Takao

Another fit of strikes was evaded with finesse as the Night's King neared its end. His wide swings were becoming desperate as his health gauge dropped with long strides, each of Takao's strikes chewing away chunk after chunk of data. In one last attempt to end Takao in a single blow, the monster raised its axe up high and slammed it down with all the power it could muster. The ornate axehead crashed into the tiles and ripped them from the mortar, fracturing several others in the vicinity of the strike. Having had the mind to back off from the strike, Takao was spared of its vehemence.

He stepped forward in the seconds that followed and slammed his fist into the face of the Night's King, dropping the remainder of its health bar. It fragmented and shattered shortly after, and would have drowned the room in a deafening silence if not for the roaring winds that tore through the ravine just beyond the doors. Takao leaned down and picked up the only thing that remained behind as the colourful polygons disappeared. He examined the Night King's crown, turning it in his hands to look at the various inscriptions that were inlaid into the aged gold.

COMBAT RESULTS

ID: 79424
BD: 8 (5 + 3(ACC))
MD: 4 (6 - 2(EVA))

Takao
HP: 1435/1435
Energy: 55/142 (+1/-17)
Sword Art: «All Might»
Damage: 15(Base) = 12 * 15 = 180

Night's King: 0/450 (180 - 50(MIT) = -130HP)

The Night's King swung again and again, missing each time thanks to a combination of practiced footwork, system-assisted evasive skills, and a touch of luck. Takao was more than capable of biding his time during the search for an opportunity to strike, and finding one wasn't considerably difficult. The Night's King threw a wide horizontal cut that he backpedaled out of the range of, and cocked his arm back when it over-swung. As his caestus covered fist connected with fervor, he couldn't help but muse over how ironic it was for a game entitled "Sword Art Online" to have a damage meta designed in favour of something that didn't use swords.

The Night's King resisted this strike however, which held less pushing power. However, the movement of his opponent following his strike was of little concern in the greater picture as long as he could evade and strike with a consistent rhythm.

COMBAT RESULTS

ID: 79415
BD: 7 (4 + 3(ACC))
MD: 4 (6 - 2(EVA))

Takao
HP: 1435/1435
Energy: 71/142 (+1/-17)
Sword Art: «All Might»
Damage: 15(Base) = 12 * 15 = 180

Night's King: 60/450 (180 - 50(MIT) = -130HP)

The Night's King swung again after recovering; another horizontal cut sailed effortlessly overhead, and was evaded with ease. From how slow the figure struck, he could tell that if it did manage to land a hit, the damage would be considerably. But he had plenty of opportunity to dodge, so failure to do so would be a fault of his own. The Night's King twisted its wrist and brought its axe down upon Takao, narrowly missing if it hadn't been for him pushing off with his right foot and backstepping.

Takao took the opportunity to strike and drew his fist back, activating the same sword art used previously. His fist slammed into the Night's King chest and staggered it, although not to the same extent as his previous strike had. Sans the typical noises of combat, their battle remained in a vaguely uncomfortable silence. Whilst the Night's King was surely uncaring to the silence, Takao forced himself to keep his head in the fight.

COMBAT RESULTS

ID: 79362
BD: 9 (9 + 3(ACC))
MD: 4 (6 - 2(EVA))

Takao
HP: 1435/1435
Energy: 87/142 (+1/-17)
Sword Art: «All Might»
Damage: 15(Base) = 12 * 15 = 180

Night's King: 190/450 (180 - 50(MIT) = -130HP)

7 hours ago, Beatbox said:

clearly its Takao X Beatbox.

❤

A gust of bone-chilling wind tore through the ravine as the doors opened. Takao faltered slightly but retained his composure as the cold temperature normalized and he stepped into the frozen throne room. His eyes slowly trailed up the ice covered throne, lined with broken swords on either side, leading up to the throne carved from stone. Sitting upon it was a large figure, much larger than himself. It wore a worn golden crown without jewels, but covered in subtle engravings. As Takao entered, the doors behind him slowly swung shut, and the large figure rose.

