Azide

"I didn't mean to imply that he was in any way an unsavory figure." Of course, while he'd stopped short of expressing it outright, such an opinion would not be too far off the mark from his own. "Excuse the pun, but it's just that the Azure Brigade is colorful bunch, to say the least." If there were any particular reason for him to grant this Commandant the benefit of the doubt, it was that the man had certainly pulled his weight- and then some- in the tanking department. Perhaps it was because they were unlikely to compete directly when it came to front-lining resources, but at least the separation of their roles might provide some leeway in this case. Tristan could become literally invincible for all he cared, and it would make little difference when it came time to reap what they had sown. The same could hardly be said on behalf of a certain other Commandant, who only seemed to grow in power with every new floor.

In came Takao, who grabbed his attention with a half-hearted wave. Between the brevity of his greeting, the low energy of said greeting and the yawn which came after it, the young swordsman seemed as if he'd rather be in bed than at the gates of Taft. Nonetheless, Azide smiled and returned the gesture- albeit he forsook the half-mast hang of the other man's arm, and waved a much heartier arc. Though their experiences had not stretched quite as far back as those he'd shared with others, Takao was among the minority which he held full confidence in. "Hope you brought along one of those energy drinks of yours," he remarked, his tone carrying as dryly as always. "I may not know much about this Leviathan creature, but I doubt that we'll be fighting a sea serpent anywhere other than in the sea." He thought back to his last encounter, which he seen himself and Calrex facing off against an overgrown fish in the middle of a raging river. "In any case," he said, shrugging his shoulders, "it'd be best for all of us to be at the top of our game today." 

Finally, the last of their party arrived with a flash, signalling that he had only just teleported himself to the floor's flagship settlement. At the man's words, he nodded slowly, letting his eyes linger for a moment on the armor-clad redhead. For such a fiery-looking fellow, his softer tone was a rather unexpected development. Before long, he turned away, looking back to the other two. "Let's get to work."

"Seeing as how this duel was only a formality in the first place, I think just this one should suffice," said Azide, smiling slightly with thin lips. Already, a hand was weaving through the intricacies of the game's interface. By the time a new window appeared ahead of him, the freshest of his wounds had only just begun to fade; luckily enough for him, clothing in this world was seemingly spared from the wear and tear of battle. It was better that way, really, considering how fond he was of these simpler jackets.

After laying a single finger upon the lower left corner of the hovering panel, he reversed it with a two-finger swipe, before flicking it in the direction of his opponent. "Since our conditions were self-imposed, we'll both have to consent to ending the duel early," he continued. Twirling Chemikaze once between his fingers, he slid the spent blade into its sheath without taking his eyes off of the woman for even a moment. "But all things considered, I do believe that I would have taken upwards of two-hundred and sixty damage between those two blows you landed. Likely more, considering that you've invested in the Charge skill."

A hiss sounded from within the folds of his coat, and it wasn't long before the serpent within poked its head out from below the lip of his pocket. With a quick downward glance, Azide smiled, and pressed a finger to his lips as he shook his head softly. After a moment, the creature released its silent stare, and slithered back into obscurity. "In any case, you're obviously a shoo-in as far as membership is concerned. And at this point, a seated position is looking very plausible right now..." he said, trailing off. With a laugh, he nodded, before darting his eyes once more to the time. "On the other hand, apologies for being so brief, but I'll be taking my leave now. Just send me a message with your stats, and I'll make sure they make their way to the big man himself." He turned, waving once over his shoulder before heading off.

If anybody had taken the concept of a prompt meeting at face value, it would have to be none other than the Crowned Lion. A sideways glance revealed that only a few minutes had passed since that message had appeared in his inbox, and already, Ariel had dispensed the most vital of her information on the topic at hand. Not only that, but apparently everybody else had already arrived within the impossibly brief window of time; he wondered if everybody had already been standing around idly on this barren wasteland of a floor beforehand, as it certainly took more than a handful of minutes to transverse these broad locations. 

"I agree with Calrex and Jomei," Azide spoke, turning his eyes to each of the two as their names were called. The muted patter of his boots against the deadened ground came to a steady stop, and he folded his arms loosely across his chest, resigning himself to his position of choice before the massive cathedral which stood before them. "And not just because the former agreed with one of my own previous points. I believe it's very likely that Avarious just might be capable of bypassing our tanks through the use of area-of-effect techniques, which would be awfully inconvenient to those of us whose names aren't Tristan, Calrex or Daeron." Uncrossing a single arm, he raised forward an open palm. "Not only do I believe that we should make use of as many safeguard potions as possible, but I also agree with Jomei that we should look to eliminate this Avarious as quickly as possible."

