[F01-SP] Once More Unto the Breach (Completed)

[Abalasster 0]

Abalasster meddled with his rapier as he stood at the threshold between the Town of Beginnings and the open wild. He gazed out, captivated by where he once used to frolic, but now was too scared to leave the safety of his walls. His desire of adventure was clashing with his opposite desire to not take a risk. It was an easy decision to make, but Abalasster remained planted at the edge of civilization and chaos. 

"Oh c'mon" Abalasster said under his breath, "It's not that hard, just choose". But his own goading words weren't enough to sway him either way. Instead of taking a step forwards or backwards, Abalasster moved to the side, and took up the vacant spot against the wall. He leaned against it and let out a sigh.

"My oh my your pathetic" he thought to himself, "Just make a decision". Abalasster turned his gaze from the open outdoors and looked back to the city. He could hear the hustle and bustle of other players and NPCs as they worked, chatted and went about their days. And it was this camaraderie that beckoned Abalasster back. 

"Maybe I should just go back and tidy up the shop" Abalasster spoke into nothingness. Just as he was about to take a step back towards the city, he felt something collide against his neck. It wasn't terribly hard, but it was sizable enough to notice. He looked down and the bump was a product of his familiar, Khepri. 

"What?" Abalasster asked, rubbing his neck. The scarab shook its head, and pointed out towards the open plains. Abalasster was shocked.

"You wanna go out there?" Abalasster asked, to which Khepri responded with a firm nod. Abalasster looked back out towards the wild, and took a deep breath. 

"Well, here we go then"

Edited November 12, 2019 by Abalasster

[Abalasster 0]

The first step out into the open wild was a mix of emotions for Abalasster. He felt like he was at the crossroad between exhilaration and fear, and he was overwhelmed. It was the first time he had left the Town of Beginnings in what felt like eons, and he was in shock. Now that he had exited the safety of the Town, he had no clue what to do.

"Well, we did it" he began, "What now?"He looked down to Khepri, who just sort of shrugged. The pair was clueless. They had taken the first step out into the world yet had no plan on what to do now. And the longer that the two remained slightly outside the Town, fear began to set in. Thoughts of rectifying this mistake began to bombard his mind, telling him that he could just take one step back and no harm would need come to him. Abalasster began to entertain this idea. That was until a gust of wind collided with Abalasster. It wasn't much, and certainly wasn't enough to knock him over or unbase him. However, the wind flowing through his hair triggered thoughts deep within his mind that seemed long lost. Memories of him running through the fields, wind breezing past him and a smile on his face. And with these memories resurfacing, Abalasster couldn't help but smile.

"You know what Khepri" Abalasster spoke to his familiar, who looked back up to him. "I know what to do"

And with that, Abalasster took off running, seeming to shed all inhibitions and fears. He just ran, and went as far as his feet could carry him..,

[Abalasster 0]

Abalasster torn through the open wild on foot. All he wanted to to was just run, and feel the wind in his hair. And that he did. He flew past trees, rivers, mounds and monsters alike, and all Khepri could do was just hang on for dear life. But the two were on a new high. The winds that flowed past the two seemed to carry all past worries away from them and leave them with unadulterated joy. However, they couldn't keep up the pace forever. 

Abalasster began to slow down as he reached a large oak tree.

"Seems like a good place to rest" he spoke to himself and Khepri. The scarab nodded with agreement, and the two made their way towards the tree. Upon reaching it, Abalasster sat down and let out a sigh, and then breathed in air, drawing fresh air into his lungs. He allowed Khepri to dismount his shoulder and begin to roam around in the grass. Abalasster pulled a water out of his inventory and drank from it. He looked out to the open field and was overcome with a feeling of joy.

"I've missed this Khepri" Abalasster looked down to his friend, who seemed to be beaming with joy, which widened the smile on his face. "We needed this" 

Abalasster continued to drink from his water, until he felt a strong vibration against his back and heard a large "thwap" He shot up from the three and moved to where he heard the sound. He moved around the tree, and came face to face with a massive boar. The two locked eyes, and Abalasster could see pure rage and hate in the gaze of the boar. Abalasster drew his rapier and took a defensive stance as the boar revved up to run him down. 

