[OP-F1] The Next Step To Freedom (4/4 Slots Taken) [COMPLETE]

[Hirru 0]

Labyrinth of the First Floor

The first step towards freedom that the front-liners passed months before.  A harrowing tower of immense proportions, though, not as big as Aincrad herself.  The grey-ish white tower that ascended up towards the ceiling which doubled as the beginning of the second floor.  The contents of which gave the denizens of Aincrad the fear that they would never leave this forsaken world.  

Months ago, the denizens of Aincrad faced the Floor Boss and have since went on to defeat the next ten floors.  Currently on the 11th floor, denizens await the felling of the next boss.  Victory will be secured for all, and everyone will be freed from this madness.

In the meantime, a lone warrior stood before the entrance to the first floor labyrinth.  Looking into the entrance to it, he could feel the danger inside.  Something in his mind told him to run away, but he stood his ground.  

This was his chance to continue on the right path.

This was his next step to freedom.

Edited September 10, 2015 by Hirru
Full Party

[Mack 0]

Mack was aware of the tower that led up to the second floor. How could he not be? After all, the players that had gone on before him, many of them, had already cleared it as members of various different parties. If he wanted to catch them, to establish himself as one of the premiere players in all of Sword Art Online in general and to the thousands of other people that now called Aincrad home, then he too would have to clear it. Finding the tower's location was also not a terribly difficult thing, after all the map data on the first floor was all public now. Of course, only a fool would try to clear the tower all by themselves. Especially with the gear that Mack was equipped with.

Still, he had been traipsing out to the tower once a day for the past week and waiting at its base for any other players to wander along. Players that he might be able to party up with, even though he was loathe to join parties with other players. Given the choice between partying up and losing his life, really, it was a no brainer. He would party up and it was really as simple as that.

As the blonde warrior crested the last rise before coming within sight of the tower he sighed to himself. Each of the six previous trips to the labyrinth had proven fruitless. Still, this was the end of the week. Surely today was the day and, as he crested the rise of the gently sloping hill his grey eyes fell upon another warrior, such as himself, waiting at the entrance. 

"Finally," he muttered to himself.

Crossing the rest of the distance to the solitary warrior over the course of a couple of minutes, Mack came to a stop before them and slung his battle axe down off of his back, planting the butt in the soft earth and leaning on the top and dull part of the otherwise sharp blade. "Let's not mince words, neither of us can clear this by ourselves and you probably wouldn't be here if you weren't looking for a party. I'm in, do we want to wait for any others," he asked in a gruff, no nonsense tone, turning his head to the left and spitting on the ground after he'd addressed the other warrior at the entrance.

[Beoreson 0]

     Beoreson approached the tower, and thought that it was time for him to enter it, but he was going to need to join a party. He had seen many people enter the tower and not that many come back from it. He figured that it was the start of the second floor. Seeing the other soldier he gave him a friendly wave, and introduces himself to the other people that have gathered. "Hello I'm Beoreson, or Beore for short. I'm a one handed straight sword user.I would like to join you in this group of fighters." He then goes to an at ease stance with his hand crossed over the small of his back.

Edited August 8, 2015 by Beoreson

[Hirru 0]

Hirru turned to find that someone had walked up to him while his were glued to the entrance.  He saw a gruff looking individual speaking to him in a no-nonsense manner of speak.  He found himself having to look up at the tall man before he could answer in kind.

"Well, I guess we can party up as this will be problematic if we don't."

He nodded to the warrior before another came into view.  This one looked like any of the other players that have re-started their adventure within Aincrad.  This one actually introduced themselves as Beoreson before requesting a party with us.  Hirru smiled as he looked on at Beoreson standing at ease.  He winced a little when that caused a sharp pain through his left eye.  He quickly shook it off before speaking towards them.

"Welcome, Beoreson and you as well.  My name is Hirru.  It is a pleasure to meet you both, but it would keep me at ease if we get one more in here.  This place could be the next step to our further goals or our final end, if we do not plan accordingly."