His hands flexed and tensed by repeatedly making fists as he waited, staving off the growing urge to shiver. After an obnoxiously dramatic descent down the dais, the Night's King stepped upon the broken tiles of his throne room and lifted the axe from his back, his red eyes shining daggers into Takao's own green.

Sans his usual pre-battle banter, Takao opted to instead engage the Night's King in silence. A slow walking pace turned into a run, and then a sprint as his charge skill was activated. The Night's King lifted its axe and swung it horizontally, and Takao responded in turn by dropping down to his knees. The ice covering the tiles allowed him to slide beneath the large figure's legs, dodging the swing. His boots came down hard on the unfrozen portion of tile and he stood, turning and charging up «All Might» in the same motion. He slammed his fist into the figure's back, the force of his strike toppling it over and causing it to tumble.

COMBAT RESULTS

ID: 79263
BD: 10 (10 + 3(ACC))
MD: 1 (1 - 2(EVA))

Takao
HP: 1435/1435
Energy: 103/142 (+1/-17)
Sword Art: «All Might»
Damage: 15(Base) = 12 * 15 = 180

Night's King: 320/450 (180 - 50(MIT) = -130HP)

A trifecta of polygonal explosions erupted behind Takao as he proceeded across the bridge, sheathing Ragnarok without looking back in a cinematic cool guy-trope kind of way. Laying before him, nestled comfortably between the crevasse where two massive snow-covered mountains met, was the icy domain of the Night's King. As he understood its design, it was nothing more than a single throne room beyond the large frost-covered doors. Simple and to the point; Takao appreciated that. Several of the newer quests were finding themselves linked to storylines and additional ventures, which Takao hardly had the time or interest in. Perhaps he might have found some value to them if the death game hadn't ruined his perception of the game, but that had long since passed.

Before entering, Takao swiped his hand downward and called forth his menu. The sword on his back disappeared, taking its scabbard along with it in a flash of blue light. In the place of his sword, two caestus appeared on his belt. He cracked his knuckles and pushed his hands into the gloves, fitting them properly before pressing his hands up to the large doors. With a good bit of force, they creaked and opened.

Takao stopped his advance upon the four Wights and allowed them to close the distance, opting to spend that little bit of time evaluating the best course of action. Rather than grouping up, the Wights took the usual AI course of action and distanced themselves from one another. He was hoping for that sort of tactic, as it made divvying up the strikes of the two handed sword's area-of-effect skills that much easier. With their approach chosen, he selected the highest tier sword art available to him let it loose upon the four frost-covered undead.

Ragnarok, guided by the system, crashed into the first of the Wights with power. Starting from a low guard, a classic unterhau cut brought the sword from the lower left portion of the Wight's midsection and cleaved through to the chest, clearing it with ease. The creatures inhabiting Aincrad didn't tend to have organs or bone to slow the blade during cuts, which allowed for those animesque cinematics. He only wished that he could cut clean enough for the beast to continue walking, only to slowly fall to pieces a moment later. However, like all things upon the floating prison, it simply burst into thousands of polygons upon its health gauge reaching zero.

Rolling with the theme of german sword techniques, Takao transitioned into a high guard as the next Wight stepped into place, and swung the sword in an almost awkward way to perform a krumphau. Before the Wight's frozen blade could connect, it was parried to the side by the sword art. In the subsequent motion, Takao thrust Ragnarok through the Wight's stomach. The third approached with the fourth right behind it, so Takao dragged the Wight with him as he turned and kicked it into the third, pulling his sword free in the process.

In the same motion as his sword is pulled free, Takao swings the blade level with the fourth Wight's neck, lopping its head off before it could reach him. The second and third Wights stumbled and fell to the ground, and were subsequently dispatched with an easy plunging strike through their necks simultaneously.

