Oscar

Oscar had finally been successful in filling at least half of the initial order that was placed. Which would have been wonderful had that order not been effectively tripled in the past couple of days. He sighed as he cleaned up his kitchen. There was no possible way that he was going to be able to fill it all in the time allotted. Was he the only decently-ranked chef still alive in Aincrad? It certainly felt that way. Regardless, he would do his utmost to insure that as much of the order would be filled as possible. Even if he couldn't finish it all, he would get pretty darn close.

Oscar wandered into the Tipsy Witch on Floor 22. He'd never been this high up, but so long as he didn't leave the city, he would be fine. He saw that there were two Crafter's Respite Potions. That would have been extremely useful a few days ago when he first got Kit's order. But, better late than never. He purchased both of the potions and deducted 1000 Col from his wallet. It was a touch expensive but that was okay. With his purchase made, Oscar left the shop and made his way back down to floor one. It was time to get back to work. 

"Fudge me it's HOT," Oscar exclaimed as he climbed one of the many, many sand dunes. He hated the heat. He hated the sand. He hated the no water. The desert absolutely sucked. Oscar reached the top of the sand dune and put his hands on his knees to catch his breath. Leeroy & Jenkins both looked positively haggard. They hadn't even left the city that long ago and Oscar was already sweating. It was so hot that he was even taking damage from the heat. Ten damage every few seconds that was quickly regenerated by his passive health regeneration. Combat would be especially dangerous here. He would take a guaranteed 10 damage around that he couldn't regenerate from. He sighed and looked down the slope of the sand dune.

At the bottom, he saw a woman and her familiar walking towards something. "HELLO-OOOO CRAAAP!" As he called down to them, the sand beneath his feet shifted. He went tumbling down the dune, picking up speed every passing second. His trajectory had him on course to crash into the stranger and her wolf if they didn't notice and get out of the way before he reached the bottom.

Oscar charged forward and ran his fake through with his sword. The facsimile staggered back. Shards fell like snow from the wound. The fake coughed and smiled softly.

"You know this is only temporary. I'll always be here. If you stumble, you'll fall right into my trap."

Oscar sheathed his blade and nodded. "I know. And when you come back I'll beat you down again."

The fake nodded and exploded in a burst of light. Oscar closed his eyes to avoid the radiance. When the light faded the first thing he noticed was the roar of the falls. He was back at the Waterfall of the Sage. Leeroy & Jenkins were slumbering peacefully on the shore. Oscar was shivering. It was cold underneath the falls. But he had succeeded. He had successfully quelled his inner demons and calmed his soul. It was like a great weight had been lifted from him. He rushed back to shore and hugged his familiar, scratching his belly happily.

"Come on guys. Let's go home."

Oscar's blow fell true. He dealt a heavy amount of damage to the fake and knocked its health down to the red. Bleed took a heavy chunk out of that amount and then expired. When the enemy tried to counterattack, Oscar leaped away. He had the advantage and his facsimile clearly knew it. Behind him, all of his friends had manifested. They were behind him. They wanted him to succeed. To be better than he was before he went through this ordeal. Supported by the visions of everyone he knew, he could only push his advantage even further. He had to win. He couldn't let them down. One more hit and this battle would be done!

He reaffirmed his grip on his blade and pointed it at the copy. His soul blazed with determination as they reached the eleventh hour of this fight. His fierce gaze met the fake's who seemed to wilt under its intensity. There was a fire burning in his eyes that he hadn't seen in a while.

Oscar retaliated and swung hard at the facsimile. His blade bit deep into his copy, dealing a critical hit and activating bleed. His opponent was well under half health now and would bleed for more damage next turn. Oscar ducked under the blade and then they began to trade blows. Steel clashed on steel, sparks flying off of their deadly edges as they danced with one another. One would thrust, the other would parry. The other would slice and one would spin out of the way. Their bladed ballet was as beautiful as it was deadly. Eventually, they parted from each other, unable to find an opening. But his fake stumbled a bit. Oscar seized the opportunity and dashed in, his blade glinting in the sunlight. He readied another Gen Getsu. One more step closer to victory. Oscar would defeat himself and in so doing defeat all the malignant feelings within him.

His final Inner Demon had no power over him. Oscar's battle cry resonated through the land as he rushed into to do battle with himself. His inadequacy. His weakness. His guilt. He had made them his identity for so long that it seemed fitting that he was his own greatest enemy. He defined himself by all the things he couldn't do. By all the things he was too weak to do. He felt guilty because of it. But no more. He would define himself by his actions, by all the the things that were in his power to change. He couldn't feel guilty for that.

