[PP F4] Feeding the Emeny (Azide)

[Zeri 0]

"You're serious!? I can actually tame a wild beast?" Zeri had said to the gypsy who mysteriously came out of nowhere and suprised him. "Only by feeding him and it deems you worthy. But be warned." the gypsy said, "You may be hurt in the process. So use caution. "I will I promise!" Zeri said as he accepted the quest.

As Zeri wandered in awe in the snowy town called Snowfrost Town. Zeri wished he could get lost in here so he can play in the snow, but he had a quest he has to accomplish. So Zeri found a shop so he can purchase food. As Zeri walked in, he was fanciated by the food he smelled, "Man I wish I could just live here" he said as he walked up to the counter. "Hello sir!" he said to the shopkeeper. "How much is it for one of your steaks?" "Good day to you. It's a 100 Col a piece" the shopkeeper said. "Hmm... I'll take two then just to be on the safe side" Zeri opened up his menu and handed the shopkeeper 200 Col in exchange for 2 pieces of steak. "Have a nice day sir!" "You too boy." They both said as they both exchange goodbyes.

As Zeri was about to leave town to do his quest, he said, "But what if the mobs out here are too tough for me? I can't go and die now, so I think I'll ask for some help." So he sat down near the edge of town, opened up his menu and decided to message his boss, Azide.

To: Azide

From: Zeri

Subject: Floor 4

Hey there boss! Might I ask you for a favor? You wouldn't mind coming to the fourth floor and help me complete this quest. I would do it myself, but I worry that the mobs out here might be too much for me to handle right now. So thanks in advance for helping me out! You're a real good boss!

As he sent to message to Azide, Zeri waited for his boss's arrival to help him do the quest. He said to himself, "I really should convince the guild to come out here and do something. Maybe a snowball fight? Or maybe making a snowman?" Zeri let his thoughts ponder as he waits for Azide.

-200 Col

+2 steaks

[Azide 0]

He heard the distinct ding of a new message and lifted his head expectantly. Not a moment later, a screen blinked into being in front of him. A swipe of his finger pulled up the message's contents, and he noticed that its sender had been Zeri- one of the newer additions to Square One.

Curious as to what the boy could need (nobody ever sent messages just to chat, apparently), he skimmed over the two-and-a-half lines of text. It wasn't exactly necessary to speed read through such a short message, but hey- he'd paid money for the course, so he might as well get his money's worth for it.

A few practiced taps pulled up a virtual keyboard, and he quickly typed out a response to the boy's inquiry. Apparently, his presence was being requested on the fourth floor. Frankly, he felt obligated to accept- as the leader of Square One, when was the last time he'd helped a lower level player complete a quest? To be honest, he'd only taken two quests with other people- and both times, everyone had been peers in terms of level.

To: Zeri

From: Azide

Subject: Re: Floor 4

I'd be more than happy to come and lend you a hand- but you can just call me Azide. 'Boss' makes me sound like the angry guy who writes your paychecks and screams at everyone. But in all seriousness, I'll be right over, Zeri.

Lucifer flicked its tongue out at him as it peeked over the collar of his coat. "If all goes well, then perhaps our friend Zeri will get to know the joys of these companionships," he remarked, sheathing his sword. The two made their way towards town, where he'd teleport once again to the snowy fourth floor.

It had a way of drawing him to it, time and time again.

[Zeri 0]

After throwing a few snowballs at tress, a notification came up in front of Zeri. It was from Azide. Zeri was glad to know that Azide would help him out. Then Zeri said, "What kind of animal would I encounter? I really hope it won't be a snake." Then Zeri thought for a moment and realize that what kind of snake would live in cold weather. He chuckled a little and decided to throw some more snowballs. After a few more snowballs later, Azide showed up and he greeted him, "Well hi there bo- umm Azide!" Thanks for coming to help me out!" Then after he finished talking to Azide, Zeri noticed something moving around in Azide's collar. At that exact moment, a chill went straight down Zeri's spine and he nervously said, "W-w-what was that m-moving around in your c-collar?"

[Azide 0]

He waved as Zeri came into view in the distance, despite the fact that he was likely a mere speck in the horizon to the other boy. The fourth floor was an empty one; it was a vast world filled with white, letting one see much further than normally possible in a more urban environment. White in the ground, white in the air- the white had begun to even blanket his green attire in layers of of delicate specks.

Zeri called out to him as he approached. It was slow, tedious work trudging through the thick snow. For such a beautiful place, it could really be a pain to transverse it at times. In a way, it was really nothing more than a frozen desert, after all.

Azide scratched his head at the boy's sudden nervousness. "My collar...?" he asked. He glanced down as he straightened it out.

