[OP-F1] The Novice Knight Needs Help

[Balmung 0]

Balmung was glad for the change of scenery. The vast openness of the plains was beginning to get tiresome, and his luck with harvesting Mats had been so bad he'd considered trying to set the entirety of the fields on fire, not that he thought that was possible. He held high hopes for the forest, and if he was lucky, he might even get to try his hand at combat.

When he saw his companion draw forth his weapon, Balmung decided to quickly unsheath his own. As his trusty longsword slid forth from the scabbard, the blade rubbed against the metal catch around the mouth, causing a "shing" sound to echo about within the scabbard. It was a pleasant noise that always made Balmung crack a bit of a smile. And seeing Winik arm himself with his shield, well, that gave Balmung the idea the idea that he needed to get his own. Perhaps he would take up that career in blacksmithing after all.

As they neared the forest edge, Balmung spotted a something glistening beneath the surface of a small brook that they passed over. He paused for long to bend over and pick it up, and when he held it in his hand, the system alerted him that this was a useful item.

"Hey, Winik. Is this one of those materials that we've been looking for all day?" called Balmung, an excited gleam shining in his eyes.

Spoiler

Roll Results

ID#: 86660
LD: 20
Result: Balmung found his first Tier 1 Mat

 

[Winik 0]

Spoiler

Roll Results: ID# 86661

LD: 5

No mats found

Winik turned his head to look over his shoulder, eyebrow raised in question.  It took him a moment to realize what he was looking at and a large smile broke across his face.  "That's exactly what we're looking for.  You see, here, mats can be anything you need it to be once it is in your inventory.  This is great for craftsman, as you can trade in mats and even if you are a cook they can use it for tailoring.  Unfortunately, I'm still not finding anything myself," Winik prattled on, his disappointment in the lack of success wearing on him.  He knew it wasn't Balmung's fault, it was just wearing him down.  'I need more mats,' he thought to himself, 'I'm running out of mats quickly with all the crafting I've been doing.' Winik strolled through the forest, the dappled light streaming through the boughs of the trees.  He took a deep breath, sheathing his sword and swinging his shield onto his back once again.  He rolled his shoulders, making sure the shield was sitting snuggly. 

Edited July 14, 2017 by Winik

[Balmung 0]

Balmung was joyous when Winik confirmed his suspicions. He opened his menu and dismissed the item to his inventory. The first of many small victories, he hoped, and it was exactly what Balmung needed to lift his spirits to their normal lofty heights. 

As the pair of warriors traveled through the forest, Balmung took in the new sights and sounds. It was cooler here, underneath the canopy of the forest, and small shafts of light descended down through the openings in the foliage. The grass was softer and more sparse than out in the plains, and winding, green vines climbed effortlessly up the trunks of tall, straight trees. 

A chorus of birdsong had replaced the sound of the rustling grass from the plains, and every so often one could here the running of the streams of water that flowed through this forest. It was a beautiful place to search for materials, really, and Balmung did his best to keep his eyes open for more of them.

Spoiler

Roll Results

ID#: 86663
LD: 12
Result: Balmung returns to finding nothing. As he should.

 

[Winik 0]

Spoiler

Roll Results: ID# 86689

LD: 7

No mats found

Winik trudged deeper into the forest, his boots splashing water high into the air as he quickly crossed a stream.  His boot caught on a root on the opposite back, upsetting his balance and sending him reeling forward.  Quickly he stuck out his right arm, catching himself on a tree on the bank.  He craned his neck over his shoulder, trying to find what tripped him in hopes it was a usable mat.  No such luck, the root appeared to laugh at him in his delusional mind.  He grumbled under his breath, cursing his fortune in this endeavor.  He felt like an embarrassment, talking big about being able to help and then not being able to do anything.

He mounted the bank, the trees over head grew denser as the shadows deepened.  Winik himself had never been out this far, but he wasn't going to let Balmung know that.  He kept trekking onward, trying to find those elusive mats.

Edited July 14, 2017 by Winik

[Balmung 0]

Balmung saw the armored man before him begin to go tumbling forward out of control. He tried to reach out his left hand as fast as he could and grab hold of Winik, but he was too slow. Luckily, he saw that Winik was able to catch himself against a tree, saving himself from colliding with the root-covered forest floor below. It seemed the forest could be a dangerous place, even without having run into any mobs yet. Perhaps Balmung should concentrate a little more on how he placed his feet as they moved forward and not get completely lost in searching for Mats.

