Titan

He wouldn't give up though, not yet as he was so close. He'd get enough materials and more importantly eggs before the day was over. He made it to the corner of the first portion of the rock wall and his eyes squinted at the tall tower that rested at the very top about five feet taller than the wall had been. It would make sense if there had been something hiding up there and Titan hoisted himself up onto the rock wall and with his long, lengthy arms began to reach for the spear that pointed directly to the sky in the corner. As Titan had guessed, he felt a sphere in his hand as he searched and tossed it down into his free hand and continued to search. It seemed as though through this he had been able to find two more and a piece of weed just hanging out on the corner. With that, the man jumped down onto the courtyard floor and closed his inventory for now. 

MATERIAL & EASTER EGG ROLL ( +5 LD )

Titan was feeling quite ambitious and would continue forward in his pursuit of eggs and materials. After dusting himself off from the floor, (not that he actually could get dirty) Titan walked with a quick pace back over to the wall that seemed to have respawned a bunch of loot that he had been waiting for. Already at the very bottom of the wall, two easter eggs sat right for the picking and sitting right next to it was a weed that could be used for potions. Titan bent down, picked both of the things up with a quick pluck and shoved them into his inventory with a smile. This was the roll that he wanted to be on, his blue eyes eagerly searching around for more. Titan began pressing at the rocks, seeing if any of them would open up for more loot. It seemed though at this point, nothing was coming up his way with the tricky rocks and they were exactly that, rocks. 

MATERIAL & EASTER EGG ROLL ( +5 LD )

There were two more eggs that he found in the corner nearby one of the oak trees within the forest that he collected fairly quickly and shoved into his inventory pretty quickly. “ You just gotta be patient, when I first did this quest it was absolutely abysmal. I spent hours out here thinking and searching for my last material. ” He’d wait for her to find her last one as they continued on, it’d mean that he could collect as much and many eggs as he could in his final last push.

“ Sure. It’s not really a priority for me right now, honestly. I feel like I’ve been getting a pretty good rhythm for quests and what have you and with my new skills and gear, I think I’m pretty far forward. I just unlocked my rank three assault spear spells so I’ll hit harder and faster with those unlocked. ” He then pointed behind the tree. “ Did you look behind there? Maybe there’s material behind the tree. ”

EASTER EGG & MATERIALS

“ Then, after this you can just take a break and we’ll get you your fox next, how does that sound? ” He was feeling fairly good with the amount of Easter eggs he received so far and didn’t want to follow her too deeply into the old man’s alchemy shop since that should be something that she did on her own. “ I guess we’re pretty good here. I’ll help you find the last material and then when we get back into the Town of Beginnings, I’ll let you do what you need to do to finish the quest. ”

His eyes glanced around, for this round it didn't seem like Titan could find any eggs around or any materials for the sake of alchemy crafting. He stepped a bit forward, curious to see if beyond the trees that they had been in if there were more eggs or materials waiting over there. 

TREASURE CHEST ROLL

More eggs, Titan quickly grabbed at that and his own little patch of materials before putting them into his inventory before turning back around waiting to see if she had enough material for her quest yet, didn’t seem like it. “ I’ve been to Australia as a kid and I’ve always loved them. I’m not trying to be edgy or overzealous with something more than I can handle. I think for a mitigation familiar; it’d be perfect. It’s tiny and compact enough to help take the brunt of some of the damage sent my way. ” He’d find the fiercest wombat he could to help him climb and treat it like a damn king.

“ I, uhh, kitsune could work. Foxes are cool. ” He shrugged, not quite sure what else could work for her. “ I think birds always work too. I know they have to be fairly small. If you’re looking for a damage familiar, that’d work. ”

EASTER EGG & MATERIALS

“ As morbid as that was, you’re probably right. Best bet would be to keep on running, huh. ” He paused for a second as he let the thought sink in fairly deep, Cordelia truly did save his damn life against the boar and he owed her something. “ I’m not sure when this’ll happen but I’ll pay you back this favor one day, better believe it. ” And Titan was a man of a word, it might not be for months or even a year, he’d make sure the other knew that he had her back in a time of trouble.

