SP-F1 «Earning a Living» The Joys of Music

[Lawfer 0]

"Let's see..... How much Col do I have?" Lawfer asked himself. Knowing his answer in advance, he just had to ask himself. This was the first time in quite a long time that he had to worry about money. In real life money was a luxury that he had in spades, but in Aincrad he had to work extremely hard to farm it. 'There had to be a better way to do this.' Lawfer thought as he swiped his hand down the interface to show his whopping 0 col. "Everyone in the guild is hard at work making it better its probably time I do the same.: He said aloud as he looked down the street. It was an NPC, dressed oddly flamboyantly, carrying around a guitar that was walking toward him. 'This must be a quest NPC.' He had read about it before in the game manual, but this was the first time he had actually seen one make contact with him first.

"You look like a reliable fellow." the NPC paused. "Would you be interested in a trade? If you go and slay 6 wolves and collect 6 small crystals from the forest. I will teach you the art of being a performer. The most noble of the professions."

Lawfer paused... he didn't know what to do. Performers were rare in SAO but that was for a reason. It wasn't highest paying job out there. In fact, there was a reason why most musicians are broke in SAO and in real life. 'But then again.... Girls do always fall for the musicians' This was always Lawfers problem. Being secluded from women for the better part of his life, tended to turn the intellectual man, into someone who doesn't make the wisest decisions. He knew his weakness but he didn't care, long ago he decided that he would make the decisions that led to the most fun even if he had to use his head to fix it later. As the quest acceptance screen blinked in front of him, he pressed accept. "Let's do this."

Edited September 2, 2015 by Lawfer

[Lawfer 0]

It had been about 15 minutes since Lawfer started traveling from Starter city. After following the NPC Musicians instructions he found himself out it the middle of the woods. To his surprise he hadn't seen one enemy yet. This as disconcerting because he needed at least 6 wolves and 6 crystals. The whole thing seemed fishy to him, why did a performer need him to kill 6 wolves? and what were the crystals for? He had no idea, and this was a fact that he was learning from this world. It was full of rules that didn't make sense. Lawfer shrugged his shoulders then erupted in laughter. This was what he definitely an interested world. 

Lawfer began to focus. He had to find these bushes so that he could find some crystals. Trudging through the brush, Lawfer couldn't help but feel the branches scrape through his cloth shirt. "I really need to get some decent armor when I get back." He said as he spotted the first viable source of the crystals he needed at the base of tree. Bending a knee, he reached into rubble. 

Searching for Crystals
ID#: 29926 LD:6
ID# 29928 LD:4
ID# 29929 LD: 18 (+1 Material)

"Nice! I only had to keep digging to find it." He said as he stood up, wiped his hands off, and looked around for other treasure troves or beasts.

[Lawfer 0]

Lawfer had been looking around for quite sometime to no avail. He still hadn't found another crystal deposit and he definitely hadn't found the ravaging wolves that had been plaguing this area. That was at least what the musician had told him before. This didn't stop Lawfer from wading through the ample amounts of overgrown scrubs. He was starting to lose his temper... His arms were continually being scratched and rubbed against the bushes. "That's it." Lawfer exclaimed ad he grabbed his spear in both hands, he began to hack at the bushes that were too tall to jump over. His spear was not meant to hack, but that didn't matter much to Lawfer at this point. He just needed an outlet to vent his rage. After a few moments, he relaxed. It wasn't like him to lose his composure. "Well, I guess there is a first time for everything." He stated, followed by a laugh. "Now that I have that out of my system I need to find these wolves."

[Lawfer 0]

After trudging through that last of the overgrown shrubs, Lawfer raised his head after hearing a remotely familiar sound. It sounded like a dog, it was the first time he had heard the sound of any animal besides a boar. Following the sound he turned his head to the right. There it was. The first wolf that Lawfer had seen since he began this journey in the first place. Reaching back, he placed his right hand at the top of his spear right under the tip and pulled it over his shoulder. Pushing off of his back foot, he charged forward at the beast.

