Watcher

(this is arabelle)

for post drafts, please ignore.

if i see you lurking here, i will bonk you i swear.

[                         ALERT: Update Complete                         ]

Hide contents notes | watcher doesn't care about stats. neither do i. Watcher | HP: 20/20 | EN: 20/20 | DMG: 4 | ACC: 2 equipped [marseilles.] 2HSS T1E2  |  ACCURACY II A black greatsword. Simple. Lighter than the typical model. Look no further; there is n̵o̷t̴h̶i̷n̴g̷ else to see here. item#2 item#3 battle-ready inventory item#1 skills Spoiler 01. 2H Straight Sword I data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== buffs data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== Spoiler     data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==

Lost in the forest. The player had awoken from another long slumber to a world changed, and now she stood in the corner of a glade with her sword drawn on one hand, squinting up at the break in the great trees’ canopy.

|
here stood her memory of the entrance: a quaint stretch of a trail paved with flat stones, two posts marking its start. elves, untamed swaths of wildflowers blooming at the facades of every magical little cottage that one could see. this is the sub-settlement she hadn’t checked on in months.

But where her map read [Town of Flora], her surroundings didn’t possess even a shred of civilization.

An unpleasant feeling pooled in her gut -- not unlike the sinking sensation one had when they peered off the edge of a high-rise and imagined the fall. Alice disliked it, as much as any other ordinary person would shy away from something that gave them discomfort, but the thought of backing down was even more unpleasant. Turn a 180. Follow the path until you see the mist. Don’t enter, use it as a guide, she mentally retraced her steps, reconstructing the sights she had passed as best she could. Then you’ll be back to the teleport landing, where you can go home and sleep and try again another day. This was what could keep her sitting on that edge for hours, maybe inch even closer if she wanted, on top of her ego, and it was the simple thought that as long as her ability to find the way back still remained, she would always have the choice to.

|
here was another memory of the [town of flora]: the other end of the trail, curving around the well beside the town library, continuing onward to… she hadn’t seen what for herself, she’d never checked. the map data, though, had the place marked as an abandoned church.

Everything had vanished into thin air, after all. Her lack of experience meant she could only hope to seek out more obvious clues. 

She left a mark on the nearest tree, a deep horizontal gash made with her sword, then another line parallel just to make it more prominent. A couple paces away -- she didn’t need to squint to distinguish it. Perfect. Her heavy blade dragged behind her feet as she spun around with a surety more demonstrated than felt, the landmark added to her growing list of directions.

the [gleaming scale] slips between your fingers, but           is right by your side (when did she start moving?) and she catches it before it could fall back into the lake.

"this is..."

you're both at a loss for words. her eyes are on the window still hovering in front of you; though you had your preferences set so that no other player could read your system notifications but you, she glances down at the glimmering coin-sized scale in her palm and puts two and two together.

"right."

"um. wow."

"something like this,"          's voice trails off, then she pauses, lightly rubbing the scale between her fingers, "is also possible. no matter what you do, the system still registers the lure and rolls a dice, so if..."

it's not a surprise to you that she didn't expect this, but what does throw you off is that she doesn't come up with a full explanation as quickly as you thought she would. you hold out your hand to take the scale back and frown, "like... you decide to do something weird, and the dm rolls for it anyway and it comes up a nat 20," you try to fill in for her.

          tilts her head in confusion.

"nevermind," you say quickly. "what i mean to say is, i get it."

"if you say so." maybe you should've gone with that from the start;           doesn't look any less confounded with your deflection. she's staring at nothing in particular somewhere down and off to your side, her lashes lowered, something you only notice because the ledge you're both standing on doesn't give either of you much space and you're standing a little close. "anyway -- good work,      ."

you turn and climb back up the shore, tugging at your bangs. "nah. like you said, it's just luck."

