[PP-F5] Blood in the Sand (Oikawa) [Complete]

[Rebekah 0]

Rebekah had just arrived onto the hot sandy floor. She could see sand dunes running for miles in the distance. Luckily, she had changed over to her sandals as she hated getting sand inside her shoes more than anything. She just hated pouring every grain of sand out of her shoe before wearing them again, and if she could avoid it, it would have been better. It had been a long time since the last time she made a trip to this floor, as it was quite hot and humid around here. However, she could survive the temperature, but she prefer the cool 4th floor over the 5th.

 

Today, she was here to challenge a boss, the sand shark. She had been looking forward to clearing a list of quest off her bucketlist, and now she had finally found the time to challenge this monster. Rebekah was waiting for another player to step forward, before continuing the journey. She could do this by herself, but she rather do it with someone just in case anything happens.

[Oikawa 1]

Oh how I loathe this sauna of a floor. Man if I wasn't in dire need of clearing this Quest off my checklist, I'd never revisit this floor again. Especially not after the Traveler quest. Strolling along the sand strewn path, Oikawa and his leopard companion, King, kept an eye out for the most recent addition to the S1 family. He didn't have to walk far, as the higher leveled blond came into sight.

Walking up to her, Oikawa spoke. "Rebekah was it?" Gesturing for a handshake he continued. "Nice to meet you. I am Oikawa- the Faint. One of four founding members of S1 and your companion for this quest." Pointing to the grey furred cat sitting at his ankles, he introduced King. "This little fella is my companion. His name is King." The leopard bowed to the girl and sat up once more.

 

"So what's the game plan? I've only been on this floor once before and I absolutely hated it."

[Rebekah 0]

"There is no game plan, just keep attacking until it dies, and I will be tanking all of its attack," as she knew that there was a small level difference between them. "The monster is called the Sand Shark, he packs some damage into each attack, but he is also just another punching bag with our armour," she replied. There was not anything else that she knew about the boss, other than the fact that it was rated to be easy. This was the first time she had met him, as she sent a random request to her guild members for someone to join her on this journey. This would be a great time to see how strong her guild was at combat as well, seeing that Oikawa was one of the stronger members in the guild.

 

"Follow me," she spoke softly, as she led him out of this humid tiny town towards the destination in the sand dunes ahead. She could see nothing but sand for miles and miles, but at least she knew the location of where the monster would be.

[Oikawa 1]

Removing his hand from the air, he listened to her words as she spoke. I decent monster with average damage output. Seems simple enough. She's a higher level compared to myself and she has front-line experience. This is the perfect time to gauge what a front-liner battles like and a way for us to bond as guildmates. I'll have to learn to trust her...however she did leave me hanging... After she finished her explanation, she casually ushered for him to follow her. There destination seeming to be the large sand dunes ahead.

 

"Well since we have quite a ways to go, what's it like being on the front-lines? I'm curious seeing as how I've slated my self to participate in the upcoming floor 10 Boss raid."

[Rebekah 0]

That question had caught her off guard, as she had never had any other thoughts about battling in boss raids other than trying to clear the floors as quickly as possible. However, she knew that she had to find an answer as, she joined a lower level guild as opposed to a higher one, thus she was one of the few ones with some real experience in these battles in the guild. "Being on the front lines is exhausting at times, as even players such as myself are at risk of dying, which is something that would be practically impossible on say floor 1 or even here. Furthermore, boss raids do happen in big groups, but often times communications tends to be an issue with large numbers of people, so you have to make sure to finish the battle no matter what happens, as a group of 16 members can easily dwindle down to less than 8 active members dealing damage at any point." she replied.

 

Truth be told, she was not expecting two deaths in the hydra fight on floor 9, but that was because there was some miscommunication issues in general. That made it seem more real, but she was taking more preparation this time, as every since her first few boss raids, she had a goal of becoming a 'middle' level player among the boss raiders, and not one of the weakest to shop up, as that is often a liability to the group itself. "We are almost here, the <<sand shark>> is up ahead, over the sand dune," said Rebekah, as she took out her heartstriker out of her inventory and wield it with her hand.

[Oikawa 1]

The blond pondered the question. Really thinking before answering. Finally, she explained the frustration of the front lines. Miscommunication, activity level, and obviously death. Though she didn't say anything about the last one, Oikawa knew it was something that tolled on your mind. Front liner or not. Is that something I'm ready for. Can I really be a front liner? Am I prepared? I've already committed myself to it. Though there is no shame in backing down. I want to help clear the game just as much as anyone else.

