[SP-F6] Mental Renewal <<Calming the Soul>>

[Vigilon 0]

"I have one question though...that isle floating near this Keep, what is it? It looks...kind of alien to this place." Vigilon asked. The Dragon looked to the isle, and its expression became very grave. "Beware the Meta." It warned. The Dragon would then get up, and take flight, leaving Vigilon where he stood.

Vigilon began to wonder, what the hell was this "Meta"? Why did it seem to be a topic that was just tossed aside with "beware" and little else? He looked in front of him, and saw a figure in the distance. He walked near the figure, and was only able to see one thing when he stopped walking. The figure wore a red cloak, there was little other detail he could notice. "Do you know what that isle is?" Vigilon asked, hoping for a different answer.

The figure didn't look towards Vigilon, but they spoke anyway. "Are you sure you'd be ready for what's in store for you if you were to go there?" The figure asked.

[Vigilon 0]

Strange counter question, but ok.

"I've fought quite a bit around here, I'm sure I can handle it." Vigilon answered. "I doubt that you are ready, but it is your choice to make." The figure noted. "Ok...one more question though. What's 'The Meta'? Can you tell me what it is?" Vigilon asked. "No." The figure replied.

Gonna have to go in blind then? "Right...I'm going to that isle, I'm gonna see what it holds." Vigilon decided. "This isle...it is nothing to be messed around with. Even if you manage to hold physically, you are likely to give in mentally. Even if you hold out mentally, you are likely to give in physically. Both may actually push you to a breaking point. Knowing this, do you wish to attempt? Yes? No?" Came the figure's reply.

Vigilon thought for a moment, he might encounter battles worse than the skeletal axe wielder or his father's killer...but he'd won those battles without them being too much of a threat. "Yes." Vigilon decided. "I'm going."

[Vigilon 0]

The figure didn't turn around, not even a turn of the head. Vigilon could still only see the cloak. "Then prepare yourself for the worst you might ever face, Vigilon." The figure said.

Suddenly, black and void bore into Vigilon's vision, and he felt like he was being shaken. When he could see again, he landed on solid ground...solid, and he could feel it. "Aaack!! Agh, what the..."

He got up, and he saw himself in an environment he never expected to see. This must be the isle. It looked like an open labyrinth of metal and stone. Where even was he? What kind of place was this? Of all the lands in his Mindscape, he never anticipated to find something as alien as this. This open labyrinth seemed to be under an eternal night, and glowing sources of light were scattered around. He could still feel the shock from the collision with the ground, but what was strange about it was, it wasn't tingling...it was worse. Was...was this...?

[Vigilon 0]

Vigilon stopped and drew his blade, for he saw masses of metallic fractals headed towards him. He attacked with Cyclone, managing to damage all but one of these metallic masses. The one that avoided destruction scraped itself against Vigilon. It felt like being swiped at by many short knives. "Hyaaagh!!" He brought his off hand to his new wound, he could feel it....he could feel it. This wasn't a typical battle anymore. "How...? What...?" He needed to focus on the battle, and not this apparent pain. He utilized the Sword Art known as Back Rush to finish off the metallic mass that struck him, and now it was time to take a brief respite and tend to his wounds.

This was new, this was unexpected, and he had no idea this was gonna happen. He opened up his menu, checked so many things, but he couldn't find exactly what the hell went wrong just now. He couldn't find any options regarding the pain dampener, not that he'd ever seen such options before.

[Vigilon 0]

The Cardinal always fixed bugs when they showed up, right? Maybe it would go away soon...or maybe this was one of the things that he was warned about, that might push him to the breaking point. He simply sat there and waited, clearly his natural regeneration was kicking in, so he would be fine before long.

The pain faded, it was time to move on. He would wander this strange place, but he'd keep an eye out for any of those hostile metallic swarms in case it was them alone that would cause pain with their attacks. He soon saw a much larger structure than the typical structures, or even the isle's walls. He walked over to the structure, and there were words on it. There was also a glowing orb that floated around near it. There was no cursor above the orb, so it was not a living entity.

[Vigilon 0]

Upon making contact with the orb, he would hear something in his head. "Four Elite beings guard the isle. One hides their feelings under a mask of stone and metal. One discourages all who dare to look upon them. One seeks to twist the emotions of man. One destroys all they come across. If all are defeated, one will remain."

