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[Gotz 0]

 

As I have nothing to do, I decide to find someone that could offer me a quest suitable for my standards. I walk around Delilah Village, looking at both the players and the NPCs, all whom are elves for the latter. I notice that a lot of players here are with a party, and they never seem to be adventuring alone unlike me. ..I wonder if I continue to be a lone wolf, for whatever adventure I had will always involve a life-and-death situation involving myself. I do not want anyone else in my party to have the same fate as mine. 

As I walk along the alleyway of the village, I smell something burning nearby. Curiously, I trace the scent until I am already at the village square, I look around to see an elf sitting near a campfire, looking at the embers like a curious child. I walk to him just to ask what he is doing, for I need someone to talk to.

"Ah, hello swordsman. Would you like to rest here?" asks the elf. "Forgive me if I look too strange for you. This campfire makes me feel safe and warm, and I thought lighting one here is safer. Don't worry, the fire won't spread."

Perhaps he is going to give me something, I think to myself. I sit down beside him as he starts to speak again.

"I'm sure you are looking for something to kill, which in this case, I have one for you. Somewhere in the prairie, there is a mantis that would often cause mischief around us elves, disrupting our peaceful strolls with his shenanigans with his two other mantis friends. I ask you to kill him and his goons so we won't be bothered anymore. Any questions?"

Edited September 29, 2016 by Gotz

[Gotz 0]

"Where can I find them?" I ask the elf, for an aimless wandering around the prairie is a nothing but a total waste of time. The elf nods briefly as he answers his question.

"Their hut is located near one of the entrances of the Forest Of Wandering Mists. It is in the shape of a rock dome, covered in moss. You may not see the entrance at first, but if you can somehow kick down the wall, you may enter without worry, for they set no traps within their home. Oh..and..do me a favor..."

"And that is..?"

"My..soon-to-be lover, she was kidnapped by those mantismen last night. I received the news from my fellow scout, whom I often ask him for any advice in slaying certain monsters or whatnot. If you can find her, hopefully with them, please make sure she is safe, and bring her back to me in this campfire. Do you understand?"

Rescuing a damsel in distress...now that is something new for me. I don't see any reason in declining his help, so I stand up and tell him: "Your lover will be saved, I promise."

He flashes me a smile, gripping a locket that he has been holding in his hand the whole time. "Thank you, swordsman. i am very grateful for your kindness."

[Gotz 0]

The light plate armor that I bought yesterday proves to be an effective healer for my energy. On top of that, it distributes weight evenly, so I never really feel heavy when walking in that tin can. After donning my armor in a tavern I rented last night, I head out to the gates of the village. One of the fully armored guards must have been fascinated with my heavy equipment, because as I pass the arch of the entrance, he walks up to me and speaks: "You have such a nice collection of heavy equipment. Are you a tank?"

Upon hearing this, I turn round and nod. "Yes, I am. Are you one as well?"

"I wish.." says the guard. "Nowadays the only action we normally see are bandit raids and commoners fighting each other, usually in a bar fight. Dungeon crawling is a little too risky for us, even though we are well equipped. The captain barely does the thing because he feels that he doesn't need to loot, thanks to his riches."

What a pity...imagine getting a job which turns out to be boring and keeping it for the rest of your lives...

[Gotz 0]

"But.." the guard continues. "I am fine with my current occupation so far. At least I can rest from the horrors of war and fighting monstrous beings. Really...why throwing your life away for such foolish adventurers... I used to be one regrettably. I even formed my own guild. Sadly, my guild is completely ruined by a poisonous dragon in the swamps. All of my members were either eaten or succumb to death by accidentally sniffing its toxic fumes. 

...Do you get the point, swordsman?"

I nod as I fully understand the point of his story. He stands guard as he speaks one more sentence for the day.

"Pick something your own size, and just run if s**t hits the fan unless you are a zealot that seeks the so-called martyrdom."

