Bahr

Well, he'd gone and done it this time. He'd gotten himself rightfully, and truly, lost.

He'd known the nature of the labyrinth from his last outing. He had seen the maze as more like a monster in and of itself than a structure, something that lived and breathed. Shifted. Moved. Taunted. And yet, when he'd chosen to come back to this dreadful floor in search of his target, he'd neglected to grab more of that enchanted chalk from the old man. Perhaps, he thought, it was because the old man had so ungraciously hoisted himself in Bahr's path the time before, practically demanding the swordsman take heed and use the chalk, lest he be perilously lost forever. At the time, Bahr had thought the old man wild. He'd only taken the chalk to placate him, only to learn what a treasured tool it would turn out to be in the end. Even with having learned that valuable lesson, Bahr had been too hasty in his stead and neglected to pick it up this time around.

Foolish.

There was nothing more to be done now, aside from muddle through and hope for the best. He had a teleport crystal, at least, in case things got dicey. That is, assuming they even worked out here. Bahr was still trying his best to wrap his head around the magics of this world. He'd heard tales of spaces where the teleport crystals are ineffectual, but hadn't encountered one himself yet. Then again, he wasn't the sort to use them.
 

Bahr consumes Nanaimo Bar [ID: 207517]. (+2 ACC)
Bahr consumes Avocado Toast and Smoked Salmon [ID: 208213-A]. (+2 EVA >>> +3 EVA with "Filling" House Buff)
Bahr consumes Poutine [ID: 207550-B]. (+132 HP)
Bahr consumes Liquor of Light [ID: 184559-C]. (+3 DMG)
Bahr consumes Divinity's Wait [ID: 192118-A]. (+60 MIT)
Bahr consumes Breakfast Fry [ID:194838-A]. (+2 DMG | -40 MIT)
Bahr consumes Berry Crumb Bar [ID: 194229]. (+3 LD)

"Well, it is pretty," Bahr mused as he sauntered through the Ronbaru town square. There was something about this place that reminded him of the Town of Beginnings, though he was struggling to put his finger on it. Perhaps it was simple the architecture and climate, which seemed to mirror the first floor so succinctly. That being said, he hadn't ventured outside the walls yet, and it was possible that what lay beyond could pain a different picture for him.

There was still a part of him that was having trouble believing that this was as far as the Players had gotten. From the information he'd gathered so far (or, more accurately, overheard via eavesdropping), they'd been trapped here for years. So how was it that, in a castle with one hundred floors, they hadn't even managed to scale 30% of it? It was a bizarre, disembodying experience every time Bahr thought about it. At this rate, decades would pass and they would still be trapped here, at this rate. What did that mean for their flesh and blood counterparts on the other side of the veil?

In a bid to dismiss the rising anxiousness that plagued the train of thought, Bahr once again turned his attention to the town. The blanket of darkness that covered everything, save for the pockets of illumination provided by the ornate street lamps. The grass was quiet, as there was no wind to whisper through their leaves. All that could be heard was the idle chatter of the passersby, who all appeared so casual in their respective jaunts. As though there wasn't a care in the world. That everything was normal. That they weren't all, in fact, caged in a virtual prison that threatened their lives on a daily basis, while everything they had known and loved in "real life" was years behind them. And there was nothing they could do about it.

Not like Bahr even remembered the "real world," anyways.
 

The twenty-fourth floor of Aincrad was lovely, and had inspired Bahr to venture further up than usual and indulge in some of the other locales this floating prison had to offer. Seeing the twenty-fifth made him wish he'd stopped at twenty-four.

It was dreadful. Everything about it. It was overcast, and gloomy. Cold. And, as it turned out, more or less devoid of color. As far as the eye could see in any direction, there was gray. Gray sky, gray walls, gray statues. Even the slim populace of the floor's main settlement seemed to have lost their color - assuming they ever had any in the first place. While the previous floor had been rife with life, color, warmth, sunshine, and the grace of the sea, this floor lacked all of those things. It was no wonder the minotaurs, orcs and humans he saw skulking around looked miserable. They probably didn't know anything else.

He wasn't exactly here to have fun, though, so perhaps the dreary setting was appropriate. There was a particular sort of mob he'd heard rumors about on lower floors. One that protects the labyrinth. And it wasn't a minotaur, like the legends of old would suggest. It was a massive hulk of metal, humanoid in shape, and excessively dangerous to any who crossed its path. The stories he had heard even suggested other mobs knew to steer clear of it, lest they meet their fate at the hands of another monster instead of at those of the Players'.

"You're not going in like that, are you?"

