Zelrius

Have they been collecting our ideas and suggestions? If so, from who and how often?

(Nice Dramatic Ending post for you, music)

Zelrius had just had his swords drawn, his expression blank, 100% ready to ignore everything Takao and the 'Raid Leaders' said and just do what he did best; Hit things for everything they're worth. Or, on the surface, the boy thought that's what he was good at it. It wasn't until his 'Detect' Skill automatically kicked him to warn him of a hostile, which the golden haired boy quickly dismissed as it picking up the boss, until he felt the metal slide through him and his HP drop. When the boy looked down to see a Rapier, he turned his head as far as he could, catching nothing more than the glimpse of that same Rapier puncturing his virtual skin a few more times and the familiar sight of Blonde hair and white clothing flopping back and forth. Within moments, that sight was gone, replaced only by complete blackness and big red words "YOU ARE DEAD".

Within moments, Zelrius felt a rush of all emotions. Confusion, Hate, Sorrow, and most of all Regret. The confusion; Who was that, and why now of all times? Though both the questions were answered by his still deftly quick mind. Oikawa, and this is the best of all times, when Zelrius isn't watching over his back and isn't guarded on both sides by hulking men such as Ssendom and Tristan. Then came the Hate; For a moment, his ego got to him, the hate for Oikawa taking Zelrius and his abilities away from the public. Not long after, the Sorrow. By the end of the day, Zelrius was just a boy. A normal teenage boy who never wanted the heartache and hardship that was Aincrad. Who, by the end of the day, Loaded the game SAO in search of another hundred hours of excitement and fun, same feeling he got when playing any new game. And deep down, that boy wanted nothing more than to just have a group of friends he considered a Family. Something he never quite achieved, but atleast pretended he did with a group of people. One of those people being Oikawa himself, who had now taken his life.

If he had time to cry, he would have, but unfortunately, there were only seconds in between the death notice and the actual death. However, the only reason he wasn't dead yet, was simply because those few seconds were expanded into eternity, as they often did for people in their last few moments. The regret followed shortly after. It was ironic really, Zelrius up to this point, had thought he had done everything the way he wanted, but that was a complete lie. He regretted a long list of things, and since I don't have [censored] else to do, for once in my Roleplaying career, we will go into detail.

Zelrius regretted how he felt like he betrayed and mislead Oikawa from the start. He hated how the man somehow ended up hating the boy so much, that it led to this moment, and everything in between. More than that, Zelrius hated how Oikawa wasn't the only person he felt like he lied to and led on. There were countless girls and woman he had hit on and flirted with, all the while not actually caring for any of them, except Kiru. Zelrius regretted how he ignored Dom and Tristan for the last few months, convinced that they began to resent and hate him, just as everyone else up to that point. Most of all, Zelrius regretted how he used Manta. All the while, he had loved Kiru, and would have gone to hell and back for that girl, but never had the courage to tell her or try to make any moves on her. So instead, Zelrius' fear for ruining his friendship with Kiru caused him great emotional pain, leading the boy to use Manta as a sort of 'get away' from that. It seemed the girl actually loved him, and to be quite honest, Zelrius had not a single feeling in the world for Manta other than minor contempt.

But in the end, quite honestly, Zelrius did more than accept death; he was happy. As said before, he was just a boy, and there was nothing that Zelrius wanted more than to be free of the complexities and mental tiredness that Aincrad had given him. Being the Hero, everyone was watching him, his every move. Everything was the boy's fault, and even before the Dual Blades, Zelrius often felt like everyone else forced the world on his shoulders. And he bore it all, until the last minute. Up until Oikawa had just ended his life, Zelrius was ready to die for the people of Aincrad, and that's all he ever did anything for. From the moment he joined the Knights of Christ and fought bosses alongside Shark and Ryujin, through every fight, every meeting, every party, every grinding session, every shop visit and every joke, all the way to the death message, the boy did whatever he felt it took to make sure as many people as possible got out okay, and now, he failed, but was more than happy dying now.