((I'm loving how the current party has all characters of some military experience))

[Xion 0]

Xion sighed, he had been traversing the plains of the first floor for a good few hours now, in search of the dungeon. It had already been cleared numerous time by the lead group, but still the experience and possible loot was too much for the young man to pass up. As he walked he checked his stats, the man was reasonably tanky, with some good damage too, most likely more than enough to clear the tower. 

 

He continued to walk, until the grey tower was looming over him, and he noticed something, three players. 'Most likely looking to clear it too' he said, before approaching them. "I'm assuming that you three are aiming to clear the dungeon, if you're in need of a tank, I will happily oblige" he said, bowing out of respect. 'They all seem low level, they would be fools to try the dungeon alone' he thought, frowning. 

[Mack 0]

OOC: I'd also noticed that Hirru, amusing and ironic. Also, I'm going to change my text color to blue for this thread, to avoid confusion with Hirru. :)

Mack turned his head to regard Beoreson as the other warrior joined them on the hill and nodded his head once in greeting as Beoreson introduced himself to the other warrior that was on the windswept hill with him. While the blonde man was pleased to see Beoreson arrive to take part in the adventure as well, though that pleasure would have been difficult to detect on the taciturn axe wielder's face. "Beore," he said by way of greeting, his only acknowledgement to the other warrior. As Hirru began to speak Mack leaned on his nearly jet black weapon and rolled his head around on his neck, with an audible popping sound. Everything Hirru was saying made sense but Mack remained quiet. No point in introducing himself now if he was only going to have to repeat the process later. Sure enough, they were shortly joined by a fourth party member, this one clearly higher level than Mack, Beoreson, or Hirru.

"Mack," the axe-man said in a gruff tone that was almost a growl, inclining his head in the direction of Hirru and Xion. "I can do some wicked things with Midnight Eclipse, here," he continued, wiggling the axe he was leaning upon as he spoke so that they would all know he meant his weapon. "Just get me an opening. Glad to have a proper tank with the group too." Still leaning on his weapon as the haft was planted in the ground, Mack laced his fingers together and cracked all his knuckles like a master pianist. "I propose all loot be spread evenly. I'm happy to give any swords to the group, regardless of quality, so long as the same consideration is made for me when it comes to two-handed axes and, in the event of a rare armor piece or jewelry item, I suggest that our tank be given right of first refusal. He'll be out front tanking the greatest risk, it's only fair."

[Beoreson 0]

     Beoreson nodded to the gruff warrior as he finished speaking, " I agree with Mack proposition when it comes to the loot." He then does a quick head count to all the people who are here and comes up with four. "So are we going to appoint a secondary tank just in case?" asks the black haired warrior. Beoreson notes to himself that Mack is very good with putting on emotionless face. Beoreson does a quick gear check and comes up with his sword, Loyalty, some water and some bread.

(( I agree that is pretty cool.))

Edited August 8, 2015 by Beoreson

[Hirru 0]

((Posting order is as such  Xion > Mack > Beoreson > Hirru.  MOBs will be controlled by Xion and myself, if more than one appears.))

Hirru nods in agreement to all said actions.before turning to Xion.  He smiled at the person he could call his friend before pulling out his menu and selecting all present into the party.  Once they all pressed 'yes', three new hp bars appeared under his with the names of all of them.  Hirru stood firmly before them and addressed them.

"Team, the situation is thus: the first floor dungeon has been a proving grounds for the lower players ever since the lead group defeated the boss.  Our mission is to clear out the first floor dungeon in search of anything that was left behind, or missed by the lead group, and continue on to the second floor.  Execution will be as follows: Xion our tank will take point and lead the team into the dungeon.  Mack will the second to cross followed by Beoreson.  I will take rear post as leader."

Hirru paused for a second to make sure that they were following along.  He opened his menu to pull out the players guide redux, a new guide that came out for the first ten floors after they were beat.

"In case of being attacked by multiple enemies, I will act as a secondary tank.  As of now, our only equipment is what we have on us now, and what we can find.  Information about the dungeon is as follows:  Humanoid beings from the look of them.  Named Kobold, most of them have HP from 19~20 with a possible 2~3 DMG.  Many tunnels leading to dead ends, and traps."

