Calrex

"Geeze did I overdo it on that nap?"

At some point during the day, the Ultramarine Knight had found himself over at Baldur's estate, Breiðablik. The Western samurai had offered both him and Teayre a separate room to stay in, if they had decided to find a different place to stay other than the bedroom on the upper floor of the Amethyst Boutique. He hadn't taken up his mentor on the offer, but that didn't mean that from time to time he would stop in to at least take a quick nap before heading out onto the floors once again, albeit they were direct trips to the room to rest and back out. The room itself was still a nice setting, and could seemingly operate detached from the rest of the estate. Getting to his feet he gave a small stretch before swiping in his menu, "Maybe it might be a good time to stop by the dojo and do some movement training. I haven't really done it since training with that old man on the mountain back in the day. Might be a good time to swing around my old weapons as well."

His clothes flashed white for a moment before being replaced by his old training attire. He rarely wore out, and going from the aesthetic effect it gave to his avatar, he was almost certain someone was going to make a joke or quip, "If only I was actually in this shape. I'm sure there's some kind of shading effect or something on the upper layer. There's definitely games that do that for added effect."

He pulled the white cloak that hung over his shoulder a bit further to cover more of his upper body before crossing his arms beneath, "I guess if anything this is also the closest thing I have to traditional Japanese attire anyway."

Sliding open the door to the room he was in, he quietly closed it behind him before turning down one hallway, heading down it as a casual pace. At this point of the day, it seemed the estate was rather quiet, with only the ambient sounds of life surrounding the compound occupying his ears, "I guess that room is pretty distant from the main parts of Breiðablik. Now the question of..."

Reaching a split in the path Calrex paused for a moment, "Was the dojo to the left or the right?...I guess I can try right..."

Traveling down the right hallway for some time, looking left and right for some way to get his bearings. After a couple of minutes, the scent of cooked food greeted his virtual sense of smell, "Huh...I guess I must be by the kitchen. Someone definitely seems to be making something nice. Maybe I'll stop by on my way."

Reaching the doors to what he guessed was an entrance to the kitchen he opened the doors, his vision greeted by two people, a spread of food well suited for a feast, and a familiar white feline, "Hey...thought I'd pop in while heading to the dojo...wait...Kimba is that you?"

As if in response to his query, his blue peregrine falcon Roc materialized, softly landing next to him.

Calrex's Attire:
 

@Snow @Assassin

"Hm...maybe it was too soon to mention?"

The bluenette closed his eyes for a moment after Snow spoke her piece, preparing to get up and take her leave. He also calmly stood , giving a small nod in response to her bow, closing his eyes for a brief moment. In the meantime, since the NPC host recognized the two were wrapping up their time in the Starlight Cafe, he had started making his way over in order to retrieve the porcelain tableware.

"Something about this isn't sitting right, but I guess I can't really say much else. She's probably still got a lot to deal with, and I'm not exactly the person to be helping her through it. Daire was her only friend she knows from real life in SAO, and now she's gone. I guess I got lucky by making so many friends and allies so quickly into starting my questing."

As the blonde began to move and make her exit, Calrex spoke one more time, more to get the words out than to try and stop her, "Jacob's Ladder...if you need a hand feel free to reach out..."

A few swipes on his menu also allowed him to send a friend request over to Snow, but by that point she was already out the door. Returning his hands to his jacket pockets the Ultramarine Knight gave a small sigh, turning with a calm smile to the host before making his leave, "Well this has certainly been an interesting excursion to the first floor..." 

@Snow

"Hm..."

As the blonde spoke about what her guild left her, the bluenette listened while taking one last draw from his cup, finishing off the rest of his mocha. It seemed that Snow had received advice that was fairly standard for someone struggling with a non-DPS role. In some ways it would be putting her in a similar route to what Hestia had served as originally, a support tank. From what Calrex could recall, he had started off as a pseudo damage-dealer wen he wielded straight sword, but after picking up heavy armor and Howl it pretty much set his role as a tank in stone, "Still not fully sure if I should remain that way, but I'll give it a bit longer before I finalize that decision."

