[PP-F9] To the Depth of the Volcano <<Guardian of Fire>> (Calrex)

[CaptainUndead 0]

Nobuyuki have spent the entire morning waiting. Sitting just on the ledge of Vulcan village, he stared down to the pool of lava beneath. One fall would brought instant death, for some reason, he felt at ease. He waited for a while. "What took him so long I wonder." Nobuyuki thought as he began to hum the theme of Sword Art Online. The song has been stuck in his head for a long time now, and every time he needed to think, the theme helped somewhat. Holding onto a chain link that held the town suspended above the lava, Nobuyuki thought of the fight ahead of him. Surely, his companion is very strong, and he shouldn't be worried about that, but would he proven himself useful in any way? Or would he just become useless and needed to be saved like last time in the Avalanche boss fight. Then, he saw the man whom he had asked to help through a message. "Hey! Calrex! I'm over here!" Nobuyuki shouted out loud, before getting off the ledge and approached the Ultramarine . 

"Thanks for coming, I really appreciate the help." Nobuyuki said to Calrex, as the two walk to the gate of the Town. "So, you know about the quest <<Guardian of Fire>> before, right? Well, that's the quest I'm trying to accomplish. If you're not too busy, maybe you can come with me. If you are, then I wont blame you for leaving. I mean, being the highest level player in AinCrad do took a lot of time, doesn't it?" Nobuyuki looked at Calrex and asked, standing in front of the gates of town. He was hoping that Calrex would say yes, but in case he didn't Nobuyuki have to travel into the Volcano all by himself.

[Calrex 0]

It was some time before Calrex was able to arrive at the ninth floor settlement of Vulcan Village, mainly because he had gotten held up dodging the mobs that were constantly roaming on the thirteenth floor. However, as he did make his way through the crowds he saw the person that had called him in the first place, the player he recalled going by the name Tobi. Giving a wave he completed his trek over, putting his hands in his pockets, "Hey Tobi, long time no see. Looks like you're doing well."

Upon hearing the young man's request he shook his head, dismissing the thought that he had better things to do, "If you need a hand with it, I'm happy to lend a hand. This particular quest tends to be long mainly because of the distance we need to travel to get to the location where the field boss spawns."

Giving a friendly nod he made sure his equipment was ready, "Just making sure, have you taken The Traveler quest yet? The skill you get from it will come in handy here."

[CaptainUndead 0]

"Great, glad you can help out." Nobuyuki cheered. He was glad that Calrex agreed to lend a helping hand. "Alright, I think that the way down the volcano shouldn't be that rough, but it's definitely going to be a very arduous one. But with a fast pace, I believe we could make it within two days." Nobuyuki explained what he had read on the info breaker. Not that Calrex haven't heard of the informations before. "Well, shall we started?" Nobuyuki asked, as two two walked out of the town's gate, and made their way down to the depth of the volcano. 

Walking on the side, where a path has been carved and led deep down into the volcano, Nobuyuki and Calrex steadily made their way down. Once he heard Calrex's question, he looked over his shoulder, and replied. "I have done that quest, in deed. The shark was annoying to fight with, but nonetheless, I can manage." Nobuyuki smiled, recalling back to the moment he was dragged into the sand by the shark, and have to dug his way out, with his companion forgotten about him. 

[Calrex 0]

"Heh, actually that one I believe was called Blood in the Sand. The Traveler quest was the mission where you had to find the cargo for an old lady NPC. If you haven't done it yet it shouldn't be a problem. Just know that the ambient heat of our destination might affect your health if it gets to you."

Calrex gave a friendly nod as he spoke with the player called Tobi. He wasn't sure just yet it that was the young man's real name, but like he had done with Fourgotten he simply went with whatever name they wanted to be addressed by. Looking forward he saw that the sights had begun to shift from the volcanic surface to a more tropical appearance, although the symbolic cracks and orange red glow inside them continued to give the reminder they were on a volcano themed floor.

"In any case, if this trip is going to take a couple of nights, we can go a couple of ways. I can go for a few days without rest, but if you need to rest and recover during the evening there's a few places that we can camp out beneath to stay out of sight of any wandering creatures."

