James_Hawke

James watched as she masterfully cast her line, gathering materials as she reeled it in. "Oh, wow," he muttered to himself. He wasn't aware that such a skill had existed in game until now. And she seemed to be talented at it. 

Then she spoke once more. " "Hey James, you sure not want to join me in a swim, the water feels nice. Ooh, who am I kidding Just get over here so we can talk a bit more I would love to know you more," she said. 

He gulped and his face reddened. "A-alright," he stuttered, walking over to her and stepping up on the shore of the lake. Okay, play it cool. You got this, he thought, trying to talk himself up. He quickly changed out of his armor and equipped a pair of light blue swim shorts. He also unequipped his glasses. He didn't truly need to wear them in game since the headset appeared to fix his vision. He usually wore the eyeglasses as a matter of habit and appearance. His body was surprisingly tones. His shoulders a bit broad. All his days of working on the farm had kept him quite fit. And he still had had to train everyday as part of the family tradition, which kept him healthy as well. 

"Alright," he said once more. "So, what did you do before you were trapped in the game like me." He lowered himself in the water as he waited for her response.  

He had to admit that she was right. She wasn't a player killer since her icon was green. "Alright. I guess I'll just have to trust you on that," he said smiling. 

While Ennakai began to search for items again, he followed suit. He bent down and immediately found two white mushrooms. Ah, wonderful! he thought to himself. It seemed like today would be a day of good luck. As he put the items in his inventory, he heard the woman say, "I'll promise I won't go skinny dipping or something, at least not yet." He coughing, hiding his surprise and blush behind his hand as he covered his mouth. "U-um, I don't know what to say to that," he said honestly. He really had never been in such a situation before. He tried to keep from imagining what they make look like underneath their armor... No! No! NO! he told himself, clearing his mind again. 

2 + 2 = 4 T1 materials total

"And yes it is a fun job, Killed a guy who killed my client, then nearly got killed myself, Died almost again. Kept quiet, then after that nearly got killed again, then murdered someone in cold blood," they said. 

He stopped walking and stared at her. "Well you are a dark one now, aren't you?" he said. Once her realized those words had actually come out of his mouth instead of staying in his head, he immediately covered his mouth with a hand. "I-I apologize. Um. Please don't kill me," he said, his voice soft and sweet. Great. Here he goes making friends with a maybe psycho girl. It was his first time to running into such a thing in the game. Jeez, I go and try to make friends and I run into a killer. Ugh, I just hope I don't get killed. I need to join frontlines to save my sister and get us out of here. 

Suddenly, a pair of flowers caught his eye. He quickly bent down and picked up the materials, glancing at Ennakai to make sure she wasn't going to attack him. 

@Azhoda

Found so far: 
2 T1 materials

"Guess a Name is fun, I'm Enna, You may know me from my books or shop but under a different name, The Snake. Info Broker," they said. James' cheeks flushed. He couldn't believe he hadn't introduced himself. Are my manners really going that quickly?, he scolded himself. She talked about her profession and books. "Oh, how interesting! Being an info broker must be an enjoyable job!" He then cleared his throat and said, "The name is James Hawke, part of the Hawke Clan family in Scotland." Yes, he had over-exaggerated his title to try and impress her. He just hoped she didn't catch on. He was really just part of an old family of knights that were one of the original high families in Scotland.

"And what is mister Handsome's name If I may ask, Plus what your profession as well, you look like someone taking up a profession in my eyes," they said. 

James blushed even further upon being called handsome. Odd. No one has been this... nice with all the compliments before. He wondered if they were up to something. Hopefully nothing bad. He shook his head clear of these thoughts and answered. "I am a merchant on the first floor. Hawke Identifier and Alchemist," he said proudly. "My sister will be joining me soon enough to become a partner in the business." 

@Ennakai

He cheered his sister on as she took down the beast all in one turn. "That was amazing, sister!" he called to her. Then he saw the look of disappointment on her face as he realized that she hadn't gathered any materials from the boar. He walked over and put his arm around her shoulders supportively. "Don't worry. I'm sure the next one will have what you're looking for." Then he looked around, trying to figure out which way to go to find more boars. "Hm, maybe we should try heading a bit farther North. We haven't explored that area yet. There could be good spawn over there," he suggested. 

He led the way, walking with his spear leaning against his shoulder. He hoped she would find the material quickly. He was getting excited about them sharing a shop together. He walked faster, impatient about finishing this quest. He began humming the tune from earlier. 