Meanwhile, Lucifer slithered its way down one of the sleeves of his coat, and popped its head out from the end. It curved its body so that its head faced Zeri and swiveled its neck around to assess their new environment. Its tongue flickered in the slight breeze as the creature tasted the cool air, and Azide raised his arm in front of him, so that it was perpendicular to his body. It gave him the appearance of being some sort of strange falconer.

"Oh, you mean this guy?" he asked, as the verdant serpent slithered out and coiled around the outside of his sleeve. Its head swayed back and forth as it locked eyes with its owner, and flicked its tongue out as Azide stroked its head with a finger. "You've got nothing to worry about- he wouldn't hurt a fly. Unless, of course, I happened to be attacking said fly- in which case, he most definitely would."

[Zeri 0]

"S-snake!" Zeri took a quick step back, took out his sword and said, "J-just k-keep that thing away from me." Zeri had a terrible fear of snakes ever since he was a kid. While keeping his eye on the snake, he thought to himself, "Why would anybody would want to choose a snake for a pet."  After a little bit of staring the snake down, Zeri said to Azide, "L-let's just go so we can finish this quest, but k-keep that s-snake away from me" while putting his sword back while looking at Azide and the snake as well.

 

As Zeri calmed himself down a little, he started to make his way outside of the town while putting a little distance between the two of them."I wondered what kind of beasts would be out here? What will they act like and will that behavior be any different when I tame one of them." Then Zeri thought once more of the snake and said to himself, "Why would Azide choose that for? Snakes and people are not a good match for each other..." Then Zeri recalled the dream he had when he was a kid and had started to shudder a little. "I just hope that doesn't happen here."  Zeri thought about that possibility for a moment and said, "Can something like that in here be even remotely possible?" Unaware that Zeri and his pet snake was closing the distance that he had put towards them.

[Azide 0]

The amiable look in his eyes hardened for a brief moment as Zeri proceeded to draw his blade. While he held little fear of what the boy could do to him personally- due to Sword Art Online's nature as an arbitrary numbers game- he didn't exactly appreciate any threats toward the tamed creature he now called a friend. Implied, or otherwise; it made no difference.

He raised an open palm before him, invoking the universal sign which called for an immediate stop. "Let's not be so brash, Zeri. I'm level-headed enough to see that you're uncomfortable around him- but it'd be best to keep in mind that not everyone you meet will react so mildly when you draw your weapon at the sight of their companion."

Zeri locked eyes with Lucifer, and the two stared each other down- although to be fair, snakes didn't have eyelids. They had little choice but to stare. But that aside, the youth eventually relented, and returned the sword to its sheath.

Azide softened his expression, and once again presented a cheery image. He laughed an easy, airy laugh, and the two began to make their way from town. "You'll learn to like him someday," he remarked. The serpent slithered slowly into one of its master's outer pockets. After taking a minute to adjust, it poked its head out from under the flap and kept watch of the situation.

As they continued their hike across the frozen floor, he couldn't help but heart his guild mate think aloud. He seemed excited at the prospect of making a new friend here today. Azide thought back to his own experiences before chiming in. "I've wondered about that, actually- whether taming the creatures changes their behavior, or if letting them coexist with us simply lets us see them in a different light. It makes me wonder if they were always this smart, or if Lucifer here is even smart as I'm led to believe." He paused for a moment, looking up into the cloudless sky. His eyes lingered for a moment, then returned to Zeri. "And as for what might lay out there? I reckon we're likely to run across quite a few canines, if you're into that sort of thing."

[Zeri 0]

"Maybe that's a good way to think of it." Then he suddenly realize that Azide was right next to him, as his snake Lucifer. Fear set in once more, but this time Zeri's body would barely listen to him. Out of fear, he said, "W-why would y-you choose something like that f-for a pet? S-snake are nothing but bad news!" Then as he gain control of his body he turned away from the two and then he said, "As for you question, I wouldn't mind a canine for a pet." Then Zeri came up with a question for the both of them, "What else would be out there beside canines? But I guess my question would be answered soon, wouldn't it Azide?"

(OCC: Azide may you control the mobs please)

[Azide 0]

He raised a brow at Zeri's question and turned to face him. From the relative coziness of his coat's lower front pocket, Lucifer mimicked the gesture and proceeded to look at the white-haired player next to them. The boy was practically shivering in his boots- and presumably not just because of floor's frigid temperatures.

With a matter-of-fact tone, he answered it. "Actually, there are a number of reasons I chose Lucifer, rather than some sort of dog or cat." He briefly turned his head left and right, staying on the lookout for any enemies that might otherwise catch them by surprise. Such a feat would be difficult in an more environmental friendly floor, but it was much more plausible due to their limited movement in these snowy stretches.

