Brax

ID 48333

     In the cool night air, and with the stars as there witnesses, the second wave of Cactuar assaulted the intruder who dared set foot in their humble and secret society.  Also armed with spears and shields like their fallen brethren, the guards stabbed at Brax furiously in order to drive him back outside the village.  But unfortunately for them, despite the fact that the stoic was frozen in the throes of his Sword Art's after-effects, the potion he had taken and the armor that clad his frame was sufficient enough to guard him from their weak blows.  The frozen status began to wear off as the Cactuar Guards tried in vain to eliminate Brax, and once he was free the heavily armored man again drove his metal shoulderguard into one of the pugnacious plants and activated yet another Trample Act, grounding the weak creatures underfoot and under axe.  As their pixels danced around his body, Brax picked up the loot dropped by the cacti and noticed the fleeing plant life around him.  The normal Cactuar who lived here...were escaping with their lives, running away with all the haste they could muster, which was fine by Brax.  He was here for a larger prize, the boss of the dungeon.

+4 materials

+4 Rum Cookies (+4 DMG, -2 EVA for a thread)

+1920 col

ID 48332

     The sight before Brax was a most interesting one indeed.  Cacti bloomed as far as the eye could see; tall ones, short ones, medium sized ones, ones with long spines and others with short ones, fat ones and thin ones, ones that leaned over and ones that stood straight.  Brax found himself in what could only be...the Cactuar Village.  The main settlement was proliferated by the large cacti population, with buildings constructed of a variety of materials, mainly sandstones and grown plant life.  Oddly enough, some of the buildings were made of hollowed out cacti themselves, a curious cannibalistic practice if ever he had seen one.  Nonetheless, he saw organization and care in each establishment as his eyes viewed them one by one.

     'I suppose...it should come as no surprise, given that those quick little creatures were cactuars themselves, that they would run home.  If this is, in fact, a dungeon, then I believe...there are enemies to fight and a boss to contend with.'  This was the thought running through Brax's head as he saw two groups of Cactuar about a foot shorter than he charging in his direction.  They appeared to be attacking in waves, one after the other, which was perfectly acceptable to the emotionless man as he began rushing forward himself with his shoulder held low.  Connecting with the polearm wielding guards and taking several pinprick hits, Brax's body began to move through his Trample Act with practiced grace, shifting through the two accompanying sweeping motions and cleaving the primary wave of guards in half.  His keen treasure hunting eyes spotted the guards loot drop, but he had little time to collect it before the next group was upon him.

+4 materials

+4 Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (+36 MIT for a thread)

ID 48239

LD 20 +6 LD - Intermediate Dungeon Found!

     Just when Brax thought he would have to go back to Armadillo unsuccessful, his gauntleted hands roamed over a patch of soft sand situated on the massive dune wall.  Pushing against it, he found that the sand...was permeable, able to be passed through with ease.  'Ah-ha!' thought Brax as he pulled back the Gauntlet of Sir Render, 'this must be where those cacti crossed through.  If I am right, there should be some sort of dungeon behind this obstacle.  Good thing I am prepared.  Time to go hunting.'  Unsheathing his axe and readying himself for what lay beyond, Brax dove through the soft spot in the dunes and appeared on the other side.

Summary

400 col + 2 SP + 1 Banner of Support + 3 Chocolate Bars + 4 Potions of Protection II (tier 2) + 1 Vitamin A Tab + 10 materials + 3160 col

THREAD COMPLETE!

ID 48238

     Brax couldn't believe his ears: how sad...that a man couldn't trust another to fulfill their end of an agreement, no matter what was said.  He had been betrayed before, but not when his life was on the line, only in regards to his...pride, such as it was, and his heart, what little he possessed of it.  This...was untenable.  This was...not to be stood for.  This was...unacceptable!!!  His body began to shake with inner fire, the betrayal radiating outwards like flames engulfing his virtual body.  The Broker had turned not seeing what was occurring as he began to ready more attacks.  The heat burned away the remaining time left on the paralytic venom, freeing Brax's frozen frame and giving him the chance to satisfy his desire for justice and...retribution.  Charging forward and roaring at the top of his lungs, the normally stoic man set up another Dynamic Violence on which he placed everything of his: heart, mind and soul, all that he possessed to give power to the attack.  As the Broker turned to see what the commotion was about, Brax hit him with the incredibly charged blow and with four forceful strike tore the Broker into four separate pieces and used the final wave to knock those pieces into the stratosphere.  The last Brax saw of the Broker was a look of utter shock in his eyes before his virtual body was blown sky high, where his pixels mixed with the late morning clouds and was...never seen from again.

