Bahr 0 Posted July 23, 2019 #1 Share Posted July 23, 2019 Spoiler LEVEL: 17 HP: 340 / ENERGY: 34 EVA: 3 / MIT: 23 / ACC: 2 / DMG: 7 SKILLS COMBAT » DISGUISE [EXTRA SKILL] ➥ FREE ACTION ➥ COOLDOWN: 3 TURNS ➥ +1 EVA UNTIL START OF YOUR NEXT TURN WEAPON SKILLS » TWO-HANDED WEAPONS R3 ➥ +5 DMG WHEN TWO-HANDED WEAPON IS EQUIPPED ARMOR SKILLS » LIGHT ARMOR R1 ➥ +5 MIT WHEN LIGHT ARMOR IS EQUIPPED SWORD ARTS » [X2 AOE] BLAST ➥ 2 ENERGY +2 PER TARGET HIT CONSUMED ON USE » [X2] STRAIGHT ➥ 2 ENERGY CONSUMED ON USE » [X3] SCOOPED ➥ 3 ENERGY CONSUMED ON USE » [X4 STUN] LIGHTNING ➥ 7 ENERGY CONSUMED ON USE » [X4] CYCLONE ➥ 4 ENERGY CONSUMED ON USE » [X5] BACK RUSH ➥ 5 ENERGY CONSUMED ON USE » [X6 STUN] FIGHT BLADE ➥ 9 ENERGY CONSUMED ON USE INVENTORY ARMOR » [EQUIPPED] COAT OF THE BLOODEDGE (PERFECT) ➥ +3 EVA » [EQUIPPED] HAKAMA OF THE BLOODGEDGE (PERFECT) ➥ +18 MIT / LIGHT MOMENTUM 1 WEAPONS » [EQUIPPED] "MINOR OCULUS" - TWO-HANDED STRAIGHT SWORD (RARE) ➥ +1 DMG ➥ BLEED FAMILIAR » [EQUIPPED] SWINE BAJESUS R2 ➥ +2 ACC BATTLE READY ITEMS » T1 POTION OF UNCOMMON QUALITY (5) ➥ HEALS 40 HP Bahr had been doing a lot of quests recently. Like, a lot of quests. Keeping track of everything was getting to be a little exhausting, truth be told. But that just came with the territory. One of these days, Bahr would resolve to sit down and manage his inventory to see what he had available. Today, however, was not one of those days. Today Bahr was going out in search of the Hoya of Minos, a coveted vanity pendant that apparently changed shape depending upon the situation. It wasn't like it had any tangible effect on the gameplay, but it sounded cool and Bahr wanted it. Moreover, extra experience was truly what he was after. He had been climbing through the levels fast, but the rate of his leveling was starting to decelerate. This was to be expected, but it meant that Bahr needed to keep his pace if he wanted to advance into the next tier. And so he made his way into the Forest of Wavering Mist, his target the the Tomb of King Minos. According to rumors, the mobs and treasure that he sought existed only within the tomb. Link to post Share on other sites
Bahr 0 Posted July 23, 2019 Author #2 Share Posted July 23, 2019 It didn't take Bahr long to reach the tomb, but it was going to take him longer to navigate through it. He hadn't counted on the forest creating a maze of sorts for him to get through. The labyrinth had seemingly materialized out of thin air, trapping Bahr in a claustrophobic coffin of stone and vines. He exhaled impatiently as the maze appeared, tapping his foot as he waited for the rumbling and shaking to quiet down. Eventually, there was silence again, and the puzzle awaited. "Just gonna go on record here and say that I like the level design, but still find it annoying," he said to no one, his voice echoing through the narrow corridors of the maze. He walked for what seemed like hours, hugging the left wall in an attempt to make it through the maze by process of elimination. He had read somewhere once that that was apparently the best way to handle situations like this. Whether or not that was accurate remained to be seen. Link to post Share on other sites
Bahr 0 Posted July 23, 2019 Author #3 Share Posted July 23, 2019 Eventually, his technique having apparently exhausted all available routes to the left, he found himself back at the entrance to the maze. He frowned, starting to doubt in his technique. Maybe if he just started busting through walls, he could make it to the exit quicker. No, they were most likely labeled as Immortal Objects, and he would only be wasting energy by doing so. He decided it was best to continue hugging the left wall and heading the opposite direction to which he had started. With any luck, it would only be another hour or two before he found the exit. As he wandered along, he thought back to his childhood, and whether or not he had experienced anything similar to this. He had, in fact, entered a large maze once with his mother when he was a kid. It was one of those corn mazes, a bizarre and rare feature to the rest of the world but fairly common where he had grown up. The maze he was currently traversing felt just as boring an uninspired as the corn maze he had gone through with his mother as a child, with no real element of excitement to jazz things up. Link to post Share on other sites