Coffee-colored orbs flitted darkly over to glimpse the so-called Hero of Aincrad. "Therefore, I'd like to propose that we place Zelrius in the leading group as before, along with the majority of our tanks. As the only one capable of cleanly taking all five-hundred and twenty health points in a single move, he's more than capable of clearing the path for whatever trickery comes afterward. Because of this, I also suggest that we fill our next few parties with our next most capable damage-dealers, as I'm confident that this angel will be overstaying his welcome." Bringing his gaze back to the meeting's host, he tucked his arm beneath the other, before sharing a final musing. "However, I also believe that Jomei's theory just may have some merit. I think it would be beneficial to place at least one member capable of using AoE Arts in each of these groups, as well as positioning one of our tanks outside of the initial group, to prevent a blindside from unanticipated intruders."

"And that's something you certainly won't be doing single-handedly." He ducked his head as another burst of energy was discharged straight from the mouth of the beast, only to see that the creature had grossly overshot once again. Though he didn't care to find out how destructive these rounds really were, he was beginning to doubt that either of them was actually at any significant risk for a first-hand experience such as that one. In fact, it was a little like having a fear of being struck by lightning- possible, but incredibly improbable. And upon second thought, that comparison seemed to be a little too on the nose... 

Feeling several thuds against the slender frame of their canoe, he glanced over the tapered, being careful to avoid touching the electrified lake surface. "Oh?" he voiced, a brow arching upward slightly at the sight of several wooden shards embedded into the side of their vessel. Though they quickly shattered, as things tended to do in this world, he figured that the Snapper's most recent attack must have fractured a tree somewhere behind them, effectively creating this shrapnel in the process.

Just another thing he had to keep an eye out for, he thought, taking the oar back into his hands. Resolving to return them into the creature's range, he began to pick up the pace of his paddling. From what he'd observed, a long-ranged attack like that seemed ineffective when they were right up in the face of the beast. Whether he personally liked it or not, the most pragmatic tactic would be get up and personally with their scaly friend.

---

ID: 39488 | CD: 10 | MD: 5 (Miss)

Party Info

Azide: 141/141 HP | 32/34 EN (+1) | 1 Hate

Calrex: 193/193 HP | 36/47 EN | 0 Hate

Enemy Info

<<Galvanic Snapper>> [|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||] [|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||] 547/700 HP (OOR) 

Did it make him naive? Had he been too blinded by dismissive optimism? Or perhaps he'd been too preoccupied with raking in another handful of skill points to have given the topic the proper consideration owed to it. True, it was easy to call things in hindsight, after the dust had already settled. But that didn't do anything to quiet the sentiments which hounded him now as he stared in silence at the man Takao. Incidents of this sort were not unknown- he himself had been made aware of several such reports prior to their departure, and multiple parties had indicated that they'd been attacked by their clients in fits of paranoia. He'd dismissed these as isolated cases and flukes- surely no one else would be willing to kill for the Banner of Support. And yet, here they were. And here he was not.

Takao hardly had the eyes of a killer, and the look on his face told it all. The empty verdant gaze which stared out from the backs of their sockets- it was the look of someone still capable of recognizing the significance of what he had done. This was a man who had never killed before, and he seemed more than a little lost where he stood.

Their ordeal had come to an end more bitter and tragic than he could have predicted; it seemed almost petty that he should feel this way, considering that he himself had been spared from the agonizing decision. He dipped his head for a moment, letting out the breath that he'd been holding in a drawn out sigh. Leveling his chin once more, he walked over to Takao and set a hand upon the young man's shoulder. He looked the brunet in the eye, but said nothing as ashes and soot settled around them like falling snow.

From the gates of Taft, he glanced over to see a familiar sight in the distance, accompanied by the metallic clank of the man's heavy armor. With a grin and a slight wave, he called out to the armored player. "Nice of you to finally show up," said Azide, leaning against grand white wall which circle the entirety of the vaguely-rustic settlement. The twinkle in his eye was all that gave away the joviality of his words, which had been delivered with characteristic dryness. He stepped away from the wall, uncrossing his arms as he did so. With a shrug and short sigh, he spoke up again. "Before you ask, I'm afraid I wasn't able to learn anything about this 'Leviathan' creature that we don't already know, which is very little as it is." He shook his head, but recalled unpleasant evenings which had been spent in buildings not unlike the grand cathedral which sat at the heart of this very town. "'Any hope of subduing him is false; the mere sight of him is overpowering,'" he quoted, with a roll of his eyes. Garbage was garbage, but in this case, at least it was vaguely relevant garbage.

Years upon years of Sunday masses had groomed him for this very line of foes, and it seemed inevitable that their final clash would inevitably be with the land beast, Behemoth. But in the meantime, he had yet to even lay eyes upon the serpent of the seas, and so it seemed a disservice to let his mind wander off to the next creature in line. With a raise of his hand, he brushed the brown fringes away from his eyes before looking Calrex more closely in the eye. "So, about this Tristan Delaney fellow," he began, pausing to clear his throat. "He's Azure, isn't he?"

