[SP-F1] Secret Medicine of the Forest (Completed)

[Azide 0]

He gave a long, heavy sigh, and buried his face in the palms of his hands. "Why am I even doing this?" he muttered.

As if on cue, Lucifer slithered out from its cozy home in the inner pockets of his coat. it flicked its tongue at him in a silent, but friendly hiss. At least, that was how he intended to take it. The verdant serpent gave him an indiscernible look, with a more neutral expression than any human could ever hope to manage.

Azide turned his head to face the creature. "Oh, don't give me that look," he chided. When the snake refused to back down, he stroked the top of its head with his finger.

He supposed the thing had a point. Despite the inevitable drudgery that would come from a low-level quest like this, it was one of the handful he had yet to complete. "I could use the skill points," he thought. Each one brought him one point closer towards the top- and that he was where he needed to be. "But I'll earn it, first."

[Azide 0]

"I feel like I've been demoted to level three," he thought, looking at the clearing in front of him. It was filled with various plant-like mobs, and he was apparently here to search for a special one, which would drop a rare bloom of some sort. In a way, it reminded him of his last trek into the jungle with Oikawa- but this time, he could at least be sure of the plant's existence.

On the other hand, what they'd found had been nothing but a false carrot, dangled in front of their faces. He unsheathed his newly modified blade, and it slid open with a slight click. "Technically, it's now called 'Charged Quantum Slicer', but that's quite a mouthful. I think I'll just stick to its old name in reference."

He darted forward and plunged his blade into the first of the creatures to have approached him, and as his sword cut into body, Lucifer sprang out from his sleeve and latch its fangs into the creature. As Azide drew back his blade, his companion did the same, and slithered back into his coat.

ID: 13651

BD: 6 (Hit)

MD: 5 (Miss)

Damage taken (Little Nepent) = 1 (Base) + 1 (Familiar) + 1 (Athletics) + 2 (Rapier) + 4 (Sword Skill) = 9

Azide HP: 43/43

Little Nepent HP: 13/22 (-9)

[Azide 0]

He came at the creature a second time, and easily managed to evade its lackluster advance. "Maybe such basic maneuvers would've worked if I'd done this quest at the intended level range, but they have a snowball's chance in hell now." He returned to a striking stance, with his arm drawn back and his blade pointing forward, then charged at the Nepent full-speed.

With a particularly well-placed strike, near the center of the creature's mass, his blade pierced its body completely. As he pulled back, streams of red were taken along with his blade, before fading away. The red mark left behind by his blade did not fade, as it normally would have. Instead, it remained there- a side-effect of his new toy. "Bleed," he said simply. His mind flashed back to the last time he'd seen it in use- but now, it would serve a far more noble purpose.

His own.

ID: 13653

BD: 9 (Crit +1)(Bleed +1)

MD: 8 (-3) = 5 (Miss)

Damage taken (Nepent) = 1 (Base) + 1 (Athletic) + 1 (Familiar) + 2 (Rapier) + 4 (Sword Skill) + 1 (BD 9) + 2 (Bleed) = 12

Azide HP: 43/43

Little Nepent HP: 1/22 (-12)

[Azide 0]

As he sprinted toward the creature, which inexplicably served as both flora and fauna, the Nepent managed to actually take him by surprise. It's whip-like vines seemed to serve as its limbs, and managed to latch onto his ankle, and consequently sent him to the ground. But Azide was not one to let a sliver of damage get the better of him, and he freed himself by promptly severing the creature's noodly appendage.

He raised himself from the ground, slightly annoyed by the creature's bold move- but at least it had managed to do something. It was hard to call this an interesting twist- but at least it was something. He dusted himself off, then lunged forward and plunged Quantum Slicer through its inappropriately human-esque mouth. It shattered, leaving behind a portion of its vine, which would serve as crafting material.

ID: 13658

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

MD: 9 (Crit +1)

LD: 2 (Nothing)

Damage (Azide) = 1

Damage (Nepent) = 11

Azide HP: 42/43

Nepent HP: -10/22

*1 material acquired.

[Azide 0]

With the first of the hideous creatures vanquished, he'd failed to spot any sort of flower blooming from its head. Therefore, it would've been easy for him to simply move and continue searching- but he was also low on materials at the moment, and as such- wouldn't let efficiency get in the way. "Besides," he thought, crouching down. His fingers pulled loose an herb of some sort from the fertile ground. "This way, I get to kill two birds with one stone."