"Hide Khepri" Abalasster called, as he took a stance, ready to fight the beast...

[Abalasster 0]

ID# 128360 

 Battle: 6 Success

MOB: 3 Fail

Abalasster 200/200 Energy 20/20 (16/20)

Boar 100/100 (80/100)

The boar charged right towards Abalasster, whose grip on his rapier grew ever tighter. It was to be his first time using it against another in eons, so his anxiety was at an all time high. As the boar got closer and closer, Abalasster remained firmly planted. In part because he was paralyzed with fear, and in part due to him trying to size up the boar, and see if it would break away, maybe run past him into the open field. But this wasn't to be the case. The boar neared, getting about 8 feet from Abalasster, and it was here that he knew that this boar wouldn't be choosing any other path and straight forward. Abalasster dodged out of the path of the boar, and peppered the boar with 4 holes in its side with his rapier. The beast continued past him, and turned back to face him. It shuddered a bit, due to the damage that Abalasster had imparted on him. 

Abalasster let a slight smile creep across his face. "I still got it" he thought, as he resumed a defensive position as the boar began its charge once more...

[Abalasster 0]

ID# 128363

Battle: 10 (Crit +2)

MOB: 10 (Crit +2)

Abalasster 200/200 (175/200) Energy 16/20 (12/20)

Boar 80/100 (52/100)

The boar, just as before, began to charge towards Abalasster. This time however, the boar seemed to be even more enraged. Abalasster remained calm however. In fact, he was incredibly more confident in his abilities due to his initially success. He remained firm, planning to repeat the narrow dodge just as he had done in the boar's first charge. However, Abalasster wasn't as nibble this time. The boar slammed into him, sending him backwards into the grass of the plains. His breath was knocked out of him. He was wheezing for air and trying to stand, as he felt the boar circling him. 

"He's taunting me" Abalasster thought, amidst his chaotic situation. He raised himself to his feet, and found his breath. And with that, he was filled with a rage to retaliate.

"Let's dance, you bastard" Abalasster murmured as he charged at the boar. The monster was caught wildly off-guard, not expecting Abalasster to switch to offense. This act of catching his enemy off-guard gave Abalasster a perfect window. He was able to slide under the boar and land four precise strikes to its fatty underbelly. Abalasster made his way out from under the boar, and found himself behind the beast, which was recoiling from the pain it face. It turned to face Abalasster, and faltered. It was very much hurt. However, Abalasster wasn't doing as hot as he once was. His ribs felt like they were on fire and ached painfully. But that wouldn't stop him. This boar chose the wrong player to cross...   

[Abalasster 0]

ID:128365 

Battle: 2

MOB: 7

Abalasster 175/200 (154/200) En 12/20 (12/20)

Boar 52/100 (52/100)

Abalasster and the Boar stared each other down, neither truly moving. They looked at each other and Abalasster noticed that the the boar began to slowly move off to the right. 

"What is he doing" Abalasster thought, as the boar began to move more and more to the right. In response to this, Abalasster began moving to the left. And thus, the two were now circling. The two were analyzing each other. Abalasster saw that the boar was bleeding out of its side and its underbelly. It seemed very hurt, but, it was was still going strong and now it seemed to be planning something

"What are you thinking" Abalasster murmured to himself, gripping his rapier tighter. All of a sudden, the boar began to move towards Abalasster, but now slower than it had in its opening charge.

"Third times the charm?" Abalasster thought to himself. The boar closed in on him, and as it got close, Abalasster moved off to the side. Yet, as he did, the boar stopped in its tracks and swung its tusks at Abalasster, catching him off-guard. He was caught by the tusks and was thrown to the ground. Abalasster was shocked by the turn of events. He rose, brushing himself off and adjusting himself.

