[PP-F5] Searching the Lost(Complete)

[Rook 0]

Rook thought about Carlex's last comment, "What I can do to help everyone escape" hmm, pretty noble, also stupid he thought to himself. Rook looked around his surroundings before remembering he was in the desert and there was nothing to look at. "Look, I don't want you to take what I'm about to say the wrong way or anything but I feel I need to warn you. I like having you as an ally, but the only person I'm concerned about getting through this is myself." Rook thought about what he had said and realized that it might not have made much sense. " I guess what I mean is, I'll help you if I can, but if you go running off and get yourself in trouble don't expect me to risk my neck to get you out of it."

 

Looking out onto the horizon, Rook thought he could make out the sight of sand dunes rising in the distance. I guess we might finally be getting close he thought to himself.

[Calrex 0]

"No fair enough, that's sensible for sure. Don't worry, I'm not aiming to pull any stunts like that."

 

"I guess that my idea could possibly be taken as a delusion of grandeur...being strong enough to protect everyone."

 

Calrex nodded understandingly as he put his hands in his pockets, looking around the area, "It's still going to be some time before I can even get close to succeeding in that goal. I also understand that it's very likely that we're not strong enough to make everyone survive. Plus, I can't afford to let myself get killed either."

 

He looked back over at Rook as he gave a friendly smirk, "In any case, you don't have to worry about that kind of stuff. It is nice that you're straightforward with me about that fact. I'll be sure to be careful, and I'm sure you'll do the same."

[Rook 0]

So far Rook liked having Calrex as a partner. For one, he seemed unfazed by the fact that he was an orange player and two, he seemed perfectly capable of taking care of himself. If there was one thing Rook hated most in this world it was getting dragged down by his teammates. Looking back up at the horizon after some time spent thinking and watching his feet move through the sand, he noticed the dunes in the distance had begun to grow bigger and bigger. Shouldn't be to much farther  he thought to himself. "So...." he said now looking at Calrex "What do you want to talk about now?"

[Calrex 0]

Calrex scanned the horizon, but still there didn't appear to be any sign of hidden treasure. Not even a small corner of a chest or something to that effect.

 

"I guess this treasure is really buried deep in the sands. I wonder if we're going to need to find some kind of entrance to an underground cave or something...as long as it doesn't involve digging, because I don't have a shovel."

 

As Rook asked what they should talk about next Calrex looked up for a second to note that he was thinking, "Hm...that's a good question...oh, how about this? Please feel free to refrain from answering if it's too personal, but what was life like for you before getting stuck in this game?"

 

"I guess that might be too personal of a question for some people. It's definitely not something that people would like to share with strangers within a game. Of course, I guess SAO in some way would be an exception, since for the most part we're actually ourselves. There's no false character appearance to mask ourselves."

[Rook 0]

Rook looked at Calrex and thought about the question. "Life outside the game? Well not to disappoint you but my story really isn't all the exciting. My family is pretty middle class and average, they do however consider me the black sheep of the family. My parents liked to stress academics growing up and both of my brothers are book worms. That being said I was always more into sports and girls, never really tried all that hard in school."   Rook knew there was more he could say about his life in the outside world but nothing he though a stranger would find interesting.  "What about you, what was your life like on the outside?"

[Calrex 0]

Calrex gave a quick laugh as Rook mentioned that his life wasn't very interesting outside of SAO, "Well I can't say mine is any more interesting. I'm the only child of my family, but even though my parents divorced they still worked together to raise me. In terms of lifestyle it was about the same as you, middle class and such. However I lived on my own and was going to work when I ended up getting trapped."

 

He took his hands out of his jacket pockets as he continued to look around, "Still no sign of any treasure yet. I wonder if we're even getting close."

 

"Do you have any particular sport that you enjoy playing the most? I remember a lot of schoolgirls tended to flock towards the popular teams like football and basketball."

[Rook 0]

Rook was about to answer Calrex's question when out of the corner of his eye he noticed a distortion is the landscape. "Whats that over there?" he asked pointing in the direction of it. Looking at the dunes which were still growing larger on the horizon, it would still be a little while before they reached then. Since we having nothing but time, it might be worth the while to go have a look Rook thought to himself. "Come on, I want to check this out" he said to Calrex as he ran over to what looked to be a dark spot in the sand about a hundred feet away. Coming to a stop on top of the entrance, it appeared to be a cave.

 

 

As Rook tried to peer into the darkness he had a hard time making out anything inside. For whatever reason, this cave gave Rook a bad feeling. Unlike in the real world where things like these were just natural occurrences in nature. In the game someone had designed this to be here on purpose. Although he had never ventured into a dungeon himself so far, he had herd countless tales of players who had met their end attempting to hunt down rare items inside of them. "What do you think Calrex? Do we go in and check it out or go look someplace else?"

[Calrex 0]

"Hm..."

 

As Rook motioned over to the cave he walked over, looking down into the abyss. Due to the current lighting of the sands it lit up the mouth of the cave, but it seemed that the inner parts were still hidden by shadow, "We can probably check it out, but let's take it slow. If we encounter any creatures that might prove to be a difficult fight we'll monitor our health. I usually plan to clear out if my health ever falls to half or less."

