[SP - F4] Déjà Vu << The Essence of Steel >> [COMPLETE]

[Takao 0]

Takao emerged from an orb of light atop the gate platform and stepped into the frigid temperatures of the fourth floor. He felt a shiver run down his spine almost immediately, which prompted him to delve into his inventory and equip the cloak he typically wore in the colder climates. He wasted no time afterward and immediately set to walking, trudging through the light layer of snow that had settled across the roads of Snowfrost. He passed by the various buildings and considered stopping in one of the inns for a warm drink, but ultimately willed himself out of it and pressed on. His familiar sat across his shoulders, basking in the warmth of the fur collar. Takao directed his voice toward the familiar as he walked, though his eyes remained looking forward. "I'm not gonna have you hide away this time, alright?" He began to say, asking for the familiar's confirmation despite knowing fully well it couldn't speak. "We've gotta get you more combat-oriented, so you'll go in with me, but all you need to worry about is evading. Think you can do that?" The familiar nodded its head and Takao did the same. "Good. We're gonna go meet up with an old friend, so be ready."

Edited September 2, 2015 by Takao

[Takao 0]

Before long, Takao and his familiar had left the settlement of Snowfrost and delved into the frosted wilderness. The snow grew deeper as they pressed into the forest, now trudging through the powdery substance that was just barely knee high. Well, Takao was the one trudging, his draconic familiar sat safely and comfortably upon his shoulders while expressing very little interest in hopping down. He was sure the tamed monster would disappear beneath the snow if he did actually decide to walk, though he would much rather put his money on the game suddenly ending out of nowhere well before he'd bet on the monster actually choosing to come down. His green eyes scanned the distance for movement, though he only saw the light snowfall dropping from the frozen canopy. "Alright, we should be gettin' close. He's a pretty big guy, so try to keep some distance."

[Takao 0]

The wind began to pick up the further Takao walked, though the thick expanse of trees that were scattered around the wintry landscape worked well to break them up into cold wisps of air. His familiar tucked its face down behind his neck and into the furs of his cloak, whose thick fabric was gently battered from one side to the other by the slight winds as he walked. Although the tundra made traversing the landscape difficult, the brunet and his draconic familiar arrived at the clearing within a respectable amount of time. He laid his eyes upon the wide expanse as the winds died down and seemed to come to a complete stand-still. It was a circular area, with the far edges of the clearing dotted with overturn trees and stumps. Despite being without the cover of a forest canopy, the snow was also significantly less deep and much easier to move around in. A stone pedestal sat in the very middle of the clearing, and atop the pedestal rested a beast's skull. Resting against the pedestal was an equally large bone, one Takao had suspected to be from the same creature as the skull. "Alright buddy, it's game time. You ready?" He said to his familiar, who nodded and leapt down from his shoulders into the cold snow below.

[Takao 0]

With his familiar hopping through the snow on all fours behind him, Takao approached the stone pedestal. He reached down and grasped the comically large bone and tossed it between his hands a few times. He glanced down to his familiar for last minute confirmation, who pounded one of its fist into an open paw in response, and earned a smirk from Takao. "Right on." He said as he caught the bone in his right hand and pulled his arm back. He slammed the bone's fovea into the skull and covered one of his ears as the hollow yet still loud sound rang out through the clearing. He tossed the bone aside and reached his hand back to his sword as his eyes set upon the crevasse that the monster would emerge from.

Edited August 31, 2015 by Takao

[Takao 0]

The ground beneath the two began to shake violently as the hollow sound startled the sleeping beast awake. The sheer cliff made of ice that sat on the opposite end of the clearing began to shake and rumble as large cracks formed in the frozen surface. Snow atop the cliff fell and created a powdery smokescreen, leaving the non-existent onlookers who would be inexperienced with the monster's appearance in the dark. The ice shattered and fell to the ground, creating a large opening that lead into a dark cave. From within, two sets of glowing red eyes flashed through the darkness, and each heavy step it took sent tremours through the frozen ground. The smile on Takao's face persisted, and after he flashed a nod to his familiar, the brunet drew his sword from its scabbard and held his arms out to either side in a provocative, "advance toward me, brethren" type of gesture.

