Calrex

After the opening wave was eliminated, Calrex gave a small sigh as he brought himself to center, lifting the Grand Legionbane so that it rested comfortable against his shoulder once again. Briefly after his party teammates had taken their turn an angel had made her appearance on the battlefield. However, with the warning of the priests already given some had questioned her aid, with a few members of the first team taking strikes at her. He could have likely done so as well, as switching from AoE to single target was a breeze for him right now, bout that would also result in a longer cooldown before he could switch back to the two-handed axe again.

"The angel most certainly can be a threat, but we can't forget the fact that there's still numbers against us right now. If we all decide to change targets, then the demons will likely overrun our primary tanks. Can't let that happen for sure."

"I'll focus on keeping the demons back for now. If you guys want to focus on the new arrival go ahead. I'll make sure these things done go clawing through our backs in the meantime!"

Gripping the handle of his axe with both hands the Ultramarine Knight brought it to his left side, head resting against the ground. In an instant the weapon blazed blue before he rushed forward once again, his eyes set on eliminating the rest of the second wave. Releasing <<Ordinal Cleave>>, the flurry of slashes turned his form briefly into a whirlwind that ripped through the remaining four before ending the Sword Art, heavy weapon slamming into the ground for a brief moment before he hefted it back over his shoulder.

As the two parties of the tier three players arrived at the location, Calrex kept a quiet demeanor while observing their surroundings. It seemed that the priest they had traveled alongside had handed a handful of players a necklace to wear to protect them during the upcoming battle. However, partially due to his own ignorance he had neglected to actually receive one.

This came into play when the conditions around them seemed to shift. After many experiences in battle he had already grown accustomed to such sensations and trace them back to their in-game source, "A field effect huh? Guess that would make sense for a place like this. I'm surprised it's not more common on this floor."

Looking down at his arms he felt a sliver of his strength seemingly vanish, and his armor felt a bit less durable than before. Nonetheless it was too late to try and remedy the situation. It seemed the effect didn't weaken him by much, but there was always the chance that would worsen as the battle went on. His eyes adjusted forward and widened for a moment at the sheer number of creatures coming at them. They certainly had horrific looks to them, but with a sigh the bluenette brought his emotions to center. It wasn't the time to let them run rampant.

"Guess the designers really went to town on monster design this time around..."

The first team shot forward and engaged the creatures, taking out a handful. The first to act of his group was Hestia, who unleashed a <<Howl>> to get their attention. With that the Ultramarine Knight lowered his stance, the Grand Legionbane coming to life with a bright blue hue that seemed to light up where he was standing, "Alright, I'll leave the aggro to you for now!"

Shooting forward with his charge empowered weapon Calrex brought the massive weapon to his right side and made a wide swing, catching one of the demons in their mid-section and pulling them in front of him. With a second swing another demon was moved from the left side to center. On the final swing the bluenette leapt upwards, axe overhead before coming down with a powerful smash that caught a third while smashing the two, missing a fourth that was a couple of feet away.

Player's Stats

For thefirst time in the battle since he first got the bats' attention Calrex was no longer para-locked as he got back to his feet. "Geezes, for a second I thought I was going to forget what moving felt like, heh."

Not wanting to waste any time the bluenette quickly locked onto the bats, letting his vision widen as he gave a calming breath, "Come on, let me get more than one..."

As his body seemingly locked into position the Grand Legionbane turned blue with the energy of his Sword Art, meaning that the assisted system had finally gained a lock on their opponents. Releasing the power the Ultramarine Knight felt his body rocket forward before making a quick 360 spin, bringing the axe around to the side, swinging with the full force of his body behind it. The first bat seemingly got lucky, floating over the passing blade, but the second bat was not so lucky, its abdomen being smashed into by the weapon and being pulled in front of the bluenette.

With a second swing from the opposite side the third bat was caught as well while the final bat shifted to the side, barely avoiding the hit. The two bats that had been stuck previous were now one in front of the other while Calrex leapt upwards and brought the massive axehead down on them, unleashing the last hit of te <<Explode Catapult>> Sword Art. Kicking the weapon back up onto his shoulder he gave a small sigh, "Finally got two pinned down."

Looking over at Baldur and Hestia he gave a nod, "These two are stunned. Hopefully we can get some good damage on them before it wears off."

@Baldur: 1090/1090  ENG: 93/106    MIT: 79/39 EVA: 3 | DMG 19/36 Bleed (Miss, -2 energy, +1 regen)
Hestia: 1425/1425  ENG: 100/138  MIT:151/75 DMG: 16 EVA:-1  Regen: 3 on CD:6  Recovery: heal 45 HP when hit BH: heal 57 HP Thorns:54
Calrex: 1715/1765  ENG: 145/172  MIT:89/44 DMG: 16 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 2 | ACH: 0.6 | Thorns: 30 (Battle Healing +89)

(4/1/3) Cave Bat 1:   270/1250 MIT 75 EVA 3 ACC 1 DMG 175 | 225 + Para | 275 + Para (ignores half mit) 
(0/0/4) Cave Bat 2: 1001/1250 MIT 75 EVA 3 ACC 1 DMG 175 | 225 + Para | 275 + Para (ignores half mit) - Stunned 1/1
(0/0/4) Cave Bat 3: 1031/1250 MIT 75 EVA 3 ACC 1 DMG 175 | 225 + Para | 275 + Para (ignores half mit) - Stunned 1/1
(0/1/3) Cave Bat 4: 1220/1250 MIT 75 EVA 3 ACC 1 DMG 175 | 225 + Para | 275 + Para (ignores half mit)

Post Action: Item Change
Grand Legionbane > Grand Gauntlets III (1 Energy Recovered / 136 Remaining)

To some level Calrex had both expected and unexpected what had taken place in the brief period after he had attacked Isaxi. After having been on the frontlines for such a long time, there were few things that could really catch him by surprise. However, there was one exception, as his eyes widened briefly while observing Durares' form vanish in a flash after having used the teleport crystal provided to him by Hirru.

