SP - F9 Shadow In The Reflection Of The Blade <<The Iron Guardian>> (Completed)

[Calrex 0]

"Once again somehow I've ended up on this floor..."

Appearing on the ninth floor in a flash of light Calrex gave a small sigh as he looked above, seeing that his blue peregrine falcon familiar, Roc, had also materialized. "Alright, where is this broker supposed to be. I should know what he looks like now from all of the times I've ended up here."

"I should be careful. From what I've heard, at least from rumors, this particular broker might be becoming a little overly paranoid. Hopefully I can avoid any possible confrontations if I respond carefully."

Putting his hands into his pockets he gave a small sigh. The heat of the floor was still present, just like when he had soloed the <<Guardian of Fire>> quest, but it seemed that all of his training and hard work was starting to pay off. He wasn't as affected by the ambient heat of the floor compared to the past. Giving a small smirk he moved some of his bangs out of his face, "Well at least it's something to show how much I've improved from back then."

Activating his <<Reveal>> skill Calrex began to scan around, looking for the broker that supposedly carried the information for the <<Iron Guardian>> quest.

Edited October 29, 2015 by Calrex

[Calrex 0]

"Alright...finally found this guy. I swear he wasn't this difficult to find last time."

After spending a decent amount of time searching the settlement from one end to another, Calrex successfully found the broker that had the information of the quest, giving a small sigh as he walked over, "Hi there, so I'm looking to do the Iron Guardian...again..."

"Oh? Again, huh. Doing a repeat I'm guessing?"

"Yeah. I'm going to see if I can finally get this done."

"Well, alright then here's info for the field boss that lurks on this floor, but I'll give it to you in exchange for the item the monster drops. Deal?"

"Yeah, that's perfectly fine."

"Awesome. I'll have my gear ready in a second."

"Wait...you're coming along? Do you have any equipment or gear to survive on this floor?"

"No, of course not. My specialty is trading information, not materials or goods. But you're more than strong enough right?"

"So this turned into an escort mission all of a sudden. Alright...well let's see how this goes..."

As the broker went back into his tent to grab his gear Calrex gave a small sigh as he swiped on his menu, double checking that all of his gear was ready. Of course Roc was already flying overhead, so he double checked and made sure the Grand Dragoon, Grand Blade, Amethyst Charm, and Tide Pendant were all active.

[Calrex 0]

"Alright, all done."

"Alright, let's get moving then. We should be able to make some good headway before nightfall."

"Sure thing. By the way, I think I've seen you before."

"You mean from the past times I've attempted this?"

"No...oh that's right. I think some of the brokers and players have been referring to you as the Ultramarine Knight, or the strongest solo player in SAO, or even..."

"Please, don't give me any titles. The closest one is Ultramarine Knight, but that was coined by an old friend. I don't know anything about how I match up to others players, but anything with 'strongest' I would say is not accurate. There are a few players that can take as many hits as I can, and even more that can deal leagues of damage above me."

"Well, if you say so. How far do you think we'll make before night falls?"

"If the location is about the same as before, we should be able to make it about half of the distance there before needing to rest for the night."

"He seems calm enough. I wonder why some people considered him paranoi..."

"Also just to remind you that this info does come in exchange for the drop."

"Of...course."

"...oh, maybe I might have just realized why."

As the two departed from the settlement Calrex activated his <<Reveal>> skill to make sure they didn't encounter any ambushes on the way over. The skill seemed to do the job as the bluenette kept point, scanning the landscape, "No monsters right now. Hopefully we won't encounter any on the way..."

Edited October 22, 2015 by Calrex

[Calrex 0]

"Wait, what's that?!"

"Shoot, I thought that we'd avoid any conflict. Guess those knights are a part of the quest after all..."

"Stay back..."

Calrex extended an arm, directing the broker to step back as he drew the Grand Blade. Emerging from the trees to their left was one of the large <<Iron Knight>>s that were a part of the quest. Giving a calming breath he fully removed his sword from the scabbard as his eyebrows furrowed, "...just let me handle this..."

