[PP-F20] Plans for the Raid and Future <Boss Raid Meeting, CA Guild Hall>

[tricolor_mina 0]

Violet blinked back tears when she heard about beatbox. Despite not knowing him for long, she knew well that he was one of the players that fought to help free us all from Aincrad, a clearer... he had a lot of troubles at one point, but to hear about his death at the hands of a Player-Killer... It was terrible. I removed her eyepatch, and placed it inside of her inventory, removed her cloak, and laid it inside of her inventory as well... And, with a shaky sigh, Violet laid her weapon, Soul Fragment, on the table, wrapped in the black cloth that shield had been passing around. "I didn't know him as well as the others probably did, but I know he was a good player, even though he made a mistake. May he rest in peace, our fallen Star of Aincrad." Violet moved towards Kasier and Itzal, having placed her weapon on the table, taking immediate note of the sadness evident on her friend's face. It seemed like he was just as badly torn as the rest... though she had recognized anger, albeit only for a mere second. She sat down next to him, and rubbed his back, sympathizing about it. even though she knew her friend wasn't dead, she still understood the feeling of losing a friend to death. "If you would ever like to talk it over with me, feel free to... Just please don't do anything stupid, okay Itzal? Just try to at least think it through, Please." she whispered. Violet listened to the speech about the next boss from one of the other paladins... she believed it was the DPS Paladin? Even though she would probably never be able to help in the front lines... she still figured it was at least a good Idea to sit in on one of the meetings, even though she practically no say in what happened. She also watched Shield say no one would be allowed to leave for now, not until the meeting was adjourned... he sounded a bit like a parent, though she shrugged it off, since he looked like he was a bit older than some of the others here, Maybe he was, say, an older brother.  Violet flopped forward on the table, and watched Jonathan for a moment, before turning her attention back to Itzal and Kasier...

Edited August 25, 2017 by tricolor_mina

[Morgenstern 1]

The blond smiled as he took another bite of the apple in his hand. He had been waiting for this meeting, so he could find out what the boss was like. He had missed most of the action of finding it, and was excited to be able to join the actual raid. Then, Hikoru interrupted the meeting temporarily, speaking of a PK form a player he had never heard before. PK's common happening in SAO, and Jon couldn't stop most of them, really any of them. If he knew when was going to happen, he would stop the all, but that was sincerely impossible. Then he mentioned he seen Beatbox's name crossed out on the board. 

Jonathan then had mix feelings. Confusion was on the top. What did he just say Beatbox? He then mentioned the man was killed by a player named Death Adder, and that he had no further news on the player. Jonathan frowned. Beatbox killed? This was just a VERY bad joke. "Ha-ha, Nice on-" Hikoru then interrupted him, asking for a plaque with Beatbox's name, or weapon, and he wanted it in this meeting room to be able to remember the man....

So he was actually... dead?

Pain cursed through his veins and he gripped his arm rests tightly, and pushed himself against his seat. "B-Beatbox?" A memory swept across him, fighting with Beatbox when they were both younger players, initiating Beatbox into the guild as one of them. Then another, Beatbox fighting at he and Itzal's side when they were doing a quest. He had partied with Beatbox so much, he had more respect for him, than the man did him. He admired the man's passionate way of grinding, and he always seed to have a reason to fight, to continue on. Beatbox was one of the original members of the guild, the first to join them, before even Hikoru was apart of their rising guild. Jonathan had seen Beatbox at his weakest, and strongest. The star had fallen.... 

Shield spoke words, that Jonathan agreed entirely with. They had to step up and fill the empty shoes that Beatbox had left, but that was hard. He had left some rather large shoes, ones that they would have to work together to fill. 

Then players began making it worse. It started with Itzal mentioning the murderer's name, and how Beatbox had mentioned it before, and that it was a very stronger PKer, and he was rumored to have a unique skill. Jonathan shot the man a look of betrayal, even as he brought forth a remake of Beatbox's original sword. Then even Birdie spoke up, about Beatbox's want to destroy the Laughing Coffin guild, and Death Adder might have been one of the leaders. Hikoru moved to set his dagger on the CA's sun and everyone began to follow. Anger and sadness sent a whirlpool in his body and he set his curved weapon onto the sun. 

