[PP-F27] Operation Pompeii

[Vigilon 0]

        As the party interrogated the two Cinnabar players, Vigilon began to notice how the the two players' expressions tried to hold firm, but were beginning to look more like poker faces. They were hiding something, that much was certain.

       "The future resting on our shoulders is a grand one, for all players of Aincrad! Well, organized, and expansive! A flourishing world that we will live in and protect! It is our duty to see to it's establishment! To get to that, however, we'd need to get some...special operations dealt with, and that's classified information." The first Cinnabar member stated in answer to Morningstar's question. Freyd poked at a different moment in time when Vigilon and Freyd encountered members of the Knights of Cinnabar, though he got some details wrong. "...Against who? Who do you mean by...them..."
         It was as if the identity of the party's current affiliation settled in with the two players' minds.

   "So uh, wait, you're all frontliners?" The first member asked. "Three of us are new to the cause, first raid, in fact, but...yeah." Vigilon answered, gesturing to himself, Krysta, and Morningstar as he did so...and it was just now that he noticed that Freyd was now at the box, tipping it over.

                  With a loud *THUDD!!*, the box fell over. The shaking stopped suddenly. After a few seconds of awkward silence, the second Cinnabar member grinned and chuckled. "The box ain't gonna open like that." He remarked. "So wait, we're gonna open the box?" The first questioned. "We can do with just one less, besides, they really wanna know what's in it, right?"

          With that, the second member walked over to the stone box, and slowly twisted off what looked like a cap, probably a vanity quality item crafted by an artisan or blacksmith, from the metal rod holding the box's latch locks in place, then pulled it out before flipping the latches off, fully unlocking the box, and stepping back. The box didn't move, but then fire began leaking out between the lid and box proper...before it burst completely, causing the box to shatter and the monster within to be unleashed. As it soared into the sky, taking the shape of a mighty bird of prey, the two Cinnabar members bolted for it immediately. "You guys have fun, we gotta go!" Called out the first one. "See you never, frontliner scum!" Called out the other.

 

         The Greater Fire Elemental would deal with the fleeing humans later, as its first priority would be the closest targets. The moment its cursor turned red, Vigilon drew his sword. "Looks like we're gonna fight this thing whether we like it or not!" Vigilon stated. He readied his sword art, and while he managed to deal some damage, it didn't make as much of a dent in its HP bar as he was expecting. "Aw, man, it's a big one...how the hell did they manage to trap it in such a small box??" He questioned, seeing that the stone box, although not terribly small, was only four and a half feet tall and five and a half feet wide.

 

ID# 219217 BD: 4+4-1=7(hit)

AoE-I: 28x15=420 Damage to Greater Fire Elemental!

 

[1]Vigilon: HP 920/920 | EN 99/114 | 28 DMG | 98 MIT | 4 ACC | 4 EVA | 56 BRN | 32 BLGT | 16 FLN | 9 LD | 3 Pros.

 

             Enemies:

Greater Fire Elemental: HP 3080/3500 | 200 DMG | 2 ACC | 1 EVA

<<Wildfire Rush>>: When rolling a CD 10-12 during its attack, this monster's attack becomes an AoE and must be rolled for the other players in the target's party.
<<Spirit of Fire>>: Greater Fire Elemental is immune to the Burn Enhancement, and inflicts T4 Burn on Critical rolls of MD 9-10. 

Edited February 18 by Vigilon

[Krysta 0]

             It was apparent that Freyd and Vigilon had an encounter with these "Knights of Cinnabar" before, though there seemed to be implications that they were not a friendly faction. The responses from the two members not only showed that they were hiding something, as could be noticed by the first one's vague answer to Morningstar's question, alongside a claim of "classified information" that was clearly used to deny further answers, but there was also how they trailed off at the realization of the party's current affiliation in the situation.
            Before Krysta could ask them what they thought of the Frontliners, the sound of the stone box having been tipped over reached the ears of everyone present. The second one proceeded to change expression in a way that brought suspicion into Krysta's mind, and make his way over to the box, claiming that the box wouldn't open that way. After removing the latch rod and flipping the lid's locks away from the box proper, Krysta stepped back, expecting an immediate response from what was inside. When Fire leaked out of the box, she leaned towards the box slightly, only to be jumped when the monster inside broke free of the box with a burning hatred, taking the form of a bird of prey made seemingly of flame.

     The two Cinnabar players would flee the scene, the second one calling the party "Frontliner Scum" as he left the party to face the agitated beast. Krysta drew her sword as Vigilon observed that the party would have to slay the monster before they could push onward. "Then let us make this quick while we still can." Krysta decided. Her weapon glowed with a celestial light as she advanced towards the monster. Holy Energy arced from her blade and onto the fiery creature as her attack struck with full force. The monster screeched, and quickly turned its burning gaze towards Krysta.

 

 

ID# 219249 BD: 10(Critical,+2 Base DMG, Inflicted Bleed, Holy Activates!)

AoE-I: 30+8x15=570 Damage to Greater Fire Elemental!

 

[2]Krysta: HP 897/897 | EN 97/112 | 28 DMG | 98 MIT | 4 ACC | 4 EVA | 26 BH | 8 REC | 8 HLY | 48 BLD | 3 LD | 3 Pros.
[1]Vigilon: HP 920/920 | EN 99/114 | 28 DMG | 98 MIT | 4 ACC | 4 EVA | 56 BRN | 32 BLGT | 16 FLN | 9 LD | 3 Pros.

 

             Enemies:

Greater Fire Elemental: HP 2510/3500 | 200 DMG | 2 ACC | 1 EVA | T4 Bleed: 2 Turns

<<Wildfire Rush>>: When rolling a CD 10-12 during its attack, this monster's attack becomes an AoE and must be rolled for the other players in the target's party.
<<Spirit of Fire>>: Greater Fire Elemental is immune to the Burn Enhancement, and inflicts T4 Burn on Critical rolls of MD 9-10.

