[SP-F6] Mending the Mind and <Calming the Soul> [Complete]

[Kalesh 0]

The crimson haired player felt like a wreck, but only on the inside. His virtual body was perfectly healthy and even on the cusp of unlocking all new power. His head however was almost aching from his day to day thoughts. Some people were blurs in his memory, some basic commands for his menus were entirely forgotten, up until now he had been relying on instinct and reflex to keep him going as well as a false facade of everything being alright when around other players. It wasn't tough, just act all extrovert and happy. He had heard that there was a quest focused around meditation and helping to calm your soul. At this point he was willing to try anything, no matter how psuedo-science it sounded if it meant he could think straight for more than a few minutes at a time. With that in mind he made his way towards the waterfall that he had heard described to be on the sixth floor. "A quest..." He mutters while opening half of his jacket and glancing inside the inner pockets. Taking a small yellow potion from his little hiding spot he tilts his head back and starts gulping the contents.  "Need to keep prepared..." he said simply when the bottle was discarded.

 

Spoiler

Stats

Level 24

96 HP
9 Damage (Claws)
2 Damage (Unarmed)
7 Mitigation 
2 Accuracy
3 Evasion
1 Recovery

Equipped

Mercenary's Malice: +3 Damage
Mercenary's Masquerade: +2 ACC +1 Evasion
Mercenary's Method:  +2 Evasion, +1 Recovery

At Ready

Major Damage Potion I: +3 Damage
Major Mitigation Potion I: +27 Mitigation
Minor HP Recovery Crystal: +10 HP
Heart of the Berserker: Safeguard
Teleport Crystal

Skills

Wild Dance: Rank 5
Light Armor: Rank 2
Martial Arts: Rank 2
Concentration
Survival

-Major Mitigation Potion I
+27 Mitigation (Total 34)

Edited June 8, 2016 by Kalesh

[Kalesh 0]

Taking a deep breath of the 'fresh' air he tries to keep focused and keep his footsteps coming. He knew what he was looking for, a waterfall and a rock. He didn't particularly know what would happen once things started, just that things would actually happen so long as he was not lied to. The air was always damp to begin with so he was having trouble sniffing out the source of the waterfall for several hours it felt like. It was at this point he actually started hearing the water, a soft smile on his lips while changing his direction towards the sound of crashing water. Moments later he was greeted to the view of the tranquil seeming place. He couldn't help but snicker slightly though as he brings a hand to his face. "Whoever designed this place was an otaku, I know it..." It was all but ripped right out of an anime in his mind. The only thing missing was that the spot he was supposed to meditate wasn't actually under the waterfall.

[Kalesh 0]

He moved himself over to the rock placed at the water's edge and plops down on it, sighing as he crosses his arms and legs. "Lets see... gotta meditate..." He takes a deep breath through his nose and out through his mouth. "Calm down... relax... relaaaaaax..." He utters to himself now and again while trying to get into the right headspace for this type of thing. He couldn't tell if he had succeeded or if he had failed, but the system had whisked him away because things just got a whole lot darker. His eyes shot open at this revelation and found himself in the middle of an island. "What?" He asks softly to nobody while tilting his head to the side. He was literally just in the middle of a tiny mass of land in the middle of the ocean!... Aside from one detail he noticed. There were four doors seemingly to nowhere on the island with symbols on them that he was not interested in right now.

[Kalesh 0]

Having found himself on a random deserted island the crimson haired man pushes himself onto his legs and scanned all horizons. He was totally isolated on this island. Not a terrible thing he supposed, but there was nothing here except the doors. The it was just sand and salt water if the smell was any indication. He stroked his temples softly and said "Okay... Caaaalm down.. Let's try the first door, it'll be fun." He says with sarcasm all but dripping from his voice as he approaches the first door. He hesitates a moment and says "Y'know what? No! (censored) the system, I am going with the furthest door first." He flips the first door the middle finger and goes past the second and third door straight to the one that he was likely intended to take last. While considering his options he opts to use a second potion from under his coat. "Not taking risks... Nobody can come save me here..." He throws his head back and gulps the bitter contents before crushing the bottle so it would vanish. "Ugh. Except myself I suppose."

