PP - F5 A Protege's Task <<Butcher of the Sands>> (Takneil)

[Calrex 0]

As he appeared on the fifth floor Calrex gave a small sigh as he put his hands into his jacket pockets. It wasn't long before all of the recent events had occurred, and they were of course weighing heavily on his mind. At this point he couldn't really tell which emotion was most prominent within him. Looking up at his familiar circling above he put a hand on his head, scratching at his helm with enough pressure that if he were in the real world it would have pulled some hair.

"Come on Calrex, get a hold of yourself. You know full well what you need to do, what you've been doing for the past weeks. Working to finally bring an end to the madness of this world, ripping the darkness out. But there's one thing you need to do first."

Swiping on his menu he pulled up a message to send to his protege, Takneil, requesting him to come meet the blunette on the floor, "It's time for his first task. As Xanatos said, if we're going to foster the next group of upcoming players, I need to not just strengthen his player stats, but his mind and heart as well..."

With that he waitied for the two-tone haired boy's response.

[Takneil 0]

A pen swiftly etched away on a sheet of paper, the hand that held the pen shaking an unstable. Unlike that of a true Artisan's hand. "GAH!" Letting out the frustrated yell the boy slammed his fists against the work table, knocking over various items and causing his vile of ink to spill across the page. The black seeping through the white page, corrupting it of it's purity. Dropping the pen a hand rushed to his chest, grasping at the white dress shirt his fingers pressed against it. pushing at the skin beneath. Almost as if a pain arced through his torso he let out a pained breath. Why did he feel like this?, lost. Something had been taken from him, he didn't know what though. Slamming his free hand onto the table again the clutter of various items cascaded from the top shelf, one in particular catching the pained player's attention as a soothing tune began playing. 

Letting out a sigh he relaxed and reached for the item, a Ebony pocket watch with an ivory chain. A token of appreciation he had made for a dear friend...but she didn't meet him at their arranged location. "I got to stop letting my feelings get the best of me..." he muttered as he gently attached the item to his belt and let it slide into the pocket of his black dress pants. 'Maybe I should send her a message.' he mused internally. After cleaning up the mess that he had made of his work table he shut off the light and locked the door to the workshop. Leaving him behind the front desk of the main part of his shop, Swiping open his menu the monochrome boy startled as a message appeared at the same time. "Hmm?, Cal?." Reading the PM he gulped nervously and glanced to the Armor set resting on a mannequin he had made not too long ago. As if sensing it's master's gaze the armor began exerting it's sinister aura, the cold sweeping through the shop like a wave of evil. It was beckoning for him to wear it once more, though he had put up his sword along with the armor set. He couldn't risk another... no...he was changed now. He could control his impulses.

Slowly and cautiously walking over to the chest piece he placed his hand on the cool metal, he wouldn't let himself become what it symbolized. Not again...

Appearing on the sand rampaged fifth floor Takneil stepped away from the teleporter, not realizing he no longer felt like puking when exiting the gateway. His Eternal Melody merely a simple chest piece as of the moment he carried his shield and sword, having yet to properly equip them. His clothing remaining the same and unchanged from back in the shop he looked for his ultra marine mentor. 

Spotting him not so far away the monochrome boy approached, his long black and white hair blowing in the wind. "It's been a long time Cal." Takneil spoke aloud, his orange gaze meeting his mentor's.

[Calrex 0]

"Heh, right on time..."

As Calrex continued to lean against one of the two pillars marking the edge of the settlement he continued contemplate the thoughts running through his mind, a small sigh escaping his lips before he saw the two-toned hair of his protege come into view. From his memory there was only one other person he had met in this world that sported such a color scheme. Giving a small smirk and a push of his leg the bluenette stood up straight and gave a casual wave, "Definitely. Nice to see you're still doing well Tak."

"Exchange pleasantries first. We'll get down to business once we get outside of the settlement and under way."

"In any case go ahead and get yourself ready. We'll take on the second quest that can be found here next, since we already took out the Sand Shark."

[Takneil 0]

"Eh, more like been relaxing at my shop. You're the first person to contact me in a long time, even Bell and the group have seemed to lost contact with me." he shrugged as he remembered the past few months, he had spent teaching low level player's how to survive. He felt as though he was doing something good but when he heard one of them jumped head first into <<The Falling of Tagas>> quest he was devastated. "So doing well?, not so much. Hanging in there? barely. But yeah, haven't tipped over the edge just yet." he stated. Offering a weak smile. 

