[PP-F2] Prey (Square One)

[Azide 0]

Azide drew his sword and came to his feet. The world seemed to swirl around him as he recovered from what had amounted to a sonic bomb- but could have only been one thing. His mind drifted back to the beast he'd mentioned before, all the way back to when this trip had been nothing more than a mass message. It'd been intended as nothing more than a throwaway joke- a creature who'd been responsible for multiple player deaths?

It was nothing more than a rumor. At least, it was supposed to be. And now, with a player killer standing right in front of him, he didn't know what to think.

The bush rustled again, and then went still. He held his breath as a moment of silence passed by. Nothing. He could feel his heart rate continuing to rise, and he wondered if it corresponded with the rate of his heart in real life. Could it be dangerous to be this anxious?

And then suddenly, a creature emerged from the undergrowth. He shook his head and cursed under his breath. "It's just a stupid rabbit..."

 

Aeternum, Oikawa, Raeyliff, Xanatos, Zeri

From the brambles and undergrowth emerged a colossal figure. It leapt not through the trees, but through the trees, shattering them with ease as it pounced forward. As it landed, a small tremor shook the ground, and the beast let out an earth-shattering roar. One had to wonder what a creature this massive could possible feed on- perhaps it gorged itself on elephants, until its appetite was sated just enough to keep its hunger at bay.

Its appearance evoked the image of the chimera- only there was no trace of goat to be found in its visage. No, it was instead a mixture of every predator one could possibly; a menagerie combining all of the figures which one was meant to fear, and smashed them together until they created a being which could only be described as horrific.

The creature looked upon its prey with gluttonous desire.

A group of players, numbering five. They stood huddled together, amid tents that might as well have been sewn from tissues.

Crozeph and Rebekah

A man and a woman weaved their way through the many trees of the second floor. It was a tedious chore, and it was drudgery. But it was to be expected, after all. As they traveled, the pair kept their eyes peeled and ready to pick out even the faintest of movements. Such was the job they'd been trained for- and such was a job they did well. Their gazes darted around the greenery impatiently, as if searching for mosquitoes which had landed upon their arms and taken off before they could be swatted.

As if on cue, the duo turned their heads at almost exactly the same time. In the distance- a boy and a girl stood opposed, as if in the middle of a dispute. No exchange of words was necessary- the boss had made their instructions more than clear. They simply made their way over, silently.

The woman stepped forward. Dressed in black and grey attire and neat, short-cut hair, she was the first to address them. "Fine day today, isn't it?" she asked. She wore a brittle smile that didn't veil the cruelty in her eyes even the slightest bit- but from the looks of it, she didn't care. The woman reveled in the unspoken malice which laced her presence.

The man took his place beside her. He was a dapper fellow, and his slick dress mirrored that of his counterpart, giving the two the appearance of a matching set. One had to wonder whether they wore uniforms, or if they'd simply coordinated their outfits for the day. He ran a finger through tousled locks and glared at the two players from between the cracks of his fingers, while a hand slipped closer to the sword at his hip. "Look, I don't know about you folks, but I think we can cut the bullshit." A click sounded as he freed the blade, but refrained from drawing his weapon outright. "You know, and we know, so let's keep it simple. Deal?"

The woman laughed and gestured for the man to stand down. Her mirthless smile slipped into a smirk as he fell into line. She held her hands clasped behind her back, and her head high. She looked down her nose at the pair before them, like they were ants. Like the dirt those ants called home. "It's no coincidence that we found you here today. Not many people have wandered into these woods lately. After all, who wants to deal with the monster responsible for all of those deaths lately? Hmmm?"

She shook her head. "I have to say I'm surprised the Yakuza would send two Americans to do their dirty work, but I'm not here to judge. No, I'm afraid that's not what we're here for." She took another step forward and sighed. "Mmm... how should I say this? Hmm... I know! I believe it would be in both of your best interests to take us to David. Now."

[Aeternum 0]

Aeternum followed Oikawa as he announced that it was time to move. When a new player showed up, he had decided to ignore him. Or her. He had not payed them much attention. He had already accepted the party invite, which was a natural thing to do. As he followed Oikawa, he pulled up his messenger.

-----

To: Azide

Subject: HIM

Azide, I'm a little scared. This trip was supposed to be fun. We will have to talk at a better time. Stay safe.