This had not been the first time that a monster had defied his expectations- after all, he had first witnessed the feat back in their struggle against Ziz. Although it was true that the circumstances had been slightly different, the end result had ultimately been the same. By his own hand, the feathered monstrosity had been taken down a notch, and he'd watched as it'd plummeted to the ground after falling victim to the paralysis-inducing edge of his blade. Just the same, the Galvanic Snapper had been shut down momentarily by a single well-placed Sword Art. But in the case of both the bird and the fish, neither stun nor paralysis seemed to have any effect on them as far as their movement had been concerned.

One moment, the colossal creature had been as stiff as a board, and by the next it had shaken off its condition as if it had been nothing more than a mild inconvenience. It was something to be admired, really, the way they proceeded after setbacks without so much as missing even a single beat. Or, at least, it would be if they were sentient beings rather than a collection of numbers and symbols in a psychopath's server. "Catching up is nothing new for me," he remarked, rowing rather sloppily due to too much time spent gawking at the now-mobile enemy.

The air filled with its now-familiar crackle, and he swore he could feel the ends of his hair sticking up. Again, electricity arced from the creature's gaping mouth as it swiveled its head towards the boat-bound duo. Though the bolt failed to hit either of its targets, it struck the water beside them, causing his vision to fade entirely to white for a brief flash of a moment. By the time he could see again, the surface of the lake sparked all around, and he found himself reluctant to stick even a single finger into it. "I may not know exactly how many skill points you have, Calrex, but I have half a mind to work my way back based off of your health. You've been hard at work these past couple of months, haven't you?"

---
ID: 39456 | CD: 2 | MD: 5 (Miss)

Party Info

Azide: 141/141 HP | 31/34 EN (+1) | 1 Hate

Calrex: 193/193 HP | 36/47 EN | 2 Hate

Enemy Info

<<Galvanic Snapper>> [|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||] [|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||] 547/700 HP (OOR)

A delicate flake alighted upon the palm of his outstretched hand, and he marveled at the way it caught the muted rays of a cold sun. That was not to say that the sun itself was cold- he imagined that it must be as hot as it had always been, or at least that it would be, if this world were anything more than pixels and scripts. But for as long as he remained a captive guest in this artificial world, and beheld its artificial sights with his artificial eyes, pretending was all that he could do. So it was because of this that he chose to pretend that on this particular floor, the sun itself must be suffering from a cold. In this land of ice and snow, the golden sphere seemed slighter than he remembered it- a shadow of what it was meant to be. It breathed life into this barren land in choked wheezes, and the faint light of the sky shuddered every time a stiff wind rolled through the hills and the trees; on these occasions, he could hear the groans of branches which ached under the weight of their heavy garbs of white. Perhaps he was projecting his impressions of the floor as a whole upon the singular entity of the sun- or perhaps these musings came from somewhere else entirely...

Behind him, a trail of footsteps stretched far into the distance, and only continued to grow in length as he added to their numbers with every plod of his boots. Clasping his fingers together, the snowflake melted within his now-closed hand. Azide lifted his scarf to better shield his neck from the biting winds, staring wearily into the distance as he attempted to make use of his numbed digits, which fumbled stiffly around the winding piece of snow-speckled fabric. Time and time again, he seemed to find himself drawn to this very floor; it had gotten to the point where he no longer questioned the magnetism which compelled him on occasion, as something interesting tended to happen during each expedition.

He nestled his hands into the folds of his pockets, which offered little refuge from the ever present cold, but would at least shield them from the frosty breezes. Blinking slowly, his eyes narrowed as a band of figures became visible in the distance. Trudging forward faster now, his eyes opened increasingly wider, simultaneously lighting with an old recognition. Somewhere along the way, his hands had slipped from the comforts of his coat, and his plodding had broken into a near-glide across the frozen field.

"Lessa!" he called out, with a wild wave of his hand.

With a digital ding, the clock struck midnight- or rather, zero. Seemingly, in that very same instant, Ariel had reduced the distance between them to a humble nil before he could even draw his hand from the pocket which had swallowed it so wholly. It had never been like him to act so carelessly; of course, it wasn't as if he had planned to engage the girl with any sort of handicap, but there was no excuse for not adopting a more appropriate stance straight from the get-go. 

Though it was far too late, he drew the dagger Chemikaze as swiftly as he could manage, only for his shoulder to absorb the length of the girl's rapier before he could do much else. In spite of himself, he recoiled at the biting sensation and let out an involuntary gasp as his eyes darted over to the entry wound. Even after all of this time, it was still just as surreal as ever to see these things happen to his body; inside, there was no doubt in his mind that this was not his body- and yet, in the heat of the moment, his mind still seemed intent on instilling the pain upon him all the same.

One eye scrunched tightly shut, he raised his knife to guard against any immediate follow-ups as he leaned back and pushed off against the ground. Wincing all throughout, he exhaled sharply as the coldness of her steel vacated his senses. Landing a short distance away, he steadied himself over the course of a few hasty backward steps. "I'm glad you didn't miss the point of this duel," he managed, through gritted teeth.

