Leonidas

One by one the assault force went and attacked the Spartans, thinning their numbers every time. Some with a larger value than the others but there was no doubt that they were mercilessly being slaughtered like pigs as they stood and defended that valley. 

As the last men stand in the middle of the mountain pass, their shields, helmets, and capes littering the ground around them as some of them jab their spears into the ground and leans upon them for support after Macradom's attack. "You have bested us and our king, but you shall never reach the walls of Sparta," growls in a low tone one of the remaining Spartans, spitting towards the feet of the player who delivered the final strike. "You may take our land and our treasure, but you shall never rule us." With that, the remaining soldiers dissolve slowly into pixels beginning from the top of their heads until, at last... even their feet have disappeared. A red system window appears in front of all boss raid participants, showing them their hard earned rewards.

The amulets that once inbound the chosen players with powers similar to demi-gods, now have lost all their attributes. They retain the same appearance but are nothing more than vanity items, a memento of the fight and hopefully... a token of the Spartan's bravery.

Boss fight completed! Floor 18 Unlocked!

All Players earn 3000 Col for participating in the boss fight;

+142 Col (each) for 5 complete pages.

All Players earned 8 SP for participating in this thread; 5 for thread length (5+ pages) + 3 for boss raid completion.

Lowenthal receives the Last Attack bonus:
«Leonidas' Strength»: (Tier 2, Demonic Light Armor): +1 Life Mending, +1 Holy Blessing, +2 Damage Mitigation+)
A blood red cape with a black inverted V design in the middle of the back, if worn as light armor; one of the trademark items worn by the Spartans that fought until the last man.

Note: The "Damage Mitigation+" enhancement works similar to normal Damage Mitigation but when multiplied by tier it gets a +0.5 bonus to the tier value. The final value gets rounded down in the event of a fraction. (Example: This Item has 2 Slots of Damage Mitigation+; so at T2 it multiplies by 2+0.5, the math would be [ 9(base value per slot) x 2.5(tier value)] x 2(slots)=45 Damage Mitigation ; at T3 it multiplies by 3+0.5; math being (9x3.5) x 2 = 63 Damage Mitigation])

Seul has been skipped and received 10 damage.

More of the Spartarns fell by the wayside as the assault from the raiding party cut through, the last remains of the fourth phalanx steeling themselves. Shouting a mighty battle cry their blades came forward, crashing down on the bearer of Apollo's coin. Their attack chipped away at the massive health of the katana wielder. However, it seemed that their attack would not go unanswered, as the flames of the Sun God radiated out, burning them.

Even with their burns and massive injuries, the soldiers continued to fight on. They would see their comrades and king in the afterlife, which they would not do so in disgrace. Their battle will continue to the last man, reflecting as their ranks let out another glorious roar that echoed through the barren valley, one that would seem to echo till the end of time itself.

The sound of blades against armor roared upon the battlefield as the Spartans valiantly took everything the players thrown at them, not yielding even to the blasphemous taunts coming from the woman who tried to seduce their king. This were to be their last assignment, to stand until the last man. That was the will of their fallen ruler and they will honor it bravely. Launching a unison battle cry that echoed through the valley, they assaulted the redhead yet again, this time somehow managing to not be affected by Apollo's flames. This was a sign that the gods favored them in this battle and that they would truly meet their king and fallen comrades, in the afterlife. Poor pixelated beings, they did not know that they were but complex code used by the mastermind behind SAO. Having them face the players for his own amusement. Still, they fought like true Spartans.... managing to make the goddess blessed by Apollo's flames, bleed yet again even if it was just in form of lowering her HP bar by 1.

The battlefield was much quieter now as the numbers of the Spartans was reduced to but a handful of their original 300. Leonidas' army had been mostly destroyed but his warriors still fought with the fury of Lions, each of them being an army in their own right. The remaining 12 of the third phalanx looked at each other and nodded as they were challenged by the blue haired player that their king had personally dealt with earlier on in the raid. Half of their number attacked the aforementioned bluenette while the other half attacked the blonde player who had been the target of their last assault. Bellowing with fury the Spartans lashed out with their spears over and over again at the two players, some of them finding away around their guards and striking the bodies of the players, dealing little damage but every point of damage that they caused mattered to the warriors who ignored the sting of thorns, instead continuing their relentless assault. Meanwhile what was left of the fourth phalanx resumed their attack on the read headed girl, the heads of their spears piercing her digital form and leaving red gashes in her as they tried to push her back, relying on their numbers in an attempt to overwhelm the katana user. While they felt the burning of fire on their skin they, much like the warriors in the third phalanx ignored this, truly believing that they could fell the player if they simply continued to attack.  

