Baldur

Baldur watched as Mac took another big hit, dropping his HP back to where it was just a moment ago before Hestia had healed him. It was a blessing that she had done so last time, or their morale might have taken an even bigger one. They could keep this up for now, and they were getting close and closer to finishing their task.

Just a little more, hang on everyone.

The gaijin samurai himself had recently been topped off as well thanks to Hestia, and so it was time to pull aggro again and take some heat off of Macradon. Zandra turned to finish off the last of the new Shadows, when one managed to slip past her as she seemed to be distracted by the main Shadow man.

Tsk. Baldur made an annoyed noise that one was left un aggroed. He turned to glance at Mac, who had many more dragging him down and adding status effect stacks to the man. Charging up his sword art instead of a torch was risky, but Mac and Hestia were the main two taking hate. If he could kill a couple, and pull one, then he could help find a better equilibrium.

Amatsu no homura filled the room with a bright white and gold light as Baldur slashed at the air around him. The darkness before the bright flash of light meant his eyes could never adjust, but he didn't need to them to. If he focued his vision at Mac, he could target the shadows surrounding him. The game's targeting didn't need light, just Baldur's perception. The arcs of white light flew from Baldur's sword and tore into the shadows. He wasn't going to kill the one at full health, but he managed to take out the three that held onto his old friend.

"Keep it up everyone, we're almost there."

ID#149684 BD: 5+6+1-2: 10 (hit) vs Shadow 32
ID#149685 BD: 8+6+1-2: 13 (hit) vs Shadow 25
ID#149686 BD: 5+6+1-2: 10 (hit) vs Shadow 26
ID#149687 BD: 6+6+1-2: 11 (hit) vs Shadow 27

Amatsu: 24x8=192 Raw - 75 = 117 DMG Dealt

[Marked for Death-1] Baldur: HP 1540/1540  | EN 87/130  | MIT 94 | EVA 5 | ACC 6WF/5MM5 | DMG 24WF/27MM | BH 62 | ANTIDOTE 0/2 | Conc 3/3 | Parry 0/2 | QChange 0/3 | TOX (9-10) 23 
[Marked for Death-4] @Hestia HP: 1861/1970  EN: 83/176 DMG:17   MIT:214  THRN: 99 ACC:1 Eva: -1  BH: 98 Rec:+3 Stonewall: 25% DoT redux 2-1=1 Snowfrost: 1/2 fire dmg   Antidote: 3
@Ariel - The Crowned Lion HP: 1630/1630  | EN 84/140 | 24 DMG | 103 MIT | AA +4(6) BD | +1 EVA | 16 BH | 24 HB | 50 THRNS | +4 Fallen (8-10) & 24 DoT3 (8-10)  | 2 Antidote | Conc 0/3 | Parry 0/2
Morgenstern HP 1680/1680 | EN 85/138 | 22 DMG | 171 MIT | 4 ACC | -1 EVA | 84 BH | 91 THRNS | Para. Venom (8-10) | 25% DoT Reduce | 3 Antidote | 24(3) Poison (9-10)
[Marked for Death-4] Macradon HP 1426/1885 [-553][+94] | EN 145/187 | 23 DMG | 127 MIT | 4 ACC | 1 EVA |  94 BH | 50 Immolation THRNS | 36 Frost THRNS (21 on crit) | 6 Freeze 0/2 | Antidote 1 | Justified Riposte | +12 Holy | Phase | Disguise | +1 Hate | -1 Energy Cost 0/2 | -3 Energy Cost | 6 Recovery 
[Marked for Death -4] Zandra: HP 2,020/2,020  | EN 74/187 | 22 DMG | 144 MIT | 7 ACC | 2 EVA | 101 BH | 70 THRNS | Toxic venom (9-10) 24(3) | 25% 1st DoT Reduce | 2 Antidote | 12 Fallen | 36(2) BRN(8-10) | Probiotics -27 | Antioxidants

Floor 24
Late Morning
Paraneze <<settlement>> 
@Yuurei @Crozeph

The sun was fully in the sky, or as fully in the sky as it could get. Since each floor had the majority of its sky space covered by the floor above, the sun was really only in full mid morning and mid afternoon. The peak of the day was still fully bright, and the floor above was high enough to not feel claustrophobic, but it was still odd to think that the the normal height of the day was absent the sun. Still, the celestial body caused the water of the floor to glitter and dance with light as it spilled its fire in a bright streak all the way the waterways.

He was near the Colosseum, but also near the teleportation plaza. The road between the two was choked with people, both NPC and PC, who went about their business in such as way that made the city feel truly alive. As it was an island based settlement, it also meant that the paths through were more congested, which only compounded the effect of projecting a living vibrance.

He was meeting his old friend Crozeph here, to show him the way to Baldur's new home. It wasn't completed yet, but Baldur had cleared out the area for the majority of his estate and which would eventually become the new headquarters for Jacob's Ladder. Baldur was still pleased that the guild would match his aesthetic and wrap around his own home, encompassing the entirety of the island.

A stray breeze rose up from the waterway and tugged at the blue haori Baldur always wore, and the flames along the bottom flickered as if alive. It was so distinctive to the samurai that he doubted whether anyone would recognize him with out them.

Baldur smiled and clinked glasses with everyone as the toasted to the guild and to the future. The meeting was wrapping up, and while everyone was in high spirits of the guild, Baldur felt the sinking nervousness in his stomach at knowing that Mari wanted to talk privately with him next. The last time they had spoken, she had expressed her attraction for Baldur, and it seemed that was easily picked up on by everyone here as well. He wasn't sure what more she was going to say, see as she literally fled from him the last time. His goal here was paramount though, he wouldn't let something like this interfere with the good they were so close to achieving. They would all need to work together, all of the pillars, if they were going to make this guild and the enterprise of the frontline in general, a success.

