[SP-F2] Welcome to Urbus (Complete)

[Evander 0]

Evander sat on a stone bench in the central plaza. He was finally on the second floor. He honestly felt really excited to explore a whole new floor on Aincrad, practically a whole new world to him. This was great. Evander took a deep breath, breathing in the fresh, crisp air. He couldn't see much beyond the walls of Urbus, but he could see mountains looming over the whole town. It appeared this floor would be mainly mountainous. It would be a nice change of scenery from the endless plains of the first floor. Hiking in the rugged mountains was sure to be exciting. Evander could hardly even contain his enthusiasm. He was practically vibrating. He couldn't sit still any longer. He got up, and began to walk around on the streets of this new town, looking and gawking at all of the shops and stores around him. The whole town seemed to be medieval based. There were a whole lot of taverns about. The city was full of life, full of citizens bustling about. It was a nice contrast to Tolbana, the last town he had been. As in the Town of Beginnings, merchants sat, proclaiming their goods to the world. The whole city actually reminded him of the Town of Beginnings, though this was more rustic, compared to the Town of Beginning's more ornate style. In a way, this was also a new beginning. Evander was giddy for all of the new adventures that lay ahead.

Edited June 6, 2016 by Evander

[Evander 0]

Evander looked around at the buildings. Most seemed to be made of stone. He reached the walls of the city. The stone bricks it was made of seemed as good as new. Hmm, this city was actually quite small, wasn't it. Evander looked back the way he came. It had taken him, what, five minutes to leisurely walk from the center to here? Urbus was likely around maybe half a mile at most, and even that was pushing it. Well, what it lacked in size was made up for with the sheer density of the buildings. There were a whole lot of establishments in this town, all made of stone. The only things that weren't stone were the wooden roofs and the patches of grass by the side of the main roads. Evander climbed up a set of stairs to the top of the walls. The whole town was a large circle. All in all, actually rather bland. Then Evander turned around. He gasped at the view that lay out before him. The whole city was in some sort of crater/valley hewn from the side of a mountain. The whole vista was simply beautiful. Evander could see the sun setting in the distance. The snow capped peaks of the mountains lay out against the horizon, as the last orange purple rays of the sun shrunk away into darkness. The stars, faint yet present, began to rise at the very edges of the horizon. This was pretty great. The game certainly had very good graphics.

[Evander 0]

All of the work and effort he had done in the first floor dungeon crashed down on him, but even with how sore and battered he was feeling, watching this sunset at the top of the city walls of Urbus was simply worth it. Evander sighed contentedly. If all of the floors had these beautiful landscapes, he would be a happy man. If he were a reviewer, he would give this game a ten out of ten for graphics. A howl pierced through the night, sending chills down his spine. That's right. No matter how beautiful this game may seem, the possibility of death lay simply just around the corner. They were all still trapped in a death game. It wouldn't do well to forget that in sight of all of the beauty this game had to offer. He needed to remember that no matter how beautiful the game seemed, its true face was that of death. The sun had completely set. A small crescent moon shined its light feebly over the land. The stars didn't seem as bright as they had before. The night seemed darker than it had ever been. Evander climbed down the stairs, back into the lights of the town proper.

[Evander 0]

Well, that was a surefire way of ruining the mood. Just think of death. Evander entered one of the quieter taverns off the main road. He waved a NPC waiter on over for his order. Apparently the special tonight was roast boar, "freshly" imported from floor one, though since this was a game, they probably just spawned in some meat to feed the customers. Regardless, it did sound like a fairly good meal. Evander took the special. And, of course, the only drinks they had were beer or water. He wasn't really of age yet to drink alcohol, though he was sure his parents would excuse him on account of the situation he was in. He took the water. It was a shame that this tavern didn't have a respectable drink like grape juice. Evander leaned back a bit on the bench. It was also too bad that their seats didn't have chair backs. His meal came, piping hot. He thanked the waiter, paid for his meal, and began to dig in. It was delicious, but the fact that it was all just data in a game that could kill him kind of dampened the fact. Perhaps he should have ordered a beer. Evander edged away from a patron that seemed to be getting far too drunk. Never mind, he didn't really want to be getting intoxicated and running into some horrible situation, like a bar fight or something.

