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

[Vigilon 0]

Vigilon would enter a wide room, where his next battle was waiting for him.

So he looked, and behold, a hulking horror of muscle and midnight, sitting atop a throne made from many minuscule bones. The chains he wore were called Gravity, bearing a crushing weight, and the name of the bulking giant was Insignificance; Futility.

What a giant this thing looked like. It was difficult for Vigilon to describe such a twisted humanoid form that looked like it came from the void. It's muscular stature was one thing that could definitely be confirmed, but Vigilon had a hard time being able to take in the sight of this thing.

Vigilon doubted he would be brave enough to do a size comparison between him and this creature, which was probably twice as tall as him, maybe taller. Muscular, Dark, Unsettling, and Huge. Those were the only traits Vigilon could remember of it...oh, and the chains, too.

[RP combat initiated, Stats will not matter]

[Encountered Elite Demon Futility]

 

Vigilon: [                    ] [          ]

 

Futility: [                     ]

[Vigilon 0]

The monstrous figure got up from his bone throne, towering over Vigilon. "Only death and failure will follow your life." spoke a deep, booming voice. The midnight giant swung its arms, and the chains reached for Vigilon. He jumped back in an attempt to avoid the attack, and drew his weapon. Vigilon would try to use Galaxy Destroyer, but the enemy's HP didn't drop very much. However, the chains that were where Vigilon struck seemed to have been damaged slightly...maybe these chains served as some kind of destructible armor? "A foolish attempt." Vigilon's foe taunted.

"Tough talk but that's all bark. Have you got a bite?" Vigilon asked in an attempt to counter. In response, he was simply hit with the chains...and man, were they heavy. The impact practically knocked the breath out of Vigilon, and he could feel his respiratory system struggling to get air for a short moment.

 

Vigilon: [                    ] [          ]

 

Futility: [                     ]

[Vigilon 0]

Those chains were as heavy as they looked, all right. When he managed to get up, he saw that he needed to get the hell out of dodge. He rolled to his right and managed to avoid another chain attack. "I'm gonna have to think fast if I'm gonna get an advantage here... this guy swings ridiculously heavy chains that will knock my breath out of me and maybe even stun me. I've gotta steer clear of the chains around his arms, but if I could lay a scratch on the chains around his bulking torso, I might be able to get past them and reach the flesh, where I can slice through his vitals and deal more damage..." He thought.

"Just you try it, boy. It will not be what you expect." The monstrous brute said.

Right. Mindscape, his thoughts were always out loud in here. This thing could hear whatever he said...and that would be a real handicap.

 

Vigilon: [                    ] [          ]

 

Futility: [                     ]

Edited May 5, 2021 by Vigilon

[Vigilon 0]

Vigilon decided to try attacking the legs instead when he eventually rushed for his opponent, then went back to the torso just before striking. This actually worked, and it was too soon for his enemy to try blocking with the chains attached to his arms. The monster roared in anguish, then used his chains to-

completely tear the fabric of reality??

The torn, open space began to seep out with...well, something. What poured out soon reached for Vigilon, and he was unable to avoid what he saw next... he saw all the times he didn't do something, thinking he wasn't able to. He saw all the times he tried to do something, but failed to do so because he wasn't strong or skilled enough...when the quick, sudden visions faded, Vigilon was still himself...but his body seemed smaller? "Now that you are smaller and younger, how will you bring your Sword to me?" The monster asked.

 

Vigilon: [                    ] [          ]

 

Futility: [                     ]

[Vigilon 0]

Vigilon's Sword did seem a bit heavy, though it didn't make very much sense that his light armor and his trinket had both shrunk with him, while the sword didn't...great, now he had to use both hands to swing his weapon at all times....unless this was only temporary, 'cause then he'd only need some time, so he could return to normal...a Stun Sword Art like Tempest should do the trick.

"What makes you think that will work?" The enemy said, probably taunting or lying just to get under Vigilon's skin.