COMBAT RESULTS

ID: 79012
BD: 6 (3 + 3(ACC))
MD: 5 (7 - 2(EVA))

Takao
HP: 1435/1435
Energy: 118/142 (+1/-24)
Sword Art: «Calamity Disaster»
Damage: 15(Base) + 5(Charge) = 20 * 12 = 240

Frost Wight 1-4: 0/100 (240 - 25(MIT) = -215HP)

The walk to the Night King's palace was horrendous. The town of Snowfrost turned to the outlaying forests covered in ever-deepening blankets of snow that made travel a pain. It didn't help that his mind was fatigued with the recent battle either, which made his avatar's body just as exhausted. Then the neverending forests of snow turned into gradual inclines, until finally the evergreen trees faded into the background and only a field of mountains lay ahead. Thankfully, although it was mostly by custom design, the Onyx Huntsman's set that he had equipped provided ample warmth.

With the long-winded travel out of the way, Takao stood at the foot of an ice covered bridge. The extent of his detection skill revealed the figures of four humanoid beasts at the other end, whose flesh was as icy as the bridge and whose red eyes shown brightly through the dimly lit environment.

"Just four." He said aloud to himself as he reached for the blade over his shoulder, grasping hold of the handle and giving it a sharp tug to free it from its scabbard. In an unnecessarily cinematic manner, he allowed for the tip to drag across the stone as he walked forward. A shrill scraping sound echoed across the ravine that the bridge crossed, eventually alerting the four Wights to Takao's presence when he'd gotten close enough. "Easy."

Takao made it back to Spartaia just short of the hour he'd predicted and practically stomped his way through the streets lined with red marble. His expression was twisted and his face contorted into a mixture of frustration, annoyance, and tunnel visioned focus. His ascent up the warp gate platform was smooth, and through a thoroughly practiced motion was he able to simultaneously equip his outfit's jacket before he reached the top.

His mouth opened to speak, but before any words left, he reconsidered. Letting Aria know he was okay would certainly be the responsible thing to do... But with the sheer amount of frustration that festered, he needed an outlet.

"Floor four; Snowfrost." He said, and was subsequently whisked away to the snow covered fourth floor of Aincrad. The frigid air caught him by surprise, as it always did, but did little to stop him as he trotted down the staircase. Snow crunched under his boots as he made his way toward the northernmost gate.

"Night's King first... Then Absolute Zero, then I'll go back. Yeah. That's good, I'll do that.

Stumbling through the woods had proven to be a more taxing task than previously thought. Takao caught himself just prior to falling and leaned his weight against the trunk of a tree, taking the moment to catch his breath. It must've been months since he'd been knocked down to such a dangerously low amount of health, and his legs shook slightly at the thought. He was alive by chance; not like before, where it was a matter of lucky timing that he could've planned better. This was a matter of being outclassed and outgunned to the point where his fate had relied on the negligence of his opponent. That was never a good feeling.

"Okay..." He said amidst an exhaled breath, slowly sliding his back down the tree. After giving his face a vigorous rub to clear his thoughts. "I'll... have to let Calrex know. Maybe Mack 'n the Knights too." Talking to himself wasn't necessarily a recent development, at least not in the terms of his time in the game, however it had certainly become more prominent. This was especially the case when he needed to calm down.

Takao exhaled a loud, guttural, frustrated groan and forced himself to a stand. It was a factual statement to say that he lingered toward the top of the scale in terms of power in the game, yet o have been dispatched so easily regardless of the conditions was a powerful blow to his pride. What felt like years of work amounted to nothing when it mattered. But he wasn't the sort to just lay down and take it. Unfortunately, when Takao was challenged, he pushed back... and this definitely came off as a challenge.

You can do either. Most people tend to use one single roll for both attacking all enemies and being attacked by all enemies, though.

