[SP-F1] Earning A Living - Knights Smith

[Shard 0]

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The night is dark and full of terrors. Or so some say. Tonight however, as the moon shone over the dark streets of a certain first floor town, that saying would seem to hold true. For the most part, the brick streets seemed empty, its tightly packed, multi-story wooden shacks giving off only the faintest illumination. The player population seemed to be strangely void, barring two young men, no older than 15, make their way along the cold roads of the night. Cautiously moving forward, the pair turns off one of the main streets, onto one of many alleys that criss-cross the large township.

“Are you sure about this, man? I hear this NPC is pretty hardcore when it comes to training, not to mention it only accepts the quest at night…†the voice of a young man nervously echo’s through the dark alley, as he and a companion cautiously make there way along. His face is pale, as his head swiftly jerks around, trying to focus in on whatever was making those freaky scratching noises...

“If you want, you can still head back on your own,†the second player speaks silently, almost in a scoff, but his own demeanour seems to only just barely hold together as low rumbling noise causes him to tightly grip his small sword, walking forward just a tiny bit faster. His friend whimpers audibly, as he jogs forward, trying to keep up, taking looks behind him only to see a creeping inky blackness.

Suddenly, a low thud reverberated from behind them, causing both players to freeze in their tracks. In sync, they slowly turn towards the sound of the thud, which was now repeating itself, getting louder and louder, closer and closer. A deep growl like noise suddenly pierces the air, as an ominous shadow like figure turns a corner, moving towards them. IT was massive, easily twice their size combined. Looking at each other with looks of pure terror, the pair take off down the street, running as fast as their legs would take them. The rational mind would remember that the town was a safe-zone, but to these boys, whatever that was probably wouldn't care.

“I told you we should have just taken the quest at the starting city!†the voice of one of the boys cracks, as he stumbles over some auto-generated trash on the ground. His partner grabs his arm and continues pulling him along, eyes struggling to discern where the next turn towards the smith shop is. Without night vision, the alley ways are almost too dark to tread in, the only light to guide them coming from a cloud covered moon. For a short while, it seemed as though no matter the direction they took, it only served to take them in the opposite direction of their destination. Almost as if they were going in circles. After more than five minutes of running, almost totally wiping them both out, they seem to get back onto the right track,

“It’s just -huff- around the corner!†a flash of hope and excitement flows through one of the boy’s tired voices, as he drags his companion around another corner, fueled by fear and adrenaline. The two stop momentarily as they come into sight of a large wooden shack with lights in the window, and smoke flowing out the chimney. With a whoop and a high five, they take off towards the door, the final stretch to their perceived safety. Funnily enough, they had not heard the low thuds for quite some time now…

“We made it-†began one of the boys, his face red from exhaustion, bearing a wide grin as he reached for the door. Unfortunately for them, the wooden frame began to creek open before they could even touch it. The two watch in muted horror as a massive, shadowy, humanoid silhouette stands before them, almost completely filling the frame of the door which was supposed to be their salvation. The illumination coursing from within the building only serves to make the figure seem even darker, as if devouring the light around it. For a moment the two openly stare, eyes wide in terror, faces pale, and mouths gaping. The only noise to be heard was a low thundering from behind the figure, and the sharp wheezing of the boys.

The moment the dark figure took a step forward, all hell broke lose. “Ruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun!†screeched one of the boys, as the pair stumbled over each other, trying to move back into the relative safety of the dark alleys. At least whatever was in the alley’s couldn't open doors, right? As the two boys run panting and crying into the night, the figure simply stands in the entrance to the building, hand on the door knob, mid-closing.

“What’s got them?†the dark figure's masculine voice rumbles, as he stares off into the darkness which the players ran. With a small shrug, the figure turns into the light of the building, squinting his dark eyes as they adjusted to the light. His brows scrunch as a harsh voice suddenly calls out to him from within. “Shard, if you ever want me to train’ya, you better not be coming back in here without gettin’ me some damned iron! now go on, get!â€

With a deep sigh, Shard shakes his head, closing the door behind him until he hears a subtle click. When the aspiring smith had found out about this NPC smith from an info-broker, he thought it sounded pretty good. An NPC smith that specializes in Heavy Armour, and apparently a damn good one at that. Too bad the broker failed to mention that the NPC was a cranky--- Shard groans in annoyance, running a gloved hand through his short cropped hair and over his tired eyes. He thought it was odd when the broker started giggling as she told him about how "good" the smith was. For a moment he lent against the wooden door of the shop, unmoving, before moving his lengthy arms of knotted muscle out and up above his head in a deep stretch.

Shifting his weight forward, Shard moves off the door, and fully onto his feet. Yawning deeply, Shard drops his left arm to his side, while he uses the right to activate his menu. He quickly equips his two-hander, which appears on his back, wrapped in cloth, before he navigates to the quests section.

<> Is now available

Do you accept?

