Teselmar

Well... $#!%. While pain was dialed back to an acceptable level in Sword Art Online, impact was still perceivable on a scale that was mighty uncomfortable. His vision blurred as Opal's head slammed into his nose. The force of such a blow might have broken his nose out in the real world; inside the game it only forced his head backward sharply. Where his nose might have bled, an angry red burst of pixels appeared across his field of view instead. He struggled to hold on to the woman's arm as she turned, the hilt of her blade colliding with his gut. Breathing became something of a chore as he involuntarily let go of her, reeling backwards while trying to maintain his composure. Glancing up as he raised his blade to defend himself, he did a double take. Standing in the smoke was a tall, lithe man, a cigarette in one hand and a rapier in the other. He was seeing a vision of himself, poised with rapier at the ready. Unnerved, he blinked and wiped the red from his eyes. Unfortunately, this was the exact moment that Opal dropped the Disguise, and he heard the click of her katana leaving its sheath. A gentle breeze stirred, and Teselmar did not even see the blade flash outwards, only feeling the line of force it drew across his torso. Knocked backwards once more, he attempted to center himself; it was harder than he'd anticipated, as he was still bothered by the memory of the Gemini he'd killed that wore a similar face.

ID# 46221 results:Battle: 5+2=7-4=3 (miss)

His counter attack was shaky, and he wasn't really trying to hit her. Moreso, Teselmar was attempting to make her back up, thrusting at the air in front of her legs in an effort to force her into putting distance between them. The more time he had to mentally re-align, the better.

Teselmar: HP: 48/48 | Energy: 5/12

Opal: HP: 128/128 ~ EN: 16/32

Teselmar watched as the chipper newcomer greeted most of the people in the room. He made a beeline for Opal, embracing her with a familiarity that made his eyebrow rise questioningly. Most of the people in the room seemed to have a history with one another, and he took another drag on his cigarette, trying to match faces with names he was hearing. It seemed like this was quite a prestigious little club he was about to join, judging by the gear that most of them were sporting.

The newcomer, Grave, extended him a greeting. The smoke blew through his nostrils as he exhaled, nodding at the man's salutation. "Teselmar." He sauntered towards the table, where Grave and Opal were situated. Teselmar leaned against a chair, but didn't sit just yet. "Quite the cast of characters we've got here, eh?" He addressed them both with a slight smile.

Teselmar saw the captain's special shamble up onto the lake shore to engage Ishida. Their shells dripped with the clear water as they gurgled, scraping claw against harsh metal. Ishida didn't look bothered at all as they struggled to pry his protection open like a tin can, ultimately failing to gain purchase. Their attention was concentrated solely on the tanky young man, so Teselmar moved in. 

ID# 46181 results: Battle: 3 (miss)

Crucible was an impressive weapon, as good a sword as Teselmar could wield. However, the trajectory didn't seem to be right on his first thrust, and he wasn't able to skewer the first of the crabs. It seemed to barely take notice of him, as Ishida's Howl had enraged it beyond what his weapon could do at the moment. "Keep 'em busy, I'll try a different angle!" He called out, circling the mob evasively. 

Teselmar rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. He really hadn't done that much at all to defeat the monsters, only getting one attack off during the skirmish. He gave Ishida a pat on his armored shoulder, sheathing his weapon. "No sweat 'Shida, I'm just glad you're on my side. You kept 'em off of me." He looked around, seeing some of the <<Water Gems>> that the crab creatures had dropped as loot. "Well, that's a start. I bet you could lure a few other critters up out of the lake for round 2." Seeing Opal a little ways away searching for what looked like fruit, he decided to take a little look of his own, see if he could scrounge anything up while Ishida drew out some more creatures to farm.

ID# 46173 results: Loot 17 (success!)

