[PP-F3] On the Hunt <<Feeding Your Enemy>> (Koga)

[Oji 0]

Oji pulled out an old cutting board he had acquired a few months back, and went to work creating a side dish for both Koga and himself. Soup was great, but a nice side dish always held it together well, along with a bit of Sake, which he had in good supply. He skinned the salmon and watched the scales pixelate to nothing but code, and soon chopped up and de-boned it as well. After a few more moments, he eventually made a good batch of Sashimi, which he was quite proud of. He placed the sashimi in a small bowl and set it down next to the soup, going over and testing to make sure it was ready for the meat. He lifted the lid and a waft of steam emanated from the concoction.

"Mmm, perfect." He said with a smile. He stirred the pot to make sure to evenly coat each potato, carrot and spice with the brothy mixture. He took a spare spoon and dipped it in, tasting and adding a little extra pepper, then tasting again and was happy with the result. He looked to the woods where Koga had disappeared to. He had been gone a fair while, and he hoped the young man was okay. He was sure he would have gotten some sort of popup or message saying he was in trouble, but no such notification came to his peripheral. For now, all he could do was wait.

[Koga 0]

It was only a short trek back to the river, which would have been made much longer had Koga actually need to drag back two whole boar carcasses. But, SAO was a video game, which meant that the pieces of meat were already cut, cleaned and packed tightly away in his inventory, mercifully with no affect on the man's speed.

When Koga broke through the brush, he lifted a hand in greeting towards Oji. "Yo, I'm back. Something smells good." The scents of whatever was boiling in the pot over the fire Oji had set up was beginning to smell divine. Or that was just the fact that Koga was really hungry, but in either case, the man was not about to complain. "Look what I brought," the two piece of boar meat materialized in Koga's hands as he held them aloft, looking not unlike a pair of scales, perfectly balanced. "Hopefully boar goes with whatever you're cookin' up."

[Oji 0]

Oji's head perked up as he looked to see Koga emerge a bit of a ways from where he had entered, and he gave a polite wave. "Glad you made it, with whatever you brought it shouldn't take long." He said with a smile. The Sashimi was well prepared and he had just replaced the top on the pot once more. Koga pulled out two pieces of what looked to be boar and held them high, looking not unlike a pair of scales, as all things should be. "Those look to be perfect, give them here." He said, and took them from the young man.

"These should be perfect!" he said with a smile, cutting them up into slivers and putting them into the soup, stirring so each piece is finely coated, and then covered the lid. "That should take a moment, but I have something to hold us over." And he motioned to the plate of sashimi with the sake and two red saucers. "Think of it as an appetizer." He said with a chuckle. He took a seat next to the food and waited for the young man to sit, filling up the two saucers with sake and passing one to Koga. "Here, always start a meal with a good sake."

[Koga 0]

Koga handed Oji the pieces of meat before peering into the bubbling pot and taking a sniff. It was looking good, smelling even better. So much so, that Koga's stomach rumbled loudly as he inhaled. "Man, I can't wait," he said with a greedy grin before taking the sashimi and a saucer. "Oh, thanks," the man said with gratitude before finding a seat on the ground, cross-legged.

The man took a sip of the offered sake, and found himself a little surprised by how smooth it was. "Mmm, that's good," he commented before looking up at Oji. "I take it you enjoy cooking?" he inquired before trying a piece of sashimi next. The meat practically melted in Koga's mouth, the sweetness complimenting the sake well.

Okami looked at Koga expectantly, his tail wagging excitedly. The swordsman narrowed his eyes at his familiar, before eventually caving. "Here..." he muttered before tossing a single solitary piece of fish at the wolf, who swallowed in one gulp. "That's all you're getting for now."

[Oji 0]

Oji smiled as Koga's stomach growled in anticipation. That made him feel really nice, he knew his cooking wasn't the best but he enjoyed to do it when he had the chance. He sat down and the young man enjoyed the sake and the sashimi across from him. He smiled and gave a small nod. "I enjoy it from time to time, but it's just a hobby for me, like fishing." He chuckled. "I've never put stats into any of them so its not as good as it could be."

He looked over to the pot, and guessed that it was about done. He stood with a groan and went over to the pot, opening it and steam pouring out, the mouth-watering smell wafting into the air above it. Oji heard a rustle come from behind him, and he looked to see a small head poking out of a nearby bush. Oji held an arm out to his side slowly. "Do not. Make any. Sudden movements." He said through grit teeth to Koga. "It's right there, so lets not scare it away." Finally, after an entire day of searching, he had found one.