 

Rebekah snapped him from his thoughts with the mention of the <<Sand Shark>> being up ahead. Drawing his rapier, Faint Edge, Oikawa kicked it into another gear as he bounded over the sand dunes. Sure enough, swimming through the sand, and giant dark hammerhead shark parted the sandy sea as it glided through the desert. Sliding down the slope of the dune, Oikawa let the momentum propel him forward. Nearing the shark, he jumped in the air and brought his rapier down right on the shark. Sinking his blade in the MoB, he had to hold on for dear life as the creature, bucked and kicked before diving beneath the sands. Holding his breath, he hoped the shark would resurface before he ran out of air.

 

Reluctantly the shark exploded from the sand, and leaped in the air. "Rebekah attack him now!"

 

[11134] BD: 9 (6 + 3 ACC) HIT 6 Damage

 

~Rebekah~

38/38

~Oikawa~

26/26

 

<<Sand Shark>>

44/50 (-6)

 

 

Oikawa's Stats:

HP: 26 DMG: 6 EVA: 2 ACC: 3 MIT: 3

+1 Thorns (Enemy BD or MD roll of 6-8)

+2 Bleed (BD roll of 8-10)

+1 HP (CD roll of 10+)

[Rebekah 0]

Hearing Oikawa attack the shark, Rebekah knew that it was now her turn to shine. She needed to show to her guild that she was a front line player, as it would have been bad if she was to fail at taking out this boss. She took out her rapier, she charged towards the shark, trying to get there before it would dive back into the sand. That would have given it a bad situation, if it was to swim in the sand, somewhere the both of them would have no vision of it.

Rebekah managed to attack the boss but as she jumped to attack it, her legs was knocked out underneath her just as she was trying to escape, and the sand shark bit her. Because she was falling while being attacked, she was dealt critical damage from the shark, but most of the damage was mitigated thanks to her armour that she had on in this hot sun. Even though it was extremely humid out, she had her full set of equipment just in case anything were to happen. She slowly struggled back on to her feet, but she was fine.

[iD=11167]

BD = 6 + 2 = 8; Damage = 1 + 3 + 4 = 8

Mob = 10 - 2 = 10; Damage = 3 + 2 - 3 = 2

Oikawa 26/26

Rebekah 36/38

Sand Shark 36/50

[Oikawa 1]

Rebekah gracefully leaped into the air. Sinking her rapier into the shark, she was unpleasantly knocked off balance and and bit by the shark as it twisted its frame to attack the girl. Releasing it's grip, Rebekah fell through the air and landed on the ground with a heavy *thunk*. She has to be melting inside that hunk of armor. Not to mention it must be heavy. She seems to be okay though. He thought as the girl struggled to stand.

Yanking his blade from the shark's hide, Oikawa jumped off the shark as it circled around the two. Oikawa ran towards Rebekah to make sure she was alright. "You alright?" Of course she was alright. She's stated she faced worse and could probably solo this thing. Not waiting for an answer Oikawa turned around and faced the incoming fin. As the shark exploded from the sandy surface, Oikawa made his move. Leaping forward with rapier pointed straight, he sliced a nice red streak along the length of the shark as it passed overhead.

Landing in the dune, Oikawa turned to see the shark roar before diving back into the sandy depths. "Be careful Rebekah. We have no clue where it's lurking now."

[11266] BD: 8 (5 + 3 ACC) HIT 6 Damage

~Rebekah~

36/38

~Oikawa~

26/26

<<Sand Shark>>

30/50 (-6)

[Rebekah 0]

It never hurts to have someone double check if they were okay after taking a brutal attack from a monster. However, she knew that she had to be more careful especially in fights, to avoid taking unnecessary damage whenever possible. It was just something that she had tried so hard to work on lately as that is currently her biggest weakness in battle. The pace of this battle was rather high, as both Oikawa and her have been landing hit after hit to reduce its hp down to approximately sixty percent already with just 3 hits.

 

But since they both lost sight of the shark, she just knew it was not going to end well for her. The shark jumped out of the sand in an attempt to bite her again, knocking her into the sky, but Rebekah was prepared for that to happen, and as a result turned her body to attack the shark in its mouth with her rapier. While she knew that she was going to take some damage from this fight, she was able to inflict more damage to the shark than herself, which was a good thing, as she knew that the old her would have avoided taking damage while attacking, but she had changed to try to do both at the same time. After she attack, the shark had knocked her out of her mouth, and she tried as best to land a backflip, similar to how most gymnast would land after her routine. However, her landing was not perfect as she lost her balance and had to take a few more steps to regain her balance.

