Takao

Seeing so many players scurrying off in the same direction, some with a small platoon of friends in tow, was certainly not an unexpected sight. The idea of being the first to do anything in Aincrad was an accolade worth rushing toward, as he had once done himself. He never claimed to be inhuman in his desires and greed, there was a certain feeling of being part of the elite that made him strive for that feeling of superiority. Temptation was a powerful drug, one he never thought he would succumb to, but he was sure that even the best of Aincrad's prisoners would eventually.

The heat had finally started to get to him, which took an unsurprisingly short amount of time. He shed the jacket from his shoulders and tied it around his waist, leaving his torso clad in his gear's undershirt. Shortly after, Takao had taken notice of a vaguely familiar face.

"Huh," He exhaled curiously, garnering Aria's attention. "What?" She replied quickly, her inquisitive nature immediately triggering her curiousity.

"I think I know that dude from somewhere... Yeah, yeah, I do. I traded him a shitload of col for'a item. Looks like he's in the race for this thing too. Les' go see." Takao said, gesturing with his offhand for her to follow him as his pace picked up into a jog. He caught up to him quickly, and avoided the cinematically flowing cape with a bit of finesse and footwork.

"Ayy man. You here for that new boss stuff too?" He asked, just in time for Aria to catch up and resume her pace beside him.

@Beatbox

"It's so hoooooot!" Aria whined, her voice adopting a loud, nasally tone as she howled into the wind. Several of Fortaleza's inhabitants paid the pair a brief, suspect glance before returning to their daily goings. Takao, who appeared equally as miserable to the younger girl who stood some head and a half shorter than he, offered a guttural grumble in response.

"We won't be here long." He said, emerald eyes casting a glazed glance over his frolicking familiar. The little rat-like dragon was in his element on the fifth floor, happily kicking the sand with each step he took on their way to the northern gates. There was a new boss to be killed, and with Aria's incessant begging to be taken hunting it seemed like the perfect opportunity. She could get a taste of what it was like to be on the forefront of questing progress whilst also getting some experience on the side. Generally, it could be considered a lucrative adventure.

"Ugh... I'm melting over here, Freckles! Why'd we have to come here of all places?" She cried, dragging her feet against the sand-covered stone path. The scuffling sound made his eyes roll.

"Cause Info Brokers are losing their minds over some old quest bosses evolvin' or something. Figured it'd be worth checkin' out. Maybe we'll be the first ones to beat it." Takao responded. His words seemed to interest Aria greatly, as her eyes lit up and she adopted a bounce to her step.

"Ohh, that sounds cool! Yaaay~! We're gonna be the first to kill it!" Aria cried out, once again drawing the attention of the passerby's. Takao pinched the bridge of his nose and chuckled as the pair approached the gates.

I'd be down. I have a few quests I still need to do that could help you get started.

Fingers tapped diligently away at the virtual keyboard that floated before her. A bead of sweat had grown on her forehead, if only to demonstrate her growing frustration and anxiety within her digital prison. The boy looked like nothing special, and his equipment was was uninteresting as she found his face. Yet surely there was a mystery to him, judging by how easily he dealt with the three Lioness opponents without appearing to have even broken a sweat. She had been tasked to prove herself, which she surely could not do by failing her first ambush.

Quote

Recipient: Death_Adder
Sender: Vryce

Message: The kid is stronger than we thought. I can't do the ambush alone. Can you spare anybody to help?

Her teeth ground together and she forced her hand to send the message. It was a difficult call to make... She could either attack them and surely fail her task, or try to prove to them that she could read a situation adequately enough to know when help was required. She hoped that the latter would be true, but Adders' strict reputation was well known in the Underground. The chances that he would judge her simply for the suggestion was just as much of a possibility as the other options.

A nearly inaudible bleep sounded as an incoming message was received. Her breathing hitched and she looked up, noting that both Takao and Aria hadn't moved yet. The message had gone unheard, which prompted her to open it and read with haste.

Quote

Recipient: Vryce
Sender: Death_Adder

Message: The girl won't fight, and the kid won't kill you. Prove to me that you can handle situations under duress and do as you're told. Do not disappoint me.

