Dederick

A message notification. Strange.

Dederick would be too ashamed to admit it to anyone, but this was actually the first time he had received a message in Aincrad. The idea of sending messages digitally and having them delivered in the blink of an eye was such a foreign concept to him that he had never actually felt compelled to do so. That, and the fact that his introverted nature had prevented him from making any friends in Aincrad thus far. Actually, that wasn't exactly true. What was Joanne, if not a friend? There was only one question...

How the hell did messaging even work in this world?

After fiddling with his menus for a moment, becoming ever more flustered as he did so, he finally surrendered and dismissed the windows. Hopefully, if he was quick, he could reach Zachariah's shop before Joanne departed. If anything, he could ask her to show him how the messaging apparatus functioned after they had carried out the day's events. Problem was, he actually had managed to navigate to the messaging window right before closing everything down, accidentally pushing the voice-to-text function.
 

Quote

To: @Joanne

Blue marmalade. With your flush eat, down icy. Your mother god damn ice tea. Should be able Hoopopu prints pop poop poop poop be do ostrich feathers in my butt to getting Odinga being a boo. Want your. It cubes our right. Congress.

Waka Flocka rooster booster Karumba do mosquito locker choc Buca.

- Dederick

When he finally reached Zachariah's shop, he nearly overlooked the woman in her new armor. Had it not been for her tall stature, he surely would have. But one could only run into a fully armored knight that tall every once in a blue moon. "Good afternoon, Joanne," he chirped as he grew near, eyes scanning her body and admiring the getup. "That's exquisite craftsmanship. Wherever did you get it?"

THREAD COMPLETED

Thread net gains:

DEDERICK
2 SP
1150 col
(12) T1 Materials
(1) T1 Uncommon Consumable [ID: 126146A, ID: 126223
(1) T1 Rare Weapon [ID: 126146B]
(1) T1 Perfect Consumable [ID: 126181B]
(3) T1 Rare Trinkets [ID: 126181A, ID: 126220, ID: 127052]

JOANNE
2 SP
1150 col
(13) T1 Materials
(1) T1 Perfect Armor/Shield [ID: 127053A]
(1) T1 Perfect Trinket [ID: 127053B]

Dederick was too busy stuffing his face to notice Joanne's nervousness. Once one began to eat one of Oscar's chili cheese hot dogs, they didn't simply just stop. It wasn't as simple as that. After a few more mighty bites, the meat cylinder had vanished. By the time he was himself again, he only caught the tail end of what Joanne had been saying.

"I think we made a great team today, is what I'm trying to say," she said with a smile, the reddish hues from earlier having left her cheeks. Mouth still full of food, Dederick simply offered a thumbs up and continued to chew.

One loud gulp later, and he was finally able to speak. "I think so, too, Joanne. I think I had the wrong idea trying to move through this digital labyrinth on my own. You might just be the special someone I've needed to make this world more tolerable. If you'd be willing, I would love to do this again sometime. But for now..." His voice trailed off as his eyes traced the nearby window. The sun had started setting. "I need to be getting home."

He stood, offering his hand to her to help her to her feet. "It's been a pleasure. Let me walk you home."

Dederick simply blinked as Joanne reached her arm across the table and wiped the greasy mess from his lips, stiffening a bit and doing his best to stay still until she was done. After a moment, she pulled away in a jerking motion, scarlet hues flushing her cheeks instantly.

"I-i am so so sorry!" she stuttered, "I-i just meant to help! I didn't mean to um, y-you know..."

To what?

"Uhh, that's... quite alright. I don't mind," he replied, offering her a warm smile to assuage her concern as a red pigment slowly worked its way into his cheeks as well. As his eyes studied her face looking for any change in her expression, he noticed that she had a bit of relish stuck to her lip as well. "In fact, here..." He leaned forward, arm slowly outstretching, using his thumb to slowly wipe the relish from her cheek. "See? No big deal," he remarked as he leaned back in his seat, bringing his thumb up to his mouth and sucking the relish right off of it. 

"Not a clue," Dederick admitted toward her inquiry, "but they're really good."