Edited February 18 by Krysta

[Morningstar 0]

Oh, shit, the box was opening.

Morningstar ignored the words of the Cinnabar pair, too focused on what they had set loose on the world. "Those were players, right? Not NPCs? And they dropped a fire elemental on us? Kind of rude, don't you think?"

Cinders spurted from the bird's huge body, singing the grass below. Its wings launched them into the air with each flap as well. One landed on Morningstar's armor, charring the metal. He wiped off the ember with his glove and his blade emerged from its scabbard. "Probably best to warm up before the raid starts, right?" He said to Freyd, the pun fully intended. He raced forwards, joining Vigilon and Krysta, and let his blade take in the pain and seething rage of its opponent. The greater elemental screeched once more as its agony continued. There seemed to be no end to the party's flurry of attacks.

***

Spoiler

Post Action | TECH-A (x16, 13 EN): 13 EN - (Rested 2/2; Stamina) = 9 EN.
Free Action | None

ID: 219279 | BD: 5+6+1-1=10 (hit) | 16*26=416 DMG to Greater Fire Elemental

[2]Krysta | HP 897/897 | EN 97/112 | 28 DMG | 98 MIT | 4 ACC | 4 EVA | 26 BH | 8 REC | 8 HLY | 48 BLD | 3 LD | 3 Pros.
[1]Vigilon | HP 920/920 | EN 99/114 | 28 DMG | 98 MIT | 4 ACC | 4 EVA | 56 BRN | 32 BLGT | 16 FLN | 9 LD | 3 Pros.
[1]Morningstar | HP: 851/851 | EN: 97/106 (106-9) | DMG: 26 | ACC: 6 | EVA: 1 | MIT: 182 | LD: 9 | AA: 1 | VO: 122 | STK: 40/24 | BH: 15 | Pros: III
[0]Freyd | HP: 1357/1357 | EN: 152/152 | DMG: 26 | MIT: 163 | EVA: 5 | ACC: 7 | BH: 74 | LD: 8 | FLN: 16 | HLY: 16 | REC: 8 | PROB: 36

Greater Fire Elemental: HP 2094/3500 (2510-416) | 200 DMG | 2 ACC | 1 EVA | T4 Bleed: 2 Turns | STUNNED | StunImm[P] (0/3)

<<Wildfire Rush>>: When rolling a CD 10-12 during its attack, this monster's attack becomes an AoE and must be rolled for the other players in the target's party.
<<Spirit of Fire>>: Greater Fire Elemental is immune to the Burn Enhancement, and inflicts T4 Burn on Critical rolls of MD 9-10.

 

Edited February 18 by Morningstar

[Freyd 0]

"Well," Freyd started, disappointed at seeing that the box had remained shut after its tipping, "that was anticlimactic."

Leaning against it while the Cinnabon Lords monologued, he was too busy imagining them growing long flowing mustaches that twirled to ever-growing levels of ridiculousness the longer they droned on.  

"Yeah, yeah, end of the world, supreme conspiracy, you lot are the chosen of whatever... blah, blah, blah.  Dude.  You really need to watch less Pokemon."  Suppressing a laugh while one of them struggled with the locking mechanism might have been the hardest part.  "You, uh... want some help with that?"  If nothing else, it had given him a glance at the shape and type of key they used to secure these things, which seemed like it might become pertinent at some point in the future.

Vig and Krysta seemed more willing to entertain their antics.  He, like Morningstar, just wondered where all of this was supposed to be going.  "I swear, they should have all climbed into a clown car for their getaway," he joked, watching the massive elemental emerge.  Freyd had to admit that he'd gotten a bit blasé about these types of 'ambushes' - using the term in its broadest and loosest possible sense.  Sure, the thing was massive and imposing, but if these yahoos had managed to haul it around for however long, how dangerous could it really be?

"Alright.  Fine, fine... let's do this the 'hard' way."

Punching fire felt a bit weird, but MMOs were like that.  During their brief and half-hearted exchange, Freyd couldn't help but wonder whether he could convince one of these things to open a tanning salon, the risk being a few char broiled players, if the beast didn't get its settings right.

***

Spoiler

Post Action | AoE-I (x15, 11 EN, +2 shift, +2/hit): 15 EN - (Rested 2/2; Stamina) = 12 EN.
Free Action | None

ID: 219305 | BD: 2+7=9 (hit). DMG (15*26=390) to Greater Fire Elemental (CD 11 | ST-B unlocked)

Greater Fire Elemental is stunned.  Stun fades.

[2]Krysta | HP 897/897 | EN 97/112 | 28 DMG | 98 MIT | 4 ACC | 4 EVA | 26 BH | 8 REC | 8 HLY | 48 BLD | 3 LD | 3 Pros.
[1]Vigilon | HP 920/920 | EN 99/114 | 28 DMG | 98 MIT | 4 ACC | 4 EVA | 56 BRN | 32 BLGT | 16 FLN | 9 LD | 3 Pros.
[1]Morningstar | HP: 851/851 | EN: 97/106 (106-9) | DMG: 26 | ACC: 6 | EVA: 1 | MIT: 182 | LD: 9 | AA: 1 | VO: 122 | STK: 40/24 | BH: 15 | Pros: III
[2]Freyd | HP: 1357/1357 | EN: 140/152 (152-12) | DMG: 26 | MIT: 163 | EVA: 5 | ACC: 7 | BH: 74 | LD: 8 | FLN: 16 | HLY: 16 | REC: 8 | PROB: 36

Greater Fire Elemental: HP 1656/3500 | 200 DMG | 2 ACC | 1 EVA | Bleed 48 (1/2) | STUNNED | StunImm[P] (1/3) (2094-390-48)

<<Wildfire Rush>>: When rolling a CD 10-12 during its attack, this monster's attack becomes an AoE and must be rolled for the other players in the target's party.
<<Spirit of Fire>>: Greater Fire Elemental is immune to the Burn Enhancement, and inflicts T4 Burn on Critical rolls of MD 9-10.

