[F23 - SP] <<Search and Rescue>>

[Bahr 0]

Spoiler

• LEVEL: 43
• HP: 880 | ENERGY: 86
• DMG: 15 | MIT: 54 | ACC: 4 | EVA: 3
  SKILLS 3/7 | MODS 3/5
  
  HOME BUFFS
  » RESTED
       ➥ -1 EN FOR THE FIRST TWO TURNS OF COMBAT
  » RELAXED
       ➥ +10 TO OUT OF COMBAT HP REGENERATION
       ➥ FULL ENERGY REGENERATION AFTER TWO POSTS OUT OF COMBAT
•  
• SKILLS
• EXTRA SKILLS
  » DISGUISE
       ➥ FREE ACTION
       ➥ +1 EVA UNTIL START OF YOUR NEXT TURN
            ➥ COOLDOWN: 3 TURNS
  » MEDITATION
       ➥ POST ACTION
       ➥ RECOVER AN ADDITIONAL 10 ENERGY - GETTING HIT BY AN ATTACK BEFORE YOUR NEXT TURN REDUCES ADDITIONAL ENERGY RECOVERY TO 6
            ➥ COOLDOWN: 3 TURNS
  
  COMBAT SKILLS
  » PARRY
       ➥ POST ACTION
       ➥ REDUCE FINAL DAMAGE OF NEXT ATTACK AGAINST YOU BY 50% (ROUNDED DOWN) AND NEGATES STUN/PARALYSIS EFFECT OF THAT ATTACK
            ➥ COOLDOWN: 2 TURNS
            ➥ 5 ENERGY CONSUMED ON USE
  
  WEAPON SKILLS
  » TWO-HANDED STRAIGHT SWORD R5
       ➥ +7 DMG WHEN TWO-HANDED WEAPON IS EQUIPPED
  
  ARMOR SKILLS
  » LIGHT ARMOR R4
       ➥ +18 MIT 
  
  MODS
  » LIGHT ARMOR MOD: ATHLETICS
       ➥ +1 DMG
       ➥ +20 HP
  » PARRY MOD: JUSTIFIED RIPOSTE
       ➥ POST ACTION: COMBINE WITH PARRY
       ➥ SUCCESSFUL PARRY STUNS OPPONENT
            ➥ COOLDOWN: 3 TURNS
  » WEAPON MOD: PRECISION
       ➥ PASSIVE
       ➥ +1 ACC
  
  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
  » [X7] ASTRAL HELL
       ➥ 7 ENERGY CONSUMED ON USE
  » [X8 AOE STUN] TEMPEST
       ➥ 8 ENERGY +2 PER TARGET HIT CONSUMED ON USE
  » [X12] CALAMITOUS TRAGEDY
       ➥ 12 ENERGY CONSUMED ON USE
  » [X13] GALAXY DESTROYER
       ➥ 13 ENERGY CONSUMED ON USE
  » [X12 AOE] CALAMITY DISASTER
       ➥ 13 ENERGY +2 PER TARGET HIT CONSUMED ON USE

INVENTORY
ARMOR
» [EQUIPPED] "COAT OF THE BLOODEDGE" - LIGHT ARMOR (T1 - PERFECT)
     ➥ +3 EVA
» [EQUIPPED] "HERO'S HAKAMA" - LIGHT ARMOR (T2 - PERFECT)
     ➥ +36 MIT
     ➥ RECOVERY 1

WEAPONS
» [EQUIPPED] "SCARECROW'S SICKLE" - TWO-HANDED STRAIGHT SWORD (T2 - DEMONIC)
     ➥ +6 DMG
     ➥ BLEED

FAMILIAR
» [EQUIPPED] SWINE BAJESUS R3
     ➥ +3 ACC

Kalanaes. A peculiar village nestled within the Underdark of Floor 23. It was Bahr's first time venturing into the floor, and he hadn't been disappointed so far. It was unique in comparison to everything else he had seen in Aincrad. He found the dark elves to be a bit cringy, though. They seemed oddly like an Elder Scrolls knockoff. Though, could Bahr really blame Kayaba for attempting to benefit from one of the most popular RPG franchises of all time? What would he do in such a situation? Probably the same.