There was a plainer fruit tree of a smaller size near Ishida and his position, and Teselmar saw an opportunity to collect some of its bounty. Hopping atop the first low branch, he swung himself up to a higher one, then another within a few seconds. He mused that if he'd had the Acrobatics mod, he could have simply leapt to the top branch, but as it stood he could still maneuver fairly quickly amongst the boughs. Crucible flashed in the sunlight, and a fruit of unknown classification fell into his hands. Leaping down, he tucked and rolled as he came up next to Ishida. "Okay buddy, let's go!"

+1 Mat

He had forced her onto her back foot, the sword art branding a cross-shaped pattern across Opal's flesh. She looked like she was about to spring back at any moment. The light streamed down from the ceiling, highlighting the fighters' forms as dust and sand floated through the air around them. Teselmar breathed deeply, controlling his virtual body's stamina by breathing deeply; this was the same technique that a seasoned martial artist or long distance runner would use to keep themselves in the game. This fight would force him to constantly adapt to whatever his Vice Commander was planning to throw at him. The buxom woman came at him once more, sweeping her blade through the air with a sharp cry. A surge of air and grit threatened to confound him, but Teselmar's tactical eye saw through to the heart of the gambit: She wanted to make him hesitate, force him to back up in fear of that massive curved blade. Counter-intuitively, Teselmar's best option was to forge ahead. Letting the wave of wind wash over him unflinchingly, he waited until her dash had brought her within range of striking him with her blade. 

ID# 46171 results:Battle: 8+2-3=7 (hit)

Teselmar broke the momentum of Opal's strike, closing the gap between the two of them with surprising speed. His blade did not glow, as that would have given away what he was doing. Stabbing at an angle, Teselmar threaded the blade of his rapier between Opal's raised right bicep, and her breast. He ducked her nodachi's edge as he stepped forward, leveraging his blade into a law enforcement style arm bar and pinning Opal's arm behind her. His thin sword made a shallow cut against her arm as he turned it, though his real point was to stop her momentum and get behind her. Her sword could still be wielded with her left hand, so he knew that she'd either be able to strike at him or break free with a move, but keeping her restrained was never the plan. The plan had been to get close enough that the enormous advantage of her blade's length would be minimized, and show Opal that he was more than just a mindless brute.

Teselmar: HP: 48/48 | Energy: 5/12

Opal: HP: 128/128 ~ EN: 28/32

Weaving his way in and around the crustaceans, Teselmar smiled happily as one of the crab monsters took a passing swing at him. "I think we're handling it fairly well." He said, ducking an errant claw. The creatures were mostly preoccupied with their armored rival, who seemed to be drawing most of their crabby ire. They burbled and chittered, bouncing off of the blacksmith's armor like hailstones off the side of a tank.

While their attention was elsewhere, Teselmar raised his rapier in a peculiar fashion, bringing it up, then down to his right side. As he completed the motion, viridian energy enveloped the blade. <<Sweep>> was not a particularly high level sword art, but it was the only one he had in his arsenal that might hit multiple opponents. He dashed forward, trying to finally do some damage to the creature's that must have resembled a Maryland crab fisherman's dream come true. 

ID# 46093 results: Battle: 10 (crit!)

Teselmar's blade whirred in a blaze of emerald, as he pushed himself as much as the system would let him. Once, twice he slashed the creatures, painting a picture of violence in glowing red pixels. They chittered at him, some beginning to turn. They might attack him next if Ishida hadn't been there. He tried to catch a glimpse of Opal out of the corner of his eye. As much as he was his own man, he enjoyed the thought of impressing her, even slightly. 

Teselmar barely had any time to think before she was upon him again, her ludicrously long blade thrusting out at him in an attempt to stick him like a shishkebab. He relied on the training that he'd gone through for years, shifting his weight to the side and raising his blade parallel to her own. The nodachi slid across the flat of his rapier with a harsh noise, enough to cause a few sparks to fly off the blades. Moving in on her guard, Teselmar activated a sword art that he'd recently learned, in an attempt to inflict some sort of damage. <<Crucifixion>> would land six times if he could just get inside the arc of that long blade.

