Baldur

Quote

Upon defeating Hrym, there’s no one to steer the Naglfar. You’re tossed about on the top deck as the ship becomes trapped in a whirlpool. As you descend lower into the maelstrom, you can make out a massive serpentine presence in the waters. You don’t have the time to consider what it might be as your vision darkens and you black out. You awake some time later in a land of fog. Still, you are harassed by the screams of spirits. This dead land you’ve awoken in feels like something out of a nightmare. But still, you press on. Eventually, you come to a large open chamber, directly opposite you is a throne. Sitting upon it is a beautiful woman, the right side of her face obfuscated by shadow. She greets you warmly, as if your presence here was a pleasant surprise.

Such warmth is short-lived, however. She leans forward, revealing the right half of her face. The skin is discolored, deformed. More corpse than woman. Hate-filled eyes bore straight into your soul. It quickly becomes clear that this being has no intention of helping you. In fact, quite the opposite.

The journey that this event took them on was one for the record books. After defeating the Jotunn, the ship they had been on was sucked into a whirlpool. Was it the whirlpool of floor 10? Whatever it had been, they were now through the looking glass. At some point during the descent, Baldur had blacked out as ship was tossed about by the maelstrom.

When they awoke, they were surrounded by fog, and harried by the scream of the dead. The land of the dead was right out of the nightmares of humanity. Baldur walked around to inspect the others, but their health bars were all green, and they woke up as he did.

"Come on, let's keep pressing on."

It was not long before they came upon the throne room of the one he expected to see. Hel. She was beautiful, even split in two as she was. Half life, half death. Half touched by the sun, half in the grave.

"Hel." Baldur hissed. Was this the boss of the event? Or would there be a Fenrir, maybe a Surtur? She leaned forward, revealing the dead half of her body to the low light that filled the chamber. The dead eye bore daggers into the party, filled with wrath and hate. As she stood and gestured at them, the crystal became visable above her head along with the name.

Hel - The Goddess of Death

Three spectral soldiers suddenly surged against their chains. Strong, armored men fighting against where they were bound.

"Help us!" One of them cried out to them. "We don't belong here!" another chimed.

"We were bound for Valhalla... but instead, she drains our energy with these chains!"

Baldur's eyes flickered back to the bound men, and then to Hel once again. There could be something to what they're saying, but Baldur had eyes only for the one who would deny him life.

"Here we go!"

His sword cut the sky into starry night like a ribbon across the battlefield and he tore into Hel.

ID#175666 BD:6+8-2-1=11 (hit)
24+5=29 DMG x 15 San Ge = 435 RAW - 50 MIT = 385 DMG dealt + Bullrush deals STUN

[1]Baldur-san | HP: 1560/1560 | EN: 113/144 | MIT: 49 | DMG: 24 | Absolute ACC: 8 | EVA: 2 | BH: 78 | Conc (3/3) | Parry (2/2) | QChange (3/3) | Zanshin Equipped
[0]Hidden-hikoku | HP:1405/1405 | EN:116/124 | DMG:23 | MIT:79 | EVA:4 | ACC:6 | VAMP OFF:140 | HLY:8 | BH:70
[0]Crozeph-Kun | HP: 1180/1180 | EN: 85/106 | ACC: 4[+2] | DMG: 18[+3] | EVA: 2[+2] | MIT: 45[+30] | FRZ: 1 | BRN: 1 I REC: 1 | BH: 30 | LD: 1
[0]NIGHT | HP: 1550/1550 | EN: 159/167 | ACC: 6 | DMG: 25 | EVA: 2 | MIT: 7 | BH: 77 | BRN: 36 | BLI: 72 | BLD: 36 | TXV: 24 | VV: 10 | LD: 5
[0]Calrex-kun | HP: 1805/1805 | EN: 159/176 | DMG: 18 | MIT: 116 | ACC: 4 |  EVA: 3 | ACH: 0.5 | TNT 1 | Stonewall
[0]Zajcica-chan | HP: 1569/1570 -((302/2)-232) | EN: 122/136 -(14)  | DMG 2 | MIT 232 | EVA -1 | BH 78 | THRNS: 135

Hel - The One that Hides | HP: 2,615/3,000 | DMG 400 | ACC 3 | EVA 2 | MIT 50 | If there are spectral soldiers, Hel heals herself to full when she hits 50% STUNNED
Spectral Soldier 1 - 0/40 LD (Hel Must be stunned to attempt freeing a soldier)
Spectral Soldier 2 - 0/40 LD
Spectral Soldier 3 - 0/40 LD

@Hidden @Crozeph @NIGHT @Calrex

Baldur opened his mouth to assure Jomei that no one at this table was going to judge him for needing a break. They had all done it. Honestly, from what it sounded like, Baldur wasn't sure if he dodged a bullet by skipping the last boss fight, or if his presence would have changed how things played out. He did some guilt about how it played out, and not being there after the scene he had caused, but his fight with Hestia had taken a lot out of him. He felt betrayed by someone he had trusted so much.

But then Jomei handed over two potions, and it made him smile, his thoughts changing to the sight of Jomei and his lady, Telrenya? It had been good to see them happy together.

"Thanks, I was just about out, so the timing is perfect. Thank you." He took the potions and put them into his inventory with out examining them. He trusted Jomei.

"I owe you an apology by the way. I voted you to lead a raid I then didn't follow through on..." He wanted to say more, but stopped short. "So we'll call everything even. We all need a break from time to time, but it does my spirits good to see you out and about again. I'm looking forward to knowing you're there with us on this fight."

