[SP-F1] My first weapon (COMPLETE!)

[Zulas 0]

It's another beautiful morning in Aincrad, the only thing that doesn't let Zulas appreciate it is the fact that he's trapped in it. Time has passed by and nothing has changed, the only news is that floors are being cleared but not enought to get them home. There's still a long way away from that. Zulas hasn't given much thought yet about if he wants to be with the groups on the frontlines. A question for another day, he thought as he ventured out of Starting City. Since he's been inside the game, Zulas has gone on several quests and adventures that have made him grow strong. Although he has grown in levels, his equipment is still the basic weapon and armor that was issued at the start of the game. Because of this he decided the he needed to upgrade his weapon and for that materials were needed.

The materials needed would be in the nearby mountains as he would need some ore and metals in order to have the weapon made. He has no intention of creating the weapon himself, but has heard of other players that have become craftsman. They could do it for him, but he wanted to have materials for them to do it. Also, he wanted to have something made for him entirely unique. It didn't need to be a strong weapon, but anything was better than what he had now. With that he set out to the base of the mountains and began his search for materials for his weapon.

 ID# 68104 results:

 Loot: 8

Edited September 22, 2016 by Zulas

[Zulas 0]

As expected, the search for ores resulted a failure but Zulas expected it. he had never done this before. It proved more difficult than he intended to try and find the materials he needed. Now. he went by again to try and find something he could use for the creation of his weapon. The problem was that he didn't know what kind of weapon he wanted yet, so again he set out to see if he could find anything of value. He doesn't know if the location he chose was the best one, but he didn't have much options. Zulas's plan was to obtain a new weapon, and then travel to the next floor in order to explore more of this world. With that in mind, Zulas rolled up his sleeves looked for a better place to search for materials again. He continued to walk around the base of the mountain until he found a good enough spot. 

 ID# 68105 results:

 Loot: 10

Edited September 18, 2016 by Zulas

[Zulas 0]

The search fail, but he felt that he was getting close. He started to move deeper into the base of the mountain, and that's when he spotted an entrance to the mountain. A cave was a few feet away from him so he decided to explore it. I might get lucky, hopefully, he thought as he looked close to the cave entrance. He didn't know if anything usable would be inside but he decided to explore anyway. Zulas's wandered as he thought about the last quest he took a while ago. This trip outside of town began to remind him of his time in the outside world, his family and of course, her. If you were still alive, what would you be doing this exact moment. No doubt you would be following your dreams, no one would blame you if you had left after what happened. Those were some of the thoughts that went through his mind as he continued to search at the cave's entrance. 

 ID# 68106 results:

 Loot: 11

Edited September 18, 2016 by Zulas

[Zulas 0]

The search did fail again, but Zulas felt he was getting closer to the required spot. It was as if his hands were moving on their own, feeling the ground underneath them. The smooth rock inside the cave felt wet to the touch, but here and there he could feel protrusions big enough to be able to get materials from it. The only thing was that they did not feel right, he couldn't place it but something was wrong with the ones he had touched so far. When his hands went to them, he felt that they lacked something but he wasn't sure of what it was. He did not give up hope though, he was determined to find them in order to create his own weapon. That was the goal he had set for himself today and he was not going to fail it. What would think of me doing this right now? Would you be proud or would you think me a fool?, he thought to himself as he guided his hands again to feel the stones that etched out of the cave wall. 

 ID# 68110 results:

 Loot: 10

Edited September 18, 2016 by Zulas

[Zulas 0]

It had been already a couple of hours since Zulas went gathering in the mountain. He started getting tired a little bit more each time. The search was proving a bit unsuccessful but he wasn't ready to quite yet. The idea of having a new weapon for himself gave him a bit of hope, but again his thoughts were elsewhere. Zulas found himself thinking about his life before Sword Art Oline, about his family and if they were well. He hadn't spoken to his family in a long time, well... since the incident. It was painful for everybody, specially Zulas. It was the reason that he retreated more to himself and he only let a few people in and see how he really felt. To those that asked, he smiled and told them everything was ok but he didn't fool himself. He was trying to convince himself of something that wasn't true. Zulas's thoughts were running a mile a minute, his search seemed almost automatic now.