Quick on the draw as ever, Oscar had their food out to them in a jiff. Joanne's had relish, while the ketchup and mustard sat nestled within a console of sorts that atop all of the tables in the restaurant, featuring a menu that mad - you guessed it - more hot dogs. Dederick's hot dog was only marginally more complex, chili and cheese smathered over it. The scent of the twin dogs filled Dederick's nostrils, a much needed reward after a hard day of fighting boars alongside a beautiful woman.

Wonder if it was boar that Oscar put in these? That was the most plentiful resource around these parts.

"Thank you, Oscar," he said as the blond scuttled away, toward the back of house to do whatever it was that Oscars did. His eyes flickered down to the succulent hot dog sitting before him, and then again back to Joanne. "If you don't hold back, I won't either," Dederick said with a grin as he scooped up the sultry dog and took a huge bite, bits of chili and cheese clinging to his face right around his mouth. He may have been raised in the house of the Lord, but when it came to shoving meat into his mouth, he went all out.

"It's a pretty nice spot. The guy who owns the store right next to it is nice as well, he's always giving free stuff out to newbies. You wouldn't be able to tell from his demeanor, but... I think he has a soft spot for people in need."

As they ventured into the shop, a bell that was attached to the threshold of the entryway rang out in protest to the door being opened. A blond goofball stood patiently behind the corner with a pen pad, eagerly awaiting their order. "I'll take one of my regulars, Oscar. Add whatever she's getting to my tab." Dederick waited patiently for Joanne to order before meandering over to a nearby table, pulling back one of the chairs and inviting her to sit. Once she had, he circled around to the adjacent side and took as seat of his own.

"I understand that it isn't exactly fine dining, but I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by what this man is capable of. I've never experience mystery meat cylinders quite like the ones he produces."

Dederick sends Bahr a Halloween sticker (acquired here) as payment for all the ways he has helped Dederick from the beginning.

Dederick pondered her suggestion for a moment before inevitably nodding.

"Food sounds good," he remarked plainly, looking back toward the Town of Beginnings. "I actually know a good place. The owner's a total goofball, but the food is top notch. Follow me, I'll show you the way."

By the time they made it back to town, some time had passed - probably an hour or so. When you're out there mowing down mobs, it's easy to lose track of yourself and stray further away from safety than you might mean to. In this case, an hour walking in a straight line was what it took to get back to safety. It was fortunate they hadn't run into anything that was actually threatening.

Dederick navigated through the winding streets of the Town of Beginnings, leading the pair to a more questionable area of town. It was seedy, run down, adn vagrants wadnered from corner to corner. Eventually, they made their way down an alley where a set of twin shops resided; The Crusty Bahrnacle and Oscar's Hot Dog Stand.

"I know it seems weird, but trust me - it's good."

Three hours of standing still holding a sword? That sort of dedication and discipline was magnificent. At first it seemed strange to Dederick that someone would put themself through that, but his thoughts couldn't help but drift back to his early years at the chapel. One hour of silent prayer a day became two, and then three, then four. Before he knew it there were entire days he would do nothing more than pray. Wake up, silently talk to God, then go back to bed.

Though, if he were being honest with himself, he didn't pray the entire time. There was simply no way to fill that much time with words in a one-way conversation. Dederick had never heard the Lord talk back to him, after all. Only those who had been practicing God's path their entire lives could boast that.

"That's impressive - few would have the resolve to commit to something like that. If nobody told you in the past, I'm proud of you for it."

"I definitely have. This happens to be my first time fighting alongside another, as well. It's a strangely liberating experience."

Upon seeing Joanne strip her armor, Dederick decided to do the same. He opened his menu and navigated to the equipment panel, tapping on all of his equipped items to de-equipping them. The rush of cool air against his exposed skin sent a wave of relief across his entire body, and he could feel the tenseness in his muscles loosening instantly. Hidden beneath the armor was a plain navy blue shirt, tucked neatly beneath the hem of his jet black jeans. Ordinary sneakers - blue with white accents - wrapped around his feet at the bottom.

