[PP-F1] Learning How Not to Die (Teselmar/Ssendom)

[Teselmar 0]

Floor 1 of Castle Aincrad was an incredible sight to see. The sky was a vivid blue, the grass was an emerald green, and Teselmar wasn't appreciating any of it at the moment. Strolling briskly across the footpaths and cobblestone streets of the Starting City, he wore a small frown on his face as his rapier bounced against his hip. Video games had never been his strong suit, even as a kid. He had always been more interested in reading, or doing physical activities. So it was an odd reality of his new life that his fate was determined by a system that he was unfamiliar with. The clouds overhead held little interest to him, as he considered his options. The only subject on Teselmar's mind was getting stronger. He passed by countless other beginners in the city streets, their simple swords and armor a death sentence on any of the higher floors. His own attire was similarly ill-suited for combat, being a cloth suit that was unarmored. His dueling sword was also plain, the same one he'd received on his first day. He sighed, rounding a corner and entering a town square, where message boards and postings lined the walls. 

He flipped through some of the postings, looking for something in particular. Someone who could train him, make him stronger. Out in the world, he had been a police officer, then a bodyguard. He had received training from those who knew what he'd needed to know. It would be no different here. His eyes finally found the posting he was looking for; a high-leveled warrior who was willing to help train people like himself. He sent off a reply to the posting, then made his way to a bench in the square. He blinked, the digital sunlight hitting his eyes as he awaited his instructor. Hmmm... nice day outside...

[Ssendom 0]

Ssendom found himself bored silly one day, he had done extensive amount of farming sessions in the deadlands and many other locations all across the available floors of Aincrad. He wanted something new, something different, something that wasn't normally ordinary of him. He came down to the first floor and looked over all the beginners that strolled amongst the floor. He was curious if someone who was actually interested in becoming a true fighter of Aincrad, someone who was willing to be more than just a beginner that would be too afraid of leaving the comfort of the Town of Beginnings, the only haven safe for players who were too scared to venture out and make something of themselves. He grinned as he reached the job board in the town.

Dom decided to create a training session for a single person who would look over this paper, he set the parameters to have the message disappear when they sent him a message. Him being completely clad in his full ebony armor, with a unique Black Hydra Skull resting upon his head, unique tainted shoulder pads adorned, the unique and only curved greatsword which was massive to most, and the unique Commandants pendant dangling around his neck. He had nearly been clad in full unique gear which bore an incredible amount of attention, why was someone like him residing in the Town of Beginnings? He sat down on a bench and awaited for someone to look over the paper, which happened to be a short wait. A blonde man who seemed almost as tall as Ssendom came by and sent a message out to him, then the man unknowingly sat down next to the Dreadnought and awaited for his new instructor to come and greet him, "Well, I guess you don't have to wait as long as you would have thought to meet your instructor." He greeted his new found trainee.

[Teselmar 0]

Teselmar blinked, taking in the sight of the armored juggernaut beside him. He had assumed that the man was here for some cause of his own, and hadn't suspected that he'd be the instructor he was looking for. From his incredibly ornate armor, to the skull on his head, even down to the enormous curved greatsword that he looked like he could wield with ease, the man looked like serious business. Teselmar himself was a tall man, but lithe and built more like a gymnast. In contrast, the man sitting next to him had the frame of a bodybuilder, perceivable even under the frame of his armor. Out in the world, a sword as big as that one couldn't be swung easily, but in here, Teselmar had no doubt that the man knew how to use it. 

Standing, he grinned and offered the man a handshake. "And here I thought you'd be taller." He joked in a friendly way, as he couldn't imagine many men taller than this one who could bear the weight of such armor. "I'm Teselmar. Pleased to meet you. You'll have to excuse me, I feel like I'm under-dressed in comparison." He quipped, a light grin on his face. 

[Ssendom 0]

Ssendom got up on his feet to greet the man properly, "Pleased to meet you Teselmar. I am Ssendom, but please refer to me as Dom or maybe one of my many titles I have accumulated over my time in Aincrad. And don't worry about being dressed around me, you won't find many people who are as decorated as me." He chuckled taking off his massive gauntlet and appropriately shaking the hand of Teselmar with a respectable grip that demonstrated his physique that he had outside the world of Aincrad, "So you're looking for an instructor to teach you the ways of fighting here in the world of Aincrad I take it?" He asked the man. he dropped his menu to disable his armor and helmet, the armor flashed in a blue light and he was in his normal casual attire of his full brown cloth. Dom was in incredible physique, he looked like someone who lifted weights for hours and worked out constantly.

