Sword Art Online: Infinity Edition [IC] [T] [Best Rookie 4Q '12]

[CarefulWetPaint]

Dante Farefyre, Floor 6, Level 24.

5 minutes passed as Dante awaited his reply. Sona this better not be another dead end. The centre of the small 6th floor courtyard was rather busy with the not-so-serious players using it as a new grinding ground. Wonder if he already found someone else? Sighing, Dante looked around for somewhere to sit. Beep Beep.

[New Message]

From: Rapp
Subject: RE: Escort.

[Open][Ignore]

Fine. The ore's in a secret area of the cave on Floor 6 that only a select few know about so I'll have to guide you there, then the hard work's up to you. Once we've got it we'll head back to my workshop in Floor 8 and you'll get your sword, I can't promise you'll be skilled enough to use it though, it requires a pretty high level to wield. I've heard of level 22s trying to wield it with no success, and you'll be hard pressed to be stronger than them. Anyway, I'll meet you by the cave entrance.

This guy seems angry for some reason, people must have been letting him down so far. Oh I know what cave he is talking about as well, that is a fun area. Dante began walking to the cave's entrance, using his speed skill to get there quickly. I wonder if that swords actually going to be any good. Oh here he comes. As Rapp approached, Dante noticed that he was grimacing at the sight of Dante's face. Dante smiled in greeting at Rapp whom took a deep breath before greeting. Oh I know this guy!

"Hey." Rapp looked slightly nervous.
"Hello! Oh it's you! It's great to see you made it out alive!" Dante let out a slight sigh of relief as he remembered back to when he saved Rapp in the 5th floor dungeon.
"Yeah, don't bring that up okay? It's hard enough having to hang around posers like you when you're ranting on about 'soloing the front lines'. Seesh." Rapp was almost snapping at Dante, which confused Dante greatly. None the less Dante contiued his friendly smile and replied.
"I'm sorry. I really don't mind what you think about me though. While you're with me I promise you won't even get hurt." Rapp glared at Dante as he began talking again.
"I don't need you to protect me. You're just here so I don't have to waste time killing these worthless monsters.." Man this guy is being rather harsh towards me, I wonder why? Rapp continued on about how the room was supposedly secret and its location, which Dante already knew. Rapp also explained that the monsters are strong and good for showing off and that the sword that he'll be able to make will be to high-levelled for Dante. This guy is really against me..
Dante continued smiling even though he had just be put through the ringer by Rapp.
"I know the room my friend. I'll be sure not to let anything hurt you. As long as I get a good sword I will be happy."
"Don't call me your friend, you're only here so I have someone to laugh at whilst taking the ore. Anyway, let's get going, I don't have all day." Rapp snapped back once again, harshly talking down at Dante for no apparent reason.
"Sure, let us go then." Man he is HARSH. I can keep him alive though. He doesn't seem stupid.

The pair walked into the cave with Dante taking the lead. Walking through the cave Dante easily cut down the Cave bats and other monsters that got in their way. I don't even need to use my sword skills on these monsters, I wonder what level he is at. While navigating the cave Dante tried to strike up a conversation, with everything getting shut down with mumbles from Rapp who clearly was frustrated at Dante's presence. The only time he spoke clearly was asking for the item drops of the monsters that Dante had slain. They didn't encounter many other players on the path that Dante chose which made him happy. Dante stopped at the crevice, turning all the monsters around the pair into data fragments. Dante turned to Rapp with a weak smile on his face, ready for another harsh comment in reply.
"Well here we are, would you like to lead the way now Rapp?"

 

[Meganium]

Leilani Estefania Juarez Garcia
Floor 5 - Mount Lost | Level: 13

Leila [Solo-Player]
Level: 13
Health: 100%

It had been two weeks since players, from soloers to parties had beaten the boss inside the Mount Lost dungeon, unlocking three new floors of the game. Leila spent the two weeks leveling up, and so far she has gone up, enough to be strong…and enough to enter Floor 6 with no penalty.

The sun rose from the distance. The Inn window's blue curtains were raised open to bring in light into the room. Leila, sleeping on the comfortable bed, continued to catch her zzz's as the sun kept rising. Then the sun's rays started to glare on her pale white face. She had been in bed for the past two days, exhausted from her rigorous training. For the two weeks, she went from a Level 8 to a Level 13, no longer the newbie player with weaker skills.

Her eyes opened. The aqua blue became pools of water as the sun's rays gave it a bright glow. Leila sat up to stretch her arms, then bent to reach her toes. Then she sat on the side of her bed to open her menu. All she had ever done in her menu was to retrieve her things, such as her wardrobe, and game-wide messages…the latest one being about the three new floors. Then she hovered over to her friends list. Only two had appeared, and both are offline.

[Offline] [DS] Ollie
[Offline] Drew

Both of them had been offline for a while now, and will be for the rest of Leila's life. The death of Ollie scarred her, as well as other deaths she has witnessed. Drew disappeared and was never heard of again, assumed he also had died before reaching Mount Lost.

