Jomei

Comfort set in almost immediately, as he fought back against every fiber of his being that wanted to just melt into the woman's side. He had become so accustomed to the cold touch of her gauntlet, that he could only imagine how alien her touch would feel without the armor. Friendly, non romantic touch, of course - he tilted his chin away from Lessa to mask the pink hue that filled his cheeks. Reciprocating the embrace, he would place his hand on the back of Lessa's shoulder before standing upright. "I appreciate that, truly. And all that actually sounds pretty nice." he would admit with a

::PH:: //Main Action -> Recovery | +13 BH, +9 HB, +1 EN Rest (+10 EN) //Swift Action ->Evade +1 EVA (-2 EN) Katoka | HP: 147/400 | EN: 3/43 | DMG: 10 | MIT:30 | ACC:3 | EVA:1 | BH:13 | REC: 2 | FLN: 4 | HLY: 4 | ENV-O 16 (1/4) Jomei | HP: 53/400 | EN: 13/43 | DMG: 10 | MIT:26 | ACC:3 | AA | F-SPIRIT | EVA:3 | FL.AURA: 4 | BH:13 | HB: 9 | FLN: 4 | HLY: 2 |

A crash of thunder on a day where no storms loomed in the distance. The gods of Olympia were either expressing pleasure with their performance, or disdain that no blood was being drawn. Katoka seemed to take it as the latter, and their furious, clashing of blades was interrupted as she snuck in past his defense. The color drained from his knuckles, fingers digging into the wrapped leather hilt as he clenched. His body stung, even in the absence of pain, and he could feel it beginning to take its toll on him. His natural healing working overtime to keep him afloat, but each slice of that katana

Radiant energy poured from Katoka's blade as it cut clean through Jomei's chest. The fresh wound burned, emitting that same bright, holy light that Katoka hit him with. Even without the sensation of pain, the numbing heat was just as unbearable. Truly a taste of his own medicine, and it didn't feel good. However, there was no time to lick his wounds, no time to gawk at Katoka's power and speed. If he wanted to stand a chance, he needed to be just as fast and hit just as hard. "Embarrass me?" the ginger scoffed as the scalding feeling finally dissipated. "You're going to have to try a lot

"Good." Jomei would nod with a smile as he glanced past the brim of his oversized hood. "Happy to know I'm extra safe now." The waterlogged floorboards strained and creaked with each step they took. The anxiety of the stairs collapsing under their weight was ever present, but relief set in as the lower decks seemed much more stable. Even more so relieved to get out of the rain, even if for only a short time. "And you didn't drag me anywhere. In case you haven't noticed, I enjoy your company." The soaked hood flopped like a wet mop against his shoulders as he pushed it off of his head - which d

Katoka began to circle Jomei, like a vulture stalking its prey. Holding his ground, the duelist would slowly turn in place to keep her in front of him at all times. A steady hand kept the tip of his rapier pointed at her chest, while vigilant eyes waited for any tell of her next move. Firing back at Jomei, she gently shot down his flirtatious remarks. A balled fist clenched at his chest dramatically "Ouch, rejected. Did I lose health from that emotional damage?" His shining smirk would hint that he was playing it up. "Ah, just giving credit where it's due, and just having a little fun. M

Minako and Kindling's eyes ONLY

Static clung to the air as the samurai before him vanished in a literal flash. Eyes widened as he sharply inhaled, shocked at the sheer speed his opponent was exhibiting. Shit, she's fast. The message carried from his brain to his limbs, screaming at him to move. But by then, it was too late. A literal flash. Cold steel cut deep into his torso, but colder was that dark energy from Katoka's blade that seeped into the wound. Raising both of his arms to his front, he would shove the ashen haired warrior away and kick up into a backflip to create some additional distance. The moment his

Jomei the emerald duelist //spreadsheet Deep breaths.. Back pressed against the stone of the dimly lit tunnel, absentmindedly staring at sconce bolted to the wall across from him. The flame shook and flickered as the corridor shook, the cheering and stomping of today's spectators causing the entire arena to tremble under their feet. Slowly pulling a hand from his pocket, Jomei would raise the small stone he clasped within his palm. Smooth and rounded on one end, jagged on the other. With a thumb and forefinger, he held the se

Jomei the emerald duelist //spreadsheet Why. Twenty nine floors, twenty eight of them not being lifeless with large, nightmarish monsters roaming every settlement. Instead, they decided to go with that very floor, which meant they would be fighting out on the streets of the ruined settlement. Rather than a safe zone. No one standing around to watch, save for any other of the day's fighters. Why, he had no idea.. With all of the frontliners efforts to keep this part of the floor safe, he hoped that they weren't be

"Jacob's Ladder?" Jomei repeated the name of the guild, though he was well aware of the group Baldur had put together and their exploits to assist other players when readying for the floor boss. He was familiar with most, if not all, of the members.. even if he was unaware of their participation in the guild. Though, from the sound of Baldur's request, many of them had stepped back, not only from the frontlines but, from assisting with guild matters as well. "You want me to be a part of your guild?" He specified, almost in disbelief at the invitation "I'd be honored, actually. And Hirru, I don

With Wulfrin's attack, the massive form of Kumatetsu was quelled without much fanfare. One last shout to the heavens, pain - maybe some relief - in its bellowing growl before it was finished. An explosion of crystals and data, not unlike any previous monsters they had destroyed, rained down around them before being lost to the wind. Jomei took one last look at his surroundings to make sure the danger had truly passed before returning his rapier to the sheath on his hip. "Hah, that wasn't too bad." he exhaled, releasing the tension in his shoulders as he relaxed his stance. Wulfrin was investig

