[PP] Balawa strikes back!

[Baldur 0]

Oikawa had sent Baldur a request for a duel, an invitation that caused Baldur to stare at it for a long time. He had no fear that Oikawa would try to hurt him, rather the opposite. Oikawa was an excellent duelist, who was also far beyond him when it came to character builds as well. Baldur could already play out the outcome of the duel between them, but this would also be a great learning opportunity. He so very rarely got to talk builds with someone, and he could learn a thing or two from his friend.

So Baldur had accepted the duel and made his way to the arena. He wasn't yet rich enough to afford different sets of gear, but he was slowly approaching the point in his build where he could do just that. Once he got his familiar and the precision skill, his whole set-up would change.

"Oikawa!" Baldur called out into the arena as he emerged from one of the tunnels that led out into the dueling area. The yellow, hard sandy floor of the arena stretched out further than he had ever expected. He had never been here before, but thankfully it also wasn't for a spectacle. No one was placing bets on their fight.

"How are you my friend?"

Spoiler

@Oikawa

 

[Oikawa 1]

Sand shifted beneath the weight of the blonde as he slowly paced back and forth. His invitation had certainly been received but whether the challenge was to be accepted was yet to be seen. However, doubt was easily cast aside as a familiar voice hollered from the other end of the arena. Though there were spectators the bout to happen wouldn't be one such as those hosted in the days of the S&Z tournaments. His head soon lifted, and greeted the man who called out with a nod.

He extended his hand to his friend and stepped back as he answered his question.

"I am good old friend. Yourself? How is Aincrad treating the noblest of samurai?"

It was rare for the blonde to duel players nowadays. Word still floated around about his days of flawless victory. The unique set of gear he toted that sent opponents into paralysis through several means. Whether offensively or defensively, it mattered not. The man was seemingly a para-God. But today's events would not reflect that style of combat. He wouldn't allow himself to equip such gear especially when not for sport or against friends. Today would just be a duel between two swordsman.

"So what parameters shall we set for this duel?"

[Baldur 0]

Baldur smiled and took the hand his friend offered. The title of noblest samurai made him feel both proud and embarrassed. He did not deserve the title, but it was one he would like to be worthy of, and if that was how his friend thought of him, then he was honored.

"It feels good to be getting back into shape, so to speak. I can't stand being sidelined."

When Oikawa asked what parameters they would set for the duel, Baldur had already considered his answer. Without consumables, there was no way that Baldur would be able to hurt Oikawa, let alone defeat him, and while Oikawa was more than capable of seriously debilitating Baldur in a single attack, he wasn't sure just what kind of factor of safety there was. 

"Well, in a fight between us, the bout would be decided in the first or second hit. That's probably true for most people we fight who aren't mitigation monsters. So how about a series of first hit duels."

Baldur had heard about over-health duels, but he couldn't find much about them, nor did they seem particularly useful. Perhaps an over-health half loss duel could be interesting, but that would likely just end up being a first hit duel but with higher ranked sword arts rather than lower ones.

"Perhaps an over-health half loss duel, but I'm not convinced that would give us more than a first hit duel either."

Baldur smirked, but he would still need to increase his HP to be truly useful to the frontline.

[Oikawa 1]

"Hmm," mused the blonde as his hand caressed the bottom of his chin. Mulling over the factors of their levels and skills, he too realized that a series of first strike duels would prove better for them. "Sidelines are rough. Especially for those with talent and skill such as yourself. We really missed you these last few boss fights. But its good to have you back." Bringing up his menu, he continued. "As for the duels, first strike would probably be best. The only other option would be personal limits in addition to the over health half loss duel to make it as fair as possible. But then where is the fun in that? That said, what say you? Best out of seven?"

At least if we bout this way, it'll be luck of the draw to an extent. I can assure at least a four accuracy boost in addition to a three evasion. What he can bring to the table is to be discovered.

[Baldur 0]

"It feels good to be back, though I can still feel the vast distance between me and a true frontliner." With a wave of his hand, Baldur input the parameters of the challenge and then hit accept. A timer began to count down, the giant numbers hanging in the space between them. Baldur immediately felt that rush of adrenaline down the back of his spine as he suddenly put his game face on. It wasn't entirely intentional, but rather a measure of his determination. He did not expect to win this fight, mathematically it shouldn't even be a challenge, but if there was some ounce of skill he could pull out of this to give himself a slight edge, he would grasp it and show what he was really made of.