Baldur smiled at Mac. The man had been a force of nature lately, and had been a source of strength for Mari as well. The man was reliable in a way no one else was. He had become a presence felt by the whole of Aincrad.

"I get that, Macradon, but with how active you've been... I've got to assume you've passed Calrex for the highest level player. And while I haven't seen it in action, I've only heard rumors about your legendary weapon you've got on your hands. I gotta say... I'm anxious to see you show it off in the boss battle." He realized, as he said it, that he brought the conversation back to war. He sighed slightly into his bowl of ramen.

"Alright gentlemen. New rule of Noodle Club. No talk about boss floors. If you need to get something off your chest, that's fine, we all need to vent that, but surely we can talk about things other than death."

He took a sip of his soup and was about to ask about ladies, but decided against it.

"Do you have a house Jomei? I'm sure you do Mac, but I've never seen either. I put off getting mine until the right floor presented itself... but I have to say, I'm pretty happy with what I was able to accomplish on the 24th floor."

Baldur is going to turn this:

Quote

Name: Montsuki haori
Your Profession: Tailor
Your Rank: Rank 7
Roll: 12
ID: 101393
Item Type: Light Armor
Tier: 3
Quality: Perfect
Enhancements: 2 slots Mitigation, 1 slot Evasion (-54 Damage)
Description: This traditional japanese jacket is thigh length, and unlike a kimono doesn't close, but is instead held together by a burnished orange string that connects at the lapel. The majority of it is a light blue that matches the sky surrounding Aincrad, while the hem at the bottom and at the end of the sleeves have flames worked into the fabric that seem to dance as the wearer moves. On the back is emblazoned the symbol of SAO's eldest Samurai ronin, the Heron wading in the rushes.
Link: here

Into this:

Quote

Name: Montsuki haori
Your Profession: Tailor
Your Rank: Rank 7
Roll: 12
ID: 101393
Item Type: Light Armor
Tier: 3
Quality: Demonic
Enhancements: 2 slots Mitigation (-54 Damage), 1 slot Evasion, 1 slot Recovery
Description: This traditional japanese jacket is thigh length, and unlike a kimono doesn't close, but is instead held together by a burnished orange string that connects at the lapel. The majority of it is a light blue that matches the sky surrounding Aincrad, while the hem at the bottom and at the end of the sleeves have flames worked into the fabric that seem to dance as the wearer moves. On the back is emblazoned the symbol of SAO's eldest Samurai ronin, the Heron wading in the rushes.
Link: here

Using his <<Bunny Stamp>> acquired In the Easter dungeon here

"Congratulations, miss." Baldur said as he edged past @Sam into the shop. He gave her a warm, friendly smile and a nod of the head before he turned to the shopkeep.

"My appologizes, but Raidou-san told me to come by here. He said you had something ready for me. An Emerald Magatama for the floor 25 raid."

He hated taking so much charity, but he would be sure to pay Raidou back for his generosity, both to Baldur and to the frontlines in general. The man had been as good as his word, and had generated a tremendous amount of goods for Baldur and the raid, and for considerably less cost than he had expected. His dream of fully prepared raids was coming true.

"And thank you for your part in it as well."

The old man, self evidently known as the gaijin samurai, tried to stand as unobtrusively as he could in the room.

Baldur ran his hand slowly across the final chalk marked penguin in the dizzying corridors of the twenty-fifth floor. His fingers lightly smudged a tip of the penguins wings, but not enough that people wouldn't find them. It was the last intersection. They could see the party from here, but for the gaijin samurai, it brought back memories of the fight. It had been a messy, confusing thing. Hestia being banished from the encounter, Mac being chained up and howling in pain. The darkness, the despair. Though they had put on a brave face, it had been too close for comfort for Baldur. He could not have bared it if he had lost his Macradon in that battle. Not due to pride or hubris. This floor had given him 2020 hindsight, and that had guided the central message he had to tried to instill in the boss meeting.

Come prepared. The best of us had almost died.

He walked slowly behind Shield and the rest of Jacob's Ladder. The path to the boss room was fraught. Wandering monsters were everywhere. Ariel and himself had found Mac, Hestia, Jon, and Zandra mired in the weight of the monsters that constantly lurked here. The labyrinth was a dangerous place.

His eyes lighted up with pleasant surprise when he saw Ariel was there waiting as well.

"Ariel-san. I'm glad to see you. How many floor bosses does this make fighting side by side? Not nearly enough, but to the point where having you at my back brings me comfort."

He turned to the rest of Jacob's Ladder, pride shining like an aura about the gaijin samurai. They had finally done it. He and Shield had brought a guild to the boss fight, and he was proud of the people he brought with him. Not as many as he would have hoped, but they were filling essential roles on multiple parties, and had contributed in a large way to the preparation efforts.

"Alright, remember everyone, we've got group heal crystals to hand out. Oscar should be showing up with feasts. I also commissioned from Raidou a full set of performer buffs and debuffs as masterpieces so they can be used effortlessly in battle. I'm sure other groups will have them as well. The number one goal if this mission is keeping everyone alive. Put the lives of yourselves and your teammates first. Second is victory. We can retreat and come back more prepared as long as everyone is alive. If we let people fall... well I don't need to explain the negative spiral. We're here to save lives first and foremost. So, does everyone have a teleport crystal?"

