(F1-PP) Basic training <<The First Few Lessons are Free>>

[Maddix 0]

Maddix was sitting on a bench in the market district of the Town of Beginnings. She was still fairly new to the game and was still adapting to everything that was going on. She was till baffled about how everyone in this game just ran by so swiftly. How they just blasted from checkpoint A to Checkpoint B like it was nothing. Maddix knew what it was like to run through area's in an RPG with mastery on the in's and out's of that area. Maddix had played her fair share of RPG's and knew full and well what it was like to run through an area without any care. But to her, this was different. In those circumstances, the player is using a keyboard or controller to move their character through an area. However, this wasn't like that. The player wasn't using a mouse and keyboard or controller to navigate. They were instead controlling themselves and moving with their arms and legs. And in this game, the character was the player and vice versa. However, Maddix tried not to ponder on this too long. 

"I've been sitting on this bench for at least an hour" She groaned to herself. "Time to get up and do something". So Maddix got up off of the bench and began to move around the district, looking for something to do. That was until she found a quest board. She looked over the available options and found something that suited her

"The First Few Lessons are Free..." she said to herself as she read the quests name. Next, she looked over the details of the quest and was hooked.

"This'll help me learn some of the mechanics!" She said, somewhat excited. Maddix then saw that she could participate in this quest with another player. She pondered whether she should or not. She looked through members whom she had played with recently and saw that Abalasster was the only one online

"Might as well give it a shot?" Maddix said as she messageAbalasster. 

"Hey @Abalasster, I was thinking about taking this beginning quest and wondered if you may want to participate. I'd appreciate your co-op presence. And maybe we could get to know each other better- Maddix"

She sent the message and waited for a response...or a lack of one...  

[Abalasster 0]

Abalasster was cleaning up his shop on the First Floor of Aincrad. He had let the place fall into disrepair, once again. He loved his profession of being a merchant, however he was always on the move and sometimes he just let the place fall into disarray. He didn't like how little care he took of the place, seeing how hard he tried to obtain his merchant skill in the first place. However, he was now going to strive to take better care of the shop. So far today he had been able to clear out most of the cobwebs, repair 2 broken windows and was now fixing up toe roof. Abalasster was climbing on a ladder and placing boards in place with his companion Khepri on his shoulder. The  Scarab was cheering the merchant on from the his location Abalasster's shoulder. 

Abalasster was lifting a board when suddenly a message appeared out of nowhere right in front of him, scaring him and making him fall backwards off the ladder. He crashed to the floor and groaned

"Well damn!" he said as he slowly lifted himself off the ground. He put one hand on his back and used the other to open the message. It was from Maddix, an acquaintance of his whom he had gone hunting with not too long ago. She had requested for him to do the quest <<The First Lesson is Free>>. Abalasster had never seen this quest before, but he was intrigued.

"I'll be right there" he messaged back. He grabbed his sword, Transcendence and his companion Khepri. He looked to see where Maddix was located and found that she wasn't too far from his shop. She was in the market district in fact! He opened the door and strode out to meet his questing companion. Abalasster was sure that she was near the quest board in the market district, so he made his way in that direction. And sure enough, there she was.

"Hello Maddix" Abalasster said as he approached her. Khepri also waved with one of his pincers. "We ready to do this?"

[Maddix 0]

Maddix stood at the quest board, waiting for a response from Abalasster. After she sent the message, she initially thought that Abalasster wouldn't respond. He had only had one interaction with her before, so she was skeptical that he'd respond. But, for the meantime, she just stood there at the board waiting.

Maddix was alarmed when Abalasster responded. It hadn't taken very long for him to respond either. He said that he would be willing to do the quest and that he was on his way. Maddix was ecstatic.

"Well that's good," she said as she read the message. So, to pass the time, waiting for Abalasster to show up to her location, she began to read the details on the quest.

"So I need to get mats. for Zackariah" Maddix said as she ready the info

" Hey Maddix!" she heard from behind her. She turned to see that Abalasster was approaching.

"Hey!" she responded cheerfully. She looked to see the creature that was on his shoulder and she was started.

"Oh my God," she said, "what's on your shoulder". The thing appeared to be some sort of insect or bug. Maddix was rather creeped out by it. However, she let it go. 

"Yeah, let's do it!" Maddix said. "Our first stop is Zackariah's shop". Maddix started to walk in the direction of the shop's destination, beckoning Abalasster to follow.

 

[Abalasster 0]

"Oh this little lad" Abalasster said with a questioning smile. "This here is my good friend Khepri the Scarab. He has been with me through thick and thin. I've had him longer than any other friend in this game. He's a true friend, and do not worry, he is friendly." Abalasster could sense Maddix's tension whilst looking at his scarab.

However, Maddix soon moved quickly off the subject of his Scarab and onto the subject of the quest.

"Alrighty" Abalasster replied, as he followed Maddix to the location that she was directing him. 

"So, is this your first quest?" Abalasster asked as the two walked down the street of the first floor towards wherever Maddix was taking him. "Also, after this is all said and done, we can go out to a restaurant. I'll probably be hungry afterwards and you may be as well. Whatcha say?" 

[Maddix 0]

Abalasster mentioned that the thing that laid on his shoulder was a Scarab and that this scarab thing is his most trusty traveling companion. This made Maddix wonder what the hell Abalasster considered a companion

"Who would carry around a bug as their traveling companion," Maddix thought to herself. She considered a traveling partner to be that of dog or maybe even a cat. But a friggen bug? Maddix couldn't see in te slightest how he found solace in a creature like that. Abalasster then tried to tell Maddix that the bug was friendly, but Maddix didn't really care. That bug on his shoulder freaked her out. However, Maddix didn't want to let her disease for the bug turn into malice for Abalasster. The player did offer to help her after all, so the least she could do was be civil. So she dropped the subject entirely now and began to advance towards the questing location. Abalasster followed.

As the two moved towards the shop, her questing companion asked her if this was her first quest.

"Yeah, it is" she replied enthusiastically. "I hope to make fond memories of it as well" Not long after that, he then asked if she would like to go out to a restaurant with him after the quest. Maddix pondered what to do at first. She was quite hungry as of now, but at the same time, she'd be eating with a person that was a borderline stranger. She kept going back and forth. That was until the thought of food made her tummy rumble.

"Yeah, we can go out to eat after this" Maddix replied. 

It wasn't long before the two reached the shop of Zackariah.

"Well, this is our destination," Maddix said, as she gazed at the door

[Abalasster 0]

As the two began to walk down the streets, Maddix began to answer Abalasster's questions.

"Ah, I see" he responded to the answer to his question about this being her first quest. "I remember my first quest. It was when I took on the role of being a merchant. I remember the thrill of it till this day. The your first quest will always be the most memorable. Cherish it".  Maddix then answered his question about whether or not she wanted to get food. At first, there was no response from her. Then, out of nowhere, a growl came from her stomach and Abalasster smirked. And then she responded that she'd like to go out and eat afterwards. 

"I figured" Abalasster thought to himself after she replied. It wasn't too long later that the two arrived at the destination that they had been walking to. Both of them stood side by side at the entrance to the place. 

"Well, here we go" Abalasster said as he faced the door. "You should go in first, being it your quest and all"

Abalasster stood firm where he was, waiting for Maddix to enter the door to the shop...