A Time To Train - To Run For Fun? - COMPLETE!

[Brax 0]

     After his short break, Brax continued to lean on the tree, seeming lost in thought once again.  He had leveled up, and had already gone through his status screen, applying points and casting a critical eye over his new stats.  But this was not the cause of his current thoughtfulness; no, another issue occupied his analytical mind.  'The light is beginning to fade; night will be upon us soon.  If I am to continue my mat gathering quest, I don't have much time left.'  "Perhaps," he wondered aloud, "I should see whether this virtual body possesses my real one's stamina."  While he knew he was not in prime physical condition, due to the restrictions at Berringer's, he was at the very least capable of extended cardiovascular exercise, all thanks to the early morning running he had started several months back.  Stretching for a bit, slightly amazed at the feel of his virtual muscles loosening up, he took off down the trail set before him. 

Edited December 15, 2015 by Brax

[Brax 0]

ID 42084

BD 6

MobD 3

Boar HP 4/6

Brax HP 12/12

EN 3/3

2 damage total

     It would seem the game had other things in mind than to allow Brax to get his exercise on.  Just as he crested a nearby hill, Brax encountered a boar, much to both combatants surprise.  The animal reacted first, swinging it's tusks wildly but hitting nothing.  Brax, on the other hand, just managed to land a blow to the beast's head as he sailed through the air overhead.  Landing lightly on his feet, he turned, ready to initiate combat.

Edited December 15, 2015 by Brax

[Brax 0]

ID 42085

BD 6

MoBD 4

Boar HP 0/6 Defeated!

Brax HP 12/12

EN 2/3

2 damage x 2 Whirlwind = 4

+1 material

     Reacting swiftly, Brax set his weapon on the left side of his body, once again feeling the Whirlwind's energy power up along the shaft.  The boar attempted to strike back, but he twirled out of the way, using the momentum to strike back hard.  The Sword Art's twin strikes connected, releasing the animal's data back into the code from whence it came.  Picking up the mat and wiping his brow of sweat, Brax did not linger, choosing instead to pick up where he left off, his run.

Edited December 15, 2015 by Brax

[Brax 0]

ID 41086

LD 17

Brax HP 12/12

EN 3/3 Full!

     Once again, Brax felt the wind running through his thick, shaggy, jet-black hair, not overly long, but enough to run one's hand through, his eyes concentrating on the feel of his body, it's movements and poise.  He felt the air burning in his lungs, the heat of his muscles shifting as he jogged through the remaining grasslands at dusk.  Still, he kept his gaze sharply on his other task, namely the crafting supplies on the ground.  Slowing down just briefly, he leaned over and scooped up one of them, continuing on his way.

Edited December 15, 2015 by Brax

[Brax 0]

ID 42089

Boar 0/6 Defeated!

Brax HP 12/12

EN 2/3

2 damage + 1 crit x 2 Whirlwind = 6

+1 material

     Up ahead, another boar stood in his way, but it was far enough in the distance to give Brax a moment to prepare himself.  Studying the animal on his approach, he noticed a matted part of it's fur on the left flank, possibly the result of previous battle.  With his axe to the side preparing to activate Whirlwind again, Brax flew at the animal with the force of a tornado.  The boar tried to retaliate, but Brax leapt over the beast's head, striking it's left flank in the air, and after landing released the secondary shockwave just shy of the same mark.  Quickly reaching into the fading pixels, he put the loot gained in his pack and turning around, began to run.

Edited December 15, 2015 by Brax

[Brax 0]

ID 42089

LD 18

+1 material

Brax HP 12/12

EN 3/3 Full!

     Before he could, however, his eyes took in a precious sight:  there, on the ground beside the beast's final resting place, was another piece of loot.  He picked it up, turning it in his hands: a piece of boar's leather, soft and supple to the touch.  'This must have been why the fur was matted,' Brax thought to himself.  'Something or someone must have struck it hard enough to take a chunk of it's hide off completely.  Fascinating.'  Pocketing the leather, Brax did not have time to contemplate the find, as his run was not yet finished.

Edited December 15, 2015 by Brax

[Brax 0]

ID 42091

BD 9

LD 5

MoBD 8

Boar HP 0/6 Defeated!

