F16/PP He Did WHAT? <<Snake Out of Water>>

[Oscar 0]

Quest

Spoiler

Name: Oscar
Level: 76
HP: 1550/1550
EN: 167/167

Stats:
Damage: 23
Mitigation: 25
Evasion: 3
Accuracy: 3
BH:77
FLN:12
BRN:36

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: <<TESSELETH'S FURY>> - T3/DEMONIC/2HBA - BRN 2, FLN 2
Armor: << TACTICAL OUTFITTING MK. III >> T3/DEMONIC/LIGHT ARMOR - VAMPIRIC (DEFENSIVE), PARA IMMUNE, 2 REC
Misc: << IVORY GOLD LEAF RING >> T1 DEMONIC TRINKET - +2 ACC, +2 EVA

Skills:
Two-Handed Battle Axe [Rank 5]
Battle Healing [Rank 5]
Light Armor [Rank 5]
Parry [Obtained]
Searching [Rank 5]
First Aid [Rank 5]
Extended Mod Limit [Obtained]
Quick Change [Obtained]
Energist [Obtained]
Two-Handed Assault Spear [Rank 1]

Extra Skills:
Fighter Mastery: Fighter
Concentration
Survival
Meditation

Mods:
Ferocity
Precision
Finesse R3
Athletics
Sprint and Acrobatics
Justified Riposte
Field Medic
Barrier R3

Battle Ready Inventory:
Teleportation Crystal*1
Tactical Outfitting MK.III - T3 Demonic LA VampDef, ParaImmune, 2 Rec*1
Frosted Necklace - T3 Trinket LifeMending, 2 Rec*1
Money Shot - T3 2HBA AbsAcc, ACC, BLD*1
Spear of the Warrior - T3 2HAS AbsAcc, ACC, ACC
Empty Slot*1

Housing Buffs:
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)
Hard Working: +2 EXP per crafting attempt and +1 crafting attempt per day
Filling: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot.
Item Stash: +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot
Delicious: Turn 3 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Feast. A Feast contains 6 portions of the food items sacrificed.
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.
Angler: +1 material gained when fishing

Guild Hall Buffs:

Consumables:
Ultra Lucky Hot Dog - +4 LD [Filling]
Mega Slime Farm - +2 SP to Thread [Next Use 12/10/20]
Azrael's Sports Drink - +3 DMG
Focused Dog - +2 ACC
Evasion Dog - +2 EVA
Gold Star Sticker 2/3 Charges Remaining - +1 DMG

Scents of the Wild:
Yamata no Orochi Statue: +1 Loot Dice for a thread

Wedding Ring:

Oscar hadn't gotten out of the house in a while. Given how everything had gone down recently, he'd decided to stick himself indoors for a while. At least long enough to formulate a plan beyond "kill them all." He really hadn't got very far past that. Going stir-crazy in his home, Oscar knew that he needed some fresh air. Or, at least, what amounted to "fresh air" in this game. That, and he needed supplies. His weapon of choice didn't avail him very well when it came to fighting other players due to the fact that it only came stocked with damage and not much else. An idea had formed - vaguely, but an idea nonetheless. There was a certain Field Boss that dropped a consumable item that could offer him some stun potential on his weapon. Given that he had none - and the fact that getting the SP together to spend on a different, more suitable weapon - was unlikely at this juncture, Oscar decided to take it on. But he wouldn't go alone. Much to his chagrin, Bahr had been right. It was difficult to move when an entire organization could come crashing down on him at any moment. It seemed that he needed backing from a Guild regardless. If only he'd considered that before he carved a chunk out of Bahr's ass. Regardless, he was still on good terms with another Guild. Friends with their members, even. Perhaps they could come to some mutually-beneficial arrangement. But first things first.

Quote

To Freyd:
Heading to Floor 16 to farm Snake Venom. Perhaps an Intermediate Dungeon after. Up to you. Maybe bring Raidou along. I got a business proposition.

