[F4 - Event] Dance of the Crossed Paths

[Soredell 0]

"Oooh, that's gonna hurt." Soredell mutters under his breath, as he watches @Mack punch @Hydra right in the face, before slamming him into the ground with an impressive amount of force, enough to leave him stunned. Were this real life, Hydra would have several broken bones, potentially even a broken spine as well. But thanks to this being a video game, damage in the game did nothing to your body in real life, except in the possible, yet very real chance that you die in the game, your brain gets fried and turned into a steaming pile of mush. He then turns to @Khrysaor, saying "Told you. As I thought, the match has already turned around in Mack's favor. If he keeps this up, there's no way Hydra will be able to win this fight. Only way that he can win at this rate is if he dodges every attack thrown his way, and continues chipping away at Mack's health. That's what I think anyway" he says to him, before going back and continuing to watch the fight.

[Hydra 0]

As his opponent's stun timer ran out, Hydra prepared himself. He heard the muffled voice of @Khrysaor from the sidelines briefly losing focus on the fight at hand. The brunette appreciated the support from his friend, but unlike Mack, it seemed he was still far from being able to focus purely on the battle at hand.To late. Hydra heard the words "Little Jeweller." From Mack, only to find himself being picked up to the air as though he were a feather. There was no use struggling, he was trapped now. As his foe proceeded not only to punch him in the face, one of the only areas he wished would remain unharmed, he was also then slammed with incredible force straight into the ground. Hydra let out a whimper. The damage wasn't incredible but he was now stunned, Not only that, it appeared up till now he had only been a test subject. "Dammit... can't move," Hydra growled weakly. His arms and legs were lifeless, essentially making him 'sitting prey' for his target. The spearman wasn't a fool to guess what was coming next. He felt the feeling of fear surge through his system, the growing heartbeat rising in his chest and finally, he was becoming more conscious of the people watching from the side. 

________
Hydra: 706/715 | 48/70 Energy (STUNNED - Miss turn)
@Mack: 804/1020 | 98/102 

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

Intertwining hands and letting loose to the rhythm was something she enjoyed doing, even more so as her current dance partner proved himself capable to lead. She spun around, her frilled dress expanding around her like flower petals. After being reeled in, she 'accidentally' rested her free hand on his chest saying with a seductive smile:
"Moooo, I'm glad to see you're a competent partner." then moving her hand to its respected place over his right shoulder. 

Hearing his positive reply she momentarily forgot about the ruckus nearby and concentrate on what to reply, making a quick mental checklist with all the quests available and the ones she didn't do... while prioritizing the lower level ones so that @Beat could have a more active role in them. After a few seconds of silence, where her muscle memory took over the dancing aspect, she raised her eyebrows as she found several quests that clicked with what she searched for. Focusing her until now blank gaze towards her dance partner, she said with an excited expression:

"We could either do the treant or elvish rivalries quest that'n on the 3rd floor. Maybe we could start the dragon hunt quest line that I've heard about recently or even start the arabian nights one that I've heard so much about." she hesitated for a second as another quest, much older than the ones mentioned earlier crossed through her mind. One she attempted to complete it twice already with no success, alone or with company. "there could also be the wail of the banshee quest... I tried it twice but didn't get to finish it due to various reasons, the quest mob isn't hard.. but I never seemed to finish it. A sigh escaped the blonde as she remembered her failed attempts at it, partially remembering her crimson sister in arms. Its been so long sine she hasn't seen her...

"I'll let you pick." she added with a faint smile.

[Row 0]

Row was caught off guard by the first step. Despite being ready, she realized she was not ready to just copy his steps. She struggled to avoid stepping on his feet while keeping up. Her eyes quickly darted down to her feet so she could see what step to make and then back up at Dom so she she did not bump into him. This dancing was really hard and she constantly felt out of step. Despite how much fun it seemed, it was purely irritating. She wanted to scream and quit but that would be terrible to do. So she continue to struggle with each step until she messed up enough and stumbled into Dom. She let out a soft cry as she fell onto his chest. "Sorry, sorry." Upon realizing her face was practically touching him, she went bright red. "I... am... Sorry..." She released him and turned around, in order to build up her composure. "I... I dont know what to do. I can't keep up."

