[SP-F5] Blood in the Sand

[Azide 0]

"Well what do you know?" thought Azide. "Back to hunting for obscure field bosses, once again." He sighed, wiping away a bead of sweat from his brow. 'This place isn't any less hot than the last time I was here either. But worst case scenario, I'll be here for a while but walk away with a fair amount of materials and skill points. As long as I find the thing, it's win-win."

And with that, he continued to trek through the desert before being ambushed by his first desert encounter for the day: a sand fish. He'd nearly mistaken it for the sand shark, but quickly trashed the idea, figuring it to be far too small. In any case the fish had appeared from underneath him, breaking through the surface of the sand and hitting him with its elongated beak in the process. As it landed back into the sand, the creature continued to swim about with the top of its head peaking above the surface. With a quick sprint, Azide stood precisely over the creature, then plunged his rapier straight through its body.

ID: 9477

BD: 4 (+3 Accuracy) = 7 (Hit)

MD: 8 (Hit)

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

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

Azide HP: 24/24 (-0)

Sand Fish HP: 8/16 (-8)

[Azide 0]

The creature soon rose from the ground once more, nearly skewering him as it came shuttling toward him from behind, but managed only a narrow miss as the player rolled out of the way. "Crafty one aren't you?" thought Azide. "Keep that up and I'll be crafting something out of you, pal. Preferably a crystal of some sort." The creature dove back down into the sea of sand, keeping out of sight for a while. Azide darted his eyes around, waiting for the creature to present itself once again. He didn't have to wait long, as the fish out of water propelled itself at him shortly afterwards. This frontal assault, however, was met by the simply swing of Azide's blade. With a swift diagonal cut, the creature was sliced in half, shattered soon afterwards. It left behind a small sum of col, along with a bit of crafting material. Azide took both. "Who's the crafty one now?"

ID: 9478

BD: 10 (Crit +2)

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

LD: 12 (Loot found)

Damage taken (Azide) = 0 (Miss)

Damage taken (Sand Fish) = 8 (Base+Rapier+Skills) + 2 (Crit +2) = 10

Azide HP: 24/24 (-0)

Sand Fish HP: -2/16 (-10) [Dead]

* 1 material acquired.

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

[Azide 0]

Without even a moment of rest, Azide found himself battling yet another sand fish, which had launched itself at him with little notice. "I should really expect this sort of activity by now," he thought. "Once one of them is dead, suddenly the entire species hates me." In any case, he managed to evade the long and narrow beak of the sand fish, which reminded him of a dusty sword fish, but with a spiny dorsal fin to add to its menace. He waited for the creature to throw itself at him once more, then stabbed the creature mid-air, managing to keep himself away from its horn-like structure. He watched with satisfaction as the creature's health bar fell to roughly half.

ID: 9479

BD: 6 (Hit)

MD: 5 (Miss)

Damage taken (Azide) = 0 (Miss)

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

Azide HP: 24/24 (-0)

Sand Fish HP: 8/16 (-8)

[Azide 0]

The Sand Fish made an attempt to spring out from underneath the player, but failed due to the detectable vibrations created during the process, allowing Azide to simple leap out of the way. With the attempted assault missing and the fish rising into the air, Azide struck at the creature while positioned on the ground, destroying it with a second strike. It exploded in a burst of blue particles, leaving behind a sandy substance that had coated its scales, which Azide assumed to be some sort of crafting material. Whatever it was, he sent this material to his inventory, the continued along after finding no signs of any sand sharks.

ID: 9490

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

MD: 4 (Miss)

LD: 7 (Nothing)

Damage taken (Azide) = 0 (Miss)

Damage taken (Sand Fish) = 8 (Base+Rapier+Skills)

Azide HP: 24/24 (-0)

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

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

[Azide 0]

After a few minutes spent wandering around the desert without any enemy sightings, Azide quite literally stumbled upon a pile of bones that must've once belonged to some dying creature. "Or rather, that's how it's meant to appear," he thought, correcting himself. An actual creature's death would leave no such remains behind in this world. "This is starting to sound like the Omphalos hypothesis." He crouched down and shifted the bones around, expecting to find some sort of item or material stashed around somewhere, but gave up after his search turned up nothing. He sighed, the continued glancing around for any signs of a sand shark, then continued his desert march.