"I was a chemistry student before all of this. A semester or two away from my degree, actually. Anyway, I did quite a bit of intern work at a research lab over the years, and I'm sure you're familiar with animal testing." He looked up at the sky for a moment, then returned his attention to Zeri. "Most of our test subjects were things most other people would call pets; rats, mice, rabbits, cats, dogs- you name it. Even had a few monkeys at one point, although I never got to work with them. Long story short, you don't let yourself grow attached to your test subjects."

His eyes darted across the white field and settled upon a creature that was quickly closing the distance between them, but he couldn't quite put a name to it. "Looks like we've got company," said Azide. He drew Quantum Slicer from its sheath and gestured ahead.

Feel free to identify the mob and I'll control it battle-wise for you.

[Zeri 0]

"There are better choices than snakes." Zeri said before Azide told him about his past before getting stuck here. He responded with an uncaring tone, "I'm not really interested in people's pasts." Then he answered with a somewhat annoyed tone, "What wrong with getting attached to your and other people's pets?!" Then Azide said there was an enemy coming and Zeri took out his weapon and said to Azide, "Don't think we're done with this conversation." He noticed that it was a snow wolf. He stabbed the wolf with his sword and noticed that it was bleeding as well as it was paralyzed. "This is a nice start."

ID: 14107 BD:10

Snow wolf [12/16 HP] ( 2 base + 2 crit)

Zeri: [11/11 HP]

Paralyzed

Bleed (-2 HP 2/2 turns)

(OCC: does 2 dmg dealt per hit is ok)

[Azide 0]

Azide shrugged at the boy's marked indifference. "Whatever. I don't usually tend to tell mine anyway. I was just providing context, since you asked why I'd choose a snake." At his second question, he shook his head. "I'm rather attached to Lucifer, as it turns out. I'm just explaining why I went with a snake, rather than the usual warm-blooded furry critter."

He watched as Zeri charged forward drove his blade into the creature's critical point- somewhere around its center of mass. The creature's entire body pulsed red, and he quickly noticed that its wound failed to disappear after a few moments as it usually would. Not only that, but the creature also stood unmoving following his comrade's attack. Did his guildmate run both bleed and paralyze?

In any case, he nodded in agreement and approval- it was definitely one of the better starts he'd seen in quite a while. "Nice one, Zeri!" His arm shot out to throw the boy a quick thumbs-up before reaching for his blade- Quantum Slicer.

He darted forward, but before he could swing his blade, his foot caught against something under the snow. Rather than hit the stationary target, he missed and fell against the ground. "Damn it," he thought. How long had it been since he'd missed? He raised himself from the ground and brushed the snow from his coat and stepped back. "That didn't exactly go to plan, but now's your chance to make up for my little blunder."

ID: 14018

BD: 1 (Miss)

Damage taken (Snow Wolf) = 0

Azide HP: 47/47

Zeri HP: 11/11

Snow Wolf HP: 10/16 (Bleed 1/2)

OOC: I corrected the Snow Wolf's HP. The effect activates the turn of you successfully activate bleed, so it loses another two HP.

[Zeri 0]

He ignored Azide's comment as he congratulated him on attacking the snow wolf. As well Azide has missed his attack and said he can make up for his miss. "You can make up for your own mistakes. I'm not making up for anything for anybody" Zeri said as he tried to get himself focus to attack the wolf once. Zeri charged at the snow wolf, but his shoe had got caught in some deep snow and his weapon missed its marked. "Pathetic." Zeri called himself for his lousy attack. But the Snow wolf still took some damage just as the wound it had finally started to heal as well it had gained some movement.

ID: 14149 BD: 4

Zeri: [11/11 HP]

Azide: [47/47 HP]

Snow wolf: [8/16 HP] (-2 bleed)

[Azide 0]

I couldn't believe my eyes as I watched my blade miss for a second time in a row. How long ago had it been since that had happened? I shook my head. One thing was for sure; I truly couldn't remember- I hadn't missed more than once at a time since I'd invested in the Precision skill. "It's been almost months, now that I think about it."

Quantum Slicer's arc fell far from its target, sending the slim blade swinging harmlessly against the snow, so that its fine tip marked the white surface with a thin line. I steadied myself, not even bothering to make a retort toward Zeri's comment. I wondered if he knew that I didn't have to be here. Although I preferred to think of myself on even ground with the rest of the guild, I found it strange that he would be so dismissive after his previous insistence on calling me his boss.

