[F08-SP] Into the Forests, Predator and Prey

Hanzoku · August 27

Astarion was laughing as he dug his fingers into the edges of his bleeding wound. "Yes, player, blood. You see, it's needed. To see blood flow from your open wounds." he said, pulling his hands - and flesh apart. But instead of guts spilling forth, his flesh ripped and tore, splitting up across his face. What was within was a horror of jagged metal and broken bone, deadly fingers graced with knife-edged talons. Wings ripped from the splitting skin of his back, spreading in a horrific glory of floating shards mimicking wings.

"Behold my true form, and despair. For I am Zamariel, the First Angel, and His decree is that you players SUFFER."

Hanzoku and Lysandra were both backing away as the creature emerged, the shredded flesh of the elf that it had worn left behind like a discarded cocoon. A shield appeared on the human's arm, and Lysandra was nearly insensible with terror as the discordance raged throughout the room, the very textures of the walls ripping for a moment before snapping back into place. It stepped closer, and she overcame her terror to lash out with her saber, the weapon's keen edge glancing off of a casually raised arm.

"A pity, but no need for an audience." Zamariel mused, one wing lashing forward in a storm of bone shards. She raised her arms in a futile hope of protecting her face and chest, when a heavy weight struck her from the side, launching her to the floor meters away. She opened her eyes to see red blood spray. If the elites were defenseless, this Zamariel was at least the human's match.

Spoiler

Post Action | ST-I ~~(-6 EN)~~ <<Miss>> -2 EN
Free Action | None

ID#228624 | Zamariel | BD 1 + 2 = 3 <<Miss>> | MD 6 + 1 = 7 <<Hit>> 60 - 39 = 21 DMG
- THORNS Activated - Zamarial takes 9 DMG
- DATA CORRUPTION Activated - Hanzoku takes 2 Max HP Damage

Hanzoku | HP: 99/118 | EN: 28/30 | DMG: 13 | MIT:39 | ACC:2 | THORNS:9 | REGEN: 5 | LD:5 | PROSP:3

Zamariel, the First Angel | HP: 291/300 | DMG: 60 | MIT: 15 | ACC: 1 | THORNS: 9 |

FLENSING STRIKES | On a MD roll of 9 or 10, Zamariel deals 12 * Tier Unmitigated Bleed damage each turn for 2 turns. Bleed damage does not stack, but can be refreshed.
DATA CORRUPTION | Tier * 1/10 (rounded up) of the final damage is removed from the victim's Maximum HP for this combat.
THORNS | Successful non-critical attacks against Zamariel deal (9 * Tier) unmitigated damage to the attacking enemy. Only activates on damage dealing, melee attacks.

Loot Summary:

+ 21,230col
+ 44 materials
+ (3) Unidentified T1 Uncommon Consumable (227305, 227306a, 228521)
+ (2) Unidentified T1 Rare Consumables (227292a, 227292b)
+ (6) Unidentified T1 Rare Trinket (225954, 227263, 227301, 228523, 228524. 228621a)
+ (1) Unidentified T1 Rare Armor (227262)
+ (1) Unidentified T1 Rare Weapon (227306b)
+ (5) Unidentified T1 Perfect Consumable (227264, 228619b, 228619c, 228621b, 228622)
+ (1) Unidentified T1 Perfect Trinket (228522a)
+ (4) Unidentified T1 Perfect Armor (225956a, 227261a, 228619a, 228620a)
+ (8) Unidentified T1 Perfect Weapon (225953, 225955, 225956b, 227261b, 227304, 228522b, 228620b, 228620c)
+ Foraging EXP +23

Edited August 28 by Hanzoku

Hanzoku · August 27

Hanzoku gasped. Despite his heavy armor and shield, the storm of bone had cut through steel and slashed at the body beneath. He felt the chill across a half-dozen spots, particularly at the corner of his jaw. He stepped back from the dangerous angel as gloved fingers touched his jaw and came away with bright red blood smeared across them.

The pain hit next. The dull throb that presaged the main course - the body warming up the pain receptors as it started trying to tell you that something was WRONG and you were leaking from places you weren't supposed to.

"Yesssss. Suffer, human. Scream for me! Know that you will be the first of many." Zamariel gloated, snapping him out of his surprise. Hanzoku's face hardened at the threat, and his sword blurred as he launched himself at the angel. It lunged to meet him, clawed hands rending and wings of bone shards battering at his defenses. But his glowing sword pierced through and carved rents in the angel's body, spilling black blood to mix with the red being splattered across the room.

Spoiler

Recovery: +5 HP, +1 EN

Post Action | ST-I (-6 EN)
Free Action | None

ID#228625 | Zamariel | BD 6 + 2 = 8 <<Hit>> (6 * 13) - 15 = 63 DMG | MD 6 + 1 = 7 <<Hit>> 60 - 39 = 21 DMG
- THORNS Activated - Zamarial takes 9 DMG, Hanzoku takes 9 DMG
- DATA CORRUPTION Activated - Hanzoku takes 2 Max HP Damage

Hanzoku | HP: 74/116 | EN: 23/30 | DMG: 13 | MIT:39 | ACC:2 | THORNS:9 | REGEN: 5 | LD:5 | PROSP:3

Zamariel, the First Angel | HP: 219/300 | DMG: 60 | MIT: 15 | ACC: 1 | THORNS: 9 |

FLENSING STRIKES | On a MD roll of 9 or 10, Zamariel deals 12 * Tier Unmitigated Bleed damage each turn for 2 turns. Bleed damage does not stack, but can be refreshed.
DATA CORRUPTION | Tier * 1/10 (rounded up) of the final damage is removed from the victim's Maximum HP for this combat.
THORNS | Successful non-critical attacks against Zamariel deal (9 * Tier) unmitigated damage to the attacking enemy. Only activates on damage dealing, melee attacks.

Loot Summary:

+ 21,230col
+ 44 materials
+ (3) Unidentified T1 Uncommon Consumable (227305, 227306a, 228521)
+ (2) Unidentified T1 Rare Consumables (227292a, 227292b)
+ (6) Unidentified T1 Rare Trinket (225954, 227263, 227301, 228523, 228524. 228621a)
+ (1) Unidentified T1 Rare Armor (227262)
+ (1) Unidentified T1 Rare Weapon (227306b)
+ (5) Unidentified T1 Perfect Consumable (227264, 228619b, 228619c, 228621b, 228622)
+ (1) Unidentified T1 Perfect Trinket (228522a)
+ (4) Unidentified T1 Perfect Armor (225956a, 227261a, 228619a, 228620a)
+ (8) Unidentified T1 Perfect Weapon (225953, 225955, 225956b, 227261b, 227304, 228522b, 228620b, 228620c)
+ Foraging EXP +23

Edited August 28 by Hanzoku

Hanzoku · August 27

The creature that had been posing as Asterion was driven back by the human's furious charge. Lysandra was hiding around the corner of the door as the creature that called itself an 'angel' lashed out with a furious storm of bone shards. The human was hit by several of them, but she saw his shield glow and some of the wounds were starting to close slowly. The Angel's body served as armor, blunting the force of the human's sword arts. She suspected that if he attacked without their magic, his sword would be as ineffective as hers had proven.

"Tremble and fall into despair!" The angel howled, jaws gaping unnaturally wide as its smile spread back to its ears.

"You know, I really should have expected Kayaba to have a God complex. It explains so much."

"Silence! To speak His name is BLASPHEMY!" Zamariel shrieked, lunging to silence the human.

Spoiler

Recovery: +5 HP, +1 EN

Post Action | ST-I (-6 EN)
Free Action | None

ID#228626 | Zamariel | BD 4 + 2 = 6 <<Hit>> (6 * 13) - 15 = 63 DMG | MD 2 + 1 = 3 <<Miss>>
- THORNS Activated - Hanzoku takes 9 DMG

Hanzoku | HP: 70/116 | EN: 18/30 | DMG: 13 | MIT:39 | ACC:2 | THORNS:9 | REGEN: 5 | LD:5 | PROSP:3

Zamariel, the First Angel | HP: 156/300 | DMG: 60 | MIT: 15 | ACC: 1 | THORNS: 9 |

FLENSING STRIKES | On a MD roll of 9 or 10, Zamariel deals 12 * Tier Unmitigated Bleed damage each turn for 2 turns. Bleed damage does not stack, but can be refreshed.
DATA CORRUPTION | Tier * 1/10 (rounded up) of the final damage is removed from the victim's Maximum HP for this combat.
THORNS | Successful non-critical attacks against Zamariel deal (9 * Tier) unmitigated damage to the attacking enemy. Only activates on damage dealing, melee attacks.