"I'm not exactly what you would be expecting to see until much later in level. I'm one of the vey few players to my knowledge which have reached the highest level currently possible, so I have enough skill points to really diversify what I can do. If you want to be very specific, I'm a hybrid of a tank and damage dealer. As for the frontlines, they're much more diversified than a group of knights. A lot tend to be damage dealers, sporting light armor and wielding weapons suited for that, although to my knowledge a lot of people have branched towards stealth mechanics because of some recent changes to the ambush skill modifications."

Moving his cup and saucer fully to the side he placed his arms into his jacket pockets, giving a contemplative sigh, "The main reason why normally people specialize in weapon and armor first is for survivability and the ability to adventure and complete quests on their own. If you take on any quests solo, then eventually at some point you will have to take down monsters, particular strong ones if you are looking to gain skill points quickly..."

"Hm...I wonder...since it is what the others are hoping to embody..."

"I know you just recently got out of a guild, but if you don't wish to carry a weapon, I can see if some of my guild might be interested in accompanying you through the quests. That way at least you'll have others to be able to work with you on at least majority of the quests I know of. They are have participated in the floor raids as well, so it's possible maybe one of them might know of your friend and be able to tell you what happened."

@Snow

He paused for a moment before straightening back up to sitting up straight, a bead of sweat running down the side of his head as he saw that his act apparently had put Snow over the edge, tears streaming down her eyes, "Sure thing, of course."

Reaching down the bluenette retrieved his cup of what remained of the dark chocolate, espresso, and milk mixture, seeing that he was probably only a few sips away from running dry. Taking one of those sips he set it back down, his avatar's mouth simulating the fading warmth as the drink slowly lowered to room temperature, "Let's go ahead and switch topics then. I'm guessing since you do have equipment and skills that you have been doing, or at least planning to do, some adventuring. Was there something that you were looking to work towards. A lot of players I've seen nowadays, at least when I do wander around, have some kind of role they want to fill in mind."

"Guess I'm not really one to talk though. I spent nearly half of my levels without any particular build in mind, since it was mostly taking skills in reaction to some adversity I encountered along the way. Efficiency in a role is definitely not something that I would say my skills embody."

@Snow

Using Bunny Stamp to upgrade equipment:
Obtained (Purchased in this post)

Old:

New:

The bluenette kept silent as Snow took her time with speaking, the little moments of time taken for each of them to take a sip from their respective drinks seemingly helping to control the slower than normal pace of their conversation. It certainly helped Calrex with processing what the blonde would say and compose a response in his mind before speaking. He gave a small smile as she expressed her embarrassment over her previous actions, hiding it behind his cup of mocha. As she finished her last statement, the Ultramarine Knight gave a calming breath, a faint bit of condensation escaping his lips before he spoke.

"It's quite alright, and please there's no need to be expressing thanks. I probably wouldn't consider taking it, since a death on the frontlines during a floor raid is something I would also consider a failure. I may not have caused it, but in some way I still feel responsible, because as the supposed strongest and most prepared players out of all the ones in Aincrad, the frontlines should be doing all we can to make sure everyone survives. None of us should be boiled down to mere mobs to throw at the floor bosses until we make it through. Because of that..."

He placed both hands on the table, bowing his head and upper torso, his face now directed towards his lap, "I truly am sorry. If anything this probably isn't an isolated incident. With all the lives lost to the raids, there are probably loved ones left behind in their wakes that don't wish to raise their voices. I appreciate that you were able to convey your frustrations."

@Snow

Calrex listened attentively as Snow explained her background with her friend and roommate Daire, the player known as Last_Chance. He took in each details, about how her friend was majoring in 3d design, most likely to be be some of game designer or programmer when she graduated. The bluenette himself was already a couple of years out of college before becoming trapped in SAO. As her story continued, he slowly raised his mocha to his mouth, taking a slow drink as the blonde spoke about her friend's daily messages about the dungeons and boss raids, although he did raise an eyebrow when Snow said Daire mentioned him by name.

At that point, the Ultramarine Knight believe that Aincrad had some some kind of comedic timing, because as the person across from him spoke about her friend's crush on him, it took everything in his power to stop from accidentally inhaling some of his virtual drink or doing a spit take, feeling some sweatdrops run down the side of his head and back of his neck. "Okay...I really was not prepared for that."