With that sent, he gathered his things and made his preparations. Mega Slime Farm? Check. Hot Dog? Check. Statue? You better believe that was a check. And then he headed out. This time, he dashed straight to town in a dead sprint. Lowering the likelihood of him being attacked before he could even get out and about seemed prudent. He stepped onto the platform and disappeared in a flash of light, carried off towards Floor 17.

Edited December 11, 2020 by Oscar

[Freyd 0]

Spoiler

To: Oscar
From: Freyd

Dude!  You had me just at questing.  Now you want to proposition Raidou?  I'm in.  I'll drag him along.   

Sparing but a moment to send an invite to Raidou, mentioning that Oscar wanted to speak about something, he quickly scrolled through his cache of treats and pulled out an oversized pretzel, roughly the size of a cheese wheel and started munching.  These always took a while to get through, but the benefits would never disappoint.  Scolding from Quip?  Check.  Kick Dingo out of his hammock?  Check.  Portal to... where the heck was this place?!  Had he even been to this floor before?  

"Oh!  Right!  The pirates."  

Images followed of exploding boats and getting shot out of cannons.  Good times.  Oscar was always good for a light-hearted romp or twelve.  Freyd momentarily considered wearing his vacation-wear, but decided against it.  Skull Island didn't quite sound like it would appreciate them.

"Hey, isn't that the same place where I set Kiluia on fire, and Raidou and I did the fish thing?"  Moretsuna?  Check.

A quick stroll though fog-filled Angel's Point was all it took to reach the portal and his destination.

 

Freyd, The Whisper in Shadows | HP:1670/1670 | EN:179/179 | DMG:26 | MIT:79 | EVA:4 | ACC:6 | VAMP OFF:167 | HLY:6 | FLN:6 | LD:8 | BH:83 | DOTE 2/2

Consumes:
 

Spoiler

Jackpot Pretzel: LD 3 - [170310]
Cotton Candy Puffs: ACC 2 - [174491]
Super-Duper Anti Snake Sauce: DOTE 2 - [164694]
Armageddon Juice: DMG 3 - [179633]
Red Velvet Meringue: EVA 2 - [179636]
Pure Unadulterated Rage: MIT 3 (T3) - [170016]
Assortment of Fuzzy-Looking Meatballs: Protein 2 - [179635] + Filled

Stat Summary:

Spoiler

Name: Freyd, The Whisper in Shadows
Level: 82
HP: 1670/1670
EN: 179/179

Stats:
Damage: 20 (+3+3)
Mitigation: 79
Evasion: 2 (+2)
Accuracy: 4 (+2)
BH:83
VAMP OFF:167
HLY:6
FLN:6
LD:5 (+3)
Antidote: 2/2

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Samael's Pride (T3-2HSS, VO 1, HOLY 1, FLN 1)
Armor: Skirmisher's Garb (T3 LA, MIT 2, EVA 1)
Misc: Night Shades (T3-Trinket, ACC 3)

Skills:
2H Straight Sword [Rank 5]
Light Armor [Rank 5]
Searching [Rank 4]
Battle Healing [Rank 5]
Parry [Obtained]
Energist [Obtained]
Charge [Rank 5]
Extended Mod Limit R3 [Obtained]
Hiding [Rank 5]
Martial Arts [Rank 3]
Quick Change [Obtained]

Extra Skills:
Disguise
Familiar Mastery: Fighter 3
Survival
Meditation

Mods:
Precision
Finesse - Rank 3
LA Athletics
Ferocity
LA Sprint and Acrobatics
Night Vision
Vengeful Riposte


Battle Ready Inventory:
Teleport Crystals*5
Gungnir Shard: Haniel's Modesty (T3 Perfect HP Rec [Instant]*5
Flash of Rejuvenation (Mass HP Rec [Instant] (+30*Tier HP)*5
Fruit-Infused Tea (T3 HP Recovery)*5
Imugi's Inspiration (T3 Mass HP Recovery)*5
Mega-Duper... Sauce (Antidote 3)*5
Grave Injustice (T3-2HSS, ACC 1, Keen 1, Abs. ACC)*1

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)
Hard Working: +2 EXP per crafting attempt and +1 crafting attempt per day
Filling: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot.
Item Stash: +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot
Delicious: Turn 3 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Feast. A Feast contains 6 portions of the food items sacrificed.
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.
Angler: +1 material gained when fishing
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:
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.

