[PP|F1] <<Earning a Living: Performer>> Gothic Singer

[Orvilla 0]

Walking through one of the many towns on the first floor of Aincrad Orvilla was enjoying the sunny weather, it wasn't her favourite but she appreciated it when she could. As she walked she began to notice a quiet singing voice that picked up in volume as she went through the town soon stopping outside what appeared to be a small music studio. The voice coming from inside was enchanting as it almost reminded her of the orphanage back in the real world, back where she felt safe.

Heading inside she saw an NPC on a small stage singing softly into a microphone, stopping gently when she noticed Orvilla smiling at her almost as a loving mother would, "Hello there, I do hope you enjoyed my singing, I love singing for other, and I see you are here, would you like learn how to bring enjoyment to others in terms of singing? I would love to help you" Orvilla was awe-stricken here eyes shining brightly through the holes in her mask as she smiled brightly "I'd love to! Can you teach me how to sing like you, you have such a great voice!" The excitement in her voice was unparalleled as though this was a moment she waited her whole life for.

"Of course dear. Now, I will start to record a song, and you can watch me and take notes on how to sing, the vocalisation of words is key in making a good product" Orvilla sat down on the nearest chair waiting happily to hear the woman sing again watching as she went to get some kind of crystal "Oh no! I have completely run out, would you be a dear and gather five material for me? I can still sing, but making a recording crystal will only work with materials." Orvilla nodded excitedly hopping out of her chair and heading to do the door of the studio "I'll be back with those materials as soon as I can!" Rushing out the door she didn't have time to notice the other player in front of her bumping headfirst into a much higher level player.

@Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

Spoiler

Orvilla: 

Level 1

HP: 20/20

EN: 2/2

DMG: 3+1

Regen

 

Edited October 18, 2020 by Orvilla

[Freyd 0]

"What the...?"  Freyd sidestepped as an unexpected figure exited from a nearby shop and ran straight into him.  He was clad from head to toe in black leathers and dark cloth wrappings, including boots, gloves and his trademark cowl.  The bottom half of an unremarkable pale-skinned face was all that could be seen, along with a shadowed pair of reddish-brown eyes.

"In a hurry," said a not-unfriendly voice, tinged with a slight chuckle.  He looked up to see which shop the young woman had just left.  "Ah... I see.  Learning to be a performer, are you?"  He seemed pensive for a moment.  "Actually, I haven't seen many of the other profession quests first hand.  It might be worthwhile, just to take notes.  Mind if I tag along for research purposes?"

Pulling back his cowl revealed a youthful face topped by a crop of unruly brown hair.  His features were simple and easily forgettable.  Even those eyes had a certain glaze over them.  He extended a gloved hand and made his introductions.

"I'm Freyd, by the way.  Who might you be?"

@Orvilla

Spoiler

Name: Freyd, The Whisper in Shadows
Level: 69
HP: 1410/1410
EN: 153/153

Stats:
Damage: 20
Mitigation: 79
Evasion: 2
Accuracy: 4
BH:70
VAMP OFF:141
HLY:6
FLN:6
LD:5

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Samael's Pride (T3-2HSS, VO 1, HOLY 1, FLN 1)
Armor: Skirmisher's Garb (T3 LA, MIT 2, EVA 1)
Misc: Night Shades (T3-Trinket, ACC 3)

Skills:
2H Straight Sword [Rank 5]
Light Armor [Rank 5]
Searching [Rank 4]
Battle Healing [Rank 5]
Parry [Obtained]
Energist [Obtained]
Charge [Rank 5]
Extended Mod Limit R2 [Obtained]

Extra Skills:
Disguise
Familiar Mastery: Fighter 3
Survival

Mods:
Precision
Finesse - Rank 3
LA Athletics
Ferocity
LA Sprint and Acrobatics
Night Vision

Need rank 3

Battle Ready Inventory:
Teleport Crystals*5
Concentrated Joy (T3 Vitality 2)*3
Missing You (Instant T3 HP Recovery)*2
Fruit-Infused Tea (T3 HP Recovery)*5
Imugi's Inspiration (T3 Mass HP Recovery)*5
Mega-Duper... Sauce (Antidote 3)*5
Grave Injustice (T3-2HSS, ACC 1, Keen 1, Abs. ACC)*1

Housing Buffs:
Rested: -1 energy cost for the first two expenditures of each combat
Clean: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 20% (rounded down)
Hard Working: +2 EXP per crafting attempt and +1 crafting attempt per day
Filling: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot.
Item Stash: +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot
Delicious: Turn 3 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Feast. A Feast contains 6 portions of the food items sacrificed.
Relaxed: Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
Skylight (Searching): +1 Rank to the Searching skill.
Angler: +1 material gained when fishing
Advanced Training: +2 SP to a thread. Limit one use per month [0/1]
Multipurpose: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll
Decor [Potted Tanabata Bamboo Tree]: This buff affects the player and their choice of up to two party members.

