F05/PP <<Butcher of the Sands>>

[Oscar 0]

Spoiler

Oscar
Level 28 | 560 HP | 56 EN | 14 DMG | 41 MIT | 2 ACC | 3 EVA | 1 RECOVERY

[EQUIPPED GEAR]
<<Yukianesa>> 3x DMG
<<Librarium Overcoat>> x3 EVA
<<Plated Azure Tights>> +36 MIT, +1 RECOVERY

[SKILLS & MODS]
Curved Sword r1
Katana r5 [+7 DMG]
Katana Mod: Ferocity [+1 DMG WHEN USING KATANA SWORD ARTS]
Familiar Mastery: Accurate r2. [+2 ACC]

This freaking desert! Why were there so many useful quests in the desert. Oscar just wanted to hurry up and get this one done. He didn't want to expose himself to the God-awful heat any more than he needed to. But first he had to find the dang arena. The constantly-shifting sands had revealed a circle of spears. Word from the info brokers was that a boss appeared within that circle. Given how the landscape of Floor 5 could shift according to the whims of the winds and the system, Oscar knew he had to jump right on it. All of this despite his lack of affinity with the heat. One saving grace was that now that he was in possession of the <<Survival>> skill, Oscar wouldn't suffer damage from the constantly-whipping sand. In the distance he heard the sound of clashing steel. The unmistakable din of combat. Oscar couldn't exactly run, considering he was climbing a sand dune while munching on a Focused Chili Dog. But he hoped that once he reached the top, he would be able to see whoever was fighting. It was always a rare treat to see someone else in action. Gave him ideas on new things to try. 

Focused Chili Dog Consumed +2 DMG, -10 MIT

Edited September 15, 2019 by Oscar

[Neopolitan 0]

((Note: Level 49, after skill refund and bought BH))

The sands were whipping against her dark clothes as she was twisting her feet to the rhythm of the fight. A sword glanced off of her parasol, blacker than the darkest cave. Her own rapier danced with the skin of the reptilian beast that stood in front of her. This was less of a fight and more of a dance now. She had been here for who knew how long, fighting this beast to no avail. She had already killed it before, and she knew it was not going to die until someone else came along. But being stuck in this arena meant her wild self wouldn't lose control on others. She would either be here until she died, or someone decided to unleash her darkness upon the world around them.

The monster backed up, and Neo took the opportunity to down a potion, insurance for when she would be really getting into this fight. Wiping the liquid from her darkened lips, she flipped her parasol up for some shade. Her rapier didn't even glint as she swiped it to the side, as it was covered in the darkness that gripped at her mind. Staring at the beast, she waited for its next charge. And when it did, she engaged it for the next round in this struggle.

@Oscar

[Oscar 0]

Oscar, through great effort and much expended breath, managed to crest the top of the hill. He stood and watched from above as the dark figure danced with the boss, calmly wiping his lips from the hot dog. Once he was finished, he began to slide down the opposite side of the sand dune. From what he could make out, the figure had the fight pretty much well in-hand. But if he were being honest, he simply didn't want to wait on the respawn if they managed to kill it before he managed to score a hit. He dropped down low, guiding his descent with his hand. The hot sand burned and stung at his skin, but he didn't pay it any mind. The pain would fade soon enough. Once he reached the bottom, the azure crusader wove in between the gaps in the spears and set foot in the arena. Now able to see the fight up close, he was in awe of the way the figure - a dark clad girl - danced with the beast. They managed to separate and Oscar saw his chance.

He dashed forward as the beast charged and grabbed the girl by the hand. Together, the two of them twirled out of the way, dancing past the deadly edge of beast's glaive. His arm cradled her waist as they came to a stop, his verdant green eyes gazing softly down at her. "I can see your dance card is full, but do you mind if I cut in?" Without another word, he stepped away. Yukianesa was freed from her scabbard, her biting chill a welcome source of cool in the desert heat. Oscar rushed forward and struck. His blade flowed like water, slicing and slashing in all directions. The fluidity of his motions was matched only by the power of each individual strike. 

