Oikawa

Hexagonal azure crystals collected and parted in a burst of light as the pinkette switched from armor to something more... sleek; comfortable. Her cerulean eyes narrowed as she dismissed his notion of being a God in any form. Knowing it was a phrasing and nothing more, the blonde only shuffled to let the woman pass as she pushed past him and focused on the lad behind him.

"Threats in this day and age mean nothing love. Actions speak louder than words and I wouldn't dare waste such time against an elusive player such as yourself," mentioned the crimson-eyed figure as he turned to see her smear a wet palm print into the shirt of the unknown player.

"That is until you decided to get all touchy with my clothes. If you want them off just say so."

Oikawa chuckled at the player's notion. Judging from the crystal and look from the player, he couldn't be more than a few levels past 10 or so. Poised to follow the pinkette, the blonde made his way past the red-headed stranger, turning his head to offer one word.

"Oikawa."

Quickening his step, he matched the step of Mari and offered a small inclement of conversation. "What managed to drag you from your self-induced exile?"

Crimson waters carved their way through the necro-themed terrain. The darkness of the floor; seemingly a constant veil unwilling to lift. Dust parted with each step; as the reflection of a man mirrored along the racing river. His blonde hair now cut in a less spike fashion, and his appearance changing that to something more suitable for the skills he currently used. Though his skills would play no larger a role than their need for food and water. 

"Tch"

What am I doing?

He wondered as he continued to roam. Though her death is un-confirmed, Oikawa's heart beat painfully as he wondered where his two-toned friend had ran off to. Everything he had come to know and love crumbled around him. His guild, a mere fraction of what it once was. Both of them for that matter. His name once feared and echoed alongside the moniker of "The Faint" now held water as well as a strainer; as players continued to surpass him. What once remained of friendships now lay about as scattered puzzle pieces waiting to be put back together; only to find out he's still missing key pieces.

His life resembled that puzzle. Incomplete and a complete mess all the same. His hand swiftly ran through the short of his bangs as another sigh escaped him. His feet dragging along with no real direction, other than a quiet space to mull over his existence here.

"What am I doing?" He echoed again. This time audibly. No response came. As expected when walking through the shroud of Floor 10 alone. As if by pure muscle memory, the blonde selected water from his inventory and downed the liquid quickly. Wiping his mouth, his eyes widened as formations of obsidian began to form around him. However, that's not what caught his attention. It was the cotton candy swirl of hair placed perfectly at the edge of the stream that caught his eye.

Mari?

The rate of progress has certainly slowed in my time away. It's a shame really. With my cursor no longer around to distract the frontlines, I would've thought we'd be further along. Mistaken I was, it seems. That said, progress is still progress and I have no room to talk. I've allowed myself to slink into the shadows. Player have probably caught up to me and I'm painfully aware how much Calrex has widened the gap between us.

A sigh escaped him. Thoughts weighing down what little work he had managed to do in finding an are that was hopefully rich with materials for crafting. Blacksmith; his profession of choice and one of his few redeeming qualities as a player. Though the title of top smith was more than likely teetering on the edge of players he knew nothing of. He didn't want to return to the craft for glory or bragging rights however. This was purely for his own personal gain. He needed new gear. Item less outdated than what he currently donned.

Scanning the field, his sights settled on a particular piece of metal.

"Ahh there we are. One down, several more to go"

[ID: 89144 LD: 20 (10+10)] {1 Tier 3 Material Found! 1 Material Total!}

Despite his question being rhetorical, it was answered by none other than the bluenette as he rounded the entrance. Crimson eyes focused on the man. He seemed different. Though his tone seemed the same, the lad looked as if he had seen better days. And what once used to be a common sight, the absence of red curls and katanas weighed on Oikawa.

Perking up at the mention of his name, King nodded in the duo's direction before settling back into his nestled bundle of fur.

"As are you Ultramarine Knight," chimed the blonde. "Still no sign of the Crimson Maiden?" A question that would probably garner more questions than answers. Sighing, Oikawa turned as the sounds of shuffling feet and scrambling paws alerted them to yet another person. Odd...I didn't think there would be so many players moping about this area. But I suppose I shouldn't be surprised at anything at this point.

