[PP - F9] Moving Forward, Pt.2 (Mack)

[Takao 0]

A bright flash of light illuminated the mid-afternoon darkness cast upon the ninth floor by the grey skies looming overhead. The volcanic themed floor and adequately named "Vulcan Village" were not typical stops on his day to day routines, yet a metaphorical breath of fresh air was sorely needed after his excursion on the fourteenth floor just moments prior. The mud that had once caked his boots and pant legs had disappeared with time, which he was thankful for. The hardware limitations of the NerveGear were seldom a blessing, but this case seemed to be the exception. After a brief stop on the third floor for his familiar, the two mismatched adventurers descended the stairs to the warp platform and stopped just short of the gate leading out into the volcanic wilderness. Takao slid his hand through the air and called forth the menu, then promptly navigated to the map. Large portions of it were black and foggy, a clear indication of missing map data. Amidst a section of the black and foggy portions, a single custom marker had been placed.

"Ah, crap. I should've bought map data from that Broker when I had the chance." Takao said, muttering aloud to himself as he glanced over what portions of the map he had explored. Only a single line to and from the cavern that Cerberus resided in had been explored.

"Oh well. We've got a general area to look around, so that's more than enough. Y'ready to go?" A brief exchange of looks with his familiar was all the more of an answer the teen needed, he was well aware of how the wingless dragon enjoyed the unpleasantly hot floor.

Spoiler

 

Equipped
Inundator // +6 Damage
Hands of Midas // +3 LD
Iron Aegis // +2 Accuracy, +1 Evasion

Active Buffs
Vitamins // +2 LD // +1 LD
Alcoholic // +1 Damage / -1 Evasion
Damage Crystal // +3 Damage

 

 

Edited March 22, 2016 by Takao

[Mack 0]

"Ready to go where," a deep voice boomed from behind Takao. Just moments before the owner of that voice had popped out of the portal on the ninth floor, he had received a tip about a mini-dungeon on the ninth floor that had yet to be explored and conquered, and Mack most definitely wanted both the loot and the experience points that came with clearing it. Based on the very tail end of the conversation that he had heard between Takao and his familiar, the ginger giant assumed that was the same reason that Takao was here. After all, why would a front line player like him be more than five floors further down? That made no sense.

"I assume you've got the same tip about the mini-dungeon," Mack asked, crossing his bulging arms across his broad chest as the hem of his crimson cloak flapped in the volcanic breeze. "I'm headed to the same place, shall we team up again? It's not been so long that I've forgotten the Butcher or the Guardian. I could use the loot, but I'm more concerned with getting as much experience out of this fight as possible," Mack continued, considering his options for a moment. "I can also buff us with the Banner of Command, if you're interested in teaming up."
 

Spoiler

 

Stats:

Level: 32
Energy: 32
HP: 133
Mit.: 66
Regen: 54
DMG: 16 (Opening Attack), 13 (Base)

 

 

Edited March 22, 2016 by Mack

[Takao 0]

Takao jumped at the sudden and unexpected voice originating from behind. Seldom did he handle the unpredictable with grace, especially when it came in the form of a towering redhead wielding an equally large ax. The brunet turned on his heel to meet the source of the voice. "Whoa! Uh--... Hey, Mack. Didn't... uh... expected to see you here." He said, quickly shifting his gaze to meet the piercing gold eyes of his familiar before looking back to the redhead.

"I was uh... Well..." The mention of the dungeon made it grossly evident where Mack was headed and, if it were the same information he'd just recently received, the two would undoubtedly meet up somewhere along the road. Despite his penchant for "going at it" alone, it didn't seem likely that he'd be able to not only beat Mack to the dungeon, but enter and clear it before he found his way inside as well. In other words, it didn't seem like lying would do him any favours. "...Yeah, yes. I was 'bout to head out that way. I uh... Sure. I wouldn't mind teamin' up again." Takao said, scratching the side of his cheek thoughtfully. "I don't think we'll be needing the buffs though. It might cost more for you t'use that than we'd get from the dungeon itself."