Zelrius hastily sent an order for a soft orange colored Thong with the added detail of a small Azure colored Phoenix somewhere, as his own little mark. He didn't say anything other than send the message to Ari after standing in her shop for a bit, and then hurrying off. Leaving the payment behind.

-1 Material

My vote is a 100% for Takao and Calrex. if they will take the spots. Since you said 2-3, My third choice is Baldur.

These three are known to look into the system, point out issues, and occasionally work around them on their own. When both Baldur and Takao were staff, They always did their work and were damn good at it. Calrex isn't even staff and he's better at it than most of the current team (Refer to Guides he's made and how he's helped a ton of newcomers.)

i posted here, whatchu gonna do

Zelrius wandered up to where the next boss would be taking place. The Golden haired boy had intentionally not gone to the Raid meeting, positive everyone would continue to bash and point fingers at him for the last fight. In all of that, Zelrius knew full well that the lot there were far too ignorant to understand that the abilities that Rohk has used such as Hurricane Beat had no possible strategy that would have been effective enough to make sure Azide and Cora lived. Alas, he simply avoided the meeting all together, knowing everything he said would go over their heads, because Zelrius firmly believed that as a general rule; his fellow Frontliners were idiots. With a sigh and dropping of those thoughts, he rummaged through his inventory, checking all his gear was in place and that he was battle ready.

T2 Bloodrage Crystal Activated (http://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/7337-f4-master-alchemistrank-9-zandras-pharmacy-closed/?do=findComment&comment=452783 Lent to me, Confirm with Dom)

T2 Alcholic Food Activated  (

As she sat back up and began speaking, the moment now over, Zelrius gave a slight whine. He was extremely disappointed by that conversation of any ruining something like and he wished at that moment that he hadn't even said anything. He sat back up, his hand rhythmically squeezing hers now using the hand that wasn't holding hers to go through his inventory. "I figured not, That's okay, I packed some for both us." Since what he wanted  to do all day was over, the Boy stood back up and began going through his gear, activating a bloodrage crystal in the process. "Since someone doesn't like cushy moments, we should get a move on," Though it was a full on complaint, the Commandant tried his best to disguise it more as teasing than anything else. "This floor is largely unexplored, so we should run around a bit, possibly run into some mobs, and if we're lucky, go Dungeon Delving today. Any Comments, Questions or Concerns?"

Zelrius didn't know quite how long they were sitting there, closing his eyes and just enjoying the peaceful moment of silence, hoping to god that no other frontliners happened to walk through and notice or bother them. While Zelrius knew full well that he and Manta should probably do something half productive today, but it was far beyond his desires. One thing that rang in his mind from the last time he spent with her was the food thing. "Did you pack anything from Dom's shop for Lunch today?" Knowing she probably didn't, and filled his inventory with dishes of food, ready to spoil her with goodies and snacks.

Zelrius enjoyed the slight moment where it seemed he had won out on the game of 'Teasing'. That was, until her own comment came not too long after. It caught him completely off guard with what Cilla said and how fluently she said it. The Golden Haired boy was expect the cliche as usual stuttering and flustered attitude to result from his comment, but it was evident that either Cilla was experience in this field or was certainly much different than the average girl he had to deal with. Thought that latter part he was already more than well aware of. To be honest, Zelrius didn't know whether or not this made him more attracted to her or less. Though his attraction for someone he just met was small, it was fairly usual for him to think of things like this early on. On one hand, Her outgoingness made it so that she could clearly handle herself in social situations and possibly be more fun at Events. On the other hand, Outgoing probably meant kinky too, whether Sexual or not, the Commandant had no interest in that. Though he could be wrong about those two observations, they still lingered in his mind for a moment. He decided to play along a bit more, dropping those thoughts, remembering that this might be the only time they ever meet, as most Low Levels do. He didn't respond to her 'quip' back at him and nearly added a slight upward inflection into his voice as she brought up the other person she was talking with before Zel showed up, taking the chance to put an response Quip back. "Maybe you liked that boy just enough to beg him to come with?" He teased for a moment, leaning toward her a bit. "Though don't know why a girl had to beg anyone to go on a quest. Most people would jump at the opportunity to quest with a female, especially one as easy to talk to and cute as yourself." As for her later comment, he dropped his grin and went back to the same expressionless look he had introduced himself with. "Pft, I am a High Ranking member in a prominent Guild, and along with a string of other things, Level 52. Of course I am hard to get."