(Yes) (No)

Quickly selecting yes, Shard's sharp eyes note the quest marker and perimeters appearing on his HUD and in his menu. Setting a waypoint to the nearest town exit, Shard takes a moment to look around, as if choosing the optimal path through the darkness. Eyes narrowing, Shard takes an explosive stride forward into the darkness of the streets, blending into the inky black, save the occasional glint of his breast-plate and sword hilt...

His journey had begun.

[Shard 0]

<>

Why a blacksmith? That’s kinda of a hard question, and it was the one Shard was pondering as he nodded to the waving info-broker, watching her fade into the steady evening streams of players that traversed the starting city. Really, it could have been as simple as it being the first profession in the player manual that caught his eye. Or perhaps there was something about the thought of making things to help other survive that appealed to him? Getting up off a small bench near the central plaza, Shard makes his way through the busy streets, easily wading through the crowds, seeing as he was easily a full head taller than most, if not even more. Whatever his reasons were, he was now committed. As he looked at the tiny waypoint on his HUD, directing him to a town on the other side of the floor, Shard frowned slightly. He had been out of the starting city often enough, but he had yet to travel that far out.

As he reached the exit of the starting city, leading into the vast boar filled fields- god he hated boars- Shard once more reviewed the little info he had gotten from the Broker. He knew that the quest was only given at night, and that the training was specifically for Heavy Armour smithing. There was also something about the smith having an interesting personality, but as far as Shard cared, that didn't mean very much. These things get exaggerated is all. Crossing his thick arms, Shard rubs his chin, his brows furrowed. The town he needed to get to was pretty far away, and he didn't have the funds for a teleport-crystal yet. He would need to walk, and somehow make it there through the cover of night...

[Shard 0]

“Why -Huff- me -Huff- why -Huff- me!â€

There are rare moments in time and history where anything can happen. Some call these miracles, others anomalies. At this very moment, as Shard runs for his very life down the moonlit path before him, to say one of those moments was happening would not be far from the truth. Continuing his full sprint down the path, Shard took a moment to look behind himself, only to see a pack of over ten boars charging after him, tusks in the air, bellowing their large snouts like pigs out of hell. His normally placid face scowls in disgust as he looks forward once more, trying to make sure he didn't end up bailing or running down the wrong way. Death by exposure or death by angry boars? Neither seemed a very good death to him.

As he continued his sprint, taking a leap over a number of boulders, Shard continued to glare at his waypoint, as if trying to move his destination closer with sheer force of mental will. His legs felt numb, and his lungs burned. Hearing the snorts and squeals getting louder behind him, Shard knew he didn't have much left in him. even if he was able to fully recuperate, there was no way he could take on this many boars on his own. Not all at once like this anyhow. For a moment, as Shard looks out over the glorious moonlight fields, hues of gold, blue, and silver colouring the landscape- well it almost looked pretty enough to be real. The strangest thoughts come to him, when he's running for his life...

[Shard 0]

It was just then that a large jumble of lights came into view, as Shard crested a small hill overlooking a forested valley. His eyes go wide for a moment, as if surprised his destination was finally in reach. Once the moment ends, his dark face goes hard, as he pushes himself as hard as he could do. His powerful legs pumped him forward, feet hitting the ground with enough force to send dust flying. Perhaps his <> skill had levelled up during his sprint, because Shard just felt so… powerful. The thundering sounds of squeals and tiny hooves started to grow faint, as Shard pushed forward, the large town now in view. Though there were no walls, a number of wooden watch towers guarded the town, which, by all accounts could be a small city in its own.

Shard did not even begin to slow until he has passed the first guard towers, the main entrance in sight. Wood. The first thing Shard noted about this town was the massive amounts of wood used. The on the outskirts, the houses seeming to be more like small shacks as he quickly passed them, in some cases they were even stacked on top of each other like tiny high raises back in Japan. As he finally entered the main entrance his HUD flashed, informing him that he was now within the city proper.

Activating his menu, Shard noted the time. He only had fifteen minutes to reach the smith, else he would have to wait until tomorrow. That would be bad, seeing as he barely had enough col to buy a bun, let alone a room at an inn. Taking a moment to catch his breath, Shard nearly doubles over, placing his hands on his knee’s while he took deep breaths. While hunched over, he move his head from side to side, trying to find the best way to the smith, but instead what he notices is a strange lack of any players. The town seems like a ghost town, the pale moonlight and lack of lighting within the streets making his presence there all the more jarring.

Shaking his head, face now back to a collected determination, eyes hard, and mouth thin, the massive player takes off down one of many alley ways. He could have sworn he heard voices...

[Shard 0]

As Shard made his way down another dimly lit alley, moving at a reasonable pace, he enjoyed the cool air of the night. There was a misty quality to the place, a moisture in the air that felt refreshing as he moved. In just his brestplate and long sleeve shirt, he felt warm enough. The weather cycle in SAO had yet to turn unpleasant, so he had yet to bother with coats or cloaks. Shard takes in a deep inhail of the crisp night air, his head shaking slightly as he ponders just why exactly so many players he's seen wear cloaks. Did they think it made them look cool or something?