Takao pushed himself to a stand and sauntered with a lax pace to his sword that laid in the mud. A curt smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"Still here, eh? Thought for sure it'd been long enough for you to decay." He said to the sword, lifting it up to examine the dirt and muck covered blade. He ran his hand along the steel and cleaned some of it off, though most only smeared across the mirror-finished metal. Takao sheathed Ragnarok in the scabbard on his back and swiped his menu open, moving to the inventory section at a lazy pace. The sheathed sword on his back disappeared in a flash of blue light, and in their place, a pair of rust-coloured Cestus appeared on his belt.

As he brushed some of the mud and dirt from his clothing, he turned and glanced over his shoulder, looking into the dark forest. A sharp exhale left his nostrils, almost in an amused fashion. "Spooky."

Without a second thought, he waded through the brush that lined the forest and began to trek back to the safe zone. It wouldn't be a long one, an hour's walk at most, but it did give him some time to think.

"Well... Let's look at the bright side: I'm not dead, that's good. 'n my sword didn't decay. That's good too. All things considered, s'been a decent day."

[ continuing from this thread ]

"Ghk..." Takao groaned as his eyes slowly opened and adjusted to the light, or rather the apparent lack of. Night had fallen upon the seventeenth floor during his slumber, and by some miracle his unconscious avatar hadn't been finished off by a passing monster. He grunted and struggled to lift his body from the pile of mud that he'd been beaten into, his eyes slowly drifting over to his health gauge. It was almost fully restored; a true testament to how long he'd been out, if the day cycle hadn't beaten it to the punch.

Takao let the oxygen from his lungs drain in a deliberately slow breath as he propped his back up against the trunk of the tree, taking a moment to muse over the happenings earlier in the day.

There was a new player on the field that threatened Aincrad's prisoners, and if the thrashing he just gave was any indication of his strength, it went without question that he was a threat. But with the addition of that skill... It elevated him to a new league of problems. With an exasperated sigh, Takao ran his hands down his face. There was never a dull moment in Sword Art Online.

Yup.

THREAD COMPLETED

5 SP
200 Col
(some other stuff i'm too lazy to look up from the lion quest)

Air left Takao's lungs in a single quick huff. His digital body was practically torn to shreds, twenty six wounds now decorating his beaten figure. The sheer force of the sword skill had thrown Takao backward and sent him rolling down the hill. When the decline of the hill flattened, his momentum stopped, and he slowly struggled to get his bearings.

Green eyes rested wearily upon Death Adder's approaching form, his blades held outward at either side like some sort of bastardized angel. Takao lifted his body up by his forearms to start, then slowly the rest of him rose as well. But Death Adder wouldn't let him get that far. The sole of his boot slammed onto Takao's back and forced him into the dirt, pinning him in the mud.

"Kgh..." Takao hissed, his head turning slightly to peer up at Death Adder. Sodden earth stained his face and clothes, his repeated tumbling and rolling in the dirt and muck had graced him with a generous coating.

"Good night, kiddo." Death Adder said in a low tone, poising his swords in such a way that he re-activated the previous sword skill that had torn through Takao's body like a hurricane. "Oh, and tell Zelrius I said hello." A wry grin pulled his cheeks just before he unleashed the sword skill upon Takao.

Another twenty six slashes in rapid successful battered him further into the dirt, quiet noises of struggle catching in Takao's throat. The damage continued to tick down as Takao laid motionless, and Death Adder sheathed his swords.

"Anna, don't make me wait. Let's go." He said, disappearing into the brush. Anna watched as Takao remained lifeless in the mud, but didn't disappear. Her eyes narrowed and the temptation to watch his health continue to drain, but she knew better than to keep Death Adder waiting. She too disappeared into the woods after him, leaving Takao behind.

