Vigilon

Let's roll, shall we!?

ID# 222008 BD: 4+4-1=7(hit), CD: 12(ST-B Available!)

ID# 222009 BD: 2+4-1=5(miss)

AoE-II: 28x18=504 Damage to Greater Fire Elemental 2!

[0,1] Krysta | HP 897/897 | EN 97/112 | 28 DMG | 98 MIT | 4 ACC | 4 EVA | 26 BH | 8 REC | 8 HLY | 48 BLD | 3 LD | 3 Pros.
[2,1] Vigilon | HP 920/920 | EN 85/114 | 28 DMG | 98 MIT | 4 ACC | 4 EVA | 56 BRN | 32 BLGT | 16 FLN | 9 LD | 3 Pros.
[2,0] Morningstar | HP: 851/851 | EN: 106/106 | DMG: 26 | ACC: 6 | EVA: 1 | MIT: 182 | LD: 9 | AA: 1 | VO: 122 | STK: 40/24 | BH: 15 | Pros: III
[3,3] Freyd | HP: 1279/1357 (1357-78) | EN: 152/152 | DMG: 26 | MIT: 163 | EVA: 5 | ACC: 7 | BH: 74 | LD: 8 | FLN: 16 | HLY: 16 | REC: 8 | PROB: 36 | BRN 56 (0/2)

Greater Fire Elemental 2 | HP 1944/4000 | 240 DMG | 2 ACC | 1 EVA | DELAY | STK: 40 (1/2)
Greater Fire Elemental 3 | HP 2461/4000 | 240 DMG | 2 ACC | 1 EVA 

• Wildfire Rush | AoE on CD 10-12
• Spirit of Fire | Immune to Burn, Bleed, Envenom, and Stun. T4 Burn on MD 9-10.

                                       Morningstar shared some thoughts to Freyd, who proceeded to groan into his cowl before admitting that he had the tracking skill the whole damn time. Vigilon considered remarking, "And you didn't think to tell us when Krysta asked?", but, well, better late then never, so 
Vigilon decided to try and overlook this for now. Freyd asked what the endgoal was for what the party was now doing. "I mean, Krysta's calling the shots here, but if they really planned on creating an ambush made entirely of potentially dangerous monsters like Morningstar theorized, it would be a problem if they were to have the frontlines overrun. Sure, there's a chance we could make it out of the mess alive, but I'm pretty sure there are quite a few in the front who wouldn't want to take any chances." Vigilon noted. "That being said, if it were up to me, I'd try to at least increase our odds by taking out as many of the monsters as possible, weaken their captured garrisons until the plan proves ineffective." He thought aloud. "After all, they'd be much weaker individually than they would be in a large mass of a swarm."

                           Freyd would reveal the current distance and direction of the tracked player, then suggest to unleash the captured monsters onto the Cinnabar goons instead. "...No offense Freyd, but as you've probably noticed, not all of us are stealthy enough to pull it off." Vigilon remarked. The excuse he decided not to say, however, was that as long as the party didn't get overwhelmed, it might prove to be a mild grinding opportunity, get an extra paragon or two before the raid if at all possible. Any experience is better than no experience, and the same would go for col, for those in need. Seeing that the Cinnabar Goons wasted their chances for experience or loot in attempt to pull off a cruel plot, Vigilon thought it might be neat to reap the benefits of fighting the monsters off a little at a time, while adding insult to injury against the opposing Guild simultaneously.

                                             Soon, Vigilon could faintly hear a voice in the distance, so he positioned both his hand and his ear as to hear more clearly. "I'm sure of it. What happens, happens. Just...be ready, you dimwit."
                         Alvion.
              The faint sound of footsteps was briefly heard, which probably meant that he wasn't there anymore...but could the same be said for whoever he might have been talking to? "Well Krysta," Vigilon began. "Let's see if your preferred attempt will work first."

             With that, he made his way over towards the source of sound, finding two more Cinnabar Players, each working with one stone box. "Up to anything in particular?" He asked. The two Cinnabar goons flinched and then looked to see Vigilon. "None of your concern." The first goon shot back. Vigilon's expression became a deadpan. "Of course, what else could I expect...from someone so obviously trying to hide something, like...oh, I dunno...whatever it is you call 'Operation Pompeii', perhaps?" Vigilon remarked. Both Cinnabar players looked ready to start sweating buckets. "He uh, from that party the other guy was talking about? The same one that we were messaged a warning about? Whaddo we do?" Spoke the second goon softly, to the first. "Did you not hear the details? You should know what to do by now." Claimed the first Cinnabar Player. Said Cinnabar player would then facepalm as the second Cinnabar goon would pull a paper out of his inventory. "Well uh... 'If confirmed resistance is encountered, be prepared to retaliate against hostile force if necessary'." He read aloud.
       Regardless if the other party members were with Vigilon by now or not, Vigilon would near-quietly remark, "You know you're sending the wrong guy when he has to bring paper instructions he'll read out loud..."
                    The second Cinnabar Goon would then look to his distraught ally. "Well, I dunno, maybe we could let the mobs do it, I don't feel like getting an orange cursor." Very clearly agitated, the first Cinnabar player would proceed to have an outburst. "That's not even what it meant! That's not even the current situation! I don't even know why you were let into this operation in the first place!!" The player stopped, then looked to the party of frontliner players. "Uhhh, ignore the dummy beside me, he doesn't know what he's doing, and he's definitely not gonna release the-"
                       "Oops, already done, let's go." The second goon interrupted, holding both of the boxes' lock rods in his hands. The first goon's face went pale. "Damn it, you weren't supposed to do that! Now we've got two less for the operation! Just- ugh, come on, you damn idiot, let's get out of here before we become targets!" He burst out, before grabbing the second goon by his armor and dragging him away, as the second goon had nothing else for the party but an emotionless expression and a hand up in a rude gesture.

        Vigilon blinked. "Well...that happened." As if on cue, the two stone boxes burst open, revealing the two Fire Elementals that were trapped inside. One appearing as a large serpent, the other appearing like a lion. Both set their sights on the party of players in front of them, and their cursors turned red. Vigilon sighed. "Here we go."
       So much for trying to settle this the easy way...well, now onto grinding while foiling plans. Vigilon drew his sword, and tore into both Elementals. However, these two seemed to suffer less of a drop in their HP as the first encounter's Elemental did... "Looks like these might be a little stronger, keep your eyes open!" He added.

ID# 220446 BD: 3+4-1=6(hit)

ID# 220447 BD: 3+4-3=6(hit)

AoE-I: 28x15=420 Damage to Greater Fire Elementals 2 and 3!

[0-0]Krysta | HP 897/897 | EN 112/112 | 28 DMG | 98 MIT | 4 ACC | 4 EVA | 26 BH | 8 REC | 8 HLY | 48 BLD | 3 LD | 3 Pros.
[1-1]Vigilon | HP 920/920 | EN 97/114 | 28 DMG | 98 MIT | 4 ACC | 4 EVA | 56 BRN | 32 BLGT | 16 FLN | 9 LD | 3 Pros.
[0-0]Morningstar | HP: 851/851 | EN: 106/106 | DMG: 26 | ACC: 6 | EVA: 1 | MIT: 182 | LD: 9 | AA: 1 | VO: 122 | STK: 40/24 | BH: 15 | Pros: III
[0-0]Freyd | HP: 1357/1357 | EN: 152/152 | DMG: 26 | MIT: 163 | EVA: 5 | ACC: 7 | BH: 74 | LD: 8 | FLN: 16 | HLY: 16 | REC: 8 | PROB: 36

Greater Fire Elemental 2: HP 3580/4000 | 240 DMG | 2 ACC | 1 EVA 

<<Wildfire Rush>>: When rolling a CD 10-12 during its attack, this monster's attack becomes an AoE and must be rolled for the other players in the target's party.
<<Spirit of Fire>>: Greater Fire Elemental is immune to Burn, Bleed, Envenom, and Stun, and inflicts T4 Burn on Critical rolls of MD 9-10.

Greater Fire Elemental 3: HP 3580/4000 | 240 DMG | 2 ACC | 1 EVA 

<<Wildfire Rush>>: When rolling a CD 10-12 during its attack, this monster's attack becomes an AoE and must be rolled for the other players in the target's party.
<<Spirit of Fire>>: Greater Fire Elemental is immune to Burn, Bleed, Envenom, and Stun, and inflicts T4 Burn on Critical rolls of MD 9-10.

                 Vigilon blinked, then checked his skill list while Freyd did absolutely nothing. "...I don't have tracking." Vigilon realized. "I've got Night Vision, I've got Detect, but I don't have Tracking."

                       Alas, it looked like the party would be going in blind. "Let's try going along the path we were going earlier, see if any of the other Cinnabar goons are dumb enough to cross the path where we can find them." He suggested, wondering if there were any other Operation Pompeii operatives who had the same thought process as the two idiots from earlier, as they might have another captured monster for the players to take out. After all, if they did turn out to be dangerous enough to be a threat in great numbers, taking them out while they were still separated would be the best way to diffuse the plot, in Vigilon's opinion. In the end, he could only hope.

                               Vigilon thought for a minute, considering Morningstar's theory. The monster they fought was surprisingly easy to take down, but it was alone... A whole onslaught of them might prove to be a mild threat if everyone ran out of energy with little to no way to recover it. Vigilon knew little of the actual number of monsters they'd captured, and they were only able to tell the strength of one so far.

               Then Freyd spoke. It was as if things started to go downhill from here. He spoke down to Krysta, breaking down her claims and placing higher urgency on what he believed to be a priority. It was definitely a priority, but if this was truly a threat to the Frontlines, that priority mattered little if the raid team suffered any losses from an ambush. Vigilon didn't appreciate the way Freyd spoke to her and threw her opinions to the dirt, but reason and a need for unity in such dangerously high floors like this was at least enough to give Vigilon the wariness and clarity to keep him from seeing red, though his brows furrowed as he was ready to glare daggers. As for Freyd throwing Vigilon under the bus for the floor six incident, yeah, Vigilon may have deserved that, as he pretty much did the same thing to Freyd. Trying to dismiss the whole rant in his mind with the thought of "Maybe he's just in a mood.", he'd keep his calm for the time being and try a different approach than the one that tempted him. "Freyd, I mean no offense, but that came across as a bit...toxic." He noted.

             "Toxic would be an understatement." Spoke an unidentified voice. Vigilon turned around and darted his gaze around the surrounding area. "Who's there?" Vigilon demanded. A player came into view, calmly and at a normal pace. Judging by the similarities to the armors he'd seen before, the Light Armor this player wore seemed to show that he was aligned with the Knights of Cinnabar. Oddly enough, his cursor was, once again, green. "Forgive me for both the interruption and the eavesdropping, I'd only heard just heard about a disruption to something of importance to us, so I wanted to know what all the fuss was about." The player explained. Vigilon did not lower his weapon. "Yeah, well you couldn't have picked a worse time to hatch your little scheme, 'cause now we're onto you." He responded. 
                The Cinnabar Player let out a soft exhale. He was definitely more calm and collected than his peers. "Are you, now?" He asked. "I guess you must be hearing things differently, as...the 'veteran' in your little raid party, he wants nothing to do with this, does he?" He pointed out. "It's true that we Knights of Cinnabar aren't exactly on good terms with the Frontlines...and the reason why..." He began, before pointing directly at Freyd. "Is because of Selfish Punks like him." 
          Vigilon was ready to dismiss the thought immediately, but he'd let the player speak out his words, that they might either fall on deaf ears, or reveal more about what the Knights of Cinnabar were planning. He'd look to Krysta, as he must have been able to identify her easily from his eavesdropping, as well as the fact that she was the only female in the party. "You believed that the innocent and your allies were in danger, and you wanted to save them, which is a truly noble thing to do. However, it seems you weren't aware of the true nature of the Frontliners, and I don't blame you for that. As you've now witnessed, your hopes to protect the innocent were cast aside, you, your hopes and your morals were all treated like little more than garbage. He might believe it to be his reality, but it seems that his only concern is what he finds to be of any importance. If it's not approved by him, it doesn't deserve any attention, if it's not what he wants to do, he'll abandon you. If he wants something, he'll get it, even if he must tear through legions of others to get it. He doesn't care about you, he doesn't care about the same people you care about...his only concern is himself."
                      Vigilon was ready to dismiss his words as nothing more than an attempt to plant seeds of doubt. Vigilon was going to need more evidence than that. Of course, the player wasn't done yet. "We once thought the frontlines were worth putting any hope in, until we learned what they truly are...Selfish power mongers who fight for themselves and themselves only. Do they fight for freedom? Of course they do, but they don't fight for your freedom, they fight for theirs. They'll pretend to be your friend, but if it benefits them they'll throw you aside for an item or for power, for influence or some form of personal gain. I once even heard from a stealth player that there were Frontliners who suffered heavy losses, but wanted to play it off as a perfect victory, just to increase their numbers, potentially sending many of the unprepared to their deaths...ah, but they'd be nothing more than necessary sacrifice at that point, now wouldn't they?" The Cinnabar Player continued.
                                 "Blah, blah, blah...." Vigilon thought. "When's this guy gonna spout anything that reveals what he's planning, instead of going on about how corrupt he claims the frontlines are...? ...Wait..." Stealth player... Suffered heavy losses...played off as a perfect victory...he'd heard this claim only once before...The Fallen incident on Floor 13... "Dazia..."
              She'd gone and started a whole damn rumor. "Whoa whoa whoa, stop right there pal, are you saying that Dazia went and blabbed about the Frontliners' end of the Fallen Angel incident to all of Aincrad?" Vigilon blurted out, just before remembering exactly which players were around him. Oops.
           The Cinnabar Player's eyes lit up. "You know her? You know of what happened?" He asked Vigilon. No escaping the truth now. "Yeah...and I do know, I was there...sort of." Vigilon began. "There were two raids going on simultaneously. One for the Frontline Tier, another for the lesser two tiers. Krysta, Dazia and I were in the lesser Tier battle. Dazia ended up in a tight spot and fled through a teleport Crystal, but ended up getting stuck in the Courtyard that served as the 'lobby' of both raids instead. Players who 'died' would also wind up there. It was like we the player base were all being tested, and given a taste of what was to come. Krysta and I didn't exactly witness what Dazia spoke of, so I've kinda been taking the news of what she told me with some salt." He explained. The Cinnabar Player appeared to be intrigued. "So then...after all that, you still chose to join the Frontlines for the upcoming Raid. Why?" He asked. Vigilon shrugged. "Well, we all gotta get out of here, I hoped I was strong enough...plus, it's been a long time after that incident, so maybe the frontlines would be different than what Dazia had seen. Sure looked different enough to me back at the raid meeting." He answered.
                     The Cinnabar Player was seeming to be more well mannered than his peers, despite his point of view. "Ah, good point and a fair argument," He remarked. "But how do you know for sure that they are truly different than the group before? How do you know that they are any better? Do you know any of them? If so, how many?" He asked. "Of course I know some people from the meeting! There's Night, Mina, Nari, Jomei, um...there's also the fellow newcomers, like Elora, and fresh acquaintances like Katoka, and then Morningstar here. Well, obviously I also know Krysta here, I know her pretty well, I'd say. We're in relationship, after all." Vigilon answered. The Cinnabar Player nodded. "How well do you know them, other than Krysta?" He asked.
                    Huh...that was actually a good question. Vigilon raised his finger as he opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He had nothing clever or true to say. "Ok so maybe the unknown remains a factor, so what?" Vigilon uttered out.

        Anyone could be picked on for any given reason, and if someone managed to become a serial killer, they'd be no pushover in combat and would probably be high enough level for most players to be given a run for their money, as well as be a troublesome opponent for the stronger players. Heck, maybe they could be strong enough to be a problem for a single frontliner alone...and that was exactly why Vigilon was concerned. So he pulled up his messenger and typed up a message for Krysta using his free hand. Hopefully by alerting her, he'd be able to keep her safe, right...?(He'd definitely be wrong.)

             Freyd fished up a creature that seemed to have biologically developed a functional weapon that was coming out of its...uh, nose? Vigilon didn't exactly remember much of what he was taught when it came to marine biology, so he didn't know the proper name of the part the blade was coming from. The fish soon became a pile of loot, including a sword that Freyd would point out in attempt to claim Vigilon was wrong by saying the Cardinal just disagreed with him.
      Vigilon let out a chuckle so short it could have been a scoff. "You fished up the fish that dropped that weapon, you didn't craft the blade. You looted that weapon...or, more accurately, ripped it from the fish's freshly filleted remains. My point still stands." He remarked with a smirk.
    Oh, and speaking of Cardinal, Vigilon just remembered something...back when he was in his mindscape, just before dealing with the strange Isle, the Elite Demons within, as well as that...Meta.

              Vigilon had no idea who the figure was, and he'd been wondering what it possibly could have been, and it was only just recently that he'd figured it out. Whether that's how it chose to appear to him, or if it was just an avatar it used exclusively in his mind scape, was unknown. What was also unknown to Vigilon was why it even appeared to him in the first place. He never even saw its current avatar's features, just that cloak it wore, of an oddly specific color... "Also, I just remembered something, I've got a message to deliver." He began, seeing that he'd also remembered to identify the intended recipient. He walked right up to Freyd, nearly to the point of being face-to-face with him...
                         "Cardinal says Hello."

      Regardless of any potential responses or facial expressions, Vigilon would just smugly turn around and get back to business, like the oversized fish he left on the ground, which was currently flopping towards the picnic basket. Walking towards the fish, he'd make his next remark on the flowing conversation. "I'm not in a Guild yet, but I don't think I'll be interested in gardening unless it's a last resort, I think I'm much better at getting into sticky situations and doing stupid shit." He said in response to Morningstar's offer of potential invitation to a gardener's guild. Kyo seemed to be getting sleepy, and seemed to dislike the idea of guilds, though she seemed willing to go for the cooking profession if necessary. When Morningstar asked what everyone would do first if they all got out, then mentioned hwhat he'd do, Vigilon decided to chime in. "I'd check and see if the world around isn't apocalyptic or post-apocalyptic. Who knows what's going on out there while we're trapped in here, we don't exactly have access to the typical internet, just here and our message system...unless there's some hidden feature we don't know about, that is." He thought aloud.

     Now back to the fish, which he'd grabbed once again. It was staring hungrily at the picnic basket, but that didn't stop Vigilon from messing with it further until it coughed up another refined metal ingot. "I'm starting to think the See-Food diet ain't working for ya..." Vigilon remarked.

ID# 219786 LD: 13+6=19(Found 1 Material)

                               Vigilon blinked. "Yeah...they wanted my Tiger Rage potion...Floor 6." He answered. "I was willing to defend myself for it, but someone decided to leave me at their mercy." He added, resisting the urge to point at or glare at Freyd. "Two players against one, not really the best odds if they're close to even footing, as numbers will offer an advantage..." Granted, he was able to win just barely after a frantic chase throughout the floor, but he didn't want to have to deal with that again.

              Vigilon took a deep breath. "Of course, I did kinda overhear the two players a bit before they found me...or, more accurately, before I slipped on a smooth pebble." He began. "They mentioned how they needed to get things into position, probably the monsters in the stone boxes, for something they're calling 'Operation Pompeii'." He then looked to each of the three players present in the area. "What do you all make of that?" he asked, hoping that he won't be the only one trying to come up with a theory as to what's going on.

      Morningstar and Kyo continued the conversation on the more insidious types of killers, as well as how messed up the game's sense of justice is. Morningstar mentioned a serial killer on floor 11, and that immediately caught Vigilon's attention. "Wait, floor eleven?? Krysta's got a shop and living space in floor eleven! Do you know any clues or hints? There's a lead that can allow us to stop him, right?" He asked worriedly, his eyes widened and filled with concern for his beloved girlfriend. He did NOT want anyone to even get close to killing Krysta. Not at all. "Right...? There is a way we can stop him, right??"

       Vigilon's concern for Krysta aside, it was back to the other topics, though it was clear that once this little time here in floor 22 was over, he'd probably make a beeline for Taft to try and at least warn Krysta of the danger dwelling near her. Freyd made a strange comment regarding mats and how any material can be used for anything. Vigilon blinked, a confused look clear on his face. "Freyd, have you been drinking monster acid mixed with mushroom juice or something?" Vigilon asked. Wait, could you even juice a mushroom? and if so, which ones would be juiceable? "I highly doubt you could make a sword out of fish. Trust me, I've tried your theory about materials being universal for crafting...it doesn't work. Thankfully, there are numerous ways to swap materials you can't use in exchange for ones you can. Most can be found in the main settlements in most floors, if I remember correctly." He noted.

               Some players preferred different lives than the rest of the playerbase, and that was ok. The four players talked about the different possibilities for the lives that players could lead. Buying land, building homes...sounds like the Hearthfire DLC for Skyrim. "Heh...just picturing, getting on enough NPCs' good sides, that you'd be able to buy land and build up on it? Could you imagine the kind of work it would take to build an Estate? Sounds like a Recipe for craft-focused players to make bank with their businesses. Blacksmiths could craft the nails, hinges, fittings and other metallic materials for structure making, Artisans could decorate and or color the finished or near-finished buildings, potentially add some interior designs, or possibly add a little stylistic flair to the building process...I don't think there are any Stonemason or Carpenter professions out there, so I guess that'd be some neutral ground for any willing player to try and fill, but I bet the Strength requirements would be pretty hefty to deal with all that stone and lumber..." Vigilon thought aloud. It would give the playerbase a bit more freedom, adding customizeable homes that they can make themselves, as they witness the buildup of their dream home slowly becoming a reality.

                         Now back to the oversized fish. Nobody else wanted to try their hand at the giant fish. If shaking alone didn't work, then maybe some other disturbance was necessary. Vigilon swung the fish down onto the ground, about three times, before shaking it again. The oversized Koi then coughed up a large pearl...it was large enough to be a pommel, now that Vigilon saw it. Maybe it could have some use, so he took it. "What else are you eating that can't be good for you..." He thought aloud, glaring at the fish as he did so. The fish just looked around its surroundings hungrily but also confused that it couldn't just swim away from Vigilon's grasp. It was just a fish.

ID# 219562 LD: 12+6=18(Found 1 Material)

     Numbers, man...they affect everything in worlds like these.

 Vigilon thought this was gonna be a tough fight, but everyone seemed to be drilling into this thing's HP like they intended to make a fiery fruit smoothie out of it or something. Krysta brought her usual first impression strike that was a full on Holy damage Smite. Unlike Carsar, however, this monster was able to survive the full force of Krysta's power. Vigilon had a few question though...how the hell does this thing bleed? What even bleeds out of it? This game didn't actually simulate bleeding, so it's not like the players could do anything about that mystery other than maybe a few educated guesstimates.

              Morningstar and Freyd followed up with their attacks, things were not looking good for this fire elemental. It was already past Yellow for its HP, and it was only a matter of time before it would inevitably fall at this rate. "Heh, just that quick, eh?" Vigilon remarked as his blade cut into the monster once again. This was looking easier than it first seemed, now that the party's capabilities and numbers were in clear favor. It seemed that those Cinnabar players had underestimated the party.

ID# 219560 BD: 4+4-1=7(hit)

AoE-I: 28x15=420 Damage to Greater Fire Elemental!

[2]Krysta | HP 897/897 | EN 97/112 | 28 DMG | 98 MIT | 4 ACC | 4 EVA | 26 BH | 8 REC | 8 HLY | 48 BLD | 3 LD | 3 Pros.
[2]Vigilon | HP 920/920 | EN 88/114 | 28 DMG | 98 MIT | 4 ACC | 4 EVA | 56 BRN | 32 BLGT | 16 FLN | 9 LD | 3 Pros.
[1]Morningstar | HP: 851/851 | EN: 97/106 | DMG: 26 | ACC: 6 | EVA: 1 | MIT: 182 | LD: 9 | AA: 1 | VO: 122 | STK: 40/24 | BH: 15 | Pros: III
[2]Freyd | HP: 1357/1357 | EN: 140/152 | DMG: 26 | MIT: 163 | EVA: 5 | ACC: 7 | BH: 74 | LD: 8 | FLN: 16 | HLY: 16 | REC: 8 | PROB: 36

Greater Fire Elemental: HP 1236/3500 | 200 DMG | 2 ACC | 1 EVA | Bleed 48 (1/2) | StunImm[P] (1/3)

<<Wildfire Rush>>: When rolling a CD 10-12 during its attack, this monster's attack becomes an AoE and must be rolled for the other players in the target's party.
<<Spirit of Fire>>: Greater Fire Elemental is immune to the Burn Enhancement, and inflicts T4 Burn on Critical rolls of MD 9-10.

        As the party interrogated the two Cinnabar players, Vigilon began to notice how the the two players' expressions tried to hold firm, but were beginning to look more like poker faces. They were hiding something, that much was certain.

       "The future resting on our shoulders is a grand one, for all players of Aincrad! Well, organized, and expansive! A flourishing world that we will live in and protect! It is our duty to see to it's establishment! To get to that, however, we'd need to get some...special operations dealt with, and that's classified information." The first Cinnabar member stated in answer to Morningstar's question. Freyd poked at a different moment in time when Vigilon and Freyd encountered members of the Knights of Cinnabar, though he got some details wrong. "...Against who? Who do you mean by...them..."
         It was as if the identity of the party's current affiliation settled in with the two players' minds.

   "So uh, wait, you're all frontliners?" The first member asked. "Three of us are new to the cause, first raid, in fact, but...yeah." Vigilon answered, gesturing to himself, Krysta, and Morningstar as he did so...and it was just now that he noticed that Freyd was now at the box, tipping it over.

                  With a loud *THUDD!!*, the box fell over. The shaking stopped suddenly. After a few seconds of awkward silence, the second Cinnabar member grinned and chuckled. "The box ain't gonna open like that." He remarked. "So wait, we're gonna open the box?" The first questioned. "We can do with just one less, besides, they really wanna know what's in it, right?"

          With that, the second member walked over to the stone box, and slowly twisted off what looked like a cap, probably a vanity quality item crafted by an artisan or blacksmith, from the metal rod holding the box's latch locks in place, then pulled it out before flipping the latches off, fully unlocking the box, and stepping back. The box didn't move, but then fire began leaking out between the lid and box proper...before it burst completely, causing the box to shatter and the monster within to be unleashed. As it soared into the sky, taking the shape of a mighty bird of prey, the two Cinnabar members bolted for it immediately. "You guys have fun, we gotta go!" Called out the first one. "See you never, frontliner scum!" Called out the other.

         The Greater Fire Elemental would deal with the fleeing humans later, as its first priority would be the closest targets. The moment its cursor turned red, Vigilon drew his sword. "Looks like we're gonna fight this thing whether we like it or not!" Vigilon stated. He readied his sword art, and while he managed to deal some damage, it didn't make as much of a dent in its HP bar as he was expecting. "Aw, man, it's a big one...how the hell did they manage to trap it in such a small box??" He questioned, seeing that the stone box, although not terribly small, was only four and a half feet tall and five and a half feet wide.

ID# 219217 BD: 4+4-1=7(hit)

AoE-I: 28x15=420 Damage to Greater Fire Elemental!

[1]Vigilon: HP 920/920 | EN 99/114 | 28 DMG | 98 MIT | 4 ACC | 4 EVA | 56 BRN | 32 BLGT | 16 FLN | 9 LD | 3 Pros.

             Enemies:

Greater Fire Elemental: HP 3080/3500 | 200 DMG | 2 ACC | 1 EVA

<<Wildfire Rush>>: When rolling a CD 10-12 during its attack, this monster's attack becomes an AoE and must be rolled for the other players in the target's party.
<<Spirit of Fire>>: Greater Fire Elemental is immune to the Burn Enhancement, and inflicts T4 Burn on Critical rolls of MD 9-10. 

              Morningstar would set up what was basically a picnic. Vigilon wasn't feeling hungry at the moment, so he decided to wait for the time being, simply chiming into the conversation when needed.

         Morningstar and Freyd made some remarks regarding swimming in the lake and the current risk one would face when getting too close to Freyd's rod. "I've got a friend who once swam in the lake during the night. Apparently she did it because the lake's reflective nature gave her the illusion of swimming among the stars." Vigilon added, remembering the time Krysta mentioned to him what Astralin had done while Tanabata was going on. She was a bit odd, but she was the cute kind of odd. Everyone's got a quirk.

       Freyd gave his thoughts on the Dazia situation, and seemed to condemn nearly all orange players as well as a handful of green players. "Maybe those two would be in agreement if Dazia never killed Wardege...but Wardege's dead, so I guess we'll never really know..."  Vigilon thought. Kyo offered her thoughts on the matter as well. "Yeah, that's true." Vigilon noted. "Plenty of players have gotten themselves into all kinds of sticky situations involving Aincrad's flawed justice system. Some people are branded as killers when they were just stealing to survive, some people get into one too many fights without realizing they're hurting their cursor and, by the time they apologize, it's already too late for them." Vigilon took a deep breath as he paused. "...But I've also heard rumors of a player using words to aggravate or trick a green player into attacking them, then going for the kill once the victim's cursor turned orange. Some say that Duels can be used to kill players in a safe zone, but I personally doubt that." His expression was somber as he explained all this. Now he needed something to lighten the mood.

               Vigilon laid down beside the waters of the lake, as he listened to what Kyo said in regards to professions and, apparently some of what was being promoted in the game. Vigilon was never exactly a magazine reader. "Honestly, I never thought about it." Vigilon began, his arms laid out to his sides. "If there are actually uncountable amounts of possibilities for how we live our lives in this game, then I guess we just haven't discovered them all. I highly doubt that someone will choose to have a cattle farm, but that's just my opinion." He closed his eyes. "I guess most of us came here expecting to play a game, not live in a different environment...of course, Kayaba saw to doing just that right under our noses, and now innocent people are paying the price for it instead of him...in the end, it really is up to us alone if we want out, isn't it?"

         He sighed. "I mean, it's not like there's any more nasty surprises around this floor that we can't take a moment to smell the roses from time to time-"
            With a wetly sounding *GOMP!*, Vigilon felt something all over his left arm. "You have got to be kidding me..." Vigilon uttered out in an agitated tone. He then looked to his left, and there it was again...that damn oversized Koi. Here it was again, trying to eat his left arm. "...Of course it had to be you." He retorted. The Koi blinked. It was just a fish. Vigilon got up, and began using his right arm to try and pull it off. "That's my arm, stop trying to eat my arm, my arm's off limits..." 
           With some difficulty, he managed to pull his left arm out of the oversized fish. Vigilon awkwardly held the fish for a few seconds. It was heavier than he remembered, which probably meant...
                      Vigilon held the fish from its tail, and it dangled from there. Vigilon began shaking the fish. "Come on now, there's something in there that you can't use, I just know it..." Soon, the Koi coughed up a refined steel ingot. "Yeah...this thing kinda eats anything...now that I think about it, this can't be all it's got." He noted for the other players. He'd shake the fish more, but nothing came out. Had it actually gotten fatter, or was the fish just more persistent? "...Anyone else wanna give a try?"

ID# 219082 LD: 19+6=25(Found a material)

                    Krysta confirmed Vigilon's problem, but there was probably a track record to prove it. Freyd's comment was met with a deadpanned stare. There was literally no way that it would help, even if aftershaves even existed in Aincrad, how could it possibly help? It made no sense.

   Now that everyone was ready, and with a path to follow, the party could set out.

       Time passed, nothing seemed wrong. Despite Freyd's remark on how frontliner traffic would nearly assure a clear path, something didn't feel right as he walked with the party. "It's peaceful..." He thought. "Too peaceful..."

              More time passed, then Vigilon heard something. Sounded like voices...but how was he to know if the voices were from frontliners, or someone else? Vigilon held his hand up. "Wait." He spoke, just audibly enough for the other three to hear. He then dashed on ahead before slowing down, and stopping at what looked like good cover.

    The voices were more definable now. They belonged to two male humans. Vigilon looked to the next available spot of cover and made a quick roll over to it. Now he could hear words...

        "Why are we moving this again?" One of the two asked. "Were you not at the mission briefing? Operation Pompeii is a go, we need to get these things in position!" The other responded. What in the world was going on here?
                 The sounds of startling could be heard as a violent shaking of stone made a sudden noise, alongside some kind of angered cry. Vigilon wasn't sure about what was going on, but he hoped to find out. He slowly made a step, but didn't notice the smooth, round pebble that he'd proceed to slip on. "Crap!!!" He uttered out in midair before landing on his back.
                "Wait, what was that?"
           Oops.

       Vigilon was now pretty sure that those two now knew he was here. Hopefully they wouldn't find the rest of the party if they turned out to be trouble. Hopefully he could try and diffuse the situation.
             "It came from over there!" Yep, he'd been found.

                                                Vigilon could only get up and prepare himself for a confrontation before two players ran up to him, looking wary and ready for battle. "So..." Vigilon began. "Wasn't expecting to find anyone today, something going on?" He asked, hoping these two wouldn't be a problem. The two were players, both with green cursors, so things were looking unlucky but ok so far. "Nothing much." The first one replied. "Just...delivering something."
     There was a huge stone container of some kind nearby. It shook violently as something roared out from within. "Cool. Uh, what's in the box?" Vigilon asked, albeit a bit awkwardly while scratching his back. "Nunya." The second one replied. Vigilon deadpanned. " 'Nunya business'? Ok then...well, who are you delivering it to?"

                 It was that moment when Krysta then arrived on the scene. So much for looking like a random wanderer. "...Alright, yes, I'm with a party..." He admitted with a sigh. He couldn't blame Krysta for this, though, she probably thought he was in danger. Most likely, the others would be here within seconds...who knows, knowing Freyd, he might already be here right now.

ID# 219030 LD: 2-2=1(Vigilon has been Spotted!)

                     It must be hard for Shanno, only being able to stand and watch as the two other players fought on, with seemingly no end in sight, 'cause this Ebony Knight knew how to dodge, block, lock, deflect, push during a lock, the list goes on...

    Point was, this Ebony Knight seemed to be giving it's all for it's survival...and Vigilon knew why. This thing wasn't gonna stop until Vigilon went down as well. Despite the fact that Dazia was managing to hold it off, she was failing to damage it while doing so. She called for Vigilon to make an attack, but as it turns out, it's hard to strike a target when said target is in lock with an ally and can attempt to use said ally as a meat shield. Vigilon canceled out his attack the moment Dazia was in harm's way. "Damn, this thing's way smarter than it looks..." He thought. There had to be a way around this predicament, and if Dazia couldn't get a scratch on this thing, he'd need to consider his options, and quickly.

ID# 219019 BD: 2+4-2=4(miss)

[2]Vigilon: HP 760/760 | EN 77/110 | 23 DMG | 78 MIT | 4 ACC | 2 EVA | PAR | 6 LD
[0]Dazia: HP 483/660 | EN 71/84 | 23 DMG | 44 MIT | 3 ACC | 4 EVA | 8 Fallen | 1 LD

                  Enemies:

Ebony Knight: HP 41/800 | 135 DMG | 1 ACC | 2 EVA

Abilities:
Nightmare's Charge: An attack that Inflicts Stun on Critical Hits. Used on LD 1-12.
Blood Knight's Blade: An attack that steals half the damage dealt. Used on LD 13-20.

    Vigilon flipped the coin, and it landed on heads. Krysta would be leading the party, and she stated that she would do her best within her given role. "And you have my sword, my lady." Vigilon responded, with a bow of his head as a gesture of respect. As cheesy as this probably was, he didn't care because he loved her.
         The discussion of player builds and party roles was an important one. Krysta mentioned that she was mainly a damage dealer, but could offer healing and support when needed. Morningstar would reveal himself to be a DPS, but didn't elaborate further than that. Freyd began with the unexpected. A Tank? Freyd? He looked like a Stealth User, yet he was gonna tank? ...Well...he did put his username down in the tank slot in one of the party lists during the raid meeting...not that it made any sense, but still... "I'm a DPS myself, but I've got a few scouting skills in the mix, helps to find things better, be it treasure or trouble." Vigilon chimed in, and thus all four players' roles were revealed.
                   Of course, to answer Freyd's question, that would be a bit complicated, but he'd try his best to answer. After looking at Freyd in the eyes for an awkward four seconds, he'd respond with, "If I know anything about my own luck, assume yes." Taking a deep breath, he continued. "Every trek I've been on is met with all manner of monsters. Heck, I had to clear the road to my shop daily to make sure the path was safe to travel on, until I found someone I could give payments to to handle that for me, allowing me to get to important things faster." Vigilon lowered his head, shaking it as he did so. "And the more important the journey, the more likely something gets in my way. Usually it's just a common monster, sometimes a big one, it's rarely anything serious, so I guess there's no reason to worry as long as we're prepared."
               He then remembered something as Krysta mentioned something for last preparations. "Speaking of which..." He then pulled out a set-up stand from who-knows-where in his inventory, then pulled out a platter and placing it down on it. Finally, he pulled out a large assortment of consumables, placing them all on the platter, then taking one of each for himself. He wasn't worried, he'd brought enough for a whole party. "If anyone here is lacking in buffs, I gotcha covered." He remarked.

-Vigilon sets out the following consumables for the party:

Liquor of Light(3 DMG) x3
[T4]Mortal Instants(MIT III) x3
Shadows Withal(OH III) x3
Skewer Roll(Protein II) x3
Creme Brulee(ACC II) x3
Smores(EVA II) x3
Gelato(LD III) x3
Mousse(Pros. III) x3

       Vigilon seemed to be in thought for a short moment. "...So I guess we're all indifferent to who the party leader is, then? Alright, maybe we could flip a coin or tw-"

            Freyd showed up, asking if he could tag along. "You know what, the more the merrier, there'll be strength in numbers." Vigilon decided. "Now all I gotta figure out is how to divide a team of fi-"
             Where the heck did Alkor go? He was just there a second ago, how could he disappear without a sound? A faint outline of the man simply blinked in and out of existence within his mental perception. Vigilon blinked, with a confused look on his face. "...Ooookay, looks like we're four again, one full party." He remarked. Since there was some indifference to who the leader should be... Vigilon came to a conclusion of his own. He may have wanted to engage in leadership at some point, but one thing that was important to him was, "Before you should lead, you should first follow." He then pulled out a single col and showed it to Krysta and Morningstar. "Call it in the air, the winner of this coin flip will be the party leader. Cool?" He asked.

                       Vigilon chuckled in response to what Morningstar said while munching a granola bar. "I thought only certain NPCs could teach professions, Morningstar." He remarked. "You sure Freyd can actually teach fishing?"
            Granted, Fishing was a secondary profession, so he didn't know if it actually could be taught by something other than an NPC, but he at least knew that only NPCs could teach crafting professions.

     Freyd first seemed apprehensive about the situation with Dazia. Then he seemed to accept that there were multiple sides and perspectives to the highly complicated story. He also asked about Krysta regarding an order he had at her place. With the pop of an message notification in front of Freyd, Vigilon could only make a witty remark. "If that's her, she's got quite the timing." He said with a smirk. Krysta often had to do things on her own time and wasn't always at the shop twenty-four-seven, not to mention that she could have easily gotten backed up on orders.

         Vigilon nodded his head when Freyd gave his response to Morningstar. He had a hunch it wouldn't be that easy to get the profession. "Quest, huh? Noted. I'll need to find a time to get to that. Preferably soon, I did kind of notice some material exchange opportunities in terms of supply and demand regarding fish, after all..." He thought aloud.

    The green haired girl gave her thoughts on the Dazia situation, believing that she was taking the killings lightly because of how the game worked. From what he knew about Dazia, this might actually worsen the problem. Vigilon's expression darkened with worry. "I did ask her...in a bit of a heated argument, too. Kind of how I learned her first kill was indeed malicious." Vigilon took a deep breath. "She's not hopeless, but she does have some serious problems. I can't force her to get better, but I can at least try to suggest better courses of action." He decided to omit the fact that Dazia might as well be an incarnation of Wrath in her current state, that in itself would suddenly turn into a deep rabbit hole if Dazia's siblings ever got brought up.

        The green haired girl had some other thoughts to share as well, mostly regarding the difference between this virtual world and reality, and how it may become troubling to readjust to the real world if the players manage to successfully escape. "Well, I guess there's only one way to know for certain..."

Make it to the end.

                         "There's definitely some level of pain here. Catch fire a few times and you'll see," Morningstar chuckled.

         Vigilon let out a short sigh as he raised his hand. "I have the Blacksmith profession, I can attest to that." He remarked. He might have not necessarily "Caught fire" just yet, but he'd felt himself get nearly burned and was frozen once or twice. Temperature makes a gosh darn difference...but no form of simulated tingling could compare to actually feeling pain in the midst of battle, that Vigilon somehow ended up feeling during that time on the strange floating isle in his mindscape, where he fought strange entities tied to him, odd monsters, a humanoid creature, The Meta... He didn't want to feel that pain again, and he wasn't sure why he was able to feel pain in there in the first place. Was it a bug, perhaps? Had to be...

               Freyd brought up the conflict between Krysta and Dazia. "Oh yeah, that. In all honesty, I haven't lost hope for Dazia just yet. While I agree that her first kill was indeed a malicious one, her other three kills were justified enough, from what little I know. Heck, there was actually a witness for the second kill, as she saved a child's life by taking her place in that duel. Does that make her a good person? No, but she has a personal drive that keeps her going...now if that drive could just be put in the right direction..." He trailed off at the end of this half of the explanation. He then sighed. "I've kinda managed to stay neutral in the conflict between Krysta and Dazia so far, and while they understand my reasoning, they each clearly hope that I'll take their side in the conflict soon. Dazia's my cousin, and Krysta's my girlfriend. I'm not about to give up on either, but that's proving to be harder and harder of a choice, as they're both putting a lot of pressure on me in the form of personal hope and expectation, and I can't blame either of them for that." He added solemnly, his hands in his pockets as he explained. Conflicts like these were serious things.

               The green haired girl, who Morningstar addressed as Ms. Morinaga, seemed disheartened over Vigilon's explanation of the floor and what he'd seen. She was also unwilling to answer Morningstar's question, but she did have a valid reason though, as she had indeed only met the three other players in the vicinity. Vigilon nodded in understanding. "We all gotta start somewhere, but I dare say nearly all of us had a rough start." He remarked, remembering the times he tried fighting a boar with no enhanced gear. He fled both times because he was such a damn noob.

                              Morningstar suggested that all four players here could use a break. Oh, if only he knew...
          When Freyd asked if Vigilon pissed off the golden goose, there was a bit of an...obvious answer... Vigilon blinked, looking somewhat confused. "...I don't see any beanstalks here, nor do I know of any bunches of clouds up in the sky populated by giants or birds...suffice to say, I highly doubt that the golden goose is here on this floor." He remarked.
                      Freyd admitted that he came here to try his hand at fishing. Vigilon needed to get the fishing profession, not only for the occasional loot and rare materials...but due to the fact that fish materials, as well as other food items, were in high demand in a place where ore was a common resource...floor nine. He then considered the other options available. "I'm not too sure I wanna deal with that feathered fiend any further." Vigilon noted, his expression irritated. "It's currently a beautiful day here on this floor...but that is one horrible goose."
                              Once again, as if on cue, the goose above honked.

              The green haired girl seemed to be thinking aloud to herself, but from what Vigilon could make out from the muttering, he ended up in the thinking position as he dwelt upon what words his ears caught. "Write their own stories? Not something you play?" He repeated in his mind. "I mean, if that encounter with...them...was anything to go off of in relation to this, well..." His thoughts took his focus for a hot minute. He didn't knowingly meet or recognize the individual he'd met, not that he ever got to see their face...not that it really mattered, given who that figure truly was, which he'd only realized some time after he'd "ascended" in his mindscape after battling that...thing, "The Meta"...it still haunted him, the sight of those eyes...
         Vigilon shook off the thoughts before he could break down once again into an inner, mental conflict over whether the Meta's eyes were Vigilon's, or if Vigilon's eyes were the Meta's. He didn't need that, not today, not ever...

               The green haired girl then explained that despite her level, she was here to get a lay of the land, due to the floor's reputation for being peaceful...oh, how little she knew. The girl then wondered aloud of what the floor's creatures were like, as well as the claim that this floor was the safest around, from what she'd heard. That...was only partially true. "In terms of monster spawning, yes, this floor is the safest...as long as you don't go to the wrong places." Vigilon answered. "Typical animals are what you'd find around most of the floor, just endemic life and animals with passive or neutral temperaments. The exceptions are usually event or quest related...like the times where the floor had a Tanabata celebration, but was disrupted by monster activity...this happened twice, actually. First it was some kind of aquatic race led by a huge raid monster, then it was a faction of NPCs and monsters that kinda went rogue from the system itself for some reason. Thankfully both disruptions have been dealt with and we shouldn't need to put up with them again..." Vigilon explained. "On top of that...the Forest of Memory? I wouldn't recommend going. I've heard some rumors about the place, some say a quest can trigger there, some have claimed that you can briefly see the shadows of your past...there's that one tall tale about hostile entities looking like players you've met in the deeper reaches of the forest, not sure where that one came from..." He added.
                    He took a deep breath before he continued. "And at the deepest reaches of the forest, there's a citadel, nearly hidden away by plantlife. It's a really odd place, everything in there is white in color, the rooms, the objects, and more...not to mention that there are various rooms that not only appear and disappear periodically, but can change their interiors, are bigger on the inside, and...well, I was there, so I guess I should be the one to say that there are strange entities that take on the form of fallen players... Dazia was searching for a missing person, and I was just investigating a rumor. We encountered something that took the form of a player she'd fought to the death with. The battle was won, but I'm not sure I'd want to come across anything like that." He rambled, placing his hand on his forehead and his other hand on his side whilst leaning his head downward slightly as he recalled the events of that day. "We actually found the missing person, but there was this thing that was basically gatekeeping things from going downwards from the citadel's central tower. We killed it, but we also ended up learning that...it kinda also was a living seal for two monster factions that lived in the citadel, meaning that they're now in the citadel as well and it's kinda our fault, but at least we rescued a missing player. The two factions we unwittingly released are known as the Ivory Clan and the Ebony Clan. Based on the members of the clans that we fought as we made our escape, they seem to resemble chess pieces."

      A few seconds of awkward silence from Vigilon passed as he realized how much he'd prattled on. "So, uh, yeah. Floor's mostly safe as long as you steer clear of the Forest of memory and its depths." He added sheepishly with an awkward smile and a nervous chuckle, scratching the back of his head as he did so.

                            Figures, his less than graceful fall lead to the opposite of a good first impression on the active conversation, not that falling in front of them or disrupting their talk was his intention at all.

        First, was the voice he ended up recognizing from the player who looked familiar yet unfamiliar. It was Freyd. "Who said I was getting into this on purpose?" He pointed out. He intended none of what just happened. The green haired girl that Vigilon did not recognize put on a sardonic smile as she asked him how he was feeling and what he was doing in the tree he'd fallen from. "Ah, I'm fine," Vigilon answered. "Regrettably, stumbles and incidents happen for me a lot, even in combat... Like, what is this, D&D? I've never had nearly as many problems like these before this game." He added.
                  He then looked to the only person he'd recognized on sight, as Freyd was wearing a bunch of attire unexpected for someone like him. "I think we have met before, actually." Vigilon said to Morningstar. "I think we were both there for the boss raid meeting, then we were both at the raid against that Wushen, though we were in different parties...unlike what happened directly before the raid...yeah, that's right, we thwarted that little plot by the Knights of Cinnabar, 'Operation Pompeii', I recall them calling it..." He explained as he both recalled and thought aloud.

       Now then, back to the present situation. "As for why I was dealing with something in the tree..."

As if on cue, the goose atop the tree honked. Vigilon let out an agitated sigh. "Was because that damn goose up there stole a gemstone from me. I chased him all the way to the tree and up the tree...unfortunately for me, he dropped it right into a nest on the treetop, where a bird of prey swooped down and took it, so the gemstone's gone now." He explained.
                      The goose honked a few times. Was it just being a goose, or was it "laughing" and mocking Vigilon's current situation? Sometimes Vigilon understood little about his own luck, considering that a goose was able to get to the top of a tree. Hopefully it wouldn't try anything else...right?
          "At any rate, I could use something else to do, assuming that goose doesn't try to play pickpocket again..."

             Dazia finished off the Ebony Pawns and slammed the Ebony Knight into the wall. Victory was pretty much assured, Vigilon and Dazia simply had to win it...and to win it, the two players would need to hit this thing. "I'm going in for an attack, Move so you don't get caught in the crossfire!" Vigilon alerted Dazia. Once there was an opening, Vigilon readied his weapon and his sword art, before unleashing his attack against the Ebony Knight.

       The Ebony Knight was now looking really bad, and its HP was in the red. It couldn't last much longer like this, and yet, it apparently wanted to keep fighting, based on the look in its glowing red eyes. Ah, yes...the classic case of the typical Aincrad monster behavior, regardless of floor...where the monsters' reactions to being in danger isn't "Oh shoot I gotta run", but instead "I'm taking you to hell with me".

ID# 218661 BD: 8+4-2=10(hit), CD: 11(ST-B Available!)

AoE-II: 23x18=414 Damage to Ebony Knight!

[2]Vigilon: HP 760/760 | EN 75/110 | 23 DMG | 78 MIT | 4 ACC | 2 EVA | PAR | 6 LD
[0]Dazia: HP 483/660 | EN 69/84 | 23 DMG | 44 MIT | 3 ACC | 4 EVA | 8 Fallen | 1 LD

                  Enemies:

Ebony Knight: HP 41/800 | 135 DMG | 1 ACC | 2 EVA

Abilities:
Nightmare's Charge: An attack that Inflicts Stun on Critical Hits. Used on LD 1-12.
Blood Knight's Blade: An attack that steals half the damage dealt. Used on LD 13-20.

                                   Any day that is a random day has the potential for some kind of shenanigan. That's how it was in this game, even on a floor like this.

       For such a peaceful floor, he'd found plenty of things that had beef with him for existing around here, and with the intel on the floor he'd bought from Akudo, he now knew a rumor or two having to do with this floor, located around the same general area where he'd been last time he'd gotten into a shenanigan on this floor. Thankfully, at least that time he didn't have to deal with an oversized koi trying to eat his left arm. Hopefully some other player had encountered and killed it.

      So then, why was he here on this floor again, climbing a tree?

 Ah, right, he was trying to get back something that was taken from him.
                                   Upon reaching the treetop, Vigilon was face to face with a Goose, one that had a large gemstone in its beak. "...Give that back, ya feathery butthole." He blurted out after a few seconds of awkward staring with the bird. The goose tilted its head, and then walked to the right, where a nest of a more flight-inclined bird would be. The goose then dropped the gem into the nest, and a bird of prey would swoop down and snag the gem from the nest. Now Vigilon had no way of getting it back. "...You have got to be kidding me..." He said, deadpanning. The goose then moved towards Vigilon, stepping onto the branch he was holding onto. The goose pecked at his forehead. Once, twice, thrice, and when Vigilon tried to stop the advance of the beak as he backed slightly, snap.
                  The branch he was holding onto couldn't keep him up anymore. The goose backed away as the branch began to sink below the treetop. "Ok, screw you." Vigilon remarked just before the fall. The goose simply honked. Perhaps it enjoyed Vigilon's present suffering.

                          He would plop down onto the ground, face first. He would then get up with some difficulty, only to realize he'd landed near an active conversation between players, three of them to be exact. He recognized one of them, one looked familiar yet unfamiliar, and then there was the green haired girl he did not know at all. He blinked awkwardly. "...I'm not interrupting something important, am I?" He asked sheepishly.

Stats and Equipment:

                  So the three players would get roadblocked by a bunch of black chess pieces with limbs. Odd. Three pawn looking things just staring at the three players. It was almost casually awkward, but then a dark knight with a red-eyed, dark horse head joined the trio of pawns. This couldn't be good.

          Yeah, there was no avoiding a fight at this point. Vigilon readied his weapon, and struck all four enemies with his Sword Art. The Ebony Pawns were all heavily damaged, only the horse-headed Ebony Knight remained above half its HP. Vigilon breathed out a sigh of relief. "Phew...thank God these are just common goons, I don't know what we would've done if they were more than that..." He remarked.

              So then, this was the Ebony Clan, judging by their dark colors, as well as the names of these monsters, <<Ebony Pawn>>, <<Ebony Knight>>. This must mean that if the Ebony Clan was made up of monsterfied black pieces, then white pieces turned into monsters would be the Ivory Clan, right?

ID# 218545 BD: 3+4=7(hit)

ID# 218546 BD: 9(Critical, +1 Base DMG, inflicted Paralysis)

ID# 218547 BD: 5+4=9(hit)

ID# 218548 BD: 8+4-2=10(hit)

AoE-I: 23x15=345 Damage to Ebony Pawns 1 and 3, and Ebony Knight! 24x15=360 Damage to Ebony Pawn 2!

[1-2-1-1]Vigilon: HP 760/760 | EN 89/110 | 23 DMG | 78 MIT | 4 ACC | 2 EVA | PAR | 6 LD
[0-0-0-0]Dazia: HP 483/660 | EN 84/84 | 23 DMG | 44 MIT | 3 ACC | 4 EVA | 8 Fallen | 1 LD

                  Enemies:

Ebony Pawn 1: HP 155/500 | 128 DMG
Ebony Pawn 2: HP 140/500 | 128 DMG
Ebony Pawn 3: HP 155/500 | 128 DMG

Ebony Knight: HP 455/800 | 135 DMG | 1 ACC | 2 EVA

Abilities:
Nightmare's Charge: An attack that Inflicts Stun on Critical Hits. Used on LD 1-12.
Blood Knight's Blade: An attack that steals half the damage dealt. Used on LD 13-20.

                      So this place was nearly impossible to navigate? Nah, can't be... "Shanno...do you, by any chance have anything that could reveal a layout of the Citadel? A map? Memory will also do, if possible. If the odd rooms are the ones that shift and change, then the rest of the Citadel should be straightforward, right?" Vigilon asked Shanno, essentially thinking out loud as he did so. Shanno took a second to think.
       "...I don't have a physical map with me, but I remember getting lost and figuring out a few pathways. I intended to climb upwards to see where I was exactly and which direction to go, but that's when I ended up trapped by the monster you killed." Shanno explained. "I remember coming from...this way!"
             Shanno would take point from here, but Vigilon kept an eye out for anything different, just in case. For a second, he looked to the side and he could have sworn he'd seen blue dots and shifting white pass by the other end of the corridor he was looking towards...weird.

Vigilon: HP 760/760 | EN 110/110 | 23 DMG | 78 MIT | 4 ACC | 2 EVA | PAR | 6 LD
Dazia: HP 443/660 | EN 28/84 | 23 DMG | 44 MIT | 3 ACC | 4 EVA | 8 Fallen | 1 LD 

                  Welp, Vigilon wasn't going to stick around for this, better help Dazia get Shanno to safety!

    Down the tower, down the tower, the shaking has stopped, but now Vigilon was getting worried, for who knows what's coming.
             Speaking of which... "Hey, Shanno," Vigilon began as the players were making their way down. "Do you know what the seals were containing?" 
                      Shanno quickly recalled what she'd read. "Two groups, the Ivory Clan, and the Ebony Clan." Shanno answered. Were these groups small, medium, or large? If they could overrun the players, Vigilon was going to assume they were pretty damn large if that was really the case. Sure, he could get into another scrap or two soon, but Dazia's HP wasn't looking the best. If this place was called the Ivory Citadel, maybe there was more about this "Ivory Clan" that had something to do with this Citadel, and this "Ebony Clan" had something else, who knows.

Vigilon: HP 737/760 | EN 64/110 | 23 DMG | 78 MIT | 4 ACC | 2 EVA | PAR | 6 LD
Dazia: HP 403/660 | EN 24/84 | 23 DMG | 44 MIT | 3 ACC | 4 EVA | 8 Fallen | 1 LD 

                        Victory, the battle was won.

            Shanno rushed over to the players, thanking and hugging them. Vigilon did not expect this, but he would allow her to show her thanks in this way...say, did Dazia just slip out? For a second there, Shanno was thanking and hugging both players, but now it was only Vigilon who was being hugged, and Dazia moved on to patting Shanno.

                         This made the scene a bit different. Vigilon didn't know what to do, so his face ended up reddening slightly...but he did his best to comfort the player with his actions. Shanno might not have heard this, but Vigilon heard the snap of a screenshot being taken.

               Oh....oh no...
           Dazia had plans for this, Vigilon was certain. "Jewel's going to kill me!" He thought. The two players had only just met and already something like this was happening... He would need to have a talk with Dazia when he got a proper chance. First a childhood friend who he knew for a while, now, a girl who he'd only just met and was now hugging him in thanks for the rescue...and Dazia was already taking screenshots. What the heck. This better not continue any further...
              Shanno was cute though, and she looked a lot like Nightingale, too.

     Before further celebration could happen, the effects of the monster's death would be felt. The citadel shook, something was happening...

Vigilon: HP 697/760 | EN 60/110 | 23 DMG | 78 MIT | 4 ACC | 2 EVA | PAR | 6 LD
Dazia: HP 435/660 | EN 20/84 | 23 DMG | 44 24 MIT | 3 ACC | 4 EVA | 8 Fallen | 1 LD | T4 Blight: 1 Turn, 32 DMG

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The light had entered, the seal was at last broken. After a waiting slumber of who knows how long, she, her King, and all her subjects, were no longer sealed away. She opened her eyes for the first time in years, a few millennia, perhaps, but the amount of time that passed was irrelevant now. Stepping out into the light, which she never thought she'd appreciate until now, a smile crept up upon the Ebony Queen's face.

                   "Ah, at last..." She mused. "We are free..."

     Many of her subjects looked to her, awaiting orders. "I suppose it's time to pay our enemies in the Ivory Clan a visit, shall we?" She decided.

                       It really was simpler than it looked, wasn't it? Vigilon unleashed yet another Sword Art, the monster was near its death. He did not envy this thing, no matter how cursed it looked. This wasn't even a fight anymore, it was a straight up beatdown with no mercy of any kind. The two players came, the two players saw, the two players beat up everything that wasn't a player.
         Wow, to think that this would be the result...who'd have thought it? Granted, Dazia had taken a few hits, and due to the monster's latest attack, she'd gotten hit with a status ailment as well...but in the end, the two players were surrounding it, and hitting it till it dies. A simple solution to what the two players originally thought was a complicated problem. "Go for a finisher, Dazia!" Vigilon called out.

     It was only a matter of time at this point.

ID# 218538 BD: 5+4=9(hit), CD: 11(ST-B available!)

AoE-II: 23x18=414 Damage to Kalsnald!

[4]Vigilon: HP 657/760 | EN 56/110 | 23 DMG | 78 MIT | 4 ACC | 2 EVA | PAR | 6 LD
[4]Dazia: HP 467/660 | EN 28/84 | 23 DMG | 44 24 MIT | 3 ACC | 4 EVA | 8 Fallen | 1 LD | T4 Blight: 2 Turns, 32 DMG

               Enemies:

Kalsnald, Ash Knight of Sealing:

HP 264/3800 | 140 DMG | 2 ACC

Attacks:

Punishing Blade: Common Attack, used on LD 1-8.
Rending Cleave: Inflicts T4 Bleed on MD 8-10, used on LD 9-14.
Axe of Duality: An AoE attack that deals an additional 40 damage as Fallen on MD 9, and an additional 40 damage as Holy on MD 10. Used on LD 15-18.
Blighted Smite: An attack that inflicts T4 Blight on a successful hit. Used on LD 19-20.

Abilities:

Neutralizer: Holy Damage and Fallen Damage are 25% less effective when inflicted against Kalsnald, Ash Knight of Sealing.

"To Hell with your Persistence!": Using a healing item or skill generates 6 Hate and gives Kalsnald, Ash Knight of Sealing a free attack action to use against the cause of healing.