PP - F1 A Tour Of The Starting City (Carmine)

[Calrex 0]

After they were done chatting in the Starlight Cafe Calrex escorted Carmine outside, deciding now was a good time to show her the areas she would need to be familiarized with once she began adventuring. From what he could tell she know the basic areas, but now the buildings she would need to have in the back of her head. With that he made a turn, taking the two of them towards the Market District of the settlement.

 

"So, the first place we're going is the Market District. This is where you'll find most of the shops on the first floor. If you haven't done the Earning a Living quest just yet I can fill you in on the particular professions that are available, should you want to start a job on the side."

 

Upon arriving the area was busy with players and NPCs as usual. The smokestacks of the various blacksmith forges were in full operation. Even now it seemed that the most popular profession to take was the blacksmiths, although for him there were only a couple of ones that he decided to frequent, one being Oikawa's Gurando Foji on this floor.

[Carmine 0]

Of course, Carmine knew the Starting City like the back of her hand and could even scout out buildings for other if need be, but she'd never payed attention to what Calrex planned to show her; things like businesses and helpful places for beginners like her. She'd probably only been focusing on entertainment rather than improving her level and such in the game which kind of was a mistake on her side. Luckily now a friend was offering to show her around, and hopefully that'd be enough to get Carmine involved enough in the game to begin taking it more seriously, or at least settled just in case the time came when she needed gear or objects like so.

 

"A job?" Carmine huffed, scrunching her nose up at the thought of having to do work on her so-called vacation in paradise. "Maybe... If anything I want something fun~ What's available?" She glanced over at Calrex after complaining, curiosity taking over as she felt the need to ask just in case the feeling of needing to work arose, though just the thought of that could make Carmine giggle. Seriously, who likes to work?

 

Green orbs moving from the male beside her to the surroundings, Carmine was surprised at just how many people differed from her. Some NPCs, most of them players trapped in the game that had taken it upon themselves to begin a job. Whether for entertainment, or just to help people out overall, she had no idea but still couldn't believe how many shops were open. "Dang." Carmine whispered, finding it hard to read the names of all the buildings they passed in such short time.

[Calrex 0]

Calrex gave a nod as Carmine inquired about what jobs were currently available to be taken up, "From what I know off hand there's a handful of them, each one suited for creating different things. I can suspect some people even take the job specifically for the purpose of making their own equipment. First and foremost is the most popular profession out of all of them, the blacksmiths. Of course, their creations consist of things like weaponry, armor, shields, and the occasional tool."

 

As he spoke he pointed to the various smokestacks needed for each shop in order for them to do their work, "Next is the tailors, the only other profession capable of making armor in SAO. Where blacksmiths specialize in metal plates, tailors are known for creating things like light armor, clothing, and small items like plushies. A lot of players I've seen prefer to wear light armor, hence why tailors are not being overtaken by the blacksmiths in terms of business."

 

After finishing his description of the tailors Calrex pointed over to a nearby smaller shop with many windows surrounding it. Inside was a person appearing to work on some kind of jewelry, "Following them come the artisans, who specialize in creating trinkets, pieces of jewelry, and the like. My fiancee is one of the players that have taken up this job, and she's actually gotten a lot of business due it her being one of the only active artisans at the moment. Trinkets and charms are useful because like armor and weaponry they actually provide bonuses to your stats, as unrealistic as that sounds."

 

With that Calrex gave a calming breath before continuing, "Those three professions are the ones that actually produce equipment that you have to carry on you in order for them to be useful, while the following four create consumable items that you can use for temporary boosters if need be. Alchemists create potions of varying types and uses, which can be used for the most part during or out of combat, depending on the particular enhancement you need. The most popular alchemist in Aincrad at the moment is Alchemic Contagion, but there are a couple more in business you can probably check out as well."

 

After weaving through a series of crowds Calrex led Carmine over to the side so that he could finish, "Cooks create, of course, meals and snacks that you can eat that will also provide similar boosters like an alchemist's potion. The same with fisherman, although rather than creating items all of their items for sale are fish they are able to catch. Unfortunately, I don't know much about the last profession of this group, the performer, but I believe they actually create songs that work in a similar manner."

