NS

Aha! A mob they didn't expect to fight yet they succeeded in the end! Free loot is always appreciated~

"Mmm... That sounds fine~ Good job by the way. Perhaps try not to bite off more than you can chew next time." Vince just continues to smile as he starts to brush off the dirt off his clothes, then wiping clean his dagger - he's gonna have to get an upgrade soon. "Well? Off to the next quest then, right? After some upgrades, of course~." He starts to lean back onto his back foot, just being comfortable despite how annoying this entire quest was. He does eye the two's usernames, just in case he does end up following through with friending them both. Next few quests. Next few quests. That's when I'll know.

Nonetheless, his smile remains in place as he turns his gaze from his two companions towards everyone else trying to mess with the boar pups..

@Megitsune @Kaliot

Ah. That makes sense. Alright. One last attack and I'll equip the mask after once I'm done gathering energy!

"Tally ho!"

Using his limber body, Vince leans to the side and starts to circle the boar without tripping over himself. Thankfully, all his physical skills transfer over - man, maybe those self defense classes would've been a good idea - and he starts to break into a dash. With a flip of the dagger, he loses control of his body once more - <<Round Accel>>! A quick slash through the boar's neck, circling right back around to go down the back. Good. He wants to be focused on.

Now that. That was a delicious crit. Really satisfying whenever you get one on those better hits. Though, now he's out of energy... Guess he just has to equip that mask as he recovers for the next sword art. That, or hope Maomao finally hits something. Either of those options are fine.

@Kaliot @Megitsune

Vince just smirks at Maomao. This will be fiiiine, he's practically max health and can be a meat bag until he swaps to the mask. Though maybe he can risk just swapping to the mask? Hm... Let's just try to cheese out a bit more damage. That'll be fine, right? Alright, bend the knees, break into a dash- There!

Unlike the pups that were begging to be hit, these mobs were actually trying to kill players. The boar narrowly dodges the wide slashes of his dagger, and quickly rounds back around ready to charge once again. Right. Right right right. Not the tutorial quest mobs. Mob-mobs. Yeah. Definitely going to have to switch to the mask, can't afford to mess around with something like this. At least he's tanking for Maomao now. Wait. He's tanking for Maomao now. Against a mob that does quite a bit. Is he gonna last that long? Ah... yikes... He's equipping the mask. He's so equipping the mask.

@Megitsune @Kaliot

Oioioi! Alright alright. Guess he has to do something! 

Vince kips up, redraws his dagger and just looks apologetic to Fox. "Sorry, apparently my presence is now needed~ I'll hand you your mask afterwards, yeah?" Without waiting for the response, he jumps into the battle! Let's try this... Getting dangerously close to the feral boar, he bends his knees as he feels the game takeover- the first stab in the side, and the second on the way back! <<Side Bite>>! He yells out! "Switch!"

The clear signs of paralysis lights up throughout the creature, as the gambler just begins to eyeball after backing up a bit from his strike. Sheesh... I need to swap to the mask so I can guarantee a hit... The stun should buy some time at least. Nonetheless, he's now at Mao's side and ready to fight. He can't help but snark as he glances to his side what Mao is. "You look like you're not doing too hot - and as much as I love taking risks as the next person... Perhaps being smarter about it would be a good lesson to learn?"

@Megitsune @Kaliot

Ah. There is the wayfinder. Now to equip it and start looking through the corpses.

He swiftly opens the menu to change items, fully intent on getting his two guarenteed loot drops right? Ahaha! Let us see!

He watches the mask on clipped onto his side disappear into his inventory as the Wayfinder appears onto his neck. Now to dig into the corpses and pull something out!

Aha! It is his lucky day! Look at these two new materials he has in his hands! Thank god this quest is now over! Now he just has to chill and watch the feral boar fall - whether it be at Mao's hand or Fox's hand... He starts to shuffle over into more of a safe zone to watch the action for now. That, and well, getting comfy so that he doesn't have to stand all the time after all that fighting; Nonetheless, today has redeemed itself with how the loot distribution ended up.

