[SP-F2] A Time To Hunt - Bagging up those Wintery Flakes pt. 5 Redux

[Brax 0]

     As Brax exited the city of Urbus, he consumed another of his Potions of Strength, feeling the power burn through his veins.  He had hoped to be able to go up a floor, challenge the elves of floor three, but decided against it, citing his lack of suitable armor mitigation skills.  Without the ability to negate enough damage, the sharp pointy weapons of the elfin blades would cause him undue concern and possible death, not something he was willing to risk at the moment.  The odds would not be in his favor, so he remained where he was: hunting about on floor two.  More troll and wolf and deer and frog mobs for him.  What fun. 

Consumed one Potion of Strength (+1 damage for a thread)

Edited January 15, 2016 by Brax

[Brax 0]

ID 45638

Spoiler

BD 9 +3 ACC LD 16 MoBD 2 -1 EVA N/A

Brax 32/32 EN 3/8

Troll 1 0/19 DEAD [7 +1 crit x 3 Lumberjack - 5 MIT] = 19 DMG

Troll 2 0/19 DEAD [7 + 1crit x 3 Lumberjack - 5 MIT] = 19 DMG

Troll 3 0/19 DEAD [7 + 1crit x 3 Lumberjack - 5 MIT] = 19 DMG

Troll 4 0/19 DEAD [7 + 1crit x 3 Lumberjack - 5 MIT] = 19 DMG

     It was kind of boring to simply hunt for hours on end with not an apparent goal in mind, Brax thought to himself.  No field bosses to slay, no overarching quest to engage in, nothing but the endless grinding of mobs for no other purpose than a loot drop of sufficient magnitude.  Like the troll squad he happened upon now, their beady eyes deep-set inside rough, tough, and square shaped faces.  They charged at Brax, managing to land solid hits to multiple points on his armor.  They battered him around, but failed to knock him down: he had trained himself to take a hit surprisingly well.  Then, Brax brought his axe up in retaliation, setting it low and slow, the green glow of power indicating the activation of his Lumberjack, and as the system guided his hands, Brax cut down the squad with abandon.  His strikes hit home, three crisscrossing blows cleaving them limb from limb.

+4 materials

+4 snowflakes

+380 col

Edited January 16, 2016 by Brax

[Brax 0]

ID 45639

LD 2

     Another trek through the countryside, another hunt for monsters, and again, another hunt for crafting supplies for professions the world over.  Nothing truly stood out amongst the debris lying about on his sojourn, though.  A few pieces of frayed cotton fabric, a rusted piece of simple plate armor, a rotted apple core browned by the sun.  Not even the most desperate of smithies would touch the stuff he found with a ten-foot pole.  Unfortunate, but not entirely unsurprising.

Edited January 15, 2016 by Brax

[Brax 0]

     The materials lying about had no consistency about them, one moment he would be swimming in a sea of perfectly preserves supplies, the next he could not find a decent piece in a field of cotton.  These materials were crucial to his success, as without them, he could not requisition the necessities for battle, like health and damage potions.  Or even equipment meant to protect him from harm and deal crushing blows to his foes.

Edited January 16, 2016 by Brax

[Brax 0]

He would have to rely on the hunt to provide him with suitable supplies for purchasing the needed wares for battle.  Since the guide unfortunately stated he would be unable to find crystals in the wilds, in order to truly engage in higher forms of combat he would need tradable goods for the consumables he needed to survive, yet another aspect of the game he would need to become proficient with.  He shuttered his line of thought for a moment, as he perceived another Troll Captain on the horizon barreling towards him at high speed.

Edited January 15, 2016 by Brax

[Brax 0]

ID 45640

Spoiler

BD 10 +3 ACC LD 2 MoBD 10 -1 EVA

Brax 27/32 [8 + 2crit - 5 MIT] = 5 DMG EN 6/8

Troll Captain -1/22 DEAD [7 + 2crit x 3 Ultimate Breaker - 5 MIT] = 22 DMG

     The Captain moved at break neck speed, it's intention clear: the Troll meant to run Brax over with it's impressive bulk.  Brax braced for the assault, and when the beast drew close he uppercut the monster high in to the sky, his Ultimate Breaker again displaying it's worth.  The shock of the hit shook Brax to the core, but he managed to stand firm, the attack chaining another hit which again sent the creature flying high.  As it came back to earth, an overhead bash increased the velocity of the Troll's fall, slamming it to earth in spectacular fashion, vibrating the ground with a resounding 'thud' and ending it's existence.

+1 material

+1 snowflake

Edited January 15, 2016 by Brax

[Brax 0]

ID 45641

LD 9

     Examining the area following the battle, Brax found nothing of note to collect other than what had been dropped by the Troll.  He also realized that where there was a Troll captain, a Troll squadron was most likely not to far behind.  He did not see them nearby, though, which may have indicated the leader was in more of a scouting position, and the rest were just out of site behind it.