It was clear within moments that it was Manta, much to Zelrius' relief. There was no way the boy could deal with the social embarassment of randomly walking up to some girl he didn't even know and doing something as strange as petting. As Manta leaned into his pets and took his other Hand, Zelrius leaned against her slightly, sharing the same sentiment. It was always one thing after another, especially with the Rank of Commandant the constant Mental tiredness he faced. As they sat there, simply not talking and not being bothered by a single soul, Zelrius allowed his mind to simply numb out for the moment, wanting nothing more than to just sit here for a while and do this. It was strange really, not that long ago, They had a very awkward and difficult date, and now Manta was pretty much always there with him.

Zelrius went through the gate a bit apprehensively. His last 'date' with Manta had gone well, but he felt like he wasn't being assertive enough. She had even gone as far as to suggest the Inn, and he didn't jump at the opportunity. The Commandant was afraid that he may start to be a little too passive, and that Manta would leave him for 'Being too much of a nice guy', which over all, was the last thing the golden haired boy wanted. On top of that, He was just on the lower floors, doing a few quests with a low level girl named Cilla, and was paranoid that somehow Manta found out and would hate him for even going on a quest with her, let alone some of the things he said. No more of that [censored], he told himself in light of that. Zelrius reasoned he was better than that, and from now on Manta would get his undivided attention if she asked for it, and he would stop being so Flirty with other girls. After stepping through the portal, Zelrius looked around and saw familiar white hair, but what threw him off was the Ears, Tail and Kimono. He wasn't sure whether or not it was Manta, but took the risk to sit next to the figure and just begin petting it.

As she questioned the potion, he merely grinned mischievously, unsure whether or not to trick her into drinking it, or straight up just tell her what it was. He thought about it for a second, thinking it'd be more fun to see the surprise on her face when she found out what it was rather than whatever he would tell her. On the flip side, so far, he had tricked Dawn into drinking it, and while she was angry for only a second, the now-Wolfgirl was thrilled about the whole idea. Zelrius decided to just tell her, hoping that between their last interaction and this one, she would just go along with it. "It's what is called an Ookami potion. You'll have Wolf ears and a fluffy tail. That of which I'd like to pet and touch, but understand if you're not that comfortable with me yet." As for her description for the Familiar he raised an eyebrow in slight confusion. "That sounds... odd." Though despite that, Zelrius had faint memory glimpses of a similar cartoon character from a really old show or something of the like. "Rightright, We're doing this quest for you, not me anyhow. I am sure that if I wanted a Familiar it wouldn't be whatever the hell you described."

As she giggled both at his comment and the pulling at his collar, evident that she knew full well why he did so, despite her comments about the actual tempature of the floor. Zelrius decided to shift gears, deciding there was no harm in being a little more open and 'suggestive' with Cilla, given she seemed to be fairly straightforward and was at the very least teasing him back and forth. He reasoned it'd be okay, Since nothing had really happened between Manta and him at this point, and so long as he wasn't directly hurting anyone's feelings. Up to this point he had held off on saying or doing anything that might be counted as flirting, partly afraid he'd creep her out or run her off, and even more afraid that Manta were to show up at the wrong moment. "You certainly don't help the temperature thing..." That was, with Cilla, his first attempt at something with Cilla, unsure why she of all people made it so much more difficult. He had no issue interacting with the females of SAO previous to this, just the seemingly openness of Cilla was a bit odd to him. As for her next question, it brought his smile up further, wondering whether or not she was going to eventually ask that. He decided to mess with her, "The whole time. The shop I was it was in view of the whole thing, while I was waiting for my orders there, I turned, and saw the whole thing." He intentionally kept it vague, actually unaware of the exact details.

