Green Thumb | Quest [Areto]

[attr="class","textieno"]”"Hey! Sorry I'm late, you were really far out, huh?"[break][break]

The blonde blinked as he turned his attention towards someone approaching him from the direction of the Town of Beginnings. A fellow blonde from first glance, and as they drew closer and closer... Celsius would take notice of the rather staggering difference in height between himself and the other. He was actually rather mesmerized by the fact before shaking the stupified moment off. If there was anything MMORPGs of the past had taught him, it's that appearances could be deceiving. He would not take this person lightly, despite his smaller stature. As they finally reached at least ten feet of distance, his ears would catch a name. Areto. Celsius gave a slight bow as a show of courtesy, dark blue eyes peering down at the shorter man as a hand rose to rest upon his hip.[break][break]

"Celsius." he stated very simply, soon turning his attention to the map on his HUD for a swift peek at the quest indicator on the map. The area for farming the herbivorous plants wasn't terribly far, and the kill count was set to seven. He honestly didn't see how this quest would require two people, given that the creatures were on a difficulty level of E. He figured anyone could take them down with relative ease. Then again, this was S.A.O. This wasn't like most MMOs. As much previous experience to other games had given him, there was no real telling how things might go at low-level. He wasted no time in turning on his heel and making his way towards it, beckoning Areto with one hand for him to follow. If he could help it, Celsius would try to keep "friendly chatter" to a minimum, merely wanting to get through as many quests as possible for quick leveling. But for the time being, he would make due with his temporary partner and tolerate whatever may come. [break][break]


As the pair walked, the silence between them was staggering. The only thing that could be heard was the sound of their feet upon the path, the gentle breeze blowing past, and the occasional sounds of the low-level mobs pacing about in their designated areas. Celsius did not mind this. It gave him an opportunity to take in the sights. Appreciate all of the hard work and detail that had gone into this game. If not for the fact that he knew he were wearing the NervGear, he would have thought this to be a game far beyond its time with how immersive it was. It was enough to almost make one forget they were in Virtual Reality. For a moment, and only a moment... the faintest of smiles had curled upon his lips, before vanishing as quickly as it had come.[break][break]

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[attr="class","tagsieno"]ARETO

[attr="class","textieno"]”"Hey! Sorry I'm late, you were really far out, huh?"[break][break]

"Are you enjoying the scenery? It does seem like a whole new world, doesn't it, as if the one outside of here never existed."[break][break]

As he had feared. Areto was a chatty one. However, the shorter man was correct that the scenery was rather breath-taking. Again, if not for the fact that he knew he was in a game, Celsius would have taken it all to be the real thing. As the breeze blew through his blonde hair, he'd take a moment to brush it out of his eyes, looking ahead as he continued moving forward. The quest objective was in their sights, blue eyes narrowing at the plant creatures came into view. As Celsius drew the Rusty Sword from its sheath, the question finally came up.[break][break]

"Why did you start playing SAO?" [break][break]

Celsius stopped in his tracks as he let the question process in his mind for a spell. The sudden stopping was awkward in itself, as though Areto had asked a question that should have been left alone. This was not the case, however. The taller of the two stared down one of the objective targets lumbering about nearby. After a few moments of observing, Celsius took off, running at the voracious-looking plant creature with a tight grip upon the handle of his blade. He had already formulated a plan of attack against these creatures as he closed the distance until he was within range. As his body rose up, his arm swung diagonally from the bottom left towards the upper right. The Rusty Sword gave off a brilliant orange glow of light as Celsius' struck, finding the weapon would cleave right through the plant with relative ease. [break][break]


The wound that was created was a glowing red gash that had torn from the creature's stem all the way through its lower "jaw", the trash mob writhing and screeching in pain before exploding into crystalline fragments of data. Celsius blinked as he processed what had just happened, bringing his arm down to look at the Rusty Sword as a particular sensation seemed to resonate within his nerves. A sort of power unlike anything he'd ever experienced in his life. "So that's a Sword Art, huh...?" he said seemingly unimpressed, but very much excited on the inside. Of course, that stoic expression of his may tell otherwise to most people.[break][break]