 

[iD=11446]

BD = 5 + 2 = 7;

Mob = 10 - 2 = 10; Damage = 3 + 2 - 3 = 2

 

Oikawa 26/26
Rebekah 34/38

Sand Shark 22/50

[Oikawa 1]

As the shark rose from the sand, Oikawa yelled "I see it!" But it was too late. Oikawa watched as the shark propelled itself out of the sea-like sand and tried to snap Rebekah up in its jaws. Luckily, she was simply knocked skyward which allowed her to in turn, attack the shark. She sunk her blade into the creatures mouth, dealing a nice bit of damage. As the shark tossed her back to the sandy floor, it inflicted some minor damage to the blonde front-liner. Shaking it off, she tried to land a difficult back flip, taking a few steps to regain her balance.

 

Though it wasn't perfect, you gotta admit, she has a good fighting sense. Taking advantage of being knocked into the air instead of panicking like most players would. She's a good fighter and like me a rapier user. Oddly I feel like I need to prove myself. And by the power of Aincrad, I will. Gritting his teeth and tightening the grip on his own rapier, Oikawa rocketed towards the flailing shark. 

 

Catching the shark mid-descent, Oikawa thrusted his rapier right into the sharks underside. Pulling his blade out, the shark roared in pain and frustration. Sinking below the sand once more, the shark began to circle the two players. "Stay alert. His health has dropped considerably. His attack pattern may have changed."

 

[11451] BD: 10 (7 + 3 ACC) HIT 6 Damage

 

~Rebekah~

34/38

~Oikawa~

26/26

 

<<Sand Shark>>

16/50 (-6)

[Rebekah 0]

It was refreshing to say the least that she was able to partner up with someone who could keep up with her in terms of attack. Well, to be fair, she was surprising herself as well, as the two of them have landed a combine total of 5 straight attacks. Although that is not uncommon, they have managed to take the shark's health bar within one or two strikes of being dead. She had heard that the shark was suppose to be a fierce monster, but she was not having any trouble. Perhaps she was over-prepared for this battle, as she had heard how others have struggled with killing boss monsters.

 

This time she made sure to attack before the shark was able to dive under the sand once again, as she knew that it would be impossible to attack if she had lost sight of it. Luckily for her, she knew that Oikwara was attacking, and as a result attacked just a second after him before the shark would dive again, she knew that it was risky to have both players attack almost at the exact same time, as he could miss and hit her, but it was a gamble that she was willing to take, to avoid taking any damage for at least one round in this battle.

 

[iD=11510]

BD = 5 + 2 = 7

Mob = 3 - 2 = 1

 

Oikawa 26/26
Rebekah 34/38

Sand Shark 8/50

[Oikawa 1]

Oikawa hadn't even inhaled a fresh breath of air before he saw Rebekah racing past him to hit the sandy hammerhead before it dashed back into the sand. The speed. The precision. The cunning and timing to pull off the attack. Front liners are something else. he stared in awe as Rebekah connected on her attack sending the shark plummeting quicker than before into the sand.

 

"Yo Rebekah! That was nice! Unfortunately he's lurking in the sands again." Watching for any signs of movement. Look for ripples, shifting sand, a fin. Anything. This Mob surely didn't run away did i--Ack.. Oikawa was sent back as the shark exploded from the sand beneath him. Staggering, Oikawa tried to focus on what was going on. The shark raced towards him, mouth gaping and baring its fangs. Not shying away from the challenge, Oikawa rushed at the shark. 

 

The two nearly collided, but Oikawa jumped up and front flipped above the creature. Out of the flip, he dove towards the shark and stabbed it with his rapier. Inflicting critical damage and activating his bleed effect, Oikawa jumped back so Ariel could finish it off.

 

"All yours miss"

 

[11560] BD: 9 (NAT) Hit 7 Damage and Bleed activated. (+2 Damage for the Next two turns)

 

~Rebekah~

34/38

~Oikawa~

26/26

 

<<Sand Shark>> BLD [2/2]

1/50 (-7)

[Rebekah 0]

Well, the pressure is on. Oikawa had left the boss with one hit point left, allowing her to get the last hit for this monster. She did not expect the fight would be this lucky for both of them. She looked at the shark, and knew that it would be impossible for her to do anything if she was going to dive back in the ground. However, the shark was aiming for her instead, which was a good thing. Thus, the shark charged right at her, but she knew that she had to simply dodge the attack, and the bleed effect would take down, thus she did not have to do much.

