Calrex

"No...well, it's not so much that I'm embarrassed."

Calrex couldn't help his face from getting redder. His heart was still racing, and and of a sudden Teayre put some whipped cream into his mouth and made it race even faster.

"You seemed to like it last time, we've still got another one to go, what do you want to do with it? I'm personally so full at the moment..."

"Yeah, I can give it a try...but well...what I meant to say was.."

"Dangit, I can't even say the sentence while facing her. I'm useless right now."

He put a hand behind his head as he looked away from a second so that he could finally get the words out, "I guess a part of me is still in disbelief that you're so crazy about me."

"I mean it's one thing to be in the honeymoon period of a relationship, but the way right now it is with Teayre takes it to a ridiculous new level."

As Teayre began to drift into a light sleephe gave a sigh as he felt his blush finally start to recede, "Maybe it has something to do with her personality as well. How can she be so cute, and yet so outgoing and flirty and eccentric like this...I guess this is something I'm head over heels for?"

Calrex let his eyes close for a few minutes as he let his body recover from the battle. He knew he wouldn't restore his hit points without a potion or a full night's rest, but at the least he would be recovered physically. What felt like minutes passed as he rested. He could feel himself dozing off until he got a sudden message.

"Huh, it's from Teayre. She's probably wondering what I'm up to. "

Seeing her name put a smile on his face as he responded.

"I'm on the sixth floor right now. I'll meet you back at the Hogsback."

After sending the message he got to his feet, "Alright I should probably get moving."

With that he started making his way back to the portal.

Calrex opened his mouth as Teayre prompted him, tasting the mixture of the chocolate and strawberry pancakes. He gave a smile as he swallowed the bite.

"Hmm, definitely a good mixture. Of course though, heh, chocolate strawberries are always tasty. "

"Have I got something on my nose Callie?"

When he hears Teayre ask about her nose he took a quick look. Although there was nothing there he couldn't pass up the chance to get her back for the whipped cream. "Yeah, hold on."

He leaned in and gave her a quick kiss on the nose. The moment he did it he felt his cheeks redden once again.

Calrex gave a sigh as he made it into the borders of the Amazon settlement, looking around. By this time both the NPCs and players had awoken and were now moving left and right going about their business.

"Man, if this were a more graphic game, they'd be either staring or running in fear because of my health. I'd be a bloody mess..."

He slowly made his way through the streets, looking at the various structures and tents, "This place is certainly different than the setting of the Starting City. It's a nice change of pace."

Calrex made his way to a nearby sitting area, squatting himself down on the grass, laying on his back, "Man, I'm worn out. I wasn't expecting a quest like that."

He closed his eyes for a split second, reviewing the fight. The things he did correctly, the points he messed up. The exchange of words. His response as he barraged <<Gemini>> with a series of blows.

"Heh, too bad I didn't get a chance to say it to him before he died. I really don't understand why I do the things I do much either. I came up with that babble just as a retort to him. Guess that what I get for letting my emotions get to my head."

He opened his eyes as he looked left and right. The rest area was fairly empty of other players, which was a good and bad sign for him. It meant more privacy, but it also meant a potential ambush point for PKers. "Seems alright so far. I'll just rest up a little before I make my way back.

"Gh!"

After he accepted the larger than expected piece of pancake from Teayre he looked in surprise as she leaned in, licked the whipped cream that got stuck on his nose, and kissed him once again.

"W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-Wait a second?! Doesn't that only happen in shows and fiction?!"

His face flushed a deep red as he felt his heart begin racing like crazy. He felt frozen in place for a second before his heart slowed enough for him to catch his breath. 

"T-That was sneaky, heh..."

He went to cut a piece of his pancake to give to her, but he did have some trouble, especially after that. His eyes were widened in surprise as they darted from looking at Teayre, back to the pancake, back to Teayre.

Finally he managed to get a decent sized piece for her, "H-Here ahhh."

