[PP-F1] Back to the Basics - COMPLETE!!

[Mack 0]

Mack's eyes narrowed as he appeared in the portal plaza back in the Town of Beginnings. He'd been a front line player, he was a front line player. He should not have to return now to the first floor just because Kayaba had completely re-written the combat rules in the world of Sword Art Online. That kind of trickery simply shouldn't have been allowed. Even though the blonde man did greatly enjoy the fact that his damage output as a master level user of the two handed axe was now laughably high. It was more the principle of the thing that grated on the big man's nerves. His eyes narrowed darkly, Mack pulled the snow white cowl of the Angelic Sheath up over his head and began to march off in the direction of the east facing gate that led out of the city. He'd go slaughter some low-level mobs and earn some easy crafting materials and col for his troubles.

ID: 31419
BD: 6 (4+1 Charm+1 Concentration) Cool Down: 5
MD: 10
Boar: 0/40 (-49 Dam.)
Mack: 76/77 (-1 Dam., Mit. 6)
Energy: 11/18 (-7 Energy)
Sword Art: Crescent Avalanche

As he passed through the gates of the City and out into the fields that surrounded it the first thing Mack spotted was a boar. Under the old system, this boar would have been hysterically overpowered. But, with the implementation of the new system Mack didn't know if this was just the new standard on the first floor or not. Drawing Guillotine back, Mack locked in his biggest sword art and then charged forward. The boar, hearing his approach, wheeled about and sank its dull teeth into the blonde man's leg. As the beast was disinclined to let go of him, Mack slammed the butt cap of his axe into the creature's skull seven times in rapid succession until it relinquished its hold no so much because it wanted to but rather because Mack had killed the animal. Stooping, he picked up his crafting material and continued on his way.

Edited September 23, 2015 by Mack

[Mack 0]

ID: 31421
BD: 8 (4+1) Cool Down: 4
MD: 8
Boar: 0/40 (-49 Dam.)
Mack: 75/77 (-1 Dam., Mit. 6)
Energy: 5/18 (-7 Energy)
Sword Art: Crescent Avalanche

As he continued head off through the waist high grasses of the fields that surrounded the City of Beginnings, Mack kept his grey eyes peeled for another creature that he could dispatch. Sure enough, as he neared the edge of the forest the blonde soldier came upon another boar that was sufficiently spectacular enough to yield a crafting material. With little sense of fear when it came to the creature, Mack walked right up to it and smacked it on the rump with his bare hand as hard as he could. The boar whirled around and managed to catch the axe-man in the thigh with a tusk. Once again, Mack retaliated with overwhelming force in the form of the seven hit Crescent Avalanche attack and the boar wilted before the onslaught, disappearing in a shower of pixels.

[Mack 0]

ID: 31423
LD: 20 (Mat Found)
Energy: 8/18

Stepping just inside the leafy boundaries of the forest, Mack considered his options for a moment. Given the current state of his energy bar, which needed to be replenished before he would be able to use the power of Crescent Avalanche again, Mack decided that his best bet was to focus on harvesting crafting materials from the trees for a few turns. Picking up Guillotine, Mack rolled his head around on his neck to produce and audible popping sound and to loosen himself up. When, in one swift fluid motion he whipped the weapon around his body and buried the axe head in the nearest tree. There was a very promising sounding thunk, and an even more promising shower of wood chips. Within a few more seconds, the blonde man had added another crafting material to his inventory.

Edited September 14, 2015 by Mack

[Mack 0]

ID: 31520
BD: 7 (6+1)
MD: 2
LD: 12
Mack: 76/77
Boar: 0/40 (-49 Dam.)
Skill: Crescent Avalanche (7x1)
Energy: 2 (8+1-7)

Checking his inventory, Mack considered his options for a few moments. He had replenished enough energy to be able to use his biggest Sword Art again, but it might be more prudent to continue working on harvesting from the tree to allow his energy bar to more completely restock itself. As Mack was thinking over his options the decision was made for him when a boar exploded out of the underbrush nearby and turned its hateful red eyes upon him. Drawing Guillotine back into a ready position, Mack exploded forward in a flurry of motion. The butt cap of the weapon danced out and struck the beast between the eyes, then the steel head slammed into the creature's side. By the time the other five blows of the combo attack had fallen the boar was dead leaving in its wake a crafting material and a bag with two hundred col.

