Seul 1 Posted January 29, 2017 #1 Report Share Posted January 29, 2017 After his trip up on the nineteenth floor, it was clear Seul wasn't exactly ready for tackling the higher levels on his own. It was only a matter of time until the next boss room was found, so in the meantime he'd just need to train for the event. Ever since sub dungeons were first discovered he hadn't really been one for exploring them. Sure, the rewards were good so he would go on occasion but for the most part he wasn't friends with enough scout type players to turn it into a regular thing. Today though was going to be different! He would try to find a dungeon on his own and possibly a treasure chest within. Right now his picking skill was just sitting there as a wasted slot on his status screen. Putting it to use in the field was the least he could do to try and justify buying it despite not being equipped for the job. Link to post Share on other sites
Seul 1 Posted January 29, 2017 Author #2 Report Share Posted January 29, 2017 Seul stood near the gates of Armadillo mulling over his stats and equipment quietly to himself in preparation for his journey. He wasn't entirely sure where he was going or how he was going to get there, but the unknown aspects of the trip were part of what made exploring so fun. With this being one of the lower floors he wasn't too concerned about the monsters that lived around these parts either. If anything they were possibly too easy for him. “I guess everything looks in order.” A final glance over the status screen was enough to convince him it was time to get this show on the road. How long had it been since the last time he entered the desert? He actually couldn't remember this time, but there were plenty of times when he trekked across the dunes before in the past. This time wouldn't be too different either. Link to post Share on other sites
Seul 1 Posted January 29, 2017 Author #3 Report Share Posted January 29, 2017 (edited) Later That Day… “Damn it, hold still you overgrown vermin!” Swinging his sword in a downward motion was the best he could do in an attempt to crush the monster, but it was an easy attack to avoid by moving over just a few inches. Maiden’s Kiss would be lodged into the sand and before Seul could strike again, the creatures came at him with their stingers forcing him to separate from the weapon to keep from getting hit. They looked like scorpions, but were far larger than anything one might see in the real world. These things were practically the size of a large dog, with stingers as sharp and long as the swords players carried. The claws they boasted with weren't anything to mess around with either, but overall they seemed like easy enough prey to take down along the way to finding a dungeon. At least he hoped. Stats: Hide contents Stats 975 HP 96 Energy 11/19 Base Damage 48 Mitigation 24 Holy Blessing 10 Battle Healing 3 Evasion 2 Recovery 6 Picking 1 Search & Detect Equipment Maiden's Kiss.......... // +2 Damage | +8 Holy Damage Regret................. // +24 Holy Blessing | +2 Recovery Generic Armor MK.9......// +3 Evasion Skills Two-Handed Straight Sword.| Rank 5 Picking...................| Rank 4 Light Armor...............| Rank 3 Search & Detect...........| Rank 1 Battle Healing............| Rank 1 Howl......................| No Ranks Parry.....................| No Ranks Extra Skills Providence(Protector).....| Rank 2 Meditation................| Rank 0 Concentration.............| No Ranks Survival..................| No Ranks Skill Mods Athletics Dismantling THSS Ferocity (Rank 5) Justified Riposte Inventory Woodland Armor - 2 Charges Left Banner of Support - 3 Charges Left Manticore Mask......... // +Taunt | +18 Flame Aura (Def) | +16 Flame Aura (Off) | +18 Mit Battle Theme ID: 75813 | BD: 2 | MD: 1 (4-3) Party Seul | 975 / 975 HP | 94 / 96 EN Sword Art: Enemy Giant Scorpion | 500 / 500 HP | 50 DMG Giant Scorpion | 500 / 500 HP | 50 DMG Giant Scorpion | 500 / 500 HP | 50 DMG Giant Scorpion | 500 / 500 HP | 50 DMG Edited January 29, 2017 by Seul Link to post Share on other sites
