[SP-F2] Raging Winds «Long Live The Queen» (Complete)

[Evander 0]

Evander stood at the center of Urbus. The sun was rising, its rays beginning to shine into the town. He had heard of a field boss, some sort of giant wasp, from some players while he was walking around on Floor 1, and it was time to go out and kill the little bugger. The only problem was, he didn't exactly know where it was. He sighed. It was probably out in the flatter parts of the second floor, but beyond that, he had no idea. He probably should have scouted out that area some, instead of spending all of his time out in the mountains. Well, no time like the present. Evander left the town of Urbus and began on his trek down the mountain. It was actually a pretty good workout, hiking around the mountains all day. If this was the real world, he would be pretty fit right now. Of course, if this was the real world, he would probably feel a whole lot more tired and pained. At least the view was just as nice as in the real world, if not better. His feet came down, one after the other, on the gravelly path. His mind wandered, and he eventually reached the foot of the mountain. He had traveled this road many times before, but that was normally only to go up other mountains. Now, it was time to take a new direction. Evander walked to the edge of the woodlands. He looked back once at the mountains, then stepped into the forest.

Edited August 16, 2016 by Evander

[Evander 0]

Well, this would probably be a long expedition. Evander inwardly cringed at the lack of information he had, and at how long it would probably take until he got to his destination. Well, using logic, the giant wasp would probably be out in the fields, for pollen and stuff, right? Or maybe he was thinking of bees. Maybe it was in the forest, near a giant hive? Hives were in trees, right? Man, that course on insects and stuff in high school would have been helpful just about now. The only thing he knew for certain was that it wasn't up in the mountains, for sure, because bugs didn't commonly live up in the mountains, and because he had explored them enough himself to know that there were no giant wasps up there. He scratched his head while continuing onward in the shade of the forest. Well, if he saw any monsters that looked like wasps, there was a good chance that the giant one would be near them as well, since it was a field boss, so it would logically have some around it. So, all he had to do was look around for where there were wasps of any sort. The wind began to pick up a little, blowing between the trunks of the trees and ruffling his cloak. A low growl started up from the brush. Evander drew his sword as a black bear loped out of the woods, growling angrily. Oh, shoot. That thing was pretty big. At least it wasn't a grizzly.

Combat

Evander:  HP: 40/40  Energy: 10/10  MIT: 12  Base DMG: 4

Bear:  HP: 25/25  MIT: 6  DMG: 7

[Evander 0]

The bear stood up on its hind legs. Holy cow, it was gigantic! Evander attempted to recall all of his survival techniques. Don't run from bears, they are faster, and, uh, that was pretty much all he remembered. He gripped his sword tighter. Oh, right, they were still in a game. He should be able to kill this little bugger pretty easily, despite its size and the implausibility of getting out of this situation alive in real life. The bear fell back onto four legs with a large thump. No matter how much his logic reassured him, he was still afraid. It was a 300 pound bear, for crying out loud! This mob was intimidating, to say the least. Oh, gosh. Evander took a deep breath, mastering himself, and opened his eyes. He couldn't let his instincts control him. He needed to keep a cool head. Another deep breath, and he was ready. It was just a bunch of code. He charged forward, activating a sword art. Evander cut a huge gash into the air beside the bear. Why did he have to miss now? The bear glared at him. Well, this probably wasn't going to be good. The bear tackled him to the ground, its head snapping at him, only held back by his sword. Evander put his right hand on the flat of his blade, twisted his left on the handle a little for a better grip, and desperately tried to push the snapping jaws away from his head. His face contorted in pain. This thing was heavy. 

