[SP-F5] A Time To Hunt - Prowling Around the Desert Sands - COMPLETE!

[Brax 0]

ID 48178

Spoiler

BD 10 +1 ACC LD 7 +4 LD MoBD 8

Brax 92/96 [15 - 30 MIT] x 4 = 4 DMG EN 7/24

Desert Wolf 1 0/79 DEAD [9 + 2crit x 9 Explode Catapult - 20 MIT] = 79 DMG

Desert Wolf 2 0/79 DEAD [9 + 2crit x 9 Explode Catapult - 20 MIT] = 79 DMG

Desert Wolf 3 0/79 DEAD [9 + 2crit x 9 Explode Catapult - 20 MIT] = 79 DMG

Desert Wolf 4 0/79 DEAD [9 + 2crit x 9 Explode Catapult - 20 MIT] = 79 DMG

     "Teleport, Armadillo!"  The pervading inferno of Floor Nine disappeared and was replaced by the less oppressive but more conniving dry heat of Floor Five as Brax appeared in it's main settlement of stone.  After having completed every quest available to him solo style, the Stalwart Stoic was just a stone's throw away from achieving the level necessary for his new equipment commissioned by Ishida and the Midnight Armory.  Today, in the sands of the desert, Brax would go dungeon diving if possible, his second after having explored one with the KoB, and achieve his next goal.  He had chosen to sleep during most of the day in Vulcan Village after the betrayal that followed his completion of <<The Iron Guardian>>, and the rest had done him good.  For now, rejuvenated and relaxed, Brax was ready to brave the nighttime sandy prowling that would, hopefully, lead to a decently difficult dungeon.  The cool breeze and dark, starry sky of night also kept the heat from reaching out for Brax's frame; instead, the black chill tried to worm into his heavy armor, but the metal rebuffed all advances and kept him warm, for the most part.  Sufficiently prepared, he drew forth his axe and after laying against his shoulder, travelled out into the sands.

     The shadowed desert was abnormally quiet as he prowled around, most of the creatures huddled up to try and stay warm in the freezing sands.  Once the sun dropped from overhead, the barren landscape plunged into a pervading cold that sapped warmth from wherever it could, from mobs to players.  Brax was no exception, but he felt none of it as his armor was sufficient to ward the sensations off.  Most of it, at least; after having spent so much time in the burning heat of Vulcan and it's surroundings, what cold he felt was a welcome change.  Other animals felt the need, like him, to wander the floor, possibly to generate enough body heat to stay alive.  Like the desert wolf pack the heavily armored man encountered quickly after setting off, with yellow eyes glowing in the night and steaming saliva burning up with inner rage dripping from sharpened fangs.  They made quick time despite their hefty weight to assault the man who would be foolish enough to hunt the desert in the dead of night, pursuing a lopping gait to slash at his armor, but training against the fiery mobs of Nine had toughened the stoic immensely and their slashs were like a gentle breeze on his skin; barely a tickle was felt as he let loose with his own attack, the Explode Catapult ripping through them with devastating power.

+4 materials

+1580 col

Edited February 16, 2016 by Brax

[Brax 0]

     After the battle ended, Brax began to think on what he would need should the dungeon make itself known to his watchful gaze: first, he would require the use of his chocolate bar, the sweet treat that would give him a better capacity of loot searching.  Reaching into his inventory, the armored man drew forth one of his deserts and consumed it readily, the pleasing flavor washing over his tastebuds and finishing up with a slight glowing of the eyes, helping him define little inconsistencies in the surrounding sands, opportunities for treasurable gains.

Consumed one Chocolate Bar (+2 LD for a thread)

Edited February 15, 2016 by Brax

[Brax 0]

     Second, as the feelings from the chocolate bar passed, Brax again reaching into his inventory and summoned up a Vitamin A Tab to better guide his hands in battle.  Popping the pill and washing it down with a swig of water, he felt his eyes glow once more with an orange hue that travelled down his arms and into his hands, lighting up his gaze and his muscles with refined power meant to steady his physical nerves and strike true.  Such skill would be necessary in order to make sure that the dungeon boss could fall quickly, before Brax ran out of energy and succumbed to death.