3/3 Pup Tusks Collected

@Megitsune @Kaliot

Vince was going to equip the wayfinder, but another boar pup quickly made its presence known... After listening to Fox... Yeah. He made up his mind. He's going for that two for one to make it as easy as possible then recover after. He swiftly draws his dagger once more and bends his knee to get into <<Round Accel>>...  He breaks into a dash! 

Two quick slices and the boar begins to disintegrate before him. Now he has two corpses that he can loot! Hopefully he'll get the pup tusks in these two he killed... Now to ACTUALLY equip the wayfinder. He pulls up the menu with a smile, slowly browsing through it because he's mostly safe for now. Especially since he has two people technically watching his back for now.

Hm hm hm... Wayfinder, wayfinder, where are you in my inventory? Should you not be easy to find? Perhaps. Perhaps not.

3/3 Pup Tusks Collected

@Megitsune @Kaliot

Vince just throws up his arms in a placating manner, his smile still plastered on without a thought.

"Now I never said that I thought you weren't reliable. I was just wondering if you thought yourself as reliable. That's all. I wouldn't mind trusting my life in your hands. But yes, perhaps it is time for me to actually do my job? And uh, I wonder how much longer he'll survive until someone has to bail him out..."

Nonetheless, Vince picks himself up and starts brushing off the dirt off of his clothing. He uses his squinty little eyes to scan the area, looking for a boar pup that's just ripe for the picking... Right there! It's just grazing casually despite their friends being killed around it. Though that might just be because it's an AI and supposed to be unaware. Ha. Anyways. Time to get to work, no?

A bend of the knees, then break into a dash! Round Accel!

There we go! He's doing much better now. Now to equip the wayfinder again and loot it in a bit - not knowing that the loot had already dropped...

2/3 Pup Tusks Collected

@Megitsune @Kaliot

"Yeah. That sounds about right, honestly. Guess I have to find reliable people then."

Vince tilts his head to the side, staring at Fox through his peripherals. "Think you're pretty reliable?" He just continues to lackadaisically lay on the ground, occasionally kicking his feet here and there. Honestly, the only benefit to dagger seems to be later on, so that'll be quite a bit of grinding until he gets there... Welp. He's already committed, so might as well go all the way. Though the sounds of battle from Maomao seems to have garnered his attention...

"Hm. I wonder if he'll pull through. Might be interesting if he does..."

He practically slams his bed back onto the ground, waiting for his energy to top off due to being out of combat for a while now. How nice of the developers to be so lenient with how people can recover out of combat.

@Megitsune @Kaliot

Fuuuuuun... Hey, does that mean he has to somehow loot those things too? Only to inevitably fail? That sounds awful...

Vince is laid back now, staring at the sky as he sort of fidgets in place. You know, the ground isn't that bad after all. I should try it more often. He sighs and lowers down his hat a bit to block out the sun. Could they have not made the sun so bright like it was in real life? It gets annoying you know... Nonetheless, the gambler eyeballs his energy gauge, waiting for it to return to full so he can actually just grind these pups again without a care in the world - what a beginner quest. Poor RNG really does screw you over here, doesn't it? Especially the loot. It's almost like they curved the loot distribution to make it exceptionally painful... Is all his energy back yet? Nope.

Darn...

1/3 Pup Tusks Collected

@Megitsune @Kaliot

... Yeah! You go!

He honestly might as well be smart and start recovering his energy. No point in trying to combat the pups without his sword arts and take unnecessary amount of time to actually kill them and get loot. So! He'll definitely back up into a mostly noncombative zone and watch the two do their thing. Yeah. They'll definitely be interesting. Perhaps he should send them a friend request some time? ... Nah. He'll wait on that. Just to make sure. Can't afford to do something as silly as that when you're still uncertain about them.

Thus, Vince just leans back and starts to lean one a single foot, just lazily slouching and watching everyone do their thing. Fun... He still eyes his energy bar though, just so he knows when he can go back in. He is so going to look into commissioning someone for better gear. Any more like this and he might lose his mind trying to grind out free rewards.

