[SP-F2] <<Long Live the Queen>>

[Azide 0]

"For some reason, today seems like a good day to commit regicide," thought Azide. "Well, not a particularly good day for it, actually. Just not a bad one. If anything, the day's conditions at least won't hamper any attempts at regicide." And with that, he pulled up the quest information and surveyed the stats of the field boss which awaited him. "With stats like these, her highness was just begging for an assassination," he scoffed. According to some reports from other players, the queen would appear after a fair amount of wind wasps had been defeated. He glanced around, seeing that the entire place was just crawling with the things. Well, not literally crawling. Buzzing, more like. Spotting a swarm, he began making his way over, not even bothering to draw Quantum Slicer in advance. "Let's get to work," he said to himself.

[Azide 0]

On his way over to the swarm of wind wasps, he tripped over something the felt rather light. After regaining his balance, he looked down to see some sort of beehive or something. "Beehive? Aren't I fighting wasps around here? I don't even see any bees..." He picked the object up, and to his pleasant surprise, managed to find some honey inside. "Sweet, simple, and to the point. Not to mention, always useful in pretty much any craft in Aincrad." He added the material to his inventory, then kicked the hive off to the side.

ID: 9064

LD: 16

*1 material acquired.

[Azide 0]

As he stepped closer to the swarm, one of the wind wasps flew at him, but missed as the player simply stepped out of its path. Seizing his chance, Azide darted forward and sliced cleaning through the creature's abdomen, temporarily leaving a deep gash in the flying creature. Taking a direct him, the creature dropped to the ground, but soon took back to the air before the player could continue his assault. "How many of these things are gonna need to fall before the queen shows up? Hmm..."

ID: 9108

BD: 6 (Hit)

MD: 2 (Miss)

Damage taken (Azide) = 0 (Miss)

Damage taken (Wind Wasp) = 1 (Base) + 3 (Rapier) + 4 (Skills) = 8

Azide HP: 24/24 (-0)

Wind Wasp HP: 8/16 (-8)

[Azide 0]

After a somewhat close shave involving a near-hit by the Wind Wasp, Azide move forward and simply sliced the creature in two. Both halves of the wasp dropped to the ground, then promptly shattered upon impact. He gained a bit of col from the encounter, along with a small amount of honey, which would be useful as a lab material. "One down so far," thought Azide. He glanced around briefly. "No sign of the queen yet. Better just continue carrying on."

ID: 9109

BD: 4 (+2 Accuracy) = 6 (Hit)

MD: 6 (+2 Evasion) = 4 (Miss)

LD: 15 (Loot found)

Damage taken (Azide) = 0 (Miss)

Damage taken (Wind Wasp) = 8

Azide HP: 24/24 (-0)

Wind Wasp HP: 0/16 (-8) [Dead]

*1 material acquired (2 materials acquired, total).

** HP (16) * 5 = 80 col acquired.

[Azide 0]

Another Wind Wasp broke off from the swarm and flew straight at Azide, but missed once again. The player simply proved to be too light on his feet, easily evading the insect as it zoomed right by him. As the creature zipped by, Azide swung Quantum Slicer at the moving target, managing to land a decent hit on it. This sent the creature tumbling about in the air, only for it to regain its composure before it could fall to the ground. "One more hit should do it. But how many hits until her royal highness steps in? Only tell will time."

ID: 9110

BD: 6 (Hit)

MD: 6 (+2 Evasion) = 4 (Miss)

Damage taken (Azide) = 0

Damage taken (Wasp) = 8

Azide HP: 22/22

Wasp HP: 8/16

[Azide 0]

Azide charged forward, slashing yet another creature in two. This time, rather than both halves shattering against the ground, they simply shattered mid-air. The buzzing of a single creature vanished from the forest, and yet the obnoxious droning of the creature lived on through the rest of its swarm. "God damn it, there's still an entire colony's worth left," he muttered. He'd easily evaded its attack, and yet he couldn't say that he found the idea of battling an entire colony of wasps particularly amusing. "Do people really play video games to do this sort of nonsense?" he wondered. Then again, he himself was a part of that world now, whether willingly or otherwise. He spotted another lone wasp, then made his way towards the creature.