ID# 46076 results: Battle: 10 (Crit)

He was in the zone, the thin blade of his dueling sword whipping back and forth like a blade of grass in a hurricane. Carving a crimson sigil across her torso, he finished with a final thrust that would have pierced deep, if not for the safe zone. He took a breath, waiting to see Opal's reaction, and what her next move would be.

Teselmar: HP: 48/48 | Energy: 5/12

Opal: HP: 128/128 ~ EN: 29/32
 

So this is what getting hit with a high level sword art feels like... It wasn't a pleasant experience. An uncomfortable buzz and a terrible impact jarred his sword hand, as the System pushed Opal's blade faster than he could defend against. He waited until the red lines on his torso faded, his HP bar refusing to move in spite of the horrific blow. Teselmar took a deep breath. She was right, of course. Of course she was right. This wasn't a person in front of him: It was the enemy. He gripped the hilt of his rapier tighter, then went for his menu. Un-equipping <<Crucible>>, he re-equipped his more accurate blade, <<Pinprick>>. Damage wouldn't help him here at all. The gold cup guard of his sword glinted in the light, and he raised his blade again for another pass.

ID# 45978 results: Battle: 8+2=10 -3= 7 (hit)

Determined to ply some of his real world experience, this time he didn't even bother with going for her heart. She'd be expecting that. Running straight at her once more, he feigned as if he was going for the exact same spot, then anticipated the incoming block. Shifting his blade's angle, Teselmar let the guard of his hilt protect his forearm from reprisal, as the tip of his blade drew a crimson line of pixels across her exposed stomach with a -SNNK-. He followed this up with a roll to his right side, smoothly tucking and coming up ready to continue their dance. He was about to say something sarcastic, but the words died on his lips. It wasn't the time.

Teselmar: HP: 48 | Energy: 11 

Opal: HP: 128/128
Energy: 30/32
 

Teselmar knew... He just knew that he wouldn't even be able to touch the woman with his blade. Even if he'd wanted to strike her down, she was too quick, too fluid with all of her enhanced gear on. But from what he could infer by her tone, the point of this exercise wasn't to see if he could beat her. That was a bit out of the question in this world. The point was to see if he could maintain his resolve in the face of overwhelming odds.

"Of course. My apologies, Vice Commander." He kept his tone light, but respectful. When they were on duty, she was one of his guild leaders, and he would show the proper deference. Teselmar drew his rapier, the mottled blade dispersing sunlight as it was drawn. Bringing it up in a salute, he strode forward, keeping it level.

ID# 459565: Battle: 5 (miss)

Moving his thin blade as fast as he could, the thrill-seeker leapt forward, driving the point of his rapier at her heart. A moment's hesitation, and his blade was easily turned aside by the woman. It'd be an uphill battle landing any sort of hit on her, without these newfound feelings in the way.

Teselmar: HP: 48 | Energy: 11

Opal: HP: 128 | Energy: 32

Taft was a beautiful city, comparable to the first floor's Starting City in its scope. Teselmar had received the invitation from the lovely Opal, aka Vivian, to come and train on this floor. The streets were bustling, and the weather heralded a beautiful spring day up above. Ducking a passing group of players who were loudly discussing a rumor about some monster or another, and he rolled his eyes. Before becoming trapped in the game, he had never been very into the whole fantasy RPG scene. A small part of Teselmar wished that Kayaba had been into Sci-Fi instead. 

He had been getting close with Opal over the last month or so, and it had culminated a few days ago when they'd shared a lovely evening under the stars. She had confided in him, letting him get close in ways that he knew were frightening to her. Teselmar had resolved to not let her faith in him be misplaced. With her help and the help of the guild, he'd be in a better position to help the rest of the players get home. At the coordinates that she'd provided, he stepped into a small, gladiator style training arena. The lovely woman was standing in the center of the battle square, and he gave her a smile and a small wave as he entered the area. "Hello beautiful." He drawled, resting his hand on the ornate rapier at his hip. "We keep running into each other like this, and people are gonna get ideas about us." He said the last part playfully, the light streaming down to highlight his saffron hair. 

