Oscar

“It’s the place I put people like that,” Oscar said plainly. “People who threaten the work I’ve tried to do here.” He beckoned Abellio to follow. They meandered through the streets, passing vendor stalls and shops as they went. “I’ve taken great pains to make this place a sanctuary. And not just a safe zone. People slowly trickle out of town, wanting to get involved. Wanting to stop languishing.” He stopped in front of the Blazing Typhoon, turning to stare at the Smithy with a slight smile. “There’s several of us still here. Frontliners who want to help newbies like you. Like Macrado

Oscar merely watched as Abellio confronted the men. He was certainly the fiery sort. And definitely didn’t give a single fuck about is own reputation. Oscar heard some of the Players snickered as Abellio admitted to his own idiocy. He was certain that they thought themselves above such things. It wasn’t until Abellio mentioned him that Oscar strode forward. Outwardly calm, he kept his hands in his pockets as he stalked toward the pair. “Abellio tells me that you’re a pair of Info Brokers. Did Cardinal make some sort of Balance Patch recently? The Forgotten Time King was easier than I reme

As soon as they set foot on Floor One, indignation gripped Oscar. The audacity of these people, sending people to their deaths in his town. On his floor. Right under his nose. He couldn’t decide whether he was more angry at them or himself for letting it escape his notice. It was an error he intended to rectify immediately. “Oscar,” he said plainly in response. “Now lead the way.” Oscar followed in silence as Abellio led him towards the Tutorial NPC. A few players were walked by, attempting to take the quest. Oscar watched a group interact with the NPC and then take a few steps towar

“Obviously,” Oscar said. “But I was thinking more, you know, specifically. Like maybe don’t believe everything you hear from strangers. Or don’t go to crazy high-level floors. Or, and I’m just spitballin’ here. Don’t take the easy way out.” Oscar covered his mouth as he yawned. He couldn’t hold too much against the man. All’s well that ends well and all that. Providence or serendipity had saved his nooby ass. Fate, even. Maybe. It really didn’t matter. All that did matter was that the kid had stuck his hand into a hornet’s nest and managed to pull it out without getting stung. “If yo

Oscar nodded. Then, without warning, he spun on his heels to deal with the boss. Taking off like a bolt of lightning, he crashed into the King. With a barrage of sword strikes, he carved through the boss with lethal precision. He struck at its ankles to topple it. Then when it fell to its knees, the back of the thighs. Then, finally, when it was lying prone upon the ground, a final thrust to the back of the head sealed the fight. With a shower of crystalline shards, the Forgotten Time King was no more. In its wake, it left a piece of equipment. Oscar sheathed his weapon and allowed it to

“Fucking what?” Oscar’s tone was thick with disbelief. “You’re on Floor 21, dude. How the fuck did you think this would go?” He paused long enough to make his next attack. He leapt from the ground and drove his blade straight into the King’s chest. His face contorted in effort as he wrenched his blade free and struck twice more in quick succession, leaving long red gashes across the King’s torso. He kicked off and somersaulted backward in midair before landing lightly on his feet. The King was almost dead, so Oscar turned to face Abellio. “Yeah. You’re stupid. A basic mob this high up wou

Seeing his handiwork, Oscar was able to breathe a sigh of relief. He had plenty left in the tank - Health and Energy. The King couldn’t really say that. He heard a concerned voice from the arena entrance. The noob, he remembered. “I’m fine,” Oscar called back sternly. “Stacking buffs means you stack debuffs sometimes. I can’t move right now after doing all of that.” It was a fair trade. The ability to lay such an infamous boss low with a single blow justified the cost. He was just glad the boss hadn’t actually hit him before the debuff from the crystal wore off. He wasn’t concerned f

Maybe it had been longer than Oscar thought. He remembered the last time he came here that it had required a full party of people to put this boss down. He was certainly stronger now, but he didn’t realize by how much. Never would he have imagined that he would reach the point where he was so easily able to handle such a foe. The boss struck true - crit him even - and yet he had all but shrugged it off. Battle Healing recovered the lion’s share of what the boss had dealt to him. It was time to go on the offensive. He lashed out with a slice at the creature’s midriff. Divine Rancor began

Of all the stupid things to do, coming to Floor 21 as a Level 1 was right there at the top of the list. Oscar was familiar with the floor and its tunnels. He was able to easily get ahead of the man. Good thing he did, because he had every NPC and monster in two post codes driving straight for his location. He wouldn’t be able to convince the man to turn around before something looked at him sideways. Oscar swore under his breath and drew his weapon. The only thing that he could do was cut a path through to the boss. Arguing outside of town was only going to get the red-head killed. And so

There was another in the city as well. He was sat outside of a small tavern near the central plaza. He was intently focused on something in his menus. Oscar seemed to be agonizing over a message of some sort. He would type a few words and then scrunch his face up in annoyance and delete everything he’d written. This repeated on and on until something broke his focus. The town was empty and quiet. Outside of the NPCs - who had learned to tune out - the other Players were above or below them. Floor 21 only attracted a specific type of Player: those wanting to slay the Forgotten Time King for som

They were quite a motley crew, if Oscar said so himself. Seeing the way everyone greeted one another and the ease with which they fell into socializing made Oscar feel just a pang of regret. He had been so focused, so driven, in his quest to become one of the vaunted Frontliners that he had never stopped to smell the roses. He’d never really tried to ingratiate himself with anyone outside of a small number of confidants. Perhaps things would have been different if he had. Maybe it wouldn’t have all gone to shit. But he’d played his hand the best he could. There was no room for sour grapes

ph Oscar receives 2x <<Bottled Darkness>>

ph

Skill(s) Being Dropped: Charge, Grappling Familiar Mod(s)/Addon(s)/Shift(s) Being Dropped: N/A SP Incurred Towards Limit: 20 SP Refunded: 20 Cost: 20k Col

Maybe it was a bit too hopeful to pull a repeat of the last round. As if insulted by Oscar's simple logic, the bear made sure they were all tripping balls at the end. A welcome turn of events. It was hard to conceptualize the risks and dangers the game when a bear was befuddling your perception. Oscar could see it all. The fire of creation. Everything was a cycle, like a hot dog on a gas station roller. Trundling on and on, molded and changed by its environment. The searing, blistering heat. Life was like a hot dog, he realized, as he watched the cosmos unfold before him. Swirling nebula