He rose his arms into the air and stretched, arching his back and allowing a few unflattering strained noises to escape through his slightly parted lips. "That being said, I'm still amazed how much fighting in this game wears me out," he remarked as he allowed his arms to fall to his sides. "I've seen people come into these fields and slaughter entire pastures of mobs within minutes. Then, without skipping a beat, they march right on over to the next spawning ground and do it all over again. They can do this for hours without breaking a sweat, monopolizing all of the experience and loot for themselves. It's equally impressive as it is frustrating."

Strike hard and fast. Dederick never learned any such skills in the real world - instead, he relied upon the game to move his body for him. It was pathetic, to a certain extent, but it kept him alive. "I see," he remarked coolly, putting up his shield as the boars prepared for the next round of attacks. "It seems we have very different styles of fighting. But perhaps that's what makes us such a good team, no?"

When the boars rushed him, he was ready. He took a knee and planted his shield into the ground between himself and the beasts, bracing for impact and shoving the sheet of metal forward when they made contact. A blue flash pulsed from the shield and through their bodies, causing them both to combust into clouds of blue confetti instantly. He stood and regarded his partner once more.

"I've heard people say that those with similar 'builds' shouldn't party together in this game because you typically need more variety to get the job done. You think we should prove them wrong?"
 

Dederick noticed Joanne stiffen up a bit when the boar collided against his side with its tusks. He stood tall and held out his palm toward her, a gesture to stay calm. "Don't worry, I'm not in any danger. Watch." He stood still for a moment and allowed the boars to charge into him repeatedly, a metallic clang! ringing out each time their tusks scraped against the steely exterior of his armor. The health bar floating around his head would dip slightly with each of their attacks, then immediately jumped back up to full. His body was buffeted with every attack, but he stood strong and his expression remained cool and unchanged.

"I know that I'm not physically strong or a particularly good fighter, so I figured that I would be, at the very least, difficult to take down," he explained as he finally rose his shield to block one of the incoming attacks, which flashed blue upon impact and blasted the boar backward. "It just so happens there are ways to take advantage of that in this game."
 

"Don't mind if I do," he chirped as he ran forward, blade humming with a cyan glow. He swung his sword forward in a wide arc, attempting to hit both swine with a single attack. To his chagrin, however, he only managed to hit one. You're not getting away from me... Using the momentum from his first swing, he swiftly swiveled on his heel and spun, delivering a second blow toward the second animal. Luckily enough, it managed to connect just before the timer on the Sword Art expired.

The boars didn't take kindly to this, squealing loudly and rearing back for instant retaliation. Dederick was able to get his shield out in front of the first attack, a blue hue transferring from the equipment into the beast that had struck it. The second boar was a bit more clever, however, and strafed around Dederick in an arc before charging. It rammed its tusks into his side, causing his frame to buckle a bit. Ultimately, his armor was firm enough to withstand the blow without actually taking much damage.

A soft smile played across Dederick's face, but he lowered his eyes and looked elsewhere. "I appreciate the kind words, but the sacrifice wasn't my choice. If I'd had it my way, I would have stayed with the monks and continued studying," he admitted, casting a glance back toward the blonde. His pupils settled on a particular part of the iris of her left eye, where to smallest flake of pigment lingered amidst the blue coloration. It brought a smile to his face. How many people had a freckle on their eye?

Or maybe he was just imagining it.

"That being said, parts of me are glad that curiosity exists. That it led to this. There are so many things I would have never seen, so many aspects of life that would have been left misunderstood. People I would have never met." That last part was a little on the nose, and his expression surely showed it.

When his eyes trailed to what was behind her, he gripped the hilt of his sword once more. "Looks like we've got company," he remarked, motioning for Joanne to look back at the pair of boars that had just spawned. 

"A knight, huh?"

Dederick's words trailed off a bit. A knight? How could he ever hope to share anything as impressive?

"That's really impressive. I had no idea people still did things like that. You have my admiration," he concluded, giving her a nod and a soft smile. "And your brother. Did he follow in your footsteps and work toward being knighted as well?"

There was a pause as he waited for her response. When the timing felt right, he moved on to explaining a few things about himself.