Edited January 15, 2016 by Brax

[Brax 0]

ID 45642

Spoiler

BD 7 +3 ACC LD 4 MoBD 1 -1 EVA

Brax 29/32 EN 2/8

Troll 1 -1/16 DEAD [7 x 3 Lumberjack - 4 MIT] = 17 DMG

Troll 2 -1/16 DEAD [7 x 3 Lumberjack - 4 MIT] = 17 DMG

Troll 3 -1/16 DEAD [7 x 3 Lumberjack - 4 MIT] = 17 DMG

Troll 4 -1/16 DEAD [7 x 3 Lumberjack - 4 MIT] = 17 DMG

     The Captain's squad was not far behind, the four members of it's team bellowing their displeasure at the treatment of their leader.  They crested the ridge from whence the captain had come, makeshift weapons raised high in defiance, and came upon Brax like a storm of weapons and hate.  They could not harm him, not these creatures, for Brax was alight with the power of combat, dodging and parrying blows in a dance of death.  Between their missed chances he prepared his Lumberjack attack, and as he wove through the enemies ranks his axe was a blur of motion, swinging from side to side bringing death to all.

+4 materials

+4 snowflakes

Edited January 15, 2016 by Brax

[Brax 0]

     Collecting his loot from the battle, Brax sat for a moment to regain his stamina.  Constant battle as he was doing was taking it's toll on his body, for while he was in decent physical condition, he had never been one for such demanding contact activities.  His skills lay more in the realm of fitness, more cardio and less...well, you know.  He could run for several hours, but ask him to weight lift a ton, and he would be left sweating like a pig.

Edited January 12, 2016 by Brax

[Brax 0]

     Not to say he couldn't do such exercises.  Brax maintained as well rounded a workout as he could, given the lack of a true gym rat environment at Berringer's.  With little to do with his days there, he had established quite a routine to his daily life.  Mornings were spent in five mile runs around the building several times in an hour, after which he would join Randi and the staff for breakfast.  He was the only one of the patients there to have the honor, mainly because unlike the rest of the 'inmates', Brax, or rather Brandon, was non-threatening in his mental status.

Edited January 12, 2016 by Brax

[Brax 0]

     After breakfast, the other patients would be in full swing taking up much of the staff's time, leaving Brandon alone to himself.  He would fill that time with whatever pursuit currently held his fancy.  At first, he needed information.  The loss of his memory extended to all he had previously known, whether it be current events or past histories of the world at large.  He retained certain skillsets, like reading and mathematics, the latter he would discover during an interesting situation involving several more combative patients and a shortage of pills due to a botched delivery schedule, but historical knowledge was erased, leading Brandon to consume as many world history textbooks as the doctors could financially afford.

Edited January 12, 2016 by Brax

[Brax 0]

ID 45643

Spoiler

BD 4 +3 ACC LD 9 MobD 10 -1 EVA

Brax 18/32 [6 + 2crit - 5 MIT] x 4 = 12 DMG EN 3/8

Wolf 1 -1/16 DEAD [7 x 3 Lumberjack - 4 MIT] = 17 DMG

Wolf 2 -1/16 DEAD [7 x 3 Lumberjack - 4 MIT] = 17 DMG

Wolf 3 -1/16 DEAD [7 x 3 Lumberjack - 4 MIT] = 17 DMG

Wolf 4 -1/16 DEAD [7 x 3 Lumberjack - 4 MIT] = 17 DMG

     Having been temporarily lost in thought Brax failed to see the pack of wolves sneak up behind him, ambushing the armored man.  Feeling the telltale signs of combat on his back, he managed to avoid more serious injury by rolling forward with the help from the Epitaph, the final blows from two wolves missing completely.  He brought up his axe for battle as Brax turned to face the combatants, catching the lead animal with the first attack sweep from Lumberjack; knocking it to the side with the flat of his blade, the impact causing the beast to explode on contact, such was the power of his swing.  The others stood in shock and were easy prey, thanks to his opening move, and the final sweeps of the Lumberjack cut them down.

+4 materials

+4 snowflakes

Edited January 15, 2016 by Brax

[Brax 0]

ID 44923

LD 9

     Not even the battle could interrupt his mental process, though, and even as his body automatically engaged in the combat ritual, he maintained the current train of thought his mind had embarked on.  His body continued it's after battle rituals of collecting monster loot and a subsequent hunt for materials as he thought about his old life's daily schedule.  The books he had read did not simply involve historical facts; no, after a few weeks Brandon had ingested enough history to satisfy his needs and had moved on to literature of a more subjective value.