Speaking of the young man, the Ultramarine Knight's attention had been averted for a brief moment before numerous players expressed their discontent with their current development, some with their words and others with more physical means. The member of the Knights of the Blood Oath seemed to stand his ground, and the bluenette couldn't tell if he should give him credit, or rack it up to some level of uncanny valley syndrome.

The two remaining elves seemed to proceed with whatever AI determined actions they had been given, although Evahira appeared to be the more confused of the two in terms of her programming. Isaxi was the one that seemed to follow the same actions like before.

An action should be taken in this case, and it seemed many were presented before him to follow, but instead Calrex gave a calm breath while lowering the Grand Legionbane from his shoulder, letting the weight of the massive axehead fall as it released a resounding clang against the ground. With a swipe on his menu he used his turn to merely swipe through his inventory and change back to the Grand Gauntlets III, his single-target weapon of choice.

"Seems like whether anyone likes it or not, Hirru's decision is what we're rolling with. We'll just have to find out after this is all over if this battle will still qualify us to advance to the next floor. No use crying over spilled milk."

With that he looked over to @Macradon and @Shield. They had already said their piece, but with this he addressed them directly, "This will be over soon. Let's wrap this up."

Player Stats

Calrex listened attentively to what the NPC told him, and how this fight would differ from his pas encounters. Disregarding some of the foreboding lore that was common with these floor themes. With a small sigh to himself the bluenette stretched his arms, "Very well, I'll be careful. Thanks for the heads up."

"Nonetheless, no matter how twisted this priest is, a man is still mortal. Plus even though maybe by lore angels and demons can't be killed, it seems us players don't seem to be bound to those standards. Tagas, Avarious, and Leothiel all fell, and they have not reemerged. So until they do, that means we can permanently put them in the ground."

"If the tier three players are going to be the ones holding back the waves of enemies outside, that means we'll need to be attacking multiple enemies at once. Guess that means I'll need to start differently than we usually do for raids."

Swiping on his menu the Ultramarine Knight pressed a few buttons to cycle through his inventory before extending his right arm to the side. The Grand Gauntlets III vanished in a flash before a column extended from his hand, lengthening and enlarging to take the shape of an oversized axe-sword hybrid, the Grand Legionbane. With a slow flick of the wrist the shaft of the weapon came to rest against his shoulder as he stepped past where @Shield, @Hestia, and a few other players had gathered. His pace slowed for a bit as he glanced over at them, giving a small smirk beneath his emotionless helm, "See you guys out there."

Weapon Changed: Grand Gauntlets III -> Grand Legionbane
Sword Arts Changed: Martial Arts (Rank 5) -> Two-Handed Battle Axe (Rank 5)

It wasn't long after receiving the call to arms that Calrex entered into the settlement of Angel's Point. Teayre's shop, the Amethyst Boutique, was located on the same floor not far from there after all. This time he didn't seem to waste any time with preparations beforehand like he had done in the past. His avatar was already encapsulated in the Grand Chariot III armor, armed with the Grand Gauntlets III and the Rebellion of Sapphire around his neck. With a small sigh he entered into the gathering area where many other players, both new and familiar, were present. He gave a nod to those he recognized, most of them being fellow frontliners that he had already fought many difficult raid battles alongside.

"I guess it's no surprise that they're here. There's not much info about this supposed fight, but it'd be better for us to be here in case things go south. Shield's already here, so I can already assume he'll be on main tank duty. Guess I'll either switch between attack and hate control as usual, or go full on tank again. With such little time I highly doubt that this many people will be ready to follow a plan like a full raid prep involves."

With that he moved over to the side, leaning against a nearby building as he waited for something to happen, whether that be someone stepping forward to propose some form of strategy, or the battle to start. As he walked past Hestia and Shield speaking to each other he picked up small bits, including the chance of corruption. Among the frontliners present he wasn't exactly sure who from that raid was still participating, but he still remembered the days when this floor was the highest one unlocked.

"Corruption certainly is common on this floor when it comes to enemies, although players would definitely be a new concept. Tagas was a great example of that mechanic being introduced, although that one gave players the option to use healing skills to weaken him. I wonder if that might make a comeback. It wasn't present for the floor raid, but I wouldn't put it past the devs of this game to recycle some mechanics. Unfortunately this time around we don't have three to four people with unique skills participating like in the past."

He was planning to quietly wait, but after a few seconds he gave a small sigh, stretching his arms before walking over one of the NPCs that appeared to be briefing people on the upcoming battle, "Hey there, can you bring me a little up to speed with what we're going to be up against? I'm already fairly familiar with the way this place appears to be like, and fought with the likes of fallen angels and demons like Tagas, Avarious, and Leothiel. What should I be careful of against these creatures we're going to fight?"

As Calrex walked along down the cobbled streets of the main settlement his eyes would dart towards each of the lights that served as guides along the route. His hands rested in his jacket pockets, letting the weight of the limbs be supported by the joining point of his wrists and the bottom of the pocket.

However, as he made a turn he saw a shadow dart towards him before bumping into him, supposedly on accident. For a moment the bluenette thought he had been pickpocketed, but his logical mind quickly dismissed that, as he had no items that could be taken. They were safely stored in his virtual inventory, the only items that were visible were his clothing and the Grand Gauntlets III that encased his forearms.

"Oh no worries, I should have been paying atte..."

When his field of vision took in the more detailed form of the person that bumped into him the Ultramarine Knight's sight focused while simultaneously triggering a sense of familiarity with the player in front of him, "Wait...he seems very familiar. The fact I'm having trouble remembering his name...it could be it's been a while since I've seen him."

Putting a hand behind his head for a moment he gave a calm smile, "Sorry, you seem very familiar. I feel like we've met before, but if it was it was a while back."

With that he gave a slight tilt of his head in apology, "Apologies if we did and I can't place the name. If we haven't...well introductions are in order. I'm Calrex."