@Dominion

Edited February 12, 2017 by Row

[Hidden 1]

As Hidden moved forward, she noticed the man getting better. He thanked her for being patient and she smiled. "Of course, some people are not the fastest learners at certain things. The effort is what really matters" She smiled but was a little surprised but what he said next. He was asking her to assist him with it forever. She was a bit confused. What was he asking her? Was he asking her to help him, and stay with him? Or was he asking her to help him out sometime? He hoped it was option A and gave him a bright smile. "I would be glad too!" She smiled and looked around. There was a few more players dancing, but it appeared the music was coming to an end. She had no idea where she was at the moment with the man in front of her. Maybe he will be more clear with another answer. She was still stuck in the state of not knowing anything going on with him. When alone, the man was easy to read, but here it was very hard to tell. 'What is going to happen?' 

@Sey
 

[Dominion 0]

Dominion had finally got the dance in sync with the music, and was about to stop to ask If they were ready for a more difficult dance. However, a few steps before that point, Row stumbled into Dom. He wasn't expecting it in the slightest, and did his best to brace himself. As she fell, she let out a soft cry. Dominion heard the soft cry but didn't have the time to think anything of it. Even though he was startled by the sudden movement, Dom moved his left leg slightly back and moved his arms outward and around Row. Dom recovered fast enough to realized that she was on his chest. Dominion had no idea what to do, as his arms had moved to be around Row. It was as though he was embracing her, but he did this out of split second reaction. Well, looks as though my butt is going to be kicked, Dominion did not wish to smile about this, but his heart was clearly racing. He quickly moved his arms once she released him and she turned around. I did something wrong didn't I? I... Dom heard Row say, while still facing away from him, "I don't know what to do. I can't keep up.". Dominion put his hand on his forehead and tried to think. Dominion was having clashing feelings. He couldn't think right. Row was still facing away from him, and he was somewhat glad she was. He couldn't smile. Somehow everything was going to work out, right? Dom gave it a second for his smile to return and decided he would at least try one more time. This time, however, Dominion would slow down the movements even more. He moved a half step forward, making sure to keep several inches between them and asked Row, "Would you try one more time? This time, I will move much more slowly and I will teach as I lead. I didn't realize you were struggling until you fell and I am sorry" Dominion recalled her phrase at an earlier date and used it... partially. "Usually I would charge for my services but for you, I would help for free.", Dom moved his head slightly to the right side, hoping to catch Row's reaction to her own words. He never charged for his services, which was part of the irony.

@Row

Edited February 12, 2017 by Dominion

[Sey 0]

An unfortunate case of British formal tone. Perhaps even a bit of former English speaking as well, he had been using that form of language for quite a while. She explained to him that it was the effort that mattered. And that was definitely what he could offer, because he dared not waste her efforts. Her time was probably too precious for that. "Thanks, I really appreciate it. Can't look like much more of a fool if I had your assist. Come by to my place anytime, you're always welcomed. Oh, is there anything I can do in return for your help?" He was happy to hear that she was willing to help him out with the dance lessons. Whenever she felt like coming to him for that, or just anything, he will drop what he is doing to get with it. A collected smile would appear on his lips as he would continue to sway to the beat of the music. It seemed to have it's ending arriving though. "Such a shame, it looks like things are going to come to a halt. Let's end this gracefully." The tempo slowed he noticed, so he aimed to leave things off gently, rather than abruptly. It had been a fun dance for him so far, he was full well enjoying himself. Despite his dancing though, it was more how he was able to enjoy a moment like that and share it. The lady seemed to be having fun too, and her smile would make his own appear out of instinct.

@Hidden

[Hidden 1]

As he spoke again, she began to understand what he meant. He would now have her teach him to dance. Its not what she originally thought he met, but it was fine as well. Gave them more time together. Slowly the beat of the music began to cool down. He told her to have them end it with grace. She smiled, waiting for the right moment. When it came, she leg go of one hand, spinning out from his hand. Her dress and hair spiraling with her. She concentrated, trying to remember the last thing. The last few seconds were running down and she sun back in, wrapping his hand around he body and kicking her leg up. As everyone released their ending position, she curtseyed and smiled to Sey. "Anything you would like to do before the party ends? It was fun, and it is a shame to see that nothing else is happening for this event" She took his hand and they slowly began to walk over. She seen a buffet table, but she could just go and get something with Sey. He was an excellent cook. 