"Here I come!" Baldur called out as the timer counted to 1.

[ID#66174 LD 13]

Spoiler

Baldur

136/136 HP | 34 Energy

48 MIT [36 (gear) + 12 (skill)]
12 DMG [1 (base) + 5 (skill) + 6 (weapon)]
1 EVA (gear)
3 ACC (gear)

Skills:
Rank 5 Katana
Rank 1 OHCS
Rank 3 S&D
Rank 2 Charge
Rank 3 Light Armor
Survival
Concentration

Gear:
Susano'o (+6 Damage)
Ronin Uwa-Obi (+36 Mitigation, +1 Evasion)
Magatama (+3 Acc)

 

Edited August 18, 2016 by Baldur

[Oikawa 1]

"I wouldn't call myself a 'true' frontliner, as I still have a ways to go, but the only difference between us is a level disparity and weapon choice my old friend." Accepting the proposed duel request, the golden haired youth stepped back a few more paces before sifting through his menu and selecting a few items. As the gear materialized, his crimson gaze flicked to the katana user as he did the same.

The timer slowly ticked, seconds passing in slow motion as the two squared off. Not at all scared by the new flame lit within the eyes of his opponent, he was in fact inspired and excited by the rush of a challenge. The duel timer ticked to one as Baldur yelled out,

"Here I come!"

Nodding, the rapier wielder took a defensive stance and retorted. "I welcome your challenge!"

ID: 66183 LD: 11

Spoiler

Oikawa

221/221 HP | 54 Energy

66 MIT [36 (gear) + 30 (skill)]
13 DMG [1 (base) + 5 (skill) + 6 (weapon) + 1 (mod)]
2 EVA (gear)
3 ACC [2 (gear) + 1 (mod)]

Skills:
Rank 5 Rapier [Precision Mod]
Rank 1 Battle Healing
Rank 5 S&D [Reveal Mod]
Rank 4 Charge
Rank 5 Light Armor [Athletics Mod]
Survival
Rank 2 Martial Arts 
Meditation
Concentration

Gear:
Orochi (+6 Damage)
Traitor's Peacoat (+36 Mitigation, +1 Evasion)
Ring of Beelzebub (+2 Accuracy, +1 Evasion)

 

[Baldur 0]

Baldur felt the rush of combat wash over him when the timer struck one and immediately he felt himself surrounded by the familiar feeling of oneness he felt with his blade. The blade his friend standing before him made. It had been a product of their teamwork. Oikawa had forged a blade which had been less than perfect and brought it to Baldur, who had unlocked the hidden potential hidden beneath the surface. The two of them, together, had made the impressive weapon Baldur now used.

Crouched there, with his hand hovering over the blade, he could feel the gentle sensation of motion pulling at his muscles as the system assist seemed to beg him to let it loose. He knew the line very well as he often walked it, and the moment that the timer cleared to zero, Baldur released the <<charge>> skill and seemed to become a streak of color as he almost literally flew across the distance between them. Before his feet even struck the hard clay and sand of the arena floor, Baldur had assumed the premotion for <<Wa Shu>>. He wanted to hit Oikawa hard enough to know that he could, but not so hard as to cause any real damage.

Normally he might have given a shout, or a kiai out of power with the blow, but instead he had channeled that energy into furiously grasping any opening he could. He did not expect to win this best of seven, but he was not going to walk away without a point, either. The blade <<Susano'o>> erupted with azure light as he drew the black blade from its saya and the single, powerful stroke of <<Wa Shu>> struck his friend and ally cleanly through the hip, just below his guard position and sent him into a spin until he came to a stop from his powerful charge now behind the blond warrior. The blip on his health bar was barely noticeable, but it was more than minimum damage which is exactly where Baldur had wanted it to be.

He whipped the blade off to the side and took his first breath in several heart-beats.

"I'm happy that the first point went to me. Now I can fight without ego." He gave his friend a gentle laugh. Baldur didn't consider himself competitive, but he always went out into a match to represent himself well.