Despite the situation they were into, the last 72 Spartans remained loyal soldiers on the field of battle. Deciding to ignore those who had stopped battling and opted to cowardly watch from the sidelines. The proud warriors let out a fierce war cry and began banging their shields in unison, they shall fight until the last man as Leonidas would've wanted. And if... or rather, when they will fall by the hands of the enemy, they will be rejoined with their king; it was their programmed 'belief' that they would feast alongside him and the other 218 of their fallen brothers. Underneath their helmets a smile could be seen forming at the near thought of that actually happening. Despite being treated like beasts, put to fight like gladiators in front of a crowd they would focus their attention at the only two that had the courage to face them. 

Half of the remaining Spartans went for the blonde that dared challenging them. An smaller avalanche of spears than before, found its way into the boy's shield. Some tried to breach through but found no avail. The soldiers pushed with all their might until some spearheads found his exposed back. Meanwhile, the other half once again assaulted the redhead girl, but despite her apparent lack of defense like before, she didn't show signs of receiving any major damage. The collective minds, programmed by the Cardinal system made the Spartans think of her as someone blessed by Apollo himself who had send his flames to aid her in battle.

The earth shook. The skies roared. Through it all, the loyal Spartans of the third and fourth phalanxes continued their assault on Teayre. There wasn't even the slightest pause in their efforts as the combined might of Mack and Lawfer vanquished a further twenty percent of their number with the final falling of the fifth phalanx. Spears, daggers, and swords lashed out and bit deeply into the armor worn by the ginger headed sword maiden. For their part, the soldiers igrnored the sting of the flame aura with which that armor was imbued, even as it whittled into and evaporated their health bars dropping them nearly into the red zone.

Rolls & Order:

OOC: Combining my Mack post and the Leonidas post again. It saves time.

Even as the final members of the first Phalanx were reduced to free floating blue pixels the remaining eighty-four Spartans that composed what was left of phalanxes three, four, and five redoubled their efforts to annihilate the players that were plaguing them with their persistent attacks that whittled away at the numbers of their fellow soldiers. Seventy-two Spartans continued their unceasing assault on Teayre, stabbing and hacking and slashing at the swordswoman as she moved through them and slaughtered another dozen.

Meanwhile, the other ginger headed menace of the Spartans planted the butt cap of his axe on the ground and beckoned what remained of the fifth phalanx to do their worst. Holding out his hand as the Amulet of Ares glittered around his neck the Vice Commander of the Knights of the Blood Oath stood like a monolith amidst the sea of the Spartans. Once they had completed their assault his own axe came up and whipped around, neatly decapitating a dozen of the remaining Spartans with a single stroke before they disappeared in a shower of confetti-like pixels.

Rolls & Order:

As one the Spartan troops stopped what they were doing as the treacherous and cowardly assassin buried his blade deep in the back of their beloved monarch. With a throaty, and lusty, roar, the troops slammed the butts of their spears on the ground and redoubled their efforts to eliminate the players. As solid wave of bronze broke over the forms of Mack and Teayre, surrounded as they were by Spartan troops and both of them disappeared under a veritable avalanche of armed and armored infantrymen with only the tip of Teayre's sword and the ebony bladed head of Mack's axe visible as markers of where the two amulet wearing players were located beneath the one hundred and thirty-two remaining members of the phalanx.

Posting Order & Rolls

The Phalanxs were continued to swarm the members of the group that had been designated as Immortals, thanks to their possession and use of the amulets that Leonidas had provided to Takao when he had discovered the encampment of the Spartan King and his three-hundred loyal retainers. The members of the first phalanx continued to aggressively pursue and attempt to skewer Takao with no success whatsoever. Of course, one would have expected that kind of speed and agility from someone in light armor. His Spartans were many things, but light on their feet was not one of them. Meanwhile, the fourth phalanx withdrew, temporarily, from its assault on Teayre to regroup while the third phalanx continued to mercilessly slash and stab away at Teayre's health even as her armor's enchantment whittled away at their own health pool. The fifth phalanx, set upon as it was by an axe man that almost, but not quite, matched Leonidas' stature likewise continued to launch attack after attack on their red headed foe. Honestly, it was anyone's guess who was winning that fight as the ginger mowed through Spartans with wild abandon but, likewise, paid the attacks of the soldiers no heed as they landed again and again and again.