Bloody Howl took on a blue light as he charged, tracing a thin azure trail through the air as he closed the distance between himself and his fake. He sliced through the fake from collarbone to hip. He dealt hefty damage to his copy, but not enough to activate bleed. Oscar then took a slice straight to his shoulder, a mirrored injury to what he'd dealt to the enemy.

Then Bahr appeared in front of the doppelganger. He smile maliciously as he plunged his blade into Bahr's back as well. Then the Major. Then Kirbs. Then Macradon. Everyone Oscar had met and formed something of a relationship with were quickly cut down by the doppelganger. The symbolism was not lost on Oscar. But at that moment, something in him shifted. It felt as if a switch was flipped. And like that, the darkness in his soul was expelled. A fire erupted in his breast. The beast had been awakened. His guilt was dashed away in lieu of fury. Did this thing honestly expect Oscar to really fall prey to this heavy-handed, hammy, over-acting?

"There's a time for mourning and a time for letting go. I didn't kill Tyson, I won't kill my friends either!"

The doppelganger looked shocked that Oscar didn't fall under his spell. The Azure Samurai drew his blade and rushed into battle.

Oscar placed his hand on the door handle and took a steadying breath. Every muscle in his body was tensed, as if he was expecting a punch in the gut. After a moment's hesitation, he turned the latch and went inside. Instead of the dark room, the landscape was the area where Tyson died. He saw Tyson standing there, same smile on his face. And then he saw a blade punch through his chest from behind. Tyson looked at Oscar with an expression of shock - the same one that haunted his dreams and then shattered into a thousand different pieces. With Tyson gone, he saw the person who did it. It was him. That shadowy copy of himself. The shadows were largely gone now, but a smokey haze still hung about his form. The doppelganger laughed and shook his head.

"Look at you! Just as useless now as you were back then. You might have defeated the other Inner Demons but you're still the same useless pile of crap."

The only thing that was truly weighing upon his conscience right now was his guilt. The only thing he felt guilty about, truly guilty about, was what had happened with Tyson. He knew that when he opened the door, he would need to not only confront that guilt, but also overcome it. He simply didn't know how he was going to do that. Even after two years, Tyson's death still affected him greatly. How could he just let go of that? Would it not be an insult to the child's memory? If Oscar let him go, who would be there to mourn him?

There's a time for mourning and a time for letting go. You only know which is which in the moment.

Another Major-ism. Fitting that at the eleventh hour, it was the Major's words of wisdom that were grounding him. Without those, he would have begun to drown in a sea of despair. He'd always heeded the Major's words of advice. This time would be no different.

"Even if I do," Oscar began. He charged in and carved a vicious X into the Major's chest. Then he sheathed his blade as the light welled up from the wound he'd created. "I'm not going to let my pain define me."

Oscar could have sworn he caught the faintest of grins just before the facsimile burst. He shielded his eyes as the light raged. When it faded he found himself in his happy place again. This time, flowers were blooming in the grass, bringing some much needed color to the landscape. Oscar sighed and looked at the remaining door. Then, he looked back to his energy bar.

I need to be ready for this last one. It's not going to be fun.

He had a sinking suspicion that he already knew what his last inner demon was. He really didn't want to face it, but he didn't have much of a choice. The only way out was through that door.

Oscar pressed his assault and used a second Gen Getsu. His sword took on a pale blue glow as he stepped forward. His arm was like lightning, moving faster than the eye could see as it carved a path through the Major's abdomen. The Major retaliated, but again, missed due to Oscar's elusiveness. He ducked under the sword and delivered a punch to the facsimile's gut. It didn't do any damage, but Oscar was in the moment. The two traded blows, steel clashing on steel. Eventually, they locked blades and leaned into one another.

"You deserve all of your pain!" The Major snarled. Oscar could only laugh at its feeble attempts to needle him. Oscar was flying high right now. No way was he going to fall down into that trap again. Oscar pushed the Major away and made ready to end this fight.

"You can't hate yourself for not fixing the things you don't have the power to fix," Oscar repeated. The facsimile looked at him in confusion. Oscar smiled widely and drew his blade, pointing it at the "Major." "You know who said that," he began, dropping down into a battle stance. "You did. The real you. You may have some good points, but you know what? You're not going to make me hate myself. You might be wearing his face, but you aren't him!"

And then he charged forward, activating Gen Getsu. His blade traced a thin blue line as Oscar rushed the Major. His blade bit deep into the facsimile's chest. He dealt a heavy critical hit and applied bleed to the enemy. The opponent tried to counter attack, but Oscar was just too elusive for him. He danced out of the way of the blow and wheeled about to put the facsimile firmly in his crosshairs.