As Snow described Daire's features and build, he took a deep breath, making sure to not repeat his almost accident before setting the cup back down, giving a small laugh, "A DPS that wields a spear and shield huh? Well, I will admit that I don't know many players that would have that combination. I believe all of the wielders of a spear and shield tended more towards tanks. There was one player that was considered the main tank of the floor raids before his retirement named Tristan that wielded that exact set of gear, and oddly was also a redhead. As for a strong personality...I have a feeling she probably would have really blended in with a lot of the frontliners, they do tend to be a ragtag bunch when you get them all together."

With that he adjusted a little so that his cup and saucer were out of the way of his hands as he placed both on the table, interlocked as he gave a breath, "If she was on the assault teams, then there may have been a chance I met her, and maybe even potentially fought alongside her. But...the floor raids are fairly chaotic, and there have definitely been times players have joined the frontlines for a raid, only to not show up again for the next one. Eventually...I think I might have started to not take in the small details like player names and really just went into an autopilot, protecting whoever was under my team assignment without really recognizing who they were outside of what they were doing. You probably could have swapped a player out for a cardboard cutout and I might not have detected the difference."

@Snow

He took a small sip of his drink once again, the bluenette letting a moment of quiet hang in the air after Snow gave her response to his words. A bead of sweat formed on the side of his head as he observed the changes in the blonde's body language, becoming more guarded from what he said, "I might have said a bit too much. She hasn't really adventured much, and most likely I may have become a bit desensitized with it constantly happening around me."

"It is...although I do apologize if the way I spoke colored things in such a bleak light. I guess if anything, if you do decide to try and join the frontlines, I wanted to stress how serious each floor raid can be. Luckily enough it's been some time since we lost someone to the floor bosses, but because we only know so much information about the raid before entering, there is always the chance we can be caught unprepared."

With that he took another gulp of his drink, almost as if he was suggesting that Snow should do so as well. Gently resting the mug back on the saucer he gave a small sigh, "Alright then, how about you tell me a bit more about your friend. I am truly sorry that I cannot place a face to the name, but maybe if you can tell me a bit more about her, maybe there is the chance that I know someone who might have known her."

@Snow

Look at that chiseled jaw, also I see the lack of life in your eyes...IT'S A CLONE!

"Three months huh, so you are still fresh to the adventuring scene for the most part."

"That is still fairly new in the scope of all the other players. I'm sure there are some that have been like me and suddenly risen through the ranks in that period of time, but not everyone has that almost suicidal level of grinding. In fact it still took me some time before I hit a good stride."

Listening as Snow talked about her past travels with a former guild, the bluenette gave a nod, "I'm sorry to hear about that. I'm not familiar with all of the past guilds, but I hope it was on mostly agreeable terms. Also there is no need to apologize, as I believe I kind of understand where you were coming from back then."

He put a hand behind his head, ruffling the back of his hair at the situation, reaching down and taking another sip of his mocha. The act itself was more to initiate a pause, allowing him to gather his thoughts before speaking. "Unfortunately, I wish that there was time to say goodbye in such a short period of time. At the point their health reaches zero, that's basically it, nothing but floating faint crystals after that. I'm probably glad and lucky to say that almost all of the people I know and have grown close to in Aincrad are still alive, but there are others where the last I saw of them was their crossed out name on the Monument of Life..."

Giving a small sigh Calrex placed both of his hands on the outside of his cup, "...that being said, any life lost on the frontlines also is a huge impact to the group as a whole. It means that the progression through the floors slows down significantly. At one point we lost two extremely powerful players, and the change almost felt like we had grinded to a halt. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of the players in the halfway houses have decided to settle in, as if SAO was their new life from now on..."

His thoughts trailed off for a moment as he remembered the people he once knew, now dead in the game and in real life, growing quiet for a moment before he snapped back to reality, "...in the end, the frontlines has to pushing forward, no matter what losses we incur. As a result, I can see how some people might see those players as heartless or detached."

@Snow

"Oh nice, good to hear it was a decent pick."