He hadn't been there long before a particularly distraught elf approached him. Yes, it was becoming more and more obvious. This was definitely beginning to feel Skyrim-esque. "Please help!" he bellowed, "My wife went to war with the Forest Elves, and hasn't returned! This can only mean her death!"

Then how the hell am I supposed to help? thought Bahr. But of course, that isn't what he said.

YUI'S GRACE CONSUMED (+1 SP FOR THREAD)

[Bahr 0]

"Say no more, random elf!" Bahr exclaimed. "I shall go to retrieve your dead wife!"

The elf broke into tears.

"My name is Tythen! And I hold on to hope that she may still be alive!" was his exasperated reply.

"I see! How noble and romantic of you. But, then, why do you not go in search of her yourself?" Bahr mused, placing a hand against his chin and faking deep thought.

"I am far too weak! Please, you must go and save her!" came Tythen's next reply, voice even more frantic than before.

"I already said, say no more! I shall save your dead wife!"

"I said she's not dead!"

"How do you know?"

"I just know, okay!?"

"Fine, fine, let's just start over," Bahr said before clearing his voice, he was about to speak before the elf interjected once again.

"Please help! My wife went to war with-"

"No! Not that far back! Jesus. Fear not, random elf! For I shall save your very alive wife!"

With that, Bahr sprinted off, headed toward the surface. The trailing words of Tythen could be heard as he departed. "My name is Tytheeeeeeeeen!!!"

[Bahr 0]

It did not take Bahr long to reach the wreckage of the Queen's Tower. It seemed that the dark elves knew not of the calamity that had occurred here. They probably thought that the war was still raging. Little did they know, this particular shred of land had already seen the horrors of war and come out on the other side. Now there was a calm tranquility to it, not that that mattered for the dead. Whether wars raged, or battle were fought, or the entirety of Aincrad came crashing down around their corpses, they had found their own tranquility now. Bahr found it best not to disturb that. 

That being said, he had a job to do here. He had to find a corpse. Er- he had to find a totally alive woman. Yes, that was it. God help him if he came back with a corpse. The nameless dark elf surely wouldn't take too kindly to that.

[Bahr 0]

His search through the wreckage hadn't turned up a woman thus far, but he had found a few other unique knick knacks. A rock in the shape of John Travolta. A sword bent into a shape that sincerely hurt his head when he looked at it. And what he could have sworn was a half eaten toaster strudel. Why was there a half eaten toaster strudel here? It didn't fit with the lore of the area whatsoever. Under ordinary circumstances, Bahr likely would have plopped it into his mouth and continued along. But he didn't trust this toaster strudel. There was something amiss about it and its out of placeness around the surrounding rubble. He simply let it be.

Right, he was here searching for a woman. Not stale pastries. But what exactly was he searching for? It dawned on him that he had never gotten a single physical characteristic from the dark elf that had given him the quest. 

[Bahr 0]

Ah, yes. A dark elf. He supposed there wasn't really any more necessary about her physical description than that. How many dark elves were skulking around the surface? Not many, he wagered. This was, after all, the surface. The whole point of dark elves was to not skulk around these parts. Of course, nothing about Aincrad made any sense anymore these days. A random tent sprouts up in the middle of a safe zone on the first floor, and now suddenly they're fighting off an endless horde of zombies? A sex vampire comes along after and promptly has the floor wiped with her face by all of the T2 players? It was quite a site to behold, but jarringly outside the norm.

As he continued to sift through the rubble, he still found nothing. Except, of course, a piece of copper wire that appeared to have been manipulated into what could only be described as a Christmas ornament. Who left that behind, he wondered?

