A Friendly Competition: Seul vs. Hirru!

[Seul 1]

The arena was just as he remembered it. Seul, of course as a part of his prefight ritual, was waiting patiently in the center of the stadium just as he had before his last match. Today the fight would be against one of the members of his guild, though they never really interacted prior to him joining the group. In passing he noticed how close the two were in level, so a duel between them would probably be interesting. He was currently going over his stats and eventually opted to wear a different piece of gear than his usual coat. He'd try his luck with a piece of armor that was gifted to him by an old friend as until that moment it was only gathering dust in his inventory. "Alright... Just watch my energy usage and I'll be fine. No big deal..." He'd continue on in such a manner until the man known as Hirru arrived.

Spoiler

Seul

 

STATS:

• Level: 22

• Health: 200 [88 + 112 Over Health]

• Energy: 22

• Damage: 7

• Keen: 1

 

Weapon:

• Kusanagi (+2 Dmg / +1 Keen)

 

Skill:

• Dagger (Rank 4 / +4 Damage with dagger equipped)

 

Edited March 12, 2016 by Seul

[Hirru 0]

The old arena which was where the hunter found an upsetting defeat against the speed devil called Azide.  That tournament was not his brightest moment.  Though, he was particularly surprised when one of his guild members asked to fight him in a friendly duel.  Since they were nearly the same level, it was probably to test themselves against the other.  The hunter would think about it for some time, but in the end, he had come to the arena where the dagger user had been waiting for him.  Stepping out into the, now rather empty, arena, the hunter couldn't help but feel the old anxiety that he had before when facing Azide.  This would be a redemption, if anything.

Nodding towards Seul, the hunter would make the duel arrangements.

• Weapons ONLY (No skill or equipment enhancements that are not from weapons)
• No Consumables (Potions, Crystals, Food, Fish, Banner)
• Overheal rules - Health pushed to 200 Max
• Half Health rules - First to 100 hp remaining loses.

With that, he sent the request to Seul before going into his inventory to remove ALL armor pieces.  His crimson red armor vanished revealing a black shirt that hugged his form.  The bracelet that gave him additional accuracy and evasion was also removed.  

"Hope you don't mind."

The Jade Hunter was ready for a hunt.

Stats

Spoiler

Hirru

HP = 200 [84 + 116 (Over Health)]
Energy = 21
DMG = 8

Weapon - Solace of the Lost Hunter (+3 Damage)
Skill - OHSS rank 4 (+4 Damage)

 

Edited March 12, 2016 by Hirru

[Seul 1]

He spared a few blinks while going over the details of their duel. It seemed like ancient history trying to remember the last time he fought without a shield fastened to his arm, but the battle would prove to be interesting nonetheless. "Of course not. It'll be weird fighting while practically naked, but this should be fun." A quick fumble through his menus allowed him to unequip all gear but the short blade at his waist while revealing his plain t-shirt underneath. In the next moment he accepted the request  as he took a few paces backwards during the pre-fight countdown.

ID# 51127 | LD: 12

Edited March 12, 2016 by Seul

[Hirru 0]

The hunter nodded in agreement as the timer came in being.  Only a few seconds for everyone to settle any equipment and variations that would be required, but they had already made their changes before the duel started.  The time would only tick by while the two of them watched each other, and waited for the buzzer to come.  Their guild symbol displayed below their names would give tribute to the Blood Oath that they both shared.  With shared goals to their guild, brothers and sisters alike, let them both find their way.

3

2

1

FIGHT!

[ID - 51133][LD =

10

]

Edited March 12, 2016 by Hirru

[Seul 1]

Thus the fight began and Seul was determined to get the first hit above all else. After reaching around to unsheathe the dagger on his belt, he ducked into a low dash at his guild mate. The miniature blade took on a faint, blue glow as he neared and with his next motion the activation for the move Starlight Splash was complete. Four thrusts proceeded to pierce Hirru's chest then, in a blur of movement, Seul managed to position himself to one side allowing him to stab the man's arm. Once he repeated the attack on the other arm he seemed to have disappeared entirely, but by the time one could hear the footsteps from behind it was already too late. For the final thrust, he held the dagger in a reversed grip as he slammed it into the hunter's back without mercy. Even he was surprised at how fast this particular move was since this was his first attempt at using it in a fight, but the flurry of thrusts had tore away a large chunk of his opponent's health bar. Now it was just a matter of avoiding attacks and as such he withdrew a few steps while awaiting Hirru's move.

|~Battle Table~|~Battle Theme~|

ID: 51141
BD: 10 (Crit / Keen Activated)

Sword Art: Starlight Splash | -7 EN | 7 + 2 Crit x 7 Starlight Splash =  63 Damage!

