[PP-F4] A little cold can't hurt... right? <Avalanche> (Shizuka)

[Greg Baxen 0]

Greg had used up his crafts for the day, and opted to go questing to pass the time. He opted to PM his beloved, Shizuka, and ask her if she wanted to come along too. She did offer for them to go questing together sometime. He typed up the message using the console and sent it off to the pink-haired girl. It read:

Quote

Hey Shizuka, Greg here. Going to do the quest <Avalanche> and was wondering if you wanted to join? If you do, meet me on floor 4. See you then. Love you, by the way.

Greg smiled as he sent this and set off to the teleport gate to the fourth floor from the first floor. He had heard complaints about the Floor, but he couldn't gather what it was. The teleport gate activated and Greg was warped to floor 4.

As soon as he arrived, Greg immediately realized why everyone hated floor 4 so damn much. IT WAS COLD. VERY, VERY COLD. And much to Greg's discomfort, he had dressed lightly. "Y-Y-You'd think the quest name would've tipped me off that the floor was gonna be c-c-cold, but nooo!" he muttered to himself, as he waited for Shizuka to arrive, shivering.

Edited November 17, 2015 by Greg Baxen

[Shizuka 0]

Shizuka had been slacking off in her shop that morning... Indeed, she was finding life rather boring during this time as there weren't much for the pink haired girl to do these days except for a bit of crafting and material gathering. Indeed, she had managed to defeat almost all the quests except for a familiar finding one and some others. Here she was, sitting around aimlessly, trying to come up with what she would do... However, that was when she received a notification that stated that she had gotten a private message. With curiosity, she opened up her digital, virtual menu before clicking a few buttons that enabled her to reply to the message after reading it. With a smile, she saw that Greg had been the one to send it and he was asking for assistance from her, the Azure support. With a smile, Shizuka decided that she would no longer be bored for the day and instead would be accompanying the man on his Avalanche quest. 

Soon, Shizuka had reached the fourth floor. She remembered that the first time she had been here, she literally froze to death. However, this time, she had come prepared... Indeed, her pink blossom cloak was warming her up quite well and effectively. She soon smiled as she saw the face of her lover in the white weather before running up to him. "Hey!" Shizuka said with a smile. "Let's get this quest over with quick so we can go to a warm place instead of staying in the cold." Shizuka said, knowing that Greg was probably freezing under that jumpsuit. 

[Greg Baxen 0]

Greg smiled as he heard Shizuka coming up to him. Turning, he responded. "Y-Y-Yeah, I'd l-l-love that." He said, shivering in the cold. "I just can't b-b-believe I didn't take note of the quest name and d-d-dress accordingly." he responded. "W-well, let's get this over with. I want to get out of the cold ASAP." He responded, before putting his <Coat of the Azure Wind> on. It helped warm him up a bit, but he still felt cold. "I c-c-can see why people despise this floor- it's too damn cold." he deadpanned.

Edited November 17, 2015 by Greg Baxen

[Shizuka 0]

"Well, I think it is nice on this floor. The scenery is beautiful at night and there is a skating area for one to skate in during times of relaxation. Perhaps I'll even move my shop over someday. Alright then, let's get moving so we can finish this quest and return with plenty of time to enjoy ourselves." Shizuka said with a smirk before starting to walk. Indeed, she had already formulated a plan within her willed, powerful mind. Don't misunderstand, she was not a strategist and was far from it... Instead, she was someone that has common sense and uses it to her advantage most of the time. She had found that the world of Aincrad did lack quite a lot of people who had this super power of being able to tell the difference between right and wrong. Nevertheless, time is being wasted and she didn't have much to waste and hence, she picked up her pace before starting a conversation with Greg. "So, I thought you were going to open up a shop next to mine? When are you going to do that?" Shizuka said. Honestly, she couldn't wait for the blonde boy to set up his shop as she could always go over and buy some sort of blacksmith item from the man. However, she knew that shop setting was rather a slow and hard process so she didn't want to rush the man. Either way, the sentence was pretty much all she could think of in an attempt to start a conversation while walking slowly to the Avalanche boss. 

