[PP-F21] Digging in the Mines <<Katana Retrieval>> (Aereth)

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru gave a small sigh as he appeared onto the 21st floor once more. He had gotten into contact with Aereth, a player that he hadn't seen in awhile. He had recently ordered his first set of T3 Armor and was hoping to get it today, and today was the day that he would finally take his next step of his build, something that he had been planning for awhile. He would finally get his hands onto a two-handed weapon. He had taken time to choose between all of them, but he finally chose on the Katana, a weapon that he only knew a few other players to use. He had a knack for choosing weapons that not a lot of players decide to use, which made it interesting to realize. He gave a small sigh and waited for Aereth at the mining town's gate to see where they would be going first.

@Aereth

[Aereth 1]

When Aereth found the IOU from Hikoru in his shop, he couldn't help but to chuckle at the not. "Just like I remember him..." Aereth thought before fetching a teleport crystal out of his inventory. He recently stocked up on floor 21 crystals for the many gathering sessions he would have to do there. And with a flash of light, the brunette was gone. 

Reaching the 21 floor really fast, thanks to his crystal, Aereth immediately made his way over to the place Hikoru mentioned in the note. While partially running towards the mining town Aereth was able to pick up a total of four ore like crystals on the way. His loot equipment in combination with the scouting training he had received from Itzal, were doing their jobs pretty damn fine. 

When he finally reached Hikoru at the gate, Aereth slowed down, before extending his hand for a greeting. "Hey there. Just saw that you dropped by at my shop. I'm ready to roll, and I already found four materials on my way here, so lets go." Aereth said in a slightly exhausted voice.

@Hikoru

ID# 85163 results:
Loot: 16+5

Materials: 4

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru looked to see Aereth coming towards him. The scout-like player seemed to have grown a lot, and an orange crystal that registered in him as something he never asked him about. He would have plenty of time today to learn about it, but for now he nodded and stood, his cloak swaying slightly as he did so. He looked up and gave a sigh. Today he would be one step closer. He unsheathed Limbo's Fang and opened his inventory, placing it within and now feeling somewhat naked without his dagger underneath his cloak. He ignored the feeling and looked at the young player.

"We will get going soon, but first I have some important business to handle before I am really ready to go." He said quietly. He looked over towards a shop that was nearby, a blacksmith shop with a seemingly old-looking feel to it, like something from japan itself. He looked at Aereth and gave him a nod. "If you want to look around here for materials, it wouldn't hurt. I shouldn't be long." He said as he entered through the draped quilt that covered the door.

[Aereth 1]

It seemed Aereth was a little bit early, but hey, better to early than too late. He noticed that Hikoru was putting away his dagger into his inventory and was pretty surprised about that fact. Usually the Unique skill wielder was never seen without his dangerous weapons. "Sure man, I'll stay in this area and start looking for some of the mats around here." After that he turned around and started to activate his searching skill once more. Answer would have to wait until Hikoru was done with his business in the shop. 

With his eyes faintly glowing due to his activated searching skill, Aereth wandered about the area and tried his best to add some more tier three materials to the four he already found. This time however, it seemed like there weren't any around, so he decided create some distance between him and the safe zone, since you couldn't find any mats in safe zones...

@Hikoru

ID# 85164 results:
Loot: 2+5

Materials: 4

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru entered the shop and saw an old-looking NPC in olden japanese wear. He took off his shoes, as it was custom, and came over, kneeling on the mat that was there. The NPC raised an eyebrow as Hikoru pulled down his hood. Although he did his best to keep his identity a secret, many players and NPCs knew that he was the wielder of Shadowed Path, and one of the stronger players in this game. The master bowed respectfully and he bowed back, raising his head and looking him within his eyes.

