SP - F3 A Numbers Game (Training for Floor Boss Series) (Completed)

[Calrex 0]

A flash of light blue light appeared in the teleportation plaza of Delilah Village on the third floor before fully materializing Calrex. It was late evening/early morning by the time he arrived as he looked around. The settlement was quiet, with only the sounds of the field zones around the village serving as calming background noise. Shopkeepers and civilians, both player and NPC-alike, were still asleep or inactive. As usual, the lights of the taverns were still fully-lit, but some were beginning to close their doors and dim their lights.

"Perfect timing. This should be about the right time for the stronger monsters to start appearing. The normal daylight creatures won't be much of a challenge at all, and that's not what I need right now."

Calrex gave a small sigh as he exited the plaza and began making his way towards the settlement's gates out into the fields. Swiping on his menu he summoned the Grand Dragoon armor, as well as the Amethyst Bangle and Grand Blade. As each piece of his equipment appeared he looked up as a flash of blue against the night sky gave him the location of his familiar, Roc, as the peregrine falcon soared overhead.

"The floor raid should be taking place soon. I'd best get to training so that I can be useful during the fight. This is my first floor boss battle, so I'd better be strong enough to pull my weight. Now, what to focus on first. If the plan is going to be anything like Tristan proposed at the meeting, it'll be likely that I'm to be on dreg duty. That means I'm going to be taking on wave after wave of minions. Of course that means using the area of effect Sword Arts that my particular weapon possesses, but moreso than that I'll need to focus on energy conservation. The Sword Arts are still a fairly new system, at least to my knowledge, meaning I'd best not go spending all of my energy in one go. I'll need to find a way to stretch it out, and depending who I'm going to be working with, coordinate to see if there's a way we can switch out duties when there's a need to recover energy."

Exiting out of the city a small breeze seemed to become apparent as his blue hair began to be blown around. Calrex gave a small sigh as he activated his <<Reveal>> skill, the landscape turning transparent as he began to scan around for enemies, "Logically, I can probably only take on up to four enemies at a time. Any more would be nigh impossible to keep track of effectively in combat."

Almost immediately after he spoke he heard a snarl from the bushes nearby. Turning his head the <<Reveal>> skill revealed four goblins, all bearing weapons that suited their size, were lurking in the brush before leaping out, surrounding him. Giving a small sigh Calrex reached back, grasping the entire scabbard of his sword before detaching it from the back of his hip, bringing the entire thing around in front of him before holding the scabbard horizontally, parallel to the ground in his outstretched left arm. "Looks like I'm going to be in for a busy night..."

Extending his right hand forward he grasped the handle of the Grand Blade before pulling with both hands, extracting the sword while tossing the scabbard aside, the sheath vanishing in a flash of light as it returned to his inventory. Ready for battle he gave a calming breath before going into a fighting stance.

Edited September 30, 2015 by Calrex

[Calrex 0]

ID: 32298
Battle Dice: 10 (Accuracy +3) = 13 (+2 Damage)
Mob Dice: 7 (Evasion +2) = 5
Sword Art <<Sharp Nail>> Activated (12 Energy Used / 26 Energy Remaining)

Immediately as his scabbard hit the ground Calrex quickly assumed his stance for activating <<Sharp Nail>>, the most powerful area of effect Sword Art in his repertoire. His upper body took up a stance that seemed similar to how a billiards player prepares to shoot, with his left hand forward while the Grand Blade's tip was parallel to it. The sword lit alight with a light blue hue as he felt the attack build to a climax.

At the same time the four goblins took the opportunity to try and strike at the blue-haired player, all four leapt up as they aimed to come down on him with a flurry of blows. However, as they moved so did Calrex as he felt his body get moved a few steps ahead of where he was standing, mere moments before the four goblins came down. As they landed his sword thrust forward rapidly, with two being impaled on his first strike while the remaining each received an individual stab.

With his attack finished Calrex watched as each of the goblins dropped to about a quarter of their health remaining. He looked up to see the amount of energy he had left, seeing that the blue bar had dropped to less than a third, "Heh, well that is currently my most costly attack. At least I can make maximum use of it with this many enemies around."