"I don't know." Vigilon admitted. "But it's worth a try."

With that, Vigilon attempted to attack with Tempest. If it wasn't for that last-second change of direction, he wouldn't have been able to do it. The fact that Sword Arts did the work for Vigilon made this much easier, however(for the most part). The monster growled. "You dare to reverse the point of this encounter? Then he swung his chains at Vigilon...ok, so Stun doesn't work on this guy...

 

 

Vigilon: [                    ] [          ]

 

Futility: [                     ]

Edited May 5, 2021 by Vigilon

[Vigilon 0]

So this guy can't get stunned. Wonderful. Maybe he should hope Paralysis kicks in in his next attack. He then attacked with Astral Hell, nothing special happened, except for a minor flinch from his opponent, who proceeded to attack with his chains again. Vigilon found it difficult to dodge roll this time, but he barely managed to avoid another difficult attack. He then attacked with Calamitous Disaster, and some of the chains on his opponent's torso broke and fell to the ground.

There was silence, and then both continued their assaults on one another. it seemed that Vigilon was able to deal more damage to areas that had less chains...which was kind of obvious, but...well, he couldn't reach his opponent's head, so he had to go for the new weak point he'd just made. Vigilon brought his attack of Galaxy Destroyer to his opponent's torso, and then came the chains to Vigilon's torso. Needless to say, neither of the two fighters were having a good time.

Vigilon: [                    ] [          ]

 

Futility: [                     ]

[Vigilon 0]

Vigilon found himself dodging more than attacking, but hey, it was a fair strategy for staying alive. On one successful, strong hit, the chains around the opponent's torso shattered, and the opponent's HP dropped to red.

The enemy then seemed to utilize some kind of energy, and then, suddenly, Vigilon found himself stunned and paralyzed, and it was his HP that was now red, while his foe's HP was back to yellow. "You will fail, as you have done so in life. You failed to save your father, you could not save Ayaka without getting thrown away like garbage, you could not prevent Wardege's death, you could not get Garixon to see reason, you could not contribute to the front lines, you could not stop the Sundered Spire from destroying the lake...there is much you will never be capable of. Your existence is futile." The monster stated, now that it had the upper hand.

 

Vigilon: [                    ] [          ]

 

Futility: [                     ]

[Vigilon 0]

Vigilon had been in this game for a while. Sure, he managed to grow in power, despite it being a slow burn...but had he really accomplished much, or was he just an extra hand, an unnecessary wheel? Was he going to die here, or simply be ejected from the Mindscape? He felt everything crumbling around him, that he couldn't do anything about all of this. The chains hadn't left Vigilon since the last attack, but their weight seemed to begin crushing him. Was this physical, or mental? What was all this, really?

"..."

Vigilon couldn't possibly accept defeat just yet.

"It ain't over till it's over. So I guess the real question is, will I die a hero, or a coward?"

Vigilon pulled out one of the small red crystals once the disabling status ailments faded, and he decided to make use of it. Vigilon saw his HP restore a fair amount, then he attacked, managing to land a deadly attack on his opponent. Without all those defenses, his opponent's resistance was what Vigilon's could have been...futile.

 

Vigilon: [                    ] [          ]

 

Futility: [                     ]

[Vigilon 0]

Vigilon attacked once more, and the battle was over. The atrocity fell to the ground, and seemed to be getting crushed by the weight of his own chains... it was like watching something become it's own black hole, in which the only matter it took in was from what started it. The monstrosity was crushed into a singularity, then it shattered like the monster's size had never changed, and Vigilon's height returned to normal.

"Whew...that was difficult..." Vigilon noted to himself. Suddenly, something he did not expect seemed to happen.

"Where am I?" Came a voice inside his head. No, not in the Mindscape, literally in his head. "Huh?? Um...Who's there? who said that?" He asked. "Is anyone there?" The voice asked. "Um, yes?" Vigilon responded. "What is this...this imprisonment...its different...where am I??" The voice spoke.