More patrons, both player and NPC alike, slowly made took their turns entering and leaving the cafe, with even the hostess that attended them eventually also rotating out for another AI character, simulating the rotation of both customer and staff of a similar such place in real life. 

He was mid-sip as Snow asked her question, albeit a rather odd one that had him pause for a brief second to make sure he heard the question correctly. Finishing his gulp of chocolate-flavored coffee drink the bluenette set the drink back down on it's smaller plate before responding, "It's been quite a while, at least to my memory. I believe I started participating in the floor raids starting with the eleventh floor, and if I am recalling correctly...I have participated in every one of those battles up to the current floor. Although...I guess the eleventh floor, as well as a few others after that, couldn't really be considered battles due to them being over so quickly."

With that he gave a small stretch before continuing the conversation, "So how long have you been questing at this point? Have you had a chance to check out any of the higher floors?"

@Snow

"Somehow I have a feeling another player has already tested that theory, and I am not really interested in hearing the results. I have no problems with stopping to regroup though, it's not like we're in a mad rush to get through this dungeon as fast a possible."

Eyes locked on the remaining, now unstealthed, dark chocolate bunny, Calrex lifting the handle of the Grand Legionbane further up past his shoulder, the massive axe-head now pointed towards the ground behind him. Familiar light blue energy formed around the two-headed end, flowing down the sword-like length of the shaft, and down to fully encapsulate the hilt as well. Rushing forward once again the armored blue player quickly closed the distance before grasping the handle with both hands, twisting his torso while leaning forward, putting the full weight of his body behind the strike. <<Screw Dimension>> activated, cleaving a massive slash of Sword Art energy through the air and across the monster, hanging for just a moment before exploding, the second half of the single-strike attack completed.

With enough damage to deal the killing blow to the remaining bunny, the Ultramarine Knight gave a small sigh, resting his weapon against his shoulder once again. "Well that's one battle down..."

Reward Roll:

@Oikawa

"Heh, you still remember huh? Yes please, one cafe mocha."

"I mean...I shouldn't be surprised. I came here so often before and always got that, so by this point the NPC AI must automatically attribute my player info with that."

With that the hostess went to the back of the cafe, returning back shortly afterwards with their drinks. The smell of the chocolate and coffee beans filled his senses as the bluenette gently lifted the cup for a sip, the light brown liquid vanishing into his mouth before he set it back down, "Still tastes the exact same as when I first came here. If this were real life, I have a feeling that would be something particularly impressive."

Glancing outside, Calrex saw as Roc swooped down to the ground, well below the lower part of the window, seemingly going to hunt for a snack. Moments later, the blue peregrine falcon came back into view, a dead rat in his claw as the avian moved again out of sight. A bead of sweat formed on the side of the Ultramarine Knight's head at the strangely comedic sight before he took another sip of his beverage, looking forward towards his drinking companion, "How's the tea? I haven't had it here before, since I usually go with a mocha."

@Snow

"Knowing Mac, I'd be surprised if there was any evidence of that bunny's existence once he comes back. Either case, that just leave the two in front of us for now, and I think I've got a little bit of payback to give to that hot-footed one over there."

A smirk crossed beneath his helm before Calrex swung his right arm to the side, almost as if he was trying to backfist a person standing next to him. His gauntlets vanished in a burst of light, flickering around like as stray particle effects for a few moments before all the lights merged together to born into his massive battle axe, the Grand Legionbane. Already fully aglow with his light blue Sword Art energy, the Ultramarine Knight shot forward, his eyes locked onto the healer of the remaining creatures, the frosted bunny becoming the first target of his <<Explode Catapult>> attack, the wide swing slamming into its smaller frame.

Whirling around his second swing smashed full force into the red-hot bunny, the powerful blow hurling it into line with the frosted bunny before he leapt into the air, axe pulled above his head before slamming down onto both with the ending blow of his Sword Art. While the first monster only took a normal amount of damage, the red rabbit had red numbers fly from its form, a symbol of the critical hit.

Hefting his weapon to rest against his shoulder, the armored player glanced back and gave a nod to his black-haired teammate, "All yours!"