James jumped a little as he heard a voice suddenly speak to him. He had been focused on cleaning his lenses a little bit too much. "Hello there! Mind if I ask something, you look rather handsome and I thought you may be interested in helping this girl out to gather some materials," he heard a feminine voice say. He put his glasses back on and looked up at the player, squinting slightly until his eyes adjusted. James quickly got up and sat up to be polite. "Uh, sorry, I wasn't expecting that," he said, explaining his reaction. "B-but yes, I can help you look for more materials," he said, stuttering due to nervousness. His voice was surprisingly soft for someone as tall as him. Then he took a second to study what appeared to be a woman in front of him. Hm, slight build, nice body... he said while looking her up quickly. Then his eyes settled on the health bar above her head. His eyes widened. Oh, jesus. She could murder me, he thought to himself. He decided to be on his best manners in order not to get on this woman's bad side. "Would you like to lead the way?" he asked politely while getting up from his seat by the fountain. He was definitely tall, even compared to the average man. He stood at 6 foot 4 with a thin yet muscular build. His black hakama looked spectacular in the sun, fitting loosely to his body. 

@Ennakai

James sat around the fountain in the middle of the town square. He had planned to go out searching today for materials with his sister, but she had taken off earlier this morning to go train by herself. He respected that. Sometimes you just needed your own day to yourself. 

Well now he was waiting to try and see if anyone else was in the mood to gather and hunt today. He yawned and lay down, his back resting on the cool marble bench/wall of the fountain. Some of the water splashed on his glasses while he was laying down. Not moving his torso, he removed a handkerchief from a pocket in his armor and dried his glasses. Boy are these things annoying, he thought to himself. Even in the real world the darn things were always getting dirty due to dust or smudging or whatever was in the air at the time. 

James yelled, "Yes! Way to go, sis!" as he saw her hit her mark, the enchantment activating on her weapon. Further damage done. He smiled. Now it was his turn. At the signal, he jumped back in, swinging down with his weapon straight onto the beast. And he was lucky (or should we say unlucky) enough to cause a critical hit, his weapon enchantment going off as well. The greater boar burst into pixels, dropping a bit of loot. It had dropped 4 materials. James winced and turned back to his sister. "Um, maybe I should let you do all the fighting with the next one we find," he said. "Man, I really am sorry. That is the second time I have done that today. I really don't want to make it a habit." He laughed nervously, trying to make a joke out of it. He would most definitely allow her to kill the next enemy they ran into. 

[2]Joanne: 80/80 HP | 5/8 EN | 3 DMG | 9-10 BLD (1/2) | 18 MIT | 2 REGEN (10 TOTAL) | 2 THORN (18 DMG total) 
[0]James: 60/60 HP | 6/6 EN | 3 DMG | 32 MIT | BLEED (1/2) | 2 LIGHT MOMENTUM | 1 EVA

vs. 

Greater Boar: 16 - 12 - (3 + 2) = 0/40 HP | 12 DMG

loot gathered: 
120 col + 40 = 160 col
2 + 2 T1 Materials = 4 T1 materials
T1 Rare Trinket [ID: 129344]

"Alright, alright, I'm getting out," James said as he quickly brought himself back out of the water and put on some proper clothes. He then equipped his black armor over his clothing and equipped his battle spear. He smiled when he heard the tune his sister was humming. It was a tune his mother used to sing to them when they were kids. It helped calm them down if they were upset or help them fall asleep if they were having trouble doing so. After she was finished with the tune, he motioned for her to follow him and lead the way. After a few minutes of walking, they came upon a greater boar, quite larger than the average full-sized boar. He readied his weapon and whistled to his sister. "Hey, looks like we got company." The sound of his voice alerted the boar to his presence. "Ah, crap. Well, looks like it's time to attack." 

He quickly charged forward with his spear, the pole locked against the tusks of the boar. It was a battle of strength. And neither parties won. Both were pushed back a few feet as each shoved forward. James whistled back to Joanne, letting her know it was her turn. 

Joanne: 80/80 HP | 8/8 EN | 3 DMG | 9-10 BLD | 18 MIT | 2 REGEN (10 TOTAL) | 2 THORN (18 DMG total) 
James: 60/60 HP | 6/6 EN | 3 DMG | 32 MIT | BLEED | 2 LIGHT MOMENTUM | 1 EVA

vs. 

Greater Boar: 40/40 HP | 12 DMG

James nodded his head and relaxed further into the water. "Yeah, being close together will be great again. Then I'll get to annoy you all the time like when we were kids," he teased. Yes, he had been the annoying little brother that always wanted to tag along after his big sister. But as they both grew older, he gained more dependence and began to hate the ranch. He hated doing farming chores, but his parents still made him. As soon as he could, he had left the family farm, heading to the city to try and make a living as a computer programmer. And that he did quite successfully. He sighed, thinking about his life. He was happy that he had made it so far, but he still felt lonely most days when he had started living away from home. He had missed his parents, his sister -- hell he even missed the farm animals and the chores sometimes, though he would never admit it. 