"Your getting smarter" Abalasster thought to himself as he stared the boar down...

[Abalasster 0]

 ID# 128367

Battle: 2 (fail)

Mob: 5 (fail)

Abalasster 154/200 (156/200) En 12/20 (12/20)

Boar 52/100 (52/100)

Abalasster stood his ground and looked at the boar. Both of them were tiring at this point. They had both traded blows and were now hurting. Now they were licking their wounds. The two eyed each other down, but neither lunged forward. To Abalasster, it seemed like the world had gone quiet as he and this Boar spared. The wind had seem to stop, and the sun had began its downward descent. The only constant now was this boar and Abalasster's conflict. The boar then began to charge at Abalasster, who prepared himself for another possible blow. However, it would stop a decent distance away from him. 

"He's taunting me again" Abalasster thought, as his eyes remain affixed to his adversary. Abalasster readied his blade, in anticipation for whether or not this boar decided to break its charade. The staring match continued on, and Abalasster began to grow restless.

"If your going to taunt me" Abalasster said to himself, "Then I hope you don't mind some in return" Abalasster began to shout at the beast, trying his best to instill some sort of fear in it. The two went back and forth. That was, until the boar stopped his act, and let one charge fly past the line in the sand that the boar had drawn earlier...

 

 

[Abalasster 0]

ID# 128370

Battle: 3

MOB: 1

Abalasster: 156/200 (158/200) En 12/20 (12/20)

Boar 52/100 (52/100)

The monster charged at Abalasster, but, to the monster's dismay, Abalasster was able to move out of the way in time. Abalasster moved to attack the beast in its weakened state, but the boar recovered in time, and was able to dodge out of the way of his attack. Abalasster moved away from the boar, and the two engaged in another round of staring. Abalasster looked at the boar, and thought to himself.

"What if I don't make it out of this" Abalasster begin to feel and overwhelming sense of dread. "Am I going to die here, to a boar?" Abalasster tried to shake it off, but the thought of his death at the hands of a boar disturbed him. 

"I won't let that happen" he thought to himself. "It's either him or me, and I'll be damned if i'm killed by a boar" Abalasster gripped his rapier tighter, so tight that he felt the grip may snap. 

"Lets do this" Abalasster began to run towards to beast, planning to lay waste to this monster, with only the thought of "I won't die, not today"...

[Abalasster 0]

ID# 128374

Battle: 3

Mob: 5

Abalasster 158/200 (160/200) En 12/20 (12/20)

Boar 52/100 (52/100)

Abalasster's charge was ultimately a failure. The boar, whilst still hurting, managed to evade his attack. Abalasster turned to defend himself, believing the boar to seize this opportunity to land a decisive blow. However, as he turned, the boar wasn't charging at him or about to strike him with his tusks, but instead was moving away from Abalasster, in an attempt to put space between the two of them. This infuriated Abalasster, who let out a shout of anger

"Are you serious?" he exclaimed as he readjusted himself and begin to try and close the gap that was being established between himself and the Boar.

"What are you, a coward?" Abalasster spun his rapier, as his blood boiled hot with rage. The two had been stalemated, and the worry of death kept getting prolonged. 

"C'mon, lets end this" As Abalasster said this, the boar turned and began to rev itself up. Abalasster planted his feet, and prepared for the boar to actually attack.

"Perfect" he murmured to himself, "let's end this"...

[Abalasster 0]

ID# 128375 

Battle: 1

Mob: 1

Abalasster 160/200 (162/200) En 12/20 (12/20)

Boar 52/100 (52/100)

(I hate my life)

Abalasster prepared for this boar to charge at him, and he got his rapier ready to puncture the beast. But the boar stopped charging, and just continue to stare Abalasster down. And, the beast seemed to let out what Abalasster believed to be a laugh. Abalasster's rage had reached a new peak.

"You fiend!" Abalasster remarked, as he let his guard down, "You just messing with me." Abalasster almost wanted to sheath his rapier and walk away. But, he had a gut feeling that the second that he turned his back, the boar would drop the act and rush after him. So Abalasster continued to stare down the beast, and suddenly a thought popped into his mind.

