[F10:SP] Weariness <<Feeding the Enemy>> COMPLETE

[Seul 1]

The tenth floor was something of an oddity since he rarely noticed other players exploring the place. It was in a weird spot after all; too low for the high levels, yet too high for the low levels. It also probably had something to do with the fact that the entire floor looked like some game designer's rendition of what the underworld was like. Even the main settlement reflected that in the way it was built. Undead roamed the streets of Yomi as if it was normal and many of the buildings were worn down. It didn't exactly give off a homey feel. Despite all this though Seul found himself here once again. It was nice at times to go where no others dared to visit. Other than to just to inflate his own ego, these moments also served as good times for reflection.

The knight's hand came up to pat his scaley companion's head gently as he walked. How long had they been together? Ever since his early days in Aincrad, Legna remained in the background wherever he went. It was nice to have someone to talk to every now and then, but it still always was a slight disappointment to know that a once all powerful dragon never offered anything when it came to stat buffs. 

Edited November 20, 2016 by Seul

[Seul 1]

It would have been a lie to say that he never considered starting over again with a new familiar. To do that though Legna would need to die and seeing as how he stayed away from most battles it was unlikely that such a thing would happen. The only other option would have been to kill the dragon himself. As if he would ever be able to do that though. He considered the black dragon to be a friend, more so than many of the players he encountered in his travels. To just kill him in cold blood because he didn't possess any traits would have been morally wrong. With the tides of Aincrad shifting he wasn't entirely convinced he would be able to carry on without some sort of buffs though. It was a tricky internal debate to say the least and not one that he wanted to confront any time soon. 

Edited September 25, 2016 by Seul

[Seul 1]

His thoughts would need to be pushed aside for now. As he neared the town's gates it was time for him to get serious. Walking around outside wouldn't be as easy as it used to be, he knew that, and one slp up now could have meant the end if he wasn't cautious. The monsters on the tenth floor were also undead, which usually meant they were a pain to fight. Skeletons... Wraiths... Zombies... You name it and it was probably there with a stupidly high amount of power behind its attacks to boot. He wasn't too afraid though. Generally speaking the health of monsters on the lower floors was insignificant against a player who was highly skilled with a weapon. Even though they hit hard the few countermeasures he had in place to survive fighting in such a setting would be useful and if worse came to worst he could always get away with a teleport crystal.

Edited September 25, 2016 by Seul

[Seul 1]

His main objective for this run would be to explore the area surrounding The Stygian. Although he had never seen the place in person he did know about the rumors surrounding its existence. Supposedly it was a gigantic, blood-red river teeming with monsters that attack passing players on sight. He wanted to see it with his own eyes and hopefully live to tell the tale to others. Maybe he would even be the first to swim its waters! Setting a record didn't sound so bad.

...

He must have walked for at least half an hour, but honestly he didn't have a lue how long it actually had been since he left Yomi. Every direction he looked in the underground cavern looked the same. Dark. It was hard to see more than a few feet ahead, but following the torchlit signs along the road did help with navigating the terrain. Eventually the sound of rushing water met his ears as a signal that the river was nearby. Along with something more sinister of course. Thankfully his attitude toward exploring was cautious otherwise he might not have noticed the shadow lurking nearby, brandishing a blade of its own and closing in on his position. Before it could act Seul drew his own sword and lunged forward; activating the Fight Blade sword art to tear off a big chunk of its health while also leaving the monster in a state of shock.

BATTLE START | BATTLE THEME

Spoiler

Stats

775 HP

76 Energy

15 Base Damage

12 Mitigation

18 Holy Blessing

46 Battle Healing

1 Recovery  

0 Accuracy

3 Evasion

5/8 Picking

1/4 Search & Detect

 

Equipment

Crusader MK II......... // +6 Damage

Regret................. // +18 Holy Blessing | +1 Recovery

Generic Armor MK.9..... // +3 Evasion

 

Familiar: Legna - The Black Dragon (No Buffs / Chibi)

 

Skills

Two-Handed Straight Sword.| Rank 5

Light Armor...............| Rank 3

Picking...................| Rank 3

Search & Detect...........| Rank 1

Battle Healing............| Rank 1

Howl......................| No Ranks

 

Extra Skills

Meditation................| Rank 0

Concentration.............| No Ranks

Survival..................| No Ranks

 

Skill Mods

Athletics

Dismantling

 

Inventory

1. The Hoya of Minos (Vanity)
2. Basic Teleport Crystal - x1
3. Banner of Support - 3 Charges Left
4. Snowfrost Potion
5. Lucky Coin (+3 LD)

[Darkness Penalty: All attack rolls suffer -1 due to darkness debuff.]