His brow slightly rose, as the person was revealed to be Hikoru. "Ahh Prince of the shadows, quite the surprise to see you here as well." Gesturing to Sutechi, he offered a nod of acknowledge before focusing on the growing group once more. However, before matters could go any further, panted breath broke the brief silence as a familiar tuft of orange hair bobbed into view.

"You could say that again. What a treat to see so many high level players in the same area."

"Good to see you both. Adere as well," mentioned the gold-plated knight.

As the players gathered, King's curiosity peeked as another cluster spawned into view. Poking at it with his paw, the cluster disappeared just as soon as it had arrived. However, the cub's head remained alert as something was amiss...

[ID: 89136 LD: 21 (11+8+2)] (Tier 3 Material Found | Total: 2)

12 minutes ago, Lessa said:

To address this, I don't think it would be all that difficult. Claim there was a glitch and a few people existed in limbo for a while. They come back out of the blue. Nothing else in your story has to change. If you want to meet them and have the "wow you're alive" character development, great. If not, you don't have to write with them. But that's just how I see it playing out. I know a few people might consider this a "cop out," but I still believe the benefits would outweigh any concerns.

To be fair, "the cop-out" excuse can be used on any of the ideas given here.

New Server? Cop out so staff doesn't have to deal with bridging the gap between old and new players.

Time skip? See above

Scaling up newbies ? See above

Revival? is less of a cop out in the terms of gap and while it does affect some storylines (Oink and Zel for instance), the above does as well.

My point, @Spencer and everyone else, the whole cop-out argument is a cop-out in itself. It doesn't hold water as a counter to any of the given ideas.

@Vale Im going to be the one to say it as I know you ooc enough to consider this okay.

You give yourself way too much credit bud. People exploited the system long before you came, while you were here, and long after you left. Sure there was some issues between what and how things were exploited between yourself in particular and staff, but nearly every one exploited the system in their own way. I did, and I was staff. You're apprehension to bringing back Zel and Dom specifically is a little irrational in my opinion. You were powerful sure. But so was Alkor in his time, Mari in her time, Kiru in her time; you, Zel, and I during our era, and Calrex currently. There was no shortage of strong players in Aincrad's history. You were just one of many.

You bring up gear, that's hardly an issue and @Lessa already mentioned the revival wouldn't come without guide-lines and stipulations. The revival is an opportunity to give dead characters the chance to re-write their story with the purpose of bringing activity to the site. That was Lessa's point, activity. Not reintroduce exploitation and broken builds/loop-holed items and skills.

I'm not saying this to discredit your character's impact on site or in Aincrad, because that would be false, however, your statements only seem to hype up how much of a bad-a you used to be and how much you want to get back to that, and frankly that's not the point behind the revival.

@Vale @Lessa @Endilix 

Endilix,

While I'm still on the fence for the whole server idea, in regards to your 2nd option, I offer my own alternative to this. It's an idea I had in the works as staff and if I'm not mistaken it should be in staff forums still ( @Teion, @Ruby ). But to remedy that nostalgia feel of taking on challenging bosses or events that had already passed, I had intended to release a Monster Arena that would accomplish this exact dilemma. Not only would it give a purpose to a canon feature we hadn't added yet but as you said it gives newer players, (and players who missed out), players a chance to experience the events the current front-liners had to trudge through while still rewarding them (Not as rewarding as having participated in the actual event, but a reward nonetheless) for completing the event. Maybe this idea can be revisited.

Vale and Lessa,

I'll group my response to you together as its not a response but rather just commentary. Vale I agreed with a lot of what you said in regard to trying to retain activeness in the site. like most of the response given that's a major point the community wants to drive home. Much like Endilix and others have mentioned, the new server/wipe ideas solve their fair share of issues we have while still retaining their own problems as well and I agree that, no matter what happens it'll be up to the community to direct how far this site can go. This site is only as good as we make it. Which echoes what Lessa was saying towards the end of her post. I agree with almost everything, if not everything, you mentioned. While most of my post seemed more focus on explaining why the numbers game was bad for the site, your post touched more on the aspect I was pushing, content and story. Your idea of a brief revival window is actually quite appealing. Seeing and causing deaths alike, I'm for seeing where this idea can go. If a vote was to take place, you'd have mine simply because giving the site more active writers is a major step in the right direction and retaining the ideas of those like us who have been around as well as combining them with the fresh minds of these newer folks, I'm willing to bet we can truly make SAO a more inclusive, story driven, narrative that we can all enjoy while still retaining the combat and competition most of us know and love.