He held the plant up to the thin light that cascaded through the cracks in the forest's canopy. It was definitely something he could take back for experimentation. He sent the specimen to his inventory, and stood back up. "Now, how long before I find that Blooming Nepent?" he wondered.

ID: 13661

LD: 16 (Material found)

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

[Azide 0]

His serpentine companion poked its head from his collar once more and hissed at him. Normally, the average sane person would take such a gesture as a sign of hostility, and banish the snake from their attire. But instinctively, he read the hiss as a warning; not a warning aimed at him, but rather to him.

Azide turned his head, allowing him to catch sight of yet another Nepent just in the nick of time. With steps as light as feathers, he leapt out of the path of its whip-like arms, and hopped to safety. During the ruckus, Lucifer had retreated to the safety of its dark and cozy home, while its owner positioned itself to retaliate against the carnivorous plant.

He darted forward and slashed the creature from behind. Though plenty accurate, his strike had failed to activate the hidden effect of his blade.

ID: 13663

BD: 7 (Hit)

MD: 8 (-3) = 5 (Miss)

Damage taken (Little Nepent) = 9

Azide HP: 42/43

Little Nepent HP: 13/22 (-9)

[Azide 0]

Owing to his relentless pace, Azide soon maneuvered behind the creature yet again as it spun to face him. His plan was roughly akin to a game of whack-a-mole, leveraging his vastly superior mobility to evade its moves while whittling away its health with quick and precise strokes of his sword.

The creature lashed out at him blindly, but failed to tag the green blur.

The player stepped forward and thrusted his blade deep into its body, and Lucifer sprang out from his sleeve to contribute to the assault. Simultaneously, both he and the serpent drew back before the creature could strike back.

ID: 13665

BD: 7 (Hit)

MD: 3 (Miss)

Damage taken (Nepent) = 9

Azide HP: 42/43

Nepent HP: 4/22

[Azide 0]

A final slash sealed the creature's fate. Unfortunately, its final moves had not been so decisive- the whipping of its vine-like arms had failed to even make contact with him. The creature was far too lumber and slow to catch him; it was that simple. "Although I didn't exactly come here expecting to meet any agile plants," he thought. Such would make for an unusual encounter, to say the least.

A bite on the part of Lucifer had only been the icing on the cake, making the creature's defeat something of an overkill. The Nepent shattered, leaving behind some crafting material (as usual), in addition to a decent sum of col. "Now there's something I haven't gotten in a while," he thought.

ID: 13666

BD: 6 (Hit)

MD: 4 (Miss)

LD: 18 (Loot found)

Damage taken (Nepent) = 9

Azide HP: 42/43

Nepent HP: -5/22 (-9)

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

*HP 22x5 = 110 col acquired.

[Azide 0]

"Two down... however many left to go." He glanced at the group of Nepents gathered in the next clearing over- all he'd have to do was simply cut through the brambles and clear a small pathway. But in truth, fighting these mobs was somewhat of a drag- these minor victories proved nothing, in the grand scheme of things. "Anybody could defeat them, given enough time."

it wasn't even difficult; they were more of a chore than anything else. After he invested his skill points into topping off his rapier skills, he'd save up and invest the next batch into light armor. "By that point, the only valid threats against me would be other players themselves," he mused.

He stooped over and began picking through the clumps of greenery, searching for something that could be of use. "Then what comes after that?" he wondered. "Perhaps alternating upgrades in combat healing and further damage mitigation. By that point, I'll be ready to onto investments in charge..."

Finding nothing, he straightened himself off and dusted his hands. "One thing at a time."

ID: 13669

LD: 11 (Nothing)

[Azide 0]

Lucifer poked its head out from his color and stared at him. Its tongue flickered as it tasted the air, and the creature moved itself closer to his face. As usual, his serpentine companion said nothing, but he did appreciate its company.

Azide turned to face the creature and smiled, but quickly got back to work. He clawed at the various plants stick out of the ground, but none were recognizable to him as usable materials. They were the game's equivalent of filler, more or less. Things that served to make the game appear larger than it really was, without having any actual value of their own. "No substance," he thought as he stood up.

Once again, he'd found nothing.

