[SP-F4] <<The Essence of Steel>>

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru breathed and came onto the fourth floor again, as he had multiple times before. By now he was used to the blistering cold and winds, and the feeling of his <<Survival>> Skill blocking out most of the cold and any elemental damage that could be done to him. Today he was re-taking a quest for a deal that a certain Alchemist wanted done, and he felt inclined to do it. He sighed and made sure that his stuff was equipped, and made his way out of the teleporter area and onto the pub for a quick drink. He had come to love this floor, and not just because this is where he had his first date with the love of his life, Ariel. He had loved the missions and the memories he had made on this floor, and how much it meant to him in many ways. He sighed and decided to take a walk down memory lane today, and enjoy the memories that he had made here

[Hikoru 0]

As he entered the pub, the usual smell of a wood fire and fut consumed his nostrils as he was surrounded by a very familiar scene. He came over to the bar and waited for the bartender to come over. He opened his HUD and looked at the map while he waited, making sure that he had the correct area in mind. He could never trust himself on his own, so he wanted to make sure that he had the location set in his mind so he couldn't forget it. With a small sigh, he closed the HUD and saw the Bartender standing in front of him. A stern look, but that was his equivelance of a smile for the bury man, and he gave a small nod

"Just some warm Cider if you could, got a mission and can't really afford to drink anything with alcohol." He said with a small laugh. The bartender nodded and went over to the bar to grab his drink, and Hikoru just sat with his hand resting on the bar with head in his hand. He gave a small nod as the bartender brought his drink to him, a small sigh of happiness that he had made a customer pleased and went to check on the other customers.

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru breathed in the warm, and tangy smell of the apple cider, and gave a small sigh of comtemptment. He drank it slowly, savoring the taste of the cider happily and enjoyed the taste, missing his home as it reminded him of the christmas's he spent with his family. He breathed and set the glass down, leaving a few col to spare and stood up, nodding to the bartender and making his way out of the door. The cider felt warm inside his stomach, and he felt the blistering cold a little less. He pulled up his hood from his cloak and started towards the Quest area. He knew he couldn't one-shot this thing. But he could easily take a hit from it. He just had to wait and see how the fight would go. He was evasive and accurate thanks to his armor, but that could only get you so far. He would have to rely on his wits, and watching where his feet went as he did this. This fight would be easy, but the terrain wasn't, and he had to make sure to avoid any ice patches that could be hidden under the snow. He breathed and continued forward once more, ready as he could ever be to do this

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru sighed and continued forward, chugging ahead and moving closer and closer to the quest area. He knew what to expect, as he had done this with Ariel. Well, when he had done it was before the Sword Art update, and it was much, much harder to kill back then, in the dark days of SAO. But when the update hit, it made things much easier for him before the latest update, where he could one-shot many of the creatures that were in this game, not all of them, but some. He missed those days, because he was powerful. But now he was a true DPS, able to attack nine times without having to stop to regain energy, which was good in his case. Dealing a total of 169 damage every time for his base felt good, but he knew that he could get stronger. With tier three soon to come out after the next few bosses, he knew that he would get only stronger from here, he just had to be patient and hope for the best

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru breathed and noticed the lack of monsters in the area. He knew that meant that he was near a quest area, and he would have to watch his step here. He knew that there was always Ice where a boss was for some reason. Some sort of sick and twisted humor made by Kayaba, and whoever else ran this game. It must be amusing to watch players struggle on the ice, and he didn't blame them for doing it. It must have been fun to watch, but his own sense of humor could be twisted enough on his own. He sighed and unsheathed his dagger, preparing for the worst to come, because he knew it would fill him with a bit of accomplishment for beating it in the end. He could easily fall onto the ice and fall, but he would do his best to evade it and to continue forward towards his goal of defeating this creature and getting his reward, the <<Essence of Steel>> and the col he had been promised for the item.

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru breathed and moved forward, only to be met by the creature that he had started this mission to face, the <Snow Beast>. He re-adjusted his glasses and scanned the ground, watching where he stood and moved forward, charging and running into the monster head on, stabbing multiple times and moving back quickly, avoiding the hasty punch and kick that the beast had tried to make towards him. This fight would be much easier than anticipated, but he still expected the worst to happen, As he didn't know if when the update the creature got new abilities or not that came info play when his health got low. There was no way to tell anything, but he was determined to finish this strong, and he knew that one more blow could finish this beast quickly. The only thing now was to watch his footing and make sure to watch where he was going. Ice was all around him now, he could see the sleek look through the white and powdery snow. He took mental notes of where they are, and nodded, reassuring himself and preparing to finish the beast off

ID: 72267

BD: 4+3=7 Hit!

