[SP - F3] <<Worn Out Welcome>> [COMPLETE]

[Takao 0]

"I wonder how this one slipped through the cracks." Takao muttered quietly to himself as he waded through the crowds of players gathered in the settlement of Delilah. It wasn't one of the more populous towns, not by far - the City of Beginnings had and would likely always hold that honour. There was still plenty of activity regardless, in the forms of both NPCs as well as players. "On this floor of all floors too. I thought I'd done everything I could this far down. Ah well, all the better for me."

Edited September 26, 2015 by Takao

[Takao 0]

An NPC and his NPC wife, as if there would be interintellectual marital services available in the game, was offering a low-leveled quest. He didn't need the material reward as much as he was interested in the skill points granted for completion, which was a much better use of his time than simply grinding away at the monsters on the floor. The shop must've only just opened recently, as he hadn't noticed it before despite his idle walks around the town. It didn't look like anything special on the outside and matched the theme of the rest of the town - old English in style, a mixture of stone, wood, and daub walls with peeling white paint in various locations to simulate advanced age and weathering.

[Takao 0]

Takao stopped outside of the unfamiliar looking building and tilted his head slightly. The sign hanging off a wrought iron holder on the side of the establishment read "Griswold's Arms and Armour", and given that he knew the name of the quest NPC to be Griswold, it was only natural to arrive at the conclusion that this was the place. He was eager to finish the quest as soon as possible, as he hadn't much time left before the boss fight to actually do so. He trotted up the stone staircase and placed his hand upon the heavy wooden door at the top before pushing it open.

[Takao 0]

As he stepped into the building, he was met with the warmth generated by the forge. The shop wasn't impressive in scale, and the cluttered decoration only made it seem even smaller. Tools were strewn about the workshop portion, which consisted of a dug-out portion in the back of the building with stone walls, a large burning forge, and the various other apparatus for a blacksmith. A burly man was hammering away at a piece of steel, and he was greeted by the warm smile of a woman at the desk.

[Takao 0]

Takao approached the desk and mirrored the smile he was presented with. The woman, who he could only imagine was the wife, sported the tell-tale icon denoting her status as a quest giving NPC. She greeted him with the typical NPC dialogue of a shopkeeper, inquiring as to whether or not he was interested in buying or selling something. After running through her typical dialogue, hhe did present him with a third option that happened to be relevant to the quest, which he responded to in favour of the former options.

[Takao 0]

The woman informed him in detail of what exactly the quest would entail. Her NPC husband soon joined in on the conversation and inquired as to which reward he'd be interested in, so that he could supply more specific details. They informed him that the monsters that dropped the materials that would be needed for the item to the successfully crafted laid in the Forest of Wavering Mists.

[Takao 0]

Given that it was daytime, Takao had no qualms with delving into the misty forest, whose haze sat eerily only a foot from the forest floor. He had his sword in hand, having drawn it shortly after passing under the gates of Delilah and leaving the safe zone. The monsters weren't typically of any issue to him on the floor, yet he still preferred to walk about armed despite his comfort on the floor and his confidence that he could handle any monsters that threw themselves at him.

[Takao 0]

Shortly after entering the Forest of Wavering Mists, Takao noticed the woods to be oddly devoid of monster life. It was eerie enough as it was without there being some kind of anomaly throwing him off. Everything was oddly quiet, up until the point that he heard distant footsteps, and they were quickly growing closer and heavier. Something was running at him. He glanced over his shoulder and saw a humanoid figure running at him, though the cursor icon above its head was glowing a shade of red that matched its eyes. It was immediately evident that this wasn't a friendly NPC or another player, it was a monster. Takao swung his right arm around and locked the incoming blade into a bind.

- -

» ID : [[ 32854 ]]
» BD : [[ MISS (2 + 3(ACC)) ]]
» MD : [[ MISS (5 - 3(EVA)) ]]

« Takao »
[[ 114/114 HP ]]
[[ 24/26 Energy ]] Attack missed. (-2 Energy)

« Dark Elf »
[[ 87/87 ]]

[Takao 0]

Takao didn't bother with holding the bind for long. He stepped hard on his right foot and released the tension at the tip of his blade, letting the monster's sword slide along his and out of the way while he stepped forward. In the same motion, he tensed his right leg and slammed his left shoulder into the monster, sending it into the ground. A grin overtook his face as he took a step back and prepared a sword art, excited to be fighting somebody with a similar combat style to himself. It reminded him of all the time he spent sparring in the real world. The sword art caused his blade to glow a mixture of blue and green, and after the system took over, he leapt at the dark-skinned humanoid that had attempted to ambush him. His blade crashed into the shoulder of the monster, cleaving away a bit of its health - but not too much.