ID#: 29936 LD: 11 (+1 material)

Lawfer: 7/7
Wolf: 0/4 - 

BD: 10 = 4 (1+1+2) DMG 
MD: 3 = 0 DMG

As Lawfer charged, he thought quickly. 'How can I end this in one blow?' Without thinking any further he jumped. Lawfer didn't know why he chose to do this, but it was too late to change anything now. As he was falling towards the beast, he turned the head of the spear vertically down and drove it into the neck of the wolf severing its head from the body. Both the body and head of the beast dissolved into blue pixels then disappeared. "If only that worked everytime..... I leveled up! Nice!" Lawfer said as he checked out his new stats. " A whole whopping 9 HP. Getting stronger!" A smirk creeped across his face as he continued on.

[Lawfer 0]

Lawfer pushed forward. He was starting the have some fun with the combat aspect of his new world. It wasn't as bad as he originally thought it out to be. This of course was because he hadnt been damaged just yet. 'I guess that might actually change when I get hit.' He thought as he walked around looking for his next target. He followed the tree line looking to find more places that the materials for the quest might be hiding. "I wish everything was just in plain sight." he paused as a he took a deep breath. "Guess that would take the fun out of the adventure." 

Spotting another tree with rocks near the bottom Lawfer sprinted over. "Hopefully I can get this on the first go."

ID# 30049: 12 Fail
ID# 30050: 8 Fail
ID# 30051: 15 (Success)

Frustratingly Lawfer fumbled through the rocks three times. The first two times were massive failures. But on the Third time he managed to get his hands on a small crystal material. "Yahtzee!" he yelled as he stood up. The blood rushed to his head and he became dizzy. This world was way too real.

[Lawfer 0]

Lawfer began to tire from walking around so much. He had acclimated the forest area that contained the needed items to complete his profession quest. It wouldn't be long until he finished, but he still wanted to take a break. Solo-ing this quest had taught him quite a bit about himself. He was more than adept at combat especially on the first floor. He pondered what it was like at the second and third floors. Or even what it was like at the top. Floor 100, the floor of everyone's freedom. What was it like? How strong were the monsters? How was he going to be able to cope at that time. "All of that is useless... I cant think about that right now. I need to become stronger. Its the only way i'm going to experience it." He looked around at the scenery. "It sure is beautiful here. It would be a bit better if I had a woman beside me." He chuckled. "I guess I know what I need to do before the next time I come out here." He stated as he began standing up. It's time to go hunting.

[Lawfer 0]

"Whats this?" Lawfer asked himself as he pulled a branch closer to him. It looked like a cocoon of a butterfly from the real world. "Just how detailed is this place?" He asked himself. This being the second time he asked himself a question in less that a minute. 'I really need to stop talking to myself.' He thought as he realized he yet again was talking to himself just this time he hadn't used words. "Hahahaha" 

Raising his brow as he looked forward. He spotted another wolf. "Time to do business...." He paused momentarily reflecting on what he just said. "Now that is a bad one liner. I gotta work on that." Charging forward Lawfer thrust-ed his spear.

Lawfer 9/9
Grey Wolf 5/5

ID#: 30055
BD: 3 (Miss)
MD: 7 - 1 DMG

Lawfer over-committed with his lunge and his spear missed the mark. The grey wolf sunk under his spears tip and leaped forward biting Lawfer on the leg then leaped out of range. This was the first time Lawfer had sustained damage. He watched as his HP bar dropped below 100%. Perplexed, Lawfer readied for the next attack.