[Mack 0]

"Sounds like a plan, if you change your mind about the Banner, let me know," Mack said, swiping a finger in the air in front of him to activate his menu interface. He quickly tapped through his menu screen until he reached the party screen, and then he sent the party request to Takao, knowing even as he did so that it would allow Takao to see that he was already in a party with Magda and Michiko. "Not one word about my sisters. I am not pleased that they came looking for me," Mack rumbled in a low tone that carried just the barest hint of a threat to it. "Now then, I have little doubt that you'll have an easier time finding the dungeon than I will, so I will follow your lead. There is also a small matter I'd like to discuss with you."

[Takao 0]

Takao's gaze fell to the party invitation window as it appeared before him. His hand rose and pressed accept, prompting the window to close and a line of health gauges and accompanying names and levels to appear. His eyebrow raised, but any inquiries he wanted to press regarding their presence had been quickly answered. The brunet's head tilted slightly, and his eyebrow remained raised. "You have sisters?" The question was rhetorical, given that Mack had just answered it before he'd even asked-- perhaps his inquiry was based off disbelief. Takao had his own sisters in the real world, one older and one younger, and the thought of either of them being trapped in the game made his stomach churn. "Uh-- Right, right. I haven't explored like... any... of this floor, so I'm gonna be playing most of it by the ear. The Broker only gave me a general area for it, so it'll probably take some doin' to find."

[Mack 0]

"I have two sisters, they both found their way into SAO a few weeks ago," Mack growled, his hands clenching into fists. Their presence was simply one more thing to stress him out and to worry about, especially until they both caught up to him on level. "They came looking for me, I think they both plan on running tank builds. I am not pleased," the Smith rumbled in a low dangerous tone, though it was clear that the target of his ire was neither Takao nor the scout's familiar. "Keep an eye out for them, especially my twin. You'll look up to her, most men do, not by choice."

"I also failed to purchase the exact map information from my informant," the axe man continued, changing the subject of their discussion to the matter at hand concerning the mini dungeon. "I guess it doesn't matter then who leads, but you are the more accomplished scout." Mack fell silent for a time and pulled up the white trimmed crimson hood of his guild cloak, he wanted to consider his next words very carefully. "I had to see to guild matters immediately after the fight with Rohk, there was... business to attend to and I was not able to immediately join the search for the boss on the fifteenth floor. I saw that you went right to it, though. Have you found the boss?"

[Takao 0]

"Oh," Takao said, changing his gaze to the gates and decided that it was a waste to stand around. He started off in the direction of the dungeon, a few taken steps and brief glances at the map giving him their heading. "I dunno what I'd do if my sisters were in here... 'specially my younger sister." He shivered at the thought. The death game wasn't a place for her, nor was it for his older sister either. It was something right up Takao's alley, and of the three of them, he thought himself to have the best chance of survival no matter how futile it might have seemed.

When Mack brought up the Boss, Takao fell silent. The tanned colour began to drain from his skin and was replaced with a pale green colour, while his throat began to feel dry and his hands sweaty. "Ugh... Don't remind me." He muttered in response, slouching over slightly. It had to be spiders. He hated spiders. The brunet nodded slowly as he walked, trying to find something to occupy his attention. "...Yeah, I found it."

Edited March 22, 2016 by Takao

[Mack 0]

"Excellent," Mack rumbled, ignoring Takao's momentary discomfort at whatever it was that he had found. Mack wasn't about to ask the hunter for the information, he suspected that it was highly likely that Takao would refuse to give him the information anyway. The people that tracked down that kind of info rarely, if ever, gave it away for free until it was time for the boss raid meeting. It was that meeting that Mack wanted to discuss with Takao. "I know you're a solo player, nothing wrong with that," the ginger man continued, as they passed through the gates of Vulcan and out into the volcanic wasteland. "I also know that hosting those meetings is a chore. The Knights of the Blood Oath have been mulling purchasing a very small guild hall, it hasn't been voted on yet. If you're willing, I will speak with Heathcliff and Opal about the Knights hosting the Boss Raid meeting. I don't want the boss info in advance, other than maybe an hour or two before the meeting, but the show will be yours and the info stays with you." Mack scowled at the thought of the boss fight against Rohk when Azide and Cora had been killed.