 ID# 68150 results:

 Loot: 7

Edited September 19, 2016 by Zulas

[Zulas 0]

It was dark inside the cave, so Zulas kept stumbling in the darkness. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness, but he could only still see a couple of feet in front of him. This made it difficult to predict what was coming in front of him. Because of this he made a lot of noise every time he moved around the cave in his search. One of those searches that yielded nothing made him a bit angry and hit the wall with his fist. The fist made an impact sound that wasn't loud but its echo carried through the cave. Before long, Zulas heard something in the distance. The sound of wind could be heard, and a small breeze touched his skin. That is when he heard it, a flapping noise that got close and closer. He strained his eyes to try and see what the owner of the noise was, and that was when he saw it. A small bat was flapping its wings and moving slowly towards him. 

Cave Bat: HP 4/4; DMG 10

Edited September 19, 2016 by Zulas

[Zulas 0]

The bat came directly towards Zulas, the wings moving rhythmically to keep it hovering above ground. Zulas took out his weapon from its scabbard where it rested and readied it in front of him. He wasn't taking any chances because he still needed to search the cave for his materials. He gripped the weapon tight and lowered it to reflect his Snake Bite stance, but waited until the cave bat came closer. The monster did indeed come closer to him and that was when he moved his sword to the correct position in order to activate the automated sword art. The monster, unbeknownst to the adventurer's intentions moved ever closer to him and that's when Zulas jumped forward to unleash his 3-strike move. At the same time, the cave bat also sprung into action and dove towards Zulas at great speed. Both of them knew what was happening and decided to deal with it, albeit for different reasons. Zulas let out a yell that echoed throughout the whole cave as he moved in for the attack.

 ID# 68151 results:

 Battle: 8 (DMG = 3x2 = 6)

 Craft: 7

 Loot: 13 (Good item)

 MOB: 4

Zulas: HP 80/80; Energy 5/8

Cave bat: HP 0/4

Edited September 22, 2016 by Zulas

[Zulas 0]

Zulas swiped his sword in the calculated attack helped by the system itself. The slashes hit the bat in the main body once and twice in the wings that kept him afloat. The creature let out a screech in pain and fell to the ground in a loud thud. The monster exploded into a hundred glowing pieces, but there was something strange in those glows. After the pieces disappeared, something shone where the cave bat fell. Zulas got closer to it and saw that it was a piece of rock that glowed. The rock was nothing more than a damp piece of rock so the glow was nothing that Zulas needed to pay attention to. It wasn't the material that Zulas was looking for since he entered the cave but he didn't want to battle monster if he didn't have to. He didn't like unnecessary fighting. He thought it was going to be the first material he had gotten and he felt proud of that but it wasn't to be. He let a smile escaped his lips as he set out to search for more rocks like the one he had found. 

 ID# 68188 results:

 Loot: 12

 

Zulas: HP 80/80; Energy 8/8 (+3 recovery post)

Edited September 22, 2016 by Zulas

[Zulas 0]

The search proved unfruitful, but he wasn't bogged down by it. The idea of finding another piece of material that is the same as he already had filled him with hope. Zulas continued a little bit deeper into the cave again, he believed it would give him a better chance to find it. While he searched for the materials, he started to think about what type of weapon he was going to get made. He didn't want anything flashy, he just wanted something that would represent who he was. It was going to be his weapon for some time while he was inside this game. He threw out some ideas back and forth as he searched once more for those materials deeper down the dark cave. There were certain spots that glowed in the darkness, the system's way of letting players know where to search for materials. With more determination in mind he searched in another spot he had found. 

 ID# 68189 results:

 Loot: 15 (1 material)

 

Materials gained in thread: 1

Edited September 22, 2016 by Zulas

[Zulas 0]

"Ok, that was a good try." - he said, putting the glowing rock in his inventory.

It was warm to the touch, and felt just right in his hands. The idea of having his new weapon made was appealing to Zulas, so that even he let out a quick side grin as the idea got into his mind. A couple more and then I'm good, he thought as he moved on to the next highlighted part of the cave. As he went deeper into the cave, the more his hope grew as he could see the glint of searchable areas in the distance. He couldn't see what was in front of him a few feet away, but the system allowed him to see the searchable areas more than a few feet away. He got in front of one of them and started to search, hoping he would find more of the materials.