He noticed as Cordelia spun him around, watching as she seemed to point him in the right direction as the man blushed a scarlet hue against his cheeks. “ We get it, you’re a front liner. You know how this game works. ” Rolling his eyes in jest along with a sarcastic grin, he couldn’t help but notice the looks that Cordelia had been giving him and enjoying that above all else, he could make her laugh. “ I’d say what would I do without you again but you already answered, I’d be a goner. ” He couldn’t help but send a little sting her way, a cheeky comment to her otherwise caring and kind attitude. " What's the best floor to meet you on for Saturday? I decided, I want a wombat for a familiar. "

Titan knew this and held it as a true beacon of himself, the damn boy was a charmer. He knew what to do, how to say it and bash his long eyelashes for the sake of what he was doing. Ever since he was a child, it seemed like he had been a flame that many of others had been drawn into. It’s why he went into Sales, he had enough charisma that it toppled over him and win the client’s trust and more importantly, their business.

“ That’s smart. I need my familiar too. Wanna do yours next and then you can help with mine? I think I’m going for a mitigation wombat. I think I saw some a few floors up. ” Offering a smile, it’s how symbiotic relationships often worked. Both parties working together, gaining from one another to keep positive growth for both individuals. It’s how he saw Shay, a partner to climb and grow with.

One additional material and five eggs at his feet, Titan picked it up with a smile. He'd have more than enough by the time this was all over. 

EASTER EGG & MATERIALS

“ That’s what you think. ” He taunted back, gaze finding the eggs he needed and quickly collecting them and putting them into his inventory. “ I’m already ahead of you and I have no signs of stopping until I’m where I need to be. Got it? ” His voice had commanded some presence, his own eyes looked directly at Shay’s for this challenge. It’d be a friendly competition, of course.

“ Don’t mention it. I’m only here to help myself, that’s the goal but if I sense someone who I think can be useful or looks like they’re a good person who needs some help, who am I not to extend a hand. ” Shay would be powerful; he could tell by her drive already. “ You just needed a little kick and that’s all I did. ” If she hadn’t floundered so badly in the Hoya quest, he didn’t think they would be where they were at so if anything, it was Shay’s own frustration that led them to where they were now.

EASTER EGG & MATERIALS

There had been two more eggs just waiting for him as he leaned down to pick them up while the other had been stewing over her own desires and feelings of inadequacy. This would be a learning lesson for them all and they all had new selves to rediscover once they made it out the other end as people who either no longer existed or took on one of the hardest things they could in their lives. This would be make it or break it and Titan had a feeling that Shay was truly a fighter.

“ Good, then I’ll race you to the top. ” It would be that easy, he would use his own motivation to bring Shay along too and at a quicker pace. “ Let’s see who we become in the process, yeah? ” A devilish smirk, he was curious how many people he could motivate to continue forward with persistence and a tenacity that they hadn’t seen in a bit.  

EASTER EGG & MATERIALS

He hadn’t wanted to piss off anyone higher level, he knew that it wasn’t a good look and that if they wanted to, they could ruin anything and make it incredibly difficult to level up. Now, he didn’t think Lessa would ever do that but it was the principal of making smarter and better choices when chatting with them. “ It’s not up to them to decide how you feel and what you’re ready for. If people can’t realize that, it doesn’t seem like they should be in a position where they should be aiming for the front lines anyway. ” and those would be his final words on the matter for now.

“ I’ve actually never eaten anything other than what they have at the tavern. Mostly hamburgers, ground meat and what have you. Do you have a place you like on the first floor that you enjoy? ” Her movements seemed to be slightly hampered, a waft of sadness that seemed to be ebbing and flowing throughout them both.

“ I’d be willing to go into a different floor too, just haven’t got the nerve to leave the Town of Beginnings quite yet being a newbie and all. ” but he’d trust the girl to take care of him if there was a place somewhere else with stellar food. Titan picked up the three eggs hiding in a nearby bush before looking back at Lessa, feeling as though their time picking eggs would be coming to an end soon. 

EASTER EGG LOOT

There it was, another large cluster of six eggs that Titan eagerly grabbed at and placed into his inventory. It appeared that this might be a bit easier moving forward and he’d get just enough eggs to buy everything he’d wanted. “ Do I want to see you succeed here? ” He asked a rhetorical question, before looking directly at her. “ Sure. I don’t want to see you fail so I guess that means I’m rooting for you. ” It wasn’t something he had been actively doing, not without his own personal gain from questing with her and leveling up himself. “ Why, did you think otherwise? ” He twisted the other’s question, making sure she still was on the same page.