"After the fight against Rohk, it's time for their to be some new leadership in developing strategy for taking down bosses," Mack continued in a low, almost growling, tone. "I would like to step into that role, I have real world military knowledge and experience. The Zerg Rush was a bad strategy, we need to fix that going forward. When we lose players again, and it will happen far too often between now and clearing Aincrad, the responsible party should be someone that has given orders in the real world that have resulted in deaths. Someone that can handle the stress and strain of combat command and who can improvise on the fly as the situation dictates." The gruff axe man huffed out a sigh. He had no desire to become a floor clearing warlord, no desire to lead the players through the boss raids, no desire to be responsible for the deaths of others. But, from where he was standing, from a knowledge standpoint and a psychological standpoint, the ginger giant knew he was a logical choice. However, in this instance, it was really up to Takao to decide how to proceed.

[Takao 0]

As a result of occupying his attention with the task at hand, which was seeking out the dungeon in the mountains. The volcanic floor wasn't particularly pleasant to explore, nor had he ever had any particular desire to do so, which meant that he was mostly walking into the wilderness blind. He had only small pieces of information under his belt, tidbits of information he'd gathered here and there. Monster types, vague statistics and even vaguer patterns, and the only locations he knew of were general knowledge. Not much to go off, but he'd done more with less in the past.

"...Yeah, sure." He said after a moment of silence. He liked to think he was contemplating the offer, but in reality, he hadn't much reason to care. The venue didn't matter to him, as long as somebody capable and competent was in charge. A certain blonde haired alleged hero certainly hadn't been fitting that bill as of late. "I have uh..." He began to speak, yet found the words he wanted to say being lost amidst a sea of thought. Primarily about their target. "...some... er. I have some ideas on how to go about it. This one seems a bit more... straight... forward." Converting thoughts into works were difficult with the mental image he had burned in his head, and the faint sounds of chittering being imagined all around him. He exhaled a frustrated breath and shook his head. He needed to focus on something else, and the idea of the meeting would do nicely, if he didn't think about the subject. "I'd appreciate the venue though. I don't think my place is a great place to hold meetings at. Also, head's up." Takao said, finally having an adequate distraction from his thoughts as a few glowing red figures rose in the distance. "Looks like we've got company."

Edited March 22, 2016 by Takao

[Mack 0]

OOC: I'll let you fill in the stats for yours, so you can get the mats.

ID: 52734
BD: 8
LD: 6 (+4 Mats)

Mack: 137/137 (/33) [Sword Art: Explode Catapult 3x3x16=144 DMG] (6 Weapon + 5 Skill + 3 Charge + 1 Base + 1 Athletics)

Hell Hound 1: -1/115 (Mit. 28) [144-28=116 DMG]
Hell Hound 2: -1/115 (Mit. 28) [144-28=116 DMG]
Hell Hound 3: -1/115 (Mit. 28) [144-28=116 DMG]
Hell Hound 4: -1/115 (Mit. 28) [144-28=116 DMG]
Hell Hound 5:
Hell Hound 6:
Hell Hound 7:
Hell Hound 8:

"Glad to hear it," Mack rumbled as Takao accepted the offer to allow the Knights of the Blood Oath to handle the hosting duties on the Boss Raid Meeting for the fifteenth floor. It would be a good chance to the Knights to increase their prestige, throw in a little pomp and circumstance, and make themselves heard by muscling into the conversation on what needed to be done when it came to creating proper strategies for clearing bosses in the safest possible manner. "I'll relay that information to Healthcliff and Opal and we'll be in touch soon." The red headed man was about to continue along those lines when Takao's eyes snapped around and he indicated they were about to have company.