It was just then, with a distant mumbling noise, that Shard's earlier thoughts proved true. He wasn't alone on these streets after all. Quickly moving forward as quietly as he could, he stopped at a dark corner, peering around the side. He was surprised to see two young boys making thier way through the dark passage. They seemed... spooked was the word Shard would use. One of the two looked positivly terrified of the place, quaking with ever step he took, his head whipping around. The other was only slightly better, walking forward briskly, slowing occasionally to allow his friend to catch up, but his own guarded posture betrayed his fear. As Shard takes another burst forward, placing himself against another wall, his ears pick up one of the boy's words.

“...you can still head back on your own,†For a moment, Shard considers why exactly he's hiding. This is a town, so technically, there is no danger- a safezone. For a moment, Shard's face goes contemplative, before he looks back towards the slow moving boys. They were no threat to him, nor was he to them- or well, hopefully, they would realize that too. With a shrug, Shard steps away from the wall, turning the corner towards them.

The moment Shard's foot fell, making a soft stepping noise, the heads of the two boys stop to slowly turn in his direction. Shard's eyes go wide realizing his mistake- "Uhhh-" as Shard opens his mouth, raising his hand, they suddenly bolt off into the darkness. For a moment, Shard stands in place, hand still raised in mid wave. As he starts walking forward to catch up with them, Shard wonders if there would even be any point to it, seeing as they would probably think him a monster anyway.

"Screw it," Shard's voice is a deep grumble, eyelids low in annoyance as he stops in place, bringing up his HUD to check the time. Ten minutes left, before the quest would appear. Looking over his HUD, down the ally the boys ran off, Shard lets loose a deep sigh. They were going the opposite direction he was now. Dropping his HUD, he turns down a fork in the alley, leading him ever closer to the smiths.

[Shard 0]

As Shard reached his destination, he couldn't help feel a slight sense of disappointment. After his journey to get here, to train under this apparently "amazing smith" NPC, he expected something a bit more... not a slightly larger then average wooden shack? It was probably impossible to be any less amused then Shard was right then, his face dark, eyebrow twitching. It was as if some distant power was mocking him for all his effort. Hell, the shack didn't even have a sign, just his waypoint marker hanging over it to tell him it was a smiths at all. The only upsides Shard could see were that the shack seemed to be lit inside, and it had a chimney bellowing smoke. The sound of a hammer clanging could be heard from outside, as well. With a grunt, Shard makes for the small wooden door, glad only for the fact he made it with time to spare.

Taking a few short steps forward, Shard raises his gloved hand to the door. For a moment he hesitates, face once more placid in contemplation. Is this really something he could do? Could he help people doing this? His obsidian eyes move to his hand, palm facing him. He remember thinking once when he bought the gloves, just how real they felt. Snug, smooth, and even had the slight smell of fresh leather. Even if this word was fake, the people in it were real enough, along with how he felt. Looking back up to the door, Shard gives it a solid rapping. This was right, he could feel it in his heart.

"Eh? Whaddaya want!?" A hoarse voice squwaks out as the door opens, and suddenly Shard could feel his heart turn around, pointing in the direction of the nearest Dancer Trainer NPC.

[Shard 0]

"Ah said, whaddaya want! This ain't a lounge for you ta'h be hangin about!" for some reason, once Shard took his first tentative steps into the smith's shop, the voice that called out only seemed to get more- hostile? annoying? As he stepped forward ducking through a number of hanging tool's, Shard's eyes narrow, seeing the smith for the first time. An elderly woman, who would probably be in her late 60's if she was actually human. Her body is small and compact, but the arm that tightly holds a forging hammer looks strong enough to bend iron. As the NPC looks up as Shard, he gets a good look a the scowling features of the smith- her face black with soot, and tight as if the skin was too small for her face. With a rather unladylike grunt, she drops her hammer into a bucket near the still burning forge, wiping her dirty hands on her brown apron.

"What's wrong, kid? Cat got yer' tongue?" Shard has a small start, realizing he had been staring, now moving his dark eyes around the room. Armour of all shapes and sizes adorned the shop, some looked amazing, others looked more like Halloween costumes. To Shard at least. His nose wrinkled for a moment, as he finally noticed the deep metallic quality to the air, stuffy and iron-like. Hearing fingers tap on wood, Shard slowly walks up to the counter, where the smith waited, apparently impatiently. The counter, like the rest of the shop, was cluttered with tools and mats. The smith herself sat on some sort of high raised stool, bringing her near chest high with Shard.

"I'm here for training," Shard's voice is somewhat distracted, as he continues to gaze at the various items in the shop. Seemingly less annoyed by this answer, the smith merely nods, bringing a large pipe to her mouth. She doesn't light it, but keeps it there for some unknown reason. Seeing the pipe, Shard moved his eyes back to the smith. Slowly, she leaned forward in her seat, giving him a toothy, and mildly disturbing grin. Shard's eyes go wide, taking a step back in response, almost bailing over a random bucket.

