[F01 - SP] Round Two <<Training Your Friend>>

[Bahr 0]

Swine Bajesus turned toward Bahr with a proud gleam in its eye, standing tall pitching its snout in the air. It was clearly satisfied with the outcome of the skirmish. Bahr scooped the creature up and plopped it back down on his shoulder. "Excellent work, but the battle's not over yet. We'll need to backtrack and find it again so you can finish the job. Are you ready?" Swine Bajesus nodded, its entire body brimming with enthusiasm. It had caught the hype, and Bahr planned to have it ride the wave of adrenaline it was on until their work was done.

Sensing that his partner was eager to give chase, Bahr turned and began meandering back the way they had come. If his hunch was correct, they could shephard the creature back toward the Town of Beginnings and end the battle in the coolie that they had explored when they first got there. From there, it would just be a short jaunt back to town, and then they could teleport to the fourth floor and hit the tavern for some much deserved rest and relaxation.

[Bahr 0]

That sounded absolutely wonderful, because watching the struggle between the two tiny boars had made him tired. He could tell that they had exhausted almost everything they had in the short spat. Creatures so small didn't have it in them to fight with all of their might like that for an extended period of time. Bahr was certain he had expended less energy cutting down hordes of zombies, or lizardmen in the swamp. Seeing his partner tired made him tired. Peculiar.

Even if it had exhausted a lot of the energy store within its tiny, plump body, Bahr knew that it was raring to go. It had tasted blood, and now it meant to continue along until the job was done. Which was good, and exactly what Bahr had wanted. By the time the day was done, his familiar would have acquired a new talent - the ability to make the attacks of his owner stronger. He only hoped that it's tiny frame would be capable of offering the boost he needed.

[Bahr 0]

But what if this training forced Swine Bajesus to shed its glitch and begin growing into a full sized boar? Bahr could hardly stomach the thought. It wasn't that having a boar following him around would be particularly bad, just that he didn't want to lose the novelty of his tiny pig. Not to mention, it was pretty convenient how portable it was. It had created a nest in his inner coat pocket, and if it were to grow, Bahr would never get to feel the steady growth and shrinkage of its tiny body as it breathed away in there. It was something that he had never noticed before, but it brought him comfort. Could he afford to go without it?

What nonsense. There was no way that this was going to change Swine Bajesus' physique. Its description even said that it was glitched and would never be able to grow. Bahr was just worrying over nothing, as usual.

[Bahr 0]

The sun was high in the sky. Seemed like it had reached mid day. A bit surprising that it had taken this long, as Bahr remembered it being a quicker endeavor when they just moseyed along from tree to tree and patiently waited for leaves to fall. But he supposed it was bound to be more difficult when there was a hunt involved. This was simply the cost he had to pay to optimize his equipment. And it was quite the optimization. Regardless of the effort that needed to be put into it, Bahr would ensure that it would get done. They could be here for days, if that was what it took.

But he had faith in his partner. He knew that, no matter what, the two of them together could accomplish a goal like this. That had never been a doubt in his mind. Swine Bajesus would come out triumphant, and they could come out on the other side of this even stronger than when they went in.

[Bahr 0]

When they reached the area where Swine Bajesus and Bahr had originally met, there were no obvious signs of Imposter Bajesus around. Perhaps Bahr had been incorrect in his original assessment, and they would need to spend another couple hours perusing the entirety of the field before they finally spotted it again. So be it. Though, there was a tinge of annoyance here. Bahr was hoping to get a cup of coffee in at the White Rabbit Tavern, but at this rate, it might be too late by the time they finished.

But that was through no fault of Swine Bajesus, of course, who sat patiently on Bahr's shoulder scanning the area with its beady little eyes in search of its rival. It was a failure of Bahr's that had led them astray. In fact, Bajesus was the one who had done everything correctly today, save for picking that insufferable coolie in the beginning.
 

Spoiler

ID: 130729
CD: 2
Training failed.

