[SP-F8] A Toasty Foray (Earning a Living Repeat)

[Azide 0]

He peered out over the metal platform and into the smoldering depths below. "Whoever designed this place was an idiot," he thought. "Who the hell designs a heat-transferring base right over a volcano? I swear, the soles of my shoes feel like they're going to stick to the ground if I stand in place too long." Needless to say, the suspended settlement was definitely unorthodox. "At the very least, I hope they're at least harnessing the geothermal energy right underneath their noses. If not, then god bless these people."

He lifted his shoes from the ground in succession, just to make sure they weren't going soft on him, then looked back to his material inventory. "These things go so quickly," he thought. "Maybe I've just been spoiling myself, but 16 materials seems awfully low. That's not even enough for three day's worth of crafting." Deciding that his planned supply trip would indeed be necessary, he turned and set off through the village's sole exit.

[Azide 0]

Once he'd exited Vulcan, he turned back to gaze at its great walls a final time. "Oh Vulcan, your rigid industriousness won't be missed." He shook his head, then made his way toward the bridge that would lead him over the lip of the volcano, so that he'd no longer be standing over open lava. "The place is so drab and boring. Besides, it's like I said before. Building your village over a volcano is stupid enough. Building it over a volcano, while using mainly metal during your construction? I'm surprised they're still alive over there."

He began walking across the length of the bridge, which was little more than an over-glorified catwalk. Although he was somewhat surprised that they hadn't simply built an old rope bridge and called it a day, the construction didn't leave him feeling very safe. "I could've sworn I saw something fall in earlier. It shattered immediately," he recalled, peering over the railing. He wasn't one to worry unnecessarily, but he felt uneasy about putting his life in the hands in the people of Vulcan. When he'd cleared the bridge without dying a fiery and horrible death, he let out the breath he'd been holding since embarking, and felt his whole body relax.

[Azide 0]

Now that he wasn't precariously positioned over the open mouth of the volcano itself, he felt himself moving with a bit more ease. "Nothing like walking around knowing that one slip will send you to hell," he thought, recalling the those blasted suspended platforms. Although he was still dangerously close to the volcano's opening, he was at least stand on solid rock here, and there were only occasional streams of lava spilling down the sides of the mountain. "Still not very pleasant or scenic, but that's a much more manageable and avoidable amount than what I'd been dealing with before." He began to transverse the rocky and charred terrain, in search of materials ready to be harvested.

Spotting a small herb sprouting from between the cracks of the rich volcanic soil, he crouched down and inspected it. "This looks like fire herb," he thought, feeling the tiny leaves with his fingertips. He dug the sprout out of the soil, then released its roots from the ash before sending it to his inventory. "One material down. How many to go?"

ID: 11245

LD: 16 (Material found)

*1 material acquired.

[Azide 0]

Almost instantly after he'd sent the sprout away, a wolfish-looking creature had erupted from a pool of lava nearby, sending the molten substance splattering around the area. Luckily, he'd managed to scramble to his feet and avoided the burning substance before it could torch him. Unluckily, he hadn't been quick enough to dodge its next move, and felt an even hotter burning sensation from the creature's bite than normal. The wolf sank its fangs deep into his arm, only relenting after it'd been stabbed repeatedly by the player. Azide glanced his arm, noticing how his puncture wounds appeared to have been cauterized, confirming his suspicions. "That certainly makes for an annoyingly unpleasant experience, though the cauterization actually ends up being somewhat useful, surprisingly." In any case, it sound faded, and it was as if he hadn't been bitten at all.

ID: 11246

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

MD: 9 (Crit +1)

Damage taken (Azide) = 4 (Base) + 1 (Crit +1) - 3 (Mitigation) = 2

Damage taken (Lava Wolf) = 1 (Base) + 3 (Rapier) + 5 (Skills) = 9

Azide HP: 35/37 (-2)

Lava Wolf HP: 18/27 (-9)

[Azide 0]

"Not so hot now, are we?" he thought, eyeing the yelping creature. It'd retreated back a few steps and licked at its wounds, giving Azide the perfect opportunity to make his move. He charged forward, not being one to spare rabid dogs. "I have a feeling PETA would have me mauled for this, but it did happen to attack me fist. Plus, I need the materials, so it all works out in the end." As he made his rapid approach, the creature had attempted to snap at him with its powerful jaws, though it missed by quite the margin, allowing the player to sink his blade deep into its fiery fur. "The thing's color scheme is so flamboyant, it's practically flaming," he thought, entranced by its red and orange coat.