All in all, staff you have quite a bit of feedback with diverse opinions and ideas. This community I hope can be unified in one thought; So long as the changes made have a clear goal and direction in mind, we have a reason to stay and watch it prosper.

I wonder if I should've messaged Kiru... She deserves to know I've somewhat returned to the surface of Aincrad..

Or maybe it's best she doesn't know...Maybe she'd be better off not knowing... I've caused her so much pain, suffering, and undue distress. Then as if like a myth, I disappeared. My name only a whisper of my existence and leaving her to fend for herself when she needed me the most. Do I deserve to even call myself a knight? Her knight? Can I even say that I loved her?

Calrex? Teayre? I up and left them too. How can I call myself their friend? Their comrade? I'm no better now than I was when I took the life of Zelrius Blackfyre. I'm still a coward...

*flap-flap*

Turning on a dime, light glimmered to a point as his blade arced in the direction of the noise. King snarled as he turned to address the creature that had approached them.

His sword lowered. The familiar sight of the azure falcon caused a slight churn in his stomach as he knew not far behind was none other than his supposed friend, Calrex.

"Roc. Calrex isn't much further is he?" The avian only circled and nodded. Oikawa, sheathed his blade and plucked King from the ground and held the cub to calm him. It had been a while since the leopard had been out and he seemed to be on edge more than ever before. Standing back up, Oikawa noticed a growing cluster of black iron ore. A rather high level material if he recalled correctly. Nudging the item with his boot, the blackened mineral dissolved as a system notification alerted him of the collected material. Setting his sights back on Roc. The blonde awaited the arrival of his old guildmate.

As a veteran player, ex-GM, abuser of loophole builds, teller of stories, and slayer of Zelrius, I offer my take on this subject. (Pfft, that title was unnecessarily long but for the newer folk reading, hopefully it shows I'm not just talking out of my back side)

Like Hirru and Azide mentioned, a hard reset is just not good for business. Despite the resounding yes the newer players echo, they truly fail to realize that some of us have dedicated the better half of 3 years into this site and just wiping all that away would not only kill off what remains of most of the veterans, but also shorten the writer-base as a whole; at least in my opinion.

That being said, I feel that a more reasonable response would be a culmination of Option 1 and Option 2. While a time-skip can be seen as a "cop-out" think about how many threads are actually being written to drive a story and not to drive numbers and stats. If we were a more story based forum with less focus on the numbers, we wouldn't be where we are now. (I'm partially to blame for this.) Some of you reading/responding may not know but there was a time where sword arts weren't a thing and numbers were simple. There wasn't an energy system and narrative encounters were abundant between the community whether it was guilds beefing with one another, romantic involvements, or side stories intertwining with multiple people across all levels and skill, the site used to be so much more; until we added more and reduced the site to its current state.

Winded version aside, the point I'm trying to make is that, the site could do with a wipe, but not in terms of progress, but rather mechanics and direction.

So I offer this:

Timeskip- Yes: Timeskip up x floors and scale players accordingly. Example, jump to floor 50, all players auto scale to level 60. Players above level 60 retain their gap, but this catches new players up, and closes the major gap between the current players and veteran players seeing as how I believe Calrex is the only player above 70. But something along these lines.

Level Cap- Yes: Now once you figured out your time skip and new base level, cap levels by floor tiers. Every 10th floor unlocks the next tier of levels and once you hit max level in that tier, you cease leveling, or an option would be they gain exp/sp at a reduced rate and when the next tier unlocks they are awarded the accumulated exp/sp. (Sorry Cal you are too strong)

New Player Stats- Yes. Correlates with the mention in time skip. Scale up according to level what ever those stats maybe.

