[PP-F5] Smiths and Snakes (Trinoko, Micahad1523, Seldentar)

[Trinoko 0]

((I apologize for disappearing like I did, had some things to take care of on the other side of the screen! If you can bring yourself to forgive me feel free to continue ^^;))

Trinoko listened to their varying opinions and smiled when he saw the picture of the large and apparently swift snake. When offered the chance at a break in the sweltering heat he happily spoke up. "I can get behind that!" He chuckles, he was far more used to chills or at the very least humidly hot places. A dry wasteland like this, while in it's own way beautiful, was not where he would want to stay for a long time!... Unless that time was largely in an inn. He could imagine that being refreshing.

After a second decided to add "And it's not unheard of for deserts to have snakes too. Like cobras and stuff, yeah?" He shrugs though, and goes on to say "Besides, fantasy world. Forget common sense, just focus on this world's sense!" He winks and holds his hand out in wait for his turn with the water.

[Razmor 0]

((I think I can find it in my heart to forgive ya))

Angel nodded as he passed the drinks around. "You've got that right. Let me tell you, I've seen some terrifying things in my days but, snakes seem to get scarier every time I find a new one. I mean bosses are scary, but, between you two and me, but in the beta, the boss on the 15 floor was this big python and it took me almost 12 tries to take it on. Mind if a veteran tells you two a story from his beta days?" He asked, eager to tell his friends about his endeavors in the virtual world, before everything went to hell.

[Trinoko 0]

Trinoko happily took a drink from the water and passed it along, sighing contently from the momentary respite it granted his senses. When he heard Angel talk about his adventures on the higher floors he grinned and said "I would not mind, but I hear that even the first floor's boss was different than in beta. So be careful about misinformation." He winks and scans the horizon around them. Mirages were going to be a pain was his first thought. His second and third involved how the crafty creator likely hid some things behind mirages. "Each floor is like a whole new world in a way. Or a large island at least." He chuckles softly "I hope they keep getting as creative all the way up."

[Razmor 0]

Angel smiled. "Everything is different from the beta but not by much. It's the same world, but with a different template. For the most part everything's the same, but there are some things I think they changed from the beta, just to throw off testers like myself." He stretched in the sand and looked up at the light blue sky that seemed to mirror the sand. "I remember my first boss fight in the beta. It was the first floor and it was for testing purposes only, no rewards or XP. Anyways, when the fight began, it was this massive skeleton by the name of <>. He had this giant spear and shield combo, plus he had <> that kept coming at us. I'm not gonna lie, my first boss fight was terrifying. The sheer size and power of this thing was intimidating enough, but he had this horrible cackle that would sound everytime he managed to kill someone. Only a few of us survived the entire time. Others either died a few times or once. Now, the players in my lobby had never met each other before that fight so we had no idea what to expect from each other. But let me tell you something," He laughed as he said. "You'd never find a more organized group of players anywhere. Everyone fell into place, some of us keeping the minions occupied while the stronger players, like myself, fought Rattlebones. Some of the weaker players went around reviving and healing downed players. We had tanks in the front, attackers behind them while some of the solo players did their own thing. It took some time but we managed to pull it off and it was the most satisfying feeling in the world. After that, nothing seemed quite as scary. Rattlebones was my first real look at SAO and it made me realize that you need to get ready for anything. It also made me understand that I wasn't going to die in a video game. But above all else, it showed me that a bad situation can be flipped around by good people, weak or strong." He sat up and saw a bright blue flame coming towards them. "There's Lucifer. Let's hope he's got some good news."

[Seldentar 0]

Seldentar listens to Angels story. It reminded him so much of when he first started gaming. Granted, back then he was a total idiot in most games, barely knowing what the different stats meant and which were important. Still, it was a nice thought back to how things used to be. Back when they could die with little consequence.

"So, was that boss ever put back in? Obviously it wasn't the first floors main boss, but it might still be down there somewhere. Maybe we should go look for it at some point?"

[Razmor 0]

Angel grinned. "My thoughts exactly. You don't just program something like that and then throw the data away. You move it to somewhere else. If it's not on the first floor, then it should be higher up on the floors. Maybe it's the tenth boss, or the twentieth. Who knows. All I know is that we've got some snakes to hunt right now." He said as Lucifer came to a stop in front of them "I have located the creatures you desire Master. They are resting in a dried up lake, not to far from here." He said, his demonic voice echoing in Angel's ears. "Good job buddy." He told the horse as he told his friends where the snakes were.

