Dustin

Dustin would turn to Nari and tilt his head. She appeared to speak in some sort of foreign language he had never heard before, and Dustin would shrug. ”Don’t know what you said, but I’m gonna assume it was a compliment.” He would remark, continuing on his first journey in a long time. He had very little in the way of gear, but it was enough to keep him alive, and that’s all that mattered. Still though it’d be nice to know his whole party, and that included the mysterious cloaked figure.

”Hey mystery kid, what’s your name? I don’t see any point in hiding it from someone who could end up being your best friend.” Dustin’s mind ran through the possibilities for a moment. Could it be someone from Greil’s group? Probably not, Dustin had all but wiped out the orange players in that den. ”Actually… on second thought…” Dustin would walk over to the kid, noticing the treasure chest he had spotted and completely changing the focus of his questioning.

Walking to the small wooden box, Dustin would grab the top and bottom, pulling in opposite directions completely ignoring the lock as he grunted and it flew open revealing two weapons, and a single bottle of mysterious liquid. Tossing the bottle and one of the weapons to Pinball, Dustin would smile. ”You won’t get your riches if you don’t claim your loot.”

Finally looking Pinball straight on, Dustin had a sinking feeling in his chest. He had seen the shrouded face before, and it was never in a good situation. ”Pinball? No way dude… what are you doing scouting?” He would say, Walking up to the man and placing his hand on his shoulder, serious face and everything.

”Sorry for trying to kill you all those years.” His serious face would shift into a bright smile, his other hand giving the kid a thumbs up. ”Bygones, amirite?”

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Roll ID: 209802

CD: 8

LD: 15

(2) Unid Perfect Weapons

(1) Unid perfect consumable

5,400 col

10 materials

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[319]

Dustin wasn't quite sure what was going on, but he was more than happy to be involved. This was his first actual step into the frontlines, something he had dreamed of since first joining the game. ”Well ain’t we just a chipper bunch?” Dustin’s hands would slide into his pockets. They felt naked now that they weren’t always wrapped, but he didn’t need the strength of Thor anymore, as he had found his own. The flimsy silver blade hanging on his him would be fine for now, his skills more than made up for the lack of damage that blade carried by itself. Other than that, with his thick blue sweatshirt and his cargo pants and combat boots on, you would assume he hadn’t realized he was trapped in a game yet.

Turning to Lessa, Dustin would tilt his head, then shift his focus to the man in the cloak. It was a vaguely familiar cloak, and the voice was just the same. It bugged the kid to his core that he had apparently forgotten someone. ”I don’t believe I caught your name.” Dustin would say to his best friend/mortal enemy as the kid turned his back on the group. Their past was a very complicated one, but one Dustin was willing to leave alone so long as no one mentioned any specifics. The offer of snacks however, was one Dustin would immediately accept, scarfing done his share of almost every plate.

When he was done eating his food, the kid in blue would pull out a glass of pristine milk he always kept on him and chug it as he walked. The tension was palpable, the silence was deafening, and the anticipation was suffocating. Dustin could feel the happiness rising through his body as if it were made of helium. ”Every good group has a name. The dukes of hazard, the knights of the round table, the Avengers. We need one for this one. Even if it’s a one time deal, the song of our battle won’t echo through Valhalla if they have to say all of our names.” Dustin would dart through the group popping up by Pinball and nudging him in the arm. ”Come on… you get to pick the name. I’d let Nari but I’m not exactly her favorite. Her suggestion would be mean, like the three heroes and the dumbass.” His eyes would shift back towards the pair of women and stick his tongue out at Nari tauntingly.

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consumed: Evasion Cake Feast (4/6) (+2 EVA), Eye Spy Cake feast (4/6) (+2 ACC), pilk feast (4/6) (+3 LD), chocolate coins feast (4/6) (+3 prosperity)

updated stats:

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[413]

Dustin looks up from his plate with a smile, his hands gripping the silverware on either side of his dish so tight you’d think the durability of the tools was deteriorating. His grin would shift into an open mouth as he picked the right words for this situation. ”Heimdal sees all, and Odin sacrificed his eye for the wisdom to guide his people. Now, I haven’t made any sacrifice like that, and my eyes aren’t particularly magic, but they’re good enough to see your projection of guilt. You want to blame someone for your crucible, that’s fair. Blame Kayaba. Outside of that, you make your own decisions, and the one you made is the reason you feel so trapped here.” The man’s words would escape with a chilling bite, as his eyes shifted down the bar towards the player who had insulted the very same people who were protecting them. ”You chose to stagnate. You decided just surviving this ordeal was good enough.” His anger poured into words, climbing into action as he stands up and walks over grabbing the player by the coat and pulling him out of his chair.

”You grew complacent. Now you grow only in ignorance, as all of those people who are in the same situation you’re in move forward and you stand still. You refuse to take a step, yet complain of the distance between you.” Dustin would explain, letting go of the other player and walking towards the exit. ”It’s easy to catch up, just take two steps every time we take one. Never stop moving forward.” He would shoot a finger gun over towards the random player and stepping out, pulling up the picture of the notice he had seen and he would sigh to himself. ”Two steps forward… alright.”

As he steps into the courtyard, his eyes search for the outfit described in the notice, before landing on a familiar face. Tilting his head, he’d notice the outfit matches said description and he’d walk towards the trio. The guy in the cloak held Dustin’s caution while he walked up and waved at Nari. ”Hey, You’re Nari, right? I’m here to join the scouting party.” His eyes would move towards the others as he took care to remember their faces. ”What’s up you two? I’m Dustin. And you are?”

