<<Calming The Soul>> These Old Bones [COMPLETE]

[Emerath 0]

The fire burned in the hearth, as it always did. Things hadn't changed in so long. Months had passed, and Emerath had aged, though not visibly. If hair grew in SAO, his face would have been adorned by a red beard. Goodness knows he wouldn't have shaved. There was no time for that. No time for anything, really. Not here, not now, not ever. Or so Emerath believed, at least.

Mist sat in her cage. She was the one thing that Emerath did care for. The man had come to the realization one day, as he saw Mist suffer in her starvation, that as a creature of the game she still needed to be fed and cared for. Emerath didn't have to eat, though the game told him often that it was necessary. His body was being fed outside of this accursed place, and that was really all he had needed to know. So the man sat, staring at the fire and the glimpses of shapes within, as he had for months past.

Thread Statistics:

Spoiler

Combat Statistics:

• Current Level: 16
• HP: 320
• EN: 32
• DMG Base (Unarmed): 8
• DMG Base (One Handed Straight Sword): 2
• Combat Craft: +3 on First Aid CD Rolls
• Accuracy: +1 on BD Rolls
• Looting: +3 on LD Rolls

Skills & Mods:

Utility Skills:
►Search & Detect - Rank 1 - Novice
►Gatherer

Weapon Skills:
►Martial Arts - Rank 2 - Journeyman (Extra)

Combat Skills:
►First Aid - Rank 2 - Journeyman

Equipment:

• »Gambler's Coat (Clothes)
  • +2 Loot Dice
• »Dueling Gloves (Handwraps, Cloth)
  • +3 Unarmed Damage
• »A Critical Eye (Monacle, Lucky Charm)
  • +3 Combat Craft
• »Anneal Blade (OHSS)
  • +1 OHSS Damage
• »Mist (Familiar, Barn Owl)
  • +1 Accuracy

Battle Ready Inventory:

• 3x Red Heart (+40 HP Potion)
• 2x Greater Red Heart (+80 HP Potion)

Sword Arts:

• Flash Blow - 1x1 - (1 Energy) - A basic right hook aimed for the target's jaw.
• Embracer - 1x1 - Stun - (4 Energy) - An unarmed sword art that pierces the enemy with the fingers.
• Aggressive Twins - 2x1 - AoE - (4 Energy) - A fast combination of left and right jabs.
• Crescent Moon - 3x1 - AoE - (6 Energy) - The user pushes off the ground and performs a single back flip to connect a sweeping flash kick with their targets.
• Delayed Sword - 4x1 - (4 Energy) - An advanced technique which uses kicks to disable an opponent and then chops their neck with the hand.

 

Edited August 7, 2017 by Emerath

[Emerath 0]

Little could stir Emerath. Occasionally Mist, with her open cage, would fly over and sit in his lap. Emerath's eyes would drift to her, the light of the fire playing along her snowy feathers. Confused, the owl would hoot, tilt her head, and flap her wings. Her master did little to ease the concern that the owl had for him. Though Emerath did love the creature, she was a harsh reminder of his past. Something he avoided in this small shop, in front of the hearth. Avoiding a world he chose to forget and hide from. Eventually, the owl would realize that she wasn't able to get the man to register her presence past a look, and would return to her cage, only to wait once again with the statue of a man. The owl could only wonder what he waited for, though in all honesty, the man himself didn't really know. But he couldn't explain that to Mist. He couldn't really explain that to anyone.

[Emerath 0]

Slowly, as it always did, the fire dwindled in his hearth. The light drained from the room as embers danced across the ashes of the logs he had placed there. The warmth of the room faded, and Emerath felt his body give a bit of a shiver as the chill of the outside wormed its way in through the walls once again. He sighed, and leaned forward to grab another log from the nearby bin, only to find that it was empty. Not even a stick remained. The man frowned, before cursing himself for not having put more into it. And so he opened up his inventory, searching for the logs there. But as he scrolled through the items, there were no logs. Just other miscellaneous junk. His frown deepened. There was no possible way that the man had run out, he got regular shipments, and he couldn't remember missing any.

