Shoot for the Moon: Seul vs Calrex

[Seul 1]

@Calrex

The arena was bathed in a warm light from the afternoon sun, making the perfect weather for a day of sparring. Although the stands were empty, a lack of an audience didn't take away the sense of wonder Seul had every time it was his turn to step into the ring. Today he'd be facing off against the strongest player in Aincrad, Calrex. In truth he only knew about the man through hearsay and the few interactions they had in passing from both of them being on the frontlines. Above all else he was the holder of the Achilles unique skill which placed him in a league all of his own. The thought of having someone like that as an opponent left a mixture of anxiety and excitement churning in the pit of his stomach. In a good way. Probably.

Seeking out tougher challenges was just a part of the growing process, so when Calrex accepted his request for a fight it wasn't like he could really let the opportunity pass by. So here he was, getting a few practice swings with his blade before the match. Staying optimistic was the only other thing he could really do. Maybe luck would even actually be on his side and grant him some secret, untapped skill to help him hold his own.

[Calrex 0]

It was a rather ordinary day when Calrex had suddenly received the duel request from Seul, something that he himself had not been expecting, at least for some time. Nonetheless it was a good experience, one that hopefully both players could gleam some useful informations for themselves. As he made his way up to the arena the bluenette gave a small sigh to himself before entering through the doors on the opposite side to where his opponent would be.

Entering inside he looked across to see the young two-handed sword wielder, giving a calm smile and casual wave with one hand in his jacket pocket, "It's certainly been some time since dueling someone here. Last time was with Takao, but going up against Seul reminds me of the two duels when I faced Dom. However, things have really changed since then, haven't they..."

Watching as Seul practiced the massive swings characteristic of his weapon choice Calrex's own mind quickly flipped through strategies, tactics he had learned both against monsters and other opponents, settling on an arsenal he felt suitable. Originally he had entered with the Grand Blade II strapped to his back, but with a single fluid motion he drew the sword in a reverse grip, releasing it from the sheath, cutting in front of him. At the same time he triggered his <<Quick Switch>> for the weapon, immediately causing the sword to vanish into lights while his forearms were covered in the heavy metal gauntlets, the Grand Gauntlets II. "For solo opponents, I'll see how these do."

"So Seul, what's the parameters we'll be using for this fight?"

[Seul 1]

Seul continued on with his practicing for a few more moments, but stopped once Calrex had entered the scene. He drove his blade into the dirt before bringing up the menu to set parameters for the duel.

“Just the usual half loss rules; first one to get the others health to half or less wins. No consumables, but other than that I don't have any conditions for our match.” He said before sending the request. There was no telling how everything would turn out, but he had a pretty good idea as for how the battle would go. Still, giving up without even trying wasn't his style he'd take a few steps back while waiting for the inevitable countdown timer to begin and grabbed his blade to get into a ready position. Regardless of the results just being here was a sign he had moved up in the world since the start of his journey.

“Good luck!”

@Calrex

ID: 75034 | LD: 3

Stats:

Spoiler

Stats

955 HP

94 Energy

11/19 Base Damage

84 Mitigation

24 Holy Blessing

16 Flame Aura

10 Battle Healing

2 Recovery  

6 Picking

1 Search & Detect

Taunt Active

 

Equipment

Maiden's Kiss.......... // +2 Damage | +8 Holy Damage

Regret................. // +24 Holy Blessing | +2 Recovery

Manticore Mask.........  // +Taunt | +18 Flame Aura (Def) | +16 Flame Aura (Off) | +18 Mit

 

Skills

Two-Handed Straight Sword.| Rank 5

Picking...................| Rank 4

Light Armor...............| Rank 3

Search & Detect...........| Rank 1

Battle Healing............| Rank 1

Howl......................| No Ranks

Parry.....................| No Ranks

 

Extra Skills

Providence(Protector).....| Rank 2

Meditation................| Rank 0

Concentration.............| No Ranks

Survival..................| No Ranks

 

Skill Mods

Athletics

Dismantling

THSS Ferocity (Rank 5)

Justified Riposte

 

Inventory

1. Woodland Armor - 2 Charges Left
2. Basic Teleport Crystal - x1
3. Banner of Support - 3 Charges Left
4. Generic Armor MK.9 (+3 Evasion)
5. Lucky Coin (+3 LD)

