MISERY

They were both in the red. And they both still refused to fight back, despite the bleed having run its course. He'd scared them into a bizarre state of submission. Exactly the opposite of what he'd wanted, and not at all what he would expect from floor maximum mobs. Even all the way down here on the first floor.

Getting angry about it wouldn't resolve the issue. Once again, he'd had to play it patient. Such was the curse of a build like his. Had he chosen a Sword Art instead of stealth to start, he'd sure be rid of these pests by now. Sometimes, he wish he had. But, in the end, he knew this long haul strategy would pay off. He just needed to commit to it.

So he'd wait. And bide his time. And strike the boars, whittling them away one health point at a time, if he needed to. What was the rush? 

They had the rest of their lives to see it through to the end.
 

And taste his blade it did. It carved a wide arc through the air on its way to the second mob, the tip of the weapon lodging between the creature's ribs. There was a snapping sound, and then the telltale dripping of thick liquid against grass. He'd successfully inflicted a bleed effect against this one, as well. 

The problem with this was that now both mobs were too weak to fight back, writhing aimlessly as agony surged through their veins. It was a sight that brought a smile to MISERY's face, albeit slightly tinged with annoyance.

They were so weak. How was he to train his familiar if they couldn't even put up a worthwhile fight? He wasn't even using Sword Arts, for god's sake. He didn't even have any to use. The fact that these beasts couldn't so much as stand, let alone fight, after a few basic attacks was disheartening. Perhaps MISERY would become the second man to train his pet from dawn 'til dusk.
 

It seemed that the reflected damage inflicted upon these numbskulls had beguiled them. They cocked their heads and stared at MISERY, hesitant to attack him further. Perhaps it was the incessant buzzing that had tipped them off, or the sting they felt that woefully outmatched the one they hoped to inflict. Regardless of what was going through their simulated brains, one thing was certain. If they wouldn't attack, MISERY would.

An amalgamation of bone suddenly protruded from beyond the bloody veil, its sickening blade slicing into one of the poor creatures. It yelped, then took a knee, its fresh wound leaking virtual blood into the grass below. It's health bar was waning now, much faster than it would have been had MISERY continued raking his scythe along its hide. Knowing this one wouldn't last much longer, he turned his attention to the other. It would be next to taste his blade.
 

MISERY had chosen the first floor because the mobs here were feeble. Even the floor maximum mobs - which he assumed he was facing now - hadn't a chance of depleting more than a single point of MISERY's health. 

The idea here was that the bees would hide beneath his bloody cloak and take the brunt of the attacks for him. When the enemy mob came into contact with their stingers, they would take damage reflected. It had worked well when they first encountered the boars, and it worked when one of them charged forward and collided with MISERY's frame again. MISERY remained steadfast, barely affected by the swine's assault, and their stingers worked to pick apart its health bar piece by piece. 

Marvelous. It was working exactly as intended. And by the time they were through, the bees would have gained the toughness necessary to not only deal damage back, but absorb it from their foes.
 

He'd acquired the bees. Now there was the matter of training them. It was one thing to have the minuscule beasts in his possession, but another entirely to compel them to bend to his will. Considering the possible length of the excursion before him, MISERY had set aside his entire day to set his little monsters on the right path. He only hoped they would be accommodating.

He'd once heard of a man that took an extraordinarily long time to train his familiar. According to legend, it had taken him from dawn until dusk to finish the deed, chasing a small animal around the fields of this very same floor until he'd cornered it and forced it into battle with his own familiar. MISERY wasn't sure how much stock he put in the story, considering there didn't seem to be any mobs on the floor that were so elusive. But it was something worth considering.

For now, there were the boars to deal with.

He scrutinized the armor, not entirely impressed with what they had revealed. "That won't be necessary," he explained as he turned toward the door. "You can either keep these, or junk sell them. I won't have any use for them. I appreciate your help."

Perhaps the next batch of loot would reveal something a bit better. There were certain unique enhancements he had his eyes on. Normal enhancements, they had no purpose for him anymore. He'd already collected all of the equipment he needed in that regard.

No matter. He couldn't expect all of the pieces to align instantly. Some would require more work than others.

Entering Ceres' shop had taken a lot more effort this time around, on account of the fresh orange cursor that MISERY had acquired. Despite the danger the patrolling guards presented, the bubbly - albeit annoying - Merchant had done a fine job the first time around. Quick, too. So long as she didn't deny his business, he had little reason not to return to her with his newly acquired loot. With any luck, she might unearth something truly extraordinary.