 ID# 68200 results:

 Loot: 18 (material)

 

Materials gained in thread: 2

Edited September 22, 2016 by Zulas

[Zulas 0]

Zulas found what he was looking for one last time, inspected it to make sure it was the same ore. The bluish glow and color were unmistakable so he proceeded to put it in his inventory. He debated for a while, thinking if he should head back or not. The moments passed and he decided that he had enough materials to make have his weapon made and maybe have some left over. He hadn't thought about it but the darkness made him feel sad for a moment. It was like that time... when I... almost died... and you..., he thought as he walked back.

Zulas's mind was full of old thoughts. He thought of his family, her family and all the friends that they both left behind. The way back seemed shorter and he could see the cave entrance. The light kept getting bigger and bigger each step he took towards it. It reminds me of that day... the day I lost you. The lights were bright just like that, but a lot faster. It only gave us a quick second... only a second; the thoughts passed through his mind loudly. They distracted him from what was around him and didn't hear what was getting closer by the second.

 

Materials gained in thread: 2

Edited September 22, 2016 by Zulas

[Zulas 0]

The cave bats were on him quickly which only gave Zulas time to react for a split second. The creatures flew closer to him until they were almost upon him. Zulas cursed himself for not paying attention and for daydreaming. Those thoughts will only get you killed here, he thought as he readied his weapon towards the bats. Both of the bats hovered for a few seconds before they swept in for the attack, but Zulas went after them at the same time. He didn't have to time to guide his attack so he swung wildly and hoped that his sword caught at least one of them.

One of the bats looked a bit different than the other, it looked like the first one he had encountered the first time. He didn't have time to deal with both of them, but he would try to deal with them. If there was a need to run he would take it, he wasn't ready to die... no, not yet.

 

 ID# 68210 results:

 Battle: 2 (Miss)

 Craft: 11

 Loot: 7

 MOB: 10 (DMG = 13 + 4 = 17)

 

Zulas: HP 63/80; Energy 8/8

Cave Bat #1: HP 4/4; DMG 3

Cave Bat#2: HP 4/4; DMG 10

 

Materials gained in thread: 2

Edited September 22, 2016 by Zulas

[Zulas 0]

The bats attacked in unison against Zulas, he felt their strong bit in his neck and shoulder although one of them hurt more than the other. They took a bit of his flesh with them and the pain made him drop to one knee using his sword for support. He felt a sharp pain, if only for a second but it did hurt him. This made him angry so he pulled his weapon out of the ground and dropped into his Sword Art stance to let it activate. Once the system recognized the where it was placed he moved with it. 

Zulas hadn't used the Rage Spike Sword Art often because he was only always fighting one monster at a time most of the time. This time he felt it necessary in order to achieve what he wanted. He moved in towards the monsters and performed the automated upward strike that, if it hit, would spread among both monsters.

 ID# 68211 results:

 Battle: 4 (Miss)

 Craft: 10

 Loot: 7

 MOB: 1 (Miss)

 

Zulas: HP 63/80; Energy 4/8

Cave Bat #1: HP 4/4; DMG 3

Cave Bat#2: HP 4/4; DMG 10

 

Materials gained in thread: 2

Edited September 22, 2016 by Zulas

[Zulas 0]

Zulas sped up towards both of his enemies and struck with an upward strike but his attack missed its mark. The Cave bats move at the last minute and were only caught in the wind created by the adventurer's Sword Art. In a counterattack, the monsters struck in rapid succession but Zulas managed to each attack by taking a quick step back. The cave bats hovered a few feet away from Zulas and then swooped in for a bite of his neck again. He looked at his health and it still safe for now so he wasn't going to give up just yet. He saw the monsters come in for the attack but he did not move, he waited for them to get a bit more close. Zulas concentrated as he readied his Ragin Spike stance and as soon as the monsters came into range, he leaped towards them with his sword following the automated attack.

 ID# 68229 results:

 Battle: 1 (Miss)

 Craft: 8

 Loot: 13

 MOB: 9 (DMG = 13 + 2 = 15)

 

Zulas: HP 48/80; Energy 0/8

Cave Bat #1: HP 4/4; DMG 3

Cave Bat#2: HP 4/4; DMG 10

 

Materials gained in thread: 2

Edited September 22, 2016 by Zulas

[Zulas 0]

Zulas moved the wrong way, stumbled and fell to the ground face first. The mental fatigue kicked in as he had spent hours searching for materials. The monsters swooped with incredible speed, and bit both his neck and back. This time it felt to Zulas that they stayed attached to him for a while. He looked at his health and saw it decline steadily before stopping just before the halfway mark. After a couple of seconds, he could move again and decided that it was best time to move. This is not going to work. I'm way to exhausted, he thought as he got up using his weapon as support. He looked at his enemies and smiled, no matter how much you try to get better, there's always going to be another that's better than you. This thoughts helped him decide to turn around and start to run in order to try and escape his enemies. The monsters gave pursuit, but he was confident that he would get way, hopefully.

