Teion

She kept an impassive expression, resting her cheek against her right knee while her eyes flickered up to continue watching the setting sun. “Believe it or not, it’s not so easy for me to just ‘let things go’, I guess. I’ll probably get over it eventually, but I still feel guilty. But, I also know that it’s been eating me up inside for so long, my head is this desperate to tell me to snap out of it.”

“Hey, we all have baggage. Things we’re not proud of, and regret. Trust me.” Ryo commented with a wry smile. Teion’s expression twisted slightly as a pang of guilt hit her at the weight of his words, but he let out a short laugh at her reaction. “Teion. You’re really not as selfish as you think you are. Not by a long shot. And, you have a right to follow your heart, do what makes you happy, and all that."

“I don’t think so.” She replied a few seconds later, keeping her gaze forward and wearing a thoughtful frown. “I love the beach, but I wouldn’t say I have a great memory of any of the ones I’ve ever visited.” She explained, giving a short look around to mentally note how very plain their surroundings were. The ebbing waves stretched several feet short of reaching them, and Teion leaned a bit farther forward for her chest to press up against her knees. Ryo wore a calm smile, his face decorated by the tinted sunlight that shone upon them. “Well. We can relax here a little while. You’ve been through a lot today, yeah?” The corner of his mouth hooked into a tiny, sympathetic smirk, and the woman took in a deep breath through her nose. “It’s been a lot to try and take in all at once.” She admitted, letting out a long and steady exhale past her lips after it had held a second.

He shook his head. “Nothing, nothing.” A minute passed in more silence, something that Teion seemed to have grown used to during her time in Aincrad. Standing beside the katana-wielder, however, she felt strangely at ease. Perhaps it was the calming sounds of the sea, or the refreshing mist that dusted her cheeks and exposed upper arms when the breeze carried their way. Teion lowered herself to the sandy floor, taking a seat and planting the bottoms of her boots into the ground that gave a bit of way as it shifted slightly. Her knees bent, and she wrapped her arms loosely around them as she relaxed, watching the sun dip lower towards the edge of the endless waves. Ryo followed suit, legs extended in front of him while he leaned back and supported his weight with hands planted into the sands. “So, is this somewhere special?” He asked softly.

“Better?” After having followed her gaze and lingering for several long moments, Ryo broke the silence again with a sideways glance in her direction. She blinked to attention, meeting his eyes while a warmth crept over her cheeks. She nodded in silent affirmation, and was then met with a soft smile from the man across from her. His kind hold on her hands loosened, and they soon fell away as he turned to face the sparkling ocean water that stretched out before them. Swallowing down her embarrassment, Teion turned the same and spent a short while simply staring out over the scenery. “And, I see you didn’t get rid of me.” The man beside her began to tease with another light chuckle. The stiffness was quick to return in her shoulders, and Teion’s cheeks flushed again. “Y-yeah? So what?” She shot back in a low grumble, eliciting a more enthused laugh from the Ryo’s image.

A breath in through her nose contained a new crispness, and carried a nostalgic scent. The soothing, low roar of rolling waves reached her ears in a rhythm, cycling a couple of times until Ryo’s careful voice broke past the ambiance. “Sunset at the beach, huh?” He chuckled lightly, giving her hands a tiny squeeze. The slight pressure, paired with his words, prompted Teion to blink her eyes open, and she took a second or two for them to readjust to the lighting. Vibrant orange and pink hues painted the clear skies above them, and her gaze traveled across it to reach the bright, burning sphere that hung far off in the distance over the ocean horizon. Teion’s shoulders dropped an inch, the tension draining from her muscles as she watched the waves roll across the sand, the sea foam bubbling and dissolving as the saltwater would recede again and again. 

Thread Closed
(If you'd like to continue or start a new one, I'm always down)

• Teion: +1 SP, +200 col
• Piera: +1 SP, +200 col

Name: Harpe
Your Profession: Blacksmith
Your Rank: 8
ID: 98813
Roll: 11
Item Type: Weapon (1H Curved Sword)
Quality: Rare
Tier: 3
Enhancements: +3 Damage
Description: A sword made of adamantium with the sword being imbued with the strength of Perseus.

