[PP-F1] Earning a Living Quest (Zelrius)

[Ayumu 0]

Rain...why did the game makers have to make rain one of the weather functions? Ayumu groaned, she felt soggy and damp. She enjoyed a gentle sprinkle, or even a moderate rainfall, but it was pouring today. Trudging rather aimlessly through the town, she sighed with annoyance. Today, she was wanting to take her first quest - one to actually start a profession and make a living while she was in SAO. It would be a good way to make some Col, and have something to do besides just combat and leveling. At first she was thinking of taking the Merchant profession, but in the end she had decided to go with being a Blacksmith. For some reason, she had trouble finding the NPC. Ayumu had went to the blacksmith's shop, but he/she wasn't currently there for some reason.

So I guess Kayaba designed these NPCs with mind of their own. Impressive, considering in most games they just stay in one spot the whole time. She mentally smirked to herself.

[Zelrius 0]

The boy wandered around the first floor, the rain in a constant fall. People ran amuck back and forth getting to buildings as fast they could. Zelrius thought he should probably do the same, Though for the most part, his silk Azure Commandant's cloak kept him dry. It was completely buttoned down, concealing the tuxedo and pendants under it. However, the two sheaths on each hip were not covered, as it mattered not whether or not they got wet. The golden haired boy had his head covered by a Hydra Skull, and over the skull, the hood was pulled over that for maximum protection. A few more moments of wandering and the boy happened upon a figure seemingly in no rush to get anywhere. Whether it was NPC or player, Zelrius had no actual clue. Regardless of which, he approached, his black dress shoes clicking along nicely as he took each step forward on the stone that marked the city. 

"It pouring out here, Aren't you suppose to be crowding in some Inn or Cafe somewhere like the rest of these low leveled noobs?" His voice matching of his eternally high arrogance and the speech pattern of an Aristocratic-esque manner of speaking.

[Ayumu 0]

"I guess normally I would be," she sighed as she stopped walking, "but I kind of need to find a certain NPC to start a quest. I'm getting kind of bored just hanging on this floor, too chicken to advance because I'm weak as of right now. I know it sounds stupid, but I can't find the blacksmith NPC anywhere to begin this said quest. I looked for him in the blacksmith's shop...or her, I'm not entirely sure...but they weren't there. Do you know if the NPCs on this floor have programmed routes, and where this one might be?" Ayumu asked

 

(OOC: I would put on a pink moustache and scream "where's the blacksmith," but that would be a bit much, don't you think? XD Yeah...I spend way too much time on youtube...)

[Zelrius 0]

For a moment, Zelrius considered not answering and simply walking off. He decided that would be a rather boring experience and chose to respond to the girl. "You must be referring to the Earning a Living Quest. I've done it with several other people, but I personally have no idea where any of the NPCs are. Though my guess is, If he is not at his Blacksmith shop, He is at a nearby inn. If you wouldn't mind leading me to the Blacksmith shop, Lady, I can prehaps help you search for and find the man. Entirely up to you if you want me to come along or not. As it must be clear to you that I don't have a whole lot else to be doing." The boy spoke, gesturing to the world around him. The rain kept on falling at the extremely fast rate that it was and the Frontline battle for the next boss fight was far away. So, here he found himself on the first floor again, attempting to do something other than stand under falling rain for an entire day.

[Ayumu 0]

"Actually, no - I wouldn't mind at all. The time I've spent looking for the darn thing is embarrassing," she gave a small snort of laughter as she started walking in the direction of the Blacksmith's shop, "thanks, by the way. I appreciate it."

The shop wasn't too terribly far away, and rather easy to spot. It matched the style of the other buildings, so the only thing that signified that it was different from any of the others was a simple sign to label the shop. Opening the creaky door, Ayumu stepped into the rather empty shop. There were displays of simple, basic weapons (as this was just a shop on the first floor), but that was about it.

