Discontinued Eastern Brisshal To The Top

[Hanno Futaba]

The choice for the practice was strategic. Right in the middle of the Eastern Brisshal's forest, a place that was low-level enough for the monsters around to be easily defeated if needed. On top of that, they could watch out for newbies that would spawn around or listen to anyone in danger. It was a choice of pure efficiency.

Finally setting up a good spot for it, Hanno stretched his limbs and placed his shield against a tree, casting a glance at his comrade.

"So, do you want to do some sparring, team fighting, or you want to practice spells and stuff?" He asked, warming up while letting Cleo think carefully about where she wanted to start.

There were a lot of things they could cover in a training, especially in a game that had no skill trees or anything of the sort. How they would increase their power was completely up to them, so their choices mattered even more than it would usually do in other VRMMOs.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

Having accepted the call to train with Hanno, Cleo had made her way to Eastern Brisshal's forest, to the exact location that Hanno had specified, meeting up with the man for the first time since they'd met in that tavern and shared information with one another. She hadn't expected the call for training to come so soon, but she was hardly going to complain about it, especially when the guy was as efficient as he'd seemed. Picking a location so close to the newbies that spawned it, this way they could rush off if they had any reason at all to believe that somebody was in danger.

She hummed, twirling her spear for a moment, before dismissing it back to her inventory and running through a small warmup of her own.

Hmm, well there are a few things I've been meaning to work on. My offense is pretty well covered thanks to my throwing ability with my spear, but I've been struggling to raise my skill with my Chronomancy. I've also recently picked up Evoke, but I need more practice with that too.

She hummed, turning to look at Hanno in the middle of her warmup, dropping down to give a few pushups as she thought.

What about you? Anything specific you need to work on today?

 

[Hanno Futaba]

Hanno listened to Cleo's needs carefully, starting to compare with his own and trying to think of a solution for both of them before he voiced what he needed.

"Honestly I need a bit of practice my speed and reflexes. Me and my shield can detect danger fairly easy, so I mostly rely on predicting a danger or attack to protect others... but I also want to be able to react fast enough in case I miss an incoming danger." Hanno said, looking at Cleo and pondering about her needs before having an idea.

"How about you practice your chronomancy by speeding up your senses or slowing me down, and I practice defending myself from your accelerated attacks? this way we practice two of our needs. Then we can focus on the specifics." Hanno suggested, tapping his shield with a grin, waiting for her confirmation or perhaps another idea of what they could do.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

Well that sounded like as good a training method as any, Cleo figured. It was one that would meet both of their training needs, such as her need to advance her time magic and Hanno needing to increase his ability to react to danger fast enough. She nodded at his suggestion.

Sounds good to me. Do you want me to use a blunted spear or a bladed one? Do your danger senses only react to actual harmful danger, or just something that's coming towards you?

Depending on how he answered, she would use her Arcanamancy to produce a copy of her spear. If he had answered that he wanted a blunted spear, the bladed tip would be blunted and dulled, so that it could not properly cut or pierce. She gave it a practice twirl, humming. She'd also get to practice her close quarters combat with her spears too, so this training method would really benefit her. Hopefully Hanno got enough out of this to make it worth his time too.

Say, how come your shield is sentient anyway? I've not seen any sentient weapons anywhere yet.

Was it a veteran thing? Or just something unique to Hanno? Or maybe even a boss drop?

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

"Use the one that will help you with your training the most," Hanno said with a nod, wishing Cleo to be with what she was most comfortable with so she could make the most of this training. "My senses warn about any kind of danger and even non-dangers. It is just general enhanced awareness." He grinned, proud of his Guard Arts.

Whichever spear Cleo went for, Hanno would watch her magical creation in awe. Arcanamancy was something that has been quite obscure in the past, but now it was fairly popular among players.

"That's very cool." He muttered, then looking at her when she questioned about his shield. Hanno tilted his head. "Well. My shield is a long story, but there was a moment when a giant, ancient entity called Titanus attacked Terrasphere. And upon defeat, I managed to get an essence of it and poured on a shield that was specifically crafted for it... And since then..." Hanno knocked his shield.

"Ghast. Wake up." Hanno called for it, and soon the sound of ripping flesh came from the shield that rumbled. A wide, giant central eye opened in its surface, with three pairs of tentacles growing on its sides while it blinked several times before glancing at Hanno. "Ghast, this is Cleo." Hanno gestured to the woman, and the shield blinked, looking at Cleo intently.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

If it was the one that'd help with her training the most, then Cleo figured she'd use the blunted spear, producing it with rounded edges and a blunted tip. She could actually go for shots without worrying about accidentally spearing through the guy in case he happened to miss one of her attacks and she didn't manage to pull her punch. Accidentally killing her training partner was a way bigger risk than some people would think.

