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[PP-16] <<Fighting Fish>>


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Cordelia stretched her arms above her as she leaned back against the chair. "I wanna sleep," she muttered sleepily, her hands dropping down to rub her eyes tiredly.

But no!

She had to be productive today! Because she needed to gain levels! She groaned, flopping her arms down on the kitchen table with a heavy sigh. Who was she kidding? She definitively wasn't going to be able to catch up with Oscar anytime soon. He was capable of soloing entire quests without getting bored. Last time she soloed something, it was very pleasant. . . yeah, that ruined the mood for her just a tiny bit. 

She was still a good ten-ish levels behind him. . . and considering how hard leveling up has gotten for her, she wasn't sure if she could even reach him by the the next floor boss raid came around-- which uh, was not really that good. Not at all.

Spoiler

LVL: 40 | HP: 820/820 | EN: 80/80 | 14 DMG | 12 MIT | 3 ACC | 3 EVA | 1 PARA VNM [DF] | 2 KEEN | 4 HLY

INVENTORY: 

☆ T2 Katana | Haunted Verdict: [Cursed] 4 HLY, 4 DMG
 T1 Light Armor | Bastille’s Resistance: +2 EVA, +1 PARA VNM
☆ T1 Jewelry | Aura Sensors: +1 EVA, +2 KEEN

BATTLE READY:

☆ [5] Standard Healing Potions [Heals 50 HP]

CONSUMED:
 

SKILLS:

☆ R3 Accuracy Familiar Mastery: 3 ACC
☆ Disguise: [Gain +1 EVA until the start of your next turn]
☆ Survival: [Increases out of combat health regeneration to (15 * Tier) per post. Grants immunity to most damage dealing environmental
attacks/effects.]
☆ R1 Curved Sword Skill 
☆ R5 Katana Skill [+7 DMG/+1 BASE]
  > FEROCITY MOD: +1 DMG
☆ R3 Hiding Skill: +1 Stealth Rating
☆ R3 Light Armor Skill: 12 MIT
  > ATHLETICS MOD: +1 DMG, +20 HP

@Oscar

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  • 3 weeks later...
Spoiler

Oscar - Lvl 48
980 HP
96 Energy
2 Accuracy (+1 Weapon +1 Precision)
3 Evasion
16 Base Damage - (1 Base +7 Skill +1 Ferocity +6 Familiar +1 Athletics)
61 Mitigation 

Items
Chaos Eater ............ // Bleed, Bleed, ACC
Librarium Overcoat ................. // +3 EVA
Plated Azure Tights ............... // +36 MIT, +3 Recovery

Leeroy & Jenkins - Familiar ............. // +3*Tier DMG


Battle Ready Inventory
Teleportation Crystal .............. // 
3 Healing Potions   ............ // +30 HP Recovery
3 Healing Potion of Healing Healingness ............ // T2 HP Recovery
Empty Inventory Slot ............. // 
Empty inventory slot ............ //
Empty inventory slot ............ //

Buffs
Rested ........................... // -1 energy cost for the first two expenditures of each combat.
Filling .......................... // Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot.
Relaxed .......................... // Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.

Skills
2HBA                      | Rank 5: +8 Damage
Light Armor                | Rank 5: +12 Damage Mitigation
Concentration                   | +1 to your BD (3 turn cooldown)
Survival                   | Heal 15*Tier HP when out of battle
Parry                        | 2-turn CD, 5 EN Half damage of next attack and remove Stun/Paralysis effects

Skill Mods
Ferocity                   | Increases Base Damage by 1
Athletics                  | Increases Base Damage by 1, Max HP by 10*tier
Precision                 | Increases Accuracy by 1
Justified Riposte      | Successful Parries Stun Opponent

"So we finna boutta kill us a fish?"

Oscar had a mighty need of gaining levels very quickly. He was almost Tier 3. He was so close to being able to take part in the next Floor Boss raid that he could taste it. But to get there, he needed to do something. Honestly, he was getting tired of soloing and really just wanted to enjoy himself again. So, why not take Cordelia on his next adventure? After all, they had a pretty positive history of getting stuff done when they set their minds to it. Ever since the info brokers clocked the existence of the Scents of the Wild quest series, Oscar had been wanting to get them out of the way as soon as humanly possible. Rumor held that there were some pretty neat treats for the people who managed to clear them all. As of yet, no one had claimed them. Oscar was set to change that. But first, they had to go hunt themselves down a really massive fish. 

