Valentine

Valentine was walking toward the settlement and still remaining focused. Tons of practice and skill made him pretty professional when it came to fishing. A nibble was felt on the line and he pulled in a good fish. It had the characteristics of this floor affirming some theories that he had. He put it away and checked his new message. “Looks like I will actually have to head out. My lover is expecting some help at the house. Which reminds me. I have some stuff to drop off at your shop. I will probably message you and stop by sometime.”

Valentine put his rod away and headed towards the center of Ralberg. He was gonna take the teleporter down to the lower levels. He was not one to keep his lover waiting when he was called. He sent Grimm a message telling him he was on his way. Also, for his lover to alleviate the fear as he was alive.
 

Total Count: 7 T2 Mats

“Well I do not want to disturb you too much. I can plan some other stuff. As long as it is not a boss, floor 19 should not be too hard for me to escape with my life.” Valentine pulled up his mini map and some data. “Yeah. I think I will fish a bit. I am also trying to fish up some treasure. It is easier for me to keep busy than do nothing. You can come if you want. Who knows if I could fish up a boss.”

Valentine did not check to see if Freyd was coming. It was more of an open handed statement and not a full on suggestion. If he did manage to fish up a boss he could only count his luck as being trash for the week. Valentine took his fishing rod out and threw a line in the river. He pulled out a small fish as it bit. His fishing skills were great enough to be able to catch as he walked.

Total Count: 2 T2 Mats

“I like to live as much as possible.” Valentine gave a short laugh. “If I got hit by the tail twice more I would have sharded all over the place. It was a good thing you made it in time to save me.” Valentine felt himself relaxing after the monster died. It was easier to smile after not dying. His shoulders were not as stiff. Valentine checked his health and was glad it was going back up. Being outside of battle he was able to heal faster.

“What are your plans after this? I got the quest logged for the monster filled.” He checked a message he received but did not read while in battle. “Also, the people I am supposed to be healing up have gone back to the main settlement. They are fine. I lost money and a chance to pump them for info but at least I am alive.”
 

Valentine picked himself off the ground. He could not afford to let his guard down or stay on the ground. Freyd could handle it but Valentine had his own pride. “That was actually pretty bad. I am not as solid as you. I am a fair amount more squishy. So hopefully I will not get hit like that again. It was like being hit by a truck. I thought I was gonna become an anime protagonist.” Valentine was just making small talk as he loosened up.

As the monster pounced towards Freyd again Valentine was ready with his heal skill. He could help Freyd top back up. He could only hope the fight would end soon. Valentine never noticed his energy consumption when it came to healing people with large health pools. If it got too bad he had to prepare to activate his meditation skill. He would have given himself the hyperactive skill but Freyd was more important to support.
 

[3/29/2021]

AMBITION | Lover Lament Trinket | +1XP/Craft
CRAFTING GUILD | Trading Hall | +2 EXP for each craft. +5 to salvage recovery LD's. Rank 4 you also get +1 crafting attempt/day. If you are rank 5 you get +2 crafting attempts/day.
PRIVATE ROOM | Working | +2 EXP for each craft.
APOLLO'S LYRE | Tool | +1 CD/Craft

Attempts: 9

Results: -8 T1 Mats, + 75 EXP (This stuff has not been Evaluated yet)

Valentine made quick work of the lock. The chest was opening up without resistance. Valentine found a few things worth note. Mainly some more col, consumables, and mats. The gains from the chest he just opened was only comparable to the one he found earlier in the day. The best chest was the one right before it. It just felt underwhelming. Like seeing a movie that was only fifty-percent as good as the books.

“Even if this chest was meh, I think overall the haul made was decent. It is about time I head home to my darling boyfriend. I have been out for enough time.” Valentine packed up all his stuff and went to head out. He was ready to go and felt like he really managed to find himself on the trip. Valentine looked at his overall earnings as he departed. Happy to have found some serenity and Col.
 