ID: 204187 LD: 8+3=11 Familiar Found!

Edited February 26, 2022 by Oji

[Koga 0]

No sooner had Oji noticed the sable did Koga practically started holding his breath, suppressing every movement of his breath as much as he could. His eyes were wide as he stared at the black-furred creature. 

Ferret-bear indeed the thing, looked like some strange but cute conglomeration of animals. Not quite Frankenstein-esque, but easy enough to identify individual parts. The torso and legs of a bear, the tail, long neck and head of a ferret. It seemed like it shouldn't exist, too perfectly cobbled together, and yet here it was.

Koga's eyes began to dry, his lungs begged for air, but even then he did not avail himself to the simple necessities of blinking or breathing. His chest neither rose, nor fell, his eyelids did not flutter, not even for a second. He was not willing to risk the creature, Oji's potential new friend, scurrying off, and for them to start all over again. No, this had to be the one.

[Oji 0]

Oji slowly bent down to where the bag of familiar food was, and he took a small handful of the large bag, and started to inch his way closer. "Hey little guy." He uttered quietly. "How are you this fine day? Did you like the smell of the soup?" As he inched closer, the familiar slowly poked his head out of the bush, curious about the giant man coming closer to him. Oji held out a handful of the feed.

"Thaaats it little guy, here, try some of this." He said. The familiar saw his hand and pawed at him, giving almost a hiss and a growl as he did. Oji quickly retreated, not wanting to invade his space when he was obviously uncomfortable. "Sorry, sorry. Baby steps." He said, throwing some of the feed to the ground, and the familiar nibbling on a few pieces. Oji bent down to his knees and watched the little guy quietly. He was perfect in his eyes, he only hoped that he would be able to tame such a feisty little guy

ID: 204209 CD: 5 Fail 1/4

Edited February 26, 2022 by Oji

[Koga 0]

Oji gently inched closer to the creature as it poked its head out of the bush. Was it drawn in by the scent of the cooking meal like Oji said? Koga didn't know. All he knew was that if this kept up for much longer, he was going to pass out. Assuming he could pass out. Cardinal was finnicky about what real life occurrences translated into the game, but frankly, Koga wasn't keen on finding out.

The sable hissed at the older gentlemen, and if Koga could gasp or draw a sharp breath he would. Instead he forced every muscle in his body to tense instead, taking the involuntary movement and containing it as best he could. Even Okami was on his best behavior, lying down on the ground, head pressed into the grass in the most submissive posture the mischievous wolf could manage. Even he understood what they were trying to do, and likely, he did not want to relive the trials and tribulations of days long past.

[Oji 0]

As he watched the small creature nibble away at the food, he had a good idea. Taking his sake saucer, he sprinkled in some of the familiar food, then took a large helping of the soup and set it down next to the creature. The sable, having acquired a taste for the familiar food, inched closer to the boar soup, sniffing it, then beginning to eat it. "There you go, eat up little man." Oji said with a smile. Slowly, Oji reached out a hand to the sable. It locked eyes with him as it stopped eating the soup, and sniffed his hand.

"I aint no threat man, i'm trying to be a pal." Oji said reassuringly. The sable, eventually lowered its head, and patted into his hand, almost like a very popular movie that Oji's niece loved to watch with dragons. As soon as the creature touched his hand, a soft glow emitted from it. Oji's eyes widened as it lost it's red crystal to a now light blue crystal over his head. He smiled. "Welcome to the family."

ID: 204212 CD: 9 Sable Acquired

Edited February 26, 2022 by Oji

[Koga 0]

As soon as Koga saw the creature's cursor switch to the familiar blue of a furry friend, Koga opened his mouth and loudly sucked in air as if it was the first time he'd ever heard what breathing was. "Oh thank fucking god," the man gasped as he gratefully breathed in the crisp clean air of Aincrad. Never before had it tasted so good. "I thought I was gonna pass out," he said with a chuckle before looking at the new pair of friends with a soft smile. "I think this means we celebrate!"

The man took a sip of his sake as Okami got up to go sniff at the curious creature, unfamiliar as it was to him. Koga quietly chuckled as he watched the wolf carefully prod the sable with his nose, recoiling when it turned towards him. "So, what're you gonna name him?" Koga asked the older man, now that he officially had obtained his familiar.

