[SP-F2] A Time To Hunt - Bagging up those Wintery Flakes pt. 6 Redux

[Brax 0]

     Brax finished his meal quickly, for the hunt was still on and his axe was beginning to feel restless in his hands.  He wondered to himself how a weapon could in fact 'feel' seeing as he was having such trouble accessing his emotions, but like always, he shunted it to the side for another day.  Getting up from the rock, he stretched once to get the virtual blood pumping and opened his menu to retrieve a Potion of Strength.  Brax consumed the dark red liquid, feeling the now familiar burn travel throughout his body, and when he felt the power sufficiently peak he started the next leg of the hunt.

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

Edited January 15, 2016 by Brax

[Brax 0]

ID 45648

LD 19

     He failed to find any mobs awaiting him at the beginning of his trek.  He chose to climb a nearby cliff face, the incline not so steep that he could not make his way up safely.  His hands found good purchase on his upward climb, and one such purchase felt slightly different to him.  He brought it before his eyes and found it acceptable for crafting, placing the reward into his inventory and continuing his rise.

+1 material

Edited January 15, 2016 by Brax

[Brax 0]

ID 45649

Spoiler

BD 4 +3 ACC LD 12 MoBD 10 -1 EVA

Brax 20/32 [6 + 2crit - 5 MIT] x 4 = 12 DMG EN 3/8

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

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

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

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

     Coming up on an outcropping in the mountain, he was able to take a short break in his climbing, unfortunately finding a family of goats residing upon it.  They were masters of the rocky terrain, leaping to and fro in order to flank and kill the interloper Brax, but his Epitaph managed to keep up well with their movements, even with his precarious positioning.  As he dodged about, his brain went into overdrive, calculating the necessary directions to take them all out with a single attack.  Finishing up with the numbers, Brax saw his opening and took it, activating his Lumberjack attack on the mountain itself.  Three hard swipes at the rock face dislodged the rocks surrounding his perch.  Having carefully maneuvered the goats into giving him the high ground, the impromptu landslide landed squarely on their heads, sending them all plummeting to their doom.

+4 materials

+4 snowflakes

+320 col

Edited January 16, 2016 by Brax

[Brax 0]

     Brax rested a moment on to outcropping.  The sun was sitting high in the sky, and his brain was still running on all cylinders.  Even after the small mistake he had made before by walking into a dark cave with no light source, which had disconcerted him, his mind was still capable of making the right decisions, the necessary decisions, for his optimum level of survival.

Edited January 13, 2016 by Brax

[Brax 0]

     Brax then continued his climb up the mountainside.  No more enemies engaged him in battle as he set his hands to the task, rock after rock passing through his hands as he made his way skyward.  It was a good thing this cliff facing was not so steep, or he might have fallen far and been able to test the fall damage parameters set into the system.

Edited January 13, 2016 by Brax

[Brax 0]

     After 100 feet, Brax hauled himself up to the top of the rock wall, almost throwing himself onto the ledge.  He breathed deep the virtual air, laying out on his back from the exertion.  The only exercise his body had performed at Berringer's was multiple rounds of cardio, with a little abdominal and upper body work interspersed between them.  But, he knew that moving forwards he would have to include it all, hopefully to raise his stamina to high enough levels to be able to complete tasks like this.

Edited January 13, 2016 by Brax

[Brax 0]

ID 45650

Spoiler

BD 5 +3 ACC LD 1 MoBD 8 -1 EVA

Brax 19/32 EN 6/8

Large Troll -1/16 [7 x 3 Ultimate Breaker - 4 MIT] = 17 DMG

     Brax stood back up, and found himself face to face with another foe of relatively large proportions: a Troll lived up here on the heights.  It bellowed at Brax and shambled towards him, arms flailing wildly in an attempt to end his existence.  The attack was unfocused, however, and Brax was easily able to dodge it.  It seemed his appearance on the flat bit of ground was surprising to the beast, to say the least.  He uppercut the troll and allowed the Cardinal to guide his movements through the Ultimate Breaker move, and his final blow dispersed the beast into it's pixelated beginings.  He hurried to collect his loot, as he suspected the fight was not yet over.

