[SP-F1] An Emerald for the dragoness <<DHA pt 1>>

[Zandra 0]

A dagger flying towards me. It twirling in the air as the sharp blade approach me. It gets closer and closer. The one that had thrown it is impossible to see. His shape is just a blurry shadow, like when you taking an photo out of focus with a camera. The sun is reflecting in the shiny blade of the weapon. I wanted to dodge the weapon, or at least move. But my whole body was frozen in place. My mind started to panic as the deadly projectile cleaved the air. Was this going to the end of me? Would I die from a dagger throwed by someone I cant even see the face. I screamed out to my muscles to move. I drop of sweat rolled down my forehead. What to do, what to do? Then suddenly, the blade that had flewed thru the air with a handle of black leather… stopped, hovering in the air.

Spoiler

<<Dragon Hunter Anthology - Dragon Hunt 1: the Emerald Hatching>>

This quest takes place on Floor 1.

This quest CANNOT be repeated.

You must complete this boss before fighting any further dragons in the DHA Series.

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After a while in being in SAO more bosses we’re only going to be discovered in a amount of time… however, recently a group of information brokers hired some explorers to check out a mysterious castle that had appeared on floor 10, on arrival they couldn’t get in no matter how hard they tried… not even Aincrad’s best Scout could get in. And on the door there are 9 crystal slots, which presumably you needed 9 specific gems to get in, then miraculously they had found a dragon protecting an emerald in the plains of floor 1, it was said that the dragon hatched not too long ago and no matter what they tried they couldn’t get the Emerald from the dragon. They ask of you for help, maybe collecting all 9 will meet in grand fortune?

 

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Rhaegal - the Emerald Hatchling

HP: 125 - MIT: 25 - ACC: 0 - EVA: 0 - DMG: 50

 

Abilities:

<<Cute Rawr?>> On a LD roll of 17+ when this boss attacks, this boss will make a very adorable sound that somehow freezes your character in place, removes all evasion properties.

 

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Recommended Level: 10

Post Limit: 1 Page (20+)

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Rewards:

1 SP - 500 Col

<Rhaegal’s Emerald> [Vanity Quest Item] : 1 of 9, collect all 9 and meet whom that waits before you, only then will you get the grand prize.

 

[Zandra 0]

I gulped as I stared at the vibrating metal that was just inches infront of my eyes. I didn’t get it. What was happening? Then I saw the shadow approach as well. Still my muscles didn’t followed my commands. What the heck was going on? He or she was still to blurry to see any facial features. But I could see the mouth open. ‘’Hello Zandra.’’ The voice sounded so familiar, but I couldn’t remember from where. ’’What, you not going to greet me back?’’ It was a man, and he sounded like he actually didnt cared a single bit if I replied or not. I blinked several times to get focus on him. Was gonna try to rub my eyes, but my hands wont still not obey me. ‘’Wh- who are you?’’ I succeded to say with much trouble. ‘’What? You don’t know who I am? That’s hurtfull. Stab!’’ and the dagger continued its flight straight thru my head.

[Zandra 0]

My eyes went wide open and my rose into sitting position in a moment. ‘’A- a dream.’’ I whispered to myself as I looked around at my surrondings. The four walls that built up my bedroom, the big dubbel-bed that I now used alone. I was safe. As long as Im staying inside, there wont be anything anyone can do to harm me. Or that was what I thougth until a few seconds ago. My breathing was heavy and I felt both my pyjamas and bed-clothes was soaked in sweat. I fell back on the pillow, taking deep breaths as I tried to focus my thougths. This dream, who was that man? Why was he throwing a dagger at me? I closed my eyes. For second time in not that long, Ive felt the terrible frightened feeling to being killed. Killed is something I wont be, but it is possible.

[Zandra 0]

To recover, I layed in bed for a few hours. Well, not that there was anything better to do. My days these last months have been filled by nothing. I don’t know how many weeks in a row I didn’t even left the house after his visit. As soon as I looked thru the window I saw several shadows of hodded players. But on second look I was just and oddly shaped rock or log. And when I finally took the courage to leave the safety of the house, I was fully armoured and equipped, with at ready inventory filled with potions and crystals. Also, when I went into the settlement and warped down to floor one, my eyes darted from player to playe and in every third of them I saw a potential player that was out, hunting for my head. Thou not even a single person did any moves against me. Quite the opposite, they walked around me.

[Zandra 0]

But of course I wouldn’t blame them for avoiding me. There was mostly low levelled players down at floor 1. Since there wasn’t much to do here for higher levelled players that have the col to live on fancier places. As well as the equipment to make the ones being sold here looking like a joke. I smirked when I thougth of my very first weapon I ever bought after arriving to this death-game. Even back then I was inspired of having a dragon-themed outfit and weapon. And now, two years later, my armour was still based around a dragon-theme. Thou now it was about a fier dragon instead of ice. On second thougth, that was fitting with my personality as well. Back then, I was just a cowardly lite piece of [censored]. That was to scared to even talk to players looking like my current self, a giggle left my lips.

