[SP-09] On the Scorched Path <<Guardian of Fire>>

[Birdie 0]

"... takes two sleeps south to reach Inferno Cave, 'a fiery cavern constructed through an obsidian mountainside'." A feminine voice spoke, sitting on a grated metal bench.

"Two?... and you're sure there's no shortcut through a valley or something?" asked Birdie, hiding beneath a hood on the opposite side.

The Info broker snorted, "If there was, I'd charge you extra for it."

"Figures," the blue-haired fencer sighed, tapping a button to summon one gold coin. "There. Anything else I should know?"

"..." Raising an eyebrow, the broker looked at her customer expectantly. Expelling another huff, Birdie obliged and tossed in another coin. "Hm... now that you mention it, folks have mentioned needing to kill some Hell Hounds before gaining access to the boss room. First was a duo that killed six, second was a party of five who took out fifteen-"

"So it's safe to assume I'll be putting down three?" To her question, the broker nodded. Uneasiness set in the girl's eyes - two whole days of travelling was a long time, especially with the boss raid coming up soon. "G-great. Thanks for the info as always, message me if you find anything when the 22nd floor is open."

"Alright, but my prices'll are going up~"

She waved a hand, "Yeah, yeah. Till then...?" When the bluenette turned to see her good friend off, the stealthy player already disappeared into the shadows. Grr, wish she'd stop doing that...

Edited August 19, 2017 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

Instead of dwelling on the inevitable, she rose from the comfort of the iron grate bench and stretched a limb across her chest. Two whole days of travelling with presumably little rest in-between, she liked to think the broker was being facetious though the stealthy player wasn't one to over exaggerate.

There wasn't an obvious way to distinguish where the town's safety barrier would end - a short iron path led to the wilderness and as she crossed half-way over, a notification to say she'd left the no-crime zone appeared in the corner of her display. It was always quite daunting to leave the clutches of a town's safe zone - the thought of monstrously high-levelled PK'ers lurking in the wilderness would make even the strongest players shudder, though the ninth floor wasn't the most pleasant to roam and certainly wasn't popular enough for a murderer to hunt other players. These thoughts in combination eased her worries, and as she stumbled across a small set of materials, she stashed them away and ventured forth into the fiery domain.

ID# 88002  LD: 20+7 (+4 [T1 Mats])

Loot:

• 4 T1 Mats

Edited August 24, 2017 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

A short time passed. Sparing the occasional glance at her on-screen clock, the girl set off on her journey at around 08:42 and found herself an hour and a half South from the main town already. And yet, the bluenette couldn't help but think about how much longer she would have to travel - if the broker's estimates were right, it would be at least 20 hours more of straight travelling, maybe half that if the girl put some effort into it. She sighed to herself, It's times like these that I wish horseriding was a thing...

Not all was bleak. Although she hadn't been keeping a close eye on them, materials seemed to catch her eye every now and then, and she sat a total of eight after a couple of hours. Birdie wasn't entirely enthused about them- she hadn't much use for low tier materials, but they would come in handy when her shop re-opened its doors.

Some way off the path, a rock elemental that appeared larger than most mobs spawned. Birdie paused, gazing at the golem and then the path, and then back to the golem. Hmm... I have a minute to spare.

ID# 88025  LD: 14+7 (+4 [T1 Mats])

 

Loot:

• 8 T1 Mat

Edited August 24, 2017 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

A true beast, the <<Rock Elemental>> was made entirely of scorched rocks that each connected at the surface, allowing the arms free range of movement around its body. In lieu of facial features, a deep hole had been carved where its face should be, presumably allowing it some form of sight or enhanced senses. Its lumbering form trudged along the terrain, paying no mind to the world around it until a valid target would trigger its aggravation event.

Playing on the enemy's short aggro range, the bluenette crept up behind the <<Rock Elemental>> just enough to put herself 6 metres away; her favoured distance for performing Sword Arts. Lying low until a golden opportunity arose, the fencer unsheathed her rapier and waited patiently, learning from her past mistakes of being too quick on the draw. The Golem paused abruptly and twisted its head with sharp, brief movements- Birdie drew in a sharp breath and thrust her blade forwards, unleashing Over Radiation's devastating power to steal 25% of the mob's health.

