[PP-F1] Accepting The Grind [Takneil]

[Kranzer 0]

A gentle breeze flowed over the grassy plains this morning. The sun was well beyond its crest over the distant horizon and had settled a quarter way through its journey across the bright blue sky above. Amidst the flowing sea of grass stood a young man who must have been in his mid twenties and stood just under six feet in height. Of average weight and build he didn’t strike a posing figure. His long dark hair was kept secured by a small leather strap at the nape of his neck which kept it from being taken too much by the breeze and it flowed over his body. He wore a loose fitting pair of dark grey slacks that were borderline black which were pulled down over a pair of black boots. He wore a similarly colored shirt. Its color was low cut and the sleeves flowed down just passed his wrists.

On his left hip a dagger was securely stored in its sheath. For several moments he simply stood there seemingly staring at the grass. It almost looked like he’d made some astounding discovery but seemed almost hesitant to reach out and claim it as his own. Eventually though he did crouch down. His hand crept forward expectantly with a single finger stretched out until it touched a small bundle of grass. The interaction menu appeared out of nowhere with a brief explanation of what he was looking at. He didn’t need to read it of course. His finger hovered over the <<Extract>> option for a few seconds before he finally pressed it.

Spoiler

ID#51296; LD: 16 [Found 1 Material]

When the menu vanished and a small blue sphere appeared Kranzer nearly fell back from shock. Out of all the times he’d tried to extract material from the surrounding environment had been largely met with failure. To the point that he had nearly given up on it altogether. It was these few rare occasions where it all seemed to work out that gave him the will to keep pushing forward. Albeit his progress wasn’t nearly as grand as that of others that have been stuck here but for Kranzer his small steps were good enough for him. The item was tapped with his finger which brought up the interaction menu so he could collect it. "Huh, first time." A slow smile worked its way onto Kranzer's face.

When the item vanished he simply stood up and looked around to make sure there weren’t any Mobs that had spawned nearby, <<Boars>> or otherwise. When he felt content his gaze fell back towards the grass around his feet once more. To get what he needed he’d simply have to accept that he’d have to grind for it. As droll as that plan sounded… there simply wasn’t much of an alternative at the moment.

Edited March 14, 2016 by Kranzer

[Takneil 0]

Letting out a sigh as he stepped out of the safe zone Takneil smiled happily as he looked upon the all so familiar fields, he had never really gotten to explore the first floor to it's entirety. Not too long after meeting his Mentor he had shot up in levels rather quickly and next he knew it he was already exploring the double digit floors, it felt great though he deserved some well earned rest. Setting his orange eye off to the distant sun he nodded, some material gathering would do for the day, walking through the soft grass he raised his arm behind his back. Resting them against a pure black shield, almost as if forged of crystal it was translucent. allowing those who were close enough to see a a white gem laying at it's heart. 

Tipping over small rocks and picking the occasional flower the player took a deep breath as a cool breeze gently caressed him, he was glad he had gotten his blacksmith to tweak the armor. Instead of always having to wear the entire thing he could just equip the chest piece, something that he was happy for. it even negated the relentless freezing blast it gave off. Running a hand through his black and white hair he raised an a questioning brow as he noticed a figure in the distance. Another player?.

"Pardon the intrusion, but I was wondering if you wouldn't mind some company?" 

Spoiler

 

ID# 51301 results: Battle: 8 Craft: 1 Loot: 20 MOB: 9

+1 Material Found.

 

 

Edited March 14, 2016 by Takneil

[Kranzer 0]

As he approached Kranzer was busily searching through a section of tall grass. Despite his usual vigilance Kranzer had gotten so focused upon his search that he’d neglected to take a quick glance around just to ensure that this sort of thing didn’t happen. The rustling of the grass brought on by the breeze masked the approach so Kranzer didn’t hear the telltale sound of feet shifting through the grass. When the voice did reach his ears though Kranzer froze the same instant his finger pressed the <<Extract>> option in the menu’s interface. He sat like that for a few seconds almost like an animal that was trying to decide if it should remain still in hopes of being overlooked or bolting towards the safety of its burrow. Gradually his face turned as his brown eyed gaze fell upon the man in the rather interesting armor.