Snapping his shield into place once more, Leonidas bellowed a challenge to Calrex and charged down on the tank with his shield leveled. The Spartan King slammed into the tank, spun away and sprinted across the field like a mad rhino before colliding with Ariel and Oikawa. As he was attacking the first three targets he saw, out of the corner of his eye, that Zandra was healing the knife fighter that had been trampled a few minutes earlier. Angrily, the Spartan King veered in the direction of Lowenthal only to, either accidentally or on purpose, be intercepted by Seul stepping into his path as a result of the ebb and flow of the battle around them.

Rolls & Order:

Leonidas' head snapped around at the taunting call from the flame haired maiden. If she wanted a challenge the King of Sparta would be happy to oblige her, most happy indeed. Raising his sword and shield he pointed both weapons at Teayre to indicate that the phalanx's should focus their attention on her. Obligingly, the third and fourth phalanxes dog piled atop the woman, burying her beneath an avalanche of bronze armor, punching fists, and bladed weapons. Meanwhile the first phalanx continued their futile efforts to attack Takao, the nimble fighter proving to be most adept at dodging their blows. The second and fifth phalanxes, for their parts, remained steadfastly locked into combat with Macradon and Mack of the Knights of the Blood Oath, delivering many tiny scratches to both men.

Lowering his shield once more, Leonidas locked onto Calrex. With a bellowing war cry the Spartan King charged forward and slammed into the hefty tank. Spinning to the side he charged madly forward blasting into and through Ariel and Oikawa before ending his assault with an attack on Seul. All in all, the total amount of damage that had been dealt appeared to be minimal at best. Nonetheless, the mere mortals would cower in fear now as they imagined the worst.

The ginger headed Vice Commander of the Knights of the Blood Oath paid absolutely no heed whatsoever to the fact that he was surrounded by Spartans. Even as they were delivering another attack the axe man's eyes flicked to his heath gauge and noted that it was already refilling thanks to his Battle Healing. Like a force of nature Invictus scythed through digital opponents, gradually whittling their health lower and lower as members of the fifth phalanx exploded like tiny earthbound fireworks with each fall of the axe.

Rolls & Order:

OOC: Lowenthal is skipped, -10 HP.

After his last attack had blasted through the final player he had hit, Lowenthal, Leonidas shouldered his shield and spear and surveyed the battle as it continued to rage around. He was so engrossed with watching how his Spartans were doing that he didn't notice the blonde woman as she dashed up and delivered a staggering series of blows that whittled away at his health. Rounding on the woman, who was already dashing away to safety the King of the Spartans missed how the men of the second phalanx surrounded and summarily impaled Lawfer yet again. With the blonde woman out of range there was only one target nearby to exact his revenge upon. Stalking over to Lowenthal as the bulldozed player was getting up Leonidas stepped in the middle of the man's back and drove him face first into the ground once again. The impact on the player's health bar was minimal at best, but it was still oddly satisfying.

Rolls and Order:

Planting his shield on the ground, Leonidas surveyed the battlefield before him through narrowed and hateful red eyes. The players that had received the amulets had, for the most part, blundered directly into his Phalanxes, as he had intended. This was especially true of the red haired one, who seemed to either not care or not notice that he was completely surrounded by Spartans. That was all part of the plan, to surround and destroy their enemies with overwhelming numbers. As the Spartan General watched his soldiers surrounded the players and began attacking them mercilessly. The damage they inflicted was minimal, but death could come by a thousand cuts as easily as it could come through one swift thrust.

Hefting his shield up onto his arm, Leonidas took the initiative to inspire his troops. With a rallying cry the Spartan General charged forward, his shield lowered, and ran straight at Calrex. Slamming into the tank with the full force of his shield and weight Leonidas spun to the side and his shield flicked out to catch Oikawa across the back. Lowering his shield again, Leonidas charged off across the field hitting Lowenthal with enough force to literally bulldoze the knife fighter before crushing Seul with a full body blow as well.

Rolls and Order:

Glowing red eyes traced the outline of his Phalanxes as their ranks were devastated with blow after blow, the effects of the amulets sending elements of nature into the air and ears of the players and monsters. The geysers of flame and earth-shattering eruptions did little in the way of mechanical detriments, yet how it affected the individual was unpredictable. Even so, Leonidas and the remnants of his men pressed on, attacking players in turn when the opportunity arose, although the Phalanxes were more successful than Leonidas in that endeavor.