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stats:

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[387]

Skill(s) Being Dropped: Rank 5 Martial Arts [30 SP]
Mod(s)/Addon(s)/Shift(s) Being Dropped: <<Martial Arts>> Ferocity [6 SP] | Combat Shift: ST specialist [10 SP]
SP Refunded: 46 SP
Cost: 46,000

Dustin smiled as his menu made a distinct chime telling him he had received a friend request. As he clicked the accept button, Cleo ordered Roger’s special for the day, and Dustin chuckled. ”What day is today? Most of the specials are iffy, but one is pretty good.” Dustin would remark as a plate of mashed potatoes with brown gravy, shredded beef and peas would fall in front of the kid. ”So… it’s Friday.” Dustin would point to it and nod at Roger, ordering the same plate. It was just like Roger’s Grandma used to make back in the US. ”Roger learned how to cook from his Grandma, so the specials are all plates she used to make. Although, he never could quite grasp the technique quite as well as she did.”

As Cleo mentioned the vacancy of the business, Dustin looked over at Roger and back to Cleo. ”He has shops on every floor, one through ten. And a few even higher. You see, this man here has a killer battle axe, and he could stomp me into the ground. That is, if he hadn’t retired. This just so happens to be the least bountiful of his investments. The one on floor 3 is quite lively. Dustin would explain, taking a large bite of all of the foods on the plate mixed together. ”Only one I haven’t been to is the one on floor 4.”

Dustin had a weird interest in this player, she was kind, she paid attention to every word he said, and carried the conversation just as well as he did. It felt like a refreshing pace, to talk to someone who wasn’t asking for an escort to the nearest field boss or dungeon. ”You know, we should duel one day. If I’m going to help you, you should see what I’m capable of, and of course… there’s no better way to communicate than through a dance of blades.” The boy’s proposition came through a full mouth and was punctuated by a swallow that seemed so early it was painful. ”Sorry if that seems like a weird request, I just like crossing blades with other players to see how they think, it tells me what they prioritize in a dangerous situation. If you’re not comfortable with that we don’t have to, but I just felt like I should ask. You seem like someone I can trust…”

The player froze for a moment, before deciding to dig deeper. Dustin didn’t mind, it honestly felt good to get all of it out, but there were things he couldn’t share with anyone else. ”The item she wanted to get for me was a drop from a monster. I should’ve been there but I was fighting something far stronger and there were other people counting on me. Though, Freyd probably could’ve filled in for me, It wouldn’t feel right turning away from trouble to help someone else.” Honor is a weight we carry, heavy and painful, but it makes us stronger. So the Kid had to live with the hand he had dealt himself.

”So, I’ve been bouncing around trying to help players too weak to help themselves. Other than to feed my slimes, I haven’t been home in months. I spend everyday ferrying players around to their destinations and letting them grow stronger.” Dustin would steel himself with a deep swallow, fixing his hair and looking towards Cleo. ”If you’d ever like help, I might not be the strongest player, Hell, I’m not even great at protecting the people I care about, but I can try to help you. At this point I need to get stronger anyways, can’t go back to the frontlines just yet.” He would remark, trying to change the conversation subtly but leaving it open enough for Cleo to make choices. While he had never fought an actual floor boss, he had at the very least checked out a rumor, and that helps.

”What brings you to a hole in the wall like this place? You probably don’t know Roger’s food well, considering you picked this place.”

The player before him spoke kindly, and Dustin couldn’t help but smile to himself. Most of the players worth their salt had a touch of paranoia or a large dose of cynicism, but this player felt different. But as she spoke of his brother the smile disappeared for a moment. ”He was. He found a player claiming to be in need of help, and he stepped forward.” His whole mood would sink down deeper, trying to think of his words carefully.

”If only I knew it was a trap. I had no clue people could be so evil. I tried to help, but I was paralyzed. He would look at Cleo, his eyes full of sorrow. ”I wanted to look away, but I couldn’t. It felt like I was abandoning him, so I watched.” The kid would pull a broken blade from a dagger sheath on his back and set it on the table. What was once an ornate black blade with floral golden inlays, was nothing more than a shard of what once was. ”I never met a kid so kind. Have yet to meet anyone so brave. Only person I knew who truly cared for me other than Daria, my in game wife. She uhh… also passed.” As he turned back towards Roger, the tall man set a glass of whiskey down in front of him and walked away.

”After I got revenge, I was gonna retire from all the fighting. We had a place on the third floor, but one day she went adventuring while I was away, she was going to get me a present.”

Dustin visibly took note of Cleo’s name, removing his cloak to reveal a simple blue sweatshirt and khaki cargo pants. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows where they met a very ornate pair of black hand wraps with Gold trim in the shape of Nordic runes. On the back of his right hand lays a golden trace of Mjolnir, Thor’s hammer. His knuckles lined with obsidian shards and his fingers exposed. ”That’s a nice name. Can’t say I’ve ever met a Cleo before. Even in the time I spent in America.” Dustin would pull a stool out and sit next to the player. ”Though if you’d prefer I can call you them. I know some people are protective of their real names.” His eyes would trail down to the stack of gear.