HP List
Calrex: 162/162

Enemies:
Straight Sword Goblin: 21/81
Curved Sword Goblin: 21/81
Dagger Goblin: 21/81
Spear Goblin: 21/81

 

Edited September 22, 2015 by Calrex

[Calrex 0]

ID: 32398
Battle Dice: 7 (Accuracy +3) = 10
Mob Dice: 7 (Evasion +2) = 5
Loot Dice: 14 (Search and Detect +2) = 16 (Bonus Loot)
Sword Art <<Vertical Square>> Activated (8 Energy Used / 1 Energy Recovered / 19 Energy Remaining)

Calrex gave another calming breath as he lowered his stance, "It doesn't require much now. This technique should finish it..."

As the goblins recovered from the previous attack each monster's weapons lit alight with a light green hue as Calrex made note of the attacks being prepared, "So...enemies can use Sword Arts as well. I guess that's only fair. Alright, better be ready to dodge..."

First came the straight sword goblin, which attacked with a simple Sword Art that Calrex knew, <<Slant>>. As the creature came into striking range he quickly rolled to the side, easily avoiding the blow. Next came the curved sword goblin, which shot at him with a powerful-looking vertical slash (<<Reaver>>). However, since it was yet another vertical strike Calrex easily avoided the blow by side-stepping. Immediately following the curved sword goblin was the dagger-wielding monster, which attempted a fierce stab (<<Armor Pierce>>), but as it got within inches of striking Calrex quickly leapt to the side. Finishing the assault was the two-handed spear goblin, which flew forward before stopping just out of range, thrusting it's weapon twice, once at Calrex's neck and the second at his knees (<<Twin Thrust>>). Clrex jerked his head to the side to avoid the first blow before deflecting the second with his sword.

After avoiding all of the enemy attacks he quickly lowered his stance, bringing his sword arm across his body into the stance for executing <<Vertical Square>>, a Sword Art he had used back on the second floor when he was testing out the new attacks with Mack and Hirru. As his sword lit alight he released it as he flew forward, executing a vertical slash on the first goblin, followed by a uppercut slash on the second, finishing with a spinning double horizontal cut on the remaining two, his four slashes leaving a rhombus in the air for a second before each creature dissipated into crystal shards.

The encounter completed Calrex gave a sigh of relief as he reviewed his remaining energy, "One encounter and I'm already at half of my total. Not the ideal situation, especially if there's going to be more than four minions. I'll need to see if there's a better way to conserve my energy, maybe using lesser ranked techniques that can still in the end deal as much damage as a powerful Sword Art, but at a smaller cost."

Loot List:
4 Materials
Bonus Loot: 1620 col (Mob Health 81 * 5 = 405 * 4 Enemies = 1620)

HP List
Calrex: 162/162

Enemies:
Straight Sword Goblin: -11/81
Curved Sword Goblin: -11/81
Dagger Goblin: -11/81
Spear Goblin: -11/81

Edited September 28, 2015 by Calrex

[Calrex 0]

ID: 32429
Loot Dice: 9 (Search and Detect +2) = 11 (No Loot Found)
2 Posts Remaining Until Full Energy Recharge (1 Energy Recovered / 20 Energy Remaining)

"Looks like my energy has already started recovering. If it's anything like before it's gonna take a few more seconds before that bar fully charges."

Calrex gave a small sigh as he lowered his sword arm. Since he put the scabbard back in his inventory, there was no way he could currently resheath the blade. However, since he was not planning on returning to the safe zone for a while, there was no need to go into a fully non-combative state. Flicking the sword into a reverse grip he felt his arm relax slightly at the small redistribution of weight, now more in line with his forearm.

Activating his <<Reveal>> skill once again he began making his way further from the settlement, scanning the landscape for any other potential enemies lying in ambush. Even though it was still the dead of night, the moonlight gave enough illumination that his <<Night Vision>> didn't automatically trigger.

"I'll need to stop by Teayre's shop later. She hasn't messaged me at all since she disappeared after the Avalanche quest repeat we did. Come to think of it, I haven't seen Oikawa since the meeting. I hope everything's alright. Maybe once I'm done here I'll stop by his shop on the first floor to see if he's there."