REWARDS:

200 Col
1 Mat.

Edited September 14, 2015 by Mack

[Mack 0]

ID: 31541
LD: 16 (Found Mat)
Energy: 5/18

After retrieving the impressive amount of loot from the boar he had just slain, Mack turned his attention back to the task at hand of harvesting crafting materials from the forest that he was skirting the edge of. Returning to the tree he had been chopping at before the third boar of the afternoon had interrupted his progress, Mack drew back the hardened steel head of his axe. Grunting, Mack brought the axe whipping around his body and he buried the blade of the weapon in the trunk of the tree with a solid thunk. There was a spray of wood chips and another crafting material separated itself from the tree to fall at his feet.

REWARDS:

+1 Mat

[Mack 0]

ID: 31543
LD: 12 (Nothing)
Energy: 8/18 (+3 Out of Battle)

On the whole, Mack had to admit to himself that this little hunting expedition couldn't be going much better. He'd killed three boars already, and received a crafting material from each of them. He'd also buried his axe into a tree twice and received a crafting material from each of those attempts as well. Apparently, today, the random number gods were smiling upon him and the blonde man knew that on such days it was best to exploit the system for the maximum possible benefit. Freeing Guillotine from its temporary wooden prison, Mack drew the weapon back again and slammed it into the tree once more. This time, however, nothing happened.

[Mack 0]

ID: 31551
LD: 8 (No Mat)
Energy: 18/18 (3 Turns out of Battle)

Tightening the muscles in his arms, Mack ripped Guillotine free from the tree trunk again. Rolling his neck around on his shoulders which made his neck pop Mack placed the axe on the ground with the bladed head resting flat and the mahogany haft resting against his thigh. Lacing his fingers together, Mack proceeded to pop all of his knuckles at once before picking up the weapon again and eyeing his wooden foe warily with his storm grey eyes. Drawing the axe back again, Mack sent it tearing into the tree with the thump that sounded very promising. Unfortunately, yet again, he failed to produce a crafting material.

[Mack 0]

ID: 31556
LD: 15 (+1 Mat)

Deciding that he would take one more crack at trying to produce a crafting material from the tree before taking off to hunt down more monster mobs, Mack yanked the head of Guillotine free from the tree once more. Bringing it back over his right shoulder, the blonde man twisted into the swing as he lowered the boom on the tree once again. This time, as the carbon steel axe head bit deep into the tree there was a shower of wood chips and a piece of lumber separated itself from the tree. Quickly, the blonde man scooped up his prize and added it to his inventory. There'd been a temporary dry spell, to be sure, but now it looked like the hunting and gathering trip was on the move again.

[Mack 0]

ID: 31566
BD: 8 (7+1)
MD: 10
LD: 6
Mack: 76/77 (-1 Dam., Mit. 3)
Wolf: -13/40 (-49 Dam., -4 thorns)
Skill: Crescent Avalanche (7x1)
Energy: 11/18 (-7 Energy)

With Guillotine at the ready Mack moved a bit deeper into the forest in search of digital mobs that could be turned into additional crafting materials. As he moved through the leafy undergrowth at the edge of the forest and into the trees properly it wasn't long before Mack encountered a lone wolf. The grey and white furred beast was on its own, an unusual occurrence in Aincrad, even on the lowest levels of the tower. Still, as Mack eyed the creature though his grey eyes over the face mask that was part of the Angelic Sheath it was apparent that the creature had enough health points to drop a crafting material. Picking up a pebble, Mack lobbed it in the direction of the canine. The beast charged Mack and the blonde man retaliated by using Crescent Avalanche again and completely obliterating the canine attacker.

