sp [PT-F24-SP] <<To Take the Title>> A Knight to Remember

[Baldur 0]

It was time. This quest had been sitting on Baldur's floor for a while, and he had actively avoided it because he was not one for grandstanding. But the boss fight was coming up, and it was a good sword at that he could have need to use. So he stepped out onto the sand of the arena floor and looked around at the crowd. Most were NPCs. Well, he assumed most were NPCs. He didn't tell anyone he was coming here, and he doubted people sat here often waiting to see who would show up for this old quest. He would need to start by earning rep with the coliseum faction.

It did bring memories of the outside back to Baldur. He had been to the real one in Rome a long time ago. But this was different. It was complete, rather than in ruins, and he was the subject to the fake roars and cheers of the NPCs.

---

Spoiler

Combat Statblock

Baldur | HP: 1000/1000 | EN: 134/134 | DMG: 28 | MIT:90 | ACC:8 | AA | KEEN: 1 | EVA:4 | BH:55 | REC: 8 | FLN: 8 | BLI: 32/-20 | BRN: 56 | FRZ: 64

Consumables Taken

Accuracy 2 [Filled] | Evasion 2 <<Gungnir>> Damage 3

First Post Character Information [Signature]

Name: Baldur True Tier: 11 Level: 34 Paragon Level: 72 HP: 1000/1000 EN: 134/134 Stats: Damage: 23 Mitigation: 78 Accuracy: 8 Evasion: 4 Battle Healing: 55 Stealth Rating: -2 AA KEEN: 1 REC: 8 FLN: 8 BLI: 32/-20 BRN: 56 FRZ: 64 Equipped Gear: Weapon/Armor/Trinket: - Etheral Tether - Zanshin AA/Keen/Freeze/Burn Armor/Trinket: - Jade Magatama - Acc/Acc/Eva/Recovery Shield/Armor/Trinket: - Monstsuki Haori - Mit/Mit/Eva/Recovery Combat Mastery: - Combat Mastery: Damage R3 Combat Shift: - TECH Shift Familiar Skill: - Custom Skill: - Skills: - Battle Healing R5 - Charge - Energist - Extended Weight Limit - Katana R5 - Light Armor R5 - Quick Change Extra Skills: - Concentration - Survival - Forgotten King's Authority - Parry Inactive Extra Skills: - Meditation Addons: - Ferocity - Precision - Resolve - Stamina Mods: - Emergency Recovery - Meticulous Inactive Mods: Battle Ready Inventory: - Basic Teleport Crystal x7 - Bear Trap x7 - Group Heal Crystal x1 - Hypnosis x5 - Medium Vitality Snack x1 - Misperception x2 - Safeguard Potion x1 - Warden's Fury x1 - Zanshin or Muramasa x1 Housing Buffs: - Bedroom: -1 energy cost for the first two expenditures of each combat - Bathroom: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 20% (rounded down) - Basic Kitchen: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot. This can exceed normal Cook enhancement caps. Ex: A perfect T2 MIT food gives 35 MIT instead of 30. - Storage Closet: +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot - Dining Room: Turn 2 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Lesser Feast. A Lesser Feast contains 4 portions of the food items sacrificed. Lesser Feasts created this way cannot be used outside of the thread they are created. Limit 1 item created per thread. - Living Room: Increases out of combatHP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts. - Fishing Pond: +2 Fishing EXP per fishing attempt - Mega Slime Farm: +10% EXP to a thread. Limit one use per month. Must be used on a player's first post in a thread. Cooldown begins counting down when used in a post. Guild Hall Buffs: Scents of the Wild Totem: Wedding Ring: Crafting Profession: - Appraising[5000exp] R5 Gathering Profession: - Fishing[exp] R1

55 SP Unused due to respec: PT skills taken for this thread
Biting (20 SP): +2 Damage
Resolute (10 SP): 12 Mitigation
Letting (20 SP): Increase activation range of Dots by 1

► Biting
Cost: 20 SP
Passive
Effect: Player gains +2 Base Damage 

► Resolute
Cost: 10 SP
Passive
Effect: Player gains +3*Tier Mitigation

► Letting
Cost: 20 SP
Passive
Effect: Increase Activation Range for all DoT effects by 1 (I.E.  Bleed 2 becomes 7-10)

Edited 5 hours ago by Baldur

[Baldur 0]

His first opponent was another NPC, so Baldur didn't feel the need to go through any motions. An NPC judge stood up and called out the crowd, going through the forms and functions that Baldur couldn't be bothered to pay attention to. It was set dressing for a fight with an NPC, and it stood between him and his goal. Getting this sword art before they would summon him for the boss fight.

"Alright, let's do this." It was more to himself than anyone else.

He drew his sword and held it ready. He knew how to edge his bets with swords arts by now. He could stand almost in the position he needed to in order to activate the attack. It would be much faster than someone who wasn't ready. He could feel the system pulling at  his limbs, trying to get him to release the attack.

