Hirru

The hunter swiped the window away after Hikoru was done.  It seemed like he was really interested in the information, no matter how broken or misinterpreted it seemed.  He knew well enough why the Master of Shadows would want that information.  The commander was an interesting subject for most information brokers.  A mysterious tank that appeared from nowhere with a guild that no one knew existed until the eleventh floor or so.  Even the hunter was intrigued when he found out, but that intrigue tapered out after the man being not what he seemed.  He was a grand leader in person, but was always busy.  Never any time for his men.

Hik seemed to be in a hurry and it definitely seemed like it was time for him to go too.  There was always someone that needed help, and he needed to tell his client that they needed to wait for some time for the next creature to appear for an essence to spawn.

"I'll see you around, Hik.  Even if you don't want to."

The last was a joke on his ridiculous eyesight after the multitude of skills that he spent his time on.  Getting up, he walked over to where Hik had pointed out to him earlier.  Feeling around, he found a switch that would open the entrance and proceeded to step out.  Once he was sure he was out of range of the shadow hunter, the jade hunter eyes glinted with a light that he had never had in a long time.

"Finally.. my past..."

"Indeed, we will be."

A familiar voice could be heard as the door was caught slightly ajar before Baldur could close it fully.  With another grunt, the door was open to the crimson cloak and jade hair that signified that the Jade Hunter was in the building.  It wouldn't be apparent at first, but the hunter was heavily exhausted.  His eyes showed weariness that would attest to days of unrest, and unease.  To what effect that would cause for any that could figure it out, that would be on them to decide. 

"I'm glad to see that I'm not late, or else we would be seated and heavily in discussion."

The hunter glided across the meeting room giving short nods and smiles to everyone that he knew.  There were some that he had not seen, but lately the players have been growing up.  Finally reaching the top of the line.  It would be inevitable to start seeing more than three parties in raids soon.  The complications from that...  He stopped next to his vanguard captain and smiled weakly.

"Thanks for giving me heads up, Mac.  I almost didn't see Shield's invite."

They all stood ready for the next part of this quest.  With his extrasensory skills on, he couldn't sense anything in the immediate area, and a quick inspection of the quest mapping would suggest that they were on the outskirts of the final quest marker.  It was times like these that the hunter wished that he had enough to invest in the Tracking modification.  It would have helped them more as they went along.  Especially for these wargs that seem to infest this quest, or is it this area?  The hunter couldn't really say what else he could sense except some creatures that didn't seem like they were part of the quest.   Pointing onwards and moving as such, he wouldn't wait for the others. 

"Let's head towards our destination."

He said while sifting through his menu to get into his notes.  He pulled out a multitude of screens that held information on everyone that he had ever met.  For the most part, it was mostly switching between two different windows, but not doing anything about it.  After a few minutes several pings seemed to pull towards the right of their current location.

"We've got company!"

@Baldur

The difference in experiences was almost immediately shown between all three of them.  Simple observations, but knowledge that can be obtained for later use.  Hestia was gathering information, it would seem.  What it was for, the hunter couldn't tell, but she looked like she was rather chipper about it.  Baldur, the most senior and well experienced within the group, gave his information but did not let all of that grief and pain get to him.  Then, there was the hunter, whom was still reliving a past that he couldn't let go of.  Though, if Baldur could push through it, the hunter could too.  Hopefully...  In the end, even though Hestia thanked them, the hunter was still continuing where he could.

"Baldur.. pretty much explained the sum of what I couldn't.  The Crimson Blades were not going so well.  Mack was our anchor, but he likes to disappear to track down 'Events', as he calls them.  He was gone for a couple months, or longer which really broke moral.  Even worse was a death in the guild.  Lindow, our oldest member died to a trap from an orange guild."

Remembering the funeral afterwards always shook him to his core.  Even more so while he wore his Tattered Blades Cloak that he currently wore all of the time.  A symbol of an age gone by.

"Not too long after, Opal joined our little guild.  Which she would then leave to join the ranks of Knights of the Blood Oath, after Azide left his post of Vice Commander in the same guild.  Opal took over as VC, managed to seek out Mack and merge our two guilds into one.  It was around here that I was trying to bring the Blades back to glory, and decided to join them as they merged.  That was how I became a knight."

He grinned at the last part.  Although he was with them for so long, that was the one moment that he finally took towards following his friends to the front.