-----

There. The message was a super condensed version of what he wanted to send. He nervously bit his lip until he could feel it tingling, and realized he had bit through it. Luckily, the game eliminates pain, so now there was only an orange gash on his lip. It would fade, but not for a while.

[Oikawa 1]

Behemoth

Behemoth

HP: 150 
DMG: Variable
ACC: 2 
EVA: 0 
MIT: 0

CD: 1-6 = Basic Attack. 
6 DMG, Single-Hit.
Doesn't resist Mitigation.

CD: 7-8 = Barbed Tail Whip.
1 DMG, Single-Hit. Status.
1 DMG Poison beginning on turn of hit (in addition to 1 base DMG). 
Poison DMG continues for two turns further.
Doesn't Resist Mitigation.

CD: 9-10 = Flame Breath.
0 DMG, Single-Hit. Status.
2 DMG Burn beginning on turn of hit.
Burn DMG continues for one turn further.
Resists Mitigation.

CD: 11-12 = Tremor/Shockwave.
3 DMG, Area of Attack.
Doesn't resist mitigation.

Behemoth paralyzes on BD rolls of 9 or 10.

 

Oikawa's Stats:

HP: 41/ DMG: 8/ MIT: 3/ EVA: 3/ ACC: 3

Battle Healing +1 HP on CD 10+

 

Two steps. Two steps was all that was taken before Oikawa crumpled beneath the waves of sound that emitted throughout the campsite. He could barely lift his head as the ringing racked his brain and sent his ears to the brink of deafness. Then, it was quiet. The trees stood motionless. Even as the wind silently waltzed around them. The area seemed to become calm. Almost peaceful.

 

Sounds of shattering glass, or trees rather, filled the air as a colossal figure bore through the forest. It's figure alone dwarfed any building seen in Aincrad thus far. It tore down everything in it path leaving nothing but plains as it entered the campsite. Oikawa stared at the beast. 3 health bars toggled in-and-out view, hovering beneath a simple yet effective name for the creature before them.

 

"Behemoth..."

 

Oikawa wasn't one to normally tremble in fear, but today was a special occasion. His knees shook as the mass before them approached ever closer. Red eyes followed them like lasers and Oikawa quickly realized they had become "..it's prey." He looked to the others, they all seemed just as shook as he. He averted his gaze back to the beastly creature.

 

Announcing out loud, Oikawa spoke with as much confidence as he could muster. "I cannot for sure say we will make it out of this battle alive, but I'll be damned before I let this colossal bastard kill us without damn good fight. I only have two rules for you guys. Rule 1: Run now if you can't or will not participate. I will not hold it against you. Rule 2: If you choose to stay and fight, Hit that beast with everything you got." He realized that those weren't so much as rules, rather guidelines and regardless who stood with him, he was ready to die on the battlefield if that meant saving his guild. What better way to go out than in a battle that could save many more lives than it would take?

 

Dashing forward, Oikawa unsheathed his rapier and darted between the array of tents before leaping into the air. The monster reacted quicker than he expected. It sent a right cross flying his way. Seeing the punch coming, Oikawa spun around and brandished his shield, as he caught the brunt of the blow with it. Surprisingly, he managed to land on both feet. He immediately sprung forward once more. This time dodging the next swing altogether, as he ran up the length of the Behemoth's arm. Reaching the bicep, he jumped to the left, so he square up his rapier and align it with chest of the beast. Thrusting forward, he plunged his blade into it's chest. Quickly removing the blade, he jumped back several yards, to put a good amount of distance between them.

 

Not bothering to see if someone else would attack, Oikawa waited for the beast to make its move.

 

[14109] BD: 7 [4+3], CD: 7

 

H1 Oikawa 41/41

H0 Zeri 11/11

H0 Raeyliff 22/22

H0 Xanatos 24/24

H0 Aeternum 13/13

 

<Behemoth> 142/150 (-8)

[Rebekah 0]

Rebekah sent a quick message to Azide, typing as quickly as possible before keeping focused on the other player, that had just attacked her out of nowhere.

 

To: Azide

From: Rebekah

There is no need to wait for me, I got caught up dealing with an annoying pest. I'll meet up when I'm finished up.

