Meanwhile in the Horunka village...
6th November 2022, 20h00 (8 p.m.), Floor 1, Horunka village:
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Luckau is in the village to accept the quest giving a powerful weapon for beginners [Anneal Blade enchanted +4] when he encounters Kirito with another person player who is younger than him but the same age as Kirito.
Luckau: *Waving at him* Hey Kirito!
Kirito: Oh hey Luckau! Are you there too?
???: Who is he?
Kirito: It's one of my friends Luckau, he helped me a lot during the beta phase.
???: Oh I see, I'm Coper, a former beta player too.
Luckau: *Asking them* Both of you doing the Anneal quest? So shall I rejoin your group? At least we will have a better chance to drop the reward.
Coper: Ok but I don't wanna be part of a party.
Luckau: No problem, Kirito you create it or do I create it?
Kirito: Do it if you want.
Luckau: *Creating the party* Ok I am sending an invitation.
Kirito accepts it and joins Luckau's party.
Luckau: Alright let's go guys we have a weapon to earn!
Coper and Kirito: Yeah!
1 hour and a half later...
21h30 (9:30 p.m), Floor 1, Horunka forest:
The trio attacks the Little Nephentes monsters to find the item which completes the quest, but after hundreds of monsters are killed by them, Coper begins to complain about the drop.
Coper: *Irritated on the drops* Seriously that's the 157th Nephentes we kill..., where is da freaking flower?!
Kirito: *Is investigating* I don't know, it could be any Nephentes since the drop rate is low, Luckau how much is the rate?
Luckau: Approximatively 2%.
Coper: *Complaining* 2%!!! That's bullshit!
Kirito: *Understands him* Yeah, but this upgraded Anneal is very powerful compared to the normal Anneal, and that's part of the grind experience, at least we earn exp and cols...
Coper: Only 8 cols per mob killed and only 4 exp here that's not enough to up quickly our levels!
Luckau: *Feds up with him* Will you stop complaining for 5 seconds?!
Coper: No and I will take a break anyway, call me when you find the real mob.
Kirito: We will do it but run on us when we send the message.
30 minutes later...
While Coper is taking a break, Luckau asks Kirito to beat the key mob without Coper...
Luckau: *Tries to convince him* Hey Kirito, we should kill the mob and keep the Ovule for ourselves.
Kirito: *Wants to know why* Why? He helps us to do the quest.
Luckau: Help us? *Explains him* I have a bad feeling about him, he is a brat, how he could have been chosen to be part of the beta players with that behaviour?! I hate players like him who always complain and gna-gna-gna. Without talking, I have already banned him during the beta.
Kirito: *Hesitates* I don't know maybe since you say that you have banned him, hum, I don't like so many toxic players, you're right but I don't wanna be selfish...
Luckau: Ok ok we will don't do that and look at that. *Snaps his fingers*
Luckau points his finger to the possible key Nephentes.
Luckau: *Recognize the mob* This one has a strange colour on his skin guess what it is Kirito.
Kirito: The one with the Ovule?
Luckau: Exactement my friend, and we must kill it now! *Sword pared to fight*
Kirito: Why? You said that we won't kill it now, but when Coper is with us!
Luckau: Because it rushes on us! *Dash the mob*
Kirito: What?! *Dives quickly*
Kirito avoids the attack of the Nepthentes.
Kirito: *Urgh* Ok so I guess we have no choice but to kill it?
Luckau: *Telling the plan* Yep, I'll be the lure, you attack it from the back!
Kirito: Okay I follow you.
Luckau throws pebbles at the Nephentes to have the aggro. The Nephentes receiving the pebbles become furious and attack him.
*Pebbles hits*
Luckau: *Provoking it* Ok sale bête, come here!
The Nephentes use its spore to paralyze him, Luckau can't move with the spores he breathed, and the monster grabs him and opens wide its mouth to gulp Luckau.
Luckau: *Paralyzed* Kirito, it's now or never!
Kirito charges on the Nephentes and pierces the living plant and his lame almost reaches Luckau's face, but the monster dies and Luckau is free from the paralysis debuff. Kirito holds a potion for him and checks his inventory if he got the Little Nephentes Ovule.
