Elora

Elora watched as the rock tumbled down the path, then rolled to a stop in her trajectory. It rested in an optimal kicking position. Readying herself to deliver the hit, her right foot swung forward, making contact with the stone and wailing it into the herd of pigs. Several of them squealed anxiously and ran away while a lone straggler turned the face the pair.

Bacon Bits.

The slightly larger member snorted and stomped its feet angrily before breaking into a charge. A few pigs trailing behind the rest stopped and reconsidered their stake in the ensuing fight. With brief hesitation, they turned around and joined Bacon Bits in his belligerent boarish blitz!

"I -- uhm -- ahh, maybe we caaaan tulkabouthislauter!" Her voice sped up drastically once she began to bolt away from the pack of pork. What kind of accent was that? There was no way in hell she could handle fighting those things, not all at once! Elora was so frantic in her evasion that she didn't even notice she had killed one of the boars.

She accepted his request, and they embarked on their journey. Had he not been with her, she would have taken up the passtime of kicking pebbles. It wasn't practical for both of them to do at the same time since they'd both attempt to lay claim to a stone with the most potential energy, like a flock of chickens spotting the same grasshopper during dry season. You can have this victory, she permitted before his voice curtailed her thoughts.

"So, which quest is it today:  Zackariah's,  Lyle's, Hannah's or old Pete's?"

"Lyle's", answered Elora. She was going to leave the response at that, but figured it might be worth her effort to keep the conversation going. They had a long road ahead of them after all. "He wants me to get the boar tusks outlined in the quest description, but also some bacon. I guess the package I gave to him had a sentimental item in it. Don't know how Zakariah got a hold of it. Guess the two of them must go waaay back"

"Uh, sure. I'm sure making them wouldn't be difficult. And I know what you mean. I feel like most of my time doing quests is wasted on turning over every rock and blade of grass I can for just the chance of finding something" She kind of enjoyed that aspect though. Something about the surprise in uncovering reward made the exploration even more exciting. As she spoke, she continued scrutinizing the underbrush in the hopes that it would contain mushrooms for her and Kill to gather.  I've already done this twice though, so I should be better at it BY NOW, she criticized herself.

"Why don't we walk a little further to see if we have better odds somewhere else?" Her statement's undertone seemed to convey the frustration she felt. She lead them down a nearby knoll, following the direction of a small waterfall that was gushing from the rocks. At its base, a pod of minnows swam steadily against the current. "More stuff might grow around this water-source"

(click to watch the fishies swim)

"That one's got a pretty flower!", exclaimed Elora as she ran toward an especially tall cactus. She had spent a good portion of the morning traversing the desert landscape that laid just outside of Fortaleza. Being so close to a settlement, she figured she wouldn't really need to worry about encountering strong monsters. That was, until she found herself lost among the sand dunes. The Sun had risen to its apex, and Elora was starting to feel its effect on her resolve. Discovering the occasional cactus for her to attempt to gather was about the only redeeming factor of her escapade. With ease, she lifted her spear and nonchalantly cut the flower from its base, adding the item to her inventory. At least my stamina isn't suffering from the heat...yet...

"Hey NIGHT, Yuki!", she thought she heard a voice call out. Turning to find the source, she noticed a snowy-haired player running to meet two other women. When had the three of them gotten there? Elora felt uncomfortable at the thought of approaching them to ask for help, as their gear marked them as being at a much higher level than her. You've been out here for hours trying to find your way back to the town. At this rate you'll be lucky if you can survive an attack from a horse fly. She quickly swallowed her pride and started to make her way over to and up the large mountain of sand. 

Jackpot seemed to have an impeccable sense of smell. Sure enough, he had lead them both to a small meadow that was dotted in bushes with flowering honeysuckles. "Yeah, I think I've heard that too", confirmed Elora as she reached out to remove a cluster of flowers. When she pulled to remove the segment from the whole, it snapped with such force that all of their petals fluttered off and disintegrated into pixels. "Hmm...looks like we might not be able to use these...", she noted with a tone of discouragement. "You know, I think I read somewhere this one time that prickly pear juice can also sooth inflammation. The only trouble would be making sure that all of the barbs are removed before you incorporate it into a serum. But that doesn't sound too difficult. I'm sure I could manage it on the first try!" She definitely held a concerningly high resolve when it came to tasks she thought she should be good at.

