[PP - F22] <<Dual Blades>> Acquisition Thread

[Plot Master 0]

Spoiler Rules: 1. Only Itzal and Plot Master may post in this thread. 2. The following will result in a failed quest: teleporting out, death, one month (OOC) of no posting (unless staff is alerted of an issue beforehand), attempting to use the skill/roll for another before this thread is closed. 3. This quest will contain a variety of choices that will affect the experience. However, within reason, a "wrong" choice will not result in a failed quest. 4. The stats listed below have been locked in, and no changes may be made to skills/inventory/etc., except when appropriate in-character. Level: 31 Paragon Lv: 51 Tier: 4 HP: 943 (820+123) Energy: 100 DMG: 27 / 31 (1+5+2+12+1+1 {+4}) Stealth Rating: 5 SP Available: 3 Total SP: 205 EVA: 4+3 ACC: 3+2 Blight: 1 T4 Burn: 1 T4 Bleed: 1 T4 LD: 6 BH: 1% (9 hp) Kural in ti Vilunta (evasive) - T3 Cloth Armor, 3 EVA Orgoth's Legacy - T4 OHSS, 1 Blight, 1 Burn, 1 Bleed Beauty Incarnate - T2 Trinket, 3 ACC Mod 1: Ferocity +2 dmg Mod 2: Athletics +1 dmg Mod 3: Nimble +1 LD, +1 EVA Mod 4: Night Vision Mod 5: Untraceable Mod 6: Vanish Mod 7: Surprise Attack: Assassin +12 DMG on activation (x cd) Extra 1: Hiding +5 SR Extra 2: Meditation Extra 3: Survival Extra 4: Forgotten King's Authority Inventory 1: TP Crystal Inventory 2: Weakening, Misperception (-10% dmg after MIT) - Instant masterpiece Inventory 3: Potency, Incarceration (double dmg from DoTs) - Instant masterpiece Inventory 4: Chocolate Truffles, Vitality: +16 EN Inventory 5: Soul Surge III, Healing: +15% (141) - Instant masterpiece Inventory 6 (): Soul Surge III, Healing: +15% (141) - Instant masterpiece Inventory 7: (backpack): Soul Surge III, Healing: +15% (141) - Instant masterpiece Master Bedroom: -1 EN for first 3 expenditures in combat Master Bathroom: First applied DoT dmg reduced by 25% Mega Slime Farm: +10% EXP Basic Kitchen: Increase EVA buff from 2 to 3 Storage Closet: +1 Inventory Slot Living Room: Increase OOC Regen by 20 HP. EN recovers to full in 2 posts Attic (Storage): +5% col from monster kills & chests Basement: +1 LD to SR, SD, or Prosperity BUFFS Crème Brûlée: +2 ACC Smores: +2 3 EVA Breakfast Fry: +2 DMG, -20 MIT Potion of Dragon Strength: +3 DMG Potion of Dragon Fang: +15% overhealth

 

Ascendant Hall towered above the twenty-second floor. Though it's inhabitants had long-since gone, as the guild had been disbanded, the massive structure remained. It stood in silent watch, a dutiful soldier never dismissed from watch, left with no enemy to protect against. Instead, the halls held memories, dust-coated furniture, and a single human occupant.

The man opened his eyes, sucking in a hard breath as confusion and fear crashed like a wave. He found himself lying on his back in an entirely unfamiliar space. Above him, arches speared toward the heavens, and an ornate ceiling hung many stories up. Below him, tiles as cold as snow, and just as white, lay in an intricate pattern. Both together created a booming echo as the Player lurched clumsily to his feet. His heart thundered as he squinted into the darkness, and while he was not entirely sure where the exit was, he chose a direction at random.

He did not notice the wisps of black smoke that trailed behind him.

Quote

To: @Itzal

Would you mind meeting me at the old Guild Hall this afternoon? I know it's been a while, but I found something there that I want to show you. 

