LupusIntus

SAO: Living in Aincrad

Geist

Geist didn't give his charging wolf another chance to bite at him as the blade of his dagger began to glow. Feeling the system take over he allowed his arm to shoot forward just before the beast leapt, the blade piercing straight through the hide of its neck and causing it to whine in pain. It didn't go down from one attack much to Geist's dismay, the red bar floating near it shrinking down to red, but there was a faint shattering sound that accompanied the attack. Without waiting for the enemy to recover, he slashed again without the systems help and saw his attack do far more damage than expected, draining the remainder of the lifebar and blowing the beast into a shower of pixels. He was starting to get the hang of it, little by little. Now all he had to do was train these movements into muscle memory...

He saw Dar finish another wolf with a powerful overhead swing of his weapon and couldn't help but be impressed by the greatsword's effectiveness. Geist also got to see one of its drawbacks as the slower speed of the heavy weapon didn't allow Dar to block the attack from the second beast; he winced as its maw bit down on the other man's shoulder. The direwolf bounded away for another charge just as Dar fell back beside Geist. The other man noticed something, there was a figure fighting another set of wolves not fifty feet away, and Dar seemed inclined to go help.

"Geist! Over there! C'mon!"

@Grayscythe

'Worry about your own self!' He wanted to shout but once again the speed of the wolves came as a surprise as Geist was barely able to react to another lunge attack. Luckily he was not the target and Dar was better prepared, bringing his sword up before him so that the wolf's maw struck the flat of his blade. It bounced back with a whine, landing on wobbly legs as if dazed, and Geist clearly saw the use of a <<Parry>> skill. Though Dar asked for his assistance, Geist ignored the man and focused instead on the enemy still before him. He knew he couldn't use his system attack again, he'd learned of the cooling period while fighting boars, but he'd felt a system hum from his last attack. Holding his dagger before him, he tilted the blade until he noticed the faint glow begin to form. With a growl he charged forward, determined not to let the creature recover, and slashed down diagonally drawing a long line of red across its side. He continued the motion and used the momentum to bring his blade around in a sideways figure '8' pattern that slashed the wolf a second time. It burst apart and a proud smirk spread on Geist's lips until he remembered Dar was still fighting. With a sigh, he rushed towards them to join the fray.

It didn't take long for the three of them to finish off the rest of the mangy beasts, though Geist was noticeably panting by the end. He'd taken a few hits but was glad to see his yellow health-bar slowly replenishing and Dar's health seemed to be alright as well, though a bit lower from the initial attack he'd taken. "See...?" He said with more than a hint of sarcasm. "Not too much trouble..."

@_Middle_@Grayscythe

SAO: Living in Aincrad

Great posts, guys! @_Middle_@Grayscythe

I agree with the minimal timeskips as I personally don't have much issue spending lots of time on first floor. Maybe we could do a week or so once everyone settles in their respective first-night destination? Our lovely GM's could then list whatever news-worthy events happen (someone discovering the dungeon, a certain group of other 'players' dieing, a rare quest/spawn announcement, for example) and then we RP through another day or two.

Just my 2 cents. :)

SAO: Living in Aincrad

Feel free to rush to Geist and Dar's aide,@_Middle_. :)

@Grayscythe

SAO: Living in Aincrad

Geist

Geist nodded with the small twinge of a smile on his lips as he watched Dar's nervous shufflings. He certainly hoped this stranger could fight. "I think we could help each other out, yes." He replied curtly, before blinking in surprise at the tiny window that appeared in the air before him. [Dar] has invited you to a party! Reaching up, he carefully pressed the 'Accept' button and noticed the new green-colored bar appear on the side of his vision, the HP of his partymate. He considered what his new... 'companion' had said about supplies and couldn't deny the good idea, though he didn't wish to waste anymore time. "Let's see what we can find at the stalls just inside the gate. The quicker we leave the more time we have till nightfall."

There were indeed quite a few stalls just inside the city walls, each monitored by one smiling individual who bothered Geist more than he let on. After a few inquiries they were able to find an outfitter who sold basic travel necessities. Geist quickly learned that 'Col' was the world's currency and he frowned at the prices he was seeing. The frown grew looking at his own Col reserves but in the end there was little else that could be done for it. He spent about 2/3rds of what he had on one torch and three travel rations, leaving him close to broke. After stocking up he led Dar straight back to the gate and off down the road the map had indicated would lead to Horunka.

The light was fading quickly as they walked but they made pretty good time without stopping. In the red-orange glow the countryside was even more beautiful than when he'd first logged on but Geist didn't even think of enjoying the view. His mind was on his next step, once he reaches Horunka: he'd need to find a place to stay for the night, some steady income in the morning, and a weapon better than his pathetic little pig-sticker! It almost seemed like the fields of milling boars would stretch on forever when they crested a small bluff and got their first glimpse of the forest separating them from their destination. "Not much longer now..." He surmised from the faint glint of a lake in the distance. A curious figure could also be spotted not too far ahead, perched on a stone beside the road.

