A Time To Train - The Drive for Five (And a new skill to boot) - Complete

[Brax 0]

     For the next training session, Brax wanted a new venue.  'While the boars in the surrounding grasslands are quite good at testing my current skills, to move forward I need to vary my opponents, become aware of the many enemies this world can and does offer.  I must be aware of their movements, what the monsters are capable of, how the game dictates them, so that when I encounter the higher leveled ones, their basic attack patterns may be revealed that much quicker.'  Looking at his map through the HUD, he saw in the northwest area a forest, home to several bands of roving wolves and a quest or two found on the message boards.  'While I may not be able to partake in a quest at this time,' he thought, 'a wolf or two will broaden my horizons profusely.  Off we go.'

Edited December 16, 2015 by Brax

[Brax 0]

ID 42244

BD 7

MoBD 10

Wolf HP 8/8

Brax HP 11/16

EN 4/4

3 damage + 2 crit = 5

     Crossing the grasslands was easy enough.  The forest was just as it had been described on the map: huge and full of some of the tallest trees Brax had seen in person, taller than the wooded area surrounding Berringer's.  Stepping inside the treeline, Brax could here a low howl, signaling to him the presence of it's indigenous population, the dread wolves.  'Let us find out how dread these wolves actually are.'  Brax did not need to wait long, for no sooner had he taken a few steps when something struck him from behind with enough force to knock him over.  He struck back blindly, feeling the axe in his hand striking the assailant, pushing it away.  Doing a barrel roll to escape, Brax sprang to his feet after turning around to face his latest opponent, a black furred wolf, it's red eyes gleaming it's murderous intent.  'This one would not be easy prey.'

Wolf HP 6/8

Brax HP 11/16

EN 4/4

2 damage

 

Edited December 16, 2015 by Brax

[Brax 0]

ID 42245

BD 5

MoBD 5

Wolf HP 6/8

Brax HP 11/16

EN 3/4

     The two combatants circled each other, looking for any weakness in their step.  Brax saw cleverness in the animal's eyes, something he had not noticed burning in the gazes of the boars surrounding Starting City.  It was one of the differences that made this battle much more serious, but it was also what he had expected.  These were the enemies he had to beat, ones who planned their attacks around the opponent they faced, the strategies used to fight them.  Sensing his attention having been divided momentarily, the wolf struck, attempting to cut a hole in his simple armor with it's sharp claws.  Brax managed to dodge, just barely, and struck back in an attempt to take advantage of the opening provided.  The beast, however, glided out of the way, moving with a practiced grace as if this were a dance, a dance to the death.

Edited December 16, 2015 by Brax

[Brax 0]

ID 42246

BD 9

LD 9

MoBD 7

Wolf HP 0/8 Defeated!

Brax HP 11/16

EN 2/4

2 damage + 1 crit x 2 Whirlwind = 6

+1 material

     Brax knew he would have to be careful with this creature and it's brethren, in order to survive in the forest.  Perhaps he should not have come here as of yet.  'No,' Brax thought to himself, 'this is what I came here for, whether I am ready or not.  In order to become better, stronger, faster, in order to rebuild myself (OOC - Kudos to whoever catches that reference :)), I must complete this task.  I will not lose.'  He began to prepare his Whirlwind, hiding the buildup of power from the wolf as best as he could.  The animal eyes him cautiously, a look of confusion in it's gaze, maybe wondering what the man had up his sleeve.  However, it could not deny the bloodlust in it's veins any longer, deciding to strike.  Brax had finished powering up, though, and just as the animal was about to sink it's jaws into his flesh, he struck back hard, knock the beast back much the same as it had done to him.  When the second shockwave hit, the animal dissolved into a pixelated mist, leaving behind some loot which Brax picked up quickly.

Edited December 16, 2015 by Brax

[Brax 0]

ID 42247

LD 4

     Scanning the area for loot, yet coming up empty, Brax mused to himself about the battle.  "How fortunate for me," he spoke aloud.  The beasts here were smarter than the boars; not by much, as the wolf did not truly consider what Brax had waiting for it before attacking, but enough to make the battle an experience to remember, a note to be filed away for perusal at a later date.  For now, he had to continue on, to find more experiences to catalog.

Brax HP 11/16 1/3 out of combat healing

EN 3/4

Edited December 16, 2015 by Brax

[Brax 0]

ID 42248

LD 18

     The forest was breathtaking, unfortunate given Brax's condition, even with the emotions he had already begun to feel, however slightly, here in SAO.  He did experience surprise, though, at the beautiful construction of the trees, the way the light filtered through the canopy overhead, illuminating the forest floor with it's dancing beams.  His surprise redoubled when the light settled for a moment on a section of the ground, a glint of metal catching his eye.  Reaching down, Brax found a piece of ore, possibly iron, and with a satisfied 'Hmm' placed the treasure in his pack.

Brax HP 11/16 2/3 out of combat healing

EN 4/4 Full!