[attr="class","iconieno"]

[attr="class","tagsieno"]ARETO

[attr="class","textieno"]”"It's strange isn't it? How foreign it feels but at the same time, like it's built into us."[break][break]

Celsius turned to Areto, blue eyes fixated upon the shorter of the two as he practically spelled out the sensation he had just experienced. His first use of a Sword Art was surreal in every definition of the word. He felt as though he had tapped into something that had always been there, and yet never was. At least, as far as he had ever known. But here, it was as though a limiter had been broken and everything had come surging forth within that one moment. There was a sort of euphoria to be had from it, as though experiencing true freedom for the first time. However, as much as he would like to indulge in such things, that would have to wait. His attention turned as two figures started approaching in the distance. Two more of those plant creatures - 'Nepents', as they were called. Eyes fell upon Areto once more as he spoke up again. [break][break]

"If you don't want to tell me why you started playing, that's fine, I can understand not wanting to disclose everything. Let's talk more after this if you want, okay?" [break][break]

It was very brief, but as those words left Areto's lips, a smile curled upon Celsius' own, only to fade as quickly as it had came. He turned his attention back as the two Nepents came closer, shooting their tendrils at the pair. He side-stepped to his left to dodge, but not quite fast enough as the tendrils grazed his right cheek and and thigh. A slight hiss could be heard as the sensations of pain spiked where he had been struck, his HP dropping by a good 10-15%. It felt so real that he'd almost forgotten he was in a game! However, shock would soon be put off to the side as he rushed in at one Nepent and drove his rusty blade through relentlessly with a battle cry. Another shrill screech, followed by the creatures' form returning to crystalline data. Only one remained, as it attempted to shoot out its tendrils once more. A swift step to the side ensured Celsius a successful dodge this time, the Rusty Sword in hand glowing brightly once more. A Horizontal Slash resulted in him passing the Nepent with one fluid stroke of his blade, seemingly like a scene from those old samurai movies many, many years back. A moment's silence, and the breeze would blow by before the Nepent exploded into data, leaving Celsius to rise as he twirled the sword in his hand before sheathing it for a spell. [break][break]

A small sigh of relief escaped him, his eyes looking up at his HP Bar in the upper-left hand corner. A click of his teeth signaled that he was annoyed with himself for having taken a hit. Then again, it was to be expected when starting a new RPG game. Even so... it was irritating.[break][break]

[attr="class","iconieno"]

[attr="class","tagsieno"]ARETO

[attr="class","textieno"] BGM: Light Your Sword [break][break]

"What was that battle cry about? Is that some type of skill or something you saw in a movie?"[break][break]

The comment from Areto made Celsius pause for a moment, a sudden curtain of crimson staining his face as he turned to shoot a glare at the shorter male. He was half-tempted to march over and smack the guy over the top of his head. However, he instead directed his attention back at the four Nepents approaching from the side. He wasted no time in charging towards them to meet with his incoming enemies. There was a strange sensation rising within him as he moved, dodging oncoming tendrils left and right, his steps seeming to move faster, drawing closer than before with each one. Something was happening as he found himself cutting down the Nepents faster and faster, his strikes almost seeming to cleave through them with a subtle hint more of relative ease. What was this feeling - this sensation? Whatever it was, he'd ride it out until the end![break][break]

The fourth Nepent had fallen, three remaining as they screeched angrily at the sight of their fallen friends. Celsius twirled his sword in hand before bringing it to a resting position over his shoulder, the blade now glowing with a luminous green light as he prepared another Sword Art. The Nepent's jaws opened in an attempt to lunge forward and take a bite out of the young man, only to be met with Celsius' <<SLANT>> Sword Skill. The blade cleaved clean through the creature before its jaws could close around him, exploding into naught but data, leaving himself and Areto with only two more left to deal with. He was honestly starting to wonder why this quest required two people with how easily these things were falling to them individually.[break][break]

"Two left!", he called out to Areto. Perhaps the shorter of the pair would take this opportunity to clean up the remains.