+1 material

+1 snowflake

Edited January 15, 2016 by Brax

[Brax 0]

ID 45651

Spoiler

BD 9 +3 ACC LD 14 MoBD  8 -1 EVA

Brax 18/32 [6 - 5 MIT] x 4 = 4 DMG EN 1/8

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

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

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

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

     Brax was right, it seemed, for just as he pocketed his loot, a roar emanated from deep within a nearby hole in the rocks, and from it emerged four more trolls, smaller than their brethren but just as deadly.  They charged at him, but his armor stayed strong and his weapon moved fast, dodging where he could and blocking when necessary.  He activated his Lumberjack after weaving through their ranks and came behind them in surprising fashion, though their defenses attempted to bar his way, each crudely armored with spoils from previous battles.  His axe remained sharp and powerful, though, and cut each one down as he came upon them, finally coming to a stop at the edge of the cliff he had climbed up.

+4 materials

+4 snowflakes

+320 col

Edited January 15, 2016 by Brax

[Brax 0]

ID 45113

LD 1

     The flat piece of ground Brax had done battle on was not simply an overhanging cliff; no, it was a mountain pass leading further up between the rocks.  It curved out of sight, a path winding upwards to what looked like a forest of trees on the summit.  The remains of a stone tower, possibly for overwatch purposes, jutted high above the tree-line.  Perhaps there would be something of note in the stone fortress itself, though most likely some kind of creatures had taken up residence there.

Edited January 13, 2016 by Brax

[Brax 0]

     As the sun moved overhead, so too Brax moved with a purposeful gait towards the summit, carefully picking his path up the mountain.  One wrong step and he would find himself impaled on the rocks below.  His armor might protect him, but the odds were definitely not in his favor, so he did not leave anything to chance.  His eyes continued to roam the rocks he reached for, though, just in case any one of them might contain materials of value.

Edited January 13, 2016 by Brax

[Brax 0]

     Finally, he reached the forest of trees.  The ruins were not far inside, so there should not have been any problem in navigating his way through.  The shadows cast by the domineering greenery were a bit foreboding, but Brax could feel no fear: the darkness was not deep enough to omit all light, and he was incapable of the emotion, thus he strode into the trees with head held high.

Edited January 13, 2016 by Brax

[Brax 0]

ID 45652

Spoiler

BD 3 +3 ACC LD 13 MoBD 6 -1 EVA

Brax 21/32 EN 6/8

Nepent Variant -1/16 DEAD [7 x 3 Ultimate Breaker - 5 MIT] = 17 DMG

     The forest held a few surprises, though, in the form of angry plant creatures of large proportions.  A Nepent, large and intimidating, appeared before Brax just a few moments after he entered.  It's tendrils waved angrily at him as it stumbled his direction, lashing out for his body like he was prey to be killed.  He sidestepped out of range, his lean form narrowly avoiding the attacks, and bringing his axe to bear down low moved into the Ultimate Breaker, all three blows striking true and bringing the Variant to it's knees, if it had knees to be brought to.  It's death showered the man with pixels and loot, with he pocketed quickly as more began to arrive.

+1 material

+1 snowflake

+80 col

Edited January 15, 2016 by Brax

[Brax 0]

ID 45653

Spoiler

BD 5 +3 ACC LD 15 MoBD 1 -1 EVA N/A

Brax 21/32 EN 1/8

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

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

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

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

     More creatures exited the shadows, lesser Nepents throwing out their feelers in search of the intruder.  They struck Brax hard, throwing him this way and that, though he did manage to deflect a few of the attacks the rest jarred him to the bone.  After they finished Brax began his assault, bringing his axe to the side in preparation for his Lumberjack, quite apropos given their status as plant creatures.  He advanced on them quickly, cleaving each one as he moved, and with a final spin separated their bodies in half.  Stopping only to collect his prizes, Brax moved deeper into the trees towards the ruins of the tower, keeping a watchful eye out for anyone else.