And with that, he remains silent, as if he is already turning into a guarding idol. Thanking him for his rather useful advice, I start off into the prairie. Your own size...hm? Well, in my perspective, picking your own size means fighting something that has a lower or same level as the player. I do not really care how big they are. If they bleed, kill them.

[Gotz 0]

 

This floor probably serves as a starting point of Aincrad's brutal difficulty. Aside from the minotaurs and some wild animals that would go berserk if threatened, players may encounter some uncommon enemies that are wandering around the fields randomly. The loot is pretty good if you manage to defeat the unique enemies, as they are not as strong as the dungeon mobs. 

As for my case, I happen to walk around the field in an effort to find the forest, when I notice a green figurine walking around with its sword drawn. I move closer towards it as I have never seen an enemy like this before. As soon as I draw out my sword and my tower shield, the thing quickly turns around, revealing its reptilian face. The Lizalfos resembles a humanoid iguana or a monitor lizard, and it strangely has the ability to let out a chirp and a hiss at the same time. It is donned in a green chestplate with spiked pauldrons, and in my perspective, the armor looks very awkward.

The Lizalfos is armed with a straight sword, nothing out of the ordinary. I notice that even though it has the potential to be agile, the armor slows its movements a little for some reason. Guess the pauldrons shouldn't be too big...or maybe he has gained some weight...

Gotz: HP 79/80

Lizalfos: HP 12/20

ID: 68715

BD: 7

MD: 7

Energy: 6/8

Used Snake Bite!

Edited September 27, 2016 by Gotz

[Gotz 0]

The Lizalfos makes its first move by scurrying towards me at a great speed. As it launches its sword with a stabbing motion, I quickly raise up my tower shield. Its sword slides on the top edge on the shield, barely hitting my forehead. I back myself up and swing my sword as hard as I could. The Lizalfos couldn't block my attack in time as I release my Sword Art into my weapon, slashing its scaly body and probably severing a little of its organs. 

The Lizalfos steps back as it looks at its own, squirting blood. It hisses angrily as it is about to rush forward, before being bashed by my shield. This lizard never seem to be as strong as I thought, and I am really disappointed at its vulnerability. The fact that it wears such ridiculous armor also kills a bit of my fighting spirit. Who the hell created that piece of s**t?

Gotz: HP 79/80

Lizalfos: HP 12/20

ID: 68726

BD: 2

MD: 5

Edited September 27, 2016 by Gotz

[Gotz 0]

I take my previous statements regarding the Lizalfo's combat skills back. He is proficient enough to parry my slashes, chirping repetetively in a way that he seems to be laughing at my futile attacks. I push my shield forward to bash his him, but he manages to jump a few inches away from me, enough to have my shield missing its target. 

After the attacks, I take cover behind my shield, panting a little from exhaustion. This lizard still have some reflexes after all, perhaps I should just drop my shield... No. I won't do it. This shield is part of my armor, and my sole protector in the hostile parts of Aincrad. The Lizalfos tilts its head as it looks at the way I raise up my shield, it looks more like hiding behind a wall. It approaches me carefully, as it knows that I am planning something fishy...

You goddamn right I am...

Gotz: HP 79/80

Lizalfos: HP 3/20

ID: 68728

BD: 9

MD: 2

Energy: 2/8

Used Snake Bite!

Edited September 27, 2016 by Gotz

[Gotz 0]

Rather than bashing him again, I step back a little from the Lizalfos, with my shield still facing it. It is now confused as it doesn't know what to do, it never even try to flank me, perhaps because he knows that I will quickly turn around and block its attack. After a few more seconds of waiting, it becomes frustrated and hisses loudly as leaps towards me, intending to move my shield away. Before it could do so, my shield is already shifted to the side, and I swiftly stab it in the chest, using my Snake Bite to further assault it with three brutal slashes, severing one its arm and legs in the process.

The Lizalfos falls to the ground, bleeding severely as I step onto its neck with my foot. My shield pins down its other arm, which is still holding its sword. 

"Sayonara, motherf**ker," I blurt out as the Lizalfos screams like a cat in a bag.

