[OP-F1] Let the Hunt Begin

[Niklaus 0]

Klaus entered the crowded plaza of the Town of Beginnings. Various non player players, known as NPCs he found out, and beginning players such as himself consumed the area within the plaza. Male and female players surrounded him which was surprising seeing as how games were dominated by the male gender. So many people still live here even after several months have passed. Looking around he realized he would eventually have tot get to know one or some of the players if he wished to find his sister and clear this game. Looks like I'll need to converse with these town dwellers if I wish to find her. Pushing past a crowd of NPC's, Klaus walked around looking for any player with a hint of common sense and game knowledge.

[Anima 0]

Anima had just finished her first quest and was taking an opportunity to relax a bit before starting up her next one. She was now an alchemist, and well on her way to being the best. Of course in a game like this she needed to make sure everyone knew she was the best, otherwise it wouldn't mean anything.

The crowds had grown thick, both NPC's and players alike swarmed the streets looking to buy and sell their respective wares. Anima wanted nothing ti do with the hustle and bustle of the crowd. This meant that rather than enjoy her accomplishment she would need to fight to get to a quieter more relaxing place. She cursed loudly as she pressed herself through a tight group of people. Without warning the entire group seemed to move apart at once and Anima fell through, stumbling into the open before crashing hard into another player.

[Niklaus 0]

Klaus pushed several players out of his way as the crowds were beginning to become unbearable. The he felt something press into him, knocking him over. The bloody hell. Are people so clueless that they simply run into other players? Turning around, he was faced with a female player who had two toned hair. Dusting himself he stood and offered a hand to the girl.

 

"You ought to watch where you're going. Some don't take kindly to being pushed to the ground." Gazing at the crowds of people he spoke. "Is this place always so busy? It seems like nothing ever gets accomplished in this area." He eyed the girl and continued. "Where are my manners. My name is Niklaus Mikaelson. Remember the name as it will be worth mentioning once I find my sister and conquer this pathetic castle." Slightly bowing to the girl he asked, "... and you would be?"

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

Ariel was returning from one of her usual visits to her teacher, the tailor Diana. She was now heading towards the teleportation gate and found herself walking through the crowded plaza of the starting city: "Geez this place is always like this, Wanna help me out a little, girl?" she addressed her familiar, a fairly large while lion cub (about the size of a mature St. Bernard dog). To that Kimba that was walking in front of her turned her head towards Ariel and lowly growled. Then as she saw a large crowd in front, she started roaring with all her might, scarring al those around them and clearing a path.

 

Ariel spotted a couple of new players, thing she deduced by them still wearing the starting gear. She closed in on them with a smile while petting her lion cub on the head saying: "Good job now try not to scare those 2 there okay?" Then as we got near the two she greeted them in her usual cheerful manner: "Better try avoiding this place if you don't have business here. It gets crowded like this with all the idiots around. My name is Ariel, nice to meet you." She then checked each one from top to bottom, while her familiar closed in on them and tried to brush against their legs in search for attention. Ariel noticed her and continued: "Of don't mind her, she's friendly...when she wants to anyway. She is my familiar*Kimba starts to growl at Ariel* okay okay..my companion, Kimba. Don't be afraid to pet her she really enjoys the attention!"

 

((Ariel and Kimba's description are in the signature pic

[Niklaus 0]

Niklaus heard a peculiar roar arise from somewhere nearby. Suddenly a group of players scattered on his left. The cause of the noise seemed to be a large white lion cub followed by a blonde wearing a revealing top, shortened skirt, and combat boots. Niklaus glanced over at the two causing all the ruckus. "Whats the matter with you lot? Scaring people just cause they are in your way?" Shaking his head, he acknowledged Ariel's greeting and waited for the girl with dual colored hair to introduce herself.

 

The cub known as Kimba attempted to rub against Klaus' leg. As politely as possible, he used his leg to sweep the enormous cat away from himself. "Sorry, I'm more of a dog person." He said with a flat tone. "Well while I have your attention, would either of you happen to know of a female player by the name of Rebekah?"

[Anima 0]

Anima had a few choice words to say to the person who had gotten in her way. It was bad enough that she had to push through these crowds, but now she had strangers standing in her paths. She looked up at the man and prepared to let him have it. She would have too, if not for the stranger speaking first. He introduced himself, rather politely, and asked her name. He also mentioned some dream about conquering this place. She almost chuckled if not for the interuption of another woman and her cat.

The new woman was confident and kind, a rare mix for this place. It took a moment but Anima quickly realized that the cat companion was a lion. Other players seemed intimidated by it butshe knew better. For starters the animal was clearly a familiar as it was in a safe zone. Secondly it was no danger because she was in a safe zone and a player couldn't die here. There was no reason to worry right now.