Looking around it appeared that no other monsters were preparing an ambush at the moment, so Calrex decided that he'll remain where he was, focusing on recovering his energy for the next battle.

Edited September 22, 2015 by Calrex

[Calrex 0]

ID: 32447
Battle Dice: 9 (Accuracy +3) = 12 (+1 Damage)
Mob Dice: 2 (Evasion +2) = 0
Sword Art <<Horizontal Square>> Activated (7 Energy Used / 1 Energy Recovered / 14 Remaining)

Just as Calrex thought the coast was clear to fully recover his energy his <<Reveal>> skill caught sight of something fairly large. It was bigger any any other monster he had faced previously. Going from its appearance, the creature was based off of a strange cross between a lion and some form of canine. Its front legs were borderline over-developed compared to its hind legs, which seemed more proportional to the creature's body. It had a flowing black mane of fur on its back that seemed to form a strange kind of crown, with which two long horns poked out of. The mouth was much like a lion's, except its lower jaw stuck out an inch forward from the upper, with two long fangs stretching up towards its nose.

"This looks like a real fantasy creature, almost like a chimera!"

There was no way to avoid being detected by the creature as it's glowing eyes immediately locked onto Calrex as it began to make a fierce charge through the threes, knocking some out of the way in its advance. Calrex quickly flicked his Grand Blade into a hammer grip as he readied to dodge.

Breaking through the treeline the behemoth leapt forward with both front limbs outstretched, as if attempting to pounce on the blue-haired knight. However, its aim was slightly off as Calrex quickly rolled to the side and avoided the attack, although the impact of the creature landing shook the ground as he got back to his feet.

Quickly bringing his sword across his body his free hand rested against the flat part of the blade while its point faced skywards, "I've got to keep this thing from moving!"

His sword light alight with a light blue hue as he activated the <<Horizontal Square>> Sword Art, feeling his body fly forward as he cut horizontally across one of the creature's front legs. Immediately following this his body went into an almost dance-like rotation as he cut three more times while weaving around the behemoth, striking each of its legs. As his attack completed he ended on the same side he started at, the four cuts forming a square as the creature ceased its movements. Next to its health bar was the two black jagged lines indicated the stunned state as Calrex gave a sigh of relief, "Alright, now to press the assault."

HP List
Calrex: 162/162

Enemies:
Roaming Behemoth: 94/130 (Stunned Until Next Turn)

Edited September 23, 2015 by Calrex

[Calrex 0]

ID: 32452
Battle Dice: 7 (Accuracy +3) = 10
Mob Dice: 9 (Evasion +2) = 7 (Disregarded Due to Stun)
Sword Art <<Vorpal Strike>> Activated (5 Energy Used / 1 Energy Recovered / 10 Energy Remaining)

As the behemoth remained immobile Calrex quickly assumed his stance for the <<Vorpal Strike>> Sword Art. Squaring his feet first his right foot then slid back while his sword arm was brought back. As he twisted his shoulder clockwise he felt his body lock into the technique's position as his sword began to glow with a yellow pulsing hue again. As he felt the technique built up to a maximum he released the attack as he felt his body lurch forward, shoulders first as he flew towards the monstrous creature. As he got within striking range his blade immediately shot forward as the attack slammed into the creature's side. The pulses seemed to slam into the creature after the tip of the sword connected, causing Calrex to linger in the air for a few seconds before the Sword Art ended.

His attack completed Calrex quickly leapt back, putting some distance between him and the behemoth as he saw the Stun icon flicker then vanish from the creature's health bar. With two attack he managed to put the creature at less than half health. Giving a calming breath he readied his sword while quickly checking his energy, "I've only got enough for two more attacks like that. Best be careful and make them count, or else I'm going to be in serious trouble. Another Vorpal Strike should put it at less than a quarter health remaining, but if I miss and use up all of my energy I'll likely need to hit this thing at least seven times, during which it could easily get in enough blows to do some serious damage."

