[PP|F3] <<Dragon Hunter Anthology - Dragon Hunt 3: the Opal Hatchling>> Electric Boogaloo or Something

[ChaseR 0]

<<Dragon Hunter Anthology - Dragon Hunt 3: the Opal Hatchling>>

With the two teleporting on to the third floor almost immediately upon reaching the settlement, Chase came to the conclusion once more that Oz would be pretty much like him. Then again, they had their fair share of obvious few differences. He complimented others too much and was much more talkative, sociable and easygoing than himself. The only thing keeping him from being his usual, horrible at speaking self, was how at ease he felt.

"I've been in your place like... two or so weeks ago. That's why I picked up my sword, walked up to the first person I could find and asked them if they knew where the tutorial quest was. They just happened to be the right person to help me get going, find some gear and get started on my trips around Aincrad. I'm sure you'll make it up here in no time if you're convinced enough. Reality's whatever you want it to be in a game or something. As long as what you want is you know, grounded and all.", he finished off and just offered a small grin, looking out of the settlement into the third floor.

 

Spoiler

Name: ChaseR
Level: 73
HP: 1490/1490
EN: 146/146

Stats:
Damage: 19
Mitigation: 43
Evasion: 3
Accuracy: 3
BH:74
VAMP DEF:74
PARA:1
HLY:12
HLY BLS:16
LD:5

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: <<Fragmented Blade>> (T3/Perfect/2HSS): PARA I, HOLY II
Armor: <<Azure Overcoat>> (T2/Perfect/Light Armor): V.DEF I, HBS I, MIT I
Misc: <<Chained Bracelet>> (T2/Demonic/Trinket): EVA II, ACC II

Skills:
Two-Handed Straight Sword [Rank 5]
Light Armor [Rank 5]
Battle Healing [Rank 5]
Searching [Rank 4]
Charge [Rank 5]
Howl [Obtained]
Parry [Obtained]
Extended Mod Limit [Obtained]
Fighting Spirit [Obtained]

Extra Skills:
Familiar Mastery: Fighter
Survival
Disguise

Mods:
2HSS Finesse [R3]
Precision
Athletics
Sprint & Acrobatics
Ferocity
Focused Howl



Battle Ready Inventory:
Starter Healing Potions(heal 50HP)*1
Insta-Life ++ (T2/Perfect/HP REC III)*1
Woodland Armor (T3/Perfect) MIT III (1/3)*1
Teleport Crystal [F21]*1
Imugi's Inspiration (Mass HP Recovery)*1
Requires Extended Weight Limit 1
Requires Extended Weight Limit 2
Requires Extended Weight Limit 3
Obtained via Item Stash (Housing)
Obtained via Dimensional Backpack

Housing Buffs:
Rested: -1 energy cost for the first two expenditures of each combat
Clean: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 20% (rounded down)
Filling: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot.
Relaxed: Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
Skylight (Searching): +1 Rank to the Searching skill.
Advanced Training: +2 SP to a thread. Limit one use per month [0/1]
Multipurpose: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll
Decor [Potted Tanabata Bamboo Tree]: This buff affects the player and their choice of up to two party members.

Guild Hall Buffs:

Scents of the Wild:
Kumatetsu Statue: +1 Base Damage for a thread

Wedding Ring:

 

[Grimm Reaper 0]

Ozwald agreed with all of the points that Chase had brought up, he would get there it was just a matter of conviction. "Yeah I know that it is just a matter of conviction. Just wish i could start strong." Now that they were on the third floor, for what was Ozwald's very first visit to this floor, Ozwald wanted to know exactly where they would need to look for the next dragon hatchling, of course if Chase even knew.

"Do you know where this hatchling might be?" Ozwald asked looking out towards the gate of the settlement, Delilah, that they had just teleported to. The hatchling they were going to go take down would be the third out of the nine that they would need to take down, meaning that they would be a third of the way to the mysteries that resided inside of the castle on the tenth floor.