ID: 13671

LD: 6 (Nothing)

[Azide 0]

Feeling more than a bit impatient, he unsheathed his sword and proceeded to make a series of swift cuts through the green wall before him. Only moments later, the various branches, brambles and undergrowth fell to the ground and shattered. An entry point to his next targets had been created, and he was once again free to continue his hunt for the elusive ovule.

"I have to say, I never once imagined that I'd be looking for 'ovules' one day." He discarded the throwaway thought, and set his eyes on the nearest of the creatures, then raced forward. He moved his body with precision, allowing him to elude the creature's sweeping vines with relative ease, and placing his strikes on-target. Its health bar fell to a fraction of what it had been only moments prior.

ID: 13672

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

MD: 6 (-3) = 3 (Miss)

Damage taken (Little Nepent) = 9

Azide HP: 42/43

Little Nepent HP: 13/22

[Azide 0]

Another series of slashes and thrusts whittled down the creature's health bar to a paltry amount. What remained would easily be cleaved off with just one last swing. In the meantime, the creature made a sloppy effort to launch a counterattack, but its blind thrashing failed to do much other than leave it vulnerable to further attacks.

The creature lacked focus, and he did not. That was just one of the many differences between them, of course, but it was pivotal in understanding how their degrees of success could differ by so much. Silently, he wondered to himself once again if Lucifer were any smarter than these oafs. Intuitively, he wanted to say yes- that he could feel his companion's quiet intelligence. But once again, such an answer would raise many more questions that he did not want to answer, and so he shoved the thought aside.

ID: 13674

BD: 7 (Hit)

MD: 1 (Miss)

Damage taken (Little Nepent) = 9

Azide HP: 42/43

Little Nepent HP: 4/22 (-9)

[Azide 0]

He stepped from the path of the creature's swing, and severed the Nepent's vines in the very same motion. The shattered before even hitting the ground, giving Azide the space to charge forward without risk of retaliation. The Nepent snapped at him in a futile attempt to cause some last minute havoc, but the player failed to fall victim to its humanoid dentures.

Quantum Slicer deflected deceivingly large beast, preventing its lunge from sending him to the ground. Immediately after, he followed the deflection with an immediate thrust through the creature's center of mass, causing it to shatter immediately. It left behind not only crafting material, but also a bit of col.

Azide gathered both and sent them to his inventory, then returned his blade to its sheath. "Two col drops in a row?" He looked at the serpent, who peeked its head out from the top of his coat. "Perhaps you've brought about a change in my luck," he mused. An unlikely case, though he felt nothing but good will for his reptilian comrade.

ID: 13677

BD: 8 (Hit)

MD: 6 (-3) = 3 (Miss)

LD: 18 (Loot)

Damage taken (Little Nepent) = 9

Azide HP: 42/43

Little Nepent HP: -5/22 [Dead]

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

**HP 22x5 = 110 col acquired (220 col acquired, total).

[Azide 0]

"Oh boy, another one of them. Just what I needed." The thing had come so soon after the last that he hadn't even needed to unsheathe his blade- it was already out from the preceding skirmish.

He'd caught sight of the creature's vine-like arms before seeing the creature itself. They'd come shooting out of a nearby bush, but came short of him by roughly a mile- perhaps it would've been wiser for the creature to move out of the bushes before striking.

Azide darted forward and sliced cleanly through its outstretched vines, then followed the stubs back to the creature itself and pulled it from the bushes, as fishing for a particularly large catch.

ID: 13863

BD: 8 (Hit)

MD: 1 (Miss)

Damage taken (Little Nepent) = 9

Azide HP: 42/43

Little Nepent HP: 13/22

[Azide 0]

Azide walked up the now-exposed beast and immediately noticed its distinct lack of any blooms. The creature would have to thus be dealt with in very much the same way as all the Nepents that had come before it- remorseless annihilation. It wasn't anything personal- far from. The plant-like creatures hadn't really done much to him, nor anyone he knew. If anything, it was Frenzy Boar which one might find fault with, for their countless victories over weaker players.

No, the only crime the Nepent was guilty of was being in the wrong place at the wrong time. This was very much an attack of opportunity for the material-stricken Azide- it was done for convenience, rather than any personal dislike for the species.

With the creature wide open, he thrusted Quantum Slicer forward and plunged it deep into the half-plant half-animal hybrid.

