[SP-F1] They Might be Dragons <<DHA 1>>

[Jomei 0]

"So.. tell me more about this dragon hunting quest."

The ginger haired player turned his head slightly to face the hooded figure who stood behind the bench he had been sitting on. In front of him, a small screen was opened, listing all of the current quests that had been found by the players of Aincrad so far, given to him by the same information broker he spoke to now. "Its not just one quest, its a whole quest line. Like.. nine or ten quests in total, or so I've heard. I've really only heard rumors of one group of players finishing the tenth quest so far, but I haven't been able to pick any more information that that."

Jomei nodded his head in understanding, swiping his hand down to his side, dismissing the small list in front of him. "Alright then, lets start small. What do you know about this first part of the quest line?" 
 

[Jomei 0]

The blonde woman's eyes turned to Jomei under her cloak, a small smirk pulling at the corner of her mouth, "Now that I can tell you about." 

Placing a hand on the back of the bench, the girl vaulted herself over to the side Jomei sat on, before sitting aside the man. "The exact location of the egg changes every time, but there's a mountain to the Town of Beginnings that sticks out from the others, made of some red rock or something." 

"Wait wait.." Jomei said, interrupting her for a moment, "Egg?" 

The girl chuckled, "Yeah. You won't be fighting a full sized dragon Mr. Hot-shot. This is a First Floor quest after all. No, its just a hatchling, though that doesn't mean take things lightly."

The Irishman's hand lead up to the back of his neck, rubbing it lightly. "Y-Yeah.. guess I got ahead of myself.. Probably wouldn't want to see myself fighting any giant dragons after Tesseleth and all that." 

[Jomei 0]

Argo chuckled and nodded her head, placing her hands behind her head and leaning into the back of the bench, "I'm sure you can handle it on your own, Jo. But the dragons do get tougher the farther you get. I wouldn't be surprised if you had to eventually ask for help." her head turned slightly to look at the man with a single eyed gaze from under her hood. The ginger smiled and pushed off of the bench to return to a standing position yet again. Swiping his hand up, he sent a bit of Col Argo's way for her help. "Thanks for the information, I'll let you know if I learn anything useful for you." Smirking back, the girl gave the man a two finger salute before watching him depart from their meeting location. Once he was far enough away, the female information broker let out a sigh, before raising to her feet and walking in the opposite direction, sinking back into the shadows whenever she had a chance.
 

[Jomei 0]

Jomei made his way through the large Town of Beginnings, heading towards the Southern gates of the town. If Argo was correct, he should be able to see the large red mountain from there where the dragon egg resided. The man thought to himself about inviting one of his friends or guild mates along with him. Ruby he knew was already taking the quest with Jevi, so she was out of the question. Of course, Telrenya, he always wanted to spend time with. However, before he had a chance to invite her or anyone else, he decided against it. It had been awhile since he had some time on his own, to reflect and think about the future.. his own as a front liner, the future of the Holy Dragon Alliance, his future with Telrenya. On top of that, he was looking forward to finally testing out the new rapier he had picked up. Maybe he would invite some of his guild along the farther along he got with the guild. As he thought about it, he wondered just how tough the dragons farther on could actually get. 

[Jomei 0]

Walking through the gates of the town, Jomei now found himself standing before the open fields of the First Floor. The grassy field continued on until it became a dense forest. The tops of the trees varied in heights, but not much more than two or three feet. Poking out behind the tops of the forest was the mountain Argo spoke of, only it was much taller than Jomei had anticipated. His brows rose as he felt a drop of sweat run down his jawline, "First level quest? You've gotta be kidding me.." he said to himself under his breath before letting out a quick sigh and beginning down the path, dreading the possibility to climbing that entire mountain on his own. The man walked with his hands in his pockets, looking around at the open fields where he saw other various players and mobs. Some groups of players fought off simple boars, others were searching for materials. The man could not help but smile as he watched players helping each other to learn the mechanics of fighting, remembering all that time ago when he was in their shoes as well.

[Jomei 0]

The Irishman was more accustomed to leaving the town through the Northern gates, usually not heading out through the south much, so all of his surroundings were slightly new to him. For the most part, everything seemed pretty familiar-- still the same monsters for players to fight, and a forest at the end of the path he could follow. The only real difference was the tall mountain where this dragon could be found. Eventually, Jomei found himself walking along a shaded path, as the trees formed a natural canopy over him. Despite it being winter, and the air feeling a bit colder than it usually is during the other seasons, the crisp walk did not bother Jomei, as it did in Snowfrost, even Taft at times. The first floor always seemed to have a warm atmosphere to him, most likely a way to get players to move out of the Beginning town and explore some of the higher leveled cites. Though, was it pushing players to explore all that the game showed off, or was it to get them into more dangerous situations on higher floors. Jomei slightly frowned at the thought, yet kept moving forward nonetheless. 

