[SP-F2] Part-time Princess, Part-time Player, Part-time Performer <<Earning a Living>> [Completed]

[Elise 0]

Elise was going to the High Fields of Crossing when a girl slightly bumped her. The girl, who seemed in a hurry, approached a stereotypical auntie NPC in front of a small but nice-looking stone building. Elise wasn't interested but their excited voices made their way into her ear. She decided to stop and watch the scene unfolds. "Here! I've brought the ingredients for the quest. An Orange, two Mint Leaves, and a Jungle Lemon" the girl rummaged through her Inventory and showed the NPC various cooking ingredients "You found the ingredients! Great job," The NPC acknowledged "but the challenge is to make a Fruit Mocktail for you to pass. If you fail, you will have to collect the ingredients again" her expression showed encouragement instead of worry about the risk of failure "Come on girl, just this last step and finally you can become a Cook!"

Quest? Cook? It must be the quest people spoke about. The one that grants jobs to players, ? No, a Living. Elise haven't seen it before. The girl and Cook NPC gained her attention. "I'll try" the girl was anxious in contrast with her previous spirit. She skinned and carefully cut the Orange and Jungle Lemon to pieces. She turned all ingredients save a small piece of orange into juice. Finally, the girl used the last piece of orange she saved for dressing. "Tadaa!" she grinned. On the counter a glass of Fruit Mocktail proudly stood. The NPC inspected it for awhile before she drunk it in a few gulps. She kept quiet, perhaps was buffering for some time. Then the auntie gave the girl an approval smile. "Yummy! Congratulations! You have become a Cook. And by the way, this shop will be yours. Take care of it, will you?" The NPC shimmered and dispersed in friendly laughter. The girl was left confused, but she's happy nonetheless. She skipped into her new shop. Three minutes later Elise could hear the sound of frying sound from inside the shop.

Elise hasn't thought about getting an occupation yet. She considered it bothersome and time wasting. But in the long run jobs could be proven useful. Perhaps having one could increase her chance of survivability. There are a ton of jobs out there, but finding the one that suits her is quite a task. She must make sure that she's comfortable with her job so she won't quit after two days or so. Does such job exist? "Perhaps I have to go around the shops to preview one by one" She looked around at the shops' district. Now where to start first?

[Elise 0]

Sound of clanging metal struck her ears when she observed a NPC Blacksmith forging a shield. Blacksmith profession sounds tempting, being able to create personal weapons, armors, and shields. "What are you looking at?" the NPC noticed her presence. "Do you want a sword? I haven't made any yet so leave if that's your reason being here. Or," his voice turned hopeful and lighter "are you trying to become a Blacksmith?" Elise nodded "You've come into the right place! It's the profession for the strong and hardworking" he waved his calloused hand. Elise looked in distaste. "I can teach you the basics. But first, we need materials to make something. And I can't do anything without my trusted hammer. I think I lost it somewhere in the plains in Floor One. Can you bring it back to me?"

A message popped on her screen 

<<Earning a Living>>

Collect 5 Iron Ingots (0/5)

Retrieve Heart of the Hammer (0/1)

Accept/Decline?

"I will think about it" she smiled politely at him. She declined the quest. Elise's eyes dazed to another shop. Being a blacksmith- It's not her kind of job. She doesn't have the brute strength to shape metals and it's too tiring. If her parents know she does Blacksmith's job in SAO there's no point in clearing the game since they'll kill her when she gets out. "Oh, well. I still have a lot of shops to visit" she covered her ears when taking her leave as another blow struck the NPC's unfinished project. One more disadvantage : it's noisy.

[Elise 0]

She inhaled a lot of oxygen after she got out. The Blacksmith's place reeked of melting metal and coal. Elise was relieved she didn't choose to be a Blacksmith. She needed fresh air to cleanse her lungs. Alas, sweet rotten stench struck her nose instead. She coughed once and pinched her nose. Where was the smell coming from? She looked around to find herself in front of a weird looking building that looks like it has been carved out of smooth stone. On the counter there are different shaped bottles filled with colored liquid. Strange, now the foul miasma was no more. Elise wandered into the shop, which looked empty. "I wonder why'd it stink before?" she picked a green bottle.