Baldur sought out @Crozeph and @Zajcica and gestured for the two of them to come up to him.

"You both have given me wings with what you've asked me to do after this, but to that end, I would like you to do something to keep my heart at ease."

Baldur held out a potion, one to the each of them.

"This is a <<safeguard>> potion. They're extremely rare, and are only for emergencies. However, if you drink this potion, it will negate the next attack against you. If you drink this potion, and then use your <<Teleport Crystal>> then you're sure to get out. Don't drink them now, but if things turn bad and we call for a retreat, this will ensure you both get out of here safely." His eyes fastened on Crow, and then on Yuki.

"The tank is always the last one out. They're the bulwark that allows the rest of their team members to retreat. If Yuki calls for a retreat, you have to trust that she's pulling up the rear. If you delay, then you put her in more danger. The sooner the team gets out, the sooner the tank can." Baldur points to the potions he just handed them. "This is your peace of mind." His steel blue eyes met each of theirs, as if his gaze could fasten his words to their heart.

"But don't worry!" He patted Yuki and Crow on the shoulders as if he was about to envelope them in a giant bear hug. "I know what Yuki-chan can do. I believe in you both, in the hard work you've put forward, and you're going to do great. If you're nervous, just trust that I would not put you in a position I didn't think you could handle."

With that, he turned to his friend and partner in crime, Shield. He held out a fist bump to the man.

"You ready for this old man?" His steel eyes shimmered with challenge.

Baldur Stats:
HP: 1488/1488 | EN: 144/144 | DMG: 28 | ACC: 8 | EVA: 4 | MIT: 64 | DoT: 36 Burn| Status Effect: Freeze | Keen, Absolute Accuracy, Phase (0/1) | Thorn: 30 BH: 75 | Antidote (0/2) | +2 bonus EN Regen, +3 EN on CD6+ | 50% resistance to fire

Baldur trades the following:

This Jotunn was almost in the red, and they had only unleashed their alpha strike. Still, Baldur didn't wait more than a heartbeat past the cooldown timer for his San Ge attack. The others had followed the wanna-be samurai in on the fight, and he saw the two female assassins strike the boss with their weapons, one went for the powerful strike, and the other inflicted a bevvy of aliments upon the boss. He could do something similar if he could proc his new sword, but the two had not yet bonded yet. This was the first fight he had used Zanshin on.

"Keep it up. If we drop him this round, he might not get the chance to use any special moves."

Baldur brought the katana back up into the promotion of San Ge just before the cooldown ticked away so that it seemed one fluid motion. The purple steel of the blade darkened to reveal the night sky and Baldur charged forward. The giant Hrym knew the attack was coming, and he tried to evade the gaijin, but Baldur's eyes never wavered from the Jotunn. It leapt into the air to avoid Baldur's attack, but the man's precision was unerring. The man jumped into the air as well, and while they both hovered for a moment at the apex of their jumps, Baldur unleashed his attack, the system moving his limbs and sword much faster than he ever could have in the real world, and force of his blow threw the giant back at the ground through the mast of the ship, while the physics of the blow also threw Baldur back, through he landed on the wood railing in front of the raised helm.

Now the boss's health was in the red.

"Finish him!" Baldur called out.

ID#174348 BD: 1+8=9 (hit, absolute accuracy)
24x15=360 RAW - 75 MIT = 285 DMG Dealt

Baldur watched as their rag-tag band of guardians assembled themselves for the newest all hallows eve event. He knew Yuki-chan and Crow-kun, and obviously his kouhai Cal-kun, but the other names, Hidden and Night, he was unfamiliar with, though he could only see an outline of their figures when he focused on them due them being in a party, he could clearly see the orange crystal above Hidden. Something stirred in his memory of the floor 23 boss fight, but he couldn't remember clearly who that was.

"Alright, well we might as well be off then." Yuki seemed ready to go, but didn't appear to push the party forward. Well she was right about the tank going first, but if no one was going to kick this thing off, he would. After all, no one really knew what they were getting themselves into here.

"Calrex-kun and Yuki-chan in the front, Crow-kun and I can take the rear guard."

The ship loomed over them ominously. It didn't appear to be made out of wood but some kind of chitinous material, with spine like spikes sticking out of every surface. It would have been impossible to wield as a vessel in anything but a video game, but it did lend it an inhuman, eerie feeling.

The six of them strode up the ramp and into the hold of the ship. Though the chains in what must have been the slave hold were filled with limp skeletons, spectral chains held spectral prisons, who railed against non-existent restraints. Their suffering in life or the curse of the ship being all that truly held them in place.

His steel eyes peered uneasily about the ship, ready for some of the ghosts to attack them in a vanguard that never came, though he continued to press his thumb against the tusba of his katana just a fraction of force less than was necessary to draw the blade. He may not have the unique skill <<Battoujutsu>> but he was trained in the real world to possess those skills and would be ready to fight in an instant.

Finally they found another ramp up to the deck of the ship, but as they rose up to the top, they realized they were no longer where they had been. The gaijin's eyes flickered back the direction they came, but the ramp was gone and the ship was whole once more. Wind caught the sails and they lurched forward, sailing open seas of fog.

"Tsk." Baldur let out in annoyance.

Then clapping came. His eyes whirled in the direction of the helm.

"Welcome, mortals! To the Naglfar!"

As Baldur's eyes focused on the giant creature that came down toward them, the giant crystal appeared above his head, showing Baldur that he was a boss quality monsters, with the name of Hrym.