He spoke softly, addressing many of their players. "Many all knew about this player, Beatbox's intentions, but made no move to stop the man? Beatbox could still be alive if just one of you had spoke up!" Tears began streaming down his face as he looked at all of them. "BEATBOX COULD BE ALIVE, IF ONE OF YOU THE THE COURAGE TO SAY SOMETHING! SOMEONE COULD HAVE TOLD ME, AND I WOULD HAVE DONE IT MY DAMN SELF, YOU WORTHLESS BU-" He stpped himself. This was family he was talking to. He was still enraged at each of them. "Its not worth it..." and he stormed out of the room and took a seat on the couch, still in distance to hear the conversation of the room. 

"Who freaking cares about a stupid dragon at this point" he thought to himself. 

 

Enjoy!

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru took a moment to collect himself, and was about back to normal when Morgenstern exploded with emotions. He spoke of if they had spoken up, he could be alive. He stormed off, and something within Hikoru snapped. He disappeared into the shadows, appearing in front of Morgenstern in an instant and grabbing him by the collar, eyes ablaze in anger peering Into his own.

"Don't.... You... EVER. EVER SPEAK TO ME IN THAT WAY. DONT YOU THINK I WOULD HAVE TRIED? DON'T YOU THINK I WOULD HAVE RATHER FIGHT AND.DIED THAN HAVE BEATBOX DIE? IVE NOW LOST THREE OF.MY BROTHERS, MT ALLIES, THE YOUNG MEN THAT RISKED THEIR LIFE TO GET YOUR SORRY REAR END OUT OF THIS GAME. IF ANYONE SHOULD HAVE THE PAIN I FEEL THEY WOULD LOSE THEIR MINDS IN SORROW." He said, then threw him against the back of the couch and letting go. He turned and faced the meeting room. "What you feel now is only a fraction, a FRACTION of the pain I feel. This sorrow you feel is within me every day, wishing i could bring them back..." He looked at him. "If you ever speak to anyone here like that again I will make you pay. None of them deserve what you said. No one could have seen this coming, there was no way to prepare for it... I'm sorry, but it's happened and now all we have is the memories and the adventures we have with them... Treasure the memories you have, but don't forget about us.... Like I did..." He said, wiping a few tears away and entering the meeting room once more.

Edited August 26, 2017 by Hikoru

[Shield 0]

Shield passed @Hikoru as the cloaked player stormed back into the meeting. Well aware that his hand might be swatted away, he set it on the young man's shoulder, doing his best to catch Hikoru's eye. The look in his own eyes was calm, with a patience that had been instilled by his extra years. He was not entirely unfazed by the shouting match, but he fought to keep his emotions in check. It wasn't easy being young under normal circumstances, let alone with the regular consequence of death at all turns.

"Don't hold those words against him," he murmured to Hikoru. "It's pretty normal for people to not mean the things they say in the wake of tragedy like this. Give him time. See if you can keep the meeting going forward. I'll see what I can do."

With that, Shield released his shoulder and closed the door to the meeting behind him. He stood in the door frame not too far from Jonathan. He did not glare or fume at his superior. He did however make it clear with his positioning that @Morgenstern wasn't going to get back into the meeting right then without going through him one way or the other. Shield held his silence for a few long moments, giving the angry words time to clear out of the air.

"You need to hit someone?" he said, his eyes unblinking as he continued to assess the mental state of the boy in front of him who was being forced to be a man for what almost certainly not the first time. "I can take a punch just fine if that's what you need. I'd rather find other methods, but hey, I get it. Even if you did, your cursor will be back to green before the boss fight even starts, so no big deal. There's too much boiling up at once. All of that emotion has to go somewhere. In the same way, all of that uncertainty has to go somewhere as well. It's not productive to point fingers though. We all take on risks every day in here.