[Evander 0]

Evander finished his meal and rose from his seat. He walked out of the tavern silently. The meal was fairly filling, but he still felt disquieted. Evander sighed. He flipped up the hood of his cloak and continued on his way. The night air was fairly cold, but that was to be expected, considering the fact that they were high up in the mountains. Puffs of breath came out and rose into the sky. His cloak kept him warm. Evander wandered aimlessly along the roads of Urbus. He reached the circular walls again. Evander leaned against the walls. He looked up at the night sky. The stars still seemed faint, still seemed so far away, even though he was higher than he ever had been. Evander sank down and sat against the walls, knees wrapped in his arms. Another sigh came out, and Evander watched as steaming puffs of breath rose into the night. Great. Now he was in some sort of depressive mood. Shoot. And he thought he was going to be in a happy mood after reaching the second floor and looking out over the sunset. He guessed that the human mind was fickle. Evander pressed his face against his knees and drifted off to sleep.

[Evander 0]

A cock crowed. Groaning, Evander stretched his arms and rose from his sitting position. He cracked his back. Sleeping in a sitting position against a cold stone wall was not pleasant. Evander looked up. The night sky was still out, but it was beginning to grow lighter. It appeared the rooster had awoken him just in time for him to see the sunrise. He began to climb up the stone stairs, up to the top of the wall. It appeared all of the oppressive thoughts from the night before had vanished in his sleep. He didn't feel happy, by any means, but he did feel better. Evander reached the top of the stairs. He looked at the sun, little more than a sliver at this moment in time, rising from the East. As before, the view was amazing. It had not lessened in impact because he had already seen it once. It seemed that its beauty would never diminish. The rays of the sun began to reach out over the land, chasing away the shadows of the night, and bringing with it a new light over the mountains. The snow glistened on one of the peaks. Evander smiled a little, then descended the stairs. Now was as good a time as any to begin exploring outside of the walls of Urbus.

[Evander 0]

Evander walked along the walls until he reached the wooden gates. There were a few NPC guards about the entrance to the town. Evander nodded to them as he passed through the gate. It wasn't quite as ornate as the massive stone gates of the Town of Beginnings, with its engravings of different symbols, but it was adequate for a town of this size. The wood actually provided a nice contrast to the stone buildings and stone walls of the town. Evander took stock of his surroundings. He was on a gravelly trail on the side of a mountain. Evander could see the sun up in front of him. The mountain itself was on his left. He looked over the edge on his right. He gulped. That was a long way to fall, and seeing as how he just left the safe zone, it was very possible for one to trip and fall to their death. Evander stayed on the left side of the trail. He began to walk down the path, keeping note of his surroundings. This was almost like a hike, he mused, as a butterfly landed on a small white flower by the side of the road. The very air itself seemed infused with the possibility of adventure. Evander took a deep breath. The mountain air was very refreshing, cool and crisp. Evander had a feeling that he would enjoy this floor.

[Evander 0]

The trail continued into a small patch of trees. Evander almost felt like he was going on some sort of scenic hike. It was quite pretty, though there were still 98 more floors of unique terrain, so he was sure there was bound to be another mountainous region which he could gawk at the beautiful scenery of. Birds twittered above in the trees, as they did on the first floor, but there were different species on this floor, which made sense considering the fact that it was a totally different biome. An eagle circled high in the sky. There were not many grasses up here. Evander looked up the slope. It appeared this was the tree line. It honestly felt fairly awe-inspiring to be actually up here, on a mountain, hiking along a gravelly trail. Not many people could say they had this experience, unless they lived near a mountain or took a trip to one. The whole atmosphere felt refreshing and rugged, full of untapped possibilities. There were many wildflowers along the path, bright and colorful. The temperature was cool, a comfortable small breeze blowing through the trees. This was nice. He could do this every day. He almost felt like skipping along the path, but that was far too childish for his tastes, and also fairly dangerous, considering the fact that he was actually on the edge of a mountain. Evander emerged from the trees, back into the sunlight.

Edited May 31, 2016 by Evander

[Evander 0]

He emerged into a small meadow, with patches of wildflowers and grasses dotting the area. There was a crossroads on the other side- one path led up the mountain along a path that was actually rather flat, whereas the other led down the mountain, into the valley. Evander sat down by a boulder in the middle of the meadow. The air was full of the scent of flowers. Evander sat back, closing his eyes and basking in the sunlight. This was great. The birds were singing, the sun's gentle rays warmed him, and a low growl could be heard from the fores- wait what? Evander opened his eyes and shot to his feet. A mountain lion loped out from the trees. Of course he would be interrupted, this wasn't even a safe zone. He didn't really know what he expected. Evander drew his sword. At least now he could see how strong the monsters were on this floor. It would be a good test to see whether he had actually trained enough on the first floor. Actually, never mind- he was sure that he would be fine. He had fought against a Wraith King in the dungeon by himself and won- a random mob on the second floor? Should be a piece of cake.

