Baldur

Baldur stood there, horrified, as the giant peep suddenly began to swell, increasing in size until it looked like it might absorb them all.

"I don't know that there's any reward worth this."

He backed up every inch he could, trying to increase the distance between him and the ever swelling monstrosity. What a way to go.

Holding his blade out in front of him like a spike, as if it would help him pop the sugary mass, it continued unabaited, but just when Baldur thought he was safe and might make it out unscathed, the peep exploded. At first, the gaijin samurai thought it was a good thing. An end to the fight. When he opened his eyes, he found he was covered in the guts of the stuff, and rather than having vanquished the foe, now hundreds of smaller ones bounced around the room.

"I want to go home and take a bath." He lamented, "I don't want to be here anymore."

He just stood there, trying to shake off the gunk and survive the bunny avalanche.

Passive [+1 EN] 
Action: None

[H:3] Seul     - HP: 1150/1150 | EN: 23/106   | MIT: 126  | DMG: 18 | EVA: -1 |   ACC: 2 | BH: 57 | V (D): 115 | HB: 24 | Conc: 3/3
[H:3] 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:3]  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:7]  Shield - HP: 1849/1850 | EN: 161/176 | MIT: 226 | DMG: 2    |  EVA: -1 | BH:92 | HB: 48 | THN: 99 | ENV: 18/4 

The Giant Peep - HP: 50/2000 | DMG: 30 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 0 | MIT: 150 | Chubby Bunny [3/3 turns]
Players roll CD. They may use up to that many peeps to gain one of the following: 1-3 [Phase] 4-6 [Burn BD8+] 7-9 [Holy next crit] 10-12 [Fallen 2 next hit]

"Bite your tongue." Baldur jokingly reproached Beat. "This stuff is disgusting enough in the real world, without it having to have a negative effect on our weapons. Just be glad we don't really have to clean this stuff."

Baldur slid into his stance and unleashed another <<San Ge>> upon the congealed mass of putrescent sugar. Truely this was a monster from the darkest pits of hell.

The slashes of light from Baldur's sword art arced through the air once again, but while it could effortlessly slice through the strongest of armor,  the light seemed to slow very slightly as it tore through the sticky mass of monster. The yellow health bar slowly crept down until it became red. They were almost done, but his critical hit was not as super powered as others, and he wasn't able to finish it off.

"Ugh." Baldur bemoaned as he his sword art finished.

"After this fight, Shield is going to look like the marshmellow man!"

[Rolling]
ID# BD: 10+7= Crit
San Ge: 26 (Base)+2=28 x15 = 420 RAW - 150 MIT = 270 DMG Dealt

[H:3] Seul     - HP: 1150/1150 | EN: 23/106   | MIT: 126  | DMG: 18 | EVA: -1 |   ACC: 2 | BH: 57 | V (D): 115 | HB: 24 | Conc: 3/3
[H:3] Baldur - HP: 1510/1510 | EN: 74/136    | MIT: 79    | DMG: 26 | ACC: 7 | EVA: 2 | BH: 75 | Conc (0/3) | Parry (0/2) | QChange (1/3) [Muramasa Equipped]
[H:3]  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:7]  Shield - HP: 1850/1850 | EN: 161/176 | MIT: 226 | DMG: 2    |  EVA: -1 | BH:92 | HB: 48 | THN: 99 | ENV: 18/4 

The Giant Peep - HP: 149/2000 | DMG: 30 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 0 | MIT: 150 | Chubby Bunny [2/3 turns]
Players roll CD. They may use up to that many peeps to gain one of the following: 1-3 [Phase] 4-6 [Burn BD8+] 7-9 [Holy next crit] 10-12 [Fallen 2 next hit]

Baldur looked down at the list after he had given everyone time to speak up about their chosen roles. He was really only interested in tanks and healers. He wasn't interested in discussing party compositions at this time, but you couldn't play chess unless you knew what pieces you had on the board. They were in dire straights, but that was exactly the landscape he had expected. Still, the conversation seemed to be moving forward, rather than languishing in unproductive tangents. He listened as everyone said their piece. It was good that everyone seemed engaged in the challenges of the fight rather than the drama that had swirled around for a moment.

"It appears we will only have 2 players with Field Medic and maxed first aid. Zandra and Mari. I know Shield can heal in a pinch, but it doesn't look like we will be able to count on Hestia for this fight as either tank or healer." He wanted to frown at the list, but the time had moved on.

"It looks like we'll want to spread the healers and the off tank around. Whichever party doesn't get a healer, will get an off tank, so that they can switch out and recover healing through passive means and through the coordinated use of group heal crystals. Because of this, it is more important than any boss fight before that everyone come prepared and decked out with as many consumables as you can. I would also recommend if your primary weapon specializes in a certain effect, like mine does paralyze. That you bring a second weapon with a different effect. We have had fights where both bleed and paralyze had positive, buffing effects for the boss fight. It's not a necessity, but having a backup weapon in case yours is neutralized, is a good idea."

His steel blue eyes glanced down at the list once more.

"It looks like we have the ability to field 3 groups of players, 18 in total. There is a possibility for a high risk 4th group we could field if we had the DPS numbers, and all the consumables prepared. I for one would rather take 3 strong safe teams than 4 moderate, riskier teams, but I won't tell people not to risk their lives. Do take this fight seriously. The odds are if you're trying to DPS as Tier 2,  you may contribute more risk than you benefit the party. This is going to be a challenging floor and a challenging boss fight, but we need to move forward. We need to save these lives. We can't stop here any longer."

"With all of this as the case, I think Bahr makes a very prudent suggestion. We can have one of the special lights stones in every party, but I would recommend everyone bring their own just in case, even though this may limit your battle ready inventory."

Denotes Lightstone

"With this, we'll need 120 total group heal crystals to ensure everyone can hold a stack of five. The idea being that you can use these crystals without stopping the attack, and if every one of the DPS in a party did this at the same time, it would almost equal a heal from one of our healers. I recommend at least having one AoE in each party, since the shadow waves were something that needed to be held in check, and I would not be surprised to see them show up again. The parties without healers get off tanks. Morgenstern and Yuki should be able to work well together as both are relatively strong and experienced tanks. Plus, Morgentern will be an invaluable DPS addition when Yuki takes her turn tanking. This should give us the largest field with the most versatility and strength."