@Oikawa

As the bunnies their their turns attacking, the bluenette watched as the red-hot bunny rushed forward, a heat powered kick slamming into his armor, leaving a small scorch mark on his armor. While the visible mark vanished, Calrex cursed under his breath as his eyes recognized the all too familiar Burn status symbol next to his health bar, "Yeup, I had a feeling some kind of DoT status effect would show up during this fight. I guess it's better than stun-locking me, but it will make things more problematic down the line if my Battle Healing isn't able to keep pace with that tick damage. I'll really need to get my hands on a store of Antidote salves beore anything else. Speaking which...I thought I made a request for those somewhere a while back, wonder whatever came of that."

Hearing Mari's call to attack, he gave a nod and a small smirk beneath his expressionless helm, "Don't gotta tell me twice! If this keeps up, I'll probably take you up on one of those potions."

His right gauntlet blazed with light blue energy before the Ultramarine Knight shot forward like a bullet, eyes locked onto the toffee bunny. Almost instantaneously he was in striking range, arm pulled back before slamming it into the monster's face. Feeling his punch sink into the surface, he immediately leapt back, feeling the resistance of his fist being extracted. Toffee trailed off, attached to the joints in his gauntlets. "I guess it's a good thing we don't have to worry about having to physically clean up our gear. I have a feeling this would never come off..."

Flecks of flame licked off his avatar as the Burn effect took its damage, his health bar fluctuating down, then almost back to the same position as his Battle Healing undid most of the ailment's damage, "Still...not enough to heal up the other attacks. That could become a problem."

@Oikawa

As he entered into the cafe, the blunette was hit for a quick moment with nostalgia. If he was being honest, it had been a long time since he had been into the Starlight Cafe. Ever since Teayre had moved the Amethyst Boutique due to becoming an orange player, he had not spent a lot of time on the first floor. Granted, Oikawa had also been a regular person to attend, even being the person to introduce the two to the place, but due to him also becoming an orange player, that really reduced the number of regulars he knew. Looking behind the counter, Calrex recognized the NPC host, giving a nod, "I think it's gonna be a bit before he's able to come back, but I'll be sure to let him know you mentioned him."

Hearing Snow comment about his regularity, he gave a small shake of his head, "I used to come pretty frequently, but as of late I haven't been able to. I don't believe the NPCs reserve tables here, so I just normally go for whatever table is available. It does seem like this place has seen a good influx of business though."

Directing over to a nearby table that was next to one of the paneled windows, the bluenette went over and pulled out the seats before returning to grab a menu, "I already know what I'm going to get, so feel free to take your time browsing through it."

@Snow

It seemed that Snow had returned to a bit more a relaxed exterior after being on edge for quite some time, at least from what the bluenette could gather from the occasional glances back, "Guess that's a good sign. With the tension lifted just a little we might be able to at least have a decent conversation about her friend at least. Now hopefully the Starlight Cafe isn't to..."

"..."

"......"

As Calrex looked forward once again, his eyes were greeted by an entrance to...a tavern? "Did...I take a wrong turn somewhere? I swore it was a left, then a right and it would be at the next fork in the streets. Did it close down or something...I really hope not."

"Sorry...I think I got turned around somewhere, one se..."

A squawk could be heard from above, the Ultramarine Knight looking skywards for a moment. Roc was hovering overhead, a few doors away. Lowering his field of view, his eyes recognized the exterior of the Starlight Cafe. He heaved a large sigh of relief, "alright good it didn't randomly close down..."

Pointing over at the entrance he looked back at the blonde, "Sorry, we were almost there. It's that way."

@Snow

Hearing a response, Calrex gave a calming exhale, giving a nod and a small smile while he pulled his right hand from its jacket pocket, pointing in the direction of a nearby street, "It should be in that direction, so I guess we can get moving. Don't worry about it. It's not the first time I've been challenged to a duel out of the blue, heh, although this was the first time those restrictions were proposed in one, so I appreciate the changeup."

"Teayre has certainly done more than her fair share of that. Heck, I still remember the day after her, Oikawa, and I all went on a quest she challenged me to a first-hit duel. Still, those were certainly fun times."

