Macradon

He listened carefully to Mari’s explanation of her jail cell up until she ruffled his hair “Heh, it’s raisin time” he muffled out in a chortle, waiting for his body to wrinkle up from being submerged for so long. He kept his boiled potato composure and kept on listening, taking in all that Mari wanted to tell him now, it was imperative that he understood her reasoning, understood her words, and actually understood what had been going on. His mind wanted to wander, but his focus kept pulling it back, locked in, on his friend’s word dump.

The feelings in her voice were loud and clear, his eyes would flicker at her mentioning of the 10th, it wasn’t just like one of his shenanigans, his antics of jumping from high places for the thrill, this one was different, much more personal … much more … careless. He understood, he looked worried, but also somewhat relieved that she was still here with him, that she didn’t just … pixelate into nothing. “The horrors of our life persist, but so do we.” he said somewhat snarky “I’m happy you’re still here, despite everything that has happened, I’m happy you’ve had time to think and reflect. You’re still you, in essence, but you’ve become a better you, at least I think so.” he said and leaned his head upon hers, just for the closeness.

The moment of bliss between the friends was nice, not something they had back in the days, it was usually just antics, combat, throwing Macradon at monsters, literally and figuratively. Some slowness in a hot spring feels nice for a change, a few more relaxing days could be great in between their onslaughts of digital enemies. “Yeah, more days like these” he said, remembering what he did earlier, absolutely nothing on his couch, but now he’s doing something while relaxing, actively doing something.

He looked over at Mari with a twinkle in his eyes, “Redemption” she said, a quest to take away the orange cursor. Macradon stood up from the water and splashed everywhere in excitement as he looked over at her “Yes! Let’s do it! I’m ready when you are!” he said while tippy toeing around the water, making a little happy dance in celebration.

Mari had always loathed herself for her choices, her being a PK’er was important for her self-atonement, at least she thought so, but now that she felt ready to write a new chapter, to turn a new page, Macradon couldn’t be more excited to support his friend in any way she needed. “This needs a celebratory dunk!” he said and began walking up towards the pillar once again. He began his slippery steamy climb up the rocks, jumping from one footing to the other, careless to how dangerous his movements were, he just needed to get back up onto the top to get the best leaping spot. His aerial movements easily helped him up to his perch once again, and as the roosting eagle, Macradon would scout out a good place to jump to. A quick glance over the cloudy steamy water didn’t help him choose a deep enough spot, so he just went with it.

A quick stretch as he stood up.

A quick bow towards his amazing audience.

A quick deep breath as he prepared himself.

"Geronimo!"

He jumped with magnificent grace, his body throwing itself through the air like he was gliding over the steam clouds emanating from the hot water. He did a spin, a realignment, and then prepared for water impact. The epic splash he accomplished would make a wave crash around him, making a watersport of anything within his vicinity, pushing the water over the edges of the pool and onto the rocky paths lining out the outskirts of the pool.

“Arrhhgg!” he exclaimed as he landed, the water wasn’t deep, he knew that, but where he landed, it really wasn’t deep. “fuck” he muffled trying not to die laughing from his mishap, his canonball was impeccable, but he did not stick the landing.

“Heh, yeah maybe I should’ve, but you looked so calm, I didn’t want to disturb your, especially when you’re finally back again, I reckon you haven’t had the pleasure to properly relax in this conditions, but that’s just a guess on my end” he said and swirled around in the warm water, currently only having his face above the surface, keeping his entire body boiling underneath like the good sausage he was.

“You’re welcome” he said calmly with a smile “It’s the least I can do right now, no need to splash all the water away just yet … yet!” he said excitedly in anticipation of a good opportunity to just make a mess.

Despite the warmth of the hot springs, the air got colder, the temperature somewhat lukewarm. Questions … “Question .. right … questions … I have those … right?” he thought to himself, pondering upon what he had to ask her right here, right now. “You know … I haven’t really had a time to think of questions, other than … where you’ve been, but I guess that’s been answered already.” he said and sighed heavily, slowly emerging from the depth of this stock pot and find a place to lean up against.

“Why?” he asked “Why’d you go to jail? What happened that got you … caught?” he asked with a somewhat confused and inquisitive tone “You’ve been free for so long, did something new happen that you had to be taken in? Was it your own choice? Did someone coax you into it?” he bombarded her with questions, he hadn’t thought of them beforehand, but now they were flowing out like a river.

A good shower really freshened up the knight’s mood, really cleared out his mind, really set him up for glory once again. It wasn’t much, but with his digital physical body as a clean slate again, Macradon was ready for what he was good at … or at least one of the things he was good at, sowing chaos into everything. There’s nothing that needed to go steady, nothing needed to be stale, it all had to keep moving.

The legendary bathrobe, the one he used with the gang back in the days, back when their shenanigans were at the top, it was time to relive his glory days. Like the idiot he was back then, Macradon climbed up the walls of the hot springs, trying to find a vantage point from where he could jump down into the water in a magnificent fashion.

He climbed to the peak of an ornate rock formation and took his stance. An endearing and not really intimidating power stance, outlooking the entire hot spring from his perch.

The trill of aztec dubstep filled his mind as he stood atop the pillar, being the man he was, but when he saw how calm Mari was, how relaxed she looked, he hesitated. This wasn’t his moment, this wasn’t about him, he didn’t need this, Mari did. He took a deep breath and calmed himself down again, it wasn’t his right to disturb the peace his friend needed after all that time away … in prison of all places. She might’ve had a lot of alone time, a lot of silence, but this was different, this bliss was different, he was sure of it.

She deserved to get some proper relaxation.

Standing upon his perch like an eagle making its way down the mountain top, Macradon chose to sit down and take in the steam around him. The intermittent barrier of the steam and the cold air mingling around him, the transfer of heat covering his body in swirls of interactions.

Now wasn’t time for his shenanigans, despite how well fitting the scenario, the scenery, or the attire was. He sighed and began climbing down the pillar and got down to the steaming hot waters. A toe in first, then a foot, then a full step into it. It was hot, warm. Took a bit of time to get used to, but he eventually submerged his body and held his head above the water, getting warmer and warmer like a boiled potato.

Stats:

Level: 33(67)
«Macradon» 980/980 HP| 130/130 EN | 23 DMG | 114 MIT | 2 ACC | 0 EVA | 8 REC | 52 BH | 107 VMP | 16(8) FRT | 16 FRS | 16 Holy | Phase

Custom Skill <<Aerial Ace>> is active unless objected to

Spoiler

Macradon The Imperial Topaz	Level: 33(67) «Macradon» 980/980 HP| 130/130 EN | 23 DMG | 114 MIT | 2 ACC | 0 EVA | 8 REC | 52 BH | 107 VMP | 16(8) FRT | 16 FRS | 16 Holy | Phase
Stats	HP: 980 EN: 130 ACC: 2 EVA: 0 DMG: 23 MIT: 114 REC: 8 FRT: 16(8) FRS: 16(2 turns) VMP: 107
Equipped Items	- Blade of the Bloody Dictator // +16 Holy Damage, Phase, 10%+Survival(107) Vampiric Offensive - Silverlight ................ // +64 Mitigation, +16(8) Frost Thorns, +16 Frost Damage - Templar's Necklace ......... // +8 Recovery, +2 Accuracy
Battle Ready Inventory	- Empty inventory slot ....... // - Empty inventory slot ....... // - Empty inventory slot ....... // - Empty inventory slot ....... // - Empty inventory slot ....... // - Dimensional backpack - - Empty inventory slot ..... //
Buffs	- Rested ..................... // -1 energy cost for the first two expenditures of each combat. - Filling .................... // Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by                                   +1 T1 slots. - Relaxed .................... // Increase Out of Combat HP regen by 5*Tier+Survival(22) HP and decrease full energy regen                                   to 2 Out of Combat posts. - Col Deposit ................ // +5% bonus col from last-hit monster kills and +10% bonus col from treasure chests. - Paragon Level 67 ........... // +260 HP, +26 EN. - Buff name .................. // Buff effect.
Skills & Mods	- 2H Straight Sword ............ || Rank 5: +7 Damage. - - Ferocity .................... // +2 Damage. - - Stamina ..................... // Decrease Energy Cost by 2. - Battle Healing ............... || Rank 5: Heal 5%+Survival(50) each post In-Battle. - Charge ....................... || +5 Damage -1 Accuracy on first hit. - Combat Mastery: Damage ....... || +1*Tier*Rank(12) - Energist ..................... || Add 5*Tier(20) Energy to your max pool. - Fighting Spirit .............. || +1 Hate generation. - Heavy Armor .................. || Rank 5: +35 Damage Mitigation. - - Impetus ..................... // +1 Damage. - - Iron Skin ................... // +15 Mitigation, +15*Tier(60) HP. - Searching .................... || Rank 5: +5 Loot Die, +5 Stealth Detection. - - Reveal ..................... || +2 LD when searching for Sub-Dungeons or Labyrinths. You may also search for a                                    sub-dungeon or labyrinth once every 10 posts (instead of 15). Reduces the                                    personal post cooldown when searching for a labyrinth to 3 posts (instead of 5). - Quick Change ................. || Allows the user to instantly equip, unequip, or swap any equipment in their                                   battle-ready inventory. - Aerial Ace ................... || Increase damage at the cost of ACC, EVA, & MIT while in Aerial stance.   - Disguise ..................... || +1 EVA for one turn, lesser critical doesn't autohit. - Meditation ................... || Recover 4*Tier(16) energy with post action. - Parry ........................ || Reduce incoming damage by 50%(rounded down). - Survival ..................... || Increase all Healing from all sources by 10%. Immune to environmental damage.