 

Edited February 19 by Freyd

[Vigilon 0]

     Numbers, man...they affect everything in worlds like these.

 Vigilon thought this was gonna be a tough fight, but everyone seemed to be drilling into this thing's HP like they intended to make a fiery fruit smoothie out of it or something. Krysta brought her usual first impression strike that was a full on Holy damage Smite. Unlike Carsar, however, this monster was able to survive the full force of Krysta's power. Vigilon had a few question though...how the hell does this thing bleed? What even bleeds out of it? This game didn't actually simulate bleeding, so it's not like the players could do anything about that mystery other than maybe a few educated guesstimates.

              Morningstar and Freyd followed up with their attacks, things were not looking good for this fire elemental. It was already past Yellow for its HP, and it was only a matter of time before it would inevitably fall at this rate. "Heh, just that quick, eh?" Vigilon remarked as his blade cut into the monster once again. This was looking easier than it first seemed, now that the party's capabilities and numbers were in clear favor. It seemed that those Cinnabar players had underestimated the party.

 

ID# 219560 BD: 4+4-1=7(hit)

AoE-I: 28x15=420 Damage to Greater Fire Elemental!

 

[2]Krysta | HP 897/897 | EN 97/112 | 28 DMG | 98 MIT | 4 ACC | 4 EVA | 26 BH | 8 REC | 8 HLY | 48 BLD | 3 LD | 3 Pros.
[2]Vigilon | HP 920/920 | EN 88/114 | 28 DMG | 98 MIT | 4 ACC | 4 EVA | 56 BRN | 32 BLGT | 16 FLN | 9 LD | 3 Pros.
[1]Morningstar | HP: 851/851 | EN: 97/106 | DMG: 26 | ACC: 6 | EVA: 1 | MIT: 182 | LD: 9 | AA: 1 | VO: 122 | STK: 40/24 | BH: 15 | Pros: III
[2]Freyd | HP: 1357/1357 | EN: 140/152 | DMG: 26 | MIT: 163 | EVA: 5 | ACC: 7 | BH: 74 | LD: 8 | FLN: 16 | HLY: 16 | REC: 8 | PROB: 36

 

Greater Fire Elemental: HP 1236/3500 | 200 DMG | 2 ACC | 1 EVA | Bleed 48 (1/2) | StunImm[P] (1/3)

<<Wildfire Rush>>: When rolling a CD 10-12 during its attack, this monster's attack becomes an AoE and must be rolled for the other players in the target's party.
<<Spirit of Fire>>: Greater Fire Elemental is immune to the Burn Enhancement, and inflicts T4 Burn on Critical rolls of MD 9-10.

Edited February 22 by Vigilon

[Krysta 0]

                  True to Krysta's word, it would seem as though this battle was proceeding with haste, in the party's favor. Each player's weapon struck mercilessly against the creature of flame, tearing it apart regardless of logic. The party should be able to finish this just as swiftly, with enough time to process and discuss the scenario afterward before pushing onward to whatever comes next. As helpless as the creature now was, this was no time to ease up, only put it out of its anguished misery. Krysta's blade shone with a brilliant light as she readied up another sword art, and Holy Energy coursed through the blade and into the enemy as she unleashed her attack with full force. The monster let out another shriek, form the impact and power of the attack and the holy energy that damaged it further.

       "Morningstar! Freyd! Finish it quickly!" She called out, for the opponent was now significantly weakened and weary from its wounds.

 

ID# 219561 BD: 10(Critical, +2 Base DMG, refreshed Bleed, Holy Activates!)

 

AoE-II: 30+8x18=684 Damage to Greater Fire Elemental!

 

[4]Krysta | HP 897/897 | EN 83/112 | 28 DMG | 98 MIT | 4 ACC | 4 EVA | 26 BH | 8 REC | 8 HLY | 48 BLD | 3 LD | 3 Pros.
[2]Vigilon | HP 920/920 | EN 88/114 | 28 DMG | 98 MIT | 4 ACC | 4 EVA | 56 BRN | 32 BLGT | 16 FLN | 9 LD | 3 Pros.
[1]Morningstar | HP: 851/851 | EN: 97/106 | DMG: 26 | ACC: 6 | EVA: 1 | MIT: 182 | LD: 9 | AA: 1 | VO: 122 | STK: 40/24 | BH: 15 | Pros: III
[2]Freyd | HP: 1357/1357 | EN: 140/152 | DMG: 26 | MIT: 163 | EVA: 5 | ACC: 7 | BH: 74 | LD: 8 | FLN: 16 | HLY: 16 | REC: 8 | PROB: 36

 

Greater Fire Elemental: HP 552/3500 | 200 DMG | 2 ACC | 1 EVA | Bleed 48 (2/2) | StunImm[P] (1/3)

<<Wildfire Rush>>: When rolling a CD 10-12 during its attack, this monster's attack becomes an AoE and must be rolled for the other players in the target's party.
<<Spirit of Fire>>: Greater Fire Elemental is immune to the Burn Enhancement, and inflicts T4 Burn on Critical rolls of MD 9-10.