"It was a good time, and we were one of the biggest guilds that I could see around.  Every day, we would be out to train some of the lesser knights, which included myself, into what we are today.  Of course, time does some weird things."

Eyes drew down while the smile remained.

"Opal's Betrayal was quite a shock AND a heavy blow against the guild.  Even if she was doing this under another guilds name, Opal was still one of us until that point.  Our name was tattered, but we had to build back up, and who else but Mack could do it.  He got us back up there, for a bit.  Then, as all Vice Commanders have before, he disappeared... again.  Probably still chasing after Asterios or 'Sheeptar'."

He quipped the last part towards Baldur, as the samurai should remember that insane event.

"With our Vice nowhere to be found, we started dwindling fast.  We were able to gain a new Vice through Lowenthal, but that was.. short lived too."

The hunter shook his head in disgust.  There were so many variables that were wrong with that case that he still didn't know what to do with it.

"So now, we're down to the two of us.  Macradon and I, are really the only active ones on the front anymore.  No Vice Commander to call us to arms, as we don't need one, and neither of us wanna face that curse.  Though, I wish the Commander would rally us, but he's about as absent as Mack is."

Speaking of, where the heck is Mac when he needed that information.  He was really the only one that could know where the Commander was at any time.

It was after that long explanation that something that Baldur said finally hit him.  Another rush of emotions that he had to deal with later on, but would have to hold to the best of his abilities.

"You know... that's the first that I heard about either of those.  Baldur being in Azure.. and that Beatbox is gone.."

He breathed in deeply to keep the tears from falling, or from them showing.  Beatbox was a good friend and guild mate.  The fact that the hunter had not noticed until now was a crime against his memory.  He stood from his spot and rubbed his eyes with his arms to wipe away any lingering dampness.

"Alright, now isn't the time for reminiscing and grieving!  Let's get this quest over with before the night falls!  Don't want to be out here without the light." 

@Baldur

"It would be grand to get one of our veteran fighters back on the front."

The hunter grinned towards his katana wielding friend.  Although it may not look like it much, but the two of them had only known each other for a short time compared to the long expanse of time that had elapsed within the walls of Aincrad.  That didn't change how they could joke, even in the most dangerous of areas.

"Hopefully, by then we'll have plenty of players to fill those teams.  Though, if the Holy Dragon Alliance is concerned, I feel that we may have more to come."

With that, the conversation went over to a question about the guilds from the past.  The hunter shrugged his shoulders as a 'why not'.

"From when I can fully remember, we always had three big name guilds around for some ungodly reason, and then some smallers ones dotted here and there..  The most notable were: Azure Brigade, led by the most elite players in the game.  I wasn't around for them much, but I know that one of the worst massacres in game happened between them and a certain betrayl.  I won't talk more on that, but Baldur may have more information on the Azure Brigade's players."

The hunter started to pace around, trying to remember other guilds.

"I believe there was the Cerulean Silence, or something along those lines.  A guild created by one of the most dangerous killer players in game, but that seems like a legend to me now."

He snickered.

"The Guardians of Aincrad, if I remember that right, was a guild for those that were fresh from the Town of Beginnings.  They built them up so that those players to go out and create their own guilds and find their own families, or so I've heard.  I remember a certain other green haired hunter that used to be part of them.  I wonder where Tak is now?"

He questions, still not knowing of the young fighters fate.

"Velvet Room was another that I remember well enough.  Lowenthal, Piera, and your leader, Jomei.  Man, that was a fun group to be around.  Especially the parties."

He couldn't help but smile at all of Piera's weird concoctions.

"I believe there were many others, not including the ones that we have now.  I can't quite remember all of them.  Though, I do have quite extensive knowledge on one particular guild, The Crimson Blades.  It was run by my old friend, Mack.  You may not know him, but you will become best friends with him on the first encounter.  He has that way with people, though, it is sometimes more persuasive than anything else."

A solemn smile crept up on his face.

"Mack, Xion, Abalasster, Grave, Beoreson, and Lindow formed the small guild to be 'peace keepers', if you will.  Not much you could do though with some of the trouble coming from the Azure Brigade back then.  Though, they tried their best.  Even getting into the front lines themselves and bringing in a few recruits into the mix.  Ask Teion about it, if you ever get the chance.  She joined right when everything was kinda dying down.  Now, I didn't join, but with all of my friends in the guild, it was hard to not be involved in Mack's antics."

Eyes cast down, his voice slowing with each word.