"I see I am greeted by another master." He said, and the master nodded. The NPC's knew of the players doing their best to fight the creature they served, so he knew that helping him wouldn't hurt. "What can I help you for?" He asked. Hikoru motioned towards one of the katana's on the wall. "I would like to learn how to use one of these well-crafted swords." He said. The master gave him a nod and pulled out a basic Katana that was next to him. "This is something to start with, but im sure you can find better ones out there." He said. Hikoru took it with a respectful bow, and he gave a small sigh as he did so. "Thank you, and I hope we can meet each other again soon." He stood and gave one more respectful bow, then exited the doorway and came out. He didn't see Aereth anywhere, but he knew that he would be nearby. He struggled to move around with the klunky katana, but he knew he would get a better one in time.

+1 T1 Vanity Katana

[Aereth 1]

When he saw the entrance of a mine, Aereth thought about entering it, but then refrained from doing so. He needed to stick close to the location Hikoru was, since he would be out together with him for the day. As he slowly walked, he finally noticed how impressing this particular floor was. It was all gloomy, and the many lights were plain awesome. And maybe this floor would mark the start of Aereth's front lining career... Shaking his head, Aereth started to head back to the place where he left Hik, and finally found another set of four ores hidden under some stones. Crouching down while he picked them up, Aereth immediately stored them away, and continued heading back to Hik. 

When he reached the player, he noticed a change on his apearance. "Aaah. Now I understand..." he thought when he saw the Katana. "Seems like you are trying out new weaponry." Aereth exclaimed as he got back into hearing range of the other player.

@Hikoru

ID# 85165 results:
Loot: 10+5

Materials: 4+4=8

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru gave a small nod as he saw the player approach and he commented on his new weapon. It was easy to notice, as he couldn't entirely hide the weapon within his cloak and both ends stuck out a bit. He gave a sigh and took a look around. He noticed a crystal laying on the ground and he picked it up. Seeing that it was good, he pocketed it and got up awkwardly, still getting used to the Katana.

"Yes, thought i'd try the two-handed world. Dagger will still be for battles for now, but I hope to start using Katana a little more..." He said with a small chuckle. He also had curved sword sitting in the background just in case, but he wasn't much of a sword user. Katana was an exception, as he had always wanted to learn how to use one in the real world, and it excited him a bit, as he gave a small chuckle to himself. He nodded towards the caves. "Lets get moving."

ID: 85166

LD: 15+1=16 

Materials: 1

@Aereth

[Aereth 1]

Chuckling at the answer, Aereth simply nodded at the black haired player and added. "I can understand that. I too have recently grand mastered a two handed weapon skill in order to get a little bit of variety into my combat style, and now I'm working towards the next boss fight. I want to be ready. Maybe I can participate, maybe I can't, due to the fact that this will be the first tier three boss..." Again he shook his head and cleared his head once more. "How have you and the Celestials been lately. I've had a few run ins on Jon and Itzi, but it's been quite some time since I saw you the last time around. Oh, and I hope the armor turned out the way you imagined it to be." Aereth asked while Hikoru picked up a ore that was similar to the ones he had found earlier. "I hope you guys a doing fine, since I've heard that there aren't as much new players willing to join, than in the past."

@Hikoru

ID# 85167 results:
Loot: 3+5

Materials: 8

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru nodded as he walked. He asked about the guild and he thought for a few moments. He hadn't really caught up with them either, as he had been doing his own thing for the most part, going on his own mission to get stronger. He knew that there was the possibility that he could leave the guild, but he was still unsure of what to do about that. He was about to answer, when he heard something nearby. He immediantly reached for his dagger, and he remembered that nothing was there. He gave a sigh and grabbed for the katana, awkwardly unsheathing it and holding it tightly with both hands. It was a lot heftier than his other weapons, and it took him a moment to hold it up. He would definitely need to practice with this, but he knew that there was no way to learn this himself. He needed a teacher, and he had a certain player in mind. He looked back at Aereth.

"Stay here, something is nearby..." He said, then backed away slowly, entering stealth rapidly and shadows enveloping him. He shadow-door'd to a nearby vantage point and waited to see what would be nearby. He hoped that his Katana could give his damage a bit of a boost, but he would have to wait and see, and finally test this out.

