[PP- F12] Old friends and new beginnings: Electric Boogaloo

[Celesmeh 0]

Celes looked through her friends list once more. everyone she had messaged so far was busy and, honestly, to bring anyone else along was a terrifying prospect. She had disconnected from almost everyone she knew before. Even her guild mates were just acquaintances now. The solitude was almost stifling... as if in response to her thoughts her familiar, Kiku, came to purr against her leg. Celes bent down and pet the large feline "Its okay girl I just... well i have to meet some old friends." She got up again, determined to message people.  Something about cats purring made her feel at home, or maybe it was the humidity.  

 

She pulled down her menu and clicked on a name... 

Lessa: 

'Hey... hows it going?  Long time... no see? i'm on floor twelve if you want to come hang otu and, um, kill things?' 

 

She sighed. Nothing like an awkward message to get the point across. She sat next to her Familiar, letting  drops of condensation for on her skin she lost herself in thought. Shes never going to come, she took what happened even worse than i did...a nd what did i do? disappear? No.. i'm not worth it.....  She pulled down her menu again. Calrex... She let the name echo in her mind and then selected it... 

Calrex: 

'i'm fighting things on floor 12, wanna come?'

 

[Calrex 0]

"Hm?"

Calrex looked down as he saw a message appear on his menu. He was sleeping next to his wife, Teayre, when it had come through, "Celes...geezes the last time I saw her was nearly a year ago. I hope she's doing well."

Leaning over he gave the redhead a quick kiss on the cheek before whispering softly into her ear, "I'll be right back. Celes just sent a message, so I'm going to see what's up. Message me if anything goes wrong. I love you."

With that he got to his feet, rubbing his sleep-deprived eyes as he made his way to the teleportation circle. As he did he sent a reply to the young woman's message while equipping his gear.

Quote

To: Celes
From: Calrex

Sounds like fun. I'll be there in a sec.

With that he activated the teleport sequence as he vanished in a flash of light, reappearing on the twelfth floor in the settlement of Lazaro. A depressed expression came across his face at the thought that Teayre currently couldn't go through the safe zones as him, always in possible harms way, "Now's not the time to be thinking about it. Put on your game face Calrex, it's time to train."

Turning on his friend tracker he traced his teammate's location before activating his Reveal skill. The Extra vision ability gave his eyes a glowing lighter shade of blue from his natural deep ocean-colored irises as he made his way over. Discerning the brunette from the crowd he gave a friendly wave as he finished his trek over, "Heya Celes. It's certainly been a long time. Good to see you're still in good shape."

[Celesmeh 0]

Celes saw a response pop up- @Calrex. Of course, she thought, @Lessa wouldnt come here. Sighing she took a  quick look around and shook her head. Smiling she though. Calrex.. i have a friend there, he... maybe I still have people I care about... She prepped her things. Her new glaive shined in the sun. A red tinge surrounded the blade, proof of its infernal heritage.

Celes heard him arrive before she saw him, she turned and smiled "its been a while indeed, how are you dear?"

[Calrex 0]

Calrex gave a friendly smile as he saw Celes, "Doing alright so far. Been keeping myself busy heh. I finally made it to the frontlines, and have participated in a couple floor raids so far. So...I guess I've come a long way from when we last met."

"Celes seems to be in a similar mood from when I last saw her at that tea shop on the fifth floor." Back then he was still making his way up through the ranks, but a lot had changed since then. He had been a member of two guilds, and now was, to his knowledge, the highest level player current of the populous in SAO. He had yet to possess a single unique but his high stats all around kept him at a competitive pace with those that possessed full sets of unique gear, or even those with unique skills. Not surpass, but match of course.

"How have you been? It seems like I've been seeing a lot of old faces recently. Just a week ago I actually ran into Sousuke, heh."

Putting his hands into his jacket pockets he relaxed his stance as he gave a calm exhale, "I wonder if anyone else is going to be joining us on this little venture?"

Edited November 20, 2015 by Calrex

[Celesmeh 0]

Celes blushed at his question "I- i um, well I invited Lessa but... well she seems to be busy..." She says, a hint of sadness in her voice. She looks Calrex over and smiles "Youve gotten so strong, higher level than me! Are you a tank now? thats heavy armour, right?" She asks happily, trying to forget about lessa. "I um, well i had to take a break after the boss battle for floor 10.. to many.. I- well.. I'm back now I guess. And ready to hunt. Are you? 

[Calrex 0]

"Lessa? Huh, I don't think I've ever been on a hunting trip with her before, actually with you either now that I think of it. For all I know she might still be making her way over. I've never seen either of you in action, so I'm sure it'll be a treat, heh."

