In the Time of need [Planning Floor 9 Hydra attack]

[Zelrius 0]

Zelrius looked out the broken window of a "ground" level building somewhere in the Phoenix city of Floor . It was named this for obvious and recent reasons. This city was nothing but a pile of ash till a little bit ago. The event that made this once Battleground into one of the largest cities on the floor was none other then the Legendary Phoenix battle that took place in September. Zelrius was drawn into an even grimmer expression as he realized it was drawing near to the one year anniversary of this game's opening. (Not To Mention "Legendary" was an overstatement it was little more then an extra boss fight, like any other) He sighed, No arrogance as usual was on his face. All he continued to do was stand about the large meeting room he had rented for the evening. This would be where the planning for the second attack on the Hydra of Floor 9 would take place, as the last group had clearly not come back safely. Zelrius then walked over and took a seat at the head of the table, Furtherest from the Door. He looked around, Never once did the normally narcissitc boy ever think he'd be here, waiting on the arrival of Guild leaders he had invited.

[Lessa 1]

The Guardian walked down the street, the dry heat once again causing her throat to constrict. Alkor had assured her that she would get used to it eventually, but that day had not come yet. Instead, she followed his advice, taking deep breaths through her mouth, and trying to ignore the sandpaper feel in her lungs.

Speaking of Alkor, she knew that he should be along shortly. She had stopped by his shop, only to find it locked up for the day. Lessa had hoped to walk with him to the meeting, but it seemed he had other plans. But she trusted he would make the meeting, as he had assured her he would be there earlier that week. The girl recognized that this would not be comfortable for him, as social gatherings like this often put the player on edge. But he had been the most logical choice to escort her. He had experienced a boss battle before, so he had the most knowledge. And besides, she felt better with him at her side, though she would never tell him that.

When she reached her destination, she slipped through the door. Immediately, she found relief from the hot floor. She gave a small, content sigh before surveying the room. There was only one other player, and he looked very comfortable at the head of the table. Lessa strolled over to him, outfitted in her black slacks and pink blouse. She had chosen a more professional look for this meeting. "You must be Zelrius," she greeted, extending a hand. "My name is Lessa, from the Guardians of Aincrad guild."

[Primrose 0]

I looked at the grim town around me, it felt like no one even occupied this floor. Some parts of the town was in really bad shape. With crumbled data of walls and a strange scent in the air it would be enough to drive a normal person away. Another factor in this would be the heat. I have heard rumors about the blistering heat but never actually experienced it until now. I was completely overdressed for this floor. I had earlier equipped my guild attire was a long sleeve shirt, an over coat, and a cape. I didn't bother to take it off though, even in this scorching weather I wasn't sweating.

 

A little while ago I had been invited to attend a meeting for guild leaders to discuss the next boss raid. I wasn't sure if I would be very much of a help but I was going to try my best! Up ahead I finally saw what seemed to be the place. As I got closer I confirmed the location. A run down building in Phoenix city.....I said to myself quietly and stepped inside to see two players conversing already. 

[Argumail 0]

Argumail walked the site, with a business face and every step was well calculated. He had been waiting so long to be one of the top dogs and he wasn't about to mess this up. It was like a he was high schooler being invited to the a college party. He began to walk a little faster. He wasn't a patient man, nor was his new colleagues, he presumed. He walked in and smiled," Argumail, of the Crimson Inquisition, and I brought bagels."

[Mari 1]

Mari had never travelled up to the 9th floor; she hadn't been past the 5th floor. She had heard the floor was some form of volcanic ranges. Mari already wasn't too fond of the heat. At least it wasn't Volcan Village; Mari didn't particularly like the idea of crossing a large metallic bridge that swung precariously over the mouth of a volcano. Naturally Mari knew that the whole thing wasn't going to collapse into the molten mess below; the game simply would not be designed that way. Still, it'd be a daunting thing to do. Mari had a new found respect for those who frequented the floor. It was simply far too hot for her tastes.