     Tired from the betrayal and worn out from the expulsion of his feelings regarding it, Brax did not even think to contemplate the fact that he had actually felt something, opting instead to deal with the issue later in the day or perhaps tomorrow after a nice long rest, and maybe a stiff drink as well.  Trudging back to the city of Vulcan was all he could think of as he exited the makeshift battlefield.

+1 material

+1 Vitamin A Tab (+2 BD for a thread)

     His searching wore on, the dunes blocking just about any attempt to discover their secrets.  By now, Brax was getting mildly frustrated by his lack of success.  Surely if there was something to be found, he would have done so by now, especially given the things he had taken to improve his treasure hunting capabilities.  The yellow glow in his eyes flashed brightly as he turned his abilities to their fullest power.  If he did not find something soon, though, the stoic would have to leave his prey alone and come back another day.

     Brax eyed the expanse, concluding that the tiny cactuar had to live there in some sort of village.  The high dunes blocked any conventional access inside, and with no opening to cross the man was left to wonder how one was supposed to get in.  Beginning to circle the area, Brax carefully trained his eyes on any place that might offer a chance to squeeze by, on the off chance that this could be...the dungeon he was searching for.  He had thought the sub-dungeons were more of an underground affair, finding a secret passage that led deep into the heart of the floating castle, but would not turn away from the chance he might have found something.

ID 48236

     As Brax stood there asking his question, the Broker took advantage of the opening to strike once more, dashing forward and slicing down the front of the Stoic's armor before one could blink.  As Brax was again taken to be a fool, his body tried to move when his mind failed to respond, but it found the task to be impossible.  The Stoic stood open and unguarded once more, paralytic venom taking hold in his virtual bloodstream and was finally answered by the traitorous Broker, who said, "So, you ask why I attacked in cold blood, do you?  It is...quite simple to explain, strange one.  You see, I have a VERY hard time trusting anyone, especially someone I can't understand.  From the first moment I met you, I knew I couldn't trust you NOT to attack me.  Oh, I know you might like me to believe that you are trustworthy, but believe me you aren't.  Don't take it too personally, though, I don't really trust anyone.  Not only that, but with you gone, I don't need to share the reward money with someone else, get it?  The people who want that item are paying a pretty penny, and I aim to keep it all.  Sucks to be you, huh?"  All throughout his diatribe, the Broker circled Brax and kept cutting into him, slicing more and more red lines across his unprotected frame.

     The little buggers didn't bother concealing their tracks, leaving a trail easily followed in the sands behind them as they fled.  The cacti were faster, faster than anything the man had ever seen thus far in his travels, but despite their agility they were simple to track.  A few zig-zaging motions traced themselves across the desert indicating uncontrolled energy or fear, and eventually Brax ended up at a massive area filled with large dunes, into which the tracks vanished abruptly.

ID 48228

     "Ah, yes...your rewards...Here, take this!" said the Broker, reaching into his cloak and pulling out...a blade!  Using the weapon, he struck at the Stalwart Stoic with unreal speed, slashing at Brax before he could react.  A long red line of pixels erupted from Brax's chest as he shifted back on his heels, his body automatically responding by activating Dynamic Violence on it's own and unleashing the four strikes into the Broker.  The attack took the Broker by surprise, as well, taking half of his life with the assault and knocking him back several feet.  The force of the blow fluttered against the cloak the Broker wore, sending the edges billowing up as the summoned wind blew past and formed a tornado that disappeared as it headed towards Vulcan.  As they each recovered from the attacks leveled at the other, Brax responded first with a statement of incredulity, at least as much as he was able to summon: "Why...did you attack...?"

     Another day and night passed before Brax reached Vulcan and the promised rendezvous point for the Broker and himself.  As he approached, the stoic saw the Broker waiting for him relatively...impatiently? he believed, if he was interpreting the tapping foot and crossed arms of the cloaked man.  The exasperated individual saw Brax coming, and loudly said "Where have you been?  I've been waiting for hours!  What took you so long?!?!?"  Unaccustomed to the tone the Broker was using, Brax responded saying, "Forgive me, the job...took longer than expected.  But, the metal city was where you indicated, and I have retrieved...your prize.  Now, about my reward..."  He let the statement trail off, allowing the Broker to dictate was Brax was to receive.