ROLLS

HP / POST ORDER

His men were falling behind him in force, taken out in large strides by the amulet-buffed players. It was a difficult spectacle to behold, but he would press on regardless, for faltering now even under the continuous assault of the players surely meant defeat. Even as their onslaught upon him continued, Leonidas persisted, charging forward and stopping in front of Seul. His leg was lifted high and slammed into the chest of the player, throwing him backward and inflicting the dreaded «Stunned» status upon him. In the background, the battle of the players versus the Phalanxes continued. Each of the groups attacked their own target in turn, inflicting minimal to negligible chunks of damage unto the players. It was truly frustrating for the monster, whose pre-programmed responses lead to a loud and guttural growl.

ACTIVATED ABILITIES

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RANDOM TARGETING TABLE

HP / POST ORDER

More players charged and began devastating his Spartans, their heavy bronze shields doing little to stop the powerful amulet-augmented advance. Plumes of fire, gales of wind, geysers of water, and earth-rattling booms resounded in the battlefield behind him. Before the gigantic Spartan Warrior King would act, a loud horn echoed off the walls of the narrow ravine, bringing his men to a halt, if only for a moment. Leonidas himself was unfazed and unimpressed by the Player's horn that had paralyzed the two-hundred fifty odd Spartans that remained.

Instead of shuddering and stalling like the others, he raised his shield. Bellowing out a loud and throaty battle cry, Leonidas stormed forward, his pathing taking him from one player to the next in his charge. Bare feet against the ground emitted thunderous thuds with each step that took him from Calrex to Mack, and then from Mack to Baldur and Lawfer, slamming his shield into each in turn. The damage appeared negligible when he came to a stop, earning a low growl from within his chest.

ACTIVATED ABILITIES

ROLLS

RANDOM TARGETING TABLE

And so the first embers of the fires of battle were sparked, destined to spread into a blazing wildfire of conflict. Leonidas' glowing red eyes watched as the first two players engaged his men, bulldozing their way through the ranks and diving right into the fray. Geysers of fire and powerful gales of wind ripped through the valley as Spartans fell one by one, but Leonidas was unimpressed. While the gaggle of players was still assembled, Leonidas raised his shield arm and thrust it forward. As he did so, five large catapults appeared from bright lights behind the Phalanxes. In turn with his arm, the catapults released their earthen payload. Three large stones, coated in oil and lit aflame, soared above the Phalanxes and Leonidas himself. Two of the onagers misfired, and their projectiles plowed through the ranks of the fifth Phalanx, damaging them considerably. In addition to the appearance of the catapults, the already overcast skies above began to darken considerably.

Still unimpressed, Leonidas slammed his foot onto the ground and charged forward, bare feet thunderously pounding across the earth as he approached the ground of players. He stopped in front of Lowenthal and raised his left leg, slamming it into the chest of the ginger-haired player. The sheer force would send him toppling across the ground, and the initial contact having shaved a small portion of his life gauge away.

The Phalanxes attacked as well, their hoards striking out at Calrex, Teayre, and Takao in turn. The damage dealt was minimal at best, the armour of the players proving to best their spears and shields, but they persevered nonetheless.

ACTIVATED ABILITIES

ROLLS

RANDOM TARGETING TABLE

HP / POST ORDER

The "doors" have opened.

Players who do not post within 24 hours of their turn receive 15 unmitigatable damage and will be skipped. If a Player is skipped a total of three times, they forfeit any potential rewards and will continue to take damage.

Placeholder posts not edited within the 24 hour time-frame will not count.

                                                                                           Good luck!                                                                                          

Theme

"Boss Room" Description
Leonidas and his Three-Hundred Spartans stand in the mouth of a narrow mountain pass. The pass itself is only, perhaps, four hundred meters long and, if the players squint, they can see the door leading to the stairwell that will advance them to the next floor standing closed behind Leonidas and his soldiers. The area is fairly rocky and barren and the calk white cliffs that frame the pass make it apparent that they could never be scaled, meaning the players cannot simply go around Leonidas and his soldiers any more than the soldiers can scale the cliffs to escape. Battle is the only way forward, through Leonidas and all of his men.

- x -

"SPARTANS!" Bellowed the commanding voice of Leonidas, who had remained silent and statue-like since the arrival of the players in his pass. The power of his voice resounded against the tall cliffs, echoing far and undoubtedly catching the attention of the players.  The three hundred behind him hollered at attention, and spammed the butts of their spears on the ground. Sixty of them stood in rank and file, shoulder to shoulder with their fellow soldier, tall spears raised high and large bronze shields held ready at their side. The sight was no doubt daunting, a battle on a scale of which few players could have ever boasted to have seen.