Brax HP 9/12

EN 2/3

2 damage + 1 crit x 2 Whirlwind = 6

+1 material

     No sooner had he turned around when Brax felt himself blindsided by an attack, spinning him around but not down.  Getting his feet beneath him, he turned toward his opponent, another angry boar; being so close, Brax could only assume that it was the mate of the one he had killed.  'That must be why it attacked me, though I am surprised I didn't see it before.'  Baring a pair of slobbery fangs, the beast charged again, intent on avenging it's partner.  Brax was prepared, however, not content to be caught flat-footed like he had previously been.  While he was setting his feet, he had already prepped Whirlwind, letting the animal draw closer and closer; not knowing what he had waiting for it, the animal barreled on, no thought to it's defense.  When it was too close to dodge, Brax release the attack, bypassing the boar's meager defenses and, running though it's dying pixels, he picked up the loot without pause, starting up his run again.

Edited December 15, 2015 by Brax

[Brax 0]

ID 42092

LD 4

Brax HP 12/12

EN 3/3 Full!

     His mind back on the run, Brax continued to keep an eye out for anything worth picking up, though with most of his attention focus on his physical responses he could not pay as much to the hunt, causing him to not find much of anything.  This did not bother him, however; thanks to his "robotic" disposition, he didn't feel much of anything.  But the lack of success never made it far into his brain; his purpose, for the moment, was the run, the chase, the journey to the goal.

Edited December 15, 2015 by Brax

[Brax 0]

ID 42093

LD 6

     Another countryside field crossed, another perusal of the grounds, another lack of supplies seen.  The run was invigorating for Brax; he scarcely believed that this could be a virtual world.  His burning muscles, the air in his lungs, the sweat on his brow, all signs of the exertion the exercise was putting his body through.  It felt so real.  'Is this what my fellow patients at the hospital feel when lost in their delusions?  No wonder they have such difficulty overcoming their disorders, it's like a virtual prison for them.'

[Brax 0]

ID 42139

LD 3

     Brax allowed these thoughts to wash over him, giving only the most cursory glances over the rolling fields in search of supplies and subsequently failing to find anything.  'Could this be why I cannot seem to overcome my own problems?  Am I as much a prisoner of my emotionlessness as these fellow gamers, as were my fellow patients at Berringer's?  I had privileges there, ones the others did not get.  I was allowed a freedom many others in the same situation would never have received.  But did that make me different?'

[Brax 0]

ID 42140

LD 6

     If he could have felt overwhelmed, if Brax could have felt depression or anxiety, he might have stopped his run and collapsed to the ground with the weight of his thoughts.  As it was, his steps faltered a bit when a small twinge of despair crossed his heart, shifting his complete focus and removing it from his loot gathering task.  His recognition of the emotion had consumed him, since it was appearing on it's own, rather than before when it showed up after the waning of a previous feeling. 

[Brax 0]

ID 42141

BD 6

MobD 10

Boar HP 4/6

Brax HP 12/12

EN 3/3

2 damage (1 base + 1 skill)

     Not wanting to experience the sensation again, after what had occurred before, Brax looked for any available opportunity to occupy his hands and mind, something to pull his attention away.  He found it in the face of a boar, and with purpose strode up to it, ready to strike.  His footfalls, though, lacked the subtlety he normally possessed when in battle, leading the animal to become aware of him quicker than expected.  So while Brax was able to hit the beast as he had done several of it's kind, the beast was able to prepare itself as well, hitting Brax with a blow that reverberated to his very core, throwing him back several feet.

Boar HP 4/6

Brax HP 7/12

EN 3/3

3 damage + 2 crit = 5

Edited December 15, 2015 by Brax

[Brax 0]

ID 42142

BD 8

LD 6

MoBD 10

Boar 0/6 Defeated!

Brax HP 7/12

EN 2/3

2 damage x 2 Whirlwind = 4

+1 material

     Not waiting to set his feet, Brax allowed the momentum of the hit to spin him around as he flew back, while at the same time prepping his Whirlwind for the next strike.  Coming to a stop, he pushed off quickly, aiming for the boar's head but hitting the flank instead.  The location made no difference, however, as the force of the Sword Art was enough to kill the animal and allow him to collect his prize.  He did not pause for long before he again began to run, picking up speed trying to run from the unwanted feeling chasing his heart.

[Brax 0]

ID 42143

LD 13

     Brax continued to try and outrun his despair, but he could start to feel his body become tired; his exhaustion from the long day had finally caught up to him.  He chose not to stop, though, because he knew that if he did, that dreaded feeling might catch him, and despite his true desire to feel anything, he did not want to experience this, if only because of the effect it seemed to have on him.  And so he ran, ignoring the landscape around him, which was too bad since he might have seen the several pieces of materials lying about, ready to be collected by an observant adventurer.