Unfortunately, the door had opened from nothing but the wind. The blacksmith promptly returned to his monologue "Well, she helped me forge this pan, and ever since that day, I have made it my life's work to make tools for other people to use. If you've come to complete my quest, I also ask that you bring me fresh pork belly so that I can make my mother's delicious bacon again"

A screen appeared in front of Elora's face to accept the mission. "Sure thing. If it isn't out of the way, I wouldn't mind bringing some back to you" After a nod of appreciation from Lyle, Elora was on her way to the fields. Geez what a chatterbox. I hope that he isn't going to talk my ear off when I bring him the supplies he requested. 

It wasn't long before she reached the gates and was spotted by Freyd, the peculiar player who wore black robes. Yikes, he's talking to an NPC? Must be pretty desperate for company. He seemed to spend a lot of his time wandering from place to place like Elora. The only difference was that he was probably able to access higher levels of Aincrad while she remained trapped on its starting floor. If there was any opportunity for him to assist her in climbing the ranks, she might as well accept it. "Sure, I wouldn't mind having an...er, walking companion", she agreed with some hesitation since the phrase sounded off to her. 

Warren had left Elora with Zakariah's package so that she could undertake the Second Lessons Quest on a different day, one where she wasn't feeling exhausted. Too bad today wasn't one of those days, but to hell with it, she was going to make some progress toward getting off of Floor 1. She set out to the Blacksmith's workshop with an exasterbated groan and a drag of her foot. With a knock on the door, Elora announced herself, "Hey, anyone here? I've got a delivery for Lyle...Tealeaf? PFFF --" She stifled a laugh that was in response to his last name. It sounded so dainty and cliche. 

SLAM!

The entryway door swung open violently to reveal a gigantic, unrealistically muscular old man "I AM HE!", the worker proclaimed "IS THAT A PRESENT?!" Elora stood there, taken aback by the sheer bravado of the NPC. Before she had a chance to explain herself, the blacksmith eagerly seized the box from her and began to frantically unwrap its contents. Suddenly he froze, revering the item. He lifted careful fingers towards it, as if it was a fragile artifact he needed to be careful in handling. "My old cast-iron frying pan..." 

"Cast-iron?", remarked Elora, "It didn't feel that heavy to carry" The man ignored her, preparing to launch into a expose-dump "Oh no. No, no, no--"

He began to lead her into the smithy as he spoke: "It all started when I was a young lad" HNNNNG "Mother Tealeaf used to make the best bacon in all the land. One day I asked her 'mother, how do you make the best bacon in all the land?'. She turned to me and said, 'Well son, you must first make sure that you have the right equipment to carry out such a task. I use nothing other than a sturdy pan that can handle the heat of the flame'", Lyle wiped a nostalgic tear from his eye, "That day, she helped me first my first cooking tool so that --"

The door to Lyle's shop creaked open again. "THANK GOD!", Elora exclaimed. She was excited for something, ANYTHING to put an end to this extensive dialogue box.

"Well, I've only really gathered materials at this point. Haven't actually had the chance to try my hand at crafting anything with them", responded Elora. In reality, she had just felt too nervous and discouraged to even begin. After all, the first potion she had crafted with Warren turned out looking like a burnt chowder. Go into business? What does that mean?, she thought as she considered Kill's offer. 

While he and Freyd had begun to converse about something else, she took the time to eye the area for herbs. It hadn't been long since she had first visited this region with Jackpot, the player who helped her earn the title of an Alchemist. This time around, the location seemed pretty picked over and devoid of the herbs that she needed in order to create potions. 

She tuned back into the other players' conversation: "Maybe I can get some ideas on what to market like useful to not so useful..." Kill brought up a good point. It wouldn't be long before she and him would need to fight tooth and nail to get their products sold in the competitive market landscape. The thought only increased Elora's fear that she wouldn't be good enough to survive in the shadows of others in her profession.

Elora shook her head in response to Freyd's question, "No, cooking isn't really my forte. I'm working on becoming an Alchemist" A merchant, huh?, Elora thought skeptically as she eyed his attire. Before she could give his appearance further consideration, the white-haired player had begun introducing himself to her. "Hello, Elora. I'm Kilua or Kil is fine." His name is...Kill? Oh no, what kind of chef's cult have I just agreed to join? What if they're looking for human sacrifices?! 

She had begun to sweat nervously as the three of them embarked on their adventure outside of the city's gates. In this terrain, anything was fair game. She needed to watch her back. In the meantime, she would play it cool and maybe feign ignorance. If they didn't know she was onto them she might have a better chance of surviving. Even better, maybe the three of them could find someone else to sacrifice. 

