[E3][PP-F21] <<Nature's Treasure>> A Thorny Meeting

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

 ID# 139609 results: Craft: 1 [0 Materials found] [0 Eggs found]

Total Loot

Eggs: 62
Materials: 11
Col: 1,000

Shield took a moment, listening closely. It was a complicated matter, but he had to be frank about it. "Here's the problem I see," Shield said, reeling in his line. "A tank is no good to anyone if they don't survive the fight." He finished reeling in and set his pole down. "People don't really talk about us, but we're the heroes of Aincrad. If a player can two-shot a floor boss, it doesn't do any good if they take one hit after the first shot and get crushed into polygons." Taking a moment, he collected his thoughts, trying to find the best way to make this next point stick. "Being a tank isn't about taking on every fight. I started at level one just like everyone else. But I never stepped into a fight that I wasn't sure I could survive, or at least escape from should the need arise."

His eyes were focused, remembering the few close calls that he had seen and how they had come as a result of great uncertainty and misinformation. "It's not your job to jump into every fight. Run the numbers. Consult your info broker. if you don't have an info broker, get one. Gather all of the information you can, and if you can't keep up with the damage output of an enemy, either through mitigation or healing, then you don't step into that fight without a competent healer."

Edited April 12, 2020 by Shield

[Zajcica 0]

Yuki cut him off just as he finished speaking.

"I understand that, I did go to an info broker and lasted about 6-7 hits with this boss, but the problem was that I couldn't find the chance to land an attack on it because I'm incompetent at fighting by myself. I didn't land a single attack on it or else I would have killed it. That's what's really pissing me off. When I fight dragon's with Life, I get burned down to yellow health, I get frozen completely in place and I find myself needing more help than I would like." She continued looking at the floor. "I guess I just need to practice fighting, but I'm afraid I'll just end up in the same situations. I feel so useless sometimes."

The girl transferred the next respawn of eggs into her inventory and sat there quietly, expecting Shield to comeback with something akin to 'well that's what you need to do if you want to improve.' That's what Mari would tell her.

LD: 19+3=22
Materials found: 2
Eggs Found: 2

Total Materials: 16
Total Eggs: 38

Edited April 13, 2020 by Zajcica

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

ID# 139618 results: Craft: 12 [4 Materials found] Loot: 3+8=11 [6 Eggs found]

Total Loot

Eggs: 68
Materials: 15
Col: 1,000

As Yuki spoke, Shield was engaged in a powerful struggle against a fish he had caught, but even as he fought it to shore, there was a fire burning in his belly. He hauled the great candy beast out of the water and left it on the shore before wheeling on Yuki.

"Stop that," Shield said, standing up and stepping in front of her. "You're a tank," he said, rather forcefully at that. "You are in a role where other people are looking for you for strength and stability." He put his hand on her shoulder and gave a gentle shove, not to cause harm, but to catch her off balance. "A tank is steadfast. Dependable. Resolute. If you're constantly doubting yourself, your team will sense it, and if they no longer feel stable, then people start making mistakes."

He advanced on Yuki again, chasing her down to the position he had pushed her back to. "So you don't give them the opportunity to doubt. If you're picking a fight with a boss, you make sure that it's a monster that even if you never land a single hit, you'll still walk out of that fight without a scratch on you. If you can't stand there and force a monster to die by your thorns and your thorns alone, then you're biting off more than you can chew."

He was in her face now. His eyes were focused. His voice was calm, but his shoulders were square, as if he was sizing Yuki up for a fight. "Because what is the one thing you can expect as a tank?" He gave her shoulder another shove, advancing on her again as she stepped back. "That you're going to get hit." He grabbed her collar and put his nose right up to hers. "So make that your weapon. Don't count on your weapon to save you. Plan as though the only thing that will happen in that fight is a monster hitting you over and over again until it shatters against you like an egg on a wall. Any damage you deal with your sword is extra. It's a bonus. But this?" he grabbed Yuki's hand and held it in front of her face. "THIS is not your weapon." He tossed her hand to the side and balled up a fist, tapping it sharply against the top of her sternum just between her collar bones. "THIS is your weapon." He pointed to her temple and tapped firmly, enough that it might smart a little if pain suppressors were not a part of SAO. "But more importantly, THIS is your weapon."

