Seul 1 Posted March 26, 2017 Author #21 Report Share Posted March 26, 2017 (edited) It was about time more monsters showed up. Four bees descended onto the scene soon after he left the cave signaling the start of the next fight. They were fast little buggers, but using enhanced perception provided by the Concentration skill Seul was just barely able to track their movements long enough to land a blow with Calamity Disaster. Only a small sliver of health got chipped away, but he was hoping that would not be the case in the rounds to come. Each bee buzzed at him in an angry (at least he assumed they were angry) manner before diving in his direction with stingers at the ready. He moved from side to side as each bee flew past him, coming out of the ordeal completely unscathed thanks to some fast footwork. He really didn't want to have to rest again before completing the scout mission, so this needed to be wrapped up in a timely fashion. ID: 80457 | BD: 6 (5+1) | MD: 1 | CD: ____________________________________ Sword Art: Calamity Disaster | 11 + 1 x 12 = 144 AoE Damage Party Seul | 995 / 995 HP | 74 / 98 EN (-24) | [Concentration: 0/5] Enemy (12/20) Giant Bee | 346 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Giant Bee | 346 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Giant Bee | 346 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Giant Bee | 346 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Attack: Edited March 26, 2017 by Seul Link to post Share on other sites
Seul 1 Posted March 26, 2017 Author #22 Report Share Posted March 26, 2017 (edited) Of course that wouldn't be the case here. As he swung his greatsword the bees floated out of the path of the blade without so much as batting an eye as they zeroed in on the player’s location. They each stung his body for a little damage that added up to be pretty insignificant in the end. “That all you got?!” He yelled at them while trying to maintain a sense of stable footing from the recoil of the hits. The flame aura had chipped away a little more of the bugs health bars but they were still a long way from dying at this rate. He just needed to keep pushing them further and further until they exploded. It probably wasn't much further now until he found whatever it was he was looking for. He couldn't let the bees run out his energy again, not if he had any say in the matter! ID: 80460 | BD: 1 | MD: 7 | CD: 12 ____________________________________ Sword Art: Party Seul | 939 / 995 HP | 75 / 98 EN (+3/-2) | [Concentration: 1/5] Enemy (12/20) [All enemies suffer 16 damage from flame aura] Giant Bee | 330 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Giant Bee | 330 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Giant Bee | 330 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Giant Bee | 330 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Attack: 160 - 146 = 14 DMG (4x) Edited March 26, 2017 by Seul Link to post Share on other sites
Seul 1 Posted March 26, 2017 Author #23 Report Share Posted March 26, 2017 (edited) Why wasn't his sword glowing anymore?! Had he used up all its power in the earlier fights? Was that even possible? Well… At least he managed to hit them again. Too bad his energy was already at about half again. He only had two more Calamity Disaster uses left in him if his math was right. Not nearly enough to last if another group of enemies showed up once this one was dispatched. He just needed another critical hit to end this in one go, but it didn't seem very likely now that he was fighting on regular damage alone. The bees must have been getting tired and weaker as their movements became more sluggish now. They hovered much closer to the ground than before and their attacks came nowhere near close to hit the player as they dived in his direction. “Come on, don't fail me now sword!” He yelled while entering his next sword art stance. ID: 80462 | BD: 7 | MD: 3 | CD: 8 ____________________________________ Sword Art: Calamity Disaster | 11 + 1 x 12 = 144 AoE Damage Party Seul | 995 / 995 HP (+106) | 54 / 98 EN (+3/-24) | [Concentration: 2/5] Enemy (12/20) Giant Bee | 186 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Giant Bee | 186 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Giant Bee | 186 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Giant Bee | 186 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Attack: Edited March 26, 2017 by Seul Link to post Share on other sites
Seul 1 Posted March 26, 2017 Author #24 Report Share Posted March 26, 2017 (edited) He used Calamity Disaster again… But ironically enough the move name was an accurate description of what this battle was turning out to be. For some reason he was having a hard time landing any hits against the bees and they too were not making any progress with hurting him. The fight was at a standstill as a result which was something Seul hated more than anything. In a fast paced game like SAO having fights drag on without either side budging was a major annoyance, especially when there were so many other things he could be doing with this time being wasted on monsters that refused to die. Even if they just hit him they'd eventually die from the flame aura but they weren't even able to do that. Ridiculous. That's how he felt. At the very least he wasn't even able to recover some of his energy though so it really was all bad. ID: 80463 | BD: 2 | MD: 1 | CD: 5 ____________________________________ Sword Art: Party Seul | 995 / 995 HP | 53 / 98 EN (+1/-2) | [Concentration: 3/5] Enemy (12/20) Giant Bee | 186 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Giant Bee | 186 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Giant Bee | 186 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Giant Bee | 186 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Attack: Edited March 26, 2017 by Seul Link to post Share on other sites