Moving away from Volcan Village the pink haired girl headed toward something called the Phoenix City. It didn't take a genius to figure out why. With each step she took, ash lifted up off the floor. It didn't take long to find the building that housed the hall that she had been invited to. This was the first official guild business she'd undertake as a guild leader. Mari was honestly surprised that she had been invited. Her guild was very new, and had little members. The member she did have; didn't seem like the type to venture as high as the 9th floor.

Mari entered the hall; the large double doors creaking open; she wasn't the first to arrive. Zelrius; a blonde haired man sat at the head of the large table. He was the man that had invited here. Then there was the blonde girl; Lessa - who Mari knew was friends with Lotharian. Then there was Primrose; a girl she met briefly on the 4th floor; and of course Argumail. Mari couldn't help but roll her eyes when she saw him.

Mari made her way to one of the seats at the large table and sat her self down, she patted down her hair and clothes before addressing the others in the room.

"Mari, from Cerulean Silence."

[Guest]

The blazing heat of the floor lingered even under starlight. This city had risen from the ashes of a battle, one Alkor himself had been a part of. Beneath his drab, dark clothing, his digital body still bore the scars from the mighty Phoenix's flames. Alkor had chosen to leave them, though they no longer hurt, to remind him of the cost of failure. To remind him of the pain that would come to all the other players in Aincrad, should he and the others fail to advance the effort to clear the floors.

Lessa had invited him back to this place for the tactical advantage of having experienced a boss battle. Zelrius was the only other player who would be present who could say they had survived one. So far as Alkor knew, at least, that was the case.

The dry wind of the 9th floor kicked up dust and rattled the cloak that blew behind him, revealing Alkor's pale, toned torso and evidence of the aforementioned burns. His hood fell away from his face, revealing messy auburn hair and his golden eyes, which fell on every player present in turn. He saw Argumail and another woman, presumably a leader of one of the other guilds, and the woman Mari, who was friend to Life. Zelrius, the notorious Blood Buccaneer, and finally, there was Lessa.

Lessa, who had invited him to this place. The woman who believed that he was at the forefront of their war effort, right next to Zelrius, enough to invite him to stand beside her in a meeting to discuss their plan of attack.

Though dormant, the blade Nightbringer hung at his hip, rattling with each step he took until finally he came to rest. Alkor lagged behind the rest of the group by several steps, not making any motion to call attention to himself. He was neither a guild leader, nor one of the foremost Front Liners in his own mind. He was here to observe, and if so directed by Lessa, to speak.

He reached up slowly once he was within the walls of the building, and replaced the hood over his head, allowing shadows to drown his features once more. His lips set in a stern, serious frown as he assessed the group, and his eyes slowly shut. Some of them would need better gear before the battle.

[Zero 0]

Zero slowly made his way through the ninth floor, he remembered when he was the first to step foot in the giant oven like floor and saw its volcanic range. He could detect the different smells of brimstone, phosphorus, magnesium and ash, ashe made his way to Phoenix City, one hell hole in another hell hole. He would've preferred any of the other floors to meet in, but he wasn't going to complain about it, finding it utterly pointless. After a few minutes he reached the settlement and made his way in, he'd been a part of the battle against the phoenix so the area was familiar to him.

He couldn't make out any other smell aside from ash, it was everywhere, as he made his way to the building where the meeting was to suppose to be taking place. He pulled his hood off and opened the door, quickly glacing at the face gathered around. Zelrius, one of the few left aside from Zero himself who had faced a floor boss and the most arrogant man one could meet though his arrogance was backed by strength, Lessa, guild leader to a recently formed group and a good person from what he had heard, Alkor, member of her guild and another who had faced a boss, Argumail, guild leader of Crimson Inquisition and known for being 'peculiar', Primrose, leader of the Knights of the Abyss and another character of interest, and finally Mari, leader of Cerulean Silence and a familiar face.

Zero took a chair, placing it on the other side of the table making him face Zelrius, and quietly sat down. He crossed his arms and leaned back, he had prepared himself for this. "Coordinated Edge's wielder, Zero, representing the Kinghts of Christ in Shark's place. Here to grant whatever assistance I can."