After they had laughed, and toasted, and small talked for a few more minutes, Baldur stood up as a final, subtle indication that it was time to wrap up and begin heading their separate ways. Baldur finished off his tea, and bowed his thanks and his farewells to everyone until the heavy silence fell about the small cabin like the weight of the snow which blanketed it.

Baldur set the cup back down on the kotatsu just to have something to do with his hands as the nervous energy built up within him.

"So you uh... want to discuss something...?"

Baldur watched as the Bunnies tore into Shield in a truely impressive flurry of claws and teeth. he had no doubts that the tank would hold, he had enough tricks in his pocket to be unfettered by this barrage, but the burn would normally get through his tough defense, only to be countered by the tanks impressive healing. He was truly the immovable tanks. Seul and Beat seemed to be keeping up as well, and for the moment, it meant the group was firing on all cylinders. The health of the <<Toffee Bunny>> had dipped into the red, and that meant they would finish it off shortly. Since he hadn't retreated from his previous forward position, Baldur was already in place to follow up his attack as soon as the varmints retreated from Shield's thorny damage.

Taking the white and gold katana, Baldur prepared for his next <<San Ge>>, power surging into the sword as it whirled around in front of him, tearing into the 3d model so viciously that it exposed the interior, red wire frame within the hollow creature and exploded with a roar of thunder, paralyzing the creature for a finishing blow from Beat. 

"Always go for the healer as quickly as possible, otherwise it'll just drag the fight out that much longer."

The steel blue eyes of the samurai slid over to the Frosted Bunny, already lining up his next attack.

ID#149251 BD: 10 (Crit)
San Ge: 23+2=25x15= 375 Raw -125 MIT =250 DMG Dealt

[H:0/3/0/0] Seul     - HP: 1150/1150 | EN: 81/106   | MIT: 126  | DMG: 18 | EVA: -1 |   ACC: 2 | BH: 57 | V (D): 115 | HB: 24 | Conc: 1/3
[H:0/1/0/0] Baldur - HP: 1510/1510 | EN: 113/136 | MIT: 79    | DMG: 23 | Absolute ACC: 8 | EVA: 2 | BH: 75 | Conc (0/3) | Parry (0/2) | QChange (0/3)
[H:0/1/0/0]  Beat    - HP: 1225/1225 | EN: 108/120 | MIT: 3      | DMG 23  | Absolute ACC: 7 | EVA: 0 | BH: 24 | Conc (3/3) | QChange (0/3)
[H:4/4/4/4]  Shield - HP: 1477/1850 | EN: 167/176 | MIT: 226 | DMG: 2    |  EVA: -1 | BH:92 | HB: 48 | THN: 99 | ENV: 18/4 

<<IMMORTAL OBJECT>> Frosted Bunny                 HP: 551/650 | DMG: 250 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 2 | MIT: 50 <Other bunnies heal 10% of their max HP per round>
                                             Toffee Bunny                    HP: 29/1000 | DMG: 150 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 0 | MIT: 125 [ENV 18/4 turns] <No other bunnies can be attacked>
<<IMMORTAL OBJECT>> Red-Hot Bunny                HP: 551/650 | DMG: 400 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 2 | MIT: 50 <BD7+, 60 Unmitigatable Burn DMG to the target>
<<IMMORTAL OBJECT>> Dark Chocolate Bunny   HP: 551/650 | DMG: 400 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 2 | MIT: 0 | St. Rating: 13+ <Stealth every 2 turns. Stealth attacks are AoE>

There was something surreal about watching bunnies unzip their bunny suits. It felt as if they had stepped into some kind of Easter themed fun house horror movie. He supposed given everything, it was suitably B movie camp that would make for an amazingly fun romp in a game designed to put its players in a death game trap. Perhaps the theme was almost meta. That struck Baldur as suitably Kayaba.

However, there was work to be done. Baldur took a moment, cleared his mind, and let out a deep breath. When he focused his eyes on the first toffee bunny, they were steel blue. The red cursor appeared above the creatures head, even as the others seemed to move towards them in slow motion.

"Here I go." Baldur breathed out and took a half step forward to <<Charge>> his sword art <<San Ge>> and the system lurched him forward with inhuman speed. His form becoming something of a blue streak as the white flames of his haori snapped in the wind behind him. Brilliant white light exploded in an arc as he drew his sword, cleaving into the rabbit with the first strike, and then flowing around the mob with a series of slashes too fast for anyone, or even an AI, to evade. When the system assist finally stopped his movement, Baldur let out another breath. He didn't worry about in coming moves. They had Shield here with him, and Shield would take the aggro.

ID#148954  BD: 7+8-1 (hit)
San Ge: 23 (Base) +5 (charge) = 28x15=420 Raw - 125 MIT = 295 Dmg Dealt

Seul | HP: 1150/1150 | EN: 93/106 (-13) | Con: 0/3
Baldur | HP: 1510/1510 | EN: 124/136 (-12) | MIT: 79 | DMG: 23 | Absolute ACC: 8 | EVA: 2 | BH: 75 | Conc (0/3) | Parry (0/2) | QChange (0/3)

Quote

Encounter 1: The Caramel Warren

<<IMMORTAL OBJECT>> Frosted Bunny                 HP: 650/650 | DMG: 250 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 2 | MIT: 50 <Other bunnies heal 10% of their max HP per round>
                                             Toffee Bunny               HP: 583/1000 | DMG: 150 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 0 | MIT: 125  <No other bunnies can be attacked, including AoE>
<<IMMORTAL OBJECT>> Red-Hot Bunny                HP: 650/650 | DMG: 400 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 2 | MIT: 50 <BD7+, 60 Unmitigatable Burn DMG to the target>
<<IMMORTAL OBJECT>> Dark Chocolate Bunny   HP: 650/650 | DMG: 400 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 2 | MIT: 0 | St. Rating: 13+ <Stealth every 2 turns. Stealth attacks are AoE>

Domo arigatou 

Baldur wandered his way back through the maze, following the fading penguin chalk markings on the walls that Macradon had made as they explored the labyrinth in search of its guardian, and eventually the boss fight. It was slow going, fraught with wandering monsters showing up at every turn. He had consumed a feasts worth of buffs for this dungeon he was running with Shield and Beat, his first mission with them since the labyrinth guardian of the previous floor. As he past the most faded penguin, he found himself at the entrance to the boss room below, and Shield standing there, waiting for them.