Seul 1 Posted March 26, 2017 Author #25 Report Share Posted March 26, 2017 (edited) He missed. Again. They missed. Again. He sighed. They buzzed. Was this his curse? Being forever trapped in an endless cycle because he wasn't able to kill the bees. It was a fate worse than death. They say that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting the results to be different. In that sense he could technically be labeled as insane at this point. Though something like that wouldn't really surprise him anymore. He has been trapped in a virtual world for a while now. If you had told him a year ago that he'd be living in death game that probably would have sounded insane, but after spending so much time within the floating castle anything seemed possible to him. Well almost anything. Killing these bothersome bees was turning out to be one of the few exceptions to exist on the list. ID: 80464 | BD: 4 | MD: 3 | CD: 8 ____________________________________ Sword Art: Party Seul | 995 / 995 HP | 54 / 98 EN (+3/-2) | [Concentration: 4/5] Enemy (12/20) Giant Bee | 186 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Giant Bee | 186 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Giant Bee | 186 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Giant Bee | 186 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Attack: Edited March 26, 2017 by Seul Link to post Share on other sites
Seul 1 Posted March 26, 2017 Author #26 Report Share Posted March 26, 2017 (edited) To his dismay he missed again and the bees followed suit with their own attacks not coming close enough to hit the young player. For some reason he always did this to himself, complain about not having accuracy then never get an accessory that had the enhancement on it to improve his odds of hitting opponents. The only real flaw in his build to exist and he did nothing to fix it except complain. It wasn't an urgent issue on the list of improving his build, but it was up there, especially against enemies that had evasion. All he needed to do was focus. He had gotten this far without any accuracy, so part of the reason he was hesitant to change now was because it was working, despite taking a long time to execute sometimes. If the results stayed consistent was there really any reason for him to go switching up equipment now? ID: 80465 | BD: 1 | MD: 10 | CD: 8 ____________________________________ Sword Art: Party Seul | 931 / 995 HP (-64) | 55 / 98 EN (+3/-2) | [Concentration: 5/5] Enemy (12/20) Giant Bee | 186 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Giant Bee | 186 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Giant Bee | 186 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Giant Bee | 186 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Attack: 162 - 146 = 16 DMG (4x) Edited March 27, 2017 by Seul Link to post Share on other sites
Seul 1 Posted March 26, 2017 Author #27 Report Share Posted March 26, 2017 (edited) “That tears it!” Raising his greatsword if began to glow brighter than before as he unleashed the fury of six slashes on the bees they all exploded as their health bars shot down to zero. The damage they sustained was just too much. Finally it was over. He could get on with his life and continue on his way through the labyrinth. Not before collecting the loot though. Going over the rewards he saw some pretty nice stuff was earned from that last scuffle. Some armor, materials, and more money. Not bad at all. One more fight would probably be enough to push him over the 100k mark in terms of cash something he had never done before. The thought excited him but he wasn't entirely sure what he'd be spending all of it on. A house on the nineteenth floor would be a lot more than just the col he was probably going to be leaving with. ID: 80466 | BD: 10 | CD: 9 ____________________________________ Sword Art: Calamity Disaster | 11 + 8 + 1+ 2 x 12 = 264 AoE Damage Party Seul | 995 / 995 HP (+106) | 34 / 98 EN (+3/-24) | Enemy (16/20) Giant Bee | 0 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Giant Bee | 0 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Giant Bee | 0 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Giant Bee | 0 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Attack: ____________________________________ Loot Rolls | Loot Gained: 5880 Col, 4 T2 Mats, & Perfect Armor (x1) Total Loot: 37,400 Col, T2 Perfect Armor (x1), T2 Rare Armor (x1), T2 Uncommon Consumable (x1), & T2 Mats (x6) ID: 80467 | LD: 21 (20+1) | CD: 5 | +Perfect Armor ID: 80468 | LD: 10 (9+1) | CD: 10 | +1 T2 Mat ID: 80469 | LD: 3 (2+1) | CD: 10 | +Nothing ID: 80470 | LD: 17 (16+1) | CD: 8 | +3 T2 Mats Edited March 26, 2017 by Seul Link to post Share on other sites