ID: 106003
Battle Dice: 6 (Accuracy +3 / Evasion -1) = 8
16 * 13 - 50 = 158 to Isaxi
Sword Art <<Screw Dimension>> Activated (12 Energy Used / 1 Recovered / 135 Remaining)

Right after his axe had struck against the tank dark elf's shield Calrex whirled around, seeing that the more nimble fencer of the boss team had shot forward, managing to get a critical strike on him before backing off. Gritting his teeth beneath the expressionless helm the bluenette stepped back to put some distance between himself and the three remaining dark elves.

However, what happened next was something he had not expected, nor considered in such a situation. Hirru, one of the other raid team members, had stepped forward to protect both Evahira and Durares. It seemed that he had been convinced by the complex AI personas of the two to instead switch from striking them down to shielding them, calling for the remaining frontliners to target Isaxi instead of the two. It made him pause for a moment, giving a small exhale to make sure he was centered before determining his next move.

Of course there was a rush of responses to the young man's controversial action. There was the chance that if they didn't defeat all of the bosses, that they would be denied their ability to advance to the next floor. To spare them could doom everyone, the numerous people that were trapped within Aincrad. "However...this isn't just a decision to strike them down or not. With Hirru shielding them, he's making anyone that decides to attack Durares and Evahira make the second choice or becoming an orange player in order to do so."

Hearing Shield use <<Howl>>, his fellow tank's booming voice caused the entirety of the battle to fall silent for a moment as he delegated the final call to Macradon, suggesting that the teams instead take the time to recover. The remaining members of the first party seemed to hold off and take the advice.

Looking at his fellow teammates in the second party. The only two people he had a fair grasp on in terms of personality were Hikoru and Zandra, and he honestly wasn't sure what the two were going to do. But one thing was for sure, inaction from anyone on his team also left the chance that they would come to their own decision, for better or worse.

"Better lead by example, or else someone else will."

Flipping his axe to rest against his shoulder the Ultramarine Knight lit the blade alit with fiercely glowing blue energy as he readied another Sword Art, one different from Explode Catapult.

"You heard the others, the choice is yours to make. I won't command any one of you to pick a certain target or hold back. However, I've made my decision...whether or not you believe it to be right."

Shooting forward with a powerful dash Calrex rocketed towards Isaxi, his hands gripping the handle of the Grand Legionbane as it burned a bright blue streak through the air. Stepping right in front of the duelist a breath quickly escaped his lips before the axe head came down, "Screw Dimension!"

The strength and speed behind the cleaving stroke seemed powerful enough to strike through the dark elf while also leaving a brief distortion in the air behind it, which collapsed like a wind cut to replicate the cutting path of the attack once more. With a circular motion around his head the bluenette returned the axe to resting its shaft against his shoulder once again.

Player Stats

After spending a long period of time on his own training in the mountains on the seventh floor, Calrex had decided to have a change of scenery. Combined with a small sense of nostalgia, the bluenette had soon found himself on the first floor, but not for exploration or training. Instead he had gone over to one of the taverns, spending most of the day sitting down and ordering food and drink while watching players and NPCs alike pass by.

The layout of the tavern was not of a typical design. Instead of being a indoor space seemingly like ones one would find in medieval times, this one was an open structure, with the "inner" part of the tavern being under a canopy carved out of stone. It was one that seemed to only be architecturally sound within the virtual world of SAO.

Taking a large gulp of the golden brown liquid fizzing in the mug in front of him Calrex gave a small exhale afterwards, letting the simulated carbonation and refreshment fill his senses for a moment before he took a bite from the skewers resting on the right of the stein glass, "Now that I think of it I wonder how long I've actually been sitting here. It looks like the first floor is about to go into the night cycle, and I got here when there was still light out...geezes I've been here a while."

"Wonder where the time went."

Glancing at the sky for a moment his eyes traced across the now darker lavender and orange sky. After looking back and forth for a bit his sight finally fell upon the object he was looking for. It seemed that his peregrine falcon companion had stopped hovering overhead and opted to perch on one of the edges of the canopy, looking left and right as if to spot some food someone had abandoned.

Taking another swig the bluenette gave a small sigh, returning back to people-watching.

As more time passed the previously purple and orange sky had become a darker navy blue color as the sun fully set, with the tavern now illuminated by the glow of the lanterns that surrounded the perimeter of the area as well as the inner covered area. By this time four of five large mugs now rested across the center of the table the bluenette was sitting at, with a few more small plates. "...aaand I've been here pretty much all day. I guess I should probably head out."

Getting to his feet without a stumble Calrex gave a small stretch, "Blocking drunkeness in Aincrad ain't so bad, unless you don't pay attention to your col I guess."

Placing his payment on the table he exited out of the area, now heading down one of the streets towards the central fountain of the Starting City, "It's been a while since I've taken the time to wander around here. Guess now's as good a time as any."

The battle continue to progress in the raid teams favor as team after team cycled seamlessly in an endless assault on the remaining four elves, or at least four when Calrex had last looked. His eyes had been focused for a long period of time on his team's health bars, making sure that all of them were still in good shape. Overall he was making sure that none of them were low in the green zone, as that represented a more less health than others at much higher levels. He didn't want someone to fall by accident, not while things were going good at this point.

Nonetheless as Rori fell the bluenette still couldn't help but pay attention to the suspicious feeling in the back of his mind. It may have been the numerous floor battles' previous experience, or just him being a bit too cautious, but the course of the fight was way too smooth, "If nothing happens after the last dark elf falls, good, but this doesn't feel right. There has to be something else we aren't keeping an eye on..."

Hearing Baldur call out to him to target the card-wielder Durares the bluenette gave a nod. He already had a good enough gap on Hate that the chance of his teammates taking lead on one wouldn't be a problem, "Let's see of this works..."

Lowering his stance he brought his fist back as if he were charging his most powerful Martial Arts Sword Art, and seemingly for a moment that was the case. The Grand Gauntlets glowed with light blue energy before he activated Charge and rocketed forward. But, as he crossed the halfway point in total distance to the group suddenly a bright flash erupted from his right gauntlet as both vanished, extending out into a large beam-like column from his hand that lasted for a brief second before solidifying as his massive axe-sword hybrid weapon, the Grand Legionbane.

