Wulfrin

With the renewed vigor Wulfrin fell inline at the rear of the group. He was content covering the group's rear in this case. The party pressed deeper into the dungeon, eventually wandering into the second chamber. As they did, two bronze golems appeared from the walls attempting to flank the group. The shadows began to warp around them as Freyd made his play. Once light returned he was pointing to one of the golems attempting to escape. Morningstar spoke a command, but Wulfrin was already in motion. Like they had practiced it before, the two pincered the fleeing golem. Wulfrin went right as Mor

"I'm not a cheerleader," Wulfrin protested. "Wait what are y-" Wulfrin was cut off by Ciela interlocking her arm with his and dragging him towards Tolbana. Once he regained his footing and freed himself from the clutches of his female companion, Wulfrin was able to take the lead and guide the duo away from the more aggressive mob spawning areas. With his knowledge and frequent trips through the area the duo had a fairly uneventful trip towards Tolbana. Just outside the gates, the duo was approached by Dorian White, the mayor of Tolbana. It was odd to see him outside the city walls. Wulfri

"Look," Wulfrin said with a sigh as the duo returned to hunting in the swamp. "I'm not completely against the idea. I'm just trying to think ahead. Ballparking my damage, I'd probably only do like five points worth to its HP bar which I'm guessing to be well above one thousand if not more after it's mitigation kicked in. That's not to mention how much damage it could dish out should you lose agro." Wulfrin felt terrible turning down Morningstar's proposal. He had looked excited to take on the field boss, but Wulfrin's fear about his numbers not being high enough had taken the wind out of his s

"I don't know about taking on The Prowler," Wulfrin replied concerned. "I'm worried my damage output might not be enough. You'd have to be dealing damage and drawing aggro. Maybe I can focus stunning him with a Sword Art, but that might be the most I can do. That's also assuming I can even survive an attack should he hit me, but I guess that's the best I can hope for when my level is lower than the floor I'm on." For a good moment Wulfrin pondered his chances of survival with a field boss. Perhaps if he had a couple more levels or even a maxed out armor and weapon skill, he might be able

"Considering how few I've been on," Wulfrin said contemplating the question. "Freyd's patented Shark Bait Training Program. It was my first proper boss fight, if you could call it that. It was more of a watch Freyd two shot it and reap the rewards. Abdullah sent some goons after us, since Freyd was a bit disrespectful. That whole Bloodstained Land quest served as the spark that lit my determination to see if I can find his lair in a dungeon on floor 5. I want to show that pretentious prick that you can't treat people like that and expect them to support your reign." Wulfrin's energy finis

"Name's Wulfrin," Wulfrin said as he shook Ciela's hand. "Pleasure to meet you and your E rated hands. Unfortunately you will find that without the martial arts skill you wont be doing much to any of the mobs even on floor one. I'm not one to judge, but if you don't feel like punching things to death, you should come by my shop on floor twenty-two. I'm a blacksmith so I can keep you kitted on armor. You can use the rewards from completing The First Lesson." As he spoke his hands flew through the menu panels like he had done it a million times before. An invitation was sent to Ciela asking if s

"It's a nice dream," Wulfrin affirmed with a chuckle along with Morningstar. "I think I would have been the same way had this whole death game scenario not be playing out. The fear of permanent death kinda deters me from going too far off the paths." Wulfrin laced his fingers together over his blade. His thoughts fell to a darker place. "I guess I'm hesitant to take it too slow," Wulfrin said in a sullen tone. "Our minds may be threatened by the game. HP hits zero and that's it, but what about our physical bodies. Right now they lay without movement or ability to obtain nutrients. Eventu

"The obvious answer is: to get back home," Wulfrin sighed as he took a seat next to Morningstar. "But that goal is really the same for all of us. Initially, I logged in to Sword Art Online for the prospects of living an entirely different life. TLDR, life was getting a bit rough, so I was wanting a change of pace. I've always used RPGs for that, but this one stood out as a completely new start in a new world." Wulfrin stifled a chuckle as Morningstar swatted fruitlessly at a mosquito that had started to pester him. "I did take your advice though. I've been trying to take it a bit slower. Right