[Bahr 0]

Of course, Bahr couldn't go digging around castle rubble without inevitably falling on his face. Whilst attempting to vault over a particularly overburdened hunk of pure marble, the tip of his boot's toe caught on the very edge and sent the upper half of his body pitching forward into a flat sheet of cement. He groaned as he peeled his face away from the rough surface, muttering curses under his breath about the damn NerveGear and how it wasn't calibrated properly. Clearly, that was the only logical explanation to his quandary. How many others fell on their face in Aincrad so much as Bahr? Few, he  wagered.

Still no dark elf woman. Was he doing something wrong? No, it was probably how this quest was supposed to be. After all, it had been a pretty big castle. So he had a lot to sift through. Oh god, it was several thousands of tons of weight. How could one man sift through all of that!?

[Bahr 0]

The quick answer: he couldn't. Bahr sat down on the very piece of marble that had tripped him up just moment before, cuddling his chin with his hand and thinking about what would be the smart way to approach this. There had to be something more efficient than clawing his way through with his hands. Something that offered him the power to move massive amounts of material in one go. Something like...

A Sword Art!

The answer had been so obvious. Why hadn't he thought of it before? Though, if he used a Sword Art, he ran the risk of killing the dark elf - if she were even still alive. Oh well. What did it matter to him if some stray NPC dark elf lived or died? So long as he came back with the answer, he was positive that he could clear the quest from his log. And so he poured energy into his blade and let it rip, sending literal tons of rubble scattering.

Spoiler

ID: 130291
LD: 3
Failed to find Fonsa.

 

[Bahr 0]

Huh. Nothing. Though Bahr had succeeded in his attempt to move copious amounts of rubble, he had failed to reveal the location of the dark elf he was searching for. Or was it simply that he had sent her now desecrated corpse flying through the air along with the rest of the stony scrap? That was definitely a possibility. But something told him that he had just hit the wrong spot.

Turning around, Bahr set his sights on the gigantic slab of marble that had caused him to eat cement only a moment before. Ahh, how sweet it would be to take his frustration out on the very artifact that had left him a flustered mess in the first place. And so he reeled his sword back like Babe Ruth, poured his energy into it, and swung at the slab of rock with enough force to knock it into orbit if there wasn't a ceiling. Home run.
 

Spoiler

ID: 130292
LD: 6
Failed to find Fonsa.

 

[Bahr 0]

Nice. That had been a good hit. Unfortunately, for Bahr, and the rest of the floor if he kept this up, the dark elf was still nowhere to be seen. That was fine. After all, he had at least two more directions from this exact spot to aim rubble at before he had to move on and wreak havoc somewhere else. It was a good thing that there weren't any other players in the vicinity, because they probably would have already come looking for the source of the clamor and attempted to kick his ass. Not a good thing for Bahr, mind you. A good thing for anyone foolish enough to try to put a stop to his complete and total destruction of the wreckage edifice.

Turning to his left, he charged up his blade against and let it loose without even looking. Just flung it out there in front of him. He wasn't sure what it had caught, but it caught something, and a tidal wave of stony salvage followed.
 

Spoiler

ID: 130293
LD: 7
Failed to find Fonsa. 

 

[Bahr 0]

Though he had yet again succeeded in moving literal tons of rubble, the dark elf was still nowhere to be found. He was beginning to doubt whether or not this was the method he should have been using. No, no, it was definitely the best course of action here. What if she were buried at the bottom of this heap? He'd be chopping away at it all day before he reached her. Keeping this in mind, he turned around and looked in the final direction he had available to attempt one more vicious swing.

There was a lot more material here that there had been in the other directions, but that didn't bother Bahr in the slightest. He was just going to need to hit it even harder. Yeah, that seemed like a good plan. He reeled back his blade, charged it up, lurched it forward... and watched in complete horror as the heap came crashing down all around him. 
 

Spoiler

ID: 130294
LD: 9
Failed to find Fonsa. 