 

Edited January 27, 2017 by Seul

[Calrex 0]

ID: 76355
Loot Dice: 17 (Calrex goes first)

Spoiler

Calrex Stats | Level: 79
HP: 1585
EN: 158
DMG: 15
ACC: 4
EVA: 1
MIT: 48
Thorns: 28

Gear:
Grand Gauntlets (T2): +3 Unarmed DMG
Grand Chariot II (T2): +1 MIT / +2 Thorns
Amethyst Charm: +2 ACC / +1 EVA

Familar:
Roc: +1 ACC

At Ready:
Tide Pendant: +2 EVA / +1 Loot Dice
Grand Blade II (T2): +3 DMG
Grand Guard II (T2): +2 MIT / +1 Heavy Momentum
Grand Aegis (T2): +1 MIT / +2 Paralyze (Defensive)
Grand Chariot: Aegis (T2): +1 MIT / +2 Regen
Grand Crest: Aegis (T2): +1 MIT / +2 Thorns

Skills:
One-Handed Straight Sword (Rank 5)
One-Handed Curved Sword (Rank 1)
Heavy Armor (Rank 5)
Search (Rank 2)
Charge (Rank 5)
Battle Healing (Rank 1)
Block (Rank 5)
Howl
Parry

Extra Skills:
Martial Arts (Rank 5)
Katana (Rank 1)
Meditation (Rank 1)
Survival
Disguise

Unique Skill:
Achilles (Rank 2)

Active Skill Mods:
Athletics (Heavy Armor)
Quick-Change (One-Handed Straight Sword)
Precision (Martial Arts)
Safe Guard (Block)
Bull Rush (Charge)

ID: 76356
Battle Dice: 6 (Accuracy +4) = 10
Sword Art <<All Might>> Activated / <<Charge>> Activated (17 Energy Used / 141 Remaining)

"Sounds good then."

Watching as his opponent finished preparations Calrex gave a calm exhale, swiping on his menu, "Going from his arsenal he's definitely got damage and defense on his side. Luckily enough Achilles makes up for my lack of armor, but I'll still need to play things carefully. It can't reduce or reflect retaliation damage."

Pressing a few buttons his face and body became encapsulated in the Grand Chariot II armor, the deep sea blue frame replacing the clothed human figure that formerly stood there. With the Grand Gauntlets and Amethyst Charm equipped the bluenette finalized his at ready items, making sure to keep the Aegis Armament in some slots as well.

With the countdown at 0 he quickly shot forward, right fist already drawn back as the gauntlets released small lights like propulsion jets. Triggering <<Charge>> the power focused into his <<All Might>> attack. Punching forward his the weight of his body behind it his opening strike connected. At the same time he saw the burning flame of the Flame Aura unique enhancement trigger, the retaliation attack, pushing him back.

"Well, certainly have seen that before. Best be careful that I keep that type of damage to a minimum. At the least Seul's stunned in the meantime, meaning that I have the option to go on the defense or press the attack."

Calrex: 777/793 (1585) | EN: 141/158 (16 Flame Aura)
@Seul: 262/478 (955)| EN: 94/94 (15+5 DMG * 15 Art - 84 MIT = 216 DMG / Stunned Until Next Turn)

[Seul 1]

Battle Theme

There was barely any time to process what had happened. Before he knew it Seul found himself rolling backwards across the ground. He didn't know that anyone could move with such speed, let alone Calrex since he only ever saw the man with heavy armor equipped. Was this the power that came with being a higher level?

Now he laid face down in the dirt with Maiden’s Kiss only a short grab away but his arms lacked the will to move. Through blurred vision he could just make out the symbol for stun next to the health bar which was missing a good portion of its usual vibrant green. Almost going down after a single punch… How pathetic. Just what would Anemone think if she saw him like this? He'd rather die than imagine something like that. Thankfully he wouldn't need to do either.

The fight wasn't over, so using what strength he had, he propped himself up enough to look at his opponent. He'd need to act fast once the stun wore off.