Anima smirked at her fortune in meeting two very colorful characters. "My name is Anima. Just Anima." She spoke pleasantly giving a little curtsy as she spoke."I'm afraid I don't know many other players."She started while flashing a grin. "But, I can assure you that I am more interesting than the one your looking for." She teased. She turned to look at Ariel now. "It's nice to meet you. You'll have to tell me how you got that." She said gesturing to the lion

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

Ariel smiled...it was more of a smirk, but not the bad kind. She was genuinely amused to find 2 players in starting gear with such... strong personalities. All the other newbies she'd meet seem somehow scared of this situation, some were pretty desperate but not these two. They seem to have a plan already in motion. Then she turns her gaze firstly towards the guy, his rudeness reminded her a little of X and she unconsciously let out a chuckle before answering him: " As a first advice..you can't prevail in this game only being nice, believe me I tried and it got me almost nowhere. So I changed my attitude towards others a bit. But from what I see you guys don't need to do that, just be careful not to piss off the right person."

 

Of course she knew Rebekah, her senpai in the art of the rapier and guildmaster. But she wasn't ready to tell a rude stranger about her, not until she find out his motives for seeking her: "Can I ask you what is this person to you? Depending on your answer I might know her or not, I advise you choose your words carefully before speaking."

 

She then turned towards the girl with two toned hair, her right eyebrow twitched when she referred to her beloved companion as 'that'. "I don't know of what 'that' you are referring to, but it better not be my familiar. I meet Kimba in the 6^th floor's dense jungle and we came to an agreement, I advise caution as she can understand human speech." Ariel smile began to crack a little, turning slowly into a grin.

 

Kimba upon seeing that she wasn't going to get petted by the guy or the girl went back to Ariel's side and started slowly growling to the two. Ariel then broke her grin and gained a bright smile as she went at the same level as her familiar and started petting her on the head. The familiar started purring as Ariel spoke the next words in her usual cheerful voice: "That's strange, it seems she doesn't like you. Usually she gets attached to others easily. Guess we learn each day more about each other don't we girl?" to that the lion cub simply let out a growl in agreement. Ariel then went back in her feet and continued in her normal cheerful tone: "Do you have any more questions?" Ariel was beginning to like these new players for some reason.

[Anima 0]

Anima smiled as Ariel's tone suggested agitation at calling the familiar "that". To her this in itself was fairly entertaining a notion. A familiar after all was not real, they were like an NPC, consisting of nothing more than bits of code or Data. They were nothing but 1's and 0's. This made them in her eyes no different from any other item in the game. They were disposable, interchangeable, and easily replaceable. However she was aware that some player would create odd bonds with their pets. She could tell that this girl was one of those players, and given that she was not interested in getting into a fight she decided to choose her next words carefully. "I only refer to it as that as it is just code, and will simply cease to exist once we complete the game. I meant no offense, I suppose My thinking is just off center from yourself." Despite her sincerity her words still came out harsh and almost mean sounding. She had not wanted to cause further offense in this matter.

 

The statement that the animal did not like her was of little concern to her personally. However she was not about to allow this encounter to become unpleasant, or hostile. "I am a little rough on the edges, but once someone has taken the time to get to know me, they usually find me alot more agreeable." She smiled politely as she looked back between the pair of players and the Lion. "Perhaps I have just started out on the wrong foot." Her smile lingered as she waited for a response from the others while holding out a hand for the lion to smell.

[Niklaus 0]

Niklaus listened as the one known as Anima introduced herself. He then waited for the two girls to finish their conversation about Kimba before answering Ariel's question. "This person is my sister, and I would be eternally grateful if you could help me locate her. It is of the utmost importance and I'd rather not dilly dally around when I could be finding her and getting that much closer to getting out of this wretched castle."

Standing there, he tapped his foot waiting for her answer. In the brief seconds during this he took the time to turn to Anima and speak. "And as for you, Anima, only time will tell if your as interesting as you claim. But for now, you about as special as myself. And that's relatively unimpressive. Even if I am the great Niklaus Mikaelson."

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

She listened to the girls explanation, it was true her familiar was made through coding but Ariel couldn't simply accept that term: "In any case I suggest you keep that opinion to yourself until you get one of your own. From an objective point of view you might be right but now, on this floating castle THIS is our reality until we clear it. God knows there have been enough fools who didn't took this place seriously and died out of stupid things like fighting the first mob or jumping off the floor's edge to see if they respawn. Oh that reminds me..." she made a couple of gestures with her left hand and summoned her HUD inventory. from her shop's inventory she pulled out a couple of items, and handed one to each. "They aren't much but it better that your starting gear anyway."