Anna bared her teeth and suppressed the growing desire to hiss at his words. How cruel of him, to send her into an unwinnable battle. Fine, she thought to herself. She would trust in her orders, and hinge her survival on the notion that the boy wouldn't kill her after being attacked.

"I'll only be gone an hour at most." Takao said as he adjusted the collar of his jacket. Aria, the young girl whom Takao had been asked to watch over for an indefinite amount of time, appeared rather distraught with his leaving. She folded her arms and huffed, as was typical of her tantrums. But this time was a little different. Usually she'd have something to say, but her quietness was off-putting. He glanced over his shoulder and looked at her, one eyebrow raising curiously.

"You're not worried for me, are you?" He asked, too used to their love-to-hate one another sort of relationship. She looked down and he exhaled a light chuckle. "Aww, c'mon now. Have a lil' confidence in y'boy. I've done this sort of thing alone before, doin' it with a few others means I'm just runnin' an errand. I'll be back before you know it." He said, giving her a light pat on the head as he passed her on his way to the door. He opened it and, while mid-stride, turned to look at her again. "Don't get into too much trouble while I'm gone, yeah?" Takao said, giving her one last wave before he departed.

Despite his and Mack's efforts at locating the field boss, it would appear that they had been beaten to the punch. Perhaps starting so late hadn't worked in their favour, but ultimately it didn't matter who got there first. What mattered now was that they had a new obstacle in their path that, just like the others, would be crushed in due time. Making his way from one of the twentieth floor taverns and into the wilderness, it didn't take long for Takao to arrive at the coordinates he'd been supplied through the Coalition. With a wave of his hand, he greeted the gathering of familiar faces. "Ayy boys. Good job findin' the thing!"
 

"Hah." Takao exhaled a laugh under his breath. "Can't even remember the last time I did that quest. I think I was helpin' somebody out with it, maybe." He said, having once been rather active on the quest helping front. But as more pressing matters came to the forefront of his attention, the helpful attitude he had once boasted proudly had since diminished. It was a shame, really. He was a helper by nature, yet prior engagements --not that he minded them-- were tying him up.

"Looks like we've got a good vantage point on top'a this hill here," Takao pointed out as he gestured toward the vertical obstacle standing in their path. "Should give us a good idea of where we are. I haven't really explored this floor much on my own, so my map data could use the boost." He said, scurrying up the mountain with Aria not far behind him.

"Good luck finding him." Takao remarked, shaking his head. He ran his hand over his face and started walking, resuming their northward heading. "It doesn't surprise me you haven't heard of him. I've been lookin' for months, and the only thing I've got on him is a name. Worth a shot though." He said.

"I'll tell you more 'bout the whole situation later. Under better circumstances." It would be his final words on the matter, if he could help it. It was a sensitive subject that he didn't care much to elaborate on in Aria's presence; surely he could spare her that. It certainly wasn't a bad offer, perhaps one he might consult her on at a later time, but for not it seemed inappropriate.

"Anyway, let's try and avoid monsters 'til your health is back up, yeah? Don't want you to go dyin' on us now." He remarked, chuckling at the larger man's health status. Aria caught up with Takao's pace, and the pair continued walking, not waiting for Mack to follow after them.

Aria watched curiously from the sidelines as the pair of players seemed to interact casually whilst in the heat of battle. It was a foreign construct to her, whose level barely scratched thirty and certainly by no effort of her own, to engage in conversation with such level heads despite interacting almost flawlessly in combination with one another. She, who had spent the vast majority of her time in Aincrad either alone or with her sister, or simply with Takao who seldom interacted with other players as of late, hadn't experienced such a thing before. It was interesting, and she dared to call it entertaining as well.

Meanwhile, Takao pulled the wasp whose attacks he was evading into Mack's line of fire, allowing him to whittle down its health into the ever dangerous red zone. With only a sliver of its health left, Takao pulled off a swing reverse hook kick that knocked the wasp backward and into the remaining two. The three of them fell to the ground, the minor damage inflicted by the movement having depleted the remainder of their health gauges.