"Ohayo, Hashira-dono."

Baldur gave him a teasing smile as he greeted him with the most respect and sass he could muster.

"I see I'm the first one here. So we're bringing Seul along with us? I don't think I've grouped with him outside of a boss fight since my first attempt at the banshee." Baldur rubbed his chin, "I think I remember him being a tank, but it's been a long time."

He shrugged and rested his left hand on his swords, "but then, it's been a long time since we last ran a quest as well."

Baldur | HP: 1510/1510 | EN: 136/136 | MIT: 79 | DMG: 23 | Absolute ACC: 8 | EVA: 2 | BH: 75 | Conc (0/3) | Parry (0/2) | QChange (0/3)

Baldur stood up from where he had crumpled at the face of the strange, anti-shadow light emitting contraption. If his guess was correct, once they got all four of these things up and running, it would remove the Shadow's status as an immortal object. At that point, they would either have to fight him, or he would flee and become the floor boss.

At this point, he hoped the shadow fled and was the floor boss.

Still a bit dazed from the hit he had suffered at the hands of the shadow, Baldur pulled out a group heal crystal from his inventory and crushed it. It would heal himself, and Macradon, and Hestia who suddenly landed with a crash near him. A green light enveleoped everyone who was hurt before he turned his attention to Hestia.

"Hestia, we need Mac topped off if he's going to continue tanking for us. I'll be okay, and I'll keep using my group heal crystals for a few more turns. Can you use first aid on him?"

Turning back to the torch, Baldur groped around. What was he even looking for? It's not like there was an on button. But as he fumbled around, he heard a click and a soft light began to grow from deep inside of it. A pilot light?

"Morg, help me out! I think we've almost got this one!"

ID#148476 LD: 18
LIGHT#1 - [ACTIVE]
LIGHT#2 - 52/66+ [+18]
LIGHT#3 - 0/66+
LIGHT#4 - 0/66+

Baldur heals everyone for 90HP

Baldur: HP 1393/1540 [+62][+90]  | EN 99/130 [+1] | MIT 94 | EVA 5 | ACC 6WF/5MM5 | DMG 24WF/27MM | BH 62 | ANTIDOTE 0/2 | Conc 2/3 | Parry 0/2 | QChange 0/3 | TOX (9-10) 23 
[Marked for Death-4] @Hestia HP: 1389/1970 [+90] EN: 101/176 DMG:17   MIT:214  THRN: 99 ACC:1 Eva: -1  BH: 98 Rec:+3 Stonewall: 25% DoT redux 2-1=1 Snowfrost: 1/2 fire dmg   Antidote: 3
@Ariel - The Crowned Lion HP: 1630/1630  | EN 84/140 | 24 DMG | 103 MIT | AA +4(6) BD | +1 EVA | 16 BH | 24 HB | 50 THRNS | +4 Fallen (8-10) & 24 DoT3 (8-10)  | 2 Antidote | Conc 0/3 | Parry 0/2
@Morgenstern HP 1680/1680 | EN 85/138 | 22 DMG | 171 MIT | 4 ACC | -1 EVA | 84 BH | 91 THRNS | Para. Venom (8-10) | 25% DoT Reduce | 3 Antidote | 24(3) Poison (9-10)
[Marked for Death-7] Macradon HP 1687/1885 [+90] | EN 146/187 | 23 DMG | 127 MIT | 4 ACC | 1 EVA |  94 BH | 50 Immolation THRNS | 36 Frost THRNS (21 on crit) | 6 Freeze 0/2 | Antidote 1 | Justified Riposte | +12 Holy | Phase | Disguise | +1 Hate | -1 Energy Cost 0/2 | -3 Energy Cost | 6 Recovery 
[Marked for Death -4] @Zandra HP 2,020/2,020  | EN 106/187 | 22 DMG | 144 MIT | 7 ACC | 2 EVA | 101 BH | 70 THRNS | Toxic venom (9-10) 24(3) | 25% 1st DoT Reduce | 2 Antidote | 12 Fallen | 36(2) BRN(8-10) | Probiotics -27 | Antioxidants | Well rested 2/3

"Because..." Baldur said as Lessa darted in with her own sword art, covering for Baldur while he waited for his own to come off of cooldown and he could engage as well. Lessa's new weapon tore into the glacial slow enemy. He was almost too easy to hit, but he was a large, lumbering, lazy, lump of ice. Once Lessa stopped moving she called out for him to finish the creature in a voice that made him think of the old fighting game Mortal Combat.

"... if you're a scruffy looking nerf herder, that would make me Chewy.'

Baldur slid forward on the ice and under the grasping arm of the monster, standing up on the far side and bringing his sword down taking the arm off at the elbow before he spun behind the ice monster stepping sideways as it reeled back and they somehow passed each other through a feat of fancy footwork, putting Baldur on the far side where he could likewise take the other arm off at the shoulder. White, arcing lines of his sword art streaking through the air cleanly, and with such speed that the snow whirled in its wake, but Baldur never stopped moving. He continued flowing, but somehow his steps were always sure, even on the ice of the lake. His sword continued, striking out at the back of Avalanche's right knee, bringing the creature topping down to one leg. Baldur almost felt a moment of pity for the once proud field boss to be laid low with such little effort, but Baldur had only to remember that this was a death game to push aside any hesitation as he brought down his final blow, separating the 'head' of Avalanche the Absolute Zero from the rest of his form, and causing him to explode into cold, blue polygons that were lost, like snowflakes in a blizzard.

A moment later and Baldur whirled his blade around in his now familiar ritual of sheathing his sword, mentally and physically.

"Do I get points for style? I know the Russian judge is always a hard ass, but hopefully I get some bonus points from the American judge."