ID# 88027 - BD: 3+3 - MD: 8-3
Sword Art used - Over Radiation: 12*14=168 DMG

[H:1] Birdie: 740/740 <> 62/74 <> 48 MIT
Rock Elemental: 504/672 <> 111 DMG

Edited August 23, 2017 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

Recoiling from the assault, the Rock Elemental swung its earthy arms in an effort to strike the bluenette. Her reaction speed outdid the rock as she ducked beneath its swinging appendages, though her efforts to enact another Sword Art were thwarted by Over Radiation's hefty post-motion delay. A growl escaped the girl as she was forced to evade a powerful kick and retreat to a safer distance; Her weapon relaxed, she took a second to evaluate the fight. Crap, if I were a tank that thing would've hit me twice by now. I'm being reckless by all accounts, and I should've noticed the post-motion delay... ugh.

Though painfully slow, the beast didn't allow Birdie a moment's rest as she danced between slam after slam. A glance at her display revealed the delay would lift soon and an instant later, the monster succumbed to a temporary stun after missing her and stumbling to its knees. Initiating her attack with a powerful thrust and mean kick off the ground, a blinding light surrounded the volcanic landscape as she unloaded a wagon of pain upon her target, barely knocking its health into the yellow.

ID# 88058 - BD: 2+3+1 - MD: 4-3
Sword Art used - Over Radiation: 12*14=168 DMG
Notice: Concentration used, 5 post cooldown

[H:2] Birdie: 740/740 <> 50/74 <> 48 MIT
Rock Elemental: 336/672 <> 111 DMG

Edited August 23, 2017 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

Battled waged on in the volcanic valley. Birdie and the Rock Elemental stared down one another, the girl's eyes pulling down whilst the beast stood still with its featureless face eliciting a low hollow tone.

Thanks to her choice of weapon, she was able to avoid each of its lumbering strikes with little to no effort and had been able to lay on the pain without remiss. It still required conscious effort to slide out of the way of each ground slam and fruitless swing, though the strategy had worked to her advantage so far and unless the Golem had a second phase of sorts, it would likely carry her through til the fight's end.

And that brought them back to the present, each opponent waiting for the other to strike. After a time passed with no movement, she began to wonder if the monster's AI had bugged out and left it unable to move, though a slight shift of her arm caused its body to twitch ever-so-slightly. She hummed, recalling her arm back to her side. I need to bait out its attack... oh!

ID# 88087 - BD: 1+3 - MD: 2-3
Sword Art used - Miss

[H:2] Birdie: 740/740 <> 49/74 <> 48 MIT
Rock Elemental: 336/672 <> 111 DMG

Edited August 23, 2017 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

She tested the waters by swiping two fingers through the air, and though the Golem seemed to shift once more, no further motion came from its body. As the menu came into existence, her hand gently caressed the display to drag open the inventory screen and pull out a low-tier material - one of the volcanic rocks she'd collected an hour or so earlier.

A flick of the wrist caused the stone to levitate briefly in the air before falling back to her palm, and she gazed at her target intently. She knew it was unnecessary - a simple charge towards the creature would bait out its signature ground slam and leave it wide open for an attack. That wouldn't have been very fun, and wouldn't have allowed her to carry out a little experiment.

A second later, the stone that was one in Birdie's hand bounced off the Golem's rocky armour. A low rumble that resembled a cry erupted from the beast and it immediately initiated a charge attack, causing her to swiftly evade and follow up with a powerful Sword Art.

ID# 88088 - BD: 9+3 - MD: 2-3
Sword Art used - Over Radiation: (12+1)*14=182

[H:4] Birdie: 740/740 <> 37/74 <> 48 MIT
Rock Elemental: 154/672 <> 111 DMG

Edited August 23, 2017 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

The post-motion delay's dastardly effects forced a cease of movement from Birdie. If she were fighting a faster enemy, this might've spelled disaster for the bluenette, though seeing as her opponent was still recovering from the attack by the time she regained control of her body, there wasn't any logical reason for alarm. After three long seconds, she had to retreat to avoid a punch and stopped just outside of the Golem's reach. Just one more attack would finish this fight off, gotta wait for an opening first though. I could bait out another attack but that's a horrible waste of materials, not to mention I could probably pull off an entire 14-hit Sword Art before it can react... She shook her head, N-no, it's not safe enough. I've gotten lucky that it hasn't tried any fast moves so far, but there's no telling whether or not a lightning punch is hiding up its sleeve... ugh.