[Trinoko 0]

Trinoko smiled while he listened to the story, it was always interesting hear the heroic adventures of those more experienced than himself. "Very interesting... I myself wouldn't stand a chance against a boss right now. And why bother playing if I don't plan to fight an epic beast?" He chuckles and sees Angel's mount approaching, figuring it was good news or they kept looking. A part of him smirked at the thought that the horse likely was immune to the heat. When the information was relayed to him he chuckled softly and adds "Well, that's ominous... think they drank all the water to get that big?" He sighed softly to himself "So you are certain that it's not in an oasis?" He was not serious, just optimistic.

Before they set off he decided to wrap up the boss talk "And who knows, maybe your favorite skeleton boss was made into a field or event boss rather than a floor boss. I guess we will just have to wait and see." He shrugs and stretches out, his energy slightly renewed by the water.

[Razmor 0]

Angel couldn't help but crack a smile. Trin was right, even though Angel didn't want to believe it. Rattlebones was a foe Angel had dealt with in the past, and hopefully he'd stay there. But for now, they had a mission and Angel had to be focused on that. With Lucifer leading the way, he trudged along through the sand, his companions trailing behind him. While they walked, Angel was tempted to start singing something to pass the time along. But he wasn't sure how his singing voice would work in the game seeing how he was a blacksmith and not a musician. But he hummed something to himself that sounded like Rockstar by Nickleback, to those that could hear it anyways. Judging from Lucifer's speed and the time it took for him to go out and get back, Angel had a feeling that this would take a while.

[Seldentar 0]

Seldentar follows behind, his hands behind his head. In the real world, he hated high heat areas. He always preferred the cold. Here in the game though, without actually sweating, just feeling the heat wasn't too bad. He starts to wonder about the real world again, at this rate they would never get home. But still, sometimes it wasn't too bad here. Sure, dying in here would kill them in the real world, but, wasn't that true there too?

(OOC: I will be gone until sunday.)

[Razmor 0]

As they trudged along towards the former body of water, Angel struck up another conversation in an attempt to get to know his friends. "Hey guys, mind if I ask you something?" Then he turned and started walking backwards. "How were your lives in the real world? I mean, what was it like before SAO for you?" He was curious of how his friends had lived before the Death Game but he was also ready to share in case they turned the question around on him. With the distance they had to walk, he was sure that they had plenty of time to get to know one another.

[Trinoko 0]

He hummed in thought as he considered his words carefully, scratching the back of his head nervously he says "Well, don't blame me if the story's boring." He sighs to himself and goes on to add "I am your standard nerdy gamer. How could I resist the call of an actual VRMMO?.. This is where things start to sound iffy, I know. Basically I heard SAO was becoming a reality, and I had been saving up money anyways... so I kinda moved over. Plus it would make release dates faster." He chuckles softly "Learned Japanese from years of watching anime as a child until I became interested in the culture, and then I just... studied." He nods a bit, realizing he was getting a bit side-tracked he said "Family. I left them back in my home country. We would phone and chat though, though I personally hate the things. I prefer text or camera chat. I have a younger sister and a few... not as close relatives." He shakes his head, not going to touch further on that subject. He flourishes his spear in front of him in a vain attempt to generate some wind to help with the heat. "You? Not exactly fair talking about back there and you keep quiet, y'know?" He looks to Angel and Seld, curious about their experiences with the world they came from.

[Razmor 0]

"It's a complicated story." Angel began, answering Trinoko's question. "I was born in America to a wealthy family, we weren't rich but we weren't average either. I lived in America for 4 years before my dad got a job in Japan designing gaming software. We all moved over to Hiroshima when I turned 5 and I've lived there ever since." He sighed and looked back. "I was always fascinated with computers and video games. I wanted to be like my dad and make my own games one day. So I got an early start and started to make basic flash games. It wasn't difficult and I managed to get some valuable experience from it. I moved on to playing other games and getting a feeling for them. I did reviews under the pseudonym, "Lucifer the ArchGamer" and I made videos called Lucifer's Reviews. I would make a video every week based on the hottest and most popular games that were out at that point. Over time, I got famous for it and I got invited to conventions and was given new games months in advance."