"Well then, let's go and meet them," Mack rumbled in a low tone, his hands tightening around the leather wrapped haft of Invictus. With a grunt, the massive red-headed man sprang forward, charging towards the onrushing enemies. It looked like a pretty good sized pack of hell hounds, at least as far as Mack could tell. Drawing Invictus back as he ran, Mack felt his explode catapult sword art click into place. Pushing off from the ground at the last second, Mack vaulted into the air and came down in the middle of the dogs, sending out a shockwave to catch four of them. The shockwave was immediately followed by several sweeps of the vicious bearded axe which reduced four of the attacking hounds to pixels.

Total Rewards:

+4 Mats - Mack
 

Edited March 22, 2016 by Mack

[Takao 0]

ID: 52741
BD: 9
LD: 11 + 3(Vitamins) + 3(Hands of Midas) + 3(Search&Detect)

Takao: 181/181 (30/44) [Sword Art: Lightning Fall 1*7*22=154 DMG] (13 Base + 4 Charge + 1 Critical + 3 Damage Crystal + 1 Alcoholic)

Hell Hound 1: -1/115 (Mit. 28) [144-28=116 DMG]
Hell Hound 2: -1/115 (Mit. 28) [144-28=116 DMG]
Hell Hound 3: -1/115 (Mit. 28) [144-28=116 DMG]
Hell Hound 4: -1/115 (Mit. 28) [144-28=116 DMG]
Hell Hound 5: -4/120 (Mit. 30) [154-30=124 DMG]
Hell Hound 6: -4/120 (Mit. 30) [154-30=124 DMG]
Hell Hound 7: -4/120 (Mit. 30) [154-30=124 DMG]
Hell Hound 8: -4/120 (Mit. 30) [154-30=124 DMG]

The glowing in the distance drew closer with each passing second, and soon took the shape of eight individual canids. Hell hounds. Truly terrifying beasts. They were a common inhabitant of the ninth floor, which made sense given the Cerberus that resided at the far edges of the mountains. When four of them were within range, Mack took the initiative. He launched into the air and landed amidst the sea of hounds, his shock wave annihilating four of the eight. Takao wouldn't give the beasts an opportunity to retaliate, and certainly not since their aggression had been centered on Mack. The brunet gave his blade a habitual twirl by rolling his wrist before effortlessly slipping into a peculiar stance. The blade he held in front of him began to shine a deep blue and hum a low tone. He relinquished control to the system and performed his own leap, launching himself into a single, completely unnecessary flip. He returned to the ground and slammed the tip of his blade into the soil, sending ripples of electricity around Mack. The arcing lightning snapped and popped as it obliterated the remaining four hounds, reducing them to little more than confetti-like pixels that faded as quickly as they appeared.

"Well," Takao said as he straightened his back, hefting the sword from the ground and resting the flat across his shoulder. "Looks like we'll probably be fighting our way there. Hope you're up for a bit of grindin'."

Total Rewards:

+4 Mats - Mack

+8 Mats - Takao
+2400 Col

Edited March 23, 2016 by Takao

[Mack 0]

OOC: My big AoE takes 18 energy, but you're free to keep spawning and killing stuff in batches of four. I'll hit when I can. :)

ID: 52752
LD: 9 (No Mat)
Energy (16/33) +1 Out of Combat

Mack remained rooted in place as Takao launched his own electricity based attack against the hell hounds that remained. The dogs went from original recipe to extra crispy to free floating pixels almost faster than the eye could follow. "I don't mind a bit of grindin'," Mack rumbled, shouldering Invictus once more as Takao collected his share of the loot from the hounds. "Adds more experience, col, and crafting materials to the rewards at the end. All of those things are welcome bonues, as far as I'm concerned," the ginger giant continued in the same low rumbling tone. Turning once more in the direction they were headed out into the wilderness of the ninth floor, Mack resumed the march knowing it would only be a matter of time before more mobs were spawned.

