[PP-F1] Earning a Living [Profession Quest]

[raab 0]

« Link . . . Start ! »

"Hnnnnnnng!"

Click~

Crack!

"Ah...still getting used to that."

The adventurer who had just entered the «Town of Beginnings» looked around the bustling city, eager to begin his first adventures with a newly formed party. The virtual sun was shining high and bright over the central metropolis, blinding the newcomer for a second before his hand rose to shade his eyes. The young gamer was still getting used to the utter "realness" that was SAO, an alternate universe whose programming was capable of replicating sensual reactions almost perfectly. This was something that the player would have to get used to, and he was only going to overcome this unsettled feeling through familiarity with the game.

"Nothin' I can't handle, that's for sure!"

Equipping his most charismatic demeanor, the player made his way to the town square with great speed, hoping that today would be the day that a party would take him in.

"The name's Raab!"

"Yeah...great."

"Come on, guys! I promise I won't fall behind."

"Get lost, newbie."

"Sorry, kid. No space for rookies."

"I'm working on my crafting skills! How's about I be the resident craftsman, free of charge?"

"With that low level? Please."

"And with what mats? We can craft better items on our own."

Raabs's brow furrowed in confusion.

"M-...mats?"

"This kid..."

"...really is hopeless."

"Stop wasting our time, man. Let's get out of here, guys!"

Exhausted and defeated, Raab slowly sauntered over to the nearest alley where he could skulk with his back to the wall in peace. It seemed that even in his seemingly successful short career, there was still a lot he had to learn about what SAO had to offer. Having only played for a week or two, Raab had no idea how to go about collecting materials, let alone how to combine them into useful items. If only there were some sort of player helpful enough to point Raab in the right direction.

[Ruri 0]

She saw all the NPCs bothering the poor low level. "Oh common guys, don't mess with poor Raab!" Ruri said as the high leveled girl walked over to Raab, sitting beside him. "So... you the new player Huh? Need help starting?" Ruri grinned over to Raab as she grinned over to him knowing that she would be the hero of the new player. She looked outside, "Well as the sun's still out we gotta go get you that profession!" She joked as she took his arm and lead him outside of the INN where the many NPCs had been bullying him. She looked right, then left as she started to look around the shops. Seeing a specific one that seemed to be more sweet with cute decorations that seemed like the owner would be kind and sweet if she were to put up all the decorative cute decor.

[raab 0]

"Who-whoah!"

What had just occurred was so shockingly quick Raab could hardly assess the situation. A young girl, looking to be in her younger teenage years, with a sleek mop of dark blue hair had taken Raab's hand and had dragged him halfway across the city to a small shop littered with a bizarre array of ornaments and knick knacks. As the strange girl forced her way into the shop, Raab managed to catch the name on the sign hanging just about the top of the outside doorframe...

Angelica's Apothecary...

The girl's pace ground to a halt as the pair of adventurers ran into what looked to be a wall of pitch darkness, illuminated by only the faint twinkling of various ethereal lights that seemed to be much further off in the distance. What sort of peculiar...thing was this?

"Ah-haaaaaaaaaaa~!"

Raab spun around, shield at the ready in hopes that whatever creature that had made such a horribly grotesque noise would not cut his Health Points to 0 in one hit.

"Welcome to Angelic-ahhhhhhhs! I...am Angelic-ahhhhh."

Raab couldn't tell if the gigantic mass of woman that had entered the store was an Non-Player Character or a Player Character, but whoever she was she was one of the most disgusting looking individuals Raab had ever had the displeasure of encountering. Angelica, in all her abysmal glory, was rife with pock marks and warts, and her skin was leathery and burt by the hot sun of Aincrad. She looked not quite unlike a cross between a witch and a gypsy, though she was twice as mysterious and five times as eccentric.

Angelica quickly pushed past Raab and the mystery girl, waltzing right up to the dark wall that had stopped their progression into the store.

"It seems you caught me on my lunch break. What can I do for you two today, hmmm?"

