Azrael

“Are you sure about this one?†Anna said as she looked at the profile. “I mean I’ve met the girl and I just don’t think she can cut it…â€

Azazel sat in her favorite place, at her favorite table, with her favorite little redhead, drinking beer and discussing guild business. They had gone back and forth on this one, but in the end it was already decided.

“I want to trust your judgment, you know what you’re doing, but maybe we should’ve discussed this one a little more.â€

The pair of women waited on their newest guild inductee, Kotori. Anna looked up at the clock. There was still a little time before the girl was supposed to be there. She tapped the square on the table thinking long and hard about things. “I think we’ll go ahead with what we discussed. I’ll leave it up to you since you know best…†She sighed. It was a tough call but if Teayre was confident, then Azazel would resign to complete the task assigned. 

(( 15849 LD:1 I’m so sorry Meo QQ ))

Anna walked over to where Meokka was collecting the money the monster dropped. “You’re forgetting the most important thing,†Zaz said as she picked up the piece of bronze. “That’s three now, only two more to go. Let’s keep moving down that way.†Anna pointed back down the crystal corridor that she’d come from, “The deeper down we go, the better chance we have of finding more of these things.†When the woman turned around she found that she was on her own.

“Now where the hell did that girl run off to?†Anna wondered as she went to look for the girl. This palce was dangerous for a noob like her to be playing around on her own.

Collected: 1 piece of bronze (3/5)  and 75 Col (split 38 Meokka/37 Azazel)

“I’m okay Meo, just go for him while you can!†Anna shouted. The Bronzite was still focused upon Anna because she’d been slaying the thing until now.  The creature ran toward her, its arms flailing about, He tried to pound Zaz into the ground but she managed to keep herself from getting hit.  The thing had his back to Meokka which left her free to finish off the vicious bastard. 

 

15825

BD: 4

MD: 4

“Thatta girl!†Azazel said and smiled as Meokka stabbed her spear into the beast. While it was distracted, Zaz rushed the beast. She pointed her rapier at it dead center, but she didn’t make it. The Bronzite put up it heavy arm and threw her back in the direction she came. She did not enjoy taking hits from these monsters; their rock solid bodies landed very nasty crushing blows.

“Damn it!†Anna cursed. Hopefully Meo would fare better than she.

 

15811

 

BD: 4

MD: 7

Anna walked to the designated place a little bit confused. The PM was addressed to her, and yet she had little idea as to what was going on. It seemed that she had been summoned to the floor by someone named Ariel. Had she ever met an Ariel? She had no flipping clue. It didn’t sound familiar, so she wondered what sort of business a person like this might have with her.

She arrived at the place and walked inside, “Hi, Ummm..  I’m here for the….†She couldn’t finish her sentence because the rather rude host interrupted her and quickly told her to follow behind. She was lead to a room with several other people in it. There was a tall man, a blond woman, a tiger cub, and…

“Meo?†Zaz said as she tilted her head to the side. “What are you doing here?†She asked as she approached the girl and gave her a hug. She pulled back quickly reading the atmosphere in the room which was a little strange.

“Are you Ariel†She asked the blond woman. “Do we know each other? I find it a little odd to be summoned to place like this by someone I’ve never met.†She said rather bluntly. 

Azazel has been given the important job of interviewing and initiating new members into the guild. T wasn’t a sexy job by any means, but it ensured two things. One: only the people with the best fit would be in the guild and two: there would be no chances of a weak link slipping within their ranks. Today, Zaz was at her favorite pub, at her favorite table waiting for someone by the name of “Draterion†to show. She read over the notes that Little Red had compiled for her and sipped from her beer as she waited. From the Intel she received, it looked like the gentleman was more than qualified to join their ranks. She looked at the clock on the wall. It was still a few minutes from the designated meeting time, which meant she still had time to get in another round.

“I’ll take another one!†Anna hollered and waved at the barkeep.  

(Oh my gosh... you all left me behind XD)

Anna watched as the two boys started talking on their own bypassing her in conversation, it wasn’t really a problem since she wasn’t one for small talk, but it was just a tiny bit rude of them to continue talking like she wasn’t even there.  She was about to excuse herself, but then one of the two called yet another person over. She had no idea who it was but there were so many players in SAO that she figured she wouldn’t even meet many of them. He introduced himself as Oikawa; Anna gave him a polite smile.

Out of nowhere, something came crashing down from the tree. It happened to be a small girl. Zaz raised an eyebrow and grimaced a she realized the girl was still asleep. How she could be asleep after that fall was beyond her. The girl slowly woke and immediately greeted them.

