[PP-F9] <<Guardian of Fire>> Cerberoast

[Crozeph 0]

Hot, sweat, and a rather uncomfortable feeling that makes someone lose their cool. Floor 9 lived up to its expectation as Crozeph arrived at the settlement. He tried to find a place where he can sit down and eat his buffs peacefully. "Am I going solo on this quest again?" he thought. The flames and fumes were visible just outside, it didn't bother him but it was a good thought if his <<Survival>> will work in the area. Crozeph felt uncomfortable as he looked around. He wasn't wearing anything heavy that adds up more heat to the body. Compared to Floor 5 this one is more punishing than irritating. "I guess the sun beats you down on the desert and beats you up in here" Crozeph shuffled his feet, his katana was equipped and it seemed that finding a good place to eat will be hard. Crozeph opened his inventory and looked at the foods he had "this should be enough for to survive in that quest" he thought as he continued to walked.

5 minutes later

Crozeph sat by a rock formation, or was it a magma that has cooled down and was good for someone who just want to sit and plan things out. soot covered th faces of some people from the settlement. he watched as they go around making things out of obsidian and player looking for smiths or minerals to use for their quests. It would be fun if someone joined him on a quest, preferably someone who can tank. He looked at his equips and saw that it wasn't meant for absorbing attacks "I have first aid thought" he muttered to himself. "Now what should I eat first" Crozeph thought. He shuffled in his inventory and wanted to try the field ration and ramen first "this ramen looks so delicious plus that kind girl gave it to me as a promo, a free promo!" he thought, smiling as he slowly brought out his food.

 

Spoiler

 

Basic stats [w/enhancements]

• HP: 420
• Energy: 42
• Damage: 10
• Mitigation: 8
• Evasion: 2
• Accuracy: 0

Skills

• One-Handed Curve Sword [R1] [+1 base damage]
• Katana [R4] [+6 base damage]
• Light Armor Equipment [R2] [+8 MIT]
• Battle Healing [R2] [+8 HP in combat]
• First Aid [R1]

Mods

Extra Skills

• Survival [+15 regen out of combat]
• Meditation

 

 

 

• Spoiler

   

  • Bleeding Dove [+3 damage] Equipped
  • Kuro Yukata [+3 LD] Equipped
  • Sairento-Ou no Yoroi [+2 MIT +1 Light momentum]
  • x1 T1 Field Ration [over-health]
  • Yagyu's Legacy [+1 Savvy +2 EVA] Equipped

  • Ramen with veggies [+2 EVA +1 Probiotics]
  • Rice with Toriniku Katsu [+2 ACC +1 probiotics]

   

  @Zajcica

 

Edited April 19, 2020 by Crozeph

[Zajcica 0]

This floor was more insanely hot than Amaterasu herself. The pinkette wondered how long she would last before she passed out from heat stroke. She let out a hefty sigh of anguish as the heat really started to feel the real burn.

"Atsuina~" The girl groaned upsetly. She continued to walk, wanting to find a dps buddy to help her fight that stupid Cerberus. She definitely didn't do enough damage to kill it easily without some help. After several minutes of her walking around, she noticed something very interesting. The man from her shop, the first real customer that she had. Was he eating her food right now? That meant he was going to do a quest. Perhaps he was going to do the same quest as her. She quietly walked up behind him, trying to suppress the clanking of her armor enough to get close without being noticed.

"Oi! It's you! I see you're partaking in my food rather happily!!" She gave the boy a smile. "How was it? I had to make it a few times for it to taste as good it came out!" She jumped over the rocks and took a seat next to him, pulling out a meal of her own that she had made some time before.

@Crozeph

Spoiler

General
Level: 24 | HP:  495/495+30 | Energy: 48/48 Hate: 1/3/4(M/H/C)

Stats
DMG: 4 | EVA: 0 | MIT: 61+15 | ACC: 0 | Thorns: 0

Skills
R2 OHAS, R4 Heavy Armor, Fighting Spirit, Concentration

Mods
Athletics

Equipment(In use)
Ice Wall(Shield): MIT 3
Regal Cuirass(Heavy Armor): 1MIT, 2 Thorns
White Spear - Lux(OHAS): 2 Bleed, 1 Taunt

Consumables
(2x)Starter Healing Potions(50HP)
(0)Woodland Armor: MIT 1 < using
1xOyakodon with Miso - Overhealth 2 < Using

 

Edited April 25, 2020 by Zajcica

[Crozeph 0]

Crozeph sat quietly, he was eating and that means his attention is on his food. Should anyone try to assassinate the raven-haired player the right time would be when he is eating. Crozeph ate the ramen with the rice. It was his staple food after all and he wanted to make the most of his meal and that mean stuffing himself with whatever he can eat "this is so much better than rations and bread" he thought. It never occurred to him to buy meals, Crozeph lived by thinking that his real body outside is being taken care of and he only eats bread and rations to satiate his hunger and not really to keep his health. The food he has right now however is proof that he is wrong. Crozeph ate the vegetables like it was the last meal he'll ever have and for some reason the rice and sauce compliments the taste. Whether he was hungry or not the food was good. 