Bahr 0 Posted July 23, 2019 Author #4 Share Posted July 23, 2019 (edited) While maneuvering through the maze, Bahr spotted something unusual up ahead. Why it was none other than one of the Hoya Minotaurs that the quest description had mentioned. According to their set parameters, they weren't exactly tough customers to deal with, so Bahr felt confident that he could take this one without too much trouble. He unsheathed his weapon from its position on his lower back and approached the monster confidently, charging up his blade. One Sword Art and the creature was done for. Its health rapidly depleted to zero and the beast combusted into an explosion of blue triangular pixels. Satisfied with the result of his attack, Bahr sheathed his weapon and continued on his merry way, continuing to hug the left wall of the complex. He didn't mean to seem cocky, but it sure had felt good to dispatch some a fierce looking monster with only one attack. This quest was probably meant for beginners. Spoiler Encounter: Hoya Minotaur 1 HP: 45 DMG: 30 Spoiler Bahr HP: 340/340 | EN: 34-9=25 DMG: 7 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 3 | MIT: 23 Bahr used [x6 Stun] Fight Blade against Hoya Minotaur 1, -9 EN Hoya Minotaur 1: HP: 45-48=0/45 | DMG: 30 | ID: 119725 | BD: 9, Crit for 8x6=48 DMG | Hoya Minotaur 1 defeated Edited July 23, 2019 by Bahr Link to post Share on other sites
Bahr 0 Posted July 23, 2019 Author #5 Share Posted July 23, 2019 (edited) It wasn't easy trying to stay entertained through hours of doing the same thing. In all honesty, Kayaba had done a poor job in designing this quest, forcing players to spend ludicrous amounts of time doing a menial task that was purely designed to draw out the time it took to complete the quest. And all for an amulet that had no real influence over the game's engine or mechanics, save for its transformation feature. Truly, this quest flopped hard, and Bahr was sure that this opinion was shared by anyone else who had been unfortunate enough to take it, likely eagerly anticipating the acquisition of their new cool toy. If only they had known the cost of acquiring such a pendant. It wasn't all bad, though. At least he wasn't fighting swole vultures and eating sand in a desert, or freezing his butt off tackling oversized sentient snowballs. This quest had a certain culture to it, and even though Bahr was bored out of his mind, he could appreciate the implications that followed running through a maze and battle minotaurs. It was absolutely classic. Spoiler Bahr HP: 340/340 | EN: 25+1=26 DMG: 7 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 3 | MIT: 23 Edited July 23, 2019 by Bahr Link to post Share on other sites
Bahr 0 Posted July 23, 2019 Author #6 Share Posted July 23, 2019 (edited) After awhile, he came across the second minotaur, which stood menacingly at the end of the long corridor he had just stumbled upon. It looked identical to the first in every way, standing tall and looming over Bahr but not having the stats to back it up. Bahr silently approached the monster, not even bothering to move an inch when it attacked with its weapon, the crude instrument burying itself into the floor beside him. He unsheathed his weapon and used the same Sword Art he had used on the first, carving into the creature six times in rapid succession as it groaned and shrieked with every hit. Where the other had fallen after the first attack, this one somehow manage to cling to life, albeit barely. A cursory glance at its health bar revealed that if so much as a bird pooped on it at this point, it would like burst into pixels right before Bahr's eyes. Knowing that the end was in sight and that he would have his treasure soon, Bahr simply prepared himself for the next round of attacks. Spoiler Encounter: Hoya Minotaur 2 HP: 45 DMG: 30 Spoiler Bahr HP: 340/340 | EN: 26+1-9=18 DMG: 7 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 3 | MIT: 23 Bahr used [x6 Stun] Fight Blade against Hoya Minotaur 2, -9 EN Hoya Minotaur 2: HP: 45-42=3/45 | DMG: 30 | ID: 119726 | BD: 6+2=8, Hit for 7x6=42 DMG | BD: 4-3=1, Miss Edited July 23, 2019 by Bahr Link to post Share on other sites
