Oscar

There had been reports of the jungle burning. Fearsome roars in the distance kept the townsfolk up at night and hinted at a fearsome creature that had taken up residence inside the heart of the jungle. If left unchecked, the creature would burn all it its path until naught was left but ash and cinder. Oscar, being in the area, chose to investigate the reports. As he entered the jungle, the thick smell of smoke assaulted his nostrils. The was a loud roar in the distance, just like the reports. Oscar followed the roar, coughing and sputtering through the smoke as he did. Eventually, he came to the edge of the blasted land. Charred wood crunched under his feet as he strode forward, searching for the enemy. The smoke wasn't so thick here; all of the vegetation had burned away. Oscar pushed forward, hoping to find his target at the heart of the devastation.

[Thread Abandoned]

There had been reports of the jungle burning. Fearsome roars in the distance kept the townsfolk up at night and hinted at a fearsome creature that had taken up residence inside the heart of the jungle. If left unchecked, the creature would burn all it its path until naught was left but ash and cinder. Oscar, being in the area, chose to investigate the reports. As he entered the jungle, the thick smell of smoke assaulted his nostrils. The was a loud roar in the distance, just like the reports. Oscar followed the roar, coughing and sputtering through the smoke as he did. Eventually, he came to the edge of the blasted land. Charred wood crunched under his feet as he strode forward, searching for the enemy. The smoke wasn't so thick here; all of the vegetation had burned away. Oscar pushed forward, hoping to find his target at the heart of the devastation.

Oscar felt himself being yanked back and drove his feet into the sands hard. He skidded for a bit, almost falling backwards. Thankfully, Leeroy & Jenkins came barreling down the dune past him. Then, the mutated Cerberus wheeled around and dashed straight at Oscar, driving its shoulder into his chest. Oscar felt the wind being knocked out of him but, thanks to both the pushing and the pulling, his forward momentum was stopped. He dropped down to his knees, sputtering and spitting grains of sand out of his mouth. He couldn't "vomit" in this digital world, but he could certainly feel like he was. The burning of bile in his throat caused his eyes to water and his cheeks to become puffy. He started sweating even more than before and shuddering as if he was chilled to the bone. When it all finally subsided Oscar rolled over onto his back and gasped for air. He held his hand up and his familiar walked up to be petted. The azure-clad samurai scratched the dog behind his ears and smiled weakly. "Good boys. That was smart thinking." Oscar looked up at the person who had helped him out. He was surprised to see that it was a lady who had pulled him back to safety. All 200 pounds and nearly seven feet of him, to be precise. The woman must be wicked strong to be able to not only keep herself steady, but also not be pulled along for the ride. Oscar rose to his feet, towering over the woman. At least he would provide some sort of shade as thanks for helping him out. "Hi there. You really bailed me out of a sticky situation there. I'm Oscar. Sorry about the entrance."

With nothing else better to do, Oscar pulled on his Gloves of Caerus and unequipped his pants. In their place, he had a pair of black vanity slacks that he used for just such an occasion. His Loot Die modifier was now a hefty +6. Since everyone else was gathering and he was in great need of materials, Oscar decided to gather some of his own. Since he had already completed the quest, his requirements to successfully gather were much higher than theirs. Luckily, between the Hot Dog he consumed and his Gloves of Caerus, it was actually much easier for him to gather than the newbies. He found a sparkling plant and gathered it. As the progress bar filled, he noticed that everyone else had successfully gathered their first materials. One down, four to go. He hoped the rest of the quest went this smoothly. Bodyguard was a boring job when you could one-shot everything around you.

Thread Summary 3 SP 2 from Quest Completion 1 from Thread Completion 400 Col Access to the Meditation Skill

Oscar decided to check on his shop before going home. Leeroy & Jenkins padded after him as he stepped into his shop. He hung around for a few hours, cleaning things, while his familiar took another nap. Once he was done, he locked up and the pair of them headed back up to Deepedge. A short jaunt later and they were back home. Oscar made them both a meal. He sat down at his table, reflecting on all he had learned about himself during the quest. He felt lighter. He felt better. He needed to maintain this feeling. He couldn't help anyone if he let himself get bogged down again. Oscar finished his food and retired to his bedroom. Leeroy & Jenkins curled up at the foot of his bed as he set Bloody Howl next to his nightstand. He climbed into bed, happy but exhausted from the day's exertions, and went to sleep. His dreams, for once, were peaceful. This was because he was at peace. His soul was calm and there was nothing left to haunt him. For the first time in forever, he didn't wake up throughout the night. Oscar awoke rested and full of energy, ready to take on the day.

Oscar wandered into the Tipsy Witch on Floor 22. He'd never been this high up, but so long as he didn't leave the city, he would be fine. He saw that there were two Crafter's Respite Potions. That would have been extremely useful a few days ago when he first got Kit's order. But, better late than never. He purchased both of the potions and deducted 1000 Col from his wallet. It was a touch expensive but that was okay. With his purchase made, Oscar left the shop and made his way back down to floor one. It was time to get back to work.