Name: Aegis
Your Profession: Blacksmith
Your Rank: 8
ID: 98814
Roll: 9
Item Type: Shield
Quality: Rare
Tier: 3
Enhancements: +2 Thorns, +1 Recovery
Description: A shield modeled after the Aegis shield of Athena with jagged bits of metal along it in the form of teeth.

Name: Promeus' Blessing
Your Profession: Blacksmith
Your Rank: 8
ID: 98815
Roll: 11
Item Type: Heavy Armor
Quality: Rare
Tier: 3
Enhancements: +3 Regen
Description: A full body armor with the design of flames running along it. With the area near the liver being extra protected. The armor near the chest area having clouds with lightning striking near the stomach area. The armor having a bronze like color to it.

Name: Tantalus' Taunt
Your Profession: Blacksmith 
Your Rank: 8 
ID: 98818
Roll: 9
Item Type: Shield
Quality: Rare
Tier: 3
Enhancements: +2 Recovery, +1 Taunt
Description: A shield with the symbols of fruits, and water moving along it.

ID#: 100047 | CD: 11 - Rare T3 1H Curved Sword
ID#: 100048 | CD: 6 - Uncommon T3 1H Curved Sword
ID#: 100049 | CD: 2 - Fail, no salvage
ID#: 100050 | CD: 1 - Critical fail
ID#: 100052 | CD: 3 - Fail, salvaged
ID#: 100053 | CD: 10 - Rare T3 1H Curved Sword
ID#: 100054 | CD: 4 - Fail, no salvage

EXP: 27

Teion rolled her shoulders. Set on keeping up the pattern of solid hits she was managing to weave in alongside her team, she allowed herself a moment to survey the battlefield once more. A couple of sidelong glances allowed her to find the scattered members of the Holy Dragon Alliance--all of them with stable, green health bars. Her grip returning on the handle of her darkened axe, Teion leaned forward to break into another run towards the ivory stallion.

After the sharpened blade of her weapon dug through Bialas' flesh, the violette worked to dash backwards and place herself at a safe distance. Passing the jade hunter once again, another set of sparks danced between their avatars in a chain reaction. This time, there was no longer an antidote charge waiting to spare her its effects. As soon as the blue-tinted electricity latched onto her, a surge ran through her body along with the rest of her party, and she grit her teeth with discomfort as the discharged pulled down her health.

Bialas' Stats

Combat Roll

Player Stats

Teion had to bring her hand to her face, hooking her thumb and index fingers around her cheeks to cover her mouth and hide the smile that stretched across it. She watched the exchange between sandy-haired man and penguin familiar, only able to think about how incredibly fatherly Spencer was acting towards the creature, and how undeniably cute it was. The violette shifted her weight to one side, trying to decide whether or not she should continue watching the heart-warming display, or turn her attention back to searching for materials. Or, at this point and given their surroundings, just relaxing and sight-seeing sounded like time well-spent.

Before she could choose to tear her eyes away from the man and his baby penguin, Noot was on the move again almost immediately after being set down. She watched as the small bird worked to gather a couple of stray crystals on the ground, just beginning to think about how endearing it was that he wanted to help them, when the penguin ran straight towards her with shards in hand. Teion blinked in confused surprise when the little creature held the materials out to her, and she hadn't noticed the faint pink that colored her cheeks as a result until she could feel the heat against her fingers. Snapping to attention, the woman bent down and carefully took the crystal shards from the familiar. "U-Uhm... Thank you, Little Noot." She let out a small chuckle, the smile she wore no longer able to hide behind her fingers. "Did you just want to help us find some more?" She tried to guess the reason for the penguin running off in the first place, and as she knelt in front of him her hand reached back out to gently stroke the feathers atop Noot's head once she had dismissed the materials to her inventory.