"Fy flate."

Baldur assumed his ready position.

"Alright everyone, get ready. This is a Jotunn commander. Looks like we're going to have a Ragnarok themed event now. Kayaba knows where they're taking us. Some instanced special event field. We don't know what's coming, but I doubt this is a simple tank and spank event. DPS, follow my lead. Yuki - like you said, you're on point as tank. Cal, if adds show up, I'll leave the AoE to you."

Baldur didn't so much as look at his comrades. He had an arrogant confidence that at the very least, Calrex, Yuki, and Crozeph would follow his lead. If the others were stealthed, they were going to do what they were going to do anyways, but they would look for an opening to use their skills, so he would give them one.

"I'll bull rush the big guy."

Baldur's tabi covered feet slid forward slightly as his thumb freed a half inch of the new, blade he held in his hands: <<Ethereal Tether - Zanshin.>> Who knew what this light would look like, but as that steel ware bared, energy and power swirled around Baldur's feet, the <<charge>> gathering it in and focusing it into the sword.

His steel eyes narrowed on the Jotunn, "It's time to live up to my name."

He focused his mind and his will. He did as he had taught Cal years ago, and began to teach his students. He created the flame in his mind, and fed to it all the fear, and anxiety, and distractions, and let it feed his will. His mind became clear. Some called it being in the zone. Or one might call it the state of Zen. He called his state of awareness Mushin. The flame, Fudoshin, roared to life inside of mine, uniting his mind and his spirit. Distractions fell away. There was only his team, the enemy, and their field of battle. He became one with them all in a state known as Zanshin. Awareness. Readiness.

Then he blurred. Light erupted from the ivory saya as he draw the steel purple blade. No, it wasn't light that trailed the blade. The blade cut the air as it traveled, leaving only the skybox behind the rendered graphics in its wake. Instead of the typical arcs of light which followed his sword, swaths of a night sky, stippled with stars, and colored with nebula was left in its wake trailing the gaijin samurai. The aesir and the blade as one crossed the distance to the joutnn in an instant, and a heart beat later, five separate slashed converged on the large form, and when they touched the giant's health pool was rent. The blue and white blur that was his haori finally resolved into the wanna be samurai as he came to a stop behind the monster.

"Now!"

ID: 173771 BD: 1 +8 (accuracy) -1 charge = 7 (hit due to absolute accuracy)
Base 24 +5 (charge) = 29x15=435 RAW - 75 MIT = 360 DMG Dealt

Baldur-san | HP: 1560/1560 | EN: 134/144 | MIT: 49 | DMG: 24 | Absolute ACC: 8 | EVA: 2 | BH: 78 | Conc (3/3) | Parry (2/2) | QChange (3/3) | Zanshin Equipped
@Hidden-hikoku | HP:1405/1405 | EN:124/124 | DMG:23 | MIT:79 | EVA:4 | ACC:6 | VAMP OFF:140 | HLY:8 | BH:70
@Crozeph-Kun | HP: 1090/1090 | EN: 106/106 | ACC: 4[+2] | DMG: 18[+3] | EVA: 2[+2] | MIT: 45[+30] | FRZ: 1 | BRN: 1 I REC: 1 | BH: 30 | LD: 1
@NIGHT-san | HP: 1550/1550 | EN: 167/167 | ACC: 6* | DMG: 25 | EVA: 2 | MIT: 7 | BH: 77 | BRN: 36 | BLI: 72 | BLD: 36 | TXV: 24 | VV: 10 | LD: 5 |
@Calrex-kun | HP: 1805 | EN: 176 | DMG: 18 | MIT: 116 | ACC: 4 |  EVA: 3 | ACH: 0.5 | Stonewall
@Zajcica-chan | HP: 1570/1570 | EN: 136/136 | DMG 2 MIT 232 | EVA -1 | BH 78 | THRNS: 105

Hrym - The Captain of Naglfar | HP: 1640/2000 | DMG 300 | ACC 3 | EVA 0 | MIT 75 | Horn 0/2 +1 Attack per Jötunn | Solidarity - 50% DMG REDUX 
Jötunn - 0/0

"You know, you're both right. Sitting down for something like this is something no one seems to take enough time to do. Though with the fishing event this past easter, it reminded me how nice it was just to catch up with people... it made me think about going around and checking up on everyone, and just catching up..." he let the thought linger, as he realized it was something he never followed up on.

"That settles it." Baldur said as Cord-chan laid the bowl of ramen down before him. "I'm going to have to start hosting some dinner parties at my place, get caught up with everyone. But nothing big like the floor boss meeting. Something small enough that everyone can get a chance to talk." Baldur put his hands together, and said "Itadakimasu" with a small bow before he summoned his UI and manifested a pair of dark lacquered chop sticks, smiled at the bowl, and took some noodles.

"There's just something about warm ramen in the winter that's delightful." He said with a satisfied smile.

He looked over at his two equally eccentric frontline comrades, Baldur felt in good company with them, and tried to get some conversation started.

"What have you guys been up to? I worked pretty hard leading up to the boss meeting, so I've used some of the time between to try and relax and center myself, and get settled into my new home. I had felt like I was going non-stop since last Halloween. Honestly, the new home has done a lot for managing my stress levels. I want to do a shinto home dedication ceremony with a few of my closest friends, and then I had intended to do a larger house warming party. I hope you'll both come to that."

