[OP-F4] Part I: To Become Faint

[Calrex 0]

OOC: O_O NO don't send this to the abyss! XD

 

IC:

 

Calrex looked over as he saw Azide walk up, congratulating the both of them on their display. He gave a friendly nod as he looked back over at Oikawa, "Alright, I'll go ahead and sit on the side for now. Good luck with the next match."

 

He looked over as he responded to Azide's question, "I have a feeling if we went with half-life instead of first strike Oikawa would win hands down, heh. He's got ore training under his belt, plus he can hit much harder than even my strongest strikes. Just a couple of hits and it would result in my loss."

 

With that he looked over and noticed something out of the ordinary. Over where the other player was sitting, there was a familiar lion cub sniffing the potion bottles he had already consumed, "Kimba?"

 

"Wait, if Kimba's here, that must mean that Ariel is nearby. I wonder where she's at."

 

His eyes scanned the floor, but in terms of the ground area she was nowhere to be found. He shrugged his shoulders before finding a nearby bench, sitting down and preparing to watch Oikawa's next fight.

[XWuZHeAR 0]

The warped Aincrad was actually a pretty awesome place. Sure the clown is pretty damn scary. The two twin girls with blood on there dresses is also equally as scary. However there are sexy dancers so you know it balances out. Then a F*cking lion came! Oh... Wait that's ariels mutt.

"Ariel is exactly 8.6 meters north east on a rooftop! You didn't activate your stealth skill and also didn't think I would notice. But I did! B*tch! Whooooo! I love potions!" I screamed at the top of my lungs sounding like a drug fiend.

I looked down again at the starry eyed allusion glowing even brighter. My hand twitched as I really wanted to drink it but was scared.

[Oikawa 1]

The sound of clapping littered the air as their fight concluded. Oikawa was surprised to see the claps coming from none other than the leader of his guild, Azide. "Glad to see you here," Oikawa stated as he gestured for a handshake between the two. His leader offered his congratulations and some food for thought. "More decisive? Sure but you can learn a lot from even first hit duels. Things are actually more tense in a FS Duel than a HL one. At least in my own opinion." 

 

The snow continued to blanket the plaza as the group conversed. A sudden outburst disrupted the serene environment they had briefly held. Glancing about, Oikawa noticed Ariel's familiar Kimba. As X continued his shouts, Oikawa searched the rooftops and windows for the Crowned Lion. He had begun to doubt her presence until he noticed a blonde haired figure perched along the top of the clock tower a few meters away. So she was just watching as well. I wonder if she'll come down to fight ?

 

Turning back to Azide, Oikawa flashed his iconic grin before commenting, "Sooooo, care to duel my good friend?" 

[Azide 0]

Azide took his guildmate's hand in his own and gave it a firm shake while returning the young man's grin with a smile of his own. But their expressions contrasted, and his lips took a quieter shape than the bolder one of Oikawa. Azide smiled as if he were holding something back- and in a sense, he was. But this was to be a more exciting day, and he would treat it as such.

As Oikawa glanced at something in the distance, he turned his own attention to Calrex, and returned the same nod of acknowledgement. "You never know," was all that he'd said before the man turned to and made his way to the bench.

For a moment, his eyes became lost in the snowy skylines of Snowfrost Town, and his gaze had swept right past a roof-bound Ariel without recognition. As crystal flakes landed against his skin, they melted from the heat and shattered. He watched as they gave way to particles of blue, and swirled off into nothingness. It was all so fragile.

Oikawa's challenge snapped him back to the snow-dusted square, and in response, he opened his inventory. "Very well, first strike it is," he answered, as a new weapon replaced Quantum Slicer in his leather sheath. He pulled the blade free with a click, and slid the sword out half-way. His fingers flexed and immediately fell into place around the rapier's leather-wrapped grip.

Perhaps it would be more accurate to call the weapon an old blade, rather than a new one; it was a sword that his hands hadn't known in ages, and yet it felt just as good in them as ever. With one hand, he freed Atom Slicer from its sheath, while the other summoned a familiar screen.

Azide has challenged you to a first-strike duel. Accept?