HP List
Calrex: 162/162

Enemies:
Roaming Behemoth: 54/130 (Stun End)

Edited September 23, 2015 by Calrex

[Calrex 0]

ID: 32545
Battle Dice: 2 (Accuracy +3) = 5
Mob Dice: 7 (Evasion +2) = 5
Miss Occurred (2 Energy Lost / 1 Energy Recovered / 9 Energy Remaining)

The behemoth let out a fierce roar as it shrugged off what remained of its stunned condition before rushing at Calrex, who was already in his stance preparing for another <<Vorpal Strike>> activation. His sword began to glow with the yellow pulsing energy, but before he could unleash it the creature was upon him, forcing him to break concentration and leap to the side in order to avoid the incoming blow.

Kicking out of his side roll Calrex looked to see the creature slide a few large paces away before turning back to face him. The black fur on the mane matched the tuft on the end of its tail, giving it the appearance that it was covered in black fire. He looked up to see that even though his Sword Art had not fully released, a small portion of his energy was gone, "So interrupting a Sword Art still results in energy loss. Alright, good to confirm that suspicion. Now to try and deal with this thing."

Lowering his stance and twisting his shoulders slightly he prepared to ready <<Vorpal Strike>> once again.

HP List
Calrex: 162/162

Enemies:
Roaming Behemoth: 54/130

Edited September 23, 2015 by Calrex

[Calrex 0]

ID: 32653
Battle Dice: 2 (Accuracy +3) = 5
Mob Dice: 4 (Evasion +2) = 2
Miss Occurred (2 Energy Lost / 1 Energy Recovered / 8 Remaining)

As Calrex leapt forward with his sword the <<Vorpal Strike>> attack activated, the yellow pulsing energy surrounding the sword cutting through the air as he closed in on his target. However, as he got within a few feet the behemoth's head quickly turned to face him before it leapt to the side. Calrex's eyes widened for a second before the Sword Art deactivated as the momentum caused him to slide a decent distance.

Luckily enough that slide was enough to get him out of harms way as the behemoth sprang back towards its original position, planning to swipe at him once again, it's claws merely meeting the earth. Before it could follow up with another attack Calrex quickly kicked back, putting more distance between him and the monster as he gave a calming breath, "Geezes that's twice in a row now. I've got to get at least one or two more Sword Arts in to finish this thing off...Maybe I'll need to try a different attack. After the first Vorpal Strike it might have gotten accustomed to my preparation and body movements for it."

Opening up his menu with his free hand he began to swipe through his known Sword Arts to see which one might be possibly useful.

HP List
Calrex: 162/162

Enemies:
Roaming Behemoth: 54/130

 

Edited September 24, 2015 by Calrex

[Calrex 0]

ID: 32665
Battle Dice: 4 (Accuracy +3) = 7
Mob Dice: 6 (Evasion +2) = 4
Sword Art <<Vertical Arc>> Activated ( 4 Energy Used / 1 Energy Recovered / 5 Energy Remaining)

Lowering his stance Calrex twisted his shoulders so that his sword arm was back, his free hand hovering about a foot above the blade's midsection. As he lowered his back knee to a certain point he felt his body lock into place as the <<Vertical Arc>> Sword Art began charging, his sword surrounded by an almost white light, although the tint still gave some bit of blue. As the behemoth leapt at him once again Calrex gave a calming breath as he felt the world around him seem to slow, "Time this right and I'll avoid his attack while connecting my strike..."

As the creature was about to connect Calrex released the attack as he felt his body quickly do a quickly 360, rolling him out of the way of the behemoth's front claw as his sword came around from above, cutting at a very light diagonal across his body to his free hand's side. Without losing momentum he stepped forward, his sword coming back upwards as it cut once again, the two strikes forming a V shape on the behemoth's chest. The attack complete the creature let out a roar as Calrex quickly moved back out of striking range, "Alright, one more Sword Art should do the trick..."