<<Disguise>> skill unlocked 

Temporarily transforms you into the other player, giving you a +1 on Battle Die roll and them a -1 on their next action.

It only during yours and their turn, and can only be used once every twelve turns.

 

"What in the world is this?"

Calrex looked in surprise at he saw the description of the skill. As he continued to view it, the more he felt a laugh building inside him. Finally it came out as he gritted his teeth as he laughed almost as hard as he could.

"Man, this is almost too funny. This guy goes on berating me about the masks I wear emotionally, and here the skill he gives me is the ability to form a disguise. What was all that then?"

After getting the uncontrollable laughter out of his system, Calrex took a breath, calming himself back down. He scrolled down and viewed the rest of the loot list:

Loot List

- Disguise Ability

- 3 Skill Points

Calrex gave a sigh as he accepted the loot, looking around, "Doesn't look like there were any observers. That's good to know at least. Better make my way back into the city. I shouldn't stick around outside any longer. I might've pushed my luck a little further than I had planned

He turned and made his way back towards the Amazon village. After a few steps he turned back towards where <<Gemini>> had fallen, staring for a few moments.

"Such a lifelike replica of me. Was this part of what the creator of SAO had planned? To make this game to realistic that it was like a second reality?"

He put his hands in his pockets, making his way into the village.

OOC: Climactic Battle Finish GO!

ID: 11014

Battle Dice: 6

Mob Dice: 7
Loot Dice: 20

As <<Gemini>> saw Calrex assuming his modified iaido stance his smirk grew into a grin. He stepped back and assumed the same stance, bringing his body back, preparing to charge as well.

There was a unsettling calm as the two stood still. There was a tension in the air that seemed to build higher and higher as the moments passed. Even the wind blowing through the trees seemed to stand still.

Calrex gave a calming breath as he closed his eyes for a brief second. Everything that had happened to him so far flashed before him. His first social encounter with Sousuke, Tyrius, Raeyliff, Celes, Oikawa, and Teayre, the following training with Oikawa and Teayre, the quest undertook with the two, and finally his day with Teayre. He could feel his heart racing as he continued to think of her, opening his eyes as he spoke in his mind.

"I have to live...there's no way I'm going to leave her behind..."

With that the tension snapped as the two charged towards each other. At the same time the two unsheathed their sword, bringing it at the other's chest. The two swords slashed across. The two moved past each other, ending ten steps from each other.

Calrex stood still for a few moments, the unsettling air returning for a short time. He gave a quick gasp as he felt the pain of the connected strike shoot through him from his chest. But he was still alive. He turned around, looking down at the defeated <<Gemini>> As he began walking over the clone dissipated into a series of crystals, leaving behind. Calrex took a few calming breaths behind resheathing his Anneal Blade, looking in surprise as a loot screen appeared in front of him.

"Hm?"

HP List

Calrex: 6/15

Enemies:

Gemini: -1/15

Calrex smiled and gave a nod to Teayre's decision, "That sounds good. Let's go with that plan."

As Teayre began berating herself for what appeared to be a Freudian slip, Calrex looked in confusion for a second, "Did...she just add onto the nickname she game me already?"

As the food arrived Calrex nodded in thanks to the waiter before taking a couple of bites. Even though the food was simulated, it still tasted like one would in the real world. He was surprised how much like the real thing it tasted.

"Cal, would you like to try some?"

Calrex looked over at Teayre as he finished his biteful, "Sure, did you want to try some of mine?"

He thought for a quick second before following, "Oh, and don't worry about putting your hair up. You look beautiful no matter what in my opinion."

Right as the words left his mouth he felt his face flush, "H-How Did I Just Say That So Calmy?!"

The two continued their duel. By this time the sun had just passed noon and was making its way back down towards the horizon. Calrex traded blows time and time again with <<Gemini>> with neither gaining another successful strike. The two leapt back, both executing a Plum Blossom flourish followed by a Swallow Return, the mirroring blows knocking each other aside.