Baldur flashed her a playful smile as he looked around the frozen lake valley. Now that the boss had been slayed, and his respawn timer reset, the normal background music of the floor filtered in around them. Much softer, somber melodies.

"I think I did a little better that time than against the Nepents." 

ID#148006
BD: 4+4=hit
San Ge: 19x15=285 RAW - 75 MIT = 210 DMG Dealt

 

[4]<<Baldur>> HP: 1330/1330 | EN: 93/130 | MIT: 79 | DMG: 19 | Absolute ACC: 4 | EVA: 3 1 | BH: 53 | Conc (0/3) | Parry (2/2) | QChange (3/3)
[3]<<Lessa>> HP: 910/910 | EN: 64/88 | MIT: 89 | DMG: 16 | ACC: 4 | THNS: 2 | HM: 1 | BLD: 1
<< Avalanche the Absolute Zero >> HP: 61/850 | MIT: 75 | DMG: 200 | Freeze: 2 (8-10) | ACC: 3 | EVA: -2 | Crit +50/100 | CD12 = AoE+Freeze | -2 Evasion Aura 

A wash of emotions swept over Baldur in a way he was completely unprepared for. Crozeph had attacked Mari? The man certainly had valid reasons to do so, but he didn't take his old friend as someone who would have acted so passionately in the moment like that. Then he had broken down and disclosed that he admired Mari and had apparently become very close friends with her. That please Baldur greatly, that someone who would have such a reason to dislike and distrust Mari instead turned and believed in her. If anything, it meant that they were correct in their decision to rely on Mari as the fourth pillar. Then Mari put forward a fantastic guild icon she had made, and immediately put herself down in a way that pushed one of Baldur's buttons. It was a whirlwind of ups and downs, and only spoke to the amount of stress Baldur had been carrying on his shoulders without thinking about it. That was the only explanation for how his emotions could be yanked around to his extent.

In fact, for the first time in as long as he could remember, he was speechless. He didn't know how to organize his thoughts and feelings, but over all, this meeting had been good. Personal admonishments could wait for another time, this was a professional meeting between the four of them to build a foundation for their ladder. The ladder was more important than anything else.

"I vote in favor of the new guild icon. I like it, but then, I doubt anyone here would think I would vote any other way." He tried to play the whole thing off with a smile and a light laugh. He was the gaijin samurai after all.

He held up his cup and took a sip, finishing off the tea with a satisfied sigh at the end.

"I am looking forward to opening our new facility and welcoming our new players to it. I've got some upgrades to my own home before the dojo is ready, but right now I have rooms for myself and Crozeph ready. I look forward to showing you all around once it's ready. I think it'll be something really special." He realized that his home would seem quite grandiose, if not gaudy compared to this, and he didn't want it to come across.

"Though I don't think it'll ever feel as cozy as the four of us sitting around a kotatsu in a cabin on the snow covered valley on the fourth floor."

He poured another sip of tea into his glass and then held it up in a toast.

"To trust. To friendships new and old, and to Jacob's Ladder. May our humble beginnings be the cornerstone of better things to come."

Baldur opened his mouth to interject, wanting to cut Oikawa off before he might chafe at being called an assistant sensei at Baldur's dojo. Oikawa was much more creative when it came to builds. Baldur's was more of a sustainability belief. Consistent damage, margins of safety, being prepared. Oikawa was the one who had been able to test numerous builds and come up with very creative options that were able to do some incredible things. He had been a feared duelest for a long time because of his skill with builds.

"I think Oikawa's strength in battle could be utilized more in the questing and leading the new players through combat. As I had mentioned, I do better one on one, and I'll certainly lead a few quests here and there, but Oikawa will be able to run circles around me in that area. It may be more that I help the players who are transitioning from becoming a beginner into a solid frontliner, and once they've got their basic kit and set of gear and are able to fight, Oikawa can help them advance into something more niche or specialized."

Shield then launched in to his expression of voting for the guild. It was a very interesting system, and Baldur had no problem with it save one.

"The only problem I see with that, is that we would need numbers on the lower leveled players side for this to ever work. Perhaps some day, if we have a lot of players in the guild, and a nice mix of lower and high level players that would be beneficial indeed, but until we reach a certain population inflection point, the onus is on us to listen to the voice of our first few players, and take their words to heart, rather than reflecting it in a voting scheme. As for you having a vote, with it just being the four of us right now, I think a simple majority works best. There's four of us, 3 of us should need to have a consensus. That represents buy in of the majority of us, and I think that works for the best. Now issues that are up for a whole guild vote? I could see that being a good idea, but I don't know what I feel you need to be excluded in that case either."

Then Mari began to speak about recruiting, and a smile crossed Baldur's face.

"I spoke to Crozeph before I spoke to any of you about a guild actually." Baldur turned to Oikawa, believing that the para-god would be an easy sell, "I would love to have Crow in the guild. He wants to stick with the katana, but also go with first aid, and he's thinking about becoming a performer so he can specialize in buffing and debuffing. I think that's an invaluable role we should do everything to encourage."

Then Mari brought up Shay.

"Oh yes, I met Shay-" Then Mari elaborated she wanted to go first aid, "Oh, must be someone with a similar name. I met a young woman and helped her learn the katana. She's expressed interest in joining my dojo, as had Crozeph, actually. But I think if Crozeph leans that Oikawa is in the guild he'll --" it was that moment Baldur froze.

"Wait Mari -- umm.. there's not a delicate way to phrase this, but -- considering what happened between you two, You and Crozeph are ok? I thought that might be a more... difficult sell."

Perhaps they should have spoken about this privately, but it was guild business, and they had already acknowledged that Mari and Oikawa's orange status would be something the guild would need to address, so this forum made sense.

"I would also really like to recruit Macradon. If he can be pulled away from the Knights of the Blood Oath, that would be a huge win for us as a guild, and I think the people of the frontlines to begin with. Mac is a great commander, and he already aligns with the tenents of the guild, and does as much already on his own."