The sudden intrusion gave Bahr pause. He'd just approached the gates, and was about to enter. He turned his head and found an old man, human, no more than five feet high on account of the excessive hunch in his back. A hooded cloak masked the stranger's features, as well as most of his face, but what was revealed was pale and wrinkled. This was a man of age, so much so Bahr feared that an ill-timed gust of wind might just reduce him to sand. But the wind did not blow here.

"I suppose I am," Bahr replied. "What's it to you?"

The old man only chuckled. "You'll get lost," he chided, in a sing-songy sort of way. 

"I have an excellent sense of direction," Bahr assured him. "I'll be just fine." And so, he started forward again.

"Not without this, you won't!"

With surprising agility, the old man darted in front of Bahr, holding up a singular piece of chalk. Bahr tilted his head as he looked at it.

"The walls in there," the old man began, "they change. Move. Reorganize themselves in increasingly odd fashion. This chalk is enchanted, and a line drawn with it will never break. No matter how the labyrinth shifts, you can always follow it back to the beginning."

As far as Bahr was concerned, the story was hogwash. An old wives' tale, recited by an old coot who likely hadn't ever stepped foot outside the settlement himself. But, he didn't see in any harm in taking the chalk. If it got the old man to leave him alone, even better.

"Fine," Bahr finally decided, plucking the chalk from the old man's bony clutches. "Thank you."

No more than an hour's journey within the depths of the maze, Bahr found himself more thankful than the platitude he'd given the old man at that time. It truly was an extraordinary marvel, the labyrinth. Not only in the way it was constructed, but, as the old man had warned, moved. It felt more like a living, breathing thing than gargantuan slabs of stone. It was toying with him, he could tell, and without the chalk there would be nothing he could do about it. That was, assuming, the chalk actually worked as he'd been told.

He meandered at a leisurely pace through the gauntlet. Checking his corners, one hand always glued to a wall with the chalk, carving its perpetual line. It didn't appear as though it had lost any of its size, despite having traced the entirety of his journey thus far. The wondrous thing it was. He'd almost gotten used to the quiet and solitude, until he rounded the corner.

 

I'm going to go with casual poster since my writing volume can be pretty sporadic.

Bahr had planned to ask the man so many questions while they were sailing to his island. His island. Even in his mind, the words seemed foreign and untrue. But as they sailed, he found himself with nothing to say. Nothing to ask. Perhaps, even in all his eagerness, he simply wasn't ready to accept the magnitude of being told about his past life by someone who had known him. He wasn't sure if it was fear that was holding him back, but it was something. And his gut was telling him he needed to respect that.

The sailor, too, seemed keyed into this, and remained quiet. He merely steered the boat, and navigated the waves as his programming directed. There was something almost robotic in the way the man moved as the bow of their boat carved through the waves. As realistic as Aincrad wanted to make its denizens seem, there were always little hiccups and mannerisms that didn't fit the norm of real human beings. It was a bit jarring to see them up close, at times. You could be having a deep and interesting conversation with somebody one moment, only to be reminded they aren't real the next. Bahr wondered what the long term implications were for such a thing. How would Aincrad affect the psyche of the people living within it, for all those years?

Instead, Bahr turned his attention instead to the horizon. Then, to the beaches and crags that lined the shore not far off. There was something different about being on the boat that made everything the floor had to offer a bit more enjoyable. There was a bob and weave motion that Bahr hadn't felt on land. He's heard tales of people getting sick over such a thing, but he couldn't fathom why. He loved the way it made him feel, literally feeling the anticipation well in his stomach every time they crested a wave, only to slowly dissipate again as they came down the back of it. Out in the water now, too, he was surrounded by the shimmers of sunlight that refracted off of its seemingly endless surface. Being surrounded by such beauty yet again breathed that sense of wonder into everything. Even the things he'd seen before seemed new, from this perspective.

At last, it seemed, their silent voyage came to an end. 

"This is it," the sailed yelled over the sounds of the waves as they neared a spacious spit of land. When they came ashore, Bahr could hardly believe his eyes. Sprawling out before him was what he could only describe as a tropical jungle of sorts. It was clear to him that some manner of work had been done here before, with a small clearing carved out that seemed to be where someone had intended to eventually put a house. Where he had intended to put a house. Suddenly, all of the odd materials that he couldn't use in crafting, and the tools he'd found in his inventory that seemed useless made sense. They were for this island, his apparent passion project. Where he wanted to build his home.

"I can't believe I forgot a place like this," Bahr said as he stepped off of the boat and onto the loamy sand, eyes still glued to the magnificence placed before him. It was unbelievable.

"Neither could I," he sailor retorted with a hearty chuckle, shaking his head. "Many in my village would literally kill for a property like this. I still remember the day you bought it. You came along for a ride on my boat, saw it out of the corner of your eye, and stopped here on a whim. The signage that displayed the property's price also explained that everything here had to be done manually. Even so, you bought it like it was nothing, just another collectible piece of what would eventually be the Bahr legacy."

