[PP-F1/F22] Enemy of my Enemy is my Familiar <<Feeding Your Enemy>> (Five, Griswold)

[5iou5 0]

 

I was relaxing behind my store counter, with what has to be the most bored expression in SAO, as I sit in wait for customers. It has been months since I sold anything. I began to consider joining the fight to escape this virtual hell. It wasn't until after checking the guild status that I realized that I was the only one who had went stagnant and stopped growing in strength, and well, I could not stand it. Grabbing my equipment, I headed to the closest teleport gate, "Floor twenty-two, Forest of Memories." I said with a raised voice in almost yell before a blinding light engulfed me, and then I found myself in the Forest of Memories. "So this is the twenty-second floor. Well, at least some headway has been made though now I want to help. I am getting an itch for a good fight." I spoke to myself with wonder being the first time I had went above floor ten, snapping back to virtual reality. I quickly checked my map, getting my baring's. I orientate myself and start walking with purpose.

wasting no time getting to Firm Anima guildhall, I opened the doors and looking around inside before shouting, "yo, anyone here?" I then waited patiently waited for a response before I started to walk around aimlessly. 'I wonder who would be willing to assist me in increasing my states. Maybe Raidou is the toughest person I know, or maybe Setsuna, she's tough too, or Griswold, I don't recall seeing him fight. The same goes for Kasumi. She's also cute.' I could feel my cheeks heating up with that last thought, 'I don't understand why I just thought that, and why do I feel so strange when all I did was think of her name? Never did I feel this way before on any of my previous visits to her shop.' I started muttering to myself at ridiculous speed over my thoughts the whole time, subconsciously wishing for someone, anyone, to change subjects to a new conversion.

 

Spoiler

Fives (5iou5) No title as of yet
Level: 10
Paragon Level: 0
HP: 200/200
EN: 38/38

Stats:
Damage: 12
Mitigation: 15
Accuracy: 3

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Bellringer [T1/Perfect/2HSS], Damage 3
Armor: Black Slick Overcoat [T1/Perfect/Light Armor] Mitigation 2, Evasion 1 
Trinket: Hilt Counter Weight [T1/Perfect/Trinket] Accuracy 3

Skills:
2HSS: R5
Light Armor: R3

Active Mods:
Ferocity

Active Extra Skills:

Battle Ready Inventory:
Familiar Song: 1
Pheromone: 1

 

Edited July 3, 2021 by 5iou5
Update

[Griswold 0]

A heavy looking smith moving from the guild vault, having placed some heavy armor for a player who needed it. Hearing a voice from the entry, Griswold swivels just a bit to eye around the corner. "Aye boy, been a bit." he remarked with a shift of his right shoulder seeing a break somewhere in it. That large looking hound at his side, glowing like a lantern, moving for the kid and taking a few deep huffs like a dog in a rabbit hole. "That there's Vulcan. Don't get in his business." The smith remarks to the hound, trying to stop that habit of the flame kin shoving its nose in someone's butt. A couple of weighted steps down the guild halls case, into the general room with that huge ass table of redwood. There was something that Griswold felt like he was supposed to do, recalling something or another that was just on the limit of his memory. But he couldn't quite place what it was.

Griswold | HP: 740/740 | EN: 86/86 | DMG: 19 | MIT: 147 | ACC: 2 | BH: 7 | REC: 4 | TAUNT | THRNS: 72

Spoiler

Griswold, The Stalwart Foundation
Level: 31
Paragon Level: 19
HP: 740/740
EN: 86/86

Stats:
Damage: 19
Mitigation: 147
Accuracy: 2
Battle Healing: 7
REC: 4
TAUNT
THRNS: 72

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Fist of Gaia - Incline [T1/Perfect/Warhammer] Taunt, Accuracy 2
Armor: Forgemaster's Rattlecage - Juggernaut [T4/Perfect/Heavy Armor] (Mitigation 3 [+72 Mitigation])
Misc: Titanic Wall - Foundation [T4/Perfect/Shield] Thorns 2 (72), REC 1