If  the man’s hands were still resting behind his back along the shield he’d earn a concerned look from Kranzer though he slowly stood up regardless as he turned to meet the man. If he’d been out to kill him after all why would he reveal his presence? That was reassuring enough granted but it wasn’t enough to make Kranzer drop his guard outright. He was much too cautious for that. Instead he offered the man a slight smile in return. “Good morning, I didn’t expect to see anyone else out in this area.” The idea of having company was appealing in case he got stuck in a fight but there wasn’t any reason he needed to let the man know he was alone out here. “Other than my friends I haven't really seen many others.” His eye shifted as if he were looking at a party indicator for their health bars. Granted there really weren’t any but if this man had an ulterior motive Kranzer hoped the idea that a full party could come crashing over one of these hills if something happened at least dissuade the man from doing anything… rash.

“Though I haven't seen you around, as I'd definitely remember that armor. It looks very well made.” His eyes rested upon the breastplate for a moment before he returned his gaze to look upon those orange eyes again. So as to not appear overly rude he decided it might be best to make an introduction though as he started to say it he hesitated for no more than a second. "I'm called Kranzy." His lips curled up in a nervous smile as he silently berated himself for using the way Dynaon always insisted on pronouncing his name. If nothing else maybe he can learn more about the man and then judge him based on his actions after.

 

Spoiler

ID#51303; LD: 12 [Nothing Found] Total Found: 1 Material

A quick glance at the ground around his feet revealed his latest attempt was uneventful. When he smiled at the man this time is was a bit more genuine. In truth he'd appreciate any company he could get while hunting for material. He was going to need some armor at some point and this was the easiest way he could think of paying for it.

Edited March 14, 2016 by Kranzer

[Takneil 0]

"Well...to be honest I kinda grew tired of the whole, wave after wave of enemies and constant lingering threat of death around every corner..." he stated shivering at the thought of his most recent trip to the upper floors, he and his party had been exploring a temple and encountered a ghost that attacked you Energy rather than Hit points. When that thing passed through him, all he felt was complete dread and a phantom pain behind the patch covering his right eye. He hadn't lost it in SAO, though he was sure that was impossible. No...he had lost it in real life, he had heard of many players reclaiming sight after getting trapped in the death game but that was because the Nerve gear sent images directly into the nerves. It made it difficult to send information if there was nothing for the information to go to. Shaking his head out of his thoughts he offered an awkward smile, one that showed he was a bit embarrassed "So I came down here to take a break" he laughed nervously. 

Lowering his hands from behind his back he offered his right to his fellow player. "I'm Takneil, but most call me Tak." looking down to his chest plate he nodded. "it really is, I recently got it tweaked so it behaves a bit differently than it normally did." Running a hand down the delicate engravings he sighed, he didn't really know if it would even work like him and Oikawa planned. Though it still gave him it's stats so the change was really just a vanity, it'd still be nice to have it though. 

Spoiler

ID# 51306 results: Battle: 4 Craft: 4 Loot: 17 MOB: 5

Material Found

Material Count:2

Following the man's sight Takneil spotted a decent enough looking flower, plucking it from the ground he happily added it to his inventory. That would make a nice alchemic regent for Manta, one of his favorite alchemists, standing back up he brushed his hands off. "So..., How far have you gotten in the game?"

Edited March 14, 2016 by Takneil

[Kranzer 0]

So the man was battle weary? While Kranzer couldn’t really relate to how the man felt he did know what it was like not to want to face death that seemed to loom around every twist and turn life took here in SAO. Kranzer’s eyes lingered on Takneil’s concealed eye and for a moment he pondered over how it had been lost, though he didn’t have any voice to his curiosity. The man went on to say how he was simply looking to take a break which incited a curt nod from Kranzer. Now that he could definitely understand. He could imagine how constantly putting your life on the line could prove to be rather exhausting. Especially if people were lost. In truth Kranzer wasn’t only indecisive but he was rather hesitant to see how he would deal with such loss. Then again he was accustomed to losing everyone in his life so perhaps he’d cope better than most? It wasn’t a theory he was quite ready to put to the test really.