He gave another smile as he gave a nod, "Heh, well I certainly have been hard at work training to catch up to everyone. I guess you could say I'm a tank, although I tend to think of myself more as a bruiser, so I'm somewhere between a striker and a defender. Although, from what I can tell you're certainly more of an assault-type build now huh? As for the armor..."

He patted on of the shoulder pauldrons of the Grand Dragoon armor he was currently wearing. It certainly was classified as a heavy armor by the game, but the gear itself merely consisted of a pair of shoulder guards and poleyns, both of a deep sea blue. The two parts of his armor fit snugly over his casual combat clothing, which consisted of a white shirt and fur-lined blue jacket for his upper body, while his lower body being clothied by a pair of grey pants and brown boots. "I certainly do have full-body armor, but for now I've just been wearing unenhanced gear in order to fully maximize my stats."

Giving a nod he patted the handle of the Grand Blade with his sword arm, giving a smirk, "In any case, I'm all set to go when you are."

He flashed yet another friendly smile as he continued to speak, "Well, I hope you're feeling better, but it's good to see you're back."

Edited November 20, 2015 by Calrex

[Lessa 1]

Quote

Sure. I'll be right there.

The journey to the 12th floor seemed to take forever. Though her pace was no slower than normal, and her path was not uncharacteristically crowded, she might have sworn that it took her hours. More than anything, she supposed, it was the heaviness in her heart and the knot in her stomach that weighed her down. How long had it been since she had visited with Celes? Perhaps the better, or more telling statistic was how long it had been since Lessa had spoken to her at all. When the girl had withdrawn into herself, it had been her new friends who had been hurt the most. The blonde's soul searching had been an attempt to disconnect from the past, but all she had accomplished was breaking ties with those few individuals who still cared for her. But too much time had passed, and too many things had happened for amends to be possible. The girl had just assumed that the other players had simply moved on. Perhaps that was why Celes' message had shocked her the way it did. And also why she dreaded it so much.

Tracking the woman was easy enough, and after what seemed like an eternity, the tall woman approached her target. Though her blue eyes flashed once with confusion when she spotted Calrex, her features revealed nothing more. "Hello," she greeted simply, hooking her thumbs in the waistband of her breeches.

[Celesmeh 0]

Celes Smiled at Calrex, a big wide grin "I'm def. an assault type! I'm built to hit and hit hard, but i can barely take damage as I am! she exclaimed. Looking at him in the eye she said "This is why i have to train, because I cant allow myself to stay sitting idly by and let others get hurt..." She trailed off, thinking of those who had passed "Look, Cal, I know this was out of the blue, but I ran... and well... I'm glad to b back on the front lines... I just need to make sure im good enough." she added, her tone softening.  As she pulled out her map to figure out where to go she got a message. Lessa. Oh god, she thought, well ok, i got cal here, right? i can handle having lessa here too... right?

 

Celes looked over to Cal and smiled "So uh, i guess Lessa is joining after all, Do you mind waiting for her to arrive?" She asked, already pacing. Its one thing to ask a  friend like cal for forgiveness but lessa, ugh shes both terrifying and lovely, I have no idea what to do there.... After what seemed like an eternity of waiting and pacing, Lessa arrived. 

 

"Hello" 

 

Celes looked at her and smiled, Holding back the urge to hug she merely replied "Hey! Uh- well- um... well, uh, yeah I was thinking maybe- um.... Hunting alligators? Hanging out? maybe..? is this- um... Okay with everyone?"  She wondered if shed ever be brave enough to actually talk to the woman before her directly....

[Calrex 0]

Calrex gave a friendly nod of understanding as he listened to Celes speak, "Well we'll be sure that things are all good to go. Lessa? Yeah that's perfectly fine. Like I said I'm interested to see both of your combat styles in the field."

Looking over he saw the familiar blonde-haired woman walk over,seemingly only giving a brief glance to acknowledge his presence, "Hey Lessa, glad you could make it."

The bluenette felt a bead of sweat form on the side of his head before turning to face the brunette once again, hearing her trip over her words as he gave a friendly smile, "Some training and hunting sounds perfectly fine to me. Probably a good thing to help keep my skills sharp before the next floor raid comes around."

Placing his hands into his jacket pockets he gave a calming breath before reaching up a hand to rub his eyes, trying to help the dark circles beneath his eyes disperse, "Geezes come on, I've got more than a decent amount of sleep...I think..."

Looking back at his two teammates he gave a nod, indicating his readyness for the hunting to begin.

