[SP-F3] <<Worn Out Welcome>> [COMPLETED]

[tr1ck 0]

ID: 20014

BD: 6 (Hit)

MD: 7 (Hit)

 

But it seemed this clash would be more brutal than the last. Within seconds of their meeting, despite the uneventful beginning, a gap in Nat's defense left him open and the beast swung it's sharp horns down. They were inches from Nat's face, held back only by his struggling grip. He managed to shift the weight sideways and direct the blow away from his face - a flick of his wrist jabbed his dagger into the deer's shoulder for good measure. Crying out in pain, the animal jerked its horns towards Nat, who tried to sidestep the blow... but was caught on the ribs.

 

HP:

Nat: 5/11 (-1)

Dire Deer: 2/7 (-2)

[tr1ck 0]

ID: 20015

BD: 2 (Miss)

MD: 6 (Hit)

 

The deer followed its attack with another one immediately, not giving Nat a chance to react. Another swing of its head brought the tangle of its vicious horns digging into his other side - with lightning-quick reflexes it jumped away after that, predicting the jab which Nat planned to deliver. Panting, he too jumped back, the tight grip on his dagger leaving his knuckles white and his hand shaking. A sweat was breaking out over his forehead - another hard hit, or a couple weaker ones... and he was dead. 

 

HP:

Nat: 4/11 (-1)

Dire Deer: 2/7

[tr1ck 0]

ID: 20016

BD: 6 (Hit)

MD: 7 (Hit)

 

Sensing his nerves, his opponent initiated the next attack. It slammed with the bulk of its heavy body straight into Nat, hitting hard enough as to actually carry him along for a bit before he sailed to the ground once again. Nat could see that it planned to slam its horns down and finish him once and for all - he waited until the last possible moment before he rolled away with a pained cry, his dagger arm flailing out wildly and somehow, somehow managing to slash across the deer's flank. And... that was it. It was over. The beast exploded and vanished, and Nat... didn't have the strength to get up. He'd come so close to death. Tears stung his eyes as he curled in on himself the cold ground.

 

HP:

Nat: 3/11 (-1)

Dire Deer: 0/7 (-2)

 

(in which i realise i'm an absolute clown and have been dealing 1 base damage this whole time when it's actually 2 ffs)

[tr1ck 0]

ID: 20017

LD: 3

>> +1 Deer Leather

 

He didn't feel any shame for crying. After all, he was alone, right? Just him. Just him and no one else and no one there to see him die if he was dealt just a slightly worse hand in his next fight. The cheerful 'Congratulations!' message seemed completely inappropriate - he wasn't a hero, he didn't deserve praise! A first level mob almost managed to kill him. 

 

He didn't have the strength to close the message, but knew he couldn't fall asleep on the ground. If he pulled such a stupid stunt he knew he didn't deserve to survive any longer in SAO. 

 

Somehow, Nat managed to drag himself into a safe zone, where he promptly fell asleep.

[tr1ck 0]

When Nat next awoke, the sun was already high in the sky over the Town of Beginnings, and the dingy back-alley he'd fallen asleep in. He felt immeasurably better after a long, deep night's sleep, and infinitely more cheerful. After all, he hadn't died! He had bread and water and his life! And, after that last deer, a few more health points which he would probably immediately lose upon facing the next deer he found. Because despite all his dramatics the night before, he still intended to kill two more of them. He'd finish the quest, get his coat (which was definitely not free if he almost lost his life twice trying to get it), and he'd make sure that he never saw or had anything to do with a deer ever again. 

 

After a drink of water, and all the stretches he had to do to align his back properly again (apparently sleeping on a sidewalk isn't fantastic for the vertebrae), Nat was ready to go. Munching on a bread roll with a bright smile on his face, he stepped out of the Town of Beginnings once again.

[tr1ck 0]

It wasn't long before he spied one, peacefully chewing some grass about a hundred metres away from him. Remembering the regret he felt before he faced the first one of those awful, awful creatures, he smiled humourlessly to himself. Never again would he feel regret for killing anything even vaguely deer-like, he was sure of it. He didn't even care how cute it was.

 

ID: 20022

BD: 8 (Hit)

MD: 3 (Miss)

 

With no small amount of glee, Nat charged towards the unsuspecting creature, launching himself towards it. Landing on its back, he sunk his dagger into its back and twisted it harshly. A spray of red pixels burst from the wound. Crying out in surprise, the animal reared up and sent Nat flying - but he was prepared, and managed to land on his feet, even if the landing was a bit unsteady. "I'm just about done with you a******* wrecking my s***!" He shouted as the shocked deer began to circle around. It had realized what was happening, and prepared to charge.