"Sorry about that, young lady. The stench must be because of my failed experiment. Don't worry. I've cleaned it by now" Elise almost dropped the bottle in shock. Behind her an old woman sat on a stone chair. She didn't notice the NPC when she came in. Does it mean her Stealth Rating was lower than an NPC's?

"What? Eh, that's okay. Sorry for entering without knocking." The situation was awkward. No matter how she looked at it, everyone would mistake her as a thief. Out of her programmed kindness the NPC calmly said, "Every player is welcome here, including you. Don't worry too much about it. So, are you here to become an Alchemist?" Alchemist? She must've stumbled into another <<Earning a Living>> NPC. Like with the Blacksmith Elise only nodded. "The power of Alchemy lies in unlimited possibilities it can bring out. With a bottle of potion, a skilled Alchemist can create a hundred more out of it". "It ignores Lavoisier's law?" Elise cut the NPC's random rambling. The NPC stopped, clearly was confused "What's that?" Elise forgot that the game's setting was in mid centuries. "Nevermind. Please continue." the granny cleared her throat. "To make it simply you can do anything with Alchemy. Just in time," another person entered the shop. "You can witness the greatness of Alchemy!" The teenage boy turned in an <<Earning a Living>> quest. "Spider eyes, poisonous vine, alright. Show me your creation, young boy" Elise felt the ominous vibe just looking at the ingredients. She stepped back slowly to the exit. She was going through the counter when she heard an explosion inside. She exhaled in relief. "I guess the unlimited possibilities involve blowing my hands off? It might be useful if I can throw it at monsters though" then she made her escape.

[Elise 0]

---20 minutes later---

"Why there are no normal jobs? If I fail the next NPC I'm going to be unemployed till the end" the silver haired girl complained. She has checked half of the shops at the district. With her luck and pickiness all her attempts were futile. There's still some more but she swore it would be her last try. She's getting impatient as the time passes and still couldn't find a job.

She was already given up hope. But when she was walking around aimlessly to choose her last destination she heard sound of piano, playing a beautiful music unknown to her. It's her first time hearing music ever since she played SAO. Her feet moved on their own to the source of the sound. It was from an old European-looking stone building. She was going to barge in but she hesitated and knocked instead. Elise has learnt her lesson in her previous encounter.

"Come on in!" someone answered, almost muffled by the piano. Elise opened the door. The room was minimalist but antique. In the corner a NPC was still playing the piano. With the last string of melodies he ended his performance lightly. "Hello! What do you think of the music?" Elise was thinking for a second before answering, "It's beautiful. I seldom see performance with such quality. The music was smoothly played without removing its poweful momentums. It must be hard to maintain the balance." The NPC eyed her curiously, "Seems you're into music too, miss? Are you interested in becoming a Performer?" "Performer?" It supports her dedication in music, not exhausting, and seems fun to do. "I... am willing to be a Performer" This profession can't seriously go wrong, can it?

[Elise 0]

The NPC clapped. "That's the spirit! Now please wait a moment" he welcomed another player. The player spoke something to him. Elise didn't intend to eavesdrop but their voice was loud. "I've collected Ebony Branch, Spider Strings, and made a Violin! Quest complete!" the player was satisfied. The NPC smiled back at him, "Confratulations! Now you've become a Performer. This place is yours now. Please take care of this shop and the Violin as well. I will only take my piano back with me" The piano shimmered and dissolved into the thin air. The NPC was beginning to disappear when he remembered Elise.

The NPC halted his disappearance and approached Elise. "I'm sorry, miss. But the gentleman is the first one to turn the quest. I can no longer make you a Performer now" Elise was disappointed. "Okay then. I guess I'm just not suited for jobs anyway" She really wants the job but what else can she do? The NPC noticed her expression. "I said I couldn't make you a Performer but I didn't say you couldn't be one. My sister, Sonata is a Performer too. My sister lives on the end of this road. You will know the place when you get there" He almost completely disappear. "Wait! Tell me the description of her place so..!" Only the NPC's eyes were visible but a laughter was heard in the room "Don't follow your eyes, miss. I think you like music?" He dispersed.