Sweeping his opponent's figure with his eyes, he dashed straight ahead, the orange wound on his shoulder dissipating in the process. With a momentous leap, he targeted the girl's weapon itself- intending on knocking it aside and breaking her stance before making a drive into her shoulder. But when it came time to strike, his blade found no solace, and he instead found himself halting his advance with a sliding stop. "If you'd attempted to stun me just now, I would've wondered if you were perhaps lacking confidence in your abilities," he called out, darting his eyes around the vicinity until his opponent came back into view.

ID: 39448 | BD: 2 (Miss)

• Ariel: 1 hit(s)
• Azide: 0 hit(s)

With a flurry of lightning-fast jabs, the blonde accomplished the task which had eluded them for longer than he could have cared; as the girl's attack animation came to an end, the glow faded quickly from the slender blade of Heartstriker. Proud Ziz- colossal, airborne Ziz- plummeted towards the ground with all the grace and splendor of a sack of potatoes. In reality, it hadn't been that long since the fight had started- at least, keeping in mind the framework of an entire day. But when battles went awry, minutes felt awfully reminiscent of hours... But in any case, he allowed himself to release the breath which had been held within his lungs. Relief came not from the vanquishing of a threat, but rather the elimination of yet another unneeded burden. Trivial, meticulous and menial; all three faithfully described the battle which they'd disengaged from- coincidentally, three of the things which he hated the most in any world.

"Finally!" said Azide, as he raced on over. He slipped Chemikaze back into its pouch, coming to a halt only a short distance away from Rebekah. "I'd been under the belief that we were going to be fighting that thing for the rest of our lives." He shook his head, before scratching it lightly as a quiet smile appeared along his lips. "Can't believe you ended up in Azure," he added, biting his tongue only a moment afterward. It was obvious why they'd sought her out- she was, after all, quite strong. But a bunch like that? He could hardly begin to comprehend how she'd seen herself belonging to that sort.

Clearing his throat, he turned to the other member of their trio. "I think I'm ready to call it a day. What do you guys say we turn in for the night?" he asked, lifting his gaze to the black veil above.

As always, the timer ticked down ever closer to an inevitable zero, and he reflected on how fortunate he had been thus far- that each of his clashes against fellow players had led off with friendly countdowns, rather than confrontational blindsides. Pulling his lower lip up and to the side, he blew a rogue strand away from his eyes as one hand slid downward to hover over the leather sheath at his hip, while the other remained stowed within the depths of his pockets. If one thing was certain, it was that he had been insulated from Aincrad's more turbulent phases- in fact, orange players had become a fading force as of late. Even then, the only orange player who had ever stirred up any trouble of note in his day had been Mari; but, at least for the time being, it appeared as if her time had come and gone. This game seemed to have only grown less and less chaotic as time had gone, despite the fact that it was now easier than ever to wreak havoc...

"I'm glad to hear that you're not looking to kill me," he remarked, with a thin chuckle. "As much of a fan as I am of damage-dealing, I'm more than happy to accept a nice message afterward as a substitute. I've seen you in action already, so I can trust that you won't fudge the relevant statistics." By now, the duel was quickly approaching its opening, and he took these last few moments to strengthen his composure. "Let's make this a good show," he answered, nodding once.

ID: 39422 | LD: 3 (Tie) | CD: 6

What had become of Oikawa? It was the sort of question which lingered, especially as he replayed the events of the day in his head. Though he hadn't gotten a closer look at the so-called 'Oikawa' until the second time around, he could have sworn that the player's initial appearance had seen him dressed with noticeably different equipment. True, it'd been quite dark, and so his eyes could not be entirely trusted no matter what he thought he had seen- and that was before considering the questionable state of mind that he had been in at the time. But even then, he was confident that in Oikawa's first appearance, the young man had not been garbed in the white which he had later flaunted. Perhaps more incriminatingly, he had recognized the voice of the former apparition, while the latter had not uttered so much as a single word.

Around that point, the gates of Yomi came into the view of even those without <<Night Vision>>, and he allowed himself a single sigh. "Thank you again- both of you," said Azide, as he turned around slowly. "It's been a long past couple of months, but I'd like to think that I'm here to stay this time around." Placing his hands into his pockets, he lowered his gaze briefly, before returning it to meet the two standing in front of him. Unsurprisingly, he felt as if there were more that he should say, to make up for half a year of unannounced isolation. But nothing came to mind, and it didn't help that the voices had not quite abandoned him just yet.

"We'll have to catch up sometime soon. Maybe pay a visit to the old Starlight Cafe," he remarked. In the distance, something between a howl and a roar pierced the illusion of silence, and he winced. "But in the meantime, I hope that you don't mind if I get a little rest first," he continued. "Or maybe a little more than a little..."