Yes/No

[Oikawa 1]

The brunette swiped his menu a few times. A rapier he had seen before. One that brought back memories that came in bits and pieces. Thi-is blade. I've se-een it be-fo-ore. He eyed Azide. A look of confusion and fear crept along his expression. Then in a whisper, he asked his leader a question. "That blade...You've used it before I forged Quantum Slicer correct?" It doesn't make sense. I've seen that blade from somewhere, but I can't remember what. Vines, lush greenery, scales. The hell does it mean. 

 

Oikawa began to visibly shake with frustration. All he could see were the same three images over and over again. They were walking along a path. In a jungle it seemed. The place was littered with trees, bushes, and vinery. The place was certainly beautiful. Darkness. The next scene, I giant mass of emerald scales come crashing through the brambles. What is it ?  A dragon? A snake? Ughh I can't remember. A new image appeared. a giant furry stalk. It was quite a weird looking stalk and for some reason it gave him the chills. Whatever that is, it's bad business. These fragmented memories are stupid. Why can't I remember?

 

Oikawa looked up and eyed the recent ping that appeared on his HUD.

 

Azide has challenged you to a first-strike duel. Accept?
Yes/No

 

 

He selected yes. Whatever it is, it'll have to wait until this duel is over. I need to focus. Oikawa took a defensive stance. One where his rapier was held high, right above shoulder level and pointed at Azide. His shield was held directly in front of him. Pulled close to his body and lowered to cover most of his torso and lower body. The counter begin to wind down. Tick. Tick. Tick. 7. 6. Tick. Tick. Deep breaths Oikawa, the first strike is the most important one focus on that.

 

[13637] LD: 12

[Azide 0]

He twirled Atom Slicer in his hand for two reasons; first of all, it was to get used to the blade's heavier weight. The second was admittedly less about tactics, and more about the gesture's aesthetics. He realized that such actions would look rather stupid in real life, but in a game like Sword Art Online, it felt more like a natural extension of wielding this weapon.

Oikawa's eyes seemed to trace the arc of the blade's rotation, and as he peered back into their depths, he saw that his friend was gripped by a look of horror. In a low voice, he uttered a seemingly innocent question, and it occurred to Azide that his friend had been one of the few to have ever seen him with this blade.

It was a relic of the past- made obsolete with the forging of Quantum Slicer. But in a first-strike duel such as this, it could easily hold its own.

He nodded and raised a brow at his guildmate's sudden inquiry. "That's true," he answered, as he studied Oikawa's expression. "Why do you ask?" he added, with a flash of wary eyes.

Whatever it was that'd overcome the young man, he could be certain that it must've been distressing- the blond-haired youth was practically shaking in his boots. Despite his opponent's unusual state, he couldn't help but be reminded of a previous encounter of theirs under similar circumstances.

The thought was shaken loose by the gradual ticking of the clock. Every second that passed brought them a second closer to the inevitable. He tightened his grip on Atom Slicer, and rotated the sword to an inward diagonal stance. "Was it reckless for me to accept?"

He shook his head. The fallout could always be dealt with later.

ID: 13648

LD: 12

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

"Tsk..." exclaimed the blond after X started shouting, giving away her position. She'd forgotten about his sharp detection skill, the same one he used to encounter the PKer a while ago. As she turn around to get out of their field of vision, fully hiding behind the clock tower. 'Baka Kimba!' she thought, as her familiar went next to X of all people. 'Hopefully they will dismiss his random shouts as the ones of a drunkard. "

 

She thought about the duel result...' I'm not sure how Cal managed to use those multiple skill-like moves, maybe he's been heavily practicing it for a while. ' wondered the blond..knowing that SAO currently had only a couple of active system-assisted skills..some of them being Charge and Howl. leaving that thought aside she had to say that Cal has evolved quite well... she's beginning to seriously consider recommending him to join the Brigade. Lately S1 has grown in numbers far rapidly that she originarily expected while the other guilds seemed to be stagnant. She wanted to add new blood to her 'family' but without decreasing the guild's prestige as the top front lining and powerful guild.

 

As she took another peek she saw Oikawa and Azide searching for her as X pointed out. Apparently they didn't noticed her so she decided to change her location to another roof and watch the next duel. One between the S1 'top brass' Oikawa vs Azide, she didn't want to jinx but her money was on Azide this time. 'Sorry Kawi-kun *chuckle* but he isn't at your level anymore, from what I heard he's been hanging out with the top front liners in planning the next floor boss fight.' she thought, feeling bad for her choice.  

