Baldur

Thread Complete Word Count: 9,050 words 9050/5 = 1,810 base exp Baldur Tier 11: 19,910 EXP Hirru Tier 11: 19,910 EXP Jomei Tier 12: 21,720 EXP +Unlocked Sword Art: Tech-G +Guild Reward (all 3 are members, Hirru is the treasurer)

Thread Summary: Word Count: 1,950 Baldur Tier 11: 1,950/5 =390x11 = 4,290 EXP Quest Rewards: 1500 Experience Points 2000 col REWARD UNLOCKED post #10| If <<Auron, Coliseum Champion>>, used Stunning Strike at least once during the quest Unlock <<TECH-F>> collected sword art. Ability to participate in 'Defend the Title' and 'Reclaim the Title' follow up quests.

While Auron was still stuck in place after executing his own move, Baldur took the moment and plunged his sword into the gladiator champion. Blight exploded from the impact, fire raced from Baldur's sword to engulf the warrior, and the crashing sound of a critical hit stuck the amusingly clad NPC. His quirky appearance didn't save him from Baldur's blade, just like every NPC before him. "And there you have it folks! We have a new champion!" He swung his sword as always, throwing off non-existant blood from his sword. It was dubious if it worked in the real world anyways. The whole ch

While Auron was still down from Baldur's stun, but struggling to stand, Baldur spun, this time summoning another technique. One of his favorites, and the kashira crashed into Auron's chest place, digital cracks appearing over his whole body to show that the <<Shatter>> effect was now on the fighter. Still whirling, Baldur never held still long enough for Auron to get an attack on him. Instead, Baldur followed a basic and often overlooked principle of swordsmanship; he held control of the distance. Footwork had almost become a bit of a meme. Everyone tried to extoll its unsung help

Auron was stilled locked into his post swordart frames, but unlike other games, these were not iFrames. They were definitely vulnerable ones. He slid in the sand of the arena floor and charged Auron from behind, bringing his sword up into the stunning blow, causing him to drop to his knees. Having multiple targets was useful for the distraction and allowing Baldur to slip into the blind spot. So much for this being a challenge. Auron's health bar was no slouch though. Two hits like that and he was barely into the yellow. Still, it meant this fight was not long for this world. "S

Auron the Champion was an impressive looking Gladiator. The artist was definitely going for one of those 'I'm quirky and that's how I've been at the top for so long' rather than a grizzled veteran type. At least it was more visually stimulating to look at. His teenage self would think the man looked cool. Now, Baldur just saw an artistic choice aimed at an age group lower than his own. From the other gates, the three gladiators he had fought with came out to join him, their names showing they were allies this time instead of enemies. "This is it, folks! Four on One against our champion! W

Sitting there in the dark on the stone bench, Baldur let his eyes close for a moment, his bars still hovering there in the dark. He wondered if this was what the situation was like for them, the gladiators of old, but he scoffed at the suggestion. He wasn't risking his life, not *really*. If he died here, he would still really die, but he had *levels* and they did not. He could gauge his situation much more precisely than the fighters of old. If they slipped, they were dead. If Baldur took a hit here, he would heal in a short amount of time. They could die from the infection a month after vict

Before the Gladiator Morbianus could stand, Baldur's follow up strike laid him low. The samurai slipped back into his zanshin stance, ritually ending the combat as he always did, then walked away and let the NPC medics cart the fighter away. This should be it, right? I should now have enough reputation to challenge the champion? Now that the fight was over, he should have a chance to rest and recover his energy as well. "Wow! Would you look at that folks! Unhit, unharmed, and undefeated?! Looks like we might have a challenge for our champion today after all!" Baldur slowly

The moment the sword art timer cleared, Baldur moved with the practiced precision of someone who drilled this every day. He was always ready, always prepared with the next move. Something that only came from relentless drilling, endless practice, not just to execute, but to execute perfectly. Unlike most people trapped in Aincrad, Baldur had trained with the sword he wielded outside of the game. The techniques didn't translate over well, sword arts were superhuman and much more powerful than merely swinging a sword. It was more math here than muscle, but the training translated over perfectly.

Morbianus came charging out of the gate, from a different point that the others had. He never paused for the announcer to shout: "Fight!" but it was all set dressing. A seamlessly integrated cutscene. He had seen the like of it in non-VRMMORPGs before. However, without the perspective shift, it was a little too seamless and Baldur wasn't not shaken. Morbianus crossed the threshold of range that Baldur was acutely aware of. He had spent a lot of years before SAO as a tank, and one of the things you learn to get a feel of is the exact range distance required to draw aggro or activate your abilit

Baldur drove his katana down into Lesbianus, and their HP dropped down to 1 again. He swiped his sword before sheathing it. After this next one, he should be able to fight something challenging. He had heard the champion of the stadium could be quite dangerous, but Baldur wasn't a thrill seeker. Still, fighting something that at least fought back would be nice. It was so rare these days. Thankfully Baldur had his dojo to keep his competitive edge, and teaching was far more satisfying than fighting. "And he wins again! Can anyone stop this player on a rampage!? Our next fighter will have t

Sand and an arc of black and crimson light tore through the ground at Lesbianus, striking the gladiator with enough power and fury to knock him to the ground. Baldur walked slowly over to the stunned form while his sword arts recharged, his energy ticking up slightly. This was draining his batter and his energy proc wasn't going off as much as he would have liked, but it was what it was. "Sorry about this." He apologized to the stunned NPC. He never enjoyed this part of debilitating attacks on humanoid enemies, but at least it was pixels and strings of code instead of flesh and blood. Tha

With the first fight behind him, Baldur would advance to the next round. Once Asparagus had been delivered to the medial ward, the next gate was opened and another, almost exactly the same fight was released. This one with a different name, and that was the only way Baldur could tell them apart. Could you fight other players here? He had never been interested in doing that, but perhaps it would be more interesting than another identical NPC. Here we go. Another one. Baldur still went through the motions. Ritually ending the previous fight with his usual chiburi and noto. Then he

The sword art Baldur released probably would have missed in the hands of anyone else. The Gladiator attempted to dodge immediately, but was not prepared for the speed that Baldur released his sword art and the blow struck him a glancing blow, but since he was caught on a bad foot, it sent him spinning, and unable to counter attack against Baldur. The gaijin samurai gave a slight smirk, seeing everything come together as he had foreseen. It usually did in these fights which was another reason why he tended to avoid things like this. It was too much like shooting fish in a barrel. Once he h

His first opponent was another NPC, so Baldur didn't feel the need to go through any motions. An NPC judge stood up and called out the crowd, going through the forms and functions that Baldur couldn't be bothered to pay attention to. It was set dressing for a fight with an NPC, and it stood between him and his goal. Getting this sword art before they would summon him for the boss fight. "Alright, let's do this." It was more to himself than anyone else. He drew his sword and held it ready. He knew how to edge his bets with swords arts by now. He could stand almost in the position he n