[SP-F1] The Grind [COMPLETE]

[Carambit 0]

Carambit knew that he had to work hard to level up if he was ever going to be strong enough to join the hardcore fighters on the front lines. He thought about all those who couldn't muster the courage to fight and knew he had to step up to help them. Of course, the only real way to do that was to fight monsters and rack up some XP. Carambit didn't want to bother any of the higher level players anymore, asking for them to babysit him all the time was not his idea of trying hard enough. He ran a hand through his brown hair and took a deep breath in, then exhaled and walked out of the main northern gate of the Starting Town. This was the first time he was going out there alone, and he had to try his best if he was to survive.

As he made his way further north, he couldn't help but take in the serenity of the world around him. It was such a beautiful place and he had to give credit to the visual designers; they had put in so much effort, and boy did it show. Every blade of grass seemed as though it was hand crafted. "Wow. This place really is something else. It's a shame that this game's gone down the path it has..." He looked up to the artificial sky above him "It could have been so much more." 

Carambit raised his right hand and flicked his index finger, bringing forth his inventory menu. He scrolled through the few measly items he had to begin his journey with. He knew that if he tried his best, then soon enough it would be such a full list he would have a hard time keeping track of it all. "Well..." he said to himself. "Time to fight some monsters. Come on game, show me what you've got." a good pep talk always helped to boost his self confidence.

Almost as if on queue, a bright blue light swirled up on the path in front of him, eventually settling to form the shape of a boar. After a few moments of spawning in and properly generating, the boar filled with its natural deep blue fur color, and it's red eyes shone brighter than anything else around them, easily catching Carambit's gaze. He drew the sword from the sheathe on his back. "Well, here goes!"

Edited August 16, 2015 by Carambit
completed RP

[Carambit 0]

[ID# 27483]
[BD=5] (Miss)
[MD=2] (Miss)

The two charged at each other, both Carambit and the boar letting out a mighty roar as they rushed headlong into battle with one another. However, in their rush to kill one another, both player and monster misjudged the directional path each would take, and as such, both missed wildly. Carambit glided past the boar and swung his leg around, planting it into the floor, acting as an anchor to slow him down and turn him back around to face his foe.

The boar skidded to a stop and turned back around to face him. It huffed a gust of air from its nostrils and kicked dirt up with its front right leg. It was preparing to take another charge for him. This time however, he would be ready for it. He wouldn't let some boar take him down. It was low level fodder, and it was exactly the confidence booster he needed to start building his level, brick by brick.

He swung his sword toward the ground, and raised his left hand to face the boar, waving his fingers toward himself. "Come at me, bro." he teased. Now infuriated, the boar charged at him once again. He readied his stance and prepared for its attack.

[Carambit 0]

[ID# 27484]
[BD=4] (Miss)
[MD=9] (Hit +1)
((Well this is going well...))

Carambit: 3/5
Boar: 2/2

Carambit had psyched himself up and prepared for the boar's attack, but he had not prepared for it to change course and come at him from the right. His eyes could barely keep up with its movements as he attempted to shift his position and pivot toward the beast so that he could better block it's attack. As a result, he was thrown off balance as it charged at him. The boar swiped past his arm with it's tusk, revealing a red gridded gash across Carambit's arm. He breathed in sharply. He didn't want to die here. He couldn't really be killed by the first monster he fought... Could he?

Carambit rolled and quickly jumped back to his feet, but before he could do much, the boar was already charging at him. The creature, it seemed, was quite eager to finish him off as quickly as possible.

Edited August 14, 2015 by Carambit

[Carambit 0]

[ID# 27485]
[BD=4] (Miss)
[MD=5] (Miss)

Carambit 3/5
Boar 2/2

Carambit swiftly dove out of the way of the beast as it blew past where he was standing, leaving him lying on his side, on the ground. He rolled back over and picked his sword back up, now facing toward the boar. It didn't even stop moving; running in an arc until it was facing him once again, charging toward him. "Oh god... No..." he pleaded as he began to scurry backward along the ground, away from the boar. This however only allowed it to pick up more speed.

He held up his sword and let out all the air in his lungs with one final cry of resistance. It was now or never. He aimed the sword toward the charging boar, closed his eyes, and began to pray.