He rose to his feet and made his way over to the third door. It was time to face his next Inner Demon. He stepped into that dark room once more and made ready to fight. This time, he saw a facsimile of the Major glaring at him.

"Idiot! How could you get yourself caught in this game? Do you know how many people needed you. Look how irresponsible you are!"

It was true, it was foolish to get trapped here. He abandoned all of his charges, even if he didn't mean to. What were they doing without him there? How were they doing without him there? Did they backslide? Did he make no positive change in their lives? The thought was unbearable. A searing pain erupted in his chest. He wanted desperately to be home. To fix things. To be done with this pain. But the voice of the Major - the real Major - reverberated through his head.

"You can't hate yourself for not fixing the things you don't have the power to fix."

Oscar's energy ticked back up yet again. But he didn't notice. He was too busy looking inward and handling the internal storm. With each passing moment the storm subsided and the waters calmed. He was beginning to feel like himself for the first time in a long time. He realized that the work he did, helping people, it wasn't just something he did to distract himself from his own deep-seated issues. It healed his soul. He needed to get back to that. To fight the world with kindness. To bring light to the darkness. If he did that for those around him, then it would also serve to enlighten him as well. All he needed to do was to let go and defeat his demons. He was well on his way to doing just that. Oscar took a deep breath and slowly his eyes flickered open. He saw the shadowy figure from before. This time, the tenebrous shadows that flowed from him like smoke had weakened somewhat. That figure embodied his soul. Currently the darkness had hold of it. But its grip was weakening.

Each Inner Demon slain not only returned vitality to this blasted land of a happy place, but it also quelled the raging storm of emotions in Oscar's breast. His Inadequacy was faced. His weakness was faced. What else did he have left? His pain and his guilt? He didn't know what would embody those demons, but he did know that he'd come too far to be stopped here. Perhaps he could finally put them both to bed upon defeating them. Perhaps this was the beginning of a new future for Oscar. A better future. A brighter one where he wasn't bogged down by the ghosts of his past or the skeletons in his closet. He was genuinely excited over that prospect. Oscar continued his silent reverie as his energy regenerated. Each breath, each passing moment, brought him ever closer to relief. A wave of bliss blossomed within his chest, spreading out to every inch of his body. The pressure was abating, slowly but surely.

Oscar sheathed his blade and dashed in close. He wanted to be up close and personal when he defeated this particular Inner Demon. Its health was so low that a single <<Tsuji Kaze>> would end the fight. Oscar drew his blade and delivered a long drawing strike to the Inner Demon. Without and pomp or fanfare the enemy burst in an explosion of light. When the blinding radiance faded, Oscar was back in the mountains again. This time, birds could be heard chirping in the distance. It seemed that with every inner demon he faced, this place grew more and more vibrant. He looked at his energy bar and decided to take a rest. 

Meditate while I'm meditating. That should work wonders for the ol' thinker, he thought. He sat down cross-legged and closed his eyes. His mind went blank and he lost himself in the peaceful sounds of the birds.

The first door had disappeared, so Oscar headed through the second. Again, the same dark room with the ominous spotlight opened up before him. Upon stepping through, the door disappeared. Once inside, he saw a duplicate of Bahr of all people. It drew its weapon and strode towards Oscar with a malicious grin on his face.

"You want people to rely on you? What a joke. All you do is rely on others. Me? Macradon. All you do is take advantage of others' kindness. You're too weak to be helpful to anyone!"

This enraged Oscar. He charged forward and activated Gen Getsu. His carved a path straight through "Bahr's" chest, dealing heavy damage and applying bleed in the process. The facsimile attacked, but Oscar danced out of the way. "Asking for help isn't weak! Suffering in silence is true weakness. Even the strong need help sometimes!"

Oscar twisted his wrist and made ready to strike again. This Inner Demon was his own weakness. Regardless of whether he was weak or not, he would crush it all the same.

Oscar took a minute to reflect on the Inner Demon's final words. Struck without a second thought. What was this quest? Some sort of psychotherapy? Oscar couldn't deny that a slight weight had lifted from his shoulders upon defeating a physical manifestation of one of his own inner demons. Did Kayaba program this quest knowing that people would need it? If that was the case, Oscar truly didn't know what to think about the man. He did know that if this was some sort of vision quest, the best thing to do was to remain open to the message. He really needed something like this and if he went into it aware of what was going on, he could get more benefit out of participating in the quest. The therapist needed some therapy. He couldn't really stand to help anyone until he got it. He had to commend Kayaba for creating this. It was actually helping.