Though it all paled in comparison to the power of his final blow in the combo. A swift, powerful chop cleaved the beast from collar to hip. The wind created by the attack caused the sand to burst out in all directions. Oscar coughed and closed his eyes, trying to keep himself from being utterly blinded by the dust cloud of his own making. It was at that point, the creature struck. It grew in size and its skin darkened. Oscar had inadvertently began Phase Two of the fight the moment it began. The beast smacked Oscar with the flat of its glaive, sending him skidding backwards. He came to a stop next to the dark-clad woman and staggered a bit as his health bar plummeted. Though he was still in the green, the attack certainly had winded him. Oscar turned to the woman with a smile and said, "He's all yours."

@Neopolitan

Spoiler

Oscar 410/560 HP | 49 EN | 16 DMG | 41 MIT | 2 ACC | 3 EVA | 1 RECOVERY | ID: 123955
San Ge to Sendo Satsu[x15] BD10. Deal 255-20 DMG.

Sendo Satsu 115/350 HP | 100 DMG | 20 MIT
MD9. Deal 100 DMG.

 

Edited September 15, 2019 by Oscar

[Neopolitan 0]

Neo had continued to fight the creature, when someone came in. They grabbed her somewhat roughly by the hand, as she was still holding her weapon and parasol of a shield. While they were dancing, she simply gave them a death glare. They would eventually let her go and attack the creature. Their blow was powerful, but she knew it wasn't the strongest she had seen. Coming up behind him, she took his hand. Using him almost like a pole, she went low to spin around him. Her blade cut across the creatures hide, now damaging it that the immunity of a solo duel had worn off. The creature shriveled up as the dark fog of her blade reduced its health bar to zero, much unlike the usual shattering effect. And to cut off her sweeping momentum, Neo hooked her legs underneath the person, going for a tripping motion while letting go of their hand.

If they wanted to dance, they could do so with the darkness they had just unleashed. It seemed the world truly didn't want her to be held forever in her own prison. The small bit of pushing the logical side of Neo was able to do.

Spoiler

Roll ID: #123957
BD: 5 + 3 = 8 - hit (11 * 14 = 154 - 30 = 124 damage to Sendo Satsu; 13 - 3 = 10 EN)
CD: 7 - recovery (+2 EN)

@Oscar 410/560 HP | 49 EN | 16 DMG | 41 MIT | 2 ACC | 3 EVA | 1 RECOVERY | ID: 123955
Neo: 980/980 HP | 90/98 EN | 59 MIT | 3 ACC | 8-10 PLZ | 2 REC | 4 FLN

Sendo Satsu 0/350 HP | 100 DMG | 20 MIT

 

Edited September 15, 2019 by Neopolitan

[Oscar 0]

Well, I'm falling.

That was the first thought that crossed his mind as the woman dealt the killing blow to the creature. She had used him like a pillar to attack and then promptly attempted to trip him. For the most part, she was largely successful. Tall people had a high center of gravity and proved to be easy to topple. But if she wanted him to eat dirt, she had another thing coming. His hand shot out as he pitched his momentum forward. His legs sailed upwards as he used his hand as a springboard to initiate a somersault. He flipped once in the air and landed gracefully on his feet. He fought back the urge to rejoice, but a pleased grin spread across his features nonetheless. It was a feat of acrobatics he would never have been able to accomplish in the real world. He turned around and sized up the girl. She was cute, but clearly vicious. Like a kitten on the prowl. He didn't know her name, so he just came up with one. One that would probably irritate her to no end.

"Alright Sunshine. You need to calm down."

He cracked a wry grin and headed towards the edge of the arena. At some point a weapon was deposited into his inventory, but he'd check it out later. As he reached the circle of spears, he turned back to see if she was coming along. He sighed when he noticed she wasn't. "Come along now, Sunshine. You helped me out with that quest. I owe you lunch."

[Neopolitan 0]

Don't kill him, that was what took all of her mental power to do. The darkness controlling Neo kept her still, sheathing the sword stylishly into her parasol before she flipped it back up towards her shoulder for a rest from the sun. All this black was not really doing her a favor. Why did the programmers have to make the game this realistic. The person seemed to be wanting to go somewhere, and then made their offer clear. But Neo knew that if she walked out of that circle, she would not be able to contain herself. All she could do was to try and keep herself rooted here and wait for the thing to re-spawn, locking her into combat until another player came her way and lowered the damage immunity by adding a second person in the arena. She wanted to become another piece of the scenery, but this man wanted her to go and get lunch.