ID: 9491

LD: 11 (Nothing)

[Azide 0]

"Well what do you know? These things have juice in them after all," thought Azide. He'd come across a lone cactus and slashed it in half, and as it shattered and disappeared, a material called "Cactus Juice" was left behind. "I'm almost tempted to drink this, but I think it'd serve me even better in the making of a future potion." He couldn't be sure what potion or crystal it might be useful for, but he'd find out in time. Satisfied with the find, he transferred the material to his inventory, then spotted another cactus standing in the distance.

ID: 9493

LD: 16 (Material found)

*1 material acquired (3 materials acquired, total).

[Azide 0]

"Who would've thought I'd find another cactus in the desert?" he thought. "Surely this must be a rare and unlikely occurrence." All jokes aside, he proceeded to slice the newly found cactus in half, figuring these things probably re-spawned on a timer anyways. As the spiny plant shattered, it left behind yet another "Cactus Juice", which was sent to his inventory and stored with the other crafting materials he'd collected so far. "Once again I'm tempted to try drinking this, but once again I resist the urge." He glanced around. "Still no sign of any sand sharks."

ID: 9496

LD: 17 (Material found)

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

[Azide 0]

"Something smells fishy around here," thought Azide. He watched as a small dust cloud zipped around before speeding in his direction. "I suspect that it just might be a fish." He readied Quantum Slicer, then waited for the creature to burst out of the sand, confirming his suspicions as the fish came hurtling at him. He was nearly impaled by the Sand Fish's long and slender beak, which seemed to mirror the very rapier he wielded in his hand, but had managed to deflect it using said rapier. Before the fish could fully dive back into the sand, he drove his blade straight through the creature, hitting one of its weak points in the process. He drew his sword back, allowing the creature to escape his range, knowing that it would not flee for long.

ID: 9499

BD: 10 (Crit +2)

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

Damage taken (Azide) = 0 (Miss)

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

Azide HP: 24/24 (-0)

Sand Fish HP: 6/16 (-10)

[Azide 0]

This strategy proved to be a winning one, with his bet paying off relatively quickly. The Sand Fish soon turned and began swimming through the desert sand, then erupted out from underneath Azide. Or at least, it would've, had the player not leapt out of the way in time. Having escaped this attempted attack, Azide sliced the creature in half on its way into the air, shattering it instantaneously. No col was left behind, but it did happen to leave behind some crafting material. "Just as good," he thought. "These materials are nearly worth their weight in gold nowadays anyway."

ID: 9500

BD: 6 (Hit)

MD: 5 (Miss)

LD: 1 (Nothing found)

Damage taken (Azide) = 0 (Miss)

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

Azide HP: 24/24 (-0)

Sand Fish HP: -2/16 (-8) [Dead]

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

[Azide 0]

Soon after vanquishing the last creature, Azide spotted another Sand Fish jumping around up ahead. "It doesn't look like I've been spotted just yet." He began walking slowly forward, but was aware he had almost literally no cover on the way there, and so it would be no big loss if he happened to be spotted on the way. After all, they both happened to be in a vast open desert, with the only thing limiting one's vision being the hills and dunes that gently sloped around the floor.

He was, of course, soon spotted. The Sand Fish came speeding at him, traveling like a torpedo near the surface of the sand, then shot out of the ground like a bullet. Fortunately enough for Azide, its trajectory was completely off, missing the player by enough distance to pose no threat, and yet not so far that it traveled out of his range. As it came speeding by, Azide slashed at the creature mid-air, cutting a deep gash into the fish. Though the wound soon healed visually, the damage had been dealt.

