[SP-F9] The Iron Guardian

[Daeron 1]

"Ugh this stuff reeks, Mari." Daeron said as he had just completely lathered his hair an hour ago with the hair dye potion to change his look. He finally went to go clean out some of the goo that was in his hair with some nearby water to find his hair was no longer a brown, chestnut color, but instead a golden-blonde and dirty-blonde look together. He liked it. Getting the hair out of his face, he had now just needed to wait for his dry within minutes due to the floors intense heat.

 

This time on floor 9 it was different, mostly because now he was actually dealing with the heat and it was making him sweat. Having accepted a new quest earlier ago, he knew he best head out west, before nightfall even though that's when this floor would be at it's lowest temperature.

[Daeron 1]

The broker that he had met earlier told him he had to travel two days worth, so it probably wasn't a lie as sprinting on this floor led to serious dehydration, which led to death one way or another. So taking it slow was the best way to go about it. All he knew is this monster dropped an item that he could use as a serious advantage in the upcoming floor 10 boss fight. Meaning this quest was not an option to fail. Having traveled approximately three hours before the sun went down and the moon rose, he felt the wind on his skin beginning to cool. It was a nice change compared to the blistering heat that he was feeling the remainder of the time since he no longer had his robe.

 

Daeron heard monsters off in the distance, but they were too far out of range in order to attack him. Once he had traveled another great distance another estimated six hours, he decided it would be time to rest and head out as soon as he woke up from a rather quick slumber.

[Daeron 1]

By the time that the sun had risen above the horizon once again, he was awake and already travelling. Stopping here and there for quick water breaks, he walked and drank at the same time usually, even though only seconds after he finished gulping the fluid, his lips were already dry and cracking. Drinking seemed nearly useless on this floor, however, he continued to push on as motivation to make it through this game in a more efficient manner. Time flew by as he left foot prints in the red dust behind him, only to have been blown away by the wind when it covered up his tracks. If anybody was following him to kill him, they would have certainly lost him by now.

[Daeron 1]

Nearing the end of his two day journey, he had an odd sensation that he was being watched, however, when he turned around, nobody or anything was there except for the red dust on the ground once more. The sun was now at it's highest point, meaning that the heat was so intense, he had to drink consistently without passing out. About two more hours of walking, Daeron had finally managed to reach a red cavernous cave. One that looked like it could possibly hold monsters and potentially a field boss inside.

 

Once he entered the cave from a half hour sprint, he was drained and had to finish off the second to last bottle of water that he had with him. The only way he would make it back without death would be either with teleportation or by getting more water. Seeing as how both of those weren't going to happen in his odds, he didn't think anything of it.

[Daeron 1]

The cave wasn't nearly as empty as he had thought it was. In fact, inside was a metallic form of humanoid, that looked menacing. And judging by the red cursor above it, it wasn't there to necessarily sign a peace treaty with the players of Aincrad. Drawing his weapon from his sheath, he waved his blonde hair up. It was strange not seeing the usual brown in his eyes, however, he did like it. It made him feel different and sort of like a better person for some reason. Regardless the monster before him didn't look like he was enjoying his presence so it was probably best to eliminate the foe before it did the same to him.

 

Battle Engaged

 

ID: 12012

Battle: 7 + 1 = 8 [8 Damage Dealt, 1 Life Steal Healed]

Crafting: 9 [0 HP Healed]

Mob: 8 - 1 = 7 [1 Minimum Damage Dealt, 1 Thorn Damage To Foe]

 

Daeron rushed in right away with his weapon in his right hand. He had no armor whatsoever, so doing damage quickly was his best type of defense at the moment. That wouldn't work the same way in the upcoming boss fight as the real thing would deal far more damage and would be hitting Daeron the most as he intended to tank the next boss, and hopefully many more to come. HIs weapon had hit the monster, but shortly after he saw the armor had a thorn effect on it, meaning it would hurt Daeron too just to attack. Not only that, but luckily due to his battle healing, the monster's thorns meant nothing as he healed the health right back. Unfortunately, the monster was still able to deal some damage in the end regardless of his damage mitigation.