Elise thought about his last words. What do they mean? Then she looked at the new owner of the shop. "Excuse me" she exited and slammed the door behind her. "Seriously.." she sighed and walked along the road. If she doesn't like the job she won't tire herself further by going to Sonata's shop.

[Elise 0]

"What did he mean by don't follow your eyes? Can I walk blindfolded and miraculously stumble into her sister's place?" Elise went to the end of the road. Only four or five buildings stood out. The rest were plain stone building. How can she find the NPC, knocking from door to door? 

She froze in her place. This melody.. It was similar to the music she had heard earlier. It's even more beautiful and powerful played by a violin. Each melody sliced the air with precise sharpness it sucked the air out of her lungs.

"I thought you like music?" 

Was it what he meant when he said so? It was coming from a stone building. Nothing looks special, except the small fact the building looks more polished and smoother than the other buildings in the area. Elise knocked the door. The violin kept playing, but no response were heard. She tried two more times before slowly opened the door. Inside a NPC was sitting on a rocking chair. She played while closing her eyes. But with Elise's intrusion she finished her music with a slight rush. She opened arrogant looking eyes and glared at Elise. "Didn't your parents teach you to knock?" Elise was caught off guard by the warm greeting she received. The woman was not as friendly as other NPC she've met" "Sorry, but I've knocked three times. You didn't answer me" her words sound like an accusation. "Is it obvious? I was playing music and I couldn't be bothered. Now, please leave before you interrupt me again" The NPC's personality was like a mirror to Elise's. Just a lot blunter and more honest. Elise quickly spoke before the woman kicked her out of the building. "I was told you can help me become a Performer by a man who lived in the other side of this street! He told me to go to his sister, Sonata" The woman's eyes widened, "Symphony did? Tch, that foolish brother of mine" Sonata seem to reconsider the situation. Elise waited full of hope. Sonata's skills were great. She didn't make a mistake coming here.

[Elise 0]

Sonata stood up from her rocking chair. "If that's the case, I guess I have no other choice but to train you to become a Performer. I need a few things to get you started. I had my verse of music sheets as a reference. Unfortunately I lost them somewhere in Floor 2. Can you fetch them for me? It'd be great if you also bring a sturdy string. I think one of my violin's strings broke"

<<Earning a Living>>

Retrieve 5 Sonata's Music Sheets (0/5)

Collect a String from Stone Spiders (0/1)

Play two of Sonata's Music Sheets successfully (0/2)

Accept/Decline?

It's a lot of chores. Elise accepted the quest. "Be back in a few hours, Ma'am. Thanks for agreeing to teach me." she stopped before going through the door. "By the way, how did you lose your music sheets? Doesn't a musician usually take care of them?" She asked with reproachful tone. It's not difficult. Just a bit bothersome.

Sonata smiled shyly, "I think I dropped them when I was being chased by Stone Spiders. I was into my violin too much I didn't realize they were near. The Spiders could really bite. Be careful out there, girl". Elise nodded and closed the door. So the music sheets were in the Stone Spiders' territory. That means she can go looking for them while killing Spiders at the same time. Two birds with one stone.

[Elise 0]

Finding where the Stone Spiders were isn't hard. The people in Urbus showed her the direction. Now there she was, kneeling on a massive rock overlooking the spiders below. Thankfully they weren't as scary as she had imagined. She thought that their bodies were literally made of stone, thus the name. Their grey carapaces look sturdy but no way they're made of stone. In the rocky area there are paper objects on the ground. Five of them must be the music sheets she's looking for, Elise checked her quest once more. "Music Sheets? Check. Spiders?" she shut her HUD. She unsheathed her new rapier, Thorny Rose. She used it once in her quest in a maze. All in all it's better than her Starting Rapier in every aspects. It cuts monsters more easily and easier to maneuver that she hits her mark more often. Time to test the rapier on her eight-legged friends. "Check." She took a leap from the stone and tried to split an unlucky spider two feet below the rock in two. Elise slashed using additional force from the leap and landed gracefully on her feet. It cut through the body but wasn't enough to kill it. The spider, confused by earlier attack tried to hit Elise but missed because it's still too dazed to move.