Well, now was the time to continue the investigation. There was an opening in the larger structure, as well as some words above it. The in-game translation feature translated all the symbols into one word. "Sister." Whatever did it mean? What was the significance of this one word? Nevertheless, Vigilon was going to find out. He entered through the opening, and suddenly doors would close rapidly behind him, locking him in. No turning back... This structure's interior was decorated with many weapons, there were stones everywhere, boulders, in fact. Violet crystals that glowed lit the hall. "I wonder where this leads..." Vigilon thought aloud.

[Vigilon 0]

Vigilon reached a wide room, much more dark and hardened than the halls.

So he looked, and behold, a hardened warrior, sitting upon a throne of weapons. The ruler of the weapons was named Heartguard, forged from shadow made steel, and the warrior's name was Alyssa.

Vigilon didn't know whether he should say hello, or draw his weapon. His pondering, however, was broken when the warrior spoke. "Alex...after all these years, I see you once again."

This was definitely Alyssa, but what confused Vigilon was the yellow cursor above his own sister...maybe it wasn't? "Hey Alyssa, long time no see." He replied. "I see you haven't changed, save for the sword and the battle armor., those are new." He remarked. "Guess I can say the same about you, Alex." Alyssa replied, before getting up, and drawing her sword from the throne she was sitting on. Uh oh, this didn't look good.

[RP combat initiated, Stats will not matter]

[Encountered Elite Demon Alyssa]

 

Vigilon: [                    ] [          ]

 

Alyssa Silver: [                     ]

Edited July 29, 2021 by Vigilon

[Vigilon 0]

Alyssa's cursor turned from yellow to red. Yup, this was a fight. Vigilon drew his blade. "Ok, so we're doing this, then." Alyssa would then prepare her attack. Vigilon took this chance to strike her with Galaxy Destroyer, dealing a fair amount of Damage. The retaliation, however, would be far worse than Vigilon anticipated. Alyssa would swing her blade with precision, cleaving it through Vigilon, leaving a bleeding wound on him. "Gaaaaaah!!" So, Alyssa could inflict actual pain, too...

Well, shit.

Vigilon raised his blade to block the next strike, and he was now getting worried. He could feel the sharp stinging in his fresh new wound, and it was likely to get worse. "Don't think you're getting off easy, I'm just getting started. Look how quickly you crumbled, you're on the floor and I only hit you once!" Vigilon looked to his HP, then back to Alyssa. "You just got a critical hit, get off my case, would you?"

 

(OOC: The soundtrack I chose for the Elite Demon fights is in the spoiler below... Sorry, I couldn't resist.)

Spoiler

 

 

 

Vigilon: [                    ] [          ] {Bleed}

 

Alyssa Silver: [                     ]

[Vigilon 0]

Vigilon knew that his sister had a tendency to...practice her self-defense measures...on him. This time, however, it was significantly more painful, for she had a weapon other than her fists, and because there was a gash on Vigilon's body, bleeding heavily. Never had he expected such extremes, even in a death game like this. Did the system decide to drop mercy all of a sudden? When and why exactly did this happen? "Ugh, you still haven't changed. Get off your ass, would you? At least put up a fight!" Alyssa would say. Vigilon would get up, just to get stabbed. "Aagh! Oh, real freaking nice, Alyssa." Vigilon had difficulty removing Alyssa's blade from him, because of the pain he felt in the process of doing so. He then attacked with Calamitous Disaster, dealing more damage, with the main con being the pain of the wounds still being felt as he attacked. This pain would clearly be a problem that he would need to be aware of.

 

 

Vigilon: [                    ] [          ] {Bleed}

 

Alyssa Silver: [                     ]

[Vigilon 0]

The two siblings would continue to cross blades. "You'll never get anywhere until you accept reality!" Alyssa claimed. Vigilon raised his sword to block an incoming attack. "I know what reality is, I'm trying to get back to it!" Alyssa prepared another attack, increasing the pressure on her swing. "Then try harder, dammit! It's kill or be killed, it always has been!" She called out. "Whoever said I wanted to kill you?" Vigilon responded. He sighed. "Look, Alyssa... I never wanted this conflict, I'm pretty sure you don't, either." It was true, he didn't want to harm his sister, and he knew his sister was still soft, sweet, caring, and more, deep down inside...

"Shut up!" Alyssa interjected with another attack, this time it was dodged. Vigilon would attack with Astral Hell, striking a critical hit and paralyzing Alyssa. "No, can we just talk for a moment and deal with the real problem? I'm not going to just do the expected thing and murder you like this."