ID# 68539 | BD: 6 (7-1) | MD: STUNNED

Party

• Seul [775/775 HP][67/76 EN] (-9 EN)
  • Sword Art: Fight Blade | 15 x 6 = 90 DMG + Stun

Enemy

• Shadow [297/387 HP][100 DMG][STUNNED] (-90 HP)

Edited September 25, 2016 by Seul

[Seul 1]

He had to keep the monster locked down. With the Crusader MK II in hand he unleashed the Galaxy Destroyer for one swift, angular slash across the shadow's chest. Its form wavered slightly but quickly reformed around the red gash mark on its body. Its health bar was down to about a third of what it once was now and with any luck one more attack would have been enough to finish it off.

The shadow attempted to retaliate by swinging its sword in a wide horizontal arc in Seul's direction, but the player simply jumped backward to avoid being hit. His evasion now higher than when he was a tank, it was easy to nullify damage sent his way using his speed alone. Some might have said it was a gamble to rely on evasion over mitigation, but it was a risk worth taking to accommodate his fighting style.

[Darkness Penalty: All attack rolls suffer -1 due to darkness debuff.]

ID# 68547 | BD: 7 (8-1) | MD: -1 (2 - 3 EVA)

Party

• Seul [775/775 HP] [55/76 EN] (+1/-13 EN)
  • Sword Art: Galaxy Destroyer | 15 x 13 = 195 DMG 

Enemy

• Shadow [102/387 HP] [100 DMG] (-195 HP)

Edited September 25, 2016 by Seul

[Seul 1]

Unfortunately when he landed he lost his footing in the dirt and slipped, falling down to one knee with his blade planted in the ground. There was no time to attack as the shadow was already upon him again, swinging its sword downward on his position.  He avoided the attack once again by rolling to one side. In the next moment he was standing again and facing the monster that desperately wanted to end his life. It wasn't a pushover, that was for sure, but it still hadn't managed to land a single blow on him either. If he could just get one more clean hit in he would be able to carry on his way to the river banks. He needed to stay focused and only strike when an opening in the shadow's defenses presented itself. "C'mon... Just let me land this next attack you stupid monster." He mumbled under his breath before charging again.

[Darkness Penalty: All attack rolls suffer -1 due to darkness debuff.]

ID# 68549  | BD: 3 (4-1) | MD: 1 (4 - 3 EVA)

Party

• Seul [775/775 HP] [54/76 EN] (+1/-2 EN)
  • Sword Art: Miss

Enemy

• Shadow [102/387 HP] [100 DMG] 

Edited September 25, 2016 by Seul

[Seul 1]

He swung his sword horizontally as he neared the monster but the attack was intercepted by the fiend's own blade, stopping the knight in his tracks. The shadow's strength was too great and it did overpower Seul in the clash, pushing him backwards with one good thrash against its sword. A short distance had been placed between them but it was nothing that the monster wouldn't be able to travel in a matter of seconds. As it wound up its sword for another slash his own was raised in defense, absorbing the damage from the hit as a result. "If I didn't know any better I'd say we are evenly matched. Good thing I'm not the one who is low on HP right now though, huh?" As expected the creature didn't offer much in terms of a response, but that didn't stop him from throwing taunts its way at least.

[Darkness Penalty: All attack rolls suffer -1 due to darkness debuff.]