COMBAT RESULTS

TAKAO

ID: /
BD: /

HP: 18/1415 ( 540(Raw) - 30(MIT) - 40 (Battle Healing) = -470HP )
Energy: 36/140 (+1)
Sword Art: «n/a»
Damage: n/a

VRYCE

ID: /
BD: /

HP: 328/885
Energy: 62/88 (+1/)
Sword Art: «n/a»
Damage: n/a

DEATH ADDER

ID: 78794
BD: 8 (5 + 3(ACC))

HP: 1298/1505
Energy: 98/150 (+1/-26)
Sword Art: «The Eclipse»
Damage: 15(base) + 8(Fallen) + 4 (Damage Crystal) = 27 * 20 = 540

"Ah." Takao exhaled. His nostrils twitched, pulling off to one side as he sucked in a sharp breath. "Fantastic."

He strolled over to his sword and picked it up, effortlessly sliding it into the scabbard upon his back in a smooth motion. Green eyes darted from Anna to Death Adder, reading their motions carefully. Anna seemed perfectly capable of standing, although she looked defeated... upset, perhaps. Or perhaps worried about something. He'd gotten the feeling of anxiety coming from her, and rightfully so. She appeared to be in league with this Death Adder, and given his assumed motivations, it didn't look good.

"The Last Hero, you said?" Takao furthered his inquiries, hoping to buy himself a little time. The Villain sorts did like monologuing, didn't they? "I'm sure Zelrius thought the same thing 'bout himself, y'know."

Death Adder scoffed. "You insult me! Placing me next to that airheaded kid. I will make the assumption that my facetiousness went undetected, but yes. As the very systems themselves would have me called, I am the Hero of Aincrad... And, like I said, the last." He explained, forcing Takao to hold back a faint smile. He'd read the situation accurately enough.

"There's a bit of a difference with my attainment of that title, though. Namely... I wasn't stupid enough to let those cringeworthy NPCs to live. Put them out of their misery, get it?"

Takao huffed and felt a faint grin appear on his face. "Hah, I get it. Scorched earth polic-" He said, only to be interrupted.

"Scorched earth policy! Exactly! See, this kid gets it!" Death Adder exclaimed, pointing the blade of Michael at Takao whilst his gaze settled upon Anna. "I like this kid! It's real damn shame he had to go and do something real stupid like that. A real, damn shame." He said, tilting the sword to rest the spine against his shoulder. He remained silent for a moment, as did Takao and Anna, until he spoke up again.

"Alright, well. Let's get this over with then." He said, immediately activating his «Charge» skill. He closed the space between himself and Takao in an absurdly short amount of time, almost looking like teleportation if Takao hadn't found the thought so absurd. He lifted his hands to defend himself, but unfortunately found himself on the receiving end of a brutal twenty-six hit combination instead.

COMBAT RESULTS

TAKAO

ID: 78793
BD: 4 (4 + 3(ACC) - 3(EVA) )

HP: 488/1415 ( 640(Raw) - 30(MIT) - 40 (Battle Healing) = -570HP )
Energy: 35/140 (+1/-2)
Sword Art: «Miss»
Damage: N/A

VRYCE

ID: /
BD: /

HP: 328/885
Energy: 62/88 (+1/)
Sword Art: «n/a»
Damage: n/a

DEATH ADDER

ID: 78792
BD: 7 (4 + 3(ACC))

HP: 1298/1505
Energy: 124/150 (+1/-26)
Sword Art: «The Eclipse»
Damage: 15(base) + 8(Fallen) + 4(Damage Crystal) + 5(Charge) = 32 * 20 = 640

"Drop the sword, kid." Commanded the voice of the figure that stood before Takao, holding the blade to his throat. He complied, relaxing his hand to allow the handle of his sword to roll off his glove-clad fingers. His eyes moved along the blade, examining the familiar shape and design. Takao's eyebrows knitted into a tight furrow, somewhere halfway between disbelief and shock. He knew that blade. It had been thrust into his chest once, after all.

