SP - F9 Clash of Ice and Fire <<Guardian of Fire>> (Completed)

[Calrex 0]

At the teleportation circle on the ninth floors settlement of Vulcan Village a faint light blue light materialized and vanished in a second, leaving behind a young man with blue hair in its wake. He was wearing a blue fur-lined jacket with a white shirt underneath, while his legs were covered with a pair of dark grey pants that tucked into a set of brown boots. Attacked to the back of his hip was a deep-sea blue sword, and around his neck hung a small glass ball which what looked to be a miniature ocean inside.

 

Calrex gave a sigh as he made his way towards the gate of the settlement, his usual calm demeanor still present, although a little more serious than he usually was.

 

"What I'm doing now, it almost reminds me of back when I was first starting out and taking on the <<Gemini>> and <<Breaking the Unbreakable>> quests. It seems like the chances of success a little bit lower than recently, but in this quest I should still be able to pull it off. Besides, if things get rough I still have the teleportation crystal from when Oikawa and I explored the dungeon beneath the Black Iron Palace."

 

With that he looked through his information, pulling up the details for the quest on this floor, <<Guardian of Fire>>

 

"So I need to take out a respective amount of Hell Hounds and then Cerberus itself. Well I guess there's some Greek mythology influence in this quest. In any case it looks like their location, Inferno Cavern, is a couple days travel from here. Great, well let's see if I can avoid combat on the way there then..."

 

As he exited the gates of the settlement he drew the Grand Blade in a reverse grip. As the weight of the sword became present in his hand he felt the familiar calm determination come over him as he gave a long deep breath. With it he could feel the strength inside him building, like the calm of the ocean before a storm.

 

"Let's not waste any time then."

[Calrex 0]

Immediately after departing from Vulcan Village Calrex activated his <<Reveal>> and <<Sprint>> abilities to quickly navigate across the terrain while avoiding encounters for quite a distance. However, compared to his previous trips, including the <<Traveler>> quest, the distance to Inferno Cavern was still a great expanse to cover. After running for a good fifteen minutes he came to a slowed pace, giving a couple of deep breaths. Since he held the Grand Blade in a reverse grip, it didn't prove to be a hindrance to his running ability due to it being in line with his arm, creating less wind resistance.

 

As he continued on he could feel sweat building all over his body as he came to a nearby rock, formation, going underneath an outcrop go get out of the radiating heat. While the shade did provide some comfort due to the area being slightly cooler than the area around it, it was merely the relative temperature difference that allowed Calrex to breath a little easier.

 

"This...is...freaking...hot...as...hell..."

 

Resigning from keeping his jacket on he took off the blue coat, setting it next to him, his white shirt becoming slightly gray and partially transparent due to the amount of sweat that had been produced.

 

"Okay, note to self...I need to get some light casual wear if I'm going to be up here more often...great...and I've gotta equip the Grand Chariot later when I'm fighting. I'm going to be a literal hot mess once this is over"

 

"Well, there is a reason I'm doing this, the same reason I had when I first started going on these quests alone. It's all in order to get stronger, in order to keep everyone safe..."

[Calrex 0]

After spending some time in the shade of the rock Calrex could feel his heartbeat calm back to normal levels as he got to his feet. He looked back at the blue jacket he had removed previously as he gave a sigh, swiping on his menu. In a flash of light blue light the jacket disappeared into his inventory as he looked down at his shirt. The white long sleeve was completely soaked with sweat as he gave a sigh, "This is not a good start so far. Well, guess I've really got no choice. A sweaty shirt will just hinder me in combat, plus it just feels weird. If anything once I unequip and reequip it both should be back to normal, but I'd best wait for night to fall first."

 

He sighed as he grabbed the bottom opening of the shirt, pulling it off him before he wrung it out. As the drops of sweat hit the floor some of them almost instantly turned to steam. After removing some of the wetness from the shirt he wiped his face off before sending it to his inventory. With that he looked around with his <<Reveal>> skill, seeing that there were no monsters in the immediate area as he left the outcrop, continuing towards the Inferno Cavern.

 

"At least there doesn't seem to be any players wandering around at the moment. I wouldn't really appreciate any unwanted attention."