The wooden slats laid out to form the docks were in various states of impairment and decay from waves pummeling the platform over and over. Despite the rage of the ocean, the docks still held strong, waiting for any ships who dared traverse the waters to drop anchor. Jomei would sigh heavily at Lessa's inquiry, not out of distaste for her curiosity.. but for his lack of understanding all the same. "Honestly, Less" he started, the wind nearly tearing him off of his feet as it caught his cloak like a sail. "There's too much going on here for me to even consider whether it was a design choice or

The ground was more comfortable than he’d expected. Warm sand beneath him, a blue, cloudless sky above. This could make for a decent spot to relax, if it weren’t for the sharp end of Telrenya’s rapier. Pushed into his form enough to dig into the grain on the other side, the ginger was locked in place as the stun of his opponent’s sword art yook effect. His health teetered on the edge, his energy levels in the same boat. Even with the gradual pick me up from his battle healing, another attack would end him - the duel, at least. “Heh” he was barely able to push out a chuckle in between sha

Thin blades of steel cut through the arid, hot air at a speed most would not be able to keep up with. The two almost evenly matched duelists fought to gain an opening, sparks leaping from where their swords clashed into the sand at their feet. Jomei could feel his energy beginning to wane. His breaths becoming heavy, sweat mixed with the last of the pheromones burning his eyes. Within the last few moments of the elixir's effects on him, Telrenya was able to land multiple blows on the ginger, riddling his fair skin and green attire with speckles of bright red. "Ah, so dramatic." he laughe

"Probably a more appropriate meeting, yeah?" Jomei responded with a soft, suppressed laugh. Though Telrenya's voice was laced with wit, her desire to reconnect was genuine. He had not anticipated meeting with her to discuss things, due to their lack of contact over the past few [however long its been..] A gentle sigh would escape his lips, as a hand snaked around the back of his sweat slicked neck. "I suppose we should talk, shouldn't we?" he admitted. His olive gaze would shift from hers towards the ground, unable to formulate a response. His mind scattered; the plague of too many thoug

Jomei huffed, running a hand through his elixir dampened bangs to push them to the top of his head. Loose shards of glass that tangled to his hairs were raked out, falling to the sand at his feet. That sharp, dagger-like stare that he had worn just a moment ago had dulled and softened as his eyes smiled. "Nothing like getting a bottle smashed over your head to get the adrenaline pumping." Free hand would rub the crown of his skull, feeling slowly returning to his scalp. "I take it you got that one from watching my fight with Acanthus." Bouncing on the balls of his feet for a moment, his wrist

Telrenya's expression was not unlike that of a rabbit just before the slaughter In that split moment, the veil of opponents locked in a duel was lifted. The teeth of a bear trap had revealed themselves, closed around Telrenya's calf. Tearing into the white of her boot, bright red marks in lieu of blood outlined the wounds. That sudden moment when she looked at him, those chocolate brown eyes that he had found himself lost in many times before, were filled with an emotion directed towards him that he had never seen - and never hoped to see - fear. At least, in the tiniest aspect of feeling

Within the moments before their blades crossed, Telrenya retrieved an item from her belt. A single coin, brushed nickel and thin, contrasting greatly from the pieces of Col they usually traded in. Taking a gamble, Telrenya would launch the coin into the air, the etched faced of their announcers glistening in the suns light at its peak. The shock on Tel's face as she plucked the coin from the air in front of her told Jomei all he needed to know. Tiny, blue sparkles, like dust to the wind, carried from where the coin had vanished to the ginger, sprinkling onto the face of his rapier. "Hm..

Jomei the emerald duelist //spreadsheet Well, this was going to make for quite the interesting day.. Jomei would avert his eyes whenever the next week's match ups were announced. He did not have much of a choice the prior week, since he needed to talk game plan with Wulfrin. The ginger was never much for strategy, unless his life depended on it. Never taking the time to study his opponent before hand, changing up his equipment or consumables to best counter the other player he would be crossing blades with. To him, the

Freeing himself from the invisible bindings of a stun, Wulfrin charged at Kiyabu and finished him off. A clean strike, yet very powerful. The now unconscious body crashed to the floor, unmoving -save for their chest rising and falling with each breath. A relieving reminder that there was no threat of harm or death during these duels. A reminder that he could give it his all which, after his previous fight with Acanthus, he would require to defeat her yet again. Waning energy against an steel defense could be the end of him. It was not defense that Acanthus relied on in that moment, but i

"Wha-?" Blinded momentarily by a cloud of dust that, by some holy power of this church, remained undisturbed during this entire fight until just this moment. Allergies weren't a thing he had to deal with in Aincrad, thankful for that, but holy church dust into the eyes, nose, and mouth weren't exactly pleasant and still spawned a sneeze. Covering his mouth and nose with one hand, he would swipe his rapier through the air to dissipate it. Hirru and him had fought a fog monster after all, shouldn't be too outrageous to destroy a dust cloud. Wulfrin had followed suit with the plan and went

One foot gently crossing over the other, Jomei initiated in a sort of dance with his opponent. Though they kept enough space between them to fit the entire supper table and not just the J-Man. Their ballad was ultimately cut short as the unfamiliar player rushed in. Having closed the circle more than the ginger had realized, Jomei hardly had enough time to react as Kiyabu summoned a short blade from behind his back. No good, gotta move! Shifting his weight onto his back leg, he prepared to leap backwards and hopefully avoid the blade as it hummed with the power of a sword art. That s