"or, i'll just bring this in now--"

"keep it. give it a chance to roll."

the float stays in the water.

you really shouldn't be letting your travel companion dictate your actions so, regardless of how much she knows by simple association with hermes, but you have to admit, you're just jittery. from letting           help you down the cliff, to meeting anthony gill, to          's demonstration -- if none of these happened, or if you just disentangled the mess in your mind a little, you'd probably arrive at the same logic without her aid. you chew on your lip and retreat silently into your thoughts, leaving the peaceful sounds of the forest to engulf the gap in the conversation between the two of you.

it calms you, a little. 

still, when something tugs sharply at the line, you brace for criticism as you take a single step backwards and begin reeling it in.

a cheap fishing rod you'd bought from a random store in hand, you peer into the tin and wrinkle your nose. [blessed bait], your ass, they look like ordinary worms... that are still alive... and covered in soil... and wriggling... you have never been more grateful for your gauntlets. couldn't cardinal have gone for something cleaner? more enticing? gingerly, you take one from the container and lay your fishing rod on your lap, taking the hook and carefully piercing it in place. "so if this runs out..." you begin, too focused on your task to spare her a look.

"so long as you don't lose the tin, it's not an automatic failure,"           recites dutifully, "return it to the npc and it'll give you a new one."

hm.

well, you know how to fish. you've had a bit of an interest long before aincrad even existed -- meaning you've read books!

...one book.

you spare a moment to make sure that the hook is attached to the line (don't want that hard work to be all for nothing), before standing up and tossing the float with all of your strength. it flies into the air in an arc and lands with a splash a considerable distance from the shore. far enough? a hand raised above your eyes, you squint at the colorful little circle.

189918: CD6 LD19 [gleaming scale found]

there are actually two dwelling places in the area -- or you at least assume they share the same function because they look identical. small, square, made of wattle and daub (it must only be by the enforcement of cardinal of this place as a quest area that they look pristine despite their weaker make), the only difference you could glean from the two is that one is built further inland than the other. you are no scout nor lore-chaser however, and your appreciation of the build is only surface-level at most. 

"it's not inside." and not in plain sight either. the two of you stop by a wooden signage. for a moment,           sounds distracted; her gray eyes study the text on the board and she continues, "but on this time of day, its routine shouldn't have compelled it to wander too far."

you can't help the disappointment in your voice. "so, we wait?"

"mm. i'm certain it will circle back here eventually."

the question of 'when' rests at the tip of your tongue, but you decide against voicing it. you had visited hermes earlier, bypassing the library's closed doors with a wave of a borrowed card and a mention of a higher ranked member's name, and           insisted on escorting you after she handed over the latest draft of a quest file you requested, citing her discomfort with the idea of a low-leveled player venturing into the new combat zone by themself. you're keen enough on the guild's inner workings to know that for some reason she's a reserve member -- à la the last person they would allow to be sent out to the field, you've since reasoned out that anyone allowed walk underneath the flag of hermes would at least know what they are doing.

you spend the next couple of minutes in silence.           is quiet, busying herself with something in her interface, then checking about a small perimeter only she can see, and you train your attention on your notebook instead of watching.

you don't even notice that there's a second step of footsteps until a jolly voice cuts through the ambience.

"hello travelers! anthony gill, at your service."

...what?

he's... not an old fart with a cheesy name. you stare him up and down, unaware that he's doing the same (to the both of you;          immediately tenses but she stays rooted to her spot just a step in front of you), and you feel your ears turn warm. cardinal might just be forgiven of this slight.

anthony gill is fucking hot.

the npc turns his eyes directly to you and grins. "let me guess, not what you two ladies expected?"

--and you stiffen.

your joints lock up and your breaths are suddenly coming up short. "n-no," you squeak, "er, the people in town, i mean-- i-i- didn't have any impression of you, personally, though i..." a quick glance to your travel companion.           doesn't say a word, but you can tell she's watching the interaction closely. "...heard you were the guy to approach for fishing?"

189915: CD1

[   A L I C E   ]

Hide contents Watcher | HP: 20/20 | EN: 20/20 | DMG: 4 | ACC: 2 equipped [marseilles.] 2HSS T1E2  |  ACCURACY II A black greatsword. Simple. Lighter than the typical model. Look no further; there is n̵o̷t̴h̶i̷n̴g̷ else to see here. item#2 item#3 battle-ready inventory item#1 skills Spoiler 01. 2H Straight Sword I data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==   data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==

[Earning a Living: Fisher]
::: ::: :::

| ???, ??/??/???.

the name associated to the marked location in your trusty notebook spelled [anthony gill].

haha. funny. eleven out of ten character design. you bet somewhere in the black void that had been aincrad moments after being completely flooded and moments before being completely remade into whatever game board kayaba wanted to tinker around with for the next five years, cold unfeeling cardinal picked it out of a list of randomly generated names and patted its own back in praise of its wit. good cardinal. good job. now sans the skill point requirement, this lovely lovely old fart is the only way to getting the fishing profession of your dreams.

if you were alone, you would've latched onto that excuse to back down.

