[PP-F3] Labyrinths of Wood and Stone <<Search for the Hoya>>

[Astralin 0]

Astralin made sure she was prepared for the trip she'd planned. She might not have had much, but no matter how over prepared or under prepared one was, it was always wise to bring along a Teleport Crystal. "Right, rations: Check. Water supply: Check. Handwraps: Check. Mage Outfit: Check. Change of clothes: Check. Amulet: Check. Spellbook: Check...well I think that's every- Oh! Right, I almost forgot the book I was saving for alchemical research! Gotta have that when going out into the wilds!" She would find the book stored in a drawer, and take it out. After all, she'd lose anything she didn't take with her, due to the fact that she was going from inn to inn every night. Hopefully she'd be able to find some kind of property of her own so that she wouldn't have to keep spending all her col on rooms to stay in... For the time being, she made sure her battle-ready equipment was equipped, and stored the rest, such as the alchemy studies and her Skillbook(the book she always called her spellbook), into her inventory. She then raced off with all due speed for the safe zone's edge, but she should have remembered that was a bad idea...for she bumped into someone as she was nearing the settlement's end. "Aagh!!" 

Well, that could have gone better as a start. "Okay, I really need to stop doing that..." She thought. "I'm so sorry, are you alright?" She asked the one who she'd bumped into.

@Koga

 

Stats and Equipment:

Spoiler

Level: 18

Max HP: 360

Max EN: 36

Base DMG: 6(Martial Arts Rank 3[+5])

 

Equipment:

[T1]Gloves of the Astral Storm(1 Bleed, 1 Paralyze)[Equipped]

[T1]Sticky Ricky(3 DMG)

[T1]Alkarina's Resolve(2 EVA, 1 REC)[Equipped]

[T1]Amulet of Aknossoth(2 ACC, 1 REC)[Equipped]

 

Items:

Starter Healing Potions (Heals 50 HP) x3

Teleport Crystal x1

 

 

Skills:

First Aid Rank 3

Martial Arts Rank 3

 

[Koga 0]

Spoiler

Koga
Level: 37
Health: 740
Energy: 74
DMG: 15 // EVA: 0 // MIT: 51 // ACC: 4
BRN: 24 // BLT: 24 // FALN: 4 // REGN: 10

Skills
>> Katana V
     // Ferocity
     // Precision
>> Light Armor III

Extra Skills
>> Familiar Master: Fighter III
>> Survival

Inventory
>> T2 Demonic Katana <<Tsuki no Hikari>> [Burn // Blight // Cursed // Fallen]
>> T1 Perfect Necklace <<White Owl Necklace>> [Accuracy // Accuracy // Accuracy]
>> T2 Demonic Light Armor <<Wrathful Bracers>>  [Cursed // Mitigation // Mitigation // Regen]

Battle-Ready Inventory
---

Buffs
>> <<Well Rested>> -1 energy cost for the first three expenditures of each combat.
>> <<Squeaky Clean>> The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 25% (rounded down).
>> <<Relaxed>> Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
>> <<Advanced Training>> +2 SP to a thread. Limit one use per month. Must be used on a player's first post in a thread. Cooldown begins counting down when used in a post. (Last Use: Dec. 11)

"Two down, one to go..." Koga muttered to himself as he walked towards the settlement's exit, map pulled up in front of him, his finger lazily scrolling around, trying to determine the best path to the next Hatchling. He'd almost felt bad for the little guys, but hey, they were just NPCs. Bits of code with predetermined sets of a behaviors. So, Koga put a pretty heavy emphasis on the 'almost' of his statement. "Maybe I can go through-"

THUD!

Koga stumbled forward, the impact of someone running into him from behind throwing him off balance. Thankfully, the man caught himself and managed to not fall flat on his face for once in his life.

"I'm so sorry, are you alright?" a feminine voice asked, and Koga turned towards the voice, and was greeted by the sight of a rather pretty woman with blonde hair and expressive blue eyes. "Eh, yeah. You?" he asked out of courtesy. "You should really watch where you're goin'."

@Astralin

[Astralin 0]

Well, at least he was fine... "Yeah, I'm okay..." Astralin answered.

"You should really watch where you're goin'."

