[OP-F24] Valentines Tournament Arc Round 1 - Opening Ceremonies and Observer Thread

[Morningstar 0]

Stephen found his way back to the observer's area and sighed. After his match with Hirru, he couldn't help but feel tired. The mental power it took to fight another player instead of a mob made it taxing. He wondered how many more he'd have to take part in.

That being said, he didn't regret signing up. Stephen watched from a distance as the ongoing matches continued. He pouted. A blue-haired player that looked interesting to him seemed to be losing.

"Maybe he's still got a chance," he mumbled to himself.

Stephen felt like he'd been pumped with adrenaline. He'd never played any sports or had any real competitive experience before, so this was an odd feeling. He didn't get the same exhilaration from acting. He had a lot to think about if he ever got out of the game. Steadying his breath, he took his eyes away from the matches and searched the crowd for familiarity. At first glance, he didn't recognize any names or faces; however, he noticed black hair poking out in the distance. Stephen had met her before—he was sure of it. It'd been a while, though. He moved gracefully through the crowd, excusing himself as he passed.

"Hey," Stephen tapped NIGHT's shoulder, hoping he wouldn't startle her, "if you don't remember me, I won't be too disappointed."

@NIGHT

[NIGHT 0]

What was once a quiet gathering soon turned into a large bustle of players. Some familiar, some not. Some with the capacity and gall to shoot a 'Hi!' her way even though she was remaining quiet and supposedly discreet, with an all consuming suit of black.

It didn't work, however. And that smile her way only confirmed it. NIGHT glanced to Astralin's face, and then to the floor with barely a hum in return for the passerby, before resuming an idle state. So much for Koga to be aware of his surroundings. Part of her wondered if that was the reason why he got beat by Alkor in one of the first matches to conclude in the tournament.

And if there was a face she hadn't expected to see in such a long while, it had got to be from the man who up and quietly vanished after a first meeting and little more. A tap on the shoulder made her turn around -- a scowl where there shouldn't have been one, player lost in thought, before the shock of reunion settled in. "Oh," she sung, a smile growing on her face. "I remember you alright. Star; did I get that right? Preparing for a fight, or have you already completed your match?"

[Alkor 0]

He found himself deeper within the labyrinthine compound, wandering far enough from the group that he could return quickly if called for the next round. Alkor was careful to go just far enough away to evade any unnecessary conversational entanglements. These large events only served to fuel his anxiety.

The reward he found was a beautiful panoramic view of autumnal leaves cresting over one of the myriad ponds that flecked the island's surface. Lazily, he leaned against one of the walls and slid down to a seated position before he finally lost himself in the colors.

With the light filtering in from outside, he took refuge in the shadows of the room. In a dark, cloistered off space where no one else could find him, just like the room he lived behind in the real world.

His eyes lost focus as he nodded off, and he swore he could smell cake freshly pulled from an oven. The familiar sound of birds chirping and a gentle breeze coaxed him free from consciousness, almost like he'd never been trapped in the death game at all.

In the comfort of that place, the young man was reminded of another time, in another world.

Alkor's hand lifted, outstretched, as he grabbed at something intangible. He groaned in his sleep, perturbed, distraught, but tried to grasp it once again. When his hand fell, the pain had twisted his sleeping face.

 

[Blueberry 0]

Blueberry: Level 31 
More stats to follow, at work and don't have access to them

---

Should there be a gathering the girl would be there with food to offer to the masses. When it came to large groups of people, her chances of meeting new people were much higher. Besides, maybe some of her old friends would introduce her to new ones. The bridge crossing over to the party hung over a still and beautiful pond. The colors of the leaves were unmatched here, adding to the serene setting. 

Sadly, the pink-haired player wasn't interested in any scenery. She was here for the people enjoying the scenery. Some cheering was heard along with the cracks of wood against wood nearby. Was this some kind of sports event? Blue had never really liked sports besides participating in various aquatic events. Finding the gathering of players, her eyes would instantly meet a lone woman's figure. A white-haired player who seemed quite involved with watching the event take place. From first judgement, Blue picked up that it seemed that the woman had isolated herself on purpose. Was she one of the shy types? Or was she just brash when it came to people? An introduction would have to be made to determine this.