Edited August 14, 2015 by Carambit

[Carambit 0]

[ID# 27486]
[BD=8] (Hit)
[MD=9] (Hit +1)
[LD=18]

(10 Col)

Carambit 1/5
Boar 0/2

He felt the boar's tusk run up the side of his leg, leaving yet another strip of red damage running up his right shin. When he opened his eyes, he saw the boar's head impaled on the end of his sword. It let out one final squeal before shattering into a million blue shards, which floated gently up into the air, disintegrating into the atmosphere. He gasped in a breath of air after what felt like an eternity of being breathless from his last cry.

A small window popped up in front of him reading "CONGRATULATIONS" and listed beneath it was 10 Col and a common material drop. Tears filled his eyes as he laid back down on the grass. "Okay..." he said to himself, shakily. "Maybe that's enough fighting for now... Maybe a small celebration back in town is in order..."

Carambit couldn't help but think about his girlfriend back home. What would she have thought if he had gone and gotten himself killed so easily? He'd be gone. That would be it, he'd be dead. He rested an arm across his face, covering his eyes. "Congratulations... Yeah, it certainly feels that way..." he mumbled to himself before picking himself up, dusting himself off, and making his way back toward town.

Edited August 15, 2015 by Carambit

[Carambit 0]

Once he made it back to town, he took a seat at a cafe and ordered a cool drink. A good way to spend his newly earned Col. Once he had a moment to think, Carambit decided to review his fight, and think about how he could improve. He thought about how the enemy moved, how he moved, and how he can improve on those movements so that next time he won't be so endangered. He decided that having others with you to shift aggro back and forth is the best way to go. Keep the enemy guessing.

Once his drink arrived, he thanked the waitress, and took a sip. Virtual Reality never ceased to amaze him. Upon glancing up toward his health bar, he was stunned to the point of almost spitting his drink to find that he had leveled up. His hitpoints were now at 7 and had regenerated back to full. "Yes!" He stood up triumphantly and exclaimed, before snapping back to reality to find that the rest of the cafe-goers were staring at him in confusion. "Uh... Sorry... Its a good drink. I recommend the cola..." he said before sinking back down into his seat.

He did it. He leveled up. Maybe this combat thing wasn't so hard. Maybe he could pull it off. The only way he knew to do this however, was to get back out there and try. Carambit decided that after this drink (which was great by the way) he would get back out there and have another swing. This time it would go very differently.

[Carambit 0]

Once he had finally finished his drink and tipped the waitress, he made his way back out to the fields. Every time he passed through that big town gate, Carambit couldn't help but feel a chill run up his spine. Every step he took out here held a chance of certain death, but he had to go. He had to try his hardest to grow stronger. He drew his sword and gave it a few practice swings. Once he was confident enough that he could take on another enemy, he returned to where the boar spawned previously.

Sure enough, soon after he began exploring the area, he spotted another boar, just like the one before, roaming around in the grass fields. There was another one just further over, but he decided that taking one on at a time was the best course of action, considering the close encounter he had just previously experienced. Carambit held his sword beside him and focused in on his enemy. Once he was prepared, he took a deep breath and charged into battle against the hog. He wouldn't go down so easily this time. This time he was brave. This time he was ready... Or so he thought.

Edited August 15, 2015 by Carambit

[Carambit 0]

[ID# 27622]
[BD=2] (Miss)
[MD=9] (Hit +1)

Carambit: 5/7
Boar: 2/2

Carambit let out a battle cry as he charged at his enemy, a mistake he soon would know not to make again when attempting a sneak attack (who'd have thought?). The boar sprung into action and immediately turned to face him. He felt the color drain from his face as he realized his mistake. "No!" he thought to himself "How could I be so stupid! Why would I let my enemy know my position?" he criticized himself as he continued his charge. He had already gotten himself into this, and there was no way he was about to back out of it now.

As soon as he was near enough, Carambit swung his sword with all his might upward at the face of the boar, attempting to decapitate it. Unfortunately the only damage he did was to the air beside it's head. The boar leapt up toward him, under his sword, and collided with his chest with an almighty tackle. This knocked the wind out of Carambit's lungs and sent him hurtling back through the air. Luckily he regained his footing and stood back up in a combat-ready stance. The boar landed back on the ground too, kicked up some dirt with its leg, just like the last one he fought, and went in for another charge.

[Carambit 0]

[ID# 27623]
[BD=8] (Hit)
[MD=10] (Hit +2) ((holy moly))
[LD=13] ((woohoo loots!))

