{SP-F8} Distraction <<SotW: Ferocious Foe>>

[Pinball 1]

Why did he even need to do this quest in the first place? He didn't. So why was he doing it? Did he want to? No. He wanted to turn back time. See Mishiro. Or his old guild again. But there was no turning back the clock now. Not after all of this. 

So he needed a distraction. Something to get his mind off of it. And how beautifully ironic - how wonderfully sick - that the killer's only idea of a distraction had something to do with fighting. 

Pinball trudged through the forest begrudgingly, quite literally dragging his boots across the forest floor. There was nothing else for him to do. All he was good for was fighting. Fighting, running, hiding. All skills he'd honed during his time in Aincrad, especially so in the past few months. How wonderfully ironic. How beautifully disgusting. 

He drew his sword. Orange glinted bright in the dappled sunlight, juxtaposed elegantly against his verdant surroundings. 

Player Stats: 

Spoiler

Level: 62
Health: 1240 | Energy: 124
DMG: 15 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3 | BH: 62
 
Skills:
 
Combat skills:
►<<Battle Healing>> [50/50]: Rank 5 - Grandmaster
 
Weapon skills:
►<<2H Assault Spear>> [50/50]: Rank 5 - Grandmaster
►<<1H Straight Sword>> [50/50]: Rank 5 - Grandmaster
 
Armor skills:
►N/A
 
Extra skills:
►<<Familiar Mastery: Fighter>> [18/18]: Rank 3 - Grandmaster
►<<Martial Arts>> [0/50]: N/A
►<<Survival>> ~ Active
 
Utility Skills:
►<<Hiding>> [50/50]: Rank 5 - Grandmaster
►<<Extended Mod Limit>> [2/10]: Rank 1 - Novice 
 
Modifiers:
►[Active] <<2H Assault Spear: Ferocity>>: +1 Base DMG
►[Active] <<2H Assault Spear: Finesse>> ~ Rank 3 
►[Active] <<Sneak Attack: Trickster>>
►[Active] <<Hiding: Vanish>> 
►[Active] <<Hiding: Untraceable>> 
►[Active] <<Hiding: Blindside>>
 
Inventory
»[Equipped] [Demonic] Jack’s Hellfire: Burn, Blight, Bleed, Cursed 
»[Equipped] [Perfect] Dragon’s Skin: +3 EVA
»[Equipped] [Perfect] Warrior’s Focus: +3 ACC
 
 
Battle Ready: 
» [3x] Teleportation Crystal 
» [2x] Greater Curative Potion: +120 HP 
» [5x] Spinach-Artichoke Dip: +2 EVA  
» [5x] Hummus Dip: +2 Acc
» [Demonic 2HAS] Cold Fervor: +2 Freeze, Phase, Cursed

House Buffs: 

Spoiler

“Well Rested”:  -1 energy cost for the first three expenditures of each combat
“Squeaky Clean”: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 25% (rounded down)
“Filling”: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot. This can exceed normal Cook enhancement caps. Ex: A perfect T2 MIT food gives 35 MIT instead of 30
“Relaxed”: Increases HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
“Item Stash”: +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot 

 

Edited March 21, 2020 by Pinball

[Pinball 1]

They said that recently there was a monster attacking NPCs along the road, instilling fear in the nearby town's inhabitants. Of course, Pinball knew better than to feel something as silly as sympathy for the frightened denizens. They were fake, after all. Jumbles of code, ones and zeroes arranged in such a way to vaguely resemble a person. 

He'd fallen for it, once. Never again. 

As he made his way along the dirt path, a walking corpse, Pinball couldn't hear the chirping of the birds around him or the scuttling of squirrels up coarse bark. Neither could he see the gorgeous stream, glittering like diamonds, or smell the comforting earthen scent of fresh dirt and morning dew. No. To him, it was chilly. Everything was pale, bland, ordinary. 

There were tracks making their way off the well-beaten street. He turned his attention to those, instead. The epitome of tunnel vision. Sickly sweet. 

[Pinball 1]

"I'm heeeere~," he cried, "I'm heeeere~. Someone come kiiiilll me~." 

Pathetic and hopeless, carrying a deranged musical twist, his voice rang out. But nobody listened, and nobody came. He was alone again, with only his thoughts to keep him company. He wanted to cry but he found he couldn't. 

"Why can't I dieee~." 

There came a dull throb, either from his head, his throat, or his chest. He couldn't tell which. Maybe it hadn't happened at all. It wouldn't have been the first time he'd imagined things. Pinball could be dreaming now, and he would honestly be none the wiser. It wouldn't have been the first time. No, it wouldn't have. Ah, he was most certainly bitter. 

"Come ouuuut~," he shouted, once more, this time with such wrathful force it nearly rattled his vocal cords. Of course, it didn't, it couldn't, but that's what it'd felt like. He tripped up on an upturned root, but caught himself, his ever-persistent shambling forward not so easily diverted.

Edited March 21, 2020 by Pinball

[Pinball 1]

He was close, he thought. There were broken twigs and brush that looked like it'd been recently trampled on - a pre-programmed look, by default - and he supposed that he was on the right path. From the guttural huffs in the not-so-distant distance, he surmised that he wasn't too far from the fight, either. 

The fight~! Of course it was a fight. What better activity for the murderous teen himself, flip-flopping between emotional and emotionless, between calm and sad and unhinged bouts of insanity. What great fun. Pinball readjusted his grip on Jack's Hellfire. He could see the creature now. Big, imposing. Well developed muscles rippled under the most beautiful white fur, like winter in the summertime. 