His intensity waned, and his shoulders slacked. "Aincrad is depending on us tanks. And let's face it, most DPS will rush headlong into any fight counting on you to save them from their own lack of planning. But the most powerful defensive tool you have is discretion. If you step into a fight and expect your weapon to be the difference between living and dying, you've already made a big mistake. You have got to be able to sustain, and that means grinding through every low-level quest you can find until you can solo that sunnovabitch that you really want to take down. Don't be afraid of your limits, Yuki. Embrace them and understand them, because that will be the tool you need to survive and keep others alive."

With that, he turned back to his catch which had stopped moving and gathered it up, depositing it and the eggs inside of it into his inventory. He knew he was being hard on her. There was a chance that he might even be offending her. That was fine.

You can't learn when you're comfortable. Hopefully, all she needs is the right push.

Edited April 12, 2020 by Shield

[Zajcica 0]

The girl shrank in her skin as the towering Shield stood in front of her. Her picked her up and gave her a shove, causing her to lose her balance and end up back on her rear end in the dirt. She braced her self as he came forward again. Thought's scrambled, she couldn't find a way to reply.

"I-I, um.." But, Shield kept coming. Picking her up and pushing her back again. This time she tried her best to stay to her feet but inevitably she met the ground once again. He grabbed her hand, explaining that she shouldn't be relying on her actual weapon at all. Needless to say, she didn't know how to feel. In the real world, this would have been akin to an assault. Though, she knew that he was doing this probably with good intention, it was hard to keep the shocked, scared expression on her face from forming. When he was finished with his speech, he took a seat back at his fishing spot and left her there a couple paces away on the ground.

The thoughts in her head banged against brain. She was confident about who she was as a person, but it was still difficult to see herself as a good tank player. That way of thinking would get her and others killed if she thought like that? How could she control that outcome if she wasn't sure of herself? The pinkette coughed roughly as she stood back up. It was just something to think about now, and to forget about Shield's rough methods. Mari had been harsh with her, but never had she really hit Yuki or been so pushy.

The girl took a seat back her spot carefully and started at the ground. The expression on her face probably hinted that she was trying to digest Shield's words. She looked down at the batch of eggs that had already spawned, moving all but one to her inventory. She stared at it momentarily before chucking it into a wall. Whether it was to let out frustration or anger she wasn't even sure herself. Nevertheless, the egg splattered into chocolate pieces then dispersed back into data. Yuki continued to stare at the floor afterwards, quietly.

LD: 11+3=14
Materials found: 1
Eggs Found: 6-1

Total Materials: 17
Total Eggs: 43

Edited April 13, 2020 by Zajcica

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

ID# 139624 results: Craft: 2 [0 Materials found] [0 Eggs found]

Total Loot

Eggs: 68
Materials: 15
Col: 1,000

There was a long silence, and the fact that Shield did not catch anything of any use didn't help. Maybe it hadn't been his place to intervene, but as it was, the front lines were bleak, and between him and Hestia, there were only enough tanks to protect two groups of players. That wasn't enough to run a proper raid, and with only one full healer, the tanks who were there needed to get by with less. Far less. Over his shoulder, Shield heard the cracking of chocolate egg on the cavern wall and glanced over at Yuki.

"I'm not that egg," Shield said, casting out his line. The bobber hit the water and he waited, finally repeating himself. "That egg isn't me. I'm the one you need to stand up to. Not the egg." He turned to face her properly, turning in his seat. "I was mean to you. That's something you can't take lying down." He mimed the motion of shoving. "I pushed you. Are you going to let the monsters push you around too? Do you think the floor bosses are going to be nice to you when you get to them?" His voice was not intense anymore. It was full of concern, of compassion. Shield stood up and crouched down beside Yuki, and it was evident in his eyes that he did not enjoy making his points the way he had. In his mind, all he could do was see his daughters sitting with there in her place, and he knew that he would never want them to see this game from the inside.

But we're here. And whatever is coming... players need to be ready.

