[F1 - PP] Showing your true colors (Azide)

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

Floor 1....how much time has it passed since she had walk among these busy streets? The blonde had no idea or didn't want to think about it, from the time she meet her teacher that thought her the basics of tailoring, the NPC Diana.... to the times she went and helped new-looking players with advises and small gifts to set them up a bit. Those were some of the happy memories she had at this floor. Strolling through the crowded alleys as usual, with KImba to make a path for them in the middle of the ocean of random people, she was here today... not to sink into the past but to find a new future. It was in the town's main plaza, the same place she and everybody else had received the horrific news from Kayaba himself, that she was heading. She had a meeting... hopefully one that would prove fruitful for both the participants. 

Finally reaching the pre-established coordinates, the blonde took a look around while coming to a complete stop. The sun was up in the skies, signalling that the time was around noon. As much as she wanted not to remember, grim reminders ran through her mind as she shook her head in denial of those....faces of friends long gone or that have gone off the grid flashed before her and made her eyes get a little moist. She stubbornly bit her lower lip in the hopes that physical pain might replace the ache in her heart but it was a futile attempt as one of the convenient means of this game was a basically 0 pain reception from attacks. One might sense a tingle but never experience the real physical pain that is often present in the real life.

A bit down in spirits, she looks at her companion that seemed to understand what she was feeling and was nuzzling against her. With a smile the blonde crouches down and gently pets her familiar. It was hard to think that the first time they meet, the blonde's ailurophobia, which is a irrational fear of cats, prevented her from even touching her companion. It has been a long struggle but the two had worked hard to achieve this level of closeness, that of kindred spirits. Some would stop and smile at the cute display of affection between the two. The blonde didn't mind, as she had a bit of time to spare until the hour of the meeting. There was nothing changed about her outfit, she even wore the Guardian Cloak, bearing the blue mark of her almost inactive guild.

Edited November 2, 2015 by Ariel - The Crowned Lion

[Azide 0]

This was the place where it had all began. Azide shot a glance to his left, followed by another to his right; eyes a stolid brown swept the vicinity, bringing into his sights every player and building that fell into the range of his vision. He was no Calrex- the soft glow of <<Reveal>> did not fill his irises, nor was he even an X- searching and detecting was not something he considered to be his forte. But traits like those were superficial in nature; they were nothing more than the removal of arbitrary limitations imposed by both the game and the system which supported it.

Being observant was not something in this world that was determined by numbers or rolls. That sort of trait was something entirely out of the hands of CARDINAL, but well within the hands of a young man such as Azide. In his visual sweep of the bustling town square, he spotted not only the player whom he'd been arranged to meet, but also every face and sign of every building which his gaze had crossed- if even for only an instant.

There was the spot he'd been standing when Kayaba had made his now-infamous announcement; he could still identify the very set of tiles that he'd first spawned over by the distinctive pattern of cracks which textured their surface. Perhaps it was a side effect of having been in the middle of a study session beforehand, but when he'd first looked down, the cracks had reminded him of the structure of a very specific macromolecule.

Then there was the Starlight Cafe; it was a location he associated closely with several colorful characters. Lucifer, X, and Oikawa- all three other co-founders of his previous venture had encountered each other for the first time within its walls. Even after that meeting, it'd become a recurring locale for each of them, as well as many of those who associated with them; Calrex, Teayre, Alyss, Baldur, Rebekah and even Adelyn had all paid visits over the seasons.

His eyes had also taken note of the alleyway where he had first met the young man known as Raeyliff, as well as the bench where the lady Alyss had first been sitting on as she'd gawked at a freshly born rainbow which had painted itself in watercolors across the backdrop of a cloud-strewn sky.

But most relevantly to more current times, there stood Ariel, precisely at the intersection of the coordinates which she had specified. It was a curious thing, to give coordinates for a meet-up; usually, exact points like that were given only when precision was of immense importance. It'd come as a surprise when he'd discovered that hers had belonged to none other than the town square. Even so, it was rude to keep anybody waiting- lady or not.

"It's been a long time since we've met up for something other than a commission or a quest," remarked Azide, as he stepped out from behind her, wearing a curious smile. 