THREAD COMPLETE!

Summary:

+400 Col

+5 Mats

+1 SP

Tidying himself up, Teselmar looked around. "Glad I made it out here today." It had been fun, and he was walking away with more Mats than he could have afforded to buy. Today had been a victory, and Teselmar would treat it as such. A bit greedily, he looked around ooooonnnnneee last time before heading out.

ID# 45922 results: Loot: 16 (success!)

His 'dummy check' had paid off, and he pocketed a <<Cosmo Flower>> on his way back to town. It had been quite a productive day indeed.

+1 mat: 5 total

Making one final pass for materials, Teselmar searched all over the area. Up and down, left and right, he wanted to make sure that anything he could possibly use in order to give himself an edge would be utilized.

ID# 45921 results: Loot: 12 (failure)

It seemed like the area didn't have anything else to offer him, and so Teselmar's grindfest/material hunt was complete. "A hard day's work..."

The trip down to the first floor had been extremely worth it. The amount of materials that he was going to be able to stock after this little excursion was significant. Teselmar continued to scrounge around for more plant materials, humming a little tune as he did so.

ID# 45920 results: 12 (failure)

He couldn't be mad, not being able to find any more materials in the area. The fact that he'd gotten even that many was worth the effort, but he'd make one more pass before heading back to town.

It had been a great day thus far for Teselmar, and he wanted to see how far fortune might be willing to take this running joke. Striding around the rock face, he attempted to find some plant materials in the grass beside the giant stone face.

ID# 45917 results: Loot: 19 (success!)

By the mother of all saints, is it Christmas already? He found a unique plant material just sitting there out in the open; a <<Tesla Flower>>, a type of flower that made for a beautiful crafting item. 

+1 mat: 4 total

He was glad to see that his searching was producing some results. The mountainous region seemed to have some hidden gems just waiting for him to find- literally, in this case. He investigated the base of the mountain again, seeing if there was anything he had missed the first time around. 

ID# 45916 results: Loot: 16 (success!)

Teselmar couldn't believe his eyes: an emerald, just waiting to be harvested! Right there in front of him! He pocketed the gem with a look of amazement. "Must be my lucky day!"

+1 Mat: 3 total

He'd found one material, but it would be to his advantage if he could scrounge some more. Shimmying around the crags and rocky protrusions, Teselmar looked around to see if there were any other items that he could scavenge.

ID# 45914 results: Loot: 15 (success!)

Another glimmer clued him in to the shiny gem that was lodged deep in the crevice of a large stone. Putting his hand inside the hollow, he withdrew an <<Opal>>, also useful in crafting accessories. Haha, an opal. Go figure.

+1 Mat: 2 total

If you want to have someone do a thread to help teach your character a little about the sword, Teselmar can help. =)

The place where hills turned into mountains was near the edge of an unscalable wall of stone; it was part of what supported the ceiling of the floors above them, an ever-floating fortress in the sky. There were bound to be gemstones and other materials here, but he hadn't been as lucky this time as he had been the last time he'd been out material hunting. Regardless, he was determined to try.

ID# 45873 results: Loot: 19 (success!)

Teselmar's eye was caught by a glimmer, coming from a speck of stone on the face of the mountainside. Taking the hilt of Pinprick and bashing the pommel into the mountain, the gem fell loose, becoming a material item. An <<Amethyst>>, useful for crafting accessories. So the expedition wasn't a total wash, at least.

+1 Mat

Scanning the rolling hills with his eyes for any items of value or plants that may contain rare components for crafting, Teselmar sighed. He was doing all of this looking... It reminded him of police work. And not the fun kind of police work, the tedious kind: stakeouts, paperwork, anything with an arbitrary amount of time that had to be completed. He searched with dull purpose, looking hard for something that would stand out.