Edited by Oscar
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She looked up from her arms and shrugged. "Why not?" She replied, casting him a small smile. 

As much as she'd like to pass him in terms of levels, it'd be counterproductive to decline the offer. The goal was to be a high enough level to not automatically get cheesed in the boss fight after all. 

"Hey, Oscar?" She hummed, leaning her elbow against the table as she tiredly propped her cheek on her palm. "Are you going to be at the next boss fight?" She asked. Of course, she felt like she would already know his answer. Scratch that, she definitely knew his answer, but somehow part of her just wanted to hear him say it. The next boss fight had never really been a topic between the two of them, which always struck her as odd since it couldn't have been more than a month or two away. At the pace she and Oscar were going, they were definitely candidates to be at the next boss fight. Oscar himself was a smidge away from being Tier Three, while she herself was trailing closely behind him.

. . . Even though she knew his answer, a part of her felt scared. 

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It was something that they had never really talked about - Oscar going to the Frontlines. Truthfully, he hadn't given it much thought. It just seemed like going to the Frontlines was just something you did when you reached a certain level. In truth, the thought was absolutely terrifying. The Frontlines were the quickest way to get oneself killed, after all. But, then again, it was just as likely that a few lucky crits in a row would end him. In the end, it came down to a question of how he would prefer to die. Either to a Raid Boss trying to make progress and get everyone out of this damned game or to a roided out boar. "I haven't really decided. Probably, but probably not. I don't want to be holed up in the city until we finally make it out of here, but at the same time I don't want to die before we escape either."

Before the conversation went any further, Oscar and Cordelia arrived at the lake in which the Fighting Fish was said to lurk. He quickly cast out his line, hoping to be able to drag the creature up to the surface without the conversation going much further. Unfortunately, there was scarcely a nibble on his line. With a defeated sigh, he passed the rod to Cordelia. "You wanna give it a shot?"

Spoiler

Fishing up Mōretsuna - ID: 135704 CD2 Fail

 

Edited by Oscar
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A blank expression washed over her face before it was replaced with something unrecognizable. Relief? Surprise? Cordelia wasn't sure herself. It certainly wasn't the answer she had been expecting. 

"I always imagine you to be the type of person to lay your life on the line for other players," she murmured almost inaudibly, giving a wry laugh.

She felt lost.

She told herself that she would be going to the next boss fight because Oscar was going there. . . and now that she knew that he might not even be there. . .yet, her urge to be there still didn't falter. If she wasn't fighting to help Oscar, then what was she fighting for?

She wasn't sure if she was ready for the answer to that.

"I was sure that you'd say you were going to be there," she said, giving him a side glance before she had cast her own line. "That's the only reason why I felt the need to go," she whispered, her steely gray eyes concentrating on the bobber that almost unnoticeably rose and fall.

ID: 135705
CD:7, Fail

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Fishing up Mōretsuna - ID: 135912 CD4 Fail

Cordelia's attempt at landing the elusive Mōretsuna was also a bust. A pity. Oscar was itching for a fight. So, he cast his own line, hoping that he would be lucky enough to finally land the fish. It wasn't that he didn't want to talk about his plans on the Frontlines. He just didn't want to give Cordelia an answer he hadn't yet figured out for himself first. It was worth noting that despite his apparent misgivings about joining the higher-levels on the front, he was probably going to wind up going one way or another. Despite her words, Oscar knew better. He reeled his line back in and rested his fishing rod against his shoulder.

"Come now Cordelia. You and I both know that's not the only reason you felt the need to go. You're a fighter. A damn strong one too. I fully expected you to hit the Frontlines even if I didn't. Fighting on the behalf of the ones that can't? That's just the type of person you are."

Edited by Oscar
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She exhaled, giving him a wry smile as she tugged the fishing rod away from him. "I think you think too highly of me," she joked, casting the line once again.

"I'm confused," she said abruptly as she voiced her thoughts, her eyes still not leaving the fishing line. 

"I'm so confused."

She reeled in the line with a groan and lifted her head to the sky. "I'm confused on what to do. Who to do it for. I don't even know what I'm doing half of the time, Oscar." She shook her head and stretched her arms behind her back. She just felt so incredibly lost. 