Combat

Evander:  HP: 39/40  Energy: 8/10  MIT: 12  Base DMG: 4

Bear:  HP: 25/25  MIT: 6  DMG: 7

 ID# 61153 results:

 Battle: 2 (fail)

 MOB: 10 (critical +2)

Mob DMG: 7+2(critical)= 9-12(MIT)= 1 DMG done

Edited June 9, 2016 by Evander

[Evander 0]

Again, he wasn't really sure if pain actually existed or not, considering this was just a game that was all in his head, but it certainly felt like there was pain. Eh, he was probably imagining it. He didn't really know. Whenever he thought that there wasn't pain, there wasn't any, so it was all probably a trick of his mind or something. Whatever, that was all unimportant right now compared to the black bear currently trying to snap his head off. He should probably do something about that, but what? It's claws were already digging into his sides, though thankfully the cloak was mitigating a lot of the damage. He really needed to go back and thank that shopkeeper. Holy cow, where would he be right now without it? Probably dead. That was somewhat of a morbid thought. Evander strained against the bear. Nope. He couldn't even budge it. He tried kicking it a few times. Yeah, the only way it was coming off of him was if it decided to get up. Perhaps he could do a sword art, force it to get up? Somehow? Worth a shot. Evander activated his sword art, but it spluttered out. Guess he needed to be in the correct stance for it to work. Evander gritted his teeth in frustration. The bear, seeing that this was obviously going nowhere, got up. Evander took a deep breath. Ahh, that was bett-whoa! He rolled to the side, barely avoiding the bear's slam down. He could feel the ground shake a little, though that was probably because of how close he was to the impact. Holy cow, that was terrifying.

Combat

Evander:  HP: 39/40  Energy: 7/10  MIT: 12  Base DMG: 4

Bear:  HP: 25/25  MIT: 6  DMG: 7

ID# 61162 results:

 Battle: 4 (fail)

 MOB: 4 (fail)

Edited June 9, 2016 by Evander

[Evander 0]

He sprung to his feet. Probably not a good idea to stay on the ground when trying to fight a 300 pound bear, for obvious reasons. The bear stayed on its four limbs and growled at him. Man, this thing was dangerous and aggressive, two very intimidating traits on their own, but even more so when together. Evander steadied himself, and held his sword tight in his hand. He couldn't miss again. It would probably take a long time for the bear to kill him, but it would eventually happen if he didn't get his act together. Evander looked into the black bear's dark eyes. They were filled with an unending rage, ferocious, ready to kill the human who had dared step foot in its territory. Or, he was just being poetic again, but one could always imagine, couldn't they? Well, actually, imagining was likely a very bad idea when trying to fight off an actual bear, in a game where death was absolute. Thank goodness this wasn't real life. Well, actually, what was defined as real, and what was fake? In both worlds, death was ever-present, and in both worlds, there were no second chances. The bear roared again, shocking Evander out of his reverie. Yeah, this was an interesting line of thought, but he really needed to focus- whoa! Evander narrowly dodged a bear swipe. He really needed to focus on battles, become more serious. Real life or no, this was real, right now, and actions had consequences. He just had to make the best of it. Evander's eyes narrowed, and he charged forward, activating his sword art. The bear rose on its two hind legs to swipe at him. Evander jumped, then let system assist do the rest. He cut two large gashes deep into the bear's chest, forming a red pixelated V. The bear howled from the attack, then fell back onto its behind. Huh, that was actually a pretty strong attack. Stronger than what he ever thought he would be capable of. Breaking that rock the other day must've been some pretty good training. Nice.

Combat

Evander:  HP: 39/40  Energy: 4/10  MIT: 12  Base DMG: 4

Bear:  HP: 15/25  MIT: 6  DMG: 7

 ID# 61652 results:

 Battle: 7

 MOB: 1 (critical fail)

Sword Art activated: <Vertical Arc>

DMG: 4x(2x2)=16-6(MIT)= 10 DMG done

Edited June 14, 2016 by Evander

[Evander 0]