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

Out of the blue, during their little skinship session, the white lion dashed towards a man who greeted the two with a simple remark. The blonde didn't have to look up to know who the owner of that voice was, after all she had invited only one person here. Raising herself to meet his eyes, she simply nodded, one of her most recent memories of a encounter of this type was when meeting new people, which Azide....or most often a certain rogue-like free caring guitar player would try to recruit low levels. At the time the blonde would stick her nose in their business and enjoy the the outcome. Kimba, who would've been reluctant to approach Azide in the past had no problem with brushing against his feet and showing him her paw as a 'formal' meeting, that was to be expected from a king of the jungle.

Ariel would giggle at the scene as she watched them then with a nod she'd reply in a normal tone, as if the thoughts she had before didn't crossed her mind. That was of course, a poor attempt to keep face. "Glad to see you too, you knightliness." she said with a smile, while observing every detail of his 'new' colors. Of course it was she who made the outfit but didn't get a chance, until now, to see Azide wear it. It seems she cot accustomed to seeing him in green. "But yes, today I've called you here for something else.... something tangent with how we used to meet in the past. Back in your 'green' days."

Edited November 3, 2015 by Ariel - The Crowned Lion
aaaa

[Azide 0]

Again, the fuzzy white feline known as Kimba, seemed to throw caution to the wind as she slinked right up to his legs. Thankfully, the creature seemed to show no intent on licking any exposed parts of his limbs today, apparently choosing instead to present him with one of her paws. At a loss for what to do otherwise, Azide gave the familiar a half-hearted pat on the head, and found himself struggling to recall whether it was dogs or cats that preferred that sort of gesture. Taking a step back, he gave an obligatory chuckle at her reference to his relatively recent ascension to knighthood- in a manner of speaking. "I'll be honest, I'd rather you left the whole knight shtick to Calrex. He seems to embrace it rather readily," he began, scratching lightly against his cheek. Despite the obligation of his laugh, his smile held no less truth at that moment than at any other given time. It would be a stretch to say that he considered himself and Ariel to be 'close' per-say, but he could not deny that they were quite familiar with each other, at least on a relative scale. With the loss of so many old acquaintances and allies, he could not help but smile knowing that at least some subset of Aincrad did not intend to fade away just yet. The continued existence of people like Ariel represented stability, and that in itself was something he could believe in.

From his face, he moved his hand to brush aside stray strands which had shifted to his eyes. "Back in my green days?" he asked. An upward glance brought into view the green cursor which hovered constantly above his head. "As far as I can tell, I haven't gone orange just yet," Azide remarked. He let his gaze fall back to meet that of Ariel's, knowing very well what the young lady had meant. Taking a few paces to his right, he took a seat atop the lip of some concrete structure, and rocked his neck to the left, then the right. "But all jokes aside, you have my full attention."

Edited November 4, 2015 by Azide

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

Reacting to Azide's touch, the white feline started audibly purring while basking in the attention she received. The blonde instead crossed her arms, unconsciously lifting her generous bosom even more. She was glad to see that he was, as ever, at least as literal and straightforwards as she knew him, despite his slight change of behavior she'd notice after the boss fight.. during the time they fought the new 12th floor field boss. With a smile she spoke, while her voice showed a slight serious tone: "Straight to business as usual, at least that part of you didn't change, not that I wished for it to." next bringing her hand to her cheek to brush a wild strand of hair behind her ear she spoke: "As you might know or not, I've spend a lot of time on the 10th a while back.... it was a bit after several people went missing and my guild had disbanded."(occ: aka during my hiatus) she used the indented terms instead of names because it would've been too painful for her to maintain her composure during this talk. Clearing her throat, she stole a glance at the ex-S1 guildmaster to see if he had some visible reaction then continued. "After that I once again got a chance to see my mentor Lessa and once more join the ranks of the guardians." she made a notable pause to see if Azide would guess where she was going with this

[Azide 0]

"If anything, I feel as if I've somehow only become more businesslike," offered Azide, with a sigh. As recently as just a handful of months ago, the idea of donning a uniform alone would've been unthinkable to him, and yet here he was now. Though his disposition towards green had not wavered in the least bit, he had to admit that the red and the white had grown on him with time. Appearances hadn't been the end of it either- the changes had not been limited only to his wardrobe. His newer garbs were but a symptom of a realization which had been long in the making.

