[F1-SP] Link Start <<First Few Lessons...>> COMPLETE

[Vandrin 0]

November 7th, 2022...
 

Slowly, the sky above the players had grown a burning, blood red, its light reflecting down on all of the players, basking them in a glow of a similar color. From behind the walls of the Black Iron Palace grew a form that stood towering above them, adorned in robes that nearly matched the very sky, and a face darkened by the shadow of its hood. A voice billowed out not only from the hooded entity, but from all around them. There was no escape from the frightening words that sent a chill down every player's spine. Their lives were now in danger, due to their minds and souls being trapped within the confinements of this virtual world; Sword Art Online. Vandrin could not believe what he was hearing.. he wanted to try to log out, to run.. but his body would not let him. His gaze was locked on the hooded man that seemed to stare right back through Vandrin. Slowly, two long arms rose to grab the sides of the red hood to pull them down over its shoulders, revealing a bloodied, skeletal face with gleaming red eyes, glaring down at its victims. The moment Vandrin's eyes met with the red orbs of the large skull, a voice spoke out. "You're all going to die." And everything went dark..

Edited September 19, 2019 by Vandrin

[Vandrin 0]

Vandrin's body jolted upwards, his breathing heavy, beads of cold sweat trickling down from jawline. One hand grasped at his chest, while the other gripped at the blanket draped over his lower half. The sun, barely rising over the rooftops of the Town of Beginnings, had just begun to peek through the window of the inn, bringing light to half of the plain, wooden bedroom. "It was just a dream..." Vandrin said to himself in a soft voice, running his hands down his face to get rid of the sweat, his breathing finally beginning to slow again. Only it wasn't a dream, and more so an exaggeration of the truth. Yesterday, 10,000 players became trapped in this world due to the psychotic plans of Akihiko Kayaba.. What he truly planned, no one was sure.. but now they were all his puppets, being sent forth to complete his game at the risk of their own lives for his mere amusement. Vandrin's hands dropped back to the bed, deep brown eyes staring into nothingness on the other side of the room. "I guess this is really happening.." 

[Vandrin 0]

Vandrin brought his legs off of the bed and placed his feet on the floor, rubbing his face one more time before standing up to his full height. The inn was mostly quiet, though keen ears could hear he NPCs on the first floor readying plates of food and welcoming newly arrived players. Taking slow steps, the larger man walked towards the single window in the bedroom to open the shutters, giving him a better look at the sun rising over the first floor settlement. Most of the bodies that took up the streets were NPCs, cleaning storefronts, or running daily errands. The few players he saw looked lost, or unsure of how to go forth. Could he blame them? They didn't have to deal with monsters, sword fighting, and leveling up in the real world. However, they were still up and trying to figure out how to move forward with the game, so they were already one step ahead of Vandrin. Returning to the other side of the room, Vandrin stepped before a light fixture and, tapping the space right before it, was able to activate it and illuminate the entire room. Then, with another swipe in the air in front of his own torso, he summed his equipment menus. The man could not help but smirk at the action, for the ease of access was a pretty neat feature to actually live rather than experience behind a keyboard or controller. Moments later, Vandrin donned his simple beginners armor, which consisted merely of simple, metal, chest plate, and a long spear that rested on his back. 

[Vandrin 0]

Making his way out of the inn bedroom and downstairs into the main tavern that served as the foundation of the building, Vandrin could see that, despite only containing a handful of players, the NPCs that were programmed to work there were busting and busy. The smell of freshly cooked foods filled the interior, though he could not pinpoint the location of any food actually being cooked. The patrons in the inn consisted of two players, sitting on their own, one face down in their arms while another, restless player seemingly consoled them.. most likely distraught over their fate. The other three, on the other hand, were a bit more proactive and speaking with a barmaid who stood behind the counter. After a brief conversation, the three players hurried out of the tavern together. "Wonder what that was about?" Vandrin said to himself before continuing down the stairs and taking a seat at the bar. As he sat, staring down at the worn wood of the bar's counter, he could heard the soft, muffled sobs of the female player who sat with her head in her arms. The other player, a young boy who must have been in his early teens, continued to encourage her that everything would be okay.. that they would make it out of this.. etcetera, etcetera. With a small frown on his face, Vandrin let out a heavy sigh, the lids of his eyes closing as he did so. 