[Emerath 0]

If Emerath was being honest with himself, it had been at least a few days since the man had stood up. It was always a chore having to do so. Despite that his body in the game showed little in the way of degradation from his inactivity, getting up and moving around still just made him feel... old. He sighed, as he pressed a hand to his knee, and could practically hear his bones creaking as he stood. Emerath wasn't truly that old, and his bones didn't actually creak. If anything, despite that nobody was around, it was Emerath hamming it up as usual. He stretched, and he pretended to pop his back. It would have been a sight, this twenty something man acting like he was 70 years old. He let out another sigh, and as a last ditch effort decided he should check his store room for wood. If he was being honest, he really didn't want to leave his shop.

[Emerath 0]

Emerath slowly made his way across his shop, grabbing a matchbox on the way, and pulling a stick out, striking it against the box, and listening to the hiss it gave as the match lit on fire. As he pushed open the door to the storeroom, Emerath lit the candle on the wall, providing the room with a bit of a glow. When he had first entered his depression, Emerath had taken the time to put thick curtains over each of the windows to prevent any light except those from the candles and fires throughout his shop. He also couldn't remember any time when he had used the items in his storeroom, not that there was much to speak of. And in line with there not being much, Emerath grunted as he realized that there was, in fact, no firewood in here. Cursing his delivery man, or perhaps himself for forgetting to order, Emerath figured he had no choice now. He'd have to venture into the world once again.

[Emerath 0]

Emerath moved from the storeroom to the main room of his shop once again, before looking over at Mist, who was a bit wide-eyed at the man being up and about. The owl hooted at him, and Emerath waved a hand for her to come. The owl did as she was bid, flapping from her cage to his shoulder, as he pulled his scarf from the hat rack it rested on. A small cloud of dust puffed from the stand as objects shifted that hadn't moved in months. Emerath tried to avoid it, but ultimately ended up giving a loud sneeze that ruffled Mist's feathers as the owl hooted in annoyance, but managed to keep her footing on his shoulder. "Sorry Mist," Emerath said simply, as he patted the bird on the head. She cooed lightly from the actual attention, before moving out of the way so that Emerath could wrap his scarf around his neck.

Edited March 13, 2017 by Emerath

[Emerath 0]

Emerath moved to press a hand on the door, but hesitated as he did so. He hadn't left in so long. What had changed? What was it like out there? Obviously the game hadn't been won yet. They were still stuck here. Emerath had hoped that things would have ended by now. The frontliners had been making progress, and he couldn't help but wonder what might have stopped that. Again, he moved to place a hand on the door, but again he found himself hesitating. What if the fourth floor was a ghost town? What if everyone was dead? What if he was the only one alive simply because he had hidden away? Emerath gave a shiver, though he wasn't all that cold. Was that why he hadn't gotten his delivery? He stared at the door, tracing the outlines in the wood, the direction of the grains. Grunting, he pressed his hand to the door, and forced himself to push it open.

[Emerath 0]

The door resisted, having been shut for far too long, before finally opening with a creak. Emerath could feel the wind blowing against his face as he pushed the door open. It appeared to be a bit of a windy day as the snowflakes whipped through the air, occasionally looping around before flying off into the distance. Of all the days to have to go outside, it had to be today. He sighed once again as he moved across the threshold and closed the door behind him, and thrusting the key into the keyhole to lock it. Even Mist was getting her feathers ruffled by the wind. They started to stick out in odd ways as the owl hooted and scooted back and forth a bit on the man's shoulder. Emerath couldn't help but chuckle lightly at the sight, before making his way to the store for his firewood as quickly as possible.