*Fragments burst*
Kirito: Here we go, Luckau I think we have the item.
Luckau: *Gloup*, *gloup*, *gloup* Yep we got it. *Confirm the drop* Ok we can go back to the village and we win our upgraded Anneal Blades *wouhou*, too bad Coper has abandoned before. He could have dropped the item too...
Before he finishes talking, he and Kirito hear strange sounds...
Kirito: *Hears something* Hey, do you hear that?
The sounds become louder and they are approaching the duo. The sounds are like the monsters are running in a direction.
Luckau: *Guessing the next* Hum, maybe it's the reaction of killing the mob with the Ovule, I don't know that there was an event triggered after picking the item SO we should run!
Kirito: Yeah you're right, let's go! *Both flee away*
Kirito and Luckau leave the area when a horde of Nephentes arise from nowhere.
*Monsters spawning on their way and reacting aggressively*
Kirito: Damit! There are too many monsters here, Luckau did you program to have too many monsters attacking us at the same time?!
Luckau: *Avoids the attacks* Bordel NON! I coded from the 75th floor to the 99th floor so I don't know and I think that my former colleagues programmed, to have these mobs attacking us! I think someone lures them on us!
Kirito: *Can't believe it* What?! Do you mean someone has attacked the plants, to leave the aggro on us? But that's not on the rules, right?
Luckau: Well, normally it should have been "tolerable" since killing is part of the game experience, BUT since we can die IRL! Well, it can be considered a crime! RUN!!!
The duo run in the direction of the exit when Kirito is grabbed by a Nephentes and falls down.
Kirito: *Being grabbed on the legs* Argh! *Hard fall*
Luckau: Merde! Kirito hold on! *Slash*, *Slash*, *Slash*, *Slash* Can you please die?! You fucking plantes de merde! *Slash*, *slash*, *slash* *fragments burst*
Luckau frees Kirito and tells him to go to the village.
Luckau: *Helps him* Ok pal, I take once again the aggro, Kirito, you finish the quest!
Kirito: *Worried about his life* But there are too many on you, you could die here...
Luckau: *Resolute* Don't worry bro, I'm an SAO developer remember, I think that I remembered their attacks and patterns since there is the same kind of species on the last floors so..., so I'll be back.
Kirito: Ok good luck, don't die here! I will maybe need your knowledge!
Luckau: Yeah and I will continue to beat you in duels if you ask the tips ^^!
*Run away*
Kirito leaves Luckau in the forest, while Luckau is holding the mobs in difficulty when a player hiding in the area at the same time but not discreetly, Luckau spots him. He throws some smoke grenades he crafted before on the mobs before rushing on him.
Luckau: *Sees someone* Got you!!
???: Noooo!
Luckau tackles him and grabs the neck of the player. It was Coper who attracted the mobs to him and Kirito... Luckau furious wants Coper's explanations.
Luckau: *Very furious at him* Hey conn#%#! I hope you have serious explanations because I'm seriously mad!
Coper: *Frightened* Ok ok I'm sorry I didn't want to do that!
Luckau: *Don't trust him* You lie, you wanted me and Kirito to die! After our death, you wanted to steal our item for the quest. I'm not a fool, I'm a fucking SAO developer! I know the players like you, and I received during the beta a lot of complaints about you! Do you know the bans that you received 2 weeks before the end? It was from me!
Coper: No... Please I'm... *receives blows in his face*
Luckau hits his face with his right fist in anger...
Luckau: *Punch* Ta geule! I'm very angry towards you since you wanted us to die. Well, I will do the same, so...
Luckau whispers to him about his fate...
Luckau: *Telling his fate in a sadistic way* I will hit you hard against this tree, then I will throw some pebbles on the monsters. With your paralysis debuff that you will get from me, you will be not able to move but you will enjoy enough of your pain experience before you die. While I will walk normally as if nothing happened and finish the quest with Kirito. Everyone will forget you since no one knows you besides me!
Coper: *Injured* What about Kirito? *Argh* *Blow*
Coper receives another right fist on his face...