Angelica removed a large iron key from her cleavage, placing it into a small keyhole at the bottom of the dark wall, twisting it, then subsequently lifting the stained-glass gate that blocked unwanted access to Angelica's merchandise.

"You two aren't star-crossed lovers, are you? I might have a love potion if you want to fix that, honey..."

Angelica batted one of her thick eyelashes, winking at Raab, undoubtedly causing the player's stomach to turn instantaneously.

Perhaps this girl would know what to look for...

[raab 0]

Angelica's playful attitude, while all in good fun, seemed to rub the young girl player the wrong way. Raab quickly glanced towards the mysterious blue-haired traveler, her face beet-red in embarrassment, teeth clenched from a sort of blind anger that could only be remedied with a turn on her heel and a quick escape out the front of the store. Raab couldn't help but do a double take, looking first towards the door, then to Angelica, then back to the door, sighing as he realized his one hope for camaraderie in this enormous world had just fluttered through his finger tips.

"Cold feet, hmm?"

"Eh...what, lady?"

"Oh, oh nothing...that girl seemed to be in a bit of a rush."

Raab sighed, shrugging nonchalantly as he began to aimlessly peruse Angelica's shop.

"She seemed nice enough. Guess she had somewhere to be?"

Raab's slow-moving advance around the store's perimeter led him to a large cupboard filled with a vast assortment of colored phials, each with their own unique viscous fluid tumbling about in their glass containers. The whole cabinet looked to be something of a fireworks display, color exploding every which way. However, as Raab reached out his hand to open the cupboard, a meaty, leathery hand came shooting out to meet it.

"And just what do you think you're doing...boy?"

"Oi, let go of me!"

Raab attempted to wrench his hand free of his captive's grasp, but she was a lot stronger than she looked.

"If you have any intention of touching my «Potions» and «Crystals», you best have the Col to back up your grimy little fingers."

Potions...? Crystals...?!

"What are you talking about?!"

[raab 0]

"You really have no clue, do you..."

Angelica released Raab's hand, stepped back further into the shop to a large mahogany counter. The lumbering woman scuttled underneath what looked to be a hinged section of the counter, ducking into a cabinet and rifling through all sorts of rubbish before finally exhuming a stone bowl and tiny rock.

"Everyone in the world of «Sword Art Online» has the choice of specializing in a number of skills, both combat oriented and non-combat oriented..."

Angelica looked up towards Raab, her hands moving in a flurry of calculated movement.

"Many players decide to jump right into combat, busting their way to the front lines without a single thought as to how they would support themselves throughout their «Profession» in «SAO»..."

Without breaking her gaze, Angelica tossed even more ingredients into the stone bowl, then proceeded to tap the bowl with the end of the small rock that she recently produced.

"Smithies and Tailors are far too common in this day and age...it takes real finesse to become a Grand Master Alchemist."

In a flash of bright light, the contents of the stone bowl combined into a beautiful peach-colored crystal, the item falling into the outstretched palm of the shopkeep.

"Interested?"

Raab blinked a few times.

"Well sure, if you're just going to give me the item..."

"THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT!"

[raab 0]

"You are going to have to earn your keep somehow, hmm~?"

"You've...got to be kidding. Really."

"If you're going to be working for me you must wear the proper employee a-ahhhh-ttire~"

"Gyuh..."

Raab lazily waved his hand in the air before him, causing a small white window marked «Inventory» to wink into existence. The player's grim expression gave off a particularly unsettling aura as he slowly scrolled through the short list of items.

"«Beginner's Bag»..."

"You've a-ahhhhh-lready past it! You inventory's default setting orders items alphabetically."

"Shi-..."

Flipping his wrist upward, Raab couldn't help but let out a pained groan as the item came into view. The «Apothecary Assistant's Cap» was the final piece of a special «Clothing Set» designed specifically for Angelica and anyone affiliated with her growing business. Before equipping the headgear, Raab quickly tapped the «Display Item» option on his personal inventory menu. Not a moment later, a bright-purple cloth cap materialized in the air before the amateur player. A virtual breeze picked up in that moment, lifting the cap into the air [but not before Raab could immediately hop up and [censored] it from its sudden ascent].