"I don't mean to sound rude, Winik, but perhaps you should slow your pace a bit," cautioned Balmung, "It would seem the forest might not be on our side today either from the look of that root that nearly sent you into a pitch."

Spoiler

Roll Results

ID#: 86691
LD: 4
Result: Balmung needs glasses, for sure.

 

[Winik 0]

Spoiler

Roll Results: ID# 86694

LD: 19

+1 Tier 1 mat found

Winik looked back at Balmung, an apologizing smile on his face.  "I'm sorry about that, just getting a little flustered is all.  I'll try to be more careful." Winik squared his shoulders as he turned back around, pulling himself to his full height.  He strolled deeper into the darkened forest, eyes and ears alert to the sound or movement of any mobs.  Every now and then he would cast his gaze up into the boughs of the trees above him, taking in the shifting leaves and swaying branches.  On the fourth gaze upwards, he noticed something in the trees above them.  He stopped, holding up a hand so Balmung wouldn't run into him and pointed.  "See those apples?  If I pick one it will just be labeled as a Tier 1 mat in my inventory, but if I wanted to use it as an apple when I use my cooking skill I can.  Hell, I could use it as some sort of other fruit if I wanted." He jumped as high as he could, snagging one of the apples before falling back to the Earth. The rest of the apples were dislodged from their branches, falling all around the duo before shattering into crystals.

Edited July 15, 2017 by Winik

[Balmung 0]

Balmung beheld the beautiful spectacle of the apples despawning as they hit the ground around them and were transforming into dazzling polygons of pure light that seemed to wither away into glowing dust. Truly, there was beauty to this virtual world which could never be obtained in the real one. 

Balmung tried to focus on his searching for Mats, not wanting to let Winik get ahead of him. Treating their gathering like a competition was enough to spur Balmung onward, allowing him to ignore his failures from earlier that day. He truly did not want to fall behind his new friend, wishing to prove himself an equal, even though he was not nearly as experienced as Winik was. But it seemed that his determination would not be enough, as he didn't come across anymore materials as they trudged onward. 

He decided to keep his head up, hoping he wound find something else along the way.

Spoiler

Roll Results

ID#: 86695
LD: 4
Result: Balmung is a failure once again.

 

[Winik 0]

Spoiler

Roll Results: ID# 86696

LD: 14

No mats found

Winik flashed Balmung a smile, letting the apple despawn into his inventory. "I'm going to tell you the truth, I haven't been this far out so I have no clue what kind of mobs we could run in to.  Are you okay with taking some on if we have to?  If not, I'll make sure we can make it back to town.  I just have a feeling I can trust you to have my back." His face had grown solemn, only to brighten as he said his final words.  He did trust Balmung, there was something about him that he liked.  He clapped his companion on the shoulder, before turning around to continue onward.  He didn't draw his sword, nor swing his shield forward for at the moment he felt there was no need.  He could arm himself quickly enough should he need to and he didn't want to worry his new friend before there was a call for it.

Edited July 15, 2017 by Winik

[Balmung 0]

Balmung's ears perked up when Winik mentioned possibly running into mobs. He had yet to participate in any real combat, but Balmung was used to swordplay in the real world. In fact, it was his practiced of historical combat that made him interested in playing Sword Art Online in the first place. And it was his study of European longsword techniques that made him choose that weapon in this game. He felt he would be more than ready if they ran into any low level mobs while in this forest. 

"You know, Winik, I think the two of us could take anything this forest will throw at us."  said Balmung, wanting to acknowledge the unusual trust he had in the swordsman he had been traveling with.

Spoiler

Roll Results

ID#: 86697
LD: 9
Result: Balmung is heavily considering visiting and optometrist.

 

[Winik 0]

Spoiler

Combat Results:

ID# 86698

BD: 1

A swing and a miss

Winik strode forward, beckoning Balmung to follow him.  He made his way, weaving between roots and under branches, deeper into the forest.  All was quiet, except for the sound of their boots beating a rhythm against the forest floor.  Suddenly, a howl split the air around them, sending Winik's hair standing on edge.  He held up a hand, stopping Balmung, and crouched down.  Peering between the trunks of trees, Winik could see a Dire Wolf standing in a clearing sniffing at the ground.  "This is our chance.  We can get some loot to make up for the lack of mats found, and you can get some experience.  Follow my lead."