The only things that were visible from the gear he was wearing before was his massive curved greatsword and the Commandants Pendant that people whispered amongst themselves when they saw it. Dom looked over each of the people then back at Teselmar, "Let's get out of the Town of Beginnings, I am far too well known to continue standing in this town that we will have a hard time having a simple conversation." He explained to the man as he turned and headed for the outskirts of town in a quick fashion. Ssendom chuckled when he thought about it, "I think I have only seen one person who is taller than me in this world, that is Tristan a fellow Commandant of the Azure Brigade alongside myself." He joked with Teselmar.

[Teselmar 0]

Teselmar felt the man's grip. He had a proper handshake, firm and strong. "Okay Dom, good to meet you." They seemed to be drawing a little bit of attention, even as he disabled his helmet and armor. The system did nothing to enhance the man's physique, so it was clear that he really looked that way in real life. A fellow warrior, through and through. There were whispers as other players caught sight of them, and Teselmar saw that their gazes were drawn to the man's unique looking pendant. Apparently, the man had quite a reputation. In response to Dom's other question, he nodded. "I am. I used to be in a dangerous line of work, out in the world, so I'm not the kinda guy who's gonna be happy just sitting here until the world fixes itself. I'd like to make a difference, be strong enough to help get everybody home." He smirked, gesturing to himself. "Can't do any of that if I'm dead, right?"

As Dom suggested they leave the Town of Beginnings, Teselmar agreed. "I'm guessing that low profile isn't exactly your thing, am I right?" He smiled, knowing that the man was geared for outright warfare, rather than clandestine operations. When Dom referred to a man taller than himself, he raised an eyebrow. "So, is this Azure Brigade a club for super-tall people?" He grinned, facetiously imagining a guild full of giants. 

[Ssendom 0]

Ssendom laughed at the comment of Azure Brigade being a guild of super tall people, "Nah, me and him are the tallest amongst the people. The strongest fighter in all of Aincrad is one of the Commandants of the Azure Brigade and he's at least half a foot shorter than me. I think me and Tristan are the only two that are above six feet tall in Azure Brigade." He explained to the Blonde man. Ssendom had led the two players out a good distance away from the Town of Beginnings so he could begin to train the man in the ways of fighting in Aincrad, "So I see you're a Rapier user." He pointed out as he stopped and turned to face the player with boars all around them.

Ssendom looked up into the sky and whistled before the blonde could respond about being a rapier user, "Now you're going to meet your teammate for combat. This is Amethyst-" He stated as he turned to looked directly at the blonde with his arm up, just as he said the familiar's name, a purple flaming phoenix whelp landed upon his arm, "And he is the only pet that can heal in all of Aincrad. I rarely need his services since I have a unique skill, one of only a few skills only attainable to one person. But he has helped me win duels and get out of sticky situations. He as a strong mastery over his flames which allows him to cauterize wounds without harming you." Dom explained keeping a straight face, but Amethyst couldn't wait a second longer. The phoenix whelp immediately launched off Dom's arm and landed on Teselmar's shoulder rubbing it's face into his, "Amethyst! I was trying to be serious!" He shouted at the bird who seemed to not care as it was enjoying rubbing it's head into Teselmar's face, "Sorry about him, he's a bit of a love-bird... literally." He chuckled saying the pun.

[Teselmar 0]

Teselmar walked with Ssendom away from the gates of the city. The sun was high in the sky now, time reflected virtually by the same standard that the world was held to. They made their way outwards as the breeze ruffled Teselmar's hair. He listened to Dom describe his guild. "The strongest fighter in all of Aincrad? That's quite a club you belong to." Short or not, Teselmar thought it wise to avoid anyone with power like that at this point. He was taking a risk even doing this, since the juggernaut could simply turn and cleave him in twain, leaving no evidence if he so desired. Still, he seemed a decent sort, and his icon was still green. Plus, there were easier ways to kill an unsuspecting player, or so the dark whispers told in taverns would have you believe.