He dipped his head slightly and turned, making his way slowly towards the teleportation gate at the center of the town.

---

Topic Complete

+266 col to Azide, Calrex and Rebekah

+1 SP to Azide, Calrex and Rebekah 

"I have to wonder if it's actually intelligent enough to even consider breaking the boat," observed Azide, setting the paddle aside as their canoe pulled up alongside the massive beast. From out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of something snaking its way out of the water, accompanied by the sound of trickling water. With a turn of his head, he watched as the eel-like fish whipped its serpentine tail just to the left of the blue-haired swordsman. Failing to strike its target, the tail-end of the creature hurtled unopposed into the water's surface, sending an eruption of droplets into the air. As the creature had yet to actually land any of its attacks, it was hard to say just how credible of a threat it truly was- but that was not to say that he had any desire to find out.

Azide took hold of a bunch of his soaked hair and wrung it like a damp towel, before shaking loose the droplets which had inevitably clung on. "Stunning it seems like an interesting enough idea," he began, drawing a certain dark-bladed dagger from its sheath. Arms stretched to the side, and knees a bit wobbly, he rose with all the grace and balance of a drunken man. "Just make sure you keep us moving, and we'll find out if your theory has any merit," he continued. A moving canoe was hardly ideal to even be standing up in, let alone attempting a charge- his skill in the latter would be squandered in the current situation.

A raise of his blade triggered the red glow which he had grown to love oh-so-much, and despite the weakness of his footing, the system guided the steel of his knife squarely into the creature's scale-covered flesh. Due to its incredible size and length, he found himself unable to glimpse the Snapper's face at that moment, which lay somewhere up ahead. But to Calrex's credit, the beast's movements slowed to a crawl, and it seemed to stop just short of turning belly-up. It was by the vicious current alone that the massive body continued to move.

---

ID: 39407 | CD: 9 | BD: 2 + 3 (Enhancements) + 1 (Concentration) = 6 (Hit)

MD: 4 (Miss) | LD: 16 (1-10 targets Azide, 11-20 targets Calrex, due to equal Hate)

<<Armor Pierce>> used (1x1)(10) = 10 DMG + Stun

Party Info

Azide: 141/141 HP | 30/34 EN (-4) | 1 Hate

Calrex: 193/193 HP | 47/47 EN | 0 Hate

Enemy Info

<<Galvanic Snapper>> [|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||] [|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ] 690/700 HP (WR) [Stunned]

To say that this was getting old would be something of an understatement; he had actually been out of combat long enough for his energy bar to recover in full- something of a consolation prize for his perseverance, considering how late in the battle that it had come. If he'd only had the energy for it just a few minutes ago, he could have ended it all right then and there. He shook his head before taking off just as Ziz resettled itself in the distance for yet another time.

If his teammates were to fail in their following attacks, he could at least take comfort in the knowledge that he himself now held the ability to land the finishing blow. If one thing was for sure, it was that he could strike jogging from today's to-do list. If he were to ever chase after a bird ever again, it would be too soon.

HP List
Calrex: 177/177 | Back
   Energy: 15/43
Rebekah: 126/126 | Front
   Energy: 15/29
Azide: 129/129 | Back > Front
   Energy: 31/31 (3 turns out of combat)

Enemies:
Ziz: 10/500

"Easier said than done," Azide huffed, pulling the oar back into position- now was not the time to fumble it... again. Though Calrex had made a valiant effort, even all the rowing in the world couldn't have saved the mess of a performance which he himself had put on display. Thankfully, the bluenette seemed content not to call him out on it. "It's kind of a shame that I can't really apply anything I know about rowing here," he continued, with a drawn-out sigh. As was the case with swimming, rowing experience was not something which he'd ever been able to add to his resume of skills- he'd always much preferred motorized boats over these hollowed out logs. But even then, that was not to say that he was not familiar with the technique and theory behind it. And at the end of the day, was knowledge not the most important part of execution? "That Kayaba fellow should've put a little more work into these mechanics- I swear we should be moving at least twice as fast as we are now." 

After a brief pause to regain his breath, he opened his mouth to bark out another scathing critique of dubious validity- but the sharp words never left his tongue. His eyes widened, and he ducked as low as he could manage as the air above him crackled with a vengeance. For a brief moment, he could have sworn that the entire swamp had been lit as bright as day- if the sun were a bit whiter and bluer, to be exact. Glimpsing over his shoulder, he caught sight of the point with which the bolt had collided: behind them, a small island of mangroves now burned without relent, and he watched as a smoldering branch dipped into the water with a sizzle.

"But screw Kayaba. Let's just make this work so we can catch up to that thing," he said, putting a little more power into each of his strokes. Already, he thought he could feel a bit of an improvement- although considering what he'd managed before, that wasn't exactly saying much.

