[SP-F4] <<Earning a Living>>

[Azide 0]

Yet another Dire Wolf was cut down by the player known as Azide. He walked over and crouched down as it shattered and disappeared, but found no loot or col. He'd been about to turn away in search of another target, until he heard the sound of footsteps approaching from behind him. "What? I could have sworn no one was there a moment ago..." he thought. He turned around to see a man walking towards him. It was already strange enough to see the man appear like that without warning, but the man continued to walk straight past him as if he wasn't even there. Azide watched as he stooped over low and reached around in the snow where the dire wolf had been felled not too long ago.

He seemed to have stepped out of thin air, though he looked rather harmless enough. An older gentleman he was, with the expected white hair and thick beard, and a well-learned scholarly sort of look. The man reminded Azide of the type you'd see working at any university, perhaps as a professor of some sort. In any case, the man held the object in front of his spectacled eyes and nodded with approval.

"That looks just like one of those flasks I always used back at the research lab," thought Azide, realizing he must have overlooked it earlier. "Excuse me sir, but would you happen to be associated with my quest to become an alchemist?" he asked, now recognizing the man as an NPC. "The game must have spawned him in- guess I must be on the right track after all."

The man chuckled, nodding once again with a twinkle in his eyes. "You're absolutely right my son! These bones and aching joints of mine just aren't what they used to be. See- I'm getting old, and I'd just been readying to retire and close shop the other day when a bunch of wild animals smashed into my store and ran off with some of my glassware and other supplies! I tracked them all the way out here, but it's cold and I'm tired, so I was just about to give up until I ran into you, my boy." He held the flask out for Azide to see. "See, this might look like just a single flask, but don't mind that. It's just Aincrad's way of saving space and all that. Anyways- looks like that should be it for the flasks, but I'm still missing my beakers, vials and some of my scrolls as well." He shook his, almost as if amused by his ordeal. "Tell you what! If you manage to find the rest of the equipment and stop by my shop on the first floor, I'll give you the keys to the old shop free of charge."

Azide opened his eyes wide. "You're saying if I find a couple of beakers, vials and a couple of scrolls, I can have the whole place all to myself?" Inside, he was overjoyed. He hadn't thought it would be so easy, but he played it off like it was no big deal.

The man nodded a third time. "That's right young man, it's your lucky day! Granted, you probably don't know the first thing about alchemy, but this town needs some young blood to fill in for tired old fools like me." He laughed and gave the player something resembling a salute, before walking off into, the disappeared. Shortly after, a basic map of the Town of Beginnings appeared under Azide's health bar- with one building in particular highlighted in red.

"Hope the view's not too shabby there," he thought, noting its location. He marched off in the snow, more than ready to find and slay the beastly culprits. But more importantly, he was ready for a chance at alchemy.

[Azide 0]

Azide spotted a snow golem in the distance, wielding what looked to be a claymore made of ice. "That doesn't even man sense as a building material," he thought. Ice was dense and hit hard, sure, he was willing to concede those two particular points. "But its structure makes it incredibly vulnerable to breaks and chips against any real sword of resistance." Whatever. It was a bit silly, he realized, to question the sword's plausibility while conveniently ignoring the snow golem wielding it. "Wait, does a snow golem even count as a wild animal?" he wondered. He drew Atom Slicer from his sheath and began walking towards it. "Guess I'll find out." Blade in hand, he rushed his target, staying light enough on his feet so as to avoid sinking into the snow.

The snow golem turned to swing at him with its icy sword, missing as the player ducked under its arc without dropping a step. After effortlessly dodging the golem's attack, he sliced through the entire width of the beast. Though the aesthetic damage soon healed, the red gash fading momentarily, the real damage had been done. "Off to a good start.."

ID: 7548

BD: 10 (Crit +2)

MD: 1 (Miss)

Damage taken (Azide) = 0 (miss)

Damage taken (Golem) = 1 (base) + 1 (rapier) + 1 (sp's) + 2 (crit +2) = 5

Azide HP: 15/15 (-0)

Snow Golem HP: 3/8 (-5)

[Azide 0]

Azide spun around, slicing through the golem yet again as if it were made of warmed butter. In the process, he was struck in his side by though creature, but the damage was rather minor. The tip of the golem's sword had managed to cut through his armor and left a wound in his skin, but the pain soon faded away, as did the familiar glowing red gash and tear in his coat. "But any sort of slip up whatsoever should be avoided if it can be helped." As the golem shattered into bits of data, he managed to find some never-melt ice and a small amount of col. He stored away both the material and the money, before noticing a piece of glass sticking out of the snow. He reached down to dig it out, then brushed away the snow to reveal a glass beaker. "Guess golems count as wild animals after all." He sent it away into hammerspace, then walked off in search of his next target.