Astralin's hands came together behind her back as she felt embarrassment. "Aaaahhh, I know... I was really excited to get started on my next quest, there's this stone labyrinthian tomb in the Forest of Wavering Mists, said to hold a mysterious pendant...I'm very curious to see what it is, and if it's worth anything to me...you're not hurt or injured, are you? I've got just the thing for that if you are..." Astralin explained. "Within me, I carry power and energy, to be used for both destructive and restorative purposes..." She noted as she pulled out her Skillbook from her inventory and opened it. If the player she was speaking to was to pay any attention to the book's cover, he would see plenty of mystifying symbols, as well as star and galaxy inspired design patterns on it. "Ah, yes, this one might do the trick." She thought aloud. "So, do you need healing? I kind of got carried away..." She asked a bit nervously.

@Koga

[Koga 0]

The red flush that came across the girl's face almost made Koga raise an eyebrow. He wasn't sure if it was due to something he'd said, or something entirely different. Maybe she was just a little shy. Still, Koga didn't think he was that intimidating...Was he?

Koga listened to the girl explain why she had been so excited and ran into him. Something about the quest she was describing though sounded pretty familiar. And then it hit him, "Hey, you wou-" before Koga could finish speaking though, the girl pulled out what Koga would have guessed was a spellbook and asked him if he was certain he wasn't hurt. "Y-yeah, I'm sure, but hold on, is that a spellbook? I didn't think we had magic in SAO," he said. He hadn't even seen NPCs with magic before, and that was saying something. Usually the NPCs got all the fun stuff. Bows included. But not magic.

@Astralin

[Astralin 0]

"Y-yeah, I'm sure, but hold on, is that a spellbook? I didn't think we had magic in SAO,"

Astralin smiled. "Well, that won't stop me from trying to get as close as I can." She said with a wink. "I am a magic-user at heart when it comes to fantasy genres, after all. I thought there was going to be some, but it looks like my options are pretty limited... Support skills seem to be the closest I've actually gotten, but in terms of damage, well, that was a bit difficult to figure out at first." She admitted. "I'm really not very blade-savvy, nor am I one for those bulky bludgeons either, so in the end, that left only one other option for me..." She explained as she closed her Skillbook, and lifted one of her hands into the air, looking at the handwrap equipped on it. "So I simply see myself as having the ability to channel my inner power in both damage dealing, and healing, delivered by physical contact." She lowered her hand, and put away her Skillbook. "So, anyway...were you about to say something?" Astralin asked, just in case.

@Koga

[Koga 0]

Koga wasn't sure if he wanted to groan, or to applaud this girl for her persistence. She was a roleplayer wasn't she...Or at least something close to it. Koga had thought that most players had dropped that notion ages ago, but he supposed he was wrong in the end. Well, the girl was still alive, so he supposed he shouldn't be too critical of someone he didn't really know. The man took a silent breath as the girl continued to explain how and why she'd come up with this pseudo-magic system, and quietly examined her. She seemed familiar for some reason...

"So, anyway...were you about to say something?" The girl's question pulled Koga back into reality, "Oh, uh, yeah. That quest you're talking about. Search for the Hoya right? Something something minotaurs, get magic pendant." It had sounded like that quest, by the very least. Memories flashed in his mind for a moment, about why he'd taken the quest with Azhoda in the first place, and he felt a swift stab of grief in his chest that he quickly tried to bandage and forget. "If it is, I've taken it before. I could give you a hand if you'd like."

...wait, what?

Koga, had his own things to do. But, distracted, he'd forgotten. Well...he said what he said, and he had to stick by his word now...

@Astralin

[Astralin 0]

The man correctly guessed which quest that Astralin was taking, and then offered to help, claiming he had taken it before. Clearly, the item was now proven to respawn after some time due to this claim, as well as other rumors she'd heard... "Wait, really? Wow, thanks!" Astralin responded, a bright smile on her face. "I know that it's in some kind of maze, so I guess it might be somewhat easier with someone who's successfully done the quest, not that I'm assuming you remember the way or anything, but it might at least help to have an ally who knows at least a bit more than I do as to what to expect." She remarked. "Oh, I completely forgot to introduce myself! My name is Li-" She stopped herself and cleared her throat. "My username is Astralin, nice to meet you!" She said as she smiled again. "Whew, barely slipped right there, hopefully he doesn't mind..." She thought.