The torch had finally been lit, but it seemed that the brighter the light, the darker the shadow. In the stark, almost absolute blackness that the room had been, in which they fought against shadows themselves, the main source of light had been flashes of the sword arts themselves, each one now allowing it to be easier to see the next.

Now, a beacon had been lit, it felt like going from night to full noon in a heartbeat. As soon as it was lit, and the blinding light had faded, Baldur took off after the next light.

The Shadow Lord had something else planned. Just as Baldur had reached the light to help try and turn it on, the Shadow appeared behind him and struck him in the lower back, his fist actually punching through Baldur's wire mesh and slamming him into the torch as Hestia, Mac, and the Minotaur had been thrown into the wall, but Baldur stood only a foot or two from the large contraption.

"Hoooof" Baldur gasped as he hit the thing badly and crumpled to the floor, the force of his blow shaking loose dust that had accumulated on the device for what appeared to be centuries, but likely had been created this way by some 3d artist who never know sometime might actually lose their life against it. Slumped awkwardly against the floor and the beacon, Baldur's head spun as he tried to get some bearing on the world, only to see his health was startlingly low.

Without bothering to stand up yet, Baldur immediately activated one of his quick slot items, and crushed the Max T2 HP Recovery Crystal in his hands. It was a tick up... not much, but it made him feel a bit more comfortable about his chances of getting out of here alive. The wave of healing washed over him like a bucket of cold water had been thrown on him, and he almost gasped, the crystal affecting him more than they ever had before.

This fight is a lot more challenging than any we've had before, I'm feeling it mentally and...He looked down at his digital 'hands' they weren't real, but to him it was physically.

ID#146163
LD: 1

"There's a difference between courage and recklessness, and between self-sufficient and disregard." Baldur had listened to the girls story about losing several people. He couldn't quite follow along due to the lack of names and familiarity with the story, but he understood the crux of the matter. She felt that if she relied on other people, they were going to get killed. It was a feeling many people felt. They didn't want to be a burden on others. Baldur had seen it before. Baldur had been there before. However, Shion seemed to have taken the wrong lesson away from these encounters, and had become stubbornly, almost fiercely, independent.

"Being a jerk to low level players isn't going to keep them safe. It's going to make it more likely that they go out and try to prove themselves on their own, without asking for help, and more likely that they'll end up dead."

Baldur frowned. He wasn't trying to be so hard on Shion, but she almost seemed to demand it with the way that she was acting. Like there was something about the way she fought to take pride in.

"Not asking for help isn't strength, it's fear. Pushing away others, and the help of others, isn't making anyone stronger, it's letting fear control us."

Baldur sighed softly and put his hands behind his head as he looked up into the sky.

"Right now the frontlines are fractured. Everyone thinks they know what is the best. There are dozens of little factions, and no one wants to listen to what other people have to say. Hopefully this lapse in time will change, but it's all because everyone wants to be strong on their own, and they don't realize that the important strength is what we are together." He turned to look at Shion, his blue eyes evaluating her, "If I was the highest level player in the game, and had the best gear in the game, and didn't need anyone. That doesn't help us get out of here any faster. But if I am the best team player, I watch out for not just my raid team mates, but help others who are trying to contribute, or maybe need that extra factor of safety in order to consider joining the frontline, or contributing to it. Then I become the MVP. I would rather have a team a weak players who know how to work together, and help each other, and be vulnerable to one another, than have a team of the 6 strongest players in Aincrad."

Baldur blew out his breath as he looked back up into the sky.

"That's what I think a lot of people don't understand. When we have teamwork, real teamwork, then we become more than the sum of our parts."

Baldur leaned forward on the table, holding his tea cup in one hand off to the side so he could genuflect with the other while he spoke. He could tell the orange crystal issue, and the Zandra factor were weighing heavily on Mari. She continued to talk, seeming to have gotten a momentum behind her until she had laid out all of her feelings on the table. He felt a bit of relief that she hadn't said anything that he hadn't already considered, or that they hadn't already discussed before this. The idea of Shield's to expand the guild around Baldur's aesthetic and his home warmed his heart more than he could have said. It was more than he could have hoped for, and it felt as if they guild were embracing him. They were slowly but surely each putting their fingerprint on the guild. We need to make sure Mari and Oikawa feel the same.

"Mari -- we knew what we were doing when we asked you to be one of the four pillars. Shield and I have long had this desire and spoken of plans for a guild, but this time it is all coming together, not inspire of who you are, but because of who you are. Because of who each of us are. We knew that your and Oikawa's orange crystals would present challenges, but we went into this knowing that. I think that's why Shield went to speak with Zandra, and probably why you did as well. We'll have to more forward thoughtfully, but it is not worth being a barrier."

He reclined backwards, propping himself up with his left hand and taking a sip to wet his throat.

"Your willingness to get out an seek redemption, as well as your... mentory relationship with others is exactly why we chose you. I am not great at working with the lower level players, nor am I quite outgoing enough for vigorous enough to keep up with them. I do better one on one. Shield here" Baldur indicated him with a nod of his head, "Is about the best manager and quartermaster we could hope for. He'll make sure we're well stock, supplied, and organized. Oikawa "Baldur indicated with another nod of his head, "Has always been the sort of front man, the idea guy. Oikawa says not just what's on his mind, but what everyone is thinking, but may be too scared to say. He thinks outside of the box, and inspires forward movement."

He leaned back onto the table and set the cup down, spinning it slightly in his hands.

"Each of us have a role to play as leaders, and I think being the face of the guild for recruiting and mentoring the 'young' level wise, is exactly what you are the best at among us. Shield should definitely be the #1 on paper, as he has invested more in this guild than anyone, but all four of us are Hashira for a reason, and we all must support one another."

Baldur turned his gaze towards Shield, though his point addressed what Mari had said as well.