Geist felt his legs start to burn as they descended the rise but didn't voice any complaint. He was used to physical exertion but he still couldn't help but let a bit of tired annoyance slip onto his features. He was just about to suggest a rest when a howl split the air. Before them, just off the path, three large dire wolves materialized in a collection of light. Above their heads were spinning red gems, similar to the boars around the starting town though a tad darker. Unlike the boars however, these beasts didn't wait for them to get close and went straight for the attack.

Geist leapt back as they charged forward, crying out in alarm as a pair of jaws snapped shut around where his arm had been moments before. "Dar!" He called out in warning just as he remembered the blade on his hip. It slid easily from its sheath but still felt awkward in his hand as he held it forward while a wolf rounded for another pass. This was a much different fight than the ones he'd had with the pigs but he bit through the fear creeping into his gut and pulled his blade back into the position he'd learned that afternoon.

@Grayscythe@_Middle_

SAO: Living in Aincrad

SO before I go putting Exp into the guidebook, does everyone want that? For now, I'll just make a list of known monsters

@Caits

My personal vote is No.
XP and leveling up is rarely a problem if the GM's moderate it and make sure someone doesn't lose their mind and lvl their char out of control and for this kind of RP, which very well may have a few time skips involved, it would be a waste of time and effort (especially for the GMs) having to track/manage the exact xp gains for 20+ people.

SAO: Living in Aincrad

<Snipped quote by PKMNB0Y>

Well, I'm ok with that, anyway, I gotta go to bed now. It seems there are a too wild range of time zones between everyone involved in this game so waiting for sometime is pretty much a given.

@KoL

Haha, an advance 'SORRY' if I make anyone wait... I'm in Japan so my timezone is roughly 12hrs different than the US (I'm asleep during your afternoon!)

Edit: Also just went through the guidebook a bit more, you guys did an awesome job! Color me impressed.

SAO: Living in Aincrad

Posted. You can go ahead and lead us onward, @Grayscythe. Geist sort of steered the conversation towards Horanka, but if Dar is set on Geniku then he'll go along as well. Your next post can run is into @_Middle_. :)

SAO: Living in Aincrad

Geist

"Let's see.....we're here so..." Dar mused as he went through the map.

@Grayscythe

Geist's dark eyes inspected the map intently, memorizing the major points of interest pointed out by Dar and the ones he noticed himself. He figured he could also activate a map from his own menus but it was good to have a rough idea of this level in his head, just in case. His thoughts lingered on 'Horunka', though Dar seemed hesitant setting out that way due to the route it took (Akira had no idea what 'ganked' meant, but figured it was something close to 'get killed' or 'lost'). Still it did appear a bit closer than Geniku, or at least the same distance from the starting town, and if Horunka was larger there would be more opportunities to figure out what exactly was going on with this world. Perhaps there was more danger but with even one more person watching his back Geist wasn't all that worried.

"Pardon me for saying this, but you don't sound like you're super familiar with MMOs, am I right?" Dar asked.

@Grayscythe

The question shook Geist from his thoughts, his eyes flickering over to Dar's who was observing him more carefully than he would have expected. Once again, Akira wasn't sure exactly what 'MMO' stood for but he remembered seeing 'VRMMORPG' plastered all over the Sword Art Online box and could put the puzzle pieces together easily enough. Damn these gamers and their acronyms! His immediate thought was to react with hostility but it didn't appear that Dar was making fun of him or insulting him in any way. Perhaps letting this person know he was a new player would work to his benefit...

"Oh... was it that obvious?" Geist smiled sheepishly, a hand running through his wavy dirty-blonde hair; an act perhaps but one he performed flawlessly. "This is actually my first 'MMO' and I didn't really read up on the system all that well..." He offered a quick shrug before changing the subject. "But I think that heading for 'Horunka' is the best option, especially if you say it's a major town. If there's two of us, we shouldn't find too much trouble?" In truth, Geist had no doubt he could make it to the town on his own but if Dar proved useful in a fight, or was a pool of knowledge at the least, it would be worth bringing him along.

@Grayscythe

SAO: Living in Aincrad

Anyone found a suitable map of Floor 1 anywhere? I've been having trouble locating one... perhaps we should start making some so everyone is on the same page!

(and also a solid written-down system for XP/leveling if we're really going to go that route)

SAO: Living in Aincrad

Just woke up, working on a posty now should have Geist and Dar run into Lincoln.
@_Middle_@Grayscythe