HP List
Calrex: 162/162

Enemies:
Roaming Behemoth: 22/130

Edited September 24, 2015 by Calrex

[Calrex 0]

ID: 32679
Battle Dice: 10 (Accuracy +3) = 13 (+2 Damage)
Mob Dice: 10 (Evasion +2) = 8 (+2 Damage)
Loot Dice: 16 (Search and Detect +2) = 18
Sword Art <<Sonic Leap>> Activated (3 Energy Used / 1 Energy Recovered / 3 Energy Remaining)

As the behemoth turned to face Calrex once again the blue-haired player brought the Grand Blade up and over his shoulder, as if he were preparing to sheath it into a back sheath. Lifting his elbow he felt his body lock into position as his Sword Art <<Sonic Leap>> began to charge. The blade lit up with a light blue hue as the creature began to charge at him, it's claws ready to slash.

As it got a few paces away Calrex unleashed his Sword Art as he felt his body not just fly forward, but also upwards as his attack carried him into the air at a sharp angle. This brought him into striking range as the behemoth swiped at him with both claws, each attack slashing him, but with not enough power to stop his momentum. Closing in on the creature's face his sword came down with his body movement as he cleaved the creature's head in half with a flipping slash, completing the flip as the rest of his momentum carried him further forward before landing on the ground. The creature remained still for a few seconds before vanishing into crystals.

The battle over Calrex gave a small sigh as he lowered his sword, "Alright, definitely going to need to take a break now before continuing to fight."

Loot List
1 Material
Bonus Loot: 650 col (Mob Health 130 * 5 = 650)

HP List
Calrex: 154/162 (33 DMG - 25 MIT = 8 DMG)

Enemies:
Roaming Behemoth: -8/130

Edited September 25, 2015 by Calrex

[Calrex 0]

(2 Posts Until Full Energy Recharge / 3 HP Recovered)

After the battle with the behemoth Calrex sat down in the field, resting his blade rest to him as he gave a calming breath. His eyes flashed as the <<Reveal>> skill activated once again, allowing him to scan across the landscape for any other potential threats that were lying in wait. This time, there appeared to be no actual enemies for quite some distance, allowing him to relax slightly. Looking at his energy bar he saw one small sliver flash back into existence, but still barely enough to consider useful.

"From what I remember of fighting alongside Mack and Hirru, it's going to take a few more seconds before my energy fully recovered. Going from the way things are in combat, full energy regeneration wouldn't be possible. With this new system I wonder if any of the professions have gained new items to help replenish energy."

Giving another sigh Calrex moved his body back slightly to relax even further, although he continued to make sure that there were no enemies within sight, "Alright, once I'm able to get back up I should focus on multiples enemies again."

HP List
Calrex: 157/162

[Calrex 0]

(1 Post Until Full Recharge / 3 HP Recovered)

With another few seconds gone by Calrex saw yet another sliver of his energy replenish, in addition to more of his heath being recovered. "Heh, all of that work the behemoth took to try and get a scratch on me. Now only a few seconds later it's pretty much gone. Maybe I should focus on my Meditation skill after all of this is done. Course I should probably get my weapon and armor skills to maximum before I go trying anything else. That way I should be more than strong enough to participate in any further upcoming floor boss fights. Going from the last meeting we should be having a decent sized party for the next raid, but depending on how things go the numbers may increase or diminish, hopefully the former than the latter."

Getting to his feet he began to stretch his arms out, getting his body ready for the next battle he would undertake this night, "At the least no one gone and done the reckless thing of attempting the floor boss alone. The tenth floor should not serve as a baseline, because the risk involved with each floor can only go up. Even with this fight against the Forsaken Knight it's likely that there will be environmental hazards that will take place. That incense could possibly be a lingering poison effect, something that to my knowledge there isn't a counter against."

Reaching over he picked up his sword as he gave it a quick spin, "Just a few more seconds and I should be good to go."

HP List
Calrex: 160/162

Edited September 28, 2015 by Calrex

[Calrex 0]

(Energy Fully Recharged / 3 HP Recovered, Full Health Regained)

Calrex gave a small sigh of relief as he saw his energy bar flash, fully replenishing as his grip on the Grand Blade tightened to a secure level. "Looks like I'm ready to go again. Alright, time to go look for another mob. Going from the way the last two battles went I might be already at the best I can do in terms of sparing energy, at least until I manage to unlock the next rank of my weapon skill. Nonetheless, let's see how this next one goes and see if I can do any better."