"So you wanna be a smith, eh? And ah armour smith at that. Fair enough, but you should know, this wont exactly be standard fair." Meeting a smith that only trains at midnight and has the personality of a sailor who just lost a leg? Nope, perfectly standard fair to Shard. Seemingly content to ignore Shard, who's face was dreary as if attending a bad boy-band concert, the smith continued on. Eye's narrowed, mouth locked in a deep frown, Shard leans against the counter. "Ah don't charge Col, but ah do expect you to go out there, get some mats, come back here, n'show me what you brought, and I'll give you the starter tools." Once more, Shard feel's uncomfortable as the smith gives him another wide grin, but this time is vanishes as soon as it arrives, replaced by her seemingly standard irked face.

[Shard 0]

"What's yer name, boy?" Shard was about to respond verbally, but before he could, a prompt to spell it out pops up in-front of him. With a small grunt of surprise, Shard types his name into the airborne HUD before him, pressing enter once finished. Suddenly, the NPC nodded, looking at Shard with a sideways expression, nibbling the end of her pipe.

"You ready fer this, Shard?" For a moment, he considers the words of the NPC, but kept his dispassionate dark eyes on her. Was he ready? No, of course he was, else he never would have come this far. "Yes," Shard's word was as simple as the small nod her gave her, uttered without doubt.

With that a small tone draws Shard's attention to his HUD. Getting up from leaning on the counter, Shard checks his menu, navigating to the quests section. <> flashed once, twice, then remained in his uninitiated quests, marked as "Skill Training". The corner of his mouth inched upward as he saw the quest, for the first time in a long time, excited to do something in this world. The smith herself had already gone back to her forge, banging on a new piece of metal.

"When yer done, just come on back. I have all the equipment here, so any time's fine." Shard nods to the smith, but he doubt's she even noticed over her hammering away at what was not a metal plate. For a moment, Shard considers just what type of armour he would make. What would it look like? Would it last him very long? Still considering his future armour, Shard makes his way to the door, lacing his hand on the nob. Slowly he opens the door, leading into the night air once more. What he saw when the door opened the door surprised him. The wooden body of the door slowly edging forward, Shard was greeted by the same two boys that ran away before, only a dozen of so feet away.

Shard's shadow seemed to perfectly fall over both of them, the light from behind him creating an eclipse effect. For a moment, shard isn't sure what to think. His eyebrow is raised slightly, mouth quirked downwards, he begins to reach out to them, taking a step forward.

"Ah-"

The moment Shard made a sound, breaking the silent stillness, all hell broke lose. The two boys scream in sync, before taking off into the inky darkness that seemed to surround the shop. Watching them go, Shard's face is a deadpan. Yep, this was going well already...

[Shard 0]

<>

For the past hour, Shard had been sitting and waiting. Where? A small hill, overlooking a rocky grotto. Why? He had no idea. Once more Shard looks at his quest menu, scrutinizing his objectives with tired eyes. The instructions simply said to wait in this area for his targets to appear. Looking up over a small bush for the hundredth time, all he saw was the empty clearing before the grotto, still empty. What a surprise. Shard's dark eyes move skyward, seeing It was nearing dawn already, the light of the sun creeping over horizon, painting the skies a dark violet, tinged with red. A sharp yawn escapes his lips, quickly muffled by a fist. If he had known he was going to be gone this long without rest, he would have stayed the night in the town first.

Suddenly, a sound catches him off guard, a mixture between a croak and rapid clicks. Scanning the clearing, he see's them. A trio of stumpy looking... things, creeping around the grotto entrance. They moved about like a chicken crossed with an ape, waddling, with a certain twitch like quality. Little mouths of jagged teeth clattered on, their tiny crimson eyes moving between themselves and a small fire they began to make. Luckily, Shard's HUD quickly identified the creatures as <>.

A small grunt of annoyance escapes Shard's throat, he knows the odds are in his favour. Looking at the grotesque creatures, he could tell they were lower level- or well, at least that's what his player handbook said. Quietly, he reaches a gloved hand into his pocket, pulling out the surprisingly small booklet. For something that fit in his pocket, the book held an incredible wealth of knowledge- knowledge being something Shard held above all else as indispensable.

Flipping through a few pages, he found the article about <>, apparently only found in the very early floors, and never above level two in level. Most had some form of crude melee weapon, like a club or spear, and though they were technically more advanced fighters then a boar, they were still pretty unimpressive. An interesting note was that occasionally, groups of Goblins would be lead by a tougher <>. These slightly larger Goblins identified by less clothing equipped with one of any number of more advanced weapons. They could be quite dangerous at low levels...