"Hey buddy! Long time no see!"

[Takao 0]

The complicated nature of Sword Art Online's artificial intelligence was baffling and confusing to Takao. There were the NPCs that acted like real people going about their daily lives, even going as far as to look him in the eye and greet him when he passed them on the streets. If it weren't for the colour cursors and clear indications that they were in fact just NPCs, he had no doubts that he would confuse them for players. Some of the NPCs would even hold conversations with him at times, which was truly astonishing. Then there were the monsters. They were probably the smartest of all the artificial intelligence wielding creatures in the game. They could observe, remember, learn, and adapt. They could notice patterns and react accordingly, which made for some tricky fights. But Takao's focus was on the memory part, because he could swear the Snow Beast was sprinting at him with primal, unbridled rage. The kind of rage that one would suspect to have some kind of driving force behind it, like a grudge. Had it remembered the first time he killed it? Or maybe his provocative gesture had done the trick. Either way, he had a massive hulking beast that stood several times taller than himself charging straight at him. Takao baited the monster in, then dove and ducked into a tumble to evade its massive sweeping arm. He rolled back onto his feet and unleashed a four-hit sword skill upon the beast's exposed midsection.

- -

« Battle Sequence »
Takao » Snow Beast

» ID : [[ 29672 ]]
» BD : [[ HIT (5 + 2(ACC)) ]]
» MD : [[ MISS (5 - 3(EVA)) ]]

» CD : [[ 6 ]]

« Takao »
[[ 67/67 HP ]]

« Snow Beast »
[[ 91/100 HP ]] (9(DMG) = -9HP)

[Takao 0]

Takao was unfortunate enough to have not hit a critical spot on the monster, so his sword skill only paralyzed it for a very brief moment. It staggered back, but recovered much faster than Takao, which left the brunet in a rather precarious position. The beast's large hand wrapped around him and first slammed him into the ground once, then slowly lifted him into the air. He grunted and struggled upon feeling the system relinquish control, though the monster's grip proved just a tad too strong for him to break out of so easily. Takao was raised above the monster, who then proceeded to hold him above its gaping mouth. "O-oh, uh... Hold on a second, man! You don't wanna eat me! I probably taste like... like uh..." He continued to struggle against the monster's grip. "Actually, I probably taste great. But that's beside the point!"

- -

« Battle Sequence »
Takao » Snow Beast

» ID : [[ 29679 ]]
» BD : [[ MISS (1 + 2(ACC)) ]]
» MD : [[ C.HIT (9 - 3(EVA)) ]]

» CD : [[ 9 ]]

« Takao »
[[ 64/67 HP ]] (5(DMG) + 1 critical - 5(MIT) = -3HP)

« Snow Beast »
[[ 91/100 HP ]]

[Takao 0]

The monster had made the mistake of releasing its grip on Takao in order to attempt to drop him into its mouth. The minute he felt the grip loosen, he pushed the monster's hand apart and jumped from its grasp. He spun his blade and stuck it into the monster's arm, then used gravity to slide down the large extremity while dealing a steady stream of damage. His boots landed on the monster's head, and a large grin grew on his face as he pulled the weapon free of the monster and began to run along its back. "Haha! This is the day you will always remember as the day you almost caught Captain Takao Ki- wuh- ack!" His attempt at an outdated movie quote was interrupted by the monster shaking its back and throwing Takao off. He fell face down into the snow and slid a few meters with his legs bent at the knee, until he slowly came to a stop in front of his familiar. His legs dropped and his head slowly raised to stare at the monster and his coy grin. "...not a word from you."