Spoiler

Name: Grimm Reaper
Level: 19
HP: 380/380
EN: 38/38

Stats:
Damage: 10
Mitigation: 5
Evasion: 1
Accuracy: 3
REC:2

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Soul Devourer(tier 1/Perfect/Hand Wraps)[DAM 3]
Armor: Death's Shroud(Tier 1/Perfect/Light Armor)[EVA 1][REC 2]
Misc: Damned Souls(Tier 1/perfect/trinket)[ACC 3]

Skills:
Martial Arts [Rank 4]
Light Armor [Rank 1]

Battle Ready Inventory:
Starter Healing Potions(+50 hp)*3
[T1]Health potions(rare)(+40 HP)*5
[T1]Damage potion(uncommon)(+1 DAM)*1

Guild Hall Buffs:
Lucrative: Reduce LD needed for Salvage by 5 (10+ for Alchemist crystals, 6+ for everything else). +2 EXP per craft. Rank 9 crafters receive +1 crafting attempt per day. Rank 10 crafters receive +2 crafting attempts per day.
Col Deposit: +5% bonus col from last-hit monster kills and +10% bonus col from treasure chests.
 

 

Edited October 23, 2020 by Grimm Reaper

[ChaseR 0]

"Starting strong wouldn't get you anywhere. I hadn't a clue what to call a thing in the game when I first started, but look at me go. Take things easy and at your own pace.", he told him before shrugging in response to his next question, quietly exiting the settlement and looking around. He definitely remembered this floor with the minotaur quest- the one around... "See that forest to the side? It's a maze. The dragon can't be there, given it's guarded by minotaurs. If I had to guess, our best shot is further down the path, this way.", he deducted aloud while pointing at one of the forests nearby, with seemingly darker colored trees and much thicker branches like the rest. And with that, he took off to the path, expecting Ozwald to follow suit right behind him. "Let's look for another structure this time too. They probably all follow the same pattern with locations."

[Grimm Reaper 0]

Ozwald didn't really know anything about the third floor, he had never been up to this specific floor, he had only been lower or a lot higher up on the floor levels. The information that Chase provided was definitely a lot of help, it would be pointless if they were searching for the dragon somewhere that the dragon wasn't at. Looking over towards the darker forest that Chase had pointed out Ozwald followed, walking in pace only slightly behind Chase. "When we get to the forest I will send Ryoto out to look again, he makes for a really good scout, with how small and fast he is." Ozwald said scratching the small chicken like beast's head. Ozwald didn't talk as much around chase as he did with other people, like Valentine, so it was a lot quieter, but in a comfortable way, one that was not at all bad and Ozwald enjoyed quite a bit. 

[ChaseR 0]

Chase was similar to Ozwald in that aspect, but still slightly different. He was definitely much quieter around others, but to an awkward extent. With a deep sigh, he gave a nod and looked at the forest, feeling like they wouldn't just be alone this time around. Something other than the hatchling was somewhere in the forest... that's the gut feeling he got. It'd be best to tread carefully.

"He should do good, yeah... Just keep an eye out for enemies, I feel like we won't be alone.". After a bit of silence, they ended up in front of the forest. Chase came to a halt quietly with his sword hoisted by his waist, looking over his shoulder at Grimm and giving a nod. He was slightly tense, unlike before, just because there was a chance some player or worse, boss monster other than the dragon would run into them. He'd use Howl to be on the safe side if they seemed strong, but he didn't want to put Ozwald in any danger whatsoever so far. "Whenever you're ready. Just be careful, there might be more than just the hatchling around when we find it."

[Grimm Reaper 0]

Ozwald trusted Chase's instincts, they had obviously not failed him so far in his life. Quitely Ozwald tapped his cockatrice, Ryoto, signaling for hi, to look around for anything that was suspicious the bird knew to call out if it ran into anything dangerous. Ozwald readied himself into a light stance, ready to bolt when the need arises Ozwald nodded to his blue haired companion, figuring that if there truly was something more dangerous than the freshly hatched dragon in the forest than it was better to not do anything that might alert it. Ozwald took his first few steps into the forest, trying to make as little noise as he could in the underbrush, while still trying search for anything that could lead to the whereabouts of the dragon hatchling. Ozwald looked to make sure that Chase was joining him in the forest, he was reassured to have the stronger man with him. 

