Opal

"Alone? Do I have a choice in the matter? Certainly you would not lift a finger to help. That's your problem. If you think this exchange was about convincing me to stop what I was doing, then you best save your breath." The woman flipped her hair, like removing dirt from her shoulder. Much like this conversation, she was done with it as well as this player. That time at the festival was just a one off. She had to show her face there, it was the Vice Commander's duty to be present at social gatherings like that. The time for hiding who she was had come to an end, she was Laughing Coffin now.

With her arms hugging her body, she remained steady as she sought out the colorful horizon. Her violet eyes dazed and lost in the mix of hues that had offset one another as night was preparing itself. It had begun to get late now and soon it would be more dangerous going after her bounty mobs. She sighed and shook her head, "There goes my day...what a waste." she said under her breath. She twisted her body around, there was no expression on her face but a simple stare at his figure. 

"I think we have come to what is called an impasse. There is no more need for talking about this. We both have our own ideals. I am not one who can be saved or wishes to be saved. I have my duty, I have my work. You will survive so long as you stay out of me way. Should you fall between me and my target at any point, I will mark you an enemy. I would not want that, but I will not show you any mercy should you feel like stepping on my toes." 

Unless there was anything else to say Opal had dropped her arms from her body and turned on the ball of her feet, with a hand in the air she waved, "If that is all you wish of me tonight, I will be going now." 

There was a clash that Opal had suspected. Her cloak offered minimal damage mitigation towards her opponent's attack, but it was the Parry and mod effects that helped Opal push back the Crimson Maiden. With the butt of her sword, she had smashed it into Teayre's ribcage causing her to flutter back on bended knee. Opal smirked through her mask, "Free shot? Don't mind if I do. What honor is there to show...when I am facing a Player Killer!" 

There was a sudden rage is her voice as she moved swiftly across the field of battle towards the woman. Her Kusanagi blade alit with a phantom glow of red, the dripping of the aura from the point made contact with the woman as she swept the short blade across her belly and upwards creating an orange mutated effect against her armor. 

It did not matter much however, the attack was spot on and it gave Opal the edge for the moment. However, now this had been the case. She had taken her 'free shot,' unfortunately, she would not be able to parry on her next go. The moves have been made and that stun won't last forever. Opal took the moment to take a step back and swing her blade upwards once more as it came parallel with her body. 

"I struck her, but I am now open for an attack. This next one is gonna hurt like a bitch if she lands another blow." 

Opals HP: 1008/1100
EN: 94/110
Sword Art:  San Ge - 9x7x2 - (14 Energy) = 114 Dmg
Opals Stats

@Teayre HP: 881/995 [Bleed Effect: 24 Dmg for 2 Turns] 
EN: 88/98
Sword Art: 
Teayre's Stats

ID: 69056
BD: 9 = [+1 Dmg, Bleed Activated]
CD: 2

Through the eye holes of the mask, the glint of green eyes could catch wind of the shimmer of the deathly red orbs starring back at her. Familiar voice was it? Opal did not try to hide her voice to much, allowing the mask and hood to muffle her their natural workings. But it seems this girl was catching on to her, she had recognized her voice enough it seems from the previous times they had spoke. And Opal being somewhat of a mouthy woman, it could easily be known to her who she thought she knew who she was. 

Sweeping thoughts aside, the Kusanagi wielder kept her blade steady in the <Parry> Pose and waited for the assault. There was a kick of dirt from her feet and then she traveled a fair distance until she stopped and kicked off backwards. Opal was a veteran at pvp now, this tactic was not going to make her flinch in her stance. She had some balls to test what she was attempting to do, but this was the Crimson Maiden after all. There was no denying this was going to be a dangerous duel, no matter what standards they had set. Instead of flinching, Opal remained steadfast and without movement in her <Parry>. 

"If you are attempting to make me break, you'll have to try a lot harder than that." 

Opals HP: 1100/1100
EN: 107/110
Sword Art: Parry -> J.Riposte 
Opals Stat Reference Sheet

Teayres HP: 995/995
EN: 96/98
Sword Art: Missed [2EN]

ID: 69047
BD: 1-3 = Parry
CD: 1

He understood where she was coming from? Really? Opal's thoughts were pretty much scattered and she shook her head at the comment. No one knew where she was coming from, that was just something people said to satisfy another or in attempt to do so. However, this did not for Opal. Instead of berating him further as she would have normally done, she stopped to listen to what else he might add to this conversation. 

The woman laughed at his question, her black making that trademark smirk like she was some Big Shot Know-it-All. Brushing the snow strands from her face from a constant on coming wind, the woman shifted and looked at him, "I would not touch a hair on your head should you decide to seek justice against an Orange Player. If that were the case, I would have had Calrex assassinated by now for being a murderer as well. Unlike you, he took up his sword and made his statement with his blade spilling the blood of a player that deserved more than just death. But in the end, Calrex had shown me he had the stomach to slay such infidels, however, that fool also is a selfish human being. He still finds Tearye's soul to be something that can be redeemed. I think not, not after the many uncalled for deaths under her belt. She is such a loose cannon, she needs to be stopped and vanquished. Either under my blade or someone else's." 

Opal shrugged her shoulders, "Some people say they wanna save the people and they are admirable for wanting to do that. It's a hero's dream to want and save everyone. But not everyone wants to be saved, and not everyone is deserving. I could care less if you call it revenge or justice. Your words and what you call my ideals are trivial to me. I know my path and I know how to walk it. I am a Murderer. I know I have taken life, and I will take as many as it takes. I follow a corrupt brand of justice, I know I do. But does that mean I care? That I have regrets? No. It takes a strong person to do what I do and to keep moving forward." 