ID: 35944
Battle Dice: 9 (Accuracy +3) = 12 (+1 Damage)
Mob Dice: 8 (Evasion +4) = 4
Loot Dice: 20 (Search and Detect +2 / Item +1) = 23 (Non-Combat Drop / Material Found)
Sword Art <<Meteor Break>> (11 Energy Used / 44 Remaining)

Not giving the armor a single chance to act Calrex rushed forward as he activated <<Meteor Break>>, his sword becoming coated in a sparkling golden glow as he started first with a elbow tackle. As his attack hit suddenly he saw the creature's armor develop spikes, a sign of the <<Thorns>> enhancement, "Tch...I'm more than familiar with this attack. Now get out of my way!"

Brushing off the light damage he unleashed the rest of his attack, overwhelming the knight with his barrage of slashes before finishing with a falling slash, splitting the monster in half as it burst into crystals. Giving a calming breath he sheathed his sword, looking back over at the information broker, "You alright?"

"Y-Yes...wow that was amazing!"

"Come on, let's keep moving."

"Actually...now that I think of it I'll meet you back in the settlement."

"You sure? I can easily escort you..."

"No no, it's quite alright. Just be sure to bring the drop back. If you proceed that way the guardian will be waiting for you."

Before Calrex could finish speaking the broker was gone, heading back towards the settlement. Giving a small sigh he turned around, "Alright then...better keep moving."

Loot List:
1 Material

HP List
Calrex: 179/181 (2 Thorns DMG)
   Energy: 33/44

Enemies:
Iron Knight: -49/72 (10+1 DMG * 11 Art = 121 DMG)

Edited October 23, 2015 by Calrex

[Calrex 0]

"Guess I'm on my own for the rest of this trip. Well, maybe not."

"Hey Roc, you can materialize now. I could use your eyes in keeping alert for any other potential threats."

Responding to his partner's command, Calrex's blue peregrine falcon familiar appeared in a flash of light as the Ultramarine Knight gave a nod, putting his hands into his jacket pockets, "Well, best keep moving while there's still light out. At least it seems I'm finally used to the heat of this floor."

Looking around Calrex didn't see any other monsters in sight as he kept moving. The heated volcanic surface of the floor closer to Vulcan Village seemed to give way to a more lush, tropical-like appearance. Seeing that the daylight of the floor was starting to die down the bluenette looked around, "I'd best start looking for some shelter. Just like the Guardian of Fire quest, I need to make sure I keep myself from encountering any threats during the time I need to be resting."

A screech could be heard overhead as Calrex looked up to see Roc was signaling towards a suitable point to rest for the night. Keeping his eyes on the circling blue shape in the air he began heading towards the location.

[Calrex 0]

After some time Calrex arrived at the rock formation that Roc had directed him towards. However, by the time he had arrived the sun was already setting in the distance, fairly quickly. It seemed similar to the one he had previously camped out underneath during his time en route to the <<Inferno Cavern>> during the <<Guardian of Fire>> quest. Entering into the lower part of the formation the bluenette looked around to see the area definitely was useable to rest, "As long as I stay close to that wall I should be out of sight of anything outside. Should be safe enough to rest for the night."

Giving a nod over to Roc the peregrine falcon quickly descended down to the ground at mach speed, giving one quick flap  to stop his descent before touching his talons to the ground. "Nice work Roc. Go ahead and rest for now. We'll pick up the trek tomorrow."

By the time he set up for the night the moon had quickly ascended to its peak as he gave a sigh. Unsheathing the Grand Blade he tossed the scabbard to the side, the sheath vanishing in a flash of light as he set his sword at his side. Moving into a comfortable position to rest he gave a small sigh as he crossed his arms. "Better get some rest..."

[Calrex 0]

As the night passed the sun began to rise into the sky as Calrex's eyes slowly opened. Reaching for his sword, his eyes shot open as he looked in surprise, "The Grand Blade...where's it gone?"