“ I’m just here to help when I can. I think a majority of people who I’ve met so far have been that way. I’m not sure what the higher floors are like but people tend to be pretty nice within the first five or six floors at least. I’ve only ventured up to 11 at the highest and that was only for gathering materials.”

EASTER EGG & MATERIALS

In the hushed sounds of Shay seemingly processing everything that Titan had shared with her, he found five Easter eggs casually in a basket with its vision somewhat being blocked by a large frond. Titan quickly walked around to grab onto it, a smile as he felt like if he kept up this pace, he’d be able to get every single thing he wanted from the Easter Egg boys. 

“ Well then, good luck. Just know that no one goes through life alone and you have people around willing to fight and help. Don’t forget that. ” Titan had been going to therapy enough to see a troubled soul and Shay felt vindictive and calloused. “ You’re welcome. I just think we’re literally all in this together, right? What’s the point of not lending a helping hand when we all have reasons to climb to the top. ” She seemed like she actually was thankful and it hadn’t just been lip service. “ So, have you thought at all about what’s next for you in the game? Familiar, Profession, Weapons?” He asked, curious if she knew what her short-term goals had been.

EASTER EGG & MATERIALS

The way they reminisced, even though they hadn’t known much of each other outside of this introductory moment, felt refreshing to have a time to think back and remember their lives outside of this death game. “ Yeah… ” He trailed off for a second, the rose-tinted glasses coming up whenever he thought of her. “ It’s been years though. I would hope she moved on and isn’t waiting for me. To be stuck in the real world clinging onto hope. I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy but, I agree. She’s mighty special. ” And with those words, Titan had a moment where he sent love over to his girlfriend back on Earth hoping that there was even a way for her heart to pang in this moment, to feel him actively thinking of her. His eyes spotted the eggs, it had been nice to have someone to talk to about all of this.

“ Ahh, sorry. I didn’t mean to pry. ” He wanted her to know that he wasn’t trying to make her feel small, he enjoyed her presence probably the most of the people he met so far. “ Look Lessa, I’m not here to judge. I’m a newbie barely understanding what’s going on. You’ve been fighting from the beginning to get out of here and for that I have to thank you. Let some of the others carry the burden of floor clearing. You take as long as you need or never return, that’s only up for you to decide. ” He moved in close, putting a hand on her shoulder and giving it a squeeze of condolence. “ We don’t need to talk about it anymore, I won’t ask. ”

EASTER EGG LOOT

She seemed to trust Titan, forever that actually meant, and it seemed as though with enough persistence, Titan had been able to coerce an explanation of how it manifested for the younger girl. “ I hate to say this to you but, I think a lot of the people here lucked out or paid their way to get here. I know I did. ” He was rich, his family had pull and this is where it lead him to. “ But, I get why you’d want to prove yourself and this game is a huge equalizer in doing so. ” There it was again, the fire in her eyes that propelled her forward.

“ No, it makes sense. ” He made sure he let her know that she sounded sane.

Titan looked down and spotted a couple of eggs, chucking them into his inventory as they both looked for material as well. “ Just know that even with a silver spoon in your mouth, it’s what you make of yourself inside and out. Don’t forget that if we don’t die and even crazier, if we make it out alive, alright? ”

EASTER EGG & MATERIALS

Titan had been extra vigilant in watching the way the other maneuvered through the space she had with an orange cursor. He hadn’t expected to see them still in this game, figuring those who were high enough wouldn’t bother helping newbies out or they’ve created their own little home to pk players there but never in the Town of Beginnings. With a simple nod, Titan invited Mari into his party. “ Sounds good. ” Giving the girl a warm smile, Titan pulled out the map that had been given to her by Hannah and pointed out into the dense forest for the cave. “ It says it’s this way to get the gem. ” Titan began to walk, a casual stride for now as he took in Mari’s gear and her petite stature, she must be mighty fast or something.

