[SP-F1] Baby's First Monster (Complete)

[Evander 0]

Evander yawned. He had been training nonstop for days, and today, he finally felt ready to use his sword in combat. He had picked up some money here and there in some quests, and now felt like he was prepared to take down his first monster. He walked out of the city gates. He had been mapping the area surrounding the city, and knew where there were hordes of monsters, and where there were none. He had been training in the part of the forest with no monsters, but today, that was going to change. He picked up a rock from the clearing around the city and slipped it into his pocket. There were several monsters on floor one, but there was one monster that all novices started on, one monster that characterized the first floor- a boar. It was time. He was ready. This would be his first monster kill. And, perhaps he would pick up some materials, or mats, as the community referred to them, along the way because they were good for trade. Maybe he would finally get some armor besides these now grubby clothes that he wore.

Edited February 24, 2016 by Evander

[Evander 0]

Evander crouched behind an outcropping. There it was. The mighty boar itself. It was actually quite large, with long tusks extending out in front of it and red, baleful eyes. It was time. Time to prove himself. Hopefully he didn't have to run away like a scared little kid. He was actually quite frightened, but quelled his emotions. Evander drew his blade silently. He had gotten used to the weight of the sword over the last few days, and had been practicing some new sword arts. "Let's do this," he whispered to himself. It was time to help in the mission of reclaiming Aincrad, and it started with this boar. Evander threw his rock at the boar, and stepped out from behind the rock to face it.

 

Begin Combat

Evander: HP: 8/8 Energy:2/2 MIT:0 Base DMG: 2

Boar: HP: 4 MIT: 1 DMG: 3

 

Edited February 23, 2016 by Evander

[Evander 0]

Evander pondered, even as he walked cautiously toward the boar. Should he open up with his best move, a sword art he had been practicing for days, or should he simply attack? He felt a vibe, and felt, for some strange reason, that he should use the sword art. He looked at the boar, stared into its red eyes for just a split instance of a second, as if acknowledging his foe, and attacked. "Snake Bite!" he called out, and he landed two hits in quick succession. The boar had prepared to charge at him while he was charging his attack, but the two hits stopped it in its tracks. It fell over, dead, and dissolved into tiny particles.

 

Combat

Evander: HP: 8/8 Energy:0/2 MIT:0 Base DMG: 2

Boar: HP: 0/4 MIT: 1 DMG: 3

ID# 48976 results:

 Battle: 9 (Critical DMG+1)

 Craft: 8

 Loot: 10

 MOB: 3 (fail)

Total DMG: (2+1(critical))*(2*1)=6- 1(MIT)= 5 DMG done

Edited February 23, 2016 by Evander

[Evander 0]

"Whoa, that's it?" Evander exclaimed in shock. "I kinda thought, you know, there would be more to it than just that." Ach! He was speaking to himself again. Great. Perhaps he needed social contact after all? Well, there was nothing to it. Time to go check out what loot he had gotten from his fresh kill. Perhaps there would even be some money! Evander was destitute, only about 400 col to his name after days of scrounging about, and some cash would come in handy for actually having a meal. If he got some col from this boar, perhaps he could finally eat something. He hadn't eaten in days, and though he didn't really need to eat, he was ravenous. He went over, and examined the place where the boar had died. Nothing, asides for its fur. At least he got a mat? Yeah, no, it wasn't even something he could eat. Great. Wonderful. Evander tamped down his disappointment, taking a few deep breaths and clearing his mind. He wiped the blood off of his sword and slid it into his scabbard on his back. He picked up the skin and put it into his inventory. It was time to go hunting for mats to sell for food.

+1 mat from boar

Evander: HP: 8/8 Energy: 1/2

Edited February 23, 2016 by Evander

[Evander 0]

Evander ducked under a low branch and headed deeper into the forest. He pulled out his map that he had been constructing of the first floor, marked an "X" where he had gotten his first kill, and started heading towards a natural quarry he had found in the land. There could be some minerals or stones of use in the pit. He skirted around a particularly large rock, and finally found himself at the quarry. He climbed down the side of the quarry slowly and cautiously. When he had reached the bottom, he began looking around for any rare stones or minerals. After what seemed like hours of searching, Evander finally growled in frustration. He had thought this was a good place to find minerals and materials, but it appeared that it was completely barren of any mats that could be usable. He climbed back out of the cave into the sunlight. The sun was nearing its apex. He decided that he was going to look through the forest for any mats to be used.