[Shard 0]

Closing his handbook, Shard pokes his head back over the bush. He doesn't see any sign of a Skirmisher, but obviously it could be hiding somewhere in the grotto. The only change he can see is one of the Goblins slowly waddling it's way back into the grotto, the other two fighting over a small scrap of meat. Shard tilts his head slightly, watching the creatures roll around the muddy ground, fighting over the bloody morsel. He never noticed how lifelike the monster AI could be, though until now, his only foes had been boars, boars, and more boars. God he hated boars.

Distaste for boars evident as the slightest scowl crosses his face at the mere thought of the blue-haired suids, Shard puts the handbook back in his pocket, before activating his menu. He had a single heath crystal, which would heal a percentage of his health on command, shattering after one use. Buying the little crystal once more used up a good chunk of Col, but this time, Shard figured it worth it. Taking a moment to make sure his armour and sword were still in good condition, Shard stands,, looking down towards the two Goblins.

At first the two beasts didn't seem to notice the human encroaching on their home, a bit busy fighting over long forgotten meat. Suddenly, a low growl escapes Shard's mouth, his eyes going hard as he stared down the two creatures, which only just now realized they were not alone. Shard stops in place, at the foot of the hill, staring down the Goblins. He could feel the wet mud of the heavily used ground squish under his boots. Abruptly, the sound of ripping cloth pieces the air, followed by a deep whistle as Shard draws his sword, cutting it through the air, pointing it towards the alarmed and infuriated Goblins. The two fell beasts both beat small, grubby hands on their rusting iron scrap armour, howling with a screech-like quality that reminded Shard of crunching glass and airhorns.

Pulling small metal clubs, the goblins charge Shard, waddling towards him with surprising speed for ones with such stubby legs. Sword still pointed at the little beasts, Shard takes on a wide stance, pulling his sword closer to his body. The dull sheen of the blade seems to flicker in Shard's vision for a moment, as he mentally prepares a sword skill. Seeing the pair running towards him so closely, he knew instantly which skill to use to use.

"Whubcha- Crrrrichhh-ah!" the two Goblins scream, as they charge the much larger human- easily three times their size. There was no logic there, just a fury of pre-programmed instinct flaring in their puny red eyes.

As they near him, Shard's eyes narrow, muscles suddenly flaring across his body. The sword held forward, it began to glow a deep blue colour, blurring as he began to move it lower to the ground, compensating for their goblins small stature. In a moment, they would be upon him, the thought of which made Shard eye's go cool with anticipation. At the last moment, Shard takes a step forward, but instead of stopping he twists his body, bringing the blade around in a spinning motion, which lights the air around him cobalt blue...

---

OOC: Will Edit After Dice Rolling - Rolled 9

1-2 Miss, Falling into the Mud

3-5 Miss The Attack

6-8 Hit Both Goblins (Deal 1 Damage)

9-10 Hit Both Goblins, dealing Critical Damage (Deal 2 Damage, chance of decapitation)

---

The cobalt blue blur that was Shard's blade carved through the air in a circular motion, impacting the first Goblin with enough force to decapitate it, sending it's head off into the distance. The second was only slightly more lucky, receiving a deep gash across it's torso. As the first dissolved into shimmering dust, the second let out a low bark, jumping back baring it's small fangs at Shard. Shard, now facing the lone Goblin, once more brought his sword to his side, gripping the hilt firmly in both hands.

Combat situation:

Shard: 9/9 HP

Lesser Goblin 1: 0/3 HP (decapitated)

Lesser Goblin 2: 1/3 HP

[Shard 0]

<>

[Shard 0]

"Rooocka-cha!"

Shard grunts softly, a hint of amusement seeping through as the lone Goblin charges him once more, screaming bloody murder for it's fallen friend. Holding it's club over it's mildly disturbing face, the Goblin lashes out as Shard, but instead of the sickening crunch it was programmed to seek, it's club was met by the sound of reverberating metal. Shard allowed himself a small grin as he holds the Goblin's club in place with his sword, before finally pushing back, sending the small creature rolling.

Not giving the creature a chance to recover, Shard sprints forward, blade glowing orange as he mentally prepared his linear sword skill. In a single swift motion, he stabs his sword out, propelled forward by the sword skill. For a moment, time seemed to slow, the diamond point of Shard's sword creeping forward in an orange haze of light. The Goblin's face betrayed no fear, only continued animistic rage as it slowly stood up, facing the blade head on. The sword would pierce the Goblin just above it's sternum, Shard could already tell based on his trajectory.

Suddenly, a sick tearing noise cuts through the air. Eye's wide, Shard looks to his side to see a sick looking longblade cutting into his hip- his HP bar slowly drains a small fraction. Cutting his sword skill short, Shard rolls to his side to avoid further damage. Now panting heavily from the "pain" of the hit, Shard turns to see a much larger Goblin, attired in animal skills and a single iron cod piece, as well as the Lesser Goblin that entered the grotto, now standing over Shard's target. It stood more then twice the high of the two smaller goblins flanking it- still not as tall as most humans. In it's hand, the Goblin grips a one handed sword; green and rusty, with a blade the seemed to curve out at cruel angles. The creature seemed to grin, it's jagged rows of teeth barred as it's maw dripped copious amounts of saliva.