"Remember to equip the weapon made available by your «Beginner's Bag». You never know what you may find out in the wilderness."

Raab rightfully nodded in agreement, shuffling through his inventory until the «Beginner's Bag» became available. Reaching into the small storage compartment, Raab exhumed the only valuable piece of equipment worth noting.

"A...uh..."

"They gave you a shield, eh?"

Angelica sized Raab up with a quick glance.

"Well. I'd much rather you have a shield you barely know how to use than a blade."

Angelica smiled with her odd assortment of crooked teeth, patting Raab on the head as she escorted him to the edge of the street.

"At least this way you wont hurt yourself."

"Gee...thanks, miss."

[raab 0]

"Alright...so if we're looking at it like this..."

It was getting to be late afternoon and Raab had just begun his trek out of the «Town of Beginnings», clutching a list of simple alchemic materials in his left hand while simultaneously accessing the «Floor Map» from his personal character menu. While Angelica revealed very little information as far as item drop zones, chest spawns, or even monster locations, Raab was self-sufficient enough to venture into his «Beginner's Guidebook» to learn some useful information about Floor-1.

"So this is it, huh?"

Raab let out a sigh of relief as his travel brought him to what he believed to be the «Field of Crossroads», a large grassland area inhabited by low-level monsters. The field housed two large roads, one stretching off to the small town known as «Horunka Village», a small settlement used primarily as a hunting outpost for low-level players. The other road seemed to branch off towards a dungeon known simply as «Tolbana». The location was marked with a special symbol on the «Floor Map», though Raab didn't seem particularly concerned with this area. If anything, he was sure to find another player or party at «Horunka Village» that might point him in the right direction.

"Whelp. Might as well get this show on the road!"

Stifling back a chuckle caused by a misguided pun, Raab began his travel to Horunka. Knowing that it was going to be a while before he even came close to the village, Raab decided to remove his «Beginner's Guidebook» from his inventory to see if there was any other sort of useful information the game had to offer.

"Alrighty, then...[F-1]...yes, yes...«Field of Crossroads»...inhabited by..."

Raab froze as he heard a menacing snarl erupt from the tall grass to his right. The young adventurer's heart sank as he turned to meet his first real opponent in his time playing «SAO»...

"God damn...«Wooden Shield»..."

« Battle ... Start! »

» Battle Result:

[ Raab ]: 7 HP

[ Dire Wolf ]: 3 HP

[raab 0]

"Alright, show me what you've got!"

Raab quickly removed the wooden shield from his back, placing both of his hands on the leather-bound handle so that he could achieve the best possible grip for his defensive position. Raab noticed that he had already bent his knees, leaning into his shield slightly as if he were already to willing to accept whatever assault the «Dire Wolf» had in store for him. It was at this point in time that Raab also noticed a small green bar hovering just above the wolf's ears sporting small "3/3" symbol on the far left side. Raab also took a moment to notice his own green bar, though this one had a "7/7" symbol rather than a "3/3"

"Alright...so these must be the «Health Gauges»..."

It was at that moment the wolf leapt forward, letting out a ferocious growl as his massive jaw gnawed and gnashed at the air in front of him. Caught off guard, Raab quickly rose his shield in an attempt to block the incoming attack.

...

Come on, Raab! You've got more in you than this!

Raab clenched his teeth, opened his eyes, and let out the fiercest battle cry he could muster.

"I won't let you sink your teeth into this guy, pup!"

Instead of bracing for the impact, Raab took the weight off of his front foot so that he could better maneuver with the large hunk of wood this game was passing for a starter shield. Raab than removed one of his hands from the shield's handle, placing his left shoulder flat against the back of the should and his free right hand on the weapon's side.

"Take...that!"