There was a brief stiffening of his shoulders when the man’s hands were revealed. Though he quickly relaxed when he saw that they were empty and the man introduced himself as Takneil or Tak for short. With a smile Kraner said, “Well met Takneil. While Krany is one way to say my name it's actually pronounced Kraner.” Takneil didn’t seem to be lying when he said his name so there wasn’t any need to conceal his own. Then again Kranzer may just be bad at reading people, he could never really tell. Those brown eyes tracked Taknei’s hand as it flowed down the front of his chest-plate. His brow furrowed as he pondered over what sort of tweaking was done about it but he figured it would be rude to ask so he refrained.

“Well if it is a break you’re looking for you certainly came to the right place. If you can survive on the upper floors then you won’t be at any risk down here.” While Kranzer assumed the man meant the upper floors by the wave after wave comment he mostly said this to see how the man reacted. His deduction could have been wrong after all. “You’re more than welcome to join me while I continue my search.”

Spoiler

ID#51307; LD: 11[Nothing Found] Total Material: 1

His gaze swept out across the horizon as he quickly looked for any random spawns that might pose a threat before he nudged his foot through a patch of grass at his feet.

Edited March 14, 2016 by Kranzer

[Takneil 0]

Frowning as it seemed the man that went by Krany or Kraner, he would most likely choose the later. Ignored his hand he let it fall to his side, maybe he just didn't see it?. "Well I certainly know how it is to have people call you ridiculous names, this one kid I recently met called me Takkles. Lucky he didn't taste my lack of Martial Arts skill!" he chuckled. He held no real resentment for the low level, if anything he enjoyed it. it was kind of like having a little brother. "Don't worry, I'll keep to Kraner. more dignified for me and you." 

Spoiler

ID# 51317 results: Battle: 2 Craft: 12 Loot: 8 MOB: 10

"To be honest I haven't been above floor eleven, I'm not as high level as I'd like to be." He said as he looked for any more materials that might be of use. "Thank you, I'll take you up on that offer. Sure you don't mind having someone here to help keep ya safe from any Player Killers" he chuckled softly as he stood back up. "But umm..., I was wondering how far you've gotten?" he repeated his previous question.

Edited March 14, 2016 by Takneil

[Kranzer 0]

 

Due to how nervous he truly was  Kranzer accidentally left out the Z in both his unwanted nickname and his proper name. Well proper as in the handle he went by online anyway. That’s when he took notice of the man’s hand as it lowered and he had to quickly berate himself for being so ill at ease that he missed the chance to return a basic sign of greeting. Kranzer could only hope that Takneil didn’t take that the wrong way and simply think he was rude. He’d offer his hand but that might just… come off as strange at this point so he simply hoped the matter would go largely ignored. Though when he mentioned about a kid giving him a ridiculous nickname two things occurred to Kraner at that moment. First Kranzy must have been Dynaon’s attempt at giving him a nickname and that it wasn’t just him mispronouncing his name. Well that explained a lot and made him feel quite foolish as he thought back on how often he tried to stress how to pronounce his name. K-R-A-N-Z-E-R he once told the self proclaimed Immortal King.

Secondly… it couldn’t be the same kid could it? “It wasn’t by chance a kid named Dynaon was it?” His brown eyed gaze rested upon Takneil’s face as he waited for his response. If both he and Kranzer had received ridiculous nicknames by the same kid… well this was a rather small world after all. It also meant that when he eluded to his friends possibly being in the area might have been in error if the man had truly met Dynaon before. Though if Dynaon survived an encounter with the man, well then perhaps he wasn’t that bad after all. Takneil’s joke about Dynaon not tasting his lack of martial art skill fell upon a man practically void of a sense of humor. For a moment Kranzer simply stared as he scratched idly at the hair on the back of his neck. Well the fact that he’d say that meant Takneil didn’t resort to violence to deal with the self proclaimed Immortal King. That was a good sign at least.

 

Takneil offered to call him by the proper name Kranzer had given and he nearly wanted to cringe when he heard his name without the z there. Though he did appreciate the sentiment behind the gesture. “I apologize for my slip of tongue earlier. I must admit I was a little nervous when you first approached me. My name is Kranzer. Dynaon is the one who called me Kranzy.”

(OOC Note v)

Spoiler

(Totally typoed on those names in my last post, and for whatever reason I thought Takneil had waved in greeting rather than offer his hand to shake, my bad on that but I figured out a way to roll with it IC)