Searching around the cavern he looked desperately for his sword, surprised that it had disappeared. After searching for a decent amount of time he gave a small sigh, "I'll need to look for it later. Right now I've just got to keep moving..."

Swiping on his menu Calrex decided to summon the second weapon in his arsenal, the Frozen Fang Blade. The extremely wide one-handed straight sword appeared as he attached it to the back of his hip, rather than using a sheath to hold it in place. It had been some time since he last wielded the icy sword as he looked back. The base of the blade was three times the width of a normal straight sword, looking closer to an oversized cleaver than a longsword. The finish was an icy blue hue, with a arctic wolf symbol at the point where the blade meets the handle, "Still got another day before I make it there, at least if the information is correct."

Exiting out of the cave he gave a small sigh as he looked towards the direction he needed to go, "Well, better keep moving. Hopefully I can find the Grand Blade before I finish this quest."

[Calrex 0]

Right after exiting the rock formation Calrex activated his <<Reveal>> skill once again, heading in the direction of the <<Iron Guardian>>'s spawn point. Unclipping the Frozen Fang Blade from the back of his hip he looked around as Roc materialized overhead, flying ahead to discern the next spot that the two could rest for the coming evening.

"Still...how in the world did the Grand Blade disappear? I thought its impossible for someone to steal your inven...shoot, people can still acquire your gear if it's materalized. They might not have been able to get any of my other weaponry, but since the sword was ready while I was sleeping, they could have taken it easily. But...why didn't they kill me?"

The idea that someone could have easily killed him the night before troubled Calrex as he continued onward, "Teayre...shoot I was careless last night. Need to be more careful when I rest tonight. I can't allow myself to easily be caught off guard...guess I got lucky during the Guardian of Fire quest."

A few more calming breaths escaped him before before he regained his focus, continuing to move forward.

[Calrex 0]

After some time it appeared that night was beginning to fall once again on the ninth floor. Calrex had covered a good amount of distance to the location, with Roc discerning yet another suitable location for the two to rest for the night. Giving a nod he entered inside and did almost the same regimen as he did before. First he made sure he was in a suitable spot that he would be out of view of any potential threats from outside before setting the Frozen Fang Blade down next to him. To try and ensure that it wasn't stolen during the night he plunged it deep into the ground, about halfway up the sword before releasing it.

Adjusting his sleeping position the bluenette gave a small sigh as he rested his head against the wall, putting his hands into his jacket pockets, "I'm still wondering who in the world could have stolen the Grand Blade...I wonder if that group of ninjas Opal was dealing with are finally starting to come after me. They certainly picked a good time to try and do so. If that's the case that might be why they didn't kill me last night: They couldn't. If they commander couldn't best me in a fight, a group of them wouldn't make any more of a difference."

"Well...better to now worry about it in the meantime. For now I'd best rest..."

[Calrex 0]

Unfortunately Calrex's good night's sleep did not come without a price. Just like the previous morning, the blue-haired player awoke to a desolate cavern, with his weapon missing. All that was left was the crack in the ground where he had originally impaled the Frozen Fang Blade into the earth.

When he first woke up he had originally intended to quickly check around, but immediately stopped himself as he realized that whoever had done the deed was probably long gone by now, "One thing I can gather for sure though...someone is definitely following me, most likely just out of range of my Reveal skill, as I haven't been able to discern their location for two days now."

His thoughts referenced back to the information broker he was traveling with, whom had opted partway through the trip to simply return back to the town rather than continue on under his protection, "It's possible he might have something to do with it, but if he wanted me to bring back the item it wouldn't make sense to try and weaken me...unless he was aware that I could probably take down the field boss without needing a full-damage weapon. Hm..."

Exiting out of the rock formation Calrex looked over to see the entrance to the field boss' lair very close, "I guess I'll just have to worry about that for after this is done.

Swiping on his menu he produced the last sword he had in his inventory, the Grand Maelstrom. As the blade appeared in its sheath on his back he gave a small sigh and proceeded forward.