"Aye, I suppose it's not necessary, but I personally find a bit of enjoyment in speaking in that way, Lady Cilla." He added that ending part as more of a joke toward her, testing just how serious or carefree she was. As a general rule, Low Levels acted wayy too serious about things, and quite honestly, the Commandant was tired of it, he'd rather someone joke with him and make comments, be in on the occasional dirty joke, rather than the 'Grind Grind Grind, beat the Death Game' Mentality that everyone seemed to carry. While it made sense on the Frontlines and to be a daily reminder, as a general rule, it consumed most people's entire waking hours, and Zelrius was so done with it. There was no point in putting yourself through that much stress when you didn't need to. So hopefully, just maybe, Cilla would be a slight bit different from the rest. "No problem, Quest bosses pose no threat, and so long as I get the promised entertainment for it." In response to her 'Thank you' of sorts. Though her following words made him give a nervous laugh and an attempt to suppress any form of discomfort or embarrassment on his face. The Golden haired boy had in fact taken what she said out of the context of friendliness, and all he could think was "How I wish more women in this game were that straightforward." Though he didn't say anything aloud. Pulling on his collar to let some cool air flow through his tuxedo, Zelrius tried to avoid that comment. "Anyway..." He was a bit uneasy at the remark "Let's get a move on."

Just as he had made it to the gate, Zelrius was prompted by a Party invite and her greeting. He smiled back politely, accepting the invite and returning his glance to her. "Salutations to you as well. Floor 3 is good for the weather beyond winter time. A change of pace since our introductory conversation on the Fifth floor." He laughed a bit in light of that, the reference maybe being a bit too vague, or just not funny enough. Such were his interactions with people he barely knew, Cilla now added to the long list of people he had barely met and so far had little to nothing to do with so far. Though she seemed nice enough, and maybe an actual friendship may develop. Keyword there may. Just depends, Zelrius has, in his time in Aincrad, met plenty of low levels who show up for one quest, and then disappear off the face of the planet as if they never existed. Putting all that aside, Zelrius listened to what Cilla had in mind and nodded. He went through his inventory quickly, tossing her the Ookami potion and turning on his detect skill, just in the event that this was a bait. "I had fun as well Cilla, perhaps this one will be a bit more relaxing. Shall we?" He stepped aside gesturing to the gateway for them to being their 'Hike'

SUMMARY

4 SP to Manta and Zelrius

400 Col to Manta for One Page

Zelrius ate his steak slowly, not really that hungry, only eating to have an excuse to sit this table with Manta at the moment. Her comment made him raise an eyebrow a bit confused. "Aye, Dom makes some of the best food I've ever had. Real and Virtual." Though that comment didn't seem like enough. Still, He sighed and took another bite of his own food, Pushing the plate away and leaning back in his chair. After a short while he stood and stretched. "Day is still young, I think I am off to take a small nap before I have to go do my Grinding for the day. If you need anything, You know where my room is." With that, Zelrius stabbed the steak with his sword, draining the food's durability so that it would disappear into particles, leaving the plate in place for now. Sheathing his sword, Zelrius took off his cloak and left it on his seat, only in Tuxedo now as he wandered off to the door.

Zelrius had just completed his little quest with Manta, up to the point where she said she needed to hurry off somewhere. With that, The boy was left bored once again, his entertainment already being gone for the day. Wandering around the Guild Hall, Zelrius tried to think of anything to do, and perhaps he'd go nuke a few Quest bosses for some extra SP. That was his plan of action, until a Notification came up. He sighed, opening his menu to read it, expecting it to be From Tristan or someone telling him it was time for another Boss, though that seemed unlikely. To his surprise, it was from that Low Levelled girl he had met on the Fifth Floor from a bit of a scene she had with someone else. While he would go down to Floor 3 to meet up with her, the wording gave him a slight uneasiness 'A bit of fun.' Either this was a bait to get him killed, Bad wording on her part, or a really cliche hint. He ruled out the last one, given Zelrius didn't think the girl was like that at all. Zelrius selected the reply button

After he had clicked the 'send' button, Zelrius quickly went to his stash to store an Ookami potion in his inventory. With that, he checked the rest of his gear and headed to Delilah Village on the Third floor. Once there, it was a short walk to the gate where he noticed the now somewhat-familiar figure of Cilla. "So, a Hike you say? What for?" He as more afraid of this being a bait to get him PKed more than anything else.