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

Wedding Ring:

 

[Raidou 1]

A trigger of tracking as Freyd made it known that Oscar had some questions to ask, showing him clear as day upon floor 13. The disgusting muck that held but one beast. The snake. The raking of his chair back as he folds the book he was reading, it would have to wait. It was just getting good, the bird had finally beat the hound. Placing it into his pocket as he travels up the stairs and cycles around into the vault. Removing his black book and reading back his notes as he perused the shelves, picking free that which was needed. Once everything is imbibed and the empty bottles are dropped into his inventory, a roll of a small teardrop in his hand flares. It triggers and with it a frequent bend of time and space. Landing within the warp plaza, steady foot falls with a clear path made be known atop weakened wooden planks across stagnant water.

It would have taken longer to transpose a message, best met in person.

Tanos activated: +15 Miti

Raidou consumes: T3 Miti food (+60, filled), Acc +2 Food, Evasion +2 Food, LD +3 Food, T3 OH 3 Potion (+135 Max HP)

Raidou | HP:1925/1925 | EN:176/176 | DMG:9 | MIT:171 | EVA:6 | ACC:5 | VAMP OFF:288 | TAUNT | LD:10 | REC:3 | BH:96

Spoiler

Raidou, Firm Anima Vanguard Captain
Level: 88
HP: 1925/1925
EN: 176/176

Stats:
Damage: 9
Mitigation: 171
Evasion: 6
Accuracy: 5
BH:96
VAMP OFF:288
TAUNT
LD:10
REC:3

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Ebon Star - Vanguard Revenant [T2/Perfect/2HSS]: V.O 2, Taunt
Armor: Red Wanderer's Robe [T1/Perfect/L.A] +3 Evasion
Misc: Emissary Garb [T3/Perfect/L.A] Loot Dice 2, Recovery 1

Skills:
Gatherer [Obtained]
Two Handed Straight Sword [Rank 5]
Extended Mod Limit R3 [Obtained]
Parry [Obtained]
Howl [Obtained]
Battle Healing [Rank 5]
Fighting Spirit [Obtained]
Light Armor [Rank 5]
Searching [Rank 5]
Charge [Rank 5]
Extended Weight Limit [Obtained]

Extra Skills:
Concentration
Familiar Mastery: Protector
Survival

Active Mods:
Focused Howl
Finesse Rank 3
Athletics
Sprint and Acrobatics
Emergency Recovery
Detect
Tracking
Stamina

Inactive Mods:
Vengeful Riposte
Ferocity
Bull Rush
Justified Riposte
Reveal
Precision

Battle Ready Inventory:
Teleport Crystal*1
Pillar Fragment [Unique/Nightvision Mod]
Eternal Watch - Tenacity [T3/Perfect/Trinket]: Recovery 2, Accuracy 1
Mass Heal Crystal*5
Incarceration [T1/Perfect/Debuff Song] Double DoT*2
Hypnosis 2 [T1/Rare/Debuff Song/Instant] -2 Accuracy*3
Tactician's Gaze - Ogma [T1/Perfect/Trinket]: +3 Accuracy
Eye of Midas - Larceny [T1/Perfect/Trinket]: +3 Prosperity

Housing Buffs:
Hard Working: +2 EXP per crafting attempt and +1 crafting attempt per day
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.
Col Stash: +5% bonus col from monster kills and treasure chests
Advanced Training: +2 SP to a thread. Limit one use per month [0/1]

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.

