Haeo

Side Quest - Sword Art Online

Tailpin smiled and opened the party window with a few swipes of his hand he created party invitations and flipped the accept screen around so that the scythe wielder and Emperor could use it. He looked at Anubis with an appraising gaze. It made sense that the pet would have some natural advantages. The fact that the guy mentioned Shared Vision, even if only by description, told something about how far he had gotten before. How little he spoke and how little information he volunteered made the archer suspect strongly that this party might not be a long lasting one. Still, there were a few ways to make sure of its odds.

Tailpin decided that he would have to show how much information he expected to receive and spoke up readily. "I've actually trained in perception more than most. I've got good clarity out to about fifty or sixty feet in low-light so I won't have to rely on you for that, myself. I've also specialized in the bow so I'll be trying to pull enemies to us instead of letting them choose the time and place if that's alright with you. Oh, my name is Tailpin, this is Emperor."

He turned his attention to Emperor for a moment. "Unspecialized isn't that rare a thing at this level range. A lot of the people here are still probably finding out how they fight best. Don't tailor your battle strategy to favor a new acquaintance. Specializations will come with personal experience. As for the hunting part of this little jaunt, just pay attention to the area that you can see. There shouldn't be any other players roaming off-road this time of night so you should just be able to focus on close range defense. If you can't kill it immediately then hit it and slow it down." He hadn't been a beta tester but Tailpin had been a gamer and was older than both of his current companions by at least the better part of a decade so he gave advice with confidence. Still, he did glance at the still unintroduced young man with respect. He clearly had more specifically relevant experience and might have something to say. Then again, there was something that Tailpin didn't remember him saying yet.

"I caught Anubis's name but I think I missed yours?" He asked obliquely.

@BlackPanther@Lightbox

Side Quest - Sword Art Online

@Lightbox I know. You've been waiting too long already.

Side Quest - Sword Art Online

@Lightbox Finally, part of a decent conversation... well, a small part. Tailpin will be more sociable after things get settled. He clearly doesn't handle pressure well.

Side Quest - Sword Art Online

@PyroDash888 Though, she is going to get lots of male attention. A lot of it is likely to be annoying. Just remember the rules for safe-zone fights. Lots of impact physics but no hit point damage. Thus, you can beat the flash out of people who annoy you too much.

Side Quest - Sword Art Online

Assumptions

At this point I'm just assuming that the sun has now set and it is dark. The town is lit by lamp on the buildings. Outside town though is very dark. I'm running with the assumption that a person who has not trained their perception based skills would only be able to see about twenty feet or so due to the darkness. There is no moon and no stars above after all. Beta-testers and those who have training in perception would have probably between three and four times that distance. Tailpin, as a trained level two, can see between fifty and sixty feet. It would not be impossible for a stronger beta-test character to be able to have another twenty to forty feet on top of that if they had trained in it.

"That will be fine for now. I look forward to doing business with you." He said with a short smile.

Tailpin nodded at the conclusion of the deal as the trade was accepted though he clearly hadn't been clear enough with his intentions. Still, that matter was taken care of and he really didn't want to hang around when this guy with the tail fetish earned Sapphira's ire. He could always clarify that other stuff later. For now there was darkness to brave and beasts to slay. He raised his hand and gestured, indicating that Emperor should come with him and stay out of the developing mess. It was a safe zone and this would probably only be the first of many incidents when that tail would be a curse and blessing in one. He also withdrew himself, waiting until he was ten feet away or so before even trying to speak to Emperor.

"Sorry about that. I've never been very good at multi-tasking. So, it's a pleasure to meet you, Emperor. I saw you before but I was a little too... preoccupied to be part of a welcome wagon. I hope you talked to Mai'lo. He seems good at properly welcoming people." Tailpin's steps were carrying him closer to the man with the mask and scythe. "And here I go trying to be convincing with a total stranger. Try not to laugh until we get back to everyone at the inn, Emperor." He said with a quick grin before raising a hand to greet the beast taming beta-tester who clearly didn't want to be noticed as such.

"Hello there! Did you just make it back from hunting?" Tailpin was trying to be pleasant as he approached but he still felt pressure in his gut pushing him to get this show on the road. "My new friend and I were going to head out to do some local surveying and a little hunting and I thought we could use somebody with a heavier weapon." He could see one of the town gates from where they were standing. It was pitch black outside. Visibility could be a serious challenge. Emperor didn't seem like a beta-tester and he didn't look like he had focused on perception. He probably couldn't see that far in the dark. Tailpin might actually have to call out and mark targets for him to fight effectively.

Side Quest - Sword Art Online

Actually, @Zelosse, I have an idea you might want to consider for them. Sapphira is sitting next to a cart in town with distinctively uncommon physical features. The brothers could easily mistake her for a rare NPC vendor and try to strike up a shop transaction after the current conversation group disperses.