Sweeping the snow colored hair from her face once more she turned her body around, her back now facing him as she stood in the glory of the low casting light as the sun would soon begin to fade over the horizon, "I remember our talk, you and I, at the Festival. Perhaps under different circumstances we could have been friends, perhaps if I was blind as the rest of Aincrad I could turn the other way. But when you see the [censored] I see, and you feel your heart beat with such a passion. Then you can't unsee what your eyes have seen from this world." She looked at over her shoulder, a sliver of a smile on her face, "Try to survive if you can. Should you happen to fall from grace, I will come find you and kill you myself. Leave the player killing to me...Go and help save us from this so called Hell. Perhaps in the end, I will take my own life...but until everything is finished I will slay all the wolves." 

"Those are some pretty big words from a small little girl." Opal has said underneath the mask as her green eyes followed the woman's movements and body language. Opal knew this player well, but that didn't give her any kind of upper advantage. In fact, Opal was at a huge disadvantage at the moment not using her more personal weapons. Should this duel however go south, Opal will do what is necessary. Although this was a perfect time to end a Player Killer, with so many people around it might not be a good idea to start taking lives. No, Opal would wait for the time to do that where no one would need to see or hear the cries of a real battle. 

"Same eyes, huh? Well then, I'd hate to be that person since this is the first time I am using this color for my irises. Interesting enough, I know a lot more about you than you do of me. We'll see how things go though. This is a severe handicap on my part. I was not expecting this woman to challenge me, no less be here. I should have changed my equipment beforehand. But I don't wanna ruin my disguise, that would have been all for naught. It's a pity, I could have taken her out today, but it seems like Lady Luck is smiling on others besides myself." Opal had a moment of reprieve with her inner monologue knowing full well she was at a huge disadvantage, but through her mask she was smiling wildly. 

The time for the duel was ticking down now and Opal shot her gaze to the Crimson Maiden, "Alright little girl, let's see what you got to offer me." Opal's right foot slid forward and her Kusanagi titled at an angle against the sun reflecting the bright rays back towards Tearye's eyes. It looked like Opal took on a <Parry> stance, now the woman opposite to her would have to decide which Mod Opal had up her sleeve for this specific skill and if attacking now would be the best of ideas. The smirk on her face grew wider, "Yeah, let's see how smart you are little girl." 

--

ID: 68994
LD: 13 [Natural]
Opal's Stat Reference Post

Opals HP: 1100/1100
EN: 108/110
Sword Art: Parry -> Justified Riposte [2 EN]

Teayres HP: 995/995
EN: 98/98
Sword Art: 

Opal shifted her arms upwards, the bellowing of the beast that was the Ultramarine Knight had used his Howl on the enemies to draw their attention to him more but not only that, his foot got stuck in the broken crevice of the rubble. She nodded in turn, they both had their slip ups tonight, but she wasn't too much of a Bitch to rub it in his face. Instead, she took the initiative and brought her blade skywards. With her feet leaving the ground and moving quickly towards her targets. The dense energy that built around her Masamune began to glow once more as it wrapped heavily around the blade, glowing brighter and brighter. 

With her foot slamming into the ground and pivoting her body and swinging around, the katana slashed through the four Senties scattering their life forms into the wind as their pixelated bodies were destroyed with the last sweep of her blade. Hefting the Masamune over her shoulder, she turned her head over her shoulder and looked towards Calrex, "You got your foot unstuck? I'm alright on energy right now. If you wanna continue on, we can push ahead." 

As the scattered remained flitted away, they were each given a pop up box on their loot. Another sizable sum for the each of them as their hard work paid off once more. 

Opals HP: 1100/1100
EN: 90/110
Sword Art:  Amatsu no Homura - 18x3x3 - AoE - (18 Energy)  = 180 Dmg
Hate: 3

Calrexs HP: 1540/1540
EN: 95/146
Sword Art:
Hate: 9

Lost Sentry: -/745 | 140 DMG
Lost Sentry 2: -/745 | 140 DMG
Lost Sentry 3: -/745 | 140 DMG
Lost Sentry 4: -/745 | 140 DMG

ID: 68944
BD: 7
LD: 12+4 = 16 [14,900 Col]
+4 Mats

If there was some kind of oppression or darkness surrounding this place, the two players were certainly livening this place up with their small back and forth banter. The woman fashioned her steel blade katana in both hands, the blade perfectly steady and ready to tear through the armor of the Lost Sentries. With a purple aura manifesting itself over the steel, the dense energy was syphoned into the blade itself as it glowed an eerie violet, much like her colored theme. Taking a step forward, she hurled herself into the battle as was given the name Black Widow from Calrex, obviously in recognition to her earlier comment about calling him the Hulk, but he was mostly a Bruce Banner of sorts. He wasn't as good looking as Thor, and he didn't have an ego like Stark. Then  again, he would probably be more like Captain America. Big and blue? The woman focused on the battle ahead of her, too many random thoughts stemming from her conscious mind. 

With her foot falling flat on the ground, she whipped her body in a circle, cutting and slicing through the heavy armor of the Sentries. Moaning howls and anguished cries engulfed the halls of Blackwatch as their HP ran dry to nearly a sliver. With their bodies paralyzed by the Tank's equipment, Opal took a step back to watch as the effect began to wore off. Their shambling bodies now twisted their heads and their eyes sought the aggressor of the two and drew their blades at him once more. 

"Just a little more and we can take care of this bunch." 