Leila prepared herself for another brand new day. Everyday was like her birthday, celebrating an extra day of living in Aincrad. She changed to her armor clothing, and immediately equipped her daggers. The daggers, however, they still remained the same, even with her new attack skill Speed Sword being off and deactivated.

Outside, the town of Mount Lost is almost deserted, as not many players are in town. Most of them were just plain strolling around. Leila had no plans on doing anything at this floor. She then took out her teleport crystal and squeezed it in her hand.

"I would like to go to Floor 6. Maybe it's time to explore brand new horizons." She said to herself, looking up towards the bright blue sky. "It's time to move on and become the best fighter I can be." She then glanced at the blue teleport crystal. "Teleport, Circleshore."

​

 

[ShinyDiamond]

(OOC: @Khawill: ._. I believe you missed Pink's post.)

Kamui Ozora: Level 4
Floor 1 - Starter City

The male & female were whispering for some reason. Were they willing to buy anything Kamui had to sell? He looked down, staring at the ground, hoping that hope would at least reconsider helping. It's not very likely.

Did that player just call him an NPC? Kamui's mouth twitched a bit before he replied, "I-I'm not an NPC..." Of course, Kamui was staring at the ground, avoiding eye contact. Like any high-level player would buy anything from a weak low-level player. Look at these players level! If only I had their courage. Did the gamemaster design an item like that? Maybe not...

"I'm just selling anything I can. I don't have any courage to fight & risk my life anyway..." Anybody would feel sad for Kamui right now. Something like this is when his sister usually tried to comfort him. It always worked. He tried hard to hold back his tears.

 

[Khawill]

Fester and Rose
"Courage eh? I suppose I have enough of that, don't you agree Rose?" Rose just shrugged, she was introducing herself to the other girl, it wasn't often that she met female players. "Well if it is fear of death that you need courage for, then you've come to the right man!" He leaned in to whisper, "Between you and me, I'm the hero of this game, she is just the second player!"

Rose turned around glared, and held her fist to him, "What did you say?" She growled.

"Hey, well I said, uh, um, you know." He looked at the boy, "Help me out kid!" He said hoarsely. Rose sighed.

"Well my name is Kalie, though now I just go by Rose, and that is Khalil, though he never responds to that name, so call him Fester. What are the both of you names? I'm sure we could help you both."

 

[Claire*]

Elise Vivian Molyneux
​

Level 18​

The water rippled as the bobber slowly waded its way majestically through the pristine waters of the lake. This lake made up the majority of Circleshore, or Floor 6 to those who preferred numerical designations. Circleshore was a tranquil getaway, almost like a breath of fresh air from the harsh realities that the other floors provided. Elise had stripped herself of her armor, nothing more than the cloth brigandine she usually wore under the armor plates and her leather chausses. She didn't feel particularly in danger here. Her level, now eighteen, was above the recommended level for this floor. Even if that wasn't the case, the monsters here were almost docile in nature. Even still, Elise kept her sword handy. It lay in the sand on her left side; its brilliant, pale green hue, radiated in the sun. Each little ray of light refracted perfectly off its unique flamberge design. It almost looked like the sword was alive, or dancing in the midst of a fire. When she had forged it, after her little side trip with Krissu, it had been a monumental jump from her previous sword. It was still a great sword now, probably better than anything she could make with current materials. [The Fire Dancer] was its name in the system, probably due more to its appearance than any actual fire kinship.

Elise leaned back onto the sand, her hair spilling out beneath her. She held her fishing pole loosely in both hands, her eyes closed as she soaked up the virtual sun. Even being virtual, it had all the radiant warmth and beauty of its actual celestial counterpart. It had been a few hours since she had started fishing at this spot, yet nothing of note had been caught. It didn't quite bother her much, it was a beautiful day and all, but it was a tad boring. Her bobber bounced a few times without her notice, a small nibble, nothing to signify that anything had been hooked. She sat up again, her body letting out a sigh of exasperation. Fishing wasn't exactly one of her best skills, far from it. In fact, it was only something she had tried to recently pick up. Elise quickly began to think she didn't have the patience for it however. Too much sitting, not enough doing.

The bobber teased her with its up and down motion, something was definitely displaying interest in the bait, but it hadn't committed yet. A couple walked by beside her, giving her a quick wave as they sat down a little farther down shore. A quick glance in their direction showed they were about her age, from the looks of their name slots they appeared to be in the same guild. Not an uncommon occurrence anymore, people starting relationships in SAO. Especially when people were in the same guild, those were the ones who usually ended up getting "married". Or, as married as one could get in SAO. It was a pretty simple thing actually, and becoming all too common. The greatest benefit was probably the shared storage between partners, kind of like a private communal storage bank for two people. Elise only groaned at the thought. Couples were so dependent on one another and Elise had sworn never to depend on anybody.