"See? No one is here. I even carefully peeked into the backroom, and didn't see anyone in there either. I didn't enter that room though, so maybe I missed him. As far as I know though, he's somewhere else." She sighed 

[Zelrius 0]

The boy falled her throught the rain to the alleged Blacksmith's shop. He gave a short polite laugh in light of her first comment. "No problem, I need something to occupy myself anyhow." It was within a few moments of following the girl, the pair seemed to have arrived at the place they were headed to. The door creaked open and the Commandant crept in behind her, trying to make little noise, though he was unsure why. For a moment, Zelrius simply picked a weapon off the shelf and swung it around gingerly. He reminisced for a second, the back when days. "I remember when first starting out, I'd kill for a blade like this. Now?" With his free hand, Zelrius had drawn the blade of Michael, a pristine all white blade with golden cross down the center of it. "Now I have weapons make this seem like a heap of metal in a special shape." He chuckled at the thought of having a weapon such as the blade of Michael back when he first started Adventuring.

The boy frowned slightly when she pointed out no one being around and then spoke once more. "Well, here's what I propose:" Zelrius took a breath, eyeing the door she was referring to. "You're free to go look in the room you have not been to yet, and if he is not there, we can head off to the closest Inn and search there. If he is there, great, if not oh well. Sound like a plan?" 

[Ayumu 0]

"Reasonable enough," Ayumu shrugged, "he's probably back there and I just missed him, or...something."

She walked past the counter, and through the open doorway to the room in the back of the shop. The smell of the workshop immediately stung her nose, but it honestly wasn't that bad. She was also engulfed in warmth omitted from the fire that was currently burning in the backroom. With a small frown, Ayumu walked around in the little space, still seeing no one.

"Erm, hellooo?" She called to no one. With a heavy sigh and a shake of her head, she started to leave. At that moment, someone tapped on her shoulder. Loosing a startled cry, she whirled around to face whoever was suddenly behind her.

"Hello, how can I help you?" the Blacksmith NPC who owned the shop asked

"Oh..." she blinked, "well, uh...I'm here for the 'Earning a Living' quest." Ayumu said rather awkwardly, as she was caught off guard by this

"Of course," he smiled, "here." the NPC gave her a nod, and a small screen to accept the quest appeared in front of her. With a sigh of relief, she pressed the "accept" button.

[Zelrius 0]

Zelrius waited for her back in the main area of the shop and swung a few more of the swords around, clearly enjoying himself in doing so. "So, did we get it?" He asked, his voice filled with more genuine Enthusiasm rather than Arrogance now. He assumed that they had gotten the quest and he put the weapons back where he found them one by one. Soon after, the golden haired Commandant turned toward the door to leave. "I suppose that's all you need from me. It was fancy meeting you... Uhh.." Zelrius realized than that he hadn't even introduced himself. "Oh, mind my manner. I am terribly sorry for not introducing myself earlier." He turned her direction giving a slight bow before standing straight up again. "My name is Zelrius, Commandant of the Azure Brigade, Champion of the Clash of Blades Tournament and Dual Wielder. May I ask your name, if it is no trouble, Lady?" 

[Ayumu 0]

"Yeah," Ayumu nodded, walking over, "I actually found him and started the quest. Now I just have to gather I think about four basic materials to craft something simple. Thanks for your help." she grinned a little. Then, after he introduced himself, "I'm Ayumu, the...completely average, inexperienced low-level player. Quite a title I guess." she said sarcastically, smirking a little and poking fun at herself. Perking up a little, "oh, and hey - before you go do whatever...erm, could you point me in the direction of said materials? I mean, I'm sure I can find them on my own, but some pointers would be great. I mean...do have to go and buy this stuff somewhere, or do I just happen upon it in a certain area? Don't feel compelled to come with, but do you know where I can find this stuff?"

[Zelrius 0]

(I have work, so this will be my last post until much later today, Sorry!)