As their hugs collided, Macradon felt the loneliness hug back at him. The two clenched into their friendly embrace, one much stronger than the other. Mari let out a quick squall as Macradon’s grip was getting too tight “Oop, sorry!” he said, chortled, and let go of Mari again. He chuckled and tried to compose himself from that lobster hug and took a step back for her to catch her breath again.

“Oh shit, do I smell that bad?” he said with a smile “Yeah I could use a shower.” he said in agreement. 

“Ahh … prison …” he thought to himself and looked up into the sky “Guess that’s a place in here as well … never really thought about it, remember Hestia bringing it up with her police stuff, always thought it was some kind of LARPing, but apparently it was a real thing.” he pondered for a bit before looking back down towards Mari.

“Quite the vacation you’ve been to, eh?” he said with a hearty smile and brought out the small bag he had brought with him. It was the small pouch of strawberries he got on the way “You’ve missed these then? Don’t reckon they have an abundance of these at your charter.” he said jokingly and handed over the fragrant fruits “They’re all yours, no hand juice, no punch, no fancy dresses, just strawberries, just for you.”

Macradon did what he did best, relaxed in his couch, doing absolutely nothing. Imperial Topaz, Scarlet Templar, whatever his “title” was, never really stuck out as anything that really described who he was. As carefree as he was, the bigger the burden was when responsibility was yote at his direction. Macradon had never been a great leader, he was always the perfect soldier, the targeting cruise missile of the frontlines. His skills, traits, and battle instinct were better suited for him as a warring hound.

His charisma wasn’t of a leader, despite that responsibility being given to him at way too many opportunities, he was more of a team player, a squad leader at most, but a supportive team member at his best. Something that he excelled at was making good impressions and matching the vibe of his company like a social chameleon. Friends were easy for him to acquire, to mingle between. He wasn’t some kind of beacon of hope, he was a solid pillar that stood his ground, not grasping any notoriety of any kind, he was just … known. He just existed.

However long this game had been running, throughout the amorphous chronological headache that was time, Macradon had acquired quite the few acquaintances, mostly far removed acquaintances, but acquaintances nonetheless. In the rare circumstances, he made close friends, very close friends, best friends, the bestest of friends. Ssendom, his mentor, who was assassinated by Macradon’s own Vice Commander at the time; Hirru, his now estranged guild mate, his former Vice Commander, one he once considered a traitor; Jomei, a good pal of olden times, a buddy of the three musketeers idiots; Baldur, the third of the the idiots; Zandra his friend from Scandinavia; Kairi, his fiance.

And Mari

Mari was probably one of Macradon’s closest friends, they went questing together, despite them being through such a commotion to end up where they were. The orange infamous murderer, walking around willy nilly as she deserved. The other orange not-so-infamous murderer, walking around willy nilly because people never realised, never knew.

The cursor made all the difference, like Sim characters, that plumbob did all the work for first impressions, for everyone knew who you were when they saw the colour above your head … The shallow thoughts of most, and a belief Macradon held himself for quite a while. When he first shed the pixilated bloods of other players, he finally understood how shallow and narrow minded that belief was.

And somehow that opened up to him as a best friend in Mari, a person he loved with all of his platonic heart, a wonderful person discriminated against because of bad decisions of the past being plastered everywhere for everyone to see.

He missed her.

Their antics together were something else, something only real idiots could do together.

“Where has she been?” the knight whispered under his breath as he turned in the couch, trying to get into a better position. His nap was ruined, his thoughts had won, he could not sit still, he was anxious “Where is she?”.

It wasn’t the first time he had reminisced about their jolly camaraderie, but this time it somehow struck him harder than the other times, he could feel it, it was so so different.

He turned again, his body was getting sore from this loafing around.

He turned again, and again, and again, restlessly trying to calm himself down, but he couldn’t.

He fell off the side of his couch in a thud which smacked his mind back into a less chaotic state.

“Ouch …” he mumbled while stumbling back onto his feet. “What’s going on today … ?” he continued and tried to get his balance up and running again.

The jingle of a new message cleared his mind and drew his attention to the HUD symbol. A quick tap in the air opened up the message “From Raidou .. huh” he thought and began reading …

“Vacation … ? She’s just been on a vacation? … Why is Raidou announcing her return? What the hell is going on???” he thought, confused over what was going on. “Baldur’s estate???”

Macradon quickly rushed out the door, grabbing his jacket on his rushed way and ran all the way towards the teleportation plaza of the first floor. As he rushed by different vendor, he took some time to buy a little treat, not for him, but his friend, a small gathering of strawberries with an amazing scent to them, it felt like summer just being near these small fruits of joy. “Perfect” he noted to himself, paid the vendor, and rushed to the plaza.

“24th floor!” he exclaimed before being engulfed in the bright turquoise light. Disappearing from one floor and appearing on the other, Macradon extracted a teleportation crystal from his inventory while stepping out into the 24th floor “Breiðablik” he commanded and consumed the crystal, shattering it in its usage. From one teleportation to the other, Macradon finally arrived at the base of the settlement, skipping the tedious long ferry ride that he usually just swam through because it was easier, but this time he cheated through all that “Modern technology at its best” he snickered while embracing his dry clothes.

He would take a deep breath and look at the trek in front of him, he didn’t have time to take in all the beautiful scenery, he was adamant on reaching his goal, intercepting his target, ASAP. He would loosen his body and go into his Aerial Stance, and begin skipping around, using his acrobatic knowledge to its fullest, climbing up walls of rocks with his aerial expertise, every step, every jump, every leap fueled by his combat endurance, every powered movement designed for combat utilised for easy manoeuvring across beautiful and rugged landscape.

It did not take long for this pseudo-ninja to reach the plateau, and as he arrived, he didn’t even get to talk to Baldur before he saw her. He didn’t have any time to think of anything, his mind was blank. He didn’t know what to do but his body moved on its own, his instincts taking over.

“Mari!” he exclaimed hastily, not in a loud voice, but a rushed voice. He quickly went in for a hug, gripping her tightly “I’m so glad … so happy, to see you!” he said and clutched onto her "Welcome back!" he chuckled while holding back tears.

Stats:

Level: 33(67)
«Macradon» 980/980 HP| 130/130 EN | 23 DMG | 114 MIT | 2 ACC | 0 EVA | 8 REC | 52 BH | 107 VMP | 16(8) FRT | 16 FRS | 16 Holy | Phase