Gotz: HP 79/80

Lizalfos: HP 0/20

ID: 68729

BD: 9

LD: 9

Obtained 1 Material!

Edited September 27, 2016 by Gotz

[Gotz 0]

Plunging the sword into its mouth has never been so satisfying. I watch the Lizalfos twitching as his tongue is chopped off, before turning into pieces of discarded data, dropping a steel ore. After picking up the material, I continue my journey as I hold onto my sword and tower shield, looking hard for the dome. 

For the first time in my new life in Aincrad, I see the clouds turning dark due to the containment of so much water within themselves. Then, in a split second, rain pours heavily throughout the third floor. I have an intense feeling of joy as I feel the heavy droplets of the rain splashing onto me like the bullets of a machine gun.

I set down my equipment and roll over the flowery grounds as the rain soaks me wet. It is so freezing cold, but I do not care. I even drink some of the rainwater, and it feels fresher than the typical water I always drink.

[Gotz 0]

 

Rain has always been my favorite weather, as it brings me the greatest peace and comfort I could ever have. As a pluviophile, I tend to stare at my window for periods of time whenever this blissful weather comes around, it is as if it washes off all corruption of the world instantly with one swift fall. Sometimes I would go outside and soak myself wet in the rain. Occasionally I would refill my giant bottles with rainwater, boil them, and place them in the refrigerator. As I said earlier, their taste are really freshening. 

And now, I am happy that I could enjoy the rain in Aincrad....I stare at the sky blankly as the cold wind blow against me...I think I am hearing something...maybe it's just my imagination.. 

I close my eyes to take a little nap, somehow I am able to enter a dream in mere minutes. I am alone in the dream. Well, that sounds wrong. There are people in the dream, but I seem to be the only person to be ignored. Strangely, I am desperate for social activity, but nobody gives a s**t about my plight. Rrgh...get out..please...out of my head... 

[Gotz 0]

Immediately, I wake up from my slumber as I hear the mocking words of Esther's master. Yeah...that f**ktard ruined my dream for some reason. Now I cannot sleep in peace, which will be pointless anyway. Because I hear two voices and stand up to see who is nearby. To my surprise, these voices belong to two of the monsters I am supposed to butcher up.

The two creatures are humanoid mantises, all of them have elongated, fore arms as a typical mantis would have. These arms have sharp tips, and I presume that they are used as weapons. They are capable of human speech, though their voice are a little high pitched.

I draw out my sword and hide behind my tower shield, slowly approaching them so I can catch one by surprise. They are conversing about the girl they kidnapped.

"It's no fair that the boss has that b**ch all to himself," says one of them with a frustrated tone.

"Why don't you catch one by yourself? There are plenty of elven women wandering around the fields, especially when it almost close to the village."

"You got a point...but..that woman which we kidnapped together? She looks really hot, I want to fondle and ram her at her ass. Hahah!"

"You are an impatient dickhead, you know that?"

[Gotz 0]

..On second thought, I stop myself from sprinting and stay myself away from the mantismen. Alternatively, I could secretly follow them back to the dome, and since the rain is getting heavier, I can barely see anything for more than, perhaps, a few blocks away or something similar to that matter. The mantismen continues walking normally, for they have extraordinary visions that would help them see in dark or rainy areas. Throughout the journey, they never turn around to see if anyone is following, and I have my tower shield raised up the whole time. I figure that such movement will somehow reduce noise, and I would sneak better too. 

Finally, after what seem like an hour, the rock dome and the arch of the forest's entrance are visible in front of me and the mantismen. I take a deep breath and stop hiding behind my shield, pulling my sword backwards as it glows into a green color. 

"VASLAGAN!!!"

Gotz: HP 79/80

Mantisman 1: HP 12/12

ID: 68767

BD: 1

MD: 7

Edited September 28, 2016 by Gotz

[Gotz 0]

S**t! I f**king miss! One of the mantismen pushes his friend away and swing his claw towards my neck, only managing to graze it a little. I quickly turn around and face the shield forward as I bang my sword against it, taunting him to fight me.