[CaptainUndead 0]

"Oh right.... Got things mixed up." Nobuyuki laughed, scratching his head. "Yeah, I've done that quest before as well, and it was a gruesome boring task."  Nobuyuki sighed. Those quests in the fifth floor aren't the most pleasant experiences he have had recently. He shook off the thoughts of those unpleasant moments, and carried on. The two walked for what seemed like hours. That is when Calrex suggested about a resting place. "We can pressed on for the whole night. The volcano is relatively lit by the lava, and I don't see any monster on the path, so there shouldn't be any reason for us to stretch the quest time any longer than it should. I say we keep on moving." Nobuyuki insisted that they kept on moving forward.  

For a few more hours, they kept on walking through the night. The moon has reached the peak of the sky, and still, they only made a quarter of the lengthy path wrapped around the volcano. The silent atmosphere has completely coated the place, and the only sound that was vividly heard was the sound of lava boiling and popping. Nobuyuki couldn't think of anything to say to break the silent, so he decided it's best to not make a fool out of himself by stupid comments, and keep silent.

[Calrex 0]

"Fair enough, let's keep moving then."

Instead of the progression he had done in the past, where he ended up resting in one of the rock formations for the night before continuing during the day, it seemed Tobi wanted to get this as done as quick as possible. Calrex gave a nod as he kept his hands in his jacket pockets, following alongside the young man as the scenery seemed to move by in a fairly fluid motion, almost as if they were on some sort of vehicle or coaster.

As the night reached the high point it seemed the floor had gotten even quieter than before, something the Ultramarine Knight had not witnessed on the floor since he rarely spent his time on the floor, and the times he did he was not awake at this point of the day. However, the silence of the area was seemingly causing an awkward air in the group. He was accustomed to traveling on his own, but even then he occasionally spoke to communicate with Roc or to strategize to himself.

"So how have things been since the last time I saw you? It seems like you're certainly doing well, heh."

[CaptainUndead 0]

"Yeah, things have been better times than before, especially when you can do things on your own and not have to rely on everyone to accomplish anything. There are conflict here and there, but most of them aren't that big of a deal to be worried about." Nobuyuki sighed, thinking of how ironic that sound when there he is, relying on Calrex to finish the quest. "How about you? How've things been on the upper floors? I suppose not much have changed." Nobuyuki asked. He was trying his best not to let Calrex know about his plans, since he would strongly opposed it the instant he heard of it. It is better than for him to keep it quiet.

The sun of a new day has risen, and still, they have only traveled about half the way. The arduous pathway leading to Cerberus still have a long distance to covered. But he was determined to make his way through this as fast as possible, Nobuyuki didn't ask for stop. He kept on pushing forward. He was trying to think of a way to kill some time and boredom.

Edited January 14, 2016 by CaptainUndead

[Calrex 0]

"Heh, well I can't really say that there's anything of note currently happening in the frontlines. Right now we are all set for the next boss raid, but it seems that we need to complete a prerequisite before the boss room becomes unlocked. There's two parties currently undertaking the quest, but from what I know they are currently still undergoing it."

Putting his hands into his jacket pockets the bluenette gave a calming breath as he saw the scenery continue to shift as the two made their way towards the Inferno Cavern. After some time the trees and other foliage gave way to an even hotter volcanic landscape. The orange glow of the lava seemed to be even brighter than before, with the ambient heat getting hotter as they continued further. "It is a nice thing to enjoy while you can. Once you get to high levels there's some level of responsibility that falls upon you to help contribute to the floor raids, so you can't be as relaxed and easygoing as you are now. So be sure to savor it."

The Ultramarine Knight gave a friendly smile as he spoke, looking forward as they continued through the terrain. "In any case it shouldn't be long now before we end up at the Inferno Cavern. With the two of us only a handful of the field boss' guardians will spawn, bu we should be able to quick dispatch them."