"My dojo, Katsujinken, will be open to everyone, much like our guild. I love the idea of tying it to the guild as well. My bushido has helped many people seek redemption, or find their way when lost. I hope to continue to to do that, while also teaching others how to use our skills to not just stay alive, but save the lives of others. That's why I chose the name I did, and Jacob's Ladder is only an extension of that same vision, in my eyes, both in name and purpose. Our primary goal must always be at the forefront of everything we do. We're helping to wake the dreamers."

Baldur smiled at Shay when she issued her challenge and expressed interest in his school. He was equally excited to see someone want to follow in the footsteps he laid out.  Perhaps his school would be able to become something after all. He had to admit, until it got into full swing he would worry about whether anyone would show up, but the purpose wasn't for Baldur to have students, but to help others find the right path. It wasn't for everyone, by design.

"The destiny of a good teacher is to be surpassed by his students. Calrex-kun was my first student, and he is the highest level player in Aincrad." Baldur said the words proudly. Calrex was also one of his closest friends.

"I chose the name for several reasons. My way of the sword, my bushi, is to help others find betterment through the sword, find redemption, and to help avenge the lives of the fallen, and help free the lives of all the others trapped here. Katsujinken doesn't just mean life giving blade. The ken refers not to the blade, but to the wielder. We are all of us people on a journey through life, who have all become trapped here in Aincrad. Katsujinken is how we have responded to the challenges that life has placed in front of us."

Baldur flashed Shay a proud smile.

Baldur put on his normal, neutral, unreadable expression as he waited for the door, and then decided to put on a slight smile as well, just before Mari opened up her home and the warmth and light spilled out upon the snow like the ghost of Christmas present. As he stepped into the cabin, Mari touched his arm and said she wanted to speak with him after the meeting, his smile faltered slightly for a moment, but his head was turned in such a way to listen to her whisper that no one could see it but Baldur. As he walked over to the familiar kotatsu, Baldur slipped under the blanket and eagerly accepted his tea. Royal Milk Tea was not his particular type, but the first sip was pleasant enough that Baldur took an immediate second one while Oikawa asked him a question.

"Hey Bal-sama, do you mind if I check something?"

Baldur arched an eyebrow at Oikawa as he set down his tea cup. Something is up, Oikawa doesn't call me 'Bal-sama' if he's doing something serious. But before Baldur could do anything more than set down his cup and open his mouth to respond, Oikawa pounced on him, pushing aside some of Baldur's kimono and grabbing the bare shoulders beneath. Had they been in a town, a warning would have appeared out of no where from the system due to the physical contact, but since they were in free-for-all territory, nothing happened more than a sense of surprise and violation.

"Hmm, so the rumors are true. You do have amazing clavicles,"

"The-the what?" Baldur was half reclined, and suddenly felt the need for a cigarette, though he had never smoked. His normally perfect hair seemed a little messier than usual from the altercation, and Baldur's eyes showed plainly that the normally composed samurai was clearly lost.

"Well, shall we get started?"

Oikawa cleared his throat. "For starters, thank you for hosting. The tea is excellent, as usual. And despite the cold, your home is always warm and inviting. Shield, the floor is yours."

The samurai still wasn't sure what was going on, or what the appropriate response would be.

"At least buy me dinner first next time, Oik." Baldur mumbled under his breath.

Baldur suddenly seemed to perk up when Shay showed interest in his school. He turned slightly and started to walk, waiting for her to catch up and walk beside him before he continued.

"It's still sort of unofficial, but that's only temporary. I almost have the facility complete."

Baldur paused for a moment as he considered how to explain it to her.

"But yes, I have a school where I use the katana to teach my bushido. A... Sword art online bushido, if you will. Enough people have found my teachings useful that I decided to officially open a school aimed to help those who ask for it. How to fight with a katana, a safe place to practice and ask questions, and allies to fight shoulder to shoulder with, and people to help while you push your limits and find out where they are."

It's so much more than that, but I don't know how to explain it yet. Perhaps once I've had more than 4 or 5 students I'll have a better idea.

"I've named it Katsujinken-dojo."

As the cluster of floating luminous polygons dissipated from between them, Baldur's face was seen smiling at Shay. She had done well, not just before the the boss fight, but in overcoming the adversity. She may have been near her limits, but she took a moment, slowed down, and made the corrections she needed to be successful. It was the perseverance he was looking for and hoped he would find when he came looking for who would be out here doing this quest.

"Well done, Shay-chan." Baldur even gave her a thumbs up.

"That should be enough to get you the Katana skill as well. That alone should help quite a bit with what you were just fighting through, but I would highly recommend prioritizing accuracy as soon as you can. It will make a big difference." Baldur shrugged slightly, "At least, that's my school's philosophy."

Baldur pointed back over his shoulder towards the town of beginning.

"How about we head back to town and let you turn in that quest for the reward? The sword you get isn't great, but it is worth some good SP at your level."

Baldur smiled sympathetically to Shay when she apologized for not being able to hit.

"It's not just you, it's the system. You have to work with it, not against it. But this why we're here, for you to learn. It's aggroed to me, so don't worry. Take your time, feel the weight, line up a strike that matters."

The creature lashed a vine at Baldur and the gaijin used the katana's saya to bat the whip like tendrils aside so he wouldn't deal any damage.

"I too was familiar with the katana when I came to this game, but even I had to relearn some things. SAO is somewhere in the between. The stances are what comes natural, the strikes are guided by the system. There's room for skill yes, but this game also has math running in the background to determine how effective we are. Focus on the fundamentals."

I'm giving un-asked for advice again. She probably knows all of this already if she's made it this far. No need to mansplain the system to her.