[Oji 0]

Oji turned to see Koga just about fall over, gasping for air. He had guessed that the young man had taken him a little too seriously with his words, but in the end he was thankful he didn't do anything too crazy. He laughed as the small creature at his feet finished off his bowl of food, and looked up at him curiously, giving an almost purr-like sound. He came down and scratched him under his chin. "There, lets get the rest of them some food." He said with a smile. He came over and took the plates he had at the side, he had only three, but the red saucer would work find for his new friend.

"Alright, one bowl of soup each. Should be just enough here for that, since this little guy already had a bowl." he said with a chuckle. He plopped the spoon into the pot and dipped in a large helping of soup for the three of them, giving Koga two plates and himself the one, and sat down to start eating. He looked over to Koga, who asked him what he would name the familiar.

"Yknow, I hadn't thought of that..." He pondered as he started to dig into the food quietly. The soup had come out just like he wanted, and he was happy with it. As he finished his bowl, he set it down and let out a sigh. "I'm thinking something adorable, like Chīsai or maybe Mame-" His sentence was interrupted by a 'plop' as he turned to see that the little rascal had fallen into the giant bowl. Luckily Oji had put the fire out beforehand, and his head poked up, a large chunk of boar sliding off his head back into the pot. "Or, Soup works." He said with a hearty laugh. He came over and let the small cub out, and set him down. "You couldn't wait just 5 seconds, I already feel like I'm in over my head." He muttered, a small smile formed as Soup shook off the carrots and potatoes that had stuck onto his fur. Oji took his sake saucer and filled it with soup, setting it down and Soup happily dug in.

[Koga 0]

Koga gratefully took the two bowls of soup from Oji, setting one down in front of Okami who began to eagerly lap up the tasty food, creating quite the mess in the process. Koga for his part, was much cleaner as he brought the spoon to his lips tasting the broth. "Damn, this is pretty good," the man commented before taking in another mouthful.

Koga had to suppress his laugh so he didn't spew food into Oji's face as the older man came up with ideas for a name for the ferret-bear. "Soup? No man, that's the one," he said, after finally managing to swallow the mouthful of soup. That seemed the appropriate name, given how the pair had actually come across the creature, and how much it appeared to like the food. "It's a good name," he added as the sable began to lap at the bowl that Oji had set down for it. 

[Oji 0]

Oji chuckled as Soup started to gobble up the food, and he took the finished plates and set them by the river. He was full enough, and filled up Koga's sake bowl with the last of the bottle, and then started to pick up the small kitchen that he had created out in these wild areas of the giant structure he was held in. "So, what's the story behind your familiar's name? Anything special or just because it sounded cool?" He asked the young man.

As he continued to do so, Soup finished up his plate and pawed at it, wondering if he could magically make the delicious meal appear in front of him. But alas, it did not work. The small familiar then went over to the giant wolf, and sniffed at his, a bit curious. He had never seen any sort of creature this size before, usually they were about his size or the size of a bear, nothing quite in the middle. He yipped a bit at him, and attempted to play with him, trying to chase him around the small clearing

[Koga 0]

Koga chuckled as Okami playfully nipped at Soup, before beginning to chase the thing around the small clearing, back and forth. Though the wolf was certainly faster, he seemed happy to let Soup remain just out of his reach as he chased him around in a circle.

"Uh, a little bit of both," Koga replied, taking a sip of his sake, watching as the campsite dissolved away into Oji's inventory. Perks of being trapped in a deadly video game. There really was a silver lining to everything. "Kurokami, also referred to simply as Okami, is a Shinto deity. A dragon that presides over the rain and snow. Just seemed fitting since, ya know, he's got a white pelt, and Okami also means 'wolf'." The Japanese language was a little strange to Koga. A common word, used for both 'wolf' and 'great deity'. English was tough as well, but it lacked the nuance of Japanese at least.

[Oji 0]

Soup continued to jump and yelp around the large wolf. He was having the most fun he had in... well what he felt was his entire existence. But he knew if he wasn't careful he would be chomped pretty hard, so he made sure to skirt around the giant creature's maw whenever it got close, and would hiss if his snout ever got too close to his furry booty. But, it was all in good fun and he was enjoying this time with his new friend.

Oji, on the other hand, was storing all the dishes away and nodded. "Hm, got it. I had a feeling you were referencing the deity but you never know. Heck my familiar's name is Soup and people will try to overthink it." He looked at the small sable playing with the white wolf "But we both know the story, and it means something to us." he chuckled. "Albeit it's quite the silly story. But, it's a good memory, and I'll look back on it fondly." He looked to the sun as it started to cross the horizon at it's steady pace. He cupped his hand over his eyes as to not blind himself. "Well it looks to almost be Four o'clock, might be high time to head back."