#12607

BD : 6 (+1 Acc) = 7 (Hit)

MD : 3

Elise : 11/11

Stone Spider : 3/6 (-3)

[Elise 0]

#12608

BD : 8 (+1 Acc) = 9 (Hit)

MD : 3 (Miss)

LD : 3

The Stone Spider launched itself at Elise. Elise had predicted movement of the angry mob and prepared a countermeasure. She sidestepped left pierced its sturdy carapace. The spider hissed. She saw that it's not enough to kill the spider. So instead of pulling her rapier and prepare for another attack she gutted the spider from body to head mercilessly. As the tip of the Rose left its head the mob shattered into pieces. On the ground a String lie as a remainder of the arachnid. There's also a transparent crystal object left. Elise picked and put them in her inventory. "String, done. Now," the wind breezed blowing silver ponytail of the killer princess "five more music sheets to go".

Elise : 11/11

Stone Spider : 0/6 (-3)

Acquired 1 Mat and 1 String

[Elise 0]

#12609

BD : 5 (+1 Acc) = 6 (Hit)

MD : 5 (Miss)

<<Earning a Living>>

Retrieve 5 Sonata's Music Sheets (0/5)

Collect 1 String from Stone Spiders (1/1)

Play two of Sonata's Music Sheets (0/2)

She closed her HUD. She still has five more sheets to find. In the rocky terrain there are few dusty papers between rocks, below one, and in the middle of the Stone Spider crowds. The papers were either hidden or guarded by the spiders. Even if she managed to pick one it could be any paper, not the sheets she's looking for. Five of them.. Like searching for five needles in a haystack. 

Elise decided to take the obvious ones first, although riskier. She sneaked to another Stone Spider guarding a paper. It's not possible to steal the paper without the spider knowing considering the distance between them, so if she was to engage in combat she should get the first strike when it didn't suspect her. Her blade swiped horizontally, cutting two of the mob's legs clean off. The Stone Spider turned to attack but after Elise's strike it got thrown of its balance. Elise avoided the attack by a mere inch. She took a few steps back. She couldn't let the mob to get closer than that.

Elise : 11/11

Stone Spider : 3/6 (-3)

[Elise 0]

#12610

BD : 1 (+1 Acc) = 2 (Critical Miss)

MD : 3 (Miss)

Elise walked closer to the spider. She has cut its legs so it shouldn't be able to move well. It's her chance to finish the Stone Spider cleanly. She stopped just outside of the Spider's biting range. The monster's pitiful condition was reflected on the blue eyes. It didn't move her for a second though. She raised her rapier high. "Rest in piece, monster" she brought her sword down from the skies...

..and hit the rock hard the Rose sunk an inch into it. The spider adapted fast moving with its remaining six legs. It jumped to the right avoiding the vertical gash. Elise redrew her rapier from the rock. "You.. Quite a bother, aren't you?" Luckily she had cut two legs. She held her rapier horizontally. Will a stab work like with the previous spider? 

Elise : 11/11

Stone Spider : 3/6

[Elise 0]

#12611

BD : 1 (+1 Acc) = 2 (Critical Miss)

MD : 2 (Miss)

Elise launched her sword at the enemy with a quick move only a flash of red and black of the rapier was seen. She aimed straight for the head, trying to get the blade through from head to abdomen. She was eager to check if the paper it's protecting is the right one that she rushed for the kill as fast as possible.

Maybe too rushed. The spider evaded the attack by jumping above the straightforward thrust and tried to counterattack. Elise was surprised but she reassessed the situation with a quick thinking and ducked from the spider's leap. It leapt above her and landed with its six legs awkwardly. Elise slowed her steps and turned back. The enemy was more nimble than the previous one, even without two legs. 

