[PP-F2] <<Feeding the Enemy>> Did that chest just...?

[Lycan 0]

Floor two, the city of Urbus. Lycan had taken a lycan to this quaint little forest town. While he had yet to muster the experience and strength to venture higher in Aincrad, this little city had become his go to. It reminded him most of home, in Montana. The teen spent many of his days, similar to this one, busying about the forest and looking for a fight. Days upon days, weeks upon weeks, but the grinding had begun to wear on him.

"Man," he huffed. "What a day. How many is that, two dozen? Three dozen?"

The teen slumped down in the bench he sat. The gurgle of the fountain behind him drowned out the droning voices of players as they walked by. Many of which frequented the nearby stands and shops, looking for a new trinket, blade, or treat. Lycan let out a long drawn sigh and pressed his hand to his face.

"I need a break..." he muttered.

"Break you say?" asked a withered, crooning voice.

Lycan looked up to find himself shockingly eye to eye with an elderly lady clad in rags and drenched in the aroma of cats.

"Sweet baby jesus!" he spouted in a startle.

"Have you heard of the Ancient's Cave?" she asked, her hit and miss set of teeth bare for him to see.

'Yikes...' Lycan searched for a chevron above her head and found none. 'Damn, an NPC. Still, thank god someone's grandma isn't trapped here.'

"No, and frankly I'm not interested," The teen turned his head away from the woman and skirted her off with a gesture of his hand.

"Even if there's treasure?"

Lycan's body became rigid and he slowly turned his head to the old woman.

"Treasure you say?" he repeated.

The old hag took a seat beside him, much to the boy's visible dislike. She pressed her palms into the bench and leaned into whisper while Lycan did everything in his power to lean back. The old gypsy's words left her lips on a sweet aroma of decay and failed hygiene.

"A cave full of chests. All of which to offer something: strength, wisdom, or riches." She spanned her hand out as if the chests themselves were before them. "Be careful though, for these chests are not what they seem. Foolish you be, and a finger or two might show what I mean."

'Great... she's rhyming...'

"If your luck be strong, you'll leave not before long. A companion you'll find, but keep my warning in mind..." The old woman smiled an arguably nauseating grin. Then, with a pat on Lycan's thigh, she got off the bench with a groan.

"Be careful, kiddie," she cackled before turning and walking off.

"Uh..." Lycan stared at where she touched him with a face of absolute horror. "That was the creepiest thing I've ever seen."

He shuddered at the experience, but the small, little inkling of curiosity took hold when a pop-up appeared for a quest. With it, a set of coordinates. 

"Hmm... I wonder..."

In honesty, Lycan was still looking for a break, but the stress of grinding had worn him down. There was one person that came to mind the he knew could handle everything here with both hands tied behind his back and blindfolded. The teen felt wrong asking for his help, being a front liner and all, but perhaps he could learn a thing or two. Since their last outing with Teayre didn't go so well, Lycan hoped the opposite would be true today.

With a flick of his UI, Lycan thumbed down his list of recent acquaintances and party history. He found @Calrex's name and began typing a PM.
 

Quote

Calrex,

Hey, I know we don't know each other very well, but I was hoping you and I could go on a little quest. It's nothing I can't handle alone and its something I'm sure you could do in your sleep, but I want to ask you a few questions. Last time, Teayre set an odd mood. This time, I just would like for two guys trapped in a death game to level with one another.

I know you have better things to do and the second floor isn't helping you get any stronger, but if you have the time, let me know. If you want to come, meet me at these co-ordinates. Some crazy, old, NPC lady says there's a cave full of treasures here. Might be worth your while in the end. Even if its some extra Col.

Let me know. Thanks for reading,

Lycan

Attached: (1.2351, -.8.6892) Map Marker

[Calrex 0]

OOC: I see what you did there in that first sentence XD

IC:

Hearing the sound of a PM come in Calrex gave a small yawn, slowly opening his eyes as he looked around. He had returned to the Amethyst Boutique a bit later last night, but it seemed like the place was empty, "Guess Tea already went out."

Getting to his feet he swiped to re-equip his gear before giving a small sigh. The night before was certainly taxing on him, both physically and mentally. It was only a few days after the floor raid planning meeting, but speaking to Opal while maintaining a calm demeanor was definitely no easy task. However, as the bluenette had suspected, the woman had her own ambitions and goals, ones that potentially opposed that of Laughing Coffin. "These following months are probably going to be even harder than before. I need to stay strong of mind, at least if I am going to see this through without losing sight of myself."

As he made his way towards the teleportation plaza he continued to process what had happened. Of course there was one big thing that did occur: He had taken a man's life, an orange player that Opal said was the last man that Lindow was looking for. Glancing up at his own still-green crystal made him give a small laugh, "Kill a green player you turn orange. Kill an orange player you don't change. What a one-sided way of justice there Kayaba..."

