Valentine

After packing the goodies away Valentine through another line in. This time he was shaking his rump as a Katty Perry song came on. It was messing with his fishing skills but he did not care greatly. Not a lot of performers could sound like the singer they were covering. This performer made him feel like he was at a concert in the real world.  The dancing motion was not enough to scare away the fish as another one bit into it. A quick reel up and Valentine was collecting some more materials.

“We used to be! Just like twins, so in sync. The same energy, now’s a dead battery!” He was really getting into the performance of the Hot and Cold cover. Valentine wishes Aincrad had a great club to go to.  If Grimm was dancing to songs he made. He had no doubt the place would sell out. He banished the thought. As he could not imagine sharing Grimm. Even if their relationship was in a rough patch.
 

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

Total Count: 37 T3 Mat, 2 rare consumables, 1,575 Col

Valentine had a vigilant gaze as he knocked on the chest. Rumors of man eating chest attacks were not an uncommon thing. Valentine refused to die in the game to a stupid gimmick. It was unfortunate that he could only tell after he opened the chest. He would have preferred giving it to Aquan to open. It was a shame it would disappear before the man arrived.

Checking the lock, Valentine thought it looked simple enough. A few minutes had the lock springing open to reveal the contents inside. There was some Col, a few more mats, and two vials of swirling liquid that looked cool. Valentine would have wanted to drink one but the non suicidal portion of his mind said not to. They needed to be identified as even one could be deadly poison for all he knew. He would give it to Freyd when he stopped by after.
 

 LD: 9 = 1,575 Col, (3) materials, (2) rare consumables

Total Count: 35 T3 Mat, 2 rare consumables, 1,575 Col

Valentine took out another music crystal. As a performer he had many just for fun. Aincrad had a decent amount of singers that loved to perform and any song could be found. As Valentine fiddled with the crystal he felt a different tug. It was an odd sensation that he could not describe. He pulled the line back to check and see what it was. The line was bending a bit as he pulled back. Valentine was believing he was pulling in a big fish.

Another small sardine popped out of the water. It was at the moment that Val was feeling like he got rick rolled. When the sardine became materials he only got one. The surprise was the treasure chest that appeared. They were an uncommon thing but usually held some time of reward and good stuff inside. It would be the fourth time he ever opened one up.
 

CD: 12, LD: 18 + 3 (Fishing Chest fished up) + 1 (For angler) = 1 T3 Mat, and a chest

Total Count: 32 T3 Mats 

“I got this. I am kind. I am smart. I am beautiful.” Valentine was giving himself some positive affirmations as he fished. It was not long till he felt a nibble and reeled it in at a decent. It was a quick tug and he pulled the fish out with ease. It was a simple thing for him to do and he felt like he could do anything.

A beautiful Salmon type fish was pulled up. It was not the biggest catch of the day but it had some weight, it was neon pink. At this point Valentine was back to happy. A beautiful pink salmon was always a nice sight. Even if the salmon in question looked radioactive and very likely to be poisonous to eat. It was a very appealing site overall. The overly large fish poofed and became materials for him that he placed away. As far as he was concerned he was already coming up with extra funds.
 

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

Total Count: 31 T3 Mats 

Taking a deep breath calmed him down. Valentine pulled up another sardine and was about to lose his mind. Like his uncle whenever Liverpool used to beat Arsenal. It was just frustrating to pull up another sardine. Valentine placed his back against the orange highlighter Willow. He was finding his center and found himself feeling remarkably better. He was going to use the rod to reflect himself on the slowly moving water.

As the baited hook went into the digital pond Val was feeling better. The bob worked on the surface of the water. He started to relax his shoulders and even let his mind wander. He was thinking about the stuff that made life great. The people he met and how they changed him for the better. Even being a part of the Firm was going great. He just refused to let the darkness in and focus on the light inside his heart.
 

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

Total Count: 28 T3 Mats 

Valentine was trying to remember what he felt earlier. When he first came out to fish his mood was better. That was most likely the reason behind him being able to fish so well. His current mood was disturbed and not as tranquil. He was missing the subtle signs on his line. That is why he pulled up another sardine. Further aggravating his mental state.