"Anyway, I shouldn't be talking about this when we're about to fight a giant fish," she laughed, handing him to fishing rod as she brushed off the conversation. "We can talk about it later or frankly, we can never talk about it again, I'm totally okay with that because this is totally something I shouldn't be thinking about," she inhaled just as her lungs started feeling deprived of all of it's damn oxygen.

ID: 135925
CD: 2, Fail

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Fishing up Mōretsuna - ID: 135962 CD3 Fail

Oscar tossed his line out again. And again, there was no bite upon it. He was quickly growing frustrated by the lack of fish currently biting his line. But then again, he and Cordelia had not had the opportunity to just talk in quite some time. That was the more enjoyable part of this whole thing. Honestly, he could sit and talk with her for hours. Just being around here was something that never lost its luster. So, even though he was getting irritated with the whole fishing thing, it was barely perceptible compared to his general contentment of being with Cordelia. He chuckled at her exasperation, leaning over to kiss her forehead.

"Oh we're gonna talk about it. Know why? Because I'm a therapist. Helping people through the hard stuff is kinda my thing. You don't get to hide in your shell anymore sweetie."

Oscar stuck out his tongue and shrugged his shoulders. "Besides, not know why you're doing something isn't exactly weird. You think I'm completely cognizant as to why I do the things I do?"

Edited by Oscar
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There he goes again, making all of those [doo-doo]-y thoughts go away. Must be some kind of superpower. She really wondered if this was too good to be true sometimes. How she managed to have someone like Oscar as her significant other was well beyond her, but all the troubles seemed to just melt away whenever she was around him. No words were needed to explain how much he meant to her, and she was certain he knew that.

She flashed a smile before shaking her head. "Is that a perk or a con when it comes to having you as a boyfriend?" She jokingly asked. "I quite like my shell, thank you very much. It's very cozy," she exclaimed, nudging him with a shoulder before looking back down at the water. 

Ugh, the water. 

"I think this fish hates us," she mumbled as she cast her line again. "Or we're just really bad at fishing. It could be both."

 

ID: 135963
CD: 4

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Spoiler

Fishing up Mōretsuna - ID: 135973 CD11 Success

Oscar 980/980 HP | 96/96 EN | 16 DMG | 2 ACC | 3 EVA | 61 MIT | 2 BLD
Cordelia HP: 820/820 | EN: 80/80 | 14 DMG | 12 MIT | 3 ACC | 3 EVA | 1 PARA VNM [DF] | 2 KEEN | 4 HLY

Mōretsuna 500/500 HP | 100 DMG | 2 ACC | 1 EVA | 25 MIT

"Both. Definitely both." He gave Cordelia a sly grin as he cast his line back into the water. "But you know, there's a weird thing about shells. They keep you safe, but they also keep you from enjoying life." He stared intently at the bobber, watching it bounce up and down in the waves. "Would you have ever risked confessing to me if you stayed in your shell? Would you have resolved to become stronger if you'd stayed in your shell? All the good things in life only come to those who actively seek it. You gotta risk it for the biscuit, so to speak. Sometimes you fall and it hurts. But it's all worth it in the end, when you succeed."

Speaking of successes, Oscar felt a tug at his line finally. He gave a mighty pull and the hulking form of a massive fish crested the surface. The fight was on. Oscar, for his part, would have to go second. He was far too busy recovering from actually fishing up the creature to attack right now.

Edited by Oscar
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She hummed softly, smiling to herself. "Yes, I suppose you're right," she chuckled. "You nearly gave me a heart attack with the first few words of your response when I confessed, though," Cordelia uttered with a loud laugh. She had remembered how much her heart had dropped when he had said those first few words to her. 

Cordelia nearly let out a shriek when Oscar had abruptly fished up the massive mob from the water. "H-holy hell, that thing was a little bigger than I thought it would be," she whispered, quickly placing her hand on the hilt of her katana. 

"Alright, I'll go ahead and stun it," Cordelia said, nodding over to Oscar. Yeah, she would look like that if she had fished up a massive sea creature of that size, too.

Hoo-wee it's been a while since she had used this sword art. . . she had forgotten how cool it looked! With inhuman speed, she quickly drew her blade from its sheath, delivering a rapid stun attack before sheathing her blade once again. "Oh crap it actually worked," she muttered with her mouth agape.


ID: 135974
BD: 9, Crit [+1 DMG] [+4 HLY DMG] 14+5=19x11= 209-25= 184 500-184= 316

[2] Cordelia: HP: 820/820 | EN: 80/80 | 14 DMG | 12 MIT | 3 ACC | 3 EVA | 1 PARA VNM [DF] | 2 KEEN | 4 HLY
[0] Oscar: ???