Guild Hall Buffs:
Lucrative: Reduce LD needed for Salvage by 5 (10+ for Alchemist crystals, 6+ for everything else). +2 EXP per craft. Rank 9 crafters receive +1 crafting attempt per day. Rank 10 crafters receive +2 crafting attempts per day.
Col Deposit: +5% bonus col from last-hit monster kills and +10% bonus col from treasure chests.

Scents of the Wild:
Kumatetsu Statue: +1 Base Damage for a thread

Wedding Ring: n/a

 

[Orvilla 0]

"Ah! I'm so sorry I was just in a rush to get these materials for this quest you see!" Readjusting her mask and dusting down her red coat she looked up at the other player seeing the very dark attire of them "Woah, edgy looking. I didn't think people who dressed like this actually existed" She wasn't one to judge about how people dress though, even back in reality her style wasn't exactly mainstream.

Shaking out of her thoughts she realised that she had only heard bits of what he was saying trying to figure out from the few words she did hear she replied "Sure! I'm doing the performer quest so I've got to go get some material to make recording crystals, I was gonna look in the fields again but I'm not sure if those are the right spots exactly. Uh, I'll let you tag along if you help me with finding the material I need." She smiled pointing up at up now noticing at some point he took his cowl off, seeing his very generic face and hair, it was much different compared to her, it may have been a knotty mess but the bright green colour made it fit and look stylish all the same.

High fiving the hand that was obviously there for a handshake she proudly introduced herself "Orvilla's the name and doing random quests I stumble upon is my game! Nice to meet you Freyd!"  

@Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

Spoiler

Orvilla: 

Level 1

HP: 20/20

EN: 2/2

DMG: 3+1

Regen

 

[Freyd 0]

The Whisper laughed at her lyrical boast.

"I don't actually think I'm allowed to gather the materials for you, but I'll help gather what others I can while we walk.  Anything I find it yours.  We'll call it payment for the opportunity to see the quest played out."  Pointing them towards the outskirts, Freyd suggested that they travel west towards a series of low ridges and waterfalls.  His manner was relaxed, but she could sense an underlying alertness.  His eyes scoured... everything.   It was like he was reconstructing everything around them, analyzing it, then cataloguing anything of value for later reference. 

"The water's erosion makes for a plausible spawn point for crystals.  There will likely be many in the area.  Have you considered where you will setup shop once you've unlocked the option?"  His own shop's location had been selected for unusual reasons: to actively avoid visitors.  That had changed with time, and for the better.  He'd considered relocating, but floor thirteen seemed to hold the right atmosphere.  After this much time, it also felt strangely like home.

[Orvilla 0]

"Oh well! I'm sure it will be nice to have the company anyhow, and I appreciate it I could always use more of those materials after all" Orvilla was readjusted her mask once again fixing the exposed leather strap on top of her hair so that the mask would not fall loose from her face before heading in the direction that Freyd had pointed them not wasting a second to get on the way there, she really wanted to hear the NPC sing again and learn how to sing herself even if it was just for fun.

"I would never have thought to look in the water! You're smart, I would have probably just spent hours wandering around the plains before even thinking of going near the water" The wolf masked girl let out a shy laugh before clearing her throat and continuing along the way to the waterfalls. "Probably the fourth floor? I love the snow it reminds me of home back in reality and I bet people would appreciate it! Do you own a shop?" 

@Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

Spoiler

Orvilla: 

Level 1

HP: 20/20

EN: 2/2

DMG: 3+1

Regen

 

[Freyd 0]

"Why does everyone like that floor so much?" He mused aloud, half-seriously.  "It's proven to be the most popular for homes and shops among the people I've met, by far."

Shrugging, he couldn't really disapprove of her choice or reasoning.  The landscapes of that floor were as pristine as they were algid.  For being so barren, it carried many memories for him.

"I have a shop on floor thirteen, on the outskirts of Angel's Point.  It's called Freyd Edges, and not all that much to speak of.  A couple of friends keep an eye on the place whenever I'm away.  They're good people, and it works out for both of us.  I'm a merchant, so other than stocking generic goods, my expertise is in appraising and identifying looted items.  Feel free to stop by whenever you get around to finding that stuff.  I'll hook you up with some cheap evals."