"It all changed after.. the orange players came into the mix.  It was.. It wasn't.."

He shook his head.  Although he doesn't ever want to forget their names, their faces, but bringing up the past was too painful of a memory to seize again.  Keeping himself composed, he held his hand up in pause.

"Sorry.. that's about all I can give out.."

@Baldur

The lightning struck hard against them, and the hunter could feel every bit of himself burning; not from pain as they couldn't feel it to begin with, but from rage and excitement.  Each new hit of electricity seemed to bring another familiar memory.  Why was he avoiding these shocks to his system?  He should be relishing in them.  However, such things have already put his health nearly below his 50% mark, and that was starting to ring warning bells in his mind.  Why was he having these thoughts now?  They were not needed at the moment, as they would only hamper his progression.

"..!"

Bursting forward into the creature was all he could do now, but with the boss healing itself every so often.  It seemed that they needed to go all out, and not worry about the others.  As if by command, the hunter passed by the katana wielder, Hakai, and his surge went straight to her while causing a slight discomfort.

"..."

Those thoughts troubled the hunter far more than he ever wished, but the end result was still the same.  His attack would hit where it needed to, and he cared more for the damage being absorbed soon than anything else.

Action

Bialas

Player Stats:

At the mention of payment, the hunter smirked as he figured as much.  Information for information, was the true life of an info broker.  He was taking the last sip of his coffee when the subject was dropped.  He felt the urge to spit it back out, not in surprise, but from laughter.  That was one of the most left field subjects that Hikoru could have brought up.  He could have brought up Laughing Coffin; wherever the hell Mack is; or anything that could be more useful than..

"You want to know about the Commander?"

He said after finally forcing himself to drink the last bit.  Sitting the cup down, he immediately sighed.

"I should have figured that this day would come, but I guess payment is required."

He said while pulling open his menu, flipping out his numerous notes on every person that he has ever dealt with; friendly or otherwise.  He located the one that was labeled 'COMMANDER HEATHCLIFF' which was right next to the ones labeled 'OPAL', 'LOWE', and 'MACK'.  Grabbing that, he made it visible to all players in vicinity, and flipped it to show Hikoru.

Quote

COMMANDER HEATHCLIFF

ALL INFORMATION IS SPECULATIVE FROM OBSERVATIONS MADE DURING CHOICE ENCOUNTERS.  NOTHING HAS BEEN VALIDATED.

STATUS: MIA
LEVEL: UNKNOWN
SPECULATIVE LVL: 80+
WEAPON: OHSS AND SHIELD // POSSIBLE DEMONIC FROM UNIQUE SKILL // POSSIBLY HOLY DAMAGE AND BLESSING
KNOWN SKILLS:
BLOCK = GM?
HVY ARM = GM?
OHSS = GM?
BTL HLG = GM?
SPECULATIVE SKILLS: UNKNOWN
MODS: UNKNOWN
SPECULATIVE MODS: FEROCITY AND ATHLETICS FOR DPS // STONEWALL FOR TANKING
UNIQUE SKILL: UNKNOWN NAME ~ SPECULATIVE NAME: HOLY SWORD // SWORD ARTS ARE EXTREMELY POWERFUL USING HOLY ASPECT FOR EVERYTHING

COMMANDER HEATHCLIFF IS A MYSTERY ALL ON HIS OWN.  NOTHING IS REALLY KNOWN ABOUT HIM UNTIL THE CREATION OF THE KNIGHTS OF THE BLOOD OATH.  EVEN THEN, ONLY SMALL ENCOUNTERS, BOTH INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF GUILD FUNCTIONS, HAVE BEEN NOTED.  TWO EXCEPTIONAL EXAMPLES ARE HIS MASSIVE ATTACKS DURING THE 19TH BOSS RAID, AND HIS TANKING ABILITIES BEHIND EVERY OTHER RAID HE APPEARS IN.  AT THE CURRENT MOMENT, ONLY CALREX HAS BEEN SHOWN TO HAVE THE CAPABILITIES TO USE OFFENSE AND DEFENSE AT THE SAME TIME, BUT IT USUALLY COSTS HIM IN ONE OR THE OTHER, WHICH IS CIRCUMVENTED BY HIS LARGE HEALTH POOL AND UNIQUE SKILL

COMMANDER HEATHCLIFF, HOWEVER, HAS BEEN SHOWN TO POSSESS EQUAL AMOUNTS OF BOTH TREES.  IT MAY COME FROM HIS UNIQUE SKILL AND THE DEMONIC ITEM THAT COMES WITH IT, BUT TO THINK THAT EVERY U.S. HAS A DEMONIC ITEM SET TO IT HAS BEEN SKEPTICAL, AT BEST.  THOUGH, THERE ARE NO REPORTS OF OTHER ADVENTURERS USING THEIR SHIELDS AS A SHEATH.