"That's good, I am glad we got that done and out of the way." Zelrius spoke, actually relieved they didn't have to go on a hunt for a damned NPC that was as simple as a quest NPC that hung out in a shop all day. That thought reminded the golden haired boy of the quest <<The Traveler>> in which you had to be at the right place at the right time during the week to find the NPC stumble into that town and ask you for help. Something that crossed his mind was that of the NPCs in SAO had similar patterns and introductions as that of a Single Player game, where it would appear they only did certain animations and patterns once, elsewise things would get confusing. Yet, Cardinal had figured out a way to make everything work just fine. Snapping back to reality as it would appear he had lost it for a moment, Zelrius laughed at her introduction. "Add 'honest-player' to your titles, as it takes either serious humor or serious honesty to admit that much." He said attempting to be polite and sound as least rude as possible. It was people like Ayumu who said things like she did in her intro that made Zelrius actually feel bad for boasting so many titles in an introduction. Though on the outside it didn't seem to bother him, the arrogance was merely a facade he had in place for various reasons. Nonetheless, the golden haired boy decided to focus on what was being said rather than his inner thoughts as of the moment. "Well, let me give you a quick summary as I am sure the last thing you want to do is listen to a Frontliner talk all day about professions and what not." The boy grinned, his brows creasing in thought as to give a quick explanation. "Monster's that have atleast half the health of the Highest Levelled player in a thread always drop a Material regardless of any of the other numbers used behind the scenes in Cardinal. Now, paired with the numbers, a Player may also get Col, and occasionally, an additional Material, depending on how lucky you are. If you're not feeling the battle aspect, You are free to use your search skill and go to various places look for mats, as they're called for short, however, that takes way more time and more luck is involved. Additionally, if you wish to purchase some, find a player with the Merchant profession, and I believe they do sell them, though the going rate is high."

He stopped, taking a breath. "I'd enjoy something to do and wouldn't mind accompanying you and finding some if it is no bother to you."

Edited November 7, 2015 by Zelrius

[Ayumu 0]

She chuckled a little at his first comment, then about the latter topic,

"Okay! Thanks, help would be nice. I guess finding some monsters would be the easiest option...I mean, not that any of them are easy or anything. That's the whole point of doing a quest to start the profession. I'm not too keen on searching hours on end with possibly no finds, I don't think I have enough Col to get all that I need from shops. Besides, getting some more SP and Col would be nice. I need to do some more training anyways, might as well kill two birds with one stone." she said, walking out of the shop and back into the rain. With a heavy sigh, "still pouring as heavy as ever. Oh well." Ayumu started walking out of the town, and towards the fields where creatures and monsters were usually found.

[Zelrius 0]

Zelrius' smile faded to a flat line as things quickly grew less interesting for him. The boy suddenly regretted his words, dreading the idea of killing monsters. He had done so much of that, and rarely did any yield much in the way of experience. He sighed, realizing it was too late now and would be far too rude to back out suddenly. He ran out into the rain following her quickly and for a moment, only tugged on her sleeve lightly to get her attention. "Eh, My apologies to bring this up now, but if we are travelling together, I am afraid the monsters will have to be significantly stronger to meet the requirements, is this okay with you?" Zelrius guessed probably not, Boars often spooked Low Levels to high hell. Whereas Zelrius had in mind the Grass Elementals in a dungeon to the far east that was meant for High level grinding. He looked at her standing in the rain for another moment and decided to go on with another question.  "Eh, also, I feel bad being all suited and dressed up for the weather. I can offer you a spare cloak I have, though know that it is marked with the Azure Brigade symbol. And while I am sure you will get over it, I am not so sure anyone else would be so fine with you wearing Brigade gear. Still, Do you want it or?" His voice remained completely fluent throughout that question, the only slight change was the speech pattern dropping from the usual elegance to that of normal speaking. 

[Ayumu 0]

"Oh, riiight," she cringed, realizing that fact, "well...what do you suggest we do instead? Do you think it would be easier for me to just search for mat?" then with a groan, "I'm sorry, my inexperience and noobery is pathetic, I know." Her shoulders slumped a little. After he offered her the cloak, she blinked with surprise, caught off guard by this, "u-uh, well..." she almost wanted to say no, just so she wouldn't cause any trouble, but he may take that as rude and annoying. Besides...it was still coming down pretty heavy. "I-I guess if you're offering then sure! Thanks!" Ayumu gave him a friendly nod, smiling a bit. "That's very nice of you," after a small pause, she asked, "say, why are you going out of your way just to help me? I mean...if you don't have, er..."commander stuff" to do, or whatever you call it, don't you have higher level players to hang out with?"