[Celesmeh 0]

Celes Looked closely at Calrex. "are you okay hon? You sure you're good to do this?" She asked, worry permeating her tone. She knew that he was strong, but every man has his limits, and she knew a tired face when she saw one. She gave Lessa a quick look "I know i'm not always here, but i still want to know youre good, and okay to go..." she said shyly. This being a friend and caring for others was a bit odd  right now, but she took it with as much grace as she could, Standing straight and looking at calrex directly. "You need sleep. We sleep. You need food, we eat. You need dancing, we dance. Got it you two?!" She said, turning to look at lessa and glare at them both. 

[Lessa 1]

The brunette's stuttering caught Lessa off-guard. What caused her to be so awkward? Probably the same thing that is making me so uncomfortable, the girl thought to herself briefly. Distance. Time. A myriad of other factors that worked to make the swordswoman feel a bit like she was invading when she met with her old friends. 

But Celes' words, which seemed to come at the perfect moment, actually reassured her slightly. "That's good to know," Lessa commented, her lips curling into a soft smile. "I will remember that."

Now, she swung her attention to Calrex. "Thanks. Good to see you again." Her next words were directed to both members of their small party. "So you want to go hunting, yeah? I'm completely unfamiliar with this floor, but I'll follow your lead."

[Calrex 0]

"Yeah, I'm alright, don't worry. I guess I need to get a little more sleep or something, but it's nothing that'll cause any hindrance on our trip. Let's do this, heh."

Giving a affirming smile he swiped on his menu as he swapped out the Grand Dragoon for his Grand Chariot: Legacy, the full-body armor fully encapsulating his avatar as his exhausted face was hidden by the expressionless features of his helmet. The only indicator of a face was the two light blue slits that represented his eyes as he turned back to his teammates, "I'm all set when you two are. Depending on how hard these creatures hit I can take the aggro. I'm certainly nowhere close in mitigation to Tristan, but my maxed heavy armor should be more than enough to tangle with whatever attacks the monsters of this floor can throw at us."

"Heh, I'm not as good at tanking, yet somehow I'm still on tanking duty in groups. I guess it really is as people say, no matter how good or bad you are at something, it's really how others see you fitting in that determines your role."

[Celesmeh 0]

Celes smiled to the both and looked at their path."Alright. Lets go..." She began down the path. WHat she was looking for was a group of alligators she had seem earlier during her scouting. "So, i was scouting the floor earlier and i saw a group or gators.... oh! there they are! Ready?" She said, already halfway through engaging her sword skill, weeping moon. She focused on four of the gators, knowing that she had a change of hitting them all... 

ID: 3969, BD 5+3=8 hit

Damage 5(THAS)+1(Familiar)+1(Athletics)+4 (Fallen Damage)=11 x9 (Weeping moon) 

She jumped up hig, letting her sword skill and acrobatics take her throughte trees to land gracefully among the crocs. Holding her Glaive she swept through for in a single spin, Slashing deep into their sides. Her familiar, Kiku, rushed them with hear, a growl escaping her as sle clawed at all of them, inflicting additional damage.  

HP List
Celes: 140/140
   Energy: 17/35
Calrex: 205/205
   Energy: 50/50
Lessa: 65/65
   Energy: 15/15

Enemies:
Crockigator: - 41/140
Crockigator: - 41/140 
Crockigator: - 41/140
Crockigator: - 41/140
Crockigator: 140/140
Crockigator: 140/140
Crockigator: 140/140

 

 

Edited November 22, 2015 by Celesmeh

[Calrex 0]

ID: 39694
Battle Dice: 2 (Accuracy +3 / Disguise +1) = 6
Loot Dice: 11 (Search and Detect +2 / Item +1) = 14 (No Materials Found)
Sword Art <<Sharp Nail>> Activated / <<Disguise>> Activated (+1 to BD / -1 to MD for next round) (12 Energy Used / 38 Remaining)

Calrex gave a nod as he followed behind Celes, giving a small utterance, "Roc, time to go to work..."

In a flash of light his blue peregrine falcon familiar materialized as he soared overhead. The bluenette saw his vision sharpen as he gave a calming breath, drawing the Grand Blade from its sheath. Looking forward he saw his spear-wielding teammate rush into a fairly large group of monsters that appeared to be a cross of a crocodile and an alligator, "Guess it's time to go to work."

Immediately following Celes' strike the Ultramarine Knight assumed his stance for the <<Sharp Nail>> Sword Art, his upper body assuming a position similar to how a billiards player prepares for a shot. As his blade lit up with a light blue area he gave a calming breath. Right as the brunette passed in front of him he activated his <<Disguise>> skill, assuming her form as the Grand Blade temporarily elongated to the shape of a spear as Calrex's illusion of his teammate complete.