Custom Skill <<Aerial Ace>> is active unless objected to

Spoiler

Macradon The Imperial Topaz	Level: 33(67) «Macradon» 980/980 HP| 130/130 EN | 23 DMG | 114 MIT | 2 ACC | 0 EVA | 8 REC | 52 BH | 107 VMP | 16(8) FRT | 16 FRS | 16 Holy | Phase
Stats	HP: 980 EN: 130 ACC: 2 EVA: 0 DMG: 23 MIT: 114 REC: 8 FRT: 16(8) FRS: 16(2 turns) VMP: 107
Equipped Items	- Blade of the Bloody Dictator // +16 Holy Damage, Phase, 10%+Survival(107) Vampiric Offensive - Silverlight ................ // +64 Mitigation, +16(8) Frost Thorns, +16 Frost Damage - Templar's Necklace ......... // +8 Recovery, +2 Accuracy
Battle Ready Inventory	- Empty inventory slot ....... // - Empty inventory slot ....... // - Empty inventory slot ....... // - Empty inventory slot ....... // - Empty inventory slot ....... // - Dimensional backpack - - Empty inventory slot ..... //
Buffs	- Rested ..................... // -1 energy cost for the first two expenditures of each combat. - Filling .................... // Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by                                   +1 T1 slots. - Relaxed .................... // Increase Out of Combat HP regen by 5*Tier+Survival(22) HP and decrease full energy regen                                   to 2 Out of Combat posts. - Col Deposit ................ // +5% bonus col from last-hit monster kills and +10% bonus col from treasure chests. - Paragon Level 67 ........... // +260 HP, +26 EN. - Buff name .................. // Buff effect.
Skills & Mods	- 2H Straight Sword ............ || Rank 5: +7 Damage. - - Ferocity .................... // +2 Damage. - - Stamina ..................... // Decrease Energy Cost by 2. - Battle Healing ............... || Rank 5: Heal 5%+Survival(50) each post In-Battle. - Charge ....................... || +5 Damage -1 Accuracy on first hit. - Combat Mastery: Damage ....... || +1*Tier*Rank(12) - Energist ..................... || Add 5*Tier(20) Energy to your max pool. - Fighting Spirit .............. || +1 Hate generation. - Heavy Armor .................. || Rank 5: +35 Damage Mitigation. - - Impetus ..................... // +1 Damage. - - Iron Skin ................... // +15 Mitigation, +15*Tier(60) HP. - Searching .................... || Rank 5: +5 Loot Die, +5 Stealth Detection. - - Reveal ..................... || +2 LD when searching for Sub-Dungeons or Labyrinths. You may also search for a                                    sub-dungeon or labyrinth once every 10 posts (instead of 15). Reduces the                                    personal post cooldown when searching for a labyrinth to 3 posts (instead of 5). - Quick Change ................. || Allows the user to instantly equip, unequip, or swap any equipment in their                                   battle-ready inventory. - Aerial Ace ................... || Increase damage at the cost of ACC, EVA, & MIT while in Aerial stance.   - Disguise ..................... || +1 EVA for one turn, lesser critical doesn't autohit. - Meditation ................... || Recover 4*Tier(16) energy with post action. - Parry ........................ || Reduce incoming damage by 50%(rounded down). - Survival ..................... || Increase all Healing from all sources by 10%. Immune to environmental damage.

Macradon sighed in relief as he saw the bear would tumble to the ground and shatter on death. They had defeated the foe, they had cleared the 28th floor and the 29th was open for them to venture into. The Imperial Topaz sheathed his sword and stretched his body after the exhilarating fight, it had been quite the experience getting to see such a formidable tank just face every danger straight on, while also dying, but not actually. There was so much to unpack, there was so much to think about, but that was of no concern for the knight as he accepted the raid loot and turned away from the entrance to the next floor “Exploration isn’t really my bag right now … cya guys later. Thanks for everything.” he said and walked back home. It was weird, something so exhausting and straining was over, done in a few minutes while it felt like eons.

***

Macradon claims:

Bear Trap | ID: 239481

Maddening Hex | ID: 239482

Macradon looked frantically from side to side, it was buzzing all around him, and he just didn’t keep up with everything. His mind wasn’t fast enough, so much was going on. He sighed after all the rallying and shouting, and just went in. He lowered himself and got ready for an attack, a quick uppercut towards the ursine threat would be enough to leave a small dent into its massive hull of a health bar. They were getting close, victory could be tasted in the air, they just had to push it the last stretch, less than half a health bar left, they could do  this, they could finish it off here and now, they all just had to push through and let their determination drive them towards greatness. Macradon felt the toll of not being at boss raids frequently, his energy reserves were under half, and he might not make it if the bear had a few more health bars … something didn’t feel right with how much energy he was spending with every attack. He would shrug the thought off for now and just … hit the bear until it died.

***

+4 EN
+2 EN [HORN]

ID: 239060 | CD: 6 -> No Recovery.

Post action: ST-I vs. Callisto
Free action: N/A

ID: 239061 | CD: 9 -> ST-B Unlocked! | BD: 6+7=13 -> Hit! | (12+3)x(25+4)-65 = 370 Damage
EN: 12-2+2=12 EN spent

[20] Macradon | HP: 1115/1115 | EN: 46/130 | DMG: 25+(4) | MIT:179 | ACC:7 | PHASE | RHINO 2.6 (40%) [1/1] | F-SPIRIT | FR.AURA: 8 | FR.THORNS: 8/16 | BH:61 | VAMP-O: 123 | REC: 4 | HLY: 16 | LD:5 | PROB:36 | HORN 
[20] Wulfrin | HP: 829/829 | EN: 67/108 | DMG: 28+(4) | MIT:92 | ACC:9 | AA | EVA:1[+1, -1 (RH)] | BLD-IM (N) | BH:27 | REC: 8 | FRB: 40 | TXC-V: 32 | FRZ: 64 | LD:3 | BIZ-DOTE: 1/3 | HELLSTORM: 80 | STNG [x1] | PROB:36 | JEWEL | HORN | Clean
[41] Freyd | HP: 1512/1512 | EN: 169/178 | DMG: 8+(4)| MIT: 315 | ACC:7 | AA | TAUNT 3 | F-SPIRIT | EVA:4 | THORNS: 40 | BH: 83 | VAMP-D: 83 | VAMP-O: 166 | BLD: 96 | ENV-O: 32 | FRB: 40 | FRZ: 64 | PARA-V | LD:8 | DOTE 2/3 | PROB:48 | CAIN: 50 | HORN | Clean
[18] Zandra | HP: 1127/1127 | EN: 86/130 | DMG: 18 | MIT:195 | ACC:3 | FRZ-IM | PARA-IM | FL.AURA: 16 | MENDING: 2 | FLN: 16 | BRN: 56 | DOTE: 1/3 | PROB:48 | HORN | Clean
[14] Baldur | HP: 1053/1053 | EN: 94/128 | DMG: 28+(4) | MIT:8 | ACC:8+1[+1] | AA | KEEN: 1 | EVA:4 | THORNS:40 | BH:58 | REC: 8 | FLN: 8 | BRN: 56 | BLT 32 | LD:3 | HELLSTORM: 80 | DOTE: 1/3 | STNG [x1] | HORN
[6] Crozeph | HP: 840/840 | EN: 51/102 | DMG: 22+(4) | MIT:104 | ACC: [3] 7 | AA | PHASE | EVA: [-2] 2 | PARA-IM | BH:46 | REC: 4 | RISK: 8 | FLN: 16 | LD: [-3] 1 | HORN | [Blind 2] | [Madness I 12/3]

Callisto the Tainted | DMG: 300[+150] | MIT: 65 | ACC: -1[+3][-1] | EVA:0 | BLIND 2 (8-10) | RAMPAGE [3/6] | Iron Flesh | [TXC-V 64/1] | [ENV-O 32/2] | [ENV-O 32/2]

The dust had just riled up, the frontlines rallied at the fall of Freyd, the warriors of Aincrad stormed the front, leaving no death as mere meaningless sacrifices, this one had to count, this one mattered. As if the frontlines weren’t already sprouting flurry of attacks one after another with lethal and murderous intent, the onslaught kept on pouring forward, attacks after attacks, strike after strike.

Then out of a sudden, another attack Macradon had not anticipated appeared. An apparition of Freyd’s last will manifested and struck upon the Ursine threat, the murderer! But wait! It wasn’t just an apparition, it wasn’t just the last will of Freyd fighting through the death … it was actually Freyd back in the flesh with a new flair over him.

“Nice beard!” Macradon complimented his dead teammate before suddenly realising what had happened “OK WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?!” Macradon exclaimed in utter confusion, Freyd was … still there. Didn’t he just … die? How was he back, what happened? What the fuck actually happened? “Ayo, you gotta tell me your tricks, because this one is getting out of hand, the health bar, the shattering, everything, that’s so … weird …” he mumbled faintly at Freyd before turning around to face the rest of the frontlines again.

With a booming voice, Macradon nonchalantly announced Freyd’s reappearance “Nevermind, everyone! Freyd got better!”.

He would chuckle and tap his tank on the shoulder with a clenched fist “Good to have you back, long time no see.” he said before running up towards Callisto. He went into a low stance as he dragged his sword behind him like a tail. A quick spin would build up his momentum, his sword raising in height, his hands raising it over his shoulder and would build up even more power as his entire body turned around to deal a good blow at the bear.

“If this little cub can’t kill us, then there’s nothing to worry about! There’s nothing to fear!”