Opals HP: 1100/1100
EN: 74/110
Sword Art:   Amatsu no Homura - 20x3x3 - AoE - (18 Energy)  = 180 Dmg
Hate: 3

Calrexs HP: 1540/1540
EN: 94/146
Sword Art: 
Hate: 6

Lost Sentry: 32/745 | 140 DMG (Paralyzed Until Next Turn)
Lost Sentry 2: 32/745 | 140 DMG (Paralyzed Until Next Turn)
Lost Sentry 3: 32/745 | 140 DMG (Paralyzed Until Next Turn)
Lost Sentry 4: 32/745 | 140 DMG (Paralyzed Until Next Turn)

ID: 68934
BD: 10+4 [Keen Active] = +2 Dmg

Opal took notice of Tearye immediately. It was not difficult to pick out such red hair in the crowd of people, funny thing is, she didn't know it was her. There was a smirk hidden underneath her mask. The woman was attempting to perhaps become a threat? Opal knew if she made any sudden changes to her equipment, there might be guesses as to who she was. There was a heavy silence for the moment and then a nod of her head.

"You think me an easy target, huh? Alright. How about we clear some room here so that these people don't get in the way of our fun." Opal had used the emphasis on the word. She would not dare draw too much attention to herself, but she was being provoked by a Player Killer. Opal's goal here in Aincrad had ultimately dispose of these players, and whether she was the wife of Calrex or not, she had to strike down this player soon enough before she would take the lives of others. Such a player in this world...should not exist in a game where life was important. 

But Opal was thinking in contradiction to her beliefs. She would have to take life, to save lives. Within her cloak, an arm appeared and she stretched her hand out to Rin as if to push her aside as she walked closer to Tearye, "Follow me then." 

Opal walked passed the Player Killer and went up a small ways towards the center by the lake front. This would be a good spot as any for a duel. 

"Before we begin, let's make this clear that this is only for fun. So the duel should be set in such a way that neither of us will be taken advantage of. We'll only do a half loss duel. If you need to prepare your equipment, right now would be the time to do so." 

Opal stood for a moment as she drew the Kusanagi Katana from its sheath. The color of the blade was a dull red, it didn't look like anything special, but at least those who knew of Opal and her massive Masamune X, knew she would not favor such a small blade. In this case, she would not change her equipment. The green eyes through the mask and hood watched Tearye closely before drawing up her menu and sending the female a half loss duel. 

---

Notes: Opal accepts Tea's challenge for a duel. Stats are labeled on my first post. Tea, make sure you post up your stats and after that you can roll for the LD Initiative. Opal will give you time to situate your equipment should you need to make any changes.  

Opal quirked a brow under her mask as the change of stature of the young woman before her. She seemed to wobble after drinking a bit of the alcoholic beverage that was mixed in her Punch, "Yeah, no. I think that will be enough for you. The point is to get a light buzz going so you are more open to others. It'll calm down the anxiety a bit and put the edge off. But getting trashed and wasted is not exactly what you should be doing, is it?" The woman gestured as her arm moved around to show off the many people who attended. 

"I think your limit is one drink for the day, haha. I remember being such a light weight back in the day. Frat parties change that pretty quick." The woman adjusted her mask accordingly, but was now running out of things to say. The woman before her was attempting to make it out into the 'real world' so to speak, and Opal exactly wasn't one for interactions, but she felt a duty to help this one out and get to mingle with some people. 

The woman noticed @Itzal, a player she had met at the Lakeside Event not too long ago. She respected the male, but was unsure if he truly continued to live that way of life he so deemed. Opal placed a hand on the woman's shoulder, " @Rin, was it? Yes. I remember who you are. You'll find out who I am soon enough. Come, let us do this socialize thing together. Its easier when you go into it with another." 

Almost as her hand touched Rin, there seemed to be an explosion of intimacy between two women. Opal took a moment to take a step back as the girls collided into one another. Saying not a word, Opal watched on as the two seemed to know each other at least decently well to be able to hug one another, though she could not see Rin's expression from this point of view. Opal sighed through her mask, "Wait. Did she just call you an Onion?" Confusion now settled in. 

Opal turned her attention to the figure dressed in a maid's outfit? Under her mask she smirked and looked the girl up and down before she took a step backwards, somewhat in an focused state, "Is this that same girl from the dungeon on floor five? Hello." the woman said in respect to the female before her. She didn't say anything else but the tilt of her head was accompanied by examining her further.

"Are you dressed like that for a purpose?" Of course Opal was one to speak, she already looked plenty shady with this disguise on herself. At first glance and because of the possible nature of player killers and the rumors aplenty of how they dressed in cloaks and hoods to hide their faces, seemed more and more like a less than desirable idea she had fathomed. In respect, she was not here to kill anyone at least. But that didn't stop her from looking around and scoping out the competition. The woman before seemed rather nervous and fidgety as well. 

"You ok? You look like you might have a panic attack at any moment right now. This Punch is pretty good at least, perhaps a little moonshine will help relax you as well?" The woman moved to her inventory where a small silver flask appeared in her gloved hand. Taking a moment, she stepped forward and drained the contents into her own cup, before making another and handing it to the woman. "Drink up, you'll feel better. Cheers." With a light tap of her cup, Opal shifted her mask, the white Geisha paint along with the lime green lips appeared from underneath as she drank the tainted punch. 

"Alcohol makes everything taste better in this world. And the people less annoying." Opa's hand shifted once more over her mask and took a moment to look over her surroundings. "This get together has created quite a bit of a turn out. I wonder how things will play out from here. I heard there was a dancing competition as well. I am actually quite eager to see how that is planned out."

The woman shot the maid girl ( @Rin) a look and laughed beneath her mask, "I had yet to introduce myself. Excuse the disguise, if people knew that I was here...I'd probably end up creating a mess of the event. For now you can call me Lotus."  