Baldur shared the information so that everyone could see what he did.

"I do like the idea of trying to purge Orgoth, but we don't know what scene we'll be walking into, and have no idea what mechanics could work on it. Perhaps a <<Purify>> would work on him, perhaps a space light stone from the labyrinth fight would do the trick. If we want to try these, we need to do them right away. Lead with a Purify, if that doesn't work, follow up with a spare Light stone. If that doesn't work, and the fight itself doesn't prompt anything, then we'll have to assume its a phased fight. Orgoth first, then Shadow. I don't think PC possession is a mechanic that's in the cards for this fight or he would have tried to snag Macradon already."

He looked around the room.

"The only other step is getting the general sign up of DPS, but that always seems to very right up until we see who shows up the morning of the fight. I usually suggest getting together as teams to coordinate consumables, equipment, and division of labor. So filling DPS slots aside, does anyone have any final concerns or strategy they would like the larger group to consider?"

Baldur let conversation wash over the room, and then finally Macradon spoke. He remembered vividly Macradon's low health, chained to the ground when they needed to move.  Constantly the Shadow was interrupting their plans. Slowing them down. Diverting their attention. Whittling away at their health and resources. They couldn't have last much longer, especially after Hestia had been ejected from the battle. His frustration was growing, but why? What was he frustrated about? Why was he bothered? He was frustrated at people dogpiling on Yuki, but that was not enough. The putrescent girl and the mask man... he wished he could throw them out, but that wasn't the purpose here. He had called everyone here as a call to arms. They each had their own battles, and their own stake in getting them all out. He was only here to convey knowledge and provide a place for discussion. This was not his fight, this was all of theirs.

"Bahr is right." He called out, settling his feelings about the room.

"But we cannot play chess with an enemy without knowing what pieces we have. We can't plan on having 2 tanks per party, without knowing how many tanks we have. And we can't know how many parties we can field, until we know how many tanks and healers we have. I agree with the sentiment that if we can save Orgoth and turn him into an ally, that is the preferable course of action. I don't believe that he can possess players. That is a bridge too far. However, until we start the fight proper, we won't know what opportunities we have. We must start with what we can control. And that is ourselves."

Baldur played idly with the tea cup in his hand as he returned his gaze upon the assembled players.

"We know who our tanks and off tanks are. What about healers? Who here has Rank 5 healing, and Field Medic? The other mods are a plus, but this is the minimum for a healer."

He knew Zandra, he knew Mari was ranking it up. Crow would be following in their footsteps as well. Shield had first aid, but not Field Medic, and he would be main tanking.

"I know the number of our healers are limited, which is why we have the healing crystals commissioned. Ideally they will supplement our healing options, not replace them."

"Life happens wherever we are, whether we want it to or not." The words were more powerful than he expected, though they weren't directed at Lessa, the emotion with which he spoke them made them appear to be. "The life you're running away from here, is the one I'm running away from out there. If you're doing it alone, that's a choice you're making. In order to keep going, I have surrounded myself with a new family, and a new community, and with you. Otherwise I wouldn't have the ability to push myself to the limit every day."

The tears were coming again, but he needed to get this out.

"And don't get me wrong. I am out there doing this for you. For Tyger. For those kids. For everyone in in the Town of Beginnings. I am seeking to destory the world I feel more comfortable in because I see the suffering it causes others, but I don't see the difference, other than that I feel like I belong here more. I have a life here. Friends that I never would have met elsewhere. Pets, friends, a family. I have friends and family out there too, and I fight to get out so that they don't have to live in fear of losing me, but to them they probably already have. It's been years, and they have learned to live in a world without me, with only a threadbare hope that someday we might pull ourselves out of here."

He shook his head and paused, turned away from her for a moment to wipe tears away from his eyes he didn't want her to see, though she already had.

"It breaks my heart, but just because we were comfortable out there, doesn't make the world any better, we just happen to live somewhere where the risk isn't to us. In the outside world, we're the people that never left the Town of Beginnings. It's incredibly selfish of me, but in this world, the goal is simple. It's right in front of me. And that lizard part of my brain chose fight instead of flight. I know, that in order to make the world a better place for you and everyone else, I have to clear the next boss. Get stronger, and clear the next boss. That kind of clarity gives me peace. But make no mistake... I will get you ou-" he hesitated for only a split second, almost imperceptibly," all out of here, and I will labor with every breath to do it."

He took another deep, ragged breath and turned to face her, all sign of tears gone.

"I know you hate it here. I will never excuse what Kayaba did. But I would be lying to you and to myself if I didn't admit that this world didn't draw me in and give me a clarity I couldn't find out there."

"Well, it's hard to improve upon perfection." He joked when she mused why there hadn't been another snowy floor.

He stood up from the fountain and faced her, "You wanna go? I happen to quite enjoy the fourth floor. Though outside the establishments it can be pretty cold."

He turned as if he expected her to join him on the way to the teleportation plaza.

"I wish it were that easy, but I have to get people to cooperate. I may want to give someone a chance, but if the person they murdered was their best friend, it doesn't work out so well. And then there are the people who want to look out for others, but their best intentions don't have boundaries. And then there are those that just seem to want to disagree with whatever everyone agrees with. If Nine out of 10 people said that the sky was blue, that 10th person would have to say that they other nine were idiots and completely wrong. I don't know why that is, but it's like chaos has to slip in there somehow and make everything more difficult. And then there's resource disparity, even among the highest level there are haves and have nots. People who are used to being on top becoming usurped. People who are used to commanding respect, suddenly finding none. Ego after ego after ego, not the least of which is mine."

He gave her a playful, knowing smile. He did not exclude himself from his judgement. He was also one whose ego made things harder than they needed to be. He was working on that though.

"I will say, one of my favorite European style pubs in on floor uh..." Baldur tapped in chin in thought. It had been a while since he had been there. And there were so many floors now. Was it 19? "Floor 19."

"I was trying not to scare anyone away, and at the same time convince them of the danger. The issue with aspiring frontliners is that they all end to be stubborn and arrogant. At least, until they lose someone close to them, or almost die themselves. If we try to scare them, they're going to dig in their heals and press on into the fight, but if you give them requirements, they'll rise to meet them. The scope of the danger we presented is probably why Yuki decided to throw her hat in. She saw a need, and pushed on into it, but since I had placed a requirement on it, she's not working towards meeting that requirement."

