[PP - F8] The Climb, Pt.7 (Mack)

[Takao 0]

«Floor 8»
11:41 AST

Another dungeon boss defeated, another dungeon conquered. If there were records set for this sort of thing, the dynamic duo of Takao and Mack had surely obliterated them in the past few hours alone. The brunet set his glance downward and looked to the clock, reading the numbers in his head and calculating how long exactly they'd been at it. Six dungeons, not counting the one from their excursion on the ninth floor the day prior, had been run through in a matter of four hours. Perhaps a little less, he'd already forgotten exactly when they began. But the exact number wasn't important. After ascending the rope that lead out of the hole in the ground that the previous dungeon was hidden beneath, Takao brushed off his pants and refocused. "Alright... the next one is only a little ways east, then we'll head back to Florenthia."

[Mack 0]

"You're not getting tired, are you," Mack asked in a booming voice. His left hand was wrapped around the leather covered hilt of his bearded axe, Invictus, as it rested against his shoulder and which had seen a fair amount of work this morning already and it wasn't even lunch time. "I know a certain little dog beast that would cuddle you into submission. Be careful, though, she says I love you with throwing knives," the blacksmith rumbled, clapping his dungeon seeking companion on the back in a jovial manner. "Course, a lot of women say I love you that way." Mack craned his red haired head back and looked up into the tree branches of the giant forest. "At least we're done with jungle and desert for a bit."

[Takao 0]

ID: 53837
BD: 10 + 3(ACC)
LD: 20 + 2(Vitamins) + 3(Hands of Midas) + 3(Search & Detect)
CD: 6

Takao: 201/201 (37/49) [Sword Art: Sharp Nail 1*6*22=144 DMG] (13 Base + 5 Charge + 3 Damage Crystal + 1 Alcoholic + 2 Critical)

Pangolin Spearman 1 0/106 (Mit. 26) [144-26=118 DMG]
Pangolin Spearman 2 0/106 (Mit. 26) [144-26=118 DMG]
Pangolin Spearman 3 0/106 (Mit. 26) [144-26=118 DMG]
Pangolin Spearman 4 0/106 (Mit. 26) [144-26=118 DMG]

"I am getting tired," Takao replied, shooting a glare Mack's way at the mention of the horrific dog beast that would be staining his memory for quite some time. "Which, by the way, is a perfectly justifiable state to be in. I'm pretty sure the number of monsters I've killed today is already up near triple digits, and we're not even halfway done yet. But I can keep goin' for a while, I've done more than this before." Takao said while reaffirming his attention on the landscapes around them. "...and speaking of monsters." Takao muttered to himself as four humanoid figures approached from a distance. Each of them carried a large polearm in their forepaws as they scuttled closer, preparing to engage the duo. Takao initiated combat first, charging forward in a brief burst of speed that allowed him to cut through each of the four monsters with an uneven amount of strikes. "I guess we'll be fighting through this way too."

Total Rewards:
8 Materials - Takao
2120 Col

Edited March 29, 2016 by Takao

[Mack 0]

ID: 53810
BD: 8
LD: 16 (+4 Mats, +2000 Col)

Takao: 201/201 (49/49) 
Mack: 157/157 (20/38) Explode Catapult: 3x3x16=144

Pangolin Axe Man 1 -19/100 (Mit. 25) [144-25=119 DMG]
Pangolin Axe Man 2 -19/100 (Mit. 25) [144-25=119 DMG]
Pangolin Axe Man 3 -19/100 (Mit. 25) [144-25=119 DMG]
Pangolin Axe Man 4 -19/100 (Mit. 25) [144-25=119 DMG]

"Well," Mack said, adopting a very good false idiot tone of voice. "Me is can make count know number thing me kill wif jus' me fingews and toes, Mister Bard," Mack boomed, guffawing sycophantically as Takao dashed off to address the appearance of a group of four spearmen that looked like they were some kind of armored ant-eaters walking about on two legs. "Next wave," the ginger giant barked, bringing Invictus into a ready position before charging towards the creatures. One ground shaking shockwave and a few sweeping axe slices later all of the beasts had been reduced to pixels. 