Baldur was making small talk with Cord-chan when the flaps of the ramen shop were pushed aside, and ginger he wasn't expecting to have with his order walked into the small, warm, oasis in the snow. The parsley green it was paired with immediately told Baldur it was the robin hood of Aincrad, the ginger who stole hearts and helped the poor. The gaijin samurai flashed a smile at one of the few remaining old timers of the frontlines, Jomei.

"Konbanwa, Jomei-San. How are you?" The brunette gave him a warm and welcoming smile, gesturing that the man should feel free to join him. "I didn't expect to run into anyone here tonight, but I would love it if you would stay a while, I don't know that we've ever been able to share a meal together."

Only a moment or two after Jomei was settled, Macradon also came and settled into the ramen shop, but Baldur's eyebrows climbed up his forehead.

"Mac... what... what are you..." His blue eyes looked Macradon up and down once more, "Isn't the halloween event going on right now?" Suddenly his eyes narrowed, "You lost a bet to Mari, didn't you?"

The elder player let out a jovial laugh and gestured that he should join them. "Why don't you join us? Jomei just happened to walk in too. Nothing like some good ramen on a cold night, eh?"

The early evening on the 4th floor was always cold, but Baldur had been remiss about going there lately and checking in on Cordelia... and he only needed the barest of excuses to enjoy some warm ramen. The 4th floor really was the best floor to enjoy hot ramen on too. So the gaijin samurai tugged his haori about him as he made the short walk from the settlement, out the gates, and to Cord-chan's ramen shop. It wasn't particularly large, but it was enough to keep the snow off of them, and the heat from boiling water and the lamps filled the small space with an aura of welcomed warmth.

Baldur pushed aside the canvas that hung down to keep the weather off her patrons and sat down at one of the stools.

"Konbanwa, Cord-chan."

He settled comfortably at the counter as he thought about which one he wanted.

"Can I get some Tonkatsu Ramen with garlic?"

He smiled at her as he heard what sounded like others approaching the noodle bar.

"Looks like I got here just before the big rush. How have things been here? You've seemed quiet lately."

@Cordelia @Jomei @Macradon

Baldur and @Calrex waited at the teleportation plaza, but no one was there to meet them. While they had idled about, he suddenly caught sight of Yuki teleport through the plaza, but she immediately rushed off. He called out to her, but she must not have been able to hear him over the din of the crowd.

"Come on, Cal, let's follow her."

The gaijin samurai beckoned for his friend to follow, and they raced off across the lightly crowded plaza towards the bubble gum haired tank. Pushing through the throng of people, they eventually broke free of the settlement of Yomi, and that was when Baldur could see the tops of the ship off in the distance down on the river.

He came up short a moment, and spoke to Cal, though really it was more to himself.

"That river again, eh? What is it about it.." He shook his head and raced down the banks towards the group. There, he saw @Crozeph waiting, just as he had expected.

"I should have known Crow, that you'd be involved if it had something to do with this river." He gave a small chuckle, "I always seem to find you here."

Baldur quirked a smile at Crow when he insisted that the gaijin samurai wasn't too old, just more mature. His blue eyes danced playfully as his smile touched his eyes when he looked from one to the other. He took another bite of the steak, which was cooked perfectly to his liking.

"This is delicious Yuki-chan, thank you."

Once he had finished his meal he leaned back and took in the sights of the two of them. Playing with one another, teasing one another, he could see the attraction between the two of them. He was glad they had the opportunity to go on an adventure before he knew that this was the plan, so he could see it grow organically in his eyes.

"I see no problem with your conditions. It's your wedding after all, you should do whatever you want with it."

Baldur did want to get married himself some day, but with the world the way it was, that wasn't on the table for him. He would just conduct himself the best he could, and inspire and mentor everyone that he could. He was pleased to see his old friend doing so well.

"So, ceremony after the floor boss fight. I'll work on some preparations, and then we can sit down again to discuss some of the finer details."

He folded his hands on the table and leaned forward again, "I am so excited."

Of course Zandra would have her wedding on a beach.

He couldn't remember when Zandra had he had finally become comrades in arms. He did remember a sub dungeon they did together, perhaps the highest floor sub dungeon attempted and completed... it definitely was at the time. He had seen the Berzerk side of her title many times, but she was also the healer more often. She was beautiful, quirky, and unlike anyone else on the frontline. While they had not necessarily been an instant fit, Baldur felt like they had both taken the longer road of earning one another's respect. It was hard one, over many battles, events, and floor bosses. Perhaps they had had ups and downs, like the floor 24 lab guardian, but Baldur felt like they both knew that the other would hold up their side of any fight they were in.

It meant they trusted each other with their lives.

Itzal, on the other hand, had hit it off with Baldur immediately. However, the former Paladin had been absent of late, and Baldur hadn't had a chance to catch up with him in a long time. It would be good to finally catch up with the Scout Paladin. And Baldur was glad to see that it was a joyous occasion, and not a somber one.

Baldur had been surprised to get a  invitation from Zandra for her wedding, mostly because he didn't even know she was getting married, let alone to Itzal. But when two people that Baldur cared about and respected found joy in one another... there was nothing that made the gaijin samurai happier.

For such a special occasion, Baldur would forgo his typical blue and white haori, and instead go with the traditional black for weddings. The Montsuki Hoari also bore Baldur's sigil, a heron wading in the rushes. The haori-himo was metallic, and suspended a jade magatama. The kimono underneath was also a deep, dark blue only noticeably different when against the black.