 

[Bahr 0]

"Alright," Bahr started, looking down to his tiny companion. "Last time we found it, you were the one who led the way. I'm putting my trust in you to do the same this time. Where do you think it is?" 

After a moment of rolling Bahr's inquiry around in its head, it turned around and pointed at the rock where they had originally found it. 

"... No, I wasn't asking where we found it the first time. I was asking where you think it is now." 

Bajesus grunted indignantly and persisted, pointing again at the same massive boulder. 

"Wait, so are you saying that you think it circled back around?"

It gave him a nod and softened its expression. Apparently Bahr had cracked the code. He had his doubts that it would have scurried away in such a frenzy just to come back to the same place, but Bahr had seen stranger things before. And besides, it was he who had decided to place his trust in a virtual pig.

"Alright. We do it your way. Hope you're right."

[Bahr 0]

And now they were headed back to the big rock. All of that time spent walking back to their hallowed meeting place, only to turn right around and set their sights back on the gigantic boulder. It felt so stupid to Bahr. But who knew? Perhaps Swine Bajesus was onto something here. The algorithms of mobs did have them frequently revisit the same spots over and over. And as a baby boar itself, Swine Bajesus was the only expert in all of Aincrad on all things baby boars would do - besides Imposter Bajesus, that is. Or, maybe there was a player who had invested an uncomfortable amount of time into tracking the habits of baby boars on the first floor? It was possible, but unlikely. If such a person existed, Bahr hoped he never met them. They'd have to be a complete freak show to have such a niche and uninteresting hobby.

[Bahr 0]

Well, maybe it wasn't that uninteresting. Swine Bajesus was a pretty cool dude. And Imposter Bajesus was neat, too. In fact, if Lessa didn't already have her familiar, Bahr would have invited her out to see if she was interested in taming the thing. Hell, there was a chance that she still might want to do that. But she would regret giving up Riker in the end. And poor Riker. The mutt would be absolutely miserable without him. And Swine Bajesus, too, would be heartbroken by his absence. It was better for everyone involved if Bahr simply neglected to mention this little excursion to Lessa. 

But if she found out about it after he had kept the information from her, wouldn't that make her mad, also? It was a risk he was just going to need to be willing to take. Potential anger vs inevitable frustration. The path of least resistance was keeping the info to himself.

[Bahr 0]

They were getting closer to the boulder now. Only a few more minutes and they would be able to round the rock and see if Swine Bajesus' hunch had been correct. And if it was, he would never question the microscopic pig again for as long as they shared time with one another. It was the ultimate test of swine intuition, and one that Bahr sincerely hoped would work out in their favor. Because if it didn't, that would just mean another half hour wasted, and even further from wherever Imposter Bajesus had scurried off to. 

Oh well. How bad was a day out in the field with his most trust companion, anyway? As much as he yearned for the sweet soothing sensation of warm coffee sliding down the back of his throat, he knew that Swine Bajesus needed this. Bahr needed this. They hadn't done much bonding as of late, simply existing parallel to one another on Bahr's never ending path to the Frontlines. He wondered if Bajesus even cared for that lifestyle? Did he understand what was at stake? What the dangers involved were?

[Bahr 0]

As they finally rounded the rock, they were graced with... nothing. The imposter wasn't there, and the trek backward had been a waste of time and had surely furthered the distance between them and their goal. This time it was Bahr giving Swine Bajesus a dirty look, and it simply hung its head in shame. "The hell, man. I thought you were the expert. I trusted you." It simply laid down on it stomach and covered its eyes with its hooves. "Relax, dude, I'm just razzing you. But this is a serious setback. We might as well be back at square one."

He looked around, hoping to spot any signs of the other baby boar that roamed these lands, but had no luck. It looked like it was back to searching the old fashioned way; running around aimlessly and hoping something stood out. It had worked in the past, and hopefully it would work again.
 

Spoiler

ID: 130733
CD: 1
Training failed.

 

[Bahr 0]

He Bahr chose a random path leading back the last direction he had seen their target, a message notification pinged. Conciliator, again. A pit sank into Bahr's stomach, but he set his jaw and, with a gulp, opened the message.
 