As far as mechanics, like i said, i'd like to see the site return to its more primitive form with so much less DnD elements and more of a story driven atmosphere. Last year, proved to me as a player and staff member that once we emphasized the importance of numbers over narratives, the site not only divided in terms of storytellers vs number-getters, but threads became less engrossing and more grinding. I dont know about you all here, but i came here to write a story, not play a crudely calculated text-based DnD game based on the setting of SAO.

P.s. I'm not saying to hell with numbers, but their impact is far stronger than it should be for a text based roleplay.

Gear:

Darkness settled in; comfortably wrapping itself around the cavern-like crag the blonde and his leopard quietly found themselves traversing. Pebbles skittered this way and that with each passing step. Oikawa glanced down to King, his bangs only slightly hiding his gaze from any unseen on-lookers. Though so much time has passed since our absence, it seems Aincrad hasn't lurched forward much. I wonder with the sudden disappearances of the front-line, has progress began to slow? Are players not stepping up to fill their places? What's it like out here I wonder? Should I continue like before? Should I remain- 

A soft nudge seemed to break him from his trance as he now stood completely in place. Frosty blue eyes drifted his to his own crimson pair, as a worried look covered the cubs face.

"I'm fine," reassured the golden knight as he continued forward. "Now where were we?"

Wind coupled with the uneasy feeling of another presence; causing the blonde to pivot as a familiar voice reached his ears. Jet black hair and soft blue eyes came into sight, revealing his visitor to be none other than the current King of Shadows, Hikoru. The lad had been a protege of sorts for the blonde. Seeking approval from the self proclaimed "Paragod" for what had seemed like the last year. Judging from his stature and health bar alone, Oikawa knew he wasn't in the presence of the same Hikoru from before. No, matured and with health to match his own, Hikoru was far stronger than before his hiatus.

A smile curled along his features as he addressed the Shadowed Path wielder, "Long time no see Hikoru. I see the shadows have treated you kindly I my absence. Have you finally grand-mastered the skill?"

Whatever answer was to be said, would've been lost to the wind as another voice floated from the surrounding area. His gaze lifted and shifted tot he source. Another small grin displayed as he took note of the person responsible for the small interruption.

"Calrex"

Nodding in his direction, he awaited the noirette's response.

Grass curled beneath the small gusts of wind sweeping the field. Air whistled around the golden figure as he traversed the land. Most of it seemed familiar yet foreign at the same time. A crimson gaze danced along; scanning the horizon for signs of life. Whether friendly or hostile, he cared not, but what did matter was the interaction. For quite some time the blonde had been away from the battlefield. This marked the fourth time he had taken such a hiatus as well as the fourth time he has returned. The allure of the world around seemed to keep his soul hooked no matter how many times he wanted to walk away from it.

A sigh escaped him.

Why do I do this to myself?

"One of many," responded the blonde as he lowered his blade to a more reasonable height. Cautiously stepping back, he allowed the newcomer to finish before responding to anymore of his inquiries or statements.

As the younger blonde finished up, a breath escaped the Faint as he rested along the cavern wall. Arms crossed in the usual fashion, his gaze danced until it fell upon Beatbox. With the lad's attention on him, he answered.

"There's no one specific reason for my absence. A culmination of things have come to pass, begging for me to exit the esteemed light of the frontlines. That said, my absence may continue a bit longer for a multitude of reasons I'm not willing to discuss." A breath was drawn before an unusual scowl began forming along the man's features as he continued.

"You're rather foolish to give such blind faith to someone you've only just met, even more foolish given the cursor floating above my head. Misplaced faith such as that is what got Zelrius in the predicament he was forcibly removed from."

Crimson eyes flickered not soon after, as a being stepped towards the mouth of the cave. As it moved forward, a familiar scheme of blue and a voice to match identified the person as none other than Calrex. As he fully entered, a question was tossed at the blonde causing a slight grin in response.

"Still got the all blue look going?" he quipped as he glanced to the entrance once more to spot another old friend making an appearance.