Flying forward the false spear pieced through each of the four targets before they burst into crystals. Giving a calming breath Calrex leapt back as he felt his illusion begin to fade, the armored player's avatar emerging forth from beneath.

HP List
Celes: 140/140
   Energy: 35/35
Calrex: 205/205
   Energy: 38/50 (-12)
Lessa: 65/65
   Energy: 15/15

Enemies:
Crockigator: -19/140 (10 DMG * 6 Art = 60 DMG)
Crockigator: -19/140 (AOE Attack)
Crockigator: -19/140 (AOE Attack)
Crockigator: -19/140 (AOE Attack)
Crockigator: 140/140
Crockigator: 140/140
Crockigator: 140/140

Edited November 22, 2015 by Calrex

[Lessa 1]

{[39722] B: 7. Attack successful. 1 (base) + 2 (sword) + 4 (skills) = 7. <<Lightening>> activated. 28 damage dealt to 3 enemies.}

The blue-eyed girl watched in awe as the two higher-level players took off, lunging toward an entire herd of enemies. "Those are sword arts," she breathed, the words only loud enough for her to hear. Sword arts were a relatively new addition to the game. She knew that she had unlocked quite a few of them herself, but she had not dedicated any time at all to honing them. Rather, she had focused on perfecting she skills she did have. But now, as her companions spun, lashed, and jumped in a flurry of color and energy, she found herself a bit starstruck; it was so unlike anything that she had ever seen before.

Before the Guardian could even join the party, over half of the enemies were cut down. They probably don't need me anyway, Lessa reflected silently, mixed parts impressed and embarrassed. I have a long way to go if I'll be saving anyone under this system. 

By now, the other two were watching her expectantly. It was her turn. She sprinted toward the remaining three crockigators, lifting her heavy sword before her with a soft grunt of exertion. It is now or never, she thought to herself. Suddenly, her sword grew warm in her hands. The red light grew brighter, and she drew in a sharp breath as the weapon's new-found power raced through her. 

She focused all of her mental and physical capacity on the enemy, allowing her sword to lead her. In a flurry of slashes, she drew glowing red slashes across the remaining monsters. 

HP List (Note: We reworked my stats to fit the new system, and with the additional SP, I'm actually a level 17!)
Celes: 140/140
   Energy: 17/35
Calrex: 205/205
   Energy: 38/50 
Lessa: 73/73
   Energy: 9/17 (-8)

Enemies:
Crockigator: -19/140 (10 DMG * 6 Art = 60 DMG)
Crockigator: -19/140 (AOE Attack)
Crockigator: -19/140 (AOE Attack)
Crockigator: -19/140 (AOE Attack)
Crockigator: 112/140 (-28)
Crockigator: 112/140 (-28)
Crockigator: 112/140 (-28)

Edited November 22, 2015 by Lessa

[Celesmeh 0]

Quote

 

ID	Battle	Craft	Loot	MOB	Character	Post Link	Time
39737	2	6	10	3	Celes (crockigator)		2015-11-22 13:06:46

Celes saw as lesa attacked the remaining Crockigators, even at a lower level he admired the woman for her strength and sharp attacks... and maybe her legs, but she would never admit it. The crockigators turned to attack them, but missed horribly, unable to catch any of them before they moved about. Celes let herself fall into a sword art once again, this time choosing to attack only one at a time rushing forward she trips ona branch and falls flat on her face.... "Well then" she says with her face in the mud. 

Celes: 140/140
   Energy: 17/35
Calrex: 205/205
   Energy: 38/50 
Lessa: 73/73
   Energy: 9/17 (-8)

Enemies:
Crockigator: -19/140 (10 DMG * 6 Art = 60 DMG)
Crockigator: -19/140 (AOE Attack)
Crockigator: -19/140 (AOE Attack)
Crockigator: -19/140 (AOE Attack)
Crockigator: 112/140 (-28)
Crockigator: 112/140 (-28)
Crockigator: 112/140 (-28)

[Calrex 0]

ID: 39777
Battle Dice: 5 (Accuracy +3) = 8
Sword Art <<Lightning Fall>> Activated (14 Energy Used / 1 Recovered / 25 Remaining)

As his teammates took their turns attacking the creatures Calrex gave a nod as Lessa engaged the next group of monsters, seeing Celes attempt to take a shot. Unfortunately, it seemed a hidden branch had tripped her up and made her faceplant on the ground. Underneath his expressionless helmet he gave a small laugh, "I guess that's a shortcoming of wielding a weapon that requires two hands?"