Already aglow with energy the Ultramarine Knight shot past the falling pixels where Rori last stood, his eyes locked on Durares. The wide sweep narrowly missed the young elf while carrying the bluenette in the direction of the boss team's tank, Evahira, whom he was already rocketing towards. With a second swipe he slammed the battle axe against her shield before leaping forward with his axe coming down from straight above, "Explode Catapult!"

The heavy head of his weapon crashed into the two and partially cut into the floor as the attack completed. With a kick of his foot Calrex rested the weapon against his shoulder while taking a few steps back, glancing at his meters. The marker for his Quick Change mod appeared as it began to go on cooldown. "Alright you heard him guys, focus on the card user!"

"So much for an opening attack. Maybe I need to get Precision for axe as well at some point."

Calrex took a slower pace as he made his way back towards the main settlement of the sixth floor. Keeping his hands in his jacket pockets the bluenette seemed to let his mind wander, his eyes partially glazing over while his body went into auto-pilot, his legs carrying him in the direction he intended to go. There was any encounters that he experienced while moving, which he attributed to his level gap compared to the floor. Any monsters that were wandering around moved away from the engagement zone around the Ultramarine Knight as he made his way through.

What had gone through his mind was something that was always coming back to some level, albeit it was frequently put in the back of his mind when other things more pressing came to his attention. He had been off doing his own thing for a very long time, in some ways slinking away from other players in order to focus and train. However, the constant threat of some new person becoming a player-killer was still something that he thought of. It wouldn't be the first time that a notorious person rose through the levels quickly, and it certainly wouldn't be the last. "After all, Laughing Coffin is still likely around in some form or another. Opal may had been a member, and from what I've heard actually attacked and went for the leader, she didn't succeed. That means that there's still the chance the head will try and manipulate others and bring them to his side. Luckily enough I haven't heard anything about any new malicious PKers being active, but there is the chance that's because no one has witnessed it, or lived to tell someone else about it."

There were times after speaking with Opal that night that he wanted to go underground, to try and find/root out any secret PKer organizations that were potentially forming, but at the same time he held himself back, reasoning that doing so would only paint a target on his back and the people he cared about. "This isn't a superhero movie. I don't have any way of concealing my identity, and there's no way I'm going to let Teayre or anyone else come to harm because of my actions."

With a small sigh he released the thought again as he returned back to his conscious mind again, "If there's no word of it, then I shouldn't worry about it for now. If anything happens I should default with my normal tactics, to serve as a deterrent and a defender rather than a vigilante."

Calrex:

HP: 895/1765 (+45)

<<Howl>> Activated (-10 Energy / 1 Recovered / 153 Remaining)
+3 Hate to Isaxi, Rori, Evahira, Durares

It was such a short period of time before Ratar had fallen that Calrex had to take a brief moment to reassess the realistic difficulty of their encounter. Of course everyone seemed to focusing damage to some level, aiming to take down the dagger wielding elf before the floor bosses had the opportunity to get into full stride. Nonetheless, the sense of unease that came over him after seeing the first of the five to fall hit stronger than the wave that had rushed over him when the card-wielding Durares had drawn the Devil designed. "Great we took him out...but I feel that if this is the supposed boss fight after the lighting unicorn, something doesn't feel right about this..."

Initially he had thought to take a single turn to Howl before going on the attack, but now he hesitated in doing so. There was enough damage coming out from the teams that he didn't have to contribute to that aspect, so he decided to ensure that there was barely any chance of his teammates getting targeted. The light blue energy of his ability swirled around his gauntlets with a fierce intensity, as if he had tornados rotating around his arms. Widening his stance to just past shoulder-width he slammed his fists together, unleashing the roaring energy that had built up in an explosive concussion of sound, this time targeting the remaining elves. The slime blob that had appeared was something that appeared to be more of a nuisance than a threat, but he would leave that to the others to sort on who would be targeting it.

Separating his fists and returning them back into their positions for his fighting stance his eyes scanned the remaining enemies. While the other fairly straightforward enemies had taken damage, it was Durares that he was focused on. The fact that only a handful of cards had been revealed indicated that it was likely the young elf might have more effects to cast out. It was a potential blessing or curse, because if things went right he would draw less impactful cards, while if it went wrong it could make this battle even more threatening.

With that he gave some brief tactical suggestions to his teammates. Since Zandra was an axe-wielder and already on the attack, the bluenette oriented his strategy around those facts, "Eyes up guys, that's one down but I don't like how quickly this battle is going. We might not have reached the hardest part just yet. If you're going to focus a target I'd suggest the rapier or cutlass wielding elf next."

Player Stats

After taking a few more moments to soak in the beauty around him, Calrex got to his feet, reaching his arms towards the sky before interlocking fingers and increasing the intensity of the stretch. Bringing his arms back to his sides, his hands made their way back into his jacket pockets before the bluenette turned towards the general direction of the safe zone, glancing upwards briefly to confirm that Roc was still soaring overhead. The small dot of blue against the darkening sky was more than enough of an indicator his peregrine falcon companion was still materialized and flying above. While the second floor was originally the place where the bird of prey had previous called home, the way that Roc streaked across the sky made it seem like he was at home.

Looking back at the spot where he had first fought Gemini once again the brief feeling of nostalgia came over him again as the Ultramarine Knight recalled his experiences up to this point, from meeting so many players in the Starting City after spending months in one of the inns wondering what he was going to do to now, one of the consistent frontliners and among the supposed strongest players in the entire game. He did understand that his growth had starting to come to a crawl from before, when he was spending day and night training and becoming stronger because of many motivations. "I can't lie, other than the supposed threat of player-killers at lower level, there was a form of bliss not having to worry about getting ready for the next floor raid. It might be why Tristan, Jomei, and so many others had decided to take respites from the fighting. Unfortunately, I guess those of us that bear the unique skills relinquished that luxury."