[Jomei 0]

Swiping his hand upward, Jomei decided to kill some time by practicing a bit of his lute. Going through his inventory quickly, as if all by muscle memory, Jomei tapped on the item selection. As the menu shrunk back down, the instrument materialized in a white light, falling into his arms. As he situated the lute into position, his gingers slid down the length of the neck, running along the strings. A soft humming noise sounded out from the face of the lute, the notes lowering until he came to a stop at the end of the neck. His eyes closed peacefully as his lips spread into a smile, fingers pressing upon the neck of the instrument. His other hand made its way to the strings on the opposite side, gently plucking one at a time, single notes sounding out, being the only noise in the surrounding area. The tempo of his song would slowly increase, not picking up too much, but just enough to change the mood of his song. He had met multiple others who had taken the Performer profession, yet he did not see many who would practice their art outside of their shop as he had. 

[Jomei 0]

Where the man's song merely started off as simply practicing scales, trying to add a tempo and dance to them to make them more joyous, he eventually switched into a song he had practiced frequently, though one he usually played on another instrument.. and with his second player. Jomei began to play a rendition of the song he and Telrenya had created together made for the lute, trying to transcribe as many of the piano's chords into ones played on the lute, as well as throwing in sounds from the second part. The man's smile only widened, remembering the nights him and Estelle played their music, night after night until they perfected and recorded this song. He imagined the girl standing there beside him, her violin in her arms as the bow made its way back and forth across the strings of the instrument. Jomei's smile continued to linger as he opened his eyes, despite coming to the reality that the girl was not actually there. 

[Jomei 0]

Jomei shook his head, he couldn't get all soft now thinking about Estelle like that, he needed to remain focused on finding this dragon. Continuing along the path, Jomei could hear the sound of sobs mixed with growls, as well as thuds. Jomei searched around for the concerning, yet strange, combination of sounds. Just off the path, Jomei spotted a woman that wore a dress slimmer and shorter than most, standing in front of a tree, crying. Every once in awhile, anger seemed to take over, and she would throw a punch into the trunk of the tree. The ginger seemed skeptical at first, yet his conscious would not let him simply walk away. Dismissing the lute back to his inventory, Jomei walked up to the woman, who did not seem to notice him approaching. "Are.. you okay?" Jomei asked her in a soft voice. 

[Jomei 0]

With a startled gasp, the woman quickly spun around. Now instead of a tree, the woman was looking to hit Jomei. Her fist flew forward at the man's chest, yet was slow and sloppy enough for him to be able to step to the side out of the way. "Wait wait hold on!" Jomei shouted, quickly grabbing her wrist to prevent her from trying to attack him anymore. The woman tried to break free, pounding her other fist into Jomei's chest, though it did not have enough force behind it to count as an attack or deal any damage to the man. Not wanting to get the girl any angrier than she already was, Jomei let go and put his hands up, taking a couple of steps back. "[censored] off." she said to him, shaking her head. "I'm sorry.." Jomei said, "I was just seeing if you were okay." The woman scoffed, before placing her back against the tree and sighing, defeated. She began to wipe her puffy eyes clean of any tears. "I got dumped. Happy?" She looked at Jomei for a moment, before noticing the concern in his eyes. "S-sorry.."

[Jomei 0]

Jomei took a step closer when he saw that she had let down her defenses a bit and opened up her reasoning to the man, "Its fine.. I understand." he said cautiously. The woman looked down at the ground, heels that were dirty from trekking through the forest. "I mean.. we weren't really dating.. We just.. ya'know." she shrugged her shoulders and looked up at Jomei, hoping he would understand where she was coming from with that comment. She sighed again, shaking her head, "I mean.. I knew Erin only really kept me around for that but.. I truly felt like it might have been more between us.. But ever since that other girl came around, Erin's only been messaging her all the time.. something about being in a guild now and all that, trying to get closer with her." The girl's eyes looked up at Jomei yet again, a small smirk pulling at the corner of her lips as she stepped forward, "But you know what? I think I can get over that.. especially with a nicer guy like you around." Jomei's eyes widened as he took a step back, his hands moving upwards and palms facing out towards her. Her mood changed fast, he thought to himself. "S-sorry.. I'm just seeing if you're okay. I didn't do it with any intent." 