He listened intently as the blonde-haired girl carried on, and he raised a brow at her mention of spending time on the tenth floor. This was news to him- the floor of constant darkness was precisely the very same one in which he'd wandered aimlessly for a long five months. But never in all of that time had he run across Ariel, nor the furry white creature that always seemed to accompany her. Still, he passed on commenting for the time being, and allowed her to continue. 

When her tale had been made known, or at least the aspects which she had deemed relevant, Azide gave a nod of his head. "Lessa was a good woman, and someone I've always held the utmost respect for- even though the interactions we shared were regrettably brief." His eyes shifted to catch a glimpse of the blue wings which hung by the girl's name. "But as far as I can tell, both Lessa and the Guardians have gone dormant on us for a second time. Am I correct in saying this?"

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

The blonde's eyes narrowed as she continued after hearing Azide's reply: "Yes... Lessa is a good woman. Until her name is crossed at that monument she and all our friends that disappeared, aren't worthy if being talked about in past tense." she let out a sigh and regained her smile she was happy to see that he might've seen where she was going with the discussion. "But yes, my fellow guild mates seemed to have gone off the radar, they are included in those 'several' I mentioned earlier. Still you are correct and that is one of the reasons I summoned you here today." She made a simple gesture of bringing forth for HUD menu and went to inventory, in the next instant her gray cloak disappeared, leaving her backside exposed to the elements. "I wish to put an end to the guardian's presence here in Aincrad, for the second time being, letting the name rest until such time that it will be needed again will arise. Until then..." she looked at her left and right then lightly shrugged "it seems that I'm guild less once again. What should I do now, I wonder?" she put a sheepish smile while asking the red and white clad lad that recently converted and mastered the dagger, by what she's seen. "Do you know of any guild that would be willing to recruit lil' old me?"

[Azide 0]

Azide nodded at the girl's subtle reprimand. "I don't mean to imply that she isn't. I've probably never mentioned it, but the Guardians of Aincrad are the only other guild I've ever seriously considered joining. And I'm sure that you can figure out the other through the process of elimination." But regardless of whether or not players such as Lessa, Mari and Oikawa were mentioned with a past tense or a present one, it didn't change the fact that all three were currently out of the picture. Even if they were all out there somewhere at this very moment, they had become old news the moment they'd chosen to step away from all which they'd once embraced. If they wished to become current, they would have to step up, and earn it. But until then, he had no time to play games with those unwilling to play them.

The young lady unequipped her cloak, and scratched lightly at his head, while his eyes remained placid throughout. He could either drag out the exchange with a few playful or snappy remarks, or he could cut right to the chase. Seeing as how he'd met his quota for the former within the first few minutes of their meeting, he leaned towards the latter. Remaining seated, he asked the young lady, "What is it that makes you wish to join the Knights of the Blood, Ariel?"

Edited November 4, 2015 by Azide

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

"Was I that obvious?" stated the blonde with a smile. It was true, she had decided to leave the guardians and go for the knights instead. It has not been a simple task to reach that decision. She pondered and pondered and fortunately had been able to easily scratch off some guilds off her list. "I initially though I had 2 choices, to go with a relatively recently formed guild... but after meeting the likes of Mack, I changed my mind....something about having someone who was less experienced than me as my leader doesn't sit right with me. Then there was the other choice of going with a veteran guild.... Mari's was out of the question since she pretty much wants to see me dead. With Azure.....been there, done that, not going to repeat it no matter how much they change the council members. all I see is that they prevented me from going on an floor boss fight because of that 'pride' of theirs and then got kicked out in exchange for my loyalty." only the memory of her being thrown away despite the efforts she put made her her enraged. She took a calming breath and continued: "After analyzing....that's a uncharacteristic word for me....after making several more reasons like that the name Knights of the Blood was left at the end. "

"It is a rather minor? guild that somehow managed to stay alive after all this time, when so many..including mine, have rose and fallen. I kind of like that kind of stability and even if the guildmaster is somewhat of a mystery... the fact that you decided and the raven haired alchemist, Opal against whom I had the pleasure of dueling, to join in makes it even more appealing and worth trying it out. So, it might not be a serious reason but I want to see how far this guild can go, what other way then joining it. The fact that they have no alliance, at least from my knowledge, with any other guilds is a plus too. So while I can't trust somebody I never even seen, I'm willing to trust you." in the end her words were simple but truthful. She was sure that it was a stupid reason but that was the best she had managed to do so she felt pleased with herself just by ding that. Now she was looking at Azide to see his response.