@Koga

[Koga 0]

"Yeah, no problem."

As Koga spoke, in his mind, hundreds of little Koga's were trying to put out the various fires that were consuming what little was left of his sanity.

"Nice to meet you Astralin. You can call me Koga," the man said in reply, offering a hand to shake. Well, he was in it now, he may as well try to be friendly. "Let's see, uh, I think I remember the way to the maze. I don't remember much about the maze itself, though, if I'm gonna be honest." Hopefully they wouldn't get lost, because Koga wasn't entirely sure that they could get out using teleportation crystals...

Koga pulled up his map and double checked where the Labyrinth was before nodding to himself. "Alright, well, once you send me a party invite, we can get going. We can probably make it within the hour, so long as we don't stop to fight any mobs along the way. Kinda up to you though. If you need the levels, I don't mind."

@Astralin

[Astralin 0]

Astralin accepted the handshake. After all, it was a nice little greeting gesture in a virtual world that, for the time being, had no suddenly mutated diseases or corrupted blood to cause an Aincradian Pandemic.

"Let's see, uh, I think I remember the way to the maze. I don't remember much about the maze itself, though, if I'm gonna be honest."

Astralin had a reassuring smile on her face. "Well hey, it's a start, and I'm grateful for that." She noted. Koga would then note that all that was left was for Astralin to send him a Party invite and they could be on their way. Things were already looking much better for Astralin. "No problem. I may need the levels, but I'm kind of excited for this quest, so maybe we can keep all the fighting and encounters to a minimum until we reach the quest location." She explained as she sent a Party invite to Koga. As long as anything didn't get aggro'd, this wouldn't be too much of a problem. Besides, she had a party member now!

@Koga

[Koga 0]

Soon enough, the transparent white square that was a party invite appeared before Koga's face, and he promptly pressed the green circle, accepting it. Astralin's name, alongside a green health gauge appeared just below his in his HUD. Well, all set to go then.

"Alright then, that works for me," the swordsman said with a nod of his head. No fights before getting to the labyrinth. The man started to walk towards the Forest, expecting that Astralin would follow. "So," he said, trying to start a casual conversation, whilst also learning something about his partner in crime, "what level are you, if you don't mind me asking." The man knew the quest itself was for lower leveled players than him, but he also had a tendency to take quests long after he was meant to. He often just forgot about them, and would swing back around to finish them later on. Every bit of EXP counted.

@Astralin

[Astralin 0]

Astralin saw Koga's username and HP appear below her own. He really was unharmed, after all. The two would begin the journey to the forest, and Koga would ask what level Astralin was. "My level is Eighteen at the moment, but I'm getting there, up to the higher levels, I mean. So much that I didn't expect kind of helped me through, of course...such as the long training session following a strange dream, A peaceful celebration over on the twenty-second floor, too bad it was rudely interrupted by this weird group of Zombie Monsters with crystals all over their bodies, what did they call themselves, um...ah, I forget...but they totally ruined one of the best floors I'd ever been to! I sure hope that Lake is fixed by the Cardinal..." She rambled in response to a simple question that only needed a simple answer. She must have had a lot on her mind, and even she would realize that even after she'd finished the explanation.

@Koga

[Koga 0]

Koga stared blankly, mouth slightly agape, at the blonde haired woman. He had exactly zero idea what she was was talking about. Then again, NIGHT had mentioned something to him about...was it a dragon? Punching a whole through the bottom of the lake on Floor Twenty Two. Maybe that's what Astralin was talking about?

Deciding to simply accept whatever the woman said as fact, Koga closed his mouth and nodded his head. "I uh...guess I missed some stuff?" he said. "So level eighteen, then, huh? Aiming for the Frontlines?" More idle chatter. It didn't really seem like there was much more to do for the man. Silence would've just been awkward. And since it seemed Astralin was quite happy to talk, he was quite happy to listen, even if only half of the things she said made any sense whatsoever to him. New company was something he'd not had in quite a long time, he realized.