ID 48227

     Brax raised his weapon in defense just as several large Cactuar burst forth from the ground, his Explode Catapult already in motion even as the Guardians began attacking his heavy body.  The strong blows did little to stop the Stalwart Stoic as he completed the Sword Art and blew the Cactuar sky high and into millions of pixelated pieces.  The resulting shockwave actually did more than destroy the Guardians, though; it also disrupted the sand beneath his feet, and as Brax watched, several more hidden cacti hopped up and ran for the hills in fear, running as fast as their little legs could move, which was pretty damn fast.  The Guardians had dropped some decent loot, so before chasing down the stragglers he collected his prizes.

+4 materials

+4 Potions of Strength II (tier two) (+4 DMG for a thread)

+3440 col

     Outside of the city he found a decent grotto to reside in, taking shelter for the night and waking up refreshed in the morning to begin the long trek back to Vulcan with his prize for the reward promised by the Broker.  Brax idly wondered as he traversed the ruinous landscape what the reward would be, other than the experience he had gained completing the quest itself of defeating the Iron Guardian.  Was it treasure, like col or materials, or would it be information, possibly of a rare spawning point for a dungeon or another boss?  Whatever the reward, Brax was ready to return to the lower floors, as he was almost ready to get his new gear and move onto the next task, which was to reach level 25.

     The current patch of sandy space held little to draw a man's gaze.  A long stretch of desert waved lazily by as the breeze moved across it making the sands ripple like water.  Brax saw small dunes and hills of clumped particles, little collections of sand like...burial grounds where...something could be hiding...His senses tingled as the stoic began to realize that the entire area where he thought he had seen nothing...was filled with buried monsters, eager to pounce on unsuspecting prey.

     Brax shook his head to clear the burgeoning thoughts that bubbled up into his consciousness.  He could not afford to be distracted from his goal, that is the hunting down of a dungeon.  Where the angry foliage came from was...relatively irrelevant.  He would continue to hunt down an entrance of sorts that would give him the EXP he needed to gain access to his new gear.  With that thought, he stepped off the dune and made his way forward.

     As the 'Quest Completed!' window blinked into existence above him, Brax assessed his physical condition and found it to be acceptable.  The Guardian was strong, but with the help of his consumables the stoic was stronger still.  Another window popped up detailing his rewards, and after accepting the Banner of Support that was the item required by the Broker, Brax decided to move out and find a place to rest away from the city of iron.  Not that he felt afraid of the city at night, rather that he did not wish to fight anymore metal men after the beating he had taken.  He needed rest, not action, to sooth his weary body.

     Collecting his loot, Brax scanned the nearby area for other monsters of the same caliber, finding none to be had.  But he still wondered about the question he had posited: where did those cactuar hail from?  With no plants in the nearby area, did they come up from under the sands?  If so, where was the entrance?  Were they hunters, like he, prowling the desert in search of prey?  Or, most likely, was he simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, and he had been ambushed accordingly?

ID 48225

     The power of his attack had left the Iron Guardian at less than half health, but unfortunately for Brax the after effects of his Sword Art took hold, freezing him in a compromising position.  As the giant recovered, it stumbled a little on the extremely damaged leg before regaining it's balance, and after again training it's gaze on Brax lifted the left arm to hit him with all the power it could muster.  Thus, the stoic was unable to avoid the slow counterattack and was violently thrown backwards more than 30 feet into another building, which collapsed around him in devastating fashion.  As Brax lay in the broken ruin of twisted metal, he could see the Iron Guardian began to lumber it's way towards him slowly but surely.  Before it could get too far, however, the massively damaged leg crumpled beneath it, driving the automaton to the ground and halting it's progress.  Brax took advantage of the moment, getting up out of the wreckage and advancing himself with weapon drawn and Sword Art ready.  The power of Dynamic Violence again ripped into the fallen robotic monstrosity, this time hitting square in it's chest with all four strikes.  The final wave blew a hole through the Iron Guardian's center, leaving sparks and gears exposed to the setting sun and the elements of the floor.  The red eye blinked once, twice, and a third time before dimming completely, and then the Field Boss exploded into crystal particles that washed the battlefield in it's light.

+1 material

+1 Banner of Support (This item has (3) charges and may only be refilled by asking a merchant to refill it costing 750 Col per charge. This item does not stack and may not be sold for Col, it becomes bound to the player. When used, the Banner of Support heals up to 4 players, including the user, a maximum of 20 HP. Once used, the Banner of Support changes from a red to a gray color and begins to go on it's 10 turn cooldown.)