Bahr could hardly believe what he was hearing. It seemed so unlike him. Just what sort of person had he been before?

"Sailor," he started, finally looking back to the man. "Was I a good man?"

The sailor merely shrugged. "Isn't my place to say. But, at the very least, you remembered my name."

"And what is it?" Bahr inquired.

"Conrad."

"It's nice to meet you, Conrad. I'm Bahr."

"The pleasure's all mine, sir."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

QUEST COMPLETED
Word Count: 6520 | 6520 / 10 = 652 | 652 x 9 = 5868 EXP
5868 + 5000 + 200 + 553 = 11621 EXP

15000 + 2000 + 400 = 17400 col

Shore's Treasure awarded. (T4 Demonic Unique Consumable - Doubles Prosperity Buffs)

There was a solemness to the man's voice as he spoke. "That's most unfortunate, sir. From what I could tell, you had a most wonderful life."

Bahr paused for a moment, the gears turning in his head. There was a chance that this could be an opportunity of sorts. "Did I ever tell you much about it?" he asked.

"Bits and pieces, sure," the sailor confessed, gesturing in a nonchalant fashion. "I could tell that I never got the full picture. But you painted enough of one for me to fill in some of the blanks. There are probably things I've assumed that would prove untrue. There are probably other assumptions I've made that are right on the money. The problem is, I couldn't tell you one from the other."

Bahr digested the information for a moment, eyes peering out on the horizon, where the softness of the sky met the choppiness of the waves. After a bit of soul searching, he'd made a decision. "You said I own an island here, correct?"

"Aye, sir."

"Could you please take me there?"

"Right away, sir. Climb aboard."

Bahr did so, and within moments they become one with the waves.
 

"Ahoy, Bahr!" the voice called out as Bahr neared, the NPC's rugged and sea-sculpted face beaming in the sun. "I feared I'd never see you again. Where have you been, all this time?"

Bahr was taken aback by the mannerisms of the NPC. Did he actually know this man, or was this just a trick of Aincrad's programming?

"You know me, sailor?" Bahr asked, tone neutral and inquisitive.

"Aye, well of course," the NPC replied, seemingly flabbergasted. "I'm your ferryman, to your island. Don't you remember?"

"No," Bahr admitted, voice uncharacteristically flat. My island? "What exactly do you mean by that, sailor? 'Your' island. You're saying I own land here?"

The NPC stood stalwart against the wind and the spray of the sea, expression now skeptical as he scanned Bahr's visage for any sign of mischief. When he found none, all he could do was sigh. "You really have forgotten, haven't you?"

"You'll need to forgive me, sailor," Bahr started, "I haven't much recall of anything before a few weeks ago. You see, I woke up in a cave with no prior memories of my past life. I was a blank slate, as some might call it."

He needed something to occupy that space of his mind. Something genuinely new. Something that could scratch the itch that nothing else could reach. He didn't know what that thing was, or where he should even start looking for it. He just knew that it was something that he needed in his life, for his own sanity. There was glory to be had from going from battle to battle, ad nauseum, until he could fight no more. And, a certain amount of exhilaration that he would surely enjoy. But with that being said, it wasn't the life that he wanted. He wanted a way to enjoy the more calm times, where danger was far away and he didn't need to worry about keeping himself alive. Strange thought, for a warrior. Or, maybe not.

Out of the corner of Bahr's eye, he spotted a boat, with its apparent captain standing near it on the shore. The NPC was waving at Bahr, beckoning him to come closer. Without anything else planned, Bahr found himself drawn to the sense of adventure. What was it that the NPC wanted? What lay ahead on that horizon? Probably just another quest, where Bahr was tasked with killing this monster or that. Nothing to get excited over.

But then again, what if it was something else?

Bahr was done here. The beach had once again fallen silent, and he had now received a notification informing him that the quest had been completely successfully. "Congratulations!" the screen seemed to scream at him. He dismissed it with an agitated swipe.

What was it that had him so disgruntled? Perhaps it was the fact that he'd finally felt something other than insecurity, and worry, and fear, and like he was doing everything wrong since he first woke up. And he'd only managed to find that feeling in the throes of combat against a monster much larger and more terrifying than he. And while he now understood that he was a warrior, and this was what he was meant to do - what he was good at - and had already readily accepted this line of thinking into his zeitgeist, he still felt unfulfilled. 