Edited February 25 by Krysta

[Morningstar 0]

The Greater Fire Elemental gave the party a far easier time than Morningstar had expected. Between his stun and their consecutive attacks, the winged creature had no opportunity to attack. Constantly left open, a giant hovering target, they struck its fiery shape again and again, gradually witling down its health bar. Morningstar moved in after Krysta, dodging the flames that spit into the air. His sword phased through flames, obviously hurting the elemental despite the lack of physical contact. A sliver of red remained. He stepped out of Freyd's path, granting him the glory of the last hit. From above, the phoenix cried vengefully. It roared and a volley of flames ripped through the sky, reaching far and crashing into the ground. Burning craters littered the battlefield, igniting plots of the field like bonfires. Morningstar sweltered beneath his armor, and beads of sweat dripped from his forehead. He watched, awaiting a flash of light, the shattering of glass, and the silence the followed.

***

Spoiler

POST ACTION | TECH-B (x16, 16 EN): 16 - (Rested 1/2; Stamina) = 13 EN
FREE ACTION | 

[4]Krysta | HP 897/897 | EN 83/112 | 28 DMG | 98 MIT | 4 ACC | 4 EVA | 26 BH | 8 REC | 8 HLY | 48 BLD | 3 LD | 3 Pros.
[2]Vigilon | HP 920/920 | EN 88/114 | 28 DMG | 98 MIT | 4 ACC | 4 EVA | 56 BRN | 32 BLGT | 16 FLN | 9 LD | 3 Pros.
[1]Morningstar | HP: 851/851 | EN: 88/106 | DMG: 26 | ACC: 6 | EVA: 1 | MIT: 182 | LD: 9 | AA: 1 | VO: 122 | STK: 40/24 | BH: 15 | Pros: III
[2]Freyd | HP: 1357/1357 | EN: 140/152 | DMG: 26 | MIT: 163 | EVA: 5 | ACC: 7 | BH: 74 | LD: 8 | FLN: 16 | HLY: 16 | REC: 8 | PROB: 36

ID: 219588 BD: 7+6+1-1=13 (hit) | 26*16=416

Greater Fire Elemental: HP 136/3500 | 200 DMG | 2 ACC | 1 EVA | Bleed 48 (2/2) | StunImm[P] (1/3)

<<Wildfire Rush>>: When rolling a CD 10-12 during its attack, this monster's attack becomes an AoE and must be rolled for the other players in the target's party.
<<Spirit of Fire>>: Greater Fire Elemental is immune to the Burn Enhancement, and inflicts T4 Burn on Critical rolls of MD 9-10.

 

Edited February 23 by Morningstar

[Freyd 0]

Kicking nonchalantly off to the side before returning to his crouch, Freyd looked like he'd missed his target completely.  The blistering elemental glowered at him in its full blazing fury, burning most brightly even as its flame threatened to burst, flicker and die.  Looming large over the Whisper, it made ready to lunge and engulf him completely when a growing darkness loomed over it in turn.  Grinning giddily, even as he stood irreverently from his combat stance, Freyd extended a single, spider-like index finger up towards the heavens. 

"What goes up," he said, tilting his head and wondering whether the mob knew what he meant.

The lid.  Freyd had kicked the largest fragment of the shattered box lid that originally contained the creature and sent it flying high into the air.  Realization seemed to dawn in the burning coals that served as the beasts eyes, swelling in size too late to prevent its fate from playing out.

*CRASH*

Already teetering on the brink of being extinguished, the large stone fragment sufficiently smothered the elemental's remains to shatter what little integrity remained to its form.  A quick puff and jet of flame and the thing went out with little more than a mute 'Eep' as it vanished into nothingness.

"Seriously," Freyd asked, stretching and scratching lazily at his chin.  "I was kinda expecting more, after the way those yahoos were droning on.  We should probably leave this to the next tier players in the area and move on to the raid.  People will be waiting."

***

Spoiler

Freyd regains +4 EN
CD 10 (+8 REC proc) ID #219601

Post Action | ST-I (x12, 12 EN): 12 EN - (Rested 1/2; Stamina) = 9 EN.  
Free Action | None

ID #219599 | BD:2+7=9 (hit).  DMG (12*26=312) to Greater Fire Elementa.  Dead.

[4]Krysta | HP 897/897 | EN 83/112 | 28 DMG | 98 MIT | 4 ACC | 4 EVA | 26 BH | 8 REC | 8 HLY | 48 BLD | 3 LD | 3 Pros.
[2]Vigilon | HP 920/920 | EN 88/114 | 28 DMG | 98 MIT | 4 ACC | 4 EVA | 56 BRN | 32 BLGT | 16 FLN | 9 LD | 3 Pros.
[1]Morningstar | HP: 851/851 | EN: 88/106 | DMG: 26 | ACC: 6 | EVA: 1 | MIT: 182 | LD: 9 | AA: 1 | VO: 122 | STK: 40/24 | BH: 15 | Pros: III
[4]Freyd | HP: 1357/1357 | EN: 143/152 (140+4+8-9) | DMG: 26 | MIT: 163 | EVA: 5 | ACC: 7 | BH: 74 | LD: 8 | FLN: 16 | HLY: 16 | REC: 8 | PROB: 36

Greater Fire Elemental: HP 0/3500 | 200 DMG | 2 ACC | 1 EVA | Bleed 48 (2/2) | StunImm[P] (1/3)

<<Wildfire Rush>>: When rolling a CD 10-12 during its attack, this monster's attack becomes an AoE and must be rolled for the other players in the target's party.
<<Spirit of Fire>>: Greater Fire Elemental is immune to the Burn Enhancement, and inflicts T4 Burn on Critical rolls of MD 9-10.