Lastly was the man, Sensui, who was the leader of Laughing Coffin. From what the bluenette could tell, he was the type that would be more likely to manipulate people into working for him, doing his dirty work, than get his own hands dirty. However, he certainly seemed to have a calm, calculating aspect, one that was much like the bluenette himself. The fact that they were very similar was probably more unsettling than anything, "Opal is supposedly doing to dismantle Laughing Coffin herself once she has accomplished killing the other orange players. Unfortunately, that gets in the way of my own goals. So if it comes down to it...I just might have to take them down myself. I've already got the tools I need to take on players that have specialized in single person combat, but they have yet to be field-tested..."

Reaching the teleportation plaza he summoned his menu and input the settlement of Urbus, where Lycan had directed him. He had read through the message while on the way, and the white-haired boy seemed to agree with him and there was an odd tone to their excursion, at least at the beginning. "Was it really necessary to greet someone by sticking your blade at them Tea? I can't tell if that was actually her own choosing, or if she was trying to flaunt her power again. I've explained it to her before, but that makes me question if it went in one ear and out the other. I'm already doing what I can, but it seems I might need to pick up the pace."

Arriving in the settlement Calrex summoned the coordinates from Lycan's message, following them. It wasn't long before he saw the young man appear as he gave a casual wave, "Guess I made it, heh."

[Lycan 0]

Lycan waved back at the bluenette. Honestly, he felt a little surprise that Calrex opted to show.

"Hey man, good to see you! How've you been?" Lycan shouted from the distance. He broke into a jog and closed the gap between the two. "How we doin'?"

The platinum crested teen arrived next to the frontliner with a huff and a wheeze.

"Should've stretched... whew... this morning," he huffed. After a moment to catch his breath, Lycan stood upright and cracked his neck side to side.

"So, this old lady said something about chests and treasure. Then some cryptic stuff about fingers and wisdom? Who knows. All I know, it that is a cave," Lycan said, pointing behind him to the gaping hole in the cliffside. "And it has treasure chests in it."

"So what'ya say? Ready to head out?"

The teen smiled at his role model. Unknown to Calrex, the teen saw a lot of himself in the frontliner. They both chose the one handed sword, for one. For second, they were both generally positive people. Lastly, they liked blue and red. Calrex certainly favored the former and Lycan the latter.

OOC: Rules of engagement. Roll the die each post we're inside. LD 15+ is a chest and inside, a gem or item or whatever your want (+1 Material). If you roll a 1 or a 2, a mob spawns (Min for the floor). The mob can be a mimic, bat, skele, or whatever you might find in a dark cave. When we hit 15, I roll for my mimic. If not, we can end it on 20 posts or push it to 30 for another try. Your call. 

[Calrex 0]

As Calrex heard the white-haired swodsman's response he gave a friendly smirk and a nod, "Doing alright, or about the same as the last time I saw you, heh. How's things going?"

Listening the bluenette took in the information that Lycan had given him about an old lady NPC giving him details about treasure and a chest, albeit in a cryptic manner, "Certainly something that I wouldn't put past the designers of this game. I'm just waiting for all the the hidden private part jokes, like taking a male connector and bringing it over to a female receiver in order to bridge a crossing, or something like that."

"Yeah, sure thing! I'm pretty much geared up, so let's get a move on."

Putting his free hand into his jacket pocket the bluenette began to casually scan the area, as he has always done, aiming to spot traps or any sudden ambushes that might be lying in wait.

"I don't have the Reveal skill, which would have made this much easier, but at the least if I can spot the enemy first I can get their attention. Wouldn't want Lycan to gain the highest aggro and get all of the monster's attention. It wouldn't spell well for his HP."

[Lycan 0]

 ID# 68379 results: // BD: 9 // CD: 11 // LD: 13 // MD: 2 // <<MOB SPAWNED>>

Lycan: 220/220 HP - 22/22 EN <<4 EN Used>>
BD: 9 = Critical Hit! +1 DMG
<<Vertical Arc 2x2>> 5+1 BASE = 24 DMG

Bat: 0/20 HP - 20 DMG <<-24 HP>>

"You got it," Lycan chimed to his companion.

With a smile, he made way for the cavern, Calrex in tow. No more than his first step inside the maw of the cave, the ceiling stirred. The dark shadow of a stalagmite wriggled and broke free from above. Two wings spanned out and red eyes lit in the darkness.

"Woah! Sh--" The teen had his words cut short as the bat swooped low, tousling his platinum hair with beats of its mighty wings. Lycan ripped Harbinger from its sheath before righting himself.