“I continue to pull up sardines like this. I may as well take them to Aquan. He could make a sardine dish that I could only hope will taste good.” Sardines was not a thing he was even sure he ate in real life. He ate fish and Caviar like any good Muslim. It was Halal as far as he was raised and knew. It was just sardine that was under his pay grade. It made him vaguely curious. Like a kid that never had a carrot before.
 

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

Total Count: 27 T3 Mats 

“Thank you for the tips! This is not harder than I thought.” This time Valentine was feeling a strange sensation in his heart. He was no longer wheeling in the fish left and right. The only thing he managed to nab was a small sardine. This time the new girl was pulling it in. Val was unsure if her pulling in the fish lowered his chances, or if her presence disturbed his heart, making his fishing suffer. 

He gave the girl a smile that did not reach his eyes. “You are doing well. I will try fishing a little less closer. That way we are not disturbing the fish as much.” The girl nodded as if he was giving sage advice. It was a game so distance did not matter. She just thought it did. Valentine stood up from his tree next to the pond. He moved over to another tree that looked like a willow on fire.
 

CD: 4 (0 Materials) + 1 (For angler) = 1 T3 Mats

Total Count: 26 T3 Mats 

Valentine peered around the tree carefully. He was sad that he did not have his weapon on him. Then he would have felt more secure with the current situation. His eyes made contact with another player wearing okay gear, she gave him a sheepish smile when she saw Val peering. “I didn't mean to startle you. I saw you fishing and was wondering if you had any pointers. I am new to the mechanic.”

“Oh! No problem. The pond is big enough for both of us. It comes down to just feeling a nibble that has a quick tug of firmness to it. As long as you real it in at the time you will be able to get a fish.” Valentine was nice and helped her set up. She got the hang of it quickly and wheeled in a whopper. Valentine on the other hand only caught a small sardine.
 

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

Total Count: 25 T3 Mats 

“There goes another one!” Valentine was having a wickedly good time. This time he fished up a fish he could recognize even if it was neon green. It was supposed to be a goldfish. Valentine recognized it because of the shape. If he was depending on it being gold he would have called it something else. It would have made a cool pet if it could have stayed outside of water. As it landed on the ground it became supplies that he put away. One could only imagine how easy filleting a fish would be in the game.

Valentine felt a shiver go up his spine. Observation and instinct will take you far in the game. As a healer he had to be aware of a lot of things at once. It was why he felt like he was being watched. He reflexively reeled his line back in and put his back to the tree.
 

CD: 11 (4 Materials) + 1 (For angler) = 5 T3 Mats

Total Count: 24 T3 Mats 

The smile danced in the otherworldly colors of the twenty-first floor. Valentine could only imagine if he was in the real world trying to fish at this pace. A small pool such as the one he was currently using had more fish spawning and popping out, then what was scientifically possible. It was one of the finer details the developers probably did not notice or even care about. If resources did take time like the real world the players would still be on floor 8. The ability to do stuff easier and develop faster let all the players adapt quicker.

“Up ya go!” Valentine was pulling in the fish like a pimp on a street corner. If he was worried about realism he probably would have stopped. As he would have had a hard time taking all the fish back with him. The nearest place was Weed’s and Val would not make a drop there.
 

CD: 6 (1 Materials) + 1 (For angler) = 2 T3 Mats

Total Count: 19 T3 Mats 

Valentine barely had enough time to let his line rest before it was already bobbing. He felt like his luck was exceptional at the current moment. Another big fish was snagged and put away. It brought a warm smile on his face. If the ladies could have seen his true beauty through the ugly luminescent lights he would have had a fan club. Well the cave was not ugly it was just the shading was bad for skin tone.

If fishing was as quick and rewarding in real life he would have left the family business to do it. Not that he actually needed to work a day in his life. He could have just become a fisherman for fun and still have more money than he could ever spend. It was one of the perks of being rich enough to make Bill Gates a tech support option for three of his houses.
 