He smiled in thought at the young woman working so hard to join them in a role they desperately needed, even if everyone seemed to have an opinion on what she was or wasn't allowed to do.

"Hopefully by being prepared, and giving everyone some goals, we can direct the energy of the new frontliners into heightening their odds of survival, even if they don't realize what they're doing."

Baldur bent down and picked up a rock, throwing it into the river instead of trying to skip it, just to give his hands something to do.

"My goal with Jacob's Ladder was to help supply the frontline, with players, and resources, and organization. We accumulated the resources to comission 100 perfect heal crystals, I also commissioned a masterpiece set of performer buffs and debuffs. We also have set aside a stipend of resources to outfit rising stars with new equipment at each tier, and plan to help them know what skills they need to take and when, to optimize their leveling, and what their goal should be to hit by the time they want to join the frontlines. I'm trying to use the wealth of the high levels, both in terms of materials and knowledge, and empower those of lower levels. My dojo is seperate, but the guild is built around the concepts of my school."

He was surprised to see so many people starting up schools. Now there were 3. There was still the guild that Lessa and Cordelia belong to, that Baldur knew nothing about, but he saw that Bahr had the same guild symbol. They would be an interesting contender in the front going forward, Baldur just had to let go of his ego and let the new blood take the lead without fighting them as the previous old blood had done. Sometimes you were the top, and sometimes you weren't. There was an ebb and flow to the frontlines and the new blood would learn that eventually as well.

"I look forward to dropping by and seeing your school."

Baldur gave Lessa an amused smile as she reenacted every Jennifer she had come across before. It was an interesting, almost karenesque painting she acted out before him. He could definitely see her asking to speak to the manager because her starbucks order wasn't prepared just the right way nor fast enough to not inconvenience her.

Then, after a heavy moment, she opened up to him.

"It's, uh, Alyssa." Of course it was. Lessa. Alyssa. It made sense. It made so much sense that Baldur probably never would have guessed it. It was too obvious, and Baldur was not good with obvious. Convoluted he had down pat. Advanced mathematics he could work with. Guessing Alyssa from Lessa, or seeing what was always right in front of him? Impossible.

"But that doesn't mean anything. Just because you know my name doesn't mean I'm going to die, just like my knowing yours doesn't-"

So that's what it was. Baldur knew how she felt about his name. The burden she didn't want to bear, and likely didn't want him to bear for her. But he would make sure Lessa got out of here and could return home to her family. There was a very, very short list of things he wouldn't do to make sure she saw her family again. But if knowing his real name meant that she had to accept the very real possibility that he might die, as Alkor had done before him, than it made sense. 1+1. It had been right in front of Baldur the whole time.

So of course, he had to make a joke.

"Well, UhAlyssa, it's nice to make your acquaintance." I really can't believe you did that just now. Like, I realize you're a punster, and you like bad jokes. But there should be a limit. Even for me. WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!

As Baldur mentally berated himself and tried to let none of it show on his face, he continued. "I mean, I can't really argue that every Jen I've ever known doesn't like Pumpkin spice latte, but I don't think I've lived in a climate quite as cold as yours for all the puffy jackets. Though I'll maybe trade you that for ugg boots."

His smile came back, but didn't quite touch his eyes. He started walking up the hill back towards the settlement and put his hands into the sleeves of his haori as respite from the chill.

"Neither of us is going to die, Lessa, but I won't give up, and neither should you." He turned to look at her as they walked up the hill side by side. His smile had a gentle sadness to it, but his eyes held all the steel in the world. The fire that had always burned there, continued to burn just as bright. If there was a way, the gaijin samurai would find it.

"I don't know if the sexy samurai pub has enough of a single theme to work as a draw, but it would certainly have character." He laughed at the thought.

"That's not a bad personal philosophy. I was always a follower of Wil Wheaton's law of the internet, 'Don't be a dick.' That one seems to be about as hard as you can expect form most people. Unfortunately, the life we face in Aincrad outside these walls requires a bit more nuance. There are orange players out there, and while all of them deserve their orange status, there are green players who have a higher kill count than orange ones. Technicalities and all that. There are some people worthy of redemption, and some that aren't. And I get the burden of deciding that sometimes."

He waved away the grave though for a moment and tried to refashion a smile on his face.

"Sorry, I get teased about trying to teaching philosophy too much. Unintentionally." He laughed again. He never would have thought it would become such a big part of his life, for something he never even took a class in.

"You could definitely open a pub. I know a lot of players are trying to find places they can go to to relax. Somewhere with good food and drink and an atmosphere to relax. That sounds nice."

She had mentioned typically only having a few close friends, and that resonated with Baldur.

"I never had a big social circle  until much later in life. Well after college. I had a lot of aquaintences, but not many real friends. And then when I left college, I lost touch with almost all of them anyways. Thankfully, here in Aincrad, I have quite a few friends. Something about being in life and death situations with one another means you build a bond of trust quickly. There are several people I would expect would risk their life for me, and I them. It certainly puts things in perspective, but it can still make for dull dinner conversation."

He gave her a playful smirk, "Have you visited the other floors? Maybe picked out a settlement for your pub?"

Baldur suddenly felt his palms get a little clammy as she started to fire on all cylinders when it came to puns. I didn't expect to be fighting two battles today, I better stop floundering. Still he flashed a grin. If this was a fight she wanted, she would soon find out she was swimming in the deep end. We'll see if she can keep her head above water.

"Alright, I guess we'll head over to the dock. It seems to be swimming with people. Hopefully they'll let us through and not be too shellfish. I'd rather not rent a boat if we're going to be fighting something, even if they have a nice boat like a barracuda or stringray. They're just too small."

As they walked down the the beach towards the dock, Baldur saw the sign for some kind of restaurant or sand bar that seemed to specialize in seafood. "I'd ask if you're hungry, but the place looks like a real dive ." His eyes twinkled as they began to head out onto the deck. They may have food buffs, but Baldur never fought water battles for an hour after eating.

The pier was packed with both players and NPC's. It seemed to be a very popular fishing spot. He knew that it had to be an unfathomably good one in order for players to be packed in like sardines, but at the very end, the pier widened out into a large fishing platform. Conveniently large for having a battle on. There, an NPC was waiting for them with a bucket full of fishing rods..