Consumed one Vitamin A Tab (+2 BD for a thread)

Edited February 15, 2016 by Brax

[Brax 0]

     Not only would a steady hand be needed, but also a strong arm as well, so Brax pulled another consumable out of his pack, this time his last Potion of Strength.  It was not a particularly good potion, barely first level, but it would have to do for he had nothing else.  A quick drink of it's contents and Brax again experienced the burning power that came from his found concoctions.  The blood-red liquid burned up and down his body, granting an increase in strength for a deadlier attack, one that made the stoic all the more imposing to his foes wherever and whoever they may be.

Consumed one Potion of Strength I (tier one) (+1 DMG for a thread)

Edited February 15, 2016 by Brax

[Brax 0]

ID 48219

Spoiler

BD 9 +3 ACC LD 3 +6 LD MoBD 10

Brax 91/96 [15 + 2crit - 30 MIT] x 4 = 4 DMG EN 7/22

Desert Wolf 1 -18/65 DEAD [10 + 1crit x 9 Explode Catapult - 16 MIT] = 83 DMG

Desert Wolf 2 -18/65 DEAD [10 + 1crit x 9 Explode Catapult - 16 MIT] = 83 DMG

Desert Wolf 3 -18/65 DEAD [10 + 1crit x 9 Explode Catapult - 16 MIT] = 83 DMG

Desert Wolf 4 -18/65 DEAD [10 + 1crit x 9 Explode Catapult - 16 MIT] = 83 DMG

     His consumption of consumables had blinded the stoic to the lingering threats in the area, for as Brax was busy preparing himself for an eventual dungeon run he was accosted by another wolf pack that was also on the prowl.  The mangy mob took him by surprise just as he was finishing his last potion, tackling him to the ground and ripping red pixels from his body.  Thankfully, the Veteran's Breastplate kept the damage to a minimum, but the shock of the attack was frustrating to Brax as he rolled to get away.  Coming to his feet several feet away, he grabbed the Veteran's Axe from where it lay on the ground and prepared another Explode Catapult to rock the desert sands with, charging both the move and himself into the raging pack.  Two wide sweeps and a hammering shockwave later, the mob was dispersed into their constituent pixels and vanished into the night sky to join the stars above.

+4 materials

Edited February 15, 2016 by Brax

[Brax 0]

     One more consumable would be needed, as Brax wiped down his weapon following the unexpected combat: a Potion of Protection.  If he was to hunt down a decent dungeon, the boss who inhabited it would be of greater strength than any he had faced before.  The only thing that might protect him, funnily enough, would be a protection potion.  Before exited the impromptu battleground Brax obtained one more consumable and downed it's contents, the feeling of his skin hardening from the Potion of Protection racing in his veins and quietly tapering off into the night air.

Consumed one Potion of Protection I (tier one) (+9 MIT for a thread)

Edited February 15, 2016 by Brax

[Brax 0]

     His trek continued, a nighttime search for a dungeon of sufficient strength to test his skills.  As he had not been to but one, and knowing that the style of said excursions were randomized, Brax did not entirely know what he was looking for.  An out-of-place rock, a set of rocky ruins, or a hole in the ground were all possible hiding places that could give rise to a secret entrance.  While he searched, though, he could probably focus on some hunting and gathering in order to while away the time.  Though what he could find in the nighttime desert, might not be quite as bountiful as what was available during the day.

Edited February 15, 2016 by Brax

[Brax 0]

     But, one of the great advantages of a desert search was in the fact that the heat was greatly lessened.  At least in that regard, the Floor Five designers had kept true to the outside world and it's sciences.  In fact, the sands were rather cold, freezing almost in temperature, like he was on Floor Four instead in the snowy storms.  But the nights here were clear, with only the occasional dust devil or sandstorm to mar the ever expansive and sprawling landscape before his eyes.  Speaking of eyes, Brax's gaze fell upon a prime hunting target nearby: another pack of Desert Wolves.

Edited February 15, 2016 by Brax

[Brax 0]