 

Daeron: 79/80 HP

 

Iron Knight: 27/35 HP

[Daeron 1]

ID: 12013

Battle: 2

Crafting: 7

Mob: 7

 

So far, as far as Daeron could tell, this fight would be over quickly with him hardly taking a scratch. However, if Daeron missed too many times, then this fight could take longer than he would want it to be. Quickly recovering from the very minuscule amount of damage he had taken, Daeron rushed in only to attack once more. The monster had managed to counter his attack quickly enough and dealt another point of damage before Daeron could do anything in return.

 

Daeron: 78/80 HP

 

Iron Knight: 27/35 HP

[Daeron 1]

ID: 12014

Battle: 9

Crafting: 9

Mob: 7

 

Daeron stood before the monster, seeing as how he had lost more health than he had planned to lose at all. Even though it was 2 health gone, which meant utterly nothing to him, those little points of damage are capable of stacking up pretty quickly, and once that happens, that's when Daeron would know the potential danger of this boss if it was anything like the monster he was fighting at this exact moment. His weapon ready to be swung again at the Iron Knight monster, Daeron came forward with a forward thrust of his weapon rather than a slash, like he normally did. His blond hair managed to stay out of his face this fight, which made concentration much easier during combat, yet another advantage of his new look.

 

His attack was flawless as he was able to avoid the thorns on the armor, while being able to deal a significant amount of damage. His life steal on his weapon had kicked in once again, increasing his sustainability throughout the duration of this battle, meaning things may not be as bad as they seem to be at all.

 

Daeron: 78/80 HP

 

Iron Knight: 18/35 HP

[Daeron 1]

ID: 12024

Battle: 6 [8 Damage]

Crafting: 11 [Heal 3 HP]

Mob: 1 [Miss] [1 Thorn Damage To Player]

 

Daeron swung his blade in a diagonal motion this time, trying to finish off this monster within one or two more hits. He knew that if he hit hard enough, the monster could potentially be defeated within the next strike. However, due to the monster's thorn effect on his armor, he had taken slightly more damage. Such a nuisance it was, in the end it didn't really matter though, as Daeron's Battle Healing ability has finally come into play, meaning he was able to recover his health back to full, meaning he had a huge advantage again entering the next fight with hardly a scratch, or none in fact in this case.

 

Daeron: 80/80 HP -1 HP +3 HP

 

Iron Knight: 10/35 HP - 8 HP

[Daeron 1]

ID: 12027

Battle: 7 + 1 = 8 [8 Damage, Life Steal 1 HP]

Crafting: 9 [Heal 0 HP]

Mob: 2 [Miss] [1 Thorn Damage To Player]

 

Daeron took a moment to take a breather after his attack. He knew that if he executed his next attack perfectly, he could finish off his foe with ease and move on to the "big guy" that lurks about this cavernous cave on the ninth floor. Daeron may not have been in the blistering heat anymore, however, the heat from outside was still pouring into the entrance, where he still felt it tingling against his skin. If anyone left this floor without sunburn they would be one lucky person.

 

Taking his stance back to his fighting position, he held his blade ready to find an opening in the next chance he could find through the series of the monster's failed attempts to fight so far. Daeron's weapon cut at the opponent's health once again, only to have him take some more thorn damage. Luckily due to his weapon's life steal, he was able to recover that before it could become too significant for his liking.

 

Daeron: 80/80 HP -1 HP, +1 HP

 

Iron Knight: 2/35 HP - 8 HP

[Daeron 1]

ID: 12029

Battle: 10 [10 Damage, Life Steal 1 HP]

Crafting: 9 [Heal 0 HP]

Mob: 10 [1 Damage Dealt] [1 Bleed Damage, 1 Turn]

 

After this counter attack, Daeron was simply left with a slight bleed effect left behind, which must be a clue as to what the boss might hold. He was shocked the monster couldn't put the bleed status on him before this strike, either way, he was glad he found out from the weaker monster rather than the boss itself. The monster had shattered into tiny blue pixels of data that dispersed into the air. Daeron took a gulp from his water, only to find that his lips still stayed dry from the arid oxygen on this floor, making it slightly harder to breathe than normal. Regardless, it was still better than floor 10, where he struggled with his vision.

