[SP-F18] This is not your fight COMPLETE

[Jomei 0]

Today was the day, the day that he would be rejoining the frontlines and pushing with his friends to the next floor. Jomei had been out of the game for awhile, taking time on his own to enjoy a peaceful life.. but it was a lonely and boring one. Those he cared about were still fighting, and always training. Never taking their minds off clearing the game, keeping their eyes on that prize. Even Zandra, his soon to be wife who sat across from him, constantly prepared herself for the next boss fight. Jomei could not sit around and be left in the dust anymore, so it was time he made his return. 

"Right. I'm ready." Jomei said to Zandra as the two stood up and headed towards their front door. 

[Jomei 0]

Jomei walked side by side with his fiancee down the beach and through the thick jungle, where they would eventually come to the town square, home of the teleport pad that would bring them to the eighteenth floor. The whole trip, Jomei was quiet, lost in his own thoughts. Had he done enough training in that month to prepare himself for this? Everyone else had been training the moment they killed the seventeenth floor boss, where Jomei had done only a fraction of that time. His olive eyes stared at his boots as he walked along. He needed to make sure he was strong enough to stay alive and to protect everyone, especially Zandra. 

[Jomei 0]

The two had ventured through the jungle and into the town, where they then warped up to the eighteenth floor. As the ginger's body materialized onto the new floor, he took in a deep breath. The air was humid and murky, and did not have the most pleasant smell. Once his vision was restored, he saw that the floor was a marsh land, with grayed skies and muddy water all around them. Jomei scoffed, "Lovely." he said sarcastically before following after the noirette who was leading the way to where the others were gathering. As the two crossed over Eriwald's Crossing, Jomei looked at all of the other players crossing the bridge as well. Being the only bridge from the main settlement to the wilds, everyone would need to take this passage, unless they wanted to go for a swim in the swamps below.

[Jomei 0]

The man scanned everyone around them as they walked. Some of them decked out in higher leveled gear, while others sported casual clothes, or even starter armor. No one that he recognized though. Were they late? or possibly even early. It put Jomei's mind unease to not see anyone he knew on the only bridge in and out of town, for it made him think that many people would be abandoning the ground for this fight.. making it much more likely that someone would die. The irishman shook his head, No no ... that couldn't be true. He was merely overthinking it. His eyes went to the raven hair that swung back and forth in front of him. She was just as quiet as he was. Most likely thinking the same thing as Jomei was, or coming up with some sort of battle plan. She was one of Aincrad's top healers, and would most likely be playing the role of a tank, as well as a heavy hitter. Zandra played a huge roll in these fights, so he was sure that a lot of weight was on her mind. 

[Jomei 0]

After crossing the marshland, Jomei and Zandra stumbled upon the dungeon that would lead to the boss' lair. If the two were late, as he thought, then the path should be clear.. leaving it a simple trip to the door. But if they were early, then they would be doing the clearing. His hand made its was to the pommel of his rapier, his long fingers gently grasping the top, ready to release Saint Andrew's Bane at a moment's notice. His other hand felt warm as Zandra intertwined her fingers with his. Immediately, her touch put his mind at ease, and created a soft smile on his face. It was a constant reminder of what kept him going, fighting, living in this world. 

[Jomei 0]

The dungeon was mostly dark, torches that lined some of the walls were their only source of light. So far, the path was clear. Which meant that they were not the first ones to trek through and reach the boss door. He wondered who would be there already.. though he had a pretty good feeling that the Ultramarine Knight, who always seemed to show up first to these things, would be there waiting. He smirked at the thought of being correct in his assumptions. The cavern around them seemed to open up, revealing a much larger room with a winding road way. Most likely the one leading straight to the dungeon room. Suddenly, the man's ears perked when he heard a nearly silent, yet bellowing voice. 

"This... is not your fight..."

[Jomei 0]

Jomei stopped, causing Zandra to stop with him. He looked around him, cautiously, his fist now wrapped around his rapier's handle. "Did.. Did you hear that?" Jomei questioned the girl, worry in his voice. The woman looked around, but shook her head, asking him if he was okay. Jomei blinked a couple of times before sighing, "I... sorry... I must be hearing things.. The nerves getting to me hehe." he chuckled, releasing the grip on his rapier and taking Zandra's hand again. "Come on.. lets get to where everyone else is, I'm sure they will want to start as soon as possible." As they continued on, Jomei thought about what he had heard, or thought he heard. Was it real? And what did it mean that this wasn't his fight? Jomei's face became concerned as they pushed forward. 