 

[Bahr 0]

He hacked and sputtered and wheezed and coughed as the dust settled around him. Miraculously, he didn't seem to be seriously hurt or anything. He just had a pounding headache now. His mother had always said he would never need a hard hat because of how thick his skull was, and maybe she had had a point. He had a feeling that most people would have had their skull crashed in. Though, maybe it was just that Cardinal was keeping an eye out for him. This time.

Being that he was now caved in, and he hadn't turned anything up on the surface, he figured it was finally time to set his sights downward. It may have seemed ridiculous, and it probably was. But it was time to dig. So he charged up his blade for a fourth time. Or was it a fifth time? He had lost count. Anyways, he slammed the vibrating intensity of Scarecrow's Sickle into the floor beneath him and crashed into the great beyond.
 

Spoiler

ID: 130296
LD: 7
Failed to find Fonsa.

 

[Bahr 0]

As he erupted into the lower floors and thwacked his face against yet another gigantic hunk of marble, Bahr could have sworn he heard the telltale jingle of a quest notification. He laid there for a moment, allowing his swirling head to settle before finally prying his face away from the stone. When he did, he saw it. Her lifeless form huddled in the corner surrounded by a puddle of blood. Vicious claw marks were raked through her light armor and into her tender flesh. At the very least, whatever had killed her, it hadn't been Bahr. But if not him, then what?

His eyes darted around the cavern that he now found himself in, but he didn't see any mobs. Perhaps another player had already slain them, or they had simply moved on. Probably for the best - Bahr wasn't in the mood to fight today. Unless you meant every molecule of marble within this heap of junk that kept inflicting pain upon him.
 

Spoiler

ID: 130298
LD: 13 | CD: 2
Fonsa is found dead. No Crazed Beastmen around.

 

[Bahr 0]

He needed to bring something back to Tythen to prove that he had found his wife, seeing as there was no way he would be able to escape the heap with the corpse. He meandered over to her body and plucked her wedding rings from a finger that was no longer attached. Poor thing. Still, it made retrieving the rings easier.

Now there was the matter of escaping. Going back up the way that he had come was out of the question, so he looked around for any clues as to the best way to escape. On the far wall, he saw a single glimmering ray of sunlight shining through, casting itself against the airborne particles of dust that idly hovered in the air. Perfect. He approached the stony wall and, in a move that surprised absolutely nobody, thwacked it with his sword. The resulting gaping maw that erupted through as a result was just large enough for him to walk through without needing to duck.

At last, he was free. It was time to return to Tythen.

Spoiler

Fonsa's Wedding Rings acquired.

 

[Bahr 0]

The trek back to the Underdark felt like it took a lot longer than the journey to the ruins. Perhaps it was the looming haunt of death that now hovered over him. But that was silly, right? It was just an NPC, after all. She would probably be alive and well the next time someone took the quest. Still, watching a grown man dissolve into a puddle of quivering misery before his eyes wasn't something he was looking forward to. 

The setting sun cast its scarlet rays over the landscape as he neared the entrance to the Underdark. Would it be worth returning to his home on the tenth floor so late in the day? Probably not. He could always find an inn to stay at over the night. After all, the Underdark wasn't that much different from his own home - save for the mean glances and shaking heads of disapproval from the racists that resided there. Still, staying in the Underdark for the night ensured that he wouldn't wake up to the screeching of that infernal Banshee, so he decided it was a safe bet.

[Bahr 0]

Almost as soon as Bahr had returned, Tythen was upon him. "You're back! But..." The man looked warily over Bahr's shoulder, but saw no one. The color drained from his face as his eyes flickered back to Bahr. Rather than explain the situation, Bahr simply held out his hand, producing the bloodstained ring for Tythen.

Without even taking it from Bahr, the man instantly crumpled to the floor, burying his face in his hands and sobbing uncontrollably. The dark elves that meandered by looked upon the pair with scorn, but Bahr snarled right back at them. It wasn't their business, and it wasn't like any of them would have handled it any better. Bahr stood patiently by the sobbing NPC, his presence almost like a veil of protection against the scorn. 

After awhile, it seemed as though Tythen finally collected himself enough to stand. He hastily snatched the ring from Bahr and examined it to make sure it was authentic. It was.