Skills:
Charge
Heavy Armor R5
Hammer R5
Battle Healing R1
Howl

Active Mods:
Steadfast
Shield Bash
Impetus
Iron Skin
Rampart

Active Extra Skills:
Leadership R3
Block R5

Battle Ready Inventory:
Teleport Crystal : 1
Vocal Augmentation - Resonation [T1/Perfect/Support/Instant] +60 HP: 2

 

[5iou5 0]

"Hey Gris, how are yo- Wow, that a big pup didn't know you could get a familiar this big," I said as I got down to eye level with the hound rubbing its face and scratching its head and behind the ears before moving to give the hound some appropriate strength pats on its side. "Vulcan, that's a fitting name, don't worry too much. When I was younger, my family had half a dozen large dogs on our ranch. among them were a couple of wolfdogs. Unfortunately, I can't remember their exact breed, however, but seriously, I didn't know familiars could be this big. Does he help in combat? I bet that he is better than most swords," I mentioned while looking down at my sword resting on my left hip.

letting out a long sigh, I look to Griswold. "I have become too inactive and rusty. I have wanted to assist in the frontline assault to be freed from this hell. Still, I need to get myself back up to the standards or, better too, be of any help. After seeing your familiar, I think the first step towards my goal is curing my solitary lifestyle is. Having a familiar that whenever I look at it, I will be encouraged to train and fight. What do you think, Gris" I asked, resolve in my voice and determination in my eye. I wait to hear from my senior to know if I am on the right track of thinking.

  Reveal hidden contents

Fives (5iou5) No title as of yet
Level: 10
Paragon Level: 0
HP: 200/200
EN: 38/38

Stats:
Damage: 12
Mitigation: 15
Accuracy: 3

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Bellringer [T1/Perfect/2HSS], Damage 3
Armor: Black Slick Overcoat [T1/Perfect/Light Armor] Mitigation 2, Evasion 1 
Trinket: Hilt Counter Weight [T1/Perfect/Trinket] Accuracy 3

Skills:
2HSS: R5
Light Armor: R3

Active Mods:
Ferocity

Active Extra Skills:

Battle Ready Inventory:
Familiar Song: 1
Pheromone

 

Edited July 3, 2021 by 5iou5

[Griswold 0]

"He eats a lot." Griswold chuckles, looking down to the glowing hound, offering it a solid slap like an open hand against concrete. "Well, finding something like this comes down to what you're looking for. I found him." spoken as he uses an extended thumb to point at Vulcan. "On floor 9, about halfway up Mount Stygian." The smith was more than willing to join Fives on his endeavor, he was becoming accustomed to this stuff rather quickly. Tapping his hands together to remove the bit of charcoal that was still latent on his palms. "So any ideas?" Griswold asked the lad, curious if he had a preference. Fiddling open a menu that he still wasn't proficient at operating, he peels out bits of plate armor and begins to adorn them one after another, placing the other pieces on top of the guild hall table, a large suit of pure cobalt.

[5iou5 0]

Watching as Griswold began to pull pieces of armor out of his inventory, I answered, "Well, I was thinking about a fox; however, a normal fox would be too weak. Do you know of any species that might catch my interest, or does the guild have a resident tamer we could ask?" I asked while starring at the suit of armor Griswold just finished pulling out of his inventory "that looks like some quality armor there, Gris, oh, speaking of quality do you have a great sword or zanbato? by chance or maybe in the Guild vault?" I ask while looking at the sword that Raidou had given me. It represented Firm Anima, especially with the name Vampire of Anima. It was a bit too light and too short for my fighting style; however, it was definitely better than bare hands. That is when a new question from the previous topic came to mind "um, Gris, how do I even begin to look for a familiar is it something I just go and do, or is there a quest I have to start first?" I question while scratching the back of my head.

[Griswold 0]

"A fox?" Griswold remarked, fiddling with the familiar, and it glows softly with orange light. "Hmm, perhaps." The smith remarks, heading up the stairs and rounding the corner. This was the guild vault within the halls, littered with an innumerable amount of crafts and consumables. Finding a rather heavy looking slab of orange metal, he spins the grip and rips clean a bit of linen from its edge. It looked more like a slab than anything. "Bell ringer, aptly named for the fact that it will ring your bell if you get hit with it." Griswold chuckled, dropping the heavy sword into the kid's hands. "Really, just mill around where you expect to find it." He ruffles black hair on the back of his dome, there wasn't some big secret. It was just as simple as finding and wrangling the thing, trying to convince it to be your partner. "Element? What suits you?"