 

 

Vigilon: [                    ] [          ] 

 

Alyssa Silver: [                     ] {Paralyzed}

[Vigilon 0]

Alyssa stared at Vigilon, probably wondering what he wanted to say. "I don't even care if what stands before me is just a virtual copy, I'm not going to kill my sister." Vigilon began. "Alyssa...I haven't forgotten who you were before, who the real you is. Just because we lost our dad...doesn't mean we should suddenly harden ourselves and be hostile. I know that the Alyssa I'd always known is still in there somewhere."

Alyssa's Paralysis faded. "You're wrong." She claimed as she got up. "The Alyssa you once knew is dead. There is only what I am now. I am a realist, and the only reality is Death!" She attacked once that was spoken. Vigilon blocked the attack. "No, stop denying it! Embrace the truth, I'm telling you, honest!" He responded. "You're the one who's in denial. I will never be the same girl you knew ever again!" Alyssa claimed.

 

Vigilon: [                    ] [          ] 

 

Alyssa Silver: [                     ]

[Vigilon 0]

Vigilon sighed. "Ok, now you're just..." He rolled his eyes, and attacked with Tempest. Alyssa was now stunned. "Just hear me out, would you?" He asked. "I know you're not the same. I'm not the same since Dad died, but what can we do about it? It's in the past. This may be one of the most dangerous worlds out there, but hearts like yours are difficult to come across. Not everyone is as sweet as you are inside. Tell me, why do you think it will do for both of us to fight? Why do you always attack me?"

Alyssa was silent for a moment. The battle mask she wore fell to the ground, and her green eyes looked towards Vigilon's, a bit softer than the stern glare they had earlier in the fight. Her long black ponytail didn't change, for it was always styled that way and not affected by the mask she wore.

 

 

Vigilon: [                    ] [          ] 

 

Alyssa Silver: [                     ] [Stunned]

Edited April 12, 2021 by Vigilon

[Vigilon 0]

Alyssa sighed. "You just don't know when to quit, do you?" She asked. "Even you know why...I'm trying to help you! In a dangerous world like the one we live in, and this virtual labyrinth you're trapped in, might makes right, and it's kill or be killed. I'm trying to toughen us both, so that if anything were to happen, we'd both survive!" She got up, and lifted her blade. "Now... Fight me, Alex! Prove to me you can last!"

Vigilon hesitated, but he raised his sword, and attacked with Galaxy Destroyer. Alyssa retaliated with a well placed strike, but this new wound didn't bleed. "Gyaaargh!!!" Vigilon found himself placing his offhand on his new wound, so he lifted his sword so he could try to block any further incoming attacks. So, he really was going to have to finish this, wasn't he?

He still didn't want to do it.

 

Vigilon: [                    ] [          ] 

 

Alyssa Silver: [                     ] 

[Vigilon 0]

Vigilon looked at Alyssa, who seemed to be waiting for something. "Well?" Alyssa asked. "Finish this."

Vigilon raised his sword...but he couldn't manage more than a false attack. He may have hit, but it changed nothing. "I'm sorry....I can't kill my own sister." He said. He then dropped his weapon. Alyssa hesitated to drop her own. Alyssa's cursor turned yellow, and she hugged Vigilon. "Alex...you idiot..." She said, her voice cracking a little. "Even if you have killed...you're still soft...why can't you just..." She held him a bit more tightly. "You don't have to be what others want you to be...just be who you are. In a way, I had to accept that, too." Vigilon responded softly.

The crystals that lit the room began to glow brighter, and the stones and small boulders that littered the area began to crumble away, revealing all that was covered and hidden by stone. Within the stones were memories, adorable plushies, and more. Alyssa let go of Vigilon, and picked up her blade again, but held it out to Vigilon. 

 

 

Vigilon: [                    ] [          ] 

 

Alyssa Silver: [                     ] 

Edited April 12, 2021 by Vigilon

[Vigilon 0]

"Thank you so much for understanding me." Alyssa said. Her expression was now kind, and she was actually smiling. "Place your hands on my blade, and receive its blessing."

Vigilon did as he was told, and Alyssa began to focus something. "May your Heart be stalwart through adversity, and may you be protected from harm..."