Total Rewards:
8 Materials - Takao
4 Materials - Mack
2120 Col
2000 Col - Mack

[Takao 0]

ID: 54035
BD: 3 + 3(ACC)
LD: 9 + 2(Vitamins) + 3(Hands of Midas) + 3(Search & Detect)
(+4 Materials , + 2120 Col)

Takao: 201/201 (26/49) [Sword Art: Sharp Nail 1*6*22=132 DMG] (13 Base + 5 Charge + 3 Damage Crystal + 1 Alcoholic)

Pangolin Spearman 9 0/106 (Mit. 26) [132-28=106 DMG]
Pangolin Spearman 10 0/106 (Mit. 26) [132-28=106 DMG]
Pangolin Spearman 11 0/106 (Mit. 26) [132-28=106 DMG]
Pangolin Spearman 12 0/106 (Mit. 26) [132-28=106 DMG]

"Hurr hurr," Takao responded, his chest exhaling the same slow rumbling as the simpleton's tone that Mack put on. "Just make sure you're hittin' the big stuff when we come across it, and we'll be golden." He said as Mack charged another grouping of four. With more of the strange plated Anteater monsters scuttling in behind the four that Mack engaged, Takao prepared his charge skill and leapt forward past his red-haired, ax wielding traveling companion. Three swift strokes reduced the monsters to their original state as colourful polygons, slowly disappearing into the sky.

Total Rewards:
16 Materials - Takao
6240 Col

Edited March 30, 2016 by Takao

[Mack 0]

ID: 53810
BD: 8
LD: 11 (+4 Mats, +2000 Col)

Takao: 201/201 (49/49) 
Mack: 157/157 (3/38) Explode Catapult: 3x3x16=144

Pangolin Axe Man 1 -19/100 (Mit. 25) [144-25=119 DMG]
Pangolin Axe Man 2 -19/100 (Mit. 25) [144-25=119 DMG]
Pangolin Axe Man 3 -19/100 (Mit. 25) [144-25=119 DMG]
Pangolin Axe Man 4 -19/100 (Mit. 25) [144-25=119 DMG]

"Yes, me is make big hit smack on big boss monster," Mack rumbled stupidly, following along behind Takao as the scout proceeded to butcher another four of the Pangolin monsters. Of course, floor strength monsters at this point were really nothing to be overly worried about. They hadn't been that troubling earlier in the morning and now that both he and Takao had tacked on several more levels on their character sheets having only, almost, reached the halfway point in the day's adventures. "Tally Ho the monsters," Mack called, charging off through the underbrush only to reappear a moment later with a bag of loot in his hands after dispatching more of the anteater beasts.

Total Rewards:
24 Materials
8420 Col
 

[Takao 0]

ID: 54251
BD: 6 + 3(ACC)
LD: 13 + 2(Vitamins) + 3(Hands of Midas) + 3(Search & Detect)
(+8 Materials , + 2120 Col)

Takao: 201/201 (15/49) [Sword Art: Sharp Nail 1*6*22=132 DMG] (13 Base + 5 Charge + 3 Damage Crystal + 1 Alcoholic)

Pangolin Spearman 13 0/106 (Mit. 26) [132-28=106 DMG]
Pangolin Spearman 14 0/106 (Mit. 26) [132-28=106 DMG]
Pangolin Spearman 15 0/106 (Mit. 26) [132-28=106 DMG]
Pangolin Spearman 16 0/106 (Mit. 26) [132-28=106 DMG]

"Y'know, I bet that's probably offensive to somebody," Takao said, chuckling lightly at the thought. Having a rather ambiguous sense of humour meant that very few things actually offended him. It complemented his otherwise easygoing attitude rather nicely. As Mack engaged four of the monsters, another group appeared and prepared to initiate combat with Takao. With his sword in hand, he intercepted their advance and evaded the leading monster's spear. He swiftly rolled across the monster's back and fanned his legs, stomping the next monster's spear into the dirt as he landed whilst simultaneously cleaving through the bipedal mammal's underbelly and knocking the first to the ground. The remaining two charged whilst Takao was still knelt, affording him the opportunity to sweep the third off its feet and swiftly bring himself back to a stand. The fourth's spear was knocked aside with the flat of his sword, allowing Takao to step within its defense and grapple its arm. He slammed the fourth monster on top of the third and stabbed straight through both of them, vanquishing the last two much like he had the second. Takao returned to the first monster as it clambered back up to its feet and ended it with a single slash across the face. His skills definitely laid in flair, compared to brute force.