ID#: 99716 | LD: 19(+2)(+2)=23 - Success!
(14) T3 mats total

Thread Complete

• Teion: +1 SP, +200 col, +(14) T3 materials
• Spencer: +1 SP, +200 col

A faint, bluish light wrapped around her form after colliding with her right shoulder, and Teion blinked to attention at the effect. Her mind worked quickly to piece together Shield's energy-restoring ability with the shift in her own visual indicators, but she was still left puzzled as to why she had been given any attention. She had only gotten one good hit in since the fight started, and even then her damage output was paling in comparison to some of the other players present. 'Hell, Beat's probably doubling, even tripling my numbers...' She gave an internal guess.

The sight of sparks dancing around her avatar snapped the woman back to attention, as the green-haired swordsman passed her by and brought a bundle of electricity along with him. Her brows narrowed and she braced herself for whatever might happen as a result--damage, some sort of feedback, or some other negative effect. But nothing happened. A quick glance to her vitals showed her that the potion she had bothered to drink earlier seemed to have spared her from whatever might have been in store for her.

Knuckles practically turned white as her grip tightened around the obsidian handle of her weapon. She was spending too much time thinking, where she needed to be swinging that axe of hers. Without seeing a need to change up her pattern of approach, Teion rushed towards the horned creature once again. She hoisted the head of her axe up over her shoulder, and just before she worked to swing the blade downward at Bialas' flank, the pulsing orange veins that ran over the metal seemed to come alive. The sky-blue glow of her sword art intertwined with a bright orange energy radiating from the weapon as its bonus damage procced, and her strike proved much more effective this time around.

Combat Roll

Bialas' Stats

Player' Stats

Regaining her combat stance, Teion's teeth grit while her eyes danced across the battlefield. Despite a bit of chaos, at least from her inexperienced perspective, things seemed to be going rather well. 'Now don't jinx it. Her mind scolded her.

As thunder roared above them and lightning shot from the skies to strike down at their party Teion's chin raised and she took a small couple of steps back. Her concentration allowed her to evade the bolt that had been aiming straight for her, and with the boss' widespread offensive out of the way, it was the players' turn to strike back. With a renewed grip on the handle of her unfamiliar battle axe, the violette was determined to make herself useful.

Beat and Hakai had already moved in to attack. Her eyes danced towards the last damage-dealer in their group, if she wasn't counting the noirette that had given her the weapon she clutched onto. Teion leaned forward, watching Hirru as he moved in and working to match her pace behind his for as clean of a follow-up attack as she could manage.

Boss Info

Combat Roll

Player Stats

Bringing up the rear of the second group, Teion's knuckles were nearly as white as Bialas' coat when she entered the wide stormy grove of the boss' lair. The first party had already sprung into action, bringing the first of the lightning stallion's first health bar down rather steadily. Her eyes scanned over the movements of those that acted before her, and her body began to carry itself to the side, working subconsciously to flank the enemy while their tank wasted no time in getting its attention.

But it seemed as though their party's luck had run out, and they were only just out of the gates. Teion's pace had increased, and she shifted her direction when she finally realized she was the last remaining member of their team that had yet to take action. She sped towards the horned stallion with an increasing speed, until a single bolt of lightning came crashing down just in front of the beast. Her eyes widened at the unexpected flash of white in her direct path, and in a failed attempt to push off to the side Teion's ankle rolled and she skidded to a messy stop, catching herself in a kneel before she had fully tumbled to the ground. "Sh*t!" She let out a curse that was louder than she had intended, and shoved her heels into the floor to push herself backwards as her first shot was wasted.

Boss Info

Combat Roll

Player Stats

He tried to keep the woman calm, taking a deep breath of his own and exhaling steadily past his lips. A few seconds passed in silence before he spoke up again to fill it. "Now. What is it that you want? Go on, be selfish. Don't worry about the details, stop stressing over the 'how'. Just, think about what you want the future--your future--to look like." His fingers moved slowly, almost shyly, as they curled around the edges of her gloved hands. He held onto them, using his gentle grip to reassure the woman across from him and keep her grounded. Teion’s eyes remained closed, and a silence fell over them for several long moments before vague shapes began to fill the space once again. More calmly this time, landscapes came into view and gradually became substantial. A soft, cool breeze was the first thing that she felt brushing against her cheeks.