Combat

Evander:  HP: 40/40  Energy: 10/10  MIT: 12  Base DMG: 4

Mountain Lion:  HP: 20/20  MIT: 5  DMG: 6

[Evander 0]

Evander held his Anneal Blade up before him in a defensive stance warily. He had never really fought a mountain lion before, so he wasn't really sure what the attack patterns of the beast would be. He assumed it would be similar to the wolf, but assumptions could be dangerous and lead to his death. The mountain lion snarled, baring its teeth. Evander just stood there, calmly waiting for it to strike. He looked into its eyes. They were a baleful yellow. Its eyes were narrowed, with intent to kill. Well, he had killed much tougher enemies before, so sorry to say to the mountain lion, but it did not intimidate him much. The mountain lion did not move to attack, instead beginning to pace clockwise, obviously expecting him to do the same, as if they were in some intense duel of some sort. Evander shook his head and smiled a little. He didn't really have time for these antics. He charged forward, activating <Vertical Arc>. His sword came down with great force, but he missed the mountain lion. Evander sighed. It seemed the mountain lion was surprised by his wild charge forward, as its claw swipe missed as well.

Combat

Evander:  HP: 40/40  Energy: 8/10  MIT: 12  Base DMG: 4

Mountain Lion:  HP: 20/20  MIT: 5  DMG: 6

ID# 60097 results:

 Battle: 4 (fail)

 MOB: 2 (fail)

Edited May 31, 2016 by Evander

[Evander 0]

A slightly chilly wind blew in. Evander smiled. This day was great. He felt so relaxed and at ease, unlike the night before. Sometimes he wished there was background music in SAO, just to complement the scene and the mood, but it would probably be fairly difficult to program. Evander took a quick glance out at the mountains, their white peaks reaching high into the sky. It was beautiful. He still couldn't get over that fact. The mountain lion roared at him, bringing him back to reality. He sighed. Evander sincerely hoped there was a safe zone out here somewhere, where he could enjoy the views without being interrupted. The mountain lion narrowed its eyes. Oh, well that probably meant it was going to attack soon. Evander readied himself and put his sword up in a defensive position. The mountain lion pounced at him. Oh, shoot. This could hurt. Oh, who was he kidding, this was obviously going to hurt. That is, if pain actually existed here, or if he imagined all of it. He still hadn't found that out yet. Evander braced himself for the impact. The what, 300 pounds? of mountain lion crashed into him, sending him flying back, crashing into the boulder, and impacting with a large crack. Its paws were on his shoulders. Its claws dug into him. See, it was moments like these when he wondered if he was just imagining all of these agonies, because he was sure it was supposed to hurt a whole lot more. Evander gritted his teeth and activated <Vertical Arc>, the system assist taking over and cutting a deep "V" in the animal. It was knocked back, and Evander slowly got to his feet.

Combat

Evander:  HP: 39/40  Energy: 5/10  MIT: 12  Base DMG: 4

Mountain Lion:  HP: 9/20  MIT: 5  DMG: 6

ID# 60202 results:

 Battle: 6

 MOB: 9 (critical +1)

<Vertical Arc> used.

Total DMG: 4x(2x2)= 16-5(MIT)= 11 DMG done

Mob DMG: 6+1(critical)= 7-12(MIT)= 1 DMG done

Edited June 1, 2016 by Evander

[Evander 0]

Oh gosh, that had really been quite painful. Evander looked at his health bar. It was barely down at all. Well, it was obvious that the pain wasn't proportionate to the actual damage it did, and he was glad for that. To be honest, it was probably because he had his cloak on. His cloak was really putting out work. It had probably saved his life countless times, but it still looked about as new as when he first bought it, asides from it being a bit rough in some patches. Hooray for digital armor, he supposed. The mountain lion continued to snarl. Geez, he had already taken away half its health in one shot, and the mountain lion was still raring to go, without any hint of fear at all? That was fairly impressive, but considering it was just a bunch of compact data, it was less impactful. Evander looked down at the sword in his left hand. Hmm, he was getting fairly proficient with using his left hand to fight. He could say that it was pretty much as good as his right now, which was promising, since that meant his training was paying off. He looked at the Anneal Blade. It was putting out its own fair share of work too. Evander looked back at the mountain lion. It was time to end this and get back to relaxing and exploring. Evander activated <Vertical Arc> and let the system assist do the rest. The mountain lion burst into particles.