LD: 8 = (Floor * 75) Col, (3) materials, (2) rare consumables

Total Count: 73 T3 Mat, 6 rare consumables, 6,300 Col , A Perfect unidentified armor/shield

Rewards:

2SP (One post and one Event), 73 T3 mats, 6 rare consumables, a Perfect unidentified armor/shield, 6,700 Col (6,300 from chest, and 400 from page)

“Alright. This will be my last one. As soon as I fish up something I will head out.” Valentine through the line in the water for his last time of the day. He believed he fished enough to make his boyfriend proud. It was at his current moment that a large tug was made. Valentine felt like he had to fight just to not be pulled into the pound. He was nervous as he believed he may have actually pulled up a boss monster.

After an arduous battle Valentine managed to land a pretty neon brown swordfish. When it popped to spill some goodies Valentine managed to get some material and a treasure chest. He felt like it was a blessing that his last fishing attempt for the day was a decent treasure chest. It almost felt like lady luck was on his side. Giving him the perfect chances for riches.
 

CD: 12 , LD 20 + 3(Chest Found) + 1 (For angler) = 1 T3 Mat and a chest

Total Count: 70 T3 Mat, 4 rare consumables, 4,725 Col , A Perfect unidentified armor/shield

Valentine was going to town on the sandwiches. He hardly ever had the opportunity to eat great food. His cooking abilities were dismal. Usually people with cooking skills were common, it was just finding a cook in an affordable price range was different. Aquan was not the best cook but since Val was close, he often allowed the white haired support to get some dishes. If Grimm was a chef Valentine believed he would have already proposed. It would not take much as he thought about it now.

Placing the rod back in the water after his meal, Valentine went back to fishing. He was going to do it for a bit more before heading back. As he was still thinking about the food he took the line in. It was a small unworthy fish. Valentine just kept it because he wanted to add to his supplies. He would worry about sorting it all out at once later.
 

CD: 2 (0 found) + 1 (For angler) = 1 T3 Mat

Total Count: 69 T3 Mat, 4 rare consumables, 4,725 Col , A Perfect unidentified armor/shield

“I don't wanna live, to be thirty-four. I don't wanna die, in a nuclear war.”  Live fast die young was a great song. It was one of the top 100 punk rock songs. It was classy and relatable for generations of people. As he sang along he felt a good tug. This time he managed to pull out a bigger fish from the pond. It was bittersweet as it disproved a current theory in his head. He believed that he would be unable to pull out anything else good from the pond.

Valentine put the fish away and sat down for a moment. He pulled out a sandwich to munch on. He may have been in a video game but the hunger pangs were a real kick in the pants. If they came during an important time it could very well lead to death. Certain battles in Aincrad required all the attention people could muster.
 

CD: 10 (3 found) + 1 (For angler) = 4 T3 Mat

Total Count: 68 T3 Mat, 4 rare consumables, 4,725 Col , A Perfect unidentified armor/shield

Even as he was singing his actions were basically just repeating themselves. He managed to get out another small fish. It was another small material that he gained. It was just a repeat of what he did before. The only difference was what Valentine could perceive as the passage of time. Given by the song that he was singing before coming to an end.

“Hey Crystal!” Valentine was pretending it was an Alexa. “Play some punk rock.” The crystal was not voice activated but punk rock did start playing. It was more of a pre-planned thing. When he programmed the crystals knowing the playlist would be childs play to an extent. It was like when a t.v show aired at a regular time. The song playlist was mildly predictable but enjoyable as well. It was one of the perks of being a performer. His music taste was improving by leaps and bounds.
 

CD: 4, (Nothing) + 1 (For angler) = 1 T3 Mat

Total Count: 64 T3 Mat, 4 rare consumables, 4,725 Col , A Perfect unidentified armor/shield

“I just want to be okay. Be okay. I just want to be okay today.” Valentine started to sing along to a new song that played on the recording crystal. He really was singing about being okay and it reflected his current feelings. Being okay meant a lot to him at the moment. Oftentimes being okay was all one could do in life.