"Not a problem sir," Wulfrin responded to the NPC's thanks for completing their escort. He was tossed a small potion vial, a <<Bizarre Antidote>>. Morningstar decided to take the kind NPC and his kids on a quick tour. Wulfrin tagged along for nothing more than the information that Morningstar had to share. The two completed their travel through Serpent's Pitch and Morningstar led their two man escort crew back into the swamp. He pointed out the field boss in the distance and said the duo were going to avoid it. Instead they set their sights on a group of alligators in the shallows

"Hey no worries," Wulfrin waved away the apology. "I just hope what ever is at the end will be worth it for me. Typically in other games, something like this would result in a pretty lofty exp boost. Not sure if SAO is the same, but if it is then if I make it out I'll be way better off for it." Wulfrin turned to his mentors. This was a unique situation he was placed in and he didn't want to waste it. "I'm not going to be the first in, so I will follow the lead of you who have put so much time into my progress. I will not let you down. It will be a great honor for me to fight along side all of

"At least you have the right attitude," Wulfrin held his hands up in surrender. "At least it was me and not a PKer. With out a weapon, you'll not be doing much to defend yourself." Wulfrin listened to the newbie's explanation of her situation, twirling her hair between her fingers sheepishly. Based off her verbiage, he guessed she was probably looking for The First Few Lessons. It was odd that she hadn't run into Dorian yet. Despite being the mayor of Tolbana, the city closest to the floor labyrinth, Dorian White usually was hunting for new players to hand out his questline to. However, t

Once again Wulfrin found himself gravitating towards the first floor for his material gathering sessions. The sprawling cityscape of the Town of Beginnings just as he had left it, bustling with players too frightened to leave the safety of its walls and NPCs calling out attempting to drive their business. He had one destination, his favorite low level fishing spot towards the North East portion of the floor, near Tolbana. He gave a friendly wave to one of the guards at the northern gate as he left. Marv, simply reciprocated with another of his trademark idle animations, a large yawn signifying

Wulfrin had heard tale of some quest that started up on floor 3. Something about a labyrinth? Details were unclear, except for that it started in Aryut. It was an odd place with many of the NPCs there taking the form of various forms of Faune. HE wandered aimlessly through the streets, receiving odd looks from the citizens. Being that he seemed to be the only "human" roaming the streets was only the start. His knee length red coat with its added metallic armor plates were doing him no favors. At his hip was a new blade he had recently forged, Thunder Fang, a longsword with a more lightning bas

"Tier 4?!" Wulfrin exclaimed. "What the hell have I walked into?" The sense of dread washing over Wulfrin, causing his face to go pale. Then he realized all three of his mentors were in the same place at the same time. To time to bitch out now. He stood up and dusted himself off, as Freyd and Morningstar prepared to go deeper in. They flew through their menu's like Elder Scrolls players in the midst of a combat devouring 30 wheels of cheese. Freyd offered Wulfrin some items from his near endless supply. Eagerly Wulfrin took the meals restoring his energy and giving him another sizeable boost t

"No worries," Wulfrin shrugged returning Blighted Fang to its scabbard. "Wolves and alpha are dead, hopefully that will be the last of the issues we might face. Though I wouldn't turn down a few more that we maybe we could loot for mats and cash." The duo helped get the caravan back moving after the brief altercation. The bog was still made travel difficult, but for the most part they were left to travel in peace. Morningstar seemed concerned about his coat. The true casualty of the combat was Morningstar's drip. Wulfrin felt the pain. The aesthetic of a player was one of the few ways th

The remaining trip was uneventful. Tolbana was much calmer than the Town of Beginnings. It didn't take long to find the Mayor. He was a busy man always frantically running through Tolbana. Wulfrin spotted the escentric mayor entering what appeared to be a map seller's store front. "Our lucky day I guess," Wulfrin guided his female entourage towards the Cartographer's Place, a simple shop called The Journey. An apt name for a map maker, clearly an omage to the phrase: its not about the destination but the journey to it. "Cartographer and Mayor all in one stop. I can either wait out here o

Wulfrin saluted with his free hand. He followed his extremely rudimental single hit sword skill with a more sophisticated one. He chained strike after strike before the 4th strike sent the snapper slamming into the ground. for a brief moment a square split off the pack alpha. Vertical Square was still a relatively new skill in his pocket, but it served a wonderful way to deal heavy damage to an opponent. As Wulfrin leapt back from his prey, it stood up weakly. Poison Snapper focused its attention on Morningstar despite the large amount of damage Wulfrin was dealing. The alpha charged Wulfrin's