For the time being, Opal remained incognito. She was dressed in her vanity starting armor, followed by a lengthy cloak that covered most of her body. Her face and eyes were disguised with a hood. But to make sure her pretty little face could not be seen, the woman too wore a plain white mask that covered up her features. She had not expected herself to be here, but she was curious about this tournament. Being sent out by a low level player, but she wondered what kind of players would actually show up. Thanks to Myoga, Opal knew how to blend into a crowd of people and get lost in the sea of their faces. She was rather good at that, also learning in great depths of being a Geisha. The woman's attention was not only turned to combat but a dance competition as well. She smiled under her mask, however she knew this wardrobe would soon be lifted and her real identity would soon be known to the masses. 

However, she would for the time being attempt to stay as an enigma to the rest of the masses. Her booted feet moved along the grassy knoll as she set forth from her destination and finding this area was not quite difficult. She saw a young girl setting up a punch bowl and some cups. Opal sighed, it would be hard to drink with this mask on. She decided to make her pleasantries short and gathered a cup and the ladle to pour herself some of the drink. Opal merely bowed to the young girl @Aikoh before turning her back and lifting her mask part ways revealing part of her Geisha make up. She drank from the contents and slipped the mask and heavy hood back down before allowing the cool breeze to return once more, billowing the heavy cloak. 

She wondered if there would be a set order to this tournament or if she should start randomly challenging players? 

--

Notes: Opal is disguised in heavy garb as to not cause a ruckus for right now. No Godmodding, no metagaming, no attempting to break IC because of ooc reasons. Feel free to RP with me though! I will also be accepting any challenges.  Opal will not be using her regular equipment. 

"Huh, where to begin?" The woman took a moment to gather her legs once more and folded them into her body. Her eyes stared out past the player in front of her, looking into the endless horizon of orange and purple, "You have to be some kind of person to go through what I have gone through. When I first logged into the game, I was just a snooty science bitch. I didn't know how to play games like this, nor did I care. I came to Aincrad because of science and technology and what the Nervegear could do to the human brain after it has been exposed to such massive virtual worlds like this. But I ended up getting stuck here along with everyone else." the woman sighed and brought her hands up to her menu, and scanned its for a moment before flicking it away.

"I was confronted by a man named Sensui a few weeks into the game. He seemed harmless, very nice, quite the gentleman and quite the eager individual. He was ambitious and charismatic. I guess you could say I had a small crush on him. But then he became quite toxic; he spoke of things that would really make people wonder about Aincrad and what we could do here. We could live as Kings or die as sheep. Since I was a woman, I had a very special skill set. I was asked to do a few things for him that were a bit underhanded. Anyways, I did what I was instructed to do." 

The woman let her eyes roll and sink back down towards the ground, her hand was now fiddling with a patch of grass as she gently rolled her hand back and forth against the emerald blades. The wind softly blew, brushing stray tendrils of hair from her face as it fluttered for a moment before traveling elsewhere. Her violet eyes fell on Baldur, then quickly looked away.

"I was then confronted by an individual named Myoga. My mentor, my teacher. This was part of the plan, to have him teach me the ways of the sword. He...was more than just a teacher though, he was like a father figure. He taught me everything I needed to know about how to properly be stealthed, how to hide in plain sight, the Bushido. But I was also taught the arts of the Kunoichi. To be like a shadow, and how to kill quickly. Seems like a nice set of skills to have don't you think?" The woman's downcast gaze seemed to sadden more now as she took a moment to pause in her story. Sweeping the hair from her face before looking back at Baldur.

"I was taught how to lie very well and I was told how to keep emotions inside of you without showing your true self to people. When you lie and show off your mask, that mask soon becomes your face and you become your lie. That's what I had to do.  However, I never lost who I was. I might have been working for Sensui as a disciple under Myoga, but I was my own woman. The more toxic things I had heard from Sensui, the more I wanted to push him out of this world. When I heard of Laughing Coffin, I knew what he was planning to do and I had to become his symbol. But he did something to me. That was unforgivable, to any woman. To have someone like that torture you, so you know how to torture others. So that they feel less than human. I knew I didn't want others to be that way. So I made a promise to myself and I bid my time, then I struck. And now my plans are in motion." 

The woman stood up to stretch her legs, "I will destroy Laughing Coffin from the inside. I will make people fear me as the Reaper so that another soul would never be lost to this world. However, murder is something that can not stand in this Aincrad. I will become powerful like I had sought out to be, and I will rule with tyranny and fear if I must. I will be judge, jury and executioner when the scenario calls for it. Those who bear the Orange shall not be redeemed, there is no quest that makes you stop being a murderer. I myself am one. You must dirty your hands yourself to achieve the peace. Saying otherwise is being a coward and not accepting responsibility. So I will use my skills, I will use everything at my disposal to clean this world. I am not afraid of death, I am not afraid to kill. I have started down this road," the woman turned her face away from Baldur and looked towards the horizon, "There is no coming back from it. People will hate me, but I can live with the hate knowing that Justice has been served. My Justice." 

Notes: 4/15 Enemies Defeated

With the powerful aura of her katana circulating into a dense energy that hummed with a violet hue, the woman's feet took a moment before she <charged> and pushed her way through the thick of the enemies. Her blade sung like a sharp notes whistled, the slash as feirce as typhoon as she spun and brought her blade up adjacent to her foes. Pivoting on her foot, the woman released a howl from her blade as the orange gash marks littered the bodies of the Vanguards. Finally about to strike her enemies, the woman took a moment to reposition herself and her eyes were set on the four in front of her. The funnel of power that had encased the blade slowly began to diminish as the glow and hum of blade calmed down. The woman took a step backwards, the hilt tight in her hands as she narrowed her eyes. 