REWARDS:

+1 Mat

[Mack 0]

ID: 31566
BD: 10 (9+1)
MD: 1
LD: 3
Mack: 76/77
Wolf: -16/40 (-56 Dam.)
Skill: Crescent Avalanche (7x1)
Energy: 5/18 (11-7+1=5 Energy Remaining)

As it turned out, the wolf that Mack had just dispatched with extreme prejudice wasn't alone after all. As the hulking blonde man traveled a bit further on into the forest, within less than twenty yards he came upon the form of a second wolf. This time the grey furred canine beast was curled up in a tight ball and it was fast asleep. It almost didn't seem fair to do to the beast what he was about to do to it, but Mack reminded himself that neither Sword Art Online nor life was ever fair. Standing over the sleeping form of the wolf, Mack activated Crescent Avalanche again and rained down a withering barrage of blows with Guillotine until the wolf was no more and there was only a crafting material in its place.

[Mack 0]

ID: 31596
LD: 4
Energy: 8/18 (+3 Out of Combat)

With the immediate potential danger of the wolves dissipated, Mack turned his attention back to farming from the forest around him. Checking out the various trees that surrounded the clearing he was in, the Blacksmith chose the one that he liked the best and approached it, tightening his grip on Guillotine as he moved to the leafy green adversary. When he was in range, he drew the weapon back over his shoulder and swung it with impressive force into the tree trunk. The steel head bit deep into the tree, but there was no corresponding production of a crafting material.

[Mack 0]

ID: 31656
BD: 8 (7+1)
LD: 11
Bear: 0/40 (-49 Damage)
Energy: 2 (8-7+1) - Crescent Avalanche

With a vicious tug, and a few choice words, Mack freed Guillotine from the tree and swung the weapon free and easy in his hands. His grey eyes narrowed as he regarded the tree and the slight breeze that was moving through the trees caught the snowy cowl of the Angelic Sheath and rustled the armor. Mack was just drawing the bearded axe back to strike again when a bear came rumbling into the small clearing that the blonde man was inhabiting. Turning to face his black furred adversary, Mack clicked in the Crescent Avalanche skill yet again and exploded in a flurry of motion, crossing the clearing to repeatedly slam the heavy blade of his axe into the bear until it evaporated into pixels.

REWARDS:

200 Col
1 Mat

[Mack 0]

ID: 31756
LD: 6
Energy: 5/19 (+3 Out of Combat)

After he had finished dealing with the bear and collecting the rewards that came with defeating the animal Mack performed a quick check of his energy bar. Unsurprisingly, the bar was nearly completely depleted. Therefore, as things stood in the meantime, he’d have to take a few minutes to give the bar time to recharge before he went into battle against the various mobs of the first floor again. However, given that he was surrounded by trees that he could continue to farm while he waited it wasn’t a great hardship to wait. Approaching the nearest tree, Mack buried the bladed head of Guillotine into the trunk but, sadly, there was no crafting material to be gained from this attempt.

[Mack 0]

ID: 31757
LD: 2
Energy: 8/19 (+3 Out of combat)

Growling a bit in frustration at the failure of Sword Art Online’s game engine to produce a crafting material for him from his attempt to harvest from the tree, Mack drew Guillotine back over his right shoulder again. Twisting into the chop, this time, the massive blonde blacksmith brought the blade of the axe whipping around his body to slam into the tree yet again. There was another very sold thunking sound as the steel axe head made contact with the tree trunk. Unfortunately, yet again, the tree failed to yield up its bounty.

[Mack 0]

ID: 31758
LD: 15 (+1 Mat)
Energy: 19/19 (3 Turns out of combat)

Growling angrily, Mack took a step back from the offensive tree that refused to yield it’s crafting material bounty to him. Then the enormous blonde man flipped the tree the bird. “Stupid tree,” he growled, raising Guillotine back over his shoulder. All of a sudden the white clad warrior delivered a withering barrage of strikes into the tree trunk. Time and again the axe blade rose up and bit into the tree only to be tugged loose and plunged into the wooden trunk again and again. At last, the tree gave up its plentiful bounty and Mack collected another crafting material.