Little did he know that she had her own restaurant, not to mention there really was no need to be eating in this game. All it was was a nuisance that could eventually be ignored. No debuffs came with not eating, nothing would get in her way. Just an incessant request to try and free herself from this prison. But she wouldn't, she couldn't. There was no way to control herself now, she wanted revenge, and this perpetual fight was all she would grant her desires.

Her eyes , shadowed by her parasol, stared daggers into the person who had come to kill the monster with her. Though the quest had been defeated, it was quite clear another challenge was awaiting the player should they choose to take it. Did they wish to drag her out? Smoke her out? It was their move now, because Shadows would run now that the dust had settled on this arena.

@Oscar

Edited September 15, 2019 by Neopolitan

[Oscar 0]

Oscar clocked the glare that the dark-clad woman wore and sighed. "You're a special type of crazy, huh?"

He stepped back towards the woman, resting his hand on the handle of his blade. She was actually angry that he'd showed up and killed the thing. Did she actually want to stay here and fight the thing more when it respawned? Why wouldn't she leave? There were a thousand possibilities. And then the thought occurred. What if her behavior was a result of some self-imposed exile? It seemed to fit the bill. Why else would she deliberately remain in an arena designed to trap you when the boss is active? It begged the question: Why?

Oscar pondered it for a moment, stopping right in front of the woman. He looked down at her, calmly considering his next course of action. Finally, he settled upon something. "Tell ya what. If you don't want lunch, why don't we head back to a safe zone and you can beat the hell out of me?"

[Neopolitan 0]

The offer was too much temptation for the darkness to resist. Her knees unlocked and started to move towards the nearest town. They had arrived from there as darkness, so sadly it knew the way back through the shifting sands. Neo prayed that it would've shifted enough that they would get lost. Maybe take them towards the area with the survival boxes where they could get lost in the sandstorm. But it was likely going to be to no avail. All No could do was hope that she could get this darkness to pull its punches when the time came.

As she passed the person, a smirk grew on her mouth. An obvious acceptance, but still chilling in this hot desert sun. Thankfully, it seemed that the darkness had no intention of killing this target. They were entertaining enough that they had no concern about dying to them. Perhaps taunting them, but nothing lethal.

@Oscar

[Oscar 0]

As they crested a massive sand dune, the town could be seen in the distance. Oscar sighed in relief. One step closer to being out of this infernal heat. Oscar wiped the sweat from his brow and rested his hand on the pommel of his sword. So close, yet so far. As the woman passed him, he could see the malicious smirk on her face. It would have been enough to send shivers down the spine of a weaker man, but not Oscar. She was, indeed, a special type of crazy. But crazy was what Oscar got paid to deal with back in the real world. The only real concern he had was that he might be a little rusty. The DSM probably got updated since he got stuck here. Either way, it was probably just like riding a bicycle. Oscar began walking towards town again. If she needed an outlet for her aggression, he could be that outlet. He'd take a thrashing to convince her to get out of that arena, at the very least. But he wanted to be comfortable while he did it. He put on a bit more speed and caught up with her. "If I'm gonna be getting my tail kicked, you mind if we go to a different floor to do it? I've about had it with this heat."

@Neopolitan

Edited September 17, 2019 by Oscar

[Neopolitan 0]

This person seemed to be preoccupied with keeping shadow occupied, which Neo was definitely wanting to continue to happen. Maybe she would still be able to make her way back towards that cage of hers, though it was unlikely that Shadow would fall for the same trick twice. The darkness inside of her was herself, and she was not a dumb girl by any measure. It was hard enough to keep her little plans from reaching that side of her thoughts. One little mistake and it all slipped apart. But perhaps she would be able to get herself to quickly defeat him and send her back to another trap.

