[SP - F1] <<Feeding The Enemy>> The One becomes Two

[Sotarou 0]

And Sotarou was ready to end this fight here and now! Keeping his stance relaxed, he readied and activated ANOTHER Han'ei while the Boar, typically, charged around to bash him to death! Not like it'd actually do anything... but he definitely wanted to still end the fight quickly so he didn't empty his energy again. Though even if that happened, it wasn't the end of the world. It would just be a long, drawn out fight again. Not like it was gonna be hard... just lengthy.

(( ID 117696 - Battle: 3; MOB: 6; Both miss ))

Sotarou got a little too greedy with his strike this time... he was trying to swing while tensing up! It was throwing off his aim! No! Stop it, Sotarou! You must trust yourself... let your body swing for you. Instead of swinging with determination... swing with the thought of 'This is boring.' That's the mentality that he needed to have right now... and that's what he was going to do from this point on.

- Health List -
<Sotarou>          80/80 HP || 9 MIT ||  5 DMG || 2 ACC || 1 EVA || 2/8 NRG (+1)          <Han'ei>

<Boar>              8/40 HP || 0 MIT || 12 DMG                                            <Boar Charge>

Edited May 27, 2019 by Sotarou

[Sotarou 0]

Sotarou took a breath... steadying... calming... even as the Boar charged for him, he was calm. Still. He was focused... nothing could slow him down... he was... at peace... and peace was the way. Peace was the call. And in peace, he was all. He was his blade. He was the air around the blade... the Boar charging him... he was everything... and he was nothing... and with that... he swung his blade.

(( ID 117697 - Battle: 7; MOB: 7; Sotarou hits, 1 EVA, Boar misses ))

The wind parted from his blade, the blade found the Boar, the Boar moved to the blade, everything... was right... and so was the Boar's death, as Sotarou's blade cleaved into the beast, felling it and causing it to disappear into pixels.

(( ID 117698 - Loot: 1; CD: 3; No extra loot dropped ))

The beast dropped 120 Col and 4 T1 Materials. Sotarou smiled at that. More mats were always nice to have. Now... he had to continue looking for that damned Wolf... sun was starting to get high in the sky... it would start getting hot soon... and while this armor was light enough to move in... it was still metal. He was just glad he wasn't on a Desert floor... there's no way he'd survive there for long... not in this gear, at least. But he didn't let those thoughts guide him. Instead, he let his desire to beat this game do that.

- Health List -
<Sotarou>          80/80 HP || 9 MIT ||  5 DMG || 2 ACC || 1 EVA || 1/8 NRG (+1)          <Han'ei>

<Boar>             -2/40 HP || 0 MIT || 12 DMG                                            <Boar Charge>

Edited May 27, 2019 by Sotarou

[Sotarou 0]

(( ID 117699 - Treasure Result: Loot: 15+2 [Trinket], Treasure Chest found! ))

(( ID 117700 - Loot Result: Loot: 2+2 [Trinket], loot acquired ))

Sotarou was celebrating after his clean kill and suddenly tripped over an extended branch... as he did so, his face fell near another lifted branch, under which he found... a treasure chest! Well then! Suddenly treasure! He opened it up and inside... was 50 Col, 2 T1 Materials and 2 <<Unidentified Uncommon Consumables>>. He stowed the acquisitions away and continued his quest for greatness! And the Wolf. Of course the Wolf. But then again, the Wolf was part of his quest for greatness! And turning in this quest, <<Feeding The Enemy>>, would put him one step farther on that path to being great! Like Macradon!

Looking around for spots the Wolf might have gone, he found... another cave! This one was one he hadn't been to before... but the last cave had Material nodes... maybe this one had some as well! That, and it might also be a spot to find the Wolf. Again with the whole... hiding in a safe location and whatnot. And so... Sotarou began his delve into the second cave of the day!