In her distraction while scrutinizing the couple, whatever it was on the other end of the line had bitten down and escaped with her bait. Elise cursed under her breath as she quickly recalled the line and stashed the rod into her inventory. She was done fishing for the day, one could only take so much aggravation and lack of productivity. Bending to pick up her sword, she quickly toggled her armor back on in her inventory screen. The heavy, yet reassuring weight was back on her body. That weight signified protection, freedom, life.

She made her way to to the portal area of Circleshore, the sun on the verge of setting in its soon to be twilight hours. The twenty four hour clock in SAO was just as faithful as the one outside it. As she accessed the portal, she picked her destination and in a flash, she appeared in Dovren. A city situated perilously on a steep cliff, it was like something out of a fairy tale, or well, a game. This bustling town of trade had become a hub for merchants selling their wares the world over. That was exactly the reason she had decided to come here now, wherever there were merchants, there were bound to be excellent chefs. Her stomach rumbled loudly as she made her way through the streets of the safe town.

After only a few minutes of walking, a suitable enough place presented itself. It seemed popular enough, typically a good sign when it came to restaurants and their quality. Elise made her way inside, pushing slightly against the crowds as she made her way to a table in the corner. The rustic charm of the building was undeniable. Creaky wood floor boards, the soft dancing glow of candlelit light fixtures and the mounted heads of trophies adorned the walls. It was just about how Elise had pictured an old tavern might had been when adventurers actually roamed the Earth. A portly waiter made his way over, notepad and cheery demeanor in hand. Elise quickly placed an order for whatever the special might be, in this case it was a roasted Corn Crow from floor seven. The waiter ran off again to go give the order to whoever was doing prep tonight. The chef was surely swamped, but he or she had to be leveling their skill quickly with all the work.

She waited patiently, the crowd being entertainment in itself. She loved to people watch, people always proved to be a most fascinating subject. Going about their business, friends chatting, people flirting, people getting shot down while flirting, etc. Elise was one of the few solo players in the room, the majority belonging to guilds by the looks of it. A man looked in her direction, probably a good few years older than her. She looked away, hoping not to draw any attention to herself. It didn't matter; the man stood up from his table, leaving his friends and drink behind. Elise groaned as he approached her, his size looming over her.

"Save your breath, I'm not interested," She looked up at him and spoke flatly. The waiter came back with her drink, some kind of cold tea type of drink. The man looked puzzled at her matter of fact statement, he hadn't even said anything yet and she had shot down whatever it was preemptively.

"I didn't even say anything!" He just about bellowed at her, his fists clenching in response.

"I can guess what you're going to say," Elise answered back at him mildly, she closed her eyes and took a sip from her drink.

"Oh really, so you got it all figured out?" He didn't take too kindly to being shot down so quickly in front of his friends. "It's not even what you think. I noticed you didn't have a guild indicator in your name slate. If you're on this floor by yourself, I assume your level is pretty decent. I wanted to invite you to join our guild." His voice definitely sounded agitated. If Elise had to guess, he definitely had a temper.

"See, that's funny." Elise let out a forced, sarcastic laugh. "That's exactly what I knew you were coming over for and I stand by my prior comment. I'm not interested. Go sell to someone who's buying, Tiny." She sipped from her drink again, this time taking a loud, exaggerated gulp.

The man was fuming, he apparently didn't enjoy her nickname for him. He walked away, only to come back in a hurry, his fist aimed squarely at her face. The system intervened before it made contact. His hand bounced harmlessly away as the town's safe zone prevented any harm from occurring. Elise payed him no mind, she knew the system would do that, it always did.

"Y-you listen here -" His guild mates from across the room came running to drag him away, his insults becoming muffled as they did so. It didn't take too much imagination to know what he was going to call her, and it saddened her to know another thought of her that way. Just as quickly as the sadness came, she pushed it away however. He continued to cry out vehemently as they took him outside to calm down.

Elise sat at her table, all eyes now turned her direction. She gave them a quick wave to acknowledge them and turned her attention to the food that was now making its way to her, oblivious waiter and all. Dinner and a show.

She was able to finish the rest of her dinner in peace, the other patrons quickly returned their attention back to their own matters. Elise payed her bill, a nice tip for the waiter included and made her way out into the crisp evening air. She wasn't tired enough for bed, but it wasn't good to go out leveling alone at night. Two weeks prior, she had missed the boss fight that had occurred and she wanted to make sure she didn't miss anymore from that point on. When all that was going on, she had still been busy with Krissu and Reinhart. She had been rather curt to Reinhart when they first met, but for reasons she couldn't quite explain, she had added him to her in-game friend list. Something she didn't do a whole lot.

Maybe it was because he had saved Krissu's life that day? It didn't really matter in the end. She hadn't talked to him in sometime, he was a little rough around the edges. He hadn't messaged her, nor her him. With a swipe of her right hand, she pulled up her friend list to see if he was still alive. As expected, he was indeed still alive. She tapped the send message button, the dictation dialogue popped up in its place.