ID: 9502

BD: 10 (Crit +2)

MD: 3 (Miss)

Damage taken (Azide) = 0 (Miss)

Damage taken (Sand Fish) = 8 (Base+Rapier+Skills) + 2 (Crit +2) = 10

Azide HP: 24/24 (-0)

Sand Fish HP: 6/16 (-10)

[Azide 0]

One more calculated strike was all that it'd taken to put a more permanent end to the beast. It'd attempted to spear him with its long and imposing beak, but had overestimated its own reach in comparison to the player's, which had ended up being its downfall. As the creature had come hurtling towards him, Azide simply thrusted his blade forward, letting the Sand Fish's own momentum drive it through Quantum Slicer. The fish promptly shattered, leaving behind both a surplus of crafting material along with a bit of col. "This almost makes everything worthwhile," he thought. "Maybe fishing's not so bad after all."

ID: 9526

BD: 7 (Hit)

MD: 5 (Miss)

LD: 20 (Loot found)

Damage taken (Azide) = 0 (Miss)

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

Azide HP: 24/24 (-0)

Sand Fish HP: -2/16 (-8) [Dead]

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

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

[Azide 0]

"Oh wow, another Sand Fish," thought Azide. And yet no sign of the elusive Sand Shark to be sign. Nope, not even a single Sand Shark tooth or scale, or anything of the sort. "Surprise surprise." The creature had attempted to dive into him by attacking his flank, but had severely underestimating the player's awareness of his environment. "I'm not exactly the type to miss a detail like that," he reflected. When the creature came arcing down at him, he'd slashed it mid-air, watching as it dove back under the sand after sustaining a good deal of injury. "If I had a spear, I could at least say that I've gone spear fishing before. Oh, the missed opportunities."

ID: 9530

BD: 8 (Hit)

MD: 5 (Miss)

Damage taken (Azide) = 0 (Miss)

Damage taken (Sand Fish) = 8 (Base+Rapier+Skills)

Azide HP: 24/24 (-0)

Sand Fish HP: 8/16 (-8)

[Azide 0]

With another attempted-but-missed attempt on his life, Azide had once again managed to evade death at the hands of a fish. Or to be less melodramatic, he'd managed to avoid the slight inconvenience of receiving a minor injury at the hands of a fish. "It's amazing how bad their accuracy is, and yet, I'm not exactly at risk either way." In any case, to make a long story short, the fish had failed and he had not. His blade easily sliced through the creature, shattering it and leaving behind a bit of crafting material. He sent the recovered material away, then continued on his merry way, scanning the endless desert for some sort of shark.

ID: 9532

BD: 7 (Hit)

MD: 5 (Miss)

LD: 5 (Nothing found)

Damage taken (Azide) = 0 (Miss)

Damage taken (Sand Fish) = 8 (Base+Rapier+Skills)

Azide HP: 24/24 (-0)

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

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

[Azide 0]

What he did manage to find, however, was not a Sand Shark. What prevented this from being a moment of annoyance was that he'd managed to find an almost equally elusive desert tumbleweed. "God, I thought those things were just a rumor." He ran after the structure, which actually took a bit more effort than he'd been expecting, due to the desert winds giving it a fair amount of speed. After finally being able to capture the tumbleweed, he gave it a cursory inspection before sending it to his inventory. "I'll be sure to ground this up after I get back. From what I've read, the resulting powder can be used to form a pretty useful solution when dissolved in water." But for the time being, he'd have to simply continue killing fish and looking for sharks. All in the desert, to be exact. "Of all the places for this sort of thing."

ID: 9533

LD: 20 (Material found)

*1 material acquired (9 materials acquired, total).

[Azide 0]

"Damn it," thought Azide as another Sand Fish came leaping out of the sand. The creature's long and slender beak managed to lodge itself into his chest, but also rendered it temporarily immobile. Taking this opportunity to dole out a little retribution, Azide decided to teach this fish a little about Hammurabi's code, by stabbing it repeatedly with his rapier. On his final stab, he plunged the blade through the creature until his guard pressed up against its scales, then pushed it further until the fish was released from its hold. 'I should probably just carry a harpoon with me next time I come here."