 

As the shark missed its attack, the bleed effect from Oikawa had taken effect, and the shark was dead. She asked Oikawa, "Do you want the potion, I do not have much use for it anyways?"

 

[iD=11612]

BD = 2 + 2 = 4;

Mob = 5 - 2 = 3

LD = 18

 

Oikawa 26/26
Rebekah 34/38

Sand Shark -1/50 (-2 HP for 1/2 Turns)

 

+ Mat; 50x5=250 Col; Sand Armour Pot

[Oikawa 1]

The sharks timer was ticking away. It's fate had been sealed, even if by some miracle of Aincrad, the shark was to die after its attack. Plain and simple. With that in mind, Oikawa understood while instead of attacking and putting herself at risk, Rebekah chose to simply dodge the sharks final attack. Letting it succumb to the bleed effect that Oikawa himself had inflicted.

 

As the boss dispersed into pixelated polygons, it dropped a <Sand Armour Pot>, some Col and a couple materials. Rebekah kindly offered him the Sand Armour Pot. Though he didn't know what he would do with it, he respectfully accepted. "Thanks. Shall we split the rest down the middle? Since I got the potion you can have 150 Col and a mat and I'll take 100 Col and a mat? If that's alright of course." 

[Rebekah 0]

"Sure that would work out perfectly," Rebekah replied. She knew that it was a good deal, as these potions from bosses are of a special rarity. It was something that most people do not need until they need it later. She knew that it was going to take sometime to walk back towards the village. She looked up at the sun, it was good that they had left in the morning, to avoid fighting in the blazing heat around noon. At least they could get back before the weather would become close to unbearable. Even though she was fine in this weather, she knew that many players preferred to avoid the hot and cold extremes of the 4th and 5th floor. It was just something that nobody had wanted to do.

[Oikawa 1]

"Awesome. I suppose we should get back. I hate the heat of this floor and its almost noon. As much as I hate the cold, I much rather prefer the 4th floor as compared to the 5th and 9th floor haha." Walking back towards, the town Oikawa begin to ponder somethings. Voicing his thoughts, he spoke up to Rebekah. "So how do you think I did? Do you think I could be front line material? Don't sugar coat anything. I want your honest opinion."

[Rebekah 0]

Well, she wanted to sugarcoat it, but since he asked not to, Rebekah had to give a detailed opinion. She quickly glanced at his armour, and weapons and knew that Oikawa was more or less on the verge of being a front-liner, but he was just not ready. While levels are important, skill is also just as equally as important if not more, as she knew that it was something extremely important. He was almost there, but should probably remain back for at least a few more levels, or at least another floor to gain the experience to become a front-liner.

 

"To tell you the truth, I do not think you are ready just yet. You are on that boundary where you are almost strong enough but not at this moment. If you spend say another few weekends training, then I do believe you are there," replied Rebekah. It was a honest assessment, he was probably about a week's worth of extra hard training from being strong enough, but this upcoming boss fight, that she had heard about seems a little bit too soon for him.

[Oikawa 1]

"I appreciate the honesty. I'd much rather hear the flat truth than watered-down half lie." I just need to train more. I need to get out an adventure and complete some of these NPC Quests. That should net me a ton of experience! Oikawa pressed on. Though the temperature was reaching it's peak hours he felt they would make it in time not to die from a heatstroke. "Rebekah. How'd you get so strong? Any training tips?"

[Rebekah 0]

She thought about that question for a moment, and her mind ran back to all the higher level players that have not been seen recently. "Well, when I was a lot weaker, I went to train a lot with some of the higher level players that we do not see around today," she replied. Her mind ran through the list of players that have helped her along the way, seldenter, echo, and ethereal. She also remembered that she had went to several unsuccessful maverick hunts with Keith, and yes, she was going to also credit part of her growth to Zelrius, who has always been super annoying. There was nothing else to it, other than being able to learn from others who were stronger than her. Even today, there are a lot of players stronger than her, but Rebekah was strong enough to hold her own, among most of the population.

[Oikawa 1]

"Not much to go on but I'll take it. I guess I need to find higher level players like yourself and train more often." Ah there goes the city. I guess I'll head back to the shop. Get some crafting done and map out my next plan of attack...or training rather. Hmm...maybe I'll see what Haine is doing. She was quite the adventurer and had a knack for slicing things up quickly. Damn Yudais might as well run Aincrad. Seems like they leveled up the quickest. *Inner sigh*  "What're your plans after this? I might go on another quest or maybe even a loot run in a dungeon. You're more than welcome to join, but if not, I do understand haha."