[5iou5 0]

"Wow," I exclaim to the sudden weight in my arms. I thought it was some slab of metal for a few moments. Until I noticed a hilt sticking from it "what in Aincrad is this, and what is it made of." I ask, barely holding it with one hand. It was not until I grabbed the hilt with both did it seem like either the sword or the world allowed me to lift the goliath of a weapon "Bellringer that's a fine name for a sword that feels as though it wants nothing but the destruction of this a cursed castle or is that just me ?" I ask rhetorically while looking Bellringer over. I answer Gris's question, "yeah, a fox. I think their personality and cunning is a good match with my personality, along with the way they fight swift, agile, precise, and never stopping to give their opposition a chance to get them. is similar to me. There are other reasons I like foxes, but those are what matter." I informed Griswold "Sigh.. are you sure it isn't a quest? to get a familiar I mean." I ask looking to Gris's familiar.

"and for your question for elements, I was thinking electric or lightning. But what element do you think would complement my fighting style?" I question, hoping for Griswold's input. However, for the short time I was waiting for a response, another question came to me. Without thinking, I asked, "say, you believe Kayaba added any Japanese mythological creatures to SAO, such as the nine-tails or Kitsune?" I ask, wondering if it is possible.

Edited October 29, 2021 by 5iou5
corrections

[Griswold 0]

His head perks a bit at the notion, as the boy seemed more than pleased to take the sword. Good, it would serve him better than any standard if he could learn to wield it. "It may be, but the only thing I know is find it. Fight with it a bit, teach it you mean buisness then feed it. Worked for him." Griswold gestures with an extended thumb toward the still oozing beast of flames. "As for lightning, I wouldn't really know where to begin. Fire is easy, found Vulcan in a volcano, but we can't exactly jump into a storm cloud for a lightning bug. So if you have any ideas." His accent was thick, so obviously German in its roughness. The second question came rather abruptly, and was paid with a shrug. "I don't know a lick about Japanese tradition and legend, frankly I am more lost than you. I went to a festival, and had no idea what was going on." He'd move along for the ride, but unfortunately for the smith outside the game's origin he'd have to take a back seat on this one.

[5iou5 0]

"Well, anyway, the guild vault is over here correct, this is my first time in the HQ, so I don't know where everything is; I need a better coat and trinket." I state, bringing the conversion back to a Griswold safe topic. "hey Gris can you help me find something like a call or song, a lure of some kind. Maybe the scent of a fox or something to that effect. After we get that stuff, I best bet to find a lightning element fox is somewhere there is a lot of ambient electricity and lightning. What are your thoughts." I asked Griswold while I looked through the vault for the items that I had mentioned. "Oh never mind, Gris, I found the stuff I was talking about." after equipping the gear and putting the consumables into my inventory, going over to Griswold. "ok, I haven't left the first floor much, so I have no clue what floor might have a mountain or plains with none stop lightning. That is where I need some advice. What do you say, Gris?"

[Griswold 0]

"Uh, woah, slow down a bit." Griswold tried to ponder the principle, the kid had a load of questions that he couldn't quite answer. "Let's check the papers." He grunted out, making motions for the guild hall's massive table. Sliding about multiple sheets of paper, one after another, and dismissing them if they didn't seem to fit the bill. Floor 12, had a field boss that harnesses lightning from storms. It was a swamp, but perhaps it could meet the requirements. "If something much bigger can tap electricity, then maybe some surrounding animals in the swamp can do it as well." It was a gamble, sure, but it was perhaps enough to give it a look see. Griswold wasn't a thinking man, this was the best he could come up with after being put on the spot so abruptly, but Fives seemed eager enough to want to get started, and it would be an interesting change of pace.