 

He crouched low as he looked around, feeling his stomach muscles tighten more than they should. Even though he didn't have a six pack, it felt like he had gone through an intense workout that would have turned any out of shape person into an gladiator.

 

"Darn it all, this heat must really be taxing on my character, even with the Athletics and Survival skills."

 

He gave a deep calming breath as he kept moving, "I guess I can't really do this stealthily then. I've just gotta find some kind of place where I can hole up for the night before continuing further tomorrow. Night should be falling soon, so maybe I'll finally get some relief then."

[Calrex 0]

After removing his jacket and shirt Calrex definitely felt some relief as he felt a slight breeze blow through, possibly from the steam being spewed from the surrounding fissures. The ninth floor was essentially the surface of a volcano, with most of the areas being built on top of lavarock and rush. The fact that even the higher level players could train in this area was impossible under real world circumstances. As Calrex continued walking he decided to let his thoughts flow as he processed all of the events that had occurred up until now. 

 

"With all that's happened, I guess I can't really say that I'm not worried about everyone. Oikawa seems to be getting along fine, but Teayre and Ariel...it's easy to tell they are having through a rough time. Teayre, especially with the loss of Beleram, and now Zaz's desertion from Absolute Pin, I guess in a way it's like losing two friends almost one after another. I'm trying to help her confide in me...but I can't help but feel she's holding her emotions back because of it. I don't want her to keep stuff from me...but I guess it's a natural reaction for things like this. As for Ariel, she of course has my support, but the more I think about it and the short span of time between the Azure Brigade's disbandment and the formation of Absolute Pin...she called them family, so in some ways it feels like forming this guild with her as the guild leader feels like a surrogate family that she's trying to hold together...maybe I'm just overthinking things..."

 

He quickly moved and took cover behind a nearby boulder as he saw a fire lizard wander across his path, keeping an eye on it with his <<Reveal>> skill until it wandered off. Once it did he continued moving, eventually coming across another larger shaded rock formation. This one also was seating slightly up from the hotter tempered stones below.

 

"It's not the best, but it'll have to do in the meantime for the night. I'll stay on the very top during the rest of the day, then go underneath when night falls..."

[Calrex 0]

As he reached his checkpoint stop Calrex gave a sigh of relief as he used his <<Acrobatics>> skill to leap on top of the rock, feeling the cooling relief from putting distance between him and radiating heat below. Even though he wasn't wearing the clothing for his upper body he used his arm out of habit to wipe off the sweat that had build on the side of his face, flicking his arm to shake off more of the sweat that had built up. As some of the drops flew off of the rock he was sitting on and landing on the hotter ground below they instantly evaporated into steam, giving off a small sizzle with each one making contact. He gave a sigh as he retrieved two of the waters he had received when starting SAO, quickly downing one while setting the other next to him.

 

As the cooling liquid rushed through his throat into his stomach he could feel the temperature difference as he began to sweat a little more for a short time. With that he leaned back, supporting himself up by laying the Grand Blade, scabbard and all, on the ground behind him, resting his hands on that. The scabbard served as a kind of insulator so that he didn't burn his hands.

 

"Aright, looks to be about another half hour or so before nightfall. Man this is an ordeal. I really hope the Inferno Cavern is a little bit easier on the body than this. It's like being in a bikram yoga class for the entire day."

[Calrex 0]

After a few more minutes of waiting Calrex gave a sigh as he grabbed the second bottle of water he had retrieved, drinking half of it. It seemed like the water was doing well for him in terms of internal temperature, but his skin was still extremely warm from the ambient temperature.

 

"This isn't working as well as it could. I need to cool down the outside of my body to help compensate. If I don't I'll just end up sweating out whatever water I'm drinking."

 

With that he promptly poured the rest on his head, feeling the liquid's cooling temperature hit the top of his hair as he began to pass down the sides, eventually running off down his back and front, with some running across his shoulders before falling off. Some of the water evaporated into steam as he gave a sigh of relief, letting the bottle of water dissipate into crystals.

 

"I am really glad I'm only my own right now, at least in this sense. I can't image how embarrassing this might be if I was with Teayre or anyone else."