Quote

To: Bahr

I seriously can't find anythin' on this chick. Are ya sure she's even real?

Just playin'. The last anyone ever saw of her was hangin' out in a garden. Apparently she and some other chick got in a fight, and a dude in a red coat stepped in to stop the skirmish. Sounds pretty familiar, eh? Just how much skin have ya got in this game?

Anyways, the trail ends there. Nobody has seen or heard from her since. Sorry to say, pal, but after extensive searchin', I only know as much as you do.

Don't worry 'bout the payment. Not like I told ya anything ya don't already know. Best a luck, alright?

- Conciliator

So even Conciliator wasn't going to be any help with this. Wonderful. Bahr was back to square one in more than one way. He dismissed the panels and tried to keep his head in the game. First, they would finish their task int he fields. Then they could go searching for Kirbs.

[Bahr 0]

Swine Bajesus could sense the concern that Bahr was putting off, but didn't do anything. It knew that Bahr was the master of self soothing. Or, at least, pretending like he had it all together. While Bahr kept his cool externally, he was internally going over all of the different scenarios that could have led to this. He had made a mental checklist of all of the possibilities for her recent absence, and one by one he went through striking them off. The possibilities were getting narrower and narrower. Until it seemed like there was only one left.

But he refused to allow himself to believe that. He was probably just worrying too much, right? Butting into business that wasn't his. Being too nosy for his own good. Kirbs just probably didn't want to be found. Right? That had to be it. Even if it seemed like she really needed help, it made sense that she would be standoffish about it. That was just the teenager thing to do. She was fine. She was alright. She was out there, somewhere. She had to be.

[Bahr 0]

The excuses kept piling on top of one another more and more until they were simply too much to bear. Bahr opened his menu once again and navigated to the messaging panel, and began to compose a message.
 

Quote

To: Lessa

I'm seriously freaking out right now. I don't know what to do.

Have you ever had someone just disappear on you? Like, one day they're there, and the next day they're not?

And you keep making excuses for them. Trying to convince yourself that it's alright. But deep down, you know it isn't alright. And something is horribly, horribly wrong. And that your worst fears have become reality.

I really need to see you.

- Bahr

Another message to send straight to the archives. Far too needy. And as much as Bahr would love to ditch what he had going on here, he couldn't do that to Bajesus. Get him all riled up and then just take a completely different direction. He may have just been a pig, and a digital one, at that, but Bahr knew that he would be crushed.

[Bahr 0]

It may have seemed cheap from a personal perspective, considering he should have felt like he could tell Lessa anything. But Bahr felt like it would be more productive to reach out to someone who knew her and go from there. He composed another message.
 

Quote

To: Oscar

Have you seen Kirbs around? I haven't been able to get any location data on her for weeks. Starting to get a bit worried.

I reached out to my info broker, but they turned up squat. Knew just as much as I did. I was wondering if you had any more insight, considering you actually knew her. 

She and I didn't exactly leave things off on good terms, so if you manage to get ahold of her, might be best not to mention me. She probably won't react well to it.

Let me know if you find anything. I'll keep looking on my end, too.

- Bahr

Sent. Bahr let loose a sigh of relief as he dismissed the panels. It felt good to get that out to someone.

[Bahr 0]

With the word out, Bahr felt like he could finally dump all of his focus into the task at hand. Bajesus, who had been intently eyeing its master, sensed this shift in demeanor as well. They were back on track, and from here on out it was about finding Imposter Bajesus, defeating it, and returning to their lives of slaying monsters and trying to find the girl. How incredibly anime of them.

Still no sign of the other baby boar, though. Bahr had been walking for quite some time and, admittedly, hadn't been paying much attention while he had his nose buried in his messages. But he was certain that Swine Bajesus would have alerted him if they had happened upon their adversary. He was too wound up to just let something like this go. No matter how long it took, and no matter how many blunders they suffered, they would find this rascal and put it out of its misery for good.
 