Loot Greater Fire Elemental: ID #219600 | LD: 3+9=12 | CD: 12
+2 materials (+2 LD odd)
24500 col (HP[3500]*7 - incl. +2 CD even, +2 from roll)
T4 Rare Armor/Shield 219600

Edited February 24 by Freyd

[Krysta 0]

          The battle was won, but now there was a pressing matter to discuss. Freyd suggested ignoring the matter entirely in favor of not leaving anyone waiting. This would surely have moral consequences to leave this to someone else. "Why are you suggesting this with utter nonchalance?" Krysta questioned. "Absolutely not. We cannot simply ignore the potential dangers this situation poses. Leaving this to the more downtrodden players is reprehensible!" She stated, the tone of her voice being rather stern. If someone with less stats or luck were to happen upon this situation, they would surely die. Krysta could not allow this.

          There was no time like the present, so it was time to discuss what the players knew about the scenario, and then decide from there of how to proceed. "So they happen to have something against the frontlines and are capturing monsters for a particular purpose. Given the battle we just won, I have reason to believe what they are planning may be malevolent. Vigilon, did you and Freyd truly recall a previous encounter with them? Is there anything either of you may know that can help us figure out what it is that they are planning?" Krysta asked.

[Vigilon 0]

                               Vigilon blinked. "Yeah...they wanted my Tiger Rage potion...Floor 6." He answered. "I was willing to defend myself for it, but someone decided to leave me at their mercy." He added, resisting the urge to point at or glare at Freyd. "Two players against one, not really the best odds if they're close to even footing, as numbers will offer an advantage..." Granted, he was able to win just barely after a frantic chase throughout the floor, but he didn't want to have to deal with that again.

              Vigilon took a deep breath. "Of course, I did kinda overhear the two players a bit before they found me...or, more accurately, before I slipped on a smooth pebble." He began. "They mentioned how they needed to get things into position, probably the monsters in the stone boxes, for something they're calling 'Operation Pompeii'." He then looked to each of the three players present in the area. "What do you all make of that?" he asked, hoping that he won't be the only one trying to come up with a theory as to what's going on.

[Morningstar 0]

With that, the elemental was destroyed and the world saved. Aside from the burning land around them. Also, Morningstar wasn't convinced that the world was in any real danger at all.

"We should probably leave this to the next tier players in the area and move on to the raid.  People will be waiting."

Before Morningstar could concur, Freyd was berated for his disinterest in Cinnabar's plot. He bit his tongue to avoid being flayed. Frankly, he had no idea what was going on, nor the relevance of the sudden appearance of the elemental. With a sigh, he considered Vigilon's question.

"The value of catching monsters, putting them in cages, and then releasing them somewhere else seems pretty low. I don't really see any reward, actually. Their motivation—to organize and expand Aincrad, I think they said—seems kind of like delusion to me. The only thing I'm certain about is that they're anti-frontliners, so they probably see this as some new world that they can stay and live in forever," Morningstar shrugged, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "My guess is that they don't want us clearing anymore floors and ruining their grand design."

"Oh." A lightbulb went off in his head as he connected the dots. "Maybe they plan on using the elementals to stop the boss raid from happening?"

Edited February 26 by Morningstar

[Freyd 0]

Absorbing Krysta's and Vigilon’s comments with the same calm he expected would be required against the upcoming raid boss, Freyd's brow furrowed only modestly.  Mulling over both of their perspectives, he glanced sideways to Morningstar before looking back to both of the other players.

“In the coming raid, if a member of your party spots additional mobs off to the side from the main chamber and runs off randomly after them instead of focusing on the boss, how would you react?” Raising a single eyebrow to Krysta, the parallels to their present situation were obvious. “Please consider the different stakes in play at the moment.  I’m not dismissing the risk that these mobs could be too dangerous for other players to handle.  But there are literally hundreds to thousands of other players available to handle such threats.  How many of those are qualified and promised to participate in the front lines?  Maybe fifty?  How many showed up to the pre-raid meeting?”  They all knew the answer.  It was barely a dozen.  

“The four of us represent nearly a quarter of the entire raid group.  Without us, they and their efforts are at risk.  I'm not prepared to do that for the sake of chasing after these cretins.”  Jerking his thumb over his shoulder towards the large box from which they’d loosed their monster, Freyd was stern without sounding unsympathetic.  In his mind, it was a matter of triage.

“Please reserve your moral indignations," he suggested, coldly. "Reprehensible? Maybe. But these are also the harsh realities of war.  Look around, princess, because that is our life here. They call them the front lines for a reason. Best get used to these types of choices if you intend to join them.”  Crossing his arms over his chest, Freyd’s mop of unruly black hair swiveling Vigilon’s way before continuing.

“And as to that mess on floor six,” he added with a sigh, “we were both within sight of Krycim when those idiots tried to provoke a fight - which would have been suicide while within reach of the city guards.  A few strides away from provoking them and you’d also have been perfectly safe.  Instead, you chose to challenge them to a duel, as I recall.  You poor choices are not my responsibility or burden to bear, Vigilon.  Poking the bullies back only made you stoop to their level, and I wanted no part in it.”  Pursing his lips to clamp down his tongue before there was any chance of him actually growing irate, Freyd allowed himself a sigh followed by a deep breath and slow exhale.  Rotating his arm and looking down at his wrist for just an instant, he chose to offer a compromise rather than indulging in any more distractive nonsense right before they all had to go face a floor boss together.

“Alright.  Look.  We have about two hours before the raid is meant to begin, and it will take us at least thirty minutes to reach the labyrinth guardian’s chamber as conveyed by NIGHT.  That gives us about an hour to investigate and save the world before we actually have to go save the world.  Unless we find anything more compelling by then, I’m out.  Deal?”

 Only Morningstar would have noticed that Freyd had no watch on his wrist.

[Vigilon 0]

                               Vigilon thought for a minute, considering Morningstar's theory. The monster they fought was surprisingly easy to take down, but it was alone... A whole onslaught of them might prove to be a mild threat if everyone ran out of energy with little to no way to recover it. Vigilon knew little of the actual number of monsters they'd captured, and they were only able to tell the strength of one so far.