 

He drew his Anneal Blade as he flipped it into reverse, "Do you have any healing items or a teleportation crystal with you? If so keep those at the ready."

 

"Best take the approach slow. If we go rushing in there might be traps that trigger that could trap us in. If we move slowly we can make to sure to avoid at least most of them."

 

Calrex grasped the edge of the cave as he stepped inside, keeping his eyes peeled as he lowered his stance, "Make sure to watch the walls as well. If we take this slowly we should be able to avoid any unnecessary conflict."

[Rook 0]

((Do to the darkness we receive -1 to the BD while in the dungeon, at least in the dark parts))

 

"Agreed" Rook said responding to Calrex's idea about taking it slow. Walking cautiously  into the mouth of the cave, Rook's eyes scanned side to side for any hint of traps that may lay in wait for them. "I can barely see anything down here." Rook said commenting on the darkness of the dungeon. Although he was expecting the air inside of the cave to be dry and airy. In reality it was heavy and moist. Strange, maybe there is an underground source of water somewhere in here. As Rook continued to walk deeper and deeper into the cave he felt the sand beneath his feet grow shallower and harder until it was completely replaced by stone.

[Calrex 0]

OOC: Haha, I have Night Vision!

 

IC:

 

As Rook followed behind Calrex decided to take point. He gave a few breaths as he let his eyes relax. Since he had <<Night Vision>> as part of his skill set he was easily able to adapt to the low light conditions. While it wasn't as bright as outside on the dunes, seeing inside the cave proved to be no hindrance to him, "How are you doing back there? If seems like it might be kind of dark, so if you're having trouble I'll give you a heads up for any potential obstacles."

 

He took note as he felt the gravelly grit of the sand seemed to give way to smooth stone as they continued to descend into the cave. Calrex kept his blade at the ready, keeping it close to his body to make sure it didn't accidentally tap against any surfaces. Even their footsteps seemed to echo through the cave to some level. Eventually the passageway seemed to give out to lead into a medium sized cavern. Calrex emerged and moved to the side to give Rook room to exit, "This area seem a little more spacious. Hopefully we don't have to go through any more tunnels for a while."

[Rook 0]

Entering into the cavern, Rook attempted to look around but was still having trouble adjusting to the darkness. Griping the hilt of his sword which was still holstered on his back, Rook made his way to the center of the room. Looking up, he couldn't help but notice a large black hole in the ceiling of the cavern. I have a bad feeling about this Rook thought to himself. "Hey Calrex, can you see what's up there?  Before Calrex had a chance to look however, a large dark blur came swooping out of the hole towards Rook. Bracing himself for the impact, he was caught off guard when he felt multiple razor sharp claws tear across his body. Its a bat! Only able to make out a dark blur as the bat flew around the room, he drew his sword and took a defensive stance, not attempting an attack.

 

ID: 13695 BD: 5-1=4 MD:9

 

Rook-9/11(Attack fails)

Calrex-21/21

 

Giant Bat-15/15(Attack hits Rook for 1+1(Critical)=2)

[Calrex 0]

ID: 13696

Battle Dice: 8 (Unhindered due to Night Vision)

 

Calrex looked up to try and see what Rook was directing him towards, but unfortunately by that time it was already to late. As he turned to see what was attacking Rook his eyes could easily make it out, "Rook put some distance between you two it's a giant bat!"

 

As the bat backed off and began to circle the room Calrex drew his sword, beginning to use his Sprint ability to gain some momentum before he looked and saw a stalagmite that could prove to be useful. He quickly ran towards it and jumped, kicking off as the bat circled towards it. In mid-air as the two bodies came into striking distance Calrex twisted his body, cutting the bat across the abdomen as he sailed by. As he reached the wall of the cave he quickly extended a foot, using it as a cushioning spring to safely kill his momentum as he slid back down towards the ground, "Alright that was a good hit. It's too bad I didn't manage to clip its wing or something. That might've proven to be even more useful. If this is anything like the Wasp Queen fight I did with Teayre it should be a breeze."

 

HP List

Rook: 9/11

Calrex: 21/21

 

Enemies:

Giant Bat: 11/15

 

Conditions:

Environment: -1 to BD rolls for anyone without <<Night Vision>>

[Rook 0]

Trying to keep tabs on the bat as it circled the room, Rook noticed Calrex charging forward towards a large stalagmite. What is this guy up to? he thought to himself. Observing as Calrex launched himself off the rock and struck the bat in midair, Rook was impressed with the attack. "It's nice to see that when your not sliding around in the sand that you can do some real damage" he said attempting to make a light hearted joke about Calrex's previous performance against the scorpion.

 

It's hate now turned towards Calrex after the attack. The giant bat soared towards him and slammed it's body into Calrex at full speed. Watching the attack happen, Rook saw his opportunity to strike. As the bat attempted to regain its barrings after the attack, Rook ran forward and plunged his sword into the bats back. Withdrawing the sword hastily, Rook quickly went back into a defensive stance and waited for the bats next move.