"Oh my cod, you have got to be kidding," Baldur laughed as he approached, his eyes targeting the NPC, "They named him Marlin? That's a bit on the nose, don't you think? I bet they did it on porpoise. Surely it wasn't just for the halibut."

Baldur smiled once more and addressed the NPC, "Alright Marlin, throw me a line. This quest should only take a few minnows."

"Listen, shrimp." The old fisher replied to Baldur, and the samurai's blue eyes went wide. "Mōretsuna isn't just any old fish. Ee's the king of the ocean. Show 'im some respect, else he'll tank ya down into the deep end, where even a sturgeon can't save ye."

Baldur's eyes were still wide as Marlin handed him a rod. Once Mari had hers, he walked her over to the edge. "Man, what a crab. He really feels defensive about this fish, I could see the anchor in his eyes. But if we alpha strike this thing to death, I'm going to eel over in laughter."

He gestured for Mari to go first, "Shall we make a bet to seal the deal?" The bemused expression never left his face, "Whoever gets the killing blow gets bragging rights back at bass."

"You probably know more about our potential than me." Ariel did not seem to believe Baldur's optimistic words, but she also seemed to appreciate that he had the ability to be so. Baldur's chief weapon had always been hope, not the katana.

"I do, but not by much. The biggest concern was not having enough people due to attrition. Now the biggest concern is all the new people that have come to fill in the ranks. They need to know how to fight and survive. While they don't have the experience, they also don't have the bad habits. If we can train them to have good ones, then the front will be even more powerful than it was before."

There had been many new faces he hadn't seen before the meeting, and apparently quite a few of them newly tier 3. He was optimistic, they would just need to spread them out with a smattering of more experienced frontliners, for those who were left at least.

"It sounds like we're still at that point. I was hoping things would have improved. Seems it's unavoidable that there's bound to be a Zelrius or Ariel disrupting these meeting. I had hoped that things would improve in my absence but are always going to be clashing factions."

"It does seem that those who would rather disagree and insult always find their way to the meetings, but there is little we can do about it but hope that maturity wins out. I would love to make the meetings by invitation only, but that comes with its own set of problems. Jacob's Ladder will not become an Azure Brigade part 2." There was a bit of fire in those words, but he had lived with the comparison long enough simply because it was a frontline guild headed by frontliners.

"I feel if we are lucky, we will have 3 full teams. Perhaps 4 smaller ones if the tank and off tank numbers work out, but I would settle for 3 full, strong teams."

Baldur smirked as she sat besides him and mentioned that he hadn't hit on her, but then wanted to dress up like a sexy samurai.

"You mean, you'd wear one of those anime outfits that's like a samurai ran out of fabric about mid thigh?" he gave a soft chuckle, and a bemused smile, "That seems little... college frat party, don't you think?" Baldur adjusted the swords as he turned to face her more, the blades now resting on the edge of the stone fountain instead of letting the dip into the water.

"I never really considered it fun.." he plucked at the sleeves of his haori, "but I suppose it is. Haven't you ever felt out of place in your own skin before? Or like you had to be different in order to fit in? I would never have had the courage or the audacity to dress like this in the real world... it has a lot more connotations, but here it is a statement about who and what I am. In an instant, someone can tell what I am about. Heritage is less important when every day is the day that we could die. If I were in America there would be ideas of cultural appropriation, and they would be right. But here in Japan, they welcome people to adopt their style and heritage. The Japanese believe that culture survives by being adopted, and if people adopt it, that means their culture is superior."

He looked up from the sleeve of his haori and back to the girl.

"I've always felt a kinship with the eastern philosophy. So when I found out this was going to be a game to death, I took up the katana. Originally... I had planned to go with a tank. But I'm used to using a katana in the real world, so I figured I should give myself the best chance I had."

He tilted his head to the girl, "I think considering that we aren't getting alcohol, that I'd be just as happy without Kayaba tinkering artificially with my head to induce the effect of being drunk. Though I can definitely see the attraction for many given our state of affairs. I bet a pretty bartender could make quite the living doing that as well. Were you a bartender outside the game as well?"

Baldur smiled at Yuki as she told him of her home and offered to cook for him.

"I had meant for us to relax and I would treat for dinner so that you could relax as well, but I can't say no to such a generous offer." His smile was true and earnest, "But please, Chef's choice. Make your favorite meal and I will enjoy it."

Crozeph once again mentioned there was something they wanted to talk about, and that raised Baldur's suspicions. She had been helping him wake up? He had been spending fewer and fewer nights at Baldur's house after he had given him a room. What could the two of them be up to? Hopefully they weren't trying to set him up too. Crozeph was one of the few people around that still knew about Tyger.

"I appreciate the sentiment Crow, but I still feel like I'm twice the age of most of the frontliners, and I'm probably not that far off."

Baldur saw the large, ugly ogre's health dip into the red and knew this was the moment. He rushed up to the mob, his sword radiating the white light as it threatened to blind them all and then Baldur simply vanished.

He appeared again high above the monster and came slashing down, his blow cutting the thing in two, and the ground beneath them cracking from the wait of the blow, and while Baldur was held there for a moment, after images of Baldur's form streaking around the creature, slashing it all around and then leaping into the air resolved into one form, where he had begun his descent. Once the system had released him from its control, the samurai turned to face his party, whirling the sword around and then sliding the blade back into the saya. For a moment, it seemed as if the Ogre didn't know what was going on, and then as Baldur's katana clicked home into the saya... nothing happened.

And just a breath later, Ugzeke the Mighty exploded into a summer storm of luminous polygons, shards of light raining down around them.

Baldur made a tsk of annoyance. He didn't get the timing right.

"Well then, who's up for something to eat? I personally feel starving right now, and I'd like to get to know Yuki a bit better too, if an old man doesn't cramp your style."

Baldur winked at the two playfully.