There was something missing. That sense of wonder. Exhilaration could only get one so far, and the novelties of new places waned faster than Bahr felt they should. While everything about the floor had been new and exciting when he'd first gotten there, they had now faded into normal, or expected. The facets of this floor were appealing and enjoyable, sure. But there was no wonder with them. He knew he'd been in this place before, and so did his body. That's why it didn't maintain its 'newness.' Just another reason to be aggravated by the entire ordeal he was undergoing.
 

He drew up his sword, poured the energy into it, and let it fall. In a flash, the monster was now more, scattered into countless crystalline fragments which scattered in the wind and dissipated into oblivion. Bahr had expected to feel something when it happened, but he was hollow. Was there something he was supposed to feel, when deleting a program with his blade? Certainly he'd felt something when fighting the Sand's Claw, that man-eating behemoth filling his belly with excitement and giving him fill of satisfaction when finally vanquished. Even offering up a healthy score of fear, for when Bahr felt he was trapped and helpless. The battle had had everything he could have dreamed up, even before he knew he dreamed of it.

It was clear he was a warrior. It was his calling.

It was probably why slaying the helpless critter did nothing for him. What was to be gained from no challenge? With nothing at stake, nothing was earned. Except for, in this case, some meager sum of experience points and col. Not like Bahr really had much use for either.
 

When he finally did happen upon the creature, he found it almost cute in how pathetic it really was. It moved much like one might expect molasses to, in an eternally slow gaunt that made one question whether they were actually seeing movement at all, or simply imagining it. There was a clear trench drawn in the sand from where it had come out of the sea, that trail slowly eroding into imperception as it was swept away by the current. It hardly seemed to notice him, towering over it, weapon gripped in hand, trundling right along without a care in the world.

There was a pang of envy to go along with the observation. A piece of Bahr that actually missed his earliest remembered moments in that cave on the first floor, where he hadn't an inkling of a clue as to what he was, where he was, and what he was going through. Hardly any perception to be had. Simply existing, and letting what happen may, regardless of whether it was 'good' or 'bad' for him. There was a peace to that state of being that he'd not recognized until he was robbed of it. Certainly, he was better off now. But he wouldn't have known that, wouldn't have had a way to know that, without first having gained the consciousness that now allowed him the comparison. As far as he'd been concerned back then, that was simply the state of affairs as they were, and there was no reason to question them. No way to question them.

Here sat the embodiment of the period in Bahr's life that he felt the most melancholy yearning for, and he was about to kill it. There was something poetic in that, right? An allegory for moving on, or some such life lesson that the story would be meant to convey. But this wasn't a story, and Bahr wasn't a character. He was just a man on the beach, doing what needed to be done. Or, at least trying to, if not held back by some silly platitudes about who he was, and who he wanted to be, projecting those desires and insecurities only a god damn mollusk of all things.

Or, at least, he'd thought that it was empty. Across the mish-mashed sands, on the far side of the beach near the tide's line, he spotted a smaller, more docile creature. It appeared, by all means, to be something small, worthless, and inconsequential. A smaller hermit crab, or perhaps some other sea creature which found its dwelling within the confines of a conch shell. And while it didn't look like anything to be worried about now, Bahr had just witnessed what happened when you allowed such things to go unchecked. They grew, and grew, and in a blink could become some unholy force to be reckoned with, stealing lives and striking fear into the hearts of men.

Bahr strode along the beach toward it, not bothering to stride particularly long or fast in his gate. While this was a problem he wanted to nip in the bud sooner rather than later, he also appreciated the fact that he was no longer locked into combat with a gargantuan sea creature that legitimately threatened his life. The beach was calm again, and the signature charms of the floor had returned to his senses. The soft noises, the salty-sweet aromas, the comforting heat of the midday sun overhead. He chose to enjoy them, best he could, rather than dwell on how harrowing the experience just before had been. Though he wanted to, he recognized there was nothing gained by indulging in the trauma. The best thing he could do was simply put one foot in front of the other, and smell the proverbial roses whenever he could.
 

Bahr could feel something inside of himself now, as though something had "clicked." There was a dormant Sword Art taht had been inaccessible to him throughout the entire fight thus far. Something secret and ancient, deadly, familiar. A technique he'd used countless times in the past, but had been lost to the sands of time. He felt like, if he wanted to, he could simply reach out and grab the power for his own. Make it a part of him. Vanquish any foe. Best any enemy. It was there for the taking, all he had to do was take it.

So he did.

His visage fell slack and devoid of emotion. The irises of his widened eyes shifted from scarlet to jet black, dotted with glints of stars and overlapping nebulae. In the blink of an eye, he was upon the mob, same expressionless face focused on its enemy with razer sharp intensity. Varying colors pulsed along Forgotten King's Spite as it was raised into the air above Bahr's head, a projection of the Milky Way seemingly projected above the both of them. 