 

She then directed her attention towards Nicklaus "If you speak the truth then yes I know your sister. She is a fellow guild member of The Guardians of Aincrad guild and my senpai in the art of wielding the rapier . But I'm afraid I don't know her current location, I've only had the pleasure to meet her once. Also I suggest you don't rush things, out of 100 total floors, we've reached only the 10^th one and from what I've heard, the front liners discovered the boss room. Take your time to understand the game mechanics and after that you can pursue your individual goals." she then stopped, giving them time to respond. For some reason she was awfully chatty today, could it be that she now had the chance to help new player? as her guildmaster helped her. 

 

-Gifted Item1 to Anima

Item: Lust

Item type : Light Armor:Gloves
Quality: Uncommon
Enhancement: +1 Lifesteal 
Shop:  The Lion's Den
Description: A fingerless long red pair of gloves that covers mostly the forearms.

 

-Gifted Item2 to Nicklaus

Item: Vampiric Boots

Item type : Light armor 
Quality: Uncommon
Enhancement: +1 Life Steal
Shop: The Lion's Den
Description : A pair of dark crimson boots that allow the user to suck the life out of enemies

[Anima 0]

Anima listened to the Ariels words carefully. She had not wanted to cause anymore offense than was needed, however she had stronger opinions still on those weaker players who challenged superior foes, or simply made ridiculous choices. Those who didn't take the life and death aspect of this game seriously were better off perishing. This was part of the reason why she had no fear of the Lion in the safe, zone, she knew the rules of the game and took them seriously. Still she held her tongue sensing that this was a sensitive topic for the other woman. Ariel them produced a gift for each of them, herself and Nicklaus. This was unexpected and surprising as she had never expected players to simply share what they had without a prompt. In her experience people often just asked her for things, and when she denied them they would act like they were entitled to her items or col. This was different though.

 

She took her time admiring the craftsmanship of the red gloves, Lust as their item name read. They were stunning to receive. She wasted no time in equipping them, They looked great, and felt wonderful. She could tell right away they had advanced effects and quickly opened her menu to explore what they would do. Life steal. Her mouth hung open as she read through the stats, while not an item that was legendary, it was certainly an improvement over everything she had, furthermore it was something that worked well with her current plans. "Thank you... They are lovely." She said still in awe over the generosity of this player. Certainly an act like this required something on her part, and while she had nothing to give she could show an appreciation for the girls opinions. Anima crouched down holding out a hand towards the Lion. "I suppose it... She is more than what I may have guessed. I still have much to learn."

 

Ariel had started talking to Nicklaus now about the girl in question, It turned out she was his sister. Of course his words of her potentially being as special as him, were a slight irritation to her. She was far more interesting than him, hell she didn't wear pants. How much more interesting can you get? Needless to say she held her tongue again, putting her focus on trying to coax the Lion over to her.

[Niklaus 0]

 

>Niklaus

 

Received [Vampiric Boots] from Ariel

 

Niklaus gawked out the notification before him. People can actually be kind? That is blasphemy. There must be an ulterior motive but I will accept the gift for now as it is indeed better than nothing. Smile and thank her Niklaus. She may be a valuable asset in future endeavors later. Grinning, Niklaus stuck out a hand and thanked the blond. "Your gift is greatly appreciated. It suits my needs nicely." Equipping the boots, Niklaus paraded around in them briefly before returning to the group.

 

"Just making sure they were comfortable." Turning more so to face Ariel, he spoke. "Where was the last place you saw her? I'm aware of most of the games mechanics and I relatively sure I can handle myself out there with knowledge I have. I just need to find her. When left to her own endeavors, she tends to make grave mistakes."

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

Ariel looked at the two and noded satisfied. "I know you may ask yourself why I gift newbies items..well the reason is quite simple. Advertisement, one of the teaching my father instilled in me is 'Lead by example' and this is a variation to that. I give free samples of my work so that the people can actually see the quality of my crafting...putting it in simple terms, I leave the items I make speak for themselves." She then turns towards Nicklaus: "Last time I saw your sister, it was on the second floor. We had a guild um... 'welcome party' you could say. It was near a ghost town there, its easy to find." She then asked the both of them. "Any other questions/doubts?"

In the meanwhile Kimba stared at the girl's hand and approached cautiously, sniffing it. Then closed in more in her touching her hand with her nose, expecting to be pet.

[Anima 0]

Anima smiled as the Lion approached her hand. She responded by stretching out until its nose touched her hand. "Hey now kitty. Nice Kitty." She said softly as she stretched out to touch the top of its head. She patted gently before running her fingers down its back towards its tail. As she did she moved closer, falling onto her knees casually while she stroked the cubs soft fur. "I used to have a kitty, back home." She started still petting the animals fur. It was amazing how life like it actually felt. To be fair though she had never pet a lion before, but she was sure this is what they felt like. "She was a good kitty too, like you." She gave it one more quick pet, and ended with a gentle scratch behind the ears before standing up. 