 

Finally he explained the merchant profession, "However, if you're looking for a place for general needs in terms of items, a merchant would be the one you will likely visit a lot. They have a general store which is always stocked with the basic items adventurers need, such as healing potions and basic equipment. However, you can also trade equipment you no longer need in to them, or can even obtain a voucher which would allow you to change the enhancements of your current gear."

[Carmine 0]

"Oh." Carmine replied, a light-bulb flickering on in her head as Calrex mentioned the purpose of joining a profession solely to create your own statistic boosting gear or weapons, even foods and the like. She wondered if becoming a tailor would be any fun, just by the sounds of sewing clothing, but soon realized that if she were to open a shop that others would come and ask for their own equipment; which meant not everything could be for her, but then again Carmine wasn't the type to be selfish so she wouldn't mind. To help other players would actually be an ideal thing to do in her mind, feeling bad for players that needed help and couldn't get it, had suffered, or already died. So what did Carmine want a profession for? To help of course, that would ease her emotional, soft heart.

 

Her green orbs shifted from building to building as Calrex pointed the structures out each indicating a different profession available in the game, face glowing in awe with a child-like aura. "That sounds fair." She commented, not wanting to interrupt her friend but noticing that the game had equalized tailoring and blacksmithery to benefit both professions in different ways, ensuring that neither would be over-powered or more visited than the other. 

 

A quiet chuckle escaped Carmine whom had been smiling this whole time, not flashing teeth but obviously elated with this small, instructional journey. "Unrealistic, yeah. But at least the charms get the job done. Wish they could do that in real life." Though more than plenty to take in, what Calrex was teaching Carmine about the game proved to be rather interesting along with extremely helpful. She wouldn't have known any of this had it not been for him, though she probably would have asked someone else in the future it was always better to know things sooner than later. This proved that theory to be true. "Consumables?" Carmine tilted her head curiously. "As in you take them while in battle or before? Could you give me some examples? Sorry, but just wondering." She quickly apologized, always forgetting that she could seem pushy at times recklessly speaking or mentioning whatever was floating around in her mind. 

 

It'd been hard to keep up with Calrex in such a large crowed of numerous players all seemingly busy rushing to a shop or coming out of one excited that they'd place an order or just picked one up. Luckily he'd most likely noticed and shifted their direction somewhere more comfortable and less crowded where talking would be easier to perform. Though her mind was very curious about performers, Calrex didn't know thus she'd have to find out elsewhere or on her own soon enough. "Merchant sounds best to me." The simplicity of general goods was something Carmine would probably enjoy most, not limited and a little complicated to make the profession enjoyable. "Are there lots of those in Aincrad so far?"

[Calrex 0]

Calrex gave a smile and a nod as he watched Carmine easily understand the information he was spouting out. He was concerned that he was going too fast, which could make what he was saying confusing. But hearing his companion take in the instructions and give comments back was reassuring. Giving a calming breath he began to address each question she had, "No not at all! In fact you're correct. Consumables would be things like potions, food, and even songs. However each item has different durations, as well as when they can actually be used. Most of it is like the real world in terms of usage. Certain food items, like sandwiches and field rations, cannot be consumed when your in combat, probably because it would be too difficult to choke down the bread while busy dodging attacks. Crystals, however, can actually be used during combat, which can come in handy, but I believe that most of them only last for one battle."

 

"So she's thinking of being a merchant. That would certainly be a useful profession, especially since Baldur's shop closed up the other merchants seem to have gone inactive. Odd, I remember Hikoru being fairly passionate about his shop, Trinkets and Drink-its, but I guess he's gotten busy."

 

"Merchant would certainly be very beneficial job to take. Right now, at least to my knowledge, there aren't any actual active merchants in SAO to my knowledge. However their general stores are still active. So if you decide to become one I'm fairly sure you'd be getting a lot of business right out of the gate, especially from newer players, since the other shops are still fairly expensive when you're first starting out."

 

After finishing looking around the rest of the district Calrex nodded to Carmine before plotting their next destination, "Have you seen the Monument of Life on this floor just yet? If not we can stop there next, although it's more of a solemn place to visit in any case."