Nodding he strapped Eternal Harmony to his arm and set Eternal Overture at his side. "So what's the game plan?" he asked wondering what they were up against this time around.

[Calrex 0]

"Heh, well at this point walking along that edge just might be what everyone's daily interactions are. In any case, it looks like it might be time for another task. Feeling up for taking on the Butcher? I'm fairly sure between the two of us it shouldn't pose much of a threat, although we do need to be wary of any of its area of effect attacks. As well be wary that it can ignore all defense and speed boosting abilities, so we'll be relying solely on our accuracy and strength to take him down."

Calrex gave a nod as he kept his hands in his jacket pockets. The past times he had taken on this creature went fairly well and without and potential threat of death. Hopefully this time around would be just the same.

[Takneil 0]

"To be honest I don't really have accuracy right now but my damage went up a bit." he shrugged. Passing through the gate he walked into the burning sands of the desert, the heat nullified due to the cold his armor gave off. "Seems pretty simple, so this boss ignore damage mitigation? that doesn't seem like fun" he stated a bit worried for his own well being. it would be foolish of him to expect his mentor to be in any danger because of that as he had outrageous health while the boy only had around eighty or so. "Well, I say you should take the first attack. I'll sweep in and try my best to kill him if your attack isn't enough, hopefully that'll prevent me from dying on this quest." he planned out, using his mentor's high output of damage as their trump card.

 

[Calrex 0]

"Heh, well we'll see how quickly we can take this guy down then. You're right about the opening strike, that way we'll be able to do as much damage as possible before it can counterattack. From what I remember it ignores Hate generating abilities and attacks at random, so one more thing to make this just a bit more challenging. I have a feeling it'll require at least two rounds of successful attacks in order to take him down."

Directing out towards the gates he began to lead the two towards their destination, "Just to make sure what at-ready items do you currently have on you? If you've got a couple of healing potions or a teleportation crystal it would probably have things work a little more in our favor."

[Takneil 0]

"Hmm...Sadly I only have the healing potions. Four of them that only heal for twenty and I gave my last four safeguards to Oikawa for when he went to the-...well...you know..." He left off, remembering when he had heard about the Blacksmith's attack on another front liner. Letting out a sigh he continued to follow the ultramarine knight, seemed like to many people were dying or vanishing. "Well...let's hope the boss's info is right, I don't think I'd survive a Supped up boss like we did the sharks." he stated as they walked.

The wind suddenly breaking into a howling roar the boy winced and raised his shield to block the pelting sand. "And why in god's name would there be a boss that can ignore hate AND mitigation on floor five!?" he yelled above the storm. 

[Calrex 0]

"Heh, you're guess is as good as mine. I really don't know, but if anything this field boss could serve a kind of reminder to not go relying solely on tanks to take all of your blows, and to be sure to assume some of that responsibility for yourself. I guess it's good that we both have decided to work on being some form of hybrid build, not completely losing a defensive stat in favor of a more offensive ability."

Calrex gave a small sigh of relief as he saw the sandstorm whipping around him. He had not possessed the <<Survival>> skill it would have been likely that the roaring sands would have been a bit more of a nuisance if he didn't, but the ability made it so that the storm was nothing much more than a strong breeze. "In any case it's good you've at least got the healing potions. I've got more than enough health to go toe-to-toe with the field boss and not worry about recovery, but should he manage to get a glancing blow against you I'd prefer to have it so that you can keep yourself on your feet."

[Takneil 0]

"Ugh, the developers of this game were sadists." he mumbled unimpressed at the current circumstances. Pushing through the sand his orange searched around frantically, looking for something that would represent some form of arena. hearing Calrex's next comment the monochrome boy gave a sideways glance, barely able to his mentor through the intense sands. "Actually I've been meaning to talk to you about that, I made a promise to someone. A healer on the frontlines, I promised them I would see the world through their eyes. So I guess I'm no longer only a Tank..." he stated a bit nervous, unsure if the knight would be accepting of an unauthorized class change. Especially so late into their training. 

Looking forward from his ally Takneil squinted as he saw a large structure begin to be unraveled by the winds, sands whipping around it as if their only purpose were to reveal the boss's lair to the questing duo. Letting out a huff Takneil nodded as the sands slowly began to die down. "Well, I guess we're here..."