[Zelrius 0]

Zelrius's arrogance returned alomst instantly when the door opened and appeared a female figure. Who had crossed over, greeted him, and offered a shaking of the hands. He accepted the handshake, But lacked the respect for this girl, or anyone for that matter, to actually stand and meet the person eye to eye. Instead, he simply reached over his arm from where he comfortably sat and accepted the hand shake. At that moment Zelrius had no Idea the name behind that face. He knew OF the people (Not really) who the boy had invited, But he did not know them personally or any other manner really. So it complicated things a bit as the invitees began to show up one by one and Zelrius could not identify who they were. When Alkor had finally managed to come and took his stance by the first Female to have walked in, Zelrius then began being able to deduce who was who. Of course Zelrius knew Alkor was in The Guardians of Aincrad, this being he kept almost constant tabs of people he had even the slightest respect for, Therefore Zelrius guessed the one he was by was the leader of Forementioned Guild, and her name, Lessa. Zelrius could then tell that the other female who had follow Behind "Lessa" was Primrose, Leader of the Knights of Abyss. Next in line that came was the pin haired girl, By the name of Mari, whom he had heard of previously, just not able to place his finger on where. Honestly, He had heard of most people nowadays from some source somewhere, Of course in Zelrius's mind that source was always replaced in memory by a whisper in the wind.

 

After Mari came the semi-known Name and Face of Argumail, Leader of The Crimsom Inquisition. And now for the actual arrival of a ex-comrade of Zelrius's Alkor, which brings us up to speed on the narcissist being able to determine who was who. And last but not least was the one person Zelrius had hoped would come and was only a little worried that he would reject Zelrius's offer: Zero. Oh, Zero defintely had expereinece in the manner of Boss Fights and certainly had FAR more then Zelrius in the area of strategy for such an event.

 

And now that everyone was gathered, Zelrius didn't hesitate for a second (As his Ego would not allow him) to start right off with leading this whole ordeal.

 

"Ladies and Gentlemen," "We all know why we are gathered here, and for those who don't or have forgotten: We are here to aid eachother in planning a fight against... well a Boss. Here is Information that has already been gathered:

The Boss is that of Hydra, which I foresee problems with already. We'll touch on that later." Now Zelrius stopped and looked to Zero as he would understand the difference between the last Planning and this one

"As we all know and can very much see, Our Pool is MUCH smaller then it has almost ever been.

Therefore, Our traditional Teams composed of Tanks and DPS are not going to work this time around. Furthermore, As I can see looking around the Room most of us are very ill-prepared, and you're supposed to be some of the best."

 

"Once we are done here, I want a 3 day Grace period between Plan and Attack. Meaning that All of you should go out and gear up for the upcoming boss. Most guilds are composed of different Professions, making getting equipment, Notice I said Equipment not Gear, not that difficult. Now gear, By that I meant anything that is applied to your character in order to enhance abilities, can range from permanent to a few seconds. Here is my tip: During those 3 days You all take your guilds and grind the Quests:"

Now he pulled up a panel, given sold to the arrogant boy by a Information Broker, Those came in exceptional handiness.

"<<Long Live the Queen>>, <<Avalanche>>, and <<Blood in the Sand>> all of which have drops and rewards that will tremdously improve your fighting capablities. Though if you're short on time and only have enough adhered time to do one, I would definetly focus on <<Avalanche>> as it drops something that mitigates burn Damage."

 

Now Zelrius stopped for a moment to let all that sink in and wait for proper Reactions.

(Wooh fixed my double Posting, Sorry aboput that)

[Daeron 1]

Entering the room, Daeron listened to Zelrius, who was going on about grinding quests and how the pool of players they had was much lower than usual. He let out a grunt to make sure everyone heard him. He then flicked his collar on his Solar Flux Robe, which he knew would come in handy as it prevented any burn damage on Daeron. Daeron then approached the group of players discussing the matter of preparing for the boss fight.

 

"Alright guys, you heard Zelrius. Grind those quests. If any of you guys need me to aid you in fighting the monsters in the quest, I will aid you all I can. I have the power, the level, and the experience fighting bosses. As for introduction. I am Daeron, the Player-Killer that everyone has heard most of. Fear not though, I have retired my killing insticts and am on my road to glory by doing <<Redemption>> as soon as I can." he said as he shook players' hands. Alkor was a familiar name, Zero was a good friend of his, and so was Zelrius. There were other players too that did not look as familiar. Ignoring the fact he didn't know them he moved on with his viewpoint of discussion.