1/3 Pup Tusks Collected

@Megitsune @Kaliot

Vince has only known pain with how his luck has been ending up. Honestly, he was unsure of whether or not he should actually just wait it out a bit to actually land his skill once he recovered enough. Then again, he does have pretty good odds and he is a betting man. Welp. Show time. The gambler bends his knee, one leg back as he prepares for his dash around the boar pup. Immediately, his body moves once again in a machine like manner, the first swing catching the boar as he slides pass it. Yet he's not finished! He spins around for the second stab right through the pup, instantly KO'ing it. So he CAN hit something! Now just have to swap to the wayfinder...
 

Once again, the gambler stabs into the pup in hopes of pulling out a tusk...

... Only to end up with nothing. Maybe it's time to take a break and let the RNG settle for a bit.

1/3 Pup Tusks Collected

@Megitsune @Kaliot

Vince is entirely grateful that they're taking care of these mobs showing up out of nowhere. Less time of him trying to dodge mobs he really doesn't need to kill. On the other hand, he is not so grateful for the fact that his attempt to do his usual motion of Round Accel is interrupted by the boar pup dodging the attack. It would've been an easy kill if they weren't alerted by these stupid extra mobs! Now what is he gonna do?

I mean, I can groan about it...

And groan about it he shall! "Don't mind me, just continue fighting those mobs~!" He awkwardly chuckles as the boar pup starts to circle Vince again. Again. Another easy mob that is strangely giving him trouble, even with the additional equipment that Fox had given him. Perhaps he should've invested into different skills, but you know what? It'll be fiiiiine. It'll be all okay.

Ha. Hahaha...

1/3 Pup Tusks Collected

@Megitsune @Kaliot

Almost as if the mask was some form of a lucky charm, Vince manages to finally catch the boar charging at him and stabs through it. At first, the pup squealed and thrashes on Vince's arm, but as the creature's supposed energy fades away it falls limp. It begins to dissipate on his limb! But more importantly, Vince seems to be smiling quite widely now! Wonderful! He doesn't have to worry about this troublesome mob anymore.

Bringing up his other arm, flexing and stretching his fingers for a bit... SHING! He stabs his arm into the disintegrating corpse and digs out... nothing. The boar pup finally goes away. Now he's unhappy. All the trials and tribulations he had undergone... For nothing. "Welp. That was a good use of time. Still have to kill more things." He tilts his head a bit. "Though. At least I might miss less this time - thank you for that gift by the way." He turns back to Fox with a smile.

1/3 Pup Tusks Collected

@Megitsune @Kaliot

Vince chuckles at the gift, but he gives Fox a wide smile nonetheless. "Thank you for offering such a gift, I'll make good use of it until I finally clear out my necessary boars." He gingerly takes the mask and hangs it on a side pouch on his suit, he pats it to ensure that it won't fall off (or break)  - wonderful! This will certainly tide him over for this stupid quest. Thankfully, the boar was still struggling to get up on its feet. Which is good. Any form of a break is welcome. Might as well take the time to limber up a bit more again: he starts with a simple stretch - you know, he's honestly surprised the toll it takes on his body to do all this nonsense - but swiftly starts go side to side on his legs.

He glances back at Mao who appears to be shouting words of encouragement. What a loser. Would he say that to his face? Well...

"Thank you for your words of encouragement~!"

1/3 Pup Tusks Collected

@Megitsune @Kaliot

Vince just chuckles a bit, listening to everything being spouted at him. Yeah yeah, he understands. It's whatever though. He'll be juuuuust fine. Almost as if karma is biting back at him, Vince barely misses a stab at the boar when it charged at him. Thankfully, he's not so bad at dodging and hitting at the same time - he's definitely going for better equipment soon, this is the opposite of fun - and Vince hits the dirt and rolls off it into a combat position, fully prepared for the next bit of the fight. Perhaps trying to cheese easy experience in the first few hours of a death game wasn't the greatest idea, but a lesson learned for next time. 

The green haired gambler glances over at the two on the other side of him. Huh. They seem like they're having a great time. Now that he thinks about it, he can't help but chuckle even louder. "You know, I didn't really expect boar pups to be this slippery!" He starts to circle the boar again, waiting for a more opportune moment to strike - he'll need to be a bit more conservative for this now.