- Morgenstern

 

[Itzal 0]

It was one of his off days. Player killing activity had plummeted recently, and as word of his actions spread less and less solo killers began actually going through with their plans. He decided to walk through the dense forests, or even jungles, of the sixth floor as he had a long time ago. This time however it was far more dense, and the culture and lore of the floor was very thick. Aldion being a raven, while not enjoying the thick humidity, was quite capable of adapting and simply took to flying around and explore the floor with Itzal. while Aldion was gliding through the branches, Itzal was busy laughing with an old NPC friend he known a long while back. She wasn't as detailed and not as high-grade intelligence as other NPCs he knew, but she was high enough where they could have legitimate conversations with one another, and not the default preset dialogues. It was times like this, where he was relaxed, calm, and at peace. An old friend reminded him about how he needed to ensure he kept Are and Itzal separate when he relaxed, so he'd been wearing his casual day clothes more and more often. Only when he was off duty that is. As Itzal and the girl talked about the last time he'd caused a ruckus here his menu pulled something up. "One second Rianna." She smiled and nodded, gesturing for him to proceed. He opened up the message, and his smile faltered somewhat when he saw the name. Morgenstern... Jonathan... The two of them were the best of friends this world could offer. They were two of the four founding members of the guild Celestial Ascendants. But a lot happened since that fateful day...

Itzal had heard the rumors. Players that left dirt behind always had it picked up by the brokers. Players had all sorts of information on Are, but he was very careful to avoid any of that information being leaked to himself. To the point where even when he was going home, he would teleport to a random floor first, slink into the shadows, change equipment while hidden and then whisper his teleportation back to his real home. His house, not the floor. He got rumors on Morgenstern, but as Itzal. Are had nothing to do with it... From what he could tell, especially in the boss raids, his friend didn't want to kill. It seemed as his friend was having guilt eating away at him. Even still. He knew he had to confront him about it sometime. And now his old friend was asking him to come to their old guildhall. The location where their guildmates were attacked, apprentices slaughtered, and their guild fell to pieces. Taking a deep shaking breath, his old memories flooded back into him. For a second he wondered if he could even stand for much longer when he felt a hand gingerly lay on his shoulder, snapping his attention to the side. He looked into Rianna's greenish brown eyes as she gave an awkward, yet comforting smile. "You ok?" Itzal let out a slow breath, his shoulders relaxing as he figuratively exhaled the stress. That wouldn't help him here. "Yeah... I think I will be... I just, need to visit an... Old friend. From a time long forgotten." She nodded and punched him on the shoulder, knowing he couldn't feel anything and gave a quiet laugh. "Alright. I'm not going anywhere, so. Come by and visit again ok? And... Be careful alright? The jungle's been getting more dangerous lately. I heard rumors of some dark green lizard terrorizing the depths of this place." While intrigued by what could potentially be the plot hook of a quest, he simply nodded. "I will. Have a good day Rianna." He said and walked away from the carved path. Once he was out of eyesight, he changed his armor to his black armor and whistled for Aldion to return. The second he landed on his shoulder, Itzal pulled out a teleport crystal.

"Teleport: Coral."

It didn't take very long for the rogue scout to reach his destination. Even with the vast changes made to these floors the plot was still where it had always been. At least on a general scale. In addition he'd been taking the time to try and catch up on the landscape and try to memorize it's pathways once more. There were a few changes, but those weren't really that interesting to him. What had interested him was the fact that the guild hall was still there... Literally. It was like a ruin he was walking up to, like some sort of dungeon players could enter and clear with a backstory behind it. But that wasn't the part that shocked him. Nope. Being the logical, reasoning person he was, what really bugged him was how on earth the guild hall could still be here when they lost the rights to the property the second the guild disbanded. He could have sworn it was stripped of all property and reduced to a blank plot of land once again. Despite this, he was forced to acknowledge that he was somehow mistaken. Standing at the base of the steps leading up to the guildhall, he took it in. Seeing the building in it's current state lowered an ancient weight on his shoulders for a brief moment. The hardships of teaching. The pain of watching those students either commit suicide, go missing, become murderers, or get killed themselves in front of him. The guilt of at least being part of the reason those innocents were murdered in the first place. And the emotional weight as he remembered all those he had lost. This weight didn't last long however, as he had come to accept the past by now. Instead of dwelling on those memories, he thought of all the new ones he'd made, and how he was honoring their memory by living his life as much as he could, and preventing more deaths to the best of his ability. Feeling strength return to his limbs... He walked up the steps and into the guild hall.

[Plot Master 0]

The mansion sprawled endlessly. Or, at least, that was how it felt to the Player as he wandered the winding corridors, the expansive rooms. His boots echoed dramatically on each step as he descended a staircase, ascended another. Concern for his safety still weighed on his mind, but it had been pushed to a backburner as wonder overtook him. Despite the darkness, the musty air, the dust, the place was incredible. That wonder gave way to a nagging sense of unease as he found himself in a dazzling room of gold and marble. The fanged beasts that snarled from the ceiling seemed oddly familiar to him. Why was that? Had he seen this place before? How could he have?