[ChaseR 0]

And with Ryoto taking off, he waited for a moment until Ozwald began to make his way into the rather dense woods. Keeping closer to him than usual, he wanted to make sure that they wouldn't end up losing one another amidst the moody lighting from the dense foliage and the interwoven roots around their feet. Knowing fully well how the maze was in the other forest, it was easy to see how well one could trip and kiss mother nature in the forehead.

"Ryoto might have trouble getting to us because of how dense all the trees are, but he'll appear. Sooner or later. Worst case, he'll fly inside from where we went in too. He should see a clearing wherever the dragon is though, or something that sticks out from the woods. It could be a pillar, or anything. Judging by what we have seen so far, it's probably a structure, no way we'd just go in blind.", he reminded Grimm and continued to walk on inside, hearing footsteps from far, far ahead into the distance. He looked at Grimm and gave a nod before putting an index finger in front of his lips to signal him to be more silent. "We're getting closer."

[Grimm Reaper 0]

Ozwald nodded, Ryoto might have trouble finding them, but he completely believed that the bird creature would be able to find them if given enough time. Ozwald followed behind Chase, hearing the footsteps at around the same time as him. Whatever made those footsteps wasn't nearby persay, but it didn't hurt to be careful. Ozwald dropped into a lower stance, allowing him to control the sound of his footsteps with a lot more control. "What do you think those might be?" Ozwald whispered to Chase, floor three may not be a high floor in Aincrad, but someone could die anywhere if they weren't being careful enough. Ozwald continued his searching around the area, while also waiting for Ryoto to return making sure to stick with Chase and not pul to far away from him. It didn't take much longer for Ryoto to return himself to Ozwald's shoulder. Obvious that he was trying to lead them deeper into the forest, slightly off from the steps they had heard.

Edited October 26, 2020 by Grimm Reaper

[ChaseR 0]

Although Chase couldn't catch any glimpses of silhouettes further inside the forest, he knew fully well that whatever could be up ahead couldn't be monsters. That was the sound of boots on the ground, if not some other form of shoe. There was no way it was another player though, because in that case, he'd be able to find some trace of them being up ahead with his Searching ability.

"I can't tell. It can't be dangerous if it's down in the third, but stay behind me just in case. Let's go towards where it sounded from- Ryoto must have caught a glimpse at worst.", he laid out a small plan, taking a deep breath and unsheathing his sword as he took slow and small steps further and further into the woods. Making sure to step on no branches on the ground to avoid creating any noise, he quietly walked behind and made his way closer and closer. It wouldn't be too long before the area up ahead seemed brighter and brighter, with footsteps on the ground all over the crunched up leaves. "... Looks like human footsteps. It's either an NPC or some other player- in either case, nothing to be worried about.", he reassured with a small smile and looked back to the lighted clearing. "Whenever you're ready."

[Grimm Reaper 0]

Ozwald was fairly relieved, NPCs would be no problem, and there was no reason a player would attack him or Chase. "I am ready now." Ozwald said stepping into the clearing that was devoid of the familiar darkness of the forest around them. With the trees now out of the way completely Ozwald could see a fairly small broken tower, it was mostly crumbling, with one wall almost completely gone. Atop the shattered remnants of the tower laid an off white dragon, its head turning to face Ozwald as he stepped through into the clearing. Calling out in a tongue unknown to the pair on the edge of the forest, the dragon seemed to summon two elvish allies flanking either side of the tower.

Spoiler

BD: 7 + 3 - 1= 9(Hit) 10 * 6 = 60 - 40 = 20

BD: 10(Crit) 10  | Crit | 12 * 6 = 72 - 25 = 47

BD: 1(Miss)

Grimm Reaper | HP:352/380 (-28 THRNS)| EN:30/38 (-10, +2 REC) | DMG:10 | MIT:5 | EVA:1 | ACC:3 | REC:2 | Hate: [1, 2, 0]
ChaseR: HP: 1490/1490 | EN: 146/146 | DMG: 19 | EVA: 3 | ACC: 3 | MIT: 43 | BH: 74 | HOLY: 12 | PARA: 9-10 | V.(DEF): 74 | HBS: 16 | LD: 5 | Hate: [0, 0, 0]

Ghidorah: HP: 195/215 (-20) - MIT: 40 - ACC: 1 - EVA: 1 - DMG: 70 - Thorns: 14
Cultist 1: HP: 3/50 (-47) - MIT: 25 - DMG: 35 - Thorns: 14
Cultist 2: HP: 50/50 - MIT: 25 - DMG: 35 - Thorns: 14

Seeing the enemies Ozwald took the initiative, jumping into the frey of combat Landing a spinning kick on the left cultist as well as the dragon, finding himself taking some damage from his attack, but ultimately satisfied.