 

"I am also a high leveled blacksmith, and am willing to craft gear for you if you can get the materials. I know for a fact that this boss fight will NOT be easy, and the fact that we have such few players worries me greatly. Like Zelrius had said, we need to figure out some sort of formation that we can use so that we have the best protection while being able to deal massive amounts of damage in short periods of time. Now this may come out as being a narcissist, but I have this robe here, which protects me from any burn damage. Though I can still take damage from the boss, I can't take any burn damage that it leaves after its hit." he said looking around the room.

 

"Does anybody have any other input to say that might help or contribute to the conversation we're having. I trust Zelrius knows the risks he's taking with a small party, but hey, who knows, it might be able to get the job done." Daeron said giving a head nod towards Zelrius and Zero showing that he has absolute trust in what they are plotting. Since Daeron is merely an addition to the small amount of players at the discussion, he knows that he needs to follow orders no matter who gives him the orders.

[Argumail 0]

Argumail quietly he was analyzing the situation, He was familiar face and names. Lessa, the friend of his strategist who of course second in command was here. Alkor and Lessa seem to be like pb and j. Mari, of the Cerulean Silence, he smiled she at her, because he liked her brutal honesty. He knew the name Zelrius, he was a well-known person, but much like meeting Robert Downey Jr. in real life, and expecting him to be Tony Stark, he was disappointing his information. Argumail surveyed the room and look at his friend from long ago, Primrose, the Stubborn. He remembered her unwillingness to follow orders, he snorted but, he realized how childish that was. She is a respect guild leader was more contain now. He looked and saw a friend for long ago, he walked and stuck his hand, in front of Daeron. " It's been a long time, my friend... Argumail if you forgotten me." He looked at this situation as a base point for a new game of chess, where his king was in play.

[Mari 1]

Alkor came in not long after her; Mari knew him as Life’s friend. She had bumped heads with him a few times, but it seemed they had come to some sort of silent, mutual, understanding. Not long after him came the white haired man Mari knew as Zero, the corners of her lips turned up into a slight knowing smile as she watched him enter. It was somewhat comforting, seeing familiar faces.

Comforting and terrifying.

These people, are the people she could very well be going into a battle with, a battle she was grossly unprepared for, even more so her guild members. Who were all lower leveled and none struck her as the fighting type. She wanted to discuss the matter at length with her guild, but with the time constraints she may just have to leave it as an announcement on the guilds board. Mari gave a small sigh, running her hand through her pastel fringe.

It seemed that everyone had gathered for Zelrius started to talk. She had to agree; Mari was already liking Zelrius. Despite the arrogant way he held himself, and the narcissistic tone in his voice; he was blunt, and seemed to be able to back it up. Mari scratched her cheek, considering the welfare of her newly formed guild.

“Ehh…I’m happy to join but my guild is a day old. It’s members aren’t prepared for this. I think if any of them were put into the fray – it’d be an instant KO for the poor b*astards. Yuji IS the highest level; but he’s fairly meek.”

 Another man had entered, and grunted; Mari didn’t bother to look his way, mumbling under her breath about how he sounded like a hungry pig, Mari and her blunt, ill placed humour. When the stranger addressed the crowd Mari’s cerulean eyes danced over to him, since he did have something to contribute other than animal sounds. “Never heard of you.” Mari commented, not exactly meaning to be rude; but if one were to look at her, and her nonchalant manner of speaking; they’d most certainly perceive it as such.

 

“I’m guessing I’m the weakest Guild Leader here, let’s face it – right now I’m just cannon fodder.” Mari started cleaning the dirt out from under her nails. “so any help I can get, is much appreciated.”

[Lessa 1]

The young woman examined each player as they entered the room. Some, she recognized. Others, she did not. She felt herself tense slightly as Argumail entered the room, only because of the rumors she had heard regarding his person. But she immediately scolded herself for being so hasty. Besides, he was a powerful player. His help would be vital if they were to defeat the Hydra.

