Oscar

Oscar's blade sailed harmlessly past Pinball for the umpteenth time. The blonde-haired man growled in frustration and backed off. He didn't know if it was the fear or the frustration knocking his blade off target at this point. All he knew was that he was next to useless in this fight. He hadn't landed a hit, Bahr had done much of the damage. He couldn't take more than a few hits from Pinball himself, considering how hard he'd just chunked Bahr's health pool with a single blow. The cherry on top was the fact that Oscar got this sneaking suspicion that Pinball was holding himself back from playing some sort of trump card. Why be so calm if you didn't have an Ace-in-the-Hole? Oscar just didn't get the impression that he was stupid. Insane? Probably. Stupid? Definitely not. Oscar sighed. He couldn't abandon Bahr, but this was a losing battle. All that was left for him to do was affirm his grip upon his sword and get ready for the next round.

As the party invite propagated upon his line of sight, Oscar gave a small smile to the group. He happily accepted the invitation. After doing so, he cycled through his inventory, wondering if he had anything useful that could help the group clear the quest just a bit easier. Finally, his eyes fell upon the pair of Hot Dogs he had crafted some days prior. He was going to save them for a special occasion, but he could always make more. He wondered if they'd be willing to take a quick detour to his house on Floor Seven so he could make them something nice. He seemed to have rubbed the group the wrong way and he really wanted to make up for it. He needed to feed Leeroy and Jenkins anyway, so it all worked out. The cerberus had been left back home. Might be a good idea to bring him with too.

"It's a pleasure to meet all of you. My name is Oscar. If you guys would like, we could go up to my home on Floor Seven. I can make you guys a feast to make this quest go a little easier. I've already done this quest, but I'm willing to do whatever I can to help out."

@Astralin @Summoner @Fayetta

Name: Leeroy and Jenkins
Roll ID: 120956, 120959
Roll Result: LD19, CD9
Mastery: Accuracy Rank 2
Description: The runt of Cerberus' litter. Born deformed with only two heads, this tiny wolf has two distinct personalities. The left head, Leeroy, is lazy and ambivalent. The right head, Jenkins, is a fearsome and efficient hunter. Both are loyal companions to anyone with a firm hand and a lot of steak.
Link: http://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/17994-f06-pp/?page=2&tab=comments#comment-578789

Thread Summary
2 SP
1 from Quest Completion
1 from Thread Completion
2300 Col
500 from Quest Completion
1800 from Looting
Rare Armor
Rare Shield
<<Venom Vial>>
3 T1 Crafting Materials

Loot Summary
Venom Snapper
ID: 122070 LD16, CD6. 1050 Col, Rare Armor, Rare Shield, Venom Vial.
Bear
ID: 122137 LD12, CD5 750 Col, Rare Weapon, Uncommon Consumable, 2 T1 Crafting Materials

Gathering Summary
T1 Crafting Material
IDs: 122128

Oscar received his payment and thanked the merchant. He beckoned for Gob-Gob to follow and left the tavern. After a hard day's work, it was time to head home. He headed for the platform and teleported himself back to Deepedge. The jaunt back to his home wasn't quite as serene as the forest, but it was a close second. About fifteen minutes of walking later, he arrived at his estate. He and Gob-Gob walked in the door and Oscar locked it behind them. Then, he headed straight for the kitchen. Oscar busied himself making some dinner for himself and his companion. Grilled fish with a side of roasted potatoes. After their evening repast, Oscar retired to his bedroom. Gob-Gob took his spot at the foot of the bed as Oscar placed his sword by the nightstand. Then, he climbed into bed. Moments later, he was off on his way to a peaceful slumber.

Oscar finally decided to return to Gatsly. Before he did, he took a mental snapshot of the moment. He would have been remiss not to. It was rare for him to be so calm and serene. Best to remember the moment. Oscar returned to the city and passed through the gates. There was always a wave of relief that accompanied entering a Safe Zone. Nothing could harm him here. He didn't need to be on his guard. Oscar headed for the tavern in the heart of the city with the <<Venom Vial>> in his right hand. Upon entering, he found Gatsly still posted up in the corner. Oscar placed the <<Venom Vial>> on the table and smiled.