[CaptainUndead 0]

"Well, couldn't say I don't have much expectation from the front line, after all, you guys are doing the best you could to fight the bosses, and I doubt that was an easy task." Nobuyuki shrugged. He had once has much higher expectations  than what he has currently, but nonetheless, he couldn't really blame them for slacking off. After all, they are still human, and sometimes, you just have to slack off to get some rest. "I wish I could get more level faster so that I can join the front line." He replied

Hearing about having to fight off a handful of monster before they could start on the fight only increased Nobuyuki's enthusiasm to fight this boss. Looking up, he saw that the sun is already at its highest point. "Well, does time fly when you have nothing to do but walk." He let out a sigh, before continued to traveled deeper down the path that leads to the Inferno Cave,

 

[Calrex 0]

"Yeah, actually the past two fights didn't even make it through a full raid team rotation before the floor boss fell. So I wouldn't go as far as saying it was easy, but it certainly wasn't something that put people at risk, heh. In any case it seems like this next one might actually be a challenge, so we're definitely going to make some preparations before taking it on."

Calrex gave a nod as he continued to scan the environment. As the two got closer to their destination the bluenette could feel the heat emanating from the cavern, even though they were still a good distance off, "Geezes, I can't believe I decided to do this on my own the first time around. In fact I'm surprised I'm still alive."

"Well, from what I know the fastest way to level is to go on the field boss quests, as well as searching for the sub-dungeons that are present on the floors above floor four. I've found a couple of them in the past, and they certainly give a good chunk of experience for clearing them out."

[CaptainUndead 0]

"Easier said than done." Nobuyuki said under his breath. Most of the quest he taken couldn't be retake, and even if he fought the bosses, it wouldn't give him as much benefit in fighting them after the first time he took the quest. Overall, it wasn't the best bet. Surely he can went on a grind fest and farm as much mobs as he could, but that would take a long time until he reached the level requirement to enter the front line. But with players of the top chart like Zelrius, Tristan, Calrex, Daeron, Ssendom,... it's unlikely that the front line would ever need more people.

The two have been walking for nearly two days without stopping. The moon of the second days has went past it's highest point, and now coming down. They finally make it to the Inferno Cavern. "Finally.... we made it." Nobuyuki sighed in relief. He withdrew his sword from the sheath behind his back. He was readied to fight something. "You ready to go in?" Nobuyuki asked, looking over to Calrex standing beside him.

[Calrex 0]

OOC: Using updated stats from new enhancement announcement

ID: 45556
Battle Dice: 9 (Accuracy +3) = 12 (+1 Damage)
Mob Dice: 2 (Evasion +2) = 0
Loot Dice: 18 (Search and Detect +2 / Item +1) = 21 (Materials Found)
Sword Art <<Rage Spike>> Activated / <<Charge>> Activated (4 Energy Used / 53 Remaining)

"Yeah, let's do this."

Calrex gave a calming breath before drawing the Grand Blade II, the new version of his original blade that was remade by Oikawa after the release of tiers. Looking at the surfaec of the blade he swore that it bore a deeper blue than it did before, and the blade seemed sharp enough to slice through anything in his path. Giving a smirk he entered inside.

Right as he did four of the six fire dogs that he was accustomed to seeing during this quest appeared, "Alright, there's only two more after this before the boss spawns. Go ahead and focus on those ones when they show up. I'll deal with these four."

Lowering himself into a crouching stance the Ultramarine Knight brought his sword low before triggering <<Charge>>. At the same time his sword lit alight with the light blue glow of his Rank 1 Sword Art <<Rage Spike>>. Flying forward the single thrust pierced through all four of the hounds, eliminating each within seconds.

As they burst into crystals Calrex gave a sigh of relief, "Alright then, the next two should be spawning soon."

Loot List:
4 Materials

HP List
Calrex: 263/263
   Energy: 53/57 (-4)
CaptainUndead: 56/56
   Energy: 14/14

Enemies:
Hell Hound 1: -2/30 (13+3 DMG * 2 Art = 32 DMG)
Hell Hound 2: -2/30 (AOE)
Hell Hound 3: -2/30 (AOE)
Hell Hound 4: -2/30 (AOE)

Edited January 15, 2016 by Calrex

[CaptainUndead 0]

Nobuyuki was readied himself when he saw the 6 hell hounds spawned and slowly marched toward them. But before Nobuyuki could act, the hounds has already been eliminated by Calrex with his basic sword art. Nobuyuki raised his eyebrows, looking at Calrex with a sarcastic look, as he took all the fun. For a moment, he forgot that two of the Hell Hounds escaped and make their way around the two. Both of them sprinted toward Nobuyuki as they lunged onto him. With a swift movement, he jerked his body back, avoiding the first attack. With his hands support his body weight, he saw the second hound coming for the second attack. Nobuyuki dropped his body down onto the ground, then rolled aside with his sword in hand. Got up onto his feet, he dashed for the first Hell Hound he saw and activated his sword art. As the blue glowing sword glide into the air, the glowing part of the sword extended, pierce through the hound's body. Hit by the attack, the hound was shot away, and burst into millions of particles. Nobuyuki turned around, and face the last Hound standing.