Now was the opportune time to strike. The bear was down, in a bad position to launch any attacks, this was perfect for finishing it off. Evander rolled his shoulder, then advanced on the bear. Apparently, the bear wasn't out of the fight by a long shot. It rolled back onto four legs again, and snapped at him. Evander jumped back on reflex. Holy cow, he didn't expect that. The bear stood on its hind legs again and roared, a roar that seemed to shake the trees around them and sent birds into flight. It was the roar of a wounded animal. Well then. This was going to be interesting. Evander grimaced. This was definitely going to be interesting. The bear dropped back down onto four legs and charged at him. A charging bear was certainly a sight that Evander had hoped he would never have to face. He jumped and rolled out of the way, back onto his feet. The bear crashed into a tree, staggered a bit, then turned to face him. It was like the crash hadn't even fazed the beast at all! Evander shuddered slightly at the thought of being hit by a charge. If this was the real world, the tree would have likely been knocked over. The bear charged at him again. He felt a bit like a matador. Yeah, he didn't think he would ever look for a job in that line of work. Wait a second, this was the perfect time to strike. Evander grounded his feet. He just had to time this perfectly. He held his left sword in the position to start <Vertical Arc>. It was just like baseball, that's all it was. He was just the batter, his sword was the bat, and the baseball was the 300 pound bear moving at about 25 miles per hour. No sweat. It was too bad he was horrible at baseball. Evander started his sword art, as the bear ran right past him? Wait, this wasn't supposed to happen. Evander swung at empty air. The bear crashed into the tree behind him. Well, it was pretty obvious that the bear couldn't see very well. The bear roared again. And that it was definitely angry.

Combat

Evander:  HP: 39/40  Energy: 3/10  MIT: 12  Base DMG: 4

Bear:  HP: 15/25  MIT: 6  DMG: 7

 ID# 61653 results:

 Battle: 5 (fail)

 MOB: 1 (critical fail)

Edited June 14, 2016 by Evander

[Evander 0]

The bear staggered away from the tree, looking a bit unsteady on its feet. Evander blinked. How come the bear couldn't hit him, even when he was standing still? Not that he wanted to be hit, rather, it was more of a musing curiosity. Perhaps its crash into the tree before had impaired its vision? He didn't really know. Well, this impediment only boded well for him. If the bear couldn't see him, it was probably practically useless in its attempts to retaliate. The bear raised its head and sniffed at the air. Oh, shoot. That's right, bears had a great sense of smell. How far could did their smell reach again? The bear turned directly at him, its brown eyes glaring at him with hatred. Oh. That's right. They could smell up to ten miles off. At least, that's what Evander seemed to recall. Whatever the case, the bear wasn't out of the fight yet. Not for a long shot. The bear began to charge again. Evander took a deep breath and raised his sword. He was probably going to try to employ the strategy he thought of the last go around. The sunlight glinted off of his blade. It was funny how time seemed to slow down right before something momentous happened. It was probably all of that adrenaline, making everything seem slower than it actually was. Or maybe it was part of the game itself? He tried to activate <Vertical Arc> again. If this worked, the bear would probably die. His sword lit up as System Assist began to take over. Yes! He timed it perfectly! The glow sputtered out. Oh. He didn't have enough energy. Welp. The bear crashed into him. They rolled back in a tumble of fur and limbs. Evander grit his teeth as they rolled into a tree. 300 pounds was a whole lot of weight. He got to his feet quickly and activated <Snake Bite>. Two quick slashes cut into the bear as it struggled to get up. Ah yes, he remembered employing that sword art often on the first floor. It did barely anything at all. Well then. The bear's claw slammed into him and he flew back. He landed on the ground and slid into a tree. Thank goodness for his cloak. Also, thank goodness this game didn't have real life human physiology and stuff, otherwise, he was sure all of his ribs would be broken right now. Oh geez, this was kind of stressful. Fighting a bear was intimidating, even if he only suffered minimal damage.