ID: 7550

BD: 6 (Hit)

MD: 8 (Hit)

LD: 12

Damage taken (Azide) = 1 (base)

Damage taken (Golem) = 1 (base) + 1 (rapier) + 1 (sp's) = 3

Azide HP: 14/15 (-1)

Snow Golem HP: 0/8 (-3)

*1 material acquired

** Golem HP (8) * 5 = 40 col acquired

[Azide 0]

Azide continued trudging forward in the snowy wasteland. The fourth floor rather quite barren and desolate, and it always took a bit of travel here before one might encounter another player or even a monster. And the white snow which blanketed everything in sight only served to make him feel smaller in comparison. It was beautiful, he wouldn't deny that, but its blank uniformity dulled all sense of progress and direction. At some point, he managed to spot a Dire Wolf, who no doubt had spotted him as well. It came quickly speeding his way, albeit perhaps too quickly- missing him in its mad dash. But to be fair, he'd missed his slash as well, unable to tag the beast as slipped right past him unharmed.

ID: 7551

BD: 2 (Miss)

MD: 4 (Miss)

Damage taken (both) = 0 (misses)

Azide HP: 14/15 (-0)

Dire Wolf HP: 8/8 (-0)

[Azide 0]

The two came running at each other once more, each eager to leave its mark on the other- in both the figurative and literal senses of the phrase. As they finally came within striking distance of each other, Azide's first swing managed to cut through its thick fur and into its flesh, but didn't seem to phase the creature in the least. The Dire Wolf lunged forward, tackling the player into the snow and pinning him against the ground with its claws, then bit down with a mouthful of razor sharp teeth.

Azide gritted his teeth, barely able to suppress his urge to scream, then threw the creature off of him before chasing it down. Before the wolf had time to recover, he ran forward and stabbed it all the way through with his sword. He must have hit a weak point or something, as he watched its health plummet following his attack.

ID: 7533

BD: 10 (Crit +2)

MD: 9 (Crit + 1)

Damage taken (Azide) = 1 (base) + 1 (crit +1) = 2

Damage taken (Wolf) = 1 (base) + 1 (rapier) + 1 (sp's) + 2 (crit +2) = 5

Azide HP: 12/15 (-2)

Wolf HP: 3/8 (-5)

[Azide 0]

Azide drew his sword out of the Dire Wolf, then sheathed it. "I'm making progress a whole lot quicker than usual," he thought to himself. As it shattered into small fragments and faded away, he searched the spot it had been laid to rest, finding nothing but the pelt it had left behind. He sent the material off to his inventory and dug around some more, though nothing turned up. "Guess lightning didn't strike twice in this case," he thought, recognizing the likelihood of finding two of the animals in a row would have been low. He turned around to see another wolf near some trees close by, and began pacing towards it slowly, so as not to alert it prematurely.

ID: 7554

BD: 9 (Crit +1)

MD: 4 (Miss)

LD: 4 (Nothing)

Damage taken (Azide) = 0 (Miss)

Damage taken (Wolf) = 1 (Base) + 1 (Rapier) + 1 (SP's) + 1 (Crit +1) = 4

Azide HP: 12/15 (-0)

Dire Wolf HP: -1/8 (-4) [Dead]

*1 material acquired

[Azide 0]

Azide ran up to the creature, making a rather large amount of noise, but moved swiftly enough so as it dodge its snapping maw and sharp claws. He leapt up and slashed at its back. slicing through its matted coat, before striking it twice more. It was a valiant effort, but he knew there was still work to be done. He landed in the snow, situated behind it and ready for another go as it stood fuming in the snow.