"Micha-" Takao started, only for the sword to press further against his neck. A sharp inhale filled his lungs and his emerald gaze rose quickly, meeting a pair of light blue orbs so cold and icy that they almost looked white. He looked over the man himself, who wore a suspiciously militaristic uniform. He quickly committed it's design to memory, just in case.

"Anna. You did good," The man said, turning his gaze over his shoulder to set upon the woman. "We'll discuss the matter of your... lack of success... later. For now, get the gi-" He continued, only for the wind to be pulled from his lungs.

The man was knocked off his feet and slid across the grass, a small trail of dirt following behind him. Takao recovered from the kick and snapped his head toward Aria. "Adder!" Anna called out, struggling to stand as the uniform-clad man came to a natural halt.

"Aria, use it!" He yelled out. The girl standing some distance away on the hill startled violently, nearly dropping the crystal in the process. "But-" She said, only to be cut off by Takao again. "Now!"

She didn't dare disobey, not this time. "T..Teleport!" She said, holding the crystal out despite her trembling arm. In a flash of light, she was gone. A relieved breath left Takao's lungs, but he was in no less danger now than he was prior to kicking his assailant. One could wager he was in an even worse spot.

"Sorry, friend. You aren't gonna get her so easily." Takao said, a weak smile growing on his face. "So you're Death Adder then?" He inquired, turning back to look at the man who was already on his feet. A low, guttural growl rumbled in his throat.

"And if you have the Blade of Michael, that means..." His deductive reasoning was cut short, and a straight answer was given.

"Yes. That's right." Death Adder said, slowly reaching over his shoulder with his free hand. He grasped the handle of another sword and pulled it upward slowly, allowing for every inch of the blackened blade to scrape and hiss against its scabbard. Now fully drawn, he held two swords-- one in either hand.

"The Last Hero of Aincrad. At your service!"

COMBAT RESULTS

TAKAO

ID: 78790
BD: 6 (5 + 3(ACC) - 3(EVA) + 1(Concentration) )

HP: 1058/1415 ( +40 HP(Battle Healing) )
Energy: 36/140 (+1/-12)
Sword Art: «Full Cowl»
Damage: 15(base) + 6(Damage Crystal) + 6(Vodka) = 23 * 9 = 207

VRYCE

ID: /
BD: /

HP: 328/885
Energy: 62/88 (+1/)
Sword Art: «n/a»
Damage: n/a

DEATH ADDER
*stunned*

ID: /
BD: /

HP: 1298/1505 ( -207 HP )
Energy: 150/150 
Sword Art: «n/a»
Damage: n/a

"Stop, dude." Takao groaned, pushing his hand in front of his familiar which seemed hellbent on annoying him in whatever way it could. To the clueless onlooker it might've seemed like small gestures of affection, perhaps even attempts to garner his attention, but Takao had seen the underbelly of the beast. The little red mischievous reptile was in it for his own enjoyment, but the weather was much too hot for Takao to entertain him.

Even in the refuge of the park canopy shadows, the heat was still well beyond his liking; though that wasn't saying much. One could argue that Takao hadn't the broadest range of preferred temperatures. He was forecast to complain or simply be quietly miserable whenever the weather scales tipped too far in either direction. His head slowly rolled across his shoulders and flopped almost lifelessly over the back of the bench he sat upon, basking in his weather-inflicted suffering. Otoko, his familiar, took the opportunity to run across his lap again, enticing a sudden exhale from him.

"Otoko, c'mon. Ain't it bad enough I'm already dyin'?" Takao grunted, lifting his head up from the bench. "Why you always gotta kick me when I'm down, man." Slowly, Takao sat up from his reclined position and threw his arm over the back of the bench. Thankfully, having shed the jacket he usually wore alleviated some of the heat, although the form-fitting shirt that covered his torso underneath was still a poor choice of attire for the heat.