"I'll have a go", she confirmed before proceeding to knock on the workshop's door. It wasn't long before Zakariah greeted them and invited them in. "So it seems you've found the herbs I requested, splendid! I hope that Lady Luck was on your side during your travels. It would be unfortunate if the two of you encountered any trouble" The old man was almost obnoxiously nice. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, let's just get on with the crafting already" was what Elora wanted to say. Zakariah continued, "Follow me and I will help you create a healing potion to aid you in future adventures"

He led them past the elaborate chemistry set he had been finicking with when they met and over to a and tiny, rusty cauldron in the corner of the room. "This is where you will --"

"Got it, throw the items in", Elora interjected. She hastily dumped her set of herbs into the cauldron. The pot boiled up, filling with pink bubbles and chunks of debris. A notification appeared to show than an item had been added to her inventory  x1 Healing Potion - Uncommon Quality . "I'll take that", said Zakariah as he confiscated the potion  Healing Potion Given to Zakariah  "If you hadn't been so hasty, you would have produced a potion of higher quality. Next time, take it more slowly. Carefully prepare the ingredients and cook them until they're fully incorporated" 

Elora nodded, then turned to address Warren, rolling her eyes, "You're up"

A smile appeared on Elora's face as she watched Warren's reaction to completing his quest. It was good that they were both eventually able to finish gathering the items. Although she reached her objective before him, she would have felt guilty if hadn't stayed and encouraged him to see things through. "I don't know. It might be morning before we get back. That river really messed us up." Reading his expression now, he seemed worried about whether or not they'd make it back safely. That unsettled Elora, who didn't think being outside the city walls at odd hours would make much of a difference. I was able to defeat that thing that grabbed hold of him, so I'm sure if we were both fighting a monster we'd be able to take it down easily. Who knows though, maybe it was one of the weak ones...

She jumped a little upon hearing a sudden "BLIP" interrupt the silence between them. Thankfully it was only the sound of a notification.

"Hey, Elora. Oscar just sent me a message. I think he's gonna help us get back.", said Warren with a hint of relief.

Well, I don't know if I want that basket case leading us back, but I guess it's better than nothing... "That sounds good", she said nodding, "Do you know how we're going to find him though?"

The fork dropped into the bowl of, what even was it, molten cheeto sludge? Another failed attempt at cooking mac and cheese left Elora feeling defeated and hangry. "Christ, it shouldn't be this difficult to make something with three ingredients! 'cook until noodles are done' my ass! How was I suppose to know they would just disintegrate if I cooked them an extra minute or five?" She held her stomach as it growled incessantly, demanding to be fed. "I guess this means I'll be going out to buy a meal AGAIN" 

And with that, Elora was off to find sustenance. On her way to the food court district, she happened by a conversation that piqued her interest: "I want to gather some materials for cooking. In return, when I do get myself up in rank, I'll cook for you no charge" 

Was that an offer for FREE FOOD? She must have been overhearing a conversation between two chums. Still, she couldn't help but wonder if there was a chance she could get in on that deal. But how am I going to approach them without making it obvious that I'm just interested in a meal? She took notice of something that the player had mentioned earlier. It was something along the lines of: "I don't think there will be other people, but Justin Case emptied...one?...dos crumbs? We can leave our condolences" 

Boy was he wrong! I don't know who this Justin Case guy is, but I'm sure that I could contribute more than his measles crumbs!

"Sounds like you guys are looking for another member!", she called out while jogging up to meet them. "I'm Elora!"

With that, the two of them headed up the river by following a narrow trail that laid beside it. Elora took in the scenery around them, once again happy to bask in nature without being swarmed by insects. It was long before the reached the edge of the forest. A field assorted with tall grasses and flowers now extended between them and the Town of Beginnings. "Good thing Zakariah isn't based on a real old man, or we'd probably have to wait all night before we could see him again tomorrow morning", she chuckled at her own joke, "Do you think that making the potions with him to will be any easier?" She hoped that it would be. Even though Elora had enjoyed her time foraging with Warren, she was ready for a bit of a break. She had never been adventuring outside of the city walls before and was starting to feel the affects of a long day's work on her body. 

Elora's face shifted from an anxious expression to one containing pride and a beaming smile. "I defeated it!", she exclaimed. The statement seemed to be pointing out the fact to Warren just as much as it was reinforcing the accomplishment to herself. "I thought it was going to eat you! I've never been able -- well I guess I've never tried -- to land a hit like that! You were even able to keep the flower! Maybe we should start killing more monsters if they leave behind items like that"

By now, the Sun was setting and a dim blue sky loomed over them. The orbs atop the reeds swayed and glowed a soft blue while yellow smudges of light from nocturnal insects sprinkled the vegetation around them. 