And when the fight started, he did.

---

Tech-A (Stun): ID#247018 BD: 1+8+1 Abs Acc - 1 Eva -1 Charge = 8 (hit) CD:7 (no STB), -13 Energy (housing bonus). ID#247019 CD: 12 Recovery Proc, +8 Energy, -10 Energy Charge
28+3=31x16=496 DMG Dealt

Baldur | HP: 1000/1000 | EN: 119/134 | DMG: 28 | MIT:90 | ACC:8 | AA | KEEN: 1 | EVA:4 | BH:55 | REC: 8 | FLN: 8 | BLI: 32/-20 | BRN: 56 | FRZ: 64 (Charge 0/3)
Gladiator Asparagus Minimus HP: 504/1000 | DMG: 140 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 1

Edited 4 hours ago by Baldur

[Baldur 0]

The sword art Baldur released probably would have missed in the hands of anyone else. The Gladiator attempted to dodge immediately, but was not prepared for the speed that Baldur released his sword art and the blow struck him a glancing blow, but since he was caught on a bad foot, it sent him spinning, and unable to counter attack against Baldur.

The gaijin samurai gave a slight smirk, seeing everything come together as he had foreseen. It usually did in these fights which was another reason why he tended to avoid things like this. It was too much like shooting fish in a barrel. Once he had done this though, it would be over and he wouldn't have to look back.

"Oh wow! Look at that folks! The one and only Baldur as sent Asparagus Minimum into a downward spiral! The big question for everyone is can he recover in time?"

No, no he won't.

But instead of shattering into crystals, he was left with 1 hp and fell to the ground. More NPCs rushed out to carry him out of the arena in order to maintain the illusion. Would they do that for me I wonder?

"VICTORY!!!!!" The announcer called out, and the fake crowd erupted into cheers.

---

Tech-B (Delay): ID#247020 BD: 7 CD:4 (no STB), -12 Energy (housing bonus). ID#247019 CD: 5 No Recovery Proc, +4 Tier energy
28+8=36x16=576 DMG Dealt

Baldur | HP: 1000/1000 | EN: 111/134 | DMG: 28 | MIT:90 | ACC:1 | AA (inc) | KEEN: 1 (inc) | EVA:4 | BH:55 | REC: 8 | FLN: 8 | BLI: 32/-20 | BRN: 56 | FRZ: 64 Charge (1/3)
Gladiator Asparagus Minimus HP: 1/1000 | DMG: 140 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 1

Edited 4 hours ago by Baldur

[Baldur 0]

With the first fight behind him, Baldur would advance to the next round. Once Asparagus had been delivered to the medial ward, the next gate was opened and another, almost exactly the same fight was released. This one with a different name, and that was the only way Baldur could tell them apart.

Could you fight other players here? He had never been interested in doing that, but perhaps it would be more interesting than another identical NPC.

Here we go. Another one.

Baldur still went through the motions. Ritually ending the previous fight with his usual chiburi and noto. Then he turned his steel blue eyes on to the next opponent. His eyes focused, selecting the new target and the name popped up.

Baldur's eyes twitched as slowly he watched Lesbianus slowly stalked towards him.

A missed opportunity, this one wasn't even wearing comfortable shoes. Baldur had worn roman sandals before, and they were not comfortable in this kind of ground.

"Fight!" The announcer roared, and once again, Baldur's sword art flew faster than anyone could react.

---

Tech-A (Stun): ID#247023 BD: 4 CD:4 (no STB), -13 Energy. ID#247024 CD: 3 No Recovery Proc, +4 Tier energy
28x16=448 DMG Dealt

Baldur | HP: 1000/1000 | EN: 102/134 | DMG: 28 | MIT:90 | ACC:1 | AA (inc) | KEEN: 1 (inc) | EVA:4 | BH:55 | REC: 8 | FLN: 8 | BLI: 32/-20 | BRN: 56 | FRZ: 64 Chrage (2/3)
Gladiator Lesbianus HP: 552/1000 | DMG: 140 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 1 (Stunned)

Edited 4 hours ago by Baldur

[Baldur 0]

Sand and an arc of black and crimson light tore through the ground at Lesbianus, striking the gladiator with enough power and fury to knock him to the ground. Baldur walked slowly over to the stunned form while his sword arts recharged, his energy ticking up slightly. This was draining his batter and his energy proc wasn't going off as much as he would have liked, but it was what it was.

"Sorry about this." He apologized to the stunned NPC. He never enjoyed this part of debilitating attacks on humanoid enemies, but at least it was pixels and strings of code instead of flesh and blood. That was one thing Baldur had never done, use a sword on a real, living person. Tameshigiri? Dozens of times at the dojo. But the feeling of sticking a blade into a person was foreign to him, and he hoped it would stay that way forever. He would take a swipe at him, but it was never going to connect like that. Baldur knew the relative distances between them, and his sword was longer than his.