[Zandra 0]

So now, when wearing one of the best non-demonic armours and maybe also the strongest weapon. Well, when it comes to dealing with many mobs at once, it was clearly superior. I just cursed the game’s system to not allow me to upgrade it to the next tier. Since it actually started to lack behind now when everyone else have tier 3 weapons. Also those developers nerfed the chance of the fallen damage to trigger. But, since there was no way to contact them, there wasn’t really anything I could do. So as I walked thru the street, all the others made sure to keep distance to me, like I was infected. A few of them even turned around and headed another way when they saw me approaching. I let out a sigh. This wasn’t what I had expected when I came down here from floor sixteen to make a quick errend.

[Zandra 0]

And on second thougth, maybe it wasn’t because of my hgh quality armour and weapon. It was actually a possibility for the reason to because of my relationship with her. Thou that would be stupid. They wouldn’t avoid me only because Im friend with her, nah, that was stupid. So kept walking down the street, moving further away from the center towards the outer district. And as I came further and further away from the warp plaza, the number of people avoiding me decreased. Well, that’s because the number ofpeople I met decreased as well. When I have walked for quite awhile I finally reached my destination. There was no one to be seen around these neighbourhood. And when I passed the last house corner with a smile on my lips and saw the small square infront of me, I immediately stopped. What I saw was definitely not what I had expected.

[Zandra 0]

I just stood there, frozen on the spot as I looked at the small café just a few dozens of meter infront of me, ‘’The moonlit star café’’ was written above it. Thou the letters saw old and battered. Like it haven’t been taken care of for a long time. The same was with the front of the café itself. The window was broken and the door was half open. A few chairs and tables outside had falled mover and layed on the side or upside down. There was no cozy light inside that it have been last time I visited here. What the heck had happened? There even was some markings of fire on the wall on the outside. This was definitely not what I have expected when I decided to visit this that I haven’t seen in such a long time. I fell down to me knees and felt my eyes starting to get wet.

[Zandra 0]

This couldn’t be. I had finally remembered a place where I was accepted. I not doubted that Mirasa would turn her back to me. Neither the owner of the café. Both of them had been so kind to me. In several ways. How could a café just close nd go to ruins like this? It just wasn’t fair, but this world probably never would be fair. At least not until we clear the 100^th floor. And if we going to keep up this speed, it will take years. ‘’I just hope all those guilds that is searching for the boss room will find it soon.’’ I said in a sad tone as I slowly pushed myself up into standing position. My eyes kept looking at the cozy café, a tear rolled down the cheek as I slowly approached the entrance. Even before I have entered the building, it bringed back memories from back then.

[Zandra 0]

As I reached the battered door, I raised my hand to the handle. When I took a steady grip around it, I paused. Would I really wanna do this? I had no clue of what to find on the other side. I gulped to gather some courage. After all, if you die you disappear into nothingness. So there was no risk of me seeing a corpse laying around. But I still couldn’t get his weird feeling. A feeling that even if there wouldn’t be a corpse, something was wrong here. I closed my eyes and took a short breath before pushing down the handle and open the door. I slowly opened the door and my eyes at the same time. When the door was wide open, I took a few nervous steps inside. And now, I was inside the café I visited so long ago. The café where I first did something with the man I was gonna love, and still do.

[Zandra 0]

I felt weird, to standing in here after over a year. Yes, it must have been over a year since I last visited this café. I looked around and the condition it was outside continued inside. Tables and chairs was thrown on the side and some was broken. The floor was filled with broken glasses and plates, big spots which seemed to be from wine and also smudged out pies here and there. I could recognize at least one of them was one of those blueberry pies I loved so much. Would I never been able to eat one again? I took a moment to rember the taste. It was so good. Even thou I know it was just radioactive signals or something that stimulated my brain to make me believe it tastes good. And really it only is ones and zeros. Ones and zeros that can kill us thou.

[Zandra 0]

I started to walk around in the café. Totally forgetting that there could be a player killer anywhere nearby, and at the moment I wasn’t on my guard at all. Would be so easy to ambush me and if they gets the first hit, Im probably done for. But lucky me, that didn’t happened. So I kept searching the place of memories from the day with Marisa. That’s when I saw one of the tables. It still had a half eaten blueberry pie on it as well as a few bottles of sake. I froze in place and just stared at them. It couldn’t be could it? No, it probably was someone else. But when I walked to it, it was standing just like I rembered it. And on the chair on of hers gloves laid. I picked it up and looked at it. It was all dusty and it had lost its bright colour.

[Zandra 0]

I let out a sigh. Actually, there was no reason for me to waste any more time here. I shuld probably leave and go do some training. Have to be ready for that upcoming boss fight. So I laid back the glove and started to leave the café. But when I was just at the opening, I saw something that I should have seen earlier. It was a piece of paper that was stuck on a wooden pillar with a dagger. I pulled out the dagger and threw it on the ground. Then I started reading the note. My ruby eyes went back and forth across the page. Faster and faster as the puzzle started to come together. I even red it and extra time to make sure I haven’t misunderstood the message. A small light of hope have lighten in my chest. There was still a possibility I could them.

