Oscar

Oscar had become accustomed to doing things such as this solo. Whether it be questing or grinding or whatever else he felt the need to do, he was always alone. As such, he had found many ways to entertain himself. Like twiddling his thumbs while he waited to heal up or twiddling his thumbs while he waited for his energy to restore. So much twiddling of thumbs, actually. So it was nice to actually have some connection to "civilization" while he was so far afield. Kinda made the hum-drum nonsense go by a whole hell of a lot faster. Or, if not faster, certainly more entertaining. He heard another

She had set him up and, in his opinion, he had knocked it right out of the park. He was happy though, that whatever awkwardness that came in the aftermath of their very vivid duel had all but evaporated. He almost closed his menu, but then thought better of it, quickly typing out another message that would come on the heels of the first. Perhaps the biggest mistake he made was not getting laid before he set off on this grand adventure. A decision that he was clearly suffering from making. There were no shortage of sneaky links about the floor and he could have hit someone up beforehand

Oscar was swapping his gear around when Lessa's reply came in. He quickly finished removing his ring and pulling on his <<Gloves of Caerus>> before opening the menu and reading her message. She had him there. The two of them were anything but. Friends then frenemies then wanting to jump each others bones had been a hell of a roller coaster ride. Even now, there was a certain tension. Not that Oscar would ever do anything about it. She was totally into Jomei and Oscar definitely could see why. He was into Jomei. The man was a damn sexual icon. She better hope they stuck toge

The chime came quicker than he expected it to. Oscar opened his menu again, reading the response Lessa had sent. She was a real one, private messaging people in the middle of a fight. Oscar's nostrils flared as he exhaled a silent laugh. His fingers danced over the keyboard that hovered off to the side of the window. There was a whooshing sound as he sent off his reply: Oscar looked around, noticing that one of the hands from the statue had been left on the ground. He picked it up, turning it over and examining it closely. Never knew what could give you a hint, after all.

That had been excessive. If he knew Mimics had hands like that, he would have maybe thought to bring a friend or two. Speaking of friends, while Oscar took a moment to catch his breath he decided he wanted to pester someone. At least to have something other than that damned Mimic to think about. He swiped open his menu and went down his contacts. He knew she was busy, but so was he. He hit send and drummed his fingers on his knees, waiting for her response. He was soaked and probably would have been cold if not for his <<Survival>> skill. But this was a marathon, not a spr

This was it. The final hit. Oscar wanted to find something to say. Something that would let him vent all of this pent-up anger and rage and frustration into the air. Get it out of his system so he could return his focus to the task at hand. But only one thing came to mind. And being as it was a treasure chest with arms and legs, it was shockingly appropriate. "RUN THOSE FUCKING POCKETS!" His weapon came down like an executioner's blade. The katana sunk deep into the wooden frame, starting at the top of the lid and bisecting the creature completely. It shuddered, it flickered. And the

Oscar kept up the pressure. The beating would continue until morale improved. Oscar's morale. The mimic's didn't matter. Oscar was oddly gleeful, watching the creature's health bar drain. Chunks sliced out of both the Mimic and that red bar that had just dipped into the red. It was almost cathartic. Okay. Not almost. It was definitely cathartic. Oscar had to admit, the Mimic had almost gotten the better of him. Almost. He'd taken more damage from this singular creature than he had in a handful of Boss Raids. Perhaps this creature was the Labyrinth Guardian all along. The lone enemy standing be

The Mimic had finally found its bearings. It jolted forward, only for Oscar to stamp it back into the mud. Its fist surged forward, but Oscar parried it with the flat of his blade. His riposte removed the offending limb, leaving it oozing green blood into the rain soaked ground. He struck again. And again. His weapon perforated the creature's one remaining limb, carved gashes into its wooden torso. Oscar had the advantage now. And he would keep pressing it. There was not a single creature he feared. There was not a single mob that would get the better of him. He'd made that promise a long time