- -

» ID : [[ 32856 ]]
» BD : [[ C.HIT (10 + 3(ACC)) ]]
» MD : [[ MISS (5 - 3(EVA)) ]]

« Takao »
[[ 114/114 HP ]]
[[ 22/26 Energy ]] «Sonic Leap» used. (+1 Energy) (-3 Energy)

« Dark Elf »
[[ 54/87 ]] [[ 9(DMG) + 2 critical * (3*1) = -33HP ]]

[Takao 0]

The Dark Elf swung its blade up at Takao, prompting him to yank his sword free of the elf's shoulder to evade. His body narrowly avoided the monster's strike, and the brief moment of pause that followed provided him with enough time to retaliate. He charged up another sword art, though his blade shone clear blue this time. With the monster's defencelessness as a result of its failed attack, Takao had a clear opportunity to strike. The first strike carved downward through its body, and in the following motion, the blade returned back up toward its other shoulder, successfully tracing the shape of a "V". 

- -

» ID : [[ 32858 ]]
» BD : [[ HIT (6 + 3(ACC)) ]]
» MD : [[ MISS (2 - 3(EVA)) ]]

« Takao »
[[ 114/114 HP ]]
[[ 19/26 Energy ]] «Vertical Arc» used. (+1 Energy) (-4 Energy)

« Dark Elf »
[[ 18/87 ]] [[ 9(DMG) * (4*1) = -36HP ]]

[Takao 0]

Takao raised his sword as the Dark Elf lashed out at him in a last-ditch effort to gain the advantage. Its right leg tensed and he stepped forward, blade raised above and to the left of its head. Takao mimicked the action with superior speed but feinted his strike low, prompting the Dark Elf to try and ultimately fail to readjust its position to save itself. Takao stepped back just before their blades would collide and shuffled a step to the right as the monster's sword collided with the ground. "Aw, c'mon! You can do better than that." he teased as he took a few steps back to clear a bit of distance between them.

- -

» ID : [[ 32866 ]]
» BD : [[ MISS (1 + 3(ACC)) ]]
» MD : [[ MISS (4 - 3(EVA)) ]]

« Takao »
[[ 114/114 HP ]]
[[ 19/26 Energy ]] Attack missed. (+1 Energy) (-2 Energy)

« Dark Elf »
[[ 18/87 ]]

[Takao 0]

Unable to recover in time for Takao's next sword skill, the Dark Elf watched as his glowing blade sliced through the air. The strike started low, swung under his right arm with the tip of blade just barely missing the ground. The sword shot upward and cleaved through the elf's body after his left hand was placed on the pommel of his blade for additional leverage. The damage dealt from the strike was just enough to reduce its health to zero, and the elf dropped to the ground.

- -

» ID : [[ 32871 ]]
» BD : [[ HIT (5 + 3(ACC)) ]]
» MD : [[ MISS (6 - 3(EVA)) ]]

« Takao »
[[ 114/114 HP ]]
[[ 18/26 Energy ]] «Uppercut» used. (+1 Energy) (-2 Energy)

« Dark Elf »
[[ 18/87 ]] [[ 9(DMG) * (2*1) = -18HP ]]

Edited September 26, 2015 by Takao

[Takao 0]

With the Dark Elf laying slain on the ground, Takao hefted his blade up and rested the slender sword over his right shoulder. He watched as it flickered and shuddered just before bursting into countless translucent and colourful shards of data. After it was gone, a menu appeared in his face, informing him of the battle's spoils. Amidst the rewards was the item he'd been instructed to get for the construction of his equipment, yet he was already out in the wild, so he decided that a quick spot of hunting on the way back wouldn't hurt.

[Takao 0]

Not far from where the Dark Elf had perished, Takao encountered another group of monsters. There were four this time, though they seemed to be lacking the same strength and skill that the monster prior to them had. From their scattered movements to their sloppy stances, he quickly gathered they were lower leveled monsters. He didn't bother with offering them the opportunity for an interesting fight and instead delved straight into the usage of one of his stronger sword arts. The result was four perished elves, and four new materials accompanied by a spot of col entering his inventory.

- -

» ID : [[ 32873 ]]
» BD : [[ HIT (3 + 3(ACC)) ]]
» MD 1-4 : [[ MISS (1 - 3(EVA)) ]]

« Takao »
[[ 114/114 HP ]]
[[ 6/26 Energy ]] «Lightning Fall» used. (+1 Energy) (-14 Energy)

« Elf Knight »
[[ 0/49 ]] [[ 9(DMG) * (7*1) - 14(MIT) = -49HP ]]
« Elf Knight »
[[ 0/49 ]] [[ 9(DMG) * (7*1) - 14(MIT) = -49HP ]]
« Elf Knight »
[[ 0/49 ]] [[ 9(DMG) * (7*1) - 14(MIT) = -49HP ]]
« Elf Knight »
[[ 0/49 ]] [[ 9(DMG) * (7*1) - 14(MIT) = -49HP ]]

Dropped x4 Materials.
Dropped 980 col.