Ssendom commented on his choice of armament. Teselmar drew his blade from the leather frog at his hip, inspecting it. The <<Basic Rapier>>, the starting item that he'd chosen upon entering the game initially. He'd put his initial skill points into this particular weapon skill, so it did a tad bit more damage than using his bare fists. "Yeah, this old thing. I like the idea of having a high damage capacity weapon, though apparently rapiers suffer from limited Stun and AoE options." He'd read the Player's Manual back to front, gleaning as much info as he could to increase his odds for survival. Forewarned is forearmed. 

He listened as Dom explained about his familiar, taking a step back when the young phoenix appeared suddenly. Teselmar raised an eyebrow at this development. Ssendom was incredibly powerful already, plus he was a Beast Tamer, AND had a Unique Skill? He shook his head in almost disbelief, grateful that the man was on his side. Then the phoenix landed on Teselmar's shoulder, nuzzling him. He didn't have time to wonder how the developers had coded in what a phoenix's down feathers felt like before the tickling sensation made him laugh out loud. "Ahaha, no problem, I- hahaha, ha, I like animals. So, he'll make sure I don't die. That's a good backup to have."

Edited December 29, 2015 by Teselmar
Formatting

[Ssendom 0]

Ssendom laughed at Amethyst who thoroughly enjoyed other people, "Well, looks like you studied hardcore. I just got in and started cleaving away at enemies till I became a grandmaster of the greatsword. If you're ever curious of my accomplishments I will tell you all that I have done. But for now, let's teach you how not to die. My very first fight I came close to death, but now I can't even see below half my total health amount." He laughed again knowing at how incredibly powerful he had become, then cleared his voice to stop gloating.

After getting his focus back, he whistled again but it sounded very different. The whistle stopped Amethyst from nuzzling it's face up against Teselmar's and took a vigilant stand upon his shoulder, "Alright, I will stay out of combat. You will initiate combat with an enemy, the game has this ability to register all who are in combat so the enemies will scale to my strength. But if I stay out and heal with Amethyst from outside combat, you will be perfectly fine facing enemies of your strength." He explained to him as he walked over to a rock that was still in talking distance from Teselmar, "Now begin combat with an enemy, you're in good hands with Amethyst."

[Teselmar 0]

Teselmar nodded, scanning the horizon for an enemy to engage. He squinted, his mossy grey eyes blinking in the high noon sun. The plain they were crossing bordered some woodlands, and far to the west it looked like some small body of water. Near the edge of the forest, Teselmar spotted what looked like some sort of feral dog monster, seemingly on its own. Teselmar grunted, guessing from description at what it was upon further inspection; a Field Hound, weak monsters that tended to appear alone, but as soon as one was defeated, it would let out a call and summon more. Regardless, Teselmar gripped his rapier, pointing at the monster. "There, should be a good start."

As they approached the monster, Teselmar could feel his heart beating faster. He wasn't adept at combat here in this digital reality, so the thought of fighting this beast really got his adrenaline going. He smiled broadly as he closed the distance. As soon as the Field Hound looked up, Teselmar opened with his strongest Sword Art, Rip Ravine. His blade glowed with an emerald light as the system took over his limbs, tracing a V-shaped pattern in the air as he attempted to carve it.

ID# 43687 results: Battle: 1 Mob: 5

Of all the things that Teselmar could have wished to happen in that moment, pretty much all of them happened. Not being used to the way that the system moved his limbs for him, he hadn't properly braced himself, and he tripped as he attacked. Wonderful... The Field Hound snarled, ducking his strikes as he stumbled. The rapier even left his hand for a moment as the skill wound down, but he managed to hang on to it... barely. The monster turned as he awkwardly assailed it, lashing out with its fangs. It -almost- caught hold of his arm, but the Sword Art had carried him a bit out of its range. It growled and raised its hackles as it waited for him to try again. Teselmar recovered his footing, straightening his blade as he called to Ssendom, "Sorry you had to see that."

Teselmar HP: 20 l Energy : 3

Field Hound HP: 8 

Edited January 9, 2016 by Teselmar
Energy

[Ssendom 0]

When Teselmar had started combat, Dom was already laying in the grass staring at the sky. When the man apologized for whatever it was he did, Dom looked at him, "Sorry for what?" He asked, he looked over at Amethyst who was riding on the man's shoulder and reenacted exactly what Teselmar did which caused Dom to laugh pretty hard. "Ah I see, thank you Amethyst for that depiction of what happened." He regained his composure from laughing then returned to a more serious face as he looked at Teselmar, "When entering combat you can't just fling yourself into combat without a battle strategy and plan to come out ahead, even if you know you have a safe advantage." He sighed as he was about to go into a long spiel.