Seul [HP: 200/200][EN: 15/22][Keen: +1 BD]

Hirru [HP: 137/200][EN: 21/21]

Edited March 12, 2016 by Seul

[Hirru 0]

The hunter expected as much.

With a lighter build than him, the dagger user would be able to get around him faster than he could follow.  It was rather basic to assume that being faster would get the first hit.  The first four hits would push the hunter back while the dagger user proceeded to place one stab into each arm.  It was then that his opponent went for the back stab, which the hunter used to his advantage.  With the momentum of the arm strikes, his hands already on the handle of Solace, the sword was pushed into the exact position that he needed.  The back stab would push him forward where he quickly turned with Solace burning violet to face Seul, as he was back-stepping.  The sword art would make its mark as the first strike went into Seul's leg, and up through his torso.  With a twist of the wrist, the blade came back down to take out the other leg.  The art continued horizontally across his chest into his arms to disable each body part.  The pattern came to resemble a star that would stun his opponent in place.  Sword Art <<Star Quint Prominence>>

With the end of the sword art, the hunter bounced back with his sword already pointed at Seul, in the next position.

[ID: 51146]
[BD - 10] Crit
[Sword Art: Star Quint Prominence]  3x2x10 = 60 DMG + Stun

Hirru - [137 / 200 hp // 12 / 21 en] (-9 en)

Seul - [140 / 200 hp // 15 / 22 en] (-60 hp) [STUNNED]

Edited March 12, 2016 by Hirru

[Seul 1]

The attack hit hard, leaving him dropping to one knee as the stun took effect. With his limbs disabled, there wasn't much he could do to retaliate, save for stare down the length of the blade. One of the few drawbacks to dagger fighting was the limited stun potential the weapon offered. He had debated doing the same, but figured he'd try his luck with evading a hit or two instead. "Nice job..." Things weren't looking good. Unless he was somehow able to get it together before Hirru executed his next attack, the match was most likely as good as over.

|~Battle Table~|

ID: N/A
BD: N/A

Sword Art: N/A

Seul [HP: 140/200][EN: 16/22][+1 EN][Keen: +1 BD][STUNNED]

Hirru [HP: 137/200][EN: 12/21]

[Hirru 0]

With the last thing to do was to perform Howling Octave, the hunter hesitated.  His opponent wasn't able to move, yes, but that wasn't his way of combat.  The enemy was now defenseless, which made him stop the sword art.  Why he did so, was unknown to even him, but something in his head was hurting him.  It was like the pain was telling him to stop, or something else entirely.

"You're not one to hurt someone like that, huh, Ruikuni?"

A small thought from the back of his mind, which was so familiar to him.  With that in mind, he sheathed his sword, and held his hand out to his opponent.

"You win.  I forfeit."

[ID: 51152]
[BD - ] Doesn't attack

Hirru - [137 / 200 hp // 13 / 21 en] (+1 en)

Seul - [140 / 200 hp // 15 / 22 en] [WINNER]

Edited March 12, 2016 by Hirru

[Seul 1]

"Eh?" A look of slight confusion grew across his face as he took the player's hand. Just why had he forfeited after creating the perfect opening? The winner symbol highlighted his name, but he felt somewhat half-hearted about the victory given the circumstances. He placed his dagger back in its sheathe but wasn't about to let the strange choice go unquestioned. "What happened? You could have just hit me with another sword art and won, so why'd you decide to forfeit the match?" It's not like he was complaining about being declared the winner, but something felt off about the abruptness of it all.

[Hirru 0]

Though he was given the victory, some wonder about the choices of others.  This time, it was his opponent that asked the question, instead of himself.  Why did he stop where he was, as he could easily take the win.  The hunter wasn't really sure himself, but that wasn't much of an answer.  Though it seemed rather out of character for him, it felt right to do so.  The fight only felt like a hunt to him, and that was disrespectful to his opponent.