Now things were getting a little creepy. "Imprisonment? I just fought a huge eldritch guy with a bunch of chains..." Vigilon responded. "Is anyone there? Can anyone hear me?" The voice continued...

 

Vigilon: [                    ] [          ]

 

Futility: [                     ]

[Vigilon 0]

Was the voice even hearing him? It seemed to be within his head, yet he couldn't see a single being...he sure felt something, though...but what exactly?

Vigilon looked towards the throne of bones, which crumbled into nothing, revealing a single large red crystal. He walked over and took it.

"I... where... hm? Someone's there?" The voice asked. "Hello? Hello is anyone there? Where are you? Who are you?" 

Vigilon was very confused. "I'm...right here? can you hear me?" He asked as he looked around for the mysterious speaker.

There was no one to be seen.

 

"I feel like there's someone there... where are you? I do not see you. Can you say something, whoever you are?" Spoke the voice.

Ok, so the voice couldn't hear him...but he could hear the voice? That doesn't make very much sense... As much as he wanted to find the source of the voice, he had to get a move on, so it was time to walk down the hall, and search for the next major fight.

[Vigilon 0]

Vigilon walked outside, and the voice in his mind continued to speak, wondering if someone was truly there. 

What was waiting for Vigilon outside, however, just so happened to be another monster of the isle, one he had yet to see.

He walked outside to see a screeching figure that looked like a skinny bipedal creature with sharp, bleeding teeth and claws as well as a single burning eye in what appeared to be its head, and the creature itself looked like it was made of frozen blood.

Well, shit.

Vigilon drew his sword immediately, and took a defensive position. The creature let loose a flurry of slashes and swipes at Vigilon, striking him only one time. Vigilon then used Galaxy Destroyer to dispatch the monster. Finally, after the enemy shattered, Vigilon moved his hand to his new wound. "Sheesh, what is this all coming to? First a bunch of levitating swarms of metal shards, then came sentry crystals that blasted me with some kind of power, now blood monsters with burning eyes?" He thought aloud.

Man, what a time it had been...and it was probably going to get worse.

[Vigilon 0]

Vigilon took a moment to rest and regenerate his HP, then he continued to wander the area in search of the next foe.

Then he remembered how easy it was to get lost in this labyrinth...then again, it might be even easier to get lost in worse labyrinths...this should be nothing...right? Heck, it didn't even look like a labyrinth! It was like some kind of "empty" city of sorts, with strange formations of stone and metal being in place of the buildings, and the place was crawling with monsters that could inflict actual pain!

It was by dwelling on this fact that got Vigilon to start reevaluating his options, though it was kind of tough doing so without instinctively trying to talk to that strange voice. "It's warm in here...if you can't speak, is there something else you could do to communicate?" The voice asked. 

It couldn't hear Vigilon's words, nor could it hear his thoughts. This was starting to get a little crazy.

[Vigilon 0]

Along the way to the next actual building, Vigilon ended up walking into the aggro range of a blood beast and two metal swarms. He was able to tell the moment the blood beast screeched. He quickly drew his sword, and realized that the sound had caught the attention of other blood beasts...oh, no...they were now heading in Vigilon's direction.

Vigilon started by using an area of effect attack to get rid of the initial three enemies, thus the arriving three blood beasts would be the last of this little squabble. Vigilon was struck several times, these freaks knew how to make rapid strikes and slashes. He managed to dodge and deflect some of the enemy's attempts to strike, and with two more area of effect attacks, the monsters shattered.

Now he had to rest again...it was like the more victories he won, the more monsters began to show up...but seeing that the denizens of enemies didn't increase in number when they were slain, it seemed to suggest that their increases were inevitable, since Vigilon had to fight the much stronger enemies anyway in order to get through this little challenge.