 

Rebekah had many options that she could do, but she preferred to deal with it herself, and make as little of a problem as possible. That was her preference, and she demanded to know, "Who are you, and what are you doing here?" as she raised her rapier a lot higher. She was just out of arms length away from each other, so there was no possibility of a quick surprise attack from him, but she was just being careful. Contrary to what he was thinking, she is the one making demands now, and not him, unless he wants to fight over that.

[Crozeph 0]

Crozeph dashed forward, talking is over for now and he needs to clear his path before backing up his guildmates. Crozeph's sword met hers right after she sent a message, it seems the girl is also contacting someone "sorry about that, it felt like you're calling for back-up" he said as he locked his sword towards hers. Crozeph has already realized it before he attacked, his sword was meant for cutting flesh and not for parrying or clashing with another weapon "it's the least that I can do, turning orange isn't a good idea anyway" he thought. Crozeph tried pushing her back, trying also to make her answer "I'm quite serious with my question and try to at least give answers before I try inflicting damage on you" he told her. Crozeph knew his limitations but he could at least try to shrug off a few damage from her. Crozeph jumped back "still not gonna answer?" he said. Crozeph took a step forward lunging at the girl but suddenly hesitated as a beacon appeared in front of him distracting him and then before he knew it "crap I got distracted for a second" he thought trying to move his line of sight back to his opponent.

[Rebekah 0]

Rebekah knew that she did not have any backup or at least not yet. But this was a game of incomplete information, and she knew that she could act like she had backup in order to get her desired outcome. "Awww... That's so cute... Don't worry, backup is coming to this location shortly." Rebekah knew that if it came down to a fight, he was slightly bigger, but she had more experience. She also knew that skill-wise it would be close, but she had the better edge on equipment. She was not afraid of fighting, especially when somebody had ticked her off completely.

 

Rebekah ran through the list of players that she had known and knew for a fact that he was not a high level player just by virtue of not participating in any boss raids lately. She knew everyone who had been participating in them recently, and it was not that difficult to figure out the strength of everyone else. "So, now tell me what you are doing here, and for your information, you did not monopolize the forest," she spoke.

[XWuZHeAR 0]

The monster was heading away towards the camp. However I knew there's nothing is three could do at the time for we had business to attend to. I then grabbed David and held him by the back of his collar.

"Come on David don't just stand there. Funeral time and your coming with us." I sternly growled to David.

"Hai." David said submissively.

"You two come along that kid deserves a proper farewell." I said to ariel and azide.

I then took off walking towards the lake where purchasing boats for the purpose of Viking funerals. Kinda messed up when you think about it. Kayaba put us in the game and then added funeral mechanics to mourn our dead. Also on top of it all we need to pay col for certain services.

"We can deal with the others later but right now we need to give that kid what he deserves." I told ariel and azide while walking.

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

Ariel remained a little perplexed at X's words..."Funeral? for what? who died?" she asked in rapid succession. 'Could it be that this is why Azide seemed out of character?' wondered the blonde as she shifted her gaze from the two towards Azide and back at the two. 'Ignorance is a bliss' was a old english saying and she would fit right in it. She simply joined the two that were running, following Maruchan...she'd gone with the tide as the situation didn't allow her to inquire too much about what the two were doing and what happened. But now she was made aware that the two were probably chasing after a murderer? she then frowned and directed her attention towards the only one among them with a PKer mark.

 

Her eyes burned with anger as she passed by X, shoving him if necessary, while unsheathing her blade and grabbing 'David' from behind, pointing her black blade at his neck, leaving a red mark as it touched him. While asking in a cold voice: "You have one chance to answer my questions nii-san: Who did you kill and why? Think well before you answer because those might be your last words." her grip around the PKer was tight as her whole body tensed in anger, he couldn't escape without his throat sliding against her blade. No matter what X or Azide said, she wouldn't let go until she'd hear ' David's ' answer.

[XWuZHeAR 0]

I stepped in front of ariels blade and kept a very straight face. I then slowely put my finger on the tip of her blade and slowely pushed it down to towards the ground. Then maruchan also kept a very straight face and slowely pushed the sword the rest of the way to the ground.

"David is a member of the yakuza basically a modern day samurai. I'm sure he wouldn't kill a kid for no reason. David!" I said and then yelled to David while nudging him.