Like a puddle of viscous ooze, MISERY slithered through town, underneath the door of Ceres' establishment, and into the main room. It was possible the door was locked, given the late hour, but MISERY cared not. He brought business, and any good shopkeep would surely appreciate his patronage. 

"More idents," he stated as he placed the items on the counter, along with the col necessary to pay for their identifications.

700 col sent to Ceres.

Name: Queen Bee
ID: 136124
Roll: CD: 9+1=10
Rank: Untrained
Enhancements: TBD
Description: The power of the Queen Bee lies not in its sting, but in its command. Countless underlings follow and protect her, offering their strength to the one who has conquered Her Majesty.
Link: http://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/18939-⌈-floor-2-⋅-solo-party-⌋-may-my-enemy-become-my-friend/?do=findComment&comment=597143

QUEST COMPLETED

Rewards
2 SP
1400 col
(6) T1 Materials
Familiar (Queen Bee)

Loot

"You're a strange one," the woman mused. "Never before have I seen someone take a bee as their familiar, much less allow it to live inside of their clothes."

"It is a small price to pay," MISERY replied, a hint of amusement riding along the tone of his heavily modulated voice. "They need me, as much as I need them. I may not be the caring sort, but if these bees are to be the tireless soldiers I demand, they deserve at least that much."

"I see." The woman shifted uncomfortably. "So what are your plans now?"

"Nice try," came MISERY's response. "You won't be getting any information out of me. That sort of thing is for me to know, and the rest of Aincrad to find out."

"You aim to make waves, then."

"Old hag," MISERY replied, craning his head to peer directly at her through his mask. "I am the wave."

He was almost back to town, when the NPC gypsy who'd given him the honey emerged from the shadows. How she'd gotten there, or how long she'd been waiting for MISERY to arrive, he knew not. All he knew was that he was unsettled by her abrupt appearance, however ironic it was that he was usually the one doing that sort of thing.

"I take it your venture went well, then?" she inquired, old voice snapping and crackling as though spurs had attached themselves to her raspy vocal chords.

"Indeed. Here, you may have your honey back. They'll be able to produce plenty on their own," MISERY replied. Before he could produce the viscous nectar, she held up a hand.

"There's no need for that," she interjected. "Let them use it as a food source until they've made some more of their own. Tell me, are you planning on letting them buzz around that strange cloak of yours as a home?"

"Yes," was the flat reply. "I see no reason as to why not. I may be mildly uncomfortable, but I will always be able to keep them close."

Finally, he had made his way out of the woods. To his surprise, he found that the darkness that had permeated the grove was not an illusion cast by the foliage hovering overhead. It was indeed starting to get late, and the sky had been painted red by the fading sun. He didn't have much longer before it had fully submerged itself below the horizon. Luckily, he didn't have much further to go before he was safe, anyways.

He walked along, pace no more brisk than it had been on his way to the forest, taking care to avoid the packs of mobs that scurried about the mountainous plains. One wrong step could have him trapped in one place for far longer than he intended, and he didn't need or want that. He'd gotten what he had come for, and there was no reason to linger longer than absolutely necessary.
 

So far, so good. Nothing stood in his path. And to accompany the inordinate lack of mobs was an eerie silence that seemed to pervade the entire floor. Almost as though an omen for something else. Bigger, scarier. MISERY knew that that wasn't the case. After all, they were almost on the base floor of Aincrad. And, funny enough, people had been traversing these lands for quite some time. If there was some hidden, unknown gigantic beast, wouldn't someone have found it by now?

What were the chances that MISERY would be the first? Unlikely, he wagered.

But it was a death game. And there were unknowns. So many unknowns. It was the very reason he had scoured the shops, acquired the gear, and ventured into the woods to acquire the bees the way he had. What purpose would he have for them, if not to provide an additional layer of security for himself. To round out his build? What a silly notion. His build would be fine no matter how he chose to construct it.
 

Now that he'd gotten what he had come for, it was time to depart. Night would soon fall upon the second floor, and when it did, MISERY hoped to be gone. Though he knew he could handle any mobs that spawned here during the day, he wasn't so foolish as to believe that the cretins that came together once the sun went down were even in the same ballpark. He could take them, if he had to. But he didn't want to. They weren't even close to worth the effort.