 "how is life being a merchant treating you? I've heard it's one of the more difficult professions here in the game."

James let out a sigh, thinking about his merchant career. "Well, I've gotten a lot of time into running the shop. It appears that I'm one of the few active merchants in game, which I can see why. It's tedious work identifying those items all day." He smiled. "But it is worth it when I see my customer's faces as they pick up an identified item that they wanted or buy something from my shop that they really needed." He began to float on his back in the water. "I did close up my shop recently to take a break from it all. It was just getting a bit too overwhelming with all the requests I was getting. I feel kind of guilty, but I was getting burnt out too quickly." 

As Joanne got into her bathing suit and entered the water, James decided to do the same. "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea," he said as he changed into swim trunks and jumped into the water, creating a wide wave that ended up hitting Joanne in the face. As he stood back up in the water, he began to laugh. He felt like a kid again. 

Back home when they were younger, they would sometimes play in the river near their house, splashing up and down it for most of the day until their mum called them back for dinner or lunch. He sighed happily, thinking back to the good old days. He missed them. 

He looked back over to his sister. They had both grown up a lot since then. He had finally started to outgrow his sister when she was around 16 and he 14. Suddenly, he began to sprout up. In fact, he had still been growing by a smidge of a few centimeters when they entered the game. He wondered if his body had stopped growing while it lay there in a hospital bed connected to all sorts of machines. He shook his head clear of the image. It creeped him out. 

As soon as he heard the commotion at the nearby cafe, James stood at attention. He hated confrontation, but if someone was bullying or trying to hurt an innocent player, he wouldn't stand idly by. He watched as his sister prepared herself as well. Good. They made quite a powerful team. There was hardly a chance that those three men would even stand a chance. Luckily, the woman that the men were harassing seemed fully able to take care of herself. He let out a sigh of relief and followed his sister as she walked over to the woman. After Joanne had introduced herself and asked if the woman was okay, James took the opportunity to introduce himself. "Ah, I don't mean to interrupt, but I'm James Hawke. If you need any help, you can ask either Joanne or I anytime." His voice was soft and his demeanor shy. He quickly stepped back and away from the conversation, not wanting to interrupt any further.  

James smiled at his sister's praise, glad that he wasn't seen as a burden or not good enough. He then watched as his sister failed her attack, noticing the brown bear was now targeted at him. 

He stood still, standing his ground, not moving. Suddenly the wounds of the bear opened back up and it let out a roar of pain as it dropped down to the ground and burst into pixels just inches away from James. He sighed in relief. He had wanted to stand there and look cool, but he had begun doubting that his weapon effect would activate again in time. He bent down and picked up the loot that the bear had dropped. He found another trinket that he would be able to identify in his shop. Maybe it would have even better enchantments than the pocket watch that he was currently wearing. 

After he was done looting, he stood back up and apologized to his sister. "Sorry about that, sis. I'll get us something to eat when we get back to the town. Get anything you want. It's all on me." He smiled. 

[H: 1 | 2] Joanne: 80/80 HP | 1/8 EN | 3 DMG | 9-10 BLD | 18 MIT | 2 REGEN (10 TOTAL) | 2 THORN (18 DMG total) 
[H: 3 | 0] James: 59/60 HP |  4/6 EN | 3 DMG | 32 MIT | BLEED (2/2) | 2 LIGHT MOMENTUM | 1 EVA

vs. 

Brown Bear 1: 9/40 HP | 12 DMG | +1 ACC | -1 EVA
Brown Bear 2: 22 - 24 = 0/40 HP | 12 DMG | +1 ACC | -1 EVA

loot gathered: 
120 col + 80 + 80 + 40 = 320 col
T1 Rare Trinket [ID: 128657]

As Joanne dodged out of the way, James held his spear out in front of him. At the last second, he dodged to the side once more and stabbed deep into the brown bear, launching his blade completely through one side of the beast and out of the other. His weapon began to glow red as his bleed enchantment activated, causing the beast even more pain. As he pulled the spear back out of the bear, the animal screamed and tried to lash out at him, but he moved out of the way of the attack and pulled his weapon free. 

He looked back over at Joanne. "Sorry about taking most of his health out," he apologized, rubbing the back of his head. "If you don't get this kill, then I'll pay for dinner to make up for it." He hoped she could land a critical hit or something so that her weapon's enchantment would activate and take the kill. 