@Astralin

[Astralin 0]

Koga seemed to be both surprised and confused, and guessed that he missed quite a bit. "Yeah, well, not everyone had The Dream, but from what I've heard from some, not everyone who had an unusual dream had the same one, but...it was kind of strange that it all happened that one night. One of the couples within this game, Vigilon and Krysta, they had The Dream as well, same scenario I found myself in! There were these three strange, overly muscular figures with the heads of monsters...it was really weird, and hard to explain..." She explained. Koga asked Astralin if she was aiming for the Frontlines. "That's...actually a difficult question. I know we're trying to get out of this game and all, but I gotta get stronger and then see where I stand among the players of SAO and all their own strengths. It won't stop me from doing my part, even if the Frontlines aren't for me...I just know there's gotta be something out there." She admitted.

@Koga

[Koga 0]

"Huh, mass group dreaming? I've heard of that kinda stuff happening before, actually," Koga remarked as the pair walked. "Usually though there are some drugs involved, if I recall correctly? And I know for a fact that Cardinal won't directly affect a players mental state, so that seems out of the question...huh, I suppose that makes you and your friends special. You got to partake in the first full-dive virtual reality phenomena. Congrats." It certainly was a peculiar occurrence, to say the least.

Astralin's views on how to best help the other's trapped in SAO, however, was one that Koga had never considered. He blinked a little bit in surprise at the girl, not due to shock, but rather because he was impressed. "I...never actually looked at things like that," he replied honestly, "for me, it's always been Frontlines or nothing. I guess that's 'cause fighting's all I've ever been good at, but you're right. There are other ways to help each other out I guess..." The man paused, pondering what he might be doing if he wasn't trying to get himself to the frontlines. Forging weapons and armor, he supposed. But his luck was so bad..."Do you have any idea about what you'd wanna do if you don't go to the Frontlines?"

@Astralin

[Astralin 0]

Koga noted his thoughts on The Dream, primarily on his opinions of its occurrence. "Guess that explains the mushrooms, then. I had a hunch it was those, but now I can confirm it, I guess. I'm not sure what else could cause such a mass dream around here at the moment." Astralin remarked as she pulled out her other book, which contained Astralin's alchemical notes, going to a certain ingredient's entry and replacing "uncertain" with "somewhat confirmed".

Koga gave his thoughts about Astralin's words, and then he would ask her what she would end up doing if she didn't join the Frontlines. "To be honest, I don't know yet...sure, I'm pursuing Alchemy, but that probably wouldn't be enough on its own..." She admitted.

 

Surprisingly, there weren't many enemies around, save for the ones that only turn hostile when attacked, but it wasn't long before Astralin would learn the reason why...

"You sure it's this way?" A male voice from a short distance asked. "Of course it is, it was literally marked on my map, you can trust me." Came another male voice, probably directed to the previous one...

Other Players, that must have been why there were less monsters that attacked on sight. The two who the voices belonged to came into view as Astralin continued to follow Koga, and on their gear was a familiar symbol...

Spoiler

It was that group again, the ones that showed up that one day, trying to find potential recruits via a speech from one of their higher members, which Astralin had somewhat turned into a discussion...she didn't know if they would have a very good opinion of her after that, unless these two didn't recognize her.

Astralin stopped for a second as they looked at her....yup, they recognized her. "Wait...don't we know that girl from somewhere...?" One of the two asked. "I sure don't. Do you?" The other answered his ally.

"Um...hello...?" Astralin asked nervously.

@Koga

[Koga 0]

Koga had to stop himself from asking if the woman had just eaten random mushrooms or something. However that question was quickly answered when Astralin mentioned becoming an alchemist. That was a thing alchemists did, right? "I wouldn't sell yourself short," the swordsman offered, "if it weren't for alchemists and cooks, Frontliners, or really anyone, wouldn't last more than a trades. Especially against bosses." There was no one in SAO who didn't contribute to the Great Escape in some way. Well, maybe some player-killers who were only interested in causing havoc, but they were far and few between as far as Koga knew.

And then something drew the pair's attention. Another set of players with a shield crest depicting a dragon. Astralin appeared to falter for a moment when she noticed them.

"Wait...don't we know that girl from somewhere...?"

"I sure don't. Do you?"

Koga put his left hand on his weapon. He said nothing though, as Astralin greeted them nervously. Whoever they were, and whatever the story was, Koga was ready should the worst come to pass.