Combat

Evander:  HP: 38/40  Energy: 2/10  MIT: 12  Base DMG: 4

Bear:  HP: 6/25  MIT: 6  DMG: 7

 ID# 63741 results:

 Battle: 8

 MOB: 8

Sword Art activated: <Snake Bite>

DMG: 4x2= 8-6(MIT)= 2 DMG+ 7(thorns)= 9 DMG done

Mob DMG: 7-12(MIT)= 1 DMG done

Edited July 14, 2016 by Evander

[Evander 0]

Evander shakily got to his feet, putting a hand on the tree beside him for balance. He turned to look at the bear. It was dying. He could tell it in the way it staggered around with bloodshot eyes, how its fur was torn in patches, and how numerous pixellated scratches laced its body. He could see death, hanging like a brooding miasma over the bear. Ah, poetic words with which one could stir emotion from the depths of the human heart. Also, its health bar was pretty low. That too. Evander glanced at his own health bar. There was barely a dent in it at all. It looked almost full. That was good. Evander held his sword up. Now that his energy was almost depleted, there was no way he would be able to do much at all with only basic sword arts. Really, if he was being honest here, the most optimal thing to do would be to just let his thorns enhancement finish it off and allow his energy to replenish. Any retaliation at all would just waste precious energy. It was a good idea... Was he brave enough, though? Was he brave enough to just let the bear hit him and not defend himself at all? A belief that he was actually going to defend himself allowed him to stand his ground. Even just a facsimile of the act of defending himself and being useful with the blade would allow him to stand strong before a charging bear, which was already surprising in itself. He didn't think he had the guts to fight a bear with a sword. If you stripped that away, would he still be able to stand still before a charging bear? It was scary. It seemed like suicide, no matter what logical arguments his brain would bring up. He knew he wasn't going to die if he didn't hold up his sword. But that nagging fear still burrowed itself into his heart. Evander laughed. He was being silly. He was letting fear control him. He needed to regenerate his energy for the field boss. That was the practical thing to do. He sheathed his blade, and watched as the bear lumbered slowly, achingly, towards him. His heart pounded in his chest, but he steadied himself. The bear stopped in front of him. His left hand started shaking. It raised a paw in the air. Time seemed to slow. Evander held his breath and tensed. He... He couldn't do it. Evander's instincts took over, his left hand drawing his sword from its sheath and lashing out at the bear. It gouged a line across its chest. It staggered back, and fell onto its rear. Agh! He was a coward. He knew he was going to be fine, but... Well, what was done was done. The bear's attack had been interrupted, and now he had to wait even longer for it to die from his thorns enchantment. And his energy wasn't going to regenerate. Great. The bear growled weakly and began moving forward again for another feeble attack.

Combat

Evander:  HP: 38/40  Energy: 2/10  MIT: 12  Base DMG: 4

Bear:  HP: 5/25  MIT: 6  DMG: 7

ID# 63800 results:

 Battle: 7

 MOB: 3 (fail)

DMG: 4-6(MIT)= 1 DMG done

Edited July 15, 2016 by Evander

[Evander 0]

Evander dropped his sword on the ground. That way, there was less chance of him acting on instinct again to defend himself. He had to constantly remind himself that the goal was to allow thorns to kill the bear. No, this wasn't going to be suicide. He was going to be fine, and the bear would be dead. Even if the bear whacked him on the head, he would be fine. This was a game, not real life. The bear lumbered closer and closer. It's eyes were barely even open. It was probably moving and tracking him by scent. Evander took a few deep breaths, calming himself. He was going to be fine. His energy would regenerate. It would all be okay. The bear growled in front of him. It knew where he was for certain now. It slowly, ponderously raised itself onto two legs. Its body blocked out sight of the sun, and its shadow completely covered him. Evander looked up, into its half-lidded eyes. He was sure that if this was real life, a bear that had sustained this many injuries would probably have scampered off long ago to avoid death and to protect its cubs. Actually, if this was real life, a sword would do practically nothing against a bear. He would be dead if this was real life. The bear raised its paw into the air and slashed toward him. It slammed into his side, knocking the air out of his body and knocking him to the ground. Well, at least he didn't go flying. The bear's attacks were really weak now, at least compared to before.