Lawfer- 8/9
Grey Wolf- 5/5

 

Edited September 3, 2015 by Lawfer

[Lawfer 0]

It was kind of insulting. This little beast actually got the better of him. "I'll show you." he yelled trying to intimidate the beast but to no avail. The grey wolf gnarled with its canines exposed. Lawfer wanted to plant his spear right in the middle of the monsters skull. Twirling his spear in his left hand clockwise, Lawfer cinched his right hand near the top of the shaft. The two were circling each other. Lawfer feinted to his left as he stepped right and pivoted trying to get the proper angle on the wolf. He had seen this footwork countless from professional boxers, but this was the first time he tried it himself. "I got you now." He yelled at the monster as he thrusted his spear yet again.

Lawfer- 8/9 HP
Grey Wolf- 5/5 HP

ID#: 30083
DB: 8- 2 DMG (1+1)
MD: 9 - 2 MG (1+1 Crit) 

Lawfer's spear tip sunk into the beasts shoulder and ripped out causing a deep cut into the wolf as it dashed in. The wolf had broken inside yet again and sunk its teeth into the same leg it made its mark before. This time it hurt much more than the first. "He critical-ed me." Lawfer said with frustration as he furrowed his brow. He had to finish this quickly.

Lawfer- 6/9 HP
Grey Wolf- 3/5 HP

Edited September 3, 2015 by Lawfer

[Lawfer 0]

The two continued to circle each other. Lawfer wanted to finish this fast, but he was having no such luck with the matter. The grey wolf had seemed to slow down for the injury that Lawfer caused earlier. Not much but enough that he could notice. Or at least he had believed that to be the case. Slowly inching his way into range, Lawfer was struggling because had this been a fight of whits, he would have triple criticled the beast at first thought, but that wasn't the case. Lawfer was thinking back to his previous fights and luck helped him out more than once. "I cant think like that." He stated, concentrating on his next strike. 

Lawfer- 6/9
Grey Wolf- 3/5

ID#: 30092 
BD: 2- 0 DMG
MD: 2- 0 DMG

Lawfer- 6/9 HP
Grey Wolf- 3/5 HP
 

Thrusting again, Lawfer missed his mark. This time was different, he had seen the wolfs attack pattern. As it ducked right, Lawfer quickly planted the head of the spear into the ground and vaulted over the wolf, narrowly escaping the monsters teeth. Lawfer was learning the attack patterns of the grey wolf, it wouldn't be long before he felled the beast and claimed his reward.

Edited September 3, 2015 by Lawfer

[Lawfer 0]

Lawfer watched the monster carefully. Slowing his breath, fully relaxing his body. He was trying to concentrate on an opening. He had been caught by the wolf twice before and made careless mistakes rushing the situation. He was never like this before, he was always cool and calculated and that always payed off. He needed to act like that again, this wasn't a situation in which he could rush into and make it out unscathed. This was a life or death situation, one that would end if he was too careless. Exhaling slowly, Lawfer charged, then leaped as high as he could.

ID#: 30098

BD: 10- 4DMG (1+1+2 Crit)
MD: 4- 0 DMG
LD: 18 (+1 Material)

Lawfer- 6/9 HP
Grey Wolf- 0/5 HP

The wolf was caught of guard this time, Lawfer had not leaped at it before. It wasn't programmed to react to this situation. As it raised its head to get a better look at the airborne man, its skull met with the tip of Lawfer's spear. It howled as it dissolved into the blue pixels just like every other MOB in this game. Lawfer smiled. He could finally relax knowing that he wasn't in danger anymore. "I still need to kill 4 more of these things. I should bactrack to where the weaker wolves were until I level up a bit more. Well logically I should do that." He said as he took a knee. "But first I should probably go find more crystals."

Edited September 3, 2015 by Lawfer

[Lawfer 0]

It had taken a minute for Lawfer to regain his composure. He was challanged for the first time in this world and it was the first time he felt truly accomplished. Not only did he slay a tough monster, but he learned more about the games attack patterns. It didn't look like they changed much for the low level beasts. He was sure that wasn't the case for all of the monsters but at least here he could use that to his advantage. In his quest, he had completed 33% of what was required. He needed to finish up the rest as fast as he could so he could catch up to the rest of his guild. Standing up from the kneeling position he began to run around again. Searching for a material point.