ID# 68552  | BD: 2 (3-1) | MD: 1 (4 - 3 EVA)

Party

• Seul [775/775 HP] [53/76 EN] (+1/-2 EN)
  • Sword Art: Miss

Enemy

• Shadow [102/387 HP] [100 DMG] 

Edited September 25, 2016 by Seul

[Seul 1]

It was time to end it, but first Seul would push with his blade, forcing the monster to retreat backwards just as he had. Using the distance to his advantage he turned to start walking away in the opposite direction. The shadow obviously wasn't going to let him get away so easily and gave chase, but little did it know that he was doing anything but fleeing. "Astral Hell!" His sword took on a bright glow as he spun on his heel, driving it in multiple times. The monster had been caught off guard by the sudden counter attack and didn't have enough time to react as the greatsword cleaved it in two with one final thrust. With the last of its health depleted it exploded into a pixelated rainstorm before fading into nothingness. 

The fight was over and he hadn't suffered even a single scratch. It amazed even himself, but taking the time it took to kill the shadow into consideration made the whole fight a lot less impressive. Someone like Mack probably would have been able to kill a whole swarm of them in single hit. He couldn't help but sigh at the thought. 

[Darkness Penalty: All attack rolls suffer -1 due to darkness debuff.]

ID# 68553  | BD: 10 | CD: 11 (Recovery Activated) | LD: 16 (15 + 1 S&D) // Loot: 1935 Col |

Party

• Seul [775/775 HP] [48/76 EN] (+2/-7 EN)
  • Sword Art: Astral Hell | 15 x 7 = 105 DMG

Enemy

• Shadow [-3/387 HP] [100 DMG] [DEAD] (-105 HP) 

Edited November 20, 2016 by Seul

[Seul 1]

Why was he so weak compared to the others? He wasn't the weakest player on the frontline by any means, but the majority of players participating in raids had already passed level fifty. Being barely a level forty player meant he was just a liability at times. The fight against Leonidas and the 300 spartans was simple enough but he couldn't always let others carry him.

From the front of his coat he could feel the small dragon wriggling until Legna's head was fully exposed. Now that the danger had passed his companion was free to move about and the sight of that reminded him of why he even came to the floor in the first place. "Let's go buddy." He said while turning to continue down the dimly lit path to The Stygian. Whatever awaited him there probably wasn't going to be friendly. If the last fight was anything to go off of though he wasn't too worried.

[Seul 1]

Finally, the river was within sight. It was just as ominous as the rumors had made it out to be. Undead monsters could be seen scattered around the area, but none of them bothered to take notice of the boy. Yet. Probably due to the distance he kept away from them.

"This place is pretty cool." Seul said in passing. Trips like this were the reason he bothered to get out of bed in the morning. To be able to see the sights of Aincrad at his own leisure was a treat in itself. He couldn't wait to tell the others in the knights about his adventure up on the tenth floor but it probably would have been best if he brought back a souvenir of some sort as evidence as well. Maybe a rock from the river's banks would do? Regardless, it was the best he could come up with.

[Seul 1]

"Let's get a closer look."

He inched closer to the water's edge, doing his best to search the ground for something worth bringing back for the others to see. Nothing in particular stood out to his eyes though. All of the rocks looked rather plain. Then the thought hit him about the water itself. Maybe something of interest could be found within. He peered in, but could hardly see the bottom through the thick, red coloring of the water. He wasn't about to go in so it seemed to be a pointless battle to look any further. Just about ready to leave he got up from his crouched position, but felt something hard against his back as if he was being shoved. Then... SPLASH!

Was he actually in the water?!

Not good... Not good...!

The words played in his mind on repeat as he tried to fight against the water's current. He had come too far to die today in a place like this! With all his might he fought and swam until he was back on land. It felt like he couldn't breathe as he coughed up the foul tasting water, but aside from being a little shaken up by the whole ordeal he appeared to be unharmed. 

[Seul 1]

Wait. Where did Legna go?!

An explosion went off behind him and as he turned to look for its source all he could see where the pixelated remains of his familiar drifting away. It must have been a joke. Right? Legna couldn't be dead. Not like that. There was probably a mistake. His dragon would show up sooner or later and surprise him as if it was all some sort of morbid prank.

Well, he waited. Legna never came. It was all too much to process. His loyal familiar wouldn't be joining him any longer and the worst part was that it was all his fault.  If he had just left none of this would have happened. "I'm an idiot... I'm sorry Legna... In the end I wasn't strong enough to save you... What the hell am I even doing anymore?" He slowly stood up and watched the water, but it was clear that this was the end. 

