[OP-F1] Escape

[Xanatos 0]

"You're a fool Daeron...A waste of server space...enjoy Oblivion coward....You had so much life and potential and you have thrown that all away in self-pity...Mari may be a crazy Bit#$...but you wanted her to be yours...now she never will be..." I walked away towards where Mari exited, passing the sword the she pulled out of his stomach. You really are a piece of work, Mari. But I hope you can find your peace, your redemption, your light. I wandered farther and farther, I didn't want to stop until I was exahusted...but the truth was...I was already at my limit with the stupidity and cowardice of some of these players...weaklings....

[Daeron 1]

Daeron felt his weapon being pulled out of him. He had thought Oske did it, but when he looked, it was Mari. His wound stung as she had first driven the weapon deeper, twisting it. When she walked off with his weapon, he simply began trembling. Moments later, he erupted with laughter. Though the red scar was there right now, he laughed in a dark manner.

He looked towards ground snickering. "I knew you'd do that. The only reason why I did that was because I knew you were coming. You see, you never come to me unless something happened. You claim you don't like me, but yet you spare me. Why Mari? Why now?" Something in Daeron's mind had been triggered and it was affecting him. He couldn't see why he should be normal after what he'd just gone through against her.

[Calrex 0]

Calrex gave a sigh as he saw the situation continue to progress. As Mari walked off with Daeron's blade he pushed off of the tree as he saw Oske run over and embrace Daeron while Ariel seemed to snap out of her sadistic state. At the same time Xanatos berated Daeron for his supposed cowardice at trying to kill himself. He gave another sigh as he saw Xanatos walk off after Mari, now turning his attention to Daeron's group.

 

"I'm not really sure if I should wait to retrieve Daeron's weapon from Mari, or if I should wait here and hopefully try to play damage control."

 

As looked over at Xanatos as he continued walking off, "It really feels like I'm invisible here. Guess this must be what it's like to be left out of something."

 

He kept his arms crossed as he split his attention between the departing Mari and the distraught Daeron, his mind continuing to process the incoming information and trying to form accurate conclusions from it. Unfortunately without the information leading up to this point there was nothing e could really draw an accurate assumption from.

[Mari 1]

Mari had never heard Daeron's questions, nor his words- as she had walked away from the group almost immedietly. Not wanting to deal with another large group of people, let alone the same people she had just gotten away from. 

She was a good 30 metres or so away; and at that point she paused; thrusting his sword into the ground so he, or another one of those around him. Perhaps Oske - could go retrieve it for him later when he wasn't in such a delusional state. Mari sighed as she dusted off her hands; talking to herself. "Oh Daeron, why do you let me do this to you?" She muttered.

Mari warned him.

She warned him if he continued to persue her he'd only hurt himself in the process. As it turns out, he had literally decided to do so. He hadn't learned to stand on his own two feet. He was reliant on her; and her approval. To attempt to kill oneself, simply because their affections were not returned? What kind of sick bastard did that?

Mari heaved the sword deeper into the dirt, till she was satisfied it would not fall over. 
 

[Azide 0]

At the sound of metal being driven into the dirt, he lifted his head. "Long time no see," he quipped. His eyes traveled slowly from Mari to the blade that stood upright beside her. He raised his brow as his eyes lit up with restrained recognition. "I swear, I've seen that thing before." But it certainly couldn't be hers- the woman had been using a dagger before, and he doubted she'd bother to specialize in a second weapon-type.

With no one left between them to be swept into potential turmoil, he'd since reclaimed his usual air of calm. If she'd wanted to kill him, she very well could have- all the way back when he was a measly level three. Even still, he doubted that she would want to, in her current state. In her eyes, he thought he could spot frustration- but gone was the desperation which had clouded them.

Even the most timid of beasts would become bold when forced into a corner- and Mari had never appeared to be very timid to begin with. It was no surprise that her potion would catalyze her condition such extremes.

Still, he continued walking until he passed her altogether. Before he could disappear into the forest, he turned to the woman. As an alchemist, he recognized the legitimacy of her potion; it was not lost on him that her attack on Xanatos had taken place under its influence. One way or another, he would have to forget that travesty if he wished to stay productive- no matter how grudgingly.

A memory flashed in his mind's eye, of when she'd placed herself in front of him. Kosan had not been intending to attack- but she couldn't possibly have known that.