"Fudge me it's HOT," Oscar exclaimed as he climbed one of the many, many sand dunes. He hated the heat. He hated the sand. He hated the no water. The desert absolutely sucked. Oscar reached the top of the sand dune and put his hands on his knees to catch his breath. Leeroy & Jenkins both looked positively haggard. They hadn't even left the city that long ago and Oscar was already sweating. It was so hot that he was even taking damage from the heat. Ten damage every few seconds that was quickly regenerated by his passive health regeneration. Combat would be especially dangerous here. He would take a guaranteed 10 damage around that he couldn't regenerate from. He sighed and looked down the slope of the sand dune. At the bottom, he saw a woman and her familiar walking towards something. "HELLO-OOOO CRAAAP!" As he called down to them, the sand beneath his feet shifted. He went tumbling down the dune, picking up speed every passing second. His trajectory had him on course to crash into the stranger and her wolf if they didn't notice and get out of the way before he reached the bottom.

Oscar charged forward and ran his fake through with his sword. The facsimile staggered back. Shards fell like snow from the wound. The fake coughed and smiled softly. "You know this is only temporary. I'll always be here. If you stumble, you'll fall right into my trap." Oscar sheathed his blade and nodded. "I know. And when you come back I'll beat you down again." The fake nodded and exploded in a burst of light. Oscar closed his eyes to avoid the radiance. When the light faded the first thing he noticed was the roar of the falls. He was back at the Waterfall of the Sage. Leeroy & Jenkins were slumbering peacefully on the shore. Oscar was shivering. It was cold underneath the falls. But he had succeeded. He had successfully quelled his inner demons and calmed his soul. It was like a great weight had been lifted from him. He rushed back to shore and hugged his familiar, scratching his belly happily. "Come on guys. Let's go home."

Oscar's blow fell true. He dealt a heavy amount of damage to the fake and knocked its health down to the red. Bleed took a heavy chunk out of that amount and then expired. When the enemy tried to counterattack, Oscar leaped away. He had the advantage and his facsimile clearly knew it. Behind him, all of his friends had manifested. They were behind him. They wanted him to succeed. To be better than he was before he went through this ordeal. Supported by the visions of everyone he knew, he could only push his advantage even further. He had to win. He couldn't let them down. One more hit and this battle would be done! He reaffirmed his grip on his blade and pointed it at the copy. His soul blazed with determination as they reached the eleventh hour of this fight. His fierce gaze met the fake's who seemed to wilt under its intensity. There was a fire burning in his eyes that he hadn't seen in a while.

Oscar retaliated and swung hard at the facsimile. His blade bit deep into his copy, dealing a critical hit and activating bleed. His opponent was well under half health now and would bleed for more damage next turn. Oscar ducked under the blade and then they began to trade blows. Steel clashed on steel, sparks flying off of their deadly edges as they danced with one another. One would thrust, the other would parry. The other would slice and one would spin out of the way. Their bladed ballet was as beautiful as it was deadly. Eventually, they parted from each other, unable to find an opening. But his fake stumbled a bit. Oscar seized the opportunity and dashed in, his blade glinting in the sunlight. He readied another Gen Getsu. One more step closer to victory. Oscar would defeat himself and in so doing defeat all the malignant feelings within him.

His final Inner Demon had no power over him. Oscar's battle cry resonated through the land as he rushed into to do battle with himself. His inadequacy. His weakness. His guilt. He had made them his identity for so long that it seemed fitting that he was his own greatest enemy. He defined himself by all the things he couldn't do. By all the things he was too weak to do. He felt guilty because of it. But no more. He would define himself by his actions, by all the the things that were in his power to change. He couldn't feel guilty for that. Bloody Howl took on a blue light as he charged, tracing a thin azure trail through the air as he closed the distance between himself and his fake. He sliced through the fake from collarbone to hip. He dealt hefty damage to his copy, but not enough to activate bleed. Oscar then took a slice straight to his shoulder, a mirrored injury to what he'd dealt to the enemy.

Then Bahr appeared in front of the doppelganger. He smile maliciously as he plunged his blade into Bahr's back as well. Then the Major. Then Kirbs. Then Macradon. Everyone Oscar had met and formed something of a relationship with were quickly cut down by the doppelganger. The symbolism was not lost on Oscar. But at that moment, something in him shifted. It felt as if a switch was flipped. And like that, the darkness in his soul was expelled. A fire erupted in his breast. The beast had been awakened. His guilt was dashed away in lieu of fury. Did this thing honestly expect Oscar to really fall prey to this heavy-handed, hammy, over-acting? "There's a time for mourning and a time for letting go. I didn't kill Tyson, I won't kill my friends either!" The doppelganger looked shocked that Oscar didn't fall under his spell. The Azure Samurai drew his blade and rushed into battle.