[Calrex 0]

As X yelled out Ariel's location Calrex looked across the rooftops to try and notice her. Unfortunately, it looked like his detection skills weren't at the level that the other player was at, as he was unable to locate her.
 
"Most likely she changed her position once X decided to call her out. Although it looks like Kimba decided to go ahead and do her own thing."
 
He looked over as Kimba continued to sniff at the empty vials that X had already...consumed?! His eyes widened in surprise at the sight of seeing not one, not two, but three vials already empty. "D-Did he already drink that many?! What kind of effect would that have on a person?"

He decided to dismiss the fact from his mind after some thought. While he was initially concerned of the fact that X had decided to drink one of Mari's potions in general, he reassured himself of the fact that all of the ones he did purchase seemed to not have effects that would be harmful to others. With that he turned back and observed the fight, his eyes scanning both of the competitors.

"Oikawa seems to have some kind of history with Azide's blade, especially from the way he's acting. That fear can be a hindrance if he doesn't find a way to dismiss or harness it to his advantage. On the other hand Azide seems to be calm and composed, and seems to be ready to strike. It looks like this fight might be determined by who managed to make the first move."
 
OOC: LOL another roll with the name number?!

[Oikawa 1]

Snow already fell at an abysmally slow pace. So when the flakes began to drift at near standstill speed, Oikawa knew this is what it was like to feel nervous before a bout. He knew it wasn't life or death. He knew it was a friendly challenge between comrades and friends. However, he couldn't shake this twisted dark feeling that welled up inside of him. Even worse the feeling seemed to be something that was trying to leak out. Like it had been there all this time.

 

What is this? Broken memories that offer no answer to why I am so freaked out about that sword. Broken memories that one allow to stop trembling with fear and anticipation. Broken memories that may end up costing me this duel. Broken memories that seem like...they were...broken for a reason.

 

Tick. Another second had passed.

 

Oikawa tightened his grip on his blade. His knuckle going white from the pure strain he was putting on the joints. His face grew restless as if to convey how absurdly slow the final seconds seemed to tick down. He focused his sights on the brunette before him and silently marked several points where he could make a first hit. These seem to be my best option. That blade of his. It has a trait separate from all other rapiers in-game. This one was meant to cut. Much like Quantum Slicer.

 

Tick. Another second had passed.

 

[13732] LD: 17

[Azide 0]

The relativity of time was not unknown to him- nor was its arbitrary nature. Every tick of the clock represented the passing of a second, and yet how many moments had passed between them?

That number only seemed to grow as it approached zero, and he wondered if it might come to a crawl so slow that the duel would be postponed indefinitely, with both sides appearing frozen in time to the world around them.

But the number dropped, dispelling the notion. "Why am I fighting?" It was a variation of a question he'd pondered during his first venture past the Town of Beginnings. "Why do I fight?"

A simple question. A necessary question. He could answer with the usual- that he was fighting to free himself and everyone else from Kayaba's god complex, or that he wanted to protect those weaker than him. And these things were true; but there had always been a simpler reason.

"To be the best," he reminded himself. His fingers flexed against the wooden grip of Atom Slicer, then tightened around it. "To be number one." It was an illogical drive that seemed to defy the rest of his being. But perhaps his identity had always hinged on that title- one that did not carry into this world, where the stronger man's word was law.

His gaze held firm against Oikawa's. Held it unbrokenly. Stubbornly.

It was time to begin.

ID: 13743

LD: 11

[Oikawa 1]

Tick. Match start.

 

For the briefest of moments, Oikawa dipped his waist and let his stance drop ever so slightly before digging his toes into the snow and propelling himself forward. The action to the naked eye would look as if a blur of grey and blonde appeared then vanished. To the trained eye the movement was extremely quick, but still traceable. Oikawa brought his shield forward to anticipate a slash from his opponent, with no movement in sight, he ducked yet again. This time feigning for a low rising stab, that actually led into jumping thrust. 

 

Hoping his quick movements and feint would catch the player off guard, he thew his whole shoulder into the eventual strike. Time stood still as once again he waited for the sound of blade connecting with his target, and again he would be disappointed to hear the crunch of snow as he impaled the snowy fields on which they stood.

 

Too aggressive of a move. Maybe i should stayed with the low blow. There's no time to ponder on what could've happened. i just need to make sure I deflect his attack. Oikawa spun around  and placed his shield in front of him to protect his crouched position. Just stay aware.