               Then Freyd spoke. It was as if things started to go downhill from here. He spoke down to Krysta, breaking down her claims and placing higher urgency on what he believed to be a priority. It was definitely a priority, but if this was truly a threat to the Frontlines, that priority mattered little if the raid team suffered any losses from an ambush. Vigilon didn't appreciate the way Freyd spoke to her and threw her opinions to the dirt, but reason and a need for unity in such dangerously high floors like this was at least enough to give Vigilon the wariness and clarity to keep him from seeing red, though his brows furrowed as he was ready to glare daggers. As for Freyd throwing Vigilon under the bus for the floor six incident, yeah, Vigilon may have deserved that, as he pretty much did the same thing to Freyd. Trying to dismiss the whole rant in his mind with the thought of "Maybe he's just in a mood.", he'd keep his calm for the time being and try a different approach than the one that tempted him. "Freyd, I mean no offense, but that came across as a bit...toxic." He noted.

             "Toxic would be an understatement." Spoke an unidentified voice. Vigilon turned around and darted his gaze around the surrounding area. "Who's there?" Vigilon demanded. A player came into view, calmly and at a normal pace. Judging by the similarities to the armors he'd seen before, the Light Armor this player wore seemed to show that he was aligned with the Knights of Cinnabar. Oddly enough, his cursor was, once again, green. "Forgive me for both the interruption and the eavesdropping, I'd only heard just heard about a disruption to something of importance to us, so I wanted to know what all the fuss was about." The player explained. Vigilon did not lower his weapon. "Yeah, well you couldn't have picked a worse time to hatch your little scheme, 'cause now we're onto you." He responded. 
                The Cinnabar Player let out a soft exhale. He was definitely more calm and collected than his peers. "Are you, now?" He asked. "I guess you must be hearing things differently, as...the 'veteran' in your little raid party, he wants nothing to do with this, does he?" He pointed out. "It's true that we Knights of Cinnabar aren't exactly on good terms with the Frontlines...and the reason why..." He began, before pointing directly at Freyd. "Is because of Selfish Punks like him." 
          Vigilon was ready to dismiss the thought immediately, but he'd let the player speak out his words, that they might either fall on deaf ears, or reveal more about what the Knights of Cinnabar were planning. He'd look to Krysta, as he must have been able to identify her easily from his eavesdropping, as well as the fact that she was the only female in the party. "You believed that the innocent and your allies were in danger, and you wanted to save them, which is a truly noble thing to do. However, it seems you weren't aware of the true nature of the Frontliners, and I don't blame you for that. As you've now witnessed, your hopes to protect the innocent were cast aside, you, your hopes and your morals were all treated like little more than garbage. He might believe it to be his reality, but it seems that his only concern is what he finds to be of any importance. If it's not approved by him, it doesn't deserve any attention, if it's not what he wants to do, he'll abandon you. If he wants something, he'll get it, even if he must tear through legions of others to get it. He doesn't care about you, he doesn't care about the same people you care about...his only concern is himself."
                      Vigilon was ready to dismiss his words as nothing more than an attempt to plant seeds of doubt. Vigilon was going to need more evidence than that. Of course, the player wasn't done yet. "We once thought the frontlines were worth putting any hope in, until we learned what they truly are...Selfish power mongers who fight for themselves and themselves only. Do they fight for freedom? Of course they do, but they don't fight for your freedom, they fight for theirs. They'll pretend to be your friend, but if it benefits them they'll throw you aside for an item or for power, for influence or some form of personal gain. I once even heard from a stealth player that there were Frontliners who suffered heavy losses, but wanted to play it off as a perfect victory, just to increase their numbers, potentially sending many of the unprepared to their deaths...ah, but they'd be nothing more than necessary sacrifice at that point, now wouldn't they?" The Cinnabar Player continued.
                                 "Blah, blah, blah...." Vigilon thought. "When's this guy gonna spout anything that reveals what he's planning, instead of going on about how corrupt he claims the frontlines are...? ...Wait..." Stealth player... Suffered heavy losses...played off as a perfect victory...he'd heard this claim only once before...The Fallen incident on Floor 13... "Dazia..."
              She'd gone and started a whole damn rumor. "Whoa whoa whoa, stop right there pal, are you saying that Dazia went and blabbed about the Frontliners' end of the Fallen Angel incident to all of Aincrad?" Vigilon blurted out, just before remembering exactly which players were around him. Oops.
           The Cinnabar Player's eyes lit up. "You know her? You know of what happened?" He asked Vigilon. No escaping the truth now. "Yeah...and I do know, I was there...sort of." Vigilon began. "There were two raids going on simultaneously. One for the Frontline Tier, another for the lesser two tiers. Krysta, Dazia and I were in the lesser Tier battle. Dazia ended up in a tight spot and fled through a teleport Crystal, but ended up getting stuck in the Courtyard that served as the 'lobby' of both raids instead. Players who 'died' would also wind up there. It was like we the player base were all being tested, and given a taste of what was to come. Krysta and I didn't exactly witness what Dazia spoke of, so I've kinda been taking the news of what she told me with some salt." He explained. The Cinnabar Player appeared to be intrigued. "So then...after all that, you still chose to join the Frontlines for the upcoming Raid. Why?" He asked. Vigilon shrugged. "Well, we all gotta get out of here, I hoped I was strong enough...plus, it's been a long time after that incident, so maybe the frontlines would be different than what Dazia had seen. Sure looked different enough to me back at the raid meeting." He answered.
                     The Cinnabar Player was seeming to be more well mannered than his peers, despite his point of view. "Ah, good point and a fair argument," He remarked. "But how do you know for sure that they are truly different than the group before? How do you know that they are any better? Do you know any of them? If so, how many?" He asked. "Of course I know some people from the meeting! There's Night, Mina, Nari, Jomei, um...there's also the fellow newcomers, like Elora, and fresh acquaintances like Katoka, and then Morningstar here. Well, obviously I also know Krysta here, I know her pretty well, I'd say. We're in relationship, after all." Vigilon answered. The Cinnabar Player nodded. "How well do you know them, other than Krysta?" He asked.
                    Huh...that was actually a good question. Vigilon raised his finger as he opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He had nothing clever or true to say. "Ok so maybe the unknown remains a factor, so what?" Vigilon uttered out.