[Zandra 0]

I left the café with new hope in my heart and a shadow of a smile on my lips. At first I was just walking fast, but after a hundred meters or so it turned into a jog. Would I really be able to see her again? Instead of going thru the middle of the town that was the shortest way, I took a way around to not run into the crowded streets. My legs carried me forward and soon I had ran thru the gate and out into the wilderness. The note said that Marisa and the café-wonder had went out on a quest just outside of town. A quest about receiving an item from a dragon. Since it was on floor one, I guess it would be pretty easy for me. So if they wasn’t there, I could still beat that dragon and get the nice quest reward.

[Zandra 0]

Why I got out from the town I had opened my map to see where I could find this quest boss. It seemed to not be that far away. So I just followed the map for and hour or so. Had slowed down the jog to a fast walk instead. That’s when I saw it. ‘’Oh my god. Kawaii!’’ I said out loud when I saw the green dragon hatchling. I had red in the quest description that I only need to kill this guy to complete the requirments for the quest. So I took a steady grip of my teo-handed darkened axe and charge forward. Only a second later I was right infront of him. ‘’Hello cutey. I really don’t wanna do this.’’ Then my axe started to dance. Several slices, hits and stabs made red markings on the ancient reptile. I saw as its health quickly ticked down to zero before it bursted into blue and hite crystals.

ID: 87629
BD: 2+3(acc)+1(consentration)=6 Hit! 7*23=161-25=136
MD: Dead before action

Zandra: 1,435/1,435 (135/142)

Rhaegal: 0/125 -DEAD-

Reward:
Rhaegals Emerald

[Zandra 0]

I leaned my black axe on my shoulder as I saw the pixels slowly fade away into nothingness. It had really been a cute mini-boss. But now was no more. Well, at least for a little while. It psrobably will respawn in not that long time. I looked down at the reward screen. Just as expected, there was no regular loot from this. A small giggle as not even the bosses down here gave me any normal loot. Thou I got Rhaegals Emerald. ‘’Oh. Looks fancy.’’ I said as I took it out and looked at it. Then I putted it back in the inventory and took a look around. In case there was gonna be some kind of thing that triggers when the boss is dead. But nothing spawned and there was not a single notice in any way. So I just shrugged my heavy armoured shoulders. ‘’So, that’s it hen I guess.’’

[Zandra 0]

So, now it was time to do what I really came here to do. To complete a quest was good that’s true. But its not that I need to do quests nowadays. My level is already high enough and the gears Im wearing, there probably is nothing that I would like to exchange it too. Then I looked down on my handwraps. Or rather my gauntlets with the handwraps under. To have one of those enchantment slots go to total waste when I combined it with my axe wasn’t good. I actually should hv got another item that would fit better a long time ago. But I have been way to lazy to do anything lately actually. But if I was planning to get back into being more active, I needed to take my responsibility as a frontliner and do like I have done these last months. I needed to get my ass out of the couch.

[Zandra 0]

But just to get my ass out of the couch, that wasn’t the reason why I came here in the first place. No, I went here to hopefully find Marisa. When I rembered that, I scanned the surronduings with my reveal skill. If it could find dungeons, shouldn’t it be able to find players as well? But sadly, not even a single player was spotte. The hope I had felt when I red the note that was stuck on the pillar in the café with a dagger, it was slowly starting to fade away. But instead of abandon everything and just leave to go back to floor sixteen and my home, I decided to check out the surrondings. Maybe there was some kind of clue that was hidden. A clue that would give me a hint of their whereabouts. Like that, I searched for at least several hours without success.

[Zandra 0]

I let out a deep sigh as I looked at the sky. The sky had started to get darker. The day was slowly going for night. So it probably would be best to head back to town. Not that I was scared or worried about being attacked by any mobs. Here on first floor, no mobs was of any danger to me. That was both a good and a bad thing thou. To be so powerful that you don’t have to worry about mobs, means you don’t have anything to engage for a challenge. The only thing lately Ive been afraid of was when I thougth Rohk,s kid and also when me and several others was trying to defeat a huge turtle with a few ships. If I just had known that it would strike at the passengers as well. If I just had weared any armour on that day.

[Zandra 0]

Well, there is nothing to do about that now. At least nothing except earning from it. And that I surely have. After that, Ive never entered an event or boss fight unarmoured. Mostly not unbuffed either. But Im getting more and more relaxed  with my armour on. So lately, Ive started to skip the buffing side. It just isn’t worth it. Well, the sun is going down and its time to head back home. Home to floor sixteen. Hine to the beach house that I once shared with the man I love. But now that we have walked our separate ways, I lived in that big house all by myself. With that thougth in my mind, I walked thru the gates to the town of the beginning with heavy steps. This day have sucked. To start with finding my longtime ago friend being gone, and then finish the day with the thougths of the man that left me. Hope tomorrow will be better.