The samurai glided past the two initially. His attention affixed on the sun dial still centered in the cavern. Deciding to hold his tongue, Oikawa let his gaze wander back to Beatbox and Calrex. However, this motion was short lived as padded steps echoed from the back of the cave and yet another front-liner showed his face.

Macradon...

Baldur was the first to respond to the man's question. Giving the Knight a hard time and insinuating the meeting revolved around conspiracy group that seemed loosely defined even in the real world. A chuckle escaped Oikawa as he listened in.

As their banter finally subsided, Oikawa answered Macradon's more serious inquiry.

"For once this wasn't planned. To think so many of you were roaming this area at this time, it's rather coincidental. But no matter. What brings you all to this area?"

Steps resounded against the cavern walls. Echoing and falling on ears that weren't present to hear them. Golden armor shimmered before suddenly snuffing out as a figure entered the shade of mountain hole. Crested within the middle of the cavern lay a single stone dial. Light embellished the stone like a beam from the gods, producing a shadow reminiscent of a watch from olden times. A smirk manifested along the blonde's features as he approached the dial. Intian symbols were scratched into the granite of the dial, leaving him to wonder what they stood for. Simple deduction would lead to symbols pertaining to the telling of time, but knowing the world they lived in, simple deductions were in fact not so simple. A gloved hand found its way to his chin. Smoothing over the hairless portion of his face before stopping as he sat upon the dial.

How long has it been now? A few months since my disappearance? Hmph, too think I had outgrown the cowardly notion of running away from my problems. It seems that's a trait I will never rid myself of. His thoughts continued to spiral but was shortly interrupted at the sound of something, or someone approaching.

Blade drawn, the golden knight rose and faced the entrance from which he came.

"And to what do I owe this pleasure?," he roared.

After nearly 2 amazing years on site, I think it's finally time I make my leave. Life has a way of tearing me away right when I'm at my peak here but I fear with the plans I have going on, I more than likely will not be coming back. This community has loved me, hated me, taught me, and learned from me, and I hope my mark on this forum leaves you all with something worth remembering. I will never forget the relationships carved here and the actual friendships I've gained from this place. @Zelrius @Takao @Calrex @Teayre @Kiru @London @Lessa @Tristan Delaney @Ssendom @Baldur @Rebekah @Azide @Xanatos @Helios @Crozeph @Raeyliff @Opal @Shark @Jomei @Ariel - The Crowned Lion @Susano @Kotori @Lowenthal @Manta Gaul @Shizuka @Haine @Keith (he got banned so no tag :( ) @XWuZHeAR @Lucifer @Ethereal @Aeternum @Shinex @Xanward @Kino117 @Elyth @Sozen @Jacob @Zeri @Rusty @Olympia @Mari @Life @Zero @Tyger @ErinVyce @Piera @Lee

All those named above have made my time here exceptional, these players here, whether they are still around or not, have shaped not only myself but my character into who we are today. I will never forget you guys. Square One, Azure Brigade, and Spectrum Coalition and those who weren't apart of those guilds but had a massive effect on Oink's development, I thank you. The staff team and player base, I also thank, because without you all, this site would be nothing and I'm glad we've progressed as much as we have.

This farewell is bitter more than sweet, and i wish all of you the best of luck with the upcoming 3.0. Takao and Baldur as well as the rest of staff are gonna have an amazing update for you guys and I can't wait to comeback to see how its going. So while my RP time will be no more, I'm always just a message away in skype.

I love you guys and as always, this is your favorite GM,

Oikawa

P.S. Here's a list of all my alts in case you guys wondered who else I've masqueraded as these last two years:

Accounts: @Niklaus @Mikael @Galilea (a.k.a. Lancelot) @Joker @Yukino @Makaveli

Bosses: @Rohk @Malethis

ID: 69644 LD: 13 (3+10) [+5 S&D, +2 Mod, +3 Item]

"Don't forget this," chimed the blonde knight as he tossed a rare bundle of wood to the samurai. Approaching the duo, he nodded to Calrex and spoke to them both.

"Where's everyone else?"