[Krysta 0]

                Oh, if only things were simple, the players would have stopped wasting their time and continued the impromptu investigation, it would surely take them along the path towards the boss room, given current implications, leaving enough time for the players to make a beeline for the raid once it was finished.

          But alas, Freyd began to show a different side of himself with the response he'd given to Krysta.

“Please reserve your moral indignations, Reprehensible? Maybe. But these are also the harsh realities of war.  Look around, princess, because that is our life here."

         "..."

   "Princess."

            There were a few individuals who called her this in a derogatory manner...and only one who Krysta had recurring encounters with.

        "Cry about it, won't you, Princess? Wake up, this is the reality. Humanity is despicable, we kill each other for all kinds of senseless reasons. You might think hope is everywhere, like it's all some kind of fairytale...but I know for a fact that it's not."

Her eyes were close to being lit with a spark, and her sword hand started shaking. She was used to hearing such things from an enemy, not an ally. "Why don't you heed your own words, and notice that you're speaking no differently than enemies I have faced." Krysta warned, her tone just as stern as before.

          Vigilon would remark that Freyd's words were coming across as toxic, and an unidentified player agreed with him. It turned out to be another Cinnabar Player who had apparently been eavesdropping, though for how long remained unknown. He then pointed a finger towards Freyd, claiming that individuals like him are the reason they detest the Frontliners. He would proceed to give his current opinion of the player that now stood accused. He also noted Krysta's concern and how Freyd seemingly sought to tear it down, be it for differing priorities, or, in the off chance he was actually correct, personal gain and indifference to the welfare of others. He then proceeded to make a claim based on the word of a stealth player, who Vigilon managed to correctly identify as Dazia. Figures, it would be she who spreads such an ill rumor about the Frontliners. Vigilon and this player would proceed to have a civil discussion, which, Krysta was happy to witness, meaning that perhaps not all of the players among Cinnabar's Ranks were fools and ruffians, even if their beliefs and views were askew.

           So far, Krysta couldn't tell if he was telling a flawed viewpoint, or attempting to sow the seeds of doubt. "Perhaps it is too early to tell for the moment." Krysta began, taking Vigilon's place in the discussion, for his sake. "True, there is a chance...but orders are orders, I am incapable of changing the current course of action, but if you'd like, I might be willing to reveal your perspectives to those above me." The Cinnabar Player responded. Krysta gave a slight nod of her head. "You seem a decent fellow, I'd hate if someone had to kill you." Krysta remarked. "And you a decent lady, I'd hate to die."

   Some seconds of awkward silence later, the conversation continued. "The others are not likely to listen to me if you continue to interfere, you know." The Cinnabar Player began. "If you let us be, they might be more willing to listen, and I'll let them know of the fresh additions to the Frontlines, that perhaps some new perspectives may cause some change, perhaps?"

            Krysta doubted that he would successfully keep his word, seeing that his guild and Krysta's party were now adversaries. "I cannot guarantee the safety of my allies. If you cannot call off this 'Operation Pompeii', we will proceed with our current course of action." Krysta revealed. "Oh, dear me, where are our manners, here we are, having a civil conversation, and we have yet to even introduce ourselves...As Vigilon mentioned, my username is Krysta. Now, may I trouble you for yours?"

                The Cinnabar Player appeared hesitant, but he seemed willing to oblige in this pleasantry. "...Alvion."
          Some more seconds of awkward silence passed. "I understand if you're willing to undertake your current course of action. No doubt, you see us as the bad guys. But if that's how you see us..." Alvion would point towards Freyd once more. "Just keep in mind that he is at least a dozen, if not a hundred times worse." He said before he took his leave with haste. Krysta held her arms out to prevent immediate chase.

       Once seven seconds passed, Krysta would speak. "Let him run. If any of us know how to track, we know what he looks like and we know his username. If we can follow his trail, he may lead us to more of those stone boxes, their captured monsters trapped inside." Krysta stated.

     Alvion's words would fall on deaf ears based on how it appeared, but Krysta had taken his opinions of Freyd with salt, given how he seemed to be approaching thin ice.

[Morningstar 0]

Morningstar watched the perspective clash as if it were a movie, neglecting to join either side of the argument. He raised an eyebrow as Freyd peered at his bare wrist and stifled his oncoming laughter.

Another voice, one he did not recognize, entered the conversation. The stranger was opinionated and full of assumptions about both the party and the frontliners. He used Freyd as a scapegoat to back his argument that frontliners were selfish, that they only cared about themselves and not the well-being of the masses.

Morningstar could not empathize with Alvion's philosophies because the frontliners whom he had encountered had been nothing but the opposite. They had helped him one-hundred times over and he had seen them do the same for others.

Truthfully, he agreed with Freyd. Clearing the twenty-seventh boss meant that they would be able to clear the twenty-eighth that much quicker. And that would allow them to clear the twenty-ninth and so on, until eventually they were finished and the player base was free. The damage that a few insignificant mobs in cages were capable of in contrast to the good that a successful raid could do was incomparable.

But maybe he was wrong.