 

Daeron: 80/80 HP -1 HP 1 Bleed For 1 Turn +1 HP

 

Iron Knight: 0/35 HP -10 Damage

[Daeron 1]

Daeron advanced further into the cave system, where he passed by more of those knight foes. Luckily for him, he made it into a single room where no monsters stood but one massive metal figure with a heavy body. The title above stated <<Iron Guardian>>. Daeron had assumed that this was the boss, meaning that he would have this last fight hopefully before being able to complete this quest.

[Daeron 1]

Daeron's had a change in his weapon before he came however. His weapon had provided him with additional accuracy, and no longer helped him sustain though, so this monster wouldn't be nearly as difficult as it may have once have been. The enemy looked enormous, but nothing Daeron couldn't handle. Daeron rushed in, unwilling to wait this fight out, he was ready for this quest to be over so he can get the item for the boss fight.

 

His weapon came down towards the monster, with a hard swing beginning to near the monster. The metallic shimmer of the body was strange, as there was little to no light in this cave except for a torch along the wall here and there.

 

ID: 12296

Battle: 4 + 2 = 6 [8 Damage]
Craft: 6 [0 Healed]

Mob: 1 [0 Damage] [Thorns Effect, 2 Damage]

 

Daeron: 78/80 HP

 

Iron Guardian: 117/125 HP

[Daeron 1]

The first hit of the fight had been landed, however, just like Daeron suspected, this monster too had thorns on it, assuming it was like a tougher version of the previous monster, it probably had bleed effect on it too. Great. Daeron swung his weapon again, ready to take out another chunk of health from the monster. The monster didn't have all that much health as a large piece of it was already eradicated simply by the force of a single strike. Bringing his weapon across sideways this time, Daeron tried to analyze what the monster would try to do this time.

 

ID: 12297

Battle: 9 [9 Damage]
Craft: 2 [0 Healed]

Mob: 3 [0 Damage] [Thorns Effect, 0 Damage]

 

Daeron: 78/80 HP

 

Iron Guardian: 108/125 HP

[Daeron 1]

This time, the thorns didn't even touch him, unknowing how the system functions these abilities, he was just glad that it didn't. It was actually able to deal quite a bit of damage from the thorns alone. Even though he could oppose his foe with greater force, that thorns does stack and he's sure that the bleed it probably came with also stacked nicely with the damage already dealt on him. He also didn't know if he'd have to fight his way out of the cave.

 

Daeron grunted, but the monster screeched rather than roared when the weapon hit it. Daeron grinned, with his newly founded blonde hair, he thrust his weapon forward at the monster's torso, or so he thought that's what it was.

 

ID: 12298

Battle: 10 [10 Damage]
Craft: 3 [0 Healed]

Mob: 5 [0 Damage] [Thorns Effect, 0 Damage]

 

Daeron: 78/80 HP

 

Iron Guardian: 98/125 HP

[Daeron 1]

Still no sign of being able to take damage other than the slight amount of thorn damage he had taken, Daeron didn't bother waiting to strike again. Instead, he turned around and went for a flair shot, where he spun around to swing. Though he might regret trying to be fancy, if it landed, it would be a self accomplishment and a great boost of confidence in Daeron's skill and might, showing he can do whatever he wanted and still win a fight. That's one of his flaws however, he was always one of the type of people to play with their food at the dinner table.

 

ID: 12299

Battle: 7+2 = 9 [8 Damage] [Avoid Thorns]
Craft: 6 [0 Healed]

Mob: 5 [0 Damage] [Thorns Effect, 0 Damage]

 

Daeron: 78/80 HP

 

Iron Guardian: 90/125 HP

[Daeron 1]

Succesfully, Daeron had just taunted his foe with a fancy strike. His weapon becoming like a carry through the wind. Daeron slashed sideways with his blade once again, this time in the opposite direction though. If this fight kept up at this rate, Daeron could end it quickly and get the hell out of here without taking more than two points of damage. Luckily for him, his accuracy allowed him to land nearly every single shot that he had tried to dish out so far, and the monster had just been too slow to land a single direct hit, but he felt his luck was about to change at any given second.