 

---

[ID# 66199 BD: 8+3-2=9 (hit)]
<<Wa Shu>> 12 (base) + 2 (charge) = 14 x 5 = 70 - 66 MIT = 4 DMG

Edited August 19, 2016 by Baldur

[Oikawa 1]

Rapier outstretched, the blonde youth eyed Baldur at length. His stance was far more open than it should've been but confidence swelled up enough within him to permit the decision. However, that decision would prove to be a grave mistake as the timer struck zero. Only a gasp uttered as he took a step back. His hand drifting to the red gash near his waist. While no pain was felt and the damage was rather minimal, his opponent had managed to take the first point. A smirk quickly found its way to his face as he turned to the samurai who now rested behind him. "Well I'll be. The first point is definitely yours, but now I would like to take one of my own," explained the crimson-eyed duelist as he took a more engaging stance. His focus mirroring that of the Baldur's only moments ago. The stance activated the pre-motion sensation of a sword art, that he hadn't planned to use but given that he was now behind a point he would for sure need to score one.

ID: 66237 LD: 5

[Baldur 0]

Baldur's steel blue eyes matched his friend's crimson with intensity and focus. They were good friends, and as such Baldur felt safe in his friend's hands. He wouldn't have agreed to a duel with someone he didn't trust to have his back. Some little voice in the back of Baldur's head held out that Zel had probably trusted Oikawa the same as Baldur did now, but Baldur immediately and remorselessly crushed the voice. He and Oikawa had already resolved that.

A heartbeat later and the timer struck 0 once again. Baldur stepped forward with a powerful lunge, striking horizontally again at Oikawa, hoping the power of his blade would overcome the lighter weapon, but Oikawa seemed to be moving just as quickly, Baldur's katana grazed the basket of Oikawa's rapier, and the weapon sang with the sound of metal on metal as Baldur's grip seemed to give way and the katana flew from his hand, end over end into the sun baked sand of the arena floor.

"Gorram it."

[ID# 66239 LD 5 BD: 1]

Edited August 20, 2016 by Baldur

[Oikawa 1]

"Gorram it indeed," echoed the blonde as his rapier clattered past the katana; ejecting it from Baldur's hand in the process. His step matched, no surpassed the brunette's as he sent Orochi cruising in for the point. Three rapid taps pegged the chest of the samurai as his HP dipped a single blip, signifying damage had been taken. Rotating the rapier in hand, he quickly sheathed the blade and beamed at samurai as he helped him up from the slight knock-back the attack offered. A grin forming as he stepped back and resent the request for the third round.

"Round 3 hehe?"

ID: 66297 BD: 10

ID: 66298 LD: 19

Edited August 22, 2016 by Oikawa

[Baldur 0]

Baldur accepted the hand his friend offered him to help him catch his balance from the force of his friend's blow. The rapier had proven the faster weapon when it came to establishing the right of way between their strikes. Baldur had remembered the grueling lessons drilled into him in the real world about using the force of the blow to parry and strike in a single moment, to force the opponent off of the line of combat. He had forgotten that lesson and allowed his own weapon to be forced off... and to lose the blade itself.

Picking up his blade, he wiped it against the sleeve of his blue and white haori twice, once on each side, even though the system didn't have something like grime that stuck to the weapon. He didn't ever really need to maintain it, but to Baldur it was an act of respect and focus. Something similar to keeping his mind and blade in tune. It was a weird dichotomy he walked - in some ways he treated the game like the real world, and in others ways he played to the mechanics of the game.

Once he was ready, Oikawa sent him the invitation to round 3. Baldur took a deep breath to refocus himself, and then accepted, holding the blade out in front of him in both hands.

"Men!" Baldur yelled as he struck with the blade as fast as he could, the sudden verbalization an unconscious manifestation from his fencing days. The blow from his sword was precise and sudden, even as Oikawa struck at him, the two blows landing, though Oikawa had almost managed to evade Baldur's own strike, causing his katana to land just a moment after Oikawa's rapier. The two blows were so close in timing that Baldur had to wait for the system to announce that Oikawa was the winner.

"Awww come on!" Baldur jeered at the font hanging in the air above them.

He turned a playful smile to his friend. "Well struck. Looks like I need to speed my blade up more to keep up with your rapier." Baldur had always theorized that the european fencing style would have an advantage over kendo when it came to one on one dueling do to range and speed, and Baldur was feeling that pressure now, and enjoying the adventure of seeing his theories played out.

"Once more!"

 

---

[ID# 66301 BD: 6+3-2 (hit) LD 18]

[ID# 66302 BD: 4+3-2+1(concentration) = 6 (hit) LD: 12]

Edited August 22, 2016 by Baldur

[Oikawa 1]

Oikawa marveled how Baldur stayed true to himself. Cleaning the blade of sword despite there being zero reason too. The young man had certain customs embedded into him that not even a game such as this could strip away from him. As he readied himself, Oikawa took stance once more. Determination locked into his gaze as the samurai accepted the challenge of the third round.