Total Rewards:
32 Materials - Takao
10540 Col

Edited March 30, 2016 by Takao

[Mack 0]

OOC: 1 turn out of combat, +1 Energy

"You know, you make this look a lot prettier than I do," Mack commented, clapping a bit sarcastically as Takao went through a series of maneuvers to bring down another group of the anteaters four. "Really, it is a whole lot easier if you just have an enormous axe and cleave them all into little tiny bits," Mack said, waving a hand in a violent sort of manner to illustrate his point. "It's the difference between a patrol boat, like John F. Kennedy commanded in World War II," he continued, pointing to Takao. "And a powerful Iowa-class Battleship, like myself. Who cares if I get hit? I don't. Besides, I'm really much too large to be doing all that ninja stuff and I can't remember the last time I touched my toes without bending my knees."

[Takao 0]

ID: 54331
BD: 10 + 3(ACC)
LD: 12 + 2(Vitamins) + 3(Hands of Midas) + 3(Search & Detect)
(+8 Materials , + 2120 Col)

Takao: 201/201 (4/49) [Sword Art: Sharp Nail 1*6*22=132 DMG] (13 Base + 5 Charge + 3 Damage Crystal + 1 Alcoholic)

Pangolin Spearman 17 0/106 (Mit. 26) [132-28=106 DMG]
Pangolin Spearman 18 0/106 (Mit. 26) [132-28=106 DMG]
Pangolin Spearman 19 0/106 (Mit. 26) [132-28=106 DMG]
Pangolin Spearman 20 0/106 (Mit. 26) [132-28=106 DMG]

"Easier maybe," Takao began as he straightened his posture. Four more monsters approached from the horizon, spears drawn and glowing red eyes set on Takao. "But not nearly as fun, or as cool looking." He finished, just as the monsters were within range. The first monster thrust its spear toward Takao's face, who took a prompt step backward and swung his own blade up. The spearhead was knocked upward, allowing Takao to retake the step forward and slam the heel of his boot into the monster's chest, consequently sending it into the next Pangolin Spearman. As the third and fourth of the Spearmen turned their heads to look at their floored companions, Takao took the opportunity they presented him with and grabbed hold of one of their spears with his offhand. He pulled it forward and simultaneously thrust his sword through its stomach before kicking the monster off and moving to cut the next with a single, smooth stroke. The remaining two were executed in a similar manner to the two before, with a single thrust piercing both of them on the ground. "Funny you should mention battleships though. In World War two, there was a class of Battleships in the IJN called the Takao-class. They were heavy cruisers though, not very fitting for me I think."

Total Rewards:
40 Materials - Takao
12660 Col

Edited March 31, 2016 by Takao

[Mack 0]

"Mmm... tacos," Mack replied, his stomach rumbling as he made a pun off of both the name of his traveling companion and a class of ship from the Imperial Japanese Navy of yesteryear. "No, I really don't think heavy is a descriptor I would use for you," the axe man continued in a musing tone as he considered his brunette companion and the ease with which he dispatched another group of four spear wielding anteater monsters. "Dextrous, maybe? Nimble? Certainly not beefcake, clearly that's also me," the ginger giant continued, still searching for a few more good adjectives for describing the swordsman. "Despite all the mobs, we're still making pretty good time through the floor, I think."

[Takao 0]

ID: 54383
LD: 13 + 2(Vitamins) + 3(Hands of Midas) + 3(Search & Detect)
(+1 Material)

"Not taco, Takao. Tah-kah-oh." He said, rolling his eyes at the comparison he drew. "It's not that hard to pronounce, just three syllables." All too often was his name mispronounced in such a way, which oft lead to many a tasty nickname. He didn't honestly care too much, but he did wear a facade every once in a while and made an attempt here and there to correct the mispronunciation. "Dexterous and nimble could work. Agile too... or maybe just plain ol' bad ass." Takao chuckled as he shouldered the flat of his blade and guided it down into the baldric on his back. "Yeah, we are. We're comin' up on the seventh here in a second, and it's not even noon yet."

