ChaseR

With a shake of his head, he tried to push the thoughts away and focus back on the task at hand, remembering that he was still holding onto the pouch of Col that the mother had just handed him over. Opening it, he took a look inside and smiled at the money. He didn't care, but... Seeing as his labor bore fruit beyond just the joy of seeing the two reunite was just as rewarding.

"There can't be many missions like that, but from here on out, I'm hopefully not taking them on by myself. Speaking of which...", he pocketed the Col away and opened his menu up, going to his friends tab to message his partner with a small smile. "A-Actually, I'll explain from nearby... Yeah, much better.". And with that, Chase started heading on over to the teleport plaza.

Rewards:

400 Col + 25*13 = 725 Col
4 SP (1 Event, 2 Quest, 1 Page)

With the quest having finished, he decided to give the shopping district as intended when he first set foot on the floor, a final look. He probably wouldn't end up buying anything, but he wanted to see what players had made up their minds on setting shop in the further up floors that he hadn't really accessed yet, starting with this one. While walking, he just thought about the whole flooring system for the game. It felt like a surprise that he was able to teleport up here after all.

Just because a few players had killed the floor boss on the first floor, whatever it could have looked like, everyone's teleporter destination for the second was unlocked just like that. It was a unique idea for a game that motivated all to work together, for a safer clear, but... Obviously not enough so that the frontlines were packed with players. On the contrary, the death involved wasn't a joke or even a mechanic at this point. They were forced to be fully immersed in this world, or else they'd be left useless in the Town of Beginnings to die in a ditch.

Ten more minutes of awkward silence and the kid was back to the village, alongside the bluehead. They began to head to the teleport plaza, where he'd received the quest from, looking for the mother once they got there. She was nowhere in sight, which caused the boy to frown and start thinking about the worst possible outcome- of course, that was all before he heard shoes clacking his way and saw the mother approaching, tears in her eyes before she took the kid in her hug.

"Well... All's well that wends well.", the bluenette comforted himself, watching the reunion of the mother and daughter until the NPC turned his way. She thanked him deeply, handing over a bag of Col as compensation for the request. Honestly, that part he had completely forgotten from the get-go. "Huh... Thanks.", he awkwardly blurted out and gave a small smile, waving them off whilst they seemed to head back towards their house. Or at least so he thought, that's what it looked like to him.

The village started getting closer and closer into view, which only relieved Chase more. The sooner he got back in town, the sooner he was in the confines of a safezone once more, which meant the less he'd put himself in harm's way. "Come on, just a while longer. Keep up the pace.". He was quite excited to return, mostly because this didn't feel like a quest he'd finish for the sake of progressing. This felt much less like a scripted event and more like a real occurrence.

Any mother in the real world would act just the same when losing her child, and in a world like this where monsters could be threatening it anywhere outside the town... It didn't take much thought before he'd kicked into action just because of that. Maybe that's why he felt bad though, too. Putting himself in danger without any second thoughts. Although he did check his gear, he didn't even as much as send a message to Shay letting her know in advance. "I'm most likely being paranoid, snap out of it already. What's done is done, and you made it back home."

It hadn't truly sunk in just how much he'd managed to do even without Shay around to handhold him through the quest, rushing out to save a villager and even bringing her back safe after engaging in combat with monsters in a dark area too. It was a lot, for a newbie that barely learned how to play the game like Chase. "... I should apologise to Shay for putting myself in danger like that. I hope she understands...". He didn't feel so bad for putting himself in danger, as he did for leaving the fields without Shay.

Although he normally wouldn't get so stuck up over it, he had made a promise with the person who taught him he wasn't a coward, and he wasn't going to become a hero anytime soon either. She helped him face the reality of this world, and keeping his promise to her as much as possible was the least that he could do. "I'll try not to get caught up in any more mischief on this floor, just go windowshopping to see what the merchant district is like and that's it."