@Sey

[Sey 0]

The final part of the dance would arrive as her hand would disconnect one hand from him in order to spin, the grace he had been expecting. The sudden return to him would end up with her arms wrapped around him, pulling him a little closer to her, but held his stance with confidence before then pulling her up. The blood rushing through his body was immense, considering how quick-paced and well-coordinated that last part was. To her curtsy, he would bow formally as if he were a member of a theater performance. "You definitely have skill. That was much fun. I enjoyed sharing the dance with you." The snow-haired player would explain to the lady as he would raise his head back up. "Perhaps if you wouldn't mind... would you like to perhaps have a meal back at my place?" It would have been nice to stick around, but if there was not dancing, there was not much to do at the party itself. He did want to spend time with her, and this was the perfect scapegoat, the dance. He was glad that she wanted to spend time with him as well.

@Hidden

[Mack 0]

@Hydra: 706/715 | 48/70 Energy (STUNNED - Miss turn)
Mack: 824/1020 | 98/102  (+20 HP, Battle Healing) [Concentration: 4/5]

Mack loomed over the fallen form of Hydra for a moment, considering his options. He could deliver another martial arts attack, but the benefits of that would be minimal given that he only had one rank in the bonus skill. It would also be impossible, from a system standpoint, to whittle away Hydra's health gauge to half or less while hitting him for such paltry amounts of damage. Simply put, even with battle healing it wouldn't be possible to last long enough to win the fight using purely martial arts skills and without a few tweaks to the build using fist strikes for attacks wouldn't be useful on the battlefield. Not yet, at least. Shrugging, the hefty axe man called up his at ready inventory and selected the two-handed Axe of the Fallen, a quest reward granting boosts to accuracy and damage. The intimidating ebony weapon shimmered into existence in the soldier's beefy hands and he backed away from Hydra as the stun timer ran out and Hydra began to get back to his feet.

[Khrysaor 0]

Khrysaor winced as he watched @Hydra brutally get punched in the face. He put his own hand to his face almost imagining the pain Hydra must be feeling from such an attack. Then he heard @Soredell talking, and couldn't agree more. He nodded his face and said, "Yeah, of course what you said earlier was true. It will be very hard but at the same time it is not impossible to defeat Mack. I wonder how this match will turn out?" Mack had thrown Hydra away after and while, he was getting out of his stun, it looked like Mack was waiting in thought.

After, some time when the stun affects were to disappear it looked like Mack had made a decision and brought out his trusty axe. Khrysaor could not help but wince some more as he looked at the behemoth of a axe, and wonder how much damage and pain that huge thing could cause. Khrysaor muttered, "It looks like he is getting serious and brought out the big guns now."

[Mack 0]

As @Shield's familiar, the shelled fish bird turtle, bucked and writhed underneath him Chewie clung to the reptile for dear life. Or, at least, the grizzly cub would have done so if there was any kind of serious life on the movements. Instead, as the trio slowly made their way out onto the dance floor perched upon their pedestal an idea occurred in the mind of the devious little cub. Chewie knew, full well, that the people players seemed to love it when he did something that they perceived as being cute. With the way that the shelled fish bird turtle was bucking and writhing, if he stood on his hind feet on the shelled back it would look like Chewie was dancing. What could possibly be conceived as cuter than just him dancing? Why, if it looked like he was dancing with the purple winged flying lizard chicken that belonged to @Itzal!

THE PLAN WAS BRILLIANT!

FOOD OFFERINGS FOR DAYS!

Besides that, the purple winged flying lizard chicken was purple. That meant it was a girl. Purple was a girl color.

Everyone knew that.