[Emerath 0]

Emerath had ensured that when he decided to close himself off from the world, he would have a place close by to get his firewood. He knew his brother had food next door, so he hadn't worried about that. But firewood wasn't always as easy to come by. Especially in a winter wonderland. Yet, Emerath had managed to find someone. A man by the name of Dirke worked nearby, and whether he chopped his own wood, or simply bought it from another floor, Emerath neither cared nor asked. All that mattered was that he had what Emerath needed for a price he was willing to pay. These thoughts occupied Emerath as he walked up to the storefront, and moved to place a hand on the door and enter, only to see a sign that read, "To those expecting deliveries, I apologize, but my wife recently lost her life in this game, and I have taken time to myself to meditate and grieve. If you are truly desperate to contact me, please visit me on the Sixth Floor, the Waterfall of the Sage, to speak with me."

[Emerath 0]

Emerath frowned, he couldn't really fault the man for taking time to grieve his wife, but he had hoped he would have at least left him a message. Though, Emerath had no real room to talk, as he had just left. He sighed, and decided to try messaging before going all the way to the Sixth Floor just for some firewood. Emerath opened up Durke's profile, sent him a message asking, at the very least, where he could get some firewood from another vendor. He pressed Send, and waited, leaning against the wall, petting Mist and giving her some of the corn he had in his pocket. Mist happily ate the snack, and Emerath gave this whole process about ten minutes. But there was no response. He sighed and mumbled, "Of course not..." as he began to walk towards the Teleport Gate so that he could go to the destination and speak with the man directly.

Edited March 18, 2017 by Emerath

[Emerath 0]

Emerath pushed his way through the wind and snow, before finally reaching the Teleport Gate and calling out to reach the Sixth Floor. In a blue flash, the man was in the jungle, a harsh contrast to the winter floor, with the sudden heat and humidity causing him to sweat almost instantly. Mist hooted in annoyance as she leaned against the man, and he simply petted her as he unequipped his scarf and his heaviest clothes, replacing them with thinner variants he had prepared for less cold floors. There was a light rain on the floor as he ventured out into the city, and he couldn't help but admire the flowers and fauna of the area. "I suppose I can see why someone would come here to relax. It's lovely." he said, smiling at Mist, who simply continued to hoot at Emerath in annoyance due to the heat. Emerath frowned, but chuckled at the bird, before opening his map to find his destination.

[Emerath 0]

The Waterfall of the Sage was thankfully one of the major landmarks pointed out on the map, and so Emerath knew he could find his way easily. The path even seemed to be fairly well laid out, and Emerath decided that it must have been designed specifically for the purpose that Dirke was using it for. Emerath was a bit mystified as the rain seemed to let up as he got closer to the waterfall, and most sounds seemed to cease as he drew nearer. The sounds of the animals were gone, and all the man could hear was the thundering of the waterfall in his ears. A bit closer, there was a plateau, where he saw multiple people, Dirke included, kneeling in meditation. "I suppose all of this makes sense," Emerath said, as he walked up to the plateau. Approaching Dirke, he saw the man's eyes were closed, and he knelt down next to him.

[Emerath 0]

Emerath put a hand on the man's shoulder, before saying, "Dirke. Dirke, are you there? I need your help real quick..." But Dirke didn't even so much as stir in response. The man was deep in meditation, and Emerath didn't think he was going to get through to him. Emerath sighed, as he sat back on the stone of the plateau, and then leaned back, putting his arms behind his head and looking up at the sky, prompting Mist to fly up into the air before landing on his chest and looking down at him, a bit concerned. Emerath smiled at her, telling the owl that everything was okay. That he had just wanted to rest a moment. Mist hooted in concern, but it was too late, Emerath's eyes were closed, and the soothing sound of the waterfall carried him off. His breathing grew light, and before he knew it, he was asleep.

[Emerath 0]

Within an instant, Emerath was awake, and Mist was on his shoulder as he stood in a pitch black room. He couldn't see anything, but he could feel the owl on his shoulder and hear her breathing alongside his own heartbeat in the stifling darkness. "Where...? Am I dreaming?" he asked confused, and Mist gave a weak hoot in response. He could hear her heartbeat alongside his own, and it was rapidly increasing. Was it because of the darkness? Or because of something in it? What could she sense that he couldn't? And almost as if in answer, a pair of glowing eyes and a pure white smile appeared directly in front of Emerath, and he just about jumped out of his skin as he cried out and took a step back from the sudden apparition. "What... who are you?" Emerath stammered as the mouth simply grinned, before a light appeared in front of him, and four doors appeared.