Elise : 11/11

Stone Spider : 3/6

[Elise 0]

#12615

BD : 10 (+1 Acc) = 11 (+2 Critical Hit)

MD : 7 (Hit)

LD : 17 

There's one way to end this quickly. Elise relaxed her arms and tightened only her grip. She remember the time when she killed a wolf in her journey to a place called Horunka Village. That time the wolves were agile it gave the party a lot of trouble. Elise eliminated the first wolf with her trump card at the cost of wounds and exhaustion. She know she shouldn't use it often as it puts a lot of strain on the body. But she was already impatient. Besides she didn't waste a lot of energy to fight the spider earlier so just once should be fine.

The spider creeped closer to her side. She didn't face the creature. Only her eyes trailing the mob which showed that she's aware of its presence. Thinking the girl wasn't being vigilant the Stone Spider took a few low jumps forward trying to bite Elise.

She dodged right and only got bitten on her left toe. She kicked the spider off and it dropped backing her, just as she needed. "Clair de Lune." she spun on one foot slashing the spider into pieces. Elise looked like a whirling tornado of black and red with her Thorny Rose in action. She kept her balance while spinning and dissecting the spider's cephalothorax. When she couldn't feel any resistance she stopped her circular motion with a light foot drag. Now the spider's gone she picked the paper. It was a bit dirty. Elise brushed the dust off it. The paper contained music notes which were revised several times. The name Sonata was written on the bottom right corner. "Got one" she put it in her inventory

Elise : 10/11 (-1)

Stone Spider : 0/6 (-5)

Acquired 1 Mat, Sonata's Music Sheet, and 30 Col (6 HP x 5)

Total loot : 2 Mats, 30 Col

<<Earning a Living>> 

Retrieve 5 Sonata's Music Sheets (1/5)

Collect a String from Stone Spider (1/1)

Play two of Sonata's Music Sheets successfully (0/2)

[Elise 0]

#12616

BD : 6 (+1 Acc) = 7 (Hit)

MD : 10  (+2 Critical Hit)

Elise observed her surroundings and a paper lying on the ground not far from her. Why didn't she notice it before, it's right where she killed the first spider. She didn't see any mobs in the vicinity so she went to grab the paper without any suspect that a mob might use the same trick she used. Elise was kneeling to pick the paper when a Stone Spider sprung from the rock above her to her back. "What?!" Elise nearly got a heart attack. She impaled the spider away from her. After the spider stumbled Elise was going to attack the creature once more but suddenly she felt a sharp pain on her back. It seem the spider had taken its opportunity to bite Elise's back before she skewered it away.

Elise : 7/11 (-3)

Stone Spider : 3/6 (-3)

[Elise 0]

#12651

BD : 1 (+1 Acc) = 2 (Critical Miss)

MD : 1 (Critical Miss)

Elise tossed her messed ponytail backwards. She was wounded and got caught off guard from the earlier attack. The same thing must not happen again. 'Stay vigilant unless you want to end up as a spider's food, Adriane.' she mustered her concentration. She dashed to the spider with the sword inches from the rocky ground. She swung her rapier in crescent motion. The spider moved forward and tried to bite her hand which was holding the rapier. The blade changed direction in her attempt not to get hurt more. Both attacks missed. The rapier flew above the spider so the spider couldn't reach Elise's hand.

Elise : 7/11

Stone Spider : 3/6

[Elise 0]

#12654

BD : 7 (+1 Acc) = 8 (Hit)

MD : 5 (Miss)

LD : 3

After her attack Elise didn't stop her movements to attack the spider. She quickly turned and rushed to the Stone Spider, which was reorganizing its stance after earlier leap. The Spider clearly didn't expect the attacks interval to be this close. It only moved its front claws, which she dodged right easily. With the carapace exposed she pierced the cephalothorax before gutting the spider to its abdomen. The spider silently shattered and dissolved. It seem gutting was a good move to finish the spiders.