"I didn't want to kill him... His parents are PKers they use him as bait to draw out victims to this forest. He was about to send the PM so I acted quickly..." David told softly while looking at the ground.

"Right so we have a kid who died for some bullsh*t his parents made him do... Atleast he blindly followed orders from his parents and deserves a proper funeral." I said aloud.

I then grabbed David again this time by the shoulder and pushed him to keep walking to the lake.

[Azide 0]

I looked on in total silence, without reservation, as Ariel lifted her blade to meet the man's neck. No words of protest came past my lips- no qualms or false sense of righteousness awoke inside me. The truth of the matter? It was a simple thing, really; I couldn't bring myself to stain my own hands with the blood of this poor fool. But would I intervene on his behalf?

Judging by my current apathy, I suppose it was safe to say my answer was leaning towards no. I was no murder myself- and I doubted I could ever be. But I was no hero either. My gaze averted from the one called David as I veered my attention away from that no-good bastard.

All that I'd ever been was a normal guy- relatively speaking, at least. I wasn't a master swordsman, hardened veteran or even a skilled gamer before all of this. Hell, I hadn't even laid a finger on a game before this one. For the past few years, I was just another university student trying to get ahead in life. It wasn't so easy to kill another person, or to even watch another fall before me.

As we continued our venture to a lake nearby, I briefly wondered where we were headed. There was nothing left to even bury. The boy's entire existence had shattered right there in the clearing. But the thought was dismissed as two screens flickered before me in rapid succession- two messages bearing the names of Aeternum and Rebekah.

I opened them and read them in silence before tapping out my replies.
 

To: Aeternum
From: Azide
Subject: Re: HIM

I'm sorry.
Stay safe.

 

To: Rebekah

From: Azide
Subject: Re:

I've slowly been putting two and two together, so I'm just going to say it.
If you happen to be dealing with a dark-haired guy dressed in black, ask if he happens to be Crozeph.

 

 

As I wrapped up my responses, I read over them once before sending them off. By the time I looked up, I could see that X had placed himself in harm's way. And for what? A murderer? I didn't understand, but maybe I'd simply chosen not to. I listened as the man explained the circumstances of the incident, and perhaps they were within the realm of understanding, if not drastic and unfortunate. But I didn't care as to what would become of him. All that was left now was to do the boy right.

[Zeri 0]

Zeri hold his ears as a loud sound came across the campsite. The next thing he had noticed was the sound of trees cracking. What Zeri saw next really terrified him; 3 health bars and the monster name, "B-b-behemoth." There was no possible way Zeri could fight this thing without causing his guild mates to worry. Then Oikawa gave two orders; run or fight. Then tears came across Zeri faces as he said this, "I-I'm sorry. There's no possible way for me to fight this thing and live. I'm sorry..." As he headed back he sent a message to Azide.

To: Azide

From: Zeri

Subject: behemoth

Azide, there's a massive behemoth here near the campsite and I couldn't find a way to help, so I left. I'm sorry I was so weak.

"Why...why do I have to be so weak...what do I have to do to get stronger...I...I don't want to be a burden to my guild..." He said to himself as he left for town.

[Crozeph 0]

Crozeph hesitated on attacking again, was his stupidity evolving to something worse? Crozeph sighed and sheathe his sword. The girl seem to handle his attack pretty well, it only means more danger to him. "Fine, I'll be answering some questions now" he told her "I've wasted too much time trying to deal with you" he added. Crozeph crossed his arms and looked at her smirking, trying to act cool after his stupid act "I'm Crozeph, some people call me crow but call me anything you want" he said "my guildmates are somewhere here in the forest, maybe in trouble so now..." Crozeph walked towards her "I'll be taking my leave, if you want you can tag along" he said stretching out his hand for her "I'm sorry for attacking you out of nowhere, you can hit me if you want" he added. Crozeph stood there, waiting for her hitting him or taking his hand or anything...just to get things over with "what if she tackles me back also?" he thought.

[Rebekah 0]

Well, Rebekah had won, this guy was the first to chicken out of a one versus one fight, and she was not planning on doing anything other than leaving now. There was no point sticking around, besides she did not even know if he was straight up lieing or not. She was not going to get baited into a situation here, and made her quick exit out of the forest. She continued walking until a nearby stream, a small river before sitting down leaning against the base of the tree. That was rough, it was a good thing that injuries heal up quickly in Aincrad, even if one lost their arm, it would regenerate in a few minutes, so that was not a big deal.