Stepping up to the woman a smile would flash at her. Deciding on a more casual then upbeat approach, she would start off my sitting a few meters away from her. "I just got here, anything interesting happen yet? Wouldn't want to have missed it. I'm Blueberry by the way, but you can call me Blue or Berry if that suits you better." Electric blue eyes pierced the woman as Blue waited for her reaction. The first impression was a very important, fickle thing. It had to be done correctly. 

@Nisahime

[Jomei 0]

"Honestly, you just have to-" Nari had asked Jomei for advice on how to make it to the frontlines. His answer probably wouldn't differ much from anyone else's, but he was more than happy to share some words of wisdom. That is... if she had stuck around to hear the answer. 

Catching a glimpse of Astreya, she ran off to greet her, most likely to talk about their respective victories. The corner of his lips stretched into a small smirk as he shook his head. "Eh, I'll tell you next time." Probably wouldn't be the last time he'd see her, especially since he figured he would stick around for the rest of the tournament. 

Bringing the cup of tea to his lips once more, the ginger took a sip as he turned back to the open dojo. Leaning his shoulder against the sturdy woodwork of the entry way, he watched as the final duels of round one continued. 

[Morningstar 0]

"Both, I suppose—my match with Hirru just finished and now I'm waiting for the next round to start," Morningstar tried sliding his hands into his pockets, but realized that his kimono had none.

How long had it been since the quest on the first floor? It felt like months but truthfully, he couldn't remember. Star hadn't kept in touch either, although he'd originally intended to.

Morningstar returned a smile. "Nice to see you again, NIGHT. Just watching today? I don't think I saw you in the bracket."

Speaking of which, he had no idea who his next opponent was. An uneven amount of pairs often meant he'd skip the round and move onto the next when it was over. Star glanced in Baldur's direction, but asking in the middle of the round felt inappropriate. He'd wait until the matches were over. The swordsman's attention was split between NIGHT and the blue-haired man he'd found himself interested in earlier. Star watched the stranger fight until his opponent gained a third point and won the match. He couldn't help but feel disappointed; Star had hoped to face him later on. He shrugged it off.

"Did you come with anyone? I've been looking around to see if I know anyone here but so far I've only found you," he chuckled.

@NIGHT

Edited February 7, 2022 by Morningstar

[Nisahime 0]

Nursing a white ceramic tea cup, pressed into her palm. Leg's folded beneath her, as if she was performing a ceremony. Eyes focused intensely at the matches between fighters, the droning of conversation on the edges. A sudden inclusion of another casts a shadow at her side, albeit a short one. "Quite the excitable sort, or are we? Unusual, and obtuse. What do you see?" Another sip of that drink, a rather small little container. Notably, near her was no food, and no vessel to contain more.

That fixation seemed adamantly pressed forward, overlooking the exchange of sweat. Locked to each player carefully, inspecting qualities they were putting on display. "A name for a name, who are we really but a name?" A tilt of her head and hair begins to cascade down over her left shoulder, a coy smile as she peers into that glass. The maiden looks up to the child, scanning her carefully, just as she had the fighters. "Are you a fruit?"

[Hirru 0]

Stepping out of the match, Hirru stretched his arms and legs outwards.  Although it wasn't that long since he stopped using sword arts and really using his blade, it meant a good deal for him.  It meant that he could still work on his fighting skills, even if he couldn't do much.  Even if..

His mind started to wander as he too wandered.  His solemn face would give a feint smile before walking out of the dojo and onto the outer walkways.  From there, he would follow the walkway towards the back, where the bridges and walkways that connected all of the other rooms of Baldur's estate would be.  Hirru sat down with his feet dangling over the edge, where the 'pond' formed around them all.  Outside of the actual ocean below them all, the 'pond' was still more of a small lake than anything.  Though, with that, it meant that Hirru could work on the one thing that he could do, without combat and without following anyone and watching them get hurt for his own good. 

Fishing.