Standing up on his hind paws on the shelled fish bird turtle, the Grizzly raised one front paw and tapped Itzal's familiar with it. When the dragon turned to face the bear Chewie bowed as gracefully as he could. It wasn't, really, much more than a twitchy, weaving movement as if the bear had imbibed too much alcohol. Then the cub made a series of odd woofling growls and held out his front paws for the purple winged flying lizard chicken so that the dragon would know to take them. Then, with the shelled fish bird turtle's help, it would look like they were dancing and EVERYONE would give them food presents.

BRILLIANT FOOD SCHEME ACTIVATE!

[Vargas 0]

 

"Don't worry about it too much. Just having some fun." Vargas laughed, waving his hand as he tried to calm Aereth. At the mention of Row, Vargas's attention spiked. "Row's here? I haven't seen her," Vargas looked around somewhat confused. Then he remembered his name being called when he was just standing around. She must've been the one that called my name, Vargas realized. 

"I haven't seen her in the shop recently. She's probably been doing a lot of exploring. She likes finding treasure. She goes ballistic at the mention and sight of it." Vargas laughed at this as he remembered how giddy the small girl would get every time treasure was mentioned. Sure, she was clumsy, small, and quick to irritate but she was still fun to be around.

"So who's this? It's kind of rude not to not introduce your date," Vargas prodded as he made another comment at Aereth's expense.

@Anemone @Aereth @Yui

[Hidden 1]

Hidden smiled as the dance ended. She was glad to find that Sey had enjoyed the experience, she had too. He then offered something that set her in stone. Food. She smiled brightly and nodded to the man but continued with, "Perhaps we should wait a little bit to see what else happens. I know it is probably not going to happen, but perhaps something else might poop up. I can't be the cause for you missing something!" She smiled and looked around the area, seeing the strangest sight she had that night. A bear balanced itself on the shell of a turtle, with a purple on top of the bear. They seemed to be enjoying themselves quite immensely. She burst out laughing and pointed to the trio. It was cute, and the bear was the cutest of them all, its eyes looking curiously for food. She wondered where its owner ( @Mack ) Was. If not, then there was just a stray bear, dragon and turtle dancing with them. Something else might happen... here it was.... The Finale of the show. 

@Sey

Edited February 13, 2017 by Hidden

[Itzal 0]

Velnia was rather upset that the turtle refused to eat the present she was presenting it.  In one of it's attempts to get her she dropped it by accident.  When his head slowed down for a second she attempted to pet him, hoping to calm it down.  Unfortunately that didn't work either.  Then she heard something and turned, noticing that the teddy bear was bowing slightly.  She heard it growl, obviously addressing her, and held out it's paw.  Velnia's head shot straight up.  The teddy bear wanted to...  Dance?  Velnia had never had such an encounter with very enjoyable and lovable familiars.  Sure the turtle was a bit aggressive but she liked that in a way.  And the teddy bear was nothing but adorable, she could cuddle with it all day long.  Hopefully it liked to play.  And now it wanted to dance!  Velnia looked at her two wings and then back to the bear, grinning.  Even if she wasn't using her wings for balance she was still a master of it.  She closed her wings up and reached her wing's claw to take the bear's paw.  As the two began to dance together they sort of made it up as they went.  Whether the bear was good or not, Velnia was an expert at adapting to unexpected movement, twisting and turning her body with ease.  This was rather fun!  She didn't know why Itzal and Kasier didn't do this more often.

@Mack @Kasier @Hidden

[Shield 0]

Norbert was outraged. The only target he had any hope of sinking his hooked beak into was now too far out of the field of view of his tiny black eyes that it may as well not exist. But it did exist. He felt the commotion of @Mack and @Itzal's familiars on his back begin, and the sounds that the creatures were making were clearly not those of pain or dismay, which greatly displeased the enraged turtle. The turtle shook all the harder, bucking as hard as his little clawed legs would allow him, which, as before, was not very hard.

As taboo as the subject of flipping onto one's back was among turtles, he almost wished that he could, just to show them who was boss. Knowing these audacious creatures, they might have the nerve to continue their frivolous antics on his underbelly, but they would be in easier range of both his trotters and his snappers and would be much better able to deal with them.