Calrex planted his sword in the ground, out of breath. He gave a couple of heavy heaves as he felt some beads of sweat trickle off of his face. <<Gemini>> gave a couple of breaths, still winded by the previous critical that Calrex had scored on him.

"Well, it's getting close to curtain time Calrex. Looks like that drive of your's is allowing you to keep up, even though I'm an NPC. So come on, is there enough left to finish me off?"

"Hah...hah...heh...I thought you said you were done talking."

Calrex withdrew his sword from the ground, flicking off the dirt clumps that had collected. He sheathed it partway into his hip sheath, bringing his body back.

"I've gotta finish this. I need to survive. I will survive! I will survive this game!"

ID: 11013

Battle Dice: 10 (+2 Damage)

Mob Dice: 6

As Calrex rushed forward he immediately saw <<Gemini>> react, already preparing a thrust towards his head. Since he was already in a position for a horizontal slash he knew that if he tried to make a connecting strike it would easily hit him dead on. If he decided to dodge the attack it would also kill his momentum and lose the strike as well.

He gritted his teeth, "I'm not gonna let this guy win..."

As the thrust came in Calrex moved his head to the side, the blade grazing the side of his face. At the same time his strike connected with full force, winding <<Gemini>>. But Calrex didn't end his barrage there. He followed up with another strike from the opposite side. Since <<Gemini>> was already wounded from the first hit, the second strike struck true as well, the blow slamming him into the ground. Calrex jumped back a few steps as he assumed his battle stance once more.

<<Gemini>> got to his feet. In Calrex's view, he saw that <<Gemini>> had entered the red zone. "One more hit...and it should be over."

<<Gemini>> brushed off the generated dirt that had landed on his face, reaching down and picking up the blade he was using. He gave his smirk again as Calrex readied himself.

HP List

Calrex: 8/15

Enemies:

Gemini: 2/15

ID: 110003

Battle Dice: 1

Mob Dice: 10 (+2 Damage)

After a series of strikes exchanged between the two, It was an exact match once again. Blow for blow, each one was countered or dodged easily. Calrex leapt back to gain some room to prepare for his next strike.

"Darn, none of my direct attacks are connecting. I've gotta find a way through his defenses. Maybe a Plum Blossom flourish might work."

He rushed in, his sword arm on his left side. He executed the first slash of the Plum Blossom flourish, but it flew farther to the right than he had expected. It might have been that the weight of his Anneal Blade was finally wearing on him. Right as he realized this his face was met with <<Gemini>>'s smirk as he exploited the opportunity.

<<Gemini>> rushed in, delivering three blows similar to the Swallow Return attack. One upwards diagonal cut to the left, then another to the right, followed by a downward cut. Each one struck through Calrex, who was blown back and sent rolling five feet before the momentum ended.

"I've got no words left for you. It's now or never Calrex. Will you defeat me? Or let your life end here?"

"Gh..."

Calrex pushed himself to his feet as he readied his blade.

HP List

Calrex: 8/15

Enemies:

Gemini: 7/15

As Teayre patted the seat beside her, requesting that he side next to her instead of across like before, Calrex nodded. His eyes scanned as he noticed Teayre's hand moving across the seat towards him. He gave a smile as he moved his hand, softly intertwining their hands together.

When Teayre boldly moved in and kissed him he felt his heart pounding like crazy once more, his cheeks tinging red. When she said what she had ordered Calrex gave a smile, "Chocolate, are you kidding, on pancakes? That's something I can't not enjoy. And of course I'd be happy to try yours. I've gotta see what all the excitement is about."

He gave a smile, right before his eyes took note of tear Teayre had wiped away.

"Was that out of happiness or some other emotion. Well, I won't pry, not now."

"Anyway after we've eaten what would you like to do first, a bit of shopping or the duel?"

"Hm..."

Calrex gave it a quick thought, "If we have the duel first it'd be a good way to warm up for the day. If we went shopping first..."