Calrex had done so much so far acting as a shield and as a spear in this confrontation. He was a truly remarkable human being; she had wondered how he acted in real life or if this kind of personality was developed from within the game much like hers was. She was not some kind of warrior Princess IRL, but she was not some pussy either. How many people's hearts were forged in the flames of this game to be tempered into steeled warriors? Sweeping her blade across from her belly, the woman pointed out to her foes, "You might have numbers, but I have a Hulk." she titled her head to the Ultramarine Knight, "Go, smash?" 

Opals HP: 1100/1100
EN: 91/110
Sword Art:  Amatsu no Homura - 20x3x3 - AoE - (18 Energy)  = 180 Dmg
Hate: 1

Calrexs HP: 1485/1540
EN: 111/146
Sword Art: 
Hate: 4

Lost Sentry: 303/745 | 140 DMG 
Lost Sentry 2: 303/745 | 140 DMG 
Lost Sentry 3: 303/745 | 140 DMG 
Lost Sentry 4: 303/745 | 140 DMG 

ID: 68841
BD: 4+3 = hit

The woman followed Calrex closely, her eyes looking up at him when he rejected her once again. But she wasn't exactly serious about the matter. If she wanted him that bad, she would go to some extremes but it was neither here nor there for her. She gave a shrug, "Your loss." But soon they had been walking towards the right as Opal suggested from earlier. Keeping her <<Reveal>> on as to scan through the walls or any other such objects that might help in alleviating some stress of the unknown coming at them. But it was none too soon that they had spotted their next quarry. Opal smirked, her black lips tugging into her smirk as she brought her blade up and all the more thinking she was ready to take cover of his Howl. And yet, instead of that...he attacked the mob...again. 

The woman's eyes sat buried in his back giving him a heated glare, "You are supposed to be tanking, not attacking...is he really like this during boss battles too?" she thought as she watched him blow through the mob dealing a decent amount of damage while stunning them as well. She blew air upwards tossing her violet strands of hair away from her eyes, "Alright, watch this!" The woman took a step forward and gave a high pitched sneeze as well as almost dropping her katana and letting a string of cuss words to ring out the once enchanted Castle. 

Opal's eyes met Calrex, "Not a word to this about anyone..." her voice dripped with a very aggressive tone, it was rare for her to have so many blunders in one night. Missing on occasion alone was fine, but having to stop and sneeze was another issue altogether. 

<<Battle Engaged>>

Opals HP: 1100/1100
EN: 108/110
Sword Art: Miss -2
Hate: 0

Calrexs HP: 1393/1540
EN: 128/146
Sword Art: Shadow Explosion
Hate: 2

Lost Sentry: 573/745 | 140 DMG (Stunned Until Next Turn)
Lost Sentry 2: 573/745 | 140 DMG (Stunned Until Next Turn)
Lost Sentry 3: 573/745 | 140 DMG (Stunned Until Next Turn)
Lost Sentry 4: 573/745 | 140 DMG ( Stunned Until Next Turn)

ID: 68744
BD: 1+3 = rly? 

Giving Jaken a thump to the back of the head, the familiar snapped out of his meditative stance and face planted into the ground, "Wakey, wakey." She said with a mild laugh. She had stood up and brushed the dirt and debris off her clothing before nodding to Calrex, "I'm all set to go on my side." The woman once more allowed the long bladed katana to appear once more in her hand, the feeling of it being in her hand was something of a comfort blanket for her, but there would be a time when she would no longer need this. Her eyes fell to her blade and brushed the long snow colored hair off her shoulders and pushed the violet strands behind her ears. With her black lips churning into a small smirk, the familiar rebounded off the floor and back to his feet giving her a comical glare.

"Alright, well. The map data is not complete, but it looks like the path splits up ahead. Looks like there might be a larger room to the right as well, I think that's where we should go. Or we can go left. Another corridor and a smaller room...looks like a bedroom chamber or something," the woman was using her <Reveal> skill as to look through the walls to see where their best path might lead. Her thin dark brows raised slightly when she mentioned a bedroom chamber, "Still don't fancy that booty call, I imagine?" she laughed and shook her head head covering most of her mouth, "I am sure you have your hands full with that Woman. I still find that to be a waste. A man such as yourself, you deserve something so much better than what she can offer." The woman took a step forward narrowing her eyes, "We'll steer clear of the bedroom chamber, at least for now. Let's take the right path, you take the lead." 

"Ugh, personal space much?" she said scooting over away from the player who was obnoxiously hovering or sitting too close to where he should be situated with himself. The female brushed the violet bangs of hair from her face as she looked away. Her eyes widened to this sort of interrogation she was now under, "Did Calrex tell him about me and my plans? Or is this fool actually looking past my ruse?" The woman sat there motionless for a moment looking away at the player. She did not say a word and instead bit down on her lower lip slightly. He was bringing up the past something she did not seem to enjoy very much. Taking in a deep breath the woman turned around and faced the player face to face.

She looked relaxed and calm and lowered her eyes towards her bent knees as she wrapped her arms around them as if to shield herself, "I didn't build the Knights. That was Commander Heathcliff's doing." She had used his title instead of just calling him Heathcliff. She respected the man, because he demanded respect on many levels. At first she was intimidated by his presence, whenever he would enter a room, whenever he took stance and whenever he spoke. All that accumulated into what Aincrad should be, so that is what she had set out to do. 