Winik shrugged his shield forward, firmly affixing it on his arm, and drew his sword from its scabbard.  He rushed forward, his sword enveloping in a bright blue light.  He yelled as he slashed downwards, but the Dire Wolf leapt to the side and avoided his attack completely.  His blade buried itself in the ground as the post motion delay caught up to Winik, freezing him in place.
 

Spoiler

Winik: HP- 60/60 EN- 4/6

Balmung: HP-60/60 EN- 6/6

Dire Wolf: 30/30

 

Edited July 15, 2017 by Winik

[Balmung 0]

Spoiler

Beginning of Turn

Winik - HP: 60/60, EN: 4/6, Hate: 0
Balmung - HP: 60/60, EN: 6/6, Hate: 0
Dire Wolf - HP: 30/30

At first, Balmung was taken aback by the appearance of the Dire Wolf. They had been all over the plains, and had already traveled pretty deep into the forest, but this was the closest that they had gotten to any mobs. When Winik rushed forward, it brought Balmung back to his senses. 

Winik charged in first, but the the Dire Wolf sensed the attack was able to leap out of the way. This was exactly what Balmung was hoping for, as he had already took the stance to activate the sword skill «Snake Bite» and the mob was now firmly in his line of attack. As Balmung began to move, the system took over, guiding his strikes through the cycle as necessary to complete the usage of the sword skill. 

All three hits of the sword skill struck true and hard, carving deep red wounds across the Dire Wolf's body that revealed the wire frame skeleton of its mesh underneath. Balmung had intentionally targeted what he presumed would be weak points on the Dire Wolf, and from the results of his attack, he must have been right. Hopefully the battle would keep going this smoothly. Balmung would hate to die in his very first taste of combat.

Spoiler

Roll Result

ID#: 86702
BD: 10
Result: Balmung gets +2 Crit on «Snake Bite»

End of Turn

Winik - HP: 60/60, EN: 4/6, Hate: 0
Balmung - HP: 60/60, EN: 3/6, Hate: 2
Dire Wolf - HP: 18/30

 

Edited July 15, 2017 by Balmung

[Winik 0]

Spoiler

Dire Wolf's Roll:

ID# 86704

MD: 8

The Dire Wolf was knocked back from the attack, flipping through the air to skid across the ground before slamming into a tree.  It scrambled to its feet, shaking its head to reorient itself.  It snarled, bending its front legs and baring its teeth at Balmung.  With a loud growl, it leapt through the air.  It hit the ground, charging the poor armor less adventurer.  It crashed into him, its teeth closing around his shoulder.

Spoiler

Winik's Roll:

ID# 86704

BD: 7

Winik charged his sword skill, Snake Bite, releasing the skill and letting the system carry him forward.  His sword smashed into the wolf, blow after blow smashing against its body.  The last blow struck the wolf in the side of its chest, knocking it off his companion.  Winik spun on his heel, placing himself between the wolf and his new friend.  He raised his shield, looking over it at the creature, but it wasn't any good.  He didn't know it, but Balmung's attack had been a critical. This drew more aggro than Winik's tanking.  But Winik was going to do everything he can to protect his friend.

Spoiler

End of Turn

Winik - HP: 60/60, EN: 2/6, Hate: 1
Balmung - HP: 60/60, EN: 3/6, Hate: 2
Dire Wolf - HP: 3/30

 

Edited July 15, 2017 by Winik

[Balmung 0]

Spoiler

Beginning of Turn

Winik - HP: 60/60, EN: 2/6, Hate: 1
Balmung - HP: 57/60, EN: 4/6, Hate: 2
Dire Wolf - HP: 3/30

Balmung felt the sting as the Dire Wolf closed its jaws around his shoulder. The force of the large beast colliding with him as he took as step back. It was strange. Even though he had taken the damage and felt the pain, the experience of combat was exhilarating. Balmung could feel a craving for more rising up inside him.

He shook the wolf free, and as it sprang back to ready itself for another attack, Balmung saw Winik hit it with a vicious combination attack using his own «Snake Bite» sword skill. Seeing as how they were having such success with it, Balmung gave it another try, once again taking the necessary stance, causing the blade of his longsword to be surrounded with a glowing aura.

Balmung sprang forth, feeling the system take over his actions again. It was a good feeling, he could feel each these guided hits making contact with perfect edge alignment. Each strike dug in deep and sliced with expert skill, causing the Dire Wolf to feel the full force that weapon's powerful strokes. And as the light faded from his blade and Balmung could feel control of his body return to him, the Dire Wolf exploded into tiny polygonal shards of red light and quickly faded away to nothingness. A notification accompanied by a small chime appeared before him, alerting him of the mob's drops.