"Get back here!" he shouted. The bat either heard him, or wanted another go and began its second dive. Lycan set his sword arm low and to the side, charging the familiar hum of Cardinal's sword art system. The bat opened its jaw and the novice responded in kind as two vertical arcs _(4EN) severed the wings from the body. The bat crashed into Lye, staggering him back, before skipping lifelessly across the cave floor. Moments later, only shimmering fragments of data remained.

"Welp," Lycan sheathed his blade. "Guess there's more than chests in here."

With an awkward smile at Calrex, the teen continued deeper into the cave. Small glowing crystals lit the darkness along the natural stone walls. While mostly rocky craigs, some walls seemed smooth and man-made. Each footstep they made reverberated into the depths and the soft patter of droplets filled the eerie silence.

"Hey Calrex," Lycan began, breaking the silence. "Do you remember your first day on SAO? What went through your head after that announcement?"

The teen kept his eyes forward as his mind recalled his own experiences. Between the two, Calrex somehow managed more power than he. The gap needed a reason, yet even as a front-liner, the bluenette seemed to maintain a solid moral core. How did he do that? Was there a secret?  

[Calrex 0]

Entering into the cavern behind Lycan Calrex looked left and right, at least before we saw his white-haired teammate begin to battle with a simple bat. Using <<Vertical Arc>> Lye was able to eliminate the bat before it was able to even lay a claw on the player, but the scene gave the bluenette a small laugh, keeping his free hand into his jacket pocket. "Heh, it is a given. Caverns are certainly common places to encounter bats and other mostly nocturnal creatures. There might be some large ones hiding though, so we'd best keep an eye out."

It wasn't long after they resumed their exploration that his teammate inquired about his first day in SAO, reminding Calrex of the times he spent after the announcement. Of course, he had Oikawa, Teayre, and a handful of others to thank for helping him out, but there was a couple of times that he remembered wanting to merely hide in an inn, waiting for the day that they would be removed from the game.

"My first day? Heh, well I'll tell you one thing Lye. In the first few weeks of starting to explore outside of the safe zones, I nearly died quite a few times. After the announcement, I was trying to figure out what is it exactly I wanted to do. I could have just stayed in the Starting City, like most of the people still do, and merely wait out my days until we were released. Or I could have actually done something. As you can tell, I ended up choosing the latter, heh."

Looking over he gave a friendly smile, "As for you, what did you think?"

[Lycan 0]

 ID# 68483 results: // LD: 18 //

As the two ventured deeper into the cave, light from the outside grew sparse. The faint glow of the underground crystals took time to adjust to, almost akin to moonlight. The rocky walls had become smooth and man-made. What was a cavern, now became a type of dungeon. Instead of naturally clustered illuminescent gems, they were set into sconces every few feet apart. The muddy earth at their feet become polished stone, each footstep echoing faintly. Every so often, an opening to locations unknown spanned before them.

Lycan listened to Calrex's recollection. Unlike the frontliner, Lycan had no one and nothing.

"Me?" he asked rehtorically. Lycan recalled the man in the dark hood, the mark it gave him on his forearm, and the concerned faces of Axios's friends. The teen inadvertently rubbed the fabric of his forearm where the Mark of the Beast lie underneath.

"My first day was terrifying," he began with a soft and somber tone. "A college kid, wanting to try a new game for the graphics and scenery... I'm sure you can relate to the shock of learning this was our new life. All that tuition, my family... I dormed alone, so I'm at least grateful no one unplugged me for first hour."

Lycan approached a break in the hallway and peered into an empty room. It was dark, but something lurked in the shadows in the far back. The grey haired teen looked to Calrex with a smile and nudged his head toward it.

"I'm envious of you." Lycan added as he walked up to the shadow to reveal a chest. "Sweet! a chest!"

The teen bent down and found the latch to be open, unlocked, and unattended.

"Weird..." With a flip of the latch, he popped open the lid to reveal a solitary gem of unknown origin within. With a shrug, he reached in and grabbed it.

"Guess the old bat wasn't joking," he mused with a smile, holding the stone out for Calrex to see. Lycan pocketed it and his expression flattened.

"I almost died to a pack of wolves," he started. "Just me and them. My sword and their fangs. To go from a student to a life and death struggle... It's a tough transition."

Lycan turned confused and almost sorrowful eyes to the bluenette.

"How do you do it, Calrex? You're always so... positive. You face death every day and clear floors for people like us. You're even here, helping someone who most would already see as a dead man. So how? How do you smile? How do you sleep?"

[Calrex 0]

"Sounds like most of us actually, heh. At the least, you were able to hold your own against those wolves and make it out alive. My first battle I fought alongside two of my closest comrades in this game, Oikawa and Teayre. If it weren't for the two of them, I probably would be here today, because I didn't land a single hit on the one boar we were fighting."