As he continues to eat he heard a voice of a girl behind him "I'm hallucinating? he thought. Crozeph saw a girl, her hair was pink and Crozeph quickly remembered who she is "you're the chef!" he told her as she sits beside him pulling out a meal of her own. Crozeph was using a spoon as he eats, he wasn't good at chopsticks especially with eating noodles "this is good stuff you made, like I said the last time I was in your shop I only live off bread and rations and one time I ate some cookies. I never thought that I missed a proper meal so much" Crozeph was more than satisfied. He slowly drank the soup as the contents of the bowl slowly sank "are you here for something? surely you're not here to eat only."  he asked her. 

• eating Ramen with Veggies [+2 EVA +1 probiotics]
• eating RIce with Toriniku Katsu [+2 ACC +1 probiotics]

@Zajcica

Edited April 20, 2020 by Crozeph

[Zajcica 0]

Yuki gave the boy a kind smile as he said he really enjoyed her food. She got that same feeling that she had gotten when she met Life, but this one felt different from him. The girl felt warm and butterflies filled her stomach. A blush formed around her cheeks as she realized what the feelings were, but she did her best to keep her composure.

"I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed the meal!" She giggled as she spoke. "You're welcome in my shop any time, but I can't give you free food all the time, okay? However... You were my first customer. Maybe I'll be willing to slash prices for you, just for that reason." 

The girl quietly ate her own noodles with a set chopsticks as he talked more about why she was here, which only made her wonder if he was doing the same thing. 

"Maybe I am trying to do something, but maybe I solely felt like searching you out and having lunch with you? Who knows?" She gave him a coy smile trying to hide the fact that she was here to quest just to joke with him for now.

[Crozeph 0]

"How nice of you" he told her as she mentioned of giving him discounts again if he visits her shop. He didn't know if he got lucky or she was nice, or both. Crozeph finished the rice rather quickly, he missed rice so much. The ramen was enough to give him strength and as he he listened to her, he stopped when she told him that she searched for him to eat lunch together. Crozeph raised th bowl of ramen and looked beneath "a tracking device? not possible in this game. Everyone's connected in some way so trackers are rare"  he thought. Crozeph looked at her, she seemed like the cheerful type of person and these kind of person can be contagious for Crozeph. "What do you mean by saying you searched for me? there's no tracking device in this food right?" he asked before making a nervous laugh while finishing his ramen. 

"I never thought I'd be eating lunch in a place where soot and fire is commonplace" he told her. "So what did you bring for your lunch?" he was curious what other food she can make "I'm here for a quest but I'm still deciding if I should go, I'm kinda on the squishy side when it comes to battle" he added as he tries to finish his ramen "I still have a field ration to consume but eating lunch with someone is not so bad"  he thought. The heat of the floor add up to the ramen he was eating but somehow he felt good after eating a hearty meal.

@Zajcica

[Zajcica 0]

Yuki smiled happily as he finished the rest of her food, and looked down at her own when he asked what her food was.

"Yeah, this is something else I made when I first started cooking. It's a big noodle bowl with meats and veggies and a small bowl of miso soup. It makes me tougher for fights fights because I was planning on fighting the cerberus on this floor. I could tank most his damage with my armor but I heard that he has an attack that can pierce through the mitigation. I'm kind of worried to fight it on my own." She scooted over to get a little closer to him, but left enough room to make sure he didn't feel awkward. "You're going on the same quest as me right? Want to group up fight together? We could kill it easily with me tanking and you doing the damage."

She eyed the katana at his side, knowing that he must do some pretty amazing damage with it compared to her. Though, to be fair, anyone can out damage her easily.