He cracked his neck both ways with his eyes closed, after a second he opened them with a serious look in his eyes. "When it comes to war, the battle is just a formality. Ninety seven percent of the fight is in preparation before the battle, the one who is most prepared will almost always come out as the victor, hence how David beat Goliath." He explained for a second, he took a slight breath and continued, "When fighting here in the world of Sword Art Online. Gain synergy with the system. You work with it to guide your blade, then you take the action to drive it in, it's a symbiosis here in Sword Art Online. But ultimately you'll never win going in 'guns a blazing' as the saying goes." He finished speaking leaning on his one raised knee with the arm from the same side of the body.

[Teselmar 0]

Teselmar nodded at the instruction, raising his blade once more. "Okay doggo, here I come!" He took a moment to center himself, then ran towards the enemy once more. It growled and faced him, hackles raised. Charging his sword art once more, Teselmar let fly with Rip Ravine, slicing through the air in an emerald V.

ID# 44474 results: Battle: 1 (...really? two in a row?) | Mob: 4 (miss)

Again the attack missed as the mobile Field Hound dodged his strikes, jumping aside and snapping at his face with a snarl. Teselmar managed to turn his failed sword art into a desperate roll, avoiding the attack. "Come on, get it together..." He muttered to himself, gritting his teeth. 

Teselmar HP 20 l Energy: 1

Field Hound HP: 8

Edited January 9, 2016 by Teselmar

[Ssendom 0]

Ssendom laughed when he saw Teselmar having issues working with the system, "Alright I'll help you out." He said out loud as he laid back on the ground, he flicked his finger down and scroll down a short amount. When he reached the item he was after he withdrew it and tossed straight into Teselmar's back with inhumane strength causing it to shatter on his back. The liquid that was within the crystal caused a small red glow over his body as his strength improved (OOC: Slight Godmod. But tis what the crystal does) then quickly dissipated but the effect of the strength increase remaining the same, "Now don't hold back and end the poor dogs life." He laughed out loud again as he closed his eyes to get some rest in this nice weather setting on the first floor.

-1 Blood Rage Crystal
+3 DMG for this Thread to Teselmar

[Teselmar 0]

Teselmar Felt power surge through his body as the crystal impacted his back. A crimson aura surrounded him, and he knew that it would translate to his sword as well. "Woah... that's quite a rush..." He knew that an item like that could turn the tide of a battle easily. Raising his slender blade once more, he sighed. "Come on dog, go down!" He tried Rip Ravine one final time, bounding towards the growling monster, and slashing at it twice.

ID# 44635 results:

 Battle: 8+1=9 Hit! | Mob= 5 (miss)

Finally, Teselmar was able to anticipate the field hound's movements. The monster seemed to be able to react quickly and dodge if Teselmar tried to close the distance all the way, so he stayed just within the rapier's range, letting the blade's reach do the work for him. Once! Twice! The field hound yelped as his sword, wrapped in emerald and laced with scarlet, laid it low. It shattered, glitching into oblivion as it fell. Teselmar wiped his forehead with a sleeve, and gave Ssendom a thumb's up. "Finally! Woo hoo!" He grinned, knowing how silly he must look to the experienced player.

Teselmar: HP 20 I Energy: 0

Field Hound: Dead

Edited January 9, 2016 by Teselmar

[Ssendom 0]

Ssendom laughed for a brief second, "See, as I told you. Prepare your action, then use the system to your advantage. It can almost never fail you." He reassured the man who had successfully killing a creature in the presence of Dom. He thought about the lack of energy the man would have and laughed, "Now get into another fight while you're winded. It's good to know what to do when you're in a bind when your energy is depleted." He informed the man by pointing out a wolf which happened to be walking toward them without having drawn aggro just yet.

He looked back to Teselmar, "I had to fight an Angel on the thirteenth floor, and at one point I was completely tapped without any energy to use. So I had to plan my time till I had enough energy to strike again." He grinned looking at the boy, "Also, I don't want you striking willy nilly. Defeat the mob with the fewest amount of strokes possibly, converse your energy in this next fight. Sometime you will have to fight back to back fights without the chance to recover for a minute." He challenged his pupil whom used a style he couldn't truly help teach how to utilize to it's fullest potential.