"Holy s**t...how did you know he was..." says the second mantismen, astonished at my appearance and his friend's knowledge of my presence.

"Easy. I can hear the clanging of his armor. I purposely ignore him until we reach home. At least you can call out for the boss if we are in critical condition. You have guts of following us back home, human. But you'll probabl--"

"Shut the f**k up and start the fight already." I interrupt. Why do the evil people always give out long speeches about how powerful they are and so on? Are they so narcissist that they think they won't be attack when they leave themselves open? It is retarded. 

"Straight to the point huh?" says the first mantismen, clicking his arms together as he walks towards me, grinning.

Gotz: HP 78/80

Mantismen 1: HP 4/12

ID: 68768

BD: 8

MD: 9

Energy: 4/8

Used Snake Bite!

 

Edited September 28, 2016 by Gotz

[Gotz 0]

In only two seconds, we are already launching our attacks against each other. I send the sword flying with its blade pointed forwards, aiming and stabbing through the heart of the mantisman. Meanwhile, he makes quite a hurtful graze onto my cheek, though he couldn't dig the wound deeper due to the fact that he realizes how f**ked up his body is at this point.

He lets out a bloodcurdling scream as my Sword Art stabs his heart two more times before cutting down to his groin, prompting him to get onto his knees as his green, slimy blood spills out onto the flowery ground. His friend tries to advance forward to assist him, but as quickly as I can, I withdraw my sword from the former's flesh and give him a rage-inducing glare.

"Stay the f**k out or I will gut you the same way I did to your pathetic friend!" I yell angrily. Now...for the good old ultraviolence...goodness I love that word.

Gotz: HP 78/80

Mantisman 1: HP 4/12

ID: 68769

BD: 4

MD: 2

Edited September 28, 2016 by Gotz

[Gotz 0]

I kick the poor sod in the face and pin down his wounded chest with my foot. Raising up my sword, I grin happily as I shouted: "Sayonara, pal!"

I bring the sword down at great speed, aiming for his ugly face. But the mantisman blocks my sword with his two arms, and they are surprisingly as durable as steel. Trying to sever them isn't really effective, unless...hm, unless I can sever his entire arm by cutting his shoulder. I take a step back from his body, blocking his weak swing attack as I move to his shoulder. There, I stomp his head sideways, and pin him this way. 

His friend have been trying to take at least one swing towards me, but my eyes will always catch him whenever he is close towards me. He is already gritting his teeth in sadness and anger, since he really wants to save the mantisman but couldn't do so because of his fear that he would be butchered. 

"You will not utter any last words, kidnapper." I speak in a steady, but unnerving voice. I think he is already losing his sanity, because right after I said my statement, he starts yelling and begging for mercy.

Gotz: HP 78/80

Mantisman: HP 4/12

ID: 68770

BD: 4

MD: 3

Edited September 28, 2016 by Gotz

[Gotz 0]

The pleads of the mantisman finally triggers his friend to attack me with his arms. Sadly to him, I already hear his rapid footsteps and turn my shield towards his direction, blocking his slashes. I hate to admit this but, I am impressed at the strength of his arms despite having a smaller physique than the first mantisman. They provide a decent knockback against my shield, and I have to try my best to keep my balance intact. As he uses both of his arms together to make a dent onto my personal armor, I bash him in one single push. 

He falls to the ground and I ignore him as I have to dispose his dying friend first. This time I quickly plunge my sword into his shoulder, while looking at the rock dome, fearing that the boss may be seeing the whole fight. There is actually a round glass window which is never mentioned by the elf. If the leader sees the fight, his face would be visible at the window itself.

I look back at the mantisman, who is now weeping silently. What a f**king pussy...