Combat

Evander:  HP: 37/40  Energy: 3/10  MIT: 12  Base DMG: 4

Bear:  HP: 0/25  MIT: 6  DMG: 7

ID# 63904 results:

 Loot: 13

 MOB: 7

DMG: 7 (thorns)

Mob DMG: 7/12(MIT)= 1 DMG done

Edited July 16, 2016 by Evander

[Evander 0]

The bear began to glow. Good. His thorns had finished it off, exactly like planned. It burst into a spray of particles. Alright, time to see what loot he got. Hopefully it was good, considering he just killed an actual bear. Well, not an actual one, one made of code but still looked like an actual one, but whatever, that was close enough. Evander picked himself up and began to step forward towards his loot. He stopped. He actually stood his ground against a bear. A bear. Holy cow, he was braver than he thought. He even let the bear hit him without even attempting to defend himself at all. He never thought he would be able to do that! Wow! He was brave enough to fight a bear! He wasn't really sure if he just gained this new courage after his experiences in the game, which was likely, or whether he had it in him the whole time. Well, it wasn't good to get too cocky, now. He toned down his self-congratulation. Evander smiled. This was great. A giant wasp would be no trouble at all after this. He picked up his loot.

125 col and one mat obtained.

Well well, a bear pelt and a nice little bunch of col. That was good. Another dinner's worth right there. His col reserves were really beginning to pick up. Maybe soon, he would be able to eat three meals a day without feeling any guilt! Wow! He chuckled a little. He picked up his sword again and sheathed it. It was probably a good idea to rest up a bit, let everything regenerate some more. He sat down by a tree and lay back, relaxing.

Evander:  HP: 40/40  Energy: 4/10

[Evander 0]

Ahh. He was in a good mood now. Nothing like affirming his courage before an imposing enemy to cheer one's self up. And really now, a bear was nothing to some of what he had fought before, in terms of intimidation, not strength. He had fought some Wraith King in a dungeon before, that could turn invisible, and was generally scary. A bear should have been nothing. This boss would probably be easy. Alright, that was going a bit too far now. He reigned back his thoughts before they got far too unrealistic. A bear was still a bear. Any monster could kill him, if he were incredibly unlucky, yes, even the boars on Floor One. And it wasn't a good idea to underestimate a field boss. That almost always got you killed. Hmm. What would the fight against it even be like? It was a wasp, so it was probably going to fly around and be all annoying and such. How was he even going to hit it? Would he have to jump? He probably wouldn't be able to jump that high while swinging a sharp block of metal. He couldn't even really jump that high anyway. Or would the wasp be conveniently placed near the ground, in reach of his sword, like in any other video game? Hopefully that was the case, though Kayaba could've done anything to mess with his players. What would its attack pattern be like? Evander continued to ponder about the nature of the boss. Well, he wouldn't be able to know for certain until he got there, so might as well start heading out now.

Evander:  HP: 40/40  Energy: 5/10

[Evander 0]

He walked along the gladed forest path. It seemed so peaceful. It was like walking along a nature trail in some forest somewhere. The air was fresh, the sky was clear, or at least what he could see of it through the trees, the birds were singing, and it was generally a good day. This was nice. He could almost imagine that he wasn't trapped in a game where he could die, and that he wasn't about to fight a giant wasp. Almost. In any case, this was still relaxing. In some ways, it was even more rejuvenating than the little break he had taken earlier, sitting down by the tree. He always loved going on walks, though he never really knew why. Perhaps it was some psychological thing, perhaps the light physical activity helped clear his mind. He didn't know. At least he would be refreshed and ready for a boss fight. If he could even find it. He stepped over a stream. He put his hands in his pockets. The foliage above him grew less dense. The sun shone down more. Before he knew it, he emerged out into a large field. Evander took a glance back at the forest behind him. It was actually fairly small, considering the fact that he had been able to pass through it in less than a few hours, alongside with fighting a bear. Evander stepped into the grassy field. The grasses came up to his waist. Hopefully there wasn't anything underneath the grasses, lurking in wait. At least there weren't any bugs swarming around him, and at least the ground beneath his feet was dry and fairly stable. That was one of the benefits of being in a game, he supposed.