[Brax 0]

ID 42144

LD 14

     Brax saw another boar in the far distance, several fields away, and turned to pursue it.  He knew, logically, that he could not outrun his nascent feeling forever, but his obsessive personality streak, the one that all but consumed every information manual that had come into his possession over the last 11 months, spurred him onward towards the goal.  Unfortunately for him, it again blinded his gaze to the offered prizes of the grasslands he crossed, and the treasures they contained.

[Brax 0]

ID 42158

BD 10

LD 1

MoB 5

Boar HP 0/6 Defeated!

Brax HP 7/12

EN 2/3

2 damage + 2 crit x 2 Whirlwind = 8

+1 material

     His running start allowed Brax to prep his Whirlwind well in advance, and as he lept into the field where the animal resided, he was able to catch it completely unawares.  As his weapon sailed through the air and connected, Brax could hear an audible 'crunch' as the blade-head cut the beast's head clean off, throwing it several feet away before exploding into a pixelated mist.  Not content to remain motionless, Brax scooped up his loot and made his way to the next field, ignoring the encroaching tiredness that pervaded his body.

[Brax 0]

ID 42159

LD 4

     Now the fire burning inside his body, not his soul, was beginning to change.  Whereas before it was invigorating, energizing, and quite frankly satisfying, now it was much more painful; though Brax was unable to feel the pain itself, he did notice the effect the cross-country running was having on his body.  His muscles were burning, losing their elasticity and beginning to cramp.  His lungs also felt sore, and he could tell his breathing had accelerated enough to cause worry.  He had also slowed down, enough that he knew the end of his capabilities was fast approaching.  He tried to occupy his attention with mat gathering again, but with his body starting to break down, and his attention split so many ways, he failed almost spectacularly at said task.

[Brax 0]

ID 42160

BD 9

LD 9

MoBD 8

Boar HP 6/6

Brax HP 4/12

EN 3/3

     In his weakening state, Brax knew that he shouldn't have engaged the boar.  He was tired, his body ached, and he felt a dull throbbing behind his eyes.  His concentration was scattered as he faced off against the beast.  Coming into the next field on his run, knowing he had to get back to town for a rest, and as dusk was giving way to night, he chose his final battle haphazardly, very much unlike his normal logical approach.  His reflexes dull, he failed to dodge the boar's attack, moving just enough to avoid being skewered.  Even while tired, Brax still managed to prepare and land his now signature Whirlwind on the creatures' skull, barely defeating it with a third of his health left.

Boar HP 0/6 Defeated!

Brax HP 4/12

EN 2/3

2 damage + 1 crit x 2 Whirlwind = 6

+1 material

[Brax 0]

ID 42161

LD 4

     Dropping to his knees, virtual blood dripping from several wounds on his torso under his armor, Brax scanned the area quickly, too quickly to find much of anything, and hit the ground hard, laying in the grass on his back.  His exhaustion had struck him like a wave, barreling over his form and knocking him down.  Brax was so tired that he could not keep his despair at bay anymore.  Letting down his defenses, he waited in the cool grass as night descended overhead, waited for the wave of his unwanted feeling to come.

[Brax 0]

ID 42162

LD 11

     The Despair, however, failed to arrive.  As Brax lay in the grass, he mentally prepared himself to deal with it.  'Let it come, I will be ready.  It may not be a wanted emotion, to be sure, but I suppose that the saying "No publicity is bad publicity" could be applied here.  I do want to find my emotions, and I recognize this to be a step along that path.  Bring it on, as they say,' he thought, and steeled himself.  When nothing happened for several minutes, Brax felt another emotion well up from his soul: he was surprised.  Truly, utterly surprised.  'Hmm, I couldn't have outrun my despair, could I?  Rosenhall and the textbooks I read all said that was impossible.  What's going on?'  Brax sat up, his surprise lending him the energy to move.  Automatically he checked himself, patting down his body to make sure nothing was amiss.  Looking around, his surprise increased as he realized he was back where he started, several hours earlier, at one of the entrances into Starting City.  'Fascinating.  How unexpected.  I guess I am so tired that I cannot feel my despair at all.  How utterly and completely interesting.  But, it would seem that I can still feel something in my weakness, so maybe it's something else.  Never mind, file it away for later.  Right now, I require rest and sustenance, and perhaps a final look-around for supplies.'  Gazing about, however, Brax failed to find anything worth noting.  Arising from the ground, he felt the ache in his muscles scream at him profusely, almost ignoring his command to rise.  The shock and surprise from before gave him enough energy, though, to stand, and with a purposeful step, he made his way back into the city, to satisfy his body's needs of rest and food, for tomorrow would be another day of training and adventure.

Edited December 15, 2015 by Brax