[5iou5 0]

I was about to head to the teleport gate before I remembered that there was an easier way to go about teleporting to another floor. Turning on my heels, I make my way to the guild vault to retrieve teleport crystals enough for the venture, plus a spare. I then turn to look at Griswold, "I guess I will see ya there." I stated before holding out one of the teleport crystals and saying, "Floor twelve." in a casual tone, the crystal shattered in my hand before a blinding light began emitting from the ground around me, turning everything I could see white. The cozy, not too hot, not too cold, comfortable interior of Firm Anima's HQ. was replaced with the swap's hot, muggy, humid air. Quickly adjusting to the temperature, I hastily moved away from where I had landed and began to survey the surrounding area due to my unfamiliarity with the floor and environment. "I think I should have let Gris go first." I thought to myself

[Griswold 0]

Another flash and a heavy suit of plate armor matched with a silverish shield that didn't gleam. The sun obscured and in the distance a scattering of a rumble graces the skies. Matched with it, the soft patter of rain as it glanced the top of pools of water that formed bogs between patchy grass. That same terrain rustles, as the man steps from Lazzaro's warp platform. Across the small village, the troughs where boats milled and moved through waterways. Bamboo frames covered in green growth from the humidity and a few bodies move on their own. Uninterested in the player's sudden arrival. Where the sun was absent, light was given through lantern instead. A simple orangish glow that did well to offer its glow and provide eyes.

"This seems our best bet." The smith spoke in a burly tone, pulling at a strap on his left arm taut. "Follow the lights in the sky, it worked for the Lord of the Sea" Spoken as he gestures a gauntlet with a point to the north eastern horizon. "Either we rent a boat or proceed on foot." As static continued to jump, casting flashes beneath the clouds.

[5iou5 0]

Walking up to Griswold, I began tightening the buckles around my ankles, wrist, torso, and neck. “I say we get a boat and take it as far as it can, and then hoof-it the rest of the way.” I answered Griswold as I took in his metallic equipment “Jesus, he’s a lightning ro-.” I stopped the thought as I looked over my shoulder, realizing that I was carrying a massive sword that might as well be a lightning rod strapped to my back. “Um, Gris, you realize that we are WALKING LIGHTNING RODS!” I yelled in my recognition of what we had on us. However, in my apprehension, I let out a sigh. I then outstretched my arm with my palm facing up, gesturing for Griswold to lead the way. “Please, after you,” I said with a nervous chuckle. “Oh, if I get stuck by lightning, I am not going to be happy. I do hope we find some type of elemental fox water that would be good too, and hopefully, it will have more than one tail if memory serves me right. The more tails, the more intelligent and more powerful they are also with multiple tails they go by two names demon fox or kitsune in Japanese mythology.” I muttered to myself just loud enough that Griswold could most likely hear what I was saying as I fallowed behind.

Edited March 6, 2022 by 5iou5

[Griswold 0]

A nod, as he offers a handful of col to the harbormaster. The NPC points to one of the small rafts fit for two players, and Griswold leans down to start unfurling the ropes. "Don't worry too much, I can take it. This wouldn't be the first time I've been struck by lightning." Griswold chuckles, as he casts the rope into the boat. Taking a step off the dock, the boat sways a bit and sinks a bit from the weight. "I don't know a lick about all that, we can find a fox. I'll leave the uh, folklore to you." Removing his plate helmet and tucking it on the floor, so he could see well enough. He reaches for a paddle and waits for Fives to step in before starting to push along the stagnant water. In the distance, those same reverberating flashes of white scatter back and forth through cloud coverage. Right into the belly of where the Lord of the Seas was found, but they would steer far enough away to avoid the field boss.

[5iou5 0]

"Hey Gris, how much do I owe you?" I ask after seeing him pay someone who looked to be in charge. Said man then pointed to a small two-person boat which did not give me hopes of not getting wet as with Griswold's' size and the significant extra weight I carried now. We were surely going to be top-heavy and capsize quickly if not careful. However, I followed Griswold's example of getting into the small vessel while hearing of his experience with being struck by lightning which made me sweat a bit at the thought. Before I realized I was mumbling about what I hoped we found, Griswold snapped me back to reality, or at least mental reality, as the floating castle we were in was in no way reality or a game. It was either a nightmare or hell. "Sorry, Gris meant to think, not to talk to myself anyway I only know a little of Japanese culture. Looked the stuff up while the game was downloading, but never mind that, wherein this swamp are we going, and how do you suppose we will encounter the lighting fox if we can't find it? And I hope it has a solid form, or I won't be able to get it to submit." I state the last part with a serious undertone while grabbing another paddle to help us along.