 

Edited October 26, 2020 by Grimm Reaper

[ChaseR 0]

Although Ozwald saw no reason for any players to go after him, Chase was keeping a very wary glance at his guild overall. That's why he initially got suspicious of Grimm having chosen Firm Anima of all the guilds, but regardless- monsters. A language neither spoke or knew of, and suddenly, elves had shown up.

"That's what we kept hearing before- watch out, hey!", he shouted at Ozwald upon seeing one of the cultists jump up into the air, draw a blade and slash at him. Thankfully, the damage was tiny, but it took a moment for Chase to register this all in his head. He quickly turned to the monsters and let lightning roar throughout his blade, slashing a small shockwave towards them. "..?!". Despite having launched his attack, Chase knew that something was off- and as soon as it hit one of the cultists, the rest of the shockwave wavered and ultimately dissipated into thin air, leaving him vulnerable with his feet still in the air as Ghidorah sent out an elemental attack right towards him. Chase quickly turned to the side, barely dodging the attack and glaring at the hatchling. "... Slipped up, sorry."

Spoiler

ChaseR uses Tempest on Ghidorah, Cultist 1 and Cultist 2! (BD: 1, 1, 3+3=6)
ATTACK MISSED [1]
ATTACK MISSED [2]
20 * 8 - 25 = 160 - 25 = 135 [3]

Ghidorah attacks ChaseR! (MD: 8-3=5)
ATTACK MISSED

Cultist 1 attacks Grimm Reaper! (MD: 7-1=6)
35 - 5 = 30

Grimm Reaper | HP:322/380 (-30) | EN:30/38 | DMG:10 | MIT:5 | EVA:1 | ACC:3 | REC:2
ChaseR: HP: 1462/1490 | EN: 135/146 (-11) | DMG: 19 | EVA: 3 | ACC: 3 | MIT: 43 | BH: 74 | HOLY: 12 | PARA: 9-10 | V.(DEF): 74 | HBS: 16 | LD: 5

[1,1] Ghidorah: HP: 195/215 - MIT: 40 - ACC: 1 - EVA: 1 - DMG: 70 - Thorns: 14
[2,1] Cultist 1: HP: 3/50 - MIT: 25 - DMG: 35 - Thorns: 14
Cultist 2: HP: 0/50 (-160) - MIT: 25 - DMG: 35 - Thorns: 14

 

Edited October 26, 2020 by ChaseR

[Grimm Reaper 0]

Spoiler

BD:2 + 3 - 1 = 4(Miss)
BD:10(Crit) 10 | Crit | 12 * 6 = 72 - 25 = 47

Grimm Reaper | HP:308/380 (-14 THRNS) | EN:23/38 (+1, -8)| DMG:10 | MIT:5 | EVA:1 | ACC:3 | REC:2
ChaseR: HP: 1462/1490 | EN: 135/146 | DMG: 19 | EVA: 3 | ACC: 3 | MIT: 43 | BH: 74 | HOLY: 12 | PARA: 9-10 | V.(DEF): 74 | HBS: 16 | LD: 5

[1,1] Ghidorah: HP: 195/215 - MIT: 40 - ACC: 1 - EVA: 1 - DMG: 70 - Thorns: 14
[4,1] Cultist 1: HP: 0/50 (-47) - MIT: 25 - DMG: 35 - Thorns: 14
Cultist 2: HP: 0/50 (-160) - MIT: 25 - DMG: 35 - Thorns: 14

Ozwald chuckled, Chase said that he had slipped up, but he had still  killed one of the Cultists, which is more than Ozwald could say about himself. Ozwald was already being shown up by his blue haired friend, which made since for how much higher leveled he was, but Ozwald wanted to put in at least some of the work too. Ozwald kicked up into the air, once again using his best AOE sword art, Tornado Kick, spinning himself and his leg in a 360 arc, falling short of the dragon, but hitting the elven cultist square in the chest, causing it to explode into a brilliant shower of blue light that filled the clearing around the pair. Ozwald fell back to the ground, landing in a crouch on the ground, Ozwald was satisfied, it had taken him longer but he managed to get keep slight pace with the blue haired fellow fighting by his side..