[Freyd 0]

Freyd had wandered over to the shattered container from which the flaming elemental had emerged, righting it and using it as a stool while Vigilon and Krysta said their peace.  Throughout each player's replies, he just sat there, chin resting against this loosely curled fist, eyes half-lidded and glazed over.  When the latest Cinnabon-dude wandered out of nowhere, Freyd's face slipped down into his open palm, thumb and index fingers pressed to opposite temples for a moment before sliding back down to cup over his mouth.  A single arched eyebrow gazed in staggered amazement as this 'knight' laid out his case against the frontliners, acting suspiciously like a shill Vigilon might have put up to whatever all of this was actually meant to be.  Allowing his eyes to dart sideways momentarily to glance towards Morningstar, the Whisper said nothing before returning to his initial pose, save bringing up his second hand for apparent moral support.  

As Alvion left, Krysta urged them to wait, not that anyone appeared ready to rush off after the man.  Freyd just looked at his wrist again.  

"Forty five minutes," he added, tapping his sleeve with disinterest.  

Edited March 2 by Freyd

[Vigilon 0]

                 Vigilon blinked, then checked his skill list while Freyd did absolutely nothing. "...I don't have tracking." Vigilon realized. "I've got Night Vision, I've got Detect, but I don't have Tracking."

                       Alas, it looked like the party would be going in blind. "Let's try going along the path we were going earlier, see if any of the other Cinnabar goons are dumb enough to cross the path where we can find them." He suggested, wondering if there were any other Operation Pompeii operatives who had the same thought process as the two idiots from earlier, as they might have another captured monster for the players to take out. After all, if they did turn out to be dangerous enough to be a threat in great numbers, taking them out while they were still separated would be the best way to diffuse the plot, in Vigilon's opinion. In the end, he could only hope.

[Krysta 0]

                         Unfortunately, Vigilon did not have the ability to track the target player, and Freyd, whose capabilities were currently not fully known, seemed too disinterested to offer proper help, and instead spoke his perceived time limit instead. Vigilon would then give his suggestion for what to do next. There truly was little the players could do in terms of tracking this player if Krysta's allies could not, or would not, help. Krysta had made the mistake of assuming there was a player who had it, who was also willing to use it. "...It seems like we do not have a choice here...we shall continue to take the original path for now, but please try to keep your eyes and ears out for anything suspicious, if you could." Krysta decided. If the path was closed off enough, any Cinnabar players who had advanced further than the pair the party intercepted earlier may find themselves coming into view of the party...hopefully.

[Morningstar 0]

Morningstar, much like the majority of his group mates, did not have tracking. He was perfectly happy with taking the proper road. While he was not against playfully throwing his friend under the bus, he refrained from announcing that he knew for a fact Freyd had tracking. He was pro-drama, in moderation.

Krysta and Vigilon took the lead, leaving some space in between the two pairs. The tension in the air was a bit laughable, considering the circumstances. Forty-five minutes away from a boss fight, four frontliners strolled through the hills of the twenty-seventh floor, hunting Team Magma members in order to stop their plans of summoning Groudon.

The couple ahead of him were odd, he thought. Vigilon seemed like a regular fellow, although there was a hint of unpredictability that caught Morningstar off guard. Krysta reminded him of a coworker he had once had while filming a fantasy movie years before. They spoke the same, acted the same, and even looked eerily similar. He almost wanted to ask if it was her, but then recalled that she had been about five inches taller and ten years older.

"You know," Morningstar nudged Freyd, "you don't need to stick around if you don't want to. I'm sure these two will find their way to the labyrinth in time for the fight. What they do in their own free time is up to them, really. I get that by arriving late, they entirety of the frontlines is effected; but, they'll have an easier time adapting if you're there in comparison to us. DPS folk are great and all, but it's the tanks and healers that keep the parties alive."

"It's just a thought," he shrugged, finding a place for his hands in his pockets. "It's a long road. I imagine we'll find things out of the ordinary along the way. I hope you don't feel obligated to stay and protect us from whatever unnecessary danger we find ourselves in."

[Freyd 0]

Groaning against the inside of his own cowl, Freyd pondered Morningstar's words before grudgingly having to admit that he was behaving badly.  The thought of Elora glaring at him for being such a poor sport would inevitably haunt him, even if she never actually learned of the incident.  The very fact that she'd expect better was enough to set him straight.

"Alright, alright," he muttered with a sigh.  "Yes, I have the tracking skill.  What was that fellow's name again?  Alvin?  Albion?  No... Alvion.  Got it."  The man's image would forever be etched in his memory as an armored chipmunk with a large yellow 'A' embroidered on a blood red tabard. Freyd didn't seem to be speaking to anyone in particular, moreso focused on catching up on the previous conversation.  Turning to stare at his own shadow for a moment, the others would see it splinter and shift, creating a duplicate of itself to run off in the same direction at the Cinnabar knight. 

"So, are we actually expecting this to end in conversation, or is there some sort of other plan here?  I'm not in the habit of picking fights with other players, regardless of their sinister intentions.  It's a waste of resources."  Spoken like a true appraiser.  "They also seem quite keen to unleash their little pets upon us to justify their own delusional conspiracy theories.  If this is who we're dealing with, I'm not sure that reason will get us particularly far."

The remainder of his shadow stretched an arm out, pointing in their direction of travel and completely independently from its caster's motions.  The scene was more than a little unnerving, if also somewhat comical.

"He's a few hundred yards off, dead ahead.  Can't we just unleash their own monsters upon them?  It seems like sweetly justified turnabout, if you ask me."  Behind the words, Freyd was more concerned that these maniacs were acting no better than the very worst of PKers, letting mobs do their dirty work and sparing themselves rightfully earned orange markers for their efforts.  Their self-professed vendetta against the alleged callousness of frontliners was such utter nonsensical claptrap that it actually made him irate just thinking about it.

Edited March 15 by Freyd