As the wolf came into striking range, Raab threw all of his weight into the shield, rotating it 90º out from his body so that the weapon caught the side of the wolf's face. The makeshift attack connected, sending the wolf flying into the tall grass once more. As the creature sailed through the air, Raab noticed the «Health Gauge» above its head start to shrink, its once vibrant green hue slowly morphing into a dank mixture of yellow and green. The bar was now only two-thirds of the way full, leaving Raab with a wonderful sense of accomplishment.

» Battle Result:

[ Raab ]: 7 HP

[ Dire Wolf ]: 2 HP

[raab 0]

Moments after Raab's stunning counter attack, the wolf was already on its feet, though it took its time removing itself from the tall grass after the strike it took to the head. As the beast sauntered back to its original position, Raab fell back into his own defensive position. Raab's gaze narrowed on the «Dire Wolf», trying to predict the creature's next move so that he might better prepare for its attack. Raab certainly got lucky the first time around, but would he be so successful when facing the wolf's second assault?

"Well? You waiting for an invitation or what?"

Raab smirked, tightened his grip on the shield's handle, and waited for the wolf's response as if the virtual beast could actually understand Raab's taunt. Falling victim to its primal nature, the wolf bore its teeth and lashed out at Raab once more. The player noticed that the attack mechanic was nearly identical to the first, which meant there was only one thing to do.

...

"Wait, wha-?!"

Before Raab could make his counter, the wolf pounced with an unnatural burst of speed, slamming itself into Raab's shield with all its weight. The force of the attack sent the dueling pair to ground, giving the wolf enough time to lash out at the defenseless player. While Raab attempted to block the follow up attack by rolling over onto his back, the wolf managed to sink his teeth into the player's left arm. In a fit of frustration, Raab pushed back at the wolf, sending it rolling down the path away from his compromised position. Raab quickly got to his feet and re-entered his defensive stance, noticing that a single health point had been plucked away from his «Health Gauge».

"Oh...oh no you didn't."

» Battle Result:

[ Raab ]: 6 HP

[ Dire Wolf ]: 2 HP

[raab 0]

"I do not have time for this!"

Raab clenched his teeth, furrowed his brow, and burst towards the «Dire Wolf» in a show of immense courage. Perhaps it was a mistake, letting this frustration get to him so quickly and so easily. Yet, in the heat of battle, who could blame the young adventurer? As Raab grew steadily closer to his target, the opposing wolf readied itself for its own attack, letting out a fierce snarl before setting down the path towards his most recently met prey.

As the pair met, Raab planted his feet in a wide stance, causing him to skid across the ground a few inches before completely losing momentum. Once his footing had been regained, Raab took his own wooden shield by its iron frame, grasping it on either side. As the wolf lunged for it's attack, Raab brought the shield down with all his might, hoping to catch the wolf in mid air and slamming it into the ground in one fluid motion.

...

[censored], too fast, too fast!

Rather than catching the wolf in mid air, Raab greatly overshot the momentum of his own shield, causing the wolf to simply bounce off the shield and return to its battle-ready stance. The force of the wolf's attack, however, caused Raab to shoot backwards, the player landing firmly on his behind a few feet away from the point of impact. Without a moment's hesitation, Raab leapt to his feet and brought his shield to the ready.

"Well...that could have gone worse."

» Battle Result:

[ Raab ]: 6 HP

[ Dire Wolf ]: 2 HP

[raab 0]

Raab was beginning to feel the stress of a real combat situation. There was no telling what could happen in the heat of battle, whether it be an unexpected burst of creative combat, a complete lack of battle competence, or the skill of the opposing warrior. Raab couldn't help but feel uneasy as the wolf continued to snarl, lapping at the air before him as if he could already taste the blood of this unsuspecting player on his lips. Raab gulped while simultaneously tightening his grip around the handle of his shield, attempting to read the wolf's movements. However, what the creature did next, Raab did not expect.

The wolf reared its head, looking as if it were about to let out a powerful howl into the early dusk sky. As the call rang out across the field, Raab couldn't help but feel even more uneasy. It was only up until this point that Raab realized that he had no idea what kind of skills these creatures possessed, let alone what kind of damage they were truly capable of. It seemed that his early spurt of beginner's luck had finally wore off, leaving him nothing but his wits and his lousy wooden shield.