Oscar pressed his advantage. He reversed his grip on his sword, driving the pommel of his weapon between the Mimic's eyes in a stunning strike. It staggered backwards, sole remaining arm flailing as it reeled from the blow. Oscar swept its feet, sending it crashing into the mud. He wouldn't make the mistake of underestimating this creature again. Any good thought, any positive impression had burned up in the fires of combat. It had established itself as a creature to be taken seriously. And if that were the case, Oscar would take it seriously. With the same laser focus and brutal efficiency th

Slowly but surely the dust began to clear. He could make out the silhouette of the brute from within the gray. It was clear that it hadn't found him yet. Just the moment Oscar had been waiting for. He dashed forward, weapon carving a wide arc through the air as he struck the beast with all the force that he could muster. Pinpoint precision and a lucky critical hit did several things. It removed the damaged limb from the mimic. The thick, meaty arm fell to the ground with a wet smack. His weapon's enhancements activated, restoring the health that he had lost. Taking a beat had been the correct

The cloud of dust billowed out around him and Oscar had a choice to make. He could rush in, try to put up some semblance of an offensive. Or he could take a second and get his bearings. He was already on the back foot. The statue falling had forced distance between them. Both were blinded. Both couldn't see the other. The best bet was to wait for the smoke to clear. Deny the Mimic the thundering momentum that it had managed to gather. Oscar didn't see a win if he just kept up the pressure. There was no pressure to keep up. It was almost embarrassing to be put into such a position by a treasure

As Oscar descended, there was little he could do to stop what was about to happen. His feet hit the earth. And the Mimic's bicep hit his throat. Blasted backwards, Oscar somersaulted over the ruins, crashing through walls and windows and another fat walrus. Eventually, his backwards momentum gassed itself out and he came to a stop halfway into the base of a statue. A robed man, staff in hand with his hands raised towards the heavens began to teeter precariously. And then it pitched forward, directly towards Oscar. He scarcely had time to blink the stars from his eyes before he had to dive to s

Oscar landed in a pile of rubble. A ruined bakery, as evidenced by the clay oven in the corner and the rain-drenched sacks of flour. He saw stars, looking up at the dark skies as he attempted to get himself back together. The Mimic, however, had different plans. He saw the creature launch high into the air, the hulking frame spoiling his wonderful view of the rainy day. Then, like a wrestler off the top rope, it headed back towards the earth. Its fist was cocked back as it descended. Oscar vaulted backwards, narrowly dodging the blow itself, but being caught in the cloud of dust and debris. He

Oscar lashed out again, targeting the same spot that he had just struck. If he couldn't make a clean cut, he would hack the son of a bitch off. Oscar preferred a certain level of elegance, but he wasn't above getting down and dirty if he had to. And he most certainly had to. Oscar had struck with a force that would leave most normal mobs and even some Quest Bosses reeling. And this thing barely showed any damage. Clearly this was a god among mimics and he wondered if he could make it a familiar. No disrespect to Leeroy and Jenkins, but this thing had theme music. Clearly superior. Dope as fuck

Now that the surprise round was over, Oscar was able to run the ones with the brawler in front of him. He rushed forward, the weapon trailing behind him cutting ebon streaks through the air. He struck fast and hard, aiming to relieve the creature of one of his impossibly muscular arms. His weapon struck true, but didn't make it even a quarter of the way through the bicep before it was stopped short by the steely muscle fibers. The beast flexed, trapping Oscar's sword before swinging with its other hand. But Oscar had trained for such things. He kicked off the ground, spinning up and over the M

Oscar barely got his sword into his hand before the Mimic moved. Arms popped out of the sides, legs out of the bottoms. Each of its limbs were impossibly swole. It was like the mimic started and ended its day with hundreds of pushups. He wondered what it's diet was. For a second, before he decided that the thing probably got its protein from dumbass adventurers like him. Which was weird because this floor just opened. So there had to be another way. Before Oscar could ask the absolute specimen of a monster of diet tips, it swung at him. Oscar danced out of the way, but the sheer power that cam

Oscar left the battlefield behind him, leaving his friends to handle... whatever it was they were handling. Honestly, all Oscar could tell was that they were fighting some weirdos. He was still thinking about how soft Jomei's lips were. Damn that guy was a sexy beast. And that was saying something, coming from a man who was also a sexy beast. The sweet music they would make together... He was getting distracted. So much so that he tripped over a Treasure Chest. Falling face first into the mud, Oscar slid to a stop. He looked up, seeing a fat walrus man looking down at him. Why were there