Scents of the Wild:
Tanos Statue: +15 Mitigation for a thread.

 

[Oscar 0]

Oscar could at least breathe easy on his own inside the bounds of the safe zone. He sat down on a bench to await Freyd and Raidou's arrival. As he did, he couldn't help but allow his mind to wander. He'd been doing a lot of that lately. He was pretty sure he would look like an absolute mess right now if the system allowed for it. Hair disheveled, unkempt beard, blood-shot eyes. The works. He hadn't really explored the implications of his departure from Tarot as thoroughly as he should, but he had expected some growing pains as he knocked the rust off and started to get his hands dirty again. Of course, this whole new dichotomy of his freedom of movement between having a Guild backing him and not threatened to put an end to the whole operation. He didn't know how he'd convince Raidou to let him join Firm Anima, but he knew that he had to. It would probably exhaust every iota of clout Freyd had with the group if he chose to vouch for Oscar. That was a whole other beast that couldn't be considered right now.

Eventually, Freyd burst into existence upon the floor in a flash of light. Oscar rose from his seat and strode over, plastering a smile on his face as he greeted his friend. "Hey Freyd," Oscar began as he offered his hand. "Been a minute. What's new?"

[Freyd 0]

Grasping the big man's hand, Freyd immediately sensed a distant and more serious tone in his voice.  Something was off.  He's gotten wind of it during their last few escapades, but it seemed to be weighing more clearly on Oscar's broad shoulders than before.

"Raidou will be along shortly.  What's going on?"  Red eyes were already scanning their surroundings, looking for signs of overly-interested parties.  He made no overt moves, and kept his cowl trained on the man before him, but the rest of him had moved into  'yellow' alert with a definite shade of orange in the background.  Zugaikotsushima was too full of pirates and scoundrels to speak openly or casually, but it was also off the beaten path for most players.  The quests here were few and didn't tend to attract a lot of repeat business.  If there was trouble, something a little less conspicuous than a suit and tie might have been warranted, but the man was practically a giant.  Spandex and a spoopy cowl just wasn't going to cut it.  And it also wasn't his style.

He was certain that Oscar would pick up on this change in stance.  Raidou likely would detect it the instant he arrived.  This was not what he expected.

Freyd activates Vengeful Riposte (-5 EN)

Freyd, The Whisper in Shadows | HP:1670/1670 | EN:174/179 | DMG:26 | MIT:79 | EVA:4 | ACC:6 | VAMP OFF:167 | HLY:6 | FLN:6 | LD:8 | BH:83 | DOTE 2/2 | VENGEFUL

[Raidou 1]

A vibrant tapestry in red bleeds across the field, a twist and sundering of the air as it lingered off his shoulders in a crimson poison. His hatred was stemming to a breaking point but still contained within his breast. Reaching them both in a decent stint of time, given the location, it was hardly one of the two potential quests on this floor he had records of. "Oscar." Raidou quipped in greeting with but one word and a nod, ushering his hand to open his HUD and read back a trigger of tracking to seek the beast they were surely after.

A hit but with its trigger another he had not expected. "Well...Isn't this interesting." Raidou remarks loosely to the other members of the party, a sudden recoil of black cables swell causing his robe to stir. A tussle of the lenses on his brow as they shoot off in a spray of cables of black ichor. A yelp in the distance followed by screaming, a male in bright red hair that was not as good as Freyd, Hidden, or Hikoru yet. Dragging him from the tree in a spray of leaves, through brush and tumble.

Fingernails dig into the soil below as he desperately grasps for something to stop himself as he is drug slowly toward the vanguard captain. "Why are you following me?" Raidou asked unsure as the male is lifted aloft by his own ankle inverted. Stabbing the wander in the eye with a waiting dagger, he sighs sharply before slamming the would be orange player to the dirt.