[Vigilon 0]

Vigilon managed to find another true building, styled similarly to the ones that had a unique enemy to face.

Yeah, this had to be one of the remaining two places, there wasn't a lock to tell him no.

The hall was lit by crystals, like the other buildings' halls were. He just walked through like he'd done this before...because he had. But a sight unlike what he was expecting awaited him when he entered the wide room.

So he looked, and behold, a deceptively lovely figure with white, leather wings, sitting comfortably on a throne of jewels and silk. The whip in her hand was called Seeker, and the figure's name was Corruption.

So now Vigilon was up against a humanoid with wings, leather wings that just so happened to be white.
What were the chances?

Honestly, he never thought he'd be facing an opponent like this. He knew why he was here, so he drew his sword. "I don't know what your agenda is, but I'm pretty sure there's something wrong about it." He began. "Alyssa wouldn't let go of the mask, and that giant thing tried to crush me, trying to make me feel like nothing."

 

[RP combat initiated, Stats will not matter]

[Encountered Elite Demon Corruption]

 

Vigilon: [                    ] [          ]

 

Corruption: [                     ]

[Vigilon 0]

The figure smiled and chuckled in reaction to Vigilon's presumption. "I will give no such problem for you...you need not hide, nor should you feel like nothing... you could take life by the horns, you could reach for whatever you wanted..." She spoke. "Of course, there's always the option of a...rough demonstration...would you like one?" She asked as she readied her whip. Vigilon had a bad feeling about this. "Um, I'm just gonna say no." Vigilon replied as he drew his sword, with an uncomfortable expression on his face.

The smile on his opponent's face signaled nothing good, and there was a certain glint of mischief in her eyes. "Rough it is, then."

Vigilon rushed in to attack, but Corruption swiftly dodged the attack and proceeded to successfully give a lash to Vigilon's rear. "Agh!!"

Yeah, He was in for a bad time on this one...or just an uncomfortable combat experience.

 

Vigilon: [                    ] [          ]

 

Corruption: [                     ]

Edited August 21, 2021 by Vigilon

[Vigilon 0]

"Can you not?" Vigilon asked as his left hand moved to try and ease the pain. No luck, but it was worth a try. He then readied his sword art, but timed it to try damaging or cutting the whip, as soon as the opponent attempted her next attack. Cutting the whip didn't seem to work, as the weapon did not get sliced. Heck, it wasn't even scratched. At least he was able to deflect the enemy's attack this way, of course.

Corruption laughed. "Did you really think my whip would be made from frail, crude materials? Of course not, it's core material is not of your world, nor is it of Aincrad's. Besides...I want to make this experience even better...who was your flame again? Oh, I know..."

With that, Corruption's form shifted. She still had a pair of white leather wings and a white tail that matched, but she now looked a lot like....

"You already saw what she looked like before, not to mention the wings and tail give it away...that's not Jewel, Alex, that's not Jewel!!" Vigilon thought to himself as the figure now looked shockingly like Krysta.

"Aw, trying to convince yourself that I can't show you what you're missing out on?" Corruption asked. Right, Vigilon's thoughts could be heard by any creature in his Mindscape. Oops. "You know you love her dearly, don't you? Why are you afraid of the truth? You're even in a relationship with her, and you still can't muster up that bold courage of yours to take the next step?" Corruption continued.

 

Vigilon: [                    ] [          ]

 

Corruption: [                     ]

[Vigilon 0]

Why? Why did it have to be this? Why did his opponent have to disguise herself as Krysta as an attack on his moral compass? "You're not her, you're not...and you can't pretend to be, either. I'm an intelligent human being, not some animal guided only by instinct!" Vigilon called out.

That voice picked a really bad time to be speaking up again. "What is this feeling...? Someone, help! Where am I? Why can't anyone find me? Why can't I see anyone?"