He put the steaks on a Purple and Azure plate, the purple signifying it was Ssendom's and was not infact Zelrius', though the boy didn't think his fellow Commandant would mind. With his hand that wasn't holding the plate, he reached for Manta's hand, now leading her back through the Corridors of the Guild Hall and to the Meeting area. There were tables in pretty much every room to eat, but Zelrius personally liked the Grandeur of the Meeting Hall, and even more so liked sitting in his Commandant's Chair. He set the plate down and handed her some silverware to eat with. As she mentioned that she hadn't had much in the way of actual food for a bit, Zelrius felt a bit bad, given it was everyday he had something Dom had made. "Really? Well, Today, we fix that. From now on, I am making sure your inventory is stocked with real food, made by a high ranked cook. Someone like you shouldn't have to deal with little snacks and shitty Low Level food."

Zelrius intentionally didn't mention that Ssendom didn't work round clock to make sure the food in the Hall was always fresh. The boy thought it'd be a bit replusive if he brought up the fact that Ssendom used preserving potions to keep the durability of the food from draining and having the item be nothing more than data particles. The reason he left out that bit of information was because there was something unappealing about 'Yea, This food item is several days old' despite the game not having a 'roting' system. He sighed, Wishing Ssendom was around currently to make something fresh so he didn't feel so guilty about leaving out information like that. When arriving at the Guild Hall and still holding her, leading Manta to the 'Kitchen' area, which was more or less a part of the Guild Hall with a large Open Window and tons of cooking supplies, being this is where Dom's Shop was. He went into the Cabinent and pulled out spiced steaks. "There's a few of these if you want one, or you can pick something else. Help yourself, I will pay Dom for whatever it is we take." 

As she had suggested the Guild Hall, Zelrius activated the Teleportation gate to take the pair back to Floor 13's main city, of which the Commandant still didn't know the name of. However, in Zelrius' egotistical opinion, the best part of this town was once you exited the Nothern Gate the Guild Hall, The Cathedral where they fought Avarious, and the Field in between those two locations, where the War of the Ancients had been fought, were in perfect view. as she mentioned she had little experience dating, Zelrius laughed lightly and responded "To be quite honest, I don't know much about dating either. While I have had a few girlfriends here in SAO, None really stuck. Though I am hoping that changes soon." Though in his mind Erin should have easily stuck, but there were many things wrong with that relationship. The main reason that one ended is the same reason Zelrius is afraid to ask Manta for anything more, Afraid that he'll he make the same mistakes. "Aye, Dom always has something whipped up for everyone to eat at the Hall." Now that they had talked about it, Zelrius personally wouldn't mind for them to atleast cuddle or something, he just wasn't sure exactly how to ask for that.

Zelrius only continued to keep his calm and collected expression as she spoke, currently only wanting to speak to her and find out what exactly that Fiasco was about that he witnessed up to the point she went to slump on the bench. It seemed like an argument of sorts, and the Golden haired boy's first guess was maybe a bad break up, but that was quickly ruled out as she seemed to be in a far better mood than if something like that actually happened. He listened to her sentiment on the warmer floors thing, 100% agreeing but felt like that conversation was getting slightly repetitive. Cilla seemed in disbelief for only a moment about his own 'Uniqueness' to be the only one able to wield multiple weapons at one time. As the girl formally introduced herself, the same way Zelrius had and he liked their matching speech patterns. As she leaned closer, he followed suit, sheathing his weapons and taking a slight step forward. "Nice to introduce ourselves Lady Cilla, if you don't mind me calling you that." As she asked for a favor, Zelrius raised his eyebrows a bit, this being the expected result. As she mentioned what she wanted, Zelrius was half tempted to frown and reject then, though when she spoke her level, He felt both pity, and a slight bit of joy. Just the way she said her level made Zelrius actually respect her just a bit. Accepting the Friend Request and then shooting her a Party invite, he grinned. "I just did it with a Level 1 not too long ago. So long as you promise to actually be a bit entertaining before and after the fight, I'd be more than willing to annihilate it for you."