[Vandrin 0]

"Good morning, could I get you anything?" a voice sounded out in front of him. Opening his eyes and looking upwards, he could see the barmaid had moved in front of Vandrin. She wore a short sleeved, white buttoned blouse with a forest green skirt that traveled down past her knees, and a brown apron with small, various stains scattered across it. Her hair, brown and wavy, pulled into a tight ponytail, save for a few straggling hairs and her bangs that fell across her forehead, and, of course, a big welcoming smile.. as if nothing had gone wrong and all of these players were not scared for their lives. "Uh.." Vandrin thought for a moment, running a hand down half his face, "Just a coffee would be fine." With a friendly nod, the woman turned her back to Vandrin and began to pour the dark brown contents into a simple white, ceramic mug. "Thank you." Vandrin said with a tired, forced smile, wrapping a hand through the looped handle. After raising the drink to his lips and letting the warm liquid breathe life into him, he turned back towards the barmaid. "Do you know of any quests in town? Specifically one for beginners?" 

[Vandrin 0]

"Hm..." The barmaid thought for a moment, placing a hand on her chin, "I heard that Zackariah at the Apothecary was looking for some help, maybe you could start there." Vandrin sat up a bit more straight, now feeling a bit more awake as the caffeine entered his bloodstream.. if this virtual body had a bloodstream.."Apothecary huh? And where could I find this Zackariah?" he asked, taking another sip of his coffee. "You can find him just up the road, a few doors past the blacksmith. Just look for the sign out front." That was definitely the information he was looking for. Tilting his mug so the rest of the warm, creamy liquid poured down his throat, the man stood up. "Thank you very much, that's all I needed." he said with a bit more of a sincere smile, paying the necessary col for his drink. 

Exiting the inn, Vandrin made his way up the street, following the directions the barmaid had given him. Despite all of the NPCs going about their daily routines, there was a looming sense of dread coming from all of the players. For every few townsfolk, a player would walk by, looking either tired, angry, defeated, or a combination of all three. It was rare to see a player with a look of determination of their face, but they popped up from time to time. Vandrin, even though he may not have been as confident as some of those players, he the feeling of dread slowly lifted from his conscience. Maybe.. this was the new start that he needed, the true new start.  

[Vandrin 0]

The apothecary was not hard to miss, not because of the sign or any indication, but because of the amount of players gathered in front of and exiting the building. "Guess this is the place." Vandrin said to himself before making his way through the crowd to the front door. Standing in the doorway, Vandrin watched the end of a conversation between a small group of players and the older man behind the counter. Zackariah, whom he presumed was the NPC, was an older gentleman with long gray hair and a matching beard. He wore a deep blue tunic and brown slacks. Behind him were various glass containers holding liquids of various colors. The smell was definitely not as inviting as the interior of the tavern, yet not enough to offend or draw him another. Once the group of players accepted their quest and moved past Vandrin, Zackariah's kind eyes met with Vandrin's "Ah, another new addition to Aincrad's finest. Come in, come in." With a slight bow of his head in thanks, Vandrin stepped forward to the dull, wooden table that separated himself from the NPC and his potions. "So, I take it you are also feeling lost in this world." Vandrin nodded his head, a bit defeated, "Yes, yes I am." Zackariah smiled, "Well, then you've come the right place." 

[Vandrin 0]

"I'm sure you are very well aware of the monsters that lurk outside of the city's walls... they can truly pose as a danger to you and your companions." Vandrin nodded in understanding, not yet experiencing such beasts, but knowing well aware of their existence. "Aside from your weapons and armor at your disposal, one of the many consumables you could use to increase your chances of survival is this." The man reaches under the table before him and pulls out a small glass vial containing a red liquid. Any common gamer could deduce that the potion Zackariah was speaking about with a potion of healing. Vandrin already had a few potions of healing in his inventory, but he could always use a few more. "So, what do I have to do to get that potion from you?" Zackariah returned the potion to under the desk, "Well, you see, I do not have that many potions left.. or else I would hand them out to all of the brave warriors of Aincrad. No, instead, I am going to teach you to make one." Vandrin nodded in understanding, "Fair enough. So what do I need to do?" As Vandrin asked what the details of his quest were, a small box appeared in front of his person. "Go into the wild and find these materials for me, you should not have to fight any monsters to obtain them, but nonetheless, be cautious. Once you get them, bring them back here, and I will walk you through the process." The bottom of the message from Zackariah were the buttons to either accept or deny this task. Tapping on the circle symbol, Vandrin accepted the quest from Zackariah. 