 

Edited October 26, 2020 by Grimm Reaper

[ChaseR 0]

With Grimm dancing about the battlefield, Chase took a deep breath and held his sword tightly, closing his eyes momentarily before opening them. And as soon as he did, he zoomed right towards the dragon and whipped his left hand to the side, letting the chains wrapped around his hand free and whipping them towards the dragon. Ready to send out another elemental breath to attack him, he was quickly sent off balance by the chain whip and jumped back, only to get hit by the next shockwave Chase sent flying.

This one was blue, just like his overall colors, but with no lightning or fancy effect to it. Just a bright glow, cutting clean through the hatchling before lopping its body in half and causing the death particles to fly all around the place. And like so, the group had been completely cleared out once more, leaving yet another gem to be pried out of its necklace. Of course, this time, it was under the dragon's nest atop the rubble- but it shined enough to grab the two's attention.

Spoiler

ChaseR uses Calamitous Tragedy! (BD: 7+3-1=9)
20 * 12 - 40 = 240 - 40 = 200

Grimm Reaper | HP:308/380 (-14 THRNS) | EN:23/38 (+1, -8)| DMG:10 | MIT:5 | EVA:1 | ACC:3 | REC:2
ChaseR: HP: 1476/1490 | EN: 127/146 | DMG: 19 | EVA: 3 | ACC: 3 | MIT: 43 | BH: 74 | HOLY: 12 | PARA: 9-10 | V.(DEF): 74 | HBS: 16 | LD: 5

[1,1] Ghidorah: HP: 0/215 (-200) - MIT: 40 - ACC: 1 - EVA: 1 - DMG: 70 - Thorns: 14

 

Edited October 26, 2020 by ChaseR

[Grimm Reaper 0]

Ozwald was stunned to say the least, the dragon had barely been hurt at all and the fact the Chase killed it with what seemed to be noe effort at all just like the last two was, stunning. Ozwald still hadn't gotten used to the difference in power between everyone he had worked with so far and Chase. Ozwald looked at the tower, it still had a working ladder on one side that would allow them to climb up to the top of it. Ozwald climbed the tower, pulling the gem out from the rubble, before a notification appeared saying that he had gained the opal. Ozwald leaped down from the top of the tower, to the ground that was below them. "Well I guess that means 3 down." Ozwald said plainly. So far none of the hatchlings had ever been a problem for the pair thanks to Chase. hopefully soon Ozwald would be able to shine along with Chase.

[ChaseR 0]

Chase watched the brawler quietly climb up the ladder and soon enough, he had jumped back down next to him. Although these hadn't been too much of a bother, what was slightly annoying the bluehead was that the quests they were tackling paid off in items much better than it did in terms of SP.

"Yeah, three of these hatchlings are down. The rewards will start to get better from here on out, but... Sorry this doesn't level you up as fast as expected. I hadn't done these quests either, and the rewards are honestly underwhelming, but... Beating the tenth must be worth it. I've heard that it provides you with a good enough weapon to counter all the time spent and wasted rushing through the hatchlings, but I still don't know what's in the castle. Either way, eyes on the prize, it's gonna be a good bit of SP added all up together.", he tried to explain and at the same time excuse himself, scratching the back of his head quietly with a deep sigh. He really just wished that Kayaba had made these quests more... not eventful necessarily, but fruitful? Worthwhile? He didn't even know what the reward was still.

[Grimm Reaper 0]

Ozwald called Ryoto back to his shoulder, it was much safer for him to be perched there rather than flying around above their heads. Ozwald looked over at Chase, a smile on his lips "I don't mind the low SP rewards honestly, every little bit makes me stronger. Plus if what you say is right and an amazing weapon awaits us at the end of this tunnel, won't it all be worth it?" Ozwald asked Chase idly petting the familiar that sat on his shoulder. "Well with number three down, shall we head on to number four?" Ozwald asked turning back towards the direction that the pair had come from, mere moments ago. Ozwald and Chase were on a roll, it had only been a few hours but the pair had already slain 2 of the dragons that guarded the keys, why not the fourth this day as well? Ozwald started walking slowly, assuming that Chase would be following him.