Focusing his senses again he rushed forward, leaping high into the air above the three remaining enemies. His sword lit up with a crackling light blue aura, akin to channeling lightning. Descending he activated his <<Lightning Fall>> Sword Art, impaling the blade into the ground as the energy dispersed, arcing towards each of the crockigators before electrocuting each, knocking out yet another chunk of health from them each.

Stepping back he gave a nod to his teammates, "Alright, let's finish them off."

Celes: 140/140
   Energy: 17/35
Calrex: 205/205
   Energy: 25/50 (-14+1)
   Disguise: 11/12 Turns Remaining to Recharge
Lessa: 73/73
   Energy: 9/17 (-8)

Enemies:
Crockigator: -19/140 (10 DMG * 6 Art = 60 DMG)
Crockigator: -19/140 (AOE Attack)
Crockigator: -19/140 (AOE Attack)
Crockigator: -19/140 (AOE Attack)
Crockigator: 42/140 (10 DMG * 7 Art = 70 DMG)
Crockigator: 42/140 (AOE Attack)
Crockigator: 42/140 (AOE Attack)

Edited November 22, 2015 by Calrex

[Lessa 1]

{[39785] BD: 6. Attack successful. 1 (base) + 2 (sword) + 4 (skills) = 7. <<Lightening>> activated. 28 damage dealt to 3 enemies.}

Calrex was so at ease as he called out to her, and she struggled to understand quite why. Celes has just taken a tumble, and though their foes had done the same, she found herself worried for the well being of her higher-level friend. It was silly, of course; Celes could absolutely handle herself. Yet Lessa still felt the knot in the pit of her stomach tightening with every step that she took.

"Got it," she called back, praying that her voice did not betray her nerves as she trotted toward the remaining crockigators. Uncertainty caused her hands to tremble within her gauntlets, but she squeeze Hell Rose tighter to get her body under control. Just do what you did last time, she thought to herself.

Immediately, the hilt began to warm. It was happening, whether she knew it or not. Hell Rose was taking the lead once more, and she did her best to follow along. Seconds later, she stood ten feet away. Her chest rose and fell beneath her breastplate, her panicked breaths hitching in her throat. Behind her, red gashes criss-crossed the enemies.

Celes: 140/140
   Energy: 17/35
Calrex: 205/205
   Energy: 25/50
   Disguise: 11/12 Turns Remaining to Recharge
Lessa: 73/73
   Energy: 2/17 (-8 + 1)

Enemies:
Crockigator: -19/140 (10 DMG * 6 Art = 60 DMG)
Crockigator: -19/140 (AOE Attack)
Crockigator: -19/140 (AOE Attack)
Crockigator: -19/140 (AOE Attack)
Crockigator: 14/140 (A-28 AOE)
Crockigator: 14/140 (A-28 AOE)
Crockigator: 14/140 (A-28 AOE)

Edited November 23, 2015 by Lessa

[Celesmeh 0]

Spoiler

39841 results:

 Battle: 9

 Craft: 2

 Loot: 2

 MOB: 4

Celes rushed d back up to her feet in time to dodge the leftover crockigators. This time she was ready and swept at them with an AoE killing them all. She looked at calrex and lessa.  "are you guys okay?"  She says,  cleaning the mud off her coat and making sure her familiar is close by.  

 

"Well then,  that was fun,  no? "She adds,  a grin wide on her face. " What did you think Lessa? Did you like us g your fancy sword arts? "

 

Turning to calrex she asks"  and you, daaaamn son,  Thats some tough skills"

 

Edit I recovered 12 energy during battle. 

Edited November 24, 2015 by Celesmeh
Added loot roll

[Calrex 0]

(2 Posts Remaining Until Full Energy Recharge, 1 Recovered)

With the battle completed Calrex gave a sigh of relief as he saw the remaining three enemies be destroyed, lowering his sword as he turned to face his teammates, "Perfectly fine over. I'm just glad neither of you two got hit. That's usually my job, heh."

As he listened to Celes he gave a dismissing wave and a laugh, "My attacks are nothing special. The main advantage the straight sword has over many weapons is its versatility, but of course that comes at the price of not having a specialization. Lessa here will soon far surpass my area of effect Sword Arts. Lightning Fall is actually the most powerful one in my arsenal."

Checking his stats he saw that his teammates were already at a fairly low point in their energy count, "You guys holding up alright? Sword Arts can be costly after a while, so if we need to take a break let's do so. I believe our energy should be back to full in a few moments."