[SP - F3] << Search for the Hoya >>

[Takao 0]

The third floor had fallen quiet during the night, as per usual. Very few players were about, and even fewer NPCs wandered the dimly lit streets. Takao was one of the many players that had sought out shelter for the night, though he had done so in the form of his shop that was comfortably nestled between the other buildings on the floor. He was reclined against the back of a sofa, enjoying a small snack in his civilian-based attire as he cycled through a plethora of menus and prompts. The massive tree branched out in several directions, ranging from statistics windows to his usually messy inventory. Everything on the floor was as it usually was - peaceful. Or, well, it was peaceful, until a blood curdling scream tore through the silence and shook Takao to the bone. He flinched and relinquished his hold on the food he'd been eating, which fell to the floor and disappeared into miniature fragments of data. When his heartbeat finally calmed down, he closed out of the menus and approached one of the open windows.

"Jeez... I thought Lessa and I got rid of that ages ago?" He mumbled to himself as he glanced out the window. It was hard to see with the lights, but a slight mist had covered the ground outside of the town, and beyond it laid a large forest. "...Ah well. Maybe I can ignore it."

[Takao 0]

An hour had passed since he first heard the scream, yet he hadn't been able to get more than five consecutive minutes of silence. They were persistent and hellishly consistent, each scream occurring almost exactly within five minutes of the previous. He'd finally decided that he had enough of the noise and equipped himself for combat through the use of an already open inventory screen. He knew the quest well, having done it with the leader of his guild several weeks prior, though for some reason or another it seemed to have restarted itself. He had checked his quest list beforehand to confirm the thought, and it was indeed there yet again. The brunet shrugged it off and finished equipping himself, then headed out. He couldn't imagine taking care of it would take more than an hour or two at the most, even if he was a bit tired.

[Takao 0]

The Forest of Wavering Mist loomed before him, and he found the location to be fitting of its description. Tall trees loomed overhead, and the entire forest was shrouded in ever thickening mist, just as he remembered it being the first time he'd accidentally ventured inside. This time, however, he was better acquainted with the risks and dangers of the forest, as well as what lurked within. He couldn't remember where exactly the quest objective was, and the map didn't cover the forest no matter how thoroughly he explored it, so he was left to wander with only a brief scream every five minutes to point him in the right direction. With sword in hand, Takao stepped through the mist, and began the monotonous task of navigating through the forest.

[Takao 0]

Every five minutes, a scream tore through the eerie silence of the forest. Each terrifying, inhuman sounding shout all originated from the same point, as they had when he originally found the tomb of the mythological King Minos. So, every five minutes, Takao was able to use the unsettling sounds of terror to direct himself. However, this meant for the other four minutes and fifty nine seconds between each scream, the brunet was forced to wander around without concrete knowledge that he was headed in the right direction. It was certainly a blow to his confident stride, which was more of an uneasy saunter at this point.

[Takao 0]

What Takao had thought would only take him around ten or twenty minutes to find ended up taking the better part of an hour. The forest was a maze in itself, with tall trees that had massive thick trunks, and little to no landmarks to identify from a distance. Not that he even could identify anything from a distance, save for silhouettes and vague shapes. The ever thickening mist made sure that he was entirely unaware of what was ten meters ahead of him. With his misplaced confidence that came from going without any monster confrontation for the entirety of his journey thus far, he had returned the sword to his back, and continued onward.

[Takao 0]

It had nearly taken him an hour and a half of wandering through the misty forest, but he finally saw what he'd been searching for, more or less. Of course, he saw the two hulking beasts standing guard outside of the tomb well before he saw the tomb itself, though he knew that it rested just beyond them. They weren't a problem for Lessa and him before, and even though they did look a bit bulkier than he remembered, he was confident they wouldn't prove to be too much of an obstacle. He reached to his back to draw his sword as he approached their silhouettes that continued to grow in size, and only stopped when their red eyes flashed toward him.

[Takao 0]

Two hulking beasts stood before him. They were neither man, nor were they beast, but rather some monsterous mixture of the two. The lower body of some hoofed animal, the midsection and upper torso of a man, and the head of a bull. They each held a large battle axe, the height of which rivaled their wielders. The monsters would be terrifying to any normal, sane person in a normal, sane setting. However, given his and many other player's situation of being stuck in the game, and after having been subjected to such terrifying circumstances constantly, it seemed oddly normal to him. He was fully capable of retaining the understanding that it was just a game, and they were just virtual creatures that wanted nothing else from their existence but to kill him, yet he still managed to remain calm in the face of their intimidating looks.