Flicking his wrist a few times the sword cut through the air as Calrex tested his grip before activating his <<Reveal>> skill, scanning the area until his eyes fell upon another group of four monsters. Unlike the goblins he had fought previously, these seemed to actually be what look like dark elves. "Well, this floor is noted for having elven and other creatures from fairy tales, so it wouldn't be much of a stretch to see dark elves. If they have the same dexterity as their noble brethren, I might need to be careful. Let's see if I can catch them by surprise." 

[Calrex 0]

ID: 33236
Battle Dice: 10 (Accuracy +3) = 13 (+2 Damage)
Mob Dice: 6 (Evasion +2) = 4
Sword Art <<Sharp Nail>> Activated (12 Energy Used / 26 Remaining)

Moving his body into the stance for activating his <<Sharp Nail>> Sword Art Calrex gave a calming breath as he saw his sword light up with the light blue hue of his attack. After feeling it build up to full power he unleashed the attack, cutting through the bushes and catching the four dark elves wandering the field zones by surprise. As with his previous strikes two were pierced by the initial strike as his advance stopped, his right foot planted forward so that his sword arm's shoulder drove the attack home.

Immediately extracting the blade he made a full 360 turn, stepping forward with his right foot as he stabbed the third elf, immediately followed by the fourth in a rapid motion. His elbow moved back and forth like a piston with each strike. Finishing his attack Calrex made a large step to put distance between him and his opponents, who had recovered from the strikes. Each elf drew what looked to be characteristic "elven" blade: It was a fairly thin blade, almost akin to a rapier. However, it was a sword designed for cutting, with a tapered shape to give it an elegant appearance. To match their dark allegiance, the base of the blade had jagged teeth serrations to lend to a more brutal look.

Moving with dance-like movements, the dark elves flew at Calrex with fast and graceful movements. With each strike their bodies seemed to move in and out of the darkness of the trees, masking their appearance. Only the shine of the blades against the moonlight gave way to their positions. This posed no threat, as Calrex's vision skills made up for the lack of light as he easily dodged each of the blades that reached out to strike at him.

HP List
Calrex: 162/162

Enemies:
Dark Elf 1: 21/81 (DMG 10 * Art 6 = 60 DMG)
Dark Elf 2: 21/81 (DMG 10 * Art 6 = 60 DMG)
Dark Elf 3: 21/81 (DMG 10 * Art 6 = 60 DMG)
Dark Elf 4: 21/81 (DMG 10 * Art 6 = 60 DMG)

Edited September 28, 2015 by Calrex

[Calrex 0]

ID: 33249
Battle Dice: 7 (Accuracy +3) = 10
Mob Dice: 1 (Evasion +1) = -1
Loot Dice: 19 (Search and Detect +2) = 21 (Bonus Loot)
Sword Art <<Vertical Square>> Activated (8 Energy Used / 1 Energy Recovered / 19 Remaining)

Weaving around each of the dark elves' strikes Calrex quickly dropped into a forward roll before turning around to face his foes, bringing his body into the stance needed to activate his <<Vertical Square>> Sword Art. Since he had put enough space between himself and his opponents, there was more than enough time to charge the attack before he unleashed it. The elves had stacked up one after another to layer their strikes, but it proved to be useless against his attack.

As the first elf came Calrex's blade came down in a vertical strike, slamming the monster into the ground and making way for the second attacker. This elf was batted out of the way by Calrex's second slash, an uppercut. The final two came almost at the same time as Calrex went into a quick spin while in suspended in the air by the momentum of his second strike, cutting twice as his four strikes traced a square standing on one side in the air as the four elves dissipated into crystal shards.

The battle over Calrex gave a calming breath, looking at his energy, "Alright, half energy once again. I should probably expect to use this much energy each time I fight enemies around my health level."