Evander: HP: 8/8 Energy: 2/2

ID# 49096 results:

 Loot: 2

Edited February 24, 2016 by Evander

[Evander 0]

Walking through the forest under the empty branches of the trees, Evander stared intently at the ground, scouring the earth for any usable mats. He had already spent so long looking- if he couldn't find even one mat to sell in the next hour, he was going to be fairly angry. Evander stopped, then took a deep breath. He cleared his mind of emotion, thinking that being angry wouldn't make looking for mats easier. He just needed to relax. This could even be considered one of his off days! He wasn't really exercising much beyond the one boar he had killed. An hour later, he stood by a tree. There were no mats anywhere he could look, not even a measly mushroom for alchemy or something. He punched the tree, and cleared his mind yet again. He would go hunting more boars, he decided, at least they dropped pelts that could be sold. He went back out towards the plain, following his map carefully. He also wrote "No mats here!" at the quarry and on the path he took through the forest with a piece of charcoal.

 ID# 49097 results:

 Loot: 2

Edited February 24, 2016 by Evander

[Evander 0]

As he walked towards the plains where he had just seen a congregation of boars, he picked up a rock along the way. Evander thought about his first encounter with a boar. Looking back, with a clearer mind, he could see that it was just luck that had led him to defeat the boar. He took a deep breath as he headed towards the outcropping of this morning. He needed to remain cautious, leave his guard up. The first battle had just been a fluke. He needed to be wary, or he could quite easily die. He was likely going to open up with Snake Bite again, if he could, and try to lunge for the eyes. When in doubt of weaknesses, always aim for the eyes. They were the best bet. He crouched behind the outcropping again, seeing that the boar he was targeting was in a herd of similar creatures. He through his rock at it again to draw it away from its horde and stepped out from behind the rock to face it. It looked a lot like its brethren he had faced this morning, and was just as intimidating. Evander hoped the battle would be just as easy.

Begin Combat!

Evander: HP: 8/8 Energy:2/2 MIT:0 Base DMG: 2

Boar: HP: 4 MIT: 1 DMG: 3

Edited February 24, 2016 by Evander

[Evander 0]

Evander paused before the boar, looking it into its crimson eyes. He drew his blade- he had really gotten used to its feel, hadn't he?- and readied himself. He took another deep breath, emptying his mind of thoughts and allowing his training over the past few days take over. He was no master, but he would perform worse if he distracted himself from the fight. Somehow, he knew this wasn't going to be as easy as it had been this morning. He spread his feet, watching the boar pawing the earth, and lunged. He cried out "Snake Bite", and struck twice. It hadn't been as smooth as this morning, but at least he hit the beast. The beast had been preparing to use the same strategy as its brother this morning, but had somehow tripped over itself. Evander leaped back from the beast, and eyed its movements. It appeared very wounded, but it was not finished yet.

Combat

Evander: HP: 8/8 Energy:0/2 MIT:0 Base DMG: 2

Boar: HP: 1/4 MIT: 1 DMG: 3

 ID# 49099 results:

 Battle: 7

 MOB: 1 (critical fail)

Total DMG: 2 * (2*1) = 4 - 1 (MIT) = 3 DMG done

Edited February 24, 2016 by Evander

[Evander 0]

The boar panted heavily. For all of its intimidating appearance, these boars were not actually all that tough, mused Evander. That was probably why all beginners started on these creatures. Evander readied himself again, and prepared to lunge. He felt like his energy was sapped, but he could still attack normally. He ran towards the dying creature and attempted to strike with all of his might, while the boar also appeared to be trying to make one final stand before its impending death. Evander landed a successful hit, cutting into the hide of the boar, but was immediately gored in the side by one of the boar's long tusks, halfway impaled on its sharp point. The boar dissolved into tiny particles while Evander fell forward in the grass, panting, and clutching his side. He checked his health- he wasn't going to die, but he almost had, and with only one blow! He really needed to get some armor. Evander just lay there for a while, trying to catch his breath. It was good he had still remained wary- if he hadn't, the boar might have killed him, and then what would he have contributed to Aincrad?