For now he would turn and begin making his way back to town. With any luck, he wouldn't run into anything that impede his progress in returning home. Not that it was much of a "home," per se. Living in his shop was better than living on the street, but only marginally. He'd forgone the comforts that would have made for comfortable living in lieu of a space that he deemed more functional.
 

At long last, it seemed that something was happening. An inordinately large bee emerged from the honeycombed cocoon, buzzed nimbly into his palm, and began feasting on the honey. Clearly, this was the queen.

MISERY slowly drew his hand back and beneath the bloody veil. He then peered around, taking note of the way the behavior of the bees changed. To his delight, they did not seem hostile. In fact, they seemed pensive. As though waiting for their orders. MISERY rose one hand, and as though on cue, all of the bees in the area followed his lead and raised with it. As he lowered this hand, so too did the bees hover downward.

Perfect. He had acquired their queen, hidden her, and now the rest followed his lead. He had taken her place as their new god, and they buzzed to the whim of his direction. He willed them to come to him, and just like the obedient little insects they were, they obliged. The lot of them filed in under his blood-like cloak, hiding themselves within it as though it were their new hive.

Perfect. Absolutely perfect.
 

Still he waited. Still nothing happened. He knew that there was a time limit to how long one could attempt to tame a familiar. Had he passed that limit already? It was difficult to say. He'd been there no less than fifteen minutes already, and he seemed no closer to unearthing the solution to the mystery than when he'd arrived. It truly did seem as though he might have to leave and venture on to the next colony of bees in the hopes that they may be more receptive to his influence.

He would give it a bit more time, though. Endure the buzzing for a bit longer. Get a feel for how they moved, behaved, and responded to stimuli. At the very least, they didn't seem to mind having him around. He could use that to his advantage on the next hive, if it came to that.

Five more minutes. Then he would move on. He would give them at least that long to decide if they had come to terms with their new ruler. If not, it was unlikely that they would, and he would turn his attention elsewhere. It was the sensible thing to do.
 

The continued to buzz around him, ignoring his presence, even as he neared their hive and a bony tendril snakes its way from beyond the bloody veil and cradled their honeycombed home. What was it about these creatures that he was failing to understand? He would rather they turn hostile toward him and kill themselves against his thorns than to simply be ignored by them. He'd come this far, and fought off their wretched guards. Did he not deserve some form of recourse?

No. It was damaging to think that way. He was not entitled to their fealty, no matter how much he wished he was. He would need to earn it. Prove to their collective, one way or another, that he was their rightful king. Force them to bow down to him rather than their matriarch. There had to be a way, and it didn't just include the food he had brought for them. And why would they seek it, anyway? They had their own source of honey to glean energy from.
 

Though he had produced the sweet, viscous nectar, the bees still eluded him. Perhaps he'd done something wrong? Procured the wrong item? Failed to garner enough "luck?" The endless possibilities of potential failures stitched together into a mismatched mosaic that blanketed his mind. There were too many "what ifs." Too many variables. It was difficult to discern what exactly it was that was getting in his way at this point.

So he stepped closer, into the fray. The bees now buzzed all around him, filling his ears with a sickening cacophony. They all moved in unison, guided by one another in a synchronized dance. Still, they paid him no heed. Perhaps it was due to how mob-like he appeared, and the orange cursor he sported. They may have legitimately perceived him as a monster. In a way, that was perfect. It would make commanding them all the easier if they knew to bow to his might.
 

Something told MISERY that putting the gloves on was a good call. Because as he maneuvered through the brush, he came upon it. A bees nest. Yes, a bees nest. It may have seemed unorthodox to seek out bees as one's familiar, but to MISERY, it made perfect sense. He'd hear rumors that insects could be tamed in small flocks, considering they were much smaller than the average familiar. It was a gamble that he had been willing to bank on, and now he just had to hope that it all panned out.

They buzzed and swarmed and oscillated to and fro. It seemed that, thus far, they had not become aware of his presence. Or, they had, but simply ignored him in lieu of their duties. They had a queen to satisfy. But what if MISERY were to take its place? The honey he'd collected from the NPC would provide the answer to that question, as well as many others, before too long.
 

But there was something else that he needed to do, first. He stopped before he got too far, remembering that there was something else he'd acquired for this very excursion. A shop owner by the name of Bahr had been kind enough to provide MISERY with a luck enhancing light armor known as the Gloves of Caerus - though, MISERY suspected that Bahr still had no idea they were missing yet. How foolish he had been to leave his shop open and unattended like that. Hopefully this would serve as a lesson.