 

HP:

Nat: 13/13

Dire Deer: 5/7 (-2)

[tr1ck 0]

ID: 20026

BD: 1 (Crit. Fail)

MD: 10 (Crit. Success)

 

When it had fully realized what had happened, the deer was not happy. At all. It seemed Nat had managed to enrage it more than any of its cervidae brethren thus far. It galloped towards Nat and crossed the distance before he even had a chance to react - before he fully realized what was happening, it slammed its massive horns straight into his chest, knocking him to the ground. But it wasn't done. Following him relentlessly, it brought those horns down once again for even more damage - only when it reared up to prepare an even harder-hitting attack, a disoriented Nat had the chance to escape. What a lesson in humility. He thought to himself, swearing to never swear at a deer again in his life.

 

All these deer-related promises would become hard to keep track of soon.

 

HP:

Nat: 10/13 (-3)

Dire Deer: 5/7

[tr1ck 0]

ID: 20028

BD: 9 (Crit. Success)

MD: 2 (Miss)

 

So, he managed to roll away and duck when the enraged animal pursued him. But things were looking much, much better than they had the day prior - so much so that Nat didn't particularly mind boasting, or taunting the deer further. After all, he wasn't even in the yellow zone yet! "What the hell are you waiting for, huh? Is this all you've got?" While he wasn't sure whether the deer could understand what was being said, he could see that the tone of his voice was doing everything he wanted it to do. Puffs of smoke erupted from the deer's flared nostrils with every breath, foam was collecting around its mouth. When it tried to gore him with all its might behind the blow, Nat effortlessly spun to the side - grinning as he used the momentum of his action to slice the deer's flank.

 

HP:

Nat: 10/13

Dire Deer: 2/7 (-3)

[tr1ck 0]

ID: 20030

BD: 2 (Miss)

MD: 8 (Hit)

 

After his attack Nat decided to back off before charging at his enemy again - but apparently it read his mind. Turning on a dime, the deer swung its head, horns connecting with Nat's chest just as he tried to jump backwards and sending the shocked man to the floor. He swore under his breath as he jumped to his feet, narrowly dodging away from another charge. 

 

HP:

Nat: 9/13 (-1)

Dire Deer: 2/7  

[tr1ck 0]

ID: 20392

BD: 2 (Miss)

MD: 4 (Miss)

 

And with that, they were dancing around each other - the animal was full of reckless fury while Nat was beginning to act more cautiously, and their speed and inaccuracy amounted to a whole lot of nothing. Clouds of dust were raised up around them by stomping hooves and quick feet, as the deer twisted and turned its massive body, as Nat ducked and dodged and his dagger moved in flashes but never connected.

 

HP:

Nat: 9/13

Dire Deer: 2/7

[tr1ck 0]

ID: 20394

BD: 6 (Hit)

MD: 1 (Crit. Fail)

LD: 15

>> +1 Deer Leather, +1 Healing Crystal

 

Whether it was exhaustion, poor luck, or the game taking pity on him, the deer made a mistake first. It's lightning-quick movements became sluggish for a brief moment - time enough for Nat to throw one arm around its neck and pull it down as he stabbed his dagger up through its heart. Closing his eyes against the bright spray of pixels which signaled the mob's death, he took a few steps back and accepted his loot with a smile. He was three quarters of the way there - three quarters of the way towards completing his first quest!

 

On that cheerful note, he continued his journey with a bounce in his step.

 

HP:

Nat: 9/13

Dire Deer: 0/7 (-2)

[tr1ck 0]

With only one more leather to collect, a few more levels under his belt, a safety catch in the form of a healing crystal and his HP slowly making its way back up to full, Nat was feeling fairly confident. Not overly so, after all - he'd almost died twice attempting to complete a low level quest. It really made room for some heavy introspection and consideration of his ability as a 'warrior'. Not that he felt the title suited him, he'd always been more prone to playing rogues in RPG games and tank-iness was never really his thing. More backstabbing and obfuscation and sneaking around throwing rocks to distract NPCs with poor AI. 

 

With that said, however, he was almost done. So there was no reason to mope.

[tr1ck 0]

ID: 20399

BD: 2 (Miss)

MD: 3 (Miss)

 

It was easy to get distracted when in high spirits (although not the alcoholic kind which, after all that adventuring business, he would have vastly preferred) and when the weather was so nice. While Nat was staring off into the distance counting the boars and wolves which dotted the fields, he didn't notice the approaching mob until its shadow fell over him and blocked his sunlight.