 

As he looked out at the landscape through his newly moistened bangs Calrex pushed some of them up and back, his hair slightly messed up now from the day's travel. As night fell he gave a small sigh of relief. "I'll stay up here for a few more minutes before heading down. It'll likely get cold enough that I might need to equip at least my shirt. I'd rather not possibly pass out from heat stroke while I'm asleep. It doesn't affect me in terms of HP, but being forcefully knocked out would leave me exposed to any possible PKers roaming about."

[Calrex 0]

As night settled in on the ninth floor Calrex breathed a sigh of relief as he hopped down from the rock outcropping, moving underneath. After doing so he swiped on his menu, reequipping his shirt, feeling the piece of clothing, not soaked, appeared back on his upper body.

 

"Alright, this will do, but the sleeves might be a bit much for this floor for now. I'd best roll them up while I rest. Let's see...this part of the interior should prove suitable and keep me out of sight of anything outside in the meantime."

 

He moved towards one of the back corners of the rock formation, making sure to keep himself as far back as possible so that his body remained out of sight. With that he removed the Grand Blade and its scabbard from the back of his hip, setting it across his lap.

 

"Hm...I shouldn't equip the jacket for now, but a white shirt in the dark stands out like a sore thumb...I guess this will have to do...although I'm fairly sure this would make me seem like some kind of weird deviant..."

 

He gave a resigned sigh as he switched out his shirt for the blue jacket as he used it like a small blanket, draping it over his upper body. Since it was of a darker color the jacket blended better into the darkness than his shirt did, helping to conceal him. With that he gave a once around the inside and outside of his resting position with his <<Reveal>> skill, seeing no monsters of players in sight before he slowly closed his eyes to go to sleep.

 

"Tomorrow I'll be able to make it the rest of the way to the Inferno Cavern, but I'd most likely be worn out from the trip once again, so I'd better rest up nearby there for tomorrow night before heading in. I guess on the way there I'd best prepare myself in terms of what strategies and tactics I'm familiar with in terms of the dog-like creatures I'll be engaging within."

[Calrex 0]

As the night passed the extreme ambient heat of the ninth floor began to return, the heat wave radiating from the ground enough to wake Calrex up from his slumber. Normally it would have caused him to fall further asleep, as heat generally had that kind of effect on a person, but immediately when he felt his body wanting to go to sleep he forced himself to wake up. The forced movement caused him to accidentally push the Grand Blade off of his legs as he woke up, his jacket falling off of him and landing on his legs.

 

"Whew...alright looks like I'd best keep moving now before it gets too warm to remain here."

 

He got to his feet, swiping on his menu to return the jacket to his inventory. He gave a couple of quick stretches before picking up and reattaching the Grand Blade's scabbard to the back of his hip. After doing so he drew the Grand Blade from its sheath as he held it at full arm's length, giving it a couple of quick twirls before sheathing it, feeling his muscles tighten and release with each flick of the wrist. With that he stepped out from under the outcrop, heading back out towards the Inferno Cavern.

 

"Alright, I'll need to use my Sprint ability while the heat is still building so I don't go burning myself out in the extreme heat later on. Guess we've gotta do this again. Hopefully not having any clothing on top will help keep me cool while the ability is active."

 

With that he took off in the direction he was heading, becoming a blur of movement as he used his <<Reveal>> skill once again to keep an eye out for any monsters.

[Calrex 0]

As Calrex sprinted across the land he kept his eyes peeled, but then suddenly forced himself to stop in surprise as to what was coming up. In the direction he was heading the path seemed to come to an end as a large gap appeared, separating the two land masses for about a good thirty feet. What laid below was a river of magma. It was possible that the eruptions that occurred could have caused the original path to separate, causing the death trap in front of him. Or at least it was simulated to look like that.

 

"Of course this would happen. It's a good thing I have the Sprint and Acrobatics skill, or this would have been even more of a challenge."