Spoiler

Combat Roll Result

ID#: 86705
BD: 7
Result: Balmung finishes off the Dire Wolf.

End of Turn

Winik - HP: 60/60, EN: 2/6, Hate: 1
Balmung - HP: 57/60, EN: 1/6, Hate: 3
Dire Wolf - DEAD - Drops 90 Col

Loot Roll Result

ID#: 86706
LD: 17
CD: 10
Result: Balmung receives an «Unidentified Tier 1 Uncommon Consumable», hecks yeah.

 

[Winik 0]

Winik sheathed his sword, clapping his compatriot on the shoulder with a wide smile plastered across his face.  "It's good to see you made it through the fight in one piece.  I wouldn't say I got worried for ya, but I didn't want you to get hurt any further than what you had to deal with." He headed across the clearing, gazing around to see if he could find any more mobs.  When he didn't find any, he turned back to Balmung. "I heard the notification at the end of the fight.  What did you get? Anything good?" Winik strolled over, placing a hand on Balmung's shoulder and smiling at his new friend.  He loved getting loot, but he wasn't disappointed with his friend getting it.  He had a good amount of col from that frontliner, he just wanted gear.  He loved his gear, both new and old.  He couldn't get enough of them.

[Balmung 0]

"It seems like I have something that'll need identifying later," said Balmung, turning his head to face his friend before continuing, "Some sort of uncommon consumable it appears."

Balmung was pleased with his performance in the combat. He had outdone his own expectations, and he had hoped that he proved himself a valuable companion for Winik to have by his side. He was also trying to deal with that feeling of exhilaration that came over him during the fight. Balmung had always been who enjoyed outmaneuvering, overpowering, and bamboozling his opponents. But never had he been one to revel in taking blows from his opponent. It was something that left him with questions he needed to ask himself and an unsettling feeling in his gut.

"So, you think we should push onward, Winik?" he asked.

[Winik 0]

"That is an excellent idea.  You've shown me you are more than able to take care of yourself and I don't think we should be in much trouble should we find ourselves against anymore mobs," Winik chatted cheerily.  A glance in his upper left corner of his HUD showed that both Balmung's and his HP and EN gauges were filled completely once again.  Winik rolled his shoulders, cracking his neck from side to side in attempt to loosen it up.  "I didn't get to do much in that last fight and I'm itching to really put my gear to the test.  So, as long as you're okay with it, I say we go mob hunting since neither one of us was having much luck with the mat gathering.  We might be able to get more mats from loot drops and if we take too much damage or lose too much energy we can always mat hunt while we recharge."

[Balmung 0]

"Well, Winik, I would say that we could probably take on some more of the mobs around here. I don't think there should be anything that would give us too much trouble. Save we get overrun by some foul cretins," said Balmung, with a chuckle, not realizing he had slipped back into his roleplaying voice.

While still trying to catch his breath from that last battle, Balmung had once again turned his attention to scanning the forest around them for anywhere that might look like a good place to locate materials. Eventually, he happened upon an old and weathered stone which tough tree roots had writhed and wriggled through, cracking it several times over and reducing it mainly to rubble, held together only by the network of roots encapsulating it. Balmung picked over the spot for a few moments before realizing that it was pointless to search there any further.

Spoiler

Roll Results

ID#: 86853
LD: 3
Results: Balmung's usual, nothing found.

 

[Winik 0]

Winik smiled to himself, noticing his compatriot's slip back into his old self.  He rolled his shoulder, flicking his wrist to draw his sword back out into the open.  "I think if we follow the stream, we'll find more of those mobs." Winik mused aloud, flinching when ear splitting howls ripped through the air.  "Or they'll come to us!" Winik shouted out, trying to alert his compatriot before the mobs were upon them.  Two dire wolves tore through the brush, bursting into the clearing with fangs bared.

Spoiler

Winik's Roll:

ID# 86930

BD: 1

Winik charged the nearest Dire Wolf, not bothering to charge up a sword art. His sword flashed through the air, flashing in the dappled light filtering through the leaves.  He misjudged his free room and embedding his blade into the trunk of a nearby tree.  'Great,' he thought. 'First it was the boars and now the wolves.  I can't hit the broadside of a barn at this rate.' He clenched his teeth as he felt the color rise in his cheeks.

Edited July 19, 2017 by Winik