-Major Damage Potion I
+3 Damage (Total 12 base)

[Kalesh 0]

[ID# 60591][BD: 1][LD: 7-3=4]

Taking a deep breath he slips the door open and steps inside, entering the room and finding himself in a nice flowery field full of sunlight and just so much happiness. "Huh..." He says while looking around. It was a lot different than he was expecting, he had expected for a simple room. "The wonders of programming when physics need-not-apply..." He tries to see what his opponent was before he was greeted with the image of several of his old-time friends. He narrowed his eyes to them suspiciously as they drew their weapons. "Oh, that's dark." He mutters as he confirms to himself they are not the real deal. First and foremost because they all had the crystals indicating them as monsters, secondly they weren't killing each other after the recent bits of drama. He charges in to try and get a good hit as the offensive party, dodging and avoiding hits from the various weapon types held by them. This unfortunately put him on the defensive, avoiding attacks far more than he was attacking.

Kalesh: 96/96 HP - 22/24 Energy (-2)

Final Demon(Betrayal): 72/72 HP - 67 Attack - 9 Mitigation

Edited June 4, 2016 by Kalesh

[Kalesh 0]

[ID# 60592][BD: 8+2=10][CD: 10][LD: 14][MD: 5]

Kalesh took a deep breath and straightened himself, holding his right hand in front of himself straight as if his hand was a blade. Keeping his heart calm he reminded himself. "These are illusions." He spun on his heel with his arm outstretched to slice across the through of an approaching impostor which shattered immediately. Next he ducked under a greatsword and bent forward to prevent being skewered by a spear. His hands extended outward into both of their hearts to pierce them and make them shatter as well. Then a fourth, then the sixth and seventh until they had all been destroyed with his own hands. He looked down at his clawed fingers and took a deep breath while turning towards the door once again. Whatever the quest was trying to do, he was sure that he had succeeded whatever test. He shrugged his shoulders and says with a self-assured smile. "They wouldn't kill me like that." He concludes to himself this truth and shuts the door behind himself on the way out.

Kalesh: 96/96 HP - 17/24 Energy (+2 -7)
Blade Spirits: (7x1x12=84)

Final Demon(Betrayal): Dead/72 HP (-84+9=75) - 67 Attack - 9 Mitigation

Edited June 4, 2016 by Kalesh

[Kalesh 0]

[ID# 60593][BD: 8+2=10][CD: 3][LD: 19][MD: 9]

Figuring that he had passed the final test early, he felt somewhat relaxed at the prospect he wasn't beyond saving and still had some fight in him. Once he started paying attention to the world around him though the island had grown! It was far bigger, and there was even a village in the distance! He could make out mocha skinned villagers going through their day in the distance to which Kalesh chuckled in surprise at what happened. He hoped this pattern repeated, where each test passed was going to improve the area. With that thought in mind he immediately and without hesitation turned into the nearest door to see what waited within. It was a simple enough area, looking like the opening area into a boss room. "The hell are you doing here?" Said a voice Kalesh didn't recognize. His eyes turned to see a large knight with heavy armor and a greatsword hefted over his shoulder with no effort. Everything from his stance to his design screamed 'high level' to him. "You're too weak to be up here in the front lines, why don't you go back a few dozen floors where you'd be more comfortable." The voice continued to mock. Kalesh held his claws at the ready as he approached unhindered. "Pfft, I'm not letting you pass and get yourself killed. If anything..." Kalesh felt a sudden stab through his stomach, the large NPC/Player had charged forward faster than he could evade and pierced him right through! "I'll save the boss the trouble!" That was the last straw for Kalesh. He reached down with his left arm, clenching tightly down on the sword so it couldn't be withdrawn. "So what if I'm weak..." He mutters softly "I'll get stronger and stronger... And you won't tell me what I can and can't do!!" He yells while stabbing forward with his claw thrice, piercing several points of the NPC through their armor before it shattered apart alongside the sword, leaving Kalesh gasping and holding his stomach from the feel of emptiness.