"Building an impressive army was my first goal. Aincrad needed stability. And as long as the Elitist Society known as Azure Brigade ran the show, then there was going to be constant bids for power in this world. I had to create something more respectable than that. So, I set out finding members that would justify my ways. I needed players with a strong resolve to help get us through this game, I needed players who were gonna be there on the Frontlines taking the hits and doing the hits. More importantly, we needed leaders more than ever. Azure Brigade only looked out for number one, themselves. They were a toxic breed of players and housed several player killers..." the woman said as she lifted her head, her eyes on the player across from her.

Slowly her arms allowed her legs to be free as she stretched her limbs out and her hands were pushed behind her to keep the woman anchored in her spot. The breeze had caught the long hair, billowing off to the side. Her violet eyes stared at the sky and slowly closed them and began her story once again, "So with that. I created an Army. I gathered strong players even merged my former guild the Crimson Blades under the banner of the Knights of the Blood. I knew with all that power they had, they could finally start moving things forward in a more respectable way." 

The woman brought one hand up to her face and brushed the wispy violet strands of hair from her face that collected from the wind. She looked down at the grass and snatched a handful and let it go to the breeze to find its own path, "However, that was only a surface dream. I had begun formulating a plan to take down the Azure Brigade but I would also be fulfilling one of my goals..." 

The woman let out a long sigh and hunched forward, "If you want to know the entire story, you should get comfortable." 

Opal watched as the avatar that Cal had shimmered with new equipment. He seemed a bit more on the bulkier side with all that equipment and she took a step back to see what a true Tank seemed to look like, "You knights and your heavy armor stuff. Must weigh a ton and a half to move in that. Well luckily enough its not the real work, I'd hate to think what might happen if you needed to suddenly pee with all that armor on." 

The woman twisted her body towards him, the Masamune sitting down on her shoulder armor as she tapped it against the metal giving him some kind of look, "Well, you are better protected now, but I guess that means you'll be moving a little slower too. I guess I'll have to up my game a bit." She took a moment to gather her bearings over the area though as she drew up her map. This was no use, everything was blocked out as she had never been here before. This was more or less a blind run of the castle. With the last engagement, both parties could use time to rest and recover their lost resources. She would need all of her energy for the upcoming battle and that would take a little time to get back. 

"Why don't we take a moment and settle here for a little bit. This path seems pretty narrow that we can see down both sides of the corridor. We won't get jumped by anything." 

The woman took the time to squat down and finally settled into a sit where she folded one leg over the other next to her Familiar who came over towards her and sat down crossed legged. With his staff over his shoulder, he closed his eyes and rested much like she had, although Opal was more concerned with getting out of here if they needed an out. She cleared her throat, a pretense that she was about to speak yet she didn't know what to say. Slaying mobs and just moving was her ideal scenario, these situations where she was alone with another person seemed almost uncomfortable for her these days. 

"I..." the woman crossed the hair from her face as she was about to speak, but then just stopped and folded her arms over her chest instead. She didn't know what to say at this point. 

--
ENR:2/3

Opal's eyes had shot around her as the darkness continued to develop around her. Her foot moved and she took a step back bumping into Jaken as the last bit of the Vanguard had vanished from the Tank's sword art. She released a long sigh of relief and noted her energy pool and current HP as well as that of her partner's, "Looks like you took quite a beating in there. I guess being a tank is a lot more difficult than it looks. With this new update although the HP got higher, seems like the monsters got a jump in damage as well. They are doing just as much as we are. I have a few potions..." 

The woman began to skim her inventory for such items and she looked at him with a weary look, "I know I am not the most honest person to be taking these from, but I can assure you these are legit healing potions. I wouldn't carry them around on me if I didn't solo so much, but that tends to happen anyways. I wouldn't risk your life here now anyways because I need you to get out of here." The woman began to douse the tank with the liquid energy within the vials she had procured from her months of alchemy study. They were simple health potions and nothing more. However the growing darkness outside and the booming waves of thunder made her jump every now and then, "I have grown to hate loud thunder...So many bad things seem to happen to me when it thunders like this." 

She swept hair from her face watching the green numbers go up over Calrex's head, with a soft smile she looked at him and gestured, "Seeing as you are my Tank, your role is also leader. So you lead and I'll follow. Might be a good idea to use that mitigation potion I gave you earlier as well. If by chance you need another for down the line, I got another you can have." 

---

+20 HP Potions on Cal [x5]: +100 HP Recovered
1195/1490 + 100 = 1295
+40 HP Crystals on Cal [x2]: +80 HP Recovered
1295/1490 + 80 = 1375
Notes: Removing these items from my Inventory Now.

Hey violet eyes had scanned the area once more. Her vision befalling one of the first members she had asked to join the Knights of the Blood Oath, Macradon. Of course there was a told tale that he was quite close with Dom, no doubt after her becoming a 'traitor' to the Knights and slaying his friend in front of him, any respect that she had as Vice Commander was now instantly tarnished by that act of treason. Funny how among the talks of the players in the guild that so many were wanting to draw blood from other players that were making a ruckus at the time, but the moment she proceeds with her own plans...they just point the finger at her. Which is fine. The woman shifted and made sure she exuded a confident look. 

If they wanted to make her the scapegoat in all of this, that was fine. That was the idea after all. So long as they kept pointing their fingers at her, no one else would be caught in the crossfire. Their hate will build her up, she knew what she had done and would not reject her role from it. The woman passed through the woods as he kept his eyes on her. Even had she been stealthed, it seems he had surprisingly caught track of her. It was no matter, she was merely doing it so she wouldn't be bothered. However, at the same time...She sighed and drew a hand over her head sweeping the tendrils of hair from her face. She was just stalking them at this point, didn't seem like a good idea to be creeping out in the outer radius of their little get together. She was just being a nuisance at this point, too bad she didn't have an actual friend to talk to. Calrex was a person she could possibly go to, but his Boy Scout attitude seemed to rub her the wrong way, but he was tolerable. The others, she didn't know much about. 