[Greg Baxen 0]

"Believe it or not, I've already done so. I actually saw your shop on the first floor. Blossom Alchemy, right?" He quipped. "That being said, you can't expect works of wonderous quality from me yet (at least not commonly), as I'm still just beginning." He said. Greg then shivered "Brrr, it's still kinda cold..." he muttered, but he still pressed on. He couldn't complain too much while Shizuka's around- that would make a bad impression and that was the last thing he wanted to do. Greg thought for a second. "Have you had any moments where you've just had utterly terrible luck?" Greg asked.

[Shizuka 0]

"Moments of bad luck? Not that I can recall." Shizuka said, pointing at her chin as she tried her hardest to think of the past. "The game has been pretty good to me so far.... But I could really use some more luck... Ya know, you can never have enough of the luck." Shizuka said with a humorous grin before picking up her pace. Indeed, she had come here for the quest but she had also come here with the desire to gather materials after the killing of the beast. However, if they did not kill the Avalanche monster, then, they would not have time to complete some material gathering if they did indeed manage to kill it in due time. Soon, both players were able to reach the area in which the Avalanche mob would spawn. Shizuka remembered this place deeply... It was the first quest that Shizuka had done with a powerful blonde man by the name of Zelrius. She nodded at Greg, knowing full well that the blonde was prepared for this instance. With a deep breath, she waited for him to approach the area and hence start the fight. Indeed, she would stay in the back... healing Greg when necessary and stunning the avalanche monster if necessary as well.

[Greg Baxen 0]

"For me there was this one time while I was doing <Breaking the Unbreakable> where i ended up tripping over and falling flat on my face... three times in a row. I kid you not, this actually happened." He said. Then they reached the boss area. Greg stepped forwards and the big Ice Elemental came out of nowhere. Drawing his <Anneal Blade>, Greg smirked in excitement. With Shizuka at his back, this shouldn't be too hard. "Let's do this!" he exclaims, before charging towards the Ice Elemental, concentrating as he readied <Vertical Arc>, boosted by <Concentration>!

ID: 39163

BD 7: Hit! (4+1*2*2=20 damage)

Greg's blade went clean through the Ice Elemental, but he wasn't done yet! Switching his grip, he brought it up to create a V-shaped gash in the <Avalanche>'s body! However, in response, it raised an icy fist and thrust it towards Greg!

MD 9: Critical Hit! +1 Damage! (25-15 Mit=10 damage)

Greg grunted as he was hurled back by the blow. Taking a look, he lost about 1/5 of his HP from that. This wasn't going to be easy, but he was going to give it his all! He got back to his feet and raised his blade again. Shizuka was beside him- he wouldn't lose that easily!

Greg Baxen: 38/48 HP, 8/12 EN.

Shizuka: 64/64 HP, 16/16 EN.

Avalanche: 80/100 HP.

Edited November 17, 2015 by Greg Baxen

[Shizuka 0]

ID: 39228
Crafting Dice: 6+2=8
Skill <<First Aid>> Activated

Shizuka knew that it was tough... but she did not expect the Ice Elemental to be able to just strike ten solid health points out of Greg. She would need to do some healing. Perhaps this is a good thing... I could use some first aid practice after all. She thought with remembrance of when she completed the quest. At that time, she had the assistance of Zelrius, her guild commandant however, this time, she was not be helped by him... Instead, she was helping Greg. With a sigh, Shizuka walked up to her blonde counterpart before raising her arms and activating the skill that she's invested so many skill points into. Indeed, it was the skill that every healer and support must have... A skill that is called First Aid. Shizuka's arms glowed as she neared the man before finally touching his back and allowing the aura to go through. Now, the warrior's health has recovered a bit. "Keep going! I know you can do this." Shizuka said, sneaking in some encouragement before backing off again.

HP List
Greg Baxen: 45/48 (16% of 48 = +7)
   Energy: 8/12
      Hate: 1

Shizuka: 72/72
   Energy: 18/18
      Hate: 0

Enemies:
Avalanche: 80/100
   Damage: 24

Edited November 18, 2015 by Shizuka

[Greg Baxen 0]

Greg smiled as Shizuka had his back. That being said, with the amount of damage that the mob was dealing, even if Shizuka healed him every single round, he would eventually run out at this rate, and he knew what happened if one ran out of HP. Greg had visited Shizuka's shop once before, and bought a potion from it, and now it was time to make use of it. He took out the Damage Mitigation Potion that Shizuka had made and used it, increasing his defense, which should be able to protect him from the Monster's wrath.  The monster, angry at Greg for having wounded it earlier, and now seeing him use a potion, angrily attempted to punch Greg again!

