[SP-F1] A Change of Pace (Complete)

[Azide 0]

A dazzling shimmer of red engulfed his blade like a flame, catching the eyes of the young man who wielded it. Almost immediately, Azide seized the moment and charged forward, letting his attention fall back upon the lone straw figure which stood perhaps thirty meters ahead. 

But before he could even reach his target, the red light faded, bringing his maneuver to an abrupt and awkward end. Recognizing the very real possibility of falling on his own sword, he tossed Quantum Slicer to the side as he stumbled and fell to the ground. Fortunately for him, the grass had been plenty soft enough to cushion him from the full impact, and the vital green blades had not even stained his clothing as he'd tumbled right over them. 

Edited September 18, 2015 by Azide
don't merge my replies sao-rpg

[Azide 0]

Rather than standing up immediately, he instead flopped onto his back and allowed himself to sink into the tall reeds. It wasn't exactly a five-star sleeping experience, but that was just about the last thing on his mind at the moment. 

As the clouds drifted lazily above, he reflected that perhaps a happier version of him might have found in them various animals or objects- but instead, they were nothing but fluff. Instead, he channeled what remained of his focus on addressing the very large elephant in the room.

[Azide 0]

On paper, his skills with the rapier had once been just about flawless- he had managed to maximize his damage output with the elegant sword in just a few quick months. He had given so much, and practiced so often; his proficiency had been that of a grandmaster. And on paper, perhaps it still was. But in practice? Well...

It just didn't seem to add up. He'd had a sinking feeling ever since he'd returned to the front-lines, that perhaps his months away had done more damage to his swordsmanship than he could care to admit. Although Sword Arts themselves were system-assisted, said assistance only became a factor if one could perform the motions to an acceptable degree- something that now seemed somehow beyond his grasp.

[Azide 0]

"Have I really fallen this far?" he wondered.

Though he loathed to admit it, the situation certainly seemed to be pointing in that direction. With a stubbornness that was not quite exhausted, he reached out and clasped his fingers around the handle of his weapon, and raised the slender blade to the skies.

The delicate metal glinted brilliantly in the sunlight, as if giving off a light of its own. He shifted the blade to a horizontal grip, so that it now ran parallel to the ground, and simply held it there above his face. It reflected his eyes, and even captured the subtle frustration that lay silent from within them. If he'd taken one step forward by grandmastering the rapier, he'd now taken five steps back. 

Edited September 16, 2015 by Azide

[Azide 0]

With a grunt, Azide pulled himself back up on his feet, sword and all. For a while, he simply stood there, eyes closed and mind emptied (to the best of his abilities at least, as this was a struggle for the type that tended to over think). Eventually, his eyes opened and sought out the straw figure at the first opportunity. His grip tightened around the handle of Quantum Slicer. He would definitely get it right this time around. Steadily, he raised the slender sword into position, triggering the characteristic red glow from before. Then, holding his breath, he raced forward.

[Azide 0]

But despite his best efforts, the red aura which had engulfed his weapon dissipated once more, leaving the so-called 'grandmaster' on his own. In his heart, he'd half-expected the maneuver to fail, and therefore did not miss a beat when the scenario happened to play out accordingly. The moment the system-assist wore off, Azide seamlessly managed to re-exert control over his movements, and proceeded to carry on in his charge until the bitter end. 

With a vaulting leap, he rocketed into the air and hurtled towards the straw-figure, glaring at the lifeless caricature as if it were an old foe. In instant later, that very same foe had absorbed the entirety of his blade, failing to be destroyed just yet.

[Azide 0]

His mind raced as he considered the outcome of his attack; the straw man had remained standing, and any way he looked at it, such a result was unacceptable. Yes, he had managed to take the reigns and salvage an unfavorable situation, but freehanded swings of the sword no longer seemed to cut it. Not in this day and age, where Sword Arts were king. If he were to continue on like this- especially in the case of a floor raid, he would be nothing more than a burden to those who were suited to perform.