[Azide 0]

"Just enough obviousness keeps things simple," Azide answered, showing a hint of a smile as his expression softened. On some level, he could see where she had come from. The Knights of the Blood had never been the first place that he had turned to- rather, it was a destination he'd arrived at only after eliminating all other factors. He had met both Mack of the Crimson Blades, as well as Lowenthal of the Velvet Room. In fact, he had even gathered information on both as they'd engaged in combat- but neither one had ultimately been quite impressive enough to him over. A pair of good and upstanding men, yes, but they had not inspired within him the direction which he had been seeking.

For a moment, he simply looked the woman in the eye. It was funny, that her reasons were so familiar- almost as if she had recorded his very own explanation when he had first declared it. "People like you, me and Opal?" he began. "We're all birds of a feather." He nodded slowly, recalling the words he had spoken to Opal. "From the very first moment I returned, I knew that I could never in good conscious join the ranks of the Velvet Room, or even the Crimson Blades." He'd neglected to mention the Azure Brigade, albeit the decision had been a conscious one. A bunch of elitists- that was what they truly were. Never would he forget the way they had turned their backs on the rest of the front-liners on the eve of their confrontation with Yamato. Azure reminded him far too much of certain figures he had felt immense disdain for back on the other side; he would never join their ranks, even if they were to ask really really nicely and give him a bouquet of flowers and perhaps a box of chocolates. Even if those chocolates were both dark and Swiss, he would probably still say no.

"Between guilds like that, and the idea of rebuilding Square One from the ground up, I wanted no part of either. If there's anything I've learned from my own hiatus, it's that everything in this world has a habit of falling, given enough time." In those five months alone, the Guardians of Aincrad had both risen and fallen, Azure had fallen and then risen, and the Crimson Blades had skyrocketed to the forefront of relevance before sputtering out entirely. Oikawa, X, Xanatos, Crozeph and more- all had seemingly vanished. Everything changed, and he could not say that the knowledge comforted him. "But Commander Heathcliff has always been here, both before and during my time at the front-lines, and should the worst happen, I have no doubts that he'll continue to be here even afterward. There's a certain sort of peace that comes with the realization that everything you've worked for won't simply come crashing down at the drop of a hat."

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

"Oh yeah there was still Velvet Room... yeah I couldn't possibly join the guild of a guy that abandoned me mid-quest and left the guild because 'it just happened'. I don't hate him or anything but he's better off not crossing paths with me." She affirmed with a normal tone, she didn't feel any kind of hatred towards Lowenthal but there was a small voice in the back of her mind that whispered 'traitor' every time his name was mentioned and that was enough to alter her good mood. She continued to listen to Azide and noticed that he didn't mentioned the guild that almost trademarked that specific blue shade. 

' all birds of a feather ' even though it was the first time she heard that analogy, she understood its meaning and particularly liked it. It was rare to see people having a gift with words..at least in her line of business. She raised her brow near the end of his statement: "You seems to have some respect for the man as you speak so higly of him. Sounds like a interesting character for somebody that's been relatively anonymous until recently. But yes that kind of stability is kind of refreshing in this ever-changing world... I wonder if I would get a chance to meet the man." 

[Azide 0]

Although he had, in fact, met Lowenthal, it'd be a stretch of the truth to claim that either of them knew very much in the way of anything about the other. For all he knew, the guildmaster of the Velvet Room was the leader of a small, but loyal bunch. On top of that, the man had once been an orange player, and was a fellow dagger wielder. But those things aside, he could not claim to know much about the man as a person. Still, from the tone that Ariel used in reference to him, he guessed that there must be some bitterness between them- or at the very least, on one side of the equation. In any case, he was not here to take sides when he himself had been absence for the entirety of the period in which they'd transpired.