MD: 3-3=0 Miss!

Hikoru used Eternal Cyclone: 1x13=13x13=169 Damage to Snow Beast

Hikoru: 1,015/1,015 89/100

<Snow Beast>: 81/250

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru charged quickly, striking the beast once more in rapid movements. The word <CRITICAL> Appeared before his eyes and he smiled slyly, happy that he had defeated the creature so quickly. He breathed and watched as the creature gave a mighty roar, and he just chuckled as soon the small vial appeared in the snow below where it stood. He went over and picked it up happily, giving a smile and sending Zandra a message that he had gotten the vial and would soon be on his way. He gave a small smile of satisfaction and sighed, sheathing his dagger and looked around, seeing that everything was dissapearing with the snow falling. His footprints and the footprints of the beast soon started to become less and less visible. He just sighed and moved out of the area, leaving quietly and preparing to fight anything that came in his way. If snowman or any kind of creature came, he would fight them, and slice through them quickly, gaining hopefully some col and materials from what was going to happen.

Hikoru used Shadow Stitch: 3x2=6x14 (13+1 Crit)= 84 Damage to <Snow Beast>

Hikoru: 1,015/1,015 84/100 (+1/-6)

<Snow Beast>: 0/250 ded

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru walked around the barren area quietly, knowing that he was seeing things that he had seen many times before, but he had never taken the time to enjoy. He had a bit to walk, so he might as well enjoy it while he could. He gave a small chuckle as he remembered the times he has spent in this field with many of his friends and family. Hirru, Ariel, and Beatbox if he remembered correctly. Many players and many memories have been made here, even if he hadn't been apart of them. Many friendships and allies, and few enemies and rivals. Things that he couldn't imagine happened here, and he couldn't count how many monster's pixelated blood was underneath these piles and piles of snow. There was no way or calculating how much there could be around him. And he didn't know how he could count, but he could just feel it. Down in his pixelated bones, he knew that this was a special floor to him and many players here in Aincrad

1/3 posts until Energy refill

[Hikoru 0]

Soon he saw a few mobs coming around him, but he avoided them for now. He was waiting for his energy to refill before he did anything stupid. He knew that if he was to even fight two mobs on his own, from his experience they would have over five-hundred health, about half of what he has, and he knew that it was something that he would have to look out for. He couldn't one-shot these creatures, but they couldn't deal any damage to them either. He wasn't worried about his health dropping, he was more worried about how long it would take, as he didn't want to be late in delivering the item that he had acquired. He breathed and kept continuing forward. He was seeming to have a clear path to town, and everything was seeming pretty easy at this point. He just had to wait and see what would happen. He breathed deeply and continued forward, hoping that his way would be kept clear until he was ready to fight again.

2/3 Posts until Energy Regen

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru was just about to town, when two snowmen blocked his path. He grit his teeth and stopped. He had just a bit of energy left to regain, and then he would engage these snowmen and get into town. He breathed and pulled his hood closer to his face, hiding his features. Although the snow was frozen water, it still gave that small vapor of invisibility every once in awhile when the snow would melt and turn to water against it, making a small hole of invisibility until it dried up and turned back to its blue-opaque hue. He wished he could change the color of the cloak somehow, as he hated how it looked. But there was nothing that he could do. He just had to live with the color, even though it didn't fit the look he was trying to give as Master of Shadows. He looked at his energy bar, and noticed that it was full. He unsheathed his dagger and started to move forward towards the two snowmen, ready to battle until the very end.

3/3 Posts until energy regen

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru breathed and charged forward, attacking the first snowman and sending a flurry of swipes and attacks at it. He took a good chunk of its health, but it wasn't anywhere near dead at this point. He breathed and sighed. He knew this was going to happen, this was just going to take a bit to do. He breathed and moved as the second snowman tried to attack, and Hikoru nimbly moved out of the way. He was ready to fight, and these snowman had nothing on him. He re-adjusted his glasses quickly, and looked around, making sure to avoid anywhere that there were ice slicks that could send him spiraling out of control. He would need to be careful, and be watchful of the areas that he could see, and be prepared for the ones that he wouldn't see. As long as he did that and focused on the fight, Victory would be sweet and, hopefully, with some reward.

ID: 72273

BD: 8 (Bleed and Paralyze Activate)

MD: 8-3=5 Miss!