Bahr 0 Posted July 23, 2019 Author #7 Share Posted July 23, 2019 (edited) As Bahr suspected, the second Hoya Minotaur didn't have much gas left in the tank. He approached the monster and silently tapped its foot with the tip of his blade. Instantly, the massive frame of the monster exploded into countless blue triangular pixels, which slowly floated away from one another and faded into oblivion. Satisfied that the battle was done, though not satisfied with the battle, Bahr sheathed his weapon against his lower back and pressed forward, still hugging the left wall in case something went awry. The walk to the end of the hallway took a surprisingly long time. Probably the final insult of this dreaded quest. He could have ran it to save time, he supposed, but what was the point? To wind himself to make marginally better time? No. He would remain patient on his way to the end. It had worked for him so far, anyway. Spoiler Bahr HP: 340/340 | EN: 18+1-1=18 DMG: 7 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 3 | MIT: 23 Bahr used a normal attack against Hoya Minotaur 2, -1 EN Hoya Minotaur 2: HP: 3-9=0/45 | DMG: 30 | ID: 119727 | BD: 10, Crit for 9 DMG | Hoya Minotaur 2 defeated Edited July 23, 2019 by Bahr Link to post Share on other sites
Bahr 0 Posted July 23, 2019 Author #8 Share Posted July 23, 2019 When he finally made it to the end of the corridor, he was greeted with a cliche dungeon completion chamber, the pendant he was looking for on display on a pedestal in the cetner of the room. He half expected a button to depress and a trap to activate when he picked up the trinket, but no such pedantry played out. He simply acquired the item and a quest completion panel populated in front of him. He stashed the pendant and dismissed the window, looking around the room for an exit of some sort. To his dismay, no such exit existed. It appeared that the final long corridor wasn't the final insult so much as the long trek back. What a pain. Bahr had an advantage this time, though. He opened up his menu and navigated to the map, which had populated the shape of the maze now that he had explored the whole thing. He traced the proper way out with his finger, nodding as he identified the quickest and best way to get out. By his estimations, it would still be another hour or so before he escaped. Link to post Share on other sites
Bahr 0 Posted July 23, 2019 Author #9 Share Posted July 23, 2019 While he slowly made his way through the corridors of the maze, he could feel the corridors of his own mind casually eroding away. Never before had he come across and been subjected to such a repetitive, unchallenging, boring and useless task. The worst part was, he knew it was of his own doing. He didn't have to accept the quest. He didn't need to follow through with it once he saw the maze materializing. He hadn't been forced to do any of this. But now he had committed to it, and there was no turning back. He had to make his way back to the entrance of the maze, or he would be trapped here forever. Eventually, he succeeded in his task. He made it out of the maze and collapsed onto the ground, staring up at the leaves that provided cover from the sun overhead. He squinted to adjust his eyes to the glow that pervaded through the leafy cover, happy to finally be out of that personal hell. He felt like his brain had turned to mush. Link to post Share on other sites
Bahr 0 Posted July 23, 2019 Author #10 Share Posted July 23, 2019 After he summed up the strength to stand, he slowly made his way back to Delilah. It was high time he did something a bit more exciting, and he needed to go to a different floor to do it. On his way back to town, he opened up his menu and navigated to the equipment panel, swapping his armored trousers out for vanity pants and putting on his favorite gloves - the Gloves of Caerus. He was losing mitigation, but gaining luck. With what he was planning to do, both were important, but he knew he could handle it without the mitigation. It was the luck bonus that he was really going to need. "Teleport, Snowfrost!" he announced before the teleport gate in Delilah, his body dematerializing and rematerializing on the fourth floor. The sudden bite of cold nipped at his nose and set his teeth on edge. He wasn't a huge fan of the weather there, but he had had good luck with the loot drops there so far. Link to post Share on other sites