CD: 11 (4 Materials) + 1 (For angler) = 5 T3 Mats

Total Count: 17 T3 Mats 

Valentine was feeling pretty pleased with himself. As long as the fish was biting he could make a pretty penny in the day. It was easier on the body then fighting monsters as long as he did not fish up a boss. He heard horror stories of players dying from fishing up a boss that swallowed them whole. Val was only feeling passively safe as a bunch of people were not far. He believed even if it happened he could avoid getting killed along enough for help to arrive. It was the only reason he did not bother to bring his sword.

“Yep! You guys are just begging me to catch you today!” Valentine made a happy exclamation as another fish was hooked and reeled in. He was bringing in the fish like there was no tomorrow. He started to look at the fish less like materials and more like Col.
 

CD: 9 (3 Materials) + 1 (For angler) = 4 T3 Mats

Total Count: 12 T3 Mats 

Valentine took a crystal out of his bag. It was a playlist crystal that had the recordings of some of the top Performers in Aincrad. It did not do anything but listening to music would help the time pass along. “Time and time again it seems we reached the point where all our dreams.” Valentine sang along to the song as he fished. It was sad that he could not finish the show. Just listen to people sing covers.

The line gave another wiggle. Valentine was about to pull it out but waited a second. Since getting a fishing pound installed at his house his skills improved. He could tell a good nibble from a bad one. As the line went further in he jerked it back, like a kid getting yanked for embarrassing their mom, the fish popped out of the water. Like the other one it was luminescent and Val put it away with ease.
 

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

Total Count: 8 T3 Mats 

Valentine was feeling better after his most recent talk with Weed. He decided to take some time away from everyone else to do some fishing alone. He needed the chance to recollect and decide where his life was going from here as far as SAO and being in Aincrad. This was just some time for him to gain tranquility and move forward.

As Valentine put his line in the glowing pool he laid his body back on a tree. It was closest to calling it a tree as it was strange. It looked more like a rock with bioluminescent leaves but it was standard for floor 21. Calling it a tree worked just as well. The line went under for a moment before bobbing down. Valentine wheeled hard and managed to pull in a big fish. When he put it in his inventory it converted to a nice amount of materials.
 

CD: 11 (4 Materials) + 1 (For angler) = 5 T3 Mats

Total Count: 5 T3 Mats 

A sense of nervousness could be felt in Val’s chest as he squatted peering out from one of the sparse foliage on the ground. Back when Valentine was a spearman he accepted a quest to take down a creature on the floor. It was a quest he forgot about as he figured he would take it on when Grimm returned. He accepted a quest to heal some NPC’s nearby not expecting to have a run in with the creature. The sun was overhead and he was aware the boss would be strong. He could only send out an SOS to his guild.

Quote

 

TO: Firm Anima Members

I managed to get myself in a snafu on Floor 19. I am trying to hide from a boss. It is big and really powerful. I need someone with major firepower to take it down or I am not getting out of here alive. My location is [XXX,YYY]. Please help!!!

From: Valentine

 

Valentine sent the message and hoped help would arrive before he became a goner. If he got noticed he doubted he could hold it off till help arrived. It was times like this he missed his spear dearly. What was worse was that his skills did not really help at healing himself. He only had a few pots to help him with that if he engaged in battle.
 

[3/28/2021]

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: Going for 9

Results: -8 T2 Materials, +74 EXP

[3/26/2021]

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: 5

Results: -4 T1 Mats, +50 EXP  

Valentine put the food away happy to have it. “Thank you. This may actually be the best part of the quest chain. I have not had ample opportunity to taste great food. This will be a good boon.” For once the NPC smiled back at him. Charming old people must work on the same principle as outside the game. Complimenting an older person's cooking was always one way. The elderly did enjoy seeing the young eat their food with gusto.

“The secret is in the fish fry. If you ever find yourself becoming a fisherman I will be happy to sell you some at a premium price. Now get out of here so I can nap.” Valentine noticed his level rose as he completed the quest. He exited the building happy as a clam. The chain was finally complete and it was time for him to rest for a bit. He could always come back out to quest later.