Hikoru used Eternal Cyclone: 1x13=13x13=169 Damage to Snowman 1

Hikoru: 1,015/1,015 89/100

Snowman 1: 339/508 (Paralyzed this turn, Bleed Damage for two turns) DMG: 40

Snowman 2: 508/508 DMG: 40

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru breathed and charged forward, hitting the first snowman once more for the same damage, and the bleed damage to boot. He breathed and dodged both of them as they swung in unison, backing away and letting them try to punch him and throw snowballs. He was able to dodge every single one, but he knew that his luck would have to run out. He breathed and opened his HUD, un-equipping his armor and putting onto his ring. He knew he would take more damage, and would be hit more, but for the better chance of gaining some loot it was worth it. He watched his skill fluctuate and breathed as he prepared for the next enslaught of attacks that would soon befall him. He had a fair idea what would happen next. He would easily finish the snowman, hopefully get some loot, and soon finish off the other snowman that was standing with perfect health. He knew that this could cost him, but he didn't care. He needed some loot, and fast.

ID: 72274

BD: 5+3=8

MD: 8-3=5

Hikoru used Eternal Cyclone: 1x13=13x13=169 Damage to Snowman 1

Hikoru: 1,015/1,015 79/100

Snowman 1: 146/508 (Bleed Damage for one turn) DMG: 40

Snowman 2: 508/508 DMG: 40

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru moved forward and sliced through the snowman easily, it turning to pixels and col in the snow. He smiled and picked up the col, while the snowman charged at him. Hikoru took his time to grab the col, then as the creature was about to swing, Hikoru pinged a coin in the air. The snowman looked, and Hikoru managed to grab the coin and back away far enough so the snowman couldn't hit him. The snowman let out some sort of roar, and started to throw giant mounds of snow. Hikoru was able to move out of the way of these easily, and was soon safe for the time being. He let out a sigh of air as he looked at the scattered playing field. He knew this area well enough that he would be good for nearby slick spots, but where the snowman was he had no idea. He just looked at the piece of col he had thrown at the creature, just chuckled to himself and pocketed it, getting ready to attack once more. 

ID: 72275

BD: 6

MD: 3-2=1

LD: 11+3=14 508*5= 2540 Col

Hikoru used Accel Raid: 11x1=11x13= 143 Damage to Snowman 1

Hikoru: 1,015/1,015 71/100 (+1, -9)

Snowman 1: 0/508 ded 2540 Col

Snowman 2: 508/508 DMG: 40

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru moved forward when the snowman least expected it, landing a critical blow onto the snowman, the words <CRITICAL> in front of his eyes for a few seconds, then faded as the Snowman was paralyzed and would take bleed on his next turn. He gave a smile and backed away as the snowman seemed to try to give him death glares. He just gave the snowman a small smirk and made sure that his dagger was firmly in his hand and moved forward to prepare to land another hit. He knew he had this in the bad now. He just had to be careful, and watch the monsters arms. Because without his armor, he would be taking a bit more damage. He gave a small sigh and continued forward, preparing to make another attack towards the creature and finish it off soon. He hoped things would go as smoothly as they had do far, but at this moment he had no clue how anything could go.

ID: 72279

BD: 10 (+2 Damage, Bleed and Paralysis Activate)

Hikoru used Eternal Cyclone: 13x1=13x15= 195 Damage to Snowman 2

Hikoru: 1,015/1,015 61/100 (+1, -11)

Snowman 1: 0/508 ded 2540 Col

Snowman 2: 313/508 DMG: 40 (Paralyzed this turn, 24 Bleed for two turns)

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru moved forward and struck the creature just as he had recovered from the paralysis. He hit another good area, and soon the Paralysis came back to the creature, leaving him to stare at his own demise. Hikoru knew that this would be easy. He just hoped that he would be able to finish this off strong, and be able to get some luck enough to get a good drop from this snowman. He would just have to wait and see, and he gave a small sigh as he backed away for now, looking for another opening. In this moment, he had learned how much he had grown since he had first done this quest, and he just chuckled as he thought about it. He had become so much stronger, so much more of a hero than he ever thought. Soon, he would be going up against the nineteenth-floor boss, a seemingly stone titan. Which he never would have thought of fighting back when he had first gone onto the frontlines.