As her tail flicked around, feeling it occasionally tapping his arm wrapped around her, Zelrius for once in his life felt like he was doing something right. As said before, He wasn't used to normal relationships. While the Commandant had done his fair share of Flirting with the females of Aincrad, it was never more than that, Flirting. With the only exception being Erin, whom he regretted even meeting, afraid now that he had emotionally wrecked her for the rest of her life. He continued to lead her to the Teleportation gate they had entered through, headed off to Floor 7 for it's exclusiveness. When she had brought up the possible 'outcomes' of going to an inn, Zelrius turned bright red, drawing away from her a little. "I mean, If I wanted to do that, I'd take you back to the Guild Hall. Manta, I have no intention of crossing your boundaries. While as a Male I will admit, maybe some time, but until then, all I want is your time and attention. By Inn, I meant like a Cafe or somewhere just to sit down and talk for a second..."

Just as the golden haired boy thought, Not even a challenge. He sighed and stepped back, turning around and wrapping an arm around the for-now Nekogirl. "Where to Gaul? The Azure Brigade Guild Hall, or perhaps a nice little Inn or of the like somewhere on another floor?" Though he could already guess the answer, it was more courteous to ask. Speaking of Courteousy, Zelrius had felt slightly bad about eliminating the Lich King and his cronies so fast, Unsure if Manta wanted to get a hit in or not. She did say All out, but he could have easily toned down his damage a bit to atleast have her do something. Yet, once again Zelrius remembered the Sentiment 'No sense crying over spilled milk,' On top of the fact that is exactly what she had asked for then. He attempted to revert his voice to the same affectionate tone he had started the quest with her. "Didn't think you'd be so willing to just hop off and hang out. Though I suppose we have been 'dating' for a while now, it just takes a little getting used a regular relationship, y'know?"

When she said that they were all good to go, Zelrius smiled again, giving her one last pet, unable to resist, and then prepared his weaponry. "Soon as it's done, I am stealing you away. I need some stress relief and as much as I like Kiru, she pointed out that every interaction between her and I ended horribly for us." So then why do I love that girl so much... He questioned himself on his own devotion to Kiru. Honestly, he couldn't think of anytime they had ever had a 'Good' interaction with her, one that didn't end in tears or hatred for someone or something. But that was another reason he also liked Manta so much. He always left her with happy thoughts, and again, she was always so kind and understanding. On the flip side, Zelrius and Kiru had a sort of connection that made him not feel so alone in the world. And this was the new internal struggle the Golden haired boy had to face. He had to decide between one or the other, Though the nicer side of him wanted to not pick either, trying not to hurt either of their feelings.

He sighed, his smile now a frown, and he went up to the Castle. "Quickly now," His was voice was noticably more snappy and demanding. As they entered, the Rusty castle gates closed behind them and the Lich King did his little NPC Movement Ritual, the two Lich Minions coming in behind him. The Golden haired boy took a breath, remembering that Manta just wanted it done and over with. In an Instant, the boy drew his swords and Charged forward, slashing away at anything that stood more than a few inches off the ground. And just like that, The two minions and their King were nothing but data particles.

BD 6 ID 55054

6 Base + 8 Fallen = 14+5 Charge = 19 + 6 T2 Bloodrage Crystal = 25+ 6 T2 Alcholic food = 31*12(AoE) = 372

Zelrius 208/208
Manta 156/156

Lich King 0/350
Skeletal Lich 0/40
Skeletal Lich 0/40

Quest End