---

ID: 39351 | CD: 9 | MD: 8 - 4 = 4 (Miss)

Party Info

Azide: 141/141 HP | 34/34 EN

Calrex: 193/193 HP | 47/47 EN

Enemy Info

<<Galvanic Snapper>> [|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||] [|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||] 700/700 HP (OOR)

OOC: Turn order is Galvanic Snapper -> Azide -> Calrex, OOR vs WR is determined during Galvanic Snapper's phase.

Truth be told, he was at a loss for where to go from here; improvisation had never been among his stronger points, and nighttime walking beside a girl was not exactly something he had foreseen. And yet even then, he could not deny that he had been improvising a fair amount today, beginning all the way back when he'd first pointed out the cafe in which they stood. What had come over him today? What was it about today that made him proceed with such uncharacteristic recklessness?

He didn't really have an answer, ultimately. Whatever possible answers lurking out there eluded him, and slipped through his fingers like a greedy fistful of sand. "I think it definitely ranks up there," remarked Azide, nodding softly. As with most things, the sentiment had been subtle, and even subdued- he wondered if she would even catch it. But for what it was worth, the present was indeed a great time, and had been for the past few hours or so. The girl's antics earned a slight raise of his brow, but he laughed it off all the same. "First I'm old, and now I'm a lady," said Azide, with a shake of his head. "But I guess I should just be relieved that an American is offering somebody else a chance to go first for once."

Without missing a beat, he stepped through the open doorway and turned to meet the girl's gaze once more. "Just keep in mind that this isn't a girls' night out," he said rather dryly. He wasn't exactly sure what sort of night it was- but perhaps the simplest descriptor was the most accurate. "I guess if anything, this is technically a date night, isn't it?" 

OOC: Sorry for the super late response! Also, feel free to close the thread with your next post, and I'll make a new one after that.

A smile came to his lips at Hikoru's words and reaction. "I'm hoping that you reconsider your ideas of amazing," said Azide, lowering the blade of Chemikaze. Around him, pixel swirls of blue ascended around him, giving way to delicate nothingness- the last remnants of the mindless creatures which he had slain. "My weapon isn't meant for taking on more than a single enemy, really. It only worked in this case because these wasps have all had such low health, and little to no mitigation. Using it in this way is a disservice to its real potential."

He stared at the dagger for a moment, running his eyes up and down its humble length. Sure, it was formidable even now- but just how destructive might it be after he invested just a couple more points? As far as he could tell, nobody had grandmastered the weapon-type thus far, leaving its endgame abilities open-ended.

A loud collective buzzing shook him from his daze, and it was Hikoru's prodding which freed him from the episode completely. "I think I just might have an idea..." remarked Azide, as he raced on over to suspect area. 

As he leapt through the brambles, swarms of wasps fled the vicinity en masse, until only a single wasp was left remaining. She stared at him with hard eyes, but before she could strike, Azide hurtled forward and diced her with two clean slashes across the Queen's thorax. 

"Sorry, I meant for you to get in at least one shot on her," said Azide, as he turned around. His hand was buried in his hair, scratching furiously as the Wasp Queen dissolved behind him. He raised a curled hand, and cleared his throat with a terse cough. "In any case, our job here is done. Let's get out of here before spiders show up or something."

ID: 39262 | BD: 3 + 3 = 6 (Hit) | LD: 18 (1 material found)

<<Cross Edge>> used (2x4)(7) = 56 DMG

Azide: 110/110 HP | 14/25 NRG (+1)
Hikoru: 44/44 HP | 12/12 NRG

Wasp Queen: -6/50 HP

+1 mat to Hikoru (4 mats total) 

OOC: You can end the thread with your next post.

Just as he prepared himself to strike, the beast did the unthinkable. He gritted his teeth together as Ziz repositioned itself yet again, leaving them with the unenviable task of scrambling after it once more. If anything, at least his energy had inched up another sliver- albeit it had failed to enter more viable territory. At this point, chasing after the creature was something of a formality, more than anything else. Even still, he shifted his grip on the dagger at hand before cutting through the now-waning headwinds. 

By now, all he could wish for was for this business to wrap up shortly. Surely Ziz could not keep flying forever? After all, Aincrad was only so big- though even then, he did not wish to chase the massive bird across the entirety of the third floor...

HP List
Calrex: 177/177 | Back
   Energy: 15/43
Rebekah: 126/126 | Front
   Energy: 15/29
Azide: 129/129 | Back > Front
   Energy: 3/31 (+1)

Enemies:
Ziz: 10/500

"Normally, I'd take prospective recruits off into the field, and maybe even surprise them with a pop quiz or two," Azide started, tracing the path of the blonde girl's gaze with his own two eyes. Finding nothing more than a handful of unfamiliar faces, he shifted his attention back to the young lady in front of him. Running a thumbnail down his cheek and across his chin, he paused for a moment, lifting his eyes to rest at their corners. Before long, both orbs rolled back into place, and the subdued smile gave way to a sharp grin. "But as I don't particularly feel like walking today, I'm willing to settle for a change of pace." 