Otoko leapt from the bench and took to running in circles rapidly, his energy certainly on the climb. He was a desert monster after all, so his demeanor in the heat was significantly different than other climates. It was in this heat-enticed energetic frenzy that Otoko ran head first into the leg of a passerby, and promptly rolled backward in shock and confusion, stopping just short of Takao's feet.

"Dude, not cool." Takao said, forcing himself up from the comfort of the bench to look at the passerby whose leg his familiar had just headbutted. "Sorry 'bout that!"

If your rank in Dagger is 1, and you have no other skill or equipment modifiers factoring into your base damage, your base damage would be 2. Everybody's base damage, without skills or equipment, is 1. Rank 1 in Dagger gives you +1 base damage, putting you at 2.

A BD10 critical increases your base damage by 2 for that hit. So you would now be at 4.

Using a 2x1 sword art, you would multiply your base damage by the sum of the sword art. In this case, the math is as simple as 4 * 2, which is 8. That's one dead boar you have on your hands, my friend.

Anna clenched her jaw shut tight and ground her teeth. It was painfully apparent by their difference in damage output that she was vastly outgunned, but she remembered his words; The kid wouldn't kill her. It seemed as though such a claim was true. She had witnessed Takao using the martial arts skill to take down the Lioness', and that particular set of sword skills outmatched the two handed sword's, yet he still used something with a lower damage output. In addition to that, he wasn't immediately attacking her again. She could run-- it would certainly have been the smart thing to do, but doing so would not go without punishment. She had to fight.

"Getting a little ahead of yourself there, aren't you? You haven't killed me yet!" She shouted out, lunging forward with unexpected speed. Aria watched in the background and flinched as her blade sank into Takao's chest, tearing through his midsection and gouging out a portion of his health. Takao, on the other hand, seemed wholly unimpressed.

"I gave you an out, man." He said, placing his hand on her shoulder to push her off. His nonchalant demeanor in the face of being stabbed caught her off guard, and she was thrown from her feet, hands releasing their grip on the blade. Takao lifted his off-hand and grasped the katana's handle, slowly pulling it from his midsection before tossing it to the ground.

"Why ain't none of you cartoon villains ever take the out?" Takao said, slowly moving toward her. "Whatever. Have it your way." He dismissed her poor choice of actions and raised Ragnarok over his head, the blade shining a bright green.

Anna lifted her hand and covered her face as the blade swung down, but to both their surprise, no metal to flesh contact was made. Instead, the shrill screech of steel hitting steel echoed out, followed by the hollow sound of a foot slamming into a chest.

"Ghk-!" Takao's breathing caught in his chest as he was kicked back with impressive and unexpected force. His back made contact with the ground and threatened to send him into a roll, had his hand not stretched out and caught himself with a single-handed handstand. The momentum proved a little harder to manage however, and he still toppled over.

He grit his teeth and immediately clambered back to his feet, only to feel the tip of a blade pressing to his throat mid-stand.

COMBAT RESULTS

TAKAO

ID: 78756
BD: 10 (3 + 3(ACC))

HP: 1018/1415 ( 238(Raw Damage) - 30 = 208 - 40(Battle Healing) = -168HP )
Energy: 47/140 (+1/-9)
Sword Art: «Fight Blade»
Damage: 15(base) + 6(Damage Crystal) + 6(Vodka) + 5(Charge) = 29 * 6 = 174

VRYCE

ID: 78757
BD: 9 (9 + 3(ACC))

HP: 328/885
Energy: 61/88 (+1/-14)
Sword Art: «San Ge»
Damage: 15(base) + 2(Critical) = 17 * 14 = 238

Takao and Anna caught each other's blades in a bind, the edges of their swords biting into one another. She seemed to struggle against his hold, and understandably so; Takao had consumed an impressive amount of buffs prior to his engagement with the Lions. From the speed of her movements, he could tell there was a bit of a level difference as well, working further into his favour.