Ever present was a katana at Baldur's side, slid through the obi. Not the infamous <<Muramasa>> but instead a different blade, the <<Zanshin.>> It felt thematically appropriate for the ceremony.

He walked up and stood off to the side. Somewhat unsure of where to stand, but excited for what was to come.

Rolling to ID Easter Dungeon rewards:

Base Item acquired here

ID#171335 LD: 12 Consumed Easter Bunny's Favor: Replaced Bleed with Freeze-> Aquired
ID#171336 LD: 16 Consumed Halloween Sticker: Added 4th slot of Vampiric Offense -> Aquired
Baldur will use his Cerberus Etching to replace the Vampiric Offense with Burn -> Aquired

Digivolves into!

Rolling to ID Easter Dungeon rewards:

Base Item acquired here

ID#171335 LD: 12 Consumed Easter Bunny's Favor: Replaced Bleed with Envenom
ID#171336 LD: 16 Consumed Halloween Sticker: Added 4th slot of Vampiric Offense
Baldur will use his Cerberus Etching to replace the Vampiric Offense with Burn

Baldur will use his Bunny Stamp to upgrade his Emerald Matagama from a Perfect| Accuracy +3 trinket, to be a Demonic | Accuracy +3/Recovery 1 trinket
 

Baldur knelt down on the cushion as he watched the girl scramble about for the blade while her master lounged and smoked. It was definitely an interesting shop, and the shopkeeper seemed to have some air of mystery about her. Finally, the blue haired girl came forward with a katana in its ivory saya. Baldur bowed his head slightly to the two woman as he accepted the blade. When he closed his hands upon it, the stat window came up and Baldur's eyebrows raised slightly. Now more interested, Baldur pushed the sword free with a thumb against the tsuba and half drew the blade so he could admire the hamon. It jagged as he expected, given the <<bleed>> enhancement on the blade. Typically he would have a paralysis blade and a bleed blade at his side whenever he reached a new tier, but the absolute accuracy over-ruled his desire for either. Now he had something both unerring, and able to improve his damage.

"Please extend my greatest thanks to Raidou-san. This is a present greater than I think I have earned from him, but I shall put it to good use, that I can promise."

He sheathed the blade and laid it in front of him as he gave her a deep a bow.

"Thank you for your time and for this gift. I shall be putting it to use in the Floor raid coming up soon."

He took the blade, slipped it into his obi and stood. Bowed once more, and then departed.

Baldur pushed his way into the merchants shop. He didn't normally frequent other merchants, but Raidou had sent him a message to come by the shop and pick something up. As he pushed his way into the traditional looking fantasy shop, he saw the walls lined with manequins for armor and weapon mounts hung on all sides. It appeared the store had everything in stock except for a hand in a jar.

He squinted.

Was that a hand in a jar on the top shelf in the back? He wouldn't quite make it out, before a young woman popped up to welcome him to her master's shop.

"Ah... yes... I'm Baldur. I believe I am expected? Raidou asked me to come by the shop, he said he had something to help out with the boss raid."

Quote

ID#171274 LD: 10

As Baldur stood among the shattered remains of the former dub stepping Easter bunny confection, a small chime and a window popped up in front of him and revealed the loot he had received for the dungeon. And unidentified 4 slot trinket. Not what he was hoping for, but he was considering enhancements to his current trinket. If this could replace that, then he would be able to augment other parts of his gear.

"Not great, but not bad. If anything, It'll save me some headache when it comes to planning out my build and equipment kits."

Having two trinkets, one balanced between accuracy and evasion, and one more accuracy, or being able to fit recovery into his build would be a huge help.

Perhaps this could work out to his favor.

"Good work guys, I'll see you at the guild meeting. We'll see if we can't pull this thing off after all."

The wooden clack of bokuto vs bokuto rang through the hall of the massive dojo at Baldur's estate as the gaijin samurai circled the ultramarine knight: Aincrad's strongest player. Under any normal circumstance, Baldur could never stand a chance against his friend and student, Cal-kun, but under their house rules, with the wooden swords and no sword arts, Baldur could hold his own, and even win from time to time. He had taught everything to his kouhai, though Calrex had stopped using the Katana for now in lieu of his fancy battle axe and fisticuffs, but the heart of what Baldur taught him, the heart of katsujinken, was not how to swing the sword, but how to fight with your whole being. Calrex had once had two forms, the friendly neighborhood kouhai, and the cold, deadly warrior. Their time together taught him how to become the warrior when it was needed, and then how to sheath the sword once the battle was done.

Then a chime rang through the quiet of the dojo. Baldur lowered the blade, and Cal didn't need any other indication before doing so himself.

"I got a message of Yuki-chan." The up-and-coming tank would soon be something akin to Baldur's sister in law. He considered Crow a brother, and nothing less than a brother in arms... so that sort of made Yuki a sister-in-arms-in-law... right? Step Sister in arms maybe?

He navigated his HUD one handed to pull up the short message.

"Hey @Calrex, put on a shirt. It looks like there's an event going on down on floor 10. We should check it out. They've been giving top tier rewards out like candy."

There was something about the Halloween events that just gave really good rewards. Baldur pulled a towel off the sword rack near where one of the shoji panel walls opened up out onto the ponds and let in a breeze. He didn't need to towel off the sweat, but it was a ritual his mind used to calm down and cool off after they had just been battling it out.