[Calrex 0]

ID: 61340
Battle Dice: 9 (Accuracy +3) = 12 (+1 Damage)
Loot Dice: 11 (Targets Takneil on 1-10, Calrex on 11-20 / Calrex is Targeted)
Craft Dice: 12 (Battle Healing Activated)
Mob Dice: 8 (Evasion Ignored)
Sword Art <<Meteor Break>> Activated / <<Charge>> Activated (11 Energy Used / 54 Remaining)

"Yeah...no kidding."

As the storm subsided Calrex saw that the two had arrived at the arena where the field boss appeared. Giving a small sigh he readied himself before stepping inside. Almost immediately the creature appeared with a roar, rushing forward with its massive blade as it leapt upwards and came down on the bluenette, a streak of read seeming to try and bisect his avatar.

However, as the attack subsided only a small bit of health was taken off of Calrex's health as his <<Battle Healing>> triggered, bringing him back to near full, "Ready? Let's do this."

Rushing forward he triggered <<Charge>> and his most powerful Sword Art <<Meteor Break>> as the Grand Blade II shined with the golden glow of the attack. Closing the distance he rammed into the massive lizard before hacking and slashing, leaving deep cuts in the creature before leaping upwards and coming down with a fierce helm strike.

In that small period of time nearly half of the creature's health was annihilated as the Ultramarine Knight kept his sword at the ready, "Go for it. Watch out for his attacks. This thing is big, but its agile as well."

Calrex: 270/295 (-40 DMG + 15 Battle Healing)
   Energy: 54/65 (-11)
Takneil: ??/??
   Energy: ??/??

Sando Satsu: 161/350 (13+1+4+1 DMG * 11 Art -  20 MIT = 189 DMG / Stunned Until Next Turn)
 

[Takneil 0]

ID# 61386 results: Battle: 1 Craft: 11 Loot: 11 MOB: 5

Drawing the <<Eternal Overture>> Takneil wasted no time in joining his mentor in battle, sensing a hostile presence the full set of his armor appeared. A shroud of darkness enveloped the monochrome boy. Swirling about him until it suddenly vanished, revealing a sinister knight. An orange eye scanning the battle he spotted a weak point in the mobs offensive strategy. Sprinting forward the boy lashed out, only to miss the beast as it pushed against the ground to leap into the air. 

Sharply cursing he quickly thought up of a counter attack, turning towards his mentor he pointed to the mid air boss. "CAL!, Attack while it's immobile!."

Calrex: 270/295 
   Energy: 54/65
Takneil: 88/88
   Energy: 20/22

Sando Satsu: 161/350
 

Edited June 12, 2016 by Takneil

[Calrex 0]

ID: 6150
Battle Dice: 3 (Accuracy +3) = 6
Loot Dice: 7 (Targets Takneil on 1-10, Calrex on 11-20 / Takneil is Targeted)
Mob Dice: 4 (Evasion Ignored / Stunned)
Sword Art <<Meteor Break>> Activated (11 Energy Used / 1 Recovered / 44 Remaining)

As the Butcher remained immobile Calrex gave a nod as his teammate gave him the signal for the opening. Rushing in once again he gave a calming breath before unleashing <<Meteor Break>> once again, slamming into the creature before the shining golden light of his blade sliced and diced rapidly through the humanoid lizard. Finishing with yet another helm strike he leapt back, giving a nod to Takneil, "We're just about done here!"

Looking back over at the creature it looked like it had increased in size as the field boss' stats increased, "Looks like he's buffing as a last stand. Get ready for a harder hit if he locks on you."

Calrex: 270/295
   Energy: 44/65 (-11+1)
Takneil: 88/88
   Energy: 20/22

Sando Satsu: 27 /350 (13+1 DMG * 11 Art -  20 MIT = 134 DMG)
Dominus: 50 DMG / 30 MIT

[Takneil 0]

An Orange eye glaring at the creature through a sinister helm Takneil noticed it's extremely low health gauge, if he had invested into his rank four sword art like he should have he would have been able to pass through it's now buffed mitigation pretty easily. But now he had to think of something, a way to actually harm the boss.

