Valentine

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The battle was becoming monotonous. The Ice elemental Avalanche was not even getting close to hurting him. He was getting so complacent that he was starting to zone out. He was ghost walking between the different attacks. The pattern of the boss was low. As long as anyone caught onto the attack pattern it was simple.

“I wonder if I should just let it hit me. That way I can gauge my defense abilities.” Valentine was talking to Sherry. He was just thinking about it and only mostly sure about letting it happen. As long as it was not a one shot it was fine. He could heal back up to full and kill the boss at the same time. Valentine always carried a healing potion on him as well. As long as he made it away from a place with his life intact he stood a chance. This boss was the same way.
 

It was kind of sad that the boss was so low tier. Valentine was really starting to feel like a bully. The boss was not able to put up resistance as Valentine delivered another sword art. Valentine was a high level player using low level sword skills. He could repeatedly spam them even if they did not have a lot of power behind them. The boss was getting whittled down from it. It went from green to yellow health, it was not even far from dropping to the red.

The elemental boss summoned a swarm of ice arrows from the sky. None of the arrows were able to hit. Valentine was able to shift his weight left and right dodging between the arrows as soon as he saw them. The monster was under his level; he believed he could finish it in a few more exchanges. At the most seven minutes to finish it off.
 

Avalanche caused spikes of ice to grow from the ground. The creature was trying to give Valentine another hole to breath him. As he was practicing being a support his observation ability got better. He was able to notice the small details of the battle. He flipped as an ice spike popped out and landed on it. He was feeling like an action hero. Valentine was smart enough to know that he could not make the same moves in real life.

“Still missing me. I cannot even stand how cold it is so my moves are not the best. If I keep improving at this rate, the battles would be a lot easier. I need to find a style that allows me to heal and keep me in battle.” Valentine contemplated how he would find a skill like that. As far as he was aware a skill like that was not announced.
 

“Roooar!!!” The icy elemental released a roar of frustration. Valentine followed up by using a different type of sword art. It was the first time he was using the sword art that stuns. Fell crescent worked well. When he made the uppercut slash he could almost see a crescent moon come out of his blade. It was all an optical illusion. It would have been cool if it actually happened.

“You are not in my league. You poor creature. I honestly feel like I am bullying you to an extent. I should have chosen a stronger creature. After I end you I will be sure to try and find one.” The ice elemental staggered a minute from the blow. It was paralyzed after the successful execution of the sword art. His old spear would have shattered the enemy in one blow. Starting back from scratch was a pain. Curved swords also did not have a high damage output compared to the two handed weapons.
 

Valentine cracked his neck getting ready to fight. He spotted the frost elemental. He crouched and rushed towards it. The snow flushing into his face and the weight of the snow slowing him down. The Khopesh in his hand lashed out with a rage blow. Even if it was a boss it was on the weaker end. The slash bit into the elementals chest lowering the hp it had.

The frost elemental was enraged as it lashed out with a blade of ice. As if he was in a Matrix film Valentine bent backwards to avoid it. The display of skill would have made Neo proud of him. The elemental did not do any damage to him. Fighting by himself he felt a lot less constricted. It reminded him of his old skills. If he ever went pure DPS he believed he would have done a better job then Grimm.
 

Valentine viewed the item with rapt attention. It was a pretty shade of red. Going by looks alone he would not mind wearing it. When he looked at the stats of the piece he was hooked. When it came down to gifts his usual policy would be to reject it. Since ChaseR was being nice he figured he could make it up to the guy later. There were plenty of things he found when he fished. Getting something for him should not be too difficult.

“Thanks. I will be glad to use it for now.” Valentine accepted the trade request. “I will make sure to get you a good return gift. I will also give you some decent heals if you need some back up. I don’t wanna make this gift at a loss for you. You could have sold it for a pretty penny. Glad you at least know I am broke.” 

He had to pack away the gear. It was another piece of non-equippable equipment he would try to use later. All the gear he was getting was great. It was top of the line in terms of abilities. It was the reason why it would take him a long time till he would be able to use it.
 