“Uhhh. Hello, are you alright?†She asked the girl. 

Azazel was just rocking this battle. Poor Meo couldn’t get in hit in edgewise. This probably had to do with the space being so tight and her spear a bit too lumbering for such close combat.  The girl tried to sneak around back the monster, which meant that Anna needed to keep its attention on her. She lept at the giant rock monster and thrust her sword tip deep into its hardened flesh causing the thing to roar and shake.

“Hurts, huh?†she asked it as she kicked off the face of the thing and jumped back to safely. The thing swung wildly at her but did not manage a single blow. 

 

15739

 

BD:10 (+2 crit +1 WS)

MD: 4

 

I'm stealing all the good rolls tonight! Bwahahahaha!

It seemed the man under the tree wasn’t asleep; this was a good thing because only an idiot would dare sleep out in the open without any protection. He stood and dusted is pants off as he introduced himself. “Azazel,†she said as she took the hand she was offered and shook it. He gave her a good once over and his eyes seemed to stop in a region lower than her eyes. It was only for a moment, but it was enough for him to blush a bit. She withdrew her hand from his and placed her hands on her hips to push her well endowed bosom up further.  

 â€œEnjoying the view?†she teased. Anna didn’t particularly mind his attention; it’d been awhile since she was ogled like that and so she welcomed it.

It was about that time that a third party showed up and shouted at her. Anna turned around to see that it was the young man she’d met in the pub the other day. She was about to say hello but the young man bypassed her and went straight for the other gentleman making her the third wheel in the conversation. Their male bonding was a little too much for her so she simply stood by quietly waiting for them to stop their male ritual.

“Oh nothing is going on. I was just checking to see if this gentleman was sleeping. This really isn’t a place to be napping,†she explained. “What brings you out here?†she asked curiously.

Azazel was rather surprised to see things blow up around her.  It seemed Mal didn’t take kindly to what the small redhead said which was weird. They all wanted to play SAO to have fun; she didn’t think that had to completely change just because it was also a death trap. They were all going to die anyway, how they were all going to die was always a different matter. She did however, like what the other man had to say. Anna also felt like that about her life. She drifted from day to day. She didn’t hide in a crowd; she did worse and hid inside herself. She was still hiding here, but she felt more alive in SAO than she ever did in the real world. At least here she had the chance to be the person she always wanted to be. Azazel just didn’t know who that was because she never ever thought about it. Having so little aspiration in life could do that to a person.

Anna kept her opinions to herself but as always made judgments about each other their characters. She was the sort who always silently judged people. The man and little red began to walk off to the gate, and Zaz fell behind with Mal. “You had a weapon made for me?† She repeated more than just a little surprised. She was about to ask him why he would do such a thing especially since he didn’t know that he’d ever see her again, but he beat her to the punch line. He told her he thought she might like a better weapon and blushed. It was then she figured that maybe it wasn’t so random that he ran into her after all. That little revelation did not seem all that terrible to her. Her eyes met his for just a moment as she smiled coyly and then looked away without saying anything else. Zaz walked away to join the little red when Mal decided to whip out his weapon and show it off to the other male in the group.

“Men... they always have to just whip out their swords and see whose is bigger. It's always just one big sword dropping contest. † She grumbled and rolled her eyes.

She meant this both literally and figuratively. 

Anna smiled as Cro talked. He seemed so intimidating only a few minutes ago, and now, he seemed gentle, and kind of sweet in an odd way. She walked back over to the tree and sat down in the cool grass. Now that the wolves were gone, it seemed like a good place to be so she could continue to watch the sunrise.  "What happened?†She asked him as she looked up at him waiting for some kind of explanation. She had missed so much hiding inside the walls of the Town of beginnings that she knew very little about what was going on in the field or even on the higher floors. 

Azazel ignored the bit about him punching her in the shoulder and calling her wobble bottom. She simply rolled her eyes and shook her head, and moved on. Seriously, wasn’t he a little too old for name calling and didn’t he learn not to put his hands on a lady, even in jest?  The slightly dopey, blushy expression on his face spoke volumes about him and she simply let it all slide. She had to remember that was just how some individuals played, even if she did not.

She trailed him to the edge of the canyon. They didn’t have a lot of options about what needed to happen. As he continued to speak Azazel sat on the edge of the cliff and started to gain her footing. “We climb… pure and simple, either way we’ll have to go down to come up the other side, right?†She was already climbing when he was flailing about. Had she seen him in such a state she probably would have laughed. It was a lucky thing for him she did not notice it.