"Nothing quite as exciting for me. I don't have any siblings... at least, not that I know of. I was adopted by a chapel and raised there my entire life, living by the word of the Lord. When I reached adulthood, I was no longer permitted to stay. So I wandered around aimlessly from town to town, living purely off of the generosity of others as I did what I could to spread the word of God. Some days I didn't eat. Only very rarely was I graced with shelter for the night. But I persisted because I believed that it was God's plan for me."

"Eventually, an electronics store caught my eye. I knew that desiring such artificial artifacts was sinful in nature, but my curiosity got the best of me. Before I knew it, I was trapped here."

After spending far too long engaging the undead, Dederick had come to the conclusion that he was not yet strong enough to engage enemies of this caliber. He was capable of surviving, but beyond that he was practically useless. It had taken him longer than he cared to admit to take down only four of them, despite his best efforts.

He had managed to acquire a unique form of currency, however. "Achievement Points." Curious, he returned to the concession stand that he had visited earlier and took another look at the products that were available. With only three Achievement Points, it didn't look like there was much he could get. Standing out among the rest of the merchandise was a sticker that caught Dederick's eye - glossy and imbued with power. He could feel it.

"The sticker, please," he requested as he pointed at the item. The clown behind the counter cocked his head at the blond before shrugging and collecting the sticker for him, handing it over in exchange for three Achievement Points. "Thank you," Dederick remarked with a nod, turning and walking toward the exit of the tent.

"HP Restored (Self)" Achievement Point spent
"HP Restored in a Thread" Achievement Point spent
"Consumables Used" Achievement Point spent

Halloween Sticker acquired!

THREAD COMPLETED

Thread net gains:
- 1 SP
- 1750 col
- (6) T1 Materials
- (3) T1 Rare Trinket [ID: 126097, ID: 126102, ID: 126228]

Thread results:
Zombies Killed: 4
Zombies Last-Hitted: 4
Critical Failures: 4
Critical Evasions: 2
HP Restored (Self): 205 ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED!
HP Restored in a Thread: 205 ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED!
Comsumables Used: 21 ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED!

As Dederick opened up his inventory panel, he noticed that he still had a lot of consumables left over from the event. Something told him that he wouldn't be able to use these outside of the confines of the tent, so he materialized all of them.

One by one, we downed the beverages - alternating between the putrid Offbrand Energy Drinks and Spider Ciders when he could. Ironically, it was the Spider Ciders that were easier to tolerate, with the Offbrand Energy Drinks being the tougher of the two to stomach. It was strange to Dederick that the drink with the more offputting name was the one that he looked forward to.

In the end, he simply didn't want to waste the col he had spent on the consumables. He felt a bit sick afterward, but at least he wouldn't have items sitting in his inventory that he had no way of getting rid of. With that, he turned and began venturing toward the tent's exit, not wanting to spend another minute among the ranks of the undead.

SPIDER CIDER X5 CONSUMED
OFFBRAND ENERGY DRINK X7 CONSUMED

It was time to end this. Dederick's patience had reached its maximum. He could no longer tolerate looking upon these degenerate sacks of filth. "Prepare to meet your end, foul cretin. Your god was not powerful enough to save you. I do not wish for you to rest in peace. I hope you rot in hell." With that, he closed the distance between them with four powerful strides, carving into the creature with a rapid succession of three angled slashes, each depleting its health bar further and further until nothing remained.

Finally, he was finished. He felt the desire to stick around and fight more, but it was becoming clear that there was little he could offer in comparison to the other players. He could survive against the Zombies, sure, but he didn't have the power to kill them reliably. It was best if he left this struggle up to the true professionals.
 

"I'm not entirely sure. I think I've been asking myself that for a long time," he remarked, cobalt eyes flickering to meet with her equally steely blue hues. In a world where few believed in a higher power, and fewer still valued the teachings of the church, Dederick felt at a loss. He could always press on, stubbornly trying to imprint his ideals on the people who surrounded him, but he would find himself even more alienated than before. As Joanne had said, being alone was what hell truly was. As much as Dederick wanted to spread the word of the Lord, he couldn't bear to go it alone.

Not again.