He sighed. "You regret them, don't you?" He stared off somewhere past her. His chest felt heavy, and his heart tensed as he recalled the face of a boy who'd fallen right in front of him. He knew that this woman was not the one who had killed him, but she might as well have been.

"Their deaths, I mean. All of those lives you've taken- I have to know, were they regrettable?" He didn't turn his head, but his eyes swept the ground before falling back on Mari in a sideways glance.

[Mari 1]

(Since Daeron hasn't posted I am skipping and going to post here now too :P )

Mari glanced to the side as Azide approached her; she sighed before turning to face him with her head then body. He seemed to silently assess the situation, and if she were to take a guess at it; to a further extent; he had perhaps been assessing her - she had been quite volatile as of late, and she couldn't blame him for his actions. Azide was someone Mari could actually get along with - not that the two had a chance to 'hang out' so to speak. Still, most of the encounters she had with him had been quite hectic - and throughout that turmoil he had kept a level head. 

And in that split moment; he passed her- as though he would walk into the woods -disappearing from the scene. Mari had planned to do much of the same herself; but she was keeping an eye on the blonde girl. Aria? April? Ariel? Mari couldn't remember her name, but something about her simply rubbed Mari the wrong way.

"Hmm?"

Mari turned to look at Azide; his glistening gaze lingering at a faraway point. "Why do you have to know?" Mari muttered bitterly. The question honestly threw her - it was not something someone asked. Most assumed that she had easily taken their lives, and in a sense - it was easy. Others just gave her false sympathy, apologizing as though it was somehow their fault. Mari stayed silent for a few minutes, and it wasn't until Azide went to take another step that she spoke up again; her voice barely audible. 
 

"Yes."

It was a short answer; one that probably did not satisfy any lingering questions he may have held. Mari was never one to offer everything so easily. Especially to those she did not know.
 

[Xanatos 0]

Walking further and further away from the pitiful scene that was Daeron's suicide, I found Mari and Azide, conversing under a tree. I cautiously walked to side of Azide. "Everything all right here?" I asked him. I turned my head to Mari. "Are you alright in the head now?" I calmly asked. "Listen, I'm sorry about what happened. I know that people snap, I know that people have feelings deep down that just can't be simply washed away in a day...I hope you can find some peace in solace. I won't bother you any longer..."

[Calrex 0]

"Huh...it seems that the parties have become more evenly distributed now..."

 

Calrex gave a sigh as he watched Xanatos and Azide walk over and begin to converse with Mari. In the meantime Daeron, Oske, Ariel and the yet unnamed third player were still underneath the tree. He switched from crossing his arms to putting them in his pockets as he moved a little closer so that he could hear both conversations that were going on. Unfortunately Mari's group appeared to be out of earshot as he couldn't make out anything from them. In the meantime Daeorn's group was completely silent, most likely still recovering from the emotionally taxing incident.

 

"I'm not really sure if being an outsider is helpful or hurtful in this situation. In all honesty I'm not really sure how to respond to this. I could approach with the tough guy response and try to smack some 'sense' back into Daeron, but right now it seems like that would only serve to escalate things in the wrong direction. I would attempt the cool calm, unbiased view explanation, but it seems like I would need to know more in order to do so...*sigh* I'm really out of options right now."

 

Since it seemed like he would be of more help over with Daeron's group Calrex calmly walked himself over. It seemed like Oske and Daeron were already occupied so he walked over to the still stunned Ariel, extending his hand to help her to her feet, "It seems like the situation has de-escalated for now..." 

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

The blonde was so distracted by all that happened around that she was surprised to find herself still laying on the ground when Calrex came and offered to help her rise. She close her eyes and took a couple of long breath, listening to anything that might want to  say something, like a few moment ago. All she got in response was silence followed by the echo of her own thoughts: 'Am I starting to hear things?' she asked herself while grabbing Cal's hand and raising herself. " With her right hand she started rubbing her forehead, closing her eyes while speaking: "Yeah I don't know what happened, all I remember was me thinking about how we didn't made it higher than the 10th floor after a year because of these petty argues that the front liners have amongst them. Instead of focusing on our moin goal to reach the 100th floor." she said with a calm tone, then took a look at Oske and Daeron. She didn't want to complain or dismiss their efforts so far but she had a feeling that things could've been different in the floor department.