ID: 7617

BD: 7 (Hit)

MD: 5 (Miss)

Damage taken (Azide) = 0 (Miss)

Damage taken (Wolf) = 1 (Base) + 1 (Rapier) + 1 (SP's) = 3

Azide HP: 12/15 (-0)

Wolf HP: 5/8 (-3)

[Azide 0]

Azide ran forward, thrusting Atom Slicer straight for the creature's head, but missed as it ducked out the way before snapping at his arm. It bore down with a mouth full of razor sharp teeth, eliciting a sharp biting pain. Though the cold somewhat numbed the sensation, together they made for a mean case of frostbite. Azide kicked the creature off of him, making it release his arm, but dealing no damage. As it withdrew, he swung at the wolf, but missed.

ID: 7618

BD: 3 (Miss)

MD: 9 (Crit +1)

Damage taken (Azide) = 1 (Base) + 1 (Crit +1) = 2

Damage taken (Wolf) = 0 (Miss)

Azide HP: 10/15 (-2)

Wolf HP: 5/8 (-0)

[Azide 0]

The bite left no lasting injuries, but the temporary pain had been enough to throw off his aim. Now that the red gash because to fade and the pain quickly withdrew from his being, he lunged forward and stabbed the wolf straight through the heart. Seeing its health bar not yet empty, he released Atom Slicer from its body before plunging it back in, repeating this until the creature was done and through. As it shattered into a burst of data, he found himself able to secure both an uncommon item as well a wolf's fang. He sent moth the item and material into his inventory, promising to give them both a better look after he had some more time. 'No sign of any scrolls or glassware on this one either," he thought. He spotted something else up ahead, then began walking towards it at a steady pace.

ID: 7619

BD: 10 (Crit +2)

MD: 3 (Crit +1)

LD: 19 (Found 1 uncommon item)

Damage taken (Azide) = 0 (Miss)

Damage taken (Wolf) = 1 (Base) + 1 (Rapier) + 1 (SP's) + 2 (Crit +2) = 5

Azide HP: 10/15 (-2)

Wolf HP: 0/5 (-5) [Dead]

*1 material acquired (3 total, at the moment)

**1 uncommon item found

[Azide 0]

Spotting an Arctic Monkey, quickly ran up swung his sword at the furry creature, missing as snow flew into his eyes. As he brought a hand up to rub them, the monkey leapt up onto his arm and bit down, making him drop his blade. It jumped back onto the ground, giving Azide a moment to clear his eyes and retrieve Atom Slicer. Getting a better look at the creature, he thought it resembled a miniature yeti. Although, its smaller frame certainly made for a significantly less intimidating opponent than the abominable snowman. Its fur was thick and dense, and resembled a snow leopard's. "But that's enough of that. I should actually hit this thing now," he thought, readying for another swing.

ID: 7620

BD: 2 (Miss)

MD: 8 (Hit)

Damage taken (Azide) = 1 (Base)

Damage taken (Arctic Monkey) = 0 (Miss)

Azide HP: 9/15 (-1)

Arctic Monkey HP: 8/8 (-0)

[Azide 0]

Azide sped forward, stepping out of the way as the monkey attempted to leap at him again. Managing to successfully dodge the creature's attack, he dashed the short distance between himself and the monkey, then stabbed it with the sharp pommel of his blade. After managing to stun it, he slashed at the beast in a diagonal slice, before impaling it. He pulled Atom Slicer out from its body and hopped backwards a short distance, keeping his blade raised at an angle.

ID: 7621

BD: 7 (Hit)

MD: 4 (Miss)

Damage taken (Azide) = 0 (Miss)

Damage taken (Monkey) = 1 (Base) + 1 (Rapier) + 1 (SP's) = 3

Azide HP: 9/15 (-0)

Monkey HP: 5/8 (-3)

[Azide 0]

This time, it was the monkey who'd made the first move. It had come running at him, its lighter frame keeping it suspending atop the surface of the snow, and attempted a flying leap at his face, but was blocked by the side of the player's rapier. Azide managed to deflect the creature, knocking it back a few feet where it landed unharmed, but he'd managed to avoid taking any damage. He ran forward and swung for the creature's head, missing as the beast jumped straight over its arc.