+1 material

Edited December 16, 2015 by Brax

[Brax 0]

ID 42255

LD 13

     He search the area surrounding the iron ore he had found, but nothing else appeared to be there.  It dampened his sense of surprise, his mind consigning it to coincidence, nothing more;  with that done, he began to move on at an unhurried pace.  Not only did he not want to miss a mat, should he in fact spot one, he also wanted to keep an eye out for other wolves.  Given the intelligence the first one he fought had, Brax did not want to give another the chance to sneak up behind him.

Brax HP 14/16 3/3 out of combat healing begins!

EN 4/4

[Brax 0]

ID 42256

LD 12

     Another pass through the forest, another scan for nearby wolves, and another lack of materials to be found.  These thoughts never made it past Brax's mental barrier, because his current watchful gaze over the landscape was too preoccupied with the sounds around him.  He was much to focused on making sure he was not attacked again to truly focus on the forest floor.  He also allowed thoughts from the previous training session to fill his mind, but only barely since he needed to keep an eye out for wolves.

Brax HP 16/16 Full!

EN 4/4

Edited December 16, 2015 by Brax

[Brax 0]

ID 42257

LD 13

     'I wonder if I will only feel emotions for the moment.'  Having again failed to see anything worth packing up, Brax's mind had brought the previous training session's experience to his mind, and turning it over and over in his thoughts, wondered, 'Is this the first step?  I must feel the emotional gamut before my mind will return at least one or two of my memories?  Let's consider things for a moment.'  His thoughts caused him to pause mid-step, and almost unbeknown to his brain, Brax's body went to a nearby tree and sat down in front of it, leaning back against it while his mind ran through some scenarios.  'The first emotion I felt was satisfaction, before I arrived I the game.  That feeling appeared whenever I would complete a task, and allowed me to reach a state of equilibrium, stabilized my obsessive tendencies with accomplishment.'

[Brax 0]

ID 42258

LD 19

     Running his hand over the lush carpet of the forest, he found several strings of cotton hidden underneath the pine needles, and stared at them for a time.  'Like this.  Completing a task I set for myself leads me to feel good, to feel somewhat happy, though I recognize that this is not truly the feeling of happiness, not like when Randi or Dr. Rosenhall saw their families at Easter or Thanksgiving, when they showed me pictures of their vacations and their smiling faces.  I am not happy, but satisfied by my actions, perhaps even pleased.  That, of course, led to pride, the first emotion I felt here in Aincrad, after I had some success at mat gathering.'

+1 material

[Brax 0]

ID 42259

LD 18

     Brax continued his thoughts while staring at the cotton fibers in his hand.  'That pride evolved out of my satisfaction, and became something new.  Something different.  Something good.  I was proud of my observational skills, which never happened before.  I was proud to have seen something difficult to find, perhaps that no one else could have.  I had pride in myself, whereas before I only felt a mild indifference to my capabilities, only finding purpose in pursuing goals and the like.'

+1 material

[Brax 0]

ID 42265

BD 9

MoBD 10

Wolf HP 2/8

Brax HP 11/16

EN 3/4

2 damage + 1 crit x 2 Whirlwind = 6

3 damage + 2 crit = 5

     Rising up from his seated position, Brax began to pace from left to right.  His thoughts drifted to the despair he had felt after his pride began to vanish, and the subsequent battle that he had engaged in.  Ironically, it was this same distraction, his emotion-filled thoughts, that proved again to be his undoing.  With his senses occupied, he failed to notice another wolf bearing down on him, and turning around, was struck hard in the chest, which threw his body solidly against the tree he had been resting against.  Pain radiated throughout his chest, and he coughed up a little blood, but his reflexes kicked into action, allowing him to dodge the second strike from the beast.  His axe at the ready, having been picked up from where it fell to the forest floor, he quickly prepared and released a Whirlwind into the stunned creature's flank, as it's missed blow caused it to hit the tree instead.  Backing away, Brax focused his mind on the battle, banishing his thoughts for the moment.

[Brax 0]

ID 42266

BD 4

MoBD 3

Wolf HP 2/8

Brax HP 11/16

EN 2/4

     Brax tried to strike again at the stunned creature, but the wolf recovered quicker than he had expected, dodging at the last moment to avoid the strong blow.  It then backed off, circling at a distance, waiting for an opening.  Brax took the moment to steady himself after his miss, and began to look for an opening as well, hoping to end this fight fast.  He also criticized himself, cursing his thoughts for their distraction, even though he wasn't emotionally affected by his failure, neither angry nor disappointed.