"I think that for today, we should just stick to the boars. They're easy enough to take down, and before long we'll be too overleveled to get any rewards from them - or so I've been told." As he concluded his thought, he knelt down and plucked another pair of flowers from the meadow - one violet and one blue. Unlike before, both managed to cling to their forms without degrading into a shower of pixels. He held one out for Joanne. "Besides, it's a beautiful day. It would be a shame to squander it by going somewhere miserable and making ourselves uncomfortable fighting something tougher. For now, let's just enjoy it."
 

Despite the fact that Joanne had just carved into the creature, it still seemed that the final remaining boar only had eyes for Dederick. It broke out into a full-tilt sprint, swerving past the golden-haired woman and directly toward her male counterpart, running as fast as its short and stumpy legs could carry it. Once again he braced himself on a single knee and put his shield out in front of him. When the boar's tusks collided with the shield, it flashed blue, and the Thorns enhancement did the rest of the work. The creature exploded into a cloud of azure pixels that slowly disintegrated into nothingness.

"I suppose you're right," Dederick postulated with a grunt as he heaved his body back into a standing position. "Aincrad wouldn't truly be hell unless we were all alone in here. I can't imagine having nobody to talk to while going through all of this. Granted, I've kept myself relatively isolated these past years, but even then I still had some minimal form of human contact."
 

Expecting another attack from the Zombie, Dederick figured he could open up his Battle-Ready inventory and use a Spider Cider to replenish whatever HP hadn't been accounted for yet. Unfortunately, things didn't go exactly to plan. The Zombie simply stood there, gazing dumbly upon him as he drank his cider, their eyes locked the entire time. Well, what was left of the creature's eyes, anyways. One of them seemed... half missing. The other - well, the other one was kind of just dangling out. It was really gross.

Once Dederick had finished with the cider, he tossed the vial away and watched it explode into a could of blue polygonal fractals upon making contact with the ground's hard surface. He cocked his head the ghoulish apparition standing before him, seemingly curious as to its inner complexities. He didn't think that it was capable of advanced thought. This only seemed to cement that notion.
 

Speaking of energy, he was fresh out. That last attack had sapped away whatever remainder of energy he had remaining, and now he couldn't so much as peform a basic attack anymore. No matter, this wasn't a problem since he had Energy Drinks to keep him going. But you know what? He hated the way that those tasted. So he figured that instead of focusing on recovering his energy right away, he would down a Spider Cider first so he could regain any lost vitality and approach the fight with the confidence that he needed.

On second thought, no. Recovering energy should come first. It was what made the most sense. And so he opened up his Battle-Ready Inventory and produced an Offbrand Energy Drink, cracking it open and gulping down its contents. When the zombie approached for another strike, he simply held up his shield and allowed his Thorns Enhancement to work its magic.

Now that he knew he had his defenses sorted out, Dederick finally felt confident that he could transition into the offensive. Pouring verdant energy into his blade, he dashed forward toward the Zombie that had more health, carving into it with a trio of rapid strikes. The Zombie doubled back and groaned loudly, clearly stunned by the maneuver and requiring a moment to recuperate. The other Zombie, however, was ready to come in for the kill.

Dederick managed to catch the attack with his shield, and watched with delight as the equipped flashed with a blue energy that then transferred into the mob and sapped away the remainder of its HP. The loot panel that populated afterward was less than spectacular, but Dederick didn't exactly have the time to sit around and inspect it anyway. Instead he poured his energy into into preparing for the next round of combat against this fiendish foe.
 

Joanne's words rolled around in Dederick's head as he observed her land another fantastic strike against one of the boars, its health meter depleting further than it ordinarily would thanks to her Bleed mechanic. It seemed that these boars were a tad hardier than the last batch had been - probably the reason why they seemed more plump and robust.

While Dederick would have loved to sit there and contemplate what she had said, it was time to spring into action. He followed along behind her with his blade charged, engaging both boars with a sweeping motion from his blade. Miraculously, he managed to connect his weapon with both of them, causing them to double back and squeal angrily in his direction. He then buckled down on one knee and put his shield in front of him, anticipating the counterattack that followed. Both boar's snouts connected with his shield, prompting a blue energy to flash from its surface and pour into their bodies, sapping away their HP.