"Oi, oi! Cut that out, ya' here?!"

The wolf let out a quick bark in response, snarling while it prepared for another booming howl. Not giving it a chance to complete whatever skill it was attempting to channel, Raab sprinted towards the wolf with all his strength, stopping just short of the creature while wildly swinging his left arm, all clad in wooden shield, across his chest and towards the wolf's head once more.

...

But it was too late. Just as Raab began his attack, two more «Dire Wolves» leapt from the tall grass, the first swiping at Raab's ankle, the other catching Raab's shield in mid air while leaping across the road. Noticing that he had lost another point of health, Raab quickly wrenched himself free of the wolf's grasp and retreated a few meters down the road from the newly formed pack of creatures that had come to completely ruin his first day on the job.

"Alright...so this got much worse."

» Battle Result:

[ Raab ]: 5 HP

[ Dire Wolf ]: 2 HP

[ Dire Wolf ]: 3 HP

[ Dire Wolf ]: 3 HP

[raab 0]

"Man...didn't really think I was gonna' go out like this. Hehe...not at all."

Raab flicked his eyes towards the «Health Gauge» floating above his head, then towards the three bars floating above the small pack of «Dire Wolves» standing before him.

Two...three...three...to my five...

"Now that's just not gonna' add up..."

Raab could feel his wrist begin to tremble. As he looked down to his hand, Raab realized that his knuckles had turned white from how tightly he had begun to grasp the handle of his shield. Taking in a deep breath, Raab attempted to calm himself. It was no use getting so worked up over the situation, and getting any more riled up was only going to hinder his standing in the battle at hand. Taking in another deep breath, Raab was ready to continue his fight.

Almost as if he could sense Raab's silent acceptance of the situation, the first wolf came lunging at Raab with more ferocity than any of the previous attacks, though the menacing nature of the assault did not faze the stalwart adventurer in the slightest. Raab narrowed his eyes, waiting for the precise moment to strike out at his opponent.

Just like the first time...c'mon...!

...

With professional speed and finesse, Raab repeated his pivot-motion counter-attack, intercepting the wolf's lunge and slamming the edge of his own shield in the creature's jaw. The strike left the wolf incredibly weak, as its health gauge reflected a nearly depleted bar colored deep red. The wolf whimpered as it returned to its companions, the two full-health monsters snarling at Raab for his insolence as a player and fighter.

Raab couldn't help but smirk. He was down, but he sure wasn't out.

» Battle Result:

[ Raab ]: 5 HP

[ Dire Wolf ]: 1 HP

[ Dire Wolf ]: 3 HP

[ Dire Wolf ]: 3 HP

[raab 0]

Raab took a deep breath, prepping himself for the impeding onslaught. In the next moment, Raab felt a surge of warm energy course through his body, covering the young warrior in a dim, astral light of extraordinary nature. The feeling, however, was fleeting and went almost as quickly as it had came, and by its end Raab noticed his health bar had risen by two tick marks. The player quickly brought up the local battle statistic screen, checking the «Health Gauges» of both himself and his enemies.

» Battle Statistics:

[ Raab ]: 7 HP

[ Dire Wolf ]: 1 HP

[ Dire Wolf ]: 3 HP

[ Dire Wolf ]: 3 HP

Congratulations! You have reached level 3.

"What the shi-..."

Raab quickly exited the menu prompt and charged towards his opponents with an incredible burst of courageous might.

"Let's end this!"

Raab leapt at the first wolf, the creature panting from a complete lack of energy. As Raab's body soared through the air, the player grabbed his shield by the iron frame once more, bringing the piece of equipment down towards the top of the wolf's head.

...

In an unprecedented burst of coordinated retaliation, the two full-health wolves caught the brunt of Raab's attack, using what was left of their strength to shove the player backwards, resetting the field of battle with no damage dealt to either party. Raab was finally feeling the exhaustion of a prolonged battle, wiping a drop of sweat from the side of his face with his clothed shoulder.