"I've faced creatures on the front lines that would fill this entire cavern," he said, gesturing not just to the far wall, but to the ceiling as well. "Great dragons that froze frontliners in their tracks. Monstrous sea creatures that capsized ships and sent the entirety of the front lines running. I pushed you," he said, matter-of-factly. "Stand up and do something about it. In a fight, there isn't time for inactivity, and there isn't time to pout. Stand up."

Edited April 12, 2020 by Shield

[Zajcica 0]

Yuki stood up when Shield approached her again. His stern voice continued to make her shrink, but even still he progressed his point. She need to stand up for herself and stop being such a wussy. It was her job to stand toe to toe with anything, even someone like Shield. If she continued to cower behind her aegis, she would never come out from behind it. 

"Stand up and do something about it. In a fight, there isn't time for inactivity, and there isn't time to pout. Stand up." Shield said as he got up close and personal with the young girl again. He wouldn't stop until she showed him that she could change. A brush of instinct fell over her and her breathing increased. Her hand moved on it's own. The balled up fist thwaked against Shield's cheek, turning his head to the side and leaving a red mark there. Yuki took the thorns damage, which reduced her health nearly by 1/4.

The girls cursor then turns orange above her head. "Ngh...H-How was that?"

@Shield

Yuki has gained an Orange Cursor for the rest of this thread.

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

ID# 139645 results: Craft: 12 +  Loot: 8+8=16 [Chest found] [8 Eggs found]

Total Loot

Eggs: 76
Materials: 15
Col: 1,000

Shield sputtered which turned into a laugh. It was not derisive or mocking. It was surprise that registered on his face more than anything. he doubled over, bursting out into a proper belly laugh before straightening up. "I was expecting you to tell me off or put on your war face or something!" he chuckled, rubbing the spot with the back of his hand. "I never would have dreamed in a million years you were just going to reel back and sock me like that!" He reached out and placed a heavy hand on her shoulder. "But either way, you took action. Took a little coaxing, but you got there." He crouched part way down, just enough so they were eye to eye, but instead of towering over her, he was looking straight across at her, like an equal.

"Yuki, you just took your first step towards being a self-made tank," he said giving her shoulder an extra squeeze. "Maybe what you did wasn't the wisest option, but doing nothing wasn't an option, and to be fair, I was asking for it. Worst case scenario, that moment where I was surprised might have been just enough time for you and your party to TP out." With that, he released her shoulder and returned to his seat, motioning for her to come and join him.

That little skirmish now settled, he cast out his line and began to reel it in, but as luck would have it, he had snagged yet another chest. Pulling with the full force of his arms, he managed to drag it up out of the depths. "Might be an omen. Who knows?"

Edited April 12, 2020 by Shield

[Zajcica 0]

Yuki had expected Shield to keep pushing her until she was on her edge, but really he just started laughing. And he laughed pretty hard. She felt sorry since she didn't really mean to hit him like that, her hand kind of just took control of itself to make him back off. If she said sorry, though, she was sure that Shield would scold her. She quietly watched him go back to his fishing spot, then she followed behind him and sat back on to her knees. The girl was quiet for a moment. She felt like things were going to be awkward now.

She watched him fish up the second chest, which was making her feel like she really needed to invest in the fishing skill soon for her Nature's Treasures quests. The  girl wondered how much it would cost to get her hands on a teleport crystal.

"Do you know how much Teleporation Crystals cost? I'll buy one when I-." She looked up at her orange cursor, remembering she wouldn't be able to return to the safe zone now. "When this wears off."

LD: 2+3=5
Materials found: 0
Eggs Found: 0

Total Materials: 17
Total Eggs: 43

 

Edited April 13, 2020 by Zajcica

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

ID# 139661 results: Loot: 13+7=20

[16-20] = 3150 Col, 8 materials, perfect armor/shield, 2 rare consumables

Total Loot

Eggs: 76
Materials: 23
Col: 2,000
Perfect Armors/Shields: [139661a]

"A teleportation crystal?" Shield repeated, kneeling down in front of the chest. "They cost between 850 and 900 Col from most merchants. However..." He held out one of his golden keys to the lock, and as soon as the chest opened, he smiled and nodded. "After this outing, you'll have more than enough to get a few of them." He tapped the menu option to empty the chest of its items and then immediately opened another trade window to Yuki. "I always do this with lower level players because a player once did the same for me when I was just getting my start." A dialogue box appeared before her.