He lifts a hand and rips it out, the small amount of damage recovering on his bar as quick as it's dealt. "Wrong answer, believe me when I tell you my inquiry is more polite than the others." He looks to Freyd and then to Oscar. A twist of another piece of ichor grabbing the wrist that dealt the damage begins to peel him apart from the center.

"Stop, stop, stop! I was following him."

Raidou activates Tracking, Bypassing Post requirement and LD roll for Habinishu, Next attack against the target automatically hits!

[Oscar 0]

Just as Oscar was about to launch into his explanation, Raidou appeared suddenly on the platform. He opened his mouth to greet him when Raidou suddenly yoinked a dude out of a tree. It didn't take much interrogation before the man tapped out and spilled the beans. All this time, Oscar had a feeling that there had been eyes on him at all times. The moves that had been made against him just seemed too precise otherwise. More recently, however, Oscar had begun to question his own sanity. Even in the face of all of the evidence, the fact that it hadn't been confirmed had weighed heavily upon him. That weight was immediately lifted as he felt absolutely vindicated by the discovery of his stalker. In a flash of light, Tesseleth's Fury snapped into his hand. "Well, this is what I wanted to talk to you about Freyd. I was worried you guys might have thought I was crazy though." He took a step forward, resting the edge of his axe against the man's neck. "Clearly that isn't an issue anymore."

Oscar removed his weapon from his collar and yanked him up by his shirt. Lifting him up to eye level with one hand, Oscar bored a hole into the man's eyes. "I'm going to make this real simple. You saw what I did to that hit squad, right? You're going to spill everything you know or the three of us are going to re-enact that day in the woods. Only I'm going to take your legs first."

The color blanched from the man's face. He began to kick his feet - trying in vain to escape Oscar's hold. But not only was Oscar a vastly higher level, but he was also fueled with hate and rage enough to collapse a star. He wasn't going anywhere, but neither was this conversation. "Freyd. Buddy. You got any enhanced interrogation techniques we can use? I think I broke this guy's brain," Oscar said.

[Freyd 0]

Freyd's cowl tilted slowly and craned his view upward in a seemingly unnatural manner, the sound of neck bones cracking and popping as he did so.  A pale, smile-less face glared up with red eyes towards the hapless, dangling man.  He nodded silently to Oscar, before pointing to the ground.  Their 'guest' landed roughly, the big man's fist still clenched around his collar.  If he'd done so any harder, Oscar might have risked the system interpreting it as an attack and given him an orange strike.  It fit with the man's cavalier reputation, but not Freyd's past observations.  He couldn't let that show, or get distracted at this moment, and let is pass.

Placing a his right hand clad in supple black leather on the man's right shoulder, Freyd hardly seemed to touch him as he seemed to float uncomfortably close to their eavesdropper's  matching ear.  Both of them could hear the slightest whispers of voice, accompanied by minor shifting of his cowl.  The other man's face blanched as his eyes widened to an appropriately anime scale.  A feint scent of urine permeated the air, just as something black and liquid dribbled from the man's pant leg and pooled around his feet.

"Ask your questions," Freyd said to Oscar, stepping back to be clear of the pair of them.  His eyes locked onto the strangers and wouldn't release them.  "And be quick.  He may not have much time."

[Raidou 1]

With this buffoon isolated and left to the towering male that was tesseleth's wielder holding it by the throat with the whisper within kill distance, it wasn't going anywhere. In silence and haste, Raidou ushers away, another sonar like a pulse as he presses his glasses up the bridge of his nose. Habinishu wasn't far off from the station where they were kept, and with that trigger, the nomad was seeking anything more that may be working with him.

Although it was best to move in separate circles, the rotted wood around him brought back no counts. There was no pulse. The stink of the floor lingered musky wetness that stunk of age. The creaking of floorboards and narrow walks as Raidou formed a perimeter. Holding the grounds to buy the time for an adequate interrogation without any disruptions. He put his trust in Freyd for the delivery, the man was in his own element as was the captain of the vanguard here. Building a wall.