About two minutes had past until he finally noticed another patch of rocks that looked familiar to ones he had found early. This one wasn't as large as the others, it didn't have the same density that the two prior did. Kneeling down once more he began to dig with his hands hoping to find a crystal.

Material Gathering
ID#: 30136 LD-3(fail)

"No Luck this time." He stated as the debris disappeared. "Looks like I'm going to have to find another batch." he replied to himself knowing hoping that the next time would be different.

Out of Combat Health Regen- 7/11 HP

Edited September 3, 2015 by Lawfer

[Lawfer 0]

Lawfer scurried around every tree he could trying to find the proper mineral deposit that would hopefully spawn the crystals he needed to turn in for his quest. As he was still low on hp he tried to avoid any conflicts with the wolves that were prominent in the area. Luckily, he was able to avoid the random spawning encounters that would make him susceptible to an attack. He didn't enjoy sneaking around, but he wanted to be 100% especially if another grey wolf appeared. He backtracked quite a bit and was able to find the same area that spawned the weaker wolves and was  rich in material deposits. He spotted another mineral deposit not to far off. As he walked closer it looked as if there were actually two right next to each other. "I guess this is the area I should farm if I want to finish this up." He stated as he kneeled down and plunged his hands into the earth.

ID#30142 LD 17 (+1 Material)

Pulling up a medium sized crystal, Lawfer smiled. "Ok thats 3. Just three more to go and I can hunt as many wolves as I want." He reluctantly said. Standing up again he dusted the crystal off and put it in his inventory. 

<Out of combat Regen- 8/11 HP>

[Lawfer 0]

Approaching the batch of stones Lawfer looked around. It seemed eerily quiet. There was no background noise. Typically, he could hear the birds chirping among other noises the game had made to simulate the environment. Something wasn't right, there must be something around that would cause everything else to quiet down. His eyes shifted back and forth canvasing the area. Hearing a twig snap behind him Lawfer turned quickly, grasping the spear that rested on his back tightly. He could feel his adrenaline kicking in, he was ready for anything this tower would throw at him. Ripping the spear from its harness, Lawfer pointed at the direction of the noise. A new sound emerged from his left, something was rustling through the bushes. A rabbit had emerged from the bushes. "HAHAHAHAHA!" Lawfer exploded in laughter. This was the big bad monster that quited the forest. "I guess it could have been worse." he stated as he turned back the the minerals. This time he got on both knees and reached into the rocks shoving them aside.

Material Gathering
Id# 30144 LD-4(Fail)

He had failed at gathering the crystal again. "Time to find a different spot." He stated as he stood up and dusted off his hands and knees. His head held high as he began walking in the direction of another location that looked promising. 

<Out of Combat Regen- 9/11>

[Lawfer 0]

Lawfer found himself in a thicket once again. After his last failure of trying to collect the crystals Lawfer was trying to figure out the probability behind it. This was a system that dealt primarily on chance. The rules that governed this world were to vast to completely understand. But Lawfer was more than confident that he could figure out this part of the game. It was after all just one quest of many. He needed to conquer this game and claim his freedom. As he continued to move forward, his right foot caught something and he proceeded to trip. Stumbling a few feet he looked back. Lawfer had completely missed a small material deposit. "Well look what I found here." He stated as he walked back over to the deposit. Kneeling down once more, he tossed aside a few rocks. Picking up a shining blue crystal he smiled. 

Material Gathering
ID# 30145 LD-19 (+1 Material)

He examined the crystal once more again. It was nearly flawless, he had never seen a more beautiful crystal in his life. That was saying a lot considering he studied countless gems in his Advanced geology classes in school. "Why does a musician need these?" He asked himself again. He could see that a musician would need guitar strings or a clarinet reed. But what is so important about this crystal material. "I guess he will tell me when I see him again." 