"I hate watching people who are too young to even consider buying a house in the real world having to make preparations for their graves. It's sickening," he said, the bitterness of his words turning his face sour like bile. "There are going to be losses along the way. People are going to roll the dice, and they're going to lose. We help when we can. We mess up when we mess up. We forgive when forgiveness is possible. We learn from those moments as much as we can, and then we push on towards the top of the castle."

He took a few steps forward and turned to sit on the couch, remaining there beside Jonathan, shoulder to shoulder, not looking at Jonathan or forcing Jonathan to look at him. He took a few more long, deep breaths before he spoke again.

"There isn't a single one of us who wouldn't be just as hurt and angry and scared if you had met that same end, or Hikoru," he said, quieter than his prior words. It was frustrating that emotional moments between men, even those who cared for one another, needed to be laced with so many barriers and codes of conduct, but he still minded Jonathan's space. "Don't pretend that you wouldn't be ten times angrier and sadder if it had been Hikoru whose death had been announced. Brothers may fight, and bitterly so at times, but brothers also love and they forgive twice as hard as they fight. When the time is right to forgive, that is. That can take a little while."

[Morgenstern 1]

Jonathan sat upon the couch, letting off steam, peering at the middle of the room from the couch, when something grabbed the collar of his jacket. Next he knew, he was lifted barely off the ground. Hikoru stood in front of him, eyes seething with rage. Jonathan normally would have been a tad fearful, but it just built further into his rage. He was told to never yell at Hikoru in the same way again, and he would have done the same for Beatbox. He was thrown back into the couch, and was told the pain he felt, was nothing compared to his, and that he only felt the pain that Hikoru felt every day. The man finished with that none of them deserved what he had just yelled at them for, and he needed to watch it, or he would have to deal with him. He had a point in that last part, and somewhere, Jonathan knew that. His anger rose though, and as Hikoru reached the door Jonathan coldly reminded him, "In the beginning, Just remember that everyone was iffy about you joining. If it wasn't fr me, you would not be here. Another hermit on the streets. I pulled you away from that life. Could you really take my life Hikoru?" As the man exited the room, Jonathan slammed his fist into the wall before seeing Shield come out himself. 

His sentinel walked over the words, "You need to hit someone?" Jonathan sighed and answered the man, "No, violence isn't the answer here. I guess... I just got a little worked up. I am facing adult decisions more and more each day, and its just a little stressful" He took a breath and looked out the window, gazing at the trees. "YOu both are right, it was not any of your guy's fault, but... Death Adder's"  

He sighed, the anger slowly releasing out of his body. More... depressed now. 

"There are going to be losses along the way. People are going to roll the dice, and they're going to lose. We help when we can. We mess up when we mess up. We forgive when forgiveness is possible. We learn from those moments as much as we can, and then we push on towards the top of the castle."

Jonathan thought on this, and knew that yes, there was going to be losses. There was just some things that the could not control, and that they would lose some. "Maybe... its just me trying to protect everyone I hold dear. I took up the tank role to protect everyone I care about, my friends. I also... have some of my own problems I been dealing with, and its just coming all out on you guys" 

"There isn't a single one of us who wouldn't be just as hurt and angry and scared if you had met that same end, or Hikoru,"

Jonathan nodded. That was the one thing that held the CA together anymore. The connection of love they all shared, it is what held them close. They had lost a friend, an ally, a brother. 

"Don't pretend that you wouldn't be ten times angrier and sadder if it had been Hikoru whose death had been announced. Brothers may fight, and bitterly so at times, but brothers also love and they forgive twice as hard as they fight. When the time is right to forgive, that is. That can take a little while."

Jonathan decompressed himself onto the couch and quietly muttered, "You can never hate somebody as much as someone you love" 

[Shield 0]

Shield nodded, listening to Jonathan's responses. He seemed to already be coming down out of his temper, which was good. He figured it had been more of a flare due to surprise and hurt feelings than it was an actual serious problem, but it was good to hear it from the other player's mouth first. He tapped Jonathan on the shoulder with his fist.

"You're not wrong about that. Take a minute if you need it, but we're both needed back in there," he said, standing slowly to his feet and scratching the back of his head. "We've got a lot to talk about before this fight."