(Rare Damage Mitigation Potion used. +6 Mit for the thread)

ID: 39258

MD 7-3=4: Miss!

This time, Greg was ready. Almost as if moving with the wind, Greg sidestepped the blow with ease!

Greg: 45/48 HP, 9/12 EN. 1 Hate. (I did damage it after all.)

Shizuka: 72/72 HP, 18/18 EN. 0 Hate.

Avalanche: 80/100 HP.

Edited November 18, 2015 by Greg Baxen

[Shizuka 0]

ID: 39290
Crafting Dice: 8+2=10
Skill <<First Aid>> Activated

Shizuka smiled as the boy decided that he would take the mitigation potion that he had bought from her in order to provide safety for himself. Even though it did include less risk of the battle, Shizuka thought that the potion was rather useless and unnecessary for what the situation is at the moment. Sure, the Ice Elemental could deal more damage than she could heal but as long as Greg tried his best to dodge the attacks, everything should be more than controlled. Nevertheless, Greg was unable to attack that turn because the potion was a post action, but it didn't matter as the Ice Elemental managed to miss its attack anyway. With a smile, she activated the healing skill once again to try and recover the remaining health that Greg had to bring him back up to 100% and indeed, Shizuka had become rather good at this and was able to heal the man to perfection. Just what I want. She thought with a strong smile... A smile that would hopefully bring confidence. "If we keep attacking it like this... We should be able to bring down its health rather easily."  Shizuka said.

HP List
Greg Baxen: 48/48 (16% of 48 = +7)
   Energy: 9/12
      Mitigation: 21
         Hate: 1

Shizuka: 72/72
   Energy: 18/18
      Hate: 0

Enemies:
Avalanche: 80/100
   Damage: 24

Edited November 18, 2015 by Shizuka

[Greg Baxen 0]

Greg smiled as Shizuka healed him once again, and shot her a grateful look and a thumbs-up, before turning back and readying <Vertical Arc> again! He brings his sword down at an angle...!

ID: 39294

BD 6: Hit! (2x2x4=16 Damage)

Greg once again pulls off the V-shaped pair of slashes, dealing another big chunk of damage to <Avalanche>, who once again attempts to punch Greg in the face!

MD: 6-3=3: Miss!

Predictably, Greg sidesteps it with relative ease. The <Coat of the Azure Wind> was serving Greg well and it wouldn't stop any time soon. <Avalanche> seemed to be cracking a bit from the blows Greg dealt it. He did have the higher damage and mitigation of the couple, after all.

Greg: 48/48 HP, 6/12 EN. 2 Hate. Status: +6 Mit from potion.

Shizuka: 72/72 HP, 18/18 EN. 0 Hate.

Avalanche: 64/100 HP.

 

[Shizuka 0]

ID: 39300
Battle Dice: 7
Sword Art <<Uppercut>> Activated

Once again, just like Shizuka had anticipated, Greg's evasion had proven to be impossible for the boss. Indeed, the boss had once again roared in frustration and made some sort of sound that allowed the two players to sense its frustration. The number one rule for all combat strategy and tactics is to remain calm at all costs and this was, of course, no exception. With a sigh, Shizuka took out her sword. Indeed, there were no one to heal and when there are no one for her to work her miracles on, she did what she always did and that was to stun the opponent in an effort to prevent them from harming her party members. Of course, to stun an enemy takes quite a bit of energy from her so she can only do so much in a battle but it was all going to be worth it if it reduces risk. With a charge, she soon uppercut the unsuspecting ice elemental and inflict and grand total damage of four along with the stun effect that her sword art had managed to allow her to use. Well, this should be rather easy now. She thought as she retreated.