"He has a certain presence about him, our Commander," spoke Azide. Thinking back, he could still remember his first impression of the man Heathcliff: strong, tall, imposing, and with a cool-running confidence. There had been no swagger in his step, or arrogant smirk upon his lips- all there had been was the undeniable air of a man equipped with an almost effortless control. Sporting a full suit of gleaming crimson, Commander Heathcliff had seemed almost invincible that day... "As soon as he steps into the room, it's hard to forget that he's there. It's different from almost anyone else I've ever met," he continued. Of those he'd encountered here in Aincrad, only Mari had possessed even a fraction of the man's aura; back there on the third floor, in the dark of night, the woman's orange cursor had been a humbling sight.

Straightening his jacket, he nodded once again. "I have full confidence that you'll get to meet him. However, the Commander is a very deliberate man, so I can't pretend to give you an estimate of when that day will come. But when it does, you'll be able to feel it coming." 

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

"I'll be looking forward to it ...but until then.." her eye drifted towards the nearby players that were oblivious to their talk. She knew that different guilds had different methods of testing and accepting new members. She herself had a certain method during the time of Absolute Pin, that was bringing aspirants to the 10th floor which was the current front line at the time and fight alongside them. See how would they react against a 'harder' enemy and in a extremely unwelcoming environment. Cal and Teayre had their own methods which she had let them free hand in implementing. Now, as she was willing to join a new guild, how was Azide going to handle her initiation? that was the issue she brought up next.

" I've made my intentions clear, I want to join the Knights of the Blood guild, with a couple of demands or better said... things that I'd like to be made aware." she looked at Azide's eyes and continued: "What comes next, do I have to prove my worth to you or Heathcliff? go through some trial or duel somebody to earn my position as one of the knights?" he asked in a serious tone as she was starting to get anxious to see how would the KotB representative would reply to her. She wouldn't mind either case as she had enough confidence in her skills.

[Azide 0]

"Normally, I'd take prospective recruits off into the field, and maybe even surprise them with a pop quiz or two," Azide started, tracing the path of the blonde girl's gaze with his own two eyes. Finding nothing more than a handful of unfamiliar faces, he shifted his attention back to the young lady in front of him. Running a thumbnail down his cheek and across his chin, he paused for a moment, lifting his eyes to rest at their corners. Before long, both orbs rolled back into place, and the subdued smile gave way to a sharp grin. "But as I don't particularly feel like walking today, I'm willing to settle for a change of pace." 

A swipe of his hand generated the usual shimmering panel, and he quickly scrolled through its contents. It wasn't exactly a lie- what he'd said; on the other hand, he had never been the sort to lackadaisically throw caution to the wind and embrace things as they came. Ultimately, what tipped the scales in the direction of whimsy was the fact that he had witnessed Ariel's capabilities time and time again- to subject her to the standard fare would be nothing more than an empty formality. After all, nearly anybody could beat a bunch of mobs without dropping a beat. "We'll go until one of us has landed two hits- because first hit duels leave a little too much up to chance for my tastes." With a soft ding, a new window appeared before him, and he nudged it towards the rapier-wielder with flick of his finger. "Technically, a half-loss duel, but we'll end it after the conditions I specified are met. Just don't go overboard," he added as he lifted himself up from his seat.

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

"That sounds a lot like how I used to test possible recruits in Absolute Pin... the 'field' being the frontlines which was the 10th floor at the time." she replied with a chuckle. She watched him bringing forth his HUD panel and already had a hunch what he would do next. A smile appeared across her face as she received the duel invitation, in turn, she accepted saying: "I agree and like that idea, brings back memories from the fencing tournaments where technique and style overruled strength. And yeah...I'll go with rank 1 sword arts since you set that particular condition, after all judging by our DPS tendencies we could easily oneshot each other if we perform the wrong pre-motion for a sword art." she was of course joking about the one shot move but it still was a unignorable truth... sword arts made murder much more easier but despite that, she'd never seen... let alone saw a increase in PKers. The opposite in fact, orange players were taking the redemption quest with support from the big guilds. She'd like to think that it was because people finally started concentrating on what was really important..for all their sake, clearing floors.

She'd accept the duel request and watch the timer start its countdown, readying her black blade as she too stood up and took the minimal duel distance from her opponent. Thinking about it, this was the first time she'd fight Azide. That thought motivated her even more to go for the win. "Okay..Vice-commander Azide show me what you can do!"