Seul 1 Posted January 29, 2017 Author #4 Report Share Posted January 29, 2017 (edited) Taking a step forward proved to be pointless. The scorpions simply snapped their pincers and waved their tail stinger swords in his direction every time he dared to move closer. They stood between him and the sword, but didn't bother to close in to attack for whatever reason. Were they testing him? Perhaps they just didn't want to make any hasty moves. Either way the fight (if you could even call it that) came to an abrupt standstill since both sides had the other one pinned. “How do I get myself into these messes?” He thought while staring down the monsters. As of late every encounter seemed to play out in a similar fashion with him just swinging wildly and waiting to get a lucky hit in that'd be a killing blow. The strategy wasn't perfect, but he was alive so there was no point in changing it up until that stopped being the case. ID: 75815 | BD: 4 | MD: 0 (3-3) | CD: 4 Party Seul | 975 / 975 HP | 93 / 96 EN (+1/-2) Sword Art: Enemy Giant Scorpion | 500 / 500 HP | 50 DMG Giant Scorpion | 500 / 500 HP | 50 DMG Giant Scorpion | 500 / 500 HP | 50 DMG Giant Scorpion | 500 / 500 HP | 50 DMG Edited January 29, 2017 by Seul Link to post Share on other sites
Seul 1 Posted January 29, 2017 Author #5 Report Share Posted January 29, 2017 (edited) He had to do something. Just standing around was going to get him nowhere fast. There had to be a way to get back to his weapon. What was the worst that could happen if he just ran through them? It was worth a shot. The scorpions continued their routine of snapping their claws and waving their stingers, but Seul ignored them as he began to run into the small swarm of monsters. Surprisingly he got through in one piece and grab his sword, spinning on his heel as he did to use the sword art Calamity Disaster. The scorpions lost a good chunk of health, but when they tried to retaliate the only target they were able to hit was the air. “Alright, just need to do that a lot more now.” He said while heaving his sword up to a ready position. They weren't tough but they were fast, that was for sure. ID: 75818 | BD: 6 (5 + 1 Conc) MD: 0 (3 - 3) | CD: 1 Party Seul | 975 / 975 HP | 70 / 96 EN (+1/-24) Sword Art: Calamity Disaster | -12 EN | 11 + 1 Fer x 12 = 144 DMG Enemy [144 DMG to all enemies] Giant Scorpion | 356 / 500 HP | 50 DMG Giant Scorpion | 356 / 500 HP | 50 DMG Giant Scorpion | 356 / 500 HP | 50 DMG Giant Scorpion | 356 / 500 HP | 50 DMG Edited January 29, 2017 by Seul Link to post Share on other sites
Seul 1 Posted January 29, 2017 Author #6 Report Share Posted January 29, 2017 (edited) That fact was evident by how effortless it was for the monsters to dodge basically every single one of his swings. Maybe the fact he was using a greatsword contributed to his inability to land clean hits, but having used the two handed straight sword for so long he had grown accustomed to fighting with larger blades. It shouldn't have been a problem for him to adjust his style to match his opponents, but for whatever reason he was struggling. The environment didn't help either. This wasn't the first time Seul had fought in the desert, but it had been a while since the last. For the most part he was used to fighting on (mostly) stable ground; the kind that wouldn't shift beneath his feet or blow up into his face with a gust of wind. In those terms the scorpions were at a higher advantage by a far larger margin than he would have liked them to be. ID: 75848 | BD: 5 | MD: 5 (8 - 3) | CD: 1 Party Seul | 975 / 975 HP | 69 / 96 EN (+1/-2) | [Conc: 1/5] Sword Art: Enemy Giant Scorpion | 356 / 500 HP | 50 DMG Giant Scorpion | 356 / 500 HP | 50 DMG Giant Scorpion | 356 / 500 HP | 50 DMG Giant Scorpion | 356 / 500 HP | 50 DMG Edited January 29, 2017 by Seul Link to post Share on other sites
Seul 1 Posted January 29, 2017 Author #7 Report Share Posted January 29, 2017 (edited) Another miss. Really? How was he supposed to win if he couldn't even hit the damn things? Seul managed to avoid the scorpions again as well so the fight was brought to another stand still. Had he not learned anything from the last time he tried hunting? Soloing these types of things always sucked. Having along someone else (a player with more accuracy preferably) would make a big difference, but at the cost of splitting rewards. It'd also require extra time to be spent with someone else holding him back. These days he wasn't too big on sharing if he did not have to. It was a selfish mindset to have, he knew that, but one of the few ways to get ahead in this world is to act that way. He was not completely ruthless, but he also was not going to start running a charity any time soon. ID: 75850 | BD: 1 | MD: 1 (4 - 3) | CD: 3 Party Seul | 975 / 975 HP | 68 / 96 EN (+1/-2) | [Conc: 2/5] Sword Art: Enemy Giant Scorpion | 356 / 500 HP | 50 DMG Giant Scorpion | 356 / 500 HP | 50 DMG Giant Scorpion | 356 / 500 HP | 50 DMG Giant Scorpion | 356 / 500 HP | 50 DMG Edited January 29, 2017 by Seul Link to post Share on other sites