- -

« Battle Sequence »
Takao » Snow Beast

» ID : [[ 29680 ]]
» BD : [[ HIT (7 + 2(ACC)) ]]
» MD : [[ MISS (1 - 3(EVA)) ]]

» CD : [[ 7 ]]

« Takao »
[[ 64/67 HP ]]

« Snow Beast »
[[ 82/100 HP ]] (9(DMG) = -9HP)

[Takao 0]

Takao slowly pushed himself back up onto his feet and brushed the snow off his clothes and face. He was thankful the monster was perhaps the antithesis of stealth, as he turned the instant it started moving. He waited for the monster to get closer before he moved and closed the rest of the gap. Takao just barely managed to evade the monster's arm by dropping into a slide as it swung overhead, the slick snowy ground allowing him to perform such a feat with ease. He regained his balance and thrust his blade into the monster's exposed underbelly, then tore it downward until the blade emerged from a lower point in its body.

- -

« Battle Sequence »
Takao » Snow Beast

» ID : [[ 29681 ]]
» BD : [[ C.HIT (10 + 2(ACC)) ]]
» MD : [[ MISS (8 - 3(EVA)) ]]

» CD : [[ 3 ]]

« Takao »
[[ 64/67 HP ]]

« Snow Beast »
[[ 71/100 HP ]] (9(DMG) + 2 critical = -11HP)

[Takao 0]

The fight between Takao and the Snow Beast continued to rage on, although Takao had the clear advantage. Even when the beast managed to strike him a second time, the damage proved to be minimal - the only damage being dealt was through the beast's partial phase ability. His armour was greater than the beast's ability to damage, and although some managed to seep through, it was ultimately a negligible amount. Takao on the other hand had little problem unleashing his full damage onto the monster, who had no methods of dampening the blow. His system-assisted sword skill tore through the beast's digital flesh like rice paper, dropping the beast's health even further.

- -

« Battle Sequence »
Takao » Snow Beast

» ID : [[ 29682 ]]
» BD : [[ HIT (6 + 2(ACC)) ]]
» MD : [[ C.HIT (9 - 3(EVA)) ]]

» CD : [[ 8 ]]

« Takao »
[[ 61/67 HP ]] (5(DMG) + 1 critical - 5(MIT) = -3HP)

« Snow Beast »
[[ 62/100 HP ]] (9(DMG) = -9HP)

[Takao 0]

"You know-" Takao began with his taunting after failing to find significant entertainment in the fight. He paused momentarily to dodge the massive arm that swung at him by dropping into a tumble and rolling onto his feet. "You're much less menacing than you were last time." A grin worked its way across his face as his blade sank into and cut through the monster's arm just before he retreated to a safe distance. If he were to be honest to himself, this monster was the first major risk he'd taken, and at the time he'd been quite afraid for his own life. But it turned out to be much less of a danger to him than he originally anticipated, and when compared to the other things he had done on his lonesome, it paled in comparison. He had to fight this beast twice, and he hoped it would be the last he'd see of it afterward.

- -

« Battle Sequence »
Takao » Snow Beast

» ID : [[ 29756 ]]
» BD : [[ HIT (6 + 2(ACC)) ]]
» MD : [[ MISS (5 - 3(EVA)) ]]

» CD : [[ 9 ]]

« Takao »
[[ 61/67 HP ]]

« Snow Beast »
[[ 53/100 HP ]] (9(DMG) = -9HP)

[Takao 0]

The monster slammed both of its fists onto the ground, creating a geyser of powdery snow that shot into the air. Had Takao not moved in time, he likely would've been amidst the geyser, though his foresight and evasiveness spared him of such a fate. He used the makeshift "snowscreen" as cover as he moved around to the monster's side and prepared a sword skill. The glow of his blade shined through the falling snow, though by the time the monster had taken notice, it was too late. Takao relinquished control to the system and allowed for it to guide his avatar through the motions of the simple two-hit sword skill. He retreated to a safe distance afterward and examined the monster's health gauge, which had fallen below the half-way point.

