[SP-F1] A Time To Train - To Search, To Stretch - Completed!

[Brax 0]

     As Brax leaned back against the rock, collecting himself after his 2nd encounter with a boar, he became vaguely aware of a blinking emanating directly above his head.  Looking up, he became aware of two very important things: first, that he had received loot from the boar, specifically a piece of heavy armor; second, a "LEVEL UP!" image blinked discreetly in the air, prompting him to swipe his hand in front of him, which he did, opening the status window.  Reviewing the information with a careful, yet tired eye, he was relieved to see his health had increased and was automatically restored, most likely due to the level-up process, and his energy increasing by one.  'Well, how fortunate for me,' he thought.

LEVEL UP! (lvl 1 to lvl 2)

Brax HP 8/8 (+7 due to level up, I hope)

         EN 2/2 (+1 due to level up)

Edited December 13, 2015 by Brax

[Brax 0]

     Reaching into his pack, Brax broke out some of his rations, carefully sipping the water while nibbling at the computer-generated bread.  He knew it was more psychological than anything, but the pixelated foodstuffs did an decent enough job rejuvenating his spirits.  Finishing the meal, he stood, stretching his limbs, and took a moment to utilize the open status window in order to equip his new armor.  Feeling the weight settle on him, he picked his axe up off the ground, considering what had happened just moments before: the rush, the despair, the fire.  The moment he had had to himself cleansed him, leaving only the emotionless shell of before, but a part of him, however small, wanted, no Needed, to feel that again, needed to remember that experience.

[Brax 0]

ID 41877

BD 9

MOB 3

Boar HP 1/4

Brax HP 8/8

         EN 1/2

2 damage( 1 base + 1 skill) + 1 crit = 3

     Brax knew he would not have to look far for another monster to fight; the boars in the area were plentiful, even with every starting adventurer looking for an easy hunt.  With a cold determination, he found one nearby, unaware of his presence.  'This time,' he thought, 'the beast will be the one who is surprised.'  Running towards the beast, it barely had time to turn it's head before his weapon cut deep into it's flank, causing a squeal to emerge from the monster's mouth.  It attempted to retaliate, swinging blindly at the assault, but Brax quickly dodged out of the way, cleanly avoiding the blow.

Boar HP 1/4

Brax HP 8/8

         EN 1/2

[Brax 0]

ID 41878

BD 9

LD 8

MOB 9 (N/A)

Boar HP 0/4 Defeated!

Brax HP 8/8

         EN 0/2

2 damage( 1 base + 1 skill) + 1 crit( roll 9) = 3

+1 material

     As Brax leapt away from the animal's retaliatory attack, he allowed his momentum to carry through his entire body, enhancing the power and speed of his next strike.  With a satisfying thwack, his axe cut a line across it's face, and with a final roar, the beast dematerialized, pixels floating through the air, vanishing into the breeze.  The beast dead, Brax searched his heart for a familiar tingle, some sense of the emotions that had consumed him before, but found nothing, not even a hint of the fire that burned inside previously.

[Brax 0]

ID 41889

LD 13

     Brax spent a moment to gather his thoughts, choosing to occupy his hands and eyes with thorough search of the area for anything with crafting potential.  'It would seem that the doctor's hypothesis was accurate,' he thought.  'Exposure to a non-controlled environment, coupled with neurological electroshock therapy, applied by the NerveGear, results in emotional awareness in the psychologically numb.  In addition, while previous treatments did not include overtly violent acts as a trigger due to the unknown effect of adrenaline on the fragile mental status of the mentally ill, the chemical must have reacted with the electrical impulses delivered into my brain to awake previously dormant aspects of my consciousness.'  Failing to find anything suitable, Brax stood up and began to move to a new field.

Brax HP 8/8

        EN 1/2 +1

Edited December 12, 2015 by Brax

[Brax 0]

ID 41890

LD 7

     'I suppose the question now is whether or not the experience is repeatable.'  With his thoughts sufficiently engrossed by his dilemma, his attention to the task at hand became practically non-existent; just as well, since there did not seem to be anything remotely usable amongst the various debris scattered about. 'One has to wonder, what triggered the adrenaline outburst?  If not the actual battle, the aggressive act, then what?'

Brax HP 8/8

         EN 2/2 +1 (Full!)