A second player, Daeron, addressed the crowd next. Lessa recalled bumping into the player on the sixth floor, but she knew little about him. Despite this, she was impressed by his natural ease when discussing strategy. He was already presenting himself as a leader, which was excellent to see. These high-level players knew what they were talking about, and she felt comfortable following them into battle. Even Daeron, with his orange name and mysterious past, seemed alright to her.

When the pink-haired guild leader spoke, Lessa frowned. "The Guardians are also a very small, young guild," she replied, reassuringly. "But we would be happy to aid in training. My forge is also open to better equip anyone who will be joining us in the boss fight." Then, Lessa turned to the rest of the players seated at the table. She was still a newcomer, and perhaps she was speaking out of turn. But the floor had been opened, and she felt it was worth offering. "This goes for everyone. My members would be happy to help out wherever we can." Then she clasped her hands together on the table, and added, "but I have no questions regarding these directions. In fact, I think this will be highly beneficial."

[Zelrius 0]

Zelrius spoke again a little before his time. It was vital some of the information he was storing. However, of course before actually speaking Zelrius had to debate in his mind whether or not to release (Or none) of the information. Knowledge was power, Zelrius knew this. and he had to debate whether or not he wanted to be greedy and take the shot at holding power, or simply do it for the right reasons. Of course the latter was not like Zelrius. His arrogance only increased as he finally made the descision, Which choice had he decided upon? I'll leave you to deduce that.

 

"I'd like to bring up a point that Mari had brought up. More directly: Cannon Fodder. Unfortunate to say, But we do infact need such a thing. A Hierarchy more or less. Here let me put it so more people will understand. Back in the real world, You need people like Custodians (Also known as 'Janitors') who do the cleaning and repairing work in buildings. Of course these people recieve the least pay, and no one goes to school and grows up to be one. However, Despite the not wanting of being one, For some reason almost every company ends up with them. You need the custodians to do the little things for the higher up people. So back to our reality, We do need Cannon Fodder of Lower level so that those who of us who have more level (And more importantly, Damage) aren't dying at the very beginning at the fight."

 

"Now, I'd like to point out that we have yet to have any RECORDED casualty in a boss fight. And by recorded I mean any boss Fights We as the Assualt Team know exists. Furthermore I liked that another brought up the topic on Gear.  I have personally commsioned a Blacksmith to Craft Gear for the Frontlines, And I will pay for the gear myself, lucky you I never spend any of my surplus of Money. This smith goes by the Name of Seldentar. If you need anything go to him, Tell him Zel sent you, He'll hook you up."

 

Zelrius now noticed how informal his Use of Slang was, and almost made him feel just a bit stupider, However his ego didn't allow him to think himself inferior to others.

 

"With that in mind, I will open the Panel. Add people as you please, But I ask that you make sure that they for a god given fact those people will show up and be an active part of the battle."

 

He stopped, Opened his Menu and shared an editing Panel with the whole room.

 

"As you can see, I've already added a few to the Rosters. And that is simply Because These are the spots I believe they best fit in. Feel free to Make a statement on why you should be on a different team, And The rest of us will consider the offer."

 

Group Panel

1. Group 1: Main Force (The group that will make First hits and will take the most hits.)

• Daeron
• Zero
• Arugmail (Teetering between 2 and 1)

     2. Group 2: Hit and Run (Comprised of the mid Levels, Those who can Hit and then back up.)

• Lessa
• Alkor
• Mari

     

     3. Group 3: Minor Attack, Heavy Support (For those who want to help but feel they do not have the strength to be in battle, These people are those who attack on occasion, However they primary function will be to heal and activate alchemical products on those of the front two Groups)

• Blank

 

 

"Now I'd like a vote on the following Matter: Should we do a Frontline wide Development Stage, Or Leave you to your own Devices on the days leading up to the Fight?"