---

Tech-B (Delay): ID#247025 BD: 5 CD:2 (no STB), -12 Energy. ID#247026 CD: 9 Recovery Proc, +4 Tier energy, +8 Energy
28x16=448 DMG Dealt

Baldur | HP: 1000/1000 | EN: 102/134 | DMG: 28 | MIT:90 | ACC:1 | AA (inc) | KEEN: 1 (inc) | EVA:4 | BH:55 | REC: 8 | FLN: 8 | BLI: 32/-20 | BRN: 56 | FRZ: 64 Chrage (3/3)
Gladiator Lesbianus HP: 102/1000 | DMG: 140 | ACC: 0 1 | EVA: 1 

ID#247027 BD: 5+0-4 = Miss

Edited 4 hours ago by Baldur

[Baldur 0]

Baldur drove his katana down into Lesbianus, and their HP dropped down to 1 again. He swiped his sword before sheathing it. After this next one, he should be able to fight something challenging. He had heard the champion of the stadium could be quite dangerous, but Baldur wasn't a thrill seeker. Still, fighting something that at least fought back would be nice. It was so rare these days. Thankfully Baldur had his dojo to keep his competitive edge, and teaching was far more satisfying than fighting.

"And he wins again! Can anyone stop this player on a rampage!? Our next fighter will have to answer that question. From downtown, comes contestant Lesbianus' older brother, Morbianus!"

Baldur's eye twitched in annoyance again. This was fake roman, in that the coliseum was modeled that way, but what kind of an idiot wrote these NPCs and this dialogue? It was like there wasn't even any thought put into trying to maintain verisimilitude. 

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ST-1 : ID#247028 BD: 6 CD:7 (no STB), -10 Energy. ID#247026 CD: 4 No Recovery Proc, +4 Tier energy, 
28x10=280 DMG Dealt

Baldur | HP: 1000/1000 | EN: 96/134 | DMG: 28 | MIT:90 | ACC:1 | AA (inc) | KEEN: 1 (inc) | EVA:4 | BH:55 | REC: 8 | FLN: 8 | BLI: 32/-20 | BRN: 56 | FRZ: 64 Chrage (3/3)
Gladiator Lesbianus HP: 1/1000 | DMG: 140 | ACC: 0 1 | EVA: 1 

Edited 4 hours ago by Baldur

[Baldur 0]

Morbianus came charging out of the gate, from a different point that the others had. He never paused for the announcer to shout: "Fight!" but it was all set dressing. A seamlessly integrated cutscene. He had seen the like of it in non-VRMMORPGs before. However, without the perspective shift, it was a little too seamless and Baldur wasn't not shaken. Morbianus crossed the threshold of range that Baldur was acutely aware of. He had spent a lot of years before SAO as a tank, and one of the things you learn to get a feel of is the exact range distance required to draw aggro or activate your abilities.

And with his life at stake, Baldur was intimately familiar with this range.

In a flash he had already closed the distance, the pommel of his sword striking the gladiator, then he swirled around without slowing down thanks to the sword art and brought the blade down in an executioner like chop, the effects of his sword exploding to life, burning and blighting the digital being.

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Tech-A (Stun): ID#247030 BD: 10 CD:7 (no STB), -13 Energy. ID#247031 CD: 10 Recovery Proc, +4 Tier energy, +8 Energy
28+2 (crit)x16=480 DMG Dealt, +32 Blight, -20 Mitigation, 56 Burn damage

Baldur | HP: 1000/1000 | EN: 95/134 | DMG: 28 | MIT:90 | ACC:10 | AA (inc) | KEEN: 1 (inc) | EVA:4 | BH:55 | REC: 8 | FLN: 8 | BLI: 32/-20 | BRN: 56 | FRZ: 64 
Gladiator Morbianus HP: 432/1000 | DMG: 140 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 1 (Stunned) | Burning 56 (1/2) | Blighted 32 (1/2)

Edited 4 minutes ago by Baldur

[Baldur 0]

Fighting stuff - defeated Morbianus while he was still stunned.

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Tech-B (Delay): ID#247040 BD: 4+10=hit CD:2 (no STB), -13 Energy. ID#247041 CD: 11 No Recovery Proc, +4 Tier energy, 
28x16=480 DMG Dealt (defeated)

Baldur | HP: 1000/1000 | EN: 95/134 | DMG: 28 | MIT:90 | ACC:10 | AA (inc) | KEEN: 1 (inc) | EVA:4 | BH:55 | REC: 8 | FLN: 8 | BLI: 32/-20 | BRN: 56 | FRZ: 64 Chrage (3/3)
Gladiator Morbianus HP: 1/1000 | DMG: 140 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 1 (Stunned) | Burning 56 (1/2) | Blighted 32 (1/2)

Edited 2 minutes ago by Baldur