ID: 6722

BD: 3 (Miss)

MD: 6 - 1 EVA = 5 (Miss)

Damage taken (Azide) = 0 (Miss)

Damage taken (Monkey) = 0 (Miss)

Azide HP: 9/15 (-0)

Monkey HP: 5/8 (-0)

[Azide 0]

What followed was yet another round of monkey business and monkeying around. The creature had advanced at him once again, but he'd managed to roll out of the way without leaving any opening. Or at the very least, the monkey had simply just not been able to take advantage of any openings that might have been present. In any case, Azide had run forward and attempted an overhead swing, but found his blade hitting snow as the monkey leapt effortlessly out of the way.

ID: 7623

BD: 3 (Miss)

MD: 4 (Miss)

Damage taken (Both) = 0 (Misses)

Azide HP: 9/15 (-0)

Monkey HP: 5/8 (-0)

[Azide 0]

The two combatants engaged each other once more, although this time the duo actually collided, trading blows with one another. The monkey had leapt at the player once more, hanging onto his sword before leaping down onto his leg and biting at it. Azide shook the creature off and swung at it, sending it tumbling against the white ground floor. He ran over to follow up by running Atom Slicer through both the monkey as well as the snow, feeling the tip of his blade make contact with the frozen ground below. He drew his sword back, then flung the creature hard against the ground.

ID: 7624

BD: 9 (Crit +1)

MD: 9 (Crit + 1)

Damage taken (Azide) = 1 (Base) + 1 (Crit +1) = 2

Damage taken (Monkey) = 1 (Base) + 1 (Rapier) + 1 (SP's) + 1 (Crit +1) = 4

Azide HP: 7/15 (-2)

Monkey HP: 1/8 (-4)

[Azide 0]

Azide dashed forward to finish off the creature as it lay stunned on the ground, slamming the flat of his blade against its head to knock it out before slicing it in two, not even noticing the way it had reached out towards him in its last moments, attempting to claw at him before it passed. The poor creature shattered into the familiar burst of crystals, leaving behind two sheets of its white fur, as well as some col. After digging around, he managed to find the missing beakers as well. He sent the items away, and began walking off to find his next target, satisfied with the haul.

ID: 7625

BD: 10 (Crit +2)

MD: 1 (Miss)

LD: 20 (Loot found)

Damage taken (Azide) = 0 (Miss)

Damage taken (Monkey) = 1 (Base) + 1 (Rapier) + 1 (SP's) + 2 (Crit +2) = 5

Azide HP: 7/15 (-0)

Monkey HP: -4/15 (-5) [Dead]

*1 material acquired + 1 extra material acquired = 2 materials acquired (5 total, so far.)

** Monkey HP (8) * 5 = +40 Col acquired.

[Azide 0]

After a bit of travel, Azide had managed to come across what seemed to be a Frost Tiger. It had the look of a creature from the ice age, resembling a sabertooth tiger, albeit with fangs that looked more like icicles. It was rather majestic, but it was also highly possible that the creature was in possession of equipment he needed to collect for the old Alchemist that had entrusted him with recovering the items he had lost. Therefore, the creature could not be spared. Azide dashed forward, his footsteps quickly drawing the prowling cat's attention. As Azide leapt forward to strike, the tiger's clawed paw managed to swipe at his cheek, making him wince. Otherwise un-phased, Azide pulled through the pain and stabbed the creature deeply with his blade. Upon withdrawing it, he noticed its health bar take a steep plunge, and concluded he must have hit its weak spot.

ID: 7626

BD: 10 (Crit +2)

MD: 8 (Hit)

Damage taken (Azide) = 1 (Base)

Damage taken (Frost Tiger) = 1 (Base) + 1 (Rapier) + 1 (SP's) + 2 (Crit +2) = 5

Azide HP: 6/15 (-1)

Frost Tiger HP: 3/8 (-5)

[Azide 0]

Azide shifted himself cleanly out of the way as the Tiger clawed at him desperately. He watched out of the corner of his eye as its paw swept right past him, as if in slow motion. Following up, he swung both himself and Atom slicer into the creature's side, cutting it deeply through- to the point of nearly performing a bisection. It eyed him with blank eyes before shattering just like the rest of them, leaving behind some more never-melt ice, some Col, as well one more thing in particular. Azide reached down and pulled out what appeared to be a glass corked vial, and upon opening it, pulled out the rolled up piece of paper inside. "Looks like that take care of both the vials and the scrolls in one go," he thought. He had to admit, that was awfully convenient. And now came the boring part- actually traveling all the way back to the Town of Beginnings.