A swipe of his hand generated the usual shimmering panel, and he quickly scrolled through its contents. It wasn't exactly a lie- what he'd said; on the other hand, he had never been the sort to lackadaisically throw caution to the wind and embrace things as they came. Ultimately, what tipped the scales in the direction of whimsy was the fact that he had witnessed Ariel's capabilities time and time again- to subject her to the standard fare would be nothing more than an empty formality. After all, nearly anybody could beat a bunch of mobs without dropping a beat. "We'll go until one of us has landed two hits- because first hit duels leave a little too much up to chance for my tastes." With a soft ding, a new window appeared before him, and he nudged it towards the rapier-wielder with flick of his finger. "Technically, a half-loss duel, but we'll end it after the conditions I specified are met. Just don't go overboard," he added as he lifted himself up from his seat.

"Home?" repeated Azide. The words left his lips in a way which did not imply a genuine question, nor did the falter of his eyes indicate a want for clarification. Of course, a slight tone and a disoriented expression were well within the norm for somebody in his own condition; he was under no expectation that these lapses would provoke any undue questions. "It's been so long now," the young man continued, bringing a hand to nurse his temple with its cool touch. His fingers eased forward, sliding into his hair, and he lifted his chin so that its ridge once again ran roughly parallel with the ground below. "In the other world, it only took a few weeks or months for a place to really feel like home. And yet I've been here for nearly two years..." he trailed off, and brushed aside the cascading strands.

A breathy laugh followed, so dry that it would've crumbled had it been more tangible. He straightened his coat and tugged inward the unbuttoned flaps, easing the fabric more snugly against his body. "In any case, let's get back to Yomi first, if nothing else." His eyes flitted over to glimpse the fuzzy lights ahead- the lanterns which hung within the sinister city itself. Still, he couldn't quite shake the feeling that things were not quite right. Or perhaps, it was that things were not quite as he'd expected- and it left him with a chill.

Regrettably, I am officially stepping down from my capacity as Vice Commander to the Knights of the Blood. In addition, I will also be taking a leave from the guild as a whole, though I hope to maintain a strong relationship with both the current and future Knights.

I wish the best for whomever succeeds me.

-Azide

Quote

In its simplest form, Mafia consists of two sides: the Mafia, and the Town. The Mafia's goal is to kill the innocents, while the Town's goal is to kill the Mafia.

At the beginning of the game, the Moderator will secretly send everyone their role. The Mafia will know each other, while (in the basic game) everyone else will only know their own role.

The game has two phases, the first of which is Day. During Day, the Town must choose someone to Lynch; they are trying to eliminate the Mafia, but the Mafia can lead them astray by casting suspicion elsewhere. Generally, players will vote for someone they think is Mafia (the Mafia will vote so that they seem to be doing this as well, and might even vote for each other to confuse the Town); when a player gets a majority of the votes, they are lynched. Their role is revealed by the Moderator, and it becomes Night.

During the Night, the thread is locked and no one can talk publicly. The Mafia, however, can speak to each other privately to plot strategy and decide who to murder before the next Day begins. In this way, they can silence members of the Town who are threats to them. At the end of the Night, the murder is carried out and another Day begins. In effect, the Town gets to kill someone, and then the Mafia gets to kill someone.

The game alternates between Day and Night until either the Mafia are eliminated, or the Mafia have killed everyone else (or nothing can prevent the same).

Additional roles:

Cop - Each Night, the Cop can investigate one player (by sending their name to the Moderator), and the Moderator will tell them whether that player is Mafia or not.

Doctor - Each Night, the Doctor can choose one player to protect (by sending their name to the Moderator). If the Mafia (or anyone else) tries to kill that player, that kill will be prevented.

Normally, I'd have just written up my own explanation of the popular party game, but because of laziness I've decided instead to provide the gist of things in the words of MafiaScum. Naturally, as the one organizing this potential game, I'll be happy to act as the neutral moderator. Should this topic indicate enough interest, a separate thread will be made, and we can go from there. 

In the meantime, anybody interested in trying this out, consider this thread a place to sign up for the first game. 

Participating:
1. Calrex

2. Ariel

3. Rag

4. Takao Kimura

5. Paglikha

6. Hikoru

7. Zelrius

8. Ayumu

9. Lessa

10. Rebekah

11. Lilliad

Despite the PumpKing's little trick, the battle was most definitely entering its more conclusive phases, with the creature now looking even more worse for wear than in the previous round. With no further signs of healing or trickery otherwise, all that was left was to whittle away the beast's final chunk of health. Unfortunately, he himself was hardly in any position to do it- a quick glance to the meter beside his health confirmed that his energy sat at a grand total of one.

With a sigh, Azide spun the knife once between his fingers before reaffirming his grip. Running forward, he plunged the blade into the creature, but the cold steel of Chemikaze failed to pierce very deeply without the accompaniment of its familiar red glow. Still, it was better he did something rather than nothing.