Combat

Evander:  HP: 39/40  Energy: 2/10  MIT: 12  Base DMG: 4

Mountain Lion:  HP: 0/20  MIT: 5  DMG: 6

ID# 60211 results:

 Battle: 8

 Loot: 6

 MOB: 3 (fail)

<Vertical Arc> used.

Total DMG: 4x(2x2)=16-5(MIT)= 11 DMG done

Edited June 1, 2016 by Evander

[Evander 0]

Now it was time to see what drops he would get from killing this beast. He didn't really expect much, since this was just a random monster on the second floor, but some col would be nice, to help keep up with living expenses, considering the fact that loot from mobs and quests were pretty much the only way he could feed himself. Evander looked at his loot. Just a pelt. Great. That reminded him of his earlier days, when all he would get were pelts. It looked like that was happening again. Great.

One mat obtained.

Evander stood and sheathed his sword. He looked out over the beautiful vista again. He really needed to find some sort of safe zone out here where he could relax in peace. Evander walked through the patches of flowers to get to the crossroads. Now, which to take, which to take. Well, if he went down the mountain, he probably would not be able to get the same view he had from up here, which was a major part of the whole reason why he wanted to lounge around up here anyway. So, the only real option for him was to go up. Evander began to walk up the path. It wasn't actually all that strenuous, which was good because it allowed time for his body to begin to relax so that he would be in the optimal condition for just sitting back and looking out at the view when he reached the top of the mountain or the potential safe zone.

Evander:  HP: 40/40  Energy: 3/10

[Evander 0]

Evander put his hands in his pockets and continued to walk up the path. He looked up at the brilliant blue sky, and at the white, puffy clouds lazily drifting along. Everything seemed more beautiful, more awe-inspiring, up on a mountain, for some reason. The clouds looked so close, as if he could touch them. Some sort of bird of prey circled high above, higher than the clouds. Evander almost tripped over a stone. Yeah, he probably needed to keep an eye on the actual trail he was walking on. It wouldn't do anyone any good for him to just trip off the mountainside and kill himself. Flowers sprouted just beside the road. It was actually fairly grassy up here, and many varieties of small plants began to grow in abundance. He was nearing something, that was for sure. Evander looked back behind him. Wow, it seemed like he was seeing things from a completely different view. He could see down into the valleys now, see the small streams winding their way through them, see what appeared to be a large fortress on the adjacent mountain. Evander chuckled a little. He was sure that if he were actually near the fortress, he would be in awe from its size, but from here, it looked small, tiny.

Evander:  HP: 40/40  Energy: 4/10

[Evander 0]

He could tell he was nearing the top of the mountain. The already somewhat level trail was flattening out further. The patches of wildflowers grew larger and larger. The air was full of the fragrant scent of flowers in full bloom, wafted about with the light breeze. Evander reached the top. His map updated.

<Safe zone found!>

Well, it seemed he had found the safe zone he was looking for, a place to relax in peace and take advantage of the views provided by the height of the mountain. Evander took a glance at his map. It appeared this place was called the High Fields of Crossing. Interesting. The whole mountain seemed to plateau out at this point. The High Fields of Crossing was as flat as the plains of the first floor. There was a large abundance of different kinds of plants and flowers, and a few rocks dotted the fields, presumably for sitting or other related activities. The whole area seemed like a large garden, peaceful and quiet, with the fragrance of many different kinds of flowers rising into the air and giving a soothing atmosphere to the whole safe zone.

Evander:  HP: 40/40  Energy: 10/10

[Evander 0]

Evander scouted out the area, probing to find out where the boundaries of the safe zone were. It was about the size of a small-ish park, which was actually a fairly decent size considering it was on top of a mountain. There were a few players about, certainly more than there had been in Tolbana, but, again, with the unlocking of new floors, most players either spent their time on higher floors or stayed in the Town of Beginnings, only coming to floors like the second for quests and the like. That was kind of sad- not many would fully appreciate the beauty this game had to offer. Well, at least it meant he could lounge around in solitude, without fear of anyone bothering him. Evander chose a rock at random and claimed it as his spot. He sat back and basked in the sunlight. He laid his sheathed sword beside him and wrapped his cloak around him like a blanket. Evander just looked out at the mountains around him, at peace. This was pretty comfortable. Again, it was a shame that few actually explored out of the main settlement to find hidden gems like these. Everyone was just obsessed with doing quests, or just traveled to the main towns to restock on supplies.