ID#39426  LD: 3 (Tie)  CD: 9 (I winz)

Edited November 19, 2015 by Ariel - The Crowned Lion

[Azide 0]

As always, the timer ticked down ever closer to an inevitable zero, and he reflected on how fortunate he had been thus far- that each of his clashes against fellow players had led off with friendly countdowns, rather than confrontational blindsides. Pulling his lower lip up and to the side, he blew a rogue strand away from his eyes as one hand slid downward to hover over the leather sheath at his hip, while the other remained stowed within the depths of his pockets. If one thing was certain, it was that he had been insulated from Aincrad's more turbulent phases- in fact, orange players had become a fading force as of late. Even then, the only orange player who had ever stirred up any trouble of note in his day had been Mari; but, at least for the time being, it appeared as if her time had come and gone. This game seemed to have only grown less and less chaotic as time had gone, despite the fact that it was now easier than ever to wreak havoc...

"I'm glad to hear that you're not looking to kill me," he remarked, with a thin chuckle. "As much of a fan as I am of damage-dealing, I'm more than happy to accept a nice message afterward as a substitute. I've seen you in action already, so I can trust that you won't fudge the relevant statistics." By now, the duel was quickly approaching its opening, and he took these last few moments to strengthen his composure. "Let's make this a good show," he answered, nodding once.

ID: 39422 | LD: 3 (Tie) | CD: 6

Edited November 19, 2015 by Azide

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

For a while,just the digital sounds of the timer could be heard as both opponents prepared their stances. Ariel knew from experience that this was a crucial period in which she had to supervise Azide's exterior fine gestures in hopes of reading his next move. He had adopted a rather unorthodox stance willingly restricting the spectre of his moves by placing his left hand in his pocket. A total different stance compared to her own, with her right leg in front while the other about 20 centimeters behind with a slightly lowered center of gravity while her rapier was placed in front of her, offering him as small of a target as she could manage while leaving no openings. It was the result of years of training done IRL even before joining SAO. As in proper fencing, the first to act gained the overall advantage and the change to land a critical hit so as the timer reached 0 she activated her charge and closed the gap between them in a blink of an eye. She graciously combined the speed of both the before mentioned sword skill, with the above normal speed offered by the very first basic rapier skill. She pierced through Azide's left shoulder to force his whole arm backwards to get his hand out of the pocket and assume a proper stance. "I hope you're not taking me lightly now, eh?" she asked with a smile watching his HP bar drop by 10%. She could've used another sword art with the stun effect but keeping to her teachings, she decided against it. this was a display of swordsmanship afterall. There was no need to taint it with forced unreal game perks.

ID# 39443  BD: 9 (nat)

• Ariel: 1 hit(s)
• Azide: 0 hit(s)

Sword Art:  (1) Linear - 1x1*(10+4+1) 

 

ooc: sig needs updated in lvl..now 36 with 149 HP and charge rank 4

[Azide 0]

With a digital ding, the clock struck midnight- or rather, zero. Seemingly, in that very same instant, Ariel had reduced the distance between them to a humble nil before he could even draw his hand from the pocket which had swallowed it so wholly. It had never been like him to act so carelessly; of course, it wasn't as if he had planned to engage the girl with any sort of handicap, but there was no excuse for not adopting a more appropriate stance straight from the get-go. 

Though it was far too late, he drew the dagger Chemikaze as swiftly as he could manage, only for his shoulder to absorb the length of the girl's rapier before he could do much else. In spite of himself, he recoiled at the biting sensation and let out an involuntary gasp as his eyes darted over to the entry wound. Even after all of this time, it was still just as surreal as ever to see these things happen to his body; inside, there was no doubt in his mind that this was not his body- and yet, in the heat of the moment, his mind still seemed intent on instilling the pain upon him all the same.

One eye scrunched tightly shut, he raised his knife to guard against any immediate follow-ups as he leaned back and pushed off against the ground. Wincing all throughout, he exhaled sharply as the coldness of her steel vacated his senses. Landing a short distance away, he steadied himself over the course of a few hasty backward steps. "I'm glad you didn't miss the point of this duel," he managed, through gritted teeth.