[Jomei 0]

The girl's flirty gaze returned to the cold scowl she wore before, standing up straight and crossing her arms. "Figured." she said with a scoff. Jomei's hand rose up to rub the nape of his neck, ".. I'm sorry about you and Erin.." Just what kind of girl did Jevi invite to this guild? I definitely didn't get that vibe from her on Floor Nine.. "I.. actually should be going.. You should get back to town.. maybe find yourself another nice guy there." Without waiting for the girl's reply, Jomei returned to the path, making his way towards the tall mountain. Who the hell was this Erin? Was she really right for the guild if this was how she was going to treat another woman? Something really wasn't adding up.. why did that girl seem so familiar, and why did he feel like he had met someone named Erin at another meeting? Jomei's thoughts on the mysterious guild member was cut short, as he found himself at the foot of the red mountain

[Jomei 0]

Jomei looked up at the mountain in front of him, getting a grasp of the intense height of the mountain. Had something this large always been on this floor? Surely he would have taken notice of it before. Then again.. most of his time spent on the First Floor were in pubs, drinking pints and hoping for this whole death game to blow over. Luckily enough for the ginger, there seemed to be a path that led up the side of the monsterous rocky structure. With a confident nod, Jomei began his way up the path, his boots picking up red dust with each step. The man searched for anything that looked like an egg, peeking into caves, looking down into natural craters, nothing. Looks like he would need to keep on climbing.

The man let out a sharp whistle, calling his avian companion to his side. From high in the air above him, dove down the familiar brown owl with a green scarf tied around her neck. Jomei smiled at the owl as it landed on his shoulder, “Hey Adere. Happy youre still wearing the scarf Stel gave you” he said with a chuckle, scratching at the owl’s body. “I need you to fly up ahead, tell me if you see anything that looks like a dragon’s egg” With a nod, the owls wings spread at its side, before taking off into the air again and soaring up the side of the mountain. Jomei always wondered why he didn’t ask for Adere’s help in searching like this before. 

[Jomei 0]

With the owl now out of sight, Jomei continued his way up the mountain path, awaiting his companion’s return. From around the bend, he heard the sound of laughter. Someone laughing? All the way up here? He thought. He saw a man turn the corner, laughing to himself. His gear was not the starter equipment, and he seemed to be able to handle his own from the way he carried himself. Jomei looked at the man with a raised brow, wondering just what he found so entertaining. The man finally took notice of Jomei, stopping in his tracks and crossing his arms. “The hell you looking at?” Jomei stopped walking himself, his curious expression remaining, “Wondering what could be so funny up-“ 

Jomei’s question was interrupted by the sound of younger players screaming for help, which only caused the laughin man to break out into another laughing fit. Jomei scoweled at the man, before ripping his rapier from its scabbard, already knowing he had something to do with this “You better hope you’re gone by the time I come back.” Jomei’s threat caused the man to falter and look at him, wondering if he would dare comw back to find him. “Y-yeah whatever.” Without any other explanation, the man continued down the side of the mountain. Jomei, on the other hand, rushed up the side. Soon after breaking into a sprint up the path, Adere had returned to his side, flying just over his shoulder. She must have found the dragon as well, which meant that was most likely where those other players were. 

[Jomei 0]

Turning one final bend, Jomei’s eyes saw the source of the screaming. Three players, each donned in starting gear and terrified faces, trapped in a corner by a dragon that looked to be about the size of a small bear. If this was a newborn, Jomei was worried how large it would be full sized. “Hey!” Jomei shouted to get the dragon’s attention. When it did not turn around right away, the man ran forward to where the dragon’s tail slowly swayed along the red rock. The ginger lifted his boot up before stomping down on the tail, causing the dragon to let out a pained whine. “Get out of here! I’ll take care of the dragon!” Jomei shouted to the other players, who seemed too scared to move.

Rhaegal the dragon quickly spun around, lifting one of its claws, that was about the size of Jomei's head. The man's eyes went wide as he quickly ducked under the swinging arm, the sharp talons slashing right over Jomei's face. Once clear of the attack, Jomei rose to his feet and pulled his sword arm back, the tip of his rapier pointing down the dragon. As his sword art activated, his blade was engulfed in a golden, flame-like aura. "Hyaa!" Jomei shouted, as his blade shot forward with a single hit, yet hitting with the force of ten strikes in one. The tip of the rapier collided with the side of Rhaegal, sending its body flying into the side of the mountain, the beast shattering like glass upon impact. 