Once they stepped outside of the cave, the boy stretched and looked behind him to make sure the child was safe and sound. Her HP bar didn't seem to have really dropped any, so she must have hidden before any monster could really get an attack on her. Thankfully, she hadn't attracted anything while hiding inside of there either. "Come on. Your mother's worried sick.", he continued, realising just how softly he was talking to the NPC. Despite her not even being a real human, his fight or flight instinct kicked in when it came to protecting her.

Truth be told, it never even crossed his mind that he was fully out of character until now, although that wouldn't change anything. He took the girl by the hand and began to make his way back on over, taking it at a slower pace right now and trying to cut the kid some slack. That, paired with how he'd spent a fair bit of his energy, literally and stat-wise, and it was the perfect chance to get some rest after having finished a solo quest like that.

Chase nodded along, feeling kind of awkward for having forgotten it despite her having just mentioned it before. "A-Ah, right.", he mumbled, letting out a sigh and following her towards the NPC. "She did say that before, right. I just didn't remember because I was busy getting second thoughts about partying with her...", he thought on and on, discouraging himself a bit and even taking away his focus from the quest while hearing the details. As the NPC was done speaking, the bluehead looked at her and gave a small frown before asking to verify what he did hear was correct.

"Enter the forest, kill the monster and come back to turn in the quest.". It was less of a question than a repeat of what he heard, to be fair, but... It have been enough for him. Any other quest he'd taken up so far got the mobs to spawn instantly or to already be there, so he didn't even consider one would be even remotely rarer than the rest. "If I keep going at this rate, it won't be long before I've caught up with Shay. She still knows so much more than me though."

Chase gave her a weird look, as she spoke like her music was something unpleasant to sit through. Back in the fight with the Cave Guardian, he was inspired by the music and much more focused than he normally would have felt. He gave a small smile at her, throwing a joke- which he hadn't really done up to now. 

"You're not really that bad, so it's not that tiring.". In general, he talked much more now than he did before, showing indirectly that he'd grown a lot more comfortable with her, despite it having only been a day. Just the fact their character were similar enough was a good reason he'd taken such a liking to her, if not for the way she'd treated what he would call a coward, hiding behind the lives of so many others fighting for his sake. 

Chase got caught off guard once more when Shay invited him to her house, unsure how to feel. It certainly wasn't a bad invitation, but it was the first time he'd ever enter a player's real home rather than the dirt cheap inn he had been sleeping in all the way up to now. He was certainly moved, although expressing it would be much easier said than done. 

With a nod, he let out a small smile and agreed to go along, crossing his arms. "I suppose I can stick around for a while. It'd be nice to see a normal house. Thank you.", the boy replied somewhat plainly, although there was a warmth to his voice. He gestured her to lead the way, seemingly much more relaxed than ever. The cold wouldn't be a problem either, given how warm his normal outfit already was. 

The boy shook his head at her when she asked her own question, letting out a deep sigh and getting off the boat too. "No, I don't want to sympathise with him. I just want to know what the point behind making a world is, if you're going to let it burn. He's probably watching us from outside, isn't he?", he asked, seeming to give the matter way too much thought than Shay would, for sure. He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling the conversation was getting awkward before she asked.

Out of both quests, which one to pick, he wondered... A minotaur sounded much less managable than a wasp, so he'd stick to the easier choice, gain some levels and then take the big baddie out. "How about we do the Queen Wind Wasp? A wasp's much easier than a minotaur, so once I have more levels and higher stats, I can take on the minotaur with you. Sound like a plan?", he explained his thought process to her as well, curious to hear her answer.

Chase silently looked at Ariel, still feeling rather confused. If she didn't want anything from him, then why would she help, after all..? There was nothing for her to gain, only time to waste. Even if she wanted to find out how to help others, he was too eccentric to be of any use for gathering "data" on what the right attitude is. He furrowed his eyebrows once more, simply nodding and looking to the side. "Whatever the case... I don't want to work in a group. I'm better off sticking with her until we clear the game.", he murmured the last part, letting out a deep sigh.