[Primrose 0]

As the rest of the players came in I was disappointed to know only about two people in the room. The first was Mari, a pink haired spirit that loved music. The next was even worse, Argumail. I had only a small amount of time to gain an impression from him but from the last time we had an "argument," it didn't end very well. Thus leading me to feel repelled by his presence, but also very confused. Since when did Argumail have a guild? Wait, I can't be talking, I didn't have one last time I saw him either....I thought and decided just to ignore him and avoid eye contact. I couldn't explain why but I didn't feel comfortable in a room of people who were important. Of course I didn't let any of this show on my facial expressions. I made a bold move to sit to the right of Zelrius, sitting at the head of the table, he seemed confident enough. Oddly, he had a suit on and seemed to be running this event planning. 

 

Almost immediately after I sat down, the young man got right down to business. Zelrius began by speaking of the lack of players gathered here for guild planning. That wasn't the only issue though, we didn't have very many prepared people here. Most weren't able to take as many hits as the others but still, we needed to work on that. After a slight interjection by Mari, he  brought up another point. Zelrius was blunt, no doubt about that, but he was also honest. He proved that we do need "cannon fodders or custodians" to make this battle successful. It was painful to hear but, we were all thinking it probably. 

 

Biting my lip with about a million different thoughts in my head I finally decided to stand up. H-hello, my name is Primrose and I'm the guild leader of the Knights of Abyss. My personal abilities lie more in the battle range. I am willing to provide any training necessary for the battle that is coming up quick. I can guarantee that I can teach anyone how to fight, defend themselves, and just stay alive if that's a problem. Now, I haven't been in an actual boss fight before, just training but, I think that we should be careful about how we categorize ourselves. I might not be correct for reminding all of you but there is a chance of death, no matter what you do so please choose where you go and what you do carefully. My guild doesn't have many members that will be willing to participate but I will be more than happy to supply everyone with monster grenades, I don't use my col anyways. Also, if we need supplies and have col shortages with guild purchases, I can help with that. I took a deep breath and stared at the faces around me. Either they would think I was stupid or....okay? I put my head in my hands and rubbed my eyes, ready to listen to anymore suggestions. 

[Guest]

Alkor crouched down in the back of the room, arms crossed and hanging between his lap. He listened to the proceedings, mainly about the front line initiative and leveling up; if they were going to get to where they needed to be, people would have to get involved. Unfortunately, you couldn't explicitly tell any one player they had to join in. To that end, Alkor had a sound idea.

"There will always be those who want to go it alone," he chimed in, "but there should always be an option for those who want to work together prior to the boss battle to do so." He gestured toward Lessa, "for those people who like to know who they're fighting next to before they put their lives on the line."

He took a breath, uneasy about calling any amount of attention to himself. He cleared his throat with a wincing look, then opened his eyes to stare down at the floor. "You should open a party for those interested in a group grind," Alkor got to the point, if only so he could be finished talking. "That's all I've got,"he added.

He rose to his full height- unimpressive though it was- and stretched out, intent on banishing the attention he'd drawn to himself. When he relaxed his arms, he let his left hand rest on the hilt of his sword. He watched the group and listened intently.

[Kiru 0]

I ran through the scorched grounds of Phoenix City, in search of nothing really. Just a little bit of amusement would be fine by me. My black and white hair flurried behind me as I passed building by building. My purpose for being on this particular floor was just exploring msotly. I had been here for a couple days now and decided to go wander around, possible stab a few things while I was at it. I kept on running until something finally caught my eye. From inside of a worn down building with smashed windows I could see none other than Zelrius. Oh, this'll be fun! For a moment I listened to the conversation going on and decided it was about a boss battle, or a raid maybe. With a smirk I kicked the door open and made eye contact with Zelrius. I flipped my two toned hair over my shoulder and took the last remaining seat in the room, so conveniently right next to Zelrius. Of course I knew already that no one knew who I was or why I was there, that's what made my entrance more dramatic. Hello, everyone. I jabbed Zelrius in the rib and looked at him from the corner of my eye, smiling too. I want to join you guys, If I may. I whispered to him, making sure no one else heard me. 