ID: 7627

BD: 8 (Hit)

MD: 2 (Miss)

LD: 18 (Loot found)

Damage taken (Azide) = 0 (Miss)

Damage taken (Tiger) = 1 (Base) + 1 (Rapier) + 1 (SP's) = 3

Azide HP: 6/15 (-0)

Frost Tiger: 0/8 (-3)

*1 material acquired (+6 total mats altogether).

** Tiger HP (8) * 5 = +40 Col gained (+80 Col altogether).

[Azide 0]

Azide stooped over to check some bushes for any materials that would help add to his supplies later on at the shop. Pawing through the bushes, he eventually gave up, coming out empty handed. "Well, there's no harm in trying," he thought. "Could've sworn I'd find some berries or something." He turned back toward road, finally entering the Town of Beginnings. He'd been searching through quite a few of the bushes outside of the town on his way back, but they had ultimately yielded him no usable materials. He looked again at the simplified map that had appeared under his health bar, navigating himself until he reached the town square. From the town square, he was able to match the icon on his mini map to a build located on one of the square's edges. He made his way to the old build and let himself in, finding himself greeted by the NPC man from earlier, who smiled at him.

ID: 7632

LD: 4 (Nothing found)

[Azide 0]

"Well look who's back! Did you bring what I asked you to find?" asked the old man. He was carrying a crate filled with old stuff, although none of it appeared to be related to alchemy. It looked like various mementos, although it was hard to tell.

Azide nodded, opening his inventory with a few taps, then materializing the lab equipment onto a mostly-empty table nearby. Along with the flask that had already been sitting there, the beaker and vial appeared one after another, following by the scroll. "This is what you wanted, if I recall correctly. Is the deal still valid?" Azide asked, referring to the agreement for the lab to be transferred to his name.

The old man nodded. "That's correct- I'm just packing up, and I'm going to be moving somewhere quieter. Gets a little noisy here in town square sometimes, don't you think?" He chuckled quietly, then walked over to the table and pulled out some materials. "First thing's first- I'll give you a demonstration, then this place will officially be yours. Does that work for you, young man?"

"We have ourselves a deal, mister." He walked on over to the table, ready for this last little thing to be over. "Then I can finally start earning a living," he thought.

[Azide 0]

The man took what seemed like some sort of animal bone and began grating it up. After he finished, he took the powder and set it aside on a sheet of paper. He turned back and unscrewed an old bottle and poured a dark reddish liquid into a flask, then slowly added the powder into it before swirling the mixture around a few times. Finally, he pulled out some sort of herb, and handed it to the player. "Add it, boy. You can't learn just from watching, you know!" he laughed and patted Azide on the back.

Azide took the dried leaf and held it over the mouth of the flask, then glanced at the man to see him nod in approval. He turned back to the flask, took a deep breath, then finally dropped the herb into the mixture. It slowly floated down, before creating a flash in the bottle, making the liquid bubble for a few moments as if it was simmering. When Azide looked back, he saw the liquid was now a dark orange-ish color.

He man gently took the flask from the table and gave it a casual glance, then downed the contents in one gulp.

"Umm..." Azide looked expectantly, but noticed nothing.

"Congratulations boy! You just helped me finish a hair darkener- the wife's been calling me grey for some time now, so I thought I'd prepare one last potion before I got going." He pointed at his hair. ""Well? What do you think?"

Azide strained his eyes, looking for any sort of difference. "Well, it does sort of look a little darker, I suppose. It might just be the-"

The man nodded. "That's right! As it should be." He took out a pair of silver-looking keys from his pocket and handed them to the player. "Congrats young man, you're a real alchemist now. There's a lot of players out there just like you who are going to need you help, you hear? They'll be counting on you."

Azide nodded, knowing what he said was true. "There hasn't exactly been an abundance of health potions, after all."

The man gave him the salute from earlier and smiled, then grabbed his hat off of the rack and slipped it on, then took his leave. Before he closed the door, he waved farewell. And just like that, he was gone.

Azide looked around. "Now what do I call this place?" He crossed his arms together and took a moment to consider, then snapped his fingers together. "The Navarre Lab of Alchemic Arts."