Tightening his grip on Eternal Overture he sighed, the only thing he could do was attack it. "Cal!, I'm going to attack. Move in when it's distracted by my strikes!." He called out the strategy as he swiftly darted across the battlefield. Quickly pulling back his blade he let loose a series of small, lacerating cuts against the boss's hard, scaly skin. enough damage to gain it's attention for a brief moment.

ID# 61690 results: Battle: 7 Craft: 10 Loot: 5 MOB: 1

42-30=12 Damage. (I am at work right now so can't really finish the combat log ><)

Edited June 15, 2016 by Takneil

[Calrex 0]

ID: 61730
Battle Dice: 8 (Accuracy +3) = 11
Loot Dice: 2 (Targets Takneil on 1-10, Calrex on 11-20 / Takneil is Targeted)
Craft Dice: 10 (Battle Healing Activated)
Mob Dice: 1 (Evasion Ignored)
Sword Art <<Vorpal Strike>> Activated (5 Energy Used / 1 Recovered / 40 Remaining)

Giving a nod Calrex focused his senses as he waited for Takneil's strike. As he continued to home in his eyes on the now slightly larger field boss he could tell his vision beginning to narrow, as if his peripheral vision was fading. His grip tightened on the Grand Blade II before lowering his stance, gently resting the flat of his sword on the sand. The positioning for <<Vorpal Strike>> activated the blade began to glow with the bright yellow hue of the Sword Art.

Right as his protege's attack connected the bluenette executed the attack, flying forward at breakneck speed, sword point trained on <<Sando Satsu>>'s head. Getting into combat range the sword pierced through with a powerful impact, the creature busting into crystal instantly after contact.

The threat eliminated Calrex gave a sigh of relief before flicking his weapon into a reverse grip, resheathing the blade, "Nice work today Tak. Another one down."

Calrex: 295/295 (+15 Battle Healing)
   Energy: 40/65 (-5+1)
Takneil: 88/88
   Energy: 20/22

Sando Satsu: 0 /350 (13 DMG * 5 Art -  30 MIT = 35 DMG)
Dominus: 50 DMG / 30 MIT

[Takneil 0]

The <<Eternal Melody>> no longer sensing a hostile presence the armor began fading away in smokey wisps, revealing only it's base chest plate form. "Thanks...I discovered a while ago with Oikawa and Ariel that if I can't damage it myself I could micro switch aggro for a brief second, allowing them to deal the full impact of a sword art without the enemy being prepared for it." Sheathing <<Eternal Overture>> Takneil looked to his mentor. "I also...have been trying to be more helpful in battle...to try to see the world in different eyes for my friend..." he sighed, only growing more depressed at the thought of the person he had grown attached to suddenly disappearing like that. his orange eye, normally alight with some form of determination was dulled with sorrow as he dropped his gaze towards the ground. Staring at the golden brown sand. 

[Calrex 0]

"Switching aggro eh? Heh, well you're certainly getting that hang of your character's build, that's for sure."

Turning to face his protege Calrex put his hands into his jacket pockets while giving a small exhale of relief. The battle was over, and it seemed like there were no threats to be seen within the immediate area. He took note of the sullen look in Takneil's eyes as he gave a nod of understanding, "I know what you mean. Within the past few months I've lost more than a couple of close associates, people that I trusted or in some way looked up to. Unfortunately, just because I wished to see them out of this game, doesn't mean that it was going to happen."

Resolving himself the bluenette gave a small sigh before taking a few steps over, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder, "I'm sorry that I haven't been that good of a mentor in the past, but I hope that I've given you enough for yourself. Takneil, this is my first and only task for you as my protege. Continue to stand on your own two feet, and become stronger as both a player and a person. This world may not wear on our physical bodies directly, but it does toy with our minds. You need to constantly be vigilant, as there will always be some type of event that will attempt to sway or break down your ideals. More than once have I been tested in this, and I don't expect it to be wavering anytime soon."

Collecting his thoughts Calrex continued as he put his hands into his pockets, "I may be currently the highest level, and maybe to some the strongest player in Aincrad, but I still have a feeling in the back of my mind, that I may not be long for this world, and there is always the chance that I may not see this game to it's end. Being on the frontlines sometimes feels like walking with a giant bullseye to your back. There is much distrust and corruption in the community Tak, and it's not going to be going away anytime soon. That's why I want you to remain steadfast, because I'm not going to allow those close to me slip away if I can do something about it. With that, hopefully in turn the people I save may in turn save others, and eventually we may be able to save everyone that we can."