[Oscar 0]

Oscar rather felt like a dog chasing a car. Now that he had it, he didn't know what to do with it. It would be useless to ask the man how much he knew, now that he had time to think about it. Oscar had to assume that Tyson knew everything. The more important question was what was going to happen now. Oscar's eyes narrowed, his steely gaze locking onto the unfortunate man. "We found you. What's the plan for that? I know he has one."

The man's shaking stopped. Oscar must have reminded him of something. He threw his head back, cackling madly. Oscar waited patiently for the man to cease. There wasn't any point in pushing any harder. If he just stood there, feigning confusion, the man wouldn't be able to help but gloat. He had knowledge the three of them lacked and given his situation, he would be just itching to share it. "You guys are so fucked," he said. "If something happens to me, the boss'll just send someone to wipe you out. Won't be like Megin-Fi's gang either. You won't stand a chance."

Oscar cracked a smile. "So you're saying that if I kill you, Tyson finally brings his big guns out to play?" Tesseleth's Fury shot to the man's neck. "Good. I was getting tired of the petty shit." Oscar grabbed the man by the collar and threw him some distance away. Just far enough to be considered out of the safe zone. Before he could rally, Oscar was upon him. He pinned the man to a tree, stabbing him with one of the fangs of Hebinishu he'd obtained from a prior completion. To his credit, the man managed to fight off the paralysis, but his health was fading fast. "You got two options here. One, you call in your goons now. Two, you die and they show up anyway. There's only one option where you get to walk out of this. You haven't actually hurt anyone. You have one chance. Make your decision quickly, though. That poison looks nasty."

The fear sank in once again. As his health bar approached zero, the man lifted one trembling hand to access his menu. Then, it balled into a fist and he delivered a punch to Oscar's face. A move of pure defiance. Oscar sighed. "Very well. Your name's Ox. I'll remember that. You picked the wrong side, but loyalty is always commendable." Then, Oscar delivered a blow of his own. Combined with the poison, the damage was just enough to end the man. His avatar shuddered for a moment. Glitching out before inevitably shattering. Another name would soon be carved into the Monument. Oscar turned to Raidou and Freyd, his expression softening into one of apology. "I should apologize here for roping you guys into this mess of mine so suddenly. I'd hoped I would have time to explain things before we got jumped. I'll understand completely if you two want to get clear. They're after me anyway. If you stick around there's going to be a fight and I can't speak to whether we'll walk out of here." he said.

Edited December 17, 2020 by Oscar

[Freyd 0]

Freyd peered at Oscar as he spoke, a professionally neutral expression affixed on his face as he turned in the direction of the man's vanishing remains.

"Persi."  His voice was cold but not disinterested.

An inky black head, about the size of a housecat's, leapt out of the shattering remains, re-assuming its favored shadow mongoose form.  Two brilliant azure eyes with oddly horizontally slotted pupils.  She gazed imperiously at both Raidou and Oscar before slurping her way back up under Freyd's clothing

"Not much point in getting me to get him to talk, was there?"  Was that sass?  Given what he'd just witnessed, it didn't seem the smartest tone for a response.  "And as to whatever follows," one side of his face curled up into a Cheshire-like smirk, "as long as they don't bring a giant fish, we should probably be fine."  He patted his friend on the shoulder, twice, his cowl already swiveling madly to process their surroundings.  "Do we want to do this here, or let Habinishu get in their way, just to make things more interesting?"

Wandering farther away from the settlement in order to avoid the risk of drawing the guards into the fray, one final outburst rolled out as they left the settlement.

"Gah!  I knew it!  I should have gone with my gut and brought my vacation shirt!  Oscar, you always bring on the very best romps.  Let's do this thing."

[Raidou 1]

A flickered shattering in the distance, as digital fragments with a depth charge like punch throw them airborne. Seems there was a struggle, the character that lurked in the shadows not of creatures but of man. Had proven himself an animal all his own, Raidou was not heartbroken or attached to his life like he would others. He was a traitor to his kind. The soft patter of thin pools of murky liquid, wetting the bottom of his boots with each and every step.