HIS MOST STRIKING NOTE IS HIS UNCANNY KNACK TO DISAPPEAR TO SOME QUEST OR TRAINING GROUNDS.  NO ONE KNOWS WHERE HE GOES, AND HE TURNED OFF THE GUILD TRACKER FOR ALL THE GUILD EXCEPT THE VICE COMMANDER.

REPORT ONGOING...

"I haven't been keeping up with it, lately.  So, if there are any questions.  Let me know."

@Hikoru

Without fail, the samurai shows them how it was done.  The warg was slain and they could rest, hopefully.  Activating all of his search skills at once, he could see that they were in the clear, for now.  As this was a quest, the creature that they were supposed to hunt down may not have been triggered yet.  Either that, or this thing had impressive stealth abilities that could contend with the Master of Shadows, which wasn't very likely.  In the end, the hunter let his guard down for a second, but kept the skills on.  One never knew what could be around the corner.

Leveling out the gains, it turned out that they got nothing at all from those mobs.  A small thought of rushing around after the quest for good loot crossed his mind, but that would have to take a back seat.  That battle was far too long and used far too much energy.  It even nearly got dicey for Hestia there.  The days of AOE farming were long over, it seemed.  

"That is the way of the Tanks, I hear."

The hunter added on as he looked through his inventory.  There wasn't much, if anything that could be useful.  He sighed.  Nothing ventured; nothing gained.

"You can call on my blade and eyes at any time.  I'm not that busy anymore."

He replied to @Baldur

"Alright, that's that."

The hunter called out before pushing himself off the ground as the third of the wolves finally keeled over, and shattered into its corresponding light.  Still, there was no loot to be had.  It slightly ticked off the hunter that there was nothing in this fight worth the usage of any of their skills and energy consumption.  Maybe it was just something in his mind that was repeatedly hitting him in the noggin, but it just irked him the wrong way.  It wasn't that he didn't want everyone to be safe, but when a creature falls, it better be leaving a bone or two.  None of this flashing out of existence, that this world was accustom to.  Wait.. how did he know that?

It didn't matter what was on his mind as he rushed the second newest one and ripped it to shreds.  Moving on, he followed through and took out the fourth warg of the last group, which left only the third beast remaining.  Unfortunately, it seemed the thought from earlier kept the hunter from getting anything worth while.

"Alright, that should be it.  Baldur, let's end this fight."

@Baldur

The small things in life can mean a world of difference.  This includes the small amount of energy that can be supplied by the Energize skill tree.  Getting the feeling back in ones fingers after a numbing sword art could make anyone's day that much better.  With the recent addition to his own skill list, that supply of energy was able to recover all of the used up energy from the Meteor Break.  Now, if only that skill wasn't as taxing on the user, if would be the ultimate farming support tool.  The hunter could only shrug while looking at their health.  Hestia was taking a beating, and it was only getting worse.  They needed to finish these creatures off before it could get critical.

Crossing between the shieldmaiden and the wargs, the hunter made a beeline for the new warg that he had damaged before.  A fair amount of cross slashes into the creature would leave it with a blip of health.

"That one is all yours, Hestia!"

@Baldur

Things were winding down, and the final health bar was in sight.  Things were going quite well enough, it would seem.  In fact, it was going too well.  If the hunter wasn't of his own mind at the moment, he would have probably called out a warning to everyone.  Instead of that, the Blood Knight's eyes kept their hollow gaze at the vitals that he kept trying to go for.  Over and over he visualized hitting it even harder than before, even if the world wouldn't allow something so grandiose.  He just wanted this boss to die so that he could go back to the 22nd floor, and continue his search.

"..!"

Dodging the lightning once more, the hunter pushed forward with another attack against the shiny horse.  The static electricity within him surged out once more, hitting the lavender haired blacksmith once more, but it did not throw the hunter off course.  He rushed through and burst his small, but constant damage against the unicorn.