Keeping guard as Lycan went over and opened the chest, containing what appeared to be a gem of material usage, Calrex looked around. The cavern was certainly unnatural on the inside, having structures and area which appeared to be mostly manmade. Of course, there was the possibility that the game were merely designed that way, but there was the chance such architectural layouts were fully intended by the development team behind SAO.

"I live on my own as well, so I am partially surprised that I am still in this game till now. I guess that one of my neighbors must have called the hospital when the announcement went out, so I'm likely at a hospital, just like everyone else. However, I don't have to worry about college classes, heh. I have to worry about paying off loans. I'm sure even if I'm just a corpse, the government is going to want its due."

Looking at the young man as he asked a serious question, wondering about how the bluenette himself was able to keep pressing forward, even though all of the adversity and the sadness that was present in this game. It was a question that Calrex had asked himself times before, because in some darker times, he himself began to question his own mental fortitude. The cold persona was originally a manifestation of that, shutting out all emotion that he could focus on the task at hand. But with the training he had been going through with Baldur, he learned to enhance that ability, instead channeling it into the idea of Fudoshin.

"Well, there's many times where I myself doubt what it is I'm able to do. I'm sure you're probably already aware, but I've watched close friends, comrades, fall by the wayside by both monster and player alike. I've also seen my closest friends take lives, in some cases more than once. It's been a hard road, but..."

Giving a calming breath he collected his thoughts before continuing, "...I think there's a few things that continue to drive me forward. One is that I try my best not to dwell on the past, on where I have failed. Instead, I try to gleam a lesson from each shortcoming, using it to make myself stronger physically, mentally, and emotionally. Some people may think I am heartless for not mourning the dead, but I feel that the only way we can do right by them is by escaping this game, by living in their place. As well, I cannot allow myself to break down, because there's people that are counting on me. Because in the end, it's not just about me, or you, or another person. We're not working to be the last survivor, but so that we all survive. I won't lie, there will always be times where I doubt myself, and feel the sensation of sadness try to overtake me. But I've come to accept that while those times will be there, they are passing emotions, ones that will eventually subside."

[Lycan 0]

ID# 69006 results: // LD: 12 //

Lycan listened to the frontliner's mature response. He looked to the floor with downcast eyes, trying to relate but falling short. Lycan didn't owe this world anything, nor did he have the power to help free anyone. His gaze listed to the fabricated, digital walls as his mind processed Calrex's words.

"Are you afraid?" the teen seemingly asked as the emotion crept into him.

He shook his head and forced a nervous laugh.

"No, nevermind," he looked to the bluenette with a nervous smile as if to hide what stirred in his mind's eye.

The teen took a deep breath and pushed past Calrex back into the hallway. He looked toward the origin and unknown darkness with squinted eyes. The light, while ample enough to make out color, still lacked the clarity of day. 

"Y'know Calrex," Lycan began, his tones sounding chipper already. "You're too good for a place like this. I admire your strength."

He looked back to the bluenette, this time his smile looked pure and jovial. The teen understood where his companion came from and the weight he carried on his shoulders every day. Calrex wasn't some hero or possessed some alternative manners of thinking. He was just a man, just like Lycan. Their difference, perseverance. If Calrex could do it, so could the young swordsman.

"And I don't mean your stats. When I get strong enough, I hope I can stand beside you as an equal." 

[Calrex 0]

Calrex listened as Lycan began to reply to his words, giving a friendly smirk as he kept scanning the areas of the cave for potential enemies. The young man had begun to ask about if he was afraid, but decided to redirect his train of thought before continuing, instead complimenting the bluenette on his stalwart mind. "Heh, if only I could say I've done so out of training, but I guess real world sadness can cause the same amount of thick skin to develop."

"Well, heh, thanks. I appreciate the sentiment. However, if you want to be my equal, you should aim to surpass me. That way even if you fall short you will end up better off than merely trying to match me."

Giving a small sigh the bluenette gathered his thoughts before continuing, "I know you want to ignore it, but I'm happy to respond. The fact of the matter is, anyone in this world that claims they are not afraid is lying. No one came into SAO thinking they were going to be trapped in a death game. It caught us all by surprise, and now everyone is trying to cope and push forward in their own ways. I fear the thought of dying in this world as well, but I choose to redirect that emotion towards something that I know will accomplish my goals, training and protecting those I care about. Strength will preserve my own life, at least for a while, and it allows me the ability to stand between the monsters of this world and my friends, giving me the power to eliminate those that seek harm upon them. However, as Baldur told me before, there's more to it than just stats. If we do escape this game, but end up mere husks of who we were, then Kayaba still wins. So I do by best to keep my mind together as well."