With that, he strode forward back into the conference room and took his seat back, leaning forward on his elbow which rested on the edge of the table. The meeting itself seemed to have stalled, so he took his entrance as a chance to restart it.

"The T3 equipment shouldn't be a problem if we get on top of that sooner rater than later," he said, responding to Hikoru's thoughts from before. "I have a few pieces that I picked up in dungeons, though taking out orders with crafters is going to be most effective for efficient gear. I do think we're overlooking something though," the unkempt player continued, tapping one finger on the table. "The bodies in crystals. Likely they're not actual players, but they're a hint as to what the boss likely does. Some sort of petrification, like a paralysis or freeze effect. Going in without everyone having safeguards and perfect antioxidants already in effect and a few extra antioxidants on standby would be foolish," he said, turning to look at each of the paladins in turn. "That means there's going to be a lot of pressure on our cooks and alchemists, but honestly, if they're not already preparing those kinds of items before big fights, they need to be."

He swiped to summon his menu, scrolling through his own shop stock. He gave a nod and closed his menu once again.

"I don't have much, but it seems as if both Immolation Potions and Field Rations have been patched lately," he observed, leaning back and crossing his arms. "I have both fully stocked, and I'm willing to sell at cost to any guild members."

[Birdie 0]

Birdie merged with the back of her seat as voices began to escalate and tensions rose. The bluenette was too shocked to say anything as the ordeal drew on, she knew far too well that no good could come of fanning the flames. Thankfully, things seemed to settle down rather quickly, and what began with Jonathon's outburst was brought to an end by Shield's unending wisdom.

She didn't appreciate anyone being talked down to, or being called worthless, or listening to the notion that anyone's kinship with the recently fallen was any more valuable than the next. That wasn't why she accepted Itzal's invitation, it certainly wasn't something she'd hear a second time. Her eyes panned to the front door as she made a mental note of the closest exit, before the tone of Shield's voice re-immersed her in the conversation.

The concept of being petrified in crystal was terrifying - frozen status effects were bad enough, but being hit as a fragile statue would no doubt boast some serious damage amplifying properties. Swallowing her unnerve for the moment, the bluenette spoke up. "If anybody's in need of Tier 3 Lucky Charms and Trinkets, my doors are open on the 21st floor. I'll make any items for CA members at half price," she concluded, inwardly cringing at how she'd sounded like a crappy radio advertisement. "As for Tesseleth, should we be concerned for its tail at all? It seems like a common theme for large serpentines to use their tails for wide AoE sweeping attacks, it's possible that something like that could come up during the fight." It was a weak piece of input - almost common sense and barely worthy of mention - but it was the only thing she could think to add to the conversation.

Edited August 30, 2017 by Birdie

[Itzal 0]

Itzal heard less than half of what was being said.  He felt Kasier help him from his seat and he turned to look at her.  There was a reason he loved her, and this was only the surface of that reason.  However someone, he thinks it was shield, said that he needed to stay, that the meeting wasn't done yet.  He looked to Kasier, wondering how she would respond.  He did his best to stop the flow of tears however and attempt to steel himself to stay focused.  He smiled at his fiance and gave a reassuring nod, informing her that he needed to help them.  He sat down with Kasier and tried to re focus on the situation, very happy that Shield stepped up and dealt with the situation between Jonathan and Hikoru.  In all honesty, Itzal believed he could be a paladin himself if the slots hadn't been filled already.  He listened to what was said by Shield to the best of his ability.  He heard Birdie's comment as well and replied to them both in order, albeit with difficulty with his emotions everywhere still.

"Personally I think it could...  Go either way @Shield.  The boss may very well have a, paralysis attack.  Easily with elemental attacks.  Or perhaps the frozen warriors are it's own types of potions.  If it grows weak it may absorb the life force of the warriors and heal itself...  I mean, Mortha was far to easy to beat.  Perhaps it's a failsafe in case we deal more damage than is expected again."  He looked at @Birdie next.  "Also, I'll...  Try and collect as many tier three materials I can.  It's a slow process by myself however...  Is there anyone willing to go with me to gather materials?  I'm pretty sure @Sey could craft items that boost our searching stats."