"I.. don't know.  It felt disrespectful to attack you at that moment.  Like someone was going to be disappointed at me for attacking someone that couldn't fight back."

He said what he could.

"I'm a hunter, but not a man-hunter."

[Seul 1]

"I see." The consideration Hirru showed for his opponents was admirable though the outcome of the last match still left Seul desiring more. Of all his current guild members the hunter was among the few he felt would make a sparring partner in his effort to grow stronger. Organized matches in the arena were typically safer than trying to train in the field, so when occasions like this appeared it was hard to let them pass by. "I appreciate the sentiment, but if I'm going to be on the frontlines eventually I can't have people going easy on me all the time. That being said, feel like going another round?"

[Hirru 0]

While not understanding himself over his opponent, it had seemed that he still disrespected him in some way.  It was a given, he supposed.  This was supposed to be a friendly match to show some camaraderie with the two, especially with the guild becoming bigger and bigger as they went.  They would need to build up some semblance with their peers while teaching the junior members the ways of the Blood Oath.  With that, Seul asked if the hunter would like to try it again.  He grinned a bit before resetting the parameters again.

"Sure, same thing as last time."

• Weapons ONLY (No skill or equipment enhancements that are not from weapons)
• No Consumables (Potions, Crystals, Food, Fish, Banner)
• Overheal rules - Health pushed to 200 Max
• Half Health rules - First to 100 hp remaining loses.

He sent the request to Seul again, and awaited the count down to start.

[ID: 51246]
[LD = 16]

Edited March 13, 2016 by Hirru

[Seul 1]

"Good luck." He would say while accepting the request again before dropping a hand to the hilt of his dagger. The countdown had begun, but the mere seconds that went by seemed even shorter than before. The clock struck zero and in the next instant the battle was underway. Unsheathing his blade, he dropped into a defensive stance. A smile grew across his face as he eyed the Hunter. Though he failed to prevent Hirru's attack in the last round he would not be repeating that mistake as long as he had a say in the matter. "Show me what you've got!"

[ID: 51294]
[LD = 7]

Edited March 14, 2016 by Seul

[Hirru 0]

When the buzzer started, the hunter pushed forward towards his opponent with his sword in hand.  When he had reached a close enough vicinity, he began to move his blade towards his face, tip facing Seul, but something didn't feel right.  Either Solace wasn't responding, or something was wrong with him, as his sword did not glow with any significance.  This would trip the hunter up, as he thought his heart was in the game.  Was it that memory still blocking him?  With a quick side step, he back away from his opponent while wondering what was going on.

[ID: 51383]
[BD - 4] Miss

Hirru - [200 / 200 hp // 19 / 21 en] (-2 en)

Seul - [200 / 200 hp // 22 / 22 en]

Edited March 14, 2016 by Hirru

[Seul 1]

"Um..." It was obvious that Hirru's movements had turned strange. Though it was only a simple and good natured fight, he seemed to be hesitating with each of his strikes. Seul could only guess what the problem might have been, but wasn't about to let his guild mate's faltering pass without taking advantage of the situation. With his dagger arm outstretched and parallel to the ground he activated the Cross Edge sword art, allowing the system to take control of his movements soon after. The move propelled his body forward and quickly closed the slight gap between the pair while the glowing, yellow weapon etched two perfectly intersecting lines into the man's chest. Two red gashes formed a cross where the dagger had passed and just as in the last round, the boy had somehow managed to secure a good amount of damage on the hunter with the execution of his first strike.

[ID: 51385]
[BD - 9] Crit | Keen Activated

[Sword Art: Cross Edge] | -8 Energy | 7 + 1 Crit x 8 = 64 Damage

Hirru - [136 / 200 hp // 19 / 21 en] (-64 HP)

Seul - [200 / 200 hp // 14 / 22 en][Keen: +1 BD]

Edited March 14, 2016 by Seul

[Hirru 0]

As his mistake came into reality, the dagger user, Seul used that opportunity to destroy more of his health than last time.  He paid for something that he didn't know about.  Why was he having so much trouble?  Was it that memory?  It didn't make any sense to him, confusing as anything that has come to him before.  Which made him angry.  When he was sure that it was done, the hunter activated his counter art.  Five straight thrust found their way into Seul's torso, in a line, before three slashes followed suit on the first, third, and fifth stab wounds.