And has he brought that blade down, it shattered.

The health bar dipped from three quarters full to fully depleted in the blink of an eye, and then it was over. The giant crab stopped where it stood, let out a final deafening screech, and burst into an infinite volume of polygonal fractals that cascaded down and over Bahr and the battlefield. One after another, all of these pixels would fade into oblivion, leaving only Bahr and the war-torn beach they'd managed to completely ruin during their skirmish.
 

Bahr emerged from the ethereal much like he had the first time he had struck the crab, garnering intense momentum through the means of an angular airborne spin that came crashing down against the monster's exoskeleton with unreasonably high force. This time, however, he'd added a bit of a twist to his attack, imbuing it with a little something extra that he'd been led to believe was able to stun mobs in place for a short amount of time. Or, at least, that's what the guide had said.

Sure enough, when he hit the crab, it froze in place. Seemingly stunned, it made it incredibly easy for Bahr to back away and put adequate distance between himself and the mob before it became mobile once more, thrashing its claws where he had once stood and seemingly getting frustrated that he was no longer there. What a strange mechanic, Bahr thought to himself. Definitely one worth keeping in mind for later encounters with particularly tenacious foes.
 

Once again, Bahr was the fool here. He'd gotten upset at the creature for taking the fight seriously, thinking that it wasn't taking the fight seriously. And why did he have to go and get upset at a virtual crab, anyway? The entire situation was just wild and borderline unbelievable. Why try to attribute logical trains of thought to things that were clearly illogical? Or, at the very least, followed a different track of logic than he did? It was a computer, inside a smaller computer, in a computer world. Of course it would be over his head. It was in it.

Seeing that the crab had changed tactics inspire Bahr to do the same. He was starting to figure out the nuances of his weapons, and how they differed from one another. From what he could tell, the lighter and more maneuverable Forgotten King's Spite was designed to inflict status conditions against the opponent, and drain their health away regardless of whether or not he actually hit them. Based on what he'd read in his skills, it seemed that stealth fell perfectly in line with this methodology of combat, hence why he probably had the skills despite them not really coinciding with his fighting style. Dawn's Demise was designed to get in close and deal as much raw damage as physically possible, leaving status conditions out of the equation entirely. It was the straight up, in-your-face sort of fighting that really called his name, and that he felt the most comfortable with.

But, as the battle waged on, he was beginning to see the pros and cons of both. Forgotten King's Spite required more technique and set up. Dawn's Demise didn't but left him more open to counter attack. Being at the tail end of the battle now (or at least what he assumed would be the tail end of the battle, betting it didn't eat more rocks and live even longer), Bahr fully expected that it would once again change its pattern of behavior. If that were to happen, he didn't want to get pinned again. If he did, there was a chance he wouldn't be able to free himself this time, and all his effort would be for naught.

He activated Quick Change again, swapping out Dawn's Demise for Forgotten King's Spite, and then activated another Skill. Vanish, which was intended to allow him to enter stealth, even if he were in the middle of combat. And, as far he could tell, it worked flawlessly. Splinters of his visage fizzled away in the form of triangular panels folding into nothingness. With moments, he was completely imperceptible.

Not that it kept the enraged crab from thrashing about with wild abandon in an attempt to catch him.
 

That familiar rage was bubbling up again, only this time directed outward instead of inward. Who the fuck did this stupid crab think it was, killing men and eating rocks? As though none of it mattered. It sickened him. Real people had met their end at the hands - er, claws of a rock-eating crustacean. It was completely unacceptable. He wanted it to die. He needed it to die. And if he could find it within himself to thwack it with the tenacity he had only a moment prior, he was ceratin he could do it. It only had three quarters of a single health bar left, and he was sure he'd seen himself deplete more than that in with the right strike. Now was just the time to prove it.

He darted forth, Dawn's Demise shining bright with the same godly electricity he'd seen it exhibit before. He poured his entire essence into a singular, harrowing strike, the impact powerful enough to blow the sand in the immediate area outward and across the beach. He'd done it. A hit like that was guaranteed to bring this thing down.

When the dust settled, he realized that the crab was still present. Didn't mobs evaporate when they were killed? When Bahr peered up toward the beast's health bar, all was made clear. Not only was it not dead, it had more health than before. It's first health bar had been completely regenerated, and a small portion of its second health bar was back as well. That's why it had been eating the rocks. To gain health and continue to fight.

While Bahr gawked at the creature's replenished health, it sized up its next attacks. One claw swiped, which he barely ducked under. The next claw came from the other direction, which he was forced to jump and tuck his knees into his chest to avoid. When it seemed safe to do so, Bahr stumbled backward and out of the range of the oversized crab's claws, holding his sword in front of him as though to dissuade a giant with a toothpick.