[Crozeph 0]

It seemed like a good idea for Crozeph, just like that last time with Hestia where he does the damage the girl does the tanking and this time a girl will be tanking again for him. "I should really put myself on a better position or else every girl I meet will be tanking for me" he thought. Crozeph smiled a she told him about the quest and her idea of doing the tank "yeah I can work with that, plus the food you gave me boosted my accuracy so I'm less worried on wasting my attacks..." Crozeph made a nervous smile "I dunno about the flames because I think this quest requires us to reach a place" he added. The girl is closer to him than before, he didn't it but seeing how it's only the second time they've met and somehow Crozeph already likes he company, it was really contagious. "I'm Crozeph, some call me Crow and it must be my hair color. I never got the chance to ask your name in the shop" he told her as introductions are now the start of their quest.

Crozeph pulled out a field ration and eat it also, it's nowhere as good as he ate before but he needed an extra buff on his health "I should be able to withstand a few attacks" he thought. Crozeph continued to eat with her, both preparing for the same quest and with different roles filled, they might just make this work out.

@Zajcica

[Zajcica 0]

Yuki blushed a bit. Had she forgotten to introduce herself at the shop?! How rude could she possibly be?! Well, to be fair, it was her first customer and she was easily nerved by that fact. It must have slipped her mind.

"Yuki Izakaya is the name of my shop. That sort of translates to 'Winter Grill', but the word 'Yuki' means snow. It's my name as well. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu." The woman bowed a bit to him in her seat. She had never really been formal with an introduction like that. Mom would have [censored] if she saw her take anything other than cooking or gaming that seriously.

"Yoshi, so if we're working together, we might want to join a party so we can track each other's HP." The pinkette opened her menu, scrolled down and searched for Crozeph on her bar, sending him not only the party invite, but also a friend request. Though, it probably will look weird to see her actual username since she doesn't use that for introductions.

- Zajcica would like you to join a party!
o - Accept? x - Decline?

-Zajcica would like to add you to their Friends List!
o - Accept? x - Decline?

[Crozeph 0]

Crozeph accepted the request in haste "now where teammates" then he also accepted the friend request "and we're friends" he told her smiling, he has been infected by her cheerfulness "s**t I knew this would happen" he thought. It didn't really bother him but he's an awkward person when it comes to this kind of feeling. He would smile and then look stoic and then smile again. Crozeph's lack of proper interaction with people caused for him to be like this but he's  hoping that they will both have a good time clearing the quest. "Nice to meet you Yuki, now how do we start this? I just wanted to see if the boss is really strong on this one so my plan is to flee but since I have you to defend I think we can finish it" Crozeph pulled his katana from his waist with the sheathe "I don't deal damage much unless I use a sword art, that where I get most of my damage and also..." Crozeph pulled out his HUD "I have a first aid skill so if you ever get low on health I can heal you but I just invested points on it recently so the heal won't me much" he added. It was Crozeph's compensation for not wearing heavy armor. He can at least heal on his own, heal others, and deal damage. "We're also gonna travel a bit far, not that it would be an alarming thing but it says in the quest..." Crozeph looked for the info "the area would be very hot we might lose some HP as we travel" Crozeph didn't like that, it makes his survival skill look useless. 

@Zajcica

[Zajcica 0]

Yuki smiled at his worry for her HP. With her MIT and max health, they could get through this just fine. She had emergency healing potions just in case.

"Don't worry about me," The girl giggled. "I'm much tougher than I let on. You just do what you are good at, slicing and dicing with that katana, and you let me take the brunt of the Cerberus's attacks. We'll kill it easily."

Yuki stood to her feet and offered to help him up as well, holding out her thin, gauntlet-clad hand to him.

"If its a long walk, we better start going now. If I have to spend more than too long in this area, I might melt from the heat in this armor. It's already killing me." The paladin smiled, a bit pleased that she didn't have to explain to him what the word Zajcica meant. If she could change it now, she would.

@Crozeph

[Crozeph 0]

Crozeph stood up with the help of Yuki and started to make their way into the <<Inferno Cavern>>. "You're stronger than you look" he told her, Crozeph tried to flex his bicep on his left hand "I really don't have much strength to carry heavy things and by that I mean-" Crozeph pointed at her armor "that. The heaviest I've had is a leather armor"  he added. Crozeph never wanted to be heavy when it comes to battle. Since he only had the basics of kendo he tried to combine speed with the basic techniques. While he's no beginner when it comes to sparrings, Crozeph still struggles in practical application of what he learned. It felt different experiencing the real thing and with their lives on the line, the stakes were higher and he wanted to keep himself safe. Crozeph pulled out his menu again and looked at the info as they walked "it says it's a two day travel to the cavern, while I have no problems with that" he looked at her again "I sure hope you're ok with wearing your armor for that long"  he said. 

