Post by Balore on Sept 12, 2014 12:57:25 GMT
doesn't it feel like we're falling
❝
If he was going to do this he had to be sure that he didn't fall behind the others. That meant that sometimes he had to work hard on his own. As a tank this was actually quite easy for him to do as he had no one to worry about but himself. It defeated the purpose of his class when he was alone but he couldn't save anyone else if he could take care of himself. Checking his gear several times, the large knight made sure all of it was accounted for. It was almost robotic when he did this as he did it at the start of every "mission" he went on. It was almost expected that he would spend the first ten minutes making sure all of the mission gear was in place.Drawing his blade from it's sheath behind his great shield, he cut the air before him in a mock swing. A sharp whistling sound could be heard faintly, it was sharp alright. Holding it out straight before him, right arm extended, he looked down the length of the blade. It's craftsmanship, while a common mass production, was quite good. Finally pleased with his gear, the big man started to move in search of a new enemy to face. He was tired of the boars from earlier, he wanted something that thought and potentially used weapons of it's own.
He had yet to encounter anything like a Goblin or a Kobold on his adventurers but he hoped that might change today. At the very least he could find some sort of large bear or something. Anything at this point had to be better than smashing stupid boars around that didn't even seem to know how to handle themselves when ambushed. With his weapons firmly secured on his back, he rode his young shire horse at a steady pace through the forest paths in search of an enemy.
It was his hope that an enemy would find him this way and little did he realize he would have his wish. It would not be a monster that found him, however, but another player seeking an easy kill. Why you would single out a tank for a kill, alone or not, was beyond him however. Yet before he could fully register what had happened he was suddenly flying from his horse. His mind scrambled to keep up with what was going on, there was a light, blunt force, and now he was on the ground.
Scrambling to his feet, Balore unsheathed his weapons, dropping into a ready stance. Before him stood a man clad in red armor holding a two handed axe over his head. The blade was quite intimidating but his courage would have to hold as there was no way to flee. Even if he did try he was not fast enough to escape most likely, the player probably had a level or two on him tops. Both fighters would stand at attention, saying nothing, but examining on another for some sort of weakness. They would be hard pressed to get past his shield, but at the same time the damage would still stack up even if blocked.
In an instant that moment of silence was broken as the man clad in black charged. The sound of his axe trailing along behind him would have terrifying to some but Balore was intently focused on winning. There was this odd feeling inside of him that would not let him back down. It felt like a raging fire, building slowly at first but if he did not find some sort of control it would consume him. Was this the power of the wolf hair race? It was almost an intoxicating feeling that threatened to overpower his common sense and take the lead in this battle for him. Snapping back to reality he waited as the man with the axe made an overhead downward chop.
Bringing his shield up, Balore used his [Counter Break] skill to parry the blade to the side. A smirk spread across his face as he thrust his blade forward with the speed at which his new level allowed him. The blurred steel moved quickly, but not fast enough as the man simply smacked the blow aside with his gauntlet. Doing so sent his sword out wide which left him vulnerable to a counter attack which quickly followed from the man. A steel sabaton would smash fiercely into his chest as he was sent tumbling end over end until finally coming to a stop abruptly against a tree. Grunting, Balore climbed to his feet, a yellow flash in his eyes as he grinned.
Things were definitely starting to get interesting here, that was for sure. Whipping his sword out to the side, he turned the blade to expose the flat side and watched as the man in black prepared his axe for the next assault. Considering himself the hero, Balore did not attack first but instead waited for the black knight to do so. He didn't have to wait long as a crazed expression came over the other mans face as he raised the axe and charged again. 'He has rather predictable attack patterns. Do all players form these as easily as monsters do?' he wondered to himself as the man brought the axe down again.
It was easy to predict due to it's size, there were only two directions a weapon like that could attack from. A downward slash or a horizontal swipe. Knowing this was only part of the battle as there was still the matter of actually avoiding or blocking it. Having felt the kick, Balore knew this man had strength and a few levels on him for sure. This time he countered with the black knights own strategy and smashed the axe wide with a block of his shield. Instead of considering that the end however he thrust his sword forward twice rather quickly, slashing into the man. [Sword Rain Flurry] was a nifty new trick he had picked up only the day before.
Still the mans zeal was much more than anyone could have anticipated. Taking the hits, he smiled a wide grin as he pushed all of his might into the axe that was being held at bay by Balore's shield arm. With strange speed it came sailing back into the shield hard enough to send the wolf haired guardian flying once more. His health bar was dropping rapidly and there wasn't much he could do. His combat regen was trying hard to keep up but it couldn't do much in the face of such raw strength. The sound of his own heat beat loudly in his ears as he clenched his teeth in pain. That was when he could feel it, the fangs, and the fire inside of him swelling.
It was like a surge of strength was flowing through him, pure energy. Climbing to his feet, Balore raised his sword and pointed it at the man in a taunt. Nothing was said however as the man let out a manic laugh, bone chilling in nature. This time Balore did not hold back, charging the man himself and leading with his shield. The man in black raised his axe and made to do a horizontal swipe, but Balore anticipated this. Pushing off the ground, he lept over the swipe and smashed the man in the face with his shield. The resulting blow staggered the man backwards and was quickly followed up by a quick series of blows.
His enhanced strength had obviously put a dent in the mans health. As the knight fell to the ground, he stopped moving for quite some time and stared up at the sky. So he was finished afterall, the battle between the two behemoths was at it's end. It seemed that he entered combat without even being fully healed, perhaps the transfer to this world broke this poor soul. Closing his eyes, Balore dropped his shield and took the hilt of his sword with both hands. Turning the blade down towards the defeated man, he said a short prayer, and plunged the blade into him. In an explosion of data, the man vanished, leaving behind a pile of armor. Impressed by the quality of the mans black armor, Balore added it to his own inventory for later reforging and refitting.
After finishing the man off, he fell face first into the dirt. His energy was gone as quickly as it had come and his health was rather low. Falling unconcious, he assumed someone would be along to finish him off as well. As he fell into his slumber, he started to think of his old life. The smiling faces of his family, how much he longed to see them, and how much he wished they could join him here. If they could be here with him then he could be truly happy. There, however, he would never fully be able to experience true joy.
Word Count: 1509
us the gods with broken wings
NETTE OF GS