ID 48220

Spoiler

BD 9 +3 ACC LD 7 +6 LD MoBD 2

Brax 94/96 EN 7/22

Desert Wolf 1 0/79 DEAD [10 + 1crit x 9 Explode Catapult - 20 MIT] = 79 DMG

Desert Wolf 2 0/79 DEAD [10 + 1crit x 9 Explode Catapult - 20 MIT] = 79 DMG

Desert Wolf 3 0/79 DEAD [10 + 1crit x 9 Explode Catapult - 20 MIT] = 79 DMG

Desert Wolf 4 0/79 DEAD [10 + 1crit x 9 Explode Catapult - 20 MIT] = 79 DMG

     He was slightly surprised: apparently nothing else hunted at night here in the sands other than the Desert Wolves, odd given that there were many other mobs that made the land their home.  Was it simply because the wolves were the most nocturnal of the inhabitants, or perhaps...the others did not hunt because they knew the wolves were out and about?  Whatever the reason, Brax did not truly care, for one mob was as good as another for slaying purposes.  The only difference was what he would gleam from their corpses, what materials he would be taking back to town, and the difficulty the particular mob possessed.  Wolves in any iteration, though, were nothing special to deal with, and the heavily armored man dealt with them swiftly as he unleashed his Explode Catapult into their meaty frames.  From the looks of it, the wolves had been eating well tonight.  But, not anymore.  Collecting his loot gains, Brax moved off in pursuit of more to hunt and a dungeon to find.

+4 materials

+1580 col

Edited February 15, 2016 by Brax

[Brax 0]

     The desert was beautiful at night, with a million twinkling stars lighting up the sky like fireflies dancing on an inky black canvas.  Brax recognized several constellations as they appeared to shift through the sea of darkness above, moving like...well, movies...on the dark page of a sky book writing the chapters of peoples' lives here in Aincrad.  It was a glorious scene, meant only for those brave enough to take the chance of searching in the dead of night, where dangers lay hidden behind every turn and PKers hunt for their next fix much like Brax was hunting for monsters.  Unfortunately, the unparalleled glory was lost on a man who lacked the ability to fully appreciate it.

Edited February 15, 2016 by Brax

[Brax 0]

     For Brax could wander the entirety of the floors, see the exquisite nature of Kayaba's handiwork, and face down and defeat all manner of monsters of great power and skill, and still his broken head and heart could not grasp the fullness of the tableau before him.  There was sadness and depression, to be sure, in the fact that all these people around him were trapped in a world that wasn't 'real'.  There were many reasons that a man could wrap himself in the cloak of despair and damnation, fostered by the lack of progress in moving upward through the castle in a timely fashion.  But, the reality in which they found themselves could also be...beautiful, and glorious, and precious.  If, of course, one could get over themselves.

Edited February 15, 2016 by Brax

[Brax 0]

     Most of the people Brax had observed, both in the upper floors and the lower ones, from frontliners to those finally stepping out of the Town of Beginnings, was that very few of them were cognizant of the wonder that Aincrad possessed.  It might be a death game, to be sure, and one that they were not even close to exiting from, but there was good to be found here, not that Brax could fully comprehend it.  But, conversely, he could objectively see that the place they now called 'home' was not a thing to depress themselves with, at least not entirely.  One had to find something to hold onto, a purpose beyond just clearing floors, a 'meaning' to their lives or else they could not, would not, last until the end.

Edited February 15, 2016 by Brax

[Brax 0]

ID 48224

Spoiler

BD 3 +3 ACC LD 16 +6 LD MoBD 10

Brax 92/96 [15 + 2crit - 39 MIT] x 4 = 4 DMG EN 7/22

Cactuar Brawler 1 -9/65 DEAD [10 x 9 Explode Catapult - 16 MIT] = 74 DMG

Cactuar Brawler 2 -9/65 DEAD [10 x 9 Explode Catapult - 16 MIT] = 74 DMG

Cactuar Brawler 3 -9/65 DEAD [10 x 9 Explode Catapult - 16 MIT] = 74 DMG

Cactuar Brawler 4 -9/65 DEAD [10 x 9 Explode Catapult - 16 MIT] = 74 DMG

     'Hmm, this silent night has opened quite a bit of philosophical wonderings from inside,' Brax thought as he continued his journey deeper into the sands.  'I had better focus on the hunt, rather than on my...musings, else I could miss the opportunity to find a desirable dungeon.'  As he did so, refocussing on the task at hand, Brax crossed a high dune and was immediately accosted by a waiting group of Cactuar Brawlers.  Their spiny fists flailed wildly as they battered his armor, poking and prodding his metal frame and knocking him back on his metal heels.  His arms and weapon reacted almost instantaneously to the assault, setting up a quick Explode Catapult and slicing clean through their thorny hides.  The final shockwave caused the angry plants to explode in crystalline showers, leaving behind a bit of rare loot for consumption, and Brax wondered aloud, "Where did they come from?"