"Well," Takao said as he regained his composure and waved to Aria. "That doesn't really surprise me. The grinding aspect of SAO sure does take its toll. Tryna' stay on top of that all gets to you after a while." He replied. When Mack offered the guild hall as a place of refuge for Aria, she seemed visibly disturbed by the idea, and quickly scurried up to the brunet's side.

"...To be honest, I don't think it'd be fair of me to put you guys in that sorta position. See, I'm not just protectin' her from... y'know, whatever's out here." He explained, mentally arguing with himself on whether or not to dance around the issue. A simple glance cast to the girl later, and he continued.

"She's bein' followed by somebody--... er... a group of people. It ain'tcher fight, so I don't feel too good 'bout dragging other people into it." He said. Aria, whose face was twisted into a mixture of discomfort, unease, and upset, simply stayed quiet and close to Takao. "...Although... I 'spose it can't hurt to ask. D'you know anythin' 'bout a player named Death Adder?"

- COMBAT RESULTS -

ID: 76524
BD: 9 (9 + 3(ACC) (Concentration) {3/5})
LD: 16 (7 + 5(S&D) + 4(HoM))

Takao
HP: 1415/1415
Energy: 117/140 (+1/-6)
Sword Art: «Crescent Moon»
Damage: 15(base) + 5(Charge) + 6(Damage Crystal) + 1(Crit) = 27 * 3 = 81

Giant Wasp 1: 0/710
Giant Wasp 2: 0/710
Giant Wasp 3: 0/710
Giant Wasp 4: 0/710

{ 10650 col & 5 T2 Materials dropped. }

A week late but hey, whatever. Welcome!

"Not really," Takao replied in earnest as he narrowly dodged the one of the Wasp's assaults. His practiced acrobatics leant themselves well to the process of evading attacks, allowing him to tumble and weave as he needed. "It actually has a rather... noble cause, I 'spose you could call it. Nothing really special though, most guilds do." He continued, speaking easily through his evasive maneuvering.

"But it's also fallen into that lull, also like most guilds do. We were all solo players and independent of each other for so long that we're just fallin' back into what we're used to." His words sounded sullen despite his efforts to do otherwise. The Spectrum Coalition had been a glimmer of hope for him when the days had turned dark, but it proved to fade just as those before it had. He had given up on the prospect, and simply lingered in the guild as a result of his own laziness. Takao was better off on his own anyway. Or so he thought.

- COMBAT RESULTS -

ID: 76467
BD: 1 (1 + 3(ACC) + 1(Concentration) {5/5})

Takao
HP: 1415/1415
Energy: 122/140 (+1/-2)
Sword Art: «MISS»
Damage: n/a

Giant Wasp 1: 0/710
Giant Wasp 2: 220/710
Giant Wasp 3: 220/710
Giant Wasp 4: 220/710

{ 7100 col & 2 Materials dropped. }

An amused snort was exhaled and Takao shook his head. He could practically feel the steam being exuded from Aria's ears, yet he found it to be better left unaddressed. The girl was an emotional time bomb just ready to explode, and he hadn't the mind nor the interest in feeding that fire.

"Takin' bets now. I got money on the field boss bein' some grasshopper lookin' deal and the actual boss bein' a giant praying mantis. Or the other way around." He said, offering a bit of humour to the potentially harrowing situation. Scouting for a floor on his lonesome was an ordeal in and of itself, but doing so with companions was new... though, perhaps with the company, it wasn't so bad. He knew firsthand that both Mack and Aria could keep up with his pace, given the epic dungeon crawl some time ago with Mack and Aria's stubborn persistence to prove herself. Although it was a bit arrogant, he trusted them both to not slow him down.

"Baldur convinced me t'join. It's nothin' really serious, just doin' my own thing as usual, but now with a tag on my collar." He joked. The only alluring ideal of the SC had been that all of its members were independent. He had no more obligations to them than he did the rest of Aincrad's players, and that's how he preferred it. "Can't even remember the last time I saw anybody else from the guild, to be honest. Not even Calrex, though I haven't been on the frontlines lately either, on account'a other obligations."