[To: Reinhart]
[Subject: Bored]

Hey, Reinhart. Want to scout out the dungeon on floor 8?​

She sent the message, brief as it was. It wasn't really necessary to send a long, embellished novel. In fact, Reinhart would probably appreciate its brevity. After it sent, she closed all her menus and strolled about the city. The hustle and bustle was nice, a different kind of enjoyment from the fishing hole. She pulled up a seat on a bench towards the center of town. If he didn't respond, she'd be forced to go find something else to occupy her time. In a town like this, it probably wouldn't be too hard.​

 

[ShinyDiamond]

Kamui Ozora: Level 4
Floor 1 - Starter City

"Courage eh? I suppose I have enough of that, don't you agree Rose?" The male player commented. So the female player was named Rose. Gotta remember that. "Well if it is fear of death that you need courage for, then you've come to the right man!" Was this player that strong? Kamui hoped this player could teach him a thing or two. He leaned in closer to Kamui, making him blush as usual, & whispered something, "Between you and me, I'm the hero of this game, she is just the second player!"

The hero? I-is he telling the truth? Kamui looked up a little at the player. If he was the hero of this game, he may be the one who can reach the 100th floor. For the first time in months, hope has come back. Kamui's eyes were shining bright, of course not literally. They were big eyes though.

"What did you say?" Rose asked in an angered manner. Oh, Rose was the second player. That's what the hero mentioned.

The hero seemed a little frightened from Rose. He tried to say something, but seemed to stutter. "Hey, well I said, uh, um, you know." Well, not all hero's can be what you expect, so that's okay- "Help me out kid!" Was the hero actually asking Kamui for help? He could tear up right now! He didn't say anything, just kept having those big, gold eyes.

Rose began to speak. "Well my name is Kalie, though now I just go by Rose, and that is Khalil, though he never responds to that name, so call him Fester. What are the both of you names? I'm sure we could help you both." She seemed nice. Fester? That's an unusual name for a hero. Then again, that's common.

"It's Kamui, & Fester? Train me! Teach me not to be afraid! I wanna go home!" Now the tears were falling. He was pleading Fester & Rose to help him. The heroes never say no, they're heroes for a reason!

 

[Sapphire Rose]

Natsumi Aido - floor 1 (starter city) - level 12

Natsumi looked up at the two other players who called the strange boy a NCP which he directly responded on to tell the two players he wasn't. Then the girl introduced her to Natsumi as "Rose". "i-i'm Natsumi, but everyone calls me Nami so go ahead." Natsumi trew off little smile.

Natsumi laughed at how Rose reacted on Khalil… or Fester. The boy seemed desperate to be going back to the real world, he even started crying. His name seemed to be Kamui.

"hey, maybe i can help too? I became level 12 in just a two or three weeks." she commented, it sounded suckish, also when you thought about her being a gamer girl, she could've become stronger… but Natsumi couldn't resist making good food and getting lots of sleep she hadnt had in months the last few days, but now she's going to train again.

"i've got a sister in the real world, i got to go back to help her out… with stuff, and fulfilling her dream, it's a promise we made once." Natsumi explained to the boy. "i actually think it's to risky to try to reach the 100st floor all alone…" Natsumi said, thinking about dead again… but then she got an idea, but she wasn't sure if Kamui would agree on that, or Khalil/Fester and Rose

 

[Khawill]

Fester and Rose
"Fester, they both want to go home." Rose said sympathetically.

"Well if their home is on floor 100 then there is no way they are getting there at their levels. It's seems odd to live on such a high level floor." Fester looked at the two kids confusedly, "They are but teens at best, I can not refuse help from the young."

"But Fester, me and you are only a little older than them if anything."

Fester rubbed his chin, "So they are, huh. Well then, we must help them yet! They must yearn for their family."

Rose nodded, "Very well then, Hey kids! We can't take you to floor 100 very fast, though if you promise not to be an inhibitor, then we will let you accompany us."

"What the scary lady said!"

"What was that?" She growled.

"I said you are a hairy lady, eep, I mean pretty lady." Fester hid behind the boy and girl, "Uh, not in front of the children!"

"You're an idiot Fester you know that." She sighed, "Well, Natsumi, you are well leveled, Kamui, you are very low, meaning we need to power level you."

 

[Sir Bastian]

Bralec
Floor 8 - Dovren City​

(I'm not sure if anyone named the floor, or the city on it, so I took the liberty. If it was already named, go ahead and correct me and I'll edit the post xP )

Bralec opened the door to the small shop facing out towards the square sorrounding the teleportation pad used by players to move from floor to floor. He pushed his hands against his back as he stretching out, letting out a soft yawn.

He raised a hand, running it through his slightly tussled hair, sighing deeply while taking note of the various players and NPCs walking past him and milling about on the large square in the bright sunshine. He took in a soft breath of air and smiled a little to himself before giving his side a light pat.

"... What a lovely day. Hope I'll get some customers today."

He turned and headed back into the store, leaving the door open behind him, the sign above it reading "Bralec's Adventure Emporium - Everything in magical goods!". He had been thrilled when he had found out he could name the shop he had bought for his hard-earned money whatever he wanted, and figured that 'Emporium' sounded interesting enough for people to come and at least have a look.