Kalesh: 84/96 HP (-46+34=12) | 12/24 Energy (+1 -6)
Pinpoint Destruction: (3x2x12=72)

Third Demon(Weakness): 48/48 HP (-72+6=-66) | 45 Attack | 6 Mitigation

+1 Material

Edited June 4, 2016 by Kalesh

[Kalesh 0]

In time the wound began to shut itself and Kalesh pushed himself back onto his legs. Shaking himself off a bit he turns to exit back into the main island area in the hopes of seeing some more changes. Before long he noticed that there were many plain grazing animals about now. Sheep, cattle, even pigs and chicken. It seemed that the villagers had either learned to tame them for food and wool and the like, or they were just wild in the area. He glanced over their heads and sighed as he confirmed they weren't something he could fight. They had no icon to mark them as NPC or Monster and thus were likely no more impactful than flavor text for an area. Still, he liked that the area was becoming more appealing to look at as he made his way through bit by bit. He bet this place was going to look great, which was plenty incentive to approach the third door.

[ID# 60598][CD: 12] +2 Energy, +6 HP

Edited June 4, 2016 by Kalesh

[Kalesh 0]

Taking a deep breath and stepping into the doorway he readied himself for whatever was going to come next. He doubted things were going to get tougher, just going by the pattern of things so far. Upon passing the threshold he found himself standing within a room full of lava. On the opposite end of the room was a sheathing demonic beast. It stood on all fours with fiery red hair pouring from the back of its helmet. It war metal and leather around its flaming body as it seemed to stew in an unknown anger. Suddenly it roared in a voice Kalesh recognized and charged towards the player with flaming clawed fingers! Kalesh dodged the first strike while trying to process what he was looking at, wondering why it seemed familiar! He had never encountered a monster that fought like this so far! Kalesh blinked as he realized he had dodged up against a wall! The beast lunged forward with its claw and pierced into the rock, trying to pull itself free but it was stuck! The crimson haired player saw an opening and raked his claw from head to stomach down the monster's body, tearing it to shreds, but not before its armor vanished first to reveal a mirror image of Kalesh hiding underneath. Kalesh shuddered softly at what the game was likely trying to tell him. He had to keep himself in check or he might end up the raging beast.

[ID# 60620][BD: 9][CD: 9][LD: 20][MD: 1]

Kalesh: 90/96 HP | 11/24 Energy (+2 -3)
Flesh Rend: (1x3x12=36)

Second Demon(Rage): Dead/32HP (-36+4=-32) | 30 Attack | 4 Mitigation

+1 Material (total 2)

Edited June 5, 2016 by Kalesh

[Kalesh 0]

[ID# 60621][CD: 3]+6 HP

Kalesh groaned softly while stepping out from the second last room, scratching his head in frustration at what he thought the game was telling him. He shakes his head, his crimson hair swaying from side to side before he said "Don't overthink it, man, just focus. That's all it was telling you... Don't stop thinking, even when you get angry..." He took a deep breath through his nose "Like Opal told you way back when... Focus that anger..." He blinked in realization he was remembering things a little more clearly. He hummed softly while silently confirming to himself that whatever treatment was at work here, it seemed to be working. Taking a step beck from his thoughts he turned his attention to his eyes and thus his surroundings. In the distance he could see mountains had sprung up over the horizon.  Clearly the island had expanded again and was starting to seem like a proper continent in his mind.

Edited June 4, 2016 by Kalesh

[Kalesh 0]

Shrugging his shoulders Kalesh opens the final door and steps inside with his eyes open and scanning around. It was quickly apparent to him that he was in a prison cell, a shiver going up his spine as he kept looking. In a corner of the room was a pile of chains. He tried to see if there was anything else of note but nothing seemed to pop out particularly. Then he heard the jangle of metal against metal and his eyes turned just in time for him to react! He swiped with his left claw and barely managed to deflect an incoming chain! The mass of chains had risen up as if it was alive! Many chains-made-tentacles writhed outside of the main mass, waiting for their chance to attack. Kalesh's body suddenly felt cold and he panted a bit. Of all the things he had faced today, this was the most present in his immediate memory. He did not want to be locked up again.