The sudden appearance of buzzing brought Takao's attention to the approaching monsters. Mack opted to engage first, and Takao had little issue with it. It gave him adequate time to enjoy a quick dive into his quick-access inventory. A crystal was produced and subsequently shattered in his hand as the effects were activated.

Mack had just finished his assault, leaving an opening for Takao to attack. "Watch your head!" Takao said, vaulting over Mack's back to avoid the shockwave that nearly knocked Aria onto her bottom. At the same time as his vault, Takao prepared the strongest sword art at his disposal, and decimated one of the monsters with a single powerful strike. The wasp was send tumbling across the ground and eventually shattered into pieces, leaving only three to remain. Aria, having recovered from her momentary loss of balance, had moved to watch the pair fight from a safe distance.

- COMBAT RESULTS -

ID: 76388
BD: 6 (2 + 3(ACC) + 1(Concentration) {5/5})
LD: 22 (13 + 5(S&D) + 4(HoM))

Takao
HP: 1415/1415 ( +20 (Battle Healing) )
Energy: 123/140 (+1/-17)
Sword Art: «All Might»
Damage: 15(base) + 5(Charge) + 6(Damage Crystal) + 8(Fallen) = 34 * 15 = 510

Giant Wasp 1: 0/710 ( -510HP )
Giant Wasp 2: 430/710
Giant Wasp 3: 430/710
Giant Wasp 4: 430/710

{ 7100 col & 2 Materials dropped. }

"I think you might be underestimating her persistence a bit." Takao commented idly as he walked, his attention far too set on the task at hand to bother turning his head one way or the other.

"Freckles here is right! You can't just ignore me, Wooly!" She chimed in, arms folding in defiant confidence. She watched as he drew the massive axe and swallowed, a troubled expression crossing her face before she quickly looked forward. Trying to remember that the appearance of a weapon was rarely a thing to be intimidated over was a difficult mindset to achieve, even if Takao had said it was important.

"Anyway, process is simple. We head to the outer edge and find the highest point we can find on the north side. If we don't spot anything, we move around the floor clockwise and do the same thing. Also, pay attention to monster spawn rates and their overall strength. They tend to get stronger and more numerous around the Labyrinth." Takao said, imparting a few nuggets of his labyrinth finding strategy unto Mack, and Aria as well to a lesser extent. "...and lastly, keep your eyes open for a bigass monster. The field boss. It's a pretty good intention we're headed in the right direction." He added.

He stewed over Mack's other question for a moment, contemplating his response. It would probably be a good idea to inform him that the girl, and now even he himself, were being followed by players that had yet to reveal themselves... but at the same time, he couldn't feel any extra pairs of eyes on him, nor could his detection skills sort out anything unusual. "I was asked t'watch her by a friend." He replied, opting for a simple response. "So, eh... what's new with the guild?"

"One of those." Takao parroted, nodding matter-of-factly. Aria looked much less entertained by their shared understanding of the situation and folded her arms, huffing and blowing out her cheeks. "She's a good kid though, I think. Doesn't usually get in the way during combat, but don't expect it to be a quiet trip." He figured a fair warning was in order. If there were any commentary to be made on the trip, it would surely be coming from her. Perhaps it would be a nice change for the narrative.

"I don't think you could catch me even if you tried, Wooly." Aria said, sticking her tongue out to him whilst also pulling the skin down under her eye. "Oh, that's what I'm calling you now by the way. Wooly, like a Wooly Mammoth!" It looked like the girl was preparing to say even more, but was silenced by Takao's hand being placed over her mouth.

"Beaten' your own people to the gold, eh?" Takao replied to Mack as Aria peeled the hand away. A coy grin formed on his face and a light chuckle rumbled in his chest, prompting him to bob his head in a nod. "Lucky for you, I'm in the business of beatin' people to the labyrinths." He wasted no time in opening his menu, sifting through the prompts until a long tree had appeared. Scrolling through the tedious lists had lead him to his inventory, and the coat he wore disappeared, leaving his torso clad in the undershirt. The gloves on his hand also disappeared, and were replaced with thicker brown leather gloves with golden designs; the Hands of Midas.