"They are safe, I suppose that is all that matters." The woman shifted her gaze away from everyone, and searched around for her own materials around the area. If any problems persisted, well she would take care of it when it happened. 

Opal took a step back as Calrex had ran into and asserted his dominance while stunning the four in their place. The shambling vanguards twitched in place as the status was coming off soon. Violet eyes narrowed as she held the grip of her blade as soon it would be her turn to finish them off. Watching the attack display, the woman shot the castle a quick look around. There seemed to be a swelling of some kind in the area, kind of like a gut instinct telling you something wasn't quite right with everything. Thunder boomed outside and Opal had nearly jumped from the clatter, the battle itself had been drowned out by some outside force as her focus was more on her surroundings. Cal's voice sounded hollow as he spoke to her to finish things off, the sounds of the clanking and battling vanguards was had also seemed to be drowned out by the noise from the outside. Opal took notice of the ragged paintings on the castle walls. It had almost seen like they were just starring at her, there was an overall high creepy factor going on here and something seemed to have been messing with her mind. 

"....down!" Her focus now back on the fight as she heard Calrex's voice through the darkness. She tightened her grip and lost her focus through that entire ordeal. When she went to swing her blade, she noticed there had been no glow and she whiffed on the attack, even with the long blade and the stunned status, she couldn't seem to focus. 

"S-sorry. I don't know what happened there..." It was the first time in a long time that something had even scared her, Jaken took notice of his Master's unusual pale complexion and muttered something about the dreariness of the castle and how the unrest souls might have attributed to her missing. 

Opals HP: 1100/1100
EN: 74/110
Sword Art: -2 Miss
Hate: 2

Calrexs HP: 1417/1490 
EN: 104/146
Sword Art: 
Hate: 7

Lost Vanguard: 62/745 | 140 DMG 
Lost Vanguard 2: 62/745 | 140 DMG 
Lost Vanguard 3: 62/745 | 140 DMG 
Lost Vanguard 4: 62/745 | 140 DMG 

ID: 68605
BD: 2+3 = miss

 

"I got it." The woman stepped forward once again brandishing the glowing katana once more. Jaken cheered his Master Opal with 'Woohs!' and 'Yeahs!' as she once more dived into the fray. As Cal had gained enough of the hate on the enemies, she was free to lay down her style of destruction on these damned Vanguards. Sweeping her blade with the ferocity of her hate and might, she cut through the metal of their armor as orange streak marks littered their bodies once more. 

Her wrists and hands moved fluidly with the same motions as before activating her sole area of attack sword art. It had become a staple in her attacks when she used to farm these low level mobs, but now with the HP Patch and a small buff to two handed weapons, it made farming a little more interesting and longer to pave through. But in the end, it was pretty worth it. Players were now able to survive through fights more easily, however, the side effect was no more one shotting fools in the back. Her black lips curled as she thought of the irony of it all. Sweeping her blade across them once more to finalize her attack, the woman dropped her arm and took a step back as they shambled into one another with low escaping moans. 

"Alright, just a little more. Hopefully we score some nice loot this time." 

Opals HP: 1100/1100
EN: 75/110
Sword Art:  Amatsu no Homura - 18x3x3 - AoE - (18 Energy) || 162 Dmg
Hate: 2

Calrexs HP: 1328/1490
EN: 121/146
Sword Art: 
Hate: 5

Lost Vanguard: 197/745 | 140 DMG 
Lost Vanguard 2: 197/745 | 140 DMG 
Lost Vanguard 3: 197/745 | 140 DMG 
Lost Vanguard 4: 197/745 | 140 DMG 

ID: 68532
BD: 3+4 = hit

"Right..." In her high guard stance, the woman's katana bounced lightly within her grasp. With her back foot she pushed off the ruined ground and headed for the mobs. <<Charged>> activated immediately giving her that extra boost of power and speed. She would swing her weapon as the blade was drawing in the power of her sword art. Due to the changes of the system, this was her first time utilizing the area of attack <<Amatsu no Homura>> The long blade carved the air as she cut twice through the midsections of the armored Vanguards. Low moans and howls escaped their helmed heads as she finished off with a flurry of three more rapid attacks that used more of her footwork than her arms. Igniting the Sword Art carved a good deal of damage into their armor, the lines covered their already corpse eaten armor as she shrank back as their mangled bodies lurched forward once more.

"Ugh, it's going to take a lot more than that it seems. But they are already in a weakened state, like any normal mob. Just gotta keep hammering at them till the pixilate." 

Opals HP: 1100/1100
EN: 92/110
Sword Art:  Amatsu no Homura - 20x3x3 - AoE - (18 Energy) || 180 Dmg
Hate: 1

Calrexs HP: 1328/1490 
EN: 146/146
Sword Art: 
Hate: 4

Lost Vanguard: 530/745 | 140 DMG 
Lost Vanguard 2: 530/745 | 140 DMG
Lost Vanguard 3: 530/745 | 140 DMG
Lost Vanguard 4: 530/745 | 140 DMG 

ID: 68530
BD: 7+3 = hit [Keen Activates next turn]

Altered by Cal's 'Watch out.' Opal had spun around after mentioning a rumble. She had thought it was just the sky once more raging and booming overhead outside the castle walls. But before them dropped down the Vanguard, probably protectors of the castle. The woman bit down on her bottom lip as the shockwave of the Howl aura erupted catching their attention. Their eyes sought out Cal as he engaged them, taking the brunt of the attacks. Opal sighed and shook her head, "This is bad timing on my part then. You'll need to give me a minute here while I change back to my equipment. I won't be much help in this stuff." The woman quickly as possible began to scour her inventory once again as she began to shimmer into her Adventurer Wear once again, the Masamune floating from a level above her head and down into the snake skin armored hand. Her violet eyes shot wide open as she gave a flourish with her weapon. 