It was nice that her arcanamancy was appreciated, Cleo basking in the muttered praise, before she settled into listening to his story. Yet again, another veteran brought up this Titanus thing, so it had to have been a pretty huge event. Getting some essence of it and pouring that onto a shield was definitely an interesting way to gain a sentient shield, though Cleo was shocked that it had survived the mechanical changes to the game.

Ah, well it's nice to meet you, Ghast.

She eyed the tentacles growing on its sides, shuddering slightly at the sound of ripping flesh, before she shook her head and gave the shield a small nod. It was definitely weird to be stared at by a shield with an eye, but she shook it off.

Alright then. Do you want to start with me speeding myself up or slowing you down?

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

Ghast wiggled its tentacles, almost seeming like it was waving a Cleo, rumbling quietly while watching her, eventually averting its eye to somewhere else.

"She is saying she likes meeting you too." Hanno said, then looking at Cleo, pondering at her question before replying.

"I think speeding yourself up would be better at first. So both of us can get used to it, then you can slow me down, and maybe we can try both at the same time? It would be tough for both of us to maintain it, but it is a good practice." Hanno said, grinning and patting his shield.

"Would you like me to use my shield awake or asleep?" He asked, wondering what she would prefer. His awaken shield had a lot of potential, but it wasn't too reliable in terms of predictability. Something that wasn't good to count on, specially on critical moments. Though it saved his ass sometimes.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

Well that was nice to know. The tentacle wielding shield liked meeting her. That was reassuring, even if she found those tentacles and the eyeball a little disturbing to look at. It was a pretty lovecraftian thing, she was surprised that Hanno didn't have the Corrupt mastery. Or at least, if he did, he hadn't mentioned it? Had the Corrupt mastery come from the Titanius fight?

There was just a lot of stuff that she didn't quite understand. That was the nature of being a newcomer though, so she'd just have to piece together information as it was presented to her.

Gotcha, I'll speed myself up first.

She focused, breathing out slowly as she focused her time magic on herself, accelerating her body's time slowly. It was strange, watching the rest of the world slow down, whilst all of her body processes began to speed up.

Do whatever you would normally do in battle. Better to have you acting like this is proper combat.

Another spear appeared, this time behind Hanno, planted into the ground blade first.

Treat that spear like somebody you're protecting. I'll attack you and it, without warning you which one I'll be attacking before I do it.

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

Hanno grinned when Cleo confirmed she was going to speed herself up first. At least in this case Hanno would have to work with what he had certainty he had: his speed.

Without a change of his speed, he could work in a condition he knew he had, even if he wasn't that much fast.

"That's the intention, buddy. Our lives are in this practice, and that's how I want to do it." If the practice wasn't done seriously, when it came to the time they had to fight seriously, they wouldn't take the enemies as seriou and attentive as they should.

When another spear appeared behind him, Hanno glanced behind his back and then turned his attention back to Cleo, bracing himself.

"Okay Ghast, no attack should go through." He said, and the shield rumbled, glancing at Hanno and then back at Cleo, with its tentacles opening widely, increasing the reach of its cover.

"Whenever you are ready!" He said.

@Cleo Looker (let me know if we should roll or just freeform through it!)

 

[Cleo Looker]

God, it was really hard to adapt to everything being sped up. Not that her body felt awkward of clumsy, far from it in fact, but the world just seemed so sluggish and slow. Like everything else was having to wade through treacle and she was the only person that was uninhibited and free to move through air.

Though as Hanno seemed to get ready (wow he seemed slow like this), she noticed the shield rumbling and stretching out its tentacles. That was a pretty useful ability, being able to stretch out and increase the amount of cover that his already large shield could provide. Had to be helpful for the Faerin defender.

Though when he announced that he was ready and that she could start, she closed her eyes, breathing in and out deeply, before they opened, cold crimson orbs focusing on Hanno, trying to pick apart his stance for any openings.

And then she kicked off with her back foot, accelerating towards Hanno faster than she'd thought she would, crossing the ten foot distance nearly instantly. As would probably be expected, she had the blunted spear held in her hands, aiming the point for Hanno's thigh, to test and see if he would be able to block low.

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

Hanno watched Cleo intently, just like Ghast did. The faerin was expecting the woman to attack him in high speed, most likely blasting off at the double of what she would usually move and--

It wasn't like that at all.

Even though Hanno was expecting an explosive speed, he thought he would at least see something.

But all he saw was a blur, one that Hanno only really defended himself because Ghast had its own 'instincts'. The shield lowered, enough to hit the spear, but not enough to avert it completely. The blunt edge vaguely hit his thigh, not in a full impact but enough for Hanno to frown.

A glimpse of HP dropped, and Hanno took a step aside, raising his shield again.