Shard's eyes narrow; His HUD identified the new arrival as a <>. For a very brief moment, he isn't sure if he should be exhilarated, or worried. Without waiting, the goblins charge Shard once more, crying out in their funny tongue. The Skirmisher charges down the middle, holding it's sword above it's head as it growled like a feral animal. Eye's locked on the large threat, Shard charges forward himself, activating a sword skill. Blade now glowing a deep crimson, Shard holds the two-hander to his side, waiting for the perfect moment to unleash his might...

---

OOC: Will Edit After Dice Rolling - Rolled 4

1-2 Miss, Getting hit by Skirmisher (Shard Takes 1 Damage)

3-5 Miss The Attack

6-8 Hit's Skirmisher (Deal 1 Damage)

9-10 Hit's Skirmisher, dealing Critical Damage (Deal 2 Damage, Severing Arm)

---

In a single smooth motion, Shard brings his blade down as if a hammer onto an anvil. Or at least, he would have, if not for the Skirmisher parrying his sword skill. Eye's wide in disbelief, Shard once more ducks away from the Goblin's, the Skirmisher belting out a guttural laugh. Shard's mouth quirks downward; he never realized that the AI could mock you. His two-hander's orange glow now fading, Shard began sprinting diagonally, away from the Goblin's, hoping to find a better angle of attack.

Combat situation:

Shard: 8/9 HP

Lesser Goblin 1: 0/3 HP (Still Dead)

Lesser Goblin 2: 1/3 HP

Lesser Goblin 3: 3/3 HP

Lesser Goblin Skirmisher: 7/7 HP

[Shard 0]

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[Shard 0]

Finding a new angle for his attack, Shard once more charges forward, the trio of goblins apparently content to let him come to them. For a moment, Shard scrutinizes their apparent tactic, trying to see a pattern. So far they had stuck to blindly charging, so why the change now?

Though Shard still had a chance to abort his attack, he knew he had to find out what was going on, if anything. It's possible that they didn't have anything planned, and this was just another way they react. It's also possible that they could surprise him, and he would die here, alone and by the grubby hands of these freaks.

If these guy's could change tactics, why not him? Sword glowing deep crimson once more, Shard changes his target. While it was always tempting to go after the strongest targets first, sometimes you need to take out the supports to bring down the bigger ones.

"Suck on this." A deep growl escapes Shard as he explodes forward, taking aim at the already wounded Goblin to the Skirmisher's side. In a blur of bloody light, Shard brings his blade to his side, then lifts it into the air, aiming to take the Goblin's head off.

---

OOC: Will Edit After Dice Rolling - Rolled 7

1-2 Miss, Getting hit by Skirmisher (Shard Takes 1 Damage)

3-5 Miss The Attack

6-8 Hit's Lesser Goblin 2 (Deal 1 Damage)

9-10 Hit's Lesser Goblin 2 + Hitting Skirmisher (Deal 2 Damage, one to each)

---

In a blur of crimson, Shard stands a short distance away from the Goblin's, sword pointed down and away, quickly turning back to face the mobs, just before the second Lesser Goblin explodes into data, it's tiny scream piercing the air. Shard exhales explosively, pushing air out of his lungs in almost a whistle. Standing with his back straight once more, Shard turns to face the Goblin's, bringing his sword in-front of his body, aiming forward. Face stony, Shard takes a moment to prepare his next move.

Combat situation:

Shard: 8/9 HP

Lesser Goblin 1: 0/3 HP (Still Dead)

Lesser Goblin 2: 0/3 HP (Pretty Dead)

Lesser Goblin 3: 3/3 HP

Lesser Goblin Skirmisher: 7/7 HP

[Shard 0]

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[Shard 0]

As the two Goblins release guttural roars, rearing their heads back before charging Shard, he narrows his eyes. They went back to charging again. Perhaps they cycle through those two mode's of operation? It was a rather simple way of going about combat, only having an offensive and defensive stance, but Shard supposed that made sense for creatures so low level. Taking a deep breath, Shard takes a step forward, followed by another, before standing in place, once more going into a solid, wide stance.

While Shard was reasonably thankful for whatever sword skills he could get, he did find the apparent lack of early level Two-hander skills annoying. He was more or less confined to a bare minimum, unless he decided to go freestyle, which as much as it annoyed him to admit, would not be a good idea- at least until he found time to train.

Once the two Goblin's were upon him, his blade glows a deep cobalt, kept off to his side. He mentally counts to three, timing his strike and the release of the skill with the positioning of the two Goblins. They needed to be reasonably close together for the strike to hit them both.