He shook his head, and mouthed a silent 'no'. Azide tore his blade free from his target, flinging bits and pieces of shredded straw into the air, where they promptly dissolved into nothingness. Again, he attacked- only this time, he returned to his unorthodox manner of fighting; rather than using the assortment of thrusts and jabs that most rapier wielders employed, he had always preferred instead to make use of his blade's impossibly sharp edge.

[Azide 0]

Fueled by a misguided feeling of betrayal, he hacked and slashed at the wooden figure again and again, until each breath had become ragged, and glistening sweat streaked down his face. Then without warning, he relented. Quantum Slicer hung limp useless at his side as he lowered his hand and turned away. Behind him, the mannequin finally shattered, and he was vaguely aware of the swirling blue particles that drifted off to somewhere beyond reach. 

Yes, he had succeeded in destroying a simple practice target- big surprise there. But how many hits had it taken him? How many could he actually pull off in the face of an actual opponent? The answers could only be too many, and too little.

Edited September 17, 2015 by Azide

[Azide 0]

A brisk snap of his wrist returned the spent blade to its rightful place. And just like that, what had once belonged so rightfully in his hands now felt more at home in his sheath. He sighed deeply, and buried his face in the palm of his hand. It was a waste- for his time with the most elegant of weapons to have come to an end such as this. A beautiful mistake, if there ever was one, but a devastating one nonetheless. "But if I have no other choice, then I have but one choice to make." 

A breeze whistled through the field, flattening the long reeds against the ground, and giving the whole place the appearance of being off-balance. His fingers slid up to straighten the tousled brown locks, and he became aware of a feeling that knocked on his heart. "You did well," he murmured. His fingers clasped down gently around the grip of his most trusted weapon, and he felt as if he had lost an old friend.

[Azide 0]

Luckily enough for him, Aincrad possessed enough books within its many floors to satisfy even the most hardcore of bookworms. This particular library located in the Town of Beginnings was home to a sea of reading materials, and players were welcome to drown themselves within its halls whenever they pleased. Although the idea of burying his nose in one of those cheesy romance novels was tempting, that would have to wait for another day. Today, he would be taking care of business. 

A hollow thud drew stares to his table, and he apologized profusely to the shushing librarians before finally settling himself back down at his workstation. Stacks upon stacks of books decorated the mahogany desk, with spines labeled with titles such as How to Use Warhammers for Dummies, The Rapier: An Elegant Weapon for a More Civilized Age, and A Modernist's Approach to Axe Murder. In spite of his earlier shortcomings, he couldn't help but smile. He weaved his hands together and gave his fingers a pre-emptive stretch. It was time to get cracking.

[Azide 0]

If school had taught him anything remotely applicable to his current situation, it was that you should always keep in mind your goal when working towards it. On one hand, a statement like that sounded obvious and unhelpful- the sort of thing a sarcastic wisecracker might reply to with an obnoxious "Duh!" 

But then again, that same bunch also had a tendency to either skip out on their studies altogether, or studied incredibly inefficiently. With only a limited amount of time and space, their professors had always been necessarily limited in the topics they could cover- to forget this fact meant copious amounts of time reading over irrelevant texts and passages.

Edited September 17, 2015 by Azide
stop merging my replies sao-rpg

[Azide 0]

So just what was it that he was looking for? On the most basic level, he supposed that it was really any information that would solve his weapon woes. Yes, the rapier was incredibly sleek and aesthetically pleasing- but when it came down to it, he would be a fool to pass over a statistically superior choice, should one be presented to him. As he pulled the books from their stacks and laid them flat on the table, he stared with mild interest at a leatherbound titled One-Handed Straight Swords for One-Handed Straight People, before tossing it over his shoulder. Another thud implied that the object had landed, and a shrill yelp from behind him merely served to confirm it. As it turned out, he wasn't exactly making a good impression with these librarians.