Freyd directed them along the shortest, safest route.  Though he knew little of Orvilla, as of yet, he generally made it his mission to help out young players whenever the opportunity arose. 

"Try over there, by that small outcropping."

Spoiler

ID #173465 | LD 3+5=8  (no mats found)

 

[Orvilla 0]

Orvilla snickered a little at the name of Freyd's store; it certainly fits the attire and appearance of the player in front of her to point where she wondered if it was intentional or not. Coughing slightly to cover her laugh she continued along the path with the edgy player "I'd certainly appreciate it, I'm very poor after all even by most low-level players, though I don't how often I'll be heading up to the higher floors in my current condition" The green-haired girl waved her arms around slightly showing how oversized her coat was that she used as armor the sleeves falling over and covering her hands 

As the approached the water Orvilla listened to Freyd's advice, though not so completely, diving into the water without a seconds delay searching under the water for the materials that were needed most by the NPC swimming down the water's bottom she flipped some pebbles hoping this would be a way to gather it.

ID# 173467 results: Loot 18  1/5 Materials Gathered

From under one of the larger rocks, she pulled out some of the material she needed, swimming back to the water's surface to show it off to Freyd "Look! I found some! Only 4 more to go right?!" She shouted out to him somewhat embarrassingly not that she cared.

@Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

Spoiler

Orvilla: 

Level 1

HP: 20/20

EN: 2/2

DMG: 3+1

Regen

 

[Freyd 0]

"If there is a single piece of worthwhile bit of advice I can give you, Orvilla, it is never to judge anyone you meet in here by their appearance.  It seems cliche, but angels wear demon skins here, and devil's are the elegant, regal beauties that look like they should be in charge."  He took a moment to look over both of them, then smirked, leaving his thoughts unspoken.

"I spent a lot of my early time in Aincrad wandering around solo.  It's a feasible, but ultimately impractical life.  You'll want to find others to share your experiences with, or maybe just to watch your back while you sleep.  Personally, if you're going to be a singer, I suspect that you will want an audience.  Choose it wisely, when the choice is yours to make at all."  The Whisper pointed to something shining under a nearby series of rivulets along the cliff wall, but it proved to be little more than a bit of wet stone reflecting daylight.  

Spoiler

ID #173773 | LD: 3+5=8 (no mats found)

 

[Orvilla 0]

"You take this awfully serious, where's the harm in having fun! You can just run around carefree for a little bit." Orvilla's voice was very relaxed for someone who could be easily killed by even the weakest mobs in the game, even now she showed no worry floating around on the surface of the water taking in the sun not even stressing about how soggy her clothes were getting the longer she spent in the water. "And personally I'm not the one to judge someone by their appearance, I mean look at me! I'm wearing a dead wolf's skull on my face, my hair is far from a natural colour and I dress like someone from the eighteen-hundreds!" 

Dropping back under the water she went to search at the bottom once again looking around the shining spots that would eventually give her a recording crystal, noticing one just under the pressure from the waterfall digging it up but finding nothing that would be useable quickly swimming back to the surface for air.

Spoiler

ID# 173813 results|LD 9 

Orvilla: Level 1

HP: 20/20
EN: 2/2
DMG: 4
Regen: 1

 

[Freyd 0]

"People rely on me to take it seriously for them, not that I probably wouldn't do it anyway."  Freyd's face revealed very little when he spoke; no warmth, regret or envy.  It was inscrutible.He seemed to have accepted that this was going to be his lot in Aincrad, for better or worse.   "What's with the wolf skull, anyway?  It's unique, I'll give it that.  Do you just like the appearance, or is there something more to it?"

Freyd kept searching as they walked, but his heart wasn't really in it.  Gathering seemed rather pointless when he could buy any materials he needed from his own shop, or collect them by slaying mobs.  Summoning a tarnished silver sword, he used it to poke at the ground a few times, without any notable results.  Strangely, the neither reflected any light, nor seemed to cast any shadows.  The colour in Freyd's face and eyes seemed to drain a bit as he held the blade, like it was being leeched out of him in some way.

Spoiler

ID #174047 | LD 5+5=10 (No mats found)

 

[Orvilla 0]

Going up to reach her mask running her fingers on the snout of it, she just thought about why she did wear this mask "Oh I just like it! And since the game basically forced us all to take the look like what we actually look like in real life I might as try to keep some privacy, even though I still show my face off pretty commonly" Laughing to herself slightly she crawled out of the water shaking the water out of her hair and clothes the best she could, of course, they would easily dry over time with the constant nice weather of the first floor. 