ID: 99777
BD: 8+2+1= 8 (Hit); Meteor Break (8 EN): 18x11= 198-50 = 148 DMG
CD: 2 (FUU..) = Teion gains Static Charge // Hirru takes 75 dmg
Special Effect = Static Charge immediately bursts!  Team 2 takes damage accordingly

Boss Stats

Players' Stats

"Well, that's not very good."

The hunter sighed as two more of the Warg Wolves appeared before them.  Of course, with this being a quest, the hunter should have figured that out in the beginning.  More mobs for the picking, and more loot to..  Loot!  The hunter's mind scrambled at that thought.  Usually one would not see anything going into their inventory / party shared storage, until the end of the battle.  Until then, the drops were mostly there to see.  Here, though, there was nothing.  How strong were these creatures, if Baldur killing them didn't drop anything?  What was this quest line that the Azure Samurai had brought him into?

With these questions and numbers having to push through his mind, the hunter had to think on his toes on what to do.

"Alright, Hestia!  We'll leave those two to you then.  Baldur!  Let's finish them one at a time, so we're not expending too much at once for little gain!"

@Baldur

With a ping, a message with most of the details that Hikoru had already explained was in front of him.  This information was very little, but it would be enough to settle on.  The twenty second floor's Forest of Memories would be his new 'hunting grounds' for now.  A minute or so passed while the hunter reread through the entirety of the message until he was satisfied.  With a deep sigh, he pushed the window away and took his cup of coffee back into his hands.  It was obvious by Hik's eyes from before that the hunter let something slip.  At this point, he didn't much care for the slightest things, but he wasn't going to let them know about 'it'.

Not just yet.

He chuckled through Hikoru's attempt at a joke while calming himself into the drink in his hands. By the sound of it, this quest would be just as good for him as the one that Hik wanted the hunter to investigate.  One quest to find the good memories of his past life.  Another to find the bad memories, or demons, as they're called.

"Hmm.. I wonder.."

'..what does nothing look like?' ,he thought as he took a sip from his coffee.

@Hikoru

"No, need to worry.  We got this!"

The hunter smirked to Hestia.  True enough, that last attack seemed to rock through their tank.  Too many critical hits, it seemed.  Hopefully, these creatures wouldn't be able to deal that kind of damage again.

"Not like the ants of the eleventh floor, huh."

The hunter jokingly called out to his one of his friendly hunting partners.  It may not have seemed a good time for joking, but the two veterans were not so keen to get a tank to come with them.  Though, with the recent changes of behaviors that the enemies have been having, he was glad that they had.  He wasn't too happy to have mobs going after either himself or Baldur.  Especially with the current lack of mitigation on his part.

"The creatures seem to be getting smarter throughout.  That, or it may just be this quest.  Anyway, be careful of your energy consumption, Baldur.  Use single target, if you need to.  We don't know if we'll have to immediately engage in another fight.  I'll initiate one more AOE, but that'll be it."

He said before his blade began to glow a dark red.  Face stern to keep his concentration on the enemy before pushing off again.  This time, the hunter was able to severely cut through the first two wargs, but the last two had time to get out of the way after his momentum was lost.  Once the attack was done, he fell back before any cooldown could take place.

@Baldur

The venture would be through Baldur's lead, as the hunter chose to detail the area for his own map.  Funny enough, the technological advancements of this floor, aka the elevators, were also seen on the eighth floor.  In fact, most of this floor seemed awfully familiar, but seemed much darker than what he could recall.  It had been quite some time since he had been to the eighth floor, but he could remember quite a few distinct details.  However, some people have started to talk about some new things on each of the lower floors.  Although he wanted to venture out to see them, the front lines would become a busy business to keep.  That, and his merchant business was... still moving around from place to place.  NPC Merchants are a hell of a thing to control, which is to say, no control at all.

With a quick motion from Baldur, the hunter initiated all of his search skills and mods at once.  Sure enough, four creatures seemed to be in wait.  At least, that was until Hestia brought them out into the open with her Howl.

"I'll initiate."

He said before launching out.  The first three of the warg wolves seemed to sense the danger that was coming towards them and jumped aside.  Unfortunately, the fourth didn't get the memo and got the full force of the AOE sword art.  At the end, the hunter fell back behind Hestia.

"Baldur, think you got a better shot than me?"

@Baldur

Action

Stats

"..."