Shrugging to himself, the man pushed through the heavy double doors, emerging into yet another hallway. No matter how exquisite his surroundings might be, he still had to find a way out. Plus, there was still the matter of determining how he had ended up there. Aincrad blocked the effects of alcohol, so it wasn't as if he had gotten himself drunk and wandered somewhere foreign before blacking out. Drugs? Color rose into the Player's cheeks, a hot, unbridled fury as he leaped to the most plausible conclusion. He had been drugged, and dumped in this empty, seemingly abandoned palace. Was this some kind of joke?

Fueled by his newly-found rage, the man stormed to the end of the hallway and surged through the double doors. As he emerged into the grand foyer, all of that anger speared into the figure he found standing there. 

"You!" FearX shouted, betrayal burning in his eyes right along with the mad. "What did you do? Why did you bring me here?"

[Itzal 0]

As Itzal walked along the massive corridors of the castle, he couldn't help but wonder... Who was it who changed the guild hall at the last moment? Morgenstern? He knew the player loved big things, his mansion was proof enough of that. However the tank very well knew that they all wanted something more family and cozy like. Could it have been Hikoru? No, he wasn't really that flashy, and even then he wouldn't just take over like that. Kasier was on Itzal's side about the down and calm stuff... Shield? He was a business man, but he seemed to- His thoughts were interrupted when he heard someone yell, the loud voice reverberating off of the walls. Turning to look at who it was, he saw with utter shock: FearX. Just seeing the red eyed, blonde haired player brought back all those memories of the two of them competing in video games as rivals. Only for the two of them to fall into the world of SAO, FearX become potentially the most powerful player alive, then try to kill Itzal to prove he was the best... Before killing himself. Itzal and FearX's friend, one of his seven virtues, convinced him to live on however, and the two of them left together. Itzal hadn't heard from him since.

So what happened? Because this angry man wasn't the person Itzal had left to find his own way all that time ago. Utterly confused, Itzal held up a hand in a manner to urge him to stop and calm down. "I didn't do anything. I just arrived here myself. I received a message from a friend." He said, looking left and right with a look of concern, though FearX wouldn't be able to see it past the black mist. "However.... I'm concerned now that I've yet to find him. And even moreso to find you here, more confused than I am..." He lowered his hand and relaxed, showing no aggression or ill intent with his body language. Despite how edgy his armor looked, body language could nullify the aura he gave off.... Assuming FearX was in a state to notice. "Look. Why don't we find out what's going on together? We can either split up or travel together as we search this place. Or you can leave and I'll scout the place. The exit is that direction. Just make a right, head down the hall three doors and turn left."

[Plot Master 0]

Those crimson eyes went to slits as FearX studied Itzal for a beat of silence. Though anger still rode high on his cheeks, it was evident in his stance that doubt also plagued him. After a few more seconds, he emitted a soft tch. "I don't really care why we're here," he informed Itzal matter-of-factly. In truth, he very much did, and the mystery of it all still nagged at him. But to admit that to the other man would be to admit a weakness. What kind of man just woke up in an unfamiliar place with no memory of how he got there? That sort of thing was reserved for idiot frat boys after a night of keg stands, not capable men like himself. So the Player shrugged carelessly, then raked his fingers through his sandy hair. "I'll just go," he decided. "I had things to do today, anyway."

His boots echoed in the massive space, each thud coming with an eerie finality, like the pounding of a judge's gavel. However, a few steps from the closed hall door, he hesitated. A flashy exit might have been the easiest way to mask his fears, because the uncertainty of the situation undoubtedly unnerved him. But he and Itzal had a history, and however tense it had been, FearX could show at least some level of respect. So he lifted one hand, waved it half-heartedly, and called over his shoulder. "Good luck with... whatever."

Then, even as the man went to push on the door, it swung open from the opposite side. Long, muscled arms reached through the opening, first circling the Player, then dragging him backwards. In the instant before the door closed, two things were visible: a swirling black cloak, and the flash of an orange cursor.

The door is locked. You may attempt to break it down (with the next Plot Master post determining your success), or travel to a different room.

[Itzal 0]

The vigilante's stance softened entirely when he heard the annoyed sound which confirmed a successful defusing. His old rival was certainly more aggressive and grumpy than he was in the past... No, he supposed that was always there. Perhaps this is just what he was without that joy of experiencing the life of the game. He was ready to commit suicide before his only friend and Itzal convinced him otherwise. He must be having a hard time though, if he's this tense. It could be that FearX was stressed from tying to level grind though. With the update he'd certainly want to grind all of those skill points back. "I don't care why we're here." He wasn't sure if he'd believe that, but he wasn't about to push the raging powerhouse over the edge by a simple disbelief. As the player announced that he was leaving, Itzal nodded. "That's fair." He stepped to the side for FearX to head out towards the exit, though he followed him a bit so he could re-analyze the rooms. It still bugged him that this place was somehow still standing... By all accounts it shouldn't even exist anymore. Not a single trace of it.