Bahr was done playing around, at this point. This monster had proven itself to be infinitely more dangerous that he originally imagined. He didn't know exactly where he stood on the power scale of this world, but he'd noticed himself advancing easily in areas where others struggled. Tearing apart mobs in a single swipe that would take another man ten. Taking hits from other mobs and feeling nothing, where another man might find himself beaten to within an inch of his life. The mechanics of this world had offered him some sort of protection that not everyone had, and he could only surmise that it came from his stats. He couldn't see the stats of others, so it was only a guess, but it was what he had inferred from his observations. 

So, if a monster like this could do something like that to Bahr, there was no telling what it could do to others. He was certain that other, lower-leveled Players could have easily been killed by what he's just been forced to endure. Luckily, through a combination of his stats, equipment, and the buffs he had consumed prior to the fight, he was able to survive it handily. But another minute or two of that, and surely even he would have perished.

Enough was enough. It needed to die.

In a flash he found himself before the mob again, sand hurtling forward past him as though carried by his momentum. Electricity danced across his blade, and then into the crab as Dawn's Demise collided with its impossibly dense exterior. Bahr watched as its health bar once again dipped by an insane margin, the third bar having now been depleted entirely to make way for the fourth and final. And then, even that one was already a quarter depleted.

The end of the battle was so close Bahr could taste it. He just needed to avoid making mistakes long enough to land the blows he needed to to wipe up the rest of this thing. In accordance with this train of thought, he dashed back to put distance between himself and his adversary, anticipating a counterattack of some sort. But, when none came, Bahr cocked his head in confusion. Then, as he saw what the crab was doing, he furrowed his brow.

It was eating. Rocks. For all the credit he'd given it only moments prior for being adaptable, he was now witnessing an overgrown crab ignoring the thing that was killing it, and eating rocks. Bahr found himself irrationally upset by this, as though the seriously of the situation and the tension of the battle was being robbed from him. He almost wanted to laugh at the ridiculousness of it all, if that very same ridiculousness wasn't what was irritating him so deeply.

Rocks. What the hell?
 

As yet another blow landed against him, Bahr exclaimed in pain once more. Well, pain wasn't exactly accurate, as there was no true pain to be had in this world. It was more the anticipation of pain that made him yelp. He felt like such an idiot, allowing himself to land in a situation like this. Why had he come alone, to this palce, against this foe? That he knew was dangerous. That he knew had killed adventurers before him. Was it because he felt he had something to prove, or because he truly was that stupid?

The answers evaded him, but the emotion didn't. Underneath the shock and fear, there was another emotion that was bubbling to the surface. Old, familiar, and dangerous. Anger. Rage, more like. And not even at the creature that, even as he made this realization, was still beating upon him. At himself. For being an idiot, yet again, when he knew better. He suddenly had the sense that he had done this sort of thing to himself countless times, even before he lost his memories. Always playing the odds, always putting himself and others in danger, and always paying the cost.

Why? What kind of unhinged maniac was he?

Dawn's Demise once again ignited with obsidian energy, and instantly found itself wedged in the apex of the craw that had kept Bahr pinned, jutting in from underneath. He shoved, and then twisted, offering his shoulders an inch or two of wiggle room on either side. He took advantage of the reprieve and freed himself from the crab's clutches just before another blow landed, this one missing him and powderizing the boulder he'd been pinned against. Once again a haze settled over the area, obstructing visibility. 
 

The confidence crashed against Bahr in waves. How was it that so many others had struggled against this buffoonish creature? Sure, it hit hard, but it was easy enough to outwit and outspeed. Its only true power bore out in its intimidation, being the towering monolith that it was. It was easy to assume that anything so large would certainly smite you if you got too close. It had the power to back up that sentiment, too. But as long as you were surefooted and quick, there was no way the foolish thing could ever get its grubby little claws on you in earnest.

He rushed back in for another pass at the creature, view unobstructed this time as the sand in the air had finally settled. His weapon sparked to life with a sickly obsidian crackle of power, jet black energy dancing along the blade hungrily as it neared its victim. Bahr strafed again, struck, and watched as the monster's health dropped and its second health bar came perilously close to being depleted fully. He was now halfway there.

But it seemed that the Sand's Claw had been expecting as such, this time. Perhaps his judgements of the creature's stupidity was premature, because it seemed that it was more than capable of adjusting its routines and attack patterns if the situation called for it. No sooner had Bahr issued his strike than the monster had turned around and capture the swordsman in its craw. It smashed him against a boulder that was resting on the beach, holding him in place as its other claw sailed in and struck his stationary body. He exclaimed as the impact hit its mark, shock and fear coursing through his veins.