Side Quest - Sword Art Online

Well, that was a wrench in a hastily conceived plan. She had better developed instincts than he thought. Tailpin would have to level with her without actually leveling with her. Awkward... awkward and difficult. He looked at her for a long moment, leaving the trade window up. He did notice the more timid girl leave but had little chance to address her. Besides, he wasn't sure how involved she was going to be in the future of the group so he had bigger current priorities.

"As for that wager, it was an attempt to hurry everyone into town before the monster's behavior algorithms changed after sunset. And..." He paused briefly and looked like he was momentarily at a loss for words. "Paying for the inn is... a guy thing. The rest is because time has always been money and we don't know each other well enough for me to expect you to do it for free."

"As for what I get out of it personally, I'm a thirty year old trapped in a death game that centers on swords. I am level two with absolutely no aptitude for swords. A level one monster nearly killed me on my first day and I failed to scratch it until I switched to a bow." He drew his starter shortsword and held it out. "This might as well be virtual rubber. I have no ability to defend myself in close combat. I cannot fight a boss. I cannot do anything directly to free any of these people who don't want to be here or change the balance of power. My strongest skills involve long distance mapping, shooting, and spotting which are of greatest use in field zones like those around towns." His voice was flat and businesslike. "I need to be able to make a living at least. How would helping out a budding entrepreneur with seed money and possibly getting into her business on the ground floor as a supplier, when my skills can still earn a pretty penny quickly and have plenty of room to develop, not be in my favor?"

It was just at that moment that another person approached. It was the guy who arrived with good intentions too late to do anything. Still, he might be low enough level to profit from the plan as well. And, he was socially awkward. Still, possibly charming in the right company and undoubtedly better than Tailpin with a sword.

So, now he had two possible nocturnal companions to keep his eyes on while having to haggle a budding merchant into accepting money to deliver money where she was probably going to go anyway. His head was starting to hurt. There was no guarantee that that beta-tester with the debonair mask was going to hang around long enough for a lengthy explanation. He had to make this brief.

"Sapphira, to make this brief. I have two people in mind for a brief nocturnal excursion and one of them isn't truly aware of my presence yet. I intend to help you and profit in turn, if you agree. I will need to rapidly improve my abilities if I am to help you keep up with demand." Then he turned to the new arrival. "You, hi. My name is Tailpin and this is Sapphira. I could actually use a blade to help me out for the next couple hours while I map the surrounding area after dark and test the nocturnal algorithms for the local monsters. See that guy over there with the scythe? I'm planning on trying to recruit him too since night fighting isn't going to be so easy for a level two archer in a level three possibly level four field, depending on what's outside the other town gates, and more blades are typically better."

So now he was waiting on two decisions and only had to keep one person in the corner of his eye. Sapphira wanted his intentions and he'd just spelled them out. The new guy wanted to chat but this was the time to take initiative. They could talk on the way. Then again, there was the possibility that Sapphira would want to come along too. Unlikely but possible. His contribution to the earlier fight had been limited and at long range. She might actually want to observe up close now that he had stated his interest in joining her business. Untimately, he just really didn't want to miss out on the chance to work with another beta-tester. He might even be able to convince him to join up long-term, not that he was getting his hopes up or anything. That guy could probably fly solo for awhile yet.

Side Quest - Sword Art Online

Yeah, @BlackPanther, he's kinda hard to miss but that's ok. The real kicker is that usernames are hidden until you either join a party or introduce yourself so I can't even send him a message.

@pockets Don't worry about it too much. I know I haven't been 100% for awhile.

Also, in other news, the idea I had in mind for the immediate future was for the group to end up in either three groups for a short time.

Group One would be the first to arrive at the inn. This group would probably be focusing on networking and getting to know each other with an eye toward getting stronger and getting out of SAO.

Group Two would be anyone with Sapphira who stayed in town but arrived at the inn later. This group would probably be working on networking with an eye toward developing the business plan and making a good life in SAO.

Group Three would be with Tailpin outside town laying out the surrounding terrain and monster types with a focus on personal growth and development.

The challenge with group three will be accurately summarizing several hours of nighttime travel and combat in a maximum of two post cycles for the people in the group. I will try to shoulder the terrain descriptions myself since Tailpin is trying to map the area. If there are any suggestions, requests or concerns then please let me know so that I can incorporate them or adapt the plan as a whole. After all, for all my attention to detail, I'm not the GM and any plans of mine can be overruled with a single typed sentence.

Side Quest - Sword Art Online

Don't worry about that, @PyroDash888. I already was aware of Sapphira's interests. Besides, Tailpin's 30 years old. The only possible relationship other than friendship could be an arranged marriage between their respective families. Which would be just one more reason for them to not want out... but it would be funny.

Thanks, @Lightbox, hopefully we can move things along smoothly and interestingly for a while.

Side Quest - Sword Art Online

I'm planning on having Tailpin be the last one to make it to the Inn, hence him paying for his little challenge. So, as long as everybody else is there first it'll be fine. But, we're in the transition from evening to after dark so nobody should make jumps to other times of day unless its in retrospect.