<Out of combat Regen- 10/13>

Edited September 3, 2015 by Lawfer

[Lawfer 0]

Pulling aside the branches that were in Lawfer's way he spotted a silhouette in the distance. It was larger, not the size of any human that he had seen in Aincrad, but it was definitely close. Lawfer was a good size himself, not as tall as his guild master Mack who was a hulking brute of a man, but this silhouette was more than half his size. As he drew closer, he caught glimpse of its icon name. Alpha Wolf. It was a class of wolf on the first floor that was large in nature, but still retained its predecessors guile. Lawfer decided that he would engage the monster, hopefully taking it down in one go. Unsheathing his spear he placed his weight on his lead leg and sprinted toward the beast.

Lawfer HP 10/13
Alpha Wolf- 7/7

ID#:30146
BD-10 4DMG (1+1+2Crit)
MD-2 0DMG

Lawfer 10/13
Alpha Wolf 3/7

Just before he was in range, the Alpha turned towards his. Brandishing its teeth leaped first. It had broken inside Lawfer's range. Lawfer had thought about vaulting over the monster like he did against the grey wolf he fought earlier. But the size of the Alpha, make him think twice. Lowering his right shoulder, he rolled out of harms way. It was his chance to counter attack. As the Alpha tried to stop its momentum it created an opening. As Lawfer regained his footing he breathed out thrusting his spear into the Alpha's side, criticaling him. "Gotcha!" He said calmly as the alpha let out howl. Lawfer's left eyebrow raised. He damaged him critically but the beast wouldn't fall that easily.

Edited September 3, 2015 by Lawfer

[Lawfer 0]

Lawfer and the Alpha stared each other down. Each of them concentrating on the next attack. Lawfer wanted to end it. He needed to kill the beast for the quest, or at least that's how it started out. Lawfer began to enjoy combat, he was starting to get the hang of using his spear and wanted to increase his level. All that was in his way was the Alpha at this point. Raising his spear, he took a deep breath in then exhaling. 

Lawfer 10/13
Alpha Wolf 3/7

ID#: 30155 

BD: 5- 0 DMG
BD: 4- 0 DMG

Lawfer 10/13
Alpha Wolf 3/7

The Alpha was fast, it charged in and leaped at Lawfer aiming his jaws directly at his head. Without hesitating Lawfer ducked, then turned left. Wildly swinging in an attempt to catch the beast off guard, missing completely. "Well that was a new one." Lawfer said as his brow furrowed. Guess its attack pattern is different than the smaller ones. 

Edited September 3, 2015 by Lawfer

[Lawfer 0]

"Enough is enough." Lawfer yelled as he inched his left foot forward and lowered his stance. He was going to finish this fight in the next go. He had already created a finishing move that he like to use. But he wasn't sure if it would work on the Alpha. The monster had proved its superiority to the other wolves he had encountered already. Lawfer was a man of numbers. He had always calculated every action and it served him well. This time he was going off of his gut instinct. He knew the probability that his jump attack landing was low, and it even left him defenseless but he was going to do it. Taking a deep breath in, he jetted forward and leaped.

Lawfer HP- 10/13
Alpha Wolf HP- 3/7

ID#: 30156 LD-18(+1 Good item)

BD: 9 3 DMG (1+1+1Cit)
MD: 3- 0 DMG

Lawfer HP- 10/13
Alpha Wolf HP- 0/7

This jump was different. He didn't know if it was because his level had increased but it seemed like he was at least two feet higher than he was previously. As the Alpha lowered its level, preloading its legs to jump and catch Lawfer off guard, Lawfer tuned his spear head down.His left had was at the middle of the shaft and his right hand near the butt of the hilt. I got you now!" Lawyer said calmly. Slamming down with the full force of his body, the spear head met the middle of the Alphas spine. The body erupted into blue pixels that blurred Lawfer's view. "I guess I need to use that move more often." Lawfer stated with a smile. Fastening his spear on his back he looked back and forth trying to find another crystal deposit.