---
ID: 38849 | BD: 4 + 3 = 7 (Hit)

<<System-unassisted move>> used (1x1) (10) = 10

10 - 40 MIT = 1 DMG

PumpKing
«HP»: 232/1300 Stun Immune 2/3
«Mitigation»: 40

(Enemy)
Calrex - Health: 160/189 Energy: 24/46 Hate: 5 (Safeguard) 
Teayre - Health: 137/137 Energy: 21/33 Hate: 1
Ariel - Health: 145/145 Energy: 9/35 Hate: 2
Kalesh - Health: 82/92 Energy: 23/23 hate: 0 

(Enemy)
Lowenthal - Health: 97/97 Energy: 23 Hate: 6
Ssendom - Health:170/130 Energy: 9 Hate: 4
Opal - Health:96/96 Energy: 4 Hate: 2
Zelrius - Health:145/145 Energy: 11/35 Hate: 3

(Enemy)
Azide - Health:133/133 Energy: 0/32 Hate: 4
Tristan - Health:130/136 Energy: 33 Hate: 8
Rebekah - Health: 130/130 Energy: 19 Hate: 2
Jomei - Health:97/97 Energy:9 Hate: 2

His eyes widened as Tristan's health dropped to nearly half of its maximum- a feat which spoke to just how hard both the PumpKing and its minions had been hitting throughout the entirety of this confrontation. It was easy to forget just how deadly these enemies were when one rarely had to deal with the full brunt of their attacks; in fact, he could still remember a certain scuffle which had left him a round away from death, back when he and Takao had set off in search of Cerberus. It hadn't even been the three-headed mutt itself which had wounded him, but rather the pack of hounds which had quite literally hounded him, disregarding entirely his top-notch evasive capabilities.

Azure or not, smugness was hardly a crime which warranted a death sentence. Instinctively, he raked the air with a swipe of his hand, and within moments a panel displaying his inventory blinked into view. He stared for a moment at the contents of his screen, until the realization hit him- that he had not packed even a single crystal from out of his entire stock. With a shake of his head, he batted the window away the back of his hand, his eyes narrowing as the screen whirled a short distance before flickering out like an old light bulb. Tristan would just have to make do with what he had in the meantime, he thought, as he drew Chemikaze once again.

Ducking and weaving past the gourd king's whipping vines, Azide finally closed in upon the boss, and cleaved off the smallest sliver of its orange skin. With it, he saw the PumpKing's health fall to a nice, round five hundred. If anything, his efforts had at least done some measure of good, he figured.

---

ID: 38152 | BD: 7 (Hit)

<<Non-system Assisted Attack>> used (1x1) (10) = 10

10-40 MIT = 1 DMG

Pumpking King
«HP»: 500/1300 [-1] Burn 2/2
«Mitigation»: 40

(Enemy)
Calrex - Health: 140/189 Energy: 35/46 Hate: 4 (Safeguard) 
Teayre - Health: 137/137 Energy: 21/33 Hate: 1
Ariel - Health: 145/145 Energy: 9/35 Hate: 2
Kalesh - Health: 92/92 Energy: 23/23 hate: 0 

(Enemy)
Lowenthal - Health: 97/97 Energy: 23 Hate: 5
Ssendom - Health:170/130 Energy: 9 Hate: 3
Opal - Health:96/96 Energy: 4 Hate: 2
Zelrius - Health:145/145 Energy: 4/35 Hate: 3

(Enemy)
Azide - Health:133/133 Energy:0/32 Hate: 3
Tristan - Health:70/136 Energy: 34 Hate: 6
Rebekah - Health: 130/130 Energy: 20 Hate: 2
Jomei - Health:97/97 Energy:10 Hate: 2

It was beginning to look like that time again, he thought; brown irises turned skyward, and the young man marveled at the way the wispy clouds rolled so nimbly overhead. They were grey- the color of the plumes which drifted lazily toward the heavens, and filled the air with the faint aroma of cedar smoke. The smoky scent in combination with the almost scenic view served to give him a more favorable impression of this floor, at least compared to the first time he'd set foot into the expansive swamp. He distinctly recalled a certain bitterness which had gripped his heart that day- a sentiment which still lingered, if he were to be honest. Nothing had really changed since the day that the Crusader had fallen; if anything, certain senior organizations had seemed to have only grown in both strength and prestige. He couldn't shake the feeling, nor did he find himself wanting to.

Azide approached the gathered group, and he turned his attention first to the heavy double doors. Soon, the God of the Swamp would make itself known to them; they had already slain a servant of god with ease, and now it would be time to meet the big man himself. He sighed, and his eyes flitted back to the familiar faces that had already arrived. His hands found their way to the velvety depths of his pockets.

All of that, and more, would soon come to pass. But for now, it was simply time to wait.