Bahr 0 Posted July 23, 2019 Author #11 Share Posted July 23, 2019 (edited) FLOOR 4 Bahr departed from Snowfrost with a little pep in his step. He was headed for the wooded area, and with any luck he could run into one of his favorite mobs so far - the Woodland Ice Sprite. He wasn't sure what exactly it was that he liked about them, but he liked them. They were engaging to fight and kept Bahr on his toes, which was what he wanted right now after the brain melting monotony of his previous task. Sure enough, a small bit of wandering through the forest revealed one such sprite, and it hadn't noticed him yet. He enthusiastically ran toward it, charging up his sword and unleashing his most powerful Sword Art, Fight Blade. With surgical precision, he struck the creature six times, sending it flying into a nearby tree and inflicting a stun upon it. It wasn't long before it recovered from the stun however, staring down Bahr with hatred in its eyes. Spoiler Bahr HP: 340/340 | EN: 34-9=25 DMG: 7 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 3 | MIT: 5 LD: +3 Bahr used [x6 Stun] Fight Blade against Woodland Ice Sprite, -9 EN Woodland Ice Sprite: HP: 170-42=128/170 | DMG: 51 | ID: 119740 | BD: 4+2=6, Hit for 7x6=42 DMG | STUN INFLICTED | MD: Stun locked | STUN EXPIRES Edited July 23, 2019 by Bahr Link to post Share on other sites
Bahr 0 Posted July 23, 2019 Author #12 Share Posted July 23, 2019 (edited) The Woodland Ice Sprite was furious, and rightfully so. It had just been enjoying a quiet day of basking in the snowy forest, only to be rudely interrupted by a random murderous player that saw it was nothing more than a potential loot drop. How pitiful. It circled around to Bahr's back and fired off one of its icicles, a powerful projectile that had undoubtedly harmed hundreds before Bahr. He was already famliar with this trick, however, and had placed his blade flat-side against his back, causing the icicle to shatter harmlessly against it. He charged up the sword and spun in quick and dramatic fashion, slicing the sprite deeply with a crit, inficting Bleed. Bahr was both elated and disappointed that the Woodland Ice Sprite's health bar had already dipped into the yellow. On the one hand, it meant he wouldn't have to wait much longer for his loot. On the other hand, it meant that the battle was already close to over, too. Spoiler Bahr HP: 340/340 | EN: 25+1-5=21 DMG: 7 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 3 | MIT: 5 LD: +3 Bahr used [x5] Back Rush against Woodland Ice Sprite, -5 EN Woodland Ice Sprite: HP: 128-45=83/170 | DMG: 51 | ID: 119741 | BD: 10, Crit for 9x5=45 DMG | MD: 6-3=3, Miss | BLEED INFLICTED Edited July 23, 2019 by Bahr Link to post Share on other sites
Bahr 0 Posted July 23, 2019 Author #13 Share Posted July 23, 2019 (edited) Perhaps, in a situation like this, it was okay to not give it his all and let the Woodland Ice Sprite get a decent attack in. Yeah, that couldn't be too bad of an idea, right? He watched as the sprite buzzed around, circling behind him and readying another attack. He purposefully kept his guard down, taunting his opponent. "Oh, no! I reacted too late! Now my guard is totally down, and I've been left wide open to an attack!" he mused, watching in disappointment as the sprite fired off an icicle that missed anyways. "Seriously? I didn't even move. Hey! Are you even trying!?" The sprite started yelling something, but it was completely incoherent. There was no way Bahr was going to be able to decipher what it had just said. Was it drunk or something? Now he felt even more bad. If this sprite had been up to a day of drinking, Bahr had really come at a bad time. Spoiler Bahr HP: 340/340 | EN: 21+1-5=17 DMG: 7 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 3 | MIT: 5 LD: +3 Bahr used [x5] Back Rush against Woodland Ice Sprite, -5 EN Woodland Ice Sprite: HP: 83-12=71/170 | DMG: 51 | ID: 119743 | BD: 1, Miss | MD: 5-3=2, Miss | BLEED INFLICTS 12 DMG Edited July 23, 2019 by Bahr Link to post Share on other sites