ID: 9558

BD: 3 (+3 Accuracy) = 6 (Hit)

MD: 8 (Hit)

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

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

Azide HP: 23/24 (-1)

Sand Fish: 8/16 (-8)

[Azide 0]

The Sand Fish came leaping at him once again, but missed as a dust cloud drifted into the area, obscuring both of their visions. On the bright side, this allowed Azide to escape being impaled by the creature a second time. On the other hand, it also allowed the Sand Fish to escape being impaled by himself a second time. "Although I suppose that would be a positive for the fish.[/i" In any case, he knew the creature's time was just about up. Flukes like that no longer tended to happen very often these days.

ID: 9559

BD: 1 (Miss)

MD: 4 (Miss)

Damage taken (Both) = 0 (Misses)

Azide HP: 23/24 (-0)

Sand Fish HP: 8/16 (-0)

[Azide 0]

Once again, the creature came back with a fight. It stood absolutely no chance against the player, numerically speaking, but it sure did have a fighting spirit. The Sand Fish erupted out from underneath him, blowing him away and cutting deeply into his leg. The novelty of this, however, soon wore off as the pain faded away. A measly one health point was knocked off of his health bar, and he charged forward and slashed at the creature repeatedly on its way back toward the ground. It shattered, leaving behind col and a material he added to his inventory. "Still no Sand Shark to be found."

ID: 9560

BD: 4 (+3 Accuracy) = 7 (Hit)

MD: 10 (Crit +2)

LD: 11 (Loot found)

Damage taken (Azide) = 1 (Base) + 2 (Crit +2) - 3 (Mitigation) = 1 (Min)

Damage taken (Sand Fish) = 8 (Base+Rapier+Skills)

Azide HP: 22/24 (-1)

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

*1 material acquired (10 materials acquired, total).

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

[Azide 0]

Azide ran forward as he spotted another Sand Fish in the distance, but was spotted himself in the process. "No harm done. Well, not yet anyway." The creature came flying at him from out of the sand, but missed when the player sidestepped its path, slashing it mid-air while doing so. The creature plunged back into the sand, now left with half of its previous health. "At this point, these things should just start surrendering themselves to me on sight. That's save both of us a great deal of time."

ID: 9562

BD: 3 (+3 Accuracy) = 6 (Hit)

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

Damage taken (Sand Fish) = 8 (Base+Rapier+Skills)

Azide HP: 22/24 (-0)

Sand Fish HP: 8/16 (-8)

[Azide 0]

Clearly cracking under the pressure, the Sand Fish came leaping at him once again, but missed wildly. "My, this is quite the underperformance," thought Azide. In fact, he hadn't even moved after the creature set out at him. It'd been obvious from the start that the creature would land nowhere near him. Azide waited for the creature to surface once more, then brought Quantum Slicer crashing down on the poor fish, ending the battle with a nice game of whack-a-mole. The Sand Fish shattered in an instant, leaving behind more crafting material, as usual. "I'm starting to get a little bored with this." He scanned the desert, still not finding any signs of a Sand Shark.

ID: 9565

BD: 6 (Hit)

MD: 1 (Miss)

LD: 4 (Nothing)

Damage taken (Sand Fish) = 8

Azide HP: 22/24 (-0)

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

*1 material acquired (11 materials acquired, total).

[Azide 0]

"Rinse and repeat," thought Azide as he rolled out of the path of an oncoming Sand Fish. As the creature launched itself from behind, he turned around and sliced at its underside while ducking at the same time. He watched as it flopped on the desert sand for a short while before working its way back underground. "Ah well. If anything, I've at least been getting a decent amount of materials from this and my other recent expeditions." Running out of supplies was a constant threat that loomed to shut down his lab productivity, so he thought it'd be wise to keep a steady flow of materials coming in at all times.

ID: 9566

BD: 6 (Hit)

MD: 5 (Miss)

Damage taken (Sand Fish) = 8 (Base+Rapier+Skills)

Azide HP: 22/24 (-0)

Sand Fish HP: 8/16 (-8)