The footprints left in its wake are moist and cling mud to the flats. Subtle shifts in the air elude to something greater. A fickle beast loomed on the horizon, assuming that its 'prey' could not see it. But there was another mistake on that same wind. Removing the ebon star from its scabbard, slowly inch by inch. "You are correct." Raidou mutters to his chest, as the familiar that squeezed it tightly was picking up on the change in his heart rate.

His HUD screams with multiple triggers as if the death of Ox had brought about a reaction. The sonar-like pulse reveals numerous red dots in sequence, mirroring the chamber where he was outnumbered. Within seconds the sounds of a heated fray would become known, and with it flashing sparks of steel on steel. A single broadsword pierces Raidou's sternum, cutting through his 'heart'

"Mistakes were made" The nomad remarks with a fix of his lenses, as Juiblex takes the player's wrist and his throat. The insistent pounding, and with it a few cries of horror, as a myriad of prompts beckon the phrase on repeat:

<<Immortal Object>>

<<Immortal Object>>

<<Immortal Object>>

His limbs go limp after being driven in excess into a rotted tree until he could no longer breathe, and with a hollow intake and a trail in red, Raidou rips clean the blade before it flickers away. With its host absent the inventory to which it was contained was gone. All that was left was a mistake, as the red wanderer's HP is refueled to full.

Raidou activates Parry, -5 EN

Raidou | HP:1925/1925 | EN:171/176 | DMG:9 | MIT:171 | EVA:6 | ACC:5 | VAMP OFF:288 | TAUNT | LD:10 | REC:3 | BH:96

[Oscar 0]

Oscar knew that Hell would rain down upon the trio upon Ox's death, but he couldn't have prepared himself for it to be so soon. A one desolate swamp was now a hot spot of action. Red crystals aplenty shimmered into view. The first had commited to his attack, but was met with powerful resistance from the Red Wanderer. The rest, it seemed, elected to break their stealth and watch the demolition of their comrade. As Raidou handled his "opponent" in a brutal fashion, Oscar took in his surroundings. One... Three... Five... Se- Oh twelve. The first into the fray fell to the ground and shattered like glass. Eleven. Was this really the best Tyson had to throw at them? 

It doesn't matter.

Oscar was no longer Oscar. He was no longer the man who built others up. His compassion burned away into wrath. His goals extended far beyond his feud with Tyson. He was The Beast now. Nothing short of the extermination of the unredeemable could satiate his appetite.

"Gah!  I knew it!  I should have gone with my gut and brought my vacation shirt!  Oscar, you always bring on the very best romps.  Let's do this thing."

Oscar flashed a grin at his compatriot. "Very well."

Oscar raised Tesseleth's Fury above his head. The black flames of the Tyrant roared to life around the obsidian blade. They roiled and writhed, screaming to pass judgement upon the afflicted. They were in it now. Regardless of how this played out, Firm Anima was now drawn into this feud. And, because of that, he could offer nothing but his very best. His most powerful. His greatest brutality. And with a single downward slice of his blade, such was delivered.

A sea of red swallowed up into a sea of black. Like a tsunami, ebon fire crashed down into their midst. Some, he guessed, would have the presence of mind to get out of the way. Others would not be so wise or so lucky. Through the chaos, he watched as three health bars drained to zero. Three lives snuffed out. He hadn't bothered to get their names. They would be mourned in the real world. Their real families would bury their real bodies, ignorant of the pain they had caused others; of the blood on their hands. But in here, in Aincrad, they would get what they truly deserved.

They would be forgotten. No one to mourn. No one to care. Such was their fate.

Spoiler

Exalt slain by Oscar
Shocker slain by Oscar
Cherry slain by Oscar

 

Edited February 1, 2022 by Oscar