becoming better and better at his craft. Every failure was a lesson. Every success a motivator. Every material snipped, every thread pulled, and every nip tucked. If he continued on his track at a pace like this, it would soon be him pulling the strings behind the Light Armor of Aincrad.

-2 T1 Materials
+1 T1 Materials after crafting
+3 EXP

The thing about the Town of Beginnings is that it's actually a really big place. To those unfamiliar with its twists and turns, getting lost and spending hours or even days roaming its streets wasn't just a possibility; it was a probability. Even high-level players that hadn't familiarized themselves with the area could and would wind up in some sketchy areas without even realizing it. There was an underbelly to the city that few were aware of, a place where vagrants and criminals thrived. Just as crawling out of the hole of poverty was a challenge in the real world, so too was it in the virtual. To outsiders, these areas of town were despicable cesspits filled with the saddest and most vile of characters.

But for those bold enough to take the back roads, for the adventurous individuals willing to brave the depravity of these dark alleys, or even for those who wound up hopelessly lost while roaming the streets, a sign with intricate crimson lettering may come into view. It will read "The Crusty Bahrnacle" as you squint to decipher its inscription. Only those who know this place or stumble upon it by accident will be graced with the contents within. An assortment of the finest clothes and light armor in all the ghetto. 

The interior would reveal a much homier environment, in stark contrast to the rabble just outside its doors. Beautiful display cases ran down the sides of the room with dark oak shelving hugging the walls just above them. Behind the counter at the far end of the room would hang bits of armor or customer clothing around backlight lettering matching the sign outside. The overall lighting of the room was low and mellow, with fixtures within the display cases and lining the shelves illuminating the merchandise without compromising the relaxed ambiance. 

@Kityuisa receives a 50% discount on all purchases.
@Macradon receives a 100% discount on all purchases.

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Your Profession: Tailor
Your Rank: 10
ID: [Leave Blank]
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"Hey man."

Bahr's deep voice bellowed through the room as he entered. It was a neat little venue, and the Japanese stylings weren't lost on Bahr. He had come here after hearing rumors about a top-notch merchant that could identify any item you wanted for a fair price. He approached the counter, giving the man a nod and taking note of his suave clothes. Looks like he doesn't need a tailor... Guess I'll need to pay full price. 

"I've got a real easy one - just a couple of Rare Tier 1 trinkets. I was hoping you could identify them for me," he mused as he placed the objects and the colfor the transaction on the table. With any luck, Bahr would be able to get something good out of these and either sell them or use them for his own benefit. He absently tapped his fingers against the counter as he waited for the merchant's response. Something about this place was starting to give him the heeby jeebies. 

-700 col

-<<Unidentified T1 Rare Trinket>> x2

QUEST COMPLETED

Thread net gains:

2 SP

2 <<Unidentified T1 Rare Trinket>>

7 <<T1 Material>>

250 col

"Lantaloots" rare pants (+2 LD)

<<Tailor>> Profession

Standard <<Tailor>> Shop

"Aha! The search is over!"

As soon as he felt an object touch his fingers, he grasped it and ripped it from the hole. In his hand he held the final T1 Material he needed to complete his quest. Jubilant with his work in the field being finished, he literally skipped the rest of the way back to town. By the time he had gotten back, the sun was starting to set and the sky was adopting a darker tone. The city lamps activated, casting a warm glow onto the streets that sat below. It didn't take him long to make it back to the tailor's shop. 

"Well it looks like you got all of the materials you needed! Come on over here to my-"

"Yeah, I got it boss. Thanks," Bahr interjected, wanting to spare himself any more scripted dialogue. 

He sat down at the sewing station. It was time he crafted himself a nice pair of jeans. Ah, how nice it would be to wear something like that again. However, it appeared that wasn't an available option. No matter, he would create some black pants with a lot of give to make them as comfortable as possible. Without further adieu, he got to work. 

Bahr couldn't believe his freaking eyes. In one majestic motion, both hits from his Sword Skill carved through the boar like butter, and the creature instantly combusted in a display of blue pixelated glory. He felt like the digital incarnation of Middle Earth Keanu Reeves. 

"Did, uh, did that actually just happen?" he asked nobody as he stood up straight and examined the loot panel. No materials, but he had managed to score some bonus col and another rare trinket for his convincing victory. Glorious. He started jumping around and yelling cheers of joy for himself. He knew those lowly boars couldn't outplay him forever. 