 

He gave a calming breath as he took a couple of steps back, assuming a running stance as he drew the Grand Blade in a reverse grip. As he activated his <<Sprint>> ability he became a blur of movement once again before he kicked off the ground at the land's end, using his <<Acrobatics>> skill to jump even further than he could normally. He kept watch of his eye level with the land mass approaching in front of him, seeming like he was going to clear the gap, at least until the last two feet. Suddenly he dropped down, heading for a foot down from the edge of the mass.

 

"Gh! Gotta stop my fall now!"

 

As he reached the wall he quickly impaled the Grand Blade into the side. As the sword sank into the rock the momentum was almost immediately stopped as Calrex slammed into the rock face. Luckily he managed to push his feet forward, cushioning most of the shock with his legs. He could feel the momentum trying to carry him back, but he did his best to not go bouncing with it. If he did so his sword could possibly extract from the wall, plummeting him into his death below. He could feel seat forming on him again from the ordeal as he gave a couple of calming breaths, gathering himself before starting to make his way up to the edge.

[Calrex 0]

After pulling himself over the edge Calrex rolled onto the ground, laying on his back as he released the Grand Blade from his hand, his chest rising and falling as he caught his breath. "I...need...to...measure...my...jumps..."

 

"If I didn't have those grips in the surface of the rock face I probably would have been stuck hanging there for quite some time. I guess this is part of the reason why lower level players are usually recommended against going at this quest alone."

 

He looked to the side that came in contact with the ground when he rolled, surprised for a second as his mouth remained partially open, exhausted from the ordeal. A couple of sweatdrops fell across his face as they dropped off and splattered on the ground. Some of his bangs were stuck to his face, damp from the heat and moisture, "Well...I guess the game didn't replicate the roughness of this rock on the skin. If I had done this in real life I would have been covered in scratches and cuts right now."

 

After resting for a few more minutes Calrex got up, sitting with one leg bent and the other extended, resting the arm on the same side as the bent leg as he grabbed and resehathed the Grand Blade into its scabbard. After doing so he got back to his feet, giving a heavy breath as he felt the heat slowly getting to him, "I'm...going to need some water soon..."

 

With that he continued moving forward.

[Calrex 0]

After covering another great distance towards the Inferno Cavern Calrex began to scan around for another area to hole up for the night once it came. At this point the heat radiating from the ground had reached full strength once again, beating down on him. He could feel the sweat pouring from his body as his hair was completely matted down. He raised his arm up and wiped some more sweat from his brow, flicking it to the side as he could hear more sounds of it hitting the ground and immediately sizzling into steam. After doing so he retrieved two more waters from his inventory, quickly drinking down the first one before pouring some of the second over himself to help cool off. As the cooling liquid drifted down from his head he gave a small sigh of relief.

 

"It's gotta be the hottest point in the day on this floor right now. This feels like walking in a freaking sauna. I can't even guess what temperature it is right now."

 

"Well, I can at least guess that I probably shouldn't be alive right now if this had happened in the real world. This is ridiculous. I can't say I hate this floor, but I'm definitely not going to be making day trips here frequent for sure."

 

As he scanned around the floor seemed to be littered with various fissures all around his path, each one radiating a bright red glow, an easy indicator for the lava flows below. Luckily none of them seemed to be crossing his path, as well as any monsters. It did help that his <<Reveal>> skill kept him aware of any potential threats, giving more than enough time to hide before he encountered them.

 

"I shouldn't be too far now."

[Calrex 0]

As night began to fall once again upon the ninth floor Calrex could see his destination coming into view, the Inferno Cavern. Compared to the shade of blue that was falling over the rest of the floor, the entrance to the Inferno Cavern radiated the same bright red intensity that was present during the day. He gave a sigh as scanned the entrance to the cavern from a distance, "That is not a good sign at all."

 

"It might be just because the cavern has a different lighting compared to the rest of the floor, but if that redness means anything...I'm in for some intense heat, even more so than this entire trip. Great..."

 

With that he scanned around the area, finding another rock formation similar to the one he had holed up underneath last night, climbing up on top to distance himself from the radiant heat still emanating from the ground. With that he gave a sigh, trying to wipe off as much sweat as he could from his upper body before moving some of the bangs that had gotten stuck to his face aside. Figuring it would be easier to rest he pushed the rest of his bangs back, the dampness from the trip keeping them stuck. With that he gave a sigh of relief.