Surely Takao would help out given his community titled alias as the 'Viridian Scout'. Brushing a strand of blonde from his eyes, he scoured the field they now occupied in search of more bundles. He figured at the very least, despite his knowledge of this event, that acquiring the wood, would be the easiest part. However, retrieving the animal fat would prove to be the tedious part of their preparation.

Clearing his throat, his attention returned to the two players before him.

"Any word from Tea-chan or Tak? I was hoping to discuss a few more things with everyone in attendance."

Expanding their guild had been weighing on his mind as of late, but he wanted to hear everyone else's opinion on the matter before scouting potential recruits.

Material List:

The blonde meant no harm by his comment. He just wanted to make sure the lad was capable of keeping an eye out as he'd rather not watch prospective players such as Itzal and Arc be slaughtered by something ridiculous that could be lurking within the woods.

Nodding, Oikawa responded; his voice barely above a whisper. "Fair enough then. Our lives are in your hand little scout."

Just as they pressed further, Oikawa noticed Arc had fell silent. Batting a glance in his direction, Oikawa pondered what could be bugging the guy. Surely he isn't scared of the woods. Is he?

"Arc, everything alright there mate?" He had little time to listen to his response though, as Itzal quickly brought something to their attention. Grasping the medallion, Oikawa examined it briefly before tossing it back to the 'Beacon of Hope'.

"Surprisingly, I haven't the slightest clue what that is. Where'd you find it?"

The blonde's brow raised as Baldur mentioned  < The Muramasa>, a strong demonic weapon that Teayre had gifted the samurai as well as gifting himself <Akuma's Vain>. He too wondered the reasoning behind the given items, given how spontaneously the trades seemed to happen.

A soft sigh escaped him.

Watching the red haired lass fiddle with Cal's boots, he checked the time and opted  to question Takao abut his whereabouts. It was in fact their first guild meeting, and despite not having a Guild Hall at the moment, Oikawa expected everyone to be in attendance. Shooting off a quick message to the scout, the blonde averted his gaze back to the rest and awaited Teayre's response. Hopefully she'd touch on why she gave him the cape as well.

Winds roared, a they whipped and howled before causing the doors to shut. The last torch had changed its flames and Malethis had revealed himself. Acidic drool dripped, and spewed from nearly every orifice the wolf like creature could offer; gifting the beast the award for the nastiest thing the blonde had ever come across.

Looking around, he noticed that his party seemed to be the only one fully prepared for the raid as well as the only party with six members. Or at least they were until their very own scout spoke up. Nodding in the direction of Takao, Oikawa realized just how boned the third party would've been without Takao stepping up. 

Leave it to Xion to disappear when it matters...again. But Jomei, where could you have gone my friend?

His train of thought snapped as a crimson blur rushed past him. Looking up, he watched as none other than Teayre rushed into the fray head first. Though her attack ended in failure it left an opening for the rest of the team to take advantage of. As Calrex expressed the loudest Howl he could muster, Oikawa sprinted past the bluenette and raised <Amphibian Teeth>. Like lightning, the blur of golden armor nearly vanished before re-appearing before Malethis and carving out ten percent of the creatures health. 

His health barely budged... and that was nearly my strongest attack...

Tumbling to the ground, Oikawa looked to the rest of the raid and sighed. This fight wont be easy. No sooner than the thought left his mind, Malethis wretched out in pain before crumpling to heap. The paralysis icon blinking repeatedly alongside his first health bar.

"Paralysis effects this boss, have at him."

The blonde's stroll came to a rolling halt, at the sound of his name. Materializing Ea, he whipped around to the source of the call out, only to find a lone player who he had met a few times.

"Itzal," hummed the golden knight. "You almost lost your head," he explained as he de-materialized the blade once more. As Itzal spoke of the recruitment overseeing the blonde had done some time ago, Oikawa's ear honed in on another noise. Raising a hand, he prompted Itzal to lower his voice. Scanning the area, Oikawa stopped as a sudden rustle of foliage grabbed his attention. From it, emerged Arc. Another player he become familiar with over the last few months in Aincrad. As Itzal, introduced himself, he attempted his best explanation of why he was here, echoing to an extent the same reason they were all there; the haunted rumors.