Edited February 13, 2017 by Shield

[Beat 0]

Beat continued to enjoy their dance as he listened, blushing slightly at Ariel's touch to his chest. He was particularly interested in one of the quests she had mentioned. He wasn't sure what circumstances surrounded her inability to complete a quest with a supposedly easy mob, but if she had been attempting the quest, it was likely a worthwhile endeavor, moreso for someone at his level. He feigned to consider it for a moment before revealing his decision, his eyes peering into hers, which seemed to have taken on a deeper quality for some reason that Beat couldn't put a finger on. 

"I think that Wailing Banshee quest sounds interesting. I had seen it before, but it can still halve my hit points with a single attack all by itself, so I figured it would be a while before I could try it. If you're wanting to knock it out, I say we do that since you're the one carrying me." 

Beat laughed as he admitted his weakness. It wasn't anything to be ashamed of, but humility was a new concept for him and he still wasn't quite used to it. He thought about how strange it would be to be friends with someone so much stronger than himself, but he figured he had put plenty of others in that same position on Crossreign, so he decided to accept it and move on. Beat noticed the faintness of the smile on @Ariel - The Crowned Lion's face, realizing how much he liked it when her smile was more alive and excited. He figured that it was an odd thought to have and refrained from bringing it up, unsure how a conversation about such a thing would happen in the first place. 

Edited February 13, 2017 by Beat

[Shield 0]

As the battle progressed, Shield found himself instinctively leaning his head forward. Things were certainly getting exciting. Both combatants seemed to have decided the best strategy was to ensure that the opponent would not get the chance to employ their own strategy, which seemed wise. Like chess, any situation where one is stuck playing their opponent's game rather than their own puts one at a disadvantage.

While the fight had been more or less controlled, the new weapon that the larger combatant had summoned seemed to be a very intentional choice to sway the battle. it was difficult to say without being close enough to inspect the item specs, but it certainly didn't have the look of anything of the same tier that Shield currently was. It looked as if it could cut an inexperienced player like himself in half. Hopefully the stunned player would be able to handle it better than he could.

[Soredell 0]

Soredell nods his head at @Khrysaor's statement in agreement. "It definitely isn't impossible to defeat @Mack. Mack is a large target, and I'm guessing he many not be quite as fast as @Hydra, and he can easily outmaneuver him, but Mack would be able to overpower him in terms of strength. And Hydra isn't in a good position at the moment, being stunned on the ground." he says right as Mack pulls out a terrifyingly large battleaxe. He audibly winces at the mere sight of it, and the thought of what it will do to Hydra if he doesn't move out of the way. He didn't need a closeup of its stats to know that just by the size of it, it could easily cleave right through Soredell in one weak swing, and would easily beat Hydra in a couple of swings. "Jesus Christ that battleaxe is massive. That thing will cleave right through Hydra in a swing or two. If he doesn't do something, its game over for him, and he's going to join the Knights of the Blood Oath." he says, bracing himself for when Mack brings down his weapon on Hydra. It wouldn't be a pretty sight.

[Hydra 0]

"Look's like I was right," Hydra growled in a low tone to himself as he staggered to his feet. His opponent had finally equipped their preferred weapon, a menacing looking ax. "Will I even be able to survive a hit from that thing?" Hydra pondered. At the very least his stun timer had run out, meaning Mack couldn't so easily hit him now. Taking a few deep breaths Hydra paused, only for a few seconds later to prepare his <merciless flurry> and once again try and damage the giant. Rushing forward so that he was essentially beneath his opponent, Hydra sent the 'Water Serpent's Fang' surging upwards, and aiming for the throat. Unfortunately to no avail, however, the spear narrowly missed its target as Mack reacted in time to the strike. "Dammit." Hydra cursed, his eyes widened as he quickly realized he was out in the open now. Trying his best, the brunette took a few paces back, whether it was enough or not to dodge the mighty ax, only time would tell.

 ID# 77244 results:

 Battle: 5 (miss)

Hydra: 706/715 | 47/70 [Cocentration 2/5]
@Mack: 824/1020 | 98/102 [Concentration: 4/5]

Edited February 13, 2017 by Hydra