Seul 1 Posted January 29, 2017 Author #8 Report Share Posted January 29, 2017 (edited) As he thought the metal of Maiden’s Kiss flared to life with holy light, signaling that now was the time to strike. Seul ran forward with the weapon outstretched and tore into the group of scorpions with a series of super powered slashes, leaving them each with about a fifth of their health remaining. He was able to avoid getting hit by the stingers using his superior agility as well, making him feel much more determined than before to keep fighting now that something was actually happening. After rolling away from the last stinger he shot back up to his feet and dipped back into the ready stance to ward off any other potential attacks. If only Anemone was here to see how cool he looked. Maybe he'd be able to impress her by taking on a hundred scorpions at once. Looks like he just found an idea for a second date... ID: 75852 | BD: 9 | MD: 4 (7 - 3) | CD: 4 Party Seul | 975 / 975 HP | 44 / 96 EN (+1/-24) | [Conc: 3/5] Sword Art: Calamity Disaster | -24 EN | 11 + 1 Fer + 8 Holy + 1 Crit x 12 = 252 AoE DMG Enemy Giant Scorpion | 104 / 500 HP | 50 DMG Giant Scorpion | 104 / 500 HP | 50 DMG Giant Scorpion | 104 / 500 HP | 50 DMG Giant Scorpion | 104 / 500 HP | 50 DMG Edited January 29, 2017 by Seul Link to post Share on other sites
Seul 1 Posted January 29, 2017 Author #9 Report Share Posted January 29, 2017 (edited) The date talk would have to wait. With the scorpions so close to dying now it was only a matter of time before Seul would be able to kill them. After that last hit it seemed they weren't fully recovered yet, so now was going to be as good a time as any to deliver the final blow. Six more slashes from his glowing sword cut open each and every one of the monsters in swift, fluid motions. In unison their health bars depleted entirely and their bodies exploded into pixels, leaving behind no traces of their existence while being carried away with the breeze. Another good haul, and he didn't even take damage this time around. This was how hunting was supposed to be, not that show that went on up on the nineteenth floor the other day. Now with the rewards securely placed into his inventory, he returned the greatsword to his back before carrying on further into the desert. ID: 75853 | BD: 7 | CD: 10 | LD: 16 (15 + 1) | Loot: 10,000 Col & 4 T1 Mats Party Seul | 975 / 975 HP | 23 / 96 EN (+3/-24) | [Conc: 4/5] Sword Art: Calamity Disaster | -24 EN | 11 + 1 Fer x 12 = 144 AoE DMG Enemy Giant Scorpion | 0 / 500 HP | 50 DMG Giant Scorpion | 0 / 500 HP | 50 DMG Giant Scorpion | 0 / 500 HP | 50 DMG Giant Scorpion | 0 / 500 HP | 50 DMG Edited January 29, 2017 by Seul Link to post Share on other sites
Seul 1 Posted February 17, 2017 Author #10 Report Share Posted February 17, 2017 (edited) As he turned to walk away something was off. Acting on instinct he turn drew his sword and swung blindly. There was a yell as the blade connected with its target but he could feel his legs give way beneath him soon after. As a result fell face first into the sand. Why couldn't he move? The answer lied just to side of his health bar. Paralysis. Something had attacked him and managed to get lucky enough to get the enhancement to activate without him noticing. His body was numb, but using what little strength remained Seul was able to turn his head slightly in search of the attacker. No monsters, just a large hammer with spikes jutting from the end lied next to him. Thoughts raced rough his mind, ranging from hopeful to desperate. Another person was attacking him and he had no idea why. With little energy and no way to get to his sword he was a sitting duck at the mercy of another player. “Only a coward hits someone from behind!” Edited February 18, 2017 by Seul Link to post Share on other sites
Seul 1 Posted February 17, 2017 Author #11 Report Share Posted February 17, 2017 (edited) There was no response, but a hand did eventually show up to grab the hammer. The paralysis was wearing off, so he turned on to his back only to be met with the hammer in his face. A giant of a man stood over the player with his face in a strange helmet, but the rest of his body somewhat exposed. “I don't think you're in a position to talk sh*t, kid.” The sound was muffled through his helm, but Seul was able to make out most of it. Even if he didn't want to admit it, the man was right. By the time he reached his blade the man would have been able to strike him again. Talking this out was the only way. “Well if you're just planning on killing me can I at least know why? And it's kinda hard to hear you by the way...” Edited February 18, 2017 by Seul Link to post Share on other sites