 

ID: 12300

Battle: 1 [0 Damage] [Avoid Thorns]
Craft: 7 [0 Healed]

Mob: 10 [10 Damage - 5 Damage = 5] [Thorns Effect, 0 Damage] [bleed 2/ 2 Turns]

 

Daeron: 73/80 HP 2 Bleed/2 Turns

 

Iron Guardian: 90/125 HP

[Daeron 1]

Continuing to duel versus the monster, Daeron had a serious problem, now seeing how strong this boss actually was. Perhaps Daeron had made a mistake of trying to take this quest on alone. However, if his battle healing could kick in quick enough and the monster hit him no more than this one time, he should be alright, or so he hoped anyways. Daeron had a slight expression of concern on his face, now being able to see how quickly it could drop it's health when it can get a hit on him. by the ten health he lost along with some serious bleed effects, this would total out to be a whole 9 damage in a single attack, very hostile this monster was indeed.

 

Daeron was hesitant with his next attack, not sure if it was smart to keep fighting, however, in the end, Daeron's weapon came down once again before it was too late to retreat. He was within the monster's grasp now and if it wanted to strike him again, then so it could, but this time, Daeron would try to be sure to avoid this attack.

 

ID: 12317

Battle: 4 + 2 [8 Damage]
Craft: 12 [3 Healed]

Mob: 3 [0 Damage] [Thorns Effect, 2 Damage]

 

Daeron: 72/80 HP [2 Bleed/1 Turn]

 

Iron Guardian: 82/125 HP

[Daeron 1]

Luckily for him, his battle healing did smooth out some of that damage, and if it wasn't for his light armor skill, then he would have taken even more damage. If Daeron decided against going tank, this would be the moment he'd regret it. Instead, he was grateful, and as for the bleeding, it wasn't bad when your healing had kicked in on time. Though now, he was some more health down, he didn't want to risk it any longer. Coming in for another attack, Daeron prepared himself for the worst possible situation by lunging his weapon forward.

 

ID: 12319

Battle: 9 [9 Damage]
Craft: 12 [3 Healed]

Mob: 1 [0 Damage] [Thorns Effect, 0 Damage]

 

Daeron: 73/80 HP

 

Iron Guardian: 73/125 HP

[Daeron 1]

Getting closer and closer to defeating the monster, he realized that he had dropped the monster to near halfway point, if not already past it. Daeron was confident now that if he worked effecient enough he could win it rather quickly and then get the hell out of here. He hated this placed, plus the scorching heat from outside was making him sweat profusely which was rather smelly and made fighting even more difficult. More than it was already. His came forward again with his weapon coming in a vertical upward slash motion rather than the forward lunge of a horizontal strike of a sort.

 

ID: 12320

Battle: 7 + 2 = 9 [8 Damage] [Avoid Thorns]
Craft: 12 [3 Healed]

Mob: 8 - 1 = 7 [8 - 5 = 3 Damage] [Thorns Effect, 0 Damage]

 

Daeron: 76/80 HP

 

Iron Guardian: 65/125 HP

[Daeron 1]

The fight is beginning to come to a closing stage, where he felt comfortable being reckless again, now knowing he can win this. With his battle healing closing up any wound he may have sustained from this fight, his healing was rather quick and it was a huge advantage. His attacks were quick and draining on the enemy, but were also the same on his own stamina. He was beginning to grow tired physically, and the heat was making him slightly delirious about his movements. Daeron took his weapon into his left hand for a change, to try and trick his monster and tried to swing it in a diagonal motion.

 

ID: 12322

Battle: 9 [9 Damage] [Avoid Thorns]
Craft: 10 [3 Healed]

Mob: 9 - 1 = 8 [9 - 5 = 4 Damage] [Thorns Effect, 0 Damage]

 

Daeron: 75/80 HP

 

Iron Guardian: 56/125 HP