Edited September 17, 2015 by Azide

[Azide 0]

He couldn't say he was fond of the silent disapproval with which he was looked at by the library's staff, but at least silence could easily be ignored. So for the remainder of his time at the lovely repository, he instead pretended them to be invisible. "Out of sight, out of mind. As long as they keep their scolding internal, I'm happy..." thought Azide, remembering the last time he'd seen one of them explode. It was unpleasant. 

Feeling nostalgic, he picked up the publication focusing on the rapier. As he skimmed through the title, he confirmed that the weapons strengths did indeed lay in power and agility, as he'd suspected. As it turned out- the rapier was also an excellent source of the stun affliction, something that he had not remembered reading about in the past. "There must have been a change in the core mechanics while I was away," he concluded. Although he appreciated all of these aspects, it was wishful thinking that he would miraculously regain his lost finesse with this particular weapon-type. He would simply have to start fresh. But where to begin looking? 

[Azide 0]

"Well, I suppose it would make sense to start with this," he decided, moving to a volume detailing the One-Handed Straight Sword (albeit this time, for two-handed people of presumably all orientations). He flipped through the yellowed pages and devoured the words within them with a quick, yet thorough efficiency. There were many chapters dedicated to the weapon's history and origins, and although they proved to be somewhat interesting, what he'd appreciated most was an analysis that deconstructed the weapon-type to its pros and cons. Although he certainly appreciated its versatility, it did not seem to possess the degree of agility and raw power that he desired in his ideal weapon of choice. Furthermore, its stunning centered gameplay sounded great on the surface, but really indicated a highly energy-inefficient alternative. All things in consideration, he would have to pass on this one.

Edited September 17, 2015 by Azide
stop merging my replies sao-rpg

[Azide 0]

Logically, he felt it natural to follow up with an evaluation of the Two-Handed Straight Sword, but soon discovered the heavier counterpart to be more of the same. While it offered a modest boost of power compared to a one-handed blade, the weapon-type suffered from the same detractors. On a more tactical level, he couldn't see himself moving nearly as quickly with a weapon of that size or weight. 

With his appeal to familiarity failing to reveal an acceptable replacement, he instead decided to approach the issue in a different way. The reason why he'd been so fond of the rapier was more or less because of the high degree of mobility it had afforded him- in short, it allowed him to move fast, and hit even faster. But perhaps he could attain a similar result through the use of range. Perhaps using by a spear of some sort... 

[Azide 0]

Though the idea had made sense on paper, it had ultimately been yet another dead end. He slammed the heavy book shut, and mentally phased out the sudden appearance of several librarians around him, each crossing their arms and looking displeased. Both variants of the spear gave off a sort of jack-of-all-trades vibe, and this was the sort of thing that he wished to avoid. If he wanted versatility during a fight, he would bring along an extra crystal or two. The concept of an all-rounder in a team-based effort was grossly inefficient- he preferred something with a bit more oomph to it. Something that would either leave a mark, or finish the job so that it wouldn't have to.

With the stares of the staff beginning to make him feel unwelcome, he rifled through the remaining volumes with compelled vigor. "I have to be missing something." And he had been- up until that very moment. His fingers came to a rest as they happened upon a final book: A Dagger Through the Heart. Naturally, he had written off the miniature blades as overglorified kitchen knives. The dagger certainly carried with it certain... unsavory connotations, being the weapon of choice amongst bandits and thieves. But at the same time, it had to be at least as agile as the rapier, if not faster. He brushed his hand across the worn cover, and traced the cover art slowly with his fingertips, letting them linger for a moment as he mulled things over.

Edited September 18, 2015 by Azide

[Azide 0]

Memories of his recent encounter with Lowenthal and The Velvet Room bubbled up to the forefront of his mind. Remembering that he had recorded intricate details from that very day, he pulled up a series of windows filled with all sorts of data, including both extensive notes and various numbers and charts. Within moments, scenes from the duel between Lowenthal and Jomei replayed in his mind. What made the event stand out in his mind was not just the fact that the leader of The Velvet Room had sported a dagger, but also that Jomei had been wielding a rapier himself. It was almost poetic, that he sat here today, locked between the same two blades.