“ I’m guessing you’re a part of the front lines helping newbies catch up as fast as possible? ” For everyone’s he’s met so far who had been levels ahead of him, this happened to be the case. Titan was more curious to her motive than anything else, perhaps he’d do the same when the time came.
@Mari

To hear Lessa share her own desires to return to the real world, to not be enveloped in artificial beauty but to see what the Earth had created on her own made Titan feel like as he continued, Lessa would truly be one of the few who could help him make it out alive and power through to keep the group motivated to continue. He’d have to research her a little more, figure out how much pull she had with the frontlines, only for his own inquisitive nature. “ Yeah… I have a girlfriend back home. I doubt she’s still waiting for me. We had this cute little apartment in Tokyo and a tiny maltese poodle named Casey. ” But, in this game he felt so lonely and there had been so many kind people that he couldn’t help his mind from wandering into he what ifs with them.

“ No, I get it. For those who maybe didn’t have enough. This would feel like heaven minus the dying. ” For someone who had little to nothing, a chance to reclaim their lives and end up on top would be ridiculously tempting. His eyes spotted the Easter Eggs, grabbing some of them and putting them into his inventory.

“ So, how long have you been a part of the front lines? What does that even mean or look like in terms of number of people? ” He was too nosey not to ask, curious to see if he would need to hurry up or if he had the luxury of time on his side.

EASTER EGG LOOT

Hook, Line and Sinker.

When the man heard her expressions and how easy it was to get your feeling quite passioned about the fact that she hadn’t been avoiding him, meant that in fact, she absolutely had been doing that. “ All these quests are fairly boring, especially with little to no gear on. ” A flippant response while the honesty continued to pour through from Titan to Shay. It seemed like she did have a little sense as she now had been in a party with the man. His own eyes scoured the floor as he collected six Easter Eggs from the ground and a piece of material, chucking them into his inventory as he’d done hundreds of times before.

“ It represents a power of old. ” Remnant of the Greek Titans before the gods overthrew them. “ I knew I wanted to be a tank, before I came into the game so I picked something that fit the aesthetic. ” He still barely looked when people called him Titan or Ti, it was something he had been getting used to. “ Yesterday you mentioned that you didn’t want anyone to take care of you and got really upset, why? ” He hoped a day processing would give her a stronger handle of her feelings.

EASTER EGG & MATERIALS

He noticed how the girl had a bit of a smile against her lips as she spoke, Titan was thankful that she hadn’t been too upset or held too much of a grudge for when he had to help her reel it all in. “ Sounds good, I need a few more Easter Eggs, anyway. ” His eyes spotted the two Easter Eggs that were near by his feet and plucking it and tossing it into his inventory, knowing it hadn’t been a huge amount but every small amount would help his collection grow.

She seemed pretty good at collecting the materials needed for the quest. “ I’m not worried about you. ” He combated back with a stare, rolling his eyes at her word choice. “ I just know these quests can be dull. ” He decided to fire a question right back at the girl. “ Why are you avoiding me? ”

EASTER EGG & MATERIALS

Titan knew that he still had a bunch of Easter eggs he needed to collect but his mind was getting overwhelmed with the amount and the fervor these damn items had on himself and the rest of Aincrad has had so far. After he finally cleared his inventory, emptying a few trash items and feeling content, Titan was surprised by the announcement of one girl who appeared with a casual hand wave. Her cursor had been something that brought Titan surprise, but he knew the first few floors were safe from player killing so he truly wasn’t worried about dying with her near. “ Oh yeah, I responded to your bulletin. ” Surprised by her height and her own gear, she seemed fairly powerful. “ Nice to meet you, Mari. ” Giving her a head nod as he pointed for them to both walk and talk outside of the Town of Beginnings.

“ I thought I was being helpful and had damage potions too. Guess we’re both alchemists, huh. ” He sighed as a joke. “ I just need some help killing some of the monsters around here, it’s really the company that’s the best part. These quests can get fairly exhausting. ”
@Mari

Titan had noticed that Shay hadn’t messaged him at all since they had been together to finish off the Hoya. It seemed a bit bizarre, that she wouldn’t use his assistance when he lived on the very first floor but he knew that her ego had been much larger than her desire for some assistance. Little did she know that the house that Titan owned had been right next to Zachariah’s shop and he just so happened to be heading out for some casual picking while Shay also headed outside to pick for the quest as well.