[Brax 0]

ID 42267

LD 18

MoBD 7

Wolf HP 2/6

Brax HP 8/16

EN 3/4

3 damage

     The opening for the wolf happened sooner than Brax expected.  While he cursed his thoughts, his attention wavered away, and the animal pounced on the show of weakness.  Brax barely avoided the full brunt of the attack, feeling the beast scratch his left ribs as he spun to the right.  Having overcompensated in order to avoid the attack, he put too much weight into the spin and fell to the ground.  Looking up, he saw that the beast had also put too much strength into the blow, and was trapped for a moment in a pile of brush.  His observational skills back to full power, Brax spotted a piece of wolf fur that he must have knocked of with his earlier blow, and quickly pocketed it before the wolf freed itself, all snarls and gnashing of fangs and spittle flying.

+1 material

Edited December 16, 2015 by Brax

[Brax 0]

ID 42268

BD 7

LD 12

MoBD 8

Wolf HP 0/8 Defeated!

Brax HP 8/16

EN 3/4

2 damage

+1 material

+40 col

     The wolf charged at Brax, maddened by the fact that it's prey had lasted so long against it.  Brax saw this as his chance to strike.  When the beast drew close enough, he pushed the axe outwards in front of him, catching the animal by surprise.  It had not expected this adventurer to use his axe as if it were a spear.  With a strong poke, Brax drove his axe into the wolf's head, it's wide eyes open in shock before exploding into data and disappearing.  The battle complete, he hit his knees hard, having lost about 50% of his health in the fracus.

Edited December 16, 2015 by Brax

[Brax 0]

ID 42269

LD 5

     As Brax remained there on his knees, his weary battle senses roamed the newly minted battlefield, but other than the loot dropped by the wolf, else remained.  The beast had dropped some col, however, and he opened his status window to look at how much he had received absentmindedly.  The acquisition did nothing to lighten his soul, though.  His mind was far afield, only returning with a dark determination appearing in his eyes: "I will not be hunted by these creatures anymore," Brax spoke aloud.  "Now I will be the hunter."

Edited December 16, 2015 by Brax

[Brax 0]

ID 42281

BD 7

MoBD 6

Wolf HP 6/8

Brax HP 5/16

EN 4/4

     His mind set about completing his task: hunting down another wolf.  If one were to look upon him now, they would describe Brax as a Black Hole, a presence absorbing every bit of life and light in the vicinity around him into his body.  Or maybe they would describe him as the Nothing, from the Neverending Story II, which erased everything in it's path.  What ever words you would use to describe it, Brax was on a mission: to find and kill as many wolves as he could.  The next one he came upon almost quailed at his presence, afraid of the void that emanated from his eyes.  It did not stop it from striking out in fear, but Brax acted as if he had not been hit, instead raising and lowering his weapon to attack the beast even as it chewed on his leg.

[Brax 0]

ID 42282

BD 9

LD 14

MoBD 5

Wolf HP 0/8 Defeated!

Brax HP 5/16

EN 3/4

2 damage + 1 crit x 2 Whirlwind = 6

+1 material

+40 col

     Brax raised his weapon high in the air, accumulating the power necessary to enact his Whirlwind onto the animal.  It looked up into his eyes, amazed that this person would not even care that it had chewed on his leg so hard as to draw large amounts of blood.  For the first time in it's computerized life, the animal felt true fear, and tried to run away from the unfeeling monster before it.  Brax would not let the beast escape, however, and after completing his power-up, ran after the animal and struck twice, ending it's existence and collecting his loot.  Looking down at his leg, Brax calmly reached into his pack and ripped a cloth strip off of his beginner's clothing, bandaged up the wound, and continued on his mission, his gaze and movements almost mechanical in nature.

Edited December 16, 2015 by Brax

[Brax 0]

ID 42283

BD 10

LD 7

MoBD 3

Wolf HP 0/8 Defeated

Brax HP 5/16

EN 2/4

2 damage + 2 crit x 2 Whirlwind = 8

+1 material

     The next wolf found while Brax was in this state didn't even run.  The emptiness that radiated from him froze the beast in place, not even allowing it to put up a fight as Brax hacked at it with another Whirlwind.  As Brax picked up the fallen loot from it's disappearing frame, he tried to continue on when he was hit by another wave of exhaustion.  It seemed the dark determination driving him had reached the end of it's energy, abandoning Brax and forcing the man to the ground, again, on his knees.  He barely crawled his way to a nearby tree stump, collapsing upon it.

[Brax 0]

ID 42285

LD 3

     Brax attempted to stand up, but his legs did not seem to work.  He tried looking around for materials or loot, but his eyes failed to focus.  He logically knew that he was about to pass out, but also recognized how unsafe it would be to do so, so far outside a safe zone.  With great effort, he managed to accomplish two things before the lights went out: first, he reached into his pack for some water and bread, devouring it quickly, believing that the extra energy might awaken him fast from his impromptu nap, and second, he drew a large amount of leaves from the surrounding forest floor to cover his body, burying himself in the odds that hiding would protect him out here in the same way he was buried in the leaves.  Then, having expended the last of his energy, he closed his eyes, and allowed his fragmented thoughts to drift away.

Edited December 16, 2015 by Brax