Looking around the bank of the water digging through the pebbles Orvilla looked around for the few shiny spots that she had noticed earlier on, having absolutely no luck with any of them providing anything of merit. Kicking one of the pebbles she decided to keep looking.

Spoiler

ID# 174273 results: LD 6

Orvilla: Level 1

HP: 20/20
EN: 2/2
DMG: 4
Regen: 1

 

Edited October 22, 2020 by Orvilla

[Freyd 0]

"Fair enough," Freyd replied at her explanation.  He'd never been that concerned about concealing his features.  His appearance was more about manipulating the perceptions of others than anything personal, though there was a certain comfort factor related to remaining in the shadows.  Freyd's rise had been swift.  That tended to draw attention, and not always in a good way.  He also spent an inordinate amount of time skulking about Aincrad, so the garb had a practical aspect as well.  It mostly looked out of place during daylight in urban areas.

"How are we doing so far?"  He asked, with genuine curiosity. It was easy to lose track of progress in these early quests, especially since it was so often a solitary thing.  His boot landed in a patch of boar pup poop, as if the environment was once again taunting his absolutely dismal luck when it came to gathering materials.  If only slaughtering boars still provided something of value.

Spoiler

ID #174503 | LD 2+5=7 (No mats found)

 

[Orvilla 0]

"Uhhhh! Not amazing to be honest, we've only found one out of the five materials we need. My luck is usually better than this I apologise" Orvilla laughed nervously before turning away to keep digging for the material she needed. It wasn't Freyd fault but the lack of progressive hit Orvilla's mentally deep, as she dug through the rocks she felt worthless not being able to even find a single material, let alone being able to craft a recording crystal for the nice lady she was helping.

Noticing that she had started to think like that she slapped herself shaking her head trying to get back to a more positive mentality, looking for the material she found a sparkling grouping of rocks, hoping this would add to the materials, smiling brightly she pulled out the material she needed. "Make that two out of the five we need!" Smiling happily she placed it in her inventory for safekeeping.

Spoiler

ID# 176589 results|Loot: 19 | 2/5 Materials gathered

Orvilla: Level 1

HP: 20/20
EN: 2/2
DMG: 4
Regen: 1

 

[Freyd 0]

"Huzzah!" he added, chuckling softly.  

"And don't worry about a streak of bad luck.  I have some of the worst luck imaginable when it comes to fighting bosses."  He looked wistful for a moment before starting to count on his fingers.  "Let's see, there was the Monkey King's balls, slipping on Rhino shit, accidentally lighting Kiluia on fire while fighting pirates, faceplanting against Skalaugh, ..."   He droned on for some time.  As he did so, a small wispy bit of shadow coiled its way up from beneath his clothes and came to rest a head roughly the size of a small cat's upon his shoulder.  It had two small feline-shaped paws, but its form seemed to be made entirely of some kind of strange void-like substance.  Two piercing azure eyes with irises like stared at Orvilla with mild, undecided interest.

"Oh, hey Persi."  Freyd reached over and nuzzled the mongoose on the back of her neck, her eyes warbling as if a shiver was going down her spine.  Her black countenance suddenly sprang to life, bursting full of stars as if Orvilla was staring into the clearest night's sky she had ever seen.  

[Orvilla 0]

Orvilla stared back at the little creature with a much-increased interest, after all, how could she not when something as cute as that was staring her down. "Awww! Who's this little guy? He's so frickin' cute!" Rushing up to the other player she immediately went to petting the little familiar, though she wasn't really sure how much it would like it she assumed that because of it's lit up the body the creature would be somewhat happy about it. Giving it a little scratch under the chin before backing up, trying not to overwhelm it.

"I always wanted a little pet like that but I wasn't allowed one back in the orphanage, takes up to much room which is fair I suppose." Orvilla went back to searching through the river bank for the materials for the crystals finding a few more spread about gathering spots. Though not finding a single bit of material, lacking even the ones she didn't even need. "Ah yeah, just my luck."

Spoiler

ID: 176943 | LD: 3 

Orvilla: Level 1

HP: 20/20
EN: 2/2
DMG: 4
Regen: 1

 

[Freyd 0]

Freyd smiled and watched as Orvilla approached the mongoose, who simply soaked up the attention.

