[SP - F4] Back for more! << Essence of Steel >> [COMPLETE]

[Takao 0]

Takao had been wandering around the winter wasteland for longer than he'd thought. On top of his naturally terrible perception of time, he had the nasty habit of never actually giving the little clock that sat at the bottom right of his peripheral vision a look, possible because he wasn't even fully aware that there was a clock there. So, he continued his material-searching fueled wandering for longer than he probably should have while still putting his faith in his familiar to both "guard" the monster's summoning item. He had been mostly successful so far, having found two materials in a relatively short period, and he felt a bit of accomplishment in managing to use his downtime wisely. There wasn't much point to wandering back to the town or even fighting other monsters for a bit of experience when the beast would be respawning momentarily.

- -

» ID : [[ 29997 ]]
» LD : [[ 20 ]]

+1 Material

Edited September 3, 2015 by Takao

[Takao 0]

"Just three so far... Hm." Takao mumbled quietly to himself as he examined the contents of his inventory via the tree of menu prompts that hovered at chest height. He had gained some level of proficiency with navigating the menus while walking, most likely due to his pre-existing spacial awareness and ability to multitask, as well as the majority of his bodily dexterity coming from the game itself. He closed out of the menus and gave his surroundings a more thorough look over, then actually gave the clock he tended to neglect so often a glance. "Hrm... I'll try to get a few more before heading back."

- -

» ID : [[ 29998 ]]
» LD : [[ 13 ]]

Edited September 2, 2015 by Takao

[Takao 0]

"Haha! Sweet! More materials for me!" Takao said as he came to a sliding stop, his boots kicking up the powdery snow as he glanced over the frozen resource node. A thin layer of ice covered the rock and hued it a light blue, but beneath the frozen surface he could clearly see the stone and comically large chunks of ore protruding from the sediment. He placed his hand on the resource node and glanced down at the menu as it appeared as a result of his touch, then confirmed his attempt at collecting the material. A few brief seconds later and he was already off again, still in search of more resources.

- -

» ID : [[ 29999 ]]
» LD : [[ 20 ]]

+1 Material

[Takao 0]

It wasn't long before Takao's aimless wandering had brought him to yet another resource node, which he didn't hesitate to collect. His tally had been brought up to five in total, which wasn't a bad haul at all for what his actual purpose for being out and about in the wilderness was. The brunet's mind wandered about how long it had actually been since he set aside a day for resource hunting, which must've been well before he had obtained his current equipment. He sustained himself and his familiar on the resources he got from his daily grinding, and had slowly begun to accumulate a mass of them that he really needed to find a use for.

- -

» ID : [[ 30000 ]]
» LD : [[ 18 ]]

+1 Material

[Takao 0]

"Dang, it must be my lucky day or something. I should consider going out and doing this more often again." Takao said aloud to himself as he finished up with collecting yet another material from a resource node. Most of what he collected from these kinds of excursions wouldn't be of any use to his craft, but he was sure that an alchemist could find a use for the odd flora he stumbled upon, and he knew a handful of smiths and perhaps even some tailors that would likely benefit from having some extra materials around.

- -

» ID : [[ 30002 ]]
» LD : [[ 17 ]]

+1 Material

[Takao 0]

Takao idly scrolled through his menu after having come to the conclusion that he should probably head back to the snow beast's instance before his familiar got the idea that it had been abandoned. He often left the mischievous half dragon half tornado of a monster alone in his shop, which typically didn't end well for the shop's well being, but it was a bit different to leave him out in the wilderness. Luckily nothing besides the snow beast could spawn within the instance, and the snow beast would only spawn if the skull was struck.

- -

» ID : [[ 30003 ]]
» LD : [[ 4 ]]

[Takao 0]

"Hm..." Takao hummed a low note to himself as he finished with the collection of yet another material, which was quickly placed within the safety of his inventory upon the depletion of the resource node. "I bet Mack could make a shield like that if I asked." His muttering continued as he vocally expressed his train of thoughts. "Paralyze would be a good addition, especially against those things. Too bad I can't solo that one quest... I don't even know anybody that would be up for it." He shook his head and exhaled a breath. Takao wasn't supposed to be a solo player, he liked being around people. He was even part of a guild, yet it still felt like he was taking on the game by himself, even to the point where he'd begun to plan for it.

- -

» ID : [[ 30004 ]]
» LD : [[ 20 ]]

+1 Material

[Takao 0]

"Yeah, definitely paralyze. Maybe damage mitigation too, that'd help save me the trouble of trying to train my armour skill up." Takao's incessant talking to himself continued as his mind wandered to planning out his future build while slowly making his way back to the snow beast's instance. "Then after I train that up, I can get the damage mitigation enhancement replaced for, say... hm... thorns, maybe? It wouldn't be much though, might be better to just keep damage mitigation stacked as high as I can." His mind came to a momentary pause as he mused how difficult it was to plan out so many different numbers and variables in his head, yet he continued regardless.