"Seems to be in order..." The woman took a step back away from the clanking noises of the armored beings. She wondered if these were the lost souls of the inhabitants that once held life and light in this castle. "Jaken!" the woman cried out for her familiar with a loud voice. The Imp scurried towards her wobbling back and forth as his little feet gained track of the duo.

"Yes Master Opal! Right here!" he rang out from his lungs as he carried his staff outwards over his body as to not trip and fall over himself. His bright yellow eyes shot around and caught a glimpse of the Vanguard Troops. He gave a frantic yell and pointed, "Protectors of the Queen!" he said with a shout. Opal turned her attention to them, "Just as I thought. They are not going to make this easy for us. Keep them on you, Cal. Should you need some healing, I have a few healing crystals. But I rather not use them so early in our expedition."

Opal had a safeguard or two as well if need be, but again, she'd rather not waste her resources so early on in this castle as they had much more to explore. Taking in a deep breath, she slowly exhaled and brought her blade up and over her shoulder, and stood in stance ready to annihilate on the next given chance. These damn equipment cool downs were horrible game mechanics. 

--

Notes: Switched back to my Party gear.

Opal's dark brow curved, he seemed to have heard of her and her many exploits throughout the game, "That's good you know who I am and what guild I am part of. Then you should know I have no sympathy or mercy for anyone. Right now, we are both barking threats at each other in a safe zone. That much is true and at the moment you have the upper hand. I can't scare you while we are here, however, I can still force you to do my bidding with some muscle of my own. It'll only take me a few moments, but the Laughing Coffin is not full of Orange Players, as you can clearly see by my green crystal. However, we are far from being innocent in the eyes of the law of morals, aren't we? Funny thing is...There is a mod call Tracking. Once I have your name, my guild will find you wherever you are. And if you think I can't find your name, you will be mistaken how far my influence reaches to people. So in other words, you have already killed yourself." 

Opal took a moment to sweep her blade aside as it dematerialized bringing up her menu in another quick movement. She sent out her contacts to the guild she was in and would wait for further notice until then.

"You have a few choices now, Mongrel. I have just sent a PM to a few green players who enjoy controlling others much like yourself. No doubt this woman is under the influence of something, despite her words there is hollowness in her voice. You failed at whatever potion you attempted to create, you and your alchemy are second rate pieces of trash. So, unless you wish to keep what is left of your dignity, you will command that woman to stay by my side until I see fit. She will refer to me as Master now and refer to you as Slave. Give these commands, or I'll make your life much more miserable. You will never be able to do anything again." 

As Opal finished her spiel, several players had spawned into the area. They looked your ordinary, run in the mill players. Some heavily armored, others not so much. But all of them taking on the name of Laughing Coffin nonetheless. The stood behind Opal and folded their arms, "Man, I hope this is a decent job. We haven't had much fun lately. Which one will we be Crucifying today? The young girl here, or this guy?" One man spoke, short brown spiky hair with commoner clothes on.

"Hahahah! Crucifixion, not likely." The man brought a hand to his menu and swept it across to access his inventory. Soon enough a large coffin crashed into the ground, "I say we bury them alive in this. I have four in my collection already. Do you wanna know what kind of screams people make when they are locked in solitude?" There was a much larger man in the group who was bulkier than the others. Thin green eyes and pushed back black hair. There were two others who just seemed to smile and talk among themselves, but their intent was much like the others.

"Now then, like you have your Slaves, I have my boys here to backup my threats. Or, I could have them drag you out to the desert and have some others just beat you around for hours on end. But if I have to...It would be a mercy killing for her and for you...I won't even touch you, you are not worth the [censored] under my boot. But I am sure there are others who would love to add another etch on their belt. So you decide, you hand over your Pet to me, or I enforce my law on your body." 

"Does she bark like a dog as well?"

Opal's violet eyes narrowed at the man who had sat upon his so called 'pet.' This was a disturbing display at the least, using people like they were less than human. Is this what Aincrad had come down to? She knew people like this, Sensui especially as he clapped and snapped his fingers to those who obeyed without question. And every time she went to his whim, a little piece of her died on the inside. But that would soon be rectified, his body would be shattered eventually. But that didn't mean that common players had to bend at knee at will to others. 

Looking at the pink haired girl who's clothing rivals Opal's apparel once upon a time ago, did nothing but obey at his simple words, "Tell me girl, do you enjoy playing pet to this player? I understand if there is some agreement between you two. But have you no pride as a woman? It's both insulting and disgusting to see such a display. Or perhaps you have her by the chain because you are a weak man yourself. I do not kill Green players, but that doesn't mean I can't instil fear into them. So you have a choice, I demand you break her free of any bonds and if I so much see your face again, you will not likely see the sun on any given day. You will be trapped in a box for the eternity spent in this game until it is cleared. Woman, stand up.."

It was then that Opal unsheathed her long seven foot blade, "I will not have disgusting pieces of [censored] roam around here thinking you own players. Now fall from my presence, or be humiliated yourself." Her darks were no more or less aggressive than before as she talked to this male player.