Another small fish that only gave him a bit. Val started to sing a bit louder as if trying to really make himself feel the okay-ness of the song and of life. This time he was not even feeling slightly annoyed. He was able to think about all the good things that he was able to do. It filled him with the greatest of okay-ness. “I guess fishing over at the pound for a bit longer is fine. I have a good feeling that a boon will come.”
 

CD: 4, (Nothing) + 1 (For angler) = 1 T3 Mat

Total Count: 63 T3 Mat, 4 rare consumables, 4,725 Col , A Perfect unidentified armor/shield

Valentine wondered if he should move to another pond. It was an odd thought that was spurred by the fact that he kept doing it earlier. It could be the fact that switching ponds brought him some sort of luck that he was unaware of. It was impossible for him to figure out all the parameters that SAO worked on. He was only human after all. Only little tips and tricks have been figured out after all this time. He would have to consulate with a slew of fisherman to check the validity of his thought process.

A small familiar tug was made. Valentine pulled it out without a fuss. He was able to find a small fish on the end. It poofed and gave him a small crystal to use. It was only a small consolation prize. Comparing it to what he made so far it almost felt insulting to look at.
 

CD: 4, (Nothing) + 1 (For angler) = 1 T3 Mat

Total Count: 62 T3 Mat, 4 rare consumables, 4,725 Col , A Perfect unidentified armor/shield

Watching Freyd work was an interesting thing to do. His fighting style had a sense of rhythm to it that was intriguing. He was able to pick up on that sense with his performer talents. While he figured Freyd was going to end it. Valentine gave the dude an energy boost. A bright yellow mist wisped passed Freyd, increasing his energy regain for a bit.

Valentine was so busy watching Freyd he did not notice the tail. The Lion grew a long vine instead of a cute little golden lion tail. Valentine was sent flying and did not look back at the battle for a moment. If he ever got out he wondered if he should email Nintendo. Ki’Raion was practically a grass type pokemon. He did not enter a game about swords to deck it out with Bulbasaur. “Sherry!” He recovered a bit of his health while he pulled an emergency song out and used it. It was a shame he did not learn the full party heal skill. He would have recovered a lot better.
 

“Sherry!” Valentine called his pet. She was trained enough to know the drill. A white mist exited Val’s body as his pet transferred some healing glow. Freyd’s own abilities and Valentine's healing topped the man back to full. The man was unscratched as he was upon his arrival. “You are gonna have to do worse than that Kitty to leave a mark.”

The monster was zeroed in on Freyd. It must have figured the man to be the bigger threat. It made it a simple matter to support the guy from behind. It was one of the best heals Val has made as a healer and he did not even feel tired from it. His energy recovered at a decent pace as if it was nothing. “Looks like this was only a warm up for you.” It was easier to talk to Freyd as he was admittedly getting used to him. The guy was not bad and pretty cool in his own way.
 

“You came just in time. I probably would have been a goner in a few more minutes.”  Valentine dusted himself off. Since Freyd made it without Val losing a bit of health he relaxed a lot. “I was here to do some intel gathering and earn some money. I accepted this quest under different circumstances and forgot about it. It was just bad luck it showed up now. Good luck you were able to get here.”

“Grrr!” A vegan's dilemma of a monster glared at them. It had its rump in the air as it pounced back towards them. Val took out another crystal as he tried moving out the way again. It was only after the crystal activated that he noticed he had used the wrong crystal. He meant to try and lower the damage output. Not slow it down. He had a firm doubt that Freyd could actually miss.
 

Thinking fast Valentine knew he had to minimize the damage and hold on till Freyd. The battle was already in motion as the Lion leapt towards him. Valentine pulled out a music crystal to use on the beast as he ducked at the same time. He was so busy trying to live he did not even read the message. Just ducking because it was necessary.

The crystal activated making the Lion shake its furry mane, as if trying to ignore a gnat. It was all Val needed to tuck and roll. It was a close shave that brought Valentine to the side of the Lion. It was a blessing that he was not wearing heavy armor. He believed a healer should be able to be mobile. The sentiment kept him from becoming an overly large cats’ play toy. It was again that he missed his spear. It would have been the best time to use a counter attack.
 