"He's trying to fluster me" he thought, as he slowly moved towards the beast. He took a deep breath and kept his blade ready. 

"Well, you sure have got me fired up" Abalasster began, "but it'll take more that to get me to quit"...

[Abalasster 0]

ID:128376

Battle: 7

Mob: 10

Abalasster 162/200 (139/200) En 12/20 (8/20)

Boar 52/100 (32/100)

Abalasster, enraged at the Boar's tedious tendencies, decided to through caution to the wind and charged forward towards the boar. He let a battle cry loose and ran towards the beast. And in reaction to seeing Abalasster charge at it, the boar itself began to rush in as well. Abalasster, felt a collection of emotions as he rushed in. He was naturally a defensive person, and preferred to be the one that reacts to the offensive actions of others, but at the same time his rage inspired a new sense of thrill in him. As the two moved closer and closer towards each other, Abalasster tried to formulate a plan, but as the two collided the plan wasn't able to be formed. Abalasster dodged to the left of the boar, but was caught by the tip of one of the tusks, injuring his side. Yet, he was able to still let four stabs fly into the beasts side and it let out a cry of injury. The boar kicked Abalasster out of the way, and hobbled away from his attacker. Abalasster picked himself up and pressed his hand to his side, which ached with pain due to the boars tusk. But, it pleased him to know that he was able to impart some pain of his own upon the beast. Abalasster kept his hand upon his wound, but still left his dominant hand gripping his rapier, and he left his eyes affix to the boar, who was now heavily breathing and bleeding from several different spots...

[Abalasster 0]

ID# 128465

Battle: 3

Mob 10

Abalasster 139/200 (116/200) En 8/20 (8/20)

Boar 32/100 (32/100)

Abalasster and the Boar continued to eye each other down. The battle had been going on for what seemed like hours now, and they both seemed to be growing increasingly tired and fatigued as the blows were traded. The two combatants continued to eye each other down, in an attempt to establish some sort of psychological advantage. In Abalasster's mind, it seemed as if the two were playing some sort of chess game. Some moves would reward him, some would inflict pain upon him, and some moves resulted in a sacrifice, where the two both gained and lost in different ways. This was very much a game, but one that had dire consequences for the one that lost.

The boar began to charge up again, and with that Abalasster began to move towards the beast. And with Abalasster's movement, the boar let loose, and even in its weakened state, it slammed itself into Abalasster, sending him flying across the field, reeling with pain...

[Abalasster 0]

ID# 128466 

Battle: 9

Mob: 5

Abalasster 116/200 (118/200) En 8/20 (4/20)

Boar 32/100 (8/100)

Abalasster laid in the grass after being sent flying by the boar. The pain in his chest was now amplified, and Abalasster's stamina continued to plummet. But he wasn't done quite yet. He began to rise from the earth, but this time it was more cumbersome than the previous times of him being knocked down. It was a slow process, as it felt like every fiber of his being was on fire. Once he was upright on his feet, he was first faced with the boar moving straight towards him, aiming to land another blow. Abalasster, knowing that another hit could potential mean the beginning of the end, took a hardened defensive stance. And just as the boar was about to make impact, Abalasster was swift enough to evade to the side and thrust two strikes with his rapier into the front left leg of the boar and two more into the back left leg. The strikes were so powerful that the beast collapsed, but tumbled forward due to its momentum. It was down and nearly out, and Abalasster just needed to land one more blow.

"Lets finish it" he thought, as he began to move towards the beast, in an attempt to end it rightly...