Combat

Evander: HP: 3/8 Energy:0/2 MIT:0 Base DMG: 2

Boar: HP: 0/4 MIT: 1 DMG: 3

ID# 49102 results:

 Battle: 7

 Craft: 1

 Loot: 6

 MOB: 10 (critical +2)

Total DMG: 2 - 1(MIT)= 1 DMG done

Mob DMG: 3+2(critical)= 5

Edited February 24, 2016 by Evander

[Evander 0]

Evander lay on the cool earth, the adrenaline slowly dying down in his body and his sweat cooling on his skin. That had been too close for comfort. He needed some skill that would heal him, or some armor so that he wouldn't be impaled all the way through the next time he went hunting. Evander just lay there, on the ground, looking up at the blue sky and the puffy white clouds that moved across it in the breeze. He was tired now, his adrenaline rush gone. This was probably a really bad place to take a nap, amidst all of the boars, so he pushed himself to his feet and wiped the blood off of his sword. He put the pelt of the boar in his inventory- no col again!- and sheathed his sword, moving away, back towards the forest. He was really grimy and dirty, but he felt elated, like he just finished a marathon. It was getting on to late afternoon. Perhaps it was time to try his luck at finding mats again. He felt his wounds mending under his clothes.

+1 mat from boar

Evander: HP: 6/8 Energy: 1/2

[Evander 0]

Evander walked under the trees, taking a different route this time than the one he had taken to the quarry before. He took out the piece of parchment with his map on it, and looked for another potential location of mats. There was a small clearing in the forest about half a mile west of here, with potential herbs to be used for alchemy. He began heading towards it, taking the monsterless path that he had marked in his map. He looked around, wary of any beasts jumping out at him. Deep in the forest, there were many more monsters, all more dangerous than the boars he had faced. He was definitely not ready for combat with them of any kind, especially in this condition. Farther into the forest, the leaves had begun to grow again on the branches. He came to a fork in the road, and took the one less traveled. They would both lead to the same place, and both had few, if any, monsters, but this road had fewer travelers because it went under the trees, whereas the other went through a brightly lit meadow. He had taken both in his earlier mapping expeditions. In his opinion, the path under the trees was more tranquil, more peaceful. He decided to look for some mats on the way to his destination. Finally, he came across a mushroom that looked particularly useful. He put it in his inventory, and continued on his way.

Evander: HP: 8/8 Energy: 2/2

ID# 49111 results:

 Loot: 17

+1 Mat

Edited February 24, 2016 by Evander

[Evander 0]

He finally made it to the clearing. The branches here, this deep in the forest, were still laden with leaves. At last, he saw a light ahead. He stepped out into the clearing, listening to the birds chirping in the trees around him. He looked up, observing the sun- it was getting late into the afternoon, about 5'o clock. He looked back into the clearing, looking around for any monsters- last time he had been here, there had been some wolves. Of course, that was late into the night, and the wolves looked quite weak, though it was probably at least around the level of the boar. Cautiously, he stepped into the clearing, and when nothing rushed out at him, he began searching for any herbs or rare stones to take as a mat back to the city and sell. An hour or so later, and his efforts proved fruitless. Evander sighed. Of course, the two most promising places he had marked on the map had no mats left for him to harvest, while a little stroll along a path he walked every day proved more fruitful than this. He shook his head, and began to walk back towards town. He could at least sell what he had.