The floor wasn't that hot yet for them but Crozeph knew that one wrong step and they'll fall into lava or anything that will kill them "I'm also trying to make sure my coat doesn't get burned"  he told her. Crozeph lead the way as they walked 'now is not the time for ladies first, so you stay behind me for now" he told Yuki "if an enemy ever appears that's where we'll change position" he added. 

@Zajcica

[Zajcica 0]

Yuki giggled a bit as Crow tried to show off his muscle. She was easily scrawnier than him, but he would easily out pace her in regular damage. She had to rely on being damaged and landing bleed to get anything done. 

"The armor is restricting, I will say..." She thought again about the strength of the mobs in the area, which was pretty low considering her level. She also understood the mechanics of aggro in SAO well enough to keep the both of them safe. It would be best to take her armor off to make sure she didn't pass out from heat stroke while they were fighting. "I'm weaker than a twig without this armor on, so you'd better protect me." The paladin teased the boy, as she opened her menu and stripped herself of her the steel protectors that were her armor and her shield. Now she was wearing a thin yukata, just like Crow. She could feel the instant relief of breathable fabric; probably because the yukata barely covered what was necessary to cover. Nothing would be revealed to him though.

"Aah~ That is much better. Hope my legs don't get burnt up from the heat here though." She pondered looking down at her bare legs, a set of geta being the only thing separating her from the floor.

Edited April 21, 2020 by Zajcica

[Crozeph 0]

Crozeph was surprised as to how she is lean without her armor on "that's a nice yukata you're wearing" he told her. Crozeph never had the sense of wearing nice clothes he preferred the one which wouldn't caught much attention but he likes clothes with nice design on it, though he'd probably not wear anything with nice designs. The two of them continued to walk with Crozeph a little bit in front of her, ready for anything that might appear. He would recommend for them not to fight anything with how the place is dangerous, especially for players like him who rely more on movements rather than planting themselves and taking in attacks. He thought that this would be a nice way to get to know Yuki, they might team up again someday and it would help if he know more of her "are you japanese? I mean there those who are half-japanese so are you half or not?" he asked her "I've heard you utter some words in japanese at your shop and you seem fluent with it"  he added. Crozeph fan his neck with his hand trying to cool himself of the heat "I may dress like one but I'm not, I just thought that it would go well to dress in a traditional way since I'm wielding a katana" Crozeph was taught the basics of kendo and despite him being taken to a dojo by force, he was good at some techniques especially the foot work. 

@Zajcica

Edited April 22, 2020 by Crozeph

[Zajcica 0]

Yuki nodded to the boy's question while he spoke and waited for him to finish before saying her part. She smiled as she spoke, as per usual.

"Hai! I'm 100% full-blooded Nihonjin!" She said happily. "I feel like my accent makes it difficult for Gaijin to understand me, but for the most part there are no language barriers here since everything is auto-translated to the person you're speaking to. I come from a small family in a small town. I love to cook, play video games and hang out with my sister, Aki." She explained, realizing that Crow was likely trying to get to know her better.

"What about you, Crow? If you're not from Japan, where then?" Her eyes trained on him trying to figure it out before he answered. Needless to say, she had no idea. She wasn't good with nationalities so guessing would only be rude of her. Her best assumption was the Americas or Europe.

@Crozeph

[Crozeph 0]

Crozeph couldn't help but smile as she tells him that she's a full-blooded Japanese, he was getting infected by her happy way of talking "now that's awesome, I've met people who are half-japanese here but not a full-blooded one" he replied. "It's nice to know you're getting along with your sister, I'm not that good with cooking but I do appreciate those who cook well"  he told her then began to turn dead serious "I hate those who cook food plainly, might as well boil everything and eat it right away" he added. Crozeph lived in solitude so his opinions and point of view with cooking is quite weird, in short, he wants to eat proper meals. "A cute girl in a small town huh? just like in a light novel"  he told her and all of a sudden he began to question his words "now that's creepy Crozeph, call someone you just met cute. Not that it's not true but your weird a** comments can cause chaos" he thought as they walked.

Crozeph tried to find the right words on how to tell hr where he's from, it was a strange life he had. "I'm born in the Philippines but continued my studies in Japan since my parents worked at a logistics company there"  he told her, taking short pauses as he speak "things happened and my mother died and a few years later father got married to a Japanese woman so I have two step brothers who are half-japanese"  he added. That was the basics of his story and if Yuki asked any details, he'll try his best to explain to her.

@Zajcica

[Zajcica 0]

The pinkette blushed slightly at the compliment he made to her. Not too often people tell her something like that out loud. It filled her stomach with butterflies again.

