[OP - F4] Come Play with Us, Forever & Ever

[Lessa 1]

THUNK.

Lessa flinched as if the thud had been a fist plowing into her gut. Geeze, I'm totally on edge. The blonde blew out a hard breath, then let her gaze drift between the trio that stood around her. "You guys all heard that, right?" Without even allowing them time to respond, she turned away, staring toward the direction of the noise. Her arms wrapped around herself, but the gesture provided little comfort.

I have two guildmates, and a really famous Frontliner with me, her more logical side rationalized. I'm going to be perfectly fine. But that didn't stop a shiver from climbing her spine like a bolt of electricity. "M-maybe that's someone else?" she asked, pumping quite a bit of artificial courage into the words. "Someone else who got here before us? We should go look." Before she could second guess herself, Lessa was striding down a long hallway. When she came closer to the closed double doors, she saw a flashy sign with a word in a language she didn't recognize. French? Whatever it was, it looked fancy. "Maybe a spa?" she wondered aloud. "Or a restaurant?"

@Cordelia @Tower @Calrex @Mishiro

[Calrex 0]

His hands tightened into fists as Calrex kept on alert. Normally he'd be relaxed, his high stats usually would serve as enough of a buffer against potential surprises. But with his equipment locked and the game's menu inaccessible, he was concerned, "Is this some kind of special event, or maybe some kind of bugged area.?The locked door could be some kind of scripted thing, but lacking of any form of game menu seems unusual..."

"I wouldn't be surprised if there's someone else here. There's the chance the front door isn't the only way into this place. A hotel normally would have more than one access point outside."

Looking over, the bluenette noticed Lessa had already begun moving down a hallway, motioning over at Cordelia and Tower, "We'd better get a move on. Not going to gain anything standing around here I guess."

Walking over to where the blonde was standing the Ultramarine Knight looked up, "Not sure. If SAO is replicating things from real life, we ought to sense something else, like the smell of food for a restaurant, or minerals and moisture in the air for a spa. I'm not getting either of those."

 

[Mishiro 0]

Violence on her ears – but not on the target.

A soft sigh of defeat escaped her lips. She withdrew her hand. Likely, nothing else would work here; the game had already decided the only hope of leaving was forward, though caution and perhaps a tinge of fear kept her temporarily rooted to the spot. Echoes from the impact would gradually fade into an eerily peaceful silence, only to be replaced by the sound of muffled voices and footsteps from the hallway far across her.

Other players?

A pleasant thought, but she knew too little about this area – or if she could defend herself at all if she needed to. She wouldn’t hinge her safety on a best-case scenario. Slowly reaching down, the girl slipped off her iron-plated boots and plucked them off the floor, leaving her in her stockings. Her steps were quick and soft, like a frightened cat’s, as she tiptoed her way to the kitchen’s entrance, somewhere behind the bar counter.

[Alkor 0]

How did a hotel conveniently appear without anyone noticing... no, I know the answer to that. I guess I really want to know what the hell it means.

Alkor wasted so much time pondering the nature of the building, he almost didn't hear the sound of the slamming door. He was in a hallway adjacent to the entrance somewhere when it happened, so he had to start back tracking in order to ascertain what had happened.

That was when he came perilously close to smacking face first into Lessa and her group. "Well, at least we won't have to worry about a lack of intrigue while we're trapped inside of Aincrad," he quipped, almost uncharacteristically. 

It was good to know he wasn't alone in the building. He still didn't know they were locked in- he hadn't got that far before he ran into Lessa- but if he was going to be searching a strange building, she was one of the best people to do it with.

[Lessa 1]

Lessa nodded slowly, signaling both her agreement and her apprehension. "I don't smell anything." An idea came to her then, and she cast Calrex a side-ways glance. "Unless the place really is deserted? Would we still have restaurant smells if nothing's cooking?" The whole situation was turning into a weird 'if a tree falls in the woods' paradox, and Lessa honestly had no idea what to do next. 

The sudden appearance of another player saved her the trouble of deciding. Nearly running head-long into her oldest Aincradian friend, Lessa took a startled step back. "Whoa," she began, then let her eyes narrow. "Alkor? What are you doing here?" Then she caught herself, and with a single-shouldered shrug, she corrected, "I mean, what are any of us doing here, really?" His presence, and his intrigue statement, actually worked to calm her frayed nerves. "I don't suppose you know how to get out of here, do you?"

@Calrex @Alkor

[Cordelia 0]

Cordelia scratched her chin in thought as the other conversed some more. This place didn't make sense at all. Was this something overlooked by Kayaba, or did he purposefully put this place here? If so, for what? There had to be a motive behind this. Kayaba didn't strike her as a man to just throw random buildings around in a world of his creation, especially one of this high detail. No, from what she had gathered about him, he wasn't that type of person.

She looked up. In the midst of her thoughts, she had failed to acknowledge another familiar face now stuck with the group. 

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Ah, hello Alkor. I see that you're stuck in the same situation as us, huh?" she mused bitterly, averting her eyes to the floor before she nodded to him. She didn't know the man as well as she would like, but Lessa seemed to be good friends with him, so she had no other choice but to trust him. 

"Alright, let's start heading out then, yeah?" she asked, a wide but slightly forced smile making its way onto her face. "No use moping around like this!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands together happily.