As pleased as he was, his work wasn't over yet. He still had at least one more material to gather. He searched high and low, sauntering through the plains with newfound confidence. Eventually, he came across a tiny hole of some kind - just big enough to fit his arm into. He stuffed it into the hole and felt around for anything he could retrieve. 

As his eyes scanned the top of the patch, he was disappointed to find that there were no materials there, either. No materials found, but Bahr was feeling better since his last fight. It seemed that his HP and EN had fully recovered, and just in time for the next boar arrival, too. As with all of the boars before it, it huffed and dragged one of its front hooves back, kicking up small clouds of dust as it did so. Bahr groaned as his eyes met with the animal, adopting a faux exhausted stance. 

"Look, I already killed your buddies. You wanna be next?"

The boar squealed defiantly in response, kicking back all of its feet and beginning its charge. With a sigh, Bahr readied his weapon once more. 

"Alright, then. Your funeral."

As the boar approached, Bahr couldn't help but feel like something was different about this time. If by different, he mean exactly the freaking same. High level players had been grinding like this for two years. Over seven-hundred days. The mere thought shook him to the bone. His sword began to glow and a familiar whistle rang through the air as he unleashed a duo of slashes toward the boar.

Bahr simply blinked as he gazed upon the loot panel. Four T1 materials. He couldn't stop himself from practically prancing around with joy. After having made absolutely zero headway thus far and struggling through every step, his most worthy adversary thus far had awarded him most of the materials he needed for the quest. Oh, joyous day. Still, he made a mental note to do something about his ACC after he was done here. Missing so many times against such basic enemies was... embarrassing, to say the least. 

Without any more boars around at the moment, and with sky beginning to adopt a tangerine shade, Bahr knew he needed to hurry up and get the last of these materials before it got too late. Nearby was a ledge for a small elevated patch that he couldn't see over from where he was standing. With gusto, he leapt upward and grabbed the edge of the ledge, pulling himself over so he could get a look at the top. Perhaps here he would find the material he was looking for. 

"Fancy meeting you here."

Bahr's deep voice bellowed through the threshold of the doorless structure as he meandered inside. He regarded Kityuisa with a nod as he approached the counter, leaning on it and looking her in the eye. 

"You look a little stronger than last time. You working out?"

A wry grin stretched across his face, an indication that he was just poking fun at her. He lightly nudged her elbow with his own before turning to address the shopkeeper. Why, it was none other than Kirbs! What spectacular luck. 

"Oh, hey Kirbs. Wow, I feel like this is a reunion for my first party. Say, I don't suppose you could hook me up with some sort of trinket that boosts my accuracy, could you? My recent outing made me... well, reconsider a lot of things. I'd like to actually be able to hit my targets, if you know what I mean."

He chuckled a bit as he sent his order to her, and placed the payment on the table. 

-10 T1 Materials

Through the grace of RNG Jesus, Bahr's attack had actually managed to hit its mark. Marvelous. He was almost so surprised when the attack connected that he forgot what he was supposed to do next. The boar recoiled back from the attack and stared at Bahr, bewildered. Seemed it was surprised that its punching bag had finally managed to bite back. Bahr stood tall with a triumphant grin stretched across his face. 

"That's right!" he taunted, "You're just a boar! You were designed to be killed. Let's finish this!"

Bahr readied his weapon once more and charged, using both hands and all of his body weight to put as much force as possible into what would hopefully be the final attack of this little duel. He couldn't bear the thought of putting any more time into this fight. He was tired. His arms felt like overcooked noodles. But if he stopped now and ran, would he ever be able to live down the shame of running from a level one boar?

It was a perfect hit, splitting the boar right between the eyes. It exploded into fractals on spluttered blue energy which cascaded to the ground in front of Bahr, much to his pleasure. 

Another miss. The blades just followed a curved path right around the boar as though it were an immortal object and the system was protecting it. As the attack whiffed, the boar smacked into his legs and sent him tumbling to the ground again. He pounded the ground with his fist, then pounded it again. He couldn't believe this. 

"You're just one stupid boar!" he yelled, "How can this possibly be so difficult!?"

His eyes flickered to his health bar, noting that it was edging on the halfway point. Bahr didn't have time to sit around and mope. He rose to his feet and charged the animal, putting everything he had into his next swing.