[H: 1 | 2] Joanne: 80/80 HP | 1/8 EN | 3 DMG | 9-10 BLD | 18 MIT | 2 REGEN (10 TOTAL) | 2 THORN (18 DMG total) 
[H: 3 | 0] James: 59/60 HP | 4 + 1 - 1 = 4/6 EN | 3 DMG | 32 MIT | BLEED (1/2) | 2 LIGHT MOMENTUM | 1 EVA

vs. 

Brown Bear 1: 25 - 16 = 9/40 HP | 12 DMG | +1 ACC | -1 EVA
Brown Bear 2: 22 - 24 = 0/40 HP | 12 DMG | +1 ACC | -1 EVA

James looked over and saw her take out her brown bear easily. He gritted his teeth. He didn't do as much damage as his sister, but at least he could evade most attacks. That being said, as the brown bear charged towards him in another attack, he quickly moved to the side at the last minute, causing the beast to miss. As the bear rushed past him, he took aim and stabbed the beast with his spear in the rump. The brown bear roared in annoyance, its rump now soar. James couldn't help but laugh at the attack. "Guess you'll be too sore to sit now," he joked, continuing to laugh at his own joke. 

He then saw Joanne walk over as she joined him in his fight against the beast. "Go ahead and kill him, Joanne. You need the rewards to accomplish your quest. Meanwhile, I'll just try to cut his health points down little by little." He hoped that he didn't accidentally take the kill. 

[H: 0 | 2] Joanne:  80/80 HP | 3/8 EN | 3 DMG | 9-10 BLD (active) | 18 MIT | 2 REGEN (10 TOTAL) | 2 THORN (18 DMG total) (active)
[H: 1 | 0] James: 59/60 HP | 4 + 1 - 1 = 4/6 EN | 3 DMG | 32 MIT | BLEED | 2 LIGHT MOMENTUM | 1 EVA

vs. 

Brown Bear 1: 37 - 3 = 34/40 HP | 12 DMG | +1 ACC | -1 EVA
Brown Bear 2: 22 - 24 = 0/40 HP | 12 DMG | +1 ACC | -1 EVA

James was already aware of the large beast charging towards him before his sister's words reached his ears. He had braced himself already, holding his spear out in front of him to block the attack. However, the strength of the brown bear was so powerful, that it broke through his block and slashed him across the chest, sending him flying back a few feet. He quickly got up from his vulnerable position on the ground and prepared for another assault, wary of the beasts claws now. 

He took a second to look down and check his armor. The chest area had been shredded by the sharp claws of the wild animal. If he hadn't been wearing his armor, his skin would have surely been shredded into pieces. He grimaced, the seriousness of the situation finally hitting him. These were more powerful enemies than the small boars that he usually fought. 

H: 0 | 0] Joanne: 79 + 10 = 80/80 HP | 6 + 1- 2 = 5/8 EN | 3 DMG | 9-10 BLD | 18 MIT | 2 REGEN (10 TOTAL) (1/3)| 2 THORN (18 DMG total)
[H: 1 | 0] James: 60 - (13 - 32 = 1) = 59/60 HP | 5 + 1 - 2 = 4/6 EN | 3 DMG | 32 MIT | BLEED | 2 LIGHT MOMENTUM | 1 EVA

vs. 

Brown Bear 1: 37/40 HP | 12 DMG | +1 ACC | -1 EVA
Brown Bear 2: 22/40 HP | 12 DMG | +1 ACC | -1 EVA

James nodded his head in acknowledgment of and agreement with Joanne's plan of attack. He readied his own battle spear and charged towards the first brown bear as the second one recoiled from its own attack on Joanne's thick shield. He charged forward, thrusting his blade into the chest of the large beast and then pulling it out and leaping back out of the way of its attack. The brown bear roared in pain and reared once more, letting out an even louder roar than before. 

"Be careful of its claws as well, Joanne," he called over to her. As her brother, he hated to see her get hurt -- even a little. He leaned against his spear as he waited for the bear to attack him. He was now going on the defensive until he got a critical, then it would be game over for that beast. While waiting for the attack, he looked over and watched Joanne. 

[H: 0 | 0] Joanne: 80 - (13 - 18 = 1) 79/80 HP | 8 - 2 = 6/8 EN | 3 DMG | 9-10 BLD | 18 MIT | 2 REGEN (10 TOTAL) | 2 THORN (18 DMG total) (active)
[H: 1 | 0] James: 60/60 HP | 6 - 1 = 5/6 EN | 3 DMG | 32 MIT | BLEED | 2 LIGHT MOMENTUM | 1 EVA

vs. 