The boar followed a similar attack pattern to the last time it charged at him, but this time, Carambit was timing his swipe just right, so that he would kill the creature once and for all. It didn't matter if it injured him again, he had enough health how to take a hit from it. He just had to be sure he landed some damage on this thing. The boar gained on him at breakneck speed and launched itself into the air to tackle him again. As it left the ground, Carambit swung his sword. The boar's head collided with his face, which felt like he was being punched by a very aggressive freight train. Right as his body twisted upon taking the hit, his sword met with the boar's torso, slicing it clean in half, showing a red gridded gap where his sword's blade had passed through it's body.

The boar squealed before bursting into a familiar bunch of shards. A small notification popped up in front of him, once again reading "CONGRATULATIONS!". This time, he had received another 10 Col, which he would certainly spend a portion of on another great tasting drink from that cafe. He took a deep breath and put away his sword. It wasn't long however before he gasped in another lungful of air when he saw he had gone up yet another level. His hitpoints had regenerated to 9 now, and he felt better than he had ever felt before. Carambit finally got the feeling that he could do this. He could survive in this game, and one day, maybe even make it up to the frontlines where the real heroes were. Maybe, just maybe, one day, he could be like them and truly make a difference for people.

[Carambit 0]

[ID# 27625]
[BD=2] (Miss)
[MD=4] (Miss)

Carambit: 9/9
Boar: 2/2

With this enemy defeated, and Carambit feeling like he could drop the whole world on it's behind, he decided to go straight for the next boar. With his level increased and his hit points raised back to a full 9, he had the confidence he needed to take on another enemy. Without delay he charged for it and swung his sword, this time being sure not to let out a sound to alert the enemy of his position. However with his new found headstrong attitude, he found himself to be a bit overconfident, and swung too early, misjudging the gap between them. The boar squealed in surprise and stepped out of the way, making sure to take a few extra steps to build the gap between them, so that it had enough room for a charge attack.

Carambit saw past this, and wouldn't give it the chance to make it's move. He charged at it and readied his sword for a backhanded swing.

Edited August 15, 2015 by Carambit

[Carambit 0]

[ID# 27626]
[BD=5] (Miss)
[MD=7] (Hit)

Carambit: 8/9
Boar:2/2

He swung wide at the boar, but once again had misjudged the distance, and had fallen short. The tip of his blade only just missed the monster's throat as it began to leave the ground in another attack. The hog swung its head upward at him, attacking with it's tusk. Carambit rolled his shoulder back and twisted his body to avoid the attack as much as possible, but the boar's tusk just barely caught his chest. It didn't do much damage, so he wasn't worried, but it was still damage he could have done without taking.

Carambit leapt back to gain some distance between him and the creature. If it took another swing at him, then he would be powerless against it's attack until he got some better gear, and would lose some more health; and he needed that like he needed a good kick in the teeth, which funnily enough, was not at all. Once he had gained some distance between them, he prepared for another sword skill attack, holding his weapon out beside him and letting the light engulf his weapon.

[Carambit 0]

[ID# 27627]
[BD=3] (Miss)
[MD=1] (Critical Fail! Hah! Suck it!)

Carambit: 8/9
Boar: 1/2

Carambit leapt forward toward the charging beast and swung his sword. It glided over the top of it's snout, coming withing hairs of slicing it across the eyes. This seemed to frighten the boar, as it suddenly attempted to divert it's course, squealing and stumbling. It fell forward, took a mouthful of dirt and rolled violently across the ground at full force. Carambit couldn't help but whince and retract his shoulders in toward him watching it all unfold. "Ooh... That had to be uncomfortable." he muttered.

The boar returned to it's feet, stumbling and looking around dazed. It had clearly not been programmed to perform such a stunt, and obviously had no idea where it was. Carambit almost felt sorry for it before realizing that it, like many other creatures he was sure to face, was designed to kill him. He spared no time in preparing his sword for another attack and beginning to run for the still confused creature. "This time for sure!" he yelled.

[Carambit 0]

[ID# 27628]
[BD=4] (Miss)
[MD=10] (Hit +2)

Carambit: 7/9
Boar: 1/2

Once again, Carambit's confidence had got the better of him. He swung at the boar, but had done so right as it had stumbled confusedly out of the way, leaving him wide open for an attack. Noticing it's opportunity, the beast wasted no time. It regained it's balance almost as if by some magical divine intervention, and charged full force into his ribs. Carambit spat out a cry of pain before stumbling backward. The strike had staggered not only him but the boar as well, as it had put everything it had into that attack. If he was to continue fighting, he had to end this, fast. At this rate, who knows if he or the animal would win. He prepared his sword and ran at the boar, not holding anything back. Hopefully this time, his strike would meet it's mark.