Baldur takes no action
Nepent attacks Baldur (ID#144983 MD: 3 miss)

Shay 76/80 | 4/8 (-1)
Baldur | HP: 1370/1370 | EN: 130/130 | MIT: 79 | DMG: 19 | Absolute ACC: 4 | EVA: 3 | BH: 54 | Conc (3/3) | Parry (2/2) | QChange (2/3) +1 EN

Nepent V.: 1/15 | MIT 5 | DMG: 10

Baldur came back into the shop after just stepping out. His requests for help had come through and he now had the eggs he needed to finish up his shopping list. With these remaining eggs, he would purchase a dungeon map for the future. Hopefully not too distant future, but if he could help the up-and-coming frontline members find some good gear, then he would do so. This event was flush with strangely good rewards. It was almost as if Kayaba was trying to help them out in their fight to clear the floors. It was the only reason that made sense to the gaijin samurai. Too many events recently had been flush with unique rewards that had always been held back, and conservatively doled out.

"One dungeon map please Egg... er.. or are you eg? Or.... Eggy?"

Baldur shook his head, lost as usual, and set the large pile of chocolate eggs onto the counter.

"Should be exactly 100 here... do you want me to count them?"

52 - Eggs Previously left on hand after purchase
29 eggs gifted to Baldur HERE
5 eggs gifted to Baldur HERE
14 eggs gifted to Baldur HERE

New Total = 100
Purchase Special Dungeon Map -100

New Total = 0 eggs

Baldur leaned back against a lonely pine tree atop a ridge that overlooked Mari's house, his breath condensing in the frigid air of the cold floor. His blue and white haori wrapped around him for warmth so that the white flames along the bottom looked as though they were erupting from the snow. The wind gusted up the slope of the mountain from down at the lake by which Mari had built her house, and sent a shower of snowflakes up into the air like an inverse wave crashing into a beach. Off to the side on a rock, sat a small glowing crystal, softly playing out somber violin music as Baldur considered the small home, spilling warm light onto the frozen ground surrounding it.

The journey to get here was a long and winding road. Baldur had tried guilds before, and they had never worked. He and Shield had begun discussing how they were going to do things in the past, and that hadn't worked. So many attempts at doing what they believed was the right thing had been frustrated by himself, by others, and by the constant ebb and flow of both life and the frontline.

Yet here they stood. The most unlikely combination of Pillars Baldur could not have hoped to find. Any two of the four made sense, but he never would have thought that this four would have been the ones to make it so far. Perhaps it was the road of failure that had brought them all together in this way. It had certainly been his greatest teacher over the however long they had been here. His thoughts went all the way back to the beginning, with Tyger when the two of them had gathered a group together to begin pushing forward, where they had mad Ariel and Oikawa at random. There had been thought of a guild back then too, but they had joined the Azure Brigade in order to have a shot at the frontline, only to have politics frustrate both themselves and Mari.

So many lessons the past, and failure, have taught us.

What were the successes he could count to qualify him, or any of them, for this role? Experience? Calrex was the most experienced frontliner by far, and while he was to be a member of the guild, he refused to take up a leadership role, right about the time Teayre disappeared into her shop and refused to venture out. Oikawa or Baldur himself had to have the second most raid experience of those in the guild, and at this point, perhaps the entire frontline. Baldur wracked his brain trying to think of other names who could come close, but only Jomei came to mind.

Finally, the song ended as Baldur watched Oikawa and Shield be welcomed inside by Mari.

What about her, too?

The gaijin samurai wasn't sure how he was going to make this not awkward, but he didn't want personal business to intrude onto the guild meeting. No matter what happened between Mari and Baldur, the guild and the frontline came first. He would have to make things work. Keep his emotions and embarrassment in check during the meeting.

But I have to be my warm, charming self as well.

He snorted and shook his head. He hated situations like this, yet he seemed to find himself in them regularly. Give him a Shadowy labyrinth boss to slay any day over an awkward social situation.

"Here I go." He said to himself, the irony of saying his common troth before starting a battle was not lost on him. Only now the battle was with people who were or would become his closest friends and partners.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"Wooo-aooo-woooh" Baldur mimicked the lightsaber noises as he waved his word around, preparing for an attack from Avalanche that wouldn't come since had paralyzed it. He laughed at himself as he waited for <<San Ge>> to come back up off of cooldown. Just as <<Avalanche>> was about to be able to do so, it came off and Baldur shot forward. Against this creature, and with this sword, it was impossible for him not to hit. This monstrosity was just too slow.

"Who wants some snow cones?!"

White light arced against the frigid, blue white of the ice as the gaijin samurai activated his sword art. Each time the white light impacted the icy armored body of Avalanche, chips of stone and ice shattered and spun off around them, flecks of cold hitting him like mini bits of cold shrapnel, sans the damage.

"I guess with this thing, we're on Hoth, aren't we? I don't care if we're getting hurt, I'm not climbing inside of a dead tauntaun." Baldur gave a smirk at Lessa as he jumped backwards, trying to get some more defensible footing.

"I mean, in this situation, I'm obviously Luke, and you're Obviously Leia, not Han. But hey, no judgement. You can be Wedge if you'd prefer."

I'm really testing her on these Star Wars jokes, just cause she caught the Vader reference. Why did he have to suggest Wedge? Not just because he was a better character than Han, but no one except star wars dweebs like him even know who Wedge was, in spite of the critical role he played in the Rebellion. Damn, Disney was supposed to release that Wedge spin off movie this year. We even pre-bought our tickets... and now I'm stuck in here.

Maybe there was a good reason to go home.

ID#144917 BD: 5+4+2 (hit)
San Ge: 19x15=285 RAW - 75 MIT = 210 DMG Dealt

[3]<<Baldur>> HP: 1330/1330 | EN: 118/130 | MIT: 79 | DMG: 19 | Absolute ACC: 4 | EVA: 3 1 | BH: 53 | Conc (0/3) | Parry (2/2) | QChange (3/3)
[2]<<Lessa>> HP: 910/910 | EN: 76/88 | MIT: 89 | DMG: 16 | ACC: 4 | THNS: 2 | HM: 1 | BLD: 1
<< Avalanche the Absolute Zero >> HP: 194/850 | MIT: 75 | DMG: 200 | Freeze: 2 (8-10) | ACC: 3 | EVA: -2 | Crit +50/100 | CD12 = AoE+Freeze | -2 Evasion Aura 

The King towered over all them, wielding it's spear of ouch, lightning, and party disruption. If he got hit now, this late in the fight, he would lose his aggro lead on the boss. He couldn't tell who it would go to if he lost it. Probably Oscar with his amazing damage; Baldur couldn't believe how quickly they had gone through so much of the boss's HP, but he couldn't risk letting hate fall to Mari or Cordelia. They were all buffed up with evasion food, but there was nothing to prevent one crit to lead into a string of them... Baldur had been around enough to see that happen more than once. It had happened to Hestia multiple times on his last time through the boss.