Morningstar simply saluted with acknowledgement then became a blur. Wulfrin didn't even have time to blink. In a flash Morningstar leapt into battle, making use of the skill they had picked up together on the mountain. An AoE stun attack that instantly felled two of the wolves. Their alpha however, still hung on but fell victim to the stunning effect. Morningstar stepped back leaving a clear path for Wulfrin to continue the onslaught. With a streak of glowing blue light, Wulfrin charged Poison Snapper. His blade sinking deep into the creature's hide. The beast seemed to shrug off part of

As his energy bar finally topped out, he rocketed himself back up to his feet. He stretched the non-existent tension from his sword arm. The virtual form didn't need the motion, but out of mental habit it happened anyway. As he listened to his companion's explanation. Hesitation started to creep into his mind as it often did with uncharted territory. This however was worse, something was triggering his mental warnings. He made possibly the dumbest decision he could have made, and accepted Nari's offer. Kumatetsu fell relatively quickly, and he had Nari to help him out. This couldn't go that ba

"Still a bit of a trek to get there," Wulfrin replied. "I've still got like seven or eight levels to go, but I figured since I was grinding my blacksmithing may as well get ahead." Wulfrin listened to his companion's explanation of their craft with great interest. A wave of sympathy washed over Wulfrin on the comment about mob drops. "Just like any other game," he said with a chuckle. "I bet it can get a bit depressing when you've been searching for something and just can't seem to find it." In a way he felt a bit sorry for Morningstar. Whether for personal use or just to say he got it, M

"Sword's been a fantastic addition to my arsenal," Wulfrin replied. "It's a slight downgrade from my current tier of gear, but the blight damage has been making up for it. I've started work on my Tier 3 blade even though it's a ways down the line, and at that point this blade will likely find itself a new wielder. It would be a nice find for a newbie should they need a weapon." Wulfrin tought back to his start in the Town of Beginnings. He had come a long way from that day. Then he wouldn't have dared step foot outside of a safe zone, now he was actively seeking danger out in the wilds of Ainc

Wulfrin kept his eyes fixed on the swamplands flanking the caravan to the right. Occasionally he would see brief glimpses of movement within the gnarled roots of the land. It was hard to tell where the solid ground ended and the pools began. Careful footing was required to keep from being swallowed by the boggy terrain. Nothing made an effort to strike out, at least not yet. There was still plenty of travel time to their destination. Wulfrin kept his sword arm at the ready. He was taking no chances on getting ambushed. The terrain offered many opportunities for a surprise attack, be it form th

"A dungeon wouldn't be too bad," Wulfrin replied. "Hell I'd settle for a fishing spot. I've just about tapped my Col and Material reserves by grinding crafts." He wasn't wrong. Ever since he had opened his shop, he had been in it nearly everyday grinding out his smithing skill. He was poor when it came to resources, as his main focus had been levels. He rarely took the time to unwind and relax to gather materials. This had caused his progress to come to a rather sudden halt. "No Col or Mats, means no stops to the general merchants. That's a dangerous position to be in." He lay back on the log

"Thanks for the assist," Wulfrin said as he returned his necrotic blade to its protective scabbard at his side. "Guess that's one down and five to go." Wulfrin pulled out the small tablet that he had revived at the end of the first quest. On section on it had begun to glow with a dull green light as a cave painting of Kumatetsu filled a portion of the rocky canvas. He flipped the tablet to the back side where the inscription remained, the guide as to what they may face next. "Assuming that was the fiercest of beasts," Wulfrin said as he studied the prophetic text. "That leaves the sentin

"What swamp would be complete without those?" Wulfrin asked as he stood up shaking his head. "Right behind you." "Careful out there," The bartender added as the two started to exit. "I've heard word that the wolf pack's alpha gives a nasty bite. I've heard some mentions of poison. You might want to stop and grab an antidote before you go out there." Wulfrin gave a nod of thanks to the barkeep as they exited. The duo pressed out into the town and made their way towards the caravan's rendezvous point. Luckily it appeared they only had to look over one cart. That was fine with Wulfri