Edited August 30, 2017 by Itzal

[Shield 0]

"I think Birdie and I are on the same page," Shield said, giving her a brief nod before returning to the topic at hand. "Even if you're not up in the boss' face, you're rarely completely safe in boss raids, and many even punish you for timidity. Again, safeguards will be our best bet on that matter. Gives us full protection even from critical hits and secondary status effects without taking any time out of your turn."

Shield pulled up a blank window from his menus. He selected the empty space and began to tap out a few notes with his fingertips.

"Any items I provide wouldn't be crafted, unless someone wants to roll the dice on identifying drops," he said, moving the window slightly to the side so people could still see him properly as he spoke. "I think we should start a list though, so our crafters can start knocking out orders and properly prepare. During which time, @Itzal, I can join you in hunting materials. In the mean time, everyone look over this list and see if there's anything I missed. If we get everything together, it will help our crafters know what all is being asked of them. Also, if there's an alchemist in the guild, fill their name in."

He finished his notes and tapped an option to share the document with the players gathered in the hall:

Quote

Boss Raid Wish List:

Alchemist (Morgenstern):

• Safeguard Potion x 5
• Perfect T3 Mitigation x 5
• Perfect T2 Mitigation x 5

Cook (Sey):

• Perfect Antioxidants x 10
• Perfect Accuracy x 5

Artisan (Birdie):

• T3 Perfect Recovery trinket - Shield

 

"Anything you need from me, just stop in," he said with a nod. "I'm not low on supplies, so just stop in and pick up any immolation potions, teleportation crystals, or trail rations for overhealth. Come to merchants for those things. That way, we're not using up precious crafting attempts and materials on items we already have at our disposal."

[Kasier 0]

Kasier watched as Itzal refused to leave the meeting and decided to simply sit back down. With that, Kasier would sit down as well. She had wanted to help Itzal up and go to a room because she honestly thought that there was no way that he can continue in the state that he is after hearing about the death of one of his dearest friends along with the cruel exchange between Hikoru and Morgenstern in which the two of them exchanges quite a bit of cruel words with each other - words that Kasier would never have expected to hear from the two of them. Whatever was said, has been said and there is nothing that can be done to unsay it. She just hopes that the relationship of those two players will not be damaged as a result of this meeting. The death of Beatbox was enough to affect everyone already, and there was absolute no need to have even more drama along with it.

So, Kasier sat down and listened carefully to the players. At this point, she was still not very sure whether to join the boss fight or not. She was extremely under-leveled since she had not reached third tier yet. If she participates, she might have a possibility of coming face-to-face with death, himself. Still, she was fully aware that the front lines was lacking in members and participants, and any type of assistance would be good - especially the assistance from a healer with a T2 item that has life mending on it. "I'm a cook. I can cook some items in that list, but I definitely can't craft as much as Sey. If you get some tier three materials to me, I can try my best to make some items if needed." Kasier raised her hand, "Also, what's the recommended level for this boss fight?"

[Sey 0]

Sey made his appearance a bit late, but the spear in his hand with a small data crystal shined in the light a small amount. The holy weapon used to slaughter some field monsters, one crystal happened to be on the spear before he made his way inside. "Hola compadres!" The British player would say in perhaps the most country voice he could express, placing himself down into a seat and crossing his right ankle onto his left leg. He leaned back with his eyes half-closed, a confident smile equipped as his eyes scanned the room. It was somewhat tense based on what he could see, not that he cared too much. "Sorry about that, got some money from field mobs. Why's everyone so down though, do you all need some col?" Sey asked, placing his hands behind the back of his head as he looked around, still smiling. Hey, if they were having a shortage, he finally had the col to make up for whatever he missed previously. Materials, well, the third tier was dead air as of currently. The second tier though, he had tons of those.

[Beat 0]

Better late than never I guess...crazy that I've been gone long enough that I nearly missed a whole floor of exploration. Wonder if Shield is in there...