[ID: 51383]
[BD - 8] Hit
[Sword Art: Howling Octave] 8x1x8= 64 dmg

Hirru - [136 / 200 hp // 12 / 21 en] (+1 en / -8 en)

Seul - [136 / 200 hp // 14 / 22 en] (-64 hp)

Edited March 15, 2016 by Hirru

[Seul 1]

The flurry of attacks had sent Seul onto his back and rolling through the dirt. A quick glance at each of their health bars clearly displayed how evenly matched they were in terms of raw power. There wasn't any time to waste. He hopped back to his feet and made a mad dash back toward Hirru. He didn't even make the effort to activate a sword art, he just needed to get another hit in. In one full motion he drew his arm back before thrusting it toward the center of the hunter's chest.

[ID: 51431]
[BD - 4 | 3 + 1 Keen] Miss
[Sword Art: N/A]

Hirru - [136 / 200 hp // 12 / 21 en]

Seul - [136 / 200 hp // 13 / 22 en][Keen: +1 BD] (+1/-2 en)

Edited March 15, 2016 by Seul

[Hirru 0]

After the last attack, the dagger users seemed to not be using any kind of proper sword art.  They were equal in level, so unless dagger arts costed more energy, he shouldn't be using a normal attack.  Though that was an after thought, as the hunter had already cast himself into the position for the burst movement art, <<Vorpal Strike>>.  With blade coated in scarlet, the hunter shot out with sword pointed straight at Seul's heart.  With an unconscious movement, the aim instead turned towards the tip of his opponents dagger.  The two connected, but without the power and speed of a sword art, Seul's attack would falter to the thrust attack that propelled the user twice the swords length.  Solace would find its mark as it pushed to dagger back to connect with Seul's arm, completely severing it.

When it was all said and done, Hirru snapped out of his anger.

"Dammit!"

Running back to Seul, the hunter bypassed all of the little notes and signs saying that he won.  Instead, he grabbed ahold of the dagger user.

"Are you alright?  I didn't mean to do that... I .."

Quote

~"It's alright, Ruikuni.  It was just a friendly bout; just blood spilled between brothers."~

Again, the memories came to him.  The more time that he spent with the guild, the more memories seemed to come back to him.  How long would it take for him to truly remember things again.  Would this happen only after hurting someone else?  He didn't want that to be a reason to regain the things he lost.

"Come on, let's get up."

Making sure that Seul was stable, he would speak normally.  This wasn't the first time that he had seen the [Missing Limb] status effect, as it happened to him too once.

"Don't worry about the arm.  It'll come back with time or with a healing crystal.  The [Missing Limb] status effect doesn't last long."

[ID: 51533]
[BD - 7]
[Sword Art: Vorpal Strike] 1x5x8= 40 dmg

Hirru - [136 / 200 hp // 8 / 21 en] (+1 en / -5 en)

Seul - [96 / 200 hp // 13 / 22 en] (-40 hp)

Edited March 15, 2016 by Hirru

[Seul 1]

It was strange, really. Somehow he had been so careless as to let this happen. His eyes couldn't help but remain locked on the spot where his arm had been only seconds earlier. Only after Hirru helped him stand once again would he snap back to reality. "O-Oh... Good to know." His words were flatter than he had intended, but how was he supposed to feel? The absence of pain didn't make up for the image that remained. Though at the very least, the event could be written off as unrealistic since there was no limb or blood left behind. "Well, at least this isn't a permanent thing. I figure that'd make progressing a little difficult if it was."

[Hirru 0]

The hunter nodded to his guild member before giving him a good pat on the shoulder, the one that had an arm.  With a concerned smile, he would make sure that Seul would continue to be stable as they exited the arena.  Without a health crystal, it would take a few hours for the effect to wear off.

"Come on, I know an inn on this floor.  It would be better to get some rest while you're recovering from the status effect."

Losing an arm was one thing, but the psychological trauma connected to it was a high possibility as well.  It's not every day that you get your arm chopped off, and from what the hunter was told, they're not supposed to come back like they do now.  He didn't have any memory of that, so him losing his arm on the first floor was nothing, but an inconvenience.  This world was definitely different from the other side, but he still didn't know how much was different.

"Oh yeah!  I know how to make this up to you.  If you need anything, let me know, and I'll help you with it.  We're guild members, after all."