Aria's response to Mack was simply sticking her tongue out at him once more and quickly moving to Takao's far side, placing the brunet between her and the newly dubbed Wooly. Takao smirked in amusement before he started off, heading northward. "Let's get movin'."

Huntsman's Shirt unequipped.
Hands of Midas equipped.

Current Equipment:
Fang of Corrosion
Hands of Midas
Steel Aegis

"Not my girlfriend," Takao replied curtly, staring at Mack with the blankest of expressions possible. A lengthy grunt left his throat upon having his shoulder clapped, his gaze slowly traveling toward Aria, who looked just a little too entertained by the situation. "More like my pain in the ass." He finished, explaining the situation although he knew fully well what little use it would do. Mack had a habit of latching onto anything he could use to tease, and this situation was definitely a sturdy foothold.

The girl, Aria, stood about a head and a half shorter than Takao, and even moreso compared to Mack. She had shoulder length brown-auburn hair, thin eyebrows of similar colour that were positioned in a cocky sort of way, and inquisitive brown eyes. Her thin frame was clad in Aincrad-styled equipment, including a sword on her hip that looked just a bit too big for her size. Aria exuded a certain youthful innocence to her general demeanor, which gave the clear and rather justified impression that she was rather young. Perhaps having just entered her teens.

"This is--" Takao had just started saying before the girl piped up and interrupted him. "I'm Aria! Freckles here got convinced to be my personal bodyguard, aaaand he said he'd help level me up!" She said, arms folding contently.

"In a nutshell." He responded dryly. Intentionally refraining from making any comments on his other remarks, Takao instead refocused his attention on their efforts. "So, we're scoutin' then, yeah?"

"Ohh, who is it?" Aria asked, peeking over Takao's shoulder as he opened the private message that had just arrived. Her curious eyes had only just started to read its contents when Takao's hand pushed her face away.

"None of your business, that's who." Takao replied coldly. Aria huffed in protest and stomped to the other side of the Inn room, facing him as she sat on the edge of the bed with a thud. He exhaled an amused breath at the tantrum and turned his attention back to the message. He snorted out a light chuckle and shook his head as his eyes darted from one line to the next, speedily scanning over the words. "Come oooon! I'm so bored! We've been cooped up in this stupid Inn room for hoouuurs!" Her voice had taken on an annoying, nasally tone as she whined. Takao had pulled up the menu and had begun typing his response with the intention of denying the offer.

"I got asked t'keep you safe, not keep you entertained... 'n you are constantly getting into trouble whenever I take you anywhere. I'm already dangerously close t'acceptin' that I'm a glorified babysitter, 'n I don't care for any more help in realizin' it." Takao responded, absentmindedly typing his response. Aria had leapt up to her feet and taken to bouncing on the bed in protest. He turned his head and peered over his shoulder, one eyebrow slowly lifting in a questioning manner.

"Oh, please! You're over-exaggerating! When was the last time I got into trouble?" She asked, still bouncing on the bed in a child-like manner. Without missing a beat, Takao replied.

"Twenty minutes before I dragged you in here, when you were trying to get that guy to fight you. I recall you saying something along the lines of... Fight me, you filthy scrublord, I'll break your kneecaps. Sound familiar?" He turned back to the translucent window, looking quite amused by his response. He could hear the bouncing stop, replaced with one loud thud as she sat back down.

"Ugh..." She groaned, seeming to have finally given in... or so he'd thought. A light had gone off in her head; she remembered another promise. "Okay, fine... But can we at least go and do something? You promised to help me level up... and if you help me do that, then I can protect myself, and I'll be out of your hair!"

Her response brought pause to Takao's actions. What she had said was certainly true, he had only been asked to protect her because she was so weak... but he had indeed made such a promise as well. They had both agreed that it was mutually beneficial: She wanted to fight everything that Aincrad had to offer, and he didn't enjoy babysitting. Win win.

"...Alright." He said with a slight grumble to his words, deleting the message he had typed and replacing it with another that read...

Quote

Recipient: @Mack
Message: OMW. Also, I'm obliged to bring my tumour with me.