"Job's done, as promised."

Gatsly picked up the vial and examined it. After he was satisfied he placed the vial back on the table and gave Oscar a relieved smile.

"Thank you so much," he began. "I was beginning to think that beast would ruin me!"

"Did I hear you say you were about to leave a safe zone without a weapon?"

Oscar had been on his way to his shop down in the Town of Beginnings from his home on the upper floors. His route took him by Zackariah's shop. There, he saw a group of newer players getting ready to, he assumed, take on the first tutorial quest. Then he overheard one of them mention they were planning on leaving the safe zone with out a weapon. That was a silly idea. He couldn't very well watch a group of newbies expose themselves to undue danger. So, he interjected himself into the conversation. He crossed his arms and bore an almost-scolding expression on his face. Gob-Gob trotted out from behind Oscar's leg and mimicked his master's stance.

"If you're gonna do something silly like that, at least let me come along to make sure a boar doesn't try to gore you to death or something. You three doing First Lessons?"

For Kit

Oscar was back to the grind. He needed to get one of those orders filled today. He poured most of his energy into filling Alec's order first. When he had an item of sufficient quality, he was able to mark that one as done. Six various food items with Prosperity Enhancements of Rare or higher quality were set aside. Then, he switched gears and began working on the Mitigation order. The client wanted nothing but the best. And she would get nothing but the best. A perfect meal was crafted and Oscar applied the requested Mitigation enhancements to it. Two down, four to go.

The balmy afternoon breeze swept through the trees, filling the air with a rustling of leaves and the chirping of birds. The sounds reverberated through the forest, filling it with an air of calm and serenity. Oscar was able to enjoy a pleasant jaunt back to Urbus. No bears appeared to block his path, no wolves came slinking out of the undergrowth. He was totally and utterly at peace. Even though it was artificial nature with artificial sounds, it was good enough for him. Any peace from the sorrow and despair from this game was well worth it and greatly welcomed. He decided to take a rest before going back to meet Gatsly. He closed his eyes and took in the sounds of the forest, letting his tension wash away. Gob-Gob busied himself by flexing into his reflection in the river. Oscar opened his eyes to that sight and smiled softly. That Familiar of his was just entirely too silly sometimes.

Oscar rushed in, sheathing his blade as he ran towards the bear. Once the got within striking distance, he planted his feet and drew his blade. He used his entire body to deliver an attack with a longer range. Tsuji Kaze bit into the bear's hide, depleting its health bar. The bear shattered into myriad fractal pieces. The storm of crystals cascaded down to the ground where they soon winked out of existence. Oscar opened his loot window and collected it all. A rare weapon, an uncommon consumable, and even a smattering of Col and materials were all deposited into his inventory. Oscar sheathed his blade and looked down at Gob-Gob. That Familiar Mastery skill was really making him hit his targets much more reliably. He definitely felt like he made the correct call by choosing that skill. He began to whistle a tune as he started hiking through the forest again. He would be back in Urbus soon and he could finally collect his reward.

Oscar kept up the momentum. He rushed forward, this time charging up a Gen Getsu. His blade was enveloped in a light blue aura as he dashed forward, blade held out to his side. He stepped forward, pressing all of his weight onto his front foot. His arm whipped around like lightning, carving a half-circle through the air. Najarala bit into the bear's hide, her venom seeping deep into its wound. Just as the stun wore off, a yellow lightning bolt appeared on its status bar. It had been Paralyzed by Najarala. Oscar hopped back, brandishing his weapon with a flourish and took aim at the beast. He'd stunlocked the creature so hard that it was literally a Level Two Sword Art away from being defeated. He took a moment and steadied himself. No sense losing it when he was so close to victory, after all. The point of this fight was that it was supposed to be quicker to go through than around, after all.