"You probably don't have to worry about survival, but I would come armed for bear. The fights have been getting harder and harder lately, and good damage will be important. Besides, if Yuki-chan is there, she'll want to tank. So you should take the chance to show off a bit."

Not long after, they were emerging from the teleportation plaza at Yomi on the 10th floor.

Baldur | HP: 1560/1560 | EN: 144/144 | MIT: 49 | DMG: 24 | Absolute ACC: 8 | EVA: 2 | BH: 78 | Conc (3/3) | Parry (2/2) | QChange (3/3) | Zanshin Equipped

Baldur caught the glowing orb of red light and felt the edges of his vision redden for a moment as he glowed with the crimson light of Shield's power up. From where he stood behind the paralyzed marshmallow monster, he charged forward, his San Ge flashing in arcs of light too fast for anyone to have been able to follow. It was as if all of the strikes occurred at the same time, and the arcs of light collided into the form of the jacket clad, boombox wielding children hating candy almost to the point where Baldur felt like he could see Shield on the other side.

"Beat! You got this! Finish it off and lets get out of here!" It was time for their vacation in Oompa Loompa land to finally be over.

"I just hope we get something good for all this trouble." The self proclaimed samurai smirked. What would their egg hunt finally reveal? They had certainly done enough fishing to earn something good.

ID#171084 BD:4+8-2=10 (hit)
23 (base)+3(sharpness)=26x15=390RAW -75MIT = 315 DMG Dealt

[H:4] Baldur - HP: 1510/1510 | EN: 42/136   | MIT: 79    | DMG: 23+2 | ACC: 8 | EVA: 2 | BH: 75 | Conc (1/3) | Parry (0/2) | QChange (1/3) [Warden's Fury Equipped]
[H:3] Beat    - HP: 1225/1225 | EN: 42/120   | MIT: 3      | DMG 23  | Absolute ACC: 7 | EVA: 0 | BH: 24 | Conc (0/3) | QChange (0/3)
[H:7] Shield - HP: 1726/1850 | EN: 116/176 | MIT: 226 | DMG: 2    |  EVA: -1 | BH:92 | HB: 48 | THN: 99 | ENV: 18/4

Sebastian - HP: 156/2000 | DMG: 350 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 2 | MIT: 75 | D-D-Drop the Egg [1/3] Blight [24 - 1/2] Bleed [24 - 1/2] Env [12 - 3/4]
Ability: D-D-Drop the Egg - Drops a massive egg (Egg - HP: 500/500 | MIT: 150 | DMG: AoE 250 [Unmitigated], Funk - Lose next turn)

The one-two hit combo that was Baldur and Beat, plus Shield's thorns, meant that they had this fight pretty much in the bag already. Beat had crit the boss and inflicted every dot effect known to god and anime, and the creature was just below half HP already. The gaijin samurai couldn't let Beat leave him in the dust though, and so Baldur rushed forward, leaping into the air as he activated <<San Ge>> and dropped down onto the Beat boxing peep... no, it was actually Shield boxing he supposed, and the vibrant white light of Baldur's sword art suddenly exploded forward with golden lighting, revealing a skeleton that the peep didn't have. Lazy animation. Baldur critiqued, though the sight of it gave him a smile.

The momentum carried the wanna be samurai past the disgusting sugary monstrosity, and he dug the sword into the ground to help spin him around and bring him to a stop.

"We got this! Let's finish him off!"

ID#171002 BD: 9 (Crit) +8 Accuracy -2 evasion = 15 (hit)
Damage: 23+1=24 x 15 = 360 RAW - 75 MIT = 285 DMG Dealt + Paralyze

[H:3] Baldur - HP: 1510/1510 | EN: 53/136   | MIT: 79    | DMG: 23 | ACC: 8 | EVA: 2 | BH: 75 | Conc (2/3) | Parry (0/2) | QChange (2/3) [Warden's Fury Equipped]
[H:3] Beat    - HP: 1225/1225 | EN: 42/120   | MIT: 3      | DMG 23  | Absolute ACC: 7 | EVA: 0 | BH: 24 | Conc (0/3) | QChange (0/3)
[H:7] Shield - HP: 1726/1850 | EN: 126/176 | MIT: 226 | DMG: 2    |  EVA: -1 | BH:92 | HB: 48 | THN: 99 | ENV: 18/4

Sebastian - HP: 531/2000 | DMG: 350 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 2 | MIT: 75 | D-D-Drop the Egg [2/3] Blight [24 - 2/2] Bleed [24 - 2/2] Env [12 - 4/4] [PARALYZED]
Ability: D-D-Drop the Egg - Drops a massive egg (Egg - HP: 500/500 | MIT: 150 | DMG: AoE 250 [Unmitigated], Funk - Lose next turn)

Baldur finally had proof before him that this entire sword art online story arc of his life was no a hallucination, because never in any drug addled version of his mind could the gaijin samurai have ever come up with what he saw before him. The... peep... appeared to still be in its rapper. The wanna-be samurai cast a glance back towards where they had lost Seul, but they needed to prepare for battle here and now. They could worry about the recruit later.

"Here I go!" Baldur crouched down, ready to draw his sword as Beat charged again. Energy and power surged around Baldur's feet as he centered himself, sharpening his <<concentration>> and feeling the room about him as he had taught Jonathan to do. He was grounded, so that the power could explode not just from him, but from the earth itself. The pull of the system assist tugged at Baldur as his hands hovered over the two blades at his side. Power or accuracy? Better to stick with his new method. Absolute Accuracy for Charge, and switch to Muramasa if the hits were coming easy.