"It's getting late now, why don't we start heading back? I'm sure you'll be able to find more to gather on the way, especially with your newfound luck" She gave him a playful wink "That is, if we can even find our way back"

Elora gasped and quickly scrambled to ready her spear. "D-don't worry, I'll -- uhm -- I'll get you free!", she consoled him with the shakiest voice imaginable. It would be apparent to anyone observing that she had never engaged in a battle before, especially one where it was up to her to take the initiative. Her first impulse was to get the hell away from the thing and save herself from being eaten. No, no, no! You're going to stay and fight that thing! Warren saved you after your escapade and now you're going to do the same! , Elora thought as she quickly talked herself out of it.

Before she could allow herself to waver, she rushed forward toward the beast. Elora jumped into the air and forced the point of her spear into the monster's mouth. It quickly recoiled at the pain, retracting its roots from coiling around Warren. She landed awkwardly on the ground, clearly unsure of her footing. The roots quickly fell limp and turned black as dirt broke off and slid from the hole nearby into the creature's mouth, burying it completely. 

Elora nodded without considering that his impairment wouldn't allow him to see the affirmation. "Yeah, it seems we'll just need to gather five items; herbs, maybe?" 

"Sounds kinda boring. Just figured you might appreciate some company." 

"Yeah...it can be. I haven't really done any scavenging on my own yet, so I'm not sure what it'd be like" She considered what they could do to prevent the quest from becoming, well, lack-luster. Her recent journey with Warren had proved that what seemed like an enjoyable and productive pass-time could quickly be soured by bad luck. Maybe it'd be better to look outside of the wooded region this time. I'd imagine other climates probably produce fewer herbs, but the change in scenery could be a good trade-off.

"Are we, uh, out of the city yet?", Jackpot inquired, distracting her from her thoughts. 

"No, not yet. Let's get a move on" Soon, they had moved through the gates and were on their way to a region of scattered ponds and lakes that resided northeast of the town. It wasn't long before Elora spotted something that she could gather. In the shade of a shrub was a light teal-colored plant with jagged leaves. Upon grabbing its stem, Elora noticed that it seemed to emanate a cooling sensation, almost like a potent mint. "This one seems like it'll do wonders for your eyes"

"O-oh", Elora spoke. She didn't know whether or not that actually clarified anything about the circumstances of their situation. "He seems nice" There wasn't really an easy avenue of conversation for her to transition to after everything had happened. "Wellll", she added as she stood up completely and began to stretch her legs. The weight of her armor and her clothing felt twice as heavy now with all of that water trapped inside of them. Getting back to the Town of Beginnings was going to be a long-haul. 

 "I think I'll scout out where we are now while you take a rest. Maybe I can find something for you to collect" With that, she began to scan the stretch of bank, which was surrounded by tall reeds with circular bulbs that almost seemed to glow from within as sky's light began to dim. Small amphibious creatures bounced across puddles and began to chirp in an unharmonious chorus. 

Elora sat up and spun toward the noise, positioning her spear defensively between it and the two of them. A stream of water splattered off from her arms when she made the motion. Sh*t sh*t sh*t, she thought to herself, How the hell are we going to defend ourselves if that's another player? A tall man emerged from the woods and enthusiastically shouted "HOT DOG!" before hurling an item at Warren. Elora's first instinct was to knock it out of the air to prevent it from hitting him. But as it sailed majestically over to them, she could read it's title: "Crazy Lucky Hot Dog". Is that...something to help him?, she deduced confusedly. 

The frankfurter landed directly onto Warren's mouth -- a direct hit! Before she had the chance to thank the strange strategist sausage assailant, he had already fled the scene. Was it really nighttime already? 

"What the f*ck was THAT?" 

Elora's first instinct was to touch the bottom of the river bed and stand up, except that when her feet extended to search for the floor, they were met with no resistance. Her head quickly submerged beneath the water's surface as a strong undercurrent drug her downstream. Her arms resisted it and fought to tread water, but the weight of her equipment and the items she gathered were difficult to counter. The next sweeping motion of her arm made contact with a solid object -- maybe a fallen tree she could grab hold of. As she bent her arm to cling to it, she felt its branch -- no, another arm -- wrap around her waist. Warren! The realization he had fallen in after she did caused a second wave of panic to wash over her. Before she could even act on her drive to get them to safety, he had already begun to change the direction of their course. Blessedly, Elora's feet scrapped against a series of submerged rocks. She pushed off from them, assisting him in bringing both of them closer to the shallows. 