Hikoru entered Stealth: 22+ to find

[Aereth 1]

Even though he had already found eight tier three materials up until now, Aereth still needed to find more, in order to provide his customers as well as himself desired equipment in the fastest time possible. His eyes glowed faintly once more, as he began to look for materials in the near area around them. With a sigh, Aereth deactivated the skill again after he didn't find anything. He then shook his head and let out a heavy sigh.

Then however, Hikoru mentioned how he noticed that something was nearby. Immediately Aereth got into his fighting stance, unsure what would happen next. He hadn't seen anything with his searching skill, but he would rely on the instinct and experience of the front liner. Even though he didn't like to just stay back and wait for Hikoru to go solo on checking out the area, Aereth still followed the order, and made himself ready for any attack...

@Hikoru

ID# 85247 results:
Loot: 3+5

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru listened quietly to his surroundings. It seemed to be something small, and dragging something metal, as the sound of scraping could be heard along the ground. After a few moments, a small, green-blue-ish creature appeared nearby. Hikoru watched hos movements and waited until he saw an opening, then struck, moving from his vantage point and attacking directly, swiping left and right until the creature was screaming in pain. He swiped with his pickaxe, and Hikoru nimbly dodged. That explained how the creature was making the scraping noise. He must have used it to either scare or attract predators and others of his kind. For now he didn't know, but he waited to see hows Aereth would do against it, and he let out a small sigh as he waited to see what would happen. At the moment he was curious as to what the Goblin was doing around here, as there were no gems that he could see in the walls. He would do his best to figure it out, but he wasn't sure.

ID: 85255

BD: 10 (+2 Damage)

Hikoru used Swarm: 14x20= 280*1.15= 332 Damage to Cave Goblin

Hikoru: 1295/1295 112/128
@Aereth: ???/??? ??/??

Cave Goblin: 308/640 DMG: 192

[Aereth 1]

When Aereth also finally was able to hear the noises of the stupid mob, Hikoru had already started his attacks. It was the first time Aereth was able to see such an impressive attack. "That unique skill is...." Aereth thought, and found himself at a loss of words to describe that furious and quick attack. Shaking his head, Aereth removed his cloak, and activated his flame aura enhancement. His armor got engulfed in white flames, and he started to charge at the mob. He needed to use the moment where the mob was still distracted with Hikoru for his own attack. While battling, Aereths mind was completely clear, no disturbances, no unnecessary thoughts. Just him and his goal. His left fist was starting to glow, and just before goblin was able to turn around, Aereth buried his fist directly into the lower back of the mean creature. With a swift jump he then created some distance between him and the mob, in order to brace himself for a counter attack.

@Hikoru

ID# 85263 results:
Battle: 7+3, HIT
Damage: 14*15 = 205 DMG

Hikoru: 1295/1295 112/128
Aereth: 800/800 64/80

Cave Goblin: 103/640 DMG: 192

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru held the bulky katana in his hands. It seemed very difficult to grasp, but he knew he could get used to it. He would need his own katana though, as this one wasn't anywhere near as good as he wanted it. It wasn't his shape, his form, his technique. He needed his own, and hopefully he could get some materials from today and use them to get a new katana, which would help him in the long run. He gave a small sigh and moved forward, trying to use Eternal Cyclone, but remembering that this wasn't a dagger. He changed his technique mid stride and jumped forward, striking the Goblin with a Shadowed Path Sword Art. It helped to focus on that, and he was able to attack much easier with the katana in his hand by using a Sword Art he had used before. Soon the goblin turned into nothing but pixels, and dropped a large amount of Col. He picked it up, noted it down, and put it into his inventory. He would split it with him later, but for now he was good with how much they had just gotten. He nodded at Aereth.

"I think were good now."

ID: 85267

BD: 3+4=7 Hit!

LD: 15+1=16 Loot!