[Jomei 0]

The couple had arrived at the boss door, not too far behind many other players. Among those present were Calrex, Tearye, Hikoru, and Takao, as well as Oikawa. Jomei's eyes eventually went to Oikawa and the orange crystal above his head, not forgetting what happened to Zelrius. He still needed to speak with his old friend about that night, so he could fill in the details to get the full story. Immediately, Zandra began to prepare herself, taking out different potions to boost her strength. Jomei, as always, had forgotten to prepare himself and get the provisions necessary. He sighed, knowing his strength would not match up to everyone else's. However, as long as he and everyone else survived, it would be fine. 

[Jomei 0]

Almost as if they had followed the two in a group, the room began to fill up with all of the other players who would be participating in the fight. Jomei looked around at everyone as they finished their preparations. He took in a deep breath as the door began to open.

"This is not your fight." 

Jomei heard the voice once again, but this time, it was slightly louder. Once again.. no one seemed to hear the voice. Was it merely in his head? The man then heard a quick whirring noise, followed by something hitting him in the back. His eyes widened as he went to reach for his rapier.. But he couldn't. His body would not let him. He tried to move his arms, his head, even tried to call out. The only thing he could move was his eyes. He looked up at his status bar and saw that he had been paralyzed. But by what? 

[Jomei 0]

Jomei could only watch as everyone ran past him and through the open doorway where the boss waited for them. Jomei tried to yell, call for help, but he could not. Everyone had rushed forward, leaving him standing alone. He saw Zandra had turned to look at him, a look of sadness and confusion in her eyes. She ran up to him and kissed him, questioning what was wrong. But Jomei could not answer, he could only look her in the eyes. She probably thought he was scared stiff of being back on the front lines. With tears in her eyes, the woman ran back to join the rest of the group. Once she was inside of the boss room, the door began to close. Jomei's eyes looked back up at his status bar, the paralyzing effect had just about run out. The moment he was no longer in stasis, he shot forward towards the door, hoping to slip through the crack. But it was too late, the bottom of his fists pounded into the door. "[censored].." he cursed to himself. "I was too late..... Sandra, I'm sorry.. Please be safe.. Please forgive me.." 

[Jomei 0]

As Jomei stood, pressing against the cold, wooden door, he heard the sound of armored footsteps walking behind him from the darkness. Taking in a sharp breath through his nostrils, Jomei turned around, an angered look in his eyes. "What do you want with me? Who the hell are you?" From the shadows emerged a figure that was slightly taller than Jomei, donned in ornate golden armor, the helmet representing the head of a dragon. His arms were extended out to the sides, as if greeting an old friend. In one hand, he held a long spear that matched the color of his armor, its tip was surging with lightning power. The red crystal above its head informed Jomei that this was no player, but some sort of NPC enemy. 
 

Spoiler

 

[Jomei 0]

"You did not heed my warning." The voice said to him. It was the same recognizable voice that Jomei had heard earlier, only now it was much more apparent that he was not hearing things. Jomei glared at the figure who took a couple more steps out of the darkness of the cave before standing before Jomei. The ginger's arm was already across his body, his fingers wrapped around the handle of his rapier. "Why? Why is this not my fight?" Jomei questioned the armored man. "There is someone I need to protect in there, and now they think I am some sort of coward." Jomei took a step forward, the level of his voice rising steadily. "Why the hell did you stop me?!" Pulling his hand upwards, Jomei pulled Saint Andrew's Bane from its scabbard and clenched it in his fist at his side, gritting his teeth at the man who stopped Jomei from making sure Zandra was safe. 

[Jomei 0]

The golden helmet chuckled, and Jomei could feel its eyes staring into his from behind the mask. There was silence for what felt like an eternity before it replied.

"Because.. I will be your opponent." 

Like other boss battles, his enemy's name appeared over his head, <<Dragon Slayer Ornstein>> followed by multiple green health bars. As the Dragon Slayer took a step forward, Jomei took a step back, only to find that the door was keeping him from retreating any further. Jomei took his eyes off of the armored boss just for a moment to see the door was behind him, only to be surprised with the spear swinging towards his head. The shocked man quickly ducked under the attack, the blade nearly taking his scalp off. Jomei returned fire with his own blade, using his Over Radiation attack from his couching position. As he pushed Ornstein off of him, Jomei raised to his feet.