Oscar drew Najarala from her sheath as he approached the bear. The moment he stepped across the threshold for the bear's aggro range, the beast's eyes flashed red and it snapped around to face Oscar. It reared up on its hind legs and gave a roar. An intimidation tactic. One that wouldn't work on the azure samurai. Oscar dashed forward, Najarala's gilded blade glowing an ominous black. The sword's tip left a smokey trail behind the man as he charged forward. He sliced at the bear and, when it reeled back in pain, he jumped up to eye level. He seemed to hang in midair for a moment. His fist shot out like lightning, cuffing the beast across the snout. It took a step back and started to fall on its rump. Before it did though, Oscar landed a quick follow-up slash and kicked off of its chest. It crashed down to the ground unceremoniously as Oscar landed nimbly on his feet. Since the bear had been stunned by Ra Setsu, it wouldn't be able to counterattack until the stun wore off.

Oscar looked around the riverbank to try and see if he could spot anything he could forage. When he realized that there didn't seem to be much around, he followed the river back in the direction of town. The calm flow of the river was peaceful to Oscar's ears. He strode along slowly, enjoying the walk, as Gob-Gob splashed in the shallows behind him. 

"Come along now, Gob-Gob. Don't wanna keep Gatsly waiting."

Of course, they wouldn't get much of an option on that one. As he turned around from glancing back at Gob-Gob the huge, hulking form of a bear had just barred his path back to Urbus. It hadn't noticed Oscar yet. And he could have done the smart thing and gone around. But he also had full energy and health. He could kill this bear faster than it would take him to go around.

Now that his Energy had finally ticked back up to full, Oscar was free to explore the forest with a little more confidence. He figured that since he was here, he might as well try to get the most out of this little jaunt. He searched around for some materials and, when that failed, he followed the roaring sound of flowing water to a riverbank. The fish were plentiful here, leaping out of the water as they traveled upstream to spawn. Oscar wished he still had the fishing skill. He could really do with some materials right about now. But, alas, he'd refunded it so that he could rank up his sword skills. Not a complete loss. At this point, he'd take hitting things harder over being able to fish and possibly getting mauled by shark he had no hope of killing. He'd go back to that lake one day and enact sweet revenge upon that monster. But until then, he would just have to dream.

Oscar rose from his seat upon the tree roots and began to make his way back to town. Gatsly would be waiting for him. Oscar had promised him a head, but since the head had currently shattered into a billion pieces, he hoped the <<Venom Vial>> would do. He imagined the merchant would just be happy to be rid of the fearsome foe and back to making money to - presumably - support himself and his family. Of course, he was still just an NPC. But if Oscar was stuck here, he would immerse himself in the game. Really sink his teeth into it. So he crafted stories for the NPCs where they didn't have one. Some of them behaved close enough to human to develop something similar to relationships with. It was nice having some sort of social interaction that wasn't either edgy or depressing for a change. They'd get out of here eventually. Might as well enjoy the ride. He noticed a shiny gathering spot next to the path he was walking on and quickly picked it up, adding the material to his inventory.

As much as Oscar would have loved to go exploring, we was running on empty. He had plenty of health left, even though the poison was still ticking. His energy was another story. The gauntlet leading up to, and including, the Venom Snapper had completely depleted his tank. He needed to rest and let things regenerate. Fortunately, his housing skill provided him much quicker energy regeneration than normal, so he wouldn't have to wait long before he was back at it. While he waited, he decided to look around for any crafting materials. There didn't seem to be anything in his immediate vicinity and he really didn't want to move. He was safe where he was but he really didn't want to wander into any aggro ranges for enemies he couldn't see through the foliage. That wouldn't make for a very fun combat encounter to be forced to plink away at their health bar for ten damage a swing. The poison effect finally abated. Oscar could rest easy knowing that his passive health regeneration would soon restore him to full vitality.

Oscar bit through the pain from the venom coursing through his veins and lashed out at the wolf. Using the very last of his energy, Oscar launched yet another Gen Getsu, hoping this time it would hit. His blow rang true, biting into the wolf's neck. The creature exploded into a shower of crystalline shards as the loot menu appeared. He exhaled heavily and sheathed his blade before pressing the accept button. Col and items dropped into his inventory. One in particular, labeled as a unique item, caught his attention. <<Venom Vial>>. Apparently, he could apply it to his weapon to deal a bit more damage. But first, he had to return to Gatsly to collect his payment. Before any of that, however, he needed to do something about this poison. He drank down the antidote, grimacing at the foul tasting liquid and then sat down at the foot of a tree to rest.