[Zelrius 0]

Zelrius cleared his thoart at the Interjection of the familiar face of Kiru. With all he bouncing about and jabbing him, Zelrius only got a bit irriatted but was actually glad otherwise that she was here. As her being the current highest level who seemed to be running around, It would be better to have her on the frontlines. Hoe went on with his own descisions

 

"I'd like to announce that the other people here are allowed infact to edit the Panel and add in who they please where they please. Then at the end of this meeting, We will revise and edit as a group to the correct means. Now, about this woman here. The one that entered and is now seated beside me. Her name is Kiru. The last of the Highest Levels along with Daeron, Argumail, and my self. I am glad she made her intrusion, For she will be representing those who are guildless in this meeting."

[Zero 0]

Zero remained silent as he heard the others speak and have their say. He closed his eyes waiting for an opportunity to speak and sighed slightly as more players arrived. Once everyone had said what they had to say he opened his eyes, and unfolding his arms, took a deep breath. He was relieve there weren't too many players gathered, not like in the planning meetings he'd been in before, and cleared his throat after Zelrius had introduced the player known as Kiru. "I want to say a few things before we continue... I am no strategist or much of a leader, I'm a soldier. But I have some information of interest regarding the boss."

He placed his hands on the table and glanced at the players with serious glare. "Anyone who has less than 13 HP I suggest avoid this, the boss is a multi-headed monster. It has a total of four heads, each with 30 HP, a total of 120. This thing can inflict a burn effect and can ignore armor through a fire breath. I am not joking when I say this thing will be a pain to beat if we aren't prepared accordingly." He stood up from his chair and slightly leaned over the table. "We'll need to make up for the lack of tanks, not to mention damage output, which is why I agree in part with Zelrius' line up. I only have one other change, we need someone who can aggro the boss here and there that can also dodge pretty well. I'm afraid I don't have information on the damage the boss deals, but Shark assured me he'd help so adding him to the roster may change our chances to a more positive aspect."

Zero sighed after he let it all out, looking over their faces. "What do you all think? My Coordinated Edge and Three Great Beasts are at your service, so use them as you will. I have done my part here, the rest I leave in all of your capable hands. I trust your judgement, you all have shown or show promise in leading the floor clearing so it is up to you." He sat back down and crossed his arms like before, he wasn't used to talking to a group.

[Guest]

"I don't like it, but.." Alkor grimaced as he brought up his menu and deselected his gloves, replacing them with the shield that the Twinfire Phoenix had dropped. He held up the item for the group to see, brilliant blues and oranges swirling in an ornate pattern around a central ruby gem. "I have a shield," he muttered reluctantly. He was among the quickest members of the group, but the only one, it seemed, with a viable defensive option. "I don't have any hate skills to maintain aggression, though."

He didn't want to tank, especially not in a boss fight. Even if "tanking" was a poor excuse for what he'd be doing. He dismissed the aegis, replacing it with his gloves. "If someone else is interested in being the glory hog, pipe up now," he added.

The golden eyed boy took his place against the back wall of the room, bowing his head so that he couldn't see any eyes on him. The shield was, in reality, probably not going to be all that useful against a fire type floor boss. It's burn effects would prove pretty useless in that respect. Still, it offered extra defense against attacks. That could prove more than a little bit helpful.

Alkor felt the redness in his cheeks at having spoken so much. SAO had really become an entirely different world to him, one where Alkor spoke up and was seen- Thom, in the real world, had always been quiet and invisible. His character was on the Front Lines, fighting for freedom. It felt amazing, but it was also terrifying.

[Shark 0]

I checked the time on my clock, Looks like it's not over yet. I should drop in and get the low down on what's going on. I said as I made my way to the 5th floor teleporter. I teleported to the 9th floor and made my way towards the meeting area. I checked the time again to make sure it was still in progress. I hope it's still going. I said as I started to run.

 

I came to the building where the meeting was held and when I got inside, I noticed that there were a lot of people waiting for the elevator. I ran up the stairs until I reached the floor of the meeting. I ran down the hall and could here some players talking. If someone else is interested in being the glory hog, pipe up now. At that point I threw the doors open and strolled inside. I'm sorry... I'm late. Good... to see... so many... of you. I huffed and puffed as I tried to catch my breath. A minute later I caught my breath and looked around the room. Alright, if someone can catch me up on the plan, that would be great. I said as I came up behind Zero.