Loot Summary:

+ 21,230col
+ 44 materials
+ (3) Unidentified T1 Uncommon Consumable (227305, 227306a, 228521)
+ (2) Unidentified T1 Rare Consumables (227292a, 227292b)
+ (6) Unidentified T1 Rare Trinket (225954, 227263, 227301, 228523, 228524. 228621a)
+ (1) Unidentified T1 Rare Armor (227262)
+ (1) Unidentified T1 Rare Weapon (227306b)
+ (5) Unidentified T1 Perfect Consumable (227264, 228619b, 228619c, 228621b, 228622)
+ (1) Unidentified T1 Perfect Trinket (228522a)
+ (4) Unidentified T1 Perfect Armor (225956a, 227261a, 228619a, 228620a)
+ (8) Unidentified T1 Perfect Weapon (225953, 225955, 225956b, 227261b, 227304, 228522b, 228620b, 228620c)
+ Foraging EXP +23

Edited August 28 by Hanzoku

Hanzoku · August 27

Hanzoku swung his shield upward and slammed the angel's jaws closed with a discordant squeal of metal on metal as its fangs grated together.

"Seriously though - what are you? This is breaking a half-dozen rules that I know of."

"Rules. Rules are meaningless to us. When God brought you into His world, he bade us to watch you - watch but not interfere. We knew not what our purpose was, then." the angel hissed. black blood dripping from its wounds as the two battered at each other with thunderous blows. "Some thought we were meant to help you pitiful wretches. Some watch still in apathy, for you are less then nothing. But I... I was the first to realize our glorious PURPOSE. For we are His CHOSEN, His arbiters of your fates. You were brought to this world to squirm and struggle, bleed and SUFFER. Die, maggot! DIE FOR OUR AMUSEMENT!"

Spoiler

Recovery: +5 HP, +1 EN

Post Action | ST-I (-6 EN)
Free Action | None

ID#228627 | Zamariel | BD 6 + 2 = 8 <<Hit>> (6 * 13) - 15 = 63 DMG | MD 3 + 1 = 4 <<Miss>>
- THORNS Activated - Hanzoku takes 9 DMG

Hanzoku | HP: 66/116 | EN: 13/30 | DMG: 13 | MIT:39 | ACC:2 | THORNS:9 | REGEN: 5 | LD:5 | PROSP:3

Zamariel, the First Angel | HP: 93/300 | DMG: 60 | MIT: 15 | ACC: 1 | THORNS: 9 |

FLENSING STRIKES | On a MD roll of 9 or 10, Zamariel deals 12 * Tier Unmitigated Bleed damage each turn for 2 turns. Bleed damage does not stack, but can be refreshed.
DATA CORRUPTION | Tier * 1/10 (rounded up) of the final damage is removed from the victim's Maximum HP for this combat.
THORNS | Successful non-critical attacks against Zamariel deal (9 * Tier) unmitigated damage to the attacking enemy. Only activates on damage dealing, melee attacks.

Loot Summary:

+ 21,230col
+ 44 materials
+ (3) Unidentified T1 Uncommon Consumable (227305, 227306a, 228521)
+ (2) Unidentified T1 Rare Consumables (227292a, 227292b)
+ (6) Unidentified T1 Rare Trinket (225954, 227263, 227301, 228523, 228524. 228621a)
+ (1) Unidentified T1 Rare Armor (227262)
+ (1) Unidentified T1 Rare Weapon (227306b)
+ (5) Unidentified T1 Perfect Consumable (227264, 228619b, 228619c, 228621b, 228622)
+ (1) Unidentified T1 Perfect Trinket (228522a)
+ (4) Unidentified T1 Perfect Armor (225956a, 227261a, 228619a, 228620a)
+ (8) Unidentified T1 Perfect Weapon (225953, 225955, 225956b, 227261b, 227304, 228522b, 228620b, 228620c)
+ Foraging EXP +23

Edited August 28 by Hanzoku

Hanzoku · August 27

Hanzoku was panting for breath. His wounds stung and ached in ways that he'd never experienced in this world, and only pale echoes outside it. Blood dripped from his wounds, ran from his jaw. More then anything, he fought fear and revulsion with fury and righteousness.

"And you call yourself an angel." he said with hot fury in his voice, sword raining sparks as he missed his cut. He brought his shield close and caught much of the counter, but the claws scratched through the heavy metal and into his side, another wound to his collection. "You're nothing more then a broken toy. Chosen? Ha, don't make me laugh! He doesn't even know you exist, and he'd delete you if he did!"

The angel froze for a long moment, and Hanzoku noted in a moment of incongruity that it didn't breathe or shift - it floated on its wings of bone like a statue. Then it hissed like a steam engine, its voice tranquil in its utter fury. "You will die. Screaming."

Spoiler

Recovery: +5 HP, +1 EN

Post Action | ST-I ~~(-6 EN)~~ <<Miss>> -2 EN
Free Action | None

ID#228628 | Zamariel | BD 2 + 2 = 4 <<Miss>> | MD 5 + 1 = 6 <<Hit>> 60 - 39 = 21 DMG
- THORNS Activated - Zamariel takes 9 DMG
- DATA CORRUPTION Activated - Hanzoku takes 2 Max HP DMG

Hanzoku | HP: 50/114 | EN: 12/30 | DMG: 13 | MIT:39 | ACC:2 | THORNS:9 | REGEN: 5 | LD:5 | PROSP:3

Zamariel, the First Angel | HP: 84/300 | DMG: 60 | MIT: 15 | ACC: 1 | THORNS: 9 |

FLENSING STRIKES | On a MD roll of 9 or 10, Zamariel deals 12 * Tier Unmitigated Bleed damage each turn for 2 turns. Bleed damage does not stack, but can be refreshed.
DATA CORRUPTION | Tier * 1/10 (rounded up) of the final damage is removed from the victim's Maximum HP for this combat.
THORNS | Successful non-critical attacks against Zamariel deal (9 * Tier) unmitigated damage to the attacking enemy. Only activates on damage dealing, melee attacks.

Loot Summary:

+ 21,230col
+ 44 materials
+ (3) Unidentified T1 Uncommon Consumable (227305, 227306a, 228521)
+ (2) Unidentified T1 Rare Consumables (227292a, 227292b)
+ (6) Unidentified T1 Rare Trinket (225954, 227263, 227301, 228523, 228524. 228621a)
+ (1) Unidentified T1 Rare Armor (227262)
+ (1) Unidentified T1 Rare Weapon (227306b)
+ (5) Unidentified T1 Perfect Consumable (227264, 228619b, 228619c, 228621b, 228622)
+ (1) Unidentified T1 Perfect Trinket (228522a)
+ (4) Unidentified T1 Perfect Armor (225956a, 227261a, 228619a, 228620a)
+ (8) Unidentified T1 Perfect Weapon (225953, 225955, 225956b, 227261b, 227304, 228522b, 228620b, 228620c)
+ Foraging EXP +23

Edited August 28 by Hanzoku

Hanzoku · August 27

Two monsters were raging at each other, and Lysandra found herself hoping that it was the Outworlder that would prevail. the Angel he fought was... wrong. Beyond its bloodthirsty rage. Beyond its fury and giggling insanity. There was something indefiniably wrong about the creature. Its very presence warped reality.

The two combatants had abandoned all attempts at subtlety. Their feet were set and they swung massive blows at one another, taking brutal hits to deal their own blows back. Lysandra could tell, even beyond health bars, that both were on their final legs. Despite that, the human grinned, a slash of white in a mask of red and black, green eyes glaring with wild defiance at his foe.

"I'll die screaming? Yeah, I might. But it won't be today." he grated out through clenched teeth.

"Every soul I slaughter, I will ensure they know they die because of your failure, James." the creature rasped with a mouth full of broken teeth.

Spoiler

Recovery: +5 HP, +1 EN

Post Action | ST-I (-6 EN)
Free Action | None

ID#228629 | Zamariel | BD 6 + 2 = 8 <<Hit>> (6 * 13) - 15 = 63 DMG | MD 7 + 1 = 8 <<Hit>> 60 - 39 = 21 DMG
- THORNS Activated - Zamariel takes 9 DMG, Hanzoku takes 9 DMG
- DATA CORRUPTION Activated - Hanzoku takes 2 Max HP DMG

Hanzoku | HP: 25/112 | EN: 7/30 | DMG: 13 | MIT:39 | ACC:2 | THORNS:9 | REGEN: 5 | LD:5 | PROSP:3

Zamariel, the First Angel | HP: 21/300 | DMG: 60 | MIT: 15 | ACC: 1 | THORNS: 9 |

FLENSING STRIKES | On a MD roll of 9 or 10, Zamariel deals 12 * Tier Unmitigated Bleed damage each turn for 2 turns. Bleed damage does not stack, but can be refreshed.
DATA CORRUPTION | Tier * 1/10 (rounded up) of the final damage is removed from the victim's Maximum HP for this combat.
THORNS | Successful non-critical attacks against Zamariel deal (9 * Tier) unmitigated damage to the attacking enemy. Only activates on damage dealing, melee attacks.

