[PP-F2] Into the Wild (Square One)

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

Upon hearing his remark Ariel turned towards Oikawa: "There you go again, throwing another term for luck, 'karma' as strange as it might appear I don't believe in either. One makes his own path in life and only those of weak character justify their fails or successes by  using terms like 'fate' , 'luck' or 'karma'. You don't strike me as a guy with a weak character, don't make me doubt my judgment! " then she heard him shout and instinctively tried to block using her vambraces. She was too late to completely block the attack but the hit manage to activate the thorns in her armor. She ignored the surge of pain that rushed across her chest and smiled, responding to Oikawa. "Just fine, actually even better than before. Don't go up there again, chicken!" she shouted the last part while making an inhuman leap from the ground piercing the beatle in the back while it was trying to get back to safety. She then landed on the ground on her feet and made a slight bow, then catching the meat that came from above, where polygons remains were all that was left from the beatle. "Guess that's my win!" she said while noticing Shinex stop above them. "Nah we're just gathering some food for dinner, go after those 2 we're good."

 

ID: 11469  BD:6 (3+3acc) [Thorns Activated] LD: 6

DMG: 10 

 

Ariel: 29/30 HP

Oikawa: 26/26 HP

 

Red Spotted Beetle#2: -3/15 (-10)

Loot: 1 material 

 

Red Spotted Beetle#3: 7/15 (-8) [BLD (2/2)] @ Oikawa

 

(I sugest X starts looking for the treasure chest since he has +3 LD buff

[Shinex 0]

Ariel was the one who responded to Shinex. Even though that's not his current objective, Shinex really wanted to help the two out. He decided to cooperate though. "Alright, good to know. I'll head out. Good luck!" With that Shinex started jumping from branch to branch. He had no idea where X and Crozeph were, but he was hoping to find out. If I'm lucky enough, maybe I'll just encounter them easily. Just like I did with Ariel and Oikawa. Gonna still focus on looking though. I also gotta make up to Azide for falling asleep. Well, I guess the whole guild.

 

It didn't take long, but Shinex ended up finding the campsite on his own. "Oh thank god." He quickly jumped down and couldn't help but notice X on top of the tent. "Hey X, you okay there? Any chance you found something interesting?"

[Oikawa 1]

"Chill-ax Crowned one. I was simply joking" he chuckled. "Well since you won the bet this significantly became less fun." Oikawa watched as Shinex dashed about through the trees. I feel bad. I was so focused on the battle I ignored the guy. I'll have to apologize later. Focusing more or less on his enemy, Oikawa jumped straight into the air. quickly jabbing the beetle, he quickly eliminated the insect and collected his loot. "That was quite the bore. Lets continue gathering." Grabbing another root, Oikawa inspected it. The root proved in edible as it wouldn't be added to his inventory.

 

[11495] BD: 10 (NAT) LD: 18 MD: 0 (2 - 2 EVA) 

[11496] LD: 7

 

Oikawa: 26/26 (-0)

 

Red Spotted Beetle 2: 0/15 DEAD

Red Spotted Beetle 3: 0/15 (-10) DEAD

(Deal 2 base damage)

 

Food Inventory (Oikawa & Ariel):

x3 Beetle Meat

x1 Mushroom

x1 Root

 

[Oikawa- The Faint received 1 material and 75 Col]

[Azide 0]

"You'll just have to wait till nighttime; then you'll get to see for yourself," replied Azide. He grinned and drew his rapier from its sheath, but kept it pointed toward the ground, then motioned with an open palm for Aeternum to take the lead. "Just so you don't jump to the conclusion that I'm a player killer," he started, raising his blade for a brief moment, "This is just a precaution, since it looks like your own weapon is currently unequipped. Just think of me as your humble escort." He feigned an exaggerated bow, with his free arm positioned as if someone were about to drape a towel over it.

With that, the two began to make their way back towards camp, where they'd run into X, Crozeph and Shinex, with some luck. "By the way, hopefully it'll be a little bit of both," added Azide, with a turn of his lips. "The scary stories thing, I mean."

Not a moment before he'd finished speaking, a familiar voice shouted something at them from the treetops, making him turn to the skies. "What the hell are you on about, X?" he called out, recognizing the figure as their rather eccentric companion. By the time he'd asked, however, his friend had already left their sight and disappeared back into the canopy of trees.