With the last swing of his blade, Ornstein caught Jomei's rapier with his own spear, blocking the last strike from hitting his body. With a powerful shove, Orenstein pushed Jomei off of him. As the ginger stumbled backwards, The Dragon Slayer spun his spear above his head before performing a downwards diagonal strike across Jomei's chest. 

ID: 69986
BD: 10 
Over Radiation: 13(+1)(+2) x 14 = 224 ( -60) = 164 dmg
MD: 9
81 ( -30) = 51 dmg 

Jomei: 895/946 (80/94)
Dragon Slayer Ornstein: 736/900 (Mit: 60 Dmg: 80)
On an MD of 10, Ornstein's spear receives an electric charge, paralyzing the victim for 1 turn.

[Jomei 0]

Grunting, the ginger haired swordsman stepped back, just enough to avoid being sliced in two by the armored man's spear. Taking damage was inevitable, however, as Jomei peeked down at the deep red gash going across the right of his chest. His angry, olive eyes peered back up as The Dragon Slayer flared its spear and returned it to its proper position at its side. There would be no way that Jomei could get into the boss fight now, no way he could help Zandra and the others. But there was no way he was going to admit defeat here. 

Crouching, Jomei launched himself as far as he could into the air as his sword shone with light like the burning sun. Like a meteor crashing into the earth, Jomei's blade carried him down straight into Ornstein in the blink of an eye, the ebony blade piercing its shoulder armor. Jomei heard a disgruntled noise coming from inside the golden helmet before seeing a fisted gauntlet hurdling towards his face. Throwing up his own forearm, Jomei blocked the attack and disengaged from Ornstein, not before tearing his blade from the enemy's armor. 

ID:  71706
BD: 10
Flashing Penetrator: 13(+1)(+2) x 11 = 176 ( -60) = 116 dmg
MD: 8 (-4) = 4 miss
 

Jomei: 895/946 (71/94)
Dragon Slayer Ornstein: 620/900 (Mit: 60 Dmg: 80)
On an MD of 10, Ornstein's spear receives an electric charge, paralyzing the victim for 1 turn.

[Jomei 0]

The powerful punch from Ornstein was not enough to take away any more of Jomei's health points, but it was just enough to push the ginger back towards the wall. Jomei landed in a kneeling position with one palm to the floor as he slid back to a stop. The angered Ornstein spun his spear around so its blade was pointing towards the ground. It raised the weapon high over his head before smashing it down into the ground, looking to pierce Jomei's skull. With agile movements, Jomei seemed to disappear in a flash, out of the line of fire, and reappear just behind the golden armored giant. Charging up his sword again, Jomei used his Over Radiation skill once again. Now Jomei had the upper hand, performing all of his attacks at The Dragon Slayer's back, keeping the mini boss from blocking or deflecting. 

ID:  71707
BD: 9
Over Radiation: 13(+1)(+1) x 14 = 210(-60) = 150 dmg
MD: 8 (-4) miss
 

Jomei: 895/946 (58/94)
Dragon Slayer Ornstein: 470/900 (Mit: 60 Dmg: 80)
On an MD of 10, Ornstein's spear receives an electric charge, paralyzing the victim for 1 turn.

[Jomei 0]

The last stab of Jomei's rapier to Ornstein's back sent the golden suit of armor flying forwards, his entity crashing into the door where Jomei had once stood. Jomei could hear the sound of the person inside breathing heavily, its shoulders heaving as it did so. Jomei smirked as he looked at the health bar above Ornstein's head, as it dropped to almost a quarter remaining, and taking a deep orange color. Jomei's on the other hand, was still a healthy green. The Irishman pointed his rapier forward at the NPC, "I don't know what your reason for stopping me from entering that doorway was.. but it was obviously a mistake on your part. You messed with the wrong man, Ornstein." 

The golden armor laughed, " I underestimated your power warrior.. You've proven yourself a mighty opponent." As it spoke highly of Jomei, its fingers wrapped tightly around its spear. "... Though you must know this fight is far from over!" With its last word, Ornstein pulled its arm back and threw its spear at Jomei. The weapon flew at Jomei at speeds almost matching his own. Almost. That being the case, Jomei was able to throw his body to the side, the spear just passing by Jomei's face. As the ginger recovered, and both of his feet had planted on the floor, the man used his <<Charge>> skill and rushed at Ornstein at max speeds. The force of the charge skill combined with the initial attack of his Over Radiation inflicted maximum damage upon the golden armored boss. And with no room for Ornstein to retreat backwards, he was forced to take every hit at full force. 