Evander:  HP: 40/40  Energy: 10/10

[Evander 0]

The grasses rustled as he moved forward through the field. If this field boss was supposed to be a giant wasp, shouldn't it be fairly easy to spot? Obviously not. The field looked pretty empty. There seemed to be pretty much nothing here, except for grass. He continued to tread forward through the grass. Wait, what was that noise? A faint buzzing seemed to be coming from the other side of the field. Evander shrugged. Perhaps that was the wasp queen. He headed in the direction of the noise. The buzzing grew louder and louder. He was starting to get some ominous vibes from this thing. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to just walk straight into- whoa! What seemed like a veritable swarm of wasps rose into the air. Well, this definitely did not bode well. Shoot! He hated wasps, and he was probably about to get quite a few stings today. Then, all of the wasps seemed to vanish. Huh, that was strange. He wasn't just seeing things, he knew that for certain, but what happened to the wasps? A shadow fell on Evander. Huh, that was funny, he could have sworn that there were hardly any clouds in the sky. He turned around. Holy cow, that was a huge wasp. It was far bigger than him, and its great, beating wings blew down all of the grass in the field. Its beady, hateful eyes stared into his own. Well. There was the boss, for sure. Evander gulped. Maybe this wasn't such a great idea after all.

Combat

Evander:  HP: 40/40  Energy: 10/10  MIT: 12  Base DMG: 4

<The Wasp Queen>:  HP: 50/50  DMG: 12

Edited July 31, 2016 by Evander

[Evander 0]

He drew his blade from its sheath. He took a deep breath. He could not afford to lose focus to fear. This was what he had ventured out here for, the goal he had been searching for. The challenge he had wished for. It was time to fight. The grass continued to whip around in the gale caused by the beating of the wasp's wings. He shifted his feet. How was he going to do this? Would he jump at it, swinging his blade, or wait for it to attack and counter attack it while it was lunging at him? He looked at the large stinger of the wasp. That could hurt if it impaled him, not to mention if it had any poison in it. Wait, who was he kidding, that thing was definitely going to hurt if it impaled him. Well, this was going to be fun. The wasp queen remained still, except for the beating of its large wings. It continued to stare at him. Looks like he was going to have to make the first move. Evander shuffled in place a little, stretched a bit, and generally pumped himself up. Here went nothing. He sprinted forward, rapidly closing the distance between him and the wasp. And that's when it all went wrong. He tripped. He actually tripped while running toward a giant wasp. That was great. He looked up. The wasp flew in quickly, stinger out. He braced himself for the pain. Nothing was happening. He opened his eyes. The stinger was impaled through him, straight through his body, but he felt no pain. Ah, that's right, there was no pain in SAO. Just visually disturbing scenes of damage. Well then. The wasp flew back, and he flumped back onto the ground.

Combat

Evander:  HP: 39/40  Energy: 9/10  MIT: 12  Base DMG: 4

<The Wasp Queen>:  HP: 43/50  DMG: 12

ID# 64628 results:

 Battle: 1 (critical fail)

 MOB: 7

DMG: 7 (thorns) DMG done

Mob DMG: 12-12(MIT)= 1 DMG done

Edited July 24, 2016 by Evander

[Evander 0]