”Not hunting per say. Culling. Some weaker players were looking to go to a dungeon and didn’t want to waste their supplies on the monsters they’d have to fight to get there, so I took care of them. And as for why I bring them here.” Dustin would look Cleo in the eyes if he was able to do so. ”I like giving weaker players gear they can use to get themselves on the right foot. With my blacksmith shop being closed, I figured the best way to do that is give them the drops I can’t use. I’m too high level for any of this junk, so I see no point in selling it. ‘Sides, if they need it so badly and I don’t care about it, I don’t want them to have to spend a hefty sum to get it and I can’t trust any stores to not scalp the price. Roger here knows what would happen if I caught him charging the players who can’t afford it.”

Dustin’s eyes had fallen back to the bar long ago, but he had nothing to stare at but the carving he and his brother made on the bar. ”I grew up hunting, and when my brother was here he’d spend all of his time helping me. He knew nothing made me feel better, despite not being a fan of it himself.” He would wave his hand and a cookie would appear. ”Sorry, I’m rambling. Have a cookie as an apology.”

As Roger set a cup of coffee down in front of Cleo, he would turn to Dustin and point at him. ”Yeah… He did. He’s been giving off old gear he gets from monsters to help the players just starting out. Roger was an experienced player, so keeping secrets was something he knew how to do, but his face definitely showed he was hiding something.

”You’re free to take some if you want, it’s not the best gear, but if you need it you can have it.” Dustin would say, standing up from his seat in his booth and moving over to the bar. ”Even if you don’t need it, you could sell it for a little bit of col. Dustin’s voice would carry very little energy, but based on the way he carried himself it was obvious that was unusual. His movements almost seemed carefree, but his tone was weighed down by something in his past. ”Name’s Dustin, and this here is Roger. He’s been my friend since I started this game.” The kid would say, holding his hand out to shake Cleo’s. ”You do a lot of hunting? I find nothing calms the spirit more than a good battle and an even better story.” Dustin would explain. It was the first new person Dustin had met in a long time that he had no reference on.

Hopefully, this new face would be a friend. The kid already had enough foes.

Dustin stood in the dark cavern that enveloped the whole floor, two skeletons stumbling towards the boy as his cloak covered his whole body. ”You know, a Draugr is a bit of a surprise.” He would say, catching the rather dull blade in his hand, pulling it down and kicking the skeleton into a pile of bones before it explodes into those colorful crystals everything in the game seems to be made of. The other undead creature would swipe its blade across the kid’s back as he grasped the slash and turned around. ”Oh, a wasp.” Dustin’s head rears back, throwing the hood off and revealing his mop of light brown hair as his forehead slams into that of the monster who had hit him.

He was victorious.

After letting the weaker players pass through unhurt, Dustin would walk back into town. It was quiet, peaceful. The glow of the natural world around him provided no warmth, but even still he felt fine. Almost entirely comfortable, despite being on a floor he had never been to before. For now though, this whole game was his home, SummerView carried too much pain with it’s emptiness. Dustin’s sadness echoed through his own home, how could he go back now? Tonight he would have to find a tavern to stay in.

Walking into a familiar old shanty, Dustin would wave to his old friend behind the counter. Looking around the room it was obvious that Roger’s customer base wasn’t quite used to him always moving floors. A loud crash of broken weapons and armor would clatter on the bar and onto the floor. ”I need you to get these things fixed and distributed to the lower level players.” Dustin’s voice carried through the tavern, empty and broken. A slow lumber back to the booth he had decided on would be the perfect end to this fruitless pursuit of consolation in an ever shrinking game.

The temple they had passed through would barely hold Dustin's attention as he thought about how best to explain Kadin to someone he barely knew. "He was... he wasn't a mythological being. Just my little brother." His eyes would sink to the floor. I should've been more careful about my wording. The axe was a much easier question to answer, as Dustin just picked it up to throw certain people off of his trail. "I've been seen using a sword and my fists. I've also made enemies of the less than reputable side of Aincrad. The axe is sort of a front to throw some people off of my trail." He would pull it out to show its sick Norse design. "Plus, Vikings are cool. My dad trained me to fight because I liked vikings so much. Well, that and he was a bit of a weirdo. Had me hunting with a sword when I could barely write my name." His words flow through a bright smile like he was completely unaware of the weight of what he had just said.

Next was talk of the newsman. "I try to stay away from the newspaper. If I want to see what's on the frontlines, I'll have to fulfill my dream of actually getting there. I can't spend time dilly dallying on words from a second hand source." Dustin would say, turning to Oji. "Of course, I too am curious about who writes the paper. I've heard rumors, but none of them have panned out."

The moment they stepped out of the temple, Freyd would point out towards a beautiful creature, and Dustin would smile like a child. "Ullr has blessed us." The kid would shout, taking off in a blur of blue and black, kicking up a cloud of dirt as he ran. His mind had all but shut off, the words of the past, present and future all colliding into this one empty moment. Every step, rhythmically placed as if the song of the Valkyries was picking up. His eyes danced playfully across the creature as it rotated towards him, and his last step would hit the ground.

Jumping to a tremendous height, Dustin's whole body would rotate as his foot extended outwards to swing across in a beautiful arc, parallel to the ground beneath him. The shockwave alone would've been enough to push him back a good distance, even if he hadn't planted both feet on the monster and jumped backwards. With a flourish, both of Dustin's feet would slide as the boy turned to face the lion once more. "HAHA! DID YOU GUYS SEE THAT?" Dustin would shout back to the others waving his arms and jumping up and down. While Dustin wasn't looking, a paw sliced through the air. Not feeling right, Dustin's arm came down to his side, but even with all his might the monster slammed right through his arm and launched him across the battlefield in a much less glorious display.