[ID# 60636][BD: 2+2=4][CD: 10][MD: 1]

Kalesh: 96/96 HP | 12/24 Energy (+2 -2)

First Demon(Entrapment): 24/24HP  | 22 Attack | 3 Mitigation

Edited June 5, 2016 by Kalesh

[Kalesh 0]

Kalesh was only able to deflect the chains twice more before he felt one metal length wrap around his left leg, followed by one around his right and then his arms! He was being dragged towards the swarming mass of chains that threatened to hold him prisoner for the rest of his in-game life as far as the crimson haired man was concerned! He shook a bit, his teeth clenched tight as he was drawn steadily forward. "No... Nononono" He grits his teeth harder still. "I refuse to be a prisoner again!!" He yells as if there were somebody to listen, suddenly charging forward with his right hand lifted up, using the slack made from his advance to get some movement back! Concentrating hard on the chain's center points and gathering his courage he swung his clawed hand across the main mass of the chain-creature! With the rapid rattling of the chains Kalesh's green eyes bore witness to each piece being sliced until the entirety of the creature shattered into pixels. Kalesh fell to his knees and pressed his hands against the ground while panting, trying to get his head back on straight after going through that ordeal.

[ID# 60638][BD: 3+2+1=6][CD: 9][LD: 11][MD: 10]

Kalesh: 95/96 HP (-1) | 11/24 Energy (+2 -3) | Concentration 5/5 CD
Flesh Rend:  (1x3x12=36)

First Demon(Entrapment): Dead/24HP (-36+3=33) | 22 Attack | 3 Mitigation

Edited June 7, 2016 by Kalesh

[Kalesh 0]

Gathering himself mentally he shakes his head from left to right as if denying what he happened at first. He was out of breath, trying to regain his composure before slamming his fist against the ground and pushing himself up back onto his legs. "Once was enough... I'm not going to become a prisoner again..." He utters softly before turning around and advancing towards the door once again to step through. Once past the threshold he looked back to examine any changes to the locale. This time he noticed foliage, the world no longer barren and going to have no issues supporting the creatures and nearby tribe with such a fertile looking landscape. "Well, that's pleasant looking..." He says with a soft smile before hearing some clapping. The red haired player turns his eyes forward to see what looked like a man made of shadow. "I agree, you have done very well." Said a synthetic voice that seemed to simply appear from the creature "You battled and triumphed over your inners, and in doing so, brought life back to your soul." Kalesh stood there in confusion, wondering if this thing was going to be his next opponent. He thought he had succeeded by this point! The player began to speak "What the f-" but was cut off by a loud emanating clap followed by his vision going blank.

[Kalesh 0]

His eyes opened, and that surprised him more than where he was! He had his eyes open, he could have sworn that he was awake and moving about, but his eyelids only just now opened to discover he was back in front of the waterfall and meditating on the stone just like he had before entering the island-realm. Kalesh was about to voice his confusion to the empty air when a menu appeared in front of him informing him that he had completed a quest! He reviews the reward with a slow hum. "Sounds handy..." He mutters to himself while closing the menu and letting the rewards simply funnel into his inventory and stats. Groaning softly and feeling like his joints had gone stiff from sitting there for hours he pushed himself up and onto his feet. "I... guess I'm done here then." He found himself smiling slowly, chuckling happily as he felt a lot lighter and his head didn't feel like a cloud of static. He took a deep breath happily "I... guess it worked." He says softly to himself while turning on his heel. "Plenty of daylight, let's see if we can't do some farming!" He says with no lack of excitement! He does however remove his jacket and equips his lucky charm, which is attached to his pants.

-1 Recovery & 2 Evasion from Stats
+2 LD to stats

Edited June 5, 2016 by Kalesh

[Kalesh 0]

[ID# 60657][LD: 7+2=9]

Given the nature of the floor he was on, he was sure it would just be a matter of time before he ran into some wildlife or prey animals for him to defeat for their parts. He had always enjoyed monster hunting in games, though he had to look down at his palm with a sigh. "It would be great if you could AOE more powerfully... Ah well." He shrugs his shoulders dismissively while continuing his search for a nice hoard of beasts to rend through with his claws. The rules of quantity over quality would no-doubt see him to at least a little profit! After a few minutes however he decided to scout things out, approaching a nearby tree and using his claws to dig into the wood as he climbed. Once near the top branches he scanned the horizons for signs of life.