[Brax 0]

ID 41923

LD 15

     The next field he examined yielded much more success: a serviceable shell, probably of use to one of those performers he had heard of in town.  But even the satisfied feeling he received from a job well done couldn't free him from his thoughts, running rampant as they were.  'Well, if I cannot rely on battle alone to spike my cortical stimulant levels, I must find alternate means to do so.  Maybe, though, adrenaline isn't the only chemical to synergize with the system.  The brain manufactures a myriad of chemicals, each with a specific use and trigger.  Perhaps they could give me different results.'

+1 material

[Brax 0]

ID 41970

BD 9

LD 3

Mob 8

Boar HP 0/4 Deafeated

Brax HP 8/8

         EN 0/2

{2 damage(1 base + 1 skill) + 1 crit} x 2(S.A. Whirlwind) = 6

+1 material

     A monstrous boar dominated the next area, foaming at the mouth, angry black eyes searching for prey.  Brax slowly circled the creature, using the tall grass for cover, looking for an opening to unleash one of his Sword Arts, a consequence of his recent level up.  His opportunity came swiftly, when the beast started pawing the ground digging through the dirt in search of it's prize.  Emerging from the grass, Brax calmly made his way to the unsuspecting creature, placing his axe to his left, gathering the energy to activate his skill.  Just as the boar turn to face him, it's senses seemingly alerting it to danger, Brax released, catching the animal shy of the jugular, pushing it back as the shockwave of the attack struck a second time, causing the beast to shimmer into nothingness.  Tired from his energy loss, he nevertheless found enough inside to claim the treasure the boar had sought: a decent looking piece of ore.

Edited December 13, 2015 by Brax

[Brax 0]

ID 41971

LD 3

     A further search of the surrounding grounds, however, yielded nothing else.  It allowed Brax to postulate on other things, namely the neurochemistry lesson he had been previously thinking about.  'So, I remember from those textbooks Dr. Rosenhall let me read, and the lessons he let me observe while he taught the interns, that the neurochemicals I should focus on the most are dopamine, which helps with emotional function and control; serotonin, with it's primary focus on mood and sleep; and  acetylcholine, which is most related to motor function and memory.'

Brax HP 8/8

         EN 1/2 +1

[Brax 0]

ID 41984

BD 9

MoBD 1

Boar HP 2/5

Brax HP 8/8

         EN 0/2

2 damage(1 base + 1 skill) + 1 crit = 3

     Another boar, even bigger than the previous one, held sway in a nearby field, contrasting sharply with the delicate yellow sunflowers sparsely covering the grounds.  Brax clashed with this one head on, landing a clean hit on it's flank before leaping away from it's clumsy counterattack.  It seemed the extra bulk slowed down the beast's reaction time, making the fight seem almost too easy for the axe-man.

[Brax 0]

ID 41985

MoBD 1

Boar HP 2/5

Brax HP 8/8

         EN 1/2 +1

       Brax knew he had to allow his energy reserves to build back up, the better to land a solid hit to the enraged animal.  As he had discerned, the beast's size prevented quick movements, meaning that when the boar again tried to skewer the emotionless man, he was able to dodge the strike with ease.  'Wow,' thought Brax, 'this fight seems much easier than the others.  Must be getting good.'

[Brax 0]

ID 41986

MoBD 4

Boar HP 2/5

Brax HP 8/8

         EN 2/2 +1 Full!

     Another Boaring (XP) attack, another dodge.  'Maybe it's not me,' Brax mused.  'I'm beginning to think this guy got the wrong end of the RNG in stats.  There's no way that a big bad like him could possibly miss three times in a row, even with a lower level character like me.  The odds are most definitely not in it's favor.'  Hearing a familiar ping, Brax looked at his EN gauge, saw that it was full, and prepared himself for his ending blow.

[Brax 0]

ID 41987

BD 7

LD 16

MoBD 5

Boar HP 2/5

Brax HP 8/8

         EN 2/2

     'Wait for it,' Brax thought to himself, 'wait for the perfect chance to land the killing blow.'  He knew with the animal's awful reflexes, his opening would come soon.  He wasn't disappointed, as the next lurch of the beast's head, a pitiful, almost aimless strike, opened it's defenses enough for him to jam his axe right across the neckline, leaving a fritzing gash that consumed the boar in a shower of pixels, vanishing quickly, but thankfully leaving behind a stack of col and a mat.