"Wasn't as cool as my kick, but alright." The kid would say, wiping his face and spitting on the ground.

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Action(s) taken: ST-I on Ki'Raion/Ki'Raion attack on Dustin

Dustin: 558/680 HP | 67/82 EN | 23 DMG | 78 MIT | 5 ACC | 1 EVA | 34 BH | Hate: 2

Freyd: ?

Oji: ?

Ki'Raion: 740/1000 | 200 DMG | 100 MIT | 3 ACC | 2 EVA

Freyd's title for Dustin was met with a dismissive wave, and a light chuckle. As Freyd continued to talk, Dustin simply replied, "Best not talk about it. I get to kill something, that's all that matters. As far as being a solo player goes, my guild kind of fell apart a while ago." Dustin turns back towards Oji. "Why would we fight the weaker version? There aren't songs of warriors who fought the dragon while asleep." The kid would pulls his handwrap tighter. "I will see Kadin in Valhalla." Dustin says, drawing his vanity dane axe and slapping it on his arm rhythmically. "So... where is this guy?"

Dustin had issues, that's for sure, but he had his own way of dealing with them. The kid wanted to be a great warrior, a folk hero. His dream was on hold for a while, but he was ready now. Ready to become a strong player, helping people through the hard times.

Dustin would turn to Oji and walk backwards. "Do anything interesting over the past few days?" The kid would twist back with a flourish as he got all of his gear in order. "I think it's good to know the people you fight with, and you can always tell who someone is by what they find interesting." the kid would say, trying to think of what all he had done to be ready in case anyone asked him in return.

As Astreya spoke of "ghostmasters," Dustin nodded. "I think that's what it was. Who knows, I doubt it even exists anymore." The boy would say pulling the no longer honey covered stick from his mouth and tossing it to the side.

As everyone reacted to the approaching enemies, Freyd disappeared. Dustin had completely lost track of the player and the boy's eyes would sparkle as he realized what was going on. It was like the boy's dream had come true right in front of his eyes, and Dustin started trying to pull his weight. As Freyd's reappeared, the enemy he had decided was best left alone would pull his weapon up as a threat to the woman. Before he could speak a word of disrespect, the optimistic teenager's attack had started.

Jumping from the ground, Dustin's foot would follow a sharp arch around his body. Slamming into the side of his head, Dustin's other foot would follow the same path reaching much higher than the first one and dropping like an asteroid striking the earth. Before Dustin moved he spat on the man he had kicked into the dirt. "How dare you raise a sword against her?" His hand would fall into the ground as he pushed off to launch himself backwards behind the tanks.

"Just like back in school." He would say with a bright smile on his face.

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Action Taken: ST-I on Lapis Assassin 4

Dustin had been spending way too much time wandering the fields as of late. Looking for something to kill, someone to save, or anything to keep his mind off of his most recent loss. As his eyes floated around, his attention was grabbed by the mention of a battle. Dustin would smile as he took note of where to go, pulling an old useless axe out of his inventory and placing it on his belt. Maybe he could have some fun with this quest, get to play the part of a great viking warrior.

Coming to the place where they were supposed to meet up, Dustin would notice a familiar face. A polite wave in the direction of his newest friend would be followed by a question. "What's up? I heard there was a quest someone wanted help with?" He would ask, giving Oji a weak smile. "If it lives, I can kill it. If it doesn't... I can still kill it." The young boy would extend his arm to reveal fingerless black handwraps with golden trim in the shape of Mjolnir on the back of his hands, in an attempt to shake Oji's hand. It was clear Dustin had an image he was going for with nordic runes tracing the fabric of these wraps, the mjolnir necklace hanging in front of his blue sweatshirt, and his vanity axe dangling from his waist. The only thing that would be different from the last time Freyd saw him was this time Dustin had a light brown cloak hanging off of his back like a cape. One he had worn for a long time and just now decided to pull it back out.

That and his wedding ring was gone.

"Name's Dustin. I'm a solo player these days." The guardians almost seemed like they fell off the face of the earth, it had been so long since Dustin had contacted anyone within the guild. What does it matter, after what he did they would never accept him back anyways. "So where we going and what are we killing?"

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Took a bite of: Gugnir’s Shard (Untradeable/Unique/Reusable Consumable): Crème Brûlée Tray | ACC 2 | Feast (6/6)

It seemed Dustin had a new enemy, in the form of a raven haired woman. So be it, Dustin's new goal was simply to prove her wrong at every possible turn. Astreya asked if the disguised player really knew what was going on and Nari's take on the current scenario makes Dustin ponder the possibility of Freyd being wrong. The boy would shake his head and scoff. Like he could be wrong... she? T h e y? The young man would immediately become lost in thought trying to figure out if the old Freyd was a disguise or this new one was.

Putting his cupcakes away, he would respond to Nari's comment about the muffin man with a confused look. "They're cupcakes. Muffins are gross." His focus would shift to Freyd as the man in his cool disguise would speak to the NPCs. He hadn't noticed before, but Freyd's disguise definitely held the boy's attention more than even he would like to admit. The man wasn't so bad beforehand, but now he was... distracting. Like the image of Idun herself. Dustin would pull his eyes away from everyone around them and sit down, waiting for something interesting to happen.