 

Rebekah had often been told to be more cautious by herself outside of the towns, but she knew that she was quite stubborn, and often enjoyed the peace and quiet, and most importantly, nobody telling her what to do.

[Xanatos 0]

Readying Immortal Fang I followed up on Oikawa's engage. "With all my might!" I yelled as I strived to drive Immortal Fang deep into its thick hide! No one will die today! 

 

14236 BD 10 Critical Hit! +2!

 

Fang seemed to pierce effortlessly through the Behemoth's skin. "Found a bit of a weak spot didn't eye my colossal friend? Goes to show that expert craftsmanship can go a long way when vanquishing a worthy foe!" The behemoth wailed and swung me off its body. I landed smoothly on my feet. "Who's next haha!"

 

H1 Oikawa 41/41

H0 Zeri 11/11

H0 Raeyliff 22/22

H0 Xanatos 24/24

H0 Aeternum 13/13

 

<Behemoth> 136/150 (-6)

[Crozeph 0]

Crozeph sighed as the girl left, it looked like she was in a hurry and it looked like he was a craven for a few minutes "and just when I tried settling something with talking, it ended up in a blunder" he told himself. Crozeph watched as the girl disappeared before his eyes and into the thick forest before him "let her be" he thought. Crozeph turned around and then stopped, what if there are other people inside the forest and not just like him who assaults anyone suspicious but might also kill her "she can handle herself" Crozeph said, struggling to change the direction of his destination "my guildmates need me now" he added. As he stood still there, Crozeph heard rustling sounds, not nearby but ever since he added a notch to his skill on searching and detecting, his senses has sharpened around him. "Two, walking, talking, though I couldn't make out what they're talking about" he thought as he turns his head. Crozeph turned around, shaking his head in disbelief "be nice for once Crozeph" he told himself. Crozeph walked to the direction where the girl headed, now with more people appearing out of nowhere and multiplying like maggots, Crozeph knew he had to at least do something helpful and useful...his neutral days are slowly coming to and end.

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

Ariel's brow twitched: "Modern day samurai? you must be joking. If he considers himself a true samurai let him commit *Seppuku to atone for killing a child and restore his honor...but I doubt he will be willing to do that. So please, spare me the talk about WHY he did it. He took a life, there is no point dwelling in the motive. Like it or not, life is precious, more so here in SAO. People seem to forget that and THAT is something worth wasting our breaths over." She didn't want to pursue the topic any further or her initial impulse of killing the guy might return. She once again reminded herself of the vow she made when she joined the Guardians...to protect ALL player in Aincrad. She took a breath then heard roars coming from the camp's direction.Her eyes meet Azide's as if telling him that they had to go...NOW!

*Seppuku - a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment. Seppuku was originally reserved only for samurai.The ceremonial disembowelment, which is usually part of a more elaborate ritual and performed in front of spectators, consists of plunging a short blade, traditionally a tantÅ, into the abdomen and drawing the blade from left to right, slicing open the abdomen.

[Aeternum 0]

(14306)(BD 2)

Aeternum was terrified. This monster had shown up out of the blue and a player had died earlier, probably because of this beast. He watched two other players attack and decided that he should, too. Pointing his sword at Behemoth, he attempted to put on a determined expression, but failed horribly. He swiftly dashed towards Behemoth, but retreated just as quickly upon seeing just how much health it had.

He wanted to run. Away from this trip. Away from his guild. Away from Aincrad. The only words to leave his mouth were, "We can't win. There is no way."

He looked at the players around him, notably Oikawa. Oikawa had been the first to attack. He had not fled. But Aeternum had. Aeternum sighed. He was too weak to beat this boss, but he had to try. He could not abandon his guild, not now.

H1 Oikawa 41/41

H0 Zeri 11/11

H0 Raeyliff 22/22

H0 Xanatos 24/24

H0 Aeternum 13/13

<Behemoth> 136/150

[Azide 0]

Ariel flashed him a look of urgency as their gazes crossed, and only then did it occur to him that the earlier sound might have been coming from the vicinity of their very own camp. It'd been so overpowering and ubiquitous that he'd been at a loss for triangulating its location- it'd simply given the illusion of come from everywhere at once. But to have not even considered the grave possibility? He averted his eyes, so that they scraped the ground. "I'm off my game today." With a sigh, he unclenched his fist and looked back in the direction they'd come from.