This did pose a new problem however, and that was gauging exactly how much damage she could withstand without being killed. He wasn't a murderer, and even in self defense he was certain he wouldn't bring himself to that point.

Takao lifted his foot and slammed it into her midsection in a single pair of motions, knocking her back from the bind. He closed the distance and swung a vertical, overhead cut which Anna caught with the flat of her sword, deflecting it to the side. As she lifted her katana to strike again, Takao slammed his foot down and used the momentum to carry his blade around. Anna was forced to reroute her strike and braced her katana against her left arm, which Ragnarok promptly slammed into. The force of the strike was enough to knock her off her feet and tumbling across the ground, kicking up dust as she rolled.

Anna recovered with grace as Takao leapt the short distance with his sword raised above his head. As he landed, he carried the sword down with power, causing it to crash into the grass. A plume of dirt and grass exploded where his sword had made impact, and Anna tumbled out of the dust once more. This time, she had a large red gash stretching from her left shoulder to the bottom of her midsection. As Takao emerged from the dust cloud, he glanced down at his own person and noted two distinct slash markings. His health hadn't moved a considerable amount, compared to Anna who had a little less than half remaining.

"I don't 'spose you'll reconsider now and shove off, will ya'?" He said, resting the sword on his shoulder again.

COMBAT RESULTS

TAKAO

ID: 78756
BD: 6 (3 + 3(ACC))

HP: 1186/1415 ( 224(Raw Damage) - 30 = 194 - 40(Battle Healing) = -154HP )
Energy: 53/140 (+1/-13)
Sword Art: «Galaxy Destroyer»
Damage: 15(base) + 6(Damage Crystal) + 6(Vodka) + 5(Charge) = 32 * 13 = 416

VRYCE

ID: 78757
BD: 9 (9 + 3(ACC))

HP: 328/885 ( -416 HP )
Energy: 74/88 (+1/-14)
Sword Art: «San Ge»
Damage: 15(base) + 1(Critical) = 16 * 14 = 224

"Tch... Figures..." Anna hissed through clenched teeth, slowly standing up and stepping out from the foliage. She looked up the hill to Takao, whose own eyes bore down upon her. "Even with the cloak, you still managed to spot me. You're full of surprises." She commented idly, brushing the stray leaves and brush from her clothing.

"That surprises you?" Takao said in response, his eyebrow quirking upward. "You don't know who I am then?" He continued, glancing over his shoulder to Aria, who shot him a glance that was somewhere between annoyed and ashamed.

"Come on. Takao? The scout? Y'know, the guy who found like... two boss rooms in under three hours each? Not ringin' a bell?" He said, holding one hand out from his side in an expectant gesture. Anna simply raised her eyebrow in a questioning manner, practically asking him if he was being serious with just her expression.

"You guys are gonna make me cry." He huffed a breath and shook his head, sliding Ragnarok from his shoulder and resting the tip in the soft soil beneath his feet. His eyes refocused on Anna and his head tilted. "So, you're following us then. Been following us for a while now, too. But you're only now showing your face-- why?"

"The girl," Anna replied curtly. She gestured with her head to Aria, then looked back to Takao. "If you're smart, you'll hand her over and save both of us a lot of trouble. Otherwise, you're gonna start diggin' a nice grave for yourself." She threatened. On her lonesome it was mostly an idle one, but she spoke knowing that her back was supported.

Takao stared at her for a moment, his eyebrows furrowing. The whistle of wind rushing between them filled the silence in a cinematic way, and he responded once the quiet had returned. "That's not going to happen." He said, pulling the sword from the ground and lifting its tip to face her. She drew her own weapon, a long katana with a milky white blade and ash-black hilt.

"Have it your way, then." She replied. Her charge skill was activated and she leapt forward, swinging downward at Takao, who promptly lifted his sword to meet her's.

INITIATIVE RESULTS

Takao
ID: 78724
LD: 25 (20 + 5(S&D)

Vryce
ID: 78725
LD: 20