[PP-F6] <<Earning a Living>> What Kind of Plant is this?

[Miaki 0]

Miaki passed through a medium sized village called <>. It was the main settlement of the 6th floor and was much smaller compared to the main settlements on the first and second floors. The entire NPC population was entirely that of female warriors with only a few who didn't fit the description of being warriors. All of the structures were wooden huts, buildings, or tents. Miaki saw one tent that had various types of plants and vials with strange colored water and potions in them. Walking over to the vendor he noticed a scroll nailed to a post that read: "Ask me about Alchemy."

[Miaki 0]

He approached the female NPC running the tent. Looking Miaki over the woman shrugged and gave him a bored look. "What can I do for you?" She said in a monotone voice.

"I was wondering about what I needed to do to become an alchemist."

"You wanna try your hand alchemy huh?" She looked away still unimpressed. "I suppose I could help you."

"Great.... So what do I do first?"

"Well there are different ways to collect ingredients and this floor is full of them. Bring me back some useful plants you find and I'll get you started."

[Miaki 0]

Miaki attempted to get more information out of the NPC but she was less than helpful to him. He gathered himself together and wondered around the village before figuring that the only way to get the resources he needed was to go out into the jungle and find some plant ingredients.

[Miaki 0]

Miaki started to walk out of the settlement but was still lost about where he could find the proper plants. Opening his GUI Miaki began composing a message to <> asking for help in getting started. The message read:

Hey Keith, I'm finally getting my profession as an alchemist started. But Im totally cannot think of anywhere I can find the mats I need for this profession and the NPC isn't helping me at all. Meet me just outside of the settlement <>. There is hardly anyone up here besides the NPCs so I'm impossible to miss."

[Miaki 0]

Miaki sat on a wooden stump and waited for a response from Keith. It would seem that Keith having just opened his tailor shop was becoming very busy and didn't have time to reply to any messages. While he waited Miaki opened up the information brokers' skill list hoping there was something to help rising alchemists. The information he found was a little more helpful than the NPC in the settlement close by. The info mentioned that the <> dropped vials of sap that could be used to make healing potions. 'Didn't think I'd go back to fight those things again.' He thought to himself. 'Guess I'll give Keith a bit more time to show up. If I don't hear anything soon, I'll go on without him. Not that I'll need his help against level 1 monsters.'

[Miaki 0]

"I suppose if I kill several of these monsters on floor 1 then I will be able to get enough items to complete this profession quest." Walking over to the teleportation gate Miaki shouted the command "Teleport! Town of Beginnings!" The jungle settlement around him began to vanish as the shimmering light warped him away from the 6th floor.

[Miaki 0]

'This floor again? Geez they just keep forcing us back here.' Miaki puffed as the city the first floor city came into focus. The thousands of players in Sword Art Online seemed to frequent this floor the most. Probably because most were too afraid to venture out into the other floors. Instead they kept to the safety of the first three floors right now. Floors four through seven were not very welcoming to to the players as they were not really designed for commerce and geared more for questing and exploration. Miaki looked around at the large done buildings and structures around him. His attitude towards the city he once had a liking to was starting to become an annoyance for him. The lack of progress they had made in clearing floor seven was getting on his nerves.

[Miaki 0]

Navigating through the large crowds occupying the first floor main city was a little bit of a hassle. Although the city was magnificent in size had much to offer to players, the glamor of the <> had lost it's luster. Miaki didn't quite know when the floor had started to become annoying to him. Maybe the place wasn't so bad. But having seen the jungles of the sixth floor, the alpines of floor four, and the western feel of the desert fifth floor made the first floor seem less significant. The only thing that floor one had going for it was connivence of having nearly everything needed in one floor and having the current largest city.

[Miaki 0]

Walking through one large, open area of the city Miaki recognized it instantly as the place where all of the players were informed by Akihiko Kayaba, the creator of Sword Art Online, through them the biggest curve ball yet. That they were now stuck in this game with no chance of getting out unless they beat the 100 floors above them. Miaki had flashbacks to that same day and could see the faceless, robed figure floating overhead speaking to them. He remembered the fear he first felt when he was told that he couldn't leave this place. Now he had no intentions of leaving. Having come to terms with their predicament Miaki realized that he had just had his wildest dreams come true. To live in a world of swords and fantasy. Probably the only way things could have been any better is if they had bows and arrows or magic. But having sword skills was the next best thing for him.

[Miaki 0]

Most players didn't quite see things the way Miaki did when it came to clearing the game. Pretty much everyone on the front lines was fighting to beat the game and leave this place; saving those who were too scared to fight for themselves. Miaki's motivations for pushing forward were driven by a craving for adventure. 100 floors between where he stood and a castle that was located at the very top, each floor uniquely designed compared to the rest.

[Miaki 0]

Walking with purpose, Miaki took his right hand poised in the air with his two forefingers extended and opened his in game menu. Shifting through a few options he selected map display and ran a search for <>. A red marker appeared and highlighted a small area that was quite the distance away from his currently location. 'Wasn't there a way to get horses or use them in this game? I need to remember to look into that and figure out what I'd need to do to get one or use them. This walking can get tiresome after a while. Especially with a floor you've frequented so much and offers little exploration.' By this time he had passed through the outer city gates and followed a road to the location on his map.