Sweeping his opponent's figure with his eyes, he dashed straight ahead, the orange wound on his shoulder dissipating in the process. With a momentous leap, he targeted the girl's weapon itself- intending on knocking it aside and breaking her stance before making a drive into her shoulder. But when it came time to strike, his blade found no solace, and he instead found himself halting his advance with a sliding stop. "If you'd attempted to stun me just now, I would've wondered if you were perhaps lacking confidence in your abilities," he called out, darting his eyes around the vicinity until his opponent came back into view.

ID: 39448 | BD: 2 (Miss)

• Ariel: 1 hit(s)
• Azide: 0 hit(s)

Edited November 20, 2015 by Azide

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

'Precisely' thought the blonde as she saw how Azide reacted to her shot. 'This a reaction that you find in a normal person.' "Phantom pain" she whispered with a smile. She gave that name to this sort of reaction when even incomplete fencing armor, most of her opponents changed their focus from her on the point she'd struck or her weapon was aiming. Despite the protection the armor offers, they 'fear' for their well being, of getting hurt. It was the most basic human instinct of self preservation and seeing it in Azide's expression she let out a smirk. 

Looking at him putting some distance between them, she took the opportunity to chance her own stance to a defensive one similar like the one at the beginning of the duel. Then the red and white clad raven head leaped towards her. 'No sword art?' she thought noticing the lower speed of a regular attack which she evaded with a bit of effort as he slid next to her. His eyes betrayed his target which was her gripping hand or the black sword itself. As an opening presented itself, she didn't hesitate to use a second sword art as her weapon started glowing the same blue as before. But on this occasion, instead of using a attack with pinpoint precision she decided it was the best to cut off his means of evading by striking him and the area around him. With two consecutive slashes instead of thrusts, the target area is dyed in a blue shaDe in a V shape around Azide. With that the conditions of the duel should've been meet.

"I'm grateful you chose this type of duel, almost lost the feeling of this kind of fights" she said as she lowered her weapon. "Stunning isn't my style in a friendly competition... except when I have an overwhelming opponent. But you and me, I think were about the same level, been so even since a long time ago. That's why I put honor before winning, as per father's teaching... is good to see this game hasn't perverted them too much." she said, ending with a self mocking smile. Against people, she would keep her honor code but against mobs... she would go all out and indulge in the feeling of exaltation... this is but a drop of how much she had changed since that first day.

"So did I pass your test?" she asked with a mischievous smile continuing: "Or do you wish for a rematch?"

ID: 39532 | BD: 7 (8-4+2+1) [the +1 came from the Savvy enhancement, since Azide missed]

• Ariel: 2 hit(s)
• Azide: 0 hit(s)
• Sword Art:  (4) Sweep - 2x1*(10+4) & AoE 

[Azide 0]

"Seeing as how this duel was only a formality in the first place, I think just this one should suffice," said Azide, smiling slightly with thin lips. Already, a hand was weaving through the intricacies of the game's interface. By the time a new window appeared ahead of him, the freshest of his wounds had only just begun to fade; luckily enough for him, clothing in this world was seemingly spared from the wear and tear of battle. It was better that way, really, considering how fond he was of these simpler jackets.

After laying a single finger upon the lower left corner of the hovering panel, he reversed it with a two-finger swipe, before flicking it in the direction of his opponent. "Since our conditions were self-imposed, we'll both have to consent to ending the duel early," he continued. Twirling Chemikaze once between his fingers, he slid the spent blade into its sheath without taking his eyes off of the woman for even a moment. "But all things considered, I do believe that I would have taken upwards of two-hundred and sixty damage between those two blows you landed. Likely more, considering that you've invested in the Charge skill."

A hiss sounded from within the folds of his coat, and it wasn't long before the serpent within poked its head out from below the lip of his pocket. With a quick downward glance, Azide smiled, and pressed a finger to his lips as he shook his head softly. After a moment, the creature released its silent stare, and slithered back into obscurity. "In any case, you're obviously a shoo-in as far as membership is concerned. And at this point, a seated position is looking very plausible right now..." he said, trailing off. With a laugh, he nodded, before darting his eyes once more to the time. "On the other hand, apologies for being so brief, but I'll be taking my leave now. Just send me a message with your stats, and I'll make sure they make their way to the big man himself." He turned, waving once over his shoulder before heading off.