Edited June 5, 2016 by Kalesh

[Kalesh 0]

[ID# 60658][LD: 17+2=19]

In the distance he could see exactly what he was looking for. It seemed a group of grazing warthogs had gathered in the distance. Knowing where his mark was he pressed a claw into the tree bark and slid his way downward until his feet met the ground. When solid ground met the bottoms of his legs he forced his claw free and charged forward. He didn't wait to get his claws into position, knowing what was ahead of him he burst through the brush and swung his claws outward! The sharp claws cleaved across the sides of a boar, making it squeal as they were destroyed for Kalesh's profit! He got a a material off the kill, making him bounce on the spot a little in a miniature celebration for himself.

+1 materials (total 3)

Edited June 7, 2016 by Kalesh

[Kalesh 0]

[ID# 60659][LD: 15+2=17]

His ear perked as he heard movement in the pushes followed by the squeals of what he could only assume was a hidden second group unhappy with the slaughter of their people! "The more the merrier!!" The crimson player says in celebration of their assault while lashing out with his claws once again, nicking one boar after the other but that was all it was going to take to wipe them out and further profit from this venture. Not only did he have some peace of mind at last, but he was lining his pockets every step of the way! "Heheheh~ I could keep this up all day!" In all likelihood he wasn't bluffing. His energy was regenerating almost as swiftly as it was being spent.

+1 materials (total 5)

Edited June 7, 2016 by Kalesh

[Kalesh 0]

[ID# 60660][LD: 12+2=14]

Not hearing any more advancing monsters Kalesh takes a moment to inhale, a smile on his lips as he counted his materials and snickered to himself. He looked his claws over and said with a slight sigh "Looks like it's finally time I replaced you all..." He wasn't just talking about his weapons. He knew he would want new armor and just change his build entirely. "You've had a good run, but I gotta move up the ladder... And this is an MMO, you gotta upgrade as you go." He clenched his hands into a fist. He was determined if nothing else. "This body is finally tough enough I can focus on more than just survival... I should get to work on making this body more flexible and less reliant on generic stuff..." He puzzled how he would do this for a few moments.

Edited June 5, 2016 by Kalesh

[Kalesh 0]

[ID# 60662][CD: 7][LD: 9]

He found himself putting his back against a tree as ideas swam through his mind about where he could go with his virtual body. First he would take his weapons into consideration, they were the least flexible. "Hm... You guys really shine when I land a critical hit..." He concludes to himself while tapping his foot to an unheard beat. "Should keep most of the damage, maybe add some status effects... really wring out the most I can from those little bonuses..." He nods softly to himself at that idea, bleed was the most obvious choice. It was easy for smiths to do, and a merchant had no control over what effect would appear on a weapon. "I wish I could just say 'give me fire' and it would be a reasonable request..." He sighed softly while confirming what he'd do for weapons if nothing else.

Edited June 5, 2016 by Kalesh

[Kalesh 0]

[ID# 60663][CD: 8][LD: 18+2=20]

He didn't have any idea what he would do when it came to his accessory or secondary piece of equipment, but he had some ideas for his primary armor. The first thing he would do was max out his mitigation, that would take up two slots. He felt squishy right now, and a squishy berserker was a dead berserker in his mind. That, and while handy, he had come to conclude evasion might be a little overly relied on by him. It could only dodge certain things, where mitigation would help him in almost every scenario aside from rare scenarios where evasion wouldn't help either most of the time. That left him with a spare slot on his main armor. It wouldn't be tough to just slap on Thorns. That would ensure him a little offense even whiel focusing on his defense. He sighed and shook his head dismissively, still unsure what to do for his third piece of enhanced equipment. He decided to leave that for future thought, he was getting a little lazy and figured that going to town as a good idea. On the way however he found himself almost tripping over a plant. He raised a brow at the plant for a moment before reaching down and picking it. It had stood out to him, and now he knew why, it was a material! Pocketing the object he continues along.

+1 Material (total 6)

Edited June 7, 2016 by Kalesh