[Zelrius 0]

"If you're okay with it, I'd be more than willing to kill a few monsters and give you the materials, as I do not need them since," He stopped a second to pat his swords on his hips "Well, y'know, my gear is better than anything that could be crafted." And there he went, inadvertently boasting again to someone he didn't know, a habit the golden haired boy was really trying to forget. Searching through his inventory, the boy threw the Azure Brigade cloak at her. It was the spare he had made for Oikawa that the Commandant never picked up. As such, the entire cloak was a sky blue color, having the white fur trimming that was meant for Oikawa. Where are you now, friend? Zelrius asked to the missing Commandant in his mind. "To be quite honest, this isn't out of my way. I was simply bored and you've thus far provided a sly bit of entertainment, of which I thank you for." He stopped with a breath, his smile fading and his tone flat "Well, that's a loaded question. To put simply: Takao is 'commanding' the Frontlines this time around. If you're referring to my Titles as Commandant, There are 4 others, Tristan and Ssendom are off doing their own quests, Kiru is rarely seen, and I hardly speak to Rebekah. So no, I do not have an responsibilities there. And other than those four, I don't trust any of the other high levels. At all." And even they are losing my trust bit by bit. His thoughts finished silently in his mind. 

[Ayumu 0]

"Well thanks then," she sighed with relief at his answer, grabbing the cloak as he threw it to her and put it on. With a smirk, "you're welcome then. I didn't know I was so entertaining." Ayumu chuckled a little. As he began to answer her previous question, she winced a little, hoping that she hadn't touched on too sensitive of a subject. She felt bad for him, since the impressive title didn't seem to bring much joys with it. Frowning a little, she wondered why he didn't trust most high level players. Maybe most of them let it get to their head? And were therefore not trustworthy, and only out for themselves. That sounded about right, but there wasn't any way of actually knowing until she met players like this. Nodding a little as he finished,

"I understand," then changing the subject, "so, where do you suggest we go to find monsters or creatures for mat?"

[Zelrius 0]

"No problem," The boy said, his smile slightly returning from when it had gone flat. He had actually given thought to the other high levels, While some like Calrex and Teayre meant well and were semi-trust-able, Zelrius simply didn't interact with them enough to be considered as such. Then there was the likes of Azide, whom Zelrius hated with a passion. In the golden haired Commandant's mind, Azide was nothing but a friend-stealing, selfish, and cruel Solo player who had no right to fight beside Zelrius when it came to frontlining, or at all for that matter. He acknowledged her sudden change in topic, and smile gratefully, happy to get his mind off the other Frontliners. "I could suggest the Caves on the far edges on this floor. Some were discovered not too long ago that held extremely high leveled Monsters fit for High levels able to still get loot without having to be on the Highest Floor all the time. Of course, I discourage it as you would be in danger, but at the same time, I encourage it because the loot is nice and it would provide atleast minor excitement for me for the time being." Zelrius thought of all the ways they could go into a battle like that, and keep Ayumu from being one shotted by such enemies. "Of course, I can always attempt to strike first, of which either they will die from my attack, or be aggroed on to me from the Hate system. So we should be relatively safe. However, if you're still reluctant to do that, I understand and we can figure something else out."

[Ayumu 0]

"Okay, sounds good. I guess it would be rather risky since I'm only at level 2, but that's alright. Just don't do all the work for me, okay?" she laughed a little, "I guess we should get going then. Lead the way, if you will, since I have no idea where these caves are."

Well what do you know, I'm actually going to get something interesting done today. She mentally mused. I hope I can take this on...what am I saying, of course I can if I put my mind to it! Its dangerous, but this whole game is dangerous, so what difference does it make? Besides, I'm just getting one step closer to waking up in the real world. Maybe finding pursuits in here are a waste of time...but if they help me accomplish my ultimate goal, then I can get back to what really matters. I'm ready for this, and nothing is going to stand in my way!

(OOC: sorry for taking so long to post. This one is still fairly short like the other ones too lol. I'm currently multi-tasking right now)

[Zelrius 0]

(OOC, Sorry this is late, was at work.)