Going back behind the counter, he pulled open his inventory menu and scrolled through the various items, his brows furrowing.

"... I'm missing a couple scales... damnit. I'm gonna have to buy some later... ugh, they're so expensive these days."

He grunted and shook his head, closing down the menu and resting his arms on the counter, drumming his fingers against the darkened wood while glancing over the various items on display in his shop; necklaces, weaponry, armor, vanity items, everything you could find out in the world, as well as a small area devoted to crafting materials.

Now, all he had to do, was wait for a customer...

 

[Kranic]

Bacarra - The Last Rose of Azure.
Floor 8 - Level 20

... and as such a costumer arrives.

A young girl by the name of Bacarra walked into the store, bright and full of energy. Behind her followed a rare and beautiful familiar: a blue phoenix names Azure. Despite its beauty, the bird had a reputation of not being particularly powerful compared to other familiars, only being good for eye candy and not much else. The bird followed gracefully behind it's master leaving a small trail of pixels with every flap of its wings.

Bacarra casually strolled over to the shopkeeper, placing both her hands on the counter she looked up to him and smiled.

"Hey there ol' man. How's things going over in this part of town?"

The phoenix took the time to land on the counter, taking advantage of the opportunity to clean it's feathers. Clearly this was a very vain creature. Bacarra stared for a moment with a slight hint of aversion before getting to her point.

"Well anyways I wanted to pick up some crystals before I headed out. What chu' got in stock?"

​

 

[ShinyDiamond]

Kamui Ozora: Level 4
Floor 1 - Starter City

They agreed! Even Natsumi! Fester seemed scared of Rose. Kamui still wondered why. Anyway, he thought of how Fester & Rose would help train him. All three of the players looked pretty strong. Kamui felt ashamed he was a low-level player. Hopefully...he can get the courage he needs.

"Thank you thank you thank you! So, where do we start off?" Kamui asked Fester & Rose. With Natsumi helping too, Kamui couldn't wait to train! Actually, maybe he could wait a little. He can still be nervous & scared of anything. Kamui looked at everyone's weapons. I wanna get a strong sword weapon like their's... He looked at his own sword. Where's a new sword he can get?

 

[Sir Bastian]

Bralec
Floor 8 - Dovren City​

Bralec snapped back from his little daydream as a dark-skinned girl walked into his shop and a wide, warm smile spread on his lips. He raised a hand to wave as he stood up properly, planting his hands firmly on the counter.

"Bacarra! Good to see you again. And what the hell do you mean 'old man'? I'm only a couple years older than you."

He let out an indignant though rather playful huff, rolling his eyes, still smiling as he brushed the counter with the palm of his hand.

"Some crystals? I'm guessing you're not talking the crafting material-crystals. Let me see..."

He raised his right hand and pulled open the menu, his brows furrowing as he scrolled through the inventory that he'd set up nice and neatly.

"Right... I've got a couple of 60% healing crystals, as well as a good chunk of 40% ones. Few days ago, I bought about... three of these 'extra strength' crystals which'll make you slightly stronger for about three minutes..."

Raising a hand to scratch his ever so slightly stubbly chin, he gave a small shrug, looking up at her again.

"And I of course have spare teleportation crystals, but I doubt you've managed to throw yours away again. Or am I wrong?"

His lips twisted into a small smile as he raised a hand to nuzzle his fingers lightly against the back of the bird's feathers.

"It's good to see you again, though. Found anything interesting lately?"

 

[Legend]

Reinhard Ossur- Floor 8, Level 22

"There's your new sword. Should serve you fine for a while."

"I'll be sure to test that theory of yours out. What do you call it?" Reinhard took the weapon from the smaller man that stood before him. His name was Patrick, a player of comparable level to Reinhard, but decided to retire from the front lines about 2 weeks ago to focus on being a support player. Since then he has been honing his other skills, to become a merchant. It was then that Reinhard befriended him and unofficially made him his personal smith. It has been a relationship that while based on business alone, has bloomed slowly.

Patrick looked up to Reinhard with his brown eyes, running his fingers through his short brown hair. Reinhard quickly learned it was Patrick's habit to do that when he was thinking. "Well I am not particularly with naming things. I call it the Arctic Blade."

Reinhard glanced at the blade that was in his hands. The sword appeared it was forged from ice or crystal, as it had a silvery blue shine to it. It's handle was black with an opulent design to it with a gemstone resting on the bottom, near the sharp pommel. Metal rings were melded into the base of the blade. Truthfully, Reinhard did not think the sword fit his character, but nonetheless he accepted the gesture. "Anything I should know about my new sword?"

"Not really," Patrick said with a smile. "It's a light sword, but I made sure it had some durability to it. Also, you may notice a small boost in your attack speed. I know you like to use it in battle, so I experimented this time around."