[Takao 0]

Takao began the long walk back to the town of Delilah shortly after the four elves suffered defeat by his hand. Fighting humanoid monsters, especially ones that mirrored real life so vividly, was an odd feeling. He enjoyed the unique challenge they posed, it was much more like he was used to in the real world, and gave him a glimpse of normalcy, however small it might've been. But at the same time, their deaths were necessary, and it almost felt a tad wrong to kill them despite their unmitigated desires to do the same to him.

 

 

[Takao 0]

After passing through the Forest of Wavering Mists and returning to the rolling, dandelion-filled fields of the third floor's wilderness, Takao glanced around for other monsters to face. Despite the town laying along the horizon in the distance, he still had a way to go before he'd be back in the safe zone, and he wanted to make the usage of his time as efficient as he could. Fighting monsters along the way would be an excellent way to do that, but if none spawned around him, it'd surely be a difficult task.

[Takao 0]

"Ah, there we go." he said as his green eyes fell upon the sight of four new monsters that would act nicely as his next quarry. They were different from the elves - completely so, in fact. They were the same mantis monsters he had a pension for fighting whenever he went out to grind. His expended energy had returned in force by the time he'd set his sights on them, which meant he was more than ready and willing to fight.

[Takao 0]

The four mantis-like monsters quickly surrounded Takao as soon as he'd entered their line of sight. Their act of aggression and descent upon him didn't seem to bother the brunet in the slightest, who simply stood calmly and waited for the four monsters to surround him. While he waited, he prepared his sword art. When the monsters surrounded him and occupied all sides, he released control to the system and allowed for his body to be guided through the motions. They didn't fall just yet, however, despite the damage.

- -

» ID : [[ 32878 ]]
» BD : [[ C.HIT (10 + 3(ACC)) ]]
» MD 1-4 : [[ MISS (3 - 3(EVA)) ]]

« Takao »
[[ 114/114 HP ]]
[[ 12/26 Energy ]] «Lightning Fall» used. (-14 Energy)

« Killer Mantis »
[[ 30/83 ]] [[ 9(DMG) + 2 critical * (7*1) - 24(MIT) = -53HP ]]
« Killer Mantis »
[[ 30/83 ]] [[ 9(DMG) + 2 critical * (7*1) - 24(MIT) = -53HP ]]
« Killer Mantis »
[[ 30/83 ]] [[ 9(DMG) + 2 critical * (7*1) - 24(MIT) = -53HP ]]
« Killer Mantis »
[[ 30/83 ]] [[ 9(DMG) + 2 critical * (7*1) - 24(MIT) = -53HP ]]

Edited September 26, 2015 by Takao

[Takao 0]

All four monsters proved to be more or less stunned by the might of his attack, which provided him a second opportunity to strike and finish them off. He didn't hesitate to prepare a second sword art, though this one was a little less powerful than the sword art before it. The system took over and guided his blade to each of the monsters, landing a deft thrust into each of their "hearts". The damage proved significant enough to whittle their health down to nothing, thus reducing the four monsters to their most basic state as fragments of data.

- -

» ID : [[ 32880 ]]
» BD : [[ HIT (5 + 3(ACC)) ]]
» MD 1-4 : [[ MISS (7 - 3(EVA)) ]]

» LD : [[ 20 ]]

« Takao »
[[ 114/114 HP ]]
[[ 1/26 Energy ]] «Sharp Nail» used. (-12 Energy)

« Killer Mantis »
[[ DEAD ]] [[ 9(DMG) * (3*2) - 24(MIT) = -30HP ]]
« Killer Mantis »
[[ DEAD ]] [[ 9(DMG) * (3*2) - 24(MIT) = -30HP ]]
« Killer Mantis »
[[ DEAD ]] [[ 9(DMG) * (3*2) - 24(MIT) = -30HP ]]
« Killer Mantis »
[[ DEAD ]] [[ 9(DMG) * (3*2) - 24(MIT) = -30HP ]]

Dropped x8 Materials.
Dropped 1660 col.

[Takao 0]

Nine monsters laid slain by his hand in a matter of less than thirty minutes in total. Their spoils, which consisted of twelve materials and a bit over two thousand col, rested comfortably within the safe confines of his inventory. It wasn't the same kind of haul he could've gotten if he'd dedicated himself to the grind, but his intentions were set elsewhere. He turned and glanced at the town of Delilah in the distance and rolled his shoulders, then sheathed his sword.