Edited October 28, 2015 by Calrex

[Calrex 0]

ID: 36573
Battle Dice: 6 (Accuracy +3) = 9
Mob Dice: 1 (Evasion +4) = -3
Sword Art <<Meteor Break>> Activated (11 Energy Used / 34 Remaining)

As Calrex came into sight of the <<Iron Guardian>> he wasted no time in rushing forward. Drawing the Grand Maelstrom from its sheath he looked forward as the sword lit alight with a golden hue, the aura of his <<Meteor Break>> Sword Art. Letting the assisted system take over he flew forward and immediately began his barrage of strikes, initiating the attack with a tackle. As his combo continued he saw that the armor of the knight had activated its Thorns ability, which had begun to strike back at him. Gritting his teeth he endured the damage and finished the combo, depleting a huge chunk of the field boss' health.

"I've got no time to be wasting dancing with this thing. Just get it eliminated and start making my way back. Most like if I play my cards right the people who took my weapons will be lying in ambush to try and take the quest item."

HP List
Calrex: 181/185 (4 Thorns DMG)
   Energy: 34/45

Enemies:
Iron Guardian: 137/225 (8 DMG * 11 Art = 88 DMG)

Edited October 28, 2015 by Calrex

[Calrex 0]

ID: 36581
Battle Dice: 1 (Accuracy +3) = 4
Mob Dice: 9 (Evasion +4) = 5 (+1 Damage / Bleed Activation)
Miss Occurred (2 Energy Lost / 1 Recovered / 33 Remaining)

It seemed the field boss was not going to let itself go down so easily. Quickly retaliating it rushed forward, raising its sword high as Calrex readied to dodge. However, as he did he looked down to see that his foot had been caught in a broken panel on the ground. Unable to extract his leg in time the monster's sword connected, dealing a critical blow as he gritted his teeth, leaping back. Looking up he gave a small sigh as he saw an effect he had not seen in quite a long time.

"Bleed...geezes is that even a viable enhancement anymore?"

Shaking off his thoughts he readied himself, preparing to attack.

HP List
Calrex: 166/185 (54+1 DMG - 40 MIT = 15 DMG / Bleed 2/2 Turns Remaining)
   Energy: 33/45 (-2+1)

Enemies:
Iron Guardian: 137/225

Edited October 29, 2015 by Calrex

[Calrex 0]

ID: 36582
Battle Dice: 5 (Accuracy +3) = 8
Mob Dice: 2 (Evasion +4) = -2
Sword Art <<Meteor Break>> Activated (11 Energy Used / 1 Recovered / 23 Remaining)

"Sorry, but I have no more time to be giving on you. Nice shot with the Bleed effect there, I'll just heal it up later. Right now, I'm taking you down..."

His eyebrows furrowed as Calrex readied <<Meteor Break>>, the Grand Blade becoming covered in the familiar golden aura. Rushing forward he slammed into the knight once again, feeling the Thorns ability activate as the spikes shot out, lightly scratching the exterior of his body. The Grand Dragoon, his cheek, the inner thigh of his left leg, and other spots now had a small red slash as the bluenette continued his barrage, finishing with another powerful falling slash.

The field boss was knocked back once again as another huge chunk of its health bar vanished, putting it into the red zone as the Ultramarine Knight gave a calming breath, pointing his blade at his opponent. "One more blow should finish this. Better conserve my energy and use Vorpal Strike. That was I've got enough for another couple of attacks should I be ambushed."