ID 93340
BD 10

• Flashing Penetrator: 10x17(+2) = 190 Dmg(-25 Mit) = 165 Dmg

MD 5

Jomei: 1140/1140 | 110/110
Rhaegal: 0/125 | 25 Mit | 50 Dmg

[Jomei 0]

Jomei let out a sigh of relief as the red dust settled around the small battle arena. The dragon had been defeated, and both Jomei and the three other players were all safe. Standing up straight, the ginger returned his rapier to his scabbard before walking over to the other three players. "Are you guys alright?" The three players looked up at Jomei, before looking at each other. "Y-yeah.. We're okay." Slowly, the three younger players, who all seemed to be in their mid teens, and stood a bit shorter than their ginger savior, stood up straight and stepped in front of him. "Thank you so much." One of the other ones finally cried out, her fingers intertwining at her chin. "That other guy  said he would help us out with finding some rare items, and then he led us up here and ditched us." Jomei's arms crossed as he took a sharp breath through his nostrils, "I met that guy on the way down, I had a feeling he was up to no good. At least none of you got killed, thats all that matters." 

[Jomei 0]

The third boy in the group, who seemed a bit younger, stepped forward with his hands balled into fists. "We should go find him and make him pay for what he did! W-we could all have gotten killed because of that bastard!" Jomei chuckled and placed a hand on his shoulder, "No need to stoop down to his level.. for all you know, you might run in there and just end up getting hurt, if he really is any higher of a level." The boy looked up at Jomei, before turning his head away and forcefully crossing his arms at his chest, a slight pout on his face. "Yeah... guess you're right." 

The first of the boys looked up to Jomei, "How'd you know we were up here anyway? Or were you just here to fight the dragon too?" The Irishman nodded his head, "Aye, I was just doing the quest. Luckily it was at the same time you guys were up here, or things would have gone a lot differently." 

"B-But you took out that dragon like it was nothing! Why would you be taking a quest on the First Floor?" 

Jomei felt a blush on his cheeks, breaking eye contact, he rubbed at the back of his neck. "W-well.. I hadn't heard about the quest until just recently.. so I'm only just starting it now." Jomei and the other players enjoyed a quick laugh, before they began their descent down the mountain. 

[Jomei 0]

The trip down the mountain trail was uneventful, and much more enjoyable with company. Jomei told the three younger players stories of his journeys on the front lines, and other happier stories that would not stray them from following their desires to level up and make something of themselves in Sword Art Online. He informed them of quests he knew that the three could take together and level up quickly enough,  without having to depend on people like the man they had met earlier. It still irked Jomei that there were players who would do such a thing to kids like these..it was men like him that made front liners and higher leveled players look bad. After traversing back through the forest and across the field, the group of players finally made their way back to the Town of Beginnings. "Thank you so much Jomei, we definitely owe you one!" 

The ginger chuckled and shook his head, before giving the teenaged players a thumbs up, "Just remember, Jomei of the Holy Dragon Alliance came to help you" he said with a small laugh, still working to spread the name of his guild.

[Jomei 0]

From behind Jomei, he could hear a familiar laughter from behind one, one that he pretty much recognized immediately. "Wow, I can't believe you guys actually survived that, pretty lucky that this guy here found you." Jomei turned around to look at the player from before, now with a new companion, the woman who had been dumped by Erin on his arm. Typical.. Jomei thought to himself. "What the hell do you think you were doing, leaving them up there on their own?" The Irishman said, standing his ground in front of the three players, pointing towards the man who had tricked them into almost getting killed by a dragon. The man pulled himself from the girl's arm and stepped forward to Jomei, shoulders shrugged and a smug look on his face. "Because I was getting bored, and needed something to brighten up my day." he said with a chuckle. "Whats so wrong with that? They're alive.. aren't they?"

[Jomei 0]

Without much time to react, Jomei's arm quickly slipped over the man's shoulder, his hand hooking behind his neck. Jomei could see the player's brows furrow in confusion and anger, before Jomei pulled the man's torso down and rose his knee at the same moment. The meat of his thigh and knee crashed into the man's abdomen, causing all of the air in his lungs to be forced out from the blow. Once Jomei's foot hit the ground, his grip shifted to the collar of the man's shirt and tossed him behind him towards the line separating the safe zone and the wilds. As the player stumbled, falling to the ground, he looked up to Jomei, "The [censored] is your-" Immediately, Jomei's rapier had been ripped from its scabbard, the point poking at the man's face. The player scoweled up at Jomei, "We're in the safe zone, you can't do [censored] to me." 

"No, you're right." Jomei said "But that can't stop me from pushing you back until you're not in the safe zone anymore.. then what?" 

"Y-You wouldn't..."

"Try me."