"If anyone here needs to go get something, health potions, new weapons, whatever, I suggest you do it now. We can meet up here, if that's okay with everyone."
"More than okay with me, meet you all back here in about an hour. Don't take too long, it's gonna get dark, guys!" Iris gave them all a thumbs up and a wink, already opening her menu as she began to walk away, in a direction she noticed the least amount of people going towards. The Starting City was big, but with the large amount of people, most shops would be empty, it was even likely some already were. Based on what her menu told her, she needed new clothes and armor, a new weapon, food and various other supplies. The short sword she had taken as her starting weapon was weak and it was already low on its durability, she'd have to replace it fast and with her starting clothes' stats, she'd be better off naked. There were shops in all directions, but with the time, even NPC's would be closing soon, so as soon as she left the plaza, giving a grin and a wave to the rest of the party, she glanced around her, making a quick visual scouting. Signs pointed to there being shops in a certain direction, down a road that she did see a group of rather gloomy looking players walking down. Right now, they were the competition, it was survival of the fittest. She had money, a good sum, from not wasting her starting cash and managing to earn some from killing monsters, but it was useless if she didn't get moving.
For a moment, earlier, she considered dragging Matsuta along for his beta tester knowledge and to annoy him, but she reconsidered when she realized that he was simply too slow, in many senses of the term, for this particular mission. She'd have to rely on her own eyes and skills of reconnaissance. She smirked, before making a flat expression, prepared herself, before breaking into a sprint. Even at low levels, the NerveGear gave a lot more stamina than the average person in good health for gameplay purposes, so she took full advantage of this. Emotions couldn't slow her down, good or bad, this was for sure, she remarked as she sped past the Doom and Gloom Squad. At each turn, she slowed for only a moment to observe the street she was on, and sure enough, shops with a larger and wider stock were becoming closer with each bend she took. Right on time, as soon as she found herself getting tired, she found herself in front of a decently stocked NPC store, with a few stalls out front.
Right, so the stalls have weapons and armor, and the store has supplies, this shouldn't take long. Iris checked the time as she caught her breath, being quite surprised when she realized she had already been running for fifteen minutes. Walking back would take about thirty or so minutes by that measure, so she couldn't waste any time. Weapons that were available weren't the best, there were a few uncommon ones mixed in with the lower-level ones, but they were way above her budget. Eventually, she settled for buying a pair of efficient looking machetes, sharp and simple, but with decent stats for her use, one for use now and another in case the former broke, SAO's durability system could be a bit unforgiving, apparently. They would have trouble stabbing, but her combat style consisted of mostly slashing for the time being anyway. Next, armor. She decided on making a set consisting of some new boots with a minor agility buff, shorts out of personal preference, a tight compression shirt as an undershirt, a jacket with hard leather protection, some slightly better protecting gloves than the starters and, finally and most importantly for her combat style, a bronze armor piece of a larger suit to wear on her left arm, rigid enough to defend against some slashs here and there. All in a khaki color except for the bronze armor, the boots and the shirt, she had to admit she looked pretty good. By her standards, anyway.
The rest took less time, deciding to keep enough money for an inn stay if needed and spending the rest on potions, food and drinks. In the end, she even had enough money to buy enough sandwiches to give to the entire party, as they were on "first day discount" or something along those lines, and with a smile from the NPC shopkeeper, a kind looking young lady, she left with the store with a good stock of supplies, now leisurely walking down the street back to the plaza, a basket in tow. Technically, she could put each sandwich in her inventory, but this felt more natural. She briefly wondered how they tasted, refraining once her stomach began rumbling. "Let's get going before I eat all these..." She muttered to herself with a worried laugh.
Though... she began to think as she looked at the sandwiches...
Right on time, she arrived back in the square, grinning and licking her lips as she leaned against a pillar, waiting for the rest of the group.
It's incredible how they managed to make such incredible sandwiches, virtually! I can't wait for seconds!. Iris began humming cheerfully, forgetting the shocking revelations of the day as she relished in the after taste of the food she ate, excited to share the feeling with the rest of the group. Everyone but Matsuta, a thought which only served to make her humming more lively and her smile wider, as the snack meant for him virtually sat in her virtual stomach.