Some of Vigilon's HP recovered, and he saw that he'd received a small increase in his defenses. Looks like he managed to get the good ending for this battle, and he was being rewarded with assistance for the next. He then watched in surprise as Alyssa then thrust her own blade into herself, and she shattered.

The battle was over, and he was now very much confused, and alone in this room. Why did Alyssa stab herself? Was she supposed to be defeated in order for Vigilon to move on? What did this all mean?

 

Vigilon: [                    ] [          ] 

 

Alyssa Silver: [                     ] 

[Vigilon 0]

Vigilon decided to take a short moment to rest. After some time passed, some of the plushies...started moving? Yes, they were moving, but not a single one had a red cursor, so he might be safe. Animal-like noises came from the plushies, but nothing seemed intelligible just yet. One rabbit plush waddled its way over to Vigilon, who would look over to it, wondering why it was approaching him. It lifted something up, some kind of container. Vigilon hesitated, but he accepted it. Within the container were four crystalline red objects. Three small, one larger. The crystals were red like blood, and it was a bit haunting for him. Something wasn't right about these... "Gems. Gems heal." The plush bunny spoke out.

Ok, so this bunny could speak. These disturbing crystals could also heal...? "Ok, so, you speak....do...do you know anything about a 'Meta'?" Vigilon asked. The plush bunny suddenly looked scared. "Beware The Meta." It uttered out, before waddling off. Clearly, the conversation was over.

[Vigilon 0]

Another "beware" line. What exactly was this "Meta", that everything in the Mindscape, even in this strange isle, feared it so much? Vigilon had no clue, but if there was one thing he did know, it was time to move on.

When he checked the door that was locked when he entered, he saw that the door was unlocked. Well, that's one good thing, he supposed. He left the building, and was back in the mysterious labyrinth of metal and stone.

Now that he thought about it, this mysterious open labyrinth was also very spacious...like some kind of settlement? Not that he could understand, this place was just so alien to him... He would need to be cautious as he moved about, for he didn't want to attract the attention of those metallic swarms. "Maybe I need to find these strange buildings...but what about that one I can see from here...?" He thought aloud, as he looked to see what might have been a tower of sorts, poking out out from the ground and into the sky.

[Vigilon 0]

He began to make his way towards this strange tower, and he soon came across this strange crystal object. Well, it was odd that it was just sitting out in the open...but then suddenly, strange lights came from it, heading towards Vigi-

"Aaaagh!"

He hid immediately as soon as he realized this thing was dangerous...which is to say, after he got hit. "Ok...small red crystals, disturbing yet good. Large greenish-white crystals out in the field, bad...ok...ok." He noted aloud. Now how was he gonna move on with a crystal sentry just puppy guarding the area like this? Unless those blasts could follow someone, he'd have to move around to avoid getting hit. He needed a good running start, but he'd need to not be predictable if he was going to keep this thing from getting him even if he was running away. Well, he had a fair strategy, but now he would need to put it to action.

Edited July 29, 2021 by Vigilon

[Vigilon 0]

Vigilon would then do as he'd planned. He moved swiftly and erratically, and managed to avoid all but two of the hostile lights that came from the crystal. He then attacked it with Calamitous Disaster, and it shattered. Vigilon took a deep breath and sighed with relief when it was over...so, now he had two strange objects to worry about around here. The crystal never moved, so clearly it was some kind of sentry.

Vigilon moved on, continuing towards the tower that could be seen. When he finally reached it, he saw that there was a locked door...and only one lock was unlocked. "...Is this for like, some final goal or something...? Hmm...so this isn't one of the structures I was looking for, but maybe I can see what this one has to offer if I clear out the remaining three others...Great, now I gotta find those..." He thought aloud.

[Vigilon 0]

Vigilon would wander this environment, searching for another structure. Along the way, he would encounter some hostile entities like those metallic swarms, or those pesky sentry crystals. Hopefully there wouldn't be anything worse to fight, he was already having a hard enough time with them, since pain actually existed within the boundaries of the isle and its open labyrinth.

He would soon come across an atypical structure, and head right over to its door. When he walked in through the entrance, the door closed and locked. Another fight was now imminent, from what he could guess. This hall was decorated with red and grey glowing crystals, and also along the walls were some kind of designs that Vigilon could not determine at this current moment. What could possibly be in a place like this? What kind of opponent awaited Vigilon? There was only one way to find out, and that was to move on, towards the inevitable battle that lay ahead.