Seul 1 Posted March 26, 2017 Author #28 Report Share Posted March 26, 2017 (edited) As the last group fell the new enemies arrived in the form of giant beetles. Seul’s energy was low but he wasn't about to stop in order to regain his energy. He needed to take out the monsters quickly with what he had. With six powerful slashes he took out a huge chunk of the bugs health bars. They tried to retaliate but we're unable to land any clean shots on the player as he weaved through their jaws. His energy was gone now. Even if he wanted to he wouldn't be able to use Calamity Disaster against the beetles. For some reason two handed swords had very little AoE capabilities. The only other sword arts at his disposal were either for single targets or too weak to make a real difference in a fight like this. "I guess I'll just have to blast you guys away with my ultimate sword art!” ID: 80472 | BD: 10 | CD: 9 ____________________________________ Sword Art: Calamity Disaster | 11 + 8 + 1+ 2 x 12 = 264 AoE Damage Party Seul | 995 / 995 HP | 13 / 98 EN (+3/-24) | Enemy (16/20) Giant Beetle | 226 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Giant Beetle | 226 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Giant Beetle | 226 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Giant Beetle | 226 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Attack: Edited March 26, 2017 by Seul Link to post Share on other sites
Seul 1 Posted March 26, 2017 Author #29 Report Share Posted March 26, 2017 (edited) “Blast!” The ultimate sword art. It was his first time using the move ever. Two horizontal sweeping slashes tore into the beetles… For only a small fraction of their health. Why did this move even exist? He wasn't quite sure what the game designers were thinking when they added these sword arts to the final version. Having pointless moves seemed like a waste of energy and resources but at least he was getting some use out of them on the higher floors. The beetle monsters missed their attacks again to his dismay. What was the point of having flame aura and mitigation if the monsters were never going to hit him? Sometimes he didn't understand the cardinal system. Or maybe he was just too good at the game to notice how low level the monsters were in comparison. He was on the verge of being level fifty now so floor twenty monsters shouldn't have been much of a problem. ID: 80474 | BD: 9 | MD: 1 | CD: 1 ____________________________________ Sword Art: Blast | 11 + 8 + 1 x 2 = 40 AoE Damage Party Seul | 995 / 995 HP | 10 / 98 EN (+1/-4) | Enemy (16/20) Giant Beetle | 186 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Giant Beetle | 186 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Giant Beetle | 186 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Giant Beetle | 186 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Attack: Edited March 26, 2017 by Seul Link to post Share on other sites
Seul 1 Posted March 26, 2017 Author #30 Report Share Posted March 26, 2017 (edited) Seul held his sword at a defensive angle as he waited for the beetles to make their next moves. His energy was too low to actually do anything useful and he would just have to wait them out while his recovery enhancement took effect. With his coat equipped he would regain energy at three times the normal rate an average player would, making it useful for fights like these where endurance was a key factor in winning. Though the attacks never came. The beetles stood frozen in place and didn't try to attack him. We're they able to see through what he was doing? Not that he was trying to hide his actions or anything, it was just surprising to see monsters act with a little more foresight than usual. He would need to keep this in mind while confronting them; tricking this particular AI would be tougher than a boar on the first floor. ID: 80477 | BD: N/A | MD: 3 | CD: 7 ____________________________________ Sword Art: Party Seul | 995 / 995 HP | 13 / 98 EN (+3) Enemy (16/20) Giant Beetle | 186 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Giant Beetle | 186 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Giant Beetle | 186 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Giant Beetle | 186 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Attack: Edited March 26, 2017 by Seul Link to post Share on other sites
Seul 1 Posted March 26, 2017 Author #31 Report Share Posted March 26, 2017 (edited) He kept waiting but the beetles remained in place, not bothering to attack him at all. We're they giving up? Neither side budged and his energy slowly replenished at a snails pace. What was he supposed to do? He couldn't attack them and they wouldn't activate flame aura unless they struck him. “I honestly hate bugs.” He mumbled while eyeing the monsters from his spot on the field. But it did bring up an interesting thought. Just what would the next floor boss be like? Another gigantic bug monster like that Limbo thing he once heard about about a few floors back? Given the terrain of the floor it seemed like a logical conclusion, though he wasn't sure what kind of abilities it would have. The only two floors he fought for thus far both had some sort of gimmick to them so this one probably wouldn't be too different in that regard. ID: 80479 | BD: N/A | MD: 3 | CD: 2 ____________________________________ Sword Art: Party Seul | 995 / 995 HP | 14 / 98 EN (+1) Enemy (16/20) Giant Beetle | 186 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Giant Beetle | 186 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Giant Beetle | 186 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Giant Beetle | 186 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Attack: Edited March 26, 2017 by Seul Link to post Share on other sites