[ChaseR 0]

Chase gave a small nod, laughing and scratching the back of his head. His own plans were to kill as many as possible, and although having to go with somebody else was slowing him down a fair bit, it was nice to see that Grimm was growing alongside him- his growth was already as slow as possible, so he didn't really mind the low SP either. Anything below 5SP was low at this point.

"Yeah, you're not wrong honestly. Let's head on to the fourth then. The plan was to originally kill as many as possible, maybe even all nine if you can bear it. The final quest has to be worth it, for the weapon and overall experience. We'll see for ourselves soon enough at this rate.", he nodded again and began to walk back towards where they came from, gesturing to Grimm to follow right behind as he stuffed both hands in his jacket's pockets and hummed lowly to himself, throwing his head left and right. If Ozwald wasn't still in the low floors and with similar personality traits to Chase, the blueberry would definitely be much more quiet and less talkative. Hell, this felt comfortable mostly because he knew the way that Ozwald thought. A feeling that he hadn't gotten aside from hanging out with Lily back out of Aincrad.

[Grimm Reaper 0]

"That sounds like as nice a day as any. Let's get all the way up to number nine before we stop then." Ozwald replied to the plan that Chase had set out before them. Following along beside him, his fingers locked behind his head. "What do you think is going to be inside the castle?" Ozwald asked, he had been curious since Chase had told him about the castle on the tenth floor if it was being guarded by ten separate dragons whether they were hatchlings or not.The pair of friends moved through the forest silently for a while, the sun barely peeking through the dense foliage above them, it was a nice day to be out. "What made you decide to invite me along?" Ozwald had been curious for a while, he knew that Chase could do these quests alone no problem at all, so why carry around someone who probably couldn't?

[ChaseR 0]

Both questions were valid, but met with an equally blank stare. At first, he wasn't certain what to expect of the castle. He still wasn't really, but given the keys were nine gems, and the quest reward was a weapon, what waited them in the castle couldn't be loot- it would probably be more monsters, and bosses by the looks of it too. "I'm expecting more monsters. Maybe there's a real dragon inside as a boss for the final quest- it can't just be roam free into the castle after we kill everything. That's what I've gathered from gaming in Aincrad, at least."

God, it felt so weird to use that term. 'Gaming' like all the hip and cool kids would. Although he wasn't sure how far they could keep going before it'd begin to get dangerous for his companion, Chase was willing to go that far so long as Ozwald could carry his own weight for long enough. As for the second question, he was already sure of what he thought. "Well... Nobody does this quest line. Me included. I've finished almost the entire other list but just now got to this. Given the good loot at the end,  it's a shame. But it's a lot of repetition with little to do but explore. That's my guess. I don't want to just do this alone if I can carry you with me and still get it done all the same."

[Grimm Reaper 0]

Despite what Chase had said, Ozwald was incredibly grateful, yeah it may have been killing two birds with one stone, getting help with thequest while also helping Ozwald get more levels, but it still meant a lot. Ozwald was glad that he had met Chase in this world, especially after hearing all of the horrible things that people did when this twisted game first started. The fact that Chase was willing to put in at least the bare minimum amount of effort to help Ozwald really showed him that Chase was a good guy. Ozwald wanted to help Chase with whatever Chase needed, and he would stick to that.

Ozwald and Chase walked for a short while longer before finding themselves back at the settlement, and subsequently the teleport gate that could be found there at the center "Floor four here we come." Ozwald called out before teleporting himself to the aforementioned floor in a blinding flash of blue light.

Spoiler

Thread Rewards:

• <Ghidorah’s Opal> [Vanity Quest Item] (ChaseR, Grimm Reaper)
• 3 SP ( 1 quest, 1 page, 1 event) Grimm Reaper and ChaseR
• 1,050 Col (650 quest, 400 page) Grimm Reaper