Edited May 27, 2019 by Sotarou

[Sotarou 0]

Sotarou looked around and it didn't take long to notice a material node. Guess he was right: caves were an abundant source of Material nodes! He made a mental note of that for the future... he just hoped RNG wasn't such a bitch in here now... otherwise, he'd have to just resort to monster hunting to get the stuff he wanted... But as it was, he figured he might as well try to get some more materials while his energy recuperated. And so, Sotarou pulled out that Pick and started getting to work on the node.

(( ID 117829 - Loot: 15; 1 T1 Material ))

His luck was with him again, as his pick hits solidly and spawns a T1 Material from the node! He was doing well! On to the next Node, while his eyes scanned the area for that Wolf again... it had to be around here somewhere... or maybe he was just deluding himself. Maybe Wolves don't behave like that in SAO. Maybe they'll just park it under a shaded tree. He'd check there at some point, but for now... he was in a cave and mining. Might as well look here. It was too bad he didn't ask Macradon about where he found his... maybe he could have checked there first...

Edited May 27, 2019 by Sotarou

[Sotarou 0]

And Sotarou looked around for another node nearby, spotting it quite easily. These lower levels were littered with the things. And the mobs were all Yellow, so they wouldn't aggro on sight. Which was a good thing because near him was a Boar that was close enough to be within aggro range... wait, how are boars in caves now...? Ehh. Questions for later. Right now, he was just glad it hadn't spotted him- aaaaaaaand it had spotted him. Well, at the very least, it didn't attack... thankfully. So he took the time while he wasn't being accosted by the mob to try and gather from the node before he'd turn to it.

(( ID 117830 - Loot: 10; No Materials ))

This one wasn't as fortunate... ah well. Win some, lose some. And he was hoping to win some against this boar as he drew his Katana and readied for battle! Remember... don't focus... let the body move. Let it do what it wants to do. It's going to do so anyway... might as well go with the flow!

Edited May 27, 2019 by Sotarou

[Sotarou 0]

And so, Sotarou took his stance and readied to fight the boar! As he made an aggressive move towards it however, the Boar started its fighting self as well! So it turned into a heated battle soon after! But Sotarou was in his element now! He was ready for this! And so he began with a Han'ei to start things off, while the Boar did its usual thing of charging forward and trying to gore the player who initiated Aggro with it!

(( ID 117831 - Battle: 4; MOB: 8; Sotarou misses, Boar hits ))

And the opening salvo wasn't all that entertaining... as the strike he made wasn't enough to carve, glancing off the Boar and dealing no damage... however the Boar got a neat little hit into Sotarou... it didn't really hurt, just wounded his pride! I mean, seriously! A low level mob like this managing to hit him when he couldn't get a hit in edgewise? Come on! He was better than this! And he would prove it! Not just to himself, but to J and to everyone else home, waiting for him to wake up from this nightmare!

- Health List -
<Sotarou>          76/80 HP || 9 MIT ||  5 DMG || 2 ACC || 1 EVA || 6/8 NRG (+1)          <Han'ei>

<Boar>             40/40 HP || 0 MIT || 12 DMG                                            <Boar Charge>

Edited May 27, 2019 by Sotarou

[Sotarou 0]

That was actually a curious thought though... how were their bodies in the real world...? Would they be brought to the hospital and monitored, kept alive...? What about the people who died...? Who were killed in this death game...? Was it even really a death game...? Was J just walking around in the real world, glad that the reality of death in here wasn't real at all? It wasn't something he could think about for long, as that Boar was getting ready to strike again! Sotarou readied himself for the attack and readied another Han'ei to strike at the Boar, while the Boar did its usual thing: swing around and charge! They were nothing, if not predictable.

(( ID 117832 - Battle: 2; MOB: 1; Both Miss ))

This boar wasn't having the best of luck either, since it completely flopped over and failed to even touch Sotarou. But Sotarou was just the same, almost. He didn't lose his balance, at least. He just failed to hit because the Boar flopped. Ah well. Fails all around. Nothing to do but try again.