Vigilon was very confused. Was the source of this voice traveling near or with him? What he felt next was Corruption's whip striking him again. He'd gotten distracted and now he paid the price...except he was distracted by something other than Corruption's appearance. Unexpected, but still worked in the enemy's favor.

"Focus, Alex, you gotta do it! Fight, get this over with so she can't have any chance of getting to you!" Vigilon thought as his left hand was placed upon his head. He then tried to shake off what may be a mental, auditory hallucination and focus back on the fight...just to see the whip right before his face got hit.

For trying to focus, he clearly wasn't doing a good job with that.

 

Vigilon: [                    ] [          ]

 

Corruption: [                     ]

[Vigilon 0]

So far, Vigilon hadn't been able to successfully deal any damage to his opponent, and he'd been distracted and lost in thought, instead of, well, actually hitting his target. Whatever the case, he slapped himself with his left hand, then used both to grip his sword and try another attack.

He only grazed the tail.

"Man, you're fast." Vigilon noted. "That weapon's no common blade, it will be difficult to block or deflect, so maybe I, too, should try an evasive strategy..." He thought aloud, knowing he'd be heard either way.

"Oh, really now?" Corruption asked. "Do come and try your luck. Hehehe, come closer....closer...."

Vigilon now believed he should be scared. Something wasn't right, this was obviously an opponent luring him in, probably because she had a trick up her sleeve....not that her outfit had a sleeve. Vigilon prepared a sword art, but he kept his distance and waited for his opponent to make a move.

The obvious result was a standoff.

Vigilon: [                    ] [          ]

 

Corruption: [                     ]

[Vigilon 0]

Vigilon had to do something, he couldn't just do nothing and leave this at a permanent standoff. But if he took action, he'd be falling into whatever trick or trap his opponent had for him. With a false step forward, Vigilon moved up and back, then Corruption would practically fling herself towards him. Now Vigilon was being held close to Corruption, and Vigilon could only guess there was some kind of advanced, high damage attack on the way if he didn't manage to free himself from her arms in time. "Stop resisting, stay close to me." Corruption said with an expression that meant nothing good in this particular moment and scenario. "Let me go." Vigilon countered. "Oh? Any reason why you'd resist being close to someone special to you?" Corruption asked. "I may only appear like her, but please, you need to lighten up..." 

"There are many things I would do for Jewel. I'd fight for her, I'd guard her, I'd even face whole armies for her....but not for you." Vigilon stated.

With that, he finally managed to struggle himself free of Corruption's grip and attack with Galaxy Destroyer.

Vigilon: [                    ] [          ]

 

Corruption: [                     ]

[Vigilon 0]

It was then that he saw his opponent's name above her head. <<Corruption>>. Ah, it all made sense now. This particular foe wanted to corrupt and twist Vigilon's heart...and taking Krysta's form, trying to get him in areas where he might be weak...oh, now he knew what she was trying to do.

"Oh..." He uttered out in realization. "You've got to be kidding me."

What was this game rated again, or did that even matter now that the players were trapped? Why would such an opponent with such goals exist unless it was to directly mess with Vigilon's mind?

"It's getting warmer in here...what am I going to do? How am I going to get out of here?" Spoke the voice that must be haunting Vigilon at this point.

"Corruption...so, that's your goal, to make me feel stuff I shouldn't be feeling, instead of what I should  be feeling?" Vigilon asked, ignoring the voice since it couldn't see nor hear him.

Corruption sighed. "Alex...why be so hard on yourself? Get a life while you still can! I know I'm not truly that lovely woman you've become emotionally attached to...but I can help you practice with her...or even help you let loose on me alone if you have to. Unlike what you believe she's like, however...I'm not afraid to get rough."

Vigilon hastily shook his head. "Nope, no thank you." He quickly responded, before gripping his sword again and charging his sword art.

A swing and a whip, both combatants had taken damage.

Vigilon: [                    ] [          ]

 

Corruption: [                     ]