Valentine felt an assault on his eyes. He was experienced with people flirting with him for various reasons. This was the first time in the game he was getting hit on by an old lady NPC. He could feel his lip twitch as he fought back a wave of disgust.

“Thank you ever so much.” As is customary he kept a business smile. Pissing off the NPC’s was never a good idea. His acting was so decent he did not show any disdain. “For a sweet lady like you. I don't mind coming back again. Who doesn’t like to see a pretty face.” Valentine placed the money and picked up the new piece of gear. “As far as I know this is a pretty great deal. Thank you!”

Valentine had to head out for some business on his floor. He was not too worried about keeping the gear with him. It was useless to him at the moment as it was locked. It would take him some serious training to be able to equip it.
 

[3/31/2021]

AMBITION | Lover Lament Trinket | +1XP/Craft
CRAFTING GUILD | Trading Hall | +2 EXP for each craft. +5 to salvage recovery LD's. Rank 4 you also get +1 crafting attempt/day. If you are rank 5 you get +2 crafting attempts/day.
PRIVATE ROOM | Working | +2 EXP for each craft.
APOLLO'S LYRE | Tool | +1 CD/Craft

Attempts: 9

Results: -6 T1 Materials, +79  EXP(Not evaluated yet)

“ChaseR I made it.” It was Valentine’s first time coming into the shop. Usually when it came to artistry stuff he went to Night. They had a decent relationship when it came to sales. As far as this place was concerned it did not feel like it fit the aesthetic that he knew from ChaseR. The shop was more subdued and laid back. Valentine thought ChaseR was straightforward and honest but he expected the place to have some bling to it.

He came because ChaseR said he had an interesting piece of equipment he should look at. Valentine already had a trinket piece that he was gonna wear later. He just managed to pay off ChaseR all the Col he owed before. If he had to owe ChaseR again he may go mad. Coming into the game was the first time he had owed people so much. Being rich was so much better.
 

Val could feel his vision blur as his energy was low. Cleaning was not a strong suit he possessed. In the real world it was what the maids were for. The inventory logs in his shop were in disarray; it was why he had a bit of junk piling up without his notice. He remembered the fact that his Captain ran a merchant shop. It was the only reason Val swung by on such a day. Getting rid of the backflow was necessary.

Taking a look around Valentine managed to catch an eyeful. The shop was well managed and felt more open than he thought it would. To be honest Valentine was expecting more of a back alley in some dark corner to be Freyd’s shop. He expected the shop to have the same air as the Captain.

“Hello. Here to deposit some stuff for scraping.” His eyes caught sight of a crystal like necklace. It was pretty and had a nice feel to it. His instincts and high class blood was screaming at him to get it. "I am trying to save some Col. Can I trade these things to have a discount on this? I will pay the remaining in Col.” Valentine took out the items and initiated the trade option on his HUD.
 

“Sherry! I think my fighting skills have been terrible recently.” Valentine sat in his home talking to his pet snake. The snow raged outside the estate as he contemplated. It was true that he did not mind being a support class character and was growing fond of it. The problem was that if he was alone he would be screwed.

“If I am not mistaken there is a small boss not far from here. It would be an excellent partner to spar against." Valentine hardened his resolve and got ready, he was gonna fight the boss alone. “Here Sherry. I am wearing something warmer. You can sit and stay inside the hood. That way you will not be discomforted by the cold.” Valentine cared about his familiar pal. She was a great help and an amazing listener. She was a bit sarcastic and sharp witted. She did care about Val which was the best thing.

[3/30/2021]

AMBITION | Lover Lament Trinket | +1XP/Craft
CRAFTING GUILD | Trading Hall | +2 EXP for each craft. +5 to salvage recovery LD's. Rank 4 you also get +1 crafting attempt/day. If you are rank 5 you get +2 crafting attempts/day.
PRIVATE ROOM | Working | +2 EXP for each craft.
APOLLO'S LYRE | Tool | +1 CD/Craft

Attempts: 9

Results: -7 T1 Materials, +78 EXP(Not evaluated yet)

“Your luck is stellar today! After this you may not have a problem finding a familiar for yourself.” This was the second time in a row that Aquan managed to make a critical strike. Those things only happened with a mixture of skill and luck. It was never really guaranteed. Doing it twice in a row was impressive. Valentine was even more surprised when his next strike managed to critical strike to the frost giant as well. At this point it was as if the game wanted the boss to move on.