[Carmine 0]

She grinned lopsidedly, raising both brows. "Eating a song? Now only in a game would that be taken seriously." Carmine shook her head, finding it silly that performers made songs to eat rather than enjoy... but then again her assumptions could very well be wrong so it wasn't in her rights to judge the profession just yet. "Mmm, yeah I can understand the food usage being limited to before you do something that requires beating a monster up and stuff like that. So I guess you just open your inventory and take the crystal to like... bring up HP? Could crystals give the same enhancements as food items or are each limited to their own?" Carmine had a mind full of questions swimming around just waiting to be answered though she refrained from attempting to overwhelm Calrex who had slight pressure on him at the moment. "I would think crystals only last for a battle, or maybe even only for a few attacks; things would be too easy if crystals gave permanent boosts anyways."

 

"Great!" Carmine clapped, perking up giddily from her otherwise lazy, slumping posture. She was broke and need lots of COL, but also wanted to profession that wouldn't become like a job she'd regret later on. "You can always close shops right...? Just for a short period of time." She asked worriedly, chewing on her bottom lip. Now seemed like the appropriate time to ask such a thing, and Carmine definitely needed to know this one because if the answer was a "no" than there was no way she'd take up a profession anytime soon. Though becoming bored with Aicraid overall and wanting to help out players, both urges weren't strong enough to take her freedom away. "I'll def update you if I open a shop."

 

With all of this talk of professions, Carmine was thrown off as Calrex asked her a question about a monument. Strange, and out of context but interesting sounding enough for Carmine to take interest as said monument was mentioned. "No I haven't, we should go. But solemn? Sad or serious kinda situation? I should be prepared." Having thought about skipping on their way to the next destination, Carmine knew that if they were headed somewhere serious that she should temporarily play the part. Being mature sometimes was her specialty.

[Calrex 0]

"I believe so. Crystals, food, songs, and the like seem to have fairly similar enhancements to them, although there are a couple I can think of off hand that are specific to each profession. From what I remember there was an enhancement called Alcoholic, which gives you a bonus to your damage while at the same time taking a hit to your evasiveness, that is specific for items created by cooks. I'm sure there are more, but that should be a good example, although I can't think of any other buffs that have a debuff effect at the same time."

 

Calrex gave a nod as Carmine inquired about being able to close her shop when needed, "Yep, you absolutely can. I know a few people that have closed their shops, mainly for the reason that they didn't want to have more orders being placed while they were already up to their heads in ones already being worked on. Others have also done so when they are in need of more materials. Especially for the other professions besides merchants, if you don't have materials, there's no way for you to keep your shop open because you would run out of stock fairly quickly. For merchants that's not as strong of a case, but once you begin making vouchers it would be a good idea to do so from time to time. I've never seen someone hold it over the owner's head should they decide it was necessary to close up shop for a while."

 

Following that he responded to Carmine's inquiry about the next place they were going. At the same time he led her through the winding passageways of the Starting City before reaching a large staircase, beginning to ascend it, "I would say more serious than anything else, although I'm sure some people would consider it a sad monument. The other people I've helped get acquainted with the game's system I have brought here as well, merely as a reminder of our situation and as a way to check up on the current overall state of the players in the game."

 

Upon reaching the top of the stairs the two would lay their eyes on the large black stone slab centered in the overlook. The Monument of Life. Calrex walked over it, directing Carmine to a few examples of what he was going to talk about, "This is the Monument of Life. Basically it's a roster of all the players within SAO, but it also serves as a reminder of our current situation. As you can see..."

 

As his finger directed towards the multiple players whose names were struck through with a slash he continued, "...there are already numerous players that have fallen in the amount of time we've been in this game. I definitely don't want to be a downer, but this place I try to keep in the back of my mind as a reminder that while this is a game, our lives are still on the line."

[Carmine 0]

"Okay. Just like what we talked about before, all professions are given at least one special thing for themselves that no other profession can have. I see how the system is balanced out." Carmine nodded, understanding enhancements much better now. Good thing she had Calrex to teach her about these before she actually used said enhancers or else something would've been messed up or done at the wrong time. "Phew." Carmine huffed, a few butterflies released from her stomach. Not being able to close up the shop would prove a problem and it seemed that the game creator thought so too, lucky for her and those whom needed to do so as well. If that hadn't been worked into Sword Art Online, Carmine was sure that an update would ensure so especially if there were more people who questioned about the same thing while learning about and considering their profession.