HP List
Calrex: 178/185 (4 Bleed DMG + 4 Thorns DMG = 8 DMG / Bleed 1/2 Turns Remaining)
   Energy: 23/45 (-11+1)

Enemies:
Iron Guardian: 49/225 (8 DMG * 11 Art = 88 DMG)

Edited October 29, 2015 by Calrex

[Calrex 0]

ID: 36585
Battle Dice: 6 (Accuracy +3) = 9
Mob Dice: 8 (Evasion +4) = 4
Loot Dice: 8 (Search and Detect +2 / Item +1) = 11 (Non-Combat List Used / No Materials Found)
Sword Art <<Vorpal Strike>> Activated (5 Energy Used / 1 Recovered / 19 Remaining)

True to his word Calrex went into his stance for activating <<Vorpal Strike>> squaring his stance he twisted his upper body so that his right shoulder was further back, his sword perpendicular and trained on the field boss. Lighting up with the yellow pulsating aura of his skill the Ultramarine Knight released the attack, letting the assisted system take over. Feeling his body fly forward he pierced the giant knight right in the chest, each pulse of the aura seeming to slam into the monster before it burst into crystals.

Calrex lingered in the air for a second before he dropped back to the ground, looking to see that the quest item spoken of by the broker had appeared in his loot as he gave a small sigh, "Alright, that's done and over with..."

"Huh...just as I thought..."

Turning around he activated his <<Reveal>> skill, turning around to face the figures that had appeared at the entrance to the field boss' lair. From the distance it was easy for him to discern the colors of their uniform, as well as the person leading them. "Guess it was only a matter of time for you and your goons to show up again..."

Loot List:
Banner of Support

HP List
Calrex: 170/185 (4 Bleed DMG + 4 Thorns DMG = 8 DMG / Bleed End)
   Energy: 19/45 (-5+1)

Enemies:
Iron Guardian: -1/225 (8 DMG * 11 Art = 88 DMG)

Edited October 29, 2015 by Calrex

[Calrex 0]

(2 Posts Until Full Energy Recharge, 1 Energy Recovered / 6 HP Recovered)

"Don't think I was going to let you off for last time, little man. You made a mockery of me in front of my squadron, I won't let that slide!"

"Aren't you ninja supposed to be big on keeping your composure at all times, even in life-threatening situations? Doesn't seem to match the profile."

Blocking the path out of the <<Iron Guardian>>'s spawning area was a familiar foe Calrex had encountered back when he encountered Opal during her training on the eighth floor. The hulking mass of a man in front of him was supposedly called the "Lava Fist" among the people the woman was fighting off. "Supposedly this guy is working for that guy Sensui Opal was fighting. Well, she did warn that they would probably come for me if I got involved. Nonetheless, I can't change this past."

The giant of a player put his fist into his other hand, clenching as he cracked his knuckles with a smirk. At the same time all of the orange-garbed shinobi surrounding him drew their variety of weapons. Just scanning across the ground Calrex could make out that there was a variety of weapons each bore, although it seemed that the squadron preferred one-handed weapons to keep their off-hands free.

"What, no one-on-one battle this time? Don't think you're a match for me?"

"Pfft! Like I'd do something so stupid again! I'm going to let my boys rough you up before I get to you, that way you're nice and pliable when I break your back over my knee! GET HIM!"

As the ninjas all rushed forward at him Calrex leaned back, bringing his arm back, "Now the question is if I should attack them with my sword, or rely on my fists again."

Calrex: 176/185 (+6 HP)
   Energy: 20 (+1)

[Calrex 0]

OOC: Going to use a "mass battle" system. It will be similar to how Calrex fought off the eagles in <<Feeding the Enemy>> It will be determined by the CD roll. Anything below 6 will be considered a failure and he will take 30 damage, bypassing mitigation. However, with each roll over 6 will be considered a success, reducing the damage by 10 for the next failure. After three successes the ninjas protecting Lava Fist will be defeated.

IC:

ID: 36586
Craft Dice: 8 (Success)

As the squadron closed in on him Calrex gave a calming breath as he lowered into his <<Martial Arts>> stance, clenching both hands into fists as the ninjas closed in. They almost seemed to be a wave of orange as they all rushed forward, engaging the blue-haired player in combat.

Even without his sword drawn the Ultramarine Knight showed to be a formidable match against the ninjas. Using <<Sprint and Acrobatics>> he kept himself out of harms way by flawlessly flipping, cartwheeling, rolling, and diving out of the way of the attackers' strikes. At the same time, any incoming strikes he deflected to the side with his fists, catching the ninja by the hands as he moved one to the side to act as a shield as he thrust kicked another, sending them into a group like a bowling ball to a set of pins.