Takao acted first by preparing a sword skill. He knew it was risky to engage multiple opponents by himself, especially by starting with a sword skill, but this was only the third floor. Even if it was part of a quest, there would be a threshold that their damage could not exceed. He was confident their attacks could only do so much damage to him with his armour. With the pre-motion of his sword skill readied and control of his avatar transferred to the system, his blade sliced through the left leg of the closest Minotaur. The rigidness took over immediately afterward, and as he had been expecting, the second Minotaur was quicker to act than the first. It swung its large axe down onto his shoulder, although his armour seemed to prevent and substantial damage. The massive weapon barely even went an inch into his body.

- -

« Battle Sequence »
Takao » Minotaur 1 » Minotaur 2

» ID : [[ 28482(BD+CD+MD1) | 28483(MD2) ]]
» BD : [[ HIT (3 + 2(ACC) + 1(Concentration)) ]]
» MD 1 : [[ MISS (2 - 3(EVA)) ]]
» MD 2 : [[ C.HIT (10 - 3(EVA)) ]]

» CD : [[ 6 ]]

« Takao »
[[ 64/65 HP ]] (4(DMG) + 2 critical - 5(MIT) = -1HP)

« Minotaur 1 »
[[ 32/40 HP ]] (8(DMG) = -8HP)
« Minotaur 2 »
[[ 40/40 HP ]]

[Takao 0]

Takao's back was turned to the first Minotaur who was quickly recovering from the damage he dealt just an instant ago, though the rigid paralysis inflicted by the system as it returned control of his avatar back to him coupled with the large axe buried in his right shoulder made movement quite difficult. When the post-motion effects had worn off, he was able to move and prepare a sword skill that body knocked the Minotaur's axe out of his shoulder and off to the side, and then cleave through its torso with a powerful followup blow. As Takao did so, the half man-half beast behind him mimicked its twin's action and slammed its axe down on Takao's other shoulder, eliciting an annoyed grunt from his lungs. Just like its brother before it, the axe hardly did any worthwhile damage, especially after his Battle Healing skill kicked in and recovered what had been lost.

- -

« Battle Sequence »
Takao » Minotaur 1 » Minotaur 2

» ID : [[ 28486(BD+CD+MD1) | 28487(MD2) ]]
» BD : [[ C.HIT (10 + 2(ACC)) ]]
» MD 1 : [[ C.HIT (9 - 3(EVA)) ]]
» MD 2 : [[ MISS (8 - 3(EVA)) ]]

» CD : [[ 11 ]] (2 HP Recovered)

« Takao »
[[ 65/65 HP ]] (4(DMG) + 1 critical - 5(MIT) = -1HP) | (2 HP Recovered)

« Minotaur 1 »
[[ 22/40 HP ]] (8(DMG) + 2 critical = -10HP)
« Minotaur 2 »
[[ 40/40 HP ]]

[Takao 0]

Takao stared into the menacingly glowing eyes of the Minotaur that stood before him as it raised its axe high above its head. The double sided axe head was lifted high enough to be slightly obscured by the fog, and with the other Minotaur's blade in his shoulder and preventing him from moving, it had suddenly become considerably intimidating. He grit his teeth and shifted his feet apart, then poised his sword off to the side in a peculiar yet intentionally assumed stance. The length of his blade erupted into a magnificent vibrant green light, and with the system's guidance, the sword skill knocked the axe out of his shoulder. The Minotaur stumbled away just as the other axe came down at him, and just in time for the second strike of his two-hit sword skill. He - or rather, the system reversed the direction of his blade and sent it up at the axe, knocking it away as well, the movements of which had left all of the fight's participants undamaged.

- -

« Battle Sequence »
Takao » Minotaur 1 » Minotaur 2

» ID : [[ 28537(BD+CD+MD1) | 28538(MD2) ]]
» BD : [[ MISS (1 + 2(ACC)) ]]
» MD 1 : [[ MISS (1 - 3(EVA)) ]]
» MD 2 : [[ MISS (5 - 3(EVA)) ]]

» CD : [[ 5 ]]

« Takao »
[[ 65/65 HP ]]

« Minotaur 1 »
[[ 22/40 HP ]]
« Minotaur 2 »
[[ 40/40 HP ]]

[Takao 0]

Immediately after the system's influence over him wore off, Takao moved around one of the two Minotaurs and placed himself in a position opposite to the other. The monsters began to move toward him, though he manipulated their movements based on his own positioning; employing the age-old technique of kiting monsters. When only one of the two beasts stood in front of him, he took the opportunity to strike. The Minotaur swung its axe down where he was standing when he'd come within range, but the blade only struck the ground. Takao used the flat of his sword resting along the length of his upper arm to guide the axe's blade aside, then he stepped forward and spun his wrist around to re-position the direction his blade was heading in. He used his shoulder to throw the strike at the beast, which cut through its exposed arm and left a large gash of a glowing wound upon the human-like skin.