"I am not sure I like the sound of that," Reinhard said, swinging the sword around the shop, being careful not to damage anything. The swings certainly felt fast, and the weight of the blade was significantly lower than his old weapon. As far as he was concerned it was an upgrade. A much needed one considering the strength of monsters in the dungeons. He hadn't hit the double digits yet and the game was only going to get harder.

"You worry too much. Just try it out on the lower floors instead of charging into the dungeon then. Wait, you were probably going to do that anyway."

"You almost know me too well."

Patrick smiled and shook his head, being pleased with himself. "I guess I can expect you back with a bunch of new materials then."

"Possibly. I may be different and journey ahead for once. After all, I heard the front lines are a bit thin these days."

"Honestly, I am a bit surprised you aren't on the front lines already."

"Heh. I am surprised too," Reinhard said as he turned to face the door leading out of the store. "I'll see you around."

Reinhard closed the door as gently as he could, only briefly stirring his familiar from its slumber. It was a wolf, named Canis (Reinhard is unoriginal), and his first tamed familiar. Reinhard encountered the wolf on floor 7, leading a pack of Rapid Hounds. After taking it out its pack, Reinhard tamed the creature and it has successfully accompanied him through many battles, becoming easily his closest friend. It kept the loneliness that Aincrad created in Reinhard from becoming overwhelming. The others were slowly growing to accept Aincard as reality, forging relationships, buying homes, and creating a new life in the game. Reinhard refused to accept that and kept himself as a distance, believing the game would only exist for a bit longer. That being said, being a loner wasn't far from his real life. But he did find himself considering joining a guild. After all, it would be nice to have someone to watch his back. Shame, his friend's list was so bar-

[To: Reinhart]
[Subject: Bored]

Hey, Reinhart. Want to scout out the dungeon on floor 8?​

A message. He rarely got those. It was Elise, from about two weeks if Reinhard recalled correctly. He had interjected in a brief skirmish and saved her friend. Someone they ended up on each other's friend's lists. The whole story was a bit of a blur, really and Reinhard kept himself so busy with hunting and the like to remember such minor details.

[To: Elise]
[Subject: Re: Bored]

Sure. Where do you want to meet? I'm on floor 8 right now.​

Like she did herself, Reinhard kept it short. He decided to prepare for a run while he awaited a reply. Some potions would be useful. Yeah, let's start there.

 

[Kranic]

Bacarra - The Last Rose of Azure.
Floor 8 - Level 20

Bacarra frowned at Bralec's very subtle insult.

"Hey, hey the last time I threw away an item I needed was when I was a low level and didn't really know how the inventory system worked completely." She adverted her eyes while thinking about some far more embarrassing things she has done due to her lack of experience with this games UI. Noticing her sudden pause she continued, "Well it's not so much thrown away, but most of my crystals wore out today so I need to restock. Happens to everyone." She pouted, giving a strong glare to Bralec with those last words, signifying that her reason for coming her wasn't because she was a stupid noob.

"Besides it was a good excuse to visit my old friend Bralec. Not that we've known each other for that long." The girl laughed, with heavy emphasis on the old, before moving on to the man's last question. "I haven't been able to find anything worth interest recently. It's actually why I'm up here today. I'm not usually up here so something exciting might happen. Hoping I could find something cool and maybe gain some levels, seeing as I'm a little behind on the level curve right now. Seems like the most people on the frontline reaching their mid to late twenties and here I am just barely on twenty.

"I'm really slacking..." A though crossed her head reminding her about the reason she was aiming for the front line, she frown for a moment before looking over to her familiar who seemed to be enjoying the man's touch. She quickly piped back to her usual cheery self.

"It's no biggie though. Just gotta work a little harder for these next few days. Now about those crystals,"

With a smile she pulled one hand to her chin and the other to her hip. She thought about the crystals Bralec had to offer and finally gave him an offer.

"I think I'll take a teleportation crystal, and a few status cure and healing crystals. If you give me a discount, I'll even try out that 'extra strength' crystal you mention too, If I like it I'll come back to buy the rest full price. How's that sound?"

She gave an exaggerated grin as an addition bonus to her proposition.
​

 

[Claire*]

Elise Vivian Molyneux
​

Level 18​

It was a beautiful night as Elise waited for Reinhart's reply. In the middle of town, the place was absolutely buzzing with excitement. She was really coming around to Dovren. It was a great place for merchants and craftsmen alike. It had been awhile since she thought about opening up her own shop, but the thought still seemed as improbable as always. It wasn't the money that was an issue, she had enough to live comfortably on any floor. When many were busy buying personal residences, Elise had saved her money and built up a decent enough savings. If this was going to be her permanent reality however, it might soon be time to look into a house. One could only survive in hotels for so long after all. The thought of nicer floors further up paralyzed her from doing so however. What if she blew all her money on a house and one floor later, a place she liked better popped up? That was a risk she would have to take eventually.