So it heals itself.  That was a new addition to the many resistances that these bosses have become to gain.  Although this creature seemed like it could withstand it, it could not handle paralysis.  Though, with a straight mind, the hunter would have figured out something to go along with that.  Trying to take Beat's calls to note would be losing another ounce of concentration.  Instead, the Jade Hunter dodged away from the incoming lighting storm that was sure to try and hit him, but in doing so, a weird status effect crept up on him.  Possibly the one that everyone else was yelling about.  

"Hmph.."

He grunted while passing by the violet haired axe wielder, Teion.  Seeing sparks shoot out from him to her, he may have given her the debuff, but there wasn't much time to dawdle.  Rushing past everyone, he found the weak point once more, and thrashed as hard as he could against its silver hide.

ID: 99469
BD: 10 Crit +2 // Sword Art: Meteor Break (8 EN) = 20x11= 220(-50) = 170 Dmg
CD: 1 (-75 hp w/ Survival) (Passed to Teion gains <<Static Charge>> [1/2] Antidote removed)

Bialas:

Player Stats:

"I haven't heard much about this quest yet.  But if its beasts that we're after, I'm sure that my current build will be enough for them."

The hunter snorted out with a grin.  It was in his title after all.  After a certain other green haired boy seemed to disappear of the face of Aincrad, the sole title of monster hunter seemed to go towards our resident hunter.  Although, with a self proclaimed title there was never really anything to debate on.  Everyone just claimed something and that was it.  It was either that, or become infamous and have the title given through rumors.  It was only through perseverance that the Jade hunter could even make his name known.  Hell, it wasn't until that faithful day on the 18th floor that people really got to know the name.

"First time that I've seen a healing tank.  Though, with the way things have been going, we may have to look at our builds and rethink what we know."

The hunter spoke after Hestia gave her skills making her a clear cut tank, but also a support healer, as well.  The only time that he had seen anything like that was with Shield, and his Energizer skill set.  These combinations were starting to make planning new tactics that more complicated, but also more exciting.  If only the tactician was in his right mind to continue such train of thought.

Being questioned on his own build, the hunter told the truth.

"It's mostly the same from how you mainly remember it, Baldur.  DPS and Scout.  Unfortunately, I've opted for a more damage inducing range of skills and modifications, than accuracy.  Fourth level of charge and three of Finesse.  All for more sustainability, as some people call it."

He opened his tattered red cloak to show the regular clothing underneath.  A black sleeveless turtleneck and heavily darkened slacks.

"I'm dropping my armor for more loot.  So, I'll be putting my faith in your shield, Hestia."

@Baldur

Embraced in the most awkward hug that he had ever had in a while, the hunter tried to reciprocate the gesture, but the strength behind Baldur's hug was something else entirely.  Well, it probably wasn't the strength of it, but the essence of familiarity.  Wholesome, even.  In the end of it all, the hunter could only give a smile as his crushed arms tried to move in a gesture to try and hug back before he was let go.  It was a good thing that the hunter wasn't in his full armor set up, or he would probably be crushed under it.  Instead, he only wore his loot gear, as he only read the materials part of the message.  Asked about his current condition, the hunter lied..  No one needed to know about those excursions.  Not yet.

"Everything has been going according to plan.  Well, except for the guild, but you know how that has gone.  I would like to hear what you've been up to.  The last time I saw you, it was after the events of the 20th floor boss raid."

Around then, Baldur called out towards a recently familiar face.  Although, not too familiar than the Master Samurai, but someone that only recently came into the hunters scope.  Coming into the mix of front liners were the new Holy Dragon Alliance.  This one was called, Hestia.  The hunter didn't have any information on her, though that was all for the better.  The information network was safely in Hikoru's hands now.  He didn't need it anymore. 

Moving his Blades Cloak aside to give a slight two fingered salute to the player.  This would be the first time that they have talked, and it was already made awkward by her addressing the hunter by his self proclaimed title.  Running his hand through the green hair on the back of his head, and giving an awkward scratch, the hunter gave his reply.

"You can call me, Hirru.  The title isn't necessary.  It is good to finally meet you in person, though."

It seemed like she was going for the same role that Shield was particularly creating.  A new Tank / Support hybrid.  Though, it also sounds like she may want to get her hands on some DPS too.  Was she trying for a Calrex?  No one can Calrex, but Calrex!  The thought made the hunter smile even more before giving a small snort through his nose.