The violette blinked a couple of times until cobalt eyes locked onto his with a newfound clarity. Just as quickly, the space went blank. Empty, just like the area with the bright mosaic floor that housed each of the doors from earlier. Ryo let out a small sigh of relief before he offered her a tiny smirk. "Truce? For now, at least." He suggested, and Teion swallowed as the words registered in her head. She still didn't quite understand what had just happened, but she gave a small nod as an almost automatic reaction. His smile grew a bit softer, and his grip on her arms a bit more gentle. "Close your eyes." He instructed simply, waiting a moment for her to do so. His hands carefully glided down the length of her arms, passing over the brown gloves she wore as they traveled to her wrists. "Just, dont think for a second. Relax."

Seconds passed, and several different images seemed to try to force themselves into the background and foreground alike. Nothing held its shape for more than a fleeting moment--new walls erected around them only to crumble, and bright skies shone overhead that fell pitch black immediately after. As the seemingly endless space continued to morph, tear, and otherwise fall apart around them, Ryo's expression quickly shifted itself, from wary to concerned to panicked. The man's eyes darted back to the player across from him before he took quick strides to close the gap between them. His katana had already fallen to the floor, and his hands grasped onto Teion's arms, giving the woman a light shake to demand her attention. "Teion! Yo, snap out of it, you're gonna rip this place apart! Teion! Thea!" The combination of his jostling, and the sound of her real name called out by Ryo's voice, seemed to bring her back to reality.

"Some bullshit about forging my own future, or poetic garbage like that?! Just how the hell do you expect me to--" Her words abruptly ended in a short gasp of air, and her eyes widened as they landed on a familiar pair of magenta eyes beneath an equally familiar purple fringe. Requiem's opposite end landed against cold stone with a small 'clang' while Teion's heart felt as though it had stopped beating for a split second. "See, now you're getting it!" Ryo's encouraging tone was clearly forced through grit teeth, and his hand slowly fell from his face. "Gah, that, seriously stings." He continued in a mutter, wincing as he pulled his body free from the loose pieces of metal that drove into his back. Just after he had freed himself, the world around them began to shift for the third time. Ryo's attention immediately shot to their surroundings, while Teion simply stared ahead, entranced, or perhaps lost in the shock of the exchange.

Working against its momentum, but now alongside gravity, Teion tore the axe head back through the air, clipping the side of his head as she did so. The corner of the tri-colored blade hooked into the rim of his white mask, prying the item from his face while he was forced to turn slightly with the strength of the blow. The accessory fell to the floor where it promptly shattered into pieces the same as any other destroyed object in this world. A dark-gloved hand flew to the man's cheek, resting upon the injured skin as well as serving to obscure her vision of the man behind the mask for a few seconds longer. Teion's chest and shoulders rose and fell in a rhythm of heavy breaths as the top of her weapon met the cold stone floor at her side. She loosened her grip, left hand leaving the handle entirely to place itself upon the center of her chest.

He doubled over from the force, and she followed up by lifting her right knee into the air. The flat bottom of her brown boot found the man's shoulder and she kicked forward, sending him stumbling back to the opposite wall. The grunt that escaped him made it clear that he had met the same unpleasantries that clung to the walls just the same as she had, and Teion once again seized the opportunity presented to her. Dropping Requiem's head back towards the ground, the curved blade arced above the ground and lifted through the air at a crooked angle. Golden steel dug into the man's body as Teion heaved the weight of her axe upwards, creating a large diagonal gash along his form. As the blade cleared his body and rose into the air her hands shifted their grip and twisted at the handle to spin the sharpened edge around.