Loot List:
4 Materials
Bonus Loot: 4 Materials + 1620 col (Mob Health 81 (4) * 5 = 1620)

HP List
Calrex: 162/162

Enemies:
Dark Elf 1: -11/81 (DMG 8 * Art 4 = 32 DMG)
Dark Elf 2: -11/81 (DMG 8 * Art 4 = 32 DMG)
Dark Elf 3: -11/81 (DMG 8 * Art 4 = 32 DMG)
Dark Elf 4: -11/81 (DMG 8 * Art 4 = 32 DMG)

Edited September 28, 2015 by Calrex

[Calrex 0]

(2 Posts to Full Recharge, 1 Energy Recovered)

After the battle with the dark elves Calrex decided to rest for a little while before starting the next battle. Sitting down underneath a tree the moonlight was no longer shining upon him as he felt the coolness of the night finally touch him. It still wasn't dark enough to activate his <<Night Vision>>, but the darkness was welcome on his eyes as he felt them start to get heavy for a few seconds. Shaking his head he forced away the temptation to rest as he got back to his feet, "Guess maybe at some point I should try and practice finding rest areas outside of the safe zone, should there ever come a time where I end up as an orange player."

He gave a small sigh as he extracted the Grand Blade from the ground next to him as he gave a stretch, looking around, "There's still a lot of night left that I can probably get in at least one or two more fights before the morning comes. By that time the stronger monsters that only appear at night will likely no longer spawn."

Gripping his sword Calrex gave a couple of wrist rotations to keep them flexible. Luckily enough with the stat increases from Athletics and his weapon proficiency he was able to keep fighting for much longer than he ever could in real life. He had touched on different martial arts, but the one thing he always seemed to luck was the stamina and endurance for prolonged combat, "Maybe that's why I usually try to save my energy for guaranteed strikes. I'm just not built for swinging my sword around willy nilly hoping for something to connect with my opponent."

[Calrex 0]

ID: 33379
Battle Dice: 7 (Accuracy +3) = 10
Mob Dice: 5 (Evasion +2) = 3
Sword Art <<Sharp Nail>> Activated (12 Energy Used / 1 Energy Recovered / 9 Remaining)

After spending a short time recovering Calrex heard a strange string of noises coming from nearby. The sound was rhythmic, almost like someone was reciting a poem of hymn...

"Or a ritual..."

His eyes widening for a second he activated his <<Reveal>> skill as he discerned the location. Through the transparent trees he could see in the middle of a vast field four figures. Two had their hands extended towards the sky with another two standing guard. The ones casting the ritual were clothed in mage-like garbs while the guards wore similar attire, only carrying swords at their side. Getting into range Calrex quickly assumed the stance for his <<Sharp Nail>> Sword Art, immediately rushing in as he pierced the two guards with his first strike, followed by two followup stabs on the summoners.

While the guards immediately retaliated, drawing their swords and attempting slashes at Calrex, the two summoners remained still as they continued their ritual. As they continued the air above them seemed to crackle as runes started to appear in the air.

"I've got to shut this ritual down before it completes. It's possible they're summoning a powerful field creature, worse than the behemoth earlier."

HP List
Calrex: 162/162

Enemies:
Ziz Summoner 1: 33/81 (DMG 8 * Art 6 = 48 DMG)
Ziz Summoner 2: 33/81 (DMG 8 * Art 6 = 48 DMG)
Ziz Summoner Guard 1: 33/81 (DMG 8 * Art 6 = 48 DMG)
Ziz Summoner Guard 2: 33/81 (DMG 8 * Art 6 = 48 DMG)

Notes: Ziz Summoners are trying to summon a powerful and dangerous enemy. On rolls of the LD 10 and lower, the ritual advances 1 step. Upon completion the mob will despawn and a field monster will appear.

Ritual: 1/3 Steps Complete 

Edited September 29, 2015 by Calrex

[Calrex 0]

ID: 33381
Battle Dice: 8 (Accuracy +3) = 11
Mob Dice: 5 (Evasion +2) = 3
Loot Dice: 13 (Ritual Does Not Advance)
Sword Art <<Vertical Square>> Activated (8 Energy Used / 1 Energy Recovered / 2 Remaining)

As the battle continued on Calrex ducked and dived over slash after slash as the two guards continued to barrage him with attacks in an attempt to keep from from stopping the ritual. At the same time the summoners continued their chant as the runes hovered in the air, unaffected by the words as if the ritual was paused.