Valentine felt himself relax completely. The frost giant was in red health. At this point if Aquan died it was because it was destined to happen. “You should be able to finish it from here. I will be glad that it is dead. It makes a good practice target though. When you finish we can get out of here.”
 

“A lot of familiars are unique in their own rights. I have seen some interesting studies on the materials. People have various levels of free time and with the familiar quest being open to all it is simple to find some information on it.” As Valentine was speaking he went in for another blow. He worried less about getting retaliated against if the monster was paralyzed. If the monster was immune it would have tried to take them out with it before.

Valentine pulled back after the strike. The monster was so close to being in the red. He could practically see the victory that was coming towards him. It made him feel strong and just lucky. “Pretty cool the two of us handled this all alone. It would have gone faster with others but as one the two weakest in terms of DPS, it tickles my heart to think that we are also skilled.”
 

“I think it depends on the type. Sherry is from the Sahara like floor and is actually a Djinn beast. The disdain for the cold is more from her elemental affinity than her species.” Valentine gave Aquan another energy boost when he saw the man's levels were dropping. “Another energy boost coming your way. Gotta keep the strength up.”

Valentine gave Sherry a little pet when she reformed. He could feel her irritation and desire to retreat. “You can go back into the sigil. If I need you. You will be coming right back-” Before he could even finish his snake partner was already gone. “Yeah. Like I was saying. She is a special type of snake. If you follow lore all djinn have a lamp. Sherry just uses my body itself as her lamp. It makes it easier for her to come and go as she pleases, or even answer my requests without being worried about leaving her.”
 

Valentine was not fully worried as progress was being made in the fight. Even if it was not the fastest. “Well you are in a stable condition. I can use some time and energy to counterattack.” Valentine rushed in with his khopesh, a red glow enveloping the blade as he activated a sword art. Rage art was low level but all he could use.

His strike hit the frost giant in the chest causing it to stagger and miss the next strike it tried. “Sometimes the best defensive is a good offense. It is good if we do finish sooner. Sherry hates the cold and being outside the house often makes her an irritable cobra.” The house or any warm place on the floor was acceptable as long as she got out the cold. If his familiar was warm blooded she would have been shivering on his neck. At the moment it just caused her to move slower.
 

“Oh please!” Valentine hit Aquan with an energy gaining skill. “I like to think spotting talent comes down to luck. Spotting talent that is willing to work hard is even more rare.” Valentine ducked under a stray icicle that flew towards him. It would not have killed him but it would have hurt. The worst part is the icicle would have been cold. The floor was already freezing as it was.

“Everyone has room to improve. I still cannot use the full party heal skill. If I could I would be a much better healer.” Valentine was able to talk as Aquan was not as damaged. As long as the frost giant was not focused on him, he was able to gain some breathing room. He was simply trying to keep Aquan energized out of reflex. His own energy levels were easily kept up with his consumption to an extent. It made it easier for him to purely focus on support.
 

Valentine did not respond as he was using his healing skill for a moment. As soon as Aquan made it back into the green level of heal he relaxed a little. “Your strikes are not bad for a man that predominantly does scouting work. You have improved by leaps and bounds.” Valentine moved to avoid a pillar of falling snow. It was only a bit of a shockwave from the battle. Aquan may have been dodging but snow was still flying.

“We can definitely do it. As your health is back up I can provide you battery support next. When you become fully stable we can Plus Ultra the goon.” Valentine felt so hip using slang. His ability to get along with commoners was really coming along. It was one of those things that changed when he started playing SAO. If it was a good or bad trait overall remains to be seen.
 