[Vandrin 0]

After accepting the quest, the name of his mission appeared before his eyes momentarily. The First Few Lessons Are Free, it read in large, blue and white letters. Looking back to the older gentleman, Vandrin offered a nod in understanding before moving his way through the newly arrived players to emerge back into the streets of the Town of Beginnings. After stepping into the center of the road, the player took to finding the closest of the four exits to the city. Lucky for him, Zackariah's Apothecary was located a few blocks away from the large, eastern gate. The large, bronze doors to the city seemed to always be open, with some of the city's NPC guards standing at the ready on the outside. This was Vandrin's first time stepping out of the safe done, and he could see some other players were a bit hesitant to do just the same. Pulling at the strap that held his spear to his back, Vandrin took another few steps onto the grassy outskirts of the town of beginnings. 

[Vandrin 0]

Being weary not to stroll too close to any of the wandering monsters on the outside of the town, Vandrin continued towards the coordinates Zackariah had given him. Most of the beasts that he could see consisted of simple boars in the fields, and wolves closer to the forests. All of them seemed to mind their own business unless a player provoked them, which meant staying out of their aggro zones. There were many players out here, however, who did just that; picking fights with the boars in hopes to get some col, materials, or experience from the fight. Most stayed in groups of two of more, however he did spot the brave, or foolish, solo player fending off two boars on his own. Vandrin simply shook his head, and pushed forward. His path eventually brought him to a simple grove where some other players wandered, but no monsters. "Alright, lets  begin." Vandrin said to himself as he pulled up the list of materials Zackariah had supplied him with. Starting off with a simple scan of the area, Vandrin could not see any of the materials needed clearly. "This.. may be a bit harder than I thought.." 

ID 123594 LD 9

0/5 Materials Found

Edited September 9, 2019 by Vandrin

[Vandrin 0]

Closing up the list, he decided to dive right in to finding the materials. Deciding his best course of action would be to sweep from one side to the other, searching every possible area, he began his search. On one side of the grove, a larger boulder flanked by two trees, taller grass surrounding the base where the stone pressed into the ground. Dropping to his knees, Vandrin began to move his hands through the grass, looking for anything that could be used to make a potion. The only thing he found was a small beetle, which took off in flight when Vandrin's finger disturbed the blade of grass it rested on. Shifting his position, he began to check around the base of the trees.. still no luck. Letting out a heavy sigh, the man stood up to his full height and rubbed the back of his head. 

ID 123595 LD 4

0/5 Materials Found

Edited September 9, 2019 by Vandrin

[Vandrin 0]

Looking up towards the tree he stood before, Vandrin began to check the bark for anything growing on it. He slowly circled it, looking up the base of the tree as far as he could. Unluckily for him, this tree was barren. Next, he checked the second tree across the other side of the boulder and began the same method, checking the bark of the tree from the ground up to where branches began to poke out from the trunk. The man sighed when he, once again, found nothing. He did notice while checking, however, that there was an opening in the center of the tree that he thought had something inside. Circling around the tree once more, he lifted himself up to look into the hole in the tree, only to be met with the hooting of an owl it had disturbed from its slumber. 

 

ID 123596 LD 6

Edited September 9, 2019 by Vandrin

[Vandrin 0]

"Sorry.." Vandrin said in a softer voice, as if the animal would be able to understand what he was saying. With slow steps, the man backed away from the tree to allow the owl to sleep once more. Vandrin turned back towards the grove, scratching the top of his head. His free hand rose to open his quest menu, double checking the coordinates Zackariah had given him for this quest, "Am I even in the right spot?" Of course, Vandrin was not mistaken, and this was, indeed, the spot where Zackariah had sent him. Sighing heavily through parted lips, the man closed his menu. With another quick search, from now a different angle, Vandrin's eyes scanned the grove for any obvious signs of materials. Once again, he did not see anything that he could collect for the creation of the health potions. 

ID 123701 LD 7

Edited September 11, 2019 by Vandrin

[Vandrin 0]

With one side of the area searched, Vandrin made his way towards the second half of the grove, keeping his eyes peeled on the ground for anything he could use. "Why the hell is this so hard?" he said to himself. Beside a path that lead farther into the forest, Vandrin found a few bushes with various berries growing on them, as well as another tree that matched the two that surrounded the boulder behind him.. and the rest that lay scattered among the forest. His first instinct guided him to check the shrubbery. Lowering himself so his shoulders were a bit more level with the bush, Vandrin gently plucked one of the small red berries from the leafy-green plant. After observing the small morsel for a moment, he smiled, for it was the first material from his list needed. 