Calrex felt his cheeks flush deeper at the thought of helping Teayre pick out clothing. "I-I'll leave it to you...w-what do you think we should do? I'm up for it either way!"

Calrex began a relentless assault on <<Gemini>>, slashing vigorously left, right, up, down, diagonal, every which way he could arc his strikes. In the meantime he spoke to <<Gemini>>, affirming the flaws that he pointed out.

"You may be right, I plan my every step to the letter. I do that because I'm trying to survive. You might not understand because you're a computer-generated mirror image of me, and going from what I can tell you've only judged the actions I've done since entering SAO."

As he finished his sentence he gave a strong horizontal blow, forcing <<Gemini>> back a few feet. He returned into his battle stance as he prepared another barrage.

"Survival is necessary, because no matter what happens, no matter what occurs, I'm not going to let myself die. I won't allow myself to die. There's too much that I've got riding on me to let that happen."

He rushed forward, bringing his sword down. Since <<Gemini>> was on his knees from the previous barrage, he wasn't at a positional advtange. Calrex's blade met <<Gemini>>'s own blade, stopping his downward momentum.

"No one is going to get rid of me, especially not you."

"Hm, very well, if you want to survive, then slay me. Try to cut me down, try to best yourself!"

<<Gemini>> shoved his sword sideways, forcing Calrex to the side as well. Calrex did a roll, landing on his feet, turning to face <<Gemini>>, who was ready in his own battle stance.

With that the two rushed towards each other once again.

ID: 11000

Battle Dice: 9 (+1 Damage)

Mob Dice: 2

Calrex deflected a series of blows that came from <<Gemini>>, who had adopted a fencing stance as he tried sending a series of thrusts towards Calrex. Calrex parried each one, slamming his blade into <<Gemini>>'s to force him to use more force to retrieve his sword each time. As <<Gemini>> tried to thrust torwards Calrex's head Calrex dropped his body low, his legs already coiled to strike. Right as <<Gemini>>'s thrust fully extended Calrex leapt forward, stabbing <<Gemini>> in the gut. As he did he forced his sword to the right, sending <<Gemini>> back while retrieving his sword.

"Let me ask you this...since you seem to know so much about me. Do you know why I do the things I do?"

"Gh...what in the world are you?"

Calrex readied himself and prepared to rush forward, "You just said yourself, I'm meticulous, planning my every move. Even in social situations it's like a game of chess for me, choosing the right emotion, the right statement to respond to each thing that comes my way. But do you understand why I do those things?"

HP List

Calrex: 12/15

Enemies:

Gemini: 7/15
 

Calrex and <<Gemini>> continued to trade blows, with the looks that neither was getting the upper hand. A few times it almost looked like they were mirroring each other's movements, like when Calrex struck a low-middle-high series of strikes, which <<Gemini>> responded to in kind. No blows connected against either's body. Eventually both rushed in at a diagonal, their blades clashing and interlocking. Both sides tried to push against each other to try and force their blade through, but they were locked at a stalemate.

"Good, you're focusing...once you get into it, you certainly know your moves Cal!"

"Hey, only my close friends get to use that!"

"Oh, am I...or should I say you...not your close friend? I guess we've really gotten lost as to who we are now aren't we?"

They broke the interlock, rushing at each other once more. They exchanged words as well as blows, rushing past each other multiple times as each tried to score a blow on the other.

"Come on, aren't you the one that should be the most in tune with yourself? All that time trying to suppress your emotions, so handle the situation as calmly as you could, to respond with the correct answer in order to achieve the most suitable outcome, what do you think it'll come to? Look at yourself, you don't even know what your normal emotion is!"

Calrex slid to a stop, planting his sword in the ground to keep himself upright, "Yeah...that may be true...but one thing's for sure...even with those flaws, even with my weaknesses...the one thing I won't lose to...The one thing I can't lose to..."

As he rushed forward he brought his sword back, preparing for another assault, "I'm not going to lose to myself."