[Abalasster 0]

 ID# 128467

Battle: 7

Mob: 6

Abalasster 118/200 (120/200) En 4/20 (0/20)

Boar 8/100 (0/100)

Abalasster moved over to the boar and stood above it, rapier in hand. The boar was wheezing for air, and struggling to get back up onto its feet. That was, until it made eye contact with Abalasster. The two carried a stoic expression upon their faces, both knowing what was above to occur. The boar looked up to Abalasster, and in its eyes, he still saw hate. This boar would strike him down if he was given the chance, but now, knowing what its fate appeared to be, it seemed to have given up, It stopped moving, and just lied, wheezing. Abalasster, moved by the beasts pain, did the only thing he could do. He gripped his rapier tight and sent 4 precise strikes into the beast's head. It took all four strikes to put it down, with the fourth one being the killing blow. As the beast lie dead and began to fade from existence, Abalasster received a notification of loot

 ID# 128468

LD: 10+4=14

CD: 3

1 Rare Trinket, 300 Col +200 col, 2 mats

 

[Abalasster 0]

Abalasster nearly collapsed at the sight of the loot results popping up in front of him. The battle had taken a toll on him and had gone on much longer than he expected. But he was the victor through and through, and at the end of the day, that was all that mattered. He looked over in the direction of the tree and saw Khepri moving towards him. The sight of his scarab filled him with a new sense of joy, as he took a seat in the grass, no longer wishing to stand. Once the two were reunited, the scarab crawled up to its favorite spot, Abalasster's shoulder.

"Think I'm getting too old for this?" Abalasster asked playfully, as the scarab jokingly nodded its head yes, "Yeah, I agree with you there". 

The two remained stationary on the grass, as the sun began to surrender itself to the night. Abalasster, seeing that night was ever closely approached, rose to his feet, managing to keep Khepri from dismounting from his shoulder. 

"We shouldn't remain out here too long" He said to his six-legged friend, "If i can nearly get floored to a boar in the daytime, than what will happened to us when a creature of the night comes upon us"

Abalasster moved towards the great tree that he had once been resting at before. 

"Time to get some higher ground" Abalasster made his way up the tree, climbing its many branches, until he was up high enough to ensure that no monster could swat him down.

"This should work" he thought, as he began to ease into a comfortable position...

 

[Abalasster 0]

Abalasster eased into a comfortable position upon one of the larger branches of the tree. His resting domain was decently high up, and the fall would be quite painful if it came to pass, but the branch that he had decided to take up residency on was quite sizable. It would require quite a deal of rolling for Abalasster to find himself upon the grass. 

"This seems a good a spot as ever" he said to Khepri, who nodded and crawled into Abalasster's inside pocket of his robe.

"I wish I had your luxury" Abalasster remarked, speaking into nothingness as he figured that Khepri was either no listening or just wouldn't emerge from his comfortable position. Abalasster tried to drift off to sleep, but until his six-legged friend he found no such luck doing so. Instead, he looked upon the stars. The night sky always captivated him. So many different places and sights lie beyond what he could see from his position, and he was only catching a glimpse of what they were. The idea of someone or something on one of the specs that he saw now possibly looking back at him and seeing the same thing amazed him. That was, until it the truth reemerged in his mind.

"None of this is real" he said to himself, "No one else is looking back". He rolled over, and closed his eyes. In his disgruntled state, he now tried to find solace in sleep...

[Abalasster 0]

Abalasster's eyes shot open and he jolted up. He had no clue how long he had been sleeping, but he did know one thing, he was awakened by the sound of rushing feet and rustling leaves. He looked down from his position in the tree and saw nothing.

"Odd" the thought. Maybe it was all just in his head, or possibly it was just something that was in his dreams. But something just didn't sit right with Abalasster. He continued to scan the area, hoping to find the source of whatever had awoken him. 

From his robe pocket, Khepri emerged and crawled up to Abalasster's shoulder. His abrupt movement of waking up had startled the scarab, and caused it too to awake. It poked Abalasster in the neck, causing him to turn his attention to his friend. The scarab was visibly irritated.

"I'm sorry Khepri" Abalasster remarked, "I thought that I heard something." Abalasster, still trying to figure out the source, scanned the plains. Yet, he saw no indication that the sounds were the source of anything.