Then the creature lunged for the gaijin samurai. His steel blue eyes weighted the kings' movements, trying to time his dodge roll just right so that he could recover and counter while the boss was in a favorable position, however mid way towards wanna-be samurai, Oscar crashed into the thing, his axe exploding with fallen damage. The force of the blow and the damage was so much that it drove the king flat on its back, the smoke from the axe still hovering over its body as Baldur pressed forward.

His surprise bought the king just enough time to start the sitting up part of its animation, when Baldur drove his katana into the forgotten king's head, and then activated the sword art from there. The system ripped Baldur's arms into motion, tracing white and gold arcs of light through the air, each one bisecting the king's head and leaving the red gashes, revealing the wire frame within. He didn't have some flashy effect, but he had the energy to do this for days. Or at least another 5 or 6 times.

"Nice hit Oscar, two or three more hits from you and its done for. Mari, if you land one hit with all your dots, you'll out damage both Cord and myself."

After the sword art animation finished, Baldur was held for a moment in the post animation delay, and the king used that opportunity to stand up, flinging the gaijin back and away from him, but Baldur managed to turn it into a graceless roll and get back to his feet without any damage.

"Just a bit more..." he whispered to himself as he looked at the health bar.

ID#144946 BD: 9 (Crit)
San Ge:  22 base +1 crit = 23x15=345 Raw - 150 MIT = 195 DMG Dealt

[4] Oscar 1205/1205 HP | 45/104 EN | 22 DMG | 4 ACC | 3 EVA | 151 MIT | VAMP-DEF | SAVVY | 12 FLN | 36 BRN[BD8-10] | 48 BH
[6] Baldur 1395/1395 HP | 97/132 EN | 22/25 DMG WF/MM | 5/6 WF/MM | 5 EVA | 124 MIT | ABSLT ACC | 56 BH | 0/2 STATUS IMN | 30 THRNS 
[3] Mari 1365/1365 HP  | Energy: 87/120 | DAM: 14 | EVA 5  | MIT 43+45=88 | ACC 6
[3] Cordelia 1175/1175 HP | EN: 78/120 | 21 DMG | 45 MIT | 6 ACC | 4 EVA | 1 PARA VNM [DF]| 6 HLY | 2 [36] BRN

Forgotten Time King 1073/3750 | 300 DMG | 3 ACC | 0 EVA | 150 MIT

Baldur laid back on the grass with Shion when she did, and he stared up through the sky. The wind blew through the limbs of the trees, filling the air with a soothing rustle, and birds chirped cheerily in the background. This is such a nicer floor than 21. He smiled up at the blue-ish 'sky' of the bottom of the 25th floor. Atmospheric occlusion meant that the bottom of the floor, while gray, was a more bluish color, much like his steel blue eyes. It helped fight off the feeling of claustrophobia that might otherwise feel oppressive when you looked out at somet of the otherwise truly stunning vistas.

I hope you know what you're doing Shion counseled him about dealing with orange players, before going on to explain her somewhat suicidal playstyle.

"Tell me, Shion-chan, have you seen anyone die in here? Has anyone you known died, to orange players or otherwise?"

Baldur paused, to let her answer before he continued.

"I've seen them all. Philosophy aside, players are a non-renewable resource. There are only so many of us, and there are only so many of us who will become a level that is useful to the frontline, and of those, there are only a few that of the correct disposition to be able to work well on the frontline. Of those, a subsection are orange. It is, perhaps no difficult, but not uncommon in all of that traveling to come across situations which test you. Some people become orange for the 'right'" Baldur made air quotes up at the sky, "reasons, and some become orange for the wrong reason. And some people with the highest body count are green."

Baldur rolled his head to the side so he could look at Shion laying in the grass a few feet away from him.

"Redemption doesn't come from a quest. It comes from actions which have no hope of a good reward, simply because it is the right thing to do. I work with people who seek real redemption, people who are willing to risk their life, to try and make up for the actions they have taken. While it's simple to just ignore orange players, or turn them away, the Frontline can't afford to do that. As far as I'm concerned, in the world of Aincrad, everyone deserves a second chance. And if they can be put to use fighting to save 7,000 lives to make up for the one or two they took, then I am going to wield that tool to save as many lives as I can. The ones that have been lost already are lost, the best we can do is try to save the rest."

Baldur made his way back the NPC vendors who hosted the fishing event, as far as he was concerned, and traded in his eggs for the two new items he was very excited about. Between these two upgrade items, and the one from the Halloween event, Baldur should be able to upgrade his gear quite nicely. Though he was going to wait until after they had run the new special dungeons as well, given their rewards. It was an amazing windfall of items between this event and the previous Halloween one, though he had heard that the Christmas event had given some bizarrely powerful rewards as well. He could only hope that the randomness aspect of some of these would be on his side.

"Alright, now I just need to find someone with some spare eggs for a map, so I can help the next set of up and coming frontliners out when they hit tier 3."

Item's Purchased
Easter Bunny's Favor - Reidentify a single slot on a piece of gear at a Merchant using only their Unique Enhancement table. (Limit 1)50 Eggs
Bunny Stamp - Increase the Rarity of a single item up to Demonic, selecting a normal Enhancement in the process (Limit 1)150 Eggs

Egg Count
252 Eggs - 200 (50 for favor, 150 for stamp) = 52 eggs remaining