ID: 72327

BD: 8 (Bleed and Paralysis Activate)

Hikoru used Eternal Cyclone: 13x1=13x13=169 Damage to Snowman 2

Hikoru: 1,015/1,015 51/100 (+1, -11)

Snowman 1: 0/508 ded 2540 Col

Snowman 2: 120/508 DMG: 40 (Paralyzed this turn, 24 Bleed for two turns)

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru moved quietly, not giving the snowman any chance to beg for mercy as he struck, using a lesser-sword art once his bleed had activated and dropped it down to orange, almost red. He finished it, pixels flying off and the col and an extra material left where it was standing. He picked them up and placed them into his inventory. He had a decent amount of col now, and a few materials to boot. He felt ready to head into town now that his path was cleared, and now he had some change in his pocket to boot. He re-adjusted his glasses and sheathed his weapon silently. He looked back as his footprints he had just made were disappearing in the light snow once more. All of his work that he had just done, was now soon fading back into the light fluffy snow that controlled this area. He sighed and turned around, heading back towards down, done with the events of today. 

ID: 72329

BD: 9 (+1 Damage)

LD: 18+3=21 508*5= 2540 Col and 1 Extra Tier 1 Material

Hikoru used Starlight Splash: 7x1=7x14= 98 Damage to Snowman 2

Hikoru: 1,015/1,015 46/100 (+1, -6)

Snowman 1: 0/508 ded 2540 Col

Snowman 2: 0/508 ded 2540 Col

5080 Col and (3) Tier 1 Material from the Two Monsters

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru entered the town silently, using his stealth to hide from the NPC's and the occasional player or two that came around. He loved to practice his stealth skills whenever he could. And today he felt like he had been in the snow for too long, and decided that today he would focus on stealth for a bit. He sighed as the familiar feeling of being in stealth overtook him, and this was the reason he was glad to have his title, as Master of Shadows. He felt as ease in the shadows, as if he was safe. He knew that there was always a chance that he could be found, but he didn't feel that unless there was a scout nearby. For now, he felt safe, which was more than he felt out in the open, even with his cloak on. He gripped onto the inside fabric for comfort, and moved towards the pub quietly, making sure to avoid being seen at all costs. 

[Hikoru 0]

Soon he was at the door, and Hikoru entered silently, hood above his head. The Bartender, who had been tidying up the area, looked up and recognized the hood from this morning. He patted the bar and Hikoru came, taking a seat quietly. He made eye contact with the bartender, and he understood and brought over a large glass of vodka, and he gave a small smile and placed it down, patting Hikoru on the shoulder

"On the house." he said, and went to go wash glasses. Hikoru stared at the glass dumbfounded. Had he really just gotten a free glass of vodka? This stuff was expensive as far as he could tell. He just looked at the bartender, who didn't even bat an eye. He took the drink, and sipped it slowly, then seeing that it was good, chugged down the remaining half of the drink with a large sigh. He set it down onto the bar and the bartender came over, taking the glass and holding it up, asking if he wanted a refill. Hikoru shook his head no, and the bartender nodded and took the glass over to where he was cleaning, and Hikoru sighed and relaxed on the bar stool, releasing the tension in his system

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru breathed and sat on the stool for what seemed for like an eternity, before he felt himself finally relax as the alcohol registered in his system. He felt better, much more calm than he was before. He gave a loud and audible sigh as he leaned on the counter. The bartender came over and leaned on the counter as well. Hikoru smiled and gave a nod, and the man gave one back. He had made a relationship with this NPC without meaning to, and he didn't even know his name. He held out his hand happily

"I don't believe we've really... introduced ourselves. My name is Hikoru." He said with a small smile. The man looked at his hand for a moment, then took with a very faint smile. "The names Rick, and its a pleasure to finally know your name, Hikoru." He said with a small chuckle. Hikoru gave a nod and shook his new friends hand. He looked around and notice that the pub was starting to empty, and he stood, stretching his back. "Well I must be off, farewell Rick." The bartender gave him a nod, and Hikoru made his way out of the door

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru appeared onto the outside of the pub after the door swung open, giving a small sigh. He had completed his mission, earned some col, got a free drink and met a new friend. His night couldn't have gone better. He made his way over to the floor teleporter, and soon appeared back onto the floor below, the third floor. He had started to get used to his home on the 10th floor, but he missed the feeling of safety and comfort that his store brought him. He breathed and unlocked the door, entering the store with the small chime of the bell above rang. He was home. He walked in, and ignored the dust that was all around. He never used the store anymore, as it was permanantly closed. He sighed and moved behind the counter, entering the backroom, his home. He went over and started the fire quietly, the smell of smoke entering his nostrils, and he breathed it in happily. He was home again, after so long, he had finally entered his home.