Beat quietly entered the room, having responded to the message from the guild, looking around the room and immediately picking up on the unusually solemn mood. He looked at the plans on the table, figuring that the boss was more than than had expected. His eyes slowly widened as his eyes scanned over certain pieces of the documentation. Mothra had been a joke, or perhaps they had simply prepared so well that they had been more than a match for the guardian of the third tier. Either way, this boss seemed to be on another level entirely and he knew he would find himself dusting out his kitchen to prepare for the fight that was to come. 

Beat fought the urge to say something to the room given the quiet, somber haze that seemed to fill the room and weigh his stomach down. Empathy was something Beat was often fairly slow at, so for him to notice, he knew it was more than just the boss that stood in their way to the next floor. His eyes quickly found his partner in crime and he waited to lock eyes with the man from across the room before giving Shield a knowing look, indicating that they needed to talk after the meeting. Once his message was delivered, Beat looked back to the table, and his brain finally got it. 

Someone died...damn...

Beat's mind went into the same sort of mode that it did in the heat of battle: quick, decisive, leaving distractions for after the fight. If they were going to beat the boss, they needed to save the mourning until after they had downed yet another floor boss. Beat forced a convincing smile on his face and successfully fought back the urge to ask who the deceased was, determined to get the group back on task. 

"Sorry for being late, can someone give me a quick breakdown of the plan so far?" 

 

Edited September 5, 2017 by Beat

[tricolor_mina 0]

Violet winced when Morgen had started shouting at the DPS Paladin, Hikoru, over the death of beatbox. It was a completely unnecessary thing for him to have done. It couldn't be changed, even if someone could have saved him... though the name Death Adder was familiar to her... the news must have mentioned him in passing, she thought. Her eyes filled with tears when she heard the Paladins start to fight badly... A fight between two High-Level Clearers, and it was scary! 'Running out right now sounds like a d@mn good Idea right now' She watched them both storm out of the room, and she shakily stood up, when she noticed the fatherly character ( the only people she didn't know were @Hikoru, @Shield, @Birdie, and the newcomers...) had left to go calm morgen down, which made her sigh in relief... though she was still a bit nervous. "... I... I don't think I really... belong in this discussion..." Violet was extremely nervous from her first meeting with the DPS Paladin... And she made a mental note not to tick him off... Ever. She walked past the two newcomers, her hands tying her eye-patch back to its rightful place. and she fled the room, passing @Morgenstern, and walked out the front door of the guild hall, passing by @Beat as he was walking in the door. She climbed up a tree that was just a few Meters from the Guild hall, and Just sat there, before sending a message to @Itzal

Spoiler

To: Itzal

I can't really appreciate meetings like this... I'm not exactly a people person, and it doesn't help that a gigantic bombshell got dropped on all of us just now... plus two of you started fighting! so much for first impressions... I guess...

Can you meet me outside? Please?

she sent the message, leaned back in the fork of the tree she was resting in, and started to wait for him

OOC: Guys, seriously. Keep the thread moving if you can

Edited September 22, 2017 by tricolor_mina

[Itzal 0]

Itzal couldn't deal with this much longer.  The emotion was proving to be too much for him.  "Sey I'll explain after the meeting is over...  Beat..."  He paused as it was difficult to say half of Beatbox' name.  "We created a short list that can be added to for items we'll need for the battle.  At the same time we recently shared what the boss and boss room is like.  Essentially the boss is a dragon with the most health bars we've seen thus far.  The room is filled with frozen warriors and multiple pools of liquid.  We've made guesses as to what the frozen soldier's purposes are, as well as the pools of water, and theorized on what the dragon would possess.  Best guesses are that the dragon has elemental attacks, the pools might help with burn attacks, and the frozen soldiers either thaw and help us or fight us, as well as my theory that the dragon might have the ability to absorb them, healing itself mid battle."  He sent the document Shield made to @Beat.