***

+4 EN
+2 EN [HORN]

ID: 238794 | CD: 2 -> No Recovery Proc

Post Action: ST-B vs Callisto
Free Action: N/A

ID: 238795 | BD: 4+7+2+1=14 -> Hit! | (20+3)x25-45 = 530 Damage to Callisto!
20+2-2 = 20 EN cost

Stats:

[18] Macradon | HP: 1115/1115 | EN: 52/130 | DMG: 25 | MIT:179 | ACC:7(+2) | PHASE | RHINO 2.6 (40%) [1/1] | F-SPIRIT | FR.AURA: 8 | FR.THORNS: 8/16 | BH:61 | VAMP-O: 123 | REC: 4 | HLY: 16 | LD:5 | PROB:36 | HORN 
[19] Wulfrin | HP: 720/829 | EN: 67/108 | DMG: 28 | MIT:92 | ACC:9(+2) | AA | EVA:1[+1, -1 (RH)] | BLD-IM (N) | BH:27 | REC: 8 | FRB: 40 | TXC-V: 32 | FRZ: 64 | LD:3 | BIZ-DOTE: 1/3 | HELLSTORM: 80 | STNG [x1] | PROB:36 | JEWEL | HORN | Clean
[42] Freyd | HP: 1512/1512 | EN: 163/178 | DMG: 8| MIT: 315 | ACC:7(+2) | AA | TAUNT 3 | F-SPIRIT | EVA:4 | THORNS: 40 | BH: 83 | VAMP-D: 83 | VAMP-O: 166 | BLD: 96 | ENV-O: 32 | FRB: 40 | FRZ: 64 | PARA-V | LD:8  | PROB:48 | CAIN: 50 | HORN | Clean 
[10] Zandra | HP: 1127/1127 | EN: 95/130 | DMG: 18 | MIT:195 | ACC:3(+2) | FRZ-IM | PARA-IM | FL.AURA: 16 | MENDING: 2 | FLN: 16 | BRN: 56 | DOTE: 1/3 | PROB:48 | HORN | Clean
[14] Baldur | HP: 1018/1053 | EN: 94/128 | DMG: 28 | MIT:8 | ACC:8+1[+1](+2) | AA | KEEN: 1 | EVA:4 | THORNS:40 | BH:58 | REC: 8 | FLN: 8 | BRN: 56 | BLT 32 | LD:3 | HELLSTORM: 80 | DOTE: 1/3 | STNG [x1] | HORN
[6] Crozeph | HP: 730/840 | EN: 51/102 | DMG: 22 | MIT:104 | ACC: [3] 7(+2) | AA | PHASE | EVA: [-2] 2 | PARA-IM | BH:46 | REC: 4 | RISK: 8 | FLN: 16 | LD: [-3] 1 | HORN | [Blind 2] | [Madness I 12/3]

Callisto the Tainted | DMG: 300[+200] | MIT: 65[-20] | ACC: -1[+4][-1] | EVA:0[-1] | BLIND 2 (8-10) | RAMPAGE [4/6] | Iron Flesh | Shatter 1: [1/2] | [REND 56/1] | [BLD 96/1] | [BLI 64/1] | [BRN 112/1] | [FRB 80/1] | [STC 80/1] | [TXC-V 64/2] | [ENV-O 32/3] | [ENV-O 32/3]

♪ ♫ ♪ ♫

Giving that wretched thing a huge bear hug didn’t seem like it was actually what they needed to do to succeed. The bear merely stood up on its hind legs and emitted what seemed like a wail that would encompass the entire arena, screeching as if it tried to madden the entire frontlines with its bickering. Macradon would brace himself to accept the sonic barrage heading his way, everyone else seemed to brace as well as it charged up its wail, but just before it let out the sound of madness, Macradon thought “That won’t do, I can’t just … parry air .. I know it!” he said and lowered his guard. He would pierce the rotten forest floor with his sword and slap both of his hands to his ears, holding back as much sound as he could as the wail began to emit.

The booming wretched sound felt like a brain melting microwave pointed directly towards you, it was strange, but it felt … oddly soothing. Macradon’s tenacity showed itself useful as his health bar didn’t tick that low compared to everyone else’s, especially not as low as Freyd’s! “Wait … what the fuck.” he muttered as he glanced up at his HUD, the health kept lowering, it just continued, it didn’t stop “WHAT THE FUCK!” he yelled out and looked towards Freyd who had just taken the brunt of the attack in front of Wulfrin “NO WHAT THE FUCK!” he roared out and ran towards his tank, now just disappearing into nothing from the attack.

This wasn’t the first time he had experienced a death at a boss raid, his mentor was assassinated at one, but a boss actually killing someone, that was … not common anymore. The second phase of Aincrad truly was different, the lethal shift that came with the 25th floor’s clearance made its mark, the frontlines were not safe from anyone any longer.

Macradon’s breath became more exasperated as the time ticked by and he tried to remain calm. He tried to grab hold of his sword again and thought of a strategy to fill out the now missing tank spot, it was all on him. His mind began to analyse, think, tinker, explore his team’s needs and wants after this, but he couldn’t keep up, he wasn’t warmed up to this responsibility, he wasn’t ready. He realised that he actually hadn’t actually picked up his sword again, it distracted him, make him lose track of everything, making him fumble his sword and drop it. He crouched down to pick it back up, and in the prone position, his mind could not hold back.

He snapped.

“Alright fuck it!” Macradon roars and plants his sword into the ground. He stretches his body in response to the bear going into what seems like a Speedy Gonzales move, and being to take command from his fallen tank “Let’s get this fucking bear down! Zandra, Rally os, så vi kan få ramt på den bjørn! Wulfrin, Baldur, strike it down, you can sense its movements better than any of us! Crozeph, do your thing, eat it up!” he called out to his party with a bellowing roar before picking up his sword once again and got into stance “We will not let Freyd’s sacrifice be in vain, we will let his death be an opportunity for our continuity! His story does not end here, he will be remembered, he will always be with us! Show the Cardinal system what it’s up against, show it that the Frontlines of Aincrad will outpace it! Here we stand resolute, here we stand up against all odds, here we stand together!”

He would run up with his party, hoping that his two most keen members would be able to home into their target. The Gaijin Samurai was the first to make his move, quickly going to a strike after Zandra made her rally to the party. Macradon would follow suit and go into a wide and open stance. His sword would glow and his body would move faster than he had ever moved. His speed and momentum would throw him at the bear as he charged in with a heavy hit. Unfortunately, despite the bear’s lack of speed, Macradon missed the mark and did not time his attack well. He crashed into the ground just behind the bear and created a shock wave from all the might and force behind his attack, if that had hit, it would’ve been a good chunk, but unfortunately, he wasn’t fully in control, something was pulling some strings, that wail from the boss had done … something.

***

Passive recovery: +4+2[HORN] EN
ID: 238577 | CD: 5 -> No Proc

Post action: ST-B Charge vs Callisto
Free action: None

ID: 238578 | CD: 9 -> ST-B retained | BD: 1 CRIT MISS
Energy cost: 2+8[CCHARGE] EN

[16] Macradon | HP: 1115/1115 | EN: 66/130 | DMG: 25 | MIT:179 | ACC:7(+2) | PHASE | RHINO 2.6 (40%) [1/1] | F-SPIRIT | FR.AURA: 8 | FR.THORNS: 8/16 | BH:61 | VAMP-O: 123 | REC: 4 | HLY: 16 | LD:5 | PROB:36 | HORN 
[8] Wulfrin | HP: 829/829 | EN: 82/108 | DMG: 28 | MIT:92 | ACC:9(+2) | AA | EVA:1[+1, -1 (RH)] | BLD-IM (N) | BH:27 | REC: 8 | FRB: 40 | TXC-V: 32 | FRZ: 64 | LD:3 | BIZ-DOTE: 1/3 | HELLSTORM: 80 | STNG [x1] | PROB:36 | SAND-A | JEWEL | HORN | Clean | CRYSTAL 8
[39] Freyd | HP: 0/1512  | EN: 169/178 | DMG: 8| MIT: 315 | ACC:7(+2) | AA | TAUNT 3 | F-SPIRIT | EVA:4 | THORNS: 40 | BH: 83 | VAMP-D: 83 | VAMP-O: 166 | BLD: 96 | ENV-O: 32 | FRB: 40 | FRZ: 64 | PARA-V | LD:8  | PROB:48 | CAIN: 50 | HORN | Clean 
[10] Zandra | HP: 970/1127 | EN: 95/130 | DMG: 18 | MIT:195 | ACC:3(+2) | FRZ-IM | PARA-IM | FL.AURA: 16 | MENDING: 2 | FLN: 16 | BRN: 56 | DOTE: 1/3 | PROB:48 | HORN | Clean
[12] Baldur | HP: 750/1053 | EN: 96/128 | DMG: 28 | MIT:8 | ACC:8+1[+1](+2) | AA | KEEN: 1 | EVA:4 | THORNS:40 | BH:58 | REC: 8 | FLN: 8 | BRN: 56 | BLT 32 | LD:3 | HELLSTORM: 80 | DOTE: 1/3 | STNG [x1] | HORN
[6] Crozeph | HP: 528/840 | EN: 57/102 | DMG: 22 | MIT:104 | ACC: [3] 7(+2) | AA | PHASE | EVA: [-2] 2 | PARA-IM | BH:46 | REC: 4 | RISK: 8 | FLN: 16 | LD: [-3] 1 | HORN | [Blind 2] | [Madness I 12/4]