With that he took point, keeping his hands warmed in his jacket while guiding the two in the cafe's direction. Roc remained perched on his shoulder for a short period of time, turned backwards to watch Snow, but it wasn't long before the peregrine falcon took back to the skies overhead. The Ultramarine Knight glanced back every once and a while to make sure that Snow was still keeping pace, "Also I take it from the health bars during the duel, your username is Snow right? The previous events aside, it's nice to meet you."

@Snow

"Tch, so their tank gets auto max aggro from us huh? Alright, whelp I'll do what I usually do then."

"They might not be targetable for attacks, but that doesn't mean they cannot be targeted by this."

Stepping forward the armored bluenette's gauntlets swirled with light blue energy, almost as if two tornados were attached to his arms. Slamming his fists together, the echoing boom of <<Howl>> released from the impact point, spreading outwards like a wave to pass over the four bunnies, each one's head turning to lock onto his form. Scanning across the ground, his eyes did take note of the one tinged with red, "Alright, I should have all of their attention, feel free to let loose! Too bad we can't get rid of that red-hot one first. I've got a bad feeling about that one if it manages to get a good hit on me."

"I can keep pace for now, especially since we can only target the tank at first. Hopefully the others can burst it down. After that I can change to battle axe for AoE. If these things do a good bit of damage though, I might need to switch to shield and spear to at least stave off a bit more of their damage."

@Oikawa

There was a lack of a response as Calrex awaited for Snow's answer, feeling the air of awkwardness continuing to build. Another bead of sweat formed and slid down the side of his head, glancing down at Roc, who had decided to hop up and rest on his shoulder, seemingly now completely ignorant of the current situation. Giving a small sigh the bluenette returned his arms back to his jacket pockets, looking back down at the young woman, who still had a look like she was on the verge of bursting into tears. Looking around, he saw that most of the onlookers had moved off, although there might have been some hanging around to see what would happen next, "Geeze don't you have anything else better to do?"

Placing a hand on each of her shoulders, he swiftly turned Snow around to face the other way, moving her out of the plaza and in the direction of one of the streets, mainly to get out of the public view before trying to continue the interaction. Now away from the plaza, he let out a sigh of relief, "Ok, now we're no longer the day's entertainment for the first floor residents."

Giving a calming breath, Calrex looked around to get his bearings before pointing in the direction of the all too familiar cafe he frequented back when he regularly stayed on the floor, "So there's this place called the Starlight Cafe. It's a pretty good spot to grab a drink and relax that I and a bunch of other players spent a lot of time in before. If you want to talk some more we can head that way, or if you'd prefer to head off from here I can show you to the teleportation plaza, at least if you haven't been staying on this floor."

@Snow

The bluenette felt a bead of sweat slide down the side of his face as his opponent came close, placing her head against him while dealing the slightest bit of damage with her spear, dealing the necessary damage to conclude the battle. With the duel over, Calrex gave a small sigh of relief, letting his battle mentality relax back into similarly calm, yet more relaxed demeanor, returning his hands back to his jacket pockets. His blue peregrine falcon familiar rematerialized, flying down to hover overhead a few seconds before swooping down to land on the ground next to him, "Yeah I'm alright Roc, no need to be concerned."

He could already see his health bar recovering back to its maximum, looking around to see if there were any remaining onlookers still watching. Of course, there were still a few, but with the conflict over they were less interested than before. Raising a hand he gently patted Snow on her shoulder to get her attention, "Well with that over, how about getting something to drink? I haven't explored the first floor in quite some time, but I do remember there was a cafe nearby that I used to frequent in my lower level days. We can head there to talk about what happened to your friend. Sound good?"

@Snow

The pause in both physical and verbal attacks was a breath of relief for a moment as the bluenette took his hands out of his pockets. The question Snow asked hung in the air for quite some time, longer to Calrex than what was in actuality only a couple of seconds as he took a small breath, closing his eyes briefly to continue keeping himself centered, "I'm sorry. I've met and fought alongside many players in my time on the floor raids, probably the longest out of any of the current frontliners. I've even had to helplessly watch many of them die, both to monster and player alike. But the name Last_Chance...is not one of them."