Like winter in the summertime? 

"Ah, that's no good." Two quick swipes got the bushes out of his way, and the monster lifted its head. A bear. That was fitting. Wasn't this a questline, though? As Pinball squinted, tilting his head to the side, the bear let out an impressive roar, revealing its name and healthbar. 

[Pinball 1]

 

"Kumatetsu?" The words felt foreign on his largely neglected tongue. They rolled out of his mouth in a weird way, a jumbled pronounciation. The quest mob stamped its large paws in reply, kicking up dirt as its steamy breath rose visibly from a snout half-twisted in a snarl. 

Upon closer inspection, its pelt wasn't so beautiful after all. It was covered in splotches of dirt in some places, where leaves and thorned twigs caught and snagged in others. Its eyes were a deep yellow, and the brown around its eyes gave it an even more sinister appearance. In all senses of the word, it was ugly. 

Pinball liked that. He probably didn't look much better off, if he was going to be honest with himself. Matted black locks fell over cold blue eyes as he leveled his tired gaze, dropping the tip of his sword to the dirt. Deplorable reprobate.

[Pinball 1]

It was then that Pinball remembered this was something he needed to kill. The monster seemed to realize that too. It became mobile, lumbering towards the scraggly teenager with what could only be described as a practiced patience. Or maybe it was lazy? Pinball used to think he was good at reading people, but those days had long since past. Nowadays, he was unsure in every assessment. 

And then Kumatetsu increased its pace. It broke into a run, thundering towards him, every bound staying true to its massive size and shaking the forest with every heavy impact. Logs were scattered and destroyed as the creature simply shouldered past its obstacles, its beady eyes hungry for its prey. 

Pinball leaned back. 

"Zomekko," he sighed. 

And as the ghostly familiar poured out from the jar fastened to his waist, it spread and coalesced across his avatar in the form of a black fog. Within a moment, Pinball had all but disappeared, leaving nothing but a thin trail of easily dissipitated miasma behind. 

                                                                                                       

Action Taken: Vanish [-6 EN] 
Stealth: ID#138475 LD: 17+7= 24 Stealth Rating 

Pinball: HP: 1240/1240 | EN: 118/124 | DMG: 15 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3 | BRN: 36 | BLIT: 36 | BLD: 36 | BH: 62 {Vanish: 0/3}

Kimatetsu: HP: 300/300 | DMG: 75 | MIT: 50 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 2 
Abilities:
Dodge and Parry: On a player's natural attack roll of 10, the attack will miss «Kumatetsu». Instead «Kumatetsu» will gain a +2 Accuracy and +15 Damage for his next attack.
Beast Form: When «Kumatetsu» is reduced to 150 (or lower) health, he will transform and turn into a bulked-up creature, increasing his damage to 100, but losing his Accuracy and half of his mitigation
Ferocious Roar: When «Kumatetsu» rolls a CD of 10+, he lets out a mighty roar instead of his attack, paralyzing the party.

Edited March 21, 2020 by Pinball

[Pinball 1]

It was confused. Confused and agitated? Again, Pinball was inclined to try and ignore his own assessments, especially when it came to the behavior of a digital animal. They really only had two modes, anyway: passive and aggressive. Right now, Kumatetsu seemed nothing if not aggressive. Its prey had literally up and vanished, and while it could probably "smell" him, it couldn't "see" him. While it frantically sniffed and searched for the missing swordsman, Pinball would be walking half-circles around it; as far as the bear was concerned, in his own separate plane of existence. 

"Here," he murmured, and slid his sword through the space between the monster's shoulder blades. 

Pinball reappeared, and Kumatetsu let out a roar, whirling around faster than Pinball had expected and bringing down a heavy, clawed paw across his shoulder. The boy's knees buckled under the force, but his health was still in the green - and it would be back up to full in what felt like no time at all. For someone who wore nothing to protect himself, Battle Healing was undoubtedly a godsend. 

                                                                                                       

Action Taken: Sword Art - [Shadow Explosion] [-10 EN/+1 EN] {Well Rested} // SNEAK ATTACK - TRICKSTER + Blindside
Stealth: ID#138476 LD: 15+7= 22 (Stealth Maintained) 
Kimatetsu: ID#138476 BD: 8 (Hit!) MD: 10 (Crit+2) ~ 15*9= 135-50= 85/2= 43 +36 BRN +36 BLIT +36 BLD= 43+108 DMG /// 102 DMG to Pinball 

Pinball: HP: 1138/1240 | EN: 109/124 | DMG: 15 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3 | BRN: 36 | BLIT: 36 | BLD: 36 | BH: 62 {Vanish: 1/3}

Kumatetsu: HP: 149/300 | DMG: 100 | MIT: 25 | ACC: 0 | EVA: 2 [BRN: 1/2] [BLIT: 1/2] [BLD: 1/2] 
Abilities:
Dodge and Parry: On a player's natural attack roll of 10, the attack will miss «Kumatetsu». Instead «Kumatetsu» will gain a +2 Accuracy and +15 Damage for his next attack.
Beast Form: When «Kumatetsu» is reduced to 150 (or lower) health, he will transform and turn into a bulked-up creature, increasing his damage to 100, but losing his Accuracy and half of his mitigation
Ferocious Roar: When «Kumatetsu» rolls a CD of 10+, he lets out a mighty roar instead of his attack, paralyzing the party.

Edited March 21, 2020 by Pinball