Bahr 0 Posted July 23, 2019 Author #14 Share Posted July 23, 2019 (edited) Bahr decided to give the small creature one more chance to prove itself. This time he planted his sword into the ground and backed away from it, holding out his arms as though inviting getting struck by the creature. "Seriously, hit me! I'm giving you a chance here. I know you can do better than that!" he yelled, not really sure why he felt so desperate to take damage. Had he grown to enjoy combat so much that he didn't get the thrill he wanted unless there was some form of pain to act as the catalyst? It was a concerning outlook, for sure. Once again, the Woodland Ice Sprite launched an icicle. And once again, the icicle missed. All Bahr could do was shake his head. "This is getting a little ridiculous, man. I mean, I know my armor grants evasion buffs, but I'm not even trying to evade. How many fingers am I holding up?" He held up four fingers, but the Woodland Ice Sprite didn't react. Spoiler Bahr HP: 340/340 | EN: 17+1-5=13 DMG: 7 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 3 | MIT: 5 LD: +3 Bahr used [x5] Back Rush against Woodland Ice Sprite, -5 EN Woodland Ice Sprite: HP: 71-12=59/170 | DMG: 51 | ID: 119744 | BD: 2+2=4, Miss | MD: 8-3=5, Miss | BLEED INFLICTS 12 DMG | BLEED EXPIRES Edited July 23, 2019 by Bahr Link to post Share on other sites
Bahr 0 Posted July 23, 2019 Author #15 Share Posted July 23, 2019 (edited) They had been standing there for quite awhile, at this point. The Woodland Ice Sprite would toss an icicle, Bahr wouldn't react and it would still miss. It was all great fun. Except that it wasn't. Bahr found himself growing increasingly bored of the game's combat engine. He hadn't felt that anything had been a legitimate challenge for the past several ventures he had departed on. The most challenging part of the game was simply ensuring that your attacks hit and that your Energy wasn't wasted. Perhaps he had engineered armor that was too good. Come to think of it, the only strikes that had actually managed to hit him as of late were critical hits. Had he managed to tilt the game mechanics so heavily in his favor that only critical hits could affect him anymore? It was certainly an interesting replacement for straight up armor and mitigation, that's for sure. Spoiler Bahr HP: 340/340 | EN: 13+1-5=9 DMG: 7 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 3 | MIT: 5 LD: +3 Bahr used [x5] Back Rush against Woodland Ice Sprite, -5 EN Woodland Ice Sprite: HP: 59/170 | DMG: 51 | ID: 119745 | BD: 1, Miss | MD: 7-3=4, Miss Edited July 23, 2019 by Bahr Link to post Share on other sites
Bahr 0 Posted July 23, 2019 Author #16 Share Posted July 23, 2019 (edited) "Alright, no offense, but I've had enough of this," Bahr admitted as another icicle veered wildly off course, stabbing into a nearby tree. He stood and walked over to his sword, dislodging it from the ground and pointing it at his opponent. "It's been fun and all, but I've been giving you second chances for about the past fifteen minutes. I don't think you're ever gonna hit me, and I know I can hit you. So let's finish this up so I can go home." In the blink of an eye, Bahr had closed the distance between himself and the Woodland Ice Sprite, his back turned toward it with his sword between them. He jumped back and the sword connected with its target before Bahr lurched the blade forward over his head, the move slicing violently into the sprite and causing it to shriek in agony. Taking a look at its health bar, it was clear it wasn't going to survive much longer. All the best for Bahr, he was already tired of being here. Spoiler Bahr HP: 340/340 | EN: 9+1-5=5 DMG: 7 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 3 | MIT: 5 LD: +3 Bahr used [x5] Back Rush against Woodland Ice Sprite, -5 EN Woodland Ice Sprite: HP: 59-45=14/170 | DMG: 51 | ID: 119746 | BD: 10, Crit for 9x5=45 DMG | MD: 3-3=0, Miss | BLEED INFLICTED Edited July 23, 2019 by Bahr Link to post Share on other sites