Well that was freaky, Oscar thought to himself. He grasped the handle of the door and swung it open. Inside was a dark room with only a single light. When he stepped through the door, it disappeared behind him and an enemy spawned in. It was the facsimile from his dreams. It drew his blade and approached Oscar, the same malevolent smile upon its face.

"I knew you would be back. Finally realized how useless you are?"

Unlike before, Oscar had some level of self-esteem now. He'd grown stronger, both in the game and in mental fortitude. He simply didn't have time for his inadequacy anymore. He would focus on his strengths. Bloody Howl was torn from its sheath as he rushed it. The blade glowed with a blue light as Oscar carved a crescent-moon shape through the air. His blade cut his inner demon from shoulder to hip, dealing heavy damage and applying bleed.

"Struck without a second thought. Good. You might have a chance."

The bleed damage ticked the facsimile's health to zero and it disappeared in a flash of bright light that made Oscar avert his eyes. When it faded, he found himself in the rocky area again. This time, however, instead of being devoid of life, green patches of grass had spread over the ground.

Oscar finally reached the base of the falls. There were many stone platforms set in the basin where the Waterfall of the Sage ended. They seemed to be the perfect size and shape for meditation. Seizing the opportunity, Oscar waded into the crystal-clear waters, shivering a bit as the cold water soaked through his shoes and touched his skin. He sat down upon one of the rocks and crossed his legs. He then placed his hands on his knees and closed his eyes. His mind went blank. And then he felt himself falling. His eyes shot open and he found that he was no longer at the waterfall. His familiar was nowhere to be found. Oscar looked about and saw four black doors standing within an endless field of stones and crags. Standing between the four was a shadowy facsimile of himself. It had a devious grin and pointed to the left-most door. Then it disappeared.

The Waterfall of the Sage. Players reported learning a powerful skill here that would aid in Energy Regeneration. Oscar had never really had trouble with managing his energy, but he was still at such a low level. He imagined that it would be harder to keep his energy up at later levels. So why would he not undertake this quest. He made his way to the aforementioned waterfall and admired it from a distance. The crashing of the waters was like music to his ears. There was just something about the place. It seemed to resonate with calm and serenity. Just being close to the waterfall caused him to reach a zen head space. He began the hike down to the waterfall and activated his inventory. He swapped <<Najarala>> out for <<Bloody Howl>> and began to scarf down his Steel-Infused Hot Dog and his Focused Chili Dog with Chili Fries. He'd heard rumors of a boss fight and he wanted to be prepared.

Word from the Info Brokers was that there was a field boss roaming around Floor 2. There was some sort of interaction between killing <<Wind Wasps>> in the area and successfully spawning the boss. Oscar sat in the tavern inside Urbus, staring at the quest board. In the corner sat Gatsly. The poor guy had another request back up. Apparently killing the <<Venom Snapper>> didn't take and his caravans are under attack again, bless his heart. Though, with his experience fighting the <<Venom Snapper>> under his belt, he felt confident that he could handle taking on this quest as well. He didn't want to do it alone, however. Perhaps someone would be in need of help with it and he could kill two birds with one stone. He would get his good deed in for the day, but he would also make some progress towards cleaning out these requests that he had the ability to do but hadn't yet gotten around to doing them. Leeroy & Jenkins curled up on the floor. Leeroy napped peacefully while Jenkins was alert and looking around the Tavern.

Oscar watched as Astralin began the interaction with Zackariah to begin the quest. It seemed as if they wanted to go without his delicious meat cylinders. He couldn't force them to accept his generosity. Since they didn't want them, Oscar decided to scarf down one of his Hot Dogs. The Loot Die enhancement created a buff upon his status bar. A pair of dice with a shiny star upon them. "I'm gonna go on ahead and make sure the way is clear, alright?" Oscar began to walk towards the gate. As he did, he whistled sharply. At his call, Leeroy & Jenkins bounded off behind him, both heads looking straight ahead. Oscar was the first to step outside the gates and he began to look around. No enemies, no gathering spots. Nice and clean. There were boars wandering wandering about, but they weren't aggressive unless attacked. The ones farther out from the city were, however. Oscar would have to make sure that they didn't wander too far while looking for materials.
 

Today's work in the kitchen was largely spent attempting to make the desired Mitigation foods for the massive order he'd been given. They had ordered so much that he didn't have the supplies necessary to fill them all. Everything short of perfection got scrapped, with the exception of dishes Oscar could use to replenish his personal consumable stores. He honestly prayed for salvages so that he wouldn't have to dump his materials into food he couldn't sell and wasn't good enough for him to use.