- -

« Battle Sequence »
Takao » Snow Beast

» ID : [[ 29781 ]]
» BD : [[ HIT (7 + 2(ACC)) ]]
» MD : [[ MISS (3 - 3(EVA)) ]]

» CD : [[ 12 ]]

« Takao »
[[ 63/67 HP ]] (2 HP Recovered)

« Snow Beast »
[[ 44/100 HP ]] (9(DMG) = -9HP)

[Takao 0]

Takao maintained a very simple yet incredibly effective strategy, consisting only of evasion and attacking. He baited the monster closer to exhaust its energy, then let it make the first attack when it was close enough. Takao kept himself at a specific range and in a specific stance to make dodging the monster's predictable attack patterns a nonissue, and although it was entirely possible he would trip up or slip on something, it had been mostly effective. It continued to work like a charm, the monster swung and Takao dodged, then he stepped in and unleashed the fury of a sword skill upon the beast to knock it back. Afterward, he put another fair bit of distance between them and waited for it to attack again.

- -

« Battle Sequence »
Takao » Snow Beast

» ID : [[ 29811 ]]
» BD : [[ C.HIT (10 + 2(ACC)) ]]
» MD : [[ MISS (8 - 3(EVA)) ]]

» CD : [[ 9 ]]

« Takao »
[[ 63/67 HP ]]

« Snow Beast »
[[ 33/100 HP ]] (9(DMG) + 2 critical = -11HP)

Edited September 2, 2015 by Takao

[Takao 0]

"This is considerably easier than I expected it to be!" Takao mused aloud as he utilized his favourite skill to evade the monster's aggressive advances. His body twisted, bent, and contorted acrobatically to afford him the opportunity to dodge with a bit of flair. Perhaps it was his being a small target that made him so evasive in the face of a monster several times his own size, or perhaps he just had some kind of knack for being an annoyingly wiry opponent. Ultimately, the reason didn't matter too much, he was thankful either way. His blade carved away more of the monster's health, leaving only a small chunk to remain.

- -

« Battle Sequence »
Takao » Snow Beast

» ID : [[ 29811 ]]
» BD : [[ C.HIT (10 + 2(ACC)) ]]
» MD : [[ MISS (5 - 3(EVA)) ]]

» CD : [[ 7 ]]

« Takao »
[[ 63/67 HP ]]

« Snow Beast »
[[ 22/100 HP ]] (9(DMG) + 2 critical = -11HP)

Edited September 2, 2015 by Takao

[Takao 0]

Takao stared forward at the charging monster as it barreled toward him, clearly straining itself in favour of speed. He noticed a very distinct switch in tactics after the beast had sustained a significant amount of damage to its health. It no longer had any rhythm to its movements, and instead it seemed to swing its arms at him and slam into the ground at random. The sudden change made predicting movements much more difficult, but Takao possessed the physical capabilities to evade regardless. It thrashed about as Takao moved through its offensive advances and placed his own hit on the monster. Despite sustaining damage, the monster seemed unfazed and immediately gave chase as the brunet began to run.

- -

« Battle Sequence »
Takao » Snow Beast

» ID : [[ 29823 ]]
» BD : [[ HIT (5 + 2(ACC)) ]]
» MD : [[ MISS (5 - 3(EVA)) ]]

» CD : [[ 3 ]]

« Takao »
[[ 63/67 HP ]]

« Snow Beast »
[[ 13/100 HP ]] (9(DMG) = -9HP)

[Takao 0]

Takao's momentary retreat from the monster hadn't gone exactly as planned after the monster immediately gave chase. It had the geographical advantage, given that the clearing he had to fight it in was just as the description would imply. The snow-covered field was devoid of any kind of cover, save for the negligible stone pedestal that wasn't of any use to him. The snow beneath his boots was slick and made running at his full capacity difficult, and a look over his shoulder confirmed that the snow beast was having similar complications. Takao tensed his right leg and shifted his direction suddenly, the soles of his footwear slipping but his balance stabilized by his left hand grasping the ground. The sudden change in direction was easier for Takao who had better control over shifting his weight, while the much heavier creature chasing him tried and failed to do the same. He slowed his pace to a stop and turned to wave the beast trip up and come crashing down onto the snow, and slid along the ground until it eventually came to a stop. Takao took advantage of the opportunity and leapt up into the air after releasing control of his avatar to the system in exchange for the usage of a sword skill. His blade came crashing down onto the monster and dropped its health to barely a sliver.