Rewards:

Valentine- 4 SP (2 quest, 1 page, 1 bonus), - 1 Fish with +1 Vitality snack (+2 Energy Regenerated in Combat for one Thread), +400 Col , +4 T1 Mats

Valentine picked up a stone that caught his eye as he walked. It was a nice angular stone that he believed to be perfect for skipping. Valentine sent it across the lake listening to the little splishing sounds it made as it skipped along. Valentine picked up another in passing before putting it away. The stone was an ugly recording crystal that could still work. He may have overlooked it if he did not pick it up by luck.

He made his way back into the fisherman's shack. “I made it. I hope the snack is as good as it smells.” The place had a delicious smell that permeated the air. Compared to the usual scent that reminded him of a bad gynecologist office.

“I finished making it a bit of time ago. Your friend already collected his and scampered off. You can come get yours as well.” Valentine smiled as he gingerly accepted the fish stew.
 

Valentine could not help but think the current lake side was one of the worse for farming. He believed that if he was on the other side he may have found a lot more recording crystals already. He could only blame his unlucky fate for not being able to gather more materials at the moment. Valentine calmed down more when he understood that he would have found a lot more of the crystals if he made an expedition of it.

As Valentine got closer to his destination he could not help but wonder what the man could have concocted. As far as he could think of he figured a fish sandwich would be ideal. A dish easy to pack and travels well. Val could not help but allow his mind to wander. Does SAO have a good condiment selection? The food he normally ate was pretty simple. It would be weird to eat a fish sandwich without hot sauce.
 

Looking around Val was starting to get bored. He was wondering if he should finish up the quest and call it a day or look around for more stuff. The lake reminded him of when he first became a performer. He was in a similar situation of searching for recording crystals to use. He did it for most of the day before feeling satisfied. Life was so much easier back then compared to what he has to put up with at the moment.

Val realized his spear skills improved by bounds. He could only wonder if in the future he would become the greatest Spear Master. He could not imagine himself with his spear in hand. The life as a spearman was the fun part of joining the front lines. Not being able to find anything at this point. Val decided it was time that he slowly made his way back to the old fisherman's place.
 

Valentine poked a squishy thing with his spear tip, his eyes caught sight of something shiny. It was a stone that if he was correct it would be a crystal. When it was examined in his palm his hunch was correct. It was a performing crystal that would be perfect to record on. He put it away as a part of the treasure he found on the lake. The quest was not even completed and he was coming up with a bit of a bonus.

Valentine wanted to unequip his pants and wade in the shallow end of the water. The only thing that stopped him was the fact that someone could have easily been watching him. Valentine was not sure how it would work, but he was semi sure that he would be counted as a yellow player for flashing people. He doubted the people could see anything, it was just the gesture alone that could be counted as obscene.
 

Valentine felt a type of serenity envelop him as he looked about the lake. Looking for crystals was a type of grunt work that had the ability to calm oneself. Kind of like cleaning or doing the dishes. No one ever wanted to do it but sometimes it was just calming.

Valentine picked up a stone to put it back down. “I actually had some fun fishing. I wonder if I should ever pick it up.” It was a thought he had to himself as he kept looking back at the lake. As far as he was aware fishing was a skill that some people only bothered to pick up as a pastime. The people that did it the most, mainly the elderly, were able to make some easy Col off of it.  Val did not believe he would make a big name out of it. To feel serenity and make a bit of extra income would not be too bad. It was not like he could fight all the time.

“We can easily do this quest. I doubt the three of us would have a problem.” Valentine chose the path of not commenting on Weed anymore. It would conflict with the quest and he did not want to leave a bad impression on Haine. It was why he swallowed his words when Sage was brought up.

Valentine made his way to the in a marching motion. The quest they were doing was relatively easy as the monsters were considered somewhat weak. “I no longer use a spear. I actually used a curved blade now. A one handed weapon works better for me since I am a healer now. Pretty renown if I say so myself. Still I shall try out my new combat skills because I want to. Not because you said so.” Valentine rushed towards the nearest Nepent and used his sword out. It was successful as the monster's health bottled out to zero. The rest of the Nepents became more alert as the battle officially started.