ID: 71708
BD: 10
Over Radiation: 13(+2)(+1)(+3 Charge) x 14 = 266(-60) = 206 dmg
MD: 1
 

Jomei: 895/946 (59/94)
Dragon Slayer Ornstein: 264/900 (Mit: 60 Dmg: 80)
On an MD of 10, Ornstein's spear receives an electric charge, paralyzing the victim for 1 turn.

[Jomei 0]

Jomei had knocked Ornstein to the ground with his last devastating attack, its heavy armor crashing into the stone floor. Jomei raised his rapier up over his head, intending to stab deep into his enemy's chest to finish him off. However, before he had the chance, The Dragon Slayer threw out of hand past Jomei, its fingertips sparking with electric surges. Seconds later, the spear he had thrown in Jomei's direction had returned to him, as if attracting it back to his hand like a magnet. Jomei had become distracted by the spear returning to its owner, giving Ornstein a chance to raise to his knees and sweep the handle of the spear at Jomei's ankles, knocking him onto his back.

ID: 71709
BD: 1

MD: 3

Jomei: 895/946 (58/94)
Dragon Slayer Ornstein: 264/900 (Mit: 60 Dmg: 80)
On an MD of 10, Ornstein's spear receives an electric charge, paralyzing the victim for 1 turn.

[Jomei 0]

"Gah, [censored]." Jomei cursed as he hit the ground, almost losing his sword in the process. The man was able to keep a hold of his weapon, just as his opponent brought its own spear around its body and shifted its hands to the bottom of the spear, swinging it downwards at Jomei like a hammer. The ginger was able to anticipate the strong attack and rolled out of the way to the side. As he heard the sound of the stack smacking into the ground, Jomei pushed himself up and spun around, only to see Ornstein had done the same and was already in the process of swinging its spear at Jomei. The swordsman blocked the spears approach with his blade, and retaliated with his Over Radiation once again. Stabs and slashed brought the Dragon Slayer's health down even more into the red. Jomei guessed about one of two more attacks would finish this fight. 

ID: 7170
BD: 8 
Over Radiation: 13(+1) x 14 = 196(-60) = 136 dmg
MD: 1

Jomei: 895/946 (46/94)
Dragon Slayer Ornstein: 128/900 (Mit: 60 Dmg: 80)
On an MD of 10, Ornstein's spear receives an electric charge, paralyzing the victim for 1 turn.

[Jomei 0]

Ornstein dropped his spear to the ground as he stumbled backwards. His armor began to crack and crumble as he stood in front of Jomei, doing nothing to defend himself. Slowly, he stretched his arms out to the side, inviting Jomei to deliver the finishing blow. Without hesitation, Jomei stepped forward and used his sword art one last time, each stab broke apart another piece of his armor, which each slash cut away at the remains of his body. Jomei continued his onslaught until there was no more remaining of the Dragon Slayer, claiming Jomei as the victor.

ID: 71711
BD: 8
Over Radiation: 13(+1) x 14 = 196(-60) = 136

Jomei: 895/946 (35/94)
Dragon Slayer Ornstein: 0/900 (Mit: 60 Dmg: 80)
On an MD of 10, Ornstein's spear receives an electric charge, paralyzing the victim for 1 turn.

[Jomei 0]

With a sigh of relief, Jomei sheathed his rapier once again, looking at the remains of Ornstein turn into glass like pixels and rain to the ground, disappearing as they reached the stone floor. He wondered if defeating that mini boss would allow him to join his comrades in fighting the boss. A hopeful Jomei stepped forward to the large door and pushed up it with all of his might. It would not budge. Sighing, the man leaned forward, his forehead touching the cold door. He could heard the muffled sounds of battle raging on the other side of the door. His olive eyes shot open when he heard something different, something behind him. Jomei spun around quickly to see what it was, but it was already too late. For a second he spotted familiar looking armor, but the last thing he saw was a blunt weapon of some sort meeting directly with his face, knocking him to the ground. The man's vision blurred as he slowly drifted out of consciousness, hearing the sound of someone laughing, and his body being dragged on the cold ground. Then everything went black.