- -

» ID : [[ 30005 ]]
» LD : [[ 5 ]]

[Takao 0]

"If I go down that route, I'd need the block skill too. I have a free skill slot anyways with where my build is going, so I could easily put one in there. Plus it'll be more beneficial that way, since I can forfeit the evasion bonus taken by equipment slots but keep the same effect." To onlookers, Takao had no doubt he probably came off as mad. Luckily the forest seemed empty, devoid of both monsters and players, which made for a very leisurely stroll. His talking to himself kept the silence from becoming too loud, and also worked nicely as a substitute to planning his build on paper.

- -

» ID : [[ 30008 ]]
» LD : [[ 6 ]]

[Takao 0]

"Now that I think about it, not taking block is probably a terrible idea for anybody. Two handers don't have any foreseeable benefits yet, whereas one-handed weapon users still have their off hand. I'll definitely have to pick it up first chance I get. Gotta finish up with my weapon skill first, though..." Takao glanced up and shook his head as the snow beast's instance grew closer with each step he took. His planning had taken up a great deal of the walk back, as well as occupying the majority of his mental capacity for the entire trip. The beast should've been ready to respawn by now.

- -

» ID : [[ 30009 ]]
» LD : [[ 11 ]]

[Takao 0]

 Just before entering the instance, Takao noticed a resource node out of the corner of his eye. Since he was so close to the battlefield already, he figured there'd be no harm in taking a quick detour and picking up the material, especially when he'd already been gone longer than he had originally been expecting. Another minute wouldn't hurt... or, well, that's what he thought. A hollow sound rang out first, and then the ground beneath him began to shake in an all too familiar way. Without a second thought, Takao had turned and started for the instance while drawing his sword in the same motion.

- -

» ID : [[ 30061 ]]
» LD : [[ 15 ]]

+1 Material

[Takao 0]

Upon entering the instance, Takao was immediately met with the sight of the massive beast he had fought barely half an hour earlier barreling across the snow. Its red eyes were all directed downward, and from its erratic motions, it was clear that it was chasing something. Takao's green eyes set upon the pedestal and noticed that his familiar was nowhere to be found, but as he looked back to the monster, who was now charging full speed in Takao's direction without having actually seemed to have noticed his presence, the location of his companion became quite clear. "Otoko! I told you to stay out of trouble!" The brunet yelled as he leapt into action. His red draconic familiar scurried underneath him as he intercepted the monster with a sword skill and knocked it aside.

- -

« Battle Sequence »
Takao » Snow Beast

» ID : [[ 30063 ]]
» BD : [[ HIT (5 + 2(ACC)) ]]
» MD : [[ MISS (8 - 3(EVA)) ]]

» CD : [[ 7 ]]

« Takao »
[[ 67/67 HP ]]

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

[Takao 0]

With the beast thrown aside from the might of his sword skill, Takao was able to spare his familiar a gruesome fate. He also happened to spare himself the trouble of going through with getting yet another familiar that could provide him with a bonus, but he wasn't so shallow that the monster's buff to him was the only thing he cared about. The monster struggled to get back up onto its feet, although Takao wasn't going to allow it to have any opportunities that he could prevent. His blade sank down into the beast again and knocked it back to the ground in a quick and swift motion. "Guess you saved me the trouble, but still! Not cool, man!"

- -

« Battle Sequence »
Takao » Snow Beast

» ID : [[ 30065 ]]
» BD : [[ C.HIT (9 + 2(ACC)) ]]
» MD : [[ MISS (1 - 3(EVA)) ]]

» CD : [[ 10 ]]

« Takao »
[[ 67/67 HP ]]

« Snow Beast »
[[ 81/100 HP ]] (9(DMG) + 1 critical = -10HP)

[Takao 0]

The monster writhed on the ground as a result of whatever simulated pain it felt. Just as Takao prepared to attack yet again, the beast thrashed about on the ground and threw large amounts of snow into the air. Takao was quickly shrouded and seemed to disappear in the field of falling snow, yet the monster's size made it clear and apparent where it was. It slowly worked its way back onto its feet and shook its body thoroughly before the red eyes began to scan around in search for its assailant. Takao used the opportunity the monster afforded him to move behind it, and prepare an attack.

- -

« Battle Sequence »
Takao » Snow Beast

» ID : [[ 30079 ]]
» BD : [[ MISS (1 + 2(ACC)) ]]
» MD : [[ MISS (6 - 3(EVA)) ]]

» CD : [[ 6 ]]

« Takao »
[[ 67/67 HP ]]

« Snow Beast »
[[ 81/100 HP ]]

[Takao 0]

Takao lunged forward the first chance he got, just before the monster started to move out of the falling snow. His blade began to glow a light green colour that pierced the smokescreen-esque field of snow, but his position behind the monster hid him well enough. He moved forward and relinquished control of himself to the system, thus allowing his sword arm to be guided with impeccable speed and accuracy. It cleaved through the monster's back left leg and cut the tendon that supported the extremity, forcing the beast to fall.