Total Rewards:
41 Materials - Takao
12660 Col

Edited March 31, 2016 by Takao

[Mack 0]

"What about Takao the Kid, he eats Mexican food morning, noon, and night and enjoys his women like his meals, hot and spicy," Mack asked, trying out a nickname on his companion. "I had lots of nicknames as a kid and in the Army. Last name's Mack, like my screen name," the gargantuan red head said, crossing his arms over his chest an flexing his biceps. "There was Mack, like the big trucks. Big Mack, like the fast food sandwich. Mack Attack because, let's be honest, that rhymes. Little Mack, but don't let that one fool you... in real life I'm very big," the blacksmith continued, nodding solemnly. "There was one girl that called me Frederick, because apparently I looked like a Frederick. No idea where or how she came up with that."

[Takao 0]

"My sisters used to call me "Tic-Tak"," Takao said, smiling fondly at the memory. It had been so long since the ten thousand or so players had been trapped in Sword Art Online, and yet so few floors had been cleared. Plenty of work needed to be done. "I had a few nicknames in high school too. Freckles was pretty popular. Not many Japanese people have 'em, but I'm part Canadian on my Dad's half. That's why I'm not pale like most Japanese people too, but y'know what they say. Miru koto giman-tekidesu." He said, momentarily delving into his mother tongue for some reason or another.

[Mack 0]

ID: 54406
BD: 7
LD: 19 (+8 Mats, +2000 Col)

Takao: 201/201 (49/49) 
Mack: 157/157 (20/38) Explode Catapult: 3x3x16=144

Pangolin Axe Man 1 -19/100 (Mit. 25) [144-25=119 DMG]
Pangolin Axe Man 2 -19/100 (Mit. 25) [144-25=119 DMG]
Pangolin Axe Man 3 -19/100 (Mit. 25) [144-25=119 DMG]
Pangolin Axe Man 4 -19/100 (Mit. 25) [144-25=119 DMG]

"Come to think of it, you're right. I don't recall ever seeing that many people from Asian countries with freckles," Mack allowed with a shrug of his shoulders. Of course, nicknames usually had to do with the various traits, physical or otherwise, that a person had. It wasn't exactly a shock that the brunette fighter would be nicknamed freckles as the little dots were splayed rather liberally over his face. "But Tic-Tak just makes me think of breath mints and, I'll have you know I do brush my teeth... about once every week. I'm trying to see if SAO will class my gingivitis as a unique S-Class breath weapon. You know... for science?" Mack shrugged his shoulders and then went barreling off into the underbrush only to return seconds later with a bag full of more loot. "Four more down."

Total Rewards:
49 Materials - Takao
14660 Col

[Takao 0]

OOC// CAN'T STOP THIS DUNGEON TRAIN, WOOT WOOT

"You've probably got a whole bunch of materials now, huh?" Takao commented as his eyes set on the loot bag. He had his own stock, so he had no problem with their spoils for the day going straight to Mack. "A week or two ago, I found out a way to exploit the system a bit and stockpiled a bunch of materials." Takao said, idly rubbing the back of his neck. "Parry was easily abusable with the Vengeful Riposte mod, because it would automatically react to anything attacking you. That's why I asked you for that shield. I ran around the eleventh floor for a few hours pulling like... thirty, forty monsters at a time, and let them kill themselves on my riposte and thorns. Ended up getting something like four hundred materials." He chuckled at the thought of abusing the systems in the game he was trapped in. It was like vigilante justice-- maybe he truly did fit the role of Batman's sidekick. "Oh, also, dungeon's here." Takao said, pointing to a rather obvious cave opening.

- -

Advanced Dungeon found.

» ID : [[ 54410 ]]
» LD : [[ 23 (14 + 2(Vitamins) + 3(Hands of Midas) + 3(Search&Detect) + 2(Reveal)) ]

Edited March 31, 2016 by Takao

[Mack 0]

"That sounds fairly broken," Mack allowed, shrugging his shoulders even as Takao explained how he'd managed to farm over four-hundred crafting materials in the space of just a few hours. Sounded like a nice problem to have. In truth, Mack rarely ever had much in the way of stockpiled materials because he was constantly crafting, and giving away, gear and weapons to lower leveled players to prevent them from dying. The reason for that was that it was the right thing to do. "Bet that got patched in a hurry, but not before you became the wealthiest player in Aincrad. Seriously, mats are better than gold in the game. Right now, at least." When Takao mentioned the entrance to the dungeon, Mack's head whipped around in the indicated direction. Sure enough, there was a cave, but Mack could have sworn it hadn't been there moments before. "After you."

