Gambit

Suffice to say that Gambit did not find any crystals. Well, he hadn't really been looking for them, either. Despite what he'd told the lady who'd (uninvited) joined him in digging his hole, Gambit wasn't in it for the rewards in the slightest. He was in it for the love of the game. The lady had left him alone for the most part, and that was just fine for him. He didn't know or even wish to know about the treasure hunt the others were embroiled in. He had greater plans. But greater plans would have to wait. After wordlessly toiling away at his hole's excavation, Gambit had struck ro

"Crystals?" Gambit asked. Was there something going on at the beach that he didn't know about? "What crystals?" He looked up from his digging and cast a cursory glance at the people gathered at the beach. They all seemed like they were scouring the sand for something. His mind immediately went to seashells -- but the nice lady (@Acanthus) who'd approached him had mentioned something about crystals. He looked down into the hole he'd been digging, now quite a bit more than ankle deep. The only thing in it that he could see were his own sand-covered feet. "Uh, no crystals." When she a

<<THREAD SUMMARY>> Gambit Receives: Gambit | [Word Count: 3539/10 = 353.9] * [True Tier: 1] * [Group Factor: 1] = 354 + 100 (Field Boss) + 1,500 (Quest Reward) = 1,954 EXP 1,000 Col x2 Materials <<Concentration>> Extra Skill x1 Nepent Ovule

There was a small, quickly forgotten moment during his thinking that Gambit realized he actually felt sorry for the Gemini. He couldn't be sure of it, of course; but were its eyes not shockingly human? He wondered if the frontliners thought about stuff like that. Gambit realized that there might be a difference in NPCs, and for the first time, the idea of NPC consciousness occurred to him. The very thought seemed preposterous. How could that be? Well, he reasoned, Cardinal (he believed it was called) was supposed to be some self-sustaining system, constantly adjusting game balance, adding new

Gambit stood there a moment, processing what had just happened. It was a lot to take in, especially for him. After standing there for a couple of minutes, he scooped up his sword and sheathed it across his back. Although he'd come to the 6th Floor to scavenge for something to eat (potatoes, my beloved), Gambit found himself with no real appetite to speak of. He started the short walk back to the safe zone. He hadn't made it very deep into the jungle, and he figured he wouldn't want to try to get any deeper again anytime soon. He had a lot to think about, and he didn't know where to start. What

The Gemini stared at him. And then the quiet broke, and he (it?) laughed. Gambit was shocked. His laugh was genuine, almost musical. The white hair and colorless eyes suddenly didn’t seem so menacing. Gambit sighed, relieved, and shook his head. “Well,” Gambit said, “I guess it’s alright if you keep me wondering…” He checked the stranger’s health and saw that there was still only a sliver remaining. He didn’t dare yank his sword out. “Sorry,” he apologized, “I didn’t mean to get you so low.” The Gemini, still looking quite amused, shook his (his) head. His body began to g

Gambit was up first. He stumbled over to the stranger, who laid there motionless since he’d collapsed. He hadn’t died. Which was a good thing, maybe? Gambit’s sword was still stuck in his gut, and Gambit wasn’t too sure if it was the best idea to pull it out. His heart was hammering in his chest and he struggled to find the words. But the Gemini stared intently at him, its colorless eyes wide and curious. Gambit fought to catch his breath. There was something about the way the stranger watched and reacted to him that didn’t feel like the other NPCs that resided in safe zones, or handed o

The stranger forced himself to his feet. Gambit let him get up. He was no longer shaking. He began to feel that same confidence that had compelled him to hunt the wolves, the boars, and the Nepent Variants. He could do this – he was good at it. He suppressed the urge to smile. Celebrating early would do him no good. The stranger smiled for him. He readied his sword and Gambit did the same. Time seemed to blend together as they clashed. The stranger went high and Gambit blocked high. Gambit went low and the stranger parried that, too. The stranger ducked, going to sweep his legs, but some

Gambit was shaking. The Gemini stood across from him. He hadn’t realized it, but the Gemini must have retreated back across the stream after his attack. Had Gambit not been paying attention, or was the stranger just that quick? He thought about running, about trying to send a message out to somebody, anybody, but he somehow knew that it wouldn’t work. This fight was something he had to do alone. Gambit shook. He breathed in. He shook. He breathed out. Steadier, steadier still. Focus. Breathe. Focus. Breathe. The stranger smiled. In an instant the distance was closed, but this