The violette's avatar was already covered with a generous coating of gashes and cuts glowing bright red. "What kind of stupid. Cliche. Cringey. Epiphany--" Each word was pronounced with the effort she put behind every swing, and she cut herself off when she felt the sudden, sharp tingling of whatever pointed objects stood behind her making contact with her avatar. The sharpened edges poked and dug into the virtual skin of her back, driving in one inch, then two, causing the woman to grimace with intense, growing discomfort. Her teeth grit again, even harder now. "How--How am I supposed to learn anything while you're being so damn annoying?!" The shards of glass and iron that ran her through gouged deeper still with the pressure she placed on herself to push off against the objects. Freeing herself from the simulated pain, Teion jerked the back of her polearm forward to plant the handle's end firmly into the stranger's abdomen.

"Okay, so..." She spoke uncertainly and through grit teeth, her eyes following the glint of his steel as it pulled back and moved for another swipe. She was on the defensive again, struggling to understand. And soon, struggling to keep up with the masked man's attacks. Teion winced beneath the consecutive blows, fighting to keep herself steady and at a generous distance from the hazardous walls surrounding her. "So... What?!" She shouted with frustration, jaw clenching tighter as she failed to come to a satisfactory conclusion under the pressure. The fire was back again, and her defensive blocks soon turned to aggressive clashes of steel that caused sparks to leap through the air. "What?! What am I supposed to 'get' from this?" She demanded with a low growl. Her arms strained against the weight of her battle axe, while her opponent moved almost twice as quickly with smooth motions leading up to every strike.

His hand dropped to level with the shoulder that picked up into a shrug. "But, you're stubborn, so you keep trying. It's a miracle this place hasn't fallen apart by now." He mumbled with a slight begrudging tone. He had begun to circle around her in the cramped space, Teion turning herself in place to keep her body always facing him. Eventually returning to his original position and stopping to stand across from her, the stranger shrugged the weapon from his shoulder and used a single fluid motion to bring his arm around and swing the tip of the blade in her direction. Teion reacted just in time to block the attack, using the flat of her axe as an improvised shield. Despite her attempt to brace herself against the strike, her balance was still threatened and her left foot shifted a few inches to the side to catch herself.

"Do you think I am?" He shot back, prodding at the already-agitated woman's temper. "Who else?" He continued with a small shrug, going on to finally offer her some sort of explanation. His right leg extended straight to move himself forward with long, slow strides that rocked his torso back and forth after each step. His free hand stretched out to his side, open palm sliding through the air before falling back to his side. "This whoooole place is all inside your head, after all." The hand lifted again, the tip of an index finger tapping against his temple behind the rim of his mask. "This part just happens to be the most, unstable." He paused a second to retrieve the right word. [/b]"Your future. 'What's going to happen to me?' or 'Where will I end up?' This area can't hold its form because your head's too busy trying, and failing, to shape it."[/b]

The more unsightly pieces of jagged metal and broken glass she ran her gaze over, the more uneasy she became. What was this place, she wondered. Not just this scary little room, but all of it--the empty desert, and the field of flowers she had entered into just minutes ago. And if she continued to broaden the spectrum to include the mosaic room that housed each of these doors, her head might just start to spin. "Think you can take us back to that hill with the stars? That was pretty nice, I liked that." His voice breaking the silence snapped her back to attention, but did little to clear up any of the confusion that clouded her mind. Gears continued to turn, and soon her brows narrowed again with a suspicious gaze in his direction. "Wait... Me--You think I'm controlling this?" She asked with clear incredulity in her voice.

The stranger rolled his shoulder, and his curved blade glinted with the pillars of light that streamed through tall windows. "And where exactly do you think 'here' is?" He questioned, shifting his weight. The eyebrow he cocked behind his disguise was practically audible in his tone of voice, and after a long couple of seconds in silence he threw his free hand in the air, gesturing to the space around them and taking a relaxed step backwards. He was urging her to survey their surroundings alongside him, and Teion's distrusting eyes remained locked onto the thin slits of his fox-molded mask while her chin drifted to the side. When she was as sure as she was going to manage to be that she could take her sights off of him, she tore cobalt eyes away and flickered them around the intimidating room. It was like something out a horror movie.