ID: 10995

Battle Dice: 2

Mob Dice: 9 (+1 Damage)

The clash continued as Calrex and <<Gemini>> continued their battle. After a few more parries and strikes, Calrex felt himself getting slightly exhausted.

"Man, I can't let this fight drag out. I may have the upper hand at the moment, but his advantage is that he's an NPC, they don't have stamina."

Calrex knocked another strike aside as he switched his stance, holding his sword in reverse so that he could parry the blows.

"Oh...now we're on the defensive. This is going to be fun then."

Calrex's eyes widened as saw <<Gemini>> quickly close the distance between them as he brought his sword down toward's Calrex's head once again. He prepared for the strike when he noticed something he hadn't seen because it was out of sight. <<Gemini>> had copied his earlier move, reinforcing his strike with his other hand pressed against his sword arm. With the added force it easily broke through Calrex's guard, since he hadn't done the same. The strike knocked his sword down, the blade planting in the ground.

Immediately after disarming Calrex <<Gemini>> immediately followed with a forward quick step. Calrex was prepared for a strike towards his face, crossing his arms to brace in reaction. He looked down, seeing that <<Gemini>> had instead opted for a stab towards his stomach. The blade quickly struck through, and Calrex forcefully exhaled from the impact. <<Gemini>> killed his momentum as he quickly retrieved his blade, stepping over and removing Calrex's Anneal Blade from the ground, tossing it in front of him.

"Well...what are you waiting for? Didn't you come here to try and get stronger? To try and protect them?"

"Guhah..."

Calrex coughed to try and get some air back in his lungs as he got back to his feet, picking up his Anneal Blade while he rose. Even though he was in a lowered stance he rushed forward, attempting a strike towards <<Gemini>>'s head, the strike flying clear of its mark. Calrex rolled from the momentum as he hit the ground and bounced back to his feet.

"That strike really winded me. I've got to get some distance in order to catch my breath."

"Contemplating your next action? Man you are meticulous. Does every step you take have to have some plan in mind? Were you planning it as well when you tried to steal a kiss from her."

Calrex gritted his teeth as he refocused, "Alright then...that's the way he wants to play...fine..."

HP List

Calrex: 12/15

Enemies:

Gemini: 11/15

ID: 10986

Battle Dice: 9 (+1 Damage)

Mob Dice: 3

A flurry of blows were exchanged between Calrex and <<Gemini>>, neither of them making any headway, their blows continuing to either clash or miss entirely. Calrex took a breath as he took a quick step back. At the same time <<Gemini>> brought it's sword down to try and strike at Calrex's head. Due to Calrex's backstep he had just barely missed getting a strong strike to his head. He quickly responded by pushing himself forward, slamming his blade down on top of <<Gemini>>'s sword.

Calrex quickly lowered his stance so that he was parallel with his sword, quickly stepping forward. His sword traveling along the length of <<Gemini>>'s blade, skipping up off of the guard before contacting with <<Gemini>>'s chest. His momentum was temporarily killed as his sword made contact, his left foot halfway forward. Calrex gritted his teeth as he reinforced his grip with his left palm, pushing forward. The sword continued it's travel as it flung <<Gemini>> back a few feet, the strike also launching him up a foot as well. <<Gemini>> followed the momentum and did a backflip in the air so that he would land on his feet, looking forward, the same smirk on his face.

Calrex used his sword to push himself back to his feet as he regained his fighting stance, right foot forward with his sword point aimed for <<Gemini>>'s head.

"Well, it's exactly like Oikawa said. You finally seem to have found your groove. Well done Calrex."

"Well you're certainly a talker. You sure you're supposed to be a copy of me?"

"Well you certainly don't talk to others that much, but you most definitely do a lot of talking to yourself don't you. A lot of self-analyzing, figuring out how to respond...I might be a copy but I feel I'm more genuine that you've even been."

"Tch."

"Well, this thing is trying to push my buttons for sure. I'm not gonna let him get to me..."

"Thinking again are we?"

Calrex looked forward as he resumed his attack.