Luckau: *Begin to laugh at him* He will forget you faster than he met you. You shouldn't leave the group earlier or even why you didn't fucking accept my invitation?! *Laughs* Or maybe you could have survived if you didn't meet me. Oh anyway, *laughs* I don't care, I will tell you something *revealing one of his dark secrets* maybe I'm a gaming developer, but I already killed people in the past, especially during the Neo-French Revolution civil war 5 years ago, so I know how to do with people like you. *Sadism smiled face*
Coper: *Afraid to tie* No please I beg you, I'm just a kid!
Luckau: Trop tard... (Too late...)
Luckau doesn't care about him, he just throws him hard multiple times, head or the back first on the tree enough for him to be paralyzed and concussed. Luckau knows exactly where to stop to avoid becoming a Player with a long period or permanent Yellow, Orange, or Red Icon. Coper shouts in pain but his cries are covered with the noises made but the monsters, despite this Luckau continues to hurt him until he is knocked out...
After minutes of being beaten down, Luckau throws his unconscious body at the monsters and assures that no one is around the assassination move...
Luckau: Nobody here, parfait, it's time to get out here. *Appreciate his murder* Take that in your face Coper, rendez-vous en enfer (see you in hell). *Leaves the forest*
Luckau quietly leaves the forest while the Coper is eaten alive by the Nephentes. With these actions, Luckau's icon became yellow for 2 hours because he attacked a player multiple times, but not with deadly movements...
Luckau: I'm quite lucky that the game doesn't count my action as a murder, anyway having already a penalty status is bad. Hopefully, I will not be so restrained in safe places when I will be back with my friends...
Minutes later...
22h30 (10h30 p.m.), Floor1, Horunka village:
Kirito was waiting for minutes when Luckau arrived at the house to accomplish the quest, he looked at his UI and remarked that Luckau was a temporary Yellow Player.
Kirito: *Stunned* Oof, what happened that you became like that Luckau?
Luckau: *Tries to find an excuse* Oh that? Don't worry it's nothing, my icon will be back in the green in 1-2 hours because I hit by mistake Coper who was running to the exit, and when I triggered a skill, he was on my way, so you know the results...
Kirito is worried about Coper so he wants to know if he is okay.
Kirito: How is Coper after this mistake?
Luckau: *Lying* Oh he is fine, I helped him to be healed and then he told me after more training and patience, he would try again on this quest later. So you can forget him.
Kirito: *Don't see the lie* Piouf, I'm reassured then, so then, shall we go?
Luckau: Évidemment (Of course), let's finish it!
Kirito and Luckau enter the house after that...
Minutes later...
Both exit the house after giving the Little Nephentes Ovule to the village lady, and they both got to receive the [Anneal Blade enchanted +4]. Luckau looks at Kirito who has his face sad...
Luckau: *Looks at him* Hey, you ok?
Kirito: *Sob* Yeah it's just... that girl, she wasn't part of the beta phase isn't it?
Luckau: Yep, even me, I didn't know, it wasn't even on the guidebook..., so the other devs must have changed it.
Kirito: *Remembered of his past* That little girl who was healed by her mother, she reminds me of my little sister Suguha.
Luckau: Oh... can I know why? If it doesn't bother you of course...
Kirito: *Glad to tell him* Sure, the face of that little girl, she is almost identical to my sister and..., when we were little, one day, we played in our garden after that our parents bought some fish and put them into our creek, so Suguha approach the creek to admire the fishes but she has lost her balance and fell into the water. The creek was quite deep and she didn't know how to swim so she was drowning before she passed out, I could pick her up just in time and save her. She was resting for days and days in her chamber to recover while I was next to her, taking care of my sister, so when I see that girl it reminds me of her...
Luckau: *Has empathy* And you begin to miss her it?
Kirito: *Thinking about her* It's just only hours that we were trapped in this game, but yeah I begin to miss her since it would take a couple of months or years to clear the game entirely...
Luckau: *Wish his best* Well, I hope you will survive long enough to reunite with your sister again. I promise you that you will be with her. I don't wanna see a family broken because of that. I have one sister too but how can I describe her hum well it's a love-and-hate relationship ^^.