Without so much as a turn of his head, he addressed David with a faint drip of animosity in his voice- his tone echoed that of a polite, yet begrudging apology. "Let me make this clear, David. Either you come with us, or I kill you where you stand." Though no one could see them, his eyes steeled over as his hand grazed the grip of his sword.

It was a bluff, of course. But he wasn't about to let a player killer roam around unchecked- and he sure as hell wasn't going to stand here while the rest of the guild lay at risk. They hadn't arrived yet, as he'd been expecting. "They have to be held up at the moment." He had to assume the worst, and that meant they had no time to fool around with this clown. 

----------------------------------------------------

The man in the dark suit flared his nostrils as his lungs captured a deep breath. As the two nitwits continued their squabbling, his hand remained planted against his hip while the tip of his finger caressed the lustrous hilt of his sword. He tapped his foot against the ground, and by the time he'd opened his eyes and expelled the air from his body, the blonde-haired girl was nowhere to be seen. "Oh ho ho... giving us the silent treatment, huh? The old cold shoulder?" He shook his head as a low, airy laughter racked this chest. His gnashed his teeth together and reached for his blade once more, only to feel a hand take hold of his. "Come on! You honestly think I'm gonna just stand here while these two assholes ignore us? I think they need to be taught a little respect. Come on... let me at 'em." He looked at the woman with pleading eyes that seethed.

The woman simply shook her head so slightly that the gestured might've been missed altogether by any other pair of eyes. She guided his hand away from his weapon and widened her eyes, so that he understood. Feeling him relent, she smiled and watched as the dark-haired male began to walk off after his associate. "Good things come to those who wait. Have patience, dearie."

She gestured for him to follow as she stepped into the undergrowth. After a moment of hesitation, followed suit. Like magic, the two disappeared from sight, and nothing more could be heard of them.

[Rusty 0]

Rusty had fell asleep for more than half a day and when he woke up, three messages filled his inbox. Two of them were from Azide, the leader of the guild he has just joined, describing a location and also saying that it wasn't safe to stay alone. Confused about what happened, he checked the third message, which was from Oikawa. It was to anybody in the nearby area, which included Rusty himself. Super ghing, he dropped down from his tree in the woodlands. Equipping his rapier, he began searching for the group. Then a roar blasted out of nowhere, followed by the clashing of metallic objects. "What the hell is going on?" Rusty asked.

 

 

Dashing towards the noises, his coffee-coloured hair flowing through the wind, a knot grew in his stomach. Something bas was going on and he should've been there sooner. Now what had happened was up to him to figure out. Finally, he saw Oikawa and a few other guild members facing off against a titanic beast. Rusty was shocked by the sheer size of the monster, so much that he fell over from the shock. Getting back up, he knew this wasn't a time to be fooling around or sleeping. Closing his oak eyes, Rusty dashed as the humongous titan with his rapier in a charge. Running past the temporary camps set up, he skidded to a stop before opening his eyes. Yelling, Rusty leaped forward with his sword in hand, and slashed the belly of the mighty beast along ots entire length. Jumping back down, he backed up to Oikawa's side. "Sorry I'm late to the party, I was sleeping the day off."

 

H1 Oikawa 41/41
H0 Zeri 11/11
H0 Raeyliff 22/22
H0 Xanatos 24/24
H0 Aeternum 13/13

H0 Rusty 20/20

<Behemoth> 132/150

ID: 14432 BD: 10

[XWuZHeAR 0]

I could hear the behemoth at the camp... Not good. Ariel and Azide seemed like they wanted to go fight it and get the hell out of here. Then they asked David to go with them back to camp. David then took two steps back towards the camp. I of course grabbed his arm and slung him in front of me.

"Where the hell do you think your going? We're giving that kid a god damn funeral!" I yelled at david.

"But he said-"

"I don't give a f*ck what he said! Azide, Ariel go back to the camp. I got David and the funereal."

I then pushed David to make him walk forward and followed closely behind him.