Seul 1 Posted March 26, 2017 Author #32 Report Share Posted March 26, 2017 (edited) Leonidas and the 300 strong army… A full scale war against about a dozen or so players. Though the odds were always in the favor of the frontliners since the soldiers turned out to be just mere fodder. Malethis had its poisonous liquid and the torches that dissolved it. He couldn't imagine it to be another spider, but he was leaning towards it being an Insect if some kind. “Maybe it's a centipede.” He thought as the monsters just kept staring at him. Was the game bugging out (pun fully intended)? They hadn't moved for a while now. Not that he was really complaining, it just seemed strange that monsters would refrain from attacking especially when a player was without energy and left most vulnerable. He'd have to figure it out later. It seemed like each question only further brought up more questions. The only way to find answers was to enter the boss room. ID: 80481 | BD: N/A | MD: 5 | CD: 12 ____________________________________ Sword Art: Party Seul | 995 / 995 HP | 17 / 98 EN (+3) Enemy (16/20) Giant Beetle | 186 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Giant Beetle | 186 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Giant Beetle | 186 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Giant Beetle | 186 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Attack: Edited March 26, 2017 by Seul Link to post Share on other sites
Seul 1 Posted March 26, 2017 Author #33 Report Share Posted March 26, 2017 (edited) A bug boss… Since Malethis was basically a DPS he figured the bug my be on the more tanky side of things. Many of them have shells and exoskeletons so high mit was something he came to expect. Plus it stood between them and the next set of floors, making it one of the most important fights they'll have. They were moving further into uncharted territory and the battles were becoming more dangerous with each cleared floor. It was only a matter of time before they met another floor boss that was able to take out one of them. Speaking of which it was time to take a chance and end these beetles. He swung his sword but only struck air as the beetles backed away from the blade. Still no attacks though on their part. We're they just making fun of him now? He was starting to believe that might be the case. ID: 80483 | BD: 5 | MD: 4 | CD: 4 ____________________________________ Sword Art: Party Seul | 995 / 995 HP | 16 / 98 EN (+1/-2) Enemy (16/20) Giant Beetle | 186 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Giant Beetle | 186 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Giant Beetle | 186 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Giant Beetle | 186 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Attack: Edited March 26, 2017 by Seul Link to post Share on other sites
Seul 1 Posted March 26, 2017 Author #34 Report Share Posted March 26, 2017 (edited) He just needed to be patient. Adopting his defensive stance again Seul waited for the attacks that would never come… Or so he thought. The beetles actually attacked him biting at his legs and getting hit with flame aura. Now they were getting somewhere! He just needed to push them a little further. “That's it, come on!” In truth he wanted them to attack him. As long as they were taking damage he was happy. Every little bit counted and the more he was able to hurt them the sooner he could continue on his way and go on to completing his scouting. He didn't know what to do. Attack and try to get a critical or keep waiting for enough energy to use Calamity Disaster. It was a tough choice and one was obviously more lucrative than the other. Still, he needed to try if he wanted to succeed. ID: 80484 | BD: N/A | MD: 8 | CD: 6 ____________________________________ Sword Art: Party Seul | 939 / 995 HP | 19 / 98 EN (+3) Enemy (16/20) [All enemies suffer 16 damage due to flame aura] Giant Beetle | 170 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Giant Beetle | 170 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Giant Beetle | 170 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Giant Beetle | 170 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Attack: 160 - 146 = 14 DMG (4x) Edited March 26, 2017 by Seul Link to post Share on other sites
Seul 1 Posted March 26, 2017 Author #35 Report Share Posted March 26, 2017 (edited) It was now or never! Seul dipped into the stance for his sword art and as he did the greatsword finally started to glow again! It was time to end this, but Calamity Disaster still couldn't be used without a little more energy. Instead he used Tempest and rushed past the group of bugs while slamming the pommel of his sword into each of them. The attack brought them down to the red zone, but wasn't enough to finish the job. Thankfully it did goad them into countering and they each bit him as he tried to retreat, activating false aura to kill them off. It was over. The rewards screen appeared a moment after they exploded and with that the battle was done. Not a second too soon either since he only had three energy left. He sheathed the sword at his back while stretching. It had been a pretty eventful day. ID: 80485 | BD: 9 | MD: 8 | CD: 9 ____________________________________ Sword Art: Tempest | 11 + 8 + 1 × 8 = 160 AoE DMG Party Seul | 939/ 995 HP (+106) | 3 / 98 EN (+3/-19) Enemy (20/20) [All enemies suffer 16 damage due to flame aura] [Stuns ignored due to shells] Giant Beetle | 0 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Giant Beetle | 0 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Giant Beetle | 0 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Giant Beetle | 0 / 490 HP | 160 DMG Attack: 160 - 146 = 14 DMG (4x) Loot Rolls | Loot Gained: 5880 Col & 1 T2 Rare Consumable Total Loot: 43,280 Col, T2 Perfect Armor (x1), T2 Rare Armor (x1), T2 Rare Consumable (x1), Uncommon Consumable (x1), & T2 Mats (x6) ID: 80486, ID: 80487, ID: 80494: Nothing ID: 80499| LD: 19 (18+1) | CD: 8 | +T2 Rare Consumable Edited March 26, 2017 by Seul Link to post Share on other sites