"In the end, Als are Als" she claimed her trophy, another Material. Killing three Spiders in a row has made her a bit conceited ignoring the fact the last spider almost got her. She checked the paper the Spider guarded. Another music sheet with Sonata's sign! She inspected the paper for awhile. Its composition was different than the first music sheet. She put it in her inventory. Three more to go.

Elise : 7/11

Stone Spider : 0/6 (-3)

Loot : 1 Mat

Total Loot : 3 Mats, 30 Col

<<Earning a Living>>

Retrieve 5 Sonata's Music Sheets (2/5)

Collect a String from Stone Spiders (1/1)

Play two of Sonata's Music Sheets successfully (0/2)

[Elise 0]

#12682

BD : 8 (+1 Acc) = 9 (Hit)

MD : 9 (+1 Critical Hit)

Another paper? It was lying face-up, revealing another sets of music notes. It must be Sonata's. Elise went to collect it. When she held out her hand to pick it an opportunist Stone Spider took the chance to attack. It bit her arm and was starting to chew before she, like with the previous spider, skewered it away with her rapier. She frowned and brushed her wounded arm. "I can't even have a break with you spiders around, can I?" she glowered at the spider. Her HP bar has dropped into yellow zone. Her wounds hurt but they were nullified by her adrenaline rush. She was too focused on bringing the spider down she forgot about her own condition. 

Elise : 5/11 (-2)

Stone Spider : 3/6 (-3)

[Elise 0]

#12690

BD : 8 (+1 Acc) = 9 (Hit)

MD : 9 (+1 Critical Hit)

LD : 3

Elise tried to sidestep left and pierce its back. The spider clawed her moving legs, causing her to stumble beside it. Before she touched the ground she had slashed the spider using the additional force from her fall, splitting the Stone Spider into two parts. The spider stopped moving. Elise rolled to her back. She used her hands to push herself from the ground to watch the spider. It didn't react to Elise's movement. A red bright line appeared where the Thorny Rose had cut the spider. The spider's body parted into two and shattered like glass. Elise sat and sighed. "That was close.. I hope the music sheets are worth the risk". She touched the paper and it was moved to her inventory. She didn't shut her HUD after that. She checked her HP bar. The earlier combat brought her HP to red zone. Just a little more and she can earn a name in the Monument of Life. It might be wise to avoid combat at the moment and focus on retrieving unguarded papers.

Elise : 3/11 (-2)

Stone Spider : 0/6 (-3)

Acquired 1 Mat

Total Loot : 4 Mats, 30 Col

<<Earning a Living>>

Retrieve 5 Sonata's Music Sheets (3/5)

Collect a String from Stone Spiders (1/1)

Play two of Sonata's Music Sheets successfully (0/2)

[Elise 0]

#12691

LD : 10 (No loot)

Elise was lucky to find another face-up music sheet above a rock. Just not lucky enough to get it. A gentle wind breeze flew the sheet away from her. She stretched her hand to get it but to no avail. "Wait up!" she tried to catch it by stretching her rapier. The sheet struck the wide part of the blade but another gust sent it astray. She watched as the paper steadily landed behind tall rocks which were too high and steep to climb. She put her hand on her waist. Now she had to take a detour to fetch the paper. Let's hope it didn't land far or else it would take longer to finish this quest.

Elise : 4/11 (+1) (out of combat)

[Elise 0]

#12697

LD : 10 (No loot)

Finally she got to the other side of the tall rocks. "There you are" she walked to pick the paper. Then she froze midway after she took a glance at her surroundings. There weren't just one paper, but a lot of them lying literally everywhere. Stuck in the middle of rocks, lying on the ground, perching above a tall rock which was impossible to climb, and even atop of a Stone Spider? Elise snatched the paper in front of her and read it. "'Two slices of bread, an egg, boar..' Hah. Cooking ingredients?"she tossed it away because the paper had no use to her. The wind seem to dislike her, as it made the tossed paper fell into the middle of other papers. She stared in disbelief. "This quest... Better worth the trouble I've been going through" she was getting more and more impatient.

Elise : 5/11 (+1) (out of combat)