"You're a total suck with everyone else, aren't you, Persistence?"  He mocked her, but it was true.  She was invariably aloof and demanding around him, but but would roll over to have her neck or belly scratched at the slightest bit of attention from any of his female companions.  Maybe it was a gender thing.  Freyd just shook his head. 

"She's a wily one, that's for sure."  He was addressing Orvilla again.  "The starscape motif is a recent addition following the Tanabata event.  But she seems to like it.  You mentioned an orphanage.  Are you still there or is this something from your past?  I only ask because it doesn't seem like a place you'd be likely to get your hands on a copy of SAO and the Nervegear to play it."  Freyd considered that he might be prying, but she had freely brought it up.  That seemed to push the question into fair game territory.

[Orvilla 0]

"Uh ha, yeah I'm still there, been there longer than I can remember. I guess it's my own fault though, I never was the most adoptable kid" Laughing nervously she turned away digging through the stones once again, trying to make the conversation seem more casual rather than painful. "The workers there though are really nice, I kinda consider them to be my parents. They helped give me the funds for the Nervegear and SAO. Though! I was able to pay for most of it through my job, which I'm probably not gonna have when we're free" Orvilla dropped her head once again, it wasn't the easiest for her to stay positive when talking about her own situation.

"How about you? What's your real-life deal?" As she waited for his response Orvilla found another gathering spot going through it quickly soon finding another piece of the materials she needs for the crystal. Showing it happily to Freyd before shoving it in her inventory.

Spoiler

Orvilla | Lv: 4 | HP: 80/80 | EN: 8 | DMG: 4 | REGEN: 1

ID# 177268 results | LD: 18 | 3/5 Material Collected.

 

[Freyd 0]

Freyd offered a pair of upward-turned thumbs as Orvilla revealed her find.  He knew that this quest could be tedious, but it helped to highlight some of the challenges associated with gathering, and the importance of coming prepared with buffs and consumables.  When it came to replying, he scratched at the cowl on his head, trying to figure out how best to explain things.  It had been so long since he'd even thought of the 'real world'.  Aincrad was his reality now, and he wasn't sure if he could bring himself to leave it.

"I'm a pretty broken person out there," he answered, somewhat dodging the question.  "Not physically... I just... I struggle to get people.  To me, it's all about patterns and equations, means and motive.  Casual conversation and playful banter were never my thing."  His right hands twitched reflexively, as if seeking the comfort of an absent object.  "I really can't complain about my circumstances.  They were the result of many things, some of my own choosing and others not."  He changed the subject back to her, as if preferring to avoid his own past.

"It's nice that the people at the orphanage treated you so kindly.  The stereotypes are far less positive.  Oh, and what job was it that you had?"

 

[Orvilla 0]

Orvilla walked up to Freyd standing on tips of her toes to pat his head softly before creating a distance once again running her hands through the river to search for more material. "Eh, it wasn't anything special I just worked behind the counter of a petrol station, not the most glamourous position I know. But it paid for my hobby and my weird fashion sense!" She laughed nervously before going to scratch her hair, her fingers getting caught in the multiple knots that filled it. "Ack stupid hair, I really need to brush this mop" Forcing her hand free, she went back to the task at hand.

"You seem like a chill person in real life though, I'm sure if you dropped the edgy act now and then you could be pretty well off" Orvilla pulled out another of the material. "Hey, would you look at that! We should be done soon!" 

Spoiler

ID# 177273 results | LD: 15 | 4/5 Materials Gathered
Orvilla | Lv: 4 | HP: 80/80 | EN: 8 | DMG: 4 | REGEN: 1

 

[Freyd 0]

Freyd blinked awkwardly as he received the unexpected head pats.  

"Eh... thanks?"  He really wasn't quite sure how to receive the praise.  "The 'edgy act' kinda comes with the 'being me'.  I'm not all doom and gloom or anything, but I carry a lot of responsibility in here.  It's my job not to drop my guard, so that other people don't get hurt, or worse.  Makes it kinda tough to relax, you know?"  Freyd wandered alongside her, curious more than ever to know what compelled her to wear the mask, but respected that it wasn't his place to ask.

He wandered alongside her, beaming a smile as she found the next piece of flotsam that was required by the quest.  "You're alright, Orvilla," he said in a complimentary tone.  "I've met a lot of serious people, edgy people, scared people, and others in this game, but I swear that you're the first one who just seems to be enjoying it for what it is."

A quick series of clicks opened up his UI and extended a friend offer.

"Fair warning: the edge is part of the deal."  She could see a wry grin holding fast beneath his spoopy cowl as he said the words.