Seul 1 Posted March 27, 2017 Author #36 Report Share Posted March 27, 2017 He felt about ready to collapse. Like a ton of bricks he felt an immense wait on his shoulders as fatigue was starting to catch up with him. Just as Seul was about to close out his reward screen something else caught his eye. An item named “Map Fragment”. Further inspection revealed just what it was all about. Apparently he managed to kill enough monsters to receive piece of a map that'll lead everyone to the boss room once enough are collected. At least that's how he interpreted it anyway. Strange. It made him happy to actually be part of the process for once though, regardless of how grueling it might have been. This meant they were just one step closer to getting out of this game. “I guess I'll go find a party and come back to get more.” A sound plan. This kind of task was a bit much for one person to handle alone. Link to post Share on other sites
Seul 1 Posted March 27, 2017 Author #37 Report Share Posted March 27, 2017 “Guess I should get out of here now.” With a nod he decided to turn around and start the descent back out of the tower. But then another idea crossed his mind: The treasure chest! He hadn't seen one in person yet… Which was a little disheartening considering how many points he spent to raise his picking skill. To make this trip absolutely perfect he would need to find one and hope there was actually something good inside. But where would he even start looking? A labyrinth seemed like the perfect place to find hidden treasures. He'd just have to search everywhere and hope for the best. That's just what he did. Keeping an eye out as he walked back down the path he looked for the glimmer of anything that remotely resembled a treasure coffer. Maybe luck would smile down on him again soon if he just stayed persistent. Link to post Share on other sites
Seul 1 Posted March 27, 2017 Author #38 Report Share Posted March 27, 2017 Persistence and optimism, persistence and optimism! Those were all he needed. And a sharp eye for treasure. Probably. The picking skill was something he purchased on a whim, an impulse buy at the time. He wasn't aware of how tedious actual treasure hunting was at the time though and for little payoffs at that. The main selling point of the skill was that on extremely rare occasions high ranking lockpickers could find unique equipment. It might have been greed dueling his motives, but he didn't care. Having unique equipment was what set apart average players from the elite and only served as a way to increase a player’s odds of surviving. Not that he was really expecting to find one. It was just a rumor after all. Living in Aincrad meant you often heard crazy things from time to time so each bit of gossip had to be taken with a grain of salt. Link to post Share on other sites
Seul 1 Posted March 27, 2017 Author #39 Report Share Posted March 27, 2017 He just wanted more power to protect himself and the people he cared about. If the picking skill could help with that then he considered it to be a worthy investment. Half the battle of treasure hunting was just finding the damn chests though. Picking on its own was a tad worthless without a decent search rating to back it up since you can't open something that can't be found. *** Ahead he could see another small cave in the wall that he had missed on his previous trip. If a chest was going to be anywhere it was inside that room. With a deep breath he slowly walked toward it, feeling his heart about to beat out of his chest. Hopefully the world was feeling generous enough to indulge him a little for his efforts. He had worked hard to help out with the scouting and really, when would another opportunity like this show up? Link to post Share on other sites
Seul 1 Posted March 27, 2017 Author #40 Report Share Posted March 27, 2017 (edited) As he entered the room he was met with more darkness than the previous one, though there was enough light still pouring in to see where he was going. It was a til so far more spacious than the other rooms, so it was probably going to take some time to inspect the whole area for any hidden goodies. “If only someone with search grandmastered was here. Then this wouldn't even be a problem.” He groaned while strolling toward one corner of the room. He wasn't qualified for this portion of treasure hunting as much as he would have liked to deny that fact. Looking about the entire room he didn't see anything that resembled a box like object for loot. Just rocks mostly. Lots of boring rocks. Had this been a wasted side trip? Maybe he just wasn't looking hard enough. Giving the room one last sweep seemed like a good idea... Edited March 27, 2017 by Seul Link to post Share on other sites
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