 ID# 45870 results: 12 (fail)

Just wasn't happening for him at the moment. The sun was now high in the sky, and it was setting the grass ablaze with brilliant light. Giving up on this particular spot, he decided to try the more craggy region that led towards floor 2.

He was really searching for some unique kind of materials, something that he could eventually use to craft an exotic and rare masterpiece of an item. The Mona Lisa didn't get painted with shoddy materials, neither must his work! Teselmar searched on hand and knee for some rare and out of the ordinary gems amongst the rocks, something that a crafter would be proud to have in their inventory.

 ID# 45867 results: Loot: 9 (fail)

Again, he was unable to find anything of value. "Maybe I'm looking in the wrong place..." He said with a small frown, and got up to head towards the rolling hills near the middle of the Crossing Field.

Teselmar made his way back out of the forest, unable to find any loot from the encounter with the Creeper Vine. Save for the typical Col drop, he had hoped to find some sort of materials or whatnot, to make his idea for an artisan shop a viable reality. His health had shot back up to full after being out of battle, and he knew that he would be back up to full energy within ten minutes or so as well. He made up his mind to attempt to search for cord-making materials and gems within the fields, determined not to waste any more daylight. "Let's see if I can't find anything around here..."

ID# 45865 results: Loot: 6 (fail)

He spent some time looking in the area around the edge of the forest. "Doesn't seem to be anything here... Okay, maybe deeper into the field."

Thread Complete!

Summary:

200 col for Teselmar, 200 for Opal

1 SP for Teselmar, 1 SP for Opal

Teselmar saw Opal's point, and nodded. "Have fun, kill lots of monsters!" He waved as she put a bit of room between them and herself. Turning, he watched Ishida equip his iron skin. He admired the invulnerable nature of the heavy armor, and gave him a thumbs up. "Okay, line 'em up!" He withdrew the rapier from his scabbard, a wild grin on his face. The crabs came up out of the water, surrounding Ishida, their claws clanging off of his armor with a cacophony of scratching noises. While he drew their attention and hatred, he began sizing them up, determining where would be best to strike. 

ID# 45850 results: Battle: 5 (miss)

He attempted to skewer one of the creatures off of the armored youth, but the angled carapace turned his blade at the end of the strike. "Damn, hold still..." He hated missing, especially by such a thin margin.

Under the stars, Teselmar nodded, understanding that he needed to be a perfect gentleman with her. "That sounds like a plan. It's a little cold out, I hope you don't mind if I hold your hand on the way down." He smiled, as they turned to walk down the hill. Tonight had been a beautiful, almost fantastical evening. Teselmar was someone who had a deep empathy for others, but was held back from relationships in the past by his inability to lead a simple life, and covered for his loneliness with a clever retort and a dependency on danger. A world like this one, where his life was always on the line, would keep him satisfied for a long time. But still, he had ben alone. Ishida, the young blacksmith, was quickly becoming like a brother to him. And now, Opal... Vivian. She was becoming something more than he'd anticipated. They had plenty of time to explore their relationship, and deepen their trust towards each other. Joining her guild would be a step in the right direction. As they walked down the slope towards the village, he hoped that he wouldn't offend her or make her uncomfortable.

~

In the morning light that filtered through the window of their second floor room stirred Teselmar from his slumber. He stirred, awakening quickly as was his habit. He was shivering... Surprised, he took stock of his situation. He was shirtless, as he usually was before he went to bed. But he was half hanging off the side of the bed, and his pillow was on the floor. Looking to his left, he saw Opal on the other side. He couldn't tell if she was awake or asleep, but she had apparently stolen all the blankets and pushed him to the far edge of the mattress in her sleep. Sitting up, he withdrew a cigarette from his inventory; the cool mint smoke filled his airspace as he exhaled. He faced the sunrise with a smile, perfectly content with the world in this moment.

(You can make a final post, then I'll summarize. :D )