 

Ariel had gotten into a discussion with Niklaus about the player that he had been looking for. Ariel apparently was in her guild, and had seen her recently. Certainly this would provide him with some assistance in finding his lost sister, as he called her. It was strange to think that siblings could be diving at the same time and trapped here. But there were stranger things. Still now she wondered if this man would need assistance in finding the girl in question or if he would venture on his own now. "What do you intend to do sir?"

[Niklaus 0]

"Ariel if you'd be so kind to show me that location, I'd appreciate it." Pacing back and forth Klaus thought. Well it seems she's still safe. Thank the heavens. Elijah would kill me if he knew Rebekah had been hurt. He might even enter the game himself. That would be foolish however. I'm the strongest of us all, so i should be more than enough to get her through this. This Ariel girl claims to be rather closer to her, even calling her a senpai. Hmm, she is proving to be a valuable asset after all.

 

Klaus's train of thought was interrupted by Anima's latest question. Stopping his sporadic pacing, he looked up and answered her. "I suppose I shall look for her. If you care to join, that's your business. I don't mind company I suppose. However I will need Ariel's help in locating Rebekah."

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

"I'll be more than happy to help you look for her, some other time perhaps. I understand your concern for her but rest assured, from what I've seen she can take care of herself. I still have to make some errands and get the shop up to date on the orders before I can take a day off. My apologies. But the place I talk about isn't that far from the High Fields of Crossing, nearby a forest. If you are in a hurry, you can pass by yourself it doesn't have difficult mobs." She said while looking at Nicklaus, she would've wanted to join him but business came first. And a little training wouldn't hurt for him, after all the ghost town was very close to the high fields which was a safe zone..only 3 minutes of walking. 

 

She then addressed the both, while looking at her familiar: "I have an Idea, Why don't you both go? it will be a good opportunity to train a little and maybe become acquainted. Here's another words of advice, you can be the strongest player but even then, you can't beat a floor boss alone so connections are as important as the skills you choose to have." Kimba began to purr as she was scratched behind the ears, Ariel never did..better said never was able to do that for her. She let out a low roar after Anima finished petting her and returned to Ariel's side.

[Niklaus 0]

"If Anima wishes, she may follow. Otherwise I'll search by myself." He said as he nodded in the girls direction."As for your latter comment, if you're strong enough, you can defeat anything by yourself. Power can be limitless." Niklaus paced back and forth for a bit. I suppose I'll check there first. Afterwards I'll check to make sure her name isn't on the death monument. Even though I'm confident in Bek's ability to remain alive. 

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

She let out a sigh while thinking: "Another one that believes only in his power...well who can blame him?" after clearing her throat Ariel spoke in a teacher-like fashion as she did earlier. "This game..how can I say it, now that people actually die, is not a regular game. You can't depend too much on the skills it offers you. I admit it that it does give you the illusion that power is all but even the strongest player in Aincrad joined a guild. And from what I heard he's not all smiles and sunshine so I advise you to at least look for a guild even if small one will do, or go full out and make one of your own. Being a solo player might sound nice, like how that black-clad guy they call "Beater" is but sooner or later even he would have to work with others, be it at the 100^th floor or lower." Kimba started growling at her side, it seems her companion was starting to get hungry, as did Ariel. "Well then it appears our time is running short, do you have any more questions before we part ways? any thoughts you wish to share?"

[Niklaus 0]

Her musings are irksome. i know full well I'll need help later on. That doesn't mean that i still won't need to be powerful. Anyway it may be best to just leave the conversation as is and answer her closing questions. Niklaus glanced towards Anima and spoke. "Seems you've fallen silent. What is it ? Cat got your tongue?" Returning his attention to Ariel, he mused. "Well love, thanks for your advice and information. I will be tracking her down soon enough. As far as a guild goes, I have something in mind but it won't be of any use id I'm still a weakling. Furthermore, I do't intend to solo for my duration in Aincrad, however, I have a tendency to distrust people no matter how pure their intentions seem. Once loyalty is proven, it is returned." Niklaus turned as if to leave, he paused and said his goodbyes. "I suppose we part ways here then. I bid you and Anima here a farewell." 

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

"Very well then," she takes a look at Anima and nods, then frowns at him addressing her with 'love' but decided to stay silent. "I guess I'll be seeing you guys around. Oh one more thing Nik, before loyalty you should cultivate trust because after one 'proves' to be loyal he can stab you in the back if a more stronger 'master' arrises." And with that she turns around and continues her way towards the teleportation gate. "I'm sure those two would do just fine if they stick to the lower floors for now. They didn't struck me as reckless or foolish but I guess time will tell, won't it girl?". The topic of loyalty and trust remained in her mind for a while as she made her way into the crowds: "Whom do I trust..I guess most of the Square one members for starters, my ex-guildmaster Lessa and that's it??? Guess I have to start working on trusting my current guildmates next." she thought while unconsciously following Kimba.