As he began to walk Calrex muttered under his breath, a short phrase that summed up his thoughts at the moment, and at the same time dismissing the reminiscent feeling, "I just hope everything up to this point was worth it, and that I'm still headed in the right direction as a person."

Calrex:

HP: 850/1765 (+45)
EN: 172/172 (+All 3/3 OOC posts)

Time seemed to become a seamless flow as Calrex laid for some time in the clearing, letting hid mind and body briefly recuperate from the battle that had just taken place. It had been some time since he had done a quest on a his own, and even longer that such a thing had made his health drop lower than a bit below the halfway point. Thinking back on it, the main thing that could have gone wrong during that fight could have been he had a really bad draw of luck, missing every strike while the Gemini nailed their strikes every time with critical damage. The idea reminded him of his second duel with Ssendom, when it had gotten really close due to series of missed strikes on the former Berserker's part, while the Ultramarine Knight had gotten lucky with a series of critical blows at the same time.

"There's always a chance that something big will happen that can turn the tide of battle in or against your favor. No matter how many preparations we can make, there's always some random variable that we can't ever account for. Even an experienced runner could trip on a tiny pebble and completely ruin their relay."

"That was where mushin came into play, to be able to ride the flow of combat and respond accordingly while not letting your emotions get the better of you and take over your instinctive judgement. Originally I had thought of taking up the katana from Baldur in order to help understand Teayre and maybe help quell the emotional stress that Achilles had been placing on me, but I guess with the recent updates by the Cardinal system, the latter issue is seemingly non-existent. That overabundant and boisterous pride that washed over me at times has come in a long time, mercifully likely because the system deemed such things to be unnecessary to the entire experience of SAO. I just hope they eventually got around to doing the same thing with potions. I can still remember the potions that Mari regularly crafted and sold that were designed to play with someone's emotions. In fact, if I remember correctly I think Oikawa told us all in his confession about the Zelrius ordeal that the potion he had consumed from Opal had agitated his rage moreso than usual. Such things really shouldn't have a place in this game, especially if they wish to prolong the future existence of FullDive technology for games."

Bringing his upper body off of the ground the bluenette propped himself up using his arms, positioning them behind his hips as he looked forward, observing the scenery around him.

Calrex:

HP: 805/1765 (+45)
EN: 47/172 (+1 2/3 OOC posts)

"Yes, we are finished here. Thank you for the duel and well done. It seems you had taken this quest in the past before it was updated, so congratulations for completing it a second time."

"Thank you for that, I appreciated the challenge you present. This is definitely something that players of any level would likely find a challenge in."

"Not like this game asks you to rate the battle and quest. I don't think Cardinal really runs on a review-based revamp system anyway, especially if most of the times that a person would give it one star due to difficulty would likely end up dead before they even got the chance."

Unequipping the Grand Chariot III Calrex swapped back to his casual combat clothing, the Grand Gauntlets III partially shrinking in size to scale down to the slimmer appearance rather than the bulky heavy metal armor it needed to wrap around previously. Putting his hands into his jacket pockets the bluenette faced forward to the clone, still clad in the armor from the battle. Since it was the end of the battle, there was no need for it continuously mirror the Ultramarine Knight's appearance, leaving off in the gear he had worn for the battle. Looking down at his menu window Calrex watched as the quest completion pop-up appeared, showing that he had completed the quest and gained the <<Concentration>> skill.

Swiping across the view his skills, it was clear that the exchange was successful. Disguise' skill slot has been replaced with Concentration, meaning that the bluenette no longer had access to the Accuracy boosting PvP skill, opting for the PvE ability instead.

"Hope that skill is useful for you. With that, take care."

Calrex gave a nod as the NPC turned, returning back its cloaked appearance before vanishing in a series of digital crystal, likely the AI allocated to his version of the quest being recalled and reset for the next time around. With that the bluenette let his body relax as he dropped into a sitting position in the clearing before leaning back and lying on the ground, looking up at the sky above, "Well that's done..." 

Calrex:

HP: 760/1765 (+45)
EN: 46/172 (+1 1/3 OOC posts)

ID: 103421
Battle Dice: 2 (Accuracy +4) = 6
Mob Dice: 9 (Accuracy +4) = 13 (+85 Damage)
Sword Art <<All Might>> Activated (15 Energy Used / 1 Recovered / 45 Remaining)
(16 * 15) - 148 = 92 Damage to Gemini (Non-Lethal)
(425+85 - 89) * 0.6 = 253 Damage to Calrex

After the critical strike from Calrex made contact with the Gemini and sent it reeling, the duplicate took a longer bit of time before it steadied its stance, releasing a few breaths as if to mimic a person now undergoing exhaustion. Nonetheless, it pressed the attack, clenching it right hand into a fist and rearing upwards before rushing forward with the arm drawn back, readying for a running punch.

At the same time the bluenette clenched his hand, reigniting <<All Might>> for a final strike, "Let's finish this off..."

Looking forward as the clone came into striking range Calrex quickly lowered himself into his fighting stance, gritting his teeth in preparation for the incoming blow, readying for an equal exchange again. Throwing his fist forward the bluenette gave a calm breath as he felt the empowered impact from Gemini smash into the left side of his helm, seeing red numbers flash by for a moment, a second critical hit for the duplicate while his attack also hit true.

Both combatants remained still for a moment as their health bars dropped by the respective amount of damage. Gemini's dwindled to almost empty before stopping at the slightest red sliver, indicating that the Ultramarine Knight had used his Sword Art with non-lethal intent.

There was an awkward moment in the air a few seconds before Calrex lowered his fist. Seemingly understanding the player's action the clone also did so, lowering their arms to the side, "So, I'm guessing that we're done here?"