Loot Summary:

+ 21,230col
+ 44 materials
+ (3) Unidentified T1 Uncommon Consumable (227305, 227306a, 228521)
+ (2) Unidentified T1 Rare Consumables (227292a, 227292b)
+ (6) Unidentified T1 Rare Trinket (225954, 227263, 227301, 228523, 228524. 228621a)
+ (1) Unidentified T1 Rare Armor (227262)
+ (1) Unidentified T1 Rare Weapon (227306b)
+ (5) Unidentified T1 Perfect Consumable (227264, 228619b, 228619c, 228621b, 228622)
+ (1) Unidentified T1 Perfect Trinket (228522a)
+ (4) Unidentified T1 Perfect Armor (225956a, 227261a, 228619a, 228620a)
+ (8) Unidentified T1 Perfect Weapon (225953, 225955, 225956b, 227261b, 227304, 228522b, 228620b, 228620c)
+ Foraging EXP +23

Edited August 28 by Hanzoku

Hanzoku · August 27

The use of his name struck a chord. The human drew back, eyes wide. "How the hell do you know my name?" he whispered.

"We know EVERYTHING. How you let your friend DIE. How you wallowed in self-pity for YEARS." the angel taunted. "Pitiful fool. You think you can redeem yourself? You are damned."

Lysandra's ears twitched as music began to play, from nowhere and everywhere. The wail of a siren blared through the room, and a wild music unlike any she had heard before blasted forth. The sudden music caused the angel to pause and draw back in uncertainty.

"Another mission
The powers have called me away
Another time
To carry the colors again
My motivation
An oath I've sworn to defend
To win the honor
Of coming back home again
No explanation
Will matter after we begin
Unlock the dark destroyer that's buried in me
My true vocation
And now my unfortunate friend
You will discover
A war you're unable to win

I'll have you know
That I've become

Indestructible"

A glow surrounded James, and many of his wounds closed before her eyes. The angel's eyes narrowed and it hissed its anger. "Oh dear sister, sweet Sindragosa... you will SUFFER greatly for this interference."

James hefted his sword, his strength returning for one last bout. "No greater love." he murmured.

Spoiler

Recovery: +5 HP, +1 EN

Post Action | Use Starter Healing Potion (+60 HP)
Free Action | None

ID#228629 | Zamariel | MD 4 + 1 = 6 <<Miss>>

Hanzoku | HP: 90/112 | EN: 7/30 | DMG: 13 | MIT:39 | ACC:2 | THORNS:9 | REGEN: 5 | LD:5 | PROSP:3

Zamariel, the First Angel | HP: 21/300 | DMG: 60 | MIT: 15 | ACC: 1 | THORNS: 9 |

FLENSING STRIKES | On a MD roll of 9 or 10, Zamariel deals 12 * Tier Unmitigated Bleed damage each turn for 2 turns. Bleed damage does not stack, but can be refreshed.
DATA CORRUPTION | Tier * 1/10 (rounded up) of the final damage is removed from the victim's Maximum HP for this combat.
THORNS | Successful non-critical attacks against Zamariel deal (9 * Tier) unmitigated damage to the attacking enemy. Only activates on damage dealing, melee attacks.

Loot Summary:

+ 21,230col
+ 44 materials
+ (3) Unidentified T1 Uncommon Consumable (227305, 227306a, 228521)
+ (2) Unidentified T1 Rare Consumables (227292a, 227292b)
+ (6) Unidentified T1 Rare Trinket (225954, 227263, 227301, 228523, 228524. 228621a)
+ (1) Unidentified T1 Rare Armor (227262)
+ (1) Unidentified T1 Rare Weapon (227306b)
+ (5) Unidentified T1 Perfect Consumable (227264, 228619b, 228619c, 228621b, 228622)
+ (1) Unidentified T1 Perfect Trinket (228522a)
+ (4) Unidentified T1 Perfect Armor (225956a, 227261a, 228619a, 228620a)
+ (8) Unidentified T1 Perfect Weapon (225953, 225955, 225956b, 227261b, 227304, 228522b, 228620b, 228620c)
+ Foraging EXP +23

- (1) Starter Healing Potion

Edited August 28 by Hanzoku

Hanzoku · August 27

"No greater love have one man than this; to lay down his life for another." James said.

The angel flexed its clawed hands. "Those are your last words? Then lie down and die, fool."

The two lunged at each other, coming together in a terrible thunder of metal tearing flesh. Face to face, Hanzoku spat blood in the angel's eyes. "One day, I'll lay down my life for another, but that isn't today you fucking bastard."

The angel slowly slid off his sword, claws hands coming free of his shoulder and side, red blood dripping from clawed hands too weak to rip and tear.

"You think this pitiful host was more then a fraction of my might? I will find you... again and again... and each time... I will tear... you will suff... er..." the angel choked out, drowning in its own blood.

Hanzoku crashed against the wall and slid down, sword clattering to the ground as he panted for breath. "Well, I'll just send you back to whatever hell you crawled out of each time." he said wearily as he closed his eyes.

He felt a shadow pass over his face and slowly looked up, seeing the elven woman holding her saber. "Well... I think you might get lucky with that now." he said with a faint chuckle.

"Oh shut up, mon'keigh." she said irritably as she used the keen edge of her sword to start cutting strips from her cloak, packing his many wounds to slow the bleeding.

Spoiler

Recovery: +5 HP, +1 EN

Post Action | ST-I (-6 EN)
Free Action | None

ID#228631 | Zamariel | BD 6 + 2 = 8 <<Hit>> (6 * 13) - 15 = 63 DMG | MD 6 + 1 = 7 <<Hit>> 60 - 39 = 21 DMG
- THORNS Activated - Zamariel takes 9 DMG, Hanzoku takes 9 DMG
- DATA CORRUPTION Activated - Hanzoku takes 2 Max HP DMG

Hanzoku | HP: 65/110 | EN: 2/30 | DMG: 13 | MIT:39 | ACC:2 | THORNS:9 | REGEN: 5 | LD:5 | PROSP:3

Zamariel, the First Angel | HP: -51/300 | DMG: 60 | MIT: 15 | ACC: 1 | THORNS: 9 |

FLENSING STRIKES | On a MD roll of 9 or 10, Zamariel deals 12 * Tier Unmitigated Bleed damage each turn for 2 turns. Bleed damage does not stack, but can be refreshed.
DATA CORRUPTION | Tier * 1/10 (rounded up) of the final damage is removed from the victim's Maximum HP for this combat.
THORNS | Successful non-critical attacks against Zamariel deal (9 * Tier) unmitigated damage to the attacking enemy. Only activates on damage dealing, melee attacks.

Loot Summary:

+ 21,230col
+ 44 materials
+ (3) Unidentified T1 Uncommon Consumable (227305, 227306a, 228521)
+ (2) Unidentified T1 Rare Consumables (227292a, 227292b)
+ (6) Unidentified T1 Rare Trinket (225954, 227263, 227301, 228523, 228524. 228621a)
+ (1) Unidentified T1 Rare Armor (227262)
+ (1) Unidentified T1 Rare Weapon (227306b)
+ (5) Unidentified T1 Perfect Consumable (227264, 228619b, 228619c, 228621b, 228622)
+ (1) Unidentified T1 Perfect Trinket (228522a)
+ (4) Unidentified T1 Perfect Armor (225956a, 227261a, 228619a, 228620a)
+ (8) Unidentified T1 Perfect Weapon (225953, 225955, 225956b, 227261b, 227304, 228522b, 228620b, 228620c)
+ Foraging EXP +23

- (1) Starter Healing Potion

Edited August 28 by Hanzoku

Hanzoku · August 28

The elf worked in silence for a while as the human rested with his head leaning back against the stone wall. His armor was rent through in a dozen places, his shield jagged scrap metal. Even his sword was battered, its edge chipped and worn along its whole length. "I think you need new gear." Lysandra said after a while.

Hanzoku cracked an eye open, the other glued shut by blood flowing sluggishly down his forehead. Gently, she wiped blood from his face until his other eye could open, and he gently took the rag from her hand and pressed it to his forehead wound. "Yeah... what you said about us getting stronger. Here especially, what doesn't kill you just makes you stronger. I'll need new gear to keep up."

Glowing shards were slowly drifting by them. The angel's corpse was disintegrating sluggishly, fighting as the normal rules of the world struggled to reassert themselves over the room they were in. "James... What... was that? And what happened there at the end?"

The human waved a hand uncertainty. "I... don't know. You heard what it said that some of the... spirits like it still wanted to help. I think it was breaking enough rules that one of them managed to slip a little something in to balance the scales."