HP List

Calrex: 15/15

Enemies:

Gemini: 11/15

Calrex gave a sigh as he emerged from the trees just in sight of the Amazon village. He had been keeping track of the sound that he followed him from the ring of trees inside the forest, and it had been following him for his entire trip back. It had stopped a few times on the way, possibly to lure him into a false sense of security, but his experience with playing a few survival games helped him to know better.

He stood a few feet away from the tree line, listening to the sound. It was indeed following him further, but it stopped at the edge, out of his sight. Calrex stepped a few more feet back, his sword grip tightening, "Alright, you can come out. You've been following me for quite some time. Don't think I didn't notice."

"Is it a monster or a player. If it's a monster it've gotta be some kind of mini-boss that roams the area, but I haven't seen any that could follow a player's aggro all the way across the map..."

The noise-maker did emerge from the trees, but it turned out to be a humanoid form. Calrex quickly scanned it for any distinguishing feature, the two main things being that they were completely covered from head to toe in a dark brown cloak, and that its crystal was green, like an NPC's. Calrex gave a small sigh of relief, half expecting it to be a player-killer.

"Oh, sorry to bother you. I was making my way through the forest when I happened upon you resting. Since you seemed to be able to find your way just fine, I figured if I followed you I'd make it through without problems. Turn out I was right."

"Oh...I see."

"If it is helpful, though, I do have some info on a quest, if you were at all interested."

"Quest info? I wonder if it has to do with the quest I head about."

"Sure, I'm up for it. What's the info."

"Well, there is a price. I'd like you to duel me, and if you win I'll give you the info."

Calrex gave a small sigh as a window appeared in front of him, requesting a half-life match. He had just previously done a first-strike match against Teayre, so he wasn't really feeling up for a match once again. But if it would help him find what he's looking for, he was willing to give it a shot. He reached down and pressed the blue circle to accept the match, but then he looked in surprise.

It was like one of those machine at the arcade, in which you need to stop the lights or blocks at just the right time to win. However, from what Calrex knew, those games were rigged so that if you were right on the mark, the light would shift right at the same time to make you lose. This was similar.

Right as the blue circle lit up and enlarged for a second he saw two things change on the screen before it vanished. One was that the match type had changed from a half-life duel to a Total Loss duel: a death match. The second was that a name had appeared: <<Gemini>>

Calrex looked forward, steeling his senses for what was about to come. The cloaked figure slowly reached for the front of his hood as he pulled it up. The cloak seemed to have been loosely clasped at the chest, so it easily separated and began to lift off at the same time as the hood. Underneath, Calrex saw a flash of a smirk before <<Gemini>> ripped away his cloak, revealing an exact match to Calrex in appearance, save the fact that the clone's eyes seemed to have a cross-shapes slash through his right eye, and the cross shape seemed to have a strange kind of shimmer to it.

"Well then Calrex, whenever you're ready."

Calrex clenched his teeth as he lowered his stance, resheathing his Anneal Blade, but not all the way that it locked. He brought his hand back, softly resting it on the handle. The clone appeared to do the same, still maintaining the smirk that Calrex had noticed previously. After a few seconds the two dashed toward each other, drawing their sword, the steel clashing. The battle had begun.

BATTLE START

HP List

Calrex: 15/15

Enemies:

Gemini: 15/15

Calrex felt almost like a flag being dragged behind Teayre as she excitedly made a dash for the cafe once again.

"Man, she must really like the sweets there. Can't say I blame her. Oikawa was going nuts about them as well."

As they approached the entrance Teayre all of a sudden pulled him down, nibbling his ear. The new sensation made his cheeks blush once again.

"Thank you, thank you for everything Callie, no matter what happens we'll get through this game all right both of us."

Calrex gave a smile as Teayre released him, giving an affirmative nod.

"No... I.. forgot.. to... do... my... hair!"

"I guess it's too late to do anything now, I'll have to deal with it for today."