Instead of something interesting, Freyd would tell them about parties and groups. It almost sounded like Politics to the kid, which would result in a sigh as he fiddled with a stick he had found on the ground. Dipping said stick in Honey and popping it into his mouth, Dustin would listen to Freyd, both half in and half out. "I doubt anyone would be stupid enough to try and take on someone they already killed. Once you're dead that's it. These Lapis posers couldn't kill a ghost even with those proton packs from that old movie." Dustin's bored indifference would escape his lips, The stick still handing out of his mouth as he notices the four men walking up to the group with weapons in hand. "I stand corrected." He would say, almost excited to finally get a chance to bash someone's skull in, turning to look at Astreya and Nari.

"Party time."

As a hand pushed against his face, Cold steel would pull his eyes open and he would look into the almost dead eyes of the girl he tried to kiss. If that wouldn’t work, what next? Dustin had no intention of trying to push the issue. Hell, he had never wanted to kiss her anyways, but any idea is better than none. Looking back towards Freyd, Dustin would shrug and carry on about his business. Although Nari’s threat hadn’t gone unnoticed, Dustin never reacted. You see, he had come to terms with his death, long ago in the icy fields of floor four. ”Yes. I have.” Dustin had heard those words more times than he could count, his deadpan face switch to a smile and a thumbs up. ”But, I should apologize. I’m sorry!”

A little too chipper to sound like a genuine apology, but of course Dustin barely recognized the weight of the actions he took. It was for the mission, but even still he could’ve read the room so to speak. Astreya’s warning of Freyd’s bad ideas would be noted by a tongue poking out and open hands on his ears.

As he fell back towards Freyd, another form would be in its place. A confused Dustin would simply ignore the character and follow Nari with his eyes. He couldn’t help but still feel a bit bad for what he had done, but other than falling on his sword his only option was… OH YEAH!

Out of his pocket, cupcakes would take form. Dustin had formed a habit of carrying around snacks yet again, and he would continue to share them with everyone he met in Aincrad. ”I brought snacks if anyone wants any. I used to carry them for my brother but he can’t eat them anymore.” His offer came straight from the heart so there wasn’t a tinge of discomfort despite bringing up Kadin. ”Picked em up while grabbing some feed for my slimes, Roger’s a damn good cook.”

As nice as Astreya was, and thankful as Dustin was she’d stopped him from being stupid, Dustin still couldn’t help but feel a bit of disdain when he thought about her. Did she really think he couldn’t kill something that has already died? ”What’s it matter anyways? You’re stupid.” He would mumble, pulling his hood up over his brown mop of a hair do. The field around them would lead to a new area, one with an ultimately eerie feel. ”Freyja protect us.” The kids hand would grip the mjolnir necklace as tight as he could with his wedding ring glimmering in the light.

"Alright Astreya, Nari. Nice to meet you." He would say, smiling brightly and holding his hand out with a thumb up. Perhaps these players would get to see Dustin give something his all, even though it probably won't impress any of them. Astreya though, casted doubt in the boy's mind, something that got players like him killed all too often. "A ghost isn't necessarily dead, its body is dead. The soul is alive, and thus, can be killed." He would say, his hand coming up to pinch his chin. "Or maybe, the ghost isn't alive, but instead is undead. Undead can be killed." His hands would fall down and slide into his pockets. "Even if it was god I'd kill it." He'd mumble, kicking a rock and watching it bounce around the road.

Nari seemed a little too serious for Dustin's liking, but outside of deciding to never invite her to a party, he figured for now she was fine to help. She wasn't annoying, just kind of dull. She reminded him of someone else, A tank from way back. One he had ended up trying to date, but she married someone else. It was whatever though, Dustin had his own slice of happiness now.

Lastly, Freyd really came through for Dustin, agreeing with him when no one else explicitly would. Dustin's eyes brightened up once again as he caught up to the group once again with a quick burst of skipping. "I don't know about that second part though. Yeah sometimes peace is a good option, but fighting is so much more fun. I've killed so many things here and never had the option of talking through a fight." His mind rushes back to Greil and his crew. His eyes fall to the floor for a moment as his face levels out. Clearly something was bothering him. "I guess there was once." He'd say, his voice practically dead.

Next came Freyd's idea to draw the ghost in, it seemed simple enough. Dustin would roll his head, walking up behind Nari and tapping her on the shoulder. If she would turn around he would slowly start leaning in for the kiss, his eyes closed tightly as he kept telling himself "This is for the mission. You love Daria." He had prepared himself for a good slap, but was entirely unsure what exactly was to come.

"I don't recall sniffing glue... I always spread it on my hands and peeled it off like skin to gross out the girls." He would say with a light chuckle. Those were the good ole days, when a little light pranking was still fun and not driven by hatred.

Not long after Freyd's comments, Dustin saw two women approaching. One seemed to know the guy, the other knew the former. It was complicated, but was worse was where Dustin fit into this little group. He had no previous connections to anyone here. How would he get along with them? Who knows? But the kid wanted to find out. Making friends was the easiest thing ever. As Freyd introduced the boy, he would raise his hand and smile real bright. "I might have, who knows?" Looking at the shortest woman as she spoke, Dustin's mind would think of all the lamest explanations. Maybe it's just a new field boss, or maybe it's a glitch. I don't think I've ever seen a player turn into a ghost, perhaps I don't want to. It wouldn't take long for Dustin's first new friend in a while to give his two cents. The only words that stood out were "Jilted Lover" and his warning about fee massages. "Wait..." The boy would remark, holding his hand up as if in class, "What's a 'Jilted lover'?" His raised hand would move to scratch the back of his head.