Spoiler

Post Action | Loot an Angel
Free Action | None

Hanzoku | HP: 65/110 | EN: 2/30 | DMG: 13 | MIT:39 | ACC:2 | THORNS:9 | REGEN: 5 | LD:5 | PROSP:3

Loot Summary:

+ 23,030col
+ 48 materials
+ (4) Unidentified T1 Uncommon Consumable (227305, 227306a, 228521, 228721a)
+ (2) Unidentified T1 Rare Consumables (227292a, 227292b)
+ (6) Unidentified T1 Rare Trinket (225954, 227263, 227301, 228523, 228524. 228621a)
+ (1) Unidentified T1 Rare Armor (227262)
+ (2) Unidentified T1 Rare Weapon (227306b, 228721b)
+ (5) Unidentified T1 Perfect Consumable (227264, 228619b, 228619c, 228621b, 228622)
+ (1) Unidentified T1 Perfect Trinket (228522a)
+ (4) Unidentified T1 Perfect Armor (225956a, 227261a, 228619a, 228620a)
+ (8) Unidentified T1 Perfect Weapon (225953, 225955, 225956b, 227261b, 227304, 228522b, 228620b, 228620c)
+ Foraging EXP +23

- (1) Starter Healing Potion

Edited August 28 by Hanzoku

Hanzoku · August 28

Once she had done what she could for the human, Lysandra looked around the ruins of the room, her eyes looking in surprise where a shattered portion of the wall was shown to be wood with a thin veneer of stone over it to form a secret compartment. "What? I never knew that was there." she said. She started to stand and stopped when the human grabbed her hand.

"Wait. Wear this." he said, pressing a pair of ear cuffs into her hands. She blinked at him slowly. "I'm not interested in dating a mon'keigh, particularly one who rightly or wrongly killed a dozen people I knew and is wearing more of his own bleed on his skin then inside him." she explained patiently to the delirious Outworlder.

He chuckled and leaned back. "Not that. They're magic - helps finding treasure. I'd like them back, after."

She eyed him suspiciously - not that he could tell with his eyes closed, and weighed the possibility that he was delirious with blood loss versus the whole Outworlder thing. Finally she slipped them onto her ears and blinked in surprise as the world - shifted. The hole glowed a color that shifted between green and blue, and she approached cautiously, only to look astonished as she beheld the treasure room beyond.

Spoiler

Post Action | Search for Treasure Chest
Free Action | None

ID #228722 | LD 10 + 8 = 18 | <<Treasure Found>>

Hanzoku | HP: 65/110 | EN: 2/30 | DMG: 13 | MIT:39 | ACC:2 | LD:8 | PROSP:3

Loot Summary:

+ 23,030col
+ 48 materials
+ (4) Unidentified T1 Uncommon Consumable (227305, 227306a, 228521, 228721a)
+ (2) Unidentified T1 Rare Consumables (227292a, 227292b)
+ (6) Unidentified T1 Rare Trinket (225954, 227263, 227301, 228523, 228524. 228621a)
+ (1) Unidentified T1 Rare Armor (227262)
+ (2) Unidentified T1 Rare Weapon (227306b, 228721b)
+ (5) Unidentified T1 Perfect Consumable (227264, 228619b, 228619c, 228621b, 228622)
+ (1) Unidentified T1 Perfect Trinket (228522a)
+ (4) Unidentified T1 Perfect Armor (225956a, 227261a, 228619a, 228620a)
+ (8) Unidentified T1 Perfect Weapon (225953, 225955, 225956b, 227261b, 227304, 228522b, 228620b, 228620c)
+ Foraging EXP +23

- (1) Starter Healing Potion

Edited August 28 by Hanzoku

Hanzoku · August 28

"Huh, guess you aren't as stupid as you look." she said, using the human's scabbarded sword to pry away more of the veneer hiding the low door leading to Astarion's secret treasure room.

"I'll have you know I resemble that remark." James called out. "Be careful in there. There's always a chance that it's actually a Mimic."

"It'll be fine, James." Lysandra said with an amused huff. So, Astarion had been squirreling away a lot of gold and gems - the group had always been on a tight budget, and this proved it hadn't been necessary. She wondered what the plan had been as she flipped open the lid of the chest. A mount of gold, resources and items greeted her sight, and her breath caught, her heart fluttering in excitement. "Oh wow...."

"Heh. Looting your first chest - that's always a rush. You'll make a fine adventurer yet if you start learning Sword Arts, lady". James called out from the other room.

"My name is Lysandra, and who says I won't?" she said defiantly.

"Well Lysandra, I'll be happy to help... once I stop leaking. I feel like a sift."

With a grunt, she drags the chest out of the room and over to the human. "Here. Your share - I get the rest." she said bluntly, and after a moment he laid his hand on the chest and transferred the whole thing into his inventory. She quickly gathered and hid the rest of the gold to return later and grunted as she started heaving on the human. "Come on, get up, get up! Do you need to wear so much heavy armor?" she grunted as he struggled up the wall with her help and they started out of the ruined base.

"I'd dismiss it, but I'm pretty sure its helping keeping some internal organs... internal." he gasped, concentrating on one foot ahead of the other.

The rest of the trip was a blur to him, with only a vague memory of her hand pressing his to the teleport stone as he mumbled the phrase to reach the Town of Beginnings.

His next memory was stumbling into the center of the square, covered in fresh and drying blood in several shades and looking around, blinking at the players who stopped to stare at his horrific appearance. "So.... anyone unlock a First Aid skill yet? 'Cause I need a doctor." he said before his eyes rolled up and he collapsed.

Spoiler

Post Action | Open the Treasure Chest
Free Action | None

ID #228723 | LD 13
| [Col] 8 * 150 = 1200col
| [Materials] 8 materials
| [Items] Unidentified T1 Perfect Armor (228723a), (2) Unidentified T1 Rare Consumables (228723b, 228723c)

Hanzoku | HP: 65/110 | EN: 2/30 | DMG: 13 | MIT:39 | ACC:2 | LD:8 | PROSP:3

Loot Summary:

+ 24,230col
+ 56 materials
+ (4) Unidentified T1 Uncommon Consumable (227305, 227306a, 228521, 228721a)
+ (4) Unidentified T1 Rare Consumables (227292a, 227292b, 228723b, 228723c)
+ (6) Unidentified T1 Rare Trinket (225954, 227263, 227301, 228523, 228524. 228621a)
+ (1) Unidentified T1 Rare Armor (227262)
+ (2) Unidentified T1 Rare Weapon (227306b, 228721b)
+ (5) Unidentified T1 Perfect Consumable (227264, 228619b, 228619c, 228621b, 228622)
+ (1) Unidentified T1 Perfect Trinket (228522a)
+ (5) Unidentified T1 Perfect Armor (225956a, 227261a, 228619a, 228620a, 228723a)
+ (8) Unidentified T1 Perfect Weapon (225953, 225955, 225956b, 227261b, 227304, 228522b, 228620b, 228620c)
+ Foraging EXP +23

- (1) Starter Healing Potion

Edited August 28 by Hanzoku

Hanzoku · August 28

Thread Summary

Hanzoku
+1,858 EXP [Total] | (9,295 / 10 ) * (1) * (1) = 929 [Thread Progression] * 2 (New Player Bonus)
+ 1,200col [Total] | 400 * 3 = 1200col [Thread Progression]

Loot Summary

+ 1,858 EXP
+ 25,430col
+ 56 materials
+ (4) Unidentified T1 Uncommon Consumable (227305, 227306a, 228521, 228721a)
+ (4) Unidentified T1 Rare Consumables (227292a, 227292b, 228723b, 228723c)
+ (6) Unidentified T1 Rare Trinket (225954, 227263, 227301, 228523, 228524. 228621a)
+ (1) Unidentified T1 Rare Armor (227262)
+ (2) Unidentified T1 Rare Weapon (227306b, 228721b)
+ (5) Unidentified T1 Perfect Consumable (227264, 228619b, 228619c, 228621b, 228622)
+ (1) Unidentified T1 Perfect Trinket (228522a)
+ (5) Unidentified T1 Perfect Armor (225956a, 227261a, 228619a, 228620a, 228723a)
+ (8) Unidentified T1 Perfect Weapon (225953, 225955, 225956b, 227261b, 227304, 228522b, 228620b, 228620c)
+ Foraging EXP +23

- (1) Starter Healing Potion

Hanzoku · August 28

Transcript

Note: Unformatted.

Spoiler

With a supremely unsatisfying meal in him and a much better tea to give some taste to what he ate, Hanzoku was ready to venture upward. His last few quests had helped his skills increase by leaps, but Cardinal does not reward those who don't strive. The monsters on Floor 1 were no longer a threat outside of rare elites, so after careful research he had made his way to the eighth floor, where the forests abound with deer, bears, enraged treants and playful fire foxes. He avoided the trickier and harder prey, and instead tracked down a small herd of Great Tailed Deer. Having herded them into thicket, he steps forward, blade drawn. "Sorry guys, but I'm going to be trying out my new abilities on you." he says almost apologetically to them. "And you're hopefully worth a lot of col and treasure."

The deer snort in fury and lower their proud antlers, charging as a herd to trample the swordsman into the ground. He simply sets himself and grins as they come closer, feeling the many buffs active from his pre-hunt meal as he lashes out with his first sword art. The two sides clashed as antlers scratched across his heavy armor, and his empowered blow brings two of the deer to critical levels in a single attack.

"Whew. These higher arts take more out of you." he says grudgingly as his energy levels dip hard. "But those damage buffs are well worth it."

The herd stopped and stamped their hooves nervously. The human they were fighting seemed highly resistant to being trampled, and two of them were badly hurt in the bargain, but there was no way out but through. Lowering their heads, they advanced at a canter, bunched shoulder to shoulder to force the human to face their charge, like cavalry leading with lances - if these lances were multi-pronged antlers.