ID# 88089 - BD: 2+3 - MD: 2-3
Sword Art used - Miss

[H:4] Birdie: 740/740 <> 36/74 <> 48 MIT
Rock Elemental: 154/672 <> 111 DMG

Edited August 23, 2017 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

"Seen any of them rocky mobs yet?"

That was the first thing Birdie's friend and most trusted Info Broker said as they met up earlier. She had to reluctantly deny seeing any, having never faced any enemies of a rock-like persuasion - Avalanche on the 4th floor was the closest thing that came to mind.

Now, she was able to see one of 'them rocky mobs' up close. A few fantasy books had given her a rough idea of what an elemental should look like; Obviously, the most defining feature being that it represent its designated element. The creature in front of her certainly fit the description, though it was a little less scary than expected, given its rounded body segments and shorter stature in general. Perhaps a bigger, more menacing Golem would spawn further out on the 9th floor.

In truth, she didn't care. Her target was on such little health that a single Sword Art would spell its demise. Tightly clutching her weapon, she breathed a steady sigh and prepared herself, looking for the best opportunity to strike.

ID# 88090 - BD: 2+3 - MD: 5-3
Sword Art used - Miss

[H:4] Birdie: 740/740 <> 35/74 <> 48 MIT
Rock Elemental: 154/672 <> 111 DMG

Edited August 23, 2017 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

No more fooling around!

A swathe of blue light enveloped her reinforced steel blade and she charged straight ahead for the attack, ignoring the earthy mob's imminent attack as her rapier's tip pierced its rocky armour. Two rapid jabs followed as she spun around and slashed, stopping sharply to dig her blade deep into the Golem's form. Pulling off another spin-slash, she followed it up with a quadrant of light thrusts and a miniature charge to knock the mob off-balance; a double spin-slash preceded the final blow, though the mob's hit points reached zero before it could connect. The unforgiving post-motion delay thankfully wasn't accompanied by the fear of being hit back, and she watched proudly as the mob burst into a thousand digital shards and prompted the much-welcomed 'Congratulations!!' window.

Some Col and a tier one piece of armour, she couldn't complain about that. What she could complain about, however, was the arduous journey that lie ahead - two sleeps due south to reach an infernal cave. The thought made Birdie shudder, though at least there would be some loot-worthy mobs to accompany her along the journey. Dismissing the window with a gentle flick, she sheathed her weapon and took off down the obsidian road; It's the only thing she would be looking at for a while.

ID# 88091 - BD: 6+3
ID# 88092 - LD: 11+3 - CD: 6
Sword Art used - Over Radiation: (12+1)*14=182

[H:5] Birdie: 740/740 <> 23/74 <> 48 MIT
Rock Elemental: 0/672 <> 111 DMG

Loot:

• 2016 Col
• Tier 1 Rare Armour
• 8 T1 Mats

Edited August 23, 2017 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

~~~[one arbitrary time-skip later]~~~

Birdie stumbled up and over the final mountain of ash separating her from <<Inferno Cave>>. Her journey began at around 8:42am and she arrived in just under 33 hours, granted her gross lack of sleep had hastened the process by a great degree.

The jaws of the cave seemed ominous in every true sense of the word: its interior was pitch-black save for the flickering of flames deep within the cavern's throat, and the outside was completely unguarded by mobs of any kind. Come to think of it, the girl couldn't recall seeing Golems or imps for a few hours back, though she shrugged it off as mere negligence of her surroundings and pushed onwards toward the entrance. Perhaps it wasn't advisable to venture into a potentially dangerous place in her sleep-ridden state, though she was beyond the bounds of logic and rational thinking at this point. Each step carried her closer and closer, and she drew in a breath of anticipation before entering the dungeon's cold clutches.

Switching Seasilk Vest and Vanguard Signet for Finder's Keeper MK-II and Seeing Eye Bracelet

NRG Regen: 1 of 3

Edited August 23, 2017 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

Immediately after Birdie passed through the entranceway, a thin cloud of fog blocked her exit. Soft yet mysterious BGM triggered and the lighting exposed more of the cavernous interior, revealing numerous rocks and- unsettlingly- skulls of creatures which had presumably fallen to the dangers lurking within. The floor was as dark as night & made of obsidian whilst the roof appeared a strikingly dull shade of grey, and both colours merged on either side of the wall in a subtle blend.

Birdie set her curious eyes around the room before advancing onwards, not stopping to appreciate any of the impressive details. She hadn't come to the cave to sight see - she'd come to reap experience points and back out once it became too much trouble. The one thing that did manage to catch her eyes were a small set of volcanic rocks a short way into the throat of the tunnel, and she scooped them right up for safekeeping purposes.

ID# 88107  LD: 11+7 (+4 [T1 Mats]) 

NRG Regen: 2 of 3

Loot:

• 2016 Col
• Tier 1 Rare Armour
• 12 T1 Mats

Edited August 24, 2017 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

For as long as five minutes, Birdie kept venturing through the throat of the cave without happening upon any resistance. The broker have spoken of a sub-objective before one could face the boss- after paying a surplus of Col, mind. It was unlike the shadow-dwelling girl to pass on false information, much less demand an extra for it, but at the rate the search was going she wasn't confidence that the cave could stretch on for much further.

The light within the cavern had been on and off, flickering and wavering gently from spouts of fire spewing up from the floor. Focusing her eyes, she could just about make out bright room ahead, its interior constructed from bricks and tiles of a similar colouring to the cave. Whether or not her sub-objectives lie within those walls, she thought to switch out her search-enhancing gear for the Vanguard Signet - a chunky ring bearing the symbol of an infantryman - and her Seasilk Vest, which had been considered Vanity up until a new inventory slot was freed up.

ID# 88109

Switching Finder's Keeper MK-II and Seeing Eye Bracelet for Seasilk Vest and Vanguard Signet

NRG Regen: 3 of 3

Edited August 24, 2017 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

The room's arched entranceway chimed a deep tone as Birdie passed through, and the gates that went unnoticed by her slowly to close up. Once both doors contacted one another, a click sounded to signify they were locked, shortly followed by a parade of footsteps emanated from within. She could feel her heartbeat increasing as visions of regrets poured through her thought-stream; Would she be able to do this, were the monsters too strong, was this a bad idea? Despite herself, she lifted her weapon and adjusted her stance to accommodate any Sword Art. It was a well-lit area so visibility wasn't an issue and on one of the lower floors no less - quests monsters appeared to be overall weaker than the floor standard.