"This has got to be a joke...we're only on the first floor..."

» Battle Result:

[ Raab ]: 7 HP

[ Dire Wolf ]: 1 HP

[ Dire Wolf ]: 3 HP

[ Dire Wolf ]: 3 HP

[raab 0]

The pack of wolves before the lone player seemed much more cautious now that one of their members was low on health; they seemed to realize the group had a weak spot, this sort of high-level coordination shown by the placement of the two full-health monsters at the front of the group. Raab's grip tightened around the handle of his shield, and his knees bent ever so slightly so that he could maintain a grounded position. It was clear that defense was the name of the game in this situation.

"Let's go, you mangy mutts!"

As if the virtual creatures could even understand the young player, Raab attempted to entice the wolves out of their own formation so that Raab could deal a decisive blow against his first canine adversary. Raab dug deeper into his position, his front foot sliding slightly farther out forward from the rest of his body; the rest of the weight was carried by his back foot, a stance that allowed for quick retaliation in the event of a successful defense. But perhaps there was another way...

"You guys are gonna' be hungry tonight."

Raab smirked, pleased with his own trash-talk as the two full-health wolves dashed away from their starting positions in a burst of feral ferocity. The player took a deep breath, relaxing himself just before his own burst of calculated counter-maneuvers.

"Let's have at it, then!"

...

The pair of wolves leapt towards Raab, lashing out their claws in an attempt to completely overpower the young player.

Just what I thought...!"

Raab, after fighting against the creatures for so long, finally managed to pinpoint the attack pattern of the creature; it had become abundantly clear that the wolf-class monsters, at least on Floor 1, were more likely to open with a lunging or leaping attack rather than a grounded assault. This allowed for Raab to push off of his back foot towards the ground, easily rolling underneath the two wolves, and pop back to his feet with shield stretched out to the side.

"You're finished!"

The player then hurled his shield towards the wolf, the defensive equipment spinning through the air like an over-sized discus. What was even more shocking was that, in all of the craziness that had been Raab's attempts to slay this creature that had caused him so much distress, that this was the way it was going to end.

As the shield made contact, the wolf seemed to freeze on the spot for a split second. In the next moment, the wolf burst into a small flurry of twinkling ones and zeroes before completely winking out of existence. Somehow, through burst of adrenaline or beginner's ignorance, Raab managed to not let the success immediately rush to his head as he pushed on. The player performed an excellent roll overtop of his shield, grabbing it in mid-roll, only to pop up and spin towards his remaining two adversaries.

"Now...how can I help the both of you?"

» Battle Result:

[ Raab ]: 7 HP

[ Dire Wolf ]: 0 HP [ Congratulations! ]

[ Dire Wolf ]: 3 HP

[ Dire Wolf ]: 3 HP

[raab 0]

Congratulations!

"Oh, SICK."

You have reached level 4.

"Wa-hoo!"

You have defeated Direwolf [1]

Loot?

Yes. | No.

"Oh, right on!"

Raab hurriedly tapped the "yes" option, which then led to a menu listing all items carried by the wolf Raab had just defeated. Expecting a longer a list, Raab painfully read off the name of the only item carried by the monster.

Raab obtained Throwing Pick Set!

"What the hell is this?"

Raab watched as a rectangular boxed-pouch utility belt materialized before his body. Not knowing the items function in the slightest, Raab equipped the equipment immediately, drawing one of the throwing picks from the holster that sat on the player's back right hip. Raab couldn't help but twiddle the needle-sharp projectile between his fingers, lavishing in the cool touch of the steel against his bare skin.

"This is too cool."

Raab immediately dropped his shield, turned his attention to the two remaining wolves before him, and hurled the throwing pick already in-hand at the left-most monster.

"Take that!"

In another fluid motion, Raab drew another pick, immediately launching it at the second wolf.

"And summa' that!"