Calrex gave a smile once again. Before Teayre darted inside he spoke to himself, "I don't think she needs to do it up. It looks fine no matter what from my standpoint."

With that he followed her inside.

Calrex made his way further through the forest, keeping low to avoid encounters, however the travel was beginning to wear on him. He felt he needed a spot to actually sit down and rest for some time. Opportunity came when he made his way into a circle of trees, where at the base stood a small, shallow pool of water. The entire thing seemed somehow natural, yet staged. There were vines running along the outer rim of the pool, almost like a border, and the trees were practically equidistant of each other, forming some kind of ring.

He stepped into the pool, which apparently only went to his ankle. The coolness of the water was welcoming to him, so Calrex decided to sit down at the edge. He grabbed some of the water from the pool, wiping off his face a few times with some splashes. He shook his head so that the water would be somewhat removed from his bangs.

"Alright, this should be a good place for now. I'll rest for a few minutes before starting to make my way ba..."

His train of thought stopped as his senses when on alert. Someone...or something...was making its way through the brush as well. He could hear the unfamiliar rustling as it drew closer and closer, and then suddenly stopped as it got within ten feet of where he was. Due to the thickness of the trees outside of the ring, he couldn't make out anything out of the ordinary.

Calrex got to his feet, drawing his Anneal Blade from his sheath in a reverse grip as he looked over in the direction of the previous, his eyes narrowing as he focused in the area for any movement.

"Nothing. Whatever that noise was, it was heading towards me. Better not risk it and start making my way back to the village. I've search enough so far..."

He did some thinking, tracing his current location in respect to the Amazon settlement before turning and starting to make his way back. The entire time he moved he kept his ears ready in case the sound began once again.

The sound did...and it was following him.

"O-oh, that's what you meant..."

"You certainly have the worst times to take things to a bad place...alright, well from that standpoint a house would be useful. We could store more equipment that we can't carry on us there, and it would make a convenient rendezvous point in case we need to meet up for anything. Probably would make a useful hub of sorts. If we put it in a good place it would even be a safe haven incase either of us are targeted for some reason by PKers."

Calrex's train of thought faded as he felt his senses tingling as Teayre sat down on his lap, feeling his face blush deeper. "T-This is really happening..." As she began to fiddle with his hair he could feel his heart begin to race once again.

"You don't have to answer know, you know... Let's get some breakfast and that,  have a think on it you can always tell me later."

"Y-Yeah..."

His current state was temporarily disrupted when Teayre accidentally touched the cut on her lip once again, the loud noise catching Calrex off guard. He couldn't help but give a laugh as Teayre began to jokingly thump his chest before drawing him in closer. He wrapped his arms around her, breathing her scent, or whatever simulated one, once again.

Minutes passed, although it felt like hours to him, before he managed to get some control back, "So, did you have any ideas for breakfast locations?"

"Now I'm trying to remember why I planned to come up here in the first place..."

Calrex kept his stance low as he made his way around the unpopulated areas of the ground surrounding Amazon. His Anneal Blade was already drawn, although not fully drawn from its sheath. Rather than fight the monsters that were around, he was analyzing them and watching their movements. The creatures of this floor were of a completely different animal than the ones he had seen on the first floor. The ones down there were more oriented to a traditional RPG style, with boars being one of the weaker creatures before moving their way up to wolves and such, much like many other games. These creatures were more mountain-oriented and had some grounding in medieval times.

The creatures here were, like the settle, related to jungle and rainforest themed creatures. Snakes, oversized bugs, monkeys and such seemed to be common here. The one creature that Calrex avoided which gave him the shivers were the oversized spiders. The hyper-realism of the game made the spiders very life-like, and it was one of the few things he didn't appreciate. Once he found a supposedly safe spot he knelt down, closing his eyes for a second to recall his decision.

It was following his day with Teayre within the Starting City. After spending the evening together and confessing each other's feelings, the duo had decided to go around and do some shopping for clothes. The whole entire thing still felt like a dream to Calrex, which still brought a redness to his face. He gave a small exhale to calm himself as he opened his eyes again.