Quote

Boss Raid Wish List:

Alchemist (Morgenstern):

• Safeguard Potion x 5
• Perfect T3 Mitigation x 5
• Perfect T2 Mitigation x 5

Cook (Sey):

• Perfect Antioxidants x 10
• Perfect Accuracy x 5

Artisan (Birdie):

• T3 Perfect Recovery trinket - Shield

He saw the message from @tricolor_mina whom had left feeling as if she didn't belong.  If circumstances were different he would have greatly appreciated her being here.  He'd have invited Aereth if he hadn't been insisting on keeping separate from the guild.  He read her message and typed a quick reply

Quote

To Mina

Yeah I can meet outside.  Just let me wrap this up.  This isn't easy for me either, but I can't have another breakdown.  Don't feel bad, people get like this...  Especially with a loss like Beatbox.  It's natural.

 

[Shield 0]

Although he knew that it wasn't quite fair to make Sey wait on the news, Shield saw the wisdom in the call Itzal had made. If new people were alerted each time someone came in late, the day would be over and with very little progress to show for it. He took a deep breath, not turning to @Beat, whom Shield had not seen in some time, even at home. His dark eyes fixed the younger player in a long, searching gaze before turning them back to the meeting as a whole.

Another time. That can wait.

"To recap," Shield said, clearing his throat and pressing on with the meeting. "Everyone who can craft consumables needs to take a look at that list and decide what they are and are not willing to put in as far as crafting items for the raid. We have our goals outlined there."

He gave another brief, meaningful look at his previously absent house mate and adventuring partner before nodding to the list.

"Now that you're back, Beat, you can take some of the work load off of Sey." He pointed to the list of items that was currently being circulated. "We will likely be gathering materials after this. You're more than welcome to help with either process."

His voice was not harsh, but it was clipped and brief, which would likely broadcast to Beat a good deal more frustration than even those in the guild he knew well.

[Morgenstern 1]

He stood there, watching as Shield backed out of the room. It was wrong what he had done to them, wrong for how they accused him. It was unlike him. He sighed, slapping his hand into the wall and letting a tear rush down the side of his face, glistening there before it dropped to the floor, landing with a soundless splatter. 'It just isn't fair. Why must I have to go through this every day, protecting those I care for. Why must we sit, trapped in a death game while our captor laughs from the darkness that we cannot yet reach! Why must Beatbox be slain, when he had so much of his life ahead of him?' He looked towards the door, a mourningful look passing as his eyes met the grand ivory arches that sat atop it. This guild hall had been made out of the blood sweat and tears of each one of their time. He was not going to see that tore apart, and he needed to reconvene. He stepped towards the door, pausing and pondering a final thought. "Damn Death Adder has my sword. He has my flipping sword!" He growled at the thought. That sword was a connection between he and Beatbox, that they shared at a personal level. He would be getting that back. He moved in through the door, taking a seat. He took a deep breath and slowly began, "I apologize for my previous actions. I should not put the force of blame upon any of you, that is to be reserved for Death Adder, and Death Adder alone. I understand the mistake of my actions, and I hope we will be able to move on frmo the matter altogether, until we have more information and not a huge freaking dragon also on our hands" 

He looked around and seen a list, located at the hands of shield, proof of progress while he was moping away in the lounge area. 'Oh, I guess they didn't need me to progress. Probably Itzal, or Shield himself's doing. They both have the same attitude of seriousness' He shook away the thoughts before adding, "I can take care of the alchemical list, but a proper amount of materials must be provided. I am afraid I am not where near the best, and cannot provide any productivity when it comes to searching. The crafting, I may do" 

[Beat 0]

Beat folded his arms and nodded as @Itzal gave him the run down. The pools could definitely be a boon to assist with some of the dragon's attacks, and, even though it was always possible that they were a trap, he decided that they were something they would have to test out one way or the other. The frozen soldiers stuck out immediately as something useful to the dragon and something that they needed to attempt to take away, bonus if they actually ended up fighting against the dragon with them.

So many unknowns, but that is almost always the case...

Beat pulled up his inventory as the list of needed consumables was pointed out to him. He would need to hunt for materials to provide everything they needed, but if Sey able to take half of the job, then Beat wasn't too worried. Beat managed to suppress a guilty grimace as he felt the frustration coming from his partner. He nodded in agreement, happy to do his part and forcing a smile on his face, determined not to let the somber and heavy pressure in the room bring him down.