 Mōretsuna: HP: 316/500 | 100 DMG | 25 MIT | 2 ACC | 1 EVA [STUNNED]

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[2] Cordelia: HP: 820/820 | EN: 80/80 | 14 DMG | 12 MIT | 3 ACC | 3 EVA | 1 PARA VNM [DF] | 2 KEEN | 4 HLY
[1] Oscar: 980/980 HP | 96/96 EN | 16 DMG | 2 ACC | 3 EVA | 61 MIT | 2 BLD

Screw Dimension [x13] vs Mōretsuna ID: 135984 BD7+2 Deal 188 DMG

 Mōretsuna: HP: 128/500 (-188) | 100 DMG | 25 MIT | 2 ACC | 1 EVA [STUNNED]

Oscar watched as Cordelia seized the initiative and delivered a well-placed stun to the beast. It was times like these that made Oscar miss his katana. But, then he remembered the sheer amount of cleave potential that he possessed with his current weapon and all of that fell by the wayside. It was always a treat to see Cordelia in action and, you know, actually managing to hit something. She moved with such grace and poise that Oscar could scarcely hope to match. But finesse wasn't exactly his style, when you got down to brass tacks. He was about power and sheer unmovable will. That was what his weapon choice symbolized. A symbol that was quickly emblazoned upon Mōretsuna's flesh with a single Screw Dimension Sword Art. In just two attacks, Cordelia and Oscar had the fish on its last legs. Or... fins. One more attack and the second statuette would be theirs.

Edited by Oscar
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Cordelia lifted Haunted Verdict out of its saya just as she started to prepare the finishing blow; a San Ge. 

Once Oscar had finished his attack, she flashed him a grin before darting towards the Mōretsuna. Her katana seemed to blur as she landed several shallow cuts on the tough scales of the abnormally large fish before she raised the blade over her head, sending it down right on the fish. 

The creature flopped once or twice before succumbing to its fate and dissolving into a cloud of blue polygons. 

"That was faster than I thought it would be," Cordelia noted, casting the remaining blue shapes a disappointed look before she sheathed her katana and turned to Oscar. 

She coughed into her shoulder awkwardly. "Well, what do you suggest we do now?" Cordelia asked, a sheepish smile blooming on her face. "I thought we would spend a bit more time fighting that thing, but apparently not, huh?"


ID: 135985 BD: 8, Hit 14x15=210-25= 185

[3] Cordelia: HP: 820/820 | EN: 56/80 | 14 DMG | 12 MIT | 3 ACC | 3 EVA | 1 PARA VNM [DF] | 2 KEEN | 4 HLY
[1] Oscar: 980/980 HP | 96/96 EN | 16 DMG | 2 ACC | 3 EVA | 61 MIT | 2 BLD

Mōretsuna: HP: 0/500 | 100 DMG | 25 MIT | 2 ACC | 1 EVA [STUNNED]

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"I was hoping that it would last a little longer too. But then again, the longer the fight dragged on the more likely it would be that the fish tried to pull us into the water. I don't know what it is about aquatic bosses and trying to drown people on dry land, but it's absolutely terrifying."

Oscar put Chaos Eater away and yawned. The fight had been positively boring. The poor fish didn't even get an opportunity to attack. At least now they didn't have any further distractions. If only there was any topic that came to mind to think about. Wait. There was. "So why are you thinking about joining the Frontlines? It's dangerous." He wasn't attempting to dissuade her. He was merely pointing out the obvious. There had to be something driving her to that goal in spite of the danger. If he got to the bottom of that, then maybe she wouldn't come out of her shell just a bit more.

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Cordelia shuddered. "It does sound terrifying. I've never learned how to swim. . . so I'm pretty sure I would just drown anyway if it ever grabbed me," she chuckled, realizing that it was a lot darker than she intended it to be. 

"I don't know," she murmured, rubbing the back of her nape. "At first, I thought I would be doing it help you, but after hearing that you might not be on the frontlines, I still wanted to be there," she said with a humorless laugh. 

"But now that I think about it, I think it's because I just wanted to do something. Anything." She looked up at Oscar and gave a wry smile. "I'm not you Oscar, I don't have a profession where I could help others. I can't take hits for others, I can't heal others, I can't teach others. I can't do any of those things," she mumbled, rubbing her shoulders with an awkward sigh. 