ID: 85271 CD: 3 (6,475 Col)

Hikoru used Shadow Steal: 12x14= 168 Damage to Cave Goblin

Hikoru: 1295/1295 100/128
@Aereth: 800/800 64/80

Cave Goblin: 0/640 DMG: 192 (1920 Col)

Total Col: 8395 Col

[Aereth 1]

"I have to say, that your unique skill is really impressing. I never saw something like this ever before here in Aincrad." Aereth commented after Hikoru destroyed the goblin in an impressive manner. After that he changed back to his normal scouting equipment. After that he activated his searching skill to see if there were any other mobs in the near area. "It really seems we should be fine now." he then said, and noticed some more ores hidden behind a thin layer of dirt. Slowly walking over to the spot, Aereth picked all four materials up, and stored them into his inventory. "It really seems like I owe all of you some explanations for my sudden parting with the guild." Aereth then said to his black haired ex guild mate. "So if you have any questions I'll try and answer them if I can." he added in a calm tone.

ID# 85435 results:it
Loot: 12+5

Materials: 12

@Hikoru

 

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru sheathed his Katana as the young man complimented his Unique skill. He just shook his head with a sigh. He wished it could be better, that it could get stronger as he did, like Sutetchi did. He wouldn't complain however, as it still made him much stronger than he already was. For now it was okay with dagger, but it would be stronger when his Katana would be grandmastered, and he knew that it wouldn't take long for him to get stronger with it. He gave a sigh and held onto the katana awkwardly. It helped to distribute the weight on his hips, and made it easier to walk and turn. Now he understood why Baldur, the Katana Grandmaster he knew, would always rest his arm or carry the katana's that he wore. He said he would answer any questions, and he just shook his head.

"I only ask for one answer." He said, and gave him an intense look. "Are you truly happy with the path you walk?"

[Aereth 1]

Aereth didn't even have to think a millisecond about finding the right answer. "No." he simply said in an confident tone, staring back at the black haired front liner. "But some things need to be done, and for me this seems to be the path that I am the least unhappy with." True happiness? The last time Aereth felt anything like that was a long time ago. But doing the things he did, at least helped in keeping himself busy, and every time he took a life from a person he deemed worthy to die, Aereth felt more and more alive. "I can now use all the sh*t this world and the PKer scum threw at me, to make this place at least a little bit safer." To be completely honest, he very well might be the most dangerous single player in whole Aincrad, and the PK guilds knew that. 

@Hikoru

ID# 85450 results:
Loot: 6+5

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru listened and nodded. He understood where he was coming from, as he had his own mission to do that he truly didn't like, but it needed to be done. He opened up his inventory and got rid of the katana and re-equipped his dagger. The Katana was a nice add to his arsenal, but he still missed the light-weight weapon that he had come to love. He grabbed it out of it's sheath and he flipped it through his fingers, listening and thinking for a moment, then giving a small smile as an idea.

"Safe is always nice, but everyone needs a challenge, something to give them an adrenaline rush..." He said, then grabbed the hilt of his dagger. "How about we have a fight?" He said, sending the request to him, a Half loss duel for the two of them to enjoy. Whether he accepted or declined decided of what he would be doing, or they would leave here with the loot they had grabbed. "If I win, I get half the materials. If you win, you get the materials and half of the col. Sound like a deal?" He asked, wanting to give a bit of incentive towards the fight.

[Aereth 1]

Aereth already waited for the player to judge him, and tell him that he shouldn't do something that makes him unhappy, while picking up another set of four materials, but was surprised by the fact that Hik just accepted his answer and asked him for a half loss duel. Turning around to face the front liner again, Aereth shot a small grin at the man. "Yeah sure, I could also hand you half of my materials right now and safe some time for the both of us. Trying to rip off an old guild mate of yours... Hehe." Shaking his head, Aereth then locked eyes with the man and rose two fingers. "Although I would be in for the deal with two small additional rules to make things a little bit more fair for me. We battle for half of MY health, and no tier three armor on you. And if you don't like those conditions, I'll still battle you without any rules, but also without any rewards..." The brunette said, while pulling up his hood and facial mask. He was very eager to test his abilities against one of the strongest DPS units in whole Aincrad, but Aereth wasn't stupid enough to just give out materials for free...