"I will do that. Happy to do my part." 

The trip home will be an interesting one...

Edited October 4, 2017 by Beat

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru listened as the players brought plans together, even in the hard times that they were having. He respected them and their power and ability to fight through the pain that they all felt, minus the few players that came in without knowledge. He grabbed his dagger off the table and placed it back into its sheath, then taking the black fabric, and tying it up on his upper forearm. He would keep it there as much as he could, before it would disappear. He gave a sigh and gave a nod to everyone.

"You all seem to have this under control just fine." He gave a small sigh and took one last look around. "I suppose I best be off. I have a lot of things to prepare and get ready for, so for now I have to leave. Best of luck and let me know when everything is well prepared and you need to meet me to help." He said, then left the room. He saw Morgenstern in the room and he stopped, looking at him. "We are all hurt by this, not just you. I don't, nor will I ever hate you, but your words hurt me much more than you ever realized. Please, going forward realize that your words have immense power to people. But you should be thankful that I have control enough to never hurt you, but others may not be. Please... take a lesson from this." He said, then made his way to the door and left the guild hall to continue his training.

Hikoru leaves the thread to train... Go training regimen!

[Itzal 0]

Itzal heard voices but what they said slipped his mind.  He wasn't able to focus.  He was still wrapping his mind around the thought of Beatbox having been killed.  He heard something from Beat so he guessed that he accepted or declined, he didn't care which at this point.  Someone rose from their chair so he was guessing that the meeting was over.  It was, over then?  If that was true then he could have a moment to grieve.  He looked up weakly to see who had left and noted that it was Hikoru.  Yeah, he supposed that made sense.  The shadowy and isolated player always kept his distance.  Even though he opened up this one time to give the bomb like news, he was still the same Hikoru.  He'd be returning to the shadows now that this was over.  Itzal stood up, weak and shaking slightly, ignoring his two swords as he left them on the table, and reached out to Kasier for support.  "I..  I need some time, so I'll head out too..."  Itzal walked out with Kasier into a separate room.  Once they were alone and the door shut, he sat down, buried his face into his hands, and poured out his heart, silently so that others wouldn't hear.  Kasier would see though.  She'd see the pain he was in.  What she wouldn't see was the burning fire in his chest.  Adder would pay for this.

[Shield 0]

That was two paladins down. A third was still recovering from an outburst and the last seemed to be being summoned by Itzal. Whether he wished it or not, the meeting was over. Shield sighed and pulled up a menu, making a few final adjustments before sending out messages with the requested items.

"@Beat, @Sey, you two coordinate what you will be crafting," Shield said with a sigh, nodding a brief farewell to those who were leaving. "If anyone finds any gear they need appraised between now and the fight, come to me. Everyone else, you know what is asked of you. Let's keep fighting until there's no more need for funerals. I think our fallen would agree with that."

With that, he closed out of his menus and reached out, following suit with Hikoru to tie the cloth from his weapon over his forearm before recovering the shield he had hidden beneath it. There were things to be done. Not the least of which was that someone needed to check on Beatbox's friends. Shield thought back and tried to remember who all he had seen with the now gone warrior.

I believe he attended the Valentine's dance with Teion. I don't think I've ever seen her show any emotion besides anger before. She must be in bad shape about now.

He made up his mind to travel to the fifth floor, but before doing so, he made one final address to those gathered.

"Take time for yourselves, and rest. We're no good to each other in a fight unless we're prepared, both physically and emotionally," he said, making sure to look at each of those who were left, taking an extra long moment on Beat. "We need to take care of each other. We've lost one dear friend already. Let's not add to that number. Family watches out for family."

With that, he raised his hand and took his leave, striking out for the main settlement and the teleportation plaza. His dark, matted hair hung down nearly to his eyes, their impenetrable expression holding, at least for now. He could grieve when he found time to himself. If Beat chose to follow, he would not object to the company, but he wasn't going home just yet.

 

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