+4 materials

+4 snowflakes

+320 col

Edited January 15, 2016 by Brax

[Brax 0]

ID 45116

LD 6

     There was much to see in the depths of the forest: not by way of animal, as this area was more than likely home to only monsters, but instead the view was populated by treasures of all sorts, broken armor from some long forgotten battle or the bones of unwary travelers looking for a place to rest.  Packs of rotten food and drink were scattered underneath old trees, silent vanguards of the secrets lost to time.  Despite the abundance of loot, however, there was not much to find that could prove useful.

Edited January 13, 2016 by Brax

[Brax 0]

 

     A glimmer caught Brax's eye as he traveled.  Underneath a rotted skeletal frame covered with rusty armor was a hidden gemstone set inside a dirty gold band crafted to look like wings.  The ring itself was fairly old, the gold long since tarnished with age, but the stone shone with a brilliance unrivaled by even the most gifted of artisan's in Aincrad.  Brax was intrigued by the appearance of such a treasure in the wilds, but he did not look a gift horse in the mouth.

Edited January 16, 2016 by Brax

[Brax 0]

 

     He placed the treasure into his inventory and stood, making his way towards the tower ruins deeper inside the forest.  As the trees began to clear, he saw the building clearly in the distance, it's age clear in the disuse of the structure.  The tower was not overly tall, just barely clearing the canopy a few feet.  The stone walls were crumbling from the advance of time, once sturdy wall meant for defense now pocketed with holes large enough to walk through.  Leaning against a tree nearby was another suit of armor, it's bearer dissolved into dust in the wind.  Brax searched the owner's pack that lay next to the armor, finding some loot that had survived the test of time.  Turning towards the tower he advanced inside, hearing a shuffle of footsteps he paused and waited for whatever lived here to show itself.

Edited January 16, 2016 by Brax

[Brax 0]

ID 45654

Spoiler

BD 4 +3 ACC LD 16 MoBD 5 -1 EVA

Brax 24/32 EN 3/8

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

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

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

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

     A howling sound preempted the advent of a pack of wild dogs, claiming this floor of the tower for their own.  They came at Brax in a wave, two striking first before moving off for the second to attack.  He managed to deflect the first one, tossing each dog to the sides, and for the second set he wove through them, his Epitaph glowing faintly as he drew on it's power to sidestep the beasts.  With all of them avoided, Brax turned around to retaliate, his spin adding to the power of his Lumberjack attack.  His first swipe blew the lead dog backwards into it's companions, while his second and third blows clove each group in half.  The only thing remaining as he turned away was the disappearing pixels they left behind.

+4 materials

+4 snowflakes

+320 col

Edited January 15, 2016 by Brax

[Brax 0]

ID 45126

LD 10

     The tower had a second level, Brax noticed, as the back of the room had stairs leading up.  He search the first floor first, though, just to make sure there was nothing that could be taken as loot.  A building such as this would definitely contain something of value, or so he believed.  The various pots and containers that litter the room, though, had already been looted heavily it appeared.  Shaking his head in what others might call disappointment, Brax climbed the stairs to the second floor.

Edited January 13, 2016 by Brax

[Brax 0]

     He made his way upwards, the bright sunshine streaming through the cracks in the wall.  The stone tower was in ruins, but Brax could appreciate the details Kayaba and his team of designers put into it's construction.  The architecture of the building was sound, or at least it would have been back when it was new.  Rather, if it had ever been new to begin with.  The walls had been designed thick enough to repel invaders, and with only one entrance, a stout bodyguard could have probably held off an entire squad of soldiers for at least several hours, long enough for reinforcements to arrive in support.  'They certainly put a lot of effort into a game only a couple thousand people were going to play,' Brax thought as he climbed.

[Brax 0]

ID 45155

LD 10

     Reaching the top, Brax surveyed the second floor landing.  The floor appeared to be the living quarters, as the room he was in was large and spacious.  A door on the opposite side, most likely lead to some sort of kitchen, as the current area was filled with sacks for bedding and rotted drawers for storage purposes.  He carefully examined each one, but just as the floor below, someone had already collected anything worth something before he arrived.  He stepped to the door intent on his explorations, when one of the boards beneath his heavily armor foot creaked, the sound echoing in the tower loudly.  He heard a shuffle on the side of the door, as well as the unintelligible speak of NPCs, 'Bandits, most likely,' and before he could move the door opened.