Hirru closed the book before reading onward, the rest of it was about the boss which wasn't an issue anymore.

"On my command, we move out!"

((I didn't know if I should keep it towards the original, or towards the sites version of the dungeon.  Both are very vague on everything before the boss fights, though.))

Edited August 9, 2015 by Hirru

[Xion 0]

Xion nodded in agreement as Hirru talked, he smiled as he watched the player lead the group. 'He's grown a lot...better leader than me' he thought before addressing them himself. "In an ideal world nobody else will have to tank as I can generate aggro on multiple enemies at once, but if my health becomes dangerously low I will refrain from attacking so that Hirru can tank. NOBODY else should attempt to tank." he said. his friendly tone being replaced by one of seriousness. "Also, in the event that we do fight multiple enemies at once focus all of your attacks on one enemy and take it down quickly before focusing on the next target and so on and so forth. If your health becomes low don't be afraid to back off so that you can recover, if that is not possible simply stay behind me" he said as he looked at the three other health bars, all of which were considerably lower than his. 'If I can't maintain aggro then a few well aimed hits is all that it takes to put their health below the yellow zone..." he thought with a frown as he looked at the others. Mack seemed like a DPS build, all damage but very little defence, Hirru was a mixed build, the only reason he was tanking was because he had a little more health than the other two and could act as an EVA tank with his armour. Beor was pretty standard, but useful nevertheless as he wasn't lacking extremely in any stats. 

 

"Any objections?" he asked. 

[Mack 0]

"Solid plan, I like it," Mack grunted, still leaning on the jet black haft of Midnight Eclipse as he had the weapon planted in the ground. "Between my DR and Eclipse's bleed buff, I can help quickly drop anything we find. If we face multiples, call out where you want me to focus. I can take a few hits, but I've not got the HP pool that you and Xion have." There was also the fact to consider that the axe-man didn't have any good armor yet as he'd neither managed to save up the col to buy it or raise his smithing level to the point that he could make it. The hulking blonde spat on the ground and then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. That done he stood up properly and shouldered Midnight Eclipse, not bothering to sheath the blade since he was clearly going to be needing it again soon. Moving into position next to the Xion, Mack waited for the command to move out. Really, there wasn't much else to be said.

Edited August 9, 2015 by Mack

[Beoreson 0]

     "Okay, ready whenever." Said Beoreson, as he finished up going though his pack. He starts to get a little nervous but, almost instantly squashes the feeling. He thinks to himself," I'm fine, I don't need to pull any aggro, or to do to much other then attack and stay back." "So, are we going to party up for this little outing?" asks the black haired warrior. Beoreson thinks back to other games he played and remembers that kobalds where not the most devastating things in the game. He also remembered that boars don't almost kill people.

[Hirru 0]

((Beoreson, in my last post, I already invited the party.:D))

"I agree, Xion, we should keep ourselves focused if anything goes awry."

Hirru could tell from the concern on Xion's face.  They were all lower leveled than Xion, and if anything happened, his friend wouldn't be able to hold out long against a multiple enemy assault.  That is where a leader needed to be, to command the team towards a goal.  Hirru exhaled before getting in position.

"Team, forward march!"

Crossing the threshold of the entrance, the inner walls looked of marble and would be quite smooth if he wanted to touch them, but now was not the time.  Watching intensively searching for anything out of the ordinary.  Current map data showed that this place was a literal maze with twists and turns that could lead anyone towards a dead end or an actual end to life.  As they came to a split in the corridor, he motioned for them to take the right.  There was a small room there that seemed like something would be there.

As the team approached another split, a Kobold came into view.  First monster of the dungeon!  It was equipped with nothing but a rusty machete and some cloth armor.

"Team, halt!  Xion, ready Howl!; Mack, switch in and attack when possible; Beoreson, if Mack doesn't land a hit, I want you to attack, otherwise ready an attack and await my signal!"