[Takneil 0]

"Well, my build may be altered soon..." lifting his arm he slowly swiped open his menu and revealed his stats/skills screen to his mentor. "I recently invested into First Aid, my friend was a healer on the front lines...Ebony. She had met up with me on the second floor after I donated materials to her and she seemed, depressed. people were blaming her for not healing people in time or letting them die, so I told her I would try to see the world through her eyes. Not a healer but maybe as a Paladin..." confessing his class change he sighed as he closed the window. 

After listening to the words of the ultramarine knight, Takneil simply shook his head. "I may not see you as a mentor anymore, but that's because I see you as a friend. You're the only one who actually cared enough to drag me out of floor one. You've remained consistent, unchanging. I know what to expect from you, because I guess we're just that similar..." 

Turning towards the exit the boy began to shamble his feet through the sands. "I mean Hikoru pulled his Dagger on me on the last quest I took him on, for simply seeing an NPC Merchant to accept the quest!." Reaching up to his throat he rubbed it as if the steel blade still lingered, threatening to slice it open at any moment. "...But mentally....I don't know anymore, I've handled direct physical abuse from my own family on the outside world. Which is why I wear this stupid patch..." sliding the leather strap to the side he revealed another orange eye, duller than the other one and unresponsive. Intense scars outlined his eye from where his family had scratched it out. "The avatar has an eye, but the nervegear has nothing to send images too so it's just there..." returning the patch to resting on his right eye he ran a hand through his hair. "But...I had grown up with that, with people who were evil to me from the start. people who I would have loved to Kill myself...but in here, I've made friends, allies, family. People I thought I could trust to always be there for me...and now the only one left is you..."  

Edited June 25, 2016 by Takneil

[Calrex 0]

"Ebony huh..."

At the mention of the name Calrex gave a calming breath, steadying his nerves. He immediately recognized the name from the last floor raid, one of the two players that were killed, "A paladin huh?"

"Funnily enough I remember some old friends that used to game competitively speaking about stretching your build too thin, about how it is better to specialize rather than generalize your stats. Nonetheless, I still feel being able to do more at a mediocre strength can top out even the best specialized unit. I guess in this case Takneil has decided to follow a different, yet similar path."

"People change and are changed by this world we're trapped in Tak. Unfortunately that is the sad truth about being stuck in this kind if virtual game. Some people adapt and survive, but others do so in different ways. I can't speak for Hikoru's actions, as the last time I saw him was with his wife Ariel. If anything I would hope you two find a way to continue to remain friends. There will always be more chances, other opportunities to forge new bonds of friendship and camaraderie, so don't give up just yet."

Putting his hands into his pockets the bluenette looked at his protege as he slowly began to follow, "Things will likely stay this way for quite some time, as we both have our own battles and trials to overcome. I feel like the sadness will only continue to pile up if we push through like we have. For now, even at the level you are at, I would suggest that you remain away from the frontlines for now."

Giving a small sigh he resolved himself before continuing, "With Zelrius, Ssendom, and Azure Brigade now fallen apart, the floor raiders are struggling to keep together and push forward. I've begun to make my own moves to help fix it, but there is the chance that I may fail in the end. Nonetheless, until the people here decide to unite, set aside their differences, and truly work towards getting us out of here, remain away from the madness and continue to help those that wish to become stronger."

[Takneil 0]

Shaking his head Takneil looked up, spotting the city in the distance as the two walked. "I don't know how much longer I can stay who I was, before I came into this game." raising his hands he examined the etched scars from the many cuts and scrapes from the real world. "I...I'm not sure how much longer I can stay me." Dropping his arms he sighed. "I've been noticing changes in my behavior, I've been getting more angry, cynical, and maybe even worse..." 

letting his own words sink into the situation Takneil slowly kept the same pace as his mentor, his slacked stance showing one of not caring but the look on his face could easily be deciphered as an internal struggle. 

Coming upon the entrance to the city the boy stopped. "I..." Still staring into the ground he tightened his fists. "I'm going to go be alone for a while...when I come back...I could be a different person. Or I could be the same." His body trembling tears began streaming freely down his cheeks. "if I come back, and I'm not...better...kill me." not allowing the ultramarine knight to have a chance to sway him from his decision he ran off into the desert.