Amidst the crowds, the man from the restaurant walked by with his guild mates. Elise spied him glaring in her direction, his brow furrowed in obvious agitation. Lifting two fingers to her head in mock salute, Elise winked at him from across the courtyard. The man stormed away in disgust, his posse following close behind. Yet another guild that she had now burned her bridges with, that list was growing by the day it seemed. Things seemed to be going well enough with just herself and the occasional party member. No sense spoiling a good thing with unnecessary complications.

A yawn escaped her lips, more a yawn of boredom than exhaustion. The system let out a soft melodic tone to inform her of a new message. Elise knew it had to be from Reinhart, nobody really messaged her unless she did so first. Expect Gideon, the information broker just couldn't seem to take a hint.

[To: Elise]
[Subject: Re: Bored]

Sure. Where do you want to meet? I'm on floor 8 right now.​

With a quick swipe of her hand, she brought up the reply dialogue, her fingers danced quickly over the controls typing out her response.

[To Reinhart]
[Subject: Re: Bored]

Me too. How about we meet near the entrance of town...the main gate? I'll be there in ten minutes.​

Tapping the send button, the message shot off into the digital ether. It wouldn't take long for her message to reach her recipient. Jumping up from her bench, Elise raised her arms in the air to stretch for the events ahead. She made her way through the crowds, her shield catching on the occasional passerby as she did so. It didn't take long before her path led to the impressive gate that she designated. The gate loomed over her, far above head height. "Kind of makes you wonder what such a big gate would be needed for. What do they have out there, king kong?" Elise joked to herself, knowing the town would be a safe zone even without the gate.

Reinhart showed up shortly after she had, a new face in tow, his familiar. He hadn't had one of those the last time she saw him, at least, she didn't think he did. She waved to him as he approached and shot him a party invite. It wasn't too bad having to deal with one teammate, she could tolerate splitting things between two. It was when things grew to three or even eight that things got uncomfortable.

"Reinhart, you romantic. Why didn't you tell me you were getting hitched?" She teased him as she approached, her hand punching him softly in the shoulder. Elise walked up to the wolf and stooped to its level, her hands running through its thick fur. "Between you and me," she whispered to the wolf, her tone low but not low enough so Reinhart couldn't hear her. "I think you could do better." She rubbed her hand against its chin before standing and facing Reinhart again. He was much taller than her, but she didn't feel intimidated. Elise teased almost anyone when she had the chance.

"So, ready to go?"​

 

[Sir Bastian]

Bralec
Floor 8 - Dovren City​

Bralec seemed to feign being insulted at the first jab at him being slightly older than Bacarra, but at the second one, he just let out a chuckle and shook his head with a light grin, his right hand still nuzzling the bird's neck.

"Alright, alright, you didn't throw it away, I got ya. But hey, don't feel bad about not being that high level. If you were, you'd probably be approached by all kinds of information brokers and guild trying to squeeze everything out of you. Not to mention having to risk your life at the front line."

He gave a little shrug, glancing off to the side, over at a couple swords hanging off the wall.

"Not that fighting anything isn't dangerous these days, but the front lines in particular."

Snapping out of his little train of thought, he glanced back to the girl, raising a brow slightly as she took up an almost thoughtfully challenging pose, Bralec's brows furrowing. She always had that certain look about her when she was trying to cut some kind of deal that'd be beneficial to herself and -maybe- someone else down the line.

"You know, I could just say the price was about twenty percent more than it is now, then pretend you got the twenty percent as a discount. But hey, what're friends for, right?"

He grinned a little as he lowered his hand from the phoenix's feathery mane, lowering down under the counter as he rummaged for a bit before placing two red crystals, a green, a yellow and a blue one, all of which were square. Lastly, he added a red one with a pointy tip, pushing the entire pile towards her.

"There you are. Everything added up, and a bit of discount on top..."

Folding his arms across his chest, he tapped his arm a little, wrinkling his nose before peering a little down, going quiet for a moment. After a few moments, he shook his head a looked up again.

"Tell you what. You bring me some scales from a big, blue lizard that's said to roam the countryside on floor seven, and you can have the attack crystal free of charge. And if you fetch me more than five, you can have a discount on future attack crystals. Sound fair?"

He said with a bright, toothy grin, placing his hands firmly on the counter.

"Will give you something to level against, and you'll save money. If that ain't a deal, I don't know what is. Oh, and the rest of the crystals'll be... mrrh, status cure... healing..."

Counting on his fingers, he peered into the roo for a moment before looking down again.

"A hundred and twenty cor."

 

[Khawill]

Fester and Rose
"Well firstly we can't have you going around with practically no weapon. We need to find a merchant with, better ware than you." Rose didn't mean to sound insulting though she was only speaking the truth. "There's this on guy on floor 8 that sells items you could use for sure, I hear he trades with many players and has quiet the collection."

"When did you hear about this man?" Fester asked. "Surely I would know of such a grand NPC."

"Well you spend all your time scaring people off, cooking, and killing to actually listen to rumors that are being spread. Regardless, we can escort you to floor 8 and then grind XP on floor three so that both of you will get decent experience for levels."