ID: 9261

BD: 8 (Hit)

MD: 1 (Miss)

LD: 12 (Loot found)

Damage taken (Azide) = 0 (Miss)

Damage taken (Wasp) = 8 (Base+Rapier+Skills)

Azide HP: 24/24 (-0)

Wasp HP: 0/16 (-8)

*1 material acquired (3 materials acquired total).

* HP (16) * 5 = 80 col acquired (160 col acquired total).

[Azide 0]

On his toward towards his next victim, a misstep on the part of Azide managed to alert the creature to his presence. "How did that thing hear the breaking of a twig over the droning of an entire colony of wasps?" he wondered. He drew his rapier, shaking off the thought. "Sometimes it's better just to chalk things up to video game logic, rather than trying to reason through it." In any case, the wasp quickly flew straight at the lone player, but missed as he ducked underneath its path. He'd swung at the flying creature, attempting to slice it mid-air, but had missed his hasty attempt.

ID: 9293

BD: 2 (Miss)

MD: 6 (-2 Accuracy) = 4 (Miss)

Damage taken (Both) = 0 (Misses)

Azide HP: 24/24 (-0)

Wasp HP: 16/16 (-0)

[Azide 0]

The male player's second strike found more success, managing to catch the pest as it hovered in the air at the edge of his reach. He'd leapt forward to deliver a clean slice down the length of its body, making the wasp falter in the air before straightening itself up. When the bug had decided to counterattack, he'd simple maneuvered himself out of its path once again and easily dodged its aerial tackle. "My equipment allows me such a high degree of mobility that it's almost pointless for these things to even continue trying at this point." As far as he was concerned, wasps and other such low-ranked creatures posed absolutely no threat to him.

ID: 9296

BD: 4 (+2 Accuracy) = 6 (Hit)

MD: 5 (Miss)

Damage taken (Azide) = 0

Damage taken (Wasp) = 8 (Base+Rapier+Skills)

Azide HP: 24/24 (-0)

Wind Wasp HP: 8/16 (-8)

[Azide 0]

Azide darted forward, effortlessly dodging the stinger of the wasp multiple times before finding the perfect position to finally fell the pest. As he slipped out of the creature's view for just a moment, he brought the sharp edge of his blade crashing down on the hovering insect, cutting it in two in an instant. The buzzing of yet another drone ceased, and yet the forest was still far from quiet. The creature left behind more honey, along with a small amount of col, both of which he added to his inventory. "Yet again, I'm baffled at the fact that wasps are dropping honey, but then again, I've already gotten over it." He kept Quantum Slicer out of its sheath, aware he'd be facing another wasp shortly anyway.

ID: 9298

BD: 6 (Hit)

MD: 4 (Miss)

LD: 11 (Loot found)

Damage taken (Azide) = 0 (Miss)

Damage taken (Wasp) = 8 (Base+Rapier+Skills)

Azide HP: 24/24 (-0)

Wind Wasp HP: 0/16 (-8)

*1 material acquired (4 materials acquired, total).

** HP (16) * 5 = 80 col acquired (240 col acquired, total).

[Azide 0]

With a carefully-placed forward thrust, Quantum Slicer pierced the body of yet another wasp, who'd failed to tag him its repeated aerial assaults. The player had proved to be too agile to be hit for any reason other than pure chance. "But it would appear that chance is on my side, today. Tough luck." He slipped his blade out of the creature, letting it fall to the ground. His sword had hit precisely where he'd aimed, but it would take another blow before the creature could be felled. This was largely due to arbitrary constraints within Sword Art Online's programming. "If this were real life, a strike like that would be instantly lethal." Then again, in real life, he'd likely be nowhere near as good at swordsmanship as he was now.

ID: 9299

BD: 10 (Crit +2)

MD: 3 (Miss)

Damage taken (Azide) = 0 (Miss)

Damage taken (Wind Wasp) = 1 (Base) + 3 (Rapier) + 4 (Skills) + 2 (Crit +2) = 10

Azide HP: 24/24 (-0)

Wind Wasp HP: 6/16 (-10)

[Azide 0]

Another strike, and suddenly the wasp was dead. It shattered in a burst of blue light, with the shards of its remains scattering into the air before disappearing. The creature had mad a commendable attempt to go out with a bang, but flew over the player's head, being unable to adjust its course in time to make its mark. After Azide had ducked underneath the attack, he'd run after the runaway insect and and stabbed through the creature from behind. It struggled on the end of his blade, before being vanquished as described. On the bright side, its passing made Azide richer in both honey, as well as col. He sent both the money and the material he'd obtained to his inventory, then contained on his merry way.