- -

« Battle Sequence »
Takao » Minotaur 1 » Minotaur 2

» ID : [[ 28540(BD+CD+MD1) | 28541(MD2) ]]
» BD : [[ HIT (5 + 2(ACC) + 1(LMT)) ]]
» MD 1 : [[ MISS (5 - 3(EVA)) ]]
» MD 2 : [[ MISS (4 - 3(EVA)) ]]

» CD : [[ 2 ]]

« Takao »
[[ 65/65 HP ]]

« Minotaur 1 »
[[ 14/40 HP ]] (8(DMG) = -8HP)
« Minotaur 2 »
[[ 40/40 HP ]]

Edited August 22, 2015 by Takao

[Takao 0]

Takao was well acquainted with the risks of fighting multiple enemies while on his lonesome. Although he was in a guild, it seemed to be getting more and more common for him to embark on these escapades on his lonesome, as his guild mates weren't as proactive with their progress. He did find some entertainment in fighting, a bit of thrill even, which was likely what kept him going.

His green eyes stared at the monster in front of him, then shifted to glance over his shoulder to the thunderous stomping of the beast behind him. It wasn't a bad spot to be in, honestly. He could attack the one in front of him as soon as he wanted, and the monster behind him would have difficulty traversing double that distance before he could recover. Of course, the possibility that the beast could cover that distance quickly was present, and Takao was aware of it as well, yet he knew exactly what he was getting himself into. The brunet released control of his avatar to the system upon completing the sword skill's pre-motion. His blade was guided through the minotaur, and his reward was yet another axe in his shoulder.

- -

« Battle Sequence »
Takao » Minotaur 1 » Minotaur 2

» ID : [[ 28548(BD+CD+MD1) | 28549(MD2) ]]
» BD : [[ HIT (8 + 2(ACC)) ]]
» MD 1 : [[ MISS (6 - 3(EVA)) ]]
» MD 2 : [[ C.HIT (10 - 3(EVA)) ]]

» CD : [[ 11 ]]

« Takao »
[[ 65/65 HP ]] (4(DMG) + 2 critical - 5(MIT) = -1HP) | (2 HP Recovered)

« Minotaur 1 »
[[ 6/40 HP ]] (8(DMG) = -8HP)
« Minotaur 2 »
[[ 40/40 HP ]]

Edited August 22, 2015 by Takao

[Takao 0]

The axe in his shoulder wasn't much of a hindrance, especially once he smacked it away with his sword. The minotaurs had their size over him, that fact was incontestable, but he had learned very quickly that the size of an avatar, mob or not, didn't matter when compared to statistics. He was a bit over-leveled for the rather simple quest, so while they had their size, he had superior parameters. He stepped forward and cut through the remaining health of the first Minotaur, and turned to face the second as the beast behind him burst into fragments of data.

- -

« Battle Sequence »
Takao » Minotaur 1 » Minotaur 2

» ID : [[ 28551(BD+CD+MD1) | 28552(MD2) ]]
» BD : [[ HIT (5 + 2(ACC)) ]]
» MD 1 : [[ C.HIT (9 - 3(EVA)) ]]
» MD 2 : [[ MISS (2 - 3(EVA)) ]]

» CD : [[ 6 ]]

« Takao »
[[ 64/65 HP ]] (Damage negated by turn order.)

« Minotaur 1 »
[[ * DEAD * ]] (8(DMG) = -8HP)
« Minotaur 2 »
[[ 40/40 HP ]]

[Takao 0]

"Alright then, one down, one to go." Takao said aloud as his gaze settled upon the approaching Minotaur. He held his left hand out to the side with his palm facing up, while his right hand remained positioned downward with his blade firmly grasped. "So, I already know the answer to this, but it doesn't hurt my conscience any to ask. Do you wanna do this the easy way, or the ha-whoa!" His voice, which had been the only sounds to pierce the mist save for the music of combat, was suddenly cut off as the Minotaur's axe sailed just barely overhead, having previously been on a collision course with the side of his neck. While still ducking down, Takao took a heavy step forward and cut along the Minotaur's leg as he rose back up to a standing position. "I guess I'll take that as a "maybe"?"