- Health List -
<Sotarou>          76/80 HP || 9 MIT ||  5 DMG || 2 ACC || 1 EVA || 5/8 NRG (+1)          <Han'ei>

<Boar>             40/40 HP || 0 MIT || 12 DMG                                            <Boar Charge>

Edited May 27, 2019 by Sotarou

[Sotarou 0]

Getting ready for another attack, Sotarou looked on as the Boar got back to its feet and swung back around for another assault! It was gonna be another one of those fights, where he just had to rely on his normal attacks to finish it off, likely... unless he got his hits in here... even if the Boar hit him in kind, he didn't mind so much. He could take the damage for quite a while. His armor was doing well to hold up to the pounding. Either way, Sotarou readied another Han'ei as the Boar just ran towards him at full tilt!

(( ID 117833 - Battle: 7; MOB: 2; Sotarou hits, Boar misses ))

This time, Sotarou hit true! Maybe this wouldn't be SO much of a slog at least... his damage output was decent with his skill and blade... the accuracy he has doesn't hurt either... he just had to learn to trust the Cardinal System... the very system that held everyone captive... he had to learn... to trust a murder-death-kill machine...

- Health List -
<Sotarou>          77/80 HP || 9 MIT ||  5 DMG || 2 ACC || 1 EVA || 4/8 NRG (+1)          <Han'ei>

<Boar>             30/40 HP || 0 MIT || 12 DMG                                            <Boar Charge>

Edited May 27, 2019 by Sotarou

[Sotarou 0]

And once again, it was another back and forth. The Boar did some damage, Sotarou did some more, it was a fight... but it was one fight that Sotarou was determined to win! And win he would, because he wouldn't give up! Not without a fight!

(( ID 117834 - Battle: 10; MOB: 2; Sotarou +2 Crit! Boar misses ))

"You hear me!? I'm not lyin' DOWN!" And his shout seemed to resonate with his blade, causing it to pulse with power... as his Han'ei seemed to explode with more energy than what he'd given it initially, causing a massive damage boost! The Boar, stunned by this strike, was unable to make any sort of retaliatory strike!

His thoughts went to home... home life, learning how to handcraft Katanas... they were never for actual use... more just for show and status... it was only the wealthy clients who could afford a hand-crafted Japanese Katana, made in the Dinosaur style... right now though, he was starting to miss that Dinosaur style... he just hoped he could get home one day... he'd never play a game again in his life...! But right now, he had to play THIS game to KEEP his life! Of course, he could just stay in Floor 1 and survive there... but... what would that accomplish? Hiding wasn't living... it was no better than dying... so instead... he focused on what he could do: fight... and survive.

- Health List -
<Sotarou>          77/80 HP || 9 MIT ||  5 DMG || 2 ACC || 1 EVA || 3/8 NRG (+1)          <Han'ei>

<Boar>             16/40 HP || 0 MIT || 12 DMG                                            <Boar Charge>

Edited May 27, 2019 by Sotarou

[Sotarou 0]

Renewed by his powerful strike, Sotarou readied another Han'ei to strike the Boar again as it charged around to attack him! He WOULD win this fight now! It was inevitable! And he loved it that way!

(( ID 117835 - Battle: 9; MOB: 5; Sotarou +1 Crit! Boar misses ))

His power was waning, though. The energy surge that kicked him over was still there, and it helped him deal a stronger blow... but he was quickly losing energy... and that was bad. So... he had to end the fight quickly. And of course, the Boar didn't get a hit in because the strong hit against it...

Or maybe that wasn't the case... maybe it was just how the algorithm made it appear. Maybe it had already rolled the result in the RNG tables, and it was gonna miss either way... and it just adjusted the physical appearance of what happened based on that particular roll... but then... was everything in here just dictated by RNG...? Were his attacks just manufactured by the system...? No. He wouldn't believe that! He was in charge of his own fate! No system could control him! He was in charge! HE was the one in control of himself! He stopped letting his body move how it wanted... that was NOT how he'd go with! He would NOT become a slave to the system! He would fight hard! And win on his own!