@Astralin

[Astralin 0]

Astralin noticed that Koga had put his hand on his weapon. This wouldn't end well if those two saw that.

"Wait...yeah, I know you...you're that Astralin girl...disrupting a well-planned speech, you completely divided the crowd's thoughts!" The first of the two realized. "Oh, her, ok...it's not like I was there, but Adrisse wasn't too pleased about-"

The first of the two put his hand over the other's mouth, stopping him from speaking. "What are you doing? She's not supposed to know that..." He attempted to whisper.

"You do realize I could hear that, right? Maybe you could try using the messenger system next time?" Astralin noted. The two players looked at her as if they didn't anticipate that. Then the one who was stopped from speaking got wide-eyed as he spotted Koga's hand on the weapon. He tapped his ally and pointed over to Koga, and the ally would take notice and let go of his grip on the player. "Easy now, we're not itching for a fight...yet." he claimed. The other one would stand firm once released from his ally's hand. "We're the Knights of Avalon, a dedicated group seeking an ideal future. Astralin there disrupted an attempt to rally players and potential recruits, but it's not like I've got any beef with her...this guy might, I dunno." He explained.

Astralin looked over to the first of the two. "Well...do you?"

The player Astralin was speaking to looked at Astralin, then to Koga, then to Astralin again. "N-no...not yet. Besides, We're off to get a pendant from a labyrinth and we're already short on time, so if you'll excuse us..."

Astralin raised an eyebrow. "After the same thing as we are, hm? Guess it's a race then..." She then got an idea as soon as she said that. If Koga really knew some of the way around the maze, she already had an advantage. "So maybe you two can enter the maze first since you were already headed over before us." She suggested. She quickly accessed her messenger and began forming a message, and looked over to Koga. "Sound okay with you?" She asked, before sending the message...

Quote

To: Koga

Subject: This situation

I know that you've been to the maze before, and it's likely that they haven't, that would give us the advantage, right? Even if it's just a few turns or paths, I'm sure it's better than nothing!

-Astralin

Hopefully this would end without unnecessary fighting...

@Koga

[Koga 0]

The message blinked in front of Koga's face, and it took him only a moment to figure out who it was from, without evening needing to open it. How she had managed to type that up so quickly, the man didn't know, but a quick read told him everything he needed to know.

"Well, good to hear. I'm not looking for a fight either," the man said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. His hand didn't leave his katana. "If you're looking for the quickest way to the Labyrinth, it's that way." Koga pointed towards a beaten path that lead off the main road. "You'll have to fight some mid-level mobs, but it looks like you guys can handle it. Nothing too serious. Just top yourselves off before entering the Labyrinth." They didn't seem like bad people, and Koga didn't want more players to die because they were being stupid.

@Astralin

[Astralin 0]

Koga would direct the two towards a certain direction, a beaten path off the main road. He did let them know of the combat issues that might seem to happen, but if the hostile monsters were already being cleared out, it shouldn't be too much of a problem. So these two would be getting a head start. 

"Wait, seriously?" One of the two asked. "Actually, I think he's telling the truth..." The two looked to each other, then to Koga, and then back to each other. "I guess." The first one decided with a shrug. The two would take positions on the path, then charge off, saying in unison, "For New Avalon!!!!!" ...What a strange battle cry.

Astralin breathed in, then breathed out. At least this didn't end poorly. "Phew...I was pretty nervous there, but at least there doesn't seem to be anything between that group and I yet, so..." She remarked. "Well, just say when you wanna continue on...or did you mislead them?"

@Koga

[Koga 0]

Koga watched the two men scamper off down the trail that he'd pointed at, almost shaking his head at the absurdity of their war cries. Once they were out of ear shot the swordsman let out an exasperated sigh. Idiots.

"Well, just say when you wanna continue on...or did you mislead them?" Astralin said. Koga shook his head in response. "Naw, that's the way to the Labyrinth," he affirmed, "I'm not that petty."

Koga's hand finally fell away from his hand as he looked back down the trail. "We'll follow them. Chances are they'll clear most of the mobs for us. If they get to the Minotaur before us," he shrugged, "We can just wait for it to respawn. No skin off my back."

"Let's get goin'," Koga said after a few minutes, heading towards the beaten trail. "So, what's this they were talking about? Speech turned into a discussion?"

@Astralin