Callisto the Tainted | DMG: 300[+200] | MIT: 65[-20] | ACC: -1[+4][-1] | EVA:0[-1] | BLIND 2 (8-10) | RAMPAGE [4/6] | Iron Flesh | Shatter 1: [1/2] | [REND 56/1] | [BLD 96/1] | [BLI 64/1] | [BRN 112/1] | [FRB 80/1] | [STC 80/1] | [TXC-V 64/2] | [ENV-O 32/3] | [ENV-O 32/3]

Whatever these thorny brambles were, they seemed to … heal the bear. “Hey, that’s not fair! Only players should be able to heal mid battle!” he called out in a sarcastic but still shocked tone towards the ursine threat. He slung his sword over his shoulder and got into a lower stance, trying to see a line he could dart through and engage in combat again after the bear’s antics were set in motion.

After Freyd’s pyrotechnics, Macradon would snicker at the doom and gloom that befell the grove of thorny protection for the bear. As Freyd would angle the bear with his grappling, Macradon took the opportunity and lunged into its ribs from the side, piercing it with an outstretched arm as he finished his sword art with his extended arm behind him and his offhand covering his face with his antecubital fossa, dabbing with his delaying effect.

He would snap his head up towards Freyd after his delayed dab and smile “Oh hell yeah!” he exclaimed.

***

Nearly down to the 3rd health bar, they were doing strides against the monstrosity, its health dwindling with every rotation, their tank stalwart against any opposition. No matter what, their tank would endure every hit the ursine threat posed towards them … well until that thing began to engulf their tank in such a … special way “What the fuck is that!” he murmured under his breath, trying not to break his own tempo of movement. With their tank suddenly swallowed in a sudden breath, Macradon tried to comprehend the situation, but was dumbfounded, they needed someone to take over, and it was his job to take. He would steel his mind and get ready for any onslaught the bear would throw at them.

Just as fast as Freyd was engulfed, he reappeared out of nothing, out of the blue. “Fuck yeah!” Macradon exclaimed and went into battle stance again “Now we’re talking!”

With a few steps, Macradon got into his stride and up to speed, his sword held firmly in his hands, his eyes locked onto the bear. An icy mist followed his presence, with each step he froze the ground, like a cold flare beaming direction towards their target. A quick jump would throw Macradon into full automation, his mind was locked, his body moved by instincts, and like a lightning strike from Zeus, Macradon crashed down into Callisto with a bellowing landing. With might from his strength and the bright light from his sword, Macradon cleaved into the beast like a hot knife through butter.

He landed with grace and ferocity, the ground beneath him shaking, caving in, from the abundance of energy his attack would deliver. A big slice of the pie would be carved into the health bar of the bear, dealing a great blow to its health.

Despite the natural growth around the bear, Macradon kept his mind locked in on damage over all. It wasn’t in his nature to switch out unless spoken to. Might and brawn over all.

***

Pre-Action: Recover 4+2 Energy
ID: 237940 | CD: 12 -> Recovery Proc!
Post Action: ST-B vs. Callisto
Free Action: N/A

ID: 237941 | BD: 9, Crit +1! | (20+3[SHIFT])x(25+4[PtA]+1[CRIT]+16[HLY])-(45x.01[PHASE+RHINO]) = 23x46-5 = 1053 Damage to Callisto [Resist Death ignored by PHASE]
Energy Consumption: 20+2-2=20 EN

[13] Macradon | HP: 1115/1115 | EN: 70/130 | DMG: 25(+4) | MIT:179 | ACC:7 | PHASE | RHINO 2.6 (40%) [1/1] | F-SPIRIT | FR.AURA: 8 | FR.THORNS: 8/16 | BH:61 | VAMP-O: 123 | REC: 4 | HLY: 16 | LD:5 | DOTE: 2/3 | PROB:36 | HORN | PARRY
[6] Wulfrin | HP: 829/829 | EN: 82/108 (82+14-14) | DMG: 28(+4) | MIT:92 | ACC:9 | AA | EVA:1[+1, -1 (RH)] | BLD-IM (N) | BH:27 | REC: 8 | FRB: 40 | TXC-V: 32 | FRZ: 64 | LD:3 | BIZ-DOTE: 3/3 | HELLSTORM: 80 | STNG [x1] | PROB:36 | SAND-A | JEWEL | HORN | Clean
[34] Freyd | HP: 1449/1512 (1366+83) | EN: 173/178 (167+4+2) | DMG: 8(+4) | MIT: 315 | ACC:7 | AA | TAUNT 3 | F-SPIRIT | EVA:4 | THORNS: 40 | BH: 83 | VAMP-D: 83 | VAMP-O: 166 | BLD: 96 | ENV-O: 32 | FRB: 40 | FRZ: 64 | PARA-V | LD:8 | DOTE: 2/3 | PROB:48 | CAIN: 50 | HORN | Clean | ENSNARED
[6] Zandra | HP: 1127/1127 | EN: 99/130 | DMG: 18 | MIT:195 | ACC:3 | FRZ-IM | PARA-IM | FL.AURA: 16 | MENDING: 2 | FLN: 16 | BRN: 56 | DOTE: 3/3 | PROB:48 | HORN | Clean
[6] Baldur | HP: 1053/1053 | EN: 92/128 | DMG: 28(+4) | MIT:8 | ACC:8+1[+1] | AA | KEEN: 1 | EVA:4 | THORNS:40 | BH:58 | REC: 8 | FLN: 8 | BRN: 56 | BLT 32 | LD:3 | DOTE: 2/2 | HELLSTORM: 80 | STNG [x1] | HORN
[5] Crozeph | HP: 840/840 | EN: 63/102 | DMG: 22(+4) | MIT:104 | ACC:7 | AA | PHASE | EVA:2 | PARA-IM | BH:46 | REC: 4 | RISK: 8 | FLN: 16 | LD: 1 | HORN

Three and a half health bar in, four and a half health bar left. It was going at a steady pace, and his party members were already replenishing on defensive buffs and recovering from heavy attacks. Freyd was as tenacious as they come, witty at the worst of times, steadfast when it counted, the precipes of frontline tanking. Macradon could do nothing but encourage the work Freyd was putting in, he remembered how he tanked on the frontlines himself, though only on pure numbers rather than a build. It was weird, being delegated to either tank or off-tank, but it was where he felt the most comfortable, not a leading position, just a soldier to follow orders, it made more sense to him, it let him let his battle instincts run wild and let them rip, no more thinking, just doing. Another rotation of attacks would commence, realising that no stun attacks had been dealt at the bear, Macradon had to do what he had just feared, he would have to think for himself.

“Alright nogging, I don’t use you much, just guide me here aight?” he pondered for himself and set up an attack. Macradon pushed off his hind leg and dove below any incoming attacks, ducking under arms, swords, and other weapons, easily gliding through the onslaught of attacks from the frontlines. A quick spin would engage him into the stance and execute his sword art. Many would remember it as an update Tempest, but for others, it just seemed like any old sword art, but way up close for a two-handed weapon.

Like in the old days, Macradon threw his sword up on his shoulder, took a step backwards and then leapt up to the bear, going for its temple with a devastating pommel strike at the bear. Maybe there wasn’t much brain left in that decaying bear, in that case they would be at equal footing, but the sliver of hope would guide Macradon’s attack for a concussive attack, hoping to stagger the bear for just a tiny bit.