[Koga 0]

Koga nodded and lifted his saucer of sake as if in toast. "And memories are the important things," he said with a slight grin before finishing off the pseudo-alcohol and allowing Oji to return the dish to his inventory.

The man stood up as the older gentleman indicated it was time to go. "Sounds good to me. Okami, c'mon, let's go." The wolf almost immediately quit his playing and began to follow behind Koga as Soup scampered up his back to perch himself on Okami's back for a leisurely ride back. Not that the wolf seemed to mind too much.

"Well, I'd call this day a success," Koga mused as he shoved his hands in his pocket walked along the path beside Oji. "Did some hunting. No exp, but some good meat. Good food, thanks to you," the man made a gesture as if tipping a hat towards Oji, "you got your familiar, and we both walk outta here knowin' each other a bit better. Not too bad, if I do say so myself."

[Oji 0]

Oji chuckled as Koga finished his drink, and he held his own imaginary glass along with him "Things to cherish for the rest of your life." he cheered. He finally took the saucer as Koga agreed that it was time to move. He picked up the familiar feed as the last item of the camp, and they made their way. Soup rode on the back of Okami happily, giving small happy sounds as he eyed everything around him.

Oji's face turned from a blank slate to a smile as Koga talked about their day, and how it had somehow turned successful. "Yeah, I'm glad it only took a day to do, I was pretty worried about it for a minute there. Only thing left to do is to return this familiar feed to that lady. Heaven knows another player might need it more than I did." he chuckled, then opened up his HUD. "So uh, guide me on how to do that friend adding function. That is, if you don't mind being my friend." He jested towards him. "Who knows, maybe I can make some soup and sashimi another time we're on an adventure, but I'll be sure to bring extra spices to it."

[Koga 0]

Koga started chuckling at the mention of it only taking a day. "Dude, you're telling me. As soon as I saw that little guy, I almost had a heart attack. Blood pressure: through the roof. Couldn't tell if it was anxiety or hopefulness," he said, a smile on his lips.

The gentleman earned himself another laugh at the request for help with the friend screen. "Yeah, sure," Koga said, gesturing in the air to bring up his menu, figuring it would be better to show the man how to do it, and then have him send the request, as opposed to having him ask every poor player he met how to do it. "Just click this button, and then then that one," he instructed, navigating to the friend request menu. "The scroll bar shows nearby players, but you can also search by username at the top. Then you just press that little icon next to their name. Easy enough."

[Oji 0]

Oji had a small smile on his face as Koga expressed his fear. "I felt the same way. I felt my heart in my throat that entire time." He chuckled. "I'm glad I didn't scare it off though, I'm huge compared to him, he should have seen me as a threat if this was real life." he accepted the gentleman's request happily, proud that he was starting to fill out the roster of friends quite well. He was proud of himself for that, as he had never been one to be very social, but this game had shown him how to do so quite easily, albeit he was still an old awkward drunk of a man, but he was still being social.

"Thanks, I'll learn this labyrinth of buttons eventually." He said, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "It might be awhile, but I'll get it eventually." He saw that they were approaching the town in record time, and he pointed to the area where the lady resided. "We need to head this way." He eventually ended up at the lady, who happily took the remaining bag of feed off his hands. With that, he had successfully completed the quest, and a small box popped up on his HUD, indicating that he had received the rewards. "Alright sweet, we're finally done." He said with a fist pump. "Levels galore, it's time to finally get some new skills!." he spoke in excitement. He held out a hand to Koga and smiled. "Thanks again, you made this day bearable for me. Hopefully we can do something like this again soon."

[Koga 0]

"No problem," Koga responded with a nod as the town began to come into view, it's tall, beige walls standing in contrast against the blue sky and green grass. Koga refrained from making a joke about older people and technology. That'd be him one day, probably. Who knew.

Koga allowed the man to lead him to the Gypsy, who thankfully hadn't seemed to change too much in the aftermath of the Shadow. Somethings were still sacred, he guessed. Koga gave a small wave to the NPC, feeling some level of kinship, no matter how artificial she was, before Oji finished his business with the woman and they finished the quest. "No problem," Koga said again with a smile, "feel free to send me a message whenever you need some help on a quest or something. Oh, or some new gear. I'll catch ya later. Bye Soup," the man said, waving at the cute furry creature, before turning and departing. For once, that quest hadn't been complete hell.