Edited March 23, 2016 by Mack

[Takao 0]

ID: 52754
BD: 2 (3 + Concentration(5/5))
LD: 9 + 3(Vitamins) + 3(Hands of Midas) + 3(Search&Detect)

Takao: 181/181 (17/44) [Sword Art: Lightning Fall 1*7*22=147 DMG] (13 Base + 4 Charge + 3 Damage Crystal + 1 Alcoholic)

Hell Hound 9: -3/115 (Mit. 29) [147-29=118 DMG]
Hell Hound 10: -3/115 (Mit. 29) [147-29=118 DMG]
Hell Hound 11: -3/115 (Mit. 29) [147-29=118 DMG]
Hell Hound 12: -3/115 (Mit. 29) [147-29=118 DMG]

"Sounds good." Takao said as the blade began sliding from his shoulder. They hadn't even been given a moment of respite before another smaller pack closed in on them. Snarling fangs and glowing spittle flew from the snapping mouths of the hellish beasts, each of them ready to take a bite out of the nearest source of flesh. Dirt and gravel crunched beneath his boots as his legs shifted apart and the sword in his hand was poised to his front. The leapt into the air and slammed the tip of his sword into the ground an instant later, dispatching a wave of lightning unto the beasts. All four of them froze as electricity coursed through their digital bones and subsequently burst into the familiar thousands of colourful polygons. Takao fixed his posture and pulled the blade from the ground once more. "If you want, you can have the stuff I get from this trip. I don't really need it for myself."

Total Rewards:

+4 Mats - Mack

+(4) 12 Mats - Takao
+(2300) 4700 Col

[Mack 0]

ID: 52879
LD: 16 (+1 Mat)
Energy (17/33) +1 Out of Combat

Mack was still leaning on Invictus, watching Takao work and waiting on his energy bar to refill as the dark haired teen went haring off and dispatched another smaller pack of Hell Hounds. At this rate, they would be literally swimming in crafting materials by the time they had powered their way through the mini dungeon. Not that Mack cared if they wound up having to split some crazy number of crafting materials between themselves. With all of the crafting he had been doing lately to equip, for free, the low-level players he was running seriously low on his material supplies. As Takao finished addressing the most recent pack, and mentioning that Mack could make off with all the loot from the adventure, the ginger giant did a double-take. "That's pretty generous of you, Takao. Any particular reason why," he asked, arching an eyebrow in the other fighter's direction.

Total Rewards:

+17 Mats
+4700 Col

Edited March 23, 2016 by Mack

[Takao 0]

"You're a high rankin' member of a guild, yeah?" Takao said as he shouldered the blade to align it with the scabbard on his back. He let the sword slide into its leather and wood housing, safe from the harsh environments they casually strolled through. "You can use 'em for a better purpose than I can. I'm just one dude, y'know? I don't need a whole lot of col 'er materials 'er anything. I'm good with what I get from my usual routes." He said, gloved hands finding their way to his pockets. The marker fixed to his compass began to move spastically with the smallest movement as they closed in on the location. "Looks like this is the place." The brunet commented aloud, not fully intending for his thoughts to be translated into words. Talking to himself was one of the various habits he'd adopted as a solo player.

He closed his eyes for a moment and activated a recently obtained skill module, «Reveal». Once an entirely pointless and almost purely cosmetic skill, now a useful device in locating dungeons. His jade eyes adopted a more vibrant hue as well as an almost mechanical appearance while he scanned the area, stopping on a large slab of stone. "Bingo," Takao said, approaching the slab that blocked the entrance. He reached out and pushed the stone aside, quietly thanking the system for augmenting his natural strength to allow such a feat. "We're in business. Looks like a big one too."

- -

Advanced Dungeon found.