Flicking dirt from the shoulders of his armor, Oikawa turned to the two of them as Itzal began to head off, "While you are certainly entitled to leading this little scouting party, I do have a concern about your level regarding search and detect. What rank do you sport in it?"

Dungeon Loot ID: 69458 LD: 12

Thread Complete

Oikawa: 6 SP, 5 Materials, & 3547 Col

Calrex: 6 SP, 8 Materials, & 4326 Col

Baldur: 6 SP, 13 Materials, & 5107 Col

Xion: 3 SP, 0 Materials, & 240 Col

Rain: 3 SP, 2 Materials, & 1800 Col

"No worries mate," chimed the blonde in response to Baldur as the samurai grasped his shoulder. "My build is always evolving and I personally feel like it will never be complete nor will I ever be prepared for what Aincrad has in store for us. That said, your sentiments aren't too far off. SP at this point is just for nifty things here and there."

Shifting his gaze to the bluenette, he nodded and continued. "I agree with Cal, lets use these last few days to gather potions and crystals and what not. I imagine this raid will be one for the books as it's only one floor off from another milestone. So let us go and prepare, we have a boss awaiting it's demise."

With that, the blonde took off in the opposite direction of the two spectrum members as he had to travel by foot from floor to floor. Though he missed the uses of town teleportation portals, the cursor above his head reminded him just how awful this place could be and what he's done to make it worse.

I don't deserve redemption, mused the golden knight.

Oikawa nodded as Calrex lamented on exactly what he was thinking. As fixed his mouth to respond, he realized the bluenette had suddenly taken off. More specifically in the direction leading towards where Teayre and a player unknown to him were sparring previously. A chuckle found its way to the blonde as he turned to scan the scene below. Sifting through the multitude of players, his gaze settled on four combatants that he didn't expect to see. 

Itzal and some other blonde player, as well as Zandra and Hikoru. Hmm so that's who he ran off to spar with? Despite her level though, this fight is one sided given she is a healer, so PvP is a little outside her element no? Interesting nonetheless, mused the blonde.

Planting his blade in the ground, he retrieved the message Arc had sent him previously and typed a response before hitting send. Satisfied with his encounter with the highest leveled player, Oikawa settled for the draw and continued to observe the battles a little more before heading out to prepare for the boss raid.

Quote

To: @Arc

No problem and a little good impression isn't a bad thing. It makes you more approachable if nothing else. Which given the black on black, you seem very anti-social. That aside, the weapon will be ready in a days time. Just stop by the shop and I will have it ready for you. Keep grinding, you'll be among us soon enough

-Oikawa

As Baldur struck down the remainder of the Kobold's HP, the creature quickly dissipated into fractal polygons before disappearing altogether. Nodding his head at the samurai, Oikawa sheathed his own blade and turned to address the bluenette's question as they gathered closer together.

"I for one am disappointed with this find. I was really wanting to see how good treasure chests had gotten since their initial release back in the day. But I see I will just need to raise my looting skills. As for our course of action, I'm ready to head back. With the boss raid just days away, I would hate to go in unprepared. Especially with this boss. hat do you think Bal? Continue or head back?"

While he was ready to go home, if the two wanted to adventure a little more, he wouldn't be too pressed to go home as that meant more training, but he did have other preparations to make and a certain lass to check on. That said, he awaited the brunette's answer.

Fragmented polygons scattered with each step, as crinkled leaf after crinkled leaf was crushed beneath the golden boots the blonde donned. An exaggerated sigh escaped the gleaming knight as he entered the fabled woods looming with secrets unknown and monsters never before seen; or so he had been told. His crimson orbs danced from one waving shadow to the next, unsure of what he should be looking for in particular; as all the trees unsurprisingly looked the same. Coming to a halt, Oikawa brought up the event data once more. Supposed phenomena...protect the town...rumored haunting... Closing the menu, he rubbed his temples. For an event of this caliber he expected more clues to be given but then I guess it'd be too easy then. Waving the notion off, he continued to stalk through the forest, not caring to entertain the thoughts of what could be in the rumored woods.

Oikawa | Level 58 | DPS/Tank | Woods