Edited January 12, 2016 by Brax

[Brax 0]

ID 44924

LD 1

     Brandon began reading great works of literature, like Hemingway, Dickens, Chaucer, even going so far back as the Homeric Tales like The Odyssey or the Iliad, or the plays of Shakespeare, Wilde and Williams.  Since he lacked the central characteristic of empathy native to most human beings, Brandon needed to know what would be a proper response to any given query.  Since he could not feel what other people feel, at least for now, he would have needed referential texts to tell him how to respond if someone needed him to act.  Thus, the next few months were spent with his nose closely kept inside the novels and works stated previously.

Edited January 12, 2016 by Brax

[Brax 0]

ID 44925

LD 17

     His feet on autopilot, Brax's foot caught on a rock in his path, momentarily distracting him from what books he had managed to peruse during his stay at Berringers.  Stumbling slightly, he stopped to examine the obstacle in his way.  He reached down and picked it up, turning the stone over in his hands for examination.  The 'rock' was actually a petrified piece of bark, hard enough to possibly survive a hit or two if crafted into light armor, or maybe the hilt of a small weapon.  Shaking his thoughts away because he needed to find a mob group to slay, Brax pocketed the material. 

Edited January 15, 2016 by Brax

[Brax 0]

ID 45644

Spoiler

BD 9 +3 ACC LD 13 MoBD 9 -1 EVA

Brax 13/32 [6 + 1crit - 5 MIT] x 4 = 8 DMG EN 3/8

Deer 1 -1/16 DEAD [7 x 3 Lumberjack - 4 MIT] = 17 DMG

Deer 2 -1/16 DEAD [7 x 3 Lumberjack - 4 MIT] = 17 DMG

Deer 3 -1/16 DEAD [7 x 3 Lumberjack - 4 MIT] = 17 DMG

Deer 4 -1/16 DEAD [7 x 3 Lumberjack - 4 MIT] = 17 DMG

     The mob in question came in the form of another herd of deer, though this group seemed less skittish than previously encountered ones, standing and fighting as opposed to running and hiding.  They charged Brax as he approached, horns dropping low to skewer the player upon them.  He batted each one aside as they came, taking no damage from their ferocious blows.  Instead, they fell like grass before a mower, his Lumberjack chopping each one down almost instantly as their defenses were weak at best.  He picked up his prizes amid the swirling death pixels they generated.

+4 materials

+4 snowflakes

+320 col

Edited January 15, 2016 by Brax

[Brax 0]

ID 44927

LD 1

     Brax would need to rest soon.  The morning was nearly over, and lunch would soon be upon him.  His undeveloped tracking skills were in full force, aiding his search for mobs and mats, but they were not even close to par for the task.  Not one clue to a group of enemies, nor one shred of evidence regarding rock or tree told a story of supplies worthy for a craftsmen's table, appeared under Brax's close examination tactics.

Edited January 12, 2016 by Brax

[Brax 0]

ID 44934

LD 6

     It did not necessarily bother him, his lack of skill in finding what he searched for.  Brax had come to grips months ago with the fact that certain things would escape him, like empathy or sympathy.  He may get lost in his head obsessing over chasing invisible threads that might lead to his past or his feelings, but as far as connecting those feelings to others, well that might be something too far beyond his brain-damaged capabilities.  His search of the current area for clues regarding something to hunt for turned up fruitless again, so he followed his thought train to another area.

Edited January 12, 2016 by Brax

[Brax 0]

ID 44935

LD 9

     Success!  While there were no mats found in the next clearing, hidden in the shadows of a nearby rock facing, there were tracks leading off to the east, some kind of paw prints that might conceivably lead to his next bit of prey.  Just like with his spontaneous discoveries regarding his emotions and memories, Brax was like a blind squirrel finding a nut: it had to happen eventually.  All he had to do was follow the thread, and prepare himself for whatever the consequences would be.

Edited January 12, 2016 by Brax

[Brax 0]

ID 45645

Spoiler

BD 4 +3 ACC LD 20 MoBD 2 -1 EVA

Brax 16/32 EN 3/8

Wolf 1 -1/16 DEAD [7 x 3 Lumberjack - 4 MIT] = 17 DMG

Wolf 2 -1/16 DEAD [7 x 3 Lumberjack - 4 MIT] = 17 DMG

Wolf 3 -1/16 DEAD [7 x 3 Lumberjack - 4 MIT] = 17 DMG

Wolf 4 -1/16 DEAD [7 x 3 Lumberjack - 4 MIT] = 17 DMG

     The 'consequences' were another roving pack of wolves, all snarls and teeth and chomping at the bit for an unwary adventurer attempting to track their movements.  Brax's skills, even as an amateur, allowed him to sneak up behind the critters and take them by surprise.  His Lumberjack at the ready, he struck hard and fast before they could react, the three long sweeps of his Battleaxe making quick work of the defenseless mob.  The RNG seemed to favor him as well, for it managed to drop several potions his way, which he scooped up with the rest of his well earned loot.

+4 materials

+4 snowflakes

+4 Potions of Strength (+1 damage for a thread)

Edited January 15, 2016 by Brax