[but you had to keep walking.]

beneath you, the road begins to curve downward. you sight the shore of your destination, just only a minute off from where your feet are: the outline of a dock, a wooden house sat on stilts above the water that one of your informers had conversationally described as being 'one strong wind away from snapping in two and plunging the entire structure into the lake.' and a small fishing boat.

So this rumor was quite the popular one.

Unfortunate.

A blonde player stood by the lakeshore, a single hand pointed towards a rippling in the water not too far from the land. Alice traced her steps back to where the small group of curious passersby was gathering, a hand still held up to cast a shadow over her red eyes. She stopped a considerable distance from them, her oft-vague expression tugged downwards into a scowl; Alice couldn’t afford any more setbacks on her commission, and the rabble was not only an unwelcome element to the landscape but also a glaring dent to her concentration.

This was only because she neglected to be diligent even when the request involved a public place–

And that’s entirely her fault, not the bothersome bunch in front of her–

After a hesitant pause, she inched closer to the shoreline.

“If someone hasn’t brought it up already, the fish won’t come to the surface unless you guys draw it out with bait…” You couldn’t go wrong with basic fishing knowledge, she’d thought to assure herself, but at the same time, it was so obvious someone might have mentioned it from the get-go. Alice side-eyed the girl with the spear – she’d stopped close enough for them to hear her, but still stood slightly apart from the group. “I mean, that’s how it works in reality. So it might work here too, right?”

186170: BD 1, CD 1, LD 4, MD 3

the first thing alice takes note of is the yellow cursor.

"business. with the district alchemist." she rushes to respond. the knot that had formed in her throat upon her first sight of the entity had loosened -- but only a little. "is he in?"

"he is, as he always is. but as i'm the one who had to answer the door this time, i'd say you caught us at a time when he's too buried in his concoctions to take notice of anything else." slinking past the crack she opened in the doorway, the woman closes the door behind her with care and shuts one violet eye, a raised finger held to her lips. "old sages and their fixations," she murmurs, her smile secretive, "i should not like to bother him at the moment. unless your concern is life-threatening or urgent in any other way i have failed to mention, please direct it to this apprentice."

so the quest is unavailable...?

bummer.

"oh, then, um--" nothing left to do here, right? staring slightly wide-eyed from the lingering surprise, alice offers zackariah's student a polite nod. "no need. i'll just come back when he's not..." her words fail her. she ends her sentence with a shrug. "have a good day."

she leaves without sparing the apprentice a second glance.
 

[   A L I C E   ]

Hide contents Watcher | HP: 20/20 | DMG: 4 | ACC: 2 | LD: 3 equipped [marseilles.] 2HSS T1E2  |  ACCURACY II A black greatsword. Simple. Lighter than the typical model. Look no further; there is n̵o̷t̴h̶i̷n̴g̷ else to see here. Red Onamori TRINKET T1E3 | LOOT DIE III A small charm made with red fabric and tied up in gold string. -- battle-ready inventory (3) Starter Healing Potions Heals 50 HP. skills Spoiler 01. R1 Two-Handed Straight Sword data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==   data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==

another early morning.

the last spark crackles and dies in the fireplace, wisps of smoke rising from ashes and burnt wood. it's cold and quiet as it always is just before the break of dawn -- the very same hour she loves to spend curled up at her usual table in the deserted tavern with a borrowed novel. she only leaves when the tenants in the rooms above begin to stir.

alice passes her usual payment for morning coffee and the next week's lodging to the npc at the counter. from there, it's the usual road she takes on emptier days: a turn around the small plaza west of her inn and the stopped fountain at its center, marble turned dirt white in neglect and dulled coins left at the bottom of the well which the occasional beggar would scoop up at the dead of night; then down a maze of cramped narrow streets, with buildings packed so closely together that she almost couldn't tell them apart; and finally, to the crossing where the road opened up to the spacious once-most-frequented district of the town of beginnings.