Quote

Shield wishes to send you:

2,150 Col, Rare T3 Consumables [139661b] [139661c]

Accept [O]     Decline [X]

"Those are the cereal numbers for the two items there," he explained, before adding "And don't you dare think of declining. This isn't optional, and neither is the deal I'm going to make with you now. When you get the opportunity to carry or assist a lower level player someday, you do the exact same thing I'm doing now." He gave her a little smile and returned back to his seat, picking up his fishing rod. "Getting started is always the hardest. Something like this can go a long way."

Edited April 13, 2020 by Shield

[Zajcica 0]

Again he was offering her the contents that he rightfully had acquired from the chest. She really didn't want to impose on him by taking things from his chest just after socking him in the face. Though, he seemed to be fine with it all. Yuki would have felt horribly bad if she had punched him in real life, but honestly, what was the difference of punching him here or in real life? She still felt bad about it since that really wasn't her intent.

"I- I don't know if..." The stern look that Shield gave her spooked her enough to hit 'Accept'. "Th-Thanks Shield. When I get stronger, or if I find the time to help a lower level player with anything, I'll do anything I can to help them. I'll be sure not to take unnecessary risks from now on. Thank you for shedding light on that. I will be become better than I am now, and I'll help everyone."

LD: 20+3=23
Materials found: 2
Eggs Found: 2

Total Materials: 19
Total Eggs: 45

Edited April 13, 2020 by Zajcica

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

ID# 139665 results: Craft: 7 [2 Materials found] Loot: 15+8=23 [8 Eggs found]

Total Loot

Eggs: 84
Materials: 25
Col: 2,000
Perfect Armors/Shields: [139661a]

"Then that's all the thanks you need to give me," Shield said. He settled back into this seat and cast out into the dark waters once again, watching carefully after his bobber. "You know, the player who helped me and my old friend out was someone who went by the name Rain. He wasn't really remarkable, I suppose, or at least I never heard anything about his exploits on the front lines or anyhting..." He didn't know exactly where he was going with all this. He shrugged. "Still, I remember him, and to me he was remarkable."

He felt a nibble through his fishing line, and once the fish on the other end really began to pull, Shield began to reel it in. It came relatively easily on this one, and although the fish was by no means tiny, it clearly did not yield as much 'meat,' if you could call it that, than some of the larger, more difficult catches he had reeled in. Still, his stash of eggs was growing very steadily, even with his pauses to teach a lesson or open a chest. "This has turned into a productive trip, huh?"

Edited April 12, 2020 by Shield

[Zajcica 0]

Yuki thought about Mari as Shield explained his old friend Rain. Mari was a remarkable person to her. She scolded and pushed Yuki all the time, but in an attempt to make her a better person. Deep down, she felt like Mari was something of a pseudo-mother figure to her. Let's face it: Even in your twenties you can rely on your parents. Her attention focused back on Shield when the skree from bird came out, and the bumped into her head.

"Uh, sorry I got distracted. Thinking about my family gets me like that." She looked at her collection of eggs. "Oh, yeah I got around 50 just from this one round of collecting. I'm not intending on leaving soon either with out much reason. You staying out much longer?" The girl shifted in her position to get more comfortable and looked over to Shield. "Do you have any family outside the game? I have a sister, a mother and a father waiting for me and I'm sure they are all crying over me in a hospital room somewhere. Thinking about them makes me feel resolve, but it makes me feel a bit upset at the same time. My heart aches with how much I miss them, so I use that to keep myself going."

LD: 20+3=23
Materials found: 2
Eggs Found: 2

Total Materials: 21
Total Eggs: 47

Edited April 13, 2020 by Zajcica

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

ID# 139723 results: Craft: 4 [0 Materials found] Loot: 12+8=20 [8 Eggs found]

Total Loot

Eggs: 92
Materials: 25
Col: 2,000
Perfect Armors/Shields: [139661a]

"It is good that you have a family who cares about you, though I am sorry for their hardships through this," Shield said with a solemn nod. "Do you come from a large family?" He figured asking a polite question would serve as a subtler and perhaps kinder way for him to refuse to answer himself. Many in SAO considered it taboo to talk about the outside world, so such dodges were not uncommon. Aside from his questioning, he did not show outwards signs of discomfort. If there was one thing he had mastered in the real world, it was remaining impassive and difficult to read when he so wished.