 

She turned towards the two and approached them, her eyes were fixed at Daeron. She'd finally remember from where she had this annoying feeling that she knew him.She then spoke to him in a cold manner: "You must be a S-grade masochist if you allow her to treat you like that. I can't find another explanation for it as I don't buy the 'but I love her' act. Here's a piece my thoughts: You might not remember Mr ex-'Second in Command' but I was a part of the Guardians, like yourself. I think we've only meet once during a team-building session of our ex-guild. First time I laid my eyes on you, you were making us newbies, promises of greatness. I took a couple of steps back, unconsciously hiding after Lessa's back...Yes I got intimidated by the aura of confidence you emanated back then." her gaze became even colder..adding a bit of disgust to her tone:

 

"Look at you now!!! Laying there like a dog who lost it's master, pathetic. Where is that guy that looked like he was about to barge into the floor boss's room and take him on a 1 vs 1 fist fight??? The one who intimidated all around him and was part of the reason I aspired to become a front liner???" the coldness slowly transformed into rage as memories from that time came back to Ariel's mind. Memories about her former guild master, Lessa with her pink armor and massive pink claymore, the person that started a guild dedicated to protect ALL residents of Aincrad, without exception. As she finished her 'speech' the blonde could feel a strand of transparent liquid running down her left cheek. 'What is this? Why am I crying?' she asked herself, wiping it away with her right hand.

[Daeron 1]

Daeron stood silently, listening to everyone call him out. His thoughts were racing. Had he his weapon, he'd no clue what would happen. After yet another scolding, Daeron walked over to Mari, still without saying a word. His mind wanted something but his body was taking it upon himself to act on his thoughts. He grabbed his weapon, and held it in his right hand. He walked over to Ariel and he simply shook his head in frustration. The anger was building up, and it was building quickly.

"I've missed this feeling." He said, choosing not to invest too much time talking.

He wanted to kill. Like he did before. He could tell he would enjoy it greatly, simply because of how he felt thinking about it. "Ariel. Oh, you pathetic fool, Ariel. There is one reason why I was so dangerous compared to Mari..." He said placing his weapon to her stomach pushing gently, just for her to feel it. "I killed for fun." He said, whispering into her ear.

ID: 14036

Battle: 3 {Miss}

[Calrex 0]

After Ariel accepted Calrex's assistance it seemed like there was still apparently something she needed to say...although in terms of her timing it might not have been the best.

 

"Daeron seems to be going through a lot right now. I'm not really sure of a reflective snap back to reality is the right approach Ariel..."

 

As Daeron seemed to quietly walk off something in Calrex put him on guard as his senses seemed to go on alert, "Something doesn't seem right..."

 

As if to confirm his suspicions Daeron returned with his sword with obvious anger in his eyes. Calrex let a calming breath slip from his lips as he quickly began to analyze the situation.

 

"If Ariel's speech just now provoked Daeron's rage this may not be good. Even if we like to think we're all on the same level as people, our levels speak much more than we would like to believe. No matter what words come out of our mouths, the simply fact no matter what is that Daeron is still more than double our current state. The only one that might be able to communicate with him right now would be Oske..."

 

As the gold-clad player seemed to perform an intimidating gesture at Ariel Calrex gave a calming breath as he finally decided it was time to step in. He approached from the side Daeron wasn't whispering from, calmly pushing the tip of his sword down and away without using excessive force. Too little might give off a sense of fear or intimidation, and too might could hint an authoritative stance. He was trying to talk to Daeron as an equal, or at least attempt to. As he spoke he made sure to keep his voice calm and devoid of any commanding tone.

 

"Alright, I think you've made your point Daeron, literally. There's no need for any unnecessary confrontation right now. You can sheath your sword."

[Azide 0]

As the woman answered him, his eyes caught sight of a familiar face. He turned his head to confirm that the approaching figure was, in fact, Xanatos. Had Mari not appeared so calm, his guildmate's appearance would have been a cause for worry.

He knew very well that his statements back there had been laced with bravado. While he did indeed keep an arsenal of crystals on hand, the man's lower level of health would almost throw a wrench into any attempts at self defense. The amount he was permitted to carry could soothe quite the amount of havoc- but it wasn't something he wished to test.