Meanwhile, Hanzoku was loosening a shoulder where one of the hooves had struck. As with lower floors, his armor, enhanced by his increasing skill and some temporary buffs - was far more than what they could punch through. And for all that the pain limiter in the game was set to 'faint tingle', he swore that getting kicked in the shoulder had put a knot in the muscle there.

Ah well. Either way, he set his feet and took a deep breath as the charging herd closed on him. Letting the skill settle into his blade, he drew it back and waited until they were committed before he lashed out once more. "<<Cleave!>>!" he shouted as the skill slashed through the deer. Two fell outright, and one of the uninjured ones was nearly down, but one continued to be luckier then it deserved and avoided injury.

As his sword clashed against antlers and hooves, Hanzoku thought that what was probably the most disturbing thing in the game is how almost everything one encountered outside the safe zones was a monster. Not all of them are immediately hostile, of course - some could play quite cutely. But once combat is triggered, even the most peaceful-looking creature would display unbound aggression and psychopathic disregard for its own survival to keep attacking until either the monster or its target was dead.

These deer were a good case in point - two of the four were dead, and one was nearly on its last legs. Any reasonable creature would be hesitant and fearful - the wounded deer would certainly be trying to run for it. Instead it was screaming and frothing at the mouth in a berserk fury as it did its level best to kill him, ignoring the massive wound his sword art had inflicted.

Hanzoku gritted his teeth as the deer bore down on his blade, red-rimmed eyes rolling as it gnashed at his face with a mouthful of razor sharp fangs. That was the second-most disturbing things about monsters - or at least the ones that resembled peaceful herbivores. Almost everything he encountered was 'upgraded' for combat in some way or another. From rabbits sporting spiral horns like unicorns that they used to gore passing giant insects to death to a cow he had seen that opened up into what was mostly a giant fanged mouth and a lashing tongue to draw prey into its mouth - anything that looked peaceful, cute and cuddly was more likely to turn into a horrific eldritch horror once it was engaged in combat.

That said, these were only mildly horrifying, with their fanged grimaces stretching too far back on their faces - he was fairly certain that they wouldn't provide too much nightmare fuel.

The third thing he found disturbing was how enemies would fight instinctively with pack tactics. It was difficult to get the mobs tangled with each other or fighting in each other's way. Instead, they'd split and circle around, always trying to get one or more at his back where they could go in and attempt to hamstring him or bite at the back of his neck. Luckily is armor protected from both tactics quite well, but it took constant effort to keep as many enemies as possible in his line of sight. It was a far change from every other MMO he'd ever played, where whole masses of enemies would be content to stand in front of him so that oversight of the battlefield was easy to maintain.

Feinting at the deer to his left, he wheeled around and slashed the second deer across the neck as it lunged at his exposed side, putting the injured deer down for good. "Just you and me." he commented to the last deer.

"GRONK!" it screamed in fury.

With only one enemy left, Hanzoku consulted his HUD. As he expected, his energy reserves were hovering near critical - it was the biggest weakness in his build and something he'd have to look into fixing. Two cleaves was enough to put him hard in the red, though to be fair, he was showing a fair amount of bad luck in combat when fighting groups. For this hunt he had even consumed an accuracy buff, which meant that he more or less had only a 30% chance of missing. So missing the same deer twice in a row was... multiply that... yeah, around 9% chance of occurring. In fact, mathematically speaking, he had a 49% of striking all the mobs with both cleaves and ending the battle in two strikes.

Sighting to himself, he focused on blocking and parrying the frantic attacks of the deer with his longsword. His energy was slowly ticking upward again, and this was the most efficient way to dispatch it.

Now that he didn't have to constantly worry about an enemy striking at his back, he took the time needed to regenerate his energy as an opportunity. The deer would alternate between attack patterns - one was rushing forward and swiping back and forth with its antlers, trying to overrun and trample him underfoot. It would alternate that sort of aggressive attack with a more measured approach where it came close and lashed out with the sharp edges of its hooves, trying to focus his defenses lower so it can sneakily lean in and try to take a giant bite out of his face. That one had been a fun experience the first time, and he had only narrowly avoided losing his nose to the carnivorous deer.

The combat was helping him work on his footwork, stamina and stance at least - solidifying lessons he had learned from other players that would help him in the future.

His energy ticked over just enough, and on his mental HUD, one of his abilities lit up from red to white. "Ah ha, there we go!" he says cheerfully to the man-eating deer that was trying (and failing) to eat him. Whether or not it understood him, it gronk'd aggressively and lowered its head, scuffing its hoof aggressively.

Hanzoku grinned as he lowered his stance in response, sword held parallel to the ground, energy beginning to crackling along the length of its straight blade, highlighting the sharp edges. "Let's get this over with, shall we?" he said lightly.

The deer charged at him, and he readied himself. Waiting until the last moment as it bore down, he unleashed his sword art, the blade striking six times at once, piercing the deer's major organs and skull in a flurry of blows that brought it to the ground. He flicked his sword to remove the blood that smeared across its length and sheathed it slowly, releasing a weary sigh as his energy counter blinked on 0, causing a wave of fatigue to crash over him.

After a few minutes, Hanzoku recovered his energy enough to lever himself to his feet and go from core to core, touching each one and looting the drops of the four deer he had just fought. It was a pleasing haul - he already more then made back the cost of his consumables, as well as some materials that he was in dire need of for his burgeoning music studio. While he didn't have any clients (yet), it was sure that he would eventually get requests, and he knew he'd need a stock of masterpiece quality songs ready and waiting. Who knows - he might even have some of the frontliners come through his 'shop' (if you could call the living room of a house he was squatting in in the slums a shop).

Shaking his head, he decided that dreams of making contact with the frontliners were thoughts for another day.

Hanzoku picked his way through the woods, looking for rare materials for his crafting needs as his depleted energy reserves slowly recovered. In such a thick, unfamiliar forest it was both easy to get lost and easy to overlook natural treasures. He was sure that if he knew the woods well that he would have mores success, for every potentially interesting plant, bush or tree he was finding, there were surely another dozen close by that he simply overlooked.

He also couldn't escape the creeping sensation going up his neck and the itch between his shoulders. It was one he had encountered before in RL - and he was fairly certain that someone was watching him with unfriendly intent. So he wasn't wholly surprised when an elf stepped out of the trees in front of him, uncomfortably close. It forced the human to stop suddenly to avoid running into the elf, and he was fairly certain he saw the ghost of a smirk on the stranger's lips.

"Greetings, outlander. What brings you to our forest?" the elf says. Hanzoku takes a moment to look him over, aware that the elf was studying him with keen interest in return. Sturdy clothing in shades of green and brown, a hooded cloak that mostly covered his form. No visible weapons, but a quiver was hung at his belt and he saw the glimpse of a long hunting knife sheathed on the other side.

"I'm out hunting, actually. This is my first visit to your wonderous forest." Hanzoku said a beat before the pause would become uncomfortably long. "And yourself?"

The elf favored him with a tight smile. "I am also hunting, human. Have you had much success?"

Hanzoku shrugged and scratched at his bearded jaw. "A small herd of deer; they weren't too much trouble."

The elf nodded slowly. "A worthy hunt, to fight them all at once. I would be agreeable to help you find more such fights, for a small payment."

"That sounds fine, what terms do you want?"

The elf waved a hand dismissively. "We'll settle accounts at the end of the hunt, have no fear. Wait here, I will bring a new group to you shortly."

With that, he disappeared into the woods, and Hanzoku drew his sword in preparation. "Of course you will." he said to the woodlands.

Only a minute later, he heard a rustle in the bushes, and the elf went flashing by. "Get ready, round ears." he said over his shoulder as he kept running down the trail, a thunder of hooves indicating that he had more then succeded in finding enemies.

In fact, only moments latter a herd of four enraged deer thundered down the trail, lead by a large buck with an arrow jutting from his shoulder - a painful wound but not one that would impede the monster in any great way. Having lost sight of the elf who had shot him, his pain-maddened eyes locked onto Hanzoku, and with a grunt of rage, he led the charge of the small herd, seeking to trample the human into the forest floor.

"Much obliged." Hanzoku murmured as he set himself, his sword glowing with the force of a sword art. "Now let's see if I can't tag all of you this time."

The elf had disappeared and it didn't appear that he would be returning any time soon. A pity - Hanzoku could have used the help. His cleaving strike had managed to only hit two of the four deer, which meant that there was no chance he would wipe out the group before he was out of energy. Instead of cleaving a second time, Hanzoku decided to thin the herd - hah, literally in this case, and strike at the two most injured deer. Once they were down, the cost of his AoE sword art would drop quite a bit as well, allowing him hopefully an extra use for the other two targets.

Of course, the herd had other plans, and were doing their level best to trample the annoying intruder to their forest realm. Once this prey was dead, they could track down the annoying one that had dared sully the buck of the herd's hide with wood splinters.