...

Whether it be sheer dumb luck or some sort of untapped, deep-seeded skill, Raab successfully hit the first wolf. What's more is that the needle managed to land in the creature's eye, temporarily blinding it and removing it from the current battle situation. The second throw, however, was rushed and miscalculated. The wolf easily avoided the attack and instead took up the counter-offensive. In a burst of uncharacteristic reflexivity, Raab hopped backwards while retrieving his shield from the ground below. He managed to bring the weapon up just in time to block the gnashing jaws of the second wolf. It's attack successfully thwarted, the creature leapt back to its comrade, unaware of its temporary blindness. If there was ever a time that the battle had turned, it would have been right at this moment.

"I think I'm getting the hang of this!"

» Battle Statistics:

[ Raab ]: 9 HP [+2 HP: Upon Achieving Lvl. 4]

[ Dire Wolf ]: 2 HP [Blind: 1 Turn.]

[ Dire Wolf ]: 3 HP

[raab 0]

It was amazing how quickly one could manipulate the ebb and flow of combat in the world of «Sword Art Online». In one moment, a player could have their back against the wall, scrounging for what little footing they could muster amidst an unrelenting onslaught. In the next, the player could be standing triumphantly over the corpse of several creatures, basking in the glory of a battle turned victorious. There was no telling what could happen in a single instant of a battle; even then, there was only one thing that mattered: survival.

Raab set himself back, putting his weight on his back foot as his shield faced the two remaining wolves. However, Raab's battle stance had made a few slight improvements as compared to his purely-defensive, turtle-shell like play style; in a simple explanation, Raab simply looked more relaxed, confident, comfortable with the equipment he came to acquire and the environment in which he was forced to cope with. As Raab stared down the road towards his two adversaries, his right hand slid down from behind his shield to the small pouch containing the «Throwing Picks» he had just acquired from the random loot drop. Pulling two thin, metal spikes from the pouch, Raab was ready to make his next attack.

"Let's try this again!"

Raab immediately dropped his shield, leaving his body free of any weight that might throw off his accuracy. Moving one of the picks to his left hand, Raab spun his body around a complete 360º before throwing the first pick at the blind wolf. At the end of the spin, Raab released the second pick, allowing the second projectile to fly towards the second unscathed wolf creature.

Let's hope this works...!

...

The first attack, much like before, met its mark at break-neck speed, burying itself in the front left leg joint of the first wolf. Raab noticed a trickle of fluttering binary code pouring from the first wolf, its health gauge depleting with the passage of time. Raab could tell that it was almost dead, partially from its change of attack pattern, secondly from the low amount of space left in its visible «Health Gauge».

"Alrigh-...oh, SHI-...!"

The second wolf, much like the first attack, cleverly ducked the shot and dashed towards Raab before he could even realize what was occurring. Once again, Raab attempted to grab the shield from the ground, but this time the wolf was too quick. As Raab went to reach for his trusty piece of equipment, the wolf lashed out with a massive bite, intercepting Raab arm as it was stretched away from his body. Feeling the sting of precious health being drained from his body, Raab wrenched his arm free before kicking the wolf away for no damage. It was in that time that Raab recovered himself, grabbing the shield from off the ground and resetting his footing.

"Well...that could have gone better."

» Battle Statistics:

[ Raab ]: 8 HP

[ Dire Wolf ]: 1 HP

[ Dire Wolf ]: 3 HP

[Ruri 0]

She facepalmed after a long while of running in the wrong direction, she looked at her hub seeing the location of Raab as she returned to his side seeing a small battle start as she drew her katana from her inventory, wielding it in front of her as she sprinted forward hoping for a good hit. Her return caught the wolves a little off-guard yet she was hit by one bringing her health down by 3. She stared off into their direction, returning beside Raab with her usual battle pose toward the beasts.

» Battle Statistics:

[ Raab ]: 8 HP

[ Ruri ]: 60 HP

[ Dire Wolf ]: 1 HP

[ Dire Wolf ]: 3 HP