HP List
Greg Baxen: 48/48
   Energy: 6/12
      Mitigation: 21
         Hate: 1

Shizuka: 72/72
   Energy: 13/18 (-5)
      Hate: 0

Enemies:
Avalanche: 60/100 [Stun] (2 DMG * 2 SA = 4 DMG)
   Damage: 24

Edited November 18, 2015 by Shizuka

[Greg Baxen 0]

Seeing Shizuka hit the boss with an <Uppercut>, Greg rushed in with <Vertical Arc> once again! Once again his sword glowed, and he readied himself to bring the blade through the big ice monster stood in front of the pair...

ID: 39308

BD 7: Hit! (2*2*4=16 damage)

Once again he unleashes that same two hit combo with a V-Shape. There are visible cracks on the big block of ice turned into a monster that the game calls Avalanche. It was dazed from Shizuka's earlier Sword Art and taking heavy damage from Greg. He noted that his and Shizuka's builds actually synergized well with each other. 'Would that be why this fight is so easy?' He pondered. He and Shizuka worked really well together as a team, which also adds merit to their relationship.

Greg: 48/48 HP, 3/12 EN.

Shizuka: 72/72 HP, 13/18 EN.

Avalanche: 44/100.

[Shizuka 0]

ID: 39314
Battle Dice: 6
Sword Art <<Uppercut>> Activated

Indeed, Shizuka had noticed that she and Greg were a pretty well-matched couple. Their combos are beyond extraordinary. With Greg dealing a lot of damage and Shizuka inflicting stuns on the Ice Elemental, they were pretty much preventing the boss from attacking and hence they were slowly killing the mob's health little by little. It was a very effective maneuver and even though it wasn't as quick as Zelrius one shotting the boss, it was a lot more fun as she was involved in the combat a lot more. With a sigh, she noticed that Greg's energy was decreasing by the second and she worries even though there aren't much she could do about that. Once the Avalanche Elemental becomes free from the series of stuns, it would be able to strike once more. Shizuka glared at the ice elemental before charing up and swinging her sword at the slow target. Indeed, she had managed to strike it once more and this time, she was able to inflict yet another critical on it. "Keep going until we run out of stamina!" Shizuka shouted with intensity.

HP List
Greg Baxen: 48/48
   Energy: 3/12
      Mitigation: 21
         Hate: 3

Shizuka: 72/72
   Energy: 9/18 (+1) (-5)
      Hate: 2 (+1)

Enemies:
Avalanche: 40/100 [Stun] (2 DMG * 2 SA = 4 DMG)
   Damage: 24

Edited November 18, 2015 by Shizuka

[Greg Baxen 0]

 

"I guess that means i've got one more use of <Vertical Arc>, then, so I'd best make this count!" he calls back, before once again lunging with, you guessed it, <Vertical Arc>.

ID: 39320

BD 4: Miss!

Unfortunately, as he's lunging, his foot gets caught on something and he ends up falling face-first into the snow. "So much for making it count..." Greg moans. Avalanche tries to take advantage of this, by attempting to squash Greg like a bug!

MD 3-3=0: Miss!

(Avalanche was immune to that Stun, but your next one will stun it. Doesn't matter, though, as Avalanche missed. The reason is that upon being hit by a Stun Sword Art, they can't be stunned by Sword Arts for the next two posts.)

Greg rolls outta the way. "Not today, you oversized snow cone!" he quips at the monster as he evades the attack. He just hoped he didn't sound stupid by doing that.

Greg: 48/48 HP, 2/12 EN. +6 Mit. 3 Hate.

Shizuka: 72/72 HP, 9/18 EN

Avalanche: 40/100 HP.

[Shizuka 0]

ID: 39321
Battle Dice: 7
Sword Art <<Uppercut>> Activated

Indeed, Shizuka had made a major error and she just realized it. As a support player, she never really paid attention to sword art skills so she didn't really know anything about the ability of stun moves. However, she just realized that the Ice Elemental had just attempted to attack Greg. Then, she realized that she had indeed wasted a bunch of energy and stamina on something that she shouldn't of. With a sigh, she decided that what is passed has passed and there is no point in complaining about it.  However, now it should go my way... I should be able to stun it this time. She thought with unexplainable confidence. With a smirk, she held tightly her sword and soon charge forward to perhaps stun the mob and yes indeed, she was able to do so with the cost of much of her stamina. She had noticed that the energy of Greg was rather low and this was what she is scared about. Now, the boy did not exactly have the damage output that she would've liked with his basic damage. Argh... I might have to do a lot of healing and hope for a lot of luck now. She thought.