"If you still want to help me... At least lead the way and explain how I'm am investment.", he asked of her, crossing his arms and avoiding eye contact. Using terms like 'onee-san' and other familiar ones like that, would only cause him to feel more mixed on the matter. He knew that already, but he didn't want to be affected by it too much. Likewise, looking her in the eye alongside all her playful gestures was the only other way to get to him quickly- to anyone, really.

The boy did his best to empty his mind from all thought, focusing on the battle only. All he could see with his intense focus was himself, and his opponent. He raised his hands above his head as if to make the same movement as before, with his blade glowing to light the darkness. "I won't miss. Not now.", he thought before letting his body move on its own, slashing with all his might until the bat got hit thrice, a huge 'x' on its chest from the cuts before a vertical slash finished it.

It got thrown slightly higher in the air, crying before turning into crystals and disappearing. Chase then sheathed his sword, hearing noone else around and grinning at the kid behind him. "Hey, little girl. Let's go outside. Your mother's waiting for you.", he told the girl, holding his hand out as she took it and heading for the exit. He'd told her to keep her voice down so no other monsters would approach, and just like that, they got outside of the cave safe and sound.

ChaseR | HP: 159/200 | EN: 5/20 (-3, +1) | DMG: 8 | EVA: 1 | ACC: 3 | REC: 2
Giant Bat 1 | HP: 0/50 | DMG: 20
Giant Bat 2 | HP: 0/50 (-18) | DMG: 20

Environmental effect: All rolls -1

Chase's mind began to get clouded with thoughts of what could happen in the worst case, but he shook them off and focused on the battle again. He had no choice but to win, after all. "I won't die here, or at all. So no point in dwelling over it. I've got to get back to Shay, just like this kid has to get back to his mother. And then... When we clear this, to Lily too."

He used his sword art, slashing diagonally two times from opposite directions as if in an 'x' before giving an upward slash, but he miscalculated the distance once more. "F-Focus damn it!", he shouted accidentally, seeing the bat come in and try to attack him. However, this time the bluehead managed to jump back fast enough to dodge the attack, grinning and regaining his composure. "Let's finish this already."

ChaseR | HP: 159/200 | EN: 7/20 (-2, +3) | DMG: 8 | EVA: 1 | ACC: 3 | REC: 2
Giant Bat 1 | HP: 0/50 | DMG: 20
Giant Bat 2 | HP: 18/50 | DMG: 20

Environmental effect: All rolls -1

With the second bat now approaching, Chase's blade began to glow red once more as he used the same sword art as before. Having grown tired and feeling his body heavier from the lack of energy, he put less strength in the move but still got rather good results regardless. The monster's HP dropped by a fair bit nonetheless, and damage was damage no matter how you looked at it. With it below half health too, he got excited before seeing it approach to attack- an attack which sadly, he couldn't dodge.

"My HP dropped again... It doesn't hurt though. What's scary is that death's approaching for every hitpoint dropped...", he thought, watching the bat go back once more and taking a deep breath as he held his blade up above his head, ready to dice the bat into pieces with his next attack so he could return the kid back to her mother.

ChaseR | HP: 159/200 (-20) | EN: 6/20 (-4, +1) | DMG: 8 | EVA: 1 | ACC: 3 | REC: 2
Giant Bat 1 | HP: 0/50 | DMG: 20
Giant Bat 2 | HP: 18/50 (-32) | DMG: 20

Environmental effect: All rolls -1

Cooldowns: Lightning Stun; 1 turn

Ready to finish the battle, Chase focused all his strength on his arms and heel, his sword glowing red as he was trying to balance himself by pivoting on it and beginning to spin furiously, although within his control so as not to hit the cave's walls or the child. The bat got slashed multiple times, crying out in pain before dropping to the ground and disappearing into tiny little shards. He stopped spinning, ready to sheathe his sword before hearing something else approach from the distance.

"T-Tch, I must have made way too much noise... Stay back for a while longer, kid!", he instructed, determined to take this one on too. He had enough energy to finish it off, and enough health to not be in danger. All he had to do was make sure the hits landed, and then he could scoop the kid up and be done with it. The bat's figure approached more and more, closing the distance between them as he raised his sword once more.