 ID# 49112 results:

 Loot: 3

Edited February 24, 2016 by Evander

[Evander 0]

He strolled back along the path he had taken, whistling a little jaunty tune. Though this day had been pretty bad in terms of mat gathering, at least he had killed his first two monsters without dying, though he was pretty close at the end there. The sun was beginning to set- otherwise, Evander would have stayed out there. At night, more dangerous monsters lurked. Tomorrow, tomorrow, what to do tomorrow. Well, one could never tell what fate decided to throw at them, but Evander planned to make his first foray deep into the forest, and perhaps find another quest to do or some monsters to slay. Though he had probed into the forest a little, he had not really focused his efforts into exploring it. And, he had heard rumors of a village deep in the forest... Suddenly, a wolf jumped out from the brush and began growling at Evander. Evander moved back, slowly. Didn't he already map this route dozens of time? Wasn't this path supposed to be clear of monsters? Well, all he could do right now was defend himself. At least it wasn't a pack of wolves, and at least this wolf looked pretty weak. He drew his sword, and settled into a defensive stance.

Begin Combat!

Evander: HP: 8/8 Energy:2/2 MIT:0 Base DMG: 2

Lone Wolf: HP: 4 MIT: 1 DMG: 3

[Evander 0]

Evander held his sword in front of him, waiting for the wolf to make the first move. He stared into the baleful yellow eyes of the wolf, and the ravenous hunger it held. Well, it wasn't going to be taking a bite out of him today! Only problem was, the wolf seemed to be waiting for him to make his first move as well. Well, there was nothing to it. Guess I have to attack first, Evander thought. He guessed he would open up with the same strategy he had used against the boars? Snake Bite, and he really had no idea what to do from there. The wolf snarled, almost as if it was trying to get him to hurry up. Evander lunged forth, making the first move, and- whoa, he almost missed, but curved his sword just in time. The wolf was about to hit him, but missed when he changed his trajectory so suddenly. The sword lashed out twice against the wolf- one could see the red lines in the wolf's skin, but it still stood shakily. Man, he really needed to up the damage on this thing! He kept on almost killing the beast. Well, at least he wasn't hit.

Combat

Evander: HP: 8/8 Energy:0/2 MIT:0 Base DMG: 2

Lone Wolf: HP: 1/4 MIT: 1 DMG: 3

ID# 49113 results:

 Battle: 6

 MOB: 4 (fail)

Total DMG: 2*(2*1)= 4 - 1(MIT) = 3 DMG done

Edited February 24, 2016 by Evander

[Evander 0]

Evander wiped his mouth with his free hand. At least he only had a one-handed sword, so he could do whatever he wanted with his left hand while his right held the sword. The wolf snarled, swaying on its feet as it felt that it was dying. Hopefully this wolf wouldn't be like that one boar and almost kill him, but one never knew with cornered animals. It had nothing to lose, so it may just try to attack with all its might and almost kill me, Evander thought. Well, he hoped that he could end this fast enough so that he wouldn't be hit. Man, he needed some armor. Or, maybe he could scare off the wolf? Evander stomped and snarled, trying to get the wolf to run away. Nope. The wolf even looked like it was laughing. That was pretty insulting. Well, there was nothing else he could do but end its life. Evander lunged forth, and hit his mark perfectly. The wolf died before it even had a chance to retaliate. It dissolved into many tiny particles and floated away on the breeze.

Combat

Evander: HP: 8/8 Energy:1/2 MIT:0 Base DMG: 2

Lone Wolf: HP: 1/4 MIT: 1 DMG: 3

 ID# 49114 results:

 Battle: 9 (Critical +1)

 Craft: 7

 Loot: 9

 MOB: 5 (fail)

Total DMG: 2+1= 3- 1(MIT)= 2 DMG done

Edited February 24, 2016 by Evander

[Evander 0]

Evander let out the breath he didn't even know he was holding and collapsed to his knees. He had spent days mapping out the forest and studying algorithms to make sure he wasn't ambushed by any mobs like these. Guess the system always tries to keep you on your feet, Evander pondered. It was actually a blessing in disguise, upon reflecting on it further. Obviously, he was getting far too cocky and arrogant, and not careful enough to watch around him for any unsuspected threats. He needed to stay on his toes at all times. At least he didn't get damaged. He stood, wiped the blade of the sword with a cloth, and sheathed it. He went over to the place the wolf had been standing, hoping for some col, any col, even just wolf meat would do. Nope. Just a lousy, stinking wolf pelt. Great. It wasn't even edible, and these pelts wouldn't even be good blankets unless they were tanned! Clearly, Evander was the master of obtaining everything he didn't need. One mushroom, that he wasn't sure was edible but was definitely an ingredient in a potion, and three unusable pelts. Awesome.