Valentine| HP: 640/640 | EN: 64/64 | DMG: 8 | EVA: 2 | ACC: 2 | MIT: 5 | REC: 2

Freyd | HP:1910/1910 | EN:191/191 | DMG:23 | MIT:124 | EVA:5 | ACC:6 | VAMP OFF:191 | HLY:6 | FLN:6 | TXV 24/3 | LD:5 | BH:95

Ki'Raion | HP: 850/850 | DMG: 175 | MIT: 100 | EVA: 2 | ACC: 1

 Abilities:
 

Valentine could feel his breathing slow down as he tried to stay as still as possible. It was one of the times when everything slowed down as he contemplated his imminent demise. He had so much he wanted to live for and it looked like it was not going to happen. Val could only dream of the real world he would miss as he died in a video game. It was very different then how he believed he was gonna die at 106 face first in cocaine and hookers.

A small bleep on his display caught his attention. The Calvary was on the way. It was probably the first time that he was actually thankful for Freyd. The guy was strong and took on multiple lions before. What was one Lion gonna do to him this time?

The lion sniffed the air and turned away from Val as if to leave. Val scurried out of the bush and backed away slowly. A twig snapped beneath his foot and the giant floral boss turned and narrowed its cat like slits at him. If Valentine did not pee earlier he probably would have wet himself.

“Come on. Daddy needs a new set of equipment.” Valentine was wishing himself luck as he attempted to pick the lock. He was not experienced and should feel bad about not having the lock picking skill. It would have even been better to even get a key from his Merchant boyfriend. As he only just thought of it he could not go back to grab one. Valentine got the locked picked and the last tumbler dropped. A clicking was heard as the treasure chest was finally unlocked.

Inside the chest Val found some col, some more consumables, a lot of mats, and even some armor of sorts. “If I compare the contents of this chest to the previous one than I came up with a lot. I managed to make a decent penny here.” Valentine was wearing a happy smile as he put away the contents of the chest.  “Today is already a good day for me.”
 

 LD: 16 = 3,150 Col, (8) materials, perfect armor/shield, (2) rare consumables

Total Count: 61 T3 Mat, 4 rare consumables, 4,725 Col , A Perfect unidentified armor/shield

If the sun was shining the amount of sweat Valentine would have made could drown a toddler. He was lucky that he was inside a cave with a surprisingly great amount of circulation. Even now he could swear he felt a nice cave breeze tickling his face. At first he was okay but the constant exertion of fishing was starting to tire him out. He was wondering when he should call it quits to complete some of the other stuff he had planned for the day. He felt a heavy tug and pulled up another sardine.

His face twisted before he remembered the last instance he pulled up a heavy sardine. His guess was correct when a large treasure chest appeared in front of him. It was another mixed bag of chance. Valentine could feel the excitement bubble up. Opening a treasure chest was always a great opportunity to get some good stuff.
 

CD: 12, LD: 12 + 3 (Fishing Chest fished up) + 1 (For angler) = 1 T3 Mat, and a chest

Total Count: 53 T3 Mats 

Valentine had a satisfied look on his face. He was glad he finally managed to grab the skill. He would be allowed to worry a bit less when it came to group outings. Being unable to heal the entire party at once left him and others vulnerable a couple of times. It was just just hard on everyone he was involved with.

A tug on the line and the familiar process repeated itself. Valentine wheeled in another decent fish and it was caught. After putting it away Valentine was proud of what he managed to catch. Today’s trip was actually really good. He could probably afford to pay back the money that he owed ChaseR. He just needed the Col before to help with buying the estate. He managed to pay back half but Val was not one to like owing someone. It was his house which was why he was paying it off so quickly.
 