Seul 1 Posted February 17, 2017 Author #12 Report Share Posted February 17, 2017 He couldn't see the expression on the man's face but it was clear from his body language that the words did annoy him. Still, it looked as though he was going to comply with Seul’s requests. If anything it was an act of pity someone who was only a few minutes away from meeting a cruel fate. The front of the helmet flew open like the door to a safe and inside face of the man was covered with a black cloth from the mouth down. It was probably a secondary precaution to hide his appearance in case his armor was removed during a fight, but his eyes remained on display for all to see underneath. “It's not like it's anything personal, Seul. Everyone has to make a living and this is just how I make mine. Lucky for me, you pissed off the wrong people so now you need to disappear.” Link to post Share on other sites
Seul 1 Posted February 17, 2017 Author #13 Report Share Posted February 17, 2017 (edited) His plan worked! While the man spoke Seul had grabbed a handful of sand and in an act of overconfidence the assassin had removed the one barrier that could have saved him. He probably had more to say, but the evil monologue would get put on hold as the fist holding the sand released its contents into the hammer player’s face. The action caught the man off guard and forced him to stagger back while frantically trying to clear his vision but it was already too late. With such a short window of time to act in Seul wasn't about to waste even a second as he rolled onto his feet. With one motion he lunged for his sword and proceeded to tackle his tormentor. They both fell, but he still had the upper hand by straddling the assassin and plunging his greatsword through the man’s chest. Thinking wasn't an option; right now it was either this guy’s life or his own. Edited February 18, 2017 by Seul Link to post Share on other sites
Seul 1 Posted February 17, 2017 Author #14 Report Share Posted February 17, 2017 Stab, stab, stab, stab, stab! It was easy to lose count of how many times his weapon pierced the man’s chest. The game was absent of any realistic blood effects but he figured his gear would be dyed red by the end of the ordeal. Only once the assassin stopped moving did he let up the onslaught, but to his surprise he wasn't dead yet. There was a sliver of health left in almost empty bar and instead of begs for mercy Seul was met with laughter. “That's it! When my buddies come lookin’ for you, tell them Tenkai sends his regards from hell…!” With one final stab to the heart the last light of red flickered out of existence and along with it the assassin, Tenkai. He exploded into a pixelated rainstorm, being swept away with the breeze and leaving Seul alone once again. The battle was won, but this was far from over. He didn't realize it during the scuffle but despite the assassin’s words the hammer wielding player was green, shifting the color of his cursor now to a sickly orange with the killing blow as he tried to catch his breath. Link to post Share on other sites
Seul 1 Posted February 17, 2017 Author #15 Report Share Posted February 17, 2017 “God damn it! See what you made me f*cking do?!” He cried out while throwing away his weapon. All this time… Wasted. He never wanted any of this to happen. Being remembered as one if the good ones, someone to look up to who never killed when the opportunity presented itself. He was a failure on both fronts with soiled hands and an orange cursor to match. Sure, it was self defense. That's what everyone claimed. No one ever took responsibility for the things they did in this world. Probably since it was all just a big game to some. Shaking. He was just shaking now. There was nothing that could be done about this. Someone was dead, he couldn't enter safe zones anymore and then there were the others. His so called “friends”. He saw how they reacted to PKers in the past. It was not a pleasant experience for those involved to put it mildly. Link to post Share on other sites