______________________________________________

ID: 45566; 45567

MOB: 6-3=3 {Missed} ; 5 {Missed}

BD: 9 {Critical Hit!}

Calrex: 263/263 HP | Energy: 53/57 | DMG: 13 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3 | MIT: 30 | Hate: 1|

CaptainUndead: 56/56 HP | Energy: 9/14 | DMG: 6 | EVA: 3 | MIT: 21 | Hate: 1 | [Savvy]

VS

Hell Hound 1: 0/30 HP | DMG: 27 | ( - (7 x Vorpal strike: 1x5) = -35 HP)

Hell Hound 2: 30/30 HP | DMG: 27 | 

Edited January 15, 2016 by CaptainUndead

[Calrex 0]

ID: 45576
Battle Dice: 5 (Accuracy +3) = 8 (Disregarded Due to No Action Taken)
Mob Dice: 3 (Evasion +2) = 1
No Action Taken (1 Energy Recovered / 54 Remaining)

As he watched Tobi eliminate the fifth of the hounds Calrex gave a small sigh, flipping his sword into a reverse grip. It had been some time since he had gone on the quest, and it seemed that his power level was certainly far above the requirement for the mission. This was realized when he quickly eliminated the four hounds that had spawned. He made note of his teammate's expression, and after seeing him eliminate the fifth hound the bluenette figured it would be best for Tobi to fight the sixth hound as well. That way the player would have a chance to practice more.

Of course he could easily step in to assist if needed, but for now he resheathed his sword, "Go ahead and finish off the last one. We'll rest and recover our energy afterwards before taking on the field boss."

HP List
Calrex: 263/263
   Energy: 54/57 (+1)
CaptainUndead: 56/56
   Energy: 9/14

Enemies:
Hell Hound 6: 30/30

Edited January 15, 2016 by Calrex

[CaptainUndead 0]

Seeing that Calrex stood back, Nobuyuki could understand the Ultramarine's intention. Held his sword stead in hand, Nobuyuki waited for the hound to attack. It lunged toward him, and tried to snapped at the young warrior's leg. He quickly jerked his leg backward, and thrust his sword down toward the hound. Unfortunately the sword thrust wasn't accurate. The sword missed the side of the hound, as it ran off to the near the wall and slowly returning. His eyes locked onto the hound, as he readied his sword for another attack.

_________________________________

ID: 45672

BD: 3+1=4 {Missed}

MOB: 1: {Total Failure}

Calrex: 263/263 HP | Energy: 53/57 | DMG: 13 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3 | MIT: 30 | Hate: 1|

CaptainUndead: 56/56 HP | Energy: 9/14 | DMG: 6 | EVA: 3 | MIT: 21 | Hate: 1 | [Savvy]

VS

Hell Hound 2: 30/30 HP | DMG: 27 | 

Edited January 16, 2016 by CaptainUndead

[Calrex 0]

ID: 45744
Battle Dice: 1 (Accuracy +3) = 4 (Disregarded Due to No Action Taken)
No Action Taken (1 Energy Recovered / 55 Remaining)

Quietly watching the battle progress the Ultramarine Knight gave a calming breath, watching as his teammate continued to engage the hell hound in combat. Seeing the duel reminded him of the times back when he wasn't as powerful as he was now, when his equipment and skills didn't provide quite enough for him to attack, evade, and endure to a respectable level.

"Still, he's doing just fine holding off the hound. Probably during the Cerberus fight I'll refrain from using my high rank Sword Arts unless necessary, that way Tobi can also take a few shots at the field boss before taking it down."