 

 

 

[13751] BD: 4 + 1 (ACC) - 3 (EVA) = 2 Miss

[Azide 0]

Time was relative.

What could've been no more than a handful of seconds felt indistinguishable from boundless hours. His eyes traced the still decent of every falling flake in the field, and processed them like single shots from a polaroid. Oikawa rushed forward in an impressive burst of speed, and again his eyes processed the movements in a similar way.

Azide felt as if he could trace every motion- every step and flex of the blond's body as his opponent tore across the field. His eyes widened as Oikawa decided to toss out his shield rather than his blade, but he held steady and still. "In duels of this nature, the first mistake decides the victor." He felt content to bide his time, waiting for the faintest of slip ups.

What followed was a bluff that flowed into a fully committed assault; perhaps one that was too committed. Azide leapt back, opting to dodge his opponent's blade altogether, rather than deflect it with his own.

Oikawa withdrew to a defensive stance, once again subjecting him to yet another committed action- only this time, a defensive one. Azide switched gears and darted forward. With a flurry of light swings and jabs, his blade served only to tease the youth's shield away from its protective position, without actually intending to hit the man behind it.

Sparks flew as metal met metal time and time again, filling the air with that distinctive clang. Azide stepped back and raised his blade, coaxing his opponent's shield to lift just the slightest bit. He shifted his grip, so that his hand travelled up the length of the weapon by roughly half an inch. Hardly noticeable, in the heat of battle- but a significant detail, no less.

Atom Slicer tore through the air with astonishing ferocity, but came short of ripping into the ever-present shield of Oikawa. Instead, it merely grazed the polished surface until passing its length in full. With a sharp turn, the swing's momentum carried into a horizontal slash that just barely cleared the extent of the Inquisiteur's reach. Metal sliced cleanly into Oikawa's leg, and the duel was brought to an end.

ID: 13752

BD: 7 - 2 (EVA) + 2 (SVY) + 3 (ACC) = 10 (Hit)

[XWuZHeAR 0]

Azide and Oikawas duel again took forever for someone to make a move. Luckily the ring bell girl was cute. The damn clowns have multiplied. Wait what's that? It's bright really really bright. It turns out to be the starry eyed allusion potion which is now glowing very bright. My hand is now visibly uncontrollably shaking. I wanted to drink it bad because of who I knew I'd see but sadly that's also the same reason I was scared of drinking it. I decided quick to just drink the damn thing so I did and crused the vial in my hand.

"Hey." I said to the now appearing figure.

Of course it's her... how could not be her?... Damnit it's her! I stared very very intensely stared at the girl who speared before me. She then slowely took up her hands and gently placed them on her face. Her hands then violently squeezed and clawed her face and Azides sword took Oikawas leg off and an insane amount of blood flew.

"Ah! What the hell is going on!" I shouted.

I looked at the now screaming girl as she turned into a sorta pink mist ghost. I could hear her giggle and then the pink mist blew away. I was breathing heavily and sweating.

"What the f*ck?" I said in between heavy breaths.

[Oikawa 1]

I'm on the defensive already? Sadly I can tell this match will come to a close soon. I wish I had landed that strike.

 

*Clank*

 

The first strike bounced off his shield with relative ease. 

 

*Clank Clank Clan-Clank-Cla-Ank*

 

A flurry of strikes began to rattle the shield that kept Oikawa from losing the fight. Sparks and tiny strips of metal glided across the snowy fields as Oikawa tried to keep his defense up. Something's not right about his attack. He's usually way more calculative than this. Why is he redundantly attacking my shield? Unless- His thought came a second too late as the blade dove past the edge of his shield. Narrowly avoiding the shield's natural reach, Azide executed a perfect maneuver as he sent his blade into flesh of Oikawa's leg.

 

Gritting his teeth, he acknowledge the pop-up window signaling the end of the match and his loss. He sheathed his blade and walked to Azide. Head hung low he, offered a weak handshake to his victorious comrade. Something doesn't feel right. That darkness I felt earlier, it's back and stronger than bef-

 

"That was quite the match...Azide-kun!" A twisted grin split his lips as he glanced at a now completely delusional X. "Say..it'd be a shame if someone shut him up...permanently." We may be in a safe zone, but that doesn't mean I can't still cause harm. I simply just can't kill him haha. Licking the corners of his lips, Oikawa darted towards X and held him by his neck. "Didn't anyone ever tell you not to drink if you're under-aged? As for you Azide-kun. You think I'd let that idiot that I share bodies with forget this side of himself? How naive keke. Now I'm back and I refuse to go back to the depths of that baka's mind. You know where to find me."