Ugzeke, the Mighty: 0/1500  | DMG: 200 | MIT: 35 | ACC: 2 | 

[7] Zajčica | HP:1090/1090 | EN: 88/100 | DMG: 3 | MIT: 209 | ACC: 2 | BLD: 36 | H.M.: 2 | REC:1 | THRNS: 84 | TAUNT | BH: 58 | DoT -25%
[2] Crozeph | HP: 720/720 I EN: 33/72 I DMG: 14 I MIT: 44 I ACC: 4 I EVA: 1 I FRZ: 1 I REC: 2
[5] Baldur | HP: 1430/1430 | EN: 106/140 | MIT: 79 | DMG: 21 | Absolute ACC: 5 | EVA: 2 | BH: 72 | Conc (1/3) | Parry (2/2) | QChange (3/3)

Baldur smiled to @Snow as she poured his and Ariel's tea, the warmth rising from the cup and curling in the warm, salty air of the floor. Baldur loved the smell of the ocean and while they were quite high above it, that smell lingered everywhere on the breeze.

"Thank you Snow, you did that beautifully."

He took the cup and raised it to his lips. He didn't have to worry about burning his tongue because, well, he didn't really have one in here, and the tea was always best when hot.

"Thank you, Ariel. You are always welcome in my home, though maybe letting us know so people can finish getting dressed before we entertain company. It seems we have many sleepy heads in the guild." Baldur's blue eyes danced with merriment as he teased @Calrex and the absent black bird.

"I am glad to see you back wandering the world and making old connections again as well. I was so happy when I found Crozeph again... we'll have to get him and Oikawa to come join us sometime so we can reminisce about the old days."

He set the teacup down gently and gave her a knowing smile.

"But come on, what's the real reason you came by here this morning?" He could by that Ariel wanted to come by and see his house, just not that this alone would induce her to come by his house unannounced.

Baldur strangely could identify a bit with Ariel. The gyaru and the gaijin. When he had taken up Kendo and Iaido in Japan, he had also been the only white person there. As an American, and not having a mastery of the language yet, he had to prove himself twice as much as anyone else. He had to work twice as hard as anyone else. Each victory was hard fought, but as a man, each victory validated him. For her, each victory had isolated her. The thought only made his heart go out to his old friend even more. He appreciated her words though, having earned her grudging respect for his fashion choices. Ariel had always been tailor. He had gone to her for everything, including his blue and white haori that had become his signature.

Then the conversation took a darker turn.

"Do I think we can beat him? Of course." I do think we'll do it cleanly? That's a harder question. While Baldur's thoughts didn't play out on his face, everything locked way behind those steel blue eyes, there was a darkness cast to his features that resembled doubt.

"It all comes down to the boss meeting. Either we've done our part, and pulled the frontlines together into some kind of group that can coordinate with eachother, or we devolve into a madness of individuals who all think they know better and act alone, instead of in concert."

That was always Baldur's biggest fear, but most of the people weren't there to witness the deaths on the frontline, and were therefore less concerned by it.

"If we can pull everyone together, and get everyone buffed, and have full teams to fight this thing, then I think we're going to do it. If we break into factions again... we'll do it... but some people might die."

He was impressed with the blow that Yuki had dealt to the ogre, taking advantage of her momentum and shield bashing the creature for a stunning blow. He could tell that Crozeph and Yuki had been doing a lot of fighting together, as they seemed to have the rhythm that only came from those who had been through those rhythms before. They had built up a trust in one another over time, and it had deepened not just their skill in fighting together, but the strength of the connection they had.

Yuki's skill in dismantling the combat ability of the ogre showed that she had quite a bit of experience in fighting quest monsters. They had been used to fighting something like this before. It was a shame the monster wasn't more challenging, but there was a severe gap between quest monsters and labyrthing bosses and floor bosses. Her ability had come into question during the boss meeting, but he could see that she was as prepared as she could be before stepping into the deep end.

Or maybe that wasn't quite right. Was there a way to help her take an intermediate step?

With Ugzeke the Mighty stunned, Baldur took his time walking up to it, lining up the most powerful attack that he could, bringing warden's fury down on the quest mob, and as he did so, the golden lightning of the blade exploded out, lashing the limbs of Ugzeke, and paralyzing the mob in addition to her stun.

The creature was almost dead, and it had only just begun. Baldur was almost sad, as the fight wasn't enough to really let him feel the thrill of battle. But the point of this journey was to help Crow and Yuki level up, and for the three of them to get to know one another. And for Baldur, fighting side by side was one of the best ways to see what someone was made of.

Ugzeke, the Mighty: 321/1500 | DMG: 200 | MIT: 35 | ACC: 2 | [STUNNED] [Paralyzed]

[4] Zajčica | HP:1090/1090 | EN: 90/100 | DMG: 3 | MIT: 209 | ACC: 2 | BLD: 36 | H.M.: 2 | REC:1 | THRNS: 84 | TAUNT | BH: 58 | DoT -25%
[2] Crozeph | HP: 720/720 I EN: 48/72 I DMG: 14 I MIT: 44 I ACC: 4 I EVA: 1 I FRZ: 1 I REC: 2
[5] Baldur | HP: 1430/1430 | EN: 117/140 | MIT: 79 | DMG: 21 | Absolute ACC: 5 | EVA: 2 | BH: 72 | Conc (1/3) | Parry (2/2) | QChange (3/3)

“Heeeey, that’s a sweet katana there. What, you one of those wannabe samurai guys wandering around here?”

Baldur was pulled out of his thousand mile stare by a young girl asking him a question. She was a cute red head, but seemed to be what he imagined a party girl would look like. It had been a long time since he had been in college, and even then that hadn't been his crowd to run in. Even before he was a gaijin samurai, clubbing was not something the introverted samurai took time out of his day to do. He preferred his social interactions in controlled conditions where they could end when he was done with them. This typically meant having small groups of friends over for dinner and games, but most nights were just he and Tyger gaming from their house in Osaka.

"Wanna be samurai guys? I suppose so but --"

"Cause if you are before you say it, I’m not interested."

"Not... interested? In what? Being a samurai?"

He turned slightly from his half sitting position on the fountain to more fully face the girl. Long brown hair tumbled down the wanna-be samurai's back over hie blue haori. The coat was very reminiscent of the meji era shinsengumi, but instead white flamed rose from the hems and sleeves. There were two katana at Baldur's side, one was a pure white streaked with gold, and the other a pure black streaked with an almost blood red crimson. Something about the two swords seemed to mark them as polar opposites.