He stowed away Ordmordeo in his inventory, and equipped the gloves. It sounds like a strange thing to say, but he could feel that he became luckier the moment that he put them on. It was as though everything breathed a freshness that he hadn't known he was going without. A confidence that things would play out in his favor, no matter the odds. It was an intriguing and beguiling feeling all in one. What would happen if he fought mobs with something like this? He supposed he would find out when this was all over.

Ordmordeo [T1 2HBA] (Bleed | Bleed) removed from equipped list.
Gloves of Caerus [T1 LA] (LD | LD | LD) equipped.

Finally. It was over. The over sized bee had been defeated. And it seemed as though it had dropped a weapon of some sort. Which was interesting, and quite convenient. Perhaps something with a unique enhancement? A quick trip to a merchant would reveal the details, along with the details of the armor he'd picked up earlier. If a trinket could bear a unique enhancement, certainly one of these could.

With the enlarged bees dispatched, MISERY was emboldened to venture deeper into the forest. There was something he was looking for there. Something that he'd longed to find. He could have chosen any familiar in all the floors of Aincrad. The ones that were available, anyways. But he knew exactly what he was looking for, and it was here on the second floor. There was absolutely no reason to venture to a higher floor for something that wouldn't serve him as well. This was what he wanted, and this was what he was going to have.
 

Another hit, but no bleed proc. Though, it seemed as though his adversary was faring better in the critical hit department. It sank its stinger into him, but took no damage from thorns. How unfair was it that the bee could land a crit, but he could not?

Things weren't so bad, though. It had been reduced to the tiniest sliver of health imaginable. One more hit would do the trick for sure. Then he could move onward and forget about this horrible blunder.

That was the hope, anyways. One could never be too sure what lurked around the corner.

He was confident, though, that these larger bees were hiding something. Something he was after. Something that would make his life moving forward far easier than it was now. Or, at least, that was supposed to be the point of them. Again, there were many uncertainties in Aincrad, and nothing was set in stone.
 

He lashed out. Hit. Didn't inflict bleed.

Curses.

He'd even managed to stun it to the extent that it didn't want to fight back. That meant no thorns, either.

Whatever.

Patience was key. He'd learned that with the last batch of mobs he'd faced. Whether or not things happened quickly was of no consequence, so long as they got done. And by the time MISERY was through, this bee would be done. Of that, he would make sure.

He was rambling a bit. Internally, not externally. There's only so many things someone can think while locked in combat with a bee. And with each blow they exchanged, he felt compelled to think a certain number of words. It was almost as though it was some sort of rule he had to follow. Not that there were rules on what someone should think, or how much, of course. That would just be silly.

Yet, here he was.
 

So he reached out with his bony scythe. Raked its blade against the creature, but failed to inflict the bleed damage he desired to. He'd mutter curses under his breath, but it wouldn't do him any good. It seemed the battle would wage on a little while longer.

Luckily, the bee didn't seem to have any apprehensions about diving stinger first into the same danger it had been in only moments before. Seemingly angered that MISERY had decided to attack it, it lashed out, taking almost twenty times the damage it inflicted back as thorns did the deed.

Too easy. MISERY had yet to encounter any mobs that made him feel even remotely threatened, despite the lack of any Sword Arts to back up his offensive pressure. If things were this easy in Aincrad, would he even ever have a need to acquire them? Only time would tell. In the meantime, he was content to watch his enemies suffer as they hit themselves to death.
 

Just as MISERY had suspected, bleed finished off the bee he had struck before, and the loot panel that followed soured his expression beneath the mask. Nothing but col? That couldn't be right. He'd so masterfully dispatched the creature that he'd expected something. An uncommon consumable at the least, though he knew he wouldn't use it. It felt like a slap in the face to get nothing more than near meaningless currency.

He'd been so distracted by this, in fact, that he hadn't even noticed the final remaining bee swooped in and dug its stinger into the veil protecting him. Foolish. It lost a sizable chunk of its HP as a result. MISERY dismissed the panel he'd been inspecting and slowly craned his head to look at the creature. He didn't bother saying anything, because he knew it was just a mob. But the icy stare of his steadfast eyes from beyond the mask would do all of the talking for him.

The bee was going to die.