ID: 13686

BD: 2 + 2 (Savvy) + 3 (Equipment/Precision) = 7 (Hit)

MD: 4 (Miss)

Damage taken (Little Nepent) = 9

Azide HP: 42/43

Little Nepent: 4/22

[Azide 0]

Azide drove his blade even deeper into the beast, until the hilt itself came to rest against the creature's cellulose skin. He twisted the blade roughly as the creature flailed what remained of its vine-like arms, nearly managing to skewer him several times. The whip-like lashing had narrowly whizzed by his head, only for him to leave just for enough to escape its wrath.

After a moment, the creature shattered as the actions caught up to what had remained of its health bar. It burst into a show of glowing blue particles, leaving behind nothing but a bit of crafting material.

He collected it and promptly sent it to his inventory, but he found himself quickly tiring of these repetitive shenanigans. "Are you getting bored too?" he asked, directing his voice to the creature lingering inside his coat. He felt movements from inside followed by a faint hiss, which would just have to pass for an answer.

ID: 13687

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

MD: 8 (-3) = 5 (Miss)

LD: 8 (Nothing)

Damage taken (Little Nepent) = 9

Azide HP: 42/43

Little Nepent HP: -5/22 [Dead]

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

[Azide 0]

He took a seat atop a stump, now that the clearing had been... cleared. For the time being, at least. Having decided that he'd had enough of the drudgery for the moment, he decided to give himself and Lucifer a little break from their hunting. "If I have to keep killing these Nepents, I'm going to go insane," he thought.

With a bit of breathing room, Lucifer slithered out through his sleeve and wrapped around his arm. The creature snaked its way up to make eye contact with him, and he returned the gesture. "Are you tired?" he asked. He raised his arm closer to his face.

The creature tilted its head just the slightest bit, but otherwise gave little other indication of answering.

[Azide 0]

He stroked the creature's head with his finger, just as he had done several times in their brief time together. "Is that a maybe?" Azide smiled. It was easy not to be so on guard around an animal- they were different than people in that way. It wasn't like he disliked people; in fact, it was far from that. But around people, there was always a compulsion to be better than one was.

"Are you being true to yourself right now, Lucifer?" He gazed into the snake's unblinking eyes, wondering if the creature was perhaps thinking something at the moment. Whatever the case was, perhaps it was more accurate to say that the creature gave him an excuse to vent his thoughts aloud. Things often gained a new sense of clarity when they were voiced, rather than staying as disembodied ideas in ones mind.

It was roughly the difference between a set and its scaffolding.

[Azide 0]

His new acquisitions would prove invaluable once it was time to face Yamato on the tenth floor. That is to say, his modified blade and newfound friend- which together allowed his damage to remain at a stable amount, while also allowing him to gain the bleed ability on top of that. "But that's not to say that there aren't other benefits of meeting you," he thought, eyeing his quiet companion.

They were, after all, friends in a manner of speaking. "Maybe not friends like most people- but in a way." Perhaps it was an outside force which had fostered their bond- some tweak of CARDINAL which had grown it so quickly. "It hasn't even been very long since we met," he mused. Perhaps it was easiest to say that they put each other at ease.

[Azide 0]

He turned his head, hearing the approach of something traveling through the bushes. To his surprise, he was greeted by the sight of the elusive Blooming Little Nepent- evident by the large blooming flower which sprouted from its head. "Has the world decided to take pity on me?" he wondered. If he'd had to drudge through any more Nepents before finding this thing, he would've be at risk to die of boredom. Just because boredom had never been classified as a medical condition didn't mean that it couldn't happen.

"As it turns out, I was just looking for you," he said, standing up from the stump. He unsheathed his blade. "And here you are, delivering yourself to me on a silver platter. Now isn't that considerate?"

Lucifer hissed from inside his coat, but he paid it no attention. Suddenly, he was pulled to the ground as a vine wrapped around his ankle and knocked him off balance with a powerful yank. The beast dragged him across the ground, as if reeling him in towards its grotesque maw- a cheap imitation of a human's.

As he neared the creature, he slashed at its body several times until it dropped him, and he quickly returned himself to an upright position. "Nothing more than scratches," he thought, examining his injuries.

ID: 13698

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

MD: 9 (Crit +1)

Damage taken (Azide) = 1

Damage taken (Nepent) = 9

Azide HP: 41/43

Little Nepent HP: 13/22