"I just feel so useless unless I'm fighting something. Without a sword in my hand, what exactly am I? What am I contributing to this world? To others?" She said quietly, looking down at her palms. 

"I guess that's why I want to be on the frontlines so much. . . so I can finally do something. . ." she trailed off, averting her gaze.

"And I hate it."

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"Have you considered trying just being you?" Oscar had listened to her words. He'd processed it and quickly came up with a response. Clearly this all stemmed from some sort of inadequacy. Oscar was all for her if she wanted to go to the Frontlines to help achieve the overarching goal of escaping this game. But now that she seemed to be doing this because she didn't feel like she was enough, well Oscar had to recommend caution. People often went to great extremes to find themselves, but seldom put their lives on the line to do it. "As you said, you don't have a Profession. That's easily changed. But I'm certain you've helped other people at some point. What about NIGHT. You two seemed pretty familiar with each other. You telling me you never helped her at all?" He poked her forehead with the tip of his middle finger. "Don't sell yourself short. You don't have to go to the Frontlines to be useful. The world is enriched merely by your existence. My world is, at least."

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Cordelia listened to his words carefully. How he seemed to always choose the right words was beyond her, even if it was his former job. 

"I feel like being me isn't good enough sometimes," she muttered childishly. "It's not like I haven't thought about it, though," she emphasized, letting out a tired sigh. "I don't know. . . it's- it's just after being a bum my whole life, I just want to be something more, guess? I love helping out people and a part of me knows that I impacted their lives, but it just doesn't seem enough." The girl shook her head and fiddled with her fingers.

"I don't know. Human emotions can be a bitch sometimes." 

She booped her head against his arm before letting out a small laugh. "You know I like you, right? Like, a lot," she asked abruptly, peering at his face with a silly smile. 

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"And I like you a lot," Oscar replied, mirroring her silly grin.

He felt her warmth pressed up against his arm as they headed back to town. It was nice being able to just exist like this. Together, in this place and time. It was hard, when he was this content, to not think of the long sequence of events that led them here. How if he'd made any decision differently in the time preceding that it was altogether likely that they never would have met. Oscar, for his part, thanked his lucky stars that he'd made the decisions he did. He might be trapped in a death game with no hope of escaping anytime soon, but at least he had Cordelia. He found himself thinking that he would be content if they never escaped. If the survivors simply remained trapped here forever. That wasn't to say that he wouldn't do all he could to go home. It's just that he wouldn't mind it if that didn't happen. Which he would definitely never admit to.

"Ready to head back?"

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"I know," she giggled softly. It really couldn't have been any more obvious sometimes, and she liked it like that-- no, she loved it like that.

As they walked, she wondered if she would've have ever met Oscar if it weren't for SAO. . . though she was sure the chances would've been impossible. Her thoughts flashed back to the few hours directly after they had killed the Absolute Zero. He had only played SAO because of the boy he had mentioned. . . and she doubted he would've bought the game if it weren't for him. She briefly remembered him saying that he had never been one for video games anyway. . . which always made her brows furrow. He seemed like a natural when it came to the system.

Her gaze briefly downcasted to her feet. She wished she could've done more that day. For both Oscar and Bahr. The memory of how absolutely useless she was made her stomach do twists and turns. How could she have been so foolish was beyond her.

Her head tilted slightly as she glanced at Oscar from the corner of her eye. She wondered if he had ever found that boy. 

"Yeah, I'm ready."

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Mirroring Cordelia's thoughts, as they returned to town, his mind turned to Tyson. What had happened to the boy to turn him into whatever he was now? Had Oscar's help been so fleeting that in his absence, Tyson turned back to his old ways? Which begged the question: would the same happen to Oscar? If given half an opportunity would old habits make their return? Would his conscience suddenly die? He glanced over at Cordelia, the radiance of her smile casting a light through the encroaching darkness. No, he decided. If not for his own sake, merely for the people around him, he wouldn't fall like Tyson did. There were many parallels between the two of them. This would not be one of them. After all, he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was loved. Perhaps that was the key difference. Oscar surrounded himself with people who lifted him up. But who did Tyson have? If Oscar had been his only friend, then he didn't have anyone. The thought was so tragic it hurt. But perhaps this whole ordeal would afford him the opportunity to right his wrongs. For now, however, he would simply enjoy the moment. He would have to tell Cordelia eventually. But not today.

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