...what did they call this place again? something other than the street name that related to low-levels.

she doesn't stop to wonder. she drifts on by like a feather carried aimlessly by the wind until a small hut placed conspicuously close to the main road catches her eye. this time, she makes it all the way up the steps.

the door opens on the first knock. she's greeted with a warm smile, but it is not from the one she expected.

"hello, stranger. what brings you to my master's house?"

[   A L I C E   ]

Hide contents Watcher | HP: 20/20 | DMG: 4 | ACC: 2 | LD: 3 equipped [marseilles.] 2HSS T1E2  |  ACCURACY II A black greatsword. Simple. Lighter than the typical model. Look no further; there is n̵o̷t̴h̶i̷n̴g̷ else to see here. Red Onamori TRINKET T1E3 | LOOT DIE III A small charm made with red fabric and tied up in gold string. -- battle-ready inventory item#1 skills Spoiler 01. R1 Two-Handed Straight Sword data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== buffs data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== Spoiler     data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==

The [King of the Lakes]? The [Gilded Princess]? Can you eat those?

Well, despite the dominion they held over the waters of the Lake of Reflection, the prized beasts were only just another sort of fish in Aincrad: numbers to be beaten by bigger numbers -- albeit too expensive, too exotic and deadly for an ordinary woman's palate but point withstanding, the second player to arrive at the scene was unfortunately just as unimpressed as she was clueless. Floor 22 was cleared ages ago; the tide of hustle and intrigue that followed the frontline as it advanced had come and gone, leaving the fishing village to mostly mid-levels and other entities on miscellaneous business like her, and would it not have uncovered such a simple secret along with it? The lake was in plain sight of the settlement.

Sketchbook clutched protectively between folded arms, the player tilted her sunglasses upward to assess the scenery from where she stood. [Gilded Princess] or none, this was her destination for the day. The waters lapped at the footprints she left on the soft sands of the shore, the wind that urged it forward tousling her pale hair and the ruffles of her blouse and bringing with it the scent of the forest from the opposite bank. It was too lacking in elements to make for a good painting, but she found it delightfully calm.

Skimming her gaze over the surface of the water, Alice shielded her eyes from the sudden glare of the reflected sunlight.

185158: BD 10, CD 6, LD 12, MD 1

Alice blinked -- slowly.

Inches from her feet, a sunlight-kissed doorstep led into the polished interior of a little blue shop. Evening... Star...? The words passed through her head without any real meaning. She wasn't quite sure of how she ended up in this part of town, but the artisan's workshop didn't appear as imposing as its neighbors. Her aimless foray continued.

"Um. Hello?"

Her voice was nearly inaudible, even in the midst of empty space. The fog in her mind cleared just enough for her to give an involuntary flinch at the sound of it. She wasn't alone, she realized then. Movement from the sitting area beside the stairs sharpened her attention to the presence of another inside the shop. Why did she think it was empty? Scarlet eyes glanced at NIGHT, immediately fixating elsewhere at the woman's greeting. "Just looking--" that probably wasn't the right word, she scoured the shelves as though the action would spell the words out in her mind "--looking around the shops... here. Actually."

It wasn't a long walk. Red silk fabric carefully taken onto her palm, the player examined the charm's attributes. Just-in-case purchases weren't a habit of hers, but considering how everything in Aincrad relied on one's stats, she was certain she'd inevitably run into an occasion where she would wish for the item's boon.

"Still taking materials?"

[   A L I C E   ]

Hide contents Watcher | HP: 20/20 | DMG: 4 | ACC: 2 equipped [marseilles.] 2HSS T1E2  |  ACCURACY II A black greatsword. Simple. Lighter than the typical model. Look no further; there is n̵o̷t̴h̶i̷n̴g̷ else to see here. item#2 item#3 battle-ready inventory item#1 skills Spoiler 01. R1 Two-Handed Straight Sword data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== buffs data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== Spoiler     data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==

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