ChaseR | HP: 179/200 | EN: 9/20 (-4, +1) | DMG: 8 | EVA: 1 | ACC: 3 | REC: 2
Giant Bat 1 | HP: 14/50 (-14) | DMG: 20
Giant Bat 2 | HP: 50/50 | DMG: 20

Environmental effect: All rolls -1

Cooldowns: Lightning Stun; 2 turns

Chase kept his composure, knowing that it wouldn't be much longer before he could get the kid and make it out of here. All he had to do was not fail this time. And thus, he braced himself and took another shot at the same sword art, repeating the movements like he did before but this time putting even more energy into his movements. The results showed this time, as he slashed it four times, the red glow of each wound making it a much clearer target than it was before.

The bat itself faltered the next time that it tried to attack, having been hurt too quickly to recover right after. That gave Chase some space to reposition himself, as a grin began to creep up his face and he switched his stance up a little, to use a different sword skill. The glow faded from the sword, as he looked back at the child with a reassuring smile before turning to the monster once more.

ChaseR | HP: 179/200 | EN: 12/20 (-7, +1) | DMG: 8 | EVA: 1 | ACC: 3 | REC: 2
Giant Bat 1 | HP: 14/50 (-36) | DMG: 20

Environmental effect: All rolls -1

Chase began to get closer and closer to the crying child, running as fast as he could. He almost let go of his sword to reach out to it once its silhouette began to come into sight, hearing flapping from behind him. It was coming from a bat that was following him, having been awoken by all of the noise he was making. With a growl, he turned and halted, gripping his sword firmly and sliding back slightly as he took a battle-ready stance. He looked over his shoulder, instructing the kid. "Hide behind me. They won't get through. I'll get you out of here, okay?"

Before the kid had any time to respond, Chase took a deep breath, focusing his eyes on the bat in front of him. The sword in his hands began to glow yellow, before he ran forwards. With a shout, he used his sword art, slashing at the bat from various directions, one on top of the other. What he didn't notice, was that due to the cave's darkness, he didn't quite hit the bat. Taking advantage of the miss, the bat quickly slipped past him and took a bite, dealing damage to him with a stinging effect before flying back to distance itself. "Th-The hell?! Keep your focus, damn it..!"

ChaseR | HP: 179/200 (-21) | EN: 18/20 (-2) | DMG: 8 | EVA: 1 | ACC: 3 | REC: 2
Giant Bat 1 | HP: 50/50 | DMG: 20

Environmental effect: All rolls -1

Although Chase wasn't really certain that he could understand what she meant, to an extent... He knew what she was trying to say. "... It's so real you want to live here, right?", he asked her, looking with a nostalgic smile and a sympathetic look on his face. "I told you already, me and Lily wanted to live here too. That's why we bought it.", he reminded her, feeling the same as she did to an extent because of that.

Everything looked and felt so real here. Obviously it was a game, but when you let loose and only did the basics... It was hard to tell this and reality apart. You got used to the flow of things, and eventually, this became your new reality. "What do you think was on Kayaba's mind?", he asked her, taking on a more serious tone and face. "When he made the game."

Chase's pace began to pick up as soon as he heard something deeper inside the cave, perking up and running towards it carelessly. That was certain to make quite a bit of noise, let alone paired with the echo of being in such a small space. The closer and closer he got, he could hear whimpering, sure it was a kid from far away. "Kid, stay there. I'm on my way!", he shouted, knowing this would certainly attract some attention. He'd never act like this in real life, so... Why would he here?

He didn't have time to even ponder that. All he knew was that something had sparked inside of him. Since a kid was in danger, and he had a sword and the ability to fight, he'd do exactly that for the kid's sake. NPC or not, it was a child in danger all the same to him. As he approached it more and more, he could hear something screeching and approaching from the distance, gulping. "Fuck, something's coming! I should keep my guard up."