((If you didn't understand that: Xion will Howl | Mack will attack | Beoreson will attack ONLY if Mack misses.))

[Xion HP = 38/38]
[Mack HP = 21/21]
[Beore HP = 16/16]
[Hirru HP = 25/25]

[Kobold HP = 20/20][2 Base DMG]

[Xion 0]

Xion nodded as Hirru ordered him to howl. "Stay behind me, and you may want to cover your ears" he said before taking a few steps towards the Kobold, drawing the Slicing Maelstrom as he did, electricity arcing from the blade to Xion occasionally. He inhaled deeply, before unleashing a deafening, bestial <<Howl>> that drew the attention of the Kobold as it's eyes narrowed and it stared directly at Xion. "Remember what Hirru said, and if you miss just retreat behind me and wait for another opening!" he said, holding his blade diagonally in a defensive stance, ready to protect the others.

 

 

 

[Xion HP = 38/38]
[Mack HP = 21/21]
[Beore HP = 16/16]
[Hirru HP = 25/25]

[Kobold HP = 20/20]

[Mack 0]

OOC: "NAILED IT!" - Barney Stinson

ID: 27163
BD: 10

Xion: 38/38
Mack: 21/21
Beoreson: 16/16
Hirru: 25/25

Kobold: 14/20 (-6 Dam. on Nat. 10 Roll)

As Xion unleashed his howl the Kobold's head snapped up and it's angry little goblinoid eyes focused on its tormentor, Xion. As Xion had been readying himself, Mack had slipped out to the right to begin a flanking maneuver on the group's enemy, moving as quietly as the game engine would allow him even with his military training. As Xion cut loose with a blood chilling howl the axe-wielding warrior did two things. First, he made a mental note to never not cover his ears again before someone used howl. Xion had warned the group, of course, but the blonde warrior had ignored it and the howl had gone off with a noise that was every bit the equal of a hand grenade. Second, he used the noise of the howl to unsling Midnight Eclipse and ready the ebony weapon for combat.

As the Kobold barreled forward, its silvery machete looking more like a jaguar's pelt from all the rust spots, Mack dashed forward and slipped in behind the creature. The poor thing never knew what hit it. As the Kobold snarled and lifted its own sad weapon to strike at Xion the blonde axe-man slammed the butt of Midnight Eclipse into the middle of the creature's back. As it stumbled, momentarily off balance he raised the axe high above his head and then brought the blade of the bearded axe swishing down to slam into the Kobold's neck right where it met the vile creature's neck. Definitely, a solid hit and Mack quickly cleared out of the way and readied his weapon to strike again when there was another opening.

Edited August 10, 2015 by Mack

[Beoreson 0]

     Beoreson covered his ears as he waited in the back of the group. The sound still hurt his ears though, he noticed that Mack had not covered his ears. He thought to himself "well that must have hurt." He saw Xion draw the attention of the kobald as he went into a defensive stance. He also saw Mack's attempt at sneaking up on an enemy. which to be fair was an okay effort. He saw as Mack attacked, the kobald got hacked up pretty good. Remembering what he was told to do, he didn't attack the kobald

[Hirru 0]

ID: 27196

MD: 4
BD: 1
 

Hirru watched as the ensuing plan went along fluently.  Xion's Howl drew the beast towards him which gave Mack the opportunity to flank around and attack with his axe.  A good chunk of the Kobold's health dropped before the axe wielder dropped back from range.  Beoreson stayed ready just as I commanded.  I wouldn't attack until Xion had a better hold on the Kobold.

Speaking of Kobold, it growled out in anger and tried to slash at Xion, but it was a wide shot and would miss him entirely.

"Xion, attack!; Mack, Hold fast!; Beore, flank left around and attack.  I'll follow around the opposite side."