Seul 1 Posted February 17, 2017 Author #16 Report Share Posted February 17, 2017 If what Tenkai said was to be believed then he wasn't the only one who wanted to serve his head on a silver platter. Of course he wouldn't say how many others there were or what organization they belonged to either. That would have been too easy. Maybe this was all just part of the assassin’s plan all along. If he couldn't kill his body he'd kill his soul by taking away any trace of innocence that was still intact. And what of Anemone? What would she think if she saw he killed someone. She saw him fight off players in the past, but to actually claim a life was a different beast entirely. A life someone like her shouldn't be exposed to. The assassins were already watching him though so she might be roped in already through association alone. If that was the case he needed to warn her, but that would also mean he'd need to reveal his current status as a murderer. Link to post Share on other sites
Seul 1 Posted February 17, 2017 Author #17 Report Share Posted February 17, 2017 He paced back and forth while debating what his next move would be. Send her a message or don't, that was the true question. The longer he stood around the more danger they both probably would be in as a result. If she was in a safe zone then they wouldn't be able to do anything to hurt. If they were truly watching him they could have predicted he'd message her about this as well, getting them both to meet up in a place where'd it'd be much easier to kill then both at the same time. For the greater good he'd just need to fight the urge to communicate with her. He needed to handle this on his own with as little loss as possible. There was no telling what the assassins were capable of and he was already a dead man walking now. If anyone was going to die to them it'd be him while trying to get to the bottom of all this. Link to post Share on other sites
Seul 1 Posted February 17, 2017 Author #18 Report Share Posted February 17, 2017 That was enough moping around for now. It was time to take action and prepare for the road ahead. He went to retrieve his sword and gently placed it back in its sheathe. He started to walk but how was he going to move from floor to floor without the teleport plazas? He could probably live out in the wilderness at campsites (something he already did every now and then) but the comfort of an inn room was preferred. Especially now that he was a target. Life really did suck. How so many awful things could happen to so many people was beyond him. The man he killed was probably as normal as anyone else he met up to this point deep down. Just trying to do what he thought he could to survive. He was even told that was actually the case just before he sucker punched the assassin. Link to post Share on other sites
Seul 1 Posted February 17, 2017 Author #19 Report Share Posted February 17, 2017 Desperation drove people to do stupid things sometimes. Hurting people was just another to add to a long list of stuff humans did when they got desperate. He wanted to believe he was different though; that his murder was justified given the circumstances. If he didn't kill Tenkai the man obviously would have gone on to harm others after he was done with him. In the name of self defense and protecting his fellow players he killed someone. That didn’t sound as bad and it wasn't like it was a lie. Still hard to believe. Most people didn't even know him, so why would they provide the luxury of hearing him out on this matter. It was much simpler and less time consuming to just jump to conclusions and label him a heartless PKer to make them feel better about themselves for having a different color cursor floating above their heads. Link to post Share on other sites
Seul 1 Posted February 17, 2017 Author #20 Report Share Posted February 17, 2017 But it was kind of hypocritical of him to assume everyone would react in an adverse way to his change. Some of the strongest and most liked players were either were or are orange. There was a certain human element to living in Aincrad where other players could understand the troubles one went through. Once they were on through the outside things would be different, but the survivors would at least have one thing in common: Living through the death trap that is SAO. *** He must have walked for at least an hour before deciding to stop at a cave carved into the side of a rock formation. It'd have to serve as his shelter until he could find a better place to stay. He was aware there was was a quest to remove the orange status, but doing it now would have been jumping the gun a bit; if there were other assassins on the way he'd probably have to kill again. Link to post Share on other sites
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