 

[Kranic]

Bacarra - The Last Rose of Azure.
Floor 8 - Level 20

"The seventh floor huh? You sure you don't need anything from this floor? I'm so tired of the seventh floor."

The girl let out a sigh. She had spent her past two days exploring the seventh floor and found it to be quite possibly the most boring floor that she's been on so far. She wasn't excited to return to that place in exchange for a discount on what she knew will eventually be low leveled crystals, but if it meant making a friend happy, she was willing to do it. She had to, if she ever intended on making up for her mistakes of her past. Bacarra felt a bit of sadness approach her with the thoughts of her mistakes. She subverted her glare before letting out a few words.

"Actually, just ignore that last bit. Let me give you the money for the crystals."

She waved her hand to the side as though to brush the idea away before continuing, "I'll be happy to go and get those scales for you." She grinned and moved onto the crystals stacked in front of her. She looked over the pile before waving her hand. Instantly a menu appeared and with a few strokes of her hand the items disappeared from in front of her.

"That should be One-Fifty Cor,"

After closing her inventory, she continued speaking,

"You know I'm not really so sure about this deal. How much are those scales you are sending me to get worth? I don't really keep up with the price of goods unless I'm planning on selling or buying," Bacarra gave the older man a half serious look into the man's eyes before softening her eyes. "Ha just kidding. I don't really care. I would have been willing to help you out for free anyways."

The girl stopped there. After a short pause she continued,

"Actually, just ignore that last bit"

​

 

[Sir Bastian]

Bralec
Floor 8 - Dovren City​

"That's the deal, take it or leave it."

Bralec watched her as the girl seemingly started to think the deal over, his brows furrowing ever so slightly as her expression went into a different kind of mood. He wasn't about to ask into it, because it looked like she was trying to hide it as best as she could, so when she turned back up to him and spoke again.

He grinned brightly as she accepted his offer, raising his hands to clap them together.

"Perfect! I'll be looking forward to getting my hands on them."

A small notification popped up to let him know that he had received items, but he just waved it away, trusting Bacarra enough to not cheat with her payments, despite the haggling that just had gone on. Bacarra then started asking into the scales, to which Bralec leaned onto the counter on his forearms, shaking his head.

"Alone? Not alot. I need them for something else though."

He gave her an off-puttingly bright smile as she looked at him somewhat suspiciously, letting out a laugh as she went back on what she had just said about not wanting any money for it.

"Ha ha ha! Bacarra going out of her way for someone else, without any gain in it for herself? When that day comes, I might as well be asleep, 'cause I'd think I'd be dreaming at that point."

He gave her a teasing grin before standing up again, stretching out with a yawn.

"In either case, I appreciate it alot, Bacarra. Just be careful, I've heard it's one of the strongest monsters down there. And there's a rumor about it spewing fire, so be careful of that as well. Breath attacks are bastards to fight against."

Grunting a little, he glanced off to the side, shaking his head a little, going somewhat silent as his thoughts went back to his old party and began trailing off into a world of his old memories.

 

[Meganium]

Leilani Estefania Juarez Garcia
Floor 6 - Circleshore | Level: 13

The blue lake shined, with the sun right on top, creating shimmering waves. A good amount of players were either waiting for monsters to spawn up, or just enjoying the summerlike breeze. Leila, in her armor clothing, walked on the sandy shore of the lake, with her red hooded cake blowing in the back, lifting up her long black hair. Her mind remained blank, with no mood to fight or to encounter with anyone whatsoever. She finally reached the point where she cannot take the loneliness anymore.

Ollie's dead. Drew might be dead. Her brother Alvaro never reappeared again. The man she met at Mount Lost, no sign of him at all. He might be dead too. Leila took a glance around the people at the shores. Sooner or later those people would be dead in the future.

"Uuuuugh!" A voice was heard from nearby. Leila got distracted by the voice and started to follow it. Walking baby steps, and passing by the crashing waves of the lake, her blurry vision became clear and spotted a female warrior with short ginger red hair, and wearing a green armor suit. Both long-sleeve blouse, long skirt, and black boots. "Help! I can't handle this any longer! Heeeeeelp!"

Leila activated her speed skill immediately as she saw the girl trying to defeat a giant sea dragon right from the water. As she started to speed up quickly, the girl slashed her Greatsword with both hands right at the sea dragon, creating a large red scar in front. But it still managed to stay alive. It was Leila's chance to attack. "Switch!" she yelled at the girl. Taking out both of her daggers from her red cape and faced them to the front, she continued to speed up and jumped towards the sea dragon. Screaming and yelling with anticipation, she slashed the dragon with both daggers right at the scar the girl had given to just a few minutes ago. Leila jumped in the water as the dragon, finally sliced in half, dissipated into millions of bits and bytes.

The ginger-haired girl glanced at the dissolving dragon, but there was no sign of Leila anywhere. She got close to the water, looking for the warrior who had saved her life out of random. She placed her sword away and glanced at the water, hoping for that warrior to return back to shore...
​