Boar HP 0/5 Defeated!

Brax HP 8/8

         EN 1/2

+1 material

+25 col

[Brax 0]

ID 41988

LD 4

     After a battle like that, Brax knew he would again need to rest, but not for too long.  His material gatherings, and the EXP he could gain from it, needed completion.  A quick scan of the area proved fruitless, however.  He had found everything there was to find in this flowery domain.  Moving on, his mind once again drifted to the neurochemistry that these boars kept distracting him from.

[Brax 0]

ID 41989

LD 2

     Monsters could not distract him forever, though, and he realized some important things, even as he continued to fail at his resource gathering.  'Perhaps my actions are the key to unlocking my mind.  Many studies of memory loss have proven that doing things the person in question used to do can trigger the mind to remember associated memories.  While I may not know who I was, or what I used to do, maybe by putting myself out there, I might find an action that triggers a memory, though I might also trigger a meltdown.  The doctor always used to say I should get more involved; perhaps I should have listened, although it was extremely difficult, since I never felt connected to anyone at the facility.'

[Brax 0]

ID 41994

LD 4

     'Unfortunate, that I could not find a truly kindred soul at the facility to bond with,' thought Brax as he stared at the ground, attempting to will the materials to appear by the strength of his gaze alone.  Again faced with failure, he mused, 'Having said that, since I was truly not crazy, like all the others, no kindred soul existed for me there.  The closest I would have come up with was Steve, but he was mentally broken, whereas I am only slightly damaged.'

[Brax 0]

ID 41995

LD 12

     Steve, that was a name that sent Brax hurtling back through his memories 9 months earlier, back to March 15th, when Steve first arrived at the Berringer Psychiatric Hospital.  Discarding a piece of wood, rotted all the way through, Brax thought back to that first meeting between them, the look in Steve's eyes as he sized up the older man.  Steve was a 45 year old veteran, serving overseas with the Canadian Army, helping to establish peace in several hotspots around the globe.  Those eyes told a story all their own, stories of war, of pain, of victory and sacrifice.

[Brax 0]

ID 41996

LD 15

     Brax pocketed a suitable mat he found, as he continued his train of memories.  Steve had been discharged, the army stating mental health as the factor.  While the doctor had allowed Brax to study some neuroscience textbooks kept in his office, the better for Brax to understand his own psychiatric state, he had yet to allow Brax to participate in study related incidences with the interns that rotated through the facility, leaving Brax, or Brandon as he had been in the real world, unable to properly gauge Steve's condition.  This would prove to be a major problem down the line.

+1 material

Edited December 14, 2015 by Brax

[Brax 0]

ID 41997

LD 14

     As Brandon had not yet mastered his emotional recognition skills yet either, he was unable to tell when Steve was feeling 'right', as the attendants put it, or off the rails, as Steve with his military background was very good at outwardly controlling his inner turmoil.  Brandon spent the next 3 months in what other's around him would describe a friendship, though without the ability to feel the associated emotions, all Brandon had to go on were Steve's comments that he felt like he was the only person in the building he could rely on, could trust with his life.  Meanwhile, back in SAO, Brax discarded yet another unworthy crafting piece, his body on automatic while his mind went back in time.

[Brax 0]

ID 41998

BD 9

LD 2

MoBD 5

Boar HP 6/6

Brax HP 8/8

         EN 2/2

     Brax was pulled out of memory lane by a loud squealing sound, almost loud enough to be a roar, if not for the high pitch.  Coming to his senses, he reacted swiftly, moving to his right just another boar, this one much stronger looking than all others previously encountered, narrowly missed gutting him.  As the beast blew past, Brax managed to barely set himself up for his Whirlwind, setting his stance while cocking the axe to the left.  His instincts, honed by the few battles that had come before, let him feel, rather than see, the weak spot in the animal's defense, which he struck twice with definitive force, shattering the beast into computerized nothingness.  Battle over, Brax felt the familiar fatigue overcome him.  Resting against a nearby tree, he took a well deserved break, making sure to quickly finish his bread and water in case another boar showed it's face.

Boar 0/6 Defeated!

Brax HP 8/8

         EN 0/2

[2 damage(1 base + 1 skill) + 1 crit] x 2(S.A. Whirlwind) = 6

+1 material

Edited December 14, 2015 by Brax