Then he offered a floor switch. Shadow naturally agreed. No one really liked the heat here, but this was where Neo's trap was. The least Neo could do was try and lead this person on a chase around Aincrad. If they were going to chase after her, Neo could make sure no one else would have to get hurt along the way. Using the console to quickly select a destination at semi-random, Shadow let the blue light envelop her once they were at the teleporter. Once the light had faded, she had found herself on the floor of steep cliffs and mountainsides, her home floor.

@Oscar

[Oscar 0]

So they were back home on Floor Seven. That was interesting to say the least. Oscar turned to look at the woman, but then noticed that she had suddenly disappeared. Oscar was looking forward to a duel but his partner had just dipped. His disappointment was immeasurable. Nevertheless, Oscar shrugged his shoulders and began to fiddle with the platform controls again. If there was going to be no duel, the Oscar wasn't about to just sit around and do nothing for the rest of his day. Not when there were people to feed. Finally, he landed on his destination and punched the panel. A flash of white light engulfed his form as he was sent hurtling through time and space. When the light faded, it revealed the central plaza of The Town of Beginnings down on Floor One. Oscar decided that since his day's adventure had concluded so early that he would go man his shop and feed the hungry masses of Floor One for a while. Better that than sitting around his house all day.

[Oscar 0]

So, Oscar made the pleasant stroll through the back alleys of the slums of the Town of Beginnings. There weren't a lot of players still here on Floor One, but the ones that were still needed food. He passed by the Orphanage and then immediately turned on his heels and headed inside. He was immediately greeted by the kids' caretaker. Clearly a high-ish level character would have little reason to visit such an establishment. Indeed, there were only two reasons why one such as he would even come at all. Either to help out or start trouble. Thankfully, Oscar was here for the former and not the latter. Oscar imagined that the orphanage didn't really have a high-rank cook to call on in order to feed the many children unlucky enough to be trapped inside the game. How better to help out than to put his skill ranks to good use and make a pleasant meal for the children and the staff? He simply hoped that they would be happy to have the help and wouldn't shoo him away for being too presumptuous.

[Oscar 0]

"So, uh. Where's the kitchen?" Oscar asked, his looking around the foyer with curiosity.

The caretaker, a blonde-haired woman, was taken aback by the sudden question. After all, the strange, freakishly tall blonde man hadn't spoken at all to her. She got over her initial shock and cast a wary gaze up at Oscar. "Why do you need our kitchen?"

Oscar looked down at the petite woman and stated, "Because I want to cook for you guys." He spoke as if it were the most obvious reason in the world. His nonchalant tone took the caretaker by surprise. She stared up at him wide-eyed and tilted her head to the side. Not one to pass up a free meal for the children, she gestured toward the hallway to the right. "Last door on the left, stranger."

"Cool," came Oscar's response. He then shoved his hands in his pockets and strode down the hall. As directed, he took the last left and stepped into the kitchen. Seeing what was in front of him caused the man to frown, sigh, and shake his head.

[Oscar 0]

The kitchen was in absolute disarray. Unwashed pans, burners caked with food and grime. Oscar would need to clean this up before he could even think about cooking. He considered, for a moment, returning to his shop and preparing some food there. But, this was about charity. Why not give them a clean kitchen on top of a nice meal? So Oscar rolled up his sleeves and got to work. It was slow going. It took a fair amount of time and even more elbow grease to get the kitchen to a passable level of cleanliness. It was a far cry from his immaculately-maintained kitchen both at home and at his shop, but it would do for now. At least the dishes were clean, the prep areas sanitized, and the range no longer posed a fire risk from the sheer amount of caked-on grease and grime. This, he could work with. Plus, the application of heat would loosen up even more grime, which would allow him to get the kitchen even cleaner when he was done cooking.

[Oscar 0]

Now, there was the question of what to cook. He had plenty of crafting materials so the dishes he chose didn't exactly make much difference. Finally, he decided on something simple. Something that would hearken back to simpler times before being trapped in the game for the children and something hearty for the caretakers. So, for the children, he decided on chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese. For the adults, a thick steak with grilled veggies and roasted potatoes. Then, he would finish it all off with scratch-made cake and ice cream. It would certainly be a treat for both the kids and the adults. At the very least, it would be better than whatever they were serving up until his arrival. As he gathered together his tools and materials, a rotund man entered the kitchen. Oscar didn't pay the man much mind. However, the large man seemed quite offended by Oscar's presence in his kitchen. He turned a shade of red Oscar didn't even know humans could make. Undaunted, Oscar flicked on one of the burners and got to work.