[Evander 0]

Well, actually, the fields on the first floor were fairly popular to players, for some reason. They weren't even the tip of the iceberg for the beauty this game had to offer. In comparison to this, he would call it rather drab. Evander shifted around a little, getting into a more comfortable position. Hmm, he wondered what quests there would be on this floor. He was sure there was bound to be a few secrets on this floor that he would find a nice surprise. But, that was for later. This time, right now, this moment, was for relaxing and looking out at the views. It was kind of cathartic after the strange bout of hopelessness and depression he had last night. It was soothing. Evander stretched, then sat back against the rock. His eyes wandered, looking and focusing on things at random. The snow capped peak on the mountain over there, the blade of grass by his hand, the puffy clouds in the sky, a butterfly fluttering about. His mind wandered as well, thinking of random moments. Evander sat back and just let himself unwind after all of the tension he had been through.

[Evander 0]

This was the good life. Just lounging around, looking at the views, doing nothing important in particular. It would be better if he had some food of some kind with him, so his stomach could be living the good life as well, but eh. He'd take what he could get. Evander smiled. The smile turned into a grin. He was happy. He didn't see how people could ever become depressed. He sure wasn't. Everything just seemed so right. It seemed like this would never end. The joy of exploring, the beautiful landscapes, the thrill of fighting monsters, all of it was so great. About the only thing he missed was his family and his home, and... yeah, that was about it. Everything else was great. Sure, he was a little starved for social contact, but who needed people anyway? And really, if he really wanted to, he could just turn around and talk to one of the small groups of people up here. He was fine. Right? Yeah, he was cool. It was quickly growing stuffy under his cloak, so he threw it off and stood up. The temperature of the mountain air was nice and cool. He stretched a little, then put on his cloak and sword again. He felt like going for a little walk.

[Evander 0]

Evander walked slowly about, lazily looking around the area, focusing on any interesting thing that would catch his attention. There was a particularly looking comfortable patch of grass over there, so if he felt like taking a nap for some reason, it would probably be there. A couple were having a slightly early lunch picnic over there, by a small patch of vibrant orange flowers. Evander looked up at the sun. It was around 11:00, by his estimates. Hmm, that reminded him, he needed to get some food for lunch. But he would have to trek all the way back to Urbus for any store. Eh, whatever, he didn't really feel like walking all the way back to town just to get some food. He was also saving money by skipping lunch, which was great. What was also great was that no one technically needed food in this game, so he would be perfectly fine without a lunch. Evander leaned back against a boulder, just enjoying the feeling of freedom, and of having no obligations. However, he was planning on being productive tomorrow, to make up for all of this relaxing he was doing. Maybe he could find some cool quest to do. If he couldn't he would probably just go exploring and hunting down any monsters he found. That was pretty much it. Rinse and repeat until he was done with the floor. Barring anything special happening, of course.

[Evander 0]

Evander knelt by a patch of small white flowers on a whim. Evander picked one from the patch and sniffed at it. It had a light, fragrant scent, gentle, almost drowned out by the other more powerful scents in the area, but present. It was simple, ordinary, but singularly unique. Its white petals drooped. It was a nice little flower. Perhaps he would keep it to remind him of this peaceful mountaintop. Evander put it in his inventory. Evander stood. He inhaled deeply, breathing in the cool air. His nose was getting used to all of the scents in the area. When he had first arrived, the smells had washed over him like a wave, almost overwhelming him. But now, they seemed to have faded into the background. He didn't even really notice their presence anymore unless he focused, or took a deep breath, like he just did. The smells had in no way actually diminished- rather, his nose had just gotten used to them. He didn't really think his nose could get used to so many unique, fragrant, and wonderful smells, but it had. It was as if they had become nothing special to him, even though he had never smelled anything like this before in his life. They were just there. Even when he tried to smell them again, tried to recall them in all of their vibrancy and glory, they were diminished. They were lost to him.