- -

« Battle Sequence »
Takao » Minotaur 1 » Minotaur 2

» ID : [[ 28553 ]]
» BD : [[ HIT (8 + 2(ACC)) ]]
» MD 1 : [[ C.HIT (9 - 3(EVA)) ]]
» MD 2 : [[ MISS (8 - 3(EVA)) ]]

» CD : [[ 5 ]]

« Takao »
[[ 64/65 HP ]]

« Minotaur 1 »
[[ * DEAD * ]]
« Minotaur 2 »
[[ 32/40 HP ]] (8(DMG) = -8HP)

[Takao 0]

The Minotaur's axe was swung down at him with vicious and unrelenting strength. The beast was planning to split him in two, if given the chance, but Takao would give him no such opportunity. He quickly and practically effortlessly assumed a stance to active a sword skill, and when his blade began to glow, he allowed the system to guide it forward. It was a two hit sword skill, the first of which was aimed for the weapon to deflect it off to the side. Their blades clashed, and Takao's superior strength parameter provided him with the advantage as the Minotaur's axe was thrown off course. The system forced his wrist to turn and rapidly change the blade's path, instead cleaving through the half-man half-beast's exposed torso. "Hah! I'm startin' to get pretty good at this whole soloing business."

- -

« Battle Sequence »
Takao » Minotaur 1 » Minotaur 2

» ID : [[ 28554 ]]
» BD : [[ HIT (7 + 2(ACC)) ]]
» MD 1 : [[ C.HIT (9 - 3(EVA)) ]]
» MD 2 : [[ MISS (5 - 3(EVA)) ]]

» CD : [[ 9 ]]

« Takao »
[[ 64/65 HP ]]

« Minotaur 1 »
[[ * DEAD * ]]
« Minotaur 2 »
[[ 24/40 HP ]] (8(DMG) = -8HP)

[Takao 0]

Although the Minotaur was large, Takao's blade still cut through it with ease; not unlike a hot knife through butter. The blade emerged from the other side of the monster, and after a brief period of rigid stiffness throughout his body that stemmed from the system's sword skill post-motion mechanics, he turned and resumed his attack. There was no reason to give the last monster any opportunity to attack, especially not when he could be resting at home - or the closest thing to it, at least, so he had every intention of ending the fight as quickly as possible. His blade cut through the beast yet again, and the road map of wounds began to overlap each other.

- -

« Battle Sequence »
Takao » Minotaur 1 » Minotaur 2

» ID : [[ 28589 ]]
» BD : [[ C.HIT (10 + 2(ACC)) ]]
» MD 1 : [[ C.HIT (9 - 3(EVA)) ]]
» MD 2 : [[ MISS (5 - 3(EVA)) ]]

» CD : [[ 12 ]]

« Takao »
[[ 65/65 HP ]] (2 HP Recovered)

« Minotaur 1 »
[[ * DEAD * ]]
« Minotaur 2 »
[[ 14/40 HP ]] (8(DMG) + 2 critical = -10HP)

[Takao 0]

The Minotaur howled in a mixture of simulated pain and sheer anger as it continued to receive an almost nonstop stream of damage. Takao used a sequence of specific sword skills with varying hit counts and alternating post-motion freezing countdowns to both prevent the beast from attacking as well as dealing damage himself. Some attacks would be unavoidable, which was a fact Takao was well aware of, but he had improved greatly as a combatant in the past few months. Even though fighting solo like he so often did was incredibly reckless, it was difficult to argue with the results. But, everybody was prone to make mistakes, such as how he had just miscalculated the cool down for his sword skill, and how he hadn't been expecting the Minotaur to turn so quickly. It swung its axe horizontally for his head first, which he promptly ducked under just barely in time to avoid taking damage. The monster then swung its axe back around and aimed it vertically, straight for the ground. Takao tensed his legs and pushed off the ground, and with the use of his left hand to stabilize himself, he performed a single-handed hand spring before landing back onto his feet a good few meters away.