Three heads emerged from the shadows, at first she mistook them for the quest's very boss but that was quickly laid to rest, seeing as the heads were in no way connected. A blue sheen encapsulated her weapon as she stepped forwards and lunged into a 3-hit thrust attack, connecting with the first of the Hounds before its form burst into a small explosion of shards. Two left.

ID# 88110 - BD: 4+3 - MD: 6-3 - CD: 3 (-10 HP)
Sword Art used - Accel Stub: 12*3=36 DMG

Birdie: 730/740 <> 72/74 <> 48 MIT
Hell Hound: 0/30 <> 50 DMG (BD9 = 75 Damage || BD10 = 100 Damage)
Hell Hound: 30/30 <> 50 DMG (BD9 = 75 Damage || BD10 = 100 Damage)
Hell Hound: 30/30 <> 50 DMG (BD9 = 75 Damage || BD10 = 100 Damage)

Edited August 24, 2017 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

Compared to Over Radiation's post-motion delay, Accel Stub was pleasantly brief as Birdie regained control in a third of the time. That wouldn't stave off the Hell Hounds' desire to tear her apart however, and each beast took their chances to sink their teeth into the girl's digital flesh. Sidestepping with ease, she slashed the second dog's torso in passing and swiftly activated Accel Stub, performing the very same action as before to sink her blade deep into the mob's form. Like the first, it howled and shattered an instant later and left the final one to grieve over its fallen comrade, conveniently giving bluenette time to recover without fear of retaliation.

Sparing a brief moment from the battle, she eyed a large door on the opposite side of the room to the way she came through. All was silent within, though the flickering light that seeped through the space beneath the door was telling that something stood on the opposite side.

ID# 88112 - BD: 3+3 - MD: 5-3 - CD: 7
Sword Art used - Accel Stub: 12*3=36 DMG

Birdie: 730/740 <> 70/74 <> 48 MIT
Hell Hound: 0/30 <> 50 DMG (BD9 = 75 Damage || BD10 = 100 Damage)
Hell Hound: 0/30 <> 50 DMG (BD9 = 75 Damage || BD10 = 100 Damage)
Hell Hound: 30/30 <> 50 DMG (BD9 = 75 Damage || BD10 = 100 Damage)

Edited August 24, 2017 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

A searing wave of air blew through the room, causing Birdie to cover her eyes and lose sight of the Hell Hound. Minor panic overwhelmed her as she watched her hit points drain slowly, though the effect didn't last long enough to do any meaningful damage and she breathed a marred sigh of relief.

Seizing the opportunity of attack, the Hell Hound darted towards her with unseen speed and lunged towards the bluenette whilst baring its teeth. A sidestep rendered the attack obsolete as the beast wound up slamming into a wall, though the girl didn't have it in her to charge up a Sword Art and strike back just yet. As time drew on, a new fear started to brew within her mind - if she ventured further into the cave/dungeon, there was no telling how hot things would become down low. Birdie's eyes turned toward the door once again, hoping that whatever lied behind it would lead to the quest's completion.

ID# 88113 - BD: 1+3 - MD: 5-3 - CD: 9
Sword Art used - Miss

Birdie: 730/740 <> 69/74 <> 48 MIT
Hell Hound: 0/30 <> 50 DMG (BD9 = 75 Damage || BD10 = 100 Damage)
Hell Hound: 0/30 <> 50 DMG (BD9 = 75 Damage || BD10 = 100 Damage)
Hell Hound: 30/30 <> 50 DMG (BD9 = 75 Damage || BD10 = 100 Damage)

Edited August 24, 2017 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

Snapping back to the action, Birdie drew in a lungful of heated air and swung her rapier backwards, holding it an angle behind her to initiate a Sword Art. 

Accel Stub's light swallowed Tempest Fleuret whole and as soon as the girl stepped forwards, the auto-assist system took care of the rest; Her body was flung towards the Hell Hound at breakneck speed and before the mob could have a chance to react, its health bar had rapidly declined to zero.

Frozen in a post-motion delay, she held a lunging stance for half a second until finally being released by the system. The Hell Hound's digital shards drifted through the air and faded upon reaching the ceiling, and the quest's first criteria was accompanied by a tick to inform her she'd completed the first half. A fresh objective read clearly, 'Defeat Cerberus'.

Behind her, a low rumbling emanated as the large doors slowly creaked open. Now the real fight starts...

ID# 88114 - BD: 6+3 - CD: 6
Sword Art used - Accel Stub: 12*3=36 DMG

Birdie: 730/740 <> 67/74 <> 48 MIT
Hell Hound: 0/30 <> 50 DMG (BD9 = 75 Damage || BD10 = 100 Damage)
Hell Hound: 0/30 <> 50 DMG (BD9 = 75 Damage || BD10 = 100 Damage)
Hell Hound: 0/30 <> 50 DMG (BD9 = 75 Damage || BD10 = 100 Damage)

Edited August 24, 2017 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