He grasped the handle of <<Warden's Fury>> and suddenly blitzed forward. White and gold light exploded out from the saya as Baldur drew the blade and tore into the unwrapped sugar travesty. The system carried him, practically teleporting him through movements that no person was capable of on their own, and blows rained down on the confection.

"Time to put you on the discount aisle!"

ID#170582 BD: 1 +8 Accuracy -1 Charge +1 concentration -2 evasion = 7 (hit)
Damage: 23 (base) +5 (charge) +3 (sharpen) = 31 x 15 = 465 RAW - 75 MIT = 390 DMG Dealt

[H:1] Baldur - HP: 1510/1510 | EN: 64/136    | MIT: 79    | DMG: 23+3 | ACC: 8 | EVA: 2 | BH: 75 | Conc (3/3) | Parry (0/2) | QChange (3/3) [Warden's Fury Equipped]
[H:1] Beat    - HP: 1225/1225 | EN: 52/120   | MIT: 3      | DMG 23  | Absolute ACC: 7 | EVA: 0 | BH: 24 | Conc (0/3) | QChange (0/3)
[H:0] Shield - HP: 1849/1850 | EN: 130/176 | MIT: 226 | DMG: 2    |  EVA: -1 | BH:92 | HB: 48 | THN: 99 | ENV: 18/4

Sebastian - HP: 1245/2000 | DMG: 350 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 2 | MIT: 75 | D-D-Drop the Egg [3/3]
Ability: D-D-Drop the Egg - Drops a massive egg (Egg - HP: 500/500 | MIT: 150 | DMG: AoE 250 [Unmitigated], Funk - Lose next turn)

"Oh, I would like my steak medium rare." The gaijin samurai said with a smile; he would be salivating, but that wasn't a thing in here. Steak was his favorite, but certainly not what he expected here." And no sauce for me."

The man gave Crow a lopsided smile when he related that Yuki had been an unstopable force, and he had merely ridden in her wake. That seemed so very like Crow. Though it seemed she had managed to bring him along not just down her path, but down his own path as well, and that was a delight to see.

But then came the question that sent Baldur reeling just after he had gotten his feet back under him.

"You want me to officiate the wedding?" He was floored, and overjoyed, "I would love to!" He beamed a smile at one, and then the other.

"I am so honored you came to me with this! I am so happy for you both!" He didn't know if he could eat any longer, since he was so excited. He'd need to think about it a lot, since it had been a very long time since he had officiated a wedding. At least before they got trapped in here, but a while before that as well.

"Thank you, you have made an old man's heart smile."

Baldur was impressed when he saw Yuki's house. It was a style after his own heart, and immediately he not only saw the draw for Crow, but also felt more at home himself here.

"Your home is beautiful, Yuki-chan." Baldur gave her a warm, endearing smile.

While she went to go change, Baldur and Crow settled into the kotatsu, but nothing would have prepared Baldur for what came next. He was floored by Crow's revelation, but so happy for him at the same time. The shock and joy mingling on Baldur's face.

"Crow-kun... I... wow..." He leaned back onto his hands as he considered the news, "You've come such a long way since Empress-chan and I practically dragged you from your shop on that dark floor." He shook his head in amazement.

"I am so happy for you, for you both. Of course I'll be at your wedding!" The surprise still hung around Baldur, but the smile on his face only grew the more he thought about it.

"It will be nice to have something to celebrate on the other side of the floor, too."

The visual feast before him was a confection of nightmare fuel. Seeing Shield, his good friend, as the engulfed ass of a giant marshmallow sugar monster in the shape vaguely reminiscent of a bird was not something he ever wanted to remember.

That was certainly a kill for the record books, however.

"Uh... yeah, I can help him up." Baldur went to help Beat rip Shield off of the floor so that the warrior could have free will once more.

"Can we just agree to forget what happened here? I have no desire to ever remember this fight."

He gave a lopsided smile that showed he was joking, but mostly serious.

"Let's just... uh... get this thing over with. I think from what I heard from others, there's only one more fight left."

The samurai tried to wipe the sludge of sugar from his katana on the sleeve of his already coated haori, before sheathing the <<Muramasa.>> Even the cursed, bloodthirsty blade seemed subdued by what it had been forced to be used on.

ID#169629 LD: 17
The Big Peep - Demonic Consumable: Overhealth, Overhealth, Overhealth, Overhealth

[H:0] Seul     - HP: 1150/1150 | EN: 39/106   | MIT: 126  | DMG: 18 | EVA: -1 |   ACC: 2 | BH: 57 | V (D): 115 | HB: 24 | Conc: 3/3
[H:0] Baldur - HP: 1510/1510 | EN: 75/136    | MIT: 79    | DMG: 26 | ACC: 7 | EVA: 2 | BH: 75 | Conc (0/3) | Parry (0/2) | QChange (0/3) [Muramasa Equipped]
[H:0]  Beat    - HP: 1225/1225 | EN: 61/120   | MIT: 3      | DMG 23  | Absolute ACC: 7 | EVA: 0 | BH: 24 | Conc (0/3) | QChange (0/3)
[H:0]  Shield - HP: 1849/1850 | EN: 142/176 | MIT: 226 | DMG: 2    |  EVA: -1 | BH:92 | HB: 48 | THN: 99 | ENV: 18/4