"Crradaaaaaaa!" The Skirmisher's eyes bulge as it screams, bringing its blade above it's head, likely aiming to cleave Shard in half. The smaller Goblin is just to it's side, quickly waddles froward with it's own club, drool coursing out it's mouth. Shard's face remains cool, but he could feel anticipation building within him. His muscles bulge as he prepares his momentary strike. The blue edge that would be their end.

---

OOC: Will Edit After Dice Rolling - Rolled 8

1-2 Miss, Getting hit by Skirmisher (Shard Takes 1 Damage)

3-5 Miss The Attack

6-8 Hit Both Lesser Goblin 3 & Skirmisher (Deal 1 Damage)

9-10 Hit Both Lesser Goblin 3 & Skirmisher, dealing Critical Damage (Deal 2 Damage, chance of decapitation)

---

Shard felt a grin tug at the corners of his mouth as his <> went off without a hitch. His blade carved a sick path through the torso's of the goblin's, the circular attack being good for such things. Both Goblin's jump back- or in the Lesser Goblin's case, fall backwards and roll, both growling at the human who just cut deep red scar's into their beings. Still, as well as things were going, Shard knew he would have to end this quickly. Or- well, he didn't have too, but he felt the need to finish the quest so he could get himself properly equipped for once...

Combat situation:

Shard: 8/9 HP

Lesser Goblin 1: 0/3 HP (Still Dead)

Lesser Goblin 2: 0/3 HP (Pretty Dead)

Lesser Goblin 3: 2/3 HP

Lesser Goblin Skirmisher: 6/7 HP

[Shard 0]

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[Shard 0]

Shard could feel as drops of cool sweat dripped down neck and back, his dusky skin glistening in the early morning light. Though his breath was still controlled, he could tell the excitement of his first serious battle was taking it's toll. Looking at the sun just creeping over the forested hills, Shard could tell it mush already be near 6:00. He had been out here for hours now, and had been without sleep or food for over 24 hours. He could still recall the fresh taste of that stew, the warm bitter of his beer, and the pleasing company of the woman who sat next to him.

Shard would have released a sigh, but he quickly remembered he was in the middle of a battle- especially when he was suddenly hit by a club, sending him reeling back. Shard scowls as the Goblin cackles in delight. Of course thoughts of food and a woman would get him hit in the chest, that just made too much sense. Rubbing his chest, Shard could see he lost another small fraction of HP. His battle Healing skill was slowly gaining him HP back, but not in any useful amount.

With a sudden smash, a blade comes down where Shard once stood, having rolled away at the last second. Ice in his eyes, Shard glares at the Skirmisher, before charging forward, holding his glowing Two-hander above his head. Once more, the Goblin's choose to stay in place, taking up a quasi-defensive stance.

---

OOC: Will Edit After Dice Rolling - Rolled 3

1-2 Miss, Getting hit by Skirmisher (Shard Takes 1 Damage)

3-5 Miss The Attack

6-8 Hit's Skirmisher (Deal 1 Damage)

9-10 Hit's Skirmisher, dealing Critical Damage (Deal 2 Damage, Severing Arm)

---

As Shard's crimson blade is once more parried, he feels annoyance take hold of his body. He wanted nothing more, but to go to town on these little freaks, but- well obviously that maybe a bad idea right now. Jumping back, Shard keeps his sword trained on the Goblin's, determined not to give them his back. Keeping his anger in check, Shard once more exhales explosively, staring at the Goblin's as his sword begins to glow.

Combat situation:

Shard: 8/9 HP

Lesser Goblin 1: 0/3 HP (Still Dead)

Lesser Goblin 2: 0/3 HP (Pretty Dead)

Lesser Goblin 3: 2/3 HP

Lesser Goblin Skirmisher: 6/7 HP

[Shard 0]

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[Shard 0]

"Damn," Shard growled, his eyes dark as he jumped back, another of his attacks parried. Once more then Goblin's seemed to howl in amusement, seemingly already having forgotten the human before them had already killed two of their kin. The AI in this game never ceased to amaze Shard, for being able to show dimwittedness in the most lifelike ways. Looking down at his two-hander, Shard quickly contemplated trying for an unscripted attack. His eyes moved along the simple wooden hilt, down the guard, and onto the simple hexagonal blade. Shard trusted his blade would kill these monsters, but did he put the same amount of trust in himself?

Looking back to the Goblin's, Shard brings his blade infront of his body, like he had a number of times already. This time however, there is now glowing to follow, only a moments silence. With one step forward, then a stride, Shard bellows a battle-cry consisting of a few choice words, charging forward with his blade held over his head. There is something distinct about attack without a sword skill that catches Shard. Where in a sword skill, you are locked in a pre-programmed motion, more a rider-on then in control, then attacking like this, he could feel every little action he took. He could carve out his own path, and if need by, he could even change his direction and momentum.

The morning light glints off his sword, held high in the air. The wind carried him, pushing him forward. The world may not be real, but at that moment, as Shard took one last explosive step toward the Skirmisher, arcing his arms for the swing, he felt alive.