He delved headfirst through the tense texts, soaking up all he could find about the humble dagger. Although he'd begun with the simple goal of speed reading through the volume and picking out the more relevant books, something had compelled him to give the book a more thorough lookover. By the time he'd finished, the library had gone an entire hour without a single disturbance from its most recent guest. In that same hour, he'd confirmed that the dagger did infact permit its wielder an unmatched degree of speed. Not only that- but its focus on raw damage happened to pave the way for potentially immense offense capability. Sure, a dagger wasn't exactly as graceful as a rapier, but there was nothing stopping him from wearing Quantum Slicer just for the heck of it. Stylish and dangerous- that was just his type.

[Azide 0]

A rush of adrenaline shot him back up on his feet, and without thinking, he slammed his fist against the table in a brash display of satisfaction. Unfortunately for him, this little slip up was the straw that broke the camel's back, and resulting in his having to defend himself as he fled the scene. On his dash towards the exit, he swatted away several staff furious-looking librarians and managed to shake off the last of bunch shortly after. Upon reaching the broad boulevard outside the confines of the library, he glanced over his shoulder and heard several thumps emanating from behind the heavyset doors. Feeling as if he should take a shower, he shuddered and shook his head before moving on with his life. 

With his mind all but made, Azide clasped his hands behind his head and let out a deep sigh as he strolled down the wide open road. For a moment, he scrunched his eyes shut and tried to imagine himself wielding a dagger. He could nearly see it in the flesh- the blade would have to be sleek and graceful, with a bit of length in order to give his swings an acceptable amount of coverage. It would be lightweight, yet sturdy, and sharp enough to rend the air itself. His fingers tightened around the handle of an imagined knife. It was the end of an era, and the start of something new.

Edited September 18, 2015 by Azide
stop merging my replies sao-rpg

[Azide 0]

A long and winding road stretched out before him, and he wasn't exactly sure where it would lead. There would also be plenty of work, and many hours of practice and conditioning surely lay ahead. But in spite of it all, he could feel it tugging away at the corners of his lips. It was sheer excitement which had left him to grin like a child awaiting his first day at summer camp. 

In some other place and some other time, a child stood expectantly in the darkness. For hours and hours, he remained standing beside the curb, carrying nothing but a humble brown bag. It was the sort of bag which, for most kids, was representative of lunch or wet clothes from the beach. But for him, the bag was proof that he had lived- in the modest sack was all that the boy owned. Yet he was happy, and more excited than he'd ever been before. A long and winding road stretched out before him, and he wasn't exactly sure where it would lead. But in spite of it all, sheer excitement tugged away at the corner of his lips, and left him grinning widely. 

Finally, a dark car pulled up and arrived to a steady halt right beside him. As the driver shifted gears, a single click signaled that the door had been unlocked, and the boy looked to the window expectantly. Receiving nothing but goodwill and amused reassurance, the child grasped his delicate fingers around the latch and gave a firm, but careful tug. A few moments later, and he was safely inside. He had never been more excited. 

[Azide 0]

Back in the present, every step brought him closer a certain shop that stood proudly on the edge of the horizon. It had been many months since he'd last set foot into the Gurando Foji, but there was no other blacksmith in Aincrad he'd rather turn to than Oikawa himself. It was Oikawa that he had entrusted with the task of forging his last blade- a weapon which had served him long and well. The only thing that remained was to flesh out the specifics of the blade he had in mind. He hadn't yet settled on its design, nor had he come up with any aesthetic flourishes to bring the dagger to life.

But he wasn't worried. He would have plenty of time to think on the way there.

Edited September 18, 2015 by Azide