+1 mat from wolf

Evander: HP: 8/8 Energy: 1/2

[Evander 0]

Evander looked up to the sky. The sun was setting, and pretty soon it would be too dark to fight effectively or collect mats. Well, time to head back to town. No food tonight, I guess, Evander brooded. What he really needed was some cold, hard cash. Evander began walking back along the path back to the Town of Beginnings, wary of any danger around him. Kicking a rock along, he finally walked out from under the canopy of trees and into the last, burning orange rays of the sun. The moon was beginning to rise from the other side. Evander put his hands behind his head. He admitted to himself that it would be nice to have friends on such a night as this. He had already gone days without anyone to talk to except for himself. All of his carefully cultivated social skills he had developed in school were going to waste! They were probably even going to disappear, at this rate. But, eh, whatever, he had already survived this long (a few days, a less melodramatic part of his mind responded) without friends, what was another... few... months? years? Man, he couldn't wait to get home. At least there, he could talk amongst family and not feel so alone. But, solitude is good for you, Evander lied to himself, Others will just slow you down. Whatever. If anyone wanted to talk to him, he wasn't going to stop them, but if not, he would survive.

Edited February 24, 2016 by Evander

[Evander 0]

Evander walked through the lighted gates of the Town of Beginnings. Ah yes, his base of operations for the past few days. He could move up through the teleportation plaza to the higher floors, but... he felt like he needed to earn his way up into the higher floors. Thusly, however stupid it may sound, he was going to fully explore each floor, climb up the dungeon tower by himself, and make his way through each floor without ever needing to use the teleport function (except for, perhaps, trips down). It just felt like cheating, piggybacking off of others if he did it any other way. As he passed through the town, he stopped before the building which housed the Monument of Life. He had sort of made it a tradition over the past few days to go inside and pay his respects to those who had died in their struggle to live. He headed inside the building, under the arch of the main entrance. It was well-lit, but the monument produced its own dreariness that seemed to make even the most stalwart melancholy.

[Evander 0]

Evander walked solemnly and somberly up to the monument. Names, etched in the black marble, stretched across the whole face of the wall. A woman was kneeling on one side of the wall, her muffled weeping reaching the ears of Evander and striking a chord within his heart. Flowers, flowers everywhere, strewn across the monument in respect for the dead and their loved ones. How ironic, mused Evander, The Monument of Life being used as a monument to the deaths of many. Well, in a way, we are mourning the loss of their lives, and regret what little time we have spent with them. The atmosphere weighed on Evander, despite his attempts to stay emotionless. He bowed his head and knelt before the monument, regretting their deaths and how short their lives were. Time passed far too quickly, and the dangers of this world spent lives, human lives, far too much. All of these deaths, and against what? Against algorithms, against programs, these human souls all died fighting against a threat that didn't have to be made.

[Evander 0]

Evander knelt in silent contemplation before the monument. He mourned the deaths of those he did not know, and now, would never know. As he mourned for their deaths, he felt his resolve coming to the fore. He felt, now, more than ever, that he needed to work, harder and harder everyday, fighting in Aincrad to liberate all for the sake of these fallen souls. There are two things which truly bring humanity together, Evander contemplated as another knelt beside him, in open tears for one they had lost, love, and death. Oh death, the great feeling of regret and loss, binds mankind together more than even love can. Death creates ties between people who have never even known of each other. Death, the great bridge, and yet, the great bringer of loss and melancholy. Never ask for whom the bell tolls, as John Donne(?) said, they toll for thee. Oh, how true these words feel right now! A tear escaped Evander's iron facade and splattered onto the marble floor, sparkling in the lamplight.