- -

« Battle Sequence »
Takao » Snow Beast

» ID : [[ 30082 ]]
» BD : [[ HIT (7 + 2(ACC)) ]]
» MD : [[ MISS (6 - 3(EVA)) ]]

» CD : [[ 5 ]]

« Takao »
[[ 67/67 HP ]]

« Snow Beast »
[[ 72/100 HP ]] (9(DMG) = -9HP)

[Takao 0]

The beast dropped down to one knee after sustaining significant limb damage to its rear left leg. It tried to return to its feet but struggled as the wound remained, which gave Takao ample time to move around to the other hind leg with another sword skill rearing to go. Not one to hesitate, Takao unleashed the fury of the system unto the monster, and his blade found its way into the monster's other leg. It immediately dropped down as it lost the major functions of its hind legs, and supported its weight with its forelegs. It was an excellent strategy to disable one's enemy as best they could, and after testing the theory on Cerberus, Takao found it to work quite well.

- -

« Battle Sequence »
Takao » Snow Beast

» ID : [[ 30084 ]]
» BD : [[ C.HIT (9 + 2(ACC)) ]]
» MD : [[ MISS (1 - 3(EVA)) ]]

» CD : [[ 3 ]]

« Takao »
[[ 67/67 HP ]]

« Snow Beast »
[[ 72/100 HP ]] (9(DMG) + 1 critical = -10HP)

[Takao 0]

"Alright... So far so good." Takao muttered to himself as the beast lost its ability to utilize its hind legs. The debilitation wouldn't last forever, and before long the beast would be back on its feet and ready to tear him to shreds. It was rather unlikely for that to happen, given Takao's long history of being an incredible and annoyingly difficult target to hit on most occasions, but he would still rather emerge from a battle unscathed if the opportunity presented itself. Another strike was executed and more damage was dealt along the beast's broadside, the only indication of his successful hit was the long red stripe of a wound that remained.

- -

« Battle Sequence »
Takao » Snow Beast

» ID : [[ 30087 ]]
» BD : [[ HIT (3 + 2(ACC) + 1(Concentration)) ]]
» MD : [[ MISS (3 - 3(EVA)) ]]

» CD : [[ 10 ]]

« Takao »
[[ 67/67 HP ]]

« Snow Beast »
[[ 63/100 HP ]] (9(DMG) = -9HP)

Edited September 3, 2015 by Takao

[Takao 0]

"Huh... I can't believe I was actually kind of afraid of this thing at one point." Takao said as he watched it struggle to get back up onto its feet. The snow it had kicked up had long since settled, leaving Takao to leisurely stroll from one side of the beast in order to descend a plethora of well-placed hits and strikes upon the beast's exposed sides. It was almost systematic at this point, and with how things were going for the monster, the battle would likely be over fairly quickly. He didn't much care for the cold weather while out and about on his own, so he wouldn't mind wrapping things up as quickly as he could.

- -

« Battle Sequence »
Takao » Snow Beast

» ID : [[ 30089 ]]
» BD : [[ HIT (4 + 2(ACC)) ]]
» MD : [[ MISS (2 - 3(EVA)) ]]

» CD : [[ 11 ]]

« Takao »
[[ 67/67 HP ]]

« Snow Beast »
[[ 54/100 HP ]] (9(DMG) = -9HP)

[Takao 0]

With the beast incapacitated and his lesser sword skills having such a short cool down in contrast to the damage they dealt out, Takao had easily gained the upper hand in the fight. When the monster started to regain its balance and tried to stand back up, it found Takao's blade sinking right back into the limb that recovered and damaging it to the point that the monster simply fell back down. It was almost a depressing and pathetic sight, and Takao rarely felt good about these kinds of situations outside of his strategy being successful.

- -

« Battle Sequence »
Takao » Snow Beast

» ID : [[ 30090 ]]
» BD : [[ HIT (4 + 2(ACC)) ]]
» MD : [[ MISS (8 - 3(EVA)) ]]

» CD : [[ 10 ]]

« Takao »
[[ 67/67 HP ]]

« Snow Beast »
[[ 45/100 HP ]] (9(DMG) = -9HP)

[Takao 0]

The beast rose up slowly, only to fall back down to the ground after Takao's blade found its way right back into its right hind leg. The wounds didn't last particularly long, and at this point his damage had become systematic. He would wait for the monster to try to rise, then utilize a simple horizontal one-hit sword skill to cleave halfway through its tree trunk-esque leg with ease. His rhythm was seemingly unbreakable at the moment, and the strategy seemed incredibly effective, partially thanks to his confidence. He found it easy when in the face of a monster that, despite its size, was ultimately not a major threat to his well-being.

- -

« Battle Sequence »
Takao » Snow Beast

» ID : [[ 30099 ]]
» BD : [[ HIT (8 + 2(ACC)) ]]
» MD : [[ MISS (8 - 3(EVA)) ]]

» CD : [[ 10 ]]

« Takao »
[[ 67/67 HP ]]

« Snow Beast »
[[ 36/100 HP ]] (9(DMG) = -9HP)