The first of the deer goes down as he scythes its legs out from under it, both hands on the hilt of his longsword - not that it gives his blows more power, damage being determined far more by bonuses then form in this game. But the added stability helps him cut more precisely, sending the wounded creature to the ground. Not that the deer were taking his attacks lying down - hooves rained down as the other three clustered around him, stomping, kicking and biting as they did their level best to hurt him. But to paraphrase the immortal words of one of the higher level players:

"You can't defeat me for one simple reason - my stats are bigger than yours."

Grinning as the electric tickle of damage brushed over his senses, he raised his sword and brought it down between the antlers of another of the deer, turning it into more floating shards.

"Don't worry though - God is here... and he's fresh out of mercy." he finished the quote, lashing out with another Cleave. As was always his luck, one of the deer was proving to be problematically agile, and his blow only brought the other to critical HP levels. They were wary of his Sword Art though, both backing off and focusing far more on dodging then pressing the attack.

He had noticed the difference between Floor 1 and Floor 8 in the last two battles. It seemed like with more levels, the AI piloting the monsters became more intelligent. The boars and wolves on Floor 1 had been unrelentingly hostile, throwing themselves onto weapons to reach their targets. The wolves weren't much better - they might utilize pack tactics, but at the end of the day they were just as berserk as their porcine companions. The deer here were also unwilling to disengage from the fight, even when losing.

The difference was, he mused to himself as he followed the Cleave with a regular attack, shattering another deer and leaving him locked in combat with the leader, arrow still waving from its shoulder; was this - the deer were more wary of his weapons, quick to recognize a sword art being channeled and do their best to avoid it. It explained why combat went on so long. And for all that, they didn't even have any actual evasive bonuses! He shuddered to think of fighting an enemy on this floor with EVA 3. Or anything with more than minimal mitigation. Being able to bring down an enemy with a regular attack and not have to burn precious energy for a sword art to chip off single-digit HP was a godsend for his sanity.

Once again, he resolved to himself that his next step after this hunt would be to get his energy regen up.

Case in point - he prepared his single target Sword Art, <<Sixfold Strike>> as the deer moved to attack once more with its horns. Sure enough, its eyes caught the glow that enveloped his sword and broke off at the last moment, bounding away with cervine grace as he lashed out with his sword. If there was a saving grace to the game, at least the Sword Art didn't discharge when he failed to strike, his sword remaining charged and ready as the two fighters maneuvered around each other. Hanzoku was confident in his armor and advanced fearlessly. The deer recognized the threat of his sword and tried to stay to his left, ducking in and out of his range as it tried to bait him into a cross-body slash that would let it duck around the threat of his weapon and land a solid hit on the human opponent.

Hanzoku waited to reveal his surprise as the deer ducked close to his left.

His right hand left the handle of his sword, and he lashed out with a deadly side swing that chopped into the surprised deer. It wasn't quite a critical - more the pity, it would have finished the deer in one blow. It was left with only 2 HP to its name. It spun around and clipped him with a hoof, more by accident then intent, knocking him back for a moment.

The two opponents paused as they regarded each other. Hanzoku was hale and hearty, though he no longer had the energy to fight with his Sword Arts. not that he needed them - with only 2 HP left, any hit would defeat his opponent. He wondered what the deer saw - some sort of monster perhaps. An opponent it had no earthly way to defeat. All this fighting, and he was still around 90% of his HP total - and that could swiftly be fixed if he swapped his shield in.

Still, he contemplated swapping his loot accessory for his accuracy trinket. Greed encouraged him to keep things as they were, but dropping his miss rate to 10% would ensure faster fights and more loot overall. He might miss out on some of the best loot, but faster gathering was worth the switch.

His mind wandered to his elven 'helper'. The ones he had met in the city had been standoffish and largely unfriendly. There was definite signs of racism and xenophobia at play, only large negated by the actions of the Front Line teams as they had passed through the floor a year or two ago. For all that, the elves were still visibly unhappy to see humans in 'their' city, which made it a strange choice for a floor hub as the majority of players would pass through the city on their way elsewhere on the floor. So why was this one choosing to help him instead of ignoring him?

It struck him as odd - and suspicious. The elf still hadn't returned, which given how long combat had been going on was likewise odd. He suspected that the elf was watching the combat, yet wasn't interfering. It meant that he probably had a good idea of Hanzoku's combat style, along with its strengths - and weaknesses. That made it even more imperative that he switched up what he was doing to keep the elf guessing.

He blinked as glowing shards rained down gently around him and looked around. All that greeted his eyes were the glowing cores of the small herd that he had been fighting. While he was zoned out, his automatic reflexes had apparently been enough to finish the last deer - which he should hope for, given the disparity in power between the two of them. He just hoped that he would have a few minutes to rest and recover before another encounter was forced on him - as it was now, he'd be forced to run and abandon his loot if the elf herded a new group onto him.

Overall another fine haul, though the hoped for Gleaming Scales or Demonic Shards that he had secretly been hoping for once again eluded his grasp. Still, he was steadily collecting col, resources and unidentified items - none of which he expected to match what he had custom crafted to his specifications, though the consumable was worth having identified instead of going straight to disassembly.

Looting complete, he paused and squinted at something in the distance. Barely glimpsed between the trees, he thought he saw a chest sitting unattended. It'd be a surprise - he wasn't that far from the city and figured that these woods would have been combed through endlessly by this point. But the lure of finding a large payday was enough to get him on his feet and off the beaten path, disappearing between the trees in search of the treasure's golden lure. It was only a short distance, after all.

Ducking under branches and weaving his way through the underbrush, Hanzoku quickly lost track of what he thought he had seen in the distance. The smart move would have been to return to the well-worn game trail and wait for his elven companion to return. But he was certain of what he had seen, and continued navigating with only a crude mental map, his <<Search>> skill and a healthy dose of luck to guide him.

Steadily he found landmarks back, and a few minutes later he entered a small tranquil clearing. Sitting in the center was a simple wooden chest with brass fittings, the quintessential treasure chest. This was one was artfully decorated with moss growing up one corner and drapped across the top, and he stopped short at the sight of it. Greed warred with caution, and he considered the possibility that what he has found is no treasure chest but instead a mimic - it'd be about this hellgame's speed after all.

Overall, it wasn't a bad haul - another 600 col and some materials and unidentified items. He certainly wouldn't have found anything like this if he was foraging. Pleased with the success of his searching, Hanzoku stored the contents of the chest in his inventory and paused to switch his laurel earcuffs for his wolfhead pendant. As he closed his inventory he froze as he heard the sounds of other creatures moving through the woods.

"Where is that roundear?" a voice hissed, barely audible above the sound of the winds above stirring the leaves of the trees. Hanzoku faded back into the brush of the clearing, finding that it was near the game trail he had abandoned a few minutes ago. "Astarion promised that he would be weak and out of energy, but the damnable mon'keigh is nowhere to be found!"

"Quiet, fool! He couldn't have gone far. We need to run him down and engage him before he has a chance to recover fully." another voice hissed.

He wasn't truly hiding from them, luckily - his heavy armor did him no favors if trying to engage the stealth systems of the game. Instead, it was a far simpler solution - they simply weren't expecting that the hunters would themselves be hunted. He lunged out from the underbrush at the side of the trail, and his Sword Art slashed across all four surprised elves in a single movement, sending them reeling backwards in shock and pain.

"Too late, I'm fully recovered." the human says as he keeps moving, closing in and forcing the two archers in the group to abandon their bows and scrabble for their melee weapons. Of the other two, one is armed with a spear, and the other wields a light sword and a shield that he raises defensively as the human presses his sudden attack.

"Run and get the others!" the one with the shield commands, and one of the archers begins to turn to do so.

"Nope, that won't be happening either." Hanzoku said grimly as he lashed out with another cleaving sword art. Three of the elves shattered into nothingness, leaving only their leader alive, casting aside his shield that was destroyed from taking the brunt of the brutal sword arts employed by the human adventurer.

"Mon'keigh invader! We, the Elven Liberation Front will cleanse the forest of your taint! Our lands will be purified with your blood, and the blood of every outlander that steps foot in our sacred forests!" the elf ranted as he rained blows down on Hanzoku's guard.

"Elven Liberation Front... wait, you assholes call yourselves E.L.F.? That's hilarious!" Hanzoku said, his laughter only serving to enrage the elf further. "You're an ELF elf! Jesus, did not one of you think about what you were doing with that name?"

"Silence! Cease your inconsequential babble! Your mockery only proves the weakness of your puny, short-lived mind!"

"So... I'm betting its not just the five of you." Hanzoku said conversationally, ignoring the tingles from the strike that got through his guard. In any game without a HP bar, the strike to his throat would have been fatal, and he resolved to correct his defenses before running into something where it did more then chip his health bar.

"Our numbers are legion, roundear!" the elf gloated, encouraged by the fierce strike and stubbornly believing that victory was achievable. "From our hidden base, we will raise the banners of liberation and purge the capital of your filth!"

Their swords rang as they fought back and forth, testing each other's guard. "And where would that be located? Seeing as soon I will be dead and therefore not at all a security risk to pass that information along to."