Calrex
HP: 715/1765 | EN: 45/172 | DMG: 16 | ACC: 4 | EVA: 0 | MIT: 89 | ACH: 0.6 (+89 Battle Healing)

Gemini
HP: 1/850 | DMG: 425 | ACC: 4 | EVA: 0 | MIT: 148

ID: 103420
Battle Dice: 10 (Accuracy +4) = 14 (+2 Damage)
Mob Dice: 1 (Accuracy +4) = 5
Sword Art <<All Might>> Activated (15 Energy Used / 1 Recovered / 59 Remaining)
(16+2 * 15) - 148 = 122 Damage to Gemini

With the two taking a bit longer to recover from their previous clash Calrex placed a hand on his knee for a moment, keeping his eyes forward and locked onto the form of Gemini as he gave a couple of deep breaths to steady his senses. Standing upright he clenched his right hand into a fist, "Almost there. Let's make the rest of these attacks count. I can't afford to miss more than a few, or else the tide will turn rather quickly. I've heard there is a safety net built this time into the quest, but it wouldn't be proper to make that assumption for everything. This game can be more than a little unforgiving when you don't give it your all and make the right preparations. I definitely learned that lesson on my own, and from the examples of others before me..."

"Work smarter and harder, not just one or the other..."

He muttered these words under his breath before letting his mind calm, "Stroke the fire in my heart, but let my body remain calm and in control. I won't forget these teachings. After all, it was part of what forged me into the person I am today, and moving me towards the person I need to become. It's not in person, but I'll always keep your training in the front of my mind Bal."

A smirk briefly crossed his face before Calrex took the initiative and rushed forward, this time with his left arm bent and vertical to his body, right arm fully ablaze with the light blue fiery light of <<All Might>>, seemingly burning stronger than the past few strikes. The Grand Gauntlet III recognized this, releasing glints of light from the upper forearm opening like an afterburner. Since Gemini was still in mid-recover it didn't have time to get up and prepare a fully planned counterattack, responding with a reactive jab, one that was highly telegraphed.

Angling his upper body the Ultramarine Knight let the striking limb slide past the outside of his guard before planting his right foot forward in a wide stance, bending his knee to a 90 degree angle to build up even more energy before throwing his entire body to the left side, the momentum of the fierce right hook being channeled into the left side of Gemini's helmet, the red critical numbers flying by before the duplicate was sent reeling backwards, losing its contact with the ground and stumbling backwards before steadying itself.

Calrex
HP: 879/1765 | EN: 59/172 | DMG: 16 | ACC: 4 | EVA: 0 | MIT: 89 | ACH: 0.6 (+89 Battle Healing)

Gemini
HP: 39/850 | DMG: 425 | ACC: 4 | EVA: 0 | MIT: 148

ID: 103419
Battle Dice: 8 (Accuracy +4) = 12
Mob Dice: 4 (Accuracy +4) = 8
Sword Art <<All Might>> Activated (15 Energy Used / 1 Recovered / 73 Remaining)
(16 * 15) - 148 = 92 Damage to Gemini
(425 - 89) * 0.6 = 201 Damage to Calrex

At this point Calrex glanced briefly at his health bar to check where is was overall. Seeing the yellow color was enough to tell him that he was below half, but not yet at the point where he had gone into the critical zone. That meant that his calculations prior to the fight were seemingly on the mark: He had enough health to endure constant damage from the Gemini while outpacing it in terms of overall damage output in relation to their health bars. "If I hadn't decided to refactor my stats to maximize Battle Healing this might have been a different story, since it's also serving to mitigate a good amount of the incoming damage after that first strike. I don't think having popped a Safeguard before this battle would have been the wisest choice, since I did hear that the duplicate actually gains other abilities in response to temporary buffs."

Letting the thought slip to the back of his mind the bluenette quickly refocused, his lowered right arm now bent at the elbow to bring his fist parallel to the hip. The bright blue shine of <<All Might>> returned again to surround the striking limb as the Ultramarine Knight gave a calming exhale, letting the Sword Art charge up to its maximum power. Simultaneous to this, Gemini had opted for a full body wind up strike, bringing its left arm back far enough to force its entire body to twist to the left while sliding its lead foot over to add to the windup.

The two shot forward once again, Calrex throwing a powerful right hook while Gemini slid its lead foot back to the opposite side, bringing its whole body around with the rotation to swing a strong haymaker-like blow towards the bluenette's helm. Both strikes hit true, the two combatants being force back by the impact of the attacks slamming into the emotionless face of the Grand Chariot III helmet, causing them both to slide back a feet, dust being kicked up from their planted feet dragging along with the momentum.

Calrex
HP: 790/1765 | EN: 73/172 | DMG: 16 | ACC: 4 | EVA: 0 | MIT: 89 | ACH: 0.6 (+89 Battle Healing)

Gemini
HP: 161/850 | DMG: 425 | ACC: 4 | EVA: 0 | MIT: 148

ID: 103405
Battle Dice: 9 (Accuracy +4) = 13 (+1 Damage)
Mob Dice: 5 (Accuracy +4) = 9
Sword Art <<All Might>> Activated (15 Energy Used / 1 Recovered / 87 Remaining)
(16+1 * 15) - 148 = 107 Damage to Gemini
(425 - 89) * 0.6 = 201 Damage to Calrex

"Just a few more strikes..."

As Calrex prepared to attack once again he grit his teeth for a moment, a sharp release of air escaping his lips while he closed his right hand into a fist for the fifth time this fight. <<All Might>>'s glow quickly returned, burning with a briefly brighter intensity than usual, just like the second time the Sword Art was used during the battle. The bluenette briefly took notice before his eyes locked forward onto Gemini, planting his stance in preparation to endure and strike simultaneously. Drawing his right shoulder and elbow back the blazing blue punch shot forward.

Gemini in the meantime had changed its attack pattern from repeated right punches to follow with a punch from its left side. Pulling its right arm low and back it used the pulling force to transfer into pushing momentum for its hammer blow, which came from a high diagonal from the left, trained to impact on Calrex's collarbone. This time around the targeted point was true, the bottom of the fist slamming into the high point of the Grand Chariot III's chest armor.

During this the Martial Arts empowered Sword Art the Ultramarine Knight had prepared slammed head into the center of Gemini's emotionless helmet, a result of the right side targeting attack's target shifting right as it moved in tandem with Gemini's blow, articulating in order to deal maximum damage. Both fighters took a split second to recover, forcing themselves back to a balanced stance before readying their next attack.