+4 materials

+4 Vitamin A Tabs (+2 BD for a thread)

Edited February 15, 2016 by Brax

[Brax 0]

     Collecting his loot, Brax scanned the nearby area for other monsters of the same caliber, finding none to be had.  But he still wondered about the question he had posited: where did those cactuar hail from?  With no plants in the nearby area, did they come up from under the sands?  If so, where was the entrance?  Were they hunters, like he, prowling the desert in search of prey?  Or, most likely, was he simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, and he had been ambushed accordingly?

Edited February 15, 2016 by Brax

[Brax 0]

     Brax shook his head to clear the burgeoning thoughts that bubbled up into his consciousness.  He could not afford to be distracted from his goal, that is the hunting down of a dungeon.  Where the angry foliage came from was...relatively irrelevant.  He would continue to hunt down an entrance of sorts that would give him the EXP he needed to gain access to his new gear.  With that thought, he stepped off the dune and made his way forward.

Edited February 15, 2016 by Brax

[Brax 0]

     The current patch of sandy space held little to draw a man's gaze.  A long stretch of desert waved lazily by as the breeze moved across it making the sands ripple like water.  Brax saw small dunes and hills of clumped particles, little collections of sand like...burial grounds where...something could be hiding...His senses tingled as the stoic began to realize that the entire area where he thought he had seen nothing...was filled with buried monsters, eager to pounce on unsuspecting prey.

Edited February 15, 2016 by Brax

[Brax 0]

ID 48227

Spoiler

BD 10 +3 ACC CD 6 LD 20 +6 LD MoBD 8

Brax 91/96 [15 - 39 MIT] x 4 = 4 DMG EN 7/22

Cactuar Guardian 1 0/86 DEAD [10 + 2crit x 9 Explode Catapult - 22 MIT] = 86 DMG

Cactuar Guardian 2 0/86 DEAD [10 + 2crit x 9 Explode Catapult - 22 MIT] = 86 DMG

Cactuar Guardian 3 0/86 DEAD [10 + 2crit x 9 Explode Catapult - 22 MIT] = 86 DMG

Cactuar Guardian 4 0/86 DEAD [10 + 2crit x 9 Explode Catapult - 22 MIT] = 86 DMG

     Brax raised his weapon in defense just as several large Cactuar burst forth from the ground, his Explode Catapult already in motion even as the Guardians began attacking his heavy body.  The strong blows did little to stop the Stalwart Stoic as he completed the Sword Art and blew the Cactuar sky high and into millions of pixelated pieces.  The resulting shockwave actually did more than destroy the Guardians, though; it also disrupted the sand beneath his feet, and as Brax watched, several more hidden cacti hopped up and ran for the hills in fear, running as fast as their little legs could move, which was pretty damn fast.  The Guardians had dropped some decent loot, so before chasing down the stragglers he collected his prizes.

+4 materials

+4 Potions of Strength II (tier two) (+4 DMG for a thread)

+3440 col

Edited February 15, 2016 by Brax

[Brax 0]

     The little buggers didn't bother concealing their tracks, leaving a trail easily followed in the sands behind them as they fled.  The cacti were faster, faster than anything the man had ever seen thus far in his travels, but despite their agility they were simple to track.  A few zig-zaging motions traced themselves across the desert indicating uncontrolled energy or fear, and eventually Brax ended up at a massive area filled with large dunes, into which the tracks vanished abruptly.

Edited February 15, 2016 by Brax

[Brax 0]

     Brax eyed the expanse, concluding that the tiny cactuar had to live there in some sort of village.  The high dunes blocked any conventional access inside, and with no opening to cross the man was left to wonder how one was supposed to get in.  Beginning to circle the area, Brax carefully trained his eyes on any place that might offer a chance to squeeze by, on the off chance that this could be...the dungeon he was searching for.  He had thought the sub-dungeons were more of an underground affair, finding a secret passage that led deep into the heart of the floating castle, but would not turn away from the chance he might have found something.

Edited February 15, 2016 by Brax

[Brax 0]

     His searching wore on, the dunes blocking just about any attempt to discover their secrets.  By now, Brax was getting mildly frustrated by his lack of success.  Surely if there was something to be found, he would have done so by now, especially given the things he had taken to improve his treasure hunting capabilities.  The yellow glow in his eyes flashed brightly as he turned his abilities to their fullest power.  If he did not find something soon, though, the stoic would have to leave his prey alone and come back another day.

Edited February 15, 2016 by Brax