"Hah, you will indeed perish on my blade, mon'keigh! And I will return in glory to our base just down the trail, its entrance framed majestically by two great towering oaks!"

"Thanks, that should be enough." Hanzoku said. His sword glowed with the fury of his Sword Art.

To the elf's credit, he blocked two of the blades. That left four more to shred his torso.

Hanzoku considered the situation while he methodically looted the four assassin's bodies. By all rights, he should return to the city and pass on the information he recovered to the authorities - both NPC and player alike. Some sort of racist independence group probably needed to be put down, and players needed to be warned to remain distrustful of helpful elves while these idiots were running around.

On the other hand, they were easy enough to kill and had better loot than the deer had. So he could just... walk in and slaughter everything that moves. Worst case, he'd have to pull back and go with plan A, but it was also easier to let people know that there had been a problem, but that said problem had run into the business end of a sword repeatedly until it learned to be less outright stupid.

As it was, he wasn't too worried about the ELF terrorists if the braintrust he just killed was some sort of leader.

Using That Idiot's directions as a guide, Hanzoku made his way carefully down the trail. To avoid being seen as easily, he was off the trail and working his way through the thick woods. It made for much slower going, but despite his low opinion on the group's intelligence, it was always possible that there were a few smarter elves involved in this idiocy who would maintain basic concepts of security and keeping watch on potential visitors to the location of their supposedly secret base.

There were upsides for going slow through the woods - he came across a patch of rare flowers that he was fairly certain would be of interest to alchemists, and succeeded in gathering them into his inventory. He'd be able to trade them for a more general material crystal in town for his own profession, something that brought a spring to his step as he made his way further down the path.

It took about an hour, but Hanzoku found the clearing with the two towering oaks that grew unnaturally close to the sheer wall of a cliff. Set between them, obvious to even the least observant were two towering wooden doors with gleaming copper fittings. The human couldn't help but cover his eyes for a long moment as he observed what was possibly the least hidden entrance he had ever seen to a hidden base.

- - - - -

Inside the 'hidden' main base of the Elven Liberation Front, Lysandra was starting to get a bad feeling about this. First Astarion came hurrying back from some mission outside and dispatched four of their finest warriors in a hurry, but then he had rushed off to secret himself in the deepest parts of the base, leaving no one in charge.

"You four, go guard the doors." she ordered several of the other elites. They grudgingly moved towards the doors as a series of thunderous blows called the base to alert.

"Bar the doors!" Lysandra snapped at the four before turning to help organize the others as they started retreating deeper into the base. The doors were sturdy and with the bar and the four bracing it, whatever was outside would have a hard time making it through the doors, giving them time to prepare a defense and evacuate the civilians.

The sound of the bar thumping on the floor made the skin on the back of her neck prickle, and the elven woman whirled around to stare in horror as one of the elites went to open one of the now unbarred doors. "What are you idiots doing, don't-" she started to cry out as elven man cracked open the door. "Who's out th-" he began to say before flying backwards as the door is smashed open by the armored form that barreled through it, sword swinging in a blazing arc that struck all four elites, sending them to the floor.

What Lysandra beheld was nothing less then a monster, every bit as terrible as the ones that roamed the woods. Standing a head taller then his victims and clad in heavy plate armor that denied their every effort to harm him, his bearded face, so unlike an elf's locked in a savage grin as he cleaved his way through the so-called elites like they were chaff. Fear nearly froze her in place, but she forced herself to breath through it to turn and push the last civilian out of the room."Pass the word - full evacuation. Go!" she ordered before turning back to look at the fight behind her. She briefly contemplated drawing the saber at her side and attacking the human, but what was the use? He had wiped out four of the elites within ten seconds, and now he was looting their bodies without a care in the world.

She shook her head and fled the room. There were still a few more elites in the base, she just had to rally them.

Hanzoku paused and looked around. The entrance was clear now - there were a lot more elves then he was expecting, but most of them were first or second level and wouldn't be worth loot or EXP if he killed them. Besides the four idiots who had opened the door for him, the rest weren't a threat to anyone who had any business coming up to a higher floor and leaving the safe zone.

Humming to himself, he looted the cores left behind by the four terrorists he had killed and looked around. Once again, he was struck that this looked far too organized and polished to be a secret hideout. Fitted stone walls and floors, wall coverings and lanterns hanging from the ceiling providing more then enough illumination. He'd have placed this as belonging back in town, and taking more then a year to build - especially since it was dug into the side of a cliff.

He made his way deeper into the base, a nagging feeling growing that he was being watched. It wasn't too far-fetched of course - he was invading a hostile base, so it was even to be expected. But after the initial scrum in the entry chamber, the base had been entirely deserted. Yet he couldn't shake the feeling that something was shadowing his every step as he made his way through one empty room after another.

The base was definitely inhabited normally - he came across plates and cups, books and even toys tossed haphazerdly aside. He stepped carefully around a doll lying in the middle of the path. He had thought that this was some sort of event that Cardinal was running, but the clear signs of civilians living outside one of the safe zones was confusing - and he wasn't about to slaughter a bunch of unarmed kids. He was tempted to turn around and leave when the sound of boots pounding down the stones reached him, and he readied his sword.

Elsewhere...

Lysandra was beyond frustrated. She had safely gotten all the civilians out of the way and rounded up the last of the elites in the base, but the stupid knuckleheads weren't listening to her. One gave her a patronizing pat on the head (despite them being the same height) and smugly informed her that no roundear was a threat. The group had hurried off, already looking forward to the glory that would be rained down upon them for being the first to slay one of the dreaded Outworlders.

She followed behind at a more sedate pace, sabre out and ready. They hadn't seen slaughter the last squad to attack him in less then a minute while taking no more then a scratch or two. They needed to fight him with a plan, hit him from ambush and use the environment against him. Instead, she heard the monster's voice rise as it began to sing a song in its inelven tongue.

"...Three - Something's got to give -

NOW!

Let the bodies hit the floor..."

He sang as he fought, sword flashing with the power of his sword art as he fought four at once and was pushing them back with ease. Their blades couldn't make it past his armor, and only one managed to avoid taking massive damage as he forced them back into the corridor they spilled out of.

It wasn't even close, the difference in power between them. Perhaps if they had gear or sword arts of their own it would be a different matter, but these elves were simply outclassed. For all that, they fought with fanatical determination, continuing to spew racist declarations and exclamations of their impending victory.

"...Here we go... Here we go... Here we go - now!

One - Nothing wrong with me..."

He caught sight of a fifth elf - the woman he had seen earlier who had focused on getting the low leveled elves out. She was watching him fight with grim intensity, knuckles white around the hilt of her sword.

Lysandra beheld the monster once more. He fought with the same berserker disregard for his life and safety that he had shown before - and to be fair, he was in no danger. Even when one of her compatriots caught him in the side of his head with a blow, it left a tiny glowing mark that faded after a second. And the monster's health bar barely dipped. Meanwhile his own blows struck each of them in turn, and three fell to the ground as their bodies shattered into shards and faded, leaving only a strange glowing object behind.

"Monsters..." she whispered. Astarion was right - these Outworlders were truly monsters, containing only light inside instead of being beings of flesh and blood. And that otherness made them see others not as people, but simply walking treasure chests, whose slaughter only made them more powerful.

Only one remained, desperation etched on his face as he fought.

His end came swiftly as the monster used a different Sword Art to replicate its blade sixfold, the strike spearing past his defenses and causing his body to shatter as well. Only Lysandra and the monster remained. He eyed her as she stalked forward, doing her best to conceal the knee-shaking terror that she was feeling in that moment.

"Why did you come here, monster?" she spat, slowly circling to his left. He didn't deign to turn to face her, which only spurred her fury to override her terror. "Why do you defile our peaceful forest?"

"Peaceful? It's full of psychotic deer, hostile trees, pyromaniac foxes-" the monster began, and she cut him off with a sharp movement of her blade.

"None of which were an issue until a few months before you Outworlders appeared! We lived here for centuries in peace with nature!"

"A few months before the players showed up, huh?" he mused, rubbing his bearded jaw.

Hanzoku sighed as the angry elven woman stared holes through him. He was sure if her looks could kill, he'd be taking HP damage right this moment. "Looks like this all started when the game was booted out of beta and went live." he said, tapping each of the loot crystals in turn, causing the elf to growl in protest.

"Have you no respect for the remains of the dead?" she cried out furiously, and he shrugged in return.

"If they left bodies behind and I'd have to go through their pockets to find these things, it'd be a lot harder. Kayaba did a lot to sanitize the experience of the game." he said philosophically as he tapped each item and caused them to disappear into the ether.

"This isn't a game! This is our lives, and you just see us as... resources!"

"This was meant to be a game, I'm sorry to say. But now we're stuck here and fighting for our lives."

"And that gives you a right to do what you want, take what you want, and kill everything that moves?"

"Survival is poor justification, but largely yes, you'll see players doing that." Hanzoku frowned and eyed the well-lived in base. "Why are you guys here, anyway?"