The obvious next place he needed to check was under the actual monsters themselves. He came to a stop at the Mother of Smiles, lifting her foot and scrutinizing the ground. He wondered why they were all having so much trouble, honestly. Felt like a stiff breeze could bowl over the cosmic horror currently held off balance by Oscar. And the same motion was repeated with The Wanderer, the Beast, and the Father of the Deep. Simply and casually moving them out of the way as if they were inconsequential and searching for a hole hidden beneath them. It would almost seem fitting for them to literally

@Arabelle seemed like she was having a rough time. Oscar had to approach with caution. Well, probably should have approached with caution. But our intrepid hero was in too much of a hurry. His hand had scarcely touched her waist when she lashed out, her sword bouncing off of his chest thanks to secret heavy armor. Clearly this was a puzzle to be solved. And it would be solved in the same way he solved everything. Mystery meat cylinders. He reached into his pocket and quickly popped a hot dog into her mouth. While she was reeling from shock or sheer deliciousness, Oscar did what he came to do.

@Jomei was more observant than most. Either via the cracks of thunder or the chaos Oscar had unleashed by systematically lifting everyone up over his head as if he were searching under jars in his cupboard, the man saw Oscar coming. As he came to a stop, the ginger shifted his feet as if he were merely going to get out of Oscar's way. A nice gesture, but completely ruined the joke. "You know, if you just ask me, I'll-" His words died as Oscar jammed a finger in his face. His index finger pressed against Jomei's lips silenced his protestations. His hand moved in small circles, feeling

His next target was @Lessa. He repeated the same motion that he'd done to Katoka, grabbing her by the waist and quickly hoisting her over his head. This time, his search proved promising. But alas, what he thought was perhaps a gap in an entry way was, instead, just a very long and strangely uniform crack in the stones. "Didn't you get this out of your system earlier," Lessa asked him. This time, he beamed up at her with a jovial grin. "For you? Never." Returning her to her original spot, Oscar took off again. But he quickly came back and delivered copped a feel from behind unde

Oscar came to a stop, the sudden cessation of movement sending drops of rain flying from the locks of hair that framed his face. He looked around, peering under ruined, collapsed buildings. He would take off again, the sound of his sudden movements cracking through the air like thunder. In the distance, he heard the din of combat. Players fighting off the unholy hordes. He banked towards that location, ducking under beams and half-collapsed roofs. Best to rule that general area out first. He didn't want to be in the way. He skidded to a stop next to @Katoka. His hands fell upon her waist

The air cracked like a whip as Oscar broke into a sprint. An explosion, wind and debris scattered in all directions from his launching point. Those horrors were sent ass over elbow, fluttering like leaves in the wind. Oscar didn't have a heading. He didn't even know where to start, really. So he did about the only thing he could. He took a lap. More than a lap, really. Shooting about the ruined floor like a bat out of hell, the raindrops felt hard as bullets. A ceaseless barrage that wracked him in all directions. He was certain that if he had skin in place of a digital avatar, at th

There was only one way to find out. He would tackle these creatures in the same manner he tackled everything else he fought. With grit. With determination. And with the power of God and Anime on his side. He dropped down into a runner’s start, his gaze fixed straight ahead. The creatures were almost upon him. Reaching. Grabbing. With hook and fin and flipper. He could see the yellows of their eyes. The milky whites of their sclera and those bright yellow irises. All glazed over with a sodden haze, bulging from their myriad sockets. All affixed to him. There was pain in their voices -

It was around the time that he shifted his focus on attacking the muscles in his lower back that he was able to make out their forms. They invoked the horror of deep waters. Thalassophobia walking upon dry land. Beasts with too many eyes or appendages. Gills and fins and tentacles where they should not be. Despite himself, a shudder went up his spine. Just as the game paid attention to accurately portraying the sensations of stretching muscles, they had spent equal effort making these creatures sufficiently horrifying. For the first time, Oscar found himself grateful that he was trapped h