Jilted lover, field boss or glitch, didn't matter what it was to Dustin, one thought kept crossing his mind over and over. "Can I kill it?" His face would twist into an almost mischievous smile as his wrapped hands closed into a fist. He could've sworn it would've drawn blood had he squeezed any harder. Oh, if we're going to check out these rumors I should get dressed. His menu would open up and he would change out of his plain white shirt into his blue sweatshirt, and his pants would switch from blue jeans to a beige color. While in his menu he would send a message to Daria explaining he would be back late tonight.

Dustin had made his way so far from home, a task he dreaded to think of for the past few weeks. Roger, Dustin's only friend anymore, had moved his shop up to floor 27 and he was the only one the kid trusted to buy feed from. His slimes were stronger than ever, but Mr. Fluffy was still the smallest. It was whatever, Daria managed to take excellent care of the critters. Daria was the woman Dustin was lucky enough to marry, she was strong and smart. Her recklessness was comparable only to the boy brawler. How could he not fall head over heels for her?

While he was up on this floor, he wanted to buy her an expensive gift, so he decided to carry the heavy bag of feed around town in search of a great store. Maybe this high up he could get something beautiful and unique. The streets were practically dead this early, but Dustin grew up where being awake meant you could work, and that's what he liked to do. Why sleep the day away when instead you can get stuff done? Fighting and searching, the two things he was good at required tons of practice anyways.

As Dustin passed the teleporter, he noticed a figure that looked vaguely familiar. Perhaps it was someone he knew? What was his name? It didn't matter if they had met, because the definitely were about to. Completely captivated, Dustin would walk up to Freyd and say, "Hey, have we met before? I feel like I've seen you somewhere." The kid would say, racking his brain in an attempt to figure it out. The uniquely nondescript character had drawn him in and Dustin was ultimately too curious to let it go. "Either way, my name's Dustin." He would say, letting the sack fall to the ground with a loud thud as he held out his hand for a shake.

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took portion of: Gugnir’s Shard (Untradeable/Unique/Reusable Consumable): Crème Brûlée Tray | ACC 2 

Dustin's Stats:

Dustin was already tired of the conversation from the moment it had started, but when Arabelle spoke to him the way she did his heart started racing. Her voice demanded his attention and his eyes quickly moved away from the woman he cared deeply for, his face following suit to hide his sheer embarrassment painting his cheeks a pinkish red. Damn. Quickly he would stand up still facing the other way as he thought of a witty retort, but she had already moved on.

It was too late now, he had missed his chance to try and draw a similar reaction from her. Not that he could succeed in any way, Dustin never really had a way with words even comparable to this woman.

Whatever happened, Dustin was done with it. All alone he would set off the exact opposite way of the two, hoping to create some distance and maybe find the right spot for this Dragon they were hunting. ”I don’t need them, I’ll just find the Dragon myself and claim the glory.” His sullen voice carried to the ground, his feet kicking the dirt like a child throwing a tantrum. Unsure of what this fight had in store, but completely sure of how ready he was to slay the beast and stand atop the hill as if he had slain God.

Or become him.

Opening his map would reveal what was painfully obvious, not only was he going the way he came... but he was going the wrong way, the complete wrong way. The boy would turn on his heels and start sprinting back full speed to try and pass them and start the fight without the two.

Everyone had been doing their part, each one making sure the monster died as swiftly as possible. Well, they were trying their best, but honestly it didn’t matter what you did, sometimes you miss. Whether the game is rigged against you or not, it happens to the best fighters. Dustin’s hand would charge blue as he listened to Hestia speak, her words completely distracting the kid from what he was doing. "Damn it you never said that you were coming to fight Ugzeke, so don’t act like it’s my fault you guys decided to come here after I left.”

His hand would glow brighter before he turned back, it was time to run this bastard through, when all of a sudden Dustin couldn’t think to act for a moment, a small second of hesitation and his sword art would disappear into nothing. This fight could’ve been so much more dangerous had these two tanks not shown up, but they were drawing the giant closer and closer to death it was almost crazier than the fact he hadn’t attacked. Dustin didn’t really like that fact, but it was better than them being wiped out of existence in 3 turns. ”There’s gotta be a reason he thinks we aren’t worth his time. Or maybe he’s saving himself. You know, like a good Christian Ogre.”

Dustin would smile at the group, proud of his joke and ready to finish this fight.

—————————————————————————
Action taken: Crescent Moon (7 energy) on Ugzeke

Roll ID: 189023 BD: 1 (Oh boy)

[H:4] Pinball: 760/760 HP | 72/114 EN | 25 DMG | 5 ACC | 6 EVA | Holy/Fallen I | 30 BH  
  Cooldowns: Meteor Break (0/2) | Shadow Explosion (2/3) | Familiar Grapple (2/5) | Nova Ascension (1/1) 

[H:3] Dustin: 620/620 HP | 50/80 EN | 78 MIT | 22 DMG | 1 EVA | 2 ACC | 31 BH (All Might 3/3) (Falcon Jab 2/2) (Acupuncture 1/2) (Crescent Moon 0/2)

[H:5] Hikoru: 760/760 HP | 72/88 EN |  132 MIT | 7 DMG | 0 EVA | 3 ACC | 1 RGN | 1 REC | 2 THRNS | 2 D. Paralyze [FH: 1/4] [UK: 0/2]