 

"So material hunting is needed, huh? I guess I should start collecting some time. Are materials difficult to find?" Carmine loved to rush into the fields and look for adventure but if searching for a MAT here and there was a difficult job than she'd wait a while before performing the job. It would be boring, unlike hunting which was easy to begin and amusing to do. She had nothing against going into the fields, but being immature working was something Carmine obviously didn't want to do other than gaining a profession-a job-which seemed entertaining in its own way. "In a profession are you limited to making certain things? I don't mean like a blacksmith can make heavy armor and a tailor can make light armor; I'm talking about when I begin a job. Am I only aloud to make certain items at first? You keep mentioning once I begin so just wondering."

 

A frown etched itself onto Carmine's face at the mention of what exactly the monument was. She hadn't known until now, and sort of wished she hadn't learned about it either. "That... that sounds sad." Carmine muttered once the two reached the top of the stairs. Her eyes wondered as Calrex explained the monument to her. To think of such a thing was a little stressful and depressing, not as serious as the location was sad. Or so that's what she thought. "I understand. I'll do the same, def don't want this on my mind 24/7 or even anytime of the day. At least it let's us know what's happened instead of leaving us to wonder. There's something good that comes out of this in the end." The twenty-six year old covered her frown with a smile and lifted her voice so any mood downing would be hidden from the words. "I still don't believe players actually die, they just slip into a coma until the games end. Programming couldn't possibly kill someone. Still something that shouldn't be joked about, though, I can agree with that. Nobody deserves to be deprived of possible fun over the thought of being dead." In her heart she felt bad for those who'd perished within the game, though everyone was making process so far and doing the best they could. There was still, and always hope for everyone.

[Calrex 0]

"Yeah, since we're stuck in this game it's difficult to know what happens to those that are eliminated in the game, so I guess it's best not to assume the worst right from the get go. Nonetheless I usually feel its necessary for new players to at least be aware of this monument. I don't remember exactly if people are able to know if others' current status from the friend menu, so in a way this can also be used as a tool to check up on others."

 

Deciding to lighten the mood Calrex gave a nod and a friendly smile before motioning to head back down the staircase, "In any case getting back to your previous questions, yes, I believe when you are first starting out only a few items are capable of being made. I believe that blacksmiths can only craft weapons at level one, but can create armor and other gear at higher levels. In the case of merchants, to my memory the variety items they can carry in their general store increases with their level."

 

As the two weaved through the streets of the city once again they arrived at the gate, standing in front of the fountain within the square just inside, "As for materials, yes I believe they are always in high demand. I actually have taken it up as my own little unofficial profession to collect materials and give them to shops when they are in need. It's a voluntary service, so I never expect anything in return, but the shop owners are nice enough that they usually provide some kind of compensation for the work. They can generally be found in the landscape, but if you have the Search and Detect skill it makes it easier to make them out from the rest of the scenery."

[Carmine 0]

"Right. Well, I'm sure you'd be able to see if a friend was dead. Why wouldn't the game allow that if it had a monument that did the same? I do know for sure that you can see the well-being of any player if you're in a party with them; a friend showed me that." Carmine thought that a friend's list would most definitely tell you, or at least cross out, if a pal of your's happened to become deceased while in-game. Well, that would be nice at least. Very informational and helpful especially if you assumed your friend had simply gone missing. Then she remembered Piera, an already good friend that informed her that you could see the HP and overall status of anyone in your party; thus why she had been in a party with her mate in the first place. "Luckily I don't know, and hopefully won't have to find out if that's the case anytime soon." Carmine added, making it obvious she wouldn't want to go through the mental pain of suffering from loss in-game.

 

"Ah~ So more work? Just like level raising outside of a profession. Yay." The twenty-six year old didn't sound in the least bit of amused, but she kept a lighthearted tone and smirked to indicate she was just playing around. In the meantime, that is. She followed Calrex down the stairs, keeping up with him as the two walked in-sync. Back to scenery she knew as if it were the back of her hand, being away from the monument and subject of death, Carmine now felt at ease. "Oh really? Smart move. I would probably ask for money but you seem like a "nice guy" so I can understand why. Helping out is just your thing, eh?" Moving a hand to idly twirl a piece of crimson hair, Carmine kept a teasing smirk painted across her face. Calrex just seemed like one of those people who couldn't hold back from helping anyone out, hopefully he wouldn't... or hasn't gotten walked all over. "Search and Detect seems helpful. Any skills you recommend grabbing in the future for myself?"