ID: 11250

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

MD: 1 (Miss)

CD: 10 (+1 HP)

Damage taken (Lava Wolf) = 1 (Base) + 3 (Rapier) + 5 (Skills) = 9

Azide HP: 36/37 (+1)

Lava Wolf HP: 9/27 (-9)

[Azide 0]

"Away with you," thought Azide, dispatching the wolf. It shattered in a burst of blue particles, which faded away into nothing. What he received was its fiery fang, which was still warm to the touch. He could feel it smoldering away inside. "This will make a fine addition to any potion once it's ground up properly," he thought. The wolf's final lunge had been far off target, and was a pathetic way for such a proud creature to go out. On the flip side, his thrust had easily found its mark. "But it's not just fate that makes the difference in these fights. In fact, fate and luck have nothing to do with it. Victory goes to the most more capable opponent, every time." He sheathed his blade, then continued to descend down the rocks and stones.

ID: 11251

BD: 5 (+3 Accuracy) = 8 (Hit)

MD: 1 (Miss)

LD: 2 (Nothing)

Damage taken (Lava Wolf) = 9

Azide HP: 36/37

Lava Wolf HP: 0/27 (-9) [Dead]

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

[Azide 0]

"Who would've thought?" As he'd continued down the slope of the volcano, he'd spotted another one of the wolf-like things making its way over to him. "Guess I must be pretty popular." He watched as it came speeding down the side of the mountain down a stream of lava, drawing his sword as the creature put on a show. "Way to make a dramatic entrance. You're really just piling on the flair with this one." For all of the awe that might've been inspired by the elegance of its run, the results were considerably more humble.

The creature missed when it lunged at him, sending it tumbling against the rocky slopes, allowing Azide the chance to strike back. The player stabbed it through the flank, shaving off about a third of its health before drawing back.

ID: 11253

BD: 5 (+3 Accuracy) = 8 (Hit)

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

Damage taken (Fire Wolf) = 9

Azide HP: 36/37

Fire Wolf HP: 18/27 (-9)

[Azide 0]

Rather than lick its own wounds, the creature growled and quickly raised itself back on its four feet, then turned and charged straight at the player. With a running start, the wolf lunged forward and sank its teeth into its leg, forcing Azide to stab at it repeatedly to force it back. Once again the puncture wounds proved to be cauterized, though they faded away just as before. "The novelty of those bites has pretty much already fade," he remarked, shaking off the residual sensations in his leg. "You can cut it out now, before I cut it out for you." He shifted his grip on Quantum Slicer, then took off at the beat, running full speed.

ID: 11270

BD: 7 (Hit)

MD: 8 (Hit)

CD: 10 (+1 HP)

Damage taken (Azide) = 4 - 3 (Mitigation) = 1

Damage taken (Lava Wolf) = 1 (Base) + 3 (Rapier) + 5 (Skills) = 9

Azide HP: 36/37 (-1)(+1)

Lava Wolf HP: 9/27 (-9)

[Azide 0]

Managing to avoid the jaws of the rabid beast this time around, Azide moved himself behind it. With the creature unable to reverse its position in time, he finished the poor sucker with one last stab to its lower flank, shattering it in an instant. "Man's best friend. Says who?" He'd never had a real pet, and seeing the hostility of all this world's creatures didn't exactly warm him up to the idea. He transferred the resulting col and crafting material to his inventory, then returned his rapier to its sheath. "That makes three materials so far. My pace is definitely suffering from the uptick in enemy health, so it'd probably be in my best interest to get started on that work around soon..."

ID: 11271

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

MD: 3 (Miss)

LD: 18 (Loot found)

Damage taken (Lava Wolf) = 1 (Base) + 3 (Rapier) + 5 (Skills) + 1 (Crit +1) = 10

Azide HP: 37/37 (+1)

Lava Wolf HP: -1/27 (-10) [Dead]

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

**HP (27) * 5 = 135 col acquired.

[Azide 0]

Having just washed his hands of another wolf, he was relieved to spot another one of the reddish herbs sprouting from between the cracks of the landscape. After cautiously making his way across the stony field, he brushed off the ash covering the tips of the plant, then plucked it from the ground. "That makes two fire herbs today," he thought. "Two fire herbs for me to use however I wish." Perhaps one day, he'd write his own compendium of alchemical materials, and make a name for himself in that way. "At least, that might be the route I take in this whole 'floor clearing' thing takes too long. Otherwise, I'll probably just go with the original chemistry plan."