ID# 68230 results:

 Battle: 5

 Craft: 3 (No escape)

 Loot: 17

 MOB: 4 (Miss)

 

Materials gained in thread: 2

Edited September 22, 2016 by Zulas

[Zulas 0]

Zulas plan to escape were cut short by the quick movement of the Cave bats, they moved with incredible speed towards. Their mouths were inches from his neck, but he looked back just in time to step away from their bite. He saw their teeth up close, their mouths closed together at eye level of him as they tried to take a bit of his neck. Zulas turned around once again towards his destination, the cave entrance. It could be seen at the end of the tunnel, a white light that felt inviting with each and every step that Zulas took. He began to pant as he ran towards it again, although this time he made sure not to look back as it would make him delay his escape. He did not want to fight, he got the materials he needed in other to achieve his task. Zulas kept running and hoped that it would be enough to escape the evil creatures.

 ID# 68273 results:

 Battle: 9

 Craft: 10 (Escape Success!)

 Loot: 19

 MOB: 7

 

Materials gained in thread: 2

Edited September 22, 2016 by Zulas

[Zulas 0]

The cave entrance came closer with each step, he kept running not looking back. After a couple of seconds, the sound of wings flapping became softer and softer. He didn't know how long he spent inside that cave but he guessed that it must have been a couple of hours at least. It was already dusk outside the mountain and the light blinded him for a couple of seconds. He stopped outside the cave entrance and looked back to find out that the cave bats had already turned back. They must have receded back into their lair, wherever that is, he thought. 

"Well, I think that went well?" - he said to the wind as he gasped for breath. His chest felt heavy and was surprised on how accurate the system was with their vitals. He sat down and rested against the side of the mountain, next to the cave entrance, until he caught his breath back. Then, he got up and started to head back to town. 

 

Materials gained in thread: 2

Edited September 22, 2016 by Zulas

[Zulas 0]

It was still some time until Zulas would arrive at Starting City so he decided that he would look in his inventory once again. He took out one of the materials he had gathered while inside the cave. The item just had a name to it, nothing special about it, 'Hollow Crystal' the game called it. He looked at the info but there was nothing in particular about it. It just read: 'This crystal has proposed deemed to crafting. Its blue color comes from the mist that gathers in the cave at night during the months of winter.'

Zulas read it and started to laugh. He kept on walking towards Starting City and kept thinking about the crystal he had gathered. It did happen during winter, didn't it? It was then when my life changed forever, he thought as he kept walking while looking over the crystal in his hands.

 

Materials gained in thread: 2

Edited September 22, 2016 by Zulas

[Zulas 0]

Zulas put the crystal back in his inventory as he got closer to Starting City. It was already night by the time he got back and he knew that no stores would be open at this time, only restaurants and cafes. There were still people milling about the city going about their business, but Zulas was only looking for a place to sit down and eat. He found a bench in the market square that had an empty bench. He wanted a place with few people as possible and he knew that this place was sort of empty because most stores were closed at this hour.

Zulas brought up his inventory in order to look for something to eat and found that the only thing he had was bread. He wasn't particularly fond of it but that was all he had right now. There was anything special about it, even the taste was bland but it did the job. It kept him without going hungry outside the city, where there were no restaurants or cafes. 

 

Materials gained in thread: 2

Used item in thread: Bread -1

Edited September 22, 2016 by Zulas

[Zulas 0]

Zulas made the decision to look for a store now so that he had a destination to go to in the morning, when they would be open. He walked around the market and looked at the different shops and while most of them were NPC's, there were some that were run by players just like him. Even though he wasn't very comfortable around other players, he needed to go to them in order to get a good weapon. The NPCs could only craft a weapon until a certain extent, but he knew that players could make a better one for him. Since it was going to be his first weapon he wanted it to be made to his specifications. With that out of the way he kept looking for the store that would catch his eye. It took quite a bit of searching up and down the street and thankfully, there wasn't a lot of people around due to it being night, but he found the one that he had been looking for.

 

Materials gained in thread: 2

Edited September 22, 2016 by Zulas