"God, that was quick" He frowned, taking a step away, bracing himself and holding his shield in front of him. "Again!" Hanno called, not wanting Cleo to pause if she thought she should. Now that he saw her speed, he should be able to do a better job next time.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

The lowering of his shield saved Hanno from a clean hit on his leg as Cleo's charge carried her past him, having felt the way her spear grazed the man's shield and then his limb, before the call for another attack reached her ears, sounding so slow to her that it was hard to recognize what he'd said. If it hadn't been just the single word, it's possible she would have mistaken it for another command or something else. Maybe even a cry of pain.

Instead, she spun, spear twirling above her head as she turned to face Hanno, skidding to a stop from her charge, before with another push, she was approaching the shielder again. This kind of speed felt incredible, but she was painfully aware of the fact that she could push it so much further if she wanted to than she was doing right now. If her skills were just higher...

She pushed that thought aside, beginning a series of flicks and jabs with her spear, aiming and slipping around or underneath the shield's guard to poke at Hanno's chest over and over. A rapidfire technique, though each hit was individually weak, the damage would build up over time if enough of the hits landed.

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

With another push from the woman, Hanno braced himself at her approach and, this time expecting an even higher speed than before, he tried to use his awareness as much as he could. Even in the blurr, he could already predict a few of her movements, trying to figure out where she planned to attack him so he could defend himself just in time, considering their speed diference

Hanno's lips curled in a defiant grin, seeing how well Cleo was attacking and how fierce and precise each attempt was.

Far from being able to defend himself completely, he could feel the spear striking him whenever it slipped past his defenses, with each hit mitigating his HP slowly over time. If his physique wasn't impressive, he would've already been tired from defending.

She really wasn't joking when she told she focused on becoming strong. He was certain she could put many veterans under her feet.

Seeing that her attacks were piercing his defenses too much, Hanno started taking things more seriously, with Ghast starting to try and deflect some hits, while Hanno nimbly moved behind the obstacle his shield was, trying to gain distance.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

This time, Hanno blocked more of her strikes, though enough still slipped through that he would be feeling his HP decreasing quite keenly. Enough attacks managed to weave past his shield. He was being a bit too passive to be a defender, wasn't he? There was more to fighting with a shield than just blocking hits, otherwise he'd be standing there blocking attacks until the end of time. Still, he was doing better than she'd expected at simply predicting her movements, though spears were a pretty straightforward weapon so that probably made it easier. The dangerous part was highly telegraphed, after all.

Though from his grin, he at least seemed to be enjoying this, which to be fair, she was too. Her blood always began to heat up and boil when she was training and fighting. She'd been doing so much of it that she'd become accustomed to the feeling.

Unconsciously, her hair and eyes began to emit wisps of crimson arcane energy, leaving trails as she moved.

With a loud clang, her spear was deflected the first time, beginning a game in which she attempted to find holes in his defense, stumbling backwards and having to retreat each time an attack was parried, rather than simply blocked. Her attacks became more irregular, the lancer circling around Hanno, forcing him to turn and tilt in order to evade or block her attacks.

Then she wondered, had he forgotten about the secondary objective that she'd set for him? How good was he at keeping his priorities straight under pressure?

After a while of focusing her attacks on Hanno, Cleo gave the male a smirk, sweeping her spear low at his feet, aiming to sweep them out from under him. And then she lashed out, flicking the blade of the spear up, aiming a thrust at the spear she'd created for Hanno to protect.

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

The power of the woman flickered on her hair and form. Hanno watched her carefully, but even then it wasn't enough to dodge everything she was throwing at her.

She didn't give him even a second to breathe, with her quick attacks pressuring his defenses in a way that he honestly never experienced. Having to block strong blows was a thing, having to avoid a sequence of extremely quick attacks was something else entirely different.

When she started circling him the situation worsened for him. The intention was to practice his speed and reflexes, so it was good she went for it, but the results were that now her spear struck him with more clean attacks, and his teeth gritted at the pain caused by it, with his eyes being wary at his HP just in case.

Her level may have been lower than his, but she was fairly dangerous regardless.

It reached a point that even Ghast tried to assist, slapping its tentacles to try and parry the incoming attacks, but soon the strategy would change once again, with a low sweep that caught him by surprise.

While trying to defend himself had some considerable amount of faltering and Cleo managed to surpass it many times, the attempt to cross him to reach the spear behind him quickly was met with more fierce protection, with Hanno shoving his shield toward Cleo, forcing his way to her and trying to disarm her spear with a focused blow on her wrist, hoping to weaken her grip if he managed it.

@Cleo Looker - Conclusion, protective attack is great to defend others but yourself.

 

[Cleo Looker]

Hopefully he was happy with this. There was always the worry that she wasn't doing things that people could actually learn from, but she figured that not every enemy or threat would be throwing powerful haymakers, so it was probably important for Hanno to learn how to defend and protect against that kind of attack. The rapid, death by a thousand cuts style of blitz attacks. She herself happened to specialize in heavy, powerful assaults, but having her chronomancy boosting her own speed made it a lot easier to switch things up and introduce some new elements to her style.