Edited September 3, 2015 by Lawfer

[Lawfer 0]

Lawfer's HP bar flashed. He had taken damage. It had been a surprise attack. Looking around he caught sight of a wolf that had sprinted off and was circling back. It wasn't as large as the Alpha that he had just fought, it was the same size as the first wolf he had come across when he started the quest. Grasping his spear firmly he removed it from the harness on his back. "Just come back here." He stated lowering his stance once more. The wolf had clipped his leg while he wasn't looking. It wouldn't be as lucky this time around. 

ID#: 30157 

BD: 10- 4 dmg (1+1+2 CRIT)
MD: 8- 1 DMG

Lawfer HP: 9/13
Wolf HP: 0/4

As the wolf closed distance once more, Lawfer closed his eyes. He listened to the quick patter of the wolfs paws, as it drew closer. Shifting his weight onto his left foot as he stepped off center line to his left, he stepped back with his right foot and angled out as the wolf passed. Lunging forward with his spear he made contact with the monsters side. The wolf dissolved upon impact with the spear head. Lawfer smiled then opened his eyes. "One more down. And now I can angle left and right to attack." He stated as he smiled. "Just a few more wolves and I can head back."

Edited September 3, 2015 by Lawfer

[Lawfer 0]

After dispatching the most recent wolf, Lawfer looked over his shoulder. He didn't want the be the victim of another surprise attack. Especially if that attack came from another Alpha. As he looked over his shoulder, he noticed a giant hole carved into a large tree. It had to be at least 3 meters in diameter. One of the largest trees that he had seen so far in the game. as he made his way over to the tree, an strange light began to emit from it. On the ground was a plethora of rocks that could be searched for material. The remaining crystals he needed, might just be in this borough. Reaching into the first point he pulled out multiple stones. All dark and dirty, nothing that screamed the quality he needed. After pulling three more stones, the first material point vanished. He failed to find a crystal that met his requirement. 

Scuffling over to the next search point, he dived in with his left hand. Pulling out a blue crystal he smiled, shortly after it crumbled in his hands. "Well that's not cool." He stated as he his smile quickly sank to a frown. He hated not finding what he needed. It wasn't like he was in a archaeological dig. He wasn't digging for fossils he just need two more blue crystals. His last hope was the third and final material point in the borough. If he couldn't capitalize on this one. He wouldn't know what to do. 

Material Gathering
ID#: 30167 LD-2
ID#: 30168 LD- 8
ID#: 30169 LD- 17(Success)

The third material point was at the complete back of the borough. Stepping in deeper he reached down and moved a rock to the side. As soon as he moved the rock over Lawfer saw it. A shining blue crystal. Picking it up he began to examine it. The icon indicator registered it as one of the quest items. It may not have been the best of luck, but he did manage to get at least on crystal.

<Out of combat HP Regen- 10/13>

Edited September 3, 2015 by Lawfer

[Lawfer 0]

Lawfer ducked as he exited the small hole in the borough that contained the 5th crystal material he needed. Looking forward he noticed another wolf roaming the area where he had slain the last wolf. This monster was the spitting image of the last, it was probably a respawn point for this type of monster. Reaching back with his right hand, Lawfer removed his spear from its harness on his back. Raising the head of the spear toward the wolf, charged. Stopping just out of the monsters range he gripped the shaft of the spear with both hands and lunged forward.

ID#30171

BD: 7- 2 DMG (1+1)
MD: 5- 0DMG

Lawfer HP- 10/13
Wolf HP- 2/4

The wolf ducked down and received the tip of the spear in its hind leg and leaped forward. As Lawfer retracted his spear, he blocked the wolfs bite by shoving the shaft of the spear across its mandibles. The wolves teeth looked razor sharp, no wonder the grey wolf and alpha were able to hurt him that much. "Not this time sparky." He told the wolf. "I really need a better catch line."