Edited September 25, 2016 by Seul

[Seul 1]

"Looks like I've arrived at the right time."

After all this time he wasn't even alone. His hand raised to grasp the hilt of his blade but quickly fell again upon seeing the source of the voice. A woman; one he hadmet once before. The one that set him on the path to find Legna in the first place. Why was she here? How could she have known his familiar had persihed? Maybe it was just a coincidence that she showed up in such a place. "If you'll let me... I'd like to take the quest you gave me again. One of these dastards is becoming my new ally." 

She simply nodded in response and the familiar quest HUD appeared before his eyes. As revenge for his fallen comrade he would steal one of these monsters away from this place and make it his own. After accepting the mission once again he scanned the area for a potential monster to tame. 

Edited September 25, 2016 by Seul

[Seul 1]

[Equipment Change] | [Regret // -18 Holy Blessing & 1 Recovery]  → [Lucky Coin // LD: +3]

He spent a second opening up his inventory to equip his Lucky Coin. Unfortunately the effects of his coat would stop as long as the trinket was out but if he was going to tame a creature having the extra luck on his side would prove to be useful. From the corner of his eye he could see one of those shadow monsters from earlier sulking about. That one would be his new familiar. He wasn't going to leave until that statement became a reality either. Walking toward the monster he didn't show any signs of fear in his eyes while he stared at its shrouded form. Instead of draw his weapon though he simply extended his arm as a offering.

"Feed off some of my life force and join me as an ally so that I can use your power as my own." He said in a plain voice.

Edited September 25, 2016 by Seul

[Seul 1]

[ID# 68573 | LD: 13 (9+4) Taming Attempt... Succesful!]

The shadow took it upon itself to consider his offer for a brief moment before latching onto his arm. His health bar dropped slightly, but it wasn't like it was any more than a point or two. The creature appeared to be satisfied with the meal and in the end decided to join him as a familiar. Only this one HAD ABSOLUTELY NO BUFFS EITHER! 

He wanted to scream. The only thing holding him back was the fear of drawing the attention of any more monsters that happened to be roaming about. "Even with a freakin' good luck charm I still can't catch a break." He groaned. This time it would be different though. Rather than bring the useless thing along he would kill it and try to find another. Placing his hand on the hilt of his blade he unsheathed it in a swift motion before raising it at his new 'companion'.

Edited September 26, 2016 by Seul

[Seul 1]

Seul rushed at the monster, slashing it open using Galaxy Destroyer before falling back out of its striking range. These things were quite simple to fight and with his superior speed at work he was free to move about as he wished on the battlefield. The shadow attempted to follow him and deliver an attack of its own but he evaded it with a side step that tripped it up in the end and almost made it fall on its face. Another hit like that would render the monster dead and he would just have to continue on his way to find another one to try and tame. With a sigh the knight raised his sword once again and waited for an opening to arise. Despite still being fairly new with the two handed weapon he was seemingly a natural at fighting with it. Things were going smoothly, now if only he could tame a monster.

BATTLE START | NEW BATTLE THEME

[Darkness Penalty: All attack rolls suffer -1 due to darkness debuff.]

ID# 68652 | BD: 6 (6-1+1 Conc) | MD: 1 | CD: 7 (Battle Healing)

Party

• Seul [775/775 HP] [63/76 EN] [BH: +46 HP] [Concentration: 0/5] (-13 EN)
  • Sword Art: Galaxy Destroyer | 15 x 13 = 195 DMG

Enemy

• Shadow [192/387 HP] [100 DMG] (-195 HP)

Edited November 6, 2016 by Seul

[Seul 1]

[NOTE: Stats upated in this post to reflect the healing update]

Spoiler

Stats

775 HP

76 Energy

15 Base Damage

12 Mitigation

24 Holy Blessing

10 Battle Healing

1 Recovery  

0 Accuracy

3 Evasion

5/8 Picking

1/4 Search & Detect

 

Seul charged in with his weapon raised once more but when he swung the Crusader MK. it pierced nothing but air. The darkness was starting to get to him it seemed, but at least he was able to use it to his advantage as well. The shadow tried to attack him after his miss but failed miserably once again as he stepped out of the way. They were in a stalemate but he was on the better side for not suffering a single hit yet. He didn't expect the fight to last much longer, but he wasn't in a rush to end it either. He just wanted to find a familiar to avenge the death of his friend. Ine that would make an honorable successor to his gear setup and one that he would be able to look after for better than the little dragon he let get swept away by the cursed river.