In any case- I was glad to see that my evasion had at least escaped intact. As the beast lunged forward, I rolled out of the way unscathed, before picking myself off the ground and preparing for a more successful strike.

ID: 14197

BD: 1 (Miss)

MD: 3 (Miss)

Damage taken (Azide) = 0

Damage taken (Snow Wolf) = 0

Azide HP: 47/47

Zeri HP: 11/11

Snow Wolf HP: 8/16 (Bleed 2/2)

[Zeri 0]

As Zeri noticed that both Azide's and the Snow wolf's attack missed their marks and thought he could make up for his lousy performance earlier. He took a deep breath and began to charge at the Snow wolf once more. Once again, Zeri had lost his footing in snow and came far from hitting his mark yet again. "I'm so pathetic. I can't even hit something simple as a dog anymore. Just pathetic." But he still noticed the Snow wolf's wound and hopes that it stays there just a little longer.

ID: 14227 BD: 1

Zeri: [11/11 HP]

Azide: [47/47 HP]

Snow wolf: [6/16 HP] (-2 bleed)

[Azide 0]

With Zeri's miss, that had been three misses in a row on their part. He shook his head and tapped his foot against the ground as he waited for a proper opening. As the wolf stumbled back, his fingers tightened their grip around his weapon, and he burst forward in a show of speed and agility. With a single near-perfect thrust, his blade burst through the creature's chest and skewered its body.

Before it could even shatter, he tore his blade from the fresh wound, which refused to close. It yelped and flashed red before breaking into a smatter of blue particles which quickly became dust in the wind. Azide straightened himself up and sheathed his weapon as he turned around. As he was about to speak, he became aware of the presence of yet another creature. "Was it watching us?" he wondered.

"Zeri, you might wanna turn around," warned, gesturing to the beast behind him.

ID: 14296

BD: 9 (Crit +1)(Bleed)

LD: 8 (Nothing)

Damage taken (Snow Wolf) = 1 (Base) + 1 (Athletic) + 1 (Familiar) + 2 (Rapier) + 5 (Sword Skill) + 1 (Crit +1) + 2 (Bleed) = 13

Azide HP: 47/47

Zeri HP: 11/11

Snow Wolf HP: -5/16 (-13)

OOC: Bleed wore off during my previous post, but it doesn't affect the end result.

In your next post, you'll be rolling to see if you get a familiar. Consult the quest thread to see what rolls equate to what.

[Zeri 0]

Zeri watched as Azide finished off the snow wolf as it disappeared into fragments. "Man, you're strong." Then Azide told Zeri to look behind him, and when he did, he saw a snow wolf pup, which he was white all over. We looked at each other for a moment and then Zeri decided to go into his inventory and take out a piece of meat that he had brought earlier. After he got the meat, Zeri placed it on the ground and took a few steps back.

Then the pup sniffed at the meat for a little bit and then he at it. Then the Zeri and the wolf pup locked eyes with each other yet again and the pup came running towards him. Once the pup came to Zeri, he picked the little dog up and he licked Zeri's face. "I guess we buddies now huh!" Zeri said as his newly found friend continue to lick his face. He put the pup down and said, "I guess I should name you. Hmm...how about Blizzard? What do you think Azide? Is Blizzard a good name or should I try again?"

ID: 14298 LD: 14 + 2(plushy)= 16

Aquired Snow Wolf

[Azide 0]

"You're bound to be just as strong someday," he remarked. He dusted his hands against each other, then rubbed them against each other. They were red and clammy- it was at times like these that he missed his old gloves. "I should really get a new pair made sometime soon." But in the meantime, he would just have to bare with it. "Just keep on working, and you'll get there," he added.

Soon after he'd pointed the creature out, Zeri had turned to face it. The look in his eyes all but confirmed that he'd decided that this was to be his companion. He watched as his guildmate tossed out what appeared to be a piece of steak, which then canine sniffed at curiously before chowing down. And just like that, the pup came running to its new owner. It was a warming sight, but not because he'd grown any sort of fondness for these creatures.

"Blizzard?" he nodded, and his lips curled into a faint smile. "I think that'll make a wonderful name. Don't you think so, Lucifer?" A hiss sounded from his coat pocket, and the snake poked its head out and looked over at the newly tamed wolf.

[Zeri 0]

"Alright, Blizzard it is then." Zeri said while he was playing with his new friend. After a little bit of playing, he grabbed Blizzard, sat him on his lap, and asked Azide a question. "So do you mind telling me how you umm came across Lucifer?" Then Blizzard gave Zeri a concerned look and Zeri scratched Blizzard behind his ear and said to him, "It's alright." Then said to everyone, "So, what do you want to do now?"