[Emerath 0]

In the darkness, each of the four doors lit up, and then a spotlight fell on Emerath himself, as well as the apparition in front of him, which was a dark and featureless shadowy figure, which simply pointed to each door in turn. The first, was a simple white door, adorned with an anvil and hammer. The second, an oak door adorned with a sword and shield. The third, a door you would see on a log cabin, adorned with what appeared to be gashes made by claws in the wood, as if mauled by a bear. The final door appeared scorched, and still had embers dancing around it, as if whipped by the wind constantly. And yet, the embers in the door remained lit, never going out. Just giving an eerie glow in contrast to the darkness of the room. Emerath blinked, and looked back to the shadowy figure, who simply signaled to enter the doors, before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

[Emerath 0]

Emerath sighed, "What a dream this is..." he muttered to Mist, before walking up to the first door, the one with the anvil and hammer. "Maybe this is why it's a bad idea to not sleep for a long time..." he said, before putting his hand on the handle, and turning. It opened easily, and swung open to reveal Teion's blacksmith shop. The woman was hard at work at her anvil, sweat on her brow. She looked up, at first a smile on her face, but the smile quickly twisted into a frown as she saw who stood at the entryway. "Oh, it's you," she said, which prompted Emerath to look around to ensure that she was talking to him. Emerath nodded a bit weakly, still not fully understanding what was going on, before Teion stood up and stomped over to the man from across the room. She pulled him into the shop, and before Emerath had any real time to react, she had thrown him to the floor.

Combat Begins:

Spoiler

<<Emerath's Inner Demons: Teion>>
--COMBAT START--

HP: 80
Damage: 8
Mitigation: 2

Edited March 18, 2017 by Emerath

[Emerath 0]

Emerath was more than a bit surprised by the fact that Teion was manhandling him, and he quickly turned around only to watch her raise her hammer to strike. Emerath cried out, but Mist was there in a flash, clawing at Teion and causing the woman to stagger backwards in surprise as she muttered, "Stupid bird, get off me!" Mist screeched and then flew back to Emerath's shoulder as the man managed to regain his footing. He looked at Teion in utter shock, "What do you think you're doing?!" he cried out, but the woman gave no response. All that greeted him was a scowl and a swinging hammer, as Emerath made an attempt to block. The block did little against the metal head of the hammer though, as he felt the hammer strike hard against his forearms, and watched as his HP bar dropped slightly in response. "That was utterly uncalled for, and you know that. Now explain what is going on!" Emerath shouted as he went into a fighting stance.

Combat Results:

  Hide contents

ID: 79825
BD: 3
CD: 1
LD: 13
MD: 9

Emerath's Action(s):

• Attempted Strike | Miss: -2 EN
  • Emerath's EN: 32 -> 30

Teion's Action(s):

• Attempted Strike | Critical Hit: +1 Damage
  • Teion did 8 + 1 = 9 Damage to Emerath
    • Emerath's HP: 320 -> 311

Round Results:
Emerath - 311/320 HP | 30/32 EN
Teion - 80/80 HP

Monster Reference Data:
<<Emerath's Inner Demons: Teion>>  - 80 HP | 8 DMG | 2 MIT

Edited March 18, 2017 by Emerath

[Emerath 0]

Teion refused to give Emerath answers in regards to her fury, and Emerath refused to fight her without just cause. Though, if she kept swinging at him like this, that might be cause enough. Emerath simply growled at the woman, who growled in return, before swinging the hammer again. Emerath made a motion to duck, but the hammer still managed to clip his shoulder as he went down. He held the area which now glowed a bright red from the blow as he stood and pointed at Teion, "Look, I get that you have a beef with me. You have every right to that, but hitting me is uncalled for. Explain yourself, explain what is going on, and let's do this without fighting." Teion scowled, but finally started speaking, "You want answers? Fine. How about how you not only lied to me, but then decided to up and leave all this time without so much as a warning. I'm going to kill you, you idiot!"