[Carambit 0]

[ID# 27629]
[BD=4] (Miss)
[MD=1] (Critical Fail!)
[LD=9] (Ah well, better luck next time!)

Carambit missed yet again, appalled at his ability to avoid enemies with his sword. Luckily for him, the boar misjudged it's attack too, and leapt right past him. As it did, he attempted something he wasn't sure would work, but he had to try anyway. He twisted in the air, and swung his leg out, sweeping beneath the boar, clipping all of it's legs along the way. As a result, Carambit ended up embedding his sword in the grass and sending him rolling across the ground. He quickly looked back to see what he had tried to do had worked.

The boar's footing was gone, and it could not land safely. With the speed it was moving at, it had no chance of surviving it's crash this time. The boar collided with the ground face first, bending it's neck in an unnatural way, and sending it rolling end over end across the dirt, launching tufts of grass into the air around it as it did so. The boar met the end of it's tumble, let out a soft squeal and exploded into light blue shards that floated up into the air, toward the sky. Carambit quickly thought to himself... Would it count? Would he still get the experience he needed from fighting this boar? From the extra XP he had left over from the previous battle, mixed with the XP gained from fighting another boar, he would surely level up again.

To his surprise, a small window appeared in front of him displaying the "CONGRATULATIONS!" he was starting to get more and more used to. There was however, no loot below it. Perhaps he had leveled up enough that the easy enemies would not drop Col or items anymore. Or perhaps he was just unlucky this time. Either way, he had just enough XP from this fight to push him up to level 4. Now that he was regenerated to 11 hitpoints, he decided that maybe one more enemy couldn't hurt too much.

[Carambit 0]

[ID# 27630]
[BD=9] (Hit +1)
[MD=10] (Hit +2)
[LD=5] (No loot)

Carambit: 8/11
Boar: -1/2 (wrecked.)
Boar: 2/2

Carambit decided that this time, he would go for something a little more challenging. He roamed around the floor for a while, searching for an enemy, when he came across two boars that had spawned right by one another. "Right," he thought to himself "this is it; this is how I test if I've really grown stronger or not. If I can take these two on, all on my own, then I'm done for the day and I'll head back. I'll know then that I'm strong enough to really make it here." He approached the two beasts, each looking in opposing directions, and drew his sword. He took a breath and began his assault. Both boars noticed him more or less at the same time, and began to prepare themselves for his attack.

He focused his first attack entirely on one boar, swinging with all his might. To his surprise, he was easily able to cut one of them down. However, by focusing his entire attack on one boar, it left him wide open for an attack from the other one. It slashed at his hip with it's tusk as it dove past him. He jumped back away from it and raised his sword over his shoulder, charging up his sword skill for another attack. He would not easily let this one get the better of him again, and he prepared for it's next charge, taking a defensive stance this time rather than going in head first with each opportunity he got. "Come on you glorified piglet. Show me what you've got!"

Edited August 15, 2015 by Carambit

[Carambit 0]

[ID# 27631]
[BD=6]
[MD=2]
[LD=14]

(1 Boar Hide)

The boar was very visibly angry from Carambit's taunt, and ran at him with everything it had. Carambit knew he could use this as a tactic in the future; when a person or creature sees red and runs in full of rage, they are unable to properly calculate everything around them. He stepped back with his right leg, leaving just enough space to swing down at the beast as it jumped at him. He cleaved right down the middle of it's body, sending it's front half forward and its rear half backward, each side exploding into the blue shards that he was starting to really enjoy the sight of.

"Yes!" he raised his fists up above his head "I did it! I can survive here! I can take on these monsters!" he dropped his sword arm down, and pointed at the sky with his left hand. "Just you wait, floor boss. I'll take you down yet." he sheathed his sword and began to stroll happily back toward town. His level did not increase from this battle, but he didn't care. As long as he knew he was getting somewhere, he was happy. Proudly, he strode through the north gate of the Starting Town, and headed back for the inn. After bringing up his inventory, he saw the Boar Hide he now possessed. "Hmm..." he thought to himself. "I wonder how many of these I'd need to get an armor upgrade to some better leather stuff..." he brought up a town map in his display, and searched around for any armorers in the area. "I really do wonder..."

[Carambit 0]

For now, Carambit decided it was best to keep it in his inventory, and so there it stayed. He was getting addicted to this combat thing, and wanted to take down some more enemies. He knew however, that he needed a brief rest before returning to the field while his HP recovered. He stumbled upon a peaceful looking park with a few other players wandering around. Carambit let out a peaceful breath knowing that there would not be any enemies here to fight him. He sunk down onto the grass in a nice, shady spot.