"COME ON! You can't bring this punk down?! There's too many of you for him to handle! Break him down! You hear me?! BREAK HIM!"

"Hey could you shut it for a second? I'm trying to put my fist into this guy's face, and you're commentary isn't helping."

Immediately after speaking Calrex grabbed a ninja by the intersecting point of his gi, promptly planting his fist into the orange-garbed player right after. At the same time he kept track of each one's health bars, making sure to pull his punches on the ones that were entering into the red zone. If it was one thing he wanted to avoid, it was becoming a player-killer, even though the mob was the instigators of the battle.

Edited October 29, 2015 by Calrex

[Calrex 0]

ID: 36588
Craft Dice: 9 (Success 2)

The battle raged on as more and more of the ninja squadron were being knocked to the ground by Calrex. By this point two-thirds of the entire group were put into the red zone. Normally they likely would have fought to death, but the indicator seemed to instill hesitation in them as they backed up, forming a perimeter around the blue-haired player as he caught a ninja that was leaping at him, quickly turning to preserve the momentum as he hurled the player into a wall.

Giving a calming breath Calrex activated <<Aggressive Twins>>, sending his double fist attack into the nearest yellow health combatant, knocking him away with enough force to send him reeling. Making note that majority of the ninjas were put into critical health levels he straightened himself as he rested his hands at his sides, "I'm going to say this once to all of you. Stop this, right now..."

"Don't you dare stop attacking, or else I'll put in the ground myself! You think Sensui will accept another failure against this little blue man?!"

The remaining ninjas looked amongst each other before they forced themselves forward with false resolve. Each one leapt at the same time, coming down towards where Calrex was standing. As they descended the bluenette widened his stance, bringing his elbows back as he clenched his fists.

Edited October 29, 2015 by Calrex

[Calrex 0]

ID: 36591
Craft Dice: 4 (Failure / 10 Damage)

As the ninjas descended upon Calrex he gave a calming breath, "...I guess I'll need to show how foolish your actions are..."

Lowering his arms the ninjas came down upon him, slashing rapidly as they left multiple red cuts across his body, almost making it look like the bluenette was wearing some strange red zebra-striped outfit. A few even managed to leave cuts across his face, adding to the already present cut across his cheek from the <<Iron Guardian>>. The blurry of blows continued on for what seemed to be an endless period of time before the ninjas leapt back, panting from their attack.

"Did...we even get him?"

"I'm still standing...you guys certainly are out of shape. Really should do some cardio..."

"H-How in the world did you endure all of those hits? That attack has killed everyone we have used it on!"

"You fools?! Don't you remember this squirt was the one that tangled with me?! You think he's going to go down from one 荒波 (Aranami / Raging Waves)? I've taken on more than ten of them at once!"

"Tch, well then you might want to go back to the Village Hidden in the Leaves, maybe find a bunch of nice orange and blue jumpsuits while you're at it. Frankly, you're giving good ninjas like Opal a bad name."

Calrex gave a cocky smirk to add to his comment as he saw the ninjas remaining gripped their weapons tighter to the point that they were shaking in their hands. "Good, breaking their focus will cause then to attack erratically and likely out of practice. If it's one thing they will be giving now, it's telegraphed strikes."

Calrex: 166/185 (10 DMG)

Edited October 29, 2015 by Calrex

[Calrex 0]

ID: 36599
Craft Dice: 6 (...shoot I worded that weird XD. No change)

As each of the ninjas engaged Calrex one again they began to let out cries of anger, something that was out of character, at least to the blunette's knowledge. The one-handed weapons fell and cut through air, never coming into contact with his avatar as he easily maneuvered out of the way. However, their particular attack pattern, although uncoordinated, didn't leave any openings for him counter.