"Now I remember. I did this because supposedly there was a quest here that would give you a skill that would make your focus be applicable in combat. I came up here to get stronger...to protect her...to protect everyone..."

With that he moved back into a crouching position, departing from the safe point.

"Cal... Y... You l... l...love me?"

Those were Teayre's last words before she passed out from lack of air. His eyes widened for a second as he quickly checked to see if she was breathing, giving a sigh of relief when he heard her calmly inhale and exhale. He gave a smile as he brushed the top of her head, "Geez..."

Once she awoke and tried to jump on him, falling short of the mark Calrex felt a sweatdrop form on the side of his head, especially when she began kissing her way around his legs, "Uh...maybe she needs some more air..."

"Thank you Callie! I'm... I'm sorry if I scared you, it's the... the first time someone has ever s... said that to me..."

For a second, Calrex's analytical mind kicked in as he quickly broke down the sentence Teayre just said.

"So back then...what she said...that's what she meant, about the bullying and the lack of kindness. Man, I have no idea what that would be like. I should definitely consider myself lucky for what I've had."

"Calrex, we're together right? I mean... would you like to get stronger and then we can find somewhere..I know I've just become your... your girlfriend... but... but..."

Teayre's followup sentences snapped Calrex out of his train of thought. He could feel his face flush at the works "together" and "girlfriend," deepening every second the words remained in his mind.

"F-For your first question, of course we're together. As for the second...um..."

Calrex tried to keep a straight face, but he couldn't help his face flushing as he put a hand behind his back, "S-So I don't get confused again...what did you mean?"

It was a quiet morning on Floor 6 of Aincrad. None of the player shops had opened just yet, and the simulated sun was just beginning to shine on the various tents and wooden structures of the Amazon village. At one side of village was the teleportation portal that connected this floor to all of the other floors within the floating city.

A single light shimmered in front of the portal as a person appeared from it. He was dressed in a blue jacket with a white shirt underneath, wearing black pants over his legs and the beginner's starting boots. Lastly was the sword and sheath that was strapped horizontally across the back of his hip.

"So this is the sixth floor. I guess this is a safe place to try out at my current level..."

Calrex moved some of the blue hair that got in his face out of the way as he embarked into the settlement, taking a quick look around, "I guess I came here earlier than expected. Not even the NPCs are at full speed just yet."

"I guess that's fine. I don't plan on sticking around for too long. Just do some scouting, maybe a battle or two, then head back to the first floor to rest and recover."

He made his way through the settlement, making note of the fact that it was significantly smaller than the Starting City as he worked his way over to the village's borders, out into the open area.

Before Calrex could respond to Teayre's question he was surprised to see Teayre sink to the floor.

"Did...I accidentally trigger some..."

"I... c...  can't.... brea... breathe... H... help me Cal."

His eyes narrowed in surprise for a second when his mind quickly put together that Teayre was possibly hyperventilating, "O-oh!"

He immediately went down on one knee as he placed a hand on each of her shoulders, "Here, you've gotta let yourself breathe. Let me give you a hand."

One he had a decent grip he helped Teayre to her feet, moving her over to the bed and setting her down, sitting down beside her, "You've gotta let your chest open so you can let some air in."

"Ok...where's a brown paper bag when you need one...alright she needs something to help her breathe...uh..."

He stood up, bent over so that he could get a good look at her face. She definitely seemed out of breath, her face still red. Even with the situation Calrex couldn't help but blush. "Dangit why does she have to be so cute...focus Calrex focus!"

His eyes quickly scanned around the room, but no bag-like apparatus to be found. He sat back down next to Teayre, a hand on her lap and one across to hold her opposite shoulder, "Just try and focus in breathing Teayre. Breathe in...and out..."

"Geez I must sound like a broken record."

He moved the hand on her shoulder to the center of her back to try and straighten her back out and to keep her from curling up.