There came a jerk at the end of his pole, but it immediately abated, leaving his line slack. Turning his reel over with his fingers, he did feel an increased drag through the water, which, sure enough, meant that he was left with no fish, but with plenty of eggs and fake easter grass. He lifted the small parcel out of the water and shook it off before depositing it in his inventory with the others.

Edited April 12, 2020 by Shield

[Zajcica 0]

He deflected Yuki's question pretty quick but it wasn't like he was obligated to answer it in the first place. Best just to move on and forget about it.

"As far as close family goes, no not really. Both on my mom and dad's side I have a total of about six cousins and they don't even live in Japan anymore. My grandparents don't talk with me much anymore either because of some certain circumstances." It was hard to bring up her past without mentioning her ongoing sex change be difficult. Though she wasn't quite ready to tell him about that. Maybe soon, but not now.

"I doubt the outer ring of my family even knows that I'm stuck in Sword Art Online, and I wonder if any of them would even care." She said that as if she had no idea what her distant family was even like. "I'll just be happy to see mom, dad and Aki again."

The griffin on her head let out a skree when it heard it's name. "Haha, the Aki you're named after silly."

LD: 11+3=14
Materials found: 1
Eggs Found: 3

Total Materials: 22
Total Eggs: 50

Edited April 13, 2020 by Zajcica

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

ID# 140002 results: Craft: 6 [1 Material found] Loot: 19+8=27 [8 Eggs found]

Total Loot

Eggs: 100
Materials: 26
Col: 2,000
Perfect Armors/Shields: [139661a]

"Well, the thing about missing people," Shield said, leaning back a little and looking up at the ceiling, its distant lights only pinpiricks in the dark cavern. "Sometimes you don't realize that you're going to miss someone until they're gone. The advantage you have is that once this is all over, you'll get to go back. It's going to be like getting a second chance. I bet you there will be more people waiting on you than you might think."

At least I hope that's the case...

With his hook once again empty, Shield picked up his bag of bait, which in this case was just a bunch of gummy worms he had picked up from a candy shop someone had opened near the Town of beginnings. It seemed silly, perhaps, but since apparently the game liked giving him nothing but gummy fish at the moment, this seemed to be the most logical bait to buy.

He cast his line out into the pond and immediately got a little nibble. He reeled in again, noting how little resistance there was from his quarry. There was a little fight in it though. He pulled his line up out of the water, finding a clutch of eggs, and since the fish was too small to fit all of them, they came with their own little mesh bag as many of those had come who didn't have fish in the first place.

Edited April 12, 2020 by Shield

[Zajcica 0]

The girl sat in her spot, waiting for the batch of eggs to respawn in their usual spot again. Once they did, she promptly scooped them up and displaced them into her inventory as quietly as possible to make sure she didn't disturb the fish in the water. Though, did fishing even work like that in this world? Probably not. Her soft voice broke the silence again after a moment of quiet contemplation for the both of them.

"Honestly, as much as a I imagine that there could be other people waiting for me on the other side, I wonder what they even think of me now. I would be happy just to see my sister and parents again and that's it. Anyone else would just be an added bonus I guess." Yuki looked down at her feet, clutching her knees to her chest. "Makes me glad I don't have a significant other that isn't in the game- not that I have one in the game. I just mean I could only imagine what they would think of me laying in a hospital in a coma with a Nervegear strapped to my face. I wouldn't have to worry about them leaving me or anything like that. Is that a weird thought? I'm not sure."