"I like the aesthetic, and the fantasy around samurai as much as I did the knights of romanticized Europe, but the real bushido and the fantasy bushido don't really line up. I fancy myself more of a Paladin in Samurai clothing." He gave her a rueful smile. He fully expected his words would bore her, or challenge her. He wasn't sure which. She may just move on, as Baldur was used to people taking jabs at him for his clothing, but she might also take the bait and drop an act. There was still a different culture here on the first floor than you'd fine in the frontline circles, and that was part of why he came down here. To remind himself of that.

Baldur waited only a heartbeat after Yuki's attack before he crouched down, hand hovering above the handle of his katana, <<Warden's Fury.>> Energy swirled around the gaijin samurai's feet, as he gripped the blade, he let the system take over his movements and he streaked across the distance between him and Ugzeke, a wash of blue in the darkness of the caverns, brilliant white light exploded from the saya as Baldur drew the blade, streaks of golden lightning following along the blade as he struck the brute. Slash after slash rained down on the giant as Baldur seemed to be in more than one place at once, but all the images came together as he leapt into the air and brought the strike down in a massive overhead slash. No lightning paralysis this time, but he took a good chunk out of the monster's HP.

As soon as the system allowed Baldur to move on his own again, he began to try and move again to avoid the monster's counter-strikes. He didn't know what this thing was capable of. The gaijin samurai's eyes danced as if he was having fun with this battle. It had been a while since he had been in a fight that wasn't life or death, and that seemed to be incredibly relaxing.

ID: 155823 BD: 3+5 +1 -1 = 8 (hit)
San Ge + Charge: 21+5=26 x 15 = 390 - 35 MIT = 355 DMG Dealt

Ugzeke, the Mighty: 970/1500 | DMG: 200 | MIT: 35 | ACC: 2

[1] Zajčica | HP:1090/1090 | EN:100/100 | DMG: 3 | MIT: 209 | ACC: 2 | BLD: 36 | H.M.: 2 | REC:1 | THRNS: 84 | TAUNT | BH: 58 | DoT -25%
[1] Crozeph | HP: 720/720 I EN: 60/72 I DMG: 14 I MIT: 44 I ACC: 4 I EVA: 1 I FRZ: 1 I REC: 2
[2] Baldur | HP: 1430/1430 | EN: 128/140 | MIT: 79 | DMG: 21 | Absolute ACC: 5 | EVA: 2 | BH: 72 | Conc (3/3) | Parry (2/2) | QChange (3/3)

After Yuki had introduced herself, but suddenly gave her a deep seikeirei. While his eyes were downcast he spoke.

"I am terribly sorry for how you were treated in my home. What you did was brave, and while I know many people there wish only for your safety, it was inappropriate and should not have happened."

He finally rose to his full height, which normally let him tower over everyone else. He was easily head and shoulders taller than Yuki, but if anything, his height came from the warm smile and the care shown in his oceanic blue eyes. The gaijin samurai seemed to have a ready smile for everyone, though the one he showed Yuki now was slightly embarrassed and sad.

"You did exactly what I asked of you. I am sorry it become such a condemnation of the character of the frontlines. It needs to change, but there are always elements that we can't cull without making them private meetings of the elite. It is an unfortunately balance to walk."

He turned and smiled to Crozeph, trying to pull him back into the moment.

"So we have some big monster to slay, eh? That's excellent. It's been a while since we went on an adventure together, my old friend." He clapped a hand on Crow's shoulder amiably, and flashed a smile to Yuki that left everything else in the conversation behind. Baldur was relaxed, jovial, and ready to adventure. His once oceanic eyes, however, had now hardened to steel blue.

"I can't wait to see what you've been up to, and to see your girlfriend here in action. I hope you've chosen something suitably challenging." He raised an eyebrow questioningly at Crow.

The fountain outside of what used to be Catfish Sundries and Forge was one of Baldur's most common resting places. It was an oasis in a desert of people. Though his shop had not been open in what felt like years now, there was something familiar and calming about the fountain. The wide stone basin was large enough that he could sit on the edge comfortably, and couldn't hear the conversations being had on the other side of the fountain. It was large enough that the volume of water it spat out created enough white noise to wash out the thrum of conversations surrounding such a busy intersection of streets.

It was also a busy intersection of streets.

It allowed Baldur to feel the heartbeat of the city, as people flowed up and down the arteries and veins with adventure stories, wares, new and lost loves. It made him feel connected to the life of Aincrad. He could get lost sometimes in his ivory tower. Well, figuratively speaking. Baldur didn't have an ivory tower, he had an island that was impossibly suspended in the air by a teardrop shaped stretch of land. And on that floating island was a Japanese style paradise. Before that, however, he had the seclusion that came with always being on the upper floors. Down here, the majority of the survivors lived safely within the protection of the <settlement>> status. When a new floor was unlocked, people rushed to the upper floors to check out the new settlement, but once the novelty ran out, they returned here. No one wanted to be near the level of danger that came with the highest floor.

And floor 25 was a doozy of a floor. The Fort of the Iron Fist was not a vacation settlement like you might find on floor 22 or 24. And now, with the boss freed from it's prison, the floor was cast into perpetual darkness.

And so Baldur came here. Away from the frontlines. Away from the stress. Away from the burdens he carried, so that he could relax and be reminded of the life flowing around him and the people he fought for. There were more people in the Town of Beginnings than on all the other floors combined.

He needed to be reminded of that sometimes.

@Inanna

"Thanks." Baldur said when Mari mentioned he was looking well, "I'm not fishing for complements or anything, but having the house and the guild has been good for my soul. I've always been more of a grouper than a solo player, so having more people around me has become a net win for me." He tried, desperately, to hold back the shit eating grin. Really he did. But one can only fight their own nature for so long.

"Cod I could do with never seeing an Easter egg again. Though, fishing with everyone was quite a bit of fun."

He clapped his hands together and rubbed them rapidly as if working heat into his hands, "Alright, so how do we start this quest? Are there special poles? Do we just talk to an NPC to kick off an event? I gave up fishing after the event, so I haven't been carrying a pole around."

He had to admit, he was curious to see what the change in going from dagger to spear did for Mari. He remembered how forlorn she was after the forgotten king battle. She knew she had a build change she needed to do to optimize, but the gaijin wasn't sure if she had ever stood side by side for such a long battle with anyone for a while. The long battles were where you saw the differences.