Diving to the side Calrex saw a window of time, more than enough to prepare a Sword Art as he brought the Grand Blade across his body in an uppercut positioning. He felt his body lock into place as the <<Vertical Square>> attack began to charge, his sword alight with a light blue hue. The guards came into striking range to attack once again, only to be interrupted by the art releasing as Calrex cut down on the first guard, then up on the second. Feeling his body jerk over towards the summoners he spun in a 360 rotation, cutting both as he passed by. The attacks traced a square standing on end in the air before dissipating as the four enemies dropped to only a small sliver of health.

"Just one more strike. Let's hope I've got enough energy to pull it off."

HP List
Calrex: 162/162

Enemies:
Ziz Summoner 1: 1/81 (DMG 8 * Art 4 = 32 DMG)
Ziz Summoner 2: 1/81 (DMG 8 * Art 4 = 32 DMG)
Ziz Summoner Guard 1: 1/81 (DMG 8 * Art 4 = 32 DMG)
Ziz Summoner Guard 2: 1/81 (DMG 8 * Art 4 = 32 DMG)

Ritual: 1/3 Steps Complete

Edited September 29, 2015 by Calrex

[Calrex 0]

ID: 33460
Battle Dice: 10 (Accuracy +3) = 13 (+2 Damage)
Mob Dice: 10 (Evasion +2) = 8 (+2 Damage)
Loot Dice: 5 (Ritual Advanced / Search and Detect +2) = 7 (No Bonus Loot)
Sword Art <<Horizontal>> Activated (2 Energy Used / 1 Energy Recovered / 1 Remaining)

"I don't have much energy left. But these guys are almost down. I've got one area of effect Sword Art that should be more than enough."

Calrex brought the Grand Blade as he put the weight of his body on his right foot, feeling his muscles lock as the <<Horizontal>> Sword Art began to charge. It was a basic Rank 1 technique, but since the enemies were already at a sliver of health he felt it was more than enough to finish them. As the attack reached full charge he released it as he felt his body orient itself so that it had all four enemies on one side. During this time the two guards managed to get strong blows on him, but he shrugged them off in order to complete the attack.

A simple horizontal slash came out and cut across all four of the spawned enemies as they all burst into crystals as Calrex gave a small sigh of relief, dropping into a sitting position as he rested his sword on the grass beside him, "Alright, that should be the last battle for tonight..."

As if on cue he saw the yellowish orange light of the game's sun starting to blend into the darkness of the night at the edge of the horizon. A small smirk coming across his face he got to his feet, beginning to make his way back to the settlement.

Loot List:
4 Materials

HP List
Calrex: 117/162 (35 (2) - 25 = 45 DMG)

Enemies:
Ziz Summoner 1: -9/81 (DMG 10 * Art 1 = 10 DMG)
Ziz Summoner 2: -9/81 (DMG 10 * Art 1 = 10 DMG)
Ziz Summoner Guard 1: -9/81 (DMG 10 * Art 1 = 10 DMG)
Ziz Summoner Guard 2: -9/81 (DMG 10 * Art 1 = 10 DMG)

Edited September 29, 2015 by Calrex

[Calrex 0]

After a short period of time Calrex saw the gates of the settlement come into view as he gave a small sigh of relief. Since there was no need to be ready for conflict anymore, he swiped on his inventory to produce the sheath for the Grand Blade as he slid the wide-bladed straight sword back into its sheath, releasing his hand after hearing the hilt lock engage.

"That last battle was certainly a close one. I'm not quite sure how dangerous that summoning could have been, but if it took more than a few seconds it couldn't have been good. Still, the fact that a summoning ritual events exists is something of interest. I'll need to look into that again at some point."

Giving his shoulders a couple of rotations Calrex gave a calming exhale as he stepped through the gates, seeing that the NPCs and players had begun to be more active as the streets of the town became more crowded, "Looks like it's prime time of the morning now, and time for me to get a good spot for a quick rest before getting back to training."