Gambit shuddered. Something about that smile… He hardly had time to process the situation before the Gemini was suddenly in front of him, sword ripping through his chest. Gambit shouted. Again, that dull vibration, the sinking feeling in his chest as he watched his HP plummet. But this wasn’t like the Nepent Variant. Not at all. This wasn’t a wolf or a boar or a monster… What was it? A fight was hardly the place to think about it. If he didn’t keep himself sharp, he was going to get himself killed. Gambit opened his mouth to speak but the words wouldn’t form. The Gemini stood across from

But the figure did not speak, or even react to Gambit’s screams. It simply walked forward. For each step towards him it took, Gambit took a step back, slipping and nearly falling into the stream. “H-hey man, what’s up?” Gambit stumbled as he pushed himself out of the water. “You, um… find any… potatoes around here?” Somehow, Gambit knew that the stranger wasn’t there for potatoes. With a delicate touch, the stranger removed his cloak. Standing across from him was Gambit’s own spitting image. The teen paled. “What…” There were some differences, of course. While Gambit liked to wear

The jungle was hot and humid and he hated it. Gambit had hardly walked for five minutes before he’d started sweating like a pig. He almost wanted to quit, but he had a terrible hankering for some potatoes, and he was absolutely convinced that he would find some in the jungle. He hadn’t seen any players for a while. Not that that was surprising. He felt like he never saw many players, unless he went down to the first floor or visited higher up in the later teens and twenties. That suited him just fine. He didn’t mind being alone. He was crossing a small stream when he heard it. A rustle i

Gambit pushed himself to his feet and spat out a mouthful of dirt and Nepent juice. “Could have gone smoother,” he grumbled. He wasn’t sure what had gone wrong there. A buggy Nepent, must have been. Gambit sheathed his sword and sighed. “Probably enough excitement for one day.” He shifted his attention to other, more important things. Namely, to what he was going to eat for dinner. He gave his stomach a couple of pats and started walking back to the safe zone. Gambit was feeling like it was a soup day. Something hearty and filling. He already had some leftover meat in his inventory; all

How did he want to play it? Defensively? Aggressively? Which had worked better? Gambit wasn’t sure either of them had been working. Did Field Bosses get harder to fight the more you fought them? It certainly felt that way. But it couldn’t be true. He wasn’t buffed – that probably played a role in it, right? He grit his teeth. Okay: breathe in, breathe out. The Nepent Variant shuffled forward. Gambit ran forward to meet it. The Nepent Variant lashed out, first with its vines, and then, surprisingly, with its teeth, its gnashing mouth opened wide. Gambit dodged it all. He slid from one side to t

Alright, enough was enough! No more Mr. Nice Guy! And all those other things corny old cartoons used to say! Gambit was getting pretty tired of this Nepent Variant, pretty darn quick. Based on his health, his energy, and the Nepent’s health, he only had about two attacks left in him before Gambit was in serious trouble. That meant he either had to buckle down and really focus, for real this time, or he was going to have to get the heck out of dodge. He tightened his grip on his sword’s handle. Gambit chose the former. He rushed in, cleanly dodging two quick whips of the Nepent’s vines. He was

Screw patience! Patience wasn’t getting him anywhere! As soon as Gambit had both feet back on the ground, he rushed the Nepent Variant as aggressively as possible. Who was he kidding with all that patience nonsense anyways? The best offense was a good offense! Sword held overhead like a caveman, Gambit let loose a wild downwards swing, his sword aglow with a deep blue light. The blade slowed, as if cutting through water, until it stopped just inches away from the skin of the Nepent Variant. “Huh?” Gambit glanced up. About half of his sword was wrapped firmly in the vine-like appendages of the

Patience, he reminded himself. Patience was key! The Nepent Variant tiptoed around the clearing on its little leafy feet, inching towards him. For every five steps the Variant took, Gambit took a careful step back (which was more than enough to keep the space between them, apparently). Was he losing? Despite only being in the company of a mob, Gambit shook his head no. He wasn’t losing. He just wasn’t winning. Yet. The boy set his jaw and repositioned himself. He took a wider stance, his blade outstretched. No, that wasn’t right. He took a more defensive stance, his blade held close to his che