ID: 9300

BD: 7 (Hit)

MD: 6 (-2 Accuracy) = 4 (Miss)

LD: 17 (Loot found)

Damage taken (Azide) = 0 (Miss)

Damage taken (Wind Wasp) = 8 (Base+Rapier+Skills)

Azide HP: 24/24 (-0)

Wind Wasp HP: -2/16 (-8) [Dead]

*1 material acquired (5 materials acquired, total).

** HP (16) * 5 = 80 col acquired. (320 col acquired, total).

[Azide 0]

As he walked towards his next target, a lone wasp that had separated itself from the swarm, Azide couldn't help but notice something laying in the grass. He crouched down to examine it, then picked the curiosity up in the palm of his hand. "It looks like a small insect that's been trapped in amber" he reflected. It was quite beautiful to look at, and definitely the type of item he'd keep on his shelf back at home, but here it appeared to be a crafting material. "Maybe I have to let the amber dissolve in liquid in order to use it." Whatever the case was, he'd figure it out later. He added the find to his inventory, then continued onwards.

ID: 9302

LD: 15 (Material found)

*1 material acquired (6 materials acquired, total).

[Azide 0]

"Damn thing must've spotted me first," thought Azide. In an instant, the wasp he'd been steadily sneaking up on hand turned around and charged straight at him. In spite of his efforts, the creature had managed to stab him with its stinger, even after he'd attempted to leap out of its way. Taking some minor damage through his armor, he clutched at his right arm until the burning sensation went away. After he'd recovered, he came dashing full-speed at the wasp, hoping to dole out some retribution. What he ended up doling out, however, was a miss. "Lucky you," he thought. "A few extra moments to enjoy your time here in Aincrad."

ID: 9303

BD: 3 (Miss)

MD: 8 (Hit)

Damage taken (Azide) = 1 (Base) - 3 (Mitigation) = 1 (Min)

Damage taken (Wasp) = 0 (Miss)

Azide HP: 23/24 (-1)

Wasp HP: 16/16 (-0)

[Azide 0]

Azide ran towards the wasp, letting the tip of his blade just barely hover above the surface of the ground. As he closed the distance between them, he managed to deflect the creature's stinger as it came flying towards his chest, sending it veering to the side. Without missing a beat, he darted after the the creature and stabbed it mid-air with the end of Quantum Slicer. Knowing he'd have to finish the creature with another strike, he brought the blade back before snapping it forward, flinging the creature against the ground. "Some might call it cruel, but I call it necessary," he thought. No point in showing mercy to creatures not designed to feel.

ID: 9304

BD: 4 (+2 Accuracy) = 6 (Hit)

MD: 7 (-2 Accuracy) = 5 (Miss)

Damage taken (Azide) = 0 (Miss)

Damage taken (Wasp) = 8 (Base+Rapier+Skill)

Azide HP: 23/24 (-0)

Wasp HP: 8/16 (-8)

[Azide 0]

One more slash was all it took to down yet another of the colony's wasps. As the player's blade sliced through the creature's body, each remaining half proceeded to shatter near-simultaneously. "Return to the server you came from, wasp." It left nothing aside from a bead of honey, of which he now had a considerable supply of. "I could probably lure a bear with all of this," he thought. "Still, no sign of any queen. She must be really out of touch with her subjects," he reflected. He sighed, then set his eyes on yet another wasp. "This is going to be such a long day."

ID: 9330

BD: 7 (Hit)

MD: 2 (Miss)

LD: 2 (Nothing)

Damage taken (Azide) = 0 (Miss)

Damage taken (Wasp) = 8

Azide HP: 23/24 (-0)

Wasp HP: 0/16 (-8) [Dead]

*1 material acquired (7 materials acquired, total).

[Azide 0]

Yet mindless drone came flying at him, albeit this one very nearly managed to actually land a hit. "But more importantly, it didn't manage to actually land a hit," thought Azide. And that was much more significant to him. "Let your results speak for themselves, not your attempts." In any case, after leaning out of the creature's path, he'd managed to knick the creature with the edge of his blade before it'd been able to leave his range. It was not quite dead, but by this point, quite literally half-dead. "Or half alive, but I'm an opportunist. I'll take this opportunity to remove the other half."