[H:0]Hestia: HP:900/900 EN:102/102  Mit:163[FA:16] Thorns:80[FA:8]  BH:45  emergency:90 when 225 hp or lower  Recovery: +4 eng CD: 7+

UGZEKE: 1,880/3,100 HP | 300 DMG | 160 MIT | 2 ACC | -1 EVA [DELAY]
  Skills:
<<Oblivious>>: Every turn, unless <<Ugzeke>> rolls CD 5+, he will remain oblivious to the enemy party and refuse to attack. This skill is disabled once <<Ugzeke>> becomes <<In Pain>>.
<<In Pain>>: Once <<Ugzeke’s>> health reaches 1200, he will become enraged as his skin turns red and he notices the party fully. His ACC is reduced to 1, but his EVA is increased to 2.
<<Smash>>: On an MD 9-10, his attack will hit the entire party for 225 DMG, lowering everyone’s ACC by 1 for two turns.
<<The Harder They Fall>>: Upon being hit with a Focus Sword Art, <<Ugzeke>> will falter and his next attack will have -2 ACC. This can only trigger every third turn.
<<Hard Hitter>>: <<Ugzeke’s>> attacks cannot be parried.
<<Tier Lock>>: For the duration of the fight, all of the participants’ stats that scale with Tier are calculated as though they’re Tier 4. [DMG/MIT/BLEED enhancements etc.]
This skill only locks downward. Those at Tier 1, Tier 2, or Tier 3 will still have T1, T2, or T3 stats, respectively.

Dustin's head was still ringing when Arabelle decided to open the can of worms Dustin had tried so hard to keep locked up. Whatever, it brought on a great opportunity anyways. "Biblically?" Dustin would say, flashing a faint smile towards the pair of them. "Oh, you mean last night. Nah, I was just tired, so I slept in this tree." He had turned in pretty early, so in his mind they showed up out of nowhere, but that didn't matter.

They weren't the ones falling out of trees.

"If that's all the questions you have, I'll be on my way." Dustin's words carried a much duller tone, still livelier than Pinball's, but still kind of dead. He hadn't the time nor energy to deal with the drama this meeting would bring up, but it was nice to see those two were okay. The kid would stay on the ground, sitting in such a cheesy position was actually rather comfortable after falling head first from a branch that was higher than you are tall. "Actually, I was here first, so I'm gonna stay here... I think." That afternoon was a little hazy, and he hadn't checked for anyone, but still he should've known someone was around if they were.

"Ah damn, No, I gotta kill that dragon people have been talking about." The boy in blue mumbled quietly to himself, standing up and wiping his butt off out of habit. "Anyways, I wish you two the best of luck in your lover's quarrel." His eyes remained fixated on any direction but theirs, however his words were a bit pointed towards them.

Dustin couldn't have possibly prepared for the inconclusive mess of emotions seeing Pinball would bring, but right now he was more focused on the beast to really care about closure. "What do you mean? I wasn't gonna say anything." Dustin replied, Pinball apparently assumed the boy would have an idea of what's gonna happen afterwards, meanwhile Dustin was planning to disappear once he had his col and his experience. "We have nothing to talk or fight about." He would remark, getting ready to attack.

His hand would glow a bright yellow, his legs would push him off the ground just high enough to reach Ugzeke's knees, then...

Shouting and bright lights would call the brown haired brawler's attention to the area behind him. "WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING HERE?!" Dustin would shout across the battlefield, not even realizing he was able to see fine now. Instead he was angry that more people had shown up to steal what he thought was his hunt. Still though, Pinball had at least been there to do a lot of damage, so Dustin didn't really care what he did. Not like the kid could do anything about it anyways, Pinball always has been so strong, it was kind of intimidating. But before Dustin could react, he realized he had missed his chance to attack. Instead he would place a foot on Ugzeke's leg and jump back to the group.

"Well that was a waste of time and effort."

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Action Taken: Acupuncture (10 EN) on Ugzeke

Roll ID: 188600 BD: 1 (Not pog)

[H:3] Pinball: 760/760 HP | 87/114 EN | 25 DMG | 5 ACC | 6 EVA | Holy/Fallen I | 30 BH  
  Cooldowns: Meteor Break (2/2) | Shadow Explosion (1/3) | Familiar Grapple (1/5) | Nova Ascension (0/1) 

[H:3] Dustin: 620/620 HP | 51/80 EN | 78 MIT | 22 DMG | 1 EVA | 2 ACC | 31 BH (All Might 2/3) (Falcon Jab 1/2) (Acupuncture 0/2)

[H:4] Hikoru: 760/760 HP | 88/88 EN |  132 MIT | 7 DMG | 0 EVA | 3 ACC | 1 RGN | 1 REC | 2 THRNS | 2 D. Paralyze

[H:0] Hestia: statspread here (they're super awesome and pin's the asshole >:( ) 

UGZEKE: 2,121/3,100 HP | 300 DMG | 160 MIT | 2 ACC | -1 EVA [GRAPPLED]
  Skills:
<<Oblivious>>: Every turn, unless <<Ugzeke>> rolls CD 5+, he will remain oblivious to the enemy party and refuse to attack. This skill is disabled once <<Ugzeke>> becomes <<In Pain>>.
<<In Pain>>: Once <<Ugzeke’s>> health reaches 1200, he will become enraged as his skin turns red and he notices the party fully. His ACC is reduced to 1, but his EVA is increased to 2.
<<Smash>>: On an MD 9-10, his attack will hit the entire party for 225 DMG, lowering everyone’s ACC by 1 for two turns.
<<The Harder They Fall>>: Upon being hit with a Focus Sword Art, <<Ugzeke>> will falter and his next attack will have -2 ACC. This can only trigger every third turn.
<<Hard Hitter>>: <<Ugzeke’s>> attacks cannot be parried.
<<Tier Lock>>: For the duration of the fight, all of the participants’ stats that scale with Tier are calculated as though they’re Tier 4. [DMG/MIT/BLEED enhancements etc.]
This skill only locks downward. Those at Tier 1, Tier 2, or Tier 3 will still have T1, T2, or T3 stats, respectively.