[XWuZHeAR 0]

When I looked around the giant beast was no longer chasing me. It seems I was fast enough to lose agro. I get the feeling if it was anyone else who had found it we'd all be in trouble right about now. Then he wannabe ninja appeared and asked if I found anything.

"No... Nothing. But-...I'm sitting on something hard..." I replied to shinex.

ID:11527 LD:1+3=4... (Damnit dice gods...)

I got up and it turned out to be a pole from the tent that broke off. Pretty soon after I noticed the broken pole the durability of the whole tent gave and it shattered into a million blue polygons.

"Ariels gonna be pissed I broke her tent" I said aloud.

Maruchan came up from behind and climbed up on my shoulder. I then rubbed his ears and got up off the ground.

[Aeternum 0]

Aeternum nodded thoughtfully, an escort. He shrugged, whatever, as long as they made it back to camp. He looked around as X flew by, and sighed, the others must be finishing up with their tasks right about now. He continued on towards camp, and laughed when he recalled the rose. "Do you know what a black rose symbolizes?"

He smirked. He had to explain the rose in such a way that it didn't come off as weird or creepy. How did the rose tie in to him being in the game? Perhaps because the game gave him a new life.

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

"Why would I want to relax? Since I've started playing SAO I've discovered that I enjoy hunting, a lot! anyway, I hope the rest aren't waiting for us. I would like to continue hunting a little longer" she said while approaching a bush. "I thought I saw something here while I was up there" she said while she started searching through the bushes. Unfortunately nothing edible came up and Ariel let out a resigned sigh while joining Oikawa. "False alarm, I guess we move on with the search then."

 

ID: 11554 LD: 8

[Oikawa 1]

"Hunting is pretty fun huh? Man if only food was easier to find." He complained as he searched through a couple bushes himself. His search yielded the same results as Ariel. Nothing. "Well maybe we'll find a burrow of rabbits and get lucky haha. Because this gathering food thing is outrageously hard." Continuing into the forest, Oikawa looked for signs of deer or any other wildlife.

 

[11558] LD: 8

 

Food Inventory (Oikawa & Ariel):

x3 Beetle Meat

x1 Mushroom

x1 Root

 

Loot Inventory: 1 Material

[Azide 0]

"Slavery?" offered Azide, before giving a shrug. He shook his head and turned to his inquiring guild mate. "Alright, I'll admit I'm not familiar with the meaning of that particular variety of rose," said the male player. "Feel free to enlighten me, but let it be known I'm not going to be drinking or eating anything made from its petals," he added, remember some of the crazy remedies he'd been offered in the past. "Those hippy types rub me the wrong way," he thought. They'd always been trying to sell him eye of squid and toe of fish and what not, or asking him to drink ivy tea and such.

As they walked, he heard a faint sound in the distance, though he couldn't identify it. "But with X having just ran past us, it's probably just another group making their way back," he figured. Regardless, he peeked over his shoulder, but saw nothing. Up ahead, he spotted the campsite in the distance, though he felt the need to keep his sword drawn and ready.

[Aeternum 0]

Aeternum smiled at his guess, saying, "Well, you tried." He was off by a long shot, but that was why Aeternum was here to inform him. He cleared his throat, saying, "A black rose symbolizes death..." he remained silent for a moment, "but don't worry, I am not going to kill anyone. Another meaning is a sort of... how do I word this? A new leaf, you could say. A fresh start."

He smiled, saying, "I feel like the black rose symbolizes Aincrad, at least for me. In here, I have had to start from nothing, really. I have had to and will have to build myself up, and I know that once we leave this game... none of us will be the same. Some won't even have a chance to leave the game."

He stopped talking then, he hadn't meant to go on and on. He looked away, slightly flustered.

[Azide 0]

"I think I was pretty close," replied Azide, jokingly. He considered the concepts which Aeternum had lent him, but continued his steady pace toward the camp. After a moment spent in musing, he turned to back to the other player and gestured to the trees which surrounded them using the flat of his hand.

"But I think those two meanings don't necessarily have to be separate," he added. "After all, in real life, a forest like this thrives in the aftermath of death. There's nothing quite like a forest fire every once in a while to keep the cycle going." He could have elaborated on the positives of the occasional brush fire, though he didn't feel the need to lecture his guild mate on the details. Besides, he wasn't a botanist anyways.