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[attr="class","tagsieno"]ARETO

[attr="class","textieno"]"Celsius! Cut its tendril!"[break][break]

Celsius turned at the sound of Areto's voice, finding the last Nepent had taken hold of him by the foot and was dangling him in the air. There was no time to think. Only action took its course as the blonde ran at the creature and leaped into the air, slicing through the tendril clean and freeing Areto from its grasp. He'd skid to a halt as he turned around to face the Nepent, springing back towards it with the rusty blade raised over his shoulder, a luminous blue glow radiating across the worn steel. The vile plant creature turned to lash its tendrils out at Celsius, grazing the other side of his cheek as he darted in and swing, activating his Sword Skill <<SLANT>>. The blade dug deep into the Nepent's side, rising upward at an angle and cleaving it in half. The nepent soon exploded into pixels of data, leaving Areto and himself in the field alone. A bell would chime signaling that the quest had now been completed. All they needed to do was go back to the NPC that gave out the quest and speak with her.[break][break]

For once, Celsius would finally begin to relax letting out a soft sigh as he turned back towards the direction of the quest giver, only to plop down on his rear, staring up at the virtual sky above. "Huff... tired..." he said out loud, soon laying flat on his back as he stared upward into the sky. It was an odd feeling enjoying the view of the blue sky after having accomplished a quest. Like a well-deserved rest after a hard-earned victory. His chest rose and fell as he breathed in and out, blue eyes widening as a notification popped up in front of him. The amount of EXP he'd earned, as well as a rather decent amount of Col. Not only that, but the words <<Level Up!>> popped up in front of him. He couldn't help but blink a few times as it all processed in his mind... and then, an odd thing occurred. [break][break]

Celsius began laughing. He wasn't sure if it was the overall excitement, or maybe he'd gone a little mad from the fight. Or perhaps it was the generalization that maybe... he was having fun. This lasted for but a few moments before he composed himself again, throwing his arms up in the air before allowing them to fall to his sides. How long had it been since he'd felt something like this? Probably far too long. He couldn't help but pull himself back to a sitting position, offering Areto a true, genuine smile. [break][break]

"Now that... was quite riveting."[break][break]

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[attr="class","tagsieno"]ARETO

[attr="class","textieno"]BGM: Yume Miru Tabibito [break][break]

The young man gave a slight nod before propping himself back to his feet with a swift kip, rising to his full standing position before starting to walk back towards the quest giving NPC alongside Areto. The smile on his face hadn't quite faded just yet, as he was in fact in a very good mood. Experiencing the use of Sword Skills first-hand, and conquering his first quest, even with another was a very thrilling experience. Areto would be the first to see a side of Celsius that didn't involve trying to be the "strong, silent type". The blonde was still human, after all. He'd look at the indicator on his mini-map, seeing that they still had quite a ways to go. For now... it wouldn't hurt to strike up conversation.[break][break]

"H-hai. I am feeling pretty good after that, I will admit. Err...apologies for not being very talkative. Interacting with others has usually been a um... difficult experience for me in the past..." [break][break]

The slightest of red could be seen upon the young man's features, a finger gingerly tracing over his jawline in a sheepish manner. It was odd for him to open up at least a little bit to a stranger, first-name basis or no. Still... he had to admit, at least in his own mind, that it did feel sort of nice to just speak plainly in a sense. It was a bit of a chore trying to keep to one's self all of the time, as many would probably know from their own experiences. He cleared his throat as he spoke up again, sounding a little more lax than he had been a little while back. [break][break]

"I uh... started playing SAO so I could experience something new. Something that wasn't like the MMOs I have already played in the past. When it comes down to it, they are basically all the same, just with slightly different features or mechanics. It all becomes somewhat mundane in the end, you know? But this? This is... a masterpiece! I'd even go as far as to say a work of art!"[break][break]

He'd stop himself for a moment, blush returning to his features, only now coming in a darker shade. A hand came to his mouth as he cleared his throat lightly, reigning himself in from his little tangent. [break][break]

"Err...forgive me. Perhaps that was a bit over-exaggerated...?"

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[attr="class","tagsieno"]ARETO