"Get your stuff." Takao said as he stood up. Aria, who was now bouncing from the floor to the ceiling, managed to equip her gear whilst Takao did the same. He pulled the gloves tight and the pair left the Inn. A mere thirty minutes later, they arrived at the sundial, and Takao greeted Mack with his usual wave. Aria stood proudly and defiantly at his side, although she eyed the leaning man. "Whoa... He's tall." She said in a hushed, borderline amazed tone. "Who's the giant, Freckles?"

"Ayy. Sorry for the wait." He said, all but ignoring Aria's inquiry.

Silence persisted, and so did Takao's assault upon the Lioness. He had no patience to allow the battle to continue any longer, and thusly ended the beast with one swift and powerful strike to the side of its face. The force of his punch had sent the monster tumbling, until eventually it shattered into pieces and faded away into the nothingness that some of the more pessimistic players said would claim them all.

His gaze changed and settled upon Aria, who had directed her gaze to the ground. She was young, just a kid perhaps around the same age as his own sister, thrown into hell and hunted even further beyond that. While he hadn't experienced firsthand the turmoil she faced, he was no stranger to being thrown into foreign waters and fighting an uphill battle with the odds stacked against him.

Takao sat down beside Aria's rock and spread his legs out, a long yawn exhaled mere seconds afterward. "I know this whole situation is probably takin' its toll... But I've known your sister for the better part of a year now... and we both know how she is. She'll turn up eventually, if we don't find her first."

- COMBAT RESULTS -

ID: 75998
BD: 6 (3 + 3(ACC))
MD: 5 (6 + 1(ACC) - 2(EVA))

Takao
HP: 1285/1415 ( +20 (Battle Healing) )
Energy: 76/140 (+1/-17)
Sword Art: «All Might»
Damage: 15(base) + 6(Damage Crystal) + 8(Fallen) = 29 * 15 = 435

Nemean Lioness: 0/512 (435 - 47(MIT) = -388HP)
*STUNNED*

As silence once again settled between the pair, Takao decided to fill it with the sounds of battle instead. After all, his purpose for being hired was twofold: To protect the girl from anybody who might wish to harm her, and to outfit her as best he could to aid with the first goal. He had taken the assignment and put his own spin on it. If he were to level her up and make her a harder target to kill, then his job would be easier and the girl would be safer. Of course, starting her off with the Herculean Labour quest was a bit overkill, but it wouldn't hurt to overlap their success. He could take her on some hard quests that he hadn't yet completed himself, thus garnering both of them the experience they needed. It was win-win.

The Lioness' had proven to be adversaries requiring caution, as he had assumed they would be. They hit hard and they were fast, but they were manageable. They had spawned ahead of them and in an open field, which made pulling them one at a time that much easier. Once again, Takao's extensive experience with solo play had lent its advantage. The final remaining Lioness lunged at Takao in the same manner that the previous two had. Having given careful notice to their attack pattern, Takao struck at the opponent that presented itself.

Whilst the Lioness was in the air, Takao turned and whipped his leg around, performing a system-guided Ushiro Geri that landed on the Lioness' chest. The debilitating nature of the strike had saved Takao from sustaining damage, and had resulted in the monster falling to the ground, struggling to regain its composure.

- COMBAT RESULTS -

ID: 75988
BD: 8 (7 + 3(ACC) - 2(EVA)) {Concentration - 1/5}
MD: 9 (9 + 1(ACC) - 2(EVA))

Takao
HP: 1265/1415 ( +20 (Battle Healing) )
Energy: 90/140 (+1/-12)
Sword Art: «Full Cowl»
Damage: 15(base) + 5(Charge) + 6(Damage Crystal) + 8(Fallen) = 34 * 9 = 306

Nemean Lioness: 253/512 (306 - 47(MIT) = -259HP)
*STUNNED*

Silence had befallen the pair as Takao dealt the final blow to his feline opponent. He had taken the opportunity provided by the sudden calm and turned to Aria, hoping to get as much information from the girl as he could. With furrowed eyebrows and narrowed eyes, he began to draw his own conclusions from the subtleties of her expressions.

"Are they Laughing Coffin?" He asked, curious as to whether or not she knew of the guild that was growing infamous for their terrible actions. She looked up at him, one eyebrow raised, and responded.