Not having expected her to change the topic once more, he raised his head to look at her somewhat surprised, getting caught off guard. "Hm? Of course.", he replied, giving her a nod and placing his hand on his sword's hilt's end. "I want to clear the game. Backing down isn't an option. If I'm to take time, so be it. I'll do it though. I said we'd be in the frontlines together, so don't die until we get there.", he finished, offering a small smile once more.

His mind then went back to how she just ignored the question, at least for the time being. He wasn't one to push others, so he assumed that it was already quite a bad situation. Unless she offered to speak up on the matter, he wouldn't say anything about it again. "... She's still as focused on the focused on the task as ever. Something's telling me that even during rest, she's just as tense. Then again, when we were eating yesterday...", he thought, looking back on the dry bread he'd shared with her. "No, she was definitely relaxed back then... Man...", he huffed, shaking his head to himself.

Chase froze momentarily, looking at her with a small frown as she mentioned there being more. "... I see. You weren't joking.", he said silently, looking to the side before pulling down his menu and opening up the party window. It looked as if he was thinking about leaving the party, although he was hesitant and didn't pick anything just yet. He looked at it with a melancholic expression, furrowing his eyebrows before grunting and lifting his head to look Ariel in the eyes.

It was hard to tell what had gotten into him, quite much so. "If you'll help me only as a teacher, I'm fine on my own too. I'm not interested in joining a group.", he stated, wearing a big frown on his face. He looked as if ready to cry, although for no apparent reason. "I'm bad at talking to others.", he finished, although he was certainly not saying everything on his mind.

I accept. o7

He slowly went in deeper and deeper in the cave, keeping his sword low. He had to be mindful of his surroundings, as he hadn't fought in such a closed space before. Being attacked could take him by surprise, for sure, so the one mistake he shouldn't make was start swinging wildly. He'd risk hitting the cave's ceiling, which would mean bad news for him, most likely taking an attack if not disarming himself just like that. 

The cave went on quite a bit, and it seemed to be rather empty. Even if there was a monster here, it was so dark he couldn't tell them apart. They were probably blending in with the darkness, or somewhere in a small hole on the cave's walls. Truth be told, he really couldn't notice the bats hanging by the cave's ceiling on the stalagmites, their fur too dark for him to distinguish unless they began to fly. Their red eyes would definitely alert him and glow enough to make them an easy target- perhaps a system balance to make fighting in the caves less unfair.

Chase finally reached the end of the path, standing outside of the cave and taking a deep breath as he set his hand on his <<Cloud Cutter>> and took it out of its sheathe. He pushed his earmuffs just slightly further away from his ear, letting him hear more clearly in case something were to approach him. "They got attacked while playing, so that must mean monsters reside inside of the cave, too. It's dark. It's very dark. I will be able to see, but not as well as out here. I don't have a choice though, so I'll just make sure to be super careful."

He prepared himself mentally, closing his eyes to take a deep breath before opening them, wearing a much more determined look on his face this time around. "Just wait for me. I won't take much longer, I promise.", the bluehead thought, hoping that the little girl was still safe. With that, he entered the cave and did his best not to make any noise other than his steps, splashing against the damp cave's ground. The cave was overall fairly humid, although Chase could feel it in the air as soon as he entered.

While making his way towards the cave, the boy made sure to avoid all monsters nearby. He could see some even fighting by themselves amongst one another, a deer and a wolf to be more specific, but he tried to leave them at it and go by unnoticed. Of course, he did it, but that meant he'd have to take a more roundabout route to the cave. Beginning to approach it and even seeing the mountain it was located on, he took a deep breath and followed the path leading to its entrance. "Two kids playing this far out... It makes sense they'd be in danger from monsters."

Especially NPCs, who were created to live in this world, they should have assumed that it'd be dangerous to play this far, with monsters around and whatnot. Then again, that begged the question whether NPCs have intelligence of their own, or if they're there just for the scripted events. "W-Wait... The monsters fight too, but... That means they must have 'intelligence' of some sort, right..? Otherwise, nobody would die. They'd have a pattern to stick to, they wouldn't adapt. T-Tch, thinking about it won't help. I'll fight them as if they're intelligent and figure out on my way back."