Azide nodded to his question. "As of the moment, everything is civil enough. It's a lot calmer here, now that we've all given each other a bit of room."

His attention shifted to Mari in full. Never for a moment had he deluded himself into thinking that a nice speech or kind sentiments could suddenly pull a soul like hers back into the light. He'd sensed her darkness from their very first encounter- but came to find that she had been quite level-headed back at the planning of their next raid. Hell, she'd even made an honest living as an alchemist since that time.

So perhaps he'd asked his question, hoping to hear a certain answer leave her lips. Mari had at first rebuffed him with a question of her own, before answering with a solemn yes. It was terse, but it sufficed.

"Then don't let that feeling subside, Mari. Because if it ever did," he sighed, "things could only ever end in one way. Maybe not here, and maybe not now. But the repercussions would catch up in due time. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a shop to be getting back to, so I'll spare you any further rhetoric."

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

As she'd completely wipe the remaining tears on her right cheek and continue to watch the golden guy while he was retrieving his weapon, her eyes showed rage and defiance: 'So he wants to fight?' she thought, her right hand twitching twice unconsciously. She continued to look him in the eyes as he declared his true colors, a smile began creeping on her face as she raised both her arms like welcoming him, while he was slowly brandishing his weapon, then she'd speak in a serious tone: " I'm the fool? I don't care much about Mari..or even you for that matter. I used to look up to you guys, the front liner...the so called 'elite', I wanted to join you all, in conquering one floor after another alongside your lot. 'I was blind but now I see' is a popular saying that would apply in this situation, right?." then her voice became subdued as she was had a apologetic tone, addressing no one in particular....at least nobody that was present it seemed, her eyes starring at no one in particular.

 

"I'm sorry Lessa, I try to understand these orange players, I truly do. But all I see is that they're a bunch of emotional wrecks, you said they each had a motive and a story for going orange. So I tried not to judge them for past actions but... but still, all they do is aim their weapons at me. Mari, Kosan and now Daeron too, a former guild mate. Still I made a vow to protect the players in Aincrad, no matter who or what they are, even if the Guardians got disbanded and I joined another guild. I won't forget that vow." she then focused on Daeron again, her eyes showed some newfound conviction as she spoke in a clear and determined tone:

 

"So that is why Daeron, I didn't fight Mari or Kosan and I'm not going to fight you. You may have forgotten what it meant to be a Guardian of Aincrad but I sure didn't.*sigh* I'm glad Lessa isn't here to see what you have become..or if I understand it right..reverted to. She would've been sad to see you in this state. To follow the previous 'dog' comparison, now you are now going rabid, attacking people left and right. Like the person you tried to stop before." She'd got so into her words that she didn't notice Calrex stepping in and trying to calm them both. 'Maybe I should learn to control my sincerity... It only seems to make people attack me' she thought, revealing a light smile in self pity.

[Oske 0]

Oske watched as Daeron… changed. Someone who she felt close to, someone she thought she knew well… reverted back to a side she had only seen once or twice in her entire life. She didn’t want to leave him, but she certainly didn’t want to be there either. In fact, in all honesty, Oske wanted to get up and run away. First, Mari had gone completely insane. And now, Daeron was threatening to kill… for fun. Her head was spinning, and for a moment, she heard it. A voice.

 

Are you going to fight? Or will you just kill yourself? Oske pushed her hands to her ears. She had begged for this to not happen—she took all her medications in the real world, but were they important when she was in a coma? She assumed, at this point, that her medications were not being pumped into her via IV. Jump out the window. It’s your only option.

 

Oske looked around… and there was no window. The voice itself was not making sense. But she didn’t want to be the one to fall to insanity, too. She needed to keep a grip, otherwise… who would? She rose to her feet, shaking a little as tears welled in her eyes. She swallowed, growling, “Daeron… is this what you really want to do? All because of a little rejection?â€

 

You’re no better, miss—Oh, Jeff! Love me or I’ll kill myself! Oske shook her head again, clearly distressed. “I never thought I’d say this, but people like that make me sick.†No wonder you hate yourself. Loser. 

[Mari 1]

-As Daeron has left the site I will be ending this RP so those who participated can gain their SP and Col from the thread-


COMPLETE

All Participants: 1 SP + 57 Col