SP-F1: The Tedious Nature of Smithing - COMPLETE!

[Mack 0]

Mack stood within the shadow of the hulking gates of the City of Beginnings as the first rays of early morning sunshine fell down upon the ground around him. It was so early in the morning that, to this point, no one else had really yet gotten up. Soon enough, though, the city would start to come to life as NPC's began their pre-programmed routines and other players still down on the first level got up to begin going on about whatever activities they might have had on their plate for the day. As for Mack, he knew that if he was going to raise his level in smithing to where he wanted it to be he was going to need to gather materials for smithing. A smith couldn't smith at a smithy without smithing materials and he'd already burned through most of what he had received the previous day at the conclusion of his quest that had rewarded him with the smithing career.

"Leather, ore, lumber," he muttered to himself, stepping over the border that marked the end of the City of Beginnings' border and the beginning of the surrounding grasslands and forests. The blonde blacksmith planned to spend the better part of the morning gathering materials and, with a bit of luck, he wouldn't then have to go material gathering again for a little while. His goal was to gather up enough smithing materials to at least be able to raise his level in the career to the third milestone before he had to go gathering again. With the crimson feather attached to the haft of Midnight Eclipse fluttering in the breeze, he set off through the grass in search of boars, deer, and anything else that might have leather.

Edited August 13, 2015 by Mack

[Mack 0]

ID: 26906
BD: 6
Mack: 17/17
Boar: 6/9 (-3 Dam.)

As he slogged through the grasslands which were still glistening with the early morning dew which clung to the blades of grass like tiny diamonds the axe-man unsheathed his axe and carried it in an easy ready position as he moved, ready to strike if the need or opportunity presented itself. The dark blade and haft of the weapon clashed a bit with the growing brightness of the early morning sun as it slowly brightened the sky turning it from black to indigo to pink and eventually to the fully lit brightness of the day. Part of the blonde man's reasoning for setting out this early in the morning was that he had hoped he might be able to surprise a few sleeping mobs, if he was lucky.

Those hopes were realized as Mack laid his storm grey eyes upon the massive brown sleeping form of a wild boar. With a tight-lipped grin, he advanced quietly right up to the creature as its sides slowly rose and fell as it dozed. Soon enough, it would be awake. Raising the black bladed ebony axe above his head, Mack slammed it down into the boar's side with all his strength. Naturally, the blow landed, and the boar leaped to its feet with an angry squeal, charging forward several feet before whirling to face its attacker.

[Mack 0]

ID: 26907
MD: 2
Mack: 17/17
Boar: 6/9

It was pretty apparent from the sluggish nature of the boar's movements that the animal was either still half asleep or it had been injured by the blow it had taken from Midnight Eclipse. Mack wondered if the game engine was programmed to make non-nocturnal creatures, like the boar, easier to fight at night or during game hours when they were programmed to be asleep. It was a matter that would need some more looking into in order to answer fully. Abruptly the boar pawed the ground and charged forward. Setting his feet in a wide, stable stance and holding the haft of his glittering black axe across his body Mack took the charge from the porcine beast and directed it to one side before spinning around to face the creature again and ready himself for his next attack.

Edited August 9, 2015 by Mack

[Mack 0]

ID: 26908
BD: 3
MD: 2
Mack: 17/17
Boar: 6/9

As Mack and the boar faced off against one another in the growing light of the pre-dawn each sized the other up and looked for an opening to exploit in an attack. Or, at least, the warrior with the eyes the color of thunderheads did that. Who knew if the A.I. controlling the boar was smart enough to look for an opening or not. Again the boar pawed the ground, signalling it was about to charge and, as the brown creature came barreling in on Mack the blonde man stepped to one side and swung his coal black axe across his body. Whether it was the low light or, simply, the random number gods fleeing from him, Mack's attack missed the boar. On the plus side, though, the boar went haring by as it also completely missed Mack.

[Mack 0]

ID: 26919
BD: 10
Mack: 17/17
Boar: 1/9 (-5 Dam.)

As the boar reached the end of its brief charging sprint, Mack barreled after it and readied his axe. His goal was obvious. He was trying to close the distance on the boar to be able to launch his next attack into the boar's hindquarters, trying for what he assumed was a backstab bonus. Just as the hairy brown mini-hill came to a stop Mack swung Midnight Eclipse in a vicious two-handed overhead chop. The jet black blade of the bearded axe bit deeply into the boar's back and, frankly, the creature squealed like a stuck pig before putting on a brief burst to get a little bit further away from its attacker before whirling to face the blonde warrior again with beady little brown eyes.