He was trapped. It could just keep hitting him while he was pinned, and there would be nothing he could do about it. Was this how it had managed to kill so many before him?
 

When his eyes affixed on the monster's health bar again, he could hardly believe it. While his first attack had only carved away about a quarter of the first of the creature's four health bars, the second had completely destroyed one and started digging in against the second. What absurd, ridiculous power did this blade house? Bahr righted himself, standing straight and staring down at the weapon in his hand, as though doing so would provide the answers he sought. The blade remained stalwart and silent, revealing nothing of itself to him. He'd have to discover the truth for himself.

There was little time to dwell on it now. While he felt more confident now than he had before, there was a lot of work left to be done. He'd now had a taste of the creature's power, and it had had a taste of his. They were far from done with one another, assuming the crab felt the same way he did. He'd go blow for blow all day if that's what it took to put an end to this, and make this beach safe again.

He darted back into the fog, which was beginning to a bit now, and ignited his blade once again. This time, rather than going for straight impact, he strafed to the side of the monster and unleashed a more technical Sword Art against its backside. Four swift slashes carved a rectangular shape into its hide, the shape dispersing in a flash as the lines brought it into fruition. The creature bellowed as it turned, swiping the beach with its claws. But Bahr was already gone.
 

There was no point in remaining idle. Bahr was an entity that relied largely on sight to maneuver, but he knew that that wouldn't be case with his adversary. Whatever algorithms were churning within it that compelled it to behave in the ways it did, surely had some way of calculating how to deal with the fog. His best bet would be to rush in and catch it off guard, as it was likely other Players who had encountered this quandary had simply gone idle or taken things too slow, giving the mob ample time to attack.

He ran forward into the smoke, in the last direction he'd remembered seeing the giant crab. As he darted forth, he activated a Skill he'd only recently learned; Quick Change. Having recently changed that ridiculous hammer in his inventory into a sword, he figured now was a good time to see what it was made of. Forgotten King's Spite evaporate from his grip and was instead replaced with Dawn's Demise. 

He could immediately feel the difference in weight. While Forgotten King's Spite had been light, agile, and easy to maneuver, Dawn's Demise was the opposite. It was heavy, as though all the mass of that gigantic war hammer had been condensed into an impossibly small size. He could feel its power, and taste its potential. This was a weapon that was designed for one thing, and one thing only. Complete and utter destruction of the target.

He could see its silhouette now, carving a shaded outline against the lighter hues of the airborne sand. He lined up his mark, rushed forth, and charged his Sword Art. With Impossibly powerful force, the blade collided with the beast's exoskeleton. Displaced air erupted from the point of impact, pushing the dust outward to create a temporary bubble of perfectly clear visibility, where Bahr found himself breathless. Less than a second later, air rushed back in to fill the void, and he was blinded once again. 

A claw came from the side, blisteringly fast. Bahr managed to get Dawn's Demise between himself and the attack, though was unable to maintain his footing against the unrelenting force. He found himself pushed back, violently, the sand skidding out from under his feed as he struggled to find traction where there was none. Eventually, he came to a stop.
 

He found himself holding his breath as he stepped forward, crimson orbs instinctively scanning the sands for any sign of movement. It occurred to him that it was possible the creature wouldn't reveal itself while he was in a state such as this. If it couldn't perceive him, why would it come out of hiding? What reason would it have?

But his concerns were assuaged as, some fifty yards from him, the most gargantuan crab in existence erupted from the sands. Having detected something treading upon its beach, the creature had surfaced in a frenzy, hoping to capture and certainly devour whatever unlucky prey had fallen into its trap. Bahr could tell it was searching, with those beady little eyes atop its grotesque head, for any sign of life. But Bahr's veil held, and he wasn't caught.

Yet.

It was important that he got ahead of this before things got out of hand. He wasn't sure how much logic a crab could realistically apply to its surroundings, but if it managed to recognize that the trail of footsteps leading to him suddenly ended where he (invisibly) stood, there was a chance it could put two and two together. Hell, it was likely, even. This was a program, apparently. Not a real animal.

He steeled himself and unsheathed his blade, running forth and leaping into the air. He twirled his frame several times in midair, building momentum which each rotation, until Forgotten King's Spite met with the monster's exoskeleton. It shrieked in shock as its accoster was unveiled, Bahr and his weapon now laid bare to see. An uncharacteristic roar rang through the area, and Bahr kicked off the creature's frame in an attempt to put some distance between himself and his enemy.