Ticking to zero, the timer alerted the two to begin and once more a blur of speed and a the sounds of clanking metal resounded in the arena. Dust settled as the two of them panted, unsure of the victor as both managed to land the blow. As him name lit up once more, the blonde heaved a sigh of relief.

"Two to One. Once more indeed! En Garde!"

Settling into his stance once more, he anticipated the exact tick of the timer as he surged forward on zero. The tip of his blade colliding with what felt like another blade before sliding forward and bring him to a halt. He looked back again, unsure if he managed to score the first hit.

[Round 3 Attack] ID: 66420 BD: 9

[Round 4 Roll & Attack] ID: 66421 BD: 7 (5+3-1) LD: 19

[Baldur 0]

Baldur cursed as Oikawa seemed to bypass his strike and manage to land a blow while Baldur's katana cut a second too slow, the now familiar feeling of Oikawa's lighting quick rapier striking against his chest in a critical area.

"Three to one!" Baldur spit but with a smile on his face. Win or lose, he was enjoying himself, and while Oikawa had a commanding lead, Baldur was happy with his performance. He was at least giving Oikawa a run for his money.

"Round 5: Fight!" Baldur said with a smirk as he sent Oikawa a duel invite for the 5th round. Regardless of who won this round, he planned to take it to the full seven. While he may not be able to wrest victory from Oikawa should he lose this round, he was going to at least seek out a more dignified score.

His steel blue eyes focused once more as he prepared to charge Oikawa with another iaido style strike.

 

---

[Round 4 Roll: LD: 12 (second strike) BD: 8+3-2 (hit)]

[Round 5 Roll: LD: 18 BD: 5+3-2=6 (hit(barely))]

Edited August 26, 2016 by Baldur

[Oikawa 1]

Fortunately, he did score once more, bringing the score three to one in his favor. One more, thought the blonde as he prepared himself once more. It wasn't a clean sweep but one more win here and I've won our duel of sorts.

Baldur announced the score aloud, a grin plastered to his face as he readied himself once more and sent the invite for the fifth round. Nodding, Oikawa selected accept and slid into stance. Gripping his rapier even tighter than usual, his gaze intensified as the timer ticked down.

"Ahh," exclaimed the blonde as he felt the piercing slice of the Katana exceeding the range of his own blade. Though he seemed to make contact with the Samurai, it would seem, his strike fell short in the speed department. Facing Baldur he nodded and commented. "Knew you wouldn't let it be easy hehe. Three to Two. Round six then!"

[Round 5 Roll & Attack] ID: 66434 BD: 11 (7+3-1) LD: 17

[Round 6 Roll & Attack] ID: 66435 BD: 12 (8+3-1) LD: 15

[Baldur 0]

Baldur squared off with Oikawa as they prepared for round six.Tightening his grip, Baldur could almost taste the tied score in his mouth. One more hit and they'd been tied. What was it he did differently last time? It looked like he was able to use his size and natural reach to out range Oikawa, landing his blow before the golden haired fencer could reach him.

As the timer ticked down, Baldur prepared, if he could lure Oikawa into a back-step strike, it would help Baldur gain range. The timer buzzed and Baldur brought the sword overhead as he stepped back to strike, but as he put so much power into the blow, he also slowed himself down. Too much lure, not enough bite. The blow hit Baldur's exposed side even as Baldur executed his maneuver flawlessly.

"Gah!" Baldur exclaimed in disapproval at his inability to lure Oikawa into his trap and score the tying blow. Oikawa had won their duel. Now there was no way for Baldur to catch up and even tie.

"Well, we said best of 7, but we might as well go all seven." He smiled with a bit of a wolfish grin.

"Once more! I gotta save face."

---

[Round 6 Roll & Attack] ID: 66489 BD: 10 (nat) LD:10

[Round 7 Roll & Attack] ID: 66490 BD: 7+3-2 (hit) LD: 3

Edited August 29, 2016 by Baldur

[Oikawa 1]

The timer ticked down once more, digital sweat trickled down his frame, despite there being no such function in the game. His crimson eyes focused on the player before him, narrowing at the minuscule movements Baldur offered as they both settled into their stances. As the timer struck zero, Oikawa's gaze shifted as Baldur's arm raised, the slightest of windows opening as he revealed himself in vulnerable fashion. Not hesitating a moment, Oikawa executed a rapid jab right before the weight of the katana split into him. Stepping back, he beamed as his name was displayed beneath the winner title.