[Teselmar 0]

ID# 45771 results: Battle: 3+1=4 (miss) | Mob: 3 (Miss)

Teselmar nodded. Without energy, his fighting style would have to be a lot more conservative. Crouching down and moving towards the wolf, he attempted to be stealthy and sneak up on the lupine creature. However, no matter how quiet he might have been, he didn't have the Stealth skill in the System, and the beast knew it. It lashed out at him with a SNAP, almost closing its jaws around his hand. He drew it back, attempting to strike the wolf with his thin blade in the process. The stab went wide, but at least he avoided being puppy chow. "Woah boy." He said, his blade weaving a random pattern in the air as he recovered his balance.

Teselmar: HP 20 I Energy: 0

Wolf: HP 8

[Ssendom 0]

Ssendom laughed as he watched the man struggle with the limitations set upon him, but this was one of the few area's it was safe enough to set such limitations to one person. The mobs on floor one were among the weakest, having a maximum damage output after calculations of dealing with mobs on the higher floors of possibly three, unless it was a unique rare mob. This would give him the knowledge of what to do when in a bad situation, "Keep focused. You can't die here on floor one... Well you can, but while you're in my presence it is theoretically impossible to suffer the penalty of death. So don't worry about it." He laughed as he laid himself back down to take a nice nap.

[Teselmar 0]

He was almost annoyed at the man's languid attitude, but he realized that Ssendom was right. This was a place to be able to make mistakes, to take risks and learn something from the experience. The Wolf wasn't very tough, but first he had to get lucky enough to hit it. Teselmar feinted left, then attempted a Linear thrust from the wolf's right flank. 

ID# 45775 results: Battle: 6+1=7 (hit!) | Mob: 8 (hit)

The wolf and Teselmar traded blows; its fangs drew a line across his arm, but the tip of his crystal-enhanced blade scored it across the torso. The creature snarled, falling back. "Not so tough!"

Teselmar: HP 18 I Energy: 0

Wolf: HP 3

Edited January 16, 2016 by Teselmar

[Ssendom 0]

Ssendom yawned, he didn't know if he was being a good teacher. But his tutoring was free, he wasn't even charging the man a penny for lessons. Ultimately though the man was learning to take a hit and dish out a stronger hit, one wouldn't really even need to know at the limited amount of information you truly needed to succeed in this world. It wasn't a matter of number crunching and mathematics, it was quite the opposite. For once in a game, what got you far and made you strong were your base carnal instincts and what you could physically bring yourself to do. He grinned as he awaited his pupil to finish his fight in a winning fashion, it was only a matter of time.

[Teselmar 0]

ID# 45789 results: Battle: 7+1=8 (Hit!)

Teselmar knew that his instincts out in the real world had served him well both as a police officer, and as a bodyguard. But in here, inside this digital world, he'd have to learn an entirely different set of skills in order to survive. The common denominator between the two was willpower, and the ability to be cunning.

He flourished his blade, not depending on the System to do any work for him, but relying on his own natural dexterity to manipulate the rapier. As the wolf jumped at him, he reacted with excellent reflexes, sliding the blade into the creature's open mouth, all the way to the hilt as he stepped out of the way. It let out a choking noise of sheer surprise before disintegrating, leaving Teselmar the victor of their little tete-a-tete. He wiped a hand across his brow. "You were right," he said to Dom, grinning in the afterglow of a victory. "It's better to fight smart than it is to flail around." 

Teselmar: HP 18 I Energy: 0

Wolf: HP 0

Edited January 16, 2016 by Teselmar

[Ssendom 0]

With seeing his pupil having accomplished a lot in his first fighting experience and the sun beginning to set on the day, Dom stretched and yawned as he returned to his feet. He walked over to the man and patted him on the shoulder, "Damn good work, you got into the knack of this easily. You'll master this in no time, and you'll likely get scouted by a rather big guild. Maybe Knight's of the Blood Oath (Heh... attempt at foreshadowing cheats.) or heck even Azure Brigade itself." He then started walking toward the Town of Beginnings then waved his hand once in the air to say goodbye, "If you're ever in a pinch, launch a message to me and I'll get you out of a sticky situation." He laughed as he simply continued on.

Complete Thread

1 SP to both Teselmar and Ssendom
200 Col to both Teselmar and Ssendom