[Oscar 0]

"What are you doing in my kitchen?! Who the hell are you? Leave! I have children to feed."

Ordinarily, a man screaming at him would be enough to make his blood start boiling. He would have whipped around, got in the man's face and told him about himself. The dismal state of the kitchen upon Oscar's arrival was reason enough to give this man and ass-chewing of the decade. Fortunate for the large man, Oscar was already engrossed with his cooking. With one hand, he tended to the food preparation and with the other, he opened his crafter status interface and shoved the menu in the man's face. His cooking skill rank would be plain to see and after a little more ranting and railing, the man finally took a look and then fell silent. He hung his head and disappeared from the kitchen, leaving Oscar free to work without his interloping. So much the better because even though it was easy to block out people while he was in the zone, Oscar wouldn't stomach being screamed at forever.

[Oscar 0]

After a couple hours of cooking, everything was finally done. He added it all to his inventory and transported it to the dining hall, where the children and staff were waiting expectantly. With a little menu-shuffling, Oscar served everyone their food and set the dessert aside for later. After a little initial confusion, the smells and sight of the immaculately-prepared food won everyone over and they quickly began to tuck in. The sound of silence was the biggest praise a cook could receive. Everyone was so busy eating that they hardly had time to speak. Without a word, Oscar dismissed himself from the dining hall and returned to the kitchen. There was a little more clean-up to be done. He figured if he took care of the tools he used, they could handle their own dishes. There was little reason to continue to stick around while they ate. By the time the dishes were done, he figured they would be moving on to dessert. That gave him the perfect opportunity to slip out the door and into the night. 

[Oscar 0]

A good deed was a balm for the soul. Oscar was able to return home tonight satisfied with what he had done today. Beyond killing a field boss, Oscar was able to provide just a small glimmer of light in the lives of people so swallowed up by darkness they couldn't see in front of them anymore. Working in an orphanage didn't do much to help the soul. It was a thankless, depressing job that many people overlooked. Oscar would make sure to return again soon. He certainly couldn't sustain the resources to feed an entire orphanage every day, but a once-a-week thing would probably give them all something to look forward to and bring a little light back into their lives. Sometimes the faintest glimmer would be enough to get you through the storm. Oscar stepped onto the teleportation platform and punched in his destination. Moments later, he was gone. Today had been a busy day, but it was time to go home.

[Oscar 0]

Oscar appeared in the town of Deepedge, back up on Floor Seven. He shoved his hands in his pockets and made for the front gate. The stout chill of the floor was invigorating and though he was almost drop-dead tired, he was ready to make the trek back to his house. Nestled in an isolated area some small distance away from the main settlement, his home was his escape. It allowed him to separate himself from the world. It was easy to relax without constant distractions pulling his attention this way and that. He could keep himself centered by the mere act of going home. His familiar bounded along behind him, obviously excited by the prospect of dinner and bed. Oscar didn't know who looked forward to it most at time, himself or his hound? With the way the two-headed cerberus was wagging his tail, he decided that it was the familiar who won that particular contest. He patted the hound with a smile and pushed onward. They would be home soon.

[Oscar 0]

Stepping out of the forest and onto the marble walkway that led to his home, Oscar breathed a heavy sigh of relief. It wasn't often that he stayed out until after dark. For good reason too. The path to and from his home could become a little treacherous if you couldn't see where you were going. Oscar headed for the door and unlocked it. Upon opening it, his familiar bounded inside and made a beeline for the kitchen. Oscar was tired, but both he and his hound needed food. So he stepped into the kitchen and made a simple dinner. After eating and cleaning up, the two of them retired upstairs for some much-needed rest. He set his blade down next to his nightstand and climbed in bed. Leeroy and Jenkins hopped on top of the blankets and curled up next to him. Before too long, the hound was out like a light. The rhythmic snoring of the beast was relaxing to Oscar and lulled him to slumber soon after.