[Bahr 0]

"Well... At least now I know..." Tythen managed, totally dejected. He turned and began walking away from Bahr, but then stopped, looking back at the Crimson Marauder from over his shoulder. Rivers of tears streamed down his face and pooled against his jawline, running down his cheeks and dripping from his chin. Oddly enough, he was smiling. "Not many would be willing to risk themselves for someone like me. Even if you did not bring back the news I desired, I thank you. Please, don't let me hold you up any longer."

With a stiff nod from both, they parted ways. And as Bahr made his way through the streets in search of a tavern, his mind began to wander. He had never been married before, but he had absolutely no idea how he would react if he were put in a situation like this. The developers had done a really good job at selling the interaction - it seemed totally authentic.

[Bahr 0]

Once he finally found an inn, getting a room was no easy feat. At first the caretaker of the inn had insisted that they didn't have any more rooms available. When Bahr wiped the dust from the counter and pressed the caretaker about the vacancy sign that was set out front, they finally relented and issued him a key - at an inflated rate of col, of course. Bahr wasn't really the sort to raise a fuss over a few col, so he simply accepted the human tax and ventured up to his room.

Once there, he sat at the desk and contemplated the day's events. Everything had started out so cheery and delightful. But as things progressed, they slowly got darker and darker. He could feel the darkness creeping in around his peripheries, threatening to clutch him and never let him go. But he knew that he couldn't allow that to happen. There was simply too much at stake to fall ill at a time like this.

[Bahr 0]

That being said, he did feel the need to vent. It had been awhile since he had felt so dreadful over such a simple quest. He had even gone into it knowing that she would probably be dead. So why had he allowed it to affect him so much?

As usual, he was alone. There was nobody to vent to. Alec had been moseying around, but had slowed down in his responses as of late. Probably busy with something. He was currently estranged from Kit, who seemed to refuse to even acknowledge his existence. Kirbs had been MIA for months. And Oscar... Well, Oscar wasn't the sort of emotional support he needed at the moment. He was a great guy, but Bahr wasn't in the mood to be psychoanalyzed.

He didn't want to talk to any of them, anyways. There was truthfully only one person that he wanted to share a conversation with. And it seemed so silly that he felt that way. He barely even knew her.

[Bahr 0]

He scrolled through his friends list and hovered over her name for a minute. Was it really a good idea to be contacting her at this hour? Pouring out his heart to someone who was barely more than a stranger to him? But that wasn't even true, was it? She was obviously so much more than that. He wasn't sure exactly what their connection was, but it was powerful. Perhaps it was due to the fact that they both had experienced the loss of a loved one. Perhaps it was something much deeper than that.

No. It was inappropriate to be having thoughts like that. She had already made it clear that she saw him as a friend. If she had wanted anything more than that, she would have left the door open. Besides there was someone that he was searching for. Someone that he already had something going on with, even if it had been years. A person that he owed that part of himself to. 

Or did he?

[Bahr 0]

Finally, he tapped on the name and started composing a message.

Quote

To: Lessa

I'm really sorry to be messaging you out of the blue like this, especially at this hour.

Today was really rough. A lot rougher than I thought it would be, or really had any right to be. I don't want to get into the details, but I saw something that broke my heart.

And it was all because of some stupid NPCs. Can you imagine that? Someone like me getting worked up about it. You were definitely onto something when you said that they were more real than I gave them credit for.

Anyways, I just wanted to say... Don't do anything stupid. Don't go to a dangerous place without me. Don't fight something you can't beat without me. Don't ever feel afraid to contact me and ask for help, because I'll be there. In a heartbeat.

Don't leave me alone here to fend for myself. I couldn't do it without you. 

- Bahr

His hand hovered over the send button for what seemed like forever. He wasn't sure what was holding him back, but it was just as powerful as his compulsion to write the message in the first place. In the end, he decided to archive it in his drafts. If and when the time was right, he could send it then.