He lowered his hand and looked up for a moment before turning back to Aeternum yet again. "In a way, we died the moment we put on the Nerve Gear," he remarked. "Once we'd entered Sword Art Online, our lives in that world had effectively ended, and we each received a fresh start. A new leaf, so to speak." He noticed the downtrodden look in the black-haired boy's eyes and shook his shoulder gently.

"Of course," he began, "the difference here is that we all have the chance to rise from the dead, unlike the trees that've already turned to dust. I'll admit, it won't be the easiest road, but we've got nowhere to go but up." He raised a finger, gesturing in the direction of the hundredth floor, and smiled.

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

"What, you don't like beatle meet?" asked Ariel while mocking him. The woods appeared to be pretty void by now and the skies were gaining a tinge of orange to the usual blue. "Hey How about we walk back, It will take a while to cook this meat part. Just look at the size of them they're huge! I think we can manage with what we have. If anyone complains we sent them to eat sticks. I hope they got the tents by now. Maybe if we're lucky we find something in the way back." she said as she was looking at the skies. Later the blond thought she saw another glowing mushroom but as she got closer, it was in fact a group of fireflies that scattered as soon as she moved the bush: "Beautiful" she whispered.

 

ID: 11732 LD:9

[Oikawa 1]

"Beetle meat is fantastic, I just hate having to actually put in effort to kill them now haha. It seemed like only months ago we fought the Kobold Prince. I reckon now we can take him one-on-one and be fine." Oikawa followed Ariel back to the camp. The walk wouldn't belong so he made sure to check for extra ingredients. Anything that could possibly be edible. Spying another root like structure, Oikawa gave it a look over before trying to add it to the stash. This failed miserably. "I hope we have enough. Maybe the new guy can toast our bread and stuff haha"

 

[11831] LD: 4

 

Food Inventory (Oikawa & Ariel):

x3 Beetle Meat

x1 Mushroom

x1 Root

 

Loot Inventory: 1 Material

[Crozeph 0]

Crozeph stared at the path for a long moment and before he could get his thoughts back to his head, his quild leader is already there and X dashed off somewhere "well I think it's a bit normal for X to be like that" he said as he walks back to camp. Crozeph looked around and noticed that Ariel and Oikawa still hasn't returned "they're really getting into it" he said. Crozeph raised his hand trying to get the guild leader's attention "hey guild leader, are we suppose to roast everything that Ariel and Oikawa will bring back?" he said "I got a feeling roasted what-animal-is-that hide won't taste good" he added but to his dismay the others are still out of the camp, he's beginning to imagine some things again. Crozeph then heard a few rustling sounds around the camp, as if it was beating in the bushes. "Are we having scary stories or scary encounters with the mobs" he told them, his eyes everywhere trying to follow the rustling sound.

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

"Those sure were some nice times, I for one didn't knew much about the game I don't think I was even in a guild back then. Now things seem so different, how much HP did that guy had, over 25 right? almost double of what these beetles had. Also he had some company from what I remember. good times, now we have to wory about keeping the new guys safe and defeating battle bosses. Back then our concern was to stay alive:)) " Said the blonde in a nostalgic tone, she liked that time but now things were even more interesting. She meet new player, made a handful a friends got a special furry companion. She quite enjoyed living in Aincrad, this cursed floating prison slowly became her 'home' without her even noticing. 

 

Shaking her head to disperse these thought she searched for more ingredients for dinner.Seeing nothing that looked edible Ariel turned to Oikawa asking: "How about we head back? The rest will be starving by the time we get back, if we wander off more."

 

ID: 12367 LD:9 

[Oikawa 1]

"Good times indeed. Those Kobold knights or whatever were quite the force at the time if I recall correctly haha. It seems you have surpassed me since then though haha. No worries, I will catch up sooner or later." Doing one last inspection, Oikawa found a vine of <Crimson Berries> and a <Floral Ingot>. "Well looky there! Another material and another food item. Sweet!" Placing the items in the inventory, Oikawa looked around and spoke. "Alright I suppose you're right. We can't have the newbies starving on our accord." With that he turned and headed back to the camp with Ariel. 

 

[12376] LD: 18

 

Food Inventory (Oikawa & Ariel):

x3 Beetle Meat

x1 Mushroom

x1 Root

x1 Crimson Berries

 

Loot Inventory: 2 Materials

[Azide 0]

The sound of scraping metal accompanied the sheathing of his rapier, drawing the eyes of those who were around. Quantum Slicer had been returned, just as Azide and Aeternum, standing here at the edge of their campsite. Aside from a few cryptic, crazy shouts by X, their task had largely gone off without a problem.