ID: 11272

LD: 17 (Material found)

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

[Azide 0]

Suddenly, his eyes shifted to the side, and he spotted a lump sitting underneath the ash. After dusting it off, he picked the object up, then wiped it with his sleeve. "It looks like a mineral of some sort," he thought. Since he didn't have any water, having tossed both it and his bread out ages ago, the stone was not quite shining at the moment. Even still, he could tell that it was a dull crimson color, and reminded him a little of garnet. "Assuming this stuff is water soluble, this should make a fine addition to my lab supplies." He held it in his hand for a bit longer, then sent it to his inventory. "Up to five materials, so far. Better keep going, if I want to build up any sort of surplus."

ID: 11319

LD: 17 (Material found)

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

[Azide 0]

After the temporary lull in the battlefield, the inevitable soon happened, and once again he found himself engaged in combat. The creature had attacked him without warning from behind, tackling him into the ground. The bold move landed the pair awfully close to one of the many streams of lava which flowed from the peak, though he got the feeling his assailant wouldn't mind if they were a bit closer. "As far as I can tell, lava is just like water to it," he reflected. The head and flames from its fur burned away at his leather armor, and its teeth sank through the fabric and into his flesh. Refusing to be pinned, he rolled the beast off of him, then stabbed through the creature's exposed belly.

ID: 11409

BD: 5 (+3 Accuracy) = 8

MD: 10 (Crit +2)

Damage taken (Azide) = 4 (Base) + 2 (Crit +2) - 3 (Mitigation) = 2

Damage taken (Lava Wolf) = 1 (Base) + 3 (Rapier) + 5 (Skills) = 9

Azide HP: 35/37 (-2)

Lava Wolf: 18/27 (-9)

[Azide 0]

After doing his damage, Azide stepped away from the beast, which quickly recuperated from the ordeal. With a vicious snarl, it charged at the player, though failed to connect. On that same note, Azide was surprised to find that he too had missed. "That's a rather rare occurrence nowadays," he thought. "When all's said and done, I reckon that happens about twenty percent of the time. While still a significant chance, it's such a massive departure from the dismal fifty I used to suffer through." He shifted his grip on Quantum Slicer, then positioned himself for a second attempt.

ID: 11411

BD: 1 (Miss)

MD: 4 (Miss)

Damage taken (Both) = 0

Azide HP: 35/37

Lava Wolf HP: 18/27

[Azide 0]

Taking his second go at the canine, he'd nearly missed a second time, though the extra bit of concentration had ended up paying off. By the narrowest of measures, Azide had managed to leave his mark on the beast. His blade had come so close to missing its target altogether, but with a bit of luck, he'd managed to make it work. "I shouldn't count on that to work again," he thought. Directly after suffering from the blow, the wolf had attempted to strike back at him, but failed to leave an significant sort of impression.

ID: 11413

BD: 2 (+1 Concentration)(+3 Equipment/Skills) = 6 (Hit)

MD: 5 (Miss)

CD: 10 (+1 HP)

Concentration CD: 0/5

Damage taken (Lava Wolf) = 9

Azide HP: 36/37 (+1)

Lava Wolf HP: 9/27 (-9)

[Azide 0]

After evading the snapping fiery jaws of the wolf, Azide brought the scuffle to an end with a final swing that cut the beast in two. "These altercations are getting more and more tedious," he thought. "'Farming' these monsters is no longer economical, although I'd seen this coming from a mile way. It's just stupid that I hadn't made my preparations beforehand," he thought. "Assuming the proper conditions, I believe that I'll soon be able to switch over to a pure gathering set up, when it comes to materials. Not the most exciting thing to do, but it should at least be a more effective of my time." As the creature shattered and faded away in a cloud of glowing blue particles, Azide collected the crafting material and col that its death had left him with.

ID: 11420

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

MD: 3 (Miss)

LD: 14 (Loot found)

Damage taken (Lava Wolf) = 9

Azide HP: 36/37

Lava Wolf HP: 0/27 (-9) [Dead]

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

**HP (27) * 5 = 135 col acquired (270 col acquired, total).

[Azide 0]

To his surprise, the next enemy he'd encountered was, in fact, not another Lava Wolf. "And just when I'd accepted Kayaba's lack of creativity, he manages to keep me on my toes. But even if it'd been another Lava Wolf, who could blame the guy? Designing a large variety of monsters for a hundred floors sounds like a rather drab task, especially if your goal is get a bunch of players killed. Although maybe he's just an artist, and wanted a captive audience..." The thought was somewhat interesting to him, though he shoved it aside in favor of rolling out of the way as a reptilian creature charged at him. Unlike the Lava Wolves, its primary motif was a deep orange, giving it a brighter and more modern look than their more rustic counterparts.