Angel's eyes drifted towards the ground. "Then I got the email. It was from Kyaba himself, asking me to be a part of the SAO Beta. I couldn't believe my luck and for the next few months, I was happier than I had ever been. During those months, I met a girl named Caroline Richards. She was also a Beta Tester for SAO so we encountered each other frequently. Eventually, we formed a relationship." Angel grinned, remembering Caroline's features. He had downloaded her picture into his Nerve Gear rig in case he ever needed proof of her existence. He opened his inventory and presented her photo. "That's her." He passed it back. She was young, almost 16 or 17. Kyle himself was 16 at the time he had received the photo. She had long, flowing brown hair and bright blue eyes. A cheerful, yet mysterious smile rested on her red lips as she watched the camera. She had creamy skin with a slight tan that darkened her face and gave her an exotic look. A single red lily was strung into her hair. Angel smiled as he remembered her but then returned to the topic of conversation. "After waiting for the actual game to come out, I got it and plugged myself in. And here I am." He said, finishing his story with a slight bow.

[Trinoko 0]

Trinoko nodded while listening to Angel's story. It was certainly more interesting than his own so he listened closely while Seld remained silent. When he mentioned a female's name his ears perked up and he grinned. As the picture was presented to him, his eyes shot over it and he chuckled "She is quite the looker, if you don't mind me saying" He smiles and nods as he looks back ahead. "I take it that your lady friend did not get in?" He was curious, but he of course realized that such a thing was not exactly -good- persay.

[Razmor 0]

Angel's smile wavered. "No, she got the game. And she was planning to join me in the Town of Beginnings. But the last I heard from her, she was on a 'No Technology' trip with her family. In reality, it probably saved her life. But then again," his mind drifted to other thoughts. Would his morals change if Caroline was in the game as well? Would he focus on survival over protecting others? No, he told himself. I'd still be me. "I do miss her though." He admitted to his friends as they walked on.

[Trinoko 0]

Trinoko nodded with a smile. "Well, there is a way to tell for sure. Try sending PMs to her most common screen names." he shrugs softly. He himself wouldn't want his lady friend, if he had one, to be here. Sure, to he himself this was still just a game, but he had seen it break, and even kill several people. In a way, having nobody benefited him since he did not need to worry about them passing on... Even if it left him lonely at night. He made sure not to mention that her name would be on the list of the dead if she did pass on, not wanting him to go checking. "Well, you are luckier than many if you have someone to think of to push you onward..."

[Razmor 0]

"Thanks man. That means a lot." Angel told Trinoko as they approached the dried lake. Angel slowed down to a silent walk as they neared the edge. Resting inside, was a large <> It was sleeping along the bottom, its massive forked tongues flicking in and out. Slithering around it, were much smaller <> they were identical to their real world cousins except that they were a little bigger. Angel drew his sword and shield and looked over the group, coming up with a plan.

[Seldentar 0]

Seldentar has walked silently most of the trip, lost deep in thoughts of his own. Startled, he looks up as he sees the giant snake. His hand quickly moves to the hilt of his blade, unsheathing it from his back as he holds the blood red blade at the ready.

"Damn....that thing is huge"

[Trinoko 0]

Trinoko nods with a smile as he holds his spear in both is hands, twirling it like a baton before saying "Wouldn't have it any other way! The bigger the monster, the better the loot!" He smiles down at the moving coin dispensers, eager to get into the heat of the battle. "So, we have any plans?" He looks to them and says "Aside from the simple stuff. Like kill the adds before going for the big guy." He takes a breath to keep himself from charging in to get it done,

[Razmor 0]

Angel's mind was racing to remember if there was something special to remember about taking down large snakes. He could send Lucifer in to trample the Rattlesnakes and keep them occupied while the three players focused on the large snake. But then again, Lucifer was immune to fire based damage, not poison. If he got hit then he'd be in trouble. But Angel could always heal him. He sighed, "We go in guns blazing while Lucifer stomps out the minions?" It was a stretch but no one else seemed to have something. He watched as the mobs slithered along the bottom while the real threat slept soundly.

[Seldentar 0]

Seldentar looks over the snakes, the sheer numbers causing concern. He turns to his comrades.

"Do you guys have healing or antidote crystals? I have 1 Healing Crystal, but that won't be enough if we all get poisoned."

His hand subconsciously checks his pocket, to make sure his is still in place.