"Y-You think I'm cute?" She asked a bit nervously, wondering if it was just meant to be a generalization of girls from small towns or he was talking about her specifically. Her face was flushed red from the simple thought. Did Crow have a crush on her?

"Oh, you're like a southern neighbor to me then? But you said you came to Japan, which means you likely live there now. I can see that's where the whole Yukata appearance comes from." The girl smiled, even through the embarrassment of being called cute. She wondered how much longer it would take for them to reach the Cerberus they were supposed to fight. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if they took a while to get there.

@Crozeph

[Crozeph 0]

Crozeph saw her face turn red at his words "see Crozeph? this is why you've been keeping your mouth shut for a long time, your spontaneity is dangerous" he thought. However, Crozeph wanted to learn how to be honest on what he thinks and with his plan to help other players as soon as he reaches a nice level. Maybe having a few social skills might help him and with this Crozeph tried his best to be more outspoken "yes I think you are cute" he told her as if he's saying a greeting "but to be honest I have no idea what cute is to other people,  I might be wrong but that's what I think..." Crozeph looked at her "I'm free to say what I want right? right?"  he added.

Crozeph turned his eyes back on the path they are taking "I've had a lot of experiences with yukatas, my father was an esteemed employee and he was always invited on places where I had to wear one" Crozeph brushed his fringes of his hair "it felt nice wearing it, I had two which i always wear a black one like what I'm wearing and a white one" he added. Crozeph remembered his time when he first came to Japan, very young and quiet "I wasn't able to pick up the language quickly but I did understand rather too quick. I guess I'm weak on the pronunciation part but I did have few friends, two to be specific."  Crozeph placed his right hand on the hilt of his katana strapped on his side "they also dragged me in a kendo club to learn, I managed to learn a few things which helped me a lot in here" he told Yuki as they continued to walk.

@Zajcica

Edited April 22, 2020 by Crozeph

[Zajcica 0]

Yuki's reddened face looked Crozeph in the eyes. He really had no idea what was going on in her head... until she started bust a gut laughing.

"You're a weird one Crow!" She giggled, settling her laugh down. "Thank you for the endearing complement. I must say that you also are quite...handsome in your own respects. You're a guy who knows what he likes and that's something to respect for sure. I definitely hope that this won't be our last quest together. You're someone I really think I should get to know better." She didn't exactly know what she meant by that last comment, but it was something to think about. No one had ever said she was cute in that sense and it lighted up her world. Her smile was bigger than ever, even with the blush of embarrassment still painted across her cheeks.

"How much longer do you think we have to go?" She asked, since he was the one who knew the location of the boss.

@Crozeph

[Crozeph 0]

Night falls on Floor Nine

Crozeph didn't know how to react at what she said after he told her what he thinks, he was never used to people telling him about things that they find nice from him "I'm not really sure about those things but I appreciate it" he said "of course! I can always have time for quests, the rewards are enough to keep players on their toes and I'd hate to miss out on that" he added. Crozeph looked ahead, it seemed they've covered more distance than he thought "I think we made great progress so far"  he said.

Crozeph watched the sky, while it's not an accurate thing to use for measuring the time he still looked at it like an old habit that never breaks. Crozeph pulled out his HUD and saw the time "I think we should rest here for now, you go rest first while I do the watch" Crozeph took off his haori "if you don't have anything to use you can use my haori, you might get dirty sleeping on these rocks" he added. Crozeph saw a place whre they could rest. It was a wide rock which seemed like magma that cooled down "is this place fine? I'll keep watch so you can sleep if you want" he told her. Crozeph sat on the edge of the flat surface and handed Yuki his haori "here, you might get dirty if you lie down directly on this" he told her. Crozeph pulled the katana out of the strap on his waist and took a deep breath "I guess it's really far but we covered a lot of distance today so resting is fine" he told her.

@Zajcica

[Zajcica 0]

The paladin watched Crow lay out his haori on a rock, cringing a bit thinking about the disrespect someone would give him for it back in the real world. She wasn't like that though. She didn't really want to lay on it, for the same reason, though.

"I-I... Are you sure that's fine? It would be disrespectful of me to use your clothes like that. It was then she thought of how he was going to sit there for hours while she slept. Her mother would eat her ear out if she did this in the real world. "So you're going to just sit here while I sleep and do nothing?" It was clear from her tone that she was nervous about him just sitting around. She opened up her HUD and out came a box. It had a closed lid over it.

"H-Here. Open this box about halfway through your watch then. I'm sure you'll like it." The girl said, setting it on the rock next to her and lying down on the haori, trying to get comfortable. Soon, she found herself asleep, after several minutes struggling to drift off.