The face of the cliff was rather slick. The sand peeled off in her hands as she gripped it and she was more sliding down than she was climbing. Thankfully it wasn’t all that high up; else she’d have fallen for sure. She quickly worked her way to the bottom and looked up to see how close Mal was behind her.  The winds kicked up, but she shielded her eyes from the blasting sand with her arms. 

 

15725

 

CD: 10 (safe)

Anna smirked as the girl began to explain herself. “Mal is a big boy. If he can’t handle a little thing like you then he isn’t much of a man, is he?†She said with a terrible smile. She could understand his seriousness though and it didn’t make him any less attractive in her eyes.

 â€œI’m glad I came too,†she agreed. The little red was definitely something else. “Oh, I’m a tailor. I just started though, so I need lots of mats because I know I’m going to make lots of un-salvageable items.† 

Anna walked alongside the girl as they talked. It was actually kind of nice. She’d make a new friend and gather up materials for crafting. 

Anna laughed. “You’re welcome†she said.

She continued to watch X dodge the attacker’s hits, but kept not landing any blows of his own. “This isn’t a dance!†Zaz whined. “You’re supposed to punch him!â€

The puppy at her feet barked and chased its tail around in a circle. She picked the little dog and held it in her arms. “Even Maruchan is getting so bored that he’s chasing his tail because that’s more fun than watching you†She razzed. 

“No I don’t expect someone your age to have frequented many bars in the real world.†She said and nodded. He didn’t quite look 21 yet so she could understand why he might not have known this place. However, this was SAO and she’d been drinking with a young teen, so it was a far different kind of thing in this RPG.

“Umm… yes…†Azazel said as she propped her head into her hands as she leaned against the table, “You could say I live here….†He said with a smile, “Not always this table, but this establishment.â€

The young man introduced himself. “Dante, hmmm?†she repeated. She thought on his name a moment before speaking again. “I like it." She took his hand and shoo kit in greeting.

"So Dante, what brings you here today?†Azazel was mildly curious as to what would draw a youngster indoors when there was much adventuring to be had. 

The Bronzite was more than a little pissed. That’s because Azazel was making a darn fool of it. The beast bypassed Meokka easily and headed straight for Azazel.

 â€œThat’s right…come to momma!†she taunted the beast.

The pair charged at each other and Zaz once again landed a rather clean shot upon the creature. Her rapier sliced the thing neatly. The Bronzite tried to swing at her again, but she contorted herself away from its rock hard fists and slid out of reach.

“You’re going to have to do better than that if you want to get me again.â€

 

15712

 

BD: 9 (+1 Crit +1 WS DMG)

MD: 3

Azazel:  22/23 

Meokka: 15/15 

Bronzite:  7/13

“I’m not worried about the mobs, I’ve got you to back me up,†Anna smiled and laughed.

Life began to lead her down the staircase within the tree. It wasn’t the most pleasant experience for Zaz, but she held her breath and made it through. Anna did not like dark spaces, especially those that went underground. She was terrified of them, actually. She shuddered and swallowed hard, trying to do her best to control her breathing. But as they went further underground, it was a little bit harder to do. The air was stale and stifling.

They traveled further and further down until they found a door, and behind it, a long corridor. They continued to go along until they reached yet another door.  This little game of doors seemed to bother Life because he kicked the door clean off the hinges and let it sail into the darkness, giving an awful screeching sound as it dragged across the floor. Anna put her hands over her ears to deflect the sound, but it just poured through her finger tips. He walked into the room and she slowly followed behind keeping very close. She didn’t like the feeling she got from the space. There was something overhead but she couldn’t quite make up what it was exactly. Anna just waited for Life’s next move since he was the captain on this magic carpet ride.

He would join her for lunch, this pleased Azazel very much. Even if he didn’t want to talk or be bothered, he would at least eat some lunch with her. This made her feel at least a little better because she was being helpful, even in such a slight capacity. “Excellent!†the woman said with a smile, “I saw a place back that way that looked like it would be pretty decent.† She turned around and began to walk back to town slowly so that he could catch up.

It only took a few minutes walk to find their way back to the small pub that Azazel had been talking about.  She opened the door and immediately they were greeted by the NPC running the place.

“Have a seat anywhere, I’l l be right with you,†he said cheerfully.

 Anna chose a table by the window so that they could get a good view of the town and surrounding trees. “It’s very lovely here,†she said softly as sat down and gazed out the window. “I can see why you like it around here.†She said to the boy finally as she looked him in the eye and smiled.