- -

« Battle Sequence »
Takao » Minotaur 1 » Minotaur 2

» ID : [[ 28596 ]]
» BD : [[ MISS (1 + 2(ACC)) ]]
» MD 1 : [[ C.HIT (9 - 3(EVA)) ]]
» MD 2 : [[ MISS (6 - 3(EVA)) ]]

» CD : [[ 10 ]]

« Takao »
[[ 65/65 HP ]] (2 HP Recovered)

« Minotaur 1 »
[[ * DEAD * ]]
« Minotaur 2 »
[[ 14/40 HP ]]

[Takao 0]

The weight of the axe had resulted in a small tremour being created after it struck the ground. The power of the strike was astonishing, yet Takao didn't seem all that impressed. The monster had less than two hits of health left on its orange coloured gauge, which meant that Takao was just less than a minute away from delving into the tomb, retrieving the item from within that would complete the quest, and heading back to his in-shop residence for some much desired rest. While the monster worked on recovering his axe from the soil it was stuck in, Takao moved closer and stepped down hard on his right foot while his arm snapped forward like a whip. His blade chopped through its left arm and left a large wound on the limb, and although a good deal of damage had been dealt from the blow, Takao didn't back off just yet.

- -

« Battle Sequence »
Takao » Minotaur 1 » Minotaur 2

» ID : [[ 28602 ]]
» BD : [[ HIT (6 + 2(ACC)) ]]
» MD 1 : [[ C.HIT (9 - 3(EVA)) ]]
» MD 2 : [[ MISS (3 - 3(EVA)) ]]

» CD : [[ 1 ]]

« Takao »
[[ 65/65 HP ]]

« Minotaur 1 »
[[ * DEAD * ]]
« Minotaur 2 »
[[ 6/40 HP ]] (8(DMG) = -8HP)

[Takao 0]

While Takao was still close to the minotaur, he followed through with the cutting motion before sliding his right foot back toward his body. Once his boot was planted firmly on the ground, his left foot stepped forward and he raised his sword a second time. The monster tried and failed to defend itself from the followup attack, as Takao's movements proved too quick for it, and with one final slash the remainder of its health was diminished. Much like its twin before it, the beast erupted into hundreds of data fragments that disappeared into the misty night air, leaving only Takao left standing.

- -

« Battle Sequence »
Takao » Minotaur 1 » Minotaur 2

» ID : [[ 28606 ]]
» BD : [[ HIT (8 + 2(ACC)) ]]
» MD 1 : [[ C.HIT (9 - 3(EVA)) ]]
» MD 2 : [[ C.HIT (10 - 3(EVA)) ]]

» CD : [[ 11 ]]

« Takao »
[[ 65/65 HP ]] (Damage negated by turn order.)

« Minotaur 1 »
[[ * DEAD * ]]
« Minotaur 2 »
[[ * DEAD * ]] (8(DMG) = -8HP)

Edited August 23, 2015 by Takao

[Takao 0]

"Alright then." Takao said aloud to himself as he sheathed his sword and turned to the tomb doors. They were large, possibly twice his size and then some, and made of heavy stone. The tomb was built into a small hill, with grass and vines throwing over the sides that camouflaged it from any direction other than the direction that he'd noticed it from. He stepped up to the doors and placed one gloved hand onto the cool, slightly damp surface. A brief memory of how heavy it was the last time he'd tried to open it on his lonesome flashed by, yet he was determined to give it another try regardless. He leaned forward and pushed against the stone, which didn't seem to budge at first. After a bit more persistence, the stone door slowly slid open, and a light rain of dirt and pebbles fell onto his shoulders and head.

He glanced into the darkness and took a few steps inside. The NerveGear didn't replicate moisture exceptionally well, especially not in large quantities like baths. Yet the environment still had a cool, damp feel to it as he proceeded inside. Unlit torches on either side of the stone walls of the tomb slowly ignited one by one, illuminating the path further inside while providing a contrast of temperature. He tread lightly over the dirt covered hallway, and listened to the ambient sounds of the fires, as well as his boots kicking up small stones and dust as he walked.

He reached the tomb that he'd been looking for in less than a minute. It was vast and spacious with massive stone pillars, several of which were in ruin, lining the sides. Sitting in the middle of the large room was a large elevated platform made of stone, and after ascending the staircase, he laid his eyes on the open coffin.

[Takao 0]

The pendant was retrieved and Takao had exited the tomb without issue or further conflict, as he'd been expecting it to be. He was hardly paying attention to where he walked, and instead kept his gaze set on the pendant in his hands. It was a beautiful vanity piece primarily made of gold with silver inlays for decoration, as well as intricate designs throughout. It had no definable shape due to the intricacy of the design that he found indescribable. A large green jewel was set behind a silver cage of sorts, though it was all just part of the pendant's design.

"I guess I know why this thing is so sought after for girlfriends and stuff." Takao muttered to himself as he examined the finer details of the amulet. At some point that he didn't entirely recall, he had made it out of the mist and set his course to the town of Delilah. When he was finished looking at the accessory, he tucked it away safely to his inventory. "Couldn't really say some old guy's necklace is my definition of romance though."