HP List
Greg Baxen: 48/48
   Energy: 2/12
      Mitigation: 21
         Hate: 3

Shizuka: 72/72
   Energy: 5/18 (+1) (-5)
      Hate: 3 (+1)

Enemies:
Avalanche: 36/100 [Stun] (2 DMG * 2 SA = 4 DMG)
   Damage: 24

Edited November 19, 2015 by Shizuka

[Greg Baxen 0]

Greg was out of energy, however, he wasn't TOO worried. Thanks to the Damage Mitigation Potion, Greg would do equal damage to Avalanche on all hits but a Super Critical, and even then, Avalanche would only outpace him by 1 damage, plus Shizuka would be able to heal him. He still had enough energy for one more Sword Art, though, so he lunged using <Vorpal Strike>!

ID: 39325

BD 3:  Miss!

Greg tripped again. His only response was a deadpan "You've gotta be kidding me." Thankfully, Shizuka had stunned Avalanche so Greg had plenty of time to get up. He needed to get his act together, though, or Shizuka would be attacked and that would be no good! "We should slow down a bit! If you keep attacking too much, it'll target you instead of me!" he called out to his beloved. "While you have more HP, you've not got any mitigation at all! This means it could kill you in three hits!" he continued, with emphasis on the 'three'.

Greg: 48/48 HP, 1/12 EN. +6 Mit, 3 Hate.

Shizuka: 72/72 HP, 5/18 EN.  3 Hate.

Avalanche: 36/100 HP.

[Shizuka 0]

Shizuka sighed as she realized that Greg was right in the fact that she would be killed within a few hits. However, she, of course, being an experienced support player knew that it would not be good if she was the target of the ice elemental. "Step up your game, mister," Shizuka said in a teasing tone with a wink. Indeed, she was not worried at all at the moment. The battle was actually going their way as neither players have had their health taken down yet. Still, she decided that this battle turn, she would indeed skip it in order to ensure her own safety. Greg did have better mitigation even though she was higher leveled. With a smile, she backed up. Come on Greg, hit with this attack and try not to get hit. Shizuka said, hoping for the best.

[Greg Baxen 0]

Greg didn't have enough energy for a <Vertical Arc> or <Vorpal Strike>, so instead he opted to use <Snake Bite>! He brings his blade down at a small angle...

ID: 39384

BD 1: Crit Fail...

And his swing goes well wide. Greg was dumbfounded. "How...?" He begun to question it but then decided not to. "Oh, great. Another situation like <Breaking the Unbreakable>. Just great. What next, am I gonna end up running face-first into Avalanche's fist 3 times straight?" he deadpanned, his voice oozing with sarcasm, as his patience wore thin. Avalanche, still focused on Greg, threw another punch!

MD5-3=2: Miss!

Predictably, it was easy for Greg to dodge. He didn't bother making a quip, though.

Greg: 48/48 HP, 0/12 EN. 3 Hate, +6 Mit.

Shizuka: 72/72 HP, 5/18 EN. 3 Hate.

Avalanche: 36/100 HP.

[Shizuka 0]

Shizuka sighed. Indeed, it seems like luck wasn't on their side this time. Greg had managed to miss once more and, unfortunately, was unable to deal damage to the Avalanche. Because of this, Shizuka was unable to attack as well and the best she can do is stand beside him, waiting for him to land an attack. With a sigh, Shizuka mouthed a word of encouragement. Of course, Shizuka's energy was slowly recovering from this lack of action and she guessed that that could be a good thing to save up for when Greg loses all his energy. With a sigh, she crossed her arms, waiting for the man to attempt once again and hopefully this time, the blonde would be able to land the hit and inflict damage towards the mob.

HP List
Greg Baxen: 48/48
   Energy: 0/12
      Mitigation: 21
         Hate: 3

Shizuka: 72/72
   Energy: 7/18 (+1)
      Hate: 3

Enemies:
Avalanche: 36/100
   Damage: 24

Edited November 19, 2015 by Shizuka