"This-... is where we hold them!" He said, lifting and slamming the butt of his spear on the ground. "This is where we fight, and this is where they die!" His loud words inspired the men standing in formation behind him, each lifting their shield and roaring a battle cry in response. Their howls shook the soil on the ground and the mountains that enclosed them. Leonidas turned, glowing red eyes set upon the dozen of so figures in the distance. Their shields lowered and they took up their battle positions, battered bronze shields covering their bodies and long spears pointed outward.

"Remember this day, men... for it will be yours, for all time. Give them nothing-..." Leonidas roared, raising his own shield and pointing his spear forward, ready for battle. "But take from them... everything!"

- x -

Rolls / Battle Order:

"Eight thousand and only perhaps twenty soldiers," Leonidas asked in a haughty tone before offering a short, barking laugh. "SPARTANS," the King roared out, turning his head slightly to direct his voice over his shoulder. As one the ranks of soldiers behind him beat their spears against their bronze shields and roared their allegiance to city and king. "As you see, I have brought more soldiers. We guard our city and the Gates of the Olympian Steps, which lead to realms in the heavens above. You may be Persian or a Persian ally, so we will not permit you to pass and even if you were Greeks from other cities, we would not permit you passage. Guardianship of the Gates of the Olympian Steps is our holy and sacred duty, received by myself and my men collectively through a vision of Ares and we shall fight to the last man to defend the gateway." Leonidas sneered down at the swordsman before him, who was this man, a mere boy really, to think that he could somehow best the King of Sparta and his elite troops?

"We Spartans value bravery, honor, and skill at arms. You are brave to stand before the King of Sparta, you don't quake and quail like a sniveling Persian or cowardly Athenian, and you must have skill at arms to have come so far alone," the King said after a few moments thought. Holding out his right hand to Takao, the King offered the scout five talismens dangling from simple leather thongs. The talismans were wrought in gold and bore the lightning bolt of Zeus, the trident of Poseidon, the skull of Hades, the sword of Ares, and the sun of Apollo. "If you challenge us for passage through the Gates of the Olympian Steps you may bestow these amulets upon five of your warriors. They are imbued with the immortal power of the gods themselves and will balance the terms of our combat. A fair fight, that is what we shall have. Now, be gone and return with the army of your people that we might learn, once and for all, who is superior."

Without another word the King dropped the amulets to the ground and Takao's feet. Turning on his heel with a swirl of his crimson cape Leonidas returned to stand before his men and await the true challenge of the Band of Heroes spoken of by the brown haired youth.

"If you're not a Persian then who are you and how many do you represent," Leonidas demanded, glowering down at the brown haired swordsman. The Greek King of Sparta was in no mood to be trifled with, but his dark eyes hadn't failed to miss the fact that the scout had removed his hand from his weapon. It seemed clear he was no assassin, and probably no fool. Of course, it remained to be seen on that front. There was a fine line between brave and stupid. "You're not an envoy from any of the other cities, I recognize neither your accent nor your colors. How many soldiers do you bring with you and what do you seek?" The Spartan King continued with his questioning, repeating his demand to know who Takao represented and how many there might eventually be coming with him.

OOC: A BOSS YOU CAN TALK TO!

A bronze spear flashed through the air and slammed into the ground at Takao's feet just as he was preparing to begin trying to ascend the mountain which could not be climbed. Where mere moments before there had been nothing in the pass now, shimmering into being through the magic of the Sword Art Online game engine there was a small army of of soldiers. Each of the men was clad from head to foot in dull bronze armor, armed with heavy shields, and spears that were easily twice as long as any of them were tall. In front of the phalanx stood a single figure encased in bronze armor and a sword hanging at his side. Slowly, he advanced on Takao while his men stood silent as sentinels behind him.

"You're a brave scout, Persian to be out here so far from your own lines," the armor clad figure barked. Reaching out he wrapped his free right hand around the spear and ripped it from the ground before leveling the weapon at Takao's chest. "Does your king wish to speak with me? Does he wish to surrender? Why have you come to Thermopylae alone? Leonidas, the King of Sparta demands your answer and, unlike the Athenian dogs my patience is not limitless. Speak now and deliver your message." Beneath the bronze helmet covering the dark haired King's head, Leonidas' eyes narrowed dangerously. The scout had come alone, a brave and worthy deed. He had even approached the pass openly instead of skulking about like some Athenian coward. That had earned the respect of the King, but respect would only bring patience for so long.