The boy returned a laugh at her comment "Well, I will try not to steal all the kills, but sometimes I cannot help it. Nonetheless, off we go." The boy spoke, walking due east toward the cave. "Tell me, Do you have a shop name and location in mind, Lady Ayumu?" At this point, it was clear Zelrius really had no more to talk about only attempting to make small talk. When the pair reached the destination, just as they always had, four entrance guardians spawned. Zelrius smirked, unclipping the Blade of Michael from his waist and holding the sword out to Ayumu. "Hold on to this for a second," He said, Charging forth and quickly drawing the blade of Lucifer with his left hand. In a single moment, the boy made Eleven quick swings, destroying the 4 enemies with ease. "There's four easy mats, Prehaps we can push on and get more, I still have enough Energy to do another Sword Art like that." 

ID 37915 BD 10 Crit

7+5 Charge = 12+2 Crit = 14*11 = 154.

Zelrius 172/172

Dungeon Guardian 100/100 HP | 25 Mitigation | 50 damage DEAD
Dungeon Guardian 100/100 HP | 25 Mitigation | 50 damage DEAD
Dungeon Guardian 100/100 HP | 25 Mitigation | 50 damage DEAD

Dungeon Guardian 100/100 HP | 25 Mitigation | 50 damage DEAD

4 Materials, 2000 Col.

[Ayumu 0]

"Sort of," she started answering his question as they entered the cave, "I was thinking of putting the shop on floor 1...but I was also considering floor 2. I've brainstormed and thought of several shop names, but I haven't chosen my favorite yet."

As she took the sword at him, Ayumu blinked, immediately noticing the difference between it and her own. It was heavier, but it a good way. Besides having the appearance of a good blade, just holding on to the hilt was enough to fill one with awe. Maybe if she got good at this Blacksmith thing, she could make swords like this. Perhaps it was weird to feel so, but she felt honored to hold it, if just for a moment while he used his other sword to fight.

If just holding a sword was an experience, than it was no wonder her jaw literally hung open as wide as it could after watching him so easily take out the Dungeon Guardians. Just a few swings, and they were out. It was watching fighting like this that gave her hope. If she could get to a level to fight like this one day, there was a sure hope that she could clear this game. Even if she never got that good, at least there were players who were. Once she realized she was gaping at the scene, she promptly shut her jaw, rather embarrassed.

"Right..." Ayumu blinked again, still rather wide-eyed even though she was trying to gain her composure, "well...s-sure, if you're still up to it. I mean, four mat is all I need, but you're fine if you want to keep going."

[Zelrius 0]

Zelrius turned to Ayumu once the enemies were dead, and simply walked over to her to speak. He wasn't fazed, not even a little, and his breathing was even for the most part, showing no signs that the attack he just made did anything to his physical energy. The Energy stat however, was drained to nearly half way. "I would charge in and kill more enemies, however, I need to wait a second for my Energy to come back." That was when he realized her widen-eyes and awe-inspired look. Zelrius laughed lightly and responded to which. "I would say something cheesy and tell you anyone could be as powerful as me, but I would be flat out lying to you. Do not mistake this for me being arrogant: I'd love to tell you that anyone could do that, but truth be told, I have a unique skill, and as the name suggests, the only of it's kind. Now there are other Unique skills, but I don't think any quite match up to that. However, it is possible for anyone to do what I just did right there, given I handed you my other blade so that I was only using one sword." He said, not quite asking for it back yet. It was clear he had planned to grind just a tiny bit more. Turning around, the boy walked down into the Dungeon, after activating a Bloodrage Crystal, raising his damage by more. It was within moments, the new enemies were gone once more, and Zelrius walked back toward Ayumu, victorious. 

Going through his menu really quick, Zelrius shot a trade request Ayumu's way. All it simply said was that he was attempting to give her the Col and materials he had just gotten off those monsters. 

ID 38064 BD 7 hit LD 20+3 Hand of Midas = 23 x10 Col Gain.

7+4 Fallen = 11+5 Charge = 16+3 Bloodrage = 19*11 Legion Destroyer  = 209

(I fine tuned their HP and Mitigation to get as much Money as possible.

Plains Elemental 0/165 HP | 42 Mitigation | 50 damage DEAD
Plains Elemental 0/165 HP | 42 Mitigation | 50 damage DEAD
Plains Elemental 0/165 HP | 42 Mitigation | 50 damage DEAD
Plains Elemental 0/165 HP | 42 Mitigation | 50 damage DEAD

4 Mats, 6,600 Col.

____

Total: 8 Materials, 8,600 Col.