@Lessa @Alkor @Calrex

[Calrex 0]

"Yeah...you've got a point. If this place was abandoned, then it wouldn't be likely that any smells would be coming out."

"If there were items in the fridge kept in there they might have spoiled, but the airtight seal would likely keep the smell contained."

While Calrex was trying to analyze the potential things that could be within the next room, another player appeared to have made their appearance. Turning to see who it was, the bluenette gave a nod while Lessa and Cordelia spoke. "Alkor...somehow that name seems familiar. Where have I heard it before."

Hearing Cordelia suggest that they move onwards he gave a small sigh and nod, "We probably have thought about this enough, so might as well see what actually is behind here. I can take point on this one."

Moving closer so that he was right in front of the left side door the Ultramarine Knight steeled his nerves, tensing his right hand as if he was preparing to use a Martial Arts Sword Art. Cautiously raising his left hand the bluenette brought his knuckles forward...and knocked.

@Lessa @Cordelia @Alkor @Mishiro @Tower

[Lessa 1]

Though Cordelia's smile shook, Lessa found the expression oddly endearing. Despite the fear that no doubt coursed through the woman's veins like gasoline to an engine, the white-haired woman remained upbeat. Gotta appreciate someone like that, Lessa mused, some of her own fear subsiding as she nodded. 

Lessa moved up along Calrex. She waited patiently while he knocked, her own hands clenched into anxious fists at her sides. When no response came, she blew out a hard breath. "Alright," she informed the small party. "I'm going to yank the door open. If we don't like what's on the other side, I'll slam it closed, and we'll run. Deal?"

When Lessa was certain she had at least hesitant agreement, she reached for the elegant arched door-knob. Stealing herself, she inhaled slowly, then yanked the door open to reveal a spacious, silent dining hall. Tables and chairs stood perfectly poised in white linens, and fresh candles stood in each silver candlestick. Fresh flowers poured from vases, their riotous color and scent a stark contrast to the darkness of the hall. Only a single candle burned, it's flame flickering atop the white grand piano in the center of the room.

@Cordelia @Mishiro @Alkor @Tower @Calrex

[Shiina 0]

How had she gotten in here? How long had she been gone? The large slate of pure white wood, ivory and ebony keys lay before the child. Where most were concerned with getting out, Shiina was dealing some serious damage to the mansion in any way it allowed her to. A scattered suit of knightly armor on display now lay in a pile. A chandelier that was now slightly off center. A hallowed ring pierced the air, the small flicker of a light played upon her plated back in a small orange glow. The instrument rings out in a screech, piercing the silence and filling the chamber with sorrow.

A huge grin on her face as she played, drawing small fingers against a long array of keys that she could hardly reach with her arm span in a flail of her fingers. This was a large step up from an electric one that was maybe small enough to fit in her lap, but she knew how it worked. Sorta...

Sound

Numbah 8, has joined the fray!

Spoiler

Shiina, The Resonant Valkyre
Level: 41
HP: 820/820
EN: 82/82

Stats:
Damage: 1
Mitigation: 89
MENDING:1
REC:4
LD:3

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Wings of the Valkyre - Spring [Heavy Armor] (T2/Perfect) +54 Miti
Armor: Ancient Larissa Leaf Necklace [T2/Perfect/Trinket] Life Mending 1, Recovery 2
Misc: Sapphire Hair Clips [Trinket] (T1/Perfect) +3 LD

Skills:
First Aid [Rank 5]
Energize [Obtained]
Heavy Armor [Rank 5]

Extra Skills:
Concentration

Mods:
Sharpness
Field Medic
Hyperactive

Battle Ready Inventory:
Teleport Crystal*1
Lullaby 2 [T1/Rare/Debuff/Instant] -2 Evasion*2
Vocal Augmentation - Resonation [T1/Perfect/Support/Instant] +60 HP*3
Flash of Rejuvenation [T1/Perfect/Crystal] Mass Heal*5
Flash of Rejuvenation [T1/Perfect/Crystal] Mass Heal*5
Flash of Rejuvenation [T1/Perfect/Crystal] Mass Heal*3
Vocal Augmentation - Resonation [T2/Perfect/Support/Instant] +120 HP*4
Requires Extended Weight Limit 1
Requires Extended Weight Limit 2
Requires Extended Weight Limit 3

Housing Buffs:
Well Rested: -1 energy cost for the first three expenditures of each combat
Squeaky Clean: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 25% (rounded down)
Hard Working: +2 EXP per crafting attempt and +1 crafting attempt per day
Filling: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot.
Item Stash: +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot
Delicious: Turn 3 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Feast. A Feast contains 6 portions of the food items sacrificed.
Relaxed: Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
Skylight (Extended Mod Limit): +1 Rank to the Extended Mod Limit skill.
Advanced Training: +2 SP to a thread. Limit one use per month [0/1]

Guild Hall Buffs:
Lucrative: Reduce LD needed for Salvage by 5 (10+ for Alchemist crystals, 6+ for everything else). +2 EXP per craft. Rank 9 crafters receive +1 crafting attempt per day. Rank 10 crafters receive +2 crafting attempts per day.
Col Deposit: +5% bonus col from last-hit monster kills and +10% bonus col from treasure chests.

 

Edited March 13, 2021 by Shiina