Though Hanno seemed to find his drive the moment that she went for the spear that he'd been charged with protecting, after her circling maneuver had managed to land multiple pokes and jabs against him. Once she'd aimed for the spear, as Hanno suddenly surged forwards. Normally she'd be too slow to stop him from driving his shield into her wrist, but with chronomancy increasing her speed, she was faster. She could do it! She could avoid this blow!

And that was when the enhancement spell faded, the world suddenly speeding up again, before Hanno's shield slammed into her wrist, the force making her drop her spear as she stumbled backwards, suddenly a lot slower, panting.

I don't think I can hold my buff indefinitely. Looks like I have to reapply it after a while. Still, where was that sudden ferocity when you were trying to protect yourself?

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

When Cleo seemed to stumble, Hanno froze his attack and shifted his shield aside to look at her, concerned and wondering if he had hit her accidentally. But turned out she was just out of energy, making his shoulders drop in relief as he felt his own legs weakening, enough for him to go to his knees too.

"Y-Yeah... Buffs consume a lot of energy. But as you get better at it, you will get used to deactivating and activating it at the right time, saving a lot of energy..." It took a while for Hanno to get the hang of it himself, but judging at how fast Cleo was being at improving herself, she would catch on to it fairly quickly.

Her question made him hold a breath for a second before letting it out in a sigh.

"I guess I'm better at protecting others than myself." Hanno said, finally allowing himself to plop his butt on the ground.

"I'm better at not letting things go past me." He admitted, brushing his hair out of his forehead, somewhat glued to his face thanks to the sweat.

"... You did great in this practice. I'm at a quarter of my maximum HP." Hanno squeezed his eyes shut and fluttered his wings, allowing the divine energy to slowly regenerate his wounds, borrowing some to Cleo so her energy could come recover as well.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

Ah, so that was where she'd gone wrong with this whole thing. Most people flickered their buffs on and off when they needed it to conserve energy, but she'd kept hers going the entire time, without even giving a second thought to how much energy she was burning through by doing that. Seeing Hanno sink to his knees, she was worried she might have hurt him too badly or something like that.

Right, I'll...remember that for next time. I was keeping the buff active the entire time and didn't even notice that it was eating through my energy until all of it was gone.

And that was something she'd have to watch out for. Energy management was going to be far too important in the future.

And speaking of important, as Hanno allowed his wings to flutter and divine energy to suffuse the both of them, Cleo thought over the things he'd said, humming.

Well, you can't exactly protect anybody if you're dead, so it might be a good idea to start working on your ability to counter attacks. You were doing a lot better when you started trying to parry and deflect the attacks that I was making. Might be worth trying to apply that more often?

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

"Sometimes keeping the buff active all the time is the right choice," Hanno said, looking at Cleo and smiling warmly. "In the way, you were attacking me, it was technically the right choice if your plan was to wipe me out as fast as possible, because sometimes... You just don't have enough time to wait for the perfect moment to attack. Sometimes you need to create this perfect moment yourself." He moved to face her, still sitting while tilting his head to carefully watch if she was fine by now.

He left the words lingering for a moment, reminding himself of the battle of Titanus, and having a creeping feeling that it would be a necessary hint for the near future.

The words that he couldn't exactly protect anyone if he was dead struck him deep, once again reminding himself of the Titanus battle, lowering his gaze when reminding himself of Rivers and Aristides.

"I thought I would have learned this lesson by now, to be honest," Hanno said, looking at Cleo with a faint smile, hugging his knees.

"It is the reason I carry one death in me. If I haven't died... I could've saved my friends too. And it has been four years, I should have this covered already." He rested his chin on his knees. "It is something I need to practice. But my body just move on its own sometimes. I think I pretend to be courageous, but at the time pressure starts coming I just can't do it right." Hanno sighed with his wings lowering just as his droopy expression.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

It was hard to know if she had made the right choice or not, but it had, all the same, been an important reminder to keep her attention at least partially focused towards how much energy she had left to spare for things like maintaining a buff. Plus, it might have been more effective to flicker it on and off, so that Hanno had been unable to get used to her speed. Fighting something that seemed to have no real rhyme or reason to its movements would probably be one of the most frustrating things that a warrior could potentially face.

Still, she placed a hand on Hanno's shoulder as he seemed to take her words a lot harder than she'd expected, the male resting his chin on his knees and mentioning something about his one death.

It's always quite hard to cope with the pressure of fighting with somebody else's life on the line. Take it from me, who's had to do that kind of thing in the real world. They really beat it out of you, the feeling that your own health doesn't really matter so long as you can help maintain somebody else's.

She sighed, leaning backwards.

But then comes this game and the feeling returns...

@Hanno Futaba