“I know we don’t have to eat here, but for whatever reason, eating makes me feel normal, you know?†She made light conversation. “Order whatever you like, it's on me so feel free to go for it.â€

Azazel was returning from yet another round of grinding. She was dirty, and her hair was a mess, but she felt good, amazing even because she was starting to figure something out about herself: she had all the makings of becoming a total badarse. Yes, the tiny little schoolmarm found that she enjoyed battle and enjoyed taking out the mobs of Aincrad. It became such that she spent less and less time in and near town and far much more time in the field.

However, there was one reason that kept brining her back, and that reason was beer. If Zaz could somehow figure out how to store and brew the amber liquid in her inventory, then she would never have reason to return to civilization, but unfortunately she knew no such way. The woman walked along the road leading back to town with the sun beating down upon her back. “It’s too hot today,†Anna sighed. The heat was only driving her thirst.

 As she drew nearer to town, she glanced over at the tree where her adventures began. She remembered how she’d come out to sit under that tree at sunrise and how she’d vanquished her first kills. She had help of course, Cro. Anna wondered where Crozeph was right now. As all these thought wandered through her mind she caught sight of someone sitting under the tree. The person drew her attention so she decided for whatever reason to investigate. As she got closer she saw that it was a young man sitting there with his eyes closed looking as peaceful as could be.

 â€œThis is no place to take a nap,†Azazel said and shook her head. “Wolves run around this area, and do come this close to town. If you’re going to nap out here, you should at least do it IN the tree, no under it. Don't make such a noob mistake. You'll get yourself killed." Judging by his lack of... everything, this guy had obviously not made his way out into the field yet. 

Anna heard a voice. Someone was talking to her?  She lifted her head and found yet another addressing her. He was looking for some fun, and apparently in her state she looked to be entertaining. It was a one woman show starring Azazel.

 â€œSure. Why the hell not,†Zaz said as she kicked out the seat across from her, “Have a seat,†She told the dark haired boy. Many a strange thing had happened to Zaz while being in Aincrad. Having a few drinks with children was just one of them. It didn’t bother her since they could never get drunk. But, on the downside, neither could she.

“HEY!†Anna yelled as she turned to look toward the bar. “BRING ME TWO BEERS!†She hollered.

“I don’t think I’ve seen you here before,†Anna said to the young man. 

Zaz was tired. She’d been leveling so hard recently that she ha d burnt herself out. She knew she ought to be out in the field training and gather supplies, but she just couldn’t be bothered to do so. Nope, not Azazel; she was going to spend her day the best way she knew how: in her favorite place, drinking many beers, and doing nothing.

That day Anna had been drinking since eight in the morning. It wasn’t a terribly big deal because no matter how much alcohol she consumed in Aincrad, the only thing that ever happened to her is she’d get a little fuzzy. It was both fun and disappointing at the same time, but whatever. It killed time, and gave her a reason to do nothing and enjoy it. She lay her head upon the cool table, surrounded by at least ten empty mugs of beer.

“BARKEEP!†she called,†More beer!†She waved her hand with a little flourish . “

Bring me more beer!†She repeated. 

Azazel was beginning to think that Mr. Fluffles was suicidal. That could be the only reason that he was fighting so passively. Yesterday Zaz had one hell of a time laying out a Watacco, but not Mr. Fluffles. The woman landed a rather nasty blow upon the creature, and the only thing it managed to do was leave a bitty scratch upon her face.

“This all you’ve got?†She question the creature,†I mean I know I said don’t fight, but this is really kind of sad.†She wanted things to be easy, but she at least wanted to do a little work for the win.

 

15608

 

BD: 10 ( +2 Crit +1 WS DMG)

MD: 6

rolling

It seemed Mr. Fluffles (the name that Zaz just decided to name the Watacco) listened to her plea, and he took a hit from her rapier. It wasn’t a clean strike, but it was good enough, if she could whittle it down while Mr. Fluffles continued to miss striking her, then things would be grand!

“Why thank you,†she thanked the creature. “If we could do that like five of six times like that, that’d be excellent,†she joked.

 

Quoteception! 

Again Zaz went on the offensive and attacked, but for whatever reason she and the Watacco once again failed to connect. Each bounced away from the other’s strikes with ease. Neither one could land a clean blow upon the other.

 â€œListen, I don’t want to have to kill you anymore than you want to die, but I need you fluff, so just hold still so I can collect it darn you!† 

Yes. Zaz was talking to the Watacco, again. It was weird having conversations with creatures, but it was a way to distract her from the task at hand.

 

15604

 

BD: 3

MD: 5