Dustin's body lay still in the swaying branches of the tree. Night hunting was always a bother, so he had decided to wait until dawn. His best option was a tree, having forgotten what it was like to sleep on the grass and rocks. It was fairly accurate the way the game simulated both, which is why Dustin hardly had trouble getting some rest. But at the same time he had never liked sleeping outside of his home, not since he got it at least.

His hair rustled along with the leaves in the gentle breeze nipping at his skin, but hadn't brushed him enough to truly wake him up. Even the fibers brushing his brow did little to make him stir, but the wind would pick up and the branch would sway violently beneath him for a moment. His eyes would shoot open and his arm would try to correct the shift in weight as his body began to scoot off of the branch. Suddenly, despite his best efforts, a sense of weightlessness would wash over the young man as his back scraped against the smooth bark on this particular tree, he had over corrected and managed to throw himself off of his bed of timber.

A loud thud would echo off of the stone face he had managed to narrowly avoid, but his grunts of pain wouldn't drown out the noise of two very familiar voices chatting about something. "Damn, not how I wanted to start my day." His hand would rub the most painful part of his head, as he sat up in a very tired anime protagonist-esque position.

"Whatever." The defeated child would sigh, refusing to confirm the idea of the two people he would hate to see the most right now being right next to him.

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Stats

Dustin hadn't noticed the health bar had taken damage when he arrived, he thought he was the only one there. Sadly, his will to fight this monster alone was uprooted when he saw another figure rush in and strike the beast in the chest. No matter, just means less stress on the mind and body.

"Zomekko."

Dustin recognized that word, but he couldn't quite figure out from where. It wouldn't weigh on him long before he decided it didn't really matter, what mattered is this mystery person with an oddly comforting voice had decided to help Dustin. The shadow would lunge forward and attack once more, but something was different, His attack wrapped the enemy and the giant fell to the floor. This was Dustin's chance.

His sword art would charge up and Dustin would run in, his attack was going to hold less power but he still needed to do something in this moment. Can't just let his new friend do all of the work. As his green hand fell backwards, his feet planted into the ground but his upper body kept moving. A swing of his hips led to a massive rotation in his shoulder and his hand connected firmly with the sternum of his prey, pushing him back an inch as Dustin marveled at the raw power he possessed.

If only he had this much strength in his school, he wouldn't have that damned scar above his eyebrow.

It was only then that Dustin recognized the name and the voice that had called it. His heart dropped upon the realization that his past had finally caught up to him. It was someone he was almost close to, but yet they had pushed eachother away in a series of unfortunate events akin to the downfall of the Roman empire. Dustin would turn towards the silhouette of the man he once hated and utter a single word... one that could probably unravel this whole situation and kill two kids in a cave.

"Pinball?"

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Action taken: Falcon Jab (12 EN) on Ugzeke

Roll ID: 188294 BD: 6 + 3 - 1 = 8 (hit)

22 * 13 = 286 - 160 = 126 DMG

2247 - 126 = 2121 HP

[H:3] Pinball: 760/760 HP | 87/114 EN | 25 DMG | 5 ACC | 6 EVA | Holy/Fallen I | 30 BH  
  Cooldowns: Meteor Break (1/2) | Shadow Explosion (0/3) | Familiar Grapple (0/5) 

[H:3] Dustin: 620/620 HP | 52/80 EN | 78 MIT | 22 DMG | 1 EVA | 2 ACC | 31 BH (All Might 1/3) (Falcon Jab 0/2)

[H:0] Hikoru: statspread here (they're assholes) 

[H:0] Hestia: statspread here (they're assholes) 

UGZEKE: 2,121/3,100 HP | 300 DMG | 160 MIT | 2 ACC | -1 EVA  [STUN] [GRAPPLED]
  Skills:
<<Oblivious>>: Every turn, unless <<Ugzeke>> rolls CD 5+, he will remain oblivious to the enemy party and refuse to attack. This skill is disabled once <<Ugzeke>> becomes <<In Pain>>.
<<In Pain>>: Once <<Ugzeke’s>> health reaches 1200, he will become enraged as his skin turns red and he notices the party fully. His ACC is reduced to 1, but his EVA is increased to 2.
<<Smash>>: On an MD 9-10, his attack will hit the entire party for 225 DMG, lowering everyone’s ACC by 1 for two turns.
<<The Harder They Fall>>: Upon being hit with a Focus Sword Art, <<Ugzeke>> will falter and his next attack will have -2 ACC. This can only trigger every third turn.
<<Hard Hitter>>: <<Ugzeke’s>> attacks cannot be parried.
<<Tier Lock>>: For the duration of the fight, all of the participants’ stats that scale with Tier are calculated as though they’re Tier 4. [DMG/MIT/BLEED enhancements etc.]
This skill only locks downward. Those at Tier 1, Tier 2, or Tier 3 will still have T1, T2, or T3 stats, respectively.