Calrex
HP: 902/1765 | EN: 87/172 | DMG: 16 | ACC: 4 | EVA: 0 | MIT: 89 | ACH: 0.6 (+89 Battle Healing)

Gemini
HP: 253/850 | DMG: 425 | ACC: 4 | EVA: 0 | MIT: 148

ID: 103402
Battle Dice: 2 (Accuracy +4) = 6
Mob Dice: 6 (Accuracy +4) = 10
Sword Art <<All Might>> Activated (15 Energy Used / 1 Recovered / 101 Remaining)
(16 * 15) - 148 = 92 Damage to Gemini
(425 - 89) * 0.6 = 201 Damage to Calrex

It took a brief moment for Calrex to bring himself back upright from the previous blow inflicted from Gemini, but as he was coming back to a ready stance once again his right hand was already clenched back into a fist, the light blue glow of <<All Might>> forming with a light blue glow around the striking limb. Throwing his shoulders back at the top of his movement brought him back to true form as the bluenette felt his avatar lock into the assisted system, prepared to unleash the strike. With a quick exhale he forced himself forward, his right hook shooting out.

While the Ultramarine Knight was readying himself Gemini also prepared its responding strike, turning its shoulders towards the side of the arm that it wanted to throw a strike from. This time instead of a haymaker it opted for a chambered straight punch, bringing its right arm back before bending at the elbow and tucking it close to the side before driving the fist forward towards Calrex's chest. While a bit off of the center line due to the players moving at the same time the strike was sent out, it still was able to catch him in the middle of the right side.

This didn't seem to dissipate or undo the bluenette's attack, as the two strikes still struck with full force to deal damage again to both participants. So far it had been a critical strike on each side, but nonetheless they continued with the intend of ending the stalemate. Compared to the past interaction with the NPC, this time around Calrex had decided to forego conversation. After all, he had already shared combat banter with the NPC the first time around. If there was going to be any time for chatting, he would do so after the duel was finished.

Calrex
HP: 1014/1765 | EN: 101/172 | DMG: 16 | ACC: 4 | EVA: 0 | MIT: 89 | ACH: 0.6 (+89 Battle Healing)

Gemini
HP: 360/850 | DMG: 425 | ACC: 4 | EVA: 0 | MIT: 148

ID: 103401
Battle Dice: 8 (Accuracy +4) = 12
Mob Dice: 10 (Accuracy +4) = 14 (+170 Damage)
Sword Art <<All Might>> Activated (15 Energy Used / 1 Recovered / 115 Remaining)
(16 * 15) - 148 = 92 Damage to Gemini
(425+170 - 89) * 0.6 = 303 Damage to Calrex

As the two regained their stances and began to strike once again, it seemed that a slight power shift had occurred from their last few clashes. This time around Gemini had been able to ride the momentum of Calrex's right hook, letting its body bend in the direction of the strike in order to coil up and come around, its right arm already drawn back and high to prepare for a haymaker.

At the same time the bluenette had prepared to throw <<All Might>> once, the energy formed around his right fist once again as he brought his body forward in preparation for the strike. However, as his eyes caught sight of the blow coming in, he already knew it was too late to readjust and respond to the blow, especially due to his lack of Evasion this time around. From what he understood of the battle before starting, it seemed Gemini had some stats scaled to his level, while others were exact matches to the stats of his current equipment. In order to create a fairly level playing field without dragging things out, he had decided to opt away from boosting his Evasion this time around, which had turned this into a regular brawl. While it allowed him to easily get consistent damage on the Gemini, it was also a double-edged sword in the fact the same could be done of his opponent.

While the two attacks connected at the same time once again, this time the critical blow from Gemini caused the Ultramarine Knight's stance to buckle as his legs forced him towards the ground from the downward force of the haymaker. That being said, Calrex didn't allow himself to fully break his stance, tightening his core in order to help disperse the energy of the attack.

"My attack still landed. That was a lot of damage, but I'm not out of this just yet..."

Calrex
HP: 1126/1765 | EN: 115/172 | DMG: 16 | ACC: 4 | EVA: 0 | MIT: 89 | ACH: 0.6 (+89 Battle Healing)

Gemini
HP: 452/850 | DMG: 425 | ACC: 4 | EVA: 0 | MIT: 148

ID: 103386
Battle Dice: 7 (Accuracy +4) = 11
Mob Dice: 7 (Accuracy +4) = 11
Sword Art <<All Might>> Activated (15 Energy Used / 1 Recovered / 129 Remaining)
(16 * 15) - 148 = 92 Damage to Gemini
(425 - 89) * 0.6 = 201 Damage to Calrex

Right after the second blows were exchanged, the two fighters immediately began to follow with their next attack. As he endured the previous strike Calrex maintained the tightened fist position of his right hand to forcefully trigger <<All Might>> once again. The brilliant glow of the Sword Art that had begun to dissipate in light blue sparks immediately resurged back to life, encapsulating his striking limb with its power once again. The bluenette's right foot, still up and forward to keep his stance planted, twisted outwards before returning back forward in tandem with him unleashing the attack once again.

At the same time, the Gemini had braced from the impact of the previous critical strike, a small fact that the Ultramarine Knight had let slip past his mind due to being in the moment. The clone also brought its fist back, instead bringing it low and tight to the body, aiming for a gut strike towards the solar plexus. Tucking its elbow in it rotated its shoulders to initiate the driving force of the attack before engaging the arm extension forward.

Both Calrex's Sword Art and the Gemini's strike connected at the same time once again, with the bluenette's right hook smashing into the clone's helm while the gut strike lifted his left side up about half an inch before the momentum let him drop back to the ground. When the impact struck him in the stomach Calrex instinctively let out a small exhale, something from when he had self-trained back in the real world to do when such attacks are made to held minimize the damage in some fashion.