---

OOC: Will Edit After Dice Rolling - Rolled 9

1-2 Miss, Getting hit by Skirmisher (Shard Takes 1 Damage)

3-5 Miss The Attack

6-8 Hit's Skirmisher (Deal 1 Damage)

9-10 Hit's Skirmisher, dealing Critical Damage (Deal 2 Damage, Severing Arm)

---

The sound of metal hitting metal reverberates through the clearing, as Shard's blade impacts the Skirmishers own. For a moment, their eyes meet. Shard's obsidian gazing into the dead eyes of an artificially created fell beast. There is something there that Shard had never noticed in monster AI programming before. The Goblin's eyes seemed to quiver, as if scared of a player. Sensing his opening, Shard pushing back on the Skirmisher, kicking it in the chest, just in time so he could kick backwards, knocking the smaller Goblin back before it could score a hit.

While both beasts stand off balance, Shard sprints forward, bringing his blade up and under the arm of the Skirmisher. With one clean motion, and a rather sick sounding slice, the Skirmisher's arm drops the ground, it along with its blade vanishing in a glittery explosion of data. Shard was about to follow up with a second attack, as he brings his blade up into a stabbing stance, but the Skirmisher does something that Shard never would have anticipated.

With a low howl, the Skirmisher turns tail and runs into the forest beyond, clutching it's severed arm, the smaller Goblin following suit, waddling as fast as it's tiny blue legs could take it. For a moment, all Shard could do was gap, eyes wide in astonishment as the pair of creatures ran away from him. His face shows a hint of contemplation, eyes once more going narrow as he wonders if he should be taking chance, but before he made any discion, a quest notification pops up on his HUD.

Bringing his hand into the air, activating his menu, Shard's eyebrow quirks as he see's the quest notification. Objective complete. There is a gap in Shard's thinking for a moment, as he stares at the words before him. Objective complete. Slowly, Shard closes his menu, looking around the clearing, then back to the entrance of the Grotto. His tiny quest marker pointed there; why? he had no idea. All Shard knew by this point was that he desperately needed to eat something.

Keeping his sword out for cautions sake, Shard saunters over to the grotto entrance, rubbing his empty stomach. Who know's, maybe if he's lucky he may find a turkey dinner, or more likely rotting fish inside. He always did wonder what surstromming tasted like...

The entrance to the grotto stunk like rotting flesh and athletes foot. No real surprise there. It was also cramped enough that Shard had to unequipped both his Two-hander and breast-plate just to fit. Though that may have been his own fault for being so damn big. Shard hacks for a few moments, the smell getting to him, making him wish for a scuba-tank. Gripping cool, moist rocks, Shard pulled himself forward, the tunnel like entrance to the grotto apparently going on for a fair distance. What did Shard really expect to find within this dean of evil? Probably nothing good. Maybe a few fake dead bodies, or the carcases of a thousand small animals.

As a light began to pierce the near total darkness of the tunnel, Shard began to move forward faster. It's not like he was claustrophobic or anything, so much as wanting to get some food in him as soon as possible. Yeah, that's it. With a final push, Shard pulls himself out from the small tunnel, and into a large open cave, adorned with animal skins, random skeletal remains, and surprisingly no more Goblins. Taking a few steps forward, ignoring the random crunching noises as he moved, Shard scans the room for traps. He didn't see anything, and he didn't feel anything either, so his skill must not have detected anything.

Turning and looking down, he could see his quest icon hovering over a massive pile of animal bones. Mouth quirking in distaste, Shard hunches over, and begins digging through the pile of left-overs, searching for- well he didn't know what exactly, as the quest objective wasn't very clear but he was sure it would be something pretty st- *thud*

Suddenly, Shard's hand hits something hard and wooden. Grunting in surprise, he digs both hands into the remains, pushing it all aside so he could get a better look at what he found. What did he find? An honest to god chest.

"Holy crap," Shard's eyes go wide in amazement, his voice low, as if talking loud would make it vanish. He runs his fingers along the thick wooden panelling, then down to the locking mechanism. He knew it wasn't actually locked, and needed to prompt the chest to open it, but for a moment, he wanted to just feel it, as odd as that sounded.

Opening the chest, his HUD flashes, informing him that once more his objective was completed, with the addition of a number of materials and a reasonable sum of Col. More then enough for him to live off of for the next week. sitting back onto his butt, Shard stares at the prompt in continued wonder, realizing that he was more or less done, and was only a short trip away from becoming an actually blacksmith. Accepting the prompt, and watching the col and mat's fill his inventory, a small smile gracing his face.

"I guess I'm not eating bun's for a while..."

Combat situation: Enemy Flee's

Shard: 8/9 HP

Lesser Goblin 1: 0/3 HP (Still Dead)

Lesser Goblin 2: 0/3 HP (Pretty Dead)

Lesser Goblin 3: 2/3 HP (Flee's)

Lesser Goblin Skirmisher: 4/7 HP (Sword Arm Severed - Flee's)