When the player waved to him, he simply smiled beneath the black mist, and gave him a nod. "You as well...Old friend." With that he let his friend open up the doors. While he did so, he began to think about what his next plan of action should be. He should start by securing the perimeter. Scan all the hallways for potential traps or tracks. His scouting skill was still as high as it ever had been. Even more so actually thanks to the new cloth armor mod. With it he could-

His thoughts were interrupted when as he turned he spotted a set of arms reach through the door and grab FearX before dragging him through. Itzal immediately drew his sword but he knew immediately that he wouldn't make it through the door before it closed. This place was a ruin, but it was also an anomaly. It shouldn't be here in the first place. For all he knew, the building itself was the trap. Before he could take any other action however, he spotted the figure: He was wearing a black cloak, and had an orange cursor.

Immediately taking out one of his corridor crystals that lead to the prison the players established and hanging it on his belt where a pair of handcuffs lay hidden, he rushed for one of the windows, specifically the right one which was half shattered. Activating his stealth skill, he ran up the side of the wall and let himself fall through the open part of the window to avoid making any noise and decrease the chances of not getting caught. As he did so, he activated his search skill simultaneously so that he could clearly see despite moving quickly.

ID# 192983  LD: 9+5=14

NOTE: Itzal is not mechanically activating the search skill yet. It is used as flavor as of now to prevent his vision from blurring while moving.

[Plot Master 0]

As Itzal landed in the room with all the practiced grace of an expert assassin, he did not make a single sound. Of course, the silence was altogether wasted, as the room stood empty. Aged stone walls closed in on all sides, a rugged contrast to the smooth floor. Though dust covered the tile, as it did everything in the abandoned guild hall, it was apparent that great care had gone into laying the pieces in complicated patterns. Mid-afternoon sunlight spilled through the two windows, one of which stood broken, before splashing across that ornate surface. The rays also found the various weapons that lined the space, burning along the edges of swords, and glimmering off dangerous-looking war hammers. Even the occasional shield reflected the sun back toward Itzal like some sort of makeshift spotlight. The Player had unknowingly exploded onto a stage, and despite all evidence to the contrary, he was not alone.

With a clink of metal on metal, two suits of armor detached themselves from the wall. In unison, they slammed the hilts of their longswords against their chest plates in invitation, the clang impossibly loud, even in the airy room. Then they widened their stance, sinking into a ready position. While the enemies' movement gave the impression that they watched Itzal intently, there were no eyes to do any watching. In fact, no bodies filled the heavy armor at all.

You find yourself in the Storage Vault. You have now entered combat.

Quote

<<Suit of Armor>> (2)
HP: 400/400 | MIT: 50 | DMG: 75 | EVA: -1 | ACC: 1
<<Block>>: If <<Suit of Armor>> rolls MD 1, they skip their next turn but their MIT is doubled.
<<Slam>>: On an MD 10, <<Suit of Armor>> inflicts +25 DMG and lowers the player's ACC by 1.

 

[Itzal 0]

Surprise after surprise came at him in this crazy place. The biggest so far was that this place still existed. The second was that Jonathan, who messaged him, wasn't here to greet him. The third was that FearX was here, and clearly as lost as Itzal if not more. And now the fourth being that whoever kidnapped him had seemingly vanished from this room without a trace. Before he could even process more than that, two full suits of armors began to move without any wearer controlling them. Even as Itzal landed gracefully the two suits began pounding their metal in challenge to him, and he saw the battle stats pop up. Showing that he was suddenly now in combat. D*mnit. It seemed as if this place was designed to prevent stealth from actually working. The good news for that though, was the pker couldn't stealth either. That at least meant he didn't have to worry about missing him at all, though that wouldn't stop him from vigilantly searching for the man either. The problem was where the black cloaked figure had went... Looking at the other window, he assumed the man grabbed FearX and leaped through there. There didn't appear to be any additional exits or entryways into here, so it was the only logical explanation. He'd have to run over there and-

Oh right the suits of armor.