“ You’re already going to think I was stalking you but I live right at the corner of Zachariah’s. I take it you’re doing the very first quest? I’m just here to pick some eggs if you’d like some company. ” The man immediately spotted five eggs right outside the gate of the Town of Beginnings before he tossed over an invitation to Shay to join his party. 

TITAN'S INVENTORY

EASTER EGG & MATERIALS

He decided he'd stay here for a little bit longer. On his hands and knees seemed to really provide such a huge quantity of eggs and he looked inside the hole he just opened, six additional eggs waiting further on the bottom of the pile. Surprised, he moved in closer and inspected the hole for any trap doors or any openings for any additional eggs. It seemed to be that was it and Titan with his already opened inventory, tossed each and every single one of the six eggs from the pit inside. " Alright, I think that's enough of that. " he felt like he got quite a bit of loot from the inside too but he didn't quite like the crawling bit and having to be so low without his back covered. So instead, Titan headed back to the wall for more eggs and materials, appreciating that he could at least look out to see if anyone was around with a better vantage point. 

MATERIAL & EASTER EGG ROLL ( +5 LD )

He stayed on the floor, somehow this vantage point seemed to be pretty advantageous when it came to spotting material along with eggs. Titan hadn't expected such a limited view to be beneficial but who was he to complain? He crawled on his hands and knees for about three feet before there had been a small sprouting clump of weeds, but large enough to be picked and identified as materials. Titan placed that into his inventory and saw a clump of grass. He often knew what that meant and picked at the top layer to spot three colorful Easter eggs underneath. His inventory wide open, he tossed each egg individually and counted as his number seemed to be closer to 350 than 300 at this point. " Just a little more and i'll be set. " Titan didn't expect the fire to be lit so intensely but it was and he knew he'd have to do all of this if he even wanted a chance to close the gap between him and those who sat so ambitiously at the top and at the front lines. 

MATERIAL & EASTER EGG ROLL ( +5 LD )

He pushed himself off of the wall and this time decided to go a bit further into the courtyard which is something he hadn't done yet. Titan focused on the perimeter as it seemed to have the most easter eggs and materials per ratio but perhaps the inside would have just as much as well. It had been a fairly large courtyard considering how dense and compact the eleventh’s floor city had been.

Titan took a step and immediately heard a little bit of a crack underneath his foot, looking down at where he stepped and found two clumpy grass pieces that could be used for alchemy. “ Nice. ” With haste, the man plucked them from the floor before a glimmer of sparkle caught his eye from a few feet ahead of him. There, two glimmering eggs sat waiting to be claimed. “ And with that, you’re mine. ” Shoving them into his inventory with a smirk, this was going really well.

MATERIAL & EASTER EGG ROLL ( +5 LD )

After he found his eggs and materials hidden inside of the rock, like clockwork the man stood and began to scan the very top of the rockwall that seemed to have a few compartments that he could press on to expose additional hiding places. After a couple of random pressing, Titan saw as his button press opened up the very top to showcase five more easter eggs and two materials again from the hiding places. It seemed as though the sneaker of a position that Titan tried to find, the easier it had been to find a big cluster of eggs and materials. " Alright, just a little bit more. " The man murmured while he opened up his inventory and shoved both eggs and materials inside of it before he pressed the button to close the top of the wall. If this continued to happen, he'd only need twenty minutes of active farming before he finished. 

MATERIAL & EASTER EGG ROLL ( +5 LD )

Eggs, eggs and more eggs is all he had on his mind as he wanted to secure the last three items that could reroll items and buffs on weapons that weren't super ideal. After his conversation with Shield, the man knew that he needed to focus and continue collecting anything and everything he needed if he truly wanted to be the best. If he did this now, when he hit tier three he would be in such a great place for success. And so he did, he focused on what was in front of him and pressed once again on the rocks. This time it only took a few presses before one of the rocks turned around in place exposing five Easter eggs and 2 materials for him to collect. " Yes, this is what I like to see. " his words were eager, excited almost as he continued forward in his conquest of this dang event. 

MATERIAL & EASTER EGG ROLL ( +5 LD )