Despite its more daring color scheme, however, the creature was about as successful in its attempts as the former. That was to say, not very. It'd ended up missing the player, and eating the end of his blade shortly afterwards.

ID: 11427

BD: 8 (Hit)(Life Steal +1)

MD: 4 (Miss)

Damage taken (Molten Lizard) = 1 (Base) + 3 (Rapier) + 5 (Skills) = 9

Azide HP: 37/37 (+1)

Molten Lizard HP: 18/27 (-9)

[Azide 0]

"Wow, it feels as if I haven't moved in weeks," he thought, raising his sword yet again. The motion felt slow and hulking, as if disuse of his arm had costed him a bit of the limberness they'd had before. "In any case, I still have unfinished business here to attend to. Those materials won't just gather themselves, after all."

He evaded the snapping maw of the Lizard with ease as lunged at him from out of a pool of lava. The creature knew how to fight with flash- but it was rare for aesthetics alone to win the day. Azide brought Quantum Slicer crashing down on the poor creature with a swift top-bottom slice, letting gravity carry the sharpened blade cleanly through its scaly hide. "But the creature's not quite dead yet," he thought, stepping out of its range.

ID: 12835

BD: 5 (+3 Accuracy) = 8 (Hit)

MD: 5 (Miss)

Damage taken (Molten Lizard) = 1 (Base) + 3 (Rapier) + 4 (Weapon Skills) + 1 (Athletics) = 9

Azide HP: 37/37

Molten Lizard HP: 9/27 (-9)

[Azide 0]

For one reason or another, his arm locked up as he swung his blade at the creature once more. What'd been intended as the decisive deathblow had been reduced to an ineffectual, feeble effort with virtually no force behind it- he spent most of his energy and focus on simply keeping the sword within his grip. With his other arm, he clutched at the spot that had cramped and massaged it tenderly.

While he was distracted, the lizard charged and latched onto him with burning fangs, while also whipping its molten tail his way. He could feel the searing heat burn away at his arm as the creature's teeth bore into him, but he managed to dislodge it before any further damage could be done.

"Geeze, what's gotten into me today?" he wondered. He shook his head and readjusted his grip on the rapier. A single strike was all that it'd take to bring this battle to a close.

ID: 12839

BD: 1 (Miss)

MD: 9 (Crit +1)

Damage taken (Azide) = 1 (Base) + 1 (BD 9) - 3 (Mitigation) = 1 (Min)

Azide HP: 36/37 (-1)

Molten Lizard HP: 9/27

[Azide 0]

His fingers, did in fact, bring about a temporary relief to his cramped arm- but apparently, not enough. To his credit, he did manage to fend off the creature's advance using said arm and his trusted rapier, but failed to convert on his opponent's miss. A weak slash that failed to come even close to the creature was all that he'd managed to accomplish, and he cursed himself quietly. "This isn't exactly the best of days for me, or so it would appear."

ID: 12480

BD: 1 (Miss)

MD: 4 (Miss)

Damage taken (Both) = 0

Azide HP: 36/37

Molten Lizard HP: 9/27

[Azide 0]

The two charged forward and clashed once more without a moment's notice, and Azide could feel his arm grow nimbler, as though all of its rust had been washed away by a non-oxidizing solution. "That's more like it," he thought, giving a few of his more characteristically precise swings. He gave the sword a spin in his hand, then thrusted forward with his blade, until it came to rest deep within the creature's flesh.

At the same time, the beast had managed to land a final hit on him with a well-placed swing of its tail which singed his green coat. But alas, the effort had been in vain, and the lizard shattered only moments later. Azide sent its essence to his inventory, knowing that the fiery substance would make an interesting addition to his lab materials.

"I think I'm just about done here," he thought, looking around the ashen mountains.

ID: 12841

BD: 10 (Crit +2)

MD: 10 (Crit +2)

CD: 11 (+1 HP)

LD: 7 (Nothing)

Damage taken (Azide) = 4 (Base) + 2 (Crit +2) - 3 (Mitigation) = 3

Damage taken (Molten Lizard) = 1 (Base) + 3 (Rapier) + 5 (Skills) +2 (Crit +2) = 11

Azide HP: 34/37 (-3)(+1)

Molten Lizard HP: -2/27 (-11)

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