 

"Now I just need to wait for night to settle in and get some rest. After that I'd best get ready for some intense combat."

[Calrex 0]

As the night fully settled in Calrex once again went underneath the outcropping, summoning his jacket as he readied himself for some rest. After getting into the most covered corner of the shaded area he used his <<Reveal>> skill to check for enemies before he closed his eyes, letting himself drift off into slumber. Once night departed and the radiant heat began to build once again he woke himself up, getting to his feet. "Alright, time to get this quest on the road."

 

With a quick few swipes of his menu he donned the Grand Chariot, the deep sea blue full body armor encapsulating him as he gave a sigh, "Well, it's nice cool for now, but I'm sure that will change in a couple of minutes very quickly. He drew the Grand Blade, holding it in a reverse grip as he approached the cave before heading inside.

 

ID: 18339

Craft Dice: 6

 

"So far so good..."

 

As he entered the heat was definitely more intense than out in the fields, but so far it wasn't getting to him. Calrex breathed a sigh of relief as he continued, looking left and right with his <<Reveal>> skill to make sure he wasn't ambushed all of a sudden.

[Calrex 0]

ID: 18340

Craft Dice: 1 (1 Damage)

 

As he continued making his way down Calrex felt a heat wave pass through the cavern, feeling it rattle his equilibrium for a second as he stopped, placing a hand on the wall to catch his breath, "Alright...I may have spoken too soon on this one. It's probably only going to become more intense the further down I go. Best steel myself and get this done quickly. The more time I spend down here, the closer I get to possibly dying. I definitely can't afford that."

 

After some time Calrex looked to his left, stopping his walk as he noticed his first monster within the cavern. It was a medium sized dog with fur that appeared to be engulfed in flames. "That must be one of the Hell Hounds stated in the information on this quest. Alright, best get ready. If I time this right I might be able to get a good shot in before it can retaliate."

 

With that Calrex moved into an optimal position, readying himself for the encounter.

 

HP List

Calrex: 78/79

[Calrex 0]

Surprise Attack!

ID: 18341

Battle Dice: 8

Craft Dice: 10

 

Before the hound could take notice of Calrex's location he had already dashed forward, using his <<Sprint>> ability to quickly close the distance, approaching the hound from behind. He kept his blade parallel to the ground, with his arm back while his free arm was extended forward, almost as if he were holding a pool stick across a table. "Time this right..."

 

As he got into striking range he leapt forward, thrusting his sword forward in a fierce running stab. The momentum paid off as his strike landed true, piercing into the hound's backside. The monster gave a yelp of surprise before turning and facing its opponent, growling at Calrex.

 

"Alright, now that it's noticed me I'll need to be careful. If these dog-like creatures exhibit a similar attack pattern as the wolves I've encountered on the second floor it should be fine. Just as long as they don't go shooting fireballs at me."

 

HP List

Calrex: 78/79

 

Enemies:

Hell Hound: 21/30

[Calrex 0]

ID: 18342

Battle Dice: 5

Mob Dice: 10 (Evasion +1) = 9 (+2 Damage)

Craft Dice: 10

 

Calrex gave a long deep breath as he kept his eyes on the hound, watching as it began to try and circle around him, "Just like the attack pattern of the wolves on the second floor. They circle around and try to get you from your blind spot."

 

As he kept watching the hound circle around suddenly the hound made a quickly 360 rotation as its fur flared, turning and leaping at Calrex with incredible speed. Calrex's eyes widened for a second as the dog immediately came into striking range as it clamped down on his sword arm, "Gah! Get off you mutt!"

 

He quickly kicked the dog off of his arm, noticing the fire on his arm as he quickly patted it out before noticing the flame icon next to his health bar, indicating a Burn effect, "Great, alright then I'd best stay careful. At least there isn't a Paralyze effect on top of that."

 

HP List

Calrex: 76/79 (+4 Mitigation) (+1 Burn on next turn)

 

Enemies:

Hell Hound: 21/30

[Calrex 0]

ID: 18354

Battle Dice: 10 (+2 Damage)

Mob Dice: 4 (Evasion +1) = 3

Craft Dice: 3 (1 Damage)

 

As Calrex gave a calming breath he felt the heat wave rush through his armor once again as his usual deep breathing became labored for a second, "Geezes...not again..."