He pushed himself off the ground, spitting out dirt and grass. He picked up his sword and quickly shifted into a defensive position. That was an unpleasant experience. Dirt didn't taste particularly good, and even if there were no pain, the sight of being impaled completely wasn't exactly comforting. Thank goodness for his cloak- without it, he would be in a whole world of pain- concerning his health bar, that is. The wasp continued to stare at him beadily, as if watching his every movement. Grey clouds began to move quickly across the sky, covering the sun and turning the world dim. A few feeble rays shone through to the ground, but even those were quickly covered. A wind swept through the floor. The weather was quickly turning. Evander's grip on his sword tightened. He had to focus. He couldn't allow himself to make another mistake. Even if he weren't likely to die due to his armor, stranger things had happened before. And this was a field boss, not just some random mob he was fighting. Even if he were fairly powerful for the second floor, he couldn't be too careful, especially when facing down this boss alone. He took a deep breath, steadying himself. Then he rushed forward, towards the giant wasp. He jumped into the air and activated <Vertical Arc>, letting the system assist take over. His sword glowed, and he felt himself rushing forward towards the wasp, even though this would be impossible in real life. Good thing this was a video game, he supposed. Seemingly impossible feats were to be expected. He carved a deep V into the wasp and dropped back onto the ground. He couldn't lie- that had been fairly exhilarating. He felt like a hero from some novel. Then the wasp impaled him again. Well, that was great.

Combat

Evander:  HP: 38/40  Energy: 6/10  MIT: 12  Base DMG: 4

<The Wasp Queen>:  HP: 23/50  DMG: 12

 ID# 65205 results:

 Battle: 9 (critical hit +1)

 MOB: 9 (critical hit +1)

Sword Art Activated: <Vertical Arc>

DMG: 4+1(critical)= 5x(2x2)= 20 DMG done

Mob DMG: 12+1(critical)= 13-12(MIT)= 1 DMG done

Edited July 31, 2016 by Evander

[Evander 0]

The wasp flew back, and he tottered unsteadily on his feet. Evander stabbed his sword into the earth and leaned on it. He managed to keep from falling, but barely. He grit his teeth and steadied himself. He looked at the wasp. It seemed he did quite a bit of damage with that last attack. He took a glance at his own health bar. Only a smidge of health had been taken off. It looked like he had this in the bag. He really was pretty over-levelled for the second floor if he could take on a field boss without any trouble at all. Evander felt immensely proud of himself. He was a far cry away from when he had almost died from a wolf on the first floor and Takao was generous enough to save him. He had come this far with barely any help from others. Asides from buying the cloak from Jambi and that save from Takao, he had been on his own. The only other people he had interacted with had been a little messed up in some way, shape, or form, who probably needed help from him. Evander felt like he could take on the world. Then he remembered that he was only on the second floor, and he was congratulating himself over that. How many floors had they unlocked up to again? 18? 19? He was a small fry in the ocean of this game. Probably wasn't good to get arrogant. It could cause him to miss things that were overwhelmingly important, like the fact that he was fighting a field boss right now and that the boss was rushing towards him this instant- shoot! Evander reacted on reflex. Time seemed to slow down. He yanked his sword out of the ground and jumped. "Vertical Arc!" He turned, his sword flashed through the air. It cut through the wasp's wings as it flew under him. With one last angered buzzing noise, <The Wasp Queen> exploded into millions of tiny particles.

Combat

Evander:  HP: 38/40  Energy: 3/10  MIT: 12  Base DMG: 4

<The Wasp Queen>:  HP: 0/50  DMG: 12

 ID# 65522 results:

 Battle: 10 (critical +2)

 MOB: 5 (fail)

Sword Art Activated: <Vertical Arc>

DMG: 4+2(critical)= 6x(2x2)= 24 DMG done

Edited August 4, 2016 by Evander

[Evander 0]

Evander landed gracefully on the ground. By which he meant he completely botched the landing and slammed his face into the dirt. He pushed himself to his feet. At least that maneuver he did had been quite possibly one of the most exhilarating and exciting things that he had ever done. Wow, that was fun. And, he had even killed the boss while he was at it as well. This was quite a great day- even the parts where he got mauled by a bear. This may have been one of his best days in Aincrad yet. He was pumped up from the adrenaline of the fight, ready to fight some more monsters. Then, the heavens let down their torrential deluge from above. He looked up, the rain pittering against his face. Of course. Well, it was time to see what loot he had gotten from the fight.