Combat Results:

  Hide contents

ID: 79838
BD: 4
CD: 12
LD: 4
MD: 6

Emerath's Action(s):

• Natural Energy Regen: +1 EN
  • Emerath's EN: 30 -> 31
• Attempted Strike | Miss: -2 EN
  • Emerath's EN: 31 -> 29

Teion's Action(s):

• Attempted Strike | Hit
  • Teion did 8 Damage to Emerath
    • Emerath's HP: 311 -> 303

Round Results:
Emerath - 303/320 HP | 29/32 EN
Teion - 80/80 HP

Monster Reference Data:
<<Emerath's Inner Demons: Teion>>  - 80 HP | 8 DMG | 2 MIT

Edited March 18, 2017 by Emerath

[Emerath 0]

Emerath found himself backing up away from the woman. She was out for blood, but a part of him still believed that he could talk her down from this. They had been friends, and a part of this felt more real than just a straight dream. He wasn't sure that the game hadn't somehow projected his normal consciousness into another part of the game. As if he was actually fighting Teion. As farfetched as it sounded, it made him hold back, to the point that he kept backing up until he hit the woman's counter behind him. "Look, we can work this out, I promise. There's no need for bloodshed here. We're talking life and death. You don't want to be an orange player, and neither do I. Please listen to me Teion." But the woman gave no quarter, once she had realized that Emerath had backed himself against a wall. She gave a battle cry and swung the hammer once again, prompting Emerath to raise his arms to block once again. It didn't absorb any of the blow, and his HP bar dropped once more.

Combat Results:

  Hide contents

ID: 79842
BD: 2
CD: 1
LD: 12
MD: 6

Emerath's Action(s):

• Natural Energy Regen: +1 EN
  • Emerath's EN: 29 -> 30
• Attempted Strike | Miss: -2 EN
  • Emerath's EN: 30 -> 28

Teion's Action(s):

• Attempted Strike | Hit
  • Teion did 8 Damage to Emerath
    • Emerath's HP: 303 -> 295

Round Results:
Emerath - 295/320 HP | 28/32 EN
Teion - 80/80 HP

Monster Reference Data:
<<Emerath's Inner Demons: Teion>>  - 80 HP | 8 DMG | 2 MIT

Edited March 18, 2017 by Emerath

[Emerath 0]

It didn't appear that words would solve this anymore. Emerath would have no choice but to fight for his life. But maybe if he could just stop her, calm her somehow. Emerath had nowhere to go, and with his back up against the wall the only way was forward. As expected, Teion made a lunge for him, and Emerath raised his arms to block once again, taking the blow full force. But this time, after the blow struck and his HP drained, Emerath grabbed her hammer and pulled her to him, striking her chest with a single, debilitating blow of his own. She staggered back, her face a sudden mask of shock as Emerath took the opportunity to slide around her to get more room to work with. "Look, I don't want to hurt you," Emerath said as his friend's HP drained, "This feels like a dream, and I want to believe it is, but in case it isn't, I need you to listen to me."

Combat Results:

  Hide contents

ID: 79849
BD: 6
CD: 4
LD: 10
MD: 9

Emerath's Action(s):

• Natural Energy Regen: +1 EN
  • Emerath's EN: 28 -> 29
• Attempted Strike | Hit
  • Emerath uses the Sword Art Embracer
    • Emerath's EN: 29 -> 25
    • Emerath Stuns Teion
    • Emerath does 6 Damage to Teion
      • Teion's HP: 80 -> 74

Teion's Action(s):

• Attempted Strike | Critical Hit: +1 Damage
  • Teion did 8 + 1 = 9 Damage to Emerath
    • Emerath's HP: 295 -> 286
• Teion cannot be Stunned for 2 posts

Round Results:
Emerath - 286/320 HP | 25/32 EN
Teion - 74/80 HP

Monster Reference Data:
<<Emerath's Inner Demons: Teion>>  - 80 HP | 8 DMG | 2 MIT

 

Edited March 19, 2017 by Emerath