"Tch...for being a bunch of good they certainly fight under pressure to a decent level. Nonetheless I've got no time for this."

"Keep it up, you'll break him down!"

Sliding back as Calrex leapt and slid to put distance between himself and the remaining shinobi he gave a small sigh while speaking soft enough to himself, "...and it doesn't help that we've got Mr. Cheerleader Hulk over there."

Punching another series of weapons out of the way he leapt to the side, bending at the knees as he slid underneath a passing horizontal slash, "An opening will come. I've just got to hold out long enough for them to tire a bit more."

Edited October 29, 2015 by Calrex

[Calrex 0]

ID: 36601
Craft Dice: 7 (Success 3)

"What did I just say?! BRING...HIM..."

Before the man named Lava Fist could finish his orders suddenly Calrex unleashed his <<Howl>> skill, the resounding noise knocking the goliath of a man, as well as the remaining ninjas, onto their butts as the sound wave persisted for a few seconds. Since he had activated the technique with his fists, he had crouched and punched the ground, just like he had done when fighting alongside Opal. Slowly getting to his feet he kept his head down, hair masking his face. However, his emotional "aura" had seemed to change, from one of calm and equilibrium to one of potential anger.

"This guy...no...all of these so called ninjas...they've really gotten on my nerves. I've wasted too much time on them..."

"I'm going to give you one...last...warning, get the hell out of here..."

Beginning to walk towards the hulking man at the entrance to the lair Calrex tilted his head upwards, his eyebrows furrowed in anger as the bridge of his nose that was between his eyes wrinkled. The light in his eyes seemed to dim partially, as if the cold persona were taking over.

"What are you all standing around for?!"

The ninjas began to charge at Calrex, who turned and flashed each a look of disgust as he slammed his fist, foot, elbow, and other striking points into their heads, stomachs, necks, and other vital points. The unfortunate one of the group was the last ninja, whom the bluenette had slammed both fists into his temples before delivering a full body powered hook punch across his face, sending the orange-garbed player spinning through the air before flopping motionless to the side, health in the critical zone.

With no more ninja to protect him the Lava Fist put up an air of false courage as he gave a boastful laugh, "Well, I just applaud your display. Now let's battle litt..."

Before the Lava Fist could finish his sentence Calrex had closed the distance using his <<Sprint>> skill, already having drawn the Grand Maelstrom as he unleashed <<Meteor Break>> on the man, bombarding him with the barrage of tackles and slashes before slamming him to the ground with his last strike.

Getting to his feet the giant man looked back at Calrex as he turned, bringing a fist back as if to slam it into the blunette's face, but before he could move he felt the tip of a blade against his neck as the Ultramarine Knight placed his sword's point against the man's clavicle, "Let me make this clear. I've got no more time for you and your group's antics. I've got more important things to be doing that tangling with your nonsense."

Reaching forward Calrex grabbed the man by the neck, keeping his blade trained on the orange-garbed martial artist, "I don't know what in the world happened between you, this Sensui guy, and Opal, and frankly I don't really care. She's one of my teammates. So get the damn earwax out of your head and listen up. You, your little squadron, and all of this little organization, pack up and beat it. Out into the wilderness, back into the inns on the first floor, off the edge of Aincrad, whatever. You keep up this little revenge scheme on her, and you'll have me to deal with, got it?"

The Lava Fist was silent for some time, his bravado seeming to have dispersed as his face flashed fear for a second. Quickly regaining his composure he looked over at the other ninjas as they slowly got to their feet, each one still in critical condition. Looking back over at Calrex he shot a grimace before reaching into his gi, pulling out yet another smoke bomb, breaking it against the ground as the entire squadron vanished.

With the martial artist and his team members gone Calrex remained still for a few seconds before giving a deep breath, returning back to his normal self, "You told me to stay out of it, so I guess now this is the best I can do Opal..."

Looking up he seemed to become lost in thought as he began making his way back towards the settlement, "Lindow...I hope this helps to make up for me being unable to help you properly..."

Edited October 29, 2015 by Calrex