ID 123702 LD 12
1/5 Materials

Edited September 11, 2019 by Vandrin

[Vandrin 0]

Tapping on the small item with his free hand, Vandrin sent the berry to his inventory. "One down, four to go." he said to himself as he stood up once again. His eyes followed a path that moved farther east, deeper into the forest. It wasn't exactly where Zackariah had set up the quest coordinates.. but he had a good feeling that he could find more if he relocated. Could be dangerous to go alone, he thought to himself before removing his spear from his back and slinging it over his shoulder. As long as he made sure to stay away from any monsters, he should be fine. With slow steps, Vandrin began his trek deeper into the forest, keeping his eyes peeled not only for hidden mobs, but also any materials. Just on the side of the path, pushing through the tall grass, he spotted an herb growing.. just the herb he needed for the health potion. 

ID 123736 LD 15
2/5 Materials

Edited September 12, 2019 by Vandrin

[Vandrin 0]

Vandrin grinned as he placed yet another material into his inventory. Seemed his intuition to head deeper into the woods was correct after all. Raising his eyes yet again towards the path he now set himself on, he could see that there was much more to be collected here rather than the grove. Most likely, all of the materials in the area Zackariah had sent him to were recently plucked by other players on the same quest, still waiting to be brought back into this world by respawning. However, it seemed prior players either picked what was there, or found some other spot to search in, for this path he walked had plenty of materials growing for him to pick from. Just a couple more steps from the first herb he had picked, he found a second one needed growing just under a tree. 

ID 123737 LD 16
3/5 Materials

Edited September 12, 2019 by Vandrin

[Vandrin 0]

Another into the inventory, Vandrin continued forward yet again. At the rate he was going, he would be finished with this quest in no time at all, save for the few mishaps of his after first arriving. Growing on the same tree he stood before were a few freshly grown mushrooms. Looking at the bunch for the best to pick, Vandrin tapped the air before one of the small fungi before placing it into the inventory. Just one more left to collect. He wondered again why no other players traveled down this path to collect the materials for this mission... and he soon found his answer. From just down the path, he heard the loud steps of some beast walking towards him. Gripping his spear in both hands, he turned towards the approaching creature, a large bear with deep brown fur. Vandrin knew he could not take on such a beast without dying. "[censored].." he cursed to himself, before turning and hiding behind the closest tree to him.

ID 123783 LD 19
4/5 Materials
 

Edited September 12, 2019 by Vandrin

[Vandrin 0]

Vandrin pressed his back into the bark of the tree, trying to keep as still as possible. He slowed his breathing to be nearly silent, so he could listen to the whereabouts of the bear as it walked past. Each step, louder than the last, shifting blades of grass with each foot fall. By now, it had to have been directly on the other side of the tree. It stopped for a moment and sniffed at the air, before letting out a low grumble of a growl. Vandrin's fingers tightened around the handle of his spear, ready to fight the bear with his all. However, to his surprise, he heard the yelling of other players more willing to take on the creature rather than him. Soon, the bear was met with three other players who took it on in combat, leaving Vandrin to be able to escape back down the path towards the grove. As the man rushed to create as much distance between himself and the fight as possible, he found another material peeking out from the tall grass. Lowering his body as he ran past, Vandrin snatched the material and continued sprinting. 

ID 123739 LD 19
5/5 Materials

Objective Completed
New Objective: Return to Zackariah

Edited September 12, 2019 by Vandrin

[Vandrin 0]

As Vandrin finally broke through the tree line, he slowed his pace down to a halt. His body slouched forward as he breathed heavily, placing his hands above his knees. "That was too close.." he said to himself as his breathing slowed back to normal. However, despite nearly having to face a bear on his own in the forest, Vandrin came out victorious. With all five of the materials collected, it was time to return to Zackariah and finish this quest. The man slung his spear back over his shoulders and briskly made his way back to the Town of Beginnings. 

Met with a similar crowd that he encountered earlier that day at the apothecary, Vandrin made his way inside to meet with the old alchemist. "Ah, you've returned! I hope you had no issue in retrieving these items for me." Vandrin broke eye contact and rubbed at the back of his head, "Well..." The NPC simply chuckled, "You're back in one piece, that's all that matters. So, why don't you take out what you've brought me, and we can begin." 

[Vandrin 0]

Vandrin nearly forgot that he would be the one making the potion, not Zackariah. The NPC pushed some of his apparatuses forward so the player could easily access them. "How do I...?" Vandrin asked, before the Cardinal system made it fairly simple for him. An empty menu appeared in front of him, as well as his inventory adjacent to it, allowing Vandrin to move items from one to another, specifically those he collected to create such a potion. Placing the five items onto the potion creation menu, Vandrin began the process of crafting his first potion. The system did most of the work for him, and it was mainly up to his own choice of materials and timing. Missing the cue by a mere second, Vandrin poured the bubbling, red contents of the largest glass container into a smaller vial. 

ID 123744 CD 9
Rare Success

Edited September 12, 2019 by Vandrin