Brown Bear 1: 40 - 3 = 37/40 HP | 12 DMG | +1 ACC | -1 EVA
Brown Bear 2: 40 - 18 = 22/40 HP | 12 DMG | +1 ACC | -1 EVA

While Joanne went back towards the treeline to find some materials, James kept close to the edge of the water where a few white flowers were just blooming. He took a deep breath, the sweet aroma of the flowers filling his nostrils. As he reached down and touched one of the blossoms, it disintegrated just like Joanne's item had. He quickly drew his hand away and watched the pixels blow away in the wind. Odd. But okay, he thought to himself. 

He looked back, checking on his sister. It seemed like she did not have any better luck than him at the moment. "Maybe we should wear items with enchantments that help us find things next time. I heard they make those. Usually an artisan or something sells them. Could be worth a shot," he suggested. If they had worn something like that, then maybe this all would have taken about half of the time. 

"Good job," James cheered for his sister as she found another material. At this rate, they should be able to finish the quest by the early afternoon. He glanced around the area, trying to find anything useful. However, after a few minutes, he gave up his attempt. It appeared that this small area had been looted dry. 

"Come on, Joanne. Let's keep walking. It appears that there are no more materials to be found. I also thought I heard running water up ahead, so maybe there will be a lot to loot around it." He motioned for his sister to follow them as he led the way down the path. After about 10 to 15 minutes of walking, they came upon a small river that had flooded the rest of the path. "Ah, it looks like we'll have to cross once we loot this side," he said, smiling. The water looked nice and cool during a warm spring day on the first floor. 

Name: Cake
Your Profession: Merchant
Your Rank: 2
ID: 128398
Roll: 20
Item Type: Consumable
Tier: 1
ID of Item: 127477
Quality: Rare
Enhancements: 2 Protein
Description: 'Cake. The perfect dessert...unless you're Koga...he hates cake.'
Post Link: http://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/18351-f01-rank-2-merchant-hawke-identifier-and-alchemists/?do=findComment&comment=585891

Name: Cupcake
Your Profession: Merchant
Your Rank: 2
ID: 128401
Roll: 13
Item Type: Consumable
Tier: 1 
ID of Item: 127799
Quality: Uncommon
Enhancements: Evasion
Description: ' Cake. An uncommon dessert...unless you're Koga...he hates cupcakes.'
Post Link: [http://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/18351-f01-rank-2-merchant-hawke-identifier-and-alchemists/?do=findComment&comment=585891

James welcomed Koga into his shop. "Hello, there! How may I help you to today?" He looked over the order and calculated the cost. "Huh, interesting. So the col you get back for the junk sell and the cost of the identifications break even, so you owe 0 col today." Then he took the two consumables and looked them over. "These shouldn't take too long to identify. It should actually only take a few minutes, so you can just wait over there for a few minutes and I'll bring the items over to you." He gestured towards the side of the room while speaking. 

After about 30 minutes had gone by, he walked over to Koga and brought the items to the player. Here you go! They're all done!" he said, smiling and handing the items over. 

@Koga

James took hold of his sisters hand, and with her help rose quickly back to his feet. He stretched, his muscles tense from sitting for so long. "Hm, I suppose while you're searching for items, I should do some searching of my own," he thought aloud, looking around for anything of value. Off to the side of the trail they were walking on, he noticed a small white and brown mushroom. He wandered over and picked it, gently placing it in his inventory. "Ah, seems like I'm having a bit more luck than you over here sis," he teased gently. 

"Don't worry, we should find you some more materials around her sooner or later," he said as he walked over and placed his hand on her shoulder in support. "I have my bad days as well when it comes to gathering, too. Hey, at least we don't have to take out a thousand beasts to find materials." 

+1 T1 material

"A book?" James responded, half in disbelief, half in wonder. "No offense, sis, but you never seemed like the person who would end up writing a book." He thought about it. "Though, you are right. People will need to know what it was like in here once we get out. They need to know how twisted this all was so that the world can take measures so it will never happen again." He sighed. "That makes me wonder: what type of sick person would make a game like this? Just to toy with people's lives. I mean, it makes you feel like a puppet, doesn't it?" He looked over to his sister, waiting for her answer.

That was what had bothered him the most while his sister had been in the hospital. As he sat by her side for hours on end, just waiting for her to wake up, he couldn't help but wonder why. Why would someone make a game like this just to trap innocent people in it? What had they to gain from all this? They must be quite a sadistic person.