Kirito: Oh can you describe your sister if it doesn't bother you?
Luckau: One day, not now, and I prefer to describe her when Koharu and Chris are here too since Chris could complete her traits...
Kirito: *Apeased* Ok no problem, well thanks for listening to me and thanks for the quest, I will take care of the [Anneal Blade enchanted +4] Luckau, and what you will do now?
Luckau: I told Chris and Koharu that I will meet them back in the Town of Beginning in a few minutes at 23h00 (11:00 p.m.), wanna join us?
Kirito: *Refuses it politely* Nah I will go into the labyrinth to test our new swords.
Luckau: *Preparing to close the group* I disband the party then, maybe next week I will gather to run an Assault Team since we have already the guidebook..., we have already the Floor 1 information so it will be easy if we do as expected in our notes. *Hope to be the same* (I hope so much that it's the same...).
Kirito: Yep, I still have the fight of the beta in my mind, hope the reward of the last hit bonus will be cool!
Luckau: Well I don't know the rewards of all floors besides the floors that I made so it will be a surprise, but sure it will be cool, anyway take care Kirito! I'll go now or Chris will be very worried if I don't come back to him and don't forget to rest too!
Kirito: Yeah thanks and take care of yourself too my friend! *Both parts away*
Kirito and Luckau leave the village in the opposite direction, one is going to the labyrinth while the other goes back to the town.
Luckau: *Thinking of his bad action* (I killed a player today, I hope it will be the first and last I do that... I don't wanna maintain my old life again, the damages were too much... moreover with Chris close to me... )
23h00 (11:00 p.m.) Floor 1, Town of Beginning, Merchant district:
Chris and Koharu are back from their grind and they are now waiting for Luckau to come back from his quest.
Koharu: *Begins to be worried* Hope he is ok...
Chris: Don't worry he is a tough guy, oh there he is!
Luckau: *Waving at them* Hey yo, well my friends how was the grind?
Koharu: Well at the beginning it was hard, because we saw players dying in front of me and Chris, and I almost died if Chris hadn't been there for me.
Chris: But in the end, we stayed on a safer spot perfectly balanced for us to grind in safety, so now Koharu and I are level 7 even if we wanted to be level 5 at first and our weapons are level 4.
Luckau: *Happy for them* Cool then, I'm level 5 with my quest done and I earned a sword with that!
*Showing him his Anneal Blade*
Chris: *Wants it* Oh, I want it too!
Luckau: *Calm his friend* Next time, now we should rest because I'm beginning to be tired 🥱.
Koharu: *Yawning* Yeah me too we must find an inn to sleep for tonight.
Chris: Yep and with our cols, we can find one easily.
Luckau: How much do you have both? Mine 31 320 cols.
Chris: 19 189 cols.
Koharu: 12 176 cols.
Luckau: *Thinking about the sleeping place* Okay we are fine for tonight (even for weeks), ok, I invite you to one of the best Inns here in the Town of Beginning in terms of quality of service for this only night since it's expensive.
Chris/Koharu: *Very happy* Wouhou!!!
Luckau: *Snaps and points his fingers to them* 1 room with 3 single beds is alright for you?
Koharu: Yep.
Chris: Me too.
Luckau: *Clap* Ok let's go then!
Chris/Koharu: Yeah!!!
The trio reunited and went in the direction of an Inn to spend the night together after the beginning of this long, hard and tiring day...
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Back to the present day...
WolvesKeeper: *A bit nostalgic* Ahhhh... yes, 6th November 2022, this day will stay forever as a big mess for me right?
The Unknown person: Yeah..., you have endured a tough day as I heard, but I think you have begun to wake up so do you have the time to tell their full stories?
WolvesKeeper: Maybe, but don't worry. If I don't have the time to tell another one, you can read the personal notes that the 1st EIS left on it.
The Unknown person: Yes I would like to do it when it's over, but now, can you continue their stories?
WolvesKeeper: Naturally! Okay then, the last one, maybe is the sequel: from 12th to 16th November 2022, the days when floor 1 was conquered by the Assault Team...
À suivre...
Fin du chapitre / End of the chapter: