Takeshi

He smiles in his helmet as he looks and listens to @Dominion's suggestion. He has nothing to create in Homunculus despite having three materials remaining, since he is simply waiting for someone to hopefully drop an order into the shop. He gives him a nod and holster his weapon as he moves along. The day is still long, there is virtually no way that he can give up now. The hopes of finding Kaname dawns upon Takeshi's mind once more as he ventures deeper into the woods with Dominion.

But now he is expecting some more lions to probably guarding this whole area and attacking any random passerby, and if this is true, the uncle must have being really desperate to keep his toy from being taken. Takeshi clenches his fists as he feels the desire to beat the s**t out of the uncle, somebody like him do not deserve to live in his perspective. 

Takeshi stares at @Macradon with his stoic expression as he hears the joke, finding it to be quite 'meh' in his mind unless he is a trap. That would make the joke more effective to the afro warrior. His gaze shifts towards Macrodon's sword and examines its features, the blade looks a little larger than its handle, and it has a serrated double edge cut near its hilt. Takeshi is very impressed with the blade as he imagines that this sword must have deal a very fat load of damage.

As he smiles while saying, "Nice sword," to Macrodon, a commotion ensues somewhere in the ballroom. Macrodon immediately beckons Takeshi to come with him so he can see the duel in his own eyes. Without hesitation, Takeshi nods and does so. Soon, he sees two participants wearing no armor, only equipped with their sword and Sword Art. He has a feeling that the duel will turn nasty somehow.

The lion coughs up blood as it falls onto the ground, dying from the rapid loss of blood thanks to the injury it received from @Dominion. As quickly as he can, Takeshi heads to its small cave and looks around. Unfortunately, there is no sign of Kaname, and judging by the size of the cave, Takeshi determines that the lion he fought wasn't the uncle at all. If it was, Kaname would have been here, imprisoned in whatever cell he is trapped in. The old lion was either just protecting its territory or it was ordered by the uncle to kill any rescuers. 

He walks towards Dominion as he shakes his head, his expression shows a mix of disappointment and frustration. They practically fought the lion for nothing. At this point, Takeshi decides whether he calls it a day, or keep searching. He has the feeling that the monk may be conflicted into choosing such options.

By mere chance, the blade lands onto the soft paw of the old lion, severing it as it bellows at a loud volume. Takeshi quickly unleashes his Sword Art against it by slashing its neck and face simultaneously in three quick successions. At the same time, he notices @Dominion preparing to strike with his own attack, and steps back as he lets him do so. Though his damage isn't as high as Takeshi's, at least it still brings down the old lion's health even by a margin. At this point, he isn't fully aware that he himself is still suffering from the bleeding effect.

The old lion grits its sharp teeth as it recovers quickly and attempts to knock Takeshi's body with its head. So far, it only succeeded in banging against the sun shield. Takeshi also relies on his speed as he dodges some of its incoming attacks. The old lion then retreats at a small distance and, in desperation, pounces towards Takeshi's direction with a formidable roar.

The attack took Takeshi by surprise, and if he isn't wearing the gambeson beneath his chainmail, he would have a serious cut at his back. Parts of his chainmail are torn off in addition to a bleeding, scratched back, and for a moment he quickly steps back and raises his shield up in a way that an army would do to form a shield wall. As the old lion growls while grinding the ground with its claws, Takeshi feels a tap on his shoulder and sees that his HP has being restored fully. He immediately realized who healed him and smiles as he mutters, "Thanks."

 @Dominion is useful for this particular fight, after all. With his calm state combined with high confidence, he slowly advances forward as the old lion lets out another growl before both of them sprint towards each other. Claw and shield clash against each other as each of them exchange blows, all attempts are avoided or blocked by them. It would take a while before one of them may actually land a hit against the other.

"I don't believe so," says Takeshi. "But I can make do." 

He keeps on walking forwards, venturing deep into the forest as the entire area is awfully quiet. Usually he would hear the sounds of birds chirping, crickets or any other typical forest ambient noise. This time, everything except the rustling of leaves are silenced, as if the sources are entirely eliminated. Feeling a little uneasy, Takeshi draws out his sword as he keeps looking around for clues leading to Kaname.

As he passes a tree covered by moss, he notices large footprints trailing ahead to the diagonal left direction. Confident that this is the path to the supposed location, he follows it with his shield raised. As he reaches the end of the footprints, he hears an onminous growling above him, it sounds like a mix of a lion and a bear. Haven't Takeshi jumped away from where he is standing, he would be mauled by a lion that was somehow perching on top of a large branch.

He quickly turns around and back away as he set his eyes towards the aggressive creature. It is old and frail, but still has enough strength for one fight. Its mane is very messy, and for several occasions it would huff out angrily, as if Takeshi stole something from it. The lion's claws are similar to a small sized dagger's blade, potentially causing a victim to bleed out (+1 Bleed). The lion lets out a frail, but unnerving roar as Takeshi immediately charges towards it.

Regaining his composure, Takeshi stands up and looks around as everybody else seems to be in the dancing spirit. If there is one time he could cheer himself up, this would be it now. He walks around the ballroom as he eats one more sweet, looking at the decorative ceilings and making sure that he isn't in the dancers' way. He sees a female player named Zandra looking for males that can potentially dance with her, and there is also a pair of twins with different personalities, one of them is notably flirtatious towards her 'hero', Aereath. 

And then there is the player dancing with his sword, still looking as awkward as ever to Takeshi's eyes, though he understands the feeling of not being able to have a partner. Wanting to see him up close, Takeshi heads towards him as he grips the handle of his sword, suddenly feeling like dueling even though he has no shield with him. As soon as he is close to him, he realizes his level and declines himself to initiate a duel with him. Greeting would be fine.

@Macradon

As the music begins to get itself spiced up, Takeshi notices that a lot of the attendants are already dancing with their respective partners. Some are slow, others are improving and gradually getting themselves better. The silliest thing he ever sees at this point is that a male player is dancing with his sword, probably so he wouldn't feel left out.

He stares blankly at the open window as memories of his dead friend, Riki suddenly comes into his mind. He remembers how the androgynous boy took him to a dance before just for s**ts and giggles. He happened to wear a dress for some reason, and because of that, along with the dance, that was when Takeshi pretty much fell for him. He even remembered the time when Riki teased him for his bisexuality, followed by passionate kissing and making out. 

These memories made Takeshi felt like he had a mini heart attack, for deep down, part of him still couldn't get his friend off his mind. He tries to hold back his manly tears as his face still remains stoic as ever. The music is temporarily unrecognizable to his ears before he snaps back to reality, almost choking on a sweet he is munching on.

Finishing his cigarette, Takeshi extinguishes it onto a small patch of snow that happens to be on the balcony, and goes back inside to throw it into the bin. The music is about to start as he finds an empty seat that faces the window and of course, the majority of the attendants. As he crosses his legs on the chair, he notices a hooded female player seemingly to teach her friend on the maneuvers of a ball dance. Many more are conversing, but what's disturbing to him is that some of them are marked orange, and he doesn't understand why the guards would let these people in. 

Hell, he can even imagine the orange players to suddenly go berserk while attempting to break the 'no-kill' rule. He hopes deeply that their weapons are at least confiscated or rebated enough to not cause a mortal injury against an innocent upon impact. He takes some sweets and eats them as the music suddenly starts to sound like Beethoven's 9th Symphony, Op.125 to his ears. Damn..if only he doesn't constantly think of the good ol ultraviolence thanks to the music.

Takeshi stares at the bustling city lights as the winter breeze becomes a little chillier than before. He puffs out another smoke as he could hear the noises of both the party and the cheering citizens, all of them are having such a grand time in a way that there must be some sort of celebration in the fourth floor. Oh right...Valentine's. 

He looks upwards as he stares at the stars, trying his best to find the constellation Leo even though he isn't sure if the familiar constellations exist in Aincrad's outer space. The moon shines brightly as its ray of light is directed towards Takeshi like a hero, prompting him to feel a sense of peacefulness and isolation. He plans to go back inside once the cigarette's done, hopefully there is someone he can talk to.

It is after another puff of smoke that he notices Teion, the owner of 'Forged By The Sun,' a blacksmith shop that he frequently visits for new equipment. Seeing her reminds himself of a new shield he recently purchased, it is notable for its mostly golden surface and a large shape or figure that supposedly resembles the sun itself. He would be trying to use that for his next adventure.

Soon he feels a bit of snowflakes falling here and there. This still doesn't deter him from smoking though, as he isn't worried about the narcotic being extinguished by the winter. He looks up once more as he keeps finding Leo.

Coming back here almost feels like a surreal experience to Takeshi, it is as if he just comes into a new home that he is getting accustomed to. Walking around the shop, he notices Teion again and simply gives her a small wave before heading to the counter to browse some items. None of them seems to suit him or at his price range, especially when he only has enough COL for armor and shields.

Takeshi soon notices a round shield with a sun-like shape forged onto the metal surface. He is impressed at its golden trim, which gives its edge a shiny touch. He looks at the price and becomes a little confused of how this one, along with other armor with the same quality have lower prices than the weapons'. However, he doesn't feel like asking this kind of question to Teion, so he just pays with his COL and takes the shield, knocking it with its knuckles to feel the hardness of the metal. As he feels satisfied at the resonating sound it makes upon impact, he thanks you with a tip before exiting the shop.

[PAID 375 COL FOR SOLAR ECLIPSE. LEFT 60 AS A TIP]

Though he is laughed at his silly assumption that the Ascendants are a holy guild, he is quite satisfied that he is welcome to join. Additionally, he receives a friend request from Hikoru himself, there are options to accept or decline his friendship. Without any hesitation, he taps his finger onto the green button, prompting the HUD to display the message 'You are now friends with Hikoru!' 

Now that is done, he moves on to wander around the ballroom, wondering what to do to occupy his time here. He sees a few players dancing together like lovely couples or friends, most of them are trying their best to move in perfect sync and grace. He looks away as he moves on, staring at the tall, big windows to find one of them open.

No one seems to be standing at the balcony outside, and that looks like a good spot to smoke too. Takeshi inhales deeply as he proceeds to the window and steps out to the balcony, catching his sights towards two gargoyles standing guard on the balcony. He gets onto it and leans against one of the beastly sculptures while slouching comfortably, taking out a cigarette. After lighting it up as usual, he puts it between his lips and lets it be at this point, blowing out a large and thick smoke at the opposite direction. He makes sure he doesn't blow towards the window or the smell would infiltrate the ball's grand atmosphere.

After drinking his iced lemonade, Takeshi stands up and carefully walks towards @Hikoru, noting that he is conversing with other players including a guy named Beat. Both him and Hikoru seems to be talking about agreeing onto something, possibly a proposal of some sort as Beat's answer includes the word. Takeshi remains still as he lets the conversation flow onwards before engaging one with Hikoru. It isn't very long though, and as soon as Takeshi finishes scanning the entire ballroom, Beat had said something about the proposal "not being a problem."

At this point, Takeshi feels like he is open to speak with Hikoru, so he moves past the crowd, muttering a polite 'Excuse me' if someone gets in his way. As he approaches the Paladin, he bows a little to him and speaks out, "My name is Takeshi..are you one of the Paladins of the Ascendants? I wish to be a new member of the holy guild." 

He resists his urge to sweat as he hopes that Hikoru's response would be positive, even if he is declined to join the guild.

"The back alley," says Takeshi as he dons his chainmail armor and his great helmet, having his entire afro hair fit into the latteror . As he arms himself with his sword and shield, he starts walking towards one of the said alleys, hoping that there is a clue to the path to the uncle's home. The amount of people and noise gradually reduce as he keeps on walking further with @Dominion. It only takes a few minutes for both of them to reach one of the alleyways, which leads to nothing but a dead end in the form of the city walls.

That part of the wall, though, is fragile. Takeshi thinks that some thieves or refugees forgot to seal that spot properly after making their escape or entrance. Ahead of the hole is a grassy path leading to some trees, and then the forest itself.

"Should be this way," Takeshi speaks with a tone that shouts out 'confidence'.

"Kaname...has an uncle, the one that imprisoned him. I don't know him but...I had a hunch that he may be strong and tough, maybe like a Nemean Lion," Takeshi explains as he blows out a small smoke, away from your direction. "According to Kaname, his uncle lives somewhere that can be accessed within the town, or its walls. The passage should lead to a forest of some sort."

Though he still isn't sure of whether he has the information @Dominion asked, it is the best he can think of so far. He waits for his answer as he stares at the window briefly, muttering that "I am low on materials. The shop so far have two useful potions and one ipsum..."

The sad thing about his business is that he never receive any sort of orders from customers, perhaps due to the fact that they already have what they need. Takeshi starts to think that even ipsums may not be very impactful to serious combatants, other than for s**ts and giggles.

Takeshi looks around and notices @Dominion, noting his monk-like appearance as he determines that maybe he can help him in rescuing Kaname. Whoever his uncle is, he senses that he is a powerful lion with tough flesh, sharp claws and fangs, and maybe high or low intelligence. Soloing sounds like a bad idea at this point, especially when Takeshi never met Kaname's uncle yet. He blows out another smoke as he stands up and walk towards the table where Dominion is sitting at.

"May I sit here..?" Takeshi speaks as he grabs a chair and glances at the monk's eyes. "And will it be okay if I ask for help today? There is someone I want to rescue."

Looking at Dominion's current level, Takeshi have high hopes that he can be a very useful support in defeating the uncle and, if possible, finding the location where Kaname is imprisoned.

Takeshi eats his meal while glancing around the entire ballroom, noting some of the elaborate dresses or suits worn by the players. He feels like he is in an interview prior to an annual gladiatorial event as he catches his sight on a black dress with a fluffy skirt worn by a female player named Kooh. The dress looks more Gothic-based than medieval, and though it looks a little revealing, he assumes that it is at least formal in its own way. The strong wind of a fan above him causes his large afro hair to flow along the wind's motions like a flame. 

Takeshi finishes his hashbrowns as he sets his eyes towards @Hikoru. As far as he knows, the player is one of the Paladins of the holy guild, Celestial Ascendants. This was mentioned in its introductory post in the guilds board within the city. Since Hikoru is here, Takeshi wonders if he can actually ask him since he wishes to join among the ranks of the guild. Worrying about his food first, Takeshi moves on to finish his lamb as he plans to smoke somewhere here soon. He has a slightly bad feeling that some arrogant player might want to challenge him, perhaps due to stupid reasons like his afro hair.

Receiving a surprise invitation to a supposedly Valentine's Day event in the fourth floor, Takeshi ponders about what lies within the event itself. Since it is set in Amour Castle, he imagines dozens of exquisite food and dress, grand interiors and maybe the rich presence of high level players. Even though fighting is something he does in his daily life, he decides that he should go anyway, just to ease his mind. After all, attending an event with high prestige is a rarity in Aincrad for him. 

Takeshi isn't surprised at the fact that every equipment, excluding his weapon, are prohibited in the castle. What sort of ball would contain mobs or boss fights? Certainly everybody will not have a lovely day at the presence of monsters or unwanted player criminals. Takeshi moves on to extend his stay in the tavern, and keeps his armor, shield and healing potions in his room. He also managed to find a tailor shop that lets him borrow a suit for a fee. For some reason, the suit makes him look like Jules Winnfield with a bigger afro hair and a sword instead of a gun.

In the late evening, as the sun finishes setting, Takeshi makes his way to Amour Castle in his suit, his sword hanging at his waist. Arriving there isn't a big deal for him, as the armed guards take a good look at his suit and his weapon before letting him in. 

"I advise you to never explore the other forbidden areas of the castle," one of the guards inquire as Takeshi pays full attention. "His Majesty will be very displeased, and even if he allows you to, you won't gain much from just exploring the castle. Be in your best behaviour, okay? Have fun in there."

Nodding at the guard with a small smile, Takeshi enters the main ballroom, and much to his delight, the interiors and decorations are very majestic to the point where he thinks that he is in Hampton Court for a second. Wasting no time in admiring the view, Takeshi walks around as he observes the other attendants, all seemingly to have friends with themselves. He heads to the food area as he takes a plate of grilled lamb and hashbrowns before sitting at an empty chair at the dining table to eat.

THE SUIT

Kaname, the white lion cub is still fresh in Takeshi's mind as he is having a meal of venison stew and lemonade in the inn. He is really eager to rescue him, but he isn't sure where he can find the uncle's home. Since this is where he had his dream, Kaname saying that he is nearby the location he should find may indicate that it is accessible somewhere within the city, or its own walls...

Takeshi leans against the chair as he finishes his meal, looking at the players and NPCs discreetly. The latter do what they are typically programmed to do: eating, cleaning utensils, finalizing payments and so on. The players today make almost no discussions regarding the front lines or anything else that are related to finishing the game. It is as if they had embraced their lives in this fantastic realm, just like Takeshi. He stops glancing at them as he takes out a cigarette, lights it up and blows out a smoke. With the cigarette between his lips, he surveys his equipment as he wonders on whenever he should continue his works in Homunculus or not today.

Readying for the adventure, Takeshi gives Alice a respectful nod as he clearly says, "Lead the way." Wondering where you would be going, the only unique location he could ever think of right now is the tree house spot in the Forest of Wandering Mist. To this day, the isolated buildings give him a bit of the willies, especially after discovering that it used to belong to a disturbing cult with a holy religion as its 'front cover.' 

He moves ahead a little as he plans to slow down today,  letting Alice walking up front while maintaining his guard. The worst thing he can ever expect would be a sudden ambush from skillful, orange players, especially when they are at high levels. In fact, he really doesn't want to fight players unless they are either total assh**es to him or they are consent at fighting him. He isn't fully the cold blooded killer he used to be. Looking at Alice and Damien only made him feel a little miserable at the fact that he lost most of his friends.

Regardless, he tries hard to push such thoughts away as he focuses on continuing today's journey. There seems to be a foreboding tower of some sort at a distance.

@Damien

To be edited soon

CRAFTING ATTEMPTS

Name: Antidotum

Profession: Alchemist

Rank: 1

ID: 76374

Roll: 10

Type: Potion

Quantity: 1

Quality: Uncommon

Enhancement: Cures the ailment currently suffered by the drinker including, but not limited to Bleed and Venom.

Description: A liquid with magical properties that eliminates all kinds of ailments. Use it only if the effects are actually fatal.

Post Link: 

Thanks to the abundance of the materials and a recipe book he borrowed from a kind alchemist, Takeshi is able to experiment his chemicals further. Surprisingly, it takes a few easy attempts to actually create his first ipsum and an antidote.

The antidote is self explanatory, but for his ipsum, Albedo's Sunny D, it is something that randomly came across his mind. Even Takeshi doesn't understand why he was creating it, but it was done anyway. Perhaps he is trying to help somebody to 'open up' in terms of love, though the potion is somehow irrelevant to that..

After pouring the finished chemicals into their respective flasks, Takeshi leans against the chair, happy that he was finally being able to not experiencing a single failure of his work today. He stares at his ipsum as he wonders who in the world will ever drink it...surely only the desperate would fit as its owner...

CRAFTING ATTEMPTS

CREATED POTIONS/IPSUMS

The town is quite crowded by the time Takeshi arrives at the entrance. Walking past the players, he heads to an inn for a drink and a light meal, despite the fact that he ate venison just more than an hour ago. Finding a seat in the inn is no trouble, and he is able to sit just near the fireplace. Rain begins to fall as Takeshi orders a big cup of ice cold lemonade and chicken soup.

After finishing his meal, Takeshi takes out a cigarette and lights it up, blowing out a smoke towards the fireplace. He puts it between his lips and leans against the chair to stare at the other players. Aside from eating, many of them are having conversations that are ranging from the casual ones to strategies regarding the advancement of the front lines. Takeshi randomly thinks of the guilds that he would love to join. Blood Knights is the first to come to his mind, but when he heard about another guild called Celestial Ascendants, he changes his mind. The only question is..how to join it, and where can he go to meet the paladins..?

Being a holy warrior sounds like a good idea, if he can get his familiar first..

-- THREAD COMPLETE (QUEST FAILED, TO BE CONTINUED) --

OBTAINED 1 SP

OBTAINED 400 COL 

OBTAINED 2 MATERIALS

Finishing his daydreaming about that remarkable dream, Takeshi opens his eyes as the fire flickers quite weakly, wind is blowing across his face as the rain will fall soon. He simply lets the wind do its work to extinguish the flame as he is prepared to leave. Standing up, he looks around and noticed a house with a closed door, something that is rare among the rest of the decrepit buildings.

Takeshi proceeds towards it and slowly, he opens the door to find alchemic chemicals and ingredients sitting on the table. Considering this encounter as pure luck, he smiles as he goes to them and puts them in his inventory. Maybe he can reopen shop again with these materials. He looks around for any more things worth collecting, but so far there are only old antiques that would have been valuable to the real world, not in Aincrad. Takeshi exits the house.