 

His eyes remained locked on the hound circling around him, and as he bent over to breath the hound thought of it as the prime time to strike. However, as it flew through the air Calrex saw it get into striking range as he reinforced his grip on the Grand Blade by placing his free hand up against the point where the hilt meets the guard as he swung forward. His slash caught the hound on one side of its mouth as the momentum from its jump carried the cut all the way down to the back as Calrex finished his swing, the hound rolling along the ground before getting back to its feet.

 

"I've gotta finish this off quickly, or else this heat will keep wearing down on me."

 

HP List

Calrex: 74/79 (Burn End)

 

Enemies:

Hell Hound: 10/30

[Calrex 0]

ID: 18365

Battle Dice: 6

Mob Dice: 7 (Evasion +1) = 6 (Thorns Activation)

Loot Dice: 15 (Search and Detect +2 / +1 Item)

Craft Dice: 3 (1 Damage)

 

After the hound managed to fully get back on its feet from the critical strike it quickly leapt back at Calrex as it tried to swipe at his armor. As the slash did lightly graze his armor the Grand Chariot's Thorns ability activate, the chestplate becoming surrounded by light blue aura chains before bursting, pummeling the hound with shards. Once the hound was knocked by Calrex quickly took advantage of the situation, rushing forward and slashing the hound, splitting it in half as he completed his horizontal slash. After finishing his strike Calrex planted the Grand Blade into the ground as he felt the heat build once again as he gave a labored breath, "Geezes, I'm not sure if I'd be better off stepping out for a second and recovering or pressing forward..."

 

"My health is still in the green, but from that short fight I've taken a decent amount of damage. It's a good thing I brought a potion along, including the recovery crystal I bought from Mari some time back."

 

Loot List

1 Material

Bonus Loot: 150 col (Mob Health 30 * 5)

 

HP List

Calrex: 72/79 (+4 Mitigation)

 

Enemies:

Hell Hound: 0/30 (+1 Thorns)

[Calrex 0]

ID: 18383
Craft Dice: 2 (1 Damage)
 
After resting for a few seconds after the <<Hell Hound>> battle Calrex got back to his feet, making his way further into the cavern, "I should be alright for some time, but I'd best play it safe and see how the next fight goes. If things take a turn for the worse I might be better off stepping out of the cavern and recovering before venturing further in. I don't want to be at half health when facing the monster I need to take down. That would be most unwise."
 
With that he descended further in, the radiating bright red heat around him wearing down on his fortitude as he gave another labored breath, stopping for a second, "This freaking heat. Once I get back from this I'm just going to hang out on the fourth floor for a while just to balance out."

 

As the fourth floor came to mind, so did Teayre as Calrex's eyes softened for a second, "I really hope she's doing alright..."

 

With that he pushed off of the wall he was using to support himself, moving further in.
 
HP List
Calrex: 71/79

[Calrex 0]

Surprise Attack!

ID: 18384

Battle Dice: 4

Craft Dice: 7

 

As Calrex continued further into the cavern he stopped as he used his <<Reveal>> skill once again when he noticed an unusual small burst of flame. It seemed to be stopping and starting in a pattern, almost like breathing. As his skill made the wall partially transparent he was able to make out yet another <<Hell Hound>> sitting guard at the base of the tunnel he was traveling down. "Great, It's going to be tough getting the jump on this one..."

 

He drew the Grand Blade in a reverse grip as he gave a calming breath before rushing down the tunnel. As he got to the end of it he used his <<Acrobatics>> skill to jump and land on the wall opposite of the side the hound was sitting, pushing off as he exited the tunnel, swiping at the monster. Unfortunately this time the hound saw the attack coming and quickly leapt out of the way, turning as its fur's fire seemed to intensify.

 

"Well, so much for the element of surprise then."

 

With that Calrex twirled the Grand Blade into a hammer grip, keeping it trained on the monster in front of him.

 

HP List

Calrex: 71/79

 

Enemies:

Hell Hound: 30/30