1/3 Pup Tusks Collected

@Megitsune @Kaliot

"See, I would do that if, y'know, it would be overkill for something that's about to die from a pebble!"

Vince would've gotten another hit in if the boar pup didn't start to back up on itself. He's struggling to keep that smile on - this should NOT be that difficult. But here we are, with what is practically a Mexican standoff. Maybe he should figure something out about throwing things, that'd be great - don't really have to worry about missing. The gambler glances over at Mao, scanning the situation. He just frowns.

"And no, it's a starter mob - deal with it. Hell, you have some form of armor! Look at me!"

And is he wrong? It's just a measly boar pup. They have more than enough health to tank the little damage they do. Plus, he has a [censored] dagger! What is he gonna do, prison shank someone - well actually, he can do that very well actually. Nonetheless, not worth switching over.

1/3 Pup Tusks Collected

@Kaliot @Megitsune

... Ohoho~ How wonderful!

Vince needed an outfit change anyways, so having a new suit that is much more suited for armor is VERY appealing. He bows his head in thanks towards the tailor as he makes his way towards the artisan for his new bracer! Putting it on, it seems to fit quite nice. Another bow of thanks!

Now, more importantly... The dagger. It was everything he could've hoped for. He smiles. Thank you all!

Items Received!

"Well, I was doing fine until I tripped over myself."

Lo and behold, there is Vince crumpled on the ground as he looks rather incensed. With a puff of air, he swings back up onto stable footing as he brushes off the dirt on his clothing. Thankfully, the boar seemed to have hesitated as well on charging the gambler - seemingly licking its wounds per se. Anything good I've earned has all gone away in that single moment. While he's at it, might as well wipe away at his blade to cleanse it for now.

Once again, the boar and gambler stare off at each other. Waiting. This is kind of pathetic actually, but sometimes that's how the game is played-

You know, maybe he should've gotten better gear. This is practically the same thing with the previous quest except this time he's actually hitting something instead of trying to gather something. The lack of foresight has screwed him here a bit.

1/3 Pup Tusks Collected

@Megitsune @Kaliot

Vince nods his head in response. Normally, he'd take others' advice with a grain of salt, but this is his first rodeo in virtual reality - he's not used to actually doing the work himself... So he'll listen. The gambler immediately shifts his posture, equally putting weight on both his feet as he prepares for anything. It seems that the pup is rearing up a charge! He lets the boar charge and prepares to dodge it - then the impulsiveness in his head decides that a change of plans is much more preferable. Bracing for impact - Damn, that hurts a bit! - he drives the dagger into the boar and throws it over his head! It seems like he had put himself on much better footing now for this light skirmish.

Now, keep track of its movement. This isn't like any other game you've played, Vincey. However, it definitely does look like he can just throw a pebble at it and kill it... Regardless, better to be safe than sorry. He starts to scan the area through his peripherals, continuing to circle the pup again. This is honestly quite exciting! Except for, well, the fact that he's kind of stuck here and can potentially die. Or does that make it more exciting? One of life's greatest conundrums.

1/3 Pup Tusks Collected

@Megitsune @Kaliot

Vince just chuckles, spying another pup meandering around. He bends his knees to get a running start: going through the same motion of Round Accel - until he stumbles during the first dash, watching it all go to waste. He only has himself to blame as he proceeds to get rammed into by the pup he drew aggro from. He just... frowns. Why. Why did this have to happen to him. He watches his health go down a smidge as a result.

Honestly, any smart person would be completely focused, but this is something simple enough - so he turns his gaze towards Mao and Fox, smiling once again. Though he pauses for a second to formulate a response. "Well. It's entirely possible she ran off to do many other quests in order to powerlevel. A very smart strategy, might I tell you. Me? I'm taking it slow." He casually waves towards the shorty as he starts to flip his knife again, waiting for good time to strike. Of course, he does so by slowly circling the boar, thankfully not being punished by a such simple mob.

1/3 Pup Tusks Collected

@Megitsune @Kaliot

"Yo~!"