His eyes scanned the clearing, and he was pleased to find that the majority of their members had returned. "It looks like Ariel and Oikawa still haven't gotten back- but they do happen to be some of the stronger members partaking in this trip," he thought, letting his eyes drift about. "Besides, it's just the second floor anyways."

Steady steps guided Azide toward the center of their camp, which by now had been dotted with tents- courtesy of Ariel herself. "Alright everyone, it looks like most of us are back by now. I'm sure Ariel and Oikawa will be joining us again any moment now, so I'd like you all to-"

The man dressed in green fell to the ground, opening dazed eyes to see at first a glimpse of that distinctive green crystal, which hovered above each and every player. "Well, most of them, at least," he corrected. Instinctively, he was about to tell the player off, figuring that X's reckless acrobatics had finally caught up with him. But the quivering youth atop him was not X, nor was it anybody he could place a name to.

Carefully, he pushed the player off of him before lifting the boy up off of the ground.

Crystalline eyes colored like clear skies stared at him blankly- trembling. Midnight hair tousled all about, and he looked as if he'd been tossed into a dryer for a few cycles. His lips twitched, and he seemed to be on the verge of a well of tears that had already dried up.

"Hey, talk to me here," said Azide, shaking the player gently by the shoulders. "Are you alright?" he asked. The player definitely looked as if he'd been roughed up quite a bit.

The boy shook and casted his eyes to the ground, his arms hanging limp and useless at his sides. He opened his mouth to speak, but his jaw went slack and his entire body pulsed red once. Only then did the player tilt his head up to meet Azide's gaze. "You have to... you have to be careful," said the boy, choking back tears. His eyes darted to the side as he spoke, and he bit his lip for a moment, before gaining just enough composure to utter a few final words. In a small voice, he uttered, "First my friends... and now me... It's all gone to hell..." Empty eyes lifted up to lock eyes with his own. "Don't let him get you..."

 

 

The boy dressed in blue and white glowed red once more, and he was wordless. A moment later, he shattered, leaving Azide's hands to fall through empty space.

[Aeternum 0]

Aeternum and Azide had made it back to camp, and a rather shocking thing accrued. Another player, or at least it seemed to be another player, had died. Aeternum froze upon seeing the death, and only managed to let out a few simply words, "He... just... died?"

At that, he felt tears well up in his eyes. Even if he had not known the player, they had just died, and that was enough. Aeternum dropped his wood and turned away, cursing Aincrad with every ounce of his being.

He had known that people would die, but had not expected to feel so shocked at witnessing a death.

(Sorry for not responding. I sorta lost the ability to comprehend this thread, and was unable to think of a good post. Heck, I'm not even sure this was a good post.)

[Crozeph 0]

Crozeph heard rustling sounds nearby, growing louder then fades "looks like the others are returning" he thought. The rustling sounds has been moving a lot and he's been trying to follow it but this time it stopped at one place then the sound faded. Crozeph moved at the edge of the camp and tried to see what's going on the the forest is too thick for him to see something nearby "why am I left here but then again I can't leave the camp" he said. Crozeph was beginning to get worried at his guildmates and began walking towards the path to and from the camp "come on, someone's got to be seen here" he said as he looks far searching for any signs of his guildmates who are out getting supplies.

[XWuZHeAR 0]

I saw a kid stomp out azide and wanted to walk over there and see what his deal is and to laugh at azide. However when I took my first step I realized the kid was all torn up and then he shattered dead in this world and the real one. My smile slowely dissapeared. Like im sure I've said before I don't cry when people die not even in the real word. I know he couldn't have been attacked by the field boss because he would still have agro. Then I thought fast and just did what came naturally.

"Maruchan track the scent of any player that has recently been near that kid!" I shouted to my pup.

Maruchan barked and then darted out into the forest using the trees to gain speed and momentum. I chased after and quickly caught up. It seems what maruchan lacks in combat ability he makes up for in search and detect.

"I can see something moving over to the left!" I shouted at the dog.

Maruchan just barked back at me and kept heading straight. I think the bark meant no that's wrong. Maruchan is actually moving a lot faster than usual and it's taking me more effort than usual to keep up.