Edited August 9, 2015 by Mack

[Mack 0]

ID: 26922
MD: 2
Mack: 17/17
Boar: -1/9 (-2 Bleed)

The boar's breathing was becoming labored, anyone could see and recognize that. The creature couldn't do much to disguise or hide the wet almost sucking sound it made as it pulled air into its pixelated lungs. It pawed the ground once and tried to charge again. But, the brown beast managed only a few shuddering, halting steps before it collapsed forward and then keeled over on its side, done in by the bleeding damage inflicted upon it by the critical strike that it had received from Midnight Eclipse. Advancing on the spot where the creature had breathed its last, as the animal dissolved, Mack noted with satisfaction that there was a small roll of leather lying in among the dew covered blades of grass. Snatching it up, Mack added it to his inventory.

[Mack 0]

ID: 27094
LD: 5

Continuing his way through the field in the growing early morning light, Mack was somewhat surprised when he failed to come across any other beasts that were in need of being eliminated for the purposes of farming more crafting materials. It was tedious, and somewhat sad, that creatures had to be harvested for the purposes of crafting. But, it wasn't really all that sad. They were just A.I. animals, it wasn't as if it were even remotely possible to hunt any of them to extinction. Kill one boar, another would take its place. Traipsing out to the edge of the forest where it joined with the grass fields, the blonde man slung his axe down off of his shoulder and swung it into the tree with a solid thunk, but didn't retrieve any lumber from the first swing.

[Mack 0]

ID: 27095
MD: 5
Bear: 12/12
Mack: 23/23

As Mack lifted the axe again, pulling it back to launch another strike on the tree in an attempt to gather some smithing materials from the silver maple tree when a grunting sort of growl reached his ears. Suddenly, a small mountain of muscle and black fur burst forth from the tree line just a few feet from the blonde man. The bear was barreling down on Mack, heading directly for him and clearly intending to attack. Perhaps the morning wasn't quite the quiet and peaceful time that he had expected that it was going to be. Clutching the axe across his chest securely in both hands, Mack dove forward over the blade and rolled clear of the bear's charge as it rumbled by where he had just been.

[Mack 0]

ID: 27096
BD: 10
Mack: 23/23
Bear: 7/12 (-5 Dam.)

As the bear reached the end of its initial charge, Mack wheeled rolled to his feet. At nearly the same moment the mammoth beast and the enormous smith whirled about to face one another, his stout arms hauling Midnight Eclipse back until the jet black razor sharp blade was poised. As the bear snarled at him from a distance of perhaps five feet Mack stepped forward in a lunge and swung his bearded axe down off of his shoulder. The blade slammed flush into the bear's snout, dislodging several of the animal's teeth and blasting them off to who knew where as the beast's great shaggy head was snapped violently to one side by the force of the impact from the axe. 

[Mack 0]

ID: 27097
MD: 7
Mack: 20/23 (-3 Dam)
Bear: 5/12 (-2 Bleed)

Faster than Mack would have thought possible in a creature the size of a black bear, the animal lunged forward after being smacked quite literally up the side of its head, and barreled into Mack. That was followed by the bear stomping over the prone warrior after it knocked him down. For anyone that may have ever wondered what it felt like to be run over by a rather large bear, or a rather small freight train, the blonde warrior now had a frame of reference in his mind. The short answer, as the bear stomped down on his chest and stomach with his claw-tipped paws, was that the experience was unpleasant. Uttering a sound that was somewhere between a groan and a growl, Mack rolled onto his chest and then pushed himself back to his feet.

[Mack 0]

ID: 27098
BD: 1
Mack: 20/23
Bear: 3/12 (-2 Bleed)

As Mack wound up for another powerful swing of Midnight Eclipse the bear still looked slightly dazed from the first blow it had received to the head. It had been a solid, and very satisfying blow. Setting his feet, the blonde man swung the bearded axe down off of his shoulder again, aiming another blow for the side of the bear's head. Unfortunately, the bear chose that minute to make an odd shuffling step to the right and the well-aimed swing of the axe went sailing right over the shaggy bear's head. With all the force that the axe-man had thrown behind the blow, he over-balanced himself and toppled over himself, landing in a heap next to the growling, snarling, and clearly unhappy bear. Definitely not where anyone wanted to be.

[Mack 0]

ID: 27120
MD: 10
Mack: 15/23
Bear: 3/12

Sure enough, the bear wasn't about to miss its opportunity to strike at a prone and more or less defenseless opponent. Rearing up, for a second, on its hind legs, the bear came crashing down on Mack's chest with the full force of its considerable weight. There was a loud whooshing grunt that escaped from the blonde warrior as the wind was knocked out of them and the bear rumbled over him like a freight train again. Coughing and spluttering, Mack rolled onto his chest and shoved himself to his feet, flinging his axe up over his head as he charged after the bear. He'd had enough of this bear, and he didn't particularly care if she was a momma bear or not.