CD: 10 (3 Materials) + 1 (For angler) = 4 T3 Mats

Total Count: 52 T3 Mat, 2 rare consumables, 1,575 Col

A firm tug made Valentine feel like he was on that bass pro channel. He placed his foot firmly on the ground and was trying to tug like his life depended on it. He was lucky that it was not a boss that popped out of the water with an intent to eat him. He would have been like Pinocchio and swallowed whole.

As his groove returned fishing was back to being easy. It was a simple process as long as he kept a cool head and avoided distractions. He was getting his serenity back and was reaching a deeper level of calmness. It was then that he took some time to evaluate some skills. He had accumulated some unused SP he felt like he could use. His healing skills went up a notch finally gaining the full party heal skill. The only skill that allowed him to heal himself as well.
 

CD: 10 (3 Materials) + 1 (For angler) = 4 T3 Mats

Total Count: 48 T3 Mat, 2 rare consumables, 1,575 Col

Valentine was only feeling slightly nervous as he found another pond to settle at. He could still see a bevy of players with green icons not too far. It was still at his own little pond to fish at as he wanted some alone time. He sat up his tunes and sat down with his line in the water. This time he was not sitting near any tree. The glow of the rocks above was the nearest source of light. It was odd how a floor so dark was pretty well lit.

“This is what I am talking about.” Valentine was happy as he got back in the groove. A decent yellowtail well flametail type fish was pulled out. “I guess fishing is the only time my pull out game is important for me.” The fish materials went into his bag. He opened up his HUD to take a quick glance at the time.
 

CD: 7 (2 Materials) + 1 (For angler) = 3 T3 Mats

Total Count: 44 T3 Mat, 2 rare consumables, 1,575 Col

Closing his eyes to mediate Valentine found himself backing away from the edge. The urge of saddened irrationality was weird but he could not figure out where it came from. Normally Valentine did not think he was the type of person that could be so sentimental with living people. What was worse was that the feeling still seemed to linger.

Spotting a strange icon in his display Valentine realized he was cursed with a status effect. Upon reading it he glared at the glowing orange willow tree he was using. The tree had a poison on it that gave out a weeping curse. A willow that made people weep and be sad. It was smart and a terrible concept. Valentine decided to move spots again. He could not stay under the tree filling him with such unpleasant sadness. It was like being forced to watch every live action movie at the same time.
 

CD: 3 (0 Materials) + 1 (For angler) = 1 T3 Mats

Total Count: 41 T3 Mat, 2 rare consumables, 1,575 Col

Coming back to himself to pull in the line for a moment was the most he could do. He caught a shrimp which was one of the least surprising catches. A glowing shrimp was not as weird as some of the glowing fishes as glowing shrimp were already a thing. Putting away the ingredients he tried to gain back the lost serenity. It was hard to sit and think your relationship could be falling apart.

“Noo. Don’t do this to yourself.” Val had to give himself a pep talk. He knew all he had to do was talk to Grimm. The two of them could go on a date and make everything get back on track. No need for him to act like a scorned wife. Besides he was a strong and independent man. Even if worse happened he would just be an eligible bachelor. Chances of him finding another decent guy in the game was slim but possible.
 

CD: 5 (1 Materials) + 1 (For angler) = 2 T3 Mats

Total Count: 40 T3 Mat, 2 rare consumables, 1,575 Col

Valentine was letting his heart be disturbed as his mind went down a dark hole. It was just recently he felt like Grimm was not as interested in him. He could not help but wonder if his mate found him unattractive or lacking in some way. Grimm was super strong and had a lot of money while Val was being soaked in start up debt. It was not crippling and he worked hard. He could not help but wonder if the man wanted more than what he was providing. They were so busy doing their own things they hardly even spoke anymore.

Shaking his head was a futile effort as the dark thoughts crowded his head, like rush hour on a tokyo subway. The fish in the pond he was using were swimming away from his line. He was failing to make a catch at the moment and was too busy being sad to do stuff.
 

CD: 2(0 Materials) + 1 (For angler) = 1 T3 Mats

Total Count: 38 T3 Mat, 2 rare consumables, 1,575 Col