Vince practically appears at Mao's side, a wide smile on his face like always. "Who would've thought we'd meet again?" He seems to be standing about in a lackadaisical manner, seemingly not quite caring about what might happen today. In fact, this carefree attitude was demonstrated by the gambler just flipping his knife until one of the boarlings came closer. With the mob now slowly approaching him, Vince just mutters to himself as his body begins to follow an almost machine-like movement. Round-Accel! He circles around the mob with a single swing, then dashes up again with the second swing. The dagger sinks into the boar, with the mob practically hanging off of it as it starts to dissipate. 

The gambler just stares at it in disgust. Didn't really intend that to happen. He turns his head over to Mao with his look of disgust fading away into his normal smile. "I was expecting a slime for the classic beginner mob." The quest material practically falls into his hands

1/3 Pup Tusks Collected

@Megitsune @Kaliot

... Humming, Vince finds himself in front of an interesting shop after wandering the town a bit. Looking up and down the street, he makes a mental note of the location. Huh. Strange choice in location. Regardless of how he felt - he has no right to judge other's choices - Vince pushed open the door as the bells greeted him. Much like the exterior, the interior itself was quite pleasant on the eyes. Almost homely, one might say~! 

This will most likely be my go-to. Good business is conducted in a good location, I would know that better than anyone else~

Giving a lackadaisical wave towards the apparent shop keep, Vince would begin to browse her wares. More importantly, anything to appease the gods of RNG because apparently they seemed to be quite angry with him during his first quest. Nope. Nope. Nope. Oh! Interesting! Nope. Nope. Nope- there it is!

If it wasn't for the fact he was locked in a death game with so many people, he'd be more appreciative of the fact that there are ways to mechanically influence one's luck with drops. Nonetheless, as a gambler, he is still appreciative of the fact. Strange star necklace acquired~ Boop. Boop. Purchase! It was nice knowing you money!

He watches a copy of the necklace disappear into his inventory, and his money draining in response. Welp. My job is done here. The gambler turns towards the exit and saunters on out with a single line.

"Have a good day!"

________________

Changelog

Vince chuckles at the invite given to him, swiftly accepting it. He won't mind - for now. With a huff as he gets up from his seat, he starts to walk back to the safe zone with his... peers? It was almost lackadaisical how he followed after the two, seemingly noting the route they're taking and the area around them. Then his nose gets assaulted by the aroma in the quest location. Then he double-takes.

Bleh.

That's something he has to get used to. For him, a strong smell that does not actually smell at all but it does because it's digital is still something he still needs to wrap his head around. Nonetheless, time to get this portion of the quest over with. Humming to himself, he starts to get to work - he had been paying attention earlier, but the further assistance being given now only cements his chances of success. A flask there, a reagent there - Oh! Don't drop that! After messing with all the equipment for a bit...

... The same flask shows up in his hand! Though, strangely enough, the bright-blue liquid was practically glowing with vigor. Not only that, but the viscosity seems to be right for the purpose it was made for! Vince turns his head to the shopkeep, who gave him an approving nod and takes the potion from him. Parcel acquired!

Now Vince just waits near the doorway, smiling at Mao and Fox. "Sure. That wasn't so bad at all."

1/1 Potion Crafted

@Megitsune @Kaliot

Hmm... Party up? Were the two interesting enough for that? Were the two worth investing in? After all, the short one can potentially be a loose cannon, and well, the nerd is a nerd ... After some deliberation, he just nods to himself. Yeah. They’re pretty interesting. Especially since he really has to respect Fox’s guts. She’s someone to look out for, and he definitely wants her on his metaphorical side. As for Mao? Well, Vince’s fairly certain that he’s just a diamond in the rough, ready to be found. With a chuckle and the shake of his head as he approaches the two, he just smiles.

...

After sauntering on over, Vince plops down onto the floor. ”Sure, why not. Let’s party up.” He stares at where Mao got hit. “Entirely deserved, by the way. Also, very good form on the punch!” He continues to chuckle at the thought of it. Vince certainly didn’t expect this to happen on the first day, and he certainly didn’t expect two potential allies to show up in front of him.

”Exciting first day, huh?”

@Megitsune @Kaliot