@Baldur

The hunter eyes seemed to strain at the papers that his shadow brother had procured and laid out upon the table.  A few recounts of several different excursions, mostly ending in someone getting superstitious or freaked out by 'bad vibes' and running away.  Cowards!  Any true lore and investigative player would seek any information, including things that would be from the other side.  Everyone was worried about the other side, or they should have been worried.  It has been so long now, that the hunter truly thinks that some people prefer this world over the other.  He knew of one person that has told him so in person, Crimson Maiden, Teayre; when she made him a brother of the family.

Hikoru then started talking about a specific quest that even the hunter had heard of.  Calming the Soul, the specific quest was called.  He thought about looking into it, but it sounded far too silly to be true.  However, with this latest quest possibly giving a glimpse into the other side, that quest may be something to look into, as well.

"Alright, that sounds up my alley."

The hunter said while still focusing in on the papers for any minor hints.

"Also, could you go into more detail on the <<Calming the Soul>> quest too?  I've heard that these demons are something else, but I dismissed the quest entirely for sounding too.. ridiculous."

@Hikoru

~22nd Floor // Forest of Memories~

The mist was beginning to billow over from the lake into the woods.  It made the scenery a little more haunting that it already would be, as the stories would have one believe.  A haunted forest that one could find figures most familiar from ones past.  Inside a world that only the creations a the main system can manifest, something specific one out of ten thousand, or less now.  To anyone else, this would be a ghost story; a fairy tale of sorts.

...To an amnesiac, it was a gold mine.

The hunter was breaking through the underbrush trying to find a hint or trace of this ghost story when something jumped up at him.  Startled, but not jumping out of his breeches, the surprise came from the small ringing of a new message.  'Who could this be?,' he thought to himself as he looked upon the message with eyes slowly draining from the madness that crept over him.  Those hollow eyes would shine slightly at the sight of a specific name that the Jade Hunter had not seen in quite some time.

"Baldur."

Turning around, he started to head back to a town with teleportation capabilities.  As he passed through, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, which only made the hunter want to leave the place before his mood was soured ever more.

~15th Floor // Kachirko ~

Teleporting from the twenty second floor to the fifteenth seemed odd.  More so the fact that the hunter never really explored this floor.  In fact, he remembers nothing of the fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth floors.  Not because of his condition, but because he shot straight to the eighteenth floor for the boss raid.  His very first, which brought to life his calling as a tactician, when a slight bit of communication brought the raid leader to force the Jade Hunter into becoming the raid leader.

Appearing on the floor, the first thing that he did was look for the familiar blue apparel of the great katana user, Baldur.  It wouldn't take long, as he was really the only person in the entire floating castle of Aincrad, that looked like a samurai.  His eyes shone that much more as he approached his old friend, completely oblivious to anyone else, as he wasn't really expecting them to begin with.

"Long time, no see!"

Stats

@Baldur @Hestia

"..!"

Getting struck by the lightning made something come out that he had not felt in a long time.  A gentle breeze flowing through a harsh desert dune.  He had been on the fifth floor for the longest time, but this felt like nothing he had remembered before.  Was this?  Was this something that was lost so long ago.  Several years of experience was gone on that day, and this creature was a catalyst to bring it back?  No, was it this floor?  There were too many questions, but not enough answers.  The only way to get them was...

"..Hit.."

It was all of the difference in the matter of life and death.  He moved on to attack the creature without much thought about it.  There was no salvation for a creature that could command the heavens, as it were.  The only thing that could be done was to give it a swift death, but even that would be out of the hunters reach.  Either it died, or he would gain another memory.  

He would lose another part of 'himself'

Roll ID# 99335 // BD: 8+2+1= 8 // Meteor Break (8 EN Finesse) = 18x11= 198(-50) = 148 Dmg

Bialas

Players

Alright, so this is a story all about how my life got flipped-turned upside-down.  Now I'd like for you to take a minute, just sit right there.  I'll tell how I became the Jade Hunter of this place called SAO.

Memes aside, it was roughly June or July 2015.  I've been a fan of SAO since I gained a few friends from it while in the military.  Having been an avid forum based role-player before, I was apart of several different SAO roleplay sites before, but they all died from issues. (inactivity, site deletion, Admin forgetting their password...)  So, after some time passed, I was bored and wanted to get back into the roleplaying fun that I used to have with others.  However, I didn't want another OP character onslaught that the last few were.  I wanted something organized and stats based, like one of my favorite Naruto RP sites that I frequented as a teenager.