Spoiler

ID: 130734
CD: 1
Training failed.

 

[Bahr 0]

There was a slight shift in the air, though. Slowly, off in the distance, Bahr could see storm clouds approaching. It would be a bit yet before they storm was upon them, but it seemed as though now they had a timer set on their endeavor. What this meant for their search, Bahr wasn't sure. He was willing to brave the storm and search for the tiny pig, but he was unsure whether or not Swine Bajesus was prepared to do the same. While it had tenacity and spunk, it lacked a spine. A good boom of thunder and Bahr was sure that it would return to the safety of his inner coat pocket, and just like that, their quest would be over.

That just meant that they really had to stay on-task now. No more lollygagging, no more tapdancing around. It was time to buckle down and go for it. Anything less than maximum effort at this point would be a disservice to them both. They needed to find Imposter Bajesus and end this.

[Bahr 0]

But how exactly could they go about that? Bahr didn't have the Tracking Skill. And for the first time in his life, he felt as though he really could have used it. There was a knot of guilt in his gut for not having come prepared for an endeavor like this. He felt as though he was letting his partner down. But Swine Bajesus didn't seem to see it that way. It had every bit as much enthusiasm as the last time they had encountered its rival and it had put the power to shame. The triumph it felt was intoxicating - Bahr understood that. The fact that it seemed to be enjoying itself on this outing together put Bahr a bit more at ease. 

Yeah, they could do this. If Swine Bajesus believed in them, he supposed that he could, too. Besides, they didn't have time to be doubting themselves now. On-task. Focused on the mission. The soldier mentality that Bahr had adopted back then. He needed to reclaim a bit of that vigor and steel himself.

[Bahr 0]

Out of the corner of his eye, Bahr saw movement. It was far off, but there was no mistaking it. A small creature scurrying into the coolie they had ventured through before. It could have been anything; a squirrel, or a rabbit perhaps. The likelihood of it being a microscopic boar was as small as the boar itself, but it was the only lead Bahr had. So he shifted his trajectory and marked a path back toward the coolie, dreading reentering it, but knowing that it was necessary if they were to make any headway in this seemingly impossible endeavor.

When they reached the fringe of the treeline, Bahr stopped and peered into the wooded expanse. He did not want to go down there. Images of crawling out of it before flashed through his mind, and he gritted his teeth. There had to be an easier way out than the path he had chosen last time, so he steeled himself and hopped down into the coolie, throwing caution to the wind.

[Bahr 0]

Once they were down there, he saw it. The faintest, slightest movement of something tiny in his peripheries. By the time his eyes had flickered to check for whatever ha stirred the movement, he saw nothing. Either he had happened upon a particularly spirited woodland creature, or it was Imposter Bajesus fleeing them. Either way, Bahr intended to find out once and for all. If was something like a rabbit, at least he would be able to tell himself that he had tried, and work his way out of this coolie sooner rather than later.

We wandered over to where he had seen the movement, and then continued following the sounds of scurrying after that. He didn't see anything yet, but he knew he was on the right track. The sounds of dead leaves rustling under something light became louder and louder the further he went. It would only be a matter of time now.

[Bahr 0]

And then he finally saw it. It turned out that they had been chasing a squirrel after all. Bahr muttered curses under his breath as he looked around, trying to identify the easiest way out of the pit. To his delight, there was a seemingly easy incline for him to follow that would lead him right out of the woods. He following it and, luckily, it turned out to be just as easy as he had hoped. Once again he found himself back out in the fields, where the sun had dipped a bit since he had last checked and the storm clouds were getting ever closer to rolling in.

When Bahr had decided to take on this task, he hadn't expected it to be so grueling. And, if he were being honest, he was running out of places to look. Imposter Bajesus was an impossible tiny creature, and he wouldn't be surprised if it had managed to worm itself into a place that he couldn't reach. This maye have eded up being a struggle in futility after all.
 

Spoiler

ID: 130735
CD: 1
Training failed.