 

With X completely out of it, Oikawa crushed a teleport crystal and sent them to the 6th floor Jungle.

 

-1 Teleport Crystal

 

(I apologize if that became a tad Godmoddish, but I figured it was a great oppurtunity to introduce the sadistic bastard that Oikawa hides deep within himself)

[Calrex 0]

OOC: O_O

 

IC:

 

Calrex watched attentively as Oikawa and Azide began their First Strike match. Even though it was short, it was an amazing bout. As Oikawa went on the defensive Azide managed to overwhelm his shield's stalwart defense with a series of blows that created an opening which he exploited, striking Oikawa's leg. Normally in a regular match this would prove to be minor in the grand scheme, but in a First Strike duel even a single hit counted. The match ended in Azide's victory.

 

In the meantime X had decided to down the last of Mari's potions, the Starry-Eye Illusion. It seemed to amplify the effects of whatever he had already previously done to himself. But that wasn't what concerned Calrex...

 

"That was quite the match...Azide-kun!...Say..it'd be a shame if someone shut him up...permanently....Didn't anyone ever tell you not to drink if you're under-aged? As for you Azide-kun. You think I'd let that idiot that I share bodies with forget this side of himself? How naive keke. Now I'm back and I refuse to go back to the depths of that baka's mind. You know where to find me."

 

As if he were possessed by a completely new persona Oikawa had switched from the easy-going side of himself to something more...sinister. The closest thing Calrex could describe it to would be when Teayre's personality switch when she was under attack during their quest <<Long Live the Queen>>. As Oikawa grabbed X Calrex leapt to his feet, but before he could reach them the two were already gone.

 

As if triggered by the act Calrex reached up as he grasped his head as the pain shot through it, the memory of his encounter with Daeron and Mari still fresh in his mind now flowing through to his attention once again. "Gh..." He gave a few calming breaths as he tried to steady himself, a few of them being borderline the eerily calm ones that gave note to his cold persona.

 

"Focus Calrex, this isn't the time to be letting your emotions and memories run whatever way they want. Analyze what Oikawa just said, 'You know where to find me.' He was looking towards Azide when that happened. That must mean he might know where to find them."

 

He looked over at Azide, walking over to him, "Azide, do you know what just happened? I haven't seen Oikawa act like that before."

 

As he did he looked over at Ariel's familiar, Kimba, remembering that there was an additional observer to the act. Ariel...the memory of seeing a side of her filled with bloodlust worried Calrex as he calmed himself.

 

"No...this has to be done. Azide may be a few levels higher than Oikawa there's no telling what this new persona might do..."

 

He quickly swiped through his menu to send her a message.

 

Subject: Oikawa

Sender: Calrex

 

Ariel, I know you were observing what had just happened. I'm going to go after Oikawa once we find out where he might have gone. If you are able to lend a hand I'll send you the location.

[Xanatos 0]

Seeing these matches was entertaining! Friendly competition, reckless drinking of mind-altering potions! It was heaven! Until something seemed to snap in Oikawa. One moment he was fine, the next, he'e grabbing X by the throat and teleporting to God knows where! "WHAT THE fU@# JUST HAPPENED?" I shout after they dissipated. "Azide, answer Cal! Where did they go? We can't let Oikawa or X end up like Aubrey or Mari, or anyone else that's caught this bug of murderous intent!" WHAT IS WITH EVERYONE WANTING TO KILL PEOPLE RECENTLY???

 

OOC:I second Cals OOC....O_O

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

'That was a weird move' thought Ariel after Azide won the duel with a slash performed with his rapier, a weapon forged to stab... As the blade scraped Oikawa's leg, the blonde let out a sigh 'There you go again...hitting the snow. Maybe you should've had one of X's bottles..to lose the edge a bit.' But what happened next was unexpected, apparently for everyone. While X was in his delusional state people would normally ignore him but after finishing the duel, Oikawa's face and mood changed. She wasn't sure what he told Azide but she could see that it didn't fair well with him. Next, the blond lashed at X grabbing him by the collar, that alone was enough reason for her to leave her hiding spot and jump from one rooftop to another, closing in on them. 