He looked outwards at the small remaining bits of the crowd that remained, shaking his head for a moment before clenching his right hand into a fist by his side. He looked at his health bar, seeing that only a few more hit points would result in the duel concluding with his loss. A small empty smile came across his face for a moment, "Raise your guard..."

The bluenette waited for a few moments before pulling his arm back and throwing a punch forward, targeting the blonde's shoulder to knock her back. He knew it was only the minimum possible damage, but it was meant more as a snap back to reality than a retaliation, "This is still a duel, and I've got a few more hit points left before this ends with my loss. So if you've got any more aggression to release, get it out now."

@Snow

What was originally a shocking and intriguing experience for the onlookers quickly turned to an unfortunate and dramatic sight. Save a few people that were continuing to bear witness with reluctant curiosity, as well as a seemingly strange cloaked person holding onto a bag of col, most of the original crowd had dispersed. The bluenette gave a small sigh, listening as he listened to the blonde vent at him, tears streaming down her face. At this point there was no reason for him to try and put up a fight. The battle was nearly over, and he already knew with the restrictions Snow had placed on the duel, there was no way he was going to be able to catch up in damage. He never was an all-powerful player, neither before or after he had gained Achilles, so losing a duel was nothing of surprise to him.

Putting his hands into his jacket pockets, keeping his calm demeanor as he weathered the storm of blows from the woman's fury, waiting for her attack to finish before he merely uttered a few words, "It's already near the end of this fight anyway..."

"Last_Chance right? I'll do my best to remember it."

@Snow

Even though the woman cried out, demanding him to speak, Calrex kept his mouth shut. Even as dense as the bluenette could be, he was fairly quick to pick up on what was happening. This duel was not out of a desire for revenge or compensation for Snow. It was closer to a release of emotions, something she needed to get off her chest and directed towards something. Something that would serve as a sense of relief in the wake of her friend's death. The Ultramarine Knight ended up as that something.

Being thrown around by the blonde's Sword Art was of little effect to him, as his veteran experience fighting players and creatures of many sizes alike had conditioned his mind for being thrown around like a ragdoll from the reality-breaking power behind the weapon attacks. As he was slammed into the plaza gate, an <<Immortal Object>> notification popped up behind him before he was thrown against the ground. Looking at his health bar, he saw the Stun effect starting to fade, but the red teardop marker symbolizing Bleed took its place.

As he got to his feet, feeling control come over his body again, Calrex watched the sliver of his maximum health bar tick down a bit faster than before, "Bleed doesn't normally do that much damage. Chock that up to Achilles' update as well..."

He closed his eyes for a moment, letting his mind continue to focus, steeling for the expected assault of loud words that would be coming his way until the duel was over. 

"As much as I don't like being the punching bag in this situation...I have a feeling she needs this. I'm surprised that something like this hasn't happened sooner. With all of those that have died, this is the first that someone that knew someone on the frontlines has actually acted out, at least to my memory."

@Snow

The bluenette grit his teeth for a moment as he felt a twinge of irritation at the blonde's words, stating that he had not experience loss. However, true to what he said, he held back his words and his desire to respond, "I wouldn't be surprised she doesn't know...about all of the others that were lost in the frontlines."

His mind traced back to the people's he had to bear witness too, of players from faint familiarity to friendships that vanished into crystals before his eyes. His eyes dulled as he felt his body slump over, a Stun effect from Snow's Sword Art, his mind for a moment being occupied for a moment with that feeling of loss he carried. The familiar lightning bolt symbol appeared next to his health bar, the Ultramarine Knight already knowing that this effect would last longer than usual. The Leviathan battle made that obvious: Achilles was a mere shadow of the powerful unique skill Tristan once wielded, barely considerable as even a "unique" skill at the strength it was at. It's damage reduction effect without armor was still welcome, but the new doubling of status effects and damage seemed to very much overtake that one benefit.

"Last_Chance...I...still don't recall that name..."

His eyes closed for a moment as he let the feeling subside, lost in the fire of his resolve. With that he simply looked forward, calm determination presented as he awaited for Snow's next action.
@Snow