***
 

Macradon would keep up the pace, going for an onslaught of attacks at near to no pause between each flurry. The party kept engaging and striking the bear like a volley of soldiers shooting through the wall. With every attack, the health bar of the bear slowly dwindled and they were approaching the halfway mark without major incident. The party’s timing with deliberating effects to the bear did not stop it in its tracks, but it did indeed keep it on its toes, despite how big it was. Fearsome sweeps were thrown at Freyd, and yet his health only took a minor dent to it. Last time Macradon had fought with him, they were both damage dealers with greatswords, it was a change to see Freyd become this beacon of a tank, easily keeping the bear distracted from the rest, it was quite the sight to behold. Even having the DPS players handling disables, it was so different from back in the old days of bosses just being a sack of health that needed to be depleted, a true war of attrition. Now, raids actually meant something, strategy was important, timing was important. The knights could not rack his brain around all of that and would let that go to the smarter people, he’d just do what he’s told and bash the everloving fuck out of whatever target he get’s locked into. Speaking of which, this is just what he’s gonna do now! He got into position and followed the rhythm of his party mates, going in for another solid hit at the bear. Responding to his party's chatter, Macradon would think of something to add with quite a delay "Let's just hope there's no half-way phase and only a red phase, that will let us keep a steady rhythm before going to the 6th gear."

***

Two health bars down, they were doing great progress towards clearing out this bear, making sure that this supposed resting place would become its actual resting place unlike whatever corruption had taken over its horribly decaying body. Swift wide swings from the bear would deal massive amounts of damage to the tanks of the different parties, and make the tanks truly work on their health management. Macradon was glad to be in party with Freyd, his tankiness was something to aspire for, his tenacity nearly unmatched.

If there was any tank Macradon would always trust upon, it would’ve been Calrex, but that soft-handed guy was nowhere around any longer. It made sense, his wife shunned, his friends assassinated, it wasn’t the best place for him to be emotionally and mentally. For once, Macradon was glad he hadn’t made too many friends that had huge targets on their backs, Ssendom was the only one that truly hurt him, a mentor gone, assassinated by Macradon’s Vice Commander. The frontlines were brutal, and back then, it wasn’t the bosses you had to keep an eye out for.

The battle was underway, and the knight could not waste time thinking about his past, his future was at stake, and his present had to act fast. Following suit with Freyd, Macradon would make use of the Leadership buff Zandra had called out to the party and prepared his ST-B. Quickly going into stance, Macradon darted to the bear in an instant. A quick sweep would tear into the bear, his sword leaving a big red mark from where it sliced through. The momentum of Macradon’s heavy attack would align itself towards the ground, crashing down and making a big commotion as the energy would disperse into a crash. His damage was mediocre, but the force behind it was tremendous. He looked up towards the bear with his steeled eyes and kept his poker face running.

***

Zandra was quick to react to an opening, quickly setting up her Leadership abilities and shouting words of encouragement. And just as quickly as before, Wulfrin would take the vanguard lead to fish out any more damage or debuffs to the ursine threat. A successful hit would begin to eat away at the bear with what seemed like Poison-esque infliction and a frosty explosion that would leave the bear at a more vulnerable spot, this was the time to strike, so Macradon prepared himself and got in close. Quickly sweeping in from the side the knight would engage his sword, gripping firmly in a relaxed stance as his ST-II would fire off, dealing a good blow to the boss while not expending all of his energy on a big hit … at least not yet. The combination of Zandra’s Leadership and Wulfrin’s disabling was an extremely potent combination that would help the frontlines properly dent into this bear’s health pool, they would surely have depleted the first health bar with this rotation. The knight would keep cool and stay silent, readying himself for any commands that would be called out while he was deep in the thick of it.

***

Recovery: ID 237033 | CD: 2 | No Recovery proc

Post Action: ST-II vs. Callisto | 15-2[STAMINA]+2[SHIFT]-1[Rested]=14 EN Cost
Free Action:

ID 237032 | CD: 12 -> ST-B Unlocked | BD: 5+7+1 = 13 -> Hit! | ST-II: (15+3[SHIFT])x(25+4[PtA])-65+64[Freeze] = 522-65+64 = 521 Damage to Callisto
 

[4] Macradon | HP: 1115/1115 | EN: 109/130 | DMG: 25(+4) | MIT:179 | ACC:7 | PHASE | RHINO 2.6 (40%) [1/1] | F-SPIRIT | FR.AURA: 8 | FR.THORNS: 8/16 | BH:61 | VAMP-O: 123 | REC: 4 | HLY: 16 | LD:5 | DOTE: 2/3 | PROB:36 | HORN | Rested [0/2] | PARRY
[3] Wulfrin | HP: 829/829 | EN: 88/108 | DMG: 28(+4) | MIT:92 | ACC:9 | AA | EVA:1[+1] | BLD-IM (N) | BH:27 | REC: 8 | FRB: 40 | TXC-V: 32 | FRZ: 64 | LD:3 | BIZ-DOTE: 3/3 | HELLSTORM: 80 | STNG [x1] | PROB:36 | SAND-A | TROLLS-B | JEWEL | HORN | Rested [1/3] | Clean
[12] Freyd | HP: 1424/1512 | EN: 175/178 | DMG: 8(+4) | MIT:315 | ACC:7 | AA | TAUNT 3 | F-SPIRIT | EVA:4 | THORNS:40 | BH:83 | VAMP-D: 83 | VAMP-O: 166 | BLD: 96 | ENV-O: 32 | FRB: 40 | FRZ: 64 | PARA-V | LD:8 | DOTE: 3/3 | PROB:48 | CAIN: 50 | HORN | Rested [1/2] | Clean
[1] Zandra | HP: 1127/1127 | EN: 110/130 | DMG: 18(+4) | MIT:195 | ACC:3 | FRZ-IM | PARA-IM | FL.AURA: 16 | MENDING: 2 | FLN: 16 | BRN: 56 | DOTE: 3/3 | PROB:48 | HORN | Rested [1/3] | Clean
[1] Baldur | HP: 1053/1053 | EN: 119/128 | DMG: 28(+4) | MIT:8 | ACC:8+1 | AA | KEEN: 1 | EVA:4 | THORNS:40 | BH:58 | REC: 8 | BRN: 56 | FRZ: 64 | LD:3 | DOTE: 2/2 | HELLSTORM: 80 | STNG [x1] | HORN | Rested [1/2]
[1] Crozeph | HP: 840/840 | EN: 90/102 | DMG: 22(+4) | MIT:104 | ACC:7 | AA | PHASE | EVA:2 | PARA-IM | BH:46 | REC: 4 | RISK: 8 | FLN: 16 | LD: 1 | HORN

Eight health bars … that didn’t seem good, it was tanky, extremely tanky, but from the looks of it, the Bear’s decaying open wounds didn’t seem to be it’s defence, maybe it had no defence whatsoever. Macradon clicked his tongue and looked at the Rhino’s Horn he had applied to his weapon, only for it to maybe not really be of any use in this raid, as there was no tanky plate armour, no hardened scales, no thick hide to defend against his attacks. He would take in a deep breath and easily fight through the stench as he was aided by his Survival skill.

As the parties split up, Macradon fully regrouped with his party. “Alright everyone! It’s raid time! We have no room for mistakes, this one doesn’t look tanky, so it will probably do a lot of damage!” he said and unsheathed his sword. He would grab his Banner of Command and bring it over to the command post of the entire raid, plant it firmly into the soil within the walled decaying tomb and go into a fighting stance. “Our lives are on the lines today! But luckily for us, we will succeed! We will not falter, we will be steadfast, we will overcome this minor obstacle!” he exclaimed and stomped on the ground in a small rhythm to sync up for the battle “For the citizen of Aincrad! For our freedom!” he roared out and began his approach towards the boss with an ice cold mist trailing behind him paired up with frosty footsteps.

As the others went into stance, so would Macradon. He quickly engaged his sword, gripping it with all of his might as he rushed in together with the rest, keeping a tight formation and letting Freyd lead the direction of the party’s movements, making sure he would be able to take the hit and let the rest stay somewhat unscathed. He would jump and manoeuvre around, waiting for the right opening to make his attack while not getting in the way of his party mates and the attacks of the great bear in front of them.

The battle would commence for all the parties involved, the hectic grotesque battlefield would be swarmed by the frontlines, engaging upon the monstrosity of a bear that stood in their way to the next floor. Wulfrin, the rookie for what he knew, would be the first to jump in and get a good hit in on the boss, dealing a good trickling amount of damage, Macradon would follow suit and get into a proper battle stance. He activated his sword art and let the system guide his movements as his sword was engulfed in a deep orange light, swinging through the bear and leaving big red gashes from his onslaught of hits. Now he just had to await the rest of his party to engage, and they would take it from there and decipher what this bear had up its sleeves.