'What the censored has gotten into him?' she wondered but then saw the two disappear into a beam of light. 'Teleported???to where?why?' and in the next moment she received a message from Calrex that was down there as well. As she finished reading it, the blonde jumped from a nearby roof and landed gracefully near the remaining party. She nods to the others and addressed Azide: "I saw everything, what has gotten into him? and what does he plan to do with X???" she asked in a concerned voice, still panting.

 

.

[XWuZHeAR 0]

Oikawa seemed to hop on one leg over to me. When I saw his face it was eroded and his jaw broke off and fell to the ground. This is zombie oikawa. Zombie Oikawa then grabbed me by the neck and seemed to use a teleportation crystal. Before I knew it we appeared in a warped jungle.

"F*ck you." I said and then spat in the zombies face.

Just then the pink mist blew across my face. It smelled just like she did and I heard her giggle again. I then got angry and activated my detection skill. For some reason my eyes lit up Red instead of Green maybe a side effect of the potions. I looked back at zombie Oikawa.

"Sorry about this if your the real Oikawa." I said quickly.

I then took two quick steps on his chest and backflipped off sending the walking corpse flying away. When I landed I noticed his arm was still attached to my neck but not his body.

"Ah!" I yelled as I took the arm off and dropped it to the ground.

I then used my detection skill and saw the pink most blowing with the wind towards this floors safe zone.

"Wait for me!" I yelled as I began to use the jungle vines to travel making it look like some sort of trapeze act.

After a few enormous swings I ended up in the treetop village searching for the pink mist.

[Azide 0]

A dialog box popped up above his head, proclaiming him as the duel's victor- or more specifically, the 'Winner'. He cast Atom Slicer back to its sheath; it was times like these that he was grateful for the blade's unique cutting properties, which had been carried out into its future iterations. But as Oikawa approached him and offered his hand, Azide couldn't help but question the results of the duel.

It wasn't that he'd expected to walk away with the win, although he'd had his suspicions of such an outcome. More so, it was the quick and decisive nature of their match. He'd fought with Oikawa before- there was a sense of distraction underlying his movements, making them imprecise and more prone to error. Even now, as they shook hands, his friend stood sullen and downcast. "He can't be that upset about losing something as silly as a first-strike duel..."

As if to confirm his misgivings, something in Oikawa gave away- as if his sanity had fallen out from under him. An old foe had awoken, and he'd gripped X by the neck in such a manner that was decidedly very un-Oikawa. "I don't think you want to be doing that," called Azide. He held up a single open palm and took slow steps forward, sending a very clear command to cease immediately.

The nature of the game changed completely as his guildmate pulled out a crystal. Its glint immediately caught his eye- not just as a player, but as an Alchemist. "Damn him!" He launched himself forward with explosive steps and rocketed across the snow-covered field, leaving behind a trail of fresh tracks in his wake. He lunged forward as Oikawa and X came very nearly within his reach. But the pair vanished before he could establish contact, sending him tumbling across the ground.

Long wisps trailed from his mouth as he released breathy exhalations. He raised himself from the floor and turned to the players who remained. For a man like Azide, it was standard procedure to confirm and double-confirm even the most obvious of facts; one could never be too careful. But this was one of those exceptions- cross-referencing Oikawa's new position with the friend tracker would only be redundant.

"Long story," he said simply. "But seeing as how I'm too cheap to carry teleportation crystals, I reckon we're going to have to head to Snowfrost's Teleporter immediately." He walked toward them, swapping his weapon out for Quantum Slicer by the time he reached them. His gaze traveled from Calrex to Ariel and finally, to Xanatos. "Hope you all like the sixth floor."

[Calrex 0]

As Ariel joined up with the group Azide quickly gave them the short of the situation. With that Calrex gave a nod as he followed Azide and the others over to the portal, "The Jungle? Why would Oikawa take X there?"

 

"Going from the way Oikawa was acting earlier it might be that something served as a trigger to bring out whatever this side of him is. Forget this side of himself...back to the depths of his mind. Those words might mean this is some kind of repressed part of himself. *sigh* I guess everyone does have their demons to deal with. We're all just really good at putting on a nice face to get by."

 

With that he looked over at Xanatos and Ariel, giving a nod, "Let's hope that we can catch up to them in time."