- Health List -
<Sotarou>          77/80 HP || 9 MIT ||  5 DMG || 2 ACC || 1 EVA || 2/8 NRG (+1)          <Han'ei>

<Boar>              4/40 HP || 0 MIT || 12 DMG                                            <Boar Charge>

Edited May 27, 2019 by Sotarou

[Sotarou 0]

It was time to finish off this Boar. So... he figured, might as well just strike as he had been, using Han'ei to strike once more as the Boar swung around to charge again... it was stumbling though, so it was on its last legs... it was getting close... Sotarou felt himself trying to slip into letting the system work... but he forced himself to stop! He closed his eyes... the world seemed to move slowly around him... it was... he couldn't describe it... but he seemed to... I don't know... see the world... see it around him... see it move... and even see the Boar... but his body could only move as fast as it normally could... it was infuriating... to see all of this... and only move normally... but as he opened his eyes, the world moved as normal, and he had a split-second decision of movement! The system couldn't compensate for it, so Sotarou took the opportunity to let his own movements kick in... as he struck the creature!

(( ID 117836 - Battle: 8; MOB: 9; Sotarou hits, Boar Crits ))

Sotarou dashed forward, blade extended outwards... he and the Boar both hit each other, the Boar striking a little harder due to it wanting to do something lasting... but... not so much... either way, Sotarou's strike ended it, the Boar exploding into loot again. Sotarou smiled... maybe the system wasn't perfect after all...! Or maybe it was J giving him a nudge in just the right way...! He liked to think of it like that, in any case... either way, Sotarou took stock of what the Boar dropped upon its demise now.

(( ID 117837 - Loot: 7; Craft: 1; Earnings posted below ))

As the Boar died, it dropped 4 T1 Materials, 120 Col and 1 <<Unidentified Uncommon Consumable>>. Such was the luck in his findings. Well, at least the boar was dealt with. That was the important thing. Now he could continue his hunt for that Wolf... there wasn't much more to the cave...

- Health List -
<Sotarou>          73/80 HP || 9 MIT ||  5 DMG || 2 ACC || 1 EVA || 1/8 NRG (+1)          <Han'ei>

<Boar>             -6/40 HP || 0 MIT || 12 DMG                                            <Boar Charge>

Edited May 27, 2019 by Sotarou

[Sotarou 0]

There were only a few more side areas with which to search in this cave... there were also some mining nodes... but everytime he mined it, they turned up nothing. So... no dice there. Oh well. That wasn't why he was here, though. He was here for that Wolf... and he kept his eye peeled...

(( ID 117838 - Loot: 12; No Familiar ))

Sotarou searched and searched and searched some more. But all he found was cave, cave and more cave. He had searched all of this cave... it wasn't here... so, he made his way back to the entrance. He found it and was ready to head out to the next area. But as he was about to head out to the next spot to look, he looked up- damn! Was it already getting nighttime!? He wasn't scared of the dark, so much as he was scared of the player killers that roamed the newbie zones at night to kill and get a laugh out of it... so, it was with a heavy heart that Sotarou took his leave and headed back to town. He scored some decent loot... but he could always have used more. Oh well. Such was life. He figured he'll try again tomorrow. But doing it alone was kinda grindy... so he'd just get with some other people and see about maybe getting it done quicker. He wanted to find that Wolf... that was the main thing. Yeah... a new day...

(( Tallied loot totals:
650 Col
10 T1 Materials
3 <<Unidentified Uncommon Consumable>>
1 <<Unidentified Perfect Weapon>>
1 completed page: 1 SP ))

(( Thread Complete. Please award Col and SP, then lock thread ))

Edited May 27, 2019 by Sotarou