Baldur rubbed at his chin in thought as he wondered what it was that Crow could possibly need his help for. Whatever it was, only Baldur could help him apparently. And there was someone he wanted Baldur to meet as well. Given what had happened at the floor boss meeting, this could only mean one thing. Baldur was to meet Crozeph's girlfriend. It was the only thing that made logical sense.

I'm happy for him, that he found someone that can get him up from his naps and moving forward.

Baldur took the long route form his home to the teleportation plaza and down to the 22nd floor. He had remembered this place, and not fondly. He didn't enjoy the underground floors. But he would enjoy the company, and that was enough to bring him back down here. As he appeared in the plaza, he spotted Crozeph, and made his way over to the man.

"Konbanwa, my friend. How are you? What's this thing that only I can help you with?"

Baldur:
 

The first voice that spoke up was the player who made Baldur's blood boil, and Baldur was not someone used to being infuriated. But obscuring ones identity in such a place, and under such circumstances was the height of rudeness and contempt and it made Baldur see red for a moment. However, he had been prepared for this. Not this specific situation, but for a situation like this. Ever since the previous meeting had seen him and Hestia is a shouting match that ended with people walking away. Instead, Baldur took a deep breath, steeled himself, and then addressed the rude player. This was not his meeting, even if it was in his home. This meeting belong to every living person on Aincrad, and he owed it to the people they were trying to help to not let something like Baldur's personal feelings about someone get in the way.

@Itzal

"Kindly clarify for me, what it is you mean by 'skill checks'. Do you refer to the boss's abilities? Skills players will need to use frequently? Or skills the boss affects with one of it's own abilities?"

"By skill check, I mean challenges created to make us jump through hoops and impede progress. We had to spend time juggling aggro on the shadowling, culling their numbers, and trying to ignite the torches, while trying to tank the Shadow. Igniting the torch was a skill check, because how fast we went determined how long the fight would drag on against a monster with a shield that didn't allow us to damage it until we had lit the beacons."

@Zajcica @Shield @Crozeph

Then Yuki stood up and offered to tank. Baldur didn't know her well, but he swelled with pride at her statement. A new tank coming to the frontlines was a moment of celebration. He opened his mouth to speak, but Shield cut him off, and did so in a way that caused Baldur to show surprise visibly on his face. Everything Shield said was prudent and correct, but the Paragon of Tanks came down on the girl in a way he had never seen before. They must have a close relationship if he feels so invested in her. Still, Baldur felt the need to... formalize what Shield had said.

"Thank you, Yuki, for volunteering. We have been burdened by a lack of tanks and healers in the last several fights, and knowing that you are ready to prove yourself as a tank is a blessing to everyone in this room. Shield is correct, however, in that having a large enough pool of hit points and energy are also something that need to be considered. This boss was capable of delivering powerful attacks that put even our strongest in the danger zone. However, I don't think now is the time to discuss the minutia of builds. Meet with us after the formal meeting is complete, and we can help you and any other volunteers for main tanks or off tanks work out the details." He gave her a forlorn smile. He hated to see her energy tempered like that, but this would be a terrible fight for someone unprepared to cut their teeth on.

Baldur eyes then turned to address the crowd at large.

"Forgive me if I am repeating basic information, but as we have several new faces, I don't know what everyone is aware of. When Shield speaks of Off-Tanks, he's speaking of someone who can switch with the tank if they need to tap out and recover some hit points, and also someone who is capable of dealing with adds - that is to say additional non-boss monsters in the fight. Considering the number of Shadowspawn that he was able to summon, add management is potentially a very real part of this fight, and having off tanks who are capable of doing this is also important. For this reason alone, I have also picked up <<Fighting Spirit>> which is a skill that Macradon used to great effect in the labyrinth fight. I intend to make myself available as an off tank as well, if required."

@Bahr

"I've got a question." It was a voice Baldur didn't yet recognized, but could already tell it would be one that he would learn quickly.

"You describe the creature as being one of darkness; a 'Shadow,' if you will, to complete the Labyrinth Guardian fight, you needed to activate beacons of light. Whether we expect that to be a mechanic in the actual Floor Boss fight or not, it seems that illuminating the arena contributed to the initial skirmish's completion on a macro perspective, if I'm understanding correctly. Being that that's the case, don't you think that skills such as Night Vision, or items such as Glow Stones may come in handy? Clearly they won't do as much for us as a 'beacon of light,' but if we have any reason at all to believe that we might end up fighting in the dark, I'd think it would pay to come prepared." 

"Moreover, it sounds to me like this 'Orgoth' might serve as a useful ally. This 'Shadow' is an entity that can freely transition from inhabiting one mob to another, right? I think it might be worth brainstorming ideas for how to get the entity out of Orgoth without killing him, so we can use him to combat the Shadow. Based on what we know so far, do we think that might be possible?"

Baldur nodded at the man, as if to reaffirm that they were good points he had brought up.

"Thank you,  yes. You've brought up a good point I forgot to mention. Darkness did play a large part of the encounter. We were at a severe disadvantage when it came to trying to hit anything in there, especially when trying to use AoE so extensively. I'm saying that I had a hard time hitting things." The words would really only be useful for people who were familiar with him, but hopefully the impression would land on the others who knew him only by reputation as well.

"I would recommend that those who have spare inventory bring a few extra glow stones, specifically anyone who deals damage as a 1 handed weapon user. However, we did get a dropped item from the labyrinth boss. I and the others have special glow stones that are capable of activating from our battle ready inventory, instead of needing to be equipped. As long as one of these are in each party, we should be okay. However, it may be possible that they have other uses in the fight as well, so if you have a spare slot, it may be worth filling with one."

"While I was not present for the labyrinth boss battle, if it's deemed appropriate to have extra sources of light, I am more than happy to provide a handful or two of Glow Stones to be distributed among parties." 

Baldur nodded and smiled at Shield as he offered more light sources. "Excellent."

The gaijin samurai then turned to address the rest of Bahr's question.