LD: 17+3=20
Materials found: 2
Eggs Found: 6

Total Materials: 24
Total Eggs: 56

Edited April 13, 2020 by Zajcica

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

ID# 140443 results: Craft: 11 [4 Materials found] Loot: 17+8=25 [8 Eggs found]

Total Loot

Eggs: 108
Materials: 30
Col: 2,000
Perfect Armors/Shields: [139661a]

Yuki's words made perfect sense to Shield. He gave a slight nod of acknowledgement, looking out at his bobber thoughtfully. "Well, either way, there are a lot of people working to make that happen," he said, turning the crank on his reel slowly to wind his line up. "We'd be glad to have you join us when you're ready. Suffice it to say, I think we're in need of good tanks on the front lines, as well as healers. We're... down to just one healer now, actually." He frowned, pulling in his line the rest of the way and casting out again. "If you know anyone who wants to go into healing, let me know. If there's anything the front lines can do to help people level and get out there safer and sooner, we will."

His bait had barely hit the water when there came a swell at the surface, as if something big underneath had surged upward suddenly. A pair of jaws snapped up his bobber and the hook under it, and Shield had to brace himself to keep from losing his pole. He pulled back hard, beginning the practiced battle of pulling and then reeling in slack until finally he had landed his catch along with the healthy batch of eggs that were within it.

Edited April 12, 2020 by Shield

[Zajcica 0]

Yuki gave Shield another smile, one of hope, to end that subject. Then he brought up how short the front line was of tanks and healers. She wondered if that had to do with how easy it was for damage players to level up compared to a tank player. Damage players could just get strong enough to out-damage almost anything in the easier to medium levels of the game, but tanks and healers need the help of damage players to accomplish that in a timely fashion. Then Yuki remembered that she originally had intended to play as a healer and hybrid into tank later.

"I can invest my skill points into healing late game for the front line players. I don't need the praise of dealing massive damage to anything if it means as many of us make it out of this game as possible. What healing skills are there?" The girl asked pulling up her skill menu to find the locked skills on healing.

LD: 9+3=12
Materials found: 1
Eggs Found: 3

Total Materials: 25
Total Eggs: 59

Edited April 13, 2020 by Zajcica

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

Fishing: ID# 140541 results: Craft: 8 [2 Materials found] Loot: 9+8=17 [8 Eggs found]

Total Loot

Eggs: 116
Materials: 32
Col: 2,000
Perfect Armors/Shields: [139661a]

"That... would be wonderful if that panned out," Shield added, with a slight nod of his head. "If you're serious about that as something you hope to do, I may have some friends who might want to meet you. Don't worry," Shield said, thinking back to earlier. "They tend to be a little nicer than I am, though even I will admit that I was harder on you before than usual." He stood and cast out his line, winding it in slowly. "The front lines are not always a kind place," he said his expression grim. "Although I am among the most defensible players in Aincrad, even I have dipped down into the red on more than one occasion."

Out in the water, something stirred. There came a splash, and his line straightened and tightened, pulling and bending his pole. Shield fought back, pulling and reeling in, actually quite quickly this time. The fish was not terribly strong. "We on the front lines are no strangers to carries when it comes to helping to power level lower players. I'll do some research. See if we can find a quest or a dungeon that will get you some good experience and some good loot." Pulling his catch out of the water, he made a quick assessment of the eggs inside of it and stored it away.

Edited April 12, 2020 by Shield

[Zajcica 0]

Yuki's head nodded to the side when he mentioned some friends of his. Why would anyone really want to meet her? It's not like she was really anyone special anyway, in fact, it was probably the most opposite of special. It made sense for a tank to hybrid into healing to her. She wouldn't need to deal damage with all the people in the front lines who could dish out probably thousands of damage in a single turn all together. She might as well do what she can to help other's stay alive. She wouldn't be able to live she watch someone die whom she could have helped if only she had dipped into healing skills rather than damage.

"Friends? What would they want from me? I'm not really anyone special or anything." She said, scooping up the next batch of eggs. "I'm just a person that wants to grow strong so all of us here can go home as soon as possible. And, oh I found one of these maps to a dungeon that I was too afraid to do on my own. I was going to ask Mari if she'd help me, but I think I bothered her too much. I was going to get stronger and ask her later."

LD: 2+3=5
Materials found: 0
Eggs Found: 0

Total Materials: 25
Total Eggs: 60

Edited April 13, 2020 by Zajcica