For what seemed like hours, the two of them circled one another. Oscar and the wolf, locked in a deadly waltz upon the forest floor. Oscar struck first, stepped forward and launching a powerful Gen Getsu at the lupine enemy. The wolf, however, proved to be too evasive for him to land a square hit on. He was open, having just missed his attack. It was an advantage that the Venom Snapper capitalized on. His fangs sunk deep into Oscar's thigh. He winced as he felt the wolf's fangs lacerate his muscles. Though it didn't truly happen, Kayaba's attention to detail and the pain sensors were quite advanced. Oscar could feel the burning as the venom from the wolf seeped into his bloodstream from the wound. No matter what Oscar tried to shake him off the wolf held firm. He smacked the wolf across the snout with the butt of his sword, finally able to get it to release its deadly grip. A green droplet appeared on Oscar's status bar, signifying that he had been poisoned.

Oscar charged another Gen Getsu. He rushed in swiftly before the paralysis wore off completely. He knew that if he didn't, he would have a hard time dealing damage to the elusive wolf. His blade carved an arc through the air, whistling as it followed its path. He slammed his weapon into the Venom Snapper's flank, chunking its health bar yet again. With just 28 HP left, the Venom Snapper made a panicked bite at Oscar. The man danced away from the blow, activating his Savvy enhancement in the process. The two of them began circling one another, hunter versus hunter, as they tried to find an opening. Their eyes were fixed upon each other, unblinking, boring holes into the other's soul. This fight would be decided soon. The venom snapper had very little health left and hadn't yet managed to land a hit on Oscar, much less poison him. Even if he did get poisoned, he was confident that the status effect was merely there to psych him out than to put him in any real danger.

Not wanting to give the Venom Snapper any quarter, Oscar rushed forward. His blade shone with a pale blue light as he charged up Gen Getsu. He struck with great force, his baleful brand carving a deadly path. In its wake, it left a thin, ultramarine trail of light. He dealt heavy damage to the lupine adversary, cuffing it across the head and battering its health bar down to nearly half. Oscar was gobsmacked at the amount of damage he did. He backed off and took a moment to reaffirm his grip. Those food buffs were truly insane. A yellow lightning bolt appeared on the Venom Snapper's status bar. Najarala's venom had proven to be most beneficial in this fight. He chuckled at the irony that he had poisoned an enemy called Venom Snapper. Since the adversary wasn't going anywhere, Oscar took a moment to collect himself. Best to end the fight safely than to go in half-cocked and get himself killed.

The Venom Snapper was one ugly mother. It's health bar propagated as combat began, and Oscar was still too hung up on just how ugly the thing was. The giant venomous wolf rushed forward, its snapping jaws dripping with a green substance Oscar could only assume was venom. The azure-clad warrior spun out of the way, easily dodging the snapping jaws and swinging to counterattack with a blow of his own.

"Gen Getsu," came Oscar's simple statement. Blue energy winked to life around his blade, like turning on a flashlight. He spun around, slicing at the creature with a deadly half-circle slash. The Venom Snapper was a touch too swift, however. His blade barely grazed the beast as it rushed by, dealing no damage as a result. Oscar wheeled around and steadied his weapon. No more spinning. With his back to the opponent, he couldn't aim his attacks. He'd have to face the creature head-on.

He was almost there. His cursor on the map was almost right on top of the quest location. A third wolf slinked out of the underbrush, growling as it began to circle around Oscar. He sighed and readied his sword. Of course there would be another wolf around here. The wolf was directly behind him now. He heard a snarl and listened to the snapping of twigs as it lunged at him. Oscar wheeled around and dealt a fierce salvo of frenzied slices to the wolf. He ended the attack with a powerful vertical chop and then sheathed his blade with a flourish. The wolf seemed to freeze in midair as he did so. When Oscar snapped his crossguard and scabbard together, the wolf exploded outward into a billion pieces. Oscar let out a sigh and glanced down at Gob-Gob who was still facing the opposite direction. He looked absolutely terrified. Oscar heard a snarl behind him and wheeled around, his hand shooting to his blade.