Bahr 0 Posted July 23, 2019 Author #17 Share Posted July 23, 2019 (edited) Bahr didn't even bother charging up his sword for another attack. He just swung it lazily at the pest, smacking it and sending it hurtling into a nearby tree where Bleed damage depleted the remainder of its health bar and caused it to burst into a million tiny blue triangular pixels. Bahr's eyes flickered to the loot panel as it appeared, taking stock of the drops he had gotten from the creature. Nothing too extravagant, but it wasn't a terrible drop. The extra col was certainly welcome. He just wished he had managed to nab something cool, like a perfect weapon or perfect armor. Still, that was enough action for the day. With even the fights boring him, it seemed that what he probably needed more than anything at this point was some sort of social interaction. He had been doing a lot of this stuff solo since the day he started, and that was probably why everything seemed so bland and monotonous. Spoiler Bahr HP: 340/340 | EN: 5+1-1=5 DMG: 7 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 3 | MIT: 5 LD: +3 Bahr used a normal attack against Woodland Ice Sprite, -1 EN Woodland Ice Sprite: HP: 14-7-12=0/170 | DMG: 51 | ID: 119747 | BD: 6+2=8, Hit for 7 DMG | MD: 3-3=0, Miss | BLEED INFLICTS 12 DMG | Woodland Ice Sprite defeated Looting ID: 119748 LD: 4+3=7 | CD: 8 1360 col and (1) Unidentified T1 Rare Trinket acquired Edited July 23, 2019 by Bahr Link to post Share on other sites
Bahr 0 Posted July 23, 2019 Author #18 Share Posted July 23, 2019 (edited) As he stumbled through the forest, taking care not to trip over any of the roots hidden under the snow, he came across a tree with a rather sizable hole in it. It had been quite some time since Bahr had recklessly jammed one of his appendages into a nice hole. After pondering for a moment, he decided to shove his arm in there up to the shoulder. After feeling around for a bit, his efforts were rewarded. He pulled a nice pine cone out of the tree, its mystical pine cone properties sure to make a worthwhile addition to Bahr's crafting. He wasn't sure how, but it definitely would. He quietly stuffed the pine cone into his inventory with a smile on his face. Nearing the edge of the forest now, Bahr could see that it had gotten quite a bit darker while he had been out. He hadn't spent much time in the forest itself, but his hours upon hours of traversing the maze earlier had eaten up the majority of his day. Spoiler ID: 119749 LD: 15+3=18 (1) T1 Material acquired Edited July 23, 2019 by Bahr Link to post Share on other sites
Bahr 0 Posted July 23, 2019 Author #19 Share Posted July 23, 2019 (edited) Try as he might, it seemed that Bahr was physically incapable of going an entire day without tripping over something and landing on his face. He didn't remember being so clumsy in the real world, but that was a long time ago. Perhaps he just wasn't good with full diving, or maybe his Nerve Gear was acting up. Not like they could replace it or perform maintenance on it without frying his brain. The good news was that, as Bahr had discovered, tripping and falling often gave one a unique perspective on things. For instance, if he hadn't fallen and gotten a pine cone that was buried in the snow jammed between his teeth, he never would have known it was there at all. Now, due to the fortune of constantly falling and making an utter fool out of himself, he had one more T1 material to show for his efforts. Spoiler ID: 119751 LD: 18+3=21 (1) T1 Material acquired Edited July 23, 2019 by Bahr Link to post Share on other sites
Bahr 0 Posted July 23, 2019 Author #20 Share Posted July 23, 2019 (edited) As Bahr made his way out of the forest and into the clearing, he stretched and took a deep breath. He had become more tired than he realized. With a yawn, he started the short trek back to town. As he meandered along, that same unsettling silence that the fourth floor was known for smothered him like a blanket, practically suffocating him under its uncomfortable weight. The looting on this floor was good, but the ambiance never failed to unnerve him. Just another consequence of being pushed outside his comfort zone. As he made his way into town, the warmth of the the candles that lit the walkways a welcome sensation after an otherwise cold trek through the forest. He breathed into his hands and rubbed them together before holding them up to one of the lamps, its warmth releasing some of the stiffness that had built up in them. It had been a fine day, but Bahr was glad to finally have the opportunity to turn in for the night. Spoiler ID: 119752 LD: 10+3=13 Edited July 23, 2019 by Bahr Link to post Share on other sites
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