[Darkness Penalty: All attack rolls suffer -1 due to darkness debuff.]

ID# 70420 BD: 5 (6-1) | MD: -1 (2-3) | CD: 3 

Party

• Seul [775/775 HP] [62/76 EN] [Concentration: 1/5] (+1/-2 EN)
  • Sword Art: 

Enemy

• Shadow [192/387 HP] [100 DMG] 

Edited November 8, 2016 by Seul

[Seul 1]

He swung the sword again and again but to no avail as the shadow slipped further away each time. It was starting to make him mad, but, his hands were tied. Until one of them messed up they were doomed to repeat this dance. Right on cue the shadow lunged forward to attack but Seul slipped away as well. It was tiring... Very tiring, fighting like this. Living in this world in general. But he wasn't about to let a bunch of pixels best him in a fight either. He needed to stay strong for the people that depended on him. His guild, his friends, the people still in the starting city, and those he hadn't helped yet! They all gave him the power to continue down this path and dying now would only serve to waste the kindness they showed him in the past. He could not allow that.

[Darkness Penalty: All attack rolls suffer -1 due to darkness debuff.]

ID# 70421 BD: 4 (5-1) | MD: -1 (2-3) | CD: 9

Party

• Seul [775/775 HP] [61/76 EN] [Concentration: 2/5] (+1/-2 EN)
  • Sword Art: 

Enemy

• Shadow [192/387 HP] [100 DMG] 

Edited November 8, 2016 by Seul

[Seul 1]

Swinging again he must have been getting lazy with his attacks as this one didn't even come close to hitting the shadow. Leaving his defense wide open the shadow took advantage of his folly and charged in, cutting him open across the chest and sending his skidding across the cold, hard ground. He coughed in an effort to try and catch his breath but the hit left him feeling exhausted. A quick glance at his health told the whole story. These things weren't messing around. Anymore like those and he would definitely die. He had to stop fooling around from here out. Using his blade as a crutch he got back to his feet and raised it toward the monster once more. It seemed to be overjoyed that it finally landed a solid hit on him, but he was determined to even the playing field with his next sword art. 

Darkness Penalty: All attack rolls suffer -1 due to darkness debuff.]

ID# 70422 BD: 2 (3-1) | MD: 9 | CD: 9

Party

• Seul [686/775 HP] [60/76 EN] [Concentration: 3/5] (+1/-2 EN) (-89 HP) 
  • Sword Art: 

Enemy

• Shadow [192/387 HP] [100 DMG] 
  • Attack: 100 DMG + 1 CRIT - 12 MIT = 89 DMG

Edited November 8, 2016 by Seul

[Seul 1]

He ran forward as fast as his legs would carry him with the sword trailing slightly behind him. It was heavy now, much heavier than it was when the battle first started. He needed to end it. The blade took on a brilliant glow before he thrusted straight into the shadow's chest. He left it there for a few seconds before ripping straight up the center of the creature where its spine should have been. It split in two and the remainder of its health depleted along with it. The pixelated explosion followed and pixel dust rained over the area, leaving the knight alone once more. "This sucks..." He mumbled while trying to think of his next move. He still didn't have a familiar after all and that was the main reason he was even still there. Was there even any point in continuing? He already failed once at taming.

[Darkness Penalty: All attack rolls suffer -1 due to darkness debuff.]

ID# 70425 BD: 9 | CD: 1 | LD: 23 (19 + 4) | Loot: 3870 Col & 1 Mat

Party

• Seul [686/775 HP] [48/76 EN] [Concentration: 4/5] (+1/-13 EN)  
  • Sword Art: Galaxy Destroyer | 15 + 1 CRIT x 13 = 208 DMG

Enemy

• Shadow [-16/387 HP] [100 DMG] (-208 HP)

Edited November 8, 2016 by Seul