The Master of Shadows versus The Demon King. Aereth got goosebumps just thinking about that battle...

@Hikoru

Aereth's stats:

Spoiler

Aereth

Level 41

Stats:
820 HP
82 Energy
+3 Accuracy
+3 Evasion
+48 Mitigation
12 Base Damage O.H.S.S.
14 Base Damage M.A.
 

Items:
Crow (Armor) +2 EVA, +1 MIT
Goldcrest MK.2 +1 MIT, +1 Flame Aura, +1EVA
Dexterous Intent (Ring) +3 ACC

Battle Ready Inventory:
Nightingale (Armor) +3 EVA
Sin of Valor (Weapon) +2 PARA, +1 BLEED

Mods:
 

Buffs:
 

Skills:
Rank 5 OHSS
Rank 5 Material Arts
Rank 2 Search and Detect
Rank 3 FM:Fighter
Disguise
Survival

ID# 85524 results:
Loot: 10+5

Materials: 16

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru gave a chuckle under his demands, and he understood . No Tier 3 armor was understandable, as the young man wasn't Tier 3 yet, or had any Tier 3 equipment as the materials from floor 21 were very rare on the market. He just gave another chuckle and equipped his old armor. It was a bit bulkier than his other one, but that was the point of the armor. He gave a small sigh as memories came back to him of the adventures with this armor, but soon he came back to reality and pulled up his hood and backed away into the shadows.

"May the best man win." He said slyly "Because I plan to." He then disappeared from sight. He heard some rushing water earlier closeby, and ran towards that. Once he was close enough, his cloak's ability activated and soon it shimmered near the water. He still had a clear shot at Aereth, and now there wasn't much of a chance that he would be discovered by him. He grabbed the hilt of his dagger and waited for the countdown.

ID: 85525

LD: 10 (No modifiers, just the plain LD roll) @Aereth

Stats:

Spoiler

Hikoru, Master of Shadows

Level 64

Stats:
1295 HP
128 Energy
+3 Accuracy
+3 Evasion
16 Base Damage
66 Mitigation

Items:
Limbo's Fang (Weapon) +2 Envenom +2 Blight [Tier 2]
Master of Shadows (Light Armor) +1 Evasion +36 MIT [Tier 2]
Eclipsed Pendant MK. 2 (Lucky Charm) +1 Evasion +2 Accuracy [Tier 2]
Sutetchi (Familiar): +9 Damage [Tier 3]
Flowing Illusion (Good item): (+4 Stealth rating in/near water via in-character Roleplay) [Tier 2]

Battle Ready Inventory:
+1 T2 Healing Crystal (Perfect)

Mods:
Athletics
Precision
Acrobatics
Sneak Attack

Buffs:
N/A

Skills:

Rank 5 Dagger
Rank 5 Light Armor
Rank 5 Sneak and Hide
Rank 5 Shadowed Path
Rank 3 Charge
Rank 1 Katana
Rank 1 Search and Detect
Rank 1 One-Handed Curved Sword
Rank 3 Familiar 
Concentration
Survival

Italics: Unlocked Skill
Underlined: Unique Skill
Bold: Max Rank

Hikoru entered Stealth: 26+ to be found

[Aereth 1]

Aereth knew that he had almost no chance against the unique skill wielding player. Not only was he about twenty levels higher than Aereth, with his unique skill Aereth would most probably never be able to catch up with the man. Simply nodding when Hikoru said that the best man should win, Aereth removed his cloak, and activated his Flame Aura. He would need to use everything he had in his arsenal, so that he at least wouldn't completely disgrace himself. Not even bothering to look for the master of shadows, Aereth simply got into his fighting stance, waiting for the player to strike at him. Maybe he could get some good punches in on the player before the duel would end.

Aereth now was completely focused, usually it would be unnerving to just be able to stand there and wait until you get attacked, but that didn't matter to Aereth. No fear, no nervousness just him and his goal. Cause as much damage to his ex guild mate as possible...

@Hikoru