[Xion HP = 38/38][Hate - 3]
[Mack HP = 21/21][Hate - 2]
[Beore HP = 16/16]
[Hirru HP = 25/25]

[Kobold HP = 14/20]

Edited August 11, 2015 by Hirru

[Xion 0]

Xion shook his head "The aggro difference is too small, another crit and Mack is taking the hits" he said before inhaling deeply, and letting out the same bloodcurdling <<howl>> that he had before. Now that the Kobold was closer, the raw power of the howl was clear, it's hair and fur blew back, and the small humanoid fought to keep it's balance. "Now there' no risk of anyone else takign aggro" he said, before assuming a defensive stance once more. 

 

 

[Xion HP = 38/38][Hate - 6]
[Mack HP = 21/21][Hate - 2]
[Beore HP = 16/16]
[Hirru HP = 25/25]

[Kobold HP = 14/20]

[Mack 0]

Xion: 38/38
Mack: 21/21
Beoreson: 16/16
Hirru: 25/25

Kobold: 12/20 (-2 Bleed, will take -2 next turn as well.)

Mack nodded his recognition of the command to not attack again. Tactically speaking, he didn't see that the command made much sense. But, since it seemed quite clear that they were not going to have any problems killing the Kobold there was no reason not to hold off for a second to give Hirru and Beoreson a chance to get in on the fight with the goblinoid creature. That way they'd also be able to pick up some experience points from killing it. Backing off a bit further, Mack saw Xion winding up for another howl. Dropping his weapon, Mack clamped his hands over his ears. That made the howl slightly more bearable. As the Kobold redoubled its attention on Xion, Mack took the opportunity to pull up his inventory. He had, lately, been tending to carry Midnight Eclipse in general because the weapon looked a bit more scary but he had something in his inventory that was better. In less than ten seconds he tapped through the screens. Midnight Eclipse dissolved into the inventory and a mahogany shaft topped by an intricately engraved high carbon steel blade materialized in Mack's hands. Grunting, he whirled Guillotine around in a dizzying series of circles and readied himself to attack again when the command came.

Edited August 12, 2015 by Mack

[Beoreson 0]

ID# 27283 BD:3

Beoreson's HP:16

Kobald's HP:12

     Beoreson this time didn't cove his ears as Xion howled as he was flanking the kobald. The noise was ear splittings. It reminded him of the one time that he he went shooting without wearing hearing protection. There was a reason that it was only once. Beoreson managed to keep going towards the kobald. He took his sword and swung at the monster. Sadly for Beoreson the blow was deflected by the monster. He then, backed up as he didn't want to draw any aggro from the creature.

[Hirru 0]

[ID: 27298]
[BD: 10] Hit + 2 = 5 DMG + 2 Bleed from Mack
[MD: 2] Miss

Hirru watched as Xion had to disagree with those orders and went into another howl.  Technically speaking that would have done the same as he was asking for, but now the Kobold would be able to attack if neither Beoreson or himself could hit.  At that point, there was wasn't any reason to have Mack hold his attack.  Technically, he would have probably killed it, if Xion had attacked.  Then to make matters worse, Beore's attack was deflected.  

It was at that point that Hirru had to evaluate himself on a leadership level.  Was he really leading them, or just barking orders in random fashion?  He shook those thoughts out of his mind as he ran around the right side and activated sword skill <<Sonic Leap>>.  Blade glowed, and Hirru hurtled towards the Kobold before leaping in the air to land a downward strike.  He quickly jumped back before anything else could happen.

Having had most of its health drained, it forgone its attack to pull out a little white horn.  A sound akin to the <<Call to Arms>> that a performer would be able to create.  Hirru didn't have to wonder long about what that meant as another Kobold spawned several feet away.

"This wasn't in the manual!  Xion! One more Howl to grab the attention of the other one."

Hirru looked towards Mack and Beoreson.

"Mack!  Focus your attack towards the first Kobold!  Beoreson, attack the first kobold only if Mack misses.  If he does kill it, focus your attack towards the second one."

[Xion HP = 38/38][Hate - 6]
[Mack HP = 21/21][Hate - 2]
[Beore HP = 16/16]
[Hirru HP = 25/25]

[Kobold HP = 5/20][12-5-2 BLEED= 5][Target - Xion]
[Kobold HP = 20/20][Target - None]

Edited August 12, 2015 by Hirru