"I'm sorry Khepri" Abalasster said as he began to lie back down. "I thought I heard something" Abalasster pressed his head down against the wood, and just as he began to close his eyes he saw a figure move towards the nearby woods...

[Abalasster 0]

"That's him!" Abalasster exclaimed as he began to move quickly down the tree. Whoever or whatever this person was, they were moving with haste towards the forest. Their pace was swift and it seemed like they may just evade him altogether. But Abalasster wouldn't let this be. He bounded down the tree, and once his feet touched the floor, he made his towards the forest. 

Abalasster, moving towards the forest, had a thought pass through his mind.

"Why am I chasing this person?" But, just as soon as the thought passed through his mind, he had a response. "They were lurking around where I was sleeping, and I need to know why" 

Abalasster kept his eyes on the stranger until they were covered in the thick of the forest. However, he wasn't too far behind. Abalasster rushed to get to the entrance of the forest. Yet, once he got their, he stopped. There was no point in rushing headlong into the forest. He could get ambushed and subdued, or worse. So he knew that his next move would need to be slow and methodical...

[Abalasster 0]

Abalasster bent down at the entrance of the forest and looked down to the footprints left by the individual. Abalasster ran his hand over the prints. The tracks were left by some sort of boot, and didn't seem designed for the plains environment of the 1st floor. 

"This is odd" he murmured to himself. He raised up to a standing position and drew his rapier. The prints that were left were definitely left by a human, possibly a player. Abalasster began to follow the prints into the forest, and moved forward incredibly cautiously. He constantly scanned the his surroundings, checking from left to right and then back again. Periodically, he'd hear rustling come from places all around him, but it would only emit from one area at a time. 

Abalasster followed the tracks until he came to a tree, and it appeared that the individual had climbed upwards. Abalasster looked up and saw nothing but branches above him. 

"Where did you go?" he thought, as he scanned all around him as the rustling continued. He was perplexed. The rustling seemed to be coming from the forest floor, but all indication was that the individual was hiding amongst the trees. Were their multiple individuals in this forest? 

Yet, before Abalasster could attribute more thought to the individual. He felt himself tackled to the floor of the forest. As he fell, he lost grip of his rapier, causing his heart to sink to his knees. He looked up to see what had pinned him to the floor, and he saw a red-headed girl who was wearing winter clothing. 

"Why are you following me?" She barked, dumbfounding Abalasster...

[Abalasster 0]

"Say something!" She barked, as she drew a dagger from behind her and pressed it to Abalasster's throat. In the confusion, Abalasster could make out that the girl was an NPC, and seemed to not be from this floor based on her attire. 

"Wait!" he said, in an attempt to calm the situation, "Let me explain myself, just drop the weapon"

"Not until you tell me who you are" she snapped, tightening her grip on the knife. "Did Yasha send you to kill me?"

"Who the hell is Yasha?" Abalasster asked. "I followed you here because you were circling the tree that I was sleeping in." The lady began to retract the knife from Abalasster's throat, but then doubled back on her decision. 

"How do I know you aren't lying" she retorted. 

"I haven't a clue who you or Yasha are!" Abalasster shouted, "I ran after you to ask why you were snooping around my resting place at night. Now, just get the hell off of me" The girl sheathed her knife and got off Abalasster. 

"I guess your right" She began to move further into the forest, away from Abalasster, who was baffled at her action.

"What are you doing?" he asked, "and who the hell is this Yasha and why is he trying to kill you?" She turned and faced Abalasster. 

"I'm running for my life from him" she began, "I figured out a secret that Yasha would like to keep secret." The stranger continued to walk further into the forest, away from Abalasster. 

"Okay, well if you won't tell me who this Yasha is, at least tell me where to find him.

"Fourth Floor" She responded, and continued to move into the forest. This time Abalasster didn't call after her. It wasn't worth it.

"Fourth floor huh, oddly specific" He thought, "But why would an NPC from the fourth floor leave? I'm gonna get to the bottom of this"...