Calrex
HP: 1340/1765 | EN: 129/172 | DMG: 16 | ACC: 4 | EVA: 0 | MIT: 89 | ACH: 0.6 (+89 Battle Healing)

Gemini
HP: 544/850 | DMG: 425 | ACC: 4 | EVA: 0 | MIT: 148

ID: 103385
Battle Dice: 10 (Accuracy +4) = 14 (+2 Damage)
Mob Dice: 2 (Accuracy +4) = 12
Sword Art <<All Might>> Activated (15 Energy Used / 1 Recovered / 143 Remaining)
(16+2 * 15) - 148 = 122 Damage to Gemini
(425 - 89) * 0.6 = 201 Damage to Calrex

As the two recovered from receiving the opening strike from each other they quickly rushed forward, prepared to engage once again. Calrex gave a calm exhale as he clenched his right hand into a fist once again, remember what his stats were at the moment and seemingly how they compared to the Gemini's stats, "Well, wouldn't be surprising if that first strike was boosted as if to catch me by surprise. However, it does seem like our health bars have scaled more to our damage than anything. It's definitely hitting harder than I can though, so good thing I've got Achilles maxed out for damage mitigation in response to that. I can't imagine having to do this without it."

"Guess it's going to be a straight on brawl for now."

Sliding his left foot forward while planting his the ball of his right foot into the ground <<All Might>> charged up once again, this time the light blue shine gleaming even moreso than before. At the same time Gemini seemed to mimic his actions, assuming the same stance that Calrex did with their left foot placed where the bluenette's own right foot would be when standing square to the target.

Both of their punches shot forward at the same time, both trained on the same target as the other. With a powerful blow both fighters made contact with the other's side of the face, but they didn't reel back as much as before. Calrex gritted his teeth while tightening his core, forcing his body from being pushed back as he faced forward once again.

Calrex
HP: 1452/1765 | EN: 143/172 | DMG: 16 | ACC: 4 | EVA: 0 | MIT: 89 | ACH: 0.6 (+89 Battle Healing)

Gemini
HP: 636/850 | DMG: 425 | ACC: 4 | EVA: 0 | MIT: 148

ID: 103384
Battle Dice: 2 (Accuracy +4) = 6
Mob Dice: 8 (Accuracy +4 / Disguise +1) = 13
Sword Art <<All Might>> Activated (15 Energy Used / 157 Remaining)
(16 * 15) - 148 = 92 Damage to Gemini
(425 - 89) * 0.6 = 201 Damage to Calrex

After what felt like an eternity of silence while following the cloaked NPC Calrex gave a small sigh. Upon seeing the supposedly destination of their duel, the bluenette immediately recognized it as the same clearing he was just in a few moments ago.

"I just walked back and forth twice for this...great...."

With that the figure turned to face him, slowly pulling off the hood of their cloak to reveal their form. Rapid flashes of light lit up the NPC's avatar, almost exactly like a regular player swapping out equipment. By the time that the outer piece of cloth had been removed, flying off with a gust of wind, an exact copy of the Grand Chariot III armor stood before the Ultramarine Knight, poised and ready for combat.

That stance didn't last very long as the Gemini shot forward, quickly closing the distance to Calrex with its right arm already drawn back. The bluenette lowered his stance to try and trigger <<Charge>>, but since the distance had been crossed so quickly combat had already been detected, denying him the opening strike, "Great, no extra damage this time around then."

Knowing there was no way he would get out of the way in time he quickly changed his strategy. Sliding his right foot back Calrex bent his legs further, bracing for the impact of the Gemini's strike. The fist smashed into his left shoulder, pushing him back for a moment. At the same time the bluenette's right fist lit up with light blue energy, the signature of a Sword Art activating. Moments after the first punch made contact, <<All Might>> shot around and caught the Gemini straight in the side of the helm, sending the quest NPC reeling backwards while Calrex also took a moment to regain his stance.

Calrex
HP: 1564/1765 | EN: 157/172 | DMG: 16 | ACC: 4 | EVA: 0 | MIT: 89 | ACH: 0.6

Gemini
HP: 758/850 | DMG: 425 | ACC: 4 | EVA: 0 | MIT: 148

Upon accepting the quest Calrex made his way back to the teleportation plaza, taking a deep breath upon arrival, "Alright, this time around the trigger for the quest is active, which means any interactions that should happen will. If anything I should also get an indicator of the location of the NPC to start the quest this time around. I've already got my equipment preparations ready, so the only thing left to do is find this guy and start the battle. Gemini will scale up to my level though, so I should be prepared for this to be a more drawn out battle than expected."

Turning around and setting his eyes on the direction of the safe zone exit the bluenette began to make his way over occasionally pulling up his map to see if any markers appeared. This time around, it did seem that he was in luck. Nearby there was a blip, indicating the location of a quest NPC. Since it was starting to be the high point of the day, there was a crowd of players and NPCs alike filling the streets of the settlement. Making his way through the crowd, Calrex was finally able to arrive in the vicinity of where he needed to be. Shortly afterwards he could see someone in a cloak making their way towards him, glancing down to see the blip seemingly match their movements, "Here we go..."

"You look pretty strong. I'm looking to test my skills. If you beat me, I'll teach you a hidden skill. What do you say?"

"I already know what they are, so it's not really hidden. Nonetheless this seems to be about the same as before."

"Sure, I've got some time if you're looking to spar. Can't really say I'm a strong opponent though."

"Great, then follow me."

With that the small bit of conversation shared between the Ultramarine Knight and the hooded figure came to a swift end, the figure beginning to make their way through the crowd towards the settlement boundary. Calrex paused for a moment before following suit, his metal armor occasionally clinking as the joints moved against each other, "So it starts in the settlement now rather than being a random encounter outside? I guess that makes the transition a little bit smoother..."

Briefly checking his menu once again the bluenette reviewed his equipment and quick slots, finalizing his gear for a second time, "Pretty sure I'm all set, but I also really need to stop second guessing. It's not like I haven't taken this quest before, and at a lower level. The only thing to worry about is how much the opponent scales up in relation to my level. This certainly shouldn't be a cakewalk due to level disparity, but at the same time this is supposed to be a beginner quest, so I could be wrong..."