He watched as the two heavy suits stomped their way over to him. "Aldion! Window, go!" His black raven cawed and flew through the open window. Itzal didn't wait either. He made a heavy dash for the window, ready to count on his incredible evasion buffs to avoid any incoming attack from the monsters behind him. He certainly was curious about this whole: 'haunted mansion' deal going on here. But that wasn't even in the back seat. He left that curiosity on the road behind him. No. That was absolutely at the bottom of the list, when a friend was in danger. F*ck these monsters, he didn't have time for this. He needed to find FearX, and fast.

ID# 193753  LD: 11  -  Partial Success

[Plot Master 0]

Nothing happened as the ink-black bird soared through the open window. Only once the familiar's master moved to follow did the room come alive. Nearly every weapon in the vicinity suddenly sprang to life, jetting across the open space as if held by invisible hands. They collected in front of the window, a mismatch of dangerous tools, barring Itzal's exit. While he may be tempted to barge through, the blades would surely hack him to pieces. 

Once more, the silent soldiers brought their longswords to their chest plates, the sonorous sound again filling the air. Though they did not attack, the gesture warned that they would not hesitate to do so. In fact, when their weapons lowered once more, the suits of armor bent at the knees and settled into mirrored ready stances. 

A sudden cold settled like snow over the room. As the temperature plunged, a strange feeling of finality accompanied it. Though no words were spoken, aloud, or in Itzal's head, the heavy weight in the air seemed to make this single point clear.

There would be no escape until the guardians were defeated.

While you can roll for a temporary escape from the <<Suits of Armor>>, you may not continue the quest until they are defeated.

[Itzal 0]

Itzal dropped into a battle stance and drew his sword again. Aldion flew higher to avoid conflict as he had no skills to use as of this moment. It was now very apparent to him that these monsters were preventing him from progressing. They were going to keep him here and ultimately lead to him failing to rescue FearX. This whole situation was incredibly suspicious, and confusing to Itzal. For one, the guild hall shouldn't be here. It should be nothing but an empty plot of land. For the second, whoever took Fearx jumped through this room and wasn't stopped nor chased by these monsters. Which meant that they were exclusively after Itzal.

That didn't make any sense.

By their very nature, monsters should attack any player withing it's range of sight or sense. Therefore it should have chased after the other player. Additionally, Itzal's stealth rating was good enough to avoid detection from monsters. If they could spot him, they'd definitely spot the player killer. Something was wrong here, but there wasn't enough information for him to piece together. So... Because he couldn't figure this out yet. And because escaping clearly wasn't cutting it. The only option ahead of him now was cutting through these monsters. He was going to assume they had high mitigation due to them being literal armor, but he really couldn't be sure. Therefore he'd have to take the risk and use a powerful sword art on them to end this quickly. Therefore, he charged at them and activated Meteor Break. He didn't hesitate to unleash his wrath on these chunks of metal. His blade tore through it with a vengeance and he watched in surprise as it's health nearly dropped completely down to zero. So their health was around four hundred or so then? He supposed their health was their strong suit then, not their mitigation. Either way, any old sword art would do it at this point. "You pieces of junk better get the hell out of my way now."

ID# 194533  BD: 3+5+1=9  27x16-50=382 dmg on Suit of Armor 1

-15 EN, +4 EN

Spoiler

Itzal - 943/943 HP || 89/100 EN || 27 DMG || SR +5 || EVA: 7 || ACC: 5 || BLT: 1 T4 || BRN: 1 T4 || BLD: 1 T4 || LD: 6 || H: 9 hp || MBd: -1 EN 3/3 || MBt: 1st DoT -25% 1/1
           Surprise Attack: +12 dmg, -x EN  ||  Vanish: Enter stealth  ||  Meditation: +16 EN, 3 CD  ||  FKA: Negate all Immobilizing, cost 5 EN, 7 CD
Inven:  TP Crystal  ||  Instant Misperception  ||  Instant Incarceration  ||  Vitality: +16 EN  ||  Instant Healing: +141 (x3)

Suit of Armor 1 - 18/400 HP || 50 MIT || 75 DMG || EVA: -1 || ACC: 1
<<Block>>: If <<Suit of Armor>> rolls MD 1, they skip their next turn but their MIT is doubled.
<<Slam>>: On an MD 10, <<Suit of Armor>> inflicts +25 DMG and lowers the player's ACC by 1.

Suit of Armor 2 - 400/400 HP || 50 MIT || 75 DMG || EVA: -1 || ACC: 1
<<Block>>: If <<Suit of Armor>> rolls MD 1, they skip their next turn but their MIT is doubled.
<<Slam>>: On an MD 10, <<Suit of Armor>> inflicts +25 DMG and lowers the player's ACC by 1.