Once they had managed to crawl onto shore, Elora released the berry plant, which had never left the clutches of her hand. A green screen materialized above her:

ALL MATERIALS GATHERED. RETURN TO ZAKARIAH'S WORKSHOP TO COMPLETE THE QUEST.

Admittedly, it was a comforting announcement to see, however....She turned her head to look at Warren, who was completely drenched and laying on the sand, gasping for air. It felt so....hollow....

"I'm...so sorry...", she said with her head hanging in embarrassment for what he witnessed her do, and for she put him through. 

"It's all about the technique", Elora began haughtily, "You've got to make sure you're careful when you touch the plant and start to separate it from its stem, wherever it may be" Her eyes scanned the area, looking for an interesting plant that she could use as a demonstration for her expertise. Past a series of boulders that protruded from the brook was a small island of foliage which had likely surfaced after the river's flooding. Rich in nutrients, the soil had produced a bounty of burgundy berries which were surrounded by cylindrical  flowers in an array of red and purple colors. Elora made her way to the spot by gracefully stepping, then hopping over the smoothed river-rocks. "The most important thing is be confident in your gesture. If you hesitate and --"

Just before she could make it to the isle, Elora lost her footing on a particularly slippery stone that was glazed with a thin layer of slime. "A-AHHH!", she cried out in surprise. Her arm reached out to grab anything that could stop her fall, haphazardly clenching one of the prickly stems of a berry bush before it snapped off and caused her to plummet into the water.

"The difference is that now we have weapons that actually protect us", she added sarcastically to play off of his joke. "Accept for when they don't" Well, that's a little bit bleak, considering what the outcome could be... It seemed that Warren's spirit was lifted when he was finally able to acquire an item. If Elora had been him, she would have long since given up. Her focus shifted from admiring his resilience to whirling a fern around her fingers and using the leverage to pull it from the ground. 

"It's a shame I can't share my items with you or we'd probably already be on our way back to the city", Elora remarked proudly. She didn't seem to consider how the comment could hurt Warren's feelings since he was obviously facing some difficulty in completing the quest. "But either way, I'm sure we'll find everything we need soon enough" 

"Yeah, it reminds me of where I grew up" Elora found herself reminiscing about what life used to be like when she was a child roaming the real world. "My brother and I used to explore the creek that ran through our backyard. We would catch bugs, build forts, and make weapons out of the sticks we found." Recounting all of the times he needed to carry her back home after she'd been stung by bees brought a smile to her face. "It was probably pretty dangerous for us to wander through the woods like that, but I think our parents enjoyed hearing us talk about all the things we did and discovered. That, or they just wanted us out of the house for awhile"

Elora proceeded to use the point of her spear to saw off a small clump of moss that was dotted in miniature white flowers. "Anyway, it might take us awhile to get everything we need, but at least we can enjoy the scenery without worrying about the small insects" 

"Let's get the hell out of this place and try looking in a different area" Elora suggested as she stood and began to lift her glove. The barbs of each burr slowly peeled away from her skin until only the leather fabric suspended them. Removing this piece allowed her to carefully pluck off each thistle without the risk of pushing them back into her hand. She worked on this task as they journeyed down the field's well-worn path. Before long, it twisted and descended the slope of a shallow river bed. 

The water's surface glistened in patches of sun that scattered through the tree's canopies when their leaves tumbled in bursts of rushing wind. Patches of fanning ferns, fluffy moss, and floating lilypads, were illuminated by its beams. "Ah, this looks nice for some variation" spoke Elora as she candidly crouched down and separated one of the lily flowers from its stem. 

Accepted. Thanks!

She observed in solidarity as Warren once again attempted to and failed at gathering another item. Their objective seemed to quickly be losing its original appeal. "You'd think with so many resources at our disposal that it'd be easier. I guess that's the point though: if everyone could just gather their way to the top, we'd all be there in a day's time." 

Although she was justifying the tedious mechanics of the game's system, she wouldn't mind having some rewards come a bit easier once in awhile. She had been handicapped by remaining a Level 1 player for years now and only because she'd rather not, what, risk her LIFE to go out and collect a measly item? 

"AHH!" She suddenly exclaimed, as she felt a series of sharp barbs jab through her glove and into the palm of her left hand. Upon quickly retreating it to inspect the source of pain, Elora noticed that a chain of purple sand burrs had lodged into her. She must have absently closed her fist around them instead of another plant while scouring the flower beds.