[Miaki 0]

Miaki's mind was still drifting as he walked towards the area he had once visited himself for the first time. He was nearing the forest where <> was located. Passing into the forest Miaki began searching for the <>. "Come out come out where ever you are....." Miaki heard a rustling in the brush to his right. "Showtime." He said as he slowly drew his katana.

[Miaki 0]

Miaki approached the brush without a concern, he was on the first floor for crying out loud. He had nothing to fear. But when he jumped through the brush he glanced around and saw not a boar. But a group of low level players. Very low level based upon their appearance. "You really shouldn't hide in the brush unless you have hiding skills. It makes it more effective. You won't sneak up on anything unless you try that. Any monster will spot you with no problem."

"R-r-right."

Miaki sighed and sheathed his sword continuing his search for the plant monsters out in the forest.

[Miaki 0]

"Wondering around these woods is retarded!" Miaki yelled in frustration. "First I leave the sixth floor to come all the way back down here only to find myself walking around aimlessly looking for a couple monsters." He punched a random large rock and an icon appeared which read <>. This mean't that punching trees did NOT working in Sword Art Online. After all, punching trees? That idea is ridiculous. Tightening his fist, Miaki sighed and took a deep breath. "Okay, let's see if I can get lucky with a chest...."

Miaki started looking for any place that would be a good place a developer would pick for hiding a chest. "If I were a developer where would I hide an item chest?" He began searching around and found a small wooden chest hidden behind a massive boulder and a large tree. "Huh.... Between a rock and a hard place." Miaki open the chest and peered inside.

(Rolled 15 for loot.)

[Miaki 0]

Inside the chest Miaki found a total of 4x «Vials of Little Nepent Sap». Miaki looked at the newly added item to his inventory and wondered if this was enough for him to complete the quest. But the problem was that he was asked to bring back PLANTS. Not sap. Miaki suddenly became more frustrated again.

"Alright, let's just pick some random plants here and get back to six and grab some. Surely that will be enough to please that emotionless NPC in the Amazon settlement." Miaki thought to himself.

Looking around at the various plants he saw around him, Miaki started picking random different ones. When he checked what they were they all appeared as <<?????>>. It would seem that atleast for alchemy you won't know what some plants were unless you were a trained alchemist. This was an interesting surprise for Miaki as it was something he didn't expect to see in Sword Art Online.

[Miaki 0]

Miaki walked through the peaceful forest looking for more unique types of plants to add to his small collection. Every time he found a new one he'd grab a couple of that specimen and tucked it away in his inventory. So far he had about 4 different types of plants. One of them reminded him of what Lavender looked like, another looked like an odd cross of a blackberry and cherries. He kept a careful eye for anything he could have possibly missed.

Bushes, hedges, flowers, and some plants all by themselves on the ground, that looked like odd looking weeds to him, were all prime real estate for the <>. "Funny how in that <> I hated nature but here I'm totally tolerant of it. Might have something to do with the lack of pollen in video games I suppose." Miaki said to Silverwing who was flying close by.

[Miaki 0]

Finding fifth unique plant, Miaki picked the flower up and added it to what he now had. Five different types of plants from floor one. He knew that the sixth floor offered some more stuff for him to get his hands into and that it wasn't far from the <> where he would find himself when he go there. Taking one final look around him, searching for any reason he'd have to stay for a bit longer, Miaki pulled out a teleportation crystal, holding it in his hand, and said. "Teleport! Amazon!" He immediately vanished from the forest area in a flash of blue light.

[Miaki 0]

Miaki returned to the familiarity of <> and went right to work collecting the last of the things he needed for his profession quest. All he needed were a few more random plants and he was done. "Almost done. Almost done." He kept telling himself. Venturing through the settlement he got to the edge of the jungle looking for all the resources he needed to reach his requirement. He looked around for what he needed and found numerous plants right off the bat. The plants were blue, white, and purple. "That was easy. Why didn't I do this when I was up here already?" Miaki wondered to himself.

[Miaki 0]

The Silver Swordsman reapproached the female alchemist who was running the tent. She was pouring over a small blue book when she heard Miaki getting closer. Looking up and giving him the same bored look from before she spoke in her mono-toned voice. "What can I do for you?"

"I brought you the items you requested." Miaki said, placing the small sack of various plants on the table.

"It would seem so and not a bad job either I suppose." She looked at the contents still unimpressed. "I suppose I will teach you then."

"Great... How do I get started?"

Tossing the book she was reading at Miaki she grabbed the sack of items that Miaki brought. "Read that book. It's a manual I wrote for getting amateurs started."

"That's it?"

"Mmmhmmm the items were your payment for the book."

"Ohhhh......" Feeling he would gain nothing else from this conversation, Miaki walked away to read the book.

[Miaki 0]

Miaki walked away from the tent and began to read his new book on alchemy. The title of the book was appropriately called, "Alchemy for N00bies" it would appear the writer did have some sense of humor after all. After Miaki completed read the book cover to cover a display appeared in front of him playing small fanfare.

<> Quest Completed!

New profession <> unlocked!

"Well that was easy... Now to get a shop built. The question is... This floor or some other floor...." Miaki asked himself as he walked off in search of prime real estate.