"And that my friend is how it is done. Though I agree a round seven for the hell of it should be nice. Let's go!" exclaimed the golden-haired rapier user as he sent the request once more.

Confidence swelled within him once more as the blonde racked Baldur's chest once more. The timer had struck zero and with the speed of a cheetah he had executed another perfect blow upon the samurai though had he been any slower, he surely would've lost the round.

[Round 7 Roll & Attack] ID: 66729 BD: 9 LD: 10

[Baldur 0]

Baldur cursed with exasperation as Oikawa carried the final two round. In the end, it was 2 to 5 in Oikawa's favor. Though Baldur had a moment of seeing victory within his grasp, Oikawa had just proven the faster of the two, which made sense given his weapon choice. The rapier was just a faster weapon than the katana. Had it been a real fight, Oikawa would have still handily beat him due to their huge disparity in HP and levels, but Baldur would have taken a not inconsequential chunk out of Oikawa's HP. While he had been slow, he had still hit.

But Baldur also had to remind himself that Oikawa was doing him a favor and not using his famous paralyze gear set. While Baldur felt good about his victory, he could not pretend it meant he was close to beating his friend. Still, it did his confidence well to see that he was not quite so far behind as he had once feared.

"I seem to remember a time when I was the top dog." Baldur chuckled. When they had first met, Baldur had been the senior player, though their levels had been so low it was meaningless to claim something like that.

"but this fight has done my spirit well. I can already feel the urge of competition rising, pushing me to catch up for our rematch." He flashed large grin at his old friend. He enjoyed crossing blades with the blond, as he felt it pushed away whatever barriers came up in social situations and exposed what was inside the warrior. In turn, he felt like he knew Oikawa more than when they had begun, even if their verbal repartee had been only surface deep.

Sheathing his sword, Baldur walked up and offered his hand to Oikawa in a show of sportsmanship common in the western world. "Well fought my friend, but now that you have the lead, I need to be the scrappy underdog to take you down." Even though he spoke words of challenge, his blue eyes danced with merriment at his friend. Baldur was used to losing, so he never bore ill will when he lost as long as he was able to put up a good fight.

"When I hit level 40 though, I'm coming back for a rematch."

[Oikawa 1]

Grasping the samurai's hand, Oikawa returned the grin and the sentiments as he un-equipped his gear. "Combat brings out the warrior in us all and it was my pleasure to offer you such a challenge. I definitely look forward to our blades crossing paths once more and seeing what you have for me in due time. Maybe I can use my actual gear hehe," the blonde chuckled. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have another spar to attend to. It seems Hikoru wants to learn the true meaning behind my nickname the Paragod and I am all too inclined to show him." The grin upon his face was much larger than it should've been, but the blonde was genuinely excited to partake in a full duel where he could use his best gear.

[Baldur 0]

Baldur smiled back at his friend, when he mentioned a duel with Hikoru.

"A full gearset duel, eh? That should be quite fun. Hopefully I'll be at a level soon when it'll be worthwhile. My weakest point right now is still my hitpoint total. Once I gain the levels to catch up to you guys, then I look forward to doing the same with as well. I'd practice with Calrex too, but I don't see how that would give me any valuable feedback." He chuckled at his own joke, and patted the blond warrior on the shoulder.

"You know, all that time ago, who would have ever thought that our little group of wanna-bes would end up being some of the central players of the Frontline? I never would have expected it back when I was standing in the middle of town just asking blindly for random people to group with me." This time, Baldur's smile touched his eyes, and the steel blue gaze showed true levity and joy in them.

"Good luck on your next duel my friend. Just try not to crush his spirit." Baldur laughed and then proceeded towards the exit. "Oh, and I've got 100 Col riding on you if anyone takes my bet!"

[Oikawa 1]

"It wouldn't be me if I didn't assert my dominance and crush his spirit," joked the blonde. "No in all seriousness, I want this to be a lesson and drive home the point that damage isn't the end all say all. Hikoru has a penchant fr doubting himself. So rather than drag him through the mud, I hope to pick him up and show him that he, no we still have work to do." Shaking his head, Oikawa turned to head off towards the arena. Hand raised, the Faint offered Baldur a wave before departing. "Soon we will have that fight in full gear and i know it will be grand." Chuckling he added, "Also someone would be a fool to bet otherwise. There aren't many who can best me one v one at the moment hehe. But rest assured should someone take it, you'd be 100 col richer."