 

"Hey, do you mi-... Oh." His voice trailed off into a whisper, eyes widening at the mob towering over him.

 

If the deer he faced before were impressive, this one was something else entirely. Its nametag read <<Dire Stag>> - it was bigger, bulkier and altogether meaner-looking than its smaller counterparts. Sharp, jagged spines protruded from its back and long, vicious fangs stretched from its mouth. Its antlers were the biggest yet, each tip of each offshoot sharpened to a fine point. Its thick, black coat was matted and stained with blood. Clearly the leader of the herd, and clearly seeking revenge.

 

It didn't waste a moment before it reared back and charged forward, horns-first, but Nat was used to the maneuver and sidestepped away. He hastily prepared his dagger while his enemy circled around.

 

HP:

Nat: 13/13

Dire Stag: 9/9 

[tr1ck 0]

ID: 20400

BD: 7 (Hit)

MD: 9 (Crit. Success)

 

Though similar to the attack patterns of the normal deer, the stag was more sophisticated, more intelligent, and much faster - it would take Nat a moment to adjust and he hoped he'd manage to adjust before it adjusted his health bar to its liking. When it moved, it weaved and stopped and started and it made Nat's head spin trying to keep track of it. He was sure that a creature that size shouldn't be so quick, a conviction that was cemented in his mind when the beast caught him off guard and landed a savage hit straight to his midsection. By chance, his flailing arms managed to strike the animal but it barely even noticed, and continued its advance.

 

HP:

Nat: 10/13 (-3)

Dire Stag: 7/9 (-2)

[tr1ck 0]

ID: 20401

BD: 6 (Hit)

MD: 5 (Miss)

 

It caught up to him while he was still on the ground - Nat could feel its thundering hooves vibrating through the ground as he lay on it. Wide eyed with fear, he barely managed to roll out of the way and once again, it was luck which brought a slash of his dagger across one of the stag's hind legs. Without even noticing the red line signifying damage he scrambled to his feet and spun around to face his enemy just in time for it to come charging again.

 

HP:

Nat: 10/13

Dire Stag: 5/9 (-2)

[tr1ck 0]

ID: 20403

BD: 6 (Hit)

MD: 10 (Crit. Success)

 

It happened in an instant - one moment he was waiting for the right moment to dodge, the next he was pierced through with those awful horns and lifted straight up off his feet. He felt frozen for an instant, screaming as he stared down at the horns disappearing into his body, his HP bar slowly trickling down. Then, he lifted his dagger with a weak, shaking hand and proceeded to stab it down into one of the beast's eyes. It was so enraged it barely even noticed, but roared and threw him to the ground either way.

 

HP:

Nat: 6/13 (-4)

Dire Stag: 3/9 (-2)

[tr1ck 0]

ID: 20405

BD: 9 (Crit. Success)

MD: 3 (Miss)

LD: 10

>> +1 Deer Leather

 

Losing an eye affected the beast more than he'd hoped - it continued baying in anguish even as he struggled to get back on his feet, desperately hoofing at the ground as if it would bring its eye back. Completely and utterly distracted, it didn't see Nat approach until he was too close, though it tried to buck away all the same. Without giving it the chance to, Nat grabbed it by one of its horns and yanked in the same instant as he stabbed his dagger through the beast's other eye. It continued to cry out as it burst into pixels, and Nat wished he'd felt even a little bit bad.

 

With a deep exhale, he pressed 'accept' as the loot notification popped up. It was done.

 

HP:

Nat: 6/13

Dire Stag: 0/9 (-3)

[tr1ck 0]

Nat tentatively felt his stomach as he begun his walk back to town. He wasn't bleeding profusely and his innards weren't out, so... all was good? That didn't stop him from shaking with adrenaline and fear - he didn't even know that something like that was possible, never mind imagining it happening to him. Earlier he thought he'd be excited to try out his new coat, but... after the last fight he decided to take a break from adventuring for a little bit. He'd gotten his taste of it. 

 

It wasn't long before he returned to floor 3 and handed in the leathers - he was fairly certain Hanna said something nice and that grumpy husband of hers grumbled something about adventurers being much tougher in his day.. but he was too shell-shocked to listen. Managing to thank her politely with a tired smile, he claimed his reward and completed the quest.

 

Rewards

2 SP

(1 completed thread + 1 completed quest)

Buckskin Jacket

(Light armor, +1 Evasion)

400 COL

(1 Page completed)

 

(and so ends this absolute train wreck of a first quest... please tell me i can forget all about it now)