“There is always a way to take over aggro if it is needed” Valentine stifled the slight worry in his heart as he tried to keep to the task at hand. He provided Aquan with some much needed healing. As he watched Aquan’s health go up from the red he still did not relax. If he allowed himself to relax too much, who knew if an accident could occur.

“Healing is my job. As long as you are focusing on the fight I will focus on keeping you going. It is my job and I am actually pretty proud of it now.” Valentine saw the Frost Giant making another move. “Go back to focusing. The less damage you take the easier it is for me to help out and attack.” He was not giving Aquan criticism just trying to keep him going. Aquan was almost back into the green and Val wanted to keep him there.
 

Valentine noticed the hyperactive skill was back online. Meaning that Aquan’s hyperactive state had ended. Sure enough his energy was dropping when compared to Aquan’s standard level. Valentine decided to take a moment out to restore the hyperactive state. “Do what you feel you must then.” He could not take the time out to chat, as he was worried that distracting Aquan would be dangerous.

As soon as he finished speaking he saw another hit heading towards Aquan. Judging by the angle and speed, Val believed Aquan only had a twenty percent chance of dodging a hit like that. As far as he was aware the Frost Giant did not have a critical strike ability. It may be the only thing that would keep the hit from Killing Aquan so quickly. As long as Aquan was not killed in one strike he could be saved. “If it becomes too much, switch out with me.”
 

“Sherry” Valentine activated his healing skill in haste. He could not understand what Aquan was trying to do. If the Frost Giant decked him again he would have him pull back for a moment. He could only heal so much for a person with a low health pool. If he could heal himself he would have taken the point instead of letting Aquan do it. Aquan had a rise in his health bar but it was not full.

“After I heal you up. I will provide you with more energy. Don’t be afraid to stun when you can. Even if the damage is low it increases survival odds. They may be low now but they are not zero.” He was trying not to distract Aquan. It was just difficult to multitask. Trying to be supportive and take down the monster was almost like a full job. If Aquan cooked more often the fight could have been even easier.
 

Valentine believed he debuffed it enough. It was time for him to join in the fight as well. They would take it down quicker if they worked together. It was a while since Valentine used a weapon. The khopesh in his hand lashed out as he released a ferocious rage blow. The frost giant was focused on Aquan and did not bother to dodge.

“Look out!” Valentine did not give a warning in time as a surprise fist hurtled towards Aquan. “If you have a stun use it again. The boss should not have resistance if the timing is right.” If the boss was stunned properly it would give Valentine more than enough time to heal Aquan back up to full health. “If you trust me just keep attacking. I will not let you die. If I cannot heal enough I will switch aggro with you. If need be.” He could only hope Aquan would not lose his cool from the heavy hit.
 

As Aquan was currently able to hold the fort Val figured he would weaken the boss more. He pulled out two more crystals from his bag. He activated them at the same time. One was a hypnosis crystal to lower the aim of the boss. As long as it missed it would lower the pressure on him needing to heal Aquan. The other crystal was an insurance policy in case the frost giant got some punches in. 

“Yep go all out. At this point if we cannot take this down then we were not trying hard enough to win. All you have to do is focus on attacking. I will join you as well. I can provide energy so have fun going all out. You will not get tired. Besides, I do not think my damage output is higher than yours.” Valentine enjoyed watching the boss struggle. Things were going smoothly so far.
 

It had been a bit since he last saw Aquan fight. The man improved by leaps and bounds. This time he decided to start off with a stun. It was a nice delay tactic. It gave Valentine enough time to pull out a support crystal. “Sherry” Valentine called out his familiar. She was not happy to be out in the cold. She wrapped around his neck quickly. If she was deadly she would have strangled him.

“Provide Aquan with a little pick me up. He is not pacing properly.” The hyperactive skill hit Aquan at the same time that Valentine used the crystal lullaby crystal. He would slow the beast down to give Aquan an easier time hitting it. “That was a good hit. Remember to pace yourself. I believe between the two of use we can take it down. The aim for it is not the best and the lumbering speed makes it easy to dodge.”