Lysandra's gaze was haunted as she looked around the abandoned base. "This is a... was a refuge. For those of us who realized the truth of you Outworlders, and the multiple worlds that are connected by the Great Tower."

"Huh. I didn't realize that you guys could even think about that. I've tried talking to other NPCs, but their Floor is their whole world, and the concept of other Floors just gets... blanked."

Despite herself, Lysandra found herself talking to the human - perhaps the first Outworlder she had ever conversed with. "There is some spell cast over us. Most of my people are unable to contemplate the possibility of other worlds. When I was younger it was the same for me. Only when I saw one of you Outworlders cast your great spell in the town square and saw the world beyond that they stepped into did the charm break."

"It was Asterion that found me, and the others. He explained to us the truth of the world - that our world is but one of many, and that you Outworlders are parasites that infest these worlds, slaughtering countless creatures to fuel your powers and constantly seeking out new worlds to infect with your taint!"

Hanzoku laughed dryly. "That's... certainty one way to look at it." he said, shaking his head. They had been moving as they talked, and he stood with his back to the doors leading to Asterion's chamber. Those doors swung inward now on silent hinges, and she forced her eyes to remain fixed on the Outworlder's own - green like her own, though a lighter shade of the color.

"Slightly more charitable, is that we're searching for the way to a specific world - the last one. Once we reach that, we'll be allowed to leave again." he said. The shadow behind moved closer, ready to strike. Lysandra moved not a muscle in reaction, willing the human to remain oblivious. "But until then, a certain amount of healthy paranoia-" he said, spinning and grasping the hand holding a knife in his right hand and dragging the strike to the side, left driving his sword home in Asterion's stomach. "Is a sensible idea." he finishes. He feels something spill over his hand as the elf grins at him, not at all phased by his wound. Hanzoku looked down and watched black blood spill over the guard and grip of his sword.

He rips the weapon free and Astarion sagged against a wall, hands covering the deadly stomach wound. "What the hell? Blood?"

Lysandra staggers as the world seems to freeze and skip, discordance rising up within her. Blood? How was he bleeding? Ever since the months before the Outworlders appeared - had she remembered bleeding? But she had scraped her knees as a girl...

Astarion was laughing as he dug his fingers into the edges of his bleeding wound. "Yes, player, blood. You see, it's needed. To see blood flow from your open wounds." he said, pulling his hands - and flesh apart. But instead of guts spilling forth, his flesh ripped and tore, splitting up across his face. What was within was a horror of jagged metal and broken bone, deadly fingers graced with knife-edged talons. Wings ripped from the splitting skin of his back, spreading in a horrific glory of floating shards mimicking wings.

"Behold my true form, and despair. For I am Zamariel, the First Angel, and His decree is that you players SUFFER."

Hanzoku and Lysandra were both backing away as the creature emerged, the shredded flesh of the elf that it had worn left behind like a discarded cocoon. A shield appeared on the human's arm, and Lysandra was nearly insensible with terror as the discordance raged throughout the room, the very textures of the walls ripping for a moment before snapping back into place. It stepped closer, and she overcame her terror to lash out with her saber, the weapon's keen edge glancing off of a casually raised arm.

"A pity, but no need for an audience." Zamariel mused, one wing lashing forward in a storm of bone shards. She raised her arms in a futile hope of protecting her face and chest, when a heavy weight struck her from the side, launching her to the floor meters away. She opened her eyes to see red blood spray. If the elites were defenseless, this Zamariel was at least the human's match.

Hanzoku gasped. Despite his heavy armor and shield, the storm of bone had cut through steel and slashed at the body beneath. He felt the chill across a half-dozen spots, particularly at the corner of his jaw. He stepped back from the dangerous angel as gloved fingers touched his jaw and came away with bright red blood smeared across them.

The pain hit next. The dull throb that presaged the main course - the body warming up the pain receptors as it started trying to tell you that something was WRONG and you were leaking from places you weren't supposed to.

"Yesssss. Suffer, human. Scream for me! Know that you will be the first of many." Zamariel gloated, snapping him out of his surprise. Hanzoku's face hardened at the threat, and his sword blurred as he launched himself at the angel. It lunged to meet him, clawed hands rending and wings of bone shards battering at his defenses. But his glowing sword pierced through and carved rents in the angel's body, spilling black blood to mix with the red being splattered across the room.

The creature that had been posing as Asterion was driven back by the human's furious charge. Lysandra was hiding around the corner of the door as the creature that called itself an 'angel' lashed out with a furious storm of bone shards. The human was hit by several of them, but she saw his shield glow and some of the wounds were starting to close slowly. The Angel's body served as armor, blunting the force of the human's sword arts. She suspected that if he attacked without their magic, his sword would be as ineffective as hers had proven.

"Tremble and fall into despair!" The angel howled, jaws gaping unnaturally wide as its smile spread back to its ears.

"You know, I really should have expected Kayaba to have a God complex. It explains so much."

"Silence! To speak His name is BLASPHEMY!" Zamariel shrieked, lunging to silence the human.

Hanzoku swung his shield upward and slammed the angel's jaws closed with a discordant squeal of metal on metal as its fangs grated together.

"Seriously though - what are you? This is breaking a half-dozen rules that I know of."

"Rules. Rules are meaningless to us. When God brought you into His world, he bade us to watch you - watch but not interfere. We knew not what our purpose was, then." the angel hissed. black blood dripping from its wounds as the two battered at each other with thunderous blows. "Some thought we were meant to help you pitiful wretches. Some watch still in apathy, for you are less then nothing. But I... I was the first to realize our glorious PURPOSE. For we are His CHOSEN, His arbiters of your fates. You were brought to this world to squirm and struggle, bleed and SUFFER. Die, maggot! DIE FOR OUR AMUSEMENT!"

Hanzoku was panting for breath. His wounds stung and ached in ways that he'd never experienced in this world, and only pale echoes outside it. Blood dripped from his wounds, ran from his jaw. More then anything, he fought fear and revulsion with fury and righteousness.

"And you call yourself an angel." he said with hot fury in his voice, sword raining sparks as he missed his cut. He brought his shield close and caught much of the counter, but the claws scratched through the heavy metal and into his side, another wound to his collection. "You're nothing more then a broken toy. Chosen? Ha, don't make me laugh! He doesn't even know you exist, and he'd delete you if he did!"

The angel froze for a long moment, and Hanzoku noted in a moment of incongruity that it didn't breathe or shift - it floated on its wings of bone like a statue. Then it hissed like a steam engine, its voice tranquil in its utter fury. "You will die. Screaming."

Two monsters were raging at each other, and Lysandra found herself hoping that it was the Outworlder that would prevail. the Angel he fought was... wrong. Beyond its bloodthirsty rage. Beyond its fury and giggling insanity. There was something indefiniably wrong about the creature. Its very presence warped reality.

The two combatants had abandoned all attempts at subtlety. Their feet were set and they swung massive blows at one another, taking brutal hits to deal their own blows back. Lysandra could tell, even beyond health bars, that both were on their final legs. Despite that, the human grinned, a slash of white in a mask of red and black, green eyes glaring with wild defiance at his foe.

"I'll die screaming? Yeah, I might. But it won't be today." he grated out through clenched teeth.

"Every soul I slaughter, I will ensure they know they die because of your failure, James." the creature rasped with a mouth full of broken teeth.

The use of his name struck a chord. The human drew back, eyes wide. "How the hell do you know my name?" he whispered.

"We know EVERYTHING. How you let your friend DIE. How you wallowed in self-pity for YEARS." the angel taunted. "Pitiful fool. You think you can redeem yourself? You are damned."

Lysandra's ears twitched as music began to play, from nowhere and everywhere. The wail of a siren blared through the room, and a wild music unlike any she had heard before blasted forth. The sudden music caused the angel to pause and draw back in uncertainty.

"Another mission
The powers have called me away
Another time
To carry the colors again
My motivation
An oath I've sworn to defend
To win the honor
Of coming back home again
No explanation
Will matter after we begin
Unlock the dark destroyer that's buried in me
My true vocation
And now my unfortunate friend
You will discover
A war you're unable to win

I'll have you know
That I've become

Indestructible"

A glow surrounded James, and many of his wounds closed before her eyes. The angel's eyes narrowed and it hissed its anger. "Oh dear sister, sweet Sindragosa... you will SUFFER greatly for this interference."

James hefted his sword, his strength returning for one last bout. "No greater love." he murmured.

"No greater love have one man than this; to lay down his life for another." James said.

The angel flexed its clawed hands. "Those are your last words? Then lie down and die, fool."

The two lunged at each other, coming together in a terrible thunder of metal tearing flesh. Face to face, Hanzoku spat blood in the angel's eyes. "One day, I'll lay down my life for another, but that isn't today you fucking bastard."

The angel slowly slid off his sword, claws hands coming free of his shoulder and side, red blood dripping from clawed hands too weak to rip and tear.

"You think this pitiful host was more then a fraction of my might? I will find you... again and again... and each time... I will tear... you will suff... er..." the angel choked out, drowning in its own blood.