***

Post Action: ST-I vs. Callisto | 12-2[STAMINA]+2[SHIFT]-1[Rested]=11 EN Cost
Free Action: None

ID: 236394 | BD: 7+7 = 14 -> Hit! | (12+3[SHIFT])x25-65 = 310 Damage to Callisto

(2) Macradon | HP: 1115/1115 | EN: 119/130 | DMG: 25 | MIT:179 | ACC:7 | PHASE | RHINO 2.6 (40%) [1/1] | F-SPIRIT | FR.AURA: 8 | FR.THORNS: 8/16 | BH:61 | VAMP-O: 123 | REC: 4 | HLY: 16 | LD:5 | DOTE: 3/3 | IRON-T | PROB:36 | HORN | Rested [2/2] | PARRY
(1) Wulfrin | HP: 829/829 | EN: 96/108 | DMG: 28 | MIT:92 | ACC:9 | AA | EVA:1[+1] | BLD-IM (N) | BH:27 | REC: 8 | FRB: 40 | TXC-V: 32 | FRZ: 64 | LD:3 | BIZ-DOTE: 3/3 | HELLSTORM: 80 | STNG [x1] | PROB:36 | SAND-A | TROLLS-B | JEWEL | IRON-T | HORN | Rested [2/2] | Clean
(0) Freyd | HP: 1512/1512 | EN: 178/178 | DMG: 8 | MIT:315 | ACC:7 | AA | TAUNT 3 | F-SPIRIT | EVA:4 | THORNS:40 | BH:83 | VAMP-D: 83 | VAMP-O: 166 | BLD: 96 | ENV-O: 32 | FRB: 40 | FRZ: 64 | PARA-V | LD:8 | DOTE: 3/3 | IRON-T | PROB:48 | CAIN: 50 | HORN | Rested [2/2] | Clean | JUSTIFIED
(0) Zandra | HP: 1127/1127 | EN: 130/130 | DMG: 18 | MIT:195 | ACC:3 | FRZ-IM | PARA-IM | FL.AURA: 16 | MENDING: 2 | FLN: 16 | BRN: 56 | DOTE: 3/3 | PROB:48 | IRON-T | HORN | Rested [3/3] | Clean
(0) Baldur | HP: 1053/1053 | EN: 128/128 | DMG: 28 | MIT:8 | ACC:8 | AA | KEEN: 1 | EVA:4 | THORNS:40 | BH:58 | REC: 8 | BRN: 56 | FRZ: 64 | LD:3 | DOTE: 2/2 | HELLSTORM: 80 | STNG [x1] | IRON-T | HORN | Rested [2/2]
(0) Crozeph | HP: 840/840 | EN: 102/102 | DMG: 22 | MIT:104 | ACC:7 | AA | PHASE | EVA:2 | PARA-IM | BH:46 | REC: 4 | RISK: 8 | FLN: 16 | LD: 1 | IRON-T | HORN

Finally people began showing up, different teams were slowly gathering, it was time! Macradon would put on his game face and do a few stretches while adjusting his armour for the best combat fit. The mist from his armour cooled the air slightly, but the minute temperature difference made no actual difference to the horrid air permeating around them. He would do a few small hops and shake everything into place and get himself pumped for the fight. He would take off his sword in its scabbard and place it in front of him pointed down with both hands ready for battle, ready for war. The knight inhaled deeply into his digital lungs and slowly exhaled, trying to steel his mind away from this horrid stench. A few breaths would do the trick and his Survival skill helped a lot. With his armour in check, his mind in check, his body in check, Macradon prepared the last of his setups for combat, his Parry. Already now, Macradon would grab the grip of his sword and hold it by his side, ready to draw and parry at any time. His body was locked in, his mind focused on survival, for a boss raid would commence very soon.

< Parry activated >

It took a while, but finally Macradon wasn’t alone out here in this stinking hell hole. He waved at the figure that he found somewhat familiar, it was someone from the raid meeting, he wasn’t too sure who they were, but just knew that they were in the team together. “Hi! Good to see you, seems like Team 2 are the first to begin to assemble out here.” he said to @Wulfrin with a chortle to his tone, it was weird that it took this long, the frontliners were usually there at the same time like a huge wave, but this time … it was different. Maybe it was the smell, who knew. The knight accepted the offering and looked at it for a few seconds before trying to gulp it down “Hakuna matata …” he muttered before downing it in one fell swoop. The miso soup was healthy for him, or that was the excuse he used to fight against the horrid smell of the area. “Phew! That did the job!” he exclaimed and tried to keep it in as he fought against the putrid odour “If only this was the hardest of the raid” he tried to say jokingly, but it just sounded like he was holding off dry heaving at any moment.

After the extreme raid against his virtual stomach and his senses, more people arrived. He looked over at Freyd who had brought feasts to share and he thought to himself “Oh shit, that soup was just a labyrinth boss … here’s the floor boss.” he said and fought through to indulge on all of the food necessary for him to do his job as efficiently as possible. “Thank you, @Freyd. It’s a huge help with all of this.” he said and accepted the offering, shifting out some of his equipment as well as applying all the buffs he could get. Back in the day, it was all about hitting it until it died and switching out when it did the same to you, now boss raids were a whole ordeal, it was exhilarating "as it should be." he snickered for himself and prepared for the worst.

***
< Miso Soup consumed >
< Ointment of Cure-All consumed >
< The Bonded Word equipped - swap out Templar's Necklace >
< Crème Brûlée Tray piece consumed + Filling | 4/6 remaining >
< Stalwart's Stew piece consumed | 2/4 remaining >
< Horn of Battle applied >
Stats have been changed in initial post

“Ew” were the first words to escape the knight’s mouth as he approached the designated floor boss rendezvous point. The stench was horrible, the environment icky, the sights unsightly. This place was a travesty, it looked and smelled like the dumpster behind a butcher, absolutely horrid. “Why didn’t anyone say that it was this bad … I knew it was something about a carcass they were fighting … but this.” Macradon thought to himself. He couldn’t fully comprehend the situation he was in, just looking around in the nothingness but an empty forest that smelled like decaying flesh “And why the hell did I come this early” he muttered under his breath while looking for a place to rest and despite his best efforts, the smell was too much for him to relax one bit. “Good I ate everything before coming here … I wouldn’t be able to consume anything with this smell lingering …”. The knight extracted his Banner of Command and planted it firmly into the forest soil marking his presence in the dead and spooky terrain, making sure his presence was known and the standard would be there for some morale. This banner has been in the frontlines in many ways from many people, but no one else had this specific banner, it was Macradon's and he loved having it with him to every raid even though all of its charges were expended "For good ol' times sake ... right, Dom?" he said and leaned up against a nearby tree, looking through the dead tree tops and into the misty skies as he reminisced about his late mentor.

***
< Gold Star Sticker applied to Blade of the Bloody Dictator | 1 Charge left >
< Rhino's Horn (2.6) applied >
< Crystallised Elixir of Vitality consumed >

«Macradon» 1115/1115 HP| 130/130 EN | 24 DMG | 189 MIT | 7 ACC | 0 EVA | 4 REC | 61 BH | 122 VMP | 16(8) FRT | 16 FRS | 16 Holy | 3 ANT | 90% Phase | Parry

***

Full stats:

Spoiler

Macradon The Imperial Topaz	Level: 33(67) «Macradon» 1115/1115 HP| 130/130 EN | 24 DMG | 189 MIT | 7 ACC | 0 EVA | 4 REC | 61 BH | 122 VMP | 16(8) FRT | 16 FRS | 16 Holy | 3 ANT | 90% Phase | Parry
Equipped Items	- Blade of the Bloody Dictator .... // +16 Holy Damage, Phase, 10%+Survival(107) Vampiric Offensive - Silverlight ..................... // +64 Mitigation, +16(8) Frost Thorns, +16 Frost Damage - The Bonded Word ................. // +4 Recovery, +3 Accuracy
Battle Ready Inventory	- Snowfrost ....................... // Halve burn damage - 5x Teleporation Crystal ......... // Teleport you or a nearby target to a designated position - Glacial Hide .................... // +12 Mitigation, Neverfreeze | T1 Heavy Armor - Toffee Armor .................... // +54 Thorns, Bloodclot | T3 Heavy Armor - Orgoth's Legacy ................. // +32 Blight, +56 Burn, +48 Bleed | T4 Two-Handed Straight Sword - Dimensional backpack - - Salve of Poison Resistance .... // 3 Charges Antidote Potions
Buffs	- Rested .......................... // -1 energy cost for the first two expenditures of each combat. - Filling ......................... // Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by                                        +1 T1 slots. - Relaxed ......................... // Increase Out of Combat HP regen by 5*Tier+Survival(22) HP and decrease full energy regen                                        to 2 Out of Combat posts. - Col Deposit ..................... // +5% bonus col from last-hit monster kills and +10% bonus col from treasure chests. - Paragon Level 67 ................ // +260 HP, +26 EN. - Gold Star Sticker ............... // +1 DMG, +15 MIT, +1LD - Rhino's Horn (2.6) .............. // +40% Phase - Crystallised Elixir of Vitality . // +135 Overhealth - Miso Soup ....................... // +36 Probiotic - Ointment of Cure-All ............ // 3 charges of Antidote - Crème Brûlée Tray ............... // +2 Accuracy | Filling -> +1 Accuracy - Stalwart's Stew ................. // +60 MIT - Horn of Battle .................. // +2 EN regen - Parry ........................... // Halve final damage on next incoming attack and negates stun/paralysis effects of that attack 5/5 Crafted Consumables used
Skills, Mods & Addons	- 2H Straight Sword ............... || Rank 5: +7 Damage. - [ADDON] Ferocity ................. \\ +2 Damage. - [ADDON] Stamina ................... \\ Decrease Energy Cost by 2. - [ADDON] Precision .................. \\ +1 Accuracy - [SHIFT] ST Specialist ............... \\ +3 to multipliers and +2 EN costs of; ST-I, ST-II, ST-B - Battle Healing .................. || Rank 5: Heal 5%+Survival(61) each post In-Battle. - Charge .......................... || +5 Damage -1 Accuracy on first hit. - Combat Mastery: Damage .......... || +1*Tier*Rank(12) - Energist ........................ || Add 5*Tier(20) Energy to your max pool. - Fighting Spirit ................. || +1 Hate generation. - Heavy Armor ..................... || Rank 5: +35 Damage Mitigation. - [MOD] Impetus .................... \\ +1 Damage. - [ADDON] Iron Skin ................. \\ +15 Mitigation, +15*Tier(60) HP. - Searching ....................... || Rank 5: +5 Loot Die, +5 Stealth Detection. - - Reveal ........................ || +2 LD when searching for Sub-Dungeons or Labyrinths. You may also search for a                                        sub-dungeon or labyrinth once every 10 posts (instead of 15). Reduces the                                        personal post cooldown when searching for a labyrinth to 3 posts (instead of 5). - Quick Change .................... || Allows the user to instantly equip, unequip, or swap any equipment in their                                        battle-ready inventory. - Aerial Ace ...................... || Increase damage at the cost of ACC, EVA, & MIT while in Aerial stance.   - Disguise ........................ || +1 EVA for one turn, lesser critical doesn't autohit. - Meditation ...................... || Recover 4*Tier(16) energy with post action. - Parry ........................... || Reduce incoming damage by 50%(rounded down). - Survival ....................... || Increase all Healing from all sources by 10%. Immune to environmental damage.

@Pinball

Sending

Quote

171210 The Biggest Peep: Tier 3 Perfect Trinket - Holy Blessing, Recovery, Recovery

To Pinball

Thread acquisition https://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/19394-pp-f18-easter-dungeon-or-fungeon/?do=findComment&comment=627377

The living pinata that was Macradon dangled from the ceiling with his legs tangled in web. He struggled for a bit before cutting himself loose and began his descent. A quick glance would instantly give him the battle overview he needed and within no time at all the knight resumed his mission. His combat instincts were waking up again, his spatial awareness kicked in, he was fully locked in on the arachnid as he got into a stance mid fall and executed a sword art. His blade was engulfed in orange light that went brighter and brighter until a white light illuminated the webbed arena.

His momentum as well as the sword art assistance made Macradon a living projectile, in an instant he was back down, besides his party members, as his blade cleaved deep into the Maze Weaver like a hot knife through butter, fully ignoring most of its defences despite its sudden recent hardening. His blade slid through like nothing, deleting the digital space it travelled through leaving only a visual blur behind it.

Cracks below the arachnid erupted as Macradon landed with his blade, shattering through its health bar with a huge sudden dip, depleting it of any hope of surviving the last barrage of his teammates. While still recovering from the rough landing Macradon roared out “We’ve got it where we want it! Let’s finish this!”

***

A swift exchange of heavy blows would dwindle down the arachnid’s health as every fighter got their shot at the big weaver. Despite the others’ distaste for the spider-theme, they got strong hits on the Maze Weaver, dealing a good chunk of damage and getting closer to victory. Macradon would ready his sword and went in for another attack, trying to get some more damage in albeit not that much, as his last hit with Charge and all still only did a small sliver compared to the rest. With another cleave at the ready, Macradon leaped through the air, but somehow got super extra tangled in all the silky web “Fuck!” he exclaimed as he tried to free himself but was unfortunately stuck dangling from the cave ceiling like captured spider prey. He tried his best to wiggle himself out of the mess, but it didn’t seem like it was making a difference to his situation.

***

The 25th floor, last time Macradon was here was of necessity more than anything, he remembered every last bit that happened at that raid … it was a different time, a lot has changed since, bosses became more intricate, floors got more fleshed out, it truly was a huge milestone for the Aincrad conquest. The knight reminisced his time travelling the maze, the penguins he had doodled along the way to the labyrinth boss and eventually what became the floor boss arena. It was a gruelling battle, the hardest Macradon had fought, the hardest Macradon had endured, it was like a personal jab at everything he did, everything he strived for, it was a continuous barrage from Shadow, he could only shudder at the chains that once bound him.

That was the past, he couldn’t dwell on them for long before he had to lock in and keep his game face on. “Chalk, yes, good to draw penguins with.” he noted and began doodling the second they would enter the ever changing labyrinth. It didn’t take long for the adventurers to find the web-infested arena. “Aye … I see that …” he said hesitantly as his airbourne space was being occupied. He snickered at the giant arachnid that made its presence very well shown and Freyd was quick to analyse and find the web’s weak spot. With a defiant strike towards the arachnid matriarch, Freyd easily sent the boss down onto the ground from its web with grace.

“You’re quick to find weak spots! I wouldn’t ever have found that! If anything, I’d probably have stumbled into it while jumping around and only got lucky with it.” he said and got into position, running around the battlefield to open up the field for the rest while setting up his own assault. With a quick rush, Macradon flew into the air and spun, cobwebs would tangle onto his body, making it very difficult to place himself in a proper stance to throw off any sword arts, but he managed. He crashed down onto the prone arachnid and just barely got a strike in, its large legs blocking some of the incoming hit as Macradon got a few glances before getting a lesser cut into the beast. “Yeahp! It’s difficult to jump around in here! And those legs are really getting in the way!” he exclaimed, hoping his experience would help the others succeed and get better hits in than him.

***

Fusion 1

Name: Scintillating Sabre
Your Profession: Merchant
Your Rank: 5
Acquisition Roll ID: 225499-3
Identification Roll ID:
#230591 LD: 20 ACC
#230592 LD: 11 Bleed
#230593 BD: 10 | CD: 12 | LD: 5 Holy
Item Type: Rapier
Tier: 4
Quality: Perfect
Enhancements: Holy | ACC | Bleed
Description: "To be wielded by one with a heart that shines as bright as its blade."
Post Link: https://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/18214-f10-grandmaster-appraiser-youve-hit-the-jackpot/?do=findComment&comment=686477

+

Name: Fusion Component 1
Your Profession: Merchant
Your Rank: 5
Acquisition Roll ID: 225509-3
Identification Roll ID:
233366 = LD: 15 ACC
233367 = LD: 8 Bleed
Holy [Mystic Essences used: 224511-1, 224511-3, 224534-2]
Item Type: Rapier
Tier: 4
Quality: Perfect
Enhancements: Holy | ACC | Bleed
Description: "To be fused with Scintillating Sabre."
Post Link: https://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/18214-f10-grandmaster-appraiser-youve-hit-the-jackpot/?do=findComment&comment=687354

result

Name: Scintillating Sabre II
Your Profession: Merchant
Your Rank: 5
Acquisition Roll ID: 235061
Item Type: Rapier
Tier: 4
Quality: Perfect
Enhancements: Holy 2 | Bleed
Description: "To be wielded by one with a heart that shines as bright as its blade."
Post Link: https://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/1065-shop-f1the-blazing-typhoon-rank-10-grand-master-blacksmith/?do=findComment&comment=689126

***

Fusion 2