Edited August 10, 2015 by Mack

[Mack 0]

ID: 27121
BD: 8
LD: 7
Mack: 15/23
Bear: 0/12 (-3 Dam)

With a bellow of rage Mack went haring off after the bear. It was time to put an end to this miserable creature. Permanently. As the black mass of fur and muscle began to make the wide turn required of a creature so big Mack crossed the final few steps to get into range of the animal. With a savage roar he swung Midnight Eclipse into the bear's flank with all of the strength he could muster. As the ebony blade bit deep into the bear's flesh the animal gave a muffled sort of snuffling grunt and collapsed on its side in a heap of heaving fur. Within a few seconds, the animal had faded away to nothing and all that remained was a bolt of furry cloth, another crafting material. Snatching up the item, Mack stored it in his inventory and then headed back to the trees to try his hand at some more chopping.

[Mack 0]

ID: 27125
LD: 12

Moving around near the edge of the forest as the sun began to truly rise and bathe everything in a soft warm light, Mack inspected the trees. Before finding something else in the forest to take down for, what seemed to be, the guaranteed promise of crafting materials he would need to recover some health. While it was certainly true that he could use the health potion in his inventory, if he wanted to, it made more logical sense and was the smarter play to hold on to it until he really needed it. So, spending a bit of time chopping wood seemed to be in order. Once he found a good looking tree, black walnut from the looks of it, Mack swung Midnight Eclipse into its trunk and waited to see if he'd get any materials. No dice.

[Mack 0]

ID: 26127
LD: 20

After failing the first time to gather anything from the tree, Mack rested the blade of his weapon on the ground so that its coal black haft was rest against his leg. Then he spat into his hands and rubbed them together. Then he rubbed the remaining spit from his hands on his pants. Taking up the axe again, he swung Midnight Eclipse into the tree's trunk, connecting with a solid thunk. As he pulled the ebony blade of the axe back, it chipped off a stick of lumber and Mack knelt and picked up the wood, adding it to his crafting materials as well.

[Mack 0]

ID: 27206
LD: 2

After adding the lumber to his own inventory, giving him a paltry total of three whole crafting materials, Mack hefted Midnight Eclipse and buried the axe in the tree with another solid thunk. Unfortunately, this time, there was no accompanying spray of wood chips to indicate that any kind of crafting materials had dropped. Chopping wood or mining ore might have been the safer and less strenuous way to go about gathering crafting materials, one that couldn't lead to death. But, there was no denying that killing wild animals was considerably faster. The digital beasts almost always dropped materials that were suitable for crafting. It was beginning to look like the tree chopping and ore mining only succeeded about once every three or four attempts.

[Mack 0]

ID: 27254
LD: 3

Raising Midnight Eclipse again, Mack swung the blade of the weapon into the tree. Once again, there were no accompanying wood chips to let him know that he had succeeded in finding some more crafting materials. Setting the axe down, and glaring hatefully at the tree through slitted grey eyes, he considered for a moment that it might be necessary to procure some items that would increase his chances at being able to harvest items for crafting through non-combat related means. He was gradually coming to realize that the game's engine was, apparently, fairly stingy with the loot drops from anything that wasn't a monster and for anything that didn't require at least a small degree of personal danger on the part of the player.

[Mack 0]

ID: 27284
BD: 10
Mack: 25/25
Deer: 6/13

As he was readying his axe to swing into the tree, yet again, in the search for crafting materials there was a rustle from out in the field behind him. Whirling on the spot, the blonde warrior instinctively swung Guillotine in the direction of the disturbance. There was a wet, squelching thud as the axe slammed into the side of a deer that was simply going about its business for some early morning breakfast. With a rip, Mack extracted the axe from the side of the deer and readied himself for another attack. From the look of the animal's HP bar, the soldier had managed to take more than half of the deer's health down in just a single hit.

[Mack 0]

ID: 27285
MD: 8
Mack: 22/25 (-3 Dam)
Deer: 4/13 (-2 Bleed)

The deer, clearly surprised to have been attacked, spun around as it was struck in the side. Since deer didn't really make any kind of noises, at least not any noise that the warrior was familiar with, it simply pawed the ground once and charged. Since the distance wasn't all that far, all the deer really had to do was lower its head and drive the point of the antlers on its head into Mack's chest. At the range they were at, and the speed at which the deer could move, there wasn't really a whole lot that the axe-man could do to prevent being hit. Of course, since the deer was likely to die soon anyway, it didn't really matter all that much. The Deer was not going to win the fight.

[Mack 0]

ID: 27286
BD: 7
LD: 19
Mack: 22/25
Deer: -3/13 (-2 bleed, -5 dam.)

When the deer slammed its antlers into Mack's chest the burly warrior drove the iron butt cap of Guillotine into the side of the deer's head and the animal staggered sideways. In a flash, Guillotine's blade had found its way into the deer's side for a second time. Another solid hit and the deer exploded into pixels all around Mack. The crafting materials floated down to the ground, along with another interesting little trinket. It looked as it if was part of the deer's antler that had been tied to a thin leather strip so that it could be worn around the neck like a talismen. A fang would have been cooler, but the pendant was still nice. Plucking it from the ground, Mack added the leather to his inventory and dropped the pendant down around his neck.