Gotz: HP 78/80

Mantisman: HP 4/12

ID: 68775

BD: 4

MD: 3

Edited September 28, 2016 by Gotz

[Gotz 0]

...I do not expect the mantisman to harden his skin and have the blade stuck between the cartilages of his shoulders. He lets out an evil chuckle as he feels my blade struggling to get pulled off from his flesh. Seeing this a chance to have his friend attacking me, he shouts out: "Kill him now! Quickly!"

Immediately, I turn around and raise up my tower shield at a hurrying pace, hurting my shoulder in the process. His friend's attacks are getting more violent as he makes several scratches on its metal surface, the knockback effects are also gets more forceful. I have to step on his wounded chest just to avoid falling. I'm not going make his body my downfall! 

"Come on! Stop blocking and f**king die, scumbag!" The mantisman yells out, running out of breaths as his swings becomes weaker at every second. I do not make any movements as he steps back, panting heavily. I let out a grin as I walk past him and raise up my foot to stomp the f**k out of his lad's face.

Gotz: HP 78/80

Mantisman 1: HP 4/12

ID: 68777

BD: 2

MD: 1

Edited September 28, 2016 by Gotz

[Gotz 0]

Just as I am about to bring my foot down, the mantisman grabs it with his arms, prompting me to step back and watch him slowly stand up despite the mortal pain he is suffering from. His skin softens as my sword falls from the wound on his shoulder, and I quickly pick it up and stand in a defensive stance, expecting him to deliver his 'final blow' or whatnot. 

Instead of that, he walks towards his friend and pats him on the shoulder. "Go..finish him off...you can do this...I..will tell the boss...."

And with those words, he walks away, grinning at me with his slightly sharp teeth as he chuckles.

"Soon...the boss...w..will...deal with you...if you manage to hold on to this fight a little longer that is.." says the mantisman.

...I only stare at him and his friend who is ready to fight once more. There is no f**king way I will let him go just like that....a crazy thought comes into my mind.

Gotz: HP 78/80

Mantisman 1: HP 4/12

ID: 68778

BD: 1

MD: 5

Edited September 28, 2016 by Gotz

[Gotz 0]

"Hey! Face me, you f**knut!" shouts the second mantisman. I turn away from the other, limping mantisman and stare at the second's eyes blankly, like a dead man. Probably due to my idleness, he turns on his own berserker mode and jumps towards me, swinging his arms wildly. Even though the first strike almost land onto my armor, the rest of the attacks are entirely blocked. This time I am entirely quiet, just waiting for a chance to run towards the injured mantisman and cut his body in half before he could reach the house. 

Through my brief glances at him, his movements are really slow, and he would have been limping a little faster if he isn't being confident that his friend could buy him some time. Regardless, I keep my focus on evading and blocking his attacks, with later becomes a series of kicks.

The more I spend a few minutes on engaging him, the more anxious I become of the mantisman's escape. As he is almost close to the house, I manage to parry his arm with my sword and bash his head with my shield. I quickly run towards the f**king insect and does something that would be considered "unskillful" to professional swordsmen.

Gotz: HP 78/80

Mantisman 1: HP 4/12

ID: 68780

BD: 5

MD: 5

Edited September 28, 2016 by Gotz

[Gotz 0]

Well actually, I haven't execute my plan yet. The mantisman turns around and gives me a shitty grin as he looks at me, or so I think at first. I look behind me to see his friends already leaping towards my position at a great distance, yelling like a madman. I raise up my shield just in time to make him bump headfirst onto the metal at his next leap. The sound is similar to a small, blunt mace barely hitting against plate armor. I guess his skull is really thick like a stegoceras's. Too f**king bad he bounces off my shield like a ball.

I turn my head around to see the first mantisman falling onto his knees as his injuries are taking his toll. I can hear him mutter: "Almost...there...reach..the button..window..gah.."

Oh..there's a button nearby the window huh...well thank you sir. In return, let me give you a free ticket to a good part of the world of Limbo.

Gotz: HP 78/80

Mantisman 1: HP 4/12

ID: 68782

BD: 2

MD: 1

Edited September 28, 2016 by Gotz