As he began to relax, Carambit ran his hand over the grass. The detailing was unbelievable; he actually felt like he was lying in the grassy area of a park close to where he lived in reality. The more he thought about it, the more his heart began to ache. Would he ever see that park again, or would this become his reality? There was no certainty to how this would end. Would he even survive until the end? He ran his hands down his face, wiping away the thoughts of despair and grief, and instead focused on relaxing. He wasn't going to be able to rest properly stressing about this sort of stuff. Being anxious and stressing about it wasn't going to change anything.

As he watched the fountain spray water up into the air, and back down into it's base, his eyelids grew heavier and heavier until he found it difficult to keep them open. When he finally came to it was later in the evening, but the sun had not set yet. This was the perfect time to get back out there and keep training. The faster he was able to level up and learn, the better.

[Carambit 0]

[ID# 27752]
[BD=6] (Hit)
[MD=5] (Miss)
[LD=9] (No loot)

Carambit: 11/11
Wolf: 0/2
Wolf: 2/2

Carambit had heard about a place on this floor called the "Field of Crossroads", and overheard that it was a good place to grind out some kills, so he decided to check it out. He left through the northern gate, and passed the area where he was fighting boars before. Eventually he came to a large crossroads dividing a grassy field into quarters. It was an interesting sight, but what was more interesting to him was the fact that there were no boars spawning here, but wolves instead.

Before he knew it, there were two wolves creeping up behind him, their eyes glowing red, their mouths salivating, and each one letting out a low snarl. He drew his sword and prepared himself. If I can take on two boars, then these wolves shouldn't be a problem either. "Come on then," he said "I haven't got all evening!"

The wolves leapt at him, one at a time, and he watched their movements, calculating and judging exactly where they would leap to. He stepped swiftly aside and slashed upward toward the sky, anticipating the positioning of the wolves. He was lucky enough to completely decapitate one, and as he landed he watched it explode into shards of data. The other wolf began to circle him, snarling still. Carambit began to follow it, watching it's movements, waiting for it to attack him. However, what the wolf did instead was let out a vicious howl. Two more wolves spawned in behind it, and began to creep up on Carambit, similar to how the first ones did.

"Well... That's different." he said, his pupils shrinking in surprise. He crouched down low, and readied himself. This was going to get real ugly, real fast, and he had to be as ready as possible for when it did. "Alright boys, one or three, it doesn't matter. Let's see what you've got."

Edited August 16, 2015 by Carambit

[Carambit 0]

[ID# 27753]
[BD=2] (Miss)
[MD=2] (Miss)

Carambit: 11/11
Wolf: 2/2
Wolf: 2/2
Wolf: 2/2

The wolves ran at him from all sides, one at a time. Carambit hopped left and right, watching them charge and dodging their claws and frothing mouths. He was getting much better at focusing and timing his movements. He found himself slipping into a sort of "zone". Everything moved so slowly, like back at home when he was working on making games and he was on a coffee kick. The adrenaline pulsed through his veins and he kept careful watch on the rear flank of one wolf, watching the muscle shift below the skin as it landed and came skidding to a stop.

If he kept a focus like this, and kept his mind on these wolves, he could do it. He could beat all of them. He held his sword up beside him and began to prepare his sword skill. "You can do this." he told himself as they began to approach him again. "You have this. They're nothing. You can bring these guys down in your sleep." he smirked. "Now show me. Show me you can do it. Kill them!"

The wolves snarled and made their move, charging him again. He took a sharp breath, and charged them right back. He wasn't going down without a fight.

[Carambit 0]

[ID# 27754]
[BD=7] (Hit)
[MD=9] (Hit+1)
[LD=1] (poop.)

Carambit: 9/11
Wolf: 0/2
Wolf: 2/2
Wolf: 2/2

Carambit slashed at the first one that attacked him. he cleaved from it's forward shoulder right through to it's back end. The wolf let out a dying howl of pain, and exploded into data. Unfortunately, this attack left him open to the other two wolves. Each one grazed him with it's claws as he passed them, and with his attack spent, he was powerless to stop them. He took the damage, and landed on his feet, swiftly turning to face his remaining enemies. This jump-in jump-out battle style wouldn't work forever. He had to change things up, or the creatures will catch him off guard.

Carambit broke into a sprint, running in a circle toward the wolf furthest from him, behind the other one. "Betcha didn't see this one coming!" He lifted his sword and charged his next attack up. "Heads up!" he yelled as he swung with all his might.