He barely saw it out of the corner of his eye. A massive claw ripping through the air toward him before he'd even touched the ground, ever so narrowly missing him as the distance between the two of them grew too great. Another shriek, and the creature's other claw struck the beach, sending shockwaves across the sand that unsteadied Bahr's footing. Loose sand unfurled into the air, the smokescreen it cast covering the entire battlefield in a makeshift fog. From where he stood, he could hardly see the mob. Surely, that was the point.
 

After he'd consumed the countless morsels (of which none seemed able to satiate his insane appetite), he took a step forward. Sure enough, a screen populated before him that held a proposition for him. Accept the quest, and fight the crab. It seemed simple enough. He peered over the panel and into the clearing that was laid out before him. He studied carefully its rocks, shoreline, and other features for any potential advantages he could use once the battle started.

He couldn't see any. This was the crab's home turf. It was where it resided, and had total control. And Bahr knew it. If he wanted to make an impact, he was going to need to create his own advantages. Including, but not limited to, stealth. He still felt a bit squeamish every time he used it, as he preferred face-to-face confrontation, but he knew that this mob was nothing to be trifled with. Or, at least that's how the legends made it sound.

At any rate, he understood what he needed to do. He rose his hood over his head, and the mask that always adorned his visage in an invisible state made itself known. Its visibility folded inward from the edges, triangular tiles igniting in splashes of orange before fading into jet black. In the end, only a few slivers of diagonally arranged tiles would remain illuminated, right around where his eyes would be hidden. As he pressed to accept the quest, his body started folding away into etherium. Triangular slices of his body went from solid to translucent to imperceptible. And, before he knew it, he was air.
 

Bahr had heard the rumors. Herculean monsters towering like monoliths over NPCs and Players alike, wreaking havoc on any foolish enough to bear close to them. And while Bahr found himself similarly intimidated by tales of such creatures, he couldn't help but feel like they must have been, to at least some extent, hyperbolic. And, if they weren't, then clearly they were a menace that needed to be handled appropriately. Such monsters had no business interfering in the affairs of men, and there was no telling how many lives they had claimed. Bahr figured he would either put a stop to the legend, or join the ranks of the dead trying.

Through chasing down a series of rumors, myths, and overheard conversations, Bahr found himself upon the Paradise Islands of the 24th Floor. This was far higher than he'd climbed through the castle since he had awoken, and everything seemed different here. The mobs were stronger, and the general atmosphere of the area felt more dangerous than what he was used to. On the first few floors, he scarcely felt threatened by anything - neither mob nor man. Here, he got the impression that one wrong step could seal his fate. The sensation was equally exciting as it was unnerving, and Bahr felt it simultaneously repelling him and drawing him further into the depth of whatever the floor had to offer.

He had a general idea of where this floor's beast was rumored to reside, but he took his time getting there. While it was true that the tension was higher on this floor for its inherent danger, there was a certain charm Bahr found in the floor that he hadn't felt anywhere else yet in Aincrad. The air here was crisp with a certain saltiness to which he was unaccustomed. Sand cupped around his boots and kept their shape behind. There was always noise; the calls of gulls that circled the area, the crash of the wake as it smashed upon the soil, the wind as it swept across the isles and through the overgrown leaves that hung from the tops of tropical trees. There was a novelty to all of it. While Bahr couldn't necessarily blame himself for taking it easier on the lower floors before reaching the higher ones, he did feel a bit foolish for missing out on such a wondrous locale. There were floors higher than this one, as well. Were they all so magnificent?

At last, he'd reached the beach where the sands stirred most. He knew that the crab lay just beyond, and that he'd be locked in battle were he to proceed. In preparation, he opened his inventory and summoned the many consumables he'd prepped for just such an occasion. One could never be too careful when dealing with a killer of men.
 

Bahr consumes Nanaimo Bar [ID: 207518]. (+2 ACC)
Bahr consumes Avocado Toast and Smoked Salmon [ID: 208213-B]. (+2 EVA >>> +3 EVA with "Filling" House Buff)
Bahr consumes Poutine [ID: 207550-C]. (+132 HP)
Bahr consumes Liquor of Light [ID: 184559-D]. (+3 DMG)
Bahr consumes Divinity's Wait [ID: 192118-B]. (+60 MIT)
Bahr consumes Breakfast Fry [ID:194838-B]. (+2 DMG | -40 MIT)
Mega Slime Farm used. (+5% EXP to thread)

Not long after having bought and ordered what must have seemed like a truckload of food, Bahr found himself returning to the very shop he'd visited before. It wasn't that he was the impatient sort - or, at least, he didn't see it that way. But there was something he desperately needed for an outing he'd been planning, and he'd swung by to see if there were any extras available that he could snag before his order was completely fulfilled. 

Just so happened, there were.

"Just gonna snag these," he said as he produced the col. "Can never be too safe. Thanks again!"