HP List
Calrex: 263/263
   Energy: 55/57 (+1)
CaptainUndead: 56/56
   Energy: 9/14

Enemies:
Hell Hound 6: 30/30

Edited January 16, 2016 by Calrex

[CaptainUndead 0]

Everything surrounded Nobuyuki ceased to exist, all but his target ahead. His blade started to glowing the limelight color, as Nobuyuki stepped up. As the Hell Hound running at full speed toward Him, Nobuyuki took stance and ready, his sword art fully charged. The feral dog leaped into the air, aiming for the young warrior's neck. He swiftly crouched down, before delivering two accurate slashes toward the the hound, aiming for it's head and body. The first strike went straight through the hound's head, as the second strike consecutively followed, connected a V shape as it went through the hounds again. Two well placed strike ended the Hound's life, as it followed the same fate of its friend, glowing brightly before bursting to tiny particles. Sheathed his sword to behind his back, Nobuyuki turned his head and look over to Calrex. Surely it wasn't anything special, compares to the things that the others might have done before. "How was it?" Nobuyuki asked anyway. He just wanted a comment on how to improve his footwork, or his tactic.

_____________________________________

ID: 45750

MOB: 6-3=3 {Missed}

BD: 10 {Total Critical Hit!}

Calrex: 263/263 HP | Energy: 53/57 | DMG: 13 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3 | MIT: 30 | Hate: reset |

CaptainUndead: 56/56 HP | Energy: 5/14 | DMG: 6 | EVA: 3 | MIT: 21 | Hate: reset |

VS

Hell Hound 2: 0/30 HP | DMG: 27 | ( - (8 * Vertical Arc: 2x2) = -32 HP )

Edited January 16, 2016 by CaptainUndead

[Calrex 0]

(2 Posts Remaining Until Full Energy Recharge)

Calrex watched attentively as Tobi unleashed his strike on the hell hound. It was something he had done many times in the past now for many other players, one in particular being his good friend and protege Takneil. At this point it was starting to feel natural, yet foreign to take up an almost mentor-like position for the lower level players. Nonetheless, his ideal was still the same: Help the lower levels to improve and become stronger, and it makes all the hard work the frontliners were doing now much easier because of added numbers.

"Hm...that attack was Vertical Arc, so Tobi's definitely a straight sword user much like myself."

"Your footing and technique were fine, but I believe that to be mostly attributed to the assisted system that triggers when activating Sword Arts. It seems like you're strategizing and awareness of your energy is good as well. I think at this point there's not much I can see you'd need to work on other than your accuracy, but that will improve with time and better equipment."

As the bluenette finished speaking he heard the familiar howl of the field boss as it spawned down below. His friendly face became serious as he heard the sound, as if he had gone on alert out of habit, "In any case, let's give ourselves a few moments to recover our energy, then we can get moving to take on Cerberus. If we keep up the same tactics as with these hounds, the field boss should be a piece of cake."

Calrex: 263/263
   Energy: 56/57 (+1)

[CaptainUndead 0]

"Thanks. Much appreciate for the tips. Sometime, the system makes you think that you're in full control. I'm not sure if that's because we have grown accustomed to how the system works, or some other reason." Nobuyuki sighed, as he followed Calrex suggestion, and sat down. Even though he wanted to run into the boss room, and just get rid of the boss for good, he was in no condition to do so. He need to sat down and recover his energy first. "Good idea." He replied, opened his menu and  took out two muffin. Offering Calrex one, he munched on the other. "You want a muffin? I made it myself." He said with a mouthful. Nobuyuki finished off his portion of food swiftly. He sat still, and waited until his energy bar reached back to full.

 

Edited January 16, 2016 by CaptainUndead

[Calrex 0]

(1 Post Remaining Until Full Energy Recharge)

Calrex gave a nod as he accepted the offer from Tobi, "Thanks. I appreciate the gesture."

Giving a friendly smile he leaned against a nearby wall, giving a small bite. The texture and taste of the quick bread seemed almost dead on to the real thing. In a few bites he finished off the treat as he looked at his energy bar. Since he had not used much energy in the past battle, it seemed he was already back at maximum strength before the third flash occurred.

"Alright, I'm all set to go. Just let me know when you're ready and we'll get heading down."

Calrex: 263/263
   Energy: 57/57 (+1)