--

@Calrex: 777/793 (1585) | EN: 141/158 
Seul: 296/478 (955)| EN: 94/94 [Stunned] [HB & BH: +34 HP]

Edited February 5, 2017 by Seul

[Calrex 0]

ID: 76695
Battle Dice: 7 (Accuracy +4) = 10
Sword Art <<All Might>> Activated (17 Energy Used / 1 Recovered / 125 Remaining)

Seconds passed as Calrex gave a calming breath, remaining focused on his opponent, who was already starting to come out of his Stunned state. "That effect always wears off far too quickly for my liking, but I guess stun locking really shouldn't be a constant strategy in this game. Still need to rely on the basics and foundation, rather than any one-off tricks."

Quickly drawing his right arm back one again his fist shined with the bright blue glow of his <<All Might>> Sword Art once again. Feeling the assisted system gain control over his avatar the blunette shot forward, his fist connecting once again with Seul as the young man was recovering, taking off another chunk of the allotted battle health for each person.

Checking his own health Calrex saw that his <<Battle Healing>> has engaged, healing a portion of the Flame Aura damage he had sustained from Seul's defenses.

"Seul should be fully mobile in the next few seconds, and with that sword of his he'll likely be retaliating immediately to make up for the damage I've inflicted so far. Depending on how hard he hits I'll may need to go on the defensive for a bit to minimize damage until I can Stun again, or press the attack and hope my armor and Achilles keep my health up."

Calrex: 771/793 (1585) | EN: 125/158 (16 Flame Aura / 10 Battle Healing)
@Seul 155/478 (955)| EN: 94/94 (15 DMG * 15 Art - 84 MIT = 141 DMG / Stun End)

[Seul 1]

It was pretty sad that the feeling of the blue-haired player’s fist connecting with Seul’s body had become all too familiar in such a short span of time. At least the stun had worn off now and he was still able to get back up to fight. He picked up his blade once again, carefully gripping the hilt in one hand while passing a glance at the green bar floating in the corner of his vision. Not a lot of buffer remained between himself and the halfway point, but what was he supposed to do now? At the speeds the man was moving the greatsword would have a hard time keeping up. Even his his hit did land, he'd just take some damage back. That along with another punch from Calrex would mean the end of the duel. There was only one option left.

“I guess this is why you're considered the strongest player… I'm not done yet though!”

He said while raising his blade at a horizontal angle. At the same time he planted his feet firmly into the dirt, finishing off the parry stance. If anything it'd buy him some time to recover while he thought of a way out of this.

@Calrex: 771/793 (1585) | EN: 141/158 
Seul: 189/478 (955)| EN: 92/94 [Parry Active] [BH & HB: +34 HP]

[Calrex 0]

ID: 77405
Battle Dice: 8 (Accuracy +4) = 12
Sword Art <<All Might>> Activated (17 Energy Used / 1 Recovered / 109 Remaining)

As Seul got back to his feet, Calrex could easily recognize what the young man had just triggered. It was a technique he was all too familiar using, the <<Parry>> skill. Before Tristan passed <<Achilles>> to him, it was one of the main techniques that kept him alive through so many battles, mainly because of its ability to scale in response to whatever attack comes its way.

"On it's own Parry is very useful, but there is the chance the he also decided to attack a skill mod to it. I could simply wait it out, but this battle hasn't gone on long enough to the point that energy is something to think about. With the minimal Energy needed to deflect a single enemy, he could persist that defense until his health was back up. Course I could do the same, but for now I should focus on keeping his healing recovery at a minimum."

Clenching his right hand into a first once again, <<All Might>>'s aura surrounded his fist. Quickly drawing his arm back the bluenette felt the assisted system engage as he shot forward once again. With the skill mods he had selected for this fight, his strike was guaranteed to hit. Feeling his armored punch connect with Seul's sword before slamming at a reduced strength into his avatar Calrex confirmed the slight drop in health for both of them as the Flame Aura enhancement knicked away some of his HP.

However, he also saw something else trigger, something he suspected might be the case when up against anyone of decent level possessing the <<Parry>> skill.

Calrex: 765/793 (1585) | EN: 109/158 (16 Flame Aura / 10 Battle Healing)
@Seul: 160/478 (955)| EN: 92/94 [Parry Active] (15 DMG * 15 Art / 2 Parry - 84 MIT = 29 DMG)

[Seul 1]

Editing