"Who are they?" She replied, a lilt of genuine confusion leaving her lips. Takao simply nodded, opting to trust her ignorance to the subject.

"Nevermind," said Takao as he turned back, emerald eyes set upon the last Lioness that stood in their path, but only for a moment. It were as if an alarm had just gone off in his head, causing it to whip around and look into the forest they'd emerged from prior to beginning up the mountain. Aria, looking startled by the sudden change in demeanor and turning, quickly leapt up to her feet.

"What?" She asked. "Did you hear something?" Despite her best efforts, her lacking detection skills revealed little to her eyes. Takao on the other hand was looking around, his eyes darting from one spot to another.

"No-... No. Nothin's there. But whoever was following us just started movin' fast toward us, then just... disappeared." He explained, closing his eyes for a moment to activate the Reveal skill. His green eyes turned silver and the foliage faded away as he looked into them, searching for whatever he could find. But he found nothing, and not even the detect skill revealed anything to him. With a curious hum, Takao disabled the skill and turned back around.

"Let's keep goin'. The sooner we finish this up, the better."

- COMBAT RESULTS -

ID: 75828
BD: 7 (6 + 3(ACC) - 2(EVA)) {Concentration - 2/5}
MD: 10 (10 + 1(ACC) - 2(EVA))

Takao
HP: 1245/1415 ( +20 (Battle Healing) )
Energy: 101/140 (+1/-4)
Sword Art: «Delayed Sword»
Damage: 15(base) + 6(Damage Crystal) + 8(Fallen) = 29 * 4 = 116

Nemean Lioness: 0/512 (116 - 47(MIT) = -69HP)

Having received an unexpected message, Takao momentarily excused himself from his table outside the Starlight Cafe and opened it. After reading the message, he replied...

Quote

To: @Beatbox

OMW

He returned to the table, further excusing himself for the brief transaction, before heading off to the arranged meeting place. Regarding his fellow player with a nod, smile, and slight wave, he opted to get the pleasantries out of the way before getting down to business. He didn't want to be gone for too long, after all, Aria had a way of nagging him to near death. "Ayy man." Takao said, hands finding their way into his jacket pocket. "Two hundred big ones, yeah?" He continued, watching as the trade menu was opened. He scrolled through the col field and increased the number to two hundred thousand, then confirmed the trade on his end.

TRADED: 200,000col

"So," Takao said as he narrowly avoided the Lioness' barrage of swipes and slashes with practiced footwork and careful poise, his voice raised over her roars and thunderous pounding of her paws. "You know y'got people after you... Y'know who they are? Or... anythin' about them?" He asked, hoping to learn a bit more about the supposed assailants whose plans he'd been hired to foil. The Lioness lept into a tackle that Takao caught, binding the large feline whilst he glanced sidelong to Aria who remained silent.

"Look, Kid--" Takao continued, an instinctual grunt interrupting his words as the Lioness squirmed and protested the hold. He lifted his knee and slammed it into the Lioness, the reaction giving him enough leverage to throw it onto its back. "I get you're goin' for the secretive, mysterious angle here," He pulled his arm back in the same manner as before and decimated the Lioness, severely reducing its numerically tracked health.

"But it would really help me out if I knew at least something about 'em. Names, reasons, goals, anythin'. You're sendin' me in blind here, 'n I ain't the type'a guy to go in blind." He said, turning his attention back to the Lioness as it leapt up to its feet. When he looked back to Aria, she had turned her head to the side and cast her gaze upon the ground, her face having adopted a pensive expression.

- COMBAT RESULTS -

ID: 75762
BD: 7 (5 + 3(ACC) - 2(EVA)) {Concentration - 3/5}
MD: 1 (2 + 1(ACC) - 2(EVA))

Takao
HP: 1225/1415 (30(Bleed)(0/3 Remaining) - 20(Battle Healing) = -10 HP)
Energy: 104/140 (+1/-17)
Sword Art: «All Might»
Damage: 15(base) + 5(charge) + 6(Damage Crystal) + 8(Fallen) = 34 * 15 = 510

Nemean Lioness: 49/512 (510 - 47(MIT) = -463HP)