[Takao 0]

ID: 54633
BD: 6 + 3(ACC)
LD: 11 + 2(Vitamins) + 3(Hands of Midas) + 3(Search & Detect)
(+8 Materials , 2120 Col)

Takao: 205/205 (38/50) [Sword Art: Sharp Nail 1*6*22=132 DMG] (13 Base + 5 Charge + 3 Damage Crystal + 1 Alcoholic)

Pangolin Spearman 17 0/106 (Mit. 26) [132-28=106 DMG]
Pangolin Spearman 18 0/106 (Mit. 26) [132-28=106 DMG]
Pangolin Spearman 19 0/106 (Mit. 26) [132-28=106 DMG]
Pangolin Spearman 20 0/106 (Mit. 26) [132-28=106 DMG]

11/15 Remaining

"Oh yeah, it was definitely broken. Patched within a few hours of me doing it too. Cardinal is somethin' else." Takao yawned as he stowed the Inundator away onto his back. "I really should've stocked up something proper and gotten more out of it while I had the chance, but it's not that bad. In the end I didn't even have to waste skill points on it, 'cause the cost for parry was messed up. It ended up refunding me completely... if not unintentionally." He snickered at the thought; the entire adventure had only been beneficial to him, in addition to being quite risky. After delving into the dungeon, Takao set about the grueling task of engaging the monsters that impeded their path to the room at the end, and utilized a familiar sword art in doing so.

Total Rewards:
57 Materials
16780 Col

Edited April 1, 2016 by Takao

[Mack 0]

"Are you saying you got the parry skill for free," Mack asked Takao, even as his companion was dispatching yet another batch of the odd anteater monsters. "How in all of Aincrad did you manage that," the blacksmith asked, genuinely interested in that little tidbit of information. After all, if one skill had been obtained virtually for free then that meant that the possibility existed of other skills also potentially being available for free. "But, back to the topic of being fabulously wealthy, do you find that it buys you happiness? Having that number of mats I mean. Or, do you just have a hell of a lot of fun renting happiness? Me, I give away too much of my stock to ever amass a stockpile like that."

[Takao 0]

ID: 54656
BD: 6 + 3(ACC)
LD: 11 + 2(Vitamins) + 3(Hands of Midas) + 3(Search & Detect)
(+8 Materials , 2120 Col)

Takao: 205/205 (27/50) [Sword Art: Sharp Nail 1*6*22=132 DMG] (13 Base + 5 Charge + 3 Damage Crystal + 1 Alcoholic)

Pangolin Spearman 5 0/106 (Mit. 26) [132-28=106 DMG]
Pangolin Spearman 6 0/106 (Mit. 26) [132-28=106 DMG]
Pangolin Spearman 7 0/106 (Mit. 26) [132-28=106 DMG]
Pangolin Spearman 8 0/106 (Mit. 26) [132-28=106 DMG]

7/15 Remaining

"Not really for free, per say," Takao said as he set about engaging yet another group of bipedal anteater monsters armed with spears. He didn't take his time with dispatching the four, nor did he rush into it. His attacks were precise and calculated, expending only as much energy as he needed. "Was more like... renting it with a full return, I guess. Problem was that the skill was listed for less than it was intended to be, so when I bought it and the vengeful riposte mod, it was about sixteen skill points. Then when Cardinal patched the exploit, parry went up to ten, so it would've costed twenty. I didn't have any spare skill points layin' around, so it refunded me for parry, and the mod went with it."

Total Rewards:
65 Materials
18900 Col

[Mack 0]

Mack nodded his head as Takao explained what he had meant by getting a skill for free. It really had been more of a temporary buff or perk that had gone away when the cardinal engine had patched up the system. "At least the system refunded you your SP," Mack rumbled, sliding Invictus across his shoulders and bringing both arms up and over the weapon so it looked almost as if he was an overgrown oxen attached to a plowing harness. "Of course, after today you'll have enough to buy back parry and the skill mod, with interest I'd expect. Me, I've been spending my SP as we've been going along. Already ranked up my heavy armor to four and picked up fighting spirit," he continued in an easy-going tone as Takao effortlessly dispatched another group of mobs. "If everything works out I'll pick up enough the rest of the way to Grandmaster Heavy Armor, add Stonewall, Grandmaster Charge, add Bullrush, and get started on Battle Healing. I've got it all planned out."