ID: 9357

BD: 6 (Hit)

MD: 7 (-2 Accuracy) = 5 (Miss)

Damage taken (Azide) = 0 (Miss)

Damage taken (Wasp) = 1 (Base) + 3 (Rapier) + 4 (Skills) = 8

Azide HP: 23/24 (-0)

Wasp HP: 8/16 (-8)

[Azide 0]

And yet another mindless drone was shattered by his blade, bursting into a cloud of data before it could hit the ground. Its last efforts had been in vain, and it had died as it had lived- not hitting Azide. In fact, after Azide had sidestepped its charge, he'd pierced the creature through its thorax and actually healed from the successful strike. "Looks like you became useful after all. Good for you," he thought. He was beginning to become bored very quickly. "People think research is boring, but at least you're actively discovering things. All I'm discovering is how unpleasant this line of work gets to be after nearly a dozen kills. I feel like a damn exterminator." In any case, the creature left behind some col and materials for his lab, which he couldn't complain about.

ID: 9358

BD: 9 (Crit +1)(Life Steal +1)

MD: 3 (Miss)

LD: 15 (Loot found)

Damage taken (Azide) = 0 (Miss)

Damage taken (Wasp) = 8 (Base+Rapier+Skills) + 1 (Crit +1) = 9

Azide HP: 24/24 (+1)

Wasp HP: -1/16 (-9) [Dead]

*1 material acquired (8 materials acquired, total).

** HP (16) * 5 = 80 col acquired (400 col acquired, total).

[Azide 0]

"God damn it queen, how many of your subjects do I have to kill before you start to give a damn?" Another wasp had come darting at him, buzzing that annoying buzz that seemed to be all the buzz around here. He'd evaded its feeble efforts, of course, then proceeded to do it one better and actually landed a hit against the creature. It'd faltered in its flight for a moment, but regained its stability. Still, there didn't seem to be very much fight left in the creature after suffering a hit like that.

ID: 9360

BD: 8 (Hit)

MD: 5 (Miss)

Damage taken (Azide) = 0 (Miss)

Damage taken (Wasp) = 8

Azide HP: 24/24 (-0)

Wasp HP: 8/16 (-8)

[Azide 0]

Azide charged forward, easily evading the creature's drunken outburst, then sliced the poor sucker in two. It shattered with a shrill shriek, which he hadn't thought possible for an insect, but he wasn't going to argue with a video game's logic system. What made this experience slightly more fulfilling than the rest, however, was that not only did the wasp leave behind a bit of col, but it'd also left behind two workable materials. "Considering how dependent I'm starting to become on this stuff, I could always use a bit of luck like that." He sent the haul to his inventory, satisfied with his current spoils.

ID: 9361

BD: 5 (+2 Accuracy) = 7 (Hit)

MD: 1 (Miss)

LD: 19 (Loot found)

Damage taken (Azide) = 0 (Miss)

Damage taken (Wasp) = 8 (Base+Rapier+Skills)

Azide HP: 24/24 (-0)

Wasp HP: 0/16 (-8)

*1 material acquired + 1 bonus material acquired (LD 19) = 2 materials acquired (10 materials acquired, total).

** HP (16) * 5 = 80 col acquired (480 col acquired, total).

[Azide 0]

Once again, Azide found himself faced with the clumsy execution of yet another colony drone, and managed to slip out of the creature's path with ease. In fact, he'd found the task of evasion so easy, that he figured he might've been able to go brew a nice cup of hot water and still had time left over to dodge the creature's assault. Still, despite his enjoyment of a bit of challenge every now and then, he wasn't about to complain about the easy money and materials. "I'll gladly take these flying freebies while they last." He swung his blade expertly, connecting a solid hit against the creature.

ID: 9362

BD: 8 (Hit)

MD: 2 (Miss)

Damage taken (Azide) = 0 (Miss)

Damage taken (Wasp) = 1 (Base) + 3 (Rapier) + 4 (Skills) = 8

Azide HP: 24/24 (-0)

Wasp HP: 8/16 (-8)