<The Matriarch's Stinger> obtained!

Evander tossed the amber potion from hand to hand. Interesting name, considering it wasn't even a stinger. But, it would allow him to do some nice damage in a fight. If he applied it to his sword, that was. Considering the fact that it was a venom, it was probably a bad idea to drink it. It was interesting, however, to note that it wouldn't allow his sword to poison others, simply increase the damage done. Even though it was a venom. Well, whatever, that was just the way games worked. He certainly couldn't begrudge that. He also got some nice experience from the fight. That was good. Maybe he would even level up?

Evander:  HP: 40/40  Energy: 4/10

Edited August 5, 2016 by Evander

[Evander 0]

For now though, it was probably a good idea to get out of the rain. He shoved the potion into his inventory, sheathed his sword, and began to walk back to the trees. He flipped up the hood to his cloak. The rain pittered around him, thunder boomed at irregular intervals. The cloak was keeping him fairly nice and dry. That spoke to its creator's skills greatly. The cloak was a bit older now, a few stains and discolored patches, and a bit frayed at the edges, but it still worked as well as it had the day he bought it from the store. The thick, brown fabric helped him stay warm as well. Evander entered under the canopy of the trees. It was drier under here, though water still dripped down from the branches above. Puddles formed on the damp earth. The air smelled fresh and humid, as to be expected during rain. He glanced up. Lightning arced across the sky. The rain fell harder, faster. This definitely wasn't just a small sprinkle or shower. And yet, it was refreshing, in a way. He still eagerly anticipated sitting by the window of his inn room, wrapped up in a blanket, sipping at a glass of water, or maybe even hot chocolate, if he decided to splurge, but being out in the rain was enjoyable as well. It definitely wasn't anything to complain about, at least until he got back into his inn room and realized how soaked he was. But for now, it was probably best to enjoy the cooling downpour.

Evander:  HP: 40/40  Energy: 5/10

[Evander 0]

His shoes squelched as he walked forward, the damp earth clinging to his shoes. The water was starting to slowly seep through his cloak. Not enough to soak his shirt or anything, but he was feeling slightly damp. And, of course, it was a given that his pants were soaked. At least his feet were fine. He continued trudging on through the woods. The rain was still refreshing, but it was starting to grow a bit uncomfortable and damp. That was probably enough enjoyment of the rain. Time to get a move on. He began walking faster. He emerged from the forest. The rain, untempered by the foliage of the trees, came down like cats and dogs. Oh joy. Evander looked up the trail that winded up the mountain and saw the lights of Urbus in the far distance. Well, this was going to be quite a fun hike, wasn't it. It had taken him around an hour to get down to here walking downhill- he didn't want to imagine how long it would take while going uphill on a muddy and wet slope. He sighed. Well, there was nothing else he could do, unless he wanted to stay out in the rain. May as well get started. Evander began the long trek up the slope of the mountain to the warm and inviting lights of Urbus.

Evander:  HP: 40/40  Energy: 10/10

[Evander 0]

Well, he was pretty sure that any part of walking in the rain that he had considered "refreshing" were long past now. He was soaked through. The water had made it through the cloak, and the whole thing was hanging heavily off his shoulders, bloated with water. Wind constantly blew every which way up on the mountains, allowing water to drench him even faster. It was also pretty dangerous, trying to hike up a slope in the rain. He slipped several times, but thank goodness he was always able to keep from falling down the slope. It wasn't even particularly steep, but the slick mud made walking difficult. Small streams, formed by the rain, washed past him on the sides of the trail. He was tired, and a bit cold too. He couldn't wait until he could lay down in his inn room to rest. Agonizingly, slowly, he made his way up the trail. Eventually, he arrived in front of the gates of Urbus. Evander stood there for a moment, watching his breath come up in puffs. He looked down at his muddied pants for a second, then rushed through the wooden gates into the walled city.