» ID : [[ 52895 ]]
» LD : [[ 29 (19 + 2(Vitamins) + 3(Hands of Midas) + 3(Search&Detect) + 2(Reveal)) ]

Edited March 24, 2016 by Takao

[Mack 0]

Mack followed in step with Takao and nodded his head when the brunette warrior mentioned Mack being able to put the loot to better use as a member of a high ranking guild. Well, there was no mistaking the truth of that, especially given his penchant for giving away armor and weapons to low-level players on a regular basis. Trying to keep the low-levels alive was a full time job even if it wasn't, strictly speaking, required of one of the members of the Knights of the Blood Oath. It wasn't Mack's fault that other players never comprehended how useful low-level players could be. Sherlock Holmes had his homeless network, Mack had his low-level players network which, while beneficial, did nothing to take away from the fact that helping them out was the right thing to do. "Now, that is useful little skill," the ginger headed man rumbled, watching as Takao's eyes began to glow with the use of his reveal skill. Then the kid remarked that the dungeon was a big one, as he shoved aside the stone slab blocking the entrance. "I feel like I'm supposed to say 'that's what she said'," Mack rumbled with a slight smirk. "Would you prefer to lead, or shall I," he asked, planting Invictus on the ground for a moment as he waited on Takao to make the decision.

[Takao 0]

"You'd be surprised how useful it is," Takao said, casting a brief and fleeting glance back to Mack as his eyes returned to normal. "'specially with scouting. It helps spot trap rooms 'n stuff. Makes me feel like I have X-ray vision." He said, filling the silence that followed Mack's second comment with a bit of light chuckling. "That joke's a bit old, y'know." Takao commented as his attention shifted back to the dungeon entrance. His shoulders dropped into a shrug and he decided to be the first to delve inside. The air was just as warm as the rest of the floor, but with each step he took, he found it grow slightly more humid. It was an especially odd feeling, given how poorly the NerveGear simulated moisture in all forms and iterations. "I'll take point on this one, there'll be some monsters up this way. Y'ready?"

- -

» ID : [[ 52872 ]]
» LD : [[ 23 (15 + 2(Vitamins) + 3(Hands of Midas) + 3(Search&Detect)) ]]

+1 Material

Energy Recovery -- 1 Turn Remaining

Edited March 24, 2016 by Takao

[Mack 0]

"If you haven't noticed, Takao, I'm pretty old too. Or, at least, I am in terms of the bell curve on players in Sword Art Online," Mack rumbled, ducking his head slightly to follow Takao into the reaches of the dungeon. Predictably, the air began to grow steadily more moist and humid and the hulking blacksmith groaned. "It was already too hot on this floor and now they make it sticky. If I wasn't already planning on burying an axe in Kayaba's skull this would be enough to push me over the edge," Mack grumbled, he swiped a finger in the air in front of him and unequipped his white trimmed crimson guild cloak. That helped, but not nearly enough. Of course, the cloak was only a vanity, so his stats were completely unchanged and now the behemoth was moving through the dungeon in his heavy leather and metal armor. "I'm ready for combat whenever the monsters appear, who's leading the charge? You or me? I imagine I have better mitigation that you, but I can't really tank since I don't have the howl skill."

[Takao 0]

"I'm a walkin' wet paper bag at the moment, man. I'm just using vanity armour while I wear these," He said, holding up his off hand to display the gloves he wore. "They're a unique with buffs to searching. So right now, I'm kinda ridin' on killing the stuff before it can kill me." Despite the chuckle that rumbled in his chest, it was a very real risk he ran. Four monsters as a time was what Cardinal seemed to deem as an adequate number for monsters on a single person, but sustaining four separate sources of damage was dangerous. Very dangerous. "The enemies in here won't be that strong though. My damage should be enough to keep 'em down, so you can save your energy for the big one at the end."

(I'll start spawning the monsters on my next post.)

[Mack 0]

OOC: Sounds good.

"A bit of a risky strategy," Mack allowed, shrugging his shoulders. With his mitigation and regeneration numbers the safer route was for him to tank and draw hate while Takao danced on the perimeter and did the killing work. But, the teen was the one that found the dungeons and so, until it proved unwise to do so, Mack would follow his lead and be ready to jump in to intervene and save his companion if or when the need arose. Mack wasn't a fool, based on what he had seen and what Takao had just confirmed, the brunette fighter's treasure hunting stats were considerably more advanced than those of the blacksmith. Therefore, Mack needed the kid to find the dungeons and, as a safety blanket at least, it wasn't a bad idea for Takao to have a sponge around to catch some of the blows.