Had he not been quick enough? Though Gambit leapt away as soon as he was able to, one of the Nepent’s vines lashed him hard across his back as he retreated. Gambit yelped. The lash of the vine didn’t hurt him so much as it felt like an unpleasant vibration across his skin, but it was an unwelcome feeling nonetheless. In SAO, that was what pain was: an unpleasant vibration accompanied by the immediate drop in HP. Gambit’s hearts beat faster. He hardly ever took damage while fighting the Nepent Variant. Why today? Gambit frowned. He was nervous, now. He was off his game. Usually, by now, the Fie

Again, the Nepent Variant’s attacks subsided. Again, Gambit was ready for it! With a burning desire to land a proper blow, Gambit practically flew across the distance between them, his sword held at the ready. The Nepent Variant seemed to turn towards him, as if only now truly becoming aware of his presence. Maybe thrashing around wasn’t the best way to keep track of an enemy? Gambit felt no sympathy for the beast; only triumph, as his weapon, shining from the use of a Sword Art, cut cleanly into the juicy flesh of the Nepent Variant. Again, that weird, horrible shriek. But this time it felt l

Again, a swing and a miss. Gambit had closed the distance quickly, but hardly quick enough. No sooner had Gambit gotten within range to strike did the Nepent Variant pick up its flailing again, forcing Gambit to retreat. Sword in hand, plush keychain dangling from the weapon’s pommel, Gambit bobbed and weaved his way back through the wild swipes of its vines. He could hear the wind as one of the strikes went flying overhead. He could practically feel the sting as a vine whipped within inches of his cheek. Gambit frowned. The hunt wasn’t off to a good start; he was usually much better about it.

His blade collided with the monster, a wicked slash across the Nepent Variant’s flank. It had not landed with the force he’d expected to.That was to say it had hardly landed with any force at all. Gambit clicked his tongue. Whatever! He’d have more chances to deal some more damage. The Nepent Variant made a strange, unpleasant shrieking sound that Gambit was unfortunately already familiar with. The Variant’s arms(?) lashed out, violently kicking up clouds of dirt wherever they collided with the ground. Gambit weaved carefully through the barrage of strikes and waited for his turn. Patience, h

He couldn’t remember correctly. But the Nepent Variant was in sight. Gambit slowed to a stop and watched the beast. It moved funny on little leafy legs, thrashing its vine-like arms(?) around wildly. It had a big mouth full of teeth that looked quite scary on what was supposed to be a plant creature. While once it very much had, none of that bothered him anymore. Confidence had come with practice. Nowadays, Gambit was practically sure of his ability to defeat the Field Boss. It was basically free experience! As softly as he could, Gambit pulled free the sword slung across his back. The Nepent

He crept through the forest, quiet as a mouse. Ever since he’d discovered how fun combat was, Gambit had been obsessed. He could thank the scary lady for that. Had she not chased him down that day during the gathering quest, he probably never would have even gotten into a fight in the first place. Despite himself, Gambit caught himself smiling. He made a mental note to shoot her a message, after he was done hunting. If it were possible, he’d probably have hunted every wolf and boar on the first floor to extinction. His favorite to fight, however, was by far the Nepent Variant. The Field

The reflective gleam of the spyglass shone bright in the midday sun. "Hmm," Gambit hummed. He lowered the spyglass and it turned to dust within his hands. "Well... I don't see anything." Not that that was to be expected; he'd only just gotten there, after all, and finding a familiar was notorious for being a time consuming process. He'd spoken to the Traveling Gypsy and obtained the food. He'd headed to Floor 8, where he was convinced he'd find the best familiar ever. But still... Gambit put his hands on his hips, rooted in place. When there was nothing in sight, you'd think the o

It wasn't often that Gambit stumbled across a wandering merchant. It hadn't happened even once before, actually! He felt like he'd be crazy to pass up the opportunity, though. He perused the wares presented to him with the discerning eye of a seasoned critic. Everything looked so fresh and flavorful! In the end, he only picked up a single gelato. He was going to go hunt for a familiar soon, and he would need a keen eye if he was going to find a little buddy to hang out with. Waving the merchant a happy goodbye, Gambit hurried away. Yippee! *** Purchasing: gelato: +3 LD s