Cerberus was a mean, lean, three-headed jaw-biting fighting machine. Before the doors had a chance to open up by themselves, the quest boss burst through and broke the hinges, causing two giant stone doors to fly across the room and crack the walls on either side. Birdie's eyes went wide at the display of sheer strength, though the knowledge that the showing was akin to a cutscene did calm her down somewhat; Unless the boss actually possessed an inane amount of strength, she wouldn't be flung across the room like a helpless ragdoll.

A beastly roar shattered the air as Cerberus rolled for intimidation - only to be halted by a rapier to the face. The bluenette initiated one of her lesser used Sword Arts - Shooting Star, a charge-type attack that would the enemy with a single devastating attack. One thing she hadn't accounted for was the post-motion delay on charge attacks; The trade-off for an immensely fast and powerful attack was the lengthy period of inactivity that came afterwards. Two full seconds passed before she regained control of her body, though the beast's wailing persisted for a full second more.

ID# 88116 - BD: 4+3 - MD: 2-3 - CD: 11
Sword Art used - Shooting Star: 12*7=84 DMG

Birdie: 730/740 <> 61/74 <> 48 MIT
Cerberus Head#1: 0/30 <> 80 DMG <> 10 Burn <> (BD 9/10 || Full phase))
Cerberus Head#2: 30/30 <> 80 DMG <> 10 Burn <> (BD 9/10 || Full phase))
Cerberus Head#3: 30/30 <> 80 DMG <> 10 Burn <> (BD 9/10 || Full phase))

Edited August 24, 2017 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

No second phase, She noted mentally, Maybe it gets a little buff after each head dies but it kinda looks like it's just in a lot of pain... some of these bosses are a little underwhelming. Ever since the Cardinal system  reworked the first ten floors, the bluenette held onto the hope that some of the quests had been revamped, if not completely remade to feature a higher difficulty. Perhaps she wasn't in the right to be disappointed - after all, these floors weren't meant for higher players. This quest would prove quite a challenge for those of a lower level, and the girl had to remind herself that she was ever-so-slightly inching away from that demographic.

Before Cerberus had even recovered from the first, Birdie unleashed a second charge-type Sword Art and struck the beast down once again, and its final head wailed with twice the pain now that its brothers weren't alive to share the burden. One more, she thought, and this would all be over.

ID# 88117 - BD: 6+3 - MD: 3-3 - CD: 2 (-10 HP)
Sword Art used - Shooting Star: 12*7=84 DMG

Birdie: 720/740 <> 55/74 <> 48 MIT
Cerberus Head#1: 0/30 <> 80 DMG <> 10 Burn <> (BD 9/10 || Full phase))
Cerberus Head#2: 0/30 <> 80 DMG <> 10 Burn <> (BD 9/10 || Full phase))
Cerberus Head#3: 30/30 <> 80 DMG <> 10 Burn <> (BD 9/10 || Full phase))

Edited August 24, 2017 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

Birdie looked up to the boss, rapier in hand. Her last two attacks caused Cerberus to wallow in pain and self-pity, having defeated two of its heads already leaving one to take the reigns. If the girl didn't know any better, she would think that an AoE Sword Art from herTwo-Handed Straight Sword skill would have been enough to smite each head, though there wasn't any guaranteeing that.

The post-motion delay was cruel but manageable, and she recovered with a small grunt before facing the beast again. Waiting out another short cooldown, she swung her rapier directly behind and initiated a third Shooting Star, this time to end things for good.

Shing!

A few seconds later her rapier was embedded deep in Cerberus' final skull, and the boss' health fell to zero. It stumbled backwards onto its hind legs, holding itself with a single paw until it couldn't muster the strength to stand - just as the three-headed Hound was about to fall over onto its side, the mob exploded into spectrum of crystals, and the lights which once illuminated the room dimmed out.

Two days walking and three hours of sleep let to that moment... Birdie just wanted to go home.

ID# 88119 - BD: 4+3 - CD: 10
Sword Art used - Shooting Star: 12*7=84 DMG

Birdie: 720/740 <> 49/74 <> 48 MIT
Cerberus Head#1: 0/30 <> 80 DMG <> 10 Burn <> (BD 9/10 || Full phase))
Cerberus Head#2: 0/30 <> 80 DMG <> 10 Burn <> (BD 9/10 || Full phase))
Cerberus Head#3: 0/30 <> 80 DMG <> 10 Burn <> (BD 9/10 || Full phase))

Final Loot:

• 2,016 Col
• Tier 1 Rare Armour
• 12 T1 Mats

Edited August 24, 2017 by Birdie