 

 

 

 

[Calrex 0]

"Heh, well I wouldn't go as far to say that it's my 'thing,' but I can see how it can probably be taken that way. I originally thought of it because I never planned on taking up a profession myself, so in the end materials would only be useful for me if I were using it as payment for some commission. So rather than keeping it with me, I decided to lose the weight and pass them to people that can make use of it. More materials with them means more crafting attempt, which results in more potential items being created, which I can always come back and get later."

 

Calrex gave a small smile as he continued to speak putting his hands behind his head, "So I guess in a roundabout way you could say I'm helping myself in the long run by helping others."

 

Giving a breath he began to address Carmine's next question, "Search and Detect is something I tend to find useful, because it applies to not just materials, but also finding loot in dungeons as well, so if you plan to be doing a lot of exploring I would recommend it. The second reason is because, should you decide to want it, there is an Extra Skilled known as Reveal, which allows one to see through the landscape. I think I'm the only person in the game that's decided to take it so far, but the prerequisites are Night Vision and one rank in Search and Detect."

 

Quickly observing Carmine's equipment Calrex began to think of other skills that might be useful, "The rest of the skills really depend on what kind of playing style you'd prefer. When I've seen dagger players, well, one in particular, they tend to go for a more stealth-like build, so Sneak and Hide is an option. If you want to go for a more direct fighting approach you can take Athletics and Sprint and Acrobatics. Both together give a permanent boost to your damage, health, and agility, which is useful. Since you're first starting out I would recommend also looking at some kind of armor skill. Being take to reduce the impact of a hit is really useful."

 

Swiping on his menu Calrex began looking through his inventory, giving a small smirk, "I somehow ended up with what is called a bruiser build, which is somewhere in-between an agile high damage dealing attacker and a highly defensive 'tank,' so in the end the gear what I equip determines which side I edge more towards."

[Carmine 0]

"True, true. It's kinda like getting dirt on someone you want to blackmail... except you're not doing something evil like that. Just giving materials, and having something to back you up if you need an item pronto in the future." Carmine had to think her explanation through seeing as Calrex wasn't some kind of evil mastermind but had his very own effective system that did benefit him if you thought about it - thus she spoke slowly but seemed to get a grip on things with the last few words.

"Ah~ You see, I don't think I'm gonna get Night Vision. Unless I go on the tenth floor I don't see myself using it. Maybe I'll consider it when I get the SP to work on my build. So, how does seeing "through the landscape" even work? How does it help you? Gahh~ Sorry for hounding you with so many questions again. I'll be sure to repay you one of these days for my never-ending voice." Carmine slipped in a little joke within all the mayhem of speech, feeling that a little lightheartedness should be thrown in just to calm both the players a tad bit.

Feeling for her dagger as Calrex mentioned the weapon-type, she nodded and took mental notes. "Yeah, yeah. I was gonna go for Light Armor, but I'mma invest in those two mobility skills first cause I wanna get plenty of COL first." She turned her head at the sound of an inventory opening that wasn't her's, buttons pinging - an annoying noise she'd gotten used to - and grinned upon seeing Calrex's expression. "Woah! I wouldn't wanna mess with you that's for sure. High damage and the ultimate defense of a tank? Remind me not to get on your bad side."

[Calrex 0]

"Heh, well don't go getting worried just yet. Like I said I'm somewhere in-between. It's like they say, a jack of all trades if a master of none. I'll most likely never get to the amount of power that a true striker can, nor take nearly as much damage as an actual tank. However, I can edge my stats in whichever direction simply by changing out my equipment, so the main aspect that shines about my build is its versatility and adaptability."

Putting a hand behind his head Calrex gave a friendly smile, "It's certainly not the most spectacular setup, but it works for me. Night Vision seems only relevant to the tenth floor at the moment, but maybe later on it might be more useful to have. My guess would be that the floor was an introduction to the hindered vision mechanic. As for Reveal..."

Giving a calming breath he activated his respective skill as a flash came across his eyes for a second with the activation. While players and creatures didn't change, the buildings and areas went transparent, with only light white lines dictating the edges and outlines of objects remaining, "I believe what it is supposed to do is eliminate the ability for people to sneak up on you, so players that are trying to be stealthy and use the environment to catch you from behind won't be able to use cover to their advantage. So combined with Night Vision and Search and Detect it makes it extremely difficult for anyone to catch you by surprise."