That's when I found this place.  I don't exactly remember HOW is found it.  Google may have helped or not, but my memory is quite fuzzy from then.  Too much alcohol, I presume.  Anyway, I looked in around the time that the 10th floor boss was finally being killed off and the 11th floor was opening up.  I didn't immediately join, as I wanted to read up on the rules and everything.  Read some of the RP's that were happening at the same time, too.

I think it was safe to say that I was hooked in from the stats based formula, as I wanted some sort of gaming capabilities that rang true to the series.  Though, the four man group in the tenth floor boss clearing house was probably the big winner too, since we didn't have the organization that we do now, I couldn't read the other boss threads as they were long hidden under mountains of threads.  

So, July 23, 2015:  Hirru is registered and posts his Journal.

The rest is history...

Now, why have I stayed so long, regardless of many MANY absences?  I love this community.  I would say this is the largest community that I have stuck with for nearly 3 years now.  Raising a character from nothing, and making them into what they are now.  I've loved every moment of it, and I don't want to leave it.  Even if I'm not as active as I once was, I'm still around for those that need it.  For what little that may mean, this place is another home.  Another family.

Thank you, everyone!

The boss door seemed to follow his will.  The wooden door blasting apart from the sudden concussive force that came from the lightning that this new beast created.  Sure enough, it was as they thought it would be.  A horse like creature that seemed to generate electricity from its surroundings, or so the hunter could see.  However, that was all he could really make out of it all.  The fight had only just started and its abilities were unknown to the green haired warrior.  Though, the fact that it didn't hit them with the lightning attack seemed to cause some concern in the hunter's mind.

This would all be the case, if the hunter was in his right mind.  That was unfortunately not the case, as he rushed forward and disregarded all warnings inside his own mind.  The horse wasn't too big so finding the weakest part of its body wasn't really a problem.

"..!"

He grunted as the eleven hit combo raged through the unicorns body.

ID 99122 | BD 9(+2)(-1) = 9 | Charge! | Meteor Break: 11 x 23 (+4 Charge/+1 Ferocity/+1 Crit) = 253(-50 Mit) = 203 Dmg

Bialas' Stats

Player's Stats

Near the end of the timer, a familiar green haired hunter slowly made his way to the group.  There wasn't much said as he was given the BUFFS and items from Teion and Morg.  In fact, he didn't even say hello to anyone, not even his own guild mate, Mac.  The only thing that could be discerned from him was that his eyes were cold.  Making quick work of a ration and a potion or two, his tattered Blades Cloak billowed as the armor underneath was placed back on.  Gripping the pommel of his blade, Loyalty, it would seem that he was ready, even if he wasn't buffed to the best of his abilities.  Whether there was a plan in that head of jade, or not could not be determined.  In fact, one could say, it looked like....

"..."

His gaze fell upon the door.  He wanted it open.  There was so much that he wanted to know, but this thing was barring his way.

He needed to know...

He needed..

He...

(I'm on my cell at work, so it is hard to do this within limit..)

Stats:

The hunter sighed heavily.  He already knew that there wasn't much that the information brokers had, as he gave up after Opal's death was confirmed by him.  If the turn of events was the same, then there was no use asking him if any news on Lowenthal's death came up.  Especially since the two known to be there were either dead (Lowe) or comatose after the last raid boss. (Ariel)  There wasn't much else he could do for his former Vice Commanders, except be able to take up their mantle one day.

"That's alright.  I didn't think there would be anything else to find."

Onto the talks about the quests, though.  The first one seemed to be more up the Knights of the Blood Oath's alley.  Bringing Mac along to fight some.. hippo.. would be good publicity for them, especially if the quest hasn't been tackled yet.  He was about to smile and await the next one to be something even more grand.  He took the cup back up from the table to take another sip...

"..."

...The moment that Hikoru said the words "remember something from the outside world," the hunter's entire body tensed.  His face grew a dark serious tone, furrowed brow and all.  Those blue orbs seemly fading.  His grip on his cup, which sat at his lips untouched, was getting close to the point of shattering it, but restrained as best as he could.  Lowering the cup to avoid an accident, he was a guest and it wouldn't be in good grace to let it out now.  Out of all of the times that the hunter showed any emotion that wasn't half-happy / half-tired, this one was one of the few times he did it in front of another person.

..R..ember...

..Rem...er...

"..Tell me more of that last one.."

@Hikoru