 

ID: 13730 BD: 9-1=8(Still a critical) MD: 8

 

Rook-9/11(Hits giant bat for 3 damage)

Calrex-20/21

 

Giant Bat-8/15(Hits Calrex for 1 damage)

[Calrex 0]

ID: 13749

Battle Dice: 9 (+1 Damage)

 

As Calrex endured the blow from the bat he rode the momentum as it knocked him towards the wall. He quickly flipped partially backwards so that he could plant his feet against it, bending his legs to brace as his body continued being pushed from the force, "Alright...time this right."

 

He looked up and saw that Rook had taken a critical hit on the giant bat, piercing it's back. As the bat turned to face his attacker Calrex quickly leapt off the wall, darting towards the bat like an arrow. He kept his blade up as he got into striking range, and as he did he brought his blade down, cleaving the bat across the wing. He quickly rolled to disperse the momentum as he hit the ground, bouncing to his feet, "Alright this things should have much fight left. A couple of good hits should finish it off."

 

HP List

Rook: 9/11

Calrex: 20/21

 

Enemies:

Giant Bat: 3/15

[Rook 0]

Rook watched as Calrex executed his attack with what seemed like technical precision. As he landed and rolled to disperse the moment, he noticed the bat coming around for a counter attack. Seeing that Calrex was defenseless Rook ran forward and attempted to provide cover for him as he recovered from his successful attack. Unable to see in the darkness however, Rook missed what should of been an easy hit on the bat and once again felt its claws slice the length of his body. Knocked back by the moment of the attack, Rook checked out his HP bar.

 

ID: 13864 BD: 6-1=5 MD:10

 

Rook-6/11

Calrex-20/21

 

Giant Bat-3/15

[Calrex 0]

ID: 13865

Battle Dice: 6

Loot Dice: 9 (Search and Detect +1) = 10

 

As Calrex watch Rook try to take a swipe at the giant bat he noticed, and confirmed his suspicion, that Rook seems to be having trouble combating their foe due to the darkness of the cave. The bat seemed to get a fairly strong strike on Rook as it flew past, but as it finished Calrex rushed in front of it, his blade at the ready. As it got into striking range he quickly made a quick spin before jamming his sword right between the creature's eyes. The strike halted the bat's movement immediately as the creature quickly got enveloped by a blue hue before dissipating into a series of crystals.

 

Calrex gave a calming breath as he resheathed his sword, looking over at Rook, "You alright? That looked to be a pretty bad hit just now. If you need to rest for a bit it wouldn't be a bad idea."

 

Loot List

1 Material

50 col

 

HP List

Rook: 6/11

Calrex: 20/21

 

Enemies:

Giant Bat: -1/15

[Rook 0]

Rook was relieved when Calrex was able to finish off the bat. "Must be nice having night vision" Rook said jokingly "I might have to look into investing into the skill myself." Looking at his health he realized the toll the battle had taken on him. Damn, A few more hits like that and I would of been a goner. He thought to himself. "I should be alright for now, but I think it's better if you lead the way since you can see in the dark."

[Calrex 0]

Calrex nodded as Rook suggested that he continue taking point, "Sounds good. We'll take it slow then so that you have some time to recover. I'll see if we can avoid any more combat if possible."

 

With that he took a quick look around the cavern before he ushered Rook towards the next tunnel. At this point he decided to take a more active role, this time stopping before entering any of the larger parts of the caves and motioning for Rook to take cover before Calrex stepped out and looked around. Once he confirmed that the area was clear of enemies he would then motion for Rook that the coast was clear.

 

"He's currently in the yellow right now, but from what I remember if we remain out of combat our health should regenerate slowly. In a few seconds I should be back to full strength, so I think after a little longer Rook should be back in fighting condition as well."

[Rook 0]

Following Calrex as he motioned him forward through the dungeon, he took cover behind a rock at the entrance to the next room. Checking his status bar he had already recovered 2 health. Shouldn't be to much longer till I'm back to fighting strength.  Although he hadn't originally thought the level difference between them to be that big. Observing Calrex now, he had clearly been wrong. Having almost twice the health and dealing twice the damage, not to mention having access to skills Rook hadn't even had a chance to think about obtaining. Calrex we clearly the stronger partner in this relationship. That being said Rook still had things he could bring the the table. Thanks to his equipment he had a bonus to his looting ability which he hoped would help them find the treasure. "All clear up ahead in the room?"  Rook asked wondering if it was safe for him to move forward.

[Calrex 0]

"Yeah, seems like it so far...hold up..."

 

As Calrex scanned the room once more, he made note that there appeared to be a shadow moving in the distance. He motioned for Rook to stay where he was as he circled around the stalagmite that was blocking his view, peeking out just enough that he could identify whatever was on the other side. It appeared to be another scorpion, but this one seemed to be uninterested in Calrex, or whatever was happening in the room.

 

Calrex quickly scanned for the nearest tunnel, seeing that it was right behind him as he quietly made his way back to Rook, "There's a scorpion behind one of the rocks. If we stick to the wall we should be able to make our way around without startling it."

 

With that he took point and started moving along the wall, making sure Rook was right behind him. He pointed down to any loose matter that could create noise as the two made their way into the next tunnel, "Alright, we should be good for now."