[Mack 0]

ID: 31759
BD: 9 (7+2)
LD: 20 (+2 Mats, +200 Col)
MD: 7 (8-1)
Mack: 80/81
Deer: 0/41 (-49 Dam.)
Energy: 12/19
Sword Art: Crescent Avalanche

As he stood up after collecting his crafting material Mack froze for a moment. The blonde warrior had distinctly heard the sounds of something moving through the forested area near him. Standing back up straight and tall, Mack craned his head around slowly to see what it was that might be stalking him through the leafy undergrowth of the forest. A moment later a deer emerged out into the clearing, blinking its big brown eyes at him before lowering its head to begin grazing. Clearly the animal was unperturbed by the presence of the massive axe-man. Not paying attention to what he was doing as he came in to attack the deer, Mack accidentally impaled himself on the deer’s antlers. Not that it mattered overmuch as the creature was dead in a matter of seconds from the barrage of blows that fell upon it.

[Mack 0]

ID: 31760
LD: 9
Energy: 15/19 (+3 Out of Combat)

With the deer defeated, Mack was feeling somewhat more mollified. After all, the animal had dropped a pair of crafting materials and a leather pouch that had contained two hundred col. That was nothing to sneeze at as it was an excellent drop for such a low level mob. Turning back to the tree that he had been working on harvesting materials from, Mack raised Guillotine back over his head again and buried the head of the axe in the tree. Yet again, the random number gods cursed and laughed at his efforts, refusing to yield their bounty of crafting materials.

[Mack 0]

ID: 31761
BD: 6 (+2 Ring, +1 Concentration) – Cooldown: 5
MD: 1
Mack: 81/81 – Energy 9/19
Bear: 0/42 (-49 Dam.)
Sword Art: Crescent Avalanche (7x1)

Deciding that there might be better tree harvesting for crafting materials if he ventured deeper into the forest, Mack shouldered Guillotine at his right shoulder and headed off deeper into the thick undergrowth of the forest, abandoning the trail that led through it to parts beyond as the massive blacksmith blazed his own trail through the undergrowth. He knew that somewhere on this floor there had to be a grove of trees that would grant those who tried to harvest from them an increased chance of succeeding. There just had to be. What Mack hadn’t counted on was stumbling over the sleeping form of yet another bear. With several hastily exclaimed curses, the blonde man activated his Crescent Avalanche ability and obliterated the animal as it was still blinking up sleepily at him. Problem solved, crafting material gained.

REWARD:

+1 Mat

[Mack 0]

ID: 31886
BD: 7
MD: 7
Mack: 80/81 – Energy 3/19 – (-1 Dam., Mit. 3)
Wolf: 0/42 (-49 Dam., -4 Thorns)
Sword Art: Crescent Avalanche (7x1)

Moving on from his defeat of the second bear, Mack moved ever deeper into the forest. He was now well off of the beaten trail, as the thorns snatching at the snowy cowl of the Angelic Sheath, the twigs crunching under foot, and the ever increasing darkness all made readily apparent. However, the massive blonde man was not concerned in the slightest by this, given that he was down on the first floor of the Aincrad tower, yet again, where the monsters simply couldn’t hit him with enough damage to kill him before he could eliminate them. Still, in the deepening gloom all around him, he couldn’t see very far. Consequently, when a wolf lunged out of nowhere and sank its razor sharp teeth into his leg, that was news to Mack. Then the burly man gave the canine a close and personal encounter with Guillotine, retrieving a crafting material for his trouble.

REWARD:

+1 Mat

[Mack 0]

ID: 31887
LD: 6
Energy: 6/19 (+3 Out of Combat)

Finishing off the wolf, Mack decided that it was time to try his luck with harvesting crafting materials from the trees again. Perhaps now he was deep enough into the forest to have better luck with the attempts. Placing Guillotine on the ground so that the steel head of the weapon rested on the leaf strew forest floor while the leather wrapped haft of the bearded axe lay against his thigh, Mack rolled his head around on his neck to pop the joints, before lacing his fingers together and repeating the process on his hands. Satisfied that he was good and limber, Mack picked up Guillotine once more and drew the steel head of the weapon back over his right shoulder before sending it speeding into the nearest tree with a sharp crack. Unfortunately, the harvesting of a material simply wasn’t meant to be, as the tree failed to produce anything for him. Growling, and flipping the tree the bird, Mack continued to move deeper into the forest.