"As for Orgoth... that is an excellent point. If we could expel the shadow from him and gain him as an ally, that would be extremely useful. That's an exceptionally insightful observation I never would have considered. We haven't really come across possession or allies in boss battles before, but this is a unique fight. I have no idea how we could do this, but this is a clear example of a skill check we should expect in this fight. Skill checks, such as this one potentially, will attempt to reduce our action economy. The more people we have lighting beacons, the less people we have keeping shadowling numbers in check, as I said earlier. I don't know that we'll have an idea on how to address this until we engage in the fight, but who knows, maybe feeding him a glow stone will help." Baldur said with a smirk. He didn't expect it work, he had meant it as a more flippant remark to illustrate how odd these things could be.

At that point, Shield stood up and introduced himself to those gathered here and offered to tank. Baldur hadn't thought to introduce himself, or the guild, or the other pillars. But that could also wait until the end.

"Do we have any more questions or tank volunteers?"

Baldur waited until everyone had been seated. He took one of the handful of seats reserved at one end of the long hall for the guild masters. With Shield and Mari at his sides for this particular meeting, in lieu of the normal arrangement. They hadn't expected to ever have quite this many people in this room, but there was plenty of space for everyone. The shoji panel doors being open at both ends meant a nice breeze was able to flutter softly through the room.

The room itself was somewhat narrow, only a few tatami mats wide, but it gave the feeling of intimacy without crowding the room. And without a single large table like you might find in western traditions with chairs taking up even more space, it let the crowd move through the room easily, find a comfortable space, and relax. Small tables had been placed throughout the room with matching cushions for anyone who had partaken of tacos, and the tea that would be served as well.

The new faces brought Baldur hope, though it was tempered by absent ones. His eyes scanned over the faces there, both orange and green. New and old. Once everyone seemed settled, Baldur gave the room a seated bow. It was more formal than he had ever been, but he was trying to use this to communicate the sincerity of his words.

"Thank you all for making the journey to my home, and to the guild hall of Jacob's Ladder. I know it is more than a bit inconvenient and out of the way to get here. I am also greatly flattered and honored by those of you who chose to wear clothing matching the style of my residence. It is not, nor shall it ever be, required now or in the future, but the gesture warms my heart. Thank you."

Once he had said his words of gratitude, he stood up and addressed the room.

"As you all know, the 25th floor has taken a much longer time to find the boss than usual. The entire floor was a maze filled with wandering monsters, and even just making progress was slow at best, and a test of endurance and energy management at the worst of times. It took all six of us, Zandra, Macradon, Hestia, Jonathan, Ariel, and myself working together and quite a bit of time to finally find the guardian."

He took a moment and knelt down, taking his tea cup and standing once more, taking a slow sip.

"What we encountered was unlike any labyrinth boss in the past. For the last several floors they have been getting more difficult and complicated. Coordination and energy management were key to the defeat of the last few. This boss, however..." Baldur hesitated for only the briefest of moments to find the words he had practiced in head, "was more like a floor boss. In fact... the labyrinth boss is the floor boss." He paused a moment, sure that his words would surprise some people, but pressed on before he could be interrupted.

"This boss is a multi-phase form changing enemy. Instead of finding a guardian protecting the boss room, we found the boss room with a battle already in progress. The was a giant black dragon at war with Minotaurs armed with a ballista, and led by Orgoth, the giant minotaur of whom there is a statue in the settlement on floor 25. They managed to 'kill' the dragon" Baldur made air quotes around the word, "and in its death throes, it absorbed them and resurrected itself. Though this was more a cutscene for a boss fight than a mechanic. When we fought the dragon, it was a fairly standard fight, with the exception that we had to make use of the ballista in order to make it vulnerable when it began to fly. Once we killed the dragon, the body disappeared as usual."

Taking another sip of his tea to wet an imaginarily dry throat, the gaijin continued.

"We then fought the shadow's true form. It was protected by a magical shield that prevented us from doing damage to it until we ran through a series of skill checks. Periodically the Shadow would spawn waves of minions whose job were to debuff us, and make us more vulnerable to the shadow. He also seemed to only target those of us who had the "marked for death" debuff. While being slowed down by the shadowlings, we also had to activate four beacons of light placed there by Orgoth and his minotaurs in order to break the magic shield. Unfortunately, once the shield was broken, that seemed to unleash the shadow, and by unleash, I mean turn him into his floor boss form."

He looked over the eyes in the room that were there, trying to gauge the reaction that his words were having.

"We came as prepared as we possibly knew how to be, and this labyrinth boss fight took us to the edge. However, we also saw ways we could have fought better as well. This boss has five health bars. When we go into the boss room again, his first phase will start in possession of Orgoth's body. I expect the fight to be a combination of monster forms with different abilities, and other skill checks. Even without Orgoth's body, Shadow could hit like a train. In a single hit, he took out one third of my hit points, and I went in with almost maximum evasion as well."

He took another sip, and then set down the empty tea glass.

"It is obvious to me and those who were there, that this is not going to be your average floor boss fight. It is likely to be the hardest boss we have ever encountered before. In the past, we have been able to skate by on some people being prepared, and others not. In this fight, I worry that if we don't come prepared, and fully buffed, then there may potentially be casualties. For that reason, we have taken some steps."

Baldur gestured to Raidou, the merchant's red jacket making it easy for Baldur to find him in the crowded room.

"Jacob's Ladder commissioned from Raidou and his guild for 100 perfect quality group healing crystals. It is our intent to be able to provide stacks of healing crystals to everyone who shows up to fight the boss. With healing crystals, we can have every player there supplement the healing of their group and keep everyone in the green. I know other crafters as well have stepped up to help make other buffs available. Oscar" he indicated Mr Taco himself, "has worked tirelessly to prepare feasts for the frontlines. Jacob's Ladder will also be working closely with Zandra and the Aincrad Trading Post to help supplement crafters with resources necessarily to provide every buff needed to anyone who attends the boss battle. I will let the others elaborate on what they have available to the raid group."

Slowly, Baldur lowered himself back down onto his knees to sit at his little dark wood, lacquered table.

"I know this is something we can do, by working together and being prepared. The first order of business, however, is the same for this boss as for every other. Who here will step forward as a tank? For those who are new here, to be a tank, you need to be able to take the hits from the Shadow, as well as have some form of howl in order to maintain hate leads. I strongly recommend maximum mitigation and battle healing as minimums." An assumption on my part that Shadow will respect standard hate, but we need to prepare for what we can.

"Any questions?"