- -

« Battle Sequence »
Takao » Snow Beast

» ID : [[ 29908 ]]
» BD : [[ HIT (4 + 2(ACC)) ]]
» MD : [[ MISS (5 - 3(EVA)) ]]

» CD : [[ 8 ]]

« Takao »
[[ 63/67 HP ]]

« Snow Beast »
[[ 4/100 HP ]] (9(DMG) = -9HP)

[Takao 0]

The beast was unmoving and entirely still, yet not quite dead either. The sword skill had given it pause after its slip-up on the slick, frozen ground. Even if it wasn't defeated yet, Takao could still appreciate the moment of peace between the two as the system retained control over his avatar. It made it impossible, or at the very least incredibly difficult to move his body, but such was the risk and consequence that came attached to the usage of the system's assistance. Despite his inability to move the majority of his body, he was still able to cock his head to the side and catch a glance of his familiar, leisurely sitting atop the pedestal and skull that the brunet had used to summon the beast. He felt a grin grow on his face and shook his head slightly, muttering out "Oh, you cheeky little..." before the sounds of the monster beside him stirring back into consciousness caught his attention.

- -

« Battle Sequence »
Takao » Snow Beast

» ID : [[ 29909 ]]
» BD : [[ MISS (2 + 2(ACC)) ]]
» MD : [[ MISS (1 - 3(EVA)) ]]

» CD : [[ 1 ]]

« Takao »
[[ 63/67 HP ]]

« Snow Beast »
[[ 4/100 HP ]]

[Takao 0]

While Takao's attention was preoccupied with his familiar, the snow beast had stirred awake. Its piercing red eyes were the first to move as they flashed open and immediately set upon Takao. Then its forelimbs shifted out from underneath it to heft the monster's heavy body up off the snow. Its rear legs remained on the ground as it positioned itself over the brunet, who at this point had only just turned to look at the beast that was already upon him. Its jaws parted and revealed the wickedly shaped teeth. Before he could even move, the monster's face slammed down and seemingly consumed him, until the beast suddenly froze.

- -

« Battle Sequence »
Takao » Snow Beast

» ID : [[ 29910 ]]
» BD : [[ MISS (2 + 2(ACC)) ]]
» MD : [[ C.HIT (10 - 3(EVA)) ]]

» CD : [[ 9 ]]

« Takao »
[[ 60/67 HP ]] (5(DMG) + 2 critical - 5(MIT) = -3HP)

« Snow Beast »
[[ 4/100 HP ]]

[Takao 0]

The monster's jaws shut around Takao, and the battlefield fell quiet. His familiar, who had been watching the entire spectacle from afar, didn't seem the least bit fazed by Takao's apparent demise, though perhaps it was just its innate monster intuition. The snow beast suddenly froze in place, and in the following seconds its body began to waver and flicker. In the following instant its entire body shattered into luminescent fragments of data, and amidst the dispersing polygons was Takao, seemingly unharmed by the monster's last ditch effort to kill him. He shook the bewildered and partially horrified look off his face and approached his familiar. "Well then."

- -

« Battle Sequence »
Takao » Snow Beast

» ID : [[ 29911 ]]
» BD : [[ HIT (8 + 2(ACC)) ]]
» MD : [[ MISS (10 - 3(EVA)) ]]

» CD : [[ 10 ]]
» LD : [[ 14 ]]

« Takao »
[[ 62/67 HP ]] (2 HP Recovered)

« Snow Beast »
[[ DEAD ]] (9(DMG) = -9HP)

[Takao 0]

Takao raised his sword and sheathed it as he approached his lax familiar that lazed atop the beast skull. One of his hands came to rest on his hip as he glanced down at the monster, who barely seemed to acknowledge Takao's presence beside opening and closing one eye. "We've got some time to kill before I can summon it again, so I'm gonna go out lookin' for mats until then. You stay here and out of trouble, alright?" The only indication the monster heard him was a slight flick of its tail, so Takao shrugged and headed out of the instance.

- -

» ID : [[ 29972 ]]
» LD : [[ 17 ]]

+1 Material