A wooden pole would form into his hands, and as he worked the line through it, he would have it in working order.  Attaching the little bobber to it, Hirru would be able to tell when something was on his hook.  Casting out the line, Hirru would watch as the little cork would plop on top of the water and sit there.  Moving only with the ripples and waves.  Up and down.

Up and down.

Not too long after, a hard tug sent the cork down into the water's depths.  Hirru pulled the line and felt that it wasn't living.

"More of these?  Really?"

Hirru pulled the line with both rod and hand, before revealing a rotted chest that his line had caught on.  Leaving no time to discern why he kept finding these things, he smashed the rotted mess to find three different weapons.  Two of which would have full open slots for runes, while the last only had two.  It was alright, as he could ask someone to work with him on fusions.  He set the three aside, and cast the line back in.

Spoiler

 

Fishing Exp: 82 (Current Exp from -> https://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/21155-pp-f1-moving-up-in-the-business-world/)

Rank 2 - Journeyman Angler: Successfully fish up a material on a CD 7+. Critical catch a treasure chest on a LD 11+

Practiced Angler: +2 EXP & +1 LD & CD to attempts

[ID: 203372] [CD: 9+1=10] [LD: 10+1=11]  | Critical Success 8+2=  10 Exp

New Exp Total: 92 EXP

Chest Opening: (+1 LD to Fishing Chest)

[ID: 203373] [LD: 16+1=17]

• T4 Perfect Weapon UnID [203373a]
• T4 Perfect Weapon UnID [203373b]
• T4 Rare Weapon UnID [203373c]

 

Edited February 8, 2022 by Hirru

[Blueberry 0]

"Quite the excitable sort, or are we? Unusual, and obtuse. What do you see?"

That was her reply. A frown for a moment before Blue looked out to the fighters. Studying a few of them for a moment, Blue would turn back to the stranger. "I see a bunch of people hitting eachother with sticks. Lots of them look serious, but a few of them seem to be having fun." Blue watched as the girl drank from a small porcelain cup, saying nothing for a moment. 

"A name for a name, who are we really but a name?"

Cocking her head, Blue would quickly reply in a puzzled tone, "Does that mean I'm more of a person because people can call me multiple names?" It was a strange answer to an otherwise strange question. However, strange questions wasn't going to help Blue deduce this girl's personality too well.  "Are you a fruit?" Another one. "I like to think i'm enjoyable like one." Scooting slightly closer, Blue's electric blue eyes would steel the imposing stare of the woman. "Whatcha drinkin'? Think it would go well with a cookie? If so, I got one!" The girl would pull a pouch of them from one of her jackets many pockets. 

@Nisahime

 

[Astreya 0]

The young woman nodded back at her new friend, grinning slightly in response.  "Like, I know the blonde girl out there- that's Astralin.  She's pretty cool but like... a little weird?  She's trying to like, become some sorta magic user but there... isn't magic here in Sword Art Online," the girl spoke, giving a small shrug of her shoulders.  "I don't really get it, but like... maybe that's the thing about the roleplaying or whatever you were talking about the other night, right?" she asked, referring back to the party where they'd first met.   "So maybe it's just like a roleplay thing?  Man, I'm so used to that being like... a joke about something dirty.  College kids, y'know?" she spoke, shaking her head.

But as the girl went on to mention that it was Alkor she was fighting against, Astreya blinked, frowning.  "Nope, I don't know him.  But... if he fought against Koga, we might be able to like, get some tips from him?  C'mon!" she spoke, not at all hesitating in grabbing ahold of the girl's hand and wrist, pulling her along after the dark-haired guy as he came up out of the arena as well.  "Hey Koga!" she called loudly, not at all minding who heard her.  "Heeeeyyyyy!"

@Nari-Lanreth @Koga

[NIGHT 0]

Huh -- to know that Hirru had lost to an obscure newbie caught her off-guard. So had Star been training while NIGHT hadn't seen him? That sort of story wasn't unusual, though the player wasn't used to people up and vanishing as they did in Aincrad. "Congratulations then," she returned. "So I take it I'll be seeing you in a boss raid some time?"