ID 48224

     'Hmm, this silent night has opened quite a bit of philosophical wonderings from inside,' Brax thought as he continued his journey deeper into the sands.  'I had better focus on the hunt, rather than on my...musings, else I could miss the opportunity to find a desirable dungeon.'  As he did so, refocussing on the task at hand, Brax crossed a high dune and was immediately accosted by a waiting group of Cactuar Brawlers.  Their spiny fists flailed wildly as they battered his armor, poking and prodding his metal frame and knocking him back on his metal heels.  His arms and weapon reacted almost instantaneously to the assault, setting up a quick Explode Catapult and slicing clean through their thorny hides.  The final shockwave caused the angry plants to explode in crystalline showers, leaving behind a bit of rare loot for consumption, and Brax wondered aloud, "Where did they come from?"

+4 materials

+4 Vitamin A Tabs (+2 BD for a thread)

ID 48223

     The metal behemoth stood two stories tall, shining brightly in the evening sun.  The setting orb streamed across the Field Boss's body, painting it blood red and intensifying it's already fearsome appearance.   With a single red eye looking out from a helm of iron and chrome, Brax could tell the creature would be one of the most fearsome of beasts he had ever faced, greater than any of the bosses encountered before.  It's large iron arms held the promise of power should they manage to connect with his own armored frame, and tree trunk sized legs began to carry the Guardian towards the intruder with a slow yet purposeful gait.  Raising a heavy iron fist high in the air, it brought the hammer down hard and fast to crack and warp the metallic street beneath them and end Brax's life, had he been there to strike.  But, with a speed practiced by countless hours in the fields hunting down faster prey, Brax avoided the blow and let loose with one of his own.  His weapon glowed green with power as he charged up the Sword Art Dynamic Violence, and once he reached critical mass unleashed it on the metal giant.  Three swings of his axe connected with the Iron Guardian's right leg, cutting deep into the alloy and causing sparks to fly from within the appendage.  Finally, his forth swing hit empty air and released a wave of equal power which he had aimed for the Boss's torso, knocking the Guardian on it's heels and dropping it to it's knees.

     Most of the people Brax had observed, both in the upper floors and the lower ones, from frontliners to those finally stepping out of the Town of Beginnings, was that very few of them were cognizant of the wonder that Aincrad possessed.  It might be a death game, to be sure, and one that they were not even close to exiting from, but there was good to be found here, not that Brax could fully comprehend it.  But, conversely, he could objectively see that the place they now called 'home' was not a thing to depress themselves with, at least not entirely.  One had to find something to hold onto, a purpose beyond just clearing floors, a 'meaning' to their lives or else they could not, would not, last until the end.

     And so it was, that when Brax reached the center of the iron fortress he saw a gleaming metal building akin to a workshop open to the outside air.  Various shelves held iron plates and giant tools, mechanical marvels to build the most exquisite pieces known to man and monster alike.  Conveyer belts and mechanized arms stood unpowered, lacking the energy to carry their half-finished products to completion.  The studio was immaculate, as clean as a whistle as if someone...or something...was still living there and keeping up with construction and repairs.  That someone was standing in the center of the large room, a red flashing eye turning to regard Brax's intrusion.

     For Brax could wander the entirety of the floors, see the exquisite nature of Kayaba's handiwork, and face down and defeat all manner of monsters of great power and skill, and still his broken head and heart could not grasp the fullness of the tableau before him.  There was sadness and depression, to be sure, in the fact that all these people around him were trapped in a world that wasn't 'real'.  There were many reasons that a man could wrap himself in the cloak of despair and damnation, fostered by the lack of progress in moving upward through the castle in a timely fashion.  But, the reality in which they found themselves could also be...beautiful, and glorious, and precious.  If, of course, one could get over themselves.

     But, until then he had a mission to accomplish.  The Iron Guardian was not very far away, or at least that was what Brax assumed.  Passing the shining and aesthetically pleasing buildings, he searched for one that would undoubtedly hold the Field Boss itself.  Applying logic, Brax continued down the streets in search of the most well maintained structure in the city, concluding that the Iron Guardian would keep it's immediate surroundings in perfect working order.  It was only logical that a robotic creature would keep pristine conditions for it's own optimum operating status.

     He took a look at the loot before putting it in his inventory.  Turning it over in his hands, Brax saw that he finally was able to obtain some tier two items, but unfortunately for him, his level was not yet high enough to utilized the stuff.  Putting the potions away, he rededicated himself to obtain that level up soon, knowing that he was very close to achieving the goal.  He had also commissioned several tier two gear from Ishida and the Midnight Armory, knowing that once he reached level 25 he would need the pieces almost immediately to continued his upward momentum.  Perhaps after this he would check the place to see if they were ready.