The question about her appearance at the event came up, and the woman was hesitant to reply. After all, she really had no right to be here other than 'for a good time' -- neither did she really care about the prize. Though it sucked that one of her friends had met his match so early. "I showed up alone," was all she decided to admit, the sight of a sulking Koga drifting off to isolate himself caught in the corner of her eye. "Though if you're looking for some other players, I can keep an eye out for them. How do they look like?"

@Morningstar

[Koga 0]

Koga sighed as he pulled the rag tight around his neck as he walked away from the arenas, feeling a little more down with himself than he cared to admit. The man looked at the broken bokken Alkor had pushed into his chest at the end of their fight. Symbolic in a way, he supposed. Although of what, he wasn't sure. Hell, he didn't even know why he was carrying it. All he knew was that he'd missed his shot. Sure, he got the good fight he'd been looking for, and he'd told himself he was alright with losing, but damn. He didn't realize how disappointed he'd feel now that he couldn't-

"Hey Koga! Heeeeyyyyy!"

The man was interrupted from his wallowing by a distinctly familiar voice. Koga turned to look in the direction of the person shouting at him and recognized the offender, as well as the woman with her. "Astreya, Nari," he greeted, waving with the broken bamboo weapon. "Howzit. Enjoying the fights?"

(Koga's still in his fight outfit)

@Astreya @Nari-Lanreth

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Nari will feel herself start to dig her feet in as she remembered exactly where she had encountered Koga before. His appearance – so similar to that man who had led her around the first floor when she was doing that quest.

Nari felt her head snap around as she looked for the other woman who had been there. She didn’t see her, but that wasn’t really saying much…

“Oh…uhm…hi Koga. Long…long time. How are you?” Nari’s words stuttered a bit as she tried to avoid eye contact with him. She felt a bit embarrassed seeing him, something that she had never quite gotten over yet. She wasn’t sure if he had taken their encounter badly or not – even though they had left on…well, terms.

She gave a slight bow towards him, dipping her head and clasping her hands in front of her body. “You looked like you had a good fight, regardless of the outcome. You…should be proud with the outcome – even if you didn’t come out victorious.”

@Koga

Spoiler

Word Count: 168

 

Edited February 8, 2022 by Nari-Lanreth

[Calrex 0]

@Baldur @Snow @Astralin

With his bout completed, Calrex made his way off of the sparring area, making sure to place the bokken he hade utilized back into the rack beforehand. With a small stretch he gave a sigh of relief, "Might not have been a successful duel, but it certainly came close. I definitely learned a lot from it, and the areas where I'm still lacking. Granted, I'm still more accustomed to fighting enemies with mostly predictable AIs, heh."

As he approached Baldur and Snow, he gave a wave, "Gave it the best I could, but unfortunately couldn't quite pull through. It was still a fun fight though. It looks like the newer adventurers are certainly putting on quite the show compared to us veterans, heh. Maybe we've been getting a bit too comfy."

Turning to face the people still finishing their matches, he calmly crossed his arms, letting his eyes relax and take in what was happening in front of him. Even though he was out of the tournament, that didn't mean he couldn't learn from observation. Each people brought their own unique form of fighting to this, and to some degree the Ultramarine Knight was curious how each person had adapted to the pressures of the game.

[Astreya 0]

"It's good!  I beat up Freyd!" Astreya responded to Koga, a grins reading across her features in response to the question.  Of course, she was still fairly sure that the man had taken it a little easy on her, but she wasn't really all that fussed about it.  She'd wanted a good fight and the man had played goofy with it.  She'd still want to track him down and talk to him later, but right now that wasn't something she had time for.  Nari needed help, and so help she would give!  Or rather get.  From Koga, specifically.

"Yeah, he was the party host!" Astreya added onto Nari's words, not realizing the other situation that she had run into with Koga before any of that had even happened.  "Man that was a fun night.  Gaius was a cool guy." The girl's words started to trail off a bit as she recalled the party for a brief moment, before suddenly snapping back to reality.  "Oh!  Right!"

She pointed a finger up at Koga, not really seeming to notice if it was rude or not, before gesturing to the broken weapon he still carried.  "Nari's gotta fight Alkor next.  Give her the hot tips!  How do we get her to win?" the girl spoke, half-asking and half-demanding.  The excitement of having so many people around was certainly getting to her, it seemed.

@Nari-Lanreth @Koga

[Zandra 0]

Personal preparation routine:

Spoiler

A few days ago, when Zandra came back from a weeklong grind on the newst floor, she spotted at flyer right beside the plaza at floor 22. ‘’Oh, that sounds interesting.’’ she said as she read thru a flyer that announced a tournament, with custom weapons and equipment. ‘’Hmm, can it be similar to…’’ she stopped as she came to the reward section. ‘’Ehm, Zita. Do you see that?’’ she said and pointed the words ‘safeguard potion’. She looked at the feathered predator on her shoulder. ‘’We MUST go.’’

At the day of the tournament, Zandra woke up in her bed, stretched her arms high in the air as she walked up to the window. The sun was sighning bright as always. There she stood, enjoying the warmth of the sun on her face. Before she turned around and went to the bathroom.

A warm shower later she walked out from the room as she equipped her casual clothing. ‘’Well, it do say they have equipment there, but you never know so I guess I keep Teseleths fury and Inferno in my battle ready inventory.’’ And after that, she left and headed to floor 24.

As Zandra arrived, it wasnt to a tournament area directly, but first there was a boat that transported her over to where the celebrations and combating happened. Yes, the combat had already started. ‘’Oh crap, am I to late?’’ she cursed to herself. She looked around her, trying to find someone, anyone, to have a fight with. As she looked for someone to challenge she started to move herself to one of the places where the swords and equipments could be borrowed from. She held one of the swords in her hand and looked at it while scratching her chin. ‘’Hmm, dosent really have the same weight as an axe. Still seems to be in good quality. I guess it will work anyway.’’ she mumbled to herself.

Edited February 8, 2022 by Zandra

[Astralin 0]

Astralin had a worthy opponent. Her opponent noted that it was an excellent duel, that he was glad to have her as an opponent. He then introduced himself as Calrex. "Thanks, you did great as well! I'm Astralin, nice to meet you too!" The blue haired player suggested that the two players leave the sparring area for the time being, and Astralin agreed with a nod.

@Calrex

 

Now it was time to join the others while she waited for the next round. She would notice a familiar face- no, two of them. She headed over to them, happy to see some others who she recognized. "Heeeey! Astreya! Koga!" She called out as she made her way to join them. "How are you? I didn't know you were here! Is there anyone who you came with?" She asked, out of curiosity for the last part. "I ended up coming along with Yona, you may have seen her during the Christmas party. She called me over for 'damage control', despite the fact that I was going anyway. I don't know what happened, but at least we all had fun, didn't we?" She explained. She looked over to the ongoing matches. "Ah, there's Yona right now, she looks like she's blocking- ...Nope, never mind, she's done for." She noted as she watched her opponent land a third strike upon Yona. It looked really close, but when Yona tapped her forehead, it came across to Astralin that the attack she tried to block ended up hitting anyway.

What was strange, however, was...

"...Huh, that's odd, with what she said to me back when we arrived, she'd be freaking out right now...what's with the facade?" Astralin thought aloud. "How is she staying calm...?"

@Koga @Astreya @Nari-Lanreth

[Koga 0]

"I'm doin' alright, thanks. How have you been?" Koga replied to Nari, apparently not as wound up about their last encounter as she was. Sure he held grudges, but not those kind. He couldn't fault a girl for him not being her type...or even her gender...yeah, not much he could do about that one.

"Wait, you beat Freyd?" Koga said, unable to hide the surprise on his face as Astreya stated her victory. That was no mere feat, Koga had seen the man fight before. "Christ, remind me not to piss you off."

"Mm, thanks..." he then replied to Nari, his voice voice dipping softly. "Was hoping to come out on top for that one, but I guess that's what happens when you bring fists to a sword fight..." He'd let his eagerness for an entertaining fight get in the way of his ultimate goals. At the end of the day, he had no one to blame but himself for that. Besides, what kinda idiot tried to fight a guy with a sword with his fists. He knew better, especially when his opponent was Alkor.

The two then asked about how to beat Alkor. Koga's face only darkened. "You don't," he stated simply. "Not unless you can match him in intensity and bloodlust. Against him, you aim to kill, even if it's only training." Koga's ears still rang with the sheer power of the blows they'd traded with each other. The snapping of the shinai against his side. Koga glanced at the item, still in his hand. "Honestly-"

The sound of another familiar voice cut him off again. "Yo," Koga greeted Astralin as she approached the three other players. "I'm doin'," he answered her, vague as ever. "Naw, didn't come with anyone. Just me all by my lonesome." He looked in the direction that the girl pointed, and winced, audibly sucking air through his teeth as he watched Lessa strike her final blow against the other girl. "Ouch," he remarked, "that looked like it hurt..."

"Uh, anyways," he said, returning to Nari and Astreya's question. "Like I was saying, only way you're gonna win against Alkor is if you go for the throat. Don't hold back, cause he sure as hell ain't goin' to. The dude fights like he's got nothing to lose and everything to gain, no matter what."

Edited February 8, 2022 by Koga

[Nisahime 0]

Such a simple cognition, a simple perception. "A battle of wills, a true reflection of who they are." A bit of silver dancing through sapphire colored eyes, if only for a brief instant. "Lies fall away, aspirations, hopes and dreams boil to the surface. The reward is a trivial thing. In this contest of wills, testing and tempering each other's resolves. Look closer." Another sip as she twists her hair, feeling a stir in her stomach as if gravity was exerting its presence. Motions carried on in the background, beneath the exchange of weighty blows.

The universe was shifting, the stars aligning for one reason or another. The maiden in white could feel this shift deep within.

"Is that true, that fruit is what people desire? Or is it that taste is something that varies from person to person? Names are truth, and only one is the truth? So which is it?" Coyly, the woman takes the cookie and breaks it into two pieces. A scattering of crumbs that seem to disappear in the surrounding space. Placing a piece to her tongue and staring at the girl intently as if waiting for some answer, as if she'd made her selection of the two halves. "Help yourself." The woman remarks, passing Blueberry a glass, but it was empty.

[Snow 0]

The tournament raged on as Snow watched intently from her perch beside Baldur. Compared to combat in the field, these skirmishes were far shorter and to the point. Snow even physically reeled back the moment @Alkor's training weapon became a mess of splinters. Her pale, blue eyes traced him from the tournament floor and off to some unknown corner of the estate after his victory. Of all the participants to watch, Snow felt Alkor would not disappoint. @Calrex on the other hand fell just shy of his victory versus a blonde similar to Snow herself. The sight alone versus such a renown player and member of their guild forced Snow into a slight chuckle. Her memory hearkened back to the day she challenged the bluenette to a duel and bested him under the strict constraints she placed on him. As he left the tournament grounds and approached, Snow lightly clapped her hands.

"You didn't have to let her win that one like you did with me," Snow teased.

She joked, but Snow knew Calrex didn't like the idea of throwing a match. He was a kind man, but of all things, she knew he respected competition. As he looked on at the continuing fights, it only cemented her assessment of the man. His heart was in the field and that's where it lived.

"Why don't you sit?" Snow gestured to the other end of the table. "I can fetch you some tea."

While she spoke, another fight caught the blonde's eye. She recognized yet another familiar face, one she met with Alkor-- @Lessa. As she watched the woman's blows bat around her opponent, Snow almost felt bad for them. She remembered how confident and strong Lessa was. Each swing of her weapon connected with purpose and followed through with conviction. Lessa stood tall and proud. Of all the combatants on the field, Snow conceded that she admired Lessa the most. The warrior was everything Snow strived to be. Well... maybe a little less intimidating.

She chuckled to herself and took another sip of tea.

"One day..." she mumbled under her breath.

All in all, the first round of combatants drew to a close. Many of the contestants finished their matches and mingled back into the onlookers. This meant another round of tea needed brewing